What Lies Beyond the Walls, Book I: Chapter 24
#24 of What Lies Beyond the Walls: Book I
Glud figures out whether or not he should betray Kurwin; Log-a-Log continues to stay oblivious to the problems around him, despite the monitors closing in on his location; Tegast and Grustur talk about future plans; the Long Patrol finally leaves Tearmann to hunt down the rest of the Red Sand tribe, with many hares reminiscing on recent events.
XXIV
Once More Into the Fray...
A/N: All right, here it is, the final chapter for Book I! After this, I plan on taking a break from the series so I can work on other stories, most likely The Aces of Lylat. Book II probably won't be published for a couple of months, but I'll make other stories in the meantime to keep you guys occupied. :p As for now, enjoy the ending to the first book!
He was going to be a king. Sooner or later, it would happen. He'd have his own empire, an entire organization of shrews and other beasts who would cater to his whim, no matter how petty or injudicious it seemed. He had his own tribe now, over two hundred shrews who obeyed his orders without question. But he wanted more. He deserved more. He deserved to be the new ruler of Redwall. He deserved his own castle, his own network of fortresses. He deserved to tower over another male every night, thrusting into his anus as he pressed the beast up against his table. And he deserved to slaughter anybeast who had the gall to say "no" to him or didn't give him what he wanted. Log-a-Log Brugo knew he would be king soon, and he knew he needed to start acting like one. Which was exactly why he was messily eating all the food from the table. The large shrew slurped and crunched as he gobbled down shrimp, mackerel, and shellfish whole, crunching on the endoskeleton instead of sucking the meat out. A rundlet of kelp beer was sitting in the corner of his hut. Log-a-Log grabbed two shellfish with his right paw and shoveled them into his mouth, crunching on them and letting small bits of his meal fly from his mouth. The Shrew Chieftain swallowed hard before he grabbed his mug of kelp beer and quaffed the rest of the glass.
"So wot's our next move, Chieftain?" asked Barlo.
Log-a-Log belched so hard the gas came out his nose and burned his nostrils. He coughed a few times and chuckled, almost choking on the hard shellfish. He stood up from his chair and walked over towards the rundlet.
"First, yore gonna let me finish me meal in peace! If I'm gonna be king o' these woods, I may as well feast like one, eh?"
"Yes, well," said Barlo, sniffing and rubbing his nose, "after you finish stuffin' yer fat face, wot d'you plan on next?"
Log-a-Log laughed as he dipped his mug into the rundlet and scooped up more frothy beer with it. He put the mug up to his mouth and downed a third of the glass before lowering the mug and exhaling.
"I told ye: we're just gonna sit back an' relax as this glorious fire burns this forest to the ground! Then we'll sweep on by afterwards, rebuild me own new empire from the ashes!"
"Can't exactly build an empire if there's nothin' left in this forest to build it with."
"Then we shall go an' find somethin' t'build with! Heh, ye really are losin' ye touch, Arvack! Wot 'appened t'the beast who would kill first, not bother askin' questions later?"
Barlo watched as Log-a-Log walked back over to his seat and sat down hard. Then he exhaled and stuffed his paw into a jaw filled with pickled mackerel. He grabbed a few pieces of the fermented fish and crammed them into his mouth, chewing on the meat noisily and sucking the fluid off his fingers.
"He grew up an' realized wot ye was doin' was gonna get us all killed. Blackheart's gone, but wot about Kurwin? Wot about Urthquake an'-an' the rest o' them pirates or goodbeasts out there? Wot about--"
"Silence!" Log-a-Log barked.
The Shrew Chieftain glared at Barlo evilly, but the second in command nearly found himself snickering when he saw the pieces of shellfish on his chin and bottom lip. Barlo managed to stay quiet, although he turned his head when his mouth almost turned into a grin.
"As I 'ave told ye an' the others before, we've yet to encounter any major threats. An' until we do, all we're gonna do is sit 'ere, relax, feast, an' look fer more land t'take over!"
"No real threats, huh?"
Log-a-Log nodded before stuffing another shellfish into his mouth. "Yes! Nuthin' fer us t'worry about fer a long time!"
"So we should just ignore the missin' scouts then?"
The Chieftain blinked. "Wot scouts?"
"Over the past week, about a dozen o' our scouts have up an' disappeared. Lotta shrews are thinkin' they're dead. On top o' that, we've heard rumours that there's been other, deadly creatures spotted about leavin' a lotta bodies wherever they go."
Log-a-Log scoffed. "Rumours is just that: gossip we shan't pay no attention to! If somethin' comes up, we'll deal with it, like we always do!"
"An' if we can't?"
"We will, Barlo! Have a li'l faith in ye ole Chieftain!"
Barlo closed his eyes and slowly covered them with a paw. As he sighed, Log-a-Log looked outside the window when he heard a bird flapping its wings outside.
"The fuck is Klawtyr?! I'm gunna roast that bird an' eat her alive if she don't show up soon!"
