An Unexpected Find of a Gummi Kind

"Where are we?" Igthorn snarled, brushing the sand from his light purple leggings. Receiving no answer, he quickly realized his idiotic underling was buried headfirst in the sand, his little legs kicking at the air. Rolling his eyes, the duke plucked the little ogre out of the sand, and dropped him at his feet.

"Many thanks, oh gracious one," said Toadwart, stumbling to his feet.

"Now then, Toadwart. WHERE ARE WE?" Igthorn yelled, stomping his foot impatiently.

"I'm not sure. Some kind of island, perhaps?" the ogre said, quaking as the human loomed over him.

"Obviously we're on an island, Toadwart. I'm not an idiot," said the duke, yanking the little green underling up by the back of his animal skin clothing. "Where did those gummi bears go?"

The little ogre glanced around nervously. "Perhaps they escaped. I more worried about waterfalls. Way off island seems… difficult."

Igthorn dropped the ogre back onto the sand, and focused his attention on the issue, noting the clear gap between the edge of the beach, and the waterfalls high above them. The water seemed to be draining into an endless abyss below the island. He didn't want to admit it aloud, but the sight was rather unsettling.

"You're not going to get away with this, you rock-headed reptilian!" a voice shouted from the jungle, interrupting the duke's thoughts.

"Dukey! Someone in jungle," yelped Toadwart, hiding behind the larger man.

"I can see that, you oaf. Let's pay our new friend a visit. He must have something we can use to get off this accursed island," said Igthorn, venturing into the jungle with the tiny ogre racing after him.

"Dukey, a d-d-dragon!" Toadwart shouted. He would have run away from the creature if the duke hadn't grabbed him by the scruff.

"It's made of stone, you ignoramus." Igthorn eyed the scaffolding leading up to the dragon's open maw. "Someone clearly carved the beast."

"AAAAAAHHHH!" the new voice shouted again. "Take shape you miserable rock!"

"Hmmm, it sounds like we're in the presence of an artist. That won't be much help, but we could put him to work building a bridge or a boat of some sort," mused the duke.

"But Dukey. Look closer!" said Toadwart, pointing up at the dragon's mouth.

A figure had backed out of the shadows within the dragon's gaping mouth, and rather than a human, it appeared to be a small, blue bear. "Well this is certainly a surprise," purred Igthorn. A gummi bear!

"Oh ho ho! Perfecto!" shouted the gummi bear. He spun around, spreading his arms wide. "Thank you muses!" The bear glanced down, catching sight of the human and ogre below. "Holy Toledo! A human!" He dove behind one of the dragon's teeth, disappearing from their sight.

"Come on down, gummi bear. We won't harm you," the duke shouted up at the stone dragon. A blue head with a yellow hat poked around one of the dragon's teeth to peer down at them.

"Is true," Toadwart yelled. "We stuck here, same as you, gummi bear!"

The artist slowly emerged from his hiding spot, still clearly wary of them. A bright-beaked toucan landed on the bear's shoulder, whispering something into his ear. The bear nodded, and grabbed hold of the rope attached to the scaffold. With a leap, he began to descend down the rope, landing at the foot of the stone dragon moments later.

"So you… you know about gummi bears?" the artist asked timidly, taking a hesitant step forward.

"Of course, we do. We have an entire family of gummi bears back in Drekmore," lied the duke, putting on his most charming expression. "There's the gramma gummi, and the wizard gummi, and the little yellow gummi…"

"You don't know their names?" the blue bear asked, clearly skeptical of his claims.

"I do – I do… But I'm also very busy running a kingdom. But enough about me, what about you? How did you come to be trapped on such a nefarious island?" Igthorn asked, gesturing to the jungle.

The gummi bear sighed. "I came here to paint on the beach 12 years ago, and the next morning I found myself trapped here. It's just been me and Artie Deco all these years. Where are my manners?" The blue bear waltzed up to the newcomers, and stuck out his paw. "The name's Augustus Gummi, but you can call me Gusto! How did you get here, and can we get out the way you came in?"

