Chapter 27 Escalating

Junior pressed the crayon down hard on the page. This had the potential to make the color too bold or even break the crayon, but whatever. He continued coloring, focusing entirely on the picture. This was going to be gorgeous when it was done. Case in point, it already was. Sure, there were still some white spaces, which stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the striking oranges and yellows. The white didn't blend with these warm colors at all, but even still, Junior was in love with how this looked so far.

He colored some more, sticking out his tongue until stopping himself and shaking his head. "I'm not a baby." He wrinkled his nose while smirking. "I might be Mom's baby, but I am NOT a baby!"

This statement caused him to stop. His hand hovering over the sunset drawing, he began reflecting on everything that happened. He thought about meeting Kamella, and how miraculous it was that the two of them got along so well. They were like two peas in a pod, which was amazing. It was really nice to think about overall. She gave him everything he ever wanted and more. This went beyond luck. In some ways, it's as if Grambi himself had interfered and made it so that Junior could live the happiest life possible.

Unfortunately, as much as he didn't want it to be the case, the encounter with Lemmy and Ludwig popped up in his reflecting. Was… was he right to treat them like that? He wanted to believe he was; after all, Ludwig was the person who caused him the most grief. But even still, thinking about the things that Junior had screamed at him in this very cabin made him feel off. Not necessarily bad, just… off.

He pulled away from the paper for a little bit, sitting upright. The silence in the cabin provided him with no distractions when it came to pondering, which he didn't know if he liked or disliked. Whimpering, Junior pulled his knees up to his chest, hugged them, and put his head in his lap. If he was determined to not have his old family play a role in his life anymore, why did he look upon his encounter with Lemmy and Ludwig so sadly? Why did he feel guilty for hurting their feelings? He shouldn't; they hut his feelings first! The golden rule said "treat others the way you want to be treated," and Ludwig had certainly made Junior hurt. He made him feel bad, he made him feel wrong. Wouldn't it make sense for Ludwig to get a taste of what those feelings were like? Wasn't Junior right to yell at him like he did?

The answer was yes. Yes, of course he was. Ludwig didn't care. Junior knew that he wouldn't have come into his room that day if Bowser hadn't made him, which was already enough to show how much Ludwig really cared about him. Of course, Junior was right to yell at him like he did. When was the last time Ludwig did anything that made Junior feel loved? He hadn't done anything! Nothing at all!

Junior considered this before sighing and making his legs lay flat on the floor. No, he shouldn't be worried about stuff like this. It wasn't worth worrying about. Lemmy and Ludwig were gone, and Junior would bet dimes to dollars that they weren't coming back. He didn't need them, he had Kamella! Again, she gave him everything that he ever wanted. Why should he think about the past? That was behind him.

Sighing, Junior got back down on his belly. He picked up the crayon, biting his lip as he pressed it onto the page. The colors blended together so well. Seriously; it was like he was looking at an actual sunset. Maybe Kamella would like to have this picture. Maybe she would hang it up on the wall, maybe she would put it in a special place. Honestly, the thought of her doing that made the picture even better in Junior's eyes. He lived with someone who treasured everything about him, including his art.

Right as he thought about that, the door opened. For a split second, Junior worried if it was Lemmy and Ludwig again. Thankfully, it was Kamella, who was a sight for sore eyes. Grinning, Junior grabbed his picture and bounced to his feet.

"Mom!" He went over to her and hugged her, squeezing extra tight. "Oh, I'm so glad you're back!" He pulled away from her, displaying his modern masterpiece. "Do you like my picture?"

"It's… it's lovely, Junior."

Junior blinked, putting his picture down. For the first time, he noticed Kamella's face. For one, there were some tear stains. They covered her face like paint, sticking out in the worst way possible when Junior considered how happy and jovial she had been ever since he ran across her. Her face in general looked extremely dark, almost like there was a shadow over her eyes.

This sight made Junior's heart skip a beat. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Kamella took in a shaky breath. "Junior, I…" she paused, biting her lip. "I got a message from the Shadow Queen while I was out."

"You… you did?" Junior's heart pounded. "What did she say?"

Kamella cried, sounding so small and weak. Junior started to worry as she reached into her robe and pulled out her wand.

"Mom? What's going on?"

More tears streamed down Kamella's face. "I'm so sorry, Junior." She waved her wand. "Duerme shuteye."

That was the last thing Junior heard before everything went black.

…

His worry increased every second. His heart pounded so hard that it threatened to make him pass out. Ludwig didn't even notice the cold; his mind was focused on one thing and one thing only.

How could he be so heartless? Why did he think it was right to let his anger make his decisions for him? Sure, Junior hadn't been making things easy, but… oh, there he went again. There he was thinking about and bringing up him thinking Junior making things hard. That was what he said to Wendy the night Junior ran away, and now he was repeating the exact same mistake.

