#ogrelord

The two figures bounded and rushed through the looming trees almost in a blur. One of them, a small pink bear wearing a tunic and a hat looked back over his shoulder for a moment to make sure his companion was still behind him. As nimble and strong as he was, he didn’t want to outpace his friend by much.

“Tummi, you still there?” He called back.

The older, heavier blue bear puffed hard while he ran as hard as he could. “I’m okay, Cubbi, we’re almost home!”

“Do you think we lost him?” Cubbi called again.

The boy ducked as he approached a large, leafy bush which Tummi practically exploded when he forced his way right through seconds later.

“I haven’t seen or heard him now for awhile! I, think we’re alright!” Tummi shouted back. Though at the back of his mind he wasn’t entirely confident.

 ***

 It was a balmy day in summer, and the stand of trees and flowering shrubs around Gummi Glen were too beautiful to miss. So Zummi had brought his research notes for a new spell he had been working on outside, where he now comfortably sat on an old fallen tree. This was a spell to help plants grow, but it just didn’t seem to be working, no matter how many iterations he tried. Though he expected he might never become an accomplished magician like the Great Gummis of old, it didn’t stop him from learning all he could about the mystical arts. It was thrilling, he had a knack for it, and even if he was only starting to pick it up this late into his life, so be it. At this precise moment however, he was busying himself with the research to keep from worrying too much about some news he had recently heard.

The older gummi had just brushed a blade of grass away that had been blown onto his red cape when two bears came bursting from the forest a short distance away. Zummi looked up, startled.

 “Zummi, Zummi!” Cried Tummi and Cubbi in unison as they entered the clearing near Gummi Glen.

The old bear adjusted his spectacles and looked up from where he sat. He could tell by the tone of their voices that something was amiss.

“What seems to be me tatter, er, uh, the matter?” He asked, as he finished shuffling his notes into a pile and set a rock on top to hold them.

Tummi doubled over, his hands on his knees, wheezing as he caught his breath while Cubbi began to recount what they had seen.

“We were in the fields near Dunwyn castle, playing hide and seek with Cavin and Calla when we heard a commotion!” Cubbi explained.

“What sort of commotion?” Zummi asked, though he suspected he might already know the reason.

“An ogre!” Tummi said suddenly.

“Not just an ogre!” Cubbi corrected his friend. “This one was fast, and had on strange clothes, and he beat up a whole bunch of the castle guards with a huge axe!”

“Oh my goodness!” Zummi responded. “Are they, alright?”

“Maybe, we didn’t stick around to find out!”

“Sounds a little hard to believe.” Said a low voice from above them. Gruffi Gummi sat on a branch of the Great Gummi Tree, whittling something from a small chunk of wood he held in his paws.

“It might sound that way, but we saw it!” Cubbi insisted.

“Actually, this sounds just like the warrior Sir Thornberry and Gritty told us about.” Zummi said thoughtfully.

“What, when?” Cubbi asked.

Zummi scratched at his neck. “They arrived this morning while you two were out. They were bringing word from Ursalia about a monstrous brute who attacked their home, looking for powerful magic. That was close to ten days ago. The rest stayed behind to make repairs while Sir Thornberry and Gritty came here to warn us. We had been talking earlier about heading out to Ursalia to see about helping.”

“Last I checked, ogres are too dumb to know how to use magic.” Gruffi grumbled. “What would it even be after?”

“Assuming it’s the same one, this is no ordinary ogre, as Cubbi has already said. Our Ursalian friends are calling him the ‘Ogrelord.’” Zummi said and shuddered. “And if it wants powerful gummi magic, I think we all know what he’s after.”

“Well, what should we do?” Tummi asked. “We think he saw us, and that’s why we ran all the way here!”

“You what?!” Gruffi barked, hopping down from his branch.

“We think we lost him in the forest though!” Cubbi said in defense.

“You ‘think?’” Gruffi repeated.

The birds near the glen had gone silent, and Zummi was about to comment about it when there was a strange sound, like something very large falling from a great height. It whistled. The four bears looked up, just as a great shadow blocked out the midday sun.

“Watch out!” Cried Gruffi in alarm as the others bounded away, mere moments before an immense green something landed with a mighty crash in the midst of the clearing. The log where Zummi had been sitting exploded into splintered bits while the ground shook under the weight of the monster who now rose before them.

“To the little cub’s credit, he and the chubby one did prove somewhat difficult to follow.” The ogre said, his voice deep and rumbly. It was menacing enough to make the fur on the bears’ necks stand up.

“W-what do you want?” Asked Gruffi, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

“Someone who gets right to the point, I like that.” Said the huge ogre. He gave them a wide grin of sharp and uneven teeth amid a wild dark green beard. “I am told that the Gummi Bears who live in this forest have a powerful magic artifact.” The Ogrelord told them as he looked at each of them in turn, as if sizing them up.

“Oh yeah? And where’d you hear that from?” Asked Gruffi defiantly.

“Some of the humans at the castle were… persuaded to tell me.”

He picked up the scrolls near the remains of the log that Zummi had been looking over in his huge hands. “What have we here?” He snorted.

“Those are merely some nooking cotes.” Zummi told the beast. “I mean, cooking notes!” He corrected himself.

“They have the feel of magical residue on them old bear. Do not lie to me again.” The ogre narrowed his eyes at the small purple magician.

“What you want isn’t here!” Gruffi said sternly. “So there’s no need to stick around, scaring everyone else.”

The Ogrelord gnashed his teeth and lunged forward, smashing a powerful fist into the trunk of the Great Gummi Tree, causing it to shake and drop a rain of leaves around the frightened gummi tribe.

“I said don’t lie to me!” The monster bellowed. “I can sense the magic coming from within the tree! It’s so powerful, I must find the source, and if you won’t help me, I will reduce this proud tree to ash!” He reached over his shoulder and grabbed the handle of the axe strapped to his back, to emphasize his point.

The four of them looked at one another before Zummi spoke. “Please, Mr. Um, Ogrelord, don’t damage our home anymore. It’s not much, but it means the world to us.”

“Then you have a pretty simple choice to make.” Said the massive green ogre. “Bring me the thing I ask for and I will leave all of you, and your home, as they are now. Fail to do so, and you will see what it means to anger me.”

