After saying her farewells to Luna and giving her a parting gift (along with a nasty scare), Lisa went off to find Lori and Leni, whom she knew would be milling around on the nearest beach. Well, she was looking for Lori specifically. Leni didn't know the meaning of the word "hate" or any of its many synonyms, so there was no reason to try and make amends with her, despite Lisa's history of being inconsiderate to or using Leni as a guinea pig.
Like with Lola, Lisa's attempt to part on good terms with Lori inevitably devolved into the former doing inane favors for her sister, but the genius didn't complain. It was something. And as usual, if nothing else, she tried to offer some helpful advice, but that quickly went south as well.
"What do you mean I should prioritize a career as a professional golfer?" the bikini-clad Lori said in a snippy manner, sitting on a beach towel. "You saying I can't do anything else!"
"No, that is not what I was implying." Lisa raised her hands, which were still coated in sunscreen. Lori didn't look appeased.
"I… was merely reminding you that, with your high school graduation being near, you should have…reasonable expectations for your future career?"
Lori narrowed her eyes and growled, making Lisa gulp. She had indeed been referring to Lori's lack of discernable skills beyond golfing and phone chat. To her dismay, Lori was able to read between the lines, even after all the catering, and naturally got hyper-defensive about it.
"Then again, it's just my own subjective interpretation." Lisa tried to backpaddle. "I'm sure your…feisty determination can be channeled for a multitude of possible careers?"
"Keep your "subjective interpretation" to yourself if you don't want to end up as a pretzel!" Lori threatened and raised her clenched fist when they heard footsteps.
"Here ya go, Lisa." The toddler saw Leni offering her an ice cream cone. "I got this for you."
"Very gracious of you, but no thanks." Lisa declined. "I don't care much for sugary sweets."
"Don't mind if I do." Lori grabbed it and gave it a lick before gagging and throwing it away.
"Eww…you know I hate strawberry, you dolt." She scolded Leni.
"Well…I got it for Lisa?" the latter said innocently.
"And I appreciate the kind gesture, Leni." Lisa said sullenly. "You may lack enlightenment and perception but you always were a very affable and altruistic person."
"For whatever that's worth…" she added mentally.
"Say what?" Leni made a face.
"I think she was trying to flatter you. If you can call it that…" Lori said blandly, going back to reading her magazine.
"Never mind." Lisa sighed, seeing that she wasn't wanted.
The conversation with Lori had been as brusque and one-sided as the one with Lola, and like with the latter, she had no real bond with Lori or Leni, to begin with. Lisa repeated the same spiel and it mostly flew over their heads, rinse and repeat. At least she did something nice for them one last time.
Speaking of repeats, Lisa did get Lori to say that she didn't hate her, with Lori's reasoning being that on the latter's personal totem pole of contempt, Lisa ranked pretty low, well below most of Lori's teachers, Luna, Luan, dad, Renee, Lola, mom, Ryan, Lincoln, and especially Lynn and Carol Pingrey. In other words, Lori viewed her with apathy (maybe ambivalence), much like Lana and Lucy.
Lisa supposed that was light praise by Lori's standards. The latter did not like being touched, and Lisa figured that hugging a pit bull would be a more calculated risk.
"I should get going, see you at supper…" Lisa turned around and went on her way.
"Finally…" she heard Lori muttering.
"Aww…but don't you want to build a sand castle with me?" Leni asked.
"Maybe tomorrow…" Lisa said as she passed by the amorphis pile of sand covered in pebbles and mussel shells.
She had made progress, saying adieu to the siblings she was more or less dispassionate about, even taking recent events into account. Now came the hard part. A single tear poured down Lisa's face.
She gazed at the sunset, with the sky slowly turning crimson. Lisa observed the elaborate cloud patterns forming along the horizon, slowly obscuring the descending sun. She tried to appreciate the beauty of the sight, knowing full well that soon she might not able to comprehend such things or be too busy running around with a sugar high to notice much of anything around her, as the twins often did.
The sun was setting on Lisa Loud, the child prodigy. No more tinkering. No more inventions. No more endangering her family.
