Running. Running.

Foliage rustled under their feet, rocks and twigs dug into their bare soles. But Stevonnie barely registered any of that. Their eyes were on their prize: a multi-legged creature, looking like a bizarre cross of a rabbit and a squirrel, but with a scaled shell somewhat like an armadillo's.

But under that shell was where the tenderest meat was.

Stevonnie's stomach grumbled as they withdrew their sword from its scabbard. It had been a long time since they'd had such a tasty meal. They weren't going to let this one get away from them.

Their prey made a sharp turn and Stevonnie's hand shot out, grabbing a trunk of a tree and using their momentum to turn quickly. The creature was in sight. Stevonnie raised their sword, took aim, and…

Their sword flew from their hand and skewered the creature, causing it to tumble and fall. As Stevonnie slowed and walked over to it, the creature howled its death throes before falling silent and still.

Stevonnie retrieved their sword, skewered beast and all, and rest it on their shoulder. It had gotten easier, as they told themselves it would, both the hunting and the eating of The Jungle's wildlife. But it still tended to cause pangs of guilt in Stevonnie's gut.

Those pangs though, especially lately, tended to be overwhelmed by anticipation for the potential meal they were going to have.

They weren't far from camp, luckily. And it was still light enough that they could navigate by the tower looming in the distance. They started to head towards it.

The walk was uneventful. The only thing of note were the critters scampering away from Stevonnie as they approached. It wasn't long before they could see the smoke rising from camp.

They pushed through some bushes, ducked underneath a low hanging branch, and soon found themselves in their clearing. The fire in the pit was still going, though it was going to need to be stoked before dinner could be cooked. And Stevonnie could see Birdo lightly dozing in the ruin-sheltered hammock.

Stevonnie clicked their tongue several times as they sat next to the fire, and Birdo popped up and jumped off the hammock to join Stevonnie.

"Hey there, buddy," Stevonnie said. "Hungry?" Birdo wiggled their round body and noodly appendages. "Alright, alright." They untied a small satchel off the waist of their pants and opened it, revealing a plethora of berries and nuts. "There ya go. Some dinner for you."

Birdo let out a small squawk before digging into their meal.

Stevonnie chuckled as they patted Birdo on the head. They certainly knew that feeling. Taking their sword back in hand, Stevonnie carefully pushed their soon-to-be dinner off the end and re-skewered it on the spit over the fire. They then tossed several bits of wood into the pit and prodded it with their sword, stoking the flames.

And then they waited, watching the flickering flames lick the meat while contently listening to Birdo finish their meal.

"Anything of note happened while I was gone?" they asked. There was a crunch of a nut and a squawk in response. "That's good," Stevonnie replied. They grew quiet again. It was getting late. And getting cold. Feeling the heat of the fire on their face was nice, as was the warmth and the light the camp was bathed in.

Eventually, dinner was ready. Stevonnie removed the spit from the fire and, with a little preparation, began to dig in. The meat was just as tender and juicy as they had anticipated. After going for so many days with just fruit and nuts, like Birdo had, having some actual protein felt incredible.

Getting harder and harder and to find any prey. Must be getting close to migration again… Too bad I can't move too far away from the tower.

Their eyes slowly trailed over to the tower. From where camp was, Stevonnie could almost see the structure's base.

By the time Stevonnie was done with their meal, Birdo had retired back to the hammock and the sun had begun to dip low in the sky. Groaning a little, Stevonnie got up and walked over to their washing up bucket.

Check the tower, do a perimeter sweep, make sure the traps are set…

They washed off their hands and splashed some water on their face, rinsing off their mouth. They took their sword and put it back in its scabbard.

"Alright, Birdo. I'll be back." There was snort from the hammock and Stevonnie took that as the 'I'm sleeping' response. With one more look around the camp, Stevonnie climbed over the makeshift barricade and made their way to the tower.

Climbing up the tower wasn't as hard as it had been, once upon a time. A lot of the tower had succumbed to the march of time, including much of its stairs. But Stevonnie had done their best to compensate for that. Makeshift ladders and ramps to make the climb easier, even though Stevonnie had to keep a close eye on those. Repairs were always a pain.

