Runaway, A Choose Your Own Adventure Story
A story by a nameless wolf.
	Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  This story contains a purely fictional relationship between an adult and a minor and may contain themes of incest and bestiality.  If this sort of thing offends you, don't read this story.  If this sort of thing interests you, please enjoy.

Part 6C - On the Road Again

Tags: Cub, Kangaroo, Rat, Runaway, No Yiff, Choose Your Own Adventure, CYOA

You chose Option C: "Andrew" you say, turning to the frightened cub, "Do you want to go back with your mom?"

Author's Note: First of all, I want to thank you all very much for reading, voting, and providing your feedback!  I've been having a lot of fun writing this story and I hope you're having fun too.  The CYOA style is helping keep my ideas fresh and I greatly enjoy the creativity.  This chapter is going to be a bit of a significant turning point in the story.  I'm going to do the best I can to keep character development and plot going strong, but while it's been an interesting change of pace to write drama and violence, I'm going to start shifting the story back to a more sexual focus as was my original intent.  I'm also trying to keep these chapters relatively short to give you more opportunities to direct the story.  Our little roo has a long way to go before his adventure is over!

To cast your vote, please comment in the story with the option you choose.  If you have a suggestion that's not in the choices, feel free to say that too!  After a few days and I feel there have been enough votes, I'll post the next part of the story.  I'm not going to involve extreme violence in this story, but remember that not all choices will have a happy ending!
~~~

	Toby turned down to look at the young bear cub.  It really pained him to see someone so alone and afraid, it was like how he felt last night.  He didn't want to leave Andrew in a dangerous situation like this, but it also didn't seem right to take the cub from his mother.  It would have to be Andrew's choice.  He approached Andrew and knelt down in front of him, nosing under his chin.  "Andrew, I'm going to go with Justin now.  If you want to, you can come with.  There's a club he told me about, for runaway cubs.  He said it's really nice." he spoke softly to the younger boy.

	But Andrew's mother wasn't about to give up her fight either.  "Andrew, my little Andy, come to momma.  I'm sorry Andy, I'm sorry fo' the way I been treatin' you.  I ain't been the momma you deserve, but I promise I'll do right by you from now on.  We gonna go to a shelter, a nice place where they give you food and a warm bed.  They can help us Andrew.  You don't have to see Duke or Odie no more."

	Andrew looked back and forth between Toby and his mother.  His eyes started to water again, thinking about losing one of the only friends he's ever had.  But then he looked back at his mother, and he started to remember the good times they used to have.  He remembered when he'd sit on her lap in the rocking chair and listen to her tell him stories.  He remembered when she used to sing to him every night before bed.  He remembered the way she'd wrap him all up snugly in blankets and make him giggle, calling him a Bearritto.  Lately when he looked in her eyes they seemed unfocused and glazed over, but now, right now, it seemed like they had that same spark that they used to.  It was the spark that reminded him of the love they shared, despite all the bad times.  Then Andrew knew what he had to do.

	The bear cub looked back at Toby and jumped into the Roo's arms, hugging him as tight as he could, and then softly spoke up, "I'm gonna miss you Toby.  Promise I can see you again, okay?" He sniffled into the Roo's fur.

	Toby hugged back tightly and smiled, tearing up a bit now himself.  "I promise Andrew, as soon as I can." he replied, stroking the cub's headfur.  The bear cub slowly let up his hug, and then turned and toddled back toward his mother.  She hugged him tightly in her skinny arms.

	"Thank you, thank you!" she turned up to Justin, nodding appreciatively and stroking her cub's headfur.

	"Here, go to this address.  Here's enough for a cab and some food." the rat said, handing her a small white card wrapped in a $50 bill.  "Tell them Justin sent you, you'll be looked after while you get back on your feet."  Then he looked over at the Odie, collapsed in the alleyway beyond, and then turned up to the flaming building where the apartment had been. "There's nothing left for your here."  Just then emergency horns and sirens began wailing down the street and Toby turned to see the flashing lights of a bright red fire truck rounding the corner, followed by a police car.  "Come on Toby, we have to go." Justin said, looking nervously at the emergency lights.

	Toby hopped along behind Justin, who was quickly hurrying to his slick black Cadillac.  He waved goodbye to Andrew one last time, then hopped in the passenger seat as Justin quickly pulled away.

~~~

	Toby was quiet as they drove, looking down at his paws and thinking about all he'd been through.  He knew it wasn't okay to take Andrew from his mother, but something still didn't feel right.  Then he thought about Odie and Duke, and how Justin had hurt them.  They were bad men, there was no doubt about that, but even Super Roo didn't hurt people like that.  And what about the fire?  How had that even started?  And how did Justin find him?  There were so many questions and thoughts running through his head, he just felt overwhelmed.  Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, he just felt confused and there was a bad feeling in his stomach that wouldn't go away.

	It was Justin who broke the silence first. "How ya holdin' up kiddo?" he asked, reaching over to pet Toby's cheek.

