The two boys set off for the far end of Inkwell. Spoonfred's house was not too far from the cave that led straight to Inkwell Hell and the Devil's lair. They traveled southeast from their starting location and began to pass through the marketplace when Djimmi noticed them passing by Porkrind's Emporium. The orange genie rushed himself over to the child he was supposed to be keeping his eye on. Mugman stopped short when he saw the magical creature rushing towards him. Spoonfred fell in line with the other child's reaction. The utensil stayed behind Mug, silently hoping he wouldn't be questioned about his presence.
"Mugman!" The genie gasped in relief. "You had me worried sick!" Djimmi knelt down and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders to get across how scared he had been when the mug child had disappeared on him. His brown pipe hung down just like the corners of his mouth. "I didn't know where you'd gone or if I would find you before Elder Kettle did." He explained.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Djimmi." Mug apologized. "I just thought you would be better off without me around to mess things up.
"Well, at least you're safe. That's all that matters." An orange hand gently cuffed the little mug's shoulder as the genie stood up. It was only then did Djimmi realize someone else was with him. And that specific someone was not on the list of people he trusted.
"What are you doing here?" He hissed at Spoonfred. The utensil merely shied away as his face flushed red.
"He's with me!" Mugman said sternly. He wanted to make sure the magical being understood that the little spoon wasn't going anywhere and that they had a mission to accomplish. "We're going to convince his father that bullying is no way to treat his son!" The young mug said this with such conviction that he surprised the ancient and wise genie that stood before him. Djimmi saw that determined look in his eyes. For he had seen that look many times. It was the expression that said he was fighting for a good cause and no one could sway him otherwise. Even Kiki pressed her body against the spoon's leg, showing that she was in for the long haul too.
"I know I can't stop you boys..... so I want to join you instead." Mugman's straw stood straight up in his head at the surprising response. He had expected the genie to deter him from hanging out with Spoonfred. "Unfair treatment has been around for even longer than I have. And I've never been able to stand it. If I can help even one person be freed from its iron grip, I will." Djimmi's gaze then fell to the spoon child. "I always knew your father was tough on you, but I didn't know he actually bullied you."
The utensil stood there with eyes wide with shock. Why were these people suddenly being so nice to him? For he had done nothing to deserve such kind treatment. Nonetheless, he tried to be thankful to his new friends. He had never had a reason to be thankful to anyone. It was unusual, and even a little hard, for the little spoon to act the opposite of how he was taught. For his father was never thankful for anything. There was always something to be improved upon, according to Forkington. To never be thankful for something that could be better.
"Th-thank you." Spoonfred stuttered out. It felt weird for his mouth to be saying those words. But at the same time, there was a warm feeling in his heart. He thought that, perhaps, the warm feeling was why Mugman had always urged him to do good instead of pranking and bullying.
Kiki left the spoon's leg and trotted over to her person, letting out a mew of greeting. Djimmi held out a hand to her as she head-butted it.
"Thanks for finding him, Kiki." The genie paused before remembering the very important news he needed to tell the mug child. "Oh, that reminds me! You weren't hallucinating, Mugman! Kiki won't even go near my puppet now. Whatever is following you can use physical objects to manifest itself."
"So that means it's not just toying with my mind." Mug realized. A single finger pressed against his cheek as he strained to understand what else that might imply. "That must mean it can also be chased away! But how....?" That was the big question he had been asking himself all along: how to get rid of it?
"I'm not sure either." Djimmi confessed. "I'll do some research into it and let you know the moment I have information. In the meantime, let's help Spoonfred make things right with his father." Both boys nodded and followed the genie onward. Kiki kept pace between her person and the boys who lagged back so they could chat. Along the way, Mugman began to explain to the young spoon that some mysterious creature had been stalking him in his sleep and, more recently, his waking life.
"Sounds pretty scary!" Spoonfred admitted.
