Fingal lifted his muzzle to the fresh air, sniffing. Reed! He thought. Fingal scooped water up in his paws and rubbed his wet paws on his tangled coat.
"Hey, Fingal!" Fingal's heart swelled.
Not thinking, he turned around and said, "Hi, Reed."
"I'm Needle!" The hedgehog doubled over, laughing.
"Needle," he gasped. "Darn it! Get out of here!"
"Fingal what are you doing?"
He recognized that voice. "Reed."
"No duh, genius," snapped the she-otter.
"Come on! We grew up together," Fingal told her, leaning against a tree.
"Really?" Reed raised an eyebrow. "My parents barely know Padra." Fingal remembered that she didn't remember any of it. Reed was just a little bit younger than he was. When Husk began the culling law, Reed was taken in but Padra saved her. She then grew up with an otter couple but they decided to tell her that she was their daughter. Reed's real parents died protecting her.
"Never mind," Fingal sighed. Padra why did you let them lie to her?
"You're wanted in at the Throne Room. You're supposed to be on guard duty," Reed tittered.
"Ah, I forgot," yawned Fingal, waving his paw, absent-mindedly. "Aw well." He lay down on the grass.
"Come on!" Reed kicked his side gently.
Fingal stood up. "Fine! Holy smokes! Who's guarding with me then?"
"Me, idiot," Reed snapped. "Padra's furious." They began to walk to the castle.
"That Padra's too serious," Fingal yawned.
"Or you're too stupid," Reed muttered.
"Where?" joked Reed.
Fingal grinned. "Dunno. The throne room."
"What ever Fingal," Reed sighed.
Fingal slapped a paw to his head. "Can't you ever be pleased with anything I do?"
"Nope," Reed replied. They walked the rest of the way in silence.