Pulling out a little communicator, she held her finger above a button, momentarily freezing with doubt before eventually pressing it, and signaling her location to her robotic accomplice.
There was no point in dawdling, she had to be strong.
"Positive, Master Lisa. I have your coordinates." Fenton replied, via the commlink in his head.
"Negative. I have faced no. Obstacles. On my journey." He stated while being in a high-speed chase with a cop car.
The robo-fox extended his left arm out of the window and it spilled copious amounts of oil onto the road.
The dumbfounded officer screamed as his car spun out of control and crashed into a tree, after which the airbag inflated.
Technically, he didn't count as an obstacle if he did nothing to hinder Fenton's delivery.
"Understood. I shall be there. At midnight." Fenton duly noted.
Sighing, Lisa ended the call. She could have sworn that she heard sirens? Probably her imagination.
As was the white-tailed deer wearing a beret and a glittering pink scarf that strolled past her.
"What now?" Lisa did a double take and took off her glasses to clean them, while the doe skipped into the forest. By the time Lisa put her spectacles back on, the animal was gone.
Not wanting to lag behind, she dismissed it and continued walking along the sandy beachfront, and soon spotted the small mansion, as well as activity around the wooden pier.
She saw the two resident tomboys in the shallows, both clad in one-piece swimsuits, one red and the other blue. Lynn seemed to be holding Lana under the belly, with the latter not wearing any floaties, while kicking and stroking in place. It looked like Lana had finally taken up swimming lessons.
"That's it. Remember, kick, stroke, kick, stroke…" Lynn lectured her and let her go. Lisa saw Lana move a few yards before being grabbed by Lynn.
"Hey, you barely let me swim!" Lana whined.
"Not taking any chances. It's baby steps for you." Lynn stated, despite the water barely reaching her chest.
Lisa noticed something, actually a few things swimming around her sisters. Involuntarily, Lynn started giggling and let Lana loose.
"Stop it, you scamps!" she said and watched an otter swim by her after having nuzzled her flank.
Then she realized her hands were empty and she turned around frantically. "Lana?!"
"Over here!" Lana waved, now sitting on the bank with the little waves crashing against her legs. "Told ya I could do it."
Lynn relaxed, feeling a sense of pride. Lana was a quick learner. Lisa would have thought Lynn was being a tad overprotective but with the twins, you never knew.
The jock definitely was acting more responsibly than Lisa had ever seen her. She was coaching someone without immediately expecting them to be on the same level as her. It didn't take someone of Lisa's IQ to understand why Lincoln gained lots of bruises and fractures but not much muscle mass despite often being forced to be Lynn's sparring partner in the past.
Lynn heard squeaking and saw little snouts surfacing all around her with twitching whiskers. One of the otters lunged on Lynn's shoulder, giving her ear a tickle.
"Alright…" she giggled and cradled it in her arms. "I can take a hint, you gluttonous buggers."
She wasn't one to gush over fluffy animals but she always had a soft spot for these silly water weasels, especially for their boundless energy and rambunctious nature.
Letting it go, Lynn swam to the pier and climbed up the ladder, feeling the breeze against her head. Lynn learned that short hair had its advantages, such as drying very quickly and not sticking to your face after a swim.
"Hand me another one, will ya?" she reached out to Lucy, who was wearing a white one-piece with horizontal stripes. She pulled a sardine can out of a picnic basket, opened it, and handed it to Lynn.
"Thanks." The jock said simply and climbed down.
Walking along the pier, Lisa saw a whole menagerie of small animals gathered around Lana as she opened up another picnic basket and started sharing treats. The recipients included a mother possum and her young, raccoons, rabbits, blue jays, sparrows, magpies, squirrels, chipmunks, an armadillo, a gray fox, and even a towering crane, along with loons and more otters gathering near the water.
Lisa noticed that several of them had bandaged limbs. The fashion statement deer from earlier was starting to make sense.
"Lucy?" as she neared the goth, Lisa was surprised to find a very big marten with thick, blackish fur resting next to her sister, sharing the same beach towel.
