-Chapter Three-
The Prowler of Paisley Village.
(The Fox, the Flute & the Rats. Part One)
They had arrived in a quite little sector of Mobius, up in the northern hemisphere (north-west of Mercia). There were many small villages all over the planet, a lot of which weren't under Dr. Robotnik's control. Up here was one of them. Nestled between the dark grey mountains, deep within the forest was Paisley Village, a town far away from the rest of the world. The fact that there were large mountains on all sides made the town seem like it was in the middle of a large basin. The cliffs nearby the village looked far down on northern sea below, a long drop for anyone to fall.
Nic' had to land the Bounty One about half a mile away from the village since it was the only flat place she could find. They walked to the village they had seen while landing the ship. Fiona couldn't help but think of her old Home when she walked through the town, despite hers being a lot poorer then this one. The last time she saw her village was when she returned soon after she escaped from the concentration camp, only to find it deserted. This village however, was far from deserted. Generations of families have grown up here, living in the same house for a lifetime, growing up with the same families and friends. It's what Fiona never had, the kind of life she didn't think she could ever have...
The village was very old, and its look reflected it. The houses were made of stone, as was the pebbled pavement. It was actually a larger village than they had realized, as all the houses were packed in closely together. Everything looked the same, the homes, the markets; it made it hard to find what they were looking for. As the fox and weasel walked down the main street they noticed that the villagers gave them stern looks. Obviously they knew that the two girls were from out of town, but the fact that they were getting the cold shoulder really made them feel uncomfortable.
"Gee the reception here is a bit cold. What's with all the nasty looks?" Fiona asked as she tried avoiding eye contact with the locals.
"Never mind them" said Nic', taking off her hat and scratching her head, "they just ain't used to getting visitors, living in this waste bucket. We just gotta find our client, and hope he's got the kinda money he says he does. According to Boss, he practically asked for us by name. Guess that's how word of mouth advertising works" she said proudly.
"This place isn't so bad. Maybe one day when you grow old and have kids you'll come and live here" she joked.
"A place like this would just bring me down to your level. But if you like it so much I can dump ya here after I've finished, and you can live happily ever after."
"I was just joking. This kind of place isn't where I belong."
"Well when you do figure out where you do belong, let me know and I'll drop you off there."
As they walked under a bridge that arches over towards the second floor homes, they arrived in the town square. For some reason it wasn't very busy, and the few people that were out looked like they were in a bit of a rush to get what they needed and get back inside. Nic' noticed some people running indoors. "Sheesh, jumpy aren't they?"
They stood looking around. All the kiosks were shut down, and it was starting to rain. Fiona hated the smell of her fur when it got wet, as it stunk for days. As they looked around for somebody to ask for directions, she saw a young duck girl zip past her and grabbed the girl before she could pass. "Hey Nic' what's the name of this guy we're looking for?"
"It's, ummm" she got out the piece of paper that had his name on it. "Emmerich... I think." Her confidence wasn't very reassuring that Nic' knew what she was doing. Fiona looked at the fox girl, letting go of her arm and kindly asked,
"Do you know where we can find a guy called Emmerich?"
"P-p-please don't hurt me Ms, please!"
"I'm not, I just wanted to kn"-
"Help me please! Somebody help me!" she screamed out, calling more attention to them.
"Zip your mouth kid, before I do it for you" ordered Nic', shutting the girls beak with her hands.
"Nic', she's just a kid. Let her go." For once she listened to her, and let go of the kid. The girl ran off terrified.
"Well that went well." said Nic'.
"Can I help you?" came a voice from behind them. He was a lion who looked like he was in his late forties. He was rather skinny, and wore a blue cloak over himself.
"Uhh. We need help looking for a guy called Emmerich" she said.
"Emmerich eh? What business do you have with him may I ask?"
"Business of our own gramps. I don't pry into your personal life, so just show us the way and stop being so nosey." Nic' rudely suggested.
"Ahh, you're the ones he sent for. I apologize for being inquisitive." He said, rather offended by the weasel. "Very well, take the street over that way and keep going to the end until you get to the border wall of the village. And then turn right and it's the second house on the left."
"Oh. Well thank you Mr...."
"Warrick."
They followed his directions as best as they could, and eventually arrived at the door of the house. It had a sign plate next to it that read "Emerich, Josephine and Alicia's home". Next to Alicia's name was a space that looked like it used to have a name that was scratched off. Fiona wondered if a family member had passed away.
"Looks like this is it" said Fiona.
"It's nice to know you're as obvious as ever Fi'."
After they knocked, and waited a minute in the rain, standing shivering in the cold. A young girl peered out between the crack in the door, they could hear somebody in the background ask "Who is it Alicia dear?"
