(This chapter's a bit shorter then all the other ones, mostly because I figured I fit in all I needed to fit in. Since this chapter is so short though, the next one'll be up earlier than usual. As to the reference of Redsplash being drunk in here…I wasn't really all that sure how an otter would act if they were half drunk so that's why she acts the way she does.

Thanks for reviewing by the way. Really. If you hadn't reviewed I'd have killed this story several chapters ago.)

When Fatefiend woke he became aware that his head felt funny. This realization was accompanied by the sudden realization that his feet hurt. His eyes snapped open and then shut, because, for some reason he could not quite comprehend, he was upside down. "Help." He said, his tone making it sounding more like a yelp then an actual word.

            "He's awake." Came a growl, "Cut him down."

            "Aw, but that's no fun." Came a voice he recognized. Oh, yes, now he remembered. Redsplash and the wildcat, Darkclaw. The failed rescue attempt. But that still did not answer why he was hanging upside down and why Redsplash did not want him to be placed right side up again. "Let's make him chew through the ropes."

            "I do not want to listen to his whimpering. Get him down before you kill him." Darkclaw snapped.

            "Fine, fine." Came Redsplash voice and Fatefiend heard a rustling noise followed by a hiss and suddenly he fell to the ground, nearly breaking his neck in the process.

            "Ow." He said and opened his eyes and looked around. He had, apparently, been hanging upside down from a tree. Redsplash, perched up on one of the higher branches, smirked down at him, a dagger in her left paw.

            Fatefiend looked down at the ropes tied around his foot paws and quickly untied the knot, sending Redsplash hurt and angry glances whenever he could. "What was that whole mess for?" he demanded.

            "Revenge." Redsplash said, "And your snoring woke Darkclaw up. It was his idea to hang you upside down, I was just the one in the background cheering him on."

            "Damn you." Fatefiend said, glaring up at her as she climbed down the tree as easily as a squirrel would. "I just threw a rock at you, and you deserved it."

            Redsplash laughed and landed gracefully on the ground, "Darkclaw," she called, ignoring Fatefiend, "Is the food ready yet?"

            Darkclaw was sitting next to a new fire, cooking something that smelled good. It was probably the smell that had woken Fatefiend up in the first place. The wildcat ignored Redsplash, and Fatefiend massaged his feet, trying to get the blood flowing right again, still sending as many glares in Redsplash's direction as he could.

            Redsplash danced happily over to the pot that was cooking on the fire, "Is it ready yet, Darkclaw?" she asked, leaning closer and closer to the fire.

            "I wouldn't get that close." Darkclaw said.

            "Why not?" Redsplash said, looking up at him and stopping.

            Darkclaw's wrist twitched and a spoonful of the boiling stew in the pot flew up, missing Redsplash's head by half an inch. "Because next time I won't miss." He said evenly and went back to cooking.

            "Fine, fine." Redsplash said, rolling her eyes, and went to sit against a tree, frowning at the two of them. "You two are obviously not made for mornings."

            "You weren't either." Fatefiend snapped, "Before." He added.

            "Before I didn't have a reason to wake up." Redsplash reminded him.

            "Too bad." Fatefiend muttered and tried to stand, leaning against the tree that he had been hanging from to steady himself.

            Redsplash glanced at him, as if wondering what he meant by that, and then turned her attention on Darkclaw, "So…" she said sounding considerably less energetic, "We have to cross an ocean?"

            "Yes." Darkclaw said shortly and glanced up at her, catching the slight note of apprehension on her voice, "Afraid of running into your own species?"

            "No." Redsplash said, shaking her head quickly. Crossing an ocean…this isn't going to be fun… She kicked at the ground in annoyance.

            "Food's ready." Darkclaw said after a while, filled up a bowl for himself and two considerably smaller bowls for the other two.

