Gummi Venture
Part 4: A Gummi By Any Other Name

A hazy greenish light surrounded the ogre, enveloping him like a second skin and giving the peculiar feeling that his whole body was being pulled slowly down, inward. It felt disconcerting to say the least. As Zummi and Cubbi watched, Greeny began to dramatically decrease in height and bulk. Moments later his limbs began to shrink, pulling in towards his body and losing the large ogre mass. Even his big floppy ears become shorter, drawing close to the head. There wasn’t pain, just a strange sense of tightening and pulling, and a brief wave of nausea. The light slowly faded away then, drifting up toward the dome-shaped ceiling. Greeny took a deep, nervous breath. The room around him felt much larger now, and even his gummi bear companions, staring at him with wide eyes seemed much bigger. He held his hand up in front of him, and flexed each of his fingers. They were much smaller now, the sharp, curved ogre claws were gone, leaving behind soft, short green fur.
Cubbi was the first to speak. “Y-you’re a gummi!” He said, his voice incredulous.
“Looks like I am!” Said Greeny, and he began to laugh.
“I thought you said you were a human!” Cubbi nearly shouted.
“I don’t think I said that, I honestly couldn’t remember what I was before becoming an ogre, so this is a bit of a surprise!” The green bear said. He poked at his stomach, touched the fur on his arms and reached up to his face. “Hey, I think I still have a beard. Do I?”
“Uh, well yes you do. Actually, it’s father retching, oh no, I mean to say, it’s rather fetching!” Zummi said.
“You think so?”
“Not too many gummi men can grow them. You make for a handsome bear, er well, in anyone’s estimation!” The magician quickly added. “H-here, see for yourself!”
Zummi cast a simple reflection spell on a nearby brick of limestone that had fallen from the tower roof. Suddenly, one side of it became a mirrored surface, perfectly reflecting the room. Greeny approached the stone and looked himself over.
“Wow! Look at that, I really am a gummi bear!” Greeny turned fully around. “I have a little tail now!” He shook his head and laughed. “And see here, my armor and cloak shrank to fit me too!”
“I added a little something to the spell, so that, you know, you had something to wear when you weren’t ogre-sized.” Said Zummi.
“Good thinking.” Greeny agreed. “And hey, I’m still taller than you!”
“Well, I’m not, overly tall…” Said Zummi.
“How does it feel? Any different?” Cubbi asked.
“Yes, a lot! I feel, lighter, bouncier even.” Said Greeny, as he hopped a few times on the pads of his feet, almost causing himself to stumble.
“You’re a gummi bear alright.” Cubbi said and nodded.
“Any other differences?” Asked Zummi.
“I think, my memories are coming back too, about everything, like my life before that night.” The green bear said, scratching his beard in thought.
“Ooh, tell us all about it!” Exclaimed the pink cub.
“Well, I lived in the forest town of Gummiton with my friends and family. Maddi was like a big sister to me, always trying to keep me out of trouble, even though she herself couldn’t do the same! We spent part of almost every day together back then. I was the son of a pair of shopkeepers, but they died in an accident when I was too little to remember so my grandfather was really the one who raised me. He and I ended up inheriting and running my parents’ general store. Sometimes we would travel from place to place, set up our wares from the bag of holding and sell our goods. I spent time in the nearby human kingdom, on ships, other gummi villages… Grandpa took us all over the country, though we usually stayed at home, selling locally from our shop in Gummiton. It was a simple, nice life.”
“You can have something like that again.” Said Zummi.
Greeny looked thoughtful. “No, at least not yet. I have to help my friends first.”
“Of course.” Zummi agreed.
The green bear was quiet a few moments. “After that though, who knows what the future may hold?”
Zummi closed the large book in front of him, then, with Cubbi and Greeny’s help, they moved it into the bag for easier carry.
“We really shouldn’t keep calling you ‘Greeny now.’” Said Zummi once the heavy tome was safely stowed. “Have you remembered your name yet?”
The green gummi smirked at his friends. “I do actually, it’s Venture. Venture Gummi at your service.”
“Well that’s suitable.” Said Zummi, as he stuck out his paw. “Good to meet you finally, Venture.”
Venture moved past the old bear’s hand and hugged him instead. “Feels good to be myself again. Thank you, Zummi.”
“You’re more than welcome. But, we should probably think about leaving this place before it crumbles down on our heads.” Zummi said, his face flush.
The three bears gathered the magic-proof armband into the bag, then headed over to the immense spiraling staircase beyond the doorway to begin their slow descent.

