Not Out Of The Woods Yet

Chapters

Chapter the First: Waking Up
Chapter the Second: Breaking Free
Chapter the Third: The Sickness
Chapter the Fourth: The Land Will Provide
Chapter the Fifth: Blood in the Water
Chapter the Sixth: The Wolf
Chapter the Seventh: Flotation
Chapter the Eighth: Reclaimed
Chapter the Ninth: The Ranger
Chapter the Tenth: Going Home
Chapter the Eleventh: Warm Embrace

Chapter the First: Waking Up

Venny's head hit something hard, waking the little unicorn from his slumber. He looked around, instinctively trying to find out what hit him, only to find that he couldn't see anything. With a soft light from his horn, he found that his nightmare had been real. He was tied up inside a sack, and by the wobble he was feeling, tossed in the back of a carriage.

Venny was a gifted young unicorn, having breezed through magic kindergarten without any real effort. Like most children, he wanted to be like his parents, and his father was a very powerful wizard, and self-taught. Wanting to be just like him, Venny had already studied practical magic use and fine control, under the watchful eye of his mother's close friends. He was light brown in colouration, with a dark brown mane and his mother's green eyes. He looked more like his uncle than his father, but nopony really noticed.

Suddenly, the carriage came to a stop. Venny put out his light and stayed quiet. He didn't want to risk aggravating the ponies that had foal-napped him. The sack he was in was lifted into the air and presumably slung over a shoulder. He lost his balance immediately, as he no longer had a flat surface to rest against. The bag shifted around with every movement, and he eventually found a comfortable position lying on his back.

"What happened to you?" called a female voice, following the loud squeak of a poorly oiled hinge.

The bag shifted, meaning the carrier had shifted positions. "You never told me the little one had teeth. Little brat nearly ripped my throat out..."

This statement was met with laughter from two other voices, one male and one female. The male spoke next. "What's the matter, Slim? Can't handle a wee toddler?"

A third and final male voice came from behind Venny. "He was a flurry of teeth. The kid's no joke. Don't underestimate him."

"You, too, Red Line?" said the female. "What kind of pansies are you? Scared of a little colt..."

"Did you at least manage to leave the note?" asked the male that had already been inside.

"Yeah, obviously we left the note," grumbled Red Line. "We want to be paid, don't we? Fat load of good the foal-napping would be if we didn't leave a ransom note..."

"Good. Now dump the kids in the back. When you're done, there's a sandwich in the fridge for each of you."

Venny felt movement again as he was carried to what must have been 'the back.' He was dropped onto a concrete floor, and heard another bag being dropped nearby. Suddenly, there was a ripping sound as a very large, very threatening knife was stabbed through the top of the bag, only just missing his mane. Light flooded in as the bag opened and he found himself in an olde-timey prison cell.

"Back against the wall!" ordered the knife-wielding stallion, pointing with the tip of his blade. Not wanting to find out what the blade felt like, Venny scurried back against the wall as ordered. Pressed against the cinderblocks, he watched as the second bag was carefully opened. Slowly, as the hole became wide enough, the knife was stowed away and he bag was torn open.

The instant the hole was wide enough, Perry leaped out of the bag, clamping his sharp teeth back onto the green stallion's shoulder, tearing through the bandages with reckless abandon. Once again, it took the efforts of both stallions to peel him off, and when they had, the injured one dashed out of the cell as fast as he could. The red one, who was now holding Perry firmly by the neck, inched to the door with the fighting colt bashing away at whatever his tiny hooves could reach. They were nowhere near as damaging as his teeth had been.

When he reached the door, Perry was tossed into the middle of the room, and the door was quickly slammed shut before he could scramble to his hooves. Blood dripping from his maw, he snarled at his captors, keeping his head low and his movements slow and deliberate. He was perhaps the most terrifying three-year-old in all of Equestria.

Once the stallions left, Perry stood back up and walked over to Venny. He looked over his adoptive brother silently. Seeming to be satisfied, he lay down next to him, his eyes fixed on the door.

Venny looked down at Perry's neck. A fresh bruise was beginning to form right beneath his jaw. Slowly and gently, he placed a hoof on the colt's shoulder. "Are you alright?" Perry nodded in response but said nothing. His eyes stayed on the door. "Don't worry, Per. Dad's going to save us. He's the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria. Don't you worry."

Perry wasn't listening. He'd been in a cage for two thirds of his life before Kai had come to rescue him. He'd bitten Kai, too, but Kai had returned with an offering of food. He was a good pony.

Kai wasn't here, though. Perry felt bad about the way he'd originally treated Kai, especially now that he'd given him a bed and three meals daily. He couldn't ask Kai to come to his rescue again. Not this soon. This time, he would earn Kai's love. And to do that, he'd rescue his real son.

Finally, his gaze broke from the cell door. He turned to look at Venator again. His older brother looked back at him. He took a deep breath, and snorted a puff of smoke into the air. He was supposed to be half dragon, but he had yet to figure out how to breathe fire. All he had to prove this claim was a set of sharp teeth. This wouldn't be an easy escape.

A few hours passed. Venny had taken to pacing along the wall, but Perry had remained stationary. His eyes were locked on the door, but his mind was aglow with a conversation with his inner voice. With all of the information available, he was trying to devise a plan for escape. Unfortunately, there really wasn't anything to work with. If he could breathe fire properly, He could melt the lock. These bars were iron, but the latches inside the mechanism probably had some aluminum pieces. Then there was a wooden door against the far wall that had a barred window. It looked like it lead outside. If he could melt the lock and burn a hole in the door, they could be outside. But then what?

The front door opened, and a young mare came inside. She was a sharp yellow with a deep blue mane and eyes. She didn't say a word, instead just slipping a tray under the door and tossing through the bars a small loaf of bread and two half-pint cartons of milk. Then she walked out, turning off the lights on the way.

The sun was still up for another hour, so they could see well enough to eat their dinner. It was the first food and drink they'd been given all day. Venny tore the bread in half and sat down next to Perry. Not a word was shared between them, but they did enjoy each other's company. It was all they could do at this point.

Chapter the Second: Breaking Free

The next two days passed slowly for the boys. They sat in their cell, not doing much of anything, just waiting for the evening when their meals would be tossed at them. While Perry knew this kind of life intimately, being locked away was wearing down on Venny's mind. He'd never known this kind of life before. He was beginning to break down, Perry could see it in his eyes.

