Part II
"Horse thieves!"
Cecile's eyebrows shot up inside her helmet and she took off running in the direction of the shout. The quickest route to the stable from her post at the front steps was to simply dash down the hill in front of Budehuc and through the forest to the racetrack, and she did so, ignoring the brush and brambles that slapped at her bare legs beneath her short skirt and tugged at her knit socks. "What happened, Kathy?" she exclaimed, skidding to a halt by the stables and glaring around intensely for the villains who dared come into Budehuc Castle to stir up trouble while Garrison Commander Cecile was on the watch. "Where did they go? I'll make them pay!"
"Whoa, whoa! Hold on there!" Kathy waved her hands frantically at Cecile. "They're not here now - I didn't see them myself!"
"I'll follow them!" Cecil declared, setting her jaw and her spear in determination. "How many horses did they get? I'll bring every one back!"
"Er, none..."
Cecile paused in mid-rampage. "...None?"
While she'd been trying to get more information, a few others had come to see what all the fuss was about - Thomas among them. "What's going on out here? I heard someone shout about thieves...?"
"Horse thieves, Master Thomas!" Cecile explained, turning to face him. "But, um... Kathy says she didn't see them... and they didn't... take any horses?" she pondered, realizing that this didn't add up.
"My tomatoes are perfectly safe also," Barts chimed in helpfully.
"That's good to know." Thomas turned back to Kathy. "So what makes you think there were horse thieves?"
"Footprints - all over the paddock," Kathy explained, gesturing at the dirt.
Cecile bent down to examine them, and nodded. "Yep! Footprints all over. They're not from Kathy's boots or those metal things Leo wears, either. And they're just walking around," she noted further, following the trail a little bit, "so they're not Kenji... Is there anyone else who comes down here a lot?" she asked, straightening again.
"Hugo?" Thomas suggested, blushing for some reason. "He rides the horses sometimes..."
"Hmm..." Cecile bent over again for another look, until her face was only inches from the ground. "No, no... can't be Hugo. There are a few different kinds of footprints here, and one's really small - like a girl's footprint. That's funny..." She straightened again, and gasped as she saw Thomas clutching a handkerchief to his face. "Master Thomas! What happened to your nose?"
"Er, n-nothing," he mumbled, nearly as red as Barts' tomatoes behind the handkerchief. "Different atmospheric pressure than in the Outlands... y-yes, that's it... Anyhow, I'll ask Kidd to take a look at this - seeing as he's a detective, and all..."
"And what should I do, Master Thomas?" Cecile hated the thought of someone having gotten past her defenses of the castle - it was about revenge now, as well as safety. "Should I post a guard here, in case they come back?"
"Er... don't you only have one other guard under your command?" Thomas pointed out.
"Well..." Cecile traced circles in the dirt with her shoe self-consciously.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Juan was standing nearby, looking bored. "I sleep right over there in the dojo, so if anyone messes with anything, I'll hear it."
Cecile had her doubts, and from the look on Thomas' face, so did he. Thomas nodded, however. "Since nothing was taken, and we can't be sure what the intruders' motives might have been, I don't think we need to be too vigilant..."
"I wonder why they left...?" Kathy pondered.
A bark sounded from beside the stable suddenly - a very strange bark that they'd nonetheless grown accustomed to over the past few days, since Hugo and his group had brought back the odd stray dog from the Cyndar ruins.
"Oh, is that why?" Kathy asked, dropping to her knees as Kogoro trotted out to stand proudly in front of her. "You scared them away, Kogoro?"
The dog bowed its head and wagged its tail. "A-e-i-o-uuuu!"
"Good doggie!" Cecile laughed and took Kogoro's front paws as he rose up to do the odd little dance he'd already become well-known for among Budehuc's younger residents. "Thomas! Since Kogoro scared away the horse thieves, can I put him on the roster of the castle guard? Maybe I'll ask Jefferson if we can give him a medal, too," she thought out loud, stepping back and forth with Kogoro.
Thomas laughed softly as well, sticking the handkerchief back in his pocket as he watched the dog and the girl dancing together. "Go ahead, if you like - that is a decision you don't need me to help with, since you're Garrison Commander. You have full authority when it comes to choosing the castle's guard, and I trust your judgment."
"Thank you, Master Thomas!"
Juan looked bored rather than amused at their antics, and he yawned. "So if everything's settled down, can I go back to sleep? All the commotion earlier woke me up, and all for nothing."
"Sure - Castle Guard Kogoro will take care of the watch here!"
"A-e-i-o-uuu!" Kogoro added, confirming Cecile's statement.
Juan rolled his eyes as he turned back towards his dojo. "Weird dog."
As the other castle residents began to drift back to their daily routines, seeing that nothing was wrong after all, Thomas and Kathy paused, watching Cecile play with Kogoro. "He really is a weird dog," Kathy agreed with a puzzled frown. "That bark, and the dancing - and you know, he doesn't eat normal dog food like meat? It's the funniest thing - Mamie's offered him scraps, but he never takes them. Though I saw him go after some miso soup once..."
"Miso soup?" Thomas repeated. "Hmmm... well, I suppose dogs have different tastes, just like humans..."
"He doesn't really eat anything else though, as far as I can tell," Kathy pondered. "I never see him sleep, either - he's always walking around here, like he's patrolling the area. Good thing for me and my horses," she chuckled.
Thomas nodded. "If anything else strange happens, let me know," he offered. "For now, I'll ask Kidd to take a look around - and then I have a meeting to get to. Sorry, but this Fire Bringer business is very time-consuming..."
"Oh, no problem," Kathy assured him with a wink. "Kogoro's on the job, and he's better than just an ordinary dog, if you ask me. Anytime you want a break, though, come on down and see me - I'll set up a good course for you. Ever done any riding before?"
"Er... no... Anyhow, thank you..." Thomas rushed off to find Kidd quickly, before Kathy could say anything more intimidating.
Unbeknownst to any of those present, a dark figure watched from within the trees, and its lips curled in derision. They had no idea what had come the night before, or what had averted it - and they probably never would figure it out, until the moment catastrophe came upon them. Perhaps not even then, if it came as quickly as he supposed it would.
To be continued...