What Lies Beyond the Walls, Book II: Chapter 3
#3 of What Lies Beyond the Walls: Book II
Honward struggles to deal with a recurring nightmare while his best friend Tike reminisces on the past.
XXVII
Pals
"OW! That 'tween my ears, Hon!"
The young leveret snickered as he raised his wooden sword and started to chase after the other leveret. "Say ee, Tikee! I'm better sword-holdee'n you!"
"Never!"
The other hare turned and faced his friend, holding an equally large wooden sword in front of Hon's face. The two beasts started to wave the swords around, the wood clacking over and over again as the hares pretended to fight each other. Suddenly, Hon yowled and dropped his sword, whining as he looked at his left paw.
"Time out, time out, time out!"
Tike stopped fighting and lowered his sword, blinking. He walked over to the wincing leveret and looked at his paw.
"Wot is it? Got 'notha splinty?"
Hon groaned and nodded. "Yeah. Pull it out?"
Tike looked closely at Hon's paw and raised an eyebrow. "Err, I dun see any splint--"
Tike gasped and shouted when Hon jerked his arm down and snatched the wooden sword from his paws. He jabbed Tike in the stomach with it, causing Tike to cough and bend over. Then Hon grinned as he elbowed Tike in the back of the neck, sending him flat on his face. Before Tike had the chance to get up, Hon pointed his wooden sword at the hare, making sure the pointy end was aimed right for Tike's face. Tike looked up at the sword and the hare's grin before huffing.
"Hehe, I win, I win!" shouted Hon.
"You twat."
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! I'm tellin' yer mum y'said the T word!"
Tike's eyes grew wide when he saw Hon running away. "Oh sh--NO! Sh-shut up, Hon! It slipped out!"
Hon started to laugh as his friend began to chase him around the village, hopping and ducking their way through various logs, huts, and any other obstructions in their way.
"Tike's in trou-ble, Tike's in trou-ble! You are in trou-ble!" Hon shouted in a sing-song voice.
Tike snarled as he started to sprint faster, determined to stop the hare before he opened his big mouth. Hon laughed in a mocking tone as he turned around and stuck his tongue out at Tike. Tike was just about to tackle the hare down when Hon shouted and bumped into somebeast so hard that he collapsed onto his back. Tike stopped running and gasped, realizing the kind of hare he was looking at.
"Fuck! Stew-pid fuckin' fuck standin'...hiiiiiiiii, Dad! Um...how's you doin'?"
Hon's father scowled before he reached down and grabbed his son by the ears. Honward shrieked as he was lifted off the ground, whimpering and whining as he started to thrash his short legs around.
"An' just wot have I told you about usin' such foul language?"
"TIKE SAID THE T WORD!" Honward blurted out.
"I did not you fuckin' twat!"
Hon's father glared at Tike, causing the leveret's eyes to widen as he shyly twiddled with his fingers.
"I--um--I-I said twit."
It wasn't long before Tike found himself being hauled by his ears as well, his footpaws dragging against the ground as Hon's father pulled him towards his home. Hon's father was still clutching his son as well, ready to punish the leveret accordingly.
"You two can forget about swordfightin' fer the rest of the week!"
"OW! But Father--"
"Shush! An' Tike, I'm sure your mum still has her paddle inside the house! I think it's time she introduces it to yer bum again!"
"But I no wan' a spankee!" whined Tike.
The two young hares continued to whine and thrash around, still hoping to avoid their impending spanking.
The two hares breathed softly, gazing out into the woods, looking at the gloomy horizon. Their clothes were still damp from the early morning rain, and by how gray the clouds were, they had a feeling it would rain a second time very soon. Sergeant Honward rubbed his nose while Corporal Tike Bonson exhaled and shook some of the water off his arms. He heard a faint boom in the distance but saw nothing flashing across his face. The corporal sniffed and blinked.
"Wotcha think? 'Nother hour or two?"
"Three maybe."
Corporal Bonson shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Fuckin' rain. It's gettin' close to summer now; we should be sweatin' our arses off, wot!"
Honward smirked. "Look at it this way: least we don't gotta bathe for another day."
Tike shrugged. "I guess. Won't make much difference once we reach the swamps though; we're gonna have t'bathe again after walkin' 'round that noisome place."
"We could always tell Urthquake to try an' go around, hit the ford and go southwest."
Tike glanced away from Honward and kept looking down at the ground and his muddy footpaws hanging in the air. Honward noticed Tike's silence, but he didn't try to create another confrontation that wouldn't help out either of them. Tike heard more thunder in the distance and started to look around. The area was gradually getting darker, the scent of rain stronger in his nose. As each day progressed, Tike noticed that the woods were becoming denser and filthier. Ordinary deciduous trees that grew fruits were now black alder trees containing cones and various catkins. Fewer birds seemed to be spotted, except for various crows and a few woodpeckers. Sometimes the Long Patrol would wake up and notice the area was foggy and carrying a strange odor; other days the area looked very muddy and watery. Even now, Honward and Tike could see strange gases rising in the distance, and they saw a wide-open area that looked like part of a bottomless bog. Tike hopped off the branch he was sitting on, his footpaws landing in the mud with a loud squelch. The hare grimaced and lifted his footpaws, still irritated at the frequent amount of times he ended up having mud in-between his toes. Honward jumped down beside him, the mud splashing in multiple directions.