"I dunno they look like strangers" she answered.
"Who's she calling strange?" Nic' thought to herself.
The girl disappeared from the gap in the door and seconds later a large male cat pulls the door open and says "Well, you must be the Bounty Hunters I sent for, Nic' and Fiona right?" They nodded. "Well, come on in quickly before you get wet!" he said in a loud booming voice.
"Bit late for that" Fiona thought to herself.
Inside was a very small room. The main door opened straight into what served as a lounge and kitchen. There was a stove at one side of the room, just near the stairs that went up to the second floor. It was very cozy, and warm. They obviously weren't rich, which led Nic' to believe that he didn't have the kind of money he said he did in the call sheet. The cat handed them each towels and they went and stood near the fireplace.
"Sorry about Alicia" said the cat, "she's not used to seeing strangers in town. Oh, where are my manners. I'm Emmerich, the one who sent for you two. This here is my wife Josephine" he signaled to the female cat that looked to be off in her own world, knitting on the rocking chair; she gave them no notice. Emmerich was in his forties, had a strong look about him and had dark blue fur. His wife Josephine however looked to be rather frail, and she seemed to be squinting real hard even with her glasses on. She never gave them a single glance.
"And of course, you already met our only daughter, Alicia", the cat was sitting on the stairs looking at them in a strange manner. She looked to be about eight years old, and her fur was a pale brown color. She wore a light green dress and had a necklace around her with a silver chain, but was tucked under her collar so Fiona couldn't tell what it was.
"Alicia, go up to your room, I have important things to discuss with these nice ladies." She turned and walked up the small staircase, her tail drooping behind her from under her dress.
"Would you girls like some tea? Perhaps some toast with jam?"
"No tha"-
"No toast or tea, but if you've got any rum, then lay it on me." Nic' said, rudely interrupting Fiona.
"Sorry, I'm afraid we don't. If you'd like, I can go out and get some for you."
"Nah, skip it. I'd rather just get this over with. Let's just get down to business shall we? From what I read in the call sheet, you've got some kinda Prowler lurking about the streets at night. And you needed us specifically to take care of this, care to tell me why?"
"Well, I'd heard that you were some of the best Bounty Hunters for hire" he said while sipping his coffee. "I was surprised you'd answer my call, I'd thought you would have overlooked such an odd request."
"Well, it wasn't so much as the job that caught my attention" she smirked, baring her fang, "It was the price tag that caught my eye. Y'know, I'm starting to think you don't have the kinda money you'd said you had. Ya don't seem rich to me."
"We're not. But this Prowler, lately he's been going around kidnapping children at night, more frequently. The whole town has banded together and has gathered the money I said I'd give you, if you capture the prowler that is and find the whereabouts of the missing children. I understand you don't kill, that's why I hired you girls. We want him brought in alive so we can properly apprehend him and deal him his sentence.
"Yeah, thanks to miss sunshine's NO-KILL policy." she pointed to Fiona, her fur still looking a bit wet, and starting to smell. "Though, if the whole town is paying for this gig, why the cold reception outside. It didn't look like a Happy-to-see-you kinda situation."
"The town is a bit restless at the moment, it's.... it's just something we'd like to see come to pass. We don't want to lose any more children, and I couldn't bare it to lose Alicia."
"You still haven't told me why you couldn't take care of this yourselves? The whole town could easily take care of this without forking out so much dough. Something you're not telling me?"
"I thought Bounty Hunters didn't ask any questions?" he said.
"Well, I'm askin' one now!"
"Nic' please, calm down" Fiona pleaded. "We'll take the job Mr. Emmerich." She said, taking charge. Nic' usually took care of the business side of things.
"I'm pleased to hear it. Well at any rate, he never comes out while the sun is up, so feel free to stay here for the rest of the day if you'd like."
"You can help me knit if you girls would like" said Josephine out of the blue, surprising Fiona and Nic'.
"That's just swell" Nic' bellowed.
.............................................................
There wasn't much else to do. Nic' had gone down to the pub for a few drinks. Fiona decided to go up stairs and talk to Alicia, since there was nothing else to do. Up on the second floor there were only three doors, all leading into bedrooms. One was shut; the other looked like a master bedroom. There were pictures hanging on the wall, many of them were ripped in certain parts, it looked like somebody had cut out somebody from them, maybe the same person who's name was scratched off the plate at the front door.. Fiona walked to the end of the small hall, looked through the door and saw the small girl, playing with her doll house. Fiona stepped through the door, the girl paying no attention to her. She noticed the girl was talking quietly to herself.
