by J. S. Skye
Lotora’s tone instantly became grave. “Hush! Do you want to be heard by one of his spies? Don’t say things like that! You can be put to death if the wrong soul heard you say that.”
“Say what?” Flurry was confused.
“To say that Jack’s dead. He’s very much alive and ruling from his palace at Ursidea.”
“Finally! A name I know! That place is very close to Ursus, where I’m from.”
“Wait a minute! Now I know where you’re from. The land of Mezarim, right?”
“That’s what I said earlier!” Flurry was suddenly frustrated that he had to repeat himself.
“No, you said Ursus,” Lotora corrected the little cub.
“Well, same difference,” Flurry returned.
“Can I assume there’s another name for the one you call Santa?”
“Yeah, I suppose,” Flurry replied with an embarrassed look on his face. “The other bears call him Mr. Kringle.”
“Kringle!” Lotora gasped. She was shocked beyond words. “I had no idea you were speaking of Nikolas Kringle!”
“His name is Santa,” answered the cub.
“Whether you call him Santa or not, Nikolas is renowned in this part of the world, though he isn’t a very well-liked man. It’s because of him that Jack exists. Many have sought his death. In fact, he’d probably be dead if he could be found. He’s quite an elusive man. Most knowledge of him has become akin to legend or fairy tale. Good luck trying to find him!”
Flurry was not sure what she meant by the name Nikolas. He always heard his papa call him Chris. Flurry cried and buried his face in his paws. “What’s going on? This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! This is wrong. It’s all wrong! Where I’m from, everyone loves Santa, and Jack is dead. This is a nightmare!” Flurry smacked himself in the face and said, “Wake up, Flurry! Wake up! Wake up, Flurry! Wake up! This is just a dream! It’s just a bad dream! Wake up!” It was no use; he was still there. Tears streamed down the cub’s face.
Lotora’s demeanor softened, and a tear came to her eye. She felt bad for making the poor cub cry. “There, there, little one. I’m sorry for being so stern. If what you say is true, then there is hope yet. I feared that Jack would rule forever and destroy everything that I hold dear. If you’re from the future, as I suspect, then you’re a herald of good news. You may become a beacon of hope to us all. Your presence means that the suffering of all of the lands will come to an end someday. Thank you!” She gave Flurry a warm hug.
The hug did not last long before screams were heard from beyond the walls of the hut. Lotora quickly let go of Flurry and rushed to the window.
“What is it?” Flurry asked.
“Oh no! Not them! They know! Quick! We have to get out of here!” Lotora hurriedly grabbed Flurry from the table and set him back on his feet before she turned back to grab the book. Honja frightfully peeked out from the hay. He came out and trailed closely behind Flurry and Lotora. “Let’s go! We must not be captured.”
“Why? What is it?”
“Jack’s henchmen are here. They’re burning the huts. Somehow they must’ve found out that we’ve been hiding red pandas here. Quickly! Let’s move!”
Lotora rushed out of the hut and darted toward the tree line as fast as she possibly could. Flurry and Honja followed. They made it into the brush just as something approached the hut. Right before Flurry’s eyes stood a creature he had never seen before. He thought it was a fox at first, due to its orange fur and canine features, but it was far worse. Its paws looked like burning embers, and it had three tails. The tip of each tail and the creature’s back were aflame. For some reason, the fire did not seem to hurt the beast. As the creature looked around with its searing orange eyes, Flurry shivered. It scoured the area for anyone or anything to be its next victim. With a sweep of its tail, the hut was set ablaze.
“No!” Lotora shouted. Flurry quickly put his paw over her mouth and muffled her objection.
“Shhhhh! You don’t want it to hear us,” Flurry whispered.
Flurry was too late. At the sound of Lotora’s voice, the flaming, foxlike creature looked in their direction.
“Maybe it didn’t notice us,” Flurry tried to reassure Honja and himself. Honja shook with fear. He backed up slowly and pulled leaves down around himself.
The flaming beast came near to their location in the brush and sniffed around. It appeared to be aware of their presence. A growl came from the horrific creature. It took a step closer. Its snout was right next to Flurry’s head, where he remained hidden on the far side of a tree.