On the fourth day, Perry had concocted his plan, and sprung into action. The mare that delivered their food didn't believe that she was in any danger. In a rather hefty gamble, when she came in to deliver their daily meal, he latched onto her foreleg and dragged her closer to the bars. Locking his jaw, he hoped this would be enough to distract her as he used his magic to snatch the keyring from her vest pocket, and toss them in the direction of the opposite cell. She couldn't be allowed to see this.

She managed to break his grip by bashing his head against the iron bars to the cell. As she limped away, both of them took a piece of the other with them. Perry had torn off a hefty chunk of skin, and part of one of his teeth had broken off inside of her wrist. She quickly left the room and turned off the light.

Venny carefully approached Perry. "What was that all about?" he asked, frightened by his brother's outburst. "Why did you do that? We're going to be punished for what you did."

Perry spat out the clump of yellow skin and turned to Venny. Tilting his head to the side, he motioned for Venny to look out into the opposite cell, where the keys had fallen. Unfortunately, Venny couldn't see anything, as the room was too dark.

"What are you trying to point out to me?" asked Venny, trembling. "What are you trying to say?"

Perry's horn took in a soft blue glow, which quickly faded. He was out of energy. Luckily, it was enough to tip off Venny. With a bit of magic, he lifted the keys out of the opposite cell and brought them over into theirs. Lifting the key ring and trying the first key in the lock, he found that it wouldn't turn. Nor would the second. Not until the fifth key did he find one that undid the latch on their door. When the door was opened, they crept out of the cell and moved to the doorway the mare had disappeared through. They peered out, seeing the two stallions that had captured them, and a black one with a white mane that they'd never interacted with before. They were all turned away, sitting at a table, focusing on their card game. Unfortunately, leaving this way meant walking right past them, and that wasn't an option. Perry directed Venny's attention to the nearby wall, where Red Line's knife hung in its scabbard. Climbing on his brother's back, Perry was able to unlatch it and pull it down, just as the mare came out to rejoin the card game.

"You weren't kidding about that little one," she said, favoring her rather severely injured wrist, which was now all bandaged up. "He's a violent one. We should have asked for more money. At this point, the ransom's barely going to cover our medical bills. There won't be anything left over when we're done."

"You let me worry about that," chuckled the black stallion. "Remember, I'm the brains of this outfit. When Kai shows up, I'll triple the asking price. That tiny colt is a biological jackpot. We wouldn't want rumours about him plotting to take over the world spreading around, would we?"

Red Line laughed. "You're a mad genius, Dark Flash. Just brilliant."

Venny swallowed hard. He didn't know what the asking price was, but he knew his father only had a limited amount of power. He looked back down at where Perry had been, but Perry had already left. He'd gone to the wooden back door, and was trying to cut a hole in it. The jagged edge on the back of the knife made a very good saw, and the wooden door was fairly old. It didn't take long to cut a hole big enough to squeeze through. Grabbing the loaf of bread and milk cartons from the cell, Venny squeezed through the gap first, and Perry followed after. They were in a wooded area, and it was after sunset.

"Any ideas where we are, Perry?" Perry shook his head in response. "Any clues as to which way home is?" Again, the answer was no. "Is there anything you are sure of?"

This time, there was a nod. Perry set off into the dark of the woods, strapping the knife he'd stolen around his shoulder in the same way that Red Line had worn it. He had no idea where he was headed, but the voice in his head told him to just pick a direction and go that way. Eventually, they would find a river, or something, and that would lead them back to civilization. From there, they could find out how to go home. The direction he picked was exactly the opposite direction of the foal-nappers.

Venny followed close behind, illuminating the way as best he could with the light from his horn. He hadn't stopped to wonder why they hadn't nullified his magic, but now that he was actively using it, he wanted to know why they had skipped such a crucial step. His best guess was that they'd forgotten, or perhaps they were unaware that he could use advanced magic. He was only six years of age, after all. Regardless, he wasn't about to go back and ask them.

They walked for several hours, eventually stopping when Perry held up a hoof. He was exhausted, having expended much of his stored energy breaking them out. It was after midnight, not that they could tell, so it was as good a time as any to consider going to bed for the night. There was a freshly fallen tree nearby, its branches still covered in green, coniferous needles providing a good cover to keep them hidden for the night, just in case their foal-nappers caught up with them. Using the knife as a spade, he dug a small hole underneath the trunk, big enough to keep them safe from wild animals.

They split the bread Venny had carried with them all this way, and drank their milk. Until they found a water source, and some way of finding food, this was to be their final sustenance. They had to make it count. They fell asleep shortly thereafter, not to wake again until the sun was already in the sky above.

Chapter the Third: The Sickness

Venny awoke the next morning to a sore back. He and Perry had been leaning against each other when they'd exhausted themselves, rather than lying flat on the ground, so all night long, gravity had been compressing their spines. He tried to gently lay Perry down on the ground while he had a look around, but an unsteady hoof accidentally dropped the little colt, and he woke up, as well.

"Sorry about that, little bro," groaned Venny, shifting to his hooves. As he bent forward, several of his joints popped, and he felt a bit better. He poked his head out of the shelter and looked around. He saw no signs of being followed, which suited him just fine. He'd also lost his bearings on which direction they'd come from, and which direction they were going. He hoped Perry would remember. He didn't like the idea of walking in circles, and he really didn't like the idea of returning to the cell.

He heard some light coughing, and returned to Perry. On closer inspection, his eyes were a bit hazy and he was sweating. It was chilly in the forest right now, being early spring. The only reason Perry should be sweating is if he'd exerted himself, or if he was sick. Placing his hoof against Perry's forehead, he found it was hot. He had a fever.

Venny took his brother by the hoof and lead him out of the shelter. "We have to bring you home, Per. You're sick. Do you remember which direction we were going?"

Perry nodded and started walking. Judging by the morning sun peeking over the canopy, they'd been headed northeast. The only reason Perry was sure is that he'd specifically dug out their hole for the night facing the direction they were going. He took the lead, as he was the one with the knife and the sharp teeth. If they ran into anything, he would be the most useful defender. Venny was fine with following, anyway. If Perry collapsed, he wanted to be alerted right away.

Their pace wasn't a brisk one, but they were making progress. By noon, though, they had to stop and rest. Rather, Perry had to stop and rest. He'd begun to feel even worse as time went on, and every joint in his body ached now. He panted as he sat down, unable to help himself, as they hadn't found any water, and they weren't familiar with the edible forage around here, wherever here may have been. Venny checked Perry's forehead again, and after wiping away the sweat, found that he was burning up. His fever was worse now than ever.

