Hidden Room In Gummadoon

Toni hadn't budged, not for a while. He heard Gumlittle calling for him and with little surprise. It was late; he'd remained hidden for most of the day even when he heard Cubbi return with sundown. He could smell the foods cooked but he was reluctant to emerge, even for that. He didn't feel he was worth the trouble. After all, wasn't he the one that usually had some complaint on the foods? Picky eater that he was, he deemed himself not worthy of it, at least not today. The cooks and everyone would be all fussy and relieved with the news that the illness had not spread and he didn't trust himself not to shatter that good mood.

However, as the night wore on and Gumlittle's voice did not vanish, he found himself kicking himself yet again for his selfishness. Gumlittle was responsible for him while he was here. So, when he had vanished, he'd caused him more trouble. That figured…after all, he was always making trouble for everyone.

The boy stood up, limping from the pain in his leg and feeling a bit dizzy but he shrugged it off. Don't be weak! He scolded himself. It's just a hurt leg and one you earned because you were a clumsy oaf! Suck it up and keep going! Show them that at the very least, you're not a weakling who runs from pain. Especially pain that's your fault.

The boy pushed the door open and started a soft tread down the hall. The lights were off, which told him that he'd stayed in that room rather late. That didn't surprise him to be perfectly honest. He would have stayed curled up in there forever if he could. He dusted his clothes off a bit and walked down the hall, towards the voice, which he heard was now echoed by some of the other knights' voices. He winced inwardly. He'd caused Gumlittle trouble enough to call others in? Just like him to be so stupid…

His heart suddenly froze in his chest.

Stupid Toni. He'd checked on Gumlittle just once since he'd come back. What kind of loyal squire did that?! The dreams never changed, only grew worse as the day wore on. The monster had always remained hidden but the screams had become so vivid that they would echo in his mind after her awoke. The blood because so real its red color flashed in his eyes after he had closed them. The pain that cut through his body he could still feel, making his legs throb whenever he woke up. The insults, the horrible statements cut his heart just as deeply as if his mother was standing there.

Toni decided that without a doubt it was the death of Gumlittle that haunted his young heart the most though. He could have been taken by that beats while he'd been hiding like a fool! Like a cowardly idiot! He broke into a sudden run, his heart jolted into that newfound fear though he could still hear Gumlittle's voice. What if he went out into the forest to look for him? That monster could get him there! It was so close to Gummadoon! It could come and get him!

The boy's leg screamed at him but he ignored it, not satisfied until he saw again that his knight was not injured, was not hurt. He couldn't remember his heart ever hurting this much, couldn't remember this much fear. Had he driven his knight to go outside and seek him out? Had he sent Gumlittle to his death?

He felt sick.

"Antonius!"

For a brief moment, the cub's blood ran cold. Mother? Here, like in his dream? Was she going to toss him from the highest towers to land with a sickening crunch, only to have no release? To have no reprieve from the pain? To suffer and not be able to see Gumlittle again? To have failed him? That was decidedly what killed the boy's heart.

"Toni, where have you been? I've been looking for you forever, lad. You missed dinner."

No, not Mother. That was Gumlittle's voice.

Toni turned and was met with Gumlittle coming down the hall, looking worried and slightly agitated but not hurt, not dead…alive.

Toni's face fell at Gumlittle's serious glance. "Sorry, Gumlittle."

"Where were you, lad?"

"Just…around."

Gumlittle eyed the boy and reached out, ruffling his hair, getting a puff of dust. "Looks like you were walking through the old halls."

Toni shrugged "Maybe a little bit." That didn't make him feel too bad. That wasn't technically a lie.

"You missed dinner."

"Wasn't hungry." Now, THAT was a lie. His stomach was howling and screaming at him, demanding food. He ignored it. Gumlittle eyed him a moment.

"You need to eat a little something, then get a bath and head onto bed." Here the knights' serious expression turned iinto a smile. "You gave me quite the scare, Toni."

