Ashes burst toward the three friends, as the burning creature crumbled. The canopy erupted again. The treeswing’rs raced down the trees with great speed and agility. Some swung down the mossy ropes, and others leaped. Their chatters became high-pitched and morphed into something sinister.
“Run!” Roeg yelled. He tore off down the now-darkened path into the Bentwoods.
The Bentwoods were dark and wet. The farther they ran into the woods, the more this became true. The trees grew larger, the moss greener, and the air heavier. The chatter intensified. The glowing, blue treeswing’rs threw stones and branches as the three friends fled the assault. Roeg crashed through the edge of the bush line into a large clearing. The chatter stopped abruptly.
Roeg bent and held his knees, gasping for breath as Ookum tore through the bush line, followed by Tsisa. The rain let up some, but it still fell in cold, hard drops that splashed off the ground before they were sucked into the grass and dirt.
“I think…” Ookum caught his breath. “We lost them.”
Tsisa poked her head back into the darkness of the forest. “They are scattering away. F’sure, I must have scared them with the rock I threw.” Her head remained dry under the thick canopy, while the rain pelted down on her exposed back.
Roeg felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He heard a shrill cry, followed by several deep growls. The trees surrounding the clearing shook and rattled. Leaves and debris fell with each roar. Heavy thumps made tremors in the ground and echoed off the trees. The clearing was empty, but something was coming. Something large and fast.
A small, blue girl popped out of the tree line at the other end of the clearing. She had long, dark hair woven into strands that knotted at her head. Her hide coverings were nothing Roeg had ever seen before; they were brightly colored and smooth, not like the torn fur coverings of the clan. As quickly as she had popped out of the forest, she disappeared again. Roeg blinked and rubbed his eyes. He strained to see where she had gone. Was that a gnome?
“Did you guys see that?” Roeg pointed to the other side of the clearing.
“See what?” Ookum said, with his sling’r in hand as he aimed in the direction of the now-absent blue treeswing’rs.
“Something’s coming. Hide!” Tsisa clicked then pointed to the other side of the clearing.
Roeg ducked back into the forest and hid behind a bush at the edge of the clearing. He watched.
CRASH!
A large ape-beast burst out of the bush line at the other side of the clearing. It roared and pounded at the ground. Each thump tore at the earth, sending up torrents of dust and debris.
“What is that?” Ookum whispered as he ducked behind the bush.
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, it is huge and close,” Tsisa warned. “Get down!”
Roeg strained to listen, turning his ear toward the commotion. Faint cries and whimpers broke the silence between the thumps and growls of the giant ape-beast. Could the sounds be coming from the small girl he saw? Was the giant ape-beast after her?
The growls and cries continued. Roeg could make out a few words of the cry’r, but it was in a different tongue than his clan. The cry’r was frantic; she had a light, almost musical voice, but the cries were a song of terror, not joy.
The ape-beast let out a howl; it sounded like a cave-bear’s roar but had a deep tremor to it that rattled Roeg’s bones.
“I saw a small girl, half our size. She was blue. I think she was a gnome, and I think she hid under the ground in some kind of hole,” Roeg whispered.
Tsisa shot him a confused look. “I didn’t see anything.”
Ookum’s sling’r trembled in his hands as he shook his head. The sling’r wasn’t aimed in any particular direction.
Roeg listened. When he concentrated, he could understand some of the growls as the ape-beast hammered at the cry’r. It thought the cry’r had stolen something from it. Roeg couldn’t make out the last word. What did she steal from the giant ape-beast?
Tsisa crouched lower and edged to a bush closer to the clearing. “Did you see that?” she said, with a wild look in her eye.
“No, I was trying to listen to them,” Roeg whispered. “This thing is huge.”
Its clumped strings of red fur danced and thrashed as it struck the ground. Its black skin looked textured and glistened as the rain poured down. Its black fists pulled and tore at the grass and trees where the small girl, the cry’r, had disappeared. She wailed now.
