Chapter 22: A Talking Fox

As Misty jumped for the fox, it screeched in alarm. "Hey! Get away!" the fox cried. "I never did anything to you! I'm actually really cool and awesome! Please let me go!"
Misty slammed her paws into the ground, halting. "Who are you?"
"Last time I checked, my name is Glory," the fox replied, "and since I'm pretty cool, I don't think you have a right to catch me."
"Uh...sorry?" Misty said.
"That's all these animals 'round here wanna do! Catch me, eat me. They never even get to know me!" Glory yelled. "I'm a really good fox! They act like I'm some sort of stupid...stupid...uh..."
Koro came out of the bushes. "Uh, we're not gonna eat you, Glory."
"Good. Help me think of something stupid," Glory said, not looking at Koro. "A stupid, uh...meerkat! Yeah!"
"Meerkat?" Misty echoed.
"Yeah! Oh my gosh, you should see the Meerkat Clan!" Glory exclaimed. "I walked into their territory, and four of them charged me, throwing sticks! One of them hit me in the eye! It really hurt!"
"Maybe the Meerkat Clan can show us back to The Bending Tower!" Misty said, turning to Koro. "They may know the way!"
"Good idea," Koro nodded. He then turned to Glory. "Can you come with us?"
"You're not going to eat me, right?" Glory said.
"No," Koro assured her. "Just follow us."
Misty followed Koro back to the group. Glory trailed behind, humming a tune. They walked in silence until they found the campus, where everyone was either sitting down or laying. Tiggerpaka was leaned against a log, popping a grub into his mouth.
"Where's the prey?" Rhett demanded. "And who is...that?"
"I'm Glory!" Glory exclaimed, just as Koro opened her mouth to explain. The fox trotted forward. "The wolves tried to eat me. But they say they're nice."
"Yes, and--" Koro began.
"I'll handle this intruder," Tiggerpaka puffed out his chest and walked forward. "You! Fox! Leave our territory or face my fury!" he exclaimed.
"This isn't your territory!" Glory insisted. "Actually, it isn't mine either...but please don't tell the meerkats that!"
"Meerkats?" echoed Campbell.
"Yeah! There's tons of them living here. The Meerkat Clan! Haven't you heard?" Glory said.
"You mentioned that," Koro nodded. He turned to the group. "Misty thinks the Meerkat Clan may be able to direct us back to The Bending Tower."
"If they're like Tiggerpaka, they won't," Sidew snorted.
Misty glanced at Tiggerpaka, expecting him to snap, but he looked worried. "Meerkat Clan...?" he murmured. Tiggerpaka then cleared his throat. "Uh, I mean, we should take this Clan's territory! They do not deserve it. We live here now!"
"One, Tiggerpaka, there's only nine of us," Lephos trotted up to Tiggerpaka. "And two, there's no point in taking their territory. It belongs to them!"
"Who's the leader here, Lephos?" Tiggerpaka demanded.
"Anyone but you," Campbell growled.
"You need to be more kind to your leader, minion!" Tiggerpaka said to Campbell.
"Minion? You are not my leader!" Campbell snarled.
"I'm trying to sleep!" protested Bracken, lifting his head off his paws. "It's been a long day, and I'm tired!"
"You'll have to wake up, Bracken. I think we may be going to this...Meerkat Clan, or whatever," Lephos called.
"Aw," Bracken muttered. Nevertheless, he got to his paws, but somewhat reluctantly.
"It's alright, Bracken," Misty told her friend. "I think we'll get to rest soon..."
"No resting!" Tiggerpaka yelled. "I must find this Meerkat Clan! They must know something of Tiredblade's strange absence. His minions haven't made an appearance for days!"
"Fine, let's go," Koro agreed. He turned to Glory. "Can you lead us there?"
"Totally," Glory grinned. "But don't let them kill me when I get there. They keep chasing me out!"
"Rest assured, Glory, I think you're safe," Rhett said sarcastically. "Let's get going."


