Plucki had assumed that he was prepared for just about anything. He wasn't arrogant but years of experience tended to give you quite the pool of resources and recollection to choose from. He had learned over the years where his strengths were and where his weaknesses were. Likewise, he had learned the same about his knights, his brothers and those he interacted with. Hence, he was well known and admired for his ability to keep calm under pressure. Very few ever saw him break and even fewer saw him angry. Legitimately angry in any event. Those who had were quick to report it to be a frightening experience.
Still, even he had his limits. He was trying to remain calm in the heat of these recent events, agreeing when Councilor Berrybottom returned, reporting that young Crobi was preparing for departure for the Glen. He was swift of foot though could be a bit scramble-brained at times. All the same, it had been a proper choice when speed was something they needed!
So, he was rightly stunned when in the midst of speaking with his brother-knights the young bear had broken back into the room, pale as a ghost, even under his purple fur. While people tended to joke about Crobi's forgetfulness, he was not known as a coward. Far from it, in fact. So, when he was not bothering to stop tears of panic from streaming down his face when he fell to his knees, Plucki was quick to rush to his side, his two brothers following. Plucki slipped into his paternal mode, though Crobi was an adult himself.
"Crobi, calm." He told him sternly, though not unkindly. "What brings this panic?"
"I…I.." the young adult took a deep inhale, as Gumlittle and Blastus helped him to steady and stand upright again. "I..I swear, I am not crazy, Captain. Gum as my witness, I swear it!"
"Crobi," Gumlittle cut in, "No one has accused you of such a thing. We aren't mind readers though!"
"Your late squire, Lucki." He stated finally, looking at Gumlittle.
The big knight went stiff, forcing the lump in his throat to stay there. Lucki…
Blastus intervened, seeing all too well his brother's emotional response, "What of poor Lucki, mon ami?"
Crobi locked eyes with him, "I don't know what kind of trickery it is but I swore I just ran into him outside the gates."
Silence, silence that could make the bravest of souls crack. Emotions rushed the air like electricity. Sadness, regret, depression but above all else, anger. A deep anger that was born out of injustice and the frustration that anyone would take advantage of such a young lad's sacrifice for their own deprived satisfaction. It made even Plucki see red and very little did. He was filled with a strong desire to go and bring the utmost and swiftest justice to whomever dared to play games with the heart!
Gumlittle's face had turned red under his fur and he broke from the room, anger painted on his face, with Blastus trailing. Plucki gave chase, telling Crobi "leave this to us, my friend. You still have your task to fulfill."
By the time Plucki caught up with his brothers, they could hear commotion from the front gates, people talking about the front guards having been rendered unconscious. Now Plucki's nerves were on edge as well as his temper. He doubted it was a major attack, not with no sounds of battle triggering his ears. He did give a wave to some of the knights closer to the gate to head out and a group of about ten rushed out, swords drawn. Gumlittle had his own hand on his sword hilt, pulling it out, a deep seated betrayal painted on his face. Plucki and Blastus followed suit.
They were not expecting to see a panicked green furred cub crouched on the ground, dressed in only knight under clothing.
By Gum…
Plucki was not one to give into his emotions easily but even he could not stop the shock from settling on his face. By Gum, it was. It certainly looked like…the Gummadoon captain felt his throat close, a brief moment. Dear Gum, their lost one…home again.
But no! That was impossible. The whole of Gummadoon's force had been there the day, that sad day, many months earlier when they lowered their brave lost squire into his resting place. That day was still fresh in Plucki's mind. Being the leader of Gummadoon's force and Gumlittle as the lad's mentor, they had been two of the prominent speakers that day. Plucki could recall it. The young boy, so young yet robbed of so much potential, eyes closed as if in sleep, his brother, his strong brother collapsing on his knees next to the boy's casket, sobbing openly of the pain of losing a child. A child not of blood but a child of his heart nonetheless.
One did not simply forget that.
Despite that all, it seemed the boy was truly in front of them once more. All at once, numerous things began to generate in Plucki's mind: a look-alike monster, a walking dead corpse, an illusion. All cruel horrific possibilities and all formed with the full intent of abusing the hearts of those that had held dear Lucki close. The thought of anyone utilizing such a cold hearted measure made Plucki absolutely livid and he ground his teeth silently to keep calm. What kind of devious plans did this THING have planned once it got close enough to twist the knife?!
Any manner of these things was deadly so when his brother clasped the monstrosity, he took a step forward, sword drawn "Gumlittle, step away from that thing!"
Gumlittle wanted to ignore Plucki's call. He wanted to just stay as he was, clutching his lost child so close to his chest, to know he was here with him and not cold and dead in the ground. Not robbed of his potential, not stolen before his prime, and all those past months of pain wiped away like a morning rain. However, despite this longing, despite the small cub in his arms clinging desperately to him, he knew the reason behind Plucki's command and it made him sick to his stomach. He didn't want to believe this was a trick, as much as logic told him it probably was. That it had to be.
Please, let him pretend, just one more moment!
Blastus put a hand on his brother's shoulder and pulled back. Despite the small force behind it, it was enough to make Gumlittle release and back up, leaving the small cub reaching out for him from his position on the ground. Despite the obvious longing in his eyes, he did not try to follow his mentor. He stayed locked to the ground. He had a desperate look in his eyes, one of horror, one of sadness and fear. While he did not look the part of a villain, the Gummadoon knights had not survived as long as they had by giving into facades.
Still, the entire group could not deny that it was uneasy, looking this cub up and down who looked exactly like the brave child they had buried only a few months ago. He possessed the same green fur, the same wispy green hair, the same wide bright eyes. He was dressed in the same white linen undergarments that he had been buried in. Perhaps, most hauntingly, they could see the faint bruising along his neck where that evil witch had made her power known. Where she had stopped his breath and taken his life.
