In accordance with his long held philosophy that a person's clothes made them who they were, Chad adjusted his tie and smoothed his tuxedo as the limousine turned into Shang and Mulan's driveway. Smiling self-assuredly, he reminded himself that Lonnie was lucky to have him. Right now, she lived in a mansion, but soon she would live in a castle.
"You got this," he murmured softly. Whatever made him agree to Man Camp in the first place? He didn't need to learn how to be a man; he already was one! Had Mal secretly spelled him to go along with whatever her boyfriend wanted?
"Hey, Chad!" Shang greeted him enthusiastically as he stepped out of the limo and thrust a brown paper sack into his hands.
"I'm afraid the clothes that you're wearing aren't suited for what we'll be doing this week," he explained, "so I took the liberty to ask your mom to send something else over. She came by yesterday with these." He patted Chad's back, "You go inside and change while I explain a few more things to Mulan, then we'll be on our way."
"Change my clothes?" Chad echoed, "But, I thought-"
"Yeah," Shang grinned, waving him off, "Get going."
Chad stood rooted to the spot as Shang jogged around the side of the house, then shook his head to clear his jumbled thoughts and hurried inside; his heart pounding so loud that he was sure everyone on the block could hear it.
His mother had brought over clothes for him? Where did she get them? He hadn't noticed anything missing from his closet. And why hadn't she told him?
"No matter," he muttered, shaking his head again, "Mom knows what I like to wear."
But when he opened the sack, his jaw dropped. There were no fashionable clothes inside, just the most old-fashioned outfit that Chad had ever seen! And they looked like they hadn't seen the light of day for fifty years!
His hand immediately went into his pocket to call his mother for an explanation, then remembered that he'd lost his phone again.
Well, I hope that you're happy, mother!" he fumed, fighting to hold himself together as he changed, "I really hope that you're happy!" Checking himself in the mirror before returning outside, his face flamed to a scarlet color. Chad Charming was definitely not in the reflection!
"Chad! I'm so glad that I got to see you before you guys head out for the week!" Mulan called, as he emerged. Running over to him, she threw her arms around him and laughed with joy "I hope you have a wonderful time, and you tell me if Shang is too rough on you!"
"Who me?" Shang teased, laughing as he came up behind them, "Never! Chad and I are going to have a great time!" Putting a hand on Chad's shoulder, he directed him forward "Come on, let's get out of here before Mushu and Crikee find out. Those two have been begging me to take them ever since Ben arranged all this!"
"We're not staying here?" Chad asked, feeling lost. First it was his clothes and now this. What if his friends saw him on the street dressed like this?
"We're going backpacking," Shang explained, as they headed down the sidewalk, "I decided that for Man Camp we're going to walk around Auradon and help anyone we come across that needs help, whatever their need." Explaining the origin of his idea, he said, "When I was growing up, my dad had me do something similar in China when I was your age; I learned a great deal, so I thought that it'd be a perfect prenuptial exercise."
"What did you learn?" Chad asked hesitantly.
"Oh, all kinds of things," Shang readily explained, "I thatched a couple roofs, dug a few wells, worked a couple of days in a mine for a guy who was sick. Stuff like that."
"Whoa, I don't know about any of that!" Chad practically gasped, pulling up short, his eyes wide.
"Well, I kind of doubt that we'll be doing that kind of thing anyway," Shang winked, "but I bet it'll be interesting work nevertheless."
"Yeah, I bet," Chad muttered, then more loudly, he asked, "Hey, Shang?"
"Yes?"
"Did my mom happen to mention where she got the clothes that I'm wearing? I've never seen them before."
"Yes, she did!" he answered, "They were her father's."
Pulling up short again, Chad managed to stifle his gasp this time. His grandfather's old clothes? He didn't even know that his mom had kept anything from her childhood!
The news so stunned him that Chad barely noticed when they left the main road and began walking up the sandy beach. As every Auradon kid always did when they drew parallel to the Isle of the Lost, he took a fearful glance across the Strait of Ursula and was unexpectedly struck with curiosity about Lady Tremaine, her daughters, and her grandchildren.
Why had his grandfather-the man whose clothes he wore-married that witch of a woman after his sweet grandmother had died?
"Hey, Chad?" Shang suddenly broke into his thoughts, "What'cha doing?"
"Just thinking, " Chad muttered, dropping his gaze to the sand, his face growing red.
