Chapter 4:
We make our way into the mountains heading for the complex. It takes us most of the rest of the Summer to get there. We hoped Mavis would not kill us on entry. We finally get to the tunnel our family had entered through to rescue us the first time. I enter the door code, and we walk in. We start down the tunnel when we are confronted.
"Who are you two, and who gave you the door code"? "You gave us the door code Mavis." "I didn't give you the code, now turn around and leave." The robot in front of us raises its arm; it has a disruptor on the end of its arm. "Come on, Mavis, a disruptor? We aren't here to stop Carl". "Then what are you here for." "Knowledge, Mavis, we are seekers of knowledge. We know most of the story of this complex, and I have to say, I always wondered why you didn't go insane at the loneliness". "Oscar,"? "Sorry, no, I'm Daniel, and my mate is Susan; we are not Oscar Chapman." The gun lowers, "You intrigue me, follow the robot to the main part of the complex." "Can we ask, is Carl Chapman in his cryonics tube"? "Yes, Carl is here. I'm not to wake him up for about one hundred years; he returned about fifteen-years ago. You two have knowledge far above chance; how did you know my name"? Susan checks, but nothing changes in Zootopia. "Mavis, we have talked to Carl, but it's in the future." "So, you're from the future? I find that hard to believe". "Mavis, we know what your name stands for; it's an acronym. It stands for MULTY. AUDIO. VISUAL. INPUT. SYSTEM". "All right, that acronym was lost a long time ago; I guess I will have to believe you. "What can I help you with."? We layout our plan for her; she agrees to help us, but only if we tell her our story. We agree but swear her to secrecy; she can tell no one, especially us. She agrees. We go to the manufacturing part of the complex.
What we build is a little unorthodox. It's a craft that can fly as well as swim. It takes about ten years to make it. We try a different approach to the graviton drive system. The lift and pusher coils are the same, but we add some new ones. We come up with a rudimentary cloaking device for our graviton drive ship. If we moved fast, it looked like a streak of black. But if we moved slow, it looked like a heat shimmer. You could still touch it without seeing it. It was kind of weird. Our craft is watertight to about one-hundred meters. It may be able to go lower, but we don't push it. It has an airlock so we could exit out of the craft underwater.
We will be leaving the vicinity of Zootopia; we don't want to change the future of Zootopia. With this craft, we scout out the next continent and pick up their style of clothes. With the replicator on board, we make the design. We then find a reasonably deep lake (about twenty-meters) and set the craft on the bottom. We disrupt the lake's bottom so the craft can't float away, and no one can accidentally hook it while fishing. We put our clothes and gear in a wax-sealed container, along with our gold. Yes, the replicator onboard can make gold; Carl is not the only one with a passkey. We oxygenate our bodies and exit out the airlock. As we rise, the oxygen breaks down, and we exhale bubbles; this keeps us from getting the bends. When we break the surface, we slowly swim to shore. It was late at night when we did this. Thus, starts our latest adventure.
We roll into our bedrolls and sleep the rest of the night away. We get up at dawn, the dew is on the ground, and the air has a taste of crispness. We kiss as we get ready for the day. We eat some trail rations and, picking up our backpacks and tubes, walk towards the capital. We meet some early morning travelers as we continue. Eventually, we feel persons in the forest ghosting us. It all comes to a head about five minutes later when a fox jumps out in front of us. "Well, look at what the forest has dropped in front of me. Put your bags on the ground, and I might let you walk away". We do put our bags down but get into our fighting stance. All his fellows come out of the forest and surround us. Some have knives and swords, one has a big walking stick, and still, others have spears. "So, what are you two suppose to be"? He asks us. "We are martial arts fighters from a far-off land, and we will be keeping what is ours, but if you would like to fight us for it, by all means, be our guests." The big bear with the huge walking stick swings his stick at us. I grab the stick and swing around it; I hit him in the face with both my hind paws and, finishing the forward-flip, land on my back paws facing the fox. The big bear slowly falls over backward, and his stick clatters to the ground. The rest rush us both as the fox crosses his arms and watches us all. Susan and I again fight back to back, and it wasn't long before we had them all on the ground. There is a lot of groaning and moaning coming from the ground. We then turn to the fox, who first confronted us. He's clapping, "Well done, you two, I have never seen anything like it, but I still can't let you leave."
He then pulls a bow off his back and, in one smooth motion, nocks an arrow and fires it at me. I slow down time, and Susan grabs the arrow out of mid-air. He gets a shocked look on his muzzle and fires a few more. Susan grabs each and everyone out of the air and throws them point first into the ground. I continue to stare at him with my arms crossed. His fellows had been watching all of this from the ground. They get up and, leaving their weapons, go and stand behind him.
"Well, now, I do apologize for my actions and wonder if you will let me live"? "Who are you, Sir? I ask. "Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Richard Cresta, and this used to be my family's forest tell that conniving humpback stole it all from me". "Stole it, "? "Yes, you could say my father's brother took it all from me when my father died. He has a spinal deformity that makes it appear to have a hump on his back, and he came up with a fake will and told the courts that it was the real one. Even if by some miracle we find the real one, no one will believe me now". "We might be able to help with that, sir." But, just then, a clattering of metal and hooves' sound comes from around the bend, further down the trail. "We will talk later," Richard tells us as he grabs his arrows. And his men grab their weapons. They all then fade into the forest.
The biggest fox I had ever seen comes around the bend in the trail. He appears to be as tall as a timber wolf. He's riding a white stallion, who has reins and a bit in his mouth. The fox pulls him to a halt right in front of us. The stallion is blowing hard, and we can see the hate he has for the fox riding him. The fox riding him has a hump on his back. We look at it, and we are shocked. It's not so much a hump as a littermate who had been partially absorbed into his body. The mind of the twin was howling, and we could see it wasn't sane. The fox in front of us could hear it as well, but I guess he has learned to ignore it over time.
