Little Amber just wants her brother Merrill to like her, but he keeps ignoring her. But when Amber wanders off from home, the Hess family grow concerned until finally Merrill finds her miles away from home. While on the way back, Merrill soon cares for her and will do anything to protect his baby sister...

(Part 2 to Little Siblings) (I also don't have images of these actors younger so...eh)

After having a stubborn strict talk with his father, Merrill was sent to his room. He was now grounded for his behavior toward Amber. Frank and Rose managed to find Amber with Graham's help. They comfort her feeling bad for her. She was so hurt. Why didn't he like her?

That night, Amber was in her room. Merrill was laying on the top bunk awake. Amber was also still awake on her own bed across the room. She was still hurt for how he treated her. Maybe he was right, she didn't belong here.

Amber got up careful and quietly. She took her clothes out and put them in her backpack. She looked over her shoulder seeing If Merrill was awake and watching, but he wasn't looking at her. She then walked out the door and shut the door. She crept down the stairs and slipped in her boots. She then quietly walked out the front door.

Merrill rolled on his back. He then sighed feeling bad now. The girl was just trying to be nice. His father told him there was a reason why they had to raise Amber and not her parents. Her parents needed her to be safe. Maybe...someone wanted to hurt Amber. Was someone after Amber? Was she in danger?

Merrill looked over her bed, but noticed she wasn't there. He looked confused, so he carefully jumped down. He went over her bed and saw she was really gone. He then walked out of the room and checked the bathroom. It was empty and the door opened. He went downstairs and saw her boots were missing. Did she...?

Merrill grabbed his jacket and slipped on his boots. He then walked out the door. He went to the barn to light up a lantern to look for Amber. She wasn't in the barn or even in the hayloft. He began to worry. Even the treehouse was empty. Maybe...she went into the woods. The woods were in the other side of the field though. Merrill sighed and walked through the field.

Once he got to the other side, he walked into the forest. "Amber? You ok?"

Please be ok. I'm so sorry.

Merrill looked around. He began to worry when he still couldn't find her. She obviously didn't take her coat either he remembered when he left. And it was cold out. It was dead of winter. Why didn't she take it?

"Amber, please tell me you are here!" Merrill called out, "I am sorry, ok? You...you do belong with us."

He sighed looking down. "I-I like having you around."

He went even more deeper and deeper, when he heard whimpering. Once he heard it, his eyes widened, "Amber!?" He ran to the whimpering sounds and finally came to the source. Amber was sitting up against a tree. She was crying and shivering.

Merrill knelt down and set the lantern beside them, "Amber?"

She noticed him and jerked away.

Merrill sighed, "I should've expected that. Look I'm sorry, really. You do belong with us. I was really worried about you. I am just...I am just glad you're ok, Amber."

Amber looked up at him, but he noticed her nose was blue. Even her lips and her ears were white slowly turning blue. Merrill looked shocked. All she was wearing over her pjs was her jean jacket. It still didn't keep her warm of course.

Merrill worried for her so he took his jacket off of him and put it around her and zipped it up. "Can you get up?"

She nodded.

Merrill helped her up and picked up the lantern and took her hand. "Ok come on, let's get back inside."

He tried to find their way back, but still they just keep getting in deeper in the woods, "Merrill?" Amber was now shaking and tearing up. She looked scared now.

Merrill turned to her. He pulled her close and hugged her with his one arm, "shhh, I will get us out of here, I promise."

He took her hand again and kept walking to find their way out. Suddenly, snow began to fall and Merrill was now worried. He sensed a storm was coming and they had to get out fast before it hit, but how? He couldn't find the exit anywhere.

"Merrill...," Amber was now shivering and dropped to the ground once she let go of his hand. Merrill spun around hearing her fall down. He set the lantern down and picked her up, "Amber? Stay awake, please!"