Toni bowed his head, twiddled his left thumb, tapping it against his middle finger, a habit he had when he got nervous. "Sorry…"

"No harm done, really." Gumlittle remarked. "Let's just try not to do it again." He terminated the topic there. He turned and walked down the

hall, gesturing the boy to follow him. Toni did after a moment, forcing his feet to fall in heavy strides. He was afraid if he didn't walk so firmly that he would start limping and what kind of squire limped from a stupid injury like a cut on the leg? He was stronger than that and he was intent to prove to Gumlittle that he was a strong lad! Useless but at least strong…

Gummadoon Council Chambers

It was rare for a council meeting to be called so late at night and rarer still for the said members to be silent for such long extended periods. Wooddale had called it, after careful consideration on her part. She did not want to cause undue panic and she didn't want to cause any fear on the part of her niece but the fact remained that what she'd been told was no minor thing.

"You're certain that she described Emi, Wooddale?"

"To the exact detail, Flurryfeather."

All went silent again. It was quiet for at least ten minutes before Berrybottom spoke out,

"Is it possible?"

No one wanted to admit it and they all denied it viciously for a long while before admitting the truth. It was quite possible, that like many seals, the magical lock that kept her confined within her mirror prison had grown weak with the passage of time. It had taken a great deal of power to seal her away, not necessarily due to the spell's requirements but because it was a fellow gummi.

Emi's story was one full of holes and unanswered questions. For starters, Emi was old, even older than they were. Yet, she maintained her youth. They didn't doubt that she had managed to stay ageless, even in her prison. Her story was one of sudden and unexpected changes. She had first appeared almost nine hundred years ago. It was unknown when she'd been born. All they knew was that the attacks on gummies began with small "incidents." A quickcar gone awry, a magical concoction that caused natural disaster, suspicious illnesses…

By the time the gummi-human relationships grew shaky, she had made it very clear that she wanted power and control and would not hesitate to snatch it away by any means possible.

Those dead by her hand was rivaled by no other tragedy.

So many knights claimed so many young gummies, so many old. She had shown no mercy in her victims, even going so far as to wipe out whole warrens. The warrens of Gummi Cove, Gummton, Berryvale wiped out completely, not a single survivor, not even remains of the buildings. The cities of Gummdone, Berrysight, Gummerrit, West Gummton, Ursan. They had been thriving, with such hope. Wiped away with nary a sign as to what she had desired or what she took. Many surmised it was some form of magic, as with each destruction, she grew stronger and wiser in strategy.

Gummadoon had been fighting to isolate and imprison her as soon as it became clear that she was a threat.

It had been a combination of Sir Plucki's command and gummi magic that had sealed her away, right before the human and gummi relationships crumbled into nothing and the war had broke out. Very little caused their Gummadoon knights to cling so tightly to one another but that day, though ending in victory had drawn even their Captain into the arms of his comrades.

Her threat was substantial. No, it would cause pandemonium if the cities heard of the possibility of her loosening her bonds. The mere possibility of her being able to reach across into dreams was enough to make the council sweat and wring their hands. Her threat was enough to give them nightmares but the thought that she was reaching out to one of their own and a child at that!...

Tavi's current condition was very mind-troubling as well. Little was known of Emi's mental state but something must have gone massively wrong. No gummi had ever, either before or after her birth, shown such blatant disregard for life. Not even humans showed such callousness. They had spent a great deal of time trying to figure out her motives, trying to figure out where she'd changed from all the others.

The only explanation that anyone, anywhere, could come up with was the medallion. The medallion was a tool, something that could be used for good, to keep magical abilities strong and to hone them into a grand asset. However, there was also much unknown about it, as the origin of the first medallion was shrouded in mystery. There was talk that it had been created to hone into one's soul, one's emotional states and motives. That was cause for alarm, as Emi seemed to be one dictated by hate. They'd known she had absorbed a medallion though no one knew how or why. She was the first of the gummies to ever do and ever since she had acquired it, her violence had grown. There was no way of knowing what kind of effect it had produced on her.

Likewise, they had no way of knowing what her limits were, of whether or not she had managed to reach Tavi thorough her dreams. It was entirely possible. Likewise, it was possible, it was a imitation of the medallion, created to guide.

It was also possible that it had been conjured up by the cub's mind but none of the council believed that either.

Not much was achieved in that meeting, aside from old memories of pain and fear.

Toni's Room

It hurt
It burnt
And it stung.
It was hot!

