They made their way through the territory, heading in the direction of where the shriek was heard. It didn't sound again, but Misty kept walking with Lilypaka, Campbell and Adele towards it, walking a bit faster now. What happened? Misty kept wondering.
"There!" Lilypaka exclaimed, scampering forward. Misty ran up as well and looked down the hill.
Zela, Echo and Destin were there, all standing next to each other and facing something. Misty's heart lurched as she recognized what it was: a Shadow Tracker.
The creature's long tongue flicked, silver saliva falling off the end, and it let out a hiss as it stared the boys down.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MICE IS THAT?" Zela yelped.
Destin snarled at it, taking a few steps forward. "Whatever it is, it won't be here long."
"Is that what Achak was talking about?" Lilypaka whispered. "Those Shadow Trackers?"
"We saw those at The Bending Tower! I knew we weren't seeing things!" Campbell shouted, turning to Misty.
Destin charged the Shadow Tracker, but in a black wisp it easily dodged, making Destin skid to a halt. "Fight me, you coward!" he challenged, leaping at it again, but this time the Shadow Tracker disappeared into a shadowy vortex and reappeared behind Zela and Echo, who jumped back in fear.
"It's obviously not here to fight," Lilypaka commented. She then ran down the hill. "HEY! It's not gonna hur--!"
The boys didn't listen, and Destin once again tried charging the Shadow Tracker. "Help me take it down!" he called to Echo and Zela, who quickly followed him in attacking the creature. It dodged yet again, however, away from them.
"C'mon," Campbell said, trotting down the hill. Misty and Adele both followed.
They made it down, and Lilypaka was trying to get the boys' attention, but they kept trying to catch the Shadow Tracker to no avail. Misty watched. "Come on, guys!" she shouted. "Listen to Lilypaka! It's not--!"
Just then the Shadow Tracker appeared right in front of Misty and she let out a tiny gasp, but didn't dare speak. The Shadow Tracker didn't move either, staring at her, hissing and spitting, and then looked from Campbell, then to Adele.
When it saw Adele it froze before letting out a deafening screech, then disappearing in another shadow vortex.
There was silence before Destin laughed. "We scared it off!" he declared, and then Zela and Echo joined in his laughter, howling in victory.
Lilypaka scampered over. "Well, it's gone," she remarked. "Not sure why."
Misty frowned. "It looked at Adele," she said, turning to look at her sister. "Then ran away."
A look came upon Lilypaka, the look that normally came on her when she was thinking. "You said Achak told you that Shadow Trackers don't have minds of their own, right? That they're given orders by authority figures, and that's all they focus on?"
"Yeah..." Misty said.
"Well obviously, the Shadow Tracker's being here wasn't mere coincidence," Lilypaka said matter-of-factly. "That means someone is controlling it, and they sent it here."
There was a silence in the group before Campbell broke it. "But why...why would they send it here?"
Lilypaka looked dead serious when she spoke.
"Because someone is looking for us."
At dinner, the girls stayed in their camp and watched the guys on their side. Misty had to admit, they were good for entertainment.
As the boys were all fighting over and ripping into their food, Ricochet stood on a tree stump and gave a sharp bark that silenced the Tribe, and the boys from Misty's group.
"There was a creature in the forest today!" Ricochet shouted. "A creature black as night and made of fire, as someone reported it."
Gasps and whispers coursed through them, except for Zela, Echo and Destin, who merely all glanced at each other.
"And Destin, Echo and Zela chased it out!" Ricochet declared. "A howl for them!"
The boys all howled and broke into cheers and laugther.
"Enjoy your meal!" Ricochet exclaimed, jumping down from the stump, and the dinner continued.
"They're annoying sometimes, but they seem like a fun, carefree group," Lilypaka commented.
"Yeah, except that that can result in being a little cocky or not caring about intruders," Campbell muttered.
"It's worked for them so far," Misty pointed out.
"But how long have they been here?" Campbell retorted.
"It's a good thing for that creature that I wasn't there!" Misty heard Tiggerpaka say. She turned to see Tiggerpaka speaking to Colton, Snowdust, Mudaz and Dezren. "I would have slayed the beast and it'd never return!"
"Really?" said Colton in interest.
"Of course! I am a warrior after all," Tiggerpaka smirked.
"You are?" Dezren said.
"Yeah, he is!" Mudaz exclaimed. "And he can talk to hornets!"
