Three of a kind:Part Two

     "Don’t worry about it, Goo,” Ash replied, shaking his head, and earning frown from Steel. “Bellsamy what are you going on about?”

      “Didn’t you ask Scarlet what happened to her after you got separated?” Bellsamy sighed, standing up and opening a cupboard. She set a stack of plates on the table.

      “Well, no, but, well you didn’t give me the chance!” He protested.

      “Well, that’s hardly my fault, how long did you think I was going to keep Goo entertained, and any way, we could hear you loud and clear, you two haven’t changed at all,” Bellsamy sighed.

      “I don’t remember much,” Scarlet interjected. “Steel, remembers more, he was with my mom when they find me. All I remember was it was warm…”

      “Warm?” Ash and Steel asked in unison. They looked at each other for a moment before Steel continued.

      “It was the middle of winter,” Steel said. “Mom had brought us there for month of celebration. She thought it would be fun. Then I heard someone calling my name and we found you in the hollow of tree. You were snoring.” Steel chuckled at the memory.

      “I don’t miss that,” Ash joked.

      “Goo,” Bellsamy smiled at the Bori and handed him a jar from which he pulled a muffin. She them offered the jar to rest. They each gratefully accepted one. Goo held out his to Scarlet for her to warm up. She laughed, but did it for him. “Who do we know with warm hooves?”

      “Grym!” Goo shouted excitedly knocking over his chair as he stood up.

      “Oh, no!” Ash protested. “No, no, no, and no again Bellsamy, we are not going to that, that,-“

      “Ash,” Bellsamy intereupted.

      “Whose, Grym?” Steel interjected.

      “He’s a uni!” Goo answered. “He’s awesome. I get lost in the woods all the time and he always find me and brings me home. He’s the one who brought me to live with Ash and Stubs. Stubs will know where to find Grym! She knows where to find everything!”

      “Goo, no,” Ash replied. “We are not going to get Stubs to take up to Grym. That is out of the question Bellsamy!”

      “Do you really think he could help us find our sister, Bellsamy?” Scarlet asked, looking at her bother her brothers for a moment then turning to Bellsamy.

      “If he found you and Ash, then I am sure he found Violet,” Bellsamy said, looking at Ash.

      “We should at least five it a try, Ash,” Scarlet put one of her paws on top of his. “We finally found each other, now we have to find her. What if she’s been looking for us or worse, what if she doesn’t even know about us. I know what its like not to know where your from, and you, you’ve been missing us all these years.”

      “Fine, I guess, it is worth an try,” Ash conceded.

           “You want me to do what?” The mutant lupe looked at the strange group in front of her incredulously. “But you hate Grym, and he is not easy to find.”

      “Stubbery, please,” Ash begged, clasping his paws together, but the lupe just frowned at his use of her full name.

      “Oh, come on Stubs, help them out,” Bellsamy came to Ash’s aid, well Scarlet and Steel stood by unsure what to do with themselves. The lupe gave them a suspicious look, which didn’t phase either sibling. They were both quite used to it. “Goo will spend the rest of the day with me. Besides you don’t have any clients lined up, since it was your night to look after Goo tonight.”

      “You sure you can handle him and Victor?” Stubs challenged.

      “Yes, of course I can, if you can,” She replied. “I’ll make you both my special blueberries scones if you promise you and Victor will behave.” She pinched Goo’s cheek affectionately.

      “I promise I will behave!” Goo promised Stubs. “Please! I want to stay with Bell tonight! Please Stubs!”

      “Please, Stubs!” Ash joined in.

      “Alright, alright, I will take you,” She relented throwing up her paws in defeat. “You better behave yourself Goo. So, who have you brought with you then?”

      “Thank you, Stubs,” Bellsamy hugged the other girl then put one arm around Goo. “Come on Goo, lets get back, or we’ll miss Victor.”

      “But, but, but,” Goo protested as the xweetok lead him away.

      “Um, well, Stubs, this is my sister Scarlet,” Ash explained motioning to Scarlet stepped closer. He made a face as he continued. “And this is her brother, Steel.”

      “I thought you had two sisters?” Stubs replied.

      “I do,” Ash answered. “Steel is-“

      “I’m her adopted brother,” Steel interrupted. “We’ve got a lot of adopted sibblings. It is nice to meet you.” He offered his paw for a handshake.

      “Nice to meet you, too,” She said giving a half smile, but she still seemed suspicious of him, but she shook his paw.

