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XIX

Feast (Part 3)

Meklarn was groaning as he rubbed his head, unable to hear much of anything throughout all the commotion. Several babes teasing each other, trying to stuff as many chestnuts into their mouths as they attempted to talk at the same time. Dozens of Tearmann residents chatting amongst each other and talking with the hares as the food was passed out to them. Hares slyly purloining hot food from the stoves and counters, shoveling them into their mouths and pretending to act like they hadn't eaten anything. Meklarn sighed as he lowered his paws, taking note of his apprentice as he struggled to bring out the giant meal that made everybeast's mouths water.

"Hurr, careful wit that, Zhael! Oi'm not makin' 'nothurr turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot pie t'day!"

The young apprentice exhaled as he stopped moving the trolley across the floor, shouting when he nearly slipped on a slice of pie. "Who'm dropped thurr pie on ee floor?! Y'want somebeast t'fall an' broke thurr necks?!"

Meklarn shook his head after looking at Zhael. Then he glared at Russell Galedeep, who was also overwhelmed by the sheer amount of beasts standing and sitting within the building. The leader of the camp stepped into the middle of the giant crowd and held up his paws to signal everybeast to be quiet.

"Please! Everybeast just--settle down now!" he shouted.

The crowd was still too noisy, especially for the otter. Russell lowered his paws and scowled, while Urthquake growled and stepped towards one of the bare tables resting beside the wall. He snorted gruffly, and then banged his right fist down onto the table so hard that he left a dent and nearly broke the structure.

"QUIET!!!" he bellowed.

His deep voice echoed inside the building, bouncing off the walls so everybeast could hear. The hares and other beasts quickly shut their mouths, and some of the babes began to shake or quickly hid behind their parents' legs in fear. Urthquake snorted again and removed his fist, while the otter glanced at him and smirked for getting everybeast to quiet down.

"Good! Now then," he said, pacing down the aisle in-between the two long tables covered in white cloth, "before we can begin our Sixth Spring Repast, we must say grace! After all, there are plenty o' Tearmannians who are no longer with us to enjoy such a celebration. Least we c'n do is 'onour their memories, knowin' that all their sacrifices weren't in vain."

Most of the beasts bowed their heads or shut their eyes, with a few of the young beasts still poking each other or playing around until their parents got them to settle down by slapping their paws. Then Russell bowed his head as well as he began to recite the prayer.

"Fur and whisker, tooth an' claws, We're all still 'ere to stay. We still live by our faithful laws, Even though yore not with us today. But life goes on an' ye live in our heart, And yore struggles weren't for naught. Yore times all came, you had to depart, Leavin' us only lessons you taught. So we celebrate, we feast and eat, As yore memories live on. The time has come for the joyous feat In the glorious Camp Tearmann!"

Time seemed to have frozen once Russell was finished with his prayer. All the beasts who were bowing their heads or had their eyes shut began to reflect, reminiscing all the sorrow and euphoria they experienced over the past several seasons. Becker and Lillen could still clearly remember what Saronso and Sergeant Oflal looked like in their final moments. And yet, they could still remember all the jokes they told, and all the good times they shared. Even now, Becker found himself smirking as he thought about how enraged Saron became when he sat on a cherry pie she made from scratch--and then told her that she could still enjoy it if she was willing to lick it off his rump. Lieutenant Hollis still remembered how much it hurt to tell Sergeant Oflal to his face that he was going to die. But he also remembered all the times they would climb trees and sit on the thickest branch they could find so they could relax and watch the sunset together as they reflected on life. Corporal Bonson briefly thought about Rondar, the mercenary under the Crowslayer's command. He wasn't much older than Tike when he perished, and the corporal was beginning to regret that he never got to know the hare.

Urthquake didn't see any fond memories or any visions of all the fun times he had with his troops. All he could see was the vast plain that was filled with hares' bodies--over two hundred of them, if he remembered correctly. He could see all the blood on his paws, all the scratches and bruises on his body from all the vermin he killed that day. Some of the beasts who were sitting at the table with him today were a lot younger, inexperienced, and lying on the ground sobbing hysterically. Urthquake let out a strange grunting sound before he looked around in his vision, everything darkened and red, his eyes clouded by the destruction around him. He blinked, and suddenly everybeast was gone. The bodies were still there, but now all Urthquake could see was a very large, black figure in the distance with dull eyes staring at him. It was snorting so hard that Urthquake could see the fumes coming from its nose.

"You did this..."

"Amen," everybeast said gratefully.

Urthquake snorted loudly and opened his eyes, his heart beating fast. He looked around the area and started to calm down. The walls were huge, all painted a beige color with fancy red curtains hanging near the large windows almost as big as the badger. Clerestory windows were scattered near the top of the building, all of them designed with different colored patterns that allowed the radiant sunlight to shine inside the building. There was a large tapestry just above the entrance, a strange-looking coat of arms made of silk and cloth. Two swords were thrust into a shield--one black, one white--and the shield itself was gray. There was a gray helmet above the shield, and on the shield itself was a beast's skull, which had a dark shade of gray to it, and what appeared to be something stuck in its mouth, as though the skull was chewing on flesh. The badger turned away from the sinister tapestry, trying to get back to feeling joy instead of calamity. All his soldiers, the beasts he spent dozens of seasons training and fighting alongside were here, sitting in comfy, dark brown chairs or stools made of wood so sleek it looked and felt polished. The floor was made of stone, although seasons of beasts running, walking, dropping heavy objects, and some of the fights that took place in the building, made the floor look a bit grittier than it was.

"Wotcha waitin' for, m'lord? Eat up, wot!"

Urthquake turned to his right and saw Major Pickett sitting beside him, chuckling as he began to ravenously tear away at a green salad with some chopped red onions added for more flavor. The badger looked down at the dishes in front of him and nearly drooled right on the spot. There were two giant red fish fillets, already cleaned, baked, and seasoned with thyme and oregano. Broth had been poured onto the plate for the fish to soak into. A giant bowl almost the size of Urthquake's head was sitting beside the fish, nearly overflowing with romaine and red leaf lettuce. Chunks of blue cheese and minced yellow onions and chives were mixed into the bowl as well, along with a few tomato slices. In the center of the table not far from his bowl was an immense loaf of bread that was baked to perfection, steaming and cooked with cheese and chestnuts stuffed inside. His dish was finished with a large bottle of fresh, fizzy raspberry cordial, the bottle glistening from the condensation. The badger's stomach growled noisily, and he immediately clutched his fork, stabbing the steaming fish fillet with it. He tore off a large chunk of the fish with the utensil and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing and trying his best not to drool.