They reached the top of the ladder. Reaching the top, pushed aside the cover they had made, and climbed into the main control room.

They could feel the cool evening air again. The glass dome that once circled the room had been shattered a long time ago. An encounter with one of Birdo's larger, angier relatives had broken it.

But that had happened a long time ago. During one of the first few times Stevonnie had been up here. Now, coming back up here was a daily exercise.

They walked over to the throne and climbed into it. They pressed their hand against the small screen in the armrest, which sprang to life with bright light. A much larger screen appeared in front of them, showing four, colored diamond shapes. Stevonnie pressed them in order.

White.

Yellow.

Blue.

Pink.

White.

The diamonds disappeared and a list of commands replaced them. Stevonnie scrolled through the various commands, their eyes moving swiftly. They were all the same, half of them giving errors if they're used and the other half-

"Wait." Stevonnie spoke out loud, but didn't even realize it. Something was different. The short range sensors were…

"Oh, stars! There's someone out there!"

Stevonnie tapped rapidly at the screen, trying to remember the exact combination of presses they needed.

There's someone here. I can't believe it! After all this time-

But even as they frantically moved, already their mind had been run over by another train of thought. Just because someone was here didn't mean they were friendly.

That almost made Stevonnie stop where they were. But before they could truly consider what to do, their hand pressed against the button and the screen flickered before expanding, revealing a… person.

Pink complexion, a tall-collared cloak, and a magnificent beard-

"Lars!" His name flared immediately in Stevonnie's mind as recognition clicked into place.

Lars seemed momentarily confused before his expression exploded in surprise. "Oh my god! Stevonnie! Where are you?!"

"A tower! An abandoned Gem ruin on a moon!"

Lars looked away and began typing at unseen keys, before looking back. "We've got a lock! We know where you are!"

Stevonnie felt their heart beating in their ears. "How far are you?" Their voice was almost a squeak. It was getting hard to talk.

"Not far. We'll be there in minutes. Just sit tight."

Lars pressed another key and the picture cut out, leaving Stevonnie alone, standing on the throne with their ears ringing.

Their mind was racing, trying to really understand what had just happened. They blinked rapidly at the blank screen, their mouth hanging slightly open. But then, it clicked.

They were being rescued.

A broad, joyous grin spread over their face.

They were being rescued!

Stevonnie jumped off the throne, not bothering to turn off the display, and landed with a solid thud on the ground. Without even breaking stride, they ran past the edge where the glass dome once was and leapt off the edge of the tower. They fell, the ground growing closer and closer before they started treading the air with their legs, slowing their descent and letting them land gently at the base of the tower.

Taking a moment to reorient themselves, Stevonnie took off into the jungle towards their camp. When they arrived, it was as they left it. Embers flickering the fire pit, the smell of roasted meat still lingering in the air, and Birdo dozing off in the hammock.

They ran over to the hammock, heedless of Birdo's annoyed squawks, and grabbed the beaten and ripped backpack from underneath it. There wasn't much they needed to pack. Most of what they had brought with them had been put away a long time ago: the pot and mug, the flashlight (long since dead), the clothes they had been wearing when they first crash landed…

Stevonnie scratched their shoulder, the yellow star on the salmon shirt in their bag reminding them how itchy their makeshift garb was.

It was at that moment that Birdo wanted to make their frustrations known. They hopped from the hammock and onto Stevonnie's head, pressing their beak into them.

"Hey, easy!" Stevonnie said, holding Birdo and putting them back on the hammock. "Easy, buddy. I gotta-" A thought struck them suddenly. "I'm leaving…" They looked at Birdo, who only tilted their head in confusion.

They couldn't take Birdo with them, surely. The Jungle was their home and who knew how they'd react to Earth…

The camp was suddenly flooded with light and a roaring sound boomed above. Birdo chirped and squawked before scampering under hammock's cover.