Blastus' voice came out cold and harsh, unusual for him, "We were all there when we buried Lucki." He stated the plain and simple facts.
The cub in front of them nodded, "I know." His head stayed bowed and he stated "I…I know you have no reason to believe me but it IS me." He lifted a face full of frustration and sadness, "I'm not some undead ghoul come back to haunt you or curse you or anything like that." He bit his lip, fingered the small cut where he had split his lip open on the floor.
Inwardly, Lucki was torn. He did not want to be a part of this horrid witch's scheme but he also…well, he was alive. He was. He had originally been disgusted by this witch's scheme, to bring him back only to bring such horrible pain to his friends and family but he had been under the impression that her spell was what made him live and kept him breathing. As she had taken possession of his body, he had learned that this was not the case. It was a matter of two spells. One that allowed her to control him via suppressing his soul and the first, that had resurrected his body and called his soul.
He WAS alive. If he could be rid of this witch, he would be very much alive again! He had his life back!
So many emotions flooded his mind. The first was the matter at hand though. As much as he hated to let the witch run things, he was had not become strong enough to fight her yet. Not without her calling up that horrible…that memory…that fear. He did not want to have to see that, to remember that. Much as he liked to think of himself as brave, the thought of having to witness his death again, to feel that kind of panic again was something that made him want to cry, to curl into a ball and shake and quiver. He hated the fact but it was a fact nonetheless. So, here he was, letting that evil sorceress use his body, his voice, his memory to get them both into Gummadoon.
At least on this manner, getting into Gummadoon, he and Lady Bane were on the same page, as much as such a thought sickened him. Once within Gummadoon, surely, surely, he could find a way to warn his family, to warn his friends. He would need to think on the matter though. Near as he could figure, while Lady Bane could access his memories, his thinking at whim, she did not do so continuously. It was too difficult to try and utilize speech to sound like him and also be scanning all his thoughts. Surely, she would realize it later but frankly, Lady Bane was no fool. She would not expect that he would not try to warn them.
No time for that now. He needed to get inside. Inside, despite what Lady Bane may have thought, being amongst gummies put him at the distinct advantage not her.
So, he would have to wait for now. Wait and see.
"Do you think us fools?" One of the knights to the left, one that was called Sir Ruddi and well known for being a hot head though a competent knight, snarled. "We are aware of illusion spells…"
Lady Bane was grateful for this brat's body being a relative of a sorceress. She had known the information needed but luckily, so did he! A quick scan of the boy's memory quickly gave her a response. "And you know as well as I do that illusion spells can't hide everything. Not even full transformation spells can do that!" It was easy enough to let emotion seep into the voice. "I mean, even the changing hat couldn't change everything. There's always that stupid red gem when you use that! When you transform to another creature, the eyes stay the same, colors don't change without a lot of effort and even then, scars don't change. There's lotions and stuff to hide them sure but you can still feel them. They're still there! If I was an illusion spell, you'd see something off about me!" She let the boy's desperation come out a little in that little statement. Then, before waiting for a response, she moved the body's arms and legs to throw off that dirty white linen, leaving the boy completely nude and vulnerable in front of a group of armed knights. She relished a bit in the boy's embarrassment; she loved anything that made him feel fear or uncomfortable and this did both. Truthfully, she loathed this act herself as she tended to loathe anything that produced vulnerability but it DID have an effect. An important one at that.
She saw some of the doubt, just some of it, melt away from those accusing eyes. Instead, what arose was hope, disgusting sentiment and a deep longing, the likes of which that she herself had never experienced nor felt the desire to. Disgusting, really. This love these creatures carried for one another. Weakness.
Shifting the body's eyes to lock with that big knight, she let some of the boy's embarrassment color his cheeks even as she made him state, "Gumlittle, you've been with me since I was four years old! You used to give me baths, you remember, right Gummie?"
Oh, the big knight's eyes looked so broken. It was a delight to see! Though he did not step nearer, he did reply, "I do." He was clearly trying to keep his voice steady but she could hear the break in it. The starting to crumble. Anyone half able to hear would have been able to pinpoint it.
The cub spread his arms, saying, "Is anything out of place on me? Please, Gummie, if anyone can tell if I'm a fake or illusion, you can."
Gumlittle bit his lower lip, trying to keep his emotions in check. He shifted his eyes to his Captain. The cub spoke the truth. Next to the squires' parents, the knights knew them best, and in some cases, even better than their parents. He saw Plucki's eyes focus a moment as he considered the option then he gave a half curt nod to Gumlittle. The larger knight took a step forward, still not talking. He truthfully did not trust himself to say anything. If he did, he was certain he was going to burst into tears and lock this cub to his chest again. So instead, he focused on the task at hand. Was this child an illusion, a spell meant to fool their hearts and eyes? Well, they had not counted on as close a bond as gummi knights had for their young! The child had spoken truth when he said that if anyone knew, it would be Gumlittle. He had bathed the child many a time, (had even helped change his diapers before he even became a page under him at a time when his mother was in dire need of the aid), had tended his share of wounds and cuts and during a period of fierce fever had taken to dousing the poor child with cold water to fight that sickness. Every inch of this cub's body, every cut, every scar, every birth mark, he knew them all.
As he ran his hands up the cub's arms, he found that old scar on his left arm, where the cub had tumbled into a half broken fence when he was seven. The scar, while mild and not seen by the naked eye, could still be felt. He found it, right where it always was, on the upper arm, right below the shoulder. He found the cub still giggled, despite trying not to, when he ran his hands over his left side but not his right. Just like he remembered. The cub's right knee still had had that odd birthmark on it. He felt the cub flush when he ran his hands over his backside, and he muttered a soft apology to the boy. He was believing more and more with each moment and this would be the last check…yes! Faint but that scar was still there too. A small scar over his left buttock, covered by his fur, that the cub had gotten when he was thrown from his horse the first time. It was an embarrassing memory for the lad and one that only Gumlittle shared with him and their healer.
