Red Badge Of Courage
an Aaaah! Real Monsters Fanfic
by Save Fearow
Author's Note: I'm confident Ickis has more in common with Slickis than he realizes. Both loomers like attention and are quick to brag about minor events. Ickis donned a cape and considered himself ready to go pro simply because a human chiseled his likeness into a statue. Slickis would talk your ear off about the Bermuda Triangle, and contently roll Gorblats all day if you let him. But when it comes to a serious act of bravery they brush it off like it was nothing. Ickis is remarkably nonchalant after he rescues Krumm from drowning, or saves all of monsterdom from disappearing, or retrieves Oblina's brain, etc. Slickis saved his son from an armored tank but chose not to show that on the Viewfinder. So while humble pie may not be their favorite dessert- although I'm sure it's very filling- they've demonstrated a willingness to suffer for the sake of somebody else.
Slickis was doing pull-ups with his right paw as he held the Monster Manual in his left, perusing the latest chapter. There was a time when he wouldn't have bothered with either activity but Squelia was always telling everyone how squishy and capable he was, and Slickis was determined not to make a liar out of her. Besides, he knew he could only take advantage of this kind of solitude for so long, he could hear his roommate Horvak racing down the hall towards the dorm. Slickis judged that he had enough time for 10 more repetitions, and then he would help Horvak get out of whatever trouble the monster had landed in that evening. Maybe they would have to do damage control somewhere near the Gorblat Lanes, Slickis wouldn't mind squeezing in a few frames before curfew.
"Slick, oh jeez Slick, you gotta help me!" Horvak pleaded as he entered the dorm.
Slickis did a back flip off the pull-up bar and landed smoothly in front of his friend. "Sure, Horvak. Whatever you need." Slickis offered, setting aside the Monster Manual.
"I need an eye! I lost mine somewhere, you gotta retrieve it!" exclaimed Horvak.
Slickis stared at him in disbelief. Horvak really was only holding onto one eye. "Um, are you positive you didn't swallow it?" Slickis asked.
Horvak huffed. "I thought the slurry was a little lumpy that day." he acknowledged. "No, it's gone. I only set it down fer a moment while out scaring..."
"Wouldn't it be better to keep your eyes where you can reach them at all times?" Slickis questioned.
"You don't unnerstand what a burden they can be. When have you ever carried somethin' all day?" Horvak wondered.
"I carried Yaggoroth back to the Academy when he got his tongue stuck to that pole." remembered Slickis.
Horvak laughed. "What a moron!" he exclaimed. "Bet those 3 days were the quietest he'd ever been since bonstyhood!"
Slickis frowned. "Squelia thought her brother was able to talk a day earlier than that, jus' that he was too embarrassed to do so." Slickis insisted. "Yaggoroth is very... impulsive. I wouldn't call him a moron, exactly."
"Idjit. Bozo. Fool." Horvak offered. "Don't matter whatcha call him, that monster's a complete and utter fluff-head."
"I'd still help him if he was in danger. Squelia's fond of him, and Yaggoroth isn't THAT terrible a friend." Slickis professed.
"Yaggoroth ain't that great, either. He told me flunking out means the same thing as failing, can you believe that?!" complained Horvak.
"Yes." Slickis replied. "Now tell me more about where you lost your eye, Horvak. We need to start looking for it right away!"
"It's round hereabouts, I reckon." Horvak claimed.
Slickis sighed. "It can't be here in the Academy, you said you lost it on a scare." Slickis prompted.
"Hereabouts on a scare. In the park somewhere I s'pose." Horvak added.
"Which park? Battery Park? Madison Square? Central Park?" Slickis inquired.
"Naw, smaller'n than that. Hamilton I think." Horvak declared.
"Hamilton Square. 5th Ave and East Sixty-Fifth. You're absolutely positive that's where we should look?" Slickis confirmed.
"A-yuh. That must be the place." Horvak concurred.
"Alright. I know which pipes to take." asserted Slickis.
"Can we stop for dinner first?" Horvak asked.
"I have a petrified katydid. You find one encased in amber, then you slowly thaw it, then you freeze it again..." Slickis began.
Horvak rummaged through Slickis' belongings. "Found it!" announced Horvak, right before he swallowed the bug.
"...then you eat it." Slickis acknowledged forlornly. "Mom sent that, along with a locust loaf."
