A long, loud, and decidedly unattractive yawn slipped out of Beebee’s mouth, his drooping eyes staring out the windscreen of Eventide’s car. The sky outside was still dark, only somewhat lit by the faint blue light of the coming sunrise. Lamp posts by the side of the road gave a little more visibility as the car continued along, but frankly, Beebee was too groggy to really pay attention. With a discontent mumble, he looked up at Eventide over in the driver’s seat.
“Dad, why am I up so early, again?” he asked drowsily, lifting a hoof to rub some more of the sleep out of his eyes. “And why are we in the car?”
Eventide just gave Beebee a small smile and a knowing look out of the corner of his eye. “I got a surprise for you, one that’ll help you get in better shape,” he said in a way that was not cryptic at all.
Beebee was not amused and narrowed his eyes. “Okay, but what is it?”
“Did you miss the word surprise?” Eventide quipped with a small smirk while he turned the car around a curve in the road.
“I didn’t,” Beebee pouted indignantly before leaning over to paw uselessly at Eventide’s resting elbow. “Tell me anyway.”
That drew a merry chuckle out of Eventide. He shook his head and reached over to pat Beebee on the head. “It doesn’t quite work like that, Bee. If it makes you feel any better, you can nap until we get there. It’s gonna be a little bit.”
Beebee just groaned at the lack of answers, but getting a few extra winks was an enticing thought indeed. So, with another yawn, he did as told. He leaned back in the car seat and rested his head against the backrest, closing his eyes. The motions of the car rolling along and the gentle thrum of the engine were soothing if nothing else, and in no time, he began to doze off again. He wasn’t quite able to fall truly asleep, though, as his mind became preoccupied with questioning what was even happening.
He was more than a little confused. All he knew for sure was that Eventide had woken him up an hour or two earlier than usual, then took him out to the car once their morning breakfast hug was over. Now, this wouldn’t be quite so bad, if it weren’t for the fact that Beebee had no idea why they were out here. He was still getting his head in order from his time asleep, too, which was not helping his patience at all.
After a few minutes of pondering and dozing, he felt a damp nose press itself into the back of his shoulder, followed by a few affectionate licks. Mildly perturbed by the disturbance, though not by the source, he opened one eye and glanced over to see Buddha nosing at him from the back seat. Her eyes were shining with curiosity and excitement, and her tail was thumping against the seat in a steady beat. Her overall demeanor was more calm and relaxed, though, signaling that she was probably still a little drowsy herself.
But, Beebee remembered, this was Buddha he was looking at, and a little drowsiness was not enough to dampen her lively spirits. This was made perfectly clear by the excess amount of gold and pink hovering in the air around her, filling it with a lovely scent and taste.
Beebee smiled at her before leaning over to nuzzle against her face. She returned the gesture before he leaned back and opened his mouth to pull in some of that sweet, delicious emotional energy. As the food pooled into his belly, his senses came alive, and he felt himself waking up just a little more. If Eventide drank coffee to wake up, Beebee drank Buddha’s excitement and perpetual joy.
His feat was interrupted when the car began to slow down, and Buddha turned to prop herself up against one of the back-seat windows to look outside. Confused, Beebee looked up at Eventide for answers. The man looked back down at him for a moment before returning his attention to the road. “We’re here,” he declared before pulling the car to a stop and turning off the engine.
Beebee, having not been paying attention to where they were, blinked in surprise before mimicking Buddha’s actions. He undid his seat belt with a quick flicker of magic, then propped himself up against the passenger door to look out the window. His eyes widened slightly as he took in an unfamiliar environment.
They had come to a stop in a large gravel parking lot, and a collection of wooden buildings could be seen a little ways away, sheltered by various trees and the like. A concrete path connected the buildings, and a friendly sign hung over it in front of the building. It read: Welcome to Everfree National Park!
Frowning in confusion, Beebee turned his attention to the windshield. There, he saw that right in front of the car was a wide dirt path that steadily climbed in altitude. The dirt was well-trodden, and various sets of footprints could be seen in the tightly packed soil. Around the trail was a lush and masterfully maintained corridor of plant life and greenery, forming a natural-looking arch. Another sign stood over the start of the path, reading in big, bold, friendly letters: The trail starts here.