Everything was right. Nothing, not even the smallest detail, was wrong.
He shifted eyes to Plucki, "It's Lucki, to the last detail."
The surrounding knights withdrew their swords, slightly though they did not sheath them. Gumlittle had turned back to the cub in front of him, but Lucki locked eyes with Plucki. "I..I remember waking up in Lady Bane's castle."
Oh, they tensed. They tensed immensely.
Lucki swallowed. "I…I don't know what she wanted to do with me. Wanted to use me for some reason against you, I'm sure. But, she couldn't hold my spirit." He swallowed again, like the very act of talking was tiresome. "She would try and break me, try to get me to obey her but she could only do it for some long. Even she has to sleep." The cub bit his lower lip, trembling and dropped his head, letting his green hair drape into his face. "So when she did I ran. Like a stupid little coward, I ran. I coulda found out what she was planning, what she…"
Lady Bane let the cub's tears come, truly enjoying the pained expressions she was causing and feeling from her little spiritual captive.
"But…I was scared, I didn't know what to do. So…I wanted to come home. I don't blame you for not believing me. I hardly believe me and it happened to me." He looked up, tears running down his cheeks. "Forgive me, Captain. It was stupid of me. I may have led her here…"
Plucki raised a hand, calling for silence. The cub went quiet.
"You've proven you are no fake or illusion." The Captain stated simply. "But there is still the issue of possession, of false resurrection."
While the Captain's voice was completely business, Lady Bane could see the emotion behind his eyes. Good, yes!
"I…I am me." The cub stammered, "I…have one of the Councilors look me over?"
Silence. It was a viable suggestion and in fact, was one that the Captain himself would have insisted on. Possession often occurred when they were unaware but if they were aware of the chance, they could catch it. The fact that the cub was acknowledging and even encouraging it was unexpected but it was more evidence that perhaps things had occurred as he reported. Lady Bane…how low could she sink?!
"Spinwillow." The cub stated suddenly. While Lady Bane would have preferred to insist upon Wooddale as it would have been easier to emotionally manipulate her, it would also be suspicious. She saw more of their doubt die with that statement. "She's a hard tail." The cub's memories of the woman were of a strict if paranoid gummi woman. The phrase "hard tail" apparently had been developed by Lucki among the other cubs to describe her. She could tell by the way that the knights' faces shifted, slightly. "If Lady Bane did anything to me, she'll catch it."
So, there was that. Now, she only had to convince this group of fools that the cub was truly alive. Hmm, how to…yes! There!
The young cub glanced around and then darted out with his left hand, grasping hard on the nearest knight's blade. He squeezed slightly and with a wince, drew his hand away. By now, the knights were reaching for their blades again but were stopped by a shouted command from Plucki. The green furred cub turned, wincing from pain. Lady Bane found that was the most annoying part. She felt the uncomfortable feeling of pain herself. She was used to healing spells. Being forced to inflict pain was an annoyance. All the same, it looked like it may have achieved what she wanted though.
Lucki held his hands up, as dark red blood dripped from the small slice on his hand. "But…I'm NOT dead. I promise you."
Gumlittle immediately switched into his mentor mode, wrapping the boy's wounded hand. The bright red blood was the last evidence. He _was_ alive. Whether he was possessed or not or things truly had transpired as he described…he was alive! Dear Gum, no matter what the circumstances, his little Lucki was alive. He went to embrace Lucki again but this time, it was Lucki who stopped him. The cub held his hands up, his wrists placed tightly together. Gumlittle blinked, stunned then the cub spoke.
"I d…I dunno what Lady Bane has planned. I don't want to take any chances. Please. I don't know what she wants, what she was trying to do. Please, don't take any chances, Gummie. Not until Spinwillow clears me. Please."
Realization hit Gumlittle like a punch to the gut. The cub wanted him to shackle him! Like he was some kind of enemy, some kind of criminal.
"Lucki, I…" Dear Gum, how could the cub even think this?! He was a victim, not an adversary!
"Please, Gummie." The cub pleaded. "I…don't know if she planted something in me or what she wanted with me. I…don't want to risk it. Please." Twin tracks made paths down the cub's already tear-stained cheeks. "I…shouldn't have come back. I'm riskin' all of you…it was stupid…"
It was finally Blastus that stepped forward and slipped the cold iron on the cub's wrists though it was clear he kept them loose. Even he was saddened, his eyes wet. As he did so, he stated "Mon ami, we shall be swift. Soon as the council clears you. The moment they clear you…"
The cub nodded but seemed actually comforted by the cold iron, "Thank you Sir Blastus. If Spinwillow tells me that there's nothin, then good. But if not. I…I can't risk you all. Not even if sounds stupid." He lowered his head again, his hair draping into his eyes.
The entire group of knights felt like a bunch of traitors, turning to march a nude cub that should have still been within the ground, into Gummadoon like a common criminal. Plucki, with a simple nod, sent one of the knights to retrieve the council. Not just Spinwillow but the entire council sans Wooddale. The councilor, though wise, could also be emotionally manipulated. It was a sad fact but a fact nonetheless. They could take no chances with this.
To a second knight, Sir Kai, he gave a command out of earshot of the others. Sir Kai was a young knight, barely knighted to be frank at only 20 years of age, but he was a loyal and strong lad for that age. He tended to be quiet and easily overlooked but Plucki needed someone with stealth and swiftness. The knight blinked in surprise when the Captain gestured him over. Nervously, he broke rank and trotted to the knight's side, "Yes, Captain?"
