A/N : Friendly reminder that I also upload this story to AO3! Sad news, Chasing Sundogs will not have any sketchdumps, BUT! When I post on AO3, (mostly) each chapter gets anywhere from 1-5 pieces of artwork dedicated to the scenes inside the chapter. If you catch this story on AO3, you'll see all my musings along with it :D Hopefully that all makes up for the lack of sketchdumps. My username is the same over there!


Reviews :

Snake557 : Thanks friend! :D

Firesong-Writes : Thank you so much! I'm literally beaming, thank you, wow. I had an incredibly intense experience this summer that turned my whole life around, and I only have hoped that this 'upgrade' of mine stands out in my craft. So hearing those kind words assures me I'm doing something right and I'm just so grateful you've stuck around through it, now that the saga has morphed into its own entity beyond the source material. I've spent my life dodging instruction from others and have just lived to the beat of my own drum, and I've been so wildly and fantastically rewarded because of it. A major part of this reward is all the amazing people who have stuck with me. So truly, thank you, and to all my loyal readers who have stuck around to see what I have to offer. It really means the whole world.

As for your chapter question, I want to first apologize if this wasn't clear! This excessive, crazy amount of plot and world building is all new to me so I expected to fumble a bit. I'm just shocked everyone isn't more confused, or if they're just not speaking up, then... I mean idk. ANYWAYS, yes! Two years has past, BUT, since Litwak's Arcade was being demolished and rebuilt into a much bigger Arcade and Fun Center, think Dave and Buster's, everyone was just unplugged and unaware. So, 2 earth years like went by, on the internet, in real life, obviously time and everything carried on. So Sugar Rush was entirely unplugged from about April of 2020 to November of 2022. In these 2 years, the internet went crazy looking for the weird disappearance of Archived Chaos. I can't say too much on all of this because my answer will surely contain spoilers, but the final chapter of Favor's Game was simply coincidence, in terms of Litwak's demolish and how it pertains to the fight with Callum and Gideon in Arcadia Station. Once plugged back in, once Gideon and Kepa read the time stamp at the bottom of the hologram they were in front of, two years had passed entirely, but since they were simply just unplugged and therefore unconscious, it felt like nothing. So no, Chasing Sundogs doesn't start as a flashback. The story does and will continue remain in real time - the 7th story is where I will be time hopping a little, the 7th story will be my opportunity to stretch in terms of flashbacks and time hops, I'm not quite ready to stomach the continuity that'd entail, I'm tired lmao. Anyways I hope this helped! Lemme know if you still have questions, and that goes for everyone! :D


Song Listened To :

Silver Comforts Jim by James Newton Howard Treasure Planet score (first half)


*Chapter 5*

With a raspy sigh, bare feet to Tessa's cold guest bathroom tiles, Gideon pressed out of the bathroom after batting around the hand-drying towel and leaving so to rejoin his family; Oliver, Koko, Nox and Emery had previously joined not long after Gideon's and Lash's blow out. Gideon grunted, fumbled to turn the bathroom light off, swung to correction out of the smaller, high-ceilinged hallway that lead to Tessa's and Zed's kitchen, and was immediately halted in a squish of fumbling. Gideon huffed a noise, grappled his hands to the upper arms of said unsuspecting person, and as his and Tessa's eyes fervently glued, Gideon raised his eyebrows in a prickle of shock and hovered in the hit of a million different emotions rushing him. How badly he wanted to dump apologies at her feet, unleash a swathe of frustrations from previous-life's turmoils, all of it was swiftly met with one thing that could thwart Gideon's every intrusive thought, in this moment. The sheer, twinkling amount of bittersweet, undying love Tessa had for her baby brother. The two held hovered in a gasp of then wanting to initially segue out of said bump and hold, though they jolted to a freeze, they stopped every action to separate from each other dead in its tracks, and after about ten seconds of said frozen silence went by, Tessa finally furrowed her brows amidst the painfully slow sting of a teary grimace.