“We need to get out of here,” Ookum whisper-clicked, gesturing in the other direction. Roeg couldn’t take his eyes off where the cry’r had disappeared. “We can’t. We need to find the gnomish clan, and they are on the other side of that thing. And I’m sure the ape-beast is chasing a gnomish girl” He gestured in the direction of the ape-beast.
“Both of you, be quiet,” Tsisa snapped, her warning much louder than a whisper.
The growl’r stopped and snapped its head in their direction. Its nose lifted and its nostrils flared.
The three friends ducked behind the bush and tried to be as still as possible. Ookum glared at Tsisa, like it was her fault if they got eaten by the ape-beast.
Roeg felt the ground tremble, and he looked up to see the great brute only an arm’s length away. A putrid smell of musk invaded Roeg’s nose and stung his eyes—they watered instantly. The brute pounded the ground with its fists, its broad shoulders towering over Roeg. The foul stench from the movement hit Roeg’s senses so intensely that he instinctively recoiled and retched. The beast snorted a fury of hot, wet air from its nostrils, blasting Roeg’s face with so much force that it almost knocked him over. The wet, sticky mess covered his entire face and neck.
The ape-beast let out a war cry that pierced Roeg’s ears; he tried to cover them, but before he could get his hands up, he felt a sting across his face and was suddenly flying through the air. He knocked through shrubs and bushes until a tree broke his fall.
Ropes of pain coiled and sprung inside Roeg. He couldn’t move or catch his breath, lying helpless at the base of the tree that broke his fall. Why hadn’t the Firestone protected him?
The ape-beast grabbed Ookum’s head and flung him into the clearing. Ookum landed with a thud, and his sling’r fell out of his hand by his side. His satchel opened, and the contents spilled to the ground. The purple sting’r mushroom he had collected rolled and hit the sling’r.
The ape-beast turned and barreled toward Ookum, tearing at the ground with its massive hands. Tsisa let out a war cry and charged at the ape-beast. She lowered her shoulder and hit the beast in the back of its leg. At full height, she stood only just above where its knee bent. She spun off and hit the ground.
The ape skidded to a stop and turned, anger roiling in its face. It let out a snarled huff, and tore at the ground with thunderous claps and moved towards Tsisa.
Tsisa scrambled to her feet and braced herself for impact. Roeg shot forward and vaulted in front of Tsisa before the brute reached her.
“Stop!” he yelled. The Firestone lit up, and warmth flowed through Roeg, numbing his pain.
The beast skidded to a stop, unearthing knolls of grass and bits of stone. The debris flew at Roeg, sizzling and popping as it hit the fire barrier.
The ape-beast let out a series of growls, tilting its head like it was confused. It pounded its fists to the ground and lurched forward. Roeg did not move.
“I won’t hurt you,” Roeg said. What came out of his mouth wasn’t the common clan tongue—he spoke the ape-beast’s language.
The ape-beast raised itself to its full height and snorted. Its large fist swung and thumped at its chest. The bulky muscles twitched and flexed under the thick mat of gnarly, roped fur.
“How you talk like me?” the ape beast growl-snorted. It studied Roeg. Its eyes shot from Roeg to Tsisa, who stood behind him.
Suddenly, it became less aggressive.
“I speak many tongues. We don’t want t
o fight. We are lost and looking for friends,” Roeg explained.
Ookum stirred in the clearing. Roeg stole a quick glance at Ookum, confirming he wasn’t hurt too badly, then quickly bringing his eyes back to the ape-beast. Despite being a sticky mess of blood, sweat, and forest debris, Roeg felt a warm sensation flow through him. The power of the stone numbed his pain from hitting the tree.
“What friends you look for? Og not have friends. All Og friends gone now. Og the last,” the ape-beast growl-howled.
“Your name’s Og?” Roeg asked.
Og nodded.
“We are looking for the gnomish folk.” As soon as Roeg said it, he regretted it. He thought of the gnomish girl who hid behind them on the other side of the clearing.
Og snarled and his chest heaved. “You friends with small blues? Og hate small blues. They steal from Og.”
Og snarled and his knuckles pressed to the forest floor, making mini caverns in the grass.
