(I apologize for the time it took me to get this chapter up. Really, I thought my life would get pretty busy, but I didn't count on it being this busy. I really did not like writing this chapter…I think it shows, too. But I couldn't figure out how else to fit everything I needed in this chapter in it.
I've gotta come up with a new summary soon, but I hate writing them so…Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up soon. Unless I get run over by a bus (which almost happened so it's not really that funny…)
Oh, almost forgot. This chapter contains a mild torture scene, betrayal, and other things that might possibly upset kindergarteners. So, if you're just learning to read or your stomach has a tendency to heave if the word 'blood' is seen I recommend you run away. Now.)
Redsplash had to almost swim for Fatefiend who had never bothered to learn to swim. Once they got to shallow enough water that he could stand up, though, she left him to brave the rest on his own and swam quickly up to the shore. She hugged the first plant life she saw and smiled happily, "Dear old solid ground." She said and kicked sand in Fatefiend's eyes as he came staggering up, "How I missed you."
Fatefiend dunked his head back into the sea to get the sand off and came back up sputtering and glaring at Redsplash, "Red, why do you always do that?"
"Do what?" she asked innocently.
"Throw things at me!" Fatefiend said, striding up the shore and shaking himself off like he was a cat.
"Oh, I dunno…because it's fun?"
"Oh, that's great." Fatefiend said, "Lovely. I'm a fun person to throw things at."
Suddenly something flew through the air and hit him on the head. He crumpled to the ground and groaned, "Ow…" he said holding his head.
"Sorry, but I have to agree with the otter. It is very fun to throw things at you." Came a voice and suddenly a black squirrel flew into their midst, laughing.
Redsplash was on her feet with her dagger out in seconds, glaring at the squirrel, "I'm the only one who throws thing's at Fate." She said, her tone dangerously close to a growl.
"Is that so?" the squirrel said with a feral grin. "How tragic for me then."
"Yes." Redsplash said, "Tragic."
"Ow…" Fatefiend repeated sitting up slowly and still holding his skull, "My head hurts."
"What did you throw at him?" Redsplash demanded.
"Oh. A rock."
"What?" Redsplash, "Why?"
"I wanted to test your theory." The squirrel replied, "And you were right. It is fun."
"Zariel! Leave them be." Darkclaw said as he suddenly appeared in the darkness beside Fatefiend.
"Darkclaw." The squirrel, Zariel said as if shocked at his presence. Immediately the mocking note was gone in her voice, "I didn't know they were under your protection."
"You knew." Darkclaw snapped, "And what are you doing here?"
"I came to find out if it was true." Zariel replied, "If you really were planning to fight the Nameless One."
"Does your entire clan know?"
"If they don't then they're death, blind, and dead." Zariel replied with a smirk.
"And do they know that you're here?"
"No…"
"Then they'd never know who killed you if I let the otter loose on you."
Zariel glanced doubtfully at Redsplash, barely able to make out the otter's shape in the darkness. Fatefiend had recovered enough that he was trying to light a fire, but he was moving slow and every now and then glancing at Zariel with anger in his gaze.
"She couldn't harm me," the black squirrel said, though she didn't sound half as sure of herself as she had before.
"Willing to bet your life on it?" Darkclaw responded, frowning down at her.
Zariel wavered briefly, "No." she snapped and then said, her tone considerably less defiant, "I came to ask you if you would have need of my tribe."
"Do I need a tribe of mercenaries?" Darkclaw questioned, "Perhaps. How large is your clan?"
"You know." Zariel replied accusingly then said, obviously getting annoyed, "Four score."
"Then perhaps I will have need of your clan. I will send Darkwing to you if I need your help. Go now."
"But-"
"Go."
Zariel muttered something vehemently under her breath, turned, and fled back into the night.
"It appears, Darkclaw, that you know the Tribe of Darkness." Fatefiend said after a minute, "Or does it just know you?"
"The tribe of what?" Redsplash said, angry at both the squirrel and the other two's knowledge of the tribe from which the squirrel came from.
"Of Darkness. It's a bunch of beasts, mostly squirrels, who, if they aren't black furred to begin with dye themselves black and go around killing in the dark, thus the unimaginative name." Fatefiend said.
"They've had ties to the Warheart clan before." Darkclaw said his tone more of a growl then anything else, "Though mostly it's Bluefang that requires their services. I prefer lesser known assassins."
"Zariel is their princess, is she not?" Fatefiend asked.
"Yes." Darkclaw said grudgingly.