They hadn't been resting longer than five minutes when they heard the galloping of nearby hooves. Turning to face the direction the sound was coming from, they saw a black stallion with white hair running right at them, horn aglow and a fierce scowl on his face. It was Dark Flash, the self-purported brains behind the foal-napping. He'd found them.

Venny slung Perry's body over his shoulder and ran as fast as he could. He couldn't let the stallion catch them, or they'd be severely punished for breaking out of the cell. He didn't want to imagine what fate would befall them if they were caught; he knew it'd be bad. To that end, he ran as fast as his little legs could take him.

The next moment was fairly predictable. Flash, being a fully-grown unicorn stallion, was much faster than the six-year-old colt carrying another colt on his shoulders. In less than a minute, he'd grabbed Venny by the tail, and had secured Perry in his magic.

Once lifted into the air, Venny was completely useless. He may have had advanced magic for his age, but even ponies twice his age usually didn't have access to combat-centric spells yet. Unless one was seeking them out, it wasn't generally taught. On top of that, Perry was the one holding the knife, and Venny couldn't reach it. He couldn't even use his magic to grab it because Flash's magic was interfering.

Flash held Perry right in front of him, too far away to let him use his teeth. "You've caused me an inordinate amount of trouble," he growled. "I was going to give you back to that self-important prick who adopted you when he brought the money, but now I think I'll send him a piece, just to make him squirm a bit."

The sudden activity and subsequent sudden stop had not done well for Perry's well-being, and he was feeling very nauseated and lethargic. As his mouth began to water, he knew he was about to vomit, and his defiant feelings toward the stallion took hold of him. He kept his face trained on the stallion, took a deep breath, and relaxed.

What happened next came as a surprise to everyone involved. What came from Perditor's mouth was not the half-digested bread from the night prior. It was more akin to phlegm. It all shot out in one powerful burst, drenching Flash's face and chest in the yellow fluid. If that were all it was, Flash might have dropped them, and had to catch them again after wiping his face off, but there was something unusual about this particular bile. It was on fire.

Venny and Perry fell to the ground, having been dropped by the now-burning stallion. They showed their wisdom by taking off immediately. Thankfully, expelling all of that napalm had released something in Perry, and he found the energy to carry himself. Having kept track of the direction they'd been going, they continued east, until they were sure they'd broken his line of sight, at which point they immediately turned north.

After an adrenaline-fueled half hour run, they found themselves at the bank of a river. It flowed from the northwest, turned, and began flowing northeast. This was a southern push before it headed out. Perry thought it would probably take them closer to home if they went upstream, as rivers flowing east meant they were very likely on the eastern side of Equestria, and Canterlot was probably west from here. That said, it was also closer to where the foal-nappers were looking for them, so he waded into the freezing water and let it carry him downstream. Venny followed suit.

After a few hours of gently floating down the river, the water began to quicken. There were likely rapids coming up shortly, and with a quick tug, Perry pulled Venny to the northern shore. Stepping out of the water, he realized that he'd made a serious mistake. Venny wasn't as warm-blooded as he was, and his hooves were shaking violently as they stepped onto the rocky northern shore. Shaking themselves dry, they moved into the forest, making sure they didn't stray too far from the river. That was their ticket home, and losing it would be bad news. They couldn't find another recently fallen tree, but they found a few bushes that were clustered together. Perry dug out a hole before the sun had even set, and they huddled together for the night, this time making sure to sleep on their sides. Perry made sure to hold Venny's hooves close to his body. He was freezing, and they were still soaking wet. He didn't want his older brother to end up sick.

Chapter the Fourth: The Land Will Provide

Perry was the first to awaken the following morning. He was still a bit damp, but the nearby river provided enough humidity to ensure that was the case. At any rate, Venny was all warmed up now, and quietly snoring next to him. He looked very peaceful, almost the same as what he looked like when sleeping at home. Considering they were sheltering under two bushes and covered head to tail in mud, that was quite the feat.

As Perry pulled away, Venny pulled him back. It was an unconscious movement, but it was endearing nonetheless. He pulled a little harder and managed to wrench himself free from his brother's grasp. He needed to be separate for this.

He looked carefully up and down the riverbank, checking to see if they'd been followed. Thankfully, there was nopony around to see him. After moving down to the water to have a sip, he remembered back to yesterday. It may have been a chunky, mucous mess, but he had managed to spit out fire. It was possible now. If he could figure out how, that would be very helpful to them. Or to him, at least. Perry could eat meat to stay healthy. Venny might not be so lucky.

He took a deep breath. As he pushed it out, he tried to replicate what he thought might have happened. All he managed was a torrent of black smoke. It disappeared as quickly as it arrived, dissipating into the air. He tried a few more times, to no avail. Only after half an hour did he manage a single lick of flame.

Venny had stirred from his slumber, and had been watching him for a few minutes. As he approached, he saw the tiny fire light up Perry's lips. "That was really cool, Perry." Perry turned his attention to Venny and stood up. "Like uncle Storm and Somber do, right?"

Perry nodded. Of the three half-dragons that had been rescued that day, Perry was the only one that couldn't yet breathe fire regularly. Granted, he was also the youngest, but he needed the ability now, or he wouldn't be able to cook anything, even if they managed to catch something edible. It was quite irksome to be in need of something so vital, and not have the capability.

"So, what's the plan, now?" queried Venny. "I don't want to go back in the water unless we have to."

Perry shook his head. He took another drink from the river, prompting Venny to do the same. They were no longer dehydrated, But Venny was still cold, and they were both still hungry.

The duo followed the north bank of the river, twisting where it curved and following where it guided them. Every so often, they'd stop to drink. The cold water was refreshing and clear, and loaded with minerals. By noon, they were feeling much better than the day before. That wasn't saying much, as twenty four hours prior, they'd been held aloft by an angry unicorn, but this was almost pleasant.

Venny's stomach growled audibly. Perry's had been going off all day, but he couldn't do anything about it. He saw some familiar foliage, but what he recognized wasn't safe to eat. He didn't see anything that was confirmed safe to eat. Then, as they reached the bottom of a waterfall, he saw it. A small pool, filled with brown trout.

He stopped in his tracks, licking his lips as he watched the delicious fish swim around among the rocks. He tried again to conjure up a flame, this time succeeding after only a few tries. He kept going eventually being able to put forth enough energy to create a small blaze.

"You did it, Perry!" clapped Venny excitedly. "You made a fire!"

Perry turned to his brother and put a hoof to his lips. He understood that he was happy, but he needed to keep quiet. They might still be under pursuit. With an affirmative nod, Venny quieted down. Perry offered him the knife and motioned toward the forest.