It looked as if they would be eaten alive, until a loud and commanding voice called out from the midst of the flaming huts. “You there! Quit fooling around! We have more huts to burn!” The flaming fox immediately withdrew and ran back toward the voice.
“Phew!” Flurry let out a sigh of relief. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he exclaimed, “That was close!”
Flurry turned to find Lotora curled up in a ball, sobbing.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s over. It’s all over. If Jack finds Tomodachi, our hope is lost. He’s the only one who has been bold enough to speak out against Jack.”
“Hey! I know that name! Doggy told me all about him. He beat Jack.”
Lotora instantly looked up with a startled expression. “What? Are you sure?”
“Uh, huh,” answered Flurry. He nodded his head vigorously.
“Then we have to try to save him! It’s risky, but everything depends on his survival. Come quickly! I know where the other villagers were hiding him.”
Lotora jumped to her feet, grabbed Flurry by the paw, and ran toward the huts. “Come on, Honja!” Flurry shouted back to the bunny.
Honja shook his head in fear. He trembled so much that you would have thought he was freezing to death. Honja simply did not have the desire for adventure that Flurry did. He preferred the safety of his home and the quiet of his own little corner of the house. After all, he was just a little rabbit. He did not have the means to defend himself from something like that creature he saw.
Just then a growl was heard, and the bushes shifted. In fear, Honja ran and called out to Flurry, “Gah-chi gah!”
The three of them made their way across the village of huts, ducking down and hiding behind anything they could find. So far, so good; they had not been spotted yet. Flurry saw three of the flaming monsters led by another kind of fox, who appeared to be the leader. The one in command was an arctic fox with pearly-white fur. He stood upright on two legs like a man. Over his white fur he wore black pants, boots, a vest, and two swords, one at each side.
“Hurry up already! They have to be here somewhere!” shouted their commander. The arsonist walked over, grabbed the village leader from among the prisoners, and slammed him against the door of the nearest hut. “Tell me where he is, or I’ll burn down your entire village!” The raccoon would not speak. The fox tossed the raccoon back to the ground. The arctic fox shouted, “Very well! Have it your way!” He whistled at the flaming beasts and commanded them, saying, “Finish the job! Burn down the entire village!” Screams resounded through the chaos that ensued.
“We have to do something, quickly! Tomodachi’s hut is already on fire,” Lotora insisted.
Flurry and Honja raced after Lotora. She came up to a hut almost completely engulfed in flames. She looked concerned when she peered in through a gap in the wall. “I don’t see them. Tomodachi and Yujin should be in there,” said the raccoon. She gave Flurry a troubled glance.
“Let me see.” Flurry peeked in. “Where would they hide? The hut is so small.”
“They would be underneath the floor. We dug out a hole to hide them in if trouble came.”
“Maybe they’re still inside and can’t get out,” Flurry proposed.
“Oh no! That’s terrible! We can’t even get in to check!” Lotora was frantic.
“No, but Honja can,” Flurry replied. The bear shifted his gaze to his rabbit friend. The little
bunny was taken off guard. His mouth dropped open, and he pointed at himself in disbelief. “Nah?” he asked.
“Yes, you! You can fit through the hole and make sure they aren’t trapped.”
Honja shook his head vigorously in rejection of the idea. There was no way Honja wanted to have any part in going into a burning hut.
“Come on! You’ll be a hero!” Flurry attempted to appeal to his friend.
“Something needs to be done quickly, before the roof collapses!” shouted Lotora.
Honja relented. He rushed in through the hole and looked around. The smoke was so thick that nobody else could have been in there without being smothered to death from the lack of air. Luckily for Honja, he was so small and low to the ground that it allowed space for him to breathe. He looked all around. It seemed hopeless until he noticed the hidden door. The door was lashed shut. He chewed away at the leather rope the held it secure. Fire continued to rain down around him as he gnawed at the binding.
Outside, Flurry and Lotora were deeply troubled. They had neither seen nor heard anything from Honja. Flurry was uncertain if his friend was even alive.
“Honja!” Flurry and Lotora shouted together, but there was no answer.