"Yeah, it sure is..." Mug said as his gaze fell to the ground.
Just then the trio heard a familiar female voice calling across the island. It belonged to Rumor Honeybottoms, the queen bee of the large hive on Inkwell. Many of her worker bees served as the police for the island. Her husband in particular was the sheriff. Rumor herself was a very large bee, even taller than Djimmi, wearing a yellow and black dress that imitates her natural stripes. One may not even realize it was a dress. She bore the usual white gloves and red lipstick on her face. Rumor wore her honey-orange crown everywhere. Even to informal events or if she was just out for a walk or casual flight. She also carried a staff that housed a jewel on top that was filled with honey which was the same color as her crown.
"Bumble? Bumble, where are you?" Rumor called out as she came into view.
"Can't find your boy, Rumor?" Djimmi said.
"No, not anywhere. He had just gone outside the hive to practice hovering. He still can't fly yet since his wings are too small. But he seems to have wandered away. Have any of you seen him?" Her voice started to become frantic. She was desperate to find her son before anything bad happened to him. For he had been away far too long for her liking. It seemed that whoever was supposed to be watching him fell asleep on the job.
"No, but we'd be happy to help you look for him." Spoonfred offered. The bee's eyes narrowed and pursed her lips when she realized whom had spoken up. And she knew that certain someone was not the most trustworthy resident on Inkwell.
"Why should I believe you?" Rumor buzzed, pointing an accusing finger his way that stopped mere inches away from his chest. "You're probably the one that lured him away from home in the first place!" Spoonfred shied away, turning a bright shade of red. The queen bee was assuming the worst of him. No doubt this was because of all those years of pranking and bullying he did to many residents of Inkwell. Mugman and Djimmi were the only ones who knew that Spoonfred wanted to make amends with those he had wronged. The young spoon would have to prove himself to everyone else.
"Spoonfred's changed now, Rumor! He wouldn't do that!" Mug tried to stick up for him.
"Maybe" She said shortly. Balled fists placed themselves on her hips. "We'll see if that's true sooner or later."
"We'll help you, Rumor." The genie reassured her. They then started about through the island calling for the young bee. The poor utensil was still a bright red. He looked very discouraged. Mugman saw this and felt the need to say something.
"Don't worry, Spoonfred. Things will get better." He reassured him. "I'm still fighting that battle, too." The young mug said with a sigh. His gaze fell to the ground as he uncomfortably rubbed his arms with his hands.
Now joined by the genie and the two boys, four voices called out for the missing toddler. Spoonfred and Mugman still hung back from the adults so that they could talk to one another without being interrogated by anyone, namely a large queen bee. The little utensil watched as the golden feline began to trail away from the group. Her head was low to the ground as her jaws opened slightly to get a full picture of whom and what had passed by the immediate area. He gently tugged on Mug's sleeve to get his attention.
"Where's the kitty going?" Spoonfred asked as if Mugman could give him a definite answer.
"I don't know." He confessed. "The last time I followed her she led me to you."
"I think we should follow her then!" Urged the spoon as he took the lead. The mug child was surprised at how valiant the utensil seemed to be. He followed his new friend without a word. Mug put a pep in his step to catch up with Spoonfred.
Meanwhile, Djimmi and Rumor had continued on for another thirty seconds before they realized the boys were not with them anymore. The magical creature also noted that his cat was gone. He was able to convince Rumor to turn back and find them first. For he knew that if the boys were following his pet, they would be going in the right direction.
Kiki led the spoon and mug towards another group of children. Mug and Spoonfred quickly realized that these were not just any kids. They were the utensil's former followers, and they seemed to be creating a tight circle around a tree.
"It's them again!" Mugman hissed. "What are they doing here?" Spoonfred saw why they surrounded the tree. A small bee child clung to one of its branches as it nervously looked down at them. Its little wings buzzed in fear of the people crowding below him. The little guy didn't have much of a stinger yet either. Thus, making him vulnerable to anyone and everyone he met. He had no means of protecting himself. The only defense he could use was to run away. And now he couldn't even do that since the children had chased him into the tree and prevented him from getting down.