"So, who or what are you two"? "Sir, we are traveling scholars and mapmakers, my name is Thomas Lasater, and my Cohort is Jessica Tomlin." "So, where are you heading"? "To the capital, sir, we want to extend our knowledge of the world with our map." With that, I bring the map out of the tube that was on my back. Mavis had made a map for us on a piece of papaya; it wasn't the whole world, just the part that was east and south of where we were at. I roll it out for him, and I can see his eyes get big at the wealth of information that is on it. "I'll give you five gold sovereigns for that map." "I'm sorry, sir, this map is not for sale, but if you like, we can copy it for you, for say, five gold sovereigns"? "Done," "I also extend the hospitality of my home for your stay while you are in town." "Thank you, sir, that is very kind of you." They all turn, and we all head back the way they came; we walk and talk with them. We can see into all of their souls, and they are dark, very dark.
Eventually, we come to a manor. Parts of it are still under construction. He gets down off the horse and slaps his rump telling him to head for the stables. We can tell he would have preferred to have kicked him and run away like the wind. He shakes himself all over and heads for the stable. "Welcome, you two, to "Cresta Manor." "This was my late brother's dream house." We could see the lie; it was his dream, not his brothers. "Pardon me, sir; we didn't catch your name when we first met." "Oh, sorry, where are my manors? I'm Sir Rodney Cresta, and welcome to my home". "It sure is a grand house, sir." "thank you," he replies, as his servant holds the door open for all of us.
We walk in and are immediately blown away by the opulence. Paintings and sculptures are adorning the halls and walls. Servants are dusting the halls; well, we initially thought they were servants but found out later they were all slaves like the horse. We walk around the manor with him as he shows us all he deems important. He then has one of his slaves take us to the bedrooms we are to use. He expected us for lunch, so we had a few hours to unpack and explore the garden maze we could see out the windows of the hall. We got his permission to explore it.
After lunch, he excuses himself, saying he is tired and needs to lay down. We can see what's up. His twin has been hard on him the whole morning, and he was going to drug himself to get some sleep; we head out for the garden again. We pick a bench at the garden's furthest point away from the house and just relax and enjoy the sunshine.
"Well, good afternoon, you two; what do you think of my uncle"? "Not much, I'm afraid. Doesn't he know you get more flies with honey than vinegar"? Richard lets out with a big belly laugh; we don't see him. He is on the other side of the hedge. "I've not heard that one before. May I use it"? "By all means, we don't hold the rights to it." He laughs again. "So, back to the question, how do you find him"?
"Well, we find him a little mixed up; his parasitic littermate screams in his head all day long. I'm surprised he is sane at all." "Ah, what is a parasitic littermate"? "His hump is a parasitic littermate. Sometime during his gestation in his mother, there were two kits. But somewhere along the line, the other kit stopped growing and was absorbed into your uncle's body. His hump is that kit; it has a partial mind and screams into his mind all day. Because of that second mind, we assume that his abnormal height comes from it".
"What are you two"? We can sense his awe and fear of us. "We are strangers in your land, and we have some strange abilities. This is why we are traveling; when our abilities are found out, we usually have to leave in a hurry". "Yes, I can see that, but your secret is safe with me." "Good, my name is Thomas, and my cohort's name is Jessica." "That's not the truth, is it? I can smell her on you, you are mates aren't you"? It's my turn to sigh, "Yes, we are. Is that a problem"? "Not to me, no, but to the church of purity, yes, you are." "I see, just another reason for us to not to stay very long." "I have to go. I can see his minions coming to find you two, if you would like to talk more, go tell the horses, they will let me know". With that, he is gone. A few minutes later, his henchmen find us on the bench and request us to follow them.
They lead us back into the house to the library. Wow, was I blown away by all the manuscripts in cubbies around the room. Seeing this, Sir Rodney gets a big grin on his face. "Well, I can see you are impressed by my library; come let me show you my pride and joy. This is not the original, just a copy. The original is in a museum in Gloucester". He leads us to a table and rolls out the manuscript that is there. He weighs down the corners as he does so. "No one knows what it says, but I just love the flowing script." I had read this document before as part of the histories Mavis had shown us.
"Sir, this document is written in a long-dead language, from a country that is long dead as well." "You can read it"? "Yes, I can; I'm a little rusty, but I can work it out." He gets excited and very animated and calls for his scribe. Susan keeps track of Zootopia; we still don't want to change the future. The scribe sets up and writes what I tell him. "WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION…. The scribe writes as fast as I speak the words. After a few hours, we're done. Rodney is beside himself with excitement. His twin has stayed quiet the whole time.
"So, you're telling me this is a declaration of independence from a foreign power for this country"? "Yes, Sir, the foreign power had established this country as a colony of them, but they didn't treat them very well. They were being taxed to death. So, they wrote this declaration of independence and then had to defend themselves, they eventually won, but both countries have been lost to the annals of time". "Wow, what a story, but how can I believe this story"?
"Do you have other manuscripts written in this language"? He goes to another cubby and brings out another manuscript to the table. He rolls up the first one and rolls out the second one. This one is a technical manual; it talks about how to repair an internal combustion engine. I tell him I can't translate some of the words; he accepts that. As the internal combustion engine is not invented, tell after electricity, steam power, and the hydrogen fuel cell are created. He acknowledges that I don't know all the words, and what I have translated doesn't help him much. He still smiles at me and thanks me for my time. He rolls up the last manuscript and rolls out a fresh, clean blank piece of paper.