"How much farther?" Sidew asked, panting. It was now nighttime, and the group was trekking deeper and deeper into the forest. Misty was getting tired, but Glory was still trying to locate the camp.
"I think their camp is this way," Glory said. "Or...was it that way?" she looked off in a different direction. "Or maybe--"
"Why are we relying on an animal whose memory seems a bit bad?" Sidew demanded.
"Lifebreeze knows," Lephos snorted.
Misty looked at her sister Adele, next to her. As usual, Adele hadn't said anything due to her deafness. I wonder how Adele feels about this, Misty asked. Does she even know what's going on...? I got to make sure that Adele at least stays alive during this trip. She's incredibly defenseless.
"Okay...I'm pretty sure it's this way," Glory said. "And--"
The bushes rustled, and twigs snapped. Misty perked her ears, starting to get anxious. "Wh-What was that?"
"Probably nothing," Koro said from nearby. "At least, can't be anything too harmful."
Misty perked her ears, and could swear she heard whispering...but couldn't tell what the whispers were saying. "...I don't think we're alone here," she blurted out.
"Misty, you're probably just getting anxiety. Calm down," Campbell replied.
"I'm serious," Misty insisted, feeling scared now. "It's not anxiety..."
Suddenly, there was a yell, and something attacked Misty, who yelped in alarm.

Author's Note:
Thanks to Elizabeth Orr for Glory! :D Oh, and check out my new blog please. It's TFEOB related. :P
Oh, and BTW I updated the sign-ups page. If your character isn't in the story yet, or you haven't used your second character slot, you can now sign up for a new place! :)

