Chapter 5: Yumyan Hammerpaw, Axe Lord of the Timbercats
[A few days earlier]
"Today's the day." Kipo said as she climbs up what appears to be a mountain, looking towards the top, revealing it was a cave of sorts. "All the way to the ceiling." Kipo tries to use the pickaxe she had to pull herself up, but slips and nearly falls. As she grabs the pickaxe with both hands, her father Lio Oak (who was linked with her via a support harness) looks at her with concern for a moment before gaining a bemused smile.
"What's the holdup, slowpoke?" Leo jokingly asked his daughter.
"No holdup. Why?" Kipo told him with a nervous giggle. "Does it look like I'm holding up?
"No, you are clearly not holding up." Lio sarcastically said to her. But, uh…while we're waiting, tell me. What minerals are in most abundance at this stratum?"
"Dad, that's easy." Kipo said to him, feeling less nervous. "Azurite and malachite, two of my favorite 'ites'."
"If you can ace a pop geology quiz, then I know you can make it the rest of the way." Lio said, confident in his daughter before Kipo then kept on climbing with her father following close behind.
After a moment of climbing, Kipo stopped as the cave began to shake and pieces of the ceiling fell into the stream below. Down on the ground, there is a town filled with people who felt the vibration and looked to the ceiling with caution for a brief moment before continuing their day like nothing happened.
"Whoo!" Lio said with relief. "Just a Mega Mute passing overhead. Little close, but nothing to worry about."
"Two, three, four…" Kipo counted before another quake occurred. "Five seconds between footsteps."
"Whoa! This one's big!" Lio was surprised by this. "What do you think it is?"
"I'm guessing a 400-foot-tall squirrel with eight tails."
"Maybe it's a giant dolphin that's adapted to walk on land."
"Dolphin? Well, I did read once they have vestigial leg bones…" As Kipo spoke, a loud roar was heard, shocking Lio as he looked at the ceiling.
"They found us." Lio looked around nervously. As Kipo kept talking, he then looked to the stream below.
"Dad?" Lio then looked up as he saw his daughter looking at him in concern. "Dad, are you listening to me?" Lio then unhooked himself and used the line to pull Kipo off the mountain, sending her into the stream. When another quake roared through, Lio quickly jumped down and dove into the water.
"Dad!" Kipo yelled out as she was pulled away by the current and into the tunnel. "Dad!"
Lio tried to swim over to her, but a large pile of boulders fell and blocked the tunnel.
"Kipo!" Lio said with concern before he climbed out of the water and tried to dig through the pile of rock.
Lio stopped when he looked above and saw cracks form in the ceiling, light shining through them, the sound of grunting is heard as the cracks grew bigger. It wasn't long until a large object came crashing through the ceiling, landing in the middle of the stream. When the dust clears, it is revealed to be some sort of large wooden spike.
"It's okay." Lio said to himself as sweat began to form on his brow. "You got Kipo out okay. That's what matters. The rest…" Suddenly, the spike was pulled back up to where it came from, forming a large hole that shined with light and confusing Lio. "Piece of cake?" With the sound of growling, the hole was soon covered by some large, unknown animal with its red eye peeking through the hole.
Well, this turned out great. After a while of traveling and a moment of being chased by Mod Frogs, we finally got to Kipo's Burrow to only find it completely destroyed and abandoned. Though we also found that Kipo's people managed to escape (which was a relief), we were now back to square 1 of getting Kipo home and we had no idea where the rest of Burrow people went. But some good came out of this. With me, the group, and Wolf helping out Kipo, we gained two more travel members: a Tribe boy named Benson and his bug-type Wonderbeast partner Dave. Seemed like this we're coming out great until it turned for the worst as we all saw an army of Timbercats right above us, ready to attack with axes in hand (paw in this case).
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." I said to myself as it seems we weren't catching much of a break today.
"Oh, crap." Aurico said, knowing just as much as me that we were in trouble.
"Uh…guys? More mutes!" Kipo said as we all looked to the Wonderbeast Cats above. "Are these ones friendly or unfriendly?"
"There's an entire army of them, packing axes. What do you think?" Wolf sarcastically said to the Burrow girl.
"Unfriendly. Got it." Kipo said as we looked at the Wonderbeasts in worry.
"'Unfriendly' is putting it lightly." Aurico said to her. "It's the Timbercats."
"Timbercats?" she asked in confusion.
"Another one of the Wonderbeast Packs in Las Vistas." I explained to her. "Unlike the other ones, they don't work for Scarlemagne, but aren't very fond of humans either. Especially those in the Tribe."
As the clanging stopped, we were all surprised as the leading Timbercat raised his ax before pointing forward and yelling "Chaaaarge!" With that, they all began running right toward us.
"Jesus Christ!" Brook said with fear as the whole army of Timbercats came running down.
"Oh, man! Oh, man!" Dave said nervously flying. "This is not good! Cats eat bugs!"
"I'm not afraid of some furballs!" Aurico said, ready to fight.
"Rico, no!" I said as I stopped him, seeing how the odds were stacked against us. "There's too many of them and we can't risk ourselves getting captured, especially Kipo. We need to get out of here! If only my wing wasn't wounded."
"Wait, Dave! You're flying!" Kipo said in realization. "Fly us out of here!" This made the Wonderbeast bug gasp in realization before he then grabbed Kipo (who grabbed Mandu), Wolf, Benson, and I with the use of all his strength to carry them into the air.
"Awesome!" Aurico said as Dave was flying off. "Come on, guys! Let's…" Just as it seemed we would escape, Dave suddenly screamed in pain before he dropped the four of us and shed out of his muscle form. He landed in Benson's arms in the form of an old, yellow face, brown bug before turning to dust and turned back to how the group and I found him.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" I yelled out in disbelief at this. "He returns to his larva form now of all times?"
"Sorry, guys!" Benson apologized for his friend. "Dave's got a little…performance anxiety issues!"
"Lesson 7 on the surface: Know when to run!" Wolf yelled out.
"Yeah, let's make a run for it!" Brook said, suggesting we leave the ruined Burrow.
"There's no time!" I said to him, seeing how running out of here was not an option. "We won't be able to outrun them!"
"Then hide, you fool! Hide!" Brook yelled out as we did just that, taking cover behind some slab piles of concrete as the Timbercat army was closing in on us. We all then watched as the Wonderbeasts ran right past us. We were lucky to have escaped their sight, but soon made a surprising discovery as we watched the Timbercats using their axes on some rubble. The leader of them seemed to be the much older-looking cat with the white fur, orange flannel shirt, black stocking cap, yellow eyes, and gray fur on his face, ears, paws, and feet.
"Reow! The footprints lead right here!" He said as I silently signaled everyone to keep quiet. "The monster's gotta be here somewhere! Keep looking!"
"Monster?" Aurico quietly asked, confused by this. "Wait, they're not after us?"
"Seems like it." I said at the same volume before I realized it. "I think they're looking for a Mega Mutant."
"You really think so?" Nooroo asked me, keeping his voice down.
"Well, Mega Mutants have been known to be seen as monsters amongst the Wonderbeast Packs, so it would stand to reason for it." I answered before a feminine voice spoke out.
"Ree-stealer! Where are you hiding?" We looked to see the voice coming from the smaller cat beside the leader. They had white fur with pale orange eyepatches, black ears, and huge, round, yellow eyes. They wore a yellow cap, a green plaid shirt, and a few shoelaces tied around her upper arm.
We all looked toward the sound of moving rubble and found a pure white Timbercat with light blue eyes wearing a dark blue flannel shirt, its hair braided into a French braid. It twirled its two axes before it put them away.
"Were wasting our time!" It spoke out to its fellow Timbercats, the voice defiantly being female. "Whatever did this, it's long gone by now."
"You can't know that for sure, Molly Yarnchopper!" the leader hissed at her, revealing her name.
"Molly?" Nooroo said to himself with surprise.
"I know what I see." Molly said before raising up a single piece of bark that bear some carvings on it. "You think your tiny axes can stop the thing that did all this?"
