In the meantime, Merle and Hunk went to Silver Bottom Creek to get a drink of cool water. They hadn’t really talked much, while thinking their own thoughts. Merle was really concerned about what his friend was going thru and what would happen to all the time they spent together if Sonny had to take care of Honey for the rest of her life. He really hoped it didn’t mean they were going to have to take her with them all the time. She was okay as far as girls went, but she was still a girl. Hunk’s thoughts were taking a different path. He was still wondering how guys rubbed noses with a girl the first time and lived thru it. He wondered if there was a secret to it or maybe an antidote he should be carrying just in case. He was also wondering what was the real reason Sonny was watching Honey. He was pretty sure there was more than what Sonny had said but he also loved his nose too much to push the issue.
When Sonny explained the day’s events to his dad he thought for sure he was going to explode before he got it all out. He couldn’t look at his dad the whole time to see how he was reacting and his tummy was doing flip flops. He knew he was blushing clear to the tips of his ears, but he couldn’t help it. When he finally quit talking and looked up his dad was calm and even looked slightly amused. To Sonny’s surprise his dad assured him everything was going to be okay and soon he and his friends will have forgotten it even happened. Sonny was so relieved he didn’t have to take care of Honey for the rest of their lives he gave his dad a huge hug.
“Dad, when did you know for sure that you really, really liked mom. You know, in that rubbing noses kind of way?” Sonny asked.
“I don’t know for sure. We grew up in the same area, went to the same learning classes and played some of the same games. Then one day she smiled at me and I knew I wanted to rub noses with her.” Sonny’s dad explained.
“Did you ever get checked out to see if you had mountain fever or something first?” Sonny inquired.
“Naw.” His dad said with a smile.
“Well if it ever happens to me, I am going to get checked out right away.” Sonny reported.
Sonny’s dad just laughed and hugged him back. Sonny felt so thankful that he ran all the way back to where Merle and Hunk was waiting for him.
“What did your dad say?” Merle asked as soon as Sonny got to them.
“Well,” started Sonny, “at first he just got this really funny look on his face. You know the one they get when they are trying really hard not to laugh but can’t quite control it.”
“Oh yeah, I know the one you’re talking about, then what?” asked Hunk.
“Then he patted me on the back,” Sonny continued, “and told me that I didn’t have anything to worry about and that sometimes in life things just happen.”
“That’s it?” Merle asked.
“Not exactly,” Sonny advised, “He also said that someday all three of us will be rubbing noses with a female and enjoying every minute of it.”
“Why would he say a thing like that?” inquired Merle.
“Yeah, I see no reason for him to threaten us.” Hunk added, “We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“My dad also said that it won’t feel like wilderness sickness.” Sonny went on explaining, “It supposed to give us the same feeling we feel when we ride a log down Gulch River and go over small hill falls.”
“Are you kidding?” Merle said, “I feel like I’m gonna pee my fur every time we do that ride.”
“Yeah, I can’t eat for an hour before and two hours after we go down Gulch River.” said Hunk, “What does that mean for me?”
“Simple,” offered Sonny, “you have to either stay away from girls or starve to death.”
“No problem.” Hunk stated, “No girls for me then, because I’ve got my priorities and food and surviving is at the top of the list.”
“Oh, and beware of their smiles, apparently it can change the way you feel about them.” Sonny instructed. “That’s apparently how my mom got my dad.”
“They can smile at me all day long.” Hunk declared, “I’m not giving up food for anyone.”
“I’m with you.” Merle said.
“Me too.” Sonny added.
Chapter Two
erle suddenly remembered the exciting news that he wanted to share. He had forgotten about it with the entire sticky noses emergency.
“Well now that we have gotten that all settled, I have something to tell you guys and it is so exciting you are going to flip!” Merle exclaimed eagerly.
“What?” the boys chimed together.
“My grandpa came up from Base City last night and he told me about a legend.” Merle reported.
