"Henry, it's time." "Which one did you say moved?" "The one on the left." " Aw." " Aw." "You're a Poppa." "You're a momma." "Hmm?" "You little sneak." "Hello, Libby." "Libby." "Hmm?" "Hello, Buck." "He's got your eyes." "Get out of there, you little prickle bush." "All right, this is gonna be a big one." "Hmm?" "Hello, Arlo." "Come on out." "Look at you." "Buck!" "Whoa!" "That's Clawtooth Mountain." "And this is our farm." "And we're all gonna take care of it together." " What?" " Gotcha!" "Libby!" "Ha-ha!" "Ooh!" "Ha-ha." "Gotcha back!" "Momma, I'm done watering." "Good job, Libby." "Buck, get back to your chores." " What?" " Thanks, Buck." "But I..." "I..." "You're all set." "Can't I do something else, Momma?" " Get going." " Okay." "Who is that?" "Oh!" "Hey, Eustice." "Aw, you stuck, little guy?" "Let me get that for you." "You're free." "Hello, move." "Go find your poppa and your..." "Momma!" "Whoa." "The river's not something to mess around with there, Arlo." "Be careful." "What's the problem?" "Poppa, Henrietta is the worst one in the coop!" "Yesterday you said Footless Fran was the worst." "She's only got one foot." "You don't have to like 'em, Arlo." "You just have to feed 'em." "That should do it." "Now, this will keep them rotten critters from stealing our food because I made this silo 100% critter-proof." "Put your mark on there, Henry." "You earned it." " Yeah, Poppa, do it!" "Come on!" " Yeah!" "Only if your momma does it first." "If anyone's earned a mark around here, it's her." "Did you just put your mark higher than mine?" "What?" "No." "It's just the angle you're looking at it." "The "angle," huh?" " Ooh, ooh." "Me too!" " Me, me, me!" "My turn!" "My turn!" "Now hold on." "It's not that easy." "You've got to earn your mark by doing something big." "For something bigger than yourself." "Someday you'll all make your mark and I can't wait to see it." "That is how you clear a field." "Attaboy, Buck." "He'll figure it out." "Be just fine." "Go on, Buck." "You earned it." "Good job, son." "You've got it, Libby!" "Just a little bit more." " Beautiful." " You earned your mark, sweetheart." "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" "Arlo!" "He'll get there." "All right, you cluckers, you're about to get fed." " Arlo." " Huh?" " Come here." " Buck!" "What happened?" "I came to help you with your chores." "And then they attacked." " You're gonna be okay." " Tell Momma I love her." "I see a light." "I'll go get help!" "Oh, you should see your face!" "I should've known!" " Always got to mess me up." " Me?" "You mess up your chores and everyone else's." " You're such a coward." " Buck!" "I ain't a coward." "And I'm gonna make my mark." "Just like you, and Libby, and everyone!" "You will, darling." "You just need a little more time." "Forget it." "I didn't even want that dumb mark anyway." "I got an idea." "Arlo." "Arlo." "Wake up." "Huh?" "Come with me." "Uh..." " Where are we going?" " You'll see." "Okay, now take a walk out there." " By myself?" " Go on." "Poppa." "Poppa." "Calm down." "Breathe." "Oh." "Sometimes you got to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side." "Wow." "I got a new job for you tomorrow." "That is if you still want to make your mark." "The dang wilderness critter's coming over the fence, eating our food, and I've had it up to my snout." "If this keeps up, we won't have enough food to survive the winter." "That's why you are gonna catch that critter." "Then along comes a critter..." "And this is how you're gonna finish the job." "When that critter's taken care of, you'll put your mark on the silo right next to mine." "I'll take care of the critter, Poppa." "It won't stand a chance." "What are you doing, you bug?" "Get out of here." "Huh!" "Move along, leaf." "Move along." "You're dead, critter." "Okay." "You're free." "What are you doing?" "Just leave!" "Flee!" "Stay back!" "Go!" "Whoa." "Arlo!" "Why'd you let it go?" "It was biting, and coming at me, and screeching, and..." "You had a job to do." "You got to get over your fear, Arlo, or you won't survive out here." "Come on." "We're gonna finish your job