A.N.- Here is chapter 12! Enjoy! :D

Chapter 12: Bulls and Bats and Ocelots, Oh My!

(Maissa's POV)

The next morning Skippsy woke us all at the time that she normally did for morning training; 0500 hours. We each got up with minimal complaint, that is except for Trixy. Rachel, Skippsy, and I are waiting outside the house where we were going to train. Skippsy had issued the wake-up call about five minuets ago and Trixy, who was usually one of the first of us up in the mornings, still hadn't come to training. I frown and try to think of some quick options to why she wasn't here. Option 1: she's still sleeping, option 2: she's skipping training, and option 3: she's ...sick. I ponder on option 3 some more and then make my decision. I waddle over to Skippsy. "Skippsy." I say. Skippsy turns and looks at me.

"Yes, Marissa?" she replies.

"Did we ever have Trixy actually checked out after the snakebite?" Skippsy mulls this over for a minute and then shakes her head slowly.

"No...at least I don't think so..." We share a look and I nod. I waddle back into Rachel's house and go up the stairs to Trixy's room. I go to knock on the door but I find it open, so I just walked in. Trixy, as far as I could tell, was still in bed.

"Trixy?" A pillow barely moves.

"Umm?" Replies a muffled voice from under the mound of covers. I waddle over to the bed and pull back the sheets. Trixy has her head hidden under the pillow. I sigh and lift the pillow.

"Trixy." I gently shake her shoulder. She stirs a bit and looks up bleary eyed.

"Huh? What?" She looked slightly flushed. I frown and touch my flipper to her forehead.

"Hmm, are you feeling okay?" Trixy shakes her head.

"No not really." I nod.

"Trixy, I believe it may be best if you stay here and miss training." Trixy nods slowly.

"Okay...wait. We have training today?!"

"Yeah, Skippsy even issued a wake-up call."

"Really?" Trixy sits up, wide awake now. "Oh, Buckingham!" She goes to get out of bed and I shake my head.

"Trixy, you're staying here while Skippsy and Rachel and I go to destination B."

"But—"

"No buts." says Skippsy walking into the room. "What's your prognosis, Marissa?"

"Prognosis? Uh, she has a fever, and I think she needs to be kept under observation...also having some of the local doctors check her out would probably be a good idea." I say. Skippsy nods.

"But—" Trixy starts but Skippsy stops her again.

"I said no buts, Trixy. And I meant it. You are going to stay here and get medical attention while we go see about the next witness, understood?" Skippsy says. Trixy lowers her eyes and nods.

"Understood." Skippsy nods and we leave Trixy in the bedroom. We pass Rachel's mother, Mrs. Antonio. I stop and talk to her for a second.

"Um, hello." I say. She turns to me with a smile.

"Good morning, is there something I could help you with?" Mrs. Antonio asks. I nod.

"Well, not me, but Trixy rather. She was bitten by a rattlesnake on the way here and I was wondering if there were any doctors near here to have her checked at."

"Ah! A rattlesnake? What type?"

"Tropical."

"Oh dear. And the poor thing's still walking?! Ay yi yi. I'll have Fernando examine her in a few minutes." I nod.

"Thank you."

"De nada (you're welcome)." I then leave the house after Skippsy and Rachel.

(Alejandro's POV)

I waddle out of my house which is near a human's cattle pasture. Today I looked over at the fence and saw the angry red eyes of about fifteen bulls. That normally wouldn't have been anything of merit, but today it is. Reason 1, I am wearing a red bandana and reason 2, the fence is wide open and the bulls aren't in the enclosure. "Oh palitos de pescado! (fish sticks)." I exclaim. I stop dead in my tracks and the bulls stare at me. I smile sheepishly and wave before turning tail and sliding away. I hear the bulls snort and charge after me.

"Mmmoooooooooooooooo! Snort! Mooooo!" say the bulls who are stampeding after me. I glance behind me and see that their long, sharp, white horns are pointed downwards towards me. My face blanches. I then slide into the town.

"Cuidado con los toros locos! Están en estampida! (Watch out for the crazy bulls! They are stampeding!)" The townsfolk look up at me with wide eyes and scatter from the streets out of the path of the rampaging cows behind me. I then see Rachel, Skippsy, and Marissa. I motion for them to run; they look at me with confused expressions.

(Nobody's POV)

"¡Corre! ¡Los toros están llegando! ¡Los toros están llegando! (Run! The bulls are coming! The bulls are coming!)" Alejandro exclaims as he slides past Marissa, Skippsy, and Rachel.

"What—OH SWEET HERRING!" says Skippsy, her eyes widening as she sees the approaching stampede of irate bovines. She notices the red bandana around Alejandro's neck. "Alejandro, take off you bandana!"

"What?" He couldn't hear her very well over the rumble of hooves.

"TAKE OFF YOUR BANDANA!"

"Oh!" Alejandro quickly unties it and tosses it away. This action distracted a couple of the bulls, but the rest continued to rampage.