Toni sat up in bed, kicking his covers off and rolled up his pajama leg, staring at the clean bandage he'd wrapped over the wound on his leg, from the ax. What was wrong with it? He had cleaned it, he'd splashed water in it. True, it had been outside water but how dirty was that? He swallowed rain water often enough when he was playing and fell and got scrapped knees on the ground more times than he could recall.

Still, it didn't ease the sharp ache that seemed to pulse from that small wound. Toni unwrapped the bandage a minute, to see if anything was rubbing it. He made a face. The cut was an odd shade, a yellow white color oozed around the cut and the pieces of the skin had yet to fuse together and form a scab like most of his wounds did. His skin and fur were raised a little bit around it and his light blue shade was a slightly darker navy around it. It burnt to the touch.

Toni saw no rubbing or foreign objects in the wound however. Wounds would heal eventually right? They always had before. He just had to wait it out. Wrapping the bandage around his leg again, he pulled it extra tight, biting his lip at the tingle and cutting pain that fraught on his body. He laid down again, looking outside. It wouldn't be sunrise for a long while.

Still, it seemed like it would take forever.

Closing his eyes, Toni rolled onto his belly, trying to go back to sleep but the pulsing under the bandage seemed to only grow worse by the minute, never mind the hour! His fur turned slightly darker as the slight fever took hold, his body's response to the invasion of infection that had entered by that old wound. It wasn't a horrid fever but definitely one easy to notice, even by his own judgment. Though he knew not why he was sick, he knew it was a fever and he knew Gumlittle would notice it.

He just hoped he wouldn't send him home for it. Maybe it was a minor one that could be treated here, away from Mother. He could scarcely move his leg without it protesting immensely. He didn't want to do any more chores, not the type she required.

Besides, if Gumlittle knew he was sick, he would pamper him.

Toni screeched at himself mentally for such a thought. How could he be focusing on such a stupid thought, on such a small and petty thought? He deserved every inch of this pain. His fault for being a stupid idiot that couldn't even hold an ax right. He had been the one who'd aimed like a fool and sliced open his leg. Why bother Gumlittle with such a stupid pain, let alone a fever? He figured the fever was a punishment as well, and justly deserved! So, why did he keep thinking back on being sick here before?

He had been sick before, just once, when he was training and Gumlittle…no, all the knights had immediately seen to it that he was as well cared for as possible. One of the other squires had volunteered to take his chores while Gumlittle had tended to his fever and seeing to it that he was not disturbed save for necessities.

Toni almost welcomed this fever. He wanted to go to Gumlittle now but if he did that, they might see it as serious and take him home.

He didn't want that. He just…well, he wanted…

To be perfectly honest with himself, Toni wanted to crawl into Gumlittle's arms and wail his eyes out.

But he could not. He mentally slapped himself. He couldn't put Gumlittle under any more stress or trouble than he already had! Last night, like an idiot, he'd left the poor Gummadoon knight petrified for his safety because like a moron, he hadn't thought. That was becoming common. He almost expected it of himself. After all, as Mother said, he would never amount to anything anyway so why even try?

Squeezing the bandage, hoping to alleviate the pulsating pain, Toni bit his lip, clutched his stuffed fish tighter and prayed and waited for the sun.

Gummadoon Sitting Hall

Toni prayed.

The other boys listened intently.

Cubbi didn't leave Plucki's side, his ears perked up.

Corvi looked tired, but interested. He'd been darting back and forth since they'd woken up. He was almost acting as weird as Toni. Toni usually was much quicker and faster. It had been a surprise when no one had come to wake them up that morning. When they had all stumbled down when their bellies demanded food, the knights had called them into the sitting room, promising food as soon as Plucki's announcement was done.

None of the boys expected him to declare a rest week!

Cubbi looked baffled and looked up at Plucki,

"What's that mean?"

Plucki chuckled but the other boys answered "It's the best, Cubbi!"

"huh?"

Martinni grinned. "No training, no studying. But we get to play all week."

Toni eyed Plucki, "Is this one of those where we have to go home?"

Cubbi's heart froze. He'd just gotten Plucki back!

