A Hundred Acre Charge
M.C. Deltat

Chapter 4: Sacrifices

I spent a second frozen, watching as Rabbit hopped away. For some reason, and for the life of me I just couldn't place why, this situation felt… weird; Almost as if I had seen someone in a similar place to Rabbit. However, every time my brain felt as if it was making progress on unearthing the connection, the hole would collapse, leaving me back where I started. At least Pooh seemed alright though.

"Onwards!" Pooh pointed… in what I assumed was a random direction. I didn't get a chance to confirm or deny that suspicion before he started walking.

I followed after. "So, uh, Pooh" I began.

"Yes?" he responded.

"Rabbit seemed, kinda, out-of sorts," I bit out.

"I think he is just sleepy." Pooh explained. "Rabbit has been so busy, with some much," he paused, "Frankly, it makes me tired just thinking about it."

"Huh." I considered it. "When did this start?"

Pooh brough his paw up to his chin, considering the question. "Probably around the time you disappeared."

"Really?" I asked.

"I think so," Pooh shrugged. "After you didn't come back, Rabbit started building a new burrow. Once that burrow was done, he made a new farm, then he dug a well, and so on so forth. Rabbit just kept finding more work to do."

"Wow," I said. "Did he ever take a break?" I leapt over a high root that had grown into the path. Luckily, there was no vine or anything directly above.

"Nope." Pooh answered. "He kept busy, never stopping. It was impossible to invite him for anything. He always had something else to do."

"It's almost like he was trying to distract himself by keeping busy." I thought out loud. "I can understand that."

"What did you learn in school?" Pooh asked.

"I'm sorry what?" I double took, almost tripping over a rock in the process. I caught myself though.

"Did you enjoy it?" Pooh explained. "How long did it take?" He blazed forward regardless of my struggle, unaware.

"This is a little out of nowhere," I asked. I sped up to catch up to Pooh. Strangely enough, it took many more steps than I expected… almost as if my legs were a tad shorter.

"I was just curious." Pooh explained. "You weren't able to get into it last you mentioned it."

"Ah…" I panicked a little. "Well, as I mentioned, tensions did eventually lower between me and my fellows." Though the bullying never really stopped, just dulled a little once I shut up. "I came to realize, that I was being a little to forward, to aggressive, in my engagements."

"What?" Pooh paused for a moment to look at me. "What did any of that mean?"

I exhaled. I was trying to be too clever in my speech. "If you don't attract much attention, you won't get much attention." I explained.

"Oh." Pooh breathed. "That sounds awfully lonely."

"I did what I had to." I said. "Anyway, I just made sure that I was able to do what was asked of me." My grades started to crash once I stopped fully engaging though. Still don't know how I made it through, how I wasn't kicked out.

"How did you do?" Pooh asked. "Did you enjoy it?"

I said nothing for a couple seconds, considering my words. "I…I was probably average, maybe slightly below average." I fudged the truth. "Anyway, that took a few years of my time and I left to return …" Wait. I could see it, the lightning bolt in the distance.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five …

Five seconds. Five kilometers till the storm gets here. I turned to Pooh. "Remembering the past is fun and all that, but…" I never finished. The shouting took precedence.

"Roo! Roo!" a motherly voice sobbed. "Oh Roo! Please! I NEED HELP!"

I looked at Pooh. "Was that Kanga?" I asked worried.

"Yes." Pooh confirmed.

The scream came from a short distance away. We both nodded at each other before leaping into action. Strangely enough though, Pooh kept pace with me. Eventually, we crossed the peak of the hill, which revealed a large chasm in the ground. I saw a brown kangaroo leaning over the edge, desperately trying to reach for something. But despite their greatest attempts, inching the absolute maximum they could, it appeared that they could not reach their goal.

"That's Kanga!" Pooh cried. "Let's get over to her!"

I nodded to agree, yet despite myself, my gaze shifted to the chasm as a whole.

My head hurt. It was a deep heavy pounding that echoed from my head to the rest of my body. I tried to resist, but once I tried to take a step forward, I collapsed. I would have fallen to the ground if Pooh hadn't caught me, somehow supporting all my weight on his fluffy yellow body.

"Christopher Robin, are you alright?" He asked concerned.

I didn't respond right away. Instead, I focused on my breathing, trying my best to force the pain down. Eventually, it did fade into a dull roar as opposed to the rage-driven shout it had been. I started to carry my weight on my own limbs, slowly. I turned my head to Pooh, worry clear on his face. "Don't worry, Pooh. I am good now" I started walking towards Kanga. "Let's go." Pooh agreed, following after me, his worry now directed towards another.

"Kanga!" Pooh yelled. "What's wrong?"

Kanga immediately popped back out of the ditch, pivoting on her legs. With an accusing look, and a harsh glance, she looked like she was about to throw Pooh himself into the pit. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she yelled. "ALL OF IT!"

"Hang on," I said. "What is the issue." We were a few steps away from the chasm at this point.

As if the question reset her desperation, said emotion taking priority over the anger, she immediately turned back to the chasm. Kanga quickly fell once more and restarted her attempts to reach for… something. "Roo?" she sobbed. "Roo, my darling, has fallen." It appeared as if she accepted her lack of reach, her hands pivoted from stretching to dangling. "He was safe, he had been safe at home." She whined.

"How did it happen?" Pooh asked, slowly trundling over to the chasm edge.

