Chương 34: Fool A Berry Twice 🐹

Flat on his tushy, Blackberry watched his friend scratch the Taloned Terror under its death beak, as the winged monstrosity nuzzled back affectionately. He massaged his doughy shoulder, bruised from being pinned under the sharp claw. His dark fur stayed bristled, the primitive urge to flee coursing in his blood. Something made his belly rumble — no, that was hunger. Lifeberry was a grass blade's width shorter than him. The druid had the same pudgy form, though his fur was banded with gold and white instead.

The only other color found on Lifeberry was two gray tufts — his bushy sideburns — which had always given him an air of wisdom. Moving his wooden staff, adorned with a bulbous red stone, to his other paw, he dug into one of his many nutshell pouches. The former guardian tossed a piece of grub in the air, expertly caught by the wide-eyed Terror's hooked beak. As the beast munched away, Lifeberry sauntered up to Blackberry.

"Finally found the courage to see the stars?" he asked, voice like gravel, as he held a paw out. Blackberry took the paw to get to his feet. Sheathing his daggers, he winced as the Taloned Terror took flight, wind from its wings blasting his fur back.

"Apologies about Lula," Lifeberry said sheepishly, looking up at the sky.

"She's particular about strangers." Blackberry stared at him, unsure what to say.

"Stop looking at me like I'm the last pumpkin seed on the table." The druid chortled as he waved a paw across Blackberry's face.

"You're… you," Blackberry replied, feeling as dumb as it sounded. Lifeberry threw his golden head back, letting out a booming laugh that broke into the stillness of the night.

"I see you haven't changed all that much." He gave Blackberry's soft tummy a poke.

"The same goes for me." Lifeberry laughed and patted his own fat belly.

"Food is plentiful outside of the Lodge."

"The Lodge?"

"The place our people claim as their birthright. What we call our Hamsterdom." Lifeberry pointed past Blackberry, off in the distance.

"The place you abandoned," Blackberry hissed, baring his teeth.

"The oath you broke!" He shoved the gold-white hamster back. Lifeberry's chubby cheeks stiffened and his nose twisted. Then an exhale escaped his lips, his whiskers relaxing. The hamster's eyes fell, waiting for a solemn moment before speaking. Walking back up to Blackberry, he placed a sympathetic paw on his sable shoulder.

"I heard what happened." Blackberry slapped the arm away.

"How!?" The druid sighed sagely once more.

"What I have always said is true, Blackberry. Did I not tell you about the True Tree?" He gestured with his staff to the monumental tree behind him.

"Did I not tell you that the Great Beyond is so much more? Then would I not only be correct in my wisdom that this is a font of ancient magical power!?" Lifeberry spoke with gusto, holding his arm out to the swaying branches above. Cool nighttime wind breezed, rustling the tree's leaves. Blackberry stamped his foot.

"That answered absolutely nothing!"

"Or, perhaps, have I answered everything?" Lifeberry said, voice returning to an annoying calm. Mounting exasperation beginning to boil over into anger, Blackberry clenched his teeth together so hard that he thought they might shatter. It took everything to stop himself from ripping that idiotically composed expression off of the fellow hamster's face. Every guardian who had forsaken Sellar left its scar, but Lifeberry had been respected for his discernment and sensibilities.

That made his departure particularly stinging — as if it justified them all. Lifeberry's whiskers twitched at the silence.

"What I mean, old mate, is that I have tapped into the power that slumbers in the True Tree. From its roots, it has shared its ancient knowledge to me, and with it, I am able to communicate to beings of all kinds." He peeked at Blackberry before continuing.

"Even here, in the distant Great Beyond, word of the tragedy our people suffered has traveled." Tragedy. Sometimes Lifeberry had a way with words that could've rivaled Honeyberry's.

"We needed you. We needed all of you!" Blackberry's paws balled into shaking fists.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. If all of us were there, it would've only meant more dead."

"You don't know that! You don't know anything or everything!"

"Oh, but I do! Trust me, old mate, standing twelve strong only results in more dead friends."

"Friends?" Blackberry scoffed derisively as his eyes narrowed. His tone dropped to a dangerous whisper.

"You don't get to call them that."

"If you want someone to condemn, blame the elders. The lies that they fed us. They told us tall tales of the dangers within this land, but withheld the truth, withheld the strength that we could acquire!"