"Now, I believe you have promised me a copy of that wonderful map you have in your possession." Susan goes to get the map from my room; we had discussed this and agreed that she would appear to be a sort of secretary. She brings the map and all my writing equipment. Scribes had to carry a lot of equipment in this time frame. She lays out my inks and pens. The other scribe gets excited at seeing my metal nibs. He marvels at them and the fact they are made for a left-pawed person. I gift him with one nib made for a right-pawed person. He thanks me and, going to his desk, tries out the new nib. He comes back over and asks where I got the nib. I give him the country of origin, but his face falls when I tell him how far away it is. I spend the remaining hour untell dark copying our map.
Sir Rodney is a perfect gentle mammal at supper. He treats us both with respect but is puzzled that I don't eat meat. I explain that I can't stand the smell of meat, so why would I eat something that smells bad? He laughs but was wondering what else I wouldn't eat. He wants us to stay and thought hard about how he might manipulate us into staying. After supper, we are entertained by a violinist, a traveling musician. He's not bad, and Sir Rodney pays him for his time, with food and lodging and a silver piece. We then head off to bed. We are being watched by his minions, who are in the wall cavities. They watch us tell we blow out the candles and crawl into bed.
We get up early and, going to the courtyard, start our routine. Some of the staff watch us. Sir Rodney is alerted to what we are doing and watches us from a balcony on the second floor. After the routine, we practice fighting. This got us a lot more attention from everyone. After practice, we ask one of the servants if there is a pool, shower, or bath. We got strange looks on the first two, but their eyes light up at the word bath. He leads us to the bathhouse. The bathhouse is a sectioned-off part of the laundry. We pour some hot water into the tubs from a spigot and pump some cold water in as well. We set up a divider between us for some privacy while we both bathe. A male servant pours water over me to rise off, and a female servant does the same to Jessica. We towel dry and get dressed. The servant then offers to wash our clothing, which we accept. We then head for breakfast in the manor.
Sir Rodney is curious about what we were doing, and when we explain it to him, he askes if we can train others. We tell him no; we are not qualified to teach others. The real reason is he and his friends have too dark a soul for us to feel comfortable in training them. He just smiles at us and offers to take us on a tour of his property. We accept, and we all walk out of the manor towards the work yards.
The sawmill is in full swing; horses are the power source for the mill. Steam engines would not be invented for at least five-hundred years. Many different horses are running on the treadmill for the saw blade. Clydesdales were the ones to bring the logs to the mill; hippos and rhinos would unharness the horses and move the logs into the mill. They would also dress the logs for cutting.
All in all, it was a very smooth-running operation. He is proud of the fact all the timber comes from his family's forest. Sometime in the past, his family had bought the rights to over four-thousand acres. He tells us that he supplies the masts for most of the tall ships plying the waters of the world. We could see how unhappy the workers were, but if we interfere, things change for Zootopia. So, we bite our tongues and say nothing. How can something this far away have an impact on Zootopia?
He shows us the river landing and his fishing operation. The river is too flat for a proper water wheel set up to run the sawmill. There are only a few fisher mammals in boats on the river. The river is broad and very shallow, but they are catching fish. He sells the fish that are not used on the property to the City of Gloucester, an hour away. The fields are in full production as well; most of his workforce are herbivores.
After spending the morning walking around looking at everything, he excuses himself, saying he would see us later at supper. We have a quiet lunch, and we head to the library to work more on his map. I get most of it done before supper and only have to write in places' names. I had found another map in the library and had incorporated it into my map as well. I had a pretty complete picture of the area around us. I read most of his library over the next couple of days. He has some fiction scrolls and facts scrolls; I just can't wait for the printing press to be rediscovered.
Sir Rodney is very disappointed when we tell him we will be moving on, and we can see his mind flip into high gear with his plans to make us stay. As we walked out the door with our stuff, Sir Rodney's stallion he had been riding when we first met him came running up, breathing hard and whinnying the whole time. He looks at Sir Rodney as he bows to him and makes his request.
"Sir, I need help for my mate, she has been in labor for most of the day, and our foal is a breach. I have sent word to the doctor, but I don't think he will get here in time. "What do you expect me to do? If you have sent for the doctor, he will deal with it". "But you promised us, sir, that a doctor would be available for all of us when requested." "Phaf, when did I do this? I don't remember saying that, go on get out of my sight, go look after your mate". We can see the stallion wanting to stomp Sir Rodney into the ground. He turns, and hanging his head, starts to walk away.
"Sir, I might be able to help," I say. Susan looks at me puzzled, and when I show her, she smiles and hugs me. Just before Bonnie was to be born, I was a nervous wreck. So, I studied up on birthing procedures for almost all species. Most species had no problem giving birth, rabbits were one of the species to have the fewest problems, but I did read up on many more playing what "If" in my mind, I didn't want to lose Susan or our child. Horses were the species to have the most problems; even elephants had few issues. Sir Rodney's head snaps up at my use of the word "Sir" when talking to his stallion, his possession. I could feel his hate developing for me, "consorting with the slaves," as he put it in his mind, but this wouldn't stop me from helping.
"You can help,"? I can feel him getting hopeful. "Yes, sir, I might be able to; where I'm from, horses are common, and I learned about their problems giving birth." "Get on." "I need my cohort to help, as well." "Both of you, get on. I can carry you both". Sir Rodney is about to object, but before he can, we jump on and are away. Susan and I had never ridden a horse before, but we had only gone a short distance before we got into the movement of the horse. He speeds up as he feels us getting into his rhythm. Soon we are at the stables. What a decerped building. We duck as he runs full bore into the stable and stops in front of the biggest box stall. Both of us bail off, our legs hurt as we land, we drop our stuff and go to see about his mate.