"He was so excited for your stupid party," I could hear the grit in Kanga's teeth. "He was bouncing and hoping all over the place. I told him to calm down, to relax, but he refused." Kanga took a deep breath. "I accidently mentioned that Tigger was going to show up…. And Roo was so excited. He hadn't seen Tigger since..." A sniffle broke her stride for a second. "Anyway, he missed a hop… he missed a hop, landing in there." She pointed towards the massive fissure scaring the ground.

I had reached the crevice at this point. Carefully peaking over, I was presented with what basically was a sheer drop. This was not something I remembered in the Hundred-acre Wood. With some further scanning, eventually, Roo's location was revealed to me. He was standing on a small boulder extruding out from the rock face. The boulder didn't appear to be in risk of dislodging, nor was it too small for Roo's small body. Someone like me, or even Pooh, would have definitely been in danger. For Roo though, well, he didn't seem to be risking life or limb at the moment. I made the mistake of sharing that opinion though. "Well, Roo appears to be okay."

Kanga rocketed towards me, the new source of agitation. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT YOU YOU … you" Kanga paused. "Who are you?"

"Christopher Robin." I answered.

She paused in shock for a second. That shock quickly morphed into a candid inspection of my body. Eventually she nodded, "Yes, I can see it. You aged a tad. Little bit taller."

"A little bit taller?" I blustered. "I will tell you that…"

"Now listen here Christopher Robin," Kanga interrupted. "I have dedicated every gram of my wellbeing towards my child. I was doing so well… he was safe. Safe from the dangers of the world, safe from disappearing, safe from everything!" She cried out. "Everything was working out. Roo was protected in my burrow, with Me!" She turned back to Pooh. "But then he saw your invitation. He saw it before I could hide it away." Her hands went up to cradle her face. "His eyes, there was such light in them. I couldn't resist… I couldn't handle that light turning into sorrow. It would have broken me."

Pooh and I said nothing. We just waited for her.

Kanga took a deep breath, before she started up again. "But maybe I should have refused. Better sad and safe with me than cast down into the pits of terror, never to be found."

Pooh opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. The words, it seemed, had difficulty appearing. Eventually, something came out though, something simple. "Well, I'm sorry Kanga." Pooh whimpered.

She glared. "Don't apologize. Fix it." She replied.

Pooh looked at me. We then both, yet again, looked over the precipice.

"Roo!" I shouted. "Are you okay? Is anything broken?" I shouted.

"Uh uh uh," He stammered. "I am scared."

"Roo, is anything broken. Does anything hurt." I tried again.

"Uh, no." Roo said after some consideration. "Everything feels…healthy."

"Alright," I muttered. "That's something at least," I whispered to Pooh. "Now how do we get him out?" We both looked at each other, cogs in our brains running. Pooh offered his plan first.

"What if, we pour honey down the wall's edge so that it becomes sticky. Roo could then easily use that to climb back up." Pooh said.

I, meanwhile, looked a bit aghast. "What's up with you." I asked. "Why does every solution you offer involve honey?"

"Honey makes everything better Christopher Robin." Pooh explained.

I sighed. "Alright." I looked back down to Roo. He appeared to be about a meter down. "Roo doesn't seem to be that far down." I looked over to Pooh. "I think I could probably lower you down Pooh. Then, you could simply grab onto him, at which point I'll lift the both of you up." I looked from Pooh to Kanga. "How does that sound?"

"Christopher…" Kanga began. "Are you sure that you can hold Pooh?"

I laughed. "Off course I can," I flexed my muscles. "Pooh are you alright with this?"

He nodded. "I will help save Roo."

I nodded back. I took my position on the crevice edge, then lowered myself low. Pooh went down to a crawl, at which point he positioned himself so that I could grab his legs. Once I had a firm grip, I slowly lowered Pooh down. He was a tad heavier than I expected. "Roo!" I shouted. "I am sending Pooh down."

"Hello." Pooh offered.

"I can see him." A tiny voice shouted back.

"Grab onto him once he is close enough. I will lift both of you back." I explained.

"Alright." He acknowledged.

Bit by bit, Pooh descended into the trench. I did my best to ensure it was a smooth journey, as I didn't want to also terrify my yellow friend along with the young kangaroo. "How are you doing Pooh?" I asked.

"All the honey I ate earlier," He paused to swallow, "is trying to visit my brain."

"Don't worry," I tried placating. Judging by how much of him I lowered, we were just barely within Roo's boulder. "We are almost there… Now. We are fully extended." I said.

"Roo, come over here." Pooh explained. "Grab on." Roo launched into a tight hug of the familiar yellow body. Pooh then wrapped his own arms around the young joey. "Alright Christopher. We are ready. Pull us up."

There was a problem. Frankly, I felt shocked and a little insulted. I couldn't lift the two of these beings up. How could this be? Where did my strength go?

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kanga asked. "Pull them up."

"Yes, please do." Pooh agreed. "I would like to not be upside down anymore."

I strained as much as I could. Yet, despite drawing strength from my core, Pooh would not rise up. How could this be happening? How?

"Christopher?" Kanga asked.

"I can't do it." I bit out eventually.

"What?" Kanga asked.

"I can't lift them." I said a bit louder. "I can hold them, but I can't lift them up." I swallowed. "Can you please help."

"OF COURSE!" Kanga cried out. She charged over to me, grabbing one of Pooh's legs out of my grip. Once she took the load, I felt substantially less strain throughout my body. "Alright, here we go," Kanga took the lead. "Three, two, one, Pull!" she ordered.

