It was in the afternoon when Culgan, Lekton, and Christina approached the checkpoint, having been passed by three small merchant's wagons already, filled with wares. There was no room for them to catch a ride. They had also passed a two-man patrol as they neared the border and noticed two extra guards posted on either side of the road near the checkpoint.
"Sure seems like there's more security than before," Christina said.
"Maybe they heard you were coming and needed more guards to contain your overpowering personality," Lekton said, bored.
"That's sounds like a compliment and also like you're talking shit."
Culgan had a bad feeling about the added security, even though he was sure it had nothing to do with them. "Just stick to our story. If the same guards we encountered last week recognize us, we'll say we've been informed of a death in the family. Otherwise, we've concluded our business in Muse and are returning home."
Christina mumbled as she looked around, "Let's see who died...who died... our aunt… Pine... Snow. Lekton. Quick, think of a name."
"The simpler you keep a lie, the easier it is to believe," Culgan said. "Don't give any unnecessary details."
A guard waved her hand to get their attention. "Hey!"
Culgan raised his hand back and walked toward her. "Good afternoon."
"I just thought you should know that has been a rise in rabbit attacks. They've been targeting guards mostly, but you never know with those murderous rabbits."
"Rabbits…?" Lekton scoffed, "That doesn't sound very scary."
"They're armed with axes. Just be careful if you make camp. I suggest staying close to the road and, if you can, avoid making fire."
"Thank you for warning us," Culgan said. "I'm surprised they've come out this way. They usually inhabit the mountains."
"They've been getting bold ever since the end the of the war. Maybe because there aren't armies on the move. They really hate our soldiers though."
"Have you thought about bribing them with pellets?" Christina asked, met with an unamused stare by the guard.
"Do you have any idea why they target the soldiers?" Culgan asked.
"We're trying to figure that out. But I think it's because of Riou and his allies. I heard they killed quite a few of the rabbits on their journey."
"Is that the reason for the added security?"
"Yes. We had a couple of guards on patrol get ambushed and stripped of their equipment."
"The bunnies are probably just cold," Christina reasoned.
Lekton chuckled, "Down to their skivvies? By bunnies?"
Culgan clapped Lekton on the shoulder. "Cut bunnies are no joke, nephew. They're very territorial, they're fast, and there are a lot of them. They are rabbits, after all."
The guard nodded, "Your uncle is right. Just keep an eye out when you're on the road, and if you are confronted by them, just give up your items and hope they leave you alone."
"Thank you for the advice. We'll be on our way now," Culgan said and put his hand on Christina's back as he turned toward the gate so she would follow.
Lekton walked beside Culgan on his other side and whispered, "We don't really need to be afraid of cut bunnies, do we?"
"Well, if Emile had anything to say about it—" Christina started.
"Who is Emile?"
"He's this cute, neurotic gambler at the Hungry Wolf. I'm pretty sure I could show him a stuffed rabbit and he would take off running."
Culgan didn't recognize either of the guards posted at the gate. "Greetings. We've concluded our business in Muse and are returning home."
The guard on the left, a tall skinny man with a mustache, nodded, looking the three of them over. He was about to wave them through when the young, stubbly guard beside him interrupted, "Don't we know you?"
Culgan hesitated for a moment, surmising that this time he was not being confused for a performer. "I don't believe so. But we did just pass through a week ago."
"No, that's not where I've seen you before. I'm pretty sure I saw you on the battlefield."
"You are mistaken, sir. I'm just a merchant," Culgan said, keeping his voice calm but firm.
"No, I'm sure of it!" the guard shouted, drawing his sword. "Most of my brothers met their end thanks to you! You were General Culgan! That's it!"
The taller guard put his hand on his sword, confused by the sudden hostility and tried to re-assess if Culgan posed a threat. But Culgan took a step back, putting his arm out in front of Christina to keep her behind him and held up his hand. "Sir, we don't want to cause any trouble. I'm not going to fight you. There's no need to draw your sword."
