"That's the thing, dad." The tears were falling at a rapid rate from her eyes but the penguin didn't bother to wipe them away. "They're gone!"

"What?" Came the chorus.

"What do you mean," Skipper's nonexistent brows furrowed as he took a step toward Raven, "'they're gone'?"

"One minute," Raven sniffed and looked up at him, "Stace and Bec and I were getting their food ready, the next, they're gone! There's not a trace of them!"

"We're really sorry, guys," Stacy started before breaking out into sobs and Becky finished for her.

"We didn't mean to let them out of our sight."

Marlene placed a paw each on their shoulders, patting them and pulling them into a hug.

"It's okay, girls." Even after all the hullabaloo with badgers, the trio decided to make up and be friends again. "It's not your fault."

"Hoover Dam, it is!" Marlene frowned and turned to Skipper with paws on her hips.

"Skipper. No. Why don't you go and search for clues or something?"

"Good idea, doll." Skipper gestured to Kowalski, Rico and Private. "Move out, men!" He belly slid away, followed by the other three.

Maurice jumped down from the platform and followed after them.

"I'm coming too!"


"How could they disappear like that?" Kowalski murmured after the group of five had looked around and waddled to his lab.

"It could only be Blowhole!" Skipper exclaimed, glaring at the tv, as if expecting it to turn on and show the blasted mammal. "He's the only one who knows how hard this would be to me!"

"Or Hans?" Skipper turned to Maurice, who was just as worried as the other. "He's your frenemy, isn't he?"

"Cl'ms'n?" Rico added and both Maurice and Skipper stared at him. "Wha?"

"Clemson?" Both fathers repeated, looked at each other, and back at Rico.

"Clemson, soldier? Really?" The penguin shrugged indifferently.

"Jus' sayin'."

"NO!" The cry made the three animals turn to the laboratory door as Private's head popped out.

"Um," Private called to them with an unsure look, "you guys might want to...um..." He popped back in, and Skipper, Maurice and Rico hurried after him into the lab.

"What's wrong, Private?" Skipper asked the younger bird, but before he could answer, Kowalski came marching up to them angrily.

"What's wrong?!" The penguin dropped something before them. "Why don't you ask him?!"

"Uh," big yellow brown eyes looked up at them and the owner shyly waved to them, "hello, penguins. And Maurice."

"Mort," the lemur narrowed his eyes at him, "what are you doing here?"

"Uh...nothing." The mouse lemur looked down at the ground and played with his tail. Maurice raised a brow at him and Kowalski snorted loudly before pulling out a small light blue blanket.

"Then what were you doing with this?" Maurice took the blanket from the penguin and ran a paw down the soft and worn cloth.

"This is Zex's." Maurice held it out before Mort. "Where did you get this, Mort?"

"Uh..."

"Mort," Skipper narrowed his eyes at the small lemur, who started to cower under his steely gaze, "where did you get that?"

"The king said I could have it if I could be the distraction." He squeaked out and crawled into a ball. Private sighed when he noticed that the others were close to pounding the poor animal, and even though he was also angry, he didn't want the lemur to get hurt because of someone else's mistake, if it was a mistake. He stepped forward to the animal, who stepped back.

"Distraction for what, Mort?" Private softly asked, trying hard to control his anger.

"The king said that he was just going to bring the babies for a walk...I was just supposed to stay here and keep you guys busy."

How did the girls miss Mort? Private thought as he stared at the lemur, who was close to tears now.

"A walk?!" Skipper suddenly blurted out, making the others jump, for he had been quiet for a long time. "Is he crazy?!"

"Where," Private turned back to Mort, careful to keep his eye on Skipper, "Mort?"

The lemur pointed slowly up. "T-to th-the park. you know, where Marlene can't go. And where the badgers won't go too because of Marlene's scary side."

"Park!" Skipper barked before sliding out, followed closely by Maurice, still holding the blanket. Rico followed quietly and Kowalski shook his head at the lemur before doing the same. Private sighed again, turned to the confused but relieved lemur.

"Sorry, Mort." He then slid after the others, leaving Mort alone in the laboratory.

"Can I still keep the blanket?" Nobody answered him.