Ulwort chomped down on the peregrine falcon's neck, ripping out her throat in the process. Another monitor grabbed the bird's legs, drooling and giggling as he twisted and tore them off, taking part of the flesh with it. Then Luggrar grabbed the bird's beast and began to tear it apart, ripping open her innards and revealing the bones to the rest of the lizards. None of them knew when Klawtyr had passed. They saw her flying in the air and shot her out of the sky with an arrow so they could have something to feast on. After Ulwort ripped out the bird's neck, he hissed and bit down on her head; his jaws applied so much pressure that half of the skull popped off into his mouth, which resulted in what was left of Klawtyr's head releasing blood from the wound, the sticky fluids dripping onto the ground. The large monitor munched on the severed head noisily, mumbling as the bones cracked inside his mouth and the eyeballs squished, causing fluids to flow down his throat. The three lizards continued to feast on the dead bird, whilst Gila the Putrid and Krassak Ralfur circled around a shrew wearing a headband with yellow spots on it.
"How many?" asked Krassak.
The shrew glanced up at the lizard and snorted. Gila stepped dangerously close to shrew, growling and licking his teeth. Krassak grinned widely as he wagged his thick tail and restated his question.
"How many shrewz? I shall not azk again."
"Hundreds. Thousands. More'n yore bad o' nasty lizards c'n handle!"
Krassak rubbed his chin. "And you zay thiz...Log-a-Log leadz you all? He'z your Chieftain, yez?"
"That's right! He controls the rivers from 'ere all 'round these fuckin' woods! He eats beasts like you fer breakfast!"
"Hmm. Which riverz?"
"River Moss ya foul-breathed fuck!"
Krassak laughed. "That'z all I wanted to hear."
"W..." The shrew's eyes grew wide. "Oh, shit. Wait, wait--I-I-I was lyin'! I didn't mean--"
"C'n I kill 'im now, Mighty One?" asked Gila.
Krassak nodded and blinked. "I believe he called me a 'foul-breathed fuck'! Why don't ya show him that my breath iz the leazt of hiz problemz?"
Gila thumped his thick tail on the ground. "Be glad to!"
Gila grabbed the shrew with his paws tied behind his back and shoved him against a tree. The giant lizard stepped in front of the prickly beast as he panted and tried to turn his head away.
"C'mon, WAIT! I-I c'n still help ye! I c'n show ye exactly wh--"
Gila didn't care. He opened his mouth wide, showing off a slobbery maw with a pale-colored tongue and serrated teeth inside. Then he exhaled as long as he could, releasing the hot, humid air from within his body all over the shrew's face. The shrew immediately stopped talking, his face becoming damp as the moist breath spread across his nostrils. His nose wiggled as the horrendous odor of vomit, rotten meat, and raw fish filled his lungs. Even his Chieftain's beer breath had never gotten so bad that the shrew found it hard to breathe. Gila was about to finish exhaling when a sour burp erupted from his mouth, burning the shrew's nose with an unsettling spicy tinge. Gila closed his mouth and hissed, his tongue flicking out and brushing against the shrew's nose. The lizard stepped out of the way while the shrew began to shake. He heard his throat gurgling and quickly shut his mouth. But his body had no control over it. He leaned forward and started to vomit, the dark bile gushing from his mouth and splattering against the ground so hard that some of the sludge splashed against his legs. Gila and Krassak watched with pleased grins on their faces, listening to the vile gurgling and retching coming from the shrew.
By the time the sludge was out of his system, the shrew was on his knees, shaking uncontrollably. He opened his mouth as his head shook and let out a horrible gurgling noise, moments before another torrent of sour-smelling bile erupted from his mouth. The shrew nearly urinated all over the ground from all the stress, and his eyes became watery with tears as he struggled to breathe. He coughed and gasped, sniffling and gagging, feeling some of the bile stuck within his nasal cavity. He snorted a few times, feeling half-digested food chunks fly out of his nostrils before he spat on the ground. Then the shrew screamed as Gila leaned down and bit him on the throat, infecting him with his rotten saliva. After Gila took his mouth away and removed a small amount of flesh, the shrew began to panic.
"W...wot the fuck...wot..."
The shrew whimpered as he began to convulse. Then he gasped and slowly slouched over onto the ground, shaking and moaning as his body started to shut down on him. Gila chuckled and folded his arms as he watched the venom from his bite slowly take effect.
"Such a fazzinating zite, watchin' 'em jerk around like that!"
The green monitor lizard nodded. "Shrewz...zo many tazty shrewz! An' thiz one here zaid that they're under the leader of a really big, fat shrew!"
"Yezzz..." hissed Gila. "He zoundz like a meal fit fer alla monitorz!"
Krassak laughed. "Now we know...we know there'z a buncha shrewz in command of River Mozz. All we gotta do iz follow it, and we'll find 'em!"
"Yezzz...we'll find hundredz of shrewz!"
Krassak slurped as he began to drool, unable to fathom how full his stomach would be after he feasted on the Guosim tribe.
"Lotz an' lotza tazty shrewz..."
The sun was almost up now. Pretty soon the shining orb would beam its radiance down upon the land and grace everybeast with another clear, sunny day. Kurwin the Flayer knew today was going to be a great day--he could feel it in his bones. He could see it everytime he looked up, watching as the sky cleared up, foreshadowing the soon-to-be rising sun. He walked around the ground, smiling and scheming, looking at his growing army of vermin sleeping on the ground or in their tents. It'd take time--everything did. But despite all he had been through, Kurwin knew his plans were steadily getting back on track. He walked over to a thick pine tree, leaning against the bark, waiting for the sun to rise so he could wake up his crew. The ferret was about to find some fruit to eat when he heard footsteps in the distance and his ears twitched. He walked away from the tree before he spotted an aging ferret stepping towards him, rubbing his left arm.