The Gummadoon Captain chuckled "Not this time, boys." Oh, he saw those eyes light up and smirked. The boys knew all too well that if it wasn't a vacation home then it could only be one other thing. It made him glad that the boys looked forward to them so much. "Blastus' little brush with illness got us to thinking it would be nice to have a week for us to teach you boys about other things besides training. Yet no less important."

Cubbi blinked "You mean a whole week for—"

Corvi smiled "It's a whole week for our mentors to just teach us things that we either wanna know or they think we need to know." He eyed Plucki "I'm surprised you can take the time to do that."

Plucki smirked. "We thought now would be a good time to do it. Besides, given the tense atmosphere, it would be nice to have a little breather."

Martinni wrapped his arms around Gumlittle "When do we get to start that?"

"We'll start it tomorrow afternoon."

Blastus chuckled as his squires wrapped him in a hug too. It was truly a rare treat to get to do these weeks. They were essential though. More than a week for special training, it was truly more of a week for interpersonal bonding. Not only between squires and their mentors but between the group as a whole. It was a time to learn one another's strengths and help them to improve on their weaknesses.

Cubbi beamed; he didn't completely understand this but from the boys' explanations it looked like he would have a chance to really show Plucki what he could do!

Seeing the happy faces, the Gummadoon knights exchanged glances. They each had their own reasons for the timing on this.

Plucki, it was mainly because he hoped to find a way to boost Cubbi's confidence. The poor cub tried so hard yet was so hard on himself. Timothi's reports on his actions while Blastus had been sick had said that much. Plucki planned to use this time to show Cubbi that he had his own strengths, as well as to improve on many things for the cub. It would be easier without having to worry about tutoring. Plucki suspected that he would have to tutor him for some time but if the lad felt he was making some headway, even a little bit, then it would make it easier.

As for Blastus, his reasoning was far simpler. He'd been spared his life. Few things made his heart leap as easily as cubs did. He had seen such improvement in his squires and pages. Likewise, he'd been impressed with how well they had pulled together and cooperated when he was sick. Oh, how proud they had made him! He was not one to deny praise and rewards, especially when it was well earned!

Gumlittle, well, he worried about Toni lately. He was the same in many ways but not so much in others. He was a little sullen and he thought perhaps he was down for some reason. Toni was too prideful to tell him what was wrong and Gumlittle knew that pressuring him would accomplish nothing. So, maybe, the bonding and closeness of this week would lower that stubborn cub's walls a little bit!

Lady Bane's Castle

While the sorceress had been pursuing that cub's body, her search had been interrupted when she'd eavesdropped on the Gummadoon Council Meeting. Originally, she'd done so to see where best to hit them and how best to do it but upon conclusion of it, she'd found herself sitting still, for perhaps the first time in days.

"Emi…so you're still alive."

That name, that…creature.

Lady Bane's own blood still turned to ice at the name.

Gummadoon Sitting Room, Late Evening

Patrol duty was hardly something many of the knights looked forward to, especially those with squires and pages. Usually, due to the extra responsibilities that training another demanded, Sir Plucki gave them the least amount of additional patrol he could but he could hardly play favorites. He and Blastus had done their duty in night time patrol previously, before this outbreak of sickness. Gumlittle had his this night, something he wanted to get out of the way before the week with his trainees. That way, it was truly a week for the boys.

Thus, while the squires played in the sitting room, each doing their own thing, Gumlittle prepared himself for his night patrol, stopping in briefly to bid his squires farewell for the night. It was not something new but it was certainly something Gumlittle didn't like, especially lately with the news of sickness aided by magic. But then, it did little good to worry about it right now, to let it intervene with their daily lives, at least not while they had so little information. It was mainly Toni that worried him, at least far more than the suspected magic. Toni was acting odd, even for his unusual personality. Even now, the usually rambunctious boy sat off on his own, away from the others, staring into the dancing flames of the fireplace.

If Toni was anything, quiet and still were hardly one of them. He put up his hard face, smiling and playing when prodded but Gumlittle wasn't a fool. However, he also knew his stubborn squire! So, he generally pushed it aside, trusting Toni to tell him when he was ready.

"Boys!"

Martinni turned, looking up from his toys as Plucki gave his brother a soft smile. While being Captain gave him many privileges, he was not the type to play favorites and his brothers would not have liked him to.

