A few weeks have passed by, and it seem as though both father and son are slowly rebuilding their relationship; Rad and Lyon have attended a few family therapy sessions to talk about their past traumas, but they seem to be getting better at communication. They kept seeing Lyon's first therapist whenever he had to deal with nightmares about his parents, and the day they had the accident.

Lyon seems to have less nightmares than he used to did, and learned to cope with it as well as trying to be more understanding. Rad too learned how to cope with Lyon running away the day he found out, and tried to make sure to not keep Lyon in the dark like that again. It is not an easy task, but they will get through with this together. Rad and Lyon stepped out of the house to start their day; the red, blue heeler picked up his son to his seat in the car, and strapped him with the seatbelt. Lyon held his backpack with his arms. The two drove off to the Glasshouse Primary School. They decided to converse with each other on the way. "So Rusty said that he's getting better with his cricket bats. He's focusing on his square cuts to avoid hitting the house window," said Lyon. "Well, that's very smart of him to work on them. Cricket takes a lot of focus and skill," explained Rad while focusing on driving. "He said he'll teach me more of Cricket after school when me, and Jack will come over for a play date."

"That sounds nice, mate. How do you like the sport," asked Rad.

"It's fun. Challenging, but I'll learn. Throwing is the easy part. It's the hitting I'm working on," explained Lyon. "Uncle Bandit, Uncle Stripe, and you should teach me more about the sport."

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a pro cricket player, but your Uncle Bandit has played it a lot back in the day," chuckled Rad. "I know, but I have more fun when it's all four of us," added Lyon. Once the duo arrived to school, they greeted both Bandit and Bluey, who arrived after dropping off Bingo at kindy. The two Heeler dads said their goodbyes to their children after they entered the building. Rad looked at the distance, hoping Lyon's day will be good as any other day. He was silent, hoping nothing goes wrong. "Rad? You alright, mate," asked Bandit, catching his older brother's attention. Rad snapped out of it, and saw Bandit, who was worried about him. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Bandit. Just fine," he muttered. "He'll be alright. He's a strong kid," reassured Bandit. "I know."

Both dads drove off to their jobs; in the classroom, Lyon saw Mackenzie, Jack, Rusty at the rug. "Hey guys," he called out. "Lyon, you're just in time," said Mackenize. "Time for what," he inquired, confused by the meaning behind Mackenzie's phrase. "We decided to play explorers at the wooden boat outside," said Rusty. "I'll be captain. Jack is first mate, Mackenize is the navigator, and you'll be the boat driver."

"Oh, okay! Can Bluey join us as well," asked Lyon, wanting to invite her cousin. "Sure," agreed Rusty. Lyon went to check up on her cousin, who was playing with Chloe and Coco. "Hey, Bluey, we're going to play explorers. Want to come along," asked Lyon. "Okay. Can Coco and Chloe come along as well?" Lyon nodded yes, and the three were excited to tag along to the adventure.

All seven pups went outside to the wooden boat in the school field. "What will we be doing, and where are we going," asked Chloe, wondering what the three girls' roles will be in the game. "We're heading to Tasmania. We're off in search for a plant that cures an illness, and you three can be crew mates like Jack is," explained Rusty. "I can go get a telescope in the classroom," said Coco. "Okay, that could come in handy," agreed Rusty. The pink poodle rushes back to the classroom to search for a telescope. "Can me and Bluey gather some pretend food? The journey could be dangerous and who knows how long will be out at sea," asked Chloe. Rusty agreed, and the two best friends decided to gather some Lilly Pilly berries from the forest.

After the three girls gathered some things for the trip, Lyon had a round plate, and pretended it was the ship's steering wheel. Jack, Rusty, and Mackenzie were pretending scrubbing the deck to ensure everything was neat and tidy. "Alright, looks like we're good to go, captain," said Mackenzie. "Got it. Everyone ready," asked the Red Kelpie. Everyone said yes; "Lyon, set a course straight to Tasmania," commanded Rusty.