The badger couldn't believe what he tasted. He hadn't devoured fish so scrumptious or seasoned and cooked to perfection since his chefs at Salamandastron made a giant feast for him and his troops after the war in the Northlands. Urthquake stabbed the fish with his fork again, stuffing all the meaty goodness onto his tongue and chewing the flesh as the juice and flavors exploded into his mouth. He swallowed hard, ready to take a third bite. But when he looked down at his plate, he noticed one of the fillets was already gone. The badger swore inwardly and told himself not to eat so fast. Instead, he started to work on his salad, getting massive forkfuls of the romaine lettuce and blue cheese, stuffing the leaves into his mouth afterwards. Urthquake swore to himself again and forced himself to slow down. But the salad and fish awakened a hunger the badger had rarely experienced in his lifetime. Meklarn was observing the badger from across the table and laughed, his pudge shaking as he did so.

"No'm wurries thurr, Badger Lord! Thurr be plenty o' salad 'n' fish furr ee t'eat!"

The badger's eyes grew wide. He grabbed the other fish fillet with his bare paws and crammed the entire meal into his maw, chewing it all in only a matter of seconds. He swallowed hard after that, and Meklarn frowned, realizing he probably should've caught more fish before the feast began. It was the same all around, even for the Tearmannians. Young beasts and babes were challenging each other to see who could drink their bottles of milk or eat their salads the fastest. Hedgehogs and hares drank together, laughing and talking about all the food they've sampled over the past many seasons. Young corporals were almost begging Meklarn and the other chefs to tell them how to prepare the delicious food they were consuming. But most of them grinned at the hares, simply telling them that all of their recipes were a "secret." One lieutenant was laughing joyously as he sat down beside one of his corporals, and with a few otters sitting across the table from him wearing colored headbands.

"So-so he says, 'How many times ya gonna do this t'me? The four h'of you are h'always shittin' all h'over me!' So H'I said to him, 'Well now. S'pose that's why ya stink so much, wot!"

The otters and lieutenant started to laugh noisily again, with one otter coughing as he almost choked on the slice of bread lodged in his throat. The otter sitting beside him smacked him on his back until the food was dislodged and he swallowed normally, still chuckling. The lieutenant looked over at the corporal and nudged him against the shoulder.

"S'matter, Corporal Wopluck? Don't want yer deeper'n'ever pie?"

Jadden looked at the massive slice of the turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot pie and lifted it slightly, noticing strange fluids dripping from it. "Err...I-I'm not sure wot's in it, Harstow. Looks kinda...eh."

Harstow sniffed. "C'mon now, no need t'be picky, wot! Ain't like we get grub this delightful very h'often, Corporal!"

Jadden shrugged and bit into the pie. And then he started to slow down, his eyes dilating. Jadden looked down at the pastry in front of him and shuddered.

"W...why has no-nobeast in our army made this yet?!"

One of the otters snickered as he saw the hungry corporal devour the large slice of pie with his bare paws, chewing noisily and getting crumbs all over his face and whiskers. "Told ya ye'd like it! Our chefs learned that from Friar Gavley hisself at Redwall! Of course, ain't the same when a mole makes it! S'got that special 'touch' ye can't find anywhere else!"

Harstow glanced down at Jadden's fork beside his bowl of salad. He grinned and slyly moved his left elbow against the cloth until he knocked the fork onto the floor. Jadden heard the piece of metal clatter and frowned. He bent over and picked it up, grunting as he reached beneath the table. When he got back up, Jadden looked at his plate and frowned again. Another giant slice of his deeper'n'ever pie was missing.

"Wot...w-where--d'you eat my pie, Lieutenant?!"

"No," said Harstow, as he chewed with his mouth full.

Harstow wasn't the only beast in the building who was being a bother to the others. Lieutenant Hollis was occasionally going around the main hall, inspecting all of the hares and watching what they ate and drank so it wouldn't affect them in the long run. The chubby medic stood behind Major Watson, watching as the hare laughed and proceeded to bring a large bottle of milk up to his lips. Hollis frowned and smacked Watson's right paw, causing him to snap backwards.

"Ouch! Wot was that for, sah?"

"Now how many times have I told you not to drink milk? Hmm? D'you remember wot happened the last time you drank it?"

Major Watson folded his arms and scowled, looking like a leveret as he pouted. "Yes, Lieutenant," he grumbled.

Hollis snatched the milk from the table and snorted. "Clearly you don't, wot! Such a dreadful pong you released that day! I tell ya, whenever this bloke eats cheese or drinks milk, his bottom starts to sing like there's no tomorrow! Nearly suffocated us!"

Watson lowered his ears when the hedgehogs sitting beside the hare started to giggle. Hollis grabbed a beaker of mint tea and set it down in front of the major.

"There you are. Drink that instead! You definitely could use some!"

"Look who's talkin'," he grumbled.

Hollis snorted again. "Sorry. Don't think I heard you."

"Nothin'," said the major quickly, grabbing the beaker and drinking the cold fluids.

The lieutenant ignored what the hare said and walked away, consuming a large portion of the milk in one gulp. He swallowed hard and wiped some of the fluids from his chin before he spotted another hare consuming food he knew he shouldn't be eating.

"Whoa there, Corporal Bonson! Is that red cabbage I see?"

Tike was just about to put a forkful of salad into his mouth when he saw the lieutenant standing behind him. He slowly lowered his fork and started to cover up his bowl with his paws and arms.

"Um, no..." he lied.

"Hmph! Lemme see that."

Tike grunted when Hollis lifted his arms and exposed the salad bowl. Inside was a half-eaten salad consisting of green and red leaves found from heads of lettuce. Several pieces of minced tomatoes and red onions, as well as red cabbage, were found in the bowl as well. Hollis lifted a large red cabbage leaf and waved it in front of Tike's face, tapping his left footpaw on the floor.

"Corporal Bonson, wot is this?"

Tike huffed. "A red cabbage leaf."

"A red cabbage leaf, wot! And do you know wot happens when you eat red cabbage?"

Tike shut his eyes with exasperation. "I start to develop rashes."

"You start to develop rashes, wot! An' if that's the case, then why would you eat red cabbage?"

"'Cos it tastes good?"

"Pfft! I'm sure Urthquake's tailhole tastes rather delicious too, but you don't see me gettin' on my knees an' lickin' it, now do ya?"

"No, I--" Tike did a double-take. "Wait, wot?"

"This simply won't do! I think it's best if'n ya eat that bread over there! It's covered in sweet butter; I'm sure you'll love it!"