"You want a campfire?" asked Venny. "Why?" Perry poined down into the water, showing Venny the fish. "You're going to catch a fish, and cook it?" Perry nodded. "Do you know how to do that?" Perry shrugged.

Venny looked down at the knife. He saw how sharp it looked, and to be honest, it scared him. If he was careful, though, he could probably do something decent with it. He took the knife, being very careful not to cut himself, or his brother. That would be disastrous.

He nodded. "You can count on me, Perry." He made his way into the woods, taking care to keep track of where he was going, so he could find his way back. There were plenty of trees, and he didn't know what to look for to make firewood. He decided that he didn't want to hurt the trees, so when he found something dead, he was happy with that. Using the backside of the knife, he sawed through a few branches, which he stacked off to the side. He even found a vine that he could pull down and use as rope. Tying the branches together, he dragged them back to the river. He ended up a fair way downstream from where he'd set out, but he was able to find Perry again and drag the branches to him.

While Venny had been sawing through branches, Perry had been working on catching the fish. He'd started by trying to grab them, but they slipped through his hooves too easily. He would have tried to spear them, but he'd given Venny the knife before he'd made one, so that was not an option at this juncture. After several attempts, the voice in his head had told him to trust his instincts, which meant fishing with his teeth. Perry was a bit skeptical, especially with the pain of a broken tooth, but it had worked. As he'd made his way out of the water, he glanced back at the waterfall. There was a small cave behind it; perhaps that would be a good place to rest.

When they came together, the brothers worked together to drag the dried branches into the opening. They only just fit through. The cavern was oddly dry for being behind a waterfall. There was a lot of cold moisture in the air, but that would soon change. First, they had to start their fire.

Venny had game camping with his father exactly once, but he'd asked lots of questions about the campfire. He knew to start with small stuff and work up from there, and he knew that dry was better than green. He had no idea what that last part meant, as the subject changed immediately after. Still, he knew what small stuff was. He began breaking down the easier branches into kindling.

Perry began cutting the fish in half. A lot of the organs fell out; he just tossed those into the stream. A carnivorous fish would come along at some point and eat them. He didn't know that he was supposed to scale it, but he didn't much care for the skin, so that came off, as well, negating the need to do so. He didn't want to think about eating the head, either. Something about that just didn't feel right. It, too disappeared downriver.

He lit up the fire, and soon they had the two halves of the fish cooking over the top of it. This was the first time either of them had ever cooked anything, and even though it didn't taste very good and was full of bones, they were happy to have their bellies full. They went to bed early that night, sleeping on a bed of moss, lulled to dreamland by the dull roar of the waterfall.

Chapter the Fifth: Blood in the Water

Venny was glad to be with Perry. While it was true that having his father or uncle out here would have been a better alternative, any of his peers would have done a much worse job than Perry. None of them were as vicious, nor did they have much skill with a knife. It's possible, likely even, that they'd have stayed in the cell. Even if they had escaped, the likelihood that they'd find something to eat was very slim. In fact, Venny wouldn't have even thought about eating a fish if Perry hadn't suggested it. On top of that, as they had no blanket, Perry's warmth was a welcome boon. The cave was cold and damp, but Perry's body wrapped around his own had kept him toasty all night long. They were no longer starving, just a bit hungry. They were certainly not dehydrated anymore, and they now had a way to stay warm. It still wasn't a pleasant experience, but no longer was it as unpleasant.

As Venny stretched out his legs, he woke Perry, who joined him in his stretching, even going so far as to let out a smoky yawn. This was the best he'd felt since the foal-napping. If he didn't have a home to return Venator to, he might even consider staying out here, with the voice in his head to guide his way. Living with Kai was nice, but he wasn't always around, and Perry felt as if he was being a leech.

He had time to consider whether or not he wanted to stay with the family, as he wagered it would be at least another day or two before they found a town, if that. Even then, it was a long trek back to Ponyville. It's not like they had the funds to purchase train tickets, and even if they did, there was no guarantee that the town would have a train station. At best, they could travel the roads from town to town trying to find a path back home.

Perry stepped out of the waterfall cave and looked around. It seemed safe, so he waved for Venny to follow.

Venny stepped out of the cave, but immediately doubled back. The knife had been left out all night, rather than being returned to the scabbard where it belonged. He didn't want to leave it behind, it was their only tool. As he reached for it, his hoof slipped on the moss that covered the rocks. Losing his stability, he fell down into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, the rapid torrent of water sending him down with such force that he struck his forehead on the rocks at the bottom of the pool. Thankfully, the rocks were not sharp, being worn down and smoothed by the waterfall, but he struck with enough force to knock him unconscious, and the angle caused his skin to break.

Perry was terrified. He immediately jumped into the water and swam up to Venny's floating body, grabbing him by the wrist between his teeth and dragging him back to the shore. With a bit of trial, he managed to knock some of the water out of his lungs, but other than allowing him to start breathing again, he was unable to cause him to stir.

This would cause a significant delay in their journey. Perry wasn't strong enough to carry his brother very far. With him out cold, there was only one solution. They had to return to the waterfall cave and stay another night. Hoisting Venny up onto his shoulders as best he could, Perry carried him back to the cave, making sure not to slip on the rocks. As he lay him down on the bed of moss they'd shared last night, his eyes caught sight of the knife. He cursed himself for forgetting to bring it along for the trip.

Venny was breathing normally, and his pulse was stable. A little high, but it had an even rhythm. He was bleeding from his forehead, and from his arm, where Perry had grabbed him with his teeth. They had no bandages, and that was the extent of Perry's medical knowledge. The bleeding didn't seem to be too bad, but he couldn't know for certain, and that, more than anything, terrified him.

He stayed next to his brother for three hours, keeping a close eye on him in case he woke up. After that, the bleeding had stopped completely, and Perry was sure he'd be alright. He'd washed the affected areas with cold water, to remove any dirt he could. He grabbed the knife, and went out into the woods. He found the dead tree Venny had cut from, and proceeded to cut a few branches of his own. He had to make two trips back to the cave, as he was unable to carry the same volume of wood as his older brother had. Venny hadn't woken up yet, so Perry went out to catch another fish.

When he returned to the cave, Venny's eyes were open. "Perry?"

Perry tossed the trout aside and rushed to Venny's side, grabbing his hoof. He was glad to see him awake.

"I fell into the river, didn't I?"

Perry nodded.

"You pulled me out?"

