Inside Cluny heard the Scraping on the roof. He was inside talking to Maw when he heard it.
"Have you seen Scripp that lazy weasel? I thought it was you in charge of him." Sneered Cluny maliciously.
Ripclaw shook his head as he stared at the ceiling watching a moth.
"I'll go get him inside."
Then Ripclaw got up and went outside.
There Scripp was snoring, yet Ripclaw didn't see him.
He shouted,
"Come down or I'll gut ye on ma pike."
He didn't own a pike but a spear sufficed.
A well-aimed roof-tile hit his mouth. A tooth was spat out.
"Spend your time up there. I'm not in a hurry. I can wait all year" laughed Ripclaw.
Another tile fell. Ripclaw dodged expertly, the tile narrowly missed his whiskers.
The rat on the roof stood up, stretched, vaulted into road whilst somersaulting in mid-air, landing on hind-paws. It had unsheathed two rapiers.
"Fear me rat. You have stirred my anger. Flee of face my wrath!" shouted the rat.
"Who are ye clown-rat?" sneered Ripclaw laughing.
"You need not know it rat." The rat snarled annoyed. "But if you insist I am known as Rapier! Tell your leader to fear me or fight me!"
The rat laughed at Ripclaw.
Ripclaw didn't know what to say, he was rooted to the spot.
"Cluny never fears of flees!" shouted Cluny, making Ripclaw jump.
He had come to see what was taking Ripclaw so long.
The rat bowed curtly.
"Your fellow rat was making idle threats again, what should a self-respecting war-lord like yourself do I wonder?" jeered the Rat.
"It concerns none of your judgment whelp. Tell me rat, why should I spare your life? Are you going to plead for mercy?" sneered Cluny, expecting the rat to grovel.
The rat did not grovel, but simply sheathed his swords.
"My life is of no concern to you, rat." He sneered. "But yet I risk life and limb to tell you of me being a cross of Drakul, and I get this welcoming? Now you'd better shut up or I'll shut you up. PERMANATLY!" Shouted the rat, clearly beyond annoyance.
Cluny was silent. He could always kill the rat later for speaking out of turn.
"Drakul? Is that insolent Mongoose still breathing? Tell your piece and be gone lest I kill you." Mocked Cluny, leaning on his haunches, weak with laughter.
The weasel Scripp woke. He went on pretending that he was asleep again, listening to every word.
"We are not rats of this land. We are from beyond the deserts and southern lands. We are from the lands of Rumanir and beyond. Who am I?" the rat sniggered. "I am who you knew well before the scourge existed. My piece is this: Drakul knows you are alive again. He plans to kill you or force you into fighting in his horde. I did not cross! No, I deserted!" laughed the rat crazily.
The rat was clearly insane!
Cluny narrowed his one good eye.
The rat laughed insanely again. Then it sighed,
"I have no clan of which you speak. They were carried off by Drakul. I had a clan, the Nytecrawlers!"