Gideon sagged his shoulders amidst said heavy sting, their family and friends could be heard down the brightening hallway laughing and chatting, though as Tessa and Gideon stood amidst the gentle murmur of it all, Gideon felt the world about them blur with the deepening of Tessa's regrettable grimacing. Gideon's eyes immediately welled with tears, he gave her an earnest, forlorn look of every ounce of tenderness he even had to his whole name, he gripped her arms a little harder and tearfully shook his head, just barely, as if to convey that the last thing he wanted was to see her in this sorrowful state. Tessa finally choked a silent stagger of a whimper and tightened her lips in a seal of desperately trying not to come unglued, though the second Gideon stood to correction, looked off in playfully annoyed dullness and felt the tears slip down his cheeks, he urgently wrangled Tessa into a big hug about her upper shoulders. Tessa whimpered a louder cry into Gideon's shoulder as the two glued tight to each other in a huge, loving embrace, it wasn't until Tessa's genuine, heartbroken cries got a bit louder did Gideon grimace a teary squeeze of a croak into the bend of her little shoulder. He held the back of her head and felt as if the two were standing on the last tiny bit of land the world had to offer, and their last sentiments to each other was a solid, singular hit of deep remorse and even deeper forgiveness.

"I love you so much, Gideon," Tessa squeaked through her tears, she staggered a harder cry into the side of Gideon's jugular, such a sorrowful hit of remorse had Gideon almost recoiling. He sucked in a gentle, silent gasp of a hiccup and squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could. Tessa's gentle cries began to reverberate off of the walls about them, she sorrowfully carried on, "I can't even begin to understand the crazy journey you've been on, with yourself... And I was absent for the entirety of it."

Gideon scoffed a trembling noise and now gripped Tessa even harder, tears spilled down his face in the rush of this sudden collide of vulnerability, he felt his skin prickle the second he could hear his mother and father urgently begin to question to others about just who was crying in the hallway. In the scuffle, Gideon could only now hear a handful of people quietly approaching the two. Although typically Gideon would rather die than have an audience in such a smack of fragility, he somehow stood firm in it with Tessa in his tall scoop of an embrace, he knew that whatever was to be said would likely all be things Gideon's peers would fervently relate to and agree on. Somehow the now effortlessly tossed kiss of finalized healing Gideon could see being lofted his way felt entirely surreal, he could feel everyone on the edge of doing the thing Gideon was desperate for, once upon a time. Where as previously it was something he could almost taste, here it was as if he was very suddenly being blindsided by it, having finally released every single expectation for it. It was here did Gideon get absolutely flattened by the notion, oddities and wonders of the law of attraction.

"W-We didn't see you when it mattered the most, and now that you've done all this lonely, isolated legwork," Tessa messily staggered on through her tears, she sucked in a wildly trembling breath and grappled her arms about Gideon's neck, "You've achieved a dream, and... We don't deserve a single second of your time..."

"Stop," Gideon croaked with a huff of a scoffing, nasally chuckle.

"We're just... Standing in the wake of your stardust, undeservedly basking," Tessa whispered in trembling sorrow, Gideon shook his head into the bend of her shoulder and grimaced a noise as she patiently and tearfully continued, "I know there's not enough stars in the sky, all the reasons you have to never, EVER forgive us, for the rest of eternity..."

Gideon crumpled the second he could feel his mother, Koko and Oliver now slowly begin to swallow him and Tessa whole, with the finalized scoop of Ralph's massive embrace. Ralph's hand firmly rubbed the back and top of Gideon's messy auburn hair as Tessa urgently continued on as the group became unglued.

"But I know you still will!" She blurt with a teary, happy giggle that the group eagerly roused to, as well.

"I will," Gideon huffed with a smile and the seal of his wet eyes.

"And now that we're all whole again and things are pieced together, you hear the call," Tessa sighed through her tears, she shook her head and grimaced a stifle of a cry into Gideon's upper chest, "A call you know all too well. Y'better take your ass straight to the stars, Gideon... You go out there and get everything you've ever deserved, with Sugar Rush's equally deserving roots in your care."

"... But please visit," Vanellope squeaked through her tears, which roused their clam of an embrace, as well as the handful of other onlookers in the group.

"I promise," Gideon croaked softly.

"We love you," Tessa squeaked through her tears as the group finally began to loosen, to which Gideon and Tessa now peered into each other's teary faces with glowing, refreshed warmth; Oliver, Koko, Vanellope and Ralph cutely murmured agreeing, teary notions of agreement to Tessa's words.

