The One In Green

ch. 2

"Welcome back, Lorax." I smiled wide, as out popped an orange ball with a yellow moustache. He shook his head and turned, gasping. I knelt down somewhat beside him, letting him take in the scene. He was distraught.

"What happened?" He looked up at me, and I turned away.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was.. Distracted, and the newcomer was able to destroy the tree-" I lay head low in shame in front of the guardian. "Its my fault."

He walked up and I felt furry arms go around my neck. It was a hug. "It is not your fault. Its his, for chopping it down."

I looked at him, as he gave me an expression of sympathy. Without a word, he let go and grabbed a rock, setting it by the tree, followed by another and another. The animals moved from their hiding places, seeing the Guardian in all his glory, then grabbing rocks as well as I, forming a circle around the tree. Our moments of silence lasted for several minutes, hand in hand, honoring the tree and the life it had brung. The Lorax looked up for just a moment, eyeing the culprit with a fierce frown.

The man, Once-ler, was humming and singing a song in gibberish, taking bunches if the soft silk-like leaves of the tree, placing them in a cloth sack. I followed the Lorax towards the culprits camp but stopped halfway there, though he continued on.

"Hey!" The Lorax called out, and the Once-ler fell back in fright. "Did you chop down this tree?"

The Once-ler looked around, seeing me and gulped, looking back at the Lorax, spouting a lie. "Who did it?" He quickly pointed behind the Lorax, causing said orange being to turn and promptly dropping an axe on the baby barb-a-loot. "I think he did it." He said, pointing to the furry animal when the Lorax turned his attention back to the Once-ler.

The Lorax looked displeased. "Leave! Vacate the premises! Take your axe and get out!" He ordered.

"And who are you?" The Once-ler cockily grinned, poking the God Almighty of the Forests back.

"I-im the Lorax!" He spoke, like he was telling someone that himself was to be well known. "Guardian of the Forest. I speak for the trees!"
The Lorax made a shrug motion and I bit back a chuckle. Even for being the literal embodiment of a god he was very expressive.
"So you're telling me you didn't just see me magically appear out of that stump? With all the lightening and thunder and stuff. You didn't see any of that?" He waved his hands in the air to add effect, but the Once-ler wasn't having it.

"No, but that sounds amazing. Can I see some of that?" He chortled.

"Uh, yeah, I could show you. But that's not how it works." The Lorax responded.

"Okay, yeah, uhmm..." He pressed his finger to his chin before pointing it at the Lorax. "Didn't really happen." He gave a surprised look, and began squishing his fingers together, like he had sap between them. "Oh! I know what you want!" He pressed his finger semi gently into the Guardians nose. "Ive got one of these for the cutest little guy I ever saw!" He spoke in what others would consider 'baby talk', taking out the white cubed sweet he had in his back pants pocket, showing it to the Lorax, repeating 'yummy' over and over, offering the square to the Lorax.

The Guardian looked offended. "How dare you!" He snatched the sweet from the others hands. "Gimme that!"

While he sniffed the object, squishing it, as I began to finally walk over. "Now, I'm gonna eat this, but I am highly offended by it!" He spoke, then tossing it in the air, to catch it in his mouth and chew.

I gave him a look as he jumped from the fallen trunk on the ground to one of the ropes of the newcomers tent, giving a look to both he and I.

Then, he rapidly began to kick the pegs, causing the tent to fold in on itself as he ran around, kicking the pegs one after another.

"Woah! What are you-" the Once-ler grabbed the rope and his mallet to smash the pegs back into the ground, keeping the tent upright again. "Hey, moustache! Will you stop that?" As he began to fix the pegs, he continued. "What's your deal, man!"

"Time for you to go, Beanpole!"

I walked over to the newer animal, the donkey that the Once-ler had brought along with him on his travels, and we both watched unenthusastically as the two males fought one another with kicking down or putting on the pegs. I then noticed that one of the Barb-a-loots had the rope caught around its foot, and through the haze the Once-ler had, didn't notice the mammal, mistaking it for a peg, about to hammer it down.

"Wait! STOP!" I yelled, and everyone froze.

The Once-ler realized his mistake and quickly let go of the Barb-a-loot. I rushed over and took the animal in my hands, coddling it.

"So you'd hammer one of nature's innocent creaters?" The Lorax took this scene and used it as a card against him, pointing the the barb-a-loot in my arms. The Once-ler looked up at me sheepishly before regaining attention back at the Guardian.

"What? No!" He began, and stuttered a bit. "I would never hit this little guy!" The mallet made its way towards the Lorax's face, a threat from a few inches away. "You, on the other hand, I would gladly pound you and your moustache into the ground!"

I shook my head no, holding the mammal closer. "You shouldnt have said that." I whispered to no one in particular.

"Behond! The intruder and his violent ways!" The Guardian announced to the rest of the forest animals. "Shame on you!" He moved towards the animals, facing the Once-ler. "For shame!"

The Once-lers face turned into a snarl. "Alright, you know what? That's it, you listen to me, you furry meatloaf, I'm going to chop down a many trees as I need, okay?" He warningly pointed his finger at the Lorax, scaring the animals. I grabbed his wrist, making him turn to me.

"You are scaring the animals with your anger. Leave and cool down or I will make you." I tightened my hold on his wrist before letting go, walking back to give him space.

He huffed. "I'm not going anywhere, end of story!" He directed his attention to the Lorax, meaning for that to be an end of their conversation, turning and closing the door to his tent.

The Lorax looked up at me with a grin. "Nice going, y/n." He gleemed, but I returned it with a scowl.

"Stop being childish. You are Guardian of the forest, act like it." I said, walking through the crowd, setting the barb-a-loot down before making my way to the river.