The Secret Life of Pets Lost

Fishing For the Truth

"Good afternoon Gidget," Max whispered softly to his sleeping girlfriend. Opening her eyes, Gidget asked, "Did you let me oversleep?" Nodding his head, Max continued, "Snowball believed that we should catch up on our rest." It was then that Gidget realized that she wasn't the only one who overslept. Pops, Leonard, Sweetpea, Chloe, and Ozone were fast asleep as well. "I'm going to stretch my legs out," Gidget announced quietly, exiting the camp.

Clambering up a hill, the Pomeranian heard something rustling in the bushes. Suddenly, Norman stumbled out, carrying a bunch of berries. "Hi Norman," Gidget greeted the young guinea pig. "Hi! Can you go tell Tiberius that I'm done picking berries for lunch. I think he went that way," the guinea pig informed the Pomeranian, indicating a nearby hill before heading back to camp. Watching him leave, Gidget headed towards the hill.

Sliding down to the bottom, Gidget found herself at the bank of a small pond. In the center, Tiberius had his head in a hole and submerged under dark water. Panicking, Gidget was about to dash over and save her best friend from drowning when the hawk pulled his head out of the water. A fish wiggled in his beak before falling still. Satisfied, the old hawk deposited his catch with four other fish. Just then, Tiberius realized that he was being watched. Shaking his head, he spoke, "Hey Gidget."

"Hi," Gidget replied, watching her friend head back for the hole. His left wing dragged on the ice behind him. Ignoring the useless limb, the Pomeranian asked, "When did you learn how to fish?" Thinking for a few seconds, Tiberius answered, "I guess I learned something from Chloe and Ozone." A teasing glint appeared in his eyes, the old hawk added, "Maybe you should call me a fish hawk until my wing gets better." He chuckled at his own joke. Gidget glanced down at her paws and halfheartedly joined in, knowing that he might not be able to fly ever again. "That is, if my wing wasn't paralyzed," Tiberius's voice caught Gidget's attention. Looking up, she saw the hawk gazing down into the dark water. "You know?" Gidget asked, saddened that her friend had figured out the truth.

Turning his head to look at her, the old hawk explained, "Yeah, Pops told me this morning. Snowball meanwhile told Ozone, who told me, and Leonard, who told Mel and Buddy. Both of them told me and Sweetpea, who also told me. Chloe told me, Duke told me and Norman, who got upset and told me. The only two that I haven't heard from are you and Max." Groaning, Gidget quickly responded, "I am so sorry Tiberius, I was going to tell you. I told them that I should be the one-"

"It's okay, it was bound to happen anyway," Tiberius interrupted. Looking back down the hole, he added softly, "Bad things have happened to me over the years, nothing new." Sighing, he turned away from the hole and picked up the fish he had caught with his beak. Padding over, Gidget spoke quietly, "Here, let me help." Reluctantly, the hawk left half of the pile for Gidget to grab before they headed back for the camp.

"We were about to send a search party after you guys," Duke remarked as they arrived. Beside him, Chloe cried with glee, "Yes! We're having fish for lunch!" She quickly grabbed her share. Meanwhile, Snowball began passing out the fish to the others. Sitting down next to his girlfriend, Max noticed that Gidget appeared sad. "Gidget, what's wrong?" he asked gently, nuzzling her cheek.

Glancing at Max, Gidget whispered, "He knows."