	The young roo snapped his head up, surprised by the sudden contact. "Oh uh, I'm fine, just thinking is all." he replied, nuzzling back against Justin's paw.

	"You've been staring at the floor mat for the last two hours.  Why don't you tell me what happened back there, did they hurt you?" he asked, a rising concern in his voice.

	"No, not really.  I was just... scared.  But I tried to be brave, just like Super Roo." he hesitated, remembering how Odie had exposed himself and tried to use Andrew's muzzle, and how he had stopped it.  "How did you find me anyway?  How did that fire start?" he turned up and asked.

	"You were very brave kiddo.  That phone I gave you has GPS tracking.  They forgot to turn it off or were too stupid to know how.  The fire uh, I don't know.  It must have been an accident." the rat replied, trying to quickly change the subject. "Oh!  That reminds me, I have a surprise for you kiddo!  Why don't you look back behind the seat?"

	Toby tilted his head curiously, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could better reach.  He reached his paw past the center console and behind the seat, feeling around in the darkness.  Then his paw found something familiar, something soft and furry.  Could it be?  His heart started racing as he pulled his stuffed wolf plush out from the darkness. "Barkly!!"  he squealed, hugging the wolf close against his chest. "You found him!  I can't believe you found him!".  The young roo hopped in his seat and held Barkly up in the air, overjoyed to see his plush friend again.  His neck seemed a bit floppier than it had been before, and had been stitched back together with thin black thread, but it was definitely Barkly.

	"Yeah, I thought you might be happy to see him again." Justin smiled and rubbed his paw down Toby's headfur. "I'm afraid he lost a bit of his stuffing, and I'm not the greatest sewing expert in the world, but I think he'll hold up pretty well.  I also found your backpack, it's back there too." he explained.  Toby climbed back across the console and wrapped his arms around Justin, giving him the tightest hug that he could.  "Woah hey kiddo, I've still gotta drive.  I promise there'll be plenty of time for hugs later." he chuckled, rubbing the cub's back and trying to maintain focus on the road.

	"Hehe, sorry Justin, and thank you!" he smiled, climbing back to his seat and refastening the seat belt.  "And Barkly says thank you too.  He likes you!" Toby giggled and nuzzled the plush.

	"Well I'm quite fond of both of you too." the rat smiled, "Now you must be hungry kiddo, when was the last time you ate?"  Toby hadn't even thought about it, he hadn't eaten since early last night when he ran away from home.  Maybe that was the bad feeling in his stomach.

	"Um, I dunno, sometime yesterday?  I think I'm really hungry though." he said as he held his tummy.

	"I bet you are.  I need gas too, there's a station a few miles up.  I'll get us some snacks and sandwiches when I fill up."

	Toby nodded and hugged Barkly again, watching the scenery roll by.  The sun was still low in the sky, rising against the far away mountains.  There wasn't much to see out here either.  It was all dust and desert, with the occasional stray barn or farmhouse, most of which looked abandoned anyway.  Normally he'd be complaining and whining on a long road trip like this, but he felt different now.  The experience with the bears, the weasel, and the fire had changed him.  It felt like the little things he used to complain about were trivial now.  His situation could have turned out very differently if he made the wrong choices, but looking back, he felt he did the best that he could.  Now here he was, who knows how many miles away from home, and heading to a club for runaway cubs with a man he barely know who saved his life.  The idea of running away had seemed so amazing to him before, like a vacation where he could just hop and play without being told what to do or where to go, but it felt different now.  I didn't feel like he was going on a vacation at all.  It felt like he was going on a journey.  He didn't feel like the person he used to be, but he also didn't know who he was going to become.  It was scary, not knowing like this, but he had to be brave.  Super Roo was brave, Barkly was brave, Justin was brave, and so was he.

	The gas station that Justin stopped at was about as lonesome as the rest of the desert.  It looked like a small restaurant attached to an even smaller convenience store with two old looking gas pumps out front.  Justin rolled up behind the furthest pump and parked.  "Alright kiddo, you stay in the car okay?  I'll be back in just a few minutes.  Do you like candy?" Justin looked down at the roo cub and smiled, who responded with an energetic affirmative nod.  The rat got out of the car and started walking over toward the convenience store, stretching his neck and arms as he went.

	Toby took his seatbelt off and got up on his knees, starting to look around a bit more.  There were a few big semi-trucks parked alongside the building, and it didn't look like there was anyone inside the restaurant except for an old fox hunched over his coffee cup.  There was a large gas tank and some stacks of firewood on the side of the building next to a payphone, and an arrow shaped sign that said "Restrooms In Rear" pointing around the corner.  Toby hadn't gone to the bathroom all night either, and thinking about it made him have to pee.

CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE:
Option A: Get out of the car and head to the bathroom.  You won't be going far and Justin won't mind.
Option B: Try to use the payphone to call your parents.  They must be starting to worry about you by now and you're starting to miss them a little bit too.
Option C: Head inside with Justin, he didn't even ask what kind of food or candy you wanted.
Option D: Justin said to stay in the car, so that's probably what you should do.  Besides, you don't want to leave Barkly again right now.