Pit Bull

Friday, September 6, 249

Author's Note: All must bow down to Tamora Pierce and her awesomeness. All of this belongs to her! Several weeks after Mastiff...

"Halt in the King's name!" I yelled chasing a cove down a side street in the cesspool. Achoo was chasing midway between the rat and me. He turned down a side alley wildey, he hadn't planned his escape. I pursued him running past people out on this Friday night. Some even whistled and cheered drunkenly as I raced past him. The alleyway went back only 20 feet before leading to a dead end. He was no where in sight, but Achoo was standing resting her paws on a building below a high open window. I heard a crash and a mot scream. I rushed after the sound taking my hand of my baton so I could grip the window edge.

"Achoo, Tingal," I said before climbing in the window. I didn't need to look back to see her hurt face. She hated when I chased a rat somewhere she couldn't follow. I dropped softly onto the floor. It was the back kitchen for the Inn. The cook maid's screamed surprised but quieted down when they saw my black Dog uniform.

Before I could ask where the rat went a young maid, about twelve, pointed out to the hallway "He ran out there and up the stairs!"

I nodded my thanks and pursued after him. It wasn't hard to tell where the scut was going. He was a loud rat running up the stairway. I peeked my head to see I was only a stairwell behind him and gaining. This Inn was one of the taller buildings on this block with five stories. We got to the final floor and he took off down the hallway to the window and climbed out of it.

I went to the windowsill and heard my partner shout "Beka!" from below. I knew this meant it was clear for me to poke my head and I looked down. I was happy to see Greengage standing next to Achoo. Guess she took the command for stay loosely.

This particular rat started this chase by disturbing sellers in the nightmarket. He had assaulted several mots and destroyed baskets of bakery goods by relieving himself on the poor coney's table. When Greengage had tried to subdue him the Rat slid out of his grip and somehow landed a knockout blow to Greengage's head with an Iron from the baker. I had left Greengage in the care of the Baker and set off after the cracknob.

I looked back down at my newest partner and he shouted and pointed "Roof," before entering the building below. I looked around for holds and figured the cove must have pulled himself up using the storm gutters along the roof. I was nervous to try pulling myself up in case he was waiting to attack. But if I didn't, he could get away. So I made the snap decision and climbed out on the window sill. I took a minute crouching in the frame before reaching up. Fortunately my 5 foot 8 inch frame was enough to take a hold.

After hoisting onto the roof and quickly looking up I let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't sprung a trap and wasn't gone off the other side to the inn He was pacing along the road side of the Inn's roof, his back turned to me. I put my hand on my baton and walked a few feet further away from the ledge.

"Time to give up there's no where to go!" I bellowed at the man. He did not turn around. He didn't even acknowledge my presence. I stepped tentatively closer and started to say " In the King's," but I was cut short by what he was saying.

The man was talking nonsense like a cracknob. Each way he paced it was like he was having an argument with himself.

"No, no, no, no I can't I won't." He muttered going one way.

"But it will feel so nice," he said smoother, happier.

"Back home back home," he pleaded.

"Being so close to the sun," he said even more maniacal, "so warm and free."

I was done with his nonsense, "Rat!" He turned around a saw me and smiled. There was something unsettling in his face. His expression was set as if it was fighting pure elation and a horrific realization. "Come away from the ledge and we can settle this without you getting hurt." I said evenly thinking he needed a softer approach. Sometimes with mad rats you had to protect them from themselves as much as from the public.

The battle on his face slowly ended and he had an eerie smile spread over his face. "I can feel the wind." He said spreading his arms out and backing to the edge. "I'm just like a bird." He wasn't going to come to me. He also was done running away I realized.

"Wait stop!" I shouted holding out my hand helplessly as the Rat closed his eyes and fell back off the roof. It was silent except the hum of the lower city.

I just stood there my breathless as I heard the dull thump on the street and a gixie scream. I walked over to the edge to check. His dirty blonde hair was stained by a large pool of blood surrounding his head. His body was sprawled awkwardly and lifeless on the dirt lane. I felt my breath come back to me when I saw he hadn't crushed any innocent bystanders. But there was a small crowd of people gathering around the body. Worrying about them robbing the body of any evidence of his identity I yelled "Achoo kemari." She came trotting from the inn and looked up worried. Then she saw the man we had been chasing and wagged her tail. "Achoo tingall, jaga." I said hoping a Provost Guard's scent hound would keep the pickpockets away.