"We'll let Lakler and Flossy deal with the trackin'. There ain't nothin' else out here; let's head back."
Tike nodded. "All right."
The two hares were about to leave when they heard somebeast groaning and turned around. Honward immediately grabbed his sabre while Tike raised a paw, signaling him to settle down. Tike wiggled his ears as he walked forward cautiously.
"Hello?"
And then they saw him, a heavily wounded beast dragging his footpaws in the mud. His clothes were ripped and there was blood spread around his chest. The hares slowly approached the beast, recognizing him as a ferret. He lifted his head and slowly extended a paw.
"Please...help me..." he moaned.
Honward and Tike crept over to the scruffy creature, still staying on guard.
"Betcha this is a trap, mate. We should kill 'im now an' get it over with," whispered Hon.
"No," snarled Tike, scowling at his friend. "Let's talk to him first."
"Tike, you know--"
"I said let's talk to him."
Honward stared at his friend's scowl and decided it was best to comply with his wishes for now. So Honward lowered his guard, and the two hares approached the wounded vermin.
"DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!" they chanted.
Tike was struggling as one of the hares had a tight grip on his body and head. Honward was grinning as he looked at his best friend and raised an arm.
"C'mon, mate! You lost the bet! Gotta do it now, wot!"
Tike shook his head several times and tried to move away, but the other hare continued to shove his head closer. The three beasts around him continued to chant until the hare grasping Tike overpowered him. There was nothing Tike could do. The beast shoved his head against Honward's left armpit, forcing his muzzle against the sweaty patch of hair. The hares around him started to laugh hysterically, with one of them collapsing to the ground on the verge of tears. Honward was still grinning as the hare behind Tike moved his head up and down, grinding his muzzle against his musky armpit. Tike mumbled as the pungent stench crept into his nostrils; the smell was so bitter and strong that his eyes almost watered. Then the hare behind Tike jerked his head away, giving the young hare time to breathe. Tike opened his mouth and inhaled deeply before he waved a paw in front of his muzzle and began to cough.
"See, mate?! That weren't so bad, now was it?" said Honward.
Tike plugged his nose and scowled. "A badger's arse smells better'n you do! When was the last time you bathed?!"
Honward shrugged. "Can't remember."
Tike groaned with disgust and turned around, stomping away from the campsite in a huff. "Let's just go! We better find them bandits 'afore they try to come back to our village!"
Honward chuckled. "Now yer talkin'! Lesgal, Grenny! Get your weapons and follow us!"
The other two hares nodded and picked up their sabres and slings, ready to take on the vermin who were recently chased out of their village. Lesgal and Grenny were both chuckling and talking with each other while Honward was walking beside Tike, clearly aware that the young hare was nervous.
"Don't be scared, mate! They're jus' some thieves with giant swords, nothin' more."
"I...y-yeah, sure. I know. That's not why I'm worried though."
"Really? Then wot's wrong? You scared their stench will kill ya?"
Tike didn't answer. He flicked his eyes at Honward and kept walking forward along with Lesgal and Grenny. The four hares walked up a steep hill, their nostrils scrunching up once they noticed the familiar stench not far away. Once they reached the top of the hill, they glanced out in the distance and saw another campfire. Only this one had a small group of vermin near it, all of whom were busy eating food they recently stole from other goodbeasts. Grenny looked at the vermin down below and snorted.
"That's the dirty li'l fuckers right there!"
Honward looked at all his friends and grinned widely. "Wotcha waitin' for then? Let's make sure they never fuck with our village again, wot!"
The three hares all shouted and followed Hon down the hill as he sprinted for the beasts. The vermin were drunk or half-asleep, but they managed to notice the four young hares screaming at the top of their lungs as they rushed for 'em. Two of the rats messily scrambled for their weapons; one of them tripped over the log he was sitting on, making him an easy target. Lesgal ran right for the fallen beast as he tried to stand up and swung his sabre at his throat, cutting it in half. Honward and Grenny found themselves taking on two of the weasels at the same time while Tike found himself facing a nasty-looking ferret who was missing an eye. But unlike most beasts, he wore no eyepatch, so Tike could clearly see into the ravaged hole. The young hare noticed the various other scars around the ferret's body and huffed.
"Why do I gotta get the ugly one?" he mumbled.
The ferret took out his cutlass and snarled as he swung it at Tike's body. Tike raised his sabre and defended himself, his right paw vibrating as the cutlass smashed into his sword and made it ring. Tike started to back away, watching as the ferret wildly waved his large sword around, the two blades clanging. Tike shouted when the blade flew from his paw; he ducked and rolled out the way when the ferret tried to take his head off. The hare procured his weapon again, this time making sure he held it firmly with both paws. The ferret licked his teeth and snickered.
"Pathetic. Them li'l twats who shat 'emselves in yore village coulda fought better'n ye!"