"I need you to do something for me, swiftly, Kai." Plucki kept his voice low, though he never shifted some of his glance from the group venturing inside. This was his final bit, the last bit he needed to know.
The young knight nodded seriously, "Yes, Sir."
"I want you to go and seek out the cub's grave and report back. You know where we buried young Lucki?" he inquired.
The young knight nodded "Yes, Sir. He was buried with full honors alongside the other lost fighters." It had been such a solemn day, such a sad horrific day. It would never leave any of those who had seen it.
"Good. I want you to go investigate and come back and report. Be quick and do not be delayed or distracted." Plucki kept his face stoic as the young knight nodded and with a salute, he vanished off into the direction of their burial fields.
Plucki's entire heart was in twists and turns as he went to rejoin his fellows. Far as he could tell, the cub WAS Lucki. He was clearly no illusion and no false resurrection. What cruel plan had that awful witch been planning? The very idea that she was potentially planning something with a cub that had already DIED made his blood boil. Yet, as much as he wanted to let Gumlittle scoop up the cub, Gum, as much as HE wanted to scoop up the cub and just reassure him that everything would be fine, he could not just yet. He had to be cautious, despite what his heart wanted.
He jogged a bit, reaching Gumlittle who trailed the back. He reached out, took hold of his brother knight Gumlittle's hand, gave a strong squeeze of encouragement. His brother turned, his eyes wet and he didn't try to hide them.
"He's alive Plucki."
"So it seems." Plucki agreed. "We'll make this as quick as we can, 'Little." He locked eyes with his brother-knight. "Soon as any danger is cleared away, those irons come off. Lucki might be able to give us some idea of what Lady Bane is planning, regardless of what he thinks.."
"She's mine, Plucki." Gumlittle hissed. "If she's behind this, Gum as my witness, I'll take care of her myself."
Gummadoon Halls
"Corvi!"
The teen turned, gave a light groan as Cubbi trotted up to his side. Cubbi made a face, "Gee, thanks Corvi."
The teen shook his head, "Not what I meant Cubbi." He tried to assure the boy. "Just tired still." That was the understatement of the year. His head was throbbing from the lack of sleep, he felt like his skin and fur was crawling and if he became anymore tense, he was pretty sure that he was going to snap. He was eternally grateful that Ivori was watching over his brothers for right now. It took a weight off his shoulders but it was always near, hovering and ready to just slam down on his shoulders again at any given moment.
"Oh…where were you headed?"
Corvi stretched, frowning. "Well, I figured that I could try and see if there was anymore information hidden."
Cubbi's ears perked up. "Really?"
"Well, I thought since Tavi found that book within the hidden walls, there might be some more info there." The teen shrugged. "L-long shot," he cleared his throat, wincing as that odd prickling came in his throat again. It certainly wasn't illness but it was bothersome nonetheless. "but there might be something."
Concern painted Cubbi's face, "You alright, Corvi? You're not gettin' sick are you?"
Groaning again, the teen shook his head, "Naw, I don't think so. I'm fine."
Cubbi didn't believe him and it showed on his face but he decided not to press it. He had learned a long time ago that if a teen didn't want to tell you something that they wouldn't. Sunni had been like that, more so as she got older. So, instead of asking why Corvi was always clearing his throat and why his voice was starting to sound scratchy, he followed the teen in silence a moment before asking, "You know where she found the book?"
"Not completely." The teen admitted. "I have an idea but the halls of Gummadoon have a lot of secrets." He managed a smile, despite his stress, just by the absolute trust and wonder Cubbi was staring at him with. His brothers looked at him that way so many times. He touched a few of the stones on the wall and then pushed aside one of the many portraits hanging, revealing an opening. Cubbi's eyes went huge. Corvi had to admit, he loved seeing those kind of reactions on others. He knew Gummadoon so completely that there were often passageways that he could surprise even the Council with.
"Cool!" Cubbi rushed ahead of Corvi, looking about. It was just like something from those old stories where secrets were stored away, out of sight, out of mind. He was pretty much in a fairy tale!
"yeah, it is a little bit." Corvi admitted, walking ahead, stating "They trail all over Gummadoon, they go pretty much everywhere, except the dungeon. You pretty much have a city inside a city here." The teen pointed down a hallway that seemed to arch up a bit "That will open up into the knights' bedrooms." He pointed to another one, a narrow one. "That one goes down to the kitchen." Yet another one, a dark one. "We used to explore down there. It goes to the library but it also opens up into other rooms, older rooms that we don't use anymore."
Cubbi beamed widely "Sounds like a great place to start, Corv!"
That said, the cub took off at a run, Corvi on his heels. Truthfully, this passageway tended to give him the creeps. He used to run through it as a younger cub, with Lucki usually on his heels. They used to pretend to be slaying all kinds of beasts. Maybe it wasn't so much that it was creepy as that it brought up old memories. He and Lucki used to be just as troublesome as Toni (and Cubbi, he guessed as well) and were pretty much connected at the hip. They used to say that they were just as much brother-knights as Plucki, Gumlittle and Blastus were.
And just like his mother, now Lucki was gone too.
"Corvi?" Cubbi's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What's wrong?"
"Nothin'" he answered quickly, "This tunnel really gets to me is all."
Cubbi frowned; this tunnel was cool! He couldn't really see what Corvi would get so upset about. Man, you really got weird as you got older! "I think it's neat!"
Corvi allowed himself a soft laugh, "I don't think anything fazes you, kid."
Cubbi beamed at the teenager at that statement. He remembered having a similar conversation with Plucki a few weeks ago. The Captain had been talking about bravery, what it looked like, what constituted bravery (he learned that meant what made up bravery by the way!) and the subject of fear had come up. Cubbi had proudly declared that he was not afraid of anything. Plucki had become stern and told Cubbi to "stop lying to me." It had been a shock to Cubbi but the more he thought about it, it really HAD been a lie. Not much scared him, true enough, but things still did. Oh, losing his friends and family, he supposed all people feared that. He didn't want to disappoint people but he didn't consider that a fear.
