Bow's pulse raced. Sweat beaded on her tiny forehead as she sprinted through the Owl Express, though the fearful apprehension etched on her face was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Forty seconds until self-destruct! We're doomed!" The train's friendly, female voice announced over the loudspeakers. Bow swore in agitation. The word she used was in her native language, and thankfully she had enough restraint to keep it under her breath. The girl's small body careened past one of the bizarro birthday cakes that exploded in a flash of light and smoke if one drifted too far near it. Again she avoided it, and again she wondered just how a train of all things was capable of seamlessly baking birthday cakes to perfection and flinging them all over the place to BLOW UP. The way it felt was akin to an assembly line. Quick, efficient, and shuttled out relentlessly.

Why was she risking herself like this again? Oh, right, because the Conductor had left her a creepy phone message and kidnapped the girl she'd taken from Subcon Forest. Resident Indentured-Servant-From-Birth, Cashmere. And not only that, but he'd hidden her somewhere on a train that was now less than thirty seconds away from blowing up.

Ooooh, when she got her hands on that bird next, there would be hell to pay!

All she'd wanted to do was help a sheltered girl experience a life she had never been able to live thanks to her overbearing "guardian", the soul-sucking Snatcher. How had the rare, genuine desire she had felt to assist someone on this planet for more than just her primary motives come to something like this?! With fire, and dissonant cheery voices, and owls hooting at her every time she wasted precious seconds even STARING at them?

It was with a resigned sigh through gritted teeth that Bow made a mental note to enforce a contracted policy of her own, moving forward, when it came to working with bird movie directors. Because as it stood now, neither of them seemed to know just how to treat the stars who worked for them.

The chained platform she was standing on swayed unsteadily, prompting Bow to leap forward and scamper her way across another that was slowly sinking into lava. From there was an elevated floor that was home to some spare pons before some more flippy-switches popped up. But while running on them, two cannons fired some none-too-friendly ammo at her. And once THOSE flippy-switches were cleared, a second set popped up. This time with a purple, grinning face that appeared all too eager to watch her topple into the lava below. 'Nyeh heh heh heh heh!' the faces seemed to taunt her while she hopped across them, eliciting a hiss from the child. 'Let's see you do this AND avoid cannon fire!'

Two more sets of panels and three more relentless cannons later, Bow glimpsed salvation at the end of what she could only describe as a demented obstacle course. She had no words for what she'd just endured. The metal grate covering the final landing with the door slid downwards, granting safe passage into the frontmost car— the control center, where the Conductor steered the Owl Express and kept it on track!

A singular orange and yellow button situated under a spotlight's glow was among the first to greet her when she raced into the room. That wasn't all, though— Cashmere herself hovered just above it! Tied up, suspended precariously over the button, and gagged with one of the Conductor's western-style bandannas, the other girl looked like she had seen better days. Her eyes lit up when Bow rushed in to save her, though, bringing a surge of happiness to the young heroine's heart despite their dire situation.

Her morale boosted, Bow leapt through the air. She caught Cashmere and held the bound girl close to her chest, coming to land solidly on the button while the countdown reached its final ten seconds.

"Nine.. Eight.. Seven…" the train's voice intoned calmly, shutting off just as Bow defused the bomb and landed in front of the Conductor with her friend cradled in her grip.

"You made it! And in time!" The bird director declared proudly.

"Are you okay?" The alien asked Cashmere, setting her down.

"Peachy keen," Cashmere beamed as Bow yanked the blue cloth away from her lips. "I was a little freaked out at first, because some owls just took me from your ship in the middle of the night, but I'm fine now! Nobody hurt me."

Whew. She was okay. It was over, and they could move on. An exhausted Bow patted the bound Cashmere on the head, and took her place in front of the surprisingly calm Conductor, who stood there with his hands behind his back. And delivered some of the worst words Bow had heard since she'd arrived on this planet.

"Oh ho ho hooo— look at all this raw footage we got!"