            The three ate in silence and when Darkclaw stood up, shouldering his pack, the other two finished their meals, and picked up their own packs. Redsplash handed the bowl to Darkclaw, and Fatefiend tossed it carelessly. Darkclaw caught Fatefiend's bowl in Redsplash's and then put the bowls in his pack. "Leave the fire." He said as he saw Redsplash glance doubtfully at it, "It'll burn itself out." He started walking away, not pausing to look back.

            Fatefiend shrugged and hurried after the wildcat, while Redsplash stayed to look at the fire for a minute. Never leave a fire going, Bright. If anything catches fire, some may die because of your carelessness. Redsplash remembered clearly who had told her that and, disgust and contempt clouding her features, she paused only one more second, to spit in the fire, before stalking after the two others.

            "Red!" Fatefiend shouted, "Get back here before you kill yourself!"

            "I think that's the intent." Darkclaw muttered as the two of them stared up at Redsplash. She was climbing up a tree with a speed that was almost unnatural for an otter. Even if Redsplash had been born a squirrel it would have been unsettling.

            "I fly!" Redsplash yelled and suddenly propelled herself backwards, away from the trunk. However, she caught onto the last branch before the ground, held on for a second or two, then let go and plummeted the small distance left to the ground.

            "I'm gonna kill you." Fatefiend snapped, stalking over and kicking her in the ribs, "You're going to kill yourself."

            "All in the plot, stupid, all in the plot." Redsplash said.

            "What plot?" Darkclaw said, looking over.

            "Have you both forgotten?" Redsplash demanded, looking at them as if they were the raving lunatics that had just jumped out of a tree.

            "Yes, that is absolutely the last time you have that for breakfast, ever again." Fatefiend snapped.

            Redsplash glared at him, "Try and stop me."

            "Fine." Fatefiend said and sprinted towards the pack of food Redsplash had left on the ground, picked it up without slowing down, and began running away as fast as he could.

            "Hey!" Redsplash yelled, jumping up. "That's mine."

            "I think he knows that." Darkclaw said sarcastically.

            Redsplash paused only a second to stick her tongue out at him then chased after Fatefiend, screaming threats. While the two of them were gone Darkclaw suddenly whirled around and sprinted into the trees. Once he deemed himself a safe distance away he pulled a scroll out of his pack and let out a loud, piercing, whistle. He glanced around, his eyes taking in every single movement around him, an expression of slightly tense annoyance on his expression.

            Suddenly a hawk landed on the limb of a tree near the wildcat and stared at him, head tilting to the left. "Warheart Prince, your companions tried to shoot me down."

            "The otter is half drunk and the ferret has no skill with a bow." Darkclaw said, his tone reassuring but still annoyed, "There was no real threat."

            The large male hawk blinked and stretched his wings slightly, "The ferret hides his skills from you."

            "I doubt it." Darkclaw said, "He isn't smart at all."

            A sparkle of brief amusement shined in the hawk's eyes for a minute as he said, "Ah, Warheart Prince, you had finally been out manipulated."

            Darkclaw shook his head, denying the accusation, "Of all creatures, Darkwing I would think you would know that there are few creatures that can out manipulate me and no mere ferret will ever be counted among those few."

            The hawk shifted his balance, "The ferret is the Nameless One's son, Prince. He has learned much from his father and more from the otter. You have potentially strong enemies in those two. I would not betray them."

            Darkclaw frowned at him, "Have I not explained to you the plan in small enough words so that you can understand? Without betrayal the Nameless One will not be slain."

            The hawk's eyes grew distant, "Ah, you really are your father's son, Darkclaw. Always willing to sell out your friends in the end."

            Darkclaw blinked, "Darkwing, I have no friends."

            "Of course." The hawk said, giving himself a small shake as if to wake himself up, "Now, why did you call me?"

            "I need you to carry this scroll to Ijuiline. Do not waste time."

            The hawk nodded, "I never waste time."

            Darkclaw blinked but did not contradict him, "Be back before five days. I'll need you to carry another scroll to Pravin."

            "Five days?" The hawk said, looking surprised, then, slowly, nodded. "Yes…I will meet up with you in five days or less. Where will you be?"