Tike panted and backed away when the ferret lifted his cutlass high and tried to slice the long-eared beast in half. Tike quickly sidled out the way, letting the ferret's weight lead to his downfall. The one-eyed beast stumbled forward, his sword smacking against the ground. Tike shouted as he swung his sword at the beast's midriff, cutting through his right kidney. The ferret squealed and grabbed his side, panting and dropping his cutlass as he began to bleed. As the ferret started to bleed out, Tike walked in front of the dying ferret and pointed his sword at him. The vermin huffed a few times before he looked at Tike and gritted his teeth. Tike quickly ran his sabre through the beast, and the ferret immediately coughed up blood on his face and clothes. Tike flinched and started to breathe heavily before he pulled out his sword with a wet squelch. The ferret gasped in a wheezy voice, blood dripping down his torso and trickling onto the ground. Then the beast fell down and lay still at Tike's footpaws.
"All right, Tike! Took 'im right in the fuckin' gut!" shouted Lesgal.
Tike turned around, still panting as he noticed that the rest of the vermin had been slain. The other hares had cleaner clothes and didn't seem to be drenched in blood, nor did they seem to look disturbed over what just happened. Tike lowered his sabre and forced himself to smile as he walked over to his friends.
"Heh...looks like you guys ain't did too bad yourselves."
"Pfft! Course not! Like my father said, they're just cowards with big swords, nothin' more!" said Honward.
"Right, um, cowards." Tike flicked his eyes at one of the dead rats whose head was barely attached to his body. "Soooooo...le-let's head home! I'm sure, uh, we'll have a great story to tell the others!"
"Fuck that! These cunts stole from us--they tried to burn down our village! We're stayin' 'ere an' we're gonna eat all the food they stole! An' any other bandit that tries to fuck with us is more'n welcome to join these corpses!"
Tike chuckled. "Um...okay then."
It was dark by the time they finished making all the vittles. The four friends devoured the food noisily, slurping or drinking, talking with their mouths full. The smell of roasted birds, fresh bread, and sweet desserts filled the hares' noses. The long-eared creatures all chewed on leafy salads, bowls filled with tomatoes, various nuts, sliced apples and several pieces of romaine lettuce. The hares even sampled some of the beer and cordial the creatures stole--they all took a liking to the blueberry cordial, although Grenny seemed to prefer the shrewbeer. As the hares all laughed and feasted on the vermin's vittles, Tike found himself constantly flicking his eyes at the few bodies the hares left on the ground. He couldn't help but notice the flies buzzing around them, the blood having dried and became sticky on the ground. Tike swallowed the piece of roasted bird in his mouth before he exhaled.
"Bugger tripped o'er the log! Didn't even have time to grab his cutlass!" shouted Lesgal.
Tike listened to Lesgal laughing before he turned and looked at Honward.
"Least he didn't whine 'fore he died! I cut down that rat while he was bleedin' out cryin' for his mother!" said Grenny.
Tike swallowed again, flaring his nostrils as he glanced at the bodies. "You...um, shouldn't...shouldn't we bury the bodies?"
Honward scoffed. "Fuck 'em! Let the crows have 'em in the morning!"
Tike blinked. "...Sure."
The young hare started to drone out his friends' voices. He could see them all laughing or pretending to reenact the fight, waving their paws around as though they were still holding their swords. Tike would look at them and force out a laugh, or grin cheekily whenever his mates slapped him on the back for doing such a good job. And then Tike would flare his nostrils and smell the dead beasts again. He'd hear the flies buzzing near his face or behind his body. He'd see the blood on his clothes and fur. Tike stuffed another part of his dead bird into his mouth and chewed very slowly. He looked at the fire, watching as it burned and crackled. He observed the hares chewing on the flesh and bread, drinking the cold cordial or beer nonchalantly. Tike swallowed. And then he almost gagged, feeling the meat as it was caught in his esophagus. He stared at the ferret he stabbed to death earlier. Everytime he blinked, all he saw was the surprised expression on the beast's face before he fell. The young hare ran a paw between his ears and started to stand up.
"I'll-I'll be back shortly. Gotta take a piss," he abruptly said.
"Don't take too long!" Grenny shouted with his mouth full. "This bird might be gone by the time you get back, wot!"
Tike didn't care. He quickly walked away from the campfire, heading out into the woods where nobeast else could see him. He stood in front of a tree and started to breathe heavily, his heart pounding, his face moist with sweat. And then the hare leaned forward and violently emptied his stomach all over the ground. Tike coughed and moaned; the chunky bile was sprayed all over the soil and grass. Tike shuddered and placed his paws on his knees, trying to pull himself together. But he blinked again and saw the ferret's face. The beast retched twice before he finally started to vomit again, emitting a horrible gurgling noise as his sloppy fluids and half-digested food splattered on the ground. By the time the beast finished, he sat on the ground hard with his back pressed against the tree. Tike continued to shake and pant, whimpering as his eyes watered and he felt some of the bile dripping from his lip. The hare's arm shook as he tried to wipe his mouth clean. He kept telling himself to stop blinking--he was tired of seeing the ferret's disgusting, one-eyed face and the surprised expression in his eye seconds before his death.
