"I Wanna Be Like You!"
Connie laid back her ears. "Stop it..."
"But I'm not touching you!" little Chance said gleefully, holding his finger pointed at his sister's nose, extremely close to it but not quite touching it.
"Stop it."
"But I'm not touching you!"
"Stop-"
Chance slowly moved his finger up the bridge of her nose to the space between her eyes. "Bzzzzzzzt..."
Connie went cross-eyed for a moment as she glared at the fingertip, then she shot up out of her seat. "That's it!"
Regal, who had just closed the waffle iron, looked up at the sound of Chance's high-pitched scream as his sister chased him from the kitchen. Stellar Heart flicked his right ear towards the light swatting sound as Connie popped Chance on his diapered bottom, and the tiger put down his newspaper with a frown. Chance ran back into the kitchen, holding his backside and pouting.
"But Daddy, I wasn't touching her!" he whined.
"Then it was hardly worth it, wasn't it, son?" said Stellar, ruffling his son's unruly mane.
Hope snickered as Connie stomped back into the kitchen, and their mother fixed the oldest liger cub with a sharp look. "Connie, don't you dare hit your brother!"
"I didn't hurt him, and he started it." Connie grumbled, sitting back down.
"That doesn't matter; no hitting." Regal went back to the waffles.
"Nyaa!" Chance stuck out his tongue.
"Not good, Chancie." Stellar said warningly. "You know, you do stuff just to get her mad, and then she gets in trouble. Is that fair?"
"I was only playin'..." Chance mumbled.
Connie rolled her eyes as Stellar gave Chance a one-armed hug before going back to his paper. Chance sensed her annoyance, and he knew he had gone too far with his teasing. He climbed into her lap, and she gave a resigned sigh as he snuggled in close.
"You're a pest," she said.
"I wuv you." he grinned up at her, and she cracked a smile in spite of herself.
"See, now that's much better." said Regal Heart, ignoring Connie's sudden scowl and asking, "Do you want maple syrup or blueberries with your waffles?"
"Whatever." Connie shrugged.
"Whatever!" Chance repeated, shrugging his shoulders and trying unsuccessfully to mirror his sister's annoyed expression.
"Stop it!" she snapped in a slightly whiny voice, plunking him down in his own chair.
"Stop what? I not doin' anything!" he whined, looking and sounding like he was on the verge of tears.
"Wanna sit on my lap, Chancie?" asked Hope, trying to avoid a fight and to rescue her brother's cheerful mood.
"No, wanna sit on Connie's lap..." pouted Chance.
"Last chance, Con, maple syrup or blueberries?" asked Regal.
"Maple syrup..."
"Me too!" grinned Chance.
"I changed my mind." said Connie, glaring at her brother.
"Me too!" he grinned back.
"No, which one do you want?" asked Connie, exasperated.
"Whatever you're havin'." his grin stretched wider.
"Mom!" Connie cried.
"Mom!" Chance repeated.
"Chance!" Connie yelled, throwing a crumpled up napkin at him.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he wailed, covering his face and sobbing, his feelings hurt.
Stellar picked up his son and hugged him, scolding Connie as he did so. "Connie, you should know better than that. Chance is still a baby, and you're getting to be a big girl now."
"But he's always following me around and copying me, and he always has to have what I have!" she protested.
"Only because he looks up to you." said Stellar, wiping Chance's nose with a napkin as his sobs quieted. "He loves you, Connie...enjoy it while you can, because you cubs grow up fast. Now, I think you should apologize to your brother."
Connie was sorry for making him cry, but being prompted for an apology always put her in a sour mood. She crossed her arms and looked the other way, mumbling, "Sorry..."
"I'm sorry, Connie...I'll have what you don't want..." said Chance, rubbing his eyes.
"No, it doesn't matter," said Connie, feeling the now-familiar guilt pangs hit.
Chance climbed back into his chair, but he wasn't a happy little boy. He kept sniffling and wiping his face, and finally Connie sighed and put him on her lap again. The transformation was immediate; Chance went from crying softly to smiling from ear to ear.
