Time passed over Inkwell quickly that day. So fast, in fact, that Cuphead had lost but all sense of time with his prankster pals. Unlike Mugman, who paid careful attention to how long he stayed out, the young cup would have fooled around all day long. Without his guardian around to keep him out of trouble, no rules governed the child's cup. For it was just him and his friends off to pull any and all pranks their little hearts desired. Cuphead was completely oblivious to the fact that Elder Kettle was nearing the island just then.
On the back of the mighty dragon, Grim Matchstick, the elderly kettle could see all around him. That is, if he hadn't been busy counting his gold coins he received from his daily sales. Traveling to the mainland often brought the kettle successful business days. Much more gold could be earned from there rather than the usual customers on Inkwell. New merchants meant new opportunities. And that was always a good thing, especially if Kettle was starting to get low on his funds. That didn't happen very often. Mainly just if the boys went too far on a prank and accidentally broke something of value. Like a genie's prized vase, or a clown's set of props.
Grim propelled himself like a speeding bullet across the sea. His mighty wings easily carried his passenger at great speeds. The dragon's lime-green scales reflected the sunlight almost like a mirror. Two ears flattened against his head as he and his passenger traveled in a straight line. Grim's underside was a light brown as well as his long, slender muzzle. White spikes lined the dragon's neck, back, and tail. The reptile also had a bit of a round belly. He often told people it was because he eats too many pies. But some, like Mugman, didn't quite believe that explanation. They thought maybe it had something to do with the reason he had made a deal with the Devil. Elder Kettle sat in between two of the spikes, grabbing around the base of the pointed object to avoid pricking himself with it. The kettle had flown with the dragon so often that he had become comfortable with the flying lizard's speed. Doing small tasks, such as counting money, was able to be done during flight.
Grim slowed as the neared the island. His rate of speed had become a mere hover so as to avoid blowing residents about Inkwell. The dragon was one of the largest species living on Inkwell, only rivaled by one of his neighbors, Wally Warbles, who was a large bird that lived inside an equally large cuckoo clock.
His ears perked up as he took in the sounds and smells of his homeland. After taking a couple whiffs at what the residents were cooking up, he turned his attention to his passenger. The long neck curled back around to watch the elderly glassware finish up his counting.
"Good sale day, huh, Kettle?" The green dragon boomed. His bouncing and bubbly personality poured out to the kettle. Kids often remarked that his hearty laugh sounded like Santa Claus. Not just in sound, but personality, too. For the dragon was very giving and friendly to anyone that said hi to him. It was almost as if there was some sort of quality that made him likeable to everyone.
"Yes, indeed!" Elder Kettle replied. He had just finished putting his coins back into one of his many small sacks. A gloved hand lifted it up and shook it back and forth a little. "Hmm. Perhaps I can buy the boys a new toy with the extra..." The kettle pondered. Grim turned his attention back around. For he could not divert his focus from the sky for too long. Grim was not the most coordinated resident that soared in the skies above Inkwell. His large frame tended to bump into things if he wasn't paying attention.
"Cuphead deserves a bonus for keeping his brother company all day! I know it must be hard on the lad not to be out running about the island." The tan kettle explained. Even though Grim did not make eye contact with him anymore, he was still listening to his passenger intently. The dragon noticed a group of kids racing about the island. They seemed to move in a stealth-like manner, hiding behind trees and structures to avoid being seen by adults. Grim watched as they emerged from their hiding spot one-by-one. A single youngster caught his attention. The red and white straw protruding from his head made it clear who that particular someone was. The green dragon lurched to a stop. Kettle's body began to pitch forward, nearly face planting into one of the creature's spikes. Gloved hands pressed against the thick scales to keep himself from doing so.
"What's the matter, Grim?" The elderly person inquired as the dragon's line of sight seemed to be locked somewhere on the ground.
"Um... I'm not sure how to break this to you..." Grim started. "You said the boys were supposed to stay home today, right?"
"Yes...." Kettle slowly dragged out. For he was nervous to find out what was to come out of the dragon's mouth.