Before Tike could say anything else, Lieutenant Hollis grabbed the hare's giant bowl (and his fork) and took them both from him. Tike groaned and pinched the bridge of his muzzle as he shut his eyes. Then he sighed heavily and reached over to cut himself a slice of bread. The lieutenant walked further down the aisle until he found Frenquil and Morson sitting across from each other, trying to have a decent conversation. Frenquil was in the middle of eating her fillet of fish when she spotted the lieutenant. He smiled at them and sat in-between an otter and Morson, setting his bowl of salad and bottle of milk down.

"So how you two holdin' up?"

"We're fine, Stink Mouth," snapped Frenquil.

Hollis leaned backwards and stared at Lieutenant Morson's bottom. "That arse of yores healin' up nicely?"

"Yes, Stink Mouth! It's fuckin' fine! 'Twas only a dagger wound anyway."

"Hmph! Dagger wound, he says! Need I remind you--"

"No. We fuckin' know already!" snapped Morson.

Hollis stared at the irritable lieutenant as he rubbed his face and eyes. The moment Morson slammed his paw down on the table and resumed eating more of his onion soup, Frenquil pointed at her younger brother's face.

"You wanna help us? Then get Morson t'stop havin' nightmares, wot!"

Morson sighed. "I told you, I'm fine, Frenquil. Just...jus' havin' trouble sleepin' is all."

"You sure about that mate? Yore eyes are bloodshot, an' you look like you haven't slept since we fought Blackheart an' his minions. That was over a week ago!"

Morson snorted. "Like you're the fuckin' expert."

Hollis smiled widely. "Actually, I am! S'why you all made me the medic, wot!"

"Well, like I said, I'm fuckin' fine."

Hollis shrugged. "All right then."

The three hares went silent for a while, with Hollis still staring at Morson even after he said he was fine. He ate several spoonfuls of his soup, slurping up the fluids, the chunks of chopped onions, leeks and chives. Eventually, Morson grabbed the bowl and lifted it up to his mouth, slurping noisily as he drank all the contents as though he were consuming cordial from a bottle. When the hare finished, he set the bowl down and swallowed, sighing as he licked some fluids off his lips and wiped his chin clean. Hollis was still sitting beside him, tapping his fingers on the table and staring at him. Morson huffed.

"Let's say, hypothetically, I am havin' nightmares. ...How would I stop them?"

"That depends. D'you remember wot happens in these nightmares that you say you don't have?"

"I don't have nightmares, so it's none of your fuckin' business. Jus' tell me wot to do."

"Don't eat 'afore ya go to sleep, for one."

"I don't. Wot else?"

Hollis scratched his chin. "Make peace with yore brother an' sister. Lotta times, nightmares happen 'cos of stress! Clearly you must've said somethin', done somethin' to one of 'em that has got you upset. It's ruinin' yore subconscious and affecting you in yer dream state. P'haps you should try to make amends?"

"There ain't nothin' I said to Frenquil or Stanno that is causin' me to have nightmares!"

"Which you don't have."

"Right, 'cos I-I'm not havin' nightmares," lied Morson.

Hollis shrugged. "Normally I'd tell you not to eat somethin', to exercise or not to drink too much wine or beer. But this is somethin' you gotta figure out on yore own. If you start havin' nightmares, my advice is to figure out why they started, wot they're about. Then find a way to make yoreself less stressed out, less anxious about life. Otherwise you won't be able to sleep until winter, wot!"

"...Got it," grumbled Morson.

The lieutenant was going to say something else when he saw another soldier chugging on a bottle of beer.

"HEY! I saw that, Sergeant! Wot'd I say about drinkin' all them fluids?! You know yore incontinent an' can't drink all that beer at one time, wot!"

Hollis went back and forth, spending more time looking over his troops' state of health as opposed to eating. He ran past Elonv and Lakler, who were both hiding beneath one of the tables so the lieutenant wouldn't spot them. The two hares poked their heads out of the cloth and blinked, exhaling with relief.

"Guid. Seems like he's chasin' down Issarck now," said Lakler.

The hares sat down in their chairs and went back to eating their meals. Elonv was mostly eating bread and yellowish-white cheese, planting the smooth vittles on the bread and devouring them simultaneously. He had a bowl of fish stew on the side, with gray chunks of the fish simmering in the steaming bowl. Chopped carrots and potatoes, minced onions, and pepper flakes were all placed inside the stew to give it more flavor as well. His salad was simple, only consisting of lettuce leaves and chopped tomatoes. Lakler, however, was more daring, having a casserole stuffed with three different kinds of cheese and fish. The casserole was also loaded with garlic cloves and sweet onions, and had crumbs of blue cheese and rosemary sprinkled on top. His salad was laden with wild ramsons and red onions, along with white mushrooms, romaine lettuce, and cubes of yellow cheese that carried a pungent smell and flavor to them. Across from the two hares was a well-built hedgehog clad only in light green trousers with gray braces to hold his pants up. He rubbed his nose and chuckled as the two hares resumed eating.

"So what was all that about? Is he in charge of givin' ya the belt when you act out?"

Elonv sighed. "No, mate. He's just overprotective is all. Always thinkin' we're sick--"

"Always thinkin' we're not eatin' right," interrupted Lakler.

"Always thinkin' we're gonna lose a limb if'n we don't clean out a scratch," resumed Elonv.

Lakler took a huge forkful of his casserole and stuffed it all into his mouth. He continued to talk even as he chewed. "S'not like any o' us cannae take care o' ourselves, wot! Stink Mouth jus' be worryin' too much if ya ask me!"

The hedgehog chuckled. "Yeah. My brother Logan's the same. 'Don't eat that turnover, Rubus! Pretty sure that's been sittin' out all night!'"

Elonv snickered and ate more bread. "You ate it anyways, didn't ya?"

Rubus grinned. "It was an apple 'n' pear turnover, with redcurrant sauce used as glaze. Damn right I ate it."

The large hedgehog grabbed his mug of blackberry cordial and proceeded to drink from it for a few seconds. He burped as he placed the glass down and tore away at his hotpot dish, breaking off a substantial amount of potatoes, fish and onions with his fork. He stuffed the food into his mouth before he resumed talking to the two hares.

"So how long is your army plannin' on stayin'?"

Elonv shrugged. "Jus' for the night I imagine. Always on the move we are!"

Rubus consumed more potatoes seasoned with pepper. "You never thought about takin' a break altogether? Like temporarily retirement?"

"Ah'll retire once them filthy vermin do! Course, not like that's gunna 'appen anytime soon," said Lakler.

"Everybeast has to settle down at some point," said the hedgehog, before pausing to drink more cordial. "Lookit me fer example! Used ta be just like you lot! Always seekin' adventure, always wanting to fight for others, always ready to prove my strength with my battle axe! 'Rocky Rubus' they called me, 'cos of how hardened I was in battle--both physically and mentally. Took a stone right 'tween the eyes an' I didn't even falter!"

