A figure watched from the trees, then surrounded them.
"After finishing the honey, Grizzler slumped onto his belly.""So, are you going home, little deer?" Grizzler burped."No!" Ivy tilted her horn. "I'm staying for the moment… plus…""I don't have a family." Her voice sank, small and brittle.Then, with a flick of pride, she lifted her head again. "Anyways… call me Ivy!"
"Don't have a family, huh…" Grizzler murmured."Yes, I—" Her words faltered when Grizzler's paw gently stopped her."So, where to now, Ivy?" Grizzler asked with a warm smile.She blinked, surprised by the warmth in his touch.For a brief moment, the world seemed smaller , just the two of them and the hum of the forest.
Yes… I want to learn more , to explore this world Grizzler thought.Ivy's smile brightened as Grizzler's paw wrapped around her."To discover!" she cried, her hooves cutting through the air toward the forest.
"Yes!!" Grizzler roared, his paw cutting through the sky."When they entered the forest, the mud rippled , and the Frog of Wisdom opened his ancient eyes," he smiled."So, she's made her choice," he said before melting into the mud.
"So, Griz-Griz! Tell me, tell me!" Ivy's hooves fluttered in the air, barely able to contain her excitement."H… honey, huh?" Grizzler rubbed the back of his neck. "That's… a big question."
Why do I like honey? Grizzler's brow furrowed, the thought sinking deeper than he expected.
The question echoed in his mind longer than he wanted to admit."Because it's delicious!" he said, as though the realization had just struck him."Delicious, huh?!" Ivy's eyes sparkled like tiny stars.Grizzler sighed with a faint grin. Thank God she's still a small deer… he thought
He couldn't help but chuckle under his breath.Somehow, her excitement made even simple things feel new again.For the first time, Grizzler realized that wandering didn't have to mean being alone.Suddenly, a shout broke through the rustling leaves. "Hey, you two!"
From the upper side of the mountain,"I'm telling you! A huge bear killed him!" the hedgehog cried, quills trembling."Stop joking around! Claw doesn't die that easily!" the leopard snarled. He shoved the hedgehog's needles aside as if they were nothing. Blood spilled from his claw."Leader! You're bleeding!" another leopard shouted."Shut up! You think this pain means anything compared to losing Claw?!"
"I don't care about Vein and Gash… as long as they didn't kill Claw! But where's Claw's body?!" The leopard's roar tore through the forest, scattering birds from the trees.
"I'm telling you… the bear… buried them…" the hedgehog's voice cracked, desperate between sobs."Buried him?! Don't feed me fairy tales! So, what , you want to say that bear is your hero?"Another leopard sniffed the ground, following the scent until he stopped, his nose wrinkling at the stench of decay."Namir! Namir! I think I found him!"
"The air grew thick with rot and dread."So it's not just one scent… it's three, Namir sniffed.The hedgehog wasn't lying after all. Namir's stare hardened, thoughts dark and heavy.His claws dug into the dirt.Rage and sorrow twisted together inside him, each breath heavier than the last."Tell me the bear's name!" Namir shouted.
"I—I don't know! I swear!" the hedgehog sobbed, his quills trembling."So you want me to devour you, quills and all?" Namir's voice dropped to a dangerous growl."Easy, Namir," the other leopard said, raising a paw in warning.
"I swear I—"CRACK.The hedgehog's voice ended before it could finish.Silence snapped after the crack, heavy and brittle.Every head turned; even the hedgehog's small body went still, quills trembling."Guys… we will find that bear and take our revenge!""At least you asked him about the bear's features before eating him," the other leopard said, his voice falling into a worried hush.
"So… guys , are you ready?" Namir asked, spitting the quills from his mouth."Yes!!!"
they roared, their answer shaking the forest."Separate, then!"Tens of leopards split off in different directions, melting into the forest."We will find you… coward bear,"
they called into the trees.The forest swallowed their shapes and returned only the echo of distant roars.