“Hop out,” Eventide instructed while undoing his seat belt and pulling open his door. Beebee glanced back at him curiously and remained still for a second even after the door had shut. Why were they here? Wasn’t this where Eventide worked? If so, then wouldn’t there be other people here? After all, Eventide had mentioned before that he had several friends who he worked with when out on the trails.
But Eventide must have known what he was doing. So, with only a little bit of anxious reluctance, Beebee used his magic to open up his door before hopping down to the ground. The gravel crunched under his hooves, and the chilly pre-sunrise air nipped at his chitin, making him shiver a little. In the distance and among the trees, he could still make out the chirping of distant night creatures, like crickets, and he even heard an owl hooting somewhere in the mix.
Eventide circled around the car, leading Buddha along with a red leash hooked up to her collar. She sniffed at the ground in excitement, then looked up at Eventide with a hopeful, eager look on her face. Beebee watched the two of them for a moment before looking ahead at the trail. “So… why are we here, dad?” he asked in genuine curiosity.
Eventide gave him a small smile and then got down onto one knee, petting Buddha as he did so. His eyes remained locked on Beebee, though. “Well, we’ve been trying to figure out a way to improve your stamina, haven’t we? I spend most of my time on this trail every time I come to work. I know it like the back of my hand, I know where it’s safe, I know what to look out for, and I know how far it goes.”
Beebee nodded along slowly. He looked the trail over some more, following it with his eyes as far as he could before it rose and disappeared into the forest. “How far does it go?” he asked, turning to his father inquisitively.
Eventide lifted a finger and pointed up. Beebee followed the indication and soon caught sight of an elevated mountain peak, just poking up into the sky from behind the forest. “It leads to a spot on that mountainside. A big open clearing with flowers and a nice river running through it. It’s about a two-hour hike if you go at a good pace, and it’s mostly uphill.”
“Wow… that’s a long way,” Beebee muttered quietly, his eyes tracing the shape of the mountain. There wasn’t any snow on it right now, leaving it to mostly by various shades of green and, where trees did not grow, gray. He then turned his eyes back to Eventide. “Are we going to walk on it?”
Eventide nodded again, his smile growing. “That’s the plan, yeah. The place isn’t technically open right now, but I managed to pull a favor with my boss. As long as I report any problems with the trail I find to him when I turn up for work later, he doesn’t mind if I ‘walk my dogs’ up here.”
Beebee’s eyes lit up at that, and he looked ahead at the trail again. His wings gave a quick and excited flutter on his back. “Wow! So, is this your surprise?!” he asked before spinning around and looking up at Eventide. “Is it?! Please tell me it is!”
Eventide burst out laughing at the adorable sight, then reached over to give Beebee a few affectionate scritched behind the ears. “Yes, Bee. This is the surprise. Do you like it?”
“I love it!” Beebee answered jubilantly, spinning on his hooves to look at the trail again. “This is such a cool idea! I’ve never seen your trail before!” A moment passed, and his smile fell away, replaced with a confused frown. “Wait, you said ‘dogs.’ Does that mean I have to turn into a Collie?”
Eventide shook his head, much to Beebee’s relief. As much as he loved that form, he wanted to keep his mind as undistracted as possible so he could take in the trail. “Not unless someone we don’t know comes along. If someone does come along, though, you dive into the bushes, change, and come back out, and you don’t change back till they’re gone. Understood?”
Beebee gave a sharp, dutiful nod. “I understand.”
Eventide seemed satisfied with this answer and rose to his feet. “Alright. Now, all that being said, if you want to turn into something else while we’re doing this, go ahead. But I want you to tell me the moment you’re about to lose focus or have one of your attacks, alright? That’s when we'll know it’s time to head home. Like I said last night, you need to push yourself, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Alright…” Eventide then turned and looked out at the trail. “Well… come on, then. Let’s get started.”