"Why did she come here? What kind of plan would the Tribes of Darkness' elders think required their attention?"
"I don't know." Darkclaw said, "They heard I was here and they came running."
"How did they know you were going to be here?" Redsplash asked, frowning. "How would they have known?"
"Word travels." Darkclaw snapped.
The fire suddenly roared to life and Fatefiend settled comfortable close to it. Suddenly he frowned and looked up at Darkclaw, "I have a question." He said.
"Then ask it." Darkclaw replied impatiently.
"Are we your travel companions or your hostages?" Fatefiend asked.
Darkclaw's silence was not very reassuring. Redsplash stood up, scowling, "I don't like this anymore." She said.
Darkclaw looked up at her, "How tragic." He said, his voice so sarcastic Fatefiend winced.
Redsplash rolled her eyes at him, "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, cat."
"That's what all those who are to stupid to use it, and so suffer constantly from it say, otter." Darkclaw replied evenly.
Redsplash straightened, her angry expression turning slightly demonic thanks to the fire that danced in the wind. "I could leave." She threatened.
"You mean you could try." Darkclaw replied.
"Don't leave, Red." Fatefiend whined, "I don't wanna be here all alone with the wildcat. He's psychotic."
"Then come with me." Redsplash snarled.
"But…" Fatefiend said, looking at the fire and then over his shoulder at the darkness of the night.
"If you leave, otter, I could have the Darkness squirrels track you down." Darkclaw said calmly, "But it would be better for everyone if you just sat back down."
"Squirrels." Redsplash with her usual disrespect for every species and every being other then herself, "I can go places squirrels can't."
"Not with a ferret in tow."
"I don't have to bring him with me."
"You won't leave him behind."
Redsplash hesitated for a second, tense and ready to turn and run. Suddenly she scowled and spat on the sand, "Damn!" she hissed and sent Fatefiend a death glare, which he dodged it by directing his own at Darkclaw.
"Calm down." Darkclaw said mildly, "It's not as if you could have escaped the squirrels anyway."
Redsplash glared, turned on her heel, and stalked off along the shore, not intent on getting away but obviously not able to take any more of Darkclaw's condescending words.
Fatefiend stood up slowly, still glaring at Darkclaw, "You know Darkclaw," he said, his tone as mild and calm as Darkclaw's had been a few seconds ago, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste. I'm glad they didn't waste one on you."
He turned and walked after Redsplash. After he was gone, Darkclaw looked into the bushes behind where Fatefiend had been sitting, "Kael, I heard you show up halfway through Zariel's little visit. I know you're there so you might as well come out."
A black weasel slunk out of the shadows, a dagger in one paw. "You should not hire the squirrels." He said calmly as he sat down across the fire from Darkclaw.
"And why is that?"
"Because my mercenaries are better trained and we can infiltrate the Nameless One's army easier." He replied.
"Kael, I think you are overestimating yourself and underestimating the squirrels. Still, I would take your tribe over the Darkness tribe."
"Why, if not because we are better skilled?"
"Personal preference." Darkclaw said emotionlessly, "Now go."
"And what do I tell my tribe?"
Darkclaw frowned, "You must be assuming I care." He said, "I don't."
Kael laughed and stood up, "If you need help in your little venture, wildcat, you know where you can find us."
"Yes, because you never go away." Darkclaw replied.
Kael laughed again, turned, and moved quickly into the night, disappearing as soon as he left the fire's light. Darkclaw glanced to the left, where Redsplash and Fatefiend had gone, stood up and walked away in the other direction, needing to talk to yet another person before the sun rose.
"Red! Walk slower!" Fatefiend said as he jogged after her, catching up easily but complaining anyway, "You walk too fast."
"You run to slow." Redsplash retorted.
Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "Red, I don't think Darkclaw's gonna start a war."
"And why do you think that?" Redsplash asked, sounding tired and disinterested.
"Because if he was he wouldn't have let us see the squirrel. And there was either a weasel or a ferret behind me the whole time. Darkclaw's a manipulator. He controls everything or nothing. Those beasts wouldn't have gotten anywhere near us if Darkclaw didn't want them to."
"I think you overestimate Darkclaw's brains."
"I think you overestimate yourself and underestimate everyone else." Fatefiend said sharply. "Darkclaw let them get here because he wants you to think that he's planning to start a war."
Redsplash glared at him, "I don't underestimate everyone, and why is it so important what I think?"