"You're up early, Glud! Couldn't sleep?"
The ferret shook his head. "Jus' got a lot on my mind, Cap'n."
Kurwin grinned. "So do I, Glud! Traegar an' I have been talkin' about it! The MSB fears us now, right? We've shown our strength! But now...now we need to show our mercy. If we're going to rule over these landlubbers, they're going to need to trust us, are they not?"
Glud scratched his head. "Yeah, I s'pose so."
"An' wot better way for them to trust us, than for us to help 'em?! Maybe a group of hedgehogs need a rival gang taken care of! Maybe they need some 'protection.' Maybe they, I dunno...want us to solve a li'l 'problem' of theirs! After a while, they'll be our good ol' friends!"
Glud snorted. "That's wot y'want now? To befriend all these goodbeasts?"
Kurwin spat on the ground. "Of course not! Wot we need are slaves! An' the best way t'make slaves is to make peace with 'em! We're not gonna be like Blackheart--no, no that-that'll never work. They'll plot against us, rebel, try to kill us. Badrang, Princess Kurda--all of 'em. They never viewed their slaves as allies, only tools, li'l pieces of flesh they could abuse as much as they want!"
Kurwin started to pace back and forth. "We can't do the same thing. If we're good to our slaves, we can make 'em do wotever we want just by liftin' a finger! They'll help us against our enemies, give us vittles, supplies we need fer construction."
Kurwin stopped walking and leaned against the same tree again. He rubbed his chin and giggled, smiling innocently.
"We could make more pirates ships that way! We c'n...we c'n build tents, fortresses, our own communities for vermin t'stay at! Wot if...wot if we made our own li'l Redwall?"
Glud sniffed. "Yore serious."
"Why not? A giant fortress instead of an abbey! Make four strong walls, towers, fill it with guards, an' place a large metal gate at the front! We'll let all vermin come in--anybeast who needs aid or shelter from all these fuckin' woodlanders pickin' us off group by group, tribe by tribe! Hell...maybe one day, if we get enough soldiers...we could take over Redwall ourselves! Hah, if we get everybeast in these woods to ally with us, eventually Redwall will be overthrown by our numbers!"
Kurwin giggled again and nodded. "Th-this could work! This could actually work, Glud!"
"Yeah...I guess."
Kurwin blinked. "Somethin' wrong?"
Glud kicked at the dirt and looked down. "D'you ever miss it? How it was back in our youth? Back when Cap'n Troutley was still alive?"
Kurwin paused and wiggled his ears. "Sometimes. An' 'youth' is puttin' it lightly. You were forty seasons back then!"
Glud smirked. "You ain't much younger, Cap'n. ...D'you ever...you thought about goin' back?"
"Back to wot, Glud? We 'ave no more ships left. We can't go back to wot we were doin' even if we tried--not without riskin' another mutiny or takin' too long and havin' these landlubbers wipe us out."
"Troutley always wanted ye t'stay the course...stay on the sea. Things were a lot simpler then--we...we raided ships, killed anybeast who spoke out against us, stopped at islands that 'ad lotsa tasty vittles or supplies fer us t'steal. That's all. When we were out there...it was easy."
"There's a difference between easy an' right. Sure, yeah, pirating was real simple. It was easy. It was fun. But while this crew was focusin' on ourselves, we were forgettin' about all those other beasts out there, all the other vermin in pain an' suffering. Hell, we were the ones killin' some of them! An' now look at us...we're scrapin' fer food, we're scattered 'cross the world, an' everybeast looks at us like we're trash...like nobeast should care. Sometimes I think about life on the seas...sometimes I smell that salty sea air when I thrash around in my sleep. But we can't resume wot we used t'do. Not now--not when we're gettin' picked off like this. ...A time will come when we'll be on the seas again. But we have to take care of these woodlanders first...we have to."
Kurwin sighed heavily as he leaned against the tree again. "You'll see, my friend...you'll see."
Glud stared at the hopeful beast, blinked, and exhaled. He knew which side to follow now. He knew which beast he should put his trust in.
"Okay. I'll, uh...we'll talk more later."
Glud watched as Kurwin nodded. And then he turned and walked away from the beast, moving around the woods for a few minutes, until he came across two rats who were busy chatting amongst themselves in quiet voices. When Glud walked over to the rodents, he cleared his throat noisily, stirring one of the rats.
"Fuck you want?" asked Muslar.
"You two mentioned earlier that...something 'immediate' would need to happen to Kurwin?"
Dirtfoot sniffed and rubbed his paws as he grinned. "Yeah, wot about that?"
"How immediate?"
The filthy rat chuckled as he spat on the ground. "Sit down, Glud."
The young rat wagged his tail merrily. He could already tell by the way the sky was changing colors that the sun was about to rise. He could hear some of the birds waking up too, all of them chirping noisily to remind all the beasts below that it was time to wake up. Tegast giggled as he walked over to Grustur, who was lying on the ground breathing softly as he tried to sleep.
"Hey, wake up, Grus! It's dawn now!"
The watervole didn't even mumble, prompting Tegast to frown and bend over. He shook the vole a few times, which led to Grustur mumbling and swatting at the rat.