"Okay, well, there's no way to sugarcoat this, " The creature cleared his throat before continuing. "Cuphead is down there with that group of children." A white claw pointed down towards where the group of youngsters congregated. "I don't see Mugman around anywhere." He added.
Elder Kettle gave a sigh of disappointment as he followed the dragon's claw that was pointing down to his boy.
"Should we go down there?" The flying lizard asked.
"If you would, Grim. I need to find out where Mugman is and why Cuphead isn't with him." Kettle explained as his disappointed tone seemed to drag out the words. He just couldn't understand what was so hard to comprehend about staying home with his brother for one day. Cup's guardian meant to find out though.
"Roger that!" Grim said. The velocity of his wings' mighty flaps slowed as they descended upon the island. Cuphead and the kids stopped in their tracks when the green dragon landed on the ground in front of them. Grim lie down on the grassy ground as a puff of smoke emitted from his nostrils. The dragon's long neck arched upwards, holding his head up high. This gave him a good view of each of the children in the group. His left wing extended down like a ramp for his elderly guest. Grabbing his cane, the kettle slid down the wing as if it were a slide. The tan kettle then stood up, stretched his back, and took a few steps toward his son. Cuphead was certainly surprised to get a visit from his guardian all the way out here.
"Elder Kettle? What are you doing here?" The young cup inquired.
"I'm back from my business trip." His grandfather stated.
"Has it really been that long already?" Cup wondered aloud, having lost track of time. His peers, however, began to back away from the scene. They acted as a group when playing pranks, but when they got caught, it was every man for himself. And many of them could feel that the cup was about to get reprimanded.
"Yes, Cuphead." Elder Kettle stated in a serious tone. "Where is your brother?"
"He's at home." The red cup truthfully replied.
"Well, why aren't you with him?" Kettle's serious tone continued as he interrogated his boy.
"Mugman said it was okay if I went out to play for a little." Cuphead explained.
"And you just left him all alone?" His voice now began to raise a little. The cup's peers chuckled a bit at what was happening. However, they wouldn't be laughing if they were the ones getting punished.
"Busted, huh, Cups?" The spoon taunted. "That's harsh..." It began to fix its tie as the other members continued to chuckle. "I guess we'll see you in one or two weeks, then? Or whenever you're done being grounded."
Kettle wasn't too fond of this group of kids. He had enough on his plate dealing with his troublesome little cup. Now he had even more children to figure out what to do with. That worry quickly went away when Grim put the others in their place.
"Keep moving, young ones! This doesn't concern you!" The dragon snarled, flattening his ears against his head. Smoke escaped from his mouth in small trails.
"No need to get huffy, you overgrown marshmallow." The spoon said, not seeming afraid of the large creature. "We've got better things to do anyway. Come on, guys!" With that, the utensil ushered the rest of them away from the scene. The young cup reverted his attention back to his guardian now that his peers were gone.
"Oh....well, Mugman said he could take care of himself." Cuphead quietly replied, now realizing that there was no real answer to justify why he left his little brother alone. He tried to avoid eye contact with his grandpa.
"That's not the point, Cuphead!" The kettle steamed. "You're supposed to be there for emotional support! To comfort your brother if he needs it! And keep him out of stressful situations!" The red cup tightly closed his eyes each time his grandfather added a reason he should be with Mugman instead of out playing pranks on the unsuspecting townsfolk.
"I'm sorry, Elder Kettle...." What else was there for the young cup to say at this point? He had realized the error of his decision, but there was no way to take back the fact that he left little Mugs by himself.
"Never leave your brother alone again!" Kettle's voice became loud and harsh. It was the glassware's form of reprimanding since he didn't believe in spanking his boys. Any form of physical repercussions was not right in the kettle's book. He watched as Cuphead closed his eyes shamefully and turned his head to the side. The young cup grabbed his right arm with the opposite hand. He stared down at the grassy ground. He did not know what more he could say other than he was sorry.
"For your sake, I hope he really is at home! And not hurt!" The elder added.
"....Or hurt someone else." Cup added with his gaze still at the ground.
"Exactly. Now let's go home."
"Need a lift?" Grim offered.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Grim." Kettle answered. "Could I ask you to scout ahead to make sure Mugs is at home before we get there?" It was better to find out quickly, especially if they needed Grim to search the island by air for the little mug.
