Author's note: I've noticed from my writings that i've made Ranguvar too much of a girly character. She talks perfectly and she only fights twice. I'm going to change that. Her feelings towards Sauvin will remain the same, but she will be more aggressive with vermin and less dreamy. So from now on, Ranguvars character traits will be distinguishingly different (I hope).

Chapter 38

The sun had barely reached over the trees, and already the birds were singing their sweet song of a new morn. A short breeze blew over the earth, causing the grass to sway gently. Bees droned noisely out of their hives, searching for flowers pollen order to feed their families.

The sweetness of mother nature was abruptly interrupted by a screeching noise from an empty forge.

Sauvin pedaled a granite wheel as he scraped something unrecognizable on it. He would pedal, scrape, and blow on his creation continuously. After a while, he formed what looked like a three inch diameter saw wheel, though the sharp points on the edges were much larger, and there were only six on each one. He tossed one into a pile and began working on a new thin piece of metal.

When he had made about thirty, he sighed and took out three chisels, each one different in size, and a hammer. He got to work, chipping away at his sharp creation. He worked until the sun began to beat hard on the earth. By then, every other creature had gotten up to work. Badgers came in all around him and bustled around to do their own work, each one eyeing him curiously.

Sauvin chipped away at his miniature saw wheels, carving something into each side. After realizing it was getting very hot, he was forced to move outside. There he sat, carving away at the base of a tree, not caring much for anything that was going on around him. That is, until Ranguvar Foeseeker showed up.

"Er, so, wot are ye' doing?"

Even though she had showed up, he didn't change his composure much. He didn't even look at her when he answered. "Making something."

Ranguvar cocked her head slightly. "Er, could you be a little more specific?"

Sauvin nodded, still not looking at her. "Making something sharp."

Ranguvar's face fell. "Well, what are they called?"

"Shurikens."

Ranguvar nodded. "What are they used for?"

Sauvin finally took this moment to glance at her. "Throwing."

The female squirrel had just about lost her temper. "Throwing at whom, and why?"

Sauvin blinked and stared. "Alright, I'll get to the point. I'm making shurikens, a blowgun and darts. I'm going to use shurikens as weapons to throw and pin people to walls, or directly at them to kill them. My dartgun is going to be my main weapon. I have three different darts. One for regular shooting, another for putting creatures to sleep, and the other is going to be poisoned darts for killing."

He looked back at his work resolutely, wanting to be finished that day.

Ranguvar thought it rude to ask another question, but she knew he would not express any anger, and so not lashing out and hurting her feelings. "Why are you makin' new weapons? I thought your knives were your weapons."

Sauvin put down his shuriken. "I'm taking up an old sport. It's called Ninjutsu. I learned it when I was very young and still alive, but I casted it off because it taught me to rid myself of all emotion. I want emotion. It's the only thing that keeps me seperated from other creatures."

"But why would ye' take it up now? Do ye' want to be different again?"

Sauvin shook his head. "I'm merely accepting the fact that I will always be different."

Ranguvar nodded. "Does this have anything to do with your strange behavior yesterday?"

Sauvin stared at the ground for a moment and answered. "Yes and no."

The female squirrel remained silent, thinking it would be better not to ask him any more questions. She was delighted to hear Sauvin say something. "Look, why are you here?"

Ranguvar looked at the ground. "I was hopin' to get an answer from you."

Sauvin looked forwards, not saying anything. "I'm not ready to answer. I need time."

Ranguvar nodded understandingly, turning to leave. When she had finally left, Sauvin plunged one of his knives into the ground, his eyes burning with redness and fury. "She doesn't understand! I wish I could tell her, but... It would mean telling her my entire past. I don't think she, let alone I, would want to know or remember what it was like."

After some time, Sauvin finished carving his shurikens. On one side, he carved out all unneccesary pieces, and what was leftover formed a twisted S with a lightning bolt through it. Overall, he was proud of each weapon, and he put them into a small, black raglike bag. He was happy with his work, his eyes showing this by flaring green for a minute or two.

Meanwhile, others were up and working on whatever they could; whether it be training, cooking, forging, or woodworking.

Martin the Warrior walked around and surveyed everything that was occuring. He felt an amazing sense of pride fill him, amazed by being chosen by Boar the fighter to lead mice from all over time. He spotted Rose, walking around and working numbers on a piece of parchment and quill.

"Hey, Rose! What are you doing?"

She turned, looking up from her parchment. "What's that? Oh, hello, Martin. Boar just wanted me to take inventory of weapons, arrows, and slings."

Martin looked around, surprised. "He wants inventory of everything going on? That's quite a job!"

Rose laughed. "Oh, no, just certain areas. He sent out about 100 different creatures to do this. I'm just taking stock of this regiment of slingweavers."

Martin nodded. "So how many are there here?"

