Sun Mote Copse Bill Barilko disappeared that summer

It was better than Alyx could ever have hoped. Bronco probably felt ridiculous playing the part of hero and villain simultaneously—how difficult it must be to vanquish oneself!—but to his little sister, his acting meant the whole world. She could visually see both the villainous coyote and the brave hero as two separate entities, not just Bronco switching roles. When the time for the brawl came, she could see them both tussling, and she cheered the valiant knight on while jeering at the whimpering coyote. In the end, the brave hero won, as he should.

Bronco might not realize it, but he'd done a better job describing bravery in that imaginary display than he'd conveyed in his words. Bravery meant standing up to the bad guys and defending the good guys, or at least that was the simplified version of it. Regardless, she would remember it always. Yaaaaaaaah!!! cheered Alyx when Bronco grabbed his own tail, and she continued on with a whooped, gi'gon you ugly ceetee!

And because all fairytales ended with the princess kissing the knight, obviously, she rushed her big brother with a happily flailing tongue to kiss his cheeks and his chin.