Igthorn reluctantly shook hands with the little bear, and stepped aside as the bear happily shook hands with Toadwart, as well.

"Me no think we can leave. Our ship is broken," the little green ogre sighed.

The bear's face fell. "That's terrible. Well, I suppose you can both bunk with me. I've got plenty of room on my ship, as long as you don't mind straw for a bed," said Gusto, gesturing for them to follow him deeper into the forest.

"That dragon is quite a brilliant work of art," said Igthorn, sipping at the coconut milk the little bear had provided them.

"Well, thank you," said the gummi bear. "I've been working on her all these years. She's almost done."

"That's nice. Say, you wouldn't happen to have any gummi berry juice, would you?" asked the duke casually.

Gusto raised a bushy eyebrow at him. "Gummi berry juice? Of course not. Gummi berries don't grow on this island, and even if they did, I wouldn't have a clue how to make the juice. I… am an artist!" The bear bowed low, sweeping off his hat with a flourish.

"Why you little..." Igthorn began to growl, but stopped himself just in time. "I mean, that's fine. I just thought that gummi berry juice might help us find a way off this island. It makes humans super strong, you know."

"You know, Iggy, not many humans can say they've befriended a gummi bear. You must be quite a special guy to have earned the trust of the bears back in your kingdom," said Gusto, turning away to straighten his straw bed for the evening.

The duke grit his teeth. "It's Igthorn," he ground out. "Duke Igthorn."

"Sorry," Gusto sighed, taking a seat on the straw he called a bed, and slipping off his sandals. "I didn't mean to upset you. My manners aren't what they used to be. Well, I'm getting some shut eye. You never know when inspiration will strike."

"It's fine, little gummi bear. You go to sleep," said Igthorn, smirking as he made his way to his own straw pile.

"Are we really playing nice with gummi bear?" Toadwart whispered, settling down nearby.

"Of course, we are. We need his help to get off this island. And when we return to Drekmore, it will be with a new gummi bear in tow."

"A forked tongue!"

Igthorn sat up in bed, blinking his bleary eyes around the broken ship they were in. Across the room, he could make out the outline of the blue gummi bear as he raced out of the hole in the side of the ship.

"Is middle of night, Dukey. Why is gummi bear yelling?" Toadwart asked, yawning loudly.

"I have no idea, Toadwart. And don't call me Dukey!" Igthorn pulled the scratchy straw back over his body, ready to return to his slumber. If he was lucky, he could forget all about gummi bears for a while…

The sound of hammering pierced his eardrums, and he shoved himself out of the straw. Storming across the room, he glared out of the ship at the dragon statue in the distance. The hammering was coming from there. Oh, how he hated artists!

"Keep it down!" he shouted, not even bothering to play nice.

"Sorry, Iggy! I mean, Igthorn! Gotta work when the inspiration hits!" the bear shouted back, and the hammering continued.

The duke snarled, and stormed back to his pile of straw, sitting down on it with a huff. "So help me… if we didn't need that bear, I'd wring his little blue neck."

"Up and attem', bear," Igthorn snapped, tugging the little bear out of his straw bed.

"But I haven't gotten any sleep, Iggy… Sorry, Igthorn," said Gusto, shrugging his shoulders at the blunder.

"We need to work on getting off this island," insisted the duke. "This is why you should sleep at night. Toadwart and I are rested, aren't we?"

"Yes, sir, your dukeyness!"

"Alright," Gusto sighed. "But I'm taking a long nap after lunch."

"Where are we now?" Gruffi asked, gazing out at the ocean that seemed to stretch on without end.

"I'm not sure, Gruffi. But I'm sure we'll reach land soon," said Tubbi, adjusting the sails.

"We'd better. I don't want to be on this boat for much longer."

They weren't making much progress with the boat, Igthorn was disappointed to realize. Gusto refused to let them tear down his scaffolding, so they had to harvest new pieces from the jungle.

And now, at the end of a long day, they were finally eating dinner back at the gummi's ship.

"Well, I'm hitting the hay. Have a good night, guys," the gummi said, slipping off his sandals.