Tike listened to his friends in the distance, their voices faint. He couldn't go back, not now, not when he was like this. He needed some time to himself--some time to try and forget. That was all he needed--he knew it'd get better if he told himself to forget. He just had to ignore the blood on his clothes, that gaze the ferret gave him, the way those dead beasts smelled. Surely it couldn't be too difficult. That's what he told himself, over and over again.
Tike slowly approached the wounded ferret, glancing around his body to try and find his wounds. Honward, however, stood in front of the beast, still gripping his sabre tightly as if he was expecting something to go wrong. The ferret grunted as he coughed and fell to his knees, clearly in a lot of pain. Honward slowly walked around the vermin's body, looking closely at his pockets and waistsash.
"Wot is it? Did the Red Sand tribe do this to you?" Tike asked.
"Wa...water..."
Honward stood in front of the ferret and scowled. The beast looked up at him with large, hopeful eyes.
"Wa--"
Hon swiped his sabre at the creature's throat, the metal cutting through his flesh and sending blood onto the ground. Tike backed away and watched as the creature collapsed and a small pool of blood began to emerge.
"Fer fuck's sake, Hon!"
Honward huffed and walked over to the corpse, bending down and searching his pockets. "He had a dagger on him. You can barely see it beneath all his clothing, but it's there."
The hare removed the weapon from the creature's pocket and held it up. Tike scoffed and smacked the dagger away.
"I know it was there--I saw it too! Guy's alone and wandering 'round near the swamps. He'd be an idiot if he didn't have some weapon on him, wot!"
"So you don't think he was some scout who planned on ambushing us?"
"No! Even if he was, you didn't have to kill 'im! We're supposed to capture one of these vermin alive so we can question 'em, remember?"
Honward shrugged. "We'll find another one."
Corporal Bonson pinched the bridge of his muzzle and shut his eyes. "So wot now? There ain't nothin' else out here an' we've yet to find any other beast."
"We head back. The runners an' gallopers can scout ahead and check out the marshes later."
"Fine."
Tike and Honward left the body on the ground and turned away, trudging through the muddy terrain as they headed back to camp. As they started to walk away, Honward blinked and began to slow down, hearing strange noises in the trees.
"Hold up. ...You hear that?"
"It's prob'ly just the thunder, Hon. Keep moving."
Tike continued to walk through the mud, but Hon's ears twitched again when he heard the same eerie noise.
"Getcha..."
Honward looked up in the trees; he could've sworn he heard faint laughter somewhere up above. But when he looked in the branches, he saw nothing. A short gust of wind blew against the leaves and branches. Hon managed to hear faint thundering in the distance. And then everything went deathly quiet. The hare spun around and looked up in the trees one more time before he sighed and followed Tike back to camp.
The rain hit hard only a few hours later. Tike found himself secluded from the rest of the hares, except for Honward. Both of them were underneath a gray tarp, listening as the rain poured down and made the ground even more sodden. Tike was sitting up against one of the trees, staring blankly out in the distance at the water coming down. His friend was lying on his side, snoring noisily as he slept through the downpour. The young corporal glanced at his friend's back and his clothing before staring out into the woods again. He could hear a few other beasts in the distance; Morson was arguing with another individual; some hares were complaining about how cold and damp the weather was now; somebeast was actually glad about the downpour and using the rain to wash off his clothes. Corporal Bonson saw a flash, and his ears twitched as more thunder rumbled in the distance. Tike sighed heavily and started to relax himself. He figured he may as well try to sleep now too; everybeast had calmed down and there were no other vermin nearby. So Tike gradually began to shut his eyes, and he let himself drift off into the dream world.
Until he heard Honward whimpering and snorting. Tike's eyes shot open and he looked at Honward as he twitched violently in his sleep. The sergeant started to cry out, curling his body up into a ball. Tike crawled over to him and grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey, buddy--"
Honward screamed and lashed out. Tike grabbed the sergeant and began to shake him, hoping he'd wake up soon.
"Hon--HON! Calm down--it's just another nightmare!"
Honward kept screaming and lashing his paws forward, clawing at the air and thrashing his legs around. Suddenly, the beast opened his eyes and gasped loudly. The sergeant sat up and started to pant, his eyes watery and his face glistening with sweat. Tike let go of Honward and sat down, listening to Hon as he panted and whimpered. Hon slowly turned and faced Tike, his eyes still watery. Honward sobbed and wiped his eyes dry before he sniffled.
"It happened again, didn't it?"
Honward didn't face Tike. He nodded his head slowly before he sniffled again, still trying to recover.
"It won't...you know it's just a nightmare. It won't--"
"Yes, it will," Honward said quietly.
Tike scooted around beneath the tarp and sat down in front of the sergeant. Honward slowly turned his head away and looked down at the muddy earth. Tike lowered his ears and frowned.
"Why don't you ever tell me about 'em? Jus' talk to me, Hon. Don't you remember when we were leverets? We'd always--"
"We're not leverets anymore, Tike. This...this is different."
"How?"
