A Friend in Need

The Lion Sinks Its Teeth

The team hiked through the humid misty forest. The mist that wasn't burned off by the rising sun, just like how Beast Boy couldn't shake the sadness in his heart. "I'm sorry."

"Huh? Oh, hey Rae."

"It's... I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Hehe, It's okay, but I know you can relate."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. You always know what someone's going through. Empath I guess," Garfield briefly grinned. Raven shook her head. "But that's not what I'm worried about." Raven rose her eyebrow. "The terrorists. Their name is the same as Toros' parents' station."

"Alpha?" The purple-haired teen asked. Beast Boy nodded and studied Toros leading the way. "Are you sure you're not just paranoid?"

"When was the last time I was paranoid?" Raven narrowed her eyes, but no words came out of her mouth. "Exactly. There's got to be a reason why Toros is involved in all of this. Just... be careful."

"Tell yourself that."

Finally, they got to the clearing. Robin and Toros came out first and saw the tribe. Their animal-hide tents were clumped together, barely allowing any room for the little children to run around. The tribal people instantly snapped their necks and glared at the newcomers. The children, seeing the strangers, clutched their mothers as more strangers came out, this time Raven and Starfire. Even the red-painted men jumped back when they saw Cyborg's robotic armor glistening in the sun. The tribesmen were about to grab their spears! "Ons is nie hier om jou seer te maak nie!" Toros said, which means "We're not here to hurt you." Yet the Dapper Mense tribe didn't change their suspicious stares.

But then Beast Boy came out of the woods, and each member of the tribe gasped, dropping whatever weapon they had. The froze. They looked at each other, whispering. One child, the bravest one, broke from his mother's grasp and ran over to the titans. "Uh... hi," Cyborg said. The child didn't say a word. He just cautiously approached Beast Boy.

"Uh... Hey, I mean...Um what's the word? Hallo?" Beast Boy said.

"Is jy 'n groen seun?" The boy asked in his tongue. Garfield's eyes widened as he recognized the phrase and vigorously nodded. "Verender."

"Huh?" Beast Boy couldn't understand that word.

"He's asking you to change," Toros explained. "Maybe he means shapeshift?"

"Oh, sure little dude." The green titan morphed into a big green lion before changing back. The boy and his tribe all gasped.

"Groen Seun!" The tribe shouted. The men and women ran to Beast Boy and hugged and kissed his cheeks, throwing him onto their shoulders. "Groen Seun! Groen seun!"

"Whoa! HAha! HAha, it's good to see you all HAHA!" Garfield laughed.

"What's going on?" Cyborg asked.

"It looks like the tribe remembers Garfield," Toros smiled. "They're calling him Groen Seun, green boy." Garfield's feet slowly touched the ground, and he hugged and laughed with each person as small tears streamed down his face. His forehead touched the heads of teens and kids he knew as babes, and he laughed with old wily men who he barely understood. He threw his arms around the necks and bellies of dear mothers that would scowl him for taking a piece of food early, or teaching their kids a ridiculous stunt. Garfield couldn't stop smiling as he greeted each and every face he could remember.

"HAhah! ek is tuis, ek is tuis! I'm home! I'm home," Beast Boy beamed as he wept. As the celebration dispersed, Garfield finally wiped his eyes of the tears. "Oh man, I wish I could speak better."