It had taken what seemed like forever, but as Tech, Rev and Ralph hopped off the bus a few blocks away from the Runner family home, the coyote was finally able to take a deep breath and give a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but appreciate the relative calm of the area, smiling at the clear blue skies spanning overhead and breathing deep, savoring the calming scent of desert sand and cactus leaves.
"Come along, boys," Ralph pipped, breaking the silence, "We're not home yet." Tech sighed as the moment was lost about as quickly as it had begun, picking up his luggage and Rev's suitcase as Ralph grabbed his own.
"I still don't see why we couldn't have gotten off at the next stop, Pop," Rev said in a slightly winded voice, "Sure, it's located past our house, but it would still bring us a lot closer to our house than here." "Tough it out, son," Ralph said giving Rev a pat on the back, "It's only two and a half blocks. Besides, the walk will do you good." As Tech opened his mouth to object, Ralph wrapped his arm around Rev's shoulder and started powerwalking away, leaving the canid to just let out a frustrated growl.
After walking about a block, Tech could see Rev struggling to keep his head up and his back straight as he walked alongside Ralph. The older roadrunner seemed blissfully unaware of his son's struggling as his pace never let up. Tech was struggling to keep up himself; even though they were walking at not even a fraction of their top speed, Tech found it hard just to maintain a minimum of six feet behind the two avians.
Tech gave a sigh of frustration as he finally caught up with the roadrunners as they reached a crosswalk. Rev turned around to see Tech's tongue hanging out of his head as he panted hard, though he wasn't sure if it was because he was trying to catch his breath or if the heat was getting to him. "Are you alright, Tech?" Rev asked, "You sound really winded." Tech scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine," Tech huffed, "Though it would be nice if you two could slow your roll to a typical walking speed."
"This is a typical walking speed for us," Ralph said, "You've managed to keep up so far and we're almost there. Suck it up." Tech suppressed a growl as the light changed and he had to practically run to catch up and keep up with the two birds. A couple of times, he'd spot Rev glancing back at him with a look of concern, which Tech greatly appreciated. Each time Tech just smiled and gave some sort of gesture, a nod or a smile, to signal that he was okay.
As the trio finally arrived at the base of the cliff where Rev's family home was located. Tech gazed up at the sky and silently whispered "Thank you." Before he followed Rev and Ralph through a stone entryway that had been carved into the side of the cliff where an elevator was stationed. Once inside, Ralph pressed the button to have the lift take them up to the uppermost plateau.
There was a soft ding before the door of the elevator slid open, revealing a short set of stairs leading up to the surface. Tech let out a soft whimper as he followed Rev and Ralph out of the elevator and up the stairs, blinking as the sun flooded into his eyes. Tech took a moment to collect himself, closing is eyes and taking a few deep breaths before trotting after Rev and Ralph as they walked towards the Runners' house.
As they approached, the door swung open and Harriet dashed out. "Ralph, Rev, you're home!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her husband and son. She than gave Ralph a sharp slap on the arm and said, "You should've called me before you left; we agreed that you would."
"Sorry, dear," Ralph said awkwardly, "There were a few… uh," he leaned in and whispered softly, "A few snags." Harriet leaned over and saw Tech standing a few feet behind Rev and Ralph. The coyote just smiled and said weakly, "H-hello, Mrs. Runner."
"Bro, what happened to you?" A voice droned. Everyone looked to see Rip standing in the doorway looking at Tech with a somewhat shocked expression, "Seriously, you look like you just ran a marathon or something." "I may as well have," Tech groaned, "Also, can I just say… curse public transportation." No longer able to handle the burden anymore, Tech let out a groan as he dropped the luggage in his hands onto the ground, collapsing to his knees as he rustled through his field bag and pulled out a water bottle, popping the lid off and chugging it down.
"Yikes, dude," Rip said with a breathy laugh, walking over to the exhausted coyote, "Let me guess, Pop made you guys take the long way home?" Tech looked up at Rip through his mussed fur and gave a soft growl as he nodded, his tongue still hanging slightly out of his mouth as he panted hard in an effort to catch his breath. "Yes… yes, he did." Tech whispered between gasps.
Tech's eyes widened as he saw Harriet walk up behind Rip. She turned to Rip and pointed down at the ground before picking up one of the suitcases. Rip nodded and grabbed another piece of luggage as Harriet said, "Let us give you a hand, dear." Tech smiled as he stood up and nodded; the smile quickly faded as he turned to see Rev looking like he was about to collapse.
"I appreciate that, Mrs. Runner," Tech began, "But, why don't you help Rev into the house? I think Ralph, Rip and I can handle it from here." Harriet turned to see Rev starting to sway, and nodded in agreement, waving Ralph over. Tech watched as Harriet zipped over to Rev and lead him into the house as Ralph came over and started helping Rip and Tech gather and carry in the guys' luggage. Before disappearing through the front door, Rev turned to Tech and smiled, quickly signing "Thank you."