"Well, I don't have a problem with that." Shang shrugged, "I never believed what Gaston and Lefou said about it being a dangerous pastime."
"Hey, Shang," Chad echoed, unexpectedly curious, "have you ever thought about Shan-yu since the villains were banished-I mean, like what he and his kid are like now?"
"No," Shang answered curtly, and quickly changed the subject, pointing ahead, "That's Rapunzel and Eugene's palace. We'll stop and see if they need any help."
"O-kay," Chad said slowly, suddenly nervous. What if Ruby saw him in these clothes? She was very talkative so he knew that all his friends would find out. He began to think about the most charming way to handle the situation and was still doing so when they arrived. Thankfully, all looked quiet and peaceful.
"Help, help! Can someone help me?"
Ruby ran towards them, her eyes wide with fright, lugging a huge bundle of her long golden hair to avoid tripping on it, Flinging open the gate, Shang caught her in his arms just as she suddenly dropped her heavy load and tripped. For his part, Chad closed the gate and trudged over to them, disheartened that something was wrong; he sincerely hoped that Ruby wouldn't say anything about his outfit!
"What is it?" Shang demanded, taking a firm grip of her shoulders.
"Fl-Flavis is sick; I've never seen him like this!"
"What are his symptoms?" Shang asked gently; compassion instantly dissolving his sternness.
"He was really listless when I fed him breakfast this morning, which isn't like him. And when I checked on him a few minutes ago, he hadn't really eaten much and he was playing in his water bucket, but not drinking anything. Then, while I was watching, he started pawing the ground and he laid down and started rolling. And he is all sweaty, but I haven't turned him out yet."
"Colic," Shang muttered, frowning deeply.
"Her voice finally broke, "C-can you help him?"
"Lead the way," he replied, hoping that it was a mild case, "Chad and I will do everything we can."
"What'll we do?" Ruby cried, her face in her hands once they reached Maximus' son's stall, "What'll we do?"
"Are your mom or dad home?" Shang asked, gripping her shoulders again.
"Yes, both."
"Tell your dad to come help us. Flavis is a big boy; we may need an extra set of hands."
"But, what about me?" Ruby asked, her lower lip trembling, "I want to help."
"Getting your dad is helping, Ruby."
"And also," he continued, "You have to calm down; Flavis needs to stay calm right now and your being upset could get him upset."
She nodded, her eyes welling up, "Okay, I'll try."
Good girl!"
"Why don't you get your mom to make you a batch of chocolate chip cookies?" Chad suggested, "Lonnie says that helps her feel better."
"That's right!" Shang agreed, grinning, "Good for you, Chad!" Turning back to Ruby, he practically shoved her out of the stall, "Now, go! We need to get to work."
"We've got to get him on his feet," he continued, after as Ruby ran off, "Grab a good strong rope, hook it to his halter, and pull him from the front; I'll shove from the back."
"He looks like he's in a lot of pain." Chad said, stalling, hoping that Eugene would show up soon to help so that he wouldn't have to get dirty.
"I bet he is," Shang snapped, "But rolling on the ground won't help him. He's gotta get up, Chad. Let's go."
Shocked by the sharp admonishment, Chad instinctively did as he'd been told, but when he returned, so did his reluctance.
"Come on, Chad!" Shang snapped again, "Pull harder!"
"I can't pull any harder!" Chad protested.
"Well, I'm not going to tell Ruby that her horse died because we couldn't get him up," Shang shot back; Chad's mouth snapped shut, once again shocked into silence. He pulled with renewed vigor for a few minutes but when success wasn't forthcoming, his arms slackened again.
"Look, Chad," Shang explained, switching tactics, "I know Flavis doesn't feel good. Horse colic is on par with human indigestion, gassiness, or having an intestinal blockage. I'd feel inclined to lay down if I felt like that too. But, that's literally the worst thing for him right now! Think of him as a little kid who doesn't feel good. They want to lay down and take it easy, don't they? But, you and I are like his parents because we know better than he does what's best for him and it's our responsibility to make sure that he does it, whether he likes it or not."
Suddenly Eugene appeared, huffing and puffing, "Ruby told me that Flavis might die if I didn't come right away! Is he alright? Man, I haven't run this fast since I saved Rapunzel from Mother Gothel!"
