(Frisky)
This Chapter of Bluey's Kaleidoscope is called:
•[The Climb]•

One thing, the older blue heeler hated most, was the one day of the week where one outside chore mocked him at its start. Sure, there are daily chores to do, but those were easy compared to this specific one.

Mowing the lawn.

"Rgh! Rgh! Come on!"

Bandit's struggling grunts were heard from outside and it was loud enough to cause you to wake up. The opened window of Bluey and Bingo's room was the first thing you saw. Bright and sunny day, maybe a tad bit hot. Luckily, the breeze coming in felt nice.

The sounds of a machine trying to start and Bandit's growls start up again, definitely frustrated. "Rgh! Come on!" He definitely forgot to keep the noise to a minimum for you.

Still quite drowsy, you neatly fix Bluey's bed and toss your balled up blanket into your room before walking downstairs to the kitchen patio. Chilli didn't seem to be anywhere, the girls were most likely at school, and Bandit was out in the backyard.

"Look. I don't ask for much." He sounded out of breath. "Just once a week, you've just gotta start once a week, so I could mow that lawn. Okay?" Bandit definitely sounded like he was trying to convince the mower to work. "I need you to start. So let's work together. Come on." He glared. "Every week you do this, but THIS week we're going to start it."

You watched with great amusement as Bandit kept pulling the string to start the mower with no success.

"Okay! Let's go! START! Ah, Ah, Ah! Start!" He yelled out and fell to his knees, seeming about to cry. "No! Come on!"

You grimace as he kicks the mower, only to hurt his ankle.

"Ow." There's a deep breath to calm down. "Okay. Here we go. Friendly." He began to name all the reasons so the mower could turn on. "You only have to do one thing. All you've gotta do is start, so we could mow the lawn. You don't have to pick up kids, you don't have to make lunches, you don't have to make the beds. So work with me here! Here we GO! COME ON!"

The starter is pulled once again and this time the mower starts.

"Ah! YES! I love you, Mower! I knew you'd start." He hugs the mower and kisses the handle. "Muah!!! Now let's mow this lawn! Ha ha ha ha!"

You hold back a cackle at Bandit's excitement at mowing the lawn and end up snickering.

The front door opened and laughter from Chilli and another female dog made your ear twitch. "I mean, why would he just leave you for someone like that?! One thing is for sure, he will never find someone like you again. You're the most amazing girl, Frisk."

"Yeah, I am....but apparently it wasn't good enough for him."

The two stopped in the doorway to the kitchen after noticing your presence. The other heeler next to Chilli had white, orange, and cream colored fur along with her hair in a long ponytail.

"Good Afternoon, Frizzyhead. I'm guessing you just got up. Sleep well?" Chilli hugged you and kept an arm around you.

You grew embarrassed and tried to fix your fur. "Yeah."

"That's good. You needed it and I brought back a club sandwich and chips for you." She placed a plastic bag in front of you. "Oh, Frisky. This is (Y/n)." She said proudly and kissed the top of your head before going to the fridge.

Frisky's mood brightened and she smiled kindly at you. "Hello, (Y/n)! I'm so happy to finally meet you. Chilli had been talking so much about you, even before you came to live here." She leans in a little like she's going to tell a secret, "They're crazy, aren't they?"

Chilli scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully.

The warm aura from Frisky had been enough for you to relax and you smiled with a chuckle. "Definitely, but they have a ton of love to give. I mean, Bandit was hugging and kissing the lawn mower earlier. But I think it's more of a love/hate relationship between them."

Frisky and Chilli laughed out loud. "Only, Bandit."

You laughed with them and opened the container to find the club sandwich and fries. You forgot chips were also called fries.

"Hey, Babe! When you and the lawn mower finish your date, I have your lunch inside the fridge!" Chilli called down from the patio.

"Date with lawn mower?.....I would never!!!" Bandit called back after a long pause.

The three of you laugh.

"I'm also Bluey and Bingo's Fairy Godmother. I-I mean Godmother." Frisky rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm used to saying 'Fairy' Godmother with the girls."

It was fitting for Bluey and Bingo to call her that and her whole self actually did fit that role. "If they say it that way, then it's true."

She nods, "It also means, I'm YOUR Fairy Godmother/Aunt too. Whenever you need anything, I'll be there for you."