She has it bad; both of us look and can find no damage to her uterus yet, but both mother and child will die if this continues. The foal is in some distress, so we have to work fast. Susan grabs the mare's head and calms her; she stops the contractions as I stick both paws into her vagina to feel the rump of the foal. The stallion is kind of shocked I did this, and I had to explain why I did this so that he wouldn't stomp me into the ground. Shortly Sir Rodney comes in, out of breath. He watches as Susan and I proceed. "Sir, back off, please; I need room to work." The father had been crowding me.
Now that the contractions have stopped, I have no fear of having my arm broken by one. I put my paws in again and push on the foal. I get the colt pushed in far enough to grab the left hoof; I pull the hoof out and reach in for the second hoof. I get the second one out. When a contraction hits. I pull gently on the foals' hooves over the next few minutes as the foal is born. The mother is exhausted but manages to stand on shaky legs. I break the sack around the colt, tie off the umbilical cord, and help him to stand on his wobbly legs. He immediately goes for a teat and starts to suck. I help the mare to get rid of the afterbirth as her son sucks. A loud whinny happens behind me and scares me half to death. Soon the stallion is answered by many others. I wipe off as much fluids as I can on the straw bed when the Stallions muzzle comes over my head, and he wraps me into a neck hug. "Thank you; I can never repay you for what you did; my name is Spirit; if you ever need my help, just call on me." I pat his neck as a step away. He goes to his mate and wraps his neck around hers.
Susan and I pick up our things. And start to leave again. "You're still going"? "yes, sir, we are.". "At least let me offer you the use of the bathhouse before you leave." I accept with some trepidation. I was having a quick wash at the bathhouse when Susan blinks out of my mind. I'm shocked, and this is when the other individual behind me pretending to be a servant brains me as well.
We come to, but we aren't all there; my head feels fuzzy, and I can't communicate with Susan even though I can see her chained to the wall across from me. I move my arms and find I'm chained to the wall as well. We are both gaged, so we can't even speak to one another. Shortly after that, a lion walks in, dressed in his robes of office. Not sure who he represents. "Well, hello, you vermin, not sure who you are, and I don't care you, perverts."
"Did you think you could escape from my holy sight? You both are an abomination to the natural order of things, a rabbit and a fox mating, how horrendous". Our abilities are blocked now, but I'm sure he has some of the same abilities as Susan and I have. "Don't try to communicate with each other; I have blocked that ability with this concoction." He holds out a vial of reddish liquid and puts on a bit of a maniacal laugh. "Do you think you are the first to be able to do strange things? We have been taking care of people like you for a long time, though you are the first bunny and fox combo we have ever had and mates no less. So, what is the church of "purity of natural order" to do with you two? Well, let me tell you, first we are going to teach you both the natural order of being with your kind, then we are going to burn you at the stake as a couple of abominations". as he said this, four guards come in and stand behind him. "So, let us begin shall we"? "Who's first"?
I stand up, "Right, I would expect that from mates, protecting her. But in this case, it doesn't matter who's; first, you both are getting the same treatment, take him". My head is not right, and I try to fight them, but it's no use; they unchain me and drag me over to a type of bench/table and strap me down on my belly. Five foxes walk into the dungeon and over to me. I can see their intent, and I struggle all the harder. The gag is removed, and a wedge is jammed into my muzzle, and my jaws are forced open; two metal wedges are jammed in my teeth at the back of my jaw, and the one in front is removed. My muzzle is then strapped down as well. All the foxes disrobe. "All I hear is, "Begin." One comes around to the front of me and smiles as he rams his fox-hood into my muzzle. I'm able to hold my tail down over my tail-hole, and the one behind me is frustrated. The one in front grabs a winch above me, and hooking my tail up to it, lifts my tail for the other guy. He pulls hard on the rope, and my tail breaks as the guy behind me violates me. I pass out from the combined pain.
I find myself on a plain of white and think I must be dead, and I morn for Susan, who now has to injure what I'm going through. As I turn around, Ockny, Cronos, and Gab are all standing there. "Were sorry, Daniel, we never intended for things to get that far." "NEVER INTENDED? WHAT ARE WE TO YOU, JUST SOME PLAYTHINGS"? "No, you are not some playthings to us, you are people, and we are truly sorry." "SORRY? WHAT ABOUT SUSAN? IS SHE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT HELL AS WELL?"
The look on their faces says, "yes." I collapse and curl up into a ball and cry. Gab comes over and just hugs me. "Tell me what I can do Gab, I Don't want Susan to go through that." He says nothing as he holds me. "Gab, please, I would give anything not to have Susan go through that." "Anything, Daniel"? "Yes, anything Gab, if it means my life for hers, then gladly would I pay it." "But you would leave Susan alone, and she is your love." I look up at Gab, "Yes, she is my love, but she is my life as well. I can't live without her". "And do you think that she maybe feels the same way without you"? "I know she does but is there no other way other than death"? "There is, but it is a long journey, and you may not make it through." "Then Gab, I will do it; I love her too much to see her suffer like that." "Then your journey begins now." Says Ockny as I blink out.
I watch with tears in my eyes; they have tied my head in such a way that I can't look away. Daniel is violated repeatedly over the next five hours. When one is finished, another one steps in and starts it all over. I cry the whole time, sometimes out of frustration, sometimes out of anger, but I cry out of love for him all of the time. It is dark when they are finished with him. He is unbound from the bench and chained back up to the wall on the other side of the room. The lion comes back in and forces me to drink more of that vile concoction and tells me it's my turn tomorrow. I fall asleep with tears in my eyes.
I wake up the next morning and look over at Daniel, his head is hanging down on his chest, and there is a pool of blood around his tail. Most of it has dried around him. I shed some more tears, but I can see he is still breathing. Shortly after that, the lion from the other day comes in, leading a fluffle of male bunnies into the dungeon. I stand up and prepare myself for my fate. They unchain me and strap me down to the same bench Daniel had been on; my legs are pulled to the sides, and I'm exposed to them all. I'm on my back, my head is tilted down and strapped there, the gag is removed, and some wedges are jammed into the corners of my mouth; I close my eyes and tremble, waiting for it to start, but nothing happens.
