Brand New Day

Captain Carbonbuckle hissed out, "Lies." The rest of his group began to hiss it as well though some seem to shift nervously when they said it. Seemingly not wanting tobe in CC's group any longer after that speach but CC held on tight.

Shaking his little calf head and sending out a huge plum of multi colored dust.

Pernas played for several hours, while Ralph quietly made his way to the side of the stage.

Pernas' playing was so beautiful and so intense that nobody noticed the skulking young bull, until he was right in place.

Then he charged.

"Master! Look out!" a bird shouted. Pernas saw Ralph charging at him and jumped out of the way, as Ralph charged past him. Pernas scrambled to his feet, looking at Ralph, who stared back at him.

Then, Ralph ran off, away into the caves.

Vi was on her feet instantly but so was another cow. It ran from The Guardian cows and ran after Ralph. It's hooves hitting hard.

Ralph ran down into the caves, but the Guardian was right behind him, anticipating his turns.

Pernas, meanwhile, stood there, looking off there. He looked out at the crowd. "Concert's over." he said, sadly, heading to the cave, as the Guardian was pushing Ralph to face him.

Ned walked over to CC's herd. "You put him up to that, didn't you?" he asked, drolly.

"Instead of blaming others you should be trying to help your fellow cow," Captain Carbonbuckle said intolerbalty. He lumbered to his feet and trotted after them but stopped by, "Come on, Vi."

Vi immediatly dropped off the seats and on to CC's back. A plum of colors rose up but she only sneezed as CC took off for the cave.

Two cows waited for Ralph and pulled him away. Replacing him with a charred piece of cow that The Guardian now stood over.

Pernas met with Ralph in the cave, who was now quivering.

"Why did you do that?" Pernas asked.

"I was scared." Ralph said. "And I'm scared now. Please... please don't hurt me..."

Pernas walked up to him and put his hand on his muzzle. "I'm not going to hurt you." he said. "It's just..." he sighed. "Not a very opportune time, y'know? I liked that piece. But why?"

"You mean, you won't eat me?"

"No." Pernas said. "I won't do that. You're my guest, after all."

Father had walked in at this time. "Violet left with that mutlicolored cow."

"Hmm?" Pernas said, turning around. Then his eyes widened. "What?"

Vi clung to CC and murmured, "How could he do that?"

Captain Carbonbuckle murmured comfort words to her as he moved briskly away. He had, had to leave the rest of his herd but trusted them to find a way out before Pernas found out about him taking Vi away with him.

Pernas emerged from the cave, frantically. Quickly, he transformed into a dragon and flew in front of the herd, which was departing. He landed in front of them, menacingly.

"Where is he?" he asked, almost snarling. "Where is Captain Carbonbuckle?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Xon asked.

Pernas, having enough, grabbed him by the neck. "Where is Vi?" he snarled.

Ned followed CC and Vi. "You're quite something, aren't you?"

"Quite," Captain Carbonbuckle said to the rather annoying cow.

Vi wasn't paying attention. She was staring at her hands, "Pernas punishes the cows."

"Yes, darling," Captain Carbonbuckle said softly, "Don't worry I'll take care of you."

Pernas looked frantically around. The Captain was nowhere to be seen.

"The caves!" he said, throwing a gasping Xon to the ground, and running off for the cave, turning back into a human.

Ducking through the passages that he knew like the back of his hand was quite easy. He was almost to the place where he was going to do it. To kill Vi and make her his. He just need to shake Ned off.

"Vi!" Pernas shouted, making his way through the caves.

"Lord!" A loyal Guardian said to him. "This way!" he said, leading Pernas in their direction. He overtook the Guardian, though, shouting "Vi!" all the way.

The caves got smaller and smaller and he was careful to not touch the sides of these particular walls. Finaly he heard a small, "Ow" from Vi and he took a quick way out though they could both here Pernas calling for Vi. Though Vi was struggling to stay standing up. CC had a hard time keeping her on but stopped and called out from a different passage (so he wouldn't know that he had gone in to thoughs particular ones) "Come and get me you scaley bag cow pies!"