I stepped away from the edge and turned around and saw Greengage. He had also crawled up on the roof.

His face was set in a grim expression. He simply asked "He jumped?"

"Well I didn't push him," I said as he walked past me and looked down at the scene. He looked back at me and gestured down with his head.

When we got down to the body Achoo greeted me with a little wag of her tail but she stayed standing facing the crowd looking at them suspiciously.

"I'll go get the wagon." Greengage said his hands on his waist. "You know what to do." He said before leaving. Corporal Greenage set off at a lazy jog. But at 6 foot 4 inches the senior dog covered ground easily.

I crouched down at the body and started going through the man's pockets. Something with this rat didn't add up. I found in one of his pockets his coin pouch. It had a couple of coppers and a single silver piece in it. Not unusual for a working cove. But unusual for a drunk or a gambler. A gods' fool wouldn't be carrying around that much coin.

Also in his pocket I found a locket with two miniatures. One of a blonde women that looked related him and a brown haired mot about his age. In his other pocket I found good quality red handkerchief that had neat embroidery 'Dein.' Also there was a smaller handkerchief that looked like it was excess from other projects. I felt a tightening in my chest when I saw the awkward stitching of a child, 'PAPA.'

"Miss Dog," said the voice of a mot behind me. I turned to see a maid from the inn. She was holding a sheet. I stood up and grabbed it from her nodding my thanks.

I draped it over his body after quietly saying a prayer for The Black God to guide him onto the Peaceful Relm. Greengage came back with two there with two dogs and the wagon. I stepped away as the two dogs wrapped canvas around the Rat and put him in the back of the wagon.

"His name is Dein." I told Greengage. "I think he has a family a wife and child but there was nothing else to identify him. He had his coin pouch, a locked and handkerchiefs with embroidery."

Greengage nodded. "Sure doesn't smell like a drunk." I agreed usually drunks were dirty cove's with no money in their pockets. This man was clean he didn't even smell like sweat from the run from the nightmarket. "We'll have to identify him so we can notify his family. Otherwise…" I knew he would be buried in an unmarked grave with the fees left to the crown.

"Let's start back at the nightmarket." I said. Greengage nodded. "Achoo Tumit."

We spent about 40 minutes wandering around asking people we knew saw the rat's hysteria. About to give up a small baker's gixie came up to me.

"I'd seen him before today," she said her sweet voice cooing. "He goes into lots of the merchants buildings. But I'd last seen him going at the Stag Pub this morn."

"Thank you," I said to the gixie smiling to her. She went hurrying off back to her family's stand.

I told Greengage what the Gixie said and we headed off to the Stag Pub.

The Stag Pub was a large pub near the North Gate on Koskynen Street. We approached the buzzing front entrance. The harvest season was in full swing and the Stag Pub was popular with farmers staying near the entrance to the city after they dropped off their produce at the houses and markets. Greengage and I walked into the pub and up to the bartender. The place was packed with a sample of the lower city population: There were rushers laughing over their drinks. Farmers talking about this years harvest. Mots catching up over dinner after work. Barmaid's were bustling about with trays laden with meats and ale.

"Hello Renald," Greengage said to the bartender. Greengage has been a dog in the lower city for 15 years so he knows a lot of coves by name like most senior dogs. Renald was an older looking cove around 50 years of age. Shorter than average but he was build wider to compensate. "My partner and I are looking for some information of a cove that was seen coming in here this morning. A man by the name Dein, he may be a common drunkard here."

"Dein?" said Renald filling up a tankard of ale. He said the name like he knew him. "A Drunk? Very unlikely, he hardly eats anything when he's here. Comes by every couple of weeks to pick up papers from the boss."

"Do you know Dein's last name?" Greengage asked him.

Renald shook his head "I don't really know but Ailin will." He pointed to a hallway at the end of the hall. "Down there is his office, he's in there now working on whatever."

We thanked him and made our way to the little office at the end of the hall. Greengage knocked on the door. A voice from inside said drolly "Come in," I followed my parner in to find a dusty cove looking over papers on his desk. He was muttering about meat prices rising when he finally sighed and said looking up "What do you dog's want?" We were usually welcomed like this when investigating. People usually didn't like dog's interrupting their nights work with trouble.

"Master Ailin I'm Guardsman Greengage and this is my partner Cooper we're here investigating an incident with an associate of yours."

