(Note: This chapter will be mgawanyiko, baidisha into multiple parts because it's so long)

Chapter 7: The Lost Tale

“Yeah, just a minute,” Gerald replied.

“What’s going on now?” Humphrey asked.

“Territorial dispute,” Gerald answered. “We can’t decide who gets the lake. I live on the west side of the lake, he lives on the east side.”

“Okay,” Humphrey replied casually, “so just mgawanyiko, baidisha the lake. wewe get the west half, he gets the east half.”

“Oh,” Gerald said, a little embarrassed. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Clearly,” Humphrey remarked. “Now, we need your help.”

“What do wewe need?”

“My Marafiki and I need to a place to stay for a while and we were hoping we could stay in your area.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“Follow me,” Humphrey said, walking back toward the others.

“This is your friend?” Oscar said. “A fox?”

“Guys, it’s fine,” Humphrey reassured them. “We can trust him.”

He then turned to Gerald.

“We were forced out of our pack kwa humans and we need a place to stay.”

“Of course, wewe guys can stay for a while,” Gerald replied. “What, wewe think I wouldn’t help wewe because of what wewe did?”

“Well, it kinda seems like it had a lasting effect,” Humphrey said.

“It’s fine,” Gerald told him. “I’m over that. Come on.”

Gerald led the group to his side of the lake where everyone began to settle in. The siku was starting to wear thin and with night coming, it began to get colder, something which the fog didn’t help much.

“Well, the good news is, Viggo and his men won’t have much luck finding us in all this fog,” Humphrey said, looking around.

“And the bad news is-“ Steven said.

Humphrey turned and saw Jax and Jonas dogpiled on juu of Steven.

“W-what are wewe doing?” he asked, trying to hold in his laughter at how ridiculous and uncomfortable Steven looked.

“It’s called ‘body heat management’. Duh!” Jonas said.

“Or as I like to call it, a thermal dogpile,” Jax added.

“Okay,” Humphrey said, trying to stay focused. “I’m going to do a quick perimeter check, maybe bring back some food. Steven, I want wewe to find shelter for everyone. Night’s coming and it’s going to get colder.”

“Gladly,” Steven alisema as he tried to get up, but Jax and Jonas wouldn’t move.

“Get off me,” Steven told them.

“No,” Jonas refused. “We’re saving your life.”

“I don’t care!”

Steven suddenly jumped up and rushed off, going to look for shelter. Humphrey returned a few dakika later and Steven led him to a lean-to that Viggo had made years zamani when his tent was wrecked in a storm. Not far from that were a few abandoned dens.

“Wow, Steven!” Humphrey said. “You found shelter quickly.”

“I had to,” Steven replied. “It was the only way to keep out of that ‘thermal dogpile’.”

“Are wewe sure it will hold?” Humphrey asked, looking at the trees, which looked old and half-rotted.

“It’s fine, Humphrey,” Steven reassured him, somewhat nervously.

Humphrey gave him a dirty look, knowing that he was probably lying.

“What? I tested it,” Steven lied.

Humphrey sighed as he walked away.

“I did!” Steven continued, following him.

Humphrey then called everyone together and they gathered inayofuata to the lean-to.

“This fog isn’t going to last forever,” he said, “so we’re going to have to find a better place to hide out. Now I suggest-“

“Humphrey, wait,” Kate interjected. “It’s been touch-and-go with Viggo ever since wewe got back, so I understand if wewe haven’t had enough time to explain what happened to you. But now that we have a minute, wewe have to tell us what happened out there.”

Humphrey sighed. Maybe it was time to tell everyone what had happened to him.

“Alright,” he agreed.

“And so begins, The Lost Tale,” Jax alisema dramatically.

“The Lost Tale?” Humphrey questioned.

“Yeah, because none of us know it,” Jax explained. “You’re the only one who knows that it happened.”

“You know what, wewe make a pretty good point,” Humphrey said.

“I do. Wait what was it again?”

Humphrey laughed as he began telling his story.