right now." " Out there?" " Get over." "But, Poppa, what if we get lost?" "As long as you can find the river, you can find your way home." "What do you see?" "Uh, tracks?" "And they're washing out, we got to move!" "We're losing it!" "Arlo, keep moving!" "Poppa, wait." "Arlo, what did I say about keeping..." "It's okay." "It's okay, Arlo." "I'm sorry." "I just wanted you to get through your fear." "I know you have it in you." "But I'm not like you." "You're me and more." "I think we went far enough today." "Storm's getting worse." "Let's get you home." "Arlo, move!" "Run, Arlo!" "Poppa!" "Poppa!" "Poppa!" "Poppa!" "Momma!" "If we don't get this harvest in before the first snow, we won't have enough food for winter." "I know it's hard without Poppa, but I need you to do more, Arlo." "Don't worry, Momma." "I won't let us starve." "You're a good son." "Huh?" " You!" " Huh?" "You've got some nerve coming here." "It's all your fault!" "My poppa would still be alive if it weren't for you!" "Help!" "Momma!" "Momma!" "Momma!" "Momma?" "Momma!" "You!" "I should've killed you the first time." "This is all your fault." "Get over here." "Get over here." "Get away." "Get away." "Get away." "Get away!" "That's right." "You better run!" "Where am I?" "Where's home?" "Oh." "As long as you can find the river, you can find your way home." "You again?" "Get out of here." "Ugh!" "I told you to stay away from me." "I am still gonna squeeze the life out of you." "But before I do, can you find me some more?" "Uh, here, more of these." "You know..." "No." "Stop." "What are you doing?" "Hey, wait." "Can you take me to the berries?" "Where are you going?" "I knew it." "I'm gonna die out here." "Because of you." "Hey." "Hey." "What are you doing?" "No, no, no." "Stop!" "Hey." "Hey." "No." "Stop!" "Ooh." "Ow." "Ow." "Why you little..." "Come back here!" "Berries!" "Oh!" "What's with you?" "They're right here." "Crazy critter." "Hello." "Hello?" "We've been watching you." "We thought you were going to die, but then you didn't." "That creature protected you." " Why?" " I don't know." "I'm going home." "Do you know how far Clawtooth Mountain is?" "Good idea." "We want him." "Why?" "Because it's terrifying out here." "He can protect me like my friends." "This is Fury." "He protects me from the creatures that crawl in the night." "This is Destructor." "She protects me from mosquitoes." "This is Dream Crusher." "He protects me from having unrealistic goals." "And this is Debbie." "Yes, we need him." "What is his name?" "A name?" "I don't know." "Hmm." "Then I will meditate on this." "Hmm..." "I name him, I keep him." "Hmm..." "Killer." "Hmm..." "Beast." "Hmm..." "Murderer." " Hmm..." " Uh..." "Grubby!" " Funeral Planner?" " Uh, Cootie!" " Hmm..." "Hemorrhoid." " Uh, Squirt!" " Uh, Frank!" " Stinky!" " Maniac!" " Funky!" " Violet." " Spike!" " Lunatic." " Spot!" "Spot!" "Come here, Spot." "Come here." "He is named." "You clearly are connected." "Good for you." "On your path to Clawtooth Mountain that creature will keep you safe." "Don't ever lose him." "No." "No." "You can't have him, Debbie." "No, no, no." "Debbie!" "Debbie!" "Stop!" "You're better than this." "No, no, no!" "Come back!" "Debbie!" "Where are you going?" "I need to get home." "Ow!" "Huh?" "Ugh..." "Spot, watch this." "Oh." "Huh?" "Huh?" "I miss..." "I miss my family." "Family." "That's me." "There's Libby." "And Buck." "And Momma." "And..." "And Poppa." "Family." "Huh?" "You don't understand." "That's okay." "Yes." "That's your family." "I miss him." "Oh..." "We should stop." "Stop!" "Arlo, move." "Run, Arlo!" "Where's the river?" "I've lost the river." "I'm never getting home." "I'm never getting home." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Aw, say, friend, are you wounded?" "No." "I'm not hurt." "Oh, good." "Thank goodness for that." "Uh, Coldfront, Downpour, keep looking for wounded folk." "Wait." "I'm lost." "I need to get home." "Clawtooth Mountain." "Uh..." "Clawtooth Mount..." "Oh, you mean the mountain range with the three points." " Yes!" " Yeah!" "Oh, yeah." "I've been there." "Uh, but you know, kid..." "Mmm." "You're not even close." "Still, I know the way." "My name's Arlo." "I'm sorry." "I just..." "I used to have a name like that once." "That was before I started following the storm!" "The storm?" "The storm swept me out." "I was afraid for my life, but the storm gave me a relevation." "And I wasn't scared anymore." "You mean a revelation?" "No!" "A relevation." "Okay?" "I was at a real low point." "You know?" "And the storm swept me up to a real high point, and then left me at a higher relevation." "Wow." "Yeah, wow." "That's when the storm gave me my new name because..." "What do we say?" "The storm provides." "The storm provides." "You can call me Thunderclap." "Thunderclap." "Can you help me get home?" "Uh, yeah, well..." "Uh, maybe." "Oh!" "But first, we just need to check the area." "There's plenty of folks in a bad way after a storm like this, don't you know?" "Uh, Thunderclap, I found someone!" "Over here!" "You know, we could use your help, friend." "Uh..." "Whoa!" "Yeah!" "That is great." "It's a critter." "Ah!" "A freed critter." "Thanks to you." "You know, I just want to take a moment and thank the storm for this meal." "Don't think you can mess with me." "I've seen the eye of the storm!" "And I forgot what fear is!" "I'm not afraid of anything." "No, I didn't say you were." "Hey, where are you going, friend?" "I'm..." "I need to get home." "And I said we would get you home." "Friend, you have a critter of your own." "Oh, I smell it." "One of the juicy ones." "Where is it?" "He's hiding." "Over there." "By that big rock." " The storm provides." " No!" " Spot!" " Get him!" "Hey, slow down." "There's no place to hide, yellow belly." "Come back with that critter!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" " Hey, you okay, kid?" " Yes." "I hate those kind." "Lying sons of crawdads picking on a kid." "Well, ain't you just the cutest thing." "He likes you." "Imagine that, Ramsey." "Even with your stinky face." "Nash!" "Boundaries." "This is my personal bubble." "Nah, that ain't your bubble." "This is your bubble." "Nash, get out of your sister's bubble." "You got no business being out here." "Yes, sir." "I don't." "I'm trying to get home, but I lost the river." "Please, my momma needs me." " Take it easy, kid." " Do you know where the river is?" "What river?" "There's tons of rivers around these parts." "By Clawtooth Mountain." "It has three points." "Don't know that one." "We're heading south to a watering hole." "Come with us." "Someone there might help you." "We ain't got time for baby-sitting, we got longhorns to round up." "My genius brother lost our whole herd in one day." "I did not lose them, Ramsey." "How many times I got to tell you this?" "They just wandered off." "We still got to find them." "We can't help you, kid." "Wait!" "But what if we could help you?" "Spot can sniff out anything." "I've seen him do it." "He can find your longhorns." "Hey!" "Come on, Spot." "Sniff it out, boy." "Good boy, Spot." "He's got something." "Aw, dang." "Hey, kid, if you're pulling my leg, I'm gonna eat yours." " He found the herd." " Whoo-whee!" "We got 'em." "Wait, do longhorns have feathers?" "Rustlers." "Rustlers?" "We got to move." "Yah!" "I don't see any rustlers." "They're out there." "So, how far did you say that watering hole was?" " I got a job for you." " I'm not really good at jobs." "I need you to keep on the dodge and sidle up the loblolly, past them hornheads just hooting and a hollering, and score off them rustlers." "We'll cut dirt and get the bulge on them." "What?" "He just wants you to get on that rock and scream." "Uh, but who's out there?" "They'll come right at you." "You hold your ground." "Don't move." "Don't move?" "What if they have claws and big teeth?" "Don't overthink it." "Howdy." " What are you up to, boy?" " Nothing." "Nothing?" "Oh!" "What's your name?" "Uh, Arlo." "Well, Arlo, you don't look like you're doing nothing." "What's he look like he's doing to you, Lurleane?" "Oh, come on, Bubbha." "Ask me." "Ask me what I think they're doing." "Pervis, shut your mouth!" "Ah, looks like he's trespassing." "And