"Connie, you wanna play 'Shadow'?" asked Chance.
Connie didn't look up from the drawing she was working on. "No, I hate that game."
"No, I hate that game!" Chance grinned mischievously.
"Chance..." Connie said warningly.
"Chance..." he responded gamely, mimicking her expression.
"Stop it!" she snapped.
"Stop it!" he snapped back.
Connie drew back her paw as if to swat, and he grabbed her drawing and took off running with it.
"Chance!" she roared, chasing after him more fervently than usual.
"MommyMommyMommyMommyMommy!" Chance shrieked as he collided with his mother and used her as a shield.
"Gimme that back, you little toad!" Connie made a grab at him, but Regal got between them.
"All right, what's going on?" she asked.
"Chance took-" Connie began, then cried out as Chance shoved the drawing in their mother's face. "No, don't look!"
But it was too late. Regal had already seen it. Connie had drawn a picture of herself, holding hands with Tugs on a heart-shaped background. Connie groaned in agony as her mother took the drawing with a smile.
"You drew this?" asked Regal, obviously impressed.
"You weren't supposed to see that!" yelled Connie, taking the drawing back and stomping off.
Chance grinned up at Regal as if he expected her to praise him, but he got a bit of a surprise when she gave him a disappointed frown. He put a finger in his mouth, his expression uncertain. "Um..."
Regal picked him up and sat down, putting him on her lap. "Chance, I don't think she wanted anyone to see that picture."
"But...it was pretty..." he protested, not understanding. "She likes showin' 'em to you."
"This is different, sweetie." said Regal.
"Why?" he asked.
"Well...because I think that was personal, like a diary." she replied.
"Oh. Why?"
"Just because." she said, "Why don't you go say you're sorry? She might not be mad then."
"Kay...but I like showin' you my 'pitchers'. I wanna draw good like Connie!" he grinned.
"I'm sure you will." Regal kissed his forehead. "Now, go tell her you're sorry."
Chance slid off his mother's lap, and went off to find his sister.
"Stupid little twerp..." Connie grumbled, tearing up her drawing.
"What's a twerp?" asked Chance from the doorway.
Connie's head turned quickly in his direction as she tried to hide the ruined picture. Chance saw the pieces, however, and he gave her a disappointed look.
"Why'd ya rip it up?" he asked her.
Connie threw the pieces into the wastebasket, and folded her arms. "Because! That's why."
Chance almost folded his arms too, but he stopped himself in time; he was in enough trouble with her, and he was trying to smooth things over. He clasped his little paws behind his back, and looked down at the floor. "Sorry, Connie..."
Connie opened her mouth to further tell him off, but she closed it again at the sight of him. Chance apologizing, without looking impish? This was something new. Her anger lines softened, and she reached out and ruffled his mane. "Hey, forget it..."
Chance giggled, trying unsuccessfully to make his mane lie a little flatter. "You're not mad no more?"
"Nah, not really." said Connie.
"Yay!" he jumped up and down, then tackled her in a hug.
"Yo!" she protested, almost falling over. "Okay, that's enough! Sheesh..."
Chance, unperturbed, followed her out of the room. He caught hold of her tail and imitated her walk, involving her in an unwanted game of 'Follow the Leader'. Connie stopped short, lashing her tail as best she could while he held on to the end of it. Chance, fascinated, watched her tail moving as if it were a jump rope. He grabbed her tail near the middle of it to get it to stop wiggling, and the end twitched instead. He grabbed the end of her tail again and pulled it taut, and Connie reacted accordingly.
"Chance! Let go of my tail, and leave me alone!"
"Eee!" he squeaked, dropping her tail and running for the kitchen. "Mommy, Connie yelled at me!"
Connie didn't wait around to see if she was in trouble or not. She went up to her room and grabbed a book she had been reading that past week, then she went back downstairs and headed for the back door.
"Where ya goin'?" asked Chance, who had heard her footsteps on the stairs.
Connie stopped short, and stifled a groan. She turned around, and saw the toddler smiling up at her. "Out for a walk. Is that okay with you?"
