Chapter 8: The Rabbit

The next day Misty was still hungry. She had been given some food - a mouse - and it wasn't enough to fill her stomach. As soon as she woke up it was growling.
"You know what I dreamed about?" Sidew was saying when Misty opened her eyes. "I dreamed that I was chasing a rabbit that was singing 'You're hungry, you're hungry, but you can't catch me!' And I never did!" he growled.
"Any more wise advice for us?" Rhett said dryly to Koro.
"We just need to remain calm," Koro shrugged. "We'll find a way out of this."
"'Find a way out', my tail," grumbled Sidew.
"Aren't you positive," muttered Lephos.
"You try to be positive when you're starving!" Sidew snapped.
"Whine, whine, whine," spoke up Tiggerpaka, putting a grub in his mouth. "You pups think you have it so tough. I should tell you about the time I--"
"NO," said Sidew and Lephos at once.
"We're going through enough torture already," growled Sidew.
"My stories are not torture," Tiggerpaka sniffed. "My stories are ecstatic and phenomenal! Your young minds are merely too stupid to figure that out."
"Excuse me?" Campbell growled.
"Tiggerpaka," Lilypaka said quickly to her brother, "listen, why don't you go back to your fort and plan more on how you're going to 'seek safety'?" she suggested.
"I don't need to do that. I already know how!" Tiggerpaka smirked. "For I know everything."
"Yes, of course..." Lilypaka murmured, seeming unwilling to argue with her brother.
Misty sighed and looked out the entrance, where she slept by. Sunlight was filtering in, and Misty could see the brambles that guarded the exit, and Tribe members walking by, free and without troubles. It annoyed Misty, seeing how carefree they were compared to her, Misty, who was stuck in this den,
That was when someone ducked through the entrance. Misty nearly jumped as they came through, but then saw it was Tsovo, with a rabbit in his mouth. Misty scowled to herself. "What do you want?"
"Here." He set the rabbit down in front of her. "You're probably hungry."
Misty's hunger grew as she saw the prey in front of her muzzle, but fought back the urge to eat. "Why are you giving me this?" she demanded.
"Like I said. You're probably hungry," Tsovo repeated.
"I'm not eating while everyone else starves," Misty snapped.
"Hmm. You are hungry," remarked Tsovo.
"Take it back," Misty insisted. "I can't eat and let them starve."
"Suit yourself," shrugged Tsovo, leaving without taking the rabbit with him.
Misty growled to herself and turned to her friends. "Why'd Tsovo bring you that?" Bracken asked, head tilted.
"I don't know," Misty muttered.
"Misty's got a boyfriend," smirked Campbell.
"No," Misty growled.
"What's that?" Bracken asked.
"It's when you spend time with a fellow animal who you like and they like you back, but you're not mates," Lilypaka explained. "Another term is 'girlfriend'."
"Oh," Bracken murmured.
"Tsovo must like you," Rhett chuckled.
"No," Misty insisted.
"Tsovo has a crush on you," Campbell said.
"Well if he does, I'm going to crush him," growled Tiggerpaka.
Everyone fell silent and looked at the meerkat, and immediately Misty felt embarrassed. "Why?" Lephos said.
"Because Ash assigned me as her guard," Tiggerpaka said importantly. "And it is my duty to protect her."
I'm not helpless, Misty growled to herself.
"What a fine job you've been doing of that," said Campbell sarcastically.
Tiggerpaka threw a grub head at Campbell, hitting her forehead. "Hey!" Campbell growled.
"Yeah, you're real tough," Ophir muttered.
"Fight me," Campbell snapped.
"I'm a whole head taller than you and you wanna fight me. That makes sense," Ophir said dryly.
"So what are you going to do with the rabbit?" Bracken asked.
"Throw it out of the den. We can't be fighting over it," Misty insisted, grabbing the rabbit.
"I want it," insisted Sidew.
"No. We'll just fight over it. Like Misty said," Koro insisted. Misty felt satisfaction at his agreement.
"Aww," groaned Sidew as Misty tossed the rabbit out the den.

Author's Note:
Short, pointless chapter.
And I'm not ready for school tomorrow tbh.