52

Orion had a lot of time to think as he walked. It did help to clear his mind, and he was grateful for the solitude.
The attitudes of the cats had noticeably changed after Hyder helped with the caved-in control room, he was very
happy to have noted. Maybe through people like Hyder, there could be peace again between the Mutants and
the Thunderians. He could hope.

When he did finally get home, something was wrong. He could sense it, and so could Falcon. He had come to
Swift from the east, where the forest was that he lived in. Frowning, he increased his pace until he reached his
home.

His eyes widened when he saw it. While he was away, someone had vandalized his one-room dwelling. Words
that he couldn't read were daubed on the outside in paint, and even carved in with a knife or something similar.
Growling slightly, he set his pack down, and approached. Falcon's ears were laid down against his head and he
was snarling softly.

As he got closer, he found he could read a word here and there. Go home was one phrase that he worked out.
He managed to work out the word "traitor". He did not need to read further to get the idea of what the words
all said. Someone in the village hated him enough to violate his territory.

He notice, also, that his tanning racks had been splintered into dozens of pieces, and tossed all over the forest
floor. Orion growled and punched the wall of his home, and then went inside.

Even the inside had not been spared. There paint here, too, and his bedding smelled like it had been urinated
on. His milk jug was smashed, and what belongings he did have here had been painted on or broken. He was
glad that when he traveled, he kept most of his stuff with him in his bag. "I'd just love to see what they would
done with my pictures of Hyder and Tamarin," he growled aloud., his fists clenched. Not to mention Hintracrii.

Disgusted, Orion walked out of his house and sat down on his log-bench, after righting it. At least that hadn't
been painted on! Putting his head in his hands, he just sat for a moment, suddenly feeling tired and sorrowful.
Even back home, he was an outcast. Orion felt like crying, but instead stood up, his eyes narrowed.

Falcon came over and whimpered, and Orion pet him for a few seconds. "Come on, kiddo. Let's go report
this." He picked up his backpack and headed into town.

"You're joking." Ocedra had been on duty at the local base when Orion had asked permission to enter and
speak with her. When he told her what happened, she was aghast.

"No." Orion's face was grim, and the pupils of his eyes were dilated with fury.

Ocedra sighed deeply. "I can't believe that... Of all the childish, mean-spirited..." She frowned. "All right.,
my shift's about over anyway. I'll get someone to take over and bring one of the warriors with us to check it
out."

Orion nodded. "Thanks." He relaxed a little bit, knowing that at least most of the warriors of the village liked
him and Falcon.

"You think that they found out I was visiting Hyder?"

"It's possible," Ocedra asked. She and Orion were in a hovercar being driven by a second warrior, heading for
Orion's little house. "It's also possible that they had planned on doing this all along, and your long absence
gave them the opportunity."

"I'm just glad I've got my books and pictures in my bag," Orion said. "I like to keep the things I have from
Plundaar with me."

Ocedra nodded. "It's a good thing you did. They'd be destroyed for sure."

The rest of the ride was silent.

When they arrived, Falcon went over to sit on the bench and just whimpered softly. There were bad feelings,
and bad things around, and he wasn't happy with them. And plus, a stranger had urinated in their territory, and
that made him mad.

"Oh for Jaga's sake," Ocedra growled, upon seeing what had been painted.

"Yeah," Orion said. "I can't read most of it, but I understood enough to get the idea."

Ocedra sighed. "I am so sorry, Orion. This shouldn't have happened." She turned to the other warrior. "Come
on, let's see if we can't figure out who did this."

While the two warriors investigated, inside and out, Orion sat down with Falcon and drew the cub into his lap.
Boy, would Orion love to find out who'd done this. He'd do it back!

A couple of hours later, Ocedra and the warrior came back outside, and looked a bit pleased. She had a clear
plastic bag with Orion's bedding in it. "They made a mistake, with this," she said, indicating the wet bedding.
"If they've got any kind of medical records at all, even a physical from their school days, we'll find out who did
this."

Orion stood up, nodding. "Good," he said, a growl in his voice. "Those miserable..." he finished the phrase
with a Plundaarian curse, not able to think of anything worse than that in Basic."

"Dunno what you said," Ocedra said, "But I think I probably agree. Anyway, we're going to take this back to
the base and run the DNA through the computer." She paused. "You gonna be all right?"

Orion nodded. "Yeah. I just have to clean up and build some new tanning racks." He looked at his house and
shook his head. "And start trying to remove this filth."

"Sounds good. I'll come by later and help ya if you'd like."

Orion smiled for the first time since he'd gotten home to discover the vandalism. "Thanks...I appreciate it."

"No problem." And with that, Ocedra and the warrior left.