Stevonnie closed the backpack and set it aside, leaving the hammock area and returning to the fire pit. They saw just the top of a ship as it disappeared below the tree line. The roaring noise from the ship's engines cut off, though Stevonnie could still see light spilling out from the Jungle's trees.

Their heart was hammering in their chest and their breathing was starting to get a little strained, so much that they had to remind themself to take deep breaths. For several eternally long moments, there was nothing save for the light past the trees. But then, a crunching sound. The sound of footsteps snapping twigs and pushing through bushes. A figure began to emerge from the distance and Stevonnie felt their hand beginning to creep to their sword and-

"Stevonnie!"

Before they ever really knew what happened, Lars was on top of them, holding them in a crushing hug.

"L-Lars," Stevonnie sputtered back.

"Oh! Sorry!" Lars let go and took a few steps back, though a large grin remained firmly in place.

It was a little odd looking at him now. In some ways, he looked as if he hadn't changed at all. But then Stevonnie realized they were almost a head taller than him, and the differences began to pile up…

"Lars," Stevonnie breathed, finding their mind racing too fast to really catch up with. "Nice beard," they said finally.

Lars laughed, rubbing his finely groomed cheek. "Thanks. And, uh. You too."

Stevonnie suddenly felt very uncomfortable where they stood. As if they had just walked into a party they weren't invited to. Between their crudely cobbled together clothes, their literally chopped off haircut, and their scraggly beard, Stevonnie felt very unkempt.

Lars's expression twitched in the beat of silence. "Are you okay? I mean, besides the whole 'stranded' thing." His laughter was stiff and forced sounding this time.

Stevonnie blinked at him. "I… just survived," they said.

Lars nodded slowly. "Well, you did that amazingly, it looks like." He glanced around the camp. "But it's alright. That's over now. We're taking you home."

Those words wrapped around Stevonnie, drifting in and out of their mind. Home. Home.

"Home…"

The tears came quickly and without warning. Stevonnie futilely wiped at their eyes and when Lars drew close, asking what was wrong, Stevonnie grappled him in a hug, lifting him off his feet.

"Woah, easy!" Lars said, but Stevonnie barely heeded him, their tears getting rubbed into his hair. "Hey, c'mon. It's alright."

Lars's last declaration was able to strike Stevonnie, as they were brought back into the present. They put Lars down and sniffed, wiping their nose. "Sorry, Lars. I just-"

"It's alright, it's alright," Lars quickly reassured them. "Can't really blame you." A beat passed. "But, if you're ready… we can get going."

"Oh. Right," Stevonnie said. "Lemme just… do something real quick."

Lars nodded and Stevonnie turned and jogged back to the hammock. They crouched down, grabbing their backpack and throwing it over their shoulders. They were giving the area one last look before they noticed stirring from underneath the hammock's cover.

"Oh, Birdo…"

And as if summoned by their name, Birdo crawled out from under the cover and looked up at Stevonnie with their black eyes.

"Birdo…" Stevonnie sighed, before doing their best to force a smile. "Guess you'll be getting the hammock from now on, huh?"

Birdo tilted their head silently at Stevonnie.

"You know where the best berries are. And where your favorite nuts are. So you'll… be fine. Just keep using the camp and you'll be safe," Stevonnie said.

I'm about to go home, after being stranded for so long… and I'm feeling bad for leaving Birdo behind…

"I'll come back. To visit," Stevonnie said. "But until then, you be good." They petted Birdo on the head, who chirped appreciatively. "And… just be safe too."

Birdo growled curiously as Stevonnie quickly stepped away.

Lars was waiting where they had left him. He raised an eyebrow as they approached. "Ready?"

Stevonnie wiped the corner of their eye. "Yeah. Let's go."

Lars led the way out of the camp. Trudging through the thick bushes and trees was little issue for Stevonnie, but Lars on the other hand had some trouble. Mainly, his cape kept getting caught. After the fourth time it happened, Stevonnie couldn't help but laugh.

"Looks like the Jungle doesn't want you to go," they said, giggling.

"It's not great for field work," Lars admitted, ripping his cloak from its latest entrapment. "But on the deck of the Sun Incinerator, I cut a much more imposing image."