Perry sheepishly held up Venny's wrist, showing the tooth marks. Venny inspected the damage. Perry was very embarrassed by it, but Venny wasn't angry. Not in the slightest. In fact, despite the pain of additional pressure, he pulled Perry in for a hug. "You saved me. I'll never forget this, Perry."

Perry had never before felt this emotion. His ignorance had allowed somepony he cared about to come to harm, harmed them further in an attempt to rescue them, and he had been completely useless in the course of repairing the damages. Furthermore, he'd been so demanding on this voyage. He'd always chosen the direction they'd gone, he'd assigned tasks, and he was certain that he'd almost caused Venny to have hypothermia. Yet, here he was, hugging him as if he'd done a splendid job. It baffled him.

For the second night in a row, they ate fish and huddled together next to the dying fire. Perry couldn't handle being treated with such respect when he didn't even give himself any. He fell asleep soon after eating, his tears dripping onto Venny's chest. As he drifted off, he heard the words that told him exactly how he felt.

"I forgive you, Per."

Chapter the Sixth: The Wolf

The next morning, it was time to begin moving again. Venny was still injured, but they couldn't wait for too long. They were presumably still being hunted, and they needed to find their way home before their pursuers caught up with them. They were now a day behind. Perry made sure he had the knife this time, and Venny kept a close eye on his footing, taking care not to slip. Neither of them was keen to repeat yesterday's incident, so they took it slowly and gently.

Venny was a bit slower as a result of his limp. His leg and head were still in pain, more so now as he was moving around. Still riddled with guilt, Perry kept a slower pace than usual to account for this. He kept glancing back to make sure Venny was still following him. Every so often, they'd take a break, and Venny would lay his arm in the cold water to soothe it.

It was during one of these breaks that they looked back upriver. Approaching them on the south side of the water was some manner of creature. At first, they thought it was a very large dog. Thinking it may belong to somepony malicious, they decided it would be best if they continued onward.

An hour passed, and they looked back. It had continued to follow them, silently keeping pace as it went. It had come a bit closer now, and was revealed to be a solitary wolf. This was confusing to Venny, as he'd always known wolves to travel in packs. Perry knew nothing of wolves, but something about it didn't feel right. He didn't want to wait for it to catch up to them.

The sun was beginning to set when they looked back a third time. Amid the waving rays of the sun, they saw the wolf coming ever closer. They were sure now; it was staring right at them as it walked. Two tiny ponies would be no match for a big, strong wolf, it must have reasoned. Perry has bitten enough times to know that ponies didn't taste very good.

Normally, this late in the evening, he might have begun searching for a place to bunk down for the night, but having a predator at his back made Perry very nervous. Despite his wishes to have Venny rest to keep his injuries from growing worse, he felt that stopping near the wolf was a death sentence for Venny, and a life sentence alone in the woods for himself. Kai wouldn't love him if he was responsible for the death of his real son.

Venny Knew the danger, too, and his fear came to a head when he heard a loud flapping behind them. Turning to look, they saw, in the dying light that their lupine pursuer had crossed the river, and after a shake to remove the water from his thick coat, was once more plodding toward them. By now, he was far too close for comfort. Venny backed away, standing behind Perry, who had already drawn his knife and bared his fangs.

As the wolf approached, it too bared its fangs. It circled around them, pushing them toward the river and away from the trees. It didn't want them running away. It wasn't a big wolf, being one of the smaller breeds, but it was still bigger than the boys were. Its pepper-colored lips lifted into a snarl as it began to inch closer. A growl was heard, though Venny wasn't sure if it had been Perry or the wolf. To be honest, he was a bit scared of both of them.

The wolf turned and began to charge at them. Summoning his newfound ability, Perry spat as much flame as his lungs could hold. At first, the wolf was shocked, stopping its movements and doubling back. Then, as the flame caught hold of its fur, it ran off in desperate fear. The flame didn't stay for long, but the wolf had been driven off for the time being.

They decided that sleeping on the ground was a bad idea tonight, in case the wolf came back. They weren't pegasi, but they decided it would be fine if they slept in a tree, if just for tonight. Perry caught a fish, a very large one, and they started a fire to cook it. After dinner, they planned on making their way up into the tree for the night.

Just as they were about to dig in, Venny dropped his fish and scrambled up the tree. The wolf had returned. With all of his effort, he managed to lift Perry up into the branches with magic, bringing with him the other half of the fish. The wolf looked up at them for several minutes, waiting for them to come down. It was only after doing so that its attention turned to Venny's cooked fish still lying on the ground.

As it ate the fish, the dying fire turned to tiny embers, then went out. It had been a small fire, only serving to cook the fish, rather than to keep them warm. When it was done, it curled up at the base of the tree and resumed watching them. Venny and Perry shared their half of the fish, every so often tossing small chunks over the side to the wolf. Their hope was that, if they fed it, it wouldn't want to eat them anymore. After all, their mother had bears and cougars that ate out of her hoof, and were completely docile whenever she was around. Surely, they could convince a wolf not to eat them.

The following day, they climbed down from the tree. They'd not rested very well, but the wolf had fallen asleep, and they needed to be on their way. They made it half a day before they noticed the wolf following behind them again. They kept going, as they had the day before. By the end of the day, it had caught up with them again. This time, it had no teeth to show, instead opting to brush past Perry and lick Venny's shoulder. Gone was the animosity between them, replaced by an apology. After that short interaction, the wolf returned to the forest, disappearing among the trees.

They slept in a tree again the following night. They were glad the wolf hadn't harmed them, but they didn't want to risk being eaten if it changed its mind again.

Author's Note

My apologies for the delay in this chapter. I had some real-life health problems creep in. Take good care of your hearts, or you may end up like me. And I don't mean that figuratively, heart attacks are a real threat. Very nearly knocked me out of commission.

To that end, I'm going to slow my roll here, and cut it down from every day to every other day, at least for awhile. If I can keep my health in check, I may come back a little stronger, we'll see. But for now, I'm going to take it a bit slower than I have been, for health reasons.

Chapter the Seventh: Flotation

The next few days down the river were fairly uneventful. They saw some deer, countless birds, and a few ground mammals, as well. The most exciting event was when they stopped to rest one night; they ate rabbit instead of fish. Venny's condition was becoming worse, though. He needed greens in his diet, but there was nothing around that was safe to eat. He was needing to stop all the time, he was so sluggish.

One morning, as Perry was waking up, he looked into the river. Among the rapids was a large assortment of driftwood. The river was too cold to float down, especially if Venny didn't have the energy to keep himself above the surface, but what if they had a raft? They could stay above the water and let the current carry them to safety.

