Hey all! I'm back, with another chapter. How pleasant. Anyway, I thought this chapter was very hard to write correctly. For the longest time I couldn't decide just what was going to happen, then all at once it came to me at about three in the morning. So enjoy!
I sighed in contentment. I was laying across my person-fox's lap, enjoying the sensation of being calmly petted. This was bliss. I reveled in the feel of him this close to me, in his scent. He was the most important part of my life. I listened to him tell me about his day. Nothing had happened yet. The people were too used to being oppressed by the alcalde that they just gave all they had. The penalty for not paying the taxes was a public whipping. This was often accompanied by a night in the jail cell, then several days of being unable to work due to the fact that someone has made slashes in the person's back. The people could afford that even less than the taxes. Besides which, the alcalde would usually just collect the money anyway, with armed forces. Everyone was unhappy about the situation, even the aforementioned armed forces, because they weren't being paid nearly enough. The only person who was happy about it all was the alcalde, and after my person-fox got through with him, he wouldn't be happy either.
I, on the other hand, was very happy, at least at the moment. I'm still not quite sure why my fox-person wants to stop the alcalde's tax; it doesn't concern us as far as I'm concerned. I haven't been able to properly ask; my speaking is fairly limited. I managed to look confused when he talked about it, and I got something along the lines of 'if one group of people is oppressed, then we all are'. Personally, I don't get it. Probably never will, but it matters to him, and I'd do anything for him.
My person-fox rubbed behind my ears, and I sighed again. I sort of wish that he didn't care about the people, that he didn't feel compelled to take action in the way he did. Then I would have more time with him, just be around him all the time. But I knew him too well to expect him to just give it up for me. Or to have thought that he wouldn't do anything. He would be unable to live with himself if he did nothing. So I pushed thoughts of past and future from my mind and simply enjoyed the present.
It was over too soon. The servant rushed into the cave, signing wildly. Which caused my person-fox to stand up quickly, pushing me off his lap and to the floor. An unpleasant ending to a wonderful moment, in my opinion.
"Someone's refused to pay their taxes. The alcalde's planning to publicly whip them for their disobedience." signed Bernardo in agitation.
My person-fox quickly grew upset at the news, but I could only shrug. It was the old 'scare them into obedience' ruse, tyrants always tried it. Usually they filed because of that. I often wondered why tyrants tried to do that since there are so many historical stories of it not working. Still, I suppose since the alcalde didn't expect to be here forever, it was a decent strategy. A shortcut to riches if you will.
"Where's my father?" asked my person-fox, moving towards the black outfit.
"In town. He might hope you'll arrive, but he won't come looking for you until afterwords. No one saw me run off either, so they won't think that I'm here to tell you."
"Good." he began changing into his 'Zorro' clothes as he called them. By the time he was done, Bernardo was done with saddling the horse. Quickly and quietly, we left.
We pulled into the pueblo silently and secretly, behind the cuartel. We came up next to the alcalde's office, where he kept the tax money he had wrung from the people. We had discussed what to do earlier, and we had decided that the people needed to understand right from the get-go that we were there to fight for them. So, clearly, the best way to gain their trust would be to return the tax money that was collected from them. That's what we were here to do.
Well, actually they had discussed it, I was unable to, but I was in on the plan. After we stole the money, we would free the poor person, or peon, beat the alcalde at fencing - for the fun of it - and force him to lower his taxes before returning the money to the people.
I put my ear against the wall and listened to what was happening in the room. I heard footsteps, then the door opened and closed, leaving the room in silence. I nodded to my fox-person. He jumped in through the window, and I followed quickly, jumping first onto the horse, then through the window. The horse was rather upset by it, but accepted the maneuver because my fox-person had taught him to accept it. And the horse, like me, would do anything for him.
We crept silently through the dark room. My fox-person went straight to the back where the safe with the tax money was kept, while I went to the door to stand lookout. Well, hear-out, if we're being technical.
After a few moments, I heard my fox-person opening the safe. He gathered some money into a little bag, then carved a 'Z' onto the lid of the safe. I didn't think it was that good of an idea. The alcalde might think we just found the money elsewhere if we didn't leave a mark on the safe. The knowledge that we had robbed him would only serve to make him more determined than ever to catch us and kill us. But my fox-person's ego wouldn't let him do something this mischievous without telling everyone about it, and if he couldn't tell people normally, then he was sure to do it this way. Arrogant? Perhaps a little.