Lisa had inferred from the other visitors that her siblings had been playing animal rescue all day (likely at Lana's insistence) but this particular animal was a complete mess. Its whole torso was bandaged up, as was one of its front legs and it was missing an ear, along with patches of fur, and sported several visible scars.
Lucy was feeding it cocktail weenies, which it was happily gobbling up while pinning them down with its sharp claws.
"There you are." Lucy noticed the bemused Lisa, not expressing much emotion. "Lincoln was wondering about your whereabouts after you de-skunked Luan."
"Excuse me, I…I went to visit our two eldest sisters." Lisa scratched the back of her neck.
"I assume Lori wasn't very happy about your presence?" Lucy asked rhetorically.
"Care to explain your companion?" was Lisa's reply.
"It's a fisher. Deadly predator. Wicked claws and fangs. Eats porcupines for breakfast. But has surprisingly soft fur." Lucy smiled a little. "It's like an assassin in the guise of a plush toy."
The fisher sent the genius a wary glare, growling as he clutched his meaty treat. Nervous, Lisa took a few steps back, nearly falling off the peer. That thing was bigger than her.
"Is it s-safe to be in s-such close p-proximity to one?"
"Absolutely not. He'd slay you in an instant if he wanted to." Lucy said nonchalantly before petting him. "But he and I formed a bond. He was half dead when we found him. Looks like he barely escaped from a bloody death battle, but we patched him up."
Lisa scooted behind the goth, gulping. "I…admire your refusal to be judgmental, and offer companionship to even the most unsavory wildlife."
"Thanks. Perhaps he'll show gratitude by tracking down that porcupine, and avenge Luan." Lucy elaborated. "She's in a very bad place right now. Worse than before."
"You're not talking about…. miming melancholy?" Lisa's eyes widened.
"Just look." Lucy pointed to the house and Lisa saw the young teen pantomiming in the driveway, in full-face makeup, and wearing a beret, red neck scarf, marinière, and black pants.
Her act seemed to be that of a person slowly dying from a broken heart, falling on her back, clutching her chest, and reaching out for someone without getting a response, followed up by mute sobbing and using a tissue to wipe nonexistent tears, unless you counted the black tear marks below her eyes.
"So she has hit rock bottom..." Lisa's brow furrowed. Miming was usually Luan's way of expressing….severe grief.
"Yes." Lucy nodded sullenly. "Unsurprisingly, Kathleen keeps excessive amounts of makeup and French clothing in her summer home. But being forced to wear them in order to properly express her sorrow made Luan… even more sorrowful."
"And that entails another indefinite vow of silence?" Lisa asked, likewise rhetorically, to which Lucy just nodded.
Lisa shook her head, thankful that she had talked with Luan while she still could. Some people expressed grief in the strangest of ways, but Lisa did not want to judge. She used to sulk about failed inventions while doing Chinese crossword puzzles.
Keeping one eye on the fisher, she sat next to Lucy, dangling her little legs over the pier.
"So why were you hanging out with Lori?" the goth asked out of idle curiosity.
Lisa shrugged. "Lori needed someone to apply the sunscreen on her back, adjust her parasol, buy her drinks, fan her, and give her a foot massage."
"Sounds like she could have done all of that with Leni." Was Lucy's blunt response. "Besides, we all know Leni's too dense to notice Lori's gross bunions?"
"True, but I suppose vacation isn't truly vacation for them if they can't fully commit to indolence."
"You don't have any obligation to do it." Lucy pointed out. "Why be subservient to Lori of all people?"
Lisa exhaled and slumped her shoulders. "I… just don't want her to hold any ill will towards me…"
"This is Lori you're talking about. The only way to avoid ill will is to be her obedient slave." Lucy said harshly. "I thought you had standards?"
Lisa wanted to kick herself. She should have just said that she was checking if the two airheads were paling around with Kathleen, who still hadn't made an appearance, but Lisa just couldn't get her thoughts straight anymore.
"Well…my standards caused you a lot of grief over the years, so I'm trying to… revise them."
Lucy paused to process that response. What did flu-zombies and super-steroids have to do with catering to Lori's entitled whims?