"C'mon, Grus! You gotta wake up now!"
"S'fem...mehn minutes..." he said drowsily.
The young rodent scowled at the watervole, irritated that he wouldn't move. He stood up and was about to kick the vole when another devious idea came to mind. Tegast stuck his tongue in his cheek before he grinned widely. Trying not to snicker, he stood over Grustur and turned around, with one leg on each side of the beast. Then he backed up and got on his knees, making sure that his rump was also planted on Grustur's nose. The vole let out a muffled grunt when a strange odor filled his nostrils, but it was too late to move by then. Tegast grunted and passed gas, letting the flatus erupt from his anus as is sputtered noisily against the watervole's nose. Grustur opened his eyes and scrunched up his face after he smelled what he thought was bad cabbage and sulfur. But then he realized that a rat's bottom was planted on his face, and he immediately groaned and shoved Tegast off of him. Grustur groaned with disgust as he quickly scooted backwards on the ground and plugged his nose while the young rat laughed.
"BLEH!! What the hell was that for?!"
Tegast took a while to answer. He was still lying on his back as he laughed hysterically and rolled around for a little bit, getting some mud on his shorts and tunic. By the time he finished chortling like a four-season-old babe, he chuckled a few times and began to stand.
"You--heh!--you were just askin' for it! Heh, was yore mouth open?"
Grustur chose not to answer. He snorted and shook his head. "Urgh...somethin' foul's stuck in you, pup, I can tell you that much!"
Tegast wagged his tail as he continued to grin. "Jus' a li'l somethin' I'd do with Danik whenever he refused to get up when it was morning. Guess it works on grown beasts too!"
Grustur sighed as he stood up and fanned the air in front of his face. "I suppose so. Now, what d'you wanna show me?"
Tegast ran over to the massive deciduous tree a few yards away from him and grunted as he jumped up and grabbed one of the branches.
"Follow me! It's right up here!"
Grustur definitely wasn't in the mood right now. He was still tired, cranky, and his nose had been defiled by the stench Tegast released from his rectum. But the watervole played along with Tegast's game and ran after the same tree. He stood underneath the first branch and grunted as he hopped up, pulling himself onto the long piece of wood before he started to claw his way up the tree bark. He hopped over to another branch on the tree before looking up and hearing leaves rustling. Tegast was still climbing--he acted jumpier than an energized hare who smelled food half a mile away. Grustur continued to scale the tree, panting and grunting, his claws and paws digging into the bark as he got closer to the same branch that Tegast was trying to reach. Grustur was about to glance down, but forced himself not to, since he realized he was high enough to fall and break his legs (if not his neck) if he stumbled. So Grustur kept climbing up, panting and breathing heavily before he latched onto another thick branch and exhaled, catching his breath.
"Yore almost there, buddy!"
Grustur closed his eyes and huffed. "What the hell is so fascinating up here that you want me t'see?"
Grustur could see Tegast's legs hanging down from one of the branches. The watervole stood up and climbed a few more feet so he could reach the same branch. He stood on the chunk of wood and looked at Tegast, who seemed to be smiling and staring blankly out into the horizon. Grustur was about to open his mouth when he glanced to his left and saw it. The sun was rising. Both beasts had a perfectly good view of the sunrise, with no trees, branches, leaves, or any other obstruction blocking their view. Grustur shrugged as he looked at the sunrise and rubbed his nose.
"So the sun's rising. What about it?"
"Yore not lookin' at it right, Grus. Jus' sit down for a moment."
Grustur sat down beside the rodent and let his footpaws hang in the air as well. He flicked his eyes at Tegast a few times before he blinked and stared at the sunrise more closely. He could see the sun in the distance, the yellowish-orange orb blocked by the land, trees and clouds. As he looked up at the sky, he could see that the clouds were a rich white color, not gray like they usually were. He could see the flashes of sunlight that would creep onto the land, the rays becoming visible through any clouds with holes in them. His ears twitched when he heard a few birds in the distance, and he even saw some of them flying through the air, their wings spread wide as they headed towards the comforting sight. Grustur started to smile, the air suddenly becoming warm and foreshadowing another sunny, spring day.
"It's beautiful, ain't it?" asked Tegast.
"Yes...yeah, it is, pup."
"Me an' Danik, we'd always go an' race each other up the tallest tree we could find. We'd get to the highest branch an' just sit there together, watchin' the sunrise while everybeast else was still sleep. We'd play this li'l game too, lettin' the sun tell us about wot area we were in. If the sun was nice an' bright, and the sky was blue and the clouds were white, then we were in a safe place. Or at least, someplace we might stay a while--someplace with good terrain."
"An' I take it if the sunrise showed off a foggy, gray-clouded, misty day, you'd assume you were in a shitty area."
Tegast chuckled. "More or less. Sunrise says a lot, y'know? Nobeast wants t'wake up seein' clouds an' fog all over the place. An' nobeast wants to wake up on a rainy day. It's just...sunrises like these are--they're kinda...I dunno. Helpful, I guess. It's nice to sit down an' try to remember all the tiny things in life that makes us happy."
Grustur nodded. "True."
The beasts sat still and resumed examining the sunrise and listening to the birds and other creatures that began to wake up. Grustur moved his legs back and forth while Tegast rubbed his nose with his arm and started to ponder.