"Oh no! They've trapped the little one in the tree and won't let him down!" The spoon gasped. A gloved hand pointed out the toddler while the other one urgently pulled at Mugman's shirt. "We've got to help him, Mugman!"
The young mug just smiled in his direction. Spoonfred finally noticed this and inquired why he didn't react differently.
"What?"
"I always knew you were good." Mug replied.
"Thanks. You'd be the only one." The young spoon replied humbly. He almost let himself be caught in the moment between he and the mug child and briefly forgot why they were there. "Right now, we need to help the poor little guy." Spoonfred brought himself back to reality with a shake of his head.
"I'm right behind you, Spoonfred!"
Also at that moment, Djimmi and Rumor had caught up to the boys. The queen bee nearly charged out there when she saw her son was in trouble. But the genie had another idea.
"Wait!" He whispered to her and grabbed her arm. The magical creature gently pulled her back behind the foliage they had been watching from. "Give the spoon a chance to prove himself." Rumor looked very worried at the thought of this play of events. Her grip on the honey staff tightened. She nervously tapped the orb of it against her chest.
"Don't worry! Mugman can easily protect both Spoonfred and your boy from those kids."
Mrs. Honeybottoms looked from the genie to her boy and then back. She eventually gave a reluctant nod and hid herself behind the neighboring tree.
Meanwhile, Spoonfred prepared himself to confront the bullies. A couple deep breaths helped to calm his heart rate a bit. He remembered his last encounter with his former friends and how they tossed him into the river despite the fact that they knew he couldn't swim. Fear clouded his mind as he stepped forward. The utensil slowed a little as he thought about turning back. But then he remembered his new friend. Mugman now had his back and wouldn't let these children do such a thing to him again. This thought made Spoonfred feel empowered. The little spoon took a deep breath and puffed out his chest. His neatly polished shoes stepped forward as he prepared to call them out.
"Leave him alone!" The utensil said confidently with his head held high. They all turned around in unison at their former leader's voice. The multiple sets of eyes made Spoonfred feel a bit uncomfortable. He used to have authority over these eyes. But now they instilled a sense of fear into him. They all narrowed angrily at him.
"Well, look who it is!" The bird cawed and fluttered himself to the front of the group. "You suddenly have a streak of bravery now?" Mug and Spoonfred watched as the young fowl now acted just like the spoon had done in the past. It was clear that he had made himself the new leader. And none of the other children questioned it.
"Buzz off! This doesn't concern you!" Croaked the frogs in response to their leader's attitude. They then started to chuckle to one another as they realized they had just made a bee pun.
"You're the ones who need to clear out!" Spoonfred yelled back, still holding his confident tone. "The poor boy isn't even old enough to defend himself against all of you!"
"Where's the old Spoonfred?"
"Yeah, where's that spark?"
"He's going soft!" They all jeered.
The two frogs were the first ones to accept this as a challenge. For they did not believe the utensil would really stand up to all of them. That it would back down as soon as they showed signs of aggression.
"And what are you going to do? Beat us up?" They challenged. Without warning, the two scaly green bodies hopped forward and pushed the spoon child to the ground.
"Ugh!" He cried out as they went to pin his arms. Mugman wasted no time in pulling the amphibians off him. Patches of slimy skin bunched up under his gloved fingers as he lifted them off the ground like punished children. Mug looked at each one before tossing them to the ground face first. The young frogs slid along the ground as if they had just done a face plant. They then picked themselves off the ground and scampered back to the safety of the group. It was less likely for them to get hurt if they were within a group, they thought.
"Maybe not me." Spoonfred replied. "But he sure can!" The spoon child boasted as he picked himself off the ground. Mugman and he stood side by side as they quickly came up with a plan.