Hon answered with a grunt. He still wasn't looking at his friend; he couldn't. The sergeant breathed heavily, trying to ignore his nightmare, his tenacious friend who was always trying to delve into his mind. Honward slowly turned towards Tike and noticed that he still hadn't moved. The hares stared at each other, listening to the wind blowing and the rain splattering everywhere. A brief flicker of light brightened the area, only for it to suddenly go away. Honward waited for the cacophonous thunder to subside before he swallowed and finally opened his mouth.
"Th...they're loud, Tike...they're always loud..."
Honward exhaled and shook his head. "It's always the same...every-everytime, I'm just there. Then the gates open. They all...they come for me. And no matter how hard I run, they always catch me. No matter how hard I struggle...they always pull me in. And then the gates slam and..."
Tike blinked. "And wot?"
Honward stared at Tike, but he didn't open his mouth. He tried to think of a way to explain his nightmare further. But he couldn't. The mere images and noises he heard from his dream terrified the beast. Honward took a few soft breaths before he sobbed and began to shake. He couldn't help himself. A teardrop ran down his right cheek, and the hare started to grasp his head.
"I can't sleep, Tike," Hon sobbed. "I'm...every night I fear I'll have the same dream again. This-this always happens! I'm doin' fine, I think I'm past it. An' suddenly, one night, it happens again! An' there's always more an' more of 'em, every time! It keeps getting worse--I see more, I run slower, their grip is always..."
Honward released a few more tears as his body shook. "It's gonna happen, Tike...I know it is; it's gonna happen very soon. One night...I'm...I'm gonna go to sleep. I'm not gonna be able to run away. There's gonna be too many of 'em...an' I'll be stuck in there forever..."
Tike was just as teary-eyed as his friend was. He couldn't help but reach forward and embrace the hare, the same way he did just a few days ago. Honward shut his eyes and started to cry, openly sobbing and sniffling, his nose running as more tears ran down his face.
"I'm scared, Tike," the sergeant blurted out. "They're all comin' for me and there's nothin' I can do to stop them."
Tike sniffled. "We...we'll be okay. Remember, buddy? That-that's wot you told me...that's wot I believe. We'll be fine if we stick together."
Tike shut his eyes and sobbed as he held Hon tighter, his grip almost crushing the hare. "But I'm not lettin' go. Y-you-you hear me? I can't let go of you, Hon. We promised each other we'd-we'd always stick together--"
"Tike--"
"--and we'd always protect one another. So that's wot we're gonna do, okay?" Tike shook his head. "We...we stick together always, right?"
Honward blinked a few times and flared his nostrils. "Always."
The hares didn't resume afterwards. They couldn't anymore. All they could do was hold each other and cry, hoping that Hon's nightmare didn't become a reality.
He had to talk to other hares. It was the only way he'd get better. Somebeast out there had to know what he was going through, had the right answers to help him solve his current dilemma. But with all the soldiers about, Honward wasn't sure who he should go to first. The sergeant moved around in the rain, letting the cold fluids wash through his clothing and rinse out his fur. He walked passed a few other hares who had no quarrels with being out in the sodden weather, cherishing the downpour with glee. But other beasts were busy using the opportunity to sleep or taking shelter beneath large tarps, waiting the storm out. Those who weren't were busy making sure they still had enough arrows, stones and throwing knives in case there was another ambush, or they were trying to keep their wounds stable. Hon already came across a few hares who were trying not to pick at their scabs or rub off the poultice Lieutenant Hollis put on their bodies. He also, disgustingly, stumbled across some soldiers still suffering from the trots. So the sergeant trotted through the wet, muddy terrain for a few more minutes before he came across Morson Langrove sitting beneath a tarp by himself, grunting as he smacked his head to try and push the water out his ears.
"Lieutenant?"
Morson looked in Honward's direction and snorted once he saw the sergeant leaning down about to walk beneath his tarp.
"Wotcha want, Sarn't?"
Hon shrugged. "Jus' wanted to talk for a moment is all."
Morson scoffed when Honward walked over to him and sat down. "You got nothin' better t'do?"
"No."
Honward pressed his fingers together and bit his lower lip, figuring the best way to deal with Morson was to come out and say what was on his mind.
"I had a nightmare recently. ...Not recently--it's happened many times before. It's always the same one, but each time I have it, it's always worse. I thought, y'know, since you've been havin' nightmares recently--"
"I ain't been havin' no fuckin' nightmares, wot!"
Honward huffed. "Right, your 'friend' is. Point is, I'm sure, after bein' in the Long Patrol fer so long, you must've had your share, right?"
Morson suddenly grinned as he stared at Honward. "Ohhhhhhhhh, now I get it! This is all jus' like one big story, right? This is the part of the story where one of the main characters tries to bond with the arsehole side character in hopes of becomin' his new buddy, right? This is the part of the story where the arsehole side character spills his guts an' you all find out his tragic backstory, right? An' then suddenly, he breaks down blubberin' like a babe, an' they hug each other, act like they've been mates fer life!"
Morson leaned forward. "Is that it? Is that wot yer expectin' me t'do?"
Honward curiously lifted an eyebrow and flicked his eyes ahead. "E-erm...no?"
"No, I'm not. So fuck off."
