Chapter 16: Locked Up

Misty's eyes slowly opened. She moaned, blinking her eyes. Bad dream, she said to herself. Her eyes then opened more, and she gasped. Not a dream.
She darted to her paws in alarm, but then flinched as her head hit something. "Ow!" she hissed. She looked around - Misty seemed to be surrounded by some sort of square black net. What is this? she thought, worry washing over her. Misty pushed at the side, and found there was no way out of it. I'm stuck! she thought in alarm. "H-Hello? Somebody?" she called.
Misty perked her ears, hearing voices. "Wh-Who's there?"
"Misty?" a voice called back - a voice Misty recognized.
"Lephos!" Misty cried. "Hey! Is Sidew there?" she asked. If Sidew wasn't with Lephos, Misty knew that'd make the border collie feel terrible.
"Huh? Oh, he's here," Lephos assured her.
"This place is dark, stinky and creepy," growled Sidew's voice.
"Is anyone else in here?" Misty demanded. Adele? Campbell? she wondered.
"Uh...yeah!" Lephos exclaimed. "Adele's right next to us. She's awake."
Relief washed over Misty, knowing her sister was there.
But was her sister in a net as well?
"Do you guys have a net, too?" Misty asked.
"A what?" Lephos replied.
"A net," Misty repeated.
"Oh, these square black things? Yeah, Sidew and I are in the same one," Lephos reported.
"I'm trapped in my own one," Misty announced, pushing at the net.
"Seems more like a cage, rather than a net," Lephos said.
"Net, cage, whatever," Sidew snarled. "I stayed behind for you, and look what I got into!"
"Sorry," whimpered Lephos.
Sidew sighed, seeming regretful. "Maybe we'll get out of this..."
"We've got to," Misty insisted. "I'm certainly not staying in a...cage for the rest of my life."
"Sheesh! Where am I?!" someone exclaimed.
"Campbell?!" Misty exclaimed, recognizing the grumpy voice.
"Hey Misty," muttered Campbell's voice.
"I wonder if they know we're gone yet," murmured Lephos. Misty at first didn't know what he was talking about, but then realized he meant The Bending Tower. This added to Misty's anxiety. What did her mother think of this? Her father? Charlotte? Dust?
"The Bending Tower? Well, maybe they think we died," snorted Sidew.
Lephos must've had a bad reaction, because Misty then heard Sidew quickly say, "Just joking, just joking...but they're quick to assume."
"Probably think we got lost, like Tiggerpaka," Misty suggested.
"Speaking of which, d'you think he ended up in here?" Lephos wondered.
"You guys are loud!" protested a voice. "Pipe down, will you?"
Something shifting in the shadows caught Misty's eyes. She got as close to it as she could - she couldn't really, being in a cage - and the figure seemed to be sitting there, pressing its head against the wall. "Tiggerpaka...?" Misty murmured, looking at the figure.
"Yo, meerkat!" Sidew snapped.
The figure quickly got to its feet and strutted into the very small source of light, coming from a small opening by the ceiling. Indeed, Tiggerpaka was the figure. He had his hands on his hips, a smirk on his face - his usual pose. "Ah! I see you have found the enemy's base I had infiltrated to gather reconnaissance."
Sidew snorted.
"A what?" Misty frowned.
"'Enemy's base'?" Campbell said.
"Amateurs," Tiggerpaka sniffed.
"You might hurt your neck from looking down on us all the time," Lephos grumbled.
"What was that, Leafus?" Tiggerpaka said.
"Lephos," Lephos corrected him. "And nothing."
"Alright, Lephos-and-nothing," Tiggerpaka sniffed.
Lephos scowled.
"Why were you pressed against the wall?" asked Misty.
"Duh, listening for the sounds of the enemy!" Tiggerpaka snorted, as if it were obvious.
"...And what's the enemy doing?" snorted Campbell.
"I don't know. With all of you making a ruckus, I can't hear!" Tiggerpaka protested.
Suddenly, Misty heard a bang. She flinched. "What was that?"
"Sidew trying to Earthbend his way out of here," snorted Lephos. "Not a very good Bender yet."
"Shut up," Sidew snapped.
Misty watched as Tiggerpaka left the light, strutting over towards Sidew and Lephos's cage. "Weak," he observed.
Misty heard Sidew snarl.
"It's not like you can do any Bending yourself," pointed out Campbell. "What Bender are you, if at all?"
"A truth bender!" Tiggerpaka announced proudly.
There was an awkward silence.
"A what?" Lephos said after a while.
"Truth bender!" Tiggerpaka repeated.
"Ain't that the truth," snorted Campbell.
"Guys?" came a new voice. "Wh-Where are we?"
"Another one?!" Tiggerpaka moaned. "I'll never get my mission done with you idiots around me!"
"Who's that?" Campbell called.
"Rhett," yawned the voice. "Man...something hit me..."
"Something," mumbled another voice. Misty nearly jumped as she realized it was Koro. "Knocked us out."
"You don't say?" growled Sidew.
Suddenly, light began pouring into the room. Two silhouettes appeared in the light.
Help, Misty thought frantically.

Author's Note:
Susssspeeeennnnseee~