“Which legend?” asked Hunk, “I know lots of legends.”
“Yeah, me too.” Sonny added.
“Not a legend.” he responded in his lowest deepest voice. “Thee legend, it is true and it’s really scary and there is treasure, real treasure.”
“Wow.” exclaimed Sonny.
“Tell us.” Hunk instructed.
He definitely had their attention now. There was nothing more exciting than the possibility of a scary adventure with real treasure. He could tell they were just as excited as he was. His heart was racing with anticipation and he spoke so fast he kept running out of breath.
“Well,” he started, “my grandpa lives in the city now, but he used to live here in Tokeca Forest when he was younger. I just found that part out last night. He is so awesome and really important in the city. He lives at the top of the tallest tree in the biggest park so he can watch out over all the other animals. He even trained humans to feed him out of their hands. He starts every day off with a drink called coffee. It gives him strength and energy to chase cats and dogs off when they get to close. Coffee is made out of those beans Hunk ate when we snuck down to the city. Remember Hunk?”
“A yeah, don’t remind me.” Hunk retorted, “I couldn’t get to sleep for days.”
“What about the legend?” Sonny reminded them impatiently, “I want to hear about the legend.”
“Oh, well anyway,” Merle continued, “when my grandpa lived up here there was a really big, mean badger called Baldy. You want to know why they called him Baldy?”
“Yeah,” they whispered as they listened intently, “Why?”
“Because when he was young he got struck by lightning,” Merle said, “but he was so big and mean that it didn’t kill him. It just made all his fur fall out.”
“Hey, I thought you said this legend was true.” Hunk exclaimed.
“It is.” promised Merle, “My grandpa wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t so.”
“So, the big bad badger was nude?” asked Sonny just for clarification.
“Yep, naked as could be, not a hair one, nude from head to toe,” Merle explained, “and that’s not all. The lightning left a mark on his butt in the shape of a heart and it curled his tail up so tight it looked like a spring.”
“Okay, Merle.” Hunk said, “So, you’re telling us that your human-training, coffee-drinking, dog chasing grandpa told you a true legend about a mean naked badger with a curly tail and a heart on his butt.”
“Yep,” Merle stated, “It sounds like you are with me so far. They say that ol’ Baldy was as mean and grumpy as anyone had ever seen.”
“Really?” Hunk exclaimed, “You don’t suppose that had anything to do with everyone pointing at his naked rump and laughing at him, do you?”
“Nope, Grandpa said he was mean long before the lightning got him.” Merle explained, “But I guess it probably didn’t help any.”
Sonny could tell by the way Hunk was acting that he didn’t believe everything that Merle was saying. In fact, he was starting to get some doubts himself. He liked the idea of a new adventure and treasure hunting, but things were sounding a little far-fetched.
“Perhaps you should get to the part about the treasure.” advised Sonny.
“Okay.” Merle continued, “Well as it turns out Baldy lived in a secret hidden cave somewhere on our mountain. He would scour the land for foo
d and treasures and hide them in his cave. The legend even says he would sneak into the camp areas at night and take from the humans. Can you imagine what kind of stuff he has probably collected?”
“Uummm, yeah,” Hunk said, “I don’t suppose G.I. grandpa has any clues where we should start looking for ol’ Baldy’s treasure does he?”
“He sure does.” Merle stated, “He said the cave can be seen afar but not close by, below the spot the eagle flies. Go past the area where the honey bees swarm, and by the place where the water gets warm. The cave you seek is on a ledge up high, behind the bush the bears deny.”
“Oh well of course,” Hunk exclaimed, “and now we have a riddle. Why am I not surprised? What’s next?”
“Awe, come on,” Sonny interrupted, “Don’t be like that. It sounds like this could be a really fun adventure. You know how you love to explore and find new things, and maybe there really is a treasure. We will never know if we don’t try.”
