Welcome to chapter 12! *prepares for incoming "What the sugarplums?!"*

CHAPTER 12 – A Prophecy

We all knew we eventually had to move on, but it was so hard to pick where to go. We had managed to get Emily a method to contact us through the Internet that the humans would not notice was there. We had to use the Stopwatch again for that, because it would have taken too long otherwise.

A few more days had passed since then, and we had practiced with the computer from the aquarium and our phones and it worked. The computer was luckily the newest one out, as we had checked, which meant we wouldn't have a problem contacting Emily since it wouldn't be replaced. We gave her the numbers for the phones though, just in case. We also trained Emily to be able to defend herself, if needed. She did really well, like all of us did our first time.

Last night, we had picked another place to go see. After our performances today, we would be transferred tomorrow. Thankfully, we didn't let that get us down. We performed better than we had the whole time we were here. It was starting to get late, so everyone except Skipper, Emily, and I had gone to sleep.

"I'll really miss you sis, even if it is only for a short time this time," I said. "I'll miss you guys too. I'm so glad you've all helped me learn so much while you were here. And now I know I'm an Aunt!" Emily exclaimed happily, yet quietly.

"I'm glad you like the children. They sure are an interesting breed," Skipper said. We laughed quietly. "They sure are. They do take after you a lot. I hope I can be as lucky someday," Emily said. "Well, if you find someone before we get you transferred, we'll get them too, of course," I said.

Emily smiled. "Thanks. I really should try harder. Maybe in a few days, I could start looking. Thanks for the tip sis," she said. "No problem. It worked for us, it should be the same for you," I said.

"But you don't have the problem of being controlled, so it probably won't take you four years to actually be a couple," Skipper said. "I'm glad I don't have that problem. But you did get your children out of it," Emily said. We smiled. "Yes, we did," I said happily.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on and off rapidly, like lightning. "They need to fix that," I said. "They probably will within a few days," Skipper said. Suddenly, the speakers outside started going off very loud and made our entire habitat vibrate as if it were surrounded by lightning strikes.

"This is too weird," I said. "Something's up here," Skipper said. The three of us got into fighting stances; ready to defend ourselves and everyone else. Suddenly, like when the Golden Squirrel escapade happened, an old Otter appeared a few feet in front of us.

"Now who are you and what do you want?" Skipper asked the Otter. "My name is unimportant. But I do have something to say," the Otter replied. "About what?" I asked. "You," the Otter said, pointing at Emily. "Me?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. I've come to tell you about your future," the Otter replied. "If it's bad, I don't want to hear it," Emily said. "It's good. I'm actually the one who told your parents about your future," the Otter said to me. We all lowered our fighting stances slightly. "Really?" I asked. "Yes. Only you three get to learn this, as your mates are cross-species," the Otter responded.

"I don't have a mate," Emily said. "You have not met them yet. You will meet them before a holiday in the summer," the Otter said. "Here or in New York?" Emily asked. "New York. They are a mammal, but not an Otter. They just won your permanent independence recently. They shall fight for it again, with your children," the Otter said to Skipper and I.

"When that happens, that's the moment when you'll know who is your future mate. And that will be when it is time for you to relocate," the Otter said to Emily. "How can we be sure?" I asked. "You will be sure. But this information shall never be spread to more people than you three until the day you get a ring," the Otter said to Emily.

"One final thing: Your mate does not know about this prophecy. Only you three do. And that is where I leave you," the Otter said before disappearing. We just stood there, trying to comprehend what just happened.

We waited for anyone else to maybe come out after hearing what had just happened, but no one did. I looked over at Emily and her face was in an expression of anticipation, but also one of fear.

None of us knew what to say. I instead walked over to her and placed my arm around her, trying to help her relax. She leaned into me as if I was our mother, not her sister. I patted her back, continuing to try and help her relax. She stood up after a moment. "Thank you Marlene. I needed that," Emily said. "You're welcome Emily," I said to her. "What… just… happened?" Emily asked.

"I… don't know," I said honestly. We all thought for a moment. "Do you have any idea who my… mate… will be?" Emily asked us. "I'm sorry sis, but I don't," I said honestly. Emily looked over at Skipper. "I'm sorry Emily, but I don't know either," he said. "What did she mean by my… mate… fighting for our independence? And they're going to do it a second time with Annabelle and Samuel?" Emily asked.

"We don't know," I said. "Well, that means my… mate… cares for us all. That sounds good. But I still want to know what she meant by all of those dates. A summer holiday? Which one? Flag Day? Independence Day? Labor Day?" Emily asked us. "Many humans count Independence Day as the main summer holiday," Skipper answered. "It's February right now. I have five months. Wow," Emily said.

"But nothing is set in stone. You can avoid it. And since your… mate… doesn't know about this, you would not hurt him by refusing," I said. Emily thought for a moment. "Yes, but I can sense that even if that Otter hadn't told us what my future is that it would have happened anyway," Emily said. "Are you sure?" Skipper and I asked her. "Yes. I think I am. Please remember to tell me the moment you think my mate has been revealed," Emily said.

"We'll be sure to keep you informed constantly of what we think before and when it happens," Skipper said. Emily smiled. "Thank you. These next five months or so will be interesting. But I will enjoy my last few months here," Emily said. "I hope you will," I said. We all yawned. "And with that prophecy told, let's go to bed," Emily said. We chuckled a bit before heading to our caves.

* "Do you think he could be the one she'll get?" I asked Skipper. "You mean him?" Skipper asked me knowingly. "Yes, him. Our friend from over there," I said. "Marlene, I think you might have a point there. That is an interesting possibility. It would be interesting if that were the case," Skipper said. "I know. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" I asked. "Yes, we will Marlene," Skipper replied. With that, we walked into our cave and fell asleep.

(P to Emily as she walked to her cave) I was still wondering about what just happened and the future. I mean, it's not every day some Otter comes along and tells you what is effectively your destiny. "I'm going to meet my mate in a few short months. I don't know anything about them though. But if they will fight for all of our independence, then it means they care," I thought to myself.

"They're a mammal, but not an Otter. What kind of mammal? There's too many to even guess. I guess I'll find out in five months though," I continued thinking. I yawned once again as I entered my cave. It took a few minutes, but I was able to get to sleep and dreamt of what and who my mate would be.

That's a wrap on this chapter. Now who could possibly wind up being Emily's mate? Ah, I won't tell you yet. But I can't believe I just did that. But it's my story, so I guess I can. Was this a good chapter though? Please review it. Let's look the single note I have, shall we?

* I was being vague on purpose. But if you somehow manage to figure it out, more power to you. Won't tell you if you got it right or wrong though.