Ghosts and spirits though…for some reason, those just GOT to him. Calling Destini had been nerve-wracking but he had managed to keep himself together. He certainly hadn't told Plucki that though! He told him about his interactions with Sir Gallent because he truly was proud of what the knight had taught him, what he had accomplished. But he had just left out the beginning when he had run like a little baby from the ghost. It was embarrassing! He certainly wasn't going to tell Plucki that! Was that why this hallway bothered Corvi? Because it felt like there were ghosts or spirits here? He inquired as such.
"No, not spirits. Just…memories."
Cubbi blinked but kept a steady pace with the teen. Corvi wasn't looking at him anymore, just glancing ahead. He had this weird look to his eyes, full of sadness and it was …well, it made Cubbi sad! "Lucki and I used to play down here."
Cubbi jerked a bit, surprised. He had not thought much about how Tavi's brother must have affected the others but…duh! He'd been a squire too! Gumlittle's if memory served him right. Corvi's reluctance made perfect sense now. "Oh." He swallowed, rubbed his neck "You two were friends, huh?"
"Best friends." Corvi corrected him. "Like you and that human boy."
Wow…that close? Cubbi couldn't imagine Cavin suddenly being gone. It made him sick to his stomach. He never even considered that as a possibility. It had hit him, once, when he had nearly sailed with Chummi but it had turned out the thought of leaving all those he cared about was too much. Even now, in Gummadoon, he purposely made an effort to keep in contact and Plucki said that every so often he was fine with him taking a day trip to visit the boy. The idea of having a friend so dear to your heart…gone forever.
Cubbi shuddered and then blinked as his foot hit something hard. Biting back a yelp, he looked down and saw a faint shimmer at his foot, buried under dirt. He knelt, ignoring that Corvi kept going ahead, and dug around it. What he uncovered was what looked like an old key. It was probably golden once and it had a broken emblem of Gummadoon on the head. What…
Not yet.
The voice was distinct, very close and very firm.
Cubbi jumped, landing on his backside, looking around. "Corv?"
The teen paused in step and turned "What?"
"Di..did you hear that?" Cubbi swallowed, hoping he didn't sound nearly as shaken as he felt. Nothing was there!
Corvi raised a brow at him cynically. "Hear what? Don't be tryin to spook me Cubbi. Plucki frowns on it."
"I wouldn't do that!" Cubbi protested, "Not with all this stuff going on!"
Not yet. You will need it later. Remember.
"There it is again!" Cubbi protested. "You heard it that time, didn't you?"
"There isn't anything, Cubbi. Stop it!" Corvi protested, suddenly feeling uneasy. The air about them felt heavy and cold but warm at the same time. SOMETHING was amiss. "This isn't fun—ny."
Cubbi's yelping stopped and Corvi covered his mouth. His voice had wavered then distinctly cracked. From his normal tone to a high pitched squeak then back again. As odd as it was, despite the seriousness of the situaion, that was enough to break the tension. He was suddenly acutely aware of how he sounded, acutely aware of how Cubbi was staring at him and trying not to laugh, despite having been petrified a minute earlier.
His eyes widened as he paired together the past few weeks. The scratchiness of his throat, the odd growth he had noticed and now…
"Ga'tsh!" He cursed in Old Gummi, leaning against the wall, slamming his balled fist into the stone. "Ga'tsh, ga'tsh, ga'tsh!" He had ENOUGH on his plate! Any other time he would have welcomed it, would have even been proud of it because it meant he was growing older, becoming stronger. It was something he and Lucki had teased one another about looking forward to and even made bets on who would get it first, despite the adults saying 'not to rush it.' But right now, all that meant to him was something else that made him stick out, something else that made him more likely to be noticed and thus the situation with his brothers to be revealed. Dear Gum, maybe he should just tell someone…
Cubbi stood up, walking over. "Say what?" He didn't know what had gotten Corvi so upset but that had been funny! Corvi had sounded like some kind of weird squeaky bird for a minute and then back to himself. He'd never heard that kind of voice trick before. Judging by Corvi's face though, it was hardly intentional. Cubbi was sure Corvi had seen him smile and he was genuinely sorry but that had sounded funny! Least, if nothing else, it made him forget for a minute that weird voice. It wasn't talking anymore anyway.
Shaking his head, Corvi spat, "Nothing! Don't repeat that!"
Cubbi nodded, but mentally made a note of both "ga'tsh" and "i'sau'ta" as what he and the other kids called the "fun" words.
He grasped Corvi's hand, saying "But no, I wasn't making it up Corv." Much as Cubbi wanted to ask what the heck was up with Corvi's voice, the teen seemed pretty steamed right now. It would probably just make him angrier. Cubbi had limited exposure to teen gummies, only Sunni and Buddi really. Sunni tended to get emotional and cry and stuff and Buddi just got mad, at least from the little Cubbi had seen. He had no desire to see any of that right now. Corvi seemed on edge lately and not just from the whole mess they were dealing with. There was something else there, something deeper that Corvi refused to uncover.
Corvi was grateful for the switch back to the present even if it was a freaky prospect. "I don't hear anything Cubbi." He purposely spoke slower. Maybe, maybe just maybe, that was fluke. Yes, that was what he was going to go with. After all, he knew the generalizations. He wasn't due for that voice issue for at least another two years. He was just twelve for Gum's sake, though he felt considerably older. Thirteen was considered young, fourteen was average, sixteen was late. No one got it before thirteen, right? Right, that was all the books said, that was all the adults had been implying. Right, right. Totally a fluke, brought on by too much stress. Forget it, just focus on present.