"Uh-huh, and I'll come too!" he said cheerfully, starting towards her.
"No!" she said quickly, holding out a paw to stop him. Then, more gently, she said, "Um...I just need some 'big sister alone time', okay?"
"Aww...but I wanna go too..." he whined, sticking out his lower lip and gearing up for a world-class pout.
Connie began to tell him that no was her final answer, but just then their father came into the room. 'Oh no.' she thought, 'He'll make me bring Chance with me, I know it.'
But to her surprise, Stellar Heart picked up the cub, saying, "Sorry son, it's your naptime."
Connie looked up at her father, who winked at her. He knew! She gave him a grateful smile, and said, "I'm gonna go read in my thinking spot."
Stellar, who was struggling to hold his squirming and whining son, replied, "Okay, but be home in two hours. Your mother just got called away on a Caring Mission, and Hope went with her. If two hours have passed, and there's no Connie standing in that very spot, you better believe I'll form a full-scale search party. Okay?"
"I will, g'bye!" Connie said quickly, slipping out the door before Stellar could change his mind. She was getting a little older now, and as long as she didn't stray too far, her parents allowed her some roaming privileges. No Heart was a constant danger, but isolation in one's home had its dangers too.
"No, I wanna go with Connie!" cried Chance, struggling to get down.
"Now, now, you'll see her again soon." said Stellar, carrying Chance upstairs. "Want Daddy to read you a story?"
Chance shook his head no, and allowed himself to be tucked in. He was, in general, a well-behaved and obedient cub; therefor, his father never suspected for a moment that his little mind was formulating a plan of escape. Stellar kissed his son's forehead and drew the curtains, and Chance closed his eyes. Then, after lying still for about two minutes, Chance opened his eyes again. He was alone.
"Hee hee..." he giggled quietly, whispering to himself, "I fooled my daddy..." The cub slid out of bed, stuffed his pillow under the blankets to resemble a sleeping cub (he had seen that trick on TV), and tip-toed over to his bedroom window. He opened it with little trouble, and stopped to listen. He could hear his father whistling as he went about some task or other. Giggling again, he climbed out onto the trellis and made his way down to freedom. Now to find his sister!
It didn't occur to Chance that he was truly being naughty, and he didn't consider the fact that he didn't know where Connie's 'thinking spot' was. He hadn't even known there was such a place until she had mentioned it a few minutes before, but he wasn't about to let a little thing like that stop him. When he did get around to thinking about it, he shook his head. "Unca Bwave Hawt wouldn't turn back now."
In that, he was probably right.
Connie put her bookmark between the pages of her book to hold her place, and glanced at her watch. Her eyes widened, and she scrambled to her feet. She wasn't late yet, but she'd have to run all the way home to keep from being late. Tucking her book under her arm, she leapt into a run. When she threw open the door, panting, she looked questioningly at her father.
Stellar looked up at the clock on the wall, then turned back to her with a smile of approval. "You made it with three minutes to spare."
Still breathing hard from her run, Connie looked up at her father with a grin. She didn't reach out to hug him, but he wasn't worried about that. While Connie had never been overly affectionate, she had other ways of showing her family that she loved them. Sometimes she would go out of her way to include Chance, and she would also help out around the house. If only she wasn't so stubborn...
"So, where's the twerp?" she asked.
"Your brother is still having his nap." he told her, not getting bent out of shape about one playful little jab. "Why don't you go up and wake him? I think he missed you."
Connie rolled her eyes, but she set down her book and went to do as her father had asked. She had cooled off during her break, and the truth was she was starting to miss Chance too.
Stellar picked up her book as she tromped upstairs, and glanced curiously at the cover. "'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader', by C.S. Lewis. Hmm...Book three of 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. Sounds interesting..."