I followed. Slowly, Pooh rose out of the hole, with Kanga in tow. It wasn't anywhere nearly as difficult, but at this point, the shock weighted upon me more than the two animals. "Little bit more." I groaned. I stained a bit more, honestly shocked at well Kanga was keeping up. A mother's strength I suppose.

"Got it." I shouted a few seconds later. Both me and Kanga launched Pooh into the air, then back onto stable ground. Pooh kept flying into me, but Kanga plucked Roo right from the sky. He had to deal with a new fresh terror now: that of a mother's love.

"Mom…uh Mom…Please stop." Roo breathed out as he suffered an assault of kisses. "Please." There would be no respite though, not yet.

I meanwhile, was content to lie on the ground, with another creature upon my body, lost in thought. Why wasn't I able to lift both of them up myself? What happened. My hand went up to my face for inspection. It looked a bit paler, more flexible if you will, but nothing obvious showed up. What was wrong. So lost in thought, I didn't notice Pooh climb off me.

"Kanga…" Pooh approached his friend. "I am really sorry about everything. Truly."

Kanga didn't respond. She was too busy hugging the stuffing out of Roo.

"Are you… Will you still come to the beach party?" Pooh carefully asked.

That did it. She didn't release Roo from her grasp, but she did launch a fierce glare at the bear. "How dare you?" she hissed. "How dare you still ask me that?"

"I…" Pooh stammered.

"I will be going straight home with Roo." She boomed. "I will not risk him anymore."

"Mom…" Roo cried out. "Mom, please, can we…"

"Roo!" Ranga exclaimed. "How can you even be thinking of that? I almost lost you."

Roo said nothing. Instead, his head cowered down; the beginning of tears starting to form. "It isn't Pooh's fault," he explained. "It is my own fault for falling into the hole."

"And I won't risk you falling into another such hole!" Ranga scolded.

"Well, what if you just keep Roo in your pouch?" Pooh offered. "As long as he is there, he should be safe." He looked at Roo, who then joined Poo at looked hopefully into Ranga's eyes. "Just him being there would be fantastic. No one has seen him in such a long while.

Ranga held firm a little bit, to her credit. But, alas, she was worn down after a few seconds. As she mentioned early, she was not strong enough to resist the tears of her baby boy. "Alright…" she began.

"Yaaa!" Roo cheered.

"Wait." Kanga interrupted. "We can join, but you are not to leave my pouch under any circumstances." She poked at Roo's forehead with a paw. "Agreed?"

He nodded fervently.

"Fantastic!" Pooh cheered. "Then I will see you there."

Ranga nodded. "I have to go back to the burrow first though." She pivoted away. "I need to get the leash.

"Oh mom, not the leash too. I already promised to stay in your pouch." Roo whined.

"Huss child. Non-negotiable." Kanga was already bouncing away at full speed, wind blowing in her wake.

"Alright mom." Roo sighed.

The pair was already out of vision in mere seconds. Pooh walked over to me, still lying on the ground in a daze. "Is your nap done? We still have a few more places to visit." Pooh asked.

I took a deep breath. "Ya, I am ready," I nodded. I climbed onto my knees, then onto my feet. "Let's head out."

Once more, Pooh took the lead, while I followed. I couldn't really tell what direction we were heading in, so focused I was on Pooh's big fluffy head. I decided to fill the air. "So, uh, I don't remember Kanga being…quite that attached." I commented.

"Kanga…" Pooh hesitated, as he led the way, "Kanga dislikes loss." He added. "She equally dislikes risks. A few years ago, she decided to no longer tolerate it."

I watched as Pooh led us off the path, instead favoring a makeshift rock fence that necessitated some balance. "Tolerate it?" I asked.

"Roo was not allowed out of site nor out of mind." Pooh explained. "If he was out of the burrow, he was too far. If he was out of Kanga's pouch it was a step from being too far. The sandy pits have been very lonely without him. Tigger tried his best, but it was obvious how much he missed him."

"And Roo had to deal with this for years?" I asked as I joined Pooh on the fence. It seemed fun enough. "That much undivided attention…"

"What could he have done? Kanga is mom." Pooh answered. "I hoped they would accept my invitation, hoped," his enunciation matched his attempts at recovering from a near fall. "But never expected." He took a moment to hope from one rock to another, before taking a moment to shrug. "She exclaimed why she did though; it was in her son's face. A little consideration, a little thought, makes all the difference." He hoped over a gap in the rock.

"Did Kanga care that much?" I waited before the gap, preparing a jump. It appeared large.

"Always. She cares about everything." Pooh turned to look at me, from the other side of the gap. I stopped mid-hop, waiting his question. "Where your parents not the same?" He backed up a bit, to allow room for me.

I was quiet for a second, using the leap in front of me as an opportunity to think. Once I jumped, as the air blew through my face, I thought about the question. How did I think of my parents?

The answer was easy. Better than I deserved.

"After school finished," I eventually began. "It was difficult. I didn't really find anything…to do…" I carefully said.

"Anything to do?" Pooh asked. "How could you not find anything to do. You can do anything!"

My grades were too poor. No one wanted to waste time on me. "The opportunities I wanted to partake in, did not present themselves." I carefully worded. "I was waiting for the right time."

Pooh slowly pawed his way off the rock fence. "How would you know?"

