As always the standard disclaimer applies: I do not own the Happy Tree Friends; they are the property of Mondo Media. I own only my own characters and this story. Now here's chapter 26:

26 – ON THE ROOF

The roof of Metramegopolis is a popular place to go. Even when the city is at rest on the ground the roof is still thousands of feet high so the views are always spectacular. It's not dangerous either because force fields around the edges of the roof keep safe anyone who might be foolish enough to climb past the physical barriers. It's always cool up there because of the winds and breezes that are fairly constant up high, although, since the city had been located in an area that was near the tropics where it was almost never cold at sea level, it hadn't often been too cold even on the roof. On days when there was a heat wave and people didn't want to stay cooped up inside the city (even with the air conditioning) the roof was a natural place to go to cool down.

That would all be changed now that the roof was several thousand feet higher up than it had been just that morning. As Toothy had predicted it wasn't cool anymore, it was quite cold. The air was also markedly thinner, although people could still breath it unaided and receive adequate oxygen as long they didn't push themselves too hard before acclimatizing to the altitude difference.

It was in the very late afternoon that Toothy and Barry emerged from a city tower door and walked out on to the city roof. The flat deck of the roof stretched for several kilometers in all directions and it was only at the very edges of the city that you could see the land below. Toothy and Barry did not have to go far to reach its edge because, since Barry needed to get a coat, they had first gone to his house. That had taken them to the top residential level where he lived under Dane's guardianship. Dane was asleep when they got there so they left as soon as Barry had put on warmer clothes and took the short walk to the nearest place where they could gain roof access. It was only about 100 meters from Barry's door to that gate. Since his apartment was also on the edge of the city Barry and Toothy found themselves quite close to the edge of the roof when they got outside. The wind was blowing quite noticeably but it wasn't that bad. Nevertheless Barry drew his coat tighter around him. Toothy did not seem bothered by the cold at all. The roof was completely deserted as the Mayor had extended the ban on roof access until the next morning, although this rule didn't apply to the Council members themselves.

Toothy looked around appreciatively.

"Beautiful" he said, "just beautiful." Barry had to agree. The view from the edge of the roof was spectacular. They could see the land stretching away for many kilometers. It was mountainous wherever they looked – an uninhabited wild, primal mountain wilderness. The colors of the scenery were tinted an extra shade of red by the sun, which was low in the sky and close to setting. The clouds had also been painted lovely shades of red in some places, and they hung in the air quite close to the roof. If the city had floated a little higher they might have actually been able to touch some of those the clouds.

"I wonder what it would be like to live here" Barry murmured.

"A lot colder than the place we left" said Toothy, "especially in the winter time. Oh! Look at that." He was pointing to some more clouds not far from where they were, only these clouds were floating near the city a little below the level of the roof. They were colored an orange red by the setting sun. Barry gazed at them.

"Funny to see clouds this way" he said, "I wonder what it would be like to be up here above the clouds when you know its raining down below?"

Toothy said nothing. For a little while the two of them watched the clouds float slowly by, getting redder as the sun sank towards the horizon. It really was a spectacular sunset, as Toothy eventually repeated.

"Yes" agreed Barry a little wistfully, "I wish my parents could be here to see it."

Toothy glanced at Barry out of the corner of his eye.

"How long has it been?" he asked quietly

Nine years. I was six. I can barely remember them a lot of the time now."

Toothy nodded. "It often seems that way as we get older" he said, "but you never really forget. Not really." Barry said nothing.

They stayed there for a little while longer, watching the sun go down while playing a color show with the clouds and sky. They didn't say much, but just kept the kind of comfortable silence that only really good friends can have. When the sun was finally down and night began closing in Barry stirred himself against the increasingly cold wind.

"Let's go in" he said, "it's getting too cold up here."

(To Be Continued)