"Found that too!" Horvak declared, happily munching away.
"Why save anything for later? Maybe I'll jus' eat out tonight." Slickis decided. "There's always -some- garbage in the park."
Slickis and Horvak crawled through the pipes, then surfaced at the edge of the square. "It's only 4 blocks, but we can cover more ground if we split up." Slickis suggested.
"We're already split up. If we were one monster, we'd be Slorvak." Horvak replied.
Slickis shuddered. "Some thoughts are -too- horrid to contemplate." he acknowledged.
"Why'd you shake like that? Are you feeling ill? If you ain't in class tomorrow, can I have yer toenails, buy somethin' extra from the cafeteria?" Horvak asked.
"Something extra for me, right?" Slickis asked.
"Heck no! If yer ill, why would you et nothing?" Horvak wondered.
"On the rare occasion when I'm not hungry, I jus' sleep until food tastes good again." Slickis commented.
"That's like some hib'rinating critter. I bet I could poke you and you wouldn't wake up none." Horvak theorized.
"Uh huh. And why would that encourage me to give you ALL my toenails?" Slickis inquired.
"Dunno, but it sounded fun!" admitted Horvak.
"I guess I'll be drinking pond scum every morning from now on, and maybe chewing some aluminum for the mineral content." Slickis detailed. "I might scrounge up another blanket too."
"Git yer Ma to send you another care package and hide it in the extra blanket. Not too far down this time, I don't wanna have to look for it." Horvak insisted.
"I don't -want- to have to look for YOUR eye, but here I am!" Slickis reminded him.
"You ain't found it -yet-. I thought you'd do a better job, Mr. Hide-And-Seeker." Horvak pointed out.
"What a good idea! I'd forgotten you -have- those periodically!" Slickis declared. His fur flashed and took on the mixed hues of the park, green lower body shading to a twilight blue torso.
"C'mon Slick! Where in tarnation did you get to? Camoflauge is really a cheap trick!" Horvak whined.
"You do what you gotta do." Slickis opined. He was NOT about to revert from his stealthier coloration any sooner than he had to. "I'll check the left half of the park, Horvak. We'll meet back here in 15 minutes, no later." planned Slickis.
"That's too long!" Horvak protested. "I ain't waiting more'n a quarter hour!"
Slickis scanned the entire park but didn't see ANY signs of Horvak's missing eye. He did at least find several abandoned newspapers and roughage was always a good idea. There were a few bottles with the cork still attached so Slickis deftly plucked those to snack on as well. He would have preferred some of the new bottlecaps that were being manufactured, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and it was better than watching Horvak devour all the nice insect-based treats.
Horvak was also having similar difficulties in locating the eye. In fact the more he looked around this park, the less certain he was that he'd been there recently... which meant he was going to have to explain that to Slickis. As long as his roommate didn't start elongating those fangs, Horvak didn't think he'd have any problems there.
"Hey Slick. You still hiding on me?" Horvak asked as he poked his head under a bush. A startled skunk let out a blast of spray in Horvak's face. "Not bad. Not what I was aiming fer, but not bad." Horvak announced. He wandered back over to the park entrance and waited for Slickis.
"Hullo Horvak." Slickis strode towards him, deactivating the camoflauge as he walked.
"Yaaah! Don't DO that!" Horvak scolded, dropping his remaining eye in the process.
Slickis picked up the eye and casually tossed it back to Horvak. "Sorry. I'm also sorry I didn't find your eye out there." Slickis admitted.
"Yeah, 'bout that... I'm thinking I mighta been in the OTHER Hamilton." Horvak revealed.
Slickis' jaw dropped. "The one across Blackwell's Island, past the human penitentiary AND their insane asylum, below Astoria, part of Raven's Wood?!" Slickis wondered.
"A-yuh. That's the place!" Horvak proclaimed.
Slickis sighed. "I guess I'll carry the wooden crate down to the river, and I'll paddle us there." he suggested. "Would have been easier if we hadn't lost so much daylight."
"Trip weren't a complete bust." Horvak noted. "I got sprayed by that skunk. You should look fer one too."
Slickis shrugged. "I'm satisfied with my own pheromones. Actually, my scent -has- changed somewhat since I started the Academy. Used to be a sort of vague, undefined longing was the predominant factor, now there's an undercurrent of success and tenacity!" Slickis announced.
