Marsh resented the way how Choco suggested they hunt for food like real men should. He should have convinced him more to go pick some fruits from trees and bushes instead of getting their lives at risk, but Choco insisted they go hunt because it’s more fun and fulfilling way to get food.

And that wasn’t the worst part just yet.

“Choco… I don’t want to do this anymore.” Marsh was sweating like crazy.

“We’ve got no choice, Marsh.” He replied, “It’s important you realize that a bait is the most necessary tool in hunting, it helps lure the prey out from hiding.”

“I know that, I JUST DON’T WANT TO BE THE BAIT!”

“Calm down. I promise I’ll capture the candymal by the time it dares to approach you.”

“Is it even necessary to tie me up with this licorice vine!?” Marsh squirmed; he can’t even be rid of the licorice vine tying him both his arms and legs down. Strangely enough, Choco was sure talented in this area.

“Just making sure that you won’t run away.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Marsh started panicking, he can’t trust Choco anymore. He kept squirming like a gummy worm, but no matter how much he tried, the vines never came loose. Then he heard rustling from the cotton candy bushes, frozen in fear, Marsh held his breath and stares at the bush.

“Grrr…” and finally, the beast appeared.

Marsh shut his eyes in fear and started trembling. He started to think how this beast will kill him. Will it bite off his head? Tear him to shreds? Eat him from foot to head? Without much of a choice, he tried to call for his pal.

“C-Choco! Choco, help me!” His so-called friend didn’t respond, and when the beast ran towards him, he let out a deafening scream. “AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

Just when the beast was about to attack, Choco jumped out the bushes and pierced the beast with his mighty sword. “I caught it!” He claims, “wait, what the crumb! This tiny little thing won’t be enough for both of us.”

Marsh opened his eyes and saw Choco holding a gnawbit, a little critter with a very aggressive attitude. It’s very territorial and often attack other creatures that sets foot in its territory, it will chase out other candymals by gnawing their targets, hence the name. These little creatures are made out of taffy that’s difficult to chew unless boiled in milk or kneaded.

“I got scared of that!?” He yelled in disbelief, seeing the little thing that made him scream on top of his lungs.

Choco chuckled and jiggled the gnawbit carcass on his hands. “They may seem small, but I heard their little bites are something. I had a friend who I went to hunt with before, he underestimated one of these little things and it bit him. Then he had to live with a gnawbit bitemark on his left arm for months until it faded.”

Uninterested by his story, Marsh gave him an impatient look. “Just get me out of these vines already.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

When he was finally free, he took the gnawbit carcass from Choco’s hands to examine it carefully. “I doubt this will fill our stomachs.”

“I just said that… you want to go hunt for more?” Choco grinned.

“Oh sure! I’d like to get myself tied up and become bait again–OF COURSE I DON’T!”

“Welp, I tried.” He shrugged his shoulder.

Then out of nowhere, another gnawbit appeared. Choco pointed it out to Marsh excitedly. “Look! There’s another one!”

Marsh also notice another gnawbit appeared. “And another one… and another one over there, and over there… there’s a whole bunch of ‘em.”

Gnawbits kept appearing here and there, looking at Marsh and Choco with such hostility. They both realized what these gnawbit are here for, and Choco slowly put down the gnawbit carcass and taken a step back. “H-Hey there little fellas, we mean no harm!”

Marsh laughed nervously. “Y-Yeah! We just played with your friend over here, and he got tired and… and…”

One of the gnawbits checked the carcass and announced something to its group. “Squeak.” Rough translation: She’s dead.

Then another gnawbit stepped forward and stood up right, looking at its fellow gnawbits. “SQUUUEEEAAAKK!!!” Rough translation: CAPTURE THEM!!!

As soon as the gnawbits started chasing them, both Marsh and Choco ran as fast as they could. Even though the little critters were small, they were sure faster than anyone could suspect.

Things got into something far worse in Marsh’s case, for someone unathletic and weak as him, he can’t keep up with Choco’s pace. The gnawbits are starting to close their gap with Marsh and that gave him that adrenaline boost to run a bit faster for a few seconds.