"That's from the Scratching Tree." the young Timbercat gasped before it raised its ax. "Raise your axes for the Scratching Tree." All the cats did just that and meowed in sadness.
Just by the sound of that meow, I could tell that whatever Mega Mutant they were looking for had brought nothing but despair. I felt really bad for them.
"Heh. Cats." Lobbo scoffed, rudely.
"Lobbo!" I quietly said to him, scolding him for being so insensitive.
"The Mega Mutant must have used our tree to make this crater." Molly said where I realized what Mega Mutant they were after. "We're no match for a beast who could do that. Not with our leader gone. Not without… Yumyan Hammerpaw."
"Yumyan Hammerpaw?" Nooroo said as the white Timbercat scratch the bark a bit, giving some thought before giving a look of surprise and speaking at a normal volume. "Wait a minute!"
"Nooroo, come back!" I silently called out as my kwami flew out into the open.
"Molly! Over here!" Nooroo called out, being met by three Timbercats in front of him, surprising him as they swung their axes at him, the kwami barely dodging the blades. "Hey, wait! Stop!"
"Stand down!" Molly said as the three cats stopped swinging. I looked to see her walked over to them, the crowd of Timbercats clearing a path for her as she did. With that, Aurico and I ducked down as to avoid being seen. Just as sweat formed upon my brow, I was surprised by what Molly said next. "Nooroo, is that you?" The tone of voice she used wasn't out of anger, but… out of surprise? I peeked over, making sure I wasn't seen, and saw that the Timbercat had a look of surprise on her face while Nooroo gave her a friendly smile.
"Yes, it's me." Nooroo answered her. "I'm glad to see you."
"It's great to see you as well, old friend." Molly returned the smile and I was surprised by what she said. Nooroo was actually friends… with a Timbercat. "But, if you're here, then does that mean Fenyx is here?"
"Fenyx?" I said surprised by the name she said, one that I've only known one person with it.
"3, isn't that your dad's name?" Aurico said to me, just as surprised as I was.
"Yeah." I told him as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "She knows Nooroo and my father?"
"Unfortunately, no." Nooroo said to her with despair. "I'm afraid Fenyx is no longer with us."
"I see." Molly said, catching what he meant. "It seems as though we aren't the only ones who lost someone very dear." There was a brief moment of silence before Molly spoke again. "Then you have found a new master then?"
"Yes, I do have a new Miraculous Warrior." Nooroo said as he seemed to brighten up a bit. "In fact, I believe who it is might brighten your mood." He then turned and motioned for me to come out of hiding. Though I was reluctant, looking back at the others before looking back at Nooroo (who looked at me with a reassuring smile), I slowly walked up and came out of hiding. Looking at Molly, I saw that the Timbercat was surprised by the sight of me. "Molly, I like you to meet Axel Edison Frank the 3rd, Fenyx's son."
"Did you really have to use my middle name?" I said to him, not really like the use of my middle name, despite it being the middle name of the original Axel.
"A new heir to Fenyx's legacy." Molly greeted me, speaking respectively. "I am Molly Yarnchopper, assuming Axe Lord of the Timbercats. It is an honor to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too." I said, not really sure what to think of this. "Honestly, I didn't think that Nooroo would be friends with a Timbercat, let alone the leader of them."
"Of course. Hardly anyone can forget the brave actions of Fenyx and his loyal kwami." Molly said to me. "Now mind I ask what you are doing so far from your Tribe?"
"We're on a journey." I said to her. "And it actually relates to what you're doing."
"Are you're after the Mega Mutant as well?"
"Well, we are now. Tell you the truth, we didn't think we would be going out looking for a Mega Mutant. We were just trying to make it here."
"You mean you left your home to come to a crater? Why?"
"Because this crater used to be my home." Kipo said as she walked out of hiding and stood before me with a nervous smile. Molly then held up an ax to her, giving the Burrow girl a glare.
"Whoa! Take it easy!" I said as I got in front of Kipo. "She's a friend! In fact, she's the reason we're on this journey." After a moment, Molly then put her ax away, lending us her ears to hear us out. "Thank you." With that, I then turned to my friend. "Kipo, you need to be more careful. You can't just rush out into the open like that."
"I think the Mega Mute there looking for is the same one who destroyed my city." Kipo said to me before she gained a look of worry. "What if they didn't get away? What if…it took them?"
"I was have some similar thought." I said to her. "Though I'm not quite certain. Honestly, I don't know any Mega Mutant that can do something like this, much less attack a Burrow with a tree. Right now, only the Timbercats know exactly what we're dealing with."
"Which is why we should team up with these cats to find it."
"Had the same idea. It might be risky, but, seeing how Nooroo is on their good side, we might have a chance." We both then turned to face Molly.
"Hi, I'm Kipo." Kipo said to the Timbercat. "Axel's telling the truth. The Mega Mute you're looking for? We think it's the same one that destroyed my city."
"She's right." I said to the Axe Lord. "This place used to be Kipo's Burrow. We were all coming here to bring her back." With that, I then motioned to everyone and they all came out of hiding, the rest of our group joining us. "All we're trying to do is get Kipo home. We've already checked everywhere. The Burrow's abandoned. We don't know what happened to those who lived here, but that's what we need to find out. That Mega Mutant might be our only lead to them."
"Which is why we should totally team up!" Kipo said to them. "Uh…and I know what you're thinking. Humans and Wonderbeasts? Crazy. But I say peace between the species, right?"
There was a moment of silence and the atmosphere became tense as we waited for the cats response. After a few minutes, Molly finally spoke.
"Though we don't allow humans among us, in honor of what Fenyx had done for us, we will help you find the Mega Mutant and the Burrow people." Molly said, causing me and Kipo to smile at her. "But first we must return home. The day is long and we must prepare for the journey ahead. Come, we shall take you to our village." With that, we all followed the Timbercats as they escorted us to their village.
As we were walking through the forest, I had no doubt that we were all amazed by what we discovered. Well, most of us. Wolf wasn't really enjoying the hospitality they were giving us as she wasn't willing to be around such a large group of Wonderbeasts.
"I can't believe your dad was friends with a Wonderbeast Pack!" Kipo said, amazed by all this.
"Yeah, I can't really believe it either." I said to her, just surprised by this fact. "I can't believe Father didn't tell me this."
"Well, it had been a long time since your father spoke to the Timbercats." Nooroo said to me as he laid on my shoulder. "He was planning on introducing you to them. Unfortunately, he didn't receive the chance to do so." When we heard some cooing, we looked and saw that Dave had finally popped out of his cocoon. Moving on from that, I then began to question Nooroo about the surprise we got.
"So how exactly do you and Father know these guys?" I asked my kwami.
"It's kind of a long story. But you know how the Tribe used to have a supply of lumber once in a while?" I nodded at Nooroo's question. "Well, where did you think all that lumber came from?" It took me a minute before I then realized what he meant.
"All that wood came from Timbercats?" I was surprised by this.
"That is correct."
"But I thought these guys wanted nothing to do with Tribes."
"Well, they still don't, but they were willing to help Fenyx, especially Yumyan."
"I'm guessing that the long story haves to do with this Yumyan character, right?"
"Right on the nose."
"Oh, come on, Wolf! Cheer up!" Aurico said as we turned to see him talking to Wolf as we walked along. "These guys are helping us and we're not prisoners."
"I don't…work with Wonderbeasts." Wolf said bitterly as Dave suddenly burst into his teenager form, splattering green substance all over her, Aurico, and Benson.
"I tell you, his years go by so fast." Benson said before all looked forward and were amazed by the sight of the Timbercats' village.
The trees were carved into homes for the felines and there were large balls of yarn hanging from up high, some of them swung with a few cats riding on them. Much like the lifestyle they chose from human culture, while others were carving, some were cutting down trees. One split a tree in half with just a swing of its ax, showing how much strength they had. At the center of the village, there was a hollow stump with a few Timbercats around it, the felines meowing in despair. I had no doubt that was what was left of their tree.
"I'm guessing that stump is what's left of your tree, huh?" I asked Molly.