"I'll chase them away while you go get Rumor's boy." The little mug explained. He figured that if Spoonfred went to save Bumble it would make him look good in front of Rumor and anyone else who might be watching. Better to let the other child have the praise since his spirits were pretty low at that point.
"You got it, Mugman!" The spoon replied and dashed forward, passing the group of children that had begun to charge towards them. Mug made his eyes glow bright yellow as he stared fearlessly in their direction. They all stopped on the spot. The mug's menacing eyes were a reminder of what he could possibly do to them.
"Run away now and no one gets hurt!" He warned. But they all just watched him. It was as if they were frozen in fear and could not react otherwise.
"I said now!" Mugman roared as he slammed two glowing fists down on the grass. Very few noticed that the foliage he touched started to turn black with decay. Most of them just started to run off in a panic. The young bird, who had hung back, could only watch as his flock abandoned him. Still a stubborn and persistent little fowl, he averted his attention to the spoon that had started to climb the tree. Spoonfred made his way to the very branch that Bumble clung to. He started to crawl along it when the bee toddler tensed up and vibrated his wings. These vibrations made a buzzing noise that said he was trying to ward off any threats. The utensil stopped and swayed a bit when he realized he was scaring the boy.
"It's okay, little guy. I'm going to help you get down." He softly explained to the bee. A gloved hand began to reach out for the toddler.
"Oh, no you won't!" Came the bird's voice. Spoonfred looked to his right only to be greeted by an angry face and outstretched talons. The feathery body bowled into the young spoon, nearly knocking him off the branch. Poor Spoonfred merely hung on with his hands. He knew they would slip off if he couldn't get himself back up on the branch and quickly. Using all of the upper body strength that he had, the utensil started to hoist his head and chest up to the shaking tree limb. Spoonfred was almost out of breath just from the effort of trying to save his own self.
The young bird landed himself on the branch. It gave a bone chilling cracking sound as the extra weight was added. Both Bumble and the spoon looked alarmed. Spoonfred in particular was looking for where the creaking was originating. That way he could avoid that spot if necessary. The blue and red fowl, on the other hand, did not looked worried in the least bit. In fact, it gave a wicked smile at the thought of the other two falling. For he would not be in danger because he could just fly away. The clawed feet began to jump up and down, purposely trying to break the branch now. Spoonfred slid back down to where only his hands were grasping the wood structure. He looked to his left to see the young bee having a hard time holding on. The spoon suddenly felt more concerned about the toddler instead of himself. Somehow he found the strength to shimmy himself toward the bee that buzzed desperately for help. He watched as Bumble began to lose his grip as well. His feet slipped off followed by his lower body. A surge of panic flooded through Spoonfred. The utensil attempted to speed up his movements to prevent the small child from falling. Once he got close enough, the spoon brazenly let go with one hand to catch the black and yellow body that was about to plummet to the ground.
Kiki, who had been watching the series of events play out, now started to become concerned about what might happen if they fell. She gave a sharp meow in the young mug's direction. Mugman had finished up making sure the rest of the bullies weren't coming back as he turned his head to see what was going on. A slender, golden tail flicked in the direction of the branch. Mug gasped and started to rush forward. He watched as the bee child slipped off the branch.
"I've gotcha!" Spoonfred called out as he tried to tuck the child into his chest. One more jump from the bird caused the spoon to lose his grip. They then began to fall. The sterling silver body curled around the fragile toddler to protect it from impact. Spoonfred screamed and prepared for the worst. Mugman positioned himself under the falling lump only to get taken off his feet by the children.
"Oof!" He grunted as he fell onto his back with the other two sprawled across his torso. Mug's eyes squeezed shut as his back absorbed the brunt of the blow. A numbing sensation rippled throughout his backside. His teeth gritted as he tried hard not to make a noise of pain. Spoonfred, on the other hand, stopped screaming when he realized that the impact did not hurt nearly as much as he thought it would. The utensil then realized why this had been.
