"Ryo…"
The adult Barbic opened his eyes painfully and saw the cub sitting over him, tears streaming down his face. He chuckled. Even though the five wounds in his chest should have killed him immediately, he was still alive. It must have missed his heart directly and even though one lung was collapsed, the other still allowed him to breathe, although it was with great pain.
"Silly cub, even now you're silly and sentimental."
"Why did you save me?" Buddi's voice broke and it was evident he was very close to breaking down completely. "I thought you hated me."
Ryo laughed again. "I could never hate you, Buddi. You're different; you're even weak at times. In fact a lot of the time you are. But you're young still. This battle's hardened you."
Buddi stared at him. Ryo smiled and fought his way into a sitting position. He would not die lying down like a gutless weasel. He shoved Buddi away when he tried to help him.
"I'm perfectly capable of doing this."
He went on. "Your eyes are older. This whole battle with Celina has made you mature so much. Think about it Buddi. Less than a year ago, would you have dared to enter a battle?"
Buddi shook his head. Ryo grabbed the cub's hands. Buddi had been trying to suppress his wounds. Now the adult shoved them off. He looked the cub in his eyes.
"Buddi, I saved you because you're part of my family. All the Barbics are. We're a unit. Listen to them. They try to help you. That's what I was trying to do. It's what I tried to do. The rest is up to you."
"The rest…Ryo, don't die. Please!"
"Buddi, a Barbic's raised to deal with death. It's what comes with battle. Don't cry. If you're gonna become a warrior, you can't break down every time someone dies."
"But I'm not a warrior! I'm just fourteen!"
"True you're not a fully-fledged warrior but you're nearing it."
"But-"
"Buddi, you can't just let Celina do what she wishes and deal with her when she comes to you. You're playing defensive that way."
"But…I don't know what else to do."
"Go to her."
"But…"
"Buddi! She'll keep coming and coming, you have to stop her now!"
Tears ran down the child's face and his voice came out broken,
"I…I don't know how."
Ryo gave him a rare non-sarcastic smile. Although now that the cub ran over the past, perhaps it was not so rare.
"Don't give me that. You do. I saw it in your eyes several times."
"Ryo…no please…"
The adult smiled and then slowly closed his eyes. He stopped breathing shortly after. Buddi knew he couldn't save him. There was too much damage. It had been a mere miracle that he'd stayed with him as long as he had. The cub laid down beside the body and cried; wishing whole heartedly that someone would just ram a sword through his heart. If he'd listened to Ursa, Ryo wouldn't have had to save him and Ryo would still be alive. If he hadn't have run from the group. If…
That was how Ursa and Gritty found him.
* * *
Cubbi felt ashamed but for once he didn't care. Plucki had made no reaction to his crying, no scolding, nothing. Rather he had just comforted him as best he could until Grammi and Gruffi showed up. A day or so had passed since then but the fear was still very real.
Sunni had come to see him every day. Cubbi had been unable to tell anyone what he'd seen or even why he'd passed into a coma. He tried to desperately but he couldn't…he just couldn't…not yet.
* * *
Ursa and Gritty had planned on going straight to Gummadoon but given Ryo's death, they stopped in Gummi Glen. They were hurt themselves but they didn't cry. They had known there was a chance they would lose one of their own. It was painful; it stung but it couldn't be altered. Bonni had been very sympathetic and had asked,
"What can I do to help?"
Ursa's reply had been instantaneous. "Try to calm Buddi down."
She'd been trying for two days with no such success. The child had been bad when Missy was killed but he was ten times worse here. He wasn't eating at all. She knew the little bit of sleep he did manage to get in was disturbed.
Ursa and Gritty wisely decided to not make Buddi see the cremation. They knew it would just upset him more. From what they could tell, he somehow blamed himself for the whole incident. As he had with Missy only it was worse this time around. Ursa finally excused herself after the ceremony to talk to the child.
She found him by himself in one of the Glen's now scarce spare rooms.
"Buddi?"
The cub looked at her with bloodshot eyes. She pulled him up and said,
"Now what did I tell you when Missy died?"
"That it wasn't my fault." He replied automatically. Ursa raised her left eyebrow.
"Well…"
"But this time's different!"
He took a breath and Ursa said gently, "How's it different, Buddi?"
"If I hadn't…"
Ursa finally saw that reason was not about to get through this cub's stubborn head. She forced her face to harden despite how much her instincts told her to soften it. She turned her voice cold, the same tone she used when Buddi had disobeyed her.
"You're right. If you hadn't run off and tried to act like a Barbic by seeing your enemy, if you hadn't tried to face things on your own, if you hadn't run into Celina…yep, it's your fault."
Buddi screamed, voice breaking, "How was I to know she'd be there?"
Ursa smiled, "Very good."
Buddi pouted, "reverse psychology."
Ursa lifted Buddi's head up, "Buddi, it wasn't your fault. You shouldn't have run off but it was a mistake that should have minor. You couldn't have known that it could escalate like it did. You can't change that! What you can do is try and do what you can to make sure his death wasn't in vain."
