It took everything in him not to squeal as his older sister Cleo searched the trees for him. If she were to look up just a few feet she'd see him but she was looking down, expecting the shorter male to be in the bushes. She grumbled annoyed and scurried off trying to find him somewhere else.

He let out a small snort and watched as his siblings ran around like chickens with their heads chopped off. Biffa and Jess were whispering to each other on the back deck with Doc and Scar. If it weren't for his vantage point he wouldn't have even seen the wheelchaired boy. But, the wheelchaired boy saw him, that was for sure.

He was just glad they weren't playing.

Ren missed a foothold and his leg dropped for a moment freaking his older brothers on the deck out.
"Ren! Careful!" Scar yelled.
Ren only winced and fixed his position. The rest of his siblings scanned the area for who they had yet to find.

Somehow Ren and Zedaph were always devils to find. Luckily for them, Zedaph gave himself up when he needed to go to the bathroom, and now it was only Ren and Iskall. Iskall was surprising, he was usually always found easily, especially if Mumbo was searching. But hey, maybe he too found his way into the forest.

Ren glanced at a very close, very thick, most certainly sturdy tree-branch and his mind raced. He made his way to it, disappearing from Scar's sight, and began to climb across it., further into the woods behind their house.
I mean it wasn't really woods. Just a thick blanket of trees with a small stream before hitting the next house.

"Ren!" Scar called.
Not wanting to give out his position he didn't respond to his older brother. Instead, he found a way to the next tree and kept going further and further in.
"Not too far Ren!" Doc called.

If Doc could see him he'd grumble because Ren stuck his tongue out and waved the older boy off his back. He got to about the stream when he saw something blond, fluffy, and small in the stream. Instinctively, because what else is a 7-year-old going to do, he climbed down and inched into the stream to the ball. He knelt down, his pant legs and butt getting wet as he did so. He touched to fluff with his fingers and it lightly spasmed and avoided his touch with a whimper.

Ren immediately pulled back and in doing so fell further into the water, his back, pants, and his arms now wet. It peered up from its ball of fear and the duo made eye contact. Ren's heart ran a million miles per hour and he fixed himself carefully. It instinctively cowered and Ren whimpered and held his hands up.

He was determined for this puppy to trust him.
"'Ello! I'm Ren!" Ren greeted a large smile across his lips, "Whaz your name?"
The puppy cocked his head and Ren frowned because he didn't give him an answer. Y'know, because dogs can't talk Ren!

"Thaz ok! You can ell me la'er!" he grinned and slowly reached out a hand to its snout.
"I good! See? I no hurt puppy!" Ren giggled.
The golden ball of fluff sniffed his hand and inched closer. Ren took the chance to scratch its chin. The action of which their pup leaned into.
"Come home with me?" Ren asked carefully.

It stared up at Ren, it's stubby tail wagging viciously. Ren carefully reached forward and wrapped his wet arms around the possible even more wet puppy and hoisted him up. He fixed him against his chest and carefully sludged out of the stream, his feet sinking into the mud below him.

"Imma introduce you to momma, and she'll love you for sure!" Ren declared loving the feeling of its tail beating into his stomach.
He weaved through the trees and burst out almost directly into Biffa who had started to get worried when Scar and Doc had said he wasn't responding.

He had figured he had just moved around the tree so he couldn't be spotted but he hadn't seen him on the other side of the tree, or even a few trees in. And that's when he almost got body-slammed by him.

"Biff, Biff look!" Ren squealed shuffling around with the puppy, not daring to move it in case it had been hurt on their trek there or in the stream.
"Ren! Don't do that!" Biffa scolded.
"But Biff, look! Look whad I found!" Ren squealed.
"If you want me to see what it is, you gotta stand still!" Biffa grumbled and Ren did so, his smile growing.

"I-is that a dog?" Biffa asked, "And are you wet?! What happened?! Where did you go?"
"I wen' oo dhe s'eam and I found him, and I love him, and he loves me- say you love me! He don' know how oo speak yet!" Ren explained ranting a bit.
"You went to the stream?" Biffa asked.