But Lisa did make a point. "Maybe. Change is necessary if we wish for our family to remain even somewhat stable but you can't impose peace among us if some people have no intentions of-"
"You are very eloquent, Lucy." Lisa suddenly said. "For someone who lacks my inexplicably high IQ, that is beyond impressive. Most of our older siblings likely can't even spell four-syllable words."
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, it is clear that you are a very enlightened person, given your passion for poetry and literature, and I admire you for it. It's a shame most of our family can't look past your eccentricities and unique complexion, and credit you for your adroitness. Even I remained willfully ignorant of it for the longest time, which I regret now." Lisa continued, while gazing into the distance.
"Lisa….eh, thanks?" Lucy was stumped. Compliments were such an alien concept to her, especially coming from her sisters. It felt creepy and unnatural, and not in a good way.
"No need to thank me for stating the truth…." Lisa said, somewhat absentmindedly as she noticed a colorful float mattress in the distance and disturbances in the water around it.
"Is that Lincoln?" she pointed at it.
"Um…yes, he went diving." Lucy nodded, still flabbergasted by Lisa's odd behavior.
Wearing a mask, snorkel, and flippers, along with his swimming trunks, Lincoln explored the bottom of the lake, watching the waving eelgrass and the various fish swimming around it, while the sun's rays cut through the water. The idle escapade helped put the overtaxed boy at ease, as did the knowledge that all of his family was able to kick back and have fun, free from conflict with each other or any unwanted associates.
Blowing air through his snorkel, he breached onto his float, while kicking with his feet to push himself back to shore, which was much easier with the flippers.
"Found any sunken treasure?" Lucy asked him in jest, though her tone remained hoarse and subdued.
Lincoln chuckled. "Nope, just a rotting old rowboat. I don't think half of an alge-covered paddle is worth much."
Lisa wilted, dreading having to dampen her brother's mirth with her pitiful woes, as this was the most upbeat Lisa had seen him ever since the flu-zombie fiasco.
"Lisa?" he noticed her, pulling his mask up. "What are you doing here?"
"Umm…just trying to socialize with you guys? If you don't mind?" She said timidly. She wasn't technically lying.
"Course we don't." Lincoln smiled, noticing her lack of swimwear. "I guess you just want to watch the sunset?"
"Yeah…" she shifted. "If it's not an inconvenience, could you and I… talk?"
"Course we can. What's on your mind?" Lincoln agreed as he pulled his flippers off.
But before Lisa could continue, a shrill voice cut into their conversation. "Where's my shawl, you thieving scumbags!"
Lucy rolled her eyes and Lincoln groaned with annoyance as Lola stormed towards them.
Charles wasn't far behind, once more keeping an eye on his owners following a much-needed break. He was taken aback by all the wild animals present, but fortunately, none of them looked dangerous.
"Where's my shawl!" Lola stomped her foot in anger.
Lisa cringed while the fisher growled at the princess, only for Lucy to pet him in order to calm him.
"Don't get worked up over her. The only threat she poses is to our eardrums." She told him in a placid tone.
An indignant Lola's face twisted with rage. "Stop petting that ugly dog and answer me!"
From below, Lana scoffed. "If you're talking about your stupid glittering scarf-"
"It's a shawl, you witless hayseed!" Lola insisted. "And I know you took it!"
Climbing onto the pier, Lincoln tried to defuse the situation. "Lola, please don't make a scene. Just what is the problem-"
"Guilty as charged." Lana admitted candidly. "I thought it could make a good nest for Lucky, but Jane Doe kept looking at it so I gave it to her as a present. She wears it much better anyway."
"I came up with the name." Lucy said proudly.
"Doe? You gave my shawl to a deer?!" Lola was outraged. "Deer don't understand fashion!"
"I'm sure her intent was simply to eat it." Lisa pointed out.
"Yes, we figured it would anger you." Lucy offered a small smirk. "Glad to see our intuition was right."
"Bring it back right now, or you'll regret it!" Lola demanded.
"Fat chance, princess." Lynn laughed, floating on her back with her hands behind her head, surrounded by otters. "Why should we?"
Fuming, Lola suddenly grew a wicked grin. "Do it, or I'll tell mom and dad you've been fostering filthy vermin all day!"