“This is all your fault! I told you we should’ve picked fruits instead of hunting!” He even managed to blame Choco in the midst of this race.

“What!? You agreed along with me, so you’re to blame as well!”

“I never AGREED! You FORCED me!!”

“Marsh! This is no time for the blame game, we need to–“

“SQUEEEAAAK!!!” Rough translation: WE’LL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS!

“RUUUN!!!”

The gnawbits were relentless. To think they would go so far to destroy their enemies for the sake of their fellow gnawbits that fell victim to such large and dangerous creatures. Even a gummy bear won’t stand a chance when facing a whole clan of gnawbits with their tiny but forceful bites.

When Marsh couldn’t run any longer, his legs betrayed him and slowed down from running. Choco noticed and called out to his friend. “Marsh! Don’t give up now!”

He was out of breath and can barely reply, and that was it. Marsh gave up running and stood there accepting his fate. The gnawbits were finally closing the gap until Choco ran back to Marsh, grabbing his hand to drag him along like a fluttering cloth in the wind.

Both of their fate rests on Choco’s hands now.

He was just as tired, but he was physically better than Marsh. He never stopped running, and he soon reached the borders of Cotton Candy Forest and finally entered the Rainbow Taffy Ground.

He looked back to see the gnawbits stop on their tracks when they realized they were out of their territories.

Choco stopped running as well. “Yes, yes! They finally stopped chasing us! Marsh, look!... Marsh?”

H glanced at his pal, and Marsh looked all worn out and slept instantly on the taffy ground. Apparently, Choco’s legs gave out as well. “Huh? What’s happening to me?” Slowly, he kneeled down and laid to the ground, losing consciousness from the exhausting gnawbit chase.

Then by the time Choco woke up, the surroundings are already getting dark, he then heard a faint sound of someone crying. He got up from the ground and tried to find Marsh, he found him crying behind a Nougat Oak Tree nearby. He was taken aback to see Marsh cry for the very first time, he wasn’t sure how to comfort him as well considering that he was the youngest and only son in his family. So he never experienced consoling a younger brother before.

He sat down awkwardly beside Marsh and stayed quiet while listening to his cries. It took him a moment before he finally gathered the courage to speak to him. “Hey there bud… uhh, what’s the matter?”

“…” Marsh can’t bring himself to look at Choco after what he has done. “I’m sorry…” He uttered.

“For what?”

“…for being dead weight. I gave up running half way through all that gnawbit chase… I even threw away all our stuff when the gummy bear showed up… I’m sorry for being so useless.”

Choco understood the pity party that Marsh was going through, though he doesn’t know the exact words that can help make him feel better. Marsh continued talking as the words kept running out his mouth. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this. I never should have run away from home… my father’s right, I am a failure no matter what I try to do.”

That statement caught Choco off guard, he knows about kids running away from home had something to do with family issues, but he never expected Marsh to have issues this deep. He pats him on the back and tried to give a reassuring smile. “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. Don’t let your father’s words get through to you either, I don’t think you’re a failure.”

Marsh slapped Choco’s hand away. “I’m not asking you to comfort me, Choco. What I’m trying to say here is that you’re better off without me, I’ll be nothing but deadweight for you if you keep me by your side.”

“…that’s not true.” Choco refused to let him think that way, “Honestly, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it this far. I attempted to run away as many times before, but I was never successful until I met you.”

Marsh felt speechless as Choco continued, “I think you’re right; you are a failure. You ran away from home because you couldn’t stand the way your father thinks about you. You couldn’t stand the insufferable life you lived, even though there are others who has it much worse than you… so you are a failure, a sore loser. I can say that I’m not any different, you know. So, I guess, we’re both failures. Woah, am I making any sense here?” He chuckled.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Marsh said, dismayed by his speech.

Choco waved off the thought as he laughed. “Oh whatever! The point is, we never would have made it this far without the other. I’ll just leave it at that.”

“Fine, that will do.” Marsh wiped his face with his arm and tried to smile.

“Alright! Now that that’s over with, it’s time we conquer Rainbow Taffy Grounds!–“ Choco’s stomach grumbled, “–but first, food!”