Author's Note: After rereading the original chapter, I realized how horribly it tied into the last chapter. In over words - it didn't. So I've changed it. Um. Enjoy?

I, Pabu

Chapter Three: Friendship

We follow Phun-lai and Chief Deno underground to the meeting chamber. All of the other Council members are already there, and glare at us as we troop in through the door. All nice and obedient like nice little koala-sheep. Whatever those are.

Chief Deno walks tall and stately, with his 'I'm the Chieftain and I'm in charge' face on. Phun-lai follows him, not quite as stately, because he's limping from an old war wound that he supposedly got from some war. Because we totally have had lotsof wars since the last one several hundred years ago. Or maybe thousands, I forget which.

Chief Deno settles into his seat, coughs importantly, flicks his tail at the recorder, and begins. "Ahem, today, we gather in a Council of War..." I applaud with everyone else, dutifully. Chief Deno is great at lots of things, but speeches really aren't his thing.

The rest of the meeting is boring, as usual, but the words of the chieftains are underscored by a sense of looming danger. Right. The ratcoons. I shift in my seat for what seems like the fiftieth time, but keep quiet. I know I don't have to sit through all these meetings, but I'm my fathers son, and my father was Chief Deno's army general, and I'm just picking up a few tricks of the trade.

Plus, I'd have to subject Ling and Katon to the unimaginable horrors of sitting through meetings all on their lonesome. Their minds can't deal with the stress if I'm not there to loosen the tension at opportune moments. Like letting free giant moths just when Phun-lai is about to give his speech. Really. Nobody appreciates the work it takes to catch those things or the fact that they would have died of boredom listening to Phun-lai talk. He's even worse of a public speaker than Chief Deno. It's true. Both of their sons can attest to that. I've checked.

"Thank you, Chieftains, for your time," says Chief Deno loudly, and I look up with a start. The meeting is over, and I've just had a morning nap. Oops. I wipe drool off my nose with a paw, and run my tongue through my chest fur a few times to hide my embarrassment.

There's the collective sigh as twenty or so ferrets and lemurs get up and file out the door, nodding to me as they go. As the youngest, Ling and Katon are the last ones out, Ling in front of Katon, which he always teases Katon about. Technically, I'd be ahead of both of them, but I'm sort-of-almost a commoner, so I don't have the rights. Poo.

"Nice nap, Pabu?" asks Ling, smirking. I glare at him and kick him in the shoulder, but it doesn't seem to affect his eternally collected demeanor. He kicks me back. I hold back a wince and glare at him, this time giving him my "you have angered the Pabu, now you shall suffer my wrath" look. His gaze trails to a line of shiny bubbles floating a few hundred feet above our heads.

I know that he wants to chase them, but also that he wants to spend time with us. If he goes after the bubbles, we might not see him for the rest of the day, so I'm glad when Katon changes the subject.

"So, Pabu, you said there was this nice lady ferret you'd met?" He smirks, looking scarily like Ling. I take that back. Not so glad.

"Oh. Er," I try to look calm. The lady ferret in question is Akai, this nice girl who lives north-ish of that old cabbage place, near the winter home of the turtleducks. We met once when she was about to murder one of my swallow-robin friends – Luk, I think. Or maybe it was Jot. Afterwards, we just sort of kept in touch. "Yeah?" I ask cautiously.

"You said you were going take us to meet her," said Katon. "Isn't now a good time, right before we all die? We get to meet your girlfriend, then we can die!" I smile. Katon, the ever-pessimistic optimist.

"You did?" Ling suddenly looks interested. "Can I come?"

For a moment, I debate with myself, telling myself it was a secret, and that Katon had no business blurting it out to Ling. We're friends, but me and Katon are closer than Ling and I are. Then I nod. Might as well, following Katon's logic, before we die. "Okay, I'll take you. Ready?"

"Wait!" screeches Ling. "Now?"

Katon grins that maniac smile of his. "Now."

"But we have to-" Ling stops, appearing to think this through. "Okay. Forget princely duties. Let's go."

Moments later, he balks again. "How're we going to get out?"

I look at Katon, and he smiles. "We sneak out. Duh."

Ling raises a surprised eyebrow. "With that horrid tunnel you showed me last time we went to get cherries that nearly collapsed on us and squished all the cherries?"

I feel a momentary pang of jealousy. Before the truce with the lemurs, it was me that went with Katon to nick cherries. But now that I live with Bolin-moves-earth-called-Bo and Mako-bright-scarf-bright-fire, I'm only around half the time. Katon's found a new partner in crime, and I've found Bolin-moves-earth-called-Bo.

Katon nods. "Unless you have a better idea." Ling doesn't. So we follow Katon to the tunnel.

It looks the same as it did the last time I was here, which was the day before the accident with the ratcoons. Before I met Bolin-moves-earth-called-Bo. Grass covering the entrance, scree and gravel piled around to avoid pawprints, everything is meticulously planned out, as usual.

It isn't until I enter the tunnel that there's any difference. I wrinkle my nose. "What's that smell? It smells like Korra-moves-air-moves-water's sakura pie filling mixed with week old fish skin!"

"Um," Katon sounds nervous. "Remember the cherries?" Oh, right. I totally knew that, and say as much to Katon.

"Right," drawls Ling. "You did."

I ignore him, and let my paws trace the worn trail they remember so well.

We emerge out into the sunlight, and my eyes adjust almost instantly. Ferrets are just awesome like that. Katon pulls a stalk of nearby lavender over to the tunnel, marking the entrance the way he did the first time we used the tunnel. The look he gives me says he hasn't forgotten out friendship. I nod.

The three of us bound down the sakura-covered hills, to meet my almost-girlfriend.