"Yeah!"
"After Doc told you not to go out too far?" Biffa interrogated.
"Well- uh-... yeah...?"
"Ren," Biffa growled.
"Sowwy! Bu' puppy!" Ren declared as if their parents were going to welcome another burden in their 20+ children household with open arms.

"They're not gonna let you keep it," Biffa declared glaring at the floof.
"You don' know dhad!" Ren retorted jolting away so his eyes weren't boring through his precious puppy.
"They are not going to let you keep it, just put it back!" Biffa insisted.
"No! Iz my puppy now! We love eachodher! You'll see! Mamma's gonna le' me keep em!" Ren insisted fixing the puppy back in his arms.

Then he rushed to the house. Mumbo stood at the door and once Ren came into view he smiled.
"Is that a puppy?" Mumbo asked, his smile unfaltering.
"He's mine now! I love him!" Ren declared puffing his chest out.
"He's adorable!" Mumbo complimented and opened the door to the house.
"Ma and Pa's in the Livingroom I think!" Mumbo chirped as Ren rushed in.

"Ank you Mumbi!" Ren chirped rushing to the living room, tracking droplets of water and mud across the tile.
"Ren! You're tracking mud all throughout the house!" his mother scolded.
"Mama mama look!" Ren glistened holding the pup up.
She studied it and sighed.
"Where on earth did you find that thing? And your filthy!" his mother continued to scold.
"It was in dah s'ream!" Ren beamed.

She sighed and grumbled softly.
"X, get your brother a towel will you?" she instructed and the oldest gave a shrug and left to the linen closet.
"Yeah! Go'a make sure puppers not cold!" Ren agreed and she sighed.

"Not for the dog Ren, you're going to catch a cold!" his mother disagreed and Ren frowned.
"Puppy's more impor'an!" Ren declared.
"No! And if that's how you feel you can just leave it outside!" his mom snapped.
"Woah, mom!" X eased glaring at his mother and wrapping a towel around Ren and then wrapping another one around the dog.

"You're the one that named him Ren Dog," he chuckled.
Their mom sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm sorry baby," she hummed whipping at his tears.

Aureylian poked her head from a nearby door, having been outside playing hide and seek with the others. Her red hair draped over her shoulders and she grinned.
"Ren, wanna see if your puppy will play fetch?" Aurey asked her hair getting blown by the ever-growing wind.
"Ok!" Ren chirped, forgetting all about the deflating experience.

"Ah-ah-ah! Not so fast! It's dinner time!" their father quickly stopped them.
"We'll take her to the vet after dinner and see what can be done, then and only then we'll discuss an arrangement. Call everyone inside, Aurey. Ren, settle her down, get changed, and wash your hands," he instructed.
"You're gonna love everyone," Ren whispered to the pup, kicking his shoes off and rushing upstairs, careful not to mishandle her.

She settled her on the blanket on his carpeted floor. Then he pulled his shirt off. Impulse walked in and hummed.
"She won't pee on my bed will she?" he asked protectively sitting on his bed on his side of the room.
"Psh, I dunno," Ren replied.
"I'll hold you accontable," The slightly older by 11 months boy replied.

"I'll 'ake id!" Ren agreed pulling his pants off, it sticking to his skin.
"What'd you do?" Impulse asked.
"Uh..... S- Wawa?" Ren offered and Impulse laughed.

Impulse got up and rummaged through Ren's drawers. He chucked some clothes at the boy and he laughed catching it. He got dressed and they went to wash their hands.

They returned downstairs and settled in the dining room, the puppy following tightly at their heels as they did so.

Dinner was always loud. Mumbo would rant about inventions and show his ideas or videos, Doc would rant about science or anomalies, Iskall would declare a food fight or rant angrily, Biffa and X would always start something, sometimes Aureylian would join in the troubleshoot fun, just because she could. But it normally it wasn't a regular occurrence. King D and King Happy, the twins, would argue or laugh the entire time, and generally, it was always fun.

Now the talk of everyone was either the puppy or Mumbo's crush. He had been pining over this older boy for a while now and still no one could figure out who it was. Tango liked to pry to the point Mumbo would flick him or grab his tongue, which always startled the slightly older.