The taller guard put his hand on the hostile guard's arm. "Mario, sheathe your sword! They're unarmed!" He looked at Culgan and said, "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me while we sort this out. If you are the famous Highland General, we can't let you pass freely without questions and the word of our commander."
Glowering, Mario put his sword away. "We better put him in iron!"
"What?" Christina balked, "Even if he was who you think he is, the war is over and it shouldn't matter!"
"I'll comply," Culgan answered. "Can my niece and nephew go on through so they can set up camp before nightfall?"
"No, we-!" Mario started.
"We are not arresting children," the taller guard interjected. "They may continue on or wait here for you. You are our only concern."
"We'll go through and set up camp near the road so the cut bunnies don't get us," Lekton said.
Christina wanted to protest this horseshit but knew it would be in their best interest to play along. "We'll see you soon, Uncle."
Lekton passed through the gate with her and walked out of earshot of the guards before stopping below the line of trees. "Man... I didn't think I'd actually have to bust him out of jail. It's a good thing Senna taught me how to pick a lock, but... I don't exactly have a plan for distracting the guards."
"I could distract them, but I don't really trust the New State army soldiers."
"Even with a woman among them, I wouldn't either. Plus, they've seen our faces. They'd know you're up to something. Let's set up camp and when it gets dark, I'll case the place."
"I don't like that they can just snatch someone up like that just because they think they look like someone."
"Yeah, and what did he even do wrong? He didn't commit a crime." Lekton remembered what the guard said about not creating a fire because it might draw out the bunnies, but his feet were cold and wet from walking through the snow. He would have liked to dry them by the fire. "Hey, do you think...? What if we try using the bunnies as a distraction? After I case the place, you run in screaming for help, say I've been attacked by a horde of bunnies, and I'll break in while they come to my rescue."
"That's a great idea! Unless this is some ploy to get me to take off my clothes!"
"What? No, I'm the one being attacked. You run away to get help. Except I'm not there when they get there. You can say I put up a fight so maybe they abducted me, I dunno."
"I heard you wrong, I can admit that, and that sounds like a perfect plan. But what if they go searching and find the bunnies, then kill them? I'd feel so guilty."
"Well, we're not really going to have any bunnies nearby. Unless... do you think there are bunnies nearby?" He looked around them in the snow for any foot prints or pellets. "They're rabbits. I'm pretty sure they can outrun a couple of guards."
"Well, if they're attacking as frequently as the guards say, then, they must have a base nearby."
"It's probably in the ground. Don't rabbits burrow? Let's just worry about Culgan for now. I'm going to get wood for a fire. If the bunnies do attack, they'll help sell our story."
"I bet I could get the bunnies on our side. Animals love me," Christina grinned.
"I won't stop you from trying. Just don't get bitten or slashed."
"It makes me warm and fuzzy to know you have so much concern for me, Lek. A fire would make me even warmer."
Lekton gathered wood and used his knife with their flint to spark a fire, even though night hadn't fallen yet. He thought the smoke might help draw out the bunnies, but more than that, he wanted to warm up at least a little. As they tried to warm up, Christina and Lekton watched as people let through the checkpoint passed by, none of them taking more than a fleeting interest in the two of them huddled by their little fire. The sun was going down, but Lekton recognized the man Culgan had sat across from at the inn. "E-excuse me," he said, waving at him.
Nash glanced around, but he knew the boy was waving at him. He didn't see Culgan with them, but he stuck his hands in his pockets and broke away from the road to walk toward them. "You're those kids traveling with Culgan, aren't you?"
"Yeah, we were… but one of the soldiers recognized him at the checkpoint and arrested him."
Christina tilted her head, checking him out, and smiled, trying her best to look cute. Nash returned her smile to be polite, but he kept his attention on Lekton. "That's not good, but I'm sure he can get himself out of there."