You grin as your tail wags, though you notice her mood change when her phone kept vibrating in her bag. You've seen that painful and exhausted expression before during some of the families you've been with that had cheating partners. Who would even do that to Frisky? A really kind and caring dog. It did make your blood boil and you forced yourself to hold back a growl...and from saying something inappropriate.

Chilli turned around to see that you and Frisky were staring at her bag. She grew a little nervous at your harsh glare at the bag, but she was relieved when you took a deep breath and your ears flattened with your upset look.

Frisky slightly jumped at your arms around her as you hugged her side.

"Aunt Frisky?"

"Something wrong?" She grew worried, glancing at Chilli and returned your hug.

"Don't let him take you away from yourself."

Honestly, Frisky never heard such a simple and meaningful sentence that made her feel important. It was actually hard to believe. To her, it was like her kingdom was falling apart by the bad dragon, but then, another dragon came in to protect her and her kingdom. The two mythical creatures going back and forth. And she had no idea what to do.

You feel Frisky tighten her hug and smile happily at her reply.

"I'll try."

"You will and do let me know if that dog tries anything with you." You pull away and slam your fist in your other palm. "I will resort to physical violence."

"(Y/n)!" Chilli warned lightly, but also with amusement.

"What? If somebody hurts anyone that I deeply care about, they're gonna get it." You try to reason.

"Aww! You care about me?" Bandit cooed while walking to the kitchen.

You blow a raspberry, "I didn't say that."

"You implied it."

"Did not. Besides, you can handle yourself just fine, Big Daddy." You grin mischievously at him.

Bandit faked a painful cry and sat on the stool, "Why must you hurt your poor father this way?" He eyed your food.

"You always set yourself up." You retorted and glared as he grabbed a fry. "Put the fry down."

Bandit smirked and examined the fry, "Oh. You mean this chip? That SO happens to be left unattended with the rest of this delicious meal?"

You turn to Chilli and dramatically cry out, "Chilli! Bandit is being mean!"

Chilli shakes her head with amusement, "Alright, you two. It seems I have two pups who are very cranky if they don't eat." She slides your food over to you and gives Bandit his container.

"I'm not a pup." Bandit mumbled.

Frisky wasn't holding back her laughs, "Boy, you guys sure have gotten chaotic. A chaotic fun."

Chilli hummed an agreement, "I think Bandit needs someone who can keep up with his tough shenanigans. He can't really play rough with Bluey and Bingo."

You toss a fry/chip at Bandit as he caught it mid air and he tossed another at you, only for you to miss, causing the chip to bounce off your nose and hit the floor. "Aw." After that, you just enjoyed your meal in silence and glanced at your backpack that sat in the living room. Maybe tackling at least one piece of homework would be a start. "Thank you for lunch, Chilli."

The red heeler smiled as you tossed your trash away in the bin, "You're welcome, Sweetheart. Anything in particular that you want to do before the girls get back?"

You smile, walking backwards toward the living room and shake your head. "Not that I know of. I'm just going to get started on homework."

~*•.•*~

The wall stood not too high or too low, even your fingers could go over the top to grasp the edge, but the only thing was keeping hold. Jumping does not do any good because you couldn't pull your own weight up. It frustrated you so much that you grew angry and you slammed your head against the hard surface with a stressful sigh. "Ow."

"You alright? I don't think hurting your head more can do you any good."

You snapped out of your frustrated daze and lifted your head up from the coffee table, seeing Frisky take a seat beside you on the floor of the living room. "Yeah." You eye the paper with your least favorite subject. "I'm just hitting a wall right now. I don't think I'm smart enough for all of THIS. I can't grasp it easily like everyone else. I just feel...stupid."

"There are a lot of things that everyone can't always grasp right away. Especially when you don't understand it at all and you're thrown right into it." She silently asked to see your paper. "Even I feel stupid for seeing a wall and kept avoiding it when I couldn't go anywhere."

The two of you lean back against the couch as Chilli holds out a mug of your favorite hot beverage, taking a seat on the couch. "Yep. All of us have been there and sometimes stuff like that will keep springing up when you don't want it to." Her hand softly massages the top of your head.