            "Next to the sea. Near Wello's group of sailors. You will have to next meet me somewhere near the Nameless One's domain, if you can survive a trip over the sea?"

            "I'll take the slower route." The hawk said, "Pravin lives out that way anyway."

            Darkclaw smirked, "Of course."

            "Give me the scroll." The hawk said. Darkclaw held the scroll out and the hawk grabbed the loop attached to the scroll and made sure had had a good grip. He gave Darkclaw a deep nod, and was gone.

            "Darkclaw!" Fatefiend shouted seconds later from somewhere nearby, "Red passed out!"

            When the sun went down that day the only noise at the campfire was Redsplash's curses of annoyance as she held her head. "Darkclaw that is absolutely the last time I eat your food. Fatefiend, you are the cook from now on."

            "Okay." Fatefiend said brightly, while glancing at Darkclaw with an expression that was equally as bright, and as blank, as his tone.

            "Go to sleep." The wildcat said, "I'll stand watch tonight."

            "The whole night?" Fatefiend asked calmly.

            "I can go a few days without sleep, ferret." Darkclaw said, as if the thought of him needing sleep was a joke.

            "Oh." Fatefiend said as he began making his bed as far away from Redsplash's as he could. This could either mean that if Darkclaw tried to kill him in the middle of the night he wanted to be as far away from Redsplash a possible, or it could just be that he wanted to avoid listening to her complaining.

            As the night went on, Redsplash, then Fatefiend, fell to slumber that was not at all peaceful. Fatefiend dreamed of the death his father would likely have planned for him, and Redsplash's nightmares centered around what they always did: her past. Darkclaw, as promised, did not sleep, but instead sat calmly next to the fire, planning.

            "Come on Dark," Redsplash whined, "I don't wanna walk no more."

            "I never gave you permission to shorten my name." Darkclaw said, deliberately walking faster so that Redsplash had to jog to keep up. Fatefiend, who was walking slowly behind them, did not bother speeding up. This landscape they had been walking on for hour seemed to be somewhere between sand, shore, and rock. There was almost no way the two others could go fast enough that they would loose him.

            "I'm trying to annoy you into getting what I want." Redsplash said and lunged at the ground, attaching herself to Darkclaw's ankle and not letting go despite Darkclaw's efforts to shake her off. "Come on. Please?"

            "Don't make me kill you otter." Darkclaw said, hopping around on one foot trying to knock her loose.

            "I'm sorry, am I interrupting some sort of ritual?" Fatefiend said as he walked up, "In which Redsplash plays the offending leach and Darkclaw the poor duck victim?"

            The two of the stopped what they were doing and sent offended glares at the ferret, "Fate go away. I'm trying to get Darkclaw to carry me around for a couple hours." Redsplash snapped.

            "Lost cause, Red." Fatefiend said, "By the way, we appear to be being followed by this odd assortment of filthy looking rats."

            "What?" Darkclaw said, turning and accidentally slamming Redsplash's head against a bolder.

            "Ow." Redsplash said, letting go of Darkclaw's ankle to rub her head. She squinted into the glare of the sun, trying to find the rats, "I don't see them."

            "Watch that huge rock over there. In a few seconds one of 'em will pop their heads out. See. There's one."

            "Oh, I see it." Redsplash said and stood, "I'll bet you I kill more then you." She said to the ferret.

            Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "I was thinking maybe we could just run away."

            "No. They've seen us and now we have to get rid of them. If they tell my brother where we are he'll know we've gone to the Nameless One and warn the ferret before we have a chance to kill him."

            "Fatefiend, was that lunatic wildcat speech for 'Let's go kill something'?" Redsplash asked, rolling her eyes at Darkclaw.

            "I don't know. Why don't you go find a lunatic wildcat and ask him?" Fatefiend said, annoyed.

            Redsplash rolled her eyes, "So, how do we kill 'em?"

            "We leave the weakest looking member of our group here with all the food and the other two go circle around behind them."

            Fatefiend nodded, "Right. I'll stay here."