"So...wot d'you think we'll find out here? D'you know any clans or-or tribes that could help us?"
Grustur shrugged. "Nowadays, it's all random. I once ran into a rat and hedgehog who seemed like they couldn't be better friends. The three of us traveled together, eatin' food, makin' jokes all the time, tryin' to see who could drink the most amount of grog without throwing it all back up or pissin' ourselves. It was fun, but...one day, the hedgehog caught the rat stealing his sword. He was drunk, actin' like a fool; he wanted to use it to chop some apples or meat into chunks for a stew--I can't remember. All I remember is that the hedgehog thought he was plotting to kill us. So the hedgehog walked right up to the rat and cut his throat open. An' then he used the very same sword to resume makin' the stew."
"Wot d'you do with him?"
Grustur sighed heavily. "Well, then the hedgehog thought I was in cahoots with the rat. I woke up one night and he was jus' staring at me, grinning widely with a knife in his right paw. I couldn't take the risk. So the next day when he was sleeping, I found several death caps."
Grustur shrugged. "I made stew for the both of us. I filled his with the death caps. I filled mine with normal white shrooms. I waited until he fell asleep again before I got all my stuff and left."
Tegast frowned. "I don't understand. How d'you know he was gonna kill you?"
"I don't know."
"Then why did you poison him?"
Grustur scratched the back of his head and sighed. "You ever met a beast who seemed...off? Like, you knew somethin' was wrong with them, but you never saw it before? But then they-they did somethin'...and suddenly, you were afraid? You were worried that the beast would hurt somebeast else?"
Tegast briefly thought about the two foxes he met in the swamp and looked away. "Yes..."
"What'd you do to 'im? Or her, for that matter."
"I'd rather not say..."
"What'd you do, Teg?"
Tegast looked at Grustur and huffed. "It was two foxes, all right? One of 'em...one of 'em started askin' questions...stuff that made me..." Tegast paused before he blurted it out. "He tried t'force himself on top of me. I fought 'im off long enough to grab a dagger an' slice his cock in half. The other fox...he didn't try to rape me, but I knew he--" Tegast closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
"Did you kill him too?"
"I didn't kill either of 'em. I left the fox who tried to rape me on the ground screamin' like some babe getting flogged. I stole all their food an' left."
"So you understand then."
"Understand wot?"
"That some beasts are just..." Grustur shook his head. "You just can't take that risk with 'em. Sometimes it's just better if somebeast put 'em in the Dark Forest."
"I can't kill somebeast jus' 'cos my gut tells me something is off about 'em. Even with the fox who tried to have me--I didn't immediately try to murder him. I--he forced me to stab him. An' it wasn't like I wanted...I was jus' angry..."
"I know, Teg. An' I hope you find somebeasts who won't mind takin' care of you someday. If not, well...I s'pose I could do it. Maybe we'll both build a boat, go live on Isle Glinsun."
Tegast blinked. "Where's that?"
Grustur smiled. "I'll tell you some other time. For now, let's just relax...try to forget about all these upsetting stories an' watch the sunrise."
Tegast smiled as well and nodded. "Okay."
The two beasts relaxed on the branch as they stared out into the horizon. They both knew their journey would be long, perilous, possibly even fatal for the both of them. But none of that mattered to them right now. All they cared about was the glorious sunrise up ahead. Tegast giggled and moved his footpaws back and forth again.
Today was going to be a good day...
The smelly hare felt upset that he had to leave so early, especially after what happened. He thought he'd be happy on such a bright day now that the sun was beginning to rise. But Lakler felt as though the day was mocking him, letting him know that he wouldn't be able to enjoy such a pleasant day and that he'd spend the next few hours walking until his footpaws became sore. The hare ran a paw over the patch of fur in-between his ears before he shook his head.
"So when do you think you'll be back?"
Lakler shrugged. "Hard to say, marm. We might not be back 'til summer. Hopefully it won't take us tae long t'find these Red Sand bastards an' give 'em a good wallop!"
"Right...wallop..." muttered Ashlyn softly.
Lakler smiled when he saw the otter's head lowering. "Hey, donae worry 'bout me, marm! Ah'll be fine!"
"That's wot beasts say when they know they won't be fine."
The hare frowned. "Shit, yore right. Well then, ah won't be seein' ye at all! Indeed, this shall be the last conversation we'll have, an' we shan't meet again 'til we see each other in the Dark Forest! Ah expect mah death tae be gruesome an' grueling!"
Ashlyn closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. "Lakler..."
"Fuck, that don't sound any better do it? Erm..." Lakler rubbed his chin before he snapped his fingers. "Err, ah won't be fine, nor will ah perish! Ah'll, err...be wounded! Yes, and, err...um...ah'll be adequate! That sound better?"
"If it means you won't die, then sure. I'll take it."
Lakler chuckled before he held up his right paw and spat into it. Ashlyn watched as the hare extended his paw and wagged his stubby tail. The ottermaid smiled before she spat into her paw as well and shook the Northlander's paw.
"'Twas nice meetin' you, marm! Save me some more rotten tomatoes fer when ah get back, wot!"
"Don't worry. I will. Oh, an' since you mentioned that, I got you a little something."
Ashlyn bent over and picked up a small pouch she had lying on the ground. She handed the bag over to the excited hare, who grabbed the pouch and shook it in his paws.