"I felt like I would." I simply answered, continuing to hop on the fence.

"If it wasn't there at home, then it must have been out there." Pooh waved with his paws.

"In any case," I gritted my teeth, aware of rage bubbling slowly beneath the surface, "While I waited, I kept to myself at home, with my parents. They were…Patient," I said. At first. "I spent my time practicing my abilities and refining my skills. I worked to make myself the best I could be." I stoped as I reached the end of the stone fence lining the path.

I took a deep breath. Why was I feeling wrathful? I slept. I did nothing but waste away as I spelt days, months, potentially years away. I failed in everything I tried to be.

"Sounds difficult." Pooh awed. He raised a hand to assist me down. "What did you end up doing?"

I took his paw. "My dad found something for me. It was an offer…that came at the right time for me." Unless I wanted to a new place to life. We continued walking on the dirt walkway.

"What would have been the wrong time?" Pooh considered out loud. "What does it mean for something to be a right or wrong time?" He pointed at me. "The most exciting part of a yesterday, is awaiting what tomorrow will bring." Pooh chirped.

I used my own hand, to bring Pooh's down. "Yes well, anyway, my dad got a position at the factory he worked at. A textile factory." I saw the question already on Pooh's face. "Clothing. We were making clothing. Anyway, Dad used this own reputation, pulled in some favors, and there was opportunity."

"Some people care a lot about others." Pooh tapped his chin with a paw. "I think it might be called love." Pooh took another few steps before adding, "How did you do?"

"I ha…" I began before being interrupted. The size of it shocked me. The storm must be closer. The lightning strike… my heart counted the beats better than my brain.

One. Two. Three. Four…

Four kilometers left. The storm was halfway to us. I paused moving forward, to instead look up. It was getting darker. The sun was still visible, but the cloud cover was starting to invade the sky. "We are running out of time Pooh," I shared. "Storm is coming in quick."

"Well, if something exciting happens, at least we will be able to share it." Pooh moved forward before stopping suddenly at an open spot in-between of a circle of trees.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Pooh was just standing in the clearing, shifting back and forth, looking for something. "Are we missing something?"

Pooh pointed at some spots in the dirt. Leaning in, I could see some distinct imprints in the sand. "Tigger was here," Pooh explained. "But…"

"But the hop prints don't move anywhere else." I finished. "I guess nothing to do but look around?"

Pooh nodded. We split up, looking around the area. I went my own way, inspecting near fallen trees, behind rocks, near piles of leaves… basically wherever I can think of Tigger hiding. The new cloud cover shading the woods, did not help one bit in finding our hopping friend. It felt like I was forced to look too closely at things for too long to actually confirm Tigger wasn't there. Strangely enough, I started to get a little tired, going from place to place. I didn't know if I slightly misjudged the distances, or if the dark was messing with my depth perception, but I could tell my breathing was noticeably affected.

Maybe it's just been a long day. We had certainly walked quite a bit today. I looked over Pooh, whose head was seconds away from being stuck inside a tree. I sighed. Still had a lot more to do today. I started walking over to my little friend.

"Uh, Christopher Robin…" Pooh, as expected, began. "I seem to have found myself stuck."

"I know." I chuckled. I approached him, but strangely enough, it sounded like I heard chewing the closer I got. Standing right behind him, I was fairly sure that the hole was the source of the noise. I couldn't help but ask. "Pooh, are you eating something?"

The chewing stopped for a second. An audible swallow came a second later. On the third second, I could hear a guilty sounding Pooh whimper out a response. "Nooooooo." The chewing resumed quick enough after.

"Alright then." I shook my head. With my hands firmly put onto Pooh's belly, I pulled. It was… harder than expected, but I got him out of there with a few bouts of effort. I took a peek at this face. As expected, there was a fine line of honey outlining his mouth. "Pooooh," I chided. "What were we supposed to be doing?"

Pooh stammered, guilty look on his face. "I know, I know, but then I saw the honey, and I haven't had a smidgeon of the stuff in so long." He used his paws to collect up all the left-over honey, at which point it was promptly deposited into his open mouth.

I rolled my eyes. "Pooh, we were supposed to be looking for Tigger."

"Hoo hoo hoo hewoo!" A voice from above sang. "If Tigger is what you seek, Tigger is what you shall find."

Both our heads creaked up, our gazes directed towards the source of the sounds - the tree tops. Revealed to us, was the quite hilarious form of Tigger, who was completely tangled up in a bunch of vines. His limbs and tail were in quite awkward angles, making the sight before us a decent hilarious one… despite the risk clearly implied by his situation.

"Tigger… is that you?" Pooh asked.

He tried waving, but the best he got out his entrapped limbs was a wiggle. Still, with cheer generated from somewhere, he addressed us. "OF COURSE. The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is, I'm the only one!"

"Hello Tigger!" I shouted. "Pleasure to see you again. Its been a while, hasn't it?"

Despite the distance, I could see his eyes grow wide. "CHRISTOPHER ROBIN! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!" His body vibrated in excitement. "You've missed some serious improvements in my hopping style."

I smiled; couldn't help myself even with the situation. "No doubt. Is that why you are stuck up there?"

"Well, as you know, I've always said Tiggers could climb trees." Tigger said matter-of-factly. "Not that it's easy, mind you." His voice turned more serious. "Although now, there is only the coming-down part. It will be difficult… especially since I seem to be stuck."