"Is she the one, Kit'?" she said as she was holding a fox doll.
"Yes, at last." she had changed her voice to a slightly lower tone. "It looks like the end will be upon us soon. Tomorrow I will leave you. You'll be alright though, I promised I'd never hurt you."
"No" she now said in a louder more desperate voice, throwing her doll to the ground. "Please don't hurt them! It's not their fault. My daddy, he's the"-
"Hey! Are you okay?" Fiona asked. The girl turned around looking startled. She looked like she had been sweating, and her eyes seemed a bit faint. She took a few deep breaths, and stood up and apologized.
"I'm... I'm sorry; I was just playing with my dolls. I didn't know you were standing there."
She was a lot more receptive than she was before. Fiona was still a bit confused. "Was she role-playing with her dolls, or talking to herself?" the fox wondered. Either way, the girl continued,
"Do you wanna play with me Ms...?"
"Just Fiona." She said smiling.
"Alicia" the young cat said, bowing her head, before pulling Fiona over to the corner where the doll house was. They sat down and had an imaginary tea party with the dolls. Fiona remembered playing with dolls and having invisible tea parties as a kid. Part of her missed it; she was forced to grow up too fast. Part of her still felt like that nine year old girl who was plucked from her village and locked away for two years. But most of all she wondered if there was more than just herself and Alicia present...
......................................................
Day was now night, The rain had halted about an hour ago, the dark blue sky was still a bit cloudy, and the moon was barely visible. Fiona and Nic' had left the small house hours ago, and were just scoping the place out looking for anything suspicious. Though in a small town like this, everything would seem suspicious out at night, even themselves! It was freezing cold, and Fiona wished she'd brought a jacket. A lot of the town was asleep, with a scant few still up, as you could tell from the light that slips between the gaps of curtains. The mountains beyond the forest could be seen from the town, the night time making them seem cold and lonely. They were large and jagged, not like the mountains of the jungle that Fiona's used to.
It was deafeningly quite out here, so quite in fact that Fiona and Nic's footsteps seemed to reverberate for miles on.
"Where do you think we should start looking first Nic'?" asked Fiona.
"We'll get up onto the rooftops, and scope things out. If anything happens we'll have a better chance of seeing it from above." They looked around for a good spot to get up onto the roofs. The roofs of the town were all close together, making it perfect to scale the town.
Fiona found a stairway that went up to a small lookout that was about three stories high. The two of them, climbed up the spiral staircase, making it to the top. As it was, this lookout was a bell tower, not only used to tell the time at certain intervals of the day, but for important occasions such as weddings. It had an open door balcony so that the two of them could hop up on the railing, and jump over onto the tiled rooftop. They could see all the way to the other side of town now. It was pretty big for a small community, and there were plenty of narrow alley ways and unevenly placed buildings for them to cover. They spent about forty minutes walking around, and still hadn't found anything. It was beginning to seem like they might have to wait up all night, if this Prowler would show up at all. Nic' never liked to be kept waiting, but the thought of the bounty kept her on her toes.
The two of them were now shivering, Nic' had a sneeze, here and there. Fiona almost slipped off the roof onto one of the tiles, its surface still wet and slippery from the rain. They sat against a chimney, discussing earlier events.
"Y'know, this whole thing stinks. Why would the whole village chip in to have us take care of a kidnapper that could easily be overpowered in sheer numbers?"
"I really don't know" Fiona said feeling bored. "You should've seen the kid though. I walked into her room and it looked as though she was talking to herself. She said something about somebody leaving and not to hurt someone... didn't really make any sense."
"Figured as much, the whole town's crazy. The mothers obviously not all there, so it's probably genetic. They just better have the money once we're through here or I'll be taking it out of their lives."
"Nic', no matter what you can't kill anybody. We had a deal right?" she said, not knowing she murdered some soldiers back in Heliopolis.
"Like you wouldn't. If it was your life or their lives you'd pick your own survival over theirs right?"
"No, I'd do the same that you did for me back at Heliopolis. And money isn't a matter of life or death."
"It is for me. And who said I was ready to die for you back in Heliopolis? I just knew that Trevor would make it there when he did. Don't think I wouldn't turn tail and ditch you. That was one of our agreements; you wouldn't get in my way or slow me down."
Fiona went to say something, but while arguing the two didn't realize until now that there was music playing somewhere. It was an eerie tune that carried through out the air. It sounded like somebody was whistling it, or some kind of pipe instrument. It had a mesmerizing tune.
"Where's that coming from?" Nic' wondered, still shivering from the cold.
"Sounds like it's coming from all directions, I can't tell where."