Elonv whistled before he got another spoonful of soup. "That's impressive mate! Last time I got hit with a stone, I thought my left paw was broken!"

Rubus nodded. "Anyway, few winters back, we were caught in this heavy snowstorm. I remember us running into a large flock of birds. Jackdaws, crows, ravens, and they were all led by this rusty-colored golden eagle. An' they...heh, they-they were quite a pawful, let me tell ya. ...I hate birds. Can't stand 'em. You think bloodthirsty vermin with swords an' spears are bad?"

Rubus shook his head and held up his right arm. Elonv and Lakler stopped eating and frowned upon realizing how scarred it was. His arm looked like someone or something had violently slashed at the limb over a dozen times, leaving horrific patterns all along the flesh. The hedgehog lowered his arm and sighed.

"I'm just glad I didn't lose my whole arm. But they never tell you about the talons. That was the worst part, havin' to see my fellow soldiers cry out as their eyes were scratched from their sockets in mere seconds."

"So wot made you retire from the army?" asked Elonv.

"We managed to kill all the birds, even the giant eagle. But we fought for two days, and we lost three-fourths of our battalion. Even worse, the blizzard was so bad that we couldn't return home. We kept losin' soldiers one by one. We ran low on food, so we had to kill those who were weak so that we could survive."

"Shit," muttered Lakler grimly.

"We argued. We fought. We turned on each other. We killed each other...all 'cos we wanted to go home, and couldn't. But what broke me was when...my best mate died. I can't even remember his name now. All I know is that we were both sleepin' in a cave, tryin' to stay warm. We both were shivering in our sleep, hopin' the snowstorm would end. I woke up the next morning. He didn't. Guess he froze to death in his sleep. 'Oh well,' I said. 'Shit happens.'"

"Sounds like you weren't bothered by it much," said Elonv.

"That's exactly why I retired. I was bothered by the fact that his death meant almost nothing to me. He was just another dead hedgehog whose name I forgot. That's it. I became as cold as the blizzard I was trapped in. I killed beasts, ate some of my own warriors just to stay alive, and didn't shed a single tear. So...when winter finally ended, I came home. I gave up my life of being a soldier and became the brewer for Tearmann instead. Get to spend more time with my older brother. Get to make my own cordial, like my father Boysen Baccus. Get to relax, eat, watch all the playful babes around me grow old and strong, like I was in my youth."

Rubus took a long breath, pausing for a moment before he devoured more potatoes, onions and fish chunks from his hotpot. "So wot's your stories? Why are you two still fightin' these seemingly endless battles?"

Elonv smiled grimly. "You can't break somebeast who's already broken."

Rubus stopped chewing on all the potatoes and blinked. "What d'you mean?"

Lakler consumed another large block of his pungent casserole, talking to the brewer as he kept chewing. "He's sayin' we've both already been through enough growin' up tae get broken anymore, wot!"

The dirty hare swallowed the casserole hard and exhaled. He smiled grimly and shook his head. "S'amazin' wot young'uns go through nowadays, innit? Had t'eat rotten vittles when ah was growin' up in the Northlands! ...Had t'eat mah own shit when ah was really desperate. Got tae see friends o' mine starve t'death; ah'd always wake up thinkin' another one o' mah mates went tae the Dark Forest 'cos their stomachs were too small. Got tae see Mother get raped...had tae kill Father when he were sick with a terminal fever..."

Lakler blinked and rubbed his chin. He chuckled oddly. "After seein' all the shit ah been through up inna Northlands, bein' in the Long Patrol ain't so bad, wot!"

"I see," said Rubus darkly. "I'm guessin' your story isn't a happy one either."

Elonv shrugged. "Well, I ain't had to eat my own shit, I'll tell you that much!"

Lakler smirked as the other galloper laughed at him. He roughly nudged the hare with his right elbow, grinning.

"Watch it, Elonv. Would be a shame if sumthin' 'extra' were added t'that pie ye plan on eatin'..."

Elonv ignored him and continued. "Lucky fer me, I didn't get to see anythin' bad happen to my parents. Though that's prob'ly 'cos they were dead when I was born. My father died shortly after my mother had me in her belly. Then she died shortly after she gave birth to me. Had this nice guardian though, lovely-lookin' mouse who always wore this frilly purple dress..."

Elonv scoffed. "She was quite the bitch. When I was old enough, she told me I needed t'learn how to do tricks. Walkin' on my paws, jugglin', singin', that stuff. Whenever we'd run into a group of beasts, she'd beg them all to come watch me perform for vittles. If I did well, she'd keep all the vittles for herself, only give me the scraps. If I fucked up, an' neither of us got vittles, she'd beat me, tell me to 'do fuckin' better' next time. Then came the day we ran into some pirates..."

Rubus rubbed his forehead. "I'm guessin' this story doesn't end well."

"Nope. The pirates told me to entertain them, make 'em laugh. If I didn't, they were gonna 'entertain' themselves by hackin' away at my guardian. So I tried to juggle. I messed up. They cut off one of her fingers. I tried tellin' jokes. Wasn't funny enough. So they cut off her arm. Tried showin' off my archery skills. Missed my target everytime. So they took her legs. An' then I tried to walk on my paws. An' then I tripped. ...An' then they cut off her head."

Elonv stabbed at some of the lettuce leaves and tomatoes with his fork before placing the vegetables inside his mouth. "They didn't even touch me. They thought my performance was so bad that they said I wasn't even worth killin'. So, there I was, by my lonesome, forced to wander off into the wilderness. ...I could go on about all the bad shit I ran into, but long story short, some members of the Long Patrol found me. Weren't long 'afore I was recruited, got to serve under that badger sittin' at the other end of the hall. And it weren't long 'afore Lakler an' I became partners, always scoutin' ahead for the battalion to warn anybeast if there's trouble nearby."

Rubus sighed. "Nobeast ever said life was easy."

Lakler chuckled as he ate more of his salad. "That they didnae!"

"Funny...I retired 'cos I was tired of war, tired of seein' so much bad shit around me. But you two...you threw yourselves into all this chaos because you saw so much shit around you, 'cos you think this life is better."

"Isn't it?" asked Elonv.

Rubus shook his head. "Everythin' comes to an end at some point. I dunno about you, but I couldn't see myself trapped in that life. Everybeast has to settle down eventually."

Elonv stopped chewing on the leaves from his salad and blinked. "Yeah..."

Lakler laughed and grabbed his mug of beer. "Go an' tell that tae Urthquake, wot!"

Rubus just smirked at the hare, and the three beasts continued to eat.