“At least it’s a lot easier going down!” Said Cubbi.
“It feels a little funny, walking in such a small body. Feels like my weight distribution is all wrong.” Said Venture. Zummi moved to walk next to him, quick to catch his arm when he happened to stumble.
“You’ll get used to it again, Venture.” Cubbi assured him.
It was mostly easygoing, descending the large steps, although Venture did need assistance from time to time. Zummi laughed inwardly as helping the green gummi learn to walk again reminded him of a young cub first finding his feet. Every now and again rubble would fall, crash and echo somewhere in the massive structure, causing the groups’ heads to look around nervously and remind them to hasten their pace.
They continued downward, until they reached the section of stairs where the Gryphon had been bested. The wall appeared to have crumbled in even more, revealing yellow sky and dark clouds outside where it still poured rain. The problem now was the distance to the lower stairs seemed larger than before. Of course earlier, Venture the ogre had just jumped up with the two smaller gummi bears. In their current state, with the next set of stone steps nearly thirty feet away and below, they would need to devise a plan.
“Hm, no easy way down.” Zummi said, poking his head out over the chasm of missing stairs with some trepidation. Even with the slight change in weight, as Zummi leaned forward, more of the stone gave way, tumbling down into the inky darkness below, colliding with another part of the ancient tower, reverberating the crash throughout the spire.
“Maybe, you two can hold onto me and I can use the wind stone.” Venture suggested.
“You haven’t used the stone at this size yet, it might not react how you want it to.” Said Zummi.
“What other choice is there?”
“If we had some gummiberry juice…” Said Cubbi.
“You mean some of this?” Asked Zummi, lifting his hat and revealing a small bottle of the red liquid tucked into the lining.
“No way!” Said Cubbi. “You’ve had some the whole time?”
“Just waiting for the right moment to use it.” Zummi said with a grin.
“I remember gummiberry juice!” Said Venture. “Really makes you bounce.”
“To put it mildly.” Said Zummi. “The bigger issue is that this vial is only enough for one, maybe two of us if we cortion it parefully, uh, portion it carefully.”
“So it should be you two and I’ll use the stone and cloak to come down.” The green bear said.
“That might be for the best, just be careful, okay?” Zummi warned.
“Hey I’ve used this magic artifact for decades, I’ll be fine.” Venture said.
Cubbi took a small swig from the vial, and immediately felt invigorated. He took a step forward and then, with one great bounce he landed far below on the lower step. He waved up to his friends. “It’s fine! Your turn!” The boy called back.
“You’re next Zummi, I’ll follow after.” Said Venture.
The magician took his drink of the remaining gummiberry juice, and then easily bounded through the air, landing on the stair next to Cubbi.
“You guys make it look easy!” Venture called down.
“Just look after yourself!” Zummi shouted up. “Take your time!”
Venture touched the stone over his chest and prepared to make the leap. He had a moment’s hesitation, remembering it had taken him quite a while, enduring many scrapes and bruises to get the hang of the wind stone many years before. That had also been in a more durable ogre package.
“Breath of wind!” He called as he jumped from the ledge, positioning the stone downward to give him an upward boost. He got the boost he asked for, and much more. The green gummi went spiraling upward, crashing against the wall, causing him to grit his teeth against the pain. He began to fall, but he noticed he had gone mostly up, not forward. The others were still some distance ahead. He used the wind again, blasting himself further, but now he had overshot.
Zummi’s mouth dropped open as he watched the airborne gummi shoot over their heads. “He’s out of control, we have to catch him!” He shouted to Cubbi.
Venture slammed his back into the wall again, and for a moment his head swam and he saw stars. If he kept up like this, he might just knock himself unconscious. He let himself fall, then used the stone again, but overdid it, facing the wrong way, and blasted out a large portion of the tower wall. The structure began to rumble, more than it had before.
“Stop using the stone, I’ll catch you!” Zummi cried out.
Venture looked down, as his body began to arc in the magician’s direction. He felt he should use the artifact again, but his head was spinning, and he could see Zummi, racing along far below and heeded his words.