Chapter 21: Acceptance

Liberty could smell the tensions rising as yet another patrol returned the next day. All day and night, Ash had been tirelessly searching for the missing animals: Campbell, Adele, Misty, Bracken, Rhett, Koro, Lephos, Sidew and Tiggerpaka. But no one had found anything. Liberty had noticed the parents of the missing ones were devastated. Some (like Charlotte and Nyla) seemed to be in shock. Others (like Ash and Raoul) seemed to be desperately trying to get to them, pushing everyone to help get their kids back. While the rest (like Kodi and Dust) were acting calm but were obviously scared. Light was the only one who didn't appear sad or shocked, but totally angered.
"It's my kids that are gone!" Liberty had heard Light roar yesterday. "If we don't find them, I am not going to be happy!"
"Well? Anything?" Ash called, as the patrol came through the entrance.
Hazen, the leader of the patrol, sighed and shook his head.
"This is seeming hopeless," Sun blurted out. "We've been searching nonstop all day, and all night, and we haven't found them."
"I'm not giving up," Ash insisted to his mother-in-law, "two of them are my only daughters, we have to find them."
"I think it's time to give up, Ash," Hazen said regretfully. "They're gone."
"If we're lucky, they may find their way back," Charlotte said, approaching Ash. Liberty noticed her mother seemed weak from grief. "But...your brother is right, Ash. If we haven't found them, they're beyond our reach."
"Are you're suggesting they're..." Ash began, but he seemed reluctant to say it.
"Dead? Yes," Twig said.
"It's merely a possibility," Mistletoe glared at Twig, "that they're dead. But we have no proof."
"Which means they could still be out there!" Ash pointed out.
"Ash." Mistletoe insisted. "Listen. They're gone."
Liberty noticed Ash was trying very hard to keep himself strong. "I...I suppose you're...right. Good work, everyone," he said emotionlessly. Ash trotted into The Bending Tower.
"Ash! Wait!" Airia cried, running after him.
"Hey," said a voice. As the crowd broke up, Liberty turned to see Ekaj walking up to her. "You okay?"
"Of course," Liberty sniffed. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, it's your sister who's missing and all..." Ekaj shuffled his paws nervously.
"She didn't care for me. I have no reason to grieve," Liberty said simply.
"...Okay then," Ekaj shrugged. "But aren't you the least bit worried? You just always seem so...emotionless."
"A bit. But truthfully, there's no help grieving. What's that going to do? Only make us weak," Liberty grumbled.
"Uh...alright," Ekaj murmured. He hesitated, but then padded away.
Pretty much as soon as Ekaj left, Starlight came up to Liberty and sat down next to her. "You don't need to be so cold."
"Cold?" Liberty echoed.
"Ekaj has a point. You are pretty emotionless," Starlight pointed out. "I've never seen you smile, laugh, or be anything but dead serious. You really need to loosen up."
Not sure how to respond, Liberty remained silent.
Suddenly, Audrey ran up to Starlight, looking devastated. "My brothers are dead!" she cried.
"Calm down, Audrey," Starlight said soothingly. "There's no proof they're dead."
"They may as well be!" Audrey yelled. "My brothers...are...dead..."
"Audrey, you're hyperventilating," Starlight murmured. Liberty stifled an eye roll. She's being dramatic, she thought dryly.
But she has anxiety, said a voice in Liberty's head.
"Breathe at a normal pace," Starlight urged. Audrey's breathing began to slow as she got back in control of it.
"My brothers..." she murmured.
"Aren't dead," Starlight insisted. "Audrey, you got to keep strong. Sure, they're your brothers. If Sparky were dead, I'd act like this too." Liberty didn't exactly believe that - Starlight would probably at least act a bit more in control of her actions. "But if they are dead, think about how much happier they'd be. They'll be on Peacebender territory."
"Starlight, Peacebenders don't exist," Liberty scoffed.
Starlight shot Liberty a look before turning to Audrey. "Unlimited dead animals to prank," Starlight said. "That's true happiness for them."
Audrey seemed to give a weak smile, but it quickly retreated and a frown took over. "But that means I don't get to see them until...!"
"Hey, that doesn't mean you should hope to die earlier," Starlight whispered. "If Sidew and Lephos are missing you - I know they love you, but they'll probably be having too much fun on Peacebender territory - they may visit you when you're dreaming. But they're happy."
Audrey took a shaky breath. "Okay...okay," she murmured. She then trotted away.
"Don't Sidew and Lephos find Audrey annoying?" Liberty pointed out.
"Yes, but don't let Audrey know that," Starlight hissed. "Besides, I'm sure Sidew and Lephos do care for their only sister, even if they don't act like it..."
"Speaking of their siblings," Liberty said, "do you think Ryker misses them?"
"Of course," Starlight nodded. "I mean, even though Sidew and Lephos are best friends, occasionally I'd see Ryker hanging out with them, as like a third. He does pranks too, but Ryker's just a bit more mature."
Liberty nodded in agreement. Ryker had done some pranks, but he was really friendly while Lephos and Sidew were a bit more careless. She had always seen Ryker with a friend, so he was somewhat popular in The Bending Tower.
"This is a sad party," commented a voice. Liberty looked to see Tiggerkat nearby. "No reese cups for everyone, either! I thought it'd be more fun." Tiggerkat popped a reese cup in her mouth.
"Tiggerkat, are you upset that there are missing animals?" Liberty asked.
"Wait, there's missing animals?" Tiggerkat frowned.
"Duh," Liberty grumbled. "Why else would there be searching parties?"
"Oh! I absolutely love parties. But what are we searching for?" Tiggerkat asked.
"The missing animals," Starlight said.
"Missing animals? What missing animals?" Tiggerkat said.
"...I think she's finally lost it," Starlight muttered.
"I see no difference," Liberty snorted.

Author's Note:
This is the *cough* REAL chapter 21. *glances at Tiggerpaka* >w>

Chapter 21: Tolerating Sissies

As the young minions scrambled at their dear leader's orders, Tiggerpaka sat back comfy-like against a log and warmed himself by the fire.

"Master Tiggerpaka, Sir!"  one of the minions known as Crabbell came crawling on her belly in submission.

"What is it young, minion," The master graciously inquired.

"Master, I have found a large clutch of juicy grubs, sir!"  Crabbell kept her eyes lowered in respect.

"And where are these fine grubs, young minion?"  Tiggerpaka was hungry from his day of great deeds defending the pathetic sissies from the dangers of the forest.

"Sidew is bringing them now, Sir." and Crabbell left at the dismissive wave for Tiggerpaka, but not before she kissed the ring on his finger as a show of love and total submission.


"Lephos-and-nothing!  Where are you?!"  Tiggerpaka demanded.

A young border collie, shivering fearfully approached his master.
"Yes sir!  O gracious and wonderful leader!  What can I do for you?"