---

Hours passed, and most of the beasts had finished consuming their meals. Empty plates, bowls, and mugs all rested on the giant tables. Bellies were distended, so plump and full that several beasts had to undo their belts just to give their stomachs more room. Some young beasts were tired, ready to pass out after consuming so many vittles. The raucous noise of the chatter from before had quieted down to casual conversations, murmurs, hiccups and belching. A few beasts were already resting their heads on the table, snoring softly as their stomachs gurgled and digested all the food. Even Urthquake had to undo his belt to give his oversized stomach more room. He finished chewing the last bit of salad that was in his mouth and swallowed hard, exhaling and leaning forward on the table. Russell Galedeep was on the opposite side, picking his teeth clean with a toothpick and rubbing his thick gut. A half-eaten apple pie consisting of three different kinds of apples was resting in-between them. Colonel Sanjoy and Clannin, who were both sitting together beside Russell, stared at the pie and hungrily took another slice. Russell looked at the long-eared creatures and smiled as he shook his head.

"I dunno how you beasts do it! It's like you 'ares could eat a boulder an' still have room for Meklarn's Meat 'n' Veggies Medley!"

Clannin took a bite out of his pie and spoke with his mouth full. "Jus' do wot we do: only stuff yer face with bland, ordinary food like plain bread an' river water. Once you come across vittles like these, yore gonna eat until yore stomach explodes!"

Sanjoy chuckled. "I don't think it'll be yore stomach explodin'," she teased.

Clannin swallowed hard and sniffed. "We've been through this. How was I s'posed to know wot that soup would do to me? I didn't see anybeast else squirtin' fire out their arse..."

Russell rubbed his nose and changed the topic before they went into too much detail. "So, still surprised t'see you here today! Li'l warnin' next time would be nice."

Urthquake shrugged. "I figured none of you would mind having some company. And surprises are so much better than planned visits. You should ask Blackheart."

Russell snickered. "I heard about that battle from your two colonels here! Sounds like a fun li'l spat I woulda enjoyed if I had been there!"

"It wasn't some 'spat'," Sanjoy pointed out. "It ended a lot more seriously than we anticipated. Lotta slaves we were tryin' to save ended up being slain. We lost quite a few hares ourselves."

Urthquake blinked. "Of course we did. But that's all part of being in the Long Patrol. Sometimes you gotta take risks, even if they go horribly awry."

"And even if we're forced to 'mercifully' kill somebeast," Clannin added snidely.

Urthquake stared at the hare grimly and flared his nostrils. But he didn't want to make a scene, so he pretended not to hear the colonel's sly insult and went back to talking to Russell.

"Anyways, I do what I must to protect this world, to keep my troops safe from harm. Doesn't matter what I do so long as this world finally enters a long, almost endless stage of peace that hasn't been seen for generations."

Russell nodded. "I know wot that's like. Why, not too long ago, as I was valiantly fightin' the terrible Ulwyn Gringar, a mate o' mine got caught in the fight, an' all three of us somehow ended up hangin' off the edge of a cliff! I was 'oldin' on to the edge, my friend was grabbin' my tail, and Ulwyn was latched onto my mate's footpaw."

"So wot happened?" asked Clannin.

Russell shrugged and drank some of his beer, chugging the frothy fluids before wiping his mouth off with his arm. "I chopped my mate's paw off! Weren't gonna let 'im take me down with 'im! So I swung my sword at him 'til it sliced through his paw. Then he and Ulwyn plummeted to their deaths, their bodies explodin' into crimson and gungy meat!"

Sanjoy slowly turned and faced the otter, blinking. "So you let yore mate die to kill some random vermin?"

Russell snorted. "This was no 'random vermin,' Colonel! Last I recall, Ulwyn was that beast born on the islands far out into the Southern Seas! Now, I'm not sure wot 'traditions' they practiced, but when he an' his clan arrived in Mossflower, they took it upon themselves to kidnap babes an' burn down their 'omes with their families inside, forcin' em to watch! And then the rogue went as far as keepin' the babes for hisself, doin' wotever he wanted to 'em until his clan got tired of 'em and tossed 'em aside like trash!"

Russell paused and drank more beer. "So yeah. I let my mate die. I'd do it again if'n I 'ad the chance. I walk around these parts knowin' I kept this camp safe 'cos I killed Ulwyn. I don't mourn my friend's death and keep thinkin' I did the wrong thing. We do wot we have to in order to save our loved ones. Ain't that right, Badger Lord?"

The badger nodded. "Exactly."

Sanjoy snorted and turned away from the otter while Clannin ate more pie and looked at Urthquake. "So wot happens after this? We leave in the mornin'?"

"I doubt Kurwin the Flayer is sitting on his paws waiting for us. Although if we're lucky, he and his pirates are too inebriated from grog to fight. Nevertheless, we need to find him--and fast."

Russell rubbed his chin. "Kurwin the Flayer? Yes, I-I know him..."

Sanjoy raised an eyebrow. "Do you now?"

"Yeah! Uh, he-he was that one who...flayed his victims!"

"Correct," the hare responded, in a condescending tone.

"Uh, so maybe my knowledge of the beast isn't too great. But that should be a good thing, right? Means he's not all that high on the vermin food chain!"

"Regardless, we need to find this pirate now before he turns into another Blackheart. We're not repeating that situation again," said Urthquake sternly.

Russell grinned. "You sure do seem tense, Badger Lord. Your soldiers too. I think, perhaps...we should 'treat' you beasts tonight before you sleep."

Urthquake blinked. "Treat?"

Russell chuckled as he grabbed his mug again. "You'll see."

The badger still wasn't sure what the otter was implying, but it didn't sound ominous. So the badger continued to relax in his chair while the rest of the occupants continued to rest their stomachs. Somewhere in the building, Penjo and Ruula were sitting down, observing all the beasts and keeping their ears open. Ruula finished her last chunk of casserole with a huge bite while Penjo heard a chubby hare groaning.

"So who d'you think's gonna start it off?" the otter asked.

The hedgehog shook her head. "I don't know...I heard that hare over there is quite 'noisy' when he overeats."

"Aye. Seems like Lieutenant Hollis is just full of gas though. S'like his belly's waitin' to pop!"

"What about the badger though?"

Ruula laughed heartily. "You better hope he doesn't blast one in 'ere! That giant beast could prob'ly shatter all the windows!"

The medics heard a noisy, sputtering sound in the distance that lasted for a few seconds and was immediately followed by raucous laughter. The medics looked at the table where the burly hedgehog brewer was sitting and saw him laughing. Ruula and Penjo sighed.

"Rubus?"

"Rubus."

The otter huffed. "Damn that prickly beast. He's always gotta start this."

Before Penjo or Ruula could say anything, they heard another otter panting and saw Meena rushing towards them carrying a bag full of beige-colored items with her.