….. Bow's eye twitched. The Conductor, who had proudly made a show of putting his foot in his mouth, didn't end there.

"Look at how yer runnin' for dear life while the survival of EVERYONE on the Owl Express - plus the wee damsel we were able to seize before the shoot - rests on your hands! I've never seen this level of professionalism from such inexperienced lasses!"

He seemed so proud of himself. And that was probably the worst part in all of this. While Bow placed her hands on her hips, she was doing everything she could to not just whack this kook of a bird right then and there with her umbrella. Doing so in front of Cashmere, though, that would create an issue she didn't want the other girl to witness so soon. With her willpower restraining her fury, the two were mocked by the glaring red lights of the cameras that surrounded them in the room. But the minute Bow opened her mouth to tell him off—

"That was SO COOL!"

Surprise etched across her face, Bow turned over her shoulder. There stood Cashmere wriggling excitedly in her bonds, her bright turquoise eyes just gleaming. Bow, in concern that she might fall over in her excitement, made quick work of freeing the girl from the ties that held her.

"That was so much fun, Mr. Conductor— I've never even seen a movie before, but being a part of one was something I could've only dreamed of!"

The little girl, in all her black-and-purple glory, flung her arms around the bird in a hug. On the opposite end, Bow's heart twisted. Cashmere hadn't yet seen the killer course Bow had gone through as she'd fought for her life to save them both… But she was happy. This isolated, lonely girl had been able to participate in something that until now had been miles beyond her reach.

Experiences like this were something that didn't come practically handed to you like it did for Cashmere. And seeing the pure, radiant joy that was on the younger girl's face… Bow couldn't be completely angry with the Conductor for having her there in this way. She was still more than annoyed that he had to take a gamble with their lives to ensure the "success" of the movie, and she would be for some time, but she could vent about it to her diary later. Cashmere didn't need to know. She didn't need to have her exultation soured like that. Not when she was this thrilled to shreds, and they were out of harm's way..

"Yer welcome, lass," Replied the Conductor, as he gently attempted to pry her from the hug. Despite this, a smile curved his beak as he addressed her. "It was a PERFECT way to introduce yer to the way a movie should be made. Have some bad news for ya, though— an addition this late to any film of mine usually goes on without any credit. The credits are pre-made before the shoot, see, and we can't make any changes to them when there's work to be done on the movie itself!"

"Hey, wait a minute–!" Bow's dormant temper flared. Had he HONESTLY just been so careless as to snub her friend like that? The bird had seemingly been accommodating enough to let the new girl join in on the project— they were still editing even, and there was no chance she'd receive any kind of recognition? The callousness of that statement was aggravating, and Bow wasn't going to be having it!

"Aww, that's okay!" Cashmere interrupted just as Bow was about to deliver one hell of a verbal slap to the director. "To be fair, I'd probably get in trouble if anyone back home figured out I was in it… Just being a part of it was fun enough for me- I'm so happy I could be in an actual MOVIE! And with my bestest friend in the world!"

Her little arms were clinging to Bow seconds later. The Conductor tossed Bow her "pay" — the time piece. And with a slow sigh of relief, she shoved the hourglass in her pocket, and set her grip around Cashmere's shoulders so they could share a proper tender moment after such an event.

"Let's go back to the ship. I'm hungry after all that!" Bow asserted, and teleported them away from the Owl Express, back to a thankfully more safe and relaxing place to be.


"So tell me again," Cashmere giggled, amused at the not-so-nice language that Bow used to describe her newfound enemy — who else but Mustache Girl? "This girl was delusional enough to think you'd put your home planet's needs on hold so she could borrow YOUR hourglasses, and use them to fix her own life problems?"

The girls were in Bow's AMAZING living room, in two bean bag chairs they'd acquired from her bedroom. Pajamas and soft slippers completed their slumber party attire — Bow in green and blue, and Cashmere in purple and gold.

It was the perfect ending to a wild day, and Cashmere had been staying with Bow now for a little under twenty-four hours. The longest and only time she'd ever been away from Subcon, and it was on a rolicking adventure with the nicest person she had ever met in her entire life.

