[Child of the 7th Age]

Bingo sat on the ground shuddering, his eyes shadowed with disbelief, as he watched the sad tableau played out on the shoreline. This should not be happening: not here and now when they were so close to home. He had been so caught up in listening to the other lads argue that he had paid no attention to Sassy or what she was doing. He cursed his own inattention. Why did this have to happen? Their trek was supposed to be a fun adventure, not a tale filled with tragedy. The whole thing didn't seem fair, certainly not to Sassy and, to be truthful, not even to himself. He had lost both his parents without warning in the middle of the night, and now a companion was gone too. For a moment, life seemed too difficult to bear.

Bingo peered over at Sondo, thinking that he should try and help him, but a number of the other lads were already crowded round and were coming to his aid. At that moment he spied his brother standing off to the side. Bingo looked closely at Reggie; his brother's face was filled with concern, yet also with awareness and maturity. Somehow his little brother didn't look so little anymore. Without thinking, Bingo impulsively rushed over to Reggie and threw his arms around his slender frame and hugged him possessively. "I am so proud of you. You have grown up, and I didn't even notice. I should have seen it back home, but it took this trip to show me. You're ready to go your own way, but just be careful with yourself and don't run off on your own without me if there's anything I can do to help...."