"You saved me again, Mugman!" He praised and started to uncurl his body.
"Don't mention it." The mug child grunted. Even Bumble realized that he and the spoon would have been injured if not for Mugman. He buzzed his wings to get their attention. Mug opened up his eyes to see the bee toddler crawling towards his face. A small four-fingered hand reached out and gently squeezed his nose. The two children gave a sigh of relief that the boy had been rescued and unharmed.
Meanwhile, the bird realized that the mug would not be happy if it got up to find that he was still around. Better to leave while they're still down, he thought.
"I'm just gonna slip outta here!" It squeaked to itself. The fowl glided down from the tree and started running off.
"Oh, no you won't!" Came Djimmi's voice as the two adults made their presence known. Rumor and the genie blocked the young bird's path who stopped on the spot. Despite his shocked expression, he stood with his wings open in a protective stance. Djimmi crossed his arms across his chest while the queen put balled hands on her hips. They both stared at him with looks of anger and disbelief.
"Young man, does your father know you've been doing this?" Rumor interrogated as she pointed an accusing finger in his direction. The fowl did not know how to respond. It merely stayed silent with its beak wide open in surprise that he had been caught.
"I'll make sure Wally knows exactly what you've been up to, I can promise you that." The genie said sternly as a puff of smoke emitted from his pipe. Being punished was a certainty in Wally's nest for misbehaving in any sort of way. The little bird was sure that he would be down a few tail feathers once his father was done with him. "Home! Now! I'll be seeing you again later." The magical creature assured him. Djimmi watched as the bird hung its head in shame as it shuffled its way home.
Mrs. Honeybottoms averted her attention to the lump of children still by the tree. The queen rushed over to them as they began to untangle themselves from the pile and stand up. Spoonfred pulled himself to his feet with the toddler still in his hands.
"My boy!" Rumor cried. "Is he okay?"
"He's right here! And completely unharmed!" The young spoon held out the child to its mother. It hovered a couple feet to the queen bee's arms. The wings flapped and buzzed just as fast as they could go. His wings continued to buzz loudly as he happily nuzzled into his mother's arms.
"Bumble! My darling! Thank you, boys!" She praised, sounding just as happy as her son's vibrating noises conveyed. Mugman finally pushed himself up off the ground to join the conversation. He brushed himself off a couple times before looking to the queen bee. Mug was ready to take the praise, too. But he felt that he would be a better person if he let Spoonfred take it instead. As much as he longed for approval, he knew the spoon needed it more.
"Thank Spoonfred!" He said, pushing the utensil forward. "He's the one who bravely climbed the tree to get him!" Both of the children smiled humbly in queen Honeybottoms' presence.
"Thank you, Spoonfred! I'm sorry I doubted you, son." Rumor said, realizing she had been too quick to judge him.
"It's okay. I don't blame you for doubting me." The young spoon replied uneasily. He may have made a friend in Rumor, but that still didn't change the fact that he still had to confront his father. That thought loomed over him like a dark cloud that just grew bigger and bigger. Mrs. Honeybottoms saw this unhappy look on his face.
"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"I don't think so. I just need to go talk to my father now." He said reluctantly. Bumble saw that his savior was unhappy and wanted to do something about it. The bee toddler squirmed from his mother's arms up onto her shoulder. His wings chattered away as if he were saying something to her.
"Yes, dear. That's a good idea." She replied to him. Rumor then averted her attention to the spoon child. "We will come along and help be support for you."
"You will?" Spoonfred gasped in surprise.
"See how much people will do for you when you're nice to them?" Mugman urged his new friend, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder. Tears started to well up in the utensil's eyes at the thought of having real friends that actually cared about him. He tried his best to choke them back as he thanked these kind folks.
"Thank you! Thank you, all of you!" He beamed.