“How could it be a weapon?” Merle asked, “We all played with it every way possible and none of us got harmed.”
“I didn’t say it was a good one.” Sonny retorted.
“No, you guys are overthinking it. Humans are simple creatures. They probably just use it to point at stuff with.”
“Why wouldn’t they just use their paws like we do?” asked Sonny.
“Have you ever seen a human’s paw?” Hunk responded as he made a disgusting face. “They probably can’t point in just one direction at a time because of those long round things coming out of their paws.”
“That makes sense.” Sonny agreed again.
They spent the next four hours doing the same thing with the rest of the items. They discovered, explained, experimented, and discussed each item to a logical conclusion.
“I’m getting hungry.” Hunk announced after the last item.
“Me too.” Added Merle.
“And me.” Sonny added.” My tummy has been making weird noses for a while now.”
“You know guys,” Hunk said, “they said that those berries on the fire bush were really sweet and that they won’t hurt us.”
“Yeah, and do you remember what else they said about them?” Merle asked.
“I know, but what if we just eat a few, just enough to settle our tummies until we get down to the meadow?” Hunk suggested.
“I don’t know.” Merle said thoughtfully, “I am pretty hungry, but I really don’t want to be baking any air biscuits.”
“Okay, how about if we only eat five a piece?” Sonny suggested. “I wouldn’t think that would do anything.”
Merle and Hunk thought about the warning that Clair and her cubs had given them, but they also were really hungry and five little berries didn’t sound like enough to do anything.
“Okay,” Merle said, “but only five.”
“Great. Let’s go,” Hunk said as he jumped to his feet and started for the entrance to the cave.
“Just five Hunk.” Merle reminded him.
“I know,” Hunk assured him, “Trust me, I have great self-control.”
They all reached the front of the cave where the bush was at the same time. Merle and Sonny hesitated and watched Hunk as he popped the first berry in his mouth. They could see the juice dripping as he bit into the luscious berry.
“Oh wow,” Hunk mumbled, “These are SOOO sweet. I could eat the whole bush.”
“Five.” Merle and Sonny insisted.
“Mmmmm, I know.” He replied as he picked another bright red berry.
Merle and Sonny chose one and ate it with the same enthusiasm Hunk did. They were deliciously sweet and juicy. They were the sweetest berries any of them had ever tasted.
“Mmmmm, how could something that tastes so good cause something that smells so bad?” Sonny pondered.
“I don’t know, but they really aren’t very big, maybe we could eat ten all together and still be okay.” Hunk suggested.
“I was kind of thinking the same thing.” Merle admitted.
Then without any more prompting Hunk picked two more and popped them in his mouth, Merle and Sonny followed his example and they all ate slowly so to savor the flavor. Hunk wanted to eat more but he knew Merle and Sonny was keeping a close eye on him.
“Okay, now that we have fed our tummies,” Merle said, “what are we going to do about the treasure?”
“Maybe we should leave it all here and make the cave our new secret hide-out.” Sonny suggested.
“That would be cool.” Hunk concluded.
“I wouldn’t mind that with just one exception though.” Merle said.
And Hunk and Sonny knew what that exception was and happily agreed. They would bring Merle’s grandpa up the next day to their new hideout and share the treasure with him. It was decided that Grandpa should be able to pick something from the pile to take back to the city with him. The boys then carefully exited the cave so the entrance was still concealed and headed home.
“Eewwee, what is that smell?” Sonny exclaimed, “Hunk did you spray?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I did not.” Hunk replied in a disgusted matter.
“Uumm, I think that was me.” Merle confessed.
“Oh, no you didn’t.” Sonny said as a little vibrating sound escaped his rear-end.
“Oopps.” Hunk apologized.
“That was me,” Sonny stated, “Why are you apologizing?”
“Oh no no no, Hunk, that was bad.” Merle exclaimed, as he covered his nose with his tail.