"Yes, captain," said Lyon. He turned the wheel to his right, and the party pretended to sailed their way to Tasmania. "Captain, let us raise the sail," added Jack. "Understood, first mate Jack. You and Mackenzie raise the sail," said Rusty. The Jack Russell, and Border Collie moved their hands to pull a pretend rope to raise a sail. The two made whooshing wind noises once the pretend sail was raised. Coco and Chloe counted the Lilly Pilly berry provisions, and Bluey used the telescope to examine the pretend sea. "Captain, it looks like the weather is safe for sailing," reassured Bluey. "Good. So long as we don't run into stormy weather, we should make our way to Tasmania for weeks," added Rusty.

"Weeks?! But it'll take ages," said Lyon, surprised. "I know. Which is why we must prepare for the worst," said Rusty. Lyon looked through the distance, unsure if he was meant to be the ship's steerer. He wasn't sure if he'll guide the party safely to Tasmania due to his experience with bad directions before. He then thought of a way to make the game more interesting as an excuse to shirk his responsibility. "Captain, the wind seems to be slowing down," said Lyon. "What? Are you sure," asked Rusty, confused by the sudden turn of events. "Yes, let me go check the ship's mast. Bluey will take over the wheel for now," he said, appointing his cousin. He handed the wheel to Bluey and inspected the mast. Everyone was curious about the idea that their ship was put on halt. Lyon quietly fixed the mast, and just as he finished, he decided to imagine them hitting a coral reef area. "Oh no, we hit a coral reef rock," he shouted. The rest of the crew was shaken by the hit, and then Lyon pretended to fall off the ship. "Ah, no, I've fallen off from the ship!" The wolf dog separated himself from the group, imagining as if he was washed away by the sea's currents.

"Wait, no I'll go save him," insisted Bluey. "We have a lifeboat. I'll go find him." She had an inflatable tube, pretending to get on a life boat. The blue heeler went to search for Lyon. The wolf dog sat in the tall grassy area, with his arms around his knees. He looked a bit worried, knowing he would make a mistake in the game. As he sat down quietly, he saw Bluey, who had an inflatable tube around her waist. "Lyon? Why are you sitting behind the kelp forest," asked Bluey. Lyon shrugged, unsure of what to say to her cousin. She insisted that they went back to the ship together. "There they are," shouted Mackenzie. "Oh, thank goodness they're safe," sighed Coco in relief. "Quickly, raise the lifeboat," commanded Rusty. Jack and Chloe pretended to pull on rope, bringing both Bluey and Lyon back onto the ship. "We were able to do ship maintenance while you two were gone," said Mackenzie. "It seems we did hit a rock, but we were able to patch things up," said Chloe.

"Maybe we should all wear life vests just in case no one gets dragged away by the currents," suggested Coco. Everyone agreed, and acted like they were putting on pretend life vests. "Okay, we're heading to our destination once again," said Lyon, looking somewhat conflicted. "Do you think we'll hit anymore reef rocks on the way," asked Jack. "Probably not," said Rusty. But out of the blue, Lyon shouted "Boom," and pretended to be washed away by the shore once again. "Lyon," shouted all six kids. "I thought we left the reef area," said Jack. "I did too, but we might have hit one more. Hey, the steerer forgot to put on his vest," said Rusty. "Wait, what," asked both Mackenzie and Bluey. "Let's go save him," insisted Bluey to Rusty and Mackenzie.

This time Lyon sat beside the tree criss crossed in his knees. He looked disturbed; he wasn't sure why he was shirking his responsibility as ship navigator. Thinking back on the day he ran off from home, he recalled how he got more lost in the city. The wolf dog took deep breaths, trying to stay calm from the bad memory. "Lyon," shouted Bluey as she, Rusty, and Mackenzie spotted him behind the tree. "He's behind that tree lighthouse," exclaimed Mackenize. The wolf dog looked at the trio, not saying a word. Bluey was worried by her cousin's sudden withdrawal, but the three decided to bring him back to the ship the second time. Once they arrived, Chloe and Jack pretended to pull them back from the lifeboat into the ship once again.

