After their rest, Trask and Harc (and Drogin’s pants) went on a search for their tiny friend. They followed the river back into the forest.
“I hope we find him soon,” Harc whimpered, “I keep having these thoughts that something bad has happened to him.”
“I’m sure we’ll find him.” Trask said, pushing back his bad thoughts as well.
Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes. Harc jumped behind Trask, “What was that?!”
“I dunno.” Trask’s voice quivered.
As Trask stepped closer, a little Mudokon head popped up. He looked at them and asked, “Trask? Harc?”
Trask and Harc exchanged glances and replied in unison, “Yes?”
“I’m here to help you. You’re friends with Drogin?”
“Drogin?” Trask cried, “He’s with you?”
“Well at our camp. Follow me, I’ll take you to him.”
The two sligs followed the Mud a few miles away from the riverbank and into a camp. It consisted of ten tents and about twenty Mudokons. In the center was a fire, around the fire, with five Muds, sat Drogin.
“Drogin!” Trask and Harc exclaimed running up to him.
“Guys!” he cried in reply.
“We thought you were dead!” Harc said picking up his small friend and hugging him.
“I though you were dead!” Drogin laughed as Harc set him down.
“I think you might want these.” Trask handed him his pants.
“Thanks!” He hopped in them and walked around in a small circle to test them. “Come on, I want you to meet Doug!”
And so the three friends were reunited. They spent a week with the Mudokons, living happy lives in the forest. One long, restless night, Drogin sat up in the sligs’ tent and called Trask’s name.
“What is it?” Trask said sleepily.
“Are you happy here?”
Trask sat up, “What?”
“Are you happy living this way?”
“Well, yeah, are you?”
“Yes, of course, this is my dream lifestyle, but-“ Drogin paused.
“What’s wrong Drog? Somethin’ bothering you?”
“It’s just that I feel something’s missing. Deep down, I can’t relax because I feel like there’s something I have to do.” Drogin hesitated, “I want to go back to my old job and get back at my boss, Crank and his gang and free those Mudokons.”
“You sure about this?” Trask asked him.
“Yea….I’m sure. I want to start in the morning.”
“Good, we’ll go with you.” Trask finished and lay back down.
Drogin smiled as he lay down as well and drifted off to sleep.
To be continued….
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