Author's Note: If you've been a reader from the very beginning of my writings, you'd know I normally take less than 20 days to update. Unfortunately, recent events have caused meto put off my writings. For one thing, I went to Florida from the beginning of March to the the fourth week in march, with no writing at all. Second of all, My older brother came home from college and messed with my computer, and I ended up with a 30 day trial. Unfortunately, it expired when I was on vacation. Reason number three was the whole deal of installing my new operating system, and that took a week or two. But now I have it installed, expect normal chapters to be back in a regular pattern, though Sauvin will be harder to update since the chapters are long, and I edit them thoroughly.

Chapter 3

On the road to Salamandastron

It was a long day, it seemed for the plants, lacking rain and getting nothing but blistering heat and scorching sun. The sandy roads were hot, and unbearable for any creature to walk on without sandals.

Jem faltered under exhaustion. "Uggh! This is torture! Are we there yet?"

Feran looked at the map and said sarcastically, "Oh, yes, Salamandastron is right around the next corner!"

Jem breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good, I'm hungry."

Feran whacked him sharply on the back of the head. "I'm joking, you dolt!"

Jem rubbed the throbbing spot on his head and whined. "Geez, y'don't have to be so harsh about it."

Feran stared at the ground. "I'm sorry about that, Jem. It's just, you complaining about the sun isn't going to make things all better. We're all roasting, aren't we Sauvin?"

Sauvin looked at them. He scratched his head and shrugged. "I guess."

Jem smiled. "Oh good, let's stop and eat."

Feran nodded, looking inside her haversack. She rummaged around for something tasty and found a simple turnip. The otter stared sadly at the tiny turnip and took a small bite out of it.

"I wish we had a pot. We could make some good soup with these vegetables in my haversack."

Jem smiled, and then pulled a decent sized pot out of his haversack.

"Hah! Dealot put this in here! It fit perfectly around the inner edge of the big pocket, forming a steel outline in my haversack. After that, she put all of the food in it. I was wondering why this thing was so heavy..."

Feran shrieked excitedly as she snatched the pot from Jem's paws. "Oh goody! Now we can make soup with turnips and leeks! I wonder if I have any potatoes..." She looked back into her Haversack.

Jem looked at the contents of his own haversacks. "I see two potatoes and some parsley. Ooh! Salt and pepper!"

Feran smiled as she took a rock slab from the side of the road and began putting vegetables on it.

Sauvin looked through his own haversack and pulled out a bushel of carrots and some vegetable stock. "I have some more things." He handed them to her, along with a tinderbox and stirring spoon.

Feran eyed the contents of the soup suspiciously. "You know, I think Dealot was testing us..."

Jem looked at her strangely. "What do you mean, testing?"

Feran looked again at the ingredients and laughed. "Don't you see? She put all of the contents of a perfect soup into different haversacks! It would take our three good minds to put the haversacks together and form one meal!"

Sauvin nodded.

Jem poured some vegetable broth into the pot and went over to the river to fill a little more with water. Feran chopped up the carrots, onions and potatoes as Sauvin started a fire.

In moments, Sauvin had the fire blaring by the side of the road. He looked at his work, and, any other creature smiling, he merely alerted Feran. She turned and backed up quickly as she saw the embers burning brightly and flames shooting up nearly three feet high.

"How do you do that?"

Sauvin shrugged.

Jem returned soon with the soup broth, and Feran poured the chopped vegetables into the pot. After quickly constructing a hanger for the pot to go over the fire, Feran stirred the soup. Sauvin, instead of preparing something else to eat, merely sat meditating on his surroundings.

The sharp bubbling and popping of the soup flickered in front of him. Jem scraped a rough stone against the blade of his sword. The screeching made Sauvin flick his ears. The tree he was leaning against seemed to vibrate in the short wind that passed. A cool air settled and the sun shone brightly through the trees from the west. Evening was dawning. All seemed calm enough.