            Darkclaw glanced at him and smirked. "Redsplash, go to the left."

            Redsplash glared at him, "Just because you're so smart doesn't mean you have to keep rubbing it in my face."

            Darkclaw rolled his eyes, "What now?"

            "Which way's left?" Redsplash demanded.

            "Red, you know left and right." Fatefiend said tiredly, "Just go."

            Redsplash scowled and stalked off, only pausing to grab the dagger that Fatefiend had given her before. Darkclaw walked in the opposite direction, apparently calm and oblivious to anything and everything.

            It was barely five minutes later that the group of ten rats surrounded Fatefiend who was happily drawing in the dirt with and arrow. He glanced up ate the rats as one of the poked him with a spear and smiled, "Hello." He said. "And what would bring you to poke me with a spear on this fine bright morning?"

            "It's evening." Grunted one of them, "And we want your food."

            "Well." Fatefiend said, scanning the horizon, "So it is. But you can't have my food."

            "We didn't ask for it." Said one of the rats, plucking one of the packs off the ground, "We're takin' it."

            Fatefiend blinked, "I believe you've been misinformed." He said.

            "Huh?"

            "I'm sorry. I used a big word." Fatefiend said with a winning smile. He raised his voice and shouted, "I believe you're stupid!" at the top of his lungs. Before the big rat could reply Fatefiend pulled the bow he had hidden in the grass up and shot the arrow he had been holding straight into the rat's eye. He fell without having time for the insult to process in his rather slow mind.

            Before the other rats could react Darkclaw suddenly popped out of nowhere, with only own of his broadswords unsheathed. Redsplash was a bit late, but when she did show up she killed as many, or more, of the rats as Darkclaw. When they were all dead Redsplash 'accidentally' clubbed Fatefiend in the back of the head with one of the rat's decapitated heads.

            After that Fatefiend refused to talk to her, and Darkclaw ignored them both. They walked the rest of the day in silence and when they finally decided to make camp, an hour or so after the sun had set, Darkclaw left the two of them to talk to a friend that was supposedly near by.

            "What I wanna know is why, if he has a friend here, we're sleeping in sand." Fatefiend muttered rebelliously as he tried to find a comfortable position.

            Redsplash who was considerably more comfortable then Fatefiend glanced at him, "You should probably take your pack off before you try and go to sleep." She said.

            "No." Fatefiend said, "You'll steal my food."

            Redsplash rolled her eyes and yawned, staring up at the stars. "I wonder who this friend of his is." She said.

            "Probably someone with a boat." Fatefiend snapped and closed his eyes, "Now stop talking so I can sleep."

            Redsplash sighed and closed her eyes, yawning again before drifting off to sleep.

            Darkclaw sat on the sand just out of reach of the waves, waiting. His broadswords were far out of reach, along with the dagger he normally carried. The only weapon he had was a very carefully hidden dagger that he could not reach quickly. It was a gamble, a very dangerous gamble, but it would be worth it to know if Darkwing was loyal or not. He had first met the hawk when he had been several seasons younger and hunting the hawk's mate, Sorrowsong. Darkclaw had had no real reason to hunt the albino female hawk called Sorrowsong, but it had been a contest between him and his three brothers. In the end, it had cost Grenail, his youngest brother, his life. Sorrowsong, known as Sorrow, had killed the wildcat when the smallest of the three cats hunting her had injured the hawk's wing. Bluefang, the coward that he was, had immediately retreated back to the castle and declared the contest below his notice. Darkclaw, slightly angered at the loss of his second favorite brother, had continued hunting while Lian, Grenail's older twin brother, had been livid.

            When he and Darkclaw, still hunting the white hawk, stumbled across each other in the forest Lian had been nearly insane with anger, and nearly dead from fatigue. Darkclaw had easily drugged his brother with an herb that would send his favorite brother into a sleep that would last as long as it took for him to heal and then left his brother behind. Darkclaw never saw Lian again.