Tiggerpaka presented a red ball and threw into the forest.  "Fetch!"  He said and smiled as the border collie ran after it.  "He'll never find it." Smirked Tiggerpaka.  "Dumb dog" He muttered.

At that moment, Sidew the Wimp appeared with a sac of fat juicy grubs.  He offered them as one would offer a sacrifice to a god.  "for you, my master, o great Tiggerpaka!"

"What are these?!" Tiggerpaka stood to inspect the offering.

"The finest, juiciest grubs in the entire forest!" Sidew bowed lowly.

Tiggerpaka picked up one, examined it closely, sniffed it, popped it into his mouth, a bulge forming in one cheek and he looked upwards as if in deep thought.   Then his face turned red in anger and he spit the grub on the ground.  "You insult me with these meager grubs!   Twenty demerits!  Now get out of my sight!"

Sidew the wimp scurried away quickly.  Tiggerpaka muttered about incompetence and settled back against the log when Mistake and Ore returned to the camp with an abundance of game.  The minions waited for Tiggerpaka's permission before being allowed to feast.

"Ah, my dear Mistake!  Welcome back to camp, I see you had a fine hunt despite Ore's company."  Mistake blushed at Tiggerpaka's obvious fondness of her.  

"Well, actually, Tiggerpaka, Sir," Mistake began. "Ore took most of this game, he is a great hunter."

Tiggerpaka laughed.  "Oh, Dear Mistake, I love how you stand up for your friends.  If that is how you wish to tell the story, I understand."  Then he leaned over to her and said, "But really, if you want to be a truth-bender like your ole uncle Tigg, you will have to be more convincing."

A winged wolf entered the camp, I forget her name, but she is the one who couldn't hear so well.  Tiggerpaka approached her and cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, "HELLO MY DEAR MINION!  PLEASE JOIN US IN A MEAL"

The winged wolf smiled and picked up her choice of game.  The rest of the minions did the same.  Tiggerpaka smiled at his young minions who admired him so.  He sighed and reached into a hole in the log and found a grub and popped it into his mouth.

As the feast drew to a close, Rat and Brat approached their dear leader and bowed deeply.  "You may speak" Tiggerpaka said with a wave of his hand.

"Sir, would you please allow us the honor of cleaning up this campsite?"  Rat asked.    Brat nodded in agreement.

"Yes, be sure to clean up every bit of gut and brain smatter from this feast.  You minions are slobs, although I know you try your best.  Obviously you were all raised by heathens and know no better."

As the grounds were cleaned and the moon rose in the sky, the coolness of the night lay upon Tiggerpaka and his minions.  Tiggerpaka yawned, then looked at the winged one.  "YOU, THERE, SING US A LULLABY"  he swirled his hand at the command then rolled over and fell a sleep.

The minions, knowing that their dear leader was slumbering peacefully were finally able to ease into their own sleep.




Author's Note:  I am taking over this blog now.  It was boring and I think you will agree that I have elevated to a higher level of entertainment.   You cannot stop me!  I will never reveal my true identity!  You may bow to me now and leave a grub in the bowl.  Sincerely, Tiggerpaka

Chapter 20: Hunting

"Okay...I think we can stop here," Sidew gasped, laying down.

"You need to exercise more," Lephos snorted.

"Resting here will work," Koro said, laying down by a bush. 

"See? Thank you, Koro," Sidew said, glaring at Lephos.

"I never said anything about not resting!" Lephos protested. "I merely said you needed to exercise more."

"Well, it sounded like you were saying I was pathetic for wanting to stop," Sidew retorted.

"Come on guys, stop fighting!" Bracken protested.

"Rest? We can't rest here!" Tiggerpaka protested. "Tiredblade's minions may still catch up to us!"

"Tiggerpaka, we've been running for a while now. I think we're safe," Campbell muttered.

Misty put her head on her paws. Indeed, they had been running for quite a while. But the two-legs could still catch up to them. They could probably scent their fear. "Do you think they followed?"

"The humans? No," Lephos said.

"'Humans'?" Rhett echoed.

"Yeah. Dad told us stories," Sidew replied. "Humans are creatures who like to mess with animals like us. They lived where dad used to live before he came to The Bending Tower."