Roeg leaned forward with his hand extended, palm facing Og. “I am sorry. We don’t know the gnomish folk, but we are looking for them. We are los—”
“Hey! Pick on someone your own size, you bag of smelly fur!” Ookum yelled as he got to his feet.
Og paused then pivoted. He shot a look back at Roeg, who still had a ball of fire wrapped around his body. Og snarled and lurched at Ookum.
“NO!” Roeg and Tsisa yelled at the same time.
Roeg’s flame sputtered out; the pain in his body returned. His knees wobbled, and a dizzying sickness grew in his belly.
As Og slashed to the center of the clearing towards Ookum, Tsisa shot off after him, belting out clicks and grunts.
Roeg tried to see what was happening but Og’s huge body blocked the sight of Ookum. Roeg raced forward, thinking only of his friend.
Og was too fast. Tsisa reached out, crying for Ookum to run. Roeg’s legs burned as he charged forward.
A familiar snap echoed off the circle of trees that lined the clearing, followed by a muted thud.
Ookum’s sling’r? He shot at Og? A sling’r was no match for a beast of Og’s size.
Og’s powerful body hunched over; his legs stumbled and slowed. His arms that once tore at the earth in powerful strokes lost their force and dragged.
The large beast leaned forward, while his feet seemed to lose their will to move. They stuck in place as he fell to the ground, face-first. He landed limp and skidded to a halt. The grassy earth was no match for the heft of the beast; a trench scarred the center of the clearing between where the beast hit the ground and where he eventually stopped.
Ookum stood with his sling’r in his hand in front of a mass of gnarled, red fur. His chest heaved, and his eyes were wild.
ROEG
Ookum Shroomsling’r
T
sisa grabbed Ookum and lifted him from the ground in a forceful bear squeeze. He stood in shock, staring at the clumped mass of Og’s body lying still in the trench at his feet.
“Ookum, you’re okay!” Tsisa clicked, still squeezing her brother.
“What happened?” Roeg asked as he cautiously walked by the mountain of fur that was Og. He waited for his turn to bear-squeeze Ookum. As he passed Og’s face, he heard a snort and jumped. The mound of red fur was moving up and down rhythmically. Was Og sleeping?
Tsisa put Ookum down then hit him in the shoulder. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!”
Ookum winced and rubbed his shoulder.
He walked up to Og and stared at him. The lower part of Og’s face was covered in muck and wetness. His lips stuck out from the trench and gently shook with each breath. His head was easily the size of Ookum.
“I… I shot him with my sling’r,” Ookum said.
Tsisa walked to her brother. “Your sling’r did this? How?”
Roeg bent and lifted Og’s eyelid. It filled his hand. As the textured black skin lifted, Og snorted and the three friends startled. Roeg released the lid and jumped back.
“How? How did you make Og sleep?” Roeg asked.
The twins both turned to Roeg and said, “Og?”
Roeg replied, “I talked to him. He said his name was Og, and that he was after a small gnome who had stolen something from him.”
“He talked to you?” Ookum grunt-clicked.
“Was that what was happening when the fire lit around you? All I heard was it growl-howling, then you sounded like it. I thought maybe you’d hit your head too hard when the tree broke your fall,” Tsisa grunt-clicked. She let the last click ring then smiled at him. “You know, trees are pretty hard. You might want to avoid them next time.” She gave him a shot in the arm, harder than Roeg thought necessary.
Roeg and Tsisa both turned to Ookum. “What happened?”
“I… I got up and saw that Og was about to charge you guys… then I shouted at it, and before I knew what was happening it charged at me. I froze, then…” Ookum gulped then bent forward and retched. Brown liquid spewed out and splattered everywhere. It mixed with the falling rain and washed away.
“Ew, yuck,” Tsisa clicked as she backed up.
Ookum stood up and wiped his mouth and continued, “I looked down and saw my sling’r, and… and I saw the sting’r mushroom beside it. I looked for a rock or something to sling but found nothing, then I had an idea. If I shot the sting’r and hit him in the mouth, he would fall asleep.”