"Yes. It was a sacred treasure of our village," Molly said as she no doubts remembered what happened to make the tree like that, "before the Mega Mutant came and stole it." It was then I went over to inspect the tree.
With this, I was baffled by what happened to it. From the look of the damage, it seemed the Mega Mutant grabbed a hold of the tree and managed it to break it away from its roots. With the way it was, the grip it used was not any Mega Mutant I've ever seen. I looked at the sadden Timbercats around the stump and, like before, felt sorry for what happened to them.
"I'm sorry." I told one of them before I turned to see who I first believed to be the Timbercats' leader glaring down at Benson.
"What's that on your sweater, human?" The Timbercat asked, leaning forward to see Benson's sweater. "Is that supposed to be funny?"
"Oh, this old rag!" Benson said, realizing he was talking about the cat face. "It's from a very long time ago when humans used to keep cats as…"
"Companions." Uncle Donnie chimed in, giving him back up. "People adored cats in the old world."
"Yeah, what he said. Hehehe!" Benson said with a laugh before he whispered "Thank you."
"Settle down, Franks." Molly said to her fellow Timbercat. "These are our guests." Then Dave suddenly came over, now in his adult form.
"Oh-ho! I'm back in fighting shape!" He cried out and looked around before slumping down. "Oh, man! Did we get captured again?"
"Far from it." I said to him as I came back over. "The Timbercats are actually here to help us."
"Seriously?" Dave asked in disbelief before Aurico came over.
"So what did you find, cuz?" my cousin asked me.
"Well, I inspected the damage and I managed to figure out what caused it." I answered, telling everyone what I found. "It seems the Mega Mutant that did this grabbed the tree and broke it off from its roots. Doing something like that, I've come to estimate that it haves prehensility."
"What the hell does that mean?" Gordy asked me as he didn't understand what I meant.
"It means that the Mega Mutant is able to grab things." I told him. "And, seeing how evenly the damage was and seeing how it left tracks, I'd say this is a mammal type Mega Mutant. Though I can't really tell what kind of mammal it is." I then looked to Molly. "Molly, you and your village encountered the Mega Mutant. Can you tell anything about it?"
"I'm afraid not." Molly said to me. "The only one who could possibly tell us that is… Yumyan Hammerpaw."
"Who the hell is Yumyan Hammerpaw?" Aurico asked.
"Who is Yumyan Hammerpaw?" The young Timbercat said to him in disbelief. "He's the lord of the Timber Cats! Or…at least, he was." As she looked up above in despair, we all caught on.
"Oh." Nooroo said, no doubt feeling just as much as despair as the felines. "I… Poor Yumyan."
"He's gone, isn't he?" I asked and the young Timbercat nodded.
"Oh, you poor things." Kylo said as we all felt bad for the Timbercats' loss.
"We're sorry that happened." Kipo said to them, apologizing.
"So long, Yumyan. Even though I hardly knew you." Benson said before we heard a screech and a barrel fly past us. With the sound of a collapsing tree, we looked behind us and saw a tree fall over.
"Whoa! What was that?" I asked, surprised by this.
"Sounds like Pierre. Yumyan's pet." Molly answered and got ready. "You might wanna duck."
"What? Why?" Aurico asked, confused by this. "What kind of pet does he have?"
"Uh, guys?" Brook said as he saw pointing up with fear.
We all looked and watched as a Mega Flea came charging through with a Timbercat on its back. Standing there on the ground in front of us, it then jumped away and knocked the feline off its back. With the sound of a loud crack, we all looked to see that the tree the flea was on was coming down.
"Tiiimbeeer!" Molly yelled out as rushed out and got her fellow Timbercat out of the way, just as the tree was falling. Molly, the cat she just saved and the young Timbercat popped up from the other side of the tree. "Okay, that tree was not stable! How come no one bothered to chop it down? Does Yumyan have to remind us to do everything?"
"Okay, seriously, that thing was his pet?" Aurico said in disbelief. "Why would he keep a Mega Flea for?"
"Yumyan haves his reasons." Molly said to him. "And he wouldn't want anything to happen to Pierre."
"Uh…someone still needs to get Pierre back on his leash!" the young Timbercat pointed out, talking about the flea who was swatting the cats aside without a problem before crashing into a tree structure. "Any volunteers?"
"Yeah, right." Aurico said, not really believing anyone would take the task. "Like anyone is actually gonna…"
"Over here!" Kipo said as she raised her hand.
"We volunteer!" I said, doing the same.
"What?!" Aurico said to us. "Guys, are you crazy? That's a Mega Flea!"
"Rico, we can't leave that thing running around and wrecking the Timbercats' home." I said to him. "Plus, admit it, we could be dealing with a lot worse."
"Seriously?" Wolf asked, giving me a look.
"Just give us a hand, Wolf." I said to the little warrior. "There's one flee and a bunch of us. How hard could it be?"
After it was settled, we all then went off to get Pierre under control, cornering the Mega Flea at a wooden walkway. Kipo kept hold of the leash as we were all ready to charge at it.
"I have half a mind to put that thing around your necks." Wolf said to me and Kipo in annoyance.
"Don't you ever have anything you don't want to do to help others?" The Burrow girl said to her.
"Nope." Wolf replied, breaking off a big branch to use as a weapon.
"You're gonna hit that flea with a stick?" Aurico question.
"What do you want me to stop him with?" Wolf retorted back. "A dirty look?"
We looked back at Pierre as he roared before he began walking toward us.
"Okay, on the count of three…" Kipo said before she was interrupted.
"Charge!" With that, everyone but Kipo and I charged forward right at the large insect, hopping on top before the flea shook them off like bull.
"Well, attacking him is out of the question." I said before I looked to Kipo. "Any ideas?"
"Uh…" Kipo was trying to think before I heard some liquid dripping and looked to see a faucet dripping sap. I then looked to Kipo as she looked at an empty bowl with the flea's name, having dried blood inside. "Just one. Get that ax!" With this, I looked to the ax lodged into a barrel and quickly caught on where she was going with this.
As we got to work, Wolf was thrown in the air and her cloak got caught in a branch. As I was trying to get the ax out of the barrel, I heard a jingle and looked to see Kipo had dropped the leash. As Wolf was swatting him away with the branch, the jingle of the leash dragged its attention away from the little warrior as it looked to Kipo. After I got the ax out, I looked to see Pierre looking at me. Seeing this, I gained a smug as I have the flea a taunting hand gesture, ax in hand and ready to fight.
"No, no, no! Kipo, Axel! Get the rope!" Wolf yelled out as Pierre charged right at us.
With that, I then swung the ax and broke open the barrel, releasing a large amount of what looked to be tree sap on the ground in front of me and Kipo. Seeing this, the flea skid to a halt and began to suck it on the liquid. With the flea distracted, I then motioned to Kipo and she moved in and got the leash on Pierre. This caused the Timbercats to gasp in shock. Looking back at how Pierre was eating, I figured out why he was showing that kind of behavior before.
"Well, what do you know?" I said as I put the ax over my shoulder. "Looks like Pierre was just hungry."
"Ohhhh!" Kipo cooed at Pierre. "You're just a sweet, hungry pet who hasn't had a bite in days."
"Makes sense." Uncle Donnie said as I went over and petted the flea. "Animals due tend to become aggressive from being deprived of food."
"Nice work." Molly said to me as Kipo and I looked to see her looking down at us from a roof above, her arms crossed. "Only one I've ever seen put a leash on Pierre was Yumyan."
"It was no problem. We were happy to help." I said to her with a kind smile before we all looked toward Benson and the others from the sound of growling.
"Hehe! Sorry! That was my tummy." Thora giggled as she rubbed her stomach. "Got anything to eat?"
"I think I got you covered." Benson said before he spoke to Molly. "Hey, uh… listen. Can we discuss this syrup you have? Because you haven't lived till you've tried my world-famous flapjacks. Right, Dave?"
"Oh, they're like magic!" The bug backed him up. "Magic flapjacks."
Molly hummed at the thought before she said "Flapjacks do sound good."
