Hi. Time for some more gem hunting! Enjoy!

The Raccoon, the Panther, and the Divine Gods

Chapter 9- Hogs and Rodents

Beijing, China: Safe House. Day 3, 1:00 pm: Bentley, Murray, and Panda King welcomed Prince to the team. When Michael and Jade told the gang who he was, they were very surprised. "Wow, Prince. We haven't seen you since you were just a baby. You sure have grown a lot!" said Murray. Prince smiled at all of them. "Thank you, I am glad and honored to meet you all. My parents told me so much about you. Though, I wish I could meet Michael's parents as well," Prince said with sadness. Bentley put a hand on his shoulder. "If we all work together, we will find them and stop Neyla." The young wolf smiled at his comforting words. At that moment, Michael got everyone's attention. "Uh, excuse me guys. What am I, chopped liver?" They all turned to the young raccoon, who looked very agitated.

'They are acting like I don't exist! Have they forgotten that it's my parents that are in danger!?' "Sorry, Michael, we were just getting to know Prince. What is it?" asked Bentley. Michael pointed at the map. "The map has shown me how to find the next Zodiac Gem. It says: To find the location of the Pig Gem, you must locate where the best bacon and ham can be found." They all looked confused. "It doesn't say where to look like the other two gems?" asked Jade. Michael shook his head. "Not this time. Guess we have to figure this riddle out for ourselves." Panda King spoke next. "We do know that it is somewhere in China." "Unfortunately, that hardly narrows it down, Panda King," said Bentley. They all stood there in thought. After 10 minutes of silence, Prince got everyone's attention.

"I think I know where the gem is. Where do bacon and ham come from?" "They come from a Butcher shop!" said Jade. Prince nodded. "Exactly, Jade." Michael cut in. "But there are probably hundreds of Butcher shops in China! How will we find the right one?" Bentley snapped his fingers. "We don't need to look through all of them; we just need to find the one that sells the most quality meat." He turned to his handy laptop and searched the web. "Bingo! According to my computer, the best place in China to get good meat is Choppy Joes! It is located right here in Beijing, just a few blocks from here!" Michael smiled. "Awesome, then let's head over there. We can grab the gem and maybe some steaks at the same time." They all chuckled. "Jade and I will go. We won't be gone long." But Prince stopped them.

"Wait, I'm coming too. Something tells me that you will need my assistance on this one." Michael scowled a little. He was about to say "No way!" when Jade punched him in the shoulder. "Come on, Michael. If he wants to come, we should let him. Please?" He suddenly felt ashamed by looking at her face. He then turned back to Prince. "Fine, you can come. Now let's go." As the three of them walked out the door, Michael just felt like a weight dropped on him. 'I was SO hoping he would stay out of this one. Guess he really wants to prove himself to everyone…especially to Jade.' He felt jealous once more at the wolf prince for getting Jade's vote of confidence. For a brief moment, he wished the prince had never come… "Michael, are you alright?" Jade asked. After he snapped out of his thoughts, he answered. "Oh, sure Jade. I just spaced out a bit, that's all."

15 minutes later, they arrived at Choppy Joe's Butcher shop. It looked a very worn down, especially the sign right above the door. It was hard to believe that a place with such a poor appearance can produce fine meat. "Guess this is the place. Let's head on in." said Michael. When the three entered, they found a rows and rows of very nice looking steaks, ham, bacon, salmon, wings, and lots of other meats. "Not to shabby for a place that needs a serious outside make over." said Michael. "But now what do we do?" asked Jade. Just then, a big pig wearing a stained apron and wielding a steak knife came out the back to greet his new customers. "Hi, welcome to Choppy Joe's. I'm Joe, the best meat cutter in town. What can I get for ya?" Michael stepped up to him. "Um, are you the only one who works here, Mr. Joe?" Joe looked at Michael very curiously. "Maybe, and who might you be, squirt?"

