Chapter 49: Bears

"Just face it, Koro. We're lost."
"No we're not. Ophir said it's this way."
"Why should we even trust him in the first place? He doesn't owe us or anything."
"Ophir's all we got. He's the only animal here who knows how to get to our destination."
Misty watched as Koro and Rhett argued back and forth. It had been days since they'd left the Meerkat Clan, and they were getting nowhere, even with Ophir trying to direct them. It just seemed to be endless forest. Misty was wondering if they were just going in circles.
"Allow me to take the lead!" insisted Tiggerpaka importantly. "You maggots are getting us lost. I will get us to the Land of Yang and Yin with ease."
"Oh, right!" growled Sidew, whipping around to face the meerkat. "You have been nothing but trouble this whole journey. What are you going to do?"
"You are obviously too ignorant to recognize my greatness," Tiggerpaka scoffed.
"You arrogant little--!" Sidew began in a snarl, and tackled the meerkat.
"HEY!" exclaimed Lilypaka, rushing over to help. She was quickly followed by Lephos.
Misty watched the fight but then turned as she heard shouting. Campbell was yelling at Ophir. "You're the one getting us lost. Tell us the right way!" she snarled.
"I am taking you the right way," Ophir insisted calmly.
"No you're not!" growled Campbell.
"Aw, you're cute when you're upset," sneered Ophir.
"ENOUGH!" shouted Misty, making everyone stop talking. "Look. It's getting dark," Misty went on. "I suggest we take a break. We're tired, and we're also hungry. We should attempt to hunt. This is why we're all so irritated."
Everyone was silent, until Bracken spoke up. "Misty's right. We really shouldn't be fighting. It's not good if we don't cooperate."
"I agree," Koro nodded. "We all need to rest up."
"But what about Ophir?" Campbell demanded. "He's just going to slip away while we all sleep."
"What, looking for an excuse to stay with me all night?" Ophir said.
"No, shut up," growled Campbell.
"We'll take turns being guards," Koro said. "I'll be guard first."
"Thank Lifebreeze. I'm going to sleep," Sidew yawned.
"Is anyone willing to go hunting?" Koro asked.
"I will!" Bracken exclaimed eagerly.
"Sure, I'll go," Lephos volunteered.
"Me too," Sidew piped up - Misty guessed he volunteered because his brother did.
"Alright. You three head out. The rest of you, just set up for sleep," Koro said.
Lephos, Sidew and Bracken headed off at once. Misty lay down on the ground, and her sister Adele wandered over and plopped down next to Misty. Misty turned to her. "Hey," she greeted her deaf sibling. Despite knowing Adele couldn't possibly hear her, somehow Misty felt comfort in talking to her.
Adele looked at Misty blankly before settling her head on her front paws. With a sigh, Misty did the same.
However, Misty wasn't feeling terribly tired, so for a while she just lay there. The others began to settle down and go to sleep as well.
Eventually, Misty finally closed her eyes, falling asleep before Lephos, Sidew and Bracken returned.


When Misty woke up, the first thing to greet her were birds chirping. She yawned and blinked a few timed, waking up. She then took in her surroundings and froze in fear as she realized: this was not the place she had fallen asleep in when the group settled down for the night.
In fact, Misty was up in the branch of a tree. Was I sleepwalking? she wondered. But she shook that off - she couldn't have climbed a tree in the process of sleepwalking. Someone must of put her up here. But it doesn't make sense, Misty told herself. Who would?
Grateful that she spent time attempting to climb trees back home, Misty edged her way down the tree, gripping onto branches for support, praying to the Peacebenders that she wouldn't fall and break a bone or get an injury.
Misty managed to make it to the ground and she sniffed the air. It wasn't far off that she scented someone strikingly familiar: Campbell. Thank Lifebreeze I'm not too far, she thought gratefully, trotting off in the direction of her friend's scent.
Misty made it to the clearing to find everyone as asleep, except for Campbell, who was awake and guarding Ophir, who appeared to be fast asleep. Campbell, who looked exhausted, turned to Misty. "Misty?" she yawned. "Wha...What are you..."
"I woke up in a tree," Misty responded in a whisper, hoping not to wake the others. "I dunno why. How long have you been up?"
"Since Koro put me here," Campbell murmured sleepily.
"Since Kor--?" Misty began in shock. "Why didn't you wake somebody up?"
"Because I could only trust myself to keep an eye on Ophir," Campbell failed to stifle a big yawn. "If...If anyone else here tried t' guard 'im, he'd...he'd slip away."
"He really looks like he's trying to get away," said Misty sarcastically, seeing Ophir was out cold.
Campbell must've been very exhausted, as she didn't pick up on Misty's sarcasm. "Misty, I...I watched the sun rise," she murmured. "The sun rise. Do you know what that...tha' looks 'ike?" Campbell yawned again. "The...the whole world 'round 'ou, jus' ge'ing brigh'er and brigh'er--"
"Uh, Campbell," Misty interrupted, noticing Campbell's voice sounding ridiculously tired, "how about you let me guard Ophir? You can trust me."
"But--"
"Campbell. Get some rest," Misty insisted.
"Al'ight," Campbell yawned, padding over and plopping down next to where Tiggerpaka was curled up and sleeping. "Bu'...if you have any trouble, just call me..."
"Will do," Misty assured her friend, sitting next to Ophir.
Misty watched as Campbell's eyes closed, and it wasn't terribly long before her body moved up and down in a rhythm that suggested she was fast asleep, resting peacefully. The only time she isn't complaining, Misty told herself.


