CHAPTER 1

I'm finally back with the beginning of Volume 5. I hope that you all enjoyed Volume 4 and the short stories between the last story and this. I'm certain most of you who have been following Drake's adventures thus far will like this installment. Now with Budder tagging along, the mood of the stories has changed, but for the better. Please send me reviews, so that I know what you all think of the new adventures of Drake and Co. Enjoy, everypony.

I bent low, examining the track closely. I walked forward a few paces along the riverbank, slowly and methodically, keeping my eyes and nose close to the trail. I paused, my right foreleg upraised in mid-stride. I looked back, and noticed Budder a few yards behind, watching the water flow by. I let out a bird-call whistle, and motioned with my head for my sister to join me. Budder walked up beside me.

"Can't keep a trail if you get distracted angel." I warned. She gave me a sheepish smile, knowing I was right. My sister was really intelligent and capable, but sometimes, keeping her attention was the hard part. I motioned toward the tracks. "So...what do you see?" Budder leaned in close to the tracks before us. "Everything you see..."

"Um...okay...five toes on the feet. It looks like the bigger ones have...webbed toes?"

"Mmhmm..." I urged. I'd been teaching Budder how to track for two weeks now, and she seemed to be getting the hang of it for the most part.

"There's like a dragging mark between the tracks." Budder continued.

"Made by?" I asked.

"I dunno...its tail?"

"So what is it?" I queried.

"Um...beaver?"

"Yes. It's a beaver." I grinned. "Nice work, sis. Now, see if we can't find out where he lives. Can you tell how old the prints are?"

"Mmmm...uhhhh...I dunnooooo..." My sister whined nervously.

"Okay...it's alright." I reassured. "Look here...see how the edges of the tracks are sharp? They're not like, worn down much?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, in wet soil like this, that means they're pretty fresh. If they were rounded along the edges, or had water pooling in them, or if the claws here weren't visible anymore, that would mean they're more than a day old."

"Oh..." Budder remarked. "I got it." I smiled.

"Now, let's track Mr. Chompy to his den."

"Mr...Chompy..." My sister repeated incredulously.

"Heheh...I have a tendency to name whatever or whoever I'm tracking...it's...it's a thing..." I whispered, following the trail.

"Okay..." She sighed. We followed the trail a little further.

"Know how to tell if we're close to his home?" I asked in a low voice.

"How?" Budder asked quietly.

"What the heck do beavers do, silly foal?" I grinned.

"Oh...derp." Budder replied. She looked around. "You mean like that?" She asked, nodding to a couple of tree stumps protruding from the ground like sharpened stakes.

"That, precisely." I replied.

"Is that the beaver house...hut..." Budder inquired, pointing to a mound of branches, sticks and earth near a dam made of trees.

"Yep. That is the residence of our Mr. Chompy." I returned. I saw Budder roll her eyes. "Now, I want to see if you can find any evidence as to how many beaver are in that lodge.

"Kay." Budder replied. We began to walk slowly toward the lodge. I reached the structure, and turned to see my sister about six yards back, looking at a set of prints or a beaver slide by the water. I again gave a bird-call, and Budder looked up at me. I gave an irritated jerk of my head, signaling her to hurry up and come on. She immediately started trotting toward me, close to the edge of the water. I watched as she started sinking into the muddy ground. Budder tried to pick up her pace to get through the soft muck, me trying to wave her back, to no avail. She soon sank to her belly in the mud.

"Bubby..." She called out. "Um...eheheheh...oh crap..."

"Don't...move." I stated. "Whatever you do." I picked up a long stick discarded by a beaver, and moved closer to her. "Here. Grab onto this, and I'll pull you out." She clamped down on the stick with her teeth, and I pulled as my sister slowly worked her way out of the mud. I finally towed her onto solid ground, and as she mournfully looked down at her filthy coat, I let out a sigh. "You gotta be more careful." I advised.

"I hate mud." Budder growled, trying to wipe some of the filth from her legs. "Every...freakin'...time."

"Huh?"

"No...just...ugh. Like two years ago, at the school, we went to a lake, and I ended up getting stuck in mud." She made an exasperated sound. "I hate freaking mud holes."