Cubbi reached down and lifted the key, "It said to leave this here."
Corvi's eyes widened to double their size and he took the item from Cubbi, "Ya'naska!" he cursed and he noted Cubbi grinning at him, "Cubbi, don't say that either!"
Cubbi giggled, "For an honorable squire, you sure curse a lot Corvi." He teased lightly, "Blastus know that?"
Corvi chose not to comment on that. Truth be told, he was cursing a lot more lately. More than he liked and definitely more than Blastus would approve of. The knight had patience for the occasional slip up but he would definitely have been frowning on his speech patterns as of late. When he was younger, Blastus had made a big deal of maintaining honorable speech, mature speech that a knight would be proud to speak to his Captain. Blastus' rule of thumb was that if he would not say it to the Captain, he should not be saying it. Corvi had learned the hard way what happened when one slipped into rude tongue in front of the Captain. He could still taste that horrible herb if he focused hard enough. He had no desire to revisit it.
Still, did Cubbi realize he had just handed him a master key of Gummadoon?! That was definitely worth a good curse!
"Cubbi, this is a master key."
Silence. "You mean this thing will open any door in Gummadoon?" he asked, his eyes wide. The thing they had been looking for all this time had been just laying around in a tunnel?!
"Exactly. It must be the one that was lost years ago." Corvi caught the cub's look and explained, "When I was four or so, there was all this hustle about someone dropping a key in the tunnels. No one would say who it was but I think it was Aldi. He had a bad habit of borrowing his Dad's and trying to get into some of these hidden rooms." Corvi bit his lip, looking over the key. It felt odd, almost surreal to think that the last person to have touched this was Aldi, now years dead.
Cubbi blinked, staring just like Corvi was. "A voice said leave it here."
Corvi eyed his younger comrade "Leave it?"
A firm nod, "Said something about us needin' it later." Cubbi shuddered slightly. He'd heard a distinct voice. It hadn't been mean or anything but just the thought of a ghost or a spirit. It made him weak in the knees despite how he tried to deny it.
Corvi eyed the key in his hand, turning it over and over, "We should tell the adults about it…but do what it said to."
He handed the metal back to Cubbi who promptly dropped it in the dirt. "Can we get outta here now?" the younger one asked, his ears drooped ever so slightly. Corvi was not about to argue that. He hadn't heard anything but with the way things were going lately, he wasn't going to doubt it. The sooner he could let the adults in on it, the better. The less he had to carry on his shoulders, the better.
He and Cubbi turned back the way they came and swiftly made their way toward the main corridors again. The entire atmosphere felt heavy and polluted, like it was a heavy blanket threatening to choke them both. Corvi wanted to just go sit down, curl into a ball and just cry but he couldn't. That wouldn't accomplish anything. Much as he wanted to be a little kid again, he couldn't. That wasn't an option for him.
It was only after they made their way back into the main inner hall that Cubbi broke the awkward silence,
"So…can you teach me some Old Gummi I _can_ say?"
Corvi raised a brow "Why the interest?" Old Gummi was a pretty dying language. The older gummies knew, at least some of them, but even then, he was probably more fluent than they were. He remembered holding his tongue a few times at some of the adults' outrageous pronunciation errors. He didn't want to be seen as the uppity teenager. All the same, he did remember Cubbi and the other squires showing interest in it before when he was translating for them. It wasn't something he was used to though; most people considered it a waste of time to learn older languages. Though, if their investigation into this Emi mess was any indication, that was a false and foolish stance.
Cubbi beamed widely, glad for a break in all the gloom and doom talk, "My clan's coming. It would totally blow Grammi and Gruffi and Zummi away! It'd be worth it just to see their faces."
Despite himself, Corvi gave a small smile as they walked. Despite the danger, despite the frightening horribleness that was coming, it was so refreshing to hear such an…innocent reason behind something. It gave a light to his heart that was much needed. "Ja'nish." He stressed the pronunciation. "That's a greeting."
Cubbi tried it himself, messing up three times before Corvi stopped, knelt and moved his lips in the way they needed to move. Then, he finally said it right.
"Now, if you want to introduce someone…"
Lorath Wood
Grammi was easily moving the fastest though Gruffi was not far behind. In fact, the entire group: Sunni, Zummi, Tummi, Gruffi, Grammi, heck, even Gusto had left his art work to come, was rushing as if a fire was chasing them. The desire to see their youngest was strong. That was easy to see, even if one was not familiar with them. Grammi easily held the most desire. She had not stopped talking about Cubbi since their departure. She was asking if they thought he had been sleeping well, eating right, if he was learning well, if he had made any friends. All sorts of concerns that just poured out of her mouth.
Gusto as always, was quick to assume the cub was having the time of his life. Grammi was somewhat relieved by that thought but she had raised the cub. It was impossible for her not to worry!
Gruffi was not quite so verbal but anyone could see he felt the same. He just didn't express it in the same way. He had playfully remarked that Cubbi was probably driving all of Gummadoon crazy. Inwardly though, he had wondered how that rambunctious kid was doing amongst such a structured city. Hopefully, it was grinding some discipline into that child's wild ways though honestly, Gruffi as much as he complained, hoped not too much. That kid's crazy energy was part of what made him Cubbi. If they could have learned to harness it, they'd have quite the knight in the future; he knew that for a fact.
Zummi had kept oddly quiet, though he did smile every so often. Gruffi was a bit put off by it. Something was up but the elder magician would not comment on it. He had mentioned, just once, that he did not know what it was exactly but that something for certain was amiss and it was causing him a bit of worry. Gruffi usually considered Zummi a bit eccentric but a worry wart but not usually a part of that. Maybe that was why it bothered him so much. The last few days the older gummi had been 'off' for lack of a better word. Worrying yes but not like he usually did. If Zummi worried, he typically had a reason for it. But these past few days, there was no reason for it and even Zummi admitted that there was nothing amiss, just that it 'felt' like there was. Gruffi had caught him praying quite a bit, not something he observed typically. He hadn't heard much of it, just a request that "make me wrong."