      “Nice to meet you,” Scarlet offered her paw as well. “Our family would love to meet you. Especially Tenz, if you don’t mind my saying so he doesn’t meet many other mutants. He hardly leaves home, because he’s a bit sensitive about it. He and Steel grew up in the pound together. Mom had to adopt them both because they were inseparable. She loves mutants. Our sister Forest is one too, she’s a pirate.”

      “I like them,” Stubs said, putting one arm around Scarlet. “Alright, I’ll help you, babe you can mellow Ash out, he’s kind of high strung.”

      “I am not,” Ash protested.

           Ash brought up the rear of the party. He listened to the others laughing and talking. Scarlet was telling Stubs about all of her adventures, and Steel. He decidedly did not like that poogle.

      Steel had shared the story of his childhood with Stubs and about their big happy family. He’d even made Stubs laugh! He never made Stubs laugh and she was his best friends. The only times he’d ever heard her laugh was when she and Bellsamy were teasing him and that was very different.

      “Ash,” He jumped when he heard Scarlet’s voice. He was so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed her waiting for him.

      “Huh, what?” Ash asked, looking over at his glowing sister. She looked so familiar and yet so, different.

      “I asked, what you do,” Scarlet said. “You have to have heard all about my family sulking back here, but you haven’t told me much about you. I know all about your friends.”

      “I, uh, I’m a mechanic,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. “I’m sure that’s not all that impressive with your pirate sister, and Steel…” He said Steel’s name in a way that revealed exactly what he thought of him and to Ash’s surprise Scarlet laughed.

      “Your not jealous of Steel are you? Or Forest?” She asked. “I mean, I would understand why you would be jealous of her, but not Steel. A mechanic in the Haunted Woods? That must be exciting!”

      “And why shouldn’t I be jealous of Steel,” Ash protested. “He’s brave and smart and-“

      “A chef,” Scarlet interrupted. “He hardly ever leaves home. I’m sorry, but Steel is kinda of a scaredy poogle. He’s only came with me because I asked him too. He may be the oldest in family, but he’s hardly the most impressive person in our family, I’d like to think that is me.” She joked.

      “He’s a chef?” Ash asked embarrassed.

      “Yes, and a good one too,” Scarlet replied. “He seems to like you.”

      “Really?”

      “No, you both seem to hate each other, I’m not oblivious, I see the way you two have been looking at each other, I love you both,” She smiled. “You are both my brothers, do you think you to can get along long enough us for us to find our sister. My mom always says there is always room for more in our family. More family doesn’t mean less love for you, it means more love for all.”

      “Your mom sounds nice,” Ash admitted begrudgingly.

      “She is nice, you should meet her sometime,” Scarlet answered. “just be careful, she may try to adopt you, and Goo.”

     “Maybe, but I don’t really need adopting,” He shrugged.

     “Don’t worry, she had my nephew, and little sister, and Bandy of course,” Scarlet held up one paw and ticked off her siblings on her fingers. “And Steel, and Tenz who will never leave home, and Kookie too.”

     “Must be a big house, there is barely enough room for Goo and me in my wagon,” The thought of his wagon made him unexpectantly homesick. “Any boris in your family?”

     “Yes, actually, our youngest brother, Bandy, he is just as bouncy as your Goo, but he’s a mite less excitable, he was when he was younger, but he’s calmed down. He’s a gardener,” She explained. “Adopted on Terror Mountain. Separated from his family during a blizzard.”

      “Really, Goo had a-“

      “Hello Vincent,” Ash was distracted by Stubs greeting. A vullard wearing a bow tie sat on a tree branch above them. Steel reached into one of his pockets and offered the petpet a cookie. It flew down and snatched the treat from the poogle. “Where’s your master?”

      He squawked and landed on the poogle’s shoulder nipping at his pointed ears, till the poogle gave him another treat with a chuckle. Then looked pointed to the left.

      “I think he wants us to go left,” Scarlet said. “Well let’s go. Come on, Ash. This is best adventure I’ve been on.”

      “Really?” Ash asked.

      “No, but this is fun,” Scarlet laughed. Ash shook his head, she really hadn’t changed at all.

           “Well, well, well, who have you brought me this time Vincent,” The uni smiled as the vullard landed on one of his wings. He of course recognized them all. “What a surprise to see you here, Ash. And Scarlet and Steel, my how you to have grown. What a lovely warm fur you’ve got Scarlet. Beautiful, though I miss the stars, a bit.”

To be continued…