But her ultimatum only elicited laughter from everyone sans Lisa and Lincoln, with the latter instead looking around with some binoculars.
"Newsflash, dipshit." Lynn snorted. "We haven't taken them inside the house, so you've got nothing on us."
"Yeah, and this is their home! They have the right to be here!" Lana spread her arms out.
"You have no leverage." Lucy taunted her before the seething Lola was splashed in the face with water, courtesy of Lynn.
"So don't be such a wet blanket!" the jock quipped. The otters made chatter noises akin to laughter.
The drenched Lola looked ready to explode, when Lincoln spoke up.
"Guys, maybe we should retrieve it."
Lynn looked at him oddly. "You're kidding? Let the dumb brat retrieve it herself."
"I'm not talking about her." Lincoln sighed and pointed at a distant peninsula. "I think that deer got herself snagged on a tree."
"Oh, no. We gotta help her." Lana said, making Lynn roll her eyes.
"Fine…" she gave in. "I'll do it."
"And bring back my shawl!" Lola demanded.
"I'll try not to remember that." Lynn smirked evilly when she reached dry land and put on some sandals.
"Can I accompany you?"
Everyone looked at Lisa in surprise, who shrank a bit. "Just thought she could use some assistance?"
Lynn cocked an eyebrow but just shrugged it off.
"If you want to. Just hurry up." she gestured for Lisa to follow, while she picked up a walkie-talkie from a beach bag.
Putting on a jacket over her swimsuit, Lynn pushed an inflatable raft into the water, with Lisa in it. The latter held onto its sides as it rocked.
Lynn stepped in, seated herself, and started paddling towards deeper water, when something jumped into their raft, nearly capsizing it.
Grabbing onto its sides, Lynn glowered at the stowaway once the raft stopped shaking.
"Charles? You could have jumped in before we set sail. Yeesh!"
"Woof!" Charles replied, not that either understood him.
He didn't like the two traveling so far away from the house, especially at this hour, so he needed to be by their side.
"Seems he's eager to accompany us." Lisa figured and petted his back as the bull terrier lay down between them.
"Whatever. Just stay calm till we reach land." Lynn told him and handed Lisa the walkie-talkie while she resumed stroking.
"Try to contact Ryan."
"Has he arrived?"
"I don't know." Lynn said dryly. "That's why we're calling him, cueball."
Not wanting to start an argument, Lisa did as she was told, but they were once more met with static.
"He seems to still be out of range?" the genius deduced. Lynn grimaced.
Charles whimpered, sensing the older girl's unease, and Lisa too noted the worried look on her face.
"What's taking him so long…" Lynn muttered, looking aside.
"Perhaps traffic?" Lisa shrugged. "Summer tends to see an influx in tourists driving thousands of vehicles."
"If that's the case, he'd have left the bus and continued on foot." Lynn insisted.
"Perhaps, but that would be time-consuming still." Lisa replied.
"You're good at math, right? How long would it take a guy to travel from Royal Woods all the way up here?" Lynn asked.
Lisa blinked. "I'm afraid I can't calculate that, for I don't know the exact distance between our home and this locality. Also, it would hinge on whether he travels by bus or on foot, or how much of either?"
Lynn said nothing. She freaking hated math.
Maybe she was expecting too much from Ryan, to arrive so quickly, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. But what? Kathleen? Renee? Surely Ryan wouldn't be careless enough to let either get the drop on him, especially the former? And if the lazy broad had sent Lyle to handle him, Ryan would have trounced that punk in a millisecond.
"But I have some good news for you?" Lisa added, trying to start a conversation. "Mother seems content. She's been enjoying herself sunbathing on the boat, so perhaps…she'll be in the mood to talk with you and…y'know…"
Lynn gave her a frosty glare. "And how do you apologize for ruining your mom's anniversary party, huh?"
Her tone wasn't standoffish, but simply conveyed confusion and frustration over this situation.
Lisa understood the inherent difficulties of trying to make amends with someone you've wronged in such a severe and personal manner.