And with that, the man, his son, and their dog set off down the trail. They went at a moderate pace at first, letting Beebee’s hooves get used to the compacted dirt. As they went, his eyes drifted up at the trees, and his mouth formed into a little ‘o’ of wonder. “Woah… these trees have leaves. All the ones at the house have needles or something…”
“Yeah, there are a lot of deciduous trees along the trail,” Eventide nodded along, gesturing at one for an example. “You should see this place in the fall or winter. When the leaves fall, or when it’s all covered in a thin layer of snow, lit up by yellow afternoon sunlight… the best way I can think to describe it is magical.”
Beebee let out a low chitter of wonder, his mind trying to envision the sight. He looked around, envisioning the leaves on the trees as various shades of orange and yellow and red, many of them drifting through the air and for the trail. He knew already that what he could picture could never do the reality any justice, but even the image in his mind was enough to get him excited and enthralled.
Then his ears twitched, catching the sound of the trees overhead rustling in the breeze. He stopped for a second to just listen, his face lighting up with a serene, tranquil smile. “It sounds so pretty…”
“Yeah, it does…” Eventide agreed a few paces ahead, glancing back at Beebee with a smile. “But let me tell you, the best part of this trail is the end.”
Beebee perked up and cantered forward, falling into step next to Eventide as they continued on their way. “Oh yeah? Why?” he pressed eagerly before sweeping his eyes across the trail ahead of them again, drinking in more of the sights.
Eventide looked ahead as they reached the first curve of the trail, the path before them gradually curving upwards. “Well, for one thing, when you come out of the treeline, there’s this big open meadow, covered with grass and flowers of all kinds of colors. You’re so high up that you can see for miles and miles. I bet you we could even see CHS from up there, and our old house right next to it.”
Beebee’s eyes widened, and he lightly bumped into Eventide’s side. “No way! You’re kidding!”
Eventide shook his head. “I am not. I can see CHS from all the way up there. It’s kinda fuzzy, yeah, but it’s there. The wind is strong and cold because of how high up you are, but the breeze makes the flower petals fly through the air in this amazing dance, and... and it’s just beautiful. The river that cuts through it isn’t too big or too small, and it creates this gentle trickling noise that adds to the peaceful atmosphere. The water is really clear, and in the middle of summer, it feels great to dip your toes in for a minute and lay in the grass.”
“It sounds amazing,” Beebee replied quietly, his mind getting carried away with Eventide’s descriptions of the place. A small bounce worked its way into his step, a dreamy smile splitting his face “I wanna see it.”
“Well, that’s the idea,” Eventide reminded with a wink. “If we come out here and walk like this often enough, we’ll make it a little farther every time. And when we reach the peak, I think we’ll know that we’ve beaten your weakness.”
“You really think so?”
“I do.”
Overcoming his weakness by reaching the top of this trail? Beebee liked the sound of that. It was a challenge, a goal, and one that he felt determined to reach. His muzzle opened up into a wide and eager grin, and his pace picked up a little, his energy increased by the flame of resolve in his heart.
The trail began to curve back around the other way, now, the slope leveling back out. A gap in the wall of greenery to their right gave Beebee an unobstructed view of a large clearing, where an old, hollow and moss-covered log could be seen resting on the ground. All around it was a field of thick bushes and blooming flowers of many vibrant colors. He paused for a second to look at it, then moved along.
The trio fell into a companionable silence as they continued their hike. One minute turned into five, five into ten, and ten into twenty. The dull blow glow of imminent sunrise, at last, gave way to a deep, rich gold as the distant orb of light rose above the horizon. A very thin haze hung in the air around them, one that had gone unnoticed in the dark, allowing for brilliant sunshafts to be cast through the leaves and branches. In the distance, birds began to sing a song of welcome to the source of warmth.
Buddha was thrilled, even more than usual. She would routinely pull Eventide aside so she could sniff at some new thing she had seen, like a bush, or a weird looking rock, or a piece of funnily shaped wood. Her tail was wagging incessantly, and the shimmer in her eyes was matched only by the glow of golden light around her. She was ecstatic to be exploring someplace new.