Rose looked at her parchment, notched down a few more numbers, and then answered. "I just finished!" She said happily, "There are exactly 2,236 slings in this particular area, but there are still more to be made, and there are also the ones that have been made while I've been counting. I think we have at least 2,500, now."

She turned around and yelled out for all to hear. "Alright everyone! We're nearly halfway towards the quota for the day! If we keep this rate up we'll have time for goofing off!"

Martin laughed at this remark. "Well, that will make them want to work harder, wouldn't it? Work extra hard and you can goof off! Hahaha! It doesn't really matter, because they still have to do the same amount of work."

Rose smiled, and then returned to her speech. "Alright, so if we can get the the current slings into a barrel by 100's, I'll get someone to ship them down to Boar, okay?"

Martin was surprised to see that there were no groans and whines about this new task. Instead, twenty-five creatures immediately got up and began filling a barrel each.

He turned to her, bewildered. "How do you get them to do that?"

Rose looked around. "Oh, it's just a simple matter of my my behavior. Planning to make everyone feel prepared, cheerfulness to make others brighten up, optimism to give other confidence... And the promise that I would sing for them all when they finish."

Martin bit his lip. "Really? Can I weave slings, too?"

Rose laughed. "Oh, and abandon your post as a swordsman? I don't think so."

Martin followed after Rose, complaining whinily. She giggled as she darted through everybeasts work, Martin hard on her tails.

"C'mon, please! I can get back to that later!"

Sauvin had stolen off to one of the forges to steal some sleeping and poison potions. At first, he thought he would find everything at the forge, but when he thought more, he realized that there would be no reason for sleeping potions to be in a forgery. Poison potions were different, seeing as weapons would need to soak in poison in order for quick and easy kills.

He set off to the forgery and looked through their cabinets. He worked his way past arrowheads and bolts to find several vials that read, 'DANGER: Do not drink or inject into bloodstream. Any such contact will result in death within 15 seconds.'. Under this very sincere warning was the name of the product, which was, 'Jyrochine'. Sauvin plucked it and it's nine other identical neighbors into a pouch, after which he left the forge as quickly as possible.

He then stole off to some healers department that had been built in a single day, much to the delight of the several healers. He threw open the doors of every cupboard he could find, reading labels of potions as he went.

"Let's see, iodine, ammonia, amoxycillin, ground ivy roots... No, this isn't it. Hmm... What bout-"

He opened another cabinet and searched again.

"Jerellukim...? No, I don't think that would put you to sleep. Hmm... Arithromycin, Acetominophen... Nothing else?"

He had gone through nearly every cabinet with the same result. His eyes widened and blared a light green hue as he saw the final cabinet had a a shelf with nothing but sleeping potions. He almost laughed as he slipped the entire contents of the self into his bag with one sweep.

After that, he snuck out through the window and passed some bewildered creatures that wondered why there was a black squirrel climbing out a window with a heavy bag on his back. Sauvin merely greeted them with a feeble wave of his hand and left them glancing at each other in wonderment.

Sauvin snuck off to a group of hedgehogs that were making arrows. He spotted a bag of what looked like broken feathers another with arrow shafts that were too short to make into bows. The black squirrel held it up. "May I have this?"

The hedgehogs looked up from their work, slightly confused. One of them, obviously keeping them all in order, nodded. "Aye, you can 'ave them. You takin' 'em down to garbage?"

Sauvin looked at him for a moment and shrugged. "I guess you could say that."

And with that, he left the hedgehogs to their work.

Sauvin recounted all the things he would need to make the darts, and he realized now he needed dye. He knew where to find this, and it was with the mice that made clothes. The squirrel did not regard to the needs of colored clothing and deliberately stole all but two bottles of each black, grey, and dark red dye. He also stole a long strip of black nylon, about three feet long and an inch and a half wide.

Sauvin set off to find someplace where he could work in peace. He searched in a half mile radius from the camp, and found what he was looking for. It was an abandoned house, obviously empty because of the ringing of the Great Bell. It was homely, but clean. Pots and pans were hung loosely from hooks on the wall, and old drawers were left open.

Sauvin cleared off one table of it's leftover eating contents and set out the bottles of poison and sleeping potions. He took out a pair of scissors and got to work trimming the mangled pieces into short feathers.

When he had made the desired amount, he put them to the side and began working on the dart tips. He cut the short arrow shafts into two inch pieces, sharpening the tips extroardinarily thin. Then, using a flat bladed knife, he cut a small notch into the back of each.

After that, he opened every bottle of dye and began dipping his shortened feathers into the dye, placing them carefully to the side after each one was done. After all feathers had been colored, he set them out to dry in the sun. Soon, he opened every sleeping potion and Jyrochine bottle and placed dart tips into each one. He put enough in each one so that there would be enough to soak each and every dart at once. Now it was time to wait.