"Yes, but why are you up there in the first place," I asked, pacing around in small circles underneath Tigger. My eyes looked for some solution, a weak spot in the vines perhaps. "Did you have to leap?" I nodded to Pooh. "Weren't you supposed to be going to a party?"

Now, Tigger looked nervous. Although, upon a second glance, it was a nervousness born out of fear from failure. "I was hopping around, having fun. Bounce bounce bouncing all over the place. When all of a sudden, I heard shouting. After a few moments, my Tigger ears confirmed it was Kanga." The nervousness shifted into guilt. "She was crying out for help. Roo was in trouble. I wanted to help." He paused for a few moments. He looked like he was fighting back hyperventilation. "I tried to get there as fast as possible… then this happened." He couldn't move his limbs, but his eyes gestured enough to get the point across.

My hands shook a tad, listening to Tigger. He genuinely seemed devastated. I opened my mouth to speak, but it seems in my hesitation, Pooh took the initiative.

"Roo is fine though." He explained, still slurping up some left-over honey. With a free hand, he pointed behind us, "We just say her a few moments ago. Her mother took him back home."

"Really?" Tigger seemed to cheer up almost instantly. "Roo is alright? Nothing is wrong?"

Pooh had just shoved another glob of honey in his mouth, which gave me a few seconds to think. Tigger probably didn't need to know about what happened, nor did he need to know about Ranga's near-breakdown. Yes, the answer here, is to keep it simple. He may find out later, but God willing, it wouldn't be when he is entangled by thick, rope-like, vines. I decided the correct way to answer. "Yes…" I firmly said. "Roo is fine. Kanga apparently forgot something at home, and needed to go back quickly to get it. Once done, they will be making their way to the party." Easy. No lies made.

Once more, Tigger's trapped limbs betrayed him. He tried to express joy the only way he knew how, with dramatic movement, but the vines stopped that as they had every other motion. The boisterous shimmy he, no doubt, had planned, was merely a wiggle with a hint of satisfaction. Still more than I could have managed though. "THAT'S GREAT!". Whatever shame or disappointment he might have had, seemed to be long gone.

I sighed. This was great… but there was still an obvious issue here. However, looking at my company, I had the distinct feeling that I had to figure it out. I glanced to the side… Pooh was busy trying to sneak honey. I looked back to the top… Tigger was still celebrating. Ya, it was going to be up to me. "Uh, Tigger," I began.

"That's my name," he cheered.

"So, how are you going to get down?" I asked. Despite several attempts, I failed to see any easy method of Tigger to untangle himself. He truly was in quite the situation.

"Well, I must be stronger than these vines." Tigger began. "If I bounce my tail against the back of this tree enough, I think I should be able to snap these things."

"Or choke yourself," I muttered.

"Those vines seem to be stuck." Pooh considered. "Maybe with …"

I held my hand out. "Pooh, I will stop you right there. I know your idea. I don't think it would work. We would have to climb up to him, before we could get honey anywhere near him." I might have been a little more forceful than needed.

Pooh took a moment to look shocked. "How did you know that was my idea." His eyes were wide.

I shook my head in disbelief, before chuckling. "Lucky guess." I turned back to Pooh, who stood there, head bent back as he gazed to the canopy. "As I said, Tigger is to far for us to throw honey at him."

"So, climb the tree." Pooh said matter-of-factly. "Climb it so you are close enough to Tigger."

I walked up to the tree trunk, whose branches I judged to be closest to Tigger. My right hand shot forward to inspect the tree bark, it felt firm, while also firm and ridges. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting. The tree bark felt like tree bark. "Do you know how hard it would be to climb that high?" I asked Pooh.

"You can do it." Pooh answered. "I know you can" And like that, Pooh went back to unabashedly eating honey. The decision already dealt with as far as he was concerned.

I, meanwhile, wasn't so sure. Instead, I kept quiet for a moment, choosing to inspect Pooh's face. He was really pounding that honey done, but there was something missing. Doubt. Pooh had been resolute when he said I could do it; not a single doubt in his head.

Alright. Alright. I would do it. I turned a sneak glance behind me, at Pooh. Ha, he wasn't even watching. Alright. I turned my head back to the massive tree trunk in front of me. I tested the trunk once more, solid grip on the branches, the bark, basically anything grabbable. Despite some solid effort, everything appeared to hold firm… it seemed like only my will and strength would hold be back.

"What a thrill." I chuckled. No more stalling. My left arm reached just short of my max distance and grasped firmly onto a wayward branch. I looked down, watching as my leg gripped hard against the base of the tree. Then, with some strain, I pulled myself up. My right arm, at the peak of my ascent, then searched for its own branch to grasp. Once found, my left arm let go, and I pulled myself yet higher still. This process continued for a while. It went well at first. See, at first, I was soaring up this tree. Left right left right; my arms catapulted me up the branches and through the leaves. But then, a soreness started to find its way in. It started subtly at the beginning, my arms unconsciously hesitating a beat before each pull up. Then, a slight ache distantly echoing in my arms as I fully extended them. Then, pain. After what felt like the thirtieth branch, it almost felt like making a fist was beyond me. I was proud, but eventually, I took momentarily refuge on the first girthy mass I could sit on. Oh Lord it felt good once I sat, with my back leaning right against the main tree body. "Tigger," I breathed out, "I don't think you could have climbed higher." I yelled.

"Nonsense." Tigger shouted back. "A Tigger can always jump higher."

