Evening everyone.
I've been rather excited to reach this part of the story.
The next few chapters were part of my original concept which I eventually scrapped to write what I've shared thus far.
I do hope you've enjoyed so far.
Thank you for joining me again
~RK

Bobble flew hard and fast. The only ones who could possibly catch him right now were Fast Fliers. He didn't know where he was going and just followed his instinct of fly. So he flew. He flew until his back ached and his wings refused to flap he landed in the hollow of a tree and hid himself inside.

He panted, exhausted as he dropped to his knees. The only thing louder than his pulse right now were the voices of the day echoing through his mind.

Clank's your mate's name, right?

Everyone in the guild knows how much you and Clank care about each other.

When you do get Tied, it's well worth it.

Bobble dumped out his pouch and pushed things aside. He grabbed the cord he'd made and tossed it aside and grabbed the knife from the pile. He slipped the blade under the cord on his wrist and held.

I love you Bobble.

Mated. Have you two mated?

Steel said 'it's nice' didn't he?

She said she had to think about it.

I'm only trying to help Phineas! Please listen!

Stop waiting for the right moment and make the right moment.

If you two are meant for each other then everything will be okay.

I want to love you for as long as I live. Will you Tie with me?

Bobble dropped his hands to his lap. "I wanted this…" he whispered. "What am I doing? I want this! I've wanted this for months!" his eyes landed on the cord he'd thrown aside. He picked it up and held it to his chest and leaned his back against the walls of the hollow.

"Fairy Gary… why did you have to get in my head like that?" He felt tears starting to build up. He pushed up his goggles and wiped them away. "If you had kept your terrible advice to yourself we could be planning our ceremony right now!"

He hunched forward and pressed his hands to his eyes. "Why didn't I say yes? Why did I run? Why am I so scared? I love him!"

Clank's face came to mind and Bobble shivered. He had seen the way Clank's expression wilted and shattered when he'd remained silent. He'd been watching him, so expectant, so hopeful and so full of love.

Bobble had broken that. All he could picture now was the look Clank had just before he'd fled. Heartbroken. Hurt. Confused. Tears had just escaped Clank the moment Bobble turned away. Bobble had seen them. He felt sick with guilt.

He dropped his hands and stared up to the top of the hollow. The ends of Clank's cord fell against his palm and he closed his fingers around them, squeezing his eyes shut.

Clank must have spent all day preparing to ask me, he thought. I bet he asked Sil and Dess for help too. He probably didn't need to fly around asking strangers about their personal lives all day either.

"I wish I were as brave as you Clank," he muttered. "What am I so scared of anyway?" Green eyes flashed through his mind. He tensed. His throat went tight again. When he opened his eyes he was there, grinning madly with a hand on Bobble's throat.

Bobble cried out and lunged. He pushed him onto his back and thrust his knife forward until it met resistance. He stared up at Bobble with those mad, green eyes. He seemed shocked by the knife in his chest. Bobble panted, his heart racing. The look on his face shifted to fear and confusion before Bobble's eyes.

Bobble blinked.

It wasn't him anymore.

Lying beneath him with a knife in his heart was Clank, staring up at him with confused, pained brown eyes.

Bobble jumped back with a gasp. "No! No, Clank! I'm sorry! I'm…"

He squeezed his eyes shut and choked down his cry. He slowly opened them again. Clank wasn't there after all. The knife stuck into the floor of the hollow.

The green eyes were gone. Clank was gone. But Bobble couldn't stop picturing the hurt he'd seen in Clank, both the real Clank and the imagined one.

He curled in on himself. "What is wrong with me? Why do I keep hurting you Clank?"

. . .

He stayed in the hollow all night while his turmoil and shame ate at him. He didn't want to go home and cause even more pain. Clank deserved better than that. So he stayed in the tree. While there he couldn't stop thinking about the picnic and Clank's proposal. At some point he drifted off to a restless sleep and dreamed of how things should have been.

The picnic had been wonderful, Bobble was so happy as he sat there laughing with Clank. In a moment Bobble would ask him to Tie. In just a moment, Clank would say yes.

Clank took something from the picnic basket and kept it hidden from Bobble. He looked nervously at him. He smiled and asked. "So… did you like the food…?"

Bobble could hear in Clank's voice the excitement he was trying to contain. He grinned and nodded to him. "Aye, it was delicious." He gave Clank a knowing smirk. "Are you okay, Clanky?"

Clank nodded quickly. "I'm fine… just… just fine. I just…" he took Bobble's hand and squeezed it. "I love you."

Bobble chuckled softly and squeezed Clank's hand back. "I know. I love you too Clank."

He could see that Clank was still nervous. He'd figured out why. Bobble leaned into Clank's hand with a sigh when he cupped his cheek.

