The Tablelands

by Jet556

Gard returns home to the Tablelands. Instead of finding the village he had been born in, he finds a town and in that town an old friend: Lynx-O and finds a new one in Bengali. However, in this town where Evabon, Cat, Lizard and Nomis all live together things might be difficult. It might be too soon for four different races to be living in the same town.

10. Chapter 10

Welcome. Enjoy.

Common Happenings

It did not matter where anyone was. If there were in the town, outside of it, far from it, one could hear the fighting. As common as it was Evabon, Lizard, Cat and Nomis would fight one another. To call this a fight would be to name it lightly. These were not simple fights but public struggles, riots complete chaos! The reasons for the start of these struggles could range from the petty to the cruel.

Today, it was a cruel reason but one that would be quickly forgotten. It would just be another of these bouts of chaos!

If only it were. All four races were involved in the riot, a bloodlust come over them but not like the one that had cursed Procyon. All those in town who were not a part of the fighting stayed out of the way. Those who were outside of town could hear the fighting but they were not going to watch. There would be quick death, slow death and crippling.

Gard and Benagli watched from the bone shop. The old grey Evabon completely shocked, the young white tiger completely uninterested.

"Why do they fight?"

"Who cares? It happens once a day. With all the fighting that happens here Pwyll's wife and daughter should be allowed to be in the town as well. Have them suffer with the rest of us and not be free by not being allowed in town!" Bengali's comment caused Gard to laugh a bit. Irony was a wonderful and mysterious thing! "I remember once particular fight where-"

"Another time, Bengali." Gard left the shop and walked out onto the open street. He walked through the fighting as if he was walking through water. He tossed aside anyone that came at him with sword or axe. He was used to violence. This was a violent world he had been born on. Somewhere there must have been a world without violence but that seemed impossible. Where there was peace there was war and where there was war there was violence. One could not live without the other. Love and hate, peace and war, life and death, all were part of the cycle that ended with rebirth. This was not like anything that happened with Evabon gladiators, criminals fighting as athletes until they had become rehabilitated. Gard had gone through that as a young Evabon. He knew the difference between rehabilitation and senseless violence.

It was good that Balor was safer outside of town. Violence like this around on a daily basis, it was better for the suicidal to live here.

As he walked into a dark alley, Gard saw a cat sitting on the ground. The cat in question was looking at the opposite wall. Looking? No. This cat was blind. Gard knew who this was.