The boys gasped as Mudaz grinned, seeming proud to be the one to tell them that.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Snowdust asked.
"Natural-born talent, my boy!" Tiggerpaka said, smiling. "Only some of us have that gift."
"That's so cool," Dezren said eagerly.
"Tell us another story!" Mudaz exclaimed, hopping up and down slightly. "Please? Please?"
"Okay," Tiggerpaka nodded. "So back in my home, we had a sworn enemy called the Fire Nation..."
Misty tuned out, having had heard the story enough as a pup to know all that the meerkat would say. She glanced around the camp and her eyes fell on Ricochet, who was glaring at someone. Misty followed his gaze to see it was locked on Tiggerpaka, who was making a lot of motions as he told the story.
"What's up with Ricochet?" Misty wondered aloud.
"What is it?" Campbell asked.
Misty nodded at the Tribe leader. "He's glaring at Tiggerpaka."
Lilypaka hopped up, also studying the scene. "Maybe he thinks Tiggerpaka is stealing his boys from him."
Misty frowned. "That's actually a good point. They did seem to look up to Ricochet before."
"Yeah, and now Tiggerpaka's stealing the spot," Campbell commented. "I know what that's like. Except I never had that spot in the first placed."
"Oh, hush," Misty said dismissively.
They returned to eating their meal, and Lilypaka spoke up. "Wonder what's gonna happen tonight with the boys."
"Probably more of that stupid fighting," Campbell snorted.
"It's interesting to watch, though," Misty commented.
"Sorry for the subject change," apologized Lilypaka, "but the Shadow Tracker...who do you think sent it?"
"I'm not sure," Campbell frowned.
Misty hesitated before speaking up. "Aren't we like, 'destined' to save Yin and Yang?"
Lilypaka considered this. "I guess..."
"What if someone doesn't want us to?" Misty wondered.
"Why would they? Yin and Yang's fighting could end the world," Campbell pointed out.
"Yeah, but...maybe there's someone behind it all," Misty murmured.
This brought silence for a while before Campbell snorted. "Stupidest idea I've heard all day."
Author's Note:
Age of Ultron came out and I'm so excited for it. :D I'll be watching it tomorrow.
Pitch Perfect 2 also comes out May 15, and I'm definitely watching that as well. :3
"There!" Lilypaka exclaimed, scampering forward. Misty ran up as well and looked down the hill.
Zela, Echo and Destin were there, all standing next to each other and facing something. Misty's heart lurched as she recognized what it was: a Shadow Tracker.
The creature's long tongue flicked, silver saliva falling off the end, and it let out a hiss as it stared the boys down.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MICE IS THAT?" Zela yelped.
Destin snarled at it, taking a few steps forward. "Whatever it is, it won't be here long."
"Is that what Achak was talking about?" Lilypaka whispered. "Those Shadow Trackers?"
"We saw those at The Bending Tower! I knew we weren't seeing things!" Campbell shouted, turning to Misty.
Destin charged the Shadow Tracker, but in a black wisp it easily dodged, making Destin skid to a halt. "Fight me, you coward!" he challenged, leaping at it again, but this time the Shadow Tracker disappeared into a shadowy vortex and reappeared behind Zela and Echo, who jumped back in fear.
"It's obviously not here to fight," Lilypaka commented. She then ran down the hill. "HEY! It's not gonna hur--!"
The boys didn't listen, and Destin once again tried charging the Shadow Tracker. "Help me take it down!" he called to Echo and Zela, who quickly followed him in attacking the creature. It dodged yet again, however, away from them.
"C'mon," Campbell said, trotting down the hill. Misty and Adele both followed.
They made it down, and Lilypaka was trying to get the boys' attention, but they kept trying to catch the Shadow Tracker to no avail. Misty watched. "Come on, guys!" she shouted. "Listen to Lilypaka! It's not--!"
Just then the Shadow Tracker appeared right in front of Misty and she let out a tiny gasp, but didn't dare speak. The Shadow Tracker didn't move either, staring at her, hissing and spitting, and then looked from Campbell, then to Adele.
When it saw Adele it froze before letting out a deafening screech, then disappearing in another shadow vortex.
There was silence before Destin laughed. "We scared it off!" he declared, and then Zela and Echo joined in his laughter, howling in victory.
Lilypaka scampered over. "Well, it's gone," she remarked. "Not sure why."