Honward decided it was best to avoid Morson for now, especially after the strange episode that just occurred. So he went for the next best beast: his very own Badger Lord. He found the valiant leader away from most of his army, standing out in the rain and letting the cold fluids splash against his fur and armor. Honward approached the beast slowly, still cautious after his recent breakdown back in Tearmann. He crept alongside the badger and stood beside him in the rain.
"M'lord?"
Urthquake blinked and turned his head, looking down at the hare with his expressionless face. His eyes were blue again and the giant beast seemed at peace. Honward relaxed himself and exhaled. Urthquake turned his head away and continued to stare ahead, his arms folded.
"Don't you wanna get outta the rain, sah?"
"Everybeast has been whining about how much I stink. This is my bath."
Honward chuckled. "Y'don't stink, sah! Yer just...very aromatic."
Urthquake looked down at Honward's smile and scowled. Honward turned away and awkwardly scratched his head.
"Okay, maybe you could bathe more often..."
"I'm assuming you didn't come here just to talk about my body odour."
"No. But I did wanna talk to you. Mind if we get out the rain first?"
Urthquake nodded, and the two beasts slowly walked over to the giant tarp Urthquake had hanging from the tree branches. Both beasts shook some of the water from their bodies once they got underneath the tarp and sat down.
"So what is it?"
Honward knew his Badger Lord was similar to Morson, so he went ahead and bluntly told Urthquake what was wrong.
"I've been havin' nightmares, sah. It's always the same one, an' it only happens once every couple seasons. But it's...everytime I have it, it's worse than before."
"Why's this so cumbersome now?"
Honward paused and swallowed hard. "I-I don't know wot'll happen if I have this nightmare again, sah. I...I might not wake up next time."
Urthquake rubbed his chin. "So what's this nightmare about?"
"I don't...long story short, I'm standin' in darkness. I look behind me an' this menacing gate opens. A bunch of beasts come out, drag me in, and then the gate shuts."
The Badger Lord blinked. "That's it?"
"You'd be surprised wot they do to me after that gate closes..."
Urthquake shrugged. "Well, I don't need to ask what gate it is you're running from. But maybe that's your problem. You need to stop running, Sergeant. Face it head on; that's why those beasts keep chasing after you. You're giving them a reason to. If you stop running, then all those beasts will get bored, find somebeast else to bother."
Honward shook his head. "I've tried that, sah. Several times. I told Tike right after that Tearmann incident somethin' similar. Everytime I think I'm fine, I have the nightmare again. And it's always the same--the only difference is that there's more beasts after me, and I have less time t'run."
Urthquake sighed heavily. "Not sure what else to tell you then. Truth is I'm still struggling with some of my own nightmares."
Honward's ears perked. "You've been having nightmares too?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me about 'em?"
"Yes."
Honward and Urthquake suddenly sat in silence. The thundering had finally stopped and the rain was beginning to let up. But both beasts didn't say a word. They stared at each other for many seconds, breathing heavily and blinking from time to time. Honward scratched his head and spoke again.
"Um, m'lord?"
"Hmm?"
"You said you were gonna tell me about your nightmares."
"No, I didn't. I told you I can tell you. But I'm not going to."
"Why not?"
Urthquake went silent again. He turned away from Honward and gazed out at the rain and muddy ground again. Honward stared at the beast, trying to study his movements, the way he looked, how often he blinked. The badger lifted his right paw and bit on the tip of his thumb, almost as if he was forcing himself to keep quiet. He lowered his paw and exhaled slowly, flaring his nostrils. And then Urthquake growled in his throat.
"I still hear them, y'know. Everybeast who died. Everybeast I failed to save. I...I don't have common nightmares anymore, Hon. What I have...when I sleep, I see everything burning. I see beasts being slain for no reason at all. You wanna know what else I see?"
Urthquake started to grin. "I see myself carrying my axe and broadsword. I see vermin blood, organs, and limbs flying in the air. I can almost smell them as they shit themselves, cowering in fear from me before I crush their skulls. My dreams never finish, Hon. They always end in the middle of a battle. I always wake up, and I realize that this, what we're doing, the lives we're all living right now--this is the nightmare. But...but I'll wake up soon, Honward. I'll wake up...everything will be perfect again."
Honward blinked and looked down, realizing that he wasn't the only beast suffering from his current lifestyle. He was about to open his mouth to say something when the badger suddenly looked at him and snarled.
"Who sent you here?"
"I...wot?"
"We've never talked about this sorta thing for a very, very long time. Now, all of a sudden, after that incident in Tearmann, you wanna open up to me? This is all some trick, ain't it? All this nonsense about your nightmares is just a pile of shit comin' out your mouth, isn't it?"
"No! I'm-I'm serious, sah! I just--I thought you might be able t'help me!"
Urthquake leaned so close to Hon's face that he could feel his hot breath on his nose. Honward panted and slowly began to back away. Urthquake snorted and lowered his voice to a guttural growl.
"Oh. So this is all just a coincidence, hmm? Is that what I should believe?"
"Yes! Wh-why--"
"You're spying on me, aren't you? You want me to open up about myself so you can turn it against me, use it to my disadvantage, make me lose my mind."