"The elders weren't lying about the danger. Only minutes out here and I have already encountered untold danger." Lifeberry raised a brow.

"Yet here you stand. The very ground where so few have tread. Sacred ground. You've already become stronger through the Great Beyond."

"Stupid you and your stupid riddles," Blackberry muttered back darkly.

"I came here for one thing alone. To bring you and the others back to your rightful place, as guardians of the Hamsterdom of Sellar. We can bring things back to the way they were."

"And now who's being stupid, Blackberry?" Blackberry glared at the druid with all the defiance he could muster. The quiet second stretched. Then all the rage slipped away from Blackberry. His thin whiskers drooped as he sighed. Any other day, he would've held onto the anger and used it to fuel his indignation. But he was too exhausted today, too excited to see his old friend. And maybe too hungry. It was a whole mess of feelings. Tiring feelings. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval.

Report any appearances on Amazon. As if sensing the faltering, Lifeberry gave his own white-furred belly a rub before suggesting a peace offering.

"How about we fill our stomachs, then yell at each other?" he asked.

"I'm feeling peckish myself. I've got fresh butter scones, and if you'll spare me the time, I can scrounge up a mushroom carrot stew." Blackberry swallowed to avoid drooling.

"Very well. I've barely had a bite." Motioning to follow, Lifeberry continued towards the gigantic True Tree. Magical or not, the tree was a majestic sight. The trunk rose impossibly high, branches reaching for the sky, as large leaves rustled. Curled roots, bigger than any hamster, dipped in and out of the earth. The gray-cheeked druid led them through the maze of roots, until finding a particularly thick one. A set of stairs, perfectly hamster sized, sat hidden there.

The wood of the root warped into steps, as if they'd naturally grown that way. They came up to a tree hollow, but it was more of a tree cave with how deep it went. A large circular door of walnut brown greeted them, though Blackberry noticed the absence of a handle. With four knocks of his redstone staff, the door creaked open to an inviting light. The smell of nutmeg and something else, sweet and floral, welcomed them.

It opened to a spacious living room that was both crowded and tidy, filled with hempen pillows that circled a low table. Beautiful flowers decorated the wooden walls, covering every space up to the high ceiling. Two open entrances led to deeper hallways with ascending staircases while the scent of butter scones drifted from a third door. Small beeswax candles adorned the room, each one a bright pocket of light.

"Unburden yourself and be at home." Lifeberry pointed at the cushions before disappearing behind the third entrance.

"Hang your cloak though, don't want you dragging in more mud." Blackberry thought that he would've felt trapped within, especially after experiencing the vastness of the Great Beyond, but the place was admittedly cozy. Cobbling together a pile of pillows, he belly flopped on them. He gave a blissful sigh as he rolled onto his back. So soft. He stifled a yawn with a stretch. So comfy. After what felt like a single blink, he stirred to the return of Lifeberry, who set down a trayful of food and drink.

"Not half bad, eh?" Lifeberry said, taking a swig of a mug. The hamster followed it with a satisfied smacking of his lips. The savory stew was quite good. A familiar, hearty concoction of diced carrots and white button mushroom. It was something Blackberry didn't know he missed until he'd tasted it — so he ate another healthy spoonful. So yummy. But Blackberry wasn't ready to play nice just yet.

"Would do with some texture. Maybe some chopped cashews."

"Not the food, you gutbucket. I mean all of this." Lifeberry lifted his tankard around.

"The hidden peace of it all."

"I suppose it isn't terrible," Blackberry said, gobbling a warm scone, perfectly flaky and soft. He washed it down with sweet apple cider, also very not bad.

"But that isn't why I'm here." Lifeberry clicked his tongue.

"So dogged. Am I talking to the Hidey Hamster or has someone gone and painted Goldenberry black?" Blackberry laughed incredulously before looking around.

"A safe abode and scrumptious food. It's nice. It's also something every hamster of Sellar deserves. That's why we must return together, to protect this for everyone."

"So my old mate Blackberry is truly gone," Lifeberry said dramatically, lifting a paw to his forehead.

"This is serious!" Blackberry sprayed crumbs of scone.

"The only one not taking this seriously is you. Like I said, even with all the guardians there, we would've been crushed. No, let me finish. I've seen the very titan myself. I've seen the monsters he's beaten, out here in the Great Beyond. And like you, I've seen how fiercely he fights. How he learns through the thrill of battle." The ring and roar of an unwanted memory haunted Blackberry.