“You shouldn’t just order people around like that!” Shouted Cubbi, as he found his courage.

The Ogrelord looked down at the small pink gummi bear, examining him with flashing ochre eyes, but said nothing.

“Listen, we need to discuss this first, amongst ourselves.” Zummi said. “The Great Book of Gummi is very important to our people.”

“So it is a book then.” Said the Ogrelord.

Zummi gritted his teeth, knowing he had said too much. “Yes, and it will take awhile for us to bring it to the surface. Please allow us the time to do so.”

The beast stretched before sitting down in the middle of the grassy grove. “You have until the sun touches those mountains.” He said and pointed over the treetops to the West. It gave them a little under an hour. “And old bear?”

“Er, yes?” Asked Zummi, not much liking the name.

“Spend your time preparing the book for me. If you try to trick or trap me, or destroy the book, it will be the end of your home.” The ogre said.

His threat now weighed heavily on the four of them.

The gummi bears moved swiftly inside, through the tight tunnels that began in the tree and continued deep underground. It took a few minutes to reach the heart of the gummis’ home, the main den. They moved about the living quarters, shouting and looking for their kin until they found Sir Thornberry, a grizzled gummi swordsman, Gritty the one-eyed warrior, and Gusto, a carefree artist.

“What’s going on up there? What was that thunderous sound? Felt like the whole tree was shakin’!” Sir Thornberry said as they all gathered into the den.

“The Ogrelord punched the tree! He’s up there now!” Cubbi exclaimed.

“What?! Not here too!” Gritty said, his shoulders slumping.

“That’s right, and he’s going to destroy the whole place if we don’t bring him the Great Book of Gummi within the hour.” Gruffi said and folded his arms.

“Aww, man, why didn’t I choose to go berry picking with Grammi and Sunni today?” Gusto complained to no one in particular. “Would be a lot better than this.”

“That ain’t a thing to say!” Sir Thornberry scolded the young artist. “It’s lucky we’re here, cuz this is gonna be a heckuva fight! Better if we had more gummis!”

“We’re going to, f-fight him? Really?” Tummi said and gulped.

“We can’t just give him our book! Where’s yer sense of honor?” Thornberry said.

“Sir Thornberry’s right, we can’t just give him the book. But, a fight isn’t something we should be fangling or, er, angling for either.” Zummi told the rest.

“So where does that leave us?” Asked Gruffi.

“He means we have to be smart! Figure out a plan!” Right Zummi?” Cubbi asked.

“Quite right, and I think one’s coming to mind…” Zummi said and began to pace in a tight little circle. He stopped and turned to regard his friends. “What do we know about the Ogrelord?”

“He’s big!” Tummi said.

“He’s smarter than other ogres, maybe smart as us.” Gritty offered.

“He’s a bully.” Said Cubbi.

“He’s a capable warrior, I seen him fight in Ursalia.” Sir Thornberry said and nodded to himself.

“And we know he can sense magic somehow, the stronger, the more it attracts him.” Zummi added.

“Well that’s… a lot.” Said Gusto. “Any ideas?”

“As a fatter of mact, oh gee, a matter of fact!” Said Zummi. “I think I do have an idea, and it’s going to require your help, Gusto! Follow me, I’ll explain on the way.”

“Well what about the rest of us?” Gruffi asked.

Zummi looked at his fellow gummis with a serious expression on his face. “Find something to defend Gummi Glen the best you know how, because it might come to that.”

 ***

The Ogrelord had risen to his feet, the cloak attached at one side of his chest armor blew out over his right arm with a sudden gust of summer wind. The sun had nearly reached the mountaintops in the distance when Zummi opened the small door at the base of the tree and stepped out into the clearing. He was followed closely by Cubbi, Tummy, Gusto and Sir Thornberry.

“New faces, but aren’t we missing one?” The Ogrelord asked.

“The others are stayin’ below, where it’s safe!” Sir Thornberry shouted back.

“Maybe not so new. We meet again, swordsman. I suppose you didn’t get enough at Ursalia?” The ogre asked the grizzled bear.

“You remember, huh? Well, it’s your lucky day, not having to fight me twice!” Sir Thornberry said.

“We’ll see how lucky I am, once I have acquired your book.” The monster said, focusing his gaze on Zummi and the cloth-wrapped parcel he carried in his arms.

The Ogrelord reached down, having to stoop to bend low enough to receive the book. “Hand it here.”

“I, need your word.” Zummi began. “Once we give you our treasure, you will leave and never return, and you won’t harm any of us.”

The beast regarded him, considering his request. “Though you are not in a position to make demands of me, I will do as you say. I care little for what happens here once I have what I want.”

Zummi moved to give the ogre the parcel he carried but held back at the last moment. “Why do you want our book so much anyway?”

“That is not your concern, bear.”

“Well, in fact it is.” Zummi said. “This book is all of our lore, magic and heritage. To lose it is more than mere tragedy to us. It’s losing something important of ourselves that can’t be replaced. So I ask you again, what do you want it for?”

The ogre sat himself on his haunches, balanced on his toes as he knelt down to look at Zummi more closely. His face wasn’t angry, in fact, Zummi pondered briefly if he could understand how they felt.

“I wonder how much you really know of loss and tragedy, old bear. And I wonder what lengths you would go to in order to stop such things from continuing.” The Ogrelord said calmly.

“We gummi bears aren’t many in number any longer, having been separated, run off, captured and sold. So, believe me, we know more than our shair fare, I mean, fair share of unhappy days. But you still haven’t answered my question!” Zummi told the creature.

“Give me the book.” The Ogrelord stated.

“Will we ever see it again?” Asked Zummi.

“I won’t ask twice.” Said the ogre, menace seeping into his voice.

“Just give it to him, Zummi…” Gusto said quietly, nudging his friend in the gut.

Zummi sighed and handed the wrapped magical item to the hulking brute.

The Ogrelord stood upright, tearing the wrappings off with a claw to examine his prize. He sniffed the book that sat in his palm and carefully opened the cover.

“You have what you came for! Now leave us alone!” Cubbi yelled.

“In a moment, tiny one. It would be a waste to leave before I know this is the real deal.”

The gummis collectively held their breaths as the Ogrelord flipped through the pages. For a few precious moments, it seemed like it might be alright. But then, as he continued to turn them, one came away from the binding of the book, attached to one of his finger pads. He scowled when it did.