"I can't imagine not being with you." Clank whispered as he leaned closer. Rather than reply, Bobble leaned in too. Their lips brushed together gently at first, then more firmly as they pulled closer together. Bobble caressed Clank's face, enjoying the raspberry flavored kiss.

Clank broke the kiss too quickly for Bobble's liking. He wanted to steal another, but Clank leaned his forehead against his own and held them together like that. He was breathing heavily, and shaking slightly with nerves. Bobble could sense his worry in Clank's fingers as he tangled them in his messy hair.

"It's going to burst out of me if I don't say it." Clank whispered.

"Say what?" Bobble asked, grinning.

Clank released him and took the hidden object from behind him. He took Bobble's left hand. Bobble grinned, his heart fluttering faster than the wings of a hummingbird.

"Bobble… I love you." Clank started. "I've loved you for as long as I can remember… I think the feeling's only getting bigger. I want to love you for the rest of my life." He gently slipped the braided cord around Bobble's wrist and tied a loose loop there. "Will you Tie with me?"

Bobble grinned from ear to ear. He reached across his lap and dug in his pouch. He looked up into Clank's expectant eyes as he pulled the cord from his pouch. He took Clank's left hand and tied the cord there.

"Aye… of course I will."

. . .

Bobble's eyes blinked open as the sunshine crept into the hollow. He'd fallen asleep on his side with his goggles still on. He sat up and leaned his back against the wall and curled his arms around his knees. Why couldn't this be the dream and the other be real? He lay his head on his arms with a sigh. His insides were still doing funny things that made him feel ill. But he knew he'd eventually have to leave his hiding place and go make things right with Clank.

As the light crept up his body he slowly unfolded. He crawled over to the opening and stared out into the trees. He immediately realized he had no idea where he was. This had happened to him before when he was very new to Pixie Hollow. He'd hid from his guild in a hollow tree, but was able to find his way back – basically blind – by following the glow of the Pixie Dust Tree.

However this was a different hollow in a different tree. He wasn't able to spot the Pixie Dust Tree. All he could see was a thick forest of trees that all looked the same to him. That's okay… I can look for something familiar. I'll find my way back.

He crawled back into the hollow and repacked everything into his pouch. The last thing he put away was the cord. He held it next to the one tied to his own wrist. They'd make a beautiful union knot, he thought as he dropped the cord into his pouch. He sincerely hoped it wasn't too late to fix this as he stepped out onto the branch.

Every direction was unfamiliar. He thought at least something should point him in the right direction. But all he could see was brown trunks and green leaves. There was no indicator of where he was now. Just how far had he flown for everything to be this foreign?

Flown…

"Oh no…"

Bobble flapped his wings, but nothing happened. He jumped and tried again. He tried and tried, but could only barely lift off the branch before dropping back to his feet. "No no no! What am I going to do?" he sat heavily on the branch. "My Pixie Dust is all gone…"

He had been prepared to walk all around Tinker's Nook all day. That was something he'd done plenty of times. But to wander around an unfamiliar forest on foot? If he could even get down from the branch, it would be next to impossible to find his way home.

Carefully he peeked over the branch to the ground below. With a gasp he shrank back. That's so far down. He swallowed hard, now realizing there was likely no safe way down. He glanced at his wrist where Clank's cord sat comfortably. I need to get back to him, he thought running his fingers over the cord. Even as he thought it, his stomach churned nervously, but still he knew he was right.

"But how do I get back with no way down?" No safe way down you mean. He looked over the branch again. I suppose I could jump… the thought made him dizzy and his right arm twinged where it had once broken. He knew he needed to consider other options.

He stroked his chin in thought while his left had curled around the loose ends of the cord. I still have a little lift in my wings… I could try to jump to the next lowest branch. But if I miss… He shivered. Okay, so what else? He glanced around for what was within reach. Perhaps there's something I could use to make a ladder nearby.

He shuffled along the branch seeing how far above himself he could reach, but there was nothing above that his fingers could get to. And if he were to try and jump to reach then he faced the risk of falling off. In his opinion falling would be worse than jumping. "So now what?" he wondered aloud as he headed back closer to the trunk. "I need to get down!"

When he reached the trunk he looked over the bark of the tree. It was rough and jagged and had plenty of crevices for him to fit his hands and feet. This could work, he mused. But if it breaks as I try to climb on it… I could be left clinging with nowhere to go.

He held his wrist to his chest. "What would you do Clanky?"

He would find the easiest solution.

"I already did that." Bobble sighed. "I'm not jumping down." But he didn't think Clank would ever consider jumping. It was more likely that Clank would try to climb down to a lower, safer branch and go from there.

