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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Buddi caught a bare glimpse of Ursa steeling herself. Then the life-saving lurch as the ropes connecting the three bears snapped taut. With Grubbi farther ahead, Ursa was the one to take the cub's weight.

Heart pounding in his chest, he wanted to cry out to Ursa. There wasn't any need-- Ursa was encouraging him with curt waves of her free hand--, and it would ruin the silence called for on the haiana. Struggling to control both himself and his swinging, he latched onto the cliff as if life itself. Yeah... He had to act like the rock. Unmoving. A rock wasn't afraid. And a

Barbic isn't afraid of a rock.

... Such thoughts stilled his mind. That's stuff Ursa would say. Unusual, yes, but it gave him courage, and strength. It was the right thing to think. Even if she wasn't speaking, he could _hear_ her! Amazed, the cub found himself beside her in his climb upwards. She gave only a short nod at his progress. He smiled back. His hands weren't sweating so much. He felt in control, for the first time in a long time. He'd make it to the top. He would!

"C'mon, Sunni. I know you only went on this trip to find Buddi. Don't tell me different. I don't believe you!" Cubbi yelled, turning from the sight of her.

"Cubbi... I... I really don't think this is the time."

"Why not? You never have time for me! Why not now? We're stuck down a hole and it's filling with water. We're either wet out there or in here. This is the dumbest yet!"

"Oh yeah? Not as dumb as sneaking out in the first place. Why'd you follow me if you didn't wanna come? You don't even know what a haiana is!"

"Well.... Neither do you!"

She hadn't told Cubbi. "Just like the little tag-along you are, you just came with me. It's your fault you're here, not mine!" she yelled back. "Don't blame me for this, or for anything else!"

"You..." He stared back, shocked. "You think I'm a troublemaker. That _I_ was the reason the Glen was destroyed?"

"Cubbi... No. I don't. We-- Cubbi!"

Too late. He'd scrabbled out of the hole as if the fox himself. She slogged through the muddy, knee deep water to catch him, mud beginning to fall from the cracks around. It slapped in disgusting smacks against her yellow fur. This was why it was abandoned. she thought to herself. Stupid... It _was_ my fault...

By the time she'd surfaced, Cubbi was no where to be seen. The rain came down harder with each clap of thunder and streak of lightning. Great sheets of it fell like lines of clothing, obscuring her view more than ten feet away.

"Cubbi?"

No answer. No sound.

"Cubbi?"

The pink bear, tears streaming down his face as if a rain all their own, ignored the girl's calls. He didn't wanna be anywhere around someone who hated his very presence.

Zummi waved Grammi into his room and closed the door. She set the two items down on the bed: one of Cubbi's wooden swords and Sunni's summer dress.

"Oh, good. I see you got the ight ritems.. er.. I mean, right items."

"I hope this spell works, Zummi..." Grammi still wasn't sure where she stood with his magic. It made him happy, sure, but tended to cause more trouble than anything.

The lavender wizard straightened, took a deep breath, and spoke the words to the spell:

"Dummown, ummarummound, summight, summound

Nummear, fummar, hummere, thummar

Summeek, fummind, Cubbi, Sunni!"

Grammi gasped as a swirl of misty light appeared above the two personal articles. It was like a mirror, yet fuzzy at first. Unclear. A fog covered a lot of their view, but both realized that it was the rain they heard outside. A pink blur was running as hard and fast as he could. The image cleared as he came closer to the 'mirror''s view. He was angry at something.

"Oh, Cubbi..."

"You see Cubbi?" Zummi asked, observing the other side of the misty 'mirror'.

"Yes. Don't you?"

"No. I see Sunni."

Grammi went to his side. Sure enough, like any mirror, it had two sides. One showing Cubbi, the other, Sunni. She didn't look much better off.

"Oh, Zummi, what are we gonna do? We can't let those cubs wander out in the rain gettin' soaked. They'll catch cold!"

"Grammi...We may not be able to get by the Barbics. If we try..." He was beginning the think he never should have suggested this spell. It'd only upset her. he'd told himself, but convinced himself that she'd be comforted to see them alright. If they were alright. He'd wanted to know, too. Just like he'd wanted to believe that Igthorn really was gone. And that it was safe to call the Great Gummies home. His fault again...

"No. I won't do it again. I'm sorry, Grammi. I can't yelp hou.. I mean, help you. We shouldn't go after them unless they're in deal ranger... er... real danger. Please!"

Grammi, already working up a fuss, was hard to calm out of it. But seeing this side of Zummi... It made her think. He could be right. She worried over those two worse than a hen sometimes. Couldn't help herself. Maybe this time, she'd have to learn how. They _were_ growing up. Sunni could take care of herself, and Cubbi... He'd proven he could handle himself before. What worried her most was how upset the pink cub looked, and the fact that they were not together.

"If you think that's wise, Zummi..." For she knew also that she could not escape the Barbic's notice without help. Tellin' Gruffi what they saw would just get him riled up, and after Ryo.

Cubbi no longer heard Sunni calling. Maybe he shouldn't have run. He was cold, shivering, and strangely, he felt lonely. Why? He could take care of himself, all by himself. Why would he need to be around anybody else. Nobody wanted him anyway... Why didn't they just—

There was no breeze, and the now-drizzling rain pounded many scents down to his level, but why he might smell what seemed like Grammi's fresh cookies was beyond him. Was he hallucinating? Mist rose from the ground as the sky

cleared, warmed by the sun. What... what was goin' on?

He tensed, heard voices. Cubbi crouched, on guard, ears swiveling around to pick up the direction. But it was coming closer, all around him. Many voices. Happy... The sun melted the last clouds and dazzled his eyes. When he could again see, Cubbi gasped in amazement. All around him were bears. Gummies of all types, but ghostly in their happy dancing and merry-making. He wasn't outside... Rubbing his eyes, he blinked twice. No he was still inside, surrounded by the gummies he saw. He said 'Hi', tried touching them. It was an illusion. He could see but not be a part of it. Hmph. Like anybody let him be apart of anything these days. Why should this hallucination be any different...

Cubbi sat on the ground...or was it as it appeared-- a wood-planked floor... in a huff. He was nuts. This was nuts. He wished the Gummadoon knights were here. Or any familiar Gummi that might give him an ounce of notice... But there was nobody.

The gummies were so happy. He wondered who they were. What they were eating. By their clothes, they looked like they were from the past. Sorta... Were these... Were these ghosts of ancient gummies from Ursalia??

Sunni stopped calling for Cubbi. She couldn't find him. She was lost. The rain just wouldn't stop! It pounded harder, blaming her for Cubbi running away as much as she blamed herself. She couldn't take the rain anymore and took shelter in the nich of a hollowed standing tree. She felt warm here, despite being chilled and soaked through. She couldn't help a sudden drowsiness and slipped into sleep.

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