The black van was driving down the road driven by a bald man in a suit. In the back was a fox lady with purple fur and 3 tails. She was dressed in black and was playing an accordion. On her left was a mujina (badger) guy who was barely holding onto a bassoon, his head leaning on the window, drooling in his sleep. On her right was a bake-danuki (tanuki) lady who was holding a tambourine on her lap.
The bake-danuki looked at the mujina and told the kitsune, "Better make sure Yuki over there doesn't lean his head over you. His out like a log and drooling all over the place, Haru."
The kitsune shifted in her seat. "Sakura, I will be alright. A little spittle is not going to hurt me." Yuki snored a little louder, proving Sakura's point.
The driver looked out the window. "Hmm, Drillsbury Farms on our right has pegasi flying towards us. They look like Pegasus Patrol."
Hare squinted her eyes. "Is that a train flying into the ground?"
The driver said, "All I am doing is keeping my eyes on the road."
"That house looks like it is on fire." Sakura commented. "I wonder why the police have been called yet."
Haru then said, "We need to drive over and investigate. The only way for a train to fly into the ground without crashing is only if there is a portal. And with pegasi patrol officers flying towards us. There must be a big problem over there."
"You don't think it is Guardaria?" Sakura asked. "Haru, your brother supposedly vanished into Guardaria but how do we know he's still alive after all these years.
"I would like to chance it. We've already hosted three funerals today, if Haruto is found dead, we'll play for him." the kitsune insisted. "Bruno, take us to the farm."
"Yes boss." he replied. He drove them over to the dirt road and they looked at the barn. No one was there but they found a building with broken windows.
Yuki yawned and stretched. "We home yet?"
"No, Yuki, Haru is looking for her brother again. She thinks she found a portal to Guardaria." Sakura said.
"As long as there's food and a place to sleep, I'm fine with that." he yawned. The car stopped at the house and the four looked saw the front door hanging open. Haru stepped into the building with Sakura and Yuki following her. She sniffed the air and said, "People have just died here. From over there I smell a pegasus. Over where Yuki is standing in the kitchen is a insect, grasshopper man?"
"Weird." Yuki said as he noticed a broken glass jar of flour on the ground. Haru followed the smells outside and led the ground to he massive dirt mound.
The pegasus was just buried here. There is a grave marker that reads "Courtney". must have been a female patrol officer.
"I found another one that is more human shaped called "Brewster-Experiment #3012" Yuki pointed out. "He must have been a human who was one of those spectroit experiments we've heard stories about."
Sakura pointed out, "Over there, I can see something in the barn house." The trio ran over to the barn and saw what ashes on the ground.
Haru smelled and choked. "Demon ashes! What the hell happened here?"
"Obviously there was a battle here, now we need to find that portal before it closes up." Sakura said. The band scouted the farm until they found a ten foot wide hole in the ground, below 100 feet below them, was another world."
"Aha! Guardaria!" Haru pointed out.
"We cannot just jump down there!" Yuki cried out. "We'll be flattened like pancakes!"
Haru was already writing kana on papers. She led them to the van and stuck them on. "Now, our van can fly down there without us tumbling to our demise. Let's hop in!"
"I hope you know what your doing!" Sakura replied nervously.
"Your orders?" Bruno asked.
"To the portal to your left and keep driving, we'll float down to Guardaria." Haru instructed.
"As you wish, miss." Their driver drove his van over to the portal and the two held onto Haru who only smiled. The van drove down the whole and next thing they noticed was that they were drifting through the air over barren wastelands. The kana magic was already doing its work.
Yuki muttered, "I don't think your brother would be here, too lifeless."
"It looks like nothing has grown here for centuries." Sakura commented.
"Hey, I see a building that looks like an Inn or something. We can stay for the night." Yuki suggested.
Haru shook her head and giggled, "You and you stomach. On the other hand, I agree we need to rest and look for somewhere safe to stay." The van landed on the ground and they found a wooden sign outside of the building that read "Waste Not, Want Not Inn". Bruno stepped out of the car to join them.
Haru knocked on the door. "Just open it, all are welcome!" a female voice said on the other side. She opened it and a humanoid plump female griffon with beige wings was balancing a tray with cups, greeted them. She gave them a warm and cheery smile and placed her hand on her hip.
"Welcome to the 'Waste Not, Want Not Inn'! Currently, nobody is here so all rooms are vacant!"
Yuki said, "I'm hungry, have any salami?"
"We are looking for a place to stay for the night for the four of us." Haru said.
"That'll be twenty dollars." she answered.
Sakura handed the griffoness the money. "What's your name?"
"Brunhilda Maybreeze." she replied. "I recommend the boys get one room and the girls get the other two save space in case other wary travelers come over looking for a place to stay."
She gave them two keys, "12" and "14" and they walked to the second floor. Haru and Sakura looked at the room. It was old fashioned but comfortable. "I feel I am going to actually find him this time. I can feel it in my bones." Haru said to herself.

End of Chapter