"Oh no, you don't," Igthorn decided, storming across the room. He towered over the little gummi bear, not caring if he looked every bit the intimidating duke he truly was.

"Something wrong?" the blue bear asked, blinking up at him. There was an edge of nervousness to his voice.

"Yes, something is wrong," said the duke, bending down to stare into the bear's eyes.

"Uh, okay. Wanna fill me in?" asked Gusto, leaning back to try to put a little space between them.

Igthorn ignored the question, and grabbed the gummi bear around the waist. Without a word, the duke carried him back to his own straw bed, and tugged the little bear close as he settled down under the straw.

"Uhhh… Duke Igthorn? Isn't a little much? I usually prefer my guys on the shorter, hairier side, if you get my drift," Gusto half joked, hoping the human would take the hint.

"Don't get any funny ideas," scoffed Igthorn, keeping his arm firmly locked around the gummi bear's slim waist. "I'm just making sure that you sleep through the night. I need my beauty sleep, and I refuse to let you wander off to work on that… delightful artwork of yours."

"I don't think delightful is the word you really wanted to use," huffed Gusto, finally giving up his attempts to escape. "Can't believe I'm sharing a bed with human."

Toadwart chuckled, settling down only when the duke glared at him. "Nighty night, Dukey."

"Don't call me that," Igthorn grumbled, trying to ignore the small, furry body trapped against his side under the straw.

"Night night, Dukey," Gusto taunted, sucking in a breath when the duke tugged him even closer.

"Good night, gummi bear. DON'T wake me up until morning."

"And just where do you think you're going?" the duke asked, as he adjusted his boots.

The gummi bear paused in the entranceway, his lips pursed into a deep frown. "I'm going to work on my masterpiece."

"You're not going anywhere. We need to work on the boat," insisted Igthorn, stomping toward gummi bear. Gusto dodged his hand, and backed out of the boat, keeping a firm distance between them.

"Don't push me, Iggy! I am an artist. I need to spend time every day on my creations, or I start to go a little off the deep end," the gummi bear said, letting out a manic laugh that had Igthorn backing away quickly.

"Fine, but I'm expecting to see you on the beach this afternoon. Toadwart and I aren't going to do all the work," snapped Igthorn.

Gusto's expression cheered up in a flash. "Alright then! It's a deal! No hard feelings, Duke. Well, I'm off. Oh, hey!" He spun around, flashing a grin at the ogre behind Igthorn. "You're short enough to come up with me. Want to visit my creation?"

"No thanks," Toadwart said, shivering in his boots. "Toadie not fond of heights."

"Your loss. See you later!"

"Land ho!" Tummi yelled, pointing at the island in the distance.

"Finally! I can't believe we spent two days on this boat," said Gruffi, getting to his feet to make his way closer to the front of the boat.

"Uh, Gruffi. The boat is moving faster," observed the larger gummi bear.

"What's that rumbling?" the older bear asked, peering into the distance.

"Probably my stomach," said Tummi, patting his stomach.

"No, something's wrong." Gruffi stepped nervously backward, pointing at the problem dead ahead. "There's a hole in the ocean! Hang on!"

Their boat surged over the falls, smashing into the beach with a loud CRASH!

"Did you hear something, Dukey?" Toadwart asked, struggling to hold his end of the tree trunk.

"Only the sound of your whining, Toadwart. Now get moving!"

"Finally," sighed Gusto, leaning back against one of the dragon's teeth. "I needed time to cool off. That Duke Igthorn is a really confusing guy. One moment he's charming, and the next he's breathing down my throat. And don't even get me started on last night… The nerve of that guy!" The artist grabbed the rope, and swung himself down from the scaffolding.

"Humans," squawked Artie, following him down. "I don't trust him."

"I agree with you there," said Gusto, slipping his chisel into his belt. "Why is it that the first guests we get are a human and an ogr…" The blue bear stopped in his tracks, finding himself nearly nose-to-nose with a rather handsome, brown-furred gummi bear.