Back at camp, the sun , having just passed it zenith point, was beginning to sink from the sky. Everybeast seemed to settle down after they had filled their quota for the day. Barrels were rolled in from across the plains into one area near the middle, while a different creature counted different weapon. Two squirrels together counted arrowhead barrels while Rose and Grumm were chosen to count sling barrels. As each barrel rolled in, they would notch down one tally mark onto their paper and look for more. at the end, boar took the final notice for the day, looked down on it, and then glanced up.

Boar smiled as he looked up from the paper. "Very well! We seem to have reached our mark for the day. You're dismissed to go."

It was at that moment, a hare came tumbling out of the trees nearby, dirt and muck up his garments. "Boar! Boar sah! I bring news! I need to tell you something, wot! Woooooaoaah!"

The hare tumbled and fell head over hears into Boars legs. Resisting the blows and standing firm, the big silver badger looked down on the hare that had been so careless in his running.

"And what do we have here?"

The hare flopped comically down onto his back and looked up at the big badger, dazed. "Er, message for ye', sah..."

Boar looked down on the beaten up hare and smiled. "And what would that be?"

The hare realized what had happened and came back to his sentence in a flash. "Well, sah, it is my pleasure, er, displeasure, that is, to tell you that up north, well, the bally fight's been lost! Y'see the vermin overran everybody, wot! It seems like... Like they all... er, wot's the confounded word..."

Boar spoke loudly and angrily. "They all died!"

The hare tapped his footpaws nervously and nodded. "Aye, thanks for the help, wot! Yes, sah, they all... died."

Boar sighed heavily and shook his head. "I knew all those hares. I fought with them, and I know that they would not have died without a fight. Their deaths were not in vain. Those hares helped me shut the Hellgate. They shall be rembered forever."

The hare that had brought the news tapped boar on the waist. "Well, sah, that's not all, see. I'm to think that the vermin followed me here, wot! I was told by the cap'n not to worry about any blinkin' tracks or anythin, cos it'd slow me down. He wanted it to get here as fast as possible..."

There was a great gasp from the crowd, almost perfect unison.

Boar was angry. "That captain should've known better! He should've made you hide out until the vermin went away, and then have you come here to get help. Oh well, there's no changing that now. When will the vermin be here?"

The hare stood to attention. "Approximately 24 hours, sah; midday tomorrow, wot!"

Boar nodded. "I see. However, I do not want to get to work immediately. If so, my many warriors would be too tired to fight. They have been training all day. Let them rest, and tomorrow we will bear arms. We will meet the vermin head on tomorrow. If your calulations are correct..." And with that, he turned to his hares and devised a plan.

Rose tapped Martin on his shoulder. "What do you think Boar is doing?"

Martin smiled. "He trusts his hares more than anything. He's probably telling them to distract the vermin to someplace where we can take them by surprise."

Rose giggled. "Sort of like a surprise birthday party."

Martin laughed. "Aye, but I don't think the surprise will be to their pleasure."

Sauvin, the black squirrel asassin, went over his work carefully. He felt each feather and noticed they were dry, and then, looking over his chemically altered wooden darts, nodded his approval. The black squirrel carefully removed each wooden dart and placed them apart seperately according to what they were put in, whether it be posion, sleeping potion, or nothing. He looked over his feathers and placed them by color on some wax paper he had found in a drawer. He also found some pine tar and a short, thin metal stick for applying it.

Sauvin immediately got to work. Using the metal stick, he smeard in the notch of each dart some pine tar. And then, he would put in feathers according to their different uses. In the regular ones, he would put grey, and sleeping ones black. On the ones that were coated in Jyrochine he put dark red feathers. He worked on this for about an hour.

Finally finished with the darts, Sauvin pulled out the long strip of black nylon he had taken from the clothing mice. He put the strap around his eyes and noted how long the the exces was in the back, and he cut off three inches from either side. After that, he put it around his eyes again, and noted with his paws the exact spot where it covered them. After that, he took a small pair of scissors and cut eyeholes in them. Taking the newly made mask, he wrapped it around his eyes and bound it tight.

Now all he needed was a blowgun. He took a bottle of black dye and a plain dart, and left the house silently. Sauvin sped down to a small pond that he had seen while searching for a place where he coud work. He thought he had spotted some particularly good hollow reeds to use. The black squirrel waded into the pond and plucked at least ten of them from the shore. He removed the dart from his belt and tested it in each tube.

The first one he tried was too big. The dart merely fell through the reed without a halt. The second one had too many holes in the side, causing all of Sauvin's blows to be in vain. The third made a loud popping noise every time the dart left it, even though it shot very far and accurate. The fourth was also too big, and there was also a beetle inside that Sauvin didn't want to disturb. The fifth was too small, and the feathers would make it through. Sauvin finally decided that the sixth was his best choice. The reed was nearly perfect. With just a small blow, he could send the dart about 30 feet. With a larger blow, it could go nearly 100, due to buildup of air resistance in the feathers and in the reed.