“That was your plan?” Tsisa’s thick red brow shot up.
Ookum turned to her and grunted, “It’s all I could think of.”
Roeg looked to Og and said, “Well, it worked.” He looked to Ookum and continued, “I am not Unn, but if Unn were here and heard that story, I bet he’d say you earned your second name: Ookum Shroomsling’r.”
Roeg remembered the gnomish girl who had been running from Og. He looked to the other side of the clearing and ran. Tsisa and Ookum followed.
He skidded to a stop at the edge of the clearing and said, “Hello? Are you there? Og… Og is gone. Come out. We won’t hurt you.”
There was no answer.
“Who are you talking to?” Tsisa asked.
“I’m looking for the small, blue girl that Og chased. I think she might be a gnome,” Roeg answered.
“I don’t see anything,” Ookum said as he peeked through some bushes.
Roeg walked to a small hole in the ground. It was too small for him to fit, but it might be small enough for a gnome to fit. “We won’t hurt you, I promise. Come out!”
Some shifting sounds came from inside the hole. He called down into it, “Hello?”
Faint squeaks and song-like chirps rang out. They became louder and faster. Roeg felt warmth from the Firestone, then the sounds started to change into words.
“Who are you?” the squeaky voice from the hole asked.
“I am Roeg. My friends and I are from the Great Spirit Clan. We are looking for the gnomish folk.” Roeg peered into the hole.
“What happened to Og?” the voice asked.
Roeg looked to Og. “He… he’s sleeping. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“How do I know you are telling the truth?” the tiny voice said.
“Why don’t you come out and see for yourself?” Roeg said.
He heard shuffling from behind. Tsisa and Ookum were staring at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“Why did you sound like that when you looked in the hole?” Tsisa clicked.
“Like what?”
“Like chirpy. You sounded like a bird. It made no sense,” Ookum clicked.
“You sound like the chirps that are coming from there.” Tsisa pointed to the hole.
Roeg looked to the hole then to his friends. “There is a gnome down there, and I guess I am speaking her tongue. I can understand her.”
“Who are you talking to?” the voice chirped.
Roeg clarified, “My friends. They can’t understand you, but I can.”
There was a pause. “How do you unde
rstand me? Are you gnomish? Because I’ve never met a biggun’ who spoke Gnomish before.”
Roeg thought about it then answered, “I can speak many tongues. That is how I talked to Og, and now you.”
“You talked to Og? What did he say?” the voice said.
“Uh, well, he said you stole something from him, and that is why he chased you,” Roeg said.
“Huh. You are telling the truth,” the voice squeaked.
A tiny head popped out of the hole. Roeg startled and stumbled back. Ookum and Tsisa yelped.
“The name’s Minnoa. Welcome to Bentwood Forest!” the girl said.
She climbed out of the hole and dusted herself off. She was half the height of Roeg and had a smoky, blue tone to her skin. Her ears came to a point, and she had a round, bulbous nose. Holding her tight, dark blue bands of hair was a taut, bright green hair ribbon.
“I… I am Roeg.” He turned to the twins. “These are my friends, Ookum and Tsisa.” Ookum and Tsisa stared at the little gnomish girl.
Minnoa stood on her tip-toes and peeked around Roeg, her bushy eyebrows raised. “You weren’t kidding about Og. That big brute deserved worse.” She turned and stuck her head and arms back into the hole. She jostled and finally tugged out a large satchel that she strapped to her back. Odd gadgets and trinkets stuck out of the stitch’d areas. There was so much to look at; Roeg leaned in and tried to touch a shiny metal object.
“Hey,” Minnoa said as she slapped his hand away. “Keep your hands to yourself!”
Roeg staggered back and rubbed at his hand. “Sorry, I… your hide coverings, and your satchel… they look so different than ours.” He pointed to his stitch’d hide satchel and saberslash’r fur shoulder covering.
Minnoa looked down at herself and shrugged. “This old coat? You should see the caverns—” She raised her eyebrows like she regretted what she had said. “Why are you here?”
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