The soup bubbled and spitted at Feran, and she shielded her eyes as it popped in her face. One smaller drop went soaring through the air and hit Sauvin directly on his nose, and he came out of thinking like a jolt of lightning.

He roared, tearing a dagger from his belt. His eyes blared red and he gritted his teeth in anger as he muttered incoherently.

Jem raised an eyebrow at him. "Eh?" He was caught by surprise, seeing as Sauvin actually expressed emotion.

Feran looked at Jem. "Well, now we know he might have a chance at living a normal life. I mean, it seems to me like he can speak in anger."

Sauvin realized he had spoken irrationally and cam back to reality. "Oh, sorry. I-... I don't know what I was thinking."

Feran took a concerned look at Sauvin before smiling at the soup. "It's done!"

Jem quickly came by with three clay bowls that were in Sauvin's haversack. "Alright, dish it out already!"

Feran raised an eyebrow at him, shook some salt into the soup, and stirred again. She lifted the ladle to her mouth and took a sip. "Ah! Perfect!"

Jem looked at the soup maliciously, as if he would've downed the entire pot with one gulp. He stared hungrily at the soup being poured into his bowl. The hungry mouse immediately set to work demolishing it.

Feran laughed at him. "Hungry, are we?"

Jem didn't even look up to say yes. He merely raised his free paw, giving her a paws up.

She giggled, pouring soup for Sauvin and then for herself. She handed the bowl to Sauvin. The black squirrel took it and calmly sipped it.

Jem grabbed the lade for more soup.

Feran looked at the pot. Four bowls had been eaten and almost all of it was gone.

"There's enough for one more bowl. Sauvin, do you want it?"

Sauvin looked up at her, his eyes wide as he put a paw to his lips. "Shhhh."

Feran looked at him strangely. "What are you-"

"Quiet!" He said softly, his eyes, solid gray, still abnormally wide. In moments, they shifted to black, and he darted silently up the tree.

Feran looked at Jem strangely. "What was that all about?"

She had read Jem's mind.

Sauvin dashed and jumped across trees, merely making a sound as he went. Something in the forest had disturbed his ears. It seemed almost like a cry for help.

The black squirrel stopped and listened again, his nerves and senses telling him where to go. It was soon that he heard a muffled cry from below. He looked down, left and right, and finally spotted what he was looking for. A tiny band of a fox and three stoats. They were dragging a pretty female squirrel, about Sauvin's age, maybe a year younger, by the paws.

Wounds covered her body; some were cuts, others bruises. It was obvious she had fallen down a couple of times and scraped her limbs and joints.

She was bound at the tail and her paws were tied together. The tail end was held by the three stoats, and the rope around the paws came forwards and was held by the fox. The fox was pulling the squirrel along, her cries muffled by the gag around her neck. Everyonce and a while, the stoats in the back would chuckle and stop, and when the fox pulled on the rope in front, she would be mercilessly stretched out by her tail and paws.

Sauvin cocked his head slightly, and then sped across one branch to another until he was above the five creatures. He knew he could not get down undetected, so he pulled two knives from his belt and began to note the wind and air resistance around him. The genius squirrel had learned all about these factors naturally, being a child prodigy. With both arms he threw the knives as he fell gracefully from the branch he was on. He fell like a feather, it seemed, spread eagle from the sky. In moments, he grunted as he grabbed one of the branches closer to the ground and pulled himself onto it.

The knives that he threw were nearly perfectly aimed. One cut the rope on her tail cleanly in half, but the other on cut the bonds cut the rop halfway. The stoats behind her took the situation very slowly and it did not register until the squirrel took action. She noticed there was no more pulling on her tail, and she also saw the black daggers fall from the sky and weaken the ropes considerably. The threads hold both ends together were severely damaged.

She saw her chance.

The young female squirrel tugged harshly on the rope and it snapped. The leader fox was caught by surprise, losing his balance and falling on his back. Knowing that her chances were slim with the bonds still around her paws, she dashed into the forest, in hopes of finding her rescuer.

