All night, the little band of rabbits ran through the woods. Finally, just as the sun was about to rise, they came to a river and had to stop.
"Oh gee, how're we gonna get across this?" Butters wondered. "Any o' you fellas know how to swim?"
"None of us knows how to swim," Clyde said bluntly. "We're rabbits!"
"Well, this is a nice surprise, Stan," Cartman said sarcastically. "Or were you expecting this when you brought us here?"
Stan stared at the river. It was so wide he could scarcely see the other side. He did not know what to do.
Kyle stepped up to him. "We've gotta stop and rest for a while anyway," he said. "Ike and Karen are getting tired."
"Cookie Monster," Ike whimpered.
Stan exhaled. "Okay. I think we've got enough of a head start by now. Let's take a break."
Gratefully, the rabbits all flopped down beside the river. "Will you tell me a story, Kenny?" Karen asked her brother.
Kenny launched into a tale of El-ahrairah, the legendary rabbit hero. However, the others had a hard time understanding him, because his voice was muffled by his ears covering his face.
"Mmmm mmm, mmmmm mmmm mmm mmmmm," he rambled.
Cartman had no patience for this. "Hey, Kenny, you push those stupid ears back and talk to people like in real life! Don't just mumble your words."
"Hey dude, don't yell at Kenny," Kyle said. "That's not cool."
Stan interceded. "Why don't you tell the story, Wendy? You're the best storyteller here."
Wendy sat back on her haunches and began. "Long ago, Frith made the world. He made the stars, too, and the world is one of the stars…"
She told of how, in the beginning of the world, El-ahrairah and his rabbits were the most numerous animals on earth, and how, to keep rabbits from overrunning the world, the god Frith had gifted the fox and the weasel and the stoat with the cunning and fierceness and desire to hunt and slay and eat the children of El-ahrairah. And when El-ahrairah learned of this, he got scared and started digging a hole in the side of a hill to hide. Wendy had just gotten to the part of the story where Lord Frith came to the hill and saw El-ahrairah's bottom sticking out of the hole when a loud growl cut her off mid-sentence.
Everyone turned to see an enormous badger making its way along the bank toward them.
"What is that thing?" Bebe whispered.
"It's a lendri," Kyle said, using the Lapine word for badger. "Rabbits aren't a main part of its diet, but they will attack if rabbits are nearby."
"Uh-oh," Tweak whimpered. "We're nearby!"
"Just don't make any sudden movements and we'll be fine," Kyle reassured him. "Probably," he added.
The badger kept creeping up until he was right next to them. All of a sudden Kenny panicked and tried to make a run for it. The badger pounced on Kenny and snapped his neck with its powerful jaws.
"Oh, my Frith, he killed Kenny!" Stan cried.
"You bastard!" Kyle yelled at the badger.
But killing one rabbit appeared to be enough for the badger, as he turned and bolted off, still carrying Kenny's body in his mouth. Karen began to cry.
"Oh, nice going, Kyle," said Cartman. "Stopping for a rest was such a good idea."
"How was I supposed to know that was gonna happen?" Kyle snapped back.
Stan jumped in between Kyle and Cartman before they could start to fight. "Calm down, guys. Fighting among ourselves isn't going to accomplish anything. We've gotta find a way to get across that river before another predator comes."
"Yeah, but how?" Red asked.
Wendy cleared her throat. "I have an idea." She pointed to a board that was lying on the ground nearby. "We could put that in the water and use it as a boat."
"Good idea, Wendy!" Heidi cheered.
"It's lucky for us that you're so smart," Stan agreed. He walked to the board and studied it. "It's not very big. Looks like it's only wide enough for two of us to ride at once." He did a head count of his friends. "There's thirteen of us here, so that makes six pairs, plus one extra."
"I want to go across first!" said Cartman.
"You're going last, fatass," said Stan. "That way, if your weight sinks the boat, the rest of us will still be able to get across."
Cartman fumed. "Who made you Chief Rabbit?"
"Stan's our leader," said Kyle. "This journey was his idea."
"I think I should be the leader!" said Cartman. "I'm the biggest rabbit here! Respect mah authoritah! Okay, paws up, all those who want me to be Chief Rabbit instead of Stan."
No one put a hand up.
Cartman stamped his foot. "Screw you guys, I'm goin' home!"
He started stamping off. Stan called after him, "You don't have any home to go back to, remember, Cartman? It's gonna be bulldozed!"
Cartman stopped.
"Besides, you kicked an Owsla captain in the balls," said Kyle. "I don't think they'll be too happy to see you."
Cartman sighed. "Fine. I'll stay."
Wendy and Shelly took hold of the board, dragged it to the bank, and pushed it in. Two by two, the rabbits mounted the board and rode across, each pair pushing it back across to the next as they reached the opposite bank. Cartman went last, by himself, grumbling and muttering the whole way.