"My guess," Shang hastily explained, "is that he has horse colic, which, yes, can be very serious and even fatal, but it isn't necessarily so. I want to get him standing up so I can examine him and see how bad it is. Pull on the rope with Chad; I'm pushing from behind."
"Okay," Eugene picked up the slack rope and the fight resumed. Finally, at long last, Flavis heaved up onto his feet.
"Take him outside and walk him around, Chad," Shang instructed, as he looked around the stall for any sign of the colic's source, When he spied the feed bucket with a mountain of sand in it, "He said, "I need to talk with Ruby."
"I'll tell her."
"Dad said that you had questions for me?" Ruby asked anxiously, appearing a few minutes later, "Where's Flavis?"
"Chad is walking him in the paddock; did he eat well last night?"
"Yes, just like normal."
""How'd all that sand get in his feed bucket?"
"I don't know," her voice trembled, "He was pawing the ground, so maybe…" She shook her head, "Why do you ask?"
"Horse stomach's can handle some sand-I mean, they eat grass so it's probably easy to eat a little sand-but that, my dear, is not a little sand. I think that what's happened is that he ingested a lot of sand, however it got in there, and now he has a bad bellyache."
He finished, "Chad walking him in the paddock is going to be very helpful to him, but I have some medicine that will also help him. Why don't you help Chad while I get my pack."
"Okay!" Ruby cried, as she dashed outside, tripping over her hair with every step.
"How is he?"
"I-I don't know," Chad was baffled. His face reddened at the sight of her, he looked horrible in these old-fashioned filthy clothes, "But, he definitely isn't in favor of Shang's walking treatment. I feel bad for him." Looking confused, he added, "I thought that you were making chocolate chip cookies."
"They're in the oven," she replied, "Dad said that Shang needed me to answer some questions. He said Flavis has a bad bellyache."
"That's what he told me too."
"Poor Flavis," Ruby sighed, "I bet that he wishes he could throw up and get it over with."
"He probably does," Shang agreed, as he and Eugene walked up behind them, "but horses can't. If they eat something that doesn't agree with them, there's only one way to get it out."
"Gross," Chad said, a disgusted expression on his face..
"Now," Shang continued, pulling a long plastic bag over his arm, "Chad, will you hold him still while I give him a small sedative to make him comfortable for quick exam."
"You're going to put him to sleep?" Ruby asked, anxious and surprised..
"Not totally," Shang answered, "Just make him a little groggy." He winked, adding, "so he doesn't kick me."
Chad turned green as he put two and two together, but Shang slapped his shoulder good-naturedly, "Buck up Chad, by week's end, you might get to do something similar."
"Oh wow," Ruby stated gleefully, "Wait till I tell everyone at Auradon Prep!"
In a matter of seconds, Chad's ran the gambit of emotions, but the sedative was quick to work Flavis' head came crashing down on his shoulder; He caught it just in time and afterward became so engrossed in supporting the groggy horse's head that he didn't think to worry about what Ruby might say or do.
"That'll do it," Shang said a few minutes later as he pulled his arm out of the filthy bag, "As I suspected, his system is pretty backed up so I gave him something to help him with pain management and a laxative to help that sand pass."
"Chad, when he shakes off that sedative in a few minutes, you and Ruby keep walking him around until he goes to the bathroom. Oh, and no food or water until he passes the sand. I'm going to wash up."
"O-kay," Chad said, feeling sick; he couldn't quite keep his eyes off that bag. How could he spend an entire week with a man who'd put his hand up a horse's butt?
"Poor Flavis," Ruby sighed, once they were alone, "I hope he feels better soon."
"Me too," Chad said, wondering if she was going to bring up his new outfit.
But she was too busy fawning over her horse to notice him or his clothes and when Flavis finally went to the bathroom, she actually beamed.
"I'm going to go tell Shang!" she cried excitedly, flinging her arms around Chad and kissing him before running off. He was left to scrub his cheek with a scowl on his face.
"Would you guys stay for cookies?" Rapunzel called from the palace.
"No, thank you though," Shang answered, "We ought to be on the road; there's still plenty of daylight left."
"Well, can I at least fill a bag for you to take?"
"That," Shang replied with a huge grin, "you can do!"
Once they were back on the beach, Chad's thoughts returned to how awful he looked; not only were his clothes completely out of style, but also working with Flavis had left him looking like a mess. He became so lost in his thoughts that Shang had to shake him when loud angry voices in the distance reached their ears.