He began pulling out the floating logs. They weren't straight, so he had to take care when putting them together. The saw on the back of the knife helped to keep things uniform, and with a few vines cut from the tree branches, they had a reasonable-looking raft.

With both of them aboard, they kicked off into the water, just below the rapids. Having helped move the raft down past the rocks, Venny was already exhausted. He lay on his back, his tail drifting in the water beneath him.

It wasn't a very well-constructed raft; the floor was unstable and there was no steering mechanism. If the craft wasn't just for floating down the river, they would need a rudder to keep their course straight. If they needed to go the other way, a sail would be helpful. They had neither of those. A stabilizing rail underneath would allow them to stand on the raft, but that was unnecessary for their purposes. They just needed to float down the river.

Venny kept his eyes on the clouds. After a few hours, he mumbled, "Perry, are you there?"

Perry grasped his brother's hoof.

"I'm worried, Per," admitted Venny. "I've been having this nightmare these last few nights that we're not going to make it back to Ponyville. I don't even know where we're going. I mean, I trust you to take us somewhere, and you seem to have been going the same way this whole time, but how sure are you that this is the right way?"

Perry was silent. He had originally been sure of his plan, but he was growing less sure with every passing day. They should have found a town by now. The fact that they hadn't was very upsetting. That said, their inability to find edible forage was a good indication that this wasn't a great place to settle. Still, it was just a matter of time now. Rivers lead to the ocean, and oceans meant fishing villages. His greatest worry was that Venny wouldn't last long enough to reach it.

"I'm also afraid that we've doomed ourselves. It's been almost two weeks. I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should have stayed in that cell. I mean, sure, we'd probably still be locked up, but at least we'd be well-fed." He turned to Perry. "I know you're trying, but I'm not like you, Per. I can't survive eating nothing but meat. Most ponies don't even eat meat." He turned back to the sky. "What I wouldn't give for a daffodil sandwich with dandelion jelly right now. I'd even settle for dad's spicy pepper jelly."

Venny laughed and Perry couldn't help but smile. They were both missing their parents at the moment, so much so that they'd even accept being yelled at for leaving if it meant they could sleep under a roof again.

Tears began to form in Venny's eyes. "Do you think... nevermind." Venny rolled over, looking away from Perry. Perry crawled forward, resting his chin on Venny's shoulder, coaxing him to ask his question. "I was just wondering, do you think dad is out here looking for us?"

Perry nodded without a second thought. He could feel it in his heart, Kai was out here looking for them both. If they weren't trying to hide from the foal-nappers, he might have found them by now. It's possible that he wasn't alone, either, as their uncle Sil was also probably roaming around looking for them.

Perry's assurance did not put Venny at ease. He placed a hoof on Perry's head and gently tousled his mane. They were filthy. It had been more than two weeks since last they bathed, and even though they didn't like baths, they'd gladly take one now. The scrubbing, bubbles and the exfoliation would be nothing compared to what they'd gone through during their time in the woods.

The rest of the day passed by in a quiet blur. The only sounds were that of the birds in the trees and the splashing of the water as it tumbled over the rocks below and lapped at the sides of their raft. Venny had napped through most of the day, but despite their speed being slower than when they'd been walking, they managed to make a very large amount of progress today. They didn't stop to eat, in fact they didn't eat at all that night. Perry wasn't very hungry, and Venny had fallen asleep again. They slept on the raft, letting the river carry them through the night.

The next morning, they awoke to a harrowing sight. The river had fed out into a lake. A very large one, at that. With no sail, no rudder, and no paddle, they were becalmed in the middle of the water. Thankfully, they weren't alone. Three other boats were out on the lake. In fact, one of them was approaching them at a rapid rate.

Perry began waving to them, and Venny called out to draw their attention. They were ecstatic. Soon, they would be going home. However, all of that hope drained when they saw the ponies in the boat. There were three stallions, each of a different color.

"My, my, my," chuckled Dark Flash, his face rather badly burnt. "What have we here? A duo of escaped convicts, it looks like. Lets take you back to your cell, shall we?"

Chapter the Eighth: Reclaimed

The boys were on their way back to their prison. Perry had been muzzled and bound, and the knife he'd stolen had been taken back. He'd have been more angry, but they'd fed Venny some cabbage to keep him from dying of malnutrition. He was more angry with himself than he was with the foal-nappers. He'd failed to keep his brother fed.

Venny was also bound, but not gagged. After he'd eaten, he'd fallen asleep to metabolize his food. He was draped over Red Line's shoulder as they made their way back through the forest. They weren't following the curves of the river, but instead heading straight through the trees. They knew exactly where they were headed.

As the afternoon came around, Dark Flash dropped back to talk at Perry for a bit. "How's that muzzle fit? Is it uncomfortable?"

Perry didn't bother with looking up. Even if he wanted to say something, the wrapping around his jaw kept him from opening his mouth. It was difficult to even breathe with this thing on. It's possible that was the point.

"Well, you're going to grow very accustomed to it. That muzzle is not coming off. You will be eating all of your meals through a straw for the foreseeable future." He laughed to himself. "I bet you're regretting all of your behaviour toward us right about now."

Perry did not regret his behaviour. What he did regret was all the harm that had come to Venator. Every injury, the malnutrition, the fear and uncertainty; it had all been his fault. He felt like garbage.

Suddenly, Perry sensed a presence. They were no longer alone. Venny must have felt it, too, as he woke up and looked around. It was fairly obvious that whatever it was worried him. "Something's coming," he said.

"You be quiet," growled Dark Flash, raising his hoof in threat. "Nopony's out here. This is a national park. Not a soul for miles."

Red Line was not convinced. He felt eyes on him. Drawing his knife, he proceeded with caution. Likewise, Slim, the green stallion carrying Perry, slowed his pace.

"What's the matter with you two?" asked Dark Flash. "They're just kids, saying whatever sounds like it could upset you."

"Something's out there, boss," replied Red Line. "Something angry."

"Stop being a coward. Keep walking. I want to be back by tomorrow evening."

Red kept going, but did not put away his knife. He could feel a chill in the air that told him he was being watched.

He wasn't wrong. A moment later, a grey blur of teeth and claws tackled him, tossing Venny and the knife onto the ground as it flew across their path. Flash and Slim rushed forward, dropping Perry as they went. Looking into the bushes, Venny and Perry recognized the coat of a very large wolf. There was little time to wonder if it was the same wolf. Venny had crawled over to the fallen knife and, holding the handle between his teeth, began cutting through his bonds. Once he was through, he ran over to Perry and cut him free while the adults were fighting off the wolf.