"Consider it done." The dragon nodded. Elder Kettle then averted his attention to his boy.
"Come along, Cuphead." He said as he ushered the child forward with his cane. Cup was given a slight push in the direction of his home. It seemed to Grim that the cup child got off a bit too easy for disobeying his guardian. He knew that the kettle would never lay a hand on his grandsons. Grim was not normally big on punishments either, but he felt that this deserved more than just a raised voice to get the point across that he had done something wrong. Words alone did not seem to go very far with the young cup as far as punishments were concerned. Before taking flight, the green dragon sneakily let an ember slip off his tongue. The little ball of flame grew stubby arms and legs as well as a devious smile. It ran itself up behind the red cup. Bursting with giggles, the flame bounced off the seat of Cup's pants.
"Yee-ow!" The child yelped, immediately patting his rump with his gloved hands to douse the small fire. "Hey, watch it with the flames!" He yelled, shaking a fist at the dragon high up in the air. Both Kettle and Grim did not react to the cup's pouting. They had both heard it, but chose not to acknowledge it.
The kettle and the cup had made it halfway home when they saw Grim heading in the opposite direction. He stopped for a moment to tell them that the other cup child was safely in his home. Upon arrival to their hovel, they saw the little mug sitting on the couch. Cuphead immediately noticed that he was fiddling with some small object. Mug tried to hide it as soon as he heard his family open the door.
"Oh, thank the stars....!" Kettle sighed in relief. For he was thankful that his boy did not appear to be hurt or have any traces of harming others upon him.
"Hey Elder Kettle, Cuphead!" He greeted them. "What's the big drama?" Mugman tried to make them believe that nothing had happened while they were gone. And certainly to not find out that he had left the safety of his home. That's why he tried to hide his gift from Hilda when he heard them come in.
"Nothing, my boy." Elder Kettle replied as he made his way to his bedroom. He didn't normally use his cane when just in the house, so the usual spot for it was by his bedpost.
Despite Mug's attempts to hide the small device from his family, his curious brother had already seen it. The young cup intended to find out what it was that seemed so interesting to his sibling.
"Whatcha got there?"
"A compass." Mugman reluctantly answered, still hiding it behind his back. He tried not to make eye contact with his brother because it would only make him even more interested. Cup moved right up next to the couch and probed the mug even further.
"Can I see it?" He asked, holding out a gloved hand, as if he expected to be given the item for inspection. After all, the boys normally shared their toys if there was only one anyway. Mug's glass body slid off the couch. He then plopped his compass in his brother's hand without looking at him. After looking it over for a few seconds he asked the question that Mugman really hoped he wouldn't.
"Where'd you get it?"
The little mug stayed quiet for a moment before ultimately answering. Avoiding the question was not an option now.
".....Hilda gave it to me." He told the cup child. Cuphead's gaze whipped up from the compass as the two met eye contact.
"Wait....are you saying that you left?" Cup's voice raised as he interrogated his sibling.
"Shh! Cuphead! Keep it down!" Poor Mugman desperately whispered to his brother as he made a motion with his hands to turn down the volume.
"What was that, boys?" Kettle inquired, hearing a raise in the cup's voice. His footsteps began to plod down the hallway back towards the family room.
"Why would you leave?" Cuphead asked again with his voice just as loud. An accusing finger poked the mug's chest.
"I could ask you the same thing!" Mug spat back, swatting the hand away. The little mug's tone started to become louder and more serious, too. "It's not like anything bad happened anyway!" Glass arms crossed in front of his chest in response to his brother's tone. He then pointed his mug and chest away from Cuphead. His body language said he wanted to diffuse the situation, while the young cup still stood straight on, ready to keep going at it.
"Leaving is a risk!" Cup persisted. His gloved hands turned his sibling back around to face him.
"Like risks mean anything to you, anyway!" Mugman argued back. He pushed the cup's hands away from him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cuphead began to feel a little offended by this comment.