"I love you guys too," Gideon sighed as he wiped his cheeks and eyes free of tears, he groaned a cute noise and tilted his head back, "Guys, I'm SO done with crying, I physically can't produce anymore tears, this has to stop."

"Okay, okay," Tessa guffawed as she flagged her hands in agreeing and giggled as she, too, wiped her face free of tears.

"Just... Please stay safe," Koko whimpered as she rubbed her forehead, Gideon bobbed a gentle nod and bugged his eyes in mild dread.

"I-I mean... Even though I've been to the internet, and I know what this all entails, it is still scary," Gideon shakily murmured, though as the group loosened and everyone slowly began to meander back into Tessa's lovely, sunny kitchen and living room, Gideon gathered with Kepa and snugged her into a small side hug, "I guess Lash and I better set the ground rules and get on with it, huh..."

"Y-you guys leaving now?" Oliver worried, everyone stole glances to each other before they urgently peered to Gideon and watched as he, Lash, Kepa and Mara stole equally as worried glances into each other's eyes, as well.

Gideon heaved a long sigh, though just as he was about to excitedly, yet regrettably answer his big brother's question, he raised his eyebrows in a prickle of curiosity and peered down into Tessa's secure, Queenly gaze, even if it was still teary; the group about them began to bicker about leaving now, as opposed to any other time frame. There was some sort of twinkle in Tessa's eye, a small little whisk of unspoken magic, she stood confidently and looked on as if she was entirely terrified for Gideon and crew to leave, though somehow, her words about Gideon rushing off and righting wrongs and protecting their kin, both immediate and extended, was something that was simply just the baseline, here. Something in Tessa's demeanor could sense something wickedly awesome coming their way, though with the way she inhaled a nervous breath, Gideon wondered if she had put herself hot on the sidelines when Gideon knew, full well, she likely wanted to dive right into this mess with them, no holds barred; alas, she had a Kingdom to maintain and to protect, a Kingdom in which she fought fervently to secure. Although Gideon knew she'd never abandon her post, he could tell she was en-route to enduring a long, winding road of feeling left out of the magic and wondering just how she could put her tenacity to good use in Gideon's court, as opposed to hers. Gideon gingerly nudged his knuckles into the back of her hand and was happy to catch her eyes and attention whilst the group about them chattered away about the dangers and excitement they were about to be thrusted into.

"I have a proposition for you," Gideon mused tenderly, he long-blinked and felt that same, sweeping rush of information come to lovingly engulf his circuits. He furrowed his brow and watched as Tessa equally donned a curious look, though as they gingerly wove their hands into one another's, Gideon long-blinked as he pondered his rushing thoughts. He thought on just how much sturdier and heftier his mental-antenna had gotten, as if the coursing, rushing electricity that the internet had to offer had nothing on him. He gave Tessa a cute smile and dared to shush her a secretive notion, one in which he was nearly certain the two didn't want to expand on for everyone to hear. He spoke, grateful that everyone roused into laughter at something Mara had said, "I only just today discovered a brand new state of being, with Kepa... Y'know my lucid space, right?"

"Yeah," Tessa assured with eager eyes held tight to his, inside their soft and tender conversing.

"Well... When I joined the lucid space with her, she was her own child-self, as was I... She had her adolescent pelt, huge ears and eyes, we were both little and free of our problems," Gideon mused kindly, he lulled his eyes closed with knowing and revisited Tessa's bewildered gaze with love, "I'm fairly sure we were our inner children, in full representation."

"H-How did you accomplish that?" Tessa wondered, Gideon shrugged and was thrilled his exposure to said loose grapples of electric information was remaining.

"Keeping your inner child alive is the key, in all of this... I wonder if this is the reason I was able to self-appoint," Gideon wondered, not having all of the answers himself, he figured one day soon he'd be able to dissect it all, "I'm positive there are other ways to it, similar to how lion-gargoyles molt, but... That was mine and Kepa's, something that morphed into understanding, into self-love, and then... Love we're able to gift to one another, in our union, as adults. We both met each other as impressionable adults, sure, but it was when we were both at our lowest states, where our inner child was the most hurt... We healed each other."

"That's beautiful, Gideon," Tessa nearly dismissed, she could almost taste where Gideon was taking this conversation; he narrowed his eyes a little and hovered, as if to cheekily and silently request her not to wish this notion away so quickly.