"And now they invaded our home. Super," Rhett muttered.

"On top of that, we're lost!" Campbell shouted. "This is not familiar ground! We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"Pipe down, Campbell. I'm sure even Adele could hear you," snorted Sidew.

Misty glanced at her sister. She was laying down next to Misty, staring off into space. 

"We got to try to find The Bending Tower, though," Koro said. "It can't be too far..."

"Uh, yes it can," Campbell shot back, "do we even know how long we had been in those cages?"

Everyone exchanged looks.

"Exactly," Campbell snapped.

The bushes rustled and Tiggerpaka stepped through. "Mm! Good grubs around here," he said.

"Oh. I hadn't realized he left," Koro frowned.

"That, Ore, is because I'm slick and move much more stealthily than all of you  nutheads combined!" Tiggerpaka smirked.

"It's Koro," Koro said.

"Don't even try to correct him, he's an utter moron," Campbell shook her head.

"Tread lightly, Crabbell, tread lightly!" Tiggerpaka narrowed his eyes. "Now, as leader of this group, I suggest we go...that way!" He pointed in a direction.

"Tiggerpaka, that's the way we came from," Koro pointed out.

"Yeah, we'd end up right back with those two--er, humans!" Misty said.

"Duh, I knew that!" Tiggerpaka exclaimed. "That's why I was pointing this way!" He moved to point opposite of that direction.

"Tiggerpaka, just pick a way and go," Sidew glared.

"I just did! Come on, follow me!" He shouted, marching off.

"How is he the leader of this group?" Campbell hissed, as everyone got up to follow.

"See? I told you!" Tiggerpaka said. "We'll be at The Bending Tower in no time. Doesn't this area look familiar?"

Misty examined the place.

"No," everyone said at once."

"Well, your memories suck. I know we're nearly there," Tiggerpaka insisted.

"It's getting dark," Rhett said, looking at the sunset.

"Yeah, we should set up camp. Go hunting," Misty commented.

"Alright, sissies, fine! We'll get some food," Tiggerpaka growled.

"I'll go hunt," Misty volunteered.

"I'll come," Koro said. Misty couldn't help but smile at this.

"I'm going to come," Campbell said quickly. 

"You should guard Adele," Koro insisted. "With her being deaf, she'll need to know to stay here."

"Why me?" Campbell protested.

"Because you're the least important animal here," Sidew sniffed. 

With a snarl, Campbell lunged at Sidew, but was quickly knocked aside by Lephos.

"Don't you dare attack my brother!" Lephos growled.

Campbell bared her teeth and bit Lephos's leg. He yelped and winced, jumping back.

"Cut it out," Koro insisted. "Come on Misty, let's go."

"I think we already know who the leader is going to turn out to be," Misty heard Sidew grumble as she and Koro left.

"Duh! Me!" exclaimed Tiggerpaka's voice.

"I haven't taught you how to hunt yet," Koro commented.

Misty shook her head.

"Alright. Well, I'll teach you. First, you'll want to smell the air, decide what you're hunting for. What can you detect?"

Misty sniffed at the air. "Uh...a fox."

"Oh, that reminds me. Do you know the rule?" Koro asked.

"What rule?" Misty said.

"Don't kill prey that talks," Koro answered. "So if the fox talks, just let it go."

"Okay," Misty nodded.

"You're going to want to move stealthily. Don't break any branches. Stay downwind," Koro explained.

Misty crouched down to the ground and moved along. Koro followed.

Misty hid behind a bush and could see a fox sitting down, unaware of its hunters watching it. 

"Alright, try and get it," Koro hissed.

Misty bunched her legs together to jump, prepared to impress her mentor.

