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Brimstone didn't look back at Gilles; he would cater to no one's will but his own! Still, it became painfully obvious that the Shattered was slowing down so that he would not be walking alone, as he made several stops to "tie his shoes". They were slip-ons. "You know where we are?" the exhausted toddler said at last, feeling a bit apprehensive without his mommy nearby to protect him.

Flitting in terror from tree to tree, Akina looked positively sick to her stomach at the idea of Brimstone being lost. He couldn't be! He just couldn't. Not to mention she had lost some one else's kid to boot. No parent would every want their child to play with Brim again. This was a utter disaster. Spinning on her heel, Akina ran back to Chikara, trying to reason with the girl in the only way that she though would work. "We are playing a new game, Chikara. We have to find Gilles and my son Brimstone. Brim has dark black skin and neon blue hair with glowing green eyes and wisps on smoke collecting behind his back. He is wearing a red tee shirt today and little black shorts. Whoever finds them first wins!"

Hoping desperately that this would get Chikara involved, Akina only pondered for a second how strange it sounded to describe what Brim looked like aloud, but pushed the thought from her head so that she could focus on the girl behind them. Those boys were too small to be out on their own, and Brim thinks he is tougher than he really is. What horrors could have befallen them already?!

Brimstone stared indignantly at Gilles, flashing his eyes from the face of the other Shattered to the tree in question. He didn't respond to Gilles at first, letting the sound of his heartbeat rapidly increase. Akina would find him, right? She wouldn't leave him... would she? His little head was a-twitter with questions when Gilles proposed the novel concept of just sitting down. Unable to be his useful rebellious self in such a state of fear, Brim took a quick seat by Gilles, inching a little closer than he would generally sit. Surely, if anyone attacked, they would see Gilles first, and that would give Brim time to escape. Still, the Shattered was getting scared and lonely and it smelled and it was getting dark and he wanted his MOMMY, damnit. "Yes. Sit here."

Running through the orchard with Chikara, Akina was distracted by the numerous Shattered auras clouding the area; she couldn't distinguish where Brim was in the mass. A cold sweat had broken out all over her body as she sprinted from tree to tree, occasionally scaling one to get a clearer look. "Yes," she replied at last, finally having registered what Chikara asked. "His footprints should be small sneaker prints with..." The elf's voice trailed off as she caught a scent of something.

Tracing it to a nearby bush, she quickly recognized the scent of freshly dead foliage and the stinging drip of acid. Brimstone had definitely been here. "Oh, look, Chikara!" she nearly exclaimed, feeling closer to finding the boys. "These dissolved leaves mean that Brim has been here. See any others?" The elf really didn't do much to explain about why dead leaves follow her son around, but she knew that, when nervous, the young Shattered couldn't really control his abilities. Besides, it was the best lead they had so far.

Pouty lip was in full swing as Brim sat near the base of the tree with his arms folded. Akina had better find him in the next three seconds or he was going to...going to...going to pout even HARDER. Cool, slightly nervous eyes stared back at Gilles for several moments as the young child tried to think. "Stay here. Because... it is in the plan." Real smooth. But Brim really wasn't one to iron out the details in all of his lies... atleast not at this age. So, drawing his legs under him, he looked up at Gilles, wondering quietly if Mr. Hoppo might be able to entertain them.

Meanwhile, Akina's heart was racing as she continue to flit from tree to bush to bush to tree in the vain hope of finding some kind of sign of her son. "Brim kills things when he is upset," she shouted back to Chikara, being far too upset to realize just how awful that sounded. He didn't kill major things. Just plants... and some bugs... and...

Regardless, the elf was going to find her son before the sun sank below the horizon, and her time was quickly running short. Luckily, a new wave of energy seemed to race through Chikara at that moment, much to the elf's relief, and she finally felt like they were really focusing. "Brim is too young to get very far, but he is very determined. Still, he is fairly erratic so he could have gone in any direction. We need to cover as much ground as possible in the fastest amount of time. Is there any way you know to find Gilles? Any pattern he might take?" The elf wasn't sure if Brim would let someone else take charge, but it didn't hurt to ask.

Brimstone watched the bunny with mild enthusiasm, and instead of being comforted by its charming dance, he seemed more interested in testing its threshold for pain. So, picking up a handful of rocks, the small boy began tossing the rocks at the bunny (though never with painful aim whether by choice or lack of coordination), making faces as most of them missed. Intrigued, the Shattered got to his feet for more mobility. Wherever Mr. Hoppo moved to, Brim would chase behind him with plenty of pint-sized missiles in hand. To him, this was some kind of game that would serve as his distraction until Akina arrived.

Getting closer every second, Akina had paused for a moment at Chikara's declaration, making a mental note to keep a close eye on the girl, before finding yet another partially melted bush after the one Chikara had discovered. This one was still dripping off dead gray leaves; they were close! She listened to what the young pig-tailed girl had to say, but finding no real way to reply, the elf merely said, "Oh, okay. I'll keep my ears and eyes open." She then resumed the hunt.

Scared out of his mind by the insane girl who had stumbled on to the scene, Brimstone had liquified the rocks in his hand on accident, not noticing as they slowly sunk into his skin. He inched back several steps, wondering if he could out run her when Gilles interrupted his thoughts. "Mo..m...ma?" Brim sounded out in confusion.

A split second after Chikara's announcement, Akina was there with the boys, wasting no time in scooping Brimstone into her arms, forcing him into a hugging position. "Don't ever do that to me again!" she choked out, not crying but obviously shaken. Still, she had heard Brimstone say "momma", and having assumed he was calling for her, Akina could not be mad at him.

In her arms, Brimstone tightened for a moment, but little would he want to admit, he wanted a hug too. He had been scared and afraid that she had left him to rot in the orchard with the fallen apples. Seeing her so upset, he knew she did care.

But the Kodak moment didn't last long as Brim finally expressed, "No more huggies!" as he pushed himself away from Akina, forcing her to set him back down on the ground. Akina smiled awkwardly at Chikara now, a little embarrassed by how worried she had been.

"Thank you, Chikara. I'm so glad Brim and Gilles are safe," she said, gesturing to the two boys.