"Oh, I will!" Pernas said, following the source of the voice.

CC moved off at a much slower pace now as if he was tiring from carrying Vi, which he was but would never later admit. Vi was now slumped over his multicolored back and was still but her breath came in uneven pants.

"Vi!" Pernas shouted more frantically.

Ned looked at Vi. "Wow, Cap'n." he said. "You really are scum."

"Vi!" Pernas shouted again, face to face with the Captain. He saw Vi, her breathing staggered. "VI!" he screamed, running to her and grabbing her in his arms. "VI!"

Captain Carbonbuckle didn't answer him instead he stood still as Pernas watched Vi. Vi couldn't hear any of them. Her eyes were glazed over and her body twitched. After only a few minutes she stopped moving and breathing completely.

"She did not suffer. It numbed her before the poison killed her," CC said quietly.

Pernas didn't respond to him, but despondently carried the body out of the cave.

Ned looked down at the Captain. "You're quite a magnificent bastard, I admit." he said. "But you won't win."

He looked at where Pernas had gone.

"I might have been able to stop you." he said, looking back at him. "But I didn't. You know why? Because I don't need to help him. He is going to break you, and it will be glorious. Just like when he broke me. He probably won't do it the same way, but it'll be glorious, just the same."

Pernas took the body outside, where the Father saw it. He screamed and clocked Pernas across the face, and he fell down, not bothering to defend himself as the Father beat him up, before taking Vi in his arms and sobbing.

***

"Quite," CC answered back before turning to leave.

***

CC munched on the wild grass as his herd gathered around him.

Vi sat up in the trees. By her self. Not many of the birds risked coming around there. It had only been a few weeks maybe a month sense she had died. She fluttered her purple plummage and flew off to land on CC's ear.

"Hello my beautiful little humming bird," He said cheerfully.

Vi hopped from foot to foot, "Hey, Captain. I was wondering if I could go see Pernas for a while."

The Captain paused, "No, I think not. You have been spying on him for days."

Pernas walked over to the herd, in human form. He had that quiet demeanor he usually had as a human, and he seemed sad.

The Red Bull stopped him. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I'm looking for Vi." Pernas said softly.

"We already told you." The Red Bull said. "We don't know where she is, and if we did we wouldn't tell you."

"I really don't care what you already told me." Pernas said.

CC twitched his ear and immediatly Vi streaked down to the ground. From there she had to make her way to the trees to watch. She stared at Pernas as CC walked over.

CC twitched his tail and chewed his cud, "What do you want?" As if he didn't know.

"I'm looking for Vi." Pernas said. "Every day I go to all the herds, all the aviaries, everything, and I ask where Vi is. Nobody knows." he said. "But I think you know, Carbonbuckle." his eyes narrowed. "After all, you're the one who killed her when she agreed to leave with you."

The other cattle all looked at him in a manner that seemed like it was trying to be menacing.

"Does she know, Cee?" he asked. "Does she know that her father is a wreck, now that she's dead and he can't find her? Does she know that he's completely inconsolable? Does she know that Ralph has become more nervous, more scared?"

He sighed. "You know, if she won't go back with me, I just have a question for her: why did she do it?"

Captain Carbonbuckle stared at him for a few silent moments before he said, "Well, that's an easy question. She believe you had punished the cow in a violent mannor. Her father used to punsh her and nearly killed her. It is only natural that she would stop loving you."

He twitched his ears, "That's all correct?"

Though Vi had listened and flitted down. The other cows shifted around quite nervously as she landed on CC's ear. She didn't say anything at first.

"'Punished the cow?'" Pernas asked. "Which cow?"

"Well," the Red Bull said, "your treatment of Xon was rather rough indeed."

Pernas looked over at Xon, who seemed surprised he'd been put on the spot.

Pernas thought about it, seeming a little confused. He guessed that made sense, but... something didn't fit about it.

So he had punished Xon too? Vi spoke up in a tiny squeeky voice and the herd started talking at once to cover her up, "Just get out of here. We don't know where Vi is. She's obviously not here!"