That line set him off. "Hey, no small name calling, got that! For your information, the name is Michael Cooper! And if I were you, I wouldn't use the term "squirt" anymore. Got that?" Joe looked surprised. Jade and Prince seemed shocked at Michael's reaction. "Calm down, Michael, or you get us thrown out." said Prince. "He's right, you can't go shouting your mouth out when someone calls you a name. It could get you in big trouble." said Jade in agreement. Michael's emotions changed from outrage to jealousy. 'There she goes again, taking Prince's side over mine! Seriously, what does he have that I don't? Sure he can do magic, and maybe some manners, but that doesn't mean he should turn Jade against me!' Joe coughed loudly to get their attention. They all turned back to the butcher. "So, Michael, have you and your friends come here for some good meat loaf, T-bone steaks, or perhaps the Pig Zodiac Gem?"

All 3 were shocked by his question! "We never said anything about a gem, Joe! Why would you ask that?" asked Michael. Joe smiled. "I asked because I am not only a great meat cutter, but I'm also the guardian of the Pig gem." They were really shocked now. "You're the guardian!? Why didn't you tell us before?" asked Jade. "I needed to be sure I was talking to Slytankhamen's descendent before revealing myself." He then turned to Michael. "Michael, if you want to claim the Pig Zodiac Gem, then you and your friends follow me to my kitchens." They nodded and followed the guardian further into the shop, where they saw raw meat waiting to be prepared for sale. "As you can see, there are lots of meats waiting to be cut, hundreds in fact. The gem is hidden in one of those meats. To discover the right one, you and your friends must use feel the gem's power. Close your eyes, clear your minds, and just let yourselves go. Only then will the gem appear to you."

Confused but determined to try, they all did as they were told. Michael, Jade, and Prince were all clearing their minds to find the gem. Joe nodded. "Good, that is how it is done." After a moment of nothing, Michael felt a kind of pulse rushing at him. "I feel something." "I feel it too, it must the gem," said Jade. "If we can focus on where the pulse is coming from, we will find the source," said Prince. They concentrated on feeling the source of the pulse. It became stronger each second. Finally the pulse had stopped. At that moment, the trio opened their eyes to stair at a blank wall. They looked around; they had moved from their starting positions near the door to the outer shop to this blank wall on the other side of the building. "That's weird, I don't remember walking over here," said Michael in confusion. Shrugging, the gang turned back at the wall. "Maybe the gem is hidden behind it," said Jade.

As she put her hand on the wall, it suddenly changed to a cabinet which was containing a fine piece of fake crab meat. Prince then stuck his hand inside and felt something hard. Smiling, he grabbed the object and pulled it out. It was the Pig gem, a small pink stone pig. The guardian clapped at them. "Well done, young ones. By channeling your energies on the pulse you felt, you were physically drawn the gem's location. But more importantly, the task could not have been done if you all did not work together. You three have a strong spiritual connection. I have a feeling it will come in handy in the near future." Michael and the others thanked the guardian for the gem and left. As they headed back to the Safe House, Michael felt disturbed. 'Me, having a strong connection with Prince? I seriously doubt that…'

At the Safe House, Michael, Jade and Prince added the Pig gem to the other two they had already claimed. "Nice job, guys. If we keep this up, Shangdi's weapon will be found in no time." exclaimed Bentley. Without saying a word, Michael went back to the map for the next gem. Everyone seemed confused. Jade went to talk to him, but Prince stopped her. "Wait Jade, maybe I should have a word with him." "Alright, hope you can find out what is wrong with him, because I certainly don't know." He nodded and walked up to Michael. "Listen Michael, you have been so frustrated lately. I want you to tell me what is bothering you…" Just then, Michael pointed at the map. "Yes, the next gem's location." He didn't seem to hear a word that Prince had just said. "The map says: To find the Rat Gem, journey to where the most rats can be found." Bentley spoke at once.

"That one is easy; the sewers! Tons of rats can be found down there. According to my laptop, there is a certain spot where nearly all of them converge: A big chamber right beneath water plant down the street. I'll teleport Michael, Jade, and Prince there with the Deliverer." Jade shivered. "Eww, I HATE rats, they creep me out!" Michael patted her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll make sure none of them come near you." She thanked him as they walked to the teleporter, followed by a worried Prince. 'Michael didn't respond to what I said to him before. I sense a lot of hostility inside him, and it is all towards me. What does he have against me? I have to get through to him somehow.'