I tilted my head up towards him - even that felt like a struggle. With an interested gleam in his eye, I could only assume he had been watching my climb with great interest. "I don't doubt it Tigger. Everyone knows no one can out hop Tigger."

A smile exploded on his face. "Why thank you Christopher Robin." He grinned. "Next time, I'll show you just how high I can go. This will seem like nothing."

"Well, make sure you don't get caught next time." I huffed. I looked back down at my hands. Bringing them up for a moment, I stared at my hands. I don't really know how clean they were before, never stopped to look, but they definitely had some character now. Alternating between the palm and the back, I took pleasure in seeing the creases that the climb had imprinted in. The red marks, the splitters, all of it was evidence of my effort. Frankly, it all sucked. I found myself sighing yet again. How long have I been sitting here? I test flexed my limbs and they didn't immediately sing a canon of cacophony. "Alright," I muttered. "Second wind. Back to work."

With a deep breathe, I went back into it. Thankfully, the soreness decided to wait a bit before returning. It was an unfortunately short respite however. The stinging did eventually march its way back into my nerves. There was nothing to be done though. As I did my best to breathe out the aches, I did the only thing I could: I kept climbing one branch after another. Don't worry about the goal ahead, don't worry about the mission end, just worry at that next branch just out of reach. Fight to put it into reach.

"Christopher Robin!" Tigger cheered.

"Uh, Tigger" I moaned. "Please wait for me. I'll get to you soon enough" I struggled. "Just let me concentrate."

"Uh," there was some hesitation in his voice. "You are about to climb past me though."

I froze. Wait, what? That shook me from my narrow focus. I carefully leaned myself into the tree, trying my best to support at least a little weight on it. Then I looked.

Well, what did you know? There he was, Tigger, was but a lateral grab away from me. "Oh". I mouthed. "Well then, lets get you out Tigger." I carefully edged my way across a thick meaty branch, almost sure it was safe. "You feeling okay Tigger?" I asked, slowly pulling right up to him.

"Excited to see you Christopher" he answered.

Despite myself, I smiled. Even with the exhaustion, Tigger still managed to make me smile. "Same," I replied. My hands went up to the vines, a briskness in them despite all I had just gone through. From a distance, I couldn't really tell how tight they were around Tigger, but now that I could feel them, I was shocked he could still feel his limbs. Wait. Could he? "Tigger, are you sure you feeling alright?" I poked at the limbs. "Everything still connected?" His fur flowed around my fingers, like an ocean of velvet.

"Yep!" Tigger confirmed once more.

"That's something," I muttered. My fingers found themselves carefully following the knots and tangles of the vines, slowly searching for the origin points. I didn't have a knife, nor did I think my teeth were strong enough to bite through vines. I was confident that wouldn't be an issue though. "Tigger," I began, "I will try my best to loosen these vines a bite. Do you think you can slide your arm out once I do?" I asked. "Then, just use your claws to free the rest of your body."

He nodded.

I nodded back. Carefully, I creased my fingers into a stubborn mass of green. Working my best to not accidently tighten the vines further, I pulled slowly, carefully following the thread back. Once I judged a vine propagated back enough, my hands moved onto the next. It took a while for my efforts to bear fruit, but I could see it. Tigger was able to wiggle his arm more as I continued. "See if you can escape?" I asked Tigger, with one last tug of the vines.

"If I just use…" Tigger began to strain his arms, flexing against the plant-life. "My full Tigger strength." He continued. Slowly, his arm began to creep out from in-between the vines. It was a tricky process, the tautness of his fabric body making that quite clear. But, with a few moments of dedicated effort, Tigger got his right arm free.

"HUZZAH!" Tigger cheered. He played around with the arm first, clearly missing the freedom he once enjoyed with his body. Then, with a challenging look, he began freeing himself. First, he clawed his right hand free, a hand which promptly grabbed at the branch I sat on. Then he clawed his feet free. Soon enough, Tigger found himself completely unmolested by the trees. With glee, he vibrated audibly on the branch. Frankly, it wasn't my favorite thing.

"Yay," Pooh cheered, as he watched everything from far below. Could he even see us?

I looked back to Tigger. "So uh, how do we get back down." I tried my best to not look down. With some restraint, I succeed, but only just. "I don't know if I'll be able to do the journey back to the floor."

"Don't worry!" Tigger assured. "A Tigger always has a plan."

Out of nowhere, he grabbed onto me and pulled me in close. Embraced in a fluffy hug, I knew I had to ask. I also knew I would hate the answer. "Tigger, what are you doing?" I fought the panic down.

"Taking the express route down!" Tigger cheered.

"Wait, no, Tigger" I shouted, shooting my arms around him to tighten the hug. I could feel the descent, as his tail compressed. "Tigger, please" I begged.

"Don't worry Christopher Robin." Tigger laughed. "It's going to be fun."

"I DON"T THINK SOOOO!" I yelled as we launched downwards.

I honestly have no idea how long we yell. If Pooh asked me, I knew that I wouldn't be honestly able to tell him what took longer, going up or coming down. I mean, intellectually, I knew what the answer should be… but my brain and heart did their best to blur the lines. Oh God, I think I am going to vomit.

Tigger's body suddenly tightened against me. His thick cords of muscles straining in preparation for the crash. "Brace yourself!" Tigger advised.

Somehow, I found the energy needed to tighten the hug. Don't know where it came from, but it definitely appeared. "HOW?" I cried. I closed my eyes, waiting for the collapse myself.