Troublesome.
In any event, they had perhaps another hour or so to go when the sound of approaching feet put them on edge. They were rightly relieved when it turned out to be a young gummi, bearing Gummadoon's colors. While the humans were now aware of their presence, the precaution of centuries did not vanish overnight. It was always a welcomed sight to greet another gummi. Such a good reminder to know they were no longer as alone as they had once been. Before, the few gummies they had known were rarely seen, outside of their little group. Now, they met new faces each day!
"Greetings friend" Grammi began but the gummi, a grape colored fellow interrupted her, though politely.
"Forgive me, my lady, I come with urgent messages. You are of the Glen, known to young Squire Cubbi?"
Oh, her heart stopped as did the others. "Yes." She replied after a short pause, "Land sakes, what's happened?"
"Too much to tell in such a short time, milady." He told her gently "Rest your hearts that young Cubbi is well though." He smiled faintly, though the urgency was quite clear in his eyes. "I was sent by the Gummadoon Council to seek your advice."
"Gummadoon needs OUR advice?" Sunni asked, incredulously.
The gummi took a breath but Gruffi interrupted. "Alright, first off, who are you?" he inquired of their visitor.
Thankful of someone taking control, the Gummadoon messenger took a deep breath, "I am Crobi of Gummadoon, good Sir."
Sunni snorted lightly but didn't say anything. It was just funny anyone calling Gruffi 'Sir' at least in the way that Crobi meant it. When anyone from Gummadoon used that wording, Sunni pictured a gentleman, with a lady on his arm. Not exactly what she thought when she thought about Gruffi. However, she could also sense the urgency in the air. The messenger gummi might as well had been carrying a sign that said 'danger, danger!' It was in times like this that she was grateful for Gruffi. Other gummies tended to panic. She could see the signs of it in Zummi and Grammi. Tummi looked uneasy and even Gusto seemed to have lost joyful edge. Gruffi, though, like he always did, slipped into that logical stoic mode.
"Gruffi." He introduced himself, pointed at each of them in turn, "Grammi, Zummi, Sunni, Tummi, Gusto." Then, he was all business again, "We were headin' towards Gummadoon anyway. What in the name of fur is going on?"
"So much, Gruffi." Crobi replied. "Too much to explain right now and quite frankly, I only know bits and pieces. The Gummadoon Council asked me to come and fetch you to see if we can answer some questions regarding the Glen's past."
Tummi blinked "The past of our home?"
"More accurately, things that occurred within it" Crobi replied. "It is of utmost importance. The Council fears…"
Crobi went silent, as if afraid to speak the remainder of his message but it must be said. He took a second breath and spoke out "It concerns the safety of the entire Gummi Race." He could have spoken her name but quite frankly, he was afraid to do so, so close to Gummi Glen. It was a stupid superstition but one that most gummies abided by. His words still seemed to carry weight as the faces of the gummies about him paled considerably and they no doubt would have started all talking at once until Gruffi said,
"We won't figure anything out standing here gawking." He eyed Crobi, "The council's expectin' us."
"Yes, as swift as we can come."
The group seemed to speed up as one, Gruffi and Crobi leading the pack while Zummi said another silent prayer that he was wrong.
Gummadoon Playroom
Ivori smiled, stroking the hair of Cori lightly. The cub had curled up next to her after a time and laid his head on her lap. It was a good feeling, one that she didn't get very often. Her other two charges were still playing though Morri did rush over to check on his brother. Ivori eyed the young cub, inquiring, "He's fine, Morri. I think you all wore him out."
Morri didn't respond at first, just knelt and held his hand by his brother's mouth. After a moment, he pulled it away, saying, "'Kay."
Ivori frowned. That was unusual for a cub. Heck, she would say it was unusual for anyone that hasn't..
"Morri." She inquired gently, "Why did you do that?"
"Just checking on him." He answered swiftly, not meeting her eyes. "I'm the big brother. It's my job, just like Corvi checks on me."
"It is a sweet gesture, little one." She smiled at him, stroking his hair, "But it's the adults that have to do all the worrying. As I recall, brothers are supposed to drive each other crazy."
Morri turned from her, saying, "Do that too."
Ivori frowned, deep in thought. Morri and Cori were both acting odd. Cori especially. She supposed it could be contributed to the wild imagination of cubs but something in her gut told her that it was something else, something deeper. She found that suspicion was only complicated by the way Morri acted. He was jumpy, nervous, especially when it came to Cori's games. More than once, he had scolded Cori on something he said, corrected him and Ivori had found herself intervening. Morri always had an odd look on his face, almost a frightened look. It was so out of place on a child.
The door opening got Ivori's attention. She recognized the blank face of Sir Ecri and was rightly surprised. "Sir Ecri?" she inquired.
"You should be with the others." He answered her shortly, though not unkindly. However, she was surprised to see a response at all!
"Sir Ecri?" She inquired again. "What's wrong?"
"A feeling." He said simply. "A bad feeling." He eyed her "I don't think cubs should be alone right now and neither should you."
Then, as swift as the wind, he was gone again leaving a cold feeling in the room. Ivori eyed the threesome, scooping up the slumbering Cori, "Come, I bet one of the knights would love to tell some of their stories. Perhaps Sir Gori is available" she suggested, referring to one of the older knights that was well known to play the role of storyteller to anyone willing to listen. The cubs rose to follow her and Ivori had to admit the entire atmosphere had changed with Sir Ecri's entrance. It was cold, scary almost. However, she was not about to doubt the intuition of a knight, even one that was spiritually broken. In fact, she surmised that he might have more insight than most others.
