"Now let's see…" Phineas stood in the snow, consulting a map. "The star is in the east and we're pointing in a…northeast direction, so if we…" He knelt down in the snow, spreading the map out. "Much better. It's a good thing this map is laminated and still foldable; otherwise, it would never survive the elements, right boy?" He looked around. "Perry?" A growl came from beside him. Perry was nestled next to him, shivering. "Aww…you're cold, aren't you Pal?"

If Perry could nod, he would have. He wasn't used to being in the snow this long.

"Well…I suppose we could…" Phineas looked down at his jacket. "Let's try this." He unzipped his jacket a little bit, and then picked up his pet. "Hold still Perry. If you wriggle, it might not work."

Perry did as he was told, holding very still as Phineas lifted him up, gently setting him against his chest and zipping up the jacket just enough so his front paws were dangling outside it.

"That better Pal?"

He growled in appreciation.

The boy laughed. "Yeah, feels better to me too. This should keep us both warm." He ruffled his pet's head. "Time to get moving again. I think I figured out which direction we need to be going in."

"Gee Perry. We've been walking an awfully long time." Phineas paused, looking up at the star. "It sure is beautiful. It looks bigger too. I think we might be getting closer to where it is." A light breeze blew, causing him to shiver. "I don't know how much further I can go; I think it's getting colder. We should probably find shelter."

Perry growled in agreement.

"But…where?" The boy looked around. "We're on the outskirts of Danville. In the country. There doesn't seem to be any—wait a minute!" He spotted something off in the distance. "Light! It looks like's coming from over that hill! I bet it's a house! Come on boy!"

He started running, Perry holding onto the inside of the jacket for dear life. "Just a few more feet and…there!" He paused at the top of the hill to catch his breath. "It looks like an inn. Come on Perry, let's take a closer look."

The platypus chattered a response, grateful Phineas had decided to stop running. Being inside the jacket was nice, but hanging on while the boy ran wasn't. He almost lost his dinner a few feet back.

"Ye Olde Timey Inn." Phineas smiled as he raised a hand to knock on the door. "How serendipitous."

A moment later, the door opened to reveal a heavyset innkeeper. "What?"

He flinched at the gruff tone. "Uh…excuse me sir, but…my platypus and I have traveled a long way and would like a room. See we're from Danville and—"

"No room."

"What? But there has to be-"

"No room."

Perry growled, body tense. If he could reveal his identity, he would have sprang to his feet and taken the innkeeper down with one karate kick. But as it was, he would have to be content with growling. Though he would bite if necessary.

"Oh gee. Well, sorry to bother you." Phineas sadly turned from the door, absently rubbing a hand down Perry's bristling back. "I-I guess we can find someplace else to stay."

"Kid, wait." He turned around. The innkeeper smiled at him. "Look, there's no room inside, but if you don't mind roughing it for the night, there is a stable right out back." He pointed to the left. "Just go around that corner and you'll see it."

Phineas smiled gratefully. "Thanks." He nodded to the innkeeper before walking in the direction he was pointing.

Sure enough, a stable came into view. Right up against the inn.

The boy pushed open the door with a heavy creak, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness before walking further in. The scent of manure hit his nose. "Ew. Perry, I think your poop smells better than this."

The platypus snorted, chuckling softly at the comment.

Picking his way across some hay bales, Phineas found a loose pile and lay down in it, letting Perry out of his jacket. "Well boy, looks like this is it for tonight. Let's try to get some sleep. We can look for the star tomorrow."

Perry chattered, gently kneading the hay and circling three times before curling against the boy's chest. Phineas put an arm around him.

"I'm glad I took you along boy." He yawned. "It would've been lonely without you."

Perry smiled, his eyes slowly closing as he drifted off to sleep.