Lyon was at his desk doing another assignment for school; that fight from yesterday was fresh on his mind after what Phillip said about his parents being dead. He knew the bully kid had it coming, but maybe things would have been better if Lyon didn't had to push him, and punch him during their fight. After he was finished, Lyon came out of his room and went to the bathroom to use the bathroom. After he was done with that, he went downstairs only to find Dana who was waiting for him. It looked like Philip was with her as well. He saw that menacing glare from the St Benard; an uncomfortable sensation came through Lyon's head when he just saw both Dana and Philip together. Well, let's just get this over with.

"Perfect timing," said Dana. "We were wondering when you would show up."

"Yeah, I was minding my business in the bathroom," said Lyon awkwardly. Philip gave out a sarcastic giggle after hearing that, believing it was just an excuse.

"Now, I know you boys had quite the brawl. And you both know we do not tolerate that kind of behavior here. Since both of you are at fault, it would be fair if you two will have to work together on a chore. It's the fair way to give you two a lesson on what transpired yesterday," said Dana.

"What? But that's not fair," complained Philip.

"Me? Work with him? This must be some sort of prank," added Lyon with his arms crossed.

"No prank. I really do mean it," said Dana. "You have both of your differences, but you need to learn how to sort them out. Otherwise, how will you ever learn to get along?"

"Like never," snorted Philip. Dana stared at him sternly for that snarky comment. "I heard that."

"You can't be serious, Ms. Dana. Isn't there something else I can do besides working with Philip? I'd rather wash the dishes in the kitchen than be near him."

"This is the only way you two get both get out of this experience. Now, please go eat your lunch, and once you're done, I'd like you two to come outside. I'll let you know what your task is for today."

Both boys went to the cafeteria to eat lunch. Lyon was at the end of the room with his tuna salad and water. Philip was on the other end of the room giving an intimidating glare at the malamute husky. He could feel the disquieting air when he receives that look from Philip, so it isn't the first time. However, this time it was even more menacing than the other times he receives that look.

The two boys soon came out after lunch was over. They saw Dana with two rakes and bags with her. It was an autumn afternoon, and it was that time of year in March when leaves start to fall from their trees. Philip wanted to push Lyon so badly in the mud puddle, but he didn't want to get in more trouble than yesterday's incident. Instead, he approaches Lyon and decides to say something discreetly. "Just so you know, this doesn't mean we're friends. I'm only doing this to keep my paws clean from trouble. Push me again the next time, and you won't want to find out. Got it," he whispered. That threat gave a shiver to Lyon's spine. He just nods and acts as if nothing happens between the two.

"Now, you two will oversee raking the leaves. This backdoor area has received quite a lot of leaves over the past few days, so I think it would be appropriate for you two to rake the leaves. Here are your things," said Dana.

"The whole place? But that'll take forever," said Philip who wasn't keen on hard work. "It won't be with you two working together. The point of this punishment is to not tell you what to do, but rather to see that fighting isn't the solution in life. I am confident you will both figure this out," she said with a grin. "I'll leave it up to you two to figure out how to finish the task, and I will check up on you two to see how you are progressing. There's also a wheelbarrow when your bags are full so you can put those in there. Clear," she asks while pointing out to the wheelbarrow near her.

"Yes, ma'am," said Lyon respectfully.

"Philip?"

"Fine…," said the St Bernard.

"Good. Good luck. Try not to squabble too much." The white terrier adult went back inside. The two boys sighed knowing it was their luck to end up stuck together doing the most tedious chore. They had their rakes and bags ready. They both gave each other glares. "As long as I'm doing my work in peace, I don't need any problems with you, Philip," said Lyon with his arms crossed.

"Just don't get in my way, Laurent. I'm here because of you," said Philip sticking out his tongue. Lyon rolls his eyes. He decided it would be best to start raking near the basketball court away from Philip while Philip went to the small playground. Both boys were focusing on their own work without getting in each other's way. Lyon was stroking the ground's leaves with his rake slowly, but diligently. As he was proceeding with his job, he saw a couple of kids passing by. It was two girls, a grey Great Dane, and a white Samoyed dog. The two girls were exchanging words in secret to avoid attention from Lyon while he was minding his own business with the leaves.

"Isn't that the kid that fought Philip yesterday," whispered the Great Dane.

"Yeah, I heard he was the one that started the fight yesterday," gossiped the Samoyed dog.

"But I heard Philip said something awful to him. Something about his parents. An adult was talking about it with another one," explained the Great Dane in Lyon's defense.