"That…I do not know." Was her sincere response. "Interpersonal interaction isn't my strong suit. But I do understand the pains of carrying such a burden."
"Burden?" Lynn asked, that word once more making her skin crawl.
"Lynn…given your recent actions, I don't think I'm stepping on any proverbial toes…too hard, by pointing out that you've caused our family a lot of grief in the past."
She paused, trying to gauge the jock's reaction but Lynn just sported a steely gaze, knowing she couldn't and shouldn't deny it. Her silence encouraged Lisa to continue.
"But you clearly regret that and are trying to atone for your past mistakes, as am I. Granted, my mistakes were a lot more severe, and dangerous…" her voice trailed off, as did her thoughts "…and I'm deeply sorry for endangering you, and Lincoln, and everyone else…"
Lynn let out a little snort. "Apologize to me? In case you've forgotten, I wasn't there to see either your flu-zombie apocalypse or Lyle on super-roids, but Lincoln and Ryan were. I think you owe Ryan a big apology for putting him in danger, especially after he helped ya fix those messes."
Lisa hadn't thought of that. Sure, she wasn't exactly fond of Ryan but Lynn was right that she had endangered him as well, and he actively helped her undo both of her major screw-ups, along with Lincoln. As a matter of fact, Ryan was a big reason why the flu-zombie virus didn't spread.
"I guess I do, I'll try to apologize once he arrives…and if he's willing to hear me out." she replied. If he arrived on time that is. Lisa could live with not making amends with him, not that any of her past memory would matter by morning.
Lynn's mouth thinned out, as she had a hunch Ryan wouldn't be willing to forgive Lisa, not that she would blame him, but opted not to say it. She couldn't be a hypocrite and insinuate that Lisa was beyond forgiveness. She really did seem to be sorry and had been that way for a while.
"But back to my original point…" Lisa continued. "I know admitting your mistakes is hard, as is dealing with the lingering guilt."
Lynn didn't know where Lisa was going with this, but she couldn't deny that simple truth. It sounded like they were on the same page.
"Yeah…it blows chunks." She sighed. "Admitting you were wrong is hard, but you know what's worse?"
"What?"
"Nobody wanting to give you a second chance. Even after you apologize and try to make up for your screw-ups, they still shun you. Act like nothing has changed. Like you don't really mean it. When you keep trying to make things right but things out of your control, or certain rich brats, keep getting in your way…"
Lynn paused, realizing how much of her inner turmoil she was spewing out to Lisa. She didn't want to look like an overemotional wreck. But their conversation made Lynn realize, much to her frustration, that the same applied to Lisa. The latter was genuinely sorry but everyone sans Lincoln still gave her the cold shoulder.
In a lot of ways, Lisa's biggest screw-ups were the polar opposite of Lynn's. The former's were much more dangerous and big-scale but they were also far fewer in number, as well as fleeting issues that came and went. On the other hand, Lynn's mistakes were much more mundane but far more numerous and they had long-lasting consequences, for both her and her family, especially since she's been around far longer than the toddler genius.
"I know these things are very discouraging but that doesn't mean you should give up in your quest to atone." Lisa said. "As is evident by now, Kathleen's charades are already falling apart. Mother and father know she's not sincere and are merely exploiting her willingness to offer them free luxury. Lies cannot last but the truth will and does eventually does come out. Mother might not trust you now but inevitably, sooner or later, your actions will prove her wrong."
"Lisa…I…" Lynn was cut short as their raft crashed into something, causing Lisa to fall out but no splash was heard. Yelping, Charles reared up on the raft and saw sand.
Shaking her head, Lynn saw towering pine trees and realized they've reached the peninsula, so she got up.
"Are you okay, Lisa?" she peered over and saw her sister faceplanted on the sand.
Lisa muffled something in response and propped herself up before spitting out a mouthful of sand.
"Hold that thought." Lynn quickly walked past her, happy to have an excuse to end this awkward conversation. "I think I hear that deer."
Picking some sand out of her ear, Lisa heard rustling in the forest along with panicked bleating and stomping of hooves.
Without a word, she tried to catch up with Lynn, with Charles already walking parallel to the jock, surveying their surroundings and sniffing the air.
