DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformice or Teaprints; HOWEVER I have gotten permission to use Teaprints as a character in this story.
Before Panzarotti even uttered a sound, I knew what she was going to say.
Because it was always the same.
Time after time, it was always the same.
And she didn't snarl or sneer or frown. She didn't even acknowledge me. She just stared at me with half-hearted eyes, opened her mouth, and said nonchalantly:
"Noob."
It was only one word.
One simple word, and it seemed to stab my heart a million times. I didn't even know why.
Why?
I've lost count on how many times I had let down my team. Sometimes I failed to jump a ditch. Other times, I was too slow to get into the mousehole. Most of the time, the shaman isn't patient with me, and so they kill me off.
It's not only me.
How many times had I been thrown off the side of the cliff with a cannon ball digging painfully into my gut? How many times had I felt that sharp, startling tickle when I was spirited off a wooden plank? How many times had I fell into an endless, bubbling abyss with other mice, helpless and desperate, just like me?
Too many times.
I placed a heavy wedge of cheese on my back. I wiggled my hindquarters to make sure it was secure, but before I could even start towards the mousehole, a mouse leaped into my path. His grin was lopsided, but friendly. I faintly recalled his name as Teaprints.
"Hi," I mumbled warily. Mice like him were so much more experienced than me, and if I got on his bad side, he would surely cannon me when he becomes the shaman.
As if reading my mind, he laughed and slapped my shoulder playfully. I dropped my cheese, and as I scrambled to retrieve it, he chuckled, "Don't look so insecure, man! I saw those meanies callin' you those mean names, so I wanted to tell you to just ignore 'em!"
I glowered at him distastefully. "It's harder than you think."
Teaprints's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Did you think I was born a pro? I had to train a lot! I was a 'noob' just like you when I was first born." He shook his head. "Shamans killed me all the time and the older mice were so darn mean to me! Jeez."
"B-But..." I stammered, then I trailed off. The thick-furred mouse in front of me didn't look like a noob at all, and after all those flashy shows of lava- and spirit-jumping, it was hard to believe he had ever been one.
I stared at him hard and long, then I said lamely, "But you're so pro."
Teaprints opened his mouth to reply, but the shaman didn't allow him to.
"Hurry up!" she yelled, looking quite cross. "You only got 15 seconds more I cannon you outta here!"
Teaprints yelped, got his cheese, and began to scurry away. I followed him as fast as I could, and once we reached the mousehole, he flashed me a friendly smile and said, "See ya later, Kachapuri!"
He disappeared into the hole. I sat outside for a moment, my mind blank, but when the shaman ran up behind me and screamed at me to get in, I had no choice but to enter.
Two rounds later, Teaprints was the shaman. He summoned all the necessary objects with ease.
I watched him in awe.
I must've sat there looking dumb for at least thirty seconds before the familiar call of 'noob!' pushed me into action. Of course, most everyone was already heading towards the mousehole. Soon, only Teaprints and I were left.
"Hurry up, noob!" the familiar voice of Panzarotti muttered.
I ran to the cheese with quickened haste. Teaprints was waiting for me, and when I snatched a wedge of cheese, he placed a paw on mine.
"Easy!" he said, chuckling. "There's no rush. You got twenty seconds."
"Ten," I corrected angrily, lifting the cheese onto my back. I turned my back on him and headed back to the mousehole, but to my horror, the plank had malfunctioned and was now standing erect, completely blocking my path.
I hated not knowing how to wall jump.
I plopped down, hanging my head dejectedly. I expected Teaprints to wall jump to the other side, cannon me, and complete the map without any regard to me. Because that was what everyone did to me.
But he didn't.
I was shocked when he summoned a balloon to raise me up. There were a few outraged cries from the other mice, but I was too stunned to care. The timer hit zero just as the balloon sailed over the plank, but I didn't care if I got my stupid cheese or not.
Teaprints just helped me.
"What's the surprised face for?" Teaprints asked when we met on the next map.
"You helped me," I said blankly.
"Obviously!" He smiled again.
I stammered incoherently for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Can we be friends?"
Teaprints chuckled and ruffled the fur on top of my head. "Yeah!"
It was one word.
One simple word, and it seemed to make me ridiculously and wonderfully happy.