"You can't smell emotions." Horvak argued.
"I smell a skeptic!" Slickis declared. "You're also bored, hungry, and you're slighty annoyed that we haven't found the eye yet, but you're REALLY irked that you can't think of a way to blame someone else for your troubles."
"Lucky guess." Horvak grumbled.
"Now we need to be careful crossing here. I don't really look forward to the idea of diving in after you and possibly having to dive a second time should you drop that eye over the edge. In fact, give me the eye -now-, I'll hold it in one claw and paddle with the other." Slickis instructed.
"What makes you think I can't keep track of it none?" Horvak questioned.
"Because you have already lost an eye this evening." answered Slickis. "Also, everyone calls you 'Fumbles' during Academy sporting events for a REASON."
"Is it the same reason we're always told to 'win just one for the Gromble?'" Horvak theorized.
"No, that's the reason he benches you." Slickis explained. "Get in the crate Horvak and try to behave yourself."
Horvak and Slickis climbed inside. Within moments Horvak was shaking the make-shift boat and chanting. "Rock the boat!" hollered Horvak.
"Don't rock the boat Horvak." Slickis cautioned.
"Rock the boat!" Horvak repeated.
"Don't tip the boat over." Slickis begged.
"Hey whaddya think would happen if I-" Horvak leaned over to the side.
Slickis loomed very slightly to counter-balance the shift in weight and smacked Horvak firmly with his free claw. "Don't make me do that again." he warned.
"Yeesh. You get a real temper there Slick. You oughtta calm down some." Horvak persisted.
"I'm about as calm as the waters are." Slickis responded.
Horvak's eye glanced around. "They look a little choppy to me." he opined.
"Imagine that." Slickis muttered.
"99 buckets of mold in the barn, 99 buckets of mold. You collect one, and sell to a chum, there's fewer buckets of mold in the barn!" Horvak wailed.
Slickis paused mid-stroke. He set the eye down very gingerly, then proceeded to knot his ears together. "There might be a method to the military's madness." Slickis decided before picking up the eye again.
"Fewer buckets of mold in the barn!" Horvak continued, undaunted.
They disembarked in the eerie Raven's Wood. "Nice place." Slickis commented. He gave the eye back to Horvak once they were safely ashore and untied the knotted ears. "That's actually quite painful. I don't know how Dad does that every day. Sure hope my ears don't get hurt again tonight." Slickis remarked, rubbing the tips tenderly.
"I know this great tune that will take your mind off your troubles." Horvak volunteered.
"Do you know when to keep quiet?" Slickis asked.
"No, but if you hum a few bars, I'll fake it." Horvak offered.
"I've heard -real- music. Not wailing, not howling, real music. There's this monster I know who thinks humans are TRULY on to something..." Slickis began.
"What a loon. You been hanging out with some weirdos, Slickis." Horvak judged.
"Je serais très fâché si vous insultiez ma mère encore. Please just drop it." Slickis insisted.
Horvak obediently let the eye roll to the ground. "Okay, but I thought you didn't like that." Horvak muttered.
"You'd be surprised what things I don't like." Slickis predicted. "Fortunately for you, I've gotten used to -most- of them. Here's your eye, Horvak." Slickis once again returned an eye to Horvak.
"There's mud in it." Horvak stated.
Slickis huffed. "Give it a little spit-shine then. Honestly, I think you have bigger problems than that." Slickis replied.
"Yeah, but I still consider you a friend." Horvak acknowledged.
"I swear, the Gromble was laughing waaay too long and loud when he assigned -us- as roommates." recalled Slickis.
"I reckon he figgered we'd git along fine on account'a we both like eating." Horvak professed.
"I do enjoy that immensely. But y'know, I have found OTHER interests. There's Sewerball while Squelia watches, and Gorblats while Squelia watches, fishing while Squelia watches, I even took her wave-riding last summer, that was bliss!" Slickis remembered.
"Mm-hmm. You do anythin' without Squelia watching?" inquired Horvak.
"Sleep. But only because the Gromble discourages rooming with your squish. Although... I've been thinking, maybe I should find Squelia a brass fastener sometime soon? Would it be rushing things if I didn't wait till -after- the Academy? She's my steady girl, but maybe she doesn't WANT to go any further yet... or maybe she's jus' waiting for ME to make the next move. What do you think, Horvak?" Slickis wondered.