"That's Lilo and Luana," Shang said, worry lines darkening his face.
They took off running down the beach, each making their own wild guesses about what was happening, and arrived at the Pelekai's little bungalow just in time to see Luana throw deck chair at Stitch; in turn, the little alien animal viciously devoured it.
Lilo was beside herself with horror as Luana grabbed another chair and Stitch made ready to tear that to bits too.
"Luana!" Chad, who'd always had a secret affection for Stitch, shouted without thinking, "Don't! Stop! What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing, Chad, she shrieked, "I'm so sick of this thing! I wish that he'd just go back to where he came from. He's ruining my life!"
"But, he's so cool," Chad protested, dumbfounded, "When I was little, I tried to buy him from your mom." Turning red, he added, "I'm pretty sure that I tried to bribe her too."
"Oh, you definitely tried to bribe me!" Lilo said, laughing despite her overarching fear.
"You should have dumped him, mom," Luana growled. "He's so stupid!"
"He's sick, Luana!" Lilo snapped tearfully, attempting to cradle her childhood pet as his eyes began burning a bright neon green color. He swatted at her and growled.
Putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, Shang pulled her back, "Can we help you girls figure this out?"
"I don't know how…" Lilo whispered, shaking her head, dumbfounded by what was happening.
"Try us."
"I don't know," her eyes darting nervously towards her daughter then back to Stitch, "Stitch hasn't been like this since I was a little girl."
A faraway look came into her eyes, "Pleakley and Jumba tried to charge him, but they were too late and he died." Then she smiled slightly, "Only ohana saved him."
"You should've let him die!" Luana snapped.
"Luana," Shang snapped firmly, "That's enough."
The teenager opened her mouth to reply, then shut it like a blowfish; she could see that he wasn't kidding.
"Why don't you tell us again, Lilo," he continued, hoping to calm the situation down so that dialogue could begin, "What does ohana mean?"
Luana frowned, glaring at Chad, hoping that he'd put an end to this dumb discussion. She did not need to hear this again! Chad shook his head and frowned; he wasn't getting involved in this one! Besides, he too was upset with her for assaulting poor Stitch.
"Ohana means family," Lilo began, "and family means that nobody gets left behind."
"Well said," Shang nodded his approval, "Say, Lilo, would you mind getting Chad and I glasses of lemonade? We've been on the move since this morning." She gave a brief questioning look, then understood and hurried inside.
"Now, tell me, Luana," Shang continued, once he was alone with the teenagers, "Why are you angry with Stitch? We've all got family members and we don't always get along, but there are ways to go about disagreeing...and even fighting, so that the problem can actually get resolved instead of just getting pushed aside until someone like Chad or I wanders in and intervenes."
"Well, for starters," Luana began, working harder to stay calm because Shang and Chad weren't her mother, "This morning, he chewed up my favorite purse, then he urinated on my bedpost." She paused to glare at Chad when she caught him smirking, "And last week he tore up my homework—do not laugh, Chad Charming—and I was really lucky that Fairy Godmother gave me a couple days of grace to redo it."
"Let's see," she continued, "Earlier this month, he played tug of war with my drapes and pulled them down and knocked over my dresser. I spent all afternoon picking up my clothes! He also pulled all the stuffing out of my favorite stuffed animal."
"I'm sorry," Shang said quietly.
"It was the most beautiful stuffed tiger with golden eyes and I named it Rajah because Queen Jasmine gave it to me for my first birthday," she explained tearfully.
"Okay, okay," Shang reached out to hug her, "I get it, Luana. I get it. Man, that's tough. I remember when Jasmine gave you that tiger; he was beautiful!" He patted her back consolingly, "Did you get your assignment done?"
"Yeah," she offered a small smile, "I got an A too."
"Good for you!" he beamed, then his expression softened, "Now, do you think that Stitch feels bad about wrecking your stuff?"
"No!" she snapped harshly, "He wouldn't keep doing stuff if he felt sorry about it."
Glancing at Stitch worriedly, Shang could see that he was getting agitated, "Are you sure that he knows what he's doing?"
"Of course, he does!"
"Are you sure?" Shang asked again.
She glared back, folding her arms across her chest.
"See, the way I see it," Shang quietly explained, "is that Stitch is out of his mind right now, sort of like he's clinically insane or, maybe, rabid."
