No You Can't Chapter 2- True Colors
A/N: Hi! Sorry to not have posted this sooner. Anyway, here you are. I skipped a bit, so here's your basic layout. Martin has been asked to go to Salamandastron. Cainwen has been hiding in the kitchens for most of the time, and talks only to Martin and those on cooking duty. She's walking with Martin to the edge of the woods to see him off. Here we go!
Cainwen had the strangest felling that they were being watched as she walked with Martin to the edge of Mossflower. Gonff, Columbine, and Dinny were walking up ahead.
"Where are you heading to?" asked Cainwen, who was gathering various plants in a basket.
Martin looked at her from the corner of his eye. He just couldn't get over those eyes. They kept changing. No longer the usual blue-gray, they appeared to be pure, bright, liquid blue. How could any beast forget her was beyond him.
"We're going to seek Salamandastron to find Bella's Father, Boar the Fighter." "How long will you be gone?" "I don't know Cainwen, the journey is long and dangerous."
Tears shone in Cainwen's eyes and she turned away, not wanting Martin to see how worried she was for him. Martin stopped and turned Cainwen towards him, and brushed away the single tear that was trickling down her face.
"I swear on my sword, I will return and free Mossflower from Tsarmina."
Martin quickly turned away, and hurried off to join Gonff and Dinny, because he didn't want Cainwen to see the tears that were welling up in his eyes.
************** A/N: All right a little more explaining. I'm not gonna change this part of the story.. Much. Martin and Co. find Log-a-log, get trapped by toads, Boar dies, the Bloodwake is renamed the Wuddship, and they all come back. Cainwen tries to keep her mind off Martin, and sticks to the kitchens.
Here's an excerpt of Cainwen's diary while Martin was away. She calls it Lieh. Dear Lieh, I'm so worried about Martin. Has he reached Salamandastron? Is he safe? I wish there was someone for me to convey my fears to. I'm so jealous of Columbine. She has all her Loamhedge friends to talk to about Gonff. I have no one.
A/N: Martin has returned! Everyone rejoices. Here is another excerpt from Cainwen's diary. "Dear Lieh, I'm so very happy. Martin has returned safely. He came back by ship and scared all of us to death. Everyone went on the ship, except me. I have to go and serve lunch. Everyone is still hungry from yesterday's battle. "
Cainwen got up from her corner niche and rushed off to the kitchens. She picked up a large deeper'n'ever pie and rushed off to place it on the table.
When Cainwen got to the hall, she searched around for Martin, knowing that deeper'n'ever pie was his favorite. She found him and walked over. She reached over him to put the pie down, and bumped into Martin, knocking his long cloak off.
Cainwen gave a small gasp. Beneath the cloak, there was a filthy, bloody bandage on Martin's leg. Martin hurriedly covered it with his cloak, hoping that no one had noticed.
Cainwen raced back into the dormitories, a thousand thoughts tearing through her mind. Now Cainwen understood why on the hottest of summer days, Martin wore a long cloak. Why he was last to leave a room and first to arrive. She devised a plan to take care of that wound, even if it meant resorting to trickery.
Cainwen packed a small satchel with any herbs she could find in Bella's herbal store. She hid the satchel and two flasks of water under her large apron.
She raced back to the hall, and sure enough, sitting all alone at the big table, was Martin, scouring over a map of Mossflower. Cainwen ran in and startled Martin.
"Martin, come with me. I'm going to help you." "Help me with what? I have the next battle all laid out and the flooding will be no problem."
Cainwen was very impatient. "I'm gonna help you with that wound you've been hiding! What in heaven's name were you trying to accomplish?!"
Martin was startled by Cainwen's outburst. Here was the mouse who knew next to nothing about herself, and yet she knew what he was hiding. Not only that, but she had almost shouted at him. Cainwen rarely ever spoke, let alone above a whisper.
Cainwen was not done with him. She took advantage of Martin's silence.
"You can follow me on your own two feet, or I can drag you by that overly long cloak. The choice is yours."