Seemed like only an instant that Aurico, Thora, Wolf, Benson, Dave, Kipo, and I were brought to the kitchen to make these flapjacks for the whole village. As we were getting close to reaching our goal count, it was already night.
"Okay, how exactly did we end up manning the kitchen for the flap-whatever?" Aurico said, not really liking the idea of being put in charge to cook the meal, using a spatula to flip the soft disk of delicately cooked dough before putting it on the grill. "My mom does all the cooking."
"Well, you seem to be doing fine right now." Kipo said to him.
"I only got three of these done since we started." Aurico said before he looked to find an empty plate. "Hey, where'd they go?" With the sound of a burp, he found the culprit to those flapjacks disappearance to be Thora. "Thora, stop eating those!"
"What?" Thora said as she smacked her lips between sentences. "I'm hungry. Benson… you're right. I really… didn't… live until… I had… those… fluffy… things."
"They're called flapjacks." Benson said to her with a gentle smile. "Better known as pancakes."
"You okay, Thora?" I asked her in concern as I stirred a barrel of batter.
"I'm fine." Thora said as she smacked her lips again. "Mouth's just… a little… dry."
"And that's why you should eat them with syrup." Dave said to her.
"If they're making your mouth dry, then why are you still eating them?" Aurico questioned her.
"Because they're… so… good!" Thora said in defense.
"Well, I think you should stop. For both your mouth's sake and the sake of the rest of us." I said to her. "If you keep eating all these pancakes, we won't have enough for the village."
"Next time you guys want to serve cat food, leave me out of it." Wolf bitterly said to me as she was stirring another barrel of batter.
"Wolf, cheer up." I said to her as we kept stirring. "At least we aren't being chased by the Mod Frogs or Scarlemagne."
"If these guys like flapjacks, wait until they try my special Mr. Floppycakes." Kipo said, piling flapjacks shaped like cat faces onto some plates.
"I still don't see how Uncle Fenyx got a Wonderbeast Pack to help the Tribe." Aurico said as he turned around to face me. "The Timbercats are one of the toughest Packs there is in Las Vistas. Sure we got some cats around, but they aren't too friendly to Tribe cats."
"Well, I think we might get our answers over dinner." I said before I then noticed some smoke behind Aurico. "Also, Rico, your flapjack's burning."
"What?" he said before he turned around and yelled in shock to find the flapjack burning before he tried to put it out. The others and I had a little laugh about it before I stopped stirring and walked over to him as he finally put out the smoking flapjack, leaving it on the floor while slumping in despair.
"How about you stir the batter for a while?" I said to my cousin with a hand on his shoulder. "I think Kipo and Dave got things covered."
"Yeah, thanks." Aurico said before he then went over to stir the batter with Wolf before I then went and grabbed a plate of flapjacks.
"Now let's get these flapjacks out there." I said before I grabbed two more, one with my other hand and placing another on my tail.
"Yeah. Come on, Mandu." Kipo said as she and the piglet grabbed two plates and joined me as we went over to the main hall where everybody was at. Mandu balanced the plate on her as we walked over.
When we got there, I was taken a bit back by the atmosphere in the room. While most of the others didn't seem to mind (the exception of them being Uncle Donnie), I couldn't help but feel the depression set by the Timbercats. Looking to Kipo, I saw that she was affected by the despair as well. After seeing the carvings above, I then tried to cheer Kipo up by telling her about them.
"Hey, Kipo." I said as I got her attention. "See those carvings up there?" We both then looked to the woodwork above us. "Each of those carvings belongs to a past Axe Lord, the previous leaders of the Timbercats. It's tradition that one would be made for an Axe Lord when they pass on. It's sort of like a memorial."
"That's pretty cool, actually." Kipo said, amazed by this. "How did you…?" With me motioning to my bag, she realized where I learned it form. "Oh, the journal. Forgot it had just about everything on Wonderbeasts." Looking over, we saw Molly and the gray cat (who I later found out to be Frank) cheering with wooden mugs with the Axe Lord sighing as she looked at the center toward an empty throne with an ax with a purple blade.
"I keep thinking I'll blink and then magically Yumyan will be there, bleating our dinner like he always does." She said in frustration.
"I feel dead inside." Frank added while nearby two cats from their spot began to wrestle and roll right at us, Kipo and I dodging before their fight hit us.
After that happened, the others came out and served the flapjacks just as promised. Dave went up a row to give some to the cats as he was passing by the young one who grabbed one with a fork and ate it.
"These are so good!" the little one said with eyes widening in amazement. "They fill my stomach. But not my heart." Within minutes, all the cats were served and eating.
"I miss Yumyan." Frank said after his elbow slipped and his drink spilled as Kipo and I came over, the Burrow girl giving him his plate. He then motioned to the wooden ceiling above. "We should add his portrait to our dome of great Axe Lords!"
"So he'll always be looking down at us while we eat!" Molly said in agreement.
"No!" The young one said, slamming a paw down. "That's for Axe Lords who are already gone! I'm not ready yet to hang up his ax." Molly then slammed her paw down.
"Let's carve his face up there!" She yelled out and immediately everyone began to argue on when they should make a new carving or not.
As this happened, I looked over to the throne and got a better look at that ax. The handle for it was not normal. It had four strings attached to the front and a large black strap. Up close like this, the ax looked like… a guitar? Seeing this caused some gears in my head to start turning as I felt some sense of familiarity with it. It was like I already had the image in my head. Being so deep in thought, I didn't notice Kipo going towards the ax, being drawn to it for some reason. I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard a few strings strum and the Timbercats' gasps of shock. Looking over, I saw Kipo holding the ax before she noticed everyone staring and gave a nervous chuckle.
"That's Yumyan's guitar, human." Molly said in disproval, clawing the table as she stood up. "Nobody plays it, but him!" I already knew that Wolf had probably facepalmed herself as that's what I felt like doing.
"Well, since he's passed on, I figured… I could play it for him." Kipo explained.
"Passed on?" The young one questioned. "Whoever said anything about that?"
"Well, isn't that why you guys are all depressed?" I said as I was confused by this. "You said he was gone. Like my father."
"No." the young one said. "He's just stuck up in a tree."
"Wait, what?" Kipo chuckled as we were all having a hard time taking in what they just said.
"Seriously? That's what happened to him?" Aurico questioned them. "He's just been stuck in a tree the whole time?"
"Why don't you just climb up there and bring him back down?" I asked, which made the Timbercats gasp and some to screech before jumping away in fright. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"He went above the canopy!" Molly spoke up as she stepped forward and motioned her paw up. "No Timbercat has ever gone above the canopy!"
"Wow! Above the canopy?" Kipo said, impressed.
"He went all the way up there?" I was shocked to hear this.
"That's suicide! Not even a Timbercat can survive that fall!" Aurico said, knowing how dangerous it was as much as the rest of us. "Why the hell would he do that?"
"When the beast showed up to steal the Scratching Tree, Yumyan ran up to fight him." Molly told us.
"Ooh! Yumyan sounds very brave." Kipo said, impressed by this. "You must have a lot of stories about him." she then played a few strings, which immediately the cat got a different vibe.
"Oh, that's not even half the legend." Molly said as she brought out her own ax guitar and soon enough she began playing a song immediately raising the spirits of the other cats.
He was born with an ax in his fur,
The toughest cat that you ever saw.
While he can chop down a tree with just one swing,
We call him Yumyan Hammerpaw!
Immediately the other cats busted out their own instruments and began to sing along.
Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh!
We call him Yumyan Hammerpaw!
Frank joined in and punched a random timber cat. As he kept singing, he got up on a table and knocked off everything that was on it.
He can punch out a thousand grizzly bears,
He's mighty tall at seven feet.
His beards so tough it gets in fights,
His favorite food is luncheon meat.
Looking over, I watched as Wolf squeezed herself out from between two Timbercats, only to bump into a bigger one before she was tossed into the air, the cat smiling kindly as he did.
Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh!
His favorite food is luncheon meat!