"A guard drew his sword," Lekton said, edging his voice with desperation. He wasn't as worried as he sounded, but if he could manipulate this man into helping him, he would. "He has a personal vendetta against him, and he's pretty convinced about who he is. What if that guard tries to exact revenge during their shift change?" Lekton stood up and brushed off his pants. "I'm going to go take a look around and see how I can get in. Christina's going to cause a distraction, then I'll pick the lock on his cell. If we get caught, we'll probably all hang though."
Nash didn't want to get involved, but he didn't want to leave Culgan's escape in the hands of a couple of kids either. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair to rub the back of his head. "What's to be my part in all of this?"
Lekton breathed a sigh of relief and stammered, "I... I don't know exactly. The guards told us cut bunnies have been attacking guards and stealing their gear, so I was thinking Christina could call for help and tell them I've been attacked, and while there aren't so many of them guarding the jail, I'll sneak in and bust Culgan out."
"That's a really good plan," Nash said with a lop-sided smile. For a kid, Lekton was smart. He wondered how well he could pick a lock. Maybe they didn't really need his expertise after all. "Wait, did you say there are cut bunnies near here?"
"Yeah. They told us to make camp near the road because of it. But I started a fire anyway to sell the story."
"What if you really do attract cut bunnies?"
Christina grinned, "Then I'll make new friends and storm the guards with my cute little army."
"Or she'll die trying," Lekton mumbled.
"It would be worth it!"
"No, it really wouldn't," Nash said and looked around, examining the environment. "You said that they stole uniforms from the guards, right?"
"Yeah, but... we don't know where they are."
"I'm going to help you, but you have to do exactly as I say," Nash said.
"We will," Lekton assured him. "What is your name?"
"Nash."
"I'm Lekton. This is Christina."
"Lekton, you have a look around the place, count how many guards are on duty, how many entrances there are, if they patrol a certain path. But, Christina, hold off on the dramatic distraction, okay? We'll meet back at the fire."
"Are you going to look for the cut bunnies?" Christina asked excitedly. "Can I come!?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so," Nash said. "I might be able to defend myself from a pack of cut bunnies long enough to escape, but I can't guarantee your safety."
"And we're looking for a way to save Culgan, not adopt a pet," Lekton said, pelting her with a snowball.
"Ah!" Christina jumped up to shake the snow out of her shirt where it managed to get past her jacket's line of defense at the collar. She glared at Lekton and sat back down, wrapping her scarf snuggly around her neck. "Fine. I'll keep the fire going."
Nash mused, "You two don't by any chance have anything I could offer the cut bunnies as trade, do you?"
Lekton looked through his pack. He couldn't give up their gifts for Senna and Silene, and their food was mostly beef jerky. He patted himself down and took the knife off his belt. "They like weapons, right? What about my dagger?"
Nash took it from him and nodded, "This might be enough for a uniform. If not, I'll think of something."
"Thank you, Mr. Nash," Lekton smiled.
After creating a makeshift torch, Nash ventured into the nearby forest, thinking the cut bunnies would most likely be viewing the campsite from the trees. He stopped when he heard the crunching of snow under foot. "Hello? I, uh... come in peace?" He moved the torch around, wishing he knew if cut bunnies could even understand him. The crunching grew closer and faster. Nash had to resist his instinct to reach for a weapon, but it would be easy enough to shoot a dart from his sleeve if something did get the jump on him. When he turned toward the sound behind him, he was met by a large bunny with an axe, then another and another until he was fully surrounded. The bunnies were a bit larger than the flying squirrels he had encountered on his travels, but he imagined they proved more than just a nuisance. "I wish to trade," he said quickly.
He felt uneasy as the bunnies exchanged looks and squeaks. He jumped when he felt one of them sneak up behind him and poke him in the hip with the butt of its axe. "Hey!" He listened to them all squeaking and felt like they were laughing at him, but he took that as a good sign, meaning they had a sense of humor.
A grey bunny hopped forward, wearing a stolen helmet and holding a spear. Unlike the other bunnies, this one also wore a black eyepatch. When she squeaked, the other bunny backed off, and Nash took that to mean she was their leader. She moved closer, nose twitching curiously.