Martin remained silent, but rose, wincing as he put pressure on his leg. He figured that he had nothing to lose following her.
Cainwen started off towards the store rooms, but Martin held her back.
"I thought you said you going to help me. The infirmary's the other way."
"And I thought, judging by the way you were hiding it that you didn't want anybeast to know about it. I found a secret room that nobeast knows about. I'm taking you there. I think you're very foolish to not tell anybeast about. What's to be gained by hiding it? A dead hero is no use to us. You'd fall in battle; you can barely walk. And even if you survived battle, you'd probably die of infection. I won't tell, but you should, you, you, you idiot!"
Martin kept his silence. Cainwen was obviously too angry to be reasoned with, and he didn't want to rouse all of Brockhall.
Cainwen led him through winding rows of shelves, all the time leading downward. Finally, they came to a solid wall. It was so dark that Martin could barely see her in front of him.
"Close your eyes," she snapped at him
Martin closed his eyes, though he saw no reason to, for he couldn't see anything anyway.
There was a low rumble, and Martin was yanked forward. There was another low rumble, and muffled thump.
"Open your eyes," said Cainwen." Go sit on that bed over there. Oh, and take off that ridiculous cloak; you're making me hot."
Martin found himself in a spacious chamber, which looked like a bedroom. It had no corners; it was circular. Against one part of the wall was a bed. Cut into the reddish sandstone walls were shelves. On one of the shelves stood a pitcher and two bowls.
Martin limped over to the bed and took of his cloak. His short tunic didn't cover the filthy bandage on his right leg.
"Where in the name of fur and feathers did you get those bandages? They're filthy!"
"I got them out the rags in one of the closets" said Martin, blushing under Cainwen's furious stare.
Cainwen place a paw on Martin's forehead. Martin relaxed slightly as her cool paw brushed over his hot head.
"It's a wonder you haven't collapsed with fever," said Cainwen as she pulled out her satchel and the two flasks of water from under her apron. Martin eyes widened. She turned her back on Martin and poured one of the flasks into the pitcher. The other's contents went into the first bowl. Then she pulled out a large wad of bandages and clean cloths.
"What are you doing with all that?"
"For an intelligent warrior, you sure ask some obvious questions. The cloths and the water are to clean your wound, the herbs are to make a poultice, and the bandages are to bind it with. Really!"
Cainwen dropped to her knees and began to take of the makeshift dressing. Martin grimaced as it pulled free.
Cainwen gasped. Martin's wound was worse than she could have ever imagined. It ran from his hip to his knee. It was flecked with rust and dirt. Blood trickled down his leg and his fur was matted with dried blood.
"Ow, ouch! Hey, I thought you were going to heal it, not scrub it down to the bone!"
Martin's remark made Cainwen only scrub harder. Martin clenched his teeth as the pain increased. Now he was sure she was mad. Totally, completely, beyond-a-doubt insane.
"I am, but if it gets infected, it'll be useless. Now stay still! Honestly, you're worse than a Dibbun!" said Cainwen as she poured some water over it to get rid of the rust and grime.
"Now, I can assure you that this will hurt even more, so keep still!"
Cainwen began to apply a thick green paste to Martin's gash.
"Hey, hey, ow! What is that stuff?!"
Cainwen sighed. "It's medicine. Now stay still or I have to apply it twice."
Martin stayed as still as he could, but it was difficult. The herb poultice burned like a cold fire, sending shooting, shuddering pain throughout his body. He had been healed many times, by many healers, but none had ever acted or made potions like Cainwen's. Cainwen bound the deep cut tightly, then stood and backed away. She turned away and in a moment produced a goblet of some repulsive green-brown liquid.
Martin didn't like the looks of it and was starting to feel that he had had enough from Cainwen.
"What is that?"
"This is medicine for the pain and fever," she said. "You are going to drink it. NOW!"
"I don't think so. But thank you anyway."
Cainwen placed the goblet on a shelf near by and stood with her paws on her hips, her face a cold, feelingless mask.