"I never got to have a childhood with you, nor with Koko or Oliver," Gideon stated in a swing of mumbling regret, though he peered into Tessa's eyes with such a spark of hope, "Maybe some day soon, if you guys are willing, you guys can come to my lucid space and we can all play, as children... Like we never have, before. After all, you and Oliver are the only two that ever got to experience childhood together."

"Oh, Gideon, that's... That's sweet," Tessa continued to nervously dismiss, somehow Gideon could see it as protection, as if she was scared to turn inward and dig too deep, for either the fear of what she would find or the fear of the indescribable beauty that would erupt from tearing down the facade of pain and suffering and the self-destruction, so to rise from the ashes to follow. Tessa sighed, brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked away with a nervous little smirk, "I-I just... I'm so busy here, with Zed. I-If I ever could do something like that, I probably wouldn't be able to hang out for very long. That sounds like an all-day thing, no?"

"It's however long or short you'd want," Gideon mused, almost sorrowfully, though he respected her push-back. He could somehow feel the urge to take her under his wing, for some reason. There was a notion of wondering just when Tessa would be available to be teachable, and though unfortunately Gideon could sense that she wasn't ready for such things, he still gave her a loving smile and continued to hover in patient knowing, "It's... Really, no issue, just thought it'd be something fun we could all do together, but if you're not ready..."

"It's not that I wouldn't be ready, I just am busy," Tessa justified weakly, she donned an equally as weak smile and shrugged, "I-I mean, I'm Queen... I have no time for childhood or playing or antics like that, y'know? Or, if I do have time, it's very little. I have to now see if Litwak's has a proper Academy I can fall into, once more."

"Well... I understand," Gideon released this notion and understood here that whenever the student would be ready, he would appear. He patiently carried on with a kind nod and gave her an almost knowing side-eye, as if suddenly he could now see right through her, as if all this side-stepping she was doing was her way of saying that she was also destined for greatness beyond Sugar Rush's crown, she was also capable of unravelling and becoming the best version of herself, a version she knew she wasn't quite updated to, just yet, and though Gideon didn't want to become too prophetic with the sprawl of fresh information hitting his coding, he still managed to squeak in one last little nugget of information he hoped would take root in her thoughts, "When you DO find time, though, please tell me... I-I'm not sure why I feel this way, but there's something in me saying to leave room for you, and strictly you."

Tessa raised her eyebrows in shock and held her breath. She almost didn't want to dissect just what Gideon was insinuating, if he was perhaps suggesting that she, too, could upgrade her own coding to his level, if maybe all Gideon wanted to do was further-heal childhood wounds, potentially come to a place of easy peace between him and his three siblings, she had no idea. She allowed her gaze to dart aimlessly about Gideon's face, such a harrowing show of stubble, the claw marks on the right side of his face, his piercings, crisp tattoos, all beautiful housed by the glint of his fiery gaze that pierced her straight through, she felt her skin prickle at the colossal idea of handing over her crown and clearing a path to Gideon's teachings full time. The idea felt like poison in her bloodstream, though she wondered if it was simply because it jarred out of her usual norm. It jarred out of the massive task she had earned by winning Sugar Rush back from Lash's previously devious and misunderstood grip, she looked off in a winded show of confusion and cupped her forehead as Gideon's subliminal messages began to hit her head on; she bravely continued to try and side-step Gideon, here.

"G-Gideon, you can't possibly... Think..." Tessa murmured softly, Gideon lulled his eyes closed and tenderly shook his head in warm guffaw.

"I don't think," Gideon cued in conclusion, he peeled his eyes open, once more, and hummed her a definitive end to her nervous, twinkling wonderings, "I know."

Tessa snapped her jaw shut and now wondered if this was all something due to going to her head, though she skillfully shoved it and very blindly assumed Gideon was maybe firing on way too many cylinders and had his universal signals all crossed and confused, due to being so fresh and new to this. Even still, she peered hard into his eyes in warm stun and silently promised him that she'd keep this information tab open in her browser of many many tabs, a promise that she'd leave it open no matter what, even if it was shoved way behind a million other tabs that were each making much louder noise than the others.

"... I guess I'll keep you posted," Tessa mumbled nervously, Gideon nodded and chuckled.