Stellar turned the book over to read the back cover, but just then he heard Connie calling urgently from Chance's room. Connie wasn't given to raising false alarms, and if she sounded worried, that meant she was worried. His heart gave a sudden lurch and he dropped the book, hardly noticing that the bookmark had fallen out. He thundered up the stairs, stubbing his toe along the way, not sure what he would find. He felt and heard a snap, and he knew he had probably broken his toe, but after a brief stumble he recovered and made it to Chance's room.
"Dad! He's gone! He's not here!"
Stellar, balancing his weight on his good foot, took in the scene. Empty bed, open window. He gasped and limped over to look out the window, then sighed in relief when he saw that Chance hadn't fallen out. He ruled out kidnapping immediately, since the window wasn't broken, and it had been locked from the inside. He remembered that Chance had wanted to go with Connie, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened.
"Dad? What happened to your foot?" asked Connie, noting with some concern that he wasn't bearing any weight on it, and that it was beginning to show some swelling.
Stellar Heart, who was certainly in pain, was more worried about his son than his foot. "Nothing, I just tripped. Come on, we better-" he broke off his sentence when he heard the sound of a Cloudmobile. His wife and other daughter were home. Stellar had been feeling panicky to know his son was lost, but his panic began to show on his face when he knew he'd have to tell Regal that their little boy had snuck away from home right under his nose. He had hoped to get him back before she had returned, and he had hoped that Chance would be safe and well when he found him. It would be easier to explain things to Regal if he had Chance with him during the explanation. Memories of Connie's kidnapping the year before came unbidden into his mind, and he didn't even realize he was shaking his head no until Connie stood on a chair and waved her paw in front of his eyes.
The front door opened and closed, and Regal called in a singsong voice, "We're home!"
Stellar started towards the hallway, but a sickening lance of pain shot up his calf. "Ah!" he gasped, leaning on the wall for support. Connie was wide-eyed with fear now, and she put her arm around his waist to steady him.
"I'll help you, Dad." she told him, and since she was only about half his height, the idea was a little ridiculous. Blinking back tears of pain, the tiger shook his head. He let her walk with him that way, but he didn't lean on her; she wasn't strong enough to support him, whatever her intentions were.
"Regal!" he called as he slowly made his way down the stairs, "Come here, I need to talk to you."
Regal came to the foot of the stairs just as Stellar reached the ground floor of their home. She frowned, and asked, "Stel, are you okay?" she saw his foot, and said, "Oh, what happened?"
Stellar, who kept having to chase away visions of what might have happened to his son, felt tears sting his eyes again. This time, he was too late to stop them from spilling over. "Chance snuck out while I thought he was taking his nap, and tried to follow Connie...I don't know where he went."
Regal paled. "You didn't check on him?" she asked incredulously.
"I did, and I thought he was there, but..." he had to stop speaking, and he jammed his palms into his eyes to stop the tears.
Connie continued for him, "He put pillows under the covers. I thought it was him too, at first, until I uncovered 'em."
Stellar had managed to control himself by now, and he looked his wife in the face. "We have to go find him."
Regal Heart went to the phone and called Brave Heart, who said that he would organize a search party.
"If you find him, send a Call into the air." said Brave Heart over the phone, "We'll do the same."
"Okay." she nodded, though she knew he couldn't see the gesture, "Thanks, Bro."
"Oh, sure. I wanna find him too," he said, and they both hung up.
Stellar wasn't crying now, but he looked miserable. "I'm so sorry...I just didn't expect him to...he's such a good baby..."
Regal, who was more upset than angry, said, "Let's just find him. After this, we're screwing his window shut, at least for the time being. Girls, you'll have to come along too."
Hope nodded, and Connie didn't argue. The three females hurried outside, and it took Regal a moment to notice that Stellar wasn't with them. She turned to go back inside, but he appeared in the doorway, limping. He closed and locked the door, and limped over to the car.
"What's wrong with your foot?" asked Regal again.
"Broke a toe." he said through his teeth as he got into the passenger-side front seat. "Would you mind driving?"
"Mm-mmm." she shook her head, and got in the driver's side. She took to the air, and she and their daughters cast their eyes downward in search of the missing cub.