"You must be their leader. I heard you were stealing guard uniforms, and I want to trade with you for one." He took Lekton's dagger from inside his vest and offered it to her.
The bunny took the dagger and inspected it before tossing it to a nearby bunny and hopping around Nash to inspect him. She was curious about him since most humans would run in fear or try to attack them.
"You accept the trade?" Nash asked cautiously. Shortly after, another bunny came hopping over with a rumpled bundle of clothes. He dropped it on the ground, and the bunny gestured to it with her spear before they dispersed.
Nash took a deep breath and collected the uniform, eager to get out of the woods as quickly as possible. He stopped far enough away from the campfire to change into the uniform without being seen and hid his belongings behind the tree. He had the feeling if he asked Christina to guard his clothes, she would rifle through them. He could tell she had a curious nature, and he preferred his privacy. When he returned to camp, Lekton was already back. "What did you find out?"
"The cells are on the right side of the gate, which still has two guards manning it. They have Culgan isolated in his own cell with one guard sitting watch. The other two cells are empty. There are two more guards outside of the… I think it's an office?"
"Might be a barracks."
"And one more on a short patrol path along the road."
Christina gawked, "Are we not going to point out that he went looking for cut bunnies and came back in a guard's uniform?!"
"He's the bunny-whisperer, Christina. Didn't he tell you?" Lekton teased.
"No, he didn't! Why didn't you tell me?" she looked at Nash, betrayed.
"Because we're on a mission to save Culgan," Lekton reminded her.
"That doesn't mean we can't get me a crew of awesome bunnies along the way."
"They were surprisingly reasonable," Nash said, "but… not reasonable enough for you to go running into the forest after them."
"What do you need us to do?" Lekton asked.
"I'm going to go report as a new guard. Then Christina will run up and let them know about the cut bunny attack to draw the guards away. Lekton will remain in the shadows. Should the plan go sideways, I'll be a big enough distraction for the guards so Lekton could pick the lock on the cell. But if all goes well, you shouldn't need to. Wait ten minutes before you come running, okay, Christina?"
"Ten minutes, you got it!" Christina nodded, "Not a minute sooner. Or later. I'm going to start counting."
Lekton split off from Nash to recover his position scouting the area, relieved he wasn't going in alone. As good as he thought his plan was, he couldn't be sure all of the guards would leave their posts, and he didn't want to have to fight one. With his luck, he figured the guard with a grudge guarding Culgan's cell would have stayed behind.
Nash adopted a soldier's stride as he neared the guard station. He didn't have a helmet, but fortunately, it didn't look like any of the other guards wore one. What he did immediately notice was that the uniform he'd traded for hadn't included the standard leather boots and sword belt the other guards were equipped with. But it was dark, and he hoped they wouldn't notice.
The lone guard at the gate raised his hand to stop him. "We've shut down the pass for the night."
"Guard Commander Clovis reporting," Nash said with a salute. "I just got assigned to this post to help with the recent attacks. More reinforcements should be arriving tomorrow, but I came ahead."
The guard saluted him, "Commander. There is another matter you could help us with, sir."
"And that is?"
"One of our guards claims that the man we have detained is the famous Highland General Culgan."
Nash scoffed loudly, "That's impossible. Flik and Viktor, heroes of the New State Army, both confirmed his death. Take me to his cell."
"This way, sir." The tall, mustachioed guard led him from the gate to the cell block.
The shorter, suspicious guard stood up. "Who…?"
"Mario, this is Commander Clovis. He's here to investigate the man in the cell."
Mario looked at Nash with suspicion too because he looked awfully young to be a Commander and he was dressed like a regular soldier. But he saluted him and stepped aside. "Which regiment did you come from, Commander?"
"The 43rd currently located near Shesta," Nash answered and changed the subject. "So, I am to believe that the dead have risen and are casually passing through our borders?"