“Sorry, but yours aren’t smelling like flowers and honey either.” Hunk retaliated.
“I know,” Merle explained, “It’s just you’re a skunk.”
“Ewe. I think right now we are all skunks.” Sonny announced making them all laugh.
Their laughter was accompanied by small noises from their other ends as well. The air around them became saturated with a combination of pungent odors. The more their rear ends sounded off the harder they laughed.
“Oh, don’t make me laugh,” Hunk explained, “I keep backfiring.”
“I have so much rump thunder, there should be storm warnings.” Sonny exclaimed.
When they reached the meadow they all rolled around among the flowers and clover. The once sweet-smelling field quickly became tainted with the aroma that was escaping from the boys.
“This is horrible.” Merle announced.
“How much longer do you think it will last?” Sonny inquired.
“I didn’t think ten little berries would last this long.” Merle said.
“You guys really stopped at ten?” Hunk asked.
“Yeah.” Sonny said.
“Of course,” added Merle, “didn’t you?”
“Oh yeah,” Hunk replied, “but then when we were leaving the cave, I grabbed a few more.”
“A few?” Merle asked. “How many is a few?”
“Two, three, maybe nine.” Hunk admitted.
“Bad skunk, bad Hunk.” Merle exclaimed.
“I know, they just tasted so good, and you know how I am when it comes to food. You really should have kept a better eye on me.” Hunk explained.
“You snuck more berries behind our backs and it’s my fault?” Merle asked.
“Well at least we can agree on that.” Hunk returned, “And I forgive you, after all everyone makes mistakes now and then.”
“Gee thanks.” Merle replied.
“Wait,” Sonny interrupted, “I think I’ve quit.”
Merle and Hunk stood in silence waiting to see if Sonny was right. After several minutes, it was obvious Merle and Sonny had both gotten it out of their system. In that short amount of time it was also clear Hunk had not.
“I know,” he exclaimed lowing his head, “bad Hunk, bad skunk.”
The boys continued heading for home. Merle and Sonny was in the lead and Hunk was a little way behind. They stopped for a short while to snack on some nuts, berries, and clover. Hunk was obviously still under the influence of the berries. It seemed that ten berries plus nine more berries made for a lot of air biscuits. They were getting close to home and the boys were getting nervous, none of them wanted to explain the reason for Hunk’s aromatic state. They didn’t want to give any reason for their parents to not let them go to their new hide-out again.
“Can I tell you guys something?” Hunk inquired.
“Sure.” They replied together.
“I don’t think I have as much self-control as I say I do.” Hunk said, “I’m sorry guys.”
“It’s okay,” Sunny assured him. “we kind of already suspected that.”
“Yeah buddy, it’s alright.” Merle added. “We were all warned, and we all still ate the berries.”
Another hour went by before Hunk was able to laugh without passing gas. They were all relieved that it was over and agreed to keep the whole berry story to themselves, another well-kept secret among friends.
The next day the boys took Merle’s grandpa to their new hid
e-out and showed him the treasure. He was almost as excited as they were. He was even able to explain some of the items that the boys were unsure about. Grandpa looked at all the trinkets and told stories of their history. When he was done the boys let him choose one of the items to take back with him. Without hesitation, he chose a gold chain with lots of small sparkling clear stones along it. He said they were diamonds and it would be a great trade item back in the city. The boys thought he was being silly when there were other items that were more colorful, or had moving parts. They tried talking him into something better like the clicky pointer or the rattle thing with colorful balls inside, but grandpa took the chain. They knew the little human habitat had to be worth more but was glad he hadn’t chosen it. They liked the idea of having human pets.
That night the boys wrote in their journals the lessons they had learned. One; Never assume, when in doubt, find out. Two; Heed the warnings of those you trust. Three; What may be a trinket to one may be a treasure to someone else. Then Merle and Sonny wrote a fourth lesson; Never let Hunk lead in a scary situation.
