Chapter 41: Lilypaka Explains

Misty sat in the corner of the visitors' room, deep in thought about the words from Busara. Something about the Peacebenders needing me, and Yin and Yang... she thought. Why would the Peacebenders need me? Aren't they powerful? She sighed in frustration. Well, if they do need me, they're not getting help anytime soon...
"Hey, Misty," said a voice. Misty looked up to see Bracken coming for her. "My headache's gone. But I feel a bit drowsy."
"Ah," Misty murmured in response.
Bracken studied her for a bit. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You look really lost in thought."
"That message I got from Busara? It makes no sense," Misty replied. "I don't know what to do about it."
"Maybe I can help you!" Bracken exclaimed, beaming at her. "I can probably figure it out!"
"Sorry, Bracken, I think I can handle this. I'll learn eventually," Misty insisted.
"You sure?" Bracken asked.
"Yes, Bracken. But thanks anyway," Misty said.
Misty looked as Lephos and Rhett trotted her way. "Hey," Lephos greeted her. "We were all going to go hunting, want to join us?"
"No," Misty replied.
"Why not?" Rhett asked.
"She's dealing with that whole mystery thing," Bracken replied.
"Oh, come on," Rhett snorted with an eye roll, "it's just words that came out of a meerkat's mouth, so why listen to it? Come on, Misty, let's go."
"It's important," Misty insisted, "I'm not coming."
"So since you got these big important words from a meerkat shaman, you're going to give up hunting just to sit here and ponder? Makes sense," Rhett muttered.
"Look, just go do your hunting. I don't want to at the moment. Is that a crime?" Misty demanded.
"No, but then again it's not like you actually can hunt, so perhaps it's best that you don't tag along," Rhett smirked.
Misty growled, getting to her paws, but Lephos jumped in front of her. "Whoa, whoa. Break it up," he insisted. "Stay here, it's fine. C'mon, guys, let's go."
"I say let them fight!" Sidew exclaimed, trotting over. "Come on, Lephos, it'll be fun."
"You coming, Si?" Lephos asked, seeming to be attempting to change the subject.
"'Course, let's take off," Sidew nodded. He headed for the exit, Lephos following. Rhett followed without a backwards glance at Misty.
"Y'know he was just teasing," Bracken said to Misty. "That's just the way Rhett acts when he likes someone."
Bracken trotted off.
Rhett can be a pain in the tail sometimes, Misty decided, sitting back down, but he's okay for a friend, I guess...
Lilypaka came through the entrance. "Hi, Misty," she greeted the wolf, walking up to her. "All your other friends are going hunting. Why aren't you?"
"I got stuff to think about, Lilypaka," Misty sighed.
"Oh. Maybe taking a walk will help," Lilypaka suggested. "C'mon, we can visit my brother."
"Alright," Misty got to her paws. "I want to see how well he's doing in his prison, anyway."
"He's actually meeting with the Council," Lilypaka said. "I'll take you there."
Misty followed Lilypaka out of the room. They were now in the main room of the tree. Sunlight sparkled in from the skylight, making the Meerkat Clan's home look beautiful. There were a few meerkats out and about, but obviously not the whole Clan was here; Misty figured they were all doing their duties.
"Tiggerpaka got called to the Council for a small court," Lilypaka explained as she climbed the steps.
"Aren't you concerned about your brother?" Misty asked, realizing Lilypaka didn't have a nervous tone.
Lilypaka shook her head. "Actually, the Council isn't that dangerous. They may claim they'll do stuff, but the worst they'll do is ship you to the prison. I hardly think Tiggerpaka will be in trouble. And with how stubborn and annoying he is, the Council will most likely get fed up and send him back to his cell."
They entered the Council's room to see the Council scowling at an angry-looking Tiggerpaka.
"You are guilty of your crime of treason, then!" exclaimed Mbili.
"You pathetic Council," Tiggerpaka spat. "I saved your sorry hides! I single-handedly saved you from Tiredblade."
"Saved us!? If anything, you endangered the Clan!" Tatu growled.
"And worst of all, us - the Council!" added Moja. "What have you to say in your defense?"
"Puh-lease," Tiggerpaka rolled his eyes. "I have nothing to say to defend myself. I. Saved. The. Clan! You morons are obviously too blind to see that I am your greatest warrior."
"If you were our greatest warrior, you wouldn't be in exile!" roared Mbili.
"I'm not in exile. I chose to leave! Your pathetic Clan was not of much use to me. I had a greater destiny!" Tiggerpaka declared.
"SAY THAT AGAIN!" snarled Tatu, storming up so he was nose-to-nose with Tiggerpaka.
"That again," Tiggerpaka said.
Tatu growled, gripping Tiggerpaka by his chest fur with his paw. "To the prison! Now!"
Tiggerpaka pushed Tatu's paws off his chest. "No! I am an adventurer! I saved you from Tiredblade!" Tiggerpaka protested.
Misty turned to Lilypaka. "Why was Tiggerpaka exiled?" she asked.
"Well," Lilypaka said, "long story, but here's why..."