"Good thing the phones work on the internet," Gideon cued, he broadened his voice so that the group knew he was now taking control of the conversation. He sucked in a huge breath, relinquished himself from the tender conversing he was partaking in with Tessa and took a small step closer to Kepa, who loosely stood with Mara and Lash, "Alright, everyone... I'm wondering if us four should be quick on this, so we can come home and tell you guys our findings."

"When do you think you'll be coming home?" Vanellope urgently worried as she cupped her hands to her chest, Ralph lovingly rubbed his hand up and down her back so to silently promise that it would all be okay.

"I'm not entirely sure, but if I had to take a wild guess as to how long we'll be gone, I'd say no more than two days," Gideon mused as he nodded into Mara's, Lash's and Kepa's gazes; they equally shrugged and nodded back with optimism.

"And you'll text us, right?" Vanellope continued, to which Gideon outstretched his hand to grip his mother's.

"Great, now that I don't have a game day, I get to sit here and worry," Ralph muttered, Zed rolled his eyes and shot his father-in-law a snarky smile.

"Welcome to my world," He grumbled, the group cutely laughed at their expense.

"I promise I'll keep my phone handy at all times," Gideon assured sweetly, though as Mara, Lash and Kepa gathered tighter to him, he diverted his attention to his three travel mates and now understood it was his time to lay proper ground rules, proper instructions on just what to expect, just what they'd be up to, protocol on when to abandon ship and all of the above. Gideon sucked in a readied breath and warmly gripped Kepa's hand in his right, and Mara's in his left. Mara and Kepa then held onto Lash's hands, thus completing their loose circle. Gideon smiled into their eyes and bobbed a nod, "Y'guys ready?"

"No," Lash stabbed, he choked a laugh and shook his head.

"A-Are you going to teleport us to the Wifi outlet, Uncle Gideon?" Mara worried, she dart her eyes to Lash's and then back to Gideon's.

"Yeah, I have to cause... I'm fairly certain the mob of Archived Chaos's fans are still out there, no?" Gideon wondered as he tossed his eyes to Zed, across the way; he lulled his eyes closed in tired, cheeky annoyance and nodded with a smirk. Gideon returned his gaze to Mara's and gave her an apologetic little smile, "Yeah... We'll arrive to the wifi router and head out from there... I'm thinking I should give this quick pep-talk here, instead of the Wifi outlet where wandering eyes and listening ears could eavesdrop."

"So like, what are we to expect here, I'm freaking out a little, what is even going to the internet like?" Kepa rushed in a squeeze of fear as she sourced her parents and now began to feel her heart palpitate in a spike of terrified excitement, the sheer fact that she'd be diving face first into this mess, with enlightened coding, was beginning to make her head spin.

"It's harmless, the ride down to the internet's main target gate is fast and exciting but you don't have to do anything but sit back and wait to land," Gideon shrugged, "Though, once we're on the ground, we need to just act natural... The internet is safe in most parts, especially sunny areas where there are lots of other gamers and beings wandering around."

"We probably shouldn't linger in any one place," Mara worried, Lash furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Gid... I haven't even had time to wrap my mind around this, but, it's been TWO years," Lash hissed in bewilderment, "Your season of Game Over has surely aired, has it not?"

"Strangely, it hasn't," Zed piped up, "Tessa and I spent all of last night scouring the internet for any sign of season five of Game Over... To our knowledge, the whole of it got cancelled, Gideon's season never aired."

"Don't act too bummed about it," Tessa murmured through a giggle, to which Gideon furrowed his brow in a sting of shock and eyed Lash.

"I-It straight-up got cancelled?" Oliver gawked.

"... I am so glad you said something, because I forgot about that damn thing's airing date entirely," Gideon muttered sheepishly, Kepa flattened her ears and shot him a worried look.

"It's like it never happened, then, no one will recognize you?" Kepa hurried, Gideon shrugged and shook his head in ironic agreeing.

"I'd assume not, but... Worst case scenario that someone recognizes me, we all need to abort the mission and head back here, to Sugar Rush, where we can put a forcefield over outlets and remain safe," Gideon rushed.

"Sugar Rush is our home base," Lash assured with confidence, he then pat Gideon's shoulder and eyed him in mild, boyish annoyance, "Also... Day one of being your right hand man and I'm the jerk that has to remind you that you were filmed murdering thirty seven people?"