“The book is very old, please be careful!” Zummi called up to him.

“Very old? The glue is still wet, these pages are new and crisp! The feel of magic on here is simply an enchantment to make it seem powerful!” The ogre became more angry as he fully understood the trick. He threw the book aside, and as it hit the ground, several more pages suddenly tore from the book and fluttered to the grass.

“Hey! I just made that, be careful with it!” Gusto said.

“You’ve sealed your fates!” Growled the monster as he lunged toward the mighty tree.

“Now!” Called Sir Thornberry as he withdrew his sword from its scabbard and rushed the monster.

High above, Gruffi and Gritty each quickly downed a small vial of gummiberry juice before leaping into the air and descending on the ogre. For gummi bears, they were both powerful, and heavy with muscle, so their combined weight on the Ogrelord’s shoulders and head forced him to the ground. He sank to his knees with a shuddering thud.

“Get off me!” He roared.

“Tummi, get that rope around his legs!” Sir Thornberry instructed as he slashed with his sword near the ogre’s face, keeping the beast distracted and defensive.

Tummi bounded over the ogre’s legs and began tying knots in the rope he had pulled from his satchel only moments ago. Already the ogre had gotten his right foot to the grass, but the chubby gummi was able to throw a few lengths of the cord around the giant’s left calf and ankle and hold him to the ground. The Ogrelord tugged the leg forward, but Tummi dug his heels into the soft ground, seemingly able to hold the creature down.

Gruffi and Gritty did their best to keep their positions atop the monster, punching and kicking at the large ears, nose and eyes of the beast. The ogre roared as Gritty tugged back hard on one of his sensitive ears and he swiped at him, but the capable bear with the eyepatch, deftly bounded out of reach. Gruffi did the same, being as much of a nuisance as he could manage atop the beast’s other shoulder.

Cubbi followed Sir Thornberry’s lead, brandishing his wooden sword as he swiped at the ogre’s thick leather armor.

“Keep it up!” Instructed Zummi. “Be careful, but stay at it, I think he’s weakening!”

The sense of impending victory during the battle was short-lived indeed as the ogre, still with full control of his arms suddenly pulled a small cloth bag from his belt and tugged its drawstring open. The cloth container suddenly grew tremendously in size.

“Be careful, he’s got something there!” Gruffi called from above, but just as he did, the ogre swung the open cloth pouch down through the air towards the ground in front of him.

“Cubbi! Watch out!” Cried Sir Thornberry as he shoved the young bear aside. The ogre missed snatching the cub into his bag, but now that Sir Thornberry had moved to help him, he was able to reach down with his free hand and press the old swordsman into the soft grassy earth. Thornberry called out in pain and surprise as he felt the ogre’s weight above him, but he couldn’t move as the large clawed hand kept him where he was.

“Sir Thornberry!” Cubbi shouted as tears came into his eyes. “Let him up, you’re hurting him!” The little bear shouted at the top of his lungs, rushing the ogre again.

“Cubbi, stop!” Called Zummi.

Due to the cub’s frantic state, the ogre was easily able to scoop him up into the strange bag, and drew it shut a moment later using his teeth on the drawstring. The other bears were startled by the sudden turn in events.

“What can I do?!” Cried Gusto from the sidelines. He never liked fighting, but he wanted to do something.

“Just stay back! Let me try something first!” Zummi said as he raised his paws in front of him.

Zummi began to cast a spell he knew well, entangling root-like vines that emerged from the ground to wrap the brute’s arm that held Sir Thornberry, in an attempt to lift the ogre’s hand and free his friend.

“And here I thought you Gummi Bears were honorable.” Said the ogre as the vines began to circle around his forearm.

The Ogrelord brought his back leg in easily, tugging Tummi off his feet and into the grass. He got to his feet, then effortlessly tore his arm free of the vines that Zummi had summoned, leaving Sir Thornberry face down in the dirt where he had been pressed. Next he grabbed the clasp from his chest that held his cloak in place and turned it toward Gruffi and Gritty who were still atop his shoulders.

“Breath of wind!” Cried the ogre, causing the amulet in his hand to belch forth a typhoon of force, ripping the two bears from his body and hurtling them into the early dusk sky towards the deep forest. Though they were carried a long way, there was a lake in that direction that, if luck was on their side should prove a safe place to land.

Suddenly, it was just Zummi and Gusto before him. The others had been defeated, removed from the fight by incapacitation or captured in the odd pouch.

“The book for the cub!” Growled the ogre. His eyes sparkled with rage, as he stared through Zummi. “No more tricks!”

“Alright! Okay!” Zummi sputtered.

“Zummi, we can’t!” Said Gusto.

“We have no choice, it’s to save Cubbi.” Said Zummi sadly.

Zummi, Gusto and Tummi helped Sir Thornberry to his feet, happy to see that somehow his injuries were minor, despite seeming to have been crushed under the weight of the ogre. The Ogrelord watched Zummi carefully, as the magician opened the door to their tree den and stepped just out of sight with the others. A few moments later they returned, Zummi carrying a book again with the aid of Gusto and Tummi. This tome was much larger than the first, heavier too, with a peculiar golden clasp on its cover. Now, when the ogre sensed for magic in the air, the feel was unmistakable, stronger too.

“Bring it to me.” He ordered them. One of his hands held out the bag, which was wriggling as Cubbi fought to escape from inside.

“Release the boy, first!” Said Zummi.

“No more demands of me!” Roared the monster, causing the gummis to huddle together.

Once the book was near enough, the ogre snatched it from the small bears and looked it over. It certainly felt like the real thing. Its energies were powerful, he could feel them as they caused the hairs on the backs of his hands to stand up. He tied the bag that held Cubbi at the side of his belt before returning to the book. He tried to open it, as he did with the imitation, but to no avail.

“Why can’t I open this?” He asked angrily.

Zummi thought about trying to deceive him again, but knew it would do no good. Moreover, it wasn’t worth the risk while Cubbi remained the brute’s hostage. He let out a sigh and pushed his spectacles up his nose. “You need a mecial spedallion, well, that is, a special medallion.”

“Then hand it over.”

“The thing is, you can’t read the ancient Gummi language anyway, can you?” Zummi asked.