Bandit plops down on his back next to you on the floor. "You've been staring at that paper for more than 40 minutes. I'm gonna guess you're working on your least favorite subject. Gimme."

Frisky rolled her eyes at Bandit and handed him the paper.

The blue heeler groans out, "Aw man. This used to be my least favorite subject and I recall putting it off. Sometimes cheating." He mumbled the last part then laughed when Chilli playfully kicked his side. "Besides all that; why are you tackling this homework first, Kiddo?"

You sigh, feeling a bit more relief at the distraction. "I just want to finish the hardest homework first, so I can finish the other ones faster."

"Mmm. Are you sure that logic applies to you? You know, everyone has their different ways of solving problems. If you're stuck on one thing for too long, you'll miss out on what's really important." Bandit placed the paper on the table.

Frisky smiled and held up your bag, "How about we start with something easier or something you understand more? Then we'll slowly work our way up to this one." She points to the hard homework paper.

"You guys are...helping me with school work?" You ask with surprise.

"I mean, we're not going to finish your homework for you, but we'll definitely be here to help you understand better if you get stuck. Sometimes, we all need a little help when we need it." Frisky nudged your arm.

You stare at the wall and take a deep breath, turning toward Chilli, Bandit, and Frisky. Bandit wore a safari hat, Chilli had a sports stopwatch around her neck, and Frisky held a magic wand. "Let's do this."

Bandit began showing how to calculate and (only to act cool) would translate certain words for bilingual purposes. Chilli helped with physics and sciencey stuff. Frisky would add in her knowledge with difficult problems and shorten them to understand better, especially literature.

"And...done." You finished another paper and Frisky was a big help.

"Wow, (Y/n), I think you're smarter than you thought you were. Everything is done except for that one last paper and you'll have all week to figure it out." Frisky praised.

You pout, "I said I was stupid. Not exactly the smartest thing to think about myself."

Frisky hummed and shrugged happily, "I wouldn't say stupid. We're just dumb in a lot of things, knowing enough not to be stupid." She eyed her phone then a soft realization crossed her mind. She loved this family so much and she most definitely loved you just as much as she loves Bluey and Bingo. "Thanks for today, guys. I actually had fun and let's just admit it. We felt young again in this study group."

Chilli and Bandit laughed.

"Yeah. Hopefully, you'll figure things out with, you know who, Frisky. I gotta go pick up the girls. Will you be alright going home by yourself?" Chilli asked.

"I will. Tell the girls that I'm sorry I missed them, but I will definitely come by some time later for a playdate." Frisky waved to Chilli.

Bandit got up and cracked his back. "And I've gotta finish folding the laundry."

You watch him head out the room before standing up to hold your hand out to Frisky. "If you need me to call that jerk back, I will gladly tell him two words and one finger."

"Hey! I will acknowledge that, but I don't want you saying that again, especially around Chilli and the girls. It's between us, got it?" Bandit warned lightly and walking away with a basket of folded laundry.

You and Frisky help back bursts of laughter. Of course, you would make no such promise to that, unless you're around your family or around kids. "Thanks for helping me, Frisky. It felt really great to have you guys around me."

"Same here." Frisky pulled you into a hug. "I'm happy you're part of this family now, (Y/n). We've all got each other's backs."

You squeeze back, "Later, Aunt Frisky."

"See you soon. I love you, Kiddo." She pulled away and opened her car door.

You hummed back a 'you too' and waved as she began to drive away, while waving happily at you. When she disappears down the hill, you turn your attention to the neighborhood. Usually, you would be sad when someone left you, but this time you felt different. Walking across the yard, you take a seat on the front steps.

A few cockatoos flew by and cast small shadows across the sidewalk. Not long, a butterfly flutters near your arm before going to Chilli's flower bed nearby. It was peaceful and quiet, especially since the kids in the cul-de-sac were still coming back from school.

A safe environment.

You shut your eyes after a while and just listen. You could never do that from the places you've been to and stayed at. Each household or even stepping outside, you were always on guard. Ready to brace yourself for anything bad to happen.

Not here.

Not right now.

Nothing disturbed this feeling that embraced you. Not even when you heard Bandit call your name, eventually staying silent as he sat beside you. Your body didn't tense up like it usually does.

Waiting.

Usually you dreaded waiting.

You were always waiting, but why? What were you waiting for? You didn't see anything every single time.