Mumbo seemed to like the puppy talk better, far preferring it over his crush that he'd never tell.
Ren also quite liked the puppy talk, except for when she decided she wanted to be in his arms again and he got scolded for her being at the table.
Her response was to give an attempt at a bark that ended up more like a howl and a moo.

Ren laughed and eased her back down to his feet.
"Puppys godda stay at fee's a' 'able!" Ren explained.
Doc chuckled, "Ren I have said it before and I'll say it again, our lisp is adorable!"
Ren frowned, blush enveloping his face and ears.
"Is no'," He whined shrinking down and letting the pup sit in his lap once more as he sat on the floor.

"Ren," his mom sighed.
"Docy, don't embarrass your baby brother," dad scolded.
"Wha- don't call me Docy!" Doc whined his metal arm twitching and their father laughed.

----

"Hey! Pamela down!" X scolded.
She barked at him and scurried back to Ren. Her loyalty always staying with her daddy.
She had grown quite big in only 2 years, now being able to reach Ren's chest at 9. He gladly ruffled her head with his hands and laughed.
"What'd you do to get Xy mad at chu?" he cooed and she let out an almost explanatory moo of a bark.
"Lier!" X gasped knowing full well Ren always took her side, even though she couldn't talk.

"She would never!" Ren gasped pulling her in for a hug.
"No wait, she just informed me; she would. Well, ok then," Ren joked and Xisuma laughed.

"I tooooold you!" X proclaimed still laughing.
"Well ****, now I feel stupid," Ren hummed.
"AYE!" X snapped and both dogs yelped and ran.

----

"Pam~" the 15-year old called his eyes sparkling.
He waited a moment before opening the door just in time for the golden puppy who had been dyed batches of red as a prank ran right in and right onto Impulse's bed.
"Nooooo!" Impulse whined running over and trying to push her off, not wanting red on his bed.

Ren's friends burst into laughter and Impulse's just glared at Ren.
"What the **** was that for?" One of Impulse's friends accused catching the attention of the brothers.
"Go get!" Another snapped at Pamela.

"Oh no, Pammy's fine! I just don't want the bed to look like I got murdered or something," Impulse assured chuckling.

Impulse always tended to make friends that thought they were superior to everyone else. They weren't even older than Iskall!

They made a few more quiet comments but Impulse encouraged Ren and his friends to ignore them and they carried on what they had been doing.
That of which, now, only Impulse could remember.

-----

Ren stumbled backward, his heels hitting the slab between the floor of the locker and the floor of the school.
"Doc, stop!" Ren pleaded.
"It's just a joke!" The cyborg rolled his eyes.
Clearly, though his friends didn't see it that way.

"Let him go," Doc waved them off half-heartedly.
But they didn't let him go, instead they shoved him properly into the locker and jokingly closed the door, not enough for it to automatically lock but enough that Ren was plummeted into darkness.

"Haha, ok end of joke, please let me out!" Ren tried to laugh, he really tried.
"Don't close the door, just walk away," Doc instructed, someone else intersected though, "we should get Scar!"
There was chuckling and then tapping of feet against the quiet halls, making it evident that they were leaving.

There was a click and the locker locked on Ren. He pushed on it in fear and then called out, "Doc?"
He received no answer.
"Doc?" He called again.
And again he received no answer.
Really not the result he was looking for.

It was small in there, he could maybe be able to fit sitting down in the locker with his legs pinned to his fronts but that would probably hurt and Doc was sure to return soon after to check if he was still in the locker.

Unfortunately, that is not what happened. And he did end up curling up to a sitting position in the locker. However, he didn't end up sit on the floor.

Instead, having been alone in a very tiny and pitch-black area he could gave sworn someone was below him grabbing onto his ankle and he jumped.
Due to the size of the locker he, although hitting his head, was able to hoist himself up off the ground, and with enough pressure from his back and shins, he was able to stay up above the floor.

He had heard laughter an hour in and had called out to them but either they didn't hear him, he just blended in with the rest of the crowd, or, the worst yet, they didn't care and ignored him.
He didn't like that last option.

He entertained himself by humming or singing and checking his phone.
It didn't do him much, it died by noon.