The Ogrelord tilted his large, bearded head to one side and peered down at the gummi bear. “But you can?”

“Yes, well, I’m getting much better.”

“And that medallion you have around your neck, the one you touched when you called those roots earlier, is that the one I require?”

Zummi nodded his head. “This medallion will only work for a gummi magician. So take me, but leave the boy, please.” The truth was, any gummi should be able to use the necklace, but Zummi couldn’t risk the brute just leaving with Cubbi.

Sir Thornberry grabbed the purple gummi by his sleeve. “Think about this, Zummi. We can’t lose you and the book!”

“What choice is there?” Zummi said to his friend and stepped away from the others to face the ogre.

“You’re a brave little bear.” Commented the creature looming overhead.

“I’ll go with you willingly, now release Cubbi!” Zummi commanded.

Instead, the ogre reached down and snatched the magician up in one of his monstrous hands. “In fact I think I will keep both of you around, as insurance that you don’t pull anything else.” The beast said.

Zummi opened his mouth to speak, but in the same moment he was turned upside down and dumped into the monster’s pouch at his side, the book falling in alongside him. He heard the other gummi bears, his close family, calling out for him, but then the bag was pulled closed over his head and he was tumbling down into another world, one of uncertainty and darkness.

 ***

The old magician awoke to the sound of his own name, and the feel of being gently shaken.

“Zummi, Zummi, wake up, please!” It was Cubbi’s voice.

“Where, where am I, where are we? I feel… disoriented.” The magician said as he looked around. “I can’t see very well.”

“Here you go, Zummi. They fell off when you got tossed in here.” Cubbi said, handing the purple bear his spectacles.

“Thank you Cubbi. But just where is here?”

“We’re in the ogre’s bag.” Cubbi said.

“My goodness so we are! I never thought I would see a real bag of holding in my lifetime, let alone be put inside one!” Zummi said as the shapes around them began to come into focus.

“A bag of what?” Asked Cubbi.

“A bag of holding. A magical sack that allows the owner to store as much as they want inside, for the bag is something of a portal to a realm where those belongings exist. Though as for this world, I have no clue how different or similar it is to where we normally reside.”

All about, were piles of things, items of varying descriptions. One mound nearby seemed to be food, dried meats, skins of water, wine, loaves of bread and fruit. Another was made up of weaponry, clothing, shields and boots. Still another, the largest pile, was comprised of all manner of objects, an hourglass, a compass, a clock, goblet, spoon, thimble, many books… Zummi guessed that these were magical in nature, considering the intentions of the ogre that held them captive. The bag world’s dimensions didn’t seem to be infinite though. The sides of the pouch were relatively close in around them and Zummi made his way to the side. He found a knife amid the other strewn-about objects and picked it up, before stabbing it against the side of the bag. There was no discernible response. The fabric behaved as one might expect, pushing out with the force from the knife but clearly a stronger material than mere cloth. It was flexible but unyielding to his attempts.

“I already tried, Zummi, with just about everything I thought might work.” Cubbi explained.

“Well, we have the book at least, maybe I can try out some spells.” Zummi said.

“Yeah! I bet that’ll work!” Cubbi said, clapping his paws together with excitement.

“In the meantime, hand me one of those apples, would you?”

“You’re hungry at a time like this?” Cubbi asked in disbelief.

“Well, not especially. But the truth of it is, I’m not sure how long we’ll be trapped in here, and we need to keep up our strength.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Well, I’m not tired or anything, but there’s a bed over there, but I didn’t see any blankets. Guess I can make that more comfortable, if we need to sleep later.”

“I think that’s a pood glan, er, good plan, Cubbi.”

Cubbi made his way through the piles covering the bag world’s bottom over to the wooden bed frame and began adjusting the mattress on top. “Hey, Zummi?”

“Hm?”

“Do you really think that mean old ogre is gonna keep us trapped down here for that long?”

Sir Thornberry tipped his long snout in the air as he took a deep whiff of the warm summer breeze. He could smell gummiberry bushes, fragrant wildflowers, all the animals within miles, as well as the faint but unmistakable scent of ogre. He was an accomplished tracker, having spent long years of life on his own, feeding himself, scouting, and trapping or evading potential adversaries.

“Do you know which way to go?” Tummi asked, after Thornberry hadn’t given them a direction in a handful of minutes.

“Give the fellow a moment to get his bearings.” Gritty told Tummi, and then grunted.

Sir Thornberry looked around at the sprawling forest canopy high above before replying. “Not easy when that durned ogre keeps jumping like this. He’s a lot faster than us, and it would help to know where he’s headin’!”

“So we’ve lost him?” Tummi asked.

“Did I say all that, lad? No, the scent is faint in the air, but I can still smell it. They’re heading off this way, maybe towards the Sandibas Desert.” Thornberry said and scratched thoughtfully at his chin.

“Oh Great Gummis, a desert, in the summer? Let’s make sure we have plenty of water before we head out there, if that is indeed where we need to go.” Said Gritty.

Sir Thornberry steadied a serious look at his one-eyed companion. “If we end up following them into the Sandibas at this time of year, that won’t be a concern.” The older bear said. “But there is a plant I’d like to find first.”

***

The sudden light overhead when the bag’s mouth opened was nearly blinding to Cubbi and Zummi. A moment later, both bears were in the grips of the Ogrelord as he pulled them free from the magical cloth pouch and dropped them onto the soft grass next to him.

Zummi quickly took stock of his surroundings. It took a few moments, but the shift in the winds brought a strange heat that was familiar, and he recognized the trees growing around them. It seemed that just beyond the treeline nearby the forest and shrubs fell away, as if at the top of some great cliff.

“This is the far western edge of our forest!” He exclaimed, then stood and rubbed his sore backside from where he had been dropped.

“Wow, we came pretty far already.” Said Cubbi, hopping to his feet.

“I’ve been wind-leaping for about an hour.” Said the monster.

“Wind… leaping?” Asked Cubbi.

“When I use this amulet, that’s what I call it.” The ogre said, pointing to the bluish stone over his chest which seemed to keep his cloak fastened. “It can create a strong wind under me that helps me travel more swiftly.”

“That’s really neat! Can I see?” Asked the small pink gummi bear.

“No.” Replied the ogre.

Cubbi crossed his arms and kicked at a round grey rock in the grass.