I can't see much, but then I feel someone untying my legs and arms. The straps are released on my body. I look as my head strap is removed. It's Daniel smiling down at me. I wrap him up in a hug, and I bawl uncontrollably. After a bit, "Time to move, love, we can't stay here." It's then I notice no one else is moving. I look around in wonder. Daniel releases me and goes over to the lion, and touches his forehead. The lion starts to move.
"My God is not happy with you; you will end this church now, or he will end you." He is visibly shaken. "Big words, little pervert." "Not big words; if you want to prove your church is stronger than my God, then let's all get burned at the stake. Our God will save us; will your church save you"? He is visible shaken at the thought of fire, but we can both see his hatred for us. "I would gladly endure fire to cleanse the world of the likes of you." "So be it, you pronounce your own demise."
With that, the room erupts in fire; we are all standing in flames. Our clothes get burned off, but nothing else happens to us, he screams as the flames surround him and consume his robes. He slowly starts to burn. The Bunnies in the room shrink back to one corner without fire. I step out of the fire and walk over to the bunnies, "You all deserve the same fate as him, but the one true God has decided to give you a chance. If you brave the flames, you may leave, but you have to walk through the flames". Only one bunny braves the flames, and he walks through them and out the door. The rest huddle on mass, in the corner. The fire comes down and consumes them. I go back to Susan, and we just stand there holding each other in flames. Some people look in the door and see us just standing there in the flames. Eventually, the fire dies down after all the fuel has been consumed, and we walk out of what's left of the dungeon-like building.
There are many people in the courtyard as we walk out the door, some were the fire brigade trying to put out the fire, and some were just looky-loos. Some fall to their knees, some run away from us screaming about ghosts. We walk up to one individual and ask him about clothes. He finds us some tunics to wear. After donning them, we leave the grounds of the church of "Purity." As we go, the rest of the compound's buildings erupt into flames, many mammals can flee, but most of the church's supporters don't get the chance to run. The flames consume them. Susan and I walk back down the road towards the Cresta manor. We're about halfway to the estate when Richard steps out of the forest. "Come, you two, you look like you could use a friend." He waves us down a trail into the woods.
We follow Richard into the forest; he says nothing as we walk. It's very calming and peaceful in the woods. Susan clings to me the whole time. And I comfort her the best I can. Her tears had stopped just before Richard found us on the road, and now she was giving off a sense of curiosity. I reassured her we would talk later; she tells me we could speak in our minds, and I say we could, but I wasn't sure that no one else couldn't hear us. She goes quiet as she agrees with me. Soon we are at Richard's hidden fox den.
Richard speaks as we enter, "When I saw those Priests drag you two from my uncle's manor, I wanted to stop them, but there were too many of them. I thought that was the last I would see of you two. But here you are, how did you escape"? "Can we tell you that after we have some water and maybe food"? "Sorry, I'm remiss; of course, you can." Some cups with water are handed to us, and we get a chance to look around the den.
It's a reasonably large den; well, it had to be if a bear would fit in it. The interior was very cozy, and there are several cooks at the fireplace stirring the pot on it. "Cookie is lunch just about ready"? asks Richard. "Yes, sit down. I'll bring you some". We sit down at a small table off to one side. The cook brings us three bowls of vegetable soup. The soup is hot, but Susan and I finish ours off fairly quickly. The cook sees this, brings a smaller pot over, ladles some more soup into our bowls, and refills our water cups. The rest of his party come in to eat as well.
"So, maybe I should introduce my band of merry mammals. The bear you knocked out on the trail was big John". He waves, "Yah, and I want a rematch too." Some chuckling comes from around the room. "The three spear mammals you disarmed are Martin, Larry, and Arthur." They nod to us and continue eating. "The two swords mammals are the brothers Edward and Evan." They salute us and go back to their bowls. "the slingers are Tod, Frank, Fen, and Betty." After the introductions were done, I stand up. "My name is Thomas, and my mate is Jessica." Most around the room nod. Just then, a marmot runs in.
"Richard, Richard." He shouts. "Those two mammals that were staying with your uncle have destroyed the church of purity." He then notices me standing and Susan sitting beside me. He lets out a mighty scream and falls flat on his face. Richard just chuckles, "Don't mind him; he faints easily when he makes things up." "He didn't make it up Richard, the one true God, did destroy the church of "Purity." "Perhaps you should explain yourselves." So, explain, I did. I could feel the fear from around the room, which quickly changed into awe. By the end of the story, most were fearful we were there to destroy them.
"Richard, Jessica, and I are not here to destroy anybody or anything, but as I have said before, we will defend ourselves." Richard laughs, "I can see that, but what about us"? "You have never killed anyone on the road. You have only robbed them. Most you robbed could afford to lose the money. But you will have to stop that practice". "Then what will we do"? asks Richard. "Give us a few days; we have an idea." I finish that statement as I hit the end of my endurance and collapsed where I stand.
I wake up later in a cozy little den; it's not much more than a hole in the ground, and I'm clutching Susan to my chest. I stroke her ears and nibble on the end of one. She wakes up, turns her head, pulling her ear out of my muzzle, and lays a kiss on my muzzle. We get up to normal bedroom activities for a couple. Later we meld as John and Elisabeth did. We need no words; we are one, and our bond is now just as deep as John and Elisabeth's is. Knowledge is shared between us, but part of the journey I took, I can't share with her; it was meant for only me. She understands and cuddles closer to me. She was worried about my body and my state of mind, but she relaxes and we fall back asleep after the sharing.