"Because out of the two of us you're the one that has to be right." Fatefiend snapped, surprising her by responding to her anger with his own. "Your opinions matters the most because you automatically think you're right and everyone else is wrong. You gonna get us both killed if you keep this up, Red. As far as I know I'm your only friend so I'm gonna be the first to die, and I don't want to die!"
"Coward." Redsplash snapped, "I'm not afraid of death."
Fatefiend stared at her for a minute then growled, literally, and stomped off back towards the fire, grumbling under his breath. All that Redsplash was able to understand was, "…totally missed the point. Stupid otter….kill…drunken…lunatic!"
Darkclaw and Fatefiend reached the fire at about the same time. Fatefiend sent Darkclaw a suspicious look, and Darkclaw returned it with one of complete blankness. About half an hour later Redsplash arrived dripping wet and tossed two fish at Fatefiend. With reflexes neither Redsplash nor Darkclaw knew he had Fatefiend caught them before they could hit his nose and then sniffed them.
"Catch them with your bare paws?" he asked, looking up at her.
"Yes." She replied shortly.
"I'll go wash them." Fatefiend said and Redsplash picked up on the hidden insult almost immediately. She glared after him as he calmly walked away.
"Don't get seasick when you're swimming in it?" Darkclaw asked idly after a while.
Redsplash sent him a death glare and didn't answer. In fact, she didn't talk for the rest of the night. She refused to comment on the fish, which was excellent, reply to the remarks made by both Darkclaw and Fatefiend, and didn't answer when one of them asked if she planned on catching fish for the rest of the time they were near the sea.
She slept near the ocean and far away from them, getting up once to go for a brief swim, before going back to sleep.
"I know this place." Redsplash said, looking around in confusion. It was half a day later, and they were walking through the forest.
"This is were that fox that sold you supposedly caught you. Apparently you were floating in a creek like a dead body."
"Why'd he fish her out if he thought she as dead?" Fatefiend inquired.
Darkclaw glanced at him, "How should I know?" he demanded irritably.
"Well, I figure if any of us should know it would be you." Fatefiend said, grinning, "After all, you do eat dead things you find, don't you?"
Darkclaw shoved him in the creek and Fatefiend came up sputtering. "If you don't stop insulting me we'll find out, now won't we?" Darkclaw growled.
"What's gotten you so angry?" Redsplash said as she grasped Fatefiend by the paw and pulled him out of the water.
Darkclaw scowled, "I've been traveling with you for the past month, why shouldn't I be irritated?"
"Hmm…" Fatefiend said, looking at Redsplash who was kicking at the water in annoyance, "Good point."
"The closer we get to the Nameless One the more it occurs to me…" Redsplash said, smiling sweetly up at Darkclaw, "That we're all crazy!" She added, the sweet smile disappearing to be replaced by a scowl. She stalked off, following the stream to where the Nameless One's castle lay.
"Is it just me…or was that a mood swing?" Fatefiend asked as he and Darkclaw followed.
"Is it just me or do you never shut up?" Darkclaw replied, hurrying to put distance between himself and Fatefiend, but not catch up with Redsplash.
"All right…" Fatefiend said, "They're both crazy." There was a pause and then, "But I'm the one back here talking to myself…"
"So…what exactly are we trying to do here anyway?" Fatefiend asked around two hours as they paused to take a brief break. Redsplash crawled up a tree rather then wade through the creek that had become shallow enough for Fatefiend to walk around in without the water going past his knees, as long as he avoided a very sudden drop off that went down very much father then his height. Redsplash ate an apple as she watched the other two, pausing once or twice to throw a bit of bark at Darkclaw who was sharpening his claws.
"Get my sister, alive or dead, out of this land and back to my home." Darkclaw said, pausing to squint at one claw that was slightly less then razor sharp.
"You don't care if she's dead?" Fatefiend asked as he continued walking around in the creek, pausing every now and then to stare at the ground he was stepping on through the incredibly clear water.
"Why should I?" Darkclaw said, looking up at him blankly.
"You mean we're being dragged around for a rescue attempt, and we don't even care if the beast we're trying to rescue is alive?" Redsplash demanded.
"Yes." Darkclaw responded, extending all of his claws and carefully beginning to dye each of them red.
Redsplash groaned in annoyance and rolled out of the tree, landing cat like on the ground. She stood up, brushing leaves off herself, and walked over to join Fatefiend in the water. "I'm beginning to think being eaten would have been better then this little trek."
"How odd." Fatefiend said, "I'm not."
"That's because you're just…normal." Redsplash said, kicking water at him.