Luana's eyes lit up, "Shang, isn't it true that rabid animals should be put down?"
"O-kay," he replied, hastily attempting to walk back his statement, "maybe that wasn't the best example."
"I knew it, I knew it," Luana chanted, her eyes lighting up, "Stitch is sick and he needs to be put out of his misery!"
"Shh, Luana," Shang hissed, afraid that Lilo would hear, "Shh. Come on, you don't really believe that; you know that he just needs recharging."
"So, why doesn't mom just call Jumba and Pleakley like before?" Luana asked, scowling, "Or give him a hug so ohana will work again?"
"Well, maybe, it'll take something else this time," Shang suggested, suddenly getting an idea, "Maybe he needs you to love him this time."
"What? Are you kidding?" she was taken aback, "No way!"
"Come on, Luana," Chad encouraged quietly, "Do it."
I think Shang is onto something," Lilo said, walking up behind them with two glasses of lemonade on a tray.
Luana stiffened at the sound the sound of her mother's voice; she wasn't in the mood to accommodate her.
"Come on, honey," Lilo pleaded, "Remember how you and Stitch used to have so much fun together? You used to love running all over Auradon with him pretending to be Elvis and he'd always wait for you after school.
"Like Lassie," Luana muttered, looking down at Stitch; her glum expression turned to shock when the little beast went into convulsions.
The lemonade glasses crashed to the sandy beach when Lilo lunged for him, "No! Please, no!"
Mom, wait," Luana gasped, "Let me." Hardly believing what she was doing, she took Stitch in her arms, "I'm sorry, big guy, I'm sorry; you made me mad that's all, but you're still my family and I love you."
Stitch stared back, unseeing for several minutes and Shang and Chad seemed to fade away as mother and daughter held him and wept together.
"Ohana," Luana whispered softly, "ohana, Stitch."
"Ohana," Lilo repeated, "Remember ohana, Stitch? It's important."
Slowly, the little monster began to move his head from side to side, staring at them without any sign of recognition. Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, his eyes began to focus and lose their weird neon green color.
"I think it's working," Chad breathed excitedly, his body tensing with growing elation.
"I know it is," Shang answered, a huge smile dawning on his face.
"Oh, I'm so happy right now!" Lilo cried as Stitch reached out to Luana; she gathered them both into a big bear hug and kissed them.
"Thank you, honey." she added, tearing up.
"Yeah, sure, you're welcome," Luana answered, suddenly embarrassed that Chad was watching.
"Well, Chad," Shang said, throwing an arm around him, "I believe our work here is done."
"Oh, don't go yet!" Lilo cried, jumping to her feet, "Please stay and have an early dinner with us." She grinned, pointing a thumb at her daughter, "Luana is cooking tonight."
"All the more reason for them to run in terror, mom," Luana said, turning bright red, "I forgot to tell you that Stitch had an episode this morning and he ate an entire carton of eggs; I had to wing it all afternoon."
"Oh, dear," Lilo's eyes were as big as saucers, "Perhaps we should-"
"Uninvite Aunt Nani and Uncle David," Luana finished her sentence, "Yeah."
Shang laughed heartily, "Alas, we can't stay anyway; I'm afraid the Man Camp rule is that main meals must be taken the land; this week we hunt and gather only.
"That actually sounds better than what we'll have here," Luana muttered.
Lilo laughed weakly, then saluted as Shang and Chad headed up the beach; Chad was relieved that Luana hadn't said anything about him hunting and gathering.
He was already getting a queasy feeling in his stomach.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Shang said, "I'm glad we could help them out; Lilo has always been a good friend to my family."
"Luana is my friend too," Chad answered, "and Stitch is really cool!" Then hesitantly, he added, "I didn't know that we were living off the land this week…"
"Have you ever hunted before?"
"No."
"Fished?"
"No."
"Gardened?
"No."
"Want to learn?"
Though it was the last thing that he wanted to do, Chad, forced a smile, hoping that his face didn't reveal his true feelings, and said, "You bet!"
Shang was dubious, "Really?"
"Hey, we've got to eat, don't we?" Chad answered, visibly swallowing hard, "and I'm half-starved after walking in the sun all day!"
Shang laughed and slapped Chad on the back, "Then let's go to Sherwood Forest and see what we can find,"
"Right now?" Chad was surprised, sounding as squeaky as a boy in puberty.