"Uh, situation 286, Rachel!" Rachel nods and grabs a long lasso from her bag. She uncoils most of it and circles it above her head. She then stands right in the path of the bulls and holds her ground. At the last second she tosses the rope around the neck of one of the cows and backflips onto its back as if she did this for a living. She then tosses a lasso to both Marissa and Skippsy and a large fishing net also to Skippsy. Skippsy and Marissa copy what Rachel had done and both take over a cow. Skippsy leads her bull over to a tree where she ties one end of the net. Rachel does the same with her end and the rest of the non-saddled bulls run into the net and get tangled in it. The girls unsaddle their cattle.

"Don't worry, toros pequiños (little bulls), we'll get you all home soon." Rachel says patting a cow on its snout. It snorts at her angrily and she withdraws her flipper. The girls (minus Trixy) and Alejandro herd the bulls back to their pasture and lock the gate, but then when they go to do this, they discover that the latch has been sawed off.

"Hmmm, this latch has been cut." Marissa mumbles looking at the gate. Rachel pulls a new latch out of her bag and gives it to Marissa. Marissa then takes it and replaces the old latch with it and locks the gate.

(Nobody's POV)

-Deep in the Center of the Amazon Rainforest-

Agent J. waddles into the 'little' shack with a huge grin on his face. "How was that, Harri–er, I mean ma'am...?" he says upon entrance.

"It was...well, it served its purpose. Though, I don't know about all of the cows..." replies the puffin.

"What purpose?"

"It allowed me to steal the last part needed for my invention." She grins wickedly.

"Oh...am I off the hook?" The evil puffin mulls this over for a second and shrugs.

"Sure."

"So what's the next step of plan KTPAEOH?"

"Is that what I called that plan? Seriously?" Agent J. lowers his head.

"No ma'am."

"That's what I thought. So, try asking your question again correctly."

"What is the next step of plan Kidnap the Penguin and Experiment on Her?"

"The kidnaping of course! Did you not listen to me when I first went over the steps with you?!"

"I did I just kind of...forgot." The puffin face-wings herself in annoyance.

"Just get back to work." Agent J. salutes and goes back to the computer.

"Yes, ma'am."

(Skippsy's POV)

"You're sure this is the place, Marissa?" I ask. We are standing in front of a small, pitch black cave. Marissa looks at her map again.

"I'm positive it is, Skippsy." she replies. I shrug.

"Alright, if you say so." we then slide into the cave and immediately slide back out. A cloud of bats fly out after us. I give Marissa a look of annoyance and she sheepishly hides behind her map.

"Whoops...I meant the cave over there. Hehe, sorry about that." I shake my head with a sigh. We enter the other larger cave and Rachel passes everyone a headlight, which we all put on and turn on. We journey deep into the deep dark depths of the cave. Then I hear a small scuttling sound. I frown and slowly stalk over to the place.

"Waha!" shouts something warm and fuzzy that pounces on me.

"Whoa!" I exclaim falling backwards into a shallow cave stream. I swim to the surface sputtering from the cold shock. "What the duse!" I climb out of the water and see a kitten of some sort looking up at me grinning, her little canines gleaming in our headlights's lights.

"Haha! I pounced you!" the kitten says.

"So you did...What's your name, kid?"

"Nina. Nina Ocelot, daughter of Dr. Osvalda Ocelot."

"As in the Dr. Osvalda who designed the security system for secret level 118 of the Brazilian base?! That Dr. Osvalda?!" Marissa says. Nina nods. "Oh my gosh!"

"Will your mother be back soon?" I ask interrupting Marissa. Nina shrugs.

"I dunno, maybe. Mamá ran out exclaiming about how here newest invention was stolen about thirty minutes ago. She said something about a black feather and if whoever has hurt her invention..."

"Wait! Thirty minutes ago?" I turn to my team. "That's when those ill-tempered bovines were on the loose! They must have been a distraction." My team nods. I see the kitten suddenly prick her little triangular ears and dash to the cave entrance. A long and lithe adult ocelot walks in frowning.

"Mamá! Mamá!" Nina says bounding around the cat. Osvalda sees us and narrows her eyes.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my cave?" Osvalda says.

"Ma'am, we mean you know harm. We are simply here to collect facts on the things you witnessed a few days back...and now about your missing invention." I say. She exhales and nods.

"It's about time that someone sent someone here about that." She walks over to us and sits down. "I suppose you want a full account of my invention, ¿sí?"

"Yes, please." Osvalda nods.

"Well, first of all my invention, the Infinitizer, was designed to make things be able to have unlimited storage space. Your headquarters, I believe, requested it specifically." I nod for her to continue. I glance over and see that Marissa appears to be taking notes. "Anyway, about thirty minutes ago I heard a crash and I went to go investigate it. When I returned to my lab, I discovered that my invention was missing and in its place was this jet black feather." She hands me the feather. I take it.

"We can get this DNA tested if needed back at base. Thank you for your information, Dr. Osvalda." She nods and we leave. Or rather, Rachel, Alejandro and I leave and Marissa stays behind. I notice this when we exited the cave. I give an agrivated sigh and go back for her.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I'm talking with the Dr. Osvalda!" Marissa exclaims. "I have all of your books about your theories and, and..." I grab Marissa by the flipper and drag her out of the cave behind me. I hear the cats giggling after us. When Marissa and I exit the cave we all regroup and slide back to Rachel's house.