"A gummi bear!" the larger purple gummi behind the handsome one said, pointing at Gusto.

"Gummi bears," whispered Gusto. Tears began to prickle at his eyes, and he wiped them away quickly. Unable to calm his rapidly beating heart, he dashed forward, wrapping his arms around the green-hatted bear to hug him tightly.

"Hey now!" the handsome gummi shouted, but he didn't push him away.

"I'm sorry. It's just been so long since I've seen other gummi bears," explained Gusto, releasing the other bear, and stepping back. "Hi! I'm Augustus Gummi, but my friends call me 'Gusto.' Did you get here the same way Igthorn and Toadwart did? Do you have a boat?"

"Igthorn and Toadwart?!"

"There you two are! I have a bone to pick with you!"

Igthorn glanced up to see the island's resident artist storming out of the jungle toward them. "Well, it's about time you showed up. Toadwart and I have been doing ALL the work."

"Friends with gummies, you said," snapped Gusto, stopping several feet away, his hands on his hips. "That's not what THEY said." He pointed at the jungle where his new gummi friends were emerging from the trees.

Duke Igthorn smirked, dropping his log into Toadwart's unsteady hands. "Looks like you finally caught up to us. How does it feel to be stuck on this island, gummi bears?"

"You're one to talk. If you and your ogres hadn't tried to chase our boat, none of us would be in this mess!" shouted Gruffi, stopping next to Gusto.

"Well, technically I'd still be here," the blue bear was quick to point out.

"At least we didn't get stuck with the meddling woman or the little bear cub," said Igthorn.

"You'd be lucky to be stuck here with Grammi," said Gruffi. "She'd knock some sense into you both."

"Uh, Gruffi," interrupted Tubbi.

"WHAT?" Igthorn and Gruffi snapped in unison.

"Um, it's just that we're all stuck on this island. And we should probably work together to get off it before that volcano decides to explode… Don't you think?" Tubbi said, twiddling his fingers nervously in his lap.

"That's right," declared Gruffi. "Now step aside. Let a real bear show you how to build a boat!"

"I hate to admit it, but we actually got a lot of work done today," said Igthorn. In comparison to the artist, the grumpy gummi bear was almost welcome company. But only because he actually knew a thing or two about building.

"Thank Tummi. He's the one who designed the boat," grumbled the brown bear, glaring at Igthorn from across the little table.

"Oh, you don't have to…" Tubbi tried to say, but he suddenly found his hand held hostage by Gusto, who was shaking it cheerfully.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The blue bear stepped back, gazing at his mismatched new friends and frenemies. "With your help, Artie Deco and I will finally get to go home… or, at least get off this island."

"Sure, kid. Glad we could help. Now, where are we going to sleep?" Gruffi asked, glancing around the belly of the ship.

"There's lots of straw," said Toadwart. "And if you lucky, Dukey will cuddle you like teddy bear."

"I'm NOT a teddy bear!" Gusto snapped, before realizing his new gummi friends now knew about 'the incident.' A blush rose to his cheeks, and he glanced away quickly.

"I wasn't cuddling him," Igthorn grumbled, claiming his pile of straw. "Our resident artist likes to wake up in the middle of the night, and work on his 'masterpiece.' I merely made sure he didn't have a chance to wake us up last night."

"Yeah, yeah. Can't believe I let you get close enough to manhandle me…" Gusto grumbled under his breath.

"If anyone is going to manhandle a gummi, it should be another gummi," said Gruffi, stomping over to Gusto's side. The artist blinked at him, clearly startled.

"He, uh, has a point, you know. We won't get any work done if we're too sleepy from your midnight art runs. So, um… You mind if I sleep with you tonight?" Crimson bloomed on the brown bear's cheeks as he waited for a reply.

Igthorn glanced over at the bears, rolling his eyes as the blue bear's mouth dropped open. Likes his men shorter and hairier, indeed. It didn't take a genius to see that the artist was enamored with the grumpy gummi bear.