Zummi was almost directly under Venture, running, hopping down the massive winding staircase when he suddenly sprang into the air, using the gummiberry juice that still empowered him to reach his friend as he fell. He grabbed Venture and held him tightly against his front as they both fell back to the staircase. They tumbled down a few steps, rolling with the momentum, but stopped in a heap against the tower wall. Cubbi quickly ran over to help them to their feet.
“Oh my gosh, are you guys okay?” He asked.
Zummi and Cubbi carefully set Venture to his feet, letting him lean against the cub as he staggered.
“I’m alright, just a little shaken.” Zummi said, dusting himself off as he also stood. “How are you?” He asked the green bear.
“I might need to lie down for a bit.” Venture said, trying to smile, but grinding his teeth as the pain made him wince. “Nice catch, Zummi.” He added.
“No need for thanks, we have to go!” Zummi said, pointing above them.
The wind stone had taken out a large segment of the wall which was worrying enough, but because it was so close to the missing section caused by the battle with the gryphon, that entire side of the spire was now slowly caving in on itself. The top third of the ancient building began spilling immense stone bricks from its side that dropped and smashed into the stairs below, causing a chain reaction of collapse. As they watched, it was not only getting worse, it was happening faster.
“The whole place is coming down!” Yelled Cubbi.
“We can’t stay inside! We have to get out!” Zummi said. He half-carried Venture up a few steps to the nearest section of wall that had been blown out, and craned his neck to look over the edge. They were a couple hundred feet above the desert sand. Rain spattered his glasses and face.
“We can’t jump from here, even with gummiberry juice, we’ll die!” Cubbi shouted.
Zummi moved in front of Venture, turned his back and knelt down. “Hurry, climb onto my back. Can you hang onto me?”
“Yes, I think so. I won’t be too heavy?”
“I’ll be fine. Cubbi, help me tie my cape to Venture’s, hurry!” Zummi instructed.
The small bear did as he was told, even as the tower crumbled around them. A huge stone stair, four meters across smashed down just beside them, causing their own step to tilt, swivel and pull from the wall. A moment later, and the stairs under them would be careening down into the level directly below.
“We have to jump!” Zummi shouted, still holding Venture on his back and grabbing Cubbi under one arm before bouncing out from the ruined spire into the sky.
Cool raindrops pelted their faces as soon as they were airborne. They began to freefall.
“Grab this side of the cape!” Zummi called to Venture over the sound of air rushing past them. “Cubbi, you hold this side, with both hands, as tight as you can!” The ground was getting closer by the second, but Zummi still had a plan. “Hand me the stone, Venture!”
“Make sure to aim it at the ground!” Said the green gummi, holding tightly to Zummi with his legs wrapped around the portly bear’s waist and one arm still holding tightly to the makeshift parachute. He carefully pushed the stone into Zummi’s waiting paw.
“Breath of wind!” Zummi called out, just as he had heard Venture activate the amulet several times before. There was a massive gust, and the bears lurched upward, slowing their fall, and even stopping them briefly as they fully shifted direction. Moments later they began to plummet again.
“Good, just like that, hold the stone out longer as we near the sand!” Venture said in Zummi’s ear.
They were still alongside the tower, which continued to dump heavy limestone bricks and debris past them as Zummi slowed their descent. It was a perilous place to be. Now even if they survived the fall, the tower itself might still crush them in its death throes.
With one last effort, Zummi managed to slow them to a stop in the air close to the surface of the drenched desert. They fell the last few meters into the wet sand among the great stones tumbling from the tower which was still in a perpetual state of collapse. The sound of it was almost deafening.
“Run!” Shouted Zummi, pulling Venture and Cubbi to their feet.
The three moved as fast as they could, dodging the huge stones as they crashed like meteorites, causing explosions in the wet sand with each thunderous impact.
“Look out!” Cried Cubbi as an entire, moslty unbroken section of staircase struck the sand and flipped, end over end almost directly into the group.
They evaded it, just barely, but then as the stair piece came to a stop in front of them, it started to tip over, right on top of their heads. Venture moved to shield the others with his own body as the stone slab crashed over them.