I don't know how Tigger felt when we landed, but I felt wrong. Energy seemed to flow from his body to mine. Nothing hurt per se, but everything seemed to shift a couple centimeters out of place. I lost my breath for a couple seconds, as that was enough to knock the wind out of me. I looked at Tigger then to Pooh. Both seemed to be saying something to me, but I honestly couldn't hear. I was too busy gasping for air that wouldn't come. I held out a finger, not even mentally aware of the fact that Tigger had released me and I was standing free next to the pair. "I …. Need…. A…. Moment…" I gasped.

They both nodded before looking at each other. I think they might have said things, I certainly saw their mouths moving. I merely focused on breathing in air; air that my lungs slowly began to accept.

"So, will you be coming to the beach?" I eventually heard Pooh asking.

I think the noise was back on. I turned my head to wait for Tigger's response.

"Absolutely!" He confirmed. But he then gazed in the distance we had come from; where he had no doubt heard Kanga calling for help. "Where is, where did you say Kanga and Roo where?" he asked.

"Kanga … said… Burrow" I choked out. Listening was working, but my voice still needed a second it seemed.

Tigger put a paw to his chin, as he looked from me to Pooh. "I think, I'll go see Roo first." He thought out loud. "We can go to the beach together."

"Kanga would love…" I swallowed, "that." Better.

Tigger didn't catch the sarcasm. He took it with grace instead. "Definitely." Tigger agreed. He turned to Pooh. "Ill see you again soon."

And with that, Tigger hopped away.

Pooh looked at me, still standing there struggling to breath. "Are you ready?" Pooh asked. "We still have a few more places to stop at."

I bent down, supporting my body with hands on knees. Then I started deeply gasping, attempting to use the hyperventilation as an accelerant. It worked, sorta. My throat stung a bit, but I was able to get up without feeling woozy. "Ya…" I coughed interrupting myself. I cleared my throat, before beginning again. "Yes, I am good." I looked at Pooh. Huh, he was already walking away; a smile creeps on my face. I speed walk to catch up with him. "Tigger seems alright." The words left my mouth as I caught up. "Just as excitable and active as he always was."

Pooh nodded, deep in thought as he kept walking through the brush. He didn't respond to me at all which was strange. As I followed him past a low hanging branch, I took a glance at his face. Something was clearly bothering him. Yet, he continued forward, resolute in his path out of the forest. Such was the firmness of his face, it almost scared me. Never before had I seen anywhere near this level of tension in Pooh's face. I quickened my pace by a few steps to get closer. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I waited for him turn his head back at me. With his gaze on me, I could now tell that I had knocked him out of his stupor. "Pooh?" I asked. "Are you alright."

It almost looked like awareness came back into his eyes upon hearing me. "Oh ya…" he paused. "Oh yes Christopher Robin. I am fine."

"You…" I began, "You alright Pooh." I repeated myself. "Felt like I lost you there."

"How could you have lost me Christopher?" Pooh's head tilted in confusion. "I was walking right in front of you."

I inhaled really deeply upon hearing that. "Oh Pooh," I rolled my eyes. "Anyway," I continued, trying to move the conversation forward. "As I was saying, it looks like Tigger is just as I remember him. Excitable and having fun; Same as always."

Pooh continued walking. "Same as always…is he?" he whispered. I could barely hear him. The ambiance, all this nature around us, it almost drowned his voice out.

"Well sure." I stammered. "Tigger was always hoping around, getting into messy situations."

Pooh slowly nodded. "Yes, I suppose he was." Pooh quietly agreed. "I supposed he was."

I didn't know how to respond; Was I missing something? "Are you sure you are alright Pooh?" I found myself asking a third time in as many heartbeats.

"Tigger… he…. well…" Pooh hesitated, struggling to find the words.

"Pooh?" I asked. He was clearly having some issues, lost in thought as he was. While he struggled in his fight against the words that evaded him, he even missed a step, tripping over a rock jutting out of the path. "Pooh!" I shouted as I shot forward to catch him. I grabbed onto his arm, preventing the back of his head from slamming into the hard rock trail. He looked at me in thanks, but there was a shadow framing it. While grateful that I had caught him, he slacked his arm. He lowered a few inches which was enough so that he laid on firm ground. Once I let go in surprise, he brought his two hands over his belly.

"There was a reason that Kanga didn't let Roo visit Tigger." Pooh began.

Not knowing what to do, I sat down right next to Pooh, resting my back against a tree. Then, I rested my hands in my lap. "Well, ya," I eventually agreed. "You said that Kanga got heavily protective while I was gone. No one was allowed contact with the young joey."

Pooh shook his head, frowning as his head rubbed against the stone. "No, that isn't everything." Pooh pivoted his head, his eyes gazing at my eyes. "When it came to Tigger, Kanga was correct."

That confused me. Sure, Tigger was a bit excitable, but that is no different to how I remembered him. He was always getting into wacky situations. I decided to say as much to Pooh. Surely, he was exaggerating.

"Tigger…" The words were still difficult. Pooh audibly swallowed before trying again. "Tigger got too dangerous for any of us, let alone Roo." He eventually admitted.

I leaned forward slightly, trying to make sure I heard correctly. "Dangerous?" I asked. "I mean, sure he would sometimes get into kinda wacky situations, but everything usually" I began.