After a flash of blue light, the gang found themselves in murky, sewer water. Jade screamed and grabbed Michael instantly; there were rats all over the place. Michael held Jade, feeling much appreciated. As Prince saw this, he understood and smiled. 'Of course, it makes sense now.' Before he could say anything, all the rats ran out of sight. Michael and the others looked around for anything unusual. They then heard footsteps behind them and turned around. They saw an old rat wearing a dirty rob with a walking stick. Jade really screamed this time as she hid behind Michael, looking over his shoulder. "Keep that thing away from me!" The oversized rodent laughed. "I see you don't like my kind very much. It is natural to be afraid of what you don't understand." Jade looked disgusted. "I understand perfectly that rats scare me to death!"

Michael kept Jade behind him as he talked to the old rodent. "Look, buddy, we don't want any trouble. Tell me, does the name "Michael Cooper" mean anything to you?" The rat nodded. "It indeed does. I am the guardian of the Rat Zodiac Gem. If you want to find it, you will have to find me in these sewer tunnels. It won't be easy; these sewers are like a maze and only I know every twist and turn down here. I know plenty of places to hide. If you and your wolf friend can find me, the gem is all yours." Michael seemed confused. "Hold on. Don't you mean my 2 friends? Why did you leave out Jade?" The rat guardian smiled. "Oh, did I not mention it? She will keep me company while you find me." Jade shook her head rapidly. "Oh no I'm not!" The rat smiled. "Consider this extra motivation for looking for me." He snapped his fingers and both he and Jade disappeared.

Michael and Prince were shocked. "Jade! Can you hear me? Jade!" Michael yelled. No answer came. Prince was also worried. "It seems that we have to search the sewers for the guardian and Jade." Michael snapped at him. "You think I don't know that!? Of course we'll have too! So let's get moving already!" Michael yelled as he ran into the nearest tunnel. Sighed, Prince ran after him. They looked very hard in the tunnels for over an hour, but no sign of them can be found. Frustrated, Michael sat down on the ground rubbing his face. "Man, that guardian knew what he was doing. I can't find him or Jade anywhere!" Prince sat down next to him. "Don't you mean we can't find them?" Michael turned to face him. "Don't forget, Michael, we are both searching for them. We need to work together."

Michael jumped back on his feet and stared at Prince with anger. "Listen, wolf boy, and listen good. I don't need your help! I have never needed your help! Everything was just fine when it was just me and Jade." He then pointed at the prince. "But then you came along and began to mess up everything!" Angered, Prince got on his feet and stared right back at Michael. "You are acting like a selfish brat Michael! You are only thinking of yourself! I thought you wanted to save your parents?" "I do want to save them," replied an enraged Michael. "And leave them out of this! It's Jade that we are looking for right now." Prince nodded. "We will find her, but there is something we have to settle first. It cannot wait any longer." Michael snorted. "Yeah, and what would that be?" Prince looked hard at Michael.

"Ever since I joined up with you and your friends, you have been acting so distrustful towards me, even after I saved you and Jade's lives. You always seemed uncomfortable when I am around her or when she agrees with me on something, and not you. Not only that, you ignored me talking to you earlier. You completely refused to listen. A little while ago, I learned why you don't like me so much." Michael sighed. "What are you getting at?" The wolf took a deep breath and explained. "It is simple: You are in love with Jade, and you are afraid Jade may love me instead. Admit it, I am right aren't I?" Michael was completely stunned by Prince's reasoning. For a while, he didn't know what to say. Prince waited for Michael's answer. After a long, long silence, he answered.

"Okay, you got me. I'm in love with Jade, happy? I have been jealous of you because, well, because you are so different than I am." Michael then started to get his jealousy off of his chest. "You are more handsome than I am, more charming than I am, hell you can even do magic! What have I got that can beat all those things?" Prince smiled and put a hand on Michael's shoulder. "I'll tell you what you've got. You have a strong heart, and you have a good spirit. Your passion is probably what makes Jade attracted to you so much." "Heart and spirit? Come on, there's got to be more than…" Michael stopped as he just took in Prince's last words. "Did you just say that Jade is attracted to me?" Prince nodded. "How do you know that!?" The wolf continued to smile. "Just a hunch." 'The truth is that I can sense strong emotions, particularly love. I sense a strong sense of love btw you and Jade. Neither of you may not be aware of it yet, but someday that might change…'