“I do like a good adventure,” Hunk admitted, “and I guess there is only one way to know for sure. It’s just that this one just sounds a little funny.”
“It is true, you’ll see,” Merle added, “my grandpa wouldn’t say it was if it wasn’t.”
Hunk still didn’t believe the story, after all if there was such a badger how come no one else talked about him. His grandpa had told him lots of stories too and he never mentioned Baldy. It really seemed like something that would be talked about more. He could tell Sonny was really excited and Merle was getting mad because he didn’t believe him. He didn’t want to upset his friends, so he would join in on the fun, besides there was still a small chance that it was true.
“Okay,” Hunk shouted, “Bring on the riddle, we’re going treasure hunting.”
“Yeah!!!” the boys chimed together.
“How did that go again?” asked Sonny.
Merle repeated the riddle slowly.
“Okay, so we are looking for a cave hidden behind a bush, that can be seen far away but not up close. How does that work?” Hunk asked.
“Maybe we have to get above the cave, and look down.” Merle suggested.
“Below the spot the eagles fly?” Hunk pondered, “That one’s got me. Eagles fly in the sky so pretty much everything is below them.”
“That’s true, but maybe they aren’t talking about live eagles.” Sonny suggested, “Maybe they are talking about eagle point.”
“That would mean the cave is on the south side of the mountain.” Merle exclaimed.
Eagle point was a rock formation about half way up the mountain that jetted outward and looked like the head of an eagle. It was truly a wondrous site to see and many humans came from miles around to take pictures of it.
“Okay,” Sonny said in an excited tone, “we can do this. The next line is ‘past the area where the honey bees swarm’.”
“Again, I am going to have to say honey bees go everywhere.” Hunk replied.
“Yeah, but what do honey bees swarm around?” Merle asked.
“Flowers.” Hunk and Sonny answered together.
“Right, and where are there a lot of flowers?” Hunk questioned.
“There are a lot of flowers in Daisy Meadow.” Sonny responded.
“And in Sunshine Valley and down by Mirror Lake.” Hunk added.
There’s also a lot over by Marble Falls.” Sonny continued.
“That’s true, but how many places are on the south side of the mountain?” Merle asked.
“Daisy meadow and Marble falls.” Hunk replied after some thought.
“Yeah, and Marble Falls comes straight out of the mountain so the water is really warm.” Sonny concluded.
“But there are ledges everywhere, especially up high.” Hunk pointed out.
“Okay, so we need to figure out what type of bush that bears deny.” Merle added, “And the only way to find that out is to ask one.”
“Yep, that is where we need to start.” agreed Hunk. “Our first stop should be Clair the Bear’s cave. We haven’t seen the cubs for a while anyway.”
Clair the Bear was a story teller, teacher and good friend to all the woodland creatures. She had taught the boys how to build a snow cave if they ever got caught out in a storm. She showed them safe places to hide in the face of danger and what human traps looked like. She educated them on what foods to eat and which ones weren’t safe, and told the stories of their mountain.
“Sounds good to me.” Hunk responded, “and she lives in Coyote Canyon and that is right across from Marble Falls, so it may be right on our way.”
“We need to be careful and be prepared.” Sonny reminded them. “We don’t have learning classes tomorrow. We can head out early and make a whole day of it.”
“That’s a good idea.” Merle agreed, “With a whole day maybe we could actually find the cave, and the treasure.”
“I am so excited,” Hunk announced while he rubbed his tummy, “and you know what getting excited does to me?”
“Yeah, we know.” the boys replied at the same time as they rolled their eyes, “You’re hungry.”
With that being said the boys headed to one of the favorite snacking areas, Firefly Meadow, which was right between Silver Bottom Creek and one of the biggest orchards on the mountain.
