His Furbiness, Pope Furbus I

Chapter 7: A Tiresome Journey

"Eesh, Martine, did your hideout have to be so far out in the middle of nowhere?" you grumble as you force one foot after the other. Gary and Martine, however, show no signs of the exhaustion that you feel.

"You must admit that it was pretty effective though," he responds with a wink. Gary and Martine have seemed to become an unusual pair of friends amidst your misery. The day is still young, but suddenly, the sky darkens and a cool stillness feels the air.

"I have a bad feeling about this...", Gary looks around somewhat nervously. "I think a sto-"

"CRASH!" Gary's warning is interrupted by a strike of lightning immediately followed by booming thunder.

"Quick! Under the Truffula!" Martine calls to you both and you dash for cover under the tree. "Thneedville storms tend to sneak up on us, (YN), but this one seems exceptionally strong". The clouds begin to swirl and droop lower, and your heart begins to race. As a Kansan, you know all about tornadoes.

"We have to get to the lowest point possible. This could get bad," you scream over the wind as you lead the squishies downhill. Rain is beating down on your head and obscuring your vision. Truffula tufts are flying everywhere and tree trunks are swaying precariously. One Truffula is uprooted as easily as a dandelion and barrels toward you all. You reach out your hands and send a rainbow thrusting it away from you.

"Thanks," Martine squeaks out of fear. The llama did not look comfortable coated in water and Truffula fluff. You would have laughed if you weren't so scared.

"Martine, this could be a good time to test our powers together to stop this. Gary, maybe you could help too!" You suggest, so you all three come together and raise your hands to the sky. You feel power like you have never felt before as the rainbow shoots from your hand but now it is traced by a bright light and it runs into some sort of prism that refracts it across the sky. At the contact, the clouds break and a sunny rainbow fills the sky.

"Woah..." Gary breathes, "That was some pretty powerful stuff". You all just sit in silence and awe. Soon, your mind drifts back to Furbus and his soft fur. You wish to be warm and dry and in his comforting embrace.

"Let's keep going, shall we," you say, preferring the exhaustion knowing that each step is a step closer to Furbus.

The path is muddy and covered in torn Truffulas. You think back to Once-ler's baby Truffula plants and hope that they are still intact. Soon, you notice the familiar backdrop of Lorax's cave. You leave the squishies and forget about everything as you run to Furbus. Your feet sink into every step but you don't care. You track mud into the cave, but don't stop until you run to Furbus with open arms.

"I missed you!" You whisper as you catch your breath. Furbus's initial surprised face melts into relief.

"I was so worried, (YN). I was so scared that I lost you before I could- I could tell you that I love you". You see him blush under his fur and smile warmly.

"I love you too, my sweet Furbus," you respond before he gently places a kiss on your forehead. This time, you blush. You notice Once-ler and Lorax entering and you run to hug them, and then Gary and Martine enter the cave.

"MARTINE!" Furbus screams angrily, "YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!".

"Please forgive me. I see the error in my ways and wish only to help you and (YN). (YN) has saved me and I am forever in (YN)'s debt," he says meekly. Furbus seemed to calm slightly as he approached Gary.

"I must say, I am relieved to see you, old friend. If Martine is truly on our side, and you are willing to help, we might have a chance of beating this plague". Gary nods in agreement and you realize that the power that the five of you will create will be immense and unstoppable.