“I hope he’s okay,” Lotora told her new friend.
“Me, too,” said Flurry with a very worried tone to his voice. Sweat rolled down his face. The situation was dire, and there was still no sign of the rabbit. Snapping, crackling, and tearing could be heard as the hut was about to come crashing down.
When things could not possibly get any worse, Flurry heard a voice from behind them. “You two! Get to your feet! What are you doing here?” Flurry turned and saw the arctic fox that had been commanding the fire beasts. “I’m General Nero of the Majesty’s royal army! You shall answer when I speak to you!”
Flurry was frightened and slowly inched his way behind Lotora’s legs. He even used her tail to hide beneath.
Nero looked right at Flurry. “You there! Little one! I haven’t seen you before. Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
Flurry did not answer. His chin quivered as he tried to fight back tears. The white fox frightened him, and Flurry badly wanted to go back home, where it was safe.
“I’ll give you to the count of three. One, two, …”
Before the fox reached the number three, a loud voice from within the burning hut shouted, “Run!”
Suddenly, swords cut through the wall, and two red pandas burst out from the walls of the burning hut. The villagers scattered. Flurry and Lotora ran for their lives.
The male red panda was arrayed in red samurai armor, and the female wore silky robes singed by the flames. Both of them were armed with bladed weapons. Flurry glanced back and observed Tomodachi let out a war cry. He and the female red panda attacked Nero and fought in a two-on-one swordfight. Nero appeared to be holding his own against his two smaller opponents.
The raccoon villagers continued to run for their lives; the sound of metal on metal rang through the village. Flurry kept looking back to find Honja, but the hut collapsed, and not a single sign of the rabbit could be seen. Flurry cried and fell to the ground in tears. Lotora ran back and picked him up. “We can’t fall behind. We need to keep going. We’ll meet up with Tomodachi and ask him about Honja at the rendezvous point.”
Flurry did not care about her attempt to comfort him. Now being carried away, he cried and shouted over Lotora’s shoulder, “Honja! Honja!”
CHAPTER 3
THE HILLS
That night was one of the roughest Flurry had ever experienced. He was unable to rest. His eyes ached from his lamenting. Nothing Lotora said or did helped cheer him up.
The sun broke the horizon, and most of the raccoons met up under a large tree on a hill that overlooked a valley. This was their designated meeting place if anything were to happen to the village. From time-to-time, a few stragglers would show up. Not everyone was accounted for, but a majority of the village made it out safely.
Flurry sat on a log and stared at the ground. Nothing broke his gaze until the sound of loud bird-like whistle was heard. It was their lookout in the tree. Someone or something approached their position.
Two red pandas drew near, a male and a female. The male was middle-aged and the female was in her late teens.
Everyone stood up and bowed to the two figures when they entered the camp. Flurry looked up and realized that it was Tomodachi and Yujin. Flurry could not contain himself — he got up and ran to Tomodachi. The bear cub did not know that his behavior was not acceptable in red panda culture. Tomodachi was highly respected and revered. No one dared rush up to him like Flurry did. Such an act was considered to be disrespectful, rude, or worse. In some cases, samurai like Tomodachi have mistaken quick advances, like Flurry’s, as an attack.
“Honja! Is he okay? Where’s Honja?” Flurry shouted at the samurai.
Tomodachi looked straight at Flurry. It was difficult for anyone to tell what he was thinking. He had a stern facial expression. The samurai grunted. He turned toward Yujin, nodded his head at her, and walked off.
“Hey!” Flurry called out to Tomodachi. “I’m talking to you!”
Tomodachi paused, turned back, and shouted, “Kawaii! Look!”
Flurry looked and saw Yujin get down on one knee. Tears filled his eyes. Flurry was certain that she was about to break the bad news to him. She reached for her pouch and lifted the flap. Flurry did not want to look. To see his lifeless friend would be too much to bear. Yujin held her pouch open and out popped a brown, furry head with two elongated ears.
Flurry could not believe his eyes. “Honja!” Flurry was so excited that he cried tears of joy.
“Annyeong,” the rabbit replied and waved to his friend.