It was pure bliss. And the little forest girl didn't want it to end.

"She was, it was awful! She just kept staring, waiting for me to agree.. Then she yelled at me, got up in my FACE, and took half of my pons! Who DOES that?!" Bow ranted, using her vibrant, passionate streak to tell her story. Bonding moments like these meant girl talk, and girl talk meant snickering and gossiping and having the best of times with someone you enjoyed being with!

With Cashmere, there was no need to keep secrets, or deceive her in order to keep herself safe. Bow had been reluctant to tell her what the time pieces were, and what they did, but… She didn't flinch once. She understood. Blinked, and made a face picturing someone as foul as Mustache Girl wanting to use them for her own gain. And that was something Bow could welcome with open arms.

"If you need any help, though, I'm right behind you! She sounds like a menace, and I haven't even met the girl." Cashmere grinned, balling her tiny hands into fists and punching the air. More than ready to go up to bat for her friend. "I could use practice. Y'know, in case I ever have to beat someone up?"

Bow nodded resolutely. But as it stood, her promises were a tad bit closer to home-

"Same goes, Cash. I'd do the same thing for you any day! ESPECIALLY when it comes to the Snatcher. I know you said he rescued you, but who's to say he wouldn't turn on you? Or blackmail you? If he ever treated you badly, someone needs to-"

"No! It's not like that!" The other girl protested worriedly. Shaking her head and fervent hand gestures seemed to cool Bow's jets, though, so she slowly continued. "I know he's scary sometimes, but he's never like that with us!"

"Why ISN'T he a problem, though?" Bow frowned. Her brows knit inquisitively, and she made note to tread lightly moving forward. "What happened to your parents that made HIM take you? Come to think of it, how did he explain that whole situation to you?"

"He thinks my parents were in some kind of trouble around the time they had me, and couldn't really do anything about it," The other girl shrugged, just as Cooking Cat came through the door to bring the girls some hot bowls of spaghetti. "He raised me, and has since kept me safe from anything that could hurt me. And in return, I'm one of his minions! I can't really blame him for that. Oh thanks, CC!"

"Any time, sweetie," their culinary cat-friend cooed, rubbing at the top of Cashmere's head. "You girls eat up now and have fun. I'll take care of the kitchen!" Off she went to tackle the monstrosity that was Bow's fridge. Bow turned back to Cashmere, a goofy look on her face while she considered all of what her friend was telling her. She'd met the Snatcher a few times.. He was hardly the caring type. It just didn't make sense.

"I guess it's just weird to me that he acts like that and hurts people, but then turns around and is nice to a stranger.. Tell me he at least doesn't—" Bow cringed, and fell silent. Burying her worries in the spaghetti they were eating was easy enough. She didn't want to assume anything, but she was protective. Who's to say her friend wasn't being-

"What? Oh, no, don't worry! He doesn't beat me or anything. I've been punished before, but it's only with more chores. Or he tickles me a bit if he thinks I'm being too fussy." Cashmere responded, then kicked her slipper-clad feet a bit so she could stretch out in the beanbag. A few more bites into her spaghetti, and eventually she found herself contemplating her guardian. And the nature of their relationship.

The Snatcher was everything Bow claimed he was — rude, demanding, ruthless. And with a distinct disregard for everything and everyone unlucky enough to wander into his forest and trespass. He took lives, not saved them. And yet…

"When you get to know him, he.. He's actually kind of sweet," Cashmere spoke up after devouring more of the warm food.

"I may be some random minion, but honestly I never really felt like one. It just feels like this mutual thing we do for each other. He takes care of me, and I pitch in around Subcon for him. He never asks me to do dangerous jobs, or hurt anybody. In fact, I think.. I actually think he's lonely, Bow."

The other girl tilted her head. "Lonely? How's that?"