Author's Note:

Any predictions as to how they'll get back to The Bending Tower? Comment below. ;)

Oh and *cough*Misty/Koro*cough*

Chapter 19: Return of Tiggerkat

Howls of alarm erupted from the Tower, and Liberty covered her ears in annoyance with her paws. What's with the whining? So they were taken. Whining doesn't get us anywhere! Liberty growled to herself. She then looked to see Ash barking something and the noise seemed to die down, so Liberty got back up, lifting her paws back off her ears and listening. "...took them?" Ash was saying.
"Sounds like this...terrible thing I've heard about before," shivered Crash.
"And? What is it, Crash?" Ash pressed.
"They've been told in tales before, and most animals who encountered them said it wasn't pleasant," Crash explained. "Some were kidnapped. Others were nearly killed. Lucky ones managed to run away. I've seen one before, and I was able to avoid it...but dang, they're ugly."
"Are you going to tell us what it is or not?" demanded Twig.
"...Humans," Crash hissed.
"Humans," echoed Patch.
"Yes. They've never been around here before - I encountered a human somewhere far, far from this place - but somehow they found us. It'd be dangerous if they found The Bending Tower. Humans are intelligent. Very. Intelligent. My father, who had lived close to a human den, told me about them. They discovered a way to capture the sun and put it in their dens. They have sticks that spit rocks that can kill you, or put you in serious pain. But, they have flaws..." Crash explained.
The whole Bending Tower was silent, drawing closer to Crash's words. Liberty cocked her head, curious.
"Humans never seem to want to be quiet. If they're coming, they make a rather big racket," Crash said. "Also, my father told me they tend to be...cowards. But it really depends. A cat against a human? Human easily snatches up the cat, cat's gone. A bear against a human? Human's scared and flees. They have a sense about what their up against. I think it depends on size."
"So if a lion challenged a human, they'd be scared?" Slice said.
"Exactly," Crash confirmed. "We should wait until the humans make an appearance again. My father stated when they have a mission they'd like to complete, they get in, get out. If they come back and kidnap more of us, we attack. Until then, we should be on the lookout."
Everyone began murmuring, and Ash frowned. "Hm, that sounds like a good idea. Thank you, Crash."
Crash nodded back to Ash.
"We got to search for our missing Benders," Ash declared. "Cambpell, Misty and Adele were kidnapped. And I'm sure anyone else missing got taken, too. That's most likely what happened to Tiggerpaka as well. Who else is missing?"
"Bracken is!" Firefly exclaimed.
"Lephos and Sidew are too!" Nyla cried.
"No...!" Audrey whimpered.
"Rhett and Koro are," Light growled. "I'm going to kill--"
"Calm down," Kodi insisted, "we'll find them."
"Anyone else?"
"Not to my knowledge," shrugged Crystal.
"Me neither," Mkia said.
Liberty glanced at her mother, who looked to be shaking with fear. Liberty's father, Dust, was next to her, his tail wrapped around her in comfort. Well, I'm sure we all knew Campbell's stupidity would get her in trouble at some point, Liberty thought with a snort.
"Raoul, I'll have you set up searching parties--" Ash began.
"Hello!"
Everyone turned to look Tiggerkat bounding through the entrance, reese cup sack on her back.
"Tiggerkat!" cried Wyki, Mirage and Sirius, running up to her.
"Why is she back? I thought we got rid of her," Rusty muttered.
"There were absolutely no reese cups out there," Tiggerkat said, popping a reese cup in her mouth. "So I came back to you all, my best friends!"
"Oh boy," hissed Akumu.
"Hush," said Flare.
"Tiggerkat, did you see any signs of...humans?" Ash asked.
"Humans? Oh yeah!" Tiggerkat exclaimed. "I saw some get into this fat brown creature with black paws. I call it a 'car'."
"A car?" echoed Kodi.
"Well, that's what I named it," Tiggerkat said, eating another reese cup.
"Okay. So this car...what happened?" Raoul said.
"Mm, they just got into it and the car ran off," Tiggerkat shrugged. "Nothing too important."
"Yes it is! They took some of our apprentices!" Nyla cried.
"And Koro and Rhett!" Light snarled. "Do you think I went through the stupidity of pregnancy, just to have them taken away? Well, I didn't!"
"Then we must find them!" Tiggerkat declared.
"Yes, we're sending out searching parties," Ash nodded.
"Ooh! A party?!" Tiggerkat exclaimed. "What's it for? I wanna join!"
"...Tiggerkat, I think you should just go to the travellers' room," Eclipse suggested.
"Oh, okay!" Tiggerkat grinned, hopping into The Bending Tower.
"...And to think she was gone forever," Rusty sighed.