As a rather young kit - newly made a warrior - Tiggerpaka was going on one of his "adventures" in the forest by the Meerkat Clan's field. He was jumping through the trees. "I am the best warrior the Meerkat Clan has!" he exclaimed to himself. "The Council shall be proud to have me among their ranks."
The bushes below rustled. Tiggerpaka, determined, snapped a skinny branch off the tree. I shall destroy this intruder! he vowed, holding the stick in his paws as a weapon.
Tiggerpaka hopped off the tree, and suddenly, a black jaguar arose from the bushes. He hadn't seen Tiggerpaka yet. The jaguar looked around, and silently walked to leave. You're not getting away that easily! exclaimed Tiggerpaka in his head.
With a yell, Tiggerpaka leapt and slapped the jaguar with the stick. "Die, trespasser!"
Apparently accepting the challenge, the jaguar snarled and batted Tiggerpaka easily away with his paw. "You puny rodent," he snarled, as he pinned Tiggerpaka to the ground, "you dare mess with a Firebender?"
"You're a trespasser! What's your name? I will kill you single-pawed!" Tiggerpaka vowed.
"Ha. You're not trouble; merely an annoyance," the jaguar snorted, pushing Tiggerpaka away. "I'm Firedblade - the top warrior of the Fire Nation - and I'll give you once chance, kid, to leave and we can act like this never happened. Otherwise, I will kill you."
"I will never surrender to you, Tiredblade!" Tiggerpaka exclaimed. He pointed his stick at Fireblade and charged him. With a smirk, Fireblade easily dodged the young meerkat's attempt at an attack. Tiggerpaka kept running past the jaguar and slammed into a tree, his stick hitting a hornet's nest.
Quickly, a swarm of angry hornets formed in a shape of a cloud. They didn't see Tiggerpaka, but they did see Fireblade - and angrily flew towards the black jaguar.
As they covered Fireblade, stinging him, he roared in pain and began running around in unintentional directions, trying to shake off the furious hornets. Tiggerpaka collected himself and grabbed his stick, and then watched Fireblade running off - in the direction of the Meerkat Clan. "You get back here, you mangy cat! Get back here and fight!"
Fireblade kept running, and Tiggerpaka chased after the jaguar, yelling.
It was a quiet morning in the Meerkat Clan. The meerkats were all taking their break, laying lazily in the field, sunbathing. The sky was a cloudless blue, a slight breeze - a perfect morning. No troubles, nothing to deal with - the meerkats were completely laid-back and comfortable.
A yell split across the clearing. Several meerkats poked their heads up, and jolted in alarm as a black jaguar burst onto the scene, hornets and Tiggerpaka in tow. A meerkat lookout sounded the alarm, signifying danger, and the Clan members began to scramble chaotically.
The meerkats crashed into each other, knocking each other over. They got stung by hornets repeatedly, tripped over their own feet, causing chaos among the Clan.
Reacting to the alarm, meerkat warriors flew out of the tunnels, weapons at the ready. "CHARGE!" roared a meerkat, and the warriors ran.
The hornets were flying everywhere, and some flew for the warriors, stinging them. Upon getting hit, some warriors fell to the ground, but others carried on. A few swatted at the hornets, but this made them madder, and the meerkats who swatted them got stung, crying out in pain.
The few meerkats that managed to make it to Fireblade went to hit the jaguar, but the hornets around Fireblade zipped for the warriors. The meerkats yelled out and fell to the ground, defeated from the hornet stings.
As the hornets began dying from losing their stingers by stinging Fireblade and the meerkats, the Clan began stomping on the already-dead hornets, as if they were still a threat. Tiggerpaka, with a battle cry, lunged for Fireblade, who was standing still, panting from getting hurt so much, eyes swollen shut from the stings.
However, Tiggerpaka came to a screeching halt and slid under Fireblade's belly, the jaguar unaware of the meerkat's presence. Tiggerpaka took his stick and poked Fireblade in the belly. The cat yelled in alarm, jumping up at the unexpected attack, and crashed into a giant wooden cistern next to the Meerkat Clan's tree, which had collected the rainwater that would supply the Clan with something to drink.
The cistern gave way and water crashed out from it. Like a tsunami, the wave swept away meerkats, dead hornets, and Tiggerpaka. Washing them into the forest.
Fireblade, unaware of what had happened, got to his paws. And he fled.


"Wow," Misty commented. "Things about Tiggerpaka are starting to make a lot more sense now."
Lilypaka started snickering.
"What?" Misty frowned.
"I never thought I'd hear the words 'make sense' and 'Tiggerpaka' in the same sentence," Lilypaka laughed.
Misty smiled and put her tail around the meerkat in a hug.
"Hey, I have an idea," Lilypaka whispered to Misty. "How about you use your new 'goddess powers' and ask the Council to free Tiggerpaka?"
"That's a good idea," Misty remarked with a smile.

Author's Note:
Well, here you get to see Tiggerpaka's past. Hope you enjoyed it. OuO
Oh, and check out my latest story - "To Glory". Link in my blogger profile. Click here to see my profile.