"Did somebeast--"

"Yes. It was Rubus," said Penjo flatly.

Meena sighed with frustration. "Again with the gas! Why do they always do this when we have our seasonal repasts?!"

"You know wot they say about a yawn spreading," said Ruula with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply--"

Meena shouted when she heard another sputtering sound very close to where she was standing. One of the hares clad in a purple coat started to laugh to himself and waved a paw behind his bottom.

"Sorry! I scare ya?"

Penjo rubbed her forehead. "Did you get--"

"Yes, I have plenty of clothespins this time," said Meena as she took three out and pinched one over his nose.

Ruula and Penjo grabbed the clothespins as the otter handed them off to them. Then Penjo sighed deeply as she stood up and wiped some crumbs off her paws with her kerchief.

"I may as well start opening some windows."

"Yes. Err, would you mind going quickly, please?" Meena asked.

It didn't take long for Penjo and a few other Tearmannians to open up some of the windows. But it also didn't take long before the building was filled with several beasts who were more than happy to share their gas with everybeast. Lieutenant Hollis was sitting beside Morson again, his stomach bulging forward and ready to pop. He rubbed his corpulent belly before releasing a large amount of flatulence from his large bottom. Morson yelped with surprise and immediately covered his nose, while the lieutenant simply smiled widely.

"Ain't nothin' to worry about, dear Morson! Jus' a little flatulence, wot!"

"THAT WAS NOT LITTLE! A fuckin' wolverine doesn't pass gas that loudly!"

Meklarn was sitting across from the hares and heard the disgusting outburst. "Hurr, bain't nuthin' furr ee t'be grossed out of! Blowin' wind be a sign ee gurt health! Moi family says it be ee sign o' 'preciation! Oi gurt no problems wit ee beasts passin' gas o' belchin' aftur meals! Jus' a way furr ee t'zay ye enjoy moi cookin', burr aye!"

Lieutenant Hollis chuckled. "See, Lieutenant? Even the chef agrees with me! Now then..."

Morson shut his eyes and groaned as the lieutenant passed more gas, this time leaving a strong odor of sulfur in the air. Meena saw that Morson was in distress and appeared behind him.

"Clothespin?"

Morson, along with five other beasts, snatched clothespins from her bag and pinched them on their noses. The hare rubbed his forehead and groaned as more beasts continued to pass gas, laughing about it the entire time. Two otter brothers were busy having a belching contest when one of them realized the gas was about to come out the other end, so he promptly bent over and started to break wind in his brother's face. Now both otters were howling with laughter as they listened to the sputtering noises coming out of their behinds. Lakler, being the nasty hare he was, had no problem belching in other beasts' faces or breaking wind as raucously as possible. Even now the hare was nudging Elonv several times, grinning as he extended a finger over to his friend.

"Go on then! Give it a tug!"

"No," said Elonv.

Lakler snickered. "Cummon! Ah ain't gunna do nothin'!"

"No."

"It'll only take a quick second mate! Jus' yank it an' be done with it, wot!"

Elonv scoffed. "Fer fuck's sake..."

The hare grabbed Lakler's finger and pulled it. The hare quickly leaned towards him and broke wind, exhaling as the deep sputtering noises erupted from his tailhole. Lakler started to laugh uncontrollably while Elonv sighed and planted his chin on the table, bored of everybeast's gaseous form of humor.

"Hohoho, cannae believe ye still fall for that!"

"I know. I had no idea that would happen...even though that's the twenty-seventh time you've done that to me since I've known you," said Elonv flatly.

The babes and other young creatures were joining in on the fun too. Some of them were as bloated as the adults and only broke wind so they could relieve the pressure in their system. But babes like Morrvin and Kleewyn were trying to turn the smelly episode into a contest, with both creatures constantly farting over and over again. The young mole giggled as he squatted low to the floor and grunted, letting out a strong, bubbly amount of funky gas that stunk up the air around him.

"Beat that'm one, Spiky-Butt!"

Kleewyn snorted. He turned around and started to grunt, making two fists as he tried to let out some gas from his anus. But nothing would come out. The short hedgehog exhaled and turned back around.

"Can't we do a pee-pee contest? I could win at that! I jus' drank three glasses of that cordy-stuff!"

Eve and Jamey were both looking at the babes with their arms folded and clothespins stuck on their noses. "Hey, you two started this. One of you needs to finish it."

"Hurr, an' thurr beasty gun' be oi!"

Morrvin turned around again and ripped another noisy one from his behind. But seconds after he passed gas, the mole yelped. He heard a disgusting squish and felt his trousers becoming very warm and wet. The young ones all looked at Morrvin's gray trousers and could see that they were sagging from behind. Everybeast started to laugh at the mole while he whimpered and shyly covered his rump with his paws.

"Urr...um, oi-oi think ee should...go change..."

Jamey was nearly crying from laughing so hard. "S'a gas-blowin' contest, not a shittin' contest!"

One of the young otters, a rugged beast clad in a ripped yellow shirt and shorts, stared at Morrvin with a large scowl on her face. She was about to say something when she looked at Kleewyn and noticed that he was lying on his back, laughing as he plugged his nose. Morrvin looked like he was about to say something nasty to the hedgehog when Kleewyn humiliated himself as well. As the hogbabe laughed, he lost control of his other bodily functions, namely his bladder. Nobeast noticed it at first, but the area in-between Kleewyn's shorts was becoming wet. By the time Kleewyn could feel what was happening, it was already too late. He shrieked and stopped laughing, getting on his knees as he held his crotch. He whimpered a few times and shut his eyes as he tried to hold it, but his attempts were futile. He gave up, and a very large puddle began to form on the floor, accompanied with an infamous trickling noise. Morrvin couldn't help but smirk at the hogbabe after he wet himself.

"Bain't zo funee now, is it?"

The otter in yellow scratched her scalp, just near her headband. She stood up from her seat and stomped towards the babes.

"I can't believe the two of you! C'MERE!"

Morrvin and Kleewyn yelped when the otter grabbed both of them by their noses. They both started to whine and tried to pull themselves away, but the otter's grip was too strong.

"OWIE! Leggo my nose--yer hurtin' me!" whined Kleewyn.

"MUM! Drulra be tryin' turr tear moi poor nose off!"

Drulra didn't care. She kept yanking on their noses as hard as possible, to the point where she started to drag the both of them across the floor.

"Both of you are over six seasons now! Ye got no excuse for pissin' an' shittin' yourselves like this!"

"BUT EE BE ACCIDENT! OW!"

"You drank five glasses of milk an' ate all them dried plums! Wot d'you think was gonna happen, Morrvin?!"

