"Hey, Cub, watch it!"
Maintaining his balance after that exclamation, as his staff nearly smacked into Martinni's head, was impossible. Cubbi fell off the beam, landing in the hay which lay below.
Angry, he yelled back, "Don't call me 'Cub'!"
"Hold on now. What's this?" Gumlittle rushed forward to help Cubbi up, a bit roughly, as the pink gummi was acting out.
"Nothin'..."
"No, not 'nothin'. You apologize to Martinni."
Cubbi eyed his opponent for today's lesson, then hung his head. "Sorry, Martin. Didn't mean to lose it."
The other squire in training gave a nod and Gumlittle led Cubbi away.
"What's with you? You never had a short fuse before." the knight asked, pulling Cubbi to a bench. His tone kind and not harsh, Cubbi still had trouble admitting anything was wrong.
"Nothing, Gumlittle. Just... lost my cool."
"Well, I'd advise you get it back, and quick, or next time you'll find a mop in your hands instead of a staff for the day." He added a raise of one brow to the mild warning and left Cubbi to return to the other squires and paiges. He was the littlest, but not the youngest. Toni was his age, too. And--
"Sir Cubbi!" Tavi ran up, nearly throttling him as she latched her arms in a great bear hug around his neck.
"Argkk! Giddoff, Tavi!" The guys teased him enough as it was, hanging around a girl who looked about the same color. Good thing she got those weird streaks in her hair.
"Hey! That's no way to talk to friends!" But she released him and ran off.
"Cubbi and Tavi, sittin' in a tree!" started Corvi, the eldest. Not to be mean, but the guys loved to joke around. And he had to admit, it was a little better, being one of the guys and getting teased, instead of everybody walking on eggshells around him and half bowing to him like he was a prince or Gum herself; like they did the first week he was here. Sure he saved the day, partway, with Sunni and Buddi's help. Okay, so they saved the world. Again. He just wanted to be a knight, and the sooner he could do that, the sooner he could rid himself of the nightmares! He'd suffer with teases to get to his goal. Smirking, he turned his gaze up at Corvi as he swung himself back up to face Martinni. "So? I heard you kissed Maldairi behind the corral!"
Corvi blanched and shut up. Maldairi was Councilor Berrybottom's granddaughter and he could be overprotective of her interests. She was certainly too young for Corvi! Cubbi grinned and crouched, his head clear finally to really show Martinni what he could do!
"Tavi?"
"Oh!" the gummi girl stopped, after having nearly run into Sir Plucki. "Er.. Yes?"
The captain frowned. "Have you noticed Cubbi acting... unusual? Unhappy, depressed, out of sorts?"
"Oh... Not really." It was only a half-lie. She could always cheer him out of it, so she never really saw him acting depressed. Not for very long. Grinning, she trotted off.
Plucki wasn't quite happy with her reply. Something was up, and he, as Captain of the Gummadoon Knights, had a right to know what their newest trainee, had bothering his mind of late. He thought the cub had put the last few months behind him. The Glen was restored, Zorlock was gone for good, and an age of peace reigned between Glen, Barbic, and Royal clans, and also the humans of this land. A Gummitopia someone called it that first beautiful morning where banquets honored The Three. And yet... So much death. No one could erase blood stains on sand you could see with your heart, if not your eyes. Nothing could drown out the voice of dying loved ones in battle, nor the mockery of your evil foe as he thought he had won it all, as he swore to destroy all you held dear. Nothing could stop that cacophony of disillusionment and call for atonement. Nothing, except those pressing the future onward. He'd hoped this progressive march, and Cubbi's own desire of knighthood, would alleviate the deep unworthiness and self-despair that had so sunk Cubbi originally, and nearly lost them their existence. Had enough
time passed? Enough forgiveness met? If not, it was Plucki's goal to cast aside doubt, strengthen resolve, and lead the healing march. Aldi had wanted this. He believed it with all his heart. This was not replacing Aldi, but helping another cub with Aldi's permission. He silently thanked his deceased son and started out to inspect the performance of those who so looked up to him.