***

Gritty was the first to notice the change in the tower as it began to fall. “Great Gummis, would you look at that?!” He called out and pointed.
Some kilometers in the distance, the Tower of Ruin was living up to its name, starting a slow crumble, near its middle from the look of things.
“Our friends are in there?” Tummi asked in a worried voice.
“I sure hope not.” Said Sir Thornberry. Even the stalwart swordsman’s face went pale as the immense building continued to collapse in on itself, causing a great dust cloud to balloon out around it while it did.
“We need to hurry. Whatever’s happened, we missed most of it, but maybe we can still offer some help!” Thornberry added.

They reached the remains of the tower within the hour. Only the very bottom of the massive structure seemed remotely intact, though it was nearly impossible to see with literal tons of rock crumbled on top. The tower stones stretched out on all sides far into the muddy Sandibas.
“Spread out lads, call their names, look for them!” Thornberry ordered from under his rain leaf. “I didn’t see anyone leap, or even fly away from here, so there’s a good chance they’re still nearby!”
Gritty and Tummi fanned out, climbing over stones and poking around the rubble, searching for anything out of the ordinary or familiar.
“Cubbi! Zummi!” Tummi shouted through cupped hands.
Sir Thornberry sniffed the air. The scent of his friends was very strong now, he knew they were either still around or had just left. He moved toward the smell. There was someone else too, almost reminiscent of the ogre they had been chasing, but still quite different.
“You smell ‘em, Thorn?” Asked Gritty, watching Sir Thornberry track in his unmistakable way.
“They’re very close.” The swordsman told him.

***

There was barely enough room to move under the fallen steps, but somehow, miraculously, Venture, Zummi and Cubbi had survived. When the stairs fell over them, they collided against other large tower stones in the sand, trapping them in a tiny wedge-shaped prison.
“Can you think of anything else in your bag that might help us out?” Cubbi asked.
Venture shook his head. “It’s so tight in here, that anything large enough, if I removed it from my pouch might just squish us.”
“If the rain lets up, and the sand dries, we could try digging our way out.” Said Zummi. “But if it doesn’t… these stones are likely to sink further into the sand, and pull us down with them.”
“There must be something we can do!” Cubbi said.
“I’m sorry Cubbi, I wasn’t trying to scare you.” Said Zummi, patting the boy on the head. “We’ll figure it out, don’t you worry.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry.” Said Venture. “If I hadn’t taken out that wall in the tower… I’m so sorry.”
Zummi put his hand on the green bear’s arm. “No need for that. That tower was coming down one way or the other, there’s no telling if it wouldn’t have collapsed once we got farther down anyway. Don’t give up, Venture, we’re still alive.”
“You’re right, Zummi, thanks.” Venture said.
They sat, deep in thought over their predicament when the bearded bear suddenly lifted his head. He pressed his snout to the edges of the stone box, where there was a sizable opening, just about the size of a hand, and breathed deeply.
“I, think I smell someone outside.” He said.
“What, really?” Asked Cubbi.
“Yeah, wow I have a much better sense of smell as a gummi bear.” Venture said.
“Nevermind that! Call for help!” Zummi said.
“Oh, right!”

Sir Thornberry perked up his ears at the noise. He tilted his leaf hat to lessen the sound of rain. It wasn’t terribly loud, but it definitely wasn’t his imagination.
“You hear that, Gritty?” He asked his traveling companion.
The large bear with the eyepatch stopped moving and listened intently through the din of rainfall pelting the leaf over his head and off the nearby stones.
“Is that someone calling for help?” He asked.
“It shore is!” Shouted Thornberry happily. “Tummi! Git Over here, we found somebody!”
The bears clambered over the rocks and mud as the shouts grew louder.
“Whose voice is that?” Gritty asked as they reached the fallen stairs.
“Does it matter? He needs help!” Thornberry snapped.

Venture peered out through the opening while Zummi and Cubbi crowded about to see too.
“We’re all right, but trapped under here, there’s barely enough room to move!” The green gummi yelled through the hole in the stone.
“Don’t worry lad, we’ve got ya!” Responded Sir Thornberry from outside. “You did say ‘we’ didn’t ya? Is there a pair of gummi bears in there also by any chance?”
“There are three of them actually!” Zummi called out.
“Good to hear ya again, Zummi! We’ll have you boys out as soon as we can wrap a rope around this, er, stone here!”
Gritty moved swiftly, unwinding the long cord of rope he had brought in his knapsack. Thornberry and he began to wrap it around the high end of the slanted stairs before tying it off. Next they found a good angle behind it, where Tummi, Gritty and Thornberry could all get a good grip and begin to heave on the rope. The rope immediately grew taut but the stairs at first, mired in the mud as they were, refused to budge.
“All pull on my signal, and you down there, push up if you can too!” The swordsman commanded.
“Okay!” Came a voice from under the stone.
“One, two, and pull! Pull!!”
The three bears above, pulled hard in unison on the rope, and the gummis underneath pushed as well as they could. The stone steps shifted, slightly, but it was enough to get the whole thing moving. The slab of rock angled upward, and as soon as there was enough room beside it, Cubbi, Venture, and Zummi quickly slipped out from under and into the open air.
“We’re all free!” Shouted Zummi, and the others released the rope, letting the stone stair crash back to the ground.

