Bunnyblade shrank away into Philza's arms again, his ears gone limp and his head slowly shaking back and forth. Phil scooped him up, holding him close and staring at Ranboo in a sort of shock. "He...what?"

Ranboo's long tail tapped at the ground a few times. It was difficult to read his expression because of the veil, but the hard, grim tone of his voice was easy to understand. "Dream consumed all of Technoblade's family that he ever found. Nothing was left except their clothes when Techno and Bunny came back." He sighed. "That's....that's how Dream kills. He eats. And very few have survived an encounter with him when he has decided to satisfy his hunger."

"You..." Kristin stammered, "you mean he...you mean...he...why? What kind...what kind of monster does that? There was a child there!"

Philza gripped Bunnyblade tight. Something cold, deep inside him, was trying to make him angry, he knew. Something familiar. But he didn't know what, yet. "Ranboo," he said low, "how does Dream take memories without...killing someone? You said he must have done that with us."

"It's a roughly similar process, though one he uses much less often." Ranboo tapped his fingers of the table. Click-click-click-click. Click-click-click-click. "Dream is not human, as you may have guessed. He is what is known as a Dreamon. Basically a spirit that can take human form, usually manipulates dreams, and can eat just about anything to stay alive. Dream just prefers to eat his enemies."

A shiver ran through Philza's body. Bunny was trembling, both arms wrapped around Phil's neck and his eyes squeezed shut. He pressed his body as close to Philza as possible and both ears lay flat against his back. Philza stroked the child's back, trying to soothe him though he knew he had good reason to be afraid. He looked at Ranboo. "You mentioned something earlier. The sure way of getting back out memories. Would that work for all of us?"

Red and green moved rapidly back and forth under the veil as Ranboo thought. "Well, first of all," he replied, raising a finger, "I'm honestly surprised you still want to face this guy after what you've heard. But I guess that's the Angel of Death for you."

"And Death herself." Kristin interrupted, knocking on the table to gain Ranboo's attention. "They're not doing this without me."

Ranboo tilted his head. "Well, you must have some morsels of memory left behind if you believe all that so fast." He nodded. "That's great." He leaned back in his chair, resuming. "Dream. Memories. All of you guys. I mean...I've never seen if it works on a group before, but hey. Maybe it will. I mean, getting those memories out of Dream will be the hard part, but that's what Techno's for, am I right, or am I right?"

The couple glanced at each other, each silently nodding. Philza spoke again. "But how?"

"Well..." Ranboo grinned with all of his teeth. "I think that's another plate...." He took a deep breath. "Look here. Out of all the people Dream ever devoured, only a few actually survived the affair. I was one of them. And I was able to get bits of myself back. But with a nice little addition which stays rent-free in my head: my own special voice to listen to all day. Dream's voice." He sighed, putting his head in his hands momentarily. "I don't know if the other survivors have this too, or whether it's just because of my method of taking back my memories, but that's my side effect. I don't know if you'll have the same thing." Standing up, Ranboo began to pace back and forth. "The way I took mine back was by trapping Dream in a locked room and letting him see and speak to no one. Eventually his loneliness grew too great for him to bear and he released what parts of me he had inside him. I guess the voice was his way of getting back at me."

Philza and Kristin looked at each other again. "Ranboo," Kristin said, "are you sure you haven't heard of another way to get memories back? Bunnyblade already has Voices he hears, and we're not exactly keen on listening to Dream for the rest of our lives either."

The Enderman shrugged. "I mean, it's possible Techno knows of a way to get them back. I'm not sure. But that would mean finding him before confronting Dream."

The others nodded. From where he was snuggled in Philza's lap, Bunny suddenly remarked, "If you found me, Ranboo, how close do you think Smiles is behind you?"

The three adults froze a moment. Then purple particles snapped and swirled and Ranboo was suddenly at the other end of the room, peering out the window. "I don't-I don't know." He answered. "But knowing him, I'd say not that far. If he realized I was looking for Little Fluff, he'd have followed me to see if I could find him. That's not good."

Philza stood up, still holding the rabbit child. "If Dream and his men are heading here, we can't fend them off for long. Our defences are slight as it is; we need a plan of escape. Ranboo, do you know where Techno is?"

"I know where he was when I last heard of him."

Kristin got up too. Her jaw was clenching repeatedly. "Phil, are you sure? Now?"

Her husband gave a meaningful look at Bunny, then back at Kristin. "Even if we send him with Ranboo, Dream is more than likely going to come to us just to see what we know. I'd rather not endure that."

Recalling what Bunny had told them of Smiles, Kristin pursed her lips and nodded. "I'll get some food."

Ranboo blinked. "Oh, you guys are going now? Oh, okay. I guess that works too." His tail flicked from side to side. "I'll keep a lookout for Dream." And once more, he was gone in a little storm of purple dust.