Cause it really was a mistake. If someone told him that when he was seven, he'd probably be hurt beyond belief. Heck, it wasn't even a "probably" it was a DEFINITELY. He'd probably hide away in his room and cry if he heard that when he was a kid. Especially since his childhood had been particularly and uniquely rough.

That was another reason why he shouldn't have yelled at Junior like he did. He knew what it was like to be told something horrible, something that shifted your entire worldview and made you feel like a monster. And Junior had definitely been told something that met all those criteria. Why hadn't Ludwig realized that? Why hadn't he taken the time to think about how devastating the news of the birth story was? He should've known better! He DID know better! It should've been so easy for him to put himself in Junior's shoes, and yet, he didn't! Instead of putting himself in Junior's shoes, he stuck up his own ass and didn't even think about how that made him look? Or, rather, he didn't think about how that affected his brother. How he looked in this scenario was irrelevant. Thinking about his own image at a time like this was selfish. He should be thinking about Junior. His feelings, his needs, and his self-image.

Thinking about these things, Ludwig picked up the pace. He studied the ground, hoping to spot the cabin. After all, he hadn't kept track of the path he and Lemmy took when they traveled from the cabin toward the hotel. All he knew was that he had traveled to the left of the cabin when they left. He didn't know what cardinal direction that was, whether it was north, south, east, or west. THAT was a big problem. Since Ludwig had absolutely no idea where he was supposed to go, that meant that he had to estimate and guess. That was NOT ideal! Guessing could potentially mean that he could realistically start flying around in circles. And what made it even worse was that, since he had arrived at the cabin in a snowstorm that obscured his vision so severely, he had no point of reference or visible landmarks to help guide him. He was shooting in the dark. He was lost.

But he couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up. He would find Junior if it was the last thing he did. And once he did, he would start over. He would tell Junior how sorry he was, not due to obligation, but rather because he loved Junior. Junior was his youngest brother, his baby brother. So what if they weren't biologically related? They were brothers. They had always been brothers.

Realizing this, Ludwig recalled something Bowser had told him. The two of them had been hanging out, talking and just making good conversation. And during that conversation, Bowser said something that really made Ludwig think. Basically, since Ludwig was the oldest of his siblings, every Koopaling that came after him was pretty much born loving him. They all saw him as the big brother, the role model. They looked at him with respect and admiration purely on the basis that he had always been a part of all of their lives. He had always been loved. Therefore, he had a responsibility to look after his siblings. He needed to make them know that their love wasn't unrequited; it was definitely reciprocated. All of Ludwig's siblings held a special place in his heart.

Including Junior.

As he thought about this, Ludwig prayed to the Mushroom Gods. He needed their help to find the cabin. He couldn't do it on his own, so he needed as much divine help as he could. He prayed and prayed, keeping his eyes peeled while his heart still pumped like crazy. Right as he was starting to worry that he would never find the cabin, he saw it. Still sitting pretty, still as snug as ever in the cold wilderness.

Letting out a breath of relief, Ludwig descended. The second he arrived at the door, he pounded on it. "Junior! Junior, it's Ludwig; can you let me in?" There was no answer. "Junior, I'm so sorry! I was an ass to you, and I'm so sorry!" Still, there was no answer. Curious, Ludwig tried to open the door. He was both surprised and concerned to see that it wasn't locked. Taking in a breath, he entered the cabin…

And it was empty. Ludwig looked around the single-room cabin multiple times, blinking at the fact that there wasn't a single other person in the building. How was that possible? Did Junior leave? If he did, where would he go? He didn't have anywhere to go in World 3; he didn't even know where anything was! Why would he go out, especially so soon after a storm?

"Junior, where are you?" The pounding of Ludwig's heart continued escalating. He looked around the cabin, checking in any of the places where Junior could be hiding. Maybe he was under the bed? Maybe he was behind the fridge? He hoped that this was the case, but looking proved that Junior really wasn't in here. He wasn't anywhere in here.

"Oh God." Ludwig started to cry. His despair climbed along with his anxiety, creating a cocktail that was absolutely torturous. What had happened to Junior? Was he alright? Where was he? He had to be somewhere! Going outside in the snow would be a bad idea!

Wait. The snow!

Feeling the smallest spark of hope ignite in his heart, Ludwig exited the cabin. Activating his pyrokinesis in order to have some light, he looked around his immediate surroundings. If Junior went out in the snow, then there had to be… yes! Yes, there were some footprints! Footprints in the deep, deep snow, footprints that could potentially lead Ludwig toward his brother.

"I'm coming, Buddy." With that, he started following the trail.