Misty frowned. "It looked at Adele," she said, turning to look at her sister. "Then ran away."
A look came upon Lilypaka, the look that normally came on her when she was thinking. "You said Achak told you that Shadow Trackers don't have minds of their own, right? That they're given orders by authority figures, and that's all they focus on?"
"Yeah..." Misty said.
"Well obviously, the Shadow Tracker's being here wasn't mere coincidence," Lilypaka said matter-of-factly. "That means someone is controlling it, and they sent it here."
There was a silence in the group before Campbell broke it. "But why...why would they send it here?"
Lilypaka looked dead serious when she spoke.
"Because someone is looking for us."
At dinner, the girls stayed in their camp and watched the guys on their side. Misty had to admit, they were good for entertainment.
As the boys were all fighting over and ripping into their food, Ricochet stood on a tree stump and gave a sharp bark that silenced the Tribe, and the boys from Misty's group.
"There was a creature in the forest today!" Ricochet shouted. "A creature black as night and made of fire, as someone reported it."
Gasps and whispers coursed through them, except for Zela, Echo and Destin, who merely all glanced at each other.
"And Destin, Echo and Zela chased it out!" Ricochet declared. "A howl for them!"
The boys all howled and broke into cheers and laugther.
"Enjoy your meal!" Ricochet exclaimed, jumping down from the stump, and the dinner continued.
"They're annoying sometimes, but they seem like a fun, carefree group," Lilypaka commented.
"Yeah, except that that can result in being a little cocky or not caring about intruders," Campbell muttered.
"It's worked for them so far," Misty pointed out.
"But how long have they been here?" Campbell retorted.
"It's a good thing for that creature that I wasn't there!" Misty heard Tiggerpaka say. She turned to see Tiggerpaka speaking to Colton, Snowdust, Mudaz and Dezren. "I would have slayed the beast and it'd never return!"
"Really?" said Colton in interest.
"Of course! I am a warrior after all," Tiggerpaka smirked.
"You are?" Dezren said.
"Yeah, he is!" Mudaz exclaimed. "And he can talk to hornets!"
The boys gasped as Mudaz grinned, seeming proud to be the one to tell them that.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Snowdust asked.
"Natural-born talent, my boy!" Tiggerpaka said, smiling. "Only some of us have that gift."
"That's so cool," Dezren said eagerly.
"Tell us another story!" Mudaz exclaimed, hopping up and down slightly. "Please? Please?"
"Okay," Tiggerpaka nodded. "So back in my home, we had a sworn enemy called the Fire Nation..."
Misty tuned out, having had heard the story enough as a pup to know all that the meerkat would say. She glanced around the camp and her eyes fell on Ricochet, who was glaring at someone. Misty followed his gaze to see it was locked on Tiggerpaka, who was making a lot of motions as he told the story.
"What's up with Ricochet?" Misty wondered aloud.
"What is it?" Campbell asked.
Misty nodded at the Tribe leader. "He's glaring at Tiggerpaka."
Lilypaka hopped up, also studying the scene. "Maybe he thinks Tiggerpaka is stealing his boys from him."
Misty frowned. "That's actually a good point. They did seem to look up to Ricochet before."
"Yeah, and now Tiggerpaka's stealing the spot," Campbell commented. "I know what that's like. Except I never had that spot in the first placed."
"Oh, hush," Misty said dismissively.
They returned to eating their meal, and Lilypaka spoke up. "Wonder what's gonna happen tonight with the boys."
"Probably more of that stupid fighting," Campbell snorted.
"It's interesting to watch, though," Misty commented.
"Sorry for the subject change," apologized Lilypaka, "but the Shadow Tracker...who do you think sent it?"
"I'm not sure," Campbell frowned.
Misty hesitated before speaking up. "Aren't we like, 'destined' to save Yin and Yang?"
Lilypaka considered this. "I guess..."
"What if someone doesn't want us to?" Misty wondered.
"Why would they? Yin and Yang's fighting could end the world," Campbell pointed out.
"Yeah, but...maybe there's someone behind it all," Misty murmured.
This brought silence for a while before Campbell snorted. "Stupidest idea I've heard all day."
Author's Note:
Age of Ultron came out and I'm so excited for it. :D I'll be watching it tomorrow.
Pitch Perfect 2 also comes out May 15, and I'm definitely watching that as well. :3
Balancing two stories interesting >.>
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