Fatefiend dodged the water, and frowned at her thoughtfully. "If I was normal," he said slowly, "Why would I be your friend?"
Redsplash rolled her eyes at him but didn't answer. Instead she walked over to the side of the stream and started skipping rocks. The fact that they seemed to be aimed at Fatefiend was purely an accident…probably.
"How long will it take us to get to the Nameless One's castle?" Darkclaw asked casually.
Fatefiend paused to look around, another thoughtful frown on his face. "Depends on which way we go." Fatefiend said, glancing at Darkclaw. "If you want me to answer you, you have to give me a real question."
Darkclaw's eyebrows rose, "How many paths could we take?"
"Many." Fatefiend said. "It depends on if we're going to walk straight into the castle, sneak around the back, or take some of the secret tunnels in."
"Secret tunnels?"
"Yes. They're guarded by five or six guards. Each."
Darkclaw snorted, "Just five?"
"Yes." Fatefiend said with a nod, "And most of the five, if they aren't wolves, are badgers of Narlig's clan, and I think even one or two from your brood." Fatefiend shook his head, "My father has gold, Darkclaw. A very large amount."
"And gold is so influential." Came a voice, accompanied by the rustle of leaves and, suddenly, five beasts were standing in the clearing with them, all holding weapons that were all aimed at the three of them. Two of them were wolves, looking almost brainwashed as they stood there with blank expressions on their faces, one of them was a young female badger who bared her fangs at Redsplash who bared her own fangs in reply, and the one that had spoken was a well groomed wildcat who bore features that were slightly similar to Darkclaw's. He smiled at the other wildcat, "Darkclaw. Hello."
"Farraw." Darkclaw growled, "You always were a coward. Signed up with the ferret, did you?" he said, spitting out the word ferret.
"Yes, and am richly paid for it too." The other wildcat said with a feral grin. "And we have to take your two friends back to the Nameless One. There is a handsome reward out for them."
"I'll die first." Redsplash said, standing up and baring her teeth again at the badger.
"I won't." Fatefiend put in, raising his paw.
"Fate!" Redsplash hissed, "Now is not the time to be a coward."
"Now is not the time to start being a hero." Fatefiend snapped back.
"Why you little-"
"Although," Farraw interrupted Redsplash, "I might just walk away and forget ever seeing you."
"And what price would I have to pay for that?" Darkclaw demanded.
"Only a claw." Farraw said, "Left paw, any of them."
Darkclaw's low growl made even Redsplash nervous. "Just try it."
"Nagri, get the otter." Farraw demanded. "And now, Darkclaw, what will you do when you're two little friends are captured?"
"Turn and run." Darkclaw snapped back, backing slowly away. "They're nothing to me. Snacks for the trip, Farraw."
A flicker of doubt entered Farraw's eyes but he turned his attention on Redsplash who was crouched, watching the badger. "Fine then Darkclaw, you'll loose your snacks. And after the Unnamed One is done with them I'll cook what's left."
Suddenly Darkclaw's attention was snapped to the left, and he blinked. He turned his attention back on Farraw and, slowly, grinned very, very broadly, revealing all of his very sharp teeth. "I don't think so, Farraw." He said.
"What?" Farraw said, "You think you can somehow stop me?"
"Me?" Darkclaw said, "No…" he waved his hands at the surrounding trees, "But they can."
And abruptly fifty or so ferrets, weasels, squirrels, stoats, and a few rats appeared out of the trees, with bows all drawn and pointing directly at the five beasts. Apparently Zariel and Kael had molded their forces together and come to Darkclaw's rescue.
Farraw hesitated, suddenly looking like he was trying to decide if he wanted to fight or run. "Darkclaw-" he started, as the other wildcat stood up and began walking towards him. "Darkclaw, you-"
Darkclaw's fist connected solidly with the side of his head, and the wildcat crumpled, unconscious. Without warning the badger let out a roar of fury and charged at Redsplash. Redsplash lunged to the side, rolling into the water. The badger followed and Redsplash kept backing up, grinning broadly. Suddenly she started swimming, almost scraping the ground. Roaring in anger, ignoring the arrows now sticking out of her, the badger lunged. Redsplash was faster though, moving backwards. Suddenly she reached the other bank and frowned, turning around quickly. She scrambled, trying to get out of the creek, and the badger roared louder and leaped…and fell straight into the drop off Redsplash had swam over.