The next morning dawns bright, with a light breeze blowing through the trees. We leave our cozy den and head for the main one. As we walk in, we can smell the oatmeal simmering in the pot. We are pawed some with nuts and honey. It tastes divine. We walk in the forest to a little clearing and start our routine. A few minutes into it, Richard shows up and asks us to teach him after a few minutes of watching us. We restart with Richard, and he does it with us. Later we are takin to the archery range.
Richard hands us some small bows and asks if we can handle them. I pull the string back, and the bow creaks. He's shocked but gives us some heavier bows. We now have a longbow in our paws, the bow is taller than we are, and before the end of the day, we are very accurate shots; Susan is better than me. Richard is amazed. He spent years learning to shoot one accurately, and here we go and do it in one day. He has a hard time believing we have never fired one before. "Remind me to never get on your bad sides." I laugh and slap him on the back. "No worries, we like you."
Over supper, we explain to Richard what we would like to do. He's shocked and asks how that would improve his lot in life. We can't tell him if it will work, but at the least, it would help his cause. He leaves us and wanders into the forest to think. Susan and I go back to the den we were using for some sleep and other things.
The next morning, we go to the same small clearing, and Richard is waiting for us. We do the routine. We then head for the archery range. By the end of the day, I'm as good as Susan, or so I thought. Susan shoots one dead center of the target, and Richard smiles at her and splits her arrow with his. Susan smiles at him and splits his arrow with hers. Richard is shocked but tries it again; he only nicks it this time. He's floored and says nothing to us as he walks away. I try to split her arrow with my arrow; it just slides down the side of hers. We put the bows away and head for the main den.
We spend about a month with Richard, he has the isometric form down pat, and we start to teach him "avoidance." We help gather food from the forest, while others get the horses' grain stuff on his uncle's estate. Spirit thanks us again by bringing his son to see us. He is quite the strapping lad and white all over like his father. He has a star-like blob in the center of his forehead, so naturally, his name is Star. He's a feisty young foal and prances around us. His dad just rolls his eyes at his antics. He gives us the news of what has happened. It seems our story has gotten a little out of hand and has been pumped up all out of proportion.
We were avenging angels and glowed white as we smote our adversaries just by pointing our fingers at them. Richard falls laughing hard at that. Spirit spends some time with us, and we tell him the truth of the story. "So, who is this one God you speak of"? asks Spirit. Most of Richard's men are around us, are listening as we speak. "The one God is the creator of all of us and the world. I can't say much more at this point as I don't know much more than that, but a traveling missionary we be coming by in a month, and he would be happy to explain it to you all". "How will we know him"? "He will be a Great Dane, a type of dog, and have with him a small companion dog that is brown with white patches. The dog is a little addled but very friendly". Spirit nods his head and says goodbye as he herds his son back to the estate.
It is now the dark of the moon when we put our plan into action. Richard's merry men surround the manor and slowly replace the outside guards with themselves. Richard, Susan, and I sneak into the manor through a side door that Richard had a key for. He smiles and, in a whisper, says, "Where did you think I got most of my money from? Being a highwayman"? We nod our heads, yes, and he just smiles at us and motions us forward to his uncle's bedroom. And there he is, snoring loudly, laying on his left side. Richard lights a candle and shakes him awake.
"Uncle, wake up uncle, we have some unfinished business, you and I." His uncle yawns as he sits up on the edge of the bed. His eyes get big as he sees Susan and me, but Richard is his biggest concern. Once he had woken him up, Richard had moved back from the bed and now had a nocked arrow pointed at Rodney's heart. "Alright, let's get this over with, shall we? Just make sure to bury me beside my late brother". "You are mistaken, uncle; no one is here to kill you; these two want to give you a gift." Susan and I can see the twin howl into his mind. He winces at the pain in his head. "What can you give me"? "Peace of mind, sir," I say, and with that, I hit him with a compulsion to sleep.
He falls back onto the bed. Richard and I lay him on his belly and make sure he can breathe. I straddle his back below his hump and get to work. I slice the hump open with power and slowly remove the blood supply from his sister; she screams in my mind that she deserves to live; I tell her she will. She goes quiet as we work. Susan had been lifting her as I cauterized the blood vessels. Richard is in awe and a little scared at what he sees in front of him. I finish separating the blood vessels and muscles. His sister slowly dies, as she has no lungs of her own to oxygenate her blood. But just before she leaves, she thanks us, and then she is gone. I lift her off his back and place her on a bedsheet. And start sculpting the bones of Rodney's back. I finish with the bones on Rodney's back and reconnect the muscles on his back. I have to shorten some of them. I then cut the excess skin from his back and close the incision. I liberally pour pure alcohol on his back. Why go through all this effort, only to have him die from an infection? The skin, muscle, and bone pieces I wrap up with the twin. I get off his back and roll him onto his back. We all leave him there lightly snoring. The gray light of dawn is in the sky as we leave the manor. We bury her in the forest, at the roots of a giant oak tree. Susan carves the name "Charlotte" into the tree. We head for our den for a well-deserved sleep.
The next morning, Sir Rodney wakes up. "What a strange dream," he thinks to himself as he stretches. When he opens his eyes and sees the ceiling, his mind jolts him wide awake, "how can I be looking at the ceiling"? He jumps out of bed and nearly falls flat on his face. The weight he had always had to compensate for was gone. He rushes out of his room, looking for a full-length mirror. He bursts into the female's quarters, and the ones up shriek. He ignores them and goes to the mirror. He sees it, but his mind refuses to acknowledge it. His hump is gone. He turns from side to side and looks at his back. He can see a thin line running down the center of his back. It's a few before he realizes he has no fuzziness in his mind and no screams as well. At that, he jumps for joy, and grabbing the first female he sees, dances in circles with her, and shouts out his happiness. He leaves the female quarters dancing, jumping, and shouting with glee. He carries on throughout the whole manor. Most had thought he had finally lost his mind. Most stand there in shock when they realize he isn't a humpback anymore.