The group left the room in silence.
Gummadoon Council Chambers
Lady Bane waited, anxiously. This was the hardest part. The magical scan of sorts. The nice thing about this type of possession was that it was not a "complete" possession. As such, she could withdraw her presence and avoid detection. It was always risky though. The stupid brat could always fight back when her grip was loose and she had no doubt whatsoever that he would. So, the best thing she could figure out to do was to break him before hand. When they had begun to walk into the council chamber, she had replayed that moment, that glorious moment, over and over. She had focused intensely on the final moment, that mind thumbing fear.
By the time the magicians had stepped forward to do their work, all the cub was capable of doing was kneeling on the floor, sobbing.
Gumlittle ground his hands into fists. All he wanted was to snatch up that sobbing child and bury him into his chest. He could not yet, he knew that and he even understood and agreed with why but by Gum that did not make this any easier! He stood as close to the cub as he could without interfering with the council, his two brothers flanking him, strong hands on his own. Their presence truly did help but the entire atmosphere of the chambers was strong with emotion. Young Tavi was not there, for the same reason that Councilor Wooddale was absent. All the same though, these gummies had grown with young Lucki as well.
Despite the Council's assurance that their magical prodding would not hurt the child, it sure looked like it was. Well, perhaps not actually, now that Gumlittle focused his ears. Those cries were the sobs of fear, not pain. He had learned the boy's cries over the years and he could recite them, easily. In a way though, cries of fear were worse than cries of pain. It made his desire to charge forward all the stronger and the only thing that kept him rooted was his brothers' presence so close.
After what seemed an eternity, the power from the council members' hands ceased and they looked at one another, shock registering and then sorrow and then barely contained awe mixed with joy. It was Councilor Berrybottom that stepped forward and said, with a shaky voice "We cannot sense any outside source on the young boy."
At those words, Lady Bane immediately locked her presence back to Lucki, clamping on his throat. Now, she was here, she was cleared. She was ready to…
The door opened at that point and Sir Kai returned, Sir Plucki keeping a hand on Gumlittle, despite the evil glare he was getting, he nodded to the younger knight, "Report, Sir Kai."
Taking a breath, as the knight had obviously run the whole way back, he responded, "It is…empty, Sir Plucki. The casket broken apart, the body…gone."
The entire room needed no more explanation. Plucki released his brother who instantly unclasped the irons on young Lucki's hands, letting them fall to the ground. Without waiting, the cub's arms encircled the large knight's neck and then he was up in his embrace. Lady Bane felt sick by all this disgusting emotion but she also knew that to deny it would be more suspicious than not. So, she tolerated it, though she thought if she had to do this for much longer, she would surely hurl.
The next few minutes passed as one might have expected. Gumlittle hugged the dear cub until he thought if he squeezed him any tighter that he might hurt him, then Sir Blastus took his place and then the Captain himself. All the while, the cub sobbed. That was easy. The cub had so much sadness bottled up in him that letting it out in the form of tears was easy. By the end of the entire fiasco, the entire room felt emotionally drained and baffled. Lucki finally slid out of the embrace, though he stayed close.
"I…don't know what she wanted me for." The cub's voice declared, keeping a slight tremor to it. "Didn't think to try and find out, just…"
Plucki shushed the lad gently, "Be at peace, lad. We will find out what her purpose was. You did nothing wrong."
"Yes, yes I did." The cub insisted, pulling at his hair, "I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't listen to you."
Plucki raised a brow "In what way, dear Lucki?"
Sniffling, he wiped his face with the back of his hand, "You told the squires to stay out of the battle. I…didn't listen. I had to go help. I couldn't just…"
Gumlittle put his strong hands on the boy's shoulders, giving him a crushing embrace from behind, "Nothing to be done about it, Lucki. Your reasons were noble." The big knight buried his face into the cub's hair again. Dear Gum, thank you. No matter what the circumstances, he had his Lucki back. Thank you…
Their group was interrupted again as the sounds of young Cubbi calling for Plucki rang through the halls. Plucki gave a slight smile, turning from the group as the door slammed open and Cubbi started in only to freeze in his tracks.
Cubbi had been excited to share their find, hoping maybe it meant something. He had also been ready to tell Plucki that maybe the hidden rooms meant something, that maybe Merlinni had left other clues there. He had so many things to tell the Captain but they all died in his mouth when he entered the Council Chamber.
Lucki, the green furred brother of Tavi, was standing there.
Lucki, who was dead.
Lucki who he had seen buried himself.
Lucki who still had that horrible horrible bruise on his neck.
But he was here! Not in his grave.
A ghost, a spirit, a walking dead…
Weakness took Cubbi's knees like a swift fever and he felt his entire face color white, even despite his pink fur. He never took his eyes off Lucki, didn't hear Plucki calling to him or heading over to him. Despite all his bravado, Cubbi screamed and bolted from the room, fast as lightning, the Gummadoon Captain on his heels, brushing past young Corvi in the hall.
The teen followed them with his eyes a moment, baffled then entered the room himself. As Cubbi had, the boy froze, his eyes locked on Lucki.
Great Gum, this was impossible.
Lucki was…yet he was…
The green furred preteen gave a gentle smile, "Hey Corv."
That voice. It was Lucki. But Lucki was dead. Lucki had died.
Yet he stood in front of him. That was Lucki's face. That was Lucki's voice. That was Lucki's shy wave, that was Lucki's…
Stressor upon stressor finally cracked with this revelation. Corvi's brain ultimately decided enough was enough and he had enough comprehension to stammer, "Kaa'niask" before his eyes rolled back and he hit the ground with a large thump.
Lucki winced, "I'm doing that to a lot of people."