She did.

Whump!
She rammed harshly into Sauvin's solid body. Both of them lost their balance and fell backwards. The female squirrel propped herself up onto her paws. She looked up and saw Sauvin doing the same. The black squirrel cocked his head slightly as he looked back at her strangely. The female squirrel did not know what to say.

"Er, hello... Did you... Rescue me?"

Sauvin nodded plainly. Bolting to his feet, he charged off in the direction of the vermin.

The female squirrel was completely taken aback. She shrieked after him. "B-but... the vermin are in that direction!"

Sauvin stopped to look back, this time with red, fiery eyes. "I know."

"But they'll-"

"Forget it! Run to the northwest! My friends are eating their soup there! They'll cut your bonds! Tell them that Sauvin sent you!"

And with that, the black squirrel turned and began running with incredible speed in the direction of the vermin.

The female squirrel scratched her head and got up to continue running. "He said southeast, so if the sun is setting over there, that must be south, so..." She was sure of her directions.

Jem greedily licked the bottom of his bowl, making impudent slurping noises.

Feran watched him, disgusted. "You know, if you always complain about people not appreciating you, I could point out the immature things about you. You would be surprised."

Jem looked up for a moment, then resumed slurping.

Feran rolled her eyes hopelessly. "Will you ever mature?"

Jem shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

Feran laughed. She was interrupted by the figure of a dark squirrel dropping from the sky. Sauvin calmly walked back to the tree on which he was leaning against minutes before he had left.

Jem gawped at Sauvin as the black squirrel did not tell them anything or show his friends any concern.

Feran looked at him awkwardly. "Well..."

Sauvin glanced over at her. "Well what?"

Feran held her paws out in bewilderment. "We were just casually eating our soup, and then a couple minutes ago, you tell us to be quiet and you dash up a tree and out of sight! Where did you go?"

Sauvin smiled at them. Soon, a huffing voice could be heard. It moved closer and closer to the camp.

In moments, a young female squirrel tore through the bushes by the famp and fell onto her knees. "Vermin!"

The squirrel looked up and saw Sauvin sharpening his knives on a rock. She stared at him, her eyes wide. "You! You rescued me! How did you get here before me?"

Sauvin nodded. "Get ready, Jem. Feran, get your bow and arrows. Jem take out your sword. You... Your name is..."

The squirrel seemed to be hit with reality and she shook her head in shock. "Oh! Oh my name? It's Relma. I have a last name but I don't like to use it because it seems to formal when you're-"

Sauvin shushed her with the simple paw on her lip. "Quiet. The vermin are here."

"C'mon! There she is! Get 'er!"

"Yah! She's got other with 'er!"

"Who cares!"

"CHAAAAARGE!"

A single twang of a bowstring met the front stoat's ears. The shaft sailed straight into his neck, coming out the back.

Feran cried out in anguish. "Agh! I've killed a beast!"

Jem drew his sword as Sauvin and Relma dealt with the other two stoats.

Sauvin slipped her a dagger from behind his back. "Use it carefully."

Relma looked at the solid black blade in wonder. She cut her bonds and whirled around, accidentally severing the top of the salt shaker.

Sauvin slashed one vermin easily on the arm, causing him to fall, screaming in anguish. Feran took the demolished salt shaker and dumped it into the wound.

"Yeeeeearrrgh!" The vermin roared, jumping into the air as the pain burst inside his arm. Sauvin laid him low with a dagger butt to the back of the head. The other stoat rushed Relma, not wanting to attack the seemingly seasoned squirrel warrior. Relma shut her eyes and held the dagger up with her paw.

"Ahahahaaaa! Who cares 'bout slaves! I want blood!"

Sauvin merely flicked his wrist and the stoat fell to the ground with a dagger in his back. Relma looked up and saw the two stoats slain on the ground. She stared wide-eyed at Sauvin.