Despite their decision to vacate their farm, Philza and Kristin were uneasy as they began packing. Bunny, after some coaxing, let go of Phil and began helping, his little pitter-patter of feet going back and forth between rooms. Philza grabbed whatever sacks and bags they had, filling them quickly with rolled-up blankets, one pillow each, sets of clothes and extra boots. He paused before the wings mounted on his wall. Did he want to take them too?

Reality was beginning to feel less and less ordinarily solid as the day progressed. Kristin was on automatic, grabbing bread, apples, cheese, dried meat and water flasks. She put the lightest bag on Bunnyblade's back, ensuring his had plenty of carrots, and secured an extra flask of carrot juice by his side. Just as a precaution against harder times ahead, she also retrieved a cake of maple sugar, wrapping it softly in cloth. Then she went to the living room, to a small chest beside the fireplace where she and Philza kept two very precious items and they would most certainly bring with them.

The little harp and flute sat wrapped in black cloth, still just as burnished and clean as they had been the last time they were used. Kristin removed them swiftly and packed them away in her bag, deciding she'd rather hold on to them herself. Philza would have his wings to look after and Bunny was too young to understand how precious these instruments were yet. Besides, he had his carrots.

Bunnyblade wandered from room to room after Kristin had given him his pack and he'd gathered what little he actually owned. His clothes, his shepherd staff and the two wooden toys Philza had been able to whittle for him. He wasn't sure what to do or where to go yet. Something about all that was happening was vaguely familiar to him, but he wasn't sure why or how, just that occasionally what he saw or heard would have something of a mental after-image, as though his mind had just placed a memory over what his eyes were seeing.

He stepped outside, walking to the goat pen. The creatures hadn't yet been let out to graze where they preferred, and their cranky bleats let him know what they thought of the decision. Bunny stretched out a hand, petting the nicest of the goats on the neck. "Bye-bye, Heather." He murmured. "Bye-bye, Minty, Brush, Honey and Suckle." The twins he'd just called trotted up to him, the latter snatching at his fingers to nibble on them.

Gorse, the biggest billy goat, knocked on the fence with his horns. Bunnyblade tapped his knuckles on Gorse's forehead. "Hang on, lemme ask Phil." The goat bleated at him, though it sounded more like a strangled yell. He was still grumpy. The rabbit boy hurried back indoors.

"Phil? Phil, can we let the goats out? No one's going to be able to feed them and take care of them while we're gone, so I thought they could be set free for now."

The farmer straightened, having just flung a cloak on while simultaneously checking his bag. "Yeah, let them go. Gorse'll look after them and I'm sure they'll be fine until we get back." He looked anxious as he said that, but Bunny chose not to think about it, and darted back to the enclosure.

The goats bleated louder as he unlocked the gate and swung it open. Gorse butted a few aside, charging ahead, and the rest followed, cantering to the fresher grass some ways distant. Bunny watched them wistfully, wondering what would happen to them. "Be safe, goats." He murmured.

He was about to head back to the house when a red flicker at the forest's edge caught his eye. The child froze, his entire body recognizing the light even as his brain worked to decipher what it was. Before he'd fully realized what was happening, his ears had gone flat against his head and he was hearing his foot drumming on the ground with the panicked speed that only three special people could inspire in his tiny thumping heart.

Turning in a flash, he raced on all fours back to the house, swifter than the goats who now had also begun running, smelling the smoke at the same time that he'd registered it. He leapt through the garden window, landing in a crouch beside Kristin, who jumped as he appeared suddenly beside her. "Bunny, are you okay? What's wrong?" She cried, kneeling next to him. She had no time to ask anything else, for Bunnyblade streaked straight for the celler and disappeared down the hole, slamming the trapdoor behind him.

Kristin stood up, hurrying to the window just as Ranboo teleported to the front door. "We gotta go!" He was yelling. "Sapnap's in the forest trying to cut us off! I guess he doesn't know I can just teleport through his fire, but hey, if he's here, Dream's no doubt close behind. We gotta go now! Where's Fluff?"

Kristin's heart jumped into her throat. "Phil!" She cried, something deep in her stirring as she looked at the flames slowly rising in the forest. "PHIL!"

"I'm here!" Philza was beside the celler door, easing it open. "Bunny, mate, let's go. Kristin and I will take you out of here and away from those people, okay? Mate, please..." He grimaced. "He's frozen, I think. How close are they?"

More purple swirled and flashed as Ranboo teleported the few steps to Bunny's sleeping corner. "Too close." He responded simply, grabbing up the softest blanket. "I'll get him." He disappeared, then reappeared mere seconds later holding the rabbit boy swaddled in the blanket. "Let's go."

