When They Were Lost . . . (Sequel to That Time In 1987. . . .)

8: The Mountain

(Chica's POV)

"What did you do that for?!" Foxy ranted, storming over to the little boy, Ben. "How will we find Freddy in the middle of a giant mountain?"

Ben was too calm. He simply said, "I promise, I know what I'm doing—"

In Foxy's rage, he shoved the little boy. With a small cry, Ben tumbled to the ground, scrambling away from his new oncoming predator.

Chica knew that none of this would end well. She sprinted as fast as she could the short distance to Foxy. She shoved him away from Ben. He didn't fall to the ground like Ben did, but she did make some difference. Ben's scrambling to his feet and backing away was a testament to that.

Foxy glared at her. "Because of this kid, we'll probably never get home! And you're trying to protect him?!" Foxy's eyes were wild, taking in every inch of Chica's fear-filled face.

Now it was her turn to storm at him. "He's only like ten, alright?!"

Ben cut in. "Nine," he corrected.

Chica rolled her eyes. "Nine, whatever. You need to srop being so mean to him! We've got to find a way out of this—"

"The only way out of this is to save Freddy," Ben cut in. Everyone stared at him.

"How do we save Freddy in the middle of a mountain?" Foxy asked angrily.

Ben sighed. "I have to lead you through a bunch of different tasks before you actually find him. It will be hard, I realize that. But this is your purpose. It's all confusing, but it will make sense in the end."

Chica thought back to that one bone-chilling phrase: You are a Guardian. What was she guarding? Were Foxy and Bonnie Guardians too? It hurt to think about it.

Foxy sighed. "If we're on a mountain, we should know how to survive." He turned around and walked in the other direction. "I'm getting food."

*****

Chica watched Foxy carefully as he darted through a cluster of trees, his head trained on a large deer. He was very quick and agile when it came to this. It was most likely from the years of running from Mike and his group.

Finally, Foxy froze, crouching down in a huddle of weeds. His hands were raised so that his palms were facing the large deer. The deer was very muscled, swelling with bulging muscles. Perfect meal.

Soon, Foxy's hands were glowing red, the light swirling around his clenched fists. He slowly charged it, the buzzing sound of the power filling Chica's ears.

Finally, Foxy's hands were almost opaque with the power. Before she had any time to react, the power zoomed from Foxy's hands and toward the unexpecting deer. Instantly, the red light bathed the deer and caused it to collapse. Chica was shocked.

But a thought suddenly fluttered into her mind. "How will we get it out of the forest?" she asked Foxy.

He looked at her, slightly shocked that she had suddenly appeared by him. "Right, there is that problem . . ." he mused. "I might need Bonnie's help.

"That will need to wait," a voice cut in from behind them. Chica whirled around and found Bonnie leaning against a tree. "I found something."

Chica knew that whenever someone said that they found something, it was good.

"What did you find?" Foxy asked, slightly shaky.

She stepped from the tree and motioned out into the large field. "I'll show you."

Chica and Foxy exchanged nervous looks as they each got out of the forest and followed Bonnie.

After a while of walking through the field, Bonnie sropped at a small stone tablet. When Chica got a better look at it, she found that it was marked with paths and other things. Bonnie looked at her. Chica looked up at Bonnie.

Bonnie looked to Foxy as well. She said in a sincere voice, "I think it's a map."