"You're heading out now, Gummie?" Martinni inquired, standing up and rushing his mentor, wrapping his arms around his leg. The tall knight chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Yes, for the night."

Toni's ears perked up and his eyes grew in size. "All night?" He stood from his isolation by the fire.

Gumlittle nodded "I'll be back before you wake up but it's my turn to patrol the grounds."

Toni walked over to his teacher, his heart feeling like it was constricting on itself. What would he do if something happened to Gumlittle when he was out? This was just like his dream! That monster was out there! Every time Toni closed his eyes, he saw it again, and heard Gumlittle scream. Saw him die, over and over. Dreams didn't repeat like that, not usually. It had to be a warning. If Gumlittle went out into the woods to patrol…then…then…

No, he couldn't go!

"No!" Toni launched himself at Gumlittle as the knight headed for the door, tightening his grip around the gummi's leg, so tightly that Gumlittle felt a tingling in his foot a moment.

"Toni!"

"No, no, you can't go!"

Plucki and Blastus exchanged glances and tried to offer their reassurance although it was unfamiliar territory. Usually, if anyone would protest Gumlittle's absence, it would be Martinni but he was pretty calm about it. Toni was usually the one they had to remind not to tease others.

Toni on the other hand was fixated on a goal. No matter what it took, he had to keep Gumlittle here! Here with him! He would never be allowed to accompany him so it was critical that Gumlittle stayed here then! Gumlittle was his…Gumlittle was all he had! He would not lose him! He refused!

"-won't be too long..."

"-everyone takes turns, mon ami..."

Toni wasn't hearing all their words, only bits and pieces and even those seemed insignificant. All he was hearing was that Gumlittle was leaving. No...he was his protector. He could not go away from him. That monster would come, would take his Gummie away! No, it was lying in wait in the forest. He had to keep him here. So long as he stayed out of those woods, he would be safe! He couldn't be away from him. He could NOT let him leave!

"Toni!"

The cub shifted his eyes upward. Gumlittle's eyes were full of concern. "Lad, I've gone on patrol before. This isn't new. You know Blastus and Plucki will see you and Martinni off to bed."

Blastus walked over, touching the cub's shoulder. "Qui, petit celui. Gumlittle can even come tell you when he comes back."

"No! No, he can't go away! You can't!" he screamed again, latching onto Gumlittle by digging his claws in so deeply that they drew small drops of blood. By now, tears, usually so absent from Toni's face in any shape, began to fall in buckets, staining his cheeks and blurring his vision.

Burying his face into Gumlittle's waist, the highest he could reach, the cub screamed louder, anything to keep him here!

"No! No! No! No!No! No!NO!NO!NO!NONONONONONO!"

By the last "no," Toni's voice began to crack and break but he kept right on screaming, right on crying. He began to beat his tiny fists as hard as he could, saying Gumlittle had to stay that he wouldn't let him go away! That he couldn't go away and by Gum he wasn't going to leave him!

"NO! NO! NO! NO!NONONONONONONONONONO!!" Now, with too much crying and too little air, the cub's body attempted to compensate by rejecting his stomach's contents, focusing its attention on the body's other functions. Toni choked and fell to his knees before emptying his belly right there.

Gumlittle scooped the cub up, holding him close, ignoring that Toni was getting a mess all over his uniform. At the moment, he was too concerned to care, trying to think of anything to get the poor child to stop, to calm! His pleading eyes met his Captain's who, with a face whose worry mirrored his own, gave a simple nod as answer.

"Toni, Toni, okay, okay, okay. Listen, Gummie's not going okay?"

Toni hiccupped and looked up, his eyes wet, his face pale and his fur slick with sweat. "N-no?" Was this true? No trick, no lie? He was still safe? Gumlittle wasn't going? The monster wouldn't claim him? His body trembled, not wanting to believe such a thing to be true. His eyes filled again and he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. His entire body was still shaking.

Plucki cut in "I'll find someone else lad, I'll go myself if need be but Gumlittle will stay with you, alright?"

Toni wrapped his tiny arms around Gumlittle's neck and shaking still, his crying subsided but did not disappear. Gumlittle wrapped his arms around Toni in a tight embrace, "Shh, it's alright. Everything's alright."