The seven kids were still out at sea, but with Lyon socially withdrawn from the game. While each member of the ship did their duties, Bluey couldn't help but notice Lyon's silence. He simply steered the wheel without saying much. She decided to speak to him. "I thought we left the reef area earlier. Why did we hit another reef rock," asked Bluey. Lyon didn't answer her. "Lyon?" The wolf dog then decided to think of another random event that steered their course away from Tasmania. He then saw a dark cloud passing by, covering the sun, and then thought of a good plan. "Oh no, waterspout at west! I can't steer it away," he shouted, pretending to struggle with the steering. The rest of the kids went along with the turbulent storm. While everyone was distracted, Lyon immediately withdrew from the ship without anyone noticing. Just as the storm passed by, Rusty decided to check up on everyone after the water tornado. "Everyone alright? No one has fallen off from the ship?"

"Nope," said everyone, but then they realized why they stopped. "Hey, the steerer is gone again," pointed out Coco. "Ugh, not again," groaned Bluey. Lyon managed to escape from the crew, but he wasn't sure for how long. The wolf dog sat below the embankment; he once again sat down with his hands over his knees, even more disturbed than before. He looked away at the distance and tried to empty his thoughts. Just a memory, Lyon. Please don't think too hard on it, he thought. After deep breaths, he heard his cousin shouting his name again. She saw Bluey this time without any of their friends with her. "What happened? Why did you leave us," asked Bluey.

"What?! No I didn't it! You left me behind," disagreed Lyon, pointing at her cousin accusingly. "Nuh uh, we went searching for you," insisted Bluey. "No you didn't," protested the wolf dog with a somewhat annoyed look.

"Nope. You didn't forget to wear your life vest, didn't you? You took it off." Lyon looked down somewhat embarrassed and couldn't lie his way out of it. "Is this true," asked Bluey.

"Yeah," muttered Lyon. "Look, no offense Bluey, but I want the rest of the crew to pretend you lost me, and that you filled the ship navigator role to someone else…it's probably better that way."

"Why," asked Bluey. "I just want to, that's all." The wolf dog rubbed his arm, looking down at the ground. He felt like withdrawing himself was the best to process what he is going through, and that hopefully his cousin would respect his wishes. "I'm not sure if we can pretend that. We need a steerer, and no one is good like you. We need the ship navigator to get to Tasmania," said Bluey calmly. "Ah, okay," said Lyon. The blue heeler helped her cousin up from the embankment. Bluey held on to Lyon's hand to provide comfort on their way back to the ship.

Once the crew pulled them back into the ship, Rusty was concerned for the ship navigator. "Will you be okay steering the ship driver," asked Rusty. Lyon nodded yes and grabbed the plate. "That storm really did a number on our route to Tasmania. We'll have to stop by to New Zealand for more supplies, and set off tomorrow morning," advised Mackenzie. Everyone agreed and decided to take a detour to New Zealand to restock. The girls went back to the forest to collect more things for their pretend trip whereas the boys focused on ship maintenance. "We have to get to Tasmania on time. The town is counting on us to find the medicine," said Mackenzie. "I hope so navigator," said Rusty, who looked at the open sea with his hand over his eyebrows. "Ship steerer, how come we drove to all those obstacles on our journey," asked Jack. "Um, well we just had a rough start so far first mate," explained Lyon. After the boys finished repairing the ship, the girls brought more Lilly Pillies and other supplies for their trip. "We should sleep for the night. It's too late to set sail when the winds aren't in our favor right now," said Lyon. All seven dogs pretend to sleep in the wooden boat shop. For a brief moment, Lyon opened his eyes, waking up from his sleep, and tip toed away from the boat.

He walks toward the school building and sat by the school entrance. He watched most of the kids playing their own games in the field while he was the only one withdrawn. He couldn't explain to anyone why he is constantly leaving the ship game, especially Bluey. He then recalled what his therapist said to him should he ever have these intense emotions from the day he was separated from his adoptive father. "It's okay to take time for yourself when you need it…"

Just now, Calypso walked outside with her knitting kit with her. "Oh, Lyon. How is your boat game? Did you finish," asked the teacher. "No, Calypso. I was just….sitting," said Lyon, trying to make up an excuse. "Well, okay. I decided to do some knitting here if you don't mind me," she said calmly. "That's fine. I could use someone to talk too," said Lyon, willing to have his teacher listen to his troubles. Calypso simply hummed as she was engrossed in her knitting while rocking back and forth in the rocking chair. "Umm, Calypso," said the wolf dog.

