p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"I wake to the feel of a gentle nudge. I open my eyes and see Sara sitting by me. "Colby, we're free. They finished moving the rocks. We can leave now," Sara smiles at me./spanu/u/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"I give a small smile back. "Cool! Then maybe my footpaw can get bandaged finally!" I laugh a bit./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Colby." I turn to see dad and Uncle Buck walking towards me. "I have some bandages here for you footpaw."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Okay, dad. Um…will it hurt? When you bandage it, I mean…" I mumble./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""It might, but I'll try to be gentle, alright?" Dad smiles comfortingly to me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"I gulp nervously, before nodding my head. "Ok, dad. Sara, can you stay with me please?" I look hopefully in Sara's direction./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Of course I'll stay with you!" Sara takes my paw in hers./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Dad kneels by me and takes my footpaw. He starts to slowly wrap the bandages around it. I close my eyes clench my teeth as the pain starts. When the pain levels raise beyond what I can bear, I feel the first tears fall down my cheeks. Sara hugs me. I turn and burry my face in Sara's shoulder as the tears flow. When dad finishes bandaging my footpaw, he also embraces me. They try to comfort me as I cry. Eventually, the tears slow down. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"I pull myself out of dad's and Sara's arms and wipe the tears away. "Thank you," I mumble./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""You're welcome, Colby. Now, let's go home." Dad replies./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Yeah. Let's go home." I reply. Sara and Max help me up. Together, we exit the cave and start heading towards the world above the ice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"When we get to our cave, Sara and Max help me lay down in my bed. "Thanks for helping me." I thank them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""You're welcome, Colby. Now what should we do? We can't play considering you have a broken footpaw," Max points out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""I don't know, but whatever we do, I'm glad we can do it together," I smile at both Sara and Max. In that instant, I know that as long as we're together, we can do anything we put our minds to. As long as we're together, we'll be okay./spanu/u/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"I give a small smile back. "Cool! Then maybe my footpaw can get bandaged finally!" I laugh a bit./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Colby." I turn to see dad and Uncle Buck walking towards me. "I have some bandages here for you footpaw."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Okay, dad. Um…will it hurt? When you bandage it, I mean…" I mumble./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""It might, but I'll try to be gentle, alright?" Dad smiles comfortingly to me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"I gulp nervously, before nodding my head. "Ok, dad. Sara, can you stay with me please?" I look hopefully in Sara's direction./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Of course I'll stay with you!" Sara takes my paw in hers./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Dad kneels by me and takes my footpaw. He starts to slowly wrap the bandages around it. I close my eyes clench my teeth as the pain starts. When the pain levels raise beyond what I can bear, I feel the first tears fall down my cheeks. Sara hugs me. I turn and burry my face in Sara's shoulder as the tears flow. When dad finishes bandaging my footpaw, he also embraces me. They try to comfort me as I cry. Eventually, the tears slow down. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"I pull myself out of dad's and Sara's arms and wipe the tears away. "Thank you," I mumble./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""You're welcome, Colby. Now, let's go home." Dad replies./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Yeah. Let's go home." I reply. Sara and Max help me up. Together, we exit the cave and start heading towards the world above the ice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"When we get to our cave, Sara and Max help me lay down in my bed. "Thanks for helping me." I thank them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""You're welcome, Colby. Now what should we do? We can't play considering you have a broken footpaw," Max points out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""I don't know, but whatever we do, I'm glad we can do it together," I smile at both Sara and Max. In that instant, I know that as long as we're together, we can do anything we put our minds to. As long as we're together, we'll be okay./spanu/u/p