"I... I know how it sounds, but I'm sure he's the man I think he is. I've seen him with my own eyes. I served during the Dunan Unification War. I was there during the battle for Higheast. He's unmistakable." Mario glared at Culgan through the iron bars. "Even as he sits there, calmly and coldly, it confirms my suspicion."
"Do you think Viktor and Flik are liars then?" Nash challenged, "Or that maybe they forgot how to kill a man?"
"N-no sir. But maybe, in the heat of the moment, they were mistaken."
"This is ludicrous. What does it say about us if we are detaining people because we're suspicious they look like someone who was confirmed to have been killed by one of the Orange Army's most loyal heroes? It's been years, yet these are still trying times for us in the region. Do you understand what is at stake?"
"N-no, sir. I just thought... I thought it would be worse if I were right and we let him come and go as he please. Who knows what those Highlanders are up to?"
"There are no more highlanders," Nash said, acting exasperated, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I understand that you have some vendetta against the man you think he is, but the war is over."
Just then, Christina came running from the road, screaming for help. Just as Nash had been buttering them up to release him. "Hellllp! HELLLP! They got my brother!" Christina cried real tears as she imagined a basket of innocent puppies floating helplessly down a river toward a waterfall.
The taller guard rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Who? Who's got your brother?"
"Calm down, girl," Mario said, reaching to comfort her, but he withdrew when he recognized her. "Ah, that's..."
"What?" Nash asked.
"N-nothing, sir."
Culgan had been silently observant, but having heard Christina's voice, he stood up to play along. "That's my niece," Culgan reminded them firmly.
"You separated children from their guardian?" Nash gave Mario a stern look.
"It got late, and we were really cold," Christina said, panting, "so... so we started a fire and the bunnies came just like you said! My brother delayed them so I could get away! But… but…"
Nash pointed at Mario, "You had better bring that boy back safe and sound!" He looked at the taller guard. "Go with him. We can't have him returning here naked and empty handed."
"Yes, sir!"
Nash facepalmed and muttered to himself when the two guard hurriedly departed, "But first let their uncle out…" He looked at Christina and smiled, "Good work."
"I will accept the compliment when I've come down from the puppies," Christina sniffled.
"There were puppies…?" Nash glanced back over his shoulder before kneeling down in front of the cell door and taking the lock picks from his sleeve.
"The puppies in my head. I had to put on the waterworks to really sell the peril."
Nash smirked, "Whatever gets the job done." He picked the lock easily and opened the cell door.
"I didn't think I would be seeing you again so soon, Nash." Culgan ducked his head as he stepped out of the cell. "Thank you."
"I couldn't just let them sit out in the cold like that. And who knows what that one guard would've ended up doing?"
"When I knew I couldn't convince him otherwise, I decided it best not to speak at all. That made him even more uncomfortable."
"You did the right thing by not talking. Did they take anything from you?"
"My bag. My bedroll and sword were inside it."
On the other side of the cell, Lekton picked the lock on a chest and opened it. "Found it."
Culgan smiled, "Lekton, I didn't see you there. I'm glad you weren't really chased down by cut bunnies. Your sister would knock me out and offer me to them in trade, I'm sure."
"Are you sure we will be okay just leaving like this?" Christina asked, "They haven't officially let you go and all."
"I would rather not sit in a cell until a real commander shows up. We had better leave before those guards come back." Culgan took his bag from Lekton and hoisted it over his shoulder. "Nash... when last we spoke, you made it sound as if you had no leads into this territory."
"I didn't. But if you're around then there has to be something of interest going on in the region."
"Ah, so you're going to spy on me, then?"
"Not necessarily. I plan to have a look around the area, but I may drop in on you."
"Uh, guys? We better skedaddle and talk while we exit stage left," Christina suggested.
"This way," Lekton said, starting off. "There's a path through the forest opposite the way of our camp."
"Well, this is where we part ways," Nash said. "I've got to go get my things. Travel safely."