Buddi looked at her and nodded. She smiled and said,
"Cubbi and the others are coming back today. The knights are coming with them. If Celina attacks, we'll need all the warriors we can get."
Buddi nodded, "I'm glad Cubbi's alright. Do they know why he woke up yet?"
Ursa shook her head, "Not yet. He won't tell them anything."
Buddi looked at her, "why not?"
Ursa shrugged, "My guess is he's still scared." She chuckled, "remember when you fell out of the tree when you were five? I couldn't get you to talk about it for a week. When Missy died, you wouldn't mention it for almost three weeks. My guess is that he saw something horrendous and won't want to talk about it for a few weeks. Give him time."
Buddi nodded. "Ursa?"
"Yes?"
"How do you know all this stuff?"
"Time." She looked at Buddi. "Time is a cold teacher. It's very blunt, very direct and has no sympathy." Ursa stood and gestured for Buddi to follow her. "But Time is the best teacher I ever had. Some things you can be told, some you can only be prepared for and some you simply have to experience."
As Buddi followed her out, she seemed so wise, so old. He didn't know why. For the first time he seemed to actually understand how much she must have endured to become who she was. He didn't know if he was that strong. He prayed he was.
"Buddi!"
He looked up and smiled, "Hey Sunni."
She hugged him, not as passionately as she would have liked to but Ursa was present. Still as gentle as she was…
"OW! Pain, Sunni, pain!"
She released him almost instantaneously, saying, "Sorry! Sorry!"
Buddi winced but gave her a painful smile, "That's alright. It's not your fault."
Ursa smiled at him. A few months ago, he would have revealed more discomfort. He was toughening. He pulled from Sunni and followed Ursa into the Main Hall.
Cubbi had remained with Grammi almost continuously since he'd woken up. He was silent, unmoving almost. But his eyes were empty, frightened, and matured. He'd obviously seen much. The playfulness had fled his eyes.
* * *
"But Your Highness…Your Majesty…"
The two royals' glares froze Sir Tuxford's words cold. He even backed away bit. Cavin and Calla each mounted their horses. Calla spoke, her voice determined and firm,
"Keep guard Tuxford. Cavin and I are going to get our daughter back!"
"Wait!"
The two turned and Marie ran out, her hair pulled back and she had put on her riding outfit. One of her servants pulled up a black horse and she leapt onto its back.
"I'm coming too!"
Cavin and Calla merely nodded and the three galloped out of Dunywn towards Lady Bane's castle.
* * *
Sunni and Buddi stood side by side in one of the glen's forgotten halls. They were talking.
"He hasn't said anything?"
Sunni shook her head, tears in her eyes. "I miss my 'little brother.' He's so different!"
Buddi pulled her close to his chest. She laid her head against his torso and felt him wrap his arms around her shoulders. She closed her eyes,
'Buddi…"
"Sunni?"
She looked up at him, her cheek still pressed firmly against his chest. He was a little taller than her, she noted. It was a trait she had not noticed before. His broader shoulders had been noticeable from the moment they met but she never noticed he was a little taller than she was.
This actually surprised her as Buddi had commented a few times that he would probably always be the shortest Barbic as his mother had been short, only reaching Ursa's shoulder at full height. But then, Glens were naturally short so the fact that Buddi was only a little taller was not so unusual.
She was gratefully he was a little older. She could lay against him easier that way. It was comforting to feel his arms. They were strong, despite how he said they weren't strong enough. It was enough for her to feel secure.
"Buddi, will Cubbi be okay?"
Buddi considered his answer, "I think so. He's probably scared. Give him time."
Sunni sighed, Buddi continued, "I mean it. When I fell out of a tree when I was five, I fell about fifty feet. How I survived is beyond me but after that I didn't even want to think about it. Cubbi's probably been through much worse."
Sunni nodded, "Emi…how evil is she?"
Buddi shrugged.
"I'll let you be the judge," a cold voice called from behind them. When the two whirled to face their opponent, Emi snatched the two by their necks as she reached through the mirror behind them. She laughed,
"Enough playing around. Let's end this!"
Buddi started to scream, as did Sunni. They knew she'd kill them; that had always been her goal. They heard rushing feet.
Ursa and Grammi came around the corner at their cubs' screams.
"BUDDI!"
"SUNNI!"
The two ran for them. Emi drew the two cubs through the glass. But as Grammi and Ursa tried to follow, they met the hard surface. Emi met their eyes and held Buddi and Sunni in the crock of each arm.
"I like suffering. I love to see you squirm. I'll give you until sunrise to save these cubs. Go on and try."
That said she vanished taking Buddi and Sunni with her. Ursa stood there a moment before falling to her knees and slamming her fist against the glass as Grammi collapsed crying.
"Sunni…"
Ursa looked at Grammi and then at the cold mirror. She slammed the glass again and it cracked.
"Buddi…"
END OF PART 2
CONCLUDED IN PART 3