what do we do with trespassers?" "Tell them, Earl." "We kill them!" "I got you!" "Nash, the herd!" "Yah!" "Yah!" "Yah!" "Giddy up." "Come on now." "Giddy up!" "Yah!" "Watch out!" "Nobody steals our longhorns." "Finders keepers." "Yee-ha!" "Come on now." "Momma wants to play with you." "I know you're there." "I can smell you." "Oh." "Oh, shoot!" "That's my favorite tooth!" "I'm gonna love ending you!" "Come on, we got to drive this herd out of here." "Yah!" "Come on now." "Aren't you the cutest?" "You and that critter showed real grit today." "We could use that critter." "How about we trade?" "I'll give you my harmonica for him." "Thanks, but Spot ain't for trading." "Come here, Spot." "Come here." "Your loss." "That's a good one." "Gonna scar up real good." "That's nothing." "Look at this!" "I run into 15 outlaw stegos." "They're all bigger than me and meaner than me." "What happened?" "Fought 'em off, of course." "Was winning, too." "Then one gets his dang spikey tail stuck in my foot and pulls!" " Whoa." " Still can't feel my toes." "Which comes in handy when you're kicking piles of bull..." "She's jealous." "Jealous?" "Ha!" "Once a stampede of longhorns was coming right at me, but my tail was stuck between a rock and a hard place." "I was dead for sure." "So I chewed the dang thing off!" "Who does that?" "Nobody does that!" "You're crazy!" "I'm surprised you don't have one right across your face." "Butch, how'd you get your scar?" "I don't know if you're ready for that story." "I can take it." " Oh, yeah." "You got to tell him, Pa!" " That's a good one!" "It was 100 degrees in the shade." "I walked for five days with no water." "Then I saw it." "A pretty pond." "I bent down to take a drink, when these crocs launched out of the water." "One croc bit me on the face." "Ain't no way I wasn't its supper except for one thing," "I wasn't ready for dying that day." "I bit one croc in half, tail-whipped the other, and the last one..." "Well, I drowned that croc in my own blood." " Whoa." " Dang!" "Ooh!" "Look, look, gives me little goosies every time." "I love that story!" "Show him your souvenir." "Ain't that just too good?" " Can I touch it this time?" " No." "Huh." "You guys would have liked my poppa." "He wasn't scared of anything." "I'm done being scared." "Who said I'm not scared?" "But you took on a croc!" "And I was scared doing it." "If you ain't scared of a croc biting you on the face, you ain't alive." "Listen, kid, you can't get rid of fear." "It's like Mother Nature, you can't beat her or outrun her, but you can get through it." "You can find out what you're made of." "The first snow." "It's early this year." "And I got to get home to Momma." "We'll get you to that watering hole." "A deal's a deal." "At first light, we ride." " Let's go!" " Yah!" "Hey, kid, head 'em off before those longhorns split." "Yah!" "There it is!" "Clawtooth Mountain!" "There's home!" "Whoo-whee!" "We've got to drive this herd down south." "You hurry on back to your momma." "And don't stop for nothing!" "Thanks!" "I sure appreciate you looking out for me!" "You'll be all right." "You're one tough kid." "Oh!" "Whoa!" "Whoo-hoo!" "Whoo!" "Whoa." "Wow." "It's so close." "We're almost there, Spot!" "We need to get home." "You're gonna love it, Spot." "You'll have a warm place to sleep." "Right next to me." "And all the corn you can eat." "There's lots of space to run around." "It'll be your farm, too." "We'll all look after it together." "I can't." "No!" "Spot!" "Spot!" "Spot!" "No!" "Spot!" "Poppa?" "Poppa?" "You're alive?" "I can't believe it." "It's you." "My friend!" "Spot!" "He helped me and now he's in trouble." "We have to go back." "Poppa, stop." "Stop!" "Poppa?" "You're not here." "I'm scared." "But Spot needs me." "I blamed him for what happened to you, but it wasn't his fault." "So I got to go help him." "Because I love him." "I knew you had it in you." "You're me and more." "Now go take care of that critter." "Back off!" "Well, look who got relevated." "Go get him." "Spot." "Spot!" "The storm provides." "Spot!" "Spot!" "Spot!" "We're home, Spot." "Henry?" "Arlo." "Arlo!"