"No." Pooh firmly interrupted. He brought up a paw to point at me before continuing. "Before, when you were still here, Tigger's play was just that. Play. But…" Pooh put his arm back down, before continuing on with a deep exhale. "But, afterwards… afterwards it was all about the thrill. How high could he go, how far could he leap, how interesting was the place he was visiting. What obstacles stopped him." Pooh frowned as he looked back into the now dark sky. "He included us as obstacles."

"He didn't want to play with you Pooh." I asked. Now I was confused. That didn't sound at all like Tigger. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

"We slowed him down." Pooh explained. "Scary is exciting but it isn't safe. We hesitated. We didn't want to follow in his adventures to mountaintops or canyon bottoms. Not Roo, but that changed eventually. Especially after…" Pooh trailed off, lost as he stared into the sky.

Was Tigger always this mean? What was he hunting for? I don't know. I looked at Pooh. immediately the thousand-meter stare was clear; I had seen it often before. He was lost in a memory. "What happened Pooh?" I asked.

Pooh looked back at me. I sadly shook his head. "I don't want to say. Just, just know that Kanga was very careful to watch Roo after that."

"Oh" I stammered.

Pooh nodded. "Anyway, that wasn't enough to stop Tigger. He just kept going. No matter how high, how low, how far, or how risky, it didn't hinder him. The opposite in fact. He was by himself. Alone, the risk is at its greatest."

"Well, at least he got out of everything alright." I tried to offer.

"Did he?" Pooh asked. He slowly pivoted around onto his hands. He slowly lifted himself up onto his legs before continuing onwards. I forward. "Sometimes I wondered if he did." Pooh admitted. "We can be very good at not being true to our hearts. Very good at pretended a terrible situation isn't a terrible one."

This time I swallowed. Truthfully, I was scared of where this conversation might lead, so I kept quiet. And indeed, it seemed like Pooh was satisfied with the quiet as we passed beyond the threshold of the trees, entering into some grasslands. It seemed however, Pooh decided to pick at the scar.

"We were talking about the chore your dad got for you." Pooh began. He didn't stop moving as he asked, continuing through grass tall enough to obscure him and me. "You never said if it was fun."

"It was work," I answered. "No one likes work."

"Why do you do it then?" Pooh asked.

I shrugged as I pushed some annoying fronds out of my face. "It is just the way the world works back home. Life is very different than how it is here. Everyone works, and nobody likes him."

"Well, that sounds horrible." Pooh paused for a moment in the maze of greens. He looked once more at the sky, attempting to orient himself. It must have been difficult cause the clouds had come in quite a bit now. "It has gotten very dark." Pooh muttered. "We should hurry." He continued on, but not before glancing at me.

"Indeed, it does." I admitted, quickly following him. I definitely didn't want to get lost here. It's really strange, but I don't think I remembered a field of grass as tall as this last I was here. What happened?

"How did you take it then." Pooh asked, apparently not yet complete with his probe.

"I was no different." I settled with that answer. "I did what I had to do. My father could handle it, I saw no excuse for myself." Lord did I hate it.

"No excuse? You felt like you had to?" Pooh offered.

Oops, might have said to much. "Like I mentioned a while ago, I had… difficulty… finding opportunities after school." Waiting months after barely passing college certainly help my opportunities. "I wanted to help my parent somehow." Although running away had crossed my head. Just leave so they don't have to bother with their stupid son anymore. Just don't know where I could have gone.

"Are you coming." Pooh suddenly asked.

"What?" I asked in shock. Pooh was standing right in front of me, concern on his face.

"You stopped following me for a second." Pooh chuckled. "Was scared you were lost."

Lost in thought maybe. "Thanks, Pooh." I brought a foot in front of the other. "Let's keep going."

Pooh nodded as he waited for me to catch up. As he went back to leading the way, he asked, "So it wasn't fun then. How did you handle it though?"

I thought about that question for a moment. "If I am being honest, it really wasn't that bad." I began. "Sure, it was annoying having to work all day, from early morning to late afternoon. However, it always felt nice to know that you accomplished something before going to sleep."

"You did well then?" Pooh asked, as he finally got us out of the grasslands. We appeared to be in a field now.

"No, don't get it wrong." I answered. "I was far from the best. I just wasn't the worst." My head tilted a bit at the thought. "I guess that was alright enough for me."

"What did your dad think?"

That was an interesting question. He probably had been expecting a disaster. The whole job thing was definitely just a way to get me out of the house. "But it hadn't been a disaster." I muttered.

"Sorry what." Pooh's ears struggled.

"Oh," I stammered. "I think he was satisfied." I said more clearly. "He had used his name to get me hired, so the fact I wasn't making a fool of myself probably helped."

"Well, sometimes its fun to make a fool out of yourself." Pooh thought out loud. "I would much rather be friends with a fool I would think. Its so much more fun to speak with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words. I prefer short easy ones instead."

I sighed. "Well, I suppose that just isn't valued in the real world."

"The real world sounds awful then." Pooh grumped

"Most would agree with you." I replied.

Notes:

Another Sunday, another Chapter! M.C. Deltat reporting!

Alright then. We are finally in the closing half of my story. There are maybe 2 or 3 chapters left. So, if you have stuck along thus far, I thank you for your commitment. I am sure, you know which characters are left, so look forward to them. Beyond that, I don't actually have much to say for the notes in this chapter. Just… thanks for reading I guess.

As always, I wish you a pleasant day and a happy life.