They scurried over rooftops, jumping from one to the next one, hoping to find the source of this mysterious tune. When they got to the town square they noticed a door opening from one of the homes, and a figure stepped out.
"Wait a sec" said Nic', "look down there."
It appeared to be a small child, but the moon had gone behind the darkest of clouds, making it hard to see that well. It looked like the duck girl Fiona had met earlier. The kid was still in her pajamas and seemed to be walking strangely, like she was still in a dream. They followed the kid as she walked slowly around the town, not sure if she was going anywhere or if it was a case of sleep walking.
The music was still playing, Fiona and Nic' had gotten so used to the tune that they could tell what the next verse would be. They followed awhile more, still not sure where the kid was going, and still not knowing where the music was coming from. The music always stayed at the same decibel level, no matter where they were.
Then after awhile, the music suddenly stopped. At the same time, the small child parked herself in a small alleyway. The alley had barrels stacked up along the side, and there were no windows looking out into it, making it a safe hiding place, if one wished to hide that is.
Fiona and Nic' looked on in interest; peering over the side of the roof, expecting the kid to do something. Instead, somebody else came out of the shadows. Somebody, roughly the same height, wearing what appeared to be a black trench coat that was a bit big for him (you have to remember, the moon wasn't shining too brightly and the town had no lights on at night).
The stranger in the trench coat spoke,
"Hello. You must be April." He spoke with a low, yet very soft-sounding voice. April the duck, whom Fiona and Nic' had thought was sleepwalking, replied to the stranger.
"You've been calling me, out into the night. Are you going to kill me?" she said in a lifeless voice, not at all like her high-pitched screaming earlier in the day.
"Kill...? No, I am not death. I am just here to take you away. You are a child of Paisley village, you are very important. All children are."
"But, where will you take me? Won't my parents worry?"
"You no longer need your parents, and they no do not need you anymore. I need you April, you can come with me and you'll never be sad. We'll have fun, but you have to trust me."
"Trust you? But I'm scared. I'm not sure if I should."
"You don't have to be scared." The stranger lifted its arms and put his small fingers gently around the girls head. She seemed scared at first, but then she started giggling.
"Will it always feel this good?" the duck asked in a happier voice.
"As long as you believe in me, April. You'll never have to worry again. I am glad we could finally meet, after knowing you for so long."
"Huh, b-but we've never met"
"No, but I've known you for a long time now. It appears you will be the last, but they will not be able to save you, those guardian angels!"
At that moment the figure looked up, right at Fiona and Nic', who were peering over the rooftop. It gave Fiona a fright, they had been caught out. She still couldn't see the strangers face, nor did she realize until just now that this person was the Prowler that has been killing children. The mysterious stranger put his hand down the front of his chest, pulling out a flute that was tied to the chain around his neck. It sounded similar to the tune they had heard just moments ago, but this one was more aggressive sounding. It carried out, all over the town, and into the mountains. Fiona hopped down from the roof, landing on barrels as she descended making a rough landing on her feet, but she was okay. She grabbed April by the arm; the girl turned and looked at her. She seemed frightened as if she had been woken up.
"Are you okay" asked Fiona. The girl was in a state of shock. She looked over at the Prowler and said "And who are you!? What have you done with all the children?!"
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough Fiona." she was taken back by what he had just said. Somehow, he knew her name. "But first, you better look behind you, as you've got company. If your friend had any decency she would keep an eye on April while you come chasing after me... not that she will. Just don't say I didn't warn you."
"What are you talking about!" shouted Fiona.
You'll see. But first, you better look behind you, as you have got company."
Fiona had no idea what he was talking about. From above Nic' fired off a net, aimed at the Prowler in the shadows. He jumped up from the alley two stories high, onto the opposite rooftop, seemingly defying the laws of gravity in the process. Nic' had a look of awe on her face, "How did he do that" she wondered.
"There." The stranger pointed towards the opening of the alley. Fiona turned around to see what it was. There were a lot of strange noises, getting closer each second. They were squeaking noises, loud vicious sounds. From around the corner outside the alley came a large horde of rats. But there was something strange about these rats. Their eyes for one thing, glowed red. And they seemed a bit large, larger than normal for the average rat size. They swarmed all around Fiona and April (who was now wide awake and aware of what was happening).
"Wh-what's happening, where d-did they all come from?" Fiona said, feeling a bit desperate.
April was clinging closely to Fiona, as they were both surrounded against the wall. The music still playing louder than ever as the Prowler played its flute from above. Fiona thought herself done for, but Nic' had thrown down a line for the tow girls to grab onto. She had tied it up to a chimney, since she wouldn't be able to lift them herself. April went up first, with Fiona scurrying up behind her.