"There you go again. Always eavesdropping on other adults. Even if Philip did say something awful, that husky kid should have not hit him. I tell you this kid has something to hide. Never talks about himself. Always alone. Doesn't have any friends here in this place. I'd say he's close to being a delinquent," said the Samoyed. Lyon did hear what those girls were saying and stares back at them. The two gave out blank expressions and walked away quickly from him.

Lyon rolls his eyes, not minding the gossip from those two girls. He continued with clearing up the court's leaves.

Philip, however, was just loitering around the playground. He just sat down with his paws covering his knees. Lyon kept up with the pace of moving on from the basketball court to the oak tree where he normally sat to read his books. The oak tree's leaves fell one by one, and he notices how it has accumulated over time. He diligently strokes the leaves into his bag.

Once his bag was full, he dumps his bag filled with leaves into the wheelbarrow and grabs another one. He then notices Philip goofing off. Although he wanted to avoid him during their punishment, he knew Dana would not like it if Philip didn't do his fair share. He sighs and walks towards him. Philip, however, was not pleased to see his face.

"Philip, if you don't clean the leaves in the playground area, Ms. Dana won't be happy about this," warned Lyon.

"Mind your own business," said Philip.

"I do mind my own business. I just finished clearing out the courtyard and oak tree areas. You still haven't cleared up the playground's leaves."

"Tch. As if I need a lecture from you, idiot."

"I didn't ask to be here either, but in a way, we're both at fault for what happened yesterday. Do you think I like it when other kids are talking behind my back," inquired Lyon.

"Well, aren't you the talk of this place? Other children seem to fear me."

"They fear you because you're a bully. You should try to be nicer. Not just to me, but other kids as well."

The St Bernard just looked away from Lyon. "What? So now you're acting like my mum. Don't make me laugh."

"Well, I tried," sighed Lyon. He walks away from Philip who kept sulking. Lyon continues to finish the rest of the remaining leaves on his side of the area. An hour passed, and Dana went to go check on the boys on their progress. She took notice that they were on opposite sides of the outdoor area. She also saw how Lyon made tremendous progress with his fair share of the work. However, she did show disappointment when Philip hadn't done as much.

"Lyon, come here please," called Dana. Lyon walks up to Dana to hear her out. "I see you've done a wonderful job on your part of the job."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Lyon with a soft smile.

"However, I see that Philip isn't doing as much at the small playground area. I did say you two had to work together," she reiterated.

"I know. I tried to tell him he needs to do his area, but he wouldn't budge. I wonder what's his deal?"

"Did he say why he refused to rake," asked Dana.

"I don't know. He just didn't want to do it," he said looking down. "He's always blaming me for things I didn't do. Just like from yesterday. Why does he hate me?"

"Hate's a strong word, mate. I wouldn't say hate, but maybe he's just having trouble liking others," explained Dana. She didn't want Lyon to think he is hated; it's such a toxic feeling, especially to someone so young. "Why don't you head back inside? You've done enough for today. I'll go have a word with Philip." Lyon nods, and he puts his rake near the wheelbarrow. Dana approaches Phillip who was still not moving an inch. She notices how upset he was. He soon took notice of Dana and looks up at the adult.

"I see you're taking a break, Philip," added Dana. Philip's eyes widened and stood up quickly. "Nah, I was just done. I'll get back to work," he said to avoid trouble.

"Don't fret. I just wanted to have a chat with you. That's all," she said in a calm voice. The St. Bernard kid rubs his arm. "Is there something on your mind that you'd like to discuss?"

"No, nothing much. Well, okay maybe I do have one question."

"Okay, go on. I'm all ears," she said while sitting down at his level. Philip was silent and took a deep breath. "Why can't I get along with others? Other kids are so scared of me because of my size."

"Well kiddo, you have been very rude to others for quite a while now. Especially poor Lyon. Yes, maybe you are bigger than the other kids, but it all lies to your attitude to others. Is there a reason why you have been so rude to other kids," asked Dana while showing sympathy.

Philip looked down to the ground with a sad face. "I always thought might make right. To get whatever I want in this place. Ever since I first came here a year ago, nobody has ever wanted to adopt me. I just thought it makes me feel better."

"Do you think this affects the other children around you as well?" Philip soon thought hard about his reason. He knew he has been an intimidating bully kid since the start. "I guess so. But others didn't want to be my friend. They all run away from me because I'm bigger than everyone else. That's also why I became a bully."