Amber groaned shivering in his arms. Merrill growled under his breath. It was no use to get out before the storm. Amber was freezing and dropping fast. Merrill would freeze faster once the storm hit as well since she was wearing his jacket. He had to make shelter for them. He set her up against a tree and set the lantern beside her so it could keep her warm. He broke down some large branches quickly and stacked them into a wall for a shelter. It was big enough for two he didn't have time for a fire to be build since the blizzard now hit.

Merrill then went to Amber and picked her up. She gripped on him shivering as he reached for the lantern and carried her inside the shelter he made. He set her down and set the lantern infront of them. He then pulled Amber close and tried to keep her warm.

Amber whimpered and shivered in Merrill's arms as he held her. "It's ok. It's ok, I'm here. I'm...I'm really sorry. I should've never been mean to you. I shouldn't have made you run away either."

Amber gripped on him, but let go instantly, because her hands were numb and it hurt her fingers. "Ow..."

Merrill took her hands and checked them. "You have frostbite." He breathed her fingers trying to warm her up. "This is the best I can do since we don't have boiling water. I am not gonna let you suffer, Big Bird."

He hadn't called her that for awhile now.

"P-puppy..."

"I am gonna take care of you ok. It's what big brothers should do. I won't let anything happen to you." He held her face. He then kept breathing hot breath on her fingers.

After her fingers were turning close to red, he moved her hand close to the lantern. He then rubbed her head and kissed her ontop of her head. "I love you, Big Bird."

"Y-you do?" Amber asked.

"Of course. I'm sorry...really I am for being a jerk...I guess...I guess I didn't like being a middle child and Graham and you getting all the attention...mostly you. But then dad told me...you were brought here because...your parents couldn't protect you anymore...I'm sorry about that."

"I-I don't remember, but it's alright. And I do forgive you...I mean, you did come for me."

Merrill smiled at his little sister and ruffled her hair. She giggled at him. "Try to sleep ok? I will watch over you."

"But what if...monsters will come?"

"You kidding? Big brother Puppy will take of them." Merrill winked.

"Promise?"

"I promise, Big Bird. Now...sleep." He kissed her nose and then she laid down. Merrill stayed awake. He stayed awake all night. He didn't want anything come for them in the night.

He then turned to Amber as she sleep. He then smiled, but noticed she was crying in her sleep. Merrill turned towards her and comfort her by rubbing her side. Amber finally calm down and went back to sleep.

Suddenly, Merrill jumped hearing something outside the shelter. He heard growling, snarling, and footsteps. He was now worried. He had nothing to defend him or his sister with. The sounds came closer. Amber groaned waking up, but Merrill held her and covered her mouth. Amber shivered seeing a dark shadow by the entrance. It shaped like a wolf.

Amber grew pale as Merrill held her and kept her quiet. The shape then disappeared wandering away. Merrill sighed softly and let go of Amber. She then screamed and Merrill looked. A wolf growled at them. He growled at the wolf and grabbed a stick by him in the shelter and use it to scare the wolf. "Get away! Get away! Stay away!"

The wolf barked at him once he got out.

"Stay away! Go away!" Merrill yelled, swing the stick at the wolf. "I mean it! GO AWAY!"

The wolf lunged at him and Amber screamed, "MERRILL!?"

Merrill groaned as he tried fighting against the wolf, "Get. Off. Me!!!"

He then heard Amber screamed. He looked as he held the wolf by its neck and saw another wolf was ontop of her. "BIG BIRD!" He growled and cracked the wolf's jaw by opening it wider. The wolf dropped and Merrill ran to the other one and yanked it tail. "GET OFF OF HER!"

The wolf barked at him and growled.

"Stay away from my sister!" He then jabbed the stick on the wolf's side so hard that it cried and ran off. Merrill turned to Amber. She was whimpering in pain and he saw her arm bleeding under the jacket sleeve. "Big Bird!"

He ran to her and helped her back inside. He took her jacket off and tore his sleeve off of his long sleeve shirt. He then wrapped it around her arm. "I'm so sorry. I am so sorry, sis. I didn't mean for any of this." Merrill cried.