Flurry grabbed Honja, pulled him up from the bag, and gave him a hug. Honja felt uncomfortable, but he understood why Flurry had been concerned. He, too, thought he would die in the fire during the previous night’s chaos.
Yujin stood back up and addressed Lotora. “We would’ve died if not for that rabbit. Someone had strapped the hideout door shut. We don’t know who, but we think someone in the camp did it. We may have a spy among us.”
Some raccoons were within earshot. They gasped when they heard the terrible report. The villagers deliberated with each other. Concerned expressions dominated their faces.
Their voices gained in volume as their fear grew. Panic was sure to ensue and spread among them like wildfire. Tomodachi stepped up on a rock and called out, “Ya me te! Stop! Everything … okay.” Tomodachi was not fluent in their language, but he spoke well enough that everyone understood him.
Flurry approached Lotora and pulled her aside. “If it’s okay with you, Honja and I would like to go back home now. Would you send us back, please?”
The raccoon knelt down to Flurry’s eye level. Lotora looked at the bear cub empathetically and replied, “Oh, Flurry, that isn’t how it works. The book doesn’t send you where you want to go; it takes you where you need to be.”
“No! That can’t be true! I need to go home. Let me see that book!” Flurry ripped the book away from her arms, unlatched it, and turned pages. He touched the pictures with his paw, but nothing happened. Flurry dropped to the ground and sobbed. “How do we get home?”
Lotora’s gaze fell. She felt sorry for the little cub and his rabbit companion. Just then, Tomodachi approached and ordered, “Kawaii! Up!”
“Huh?” Flurry replied.
“He’s telling you to stand up,” Lotora translated.
Flurry stood at attention and saluted Tomodachi. “Yes, sir!”
Honja hid behind Flurry. Tomodachi was an immensely intimidating presence. “Where … from?” Tomodachi asked.
Before Flurry could answer, Lotora stepped in and bowed to Tomodachi. “May I?” she asked. The samurai nodded his head. The raccoon spoke in a different language; Yujin acted as the translator. Tomodachi stroked the fur of his chin as he stood and listened. He nodded h
is head and then turned his attention to Flurry.
“This … true?”
Flurry had no idea what Tomodachi meant. “Is what true?” he asked. Yujin repeated Flurry’s words in a language that Tomodachi understood.
“Jack … dead?” replied the samurai.
“Yes, but that hasn’t happened yet, according to raccoon lady here,” Flurry pointed at Lotora.
“How?” the samurai asked.
Flurry explained what had happened and then told him the story he heard from Vallidore on his last adventure. Tomodachi seemed particularly interested in that bit of information. A hint of a smile came to his face before he huffed, turned, and walked away.
“What did I say?” Flurry asked.
Lotora answered for him. “You didn’t say anything wrong. He’s in a good mood. At least, I think he is.”
“He doesn’t look like he’s in a good mood,” replied the bear cub.
“Yes, well, he’s a hard one to read, but you’ll get used to it.”
“Why does he call me ka … k … Kawaii? What does that mean?”
“It means ‘cute’,” Lotora replied.
“Oh! In that case, he can keep calling me that,” Flurry answered. Honja shook his head in disbelief. Flurry obviously still had his issues with vanity. Honja half expected Flurry to demand everyone else to call him that from now on.
Tomodachi stood at a distance and spoke with the village leaders before he returned to speak with Yujin and Lotora. When he walked away, Lotora rushed over to Flurry. “Get up! We’re moving out,” she said.
“Where?” Flurry asked.
“Tomodachi is going to escort the raccoons to a safe haven, and then we’re going to meet up with samurai that are loyal to Tomodachi. He hopes to enlist their help. You’ve inspired him … I think.”
Honja tapped his paw on Flurry’s leg. Flurry turned to find Honja shaking like a leaf. The little rabbit wagged his head in fear. “Awww! There, there. Everything will be okay,” Flurry tried to assure his friend. The bear cub bent down and patted Honja on the head.
Honja was instantly outraged and grunted at Flurry for having touched him. “Oops! Sorry, Honja. I keep forgetting.” Honja replied with a sigh followed by muttering in a language that Flurry did not understand.