"Even I forgot, as well," Kepa staggered in worry, she fingered her lip as her and Gideon peered hard into each other's eyes, "What... Does that even mean? That's been the center of our suffering this entire time and now it's not even a blip on our radar. What gives?"

"I have no clue, but there seems to be something in the water," Gideon muttered in curiousness as well, though he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, "It's pretty straight forward... We beam down to the internet, act natural... Mosey and see what we can find."

"Where exactly are we headed? What exactly are we even looking for?" Mara worried, Lash nodded in agreeing and shrugged.

"The Sundog," Gideon mumbled sorrowfully to himself, as if he knew that wasn't the answer they wanted, though as he stood before them, it was the only answer he was able to properly give. He looked down and scoffed an apologetic chuckle, "I would just drop that notion altogether and say we could seriously just poke around and find a genuine-safe space to house the band, but... That word keeps sticking, ever since last night..."

"Yeah, I can't let go of it, either," Kepa warmly agreed, she furrowed her brow and gestured her hands gently, "So, like... You said we beam DOWN through the internet's cloud? Where do we beam down from?"

"It's just the source of the internet, it's a big, bright light, I'm going to assume it's the powerhouse of the internet," Lash waggled his hands as he murmured on, "It's... Kind of hard to explain, it's just a lot of whipping light and color and noise until you arrive above the whole of the internet. You're then ushered to the station in the coded-bubble you came down in."

"I'm pretty sure there are a handful of send and return stations all over the internet, but I've only ever seen the one," Gideon mumbled, he fingered his lip in contemplation as Lash nodded.

"Yeah, same, just the singular station, it's all I ever knew to be," Lash murmured, though his two or three trips into the internet were short-lived, he still was successful in at least keeping tabs on landmarks; only one of which being the singular send and return station him and Gideon knew of.

"There's only ONE for the entirety of the internet?" Mara gawked, Gideon rubbed his forehead and nearly grimaced as he felt twinkling sparkles of information coming for him.

"Th-there's... Five?" Gideon squeaked as he looked off, to which Kepa peered to him in curiosity; she was certain they'd be hit with equal information at the same time, due to the duality and perfect unison of their coding, though still, no such profound information came to her about this topic thus far.

"User, okay," Lash mumbled in dread as he bugged his eyes and looked off, "Alright Gid... You're the boss."

"W-We're actually doing this?" Mara squeaked in a bounce of gentle excitement.

"We better go quick before the Queen puts her foot down and doesn't allow us to leave," Gideon cutely muttered as he eyed his big sister, whom of which was desperately trying to contain her tears; the group roused into laughter and lovingly began to dote on Tessa as she shook her head at Gideon and wiped her eyes.

"You're not wrong," Tessa chirped cutely through a sniffle.

"Uh, Gideon?" Novus weakly requested from the side of the group, and with his remembered presence, Gideon swiftly swung his eye contact straight into Novus's and felt his heart immediately sink in apologetic dread.

It was in Gideon's tossed gaze, to his right, did he sag his shoulders and feel hit with a huge wall of guilt. Novus peered to him in a show of the hugest puppy dog eyes, an earnest look of sagged ears and a lowered head, he opened his mouth and nervously began to stammer on a few words insinuating apologizing and righting wrongs. Gideon heavily frowned, peered to Lash, Kepa and Mara and took note that they had finally tossed him beaming, apologetic smiles for the sake of Novus's feelings, as if to assure him that not only would the right thing to do here is make nice with Novus, but to also bring him along on their trip to the internet. Gideon heaved a long sigh through his nose, peered to Novus once more and allowed a loving, humble little smile sprawl his face. Although he smiled, he felt his heart now officially break into a million pieces the second Novus's beautiful, big blue eyes welled with tears. Novus shook his head, squeezed his eyes shut, shyly glanced about the group and felt himself sag even further the second everyone began to toss Novus and Gideon loving notions about their brotherly love. Gideon lulled his eyes closed, outreached his right arm and hand, opened his palm in a request of Novus's presence and was thrilled to catch eyes with him.

"C'mon, bud," Gideon murmured warmly, to which Novus just barely lifted in tepid disbelief. Novus shyly looked about, once more, and took an unsure step out of his positioning next to Oliver. Gideon choked a small laugh and gestured his hand, "C'mere... I'm sorry for how I treated you this morning, that wasn't fair of me."

