Growing Up

The Barbics, Glens and any other Disney characters are copyrighted to Disney and we claim no ownership. However, any new characters are copyrighted to Ulisa, Silver Fox and Cheetah the Furry. This plot is a collaboration of Ulisa, Silver Fox, and Cheetah the Furry.

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Ryo growled as he stormed towards the training room. Why did his leader let these weaklings stay with them? They were bears that could think as much as Ryo could tell but they were clinging to the Barbics for life, like leeches. Or humans…

The Barbic spat onto the ground. Humans…those bears were all human-lovers, that was their problem. How could they live with themselves, knowing how weak they were…

Well, no more he decided, they would be cast out before Ursa's return. He made a vow to that.

Buddi was struggling to keep up with Grubbi. Ursa was still behind him but she was going to stay there for some reason or another. Grubbi was already far ahead. Buddi could just barely see him. They had not said a word since they'd left and the silence was eerie. It made Buddi restless.

A crash of thunder caused Buddi to stop and look overhead. Dark clouds were forming; rain was coming. He knew it, knew it deep inside. But it hadn't started to rain yet. He headed on as Ursa glared at him and jerked her head forward. Buddi didn't say anything but nodded and ran. Ursa sighed deeply.

He hadn't slept well, she could see it. His eyes had dark circles under them and he walked with an ache to his pace. She knew she should have made sure he'd been asleep before she went to bed. But she had been so angry, so worried and so confused last night that she had decided that it was best not to approach him. She didn't want to lose her temper again. When she had lost it last night…

The things she had said would haunt her to her dying day and she knew it. And that had been the first time she had smacked Buddi's face. He had burst into tears then and ran but she was so full of rage she'd torn after him, howling that she meant to teach him a good hard lesson about decorum.

The Barbic shook her head. She loved that cub but he was so hard and difficult. Perhaps this haiana would help. She looked up ahead and saw that Buddi had stopped and sat down. He was rubbing his feet. She knew that this was the hardest part, the first day. Every bit of her wanted to let Buddi rest for a few minutes but she could not.

Hardening her face, she snagged the cub by the scuff of his neck and pointed towards where Grubbi had vanished over the hillside.

Buddi was in pain, he was tired and he was starving. He wanted to complain and ask when they would eat breakfast but he knew that such an action would not be appropriate in this circumstance. He got up and headed towards the horizon, with Ursa trailing just behind.

Another clap of thunder sounded and this time rain poured down. Buddi shivered and then using his hands as a rather ineffective umbrella, drove onward even as the cold began to seep through his fur and into his skin. Ursa made no reaction to the rain.

Buddi froze as he came upon Grubbi. They were moving into the mountain range. Buddi's heart jumped as he scanned the mountain over. His stomach fell to his knees. Grubbi turned, tossed both Ursa and Buddi a rope and then swung his own upward, snagging a stone. He started upward.

Ursa pushed Buddi forward. He was trembling but did the same as Grubbi and headed upward.

"Great idea Sunni!"

"Not now, Cubbi."

"Oh, so-"

"I said, NOT NOW!" she all but bellowed. She was looking around and finally saw a small hold in the ground. It was not hospitable but it went down deep and would keep them dry. She pushed Cubbi in first before sliding down into what she decided was probably an abandoned fox den.

Cubbi rolled his eyes and wrung out some of his clothes saying, in a high pitched voice,

"Let's go on a haiana."

"Shut up."

Buddi was a ways behind Grubbi. He tried not to think about how high up he was. But his hands were wet with sweat and his throat was dry. He knew that he shook like a leaf. Ursa was behind him, keeping a ways down for safety reasons. Buddi inwardly told himself,

'It'll be okay. Just get to the top. Get to the top. Just-'

But the cub's sweat drenched hands would not obey. He reached upward on the rope. His sweat covered hands slid and his traction on the slippery rope was broken. Unable to repress it, the cub screamed as he fell downward.

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