Beebee was just as excited as she was, although he internalized a lot more of it. Furthermore, his breath was starting to get heavy at this point, making it a little more difficult to feel excited. But he could go for a little longer yet. And besides, he was having way too much fun to think of backing down, now! This place was amazing! No wonder Eventide liked his job so much.
After another five minutes or so of walking, a sound reached Beebee’s ears, causing them to perk up and listen. It was the sound of trickling water, like what Eventide had described. Was it the river? Curious, he increased his pace, ignoring the discomfort that grew in his hooves with every step he took.
After another few turns, the path leveled out before them again, heading straight for a considerable distance. Beebee came to a stop when he saw that, there, just ahead of them, there was a river cutting through the trail. It wasn’t very deep, he could probably stand in it and be up to his belly in water, and it was maybe ten feet from one side of the river to the other. A sturdy-looking wooden bridge was in place to let them cross, the rails having a few gaps in them to let smaller people look without the risk of falling in. There were a few bits of moss poking up between the planks, and it was definitely on the older side.
Thankfully, when Beebee’s hoof thunked down onto it, the bridge held firm, and it didn’t even creak under the weight of the group as they all passed onto it. Curious, Beebee stopped halfway across the bridge and squeezed his head through the wooden beams of the rail to peer down into the water. He saw the glow of his eyes reflected in the surface, looking right back up at him. He also saw Eventide’s face reflected next to his, as the man in questioned leaned over the side of the rail.
Beebee’s wings buzzed on his back. “This is the river…?” he asked in a hushed tone, as if afraid to disturb a peacefully sleeping animal.
“Part of it, yeah,” Eventide answered simply with a nod, his voice equally quiet. “The river and the trail intersect at a few points here and there.”
Beebee slowly blinked, transfixed by his reflection. His wings wavered on his back again. “...It’s really pretty,” he whispered in awe. His eyes wandered around as he caught sight of the reflection of the forest over his head in the water’s surface, and he couldn’t help but be reminded of the mirrors or the webcam back at home.
Eventide gave Beebee a questioning look, seemingly perplexed by his absolute mesmerization with something as simple and small as this narrow stream of river. Then his expression became one of dawning understanding, and a knowing smile spread across his face. “Oh, yeah… you’ve never actually seen a river like this up close before, have you?”
“Nuh uh,” Beebee shook his head in the negative before pulling his head back and out of the rail. “The most water I’ve seen is in the shower back at home, or whenever it rains really hard…” He then looked up at the rail Eventide was leaning against. In the back of his mind, he did a few rudimentary calculations. Then, with a grunt of effort, he sprang up into the air with a quick buzz of his wings and a kick of his legs.
He felt a spike of pain in his body, but not enough to send him into one of his fits. It was enough to make him land on top of the rail rather clumsily, though, and he almost overshot his desired perch. He began to tilt forward, about to fall into the water. Luckily, Eventide was quick to reach out and keep him from a decidedly unpleasant descent. “Woah, there! You alright?” he asked, pulling Beebee back and helping him find a spot on the rail.
Panting for breath, Beebee nodded once he was secure. He sat down on the rail and let his wings droop at his sides. “Uh huh… I’m oh… okay… whew…” he gasped between breaths before looking down into the water again.
“You about ready to go back?” Eventide asked him in a far gentler voice, resting his hand on Beebee’s back. “You’re looking pretty worn out, there.”
After a moment of consideration, Beebee gave a sad nod. “Aww… okay… just… let’s watch the water for a bit…? Please…?”
Eventide considered this request for a second, and then, with a smile, went back to looking down into the river with his son. “Sure thing, Bee. We’ve still got some time…”
Buddha looked up at the two of them from her place by Eventide’s side. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she knew that they wouldn’t be moving again for a little while. And so, with nothing else to do, she joined them. She got a little closer to Eventide’s side, pressing up against his leg, and then sat down before gazing down into the water as well.
They didn’t stay there for very long - maybe ten minutes, at the most. But to the trio, it felt like a lot longer than that. To them, it was a long time of just enjoying the sight below them, and being together with their family.