The Story of the Footprints

## Synopsis

Bjorn heads back to Minnesota to visit his family for Christmas. While on a hike with his sister Lenea and her best friend Anya, Lenea suddenly says she's too out of breath to keep going and heads back to the house, leaving Bjorn and Anya alone. Bjorn and Anya then discover a lost baby big foot and manage to lead it back to its mom before heading back to the house to continue their Christmas break.

## Episode Description

Bjorn goes home to visit his family of dragon knights, only to end up chasing a cryptid through the woods with someone who isn't a magical creature.

## Key Events

* Bjorn flies back to see his family in Minnesota. They are all Dragon Knights, apart from his brother Harold who was born non-magical.
* Bjorn, Lenea, and Anya go on a hike. Not long after they start, Lenea heads back to the house, leaving Bjorn and Anya alone.
* Bjorn and Anya find a lost baby big foot and, with the covert help of his family, lead it back to the momma big foot.

## Summary

Bjorn is heading home to see his family for Christmas. He walks through the terminal, grabs his bag, and then spots a large group of people waiting for him. They yell "Gunnar, over here!" to get his attention. Bjorn sees his parents Gustav and Astrid, his sister Lenea, his twin brothers Harold and Hamar, and another brother Otto. The only one missing is his youngest brother Axel - who isn't there because he's still in high school.

As Bjorn approaches, he wordlessly unzips his jacket to reveal a shirt that says "I'm Mom's Favorite." All of his other siblings unzip their jacket and reveal the exact same shirt, giving him a smug look. They all hug and greet each other. As they walk out to their cars, Lenea says that she needs to pick someone up and she'll meet them at the house.

It takes about an hour for them to drive to Bjorn's parent's new house in Minnesota. They've moved into a smaller, lake house now that they only have one kid living with them full time. The inside of the house is heavily decorated for Christmas with presents already under the tree. Bjorn and his brothers begin to play a game of Risk after they settle in and catch up. Bjorn's family are all Dragon Knights except for Harold, who was born non-magical. They don't know everything about what Bjorn does, but they know that he was in Afghanistan, something bad happened there, he returned home, and is now working for the Council taking care of monsters. Bjorn tells his family about the Rifts, how frequent they are, and some of the monsters that he's handled.

Eventually, Lenea arrives at the house with her best friend Anya. Anya and Lenea are now roommates in college after bonding in school as kids. Anya seems excited to see Bjorn and asks if he's been catching any criminals lately, under the assumption he works for the FBI. Lenea says that Anya will be staying there for a few days. The family has a nice Christmas dinner and then goes to sleep for the night. In the morning, their mom makes pancakes for them all. Afterward, Lenea suggests that they go for a hike. Bjorn agrees, saying it's a great day to explore. Anya agrees it sounds like a good idea.

They start at the lake by the house and then move their way out toward the edge of the property. After some time hiking around, Lenea suddenly says that she's feeling winded and tired from doing long hours at the hospital for her residency. She heads back to the house, leaving Bjorn and Anya alone. Bjorn asks Anya about how her graduate school is going for marine biology. They begin to make small talk as they continue their hike.

As they crest a hill, Anya spots something. She says she thinks she saw a white animal. They reach where Anya saw the animal and Bjorn spots a set of big, thick footprints walking too and from the water. They look like humanoid feet, but oddly wide. Anya asks Bjorn what he thinks it is and sheepishly admits that she thought it was a big foot because it looked like a gorilla. Bjorn tries to play it off. He knows that a big foot is definitely an option based on the tracks, however it must be a small one. Anya asks if they should follow the tracks. Bjorn doesn't think it's a wise idea and Anya asks if he's scared. Bjorn denies he is and Anya starts following the tracks.

Bjorn takes the lead and Anya follows behind. Bjorn follows the tracks to a clearing and sees a moving flash of white. They look ahead and see a creature that looks like a gorilla, covered in white fur. Its face is oddly humanoid but also dog-like. Bjorn pulls Anya into the tree line so they can observe it safely without being spotted. The creature is walking around, calling out for something. Eventually, a white albino squirrel jumps out of the tree and onto the creature's shoulder. They seem happy to have found each other and begin to play before the creature seems to be distressed.

Bjorn doesn't think that the creature is a threat as they watch. He suddenly realizes that this is a baby big foot and that it must be lost, separated from its parent. Bjorn tells Anya that he thinks the 'animal' is lost. He tells Anya to stay here while he calmly approaches the big foot. He gets about 10 feet away from the baby big foot and greets it by waving a hand. It waves back. Bjorn tries to use magic to speak with the creature but can't get the spell quite right. Bjorn turns around to check on Anya and admits he doesn't know what to do.

Anya approaches and talks with the creature. The baby big foot seems to like Anya and grabs her hand. Anya asks where they should take it and Bjorn isn't sure. They start following its tracks back. Anya leads the baby big foot and suggests that Bjorn grab its other hand so they can keep a hold of it. They head back toward the lake where they started. He starts to text his family and tell them what's going on. His family starts to fly out and sweep the area ahead of them to try and find the mom. It's not too long before his family locates the mom and tells Bjorn where it's at. They push the mom closer to Bjorn and Anya. Soon they hear the sounds of the mom nearby. They let go of the baby big foot and Anya encourages it to go find its mom. The baby takes off toward the mother.

Bjorn and Anya slowly follow the baby to make sure it gets there and soon spot the mother through the trees. It is a 12 foot tall creature with a humanoid and wolfish face with a gorilla body. As they're watching the big foots reunite, Anya bumps her hand into Bjorn's hand. Bjorn doesn't catch her hint. Anya asks if they should tell their family or if this should be their secret. Bjorn agrees this should be their secret and they shake on it. They then make their way back to the house.

Arriving back at the house, Lenea and Anya share a 'look' and Lenea asks how the rest of their hike went. Bjorn coolly plays it of as if nothing happened, even though he knows that his whole family knows.

## List of Appearances

* Bjorn Olafson
* Gustav Knudtson
* Astrid Knudtson
* Lenea Knudtson
* Harold Knudtson
* Hamar Knudtson
* Otto Knudtson
* Axel Knudtson
* Anya Fiske