challenge #3

MEERKAT MANOR

......Once upon a time , in the arid plains not  far from the great pyramid at Giza , lived a tribe of meerkats . The leader , Shanks , had three sons , Nobby Bobby and Gobby. Shanks was aware that he was nearing the end of his life. The average meerkat lived 150 moons , and shanks knew that he had already seen over 160. Now he faced a difficult choice , naming a successor.......
Shortly after the brothers were born , their mother , Kizzy , was taken away to meerkat paradise. The culprit was Arboc , the notorious Egyptian cobra who had wandered into the Giza plateau while out hunting . Shanks had often told the 3 brothers the story , how she valiantly defended herself and failed , as a reminder that the world they lived in was a very dangerous one indeed. Gobby had once passed comment during one of those retelling , insinuating that the tale was old and boring. Gobby was renowned for this, he had often been told that he should think before he speaks , but his brain only grasped this concept after he did the talking anyway, a vicious circle !It was the only time in their life that they had seen their father truly angry , words resonating round their hollow as he put Gobby in his place . Bobby was surprised for all of 2 seconds before reverting to the dream-like state which was his trademark. He seemed to live in his own little world , a constant reverie which often consisted of his next meal , his hunger seemed to know no satiety . The tribe medics had suggested that an evil spirit resided in his stomach , which Shanks found utterly laughable. Nobby was adored by all , his unnerving enthusiasm was contagious , he seemed to find the good in everything and everyone , and while the story of his mother brutally murdered by an evil snake horrified him to the core , he still found the time to explain that Orbac was probably hungry when he stumbled on their mother , just like the brothers are hungry when go looking for juicy bugs (this last bit pushed Bobby further into his trance) .
  It was mid-moon when the alarm sounded in the hollow , the four sentries on guard duty had spotted an unusual movement in the low grass 2 tree lengths away. This was confirmed by the furthest sentry , who recognised Orbac straight away , the legendary scar above his right eye where Kizzy had scratched him in vain. When the alarm goes off, each meerkat has his/her duty , the unit was a well-oiled machine , working together as a team was the only way the tribe had survived for so long. They had found a secondary hollow not far away , close to the stone structure which attracted many giants , they seemed to stare at the stone and walk away again. This often puzzled the meerkats, very strange behaviour indeed. This hollow was pre-built , a large hole in the ground , made of stone. A member of the tribe had found it by accident one day while doing what meerkats do best.... exploring ! Little did they know that this "room" was actually a secret chamber from the great pyramid , filled with jewels and gold. The meerkats had moved all these things out of the way to one side of the room, as it made a terrible noise when you stepped on it, enough to attract even the deafest predator. They had also built an escape hatch. So this room was perfect in case of emergencies. The entrance could be sealed , and a lone sentry was left on duty in a nearby tree , with a clear view of the secondary exit.
The emergency move to the room went smoothly , the danger was averted. Shanks congratulated the tribe on a job well done , while they waited for the "all-clear" from the sentry....They waited and waited in the room . Shanks knew that they could only wait in there for so long before their head felt dizzy (meerkats don't really understand the idea of needing oxygen to live, simply that staying in a closed space will make your head spin...Suddenly the idea hit him , it was brilliant ! Why had he not thought of it before ?? It was dangerous , but then again , so was the constant threat of Orbac. Shanks rallied his 3 sons and some of his advisors , and told them of his plan. Most of them recoiled in horror at the very thought of executing this plan. Nobby was on hand to inject some much needed enthusiasm into the fold, explaining that while it was extremely dangerous, the plan was the only way to be rid of Orbac once and for all. They would need to be brave , just like their mother.
 Nobby left the room first from the secondary exit , he could smell Orbac not far away , and went straight in that direction. In a flash Orbac was onto him , Nobby ran faster than he had ever run before , making sure that Orbac was following him. Nobby knew the  trails inside out, every little crack and undulation in the ground. Adjusting his speed so that Orbac could not catch him, yet slow enough to tease him and make him carry on the chase. While this personal little duel evolved , the rest of the tribe had slowly moved back to the primary hollow. When they were all in there, the call was raised , letting Nobby know that the second phase of the plan was now in action. Meerkats can outrun a snake , but their stamina is short lived , Nobby was starting to feel out of breath , and was glad to hear the call. He ran past the "marker" agreed upon before hand ,where Gobby was waiting to pick up the baton. Orbac saw him just sitting there, almost goading him , and automatically changed his plan of attack , that first meerkat was too smart and quick. Gobby's instructions were simple , wait by the marker , and make sure Orbac started chasing him, and lead him to the entrance of the secondary chamber , where Bobby would be waiting , hidden behind the rock door. Shanks would be waiting at the secondary exit....Gobby arrived in a flash , took Bobby by surprise at the entrance , who panicked and ran into the room , and out again through the second exit, passing a very confused Shanks , who suddenly realised that the plan would no doubt fail now that Bobby wasn't at the first entrance. Gobby ran past a split second later , and shanks had to make a decision.....he grabbed Bobby and ordered him to close the door behind him as he went back into the room, there was no time to argue and Bobby would never dare defy his father again. He closed the door behind him....he heard the loud noises as those objects were rustled by the 2 enemies in the dark room, when it suddenly hit him that the first entrance was still open. He ran round as fast as he could to find Nobby standing there ,trying to move the rock to close the entrance, but his strength failed him. He ran to stop him cause father was still in there , when they were joined by Bobby , who arrived just in time to hear their father yell in agony as Orbac had finally dealt him a death bite....Shanks could smell his 3 sons , and with what little strength he had left as Orbac coiled around him , ordered them to close the door and not open it for at least 3 moons....they closed the door.... It was revealed to the 3 sons that shanks had confided to his advisors that he believed he was going to meerkat heaven, as he had lived many moons. He probably sacrificed himself knowing that his 3 sons could take over as one , learning from each other for the good of the tribe.

"..and that ,children , is the famous story of Orbac , and how he was defeated by the strength and unity of the tribe. You see , the tribe always comes first , it's how it's always been, and it will always be!"

" but mom !! you forgot the best bit at the end !!"

"Oh I'm so sorry , I certainly did..."

"...and they all lived happily ever after"


Biogs :

Orbac - Deadly Egyptian cobra , extremely venomous , can grow to an impressive 8ft in length. Feared by the meerkat tribe. Has a scar above his eye where Kizzy scratched him in a vain attempt to save herself.


Voiced by - Gary Oldman

Shanks - Wise leader of the tribe , older than all other meerkats. Father of 3 sons , lost his wife to Orbac shortly after the birth of their sons. He has raised them alone as best he could


Voiced by - Patrick Stewart

Gobby / Nobby / Bobby - The 3 sons of Shanks , each with their own particular trait , ultimately working together as one for the good of the tribe.


voiced by :
Nobby - Paul Rudd
Gobby - Martin Starr
Bobby - Seth Rogen

Advisors - wise men attached to Shanks
voiced by - Ian McKellen / Alan Alda / Wallace Shawn