"What associate?" he said sighing going back to his work.

"A man named Dein. Age about 25-35. 5 foot 11 inches medium build and dark blonde hair." I said elucidating. I didn't think I needed to describe the man because when I said Dein he looked up suddenly listening his dark thin brows knitted together.

"Dein Kalin?" he asked. "What happened? Was he murdered? That boy is hardly in the lower city past five since he's afraid of what lies in the shadows here."

"His name is Dein Kalin what was he to you?" asked Greengage ignoring the man.

"He, he" Ailen stammered confused, "He's a clerk for a merchant in Pattern District but he does a lot of accounting for merchants and business owners like me for side coin. He has a wife, Alice, and child to care for. I forget the little gixie's name. He also is saving for a dowry for his younger sister, Eva, who lives with them and works for the same merchant." He looked at me. "He has a babe on the way this winter. He's so excited."

"He was here this morning? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Was he acting any different?"

"No," he said recalling, "he just came and picked up my receipts. Dein seemed normal just busy since he needed to make it back to his work. But like I said he only comes here in the early morning since he's a bit craven when it comes to the lower city."

"Do you know where he lives in Pattern?" I asked but Ailen shook his head. I looked at Greengage. I think we had all of the information we would need to find his family and alert them. "Thank for your time Ailin."

"Wait," he said as we were leaving his office. "What happened?"

"You better do your own bookkeeping from here on." Greengage said in his deep even voice.

Outside the three of us walked down the lane back up towards the nightmarket.

"We'll write up a short report so the day shift can go to the Kalin's home tomorrow and give them the news." Greengage said. Greengage was my newest partner since Tunstall had betrayed the crown by taking part of the kidnapping scheme last month. I was nervous since for the past two years I had been with the perfect partner. Tunstall and Goodwin had taught me since my first year as a puppy and I had been left a bit empty since Tunstall's treason.

Corporal Oscarr Greengage was an interesting partner. He was at least very hard working. I haven't been able to find out much about him other than he grew up as a Tanner's youngest son and spent most of his adult life as a Dog. Other than that, nothing. The only thing we talk about is work. Other partners made fun of our partnership since we often walk and patrol in silence. He seems to be like me, a dog of few words unless prompted. When Greengage's old partner, Guardsman Barge, was promoted and transferred to another kennel Goodwin announced we would be paired.

Greengage's response was, "This will work. Cooper's a good dog." The praise had made me blush, but after that Greengage has said little about my work.

I was scanning down up and down the street looking for pickpockets. "Didn't you think it strange a man with a job and family like Dein would turn to the drink?" I asked bouncing off a thought on Greengage. There was something about the smell of Dein.

"A lot of times when a cove has a lot of pressure he breaks," Greengage said.

It was true Farmer had told me about all the mages he had met who burnt out at the large schools. There had been times this last month where I had felt overwhelmed with the pressure of my new fame within the dog's, losing my partner and planning a wedding in only a couple of months. Some of my day's I just wanted to go on my run around the city walls with Achoo and keep running to Port Caynn. But anytime I felt like that I had Farmer, Pounce and Achoo to work me out of my rut. At least I wouldn't have to tell Dein's wife and sister that he was never coming home. Telling families that their loved ones were dead was the worst part about being a dog.

The rest of the shift went by as smoothly as a night in the lower city could go. We helped break up a fight outside of a gambling house but surprisingly we both made it out without permanent damage. I did take an elbow to the face which I was expecting to turn into a black eye the next day. I would need Kora to take a look at it at the breakfast at the Dancing Dove tomorrow.

Achoo and I walked home in the early morning air. Going down Nippercopper Lane I could still hear activity coming from the Dancing Dove. I turned into the front door at Mistress Trout's Lodging house and went to my first floor apartment. My empty first floor room. I sighed the loneliness creeping back.

Farmer Cape, my betrothed, was gone supporting his most important teacher Cassine Catfoot at the City of the Gods. After the assassination of the Mage Chancellor it was political war among the mages. Farmer had been reluctant to leave his protective facade of the dumb country mage behind. But he assured me that even though he was a part of the four member team to save the prince, the classically educated mages of the city still looked at him like the Podunk looby he projected himself to be.

It had been three weeks since he left. Pounce had left to observe him. Pounce had said something about finding more about Farm and squabbling mages would be more interesting than patrolling the cesspool every night.