"I think you spend too much time with her already." Horvak answered.
"There aren't enough hours in the day for that to happen!" Slickis asserted. "We could spend a lifetime together and part of me would still wish for more!"
"What part's that? The crazy obsessive part?" Horvak joked.
"I think it's the part where I say 'g'bye Horvak.'" Slickis decided.
"That part sounds like a quitter." Horvak complained. "More like First Year Slickis who never done nothing worthwhile."
"First Year Slickis befriended you." Slickis countered. "Which doesn't really invalidate your argument, but I thought it deserved a mention nonetheless."
"Fine, have it your way, Captain-Boss-Of-The-Universe. Just let me know when you find the eye." Horvak grumbled.
"Alright, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's been a long night." Slickis apologized. He scanned the surrounding environment and noticed something shiny and metallic glittering among the leaves. Horvak's eye rested in the center of the strange, gleaming object. "Hey! I think I spotted your eye! C'mon!" Slickis called out as he ran.
Horvak struggled to keep pace. "Where is it 'zactly? What's that strange thing around it?" Horvak wondered.
"Beats me. I never saw something like that before, all sharp and silver. I think it's best not to touch it." Slickis decided as he skidded to a stop.
"What did you say, Slick?" Horvak questioned. He slammed into Slickis, propelling the red monster forward.
Slickis landed within paw's reach of the eye. "Great, I got it!" Slickis announced. He scooped up the eye and turned his head towards Horvak, only to have the metal trap spring shut on his ear. "YEEOOOWWIEEE!" Slickis moaned.
"Is that from the 'keep quiet' song? I gotta admit, it don't live up to the name." declared Horvak.
Slickis couldn't help whimpering as they trudged back to the Academy. He'd broken the chain link securing that very painful trap but the metal teeth were still stubbornly affixed to his right ear. At least they'd manage to find a culvert near Hallett's Cove and could follow the drainage system back to the Academy, drastically shortening the return trip. Slickis didn't hold out much hope for them avoiding the Gromble however.
Horvak didn't seem to share these concerns. "The Gromble couldn't find his belt with both paws! He'd never even know we were missing!" Horvak proclaimed.
"Sometimes I think you're the missing link." the Gromble snarled. "Horvak! Slickis! What were you 2 troglodytes doing sneaking around after curfew behind MY back!"
"There's a lot of room behind your back, it's very wide so I figger 2 monsters can sneak behind it without much hassle." Horvak replied.
"Disrespectful dirt dweller, I'll have you polishing SHOES for that!" the Gromble roared.
Slickis winced. "Please stop yelling sir, it jus' exacerbates the pain." Slickis groaned.
"Oh, poor bonsty. As if I would stop because some stu- dear sludge, what did you DO to yourself?" exclaimed the Gromble.
Slickis staggered forward slightly. "I think I jus' lost enough blood to collapse at your feet." he declared. He fell over and fainted to the Gromble's astonishment.
The Gromble nudged him gently. "Master Slickis?" he questioned. "If you are unable to continue this -fascinating- survey into your UNEXPLAINED extra-curriculars, Master Horvak will take you to the infirmary." the Gromble instructed.
"Guess that's settled." Horvak breathed a sigh of relief as he began dragging Slickis inside.
"After that, Master Horvak will be interviewed on behalf of BOTH of you, and he will take whatever assigned punishments I deem necessary for both of your actions." the Gromble concluded.
Horvak dropped Slickis immediately. "Durnit, why I am always the one who suffers?" whined Horvak.
Slickis stirred and murmured something vaguely intelligible. To the Gromble's ears it sounded a bit like "Only a friend would suffer fools gladly."
Slickis sighed. Even with the bandages on, he could still see the notch in his right ear. His father, in typical oblivious fashion, only saw the potential for a war story from the wound.
"That's a badge'a courage." Brickis had proclaimed. "Any monster whut did his duty can hol' his head up wit' pride!"
"I don't feel proud." Slickis had confessed.
"Find yo'self a Shnookie, then. Girls admire brav'ry yessuh! Be sho' yuh tell the l'il mizzy -everythang- brave yuh ever done!" Brickis then suggested.
Malvara then rolled her eyes. "Girls admire -modesty-, too. Don't forget about THAT." she had chided.