"Well stay away from 'em." I commented. "Ugh, come on angel. Let's go home so you can get a shower." We started walking away from the river. "No...on second thought, I don't want you tracking mud onto the rug in the foyer. Dash'll kill us. I'll hose you off outside, then you can go take a shower."

"Hee. Okay bub."

After getting home and spraying at least most of the mud off of Budder with a garden hose, I sent my sister upstairs to clean up. I grabbed the mail on the small table in the foyer as I entered, and called out to my marefriend as I dropped onto my favorite couch in the formal parlor of our home. I stared at a letter bearing the seal of Princess Celestia, and wondered what kind of job the monarch needed me for this time. Hopefully it wouldn't be too time-consuming. Oddly enough, the pony who had always wanted to be out in the wilderness alone, upon having a family, now wanted to stay home more often. Oh the irony of my life...

"Whatsup, Drake?" Dash asked, entering the room.

"Eh...tracking went alright. Found a beaver den. Had to rescue Budder from a deadly sucking bog-hole, and we got a letter from the princess." I said, holding up the correspondence.

"Yeah, I saw that...wait, what happened?!"

"Heheh...never mind." I replied with a chuckle. "Let's see what kind of job we have this time." I said dryly, opening the envelope. I pulled out the letter and unfolded it as Dashie leaned over the back of the couch, her cheek inches from mine, causing her to receive a quick kiss on the cheek. Dash smiled as I began to read the message.

My Dearest Detectives,

I fear I must entreat upon your domestic lives for another case that requires your own peculiar style of detective work. Fortunately, this case will not take you far from home. I know you enjoy getting to the point, my dear lieutenant, so here are the particulars:

Five days ago, ten cases of weapons were stolen from a military warehouse near Manehattan. Three of the cases each contained 20 swords of the finest metallurgy. Two contained 20 spears each of the traditional kind, of hardwood shafts, tipped with steel heads. The other five were cases containing crossbows. In each crate were 10 crossbows and 100 bolts.

I am afraid some sinister organization plans on using the weapons for their own devious purposes, as two weeks ago, three more crates of weapons were stolen from a military wagon on its way to a fort in the northern frontier. It appears to me, as it must to you that these are not separate incidents. The crossbows that were stolen are very dangerous weapons if they were to fall into the wrong hooves, or into the possession of our Kingdom's enemies. I hope that you can resolve this matter as quickly as possible. Your contact in the EBI has been advised of your involvement in the case. Please advise me of any progress you make in recovering the missing weapons. If you can find the missing arms, you will be rewarded greatly for your service to Equestria.

I know if anypony can find the weapons and the criminals responsible for their theft, it is you. I have faith that you can end this situation before something terrible can happen. Good luck, my little detectives.

Your Princess,

Celestia.

"Well..." I said, folding up the letter. "At least we only have to go into the city for this one. Seems pretty straight-forward. That many weapons...they're gonna be stashed somewhere. Just gotta find out where." I stretched, my muscles still sore from the day's hiking and tracking. "We'll start tomorrow morning."

"You wanna take Budder?" Dash asked. I thought for a moment.

"Yeah, why not? Let her see the city. This case doesn't seem that involved. When she gets out of the shower, I'll tell her to get a bag packed." I looked at the letter, sitting folded on the couch beside me, and a curious thought came into my mind. "Hey Dashie?"

"Yeah?"

"What's with all the high-level theft going on lately? The diamonds, weapons now...I can't help but wonder if they're linked..."

"You think they are?"

"Dunno." I replied. "Hard to tell at this point. One step at a time, I guess. Let's get our saddlebags ready."

So the family Drake is off on yet another case. What sort of adventure will it turn out to be? I bet you can't wait to see what happens to our favorite team of detectives next. I will try to have chapter 2 up tonight or tomorrow afternoon. Depends heavily on my supply of energy drinks, and how involved I get in watching Texas Rising on History tonight. If you missed the first episode last night, start watching! I digress...I will have the next chapter up soon. Until then, thanks for reading everypony!