Forest Guardians Chronicles: A Matter of Humanity by Beth Roose (smart ebook reader TXT) 📗

Bitty,” Cleg said softly, “we must gather more blackberries. It will be your job to pick dandelions and put them in this bowl,” gesturing towards his enormous wooden container, he continued, “Since Bev left us, I want you to stay where I can see you.” Bitty nodded her head up and down, grabbing the bowl from Cleg. The little hairy girl took off sprinting up the wildflower-lined path, forcing Cleg to let out a stern whoop. Bitty turned back casually and shrugged her shoulders, unaware of the message her father was trying to send her.

Cleg and Bitty harvested many blackberries and dandelions that afternoon. They were on their way back to the clearing with their harvest when Zonga appeared from a dense thicket of bamboo. He was pulling a large hollowed out log full of corn on the cob that was rich and golden in color. Zonga nodded to Cleg and made his way toward the clearing. When they arrived, they were greeted with an enormous pile of all different types of foods: dirt covered potatoes, voluptuous blackberries, neon green granny smith apples, massive yellow ears of corn, deep green zucchinis bigger than Bitty, and the tribe’s favorite: turnips. In addition, to the massive pile of harvest, Bev had arrived with a wagon full of the  winter root vegetables rutabaga and parsnips from her garden.

Suddenly, a burst of light flashed through the sky, and Princess Celia made her arrival into the clearing, descending to the earth on her light ray. As soon as her feet reached the dirt, the princess greeted each tribe member, giving them the light of voice so that they could understand her. Each tribe member greeted the princess with grace, nodding in appreciation as she gave the light of voice. After everyone had a light translator, the princess began to speak, thanking everyone for their hard work during the harvest season. The tribe nodded and clapped in approval of Princess Celia’s compliment, after all, they had every right to be proud of themselves.

Cleg, the leader of the Hairy Tribe, stepped forward and began to speak in his low, rumbly voice. “We have harvested about half of the fruits and vegetables we will need to get through the winter. We have done our best to leave enough for the other creatures that reside in the forest.”

Princess Celia nodded in approval to this new piece of information. Bev, standing behind a group of big hairy people, chimed in, “I still need to harvest potatoes and turnips, as well as the greens from the top of the turnips. I also need to cut more corn to add to the harvest, but after looking at Zonga’s log, I may not have to.” Bev snickered and winked at Zonga.

Vue, the lead hunter of the tribe, stepped forward and gave an account on what the hunters had been able to harvest so far, adding that he had about half the harvest necessary to survive throughout the winter months.

Princess Celia assessed the information she had been given. “It seems that we are on target to have everything needed for the winter. Now, all we need to do is gather the cattails and strip them for their soft insides.” Cattails were very important to the Hairy Tribe and the other creatures of the forest. The soft insides of the plants would line the shelters, keeping the hairy children warm and cozy for the winter months. Ja’al stepped forward with two of the Pukwudgie tribe members announcing that they would begin harvesting the cattails as well as the willow bark and bamboo shortly. The willow bark and bamboo would be used to protect the tribe’s shelter areas from becoming wet and unbearably cold in the frigid winters. The Princess inquired about who would be harvesting the elderberries and mushrooms, two vital plants used to help build the hairy children’s immune systems. Freda, the great blue heron, stepped forward with Granny Mabel from the beaver marsh. “Princess,” the blue heron said, “we will collect those items as well as assist with the harvest of the cattails.”

The princess smiled kindly at the beautiful bird. “Excellent,” she said, “and thank you so much for all your help. Freda, please also ask about the pokeberries.” The blue heron informed Princess Celia that the berries were quite abundant this year, which everyone was happy to hear.

Nodding at this and pursing her lips, the princess added, “I am happy to hear that the crops are doing well this year, but please keep in mind, we must leave some for the other creatures of the forest. After all, we are their guardians and we must watch over them.

It took three more days for the tribes, Freda, and Granny Mabel to harvest the remaining items that were needed. The tribes were now focusing their attention on preparing their living and food caves.

Not too long after the tribe members began their work, Bev returned with a mound of corn silk that she collected from Szalay’s, the local corn farm. “Vue and Tas,” she said huffing and puffing, clearly out of breath from her most recent haul, “would you take a break from hunting and go pick up those baskets for me? They are mighty heavy.” Both Hairy men obliged with a smile and carried the baskets for the exhausted girl.

Just as she had sat down on a moss-covered log, Bitty trotted over to her, bursting at the seams with energy. “Bev!” the little hairy girl squealed, “do you want to play? How about a piggyback ride?” For as tired as Bev was from hauling the corn silk, she could not resist the intoxicating and energetic vibe that was radiating from Bitty. The little hairy girl could see that Bev was tired, so she sat down next to her on the log, wrapping her arms around the exhausted girl’s waist. Instantly, Bev heard a snarl come from behind her. She turned quickly and came face to face with a very angry pair of Hairy tribe