“Not that we don’t appreciate being out of that bag of yours,” Zummi began. “But why did you bring us out? Are you, letting us go by chance?”

The ogre placed his hand over the open bag of holding and spoke: “Book of Gummi.” There was a brief and quiet sound, akin to wood popping in a fire, and then the book appeared in the beast’s enormous hand.

“You just ask for a thing and the bag produces it?” Zummi asked.

“It only works for the owner of the bag, me.” Said the Ogrelord pointing to his chest with his thumb. “Now, open it and find me a spell of transfiguration. Be quick about it.”

“Alright, alright.” Said the magician as the Great Book of Gummi was pressed into his arms.

He staggered back and dropped it, as it was much too large for one gummi to carry. He glared up at the ogre, who didn’t really seem to notice.

Zummi used the medallion around his neck to unlock the book. The huge green brute watched him with interest.

“No tricks.” Said the beast.

Zummi flipped through many pages, knowing full-well the section dedicated to transformative magics, but looking for one in particular.

“I said to hurry up.” The Ogrelord reminded him.

“Oh I’ve just about found what I’m fooking lor, ah, looking for!” Said Zummi. “And here we are!”

The ogre moved closer. “Well? What sorts of spells are there?”

“Better if I just show you!” Called Zummi and quickly recited the spell he had been reading. “Fomorm of ramabbit!” He shouted.

There was a loud crackle and flash of purple light from the old bear’s paws as he cast the familiar spell from the book. The ogre watched him, a surprisingly calm expression across his grim face. There was a pathetic fizzling, and then nothing more happened.

“What was that supposed to do?” Asked the ogre.

“Er, uh, well…” Zummi sputtered.

“Cast it again, Zummi! Maybe you said it wrong!” Cubbi encouraged.

“You could.” Said the monster, and shrugged. “Or you could realize that any magic cast directly on me is nullified by this.” He held up his right arm, displaying the strange dark stone armband. Etched across and within its face were deep, fire-orange lines that flickered in the light.

“Wh-what is that?” Asked Zummi. Thinking back, he understood now why his entangling vines spell had been so easily rendered useless when he used them on this behemoth.

“A golem-blood bangle, magic immunity if you will.” The ogre said. “And now the kid goes back in the bag until you provide me what I asked for.”

The Ogrelord reached down towards Cubbi who moved to run, but Zummi stepped between them.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t have done that, but you can’t just expect us to go along with this. You’ve bearnapped us from our home, taking us, who knows where, and we’re just supposed to be okay with it?!” Zummi said, flustered, but trying to remain composed.

“You’re not in any danger from me.” The ogre said.

“How can you say that? You’re about to stuff my friend here into that bag of yours!” Zummi countered.

“Yeah!” Cubbi chimed in.

“It’s safe in there.” The monster countered.

“It’s a cage!” Shouted Zummi.

The ogre was silent.

“Maybe just, let us stay outside. Then we might be more inclined to help you with, whatever it is you need help with.” The magician said.

“I can’t, you’ll just slow me down, or try to run away.”

Zummi sighed. “We can’t trust you, if you can’t trust us.”

“Trust is earned.” Growled the giant.

“You’re right, and so far you’ve done nothing to garner any from us, so how’s this? Tell me why you need our book?” Zummi asked.

“It’s possible that, I might not need it at all.” Said the beast.

“Oh?”

“I’m looking for a spell of permanent transformation.”

Zummi was thoughtful. “As a general rule, transfigurative magics and magical forms are temporary.”

“I know.”

“But perhaps, with some extra help, like a place of very strong magical energies, such a thing could be possible.”

“Like the Tower of Ruin?” Asked the ogre.

Zummi tapped the end of his dark red nose as he thought about the suggestion. “Well, that’s certainly, a, er, dangerous example but yes. The tower is said to be built atop an ancient font of pagical mower. Magical power!” Zummi corrected himself, his cheeks reddening. “It could provide the needed boost to make a spell permanent, if it is indeed as steeped in magical energies as I’ve read.”

“Good, because that’s where we’re going.” The Ogrelord said.

The purple gummi’s mouth dropped open in protest. “But it’s not safe! And we’d have to cross the Sandibas Desert to get there!”

“Sounds like an adventure!” Cubbi said and held up his wooden sword. The boy was eager to see a bright side in their current predicament.

“The kid’s got the right idea.” Said the beast.

“We should not be crossing the desert at this time of year.” Zummi said, sounding authoritative. “And Cubbi, you would be wise to remember our current situation.”

“Not much choice.” Said the ogre. “I’ll keep you both safe, as long as you stay in the bag, you can’t be harmed.”

“How long will it take you to get there?” Asked Cubbi.

“Should be no more than three days.”

Zummi crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t like the idea of going back into that bag of yours, though I concede it might be safer for the two of us. Unless something happens to you of course, then we’re stuck!”

“I’ll be fine.” The ogre said.

“Let’s make a deal then. When you stop to take a break, and when it’s nighttime, you let us out. It’s not right to just keep us cooped up in there!” Zummi said.

The monster nodded in agreement. “Very well, you have my word.”

***

Hours passed in the real world while Zummi and Cubbi remained in the bagworld.

“How long do you think it’s been?” Cubbi asked, not for the first time.

“I’ve told you, Cubbi, there’s no way of knowing until we’re back outside. But if you’re hungry, have some of the food we saw earlier.”

“I’m not hungry, not really, or tired. Don’t you think that’s strange? I don’t really… feel normal stuff in here.”

Zummi adjusted his glasses as he poured over the great book. He had found a crate and chair and was seated there, reading through all of the transformation spells using the box as a makeshift table.

“It is strange, I’ve noticed the same thing actually.” The purple bear said. “My best guess is that, time doesn’t pass normally in here, if at all. Some of these fruits should have already begun to rot, but they’re perfectly fresh, or at least, probably look the same as when he put them in.”

“But time must pass a little bit, right? Cuz we can talk and breathe and stuff.” Said Cubbi.

“That’s a very pood goint, a good point!” Said Zummi. “Unfortunately, the Great Book of Gummi doesn’t say anything about magical bags. My best guess is it’s some sort of enchantment. Whatever it is, it’s beyond me.” He sighed.