Orion spent half the night scrubbing out the room of his home. He had opened the one large window and the
door, and was airing the place out as he worked. He scrubbed every inch of his bed area with the harshest soap
he could find in town, and very soon, it no longer smelled like urine. he was glad that the builders had coated
the wood they'd built the house out of with a thick protective varnish, else he might have never gotten it clean.

He did manage to get a lot of the paint off, from both the inside and outside of the building, for the same
reason. The craved words were a bit of a different story, Those would have to be sanded out.

He also discovered that the bathroom had been urinated on as well, and sighed as he began scrubbing that too.
once all was done, and he was finished for the night, Orion bathed himself and washed out his clothing
thoroughly. Too tired to hunt that night, he went into town with his backpack along with him, and bought
some food supplies. After he'd eaten dinner, Ocedra did stop by as she'd promised.

"Wow," he said, looking the house over. "You've gotten most of it done."

Orion nodded. Cleaning was one thing he'd learned to do fast and well, living in slavery. It came in handy
once in a while. "Sit down," he invited. "Take some meat if you'd like."

"Thank you, I've not eaten yet. Been putting the samples through a few tests."

"Anything?"

"We'll we have a clear sample of DNA from the urine," she said, "and came up with a few matches. The
warriors are going to check them out tomorrow. For now, a guard's been posted a ways away from your house
in case anyone tries something a little more malicious than vandalism."

Surprised, Orion looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks," he said to her."

She shook her head. "Not necessary. That honestly shouldn't have happened, and whoever did it will be
punished to the extent they're allowed by law."

Orion scowled. "Good."

"But until then, I've brought sanders, ladders, varnish, and lights to work by," Ocedra said with a grin. "Let's
see if we can't get this house looking like it should."

After a few hours' worth of cleaning, during which Falcon ran around trying to help, Orion's home smelled of
fresh varnish and sawdust. Ocedra and Orion stood back looking rather pleased with their work. "Thanks,"
Orion said again.

"It was my pleasure. Anyways, we'll know tomorrow what's up, and I'll let you know what's going on."

Ocedra came back to talk to Orion the next morning, after he had finished breakfast. "Well, we found out who
did it," she said to Orion.

Having gotten his full attention, Ocedra talk him what had happened that morning, as she bent down to pet
Falcon on the head. Turned out that the same people who openly scorned Orion in the town had mostly
comprised the six man team of vandals, and they'd simply gone in with pain and daggers and vented their
feeling's on Orion's home. "Two of 'em are women, and four of them are men. A married couple, the others
aren't related." She paused, letting this sink in. "There'll be a trial of course in a week or so, and you'll be
allowed to face them then. Then probably a jail term of a few months or so. Unfortunately, vandalism doesn't
merit any harsher punishment than that."

Orion listened carefully, and then nodded. "Okay,' he said, smiling a bit tiredly. "Thanks, Ocedra." he shook
his head.

"They'll be kept in jail until the trial, so I'll probably be pulling the guard today."

"That's okay," Orion said. "I think that I'll be getting a locked cabinet or something to keep my favorite things
in though, my photos and the like."

Ocedra thought for a moment, and then grinned. "Make a floor safe," she suggested. "I'm sure that Nagasi'll
probably be glad to help ya out there."

Orion grinned, thinking of the builder that had helped with his house, and whom Orion sometimes worked for.
"That's an idea," he said.

"Well anyway, I've got to get to my patrol. Good luck, Orion."

During the week before the trail, Orion did manage to get his tanning racks rebuilt, and bought some new
bedding and a new milk jug. He visited Jaguarin to tell him about the visit with Hyder and about the vandalism.
Jaguarin wasn't happy to hear about the latter.

"Say what?? you've got to be joking! They pissed in your bed?"

Orion curled his lip, sitting back on Jaguarin's couch. "Yeah. Bastards." he sighed. "even on Thundera I
don't fit in, Jaguarin. I don't fit in on Plundaar because I'm a cat, and gee, everyone wants to enslave me. I
don't fit in here because one, I'm a mutt, and two, I talk and act like a Mutant." he sighed. "I told you what
happened the last time I met Blackmoor. Hyder told me that he didn't end up dead. it's too bad. He needs to die
for all this shit he put me through."

Jaguarin nodded sympathetically. "Yeah...you're right, Orion." he sighed. "Hell, even I do a double take when
I see how different you sound and act. Not that I care, but it's not something I am used to experiencing."

"Yeah, but you don't paint shit on my house because of it."

Jaguarin shook his head. "No, I don't." He sighed. "Well at least the warriors prosecuted. It could be worse,
the warriors could be on their side."

Orion nodded. "Tell me about it. Some don't care for me, but most are friendly., and Ocedra's a good woman."

"She really is."

Chapter 53

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