Chapter 4: Friends?

Cheve watched as the big horse kicked the crocodile with such force, that he landed with a huge SPLASH! in the middle of the lake! The crocodile had a bit of blood on his snout, and he swam away in the opposite direction. He looked with awe at the horse's hooves, then looked down at his webbed orange-yellow feet. Cheve sighed. At least they were good for swimming! And tucking in for sleeping.

Suddenly the silence ended as Cheve blurted an apology. "I am so sorry fox! My nest is near here, but my family and I never knew that their were CROCODILES! Or alligators. Whatever. Anyway, I am so sorry!" Cheve said with a pleading look at the fox. It was in Cheve's nature to at least be courteous, even if it was to a predator. 

Wait, fox? Cheve shrieked and flew away again from the potential threat, and landed in the horse's mane.

Scout shuddered from the frequency of the swan's scream and the cold from the lake. He walked a bit back from his 3 new friends and shook himself all over. Even though the sun had dried a bit by now, droplets flew every which way. His now fluffy fur settled back down and he laid down in the reeds, letting the sun warm him. How much he wished he had water-proof fur, like that swan! Then Scout remembered a question that had been bugging him.

"Wait, horse, now we're your friends? You kicked me into a river and almost got me EATEN BY A CROCODILE!" Scout had to take deep breaths to not do something he might regret, in his anger. The horse replied, "Well YEA! I helped ya'll and of course I had to kick you! You were gonna bite me!" "No I was not! I was walking over to you to show you my back right paw! It had bite marks from my family. So I ran away, like you did. I was showing you we had something in common!" Scout yelled back.

The goat stepped forward and said, "Okay everyone. How about we tell each other's stories, our names, and we start fresh? I'll start. My name is-" 

"No way am I talking to any of you in case you might hurt me! Especially fox dude." The swan nearly shouted. 

Bela sighed and tried to find an answer. The least violent answer. "Fine. We have a pact that we protect each other. If the only carnivore, fox, or anyone else tries to eat or hurt any one of us, we protect each other and force the bully to leave. All right?" Everyone nodded.

"Ok. My name is Bela, I am a goat, and I saved the swan from drowning in the river." Bela said.

"I'll go next!" Laddie added. "My name is Laddie, I am a horse, duh, and I saved the goat and swan from being eaten. I used to live in an abusing farm in the south, and I ran away for a while. There was the most delicious grass up there, the best, and you 3 interrupted me. I'm done. Go on." 

The swan cleared his throat and announced, "My name is Cheve. I am a swan, Bela saved me from drowning. My mother and 5 other siblings were swimming in the stream next to the river, but those human boys blocked it, so we had to find a way up the rocks and fly. I was so curious though. How much food was in the river? So after my family flew to the lake and beyond, I guess we were supposed to migrate, since they aren't here. But I slipped into the river and the rocks knocked me unconscious." Cheve's voice at the end cracked from talking so much.

Than the fox took the imaginary microphone and started talking. "Hello, everyone sorry for the bad start to our friendship, and thank you all from saving me from the crocodile. My name is Scout, I'm a lone fox, and my family group was mean to me so I broke off and started my new, but happy, life. And by the way, thank you for asking, no I am not hurt from Laddie's kick. Only a bruise I guess." Scout said sarcastically.

Bela exclaimed "Yay! So now, I guess we make a pretty good team. I think we should stick together. Come on guys! I feel it. This is the start of a beautiful friendship. Plus, we have no one else to go to. Sorry Cheve and Scout, about your family." 

Cheve's eyes were wet from unshed tears but he bravely said, even though his voice trembled, "This is my new family now, I guess."

Scout just shook his head and said, "I don't care for them anymore. They pretty much abandoned me, so I am happy." 

"So, is that a yes? Come on Laddie!" Bela squealed. "Uh, fine." Laddie spoke in a southern drawl.

"BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!" Bela screeched happily.