Hearing what they said, it finally clicked as to why that guitar seemed familiar. I had imagined it before, back when I was a little kid! It was there I recognized the song and joined in.
With a mighty ax,
Holding names of two,
He is a hero,
He's both brave and true!
It was within that moment that my fellow Tribe members joined in as we all sang together.
Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh!
He's both brave and true!
A valiant warrior,
Leaving all in shock and awe.
Standing proud with no fear,
That's Yumyan Hammerpaw!
Yumyan Hammerpaw! Yumyan Hammerpaw!
Yumyan Hammerpaw!
That's Yumyan Hammerpaw!
By the time the song was done, everyone seemed to be in high spirits. The Timbercats all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Though we all looked to Kipo as she was too caught up in the music and kept singing, adding her own verse.
I hear Yumyan writes manly poems,
About chainsaws, cranks, and gears!
He also shoots lasers from his eyes,
And puts out fires with his tears…
"Kipo!" I said as I got her attention, giving the girl an amused smile. "The song's over."
"Oh, sorry." Kipo said as she then put the guitar down and then got herself down from the throne. "Kinda got lost there."
"It's fine." I said to her before my kwami floated up in front of me.
"Axel, that was great!" Nooroo complimented me.
"Thanks, Nooroo." I said to him before the rest of our group gathered around.
"Cuz, that song was awesome!" Aurico said to me, impressed. "How'd you know that was what they were singing?"
"Well, it's because I actually heard it before." I said as I then explained. "My father used to sing that song to me. It had been so long since I heard it, I forgot."
"Why would Uncle Fenyx sing that to you?" Gordy questioned me.
"Because I now know what the correlations between him and the Timbercats are. My father and Yumyan… were friends." I said before I looked to Kipo, who was still holding the ax. "'A mighty ax holding names of two'. The word 'ax' is not just the name of a blade, it's another name for a guitar. My father was talking about Yumyan's guitar."
"So wait," Stella said as they were all surprised by this, "you mean to tell me that Fenyx Frank, 3's dad, was actually friends with the leader of the Timbercats?"
"Yes, he was." Molly said as she walked over. "Fenyx was one of the best friends Yumyan ever had. Fenyx even once said they were like brothers."
"So how exactly did my father end up making friends with a Timbercat Axe Lord?" I asked her.
"Now that is a story as old as time." Molly said as we all gathered around and listened to the story she told. "It was a few years ago when it happened. On that day, I was with a team of my own to gather lumber when we found Fenyx and two of his own from the Tribe trespassing in our woods. Though they easily surrendered, we weren't going to take any chances and captured them."
"So that was when you guys were with Scarlemagne?" Aurico asked her.
"Don't interrupt." Frank told him before Molly continued.
"After we brought them to the village, we tried to figure out what to do with them." She said. "We were thinking of eating them or batting them until we got tired. But Yumyan then came up with a solution: just trade them to Scarlemagne."
"Ha! Knew it!" Aurico laughed.
"Rico, shush!" I said to him, wanting to listen to the story.
"Anyway, before we brought them to Scarlemagne," Molly said, "Fenyx decided to make a meal for us, seeing as to how we had some syrup on hand."
"So he made you some pancakes like we did!" Kipo said with a bright smile.
"I'm guessing he and his group did something to the flapjacks they served, right?" I asked.
"Yes." Molly answered. "While they worked in the kitchen, they managed to put some hair into the flapjacks. With all of us coughing up hair, the three managed to escape. Though that wasn't the worst of it."
"What happened?"
"After your father and his Tribe members left, we were attacked by a group of humans in these dark robes, robes bearing this purple eye." It didn't take me long to figure out who she was talking about.
"The Shadow Warriors."
"Shadow Warriors?" Kipo asked me.
"Minions of the Dark Gang," I explained to her, "most descended from the loyal followers of their predecessors. Some people who had recently joined their ranks. The purple eye is the symbol of the Dark Gang."
"We tried to fight back, but, because of Fenyx's trick, we weren't able to defend ourselves. Though Yumyan was able to recover, he wasn't able to fight all of the attackers."
"Let me guess: after getting the upper hand, they told you they wanted to know where Fenyx was." Lobbo stated.
"Yes. They somehow heard we had captured him and came just for him." Molly said in confirmation. "For what reason, none of us knew. When we told them that we didn't have him, they thought we were lying and said that they would tear our village apart until they found him. It seemed as though we were finished, that there was no way to stop them from destroying our home. But then… as if answering a silent plea for help, Fenyx came and fought against the invaders. He said he came back to help, that he didn't want to see our village burn to the ground. Despite the way we treated him, this very human came back to help us in our dire need. His actions were so great that Yumyan regained his spirit and joined the fight. The two fighting side-by-side, Yumyan and Fenyx were able to drive the invaders away and save the village. With the day won, Fenyx earned Yumyan's trust as both a hero and a friend." As Molly finished, she then looked to me with a great smile. "That day, we decided that we would no longer work for Scarlemagne, but instead fight against him. If it weren't for your father, our village would have been destroyed."
"Wow! I had no idea." I said to her, amazed by this. "But, if my father showed what Scarlemagne was doing was wrong, why were you against the other Tribes?"
"That was Yumyan's choice." Molly told me. "Even though we found one Tribe to trust, it couldn't be said about the others. Though he trusted one human, Yumyan wasn't ready to trust more than one."
"That sounds familiar." I looked to Wolf with a smug before she then turned her head to look away from me.
"And which is why we will help." Molly said to me as she stood up. "We shall track down that Mega Mutant in honor of both Yumyan and Fenyx!" After she held up her ax, the other Timbercats then cheered out in agreement and did the same.
"Though, before we go anywhere, I think we should take some time to prepare." Uncle Donnie said as he came over. "I also think it would be a good idea to wait until Axel's wing heals up." I then looked as I remembered I still had a bandaged wing. "Whatever this Mega Mutant is, there's the possibility we all have to be at full strength when we find it."
"Right. We better wait until the boy's all healed up before bringing him to that monster." Molly said to him before she spoke to her fellow Timbercats. "While he's resting, I expect you all to prepare for the search. It took a while to track it down and it will take just as long to find it again. When we do, we will make the monster pay for what it has done. For Yumyan!" She then raised her ax.
"For Yumyan!" The other Timbercats then raised their axes with her. I was just amazed to see such a great group of proud warriors, especially ones that were our allies.
After that and seeing how late it was, we all then went on to rest, Uncle Donnie standing guard in case there were any threats coming to the village as the rest of us along with the rest of the village slept. Though, at one point, I was having trouble sleeping. It wasn't because of a nightmare. It was something else. Looking towards the canopy, I couldn't help but wonder about Yumyan. His disappearance really had an effect on the village. These guys seemed pretty lost without him. Unable to push the thoughts aside, I decided to take action, got myself dressed, and went outside. Though, when I got out there, I was surprised to find Kipo looking up to the sky, dressed in her morning clothes, and talking to herself with ax in hand.
"You up there, Yumyan?" Kipo said, sounding determined. "If I'm doing this, you'd better be."
"Kipo?" I said, surprising her and causing her to drop the ax.
"Axel?" She asked me. "What are you doing out here?"
"I should be asking you the same thing." I answered her.
"Well, I'm going to climb up there and find Yumyan." She said to me. "Look, I know it's crazy, but these cats are bummed out because their leader is gone. I think if I can find Yumyan, they'll cheer up."
"You think that'll work?"
"Won't know until I try."
"You mean until we try." I then gave her a confident smile. "I'm gonna help you."
"What?" Kipo was surprised by this. "Why are you helping me?"
"Well, I want to find him too. Got a few reasons." I then explained to her why I was doing this. "First of all, Yumyan has gotten a better sight at the Mega Mutant that attacked your Burrow. He might be able to tell us more about what we're dealing with. Second, he's a friend of my father's. I have to make sure he's okay. And lastly, I want to bring him back to his village. I can't stand to see them all torn up like this. If bringing Yumyan back will bring their spirits up, then I'll do just that."