They grabbed the last bags, heading for the door. Just as they stepped out, Ranboo took one look at the forest and swore under his breath. "Dang it. Big Q." They looked too. Far on the edge of the trees, a small figure stood. Darkness was slowly spreading from him towards their little house.

Philza didn't wait. "Go!" He cried, pushing Ranboo from behind and grabbing Kristin's hand. "Ranboo, get us out of here! How'd they even find us?"

"Followed me, I guess, like I said!" Ranboo yelled back, wrapping his tail around their waists. The sharp tug as he pulled the two towards himself made Kristin lose her breath a moment. Phil saw her eyes go wide as a pricking feeling flew through their bodies and purple suddenly flashed and flickered around them. They heard a shriek as they were suddenly pulled forward.

They kept their heads down to avoid their necks being broken by the dizzying speed at which they were being dragged along. A brief glow of light surrounded them, then darkness and hundreds of thick sticks flying past them. They stopped in a clearing, which was more or less silent now that their sudden arrival had scared the birds. Ranboo gave an agonized groan and collapsed to his knees. He was shaking all over.

Kristin hurried to him, as soon as she could see straight, while Philza carefully picked up Bunnyblade. "How is he?" Phil asked. "Ranboo, you going to be alright?"

"...Ow." The Enderman moaned. "Ow. I...no. Nope, I can't walk right now. Just...just put me somewhere dark. Dream won't find me. You guys go on. I'll find you later." He curled up, wrapping his arms around himself and his tail encircling his knees.

Neither Philza nor Kristin liked this idea, and they disagreed vehemently. "If Dream catches you," Kristin declared, "he won't care that we're not with you, will he?"

"No." Ranboo admitted. "But I tell you, I can't walk right now-"

The sound of distant crackling made the Enderman tense and the couple look behind them. Philza walked swiftly to Ranboo and nudged him with a boot. "Get up." He said firmly. "Make yourself walk or let me try to carry you." He handed the still-stiff Bunnyblade to Kristin. "Can I carry you?"

Ranboo groaned. "Maybe? I don't know. You can try if you like, but I don't know how long it'll work. Seriously, I cannot move very well right now. Teleporting three people at once-gah, yikes!"

Philza wasted no more time in hoisting Ranboo to his back. The Enderman was lighter than he looked, but still heavier than two Bunnyblades. The farmer grunted to Kristin. "Go."

They set off again, Philza stumping in front as the slowest of the group. Every now and then Kristin turned to look behind them, to see if any sign of the three pursuers could be made out. She saw nothing, but Bunny continued to shiver and whimper in her arms. She frowned, hoping the head start they'd obtained was good enough.

Soon the sun stood high in the sky. Philza's breathing was labored, but he kept walking. Kristin too did not ask for a break. They had stopped hearing the crackling, but now stranger sounds followed them. A distant cackle, a shriek like some far-off owl, the ring of coins against each other. Sometimes they thought they heard shouts, but no words could be distinguished. The group kept going.

After another hour and a half had passed thus, Phil stumbled and dropped to one knee. Kristin heard him groan between his teeth as he pulled himself back to his feet. "Phil?" She called. But before she could ask her question, he answered.

"Not yet." He muttered. "Not yet." And kept trudging. Ranboo also tried to move, but Phil growled something at him and the Enderman went still again.

Bunny looked over Kristin's shoulder, both ears straight up to catch any sound coming towards them. The sounds were fainter now, much fainter. He wondered if Kristin or Phil could even hear them. But he could still see something that made him hide behind Kristin's shoulder. The farthest shadows were grinning, smiling with open mouths and eyes white as blindness. The boy shivered, hunkering down.

Eventually, they had to stop. Philza nearly collapsed after trodding on a root he hadn't noticed, and Kristin put Bunnyblade down. "We have to rest at least a little." She said. "No more marching for a bit."

Afternoon head reached its midpoint when they began again. Ranboo was now recovered enough to limp, one arm over Phil's shoulder. Their progress was slow, but easier than it had been before. And still their pursuers hadn't caught up to them. They hurried on, Bunnyblade now trotting beside Kristin, gripping tightly to his pack, a carrot stuffed in his mouth. He spoke no word, but glanced back at any snap of twig or unexpected twitter of a bird.

Hours dragged over the fleeing group, pulling the sun downwards steadily. They marched until their legs burned with fatigue and their feet wandered to stumble into bushes or trip into trees. When the darkness of late evening began to filter through the trees, they knew they must stop. So they made their way to a group of trees and climbed into them. It was a precarious position, but no one wanted to be on the ground if Dream and his two followers happened to still be on their trail. They had no ropes to fasten themselves with, but they got into the most secure positions they could find, and drearily ate what provisions they could while waiting for nightfall and sleep.