Chapter Five
he next day Sonny, Merle, and Hunk were playing hide and seek when they heard a strange high pitch noise.
“What was that?” Hunk whispered to the other two as they hid within the thicket of bushes.
“I don’t know.” Merle whispered back.
“Stay down.” Sonny advised, “Whatever it is could be very dangerous.”
They stayed in there hiding place, listening carefully trying to detect where the noise was coming from. A strange noise meant something or someone new to the area and that made the boys nervous. They sniffed the air trying to find its scent. Suddenly there was rustling of leaves and branches followed by the loud strange squeak, squeak, that had sent them into the underbrush in the first place. The noises were getting louder and louder which meant that whatever it may be was getting closer and closer.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak.” came the noise and then there it was. It landed on the ground right in front of them. It was a bright yellow, duck shaped looking thing. It was like nothing they had ever seen before. The three boys froze stiff and held their breath. It laid there as motionless as they were. No one moved, no one spoke, it was a standoff.
“I think it landed over here.” came a familiar voice.
“Hay, what are you guys doing in there?” the voice said again, pawing at the bushes that surrounded them.
“Aaahhhhh!!” The boys screamed.
“Ooohhhhh.” The voices yelled back.
“Aaahhhhhh!” They continued.
“Wwhhaaat?” came the response.
“Hub and Bub?” Merle finally inquired somewhat out of breath.
“Yeah, it’s us.” said Bub, “Why did you yell? You guys scared us.”
“We scared you?” Hunk responded, “You and that thing you threw at us about made me spray.”
“We have never heard anything like it before,” Sonny explained, “so we hid in case it was something dangerous.”
“Oh,” Hub spoke up, “we’re sorry, we didn’t mean to frighten you. We were just tossing it back and forth on our way here.”
“It’s okay,” Merle said, “but what is that thing and what are you guys doing this far down without your mom?”
“Well, we aren’t sure what it is. The humans left it behind at the camp grounds and Hub and I found it.” Bub explained. “And Mom is with us. She is taking a nap over by Black Boulder. We asked her if we can stop and play with you guys, so here we are.”
“Cool,” Hunk proclaimed, “but where did you guys go?”
“We went down to Cross Creek. Mom wanted to investigate the rumors.”
“Rumors?” asked Hunk.
“Yeah, you know,” Hub replied, “buzz, gossip, report, scuttlebutt, talk, word.”
“Dirt, hearsay, noise, dish, tattle, story.” added Bub.
“We know what the word means boys.” Merle responded quickly, “What Hunk was asking was, what rumor?”
“Awe,” the bear cubs chimed together.
“The rumor coming up the mountain is that humans are planning to build at Cross Creek, so Mom wanted to see if there were any signs that the story may be true.” Hub explained.
“Did you guys find anything?” Sonny inquired.
“Yep.” Bub offered, “There are sticks in the ground with colored stuff on them, and big tents with humans in them. They were walking around the area with some type of equipment and looking at stuff…Can we play now?”
The boys really wanted to know more but thought it might be better to ask Clair when she came to get the cubs. They spent the next three hours playing walnut tag, hide and seek, and toss the squeaky duck, follow the leader, and catch the crickets. They rolled down the hills, raced pine cones in the creek, balanced acorns on their noses, and seen who could hold their breath the longest. By the time Clair came to get the cubs Sonny, Hunk, and Merle were plum tuckered out.
“I am exhausted!” exclaimed Sonny.
“Me too.” Merle added as he plopped on the ground next to Sonny, “Where do they get all that energy?”
“I don’t know, but playing games sure makes me hungry.” Hunk surmised, “I need a snack.”
“Did you have fun boys?” Clair inquired as she sat down in front of them.
“Yes.” They all replied.
“But we are really curious about what you found out at Cross Creek.” Sonny added.