"Lookie here! Ya made me a special snack?"
The otter giggled and thumped her rudder on the ground. "Something like that."
Lakler started to giggle as he opened up the pouch. And then he sniffed the contents of the pouch and frowned. The hare lowered his eyebrows as he reached into the pouch and pulled out the contents.
"Marm?"
"Yes, Lakler?"
"These are mint leaves."
The ottermaid grinned. "I know what they are."
The Langroves were still waiting until it was time to leave. Stanno and Frenquil were both standing in the orchard beside the cherry tree, either staring at Morson or pacing back and forth until Urthquake announced that they were ready to go. Morson was leaning against the tree, basking in the shadows instead of standing out in the sunlight. Frenquil rubbed her nose before she flicked her eyes at Stanno and saw him wiping some dirt off his tunic.
"So you're taking leave after this?" asked Frenquil.
"Yes," responded Stanno.
Morson snorted and folded his arms. "Why?"
"Why d'you think, Morson?"
The lieutenant laughed. "Right. Ain't got yer cock wet fer over a season now, wot! There's plenty of lovely hares in this battalion, dear brother! It's not like your wife needs to know!"
Stanno glared at Morson and frowned. "It's not about that."
"Everythin' is 'bout fuckin', Stanno. Fuckin', eatin', an' sleepin'! That's wot we do best, right?"
Frenquil butted in. "You forgot killin'. An' rapin' an' shittin' an' leadin' sheep to the slaughter like a fuckin' fool."
Stanno rubbed his forehead and shut his eyes. "Don't either of you wanna see your step-sister again? Don't you wanna see how big your nephew's getting?"
"Kaleb knows that Uncle Morson's out killin' lotsa bad vermin! He'll understand. An' your mate doesn't like me, Stanno--we both know that."
"A lotta beasts don't like you. Wonder why the fuck that is?" growled Stanno.
Morson grinned cheekily and shrugged. "No idea!"
Morson noticed that Frenquil was being strangely silent and looking down at the ground time and time again, with her ears lowering subtly.
"Wot's up with you? You're being a lot quieter than usual."
Frenquil looked up. "Hmm? Oh, nothin'. Jus' tired, that's all. 'Tween those vermin attacking us an' me fuckin' Blitzfur all damn night, I didn't get an ounce of rest."
Morson laughed heartily. "I heard that! See, li'l brother? Even your sister knows when it's time to get some tail, wot!"
Frenquil rubbed her right arm before she flicked her eyes at Stanno and Morson. "I'm-I'm gonna go head back to the main hall. Maybe that mole chef's got s'more vittles we can confiscate 'afore we leave."
"You do that!"
Frenquil turned around and began to walk towards the main building, still looking down at the ground as she tried to force herself to stay in her usual abrasive, yet jolly mood. But after everything that happened the other night, the hare wasn't sure if she was the same fighter she had been before.
They had always been friends. Even as leverets, the duo always wanted to become part of the Long Patrol, to do something wonderful with their lives. Ever since those vermin attacked their village, they knew it was their destiny to defend beasts in need, to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. At least, that's what they thought. But now the two hares were beginning to wonder if the Long Patrol was all just a trap, a veil covering the brutal world that soldiers like them would be exposed to. They wondered whether or not they were safe inside their village, or safe with all these hardened soldiers. Tike and Honward sat together pondering, with the former looking down at the ground as he sat on the log beside his best friend. Honward was busy checking his clothing for any tears and licking some of the scratches on his arms. Tike let out a shuddering breath and sniffed before he flicked his eyes at Honward.
"You'll be okay, buddy. I know you're scared, but there's no reason to be," said Hon quietly.
"He tried to kill me...he...he-he grabbed me. He almost broke my neck..."
"He was under the Bloodwrath. You know that."
"Tha-that's not...you don't understand, do you? He is not sane. He's not...he-he's going to kill one of us at some point. Wot ha-happens when he snaps an'-an' he...he just starts killin' us all?!"
"That won't happen."
"Wot if it does?"
"It won't."
"Wot if it does?!"
Honward shrugged. "Then we'll be ready for it. We deal with shit as it comes along. Ain't that wot we always do?"
Tike shook his head. "I can't just...how do you expect me t'do that?"
"The same way I expect you t'move on if I die."
Tike's eyes grew wide. "We...we'll be fine, Hon. We'll stick together--we always will."
Honward turned and faced Tike. "You need to stop."
Tike blinked. "Stop wot?"
"Stop...trying. Stop trying so hard. Stop hopin'. Stop worryin'. Stop whinin'. Jus'...stop."
Tike scoffed and shook his head. "That's it? You-you just want me to give up?!"
"I did not say that. You're not listening, buddy."
Honward sighed as he shifted around on the log so he was facing Corporal Bonson. He placed his paws on the log and paused, curling his toes and trying to figure out what words to say.
"You can't be here...you-you can't live in this world constantly crying, worrying, tellin' yourself, 'I don't want to die.' That's not right. You need to tell yourself, 'I want to live.' You see...when you do that, when you stop fearing death...it's easy. You need to look at all these beasts 'round you and say, 'They're all gonna die one day. An' I'm gonna be alone. I can just sit down, wait to head to the Dark Forest...or I can get up an' keep walking.'"