"It's okay," Novus warily mumbled as he continued to step closer to Gideon, though the second he gingerly pressed his snout into Gideon's opened palm, Gideon furrowed his brow and understood that it was now Novus's turn to get the hit of unconditional, brotherly love Gideon had for him.

"You may not be a User on this trip, and you may have annoyed me this morning, but..." Gideon lulled his eyes closed and allowed his rainbow coding to swarm Novus's, and with the kick, Novus sucked in a sharp breath and perked his ears. As both boys held eyes in the huge smack of understanding, a huge smack of unconditional love that flood their entire beings, Gideon so sweetly ran his hand from Novus's snout and to his teary left cheek, "I'll grow another right arm for you if it means having two right hand men."

"... Not me," Novus guffawed sweetly as his eyes grew glassier, he furrowed his furry brow and shook his head in the easy flow of Gideon's lovely coding surging through his, and it was here did Novus begin to crumple.

"Yes, you," Gideon assured, to which Lash bobbed a happy nod and crossed his arms.

"Y-You want me to come with?" Novus staggered with a widening smile of teary excitement as he finally tossed his eyes to Kepa, Mara and Lash; they all looked on with widening, eager smiles.

"From one dragon to another," Gideon started sweetly, he gave Novus a cheeky little smile as the group about the five roused into knowing laughter, "It wouldn't be the same without you. What do yah say?"

"I'd be stupid to say no, someone's gotta make sure you don't run off," Novus muttered with a fang-filled little smirk, to which Gideon grinned and wrangled Novus into a big hug about his neck.

"I love you, you turd," Gideon murmured into his glorious blue fur, all down his ventral; Novus snug his bigger arm and paw about Gideon's back and snuggled him deeper into his big chest.

"I love you too, stupid," Novus stabbed with a happy laugh as the two finally sagged from each other, a hit of renewal, a snug of forgiveness, it was here did Gideon broaden his attention back to his travel party, as well as the group about him.

"All four of us have our phones on us, I promise we'll keep you guys posted on our whereabouts and just when we'll be returning," Gideon started, though he lilted into caution, "Though, I will warn you guys... I, personally, am only going to be in communication with Zed. All four of us should only ever be texting one person, and if we're to say anything of our whereabouts and returns, it unfortunately needs to be vague or through some form of code words... We just don't know where our information comes and goes, and we don't want it in the wrong hands."

"Good move," Lash encouraged softly as Zed nodded and understood his detrimental tasks, here.

"If any of you guys text out, do not use any keywords such as Flint, Vye, Game Over, names, the works... Simple questions and answers given," Gideon assured as he spoke now to the group of about a dozen hovered about him, Lash, Kepa and Mara, "We won't be gone any longer than two full days... If twelve hours goes by without hearing from any one of us, be worried."

"I-I don't need to hear this," Tessa whimpered as she held her forehead in terror, to which Gideon nodded in understanding though still tenderly persisted.

"I know it's difficult to hear, but we have to be prepared for anything," Gideon cued lovingly with a nod, "We'll be back in two days, Sundog found or not."

"Promise?" Koko squeaked sorrowfully, to which Gideon bobbed a single, confident nod and gave her his word.

"I promise," Gideon assured, though as he eagerly flared his rainbow coding and allowed it to sprawl to his four travel-mates at lightning speed, Lash, Novus and Mara sucked in shaky gasps of shock as Gideon's and Kepa's incredible, limitless coding flood their veins in a wiggle of unbridled goodness. Gideon hovered with the four for a moment and made sure to look each of them in the eye, as if to cutely request each of them to proverbially make it clear if they were ready to head out, once and for all, "Y'guys solid? We ready?"

"Ready," All four chirped in a sting of wary, terrified excitement, though as Gideon bobbed a nod and sucked in a readied breath, he lulled his eyes closed and gave the air about them one last sentiment.

"Hold on tight," He quipped, and with a flicker of colorful pixels and a splay of sudden, evaporated teleportation, the five were gone within the blink of an eye, leaving behind the staggered group of enchanted, awestruck onlookers, a swathe of healthy fear held the group in a chokehold, though somehow they knew, Sundog or not, Gideon would certainly be successful no matter what.