"Yes, Lyon. Something you want to talk about," asked the Blue Merle Australian Shepard. "Is it okay to run off without telling others the reason? When it's something so personal?" Calypso stopped rocking the chair and decided to give an honest input. "That is a good question. Was there a reason for you to run off without telling the others why?" Lyon had a plain look on his face, but he knew the answer. "Well, yes. I did had a reason. I'm still trying to get over what happened to me ages ago, even though it wasn't that long ago. I'm still terrified of me getting lost in the city because the more I ran away, the farther away I was from home. That experience scared me because it was easy for me to get lost. Me, a seven year old who doesn't know his way around," explained Lyon, whose hands were trembling. "What makes it worse is that I wasn't prepared that day. I didn't had my inhaler, had an asthma attack, and ended up going to the hospital. I'm worried I will let my crew down by making us more lost at sea. We'll never get to Tasmania if they trust me to steer the ship."

"I see," said Calypso, listening to the whole story. "Well, Lyon, I think anyone has the ability to make a choice. You can either press on to Tasmania and guide your crew to safety, or you can end the trip in New Zealand. What do you think," insisted Calypso as she places her hand to her pupil's shoulder. Lyon took a deep breath and thought what had to be done. "Head to Tasmania. I can't let them down, but I also want to conquer my fear of getting lost. What can I do?"

"Well, what do you think you should do as ship steerer?" Lyon pondered for a moment; he then recalled Mackenize is the navigator and he has the compass and map. "Confide in the navigator," he said. "And" asked Calypso once again. "To face my fears without hesitation," said Lyon. "That's right. I think you have your answer," said Calypso. "Remember Lyon. You're stronger than you think. You don't have to let one bad experience change who you are." Lyon was moved by the advice of his schoolteacher. "Understood," he said strongly. "Good boy. Now go! Lead on your crew," encouraged the teacher. Lyon ran the way back down the hill toward the boat.

The crew was confused by the absence of the ship steerer. "Where is he," asked Rusty. "Don't tell me he got dragged away by the sea again," asked Jack worryingly. "I hope not. We need him to steer the ship," said Coco. "Bluey, do you have any idea where he went off," asked Chloe. "I don't know. I hope he is alright," she said worryingly. Just then she spotted a familiar looking white and silver fur dog from a distance. "Hey look! He's back," exclaimed Bluey while pointing at him. Lyon arrived at the ship with his knees on his hands catching his breath. "Am I late? Are the winds in our favor today," asked Lyon.

"You're just in time ship steerer," said Mackenize, with a smile on his face. The crew is relieved to know that Lyon is willing to take up role as the ship steerer once again, and this time, Lyon is sure to not fall into anymore 'accidents' on the way to Tasmania. "Alright ship mates, raise the sail," commanded Rusty. Jack and Bluey raised the sail; Chloe and Coco helped as well. "Navigator, where is our destination's direction?"

"West through Tasman Sea, captain," said Mackenzie, with the map and compass. "This time, I'll make sure the navigator to be mindful of anymore obstacles in our way."

"Good. Ship steerer, all set?"

Lyon took a deep breath; he looked at the distance, with a sense of worry, but at the same time, steadfast determination. "Steerer," asked Rusty. "Ready," said Lyon positively. The kids went along to finish their pretend trip to Tasmania. With nothing to worry about after the reassuring advice of Calypso, Lyon made sure the trip was a successful one.

After the day was over, both Bluey and Lyon sat next to each other to wait for their dads. The two were quiet but were in a pleasant mood after their game. Lyon moved his legs while they sat on the building's stair ledge. "I'm ready to talk about what happened if you are willing to listen," said Lyon. Bluey looked at her cousin with a surprised look, yet at the same time was glad to understand the situation. "Really? For real life," asked Bluey. "Yeah, for real life," said Lyon, as he was about to talk about the past events of running away from home.

I was inspired by both the events of Explorers and Space, and decided how Lyon gets over his past trauma of running away. Mostly based off of Mackenzie's PTSD from Space similarly put into Lyon's PTSD of him running way, and getting lost in Brisbane. I'm glad he found the right time to properly explain to his cousin about the events without her assuming the wrong ideas