“Well I see my boys have told you about our trip.” Clair relayed, as she gave her cubs a stern look. “I would like everyone to found out at once boys. We are having a special meeting at Gulch Landing tonight an hour before sundown. If you boys could tell your parents and everyone else you know I would appreciate it. Cooter has been watching the humans and knows more about what they are doing than I do. He will be there to explain it all.”
“Cooter?” asked Merle.
“Yeah, he’s a big, crazy raccoon.” Bub informed them.
“Crazy?” Asked Hunk.
“Yeah, you know,” Hub replied, “insane, batty, bonkers, demented, psycho, wacko, touched, not all there.”
“Cracked, gaga, nutty, bizarre, gone mad, cuckoo, daffy, a real loon coon.” Added Bub.
“We know what crazy means.” Merle interjected. “We just wanted to know why you think he’s crazy.”
“Well,” Hub said, “his fur stands straight up all over his body, and his eyes go in two different directions. You never know where he is looking for sure. He’s jumpy and high-strung because he thinks humans are after him so he never walks in a straight line. When he talks, it’s so fast you can hardly understand him, and only one half of his mouth moves, the other half just smiles at you. When he’s not talking his tongue hangs out the side of his mouth. Sometimes he forgets what he’s saying while he’s saying it and just walks off. You know, not normal.”
“Wow, anything else?” Hunk asked.
“Oh yeah, he also passes gas every now and then but doesn’t seem to realize it. I guess his butt must be numb or something.” Bub added.
“And this is the guy we are getting our information from?” inquired Sonny.
“He is a bit odd and eccentric,” Clair admitted, “but he is reliable for information like this so please spread the word.”
“We will.” the boys assured her.
Clair then walked over to the great oak and placed her paws on its massive trunk. She closed her eyes and spoke softly. The boys couldn’t hear what she was saying but she seemed to be saying something of great importance. She stood motionless for several moments before returning her attention back to the world around her. The boys had seen her do this a few times before but never really knew the reason why. It seemed like a personal kind of thing so they never asked questions because they didn’t want to intrude.
“Do you have time for a story?” Merle asked as she turned toward them.
“I always have time for a story.” Clair replied with a smile “Would you like to hear o
ne you have never heard before?”
They all shook their heads eagerly. They thought they had heard all of Clair’s stories at least once. They had a feeling this one was going to be special.
“This one is about the big oak tree that is in the center of all of your homes.” She started “After today you will realize just how special your area of Tokeca Forest truly is.”
That being said, she began her tale.
“As you know many moons ago Chief Lone Eagle enchanted our mountain so that we all lived together in peace. He was not only the leader of one of the largest tribes on our mountain but also a father. His daughter, Hopamato, was betrayed and in turn had her heart broke. By her own request she continued to live on our mountain as her animal spirit, a bear. She was only allowed to return to her normal state and visit her father on the first full moon each spring. Many moons later Chief Lone Eagle grew tired and weak, and knew what he needed to do. He then summoned all his braves to join him for a powwow. During the powwow, the chief announced that his time was ending and soon his spirit would be set free and his body would return to mother earth. This created sadness amongst the braves, but they knew what was going to happen was an honor not a tragedy. When the chief would leave this world, his tribe would celebrate his life, not mourn his death. Chief Lone Eagle explained how he had spoken to the great spirits to help him choose the next chief. He then announced that a brave by the name Night Wolf would soon take his place. Lone Eagle knew he was a strong brave who was loved and respected by their whole tribe. He knew Night Wolf would make a good chief and would take great care of their people.
The next nineteen days Lone Eagle instructed the chosen brave in the ways of being chief. He explained his duties and obligations to the tribe and told stories from his own time. He spoke words of wisdom and shared knowledge that had been hand down from chief to chief for many generations. On the last night, during a grand ceremony, chief Long Eagle placed his head dress of many feathers on the braves head. That night, under a full moon, he left this world to join his ancestors in the sky. The next day his body was returned to mother earth as the tribe circled around and chanted the song of life.
The Legend and Land Battle Page 4