The six of them crowded around one another, Tummi tearfully hugging Cubbi and Zummi while
Gritty and Thornberry clapped each other on the backs for a job well done. After several moments, the reunion’s emotions seemed to level out a bit and the rescuers looked over the green gummi they didn’t recognize.
“You seem, familiar.” Said Sir Thornberry, giving him a narrow-eyed appraisal.
“This is Venture!” Said Cubbi. “He’s a Great Gummi from ancient times!”
The others were visibly shocked by the news.
Venture stuck out his paw. “It’s good to meet you all, and thank you so much for showing up when you did, and lifting that stone off us.”
He shook hands with all of them, learning their names in turn.
“We brought enough leaves for everyone to help stay a bit drier, though the food supplies are getting short.” Gritty explained.
“That’s no problem, I have plenty of food for everyone.” Venture said and smiled.
“Well, let’s all have a quick bite, and then start home to the glen?” Zummi suggested.
“Oh I can’t wait to be home.” Tummi said and let out an enormous sigh of relief. “To have a nice warm bath and finally get all this sand out of my fur… Not to mention sleeping in my bed again, snug and dry.” He closed his eyes, imagining, and smiled.
“I’ve missed Grammi’s gooseberry pies!” Chimed in Cubbi.
“Missing anything else, Cub?” Asked Gritty, patting the boy’s head.
Cubbi looked up at the bigger bear, a brief look of confusion on his face.
Gritty reached into his pack and pulled out a puffy blue hat.
“My cap! You found it!” Cubbi exclaimed as Gritty set it atop his head. “Oh, it’s, still wet.” He added.
“Well of course it is! Everything out here is!” Gritty grumbled.
“Still, thanks for finding it!”
“You’re welcome, Cub.” He said and they laughed.

Venture took Zummi a little aside from the others as they moved to one of the fallen tower stones.
“Zummi, I just wanted to say, of course I’ll help you get the book safely to the glen, and you’ll provide a safe place for Maddi, Osric and Talwyn?”
“Well yes, that’s the plan.” Answered the mage.
“I won’t stay long after that, I’ll head out right away to find a cure for my friends. I don’t intend to become a burden.”
“Oh.” Said Zummi. “You certainly wouldn’t need to leave right away. You should try to settle in a bit when we get there.”
Venture rubbed his arm, an uncomfortable look on his face. “I just, it probably would be best if I wasn’t around don’t you think? After all, I did—”
Zummi raised his paw, cutting off Venture’s protest. “Nonsense, you’re a gummi, same as us. Once we explain everything, my friends will understand, just as Cubbi and I do. It’s a gummi den, it’s where you belong.”
Venture nodded his head. “Okay, if you think it will be alright, maybe I will stick around for a little while, once we get back. And if you wouldn’t mind, maybe you could even show me around?”
“I’d be delighted.” Said Zummi, as he smiled warmly.

They rejoined the rest of the group as they scouted around for a good spot to eat. Sir Thornberry was following Venture closely as they headed to an overhang of tower wall nearby that appeared stable. It offered a small area out of the rain.
“I know I know ya, lad. You smell awful familiar.” Thornberry said.
Venture gave the old bear an awkward smile. “Well, we have met before, a couple times actually.”
“Really?”
The green gummi stopped and scratched behind an ear in his nervousness. “But before I tell you, I just want to remind you that I could have squashed you but didn’t!”
Sir Thornberry’s bushy eyebrows first slowly unfurrowed and then rose all the way up his forehead as he worked out the bearded bear’s former identity.