There was silence again. However, the atmosphere was much calmer. Michael smiled and held out his hand toward Prince. "Hey, I'm sorry for how I've been treating you since you came here. You were trying to help, and I understand that. Could we like, you know, start over?" The wolf shook his hand. "Of course we can." After they released their hands, they got back to the problem. "So, how are we so supposed to find the guardian and Jade?" asked Michael. Prince thought about it, and came up with an answer. "Remember what the Pig guardian said before? The two of us and Jade have a strong spiritual connection." Michael snapped his fingers. "I get what you're saying. If we concentrate and work together, we can find Jade." They nodded. "Let's do it." Michael and Prince closed their eyes and cleared their minds. They focused all their energy to locating Jade. Before long, they felt a weak energy pulse. "That must be Jade, her energy is so strong and so connected to ours." said Prince.

"I agree, let's find her and that rat she's with," replied Michael. They resumed their spiritual search for Jade. The more they sensed Jade's pulse, the stronger it got. They moved unconsciously in the direction of Jade's pulse. They turned left and right multiple times, until finally they stopped. Jade's pulse was so strong now that she could be right in front of them. When Michael and Prince opened their eyes, they saw the guardian and Jade in front in them. The rat looked impressed. Jade ran towards them and hugged Michael extremely tightly. "What took you so long!? Being with that rat really scared me out of my skin!" Michal patted her back. "It's okay, Jade. You're back with us now. If you don't mind, could you let me go? I can't breathe." She let go instantly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to choke you," she said jokingly. She then turned to Prince. "Thanks for helping Michael find me. I knew you could do it if you and he worked together."

The rat guardian interrupted them. "Good work. You used your connection with Jade to locate her, and in doing so find me. A good, strong team is always connected." He then reached into his robe and pulled out the black Rat gem stone, which he gave to Michael. "Here you go, the Rat Zodiac Gem is yours now. Good luck in retrieving the others." The guardian then vanished in a cloud of mist. Satisfied, Michael contacted Bentley and told him they got the Rat gem. "Great news! I bring you guys back right now!" Smiling at each other, the three once again vanish in blue light. Before they left, Michael thought that maybe having Prince around wasn't such a bad thing after all. He also thought if his parents were alright.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Secret location, somewhere in the world: Sly Cooper and Carmelita had finished eating food provided by Neyla. The food wasn't very good, but it was better than nothing. They both sat there on the floor with empty plates, staring at each other. They were both very sad. "Sly, I still can't believe what Neyla said about Michael being gone. It just can't be true." She seemed so lost. Sly put an arm around her to try and comfort her. "I know, but we can't give up hope. She has no proof that Michael is dead. What do you think?" Carmelita thought about it for a second. "Personally, I think everything she says is a load of crap." They smirked at one another. "So Ringtail, do you think we'll ever get out of here?" "We got out of tougher spots than this, gorgeous." "You are wasting your time on hope when there is none." Sly and his wife turned to see their captor again. "What do you want now, Neyla?" asked an agitated Sly.

The tigress shrugged. "I just came by to see how you two are adjusting to being my prisoners." Carmelita scowled. "If those bars weren't there I'd rip you apart!" Neyla shook her head. "Same old Carmelita, always quick to anger. I can see where that brat of yours got that trait." At that moment, the fox jumped up and tried to grab Neyla through the bars. Sly held her back. "Don't you DARE talk about Michal like that!! I still do not believe he is gone, you know. Sly and I will never believe it!" Sly agreed with her. Neyla merely shook her head again. "Believe what you want too. The fact still remains that you and your dear husband are my prisoners. If I wanted to, I could incinerate you two in an instant! But I have much bigger plans in store for both of you."

"What plans do you have in mind, Neyla?" asked Sly. She smiled evilly. "Lets just say there is a big ceremony coming up in a less than two weeks…and you and your wife will be the main attraction." Neyla laughed insanely as she walked away, leaving the depressed couple alone once more. They were both puzzled by her statement. "Sly, what did she mean by that?" The raccoon shook his head. "Honestly, I have no clue. But whatever Neyla is up to, it can't be good for us." "Sly?" "Yeah?" "I miss Michael so much." Carmelita hugged him tightly. "I know honey, I miss him too." They just sat on the floor, holding each other for comfort as the time for Neyla's "ceremony" drew nearer.