It took a moment (as Kipo was no doubt surprised by all of this) before I felt her put a hand on my shoulder and looked to see her giving me a determined smile, ax over her shoulder.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find Yumyan." With that, I nodded and we both walked up to a tree. Looking toward the sky, we looked right at the canopy. "Wait a minute," I took the ax from Kipo and stood in front of the tree, "how are we both gonna get up there? There's only one ax and you can't really fly."
"Simple." I then motioned my head to my back. "Hop on my back."
"What?" Kipo was surprised by this.
"Hop on my back. I'll carry you." I told her as she gave me a hesitant look. "Just trust me." It was only a moment before she did and climbed on my back, wrapping her arms and legs across my body as firmly as she could. "Locked in?"
"I think so."
"Alright. Hold on tight." With this, I then put out my claws on my left hand and readied the ax in my right hand, preparing to climb. "Yumyan, I hope you're up there. Because we're coming to get you." Just like that, I began to climb as I used the ax and my claws to keep me up. "All the way above the canopy."
I did this all while doing my best not to blush since this was the closest I've had her around me. Not sure how, but I could feel Kipo was much the same. I had to guess she never had a boy like me this close to her like this. After managing to reach so high up the tree and not speaking to each other, I decided to ease some of the tension by talking to her.
"You alright, Kipo?" I said to her.
"Yeah… Yeah...totally fine." She said to me before she then gasped, tightening her hold on me.
"You looked down?" I asked her as I stopped.
"Yes!" She answered with fear. "I don't know why I looked down! I know you're not supposed to look down, but…"
"Kipo, calm down." I said to her, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's alright. Try to keep your mind off it."
"Try to keep my mind off it. Okay." Kipo then gave some thought before she started doing an impression of her dad. "Kipo, is this tree deciduous or coniferous? Coniferous."
"Another lesson with father?" I asked her with an amused smile, even though I had no idea what she was talking about. "Okay. So what exactly is this one?"
"It's about this tree we're climbing, whether it's deciduous or coniferous. It's coniferous."
"What does coniferous mean?"
"It means the leaves are green all year round."
"Oh, cool." I then continued climbing, impressed by the Burrow girl's knowledge. "Not bad for a girl that was raised underground."
"You think?"
"Of course. So what does decide-us mean?"
"It's actually 'deciduous'." She corrected me. "And it means the tree sheds its leaves when they change color."
"Oh, for the coming of the seasons. Man, you know more about science than I do."
"Well, I won't say all of it. There's some that I've learned from you. I mean, you did figure out that Mega Mutant was a mammal."
"Yeah, but that only because of the knowledge given by my parents."
"You know, I get it that you have a home on the surface, but you can still go to school with me down in my Burrow. Heck, I'd even tutor you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that would be nice and there's much I could learn." I told her as I did like the idea. "Though I think it would have to wait until after the Beast War is over. Not really much a good idea to be running around the surface with Scarlemagne still out there."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." When she said that, she sounded very disappointed.
"Hey, don't worry. I'll still come to visit you whenever I can. Even as a member of the Order, I'll still find time to come down to your Burrow."
"Thanks, Axel." Kipo said to me, sounding a lot better.
"No problem, Kipo." I said to her. "You know, I think your dad was preparing for you to go to the surface."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. By the looks of things, I'd say he taught you everything you needed to know about the surface. Seems there's a lot more to your dad than expected, huh?"
"Yeah." She then started to give some thought as we got closer to the top.
That night, I was going to check on the kids to see if they were sleeping well, especially Axel. I know he said he was doing fine, but I was still concerned about him. I worried even more since he now had a cut wing. When I got over there, I looked into the room to see everyone sleeping soundly. It was only when I heard some panicking squealing that I looked to Mandu looking around frantically on the floor.
"Mandu?" I said as I approached the little boar, keeping my voice down as not to wake up the kids. "Mandu… Mandu, calm down. What's wrong?" I was when I looked to Kipo's bed and saw she was gone. "Kipo?" Looking to Axel's bed, I saw that the little Fire Dragon was gone too. "Axel?" Looking around, I was beginning to worry as I ran outside and called out to them. "Kipo! Axel! Where are you?"
"Aaah! Why did you do that?" I heard Wolf say as I looked to see her awake and glaring at the little piglet. Her shout was so loud that it woke everyone up.
After finally reaching the canopy, I allowed Kipo to go up first, letting her climb off my back. After she managed to secure herself, I pulled myself up and managed to get some easy footing. With that, I then put away my claws and jabbed the ax into a nearby branch. With my hands free, Kipo and I continued to climb, pushing our way through the leafy bush of the treetop. When we got to the other side, we were amazed by the amazing view it gave us, one better than what you could see on the forest floor. Up there, you could see the night sky illuminated by stars. Looking forward we were met by another surprise as we saw this large, Wonderbeast Butterfly with wings that matched the very sky.
"Whoa!" Kipo said, the sight of the creature taking her breath away.
"That's some butterfly right there." I added, just as amazed by the sight before this growl came up from behind us.
"Nooroo?" I said to my kwami as we all too afraid to look behind us. "Please tell me there isn't a small Mega Mutant right behind us."
It only took a moment before Nooroo, sounding surprised, said "No. It's not a Mega Mutant."
Before I had time to look behind me, a voice yelled out "Yumyan owns you all!" Suddenly, we all watched something jumped right over us, Kipo screaming in surprise.
Looking toward the figure, we all saw it was a Timbercat, a large one by seven feet tall with gray fur with dark gray highlights, purple eyes, and a beard. He (judging by the voice) wore this light blue flannel shirt. Though I didn't recognize him, I knew this was the Timbercat we were looking for as he tried to land on the butterfly, the insect flying away and leaving him to crash into the leaves.
"I recognize that shirt anywhere!" Nooroo said as he went over to where the cat disappeared too. "Yumyan, is that you?" In response, the large Timbercat rose up, Nooroo coming to be on top of his head.
"You know how long I've been chasing that rotten insect?" Yumyan said as he grabbed the kwami. "Three days!" He then threw Nooroo aside, all while keeping his eyes focused on the butterfly. "According to him, it's just all a dance. He flutters around saying 'Look at me! I'm so pretty'!" He used a high pitched voice for that last part before returning to his normal voice, glared at the butterfly as it sat down at another part of the leaves. "Eventually, he has to tire out." Yumyan assumed pouncing position as he made his way towards it. "Any moment now… Yumyan owns you all!" He jumps forward, but the butterfly flew away and escaped.
"Yumyan, it is you!" Nooroo said as he then flew over and floated in front of the Timbercat, smiling happily. "What's that you keep saying? 'Yumyan owns you all!' A new battle cry?" this made the Timbercat sigh as he stood up and look at Nooroo.
"Yeah. I'm testing out." He answered the kwami. "To strike fear in the hearts of my enemies, of which there are many." He then turns his attention back to the butterfly, bringing out his claws. "They will cower when they hear me!"
"Hey, speaking of enemies…" Kipo spoke up as she and I walked over, Yumyan walking past Nooroo before he started jumping in the air to try to get the butterfly, even though it was pointless as he was obviously not going to get it. "Out there is a Mega Mutant who stole your tree. I think it also may have my father. That's why we're here: to get you back down to your village, so that we can all find them together."
"I don't work with humans, human." Yumyan replied.
"It's Kipo." She introduced herself.
"And I'm Axel." I said to him. "Though, as I heard from your village down there, you worked with a human before. Does the name 'Fenyx Frank' sound familiar?"
"Fenyx? I know him all too well." Yumyan said to me, even though he was still pretty focused on the butterfly. "Toughest son of bitch human I've ever met. What's he to you?"
"Well, that S.O.B. happens to be my father." I told him, causing Yumyan to freeze before he stood up.
It was after he turned around and saw me clearly that he gained a slight smirk and said "Well, what do you know? Been six years since I last saw a Fire Dragon and the first one I see today is the youngest of Fen's litter."
"Yeah, that's me." I said to him. "The newest Fire Dragon."