Meanwhile, Jem was having a one-on-one battle with the fox. His sword was much longer and double edged, but the fox's was curved and only sharp on one side, giving Jem the advantage. Steel clashed steel to determine the fates of either beast. Jem swung low, and the fox jumped. The fox attempted to bring the sword down, but missed and took a chunk out of the earth.

Jem laughed scornfully. "Do you really use that sword often, or is it just for show? It seems to me that you would have to us a thirty foot sword to reach me!"

This was met with an angry blow to the left shoulder. Jem growled and backed away, holding the wound. The mouse decided not to be cocky from now on. The fox watched Jem on the ground, writhing around in anguish. Sauvin made to grab the knife out of the stoats back and throw it, but Jem halted him.

"No! I'll take him myself!"

Jem stood up and looked at the fox with anger and frustration. "You'll pay for that!"

He swung, but it was easily parried. They both swung again, locking blades, and it was all up to strength, now. They looked at each other through the blades, the fox grunting as he pushed Jem further and further backwards.

"Oh yes? And wot's that?"

Jem's gaze rose slowly from the ground and into the fox's eyes. He took an intimidative step towards him, the adreniline bursting inside him and fueling his muscles.

"YOUR HEAD!"

Jem put on an amazing show of strength, shoving as the fox's sword with his own, and then cleanly chopping the fox's head to the ground. The mouse looked at his enemy, laughing scornfully for a moment, and then, at realization of what he'd done, his eyes widened and he dropped to his knees.

"What the-! I slew him, and I was laughing! That was... That was amazing! I never knew how much heat there was in a battle. I felt absorbed--As if I'd never be happier!"

Feran put a paw on Jem's shoulder. "Get up, Jem. It's over now."

Relma, the squirrel maiden had watched the entire thing wide eyed.

Feran looked at her. "Er... And who are you again?"

"My name is Relma. I live very close to here. Thank you so much for what you did to help me! I was afraid I would never see my friends and family again!"

Feran nodded. "Well, do you need us to escort you back?"

Relma opened her mouth, but shut it again. "Well..." She said, opening again, following the others, as they decided to being walking at this very time. "I don't think I need the help, but I would appreciate it very much. I'm a little rattled, and my home seems to be in the direction you are traveling in. Where are you headed?"

Jem took the map out of his haversack. "Salamandastron. We're going because of our friend Sauvin here. He suffered an emotional trauma, destroying all of his ability to express emotion, and we wanted to see the great healer that lives there. There is one, isn't there? One of our elders told us her name was Kacime Zen...?"

Relma's eyes widened and she nodded. "Ooh, Kacime! She... Well, she's going nuts. She's brilliant, but crazy. I think she still helps people out, but I don't know if she still has her sanity. Not to mention she as about as old as that rock your standing on."

Jem immediately jumped off the rock he standing on, the thought of a strange hag being under his footpaws. "Yeeeegh! You're givin' me the heeby-jeebies!"

Relma raised an eyebrow. "Heeby-jeebies?"

Jem held out his paws in his attempt to explain. "Y'know, like the jitters. When that tingle runs up your spine? You know what I'm- Do you? You don't. Okay, fine."

Feran shook Relma's paw. "Thank you so much for your help. Look, is that tree over there your house? I can see creatures walking about in it."

Relma nodded. "Oh thank you! That's them! I can take it from here!"

Feran and Jem both waved good-bye as Relma turned and left. They glanced at each other for a moment, and then Relma turned her head and walked into what seemed an emotional reunion. An older male squirrel and female squirrel ran out to meet her, jumping and yelling aloud.

"Oh, Relma! You're home! Did you bring the cherries?"

"Oh, no, Mother. I believe I have forgotten them."

"Well, no matter. You certainly gave us a fright when you left for them and didn't come back. Oh my! Look at those wounds! Did you have a run-in with rats? We must get you cleaned up!"