"Sure," Shang answered, "It can take a while, especially since I'll have to show you some things first. We'll fish tonight because that's pretty easy to demonstrate.
"Okay," Chad agreed, his heart flopping in his chest. Looking down the irreparably stained clothes of his grandfather, he was sure that he didn't belong here.
When they got to the famed forest, they took a slightly overgrown path and Shang said, "Come on, no one knows about this, but I keep a fishing pole inside a hollowed out tree right here." Winking, he added, "Don't tell anyone or they'll all want to use it."
"Whoa," Chad exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with mischief, "Isn't it a crime to not share in Auradon? "
"Oh, I'd share if push came to shove," Shang grinned, as he pulled aside the loose back and removed the pole, "but I think of this as more like a competition so I'm not really obligated to share, am I?"
"I guess not, if you put it like that!"
"Now, let me give you a quick lesson about bait," Shang said, as he pulled out a can of worms; Chad almost gagged.
"The trout in the stream love worms!" Shang advised, ignoring Chad's reaction, "Do you know how to bait a hook?"
"No! Are you kidding?" Looking horrified, Chad's face reddened with embarrassment and he forced himself to swallow the bile rising in his throat.
"But, I'd love to learn!" he added, his voice squeaking again.
"I was hoping that you'd say that," Shang grinned as he handed the teenager the hook and dug a worm out of the can, "Careful, they're slippery."
Though he was completely revolted by what he was doing, Chad's fingers were shockingly nimble and, surprising even himself, he hooked the worm on the first try.
"Just like Harry—probably!" Chad grinned, mentioning Captain Hook's son without even thinking.
"Or CJ," Shang answered, with a quick grin, not wanting Chad to forget that girls can do anything that boys can, "Great job, Chad!"
"You know," Shang continued, once they were standing up to their knees in the stream, "You might not believe me, but I was a lot like you when I was your age."
"Oh, yeah?" Chad asked, eying him strangely; there was no way that Captain Li Shang was ever like him!
"Yes, I was," Shang insisted, "I was the only son in a well-respected family." His eyes took on a faraway look as he remembered his childhood and youth, "and I was expected to follow in my father's footsteps. My fondest dream was to become a war hero like him and then retire to a large plantation and raise a son to follow in my own footsteps."
He chuckled, "But life had a way of turning all my dreams on their head." Shaking his head sorrowfully, he went on, "When I was your age, society taught me that boys were best. As a son, I knew that I'd be honored, but there were other families that I knew who mourned when they had daughters." His voice caught briefly, "Or, even worse, since every family was only allowed one child, I heard that sometimes baby girls were deliberately killed so that their parents could try again for a son."
Chad's eyes widened in horror, "B-but, that's murder! I would never—"
"Yes, it is." Shang agreed, "and I don't mean to say that you would. I'm just telling you what my boyhood was like." He went on, "See, growing up with that kind of philosophy all around you can give a boy the wrong impression of what it is to be a man."
"As a kid, I couldn't fathom being bested by a girl in school or sport and would never have stooped so low as to help with household chores-the women's work. Then I met Mulan and we had a beautiful baby girl. And now our baby is going to be your beautiful bride and I just want you to come away from this week knowing how special she is."
"There's absolutely nothing that I wouldn't do for my girls. If Mulan needs my help with "woman's work" you better know that I'll be there. And if Lonnie needs me, I know I'd kill-or die-for her without hesitation."
His voice caught again, "I didn't feel like that when I was your age, so I hope that you're better than me."
Chad nodded seriously, his mind working to come up with the perfect response. Then, suddenly, his pole jerked viciously and almost flew out of his hands.
"Whoa, oh shoot!" he gasped.
"Hang on, Chad!" Shang whooped, "Reel it in! I see it! It's a huge trout!" He grabbed the pole and they both fought the fish all the way to the shore.
Afterward, Chad stood breathing hard from the exertion while Shang killed the sparking fish. He was thankful for the reprieve that creature had given him because he had no idea what to say.
Author's Notes: First off, allow me to apologize for the ghastly delay! First, I got busy with life stuff and then I decided that I needed to get caught up one story at a time. Needless to say, this one wasn't the first one on the list.
Also, I'm sorry if the horse colic episode grossed you out. My family owns horses and I've seen it done before so I added it without thinking about people that haven't seen it.