But the trio was downwind and the dog failed to pick up the scent of the predator prowling along a grove of trees, its padded paws silencing every step it took. Yellow eyes watched the trio's every move as they got closer to the struggling doe, who was trying to free herself from the tree.
Lynn broke off a small branch and tried to offer it as a treat, but the animal didn't notice it.
The panicking doe was bucking and trashing around, making the girls jump back every time they stepped closer.
"Easy girl, we're just trying to help ya." Lynn raised her hand, keeping her tone gentle, but the doe wouldn't calm down.
Seeing eyeshine in the undergrowth, she bleated frantically and stumbled back, pulling on the scarf and causing leaves to fall down.
"I believe this is a prime example of why it's morally wrong to put clothes on animals." Lisa pointed out.
"Quit preaching, any idea how to calm her down?" Lynn asked curtly.
"Hmmm…maybe throw your jacket over her eyes?" Lisa suggested. "That should calm her down enough to-"
Suddenly, they heard a fierce yowl, before seeing a lynx jump out of the bushes.
Lisa screamed and Lynn grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her away, while Charles barked and charged at the attacking feline.
Only to get trampled over as the lynx lunged and sunk its teeth and claws into the doe, knocking her to the ground.
Getting up, the dizzy and dirt-covered Charles shook his head before looking around. Seeing his owners as mere specks in the distance, he promptly ran after them, further motivated by the sounds of carnage right behind him.
Before she knew it, the shell-shocked Lisa had been dragged back to the raft and saw Lynn breathing heavily, as the latter gazed in the direction they came from, and saw Charles catching up with them, shaking the dirt off his fur. Lynn was relieved to see him alive.
"Stop tryin'….to play hero…ya dumb dog." she scolded him between breaths. "You don't have the muscle for it."
Lynn composed herself and continued, "Kay… this mission was a total bust. We'll tell the twins the deer was just too quick for us, got it?"
"Positive. Lana's not ready yet to face…" Lisa cringed as she heard doe's dying gasps "…um…that kind of subject?"
"Let's get back to the others, it's getting dark." Lynn ordered, and Lisa and Charles obliged without question.
Pushing the raft back into the water, Lynn climbed aboard and looked back at the forest one more time. This was a sobering reminder that, although One Eye was gone, these woods were far from safe.
"When we get back…" Lynn started as she resumed stroking "…we got to pick up any food Lana's furry pals left, don't want to draw attention from bigger and less friendly critters."
"Yes, I was about to say the same thing." Lisa concurred. "I recall how, during our stay at Pipestone, we callously littered all around our camp and then had to spend all noon hiding in our van once that bear arrived."
Lynn shuddered at the memory but continued stroking. "Exactly. We gotta learn from our mistakes. One screw-up could mean no going back."
To her surprise, Lisa grew a small smile. "See? Your newfound foresight is testimony to your personal improvement. As is your patience while tutoring Lana on the fine art of swimming."
"So? What you getting at?" Lynn grunted.
"Well, would you have done the latter. That is, coaching someone, the same way a year ago?"
Lynn thought about it but eventually replied with a blunt, "No."
"See? It is demonstrably true that you have grown into a more responsible person, and mother will eventually recognize it." Lisa said encouragingly.
Lynn's brow dropped in worry and she sighed, "I hope so…"
Maybe Lisa was too eager to end their conversation on a positive note, but regardless, she felt compelled to say, "I know so…it's an inevitability at this point. After all, past or present, you never were a quitter."
"Thanks." Lynn smiled a little, happy to receive some acknowledgment for her effort from someone who wasn't Lincoln or Ryan.
"…and…eh…same to you, Lis." She added awkwardly. "You caused us a lot of headache these last few weeks, but you owned up to it. Maybe…we were a bit too hard on you…"
Hearing that, Lisa felt a small semblance of happiness and petted Charles's head, knowing that at least two of her older siblings would serve as responsible figures going forward. With or without her, there was hope for a better future for their family.
"You weren't…I had to answer for my mistakes." Lisa said evenly. "And I assure you, I've taken extra precautions to never repeat them."