"Har' to be humble when yuh got sooo much to brag about! Yuh earned yo' liberty, Slick. Make the mos' of it. At ease, soljuh!" Brickis had graciously dismissed his son from whatever imaginary duty he had originally conjured up for him (recon duty seemed to be the most common occupation.) Slickis strongly suspected that all those extended tours of duty had permanently loosened General Brickis' grasp on reality, but that really hadn't been the time to voice such concerns. Brickis then clapped Slickis on the back, hard enough to make his son's eyes water. At least that fresh pain had temporarily distracted Slickis from the throbbing of his ear.
Malvara squeezed her son's paw in passing. "He means well. Not all monsters do." Malvara had cautioned. "Vous êtes mon fils intelligent et rien ne peut jamais changer cela. Respect yourself above all else, and the others will follow suit. Any monster who doesn't is not someone you need concern yourself with. Be a good boy, Slickis. C'est tout que nous demanderions jamais de vous." she then whispered as she followed General Brickis out of the infirmary.
"Au revoir." Slickis had offered in farewell. He'd been sorry to see them go. The Gromble usually kept his students too busy to feel homesick, but every once in a while a monster was reminded of what awaited him outside of the Academy. Slickis really ought to do something special for his parents. Their anniversary was coming up at the end of April, maybe he'd give them an exceptionally wonderful present. The Manual claimed that it was tremendously difficult to create an entirely new scaring tactic, but it didn't seem -that- hard to Slickis. Mom liked vocalizations and Association of Monster Scaring Classifications couldn't possibly have categorized every potential vocal effect. Maybe Slickis could come up with something unique within those parameters, some deep and reverberating sound... Slickis' thoughts were interrupted by the footfalls of approaching classmates.
"Yaggy, stop pulling me!" Squelia moaned.
"Then start walking." Yaggoroth retorted. "You can't make a present for somebody and then -not- bring it to them!"
"I will, I will, I just don't want to hurry there! What if I drop it?" Squelia fretted.
"He'd eat it off the floor." Yaggoroth predicted.
Slickis drooled in anticipation. He could smell the slime pie already. Squelia had even sprinkled sawdust around the crust, not every chef was that innovative. He could tell that she'd also added slug slime to the usual sewage that comprised the filling, and while Slickis appreciated the added gooshiness that lent to the texture, he had read that slugs were a fairly common allergy for monsters. Sometime later he'd have to inform Squelia of that fact, Slickis was a firm believer that a quality recipe was one that could be enjoyed by everybody. Not that anyone ELSE was going to enjoy this pie, oh no. Slickis didn't care if he ate it off the plate or off the floor, if Squelia was going to make him a special dessert, then he was going to savor every single bite.
"Hey, I been injured too! I got a splinter in my toe. Where's MY pie?" Horvak demanded.
"I wouldn't give -you- a termite if you were turning into a tree." Squelia opined. "Well... maybe just one termite, to make sure you were alright. But that's all you'd get and no more!"
"Betcha I'm worth at least a dozen termites!" Horvak persisted.
"You're worth LESS." Yaggoroth joked. "Ya-ha! I'm not the one looking stupid today!" he exclaimed happily.
"Yaggy, the day's not over yet." Squelia cautioned. She knocked timidly on the infirmary door. "Mr. Slickis? Are you allowed visitors? We can come back later if you're not, but we were really hoping to see you now!"
Slickis bounded out of bed. "Can I let my friends in?" he asked Dr. Kott.
Dr. Kott shrugged. "You can let -yourself- out. I was only keeping you for observations, but that wound doesn't seem like it's going to re-open." Dr. Kott acknowledged.
"Sis, you're not knocking loud enough." Yaggoroth informed her. He banged on the door. "Yo, Big Loomer! Open up, we got places to go and people to scare!" Yaggoroth boomed.
Slickis flinched. "And monsters to deafen." he added under his breath.
"That rip doesn't seem to have affected your hearing any." Dr. Kott noted. "Go on, get out of here. This is a hospital, not a hang-out."
"Thank you sir. You've been very kind." Slickis proclaimed.
Dr. Kott eyed the student with some surprise. He couldn't remember the last time a patient had sincerely thanked him for his efforts. Dr. Kott wasn't entirely sure he remembered the procedure for dealing with such an unexpected situation. "Um.. you're welcome?" Dr. Kott replied hesitantly.