"Sun Incinerator?" they blinked, before it clicked. "Oh, right. The ship. I… remember that."

They did, the memory of themselves standing in the ship, Lars in the captain's seat, and the Off Colors at their stations, as a screen flared to life and the imposing visage of a Gem staring at them.

They had forgotten about that until now. But even with the memory in mind, it still felt dim and faded. Almost as if it had happened to another person.

"Ah, here she is." The sound of Lars's voice brought Stevonnie out of their mind. In front of them was unmistakably a star ship, also unmistakably of Gem design. Lars had paused in his steps as he stood there and just seemed to admire it.

But something else was still nagging at Stevonnie's thoughts. "Hey, Lars?" He looked over his shoulder at them. "How… how long has it been?"

The excitement and pride drained from Lars's face as he answered, "It's… been almost three years now."

Three.

They knew it had been a while, but they hadn't thought...

Stevonnie wasn't sure what they were going to feel, but they were surprised at what they did. Rather than shock or horror, all they felt was a dull tired feeling. As if the three years were catching up to them all at once.

"Everyone knew you were still out here. Everyone on Earth," he added. "They never gave up on you."

"You've been back to Earth?" Stevonnie asked.

Lars nodded. "A couple of times now, but… I couldn't stay. Not while you were still out here."

Stevonnie swallowed back a gasp. "Lars. You- you didn't have to-"

"No, I did. You were stranded trying to protect the ship." Lars slapped one of the ships landing legs. "You put yourself on the line for us and… and we couldn't just leave you behind."

"But it took you three years still."

Stevonnie didn't mean their words in a hurtful way, but Lars's expression still collapsed. "That day- after you were shot down- I wanted to to start combing the planet for you. But we were still being attacked and if any of our power was diverted from shields, then the ship could-" He looked away from them. "So we retreated. We weren't able to get the coordinates to the moon, so…"

"You had no idea how to get back," Stevonnie finished for him.

Lars's face twitched. "Yeah. We knew what sector you were in, but that still left a lot of systems to explore…"

Stevonnie nodded slowly, before they noticed the scowl that was on Lars's face. "Lars," they said. "I don't want you to blame yourself for this."

"Why not? This seems like a pretty clear-"

"No, it's not," Stevonnie cut in. "You were doing what you had to do in order to protect everyone on the ship. And besides… I survived. And I'm still here."

Lars's gaze lingered on Stevonnie for a moment before he leaned over to them and wrapped them into another snug but no longer choking hug.

"Thanks, Lars," Stevonnie said, finding it a little difficult to speak. "Thanks for coming back."

Despite its impressive size on the outside, the Sun Incinerator was smaller than Stevonnie would have thought. They entered through a rather cramped cargo bay, and from there, it only had a single hall with a few doors leading to various other parts of the ship.

Lars led the way down the hall, Stevonnie letting their gaze wander around despite the fairly plain surroundings. They heard the sound of a door sliding open and a figure stood in front of Lars, though Stevonnie couldn't get a good look thanks to the cramped hallway.

"So it was them!" The speaker sounded almost breathless with amazement.

Lars nodded, before looking over their shoulder, grinning and stepping aside. "It was. Why don't you say 'hi', Emerald?"

As soon as Stevonnie saw the figure, their senses snapped to attention. Wild, green hair, white collar, a gem where her eye should be… Their muscles tightened and their hand shot to the hilt of their sword, grasping it tightly.

She flinched, but Lars was quickly moved over to Stevonnie, laying a hand on their arm. "Hey, whoa! Easy. It's okay. Emerald is with us now."

Stevonnie blinked, their senses returning in full and the adrenaline already draining from their body. "Oh. Right. Sorry." Stevonnie said disjointedly.

Emerald shook her head. "No, it's fine. I can understand you being wary." She put on a crooked, apologetic smile. "After all it… is my fault you were stranded on that moon."

Stevonnie wasn't sure how to respond, not wanting to agree with Emerald, but also not really being able to disagree. Not helped by the dull pain that had begun to thum in their temples.

