A couple days later, the first cold weather of the season arrived in the middle of the night. I was positively freezing when I awoke in the morning.
Now, Buster, I adored cold weather. One of life’s greatest pleasures was to curl up beside a roaring fire on a frosty day. But I had to become acclimated to chilly weather. When the first cold snap of the season arrived, I was always grumpy for a day or two.
So I was not in a good mood when I woke up. Wrapping my blanket around my shoulders, I trudged over to the fire and plopped down on a log.
Myth took one look at me and began to laugh. “Now that’s some bed hair, Izzy. It makes you look like a monster: the thing that woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
I yawned dramatically, hoping Myth would realize that I was not in the mood for playful banter.
“One of ‘those’ mornings,” said Myth as she poured a cup of coffee.
I nodded my head.
Myth handed the cup to me. “Here. This will make you feel better.”
Taking the cup, I immediately sipped the coffee. Ah, I thought, that helps, but I’m still so chilly.
Myth began to prepare our breakfast.
Crack! An egg oozed its way onto the skillet. “I saw something interesting last night,” said Myth.
Crack! A second egg joined the first one on the skillet. “Middle of the night,” Myth continued, “and I woke up because I needed to pee.”
Two slices of bread joined the eggs on the skillet. “Just my luck, I thought,” said Myth. “There’s nothing worse than having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, is there?”
I shook my head, “No,” and sipped my coffee.
Myth grabbed an apple and started to slice it. “So I put on my boots and went to find a private place to, um, do my business. Oh, hang on. I need to flip the bread.”
After Myth had flipped the two bread slices, she took our plates and placed four apple slices on each one. “Anyway, I did what I needed to do. And as I walked back to camp, guess what I saw?”
I shrugged and sipped my coffee.
A piece of toast joined the apple slices on each plate. Then Myth nudged her head towards the opposite side of the fire.
I glanced in that direction and saw Bumble. The pixie had been there the whole time, slurping a liquid breakfast out of his flask.
“I saw Bumble talking to that bear, Bernice,” said Myth.
An egg joined the other food on each plate. “You remember Bernice, don’t you?” said Myth.
She handed a plate to me. “Ill-tempered? Huge? Lots of teeth?”
I nodded my head. Then I rebuked Bumble for meeting with that bear by glowering at him.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” laughed Bumble. “The middle of the night, you say? No, no, I was snoring all night long, Babe.”
Myth sat down beside me. “No. It was you. There’s only one flying pest who won’t leave us alone.”
“Ah, Babe,” replied Bumble, “it pains Bumble to say it, but you’re all beauty and no brains.”
Normally, I would have leaped to my feet, rushed over to Bumble, and slapped him so hard for saying that. But I would have had to cast aside my warm blanket in order to do that and I was so cold. So instead, I glowered at him again.
“You saw Bumble get rid of that bear,” Bumble went on. “The Frigid One did, too. So why would I meet with Bernice in the middle of the night?”
“Because you’re a cur,” said Myth bluntly.
I nodded my head in agreement.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” laughed Bumble. “I love it when you use insults, Babe. They add spice to our little game and will make Bumble’s inevitable conquest of you more enjoyable.”
I set down my plate and cracked my knuckles. Never mind how nippy the morning is, I told myself, I’m going to slap that pixie silly.
Myth put her hand on my shoulder. “Relax, Izzy. They’re just words. If he stops talking and starts touching, I’ll make him regret it.”
I grumbled, but I listened to Myth. Picking up my plate, I grabbed an apple slice and crammed it into my mouth, glowering at Bumble the whole time.
“We know that Bard is going to betray us when we find the treasure,” Myth said to me. “And based upon what I saw last night, I’d bet that Bumble will betray us, too.”
I nodded in agreement again, my mouth full of apple.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” laughed Bumble. “That’s a good joke, Babe. But trust me, I’d never betray you.”
“Uh-huh,” said Myth just before she popped an apple slice into her mouth.