"I don't take nearly as many risks without you around!" The mug child explained, swiping his hand out in front of his body with a negative connotation. Cup caught his hand as it passed by. Mug winced as he did this. For that was the hand that had gotten pricked by one of Cagney's thorns. The child almost came down to his knees as a fierce stinging pain seized his hand. Hilda had wrapped it like she had said she would. It had stopped bleeding by the time Mug left her observatory, but that didn't mean it was completely healed.
"Are you saying I'm a bad influence?" The young cup questioned as he got close to his sibling's face. He watched as the younger cup composed himself and stared him in the eyes with the same hard stare that they had been giving one another.
"Hey! I'm not the one that bet our souls to the Devil!" Mugman reached back to the risk that changed their lives. By this time, Kettle had found his boys in their heated argument. And he intended to stop it immediately.
"Boys!" Their guardian growled as he grabbed the boys by their handles. This caused Cuphead to let go of his sibling's hand. Such an action didn't hurt the boys, it was just the elderly glassware's way of telling his sons that he was serious about something. Essentially, it would be the equivalent of grabbing a human by the ear. "You two are acting like children! Neither of you are to leave home tomorrow under any circumstances! Is that understood?"
Cup and Mug shifted their eyes toward their grandfather. The mug's eyes turned sympathetic while the cup's still stayed hard and stubborn.
"Yes, Elder Kettle." Mugman responded. The gloved hand let go of his handle. Two pairs of eyes then stared at Cuphead. For the kettle wanted to hear it from both of them individually. The young cup crossed his arms in front of his chest, still holding onto his brother's compass.
"Cuphead?" He urged.
"Fine!" The cup child grumbled, yanking himself out of the elderly person's grip. Mug saw his prized possession still in Cup's grip.
"Please, Cuphead... " The young mug held out his hand. He hoped that his sibling would kindly give it back. Cuphead looked from the small object in his hand to the blue mug.
"Why do you even like this anyway?" The cup spat back. "What's it supposed to do?" He watched as its red needle spun back and forth between the N and the E symbols.
"It tells direction." Mugman explained.
"Great! Can it tell me how to get away from this conversation?" Cup violently shook the small object, trying to figure out how to read it. Poor Mug gasped as the frail object looked like it would slip from his brother's hand.
"I don't know why this is so precious to you, but here!" The small, hand-held compass was tossed back the little mug's way. Gloved hands wrapped around the object as Mug held it close to his chest to keep it safe.
"Settle down, Cuphead!" Kettle sternly said to his boy. Mug then pulled his prized possession away from his chest just far enough for him to stare down at it. Looking at the compass reminded him of what Hilda had said to him when she had bestowed it upon him.
"If I ever get lost, I look to the stars to find my way home." Hilda explained to him.
"The stars?" Mug had asked.
"Yes! I use the constellations to guide me on my way. Following the North Star will take me home."
"What's the North Star?"
"Oh, you'd know it if you saw it. It's the brightest star in the sky. Following it will take you true north."
"Golly! That's amazing!" Mugman's eyes had sparkled. "I wish I could do that!"
"Maybe not right now," She started. "It takes time to learn, and I will teach you. But for now, I want you to have this." The witch tenderly placed the compass in the child's hand, folding his fingers around the delicate object lined with pure silver. "If you ever get lost, just follow the red arrow. It will take you in that true north direction I told you about. Inkwell is located in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean."
The young mug hugged the object close to his chest.
"I'll keep it with me all the time." A big smile formed on his face.
"Oh, and be careful tonight, Mugs." She warned. "There's a fierce storm on its way here." Hilda removed a glove from her hand and lifted it to the sky. A brisk wind whipped through the island's foliage. The witch struggled to hold her hand still against the mighty force of nature.
"Feel that wind?" The female asked him. Mugman did the same as his human friend. But his little glass hand shook like a leaf as he held it up.
"Yeah." He replied, trying to keep himself from swaying back and forth as the wind picked up even more.
"It's blowing the storm clouds directly towards Inkwell. I wouldn't suggest being out past 4 today." Hilda explained.
"Thanks again, Hilda!" The mug praised, returning the glove to his hand.