Feran turned to see Sauvin already leaving. She hurried to catch up with him. "That's very annoying, you know..."

Sauvin looked at her. "What?"

Feran rolled her eyes. "Just because you can't express it doesn't mean you have to avoid it."

Sauvin raised one eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about?"

The otter shook her head despairingly. "That wonderful reunion back there! They were having a grand old time reuniting after believing their daughter was lost! I can't believe you didn't stay!"

Sauvin walked resolutely onwards. "I can't believe you would let those things slow you down."

Feran opened her mouth for a moment, but shut it again, not wanting to argue with her insane friend.

They were finally back on the road, making much progress. The sun was still beating toughly on them as they walked but they knew that it was for each other that they were on this journey. Feran thought of Sauvin and the trouble he had caused himself and the rest of the village the entire attack, and she wanted to be angry. She wanted to slap him repeatedly and roar at him for what he did, but she couldn't. The otter sighed as she saw that Sauvin had recieved the worst of the battle. He had lost everybody, and been scarred for life, for all they knew.

The sun was finally beginning to set, and a cool matress of air settled on them. Jem sighed happily as he felt the breeze running through his hair. This was the life. On the road, living like rugged explorers. He lifted dirt from the ground and let it fall from his paw gradually, watching it flow behind him as he walked. The mouse had almost forgotten his parent's deaths, surprising because it had not even been a week since they died. His friends were apparently all he needed.

Feran shook her head as the sun went down. "At this rate, we won't get to Salamandastron until winter. I propose we walk late into the night."

Sauvin shrugged. Jem groaned. "Into the night? But what about resting?"

Feran glared at him. "We've done enough sitting around ever since we started! Have you noticed that the Salamandastron trip is going to take three times as long as normal?"

One of Jem's eyes twitched. "But this is the fourth day."

Feran looked at him strangely. "Nooooooo. I never would've guessed that we didn't make it halfway in that time." She said matter-of-factly

Jem looked around. "Alrighty, then. Night walking it is!"

Sauvin cocked his head from side to side, flipping daggers in his paws casually. "I would've proposed that a long time ago, but you two didn't seem up to the task."

Jem looked at the ground. "Just how long will it take to get to Salamandastron?"

Feran looked at the map. "Whil, the two days of solid walking got us this far..." She put a paws length on the map of the western coast. "So I'm guessing it will take two more days of walking. If we sleep only once in the next 48 hours, preferably at first sun-up, I'm guessing we could get there by midnight in two days."

Jem nodded, slightly anguished. "Sheesh, 40 hours of nonstop walking. This is going to funnnnn."

Feran stowed away the map, focusing on the road ahead. "Nobody ever said it would."

Jem sighed. "I know, but still... I wish we were back at the village, surviving on whatever food we had left."

Feran whirled around, her eyes filling with tears as she gritted her teeth. "You'd like to live in that mass graveyard? You'd like to live in your past? You'd like to live in the house your parents were slain in? You'd like Sauvin to get up every morning and be reminded of all the damage Shverik Denken caused?"

Jem backed away slowly, not knowing what to say. "I... I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way!"

Feran turned around, quite happy with herself in getting Jem to quiet down.

And so, as the night went on, they walked. Their walking seemed to go on for eternity. It was a seemingly endless night, reaching out into the darkness as their road hardly twisted or turned at all. And then, something shiny came over the horizon.

Feran opened one eye and squinted. "It's... The sun! The sun is up!"

Jem looked groggily ahead. "Oh good. Sleep time." And with that, he fell flat on his face and began snoring loudly. Feran had enough energy to get her mat out before sleeping, but Sauvin didn't sleep. He merely sat and stared around into the woods, thinking.

Why do these events happen? What does any of this mean? If we do find a great healer, there's no difference if we die before we get there or not. I know what's wrong with me already. I just don't feel like expressing emotion any more. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could. Something is stopping me... but what? I know there's a way out!