Luckily, Lars stepped in. "Emerald, you head to the bridge. Plot out our course." Emerald gave a stiff nod and with one last lingering look at Stevonnie, turned and headed back down the hall.

But Lars took Stevonnie by the shoulder and led them into a nearby room. It looked like some kind of lounge. Chairs and tables were scattered around it and there were a variety of entertainment items around. Books, magazines, boardgames, a laptop, and even what looked like a GameGuy, complete with a stack of games next to it.

Lars leaned against one of the tables, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay. Stevonnie," he began. "You've got a bit of a choice to make."

"What?"

"This ship only has a limited black hole generator," he explained. "We'd have to make several hops in order to get back to Earth. And due to the power drain, we'd also have to wait an extended period of time between each hop so we don't overload the generator."

Stevonnie nodded. That made… some sort of sense, they supposed.

"So going by that," Lars continued, "it would take us about an eighth of a cycle- about two months- before we got back to Earth." He paused before going on. "However, there's nothing saying you can't take the expressway." He tugged at his hair, undoing it from its binding and letting it fall down his back. "So. Either way you want is fine."

For a while, Stevonnie just looked at him silently, their mind racing but finding it hard to actually talk. "Lars," they said finally. "I'm- I'm sorry. This is all… a lot. And it still feels a little unreal." They looked down at their bare feet. "Probably because I've had this dream before…"

"Yeah, I can imagine," Lars said. "That's why I wanted to give you that choice. Take the scenic route with us and have some time to get your bearings, or you can hop on the highway and get back home in no time."

"Yeah," Stevonnie said. They thought about it for a moment, weighing each option in their head.

No point in putting it off. Might as well jump back in all at once.

"Okay," Stevonnie said finally. "I think I'm going to go the fast way. On the hair express," they added, with a small smile.

Lars laughed. "Alright. Fair enough." He pushed off from the table and turned around. "If anyone on Earth asks, tell them we'll be back in a few months. But otherwise… just try and relax. The readjustment period is going to be hard, but you'll be home. And safe."

"Yeah. I will be," Stevonnie said. They took a step towards Lars and held out their hand, his hair already beginning to shimmer with a pink glow. "Thank you, Lars," they said, softer now. "For not giving up on me."

"None of us gave up on you," Lars responded. "You'll see when you get back to Earth."

Stevonnie nodded and, after a bit of bracing, stuck their hand through Lars's hair. The tingly sensation of the portal tickled their arm, and after another moment's hesitation, they ducked their head, took a deep breath and held it, and pushed through the portal.

They poked their head out of the pink grass, two trees visible to them. They made their way to the other tree, hurrying as they realized they might not have taken in as much air as they should have. They reached the opposite oak tree before that was problem though, and with a lingering glance at the items that were still under it, they dived back under the grass.

There was a moment of darkness before they felt themselves falling and tumbling to the floor. They landed hard on their stomach with an audible 'thud'. They slid their backpack and sword off and rolled over onto their back.

Only to see Lion looming over them.

"Lion!" Stevonnie cried out in joy. "You're here! I mean, of course you are. You're the other side of the portal."

They sat up, Lion still regarding them in that blank way he did. They took a quick look around them, and with a jolt, realized where they were.

"Honey? Is that you?" Footsteps sounded and they got closer and closer. A person turned the corner and entered the living room. His mouth opened with a question, only to hang open when he saw them.

Stevonnie felt their heart going a million beats per second. They got to their feet, their legs shaking and feeling unsteady under them.

"Hi, Da- Mr. Maheswaran. I-" Another thought struck them, hard and sudden. "You haven't met me yet! You didn't get the chance before-"

"Stevonnie," he breathed, cutting them off. His eyes began to glisten and his voice wavered. "You're home."

Stevonnie blinked and tried to wipe their eyes dry. "Yeah," they said, even managing to choke on that single word. "I am. Dad, I'm home."

AN: An idea I've been tossing around ever since Jungle Moon. I have a few more ideas to add to it, but... eh we'll see. xD