They spent the remainder of the afternoon snacking, going over plans, making a list of things they might need and discussing more ideas about the riddle. Soon the lightning bugs were in the air indicating it was time to return to their dens and the warmth of their families. They were completely exhausted from all the day’s excitement. Even though all three friends were a different type of animal, they all spent their evening just about the same. They enjoyed a good meal, shared the events of their day, helped clean up, and then off to bed.
That night the boys wrote in their journals what they had learned that day; Don’t get too close to girls. If you get stuck to one order her to giggle, and rubbing noses with one can make you feel like you’re gonna pee your fur and can cause starvation.
Chapter Three
he next morning the boys met by the big oak tree with new ideas and stories of the dreams they had had the night before. They had all dreamt about finding the treasure and the possibilities it held.
“I dreamt we found real cool gadgets that did really neat stuff.” Merle told them.
“Me too,” Sonny disclosed, “we even rode on some of the stuff in my dream.”
“Well what are we standing around here for?” Hunk asked, “Our treasure is waiting.”
And with that being said they headed off in the direction of Clair’s cave. They had been to Clair’s many times before and knew all the short cuts. The closer they got the quicker they seemed to move. They had come across some of the other animals that they knew and hadn’t seen for a while along the way. They always stopped briefly to chat politely but never stayed long, and never shared the details of their adventure.
They were still about six log rolls and a bunny hop from the cave when they heard Hub and Bub playing. As they topped the knoll they could see them rolling around in the tall grass and playing in the sunlight. They were jumping and pushing each other over, doing summersaults, and wrestling around. Even though they appeared to be a normal pair of bear cubs the boys knew they were as unusual as the land they lived on. The cubs were born in a university that was studying animal intelligence and their ability to learn, so they were extremely smart, sometimes too smart. After two years, the cubs and Clair were all released onto the mountain and have been there ever since. Hub and Bub did this thing with definitions that Hunk really liked so he often pretended he didn’t know what something meant to get them to do it. Merle found it annoying and insulting.
“Hi guys.” Merle yelled out as they got closer.
“Hi.” Hub returned.
“What are you guys doing up our way?” asked Bub, “Did you come to play?”
“Actually, we are looking for your mom.” Sonny informed them.
“Mom?” Hub i
nquired, “She is busy in the cave. She made us come outside while she cleaned. She says we need to burn off energy because we were driving her bonkers.”
“Bonkers?” Hunk asked before Merle could stop him.
“Yeah, crazy, daft, nuts, loony, silly.” Hub explained proudly.
“Loopy, mad, berserk, senseless, batty, insane.” Bub added.
Hunk didn’t even have to look at Merle; he knew he was getting the look, the look that meant ‘don’t do it again’.
“So, what do you want with Mom?” Hub asked.
“We have a riddle that we think your mom can help us with because one of the lines is about bears.” Merle replied.
“We’re bears,” Hub informed him, “and we love riddles, maybe we can help you.”
“Okay,” Merle stated, “do you know a bush that bears deny?”
“A bush the bears deny?” Hub repeated.
“Yeah, you know, refuse, don’t like, reject, won’t eat, or can’t be around.” Merle stated proudly.
He knew that Hub and Bub knew what it meant but he had heard them recite definitions a hundred times and he couldn’t resist doing it back just once. He also knew he was getting the look back from Hunk.
“Yeah, it’s called a fire bush,” Hub informed them after a short time.
“Are you sure?” Merle questioned.
“Yeah, it is the only bush we won’t eat.” Hub informed them. “It has red berries that are really sweet, but you shouldn’t eat them.”
“Nope,” Bub added, “definitely don’t want to eat them.”
“Are they poisonous?” asked Merle,
“Oh no, they aren’t poisonous.” Hub said, “They won’t hurt you a bit.”
“But eat some of them and you will be baking air biscuits for the rest of the day.” Bub explained.
“Air biscuits?” Hunk repeated in a confused manner.
“You know,” Hub stated, “Backfires, air out the backroom, blow the backdoor trumpet, send methane messages.”
The Legend and Land Battle Page 2