It wasn't long until everyone had woken up. Rhett, Campbell and Lephos had all gone out to go hunting, while everyone else stayed behind and got ready for more traveling. "You should all allow me to become leader," announced Tiggerpaka importantly. "If I were your leader, we'd never get lost."
"No, you'd get us more lost," insisted Sidew.
Rhett, Campbell and Lephos walked into the camp. Rhett was holding a fox in his jaws, Campbell had a rabbit, and Lephos was holding a rabbit as well. "Only three prey?" said Lilypaka in disbelief.
"Couldn't find much," Lephos said as he dropped his rabbit into the small prey pile they had made. "We don't know why, though."
"Well, white-earth is approaching," Koro pointed out. "Maybe they're all hiding underground?"
"From what?" growled Rhett. "It's not freezing out yet. They have nothing to hide from."
"Then who gets to eat?" asked Misty. "I mean, we only have five pieces of prey."
Everyone looked at Koro. "I think we could share. But if there's not enough, the hungriest should eat first," the wolf-husky said.
"How do we determine that?" Lephos asked.
"I'm hoping some of you will be selfless enough to give up your food. We can tell who's hungriest by how desperate they act."
"I'm hungry!" exclaimed Sidew, quickly taking one of the rabbits.
"Can I share that with you?" Lephos asked.
"Fine," mumbled Sidew, and the two brothers dug into the prey.
Campbell quickly snatched up the fox Rhett had caught, and Ophir walked over to her. "I think I should eat some of that."
"In your dreams," Campbell retorted.
They then began bickering back and forth. Rhett and Koro began sharing a rabbit. Misty quickly took a beaver from the pile and brought it over to Adele, nudging it towards her. "You eat it," Misty insisted. Adele looked at the beaver before taking a bite. Misty decided Adele should take it; she wasn't all that hungry, anyway.
After most of the group had gotten done their eating, Koro got up. "We gotta keep moving." He turned to Ophir. "Same direction?"
"Duh," muttered Ophir in response.
Reluctantly, Misty got to her paws. Adele got up as well, and she and her sister walked off with the rest of the group.
They walked along uneventfully for a while until Bracken spoke up. "Someone's up ahead!"
The group stopped in their tracks. Misty smelled the air; she could scent the presence of someone ahead, indeed.
"Let's just go to them," Koro insisted. "We should outnumber them if they do decide to attack, and besides, maybe they could help out."
The group headed for the scent, until they walked up to behind a line of bushes and came across who was there.
There was a rather large bear sitting down with fish in front of her. Two bear cubs rolled around, laughing as they play-fought, and a third laughed along with them as he watched his siblings batting their paws at each other and playfully nipping at each others' ears. "I'll talk to her," Koro spoke up.
As he went to walk out, Rhett yanked his sibling back. "No!" he exclaimed. "You remember mom's tales of mother bears. They're fierce! That thing will rip your body in half!"
"Only if I mess with her cubs. Which I won't," Koro insisted, walking through the bush line.
Oh Lifebreeze, protect him, Misty prayed silently. Koro being slain by a bear was one of the last things she wanted.
"Hello?" said Koro to the bear.
The bear turned and looked at Koro. "Hello, dear," she replied in a motherly tone. "Can I help you?"
"Who are you?" asked Koro.
"I'm Adonael, of the Amorache Tribe," the bear returned. "You?"
"Koro, of The Bending Tower," responded Koro politely. "Where are we?"
"This is Amorache ground," replied Adonael.
"Shouldn't you be with your, um, Tribe?" Koro's head tilted in curiosity.
"In my Tribe, we're not confined to a camp like others, no. We may leave and return as we please," Adonael said. "You look hungry, dear. Would you like some food?"
"Thank you. And, um, I have some friends with me. We're all hungry, we barely had anything to eat for breakfast. Can they eat, too?" Koro asked.
"Of course. There's plenty to go around."
Koro looked at the bushes and swept with his tail to indicate it was alright to come out. The group came out from the bush line. "Rather large group!" Adonael remarked with amusement. "Why are all of you out here alone? You don't all look to be adults!"
"Long story," mumbled Campbell.
"So we can really eat some food?" asked Sidew eagerly.
"Of course. Help yourselves."
It wasn't in too long that Misty found herself trying salmon. It was good enough to eat, yet she preferred rabbit or beaver meat to that of a salmon's. "Hey!" Misty turned at the voice to see that one of the bear cubs was sitting by Tiggerpaka. "Who're you?"
"Me?" Tiggerpaka said importantly. He puffed out his chest. "I am Tiggerpaka. Adventurer and warrior, slayer of Tiredblade."
"Wow!" the cub said eagerly. "You're a warrior?"
"That's right," smirked Tiggerpaka.
"Uh," Lilypaka spoke up. "Actually, he--"
"Quiet, Lilypaka," Tiggerpaka turned to his sister. "Now is not the time for you to start blabbing on about who-knows-what. I am teaching this cub of my greatness!"
"I think that means 'poisoning his mind'," muttered Campbell.
"Tell me about your adventures!" exclaimed the cub.
"Oh, Citlali, these poor animals are tired, let them rest," Adonael insisted.
"It is fine, let me tell my tales!" Tiggerpaka insisted.
"Don't let him," said Sidew quickly. "He won't shut up until next moon if you do."
After a while, Adonael spoke up. "How about you come to the Amorache Tribe? You all can rest there until your strength builds up again."
"We will," Koro agreed.

Author's Note:
If you haven't used up all your sign ups (the limit is 2) then you can sign up for the Amorache Tribe! Or if your character isn't in yet, you can change their location to this Tribe.

QOTD: What do you think of the bears?