After about a half-hour, he slows down, only then realizing he is naked. He quickly runs back to his room to put clothes on. He had to call on one of the male servants to find him a shirt that would fit him properly. About two hours later, the servant comes back with one of his shirts altered to fit him. The seamstress had done a quick but competent job on it. But that was when it hit him, the thought of what a scat for brains he had become. For the first time, with his mind free of screams, he could think clearly. He spent the rest of the day in thought.
The next morning, he gets up and calls all the servants to a lumber yard meeting. When they all assemble, he steps onto the saw platform. Most are in shock that he has no hump anymore. "My people, I'm sorry I have mistreated you all, but things will be changing from now on. You will all be compensated for the work you do. If I bought you as a slave, you are free to go with a generous compensating package. But if you stay, you are free to continue the work you are trained for, with compensation. I want you all to do as you like. I own none of you. I want to call all of you friends, but I understand if that is not possible. Your accommodations will all be rebuilt; I want to house you all comfortably. What say you all"?
Rodney looks around at them as a murmur starts to rise. The guards who had been with him the longest resented him the most and decided to take action. Several with spear and sword rushed the platform. The rest with bows nocked arrows and let fly. Big John came from the side, with Richard's spear mammals and sword Mammals; they all went to defend Sir Rodney with a roar. The arrows dropped to the ground about five feet in front of Sir Rodney. The slingers brained all the archers with rocks. The fight was over before it began.
Sir Rodney stood there, shaking, "Well, Uncle, you do make a good speech, but is there any weight behind it"? Richard had jumped `onto the platform and was walking over to his uncle. Quick as a flash, his uncle falls to his knees and grabs him in a hug. "Yes, you have changed everything, why nephew, why"? "Uncle, I don't hate you; I hate what you have done, but no, I don't hate you. So why not change everything? Thomas told me the hell you were living with, and I can honestly say I will never understand it. But why not help you? Everyone deserves a little help, even if it's not asked for".
Sir Rodney starts to bawl his eyes out when a gasp goes through the crowd, and the crowd parts to let a Great Dane and a small brown dog through to the platform. All had never seen a Great Dane before. He was as tall as a wolf but with a block-style head and long bulky arms and legs, and he walked with a certain majesty about him. The little brown dog runs around on all fours licking people and rolling over for belly rubs. Some in the crowd laugh at his antics. The great Dane steps onto the platform and stands beside Sir Rodney.
"I feel that the one God has been here recently, and he has blessed you all. I expected to meet you, Richard, on the road to here, but I see someone has helped already. May I meet these two benefactors to you all"? Susan and I swallow; he knows way too much for it to be chance. We leave our place of concealment and walk towards the stage. "Ah, there you both are; it is my pleasure to meet you, Jessica and Thomas, and we will talk later. Right now, I sense you all have questions about this one true God, so ask your questions. I am here to give you all answers".
The rest of the day was spent in answers and questions. Some folks went to get food and water for us all. And the great Dane just smiled at them and thanked them. When a complicated question came up, he would roll out a thick scroll and read from it. Sir Rodney asked if a copy of that scroll could be made; the great Dane said yes, he would stay till the manuscript was done. At the end of the day, the gathering broke up. But the great Dane said now that we had rested for the day; tomorrow was the start of the workweek. For six days, we would toil and work, but on the seventh, we would rest. This would be the norm from now on. The one true God so decreed it. No one argued; all thought it was fair.
Later in the manor at supper, the great Dane sits down and silently prays for the meal. We all dig in when he is done. At the end of the meal, I ask the question on my mind. "Sir, what is your name"? he laughs. "I thought I had given it already, but as I remember it, I haven't. My name is Sirius Omega, but Sirius will do". "As in the dog star, sir"? He belts out a laugh, "Yes, as in the Dog Star." "Thank you, sir." Don't mention it, now I really would like to have a private conversation with you two, may I borrow your two guests Sir Rodney"? "By all means, my nephew and I need to talk as well." We leave them at the table as we head for the library.
"Nephew, Richard, I'm sorry for what I've done, and I will be handing your birthright back over to you. If you would allow me to leave unmolested, I will get out of your fur for good." "Oh no, uncle, you're not getting off that easy." Sir Rodney puts a puzzled look on his face. "I gladly accept my birthright, but I do not know about how to run it. You will be sticking around to run it; I need your help". But after the way I treated you…". "Doesn't matter, uncle, I like the fact that I still have family, and you are it." Sir Rodney hangs his head and softly cries. Richard gets up and goes to hug his uncle. "You know you did support me, right"? "Yes, I did. Still, you never took more than you needed each month to survive. I did feel guilty about what I had done to you, so it was a small price to pay". "I forgive you, uncle. I wonder if I can move my wife into the manor"? "Wow, aren't you full of surprises? Do I know her"? "No, you don't; she's from away. She lives in Gloucester at the moment, but if you lend me a wagon tomorrow, I will go fetch her". "By all means, "Lord Richard," it is your manor." "Phhst, we will be having none of that now, I am not the lord, but the keeper of his creation, just like Sirius said." "Right, that new doctrine is different, equality for all? That is a new concept to me; I'm used to owning everything, but to find out I don't, well let's say it will be hard to get used to it". "you will see, uncle, you get more flies with honey than vinegar." Sir Rodney barks out a laugh as he pounds the table. "God, where do you get it"? He continues to laugh and hit the table.