They ran as fast as their legs could take them. They didn't need to go back to the river, they just needed to be out of the forest. Any direction would suffice at this point. They had only as much time as their wolf friend could give them.

Their stamina only lasted an hour. They were back to being on their own, except now they had no direction, and no knife. "We're not going to last this time, Per," panted Venny. "We're unarmed, exhausted, we no longer have a source of food or water and we're still lost. Even if we had food and water, you can't eat or drink with that thing wrapped around your face. Can you even breathe fire like that?"

Perry shook his head. He could part his lips, that was about it. Their situation was very nearly hopeless. He only had two chances for survival. One of them was to go back to the captors they'd just fled from and beg to be put in a cage. He couldn't ask his brother's opinion, but personally, he would prefer starving to death to returning to the cage.

After a very short rest, he found the sun. It was later in the day, so he put the sun to his back and started walking. They'd been headed east before, so they were more likely to find the edge of the forest if they went this way. Furthermore, He'd seen more than one boat on the lake. Civilization must have been near enough to allow that. If they found the lake and no ponies, he at least remembered where the foal-nappers had stashed the boat. That would take them further than a raft could.

Venny had placed his trust in Perry thus far, and he had proven himself an effective leader. Splitting up was a bad idea. Staying with Perry was his best chance at survival.

The following morning, they had returned to the lake. A quick search of the shoreline revealed the boat, and despite being worn out from their long night of walking, they launched the boat into the lake and began paddling out over the water.

They passed out right in the middle of the lake. There was no energy left in them. They drifted for a few hours before a park ranger came out to check on them. He wasn't expecting to find two young colts drifting aimlessly in a boat in the middle of a lake. The other boat that had been on the water that day had been an elderly couple that was fishing. It was just a casual stop; they had a valid fishing license.

He towed the boat back to the shore and hoisted the boys onto his back. It was a short trek back to the ranger station, where he tucked the boys into cots and started preparing some food for them. The older one looked positively famished, but the younger one was probably hungry, too.

With food now prepared and stowed safely in the refrigerator, he made his way to the radio room and called the main station for assistance. They were just two children in need of assistance, but he was only one stallion with a malformed wing. He wasn't a medical expert. Someone would have to take them to a doctor.

Chapter the Ninth: The Ranger

Author's Note

Special thanks to user Bronycommander for allowing me the use of his OC, Hanzal.

Chapter the Ninth: The Ranger

When Perry awoke, it was two hours after midnight. No longer in the boat that had rocked him to sleep, he looked around. He was still muzzled, but he wasn't bound. He was in a small wooden building with open windows and a simple door. He and Venny were in small cots, wrapped in blankets. On the far side of the room was a series of containers, a small fridge, and two tables. The first table had a map opened on it, as well as a short stack of papers held down by a paperweight. Next to the stack was a book labeled 'Fauna R. S. 37A.'

At the other table, there was a radio set, and directly adjacent to that was a green stallion. However, this wasn't Slim. Slim was an earth pony stallion. This one was a pegasus. He was sleeping quietly next to the radio, presumably waiting for a message to come back to him. His blonde mane draped over the base of the receiver, occasionally moving as the breeze pushed it. Most notable was his left wing. It was lopsided and jutted outwards a bit. Many of the feathers were either bent or missing. It was unclear whether this was an injury or perhaps it just didn't grow correctly, but it was fairly obvious that it had been this way for awhile. The damage wasn't recent.

Perry climbed out of bed and looked himself over. The only binding he had left was his muzzle. He strode over to the door and pushed against it. It opened with a soft creak. Outside, he could see the forest bathed in moonlight before him. There was nothing stopping him from waking Venny and leaving. They could be back on their path before the stallion woke up. However, as he turned to walk back inside, he noticed the sign over the door. This was a ranger station. Dark Flash had mentioned that this was a national park, meaning that there were park rangers that used these stations frequently. He looked back at the stallion at the radio. Could he be a ranger?

Perry went to Venny's side. He had planned on waking him up and leaving, but he decided it better to wait and see right now. If the stallion really was a ranger, it would be foolish to run from him. Instead, he crawled into Venny's cot, situated himself between his brother's arms, and waited. Sooner or later, the stallion would wake up, and they would have their answers.

Several hours passed. Venny woke up with Perry in his arms. He signaled to his brother that he was awake with a gentle squeeze. Perry responded by placing his hoof on Venny's.

"Do you know where we are, Per?" whispered Venny, looking around.

Perry nodded slowly.

"Do you think we can make it back to the river from here?"

Perry shrugged and sat up. He pointed to the stallion sitting at the table. Venny looked over and froze. He hadn't had a good look at Slim, so his first assumption was that he was one of the stallions that had foal-napped them. He shrunk back a bit, until Perry put a hoof on his shoulder. He gave Venny a calm, gentle look, or rather, the best he could with half of his face covered.

Venny took a deep breath. "Okay. We're not in danger right now. What do we do?"

Perry answered by turning to face the stallion, keeping his eyes locked on him and waiting for him to wake up. Venny did likewise, but soon grew bored and lay back down. His eyes were glued to the ceiling as the last two weeks ran through his head repeatedly.

It was about an hour after dawn that the stallion awoke with a soft groan. He wasn't used to sleeping at a table, and doing so wasn't good for anypony. With a yawn, he stretched his legs and right wing. When he was done with that, a pained rotation of his left wing was followed by folding it back in place. Just as he was questioning why he fell asleep at the table, he turned around, and was faced with an angry toddler and a frightened colt. All at once, yesterday's events came flooding back.

"You're awake," he said, his thick accent surprising the boys. "How are you feeling?"

Venny didn't answer, following Perry's lead. Perry could only nod in response.

The stallion stood up and took a few steps closer, but not too close. "My name is Hanzal. I'm a royal guard here in Equestria. I've been temporarily assigned as a park ranger because the regular rangers are out dealing with an emergency. I found you in the lake yesterday, and I thought you might need help."

Perry took Venny's hoof and pulled him forward. He would have to do the talking for now.

"M-my name's Venator. This is my b-brother, Perditor. We were foal-n-n-napped."

Hanzal brought a hoof up to his mouth. "Oh, my. I thought you might just be lost, but foal-napped? That's terrible." Venny nodded in response. "It's good news, then, that I've already called my captain for aid. When my replacement arrives, I can take you home. He should be here this afternoon."

Venny looked to Perry. He couldn't tell through the muzzle, but Perry was smiling. All he could see was his calm eyes.

"While we wait for him, I'd like to hear more, but first, are you hungry?"

