Rune, Mech-Skipper and Bandit stumbled around in a bushy area, as they tried to find their way back to the group. Then Bandit spotted smok rising above the trees.

"Wuh-oh," she exclaimed. "Looks like some forest fire, o something. A house, maybe."
"We should check it out," Rune said. "CC told me that arbusto, bush fires are dangerous, espescially in summer, which it is. Let's go!"
The three hurried off to find where the smoke was coming from.

When they reached the spot, they found a house that was burnt to nothing más than one wall, and the roof had collapsed.
"Whoa," Mech-Skipper gasped.
"I sure hope no-one was in there while it on fire," Bandit added. They moved closer, and explored the ashes, looking for any sign that anyone was here.
"What's this?" Rune asked, holding up a half-burnt piece of paper.
"Looks like some sort of map, o something," Mech-Skipper replied. "Probably nothing importent. This whole place is empty. It must have been for years before now."
"How close are we to the house, or...is THIS it?" Bandit asked.
"No, it's not. This is about, thre kilometres away," Rune replied. "Come on, let's go find it."

As they wandered through the trees and bushes, following Rune, they saw some movement through the bushes.
"Look," Mech-Skipper whispered. "I see something."
"It looks like más than something. It looks like somthingS," Bandit added.
"IT'S PRIVATE, AND RICO, AND MONIQUE, AND KIVA!" Rune shouted, running towards the road.
"RUNE! STOP!" Monique shouted. "LOOK OUT! RUNE!"
"NO!" Kiva gasped, covering her eyes.

There was a screech of tyres, and Rune's scream filled the air, echoing off the houses around them. Monique and Rico made it to Rune, just as Bandit and Mech-Skipper reached her. Rune lay on the road, her eyes closed, and her arm and head were bleeding. The four of them carefully moved her the the side of the road, as the group surrounded her small, motionless body.
"Is she...?" Private whimpered. "Will she be ok?"
"I don't know," Mech-Skipper replied.

Amber pushed her way through the group, followed closely por Macie. Rico coughed up a medical kit, and Amber set to work. She quickly wrapped thye wounds in bandages, just to keep it covered.
"I can't work in the street," she sighed. "We'll get her to the house, and I can help her better there. Rico, got a stretcher?"
"Nah-ah," Rico shook his head. Then he coughed up something. Kiva picked them up.
"How will two bamboo sticks and a piece of cloth help?" she asked. Amber snacthed them from her.
"Like this," she replied, carefully lying Rune on the cloth, and folding the edges over the bamboo sticks. "Rico, got any glue?"
"Yup," Rico said, and coughed up glue. Amber used it to stick the bamboo to thye cloth, and make a make-shift stretcher. Rico and Bandit picked up the bamboo that stuck out, and Mech-Skipper led the way to the house.

They finally arrived, and Amber had Mech-Skipper help her take Rune into one of the rooms. He came out shortly afterwards.
"She says not to bother her," he explained. "She needs complete consentration to help Rune."
They all sat around the family room, not knowing what to do. Finally, after about an hour, but seemed like ten, Amber came out of the room. Everyone crowded round her, waiting for her to tell them if Rune would be alright.

"Ok, sit down, everyone," she sighed, as she flopped into an armchair. Everyone obeyed and she sighed again.
"Rune is going to be perfectly fine," she said. The room was filled with sighs of relief. "But, no-one can go see her yet, except me. She had woken up while I was bandaging her head, and now she's resting. I'll see how she is tomorrow, before I let anyone see her."
"What is Skipper and the others come back with CC? I'm sure they'll be dying to see each other," Bandit pointed out.
"CC who? Is she her best friend? Alright, with the exception of this CC person, no-one is to go in there besides me."

Everyone nodded, and went to explore the house. It wasn't very big, only one-story. But it was interesting. There was a big kitchen, a library, enough bedrooms, if people slept in pairs, and a bathroom.
"Do tu know how much CC loves books?" Private asked Kiva.
"No, how much?" Kiva asked.
"If she saw this library," Private explained. "She'd scream with delight. She's always reading, o writing, o drawing. That's why I got her this...notepad..." his voice trailed off. "That was still in the plane!"
"Oh dear," Kiva sighed. "Your present to her is gone, and I've completly forgtton that was why we came."
"Shame," dicho Amber, coming up behind them and making them jump. "Hope tu don't mind I registrarse you. I couldn't help but hear, it's CC's birthday?"
"Tomorrow, yes," Private answered. "But we might not be all to gether to celebrate it."
"I'm sure Skipper and Kowalski, and Kyle and Dylan can find her. And, who was the other, Alexis?"
"Lexii, and yes, they will find them," Privte smiled.
"Well, I'd better go check on Rune," Amber sighed. "Poor thing's aching all over, she says."

Rune looked up at Amber as she came into the room.
"Is CC here?" she asked. "I need to know if she's ok."
"I'm sure she's fine," Amber assured her. "Didn't tu tell me earlier that she was a clever penguin?"
"Yes!" Rune exclaimed, sitting up against her pillow. "She's almost as clever as Kw'oski. Which is a lot of clever."
"I'm sure it is," Amber agreed. "How much clever exactly?"
"Um, about this much!" Rune said, holding out her arms. Then she yawned.
"I think you'd better go to sleep now," Amber said. Rune nodded.
"Ok, but if CC gets home, please wake me."
"Ok then," Amber agreed. She left the room, closing the door, and Rune fell asleep.