We all sit down in chairs as we watch the sunset through the windows of the library. "So, I guess I should start; my name, you know, and your names are Daniel and Susan." He holds up a paw. "Yes, I know your real names; we are all on the same team, after all." "And what team would that be"? "Well, now that's the question, isn't it? Let's just say team good". "Is there a team bad"? "Well, in a manner of speaking, yes, there is. But it isn't as organized as team good. They have a hard time trusting each other. This is why I travel to put out small fires around the globe. Just like I hope you two will as well. You did stop the fire that was building here, and now I will lay the groundwork for something better. I am sorry for what happened to you, Daniel; I will never understand how raping an individual will get them to change in the way they wanted you to change. I tried to get here to stop it, but I was delayed at my last stop". "It's ok sir; I think I needed to take the "Journey" that was presented to me from Ockny." "Ah yes, the journey… we all make that journey, even you Susan will make that journey". "But enough of this, we will start the copying tomorrow, sleep well you two." With that, he stands up and leaves the room. Susan and I hug and go and ask for a room.
The next morning the scribe handed me all my stuff back, and we both start to make copies of the scroll. In the afternoon, I finish the map for Richard and wonder where he is today. When we walked outside, we found his "Merry mammals" playing guard to the house. We have pleasant conversations with them all as we walk around the house. We get warding signs from some of the staff, but we choose to ignore them. Richard shows up late in the day with a wagon of stuff and a vixen riding beside him; she's hanging off his arm.
"Richard, are you sure? Your uncle did hunt for you on the road". "I'm sure my pretty Vixen, things have been changed at the manor." She lightly slaps his arm, "How have they been changed"? "You'll see, love." Richard has the horses turn into the manor property. Susan and I see them come onto the property and just stand at the front door waiting for them. "Ah, Jessica and Thomas, just the two mammals I wanted to see." He says this as he jumps off his side of the wagon and runs around to the other side of the wagon to help the lady down. She giggles, "Such a gentle mammal, you outlaw." "Always, my love." Jessica and Thomas, I would like you to meet my wife and mate Vivian Foxglove from across the pond; what was the name of the City you are from again love"? "My what a short memory you have, are you sure your marriageable material? "I would have to be; you married me remember"? "Refresh my memory. When did I do this"? "Oh, my love, you wound me two years ago a week from now, or did you think I had forgotten"? "Well, maybe your memory is not that bad." They kiss and then turn to us. We just smiled at their exchange; they were acting so much like mom and dad.
She steps forward with an outstretched paw, "I'm Vivian Foxglove from Zootopia. Well, to be fair, it's a tiny city, not as big as Gloucester, but it is getting there". "The pleasure is ours, Vivian, I'm Thomas Lasater, and my mate and wife is Jessica." She throws a paw to her muzzle in shock. "You are mates? What an abomination". She holds it for a few seconds and then bursts out laughing. "Oh my, the look on your faces was priceless. As if I would believe that stuffy old misguided excuse for a church. I'm thrilled to meet you". Definitely dad's sense of humor. "I know lots of mixed species couples back in Zootopia and am friends with several of them. They seem to have a bigger tolerance for mixed couples back there. But you two are the first rabbit and fox couple I have met, maybe you should go there"? "We will. In fact, In the future, we will be living there." "when you get there, you should take a trip to the great stone of the accord out at Bunny Burrow. I did, and it was glorious to see. I was told that a fox and a rabbit were the first to sign the stone. That would have been wondrous to see, but I was way too young when it was signed". We just smile at her. Just then, Rodney comes out of the manor with some servants for Vivian's bags.
Rodney walks forward and, taking her paw, brings it to his lips for a kiss. "Rodney Cresta at your service, my lady." "Richard, this can't be your uncle; you told me he was deformed and a very angry person." "I was my lady, but the one true God, through his servants, has shown me the error of my ways, and they got rid of my humpback." "Why, thank you, for the greeting, Sir Rodney…". "Please, I no longer am the keeper of that title. Richard is now the keeper of that title". She looks hard at Richard, "I told you things have changed around here, my love." "Yes, I can see they have. Why did you not tell me"? "I didn't want to spoil the surprise, love." "Well now, gentle mammals, is it proper to keep a lady on the steps of her new home? I would very much like to freshen up". She waits for a few before laughing, "God, the looks on all your faces are priceless as if I'm one of those high fluting proper girls. I did marry you, Sir Richard, but you will have to show me how to act like a proper lady." "Not a chance love, I married you for the way you are now if you put on airs, I will have to put you over my knee." She puts a paw under his chin and lifts his head, "No discussing our bedroom activates dear." Richard turns red and can't find words at the moment, so he leads her by the paw into the manor. Vivian is laughing as they climb the stairs. Susan, Rodney, and I chuckle as we all follow them into the manor.
We spend close to six months with them. It's a riot most of the time. Rodney laughed more in that six months than any other time in his life. The scribe and I finished our copying of the scroll. Sirius taught the scroll to us all. When news got out about this new way of thinking, Richard set Sirius up in a clearing with a small stage. No matter the number of people, he could always be heard to the back of the crowd. He also picked up a new disciple. The rabbit who walked through the flames was here every day listening to Sirus. At the end of the month, he stepped forward and fell to his knees in front of Sirus. Sirius got down on his knees and just held the buck. Eventually, they both stand up, and Sirius leads him into the manor. Every day after, the buck sites beside Sirius on the platform reading the scroll. It became apparent that many people were thirsty for what Sirius was imparting.
There were many tears as we walked away. They had all become fond of Susan and me. We bid Sirius goodbye as we left. He hugged us and told us we would meet again. His companion dog stood on his hind legs and reached out his paw to shake ours. Susan and I were floored, but he just smiled a knowing smile at us, winked, and then rolled over, begging for a belly rub. Susan and I laughed as we walked down the road with our heads held high and a spring in our step.