***

The day they got back, there was a happy reunion, and later, Grammi, the matron of the group worked with Tummi to prepare an enormous feast in celebration. Since then, three weeks had flown by, as the green gummi became accustomed to his new home. Venture was given the lay of the land, shown about by Zummi as promised, and he was able to spend time getting to know all of his distant descendants. The statues of Maddi, Osric and Talwyn were very carefully removed from Venture’s bag and set safely to one side in Zummi’s study. The Great Book of Gummi was returned to its pedestal, not any worse for wear. The large glen also had plenty of spare bedrooms so the green bear stayed in one next to his magician friend, unpacking some of the supplies he had carried around in his magical pouch for so long, now that he was remembering again what it contained. Most of it he left inside though, as the intention was still not to stay too long.

Zummi heard the knock at his chamber door, and wasn’t surprised to find Venture standing in the hall when he opened it.
“Venture, you’re up early, what is it? Would you like to come inside?”
The green-furred fellow nodded and followed Zummi into his room where he sat at a carved chair next to a small wooden table. It was a seat he had used several times over the past few weeks, having late-night talks with the old bear, or recalling stories from his youth that Zummi would transcribe into one of his many notebooks.
“I think that, I’ve spent enough time recovering and relaxing.” Venture began. “About time I made myself scarce.”
“You’re leaving?” Zummi asked. He wondered if his expression fully conveyed the sorrow at mention of his friend’s imminent departure. He moved to the chair across from his guest and sat down.
“It’s, it’s time, Zummi. You’ve all been terrific, helping me fit in, to feel like I belong somewhere again but…” His voice fell quiet as he looked into the face of the wise purple gummi. “I have to find a way to return my old friends to normal. On top of that, to learn what happened to my home in the forest, and the human kingdom. It’s just a desert now, and I need to know why. I couldn’t live with myself otherwise. I’d be letting them down all over again.”
“I, understand.” Said Zummi slowly. “You really carry the weight of the world on your shoulders don’t you?”
Venture looked down at his paws which were clasped in front of him atop the table. “I wish I didn’t have to, but, I do have to Zummi. My conscience won’t let me find peace and I’m alright with that. I can’t let history forget them.” He said.
Zummi was silent while he regarded the younger man. It was admirable, this singular goal of honoring his people, helping his friends, but they seemed like such monumental tasks. Literally hundreds of years separated Venture from his old world, and here he was now, surrounded by friends, yet mostly unable to remain present.
“I respect your decision Venture, you know that.” Said Zummi.
“Of course.”
“It’s just that, we’ve really liked having you around. Hearing all the stories from your time, getting to know you better, becoming friends... I know I there’s no talking you out of it, wouldn’t if I could I suppose. We’re all going to miss you Venture, and, me most of all.”
Venture placed his paw on the magician’s knee. “You’ve been a wonderful friend to me, Zummi. That’s what makes this so difficult.”
“No one blames you for, when you were an ogre, you know.” Zummi said quietly.
“I know that, and it has nothing to do with me leaving. I’m amazed by how understanding you all are, well, maybe not so much Gruffi.” He said and they both laughed.
“I’ll be thinking about you while I’m on the road.” The bearded gummi promised.
Zummi’s eyes grew watery. “I thought maybe you, maybe we could, I don’t know. Can’t I go with you?” The older bear asked.
Venture smiled, thinking about how close he and Zummi had become in all their time spent together over the past few weeks. “You should stay, they need you here, and I won’t be gone forever. This is something I have to do on my own. And hey, I’m going to find and enlist the help of a wizard who knows anticurse magic, or find an enchanted artifact that cures stone and be back again before you know it.” He explained.
Zummi looked up and smiled weakly in return. “Okay. I hope so.”
“I’ll say my goodbyes to the others before I go, but, I wanted to see you first.” Venture said, rising to his feet.
“Cubbi’s going to want to yo with gou too.” Zummi said.
Venture laughed. “Oh he will, will he?”
“You know what I mean.” Zummi grumbled.
“I do, but it’s still cute when you do it.”
“I thought you said it was funny?” Zummi asked.
“It’s both. Now, give me a hug and let me go before I change my mind.”
The two bears embraced tightly, neither one really wanting to release the other. At last they parted, and Venture headed to the door.
“You be safe out there.” Zummi ordered. “And come back here safely too.”
The green gummi looked back over his shoulder at his friend and grinned. “When have you ever known me to take chances?”