He waited three more hours till the day ended when surely Doc would remember and let him out, right?
The halls bustled, he could hear them. People leaving to go home, people going to their clubs. And every yelp, howl, and cry he could have made left him undone and alone.

He sobbed viciously throughout the hour that clubs were in session.
He couldn't hear when they ended.
He had been sure Doc would've let him out by the end of school. But since he didn't maybe he'd let him out when clubs were over?

He sat there for what felt like an eternity until he heard faint chatter and feet tapping against the silent floor always.
He slammed his hands to the door dropping to his feet and calling out once more.
Was it Doc? Had his older brother finally return to let him out?

There was a pause and whispers until the door jiggled.
"Doc? Is that you? Please let me out!" Ren pleaded, pushing on the door frantically.
There were whispers and a quiet gentle knock against the door, from a fleshed knuckle, not Doc's. Maybe it was his left hand?

Or maybe one of his siblings heard his cries and recognized it?
He waited a moment frantically biting his nails and the inside of his cheek as the tears continued slipping, some entering his mouth.

It took a few minutes but the locker was finally flooded with light that Ren was blinded by. He didn't care that he couldn't see his savior, he jumped and hugged them frantically so quickly he probably wouldn't have seen them even if he could properly see.

He found out that his savior wasn't Doc rather quickly. Her soft shrill voice yelping in surprise, her chest pressed into his, and the purplish-gray tail that got caught in his fingers were some pretty big indicators.

He didn't really care that none of his siblings had rescued him from his standing upright coffin. He was just so excited and relieved.

He cried whispering thank yous to the girl hugging her maybe a bit too tight.
After he finally calmed down and could properly see she helped him up.

It didn't take long to recognize her as Grian's sister. He had only seen her once in person but Grian talked a lot about her, he loved describing her it was amazingly cute.

She thumbed away his tears and whispered sweetly to him, the third year trying her best to ease his anxieties.

Worried that he might not want to be near a locker again so soon she had one of her club members retrieve his stuff for him.

He curled up within the coat XBC had sewn for him for the colder weather, him being too stubborn to let his parents get him a new coat and too proud of his older brother not to wear his creation, even if now it had been slowly coming undone, he'd ask if he could stitch it back up when he saw him again.

Now, he was coming down from his high. His feet feeling like they've, both metaphorically and literally, touched solid ground after 8 and a half hours elevated in the darkness.
And he was pissed.

Not at his savior. He was so very grateful for her existence. Such a kind soul.
She led him down the stairs and to the front door where, sitting on the front steps, sat Grian.

He looked up a soft smile on his lips which turned to a look of surprise before turning into a wide grin. He hopped up greeting the 2.
"Aw! My flower animals! How are you?" He chirped pulling both into a group hug.

"I'm ok, but he was locked inside a locker for who knows how long," Netty explained one of her ears twitching.
Grian gasped and pulled away.
"Are you ok Ren?!" Grian asked, fear in his eyes.

Ren desperately wiped the tears away and carefully nodded.
"Awe, baby," Grian cooed squeezing his hands within his own.
"Want us to walk you home?" He asked.

Ren paused before nodding, happily accepting the offer.
"Ok, darling! Mumbo's in the office, let's wait for him, ok?" Grian encouraged.

So he wasn't the only Hermit left, Mumbo was here. But he was on the complete opposite side of the school, he also had no classes in the vicinity that Ren was shoved into the locker, and he had absolutely no clue about what Doc and his friends did.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ren wondered if the laughing he had heard had been Doc, his friends, and Scar like they said they'd do. He had no clue.

But it certainly didn't help his mood.
What did help his mood however was seeing Mumbo rambling on the phone as he exited the school, nervously checking around for anything and everything, with a large stack of papers, folders, and books in one hand and a plate of food stacked on top of it.

Grian was quick to take the food and Mumbo was quick to thank him in his usual sweet, anxious tone.
Ren took half of the books and settled them in his arms glad to have a distraction.

"Oh, Ren! Convenient, mom's looking for you!" Mumbo chirped, his sweet smile fighting against all the anger and fear built up in Ren's chest.
"Tell her I borrowed him today~" Grian's sister lied.
"Really?" Mumbo asked, not honestly questioning why or what I was doing.