Sauvin cut the reed with his old knife until it was short enough to fit beneath his fur without being uncomfortable. He tested the other reeds and found they were all unusable, and decided to go back with only one.

Upon returning to the house, he found that the darts had all completely dried, and that his work for the day was complete. Sauvin coated the blowgun he had made with black dye and let it dry. Soon, he was on his way back to camp.

Back at camp, there were many reunions. Luke had been reunited with his grandfather, Martin, and Sayna with her mother, Windred. Gonff had met his parents, and many other emotional meetings. Martin met with his great grandsire, who looked nearly identical to him.

"I say, you look like two mirrored images, wot!" Derin said, peering over a short wooden fence as Martin and his great grandfather, also called Martin conversed.

The older Martin looked at him strangely.

Martin laughed. "Ahaha! This is Derin, master of the bowstaff."

Derin pole vaulted of the fence like a breeze. "Master may be a strong word, as there is still much more I have to learn."

Martin, the grandsire, laughed. "It seems t'me like you've mastered pole vaulting. What else do you need to learn?"

Derin glanced around. "Well, I don't know, y'see, but there always is a blinkin' bit more o' anythin' to learn! Am I right?"

Martin Sr. laughed. "Yes, I do believe you're right."

Martin looked back to his grandsire. "Look, I don't know what we're supposed to be called in public. Everybody calls both of us Martin the Warrior. What will we do?"

Derin took matters into his own hands. "Let's call the older buzzer gramps, and leave you at Martin."

Martin's grandsire turned and glared at him. "You call me that, and I'll call you Dora, the master of twigs."

Derin backed away slowly. "Right, ol' chap, I get the message, wot!"

Both Martin's laughed.

It was then that Sauvin dropped down right in front of them. Martin's grandfather nearly jumped in surprise. "By the fur! What in heavens name are you?"

Sauvin turned around and saw two Martin's sitting at the table. He raised one eyebrow. "My name is Sauvin."

Martin stood up from the table, exploring Sauvin's new look. "Wow! Sauvin! What have you done?"

Sauvin looked around. "What? What did I do?"

Martin felt the black nylon mask around his face and laughed. "You look amazing! What caused you to do this?"

Sauvin scratched his head. "I don't know. I suppose I just wanted to take up an old sport; Ninjutsu."

Derin laughed. "I say! Ranguvar will be thrilled!"

Sauvin stared at Derin, his eyes altering colors. "What does Ranguvar have to do with any of this?"

Derin shrugged. "Oh, I dunno. Must've just slipped off the ol' warbler."

Sauvin raised an eyebrow and raised a sharpened shuriken from his bag. "I could pin you to the wall with this, if I had a good mind."

Derin backed away. "Ah, I see. Well, can't say I'm not sorry."

As the sun went down, everyone who had heard the news of a vermin attack did not rest easy. Warriors who knew they would be fighting left all of their weapons by their bedside in case there was a night attack. The few children that there were were held by their mothers, as they watched the sun go down. Every shade of darkness made it more and more ominous.

The time had come.

Author's note: Wow. Friday was a snow day at my house, so I got to write like crazy. Sorry about the lack of speech in this chapter. I wanted to make Sauvin's change of character seem important. That's why I spent so much time on him. If it was boring, go right ahead and flame me. I'll ignore it. It's important to me, so I put it in.

Also, for further notice, I will NOT update until my story reaches 200 reviews(But this doesn't mean I'll stop writing until then). I've been on the edge of my seat writing and writing, but I never seem to get there. I get less and less reviews every time, and it makes me wonder if there is something wrong with my writing. Is my story getting too boring and repetitive? Is it too long and the characters I put in don't connect very well?

And for those who like the Ranguvar-Sauvin thing, I don't think you understand what's going on. Sauvin doesn't hate Ranguvar, he says so in this chapter that he can't love without telling her his past, which leads me to the other thing I'm going to tell you.

I'm writing another story devoted entirely to Sauvin. His character facinates me. This might seem awkward, because I created him, but I never really intended for him to turn out this way. He was just supposed to be another character, and I gave him traits like any other. But then I questioned... "Why does he express no emotion? Why is he so aloof and independent?" Well, I came up with a past for Sauvin in my head, and I thought it would make a good story to put on fanfiction. Anyways, don't expect it to be released any time soon. I still hve quite a bit to write before the first chapter is released.

Wow, this must be the longest Author's note ever written. Well, anyways, thanks for reading. It gives me great pleasure to know I give you readers something to think about. It makes me feel... powerful. Lol, JK.