I said I would make a part two to this collection of shorts and I will keep to my word. Just to let anyone whose curious, this one is taking place after "Growing Up".
Enjoy the chapter!
Once Bright Heart had grown up a bit and was no longer considered a baby, he was now old enough to go to school and interact with cubs his own age. It was there he had made friends with the other two younger cubs, the twins Hugs and Tugs, and had begun learning and playing alongside them.
However, despite this being a critical time for him to receive care and attention and love and affection from his parents, unfortunately, due to their profession, they could not always be there for him. While they had been making exceptions to going out on Caring Mission, at times there were too many factors or missions within the world that prevented them from refusing to go.
So, with begrudging resignation, his parents requested that the Care Bear senior, Grams Bear, take care of Bright Heart while they went on missions. This was of no trouble to her, as she already had two grandcubs, Hugs and Tugs, as well had basically aided the two new parents in raising every one of the Care Bears and the Care Bear Cousins. Though she was no longer eligible to go out on missions, due to her aging body, she still was highly respected and loved by the others and was still helpful with her abilities to teach and care for the young.
Needless to say, leaving Bright Heart in the care of Grams for awhile was the perfect decision. Additionally, Bright Heart was very fond of Grams and vice versa.
On one particular day, the parents found themselves at Grams' door, with the painful request that she would have to take care of him for a week. Unfortunately for them, the world was appearing to get worse everyday, with more and more areas of disharmony and apathy arising. This required the help of all the Care Bears and it would take quite a bit of time to settle things down in the world and restore some peace and harmony in the world.
Grams agreed, promising that Bright Heart would be fully taken care of in the meanwhile. The two expressed their gratitude to her and sadly bid farewell to their son. Though he was still young and inexperienced, he seemed to understand what was going on, reaching out and begging his parents to stay with him. Though nearing crying, they promised to him that they would be back sooner then he knew it and that he would have a great time at Grams.
The promise placated him, though he still frowned and resisted crying as he watched his parents climb into their cloud car, waving and blowing kisses to him as they flew off.
It was on the third day that the loneliness began really setting in. Though being at Grams house was wonderful, he still yearned for his parents arrival. The young raccoon would find himself looking more and more out the window, expectantly looking for the cloud car that might come home early, bringing along his parents. As the hours ticked on, he sighed loudly.
"Bright Heart?"
Turning around, he saw the warm, concerned expression of Grams Bear. Though wrinkles were beginning to show, it hardly betrayed the strong, loving individual inside.
"Hi Grams," he replied, glancing back out the window.
"I was hoping you could come with me to the backyard. I've decided to hold class outside today."
Bright Heart's ears perked up at the the word 'class'. Ever since he had started school, he had been engrossed in all the wonderful, fascinating things that occurred n the world he knew. He loved learning about new things, figuring out how they worked, then relaying everything that he knew to his... parents.
His excitement dimmed somewhat, though he still nodded and picked himself up and walked over to Grams. She gave a friendly smile and offered her hand for him to grasp as they walked towards the back door.
An easel with some paper was standing on top of the lawn, along with some pillows for seats on the ground. Tugs and Hugs were already seated out there, along with, to his mild surprise, the familiar light blue, warm orange, and minty green forms of Loyal Heart Dog, Proud Heart Cat, and Gentle Heart Lamb. The three older Care Bear Cousins turned and smiled at him before pointing at a spare cushion for him to sit on. Bright Heart shyly approached and sat down beside them and the twins, drawing up his tail near to him as he sat down.
"Well class, now that we're all here, I'm happy to say that I have a special treat for you all today," Grams exclaimed, before flipping one of the papers on the easel back, revealing a chart with Hugs, Tugs, and Bright Heart's names written at the top. "I've decided to make today's lesson a bit of a competition. Today you will be paired up with one of the older Care Bear cousins and you will be assigned a letter or color to find words associated with said item."
A hand went up in the crowd, followed by Grams pointing at the cub. "Why are the older members here to help us, Grams," Hugs piped up. Bright Heart ears perked up at that. Yes, why were these three here and now out on the missions down on earth? Couldn't they help out while his parents could stay here and spend time with him?
"That's a good question, dear. You see, these three are still a bit inexperienced in their skills. We thought it might be best if they practiced their skills by assisting you in your mission to learn about the aspects of caring before they can take on their first mission." Bright Heart's ears went down. Though the logic was reasonable enough, he kinda had hoped that this wasn't the case and that his parents could just trade with them so they could be here with him.
Another paw raised. "Grams, aren't competitions not very caring? I've heard stories about how competitions and things like that where they've caused more bad then good," Tugs inquired. Again Bright Heart's ears went up in curiosity. Tugs was right in that some competitions like races and stuff could end with more harm done then good. Though he also knew a different side to the story. He quickly raised his hand up before Grams could answer.