"Glad to finely meet ya. Hey, how is old Fen doing these days?" Hearing him say that, I then looked down in sadness. Kipo put her hand on my shoulder before Nooroo spoke up.
"Yumyan… I'm afraid Fenyx is no longer with us." The kwami said, shocking the Timbercat.
"No." Yumyan said, feeling despair. "Fen's… dead?"
"Unfortunately so. He passed over five years ago." Nooroo told him.
"I can't believe it." Yumyan said before he spoke to me. "Kid… I'm so sorry. I knew your father well. He was a great man, even for a human."
"Thanks." I said to him before I pushed aside the despair and got back to what Kipo and I came there to do, looking at Yumyan right in the eye. "But this is no time for grieving. Right now, we need to get you back down there."
"I'm not going back until I catch that bug." Yumyan said with defiance as he then returned his focus back to the butterfly.
"Hey, out of curiosity, why do you want that butterfly so bad?" Kipo asked as she took her hand off my shoulder and we both stood right next to the cat.
"He lived on top of the Scratching Tree. The tree spirit lives in him now." As Yumyan continued to speak, I was beginning to think that the Axe Lord wasn't really in the right mind. I looked to Kipo and Nooroo and saw they had the same thoughts. "I hear it speaking to me. I named it Charles." In that moment, Yumyan then started acting funny. "What's that, Charles? You want me to get you?" He then smiled like a maniac. "You want me to get you? Ha-ha-ha! I'm gonna get you!"
"Nooroo, what the heck is he talking about?" I whispered to Nooroo, my kwami shrugging to silently say he didn't know.
"Uh… mind if I try?" Kipo asked as she stopped him from pouncing, getting Yumyan's attention. "I'm good with bugs. I got Pierre on his leash earlier."
"You…put a leash on Pierre?" He questioned, almost sounding impressed before he stood up.
"She actually did." I told him as he thought for a moment before he motioned Kipo to go on.
As the butterfly turned around, Kipo went forward and sat down, crossing her legs and holding out her hand to it. Nooroo, Yumyan, and I watched and, soon enough, the butterfly flew forward landing on her face.
"Oh. Heh-heh." Kipo giggled as she watched it crawl over her and perched itself on top of her head. "See? It just takes a gentle touch, that's all."
"Yes, that's correct." I said, agreeing with her. "It's good to have a firm hand, but that would need to be balanced with…
"Yumyan owns you all!" The Timbercat yelled out as I watched him charge forward, making another pounce and going over Kipo which scared the butterfly away.
"Fly for your life!" Kipo yelled out as Yumyan soon found his paws empty.
"The tree spirit got away!" Yumyan cried out in despair. "Charles!"
"Okay! That's enough!" Nooroo spoke out, surprising me and Kipo with his unexpected burst of rage. "Yumyan, we're not the only ones who need your help. Your whole village is falling apart without you in it."
"Bu-But, Nooroo, I can't leave!" Yumyan told him as he stood up. "I lost our tree! The great Axe Lords of yore spent years sculpting it, getting it just right! And Charles has its spirit."
"So what? You're just gonna be a coward and abandon your own people just like that? From the sounds of it, it seems like you're just making up excuses now!"
"What did you say to me?" The cat growled in anger.
"You heard me!" Nooroo didn't even back down. "You're sitting up here, chasing butterflies for no reason, while your people are down there suffering! That's not the Yumyan Hammerpaw I remember!"
"Well, things change, Nooroo! You out of everyone would know that, seeing how quick you got over losing Fenyx and replaced him with his son!" This is what silenced Nooroo as the kwami was taken back by this.
I was just shocked by what he said. Out of anything, that would hurt Nooroo the most: someone saying he didn't care about his partners, past and present alike. And to see someone who Nooroo came to see as a friend say that to him? I was so enraged by this that I spoke out to the Axe Lord.
"Yumyan, that was uncalled for!" I told him, putting out his claws again. "Look, I know the Scratching Tree is important to you and your village, but you had no right to say such a thing to Nooroo! You know he cared about my father just as much as me and you! He had been with Fire Dragons ever since his Miraculous was created. Having that jewel passed down from one generation to the next, he had seen all good Fire Dragons come and go, seeing those he called his friends pass away right before his eyes. He knows what it's like to lose something or even someone important to you. We all know that feeling." Feeling the despair return, I then told him of what I meant. "Kipo lost her father, but has no idea if she's ever gonna see him again. And I lost more than my father. I lost my mother and my brother."
"Yoshi is gone too?" Yumyan said to me with shock.
"Yeah. He died three years ago." I said to him. "It's not just me and my sister who has tried her hardest to take care of me. Your people are lost without you. They need you." It was only a moment before Yumyan sighed and gained a look of despair.
"You're right." Yumyan said to me as he sat down, looking to the leaves. "But now I have more of a reason to stay here. I can't live with myself knowing that I left both you and Miwa by yourselves. When Fenyx didn't come back, I should've gone out and looked for you kids. I saw your old village burned down and knew you were in trouble. Instead, I pushed it all aside and focused on protecting my own village. Because of me, you're without a mother, a father, and a brother."
"Yumyan, it's not your fault." I said to him. "You didn't know this would happen."
"Axel's right. You were just trying to do what was best for your people." Nooroo said to him, regaining his friendly approach with a sad look on his face. "Just like when you ran up here to face the Mega Mutant that stole the tree."
"That's not why I came up here." the Timbercat said to us. "I didn't fight the beast. All I did was ran. I ran from the tree thief in fear."
"Wait, you ran away from the fight?" I was absolutely surprised by this.
"So that's why you're stuck up here." Kipo said as she sat down, joining us. There was a moment of silence before Nooroo spoke out.
"Yumyan, what happened?" Nooroo asked.
"It all happened so fast that day." Yumyan said as he began to tell us what had happened. "I was just having my evening scratch. The next thing, I'm looking up at the biggest monster I have ever seen! Six arms, eyes red as a loggers flannel. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. So… I ran up this tree. Now I'm too ashamed to even go back."
"Yumyan, I know you regret doing something like that," Nooroo said to him, "but you can't stay up here, blaming yourself."
"He's right." Kipo agreed. "Any sane person, Wonderbeast or human would've done the same."
"Yeah. Sometimes we can't help it and fear gets the better of us." I added.
"But I'm an Axe Lord, the leader of Timbercats. I ran away and abandoned my people." Yumyan said as we looked to see some Timbercats fighting with each other. "Look at them down there."
"We are, Yumyan." Kipo said to the Axe Lord. "And you know what? They need you a lot more than their tree."
"Kipo's right." I said, backing her up. "The tree might be gone, but what's important is that your people are safe. Somehow, you'll be able to find it. But right now, you have a duty and they need their leader."
"But how can I when…?" Yumyan said before I stopped him.
"Yumyan, I know you feel like you failed them. My ancestors had dealt with that kind of feeling, even the one I'm named after had to deal with it. But they knew that people depended on them, that they need a hero for when things get bad. That's what your people need, Yumyan. A hero."
"They're right." Charles spoke up as he sat beside Yumyan, surprising me. "They need you, man."
"Uh…" Kipo groaned out as she didn't expect that to happen.
"Hold up, you can talk?" I said to Charles in disbelief. "Why didn't you just say something?"
"There wasn't much point in talking." The butterfly said. "I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen." He then looked to Yumyan. "But, seriously, those guys down there really need you."
"Yumyan, that Mega Mutant that stole the tree?" I said to him. "It used it to attack Kipo's home. We think it might have her people. We need your help to find that Mega and save those people. Please, help us. We'll help you find your tree. You have my word." It only took a moment before Yumyan sighed in defeat and patted my on the shoulder.
"Alright, kid. I hear you." He said to me before he stood up.
"So… sure you ready to go back down?" Kipo asked.
"Ngh! Okay. But…jus-just give me a minute." The Timbercat said as he looked down at the ground. In that moment, Kipo dragged me away before she whispered into my ear, telling me an idea of getting us down the tree.
"Are you crazy, Kipo?" I said, making sure Yumyan didn't hear me.