"NO! Wot's wrong with you, sah?! I just--"
Urthquake reached over and placed a heavy paw in-between the hare's ears. Honward swallowed hard and his eyes grew wide. A sinister grin appeared on the badger's face.
"Do you think I'm insane, Hon?"
"N-no, sah."
Urthquake tightened his grip. "Are you spying on me?"
"No."
Urthquake tightened his grip again. "Are you spying on me?"
"No!"
Urthquake tightened his grip so hard that Honward shouted. The badger pressed his muzzle against the hare's face and growled.
"Are you spying on me?"
"NO!"
Urthquake was still grinning, watching as the hare began to panic and tried to pry the badger's massive paw away. The Badger Lord chuckled quietly and loosened his grip. Honward started to pant, flicking his eyes around as he tried to control his heartbeat. Suddenly, the badger rubbed Hon's head slowly, scratching in-between the beast's ears as gently as possible.
"Just point me in the right direction, Sergeant. Tell me who's responsible, who wants to spy on me so badly. You won't be punished if you're just the messenger, I swear."
"I'm tellin' you the truth, sah. Th-there's nobeast spyin' on you; I just...I just wanted to talk to you, that's all!"
Urthquake removed his paw. He lowered his arm and continued to stare at the long-eared beast, watching as his breathing began to slow down and the hare stopped panicking. Honward huffed twice before he wiped some of the sweat off his forehead. Urthquake leaned close towards Hon and flared his nostrils. The sergeant blinked and looked at the badger with a strange glare while Urthquake continued to sniff the hare with his wide nose. The blue-striped beast moved backwards and growled, still grinning at Hon.
"You can go now."
Honward didn't say anything. He quickly got on his footpaws and panted as he started to run away from Urthquake. Urthquake stared at Hon as he ran, hoping he'd lead him back to the hare who told him to spy on him. But Honward disappeared from his sight, and Urthquake was left by himself beneath the tarp.
He had his back turned. It was right there, not wet, not stale, perfect for eating. A large piece of bannock already cut into several wedges. Surely the medic wouldn't mind; he was only going to take one, or two. Or five. Becker blinked as he slyly crept beneath the tarp and reached forward, wiggling his fingers as he prepared to grab a wedge. And then the captain yelped when Lieutenant Hollis jerked his body around and stabbed at the bannock with a dagger, nearly cutting the chubby hare's paw. Becker blinked and looked at how close the dagger was to his fingers while Hollis glared at Becker angrily.
"Were you tryin' t'steal my snack?"
"No," said Becker meekly.
"Then wot were you doin'? Checkin' to see if it was still warm?"
"Err, yes! That's exactly it, Lieutenant! With all this rain and chilly gusts, I wanted to make sure you didn't try to bite into a cold, soggy lump of bread, wot!"
Becker stood straight up and frowned as he pointed at the lieutenant. "Shame on you, Stink Mouth! Tryin' to take off my bloody paw when all I'm tryin' t'do is help you out!"
"Becker, I'm in no mood fer yore bollocks today. Jus' say you were tryin' to swipe my vittles and make this simple for the both of us."
"Hmph! I say then, that's the last time I bother tryin' to help somebeast--"
Both of them shouted after the loud crash. The body tore right through the tarp, ripping the fabric noisily before collapsing on top of the container the bannock was resting on. Hollis found himself trapped beneath the collapsed tarp, grunting and swearing as he started to rip through it to try and dig his way out. Becker was about to help the lieutenant out when he heard the beast who fell suddenly mumble. The chubby hare looked up into the trees and blinked before looking down at the body. Becker reached down and started to help the beast up, only to realize at the last second he was assisting a weasel.
"Wot the fuck?!"
Becker shouted when the weasel got to her footpaws and lashed at him, slicing at his paw. Her leg broken, the weasel panted as she slowly began to limp away, wincing and swearing as she felt the bone breaking against her skin.
"Stop her!" shouted Hollis.
The hares in the immediate area all took notice of the weasel and surrounded her. The weasel took out two throwing knives and grunted as she clumsily threw them at a few hares pursuing her. But with her busted leg and disorientation from the fall, she failed to hit any of her targets. The weasel huffed and turned back around, only to shout when somebeast punched her to the ground. The weasel shut her eyes and held her muzzle, feeling blood running down her nostrils. She started to open her eyes slowly once she felt booming tremors in the ground. It wasn't long before Urthquake the Tough was standing behind her, reaching down to grab her by the head. The weasel yelped after being hauled off her footpaws; Urthquake growled as he brought her up to his eye level and stared at her.
"Another scout, huh? You part of the Red Sand tribe too?"
The weasel started to breathe heavily, still trying to fight off all her wounds. But she didn't answer the badger, despite how irascible Urthquake was becoming. Urthquake snorted as he started to squeeze harder.
"I won't ask again. Are you part of the Red Sand tribe?!"
The weasel blinked. She kept her mouth shut. Urthquake shook his head and slammed her body on the ground, causing her to scream when the broken bone in her left leg moved and pressed against the skin again. The badger snarled as he started to reach for his broadsword.
"WAIT!"