"You are going to take that, but whether it's on your own or I force it down you is another matter."
"I don't think so."
Martin drew his sword and pointed it at Cainwen.
"I'm not going to take one drop of it, so you can just dump that revolting liquid on the floor," commanded Martin, glaring at Cainwen.
Cainwen drew a long dagger from underneath her apron. She pointed it at Martin and assumed a fighting stance, her eyes burning fiercely.
"You keep a lot of stuff under that apron of yours, don't you?"
"Yes, it really comes in handy when dealing with warriors who are unceasingly stubborn, fight to the death, and are sometimes singularly foolish. Now take that medicine," said Cainwen, grounding out the last phrase through clenched teeth.
"Why? I'm much stronger, and I have a blade that slices through anvils like butter. While on the other hand, you only have that overly long kitchen knife, which I doubt you even know how to use."
"Ha! Foolish Martin!"
Cainwen was upon him in a flash! Before Martin knew what had hit him, Cainwen had knocked the sword from his paw, and had him down on the floor, her dagger point at his throat. The sword landed just out of his reach.
"Now, do you still think that you'd be able to overcome me?" said Cainwen, her mad stare boring into him. "And even if you were able to overcome me, you don't know the way out of the room."
Martin's eyes shot around the room. There was no visible exit. Now he understood why she had made him close his eyes.
"I'll also have you know that while you were gone, beside learning some new healing techniques from Columbine-"
"Columbine?! I really must have a word with her," said Martin, trying to sound calm, but his eyes were riveted to the blade's point, which hovered just above his throat.
"Ahem! I took some fighting lessons from Amber and Skipper."
Now Martin was nervous. If she had taken lessons from those two, she could definitely kill him, no doubt about it. And he was very vulnerable with his leg injured. But Martin was never one to give in without a fight. He began to twist and turn, avoiding the dagger point.
He gained the upper paw for a moment, nearly knocking over a lantern in the process, but Cainwen quickly rolled over on top of him and place her blade lightly on Martin's pulsing throat.
Cainwen panted. Despite his horrific injury, Martin could sure put up a good fight.
"Now I'm gonna change my offer a little. You can leave this room with one wound, or a dozen. But that potion is mandatory. Decide. NOW!!!!"
Martin glanced at the dagger, then at Cainwen's eyes. They were no longer her normal pale dusky blue and gray, but now they were a cold, hard, glinting gray, like her keen blade. There was no mercy or pity in them; only a dangerous and imperative stare. Martin collapsed under her stare. There was something about those eyes that could make him do something, even when he didn't want to; they made him forget himself.
"Alright, you win."
"Finally, you've come to your senses. Get on the bed."
Martin scrabbled onto the bed as soon as Cainwen released him. He took the goblet and gulped it down. He gagged and spluttered as the rancid liquid ran down his throat. It felt like swallowing a white-hot knife.
" Phut, ugh, what is this stuff?!"
"That's for me to know, and you not to find out. Sleepy yet?"
"Sleepy? Why should I feel tired? It's the middle of the afternoon."
Cainwen looked skywards, seeking patience. He still didn't get it.
"Because I put a sleeping drug in there, of course."
"YOU WHAT?!" cried Martin in utter disbelief. "Where did you learn to make sleeping drugs?"
"From an old squirrel who stopped at my house one time. Comes in handy. Tired yet?"
Martin was beginning to feel drowsy. A black mist swam before his eyes and gathered at the edges of his brain. His eyelids and limbs began to feel leaden.
But Martin was a fighter, and never one to give up that easily (except, of course, when he looked into Cainwen's eyes, but that's a different matter altogether). He tried to fight the mist, which was beginning to thicken. Despite his efforts, his limbs became heavier and heavier; his eyelids began to drop.
"Martin, lay down now, or you'll hit your head."
Martin wouldn't lie down. And Cainwen's eyes had no power over him; his eyes were closed.