Drulra groaned with frustration. "I swear, the only reason why I'm not spanking you is 'cos I don't wanna touch your dirty ass. I have no problem doin' that to you though, Kleewyn."

The hogbabe sobbed. "I dun wanna spankee!"

Morrvin glanced at the teary-eyed hedgehog and snickered. Drulra glared right back down at him and snorted. "Laugh it up, Morrvin. I'm sure ye won't mind getting the cane instead."

"WOT?!"

The young mole and hogbabe kept struggling and whining as Drulra jerked them down the hall and outside the building so she could go change their trousers outside, and so she could spank them. Jamey, Eve, and the rest of the young beasts all stopped laughing and frowned once the three beasts exited the building.

"Remind me t'never have a gas passin' contest after I eat dried plums," whispered Jamey.

"Gotcha," replied Eve.

---

More time passed. All the commotion, the laughing, the hollering (and for beasts with sensitive noses, the belching and wind breaking) had ceased inside the main hall. Many creatures were still inside, but only those who chose to eat any dessert or those who were still caught up chatting away about some of their previous adventures or life-stories. The stench within the building had aired out, now replaced with the fragrance of the orchards and all of Meklarn's pastries. Pies that weighed more than a small babe, raspberry and blueberry crumble big enough to feed a family of hares, soft bread that had been baked with brown sugar and honey, and turnovers that were bloated with peaches, apples, or pears. Urthquake and most of the lieutenants, majors and colonels were still inside, eating the hot pastries as they continued to talk to Russell, Meena, and all of the chief guards of Tearmann. But the corporals, sergeants, gallopers, and runners were all outside, either flirting with some Tearmannians or trying to get some sleep. It was twilight. The sky was painted a dark bluish color, with foreboding clouds moving past everybeast's eyes. An orange glow still lingered, but in less than an hour, the darkness would fall and campfires would have to be set.

Corporal Ozgin was out in the orchards gazing at the orange glow, watching as it slowly disappeared and reflecting on what had took place today. She listened to some of the grasshoppers as they began to chirp in the distance, and she even spotted a few fireflies floating around near the fruit and vegetables. The corporal slowly sat down, blinking and listening to the other hares in the distance either laughing or talking. She could see some of them groping a few young, pretty Tearmann otters or hedgehogs, clearly ready to "celebrate" their own special way. She also noticed some burly Tearmann otters hugging or grasping hares that they intended on fornicating with one way or another. The hare gritted her teeth, swearing inwardly at all the joy everybeast else was having. She was just about to stand up when Corporal Bonson started to walk towards her, coughing and retching violently.

"Fuck's wrong with you?" she asked.

Tike coughed some more and shook his head. "Lakler...Lakler asked me to pull his finger."

"Tch! An' you actually did it."

"How was I s'posed to know wot he'd do? Wot kinda beast breaks wind after you yank their finger?"

"Wot kinda beast finds passin' gas funny in general? Buncha nasty, vile beasts with no fuckin' sense of humour. I'm pretty damn sure some of them fuckin' shit themselves!"

Tike snickered. "Yeah. I saw one of the moles gettin' caned 'cos of that."

Ozgin sniffed. "Fuckin' stench...vermin shit smells better than wot we went through today, wot!"

"That it does, Ozgin. That it does."

Tike and Ozgin went silent for a moment. A bird in the distance chirped a few times. A soft breeze blew gently against their faces, making the leaves and branches in the trees flutter or crack. The corporal took a chance and sat down beside the foul-mouthed Ozgin. She immediately snapped at him, flaring her nostrils and scowling.

"Fuck you want now?"

Tike twiddled with his fingers before he licked his thumb and started to rub it against his clothing, using his moistened thumb to try to remove a stain. "Today was a good day."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly wot I said...it's been nice. Very...very calm, very peaceful, very happy--"

"Very out of the ordinary," Ozgin concluded.

Tike smiled. "Yeah. I actually saw Urthquake smile today...he was laughing and playing with those babes. When was the last time you saw that happen?"

Ozgin shrugged. "Can't remember."

"And we got to eat all that delicious food, got to sample all those different cordials. Y'know, for a moment I forgot wot...who we are, wot we spend most of our lives doin'."

Ozgin looked down at the ground. "Then you came out here an' saw this sunset."

"Yes..."

"Our Badger Lord said we're leavin' tomorrow. Fuckin' figures." Ozgin huffed and angrily tossed a pebble across the grass. "I was happy today. May not seem like it, but I was. Got to take a break from all the bullshit. Got to drink all that wonderful beer and cordial. Got to see all these gruff otters and wonder if they'd take a likin' to me. Got..."

Ozgin shook her head. "This is all jus' a fuckin' dream, Tike. We're all sleepin' right now. We're gonna wake up tomorrow and everythin' will be like it used to be, us dyin', us arguin', us bein' in danger all the fuckin' time...lovely, isn't it?"

"It's about more than just that."

"Right. It's 'bout choppin' pregnant beasts in half. I'm sure you remember that."

Tike scowled. "Now you're mocking me."

"No fuckin' shit. We've all done bad shit, Tike. Least you could do is stop whinin' about it all the time."

"I'm not whinin'! Nobeast seems to understand! Bein'...bein' in war--and it's not even just war, just when you're in the shittiest situation--brings out beasts' true colours. Beasts like you and me...we weren't like this growin' up. Well, I wasn't anyway. But now we're facin' deadly situations, and fate is constantly testing us to see wot we're capable of, if we truly know who our friends are. You of all beasts should know that."

Ozgin didn't say anything. She moved her footpaws around on the ground and listened to the bugs buzzing or the crickets chirping in the distance.

"You turned your back on a captain. Suddenly he's shovin' his cock inside you. Who's to say...well, after wot Urthquake did, now I'm not sure wot he's capable of. And after speakin' to Honward these past few days, I think he's changed. Maybe he's just accepted this world; maybe he's used to all the bad shit we go through."

"Aren't you?"

Tike shook his head. "I fight for peace. That's why Hon an' I joined the Long Patrol in the first place."

"While you're busy fightin' for 'peace,' yer shedding blood and takin' away other beasts' lives without questioning why. Some 'peace,' Tike."

"And I'm here to put an end to that."

Ozgin scoffed. "Fuckin' idiot. You really think you're gonna stop the bloodshed by shedding more blood? Runnin' around an' fightin' all these vermin with that ideal in your head is gonna get you killed."