"That's all I am to you now? We're not mates anymore? I'm just some dead beast walkin'?"
"I didn't say that. Wot..." Honward stopped and huffed. "I talked to Stanno after that battle in Blackheart's Fortress. He wants t'leave this battalion, settle down. I can see why, considering how many beasts we lost that day. After that battle, I told myself, 'It's okay. This 'appens all the time; this hasn't been the first time we lost several beasts. It won't be the last.' So I kept on believing that we'd all be okay. After this?"
The sergeant shook his head. "This is real, Tike. Beasts are dyin' all around us and there's nothin' we can do about it. But we can't fight this anymore, Tike. I'm gonna die...Lakler, Stink Mouth, Stanno...any of us could be killed, Tike. You have to learn to move on if that happens."
Tike was failing to keep himself from crying; the tears were already running down his cheeks. But the corporal had to look away and sob when he noticed that Honward had misty eyes as well.
"I know this isn't wot we asked for," Hon said, his voice breaking. "But we...this is wot we have t'do now. It's the only way to survive."
Honward grunted when Tike suddenly reached over and hugged him, sobbing and sniffling as he grasped the hare tightly. Honward started to take deep breaths as two warm tears ran down his face. He whimpered softly and slowly wrapped his arms around Tike too, trying to calm the young hare down as he continued to cry in his arms, his body shaking. Honward sniffled noisily and gritted his teeth, hoping he didn't end up blubbering like a babe too.
"It's okay buddy...we're-we'll be fine. We'll be okay..."
Honward paused so he could sniffle again and release a few more tears from his eyes. He was still trying to settle Tike down as he moaned and whimpered, his chin resting on the hare's left shoulder as his nose became runny and his eyes became red. Honward inhaled and sobbed before he gritted his teeth again and finally managed to say a few more words.
"You just gotta let go, Tike. Just let go..."
"Major! I need yore help with somethin'!" shouted Hollis.
Major Fenson Pickett blinked after the medic called his name and waved him over towards the woods. The hare shook his head and sighed as he followed him, remembering he still hadn't told him that Urthquake denied his request. He'd get better, he told himself. He just needs...time. That's all...just more time to himself. The major cleared his throat and rubbed his neck, still feeling Urthquake's tight grip even though hours had passed since the badger grabbed him. The major started to ponder for a moment, his mind flooding itself with way too many questions once again. The hare took a few breaths before he told himself to stop. Urthquake was his leader. There was a reason for everything he did--his recent behavior was perfectly understandable. That's what Fenson told himself, and yet for some odd reason, he didn't know if he could believe it or not. After the major walked into the woods for a few more yards, he came across Major Watson as well, who was leaning against one of the trees with three bodies lying on the ground.
"D'you two need my help buryin' these bodies?"
Watson shook his head. "Just need your outlook on a certain matter, sah. Observe these cadavers, please."
Major Fenson lowered his head and looked at the three bodies. Then he shrugged. "It's two rats an' Sergeant Issarck. Hollis already informed me that the Sarn't perished during the fight."
"Did he inform you of how he perished?"
"No."
Watson huffed. "Well, I examined his body with much more scrutiny. An' I discovered that he was choked to death quite brutally."
Fenson shrugged. "And this matters 'cos...?"
"When the Badger Lord was consumed with the Bloodwrath, I saw him crush these two rats' necks. A big, burly paw turned their necks an' vocal cords to dust with just enough force. Now...I didn't see Sarn't Issarck die, but it looks as though a big, burly paw turned his neck an' vocal cords to dust with just enough force."
Watson didn't need to say anymore. The other major blinked as he flicked his eyes between Lieutenant Hollis, who was looking down at the bodies with bewilderment while Watson kept staring at the major expecting some kind of answer.
"You're serious. You think Urthquake murdered him."
"I didn't say that," said Watson casually.
"You didn't have to," Fenson growled.
"Now, it-it's possible that, um...th-the wearet killed him," started Hollis. "He were nearly the same size as Urthquake. Who-who's to say that that humongous beast didn't break his neck?"
"'Cos the wearet was a large, brown beast," said Watson. "I examined Issarck's claws an' procured bits of fur beneath them. Most of it was black. And as far as I know, the only other beast big enough t'do this with black fur is Urthquake."
"Ev--" Fenson stopped and let out a shuddering breath, looking down as he covered his mouth. He stared at the sergeant's corpse before he mumbled and shook his head, still in disbelief. The major slowly ran a paw up his face before he sniffed and swallowed hard.
"Even if...Urthquake did this--an' I'm not sayin' he did--it...he was consumed with the Bloodwrath. That...that's all. It must've been a mistake; maybe-maybe Issarck got too close to him. It was an accident, Watson."
"Sure. And maybe one day, he'll go under the Bloodwrath again when dozens of innocent beasts are around him. But hey, that's all right. If he ends up slaughterin' 'em all, we'll just say it was an accident."
"Okay, smart-arse. Wot d'you wanna do then? Say Urthquake did murder Issarck. Wot do we do 'bout it now?"
"We keep a close eye on the blowhard beast. An' if something like this arises once more, we'll take the necessary precautions."
Hollis lifted his head and stared at Watson with wide eyes. Fenson scowled at the other major and got in his face.
"Wot does that mean?"