"Oh, and Martin, I didn't really take lesson's from Amber and Skipper, but I could kill you anyway. I'm actually a Warrioress, you see."
Finally sleep overwhelmed him and he fell backwards and cracked his head on the wall. A thin trickle of blood ran down through his fur at the site of impact.
"I told him he'd hit his head."
Cainwen picked up her herbs and bandages and went to work again.
************
In his sleep Martin felt a sharp pain on the back of his skull, followed by a tight, constrained feeling. Then the pain was gone. He relaxed and felt everything that had happened drift lazily from his mind. Martin was dreaming.
In his dream, Martin stood in a vast white expanse. He didn't seem to be anywhere at all. Them the white nothingness melted in to Brockhall. Boar the Fighter stood before him, a silver aura surrounding him.
"Boar, what are y-"
Boar stared at Martin.
"A warrior who deceives his friends is not a friend, but a traitor."
"Boar, what in the name-"
But Boar was gone, and Cainwen stood in front of him. Her eyes were the same cold, glinting gray.
"You are foolish to hide what is not your fault."
"Cainwen-"
But Cainwen was not alone now. His father and Boar stood with her.
"Tell of what you hide, Martin," they said in unison.
Suddenly Bella stepped up from behind the trio.
"Martin, what are you hiding?"
"Bella, I-"
All of a sudden, everyone from Brockhall and up north surrounded Martin. Martin's legs gave way under their burning stare.
"What are you hiding, Martin?" they said, they're voices reverberating, like some gigantic bell ringing it's death toll.
Abruptly, Brockhall melted into Mossflower and Martin found himself up against the rat that had hurt his leg. Martin reached for his sword, but all he could find was Cainwen's dagger. He fought with all his might, but he couldn't stop stumbling. The rat scored two hits with his rusty cutlass, once on his head and again on his leg.
Out of the blue, a soft, urgent voice called to him.
"Martin! Martin! Wake up! Martin!"
Martin felt a sharp slap on his face. The rat faded and his world became black. His eyes snapped open, and stared into the worried eyes of Cainwen.
"Phew, you had me worried. You were flailing around like you were fighting a rat! What in the world were you dreaming about?"
"Nothing, nothing. It must have that sleeping potion."
Cainwen cast a suspicious glance in Martin's direction. She had used that potion many a time, but that had never happened before.
"Well, have some water, then," said Cainwen bringing out a goblet and another flask of water from under her apron.
Martin stared at her apron. Despite the fact that she had taken two reasonably bulky objects from under her apron, the was no difference in it's appearance. Martin decided that her apron must be one big pocket, or many small pockets. Either way, it made him wonder just how much she could carry under there. Finally he tore his eyes from the apron.
"Why should I trust anything you give me to be what it seems?"
"For the same reason you trusted me when you closed your eyes and I trust you to come to your senses. Look, I'll drink half the water from the goblet and you drink from the flask. Deal?"
"Alright," agreed Martin. "You first."
Cainwen poured the water and drank deeply. Martin watched closely as she passed him the flask. She still looked wide awake, so he took a sip of the cool, clear water. It tasted wonderful after Cainwen's potions, so he drank the rest.
Martin sighed and ran a paw over his head. His paw stopped abruptly at the bandage. "What's this?" his asked, one eyebrow raised.
"It's a bandage of course," answered Cainwen. "What'd you think it was?"
"I thought you said that I could leave with one cut if I gave up."
"I did, but I also told you l to lie down before you hit your head, remember? But, you didn't lie down and you bumped your head. See? There's the blood on the wall."
Martin turned around and looked at the wall. Standing out against the rose colored stones was a dark red blotch. Martin felt the back of his head, where the linen strips were stiff with dried blood.
"Well, how'm I supposed to hide this?"
"You could tell."
"No."
"Oh fine. Put up your hood on this stupid cloak!" she cried ill temperedly as she threw his cloak at him.
Martin caught the cloak deftly and put it on, pulling the hood over his head.
"Close your eyes."
A/N: I am aware that warrioress is not a real word, but it is now! It will be explained later.