"That's it then!" Bobble said. "I don't have to climb down the whole tree at once. I just need to go a branch lower!" he looked at his hand again and twisted the ends of the cord between his fingers. "I'm coming Clank. Please wait for me."

He faced the trunk and carefully fitted his hands into the bark and found a good foothold. Ever so slowly he descended. To him it felt like it took all day as he shimmied over then down then over again until he was above the next branch. The bark scraped against his shins and arms as he climbed down. He did his best to ignore the scratchy feeling it left on his skin.

When he finally relaxed his grip it was a great relief. As he sat on the new branch catching his breath, he flexed his fingers a few times. His hands felt dirty and sticky from the bark. But it was a small price to pay for progress. He'd made it to the new branch and that's all he cared about at the moment. He wiped his hands on his pants and reassessed his options.

"I'm still too high to jump…" He looked down to the end of his branch and didn't see anything there that might help him. It didn't seem like climbing here had helped his situation at all. "Now what…?"

Try again. New spot, reassess.

Bobble nodded and looked over the side again. Now he was able to see other branches he wasn't able to spot from his starting point. He noticed one branch was close enough to another tree which had a mess of vines hanging down from it. I could probably reach those if I got down there. He began thinking how those vines could get him down. That's where I need to go.

He let himself rest a little longer before he gripped the bark again and descended once more. He was slow and careful, knowing if he made one wrong step he'd fall and then… Don't think about that.

Just as he scolded himself his foot pushed too hard and the bark under it broke from the tree. He yelped and tried to correct himself. He lost his grip and shouted. He flapped his nearly useless wings desperately, giving himself just enough time to grab at the bark again. Once he had a good hold he held still for a moment. His arms and legs throbbed where the bark had scraped as he fell. He winced when he started moving again and dropped onto the target branch as soon as he was sure he wouldn't fall off.

"Ow…" he whined, laying on his back, rubbing his arms. He dared a look at his limbs and was unsurprised to find how raw they'd been rubbed. He took a calming breath. "I've had worse," he reminded himself. He got to his feet and moved under the dangling vines he'd spotted from above.

He was definitely still too high to jump, but he was feeling better about his situation as he started pulling loose the vines. Now what do I want to do with these? He held one end of a vine and thew the other off the side of the branch. It hung about half way between the branch and the ground. Perhaps from there he'd be comfortable enough to jump. But maybe not… he took a second vine and tied it to the end in his hands and lowered it down.

"It reaches…" Bobble breathed as the slack piled on the ground. "Okay, so now what? Climb down the vine?" he looked at his hands which were still red and tired from climbing the trunk. "I'm not sure my hands could take it right now." He touched the cord on his wrist. "I'll figure this out. Don't worry."

He began pulling the vine back up. He found himself wondering what Clank would do if he were here. If it were both of them stuck, Clank might tie the vine around Bobble's waist and lower him down. Then Bobble would make something soft on the ground for Clank to jump to. "That won't work! It's only me here! I can't exactly lower myself down." He looked at the vine rope he had now and over to the narrow end of the branch. "Or can I?"

A plan started running through his mind. He grabbed the end of his rope and started tying. Soon he had four vines tied together with a large loop on one end for him to sit in. He draped the rope over the branch and both the loop and the end were long enough to reach the ground. With a triumphant grin he pulled the looped end back up. The only concern he had now was that the bark on the branch might be too rough for the vine to slide over.

"It did tear up my arms and legs pretty bad." He said feeling the scrapes sting again. "Figure something out Phineas." He moved to where the branch was narrow enough that he could reach under and be able to touch his hand on the other side. This spot should be wide enough to support me. He dug into his pouch and grabbed his knife. He straddled the branch and began cutting into the bark. For several minutes he cut, hacked, carved and smoothed the wood until there was a nice clean notch along the branch for the rope to sit in.

"I hope this works." He muttered, absently rubbing the cord on his wrist. He lay the rope into the notch with the loop level with the branch. He reached under the branch to grab the long end of the rope from underneath. "Here goes nothing." He lowered himself over the side and slipped his legs into the loop and kept his grip on the long end. He lowered himself a bit. The rope moved easily with his weight along the notch. He sighed and began grabbing hand under hand along the long end.

The ground got closer and closer. The plan was working much better than Bobble had expected. He was already low enough that he wasn't too worried about falling. He still didn't want to risk jumping though, but he felt if he were to drop now he wouldn't be too hurt.

After what felt like an eternity of climbing and work, Bobble's feet touched the ground. He released the rope and kicked the loop off his legs. With a great sigh of relief he fell back into the grass with his arms spread wide. "I did it." He whispered. "I did it…" he wondered just how long it had taken him to reach the bottom. He stared up at the sky and saw that the sun hadn't yet reached its highest point.