The hare couldn't respond to that. He looked away from Ozgin and started to ponder what his role in the army even was anymore. He knew that being in the Long Patrol wouldn't be "pretty," but he never expected to go through all the events that had taken place over the course of a few seasons. So many beasts he knew and cared for were dead. Some of them died during battle, some froze to death during winter, some succumbed to sickness from festering wounds, and some even took their own lives. Tike rubbed his forehead, trying to remember all the good times he had with the Long Patrol. But for every positive, there always seemed to be the foreboding agony or stress that followed. Tike looked at Ozgin and could see by the expression on her face that she felt the same way. She stared blankly ahead, blinking and noticing some of the beasts talking with her fellow hares.

"Let's leave," she suddenly said.

Tike raised an eyebrow. "Wot, like run away?"

Ozgin shrugged. "Why not?"

Tike stammered. "Yo-you can't just up and tell somebeast you plan on runnin' away, wot! Wot the hell got this idea in your mind?"

"After I was raped...I kept tellin' myself that I need to move on. Urthquake punished the hare who forced himself into me, and now his fuckin' head is no longer on his shoulders. There was a lot of cryin' afterwards, lotta self-loathing, lotta anger and pain. I...I honestly fuckin' thought about killin' myself. But I said, 'No. So wot if some fucker stuck his cock in you? There's slaves gettin' raped every day. Get the fuck over yourself, Ozgin. Move on.' So I did. When hares around me died, beasts like Sarn't Oflal, I said, 'Oh well. It happens. Move on.' So I did. Now, I...I've reached this...this point where I don't think the Long Patrol is for me anymore. But am I cryin'? Am I blubberin' like some bitch in labour?"

Ozgin shook her head. "I've made my decision. So now I just need to move on."

"This...the Long Patrol isn't some 'phase,' Ozgin. It's not some tragedy you're trying to overcome. There are beasts here who care--"

"That's a load of falcon shit and you know it. I could be gone tomorrow and nobeast would even remember my fuckin' name."

"That's not true."

"We lost over twoscore beasts at Blackheart's Fortress, yet everybeast only seems to remember Sarn't Oflal, Saron, and that pregnant beast Urthquake killed dyin'. Don't you think that's just a tad bit odd?"

Tike sniffed. "Li'l bit. Is that why you wanna leave? You think everybeast will forget about you if you die?"

"No. That's only part of it. This...I've seen a lot of things. I've done a lot of things. And at first, it horrified me. I never knew I'd be able to take another beast's life. I never knew I'd be able to see pure evil up close. I never knew how much it'd hurt t'lose somebeast that I could call my friend or my mentor. But it all happened. And now, it doesn't bother me at all. 'Jus' another day with the Long Patrol, wot!' ...I'm disgusted that I turned into this. This entity--this-this thing that just accepts how shitty an' fucked up the world is. And everywhere I go, the hares around me are just fine with it. They're still joking, still laughing, still fuckin' each other or strokin' their cocks or rubbin' their cunts whenever they're aroused. So yes, Tike. The Long Patrol, Urthquake--it's all just a giant phase. It changed me. It turned me into somethin' different. And now I must move on."

...And you want me to come with you. Me."

"You an' I are alike in more ways than you think. We're both corporals. We both joined this battalion thinkin' it would be best for us. We're both sick of the state this world's devolved to. Everybeast around us keeps shittin' all over us, never respecting us, always thinkin' our opinions never matter. Why wouldn't you want to leave?"

"Well, where would we go? Wot would we do?"

"Wotever we wanted. Explore. Sail the seas. Venture off to Southsward. It won't matter wot we do. Wot'll matter is that we won't be suffocating beneath this army, Tike. Ain't that wot you want?"

"No," said Tike bluntly. "Wot I want is for things to go back to the way they were. I want everybeast to go outside an' not worry about bein' robbed and killed. I wanna sleep at night knowin' somebeast won't slit my throat or try to rape me. Or both. I want...I don't wanna see any more innocent beasts die. That's...I just want peace, Ozgin. Is that too much to ask for?"

"World's always been fucked up. You jus' weren't payin' attention. And yes, Tike, that is too much to ask for. You and I both know that'll never happen."

"...I still want to try. And it's not just peace I want. There are beasts in this very army who...they're like me. They try to hide it, but I see it in their eyes. They hate all the shit that's happening to them, all the beasts they've lost, all the beasts they've killed. They want this world to change...they want peace. Everytime I look at Stink Mouth whenever he sees somebeast he tried to save die, he cracks. Just-just a li'l bit, not enough for anybeast to see. But these cracks are getting bigger. ...I don't want to see him shatter, Ozgin. I don't want him to turn into somebeast like Urthquake. It isn't too late for beasts like him, like Jadden, like me. We still have a chance. ...I don't even know if I can rely on Honward anymore. Maybe it's too late for him, but..."

Tike closed his eyes and sighed. "I have to try and save them...I can't let this world change them like it's changed you."

"Tike...it has changed them. It is too late. You're just too fuckin' stupid and naive to see it."

Tike seemed to ignore her, as his eyes were still closed and he was still pondering. When he opened them back up, he noticed that Ozgin was slouching over near the tree, her eyelids almost half closed. Tike was overstuffed and weary, his footpaws raw and ragged from so much marching. The hares gazed at the small sliver of orange in the sky and relaxed, daydreaming. Ozgin found herself with her eyes closed, finding the tree bark comforting, the soft grass lying beneath her rump oddly satisfying. She inhaled deeply and quickly sat straight up, opening her eyes and yawning.

"You should take a nap. Won't be good in the long run if we have to get up early in the morning."

"Don't tell me wot t'do," Ozgin snapped. "I don't intend on takin' some 'nap.' ...I'm goin' to sleep. I'm sure these otters got some tent 'round here I can use."

Ozgin stood up and stretched out her arms. She wiggled her nose and looked down at the young corporal.

"You think about my offer, Tike. Think about wot future the Long Patrol holds for you. An' don't take too damn long! 'Cos I'm leavin' whether you're comin' or not."

"I've already made my decision. I'm staying."

Tike turned and looked up at Ozgin. "Have you made your decision?"

Ozgin didn't answer. She stared at the young hare, blinked, and then walked away from Corporal Bonson. After she left, Tike pressed his head against the tree and heard his stomach grumble. He blinked a few times, the weariness slowly but surely sinking in. He didn't want to fall asleep. He knew that if he woke up, it'd be time to leave Tearmann--which wasn't what he wanted just yet. He wanted to relax, just for one more day. He wanted to forget how dangerous Mossflower was. He wanted to forget how ruthless and bloodthirsty his fellow hares had become over the years. But most importantly, he wanted to forget about his current issues with Honward. Tike shut his eyes and slowly lowered his head. He thought about the first time he and Honward met. He thought about all their fond memories as leverets. He thought about the promise the hares made to each other, one they never intended on breaking.

And then Tike stopped thinking altogether as he lost consciousness.