A/N: Hi! Sorry to not have posted this sooner. Anyway, here you are. I skipped a bit, so here's your basic layout. Martin has been asked to go to Salamandastron. Cainwen has been hiding in the kitchens for most of the time, and talks only to Martin and those on cooking duty. She's walking with Martin to the edge of the woods to see him off. Here we go!
Cainwen had the strangest felling that they were being watched as she walked with Martin to the edge of Mossflower. Gonff, Columbine, and Dinny were walking up ahead.
"Where are you heading to?" asked Cainwen, who was gathering various plants in a basket.
Martin looked at her from the corner of his eye. He just couldn't get over those eyes. They kept changing. No longer the usual blue-gray, they appeared to be pure, bright, liquid blue. How could any beast forget her was beyond him.
"We're going to seek Salamandastron to find Bella's Father, Boar the Fighter." "How long will you be gone?" "I don't know Cainwen, the journey is long and dangerous."
Tears shone in Cainwen's eyes and she turned away, not wanting Martin to see how worried she was for him. Martin stopped and turned Cainwen towards him, and brushed away the single tear that was trickling down her face.
"I swear on my sword, I will return and free Mossflower from Tsarmina."
Martin quickly turned away, and hurried off to join Gonff and Dinny, because he didn't want Cainwen to see the tears that were welling up in his eyes.
************** A/N: All right a little more explaining. I'm not gonna change this part of the story.. Much. Martin and Co. find Log-a-log, get trapped by toads, Boar dies, the Bloodwake is renamed the Wuddship, and they all come back. Cainwen tries to keep her mind off Martin, and sticks to the kitchens.
Here's an excerpt of Cainwen's diary while Martin was away. She calls it Lieh. Dear Lieh, I'm so worried about Martin. Has he reached Salamandastron? Is he safe? I wish there was someone for me to convey my fears to. I'm so jealous of Columbine. She has all her Loamhedge friends to talk to about Gonff. I have no one.
A/N: Martin has returned! Everyone rejoices. Here is another excerpt from Cainwen's diary. "Dear Lieh, I'm so very happy. Martin has returned safely. He came back by ship and scared all of us to death. Everyone went on the ship, except me. I have to go and serve lunch. Everyone is still hungry from yesterday's battle. "
Cainwen got up from her corner niche and rushed off to the kitchens. She picked up a large deeper'n'ever pie and rushed off to place it on the table.
When Cainwen got to the hall, she searched around for Martin, knowing that deeper'n'ever pie was his favorite. She found him and walked over. She reached over him to put the pie down, and bumped into Martin, knocking his long cloak off.
Cainwen gave a small gasp. Beneath the cloak, there was a filthy, bloody bandage on Martin's leg. Martin hurriedly covered it with his cloak, hoping that no one had noticed.
Cainwen raced back into the dormitories, a thousand thoughts tearing through her mind. Now Cainwen understood why on the hottest of summer days, Martin wore a long cloak. Why he was last to leave a room and first to arrive. She devised a plan to take care of that wound, even if it meant resorting to trickery.
Cainwen packed a small satchel with any herbs she could find in Bella's herbal store. She hid the satchel and two flasks of water under her large apron.
She raced back to the hall, and sure enough, sitting all alone at the big table, was Martin, scouring over a map of Mossflower. Cainwen ran in and startled Martin.
"Martin, come with me. I'm going to help you." "Help me with what? I have the next battle all laid out and the flooding will be no problem."
Cainwen was very impatient. "I'm gonna help you with that wound you've been hiding! What in heaven's name were you trying to accomplish?!"
Martin was startled by Cainwen's outburst. Here was the mouse who knew next to nothing about herself, and yet she knew what he was hiding. Not only that, but she had almost shouted at him. Cainwen rarely ever spoke, let alone above a whisper.
Cainwen was not done with him. She took advantage of Martin's silence.
"You can follow me on your own two feet, or I can drag you by that overly long cloak. The choice is yours."
