Padding silently through the forest, Tiberius had his gaze fixed on the ground. He was finally on his way home. Literally once he had finished dealing with Bearded Dragon and Turkey fighting over Ricky's burial site, he was called in to save the herd of mountain goats from Ozone and then he had to fix Pepe's house since it got trampled by the kids earlier. The griffin was exhausted and wanted nothing more than sleep. But he knew that he could be arriving home to a possible argument.

Pain pierced Tiberius's heart as he recalled the fight between him and Norman. At the time he had been so angry. Thankfully, he managed to calm down while chasing Ozone off the territory again. Now he felt regret sitting like a stone in his stomach. The griffin hated himself for losing his temper in front of his son. For all he knew, Norman could hate him for the rest of his life. Pausing, Tiberius glanced over at the setting sun and closed his eyes. How could he have been so stupid and rash?

"Good afternoon your majesty," Leonard's voice sang out. His hackles raising, Tiberius rolled his eyes. Oh great, just what he needed right now. "Greetings Leonard," the griffin grumbled. Trotting over to the mythical creature, the white deer bowed his head and reported, "Pepe told me I should find ya on route to his house. The kids have returned home safely sir."

"What do you want? A gold star?" Tiberius questioned sarcastically, flicking one ear. Walking away, he went on, "I'm sorry Leonard if you want to chat but I do not like talking to you. Besides, I want to go home. Norman's waiting for me." Pawing at the dirt with one hoof, Leonard mumbled sheepishly, "Are... are you sure about that sir?"

Tiberius stopped in his tracks when he heard that. A bad feeling was building up inside him. The griffin slowly turned around and faced Leonard. The white deer was staring at the forest floor beneath his hooves, unable to look the Forest King in the eye. "Leonard," Tiberius growled in a low voice, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"I'm not the one with the details sir, my daughter is," Leonard replied quietly. He gestured towards the bushes with a simple toss of his head. At the same exact moment, Princess stepped out into the clearing with her head bowed. Padding closer to the deer family, Tiberius sat down. Lifting her chin up with his taloned forepaw, the griffin looked the fawn in the eye and asked softly, "Princess? What is it?"

"We were coming back from our field trip around the territory when I heard it. The rumors," Princess spoke quietly. Her ears laying flat, she continued, "I heard some of the kids were planning on going back to the Fence this evening." Tiberius quickly sent a glare at Leonard. The white deer murmured, "Yeah, I'll take the blame for this sir. But there is more you need to hear."

"Like what? And how does this involve Norman?" Tiberius demanded, his tail lashing. It was Princess who answered his question, "It was Norman's idea sir. I heard the other kids. He must've told Little Blue or George to come meet up at the Fence and those two went on to tell the whole class. If I were to guess, it sounds like half of us are going. I was so scared I told my dad on the way to our home."

"Speaking of home, are you absolutely sure that Norman is at your home sir?" Leonard asked worriedly. "Of course he is. I told him to stay," Tiberius insisted. He knew his son. Norman would never disobey a direct order. But the scared faces on both deer was making him think otherwise. His fur and feathers bristling with fear, the griffin murmured, "Can... can you guys excuse me for a second?" Both deer nodded their heads. Mumbling a quick thank you, Tiberius dashed home.

"Norman!" Tiberius shouted upon arriving at the thicket den. There was no response. And it appeared that Norman wasn't in the main portion of the den either. Heart pounding, the griffin frantically searched the three tunnels inside his home. It was no use though. Still no sign of Norman. Coming back outside, he found Leonard and Princess bounding over. Panicking, he exclaimed, "He's not here!"

"Come on! We better get to that Fence before those kids get into serious trouble!" Leonard called. The white deer led the charge, his daughter and the Forest King hot on his tail. Running through the forest alongside the two deer, Tiberius prayed they got there in time.