If the badger had known how to swim she could have gotten to the surface and finished Redsplash off, who was now calmly climbing to the shore. When the badger jumped off the ground her muzzle came within a paw's reach of the surface, but she couldn't make. Redsplash watched her struggle futilely to reach the surface, as did all the other creatures in the clearing, including the two wolves that watched everything with blank expressions on their faces, until the badger finally died.
"Nice lungs." Fatefiend said enthusiastically, "I thought she would die long before that."
Redsplash glanced up at him and rolled her eyes. "What're we gonna do about the wolves?" she asked Darkclaw.
"I don't know." Darkclaw said, glancing at them. "I really can't stand the idea of eating a wolf."
"Aw, does it give the likkle baby a ikkle tummy ache?" Fatefiend asked, dodging Darkclaw's paw when it tried to hit him in the back of the head, claws still out.
"Be silent, ferret." He said tiredly. He turned to the wolves, "What pack are you from?" he asked.
Neither answered, staring at him dully as if he were speaking a language neither understood. He frowned. "Kill them." he ordered. Redsplash opened her mouth to object, but the archers had already fired. Two bodies hit the ground, peppered full of arrows. Neat clusters of arrows were on each wolf's eyes, heart, and neck.
Redsplash scowled, swimming over to the other side of the creek, back with Darkclaw, and glaring at him. "Why'd you do that?" she demanded. Those were the only wolves she had ever seen, and she had wanted a better look while they were still alive.
"They were mutes." Darkclaw said, "And stupid. They were probably run out of their pack. Neither of them had the brains to survive on their own, and I don't need them slowing us down. They were probably only in Farraw's little group for show." Darkclaw said darkly.
"So you kill them?" Fatefiend asked.
"Yes." Darkclaw said. "But we won't leave them here to rot."
"We won't?" Fatefiend said doubtfully.
"No." Darkclaw said with a shake of his head. "Wolves and my clan have long had a camaraderie. We will tie them to a log and send them down this creek. It'll run into the Unnamed One's castle, if the stories about the streams are true, and be carried off north. Perhaps they will be found and pulled out."
"Shouldn't we bury them?" Fatefiend inquired as he stared down the bleeding, dead, wolves.
"No." Darkclaw said, "Never give more respect to your enemy then is needed."
Redsplash caught that and, suddenly, spat directly at the wildcat. Darkclaw stared at the spittle on his shoulder and them wiped it off, turning to stare at Redsplash. "Subtle, otter." He said dryly, "Very subtle."
"I thought it was funny." Fatefiend said, laughing softly. "Very funny." He added, in a mockery of Darkclaw's voice.
"You allow these beasts to be so disrespectful?" Kael asked in slight wonder as he and Zayn, the leader of the Darkness Clan, walked hurriedly up.
"Them and them only." Darkclaw said, turning to give Zayn, Zariel's mother, a look that wiped the smirk off her face very quickly. "And I wonder," he said softly, his gaze piercing as it settled on Zayn, "How long you have been following me."
"I'll take responsibility for that." Kael said, stepping forward, bow in hand. "Ijuiline sent me. Aloysius, apparently, is in the middle of a battle and could not send his troops nor could your messenger bird land. I have a message I am to give you, but not in front of the others."
"So you follow me?"
"I wasn't to tell you until the castle was in sight." Kael said.
Redsplash whirled, her eyes searching. She ran up the slope of the bank, shoving aside the undergrowth. When she reached the tip of the slight incline she saw it. The fortress of her enemy. She was back. She had escaped and here she was, back again. "Damn."
"Kael, I need to speak with you. Redsplash, Fatefiend, if you would kindly go away and bicker amongst yourselves…"
"You can't order us to fight." Fatefiend whined, "It won't work."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find something to argue about. We always do." Redsplash said sourly and walked off. Fatefiend sighed and jogged after her, sending an annoyed glance at Darkclaw who smirked in return.
Darkclaw muttered something to Kael and the weasel gestured. Three ferrets slunk away, after Redsplash and Fatefiend.
"So, Fate, how long you think it's gonna be before Darkclaw gets us killed?" Redsplash asked idly while she kicked at a nearby rock.
"Oh, I dunno…couple days at least." The ferret replied, dodging out of the way of the rock.
"Really? I was betting a week. At least." Redsplash said. "Or…it'll take then at least one week to kill me."
Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "Are you kidding? My father's gonna take months to kill you. Me he'll kill in a week or two."
"No, see, I'll let myself die in a week or two."
"Oh. Right." Fatefiend said, snorting. "Like you have control over when you die."