"Can I answer this one, Grams?" He grinned as she nodded before turning over to his friend. "I think what Grams is wanting to teach us beside words is how to compete without being mean. We can still do fun stuff like races and things without turning sour when things don't go our way. Right Grams?" When she nodded, he beamed with pride.
"Indeed dear. As long as we can remember to treat our fellow competitors fairly and learn how to accept both winning and losing graciously, as well as remembering that these things are all in the sake of good fun, then it is alright to compete." Tugs nodded, comprehending the subject more clearly now.
"Now, if there are no more questions, let me explain the rules of the game." Grams pulled out two glass jars behind her, one with three pieces of closed paper inside and the other with many more. "Now, when I call your name, you will come up and pick out a single piece of paper from each jar. One of them has the name of the partner you will get for this challenge, the other has letter on it. Once you have both, you will get together with your partner and spend fifteen minutes going around and looking for something related to the given topic. For example, get the letter 'Q', then the word 'quilt' might be a good choice.
Additionally, I want you all to write down as many words you can related to your given topic, once the minutes are up, you will all return your lists to me so I may check them. And, to make this more fun, there will be prizes for how many words you got and who has the most words of all." Excited gasps filled their air at the bonus of a prize.
"Does everyone understand the rules of the game?" At the nods of everyone, Grams smiled and stood up. "Very well then, when I call your name, please come up, choose one paper from each jar and get a sheet of paper and pencil from me before going to stand by your partner. Please wait until everyone has completed this before we can start." She paused for a moment before calling out the first name. "Tugs!"
Said bear rushed up to the jar, plucking out a paper from each of them. He grinned as he opened and read them both. "I got Proud Heart and the letter 'S'." He then took the paper and pencil from Grams before rushing over to his partner. She smiled and knelt as he approached, allowing for him to hug her. She meowed softly in surprise when his paws began grasping at her fur and tugging it softly, though she shook her head, as if she should expected it.
"Hugs!"
The pink bear got up and came over, a bit slower then her brother, but still excitably. She repeated the same actions as her brother, before loudly exclaiming, "R," and charged at Gentle Heart, catching the lamb of guard with a strong hug. Said sheep bleated lightly, before returning the hug.
"Well Bright Heart, it looks like you and Loyal Heart will be paired together. Please come up and choose a slip and get your items." He obediently got up and walked over, plucking his paw into the jar, swirling it around for a few seconds, before selecting on, pulling it out, and reading it out loud. "B!" He then came over to the dog, who seemed very cheerful to have him.
"Now then, when I blow this whistle, you all will have fifteen minutes to go out and find things that are related to your color or letter. You will write down the name of the object or thing related to the topic for a point. I will call for you to return when the time is up. Do you all understand the rules of the game?"
"Yes Grams," they all chorused back.
"Then let the game begin." With a loud tweet from her whistle, the three groups split off to go out and find things for the game.
"I already thought of some things that start with the letter 'B'," Bright Heart said, almost immediately after they had dispatched. The blue dog turned to him and smiled warmly at him.
"Oh really?" He pointed towards the paper and pencil. "Then lets write them down." Bright Heart smiled and began writing down the words.
"There's 'blue', 'brown', 'bird', 'ball'," he relayed, only to be interrupted as the dog immediately and excitedly began looking around for the object.
"Ball? Where's the ball,' he enthusiastically called. He turned and grinned as he saw a blue ball sitting among some brown lose dirt while a bird tweeted next to it. The bird then squawked as the dog bounded for it, immediately drawing it close and hugging it tightly. After a few second of this, he seemed to realize what he had been doing previously and came back to Bright Heart's side.
"Sorry about that. Those are some good words to start with," he replied. Bright Heart nodded.
"Thanks. I've also got the words 'black', like our eyes, 'bark' like the sounds you make." Loyal Heart chuckled at that. "And I also got 'bear', like Hugs and Tugs and Grams and mom..."
He trailed off after that, growing silent and suddenly uncomfortable. As he adverted his eyes, Loyal Heart took notice of it and drew near to him.
"Hey, what's wrong?" The young kit just muttered in response. "Are you alright?" He didn't reply to that. A few seconds passed before he asked again.
"Oh. Are you missing your parents?"
Bright Heart looked stunned for a moment, before nodding slowly and dipping his head down again. He didn't even react when Loyal Heart sit down next to him and drew him in close.
"Listen kid, I know this must be difficult for you, what with your parents being away and all that. I don't really like it either. I mean they practically raised me and the other bears and cousins by themselves and it can be hard knowing that they have responsibilities to fulfill."
"Well aren't I a responsibility too," he asked, a bit louder then expected. He immediately flinched back in shame after the word left.
"Of course you are, kid. Out of all of us, you're the one they love the most. You think they like being away from you. If it weren't for me and the others still figuring out how to work on our caring missions, your parents would be here right now. But unfortunately, that's not how thing are right now. We're not yet ready and they have to fulfill our spots in the meanwhile."
