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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Gritty nudged the pair awake before dawn. Had to get an early start, to hammer out the rules and catch up to a day for once starting free of rain.

When they protested, he picked them each up and tossed 'em into his make-shift bath.

"Aaahh!! I-I-It's c-c-cold!!"

"Yeah, so?" Gritty ignored their complaints. "Just wash off quick and get back to the fire."

They did without question and were quicker than he thought they could be. Sunni especially. He checked 'em over good to make sure their fur was clean, then tossed each some clothing. For Cubbi, it was his only set, now dry and waterproofed to some degree. For Sunni, he tossed his cloak.

"Gotta dry yer clothes before we go." he muttered, not wanting to explain why he hadn't declothed her before dunking her.

The only sound for a bit was the chattering of teeth but even that eased before Gritty's cheery fire. Warmed, clothed, and sipping heated water, he passed around rations to each of them. "First, there's no talking while we move. You reflect, you push yourself, you don't stop til' I say. Second, you catch yer own food. Any problem so far?"

Both stubborn cubs shook their heads. "Third, you don't get to know where we're goin'. I'm leadin'. You follow. You don't complain. You don't question. You quit or run out on me, you'll never get through it again. Hear me, pard'ner?" He directed that at Cubbi, as he was the youngest.

The pink-furred bear nodded, determined.

"Fine. Yer clothes dry yet?" He felt the garments himself. "Close enough. Let's go."

The two followed Gritty as he turned about in the opposite direction they'd been headed and started out of the dead forest. He knew Ursa and Grubbi were takin' Buddi to Barbic Woods. No way he'd chance crossing paths with their haiana, so he was takin' these two to their own 'Barbic Woods'.

"Zummi?" Gruffi peeked into the restored Ursalia library. "You found anything yet?"

"If you mean anything on Tarbic Bradition.. er. I mean, Barbic Tradition, no. I don't think they ever wrote anything down. I did discover why they split from the rest of the gummies. The same old argument over humans. The Barbic ancestors were always suspicious of human intentions. They were a band of guard elites trained to protect the council of that day. When they

failed, they blamed the poor judgment of their fellows who still trusted humans too much. The elite moved away and left them to their own demise, so they say."

"Well, that doesn't help. It's still us versus them. It's not the Gummi way!" Gruffi fumed, wracking his brains. "Keep lookin', Zummi."

Gritty was surprised with the cubs' resilience. They never said a word, never complained, were determined to stick this out. He could tell it was wearin' on 'em. Sunni especially. Though small, Cubbi was still full of young energy. He could hear each time Sunni tripped over a rock or limb in their path. Even ruts. They'd been walking for nearly the full day but he wouldn't stop. And they never said a word. Gritty's opinion of the so-called 'soft' Glens began to alter.

Ursa was all but pacing. "Where could he be? He KNOWS its past sunset!"

"Calm down. I'll go get him."

"No. I'll--"

"Ursa, if you go, he'll be rebuked the whole return trip. If you stay, he has something to look forward to when he gets back. You."

"What if he's hurt or... or...needs me." She trailed off. "Dear Gum, what am I saying?"

"Exactly. Which is why I'm going. I don't want you mothering him if he is hurt. Let me at him, either way. Just keep saying to yerself, girl: Grubbi knows best." He grinned and trotted off into the dark of their once-home."

Buddi was smacked by yet another tree limb in the face but that one was the last straw. His chest was on fire, his legs were turning to jelly, and his blood loss had reached its breaking point with him. He collapsed right there on the ground. Every rustle of leaves or flap of raven wing froze his heart. Was it Lady Bane pursuing him, for... for what he did?

When it occurred to him that Ursa might be proud that he'd been so capable of defending himself, it provided no comfort. In fact, it made him feel ill again. He remembered, from some long ago memory and for no reason at all, that one particular tiny plant growing on the forest floor often cured nausea.

...What a waste.

He could still smell Barbic Woods. Tears creeped through his slammed-shut eyes. Why couldn't things be the way they were? He could still be a blissfully happy and unaware cub. Ursa still tolerant, and it was okay if she babied him. Just that one time, forever...

But then there wouldn't be Sunni, or any other gummies. He knew he was the last of the Barbics. It bothered him, put a great lot of stress on his shoulders. Made him wanna crawl back to that time when he was just still a cub. Just a cub.

Buddi rolled onto his stomach, dug under the layer of dead mulch and ash as if groping for Ursa. He wished he could bury himself, bury what he'd done to those Troggels...

Huh? An ear twitched toward a sound. A voice?

A whisper. Like the dead trees were talking. It said, 'Don't cry. Don't cry.'

Ursa? Was it Ursa? He tried yelling for her but no sound came out.

'See. See.'

Like the voice of a bird, the trees whispered. The wind blew leaves and grew stronger, scattering the layers of mulch and dead ash. Beneath his hands, green showed through. Green... Alive. The forest here wasn't dead. It was waiting. For what?

'Waiting, waiting, waiting for you. You.'

Me?

'She, she, she. Bad, bad. 'di, 'di, 'di.'

Someone was slapping at his face, calling his name.

"Buddi! Wake up."

He was flat on his back still as he opened his eyes. They focused on Grubbi. "Wha..?"

"C'mon. Stand up. Yer half froze. Here." Grubbi handed him his cloak. "You better tell me what happened before we get back to Ursa. She'll be spittin' fire as it is."

He was weak, sleepy, but the analogy sounded so funny, he chuckled.

"Hey, stay awake, Buddi. Hear me?" He handed the cub a breakfast cake from his pack, knowing the energy would restore his blood sugar more than meat.

As Buddi reached hungrily for the food, he saw his fists were balled up, clenched. He pulled his hands back and looked at them in a detached way. He was having trouble opening them, like they weren't his own.

"Buddi, c'mon, now. Take it." He grabbed the cub's hand and pried one open. Inside the curled fingers lay a clump of grass. Green grass. "What the...?!"

"Lady Bane's tryin' t'wake the ... the dead..." Standing up had sent a head rush that sent the cub to his knees again, head spinning.

"Buddi? Buddi, stay awake!"

It was no use. Couldn't wake the kid after so much blood loss. He stashed the cake, threw the cub over his shoulder, and ran as fast as he could back to Ursa. He had no idea where Lady Bane was but after finding the dead Troggels, and then Buddi... Well, the kid'd have a lot of questions to answer when he did come to. Something began to spark in Grubbi's mind, however. A ray of sunshine in the rainy clouded sky. A ray of hope. If grass were growing here...

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