Urthquake had just grabbed the hilt when he saw Major Fenson sprinting towards the weasel, waving his paws at his Badger Lord and shaking his head.
"D'you forget our plan already? I said we're gonna capture one of 'em and vet them, wot!"
"It's pointless, Fenson. She just broke her leg and she's not even begging us to try and patch it up. You really think she's gonna expose her leader if we agree to let her live?"
"This is our only chance to find the Red Sand tribe an' you know it! If we kill her now, we're gonna be playin' the Waiting Game all over again 'til somebeast else comes by!"
Urthquake stared at Major Fenson's scowl before flicking his eyes over at the weasel and her broken leg. The badger was about to pull out his broadsword when he shut his eyes and started to think for a moment. The major and a few other hares watched as the badger pondered to himself, gradually loosening his grip on his weapon. Urthquake opened his eyes and let go, huffing as he looked down at the weasel.
"Tie her up. I want hares watching her at all times. You don't turn your backs on her; you don't give her anything unless I approve of it; you don't listen to a word she says unless it's about the Red Sand tribe! She's got three days. She doesn't say anything by then, we kill her."
Major Fenson nodded. "Fair enough. Blitzfur! Jadden! Get some rope an' secure the prisoner!"
The young runner and the lieutenant clad in his colorful purple coat with medals pinned to it rushed by carrying rope in their paws. They grabbed the weasel and stood her up, roughly dragging her along the ground, ignoring her everytime she winced or shouted when she tried to stand on her busted leg. Urthquake observed the weasel as the two hares dragged her away. His mood suddenly changed from irritation to gleeful anticipation, and a dark grin began to appear on his face.
There were so many ways the badger could extract information from the weasel...
The farm was beautiful. A well-crafted windmill was set north of the main houses, the white and red sails slowly spinning each day. Several houses were all made with thick stone and bricks, the walls sturdy, the flooring composed of tough wood. The roofs were tall and spacious, giving each house plenty of room for the beasts to design two floors in most homes. Several rows of healthy soil were located beyond a fence, with hundreds of vegetables sprouting from the ground. Lettuce, fresh greens, radishes, carrots, and different forms of onions all grew from the brown, well-kept fields. An orchard was located beyond one of the main houses; there were so many berry bushes beside the cherry tree that one couldn't walk within a few yards of it without smelling the sweet fruits. An orange grove was located beside the field of plants, the aromatic fruit visible for all to see. Another building beside the fields was under construction--it was a simple building, a mere area for the workers to go relax when they were on break, or to seek shelter from the sun once summer came. Various carts were placed near the fields and orchards as well, all of them pulled by the bulkier, stronger beasts on the farm. The whole place was a perfect foundation for anybeast to peacefully live on.
Krassak Ralfur and his army changed all that. What was once a series of sturdy houses were now various piles of wood, mortar, bricks and stone all scattered on the ground. What used to be a windmill was now mostly ash after Krassak personally set the windmill on fire, the flames only extinguished once it began to rain. The carts had all been broken, bashed apart by the monitors' thick tails. The orchard had been ransacked, all the fruit greedily snatched from the trees and bushes. The giant field used to grow crops was forever tainted, as Krassak and his army used the field as their chamber pot, turning the once fresh soil into a fetid cesspool that attracted bacteria and flies. Nobeast was spared--not the workers who defended themselves with their tools, not the hedgehogs who tried to run away, not even the babes who tried to hide in the ditches or within the cellars. Males and females alike were raped or tortured before the lizards slew them, and the lizards all hungrily tore their flesh apart with their teeth before leaving the scraps for the crows. There was nothing left now except for Krassak and his reptilian beasts.
The rain had stopped. It was almost dark outside. Krassak and Ulwort sat together, staring at the pan they had sitting over the fire. The green lizard grinned as he turned and looked at the two mousemaids whose bodies lay on the ground, the upper half of their heads gone, their brains scooped cleanly out of their skulls. Then Krassak looked at the chopped chunks of flesh sizzling in the pan along with bits of mushrooms and green onions. Ulwort, unable to control himself, stuck his paw right into the pan, grabbing a few brain chunks and some mushrooms. He quickly tossed the hot food into his maw and chewed noisily, mumbling as the juices began to flow around his mouth.
"Iz it finished?" asked Krassak.
Ulwort nodded quickly, still chewing on the meat. Krassak removed the pan from the fire and set it down beside him, waiting for it to cool off. As the monitor waited, he turned around and spotted the heavy orange and black reptile walking towards him shaking his head.
"No ztinky ratz, Mighty One! Lookz like 'e choze not to come!" said Gila.
Krassak shrugged. "Oh well. I'm sure you'll run into him again zoon."
Krassak stuck his paw into the pan and pulled out some green onions and three globs of chopped brains. He shoveled the flavorful meat into his maw and started to chew with his mouth open and drool running down his mandible.
"Now zit down an' eat, Gila! We can't let thiz preciouz food go to wazte!"
Gila grinned and did as he was told. The heavyset lizard sat down beside his leader, shortly before he and Ulwort grabbed more flesh. The three beasts all sat together munching on mouse brains, mushrooms and green onions, all while drooling and staring at the destruction they caused.