Martin remained silent, but rose, wincing as he put pressure on his leg. He figured that he had nothing to lose following her.
Cainwen started off towards the store rooms, but Martin held her back.
"I thought you said you going to help me. The infirmary's the other way."
"And I thought, judging by the way you were hiding it that you didn't want anybeast to know about it. I found a secret room that nobeast knows about. I'm taking you there. I think you're very foolish to not tell anybeast about. What's to be gained by hiding it? A dead hero is no use to us. You'd fall in battle; you can barely walk. And even if you survived battle, you'd probably die of infection. I won't tell, but you should, you, you, you idiot!"
Martin kept his silence. Cainwen was obviously too angry to be reasoned with, and he didn't want to rouse all of Brockhall.
Cainwen led him through winding rows of shelves, all the time leading downward. Finally, they came to a solid wall. It was so dark that Martin could barely see her in front of him.
"Close your eyes," she snapped at him
Martin closed his eyes, though he saw no reason to, for he couldn't see anything anyway.
There was a low rumble, and Martin was yanked forward. There was another low rumble, and muffled thump.
"Open your eyes," said Cainwen." Go sit on that bed over there. Oh, and take off that ridiculous cloak; you're making me hot."
Martin found himself in a spacious chamber, which looked like a bedroom. It had no corners; it was circular. Against one part of the wall was a bed. Cut into the reddish sandstone walls were shelves. On one of the shelves stood a pitcher and two bowls.
Martin limped over to the bed and took of his cloak. His short tunic didn't cover the filthy bandage on his right leg.
"Where in the name of fur and feathers did you get those bandages? They're filthy!"
"I got them out the rags in one of the closets" said Martin, blushing under Cainwen's furious stare.
Cainwen place a paw on Martin's forehead. Martin relaxed slightly as her cool paw brushed over his hot head.
"It's a wonder you haven't collapsed with fever," said Cainwen as she pulled out her satchel and the two flasks of water from under her apron. Martin eyes widened. She turned her back on Martin and poured one of the flasks into the pitcher. The other's contents went into the first bowl. Then she pulled out a large wad of bandages and clean cloths.
"What are you doing with all that?"
"For an intelligent warrior, you sure ask some obvious questions. The cloths and the water are to clean your wound, the herbs are to make a poultice, and the bandages are to bind it with. Really!"
Cainwen dropped to her knees and began to take of the makeshift dressing. Martin grimaced as it pulled free.
Cainwen gasped. Martin's wound was worse than she could have ever imagined. It ran from his hip to his knee. It was flecked with rust and dirt. Blood trickled down his leg and his fur was matted with dried blood.
"Ow, ouch! Hey, I thought you were going to heal it, not scrub it down to the bone!"
Martin's remark made Cainwen only scrub harder. Martin clenched his teeth as the pain increased. Now he was sure she was mad. Totally, completely, beyond-a-doubt insane.
"I am, but if it gets infected, it'll be useless. Now stay still! Honestly, you're worse than a Dibbun!" said Cainwen as she poured some water over it to get rid of the rust and grime.
"Now, I can assure you that this will hurt even more, so keep still!"
Cainwen began to apply a thick green paste to Martin's gash.
"Hey, hey, ow! What is that stuff?!"
Cainwen sighed. "It's medicine. Now stay still or I have to apply it twice."
Martin stayed as still as he could, but it was difficult. The herb poultice burned like a cold fire, sending shooting, shuddering pain throughout his body. He had been healed many times, by many healers, but none had ever acted or made potions like Cainwen's. Cainwen bound the deep cut tightly, then stood and backed away. She turned away and in a moment produced a goblet of some repulsive green-brown liquid.
Martin didn't like the looks of it and was starting to feel that he had had enough from Cainwen.
"What is that?"
"This is medicine for the pain and fever," she said. "You are going to drink it. NOW!"
"I don't think so. But thank you anyway."
Cainwen placed the goblet on a shelf near by and stood with her paws on her hips, her face a cold, feelingless mask.
