A/N: Oh man. I've gotten so behind on these. Ughhhhh…

Rated: K

Day 13 - Knowledge

"MAKO! Have you seen Pabu?! I can't find him anywhere!" Bolin cried franticly. The earthbender was on the verge of tears, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

"Calm down, bro. I'm sure he's around somewhere. There aren't many places to go on this island."

Bolin sniffled loudly and swiped a finger under his leaky nose. "Well, what if he's stuck in a tree or… or what if he's hurt?! Oh no!" He burst into tears, hiding his face in his meaty palms.

"I'm sure Pabu's just fine, Bo," Mako said, putting a hand around Bolin's wide, trembling shoulders. "You want me to help you look for him?" he offered, and Bolin nodded his head pitifully. Mako chuckled and ruffled his younger brother's hair. "Come on. Let's ask Korra if she's seen him."

"If I've seen who?"

The two brothers whirled around to find Korra and her polar bear dog walking up behind them. Her brow creased with concern when she saw Bolin's tear streaked face. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Pabu's gone missing and Bolin's in hysterics."

Korra glanced from the brothers to her polar bear dog, her best friend in the entire world, and stroked the animal's white fur. "Well, I know I'd be pretty hysterical if Naga went missing. We'll help you look for him," she said. "Naga's an excellent tracker. I'm sure we'll find Pabu in no time."

"Thanks, Korra," Mako said. Bolin was still trying to get a hold of himself, but he nodded his head to show his appreciation.

"Naga, where's Pabu?" Korra asked her polar bear dog. Naga wagged her tail excitedly at hearing her little fire ferret friend's name and sniffed the air. She led them all around the island, sniffing at all of Pabu's favorite sites when she stopped at the island greenhouse.

"What's that noise?" Mako asked.

"I don't know," Korra said. "It sounds like one of Naga's old squeaky toys."

The smell of earth and fresh vegetables overwhelmed them as they stepped into the heat of the greenhouse. "Pabu?" Bolin called out anxiously. "Pabu… you in here buddy?"

"The squeaking's coming from over here!" Mako called from further inside. Bolin and Korra rushed over as Mako pulled back the leaves of a strawberry plant –

They found Pabu surrounded by spots of blood and being prodded at by three pink critters.

"SOMETHING'S EATING PABU!" Bolin screamed in horror. He rushed forward to save his fire ferret, but Mako grabbed him by the shirt and swung him around. Bolin exploded into tears and grabbed hold of his older brother, sobbing uncontrollably as he choked out Pabu's name.

"Bo…" Korra started, taking a closer look at the scene under the strawberry bush. "I don't think that's… I think those are…"

Mako glanced over at where Korra was looking and nodded his head, patting Bolin's back. "Bo, Pabu's not being eaten… Pabu's nursing them."

Bolin pulled back from his brother and scrubbed his snotty, red face. "N-nursing? W-what's that mean?"

Korra held out her hand for him, and Bolin tentatively grasped it, allowing himself to be led closer. "Those are Pabu's babies, Bo! She's feeding them!"

Bolin sniffed and blinked the tears from his eyes. "Pabu… Pabu's a she? Pabu's a mama?!"

"Yeah!" Korra said excitedly as she lifted the leaves of the bush to show him. "Look! There's three of them! Bo! You could have your own fire ferret circus now!"

A watery smile spread over his lips, tears overflowing his eyes again. "Pabu!" he cried. "Good girl!"

The fire ferret blinked up at him and gave a tired squeak.

A/N: I really wanna name one Onigiri for some reason.