Venny nodded enthusiastically and Hanzal turned to the fridge. The night prior, he had prepared dinner for them, in case they woke up. Since they hadn't, he still had it waiting for them. He brought the plates to the map table and scooted Perry's empty cot over to act as a bench for them. Venny rushed over and looked at the plate. Never had he been so happy to see sliced cucumbers in the half-decade that he'd been eating them. He dove right into the meal; it was creamy and a little bit tart.

"What is this stuff?" he asked through a mouthful of food. "It's really good."

"Gurkensalat mit Dill," answered Hanzal. "It's a recipe I brought from my homeland of Farmany. I'm glad you like it." He turned to Perry, who had come to sit down. "You can't eat with that mask on, can you?"

Perry shook his head and pointed at the back of his head. There was a very complicated knot on the back. He was unable to untie it, as was Venny. Hanzal was certainly capable, but it would take too long.

Hanzal moved to a locker against the wall and opened it. Reaching in, he pulled out a knife and returned to Perry. "I'm going to cut it off of you, okay? I need you to hold still."

Perry leaned back and held his head high. He felt the cold steel of the knife press against his ear. The muzzle grew tighter, then suddenly much looser, slipping off his nose and freeing his mouth and nose. Perry took a deep breath and moved to the center of the room. Once there, he was met with a coughing fit, belching out puffs of black smoke. This was followed by a few flaming sneezes, but the damage was minimal.

As Perry returned to the table and began eating, Hanzal was still shocked from the smoke and fire. He began to wonder if perhaps he'd bitten off more than he could chew.

Chapter the Tenth: Going Home

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter the Eleventh: Warm Embrace

Venny awoke the next morning wrapped in a big, fluffy quilt. Perry was right next to him, snuggled up close for comfort. Kai had picked them up from the guard station and brought them to an inn. It wasn't a large room, but the trio didn't care. They were all together, and they would be home tonight. They had seats reserved on the first train to Ponyville. He climbed out of bed and made his way to the ensuite bathroom. Everypony else was asleep, so now was the opportune time for a shower. He was filthy.

Perry was awoken by the cold that flowed under the quilt when Venny left. He caught a glimpse of his brother going into the bathroom before he let out a yawn. He rolled over to see Kai on the other bed, snoring softly. He looked ragged, as if he'd been flying around for two weeks. The joints where his wings attached to his shoulder were lightly swollen, and a bit red. He smelled of sweat, as if he hadn't showered in a long time. There was a bandage on his leg, indicating an injury he'd received while out here. Perry would later find out it was a large bite, but for now it was just a bandage.

Kai had been out looking for them since the day they went missing. He'd been all over the place, apparently. The mud on his cloak, which had presumably been dust a few days prior, had many different hues to it. Reds and yellows blended together, there were sand particles in the pockets, and several fresh examples of plant life were stuck to the bottom. The most recent addition to his tail was a leaf from a crystal berry bush. Kai's journey to find his sons had spanned the entire western half of Equestria, and the northern section of the east side.

Kai woke up shortly after Venny returned from the shower and Perry had gone in for his own. "I'm glad you boys are alright," he smiled, hugging his son. "I was so worried about you."

"We were scared you wouldn't find us in time," admitted Venny, returning the embrace. "We were being chased, so we had to stay hidden at night. We knew you'd come looking for us, but you weren't the only one."

"How did you manage to make your way here?"

"Hanzal found us in the woods and brought us out here. He fed us, too. We couldn't find any plants we recognized as edible. So we mostly just ate fish."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "How'd you manage to cook fish? Unless you're telling me you ate it raw?"

Venny smiled wide. "Perry can breathe fire now! It's really cool!"

Kai chuckled, a bit shocked at the news. "Is that so? I'd love to see him do that." He leaned back. "I've actually been wondering why he's been incapable of doing so up until now. Midas and Somber didn't have quite this much trouble. Then again, Somber had Sil to help him, and Midas is homeschooled."

After a few more minutes, Kai left Venny to sit on the bed, stepping out to fetch breakfast. When he came back, he carried with him a bag of custard-filled doughnuts, dusted with confectioner's sugar. Perry was out of the shower by this point, so before Kai settled into his breakfast, it was his turn to wash up.

Smelling much better than they had last night, the trio left the inn and made their way to the train station. On the way, Perry demonstrated, with a bit of coaxing from Venny, his ability to create flames with his breath. Kai, impressed with his son, mentioned in passing having Perry trained in fire safety in the near future.

The train ride back took most of the day, with Perry sitting on Kai's lap for most of it. This gave him time to reflect. He'd thought that Kai would be proud of him for rescuing Venny, then he thought Kai would be angry with him when Venny was injured, and even worse when he was malnourished. In the end, it was Hanzal who had rescued them, and despite that, Kai was stroking Perry's mane as if he'd done everything right. He felt sick to his stomach, and he considered himself a failure. Left in his care, Venny had almost died too many times.

Kai very much wanted to ask what happened in the woods, but he held his tongue. He knew their mother would want to hear it, too, so that would have to wait, probably until the next day. Tonight would likely be focused on welcoming them back home and making sure they were alright. She was probably already cooking carrot pancakes for dinner, with applesauce to go over the top. There was probably a large tub of ice cream in the freezer, too.

Sure enough, that was exactly what awaited them on their arrival, following big hugs and a shower of kisses for each of them. After dinner, they were given another bath, had their manes and tails brushed clean for good measure, and they finished off the night reading from Venny's favourite book.

When they fell asleep, Kai carried them upstairs. In their bedroom, there were two beds, one for each of the boys. Venny was tucked into his, and then Perry into his own. After a forehead kiss from each parent, they were left alone for the night.

Halfway through the night, Venny woke up. It was nice to be back in his own bed, but through all the trials and tribulations that had lead them back home, it was harrowing to wake up alone after spending so long with Perry by his side. Standing up from his bed, he moved over to where Perry was supposed to be sleeping. Looking down, he saw Perry looking back up at him. He was having trouble sleeping, too.

"You couldn't sleep, either, Per?"

Perry shook his head, pulling his covers tighter to him.

"Me neither. Do you mind if I lie down for a bit?"

Perry shook his head again, lifting his blanket to invite Venny in. He climbed in, lying down next to his brother. With their arms wrapped around each other, they fell right asleep. For Venny, it was the warmth from Perry's lightning metabolism. For Perry, it was the feeling of having arms wrapped around him. He'd wanted to earn Kai's love, but now, he could rest easy. He had a brother that loved him. He had a family.