"Come back anytime, Mugman!" She beamed. "You are always welcome at my place no matter what the others say." Her ungloved hand then rested on the child's glass cheek. Mugman stared into her eyes, letting his head rest in her hand. Hilda's warm touch reminded him of those few years when he actually had a real mother. Her touch was so warm, so welcoming, that the young mug did not want to leave it.
The child was then brought back to reality when he felt a gloved hand rest on his shoulder.
"You all right, son?" Came his grandfather's voice. Mug realized that telling his guardian about the coming storm might be a good idea.
"Um, Elder Kettle?" He nervously started.
"Yes, Mugs?" The kettle replied in his usual caring tone.
"Maybe we should skip the training session today." The mug child fingered his compass, twirling it around in circles. He wasn't sure how Elder Kettle would respond to this suggestion.
"Why is that?" He inquired.
"Hilda said that a thunderstorm was on its way here." Mug explained.
"Then perhaps we should go now." His guardian suggested. The child looked away from his guardian that proceeded to get ready to leave, holding back a sigh of discomfort. "We've got no time to lose." He added. The kettle then turned to his other cup child.
"We'll be back in a little bit, Cuphead. Just please try to stay out of trouble." Mug could hear the desperation in his voice. Cup, however, became offended by this comment.
"Me? Try telling that to him!" The young cup spat back, pointing a finger in his brother's direction. Both Elder Kettle and Mugman were ready for Cuphead to stop acting out. The mug child knew that his guardian had done his best to keep him in line. Now it was up to Mugman to help reel the feisty cup back in line.
"Cuphead, stop!" Mug yelled back, keeping his voice controlled. He did not let it get too loud or escape into another argument. The mug child shoved his compass into his pocket. He gave a small gasp when he felt the picture that his brother had given him. Mug had forgotten that this had been in his pocket. It reminded him of the many fun times he and Cuphead had in their brotherhood. Sure, they had times when they bickered, but it never lasted long. For it was not supposed to. Brothers were supposed to forgive and love one another. Such arguments like the one they just had were useless and solved absolutely nothing. Mugman knew this, and that's why he wanted to end this senseless arguing. The young mug took a deep breath and stood up tall, showing off good posture. His eyes softened.
"I'm not mad at you, Cuphead. I just hope you're not really mad at me." The mug child solemnly explained. Elder Kettle stood absolutely still, amazed at his boy's sudden composure and logical, loving heart. Elderly eyes did not move from the mug's position. The kettle instantly forgot what he was doing and where he was going.
"Now you're just trying to show off! To prove that you're better than me!" Cup continued to argue.
"No, I'm not." Mugman replied with a shake of his head, still in his calm and collected state. "I just want us to stop fighting." A gloved hand rested over his heart as he spoke directly from it. For this was truly what the young mug believed. "We are so much alike, Cuphead. When I see you act out like that, it makes me realize that I can be the same way. You've always been my hero, Cup. Please don't ever forget that."
Cuphead merely huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, and looked away. Elder Kettle was amazed at the mug child's level of maturity for his age. It reminded him much of his younger self. Kettle was the most mature one out of his group of friends and often helped to settle disputes between them. Even though he could be strong with his interpersonal skills, he had a soft heart. Kettle feared that Mugman would suffer from that same aspect that he considered to be a weakness.
Mugman went to get the morphing spell since his grandfather was still frozen in his spot like a statue. Crossing in front of his two family members, the mug child went to get the kettle's cane. Gloved hands handed his guardian the two objects as he returned.
"Let's go." Mug said with a reluctant sigh. Without another thought, he opened the door and stepped out. Elder Kettle took one last glance at Cuphead before following the little mug out the door. The young cup still refused to make eye contact with either of them. Upon hearing the front door close, he squeezed his eyes shut. When they opened, his posture instantly changed. The little tough guy attitude melted away as glass arms fell to his sides and his cup drooped. At times Cuphead was jealous that his brother was more mature than he. Cup didn't know why this bothered him, but it did. Underneath all that competition that they participated in everyday, was the young cup's caring heart.
If only I could be more like Mugman, Cuphead would wish every time one of their arguments ended. He tried and tried to be like his little brother. But no matter how hard he tried, it just never came out the same way. There just had to be a way for him to express how he really felt without his big mouth getting them in trouble...