Author's Note:
Be sure to check my new stories if you haven't already. :P
Annnnnd I dunno what else to say. ouo

Chapter 18: Breaking Out

Now Misty found herself in a cage in a silver room. She was in a corner, alone. There were windows along the walls, making sunlight come in, but Misty couldn't see the outside world. We're gonna die in here, she thought, scared. She looked around. Misty knew the others were in different places throughout the room...but what was going on here?
Suddenly, a two-legged thing in a long white pelt came in, saying something urgently. Misty just now noticed one of the two-legged creatures who captured her in the corner, replying to the white-pelt. Misty then heard a cage unlock. With a gasp, she saw the white-pelt pick up a rather confused-looking Adele, setting her on a table in the middle of the room.
"No!" Misty howled. She threw herself at the cage wall, trying to escape and help her sister. They're going to kill her! she thought in alarm. "Let go of her!" Misty yelped.
The white-pelt turned to look at Misty and walked towards her cage, with a pointy thing in his paw. Misty got close to the cage and bit aimlessly at him, hoping to land a bite. But then, the white-pelt stuck the needle into Misty's fur. She flinched and jumped back, and went to bite at the white-pelt again, but felt very sleepy.
Misty fell to the ground.


When Misty awoke, the table didn't have Adele on top of it. It was empty. Misty yawned as she slowly woke up. Is Adele okay? she thought, perking up at the thought. "Guys--?"
The white-pelt returned through the door. Misty's fear went back up and she shrunk back against the cage. Not another sleep-stick, she thought pleadingly. She watched the white-pelt, hoping it wouldn't notice her. She saw it bend down and then come back up - this time with Tiggerpaka in his hands.
"Unhand me, vile beast!" Tiggerpaka cried, thrashing. "I shall never bow to your power, Tiredblade's minion. Let me go this instant!"
Suddenly, the white-pelt jammed something into Tiggerpaka's shoulder, and he relaxed, his eyes drooping. They put a sleep-stick in him too! Misty thought in alarm. The white-pelt set Tiggerpaka on the table, who had his eyes closed and was sitting there limply. It then grabbed a square thing and put it under Tiggerpaka. What's it doing? Misty wondered, closing her eyes, expecting Tiggerpaka to yelp in pain. But instead, when she opened them she found the white-pelt putting it back where he found it, and Tiggerpaka not looking in pain at all - he still looked sleepy.
Misty continued to watch. The white-pelt took a yellow stick and a white square, putting the white square on the table and moving the stick along the square quickly. What does that do? Misty frowned. The white-pelt looked again at the sleepy Tiggerpaka and took out another one of the pointy objects, and put it in Tiggerpaka's shoulder.
Suddenly, the meerkat perked up. "GAAAH!" he howled, jumping away from the white-pelt, who flinched in alarm. Tiggerpaka then slammed into one of the cages - Misty could see it was Lephos and Sidew's. The door swung open, and the brothers exchanged glances. "Let's leave!" they exclaimed at the same time, darting out from the cages.
Sidew ran for Misty's cage. "You were seriously over-dramatic with Adele," Sidew snorted.
"What would you have done if Lephos was put up there?" Misty retorted.
Sidew hesitated, then sighed. "That's beside the point. Let's get you out of here."
The Border Collie then opened the cage.
"Is Adele okay?" Misty asked.
"Just peachy," Sidew responded, then shot away.
Misty then went for Koro's cage and unlocked it.
"Thanks," Koro smiled, and then went to unlock Rhett's.
Soon all the cages were unlocked. "Where's the white-pelt?" Misty asked.
The white-pelt was gone.
"Who cares, let's leave!" Rhett growled.
The group ran for the door.