Darkclaw had finally found Sorrowsong, wounded and unable to fly, huddled into a cave and so close to dead that she couldn't even see him. Before Darkclaw could kill the bird, however, Darkwing had arrived and, furious at the attempted murder of his mate, had tried to kill Darkclaw. It was sad, really. The hawk had never stood a chance. In the cave he could barely move, and couldn't dodge Darkclaw's swords.

            Still, Darkclaw hadn't been sent to kill the black hawk, just the albino one. Before he could kill Sorrowsong Darkwing managed to drag himself in front of his mate and proclaim with what voice he had left that he would die before he allowed Darkclaw to kill his mate. Darkclaw had considered killing them both, then struck a deal with Darkwing. If the hawk, once it was healed, would carry messages from Darkclaw to ones he needed messages sent to he would allow the hawks to live. The only other rule was that Darkwing could never try to get revenge on any member of Darkclaw's family except Bluefang. The hawk had taken the deal and Darkclaw had left, not expecting the hawk to live. But he had and for seasons now the hawk had been carrying his messages, but Darkclaw had always doubted that Darkwing would remain loyal if Darkclaw was weaponless.

            That was why it was such a shock when his two broadswords, sheathed, landed on his stomach. Darkwing himself arrived on the ground shortly after Darkclaw realized what it was exactly that had just landed on him. "You leave your swords out where anyone can take them." Darkwing said with obvious contempt, "And you sit weaponless where anyone can kill you. Have you gone mad?"

            Darkclaw rolled his eyes, "Since when did you care about my well-being?"

            Darkwing refused to answer but instead tossed another object at him. Darkclaw caught it and stared at it for a minute. "It's Ijuiline's answer." The hawk clarified, "To whatever letter you wrote her."

            "Ah." Darkclaw said, "And here is the message for Pravin." He put Ijuiline's answer down on the sand next to him and handed his message to Pravin to Darkwing.

            Darkwing accepted the letter in silence and then looked out over the sea, "Who is the next letter to?"

            Darkclaw glanced at him, "Why should I give you an answer to any question you ask?"

            "Because I did not kill you when I could have."

            "Which will undoubtedly end up as a mistake on your part."

            "Undoubtedly." Darkwing agreed, "But I wished to inform you that there is an otter down in the east asking about a Brighteye Swiftstream."

            "Who?" Darkclaw asked, raising an eyebrow.

            "Brighteye Swiftstream. I believe that is the other name of the otter that travels with you."

            "Oh, yes." Darkclaw said and turned to look at him, "And what is the name of this otter that is asking about her?"

            "No one knows. Some call him the Ghost, and others call him the Slayer but no one knows who he really is." Darkwing said, "Though it is know that he lead a rebellion of ten otters, twenty squirrels, and thirty or so various other rabble against a large number of the Nameless One's soldiers."

            "Did he win?" Darkclaw asked.

            "No, but out of the five score that went into the battle against him, two survived."

            "Two?" Darkclaw said, surprised, "Out of one hundred of the Nameless One's soldiers two of them survived a battle of sixty untrained-"

            "They were trained." Darkwing broke in, "By the otter. He trained them. I believe he was the only one who survived the battle on his side. The two Nameless One soldiers only managed to subdue him by throwing rocks at him until he was knocked unconscious."

            "He didn't dodge the rocks?"

            "He was trapped under the bodies." Darkwing paused, "He escaped by tripping the two soldiers and causing them to burn to death in the small campfire they had created."

            "Oh." Darkclaw said, "Deliver this to Pravin and find out who this otter is. Have information about the otter and Pravin's answer by the time our little venture over the sea is done with. I'll be waiting for you on the shore. Wello's rats will have a gigantic fire the day they arrive on land. You'll be able to see it."

            Darkwing nodded his head, "Of course." He replied and was gone, leaving Darkclaw to stand and brush sand off of himself before picking up Ijuiline's reply and putting it in his pack. He started walking away from Redsplash and Fatefiend, looking for the rat captain Wello who would get him, Redsplash, and Fatefiend over the sea and into the Nameless One's domain.