He came back into the main room then, and motioned for us to go. I followed him out of the window. In the plaza I heard the sound of the alcalde proclaiming something or other, so we hurried towards them. It was part of the plan, and the image he wanted to project, that we swoop in to save the peon at just the right moment. He pulled the horse up behind a building right next to the commotion- which sounded more like the quiet sound of defeat to me- and motioned for me to get as close to the whipping area as possible, then wait for the agreed upon signal. I nodded and left, quietly slinking towards the crowd. I pressed myself to the ground and the shadows, and carefully made my way through the press of the people. I did my best to touch no one in my way, and when I did on accident I was gone before the person turned to see who had brushed against them.
"Since this man has refused to pay the amount required of him, he will now pay the penalty, 10 lashes." the alcalde's annoying voice proclaimed.
I was right behind the front line of people at this point, and then halfway through the alcalde's words, there came gasps and people pointed up at the roof behind me. I knew who was there; my fox-person had no doubt decided to show himself.
"Your tyrannical rule over this pueblo is over alcalde! I will not allow you to whip this man for refusing to pay an unjust tax." his voice echoed in the plaza. I tensed.
"What will you do Zorro?" he spat out the name with scorn. "You will be dead soon. Lancers, shoot him!"
At 'lancers', I burst out of the crowd, yipping wildly and charged into the lancers, knocking them over and creating a ruckus, which caused them to fire wildly, often into the air. My fox-person, meanwhile, had jumped off the roof and vaulted onto the platform that held the alcalde and the disobedient peon. I heard him crossing blades with the alcalde as I occupied the lancers. I tripped some, threw myself at others, getting as many as possible off their feet. Personally, I feel that they should thank me, since they were complaining from too much time spent on their feet only a few days ago.
I jumped over their fallen bodies and next to the two fighting men.
"Zorra, release him!" my fox-person yelled at me when he saw that I had some free time. I went over to the person, and bit through the ropes that kept him tied to the whipping post. He ran off quickly into the crowd. Smart guy.
"As much as I enjoy this, alcalde," stated my fox-person as he executed a disarming move. The alcalde's sword flew out of his grasp and into the crowd. My fox-person leveled his sword at the alcalde's chest. "I grow weary of fighting someone as inept as you." He made three slashes in the alcalde's uniform, forming a pretty 'Z'.
The alcalde sneered. "You may have beaten me, Zorro, but this changes nothing." I growled at the vehemence in his voice. No one should address my fox-person in that tone of voice! I moved to stand next to my fox-person, and showed my teeth to the alclade, who stepped back.
My fox-person only grinned. "Doesn't it? You are going to lower your taxes, alcalde, or you will feel my sword, comprende?"
"Fine. They're lowered." the alcalde cowered away from the sword point, and my teeth.
My fox-person grinned wider. "I always knew you were a reasonable person, alcalde." Then he turned to address the crowd in a louder voice. "People of Los Angeles, the alcalde generously has decided to return all the money that he gotten through his latest tax. Distribute it among yourselves." He pulled out the bag of money and threw it into the crowd.
They cheered, of course. Who wouldn't cheer at free money? The alcalde glared at my fox-person as he let himself enjoy his moment in the sun. I yipped to get his attention, then yipped 'home'. He sighed, then whistled for the horse.
That horse came running into the plaza perfectly. He looked great, and magnificent. I was quite proud of him. The people scattered before the horse, who came to a stop directly in front of my fox-person. It was a flawless moment in my opinion. There were gasps of awe, I'm sure, as he jumped onto the horse. I jumped off the platform as well, but people tend not to pay as much attention to me.
"Go home, Tornado!" he yelled to his noble steed, who turned and galloped, not for home, since that would have been dangerous, but away from the pueblo. We would reach the cave through a round-about way.
As we raced out of the pueblo, the lancers regained their feet, so everyone was standing and watching us when my fox-person pulled his horse so that it would be seen sideways from the pueblo, and reared, brandishing his sword. Then the horse hit the ground, turned and raced off before the lancers could get after him. Not that they really tried, or if they did, then their skill would best be described as non-existant.
Our first public adventure had gone off without a hitch.
When we returned to the cave, Bernardo fussed over my fox-person, then, convinced he was fine, over the stallion. I was fussed over by my fox-person, who told me repeatedly how well I did. Then he changed back into his normal clothes. My person-fox looked at me and sighed.
"And now to explain to my father why I was absent, and cement even more firmly in his mind my pacifism and cowardice."