Cubbi had found a shield under one of the armor piles and was turning it over in his paws. On its front was the crest of some unknown kingdom. It looked a little familiar, like from a storybook. Many of the things in here looked new and yet, reminded the boy of old stories.

“Hey Zummi?”

“Mmm, yes?”

“Why do you think he needs a permanent transforming spell?”

Zummi mulled it over as he looked at his young friend. “I have no idea.” He said finally.

“You think he wants to turn into something even more powerful?”

“You think he wants to cast it on himself? That’s very reckless.” Zummi said.

Cubbi shrugged as he poked about further through one of the piles of gear. “He really wants to change something.” The boy said.

***

The sky was a deep, quiet blue hidden by dark, menacing clouds when the gummi bears next saw the outside world. The Ogrelord had released them onto some flat rocks amid towering boulders that seemed to provide decent shelter. Around them, falling away, an entire ocean of dark grey sand stretched out as far as the eye could see in all directions. The surprising part, at least to anyone who wasn’t familiar with this desert, was the warm rain that poured down from overhead.

“Isn’t this the desert? Why is it raining?” Cubbi asked as he moved to the edge of the sheltering rocks and held out his paw, to catch one of the heavy droplets.

“For nine or ten days, there is pouring rain in the Sandibas, Cubbi.” Zummi explained. “It comes from the ocean, a storm that travels inland at this time every year, quite amazing. The desert won’t see any other rainfall the entire rest of the year.”

“You’re well-informed.” Commented the ogre.

“Er, um, thank you.” Zummi replied.

“Well, it’s dusk, and I’ve let you both out, as I said I would.”

“And we appreciate that.” Said Zummi.

The brute kept mostly to himself for the next hour or so, leaving the gummis to quietly chat with one another. He eventually took some bread and grapes out of his magical pouch and handed it to them, not saying much as he did.

It was getting late, and Cubbi was already yawning. Apparently once out of the pouch, his brain still knew when to get sleepy. Zummi felt the weariness in his own body.

The gummis found an area tucked up near the back of the small rock cave that was completely dry and out of the wind. It wouldn’t be terribly comfortable, but they could sleep there until morning when the ogre would no doubt put them back into his bag and continue onward.

“Close your eyes, Cubbi, looks like this is camp tonight.” Zummi said in a soothing voice.

“Okay.” Said the small bear, and then, with his voice just above a whisper added: “Are we going to try to escape tonight?”

Zummi considered his young friend’s question. In all honesty, he had no idea where they were, having spent the majority of the day in the bagworld, and the desert itself was dangerous and unpredictable. It didn’t seem worth the risk without a solid plan in place.

“No, Cubbi.” Zummi told him. “For now, I don’t think we’re in any immediate danger. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”

Cubbi nodded and placed his paws under his cheek like a pillow.

“I don’t like you two whispering over there!” Called the ogre from where he sat, a short distance away.

“Just saying good night.” Zummi said.

“Oh.” Replied the Ogrelord.

Zummi, who wasn’t quite as tired as Cubbi yet, got to his feet and went to stand beside the seated ogre. The beast looked down at him.

“You have a strange hat.” He said, quite surprising the old magician.

“It’s not strange! It’s, well it’s quite old now, as gummi fashion goes. I’m not really sure I was even that fashionable as a younger bear.” Zummi said and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Did you need something?” The ogre asked.

Zummi paused before answering. Something had been rolling around his mind since their first encounter with the brute. “Would you really have destroyed our home?” The gummi said.

“Why would you even ask that?” The creature growled.

“Because I noticed that you could have really hurt my friends, but you didn’t.”

“Bah, they were soundly beaten.” Said the Ogrelord.

Zummi nodded. “True, you won the fight, but you must have held yourself back to avoid crushing Sir Thornberry under your hand, and it seemed to me you purposefully angled your wind spell to send Gruffi and Gritty into the nearby lake.”

“I didn’t even know there was a lake.” The ogre said and huffed.

“It’s pretty hard to miss.” Said Zummi. “And what about those guards at the castle?”

“They’re fine, I just tossed them around a little until one of them mentioned hearing about Gummis living in the woods nearby.”

“That’s when you saw Tummi and Cubbi?”

“Ha!” The ogre laughed. “I actually didn’t notice them at all until I entered the forest to search for your home. Guess I flushed them out of hiding. Then I followed them. But even if I hadn’t, I would have stumbled onto your little glen sooner or later, and then this bangle would have alerted me to the magic from your book.”

“More than just cancels magic out then, it also senses it?”

The ogre nodded, while Zummi thought about everything the beast had told him.

“You know, for an ogre, you seem oddly concerned about harming others.” Zummi mused.

The Ogrelord rolled his eyes and then tightly crossed his arms. “So I don’t like hurting people. It doesn’t change anything. You still have to do what I say.”

“Fair enough.” Said Zummi.

They were quiet, watching the rain falling in sheets, just beyond the safety of their cave.

“You should get some sleep too.” Said the ogre. “And don’t try to run. I’m a lot less dangerous than the Sandibas on a night like this.”

“Was that a hint of concern?” Zummi asked.

“I need you to cast that spell for me. What good would it do to have you drown in sand before then?” The monster said and sneered.

***

The following morning, predictably, found the two gummi bears being ushered back into the ogre’s bag so he could continue his trek across the dreary desert. He released them for a break during the day and again at dusk after the second leg of their journey. As night fell, he found an area where tall boulders offered some protection from the elements, but this time there was no ledge above and the the gummi bears began to get wet very quickly.  

“Wish it wasn’t always raining…” Grumbled Cubbi under his breath.

“At least it’s not cold, well, yet anyway.” Said Zummi, hoping to brighten the young bear’s spirits a bit.

“These boulders were the only thing around that resembled shelter. Too bad they mostly just go up. At least it’ll help if there’s any wind.” Said the beast.

“We’re gonna get soaked like this!” Cubbi complained, already unhappy as his soft pink fur continued to dampen under the relentless downpour.

“You can just go back in the bag.” Said the ogre.

“No!” Said Zummi defiantly. “It’s just water, we’ll manage.”