Stellar knew he had been careless. He tried to look too, but tears kept blurring his vision. He soon gave up trying to hold them back, and when Regal glanced at him and saw that his cheeks were damp, she reached over and briefly rubbed his shoulder.
The tiger looked over at her, and said, "I know this isn't good enough...but I'm sorry..."
"I know. Let's just find him. He couldn't have gotten far," she gave his shoulder another pat, and went back to searching for their son. Stellar buried his face in his paws, and tried not to think about what might have happened.
What really happened to Chance was this. After leaving his room, Chance picked a direction and set out at what was, for him, a brisk walk. He hid under bushes and behind trees whenever his 'aunts' and 'uncles' passed by, and to him it was all a big game. When an hour had passed and he still hadn't found his sister, he began to get nervous. Where was she? And, more to the point, where was he? He soon became frightened, and he tried to go home again, but he only ended up getting even more lost.
Finally, too tired and foot-sore to continue on, the cub curled up in a little den under a bush and began to cry for his parents. It was plain that no one was coming to rescue him anytime soon, so when he began to get drowsy he didn't fight it.
The hour was growing late, and Regal and Stellar still hadn't found their son. Connie and Hope were asleep in the back seat, and Regal and Stellar were scanning the ground below. Both of them were beyond worried now; it was getting cold, and it seemed like someone should have spotted him by now. Stellar didn't want to say as much to his wife, but he was beginning to doubt that Chance was still in the Kingdom of Caring. What if No Heart had kidnapped him after all? The thought was too terrible, but he had to admit it was possible. The tiger winced as he accidentally jarred his foot in an attempt to lean further over the side. He shone his flashlight at a clump of bushes, and his breath caught in his throat.
"Stop the car!"
Regal braked sharply, and backed up a bit. "What is it? You see him?"
Stellar felt his heart plummet at the sight of a little tail and a pair of feet sticking out from under the bush. 'No!' he thought desperately, 'Please be okay!' Out loud he said, "There!"
Regal followed the direction of her husband's finger with her eyes, and gasped. She hurriedly landed the car, and fumbled with the door handle for a moment before she was able to get out. Stellar, who was also getting out, was hindered by his injury. Regal made it to Chance before he did.
"Chance!" Regal cried urgently, lifting her son in her arms and shaking him lightly, half-crying.
'No...' thought Stellar.
The cub's eyes flew open, and he gave a joyful squeak. "Mommy!" he cried, flinging his little arms around her neck. Stellar limped over as quickly as his sore foot would allow, and held his youngest child so tightly that the cub squirmed in irritation and tried to pinch.
Chance was tired and dirty, but other than that he was fine. He couldn't see why his parents were making such a fuss. All he had done was go looking for his sister...
"Don't you ever do that again!" Regal was telling him, and he wasn't sure from their reactions whether they were happy, angry, or sad. At his age, he couldn't understand a parent's fear for a lost child, or the relief that came when they found it. All he knew was that they were behaving in a most bizarre manner.
"Why did you do that, Chancie?" asked Stellar, who was hard put to keep his composure.
"Wanted to find Connie..." the cub mumbled, feeling curiously ashamed of himself.
"Didn't I tell you that you couldn't go with her?" Stellar continued.
Chance lowered his eyes, and pouted. "Yes..."
Connie opened her eyes, and she realized that they had come to a stop. After a moment's confusion she sat up; when she did, Hope's head, which had been resting on her shoulder, drooped. Hope snorted softly as she also sat up.
"Whazzat?" Hope asked, still half asleep, and cocking her ear in the direction of her parents and brother. She could hear footsteps approaching, accompanied by the voice of a toddler who liked to talk too much. The next moment, her eyes widened. "Chancieeee!"
Connie shoved her sister's head out of her line of sight, then sighed. As annoying as her brother could sometimes be, she had never been so glad to see him.
"Am I in twouble?" Chance was asking.
Stellar, who was still walking painfully, said through clenched teeth, "We'll talk about that at home."
Regal, remembering something important, sent a Call up into the air to let the others know they had found him. Moments later, on their way home, they found themselves flanked on all sides by Cloudmobiles.
