The sound of happy panting now filled the room. The two dogs licked their humans wherever possible.
You and Yarny sat on the edge of the bench, your legs hanging over the side. A feeling of triumph washed over you, warm and pleasing.
"I'm so glad that worked." You sighed, gazing at the glittering memories hugging each other.
Yarny nodded and his eyes sparkled. He got up and offered you his hand for you to stand also. He then collected the memory in one swift motion and faced forward.
"Where are we going now?" You grinned, now not afraid of the dangers that could appear.
He started to abseil down the bench, hanging from a little knot of wool tied to the edge. You waited until he reached the bottom so you could use his wool to come down.
When you reached the bottom and your feet were safe of the ground, your eyes widened and your heart sank as you saw where he was pointing.
"We have to go out there?!" Gesturing to the glass door, your eyebrows creased and your tone changed.
He nodded defiantly and started to run to the door. Hesitantly you followed, trusting Yarny, but also not trusting the storm.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea." You protested as he was pulling the door open with his lasso.
"We really shouldn't..." your voice was cut off by the enormous gush of wind and spray of water that had just come through the slightly open door. A crack of lightning sounded in the distance.
"See?!" You jumped back as a large piece of hail shot through the door.
Nonetheless, your woollen friend slid through the opening and beckoned you after him. You followed in defeat. There was no way you could just stay here without him. You didn't even know the way home.
As soon as you stepped out you knew exactly how hard this was going to be. Even from under the cover of the roof outside, rain was still pushing its way into your face. Seeing as you and Yarny were tiny, the raindrops seemed extra big. Each time one hit you it was like someone throwing a water balloon at your face.
You saw Yarny retreat under the outdoor table, shielding himself from the raging rain. Deciding to follow suit, you raced under with him. You saw that he was spinning himself up with some more wool he had found, as he was beginning to look a bit skinny.
"Where do we have to go?" You asked loudly, speaking over the rain.
Yarny pointed toward the gate at the bottom of the backyard. It was open just a little.
"Can we just walk through the grass, then?" He shook his head. You looked again at the stretching mass of green.
It looked like it hadn't been mowed in weeks. There was no way you could get through it if you tried.
"Okay, So we have to go over the cubby house and down the slide?" That was the other thing in your yard. A little brown house on stilts with a platform extending off it. It had a slide on one end and a trampoline to the side.
Yarny nodded at your question then started to leave.
The first step up to the cubby house was definitely the hardest, because you had to figure out how to get up. There were no places to lasso, so you couldn't simply climb up like you had been doing. Eventually you found the solution. Yarny gave you a boost up to the next step, and then you pulled him up. You kept doing this until you had reached the top.
The sound of the rain pelting against metal was amplified as you stood on the sheltered platform connected to the cubby house. Every now and then there would be an extra loud patter on the roof, and little white lives of hail would fall down the side.
"Okay. Where to now?"
Yarny pointed across the bridge that connected the little house to the platform. Luckily for you, it was not a wobbly bridge like you find in parks. This one was stable and did not give the constant fear of falling.
You and Yarny made your way quickly across the rain-splattered bridge, reaching the other end more soaking wet than you had been.
"I guess it couldn't have been avoided."
You mumbled to yourself.
Yarny glanced up at the little house that was now towering over them in an overwhelming way. He proceeded to walk up to the edge of the slide and stare down at the ground below.
The slide had fallen off. It was lying on the ground being beaten by the rain.
"How are we gonna get down now?" You asked rhetorically, fearful you would never make it back home.
Yarny seemed to stop and think for a moment before facepalming himself.
He turned to you with a smile in his eyes and jumped backwards off the edge.
"YARNY!" You screamed frantically after him, scrambling to the edge of the platform and looking down.
He was alright. He was dangling there from his wool and was lowering himself down. You sighed in relief.
"Please don't scare me like that!" You complained, and he cheekily tilted his head, seeming to mock you.
When he reached the bottom, he tied his wool and looked back up at you. To avoid rope burn on your hands, you took off your jacket and wrapped it around them. Then you grasped the wool, taking a moment to build up the bravery to do it. And then you were sliding down the wool like it was an overly steep flying fox in a playground.
"WOOHOO!" You exclaimed happily as the wind blew in your face, and as you were avoiding most of the rain.
When you reached the bottom, Yarny looked at you proudly but also with a sort of 'I told you you could do it' kind of vibe. He started off toward the back gate, but just as he did, a giant bird lowered itself down and blocked their path, eyeing Yarny menacingly.