"Combat seemed to fuel him…"

"How astute of you. I noted the same. I'm sure you also noticed the glaring resemblance between the titan's movements and Lingonberry's own fisticuffs." Blackberry nodded. It was one of the things he'd realized in hindsight; there was little else to do than think while bedridden. The swift punches and spinning kicks. It was all exactly how Lingonberry fought.

"To fight such an overwhelming force, a hamster needs to match that power. Whatever number of guardians, whoever returns needs to be strong enough to defeat this titan. After all, is that not your heart's true intent?"

"I don't follow your meaning. Speak plain."

"You don't want to protect Sellar, old mate. You want vengeance against the dark-haired titan." The butter scone stopped halfway to Blackberry's mouth. Was that what he really wanted? It was true that, in the quiet of night, such thoughts kept him awake. It was better than the nightmares. He stuffed the scone into his mouth, chomping away as if he was eating the uncertainty.

"To take revenge, you'll need power, in whatever form necessary." Lifeberry grabbed the last scone, raising it triumphantly.

"Once we have that, we can ensure the continuation of Sellar." The druid held the delectable scone out to him.

"It sounds like you have a plan," Blackberry said, eyeing the outstretched treat.

"At least, the concept of one."

"So no plan then."

"I have a path to a plan, but you'll have to trust me." Lifeberry nudged the scone into Blackberry's hand. Blackberry stared at the scone, then at his old friend.

"Okay, fine. Don't let me down again. Fool me once, fool me twice and all that." He bit into the peace offering. Delicious. Lifeberry beamed.

"Perfect. I'll need to gather some supplies so we'll begin tomorrow." The hamster glanced at one of the blooming flowers on the wall.

"Well, it's almost sunrise. I reckon both of us could use some shut eye." He piled empty bowls and mugs onto the tray before standing with it.

"Are you alright with sleeping down here?"

"More than alright." Blackberry snuggled into the cushions, his pillowy form matching them. He rested his hands on his finally full belly, slumber weighing down his eyelids. After a good meal, there was nothing better than a good sleep. By the time Lifeberry strode upstairs, Blackberry was already snoring gently. It was, in fact, not a good sleep. Blackberry found himself in a dark expanse. An unpleasant stillness lingered in the vast void. No cool breeze, no delicious aroma. Only endless emptiness everywhere.

He couldn't even see the ground he was standing upon as all he saw was a sprawling murk. His ears perked as he picked up a faint crackle. He spun around, looking to the sound's direction, but there didn't appear to be anything. Still, he heard the sizzling coming that way. Nowhere to really hide, the so-called Hidey Hamster felt silly to walk so carefully, skulking step after step. It was the best he could do anyway. Whether it was four paces or four leagues later, Blackberry couldn't have told you.

All he knew was that, as he approached, the crackling became louder, clearly the sound of a burning flame. He squinted his eyes so hard that it made his brows hurt, trying to find something, anything. Usually, the darkness was his tool, but now there was an emanating danger mingled within it. His hands grasped for his daggers to no avail, nothing there at his roly-poly hips. As the noise crescendoed into a clamor, a light finally came into view. It was hard to see what it was. It mattered little.

It was something, and that was enough to encourage Blackberry to sprint towards the light. Right before bursting into a speedy dash, he stumbled to his knees. Something, wet and clammy, was grabbing his foot. He tried to kick away, only for the grip to tighten. Panic swelled and he thrashed frantically. The voice he heard froze him.

"B-b-blackberry, s-s-stay…" Pineberry rasped out. Recognizing the cleric's voice was the only way to identify him, because all Blackberry saw was a decomposing corpse — torn at the waist, clinging onto his ankle. Half of Pineberry's face was flattened so badly that it was hard to distinguish meat from bone. Blackberry screamed and turned, his doughy cheek turning hot with tears.

"B-blackberry…" His cheek burned.

"Blackberry!" His eyes shot open. Lifeberry stood above him, an open palm held cocked back. A look of relief crossed the hamster's face when they matched gazes.

"You're awake," he sighed.

"You were screaming and wouldn't wake up. Nearly gave me a right fright. My mistake for letting you sleep in, I suppose." Blackberry's face felt swollen.

"Did you slap me?"

"So about breakfast…"