Nobody had said anything all day, and Haloc was starting to worry. You didn't share your hammock with one of Monitors unnoticed, not in a whole room full of searats. He would have expected lots of jibes, a chat with the captain, and at least a good scrap or two. But nobody had said a word, or even looked at him much.
It was starting to unnerve him a bit, not that he had the energy to do much beyond scowl. The food rations were running low, and while the Monitors had brought their own, they didn't share with the crew. And nobody wanted to fight them over it, big and savage as they were.
They had landed in a soup-thick fog by early evening, and the captain didn't think there would be an end to it any time soon. So they had spent all day just keeping her steady and hoping to high heavens that they were going the right way.
All in all, the day had been grouchy and subdued all around, and everyone had every excuse to take their bellyaches out on Haloc. Yet nobody did.
He was thoroughly wizzled by the time he got back to the barracks that night. The Monitors were already there - they had not stirred since last night.
"Oi, Haloc"
Here it comes, he thought, and half-turned to the voice. It was Blacktail, a rat like him. Not as big, but tough as nails. The barracks had suddenly become really quiet.
"Yeah?" he sneered, trying his best to keep the scowl on his face.
"Yer want to tell us what in the blackened claws o' hell you were doing last night?" Blacktail enquired, not raising his voice.
No shouting. So they haven't judged me yet, Haloc thought.
"I was keepin the lizard alive" he said.
"I could bloody well see that" Blacktail growled.
"You want Death to ride along with us on this ship, Blacktail? Do ya really think another dead'un is what we need in these waters?"
"You's a dumbbeast Haloc" Blacktail growled, but there was a bit out doubt in his one good eye.
"You're the dumbbeast ifn you think I'm letting Death get a hold o' this'ere vessel. There's already too many o' dem lizards dead from the cold, and now they're in here, sleepin right next to us."
Blacktail quivered his nose a bit, but didn't inturrupt.
"We can't let them die right next to us, mates, not on these waters. It'd make jonahs of us all it would. And we don't need any more bad luck for this'ere jouney than we already have."
"They're already inhere soakin' up the warm" barked Blacktail. "Yer can't go and share a bed with those bloody things!"
"It ain't workin" Haloc said, pointing his thumb back at the still lizard above his hammock. "That bugger was a lot nearer Dark Forest last night than I like him that close ter me. There's not a lot we can do, mates, save for trying to keep em warm enough that they don't kick the bucket. Unless you want to go and tell the Captain and that general of theirs that they need to go back to their own cabin." he finished, getting in his hamoc. "Let me know ifn you do, so I can stay well out of your way."
"Shite" cursed a stoat, Galt, next to Blacktail. "He's convinced me."
There was a grumbling chorus form others who had similar sentiments. Blacktail scowled angrily at Haloc.
"Yer always did have a silver tongue on you Haloc" he remarked.
Galt went to the Monitor above his own hamoc and poked him hard in the back.
"I trust yer heard that" he said.
The lizard didn't answer.
"Oi" he said, a bit louder, and kicked the bottom of the hammock.
The lizard didn't even move.
The one above Haloc was suddenly on and across the floor, stumbling slightly on the rolling deck. It pushed Galt roughly aside and reached into the canvas bag, pulling out the huge lizard like he was a sack of oats.
Putting the unresponsive Monitor flat on the floor, it placed its lower jaw in the middle of the other's chest.
A few rats and a couple of weasels watched the display with passing interest. All of the lizards, however, had sat up in their hammocks and turned to look. Galt was standing stock still, staring with a mix of anger and fear on his face, probably wondering why in the hell Death could not have visited somebody else first.
"Heart ztill beatz" went the awake lizard suddenly, making Galt jump.
It stared into the stoat's eyes with an unreadable look on its face. It took a couple of seconds before Galt worked out what it wanted from him. Then he nodded.
With a grunt, the unresponsive lizard was put in Galt's hammock. The entire cabin was completely silent as Galt went in with it.
"Hell no" went a rat suddenly, angrily getting into his own. "I don't care about any creature visiting Dark Forest above my 'ead. If it wants do die, let it! I'm not crawling into bed with on of 'em!"
"Don't be daft Bilgenose" mumbled one of the weasels, who was waiting for his own Monitor to get down. The general hubbub of rats getting climbing in their hammocks slowly picked up again.
"Yer'all are the ones who are daft! They'll eat yer all in the night, you just wait!"
The hubbub changed character slightly as everyone reconsidered just what they were about to do. It looked like things would come to an ugly head a number of places, as the sailors disagreed. It would have probably woken up the Captain eventually, if the Monitor next to Haloc hadn't suddenly spoken up.
"We eat fruit"
All shifting around stopped completely as everyone slowly turned to face the lizard. You could, once again, have heard a pin drop.
We'll never get to sleep at this rate, though Haloc.
"What about everyone who says you lot are all cannibals?" asked Bilgenose, squinting at the room in general.
"Iz reputation, fierze rumorz to keep ratz zcared" it continued, not even turning to face them.
"You mean it's all tall tails?" asked Blacktail incredulously.
"Yezz" went the lizard next to him. "Wezz eats mozt thingz we findz. But mozt fruit. Not big Zampetra. Many Monitorz need lotz of food, zo we take what we findz. Zometimez ozerbeztz. Mozt-timez fruit."
"We haz been eatin fruit zinz we left Zampetra" went the one above Bilgenose, who apparently accepted the rat's decision and stayed by itself.
"Cannibalz zoundz zcary" elaborated the one in Haloc's hammock. "Emperer Ublaz zez we needz to zay we eat eachother. Zcary Monitorz don't needz to fight ratzez"
"We'z good fighters" continued a third. "We ze best anywher. But general zez Emperer Ublaz needz ratzez to be zcared of uz, zo zey be zcared of Ublaz."
As everyone digested this news, the Monitors crawled to the floor one by one. None of them got in next to someone else before getting a nod, which Haloc thought was a touch stupid considering all the trouble he went through to get them there in the first place. Silly pride gets in the way of survival, he thought. It's a bloody wonder they're not all dead.
"Why would you tell us about the food?" asked Galt. "And why would we believe a word of it?"
"No zecretz from beaztz who zavez Monitorz livez" hissed the one by Haloc.
"Will everyone kindly shut their gobs and get to sleep? These lizards are bloody cold!" barked Bilgenose, who had gotten his in anyway.
Everyone obliged.