"Just trust me, okay?" She said to me, speaking just as quietly.
"Ugh! Fine." I groaned in defeat. "But if I die, I'm blaming you." With that, we got behind Yumyan before charging right at him.
"Kipo/Axel owns you all!" We both yelled before tackling Yumyan, sending all three of us flying down from the canopy with Nooroo riding on my shoulder.
After I told everyone what happened, the cats were in a very sour mood. I watched as Frank sat with Molly, the two passing a ball of yarn to each other.
"First the Scratching Tree, then Yumyan, and now the Fire Dragon and another one of those kids are gone too." Frank said as he tossed it over to Molly. "It's like we're not even Timbercats anymore."
"As long as we have axes, we'll always be Timbercats." Molly said as she threw the ball aside. "And, as long as we have Yumyan in our hearts, he'll always be…"
"Right…there!" The youngest of the Timbercats said in disbelief, pointing up. "He's right…there!"
We all looked up to see a large Timbercat falling down a tree in front of us before landing on all fours on a branch. Standing up he yelled out, "Yumyan owns you all!" From there, he then began jumping down, going from branch to branch. But, at one point, he lost his footing and began falling again. I was going to try and save him before Molly stopped me. Watching as he fell, the cat turned himself over and managed to land on all fours, the impact creating a cloud of dust that surrounded him. After the dust clear, the Timbercat stood proudly as he showed us he was fine. With hearing the other Timbercats cheer out, I knew that this guy was their leader, the Axe Lord Yumyan Hammerpaw. It was only a short moment before I heard some groaning and watched as Kipo and Axel slipped off the cat's back.
"Kipo? Axel?" I said, confused from seeing the kids with Yumyan.
"Hey, we found Yumyan." Kipo said with a bright smile as she and Axel got themselves up and walked over to me.
Axel said in relief before he looked to Kipo and said "Kipo… We are never doing that again."
We all watched as the Timbercats cheered upon seeing their leader's return as he stood up. Soon enough, Molly and Frank came forward presenting him his weapon.
"I almost forgot how much I like to hold this." Yumyan said, glad to hold his ax again.
This made Kipo giggle as Axel patted her on the back, smiling as well. With Yumyan raising his ax into the air, the other Timbercats did the same and cried out in rejoice.
"Look at that." Gordy said as he and the other kids came over. "Looks like we got an army."
The next morning, everyone was getting themselves ready to track down the Mega Mutant. We were almost done with the preparations. Yumyan said that we would leave as soon as we had everything. To be honest, I actually believed him. With Yumyan back, all the Timbercats were willing to give their all to help find the Mega and save Kipo's people. He even convinced Uncle Donnie that we could go. Speaking of the Axe Lord, I was looking for him as I went through the crowd of Timbercats making preparations. It took me a while but I managed to find him with Kipo who was tying his mustache and beard with some string, curling both sides of the mustache along with his beard.
"Oh! It's gonna be so cute!" Kipo gushed as she was finished.
"That's not exactly the look I was going for." The cat said with a questioning look.
"It ain't that bad." I said as I walked over to them. "It makes you look more wise, but just as fierce."
"Ah… I see now." Yumyan said as he liked the sound of that.
"Hey, Axel!" Kipo said to me. "What's up?"
"Oh, I just want to have a talk with Yumyan." I said as I got the Axe Lord's attention before speaking to him. "You said that you saw the Mega, right?"
"Yes." He answered me as I got my journal out.
"Well, can you tell more about what it looks like?" I said as I flipped to the page where I already had a sketch of the Mega Mutant we were looking for, only managing to get in what I already got from him. "If I can figure out what kind of Mega it is, I might be able to figure out what we're dealing with, especially in how to beat it. All I got now is that it was large, has the ability to grab objects, haves six arms, and red eyes. Anything else?"
"Well, let's see…" Yumyan said as he gave some thought before telling me what he saw, me adding those details to the sketch. "It was covered in brown fur, except for its hands, and a tail." With those details, I was confused as I've never heard of a Mega Mutant with furless hands. "It also had a beard like mine was, but as white as bone. It had brown face and these brown ears, like yours." With that last detail put in, I was shocked by what I was seeing. Seeing what he was describing, I was afraid now afraid to hear his answer as I turned the journal over to show him the sketch.
"Is this the Mega Mutant that took the Scratching Tree?" I asked him.
"Yes! That's the beast that stole our tree!" Yumyan said, confirming my fears.
It was with that I turned the journal back over and gulped in fear before I said "Oh, crap."
"Axel, you okay?" Kipo said in concern.
"We need to show this to everyone." I quickly said to her before I spoke to Yumyan. "Yumyan, get everyone to the great hall! Everyone needs to hear this!"
After everyone was gathered in the great hall with Kipo and me in front of Yumyan as he sat on his throne. The rest of our traveling group standing in front of us as the rest of the village took their seats.
"Well, guys," I said to everyone as I was afraid to tell them what I discover, "from what Yumyan told me, I've figured out what kind of Mega Mutant we're looking for."
"You know what it is?" Gordy said to me with a smile of determination. "That's awesome!"
"Actually, it isn't." I said, not seeing anything good about this.
"What do you mean, 3?" Aurico asked, thinking the same as our cousin. "Now that we know what it is, we can be able to take it and save Kipo's people!"
"That's the problem." I said before saying what I feared. "I'm afraid it's too late to save anyone from that Burrow."
"Whatever do you mean, darling?" Kylo asked.
"Because…" I said before I then turned the journal over and showed the sketch of the Mega Mutant responsible for it all. "This is the Mega that stole the Scratching Tree." The sight of the sketch caused my fellow Tribe members (except for Benson) to gasp in shock.
"No way." Brook said, just in shock. "It can't be."
"Is that… a Mega Monkey?" Caldwell asked me, afraid of the answer.
"I'm afraid so." I said as the group all gained the same fear I had.
"That's what did all this?" Gordy said in disbelief.
"Now it all makes sense." Aurico said as the fear turned into anger. "No wondering that thing attack the Burrow!"
"But that would mean… Oh, no." Stella said, fearing for the worst.
"Aaah!" Riku yelled as he took one of his sias and stabbed it into a table in anger. "Seriously! How did he know they were there?
"I'm not sure, Ri." I said as I turned the journal back over and held it close. "But, whatever the reason, he's got Kipo's people."
"Wait, guys, what's wrong?" Kipo asked as she was no doubt confused by this. "Who's 'he'?"
"Kipo, the Mega Mutant that attacked your Burrow," I said to her as I explained, "it didn't just show up out of coincidence. It was going straight to it."
"What?" Kipo said in disbelief.
"It attacked the Burrow because it was after you and your people." I told her. "That's why it took the Scratching Tree. It used it to break into the Burrow!" Seeing the fear build up in Kipo, I knew I had to go straight to the answer. "I'm sorry to say this, but it's gonna be harder to get your people back."
"What? Why?"
"Because the only reason that Mega kidnapped your people was that it was ordered to."
"B-by who?"
"There's only one person in Las Vistas who even works with primates like that Mega Monkey." Uncle Donnie said. "The one who started the second Beast War and placed a bounty for humans, Scarlemagne." This caused the Timbercats to gasp as everyone was shocked by this.
As Kipo looked to me with absolute horror, I couldn't help but look down at the sketch of the Mega Monkey, a Mega Mutant which could only mean one thing: Kipo's father along with her people were now prisoners of Scarlemagne.
Author's Note: Hey, guys! Sorry it took me so long. Been a pretty busy week with Christmas drawing near. I hoped you liked the chapter. Bet none of you saw this coming, huh? AF3's father, Fenyx Frank, being friends with the leader of a Wonderbeast Pack. With the return of Yumyan, the group now have an army of allies to help them find the Mega Mutant along with Kipo's people. But now they have found out the reason why this Mega Mutant attacked: under the orders of Scarlemagne. Will our heroes be able to save Kipo's people from the clutches of Scarlemagne? Only time will tell as the journey continues. That's all I got for now. Don't forget to leave a comment to tell me how you think of it. See ya in the next chapter!