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! :)