Slickis opened the door. "Hey guys." Slickis greeted them.
"Mr. Slickis! We missed you, are you alright? It doesn't hurt any, does it?" Squelia worried.
"I'm fine. And you can jus' call me Slickis, okay?" Slickis replied.
"Yes Mr. Slickis, just Slickis! ...That doesn't sound fancy enough. I think you deserve a more important sounding title!" Squelia proclaimed.
"But I'm not THAT important." Slickis insisted.
"You -are- to me!" Squelia chirped. "I- I brought you a pie. Yaggoroth almost knocked it over, and Horvak kept wanting to sample it, but I made it for YOU so I hope you like it!"
"I bet it's tasty." Slickis assured her. He snatched up the slime pie and swallowed it happily. "Thank you Squelia, that was delicious." Slickis pronounced. Squelia beamed.
"I wanted that pie." Horvak groused.
"Toldja he'd like it. Slick's still got an appetite so obviously there's no hole in his stomach, even if there's a big notch is his ea-yow!" Yaggoroth shrieked as Squelia stomped on his foot. "That HURT!" he whined.
"Good thing we're by the infirmary, then." Squelia quipped. "You're masterful, Mr. Slickis." she added.
"Can he master first aid?" Yaggoroth wondered, still rubbing his foot.
"I know some basic procedures." admitted Slickis. "That's jus' a bruise Yaggoroth, so it'll be fine after you put some ice on it."
"Great, now we have to come up with the ingredients fer ice!" Horvak groaned. The other monsters stared at him.
"Everybody who voted -me- Academy Fluff-head for the yearbook needs to re-cast their votes right NOW!" Yaggoroth finally responded.
Squelia twiddled her claws nervously. "I'm not sure I even filled out the ballot." she bluffed.
~~~The End.
EPILOGUE
From the infirmary bed, Ickis favored his father with a lopsided grin. "They only shtuck me in here cush my mouth wush bleeding." Ickis insisted.
"Be sure to drink lots of pond scum then. You've gotta keep hydrated whenever you suffer extensive blood loss." Slickis advised.
Ickis swallowed some of the liquid and frowned. "It'sh not gonna grow back cush it wushn't a bonshty fang." Ickis noted as he set the glass down. He stuck a claw between the gap then slid it back out sadly. "But they shay I'll shtop lishping shoon, when I'm accushtomed to it. ...I shound really shtupid now, don't I?" Ickis questioned.
"No, of course not. You sound like you jus' chewed through a metal cage to rescue your friends." Slickis clarified. "Anyone who thinks that's stupid is NOT worth listening to."
Ickis nodded. "Jush Zimbo then." Ickis stated.
"Zimbo's a jerk." Slickis opined. Ickis' eyes widened in shock. "What, I can't be judgmental now and again?" Slickis asked.
"Yesh! Judge him all you want, he'sh alwaysh a jerk!" Ickis announced.
"He comes by it honestly at any rate. -Neither- of Zimbo's parents were particularly kind-hearted monsters." Slickis recalled.
Ickis sighed. "It mush be nice, taking after shomebody." he realized.
"It is." Slickis agreed. He ruffled Ickis' fur. "That was a brave thing you did. I'm proud of you, Ickis." declared Slickis.
Ickis hugged him. "Thanksh Dad. When you shay thingsh like that, I really like being your shon." Ickis revealed.
"I like being your Dad. Isn't it great when these things work out?" Slickis inquired.
"The besh." Ickis agreed.
"That's m'boy." Slickis acknowledged. He wrapped his paws around Ickis protectively. Dr. Kott, who had been about to remind Slickis that visiting hours ended at 9 o'clock, took one look at the father and son sitting together and decided not to bother.
Author's Note: It's been hinted at before, but all the drabbles in the short story collection are canon to the main fanfics. Some of them (such as Ickis losing a fang in a valiant stand against Simon the Monster Hunter) have more long-reaching consequences than others. Incidentally, this makes Ickis at least the 3rd family member in consecutive generations to disfigure themself in some impressive manner. Remember, Ickis' relatives were often brave and self-sacrificing, individual monsters weren't always lucky. They'd still do it again in a heartbeat, no question. I know Slickis HAD to, Horvak's lost an eye on multiple excursions, and only once did that result in an eye being gone for good.