Your ears picked up on the sound of a vehicle getting closer and coming up the hill. Once you open your eyes, you immediately see a familiar red jeep driving towards the house. Your tail started to wag and you beamed as the vehicle parked to a stop in the driveway.

They're home.

"(Y/n)! Dad!" Bluey and Bingo hop out of the car and they rush over, dropping the backpacks along the way.

It wasn't a wall that you were facing. It was a mountain of all the things you've been through in your life. Getting to the top was definitely going to be a challenge, especially when you had no experience in climbing or survival skills to keep going. The thing that changed was the outlook on life that the Heeler's were always showing to you.

You wanted to be with them.

To look at the whole world from their point of view.

Chilli's heart melted as you scoop Bingo and Bluey into your arms with a big smile and Bandit squeezed the three of you. Causing shrieks of laughter.

You were willing to climb up to the top for them. Seeing them happy to see you, made you happy.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Bluey asked you and sat on her Dad's lap. "Me and Bingo didn't want to wake you up too early."

"Yep. I'm starting to feel a whole lot better. Even if you kick around in your sleep." You pulled your beanie over Bingo's eyes, which she most likely wore all day. She giggled and nuzzled into your side.

Bluey turned away with her arms crossed, "I would never! It must be you if you're accusing me."

"Ooo!~ You sound a lot like a Little Miss Bandit." You laugh when she gasps in shock.

"I am not my dad!"

Bandit snickered, "Yeah! She can't be as COOL as me."

"What?! I can be WAY cooler than you. Right, (Y/n)?"

"Actually, I'm the Awesome one out of the two of you." You watch Chilli pick up Bingo into her arms and suddenly, you jump away as Bandit and Bluey try to tackle you down. "Too slow, Bugalugs!"

~*•o•*~

There were a lot of shrieks of laughter as Bandit and Bluey nearly grabbed you, until eventually leading to chasing Bandit, then the three of you laying on the grass in exhaustion. During that time, Chilli and Bingo were happily setting up things for dinner. The little red heeler was happy to watch the chase from the kitchen patio.

In your room, you walk in and stare at your bag.

Pulling out the hard homework and sitting yourself on the floor, you notice a notebook that wasn't yours inside your bag.

A sticky note sat on the cover with the name of your friends and the phone number's; 'We knew you were gonna have a hard time with this subject, especially when you weren't here during the weeks we studied. Only Antoine wrote better notes, so he let you borrow his notebook. If you need more help, you can call us. - Theo.'

The wall began to chip away, little by little. The tools in your hand were given to you by Archeologist Bandit and magically conjured up by Fairy Godmother Frisky. You would've gotten tired, but you kept going, thanks to Coach Chilli. It began to get easier as you got help from your friends who had their own tools and skills to help.

You let out a sigh of ease and zip up your bag, watching the last of the sun's rays leave the sky. It was finished, but that was only the start.

Chilli knocked on the doorframe and leaned against it. "I wondered where you disappeared to." She glanced around the room with a melancholy expression. "Dinner's ready." Her gaze was set where your bed is located.

It made you worry a bit when she quickly wiped a stray tear. "What's wrong?" You asked while standing next to her.

"It's just this room is all."

"Is there something wrong with it?"

She chuckled a bit. "No. Actually, it's not the room at all. It's who's been in it." Chilli smiled softly and wrapped an arm around your shoulder. "This used to be a nursery for him- I mean, for Bluey, then Bingo."

"Oh." You didn't realize this bedroom used to be the Heeler's baby bedroom. Bluey and Bingo's first bed before moving across the hall. It was a little odd that Chilli said 'him', but then again. Sometimes others, like some of your friends, thought Bluey was a boy. "Did you have to throw out a lot of stuff?"

"Yeah, even if it held a lot of memories, my precious kids are more important and alway closest to my heart." This time, Chilli held you close again in a tight and loving embrace. "By my kids, I mean, Bluey, Bingo, and you, (Y/n). This will be your first bed and room in your new home with us."

You couldn't help, but get emotional as well and squeeze her back. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetheart."

As the bedroom is left unattended, a lone firefly flies around outside your window and lands on the sill for a moment. Soon a few more of its buddies follow as it joins them off into the night and toward the mountain terrain.