"It's weird, but he told me a while ago that I had life, and that's why he keeps me around. He's never even let me near the nooses like he does the others. As odd as it sounds, I think me being there is helpful in more ways than chores and ground work is. It's… Like I'm his friend." Cashmere told her. It was the first time she'd vocalized this theory of hers, and it felt peculiar doing so, but she didn't regret it.

Bow bit her lip. As awful as hearing about Cashmere's circumstances were originally, she wasn't wrong in feeling this way. Cashmere claimed that he'd never harmed her— and in truth, she was in damn near-perfect condition. Not a scratch on her. If the Snatcher intended to use and abuse her like his reputation said he did to others, why would she be so chipper about her living situation? The pieces of this particular puzzle were foggy and difficult to process. But Bow would much rather do her friend this service and make her happy than to question every small bit of the other girl's life. And potentially meddle in something she may be overreacting to.

"You might be onto something.. It's fishy, but I won't blow the lid off this thing if you don't want me to. You're in one piece, which is more than I can say for the others he-" Realizing her mistake, Bow trailed off. She kicked herself mentally and clammed up, lest she end up on the receiving end of his wrath should the girl figure it all out!

"Huh?" Cashmere hadn't even seemed to hear it. She'd been so engrossed in her spaghetti at that point, wanting to finish it before it got cold, that she'd gotten some stray sauce around her mouth. A distraction!

"Nothing, you just look funny.. Here, stay still," Bow chuckled, grateful to find an alternate subject, and set to retrieving some napkins so she could help her friend. From there she tilted Cashmere's head back by her chin and dabbed at the sauce. All the while the younger girl squirmed a bit, trying to wriggle backwards.

"Mnnngh- I can do that myself," Cashmere fussed, grumbling under her breath until Bow was done. Come to think of it, they both had finished their spaghetti at that point. She discarded her bowl after a deep inhale, and wandered over to the big window at the front of the ship to look over the planet below. Bow trailed behind her after putting the bowls and silverware back in the kitchen, and rested her hand on Cashmere's shoulder. But to Bow's surprise, her face had morphed into something forlorn and confused.

"I don't wanna go home.." Cashmere sighed softly. Sadly, as if she could sense how close the end of their adventure was. "Not yet, at least.. The second I go back, I'll never get another chance to experience this again.."

Bow pulled her into a hug from the side, and Cashmere rested her head on her friend's shoulder for comfort. Her blue eyes never left the window. All at once, Bow knew a perfect way to perk her up.

"I know we're in our pajamas already, Cashmere… Is there any chance you'd want to spend another night up here? I have one more shoot in the morning before the awards. You should come with me— DJ Grooves is a fun director to work with, too! He'd definitely let you be in his film!"

Finally, the other girl's face softened. She raised her head, a soft smile taking the place of her longing. They would deal with Subcon later. For now, jubilation took hold. Two movies in the span of 48 hours! Cashmere could have squealed happily.

"I get to be in TWO movies… I finally have a friend after waiting my whole life for one… Am I the luckiest girl in the world, or what?"

"If you think THIS is cool, just wait till you see where we're going tomorrow," Bow grinned, and clasped Cashmere's hands to lead her away from the window. Back to her bedroom, so they could get their sleeping area set up for their sleepover. "Cooking Cat, can we please have some buttered popcorn? I think we're gonna turn in for the night soon here!"

"Of course, dear! I'll bring it in when it's ready!" The feline called back. The girls ran, giggling, back to Bow's room. Happy as could be, they elected to have fun while they could. After all, their time together wasn't done yet!


WHY HELLOOOOOO THERE! It's been some time since I've posted, and for that I'm sorry. When I started this story, I promised myself that I wouldn't just up and disappear. And truth be told, I don't really know why I did. Maybe this chapter was somewhat tricky to work through? Maybe I was stuck on how to proceed? I have no clue. But partially because I finally bought AHIT for my switch and am playing it and getting back into the swing of things, it's here now! And I made it a bit longer and more wholesome than what I've been putting out previously as an apology to you guys. So I hope you enjoy this chapter!