"S-sure, Gruffi. I don't mind," Gusto stuttered, quickly tossing his shoes toward the end of his bed area. He shuffled under the straw, turning his face to look out the hole in the ship's wall. Maybe if he focused on his dragon, he could forget that a handsome gummi bear was sliding under the straw next to him. Gruffi's thigh brushed his, and he froze. Nope, definitely not forgetting the other bear anytime soon.

"Relax. We really need to get some sleep, kid," mumbled Gruffi, his warm breath lingering on the back of the other bear's neck.

"I'm not a kid, Gruffamundo," Gusto huffed, forgetting his embarrassment for a moment. "I happen to be grown adult."

"Still younger than me," said Gruffi, settling down.

A sneaky thought popped into Gusto's mind, and he glanced over his shoulder. "You gonna tell me a bedtime story, Gruffikins?" He wiggled his eyebrows, almost laughing aloud at the startled look that passed over his bedmate's face.

"Stop goofing off, and Go To Sleep," Gruffi insisted.

"Pipe down, you two!" Igthorn snapped.

"Goodnight, everyone," said Tubbi, interrupting what might have turned into a shouting match.

"Night, Tubbi. Night, all," yawned Gusto, snuggling down into the straw. The warmth radiating from the other gummi behind him was enough to lure him off to sleep.

"Awww, that's sweet," whispered Tummi, gazing down at the interlocked bodies of Gruffi and Gusto. The blue bear's head was snuggled under the older bear's chin, and Gruffi seemed to have an arm locked around Gusto's body.

"Yes, yes. They're an absolutely 'adorable' gay couple," Igthorn grumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Now wake them up, so we can get that boat finished!"

To make a long story short, they made it off the island with only seconds to spare.

"That was amazing! Your idea with the steam was brilliant, Gruffi!" Gusto announced, wrapping an arm around the other bear's shoulders to pull him close for a side-hug.

"Actually, it was Cubbi's idea. I just borrowed it," Gruffi admitted, but he couldn't help way his cheeks flushed under the artist's attention.

"It was a passible idea," the duke admitted. "It got us off that accursed island, at least."

"Don't forget our truce, Igthorn. As soon as we reach land, we go our separate ways," Gruffi was quick to say, eyeing the duke suspiciously.

"Yes, yes. I'm a man of my word," lied the duke.

"We're home!"

Grammi and the others jumped up from their seats as a pair of familiar gummies walked into the den. Rushing forward, they tackled their friends with hugs.

"Where have you been?" asked Cubbi.

"We've been worried sick!" shouted Grammi.

"You look like you haven't washed your clothes in days," observed Sunni.

"Who is that behind you?" asked Zummi, the first to notice the person standing in the shadows of the doorway.

"Come on out, Gusto. Don't be shy," urged Tummi.

A blue-furred gummi bear stepped into the light, his arm crooked as a resting perch for a brightly-beaked bird.

"A new gummi bear!"

"He followed us home," said Tummi. "Can we keep him?"

"Hi, everyone." The blue bear waved nervously, unconsciously stepping closer to Gruffi.

"It was the craziest thing. We ended up stuck on an island with Iggy and Toadie, and then we found Gusto. There was a stone dragon, and the island was sinking…" Tummi rushed to explain, only to trail off when Gruffi patted his arm lightly.

"We can tell them the whole story in the morning, kid. I don't know about you, but I need a good night's sleep that isn't on a boat," said Gruffi. He turned, and grabbed their new artist by the hand. "Come on, you. Let's get some shuteye."

"Nice to meet you!" Gusto called over his shoulder, letting Gruffi tug him down the hallway.

"What was that all about?" Zummi asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Between you and me, I think Gruffi likes him," Tummi chuckled. "And it's pretty obvious that Gusto likes him back."

"It's about time that oaf got bitten by the love bug," Grammi said, shooing Sunni and Cubbi toward their bedrooms.

"There are bugs that make you fall in love?" Cubbi asked.

"It's just an expression, dear," Grammi said with a laugh. "Now, off to bed."

Note: Igthorn wasn't technically in this episode, but I thought it would have been interesting for him to be the first to meet Gusto.