"You are going to take that, but whether it's on your own or I force it down you is another matter."
"I don't think so."
Martin drew his sword and pointed it at Cainwen.
"I'm not going to take one drop of it, so you can just dump that revolting liquid on the floor," commanded Martin, glaring at Cainwen.
Cainwen drew a long dagger from underneath her apron. She pointed it at Martin and assumed a fighting stance, her eyes burning fiercely.
"You keep a lot of stuff under that apron of yours, don't you?"
"Yes, it really comes in handy when dealing with warriors who are unceasingly stubborn, fight to the death, and are sometimes singularly foolish. Now take that medicine," said Cainwen, grounding out the last phrase through clenched teeth.
"Why? I'm much stronger, and I have a blade that slices through anvils like butter. While on the other hand, you only have that overly long kitchen knife, which I doubt you even know how to use."
"Ha! Foolish Martin!"
Cainwen was upon him in a flash! Before Martin knew what had hit him, Cainwen had knocked the sword from his paw, and had him down on the floor, her dagger point at his throat. The sword landed just out of his reach.
"Now, do you still think that you'd be able to overcome me?" said Cainwen, her mad stare boring into him. "And even if you were able to overcome me, you don't know the way out of the room."
Martin's eyes shot around the room. There was no visible exit. Now he understood why she had made him close his eyes.
"I'll also have you know that while you were gone, beside learning some new healing techniques from Columbine-"
"Columbine?! I really must have a word with her," said Martin, trying to sound calm, but his eyes were riveted to the blade's point, which hovered just above his throat.
"Ahem! I took some fighting lessons from Amber and Skipper."
Now Martin was nervous. If she had taken lessons from those two, she could definitely kill him, no doubt about it. And he was very vulnerable with his leg injured. But Martin was never one to give in without a fight. He began to twist and turn, avoiding the dagger point.
He gained the upper paw for a moment, nearly knocking over a lantern in the process, but Cainwen quickly rolled over on top of him and place her blade lightly on Martin's pulsing throat.
Cainwen panted. Despite his horrific injury, Martin could sure put up a good fight.
"Now I'm gonna change my offer a little. You can leave this room with one wound, or a dozen. But that potion is mandatory. Decide. NOW!!!!"
Martin glanced at the dagger, then at Cainwen's eyes. They were no longer her normal pale dusky blue and gray, but now they were a cold, hard, glinting gray, like her keen blade. There was no mercy or pity in them; only a dangerous and imperative stare. Martin collapsed under her stare. There was something about those eyes that could make him do something, even when he didn't want to; they made him forget himself.
"Alright, you win."
"Finally, you've come to your senses. Get on the bed."
Martin scrabbled onto the bed as soon as Cainwen released him. He took the goblet and gulped it down. He gagged and spluttered as the rancid liquid ran down his throat. It felt like swallowing a white-hot knife.
" Phut, ugh, what is this stuff?!"
"That's for me to know, and you not to find out. Sleepy yet?"
"Sleepy? Why should I feel tired? It's the middle of the afternoon."
Cainwen looked skywards, seeking patience. He still didn't get it.
"Because I put a sleeping drug in there, of course."
"YOU WHAT?!" cried Martin in utter disbelief. "Where did you learn to make sleeping drugs?"
"From an old squirrel who stopped at my house one time. Comes in handy. Tired yet?"
Martin was beginning to feel drowsy. A black mist swam before his eyes and gathered at the edges of his brain. His eyelids and limbs began to feel leaden.
But Martin was a fighter, and never one to give up that easily (except, of course, when he looked into Cainwen's eyes, but that's a different matter altogether). He tried to fight the mist, which was beginning to thicken. Despite his efforts, his limbs became heavier and heavier; his eyelids began to drop.
"Martin, lay down now, or you'll hit your head."
Martin wouldn't lie down. And Cainwen's eyes had no power over him; his eyes were closed.
"Oh, and Martin, I didn't really take lesson's from Amber and Skipper, but I could kill you anyway. I'm actually a Warrioress, you see."