I took off my uniform and hung it up on my wall after a good brushing. Then put on my nightgown after splashing some water on my face getting rid of the late summer dust that seemed to settle on everything. In the winter we had unmitigatable mud and in the summer constant dust that filled the lungs. Even in places along the city walls and Mutt Piddle Lane the perpetual darkness led to year round muck.

I looked down at Achoo who had fallen asleep on her pillow at the foot of my bed. I couldn't bear being without Pounce or Farmer if it hadn't been for her. After my wedding we were planning on letting her have a litter of her own. Pounce was to be her liaison for the choice of her mate. He was also eager to see her first litter before he had to return for his punishment for interfering with saving his highness. I would have until midwinter with my friend. Maybe until midwinter if he ever chose to return to the city.

I woke up early the next day with the sun. Achoo was staring at me from the foot of my bed. I did miss Pounce taking her out early in the morning. I would need to let Farmer know we needed an enchanted hound door for Achoo to let herself out whenever she wanted. Apparently our new house was nearly done being repaired but Farmer said he didn't want me seeing it until our wedding night.

It's not like I hadn't seen it. Soon after the most stressful public event of my life, where the entirety of Tortall chanted Mastiff, at me Farmer had taken me to see our future home.

I had never dreamed as a small gixie living in Mutt Piddle Lane that I would own a house in Upmarket. If you had told me even five years ago I would say you were touched. But when Farmer and I rode up to the house, on our own horses, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. It was in west Upmarket near the end of Gold street. We turned off Gold street down the quiet Waterlily lane. Situated between two similar houses was our new home. We had dismounted and Farmer excused himself taking the horses past the neighbors house and down a lane.

I think Achoo and I will like our new accommodations pounce said. Achoo looked up at me wagging her tail.

Farmer came busting through the front door and beckoned the three of us in. "Now I know it may be a bit much but I thought together the two of us could've afforded it without the crown's help." I gave him a smirk the house from the outside looked like it had two stories with an attic at least. And It seemed wider than any house I could afford.

"I think we'll be the only dog's living on this lane," I said. Every other house had neat flower boxes on their clean front windows. I would have to get used to living on a well lit street.

"Well of course darling," he said putting his warm arm around my shoulder and walking me in. Pounce trotted ahead and immediately started exploring the house. The house seemed unlived in for many weeks. It had a warm dusty smell to it.

"Mithros," I breathed out. Farmer followed behind me as I walked from room to room on the first floor.

"Hall, kitchen, pantry,, dining room, sitting room, study, bedroom." Each room was bigger then the next and more unnecessary than the next. I looked at the stairs and back at him. "Yes thats ours too."

I walked up the stairs to the second floor there was a row of room search more perfect than the next four in all. "I was thinking one could be another study so we could keep my mage stuff and your map stuff separate." At the end of the hall was a door I hadn't opened.

"What's down there?" I asked.

"More stairs."

"Goddess, Pincas what else could there be?" I teased, using his given name.

I walked up these stairs they were far more creaky and out of use. Here there was a thick layer of dust that got angry with Farmer and my disruption. It was an old unused attic. It had a nice large window at each end of the large flat room and four windows set into the roof. I started to walk but the creaking of the old floorboards told me not to test it.

"So after the crown helps with some of the repairs I think the house will do nicely for the family."

"I think it would do today," I mumbled, "It has plumbing for Gods' sake." It would take me a while to adjust to owning such a grand house. "Those," I said pointing to the windows, "are glass. What are we going to do with such a large house?" I said turning my back to him in thought.

"Well," he said wrapping his arms around me. "I say we just fill it up. Fill it to the brim with children until its cozy." He started kissing me at my ear and working his way down my neck. I felt my body warming to his touch.

"This could be a nice play room," I pondered out loud.

"That's the spirit!" he said beaming. "Now what do you say we check out that master room a little more closely now?" he huskily asked. I turned around and saw the glint in his eye.

"I think a more thorough inspection would be wise," I said mischievously before trotting down the stairs.

I was missing Farmer's warmth as I stood out watching Achoo relieve herself the gutter I was clutching one of his shawls around my shoulders. It even smelled like him. Achoo was finished and started sniffing all the wonderful morning smells when I snapped out of my daze. I only had two more days until he came back and if I kept thinking about how much I missed the looby mage I would surely get myself killed.

"Timut," I said to Achoo and we went back to the house to get ready for the day.

...wait for next week's chapter!