"I do." Redsplash said, a brief frown flickering over her face. For a second, she could have sworn she saw a ferret moving through the forest. A ferret other then Fatefiend, of course.
"Then die. Now." Fatefiend said jokingly.
"I'd rather not, thank you." Redsplash said, rolling her eyes. Abruptly, three ferrets stood and fired their slings. Fatefiend went down, the rock aimed at him thudding solidly right between his skull.
Redsplash staggered, the two rocks bouncing off the side of her face and doing no real damage. The ferret that had taken care of Fatefiend reloaded and whirled the sling, sending the rock flying to land right between her eyes, like he had with Fatefiend. Redsplash fell back, all the air going out of her lungs as she hit the ground, her breath and her consciousness retreating rapidly.
Darkclaw was in the process of worming information out of his cousin when Kael's ferret came trotting up, carefully carrying Redsplash and Fatefiend with them. Darkclaw gestured and the ferret dropped the two unconscious creatures, backing away quickly, eyes wide in shock at the bleeding, murmuring form that had once been the enemy wildcat.
"So, Farraw, you were saying…"
"What…what…I can't remember." The wildcat, his voice a twisted mockery of his previous aloof, arrogant tone that made Darkclaw smirk.
"About the Nameless One. Really, you should remember my questions." Darkclaw said, and quickly, gently, cut the skin right below Farraw's right eye, watching the blood mixing with the sweat and roll down his cousin's face. It occurred to him that he would have figured Farraw to be a crier, but he wasn't. He wasn't crying. Which was good, because that would have made Darkclaw angrier then he was now.
"Oh…him. He-he's hired half of Narlig's clan…and some-some of us. He's got my brothers working for him…and-and-" Farraw struggled to his knees, reaching out towards Darkclaw who quickly moved his arm out of the way. "And he's got Yanli and Ilnay in the dungeons. You've gotta get them out, Darkclaw. P-please…don't leave them there. They're only cubs."
"Yours." Darkclaw snapped, "Not mine."
"Fine." Farraw said and fell back, "Then I refuse to talk."
"Oh, really?" Darkclaw said, pressing his blade against Farraw's remaining ear with just enough pressure to remind him how much it had hurt when the other ear had been sliced off.
Farraw took a breath and let it out, the sound rattling with the blood in his mouth. "F-fine." He hissed, "But my brothers will get their revenge."
"I'll kill them." Darkclaw said easily, "Your children and your wife too if you don't tell him what I want to know."
Farraw closed his eyes, his golden orbs hidden from the world momentarily. "You…cut too deeply, Dark." Farraw said. "I'm bleedin-ing out."
"Tell me what the Nameless One would pay for his son and his escaped otter slave back and I will end your life quickly."
"Everything…" Farraw said, eyes opening briefly and then closing. "He'd pay everything but his life…"
"Ah…that's very helpful." Darkclaw said and raised his dagger, preparing to slit Farraw's neck.
"No." Farraw said weakly. "I'm a bastard, Dark. I don't need t-to be killed by my old fr-friend…"
Darkclaw frowned, considered killing him anyway, but then stood up. "I will save one of your twins, Farraw. If the other one is easy to save, I will end that one's imprisonment too. I don't need a war between our families."
"W-watch the otter…'ark…sh-she and the f-ferret's son aren't as weak as they seem…and…and don't…"
Darkclaw listened to Farraw take one more breath and knew it would be the wildcat's last. Darkclaw turned and walked away, stopping long enough to grab one of Kael's stoats, lift the thing off the ground, and hiss, "Bury that." He threw the stoat towards his dead cousin and went to talk to Zariel about getting Redsplash and Fatefiend carried to the castle before dawn, and after that, he would see what Kael's little message from Aloysius said. Of course, he'd have to kill Aloysius for failing to come to his aid, but that could all wait.
A memory from his childhood popped into his head. He and Farraw used to be best friends, but then Farraw's family had fallen into disfavor and Darkclaw wasn't allowed near the other wildcat. The request that Farraw had made, a claw from Darkclaw's left paw, would have brought him and his entire family back into favor, and the favored families tended to get more sympathy when their cubs were in dungeons. It was annoying to see what his once-friend had been reduced too, but not incredibly upsetting. Farraw was dead now, and the wildcat would never know that Darkclaw would never carry out his promise. Yanli and Ilnay would rot in the Nameless One's dungeons until they broke out or were set free, Darkclaw had only wanted to make Farraw die easily, and in that, at least, he had succeeded.