The mage began to search about the small rock island, looking for some sort of overhang or anything they could use to keep dry. In the end he found a short stick and little else. Cubbi had sat himself down on one of the large flat rocks, looking out over the darkening desert. Zummi sat next to him and tried to pull some of his red cloak over the cub to lessen the rain and encroaching cold. He was just beginning to think that maybe they should go back into the bagworld when a sudden rustle of cloth caused him to look up. The Ogrelord had tugged his own cloak out, holding one end in his fist, creating a sort of canopy over the two bears.

Zummi looked up at him, but the ogre just stared out over the muddying sand sea.

“Won’t your arm get tired like that?” Zummi asked.

“No. I’m strong, this is nothing.” Replied the ogre.

“Aren’t you cold?” Cubbi wondered.

“Not especially.”

“In that case, maybe I can give us a little more room.” Said Zummi as he picked up the stick he had found earlier, shoving it into a crevice behind the rock they sat on and tilting it backward to give them more room under the ogre’s dark cloak. There was now enough room to sit, maybe even lie down and stay out of the downpour, at least until the creature eventually dropped his arm.

They sat in silence for a time, with nothing but the unending sound of rain rhythm all about them.

Zummi finally cleared his throat. “Thank you, uh, Mr. Ogrelord for the shelter.” He said.

“Don’t call me that.” Said the monster.

“Oh, I’m sorry. What should we call you, then?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s not very helpful.” Said Cubbi.

“Ogrelord is just what frightened people chose to call me, it’s not my name.” He explained.

Zummi looked up at the large fellow. “And you… don’t remember your name?”

“No.” Said the ogre.

“Well, you should have a name.” Said Cubbi.  “What about Greeny?”

“I don’t care.” Said the ogre.

“Hm.” Said Cubbi. “Maybe just Greeny for now until we find something better.”

Time passed and the gummi bears had finally become dry under the cloak tent.

Greeny looked down at them. “I’m hungry, um, are you two?”

“Yes!” Cubbi said enthusiastically.

Zummi only nodded.

“Well, the food I have you’ve already seen I’m sure, when you were in there.” Said the ogre, indicating the bag at his belt.

“Those Skyskin apples looked really good.” Said Cubbi, suddenly aware of how hungry he really was.

“For you too, old bear?”

“Please call me Zummi, and this is Cubbi.”

“Oh, sure. Apple for you, Zummi?” Asked the giant.

“Yes please.” Replied Zummi. “I didn’t see any gummi berries in there, so apples would be great.”

Greeny summoned a few of the light blue apples from his magical bag and handed them to the gummi bears. For himself he called out some loaves of bread and sausages. The trio ate mostly in silence as the sandy dunes began to shift with the water, turning from rivulets into streams before their eyes.

“It’s nearly a flash flood.” Zummi commented.

“We’re safe up here. These rocks we’re on go deep, perhaps they even form the top of a sand-covered mountain.” The ogre said.

“You seem to know this desert very well.”

“It is familiar.” Agreed Greeny.

“Can I ask you something?” Zummi said.

“Sure.”

“Earlier, when you asked me to find the spell you wanted in the Great Book of Gummi, what if I had simply told you we didn’t have any? Would you have believed me? Let us go?” Zummi asked.

“I can usually tell when someone is lying to me.” The ogre said. “But I knew you wouldn’t. Your kind is too honest, so I wasn’t worried about you trying to lie, by that point. Obviously the fake book was pretty deceitful, but I expected it.”

“You did?”

“Believe it or not, I know what the Great Book of Gummi means to your people. I knew you couldn’t just hand it over. I’ve read about it, searched for it a long time. Though I don’t know all of the spells it contains, I was quite certain it would have strong transformation spells within. Apparently your gummi ancestors were the ones who first began to perfect such powers. I only need one of those spells, and when I’m done, I’ll return the book to you.”

Zummi and Cubbi both looked up from their apples at the ogre in surprise.

The ogre in turn arched his large, scarred brow. “What?”

“You’re going to just give us the book back?” Cubbi asked.

“I’m not a thief. Well, not exactly a thief.” Said Greeny.

“You don’t really act like an ogre.” Cubbi said.

“Thanks, I guess.” Said the ogre, a funny look on his bearded face.

“Or sound like one.”

“Because I can speak in complete sentences?”

“Yeah, like, exactly that reason.” Cubbi said.

A sudden explosion above caused the three to jump. A lightning bolt had been drawn to the towering rocks and crashed into the stone, causing a reverberation through the entire rock column, even shaking the grey stones where the adventurers sat. Cubbi practically threw his second apple from his paws, watching as it bounced once on the dry rock in front of them and then out from under Greeny’s cloak into the wet, humid night air. Cubbi instinctively dived after it.

“Cubbi, wait, let it go!” Zummi warned, reaching for his friend.

Too late, Cubbi had bounded out after his apple, grabbing it midair, but landing in the soft, seeping earth beyond the island of stones. He struggled to turn around but the flowing mud sucked at his legs, keeping him locked up and dragging him down the hillside.

“Help!” He cried. “I can’t hop out!”

“Cubbi! I’ll, find a spell!” Zummi shouted frantically.

“There’s no time for that!” Said Greeny as he stood and unclasped his cloak.

Down below them, the pink bear was fast nearing the base of the sandy dunes, where a dark muddy river coalesced from each of the nearby dunes. There was no telling how deep it might be, but the current must be terrible.

“Wh-what can we do? We reed nope, ugh, need rope!” Zummi cried out as he moved back and forth on the edge of the rocks.

Greeny turned to the old bear. “Don’t move from this spot, Zummi!”

A moment later, the immense green figure had leapt, using his wind amulet to propel himself through the rainy air toward Cubbi. A second after, his huge frame crashed into the shifting mud and sand some meters away from the struggling cub.  The ogre began to swim with the flow of the muck river closer to the whirling pool at the bottom, now almost within distance of grabbing the frightened bear.

High above, Zummi could barely make out what was happening below. He paced back and forth, craning his neck to see. He felt so useless. What would he do if something happened to Cubbi? He forced such thoughts from his mind as he watched the tiny pink bear slip out of sight under the water. He gasped.