Author's Note:
That needle the scientist stuck in Tiggerpaka, it was just a blood sample. He performed the same tests on Adele. So don't worry, it's not like they're gonna mutate or anything extreme will happen.
Sorry for not updating this sooner. :c And check out my new stories! :3

Chapter 17: Dinner at The Bending Tower

In the yard, patrols were returning. Liberty, tail over her paws, scanned the area. Where's my sister's patrol? she thought. All the patrols had come back by now, but the patrol Campbell was on hadn't shown. Not that I care anyway. It's not like we're friends.
"No one has found Tiggerpaka?" called Ash.
"Nope," said Dell. "No hint of Tiggerpaka at all."
"We're waiting for one patrol to come back, and some others," reported Darner. "Some of us split up."
"I don't know where Bracken is," frowned Firefly. "He trailed off."
"Well, the others should be back soon. Probably still looking," Mkia pointed out.
"Any hints as to where Tiggerpaka may be?" Raoul asked.
Everyone exchanged looks but no one said anything.
"Alright then...everyone, get your dinner while we wait," Ash suggested.
Liberty made a beeline for the prey pile and went to grab a rabbit, but put her paw on it at the same time as someone else.
She looked up to see Ekaj had also grabbed the rabbit. Liberty gave him a look, then pulled the rabbit for herself.
"S-Sorry," Ekaj said.
"Hm," Liberty mumbled, taking the rabbit to her own spot in the corner. She looked at Ekaj, to see him grabbing a beaver laying in the pile and dragging it off for his brother Malroy, who was with Starlight. Starlight seemed to be talking eagerly, and Malroy was nodding every once in a while, seeming to be adding something every now and then.
Then, Starlight smiled and walked away, heading over for Liberty. "Hey Liberty," she greeted her.
"Hey," Liberty replied through a mouthful of rabbit.
"Malroy's pretty cool," Starlight commented.
"Meh," Liberty shrugged. Where's she going with this? Liberty wondered.
"Funny, too," Starlight observed, but Liberty noticed she had some sort of hope in her voice. Whatever that means, Liberty thought. "He was telling me a pretty neat joke--"
"Let's not talk about Malroy, we should discuss something more interesting," Liberty insisted.
Liberty couldn't help noticing Starlight looked a bit sad. "Oh, okay...what, then?"
"Well, the whole Tiggerpaka thing. What'd you think of that?" Liberty asked, biting into her rabbit.
"I think it's just something Tiggerpaka'd normally do. Get himself into trouble, have us get him out of it," Starlight shrugged.
Audrey then came over. "Hi," she said.
"Audrey! Hi!" Starlight exclaimed. "What were you doing?"
"Ah, nothing," Audrey murmured. "These earthquakes have been scary..."
"Well, we're still alive," Liberty grumbled flatly.
"B-But Dust and Campbell nearly died..." Audrey stammered, sounding nervous - which wasn't new for Audrey.
"And we're still here. I think we're fine," Liberty muttered.
"Speaking of which, where is your sister?" Starlight asked.
"I dunno. Probably still out there," Liberty shrugged.
"Are you scared she won't make it back?" Starlight said.
"Nope," Liberty shook her head.
"You two need to get along better. You're sisters," Starlight insisted.
"She doesn't like me, so I don't like her. That relationship suits me just fine," Liberty grumbled.
"I wonder where Lephos and Sidew are," Audrey murmured.
"Probably getting lost," Starlight giggled. "You know how they are."
"I don't think they like me that much," Audrey said.
"Oh, they're boys. You know how boys are, they're just dumb," Starlight snorted.
"Amen," Liberty muttered, biting into her rabbit once more.
Something seemed to be by the entrance, and Liberty looked up to see Crystal returned.
"Oh good, Mom's here," Starlight sighed with relief.
"You thought she got lost?" Liberty muttered. "Why?"
"Things have gotten strange around here," Starlight commented. "And I don't like it."
Suddenly, Nzuri darted into the entrance, panting. "Ash!" she gasped. "A-Ash..."
"Nzuri, you look like you ran from the Earth Kingdom and back," Streak observed.
"What is it?" Ash asked, looking concerned.
"It's...It's your daughters. And Campbell," Nzuri panted. "I...I saw something weird, th-these big two-legged creatures with no fur who had these sticks..."
"Cut to the chase, Nzuri," Rusty snorted.
"They captured Campbell, Misty and Adele!" Nzuri cried. "And took them away!"

Author's Note:
Delayed chapter, sorry D8 And kinda short. :/ Check out my other story - The Powered Ones - if you haven't already please. ouo