Chapter 3

Dusty lied on his back and snored. Many boars despised the noise and grew irritated. Two grizzlies threatened to slit his neck. A few others disagreed and didn't mind him snoring.

As the bears argued about Dusty snoring, a sun bear crept towards him and stared at his face. He found the grizzly quite attractive and licked his cheeks. Dusty chuckled and continued sleeping. The sun bear figured he was hibernating and padded away.

After a few moments had passed, Dusty awoke and stood on all fours. The sun bear looked back and spotted him stretching. He figured he had woken the grizzly and grinned at him. Dusty stared at him in bewilderment and asked, "May I help you?"

"Yes, you may," The sun bear spoke in a gratifying manner.

As confused as he was, Dusty responded, "How may I be of assistance?"

The sun bear gazed into his eyes and insisted that he kiss him. Dusty refused to fulfill the bear's request and shook his head from side to side. The boar grew upset and crept towards a sleuth.

Dusty felt responsible and blamed himself. Perhaps they could negotiate with one another. He padded towards the bear and apologized for rejecting his offer. The sun bear grew happy and panted, as if he were basking in the sunlight on a hot summer day. Dusty noticed his long pink tongue and flinched. He had never seen a bear with such an odd tongue.

"You think I'm cute, don't you?" The sun bear assumed.

"No, that's not it."

"Then why are you staring at me?"

The grizzly mentioned the bear's strange tongue and asked, "Why is it so long?"

"I'm afraid I don't know."

He and Dusty spent most of the day chatting with one another. They had introduced themselves and knew a bit about each other.

"Twinkle, you're one fascinating bear," Dusty commented.

The sun bear gazed into his eyes and smiled. The grizzly almost forgot about Twinkle's offer. He could exchange his kiss for information. As much as he hated the idea, Dusty knew it was his only option. If the grizzly didn't escape, he might never see Flame and her friends again. The thought of it broke his heart. Therefore, Dusty cleared his throat and stared at Twinkle with a serious look in his eyes.

"Twinkle?"

"Yes cutie?"

As Twinkle imagined dating Dusty, the grizzly mentioned his kiss and requested a favor from him. The sun bear agreed to his terms and would repay him in any way he could. As Dusty began to speak, Twinkle placed a paw on his mouth and insisted that he kiss him. The grizzly couldn't refuse his offer and nodded his head. The sun bear detached his paw and awaited his kiss.

Dusty leaned forward and planted his tongue inside Twinkle's mouth. Several bears stared at them in bewilderment and cocked their heads. The two bears smooched for a few moments. Three sows grew disgusted and padded towards a large smooth boulder. After many moments had passed, Dusty and Twinkle detached their tongues. Beads of saliva trickled down the bears' pink organs and splattered the soft rich soil.

Twinkle thought of the kiss he shared with Dusty and smiled. He would always cherish this sweet moment. As the sun bear doze off, the grizzly reminded him, "I believe you owe me a favor."

The bear snapped out of his fantasy and focused his eyes on the grizzly.

"How may I be of assistance?"

"Is it possible to escape this prison?"

Twinkle thought about the question for a while. He never imagined busting out of a confined space. Could he and Dusty escape this place? And if so, where would he go? After thinking it over for a while, he came up with a solution.

"We could play dead," The bear suggested.

Dusty grew confused and cocked his head.

"What are you implying?"

Twinkle explained to the grizzly about possums and how they trick their predators by faking their deaths. Dusty realized how great the idea sounded and assumed it would work. However, the other bears figured it would backfire and grew concerned. How could such a ridiculous idea help them escape?

"You're insane!" A black bear hollered.

"Perhaps you're right," Twinkle admitted as he faced the bear.

Several bears grew angry and snarled at him. The sun bear ignored them and fixed his gaze on Dusty.

"But if Dusty and I succeed, we'll help you all escape."

Many sleuths were motivated by Twinkle's words and chanted his name. He thought of himself as a king and pictured the bears as his royal guards. Together, they would escape and experience freedom in the wilderness.

Dusty didn't quite agree with Twinkle. He never imagined escaping with all these bears. If they all played dead, many tall skinned creatures would notice. If the grizzly wished to break out of here, he could only bring Twinkle. If the sun bear refused to leave without the others, Dusty would have to form an escape plan on his own.