ROBIN HOOD

THE NEXT GENERATION
Chapter I
The reunion
Dusk was falling all over Nottingham. Lady Marian and Klucky were busy preparing dinner over an open campfire, as John Little and Robert were out gathering more firewood for the campfire. Caleb, Will, and Josh were a few feet away, practicing their swordfighting and archery skills. For someone his age, Caleb was an expert archer and swordsman, like his father. He was also slim, and athletically built. His handsome looks always got the girl. Josh was just a beginner in archery and sword-fighting.
After a half-hour, Klucky stopped stirring the stew and tasted it.
“Hmm,” Klucky said to Marian as she put the wooden spoon back in the cauldron, “I think the stew’s ready, Marian.”
“I’ll go call everyone else, Klucky.” Marian said as she sat some bowls down on a nearby wooden table. She no longer wore her hat and veil.
Then Marian ducked inside her small kitchen hut, and came out with a musical triangle in her left paw.
“COME AND GET IT,” Marian shouted, ringing the triangle with a small, silver rod.
Caleb, who was in hearing distance, turned his head towards his mother.
“Alright, mum,” Caleb replied. “We’ll be right there.”
Caleb turned his head and looked at his cousin Will, who wore nothing but red clothes. Caleb’s red-fur was soaked with sweat from practicing hard all day, and his tight, green shirt nicely showed off his muscular chest abs, and six-pack.
“Let’s call it a night, Caleb,” Will said to Caleb, putting his sword back in its sheath, “Dinner’s ready.”
“Yea, you’re right,” Caleb replied. “I’m getting hungry.”
Caleb put his sword away flexed his entire body for a few seconds, picked up little Josh, and carried him in his arms. Then the three foxes headed back to their campsite, where everyone else was waiting. Even Robert and John, who had returned with lots of firewood, were waiting for Will, Caleb, and Josh.
“Well, it’s about time you three showed up.” Marian said to both Will and Caleb as she grabbed a small bowl and filled it with stew.
“Sorry, mummy.” Josh replied, gasping for air.
A minute later, Caleb went over to his personal treehouse and climbed the wooden ladder up to it. Then he grabbed some clean clothes, a towel, some clean sheets, and descended back down to the ground.
“Mum,” Caleb said to Marian, who glanced at him as he approached her. “I gonna go freshen up before I eat dinner.”
“That’s fine, sweetheart,” Marian replied softly as she sprinkled salt in her stew. Deep down, she was always worried about her son’s safety, yet she knew he was old enough to take care of himself. “You go ahead and do that.”
He nodded his head, hugged Marian, left the campsite, and headed for the nearby lake, which was at the bottom of a huge waterfall. Once he got there, he set up a small area surrounded by thick, tree branches. He covered the branches with long, thick sheets. Then, a few minutes later, He was naked in the lake. The water was up to his hips.
“Ahhh,” Caleb thought as he held a bar of soap in his right paw. He felt so relaxed after a hard day of practicing, “This is the life.”
He took a deep breath and dunked the upper part of his body into the water. Then working up a lather, he began to bath himself.
15 minutes later, Caleb, who was still in the lake, heard footsteps approach him from behind. He turned around to find his mother standing on the bank, with her paws on her hips.
“You’ve been gone for long enough, Caleb.” She said angrily. “Are you coming out?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He replied.
“Hand me that towel hanging on that tree branch, will ya?” He asked, pointing to a brown towel, hanging on a tree branch between the lake and his spot.
Marian grabbed the towel and used it to shield her eyes from Caleb, who emerged from the lake, approached her, grabbed the towel, and wrapped it around his waist. His fur was now dripping with water.
Caleb walked back to his spot and began to dry himself off with his towel. Then he put on some clean clothes, swept his mother up into his arms, and carried her back to the hideout. She wrapped her arms around her son’s neck and kissed his left cheek. Caleb was very loyal to his family and Marian loved her two sons, her two miracles. Along the way back to the camp, Caleb saw people scattered around the forest collecting fruits and veggies. One of them was a much older rabbit named Skippy, who was wearing the same hat Robin gave him on his seventh birthday. And now, he has grown into it.
“Hey, folks,” Caleb said to those already eating as he and Marian approached the camp. “We’re back.”
“Oh, son.” Robert said to his son, who placed Marian back on her feet. “There are some people here to see you.”
“Who?” Caleb asked curiously as he grabbed a clean bowl from the kitchen hut and filled it up with stew.
Robert nodded his head to the huts behind Caleb, who turned around and saw a group of young people emerge from the huts and approach the campfire. He immediately recognized them. They were all of his childhood friends from Nottingham. There were around six people, all around his age, and they all looked as though they were in need of everything. There was a large white tiger named Andy, a white rabbit named James, a leopard named Leo, an artic wolf name Adam, a goat named Matt, an aardvark named Devin, and, finally, a badger named Alex.
“Hey you guys,” Caleb greeted them, “Long time, and no see.”
“Hello, Caleb, Josh.” Allen replied with a tiring smile on his face. “We haven’t seen you two in a while, either.”
“What brings you to Sherwood Forest?” Josh asked with glee.
“Prince Ratsil Sathgone of Gisbourne forced us out of our homes,” Matt replied. “We were among the first group of people forced to leave Nottingham after we couldn’t pay our taxes.”
Why don’t you all come sit down,” John suggested. “You can tell us what’s been going on in Nottingham.”
“That’s very kind of you, Sir John.” James replied.
As they sat down at the campfire, they began to tell their story of the events going on in Nottingham. As they heard the details of what Prince Ratsil Sathgone of Nottingham, and Sir Guy of Gisbourne, had been demanding, the group grew quiet. As Caleb heard the story, a plan of action started to form in his mind.
“And now,” Andy said, finishing up the story as the elderly adults returned to the hideout, “We’re stuck here in Sherwood Forest.”
Robert placed his paw onto Andy’s left shoulder.
“This,” Robert said to Andy, referring to his family “will be your home from now on. That means you and everyone else here.”
“Thank you, Sir Robin.” Andy said with a little relief.
“It’s our pleasure, Andy.” Will replied as he took a bite of his bread.
“Why don’t you all eat something.” Marian suggested with her right paw out to the cauldron. “We’ve made enough food for all of you.”
“Thank you, milady.” Matt replied.
With that said, Andy and his friends got up, grabbed bowls from the kitchen hut, and filled them up with stew. While they ate, Caleb secretly thought about what he was going to do. When it was time to go to bed, everyone was given their own hut to live and sleep in, except Joshua, who still slept with his parents.
“Goodnight, everyone.” Caleb shouted from the porch of his tree house.
“Goodnight, Caleb.” Marian replied from her and Robert’s tree house.
“Goodnight, big brother.” Little Joshua added.
Caleb smiled. Then he went inside the tree house, closed the door and windows, changed into his pajamas, and went to bed.
End of chapter I
Caleb’s plan of action will be revealed in the next chapter.