"It's ok..."

"No It's not ok." Merrill cried, "I hurt you. I made you run away. And you got hurt because of me...I'm sorry." He dropped his head down.

Amber kissed his cheek to calm her big brother down. He then turned to her tearing up. "Stop blaming yourself, Puppy." She kissed his nose. He blushed at her, but slightly smiled.

Amber rested her head on his chest and Merrill held his little sister close. "I love you, little sis."

"I love you too."

"And I promise, and even we get out of this, I will always protect you."

Amber hugged him with her good arm. "Try to sleep ok? I will watch over you."

Amber nodded and rested her head on his chest. Merrill held her the whole night.

Soon the sun was rising up. The poor 10 year old boy was shivering. His entire body was pure white. He was frozen, but still alive and able to move. Amber on the other hand, wasn't. She wasn't awake. Merrill tried to get up. The lantern died light hours ago which caused them to freeze and of course the cold temperatures. Merrill carried Amber in his arms and he tried heading them back home.

He got of the woods finally. He groaned in pain as he held Amber close. His lips quivered as he walked into the cornfield. "I-I got you...," he said in a raspy voice. Like he was loosing his voice. While walking in the cornfield, he heard their family calling for them.

"Mama...dad...Graham...," Merrill kept walking as he held Amber close.

Once he was out, feeling so weak, Rose spotted him, "MERRILL!"

Graham and Frank heard her from the house where they were and ran to her. They saw Merrill dropped to his knees still holding Amber in his arms. Rose ran to them as Graham and Frank came as well.

"Amber...help...," Merrill groaned.

"Come in side," Rose helped her son up. Frank was about to grab Amber, but Merrill gasped.

"She is stuck to me. On my arms..."

"...F-Frank...," Rose looked worried.

"Let's get them inside," he said.

Once inside, Merrill was getting worried, "she has been...bit..."

"Dad?" Graham looked up at him, "if she was bit, should we go take her to the hospital?"

"We will as soon as we can separate them both. Besides Merrill can't hold her much longer. Right now we can just clean her arm." Graham nodded and went to get the first aid kit. Rose gently unwrapped her wound and clean the bite wound.

"You poor thing," Rose teared up, "What happened to you both last night?"

"...me that's what. I caused her...to run away. When I noticed...I went after her...we got lost so I build a shelter...a storm came...then wolves...one bit her...and rest is...you know..."

"Oh my babies," Rose kissed Merrill's head. Then kissed Amber's forehead, "I'm just glad you kids are alive."

"M-me too," Merrill then started to cry, "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to be a terrible brother to her. I was just jealous that you, dad, and Graham paid more attention to her. I now realized why...she needs protection. She needs to be safe. And her parents couldn't."

"Well...that is mostly true," Rose smiled, "and don't cry, Merrill. You're not a terrible brother. I'm sorry we weren't paying any attention on you, but we still love you, we wouldn't stop loving you. You are a wonderful son and brother."

"Not to Amber I wasn't..."

"You found her, kept her safe and brought her home."

"But she got hurt."

"You took care of her. And that means you still are a great big brother to her."

Merrill teared up happily. Soon he could see Amber slide out of his arms. He got up and gently laid her on the couch. He then shivered and sneezed. "I think...I think I need to take a bath. A hot...ACHOO!...hot bath..."

"Yes, you go and take a bath to get your body temperature normal again.

Frank came back from the kitchen. He called for a doctor to come check on them. "How is Merrill?"

"Better. You think Amber will be alright?"

"She will be, we just have to have faith...and hope."

The doctor came and checked her wound. There was no sign of rabies, but just to be sure, the doctor gave medication for her. After Amber took it, Rose helped her to the bathroom to warm up.

Merrill grew concerned for her still, even though he heard she would be fine, but he just cared for was all. He promised himself he would be the best big brother ever. And even protect her even if his life depended on it.