Chance was forced to endure a bath when they arrived home, and after his parents' initial relief at finding him, they had seemed rather annoyed with him. He had to sit quietly and wasn't allowed to play with his toys, and for a hyper toddler, that was the worst possible punishment. The problem was, he couldn't understand why. Yes, he knew he had been told he couldn't follow his sister. Yes, he had gotten severely lost. Still, was that any reason to confine him to his room?
The cub had no idea where his father was, but his mother came up to check on him every five minutes or so. In addition to this, she had Connie standing as a sentry to make sure he behaved.
The third time Regal came up to check on him, Chance asked, "Mommy, can I play now?"
The lioness shook her head, and said in gentle-but-firm tones, "No, sweetie. Sit quietly and behave for your sister while I make dinner." And she was gone again.
Chance waited until the sound of Regal's footsteps faded, then he looked up at Connie. "Play Power Rangers with me, Connie. Please?"
Connie shook her head. "Nope."
"Why not?" he pouted.
"One, Mom said no playing. Two, you tried to follow me like a little pest. And three, Dad broke his toe because of you."
"No he didn't." Chance protested. How could he have caused something like that?
"Yeah he did. He ran up the stairs when I said you were gone, and he tripped." replied Connie, who, while not unkind, could sometimes be brutally honest.
"You mean he bwoke it off?" Chance asked, looking horrified.
"No, he just broke a bone." she replied, "His toe's still there."
Chance pouted, scuffing the carpet with his foot, and said, "I didn't mean to..."
"Yeah, I know." she said, picking him up and putting him on his little beanbag chair. "So, you gonna stay put the next time?"
"Uh-huh, but I wanna go tell Daddy I'm sorry..." mumbled Chance.
Connie shrugged, seeing no problem with that, and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. Chance got up and toddled down the hall to find his father.
Stellar was sitting on the bed he shared with Regal, holding an ice pack to his foot, and he didn't see his son right away. Plucking up his courage, Chance walked over.
"Daddy?"
Stellar looked over, and surprised Chance by smiling a little and waving him over.
Chance took one look at his father's injured foot and burst into tears, running forward as Stellar held out his arms to receive him. The tiger looked a little surprised at the violence of his son's outburst as he picked up the crying cub and held him close.
"Hey, hey, what's this?" Stellar asked soothingly, rocking his son slowly back and forth.
"I'm sorry, D-Daddy..." Chance sobbed, "I didn't mean to!"
"No, it's okay..." said Stellar, "I'm just glad you're safe."
Chance was calming down now, but he still felt horrible. He sniffled, hiding his face in his father's chest. "You got a boo-boo cuz I was bad..."
Stellar shook his head, still rocking Chance. "It'll be better in a couple of weeks...but if we lost you, we could never get another Chance Heart. You're safe; that's all I care about."
"I'll never be bad again!" Chance declared, and Stellar had to smile at that.
"Somehow I doubt that...We're not asking you to be perfect, or anything...just that you do your best to be good. Okay?" he looked Chance in the eye, and the cub wiped his nose and nodded. Stellar smiled. "That's a good boy."
Chance sniffled again, and Stellar got him a tissue.
"Here, blow."
Chance blew, and Stellar chuckled.
"No, through your nose, son."
"Oh." Chance blushed, and did as he was told. Then he asked, "Where's Mommy?"
"She's heating up some ravioli for dinner," replied Stellar, "It's late, but everyone's hungry."
"I'm starvin'!" Chance said dramatically, and Stellar Heart chuckled.
'Not likely,' Stellar thought, 'no child of mine will ever know starvation.'
By the next day things were, for the most part, back to normal. Stellar was laid up with his broken toe, but Chance was bouncing off the walls as much as usual. Connie did her best to avoid him, but as usual he followed her around like a rambunctious puppy.
"Stop it..."
"But I'm not touching you!"
"Stop it."
"But I'm not touching you!"
"Stop-"
"Bzzzzzzzt!"
"That's it!"
End