Still morning… that's good, he thought. He knew he still had a long way to go. He wasn't going to get home by laying in the grass.

Just one more minute.

Before long he caught his breath. He held his arms over his head and eyed his left hand again. Clank…

Finally, still sore and aching, Bobble got to his feet. "Okay, which way?" He looked around, wondering which direction he'd come from. He'd been in such a frenzy coming here that he couldn't even guess which direction home might be. He circled the tree, looking for the hollow he'd stayed in and wondered if he put it to his back and just walked straight if he would find Pixie Hollow.

"The sun shone in when it rose…" he muttered. "The hole is facing East… But is East the way home? What if I wander somewhere dangerous like the Winter Woods?" he shuttered. Freezing to death didn't appeal to him. But he couldn't be sure that he'd even end up anywhere near the Winter Woods. He made a mental note to avoid cold winds.

So then which way do I go? He wished he'd gotten a better look from higher up. He was certain without seeing above the trees he wouldn't be able to find the right way. "But I just got down and I'm not climbing back up."

Standing there pondering was getting him nowhere fast. The best thing he could do was start walking and hope for the best. Bobble took his knife and carved a big X into the tree and headed East. As he walked he left a knick in each tree he passed in case he needed to turn back and start over, or if by some chance someone was looking for him they could follow his path.

His mind wandered as he walked. The little thoughts he had been trying to push away all morning crept in. He really didn't want to think it but now the big glaring thought in his head was that he had messed up so badly.

Today could have been so different. He could have woken up at home with Clank if he hadn't run away. He would have woken, pressed up against Clank's warm side They would have said good morning, kissed and had breakfast together. Bobble would pretend not to watch while Clank got dressed and Clank wouldn't even try to hide that he was watching while Bobble changed.

His mind replayed the previous morning when he watched Clank. He recounted just how Clank looked standing naked in front of the closet from the way his hair draped over his shoulders to how his wings twitched as he searched for his clothes. He found himself wanting to feel that warm skin under his hands, to run his fingers along Clank's back and hold his hand and admire the cords around their wrists.

He paused. Clank wasn't wearing a cord. Bobble sighed and wondered what Clank was doing now. Did Clank miss him? Was he working? Did he stay home? Had he told anyone what had happened yesterday? Did everyone know now what a fool he'd been?

Bobble longed to turn back time. He wished with all his heart that he had fought off his anxieties. He desperately wanted to have told Clank yes and accept everything would follow, even if it was something he didn't think he was ready for. He would still have Clank and that would be more than enough.

He choked on his anguish. I just have to keep moving. The sooner I get home the sooner I can make this right. That thought didn't stop him from picturing Clank right in front of him. He could see him so clearly; his kind smile and soft eyes. In this vision Bobble had said yes and Clank wore his cord. Oh I wish I had said yes! He could imagine Clank's warm hands caressing his face. His soft hips would meet his.

Bobble… he would whisper between kisses Bobble…

"Clanky…" Bobble whispered, closing his eyes and willing the vision to be real somehow.

Bobble… . . . . . . "Boooooobble…!"

His eyes snapped open. "Clanky?" It had been so quiet, so far away that Bobble might have imagined it. But he swore he heard…

"Booooooobble…!"

He turned to the sound. That was definitely Clank's voice, and he was calling out to him. He sounded so far away. "He's close enough to hear…" he stepped in the direction of Clank's voice, listening for him to call again. Hopefully he didn't go too far.

"Phineas Tailer Kettletree Esquire!" Clank's voice carried through the trees. "Where are you? Can you hear me?"

"I can!" Bobble said loudly. "I can hear you Clank!" he ran toward his voice as fast as his legs would carry him.

Clank went quiet then. Bobble feared he may not have heard him answer and moved on. "Clank!" he called out. Please hear me! "Claaank!"

"Bobble?" he sounded closer; close enough that Bobble could hear how hoarse he was. How long had he been calling out to him. "Bobble! Where are you?"

Bobble pushed himself to run faster. "I'm coming Clank!" he yelled back. "Don't go! Please!" he sprinted around the trees, following the sound of Clank's rough voice which sounded closer every time he heard it. He arrived in a break in the trees where the sun shown unobscured through the branches all the way to the ground.

Bobble paused and listened. Clank hadn't called out for a moment. He was about to call back to him when a rustle in the leaves shut him up. He jerked his attention to the sound just as the sparrowman he sought appeared in the tiny clearing.

"Clank…" Bobble breathed. Clank halted just at the trees' edge. His eyes met Bobble's and Bobble smiled weakly.

"Bobble…" he rasped. Clank fell to his knees.

I do hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Thank you for reading
~RK