Sauvin sat around and stared for a while, and then forced himself to sleep.

Feran opened one eye. The otter used her one eye to note that the sun had just passed it's zenith point. After a few moments passed, she rolled over and poked her head up. Sauvin had fallen asleep with his back against a tree trunk, and his head swayed as his breath moved in and out. Jem had rolled over off his face and off the road, and Feran chuckled as he sucked his paw. She got up, rolled her mat up and put it away.

With that, she went over to Sauvin and was about to shake him, but was surprised when he opened one gray eye. "Time to go?"

Feran nodded. "I don't have the heart to wake up Jem... He seems so peaceful, lying there with his paw in his mouth."

Sauvin, who would have laughed if it had been a week ago, merely stared.

Feran sighed. It was not easy having an emotionless friend.

Sauvin did feel bad for his friend and decided to take it upon himself to stir him. He bent over Jem and stared at his eyelids for a short moment, and the mouse opened his eyes. With a shout he jumped up and hit Sauvin's chin. "Aagh! What were you doin'?"

Sauvin rubbed his jaw, flexing it to make it feel better. "I was waking you up."

Jem stared at Sauvin, bewildered. "By staring at me? How is that going to wake anybody up?"

Sauvin shrugged. "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

Jem opened his mouth for a moment, then shut it, knowing he would just make more of a fool out of himself if he said anything more on the subject. "Well, I guess it's time for breakfast. Hand out sones, Feran! Sauvin, I think you have the cream. I have the cider!"

Feran smiled at the thought of breakfast. "Oh good, I like the sound of breakfast, even though it's the afternoon. Afterwards, we must walk some more."

Jem rubbed his aching legs. "Do we have to? Why can't we spend the next night sleeping, and reach salamandastron in the morning? If we get there at midnight, no one will be awake!"

Feran thought for a moment. "You know, I think you're right. I doubt the Badger Lord Urthrun will want to be disturbed in the morning."

Sauvin took the cream out of his haversack. "Are we going to eat?"

Feran nodded. "Oh yes, I have the scones, and do you have that cider, Jem?"

Jem raised a full flask of cider. "'un full flask o' apple coider, comin' roight oop, miz Ferny."

Feran raised her eyebrows. "What's with the sudden mole language? And where did you learn to speak like that?"

"Remember old Aunt Fran? Everyone used to comment on the fact that your names were so similar."

"How could I forget her? She was a nice old mole."

"Well, I took mole language lessons from her, in case I ever needed it. I can tell you, among the little mole club that met every night in the northwest corner, I sure did."

Feran blinked. "Mole club?"

Jem rolled his eyes. "Let's talk about it later. Right now, I want breakfast."

Feran laughed. "Alrighty. Six cherry scones, coming right up!"

Jem licked his lips. "Mmmmmm. Cherry!"

Sauvin stared.

Feran found three small rocks slabs and placed the scones on them. Taking the cream, she carefully applied equal amounts of the thick mixture to each of them. Jem took out three wooden beakers and poured cider into each one. Sauvin played with one of his knives on a tree trunk, his eyes a dreary grey.

The three friends decided that they eat breakfast on the road. Jem munched hungrily at his scone, smearing cream liberally over the top as most of it fell off onto the road. Feran ate hers normally, taking average bites here and there. Sauvin was too insecure to eat. He was always glancing left and right, searching for vermin, and thus rarely ever took a bite.

From then on, there were no disturbances. The birds twittered and sang, and the trees rustled, and the soothing voice of the forest calmed the travelers. Through day they walked, stopping only once for dinner, which was large and satisfying (Especially for Jem, who, however, found it very difficult to walk after drinking twelve beakers of strawberry cordial).

Author's note: Yes, it feels good to be back in business. My first story, Martin the warrior; the dark forest, will need some more time to update, but it will be there. I'm looking forward to seeing how you respond to my ending that I have planned. Expect the final chapter to be #45!