"Philip. Might never make right. I think you already have your answer. Just because you are bigger than others, it does not mean you can't be friends with anyone or bully them. And that is certainly no excuse to tell a kid their parents were better off dead. Don't you think that hurt Lyon?" Philip disliked being wrong, but for once he was going to agree with an adult and shook his head.

"Perhaps you need a little more time to think about your actions. However, I do hope you take the time to apologise to many of the children who you bullied, and most of all, Lyon." The sun was setting into a scarlet color sky. Dana notices it was late, and Philip still hasn't raked his part. "Why don't we call it a day here? This pile of leaves won't go anywhere. You can finish your part tomorrow after school."

"Oh, alright," said Philip calmly. He soon got up, and head back inside. The St Bernard thought about what Dana had told him back outside while eating his dinner. He has been mean to many of the children, and Lyon as well. But he also felt awkward about the thought of owing an apology to someone he does not get along with.

As many children were about to go back to their rooms for the night, Lyon was passing by. But he heard his name called through the hallways. He turns around and saw Philip, the bully who has been giving him a lot of trouble ever since he first came to the foster home. Philip caught Lyon as he was catching his breath.

"What do you want," asked Lyon raising his brow.

"Look, I know I haven't been the kindest kid here, and well, I can't say we can be friends yet. I know you are probably still mad at me for what I said to you yesterday, but I just want to say sorry. That's all," said Philip.

"This isn't a prank, is it," asked Lyon.

"No pranks, I'm serious. Look, you don't have to forgive me right away. You can still be mad at me for what I said, but I really meant what I said." The St Bernard slowly walks away from Lyon, and went to his room on the third floor of the building. Lyon just stared at the distance of the stairs. Did he truly mean what he said about his parents?

Later, Lyon was reading his book again. Dana went to check on the wolf pup to see how he was faring. "You good Lyon," asked Dana.

"Yes, Ms. Dana. There's something I wanted to share with you if that's alright."

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"It's about Philip. He just apologised to me before I went into my room. It's the strangest thing."

Dana was pleased to hear Philip's change of heart. Perhaps her words may have reached into the St Bernard kid's conscience. "And did you accept his apology," she asked earnestly.

"Well, not yet," he said looking at his book.

"Oh? Why not?"

"He did tell me I don't have to forgive him right away. He has done a lot of awful things to me before. I can't say I'm ready to accept it, but when the time is right, I will accept it. For now, I just want to think carefully about his words. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, Lyon. I think that's a fine idea. It can be hard to accept others' apologies after they did a lot of terrible things. It's important for us to carefully assess the situation and use our best judgment to accept those around us. I do hope you accept his apology soon."

Both dogs smiled at each other. "Oh, and I know it wasn't right for me to hit back at him yesterday too, so I'm sorry too," he said.

"I think that's something you should share to Philip when you get the chance to talk to him again," advised Dana.

"Right. I understand. I think a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders," said Lyon with great relief.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about," asked Dana willing to listen.

"Can we talk about Mr. Heeler? I want to talk about our time yesterday from our first time meeting."

"Oh, I did forget about that after the incident yesterday. I suppose we can spare a few more minutes to talk. So, what did you think of him?"

"Well, he was a bit strange. Not in a bad way though. I know he knew dad so it was kind of weird, and neat at the same time. I was nervous when first talking to him in a while, but I think he's an alright adult. Not like the last ones I met."

"Do you think you feel better the next time he meets you again? I'm sure you will get along just fine with him. He seems really interested in adopting you."

Lyon did admit he felt a bit comfortable speaking to him. But it will take time to be more open to him. For the first time in forever, it seems like he can drop his guard once.

"I'm not sure. Maybe. It will take a while," he added.

"There's no rush. After all, I did say the adoption process won't be done in one day. He will have to see you a few more times along with filling out more paperwork in order to get the court to accept his decision on adoption. You remembered what we talked about the last time about how this stuff works?"

Lyon shook his head recalling that it will take a while for the process to be done. "I just hope the time will go by soon. That's all I hope for," he stated with a worried face.

"I wouldn't be concerned sweetie. These things take time, but if you ever feel like you need to talk to someone, you know you have me." Lyon's face beams with delight. Dana's paw reaches out to Lyon's paw to let him know that he's there for him. He then yawns and gets comfy in his bed after a long day. Dana wishes him goodnight as always and closes the door. Dana felt a sense of happiness; this is the first time Lyon has felt extremely good after a while. It was tough for the child after he first came to the foster home, but it seems he's slowly opening up to her. "I just hope that was enough," she whispered to herself.