Greeny saw Cubbi take a breath before he went under, and a moment later his face bobbed back into view. He needed to act now. If the gummi bear disappeared from sight again in this flood, he was doubtful that he would be able to find him. The ogre surged forward, stretching out his hand as far as he could, just barely making contact with the boy’s flailing hand. Cubbi went under again, and Greeny followed quickly after him, taking a deep breath before diving into the frothy flow of water and sediment. He kept his eyes shut tightly but he reached forward, kicking with his powerful legs until he felt something. It was small and soft, and he had to be careful not to crush it in his massive hand, for it was Cubbi. He pulled the child to his chest and then pressed his feet down. It was very deep here, but he managed to feel the bottom. He let the air out of his lungs in order to sink, and once he could bend his legs, he did so, before kicking them out again like a frog, using the momentum to leap free of the sandy flood waters. He took in a lungful of air and then called on his amulet.

“Breath of wind!” He shouted, activating the swirling stone, giving his jump some direction as he made his way back to Zummi.

After a few awkward leaps, Greeny reached the rocky outcropping where the elder bear was wringing his hands.

“Where is he, did you find him?” Zummi asked anxiously.

The ogre reached his hand down, carefully laying Cubbi on his back across the flat stone floor. The boy sputtered, coughing up water, and pounded his own chest in an effort to get it all out.

“Oh Cubbi, oh I’m so glad you’re alright! Hoo hoo!” Zummi whooped.

“Y-yeah, I’m okay.” Cubbi said and let out another cough.

When he had recovered enough, he sat up and looked around. “Guess I lost my hat.” the pink bear said and frowned.

“We’ll have Grammi knit you another one when we get back to Gummi Glen.” Said Zummi before giving the cub a big hug.

“Um, thanks Greeny.” Said Cubbi, looking up at the tall ogre, kneeling over them.

“You’re welcome. Don’t step off the rocks again.” He said gruffly, but Zummi could tell the big fellow was relieved at having Cubbi back too.

The rain lessened and eventually stopped over the next half hour. The shifting sands relaxed and became almost still. It was temporary, but put everyone at ease, for the time being.

With all of the earlier excitement, and being dry again, Cubbi fell asleep, his head on Zummi’s leg. Zummi patted the boy’s shoulder.

He spoke to the ogre in a low voice, so as not to disturb the young bear. “Greeny, why didn’t you just ask for our help in the first place?”

The ogre stifled a short laugh. “Ogres are the natural enemies of gummi bears. Are you saying you would have helped me had I just shown up and asked you?”

Zummi contemplated his response. “I like to think we would have, if you had just explained yourself. In all honesty I’m not sure.”

“Your brothers and sisters in Ursalia gave me no such regard.”

“They said you attacked first.” Zummi countered.

“It was mutual. I didn’t mean to fight them, until there was no choice.”

“Self-defense?”

“Something like that.”

Zummi shifted slightly as the leg Cubbi was lying on had gone to sleep.

“What if I asked you now?” The ogre asked.

“Asked me what?”

“If you, and Cubbi, will help me.”

“Well, help you do what exactly?” Zummi inquired.

“Break a curse, find something that’s been lost a long time?” The ogre said.

“That’s more than a little vague.” Zummi responded. “Can you give me something a bit spore mecific? Oh, geez, more specific?”

The ogre chuckled. “I really like the way you talk.”

Zummi blushed to his ears. He was extremely self-conscious about his mixed-up way of speaking.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” Said Greeny.

“It’s okay, I don’t think you meant to.”

“I didn’t, I just meant, it’s funny, not in a bad way, nevermind.” The ogre mumbled.

“It’s fine.” Zummi insisted, and then, changing the subject added: “So this curse, anything we should know about before reaching the tower?”

Greeny stretched and laid back on the smooth rock. “Not tonight at least. We should reach the Tower of Ruin by end of day tomorrow, or maybe the following morning. But I’m getting pretty sleepy.” He said.

“It is late.” Zummi agreed.

“Here.” The ogre said, sitting back up to unfasten his cloak and hand it to the magician. “Use it as a blanket if you want. It’s plenty big for both of you. It’s already cooler tonight than last.”

“Thank you.”

“Just be careful with the amulet on the clasp.” The ogre added.

“Of course.”

“And actually, now that I think about it…” Said Greeny. He opened up his magical pouch and said “bed” aloud, causing the small bed from the bagworld to appear in his hand a moment later. Well, in fact it was a fairly normal-sized bed, but when it fit into the grasp of one hand, it seemed much smaller. He set the wooden frame on the edge of the rocks carefully.

“Use this. I almost forgot it was in there, no easy way to see everything in the bag after all. If it starts to rain I’ll put it away.” Greeny told Zummi.

“That bag is certainly a wonder.” Said the old mage. “However did you come by it?”

“Another borrowed item I think, but, I can’t remember from whom anymore.” The ogre said with a mighty sigh.

Zummi carefully stood, lifting Cubbi in his arms and laid him gently on the bed before climbing up on the other side. He pulled the ogre cloak over them, using it as a blanket since the bed seemed to be missing covers.

“What do you remember, Greeny?” Zummi asked presently.

“About what?”

“Yourself, or, anything really.”

The ogre gave just the hint of a smile under his deep green beard and unconsciously scratched at the deep scar next to his right eye. “Guess you noticed, huh?”

“I don’t mean to pry, but it seems more than just mere forgetfulness, which at my age, I’m all too aware of.” Zummi said.

Greeny bent his large arms behind his head and stared up at the stars. The heavy, dark rain clouds were further south for now, and looked like they would be for at least a few hours.

“I really am quite tired, Zummi. Long day of travel again tomorrow, so I think I’ll try to catch some shuteye before the rain starts up again. If you really want to, perhaps we can speak more tomorrow.”

“Alright. We’ll see you in the morning then.”

Zummi rolled onto his side and checked on Cubbi who was snoring softly.

Only another day or so and they would reach the Tower of Ruin, a supposed center of powerful magic. The ogre perhaps, much more than what he seemed, even though he did keep his secrets closely-guarded. Zummi knew his friends from Gummi Glen must have launched a search party by now, though he wondered how the treacherous desert would treat them. He considered waking Cubbi and stealing away, as the boy had suggested the night before but for the same reasons it still didn’t feel right. On top of those, he’d be leaving the Great Book of Gummi behind unless he could carefully steal the ogre’s bag and figure out a way to become its new owner. In opposition to his thoughts of escape though, was the simple truth that Greeny had saved Cubbi’s life. Perhaps the best course of action was to accompany the giant on his quest.