"You know wot--"
"No. Say it. Say exactly wot you think we should do if Urthquake snaps again."
But Watson didn't open his mouth. He kept staring at Fenson, folding his arms as his jaw tightened. Both majors barely even breathed or blinked as one waited for the other to come out and say what needed to be done about Urthquake the Tough. Fenson started to make a fist with his right paw; Watson glanced down and noticed the major's twitching fist as he continued to glare at him. Watson put his arms down and shrugged.
"I've only told you an' Lieutenant Hollis about this. Let's just...wait for a little bit. See wot happens. Keep this selective information clandestine for a while."
Fenson scoffed as he shook his head. "Fine then. I'll keep quiet. But if I see you tryin' to do anythin' to Urthquake without proper cause, then maybe I'll have to take, err, 'necessary precautions' with you."
Watson nodded his head, taking Fenson's threat without even so much as shaking.
"Duly noted."
They were all finally ready. All the bodies had been scooped up, burned, or buried properly. All the injured Tearmannians were resting in the main hall whilst the wounded Long Patrol hares patched themselves up as much as they could. Urthquake could see that his vast army had trimmed in size. Although it was still transfixing to see over two hundreds hares packed together all at once, the Battle of Blackheart's Fortress and the ambush in Tearmann had claimed the lives of at least one hundred soldiers. And Urthquake knew that the death toll would only grow as he pursued the Red Sand tribe, not to mention Kurwin the Flayer and his corsairs. But it was okay. He knew that war had its prices, and that sacrifices needed to be made. All that mattered was wiping these two groups of vermin off the face of the earth, and then he'd head back to Salamandastron, allow more hares to join his battalion to get their numbers back. The badger looked at all of his soldiers behind him before he glanced forward and looked at Russell Galedeep and all of the Tearmannians still trying to recover. The otter walked over to the Badger Lord, smirking and telling himself not to say anything that could give away what he knew about the Red Sand tribe.
"Gah, I really am sorry 'bout all this! I bet this were yore one chance ye could relax an' all these vermin botched yer li'l vacation!"
Urthquake shrugged. "It happens. We still enjoyed our time here--all the food was scrumptious and we all had fun playing and talking with the kind beasts in this community."
Russell laughed. "I'm sure ye enjoyed all of our females too!"
The badger wiggled his nose and grinned. "Perhaps..."
The otter sniffed. "So after you told me 'bout that Kurwin feller back at the feast, it got me thinkin' fer a li'l bit!"
"Thinking about what?"
"The Red Sand tribe attacked me community an' yore doin' me a favour by goin' after 'em! So mayhaps I should look into this pirate for ye--I scratch yore back, you scratch mine, but in reverse!"
"You kill Kurwin--"
"--an' you kill Lad--um, the leader of the Red Sand tribe!"
"Hmm. I suppose I could use the help. Fine then. If you find Kurwin an' his band of pirates, you make sure you slay 'em all. Understand?"
"Course I do. You want me t'bring his head on a platter fer you?"
Urthquake grinned. "No. I want you to skin him alive. Hang his body from one of the guard towers for the whole country to see."
"No problem mate! Make sure you do the same when ya see the Red Sand leader!"
Russell turned around and thumped his rudder on the ground with a hard thwack. "Say g'bye to the Badger Lord an' the Long Patrol everybeast!"
Urthquake wasn't expecting everybeast to wave or say goodbye to him, especially after everything everybeast went through. But he was surprised at the amount of beasts who managed to force themselves to smile and nod at the badger, or those who cheered for him, knowing he'd eradicate all the vermin who tormented them. Urthquake glanced around and saw that his hares were doing the same, making themselves smile or wave as they shouted at the Tearmannians, regardless of how many had died. Urthquake's mouth twitched, but he wasn't sure what to do. Everybeast saw several innocent otters, hedgehogs and moles who were still going strong and overcoming from the ambush. But all Urthquake saw were several beasts who would be dead soon, creatures who weren't constantly exposed to the outside world. It'd only be another month, maybe week, before they were all gone. The badger's mouth twitched again; he nodded and moved his mouth so he could form a strange, barely noticeable smirk. As the cheering and goodbyes died down, Urthquake turned around and gestured for his hares to do the same. They all started to follow the badger, heading west towards the coast in hopes of finding the Red Sand tribe soon.
Major Fenson walked closely beside Urthquake, scrunching his face a few times whenever the badger's noisome scent filled his nostrils. He stared at the Badger Lord for a moment, looking at all the scratches on his body, the dried-up blood smeared around his fur and blue armor, and the scowl that was glued to his muzzle again. He watched as the badger snorted and breathed heavily, gripping his battle axe tightly as he growled in his throat.
"M'lord?"
Urthquake blinked and turned to look down at the major. "What?"
Fenson shut his mouth and tried to stay calm. The badger's eyes weren't blue like they usually were. They were red.
"What is it?"
Fenson stuttered. "N-nothing...never mind."
Urthquake blinked and turned away, while Fenson started to breathe very softly. He didn't know what to do or think anymore. With how fast the hares were being killed, Urthquake's sanity issues, and the battalion's scarce supplies, Fenson knew things would get worse before getting better. The hare stopped walking for a moment and looked up. The sun was shining, the clouds were large and white, and the sky was a rich shade of blue. Fenson huffed.
And here he thought he was going to have a good day...