"From what I saw, yep!" Grian vouched.
"Mmmmhmmm~" Mumbo hummed and relied it to our mom before hanging up and fixing his grip on his stuff.

"Ok! What really happened?" Mumbo asked.
"Don't believe us?" Grian asked.
"There is no way Ren became that enraged by helping Netty out all day," Mumbo pointed out.

"How can you tell he's angry?" Grian's sister asked.
"His tail and ears are out," Mumbo explained, "and his tail is not wagging and it's not tucked between his legs, so there's only 1 other major emotion that it could be. Besides, he's poofed out."
"I could be sad!" Ren offered defensively.

Mumbo paused before simply saying, "no."
"Why not?!" Ren asked.
"You don't show when you're sad. In fact, you tuck," Mumbo explained reaching out and gently scratching the top of Ren's head.

"I.... Tuck?" Ren asked and Mumbo retreated his hand, fixing it back under his books.
"Yeah, if your ears or tail is out they disappear and you often hide from others. You're not doing either," Mumbo explained.

One of Ren's ears twitched in irritation and Mumbo hummed softly.
"Come on, before Mom grounds you for not calling her," Mumbo hummed softly.

They began walking and, even though Mumbo tried, Ren wouldn't say anything about what happened.
They got close to the house, enough to see it, and the Evos turned back not wanting someone to rat them out about being near their house.

They got to the front of their house to find their mom leaving for work trying to get Pamela back inside the house.
Pamela saw her dad and her tail began wagging wildly. She let out a "moooogh!" And booked it past their mom straight on top of Ren.

Ren burst into laughter, her red and white fur tickled his face and she gleefully licked his usually hidden limbs. It tickled but that was ok.
"Ren, Mumbo!" Their mom sighed running up and hugging Mumbo tightly.

"Ren, darling come give your mother a hug before she has to leave again," she instructed.
"Off," Ren ordered and she hopped off.
Ren got up and hugged their mom. She squeezed him tightly and kissed his forehead.

"You need to tell me next time you're gonna stay late!" She huffed.
"Sorry, my phone died," Ren explained.
She sighed and left them be. If Ren had the guts to, he might've called after her and asked for her to stay so he could tell her everything. But he didn't. And she had more important things to take care of.

They walked inside, Pamela close on Ren's heals.
Ren waved Mumbo off and he hesitantly left. Ren went to the kitchen and frustratedly looked for some popcorn. He didn't know why he wanted popcorn, but he was starving having not eaten all day and he just needed a pick me up.

He slowly got angrier and angrier.
"Are you ok?" XBC asked touching Ren's shoulder.
He jumped and snarled but calmed down quickly.
He sighed and asked.
"Do you know where popcorn is?"

XBC paused for a moment before opening the pantry, digging out this clearish pink box, and unlatching it. He pulled out 2 bags of popcorn and slipped it back in.
He unwrapped both bags and put one in the microwave.
As he set the time he asked, "wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."
They waited for the popcorn to pop and Crafted's eyes filled with sorry all the while.
"Well, if you do you know you can talk to me, to any of us," xbCrafted assured.
"Yeah, I know."

The timer ended and XBC pulled it out and carefully handed it to Ren.
"Ok love, as long as you remember that," XBC hummed and Ren walked away.
He sighed and put the next bag of popcorn in the oven.
XBC shifted to watch Ren walk away around the corner only to witness him encountering Doc.

His fur immediately puffed out, and he blatantly began growling at him. Doc had definitely did something.
Doc seemed confused at first before guilt filled his eyes and he winced.
"Ren-" he began.
"***hole," Ren growled back before scampering to his room.

"What happened?" XBC asked raising an eyebrow at Doc.
Doc sighed and began to explain.

No explanation or apology would make it right though, at least not for a while. Not until their little war between them became more like clever child's play and ended.

Hi yes, hi!
I would like you to know that I am currently officially writing the next official chapter of the story! Yaaaaay the hiatus has been shortened!
For now, I hope you enjoyed some Ren silliness and sadness, and I'm sorry for how long this thing is. Especially if you lose your place 😅😰
I hope you have a good day!
Love you!
~GFrisk ❤