Finally sleep overwhelmed him and he fell backwards and cracked his head on the wall. A thin trickle of blood ran down through his fur at the site of impact.
"I told him he'd hit his head."
Cainwen picked up her herbs and bandages and went to work again.
************
In his sleep Martin felt a sharp pain on the back of his skull, followed by a tight, constrained feeling. Then the pain was gone. He relaxed and felt everything that had happened drift lazily from his mind. Martin was dreaming.
In his dream, Martin stood in a vast white expanse. He didn't seem to be anywhere at all. Them the white nothingness melted in to Brockhall. Boar the Fighter stood before him, a silver aura surrounding him.
"Boar, what are y-"
Boar stared at Martin.
"A warrior who deceives his friends is not a friend, but a traitor."
"Boar, what in the name-"
But Boar was gone, and Cainwen stood in front of him. Her eyes were the same cold, glinting gray.
"You are foolish to hide what is not your fault."
"Cainwen-"
But Cainwen was not alone now. His father and Boar stood with her.
"Tell of what you hide, Martin," they said in unison.
Suddenly Bella stepped up from behind the trio.
"Martin, what are you hiding?"
"Bella, I-"
All of a sudden, everyone from Brockhall and up north surrounded Martin. Martin's legs gave way under their burning stare.
"What are you hiding, Martin?" they said, they're voices reverberating, like some gigantic bell ringing it's death toll.
Abruptly, Brockhall melted into Mossflower and Martin found himself up against the rat that had hurt his leg. Martin reached for his sword, but all he could find was Cainwen's dagger. He fought with all his might, but he couldn't stop stumbling. The rat scored two hits with his rusty cutlass, once on his head and again on his leg.
Out of the blue, a soft, urgent voice called to him.
"Martin! Martin! Wake up! Martin!"
Martin felt a sharp slap on his face. The rat faded and his world became black. His eyes snapped open, and stared into the worried eyes of Cainwen.
"Phew, you had me worried. You were flailing around like you were fighting a rat! What in the world were you dreaming about?"
"Nothing, nothing. It must have that sleeping potion."
Cainwen cast a suspicious glance in Martin's direction. She had used that potion many a time, but that had never happened before.
"Well, have some water, then," said Cainwen bringing out a goblet and another flask of water from under her apron.
Martin stared at her apron. Despite the fact that she had taken two reasonably bulky objects from under her apron, the was no difference in it's appearance. Martin decided that her apron must be one big pocket, or many small pockets. Either way, it made him wonder just how much she could carry under there. Finally he tore his eyes from the apron.
"Why should I trust anything you give me to be what it seems?"
"For the same reason you trusted me when you closed your eyes and I trust you to come to your senses. Look, I'll drink half the water from the goblet and you drink from the flask. Deal?"
"Alright," agreed Martin. "You first."
Cainwen poured the water and drank deeply. Martin watched closely as she passed him the flask. She still looked wide awake, so he took a sip of the cool, clear water. It tasted wonderful after Cainwen's potions, so he drank the rest.
Martin sighed and ran a paw over his head. His paw stopped abruptly at the bandage. "What's this?" his asked, one eyebrow raised.
"It's a bandage of course," answered Cainwen. "What'd you think it was?"
"I thought you said that I could leave with one cut if I gave up."
"I did, but I also told you l to lie down before you hit your head, remember? But, you didn't lie down and you bumped your head. See? There's the blood on the wall."
Martin turned around and looked at the wall. Standing out against the rose colored stones was a dark red blotch. Martin felt the back of his head, where the linen strips were stiff with dried blood.
"Well, how'm I supposed to hide this?"
"You could tell."
"No."
"Oh fine. Put up your hood on this stupid cloak!" she cried ill temperedly as she threw his cloak at him.
Martin caught the cloak deftly and put it on, pulling the hood over his head.
"Close your eyes."
A/N: I am aware that warrioress is not a real word, but it is now! It will be explained later.