He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath of the incoming breeze, letting the silenced sink in for a second. "There's a lot of uncaring, cruelty, and disharmony in the world. It's sad that it juts plains exists, but it's even more sad that because of it, more and more of us, including your parents, need to go out and help settle the matters on earth, to help fix the problems causing all of this badness. That doesn't mean you aren't important, not in the slightest bit, it's just that sometimes things need to get done in order for the good things to happen in return."
Bright Heart was quiet for a while, pondering all the things being said. Even though it made him feel sad, his reasoning did make sense. However...
"Is it still alright that I miss them? And that I'm upset that they're not here," he asked. Loyal Heart turned, stunned, though he nodded in understanding.
"Of course it is. Even though we like to be happy, it's alright to be sad and angry, especially at times where these things are appropriate. It's okay to miss your parents and to be upset that life is distracting them from you, you just need to realize that things like these are temporary and will eventually pass."
He them smiled and drew the cub for a warm, comforting hug. "And don't you ever worry, kid. Me and the others always got your back". Bright Heart nodded, beginning to cheer up, before suddenly gaining a smile and jotting down the word 'back' on his paper. Loyal Heart chuckled and got up.
"There you go, that's the spirit. You just need to focus on the good thing sin your life. It helps distract you from the sad thing sand helps them go on faster." Bright Heart nodded and smiled, genuinely this time.
"You're right, thanks Loyal Heart." The dog nodded, before standing up.
"No problem kid. Now c'mon, you're on a roll. We've still got a few minutes left and I'm sure we can squeeze in a couple more words." Bright Heart nodded, this time more enthusiastically, before writing down the first part of his name. He giggled along with Loyal Heart as they resumed their quest for words beginning with 'B'.
"Sock, sail, slide, sugar, spoon, sponge, soap, slip," Grams said out loud. Everyone had returned and were now eagerly watching as Grams read the words. Tugs gleefully hopped in place while holding Proud Heart's hand. The cat seemed a bit tired, yet still pretty proud of her list.
"That's eleven words. Well done, you two," Grams said. As she went to the easel to mark down the tallies, Tugs cheered.
"Alright. Hugs and Gentle Heart. Let's see what you have." The pink cub confidently walked over and handed in the list. "Let me see, you had the letter 'R'. Red, raccoon, roller skate, rolling pin, race, rabbit, rainbow, run, room, and rug. That's ten words. Good job." Hugs frowned at the smaller amount of words then her brother, but otherwise looked pretty happy. She graciously thanked Gentle Heart and the others before sitting herself down.
"Bright Heart, Loyal Heart. It's your turn." The two came forward and handing the paper over. There was some gasp from the others, noticing that the paper had not only words on the front, but some on the back as well.
""Let's see; blue, brown, bird, ball, black, bark, bear, back, bright, buddy, branch, book, breeze, brother, broom, and boy." After pausing for a moment to count, she proudly announced, "Sixteen words!" There was another gasp from the audience, before the others clapped for the winning pair.
"Great job, you two," Hugs said.
"Yeah, figured you'd win. You're really smart," Tugs added. Bright Heart beamed.
"Thanks guys," he humbly replied.
"Alright everyone, you all did a wonderful job. Now, as I promised, there would be a prize for the winner of this game and for those who participated." She walked over to a nearby table where a cloth was draped over it, obscuring the items inside. Reaching under, she pulled out some colored ribbons for the cubs, who excitedly watched as she came over and placed them on their chests. Third-place white for Hugs, second-place red for Tugs, and first-place blue for Bright Heart.
"Congratulations everyone for playing. And, as a bonus for all your hard work, I have an additional prize for everyone."
With a flourish of the strength, the rest of the tablecloth came off. A cheer erupted from everyone as several napkins and glasses of milk stood against a pile of freshly-made, still warm cookies.
A minute later and everyone was seated either on the lawn or on the pillow cushions, happily enjoying their cookies and milk.
As Loyal Heart was finishing up his first, he felt someone sit down beside him, Looking to his side, he saw a napkin with another cookie being handed to him by Bright Heart. Smiling back, he graciously accepted the cookies, before playfully ruffling the kit's head.
While the two munched on their cookies, Bright Heart leaned closer to Loyal Heart. Today the young kit had found a newfound respect for the other Care Bear Cousins and him. Though he still dearly missed his parents, he felt that with them the time wouldn't seem as long.
And done. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know I did. I thought it might be nice to include some of the other Care Bar Cousins, especially since the main character of this story is one of them. I thought it might be nice though to add some that haven't spent much time in the spotlight.
Anyways, thank you all so much for reading. Thanks again Niccunningham for requesting these stories and hope your birthday was fantastic. Sincerely, v.t.7