"OOOWWW!!!" Fiona shouted out as one of the oversized rats bit onto the end of her tail. The pain from her tail, coupled with her arm which was still a bit numb from being involved in a fight at St. Alamo's earlier. She lost her grip from the rope and fell. It was lucky she was near the top as Nic' had grabbed a hold of her arm just as she had lost it, and pulled her up. Fiona kicked the rat back down to the ground. Her tail was bleeding badly. The Prowler had dashed off when Fiona had reached the top.
"You okay Fiona?" she helped her up. "Maybe we better get you back, that cut looks pretty bad.
"Which way did he go!?" she demanded, huffing and puffing.
"Umm, over that way" Nic' pointed eastwards.
"Y-you look aft-ter the kid, I'll c-catch him!" she said sounding rather woozy after taking a large bite into her tail.
"Hey! Waitaminute!"
Fiona did not listen to Nic', she went in chase of the Prowler. The rats were hungry and waiting down below, yet the fox leaped over the rooftops, her tail now soaked in blood, yet she was determined to capture the guy. The music was still playing, but she had a hard time noticing with the blood loss making it hard to think. It was on top of the bell tower that the stranger stood looking ominous, looking down at where Fiona stood. The prowler played a different tune, this one just as aggressive as the last one. Fiona went to jump over to the balcony which opened out from the bell tower, but she was feeling dizzier now and as she jumped, her foot slipped on the railing and she plummeted down. Her body made a strong impact against the ground. As she was blacking out the rats come out of nowhere, gathering all around her; making a circle. She passed out, leaving this reality behind.
Had she been awake, she would have seen the stranger stop playing the flute and jump down from the bell tower, landing as light as a feather. The rats backed away, and the Prowler moved towards Fiona's lifeless body. The figure leant over; covering Fiona's tail wound with a piece of clothing it had ripped off itself, to stop the bleeding. The Prowler had a tail of its own; the same sad drooping tail Fiona had seen earlier. Alicia who was decked out in the trench coat gave Fiona a kiss on the cheek and said in her low voice,
"So you really are the one that will give me life again. I have been waiting to meet you my whole life Fiona, and even beyond that...." she smiled.
......................................................
She lifted her eye-lids, looking up at a ceiling. It was not very familiar sight, and she couldn't remember where she was. She felt pain, all over. She slowly leant forward, still in bed, and peered out from behind a curtain. It was daylight, and she was in some kind of village. It seemed familiar, like out of a dream. The houses seemed just like the ones in her dreams, but it wasn't a dream. She had hurt her head pretty badly and the wound had made it hard to remember things as they were. It slowly came back to her. The music, the girl, the stranger and the rats. She had slipped, and lost consciousness just as the overlarge rats were about to kill her. Why then, was she still alive? Had Nic' rescued her? Whatever happened, she wasn't going to find out just sitting around. She had forced her way out of bed, still a bit sore. It was the same house she and her partner Nic' had arrived in, where she met the cat family. She walked around the place, wondering where everyone was, how long she had been unconscious. Looking in a mirror, she saw that she had white bandages wrapped around her head, and tail. She wandered around for a bit, eating whatever food she could find. She went back upstairs to see if anyone was here, but found it to be empty. While in Alicia's room, she couldn't help but notice that the same green dress she had been wearing when she saw her last had a big tear in it.
As she was in the hallway going back downstairs she heard a noise coming from inside the room that was previously closed off when Fiona had passed by yesterday. She peeked through the hole to see that somebody was inside sobbing. She wondered if it was Alicia, but when she pushed the door open a bit more, she saw the frail figure of Josephine holding a picture of somebody. The room looked like a child's room. The sheets were all brightly colored, and there were toys collected up in a toy box near the bed. There was no doubt that she was crying, and Fiona had guessed that somebody had died, maybe one of her children. She wondered if she should go in and comfort her, but didn't know what to say.
There was a small bang, as somebody had entered the front door downstairs. It gave Fiona a fright and she accidentally bumped into the door. The hinges made a squeaking noise as it pushed open, Josephine realizing somebody was there, turned around; but found nobody there. She dropped her head down again and said,
"I thought that was you, Rose. You always liked sneaking up on people didn't you...?"
Fiona ran down to find Emmerich and a pale looking Alicia all back home.
"Oh you're up! "Why don't you sit down here, you must still be in a lot of pain."
She complied and sat down on the couch. "You're friend told us all about your encounter last night, the part about the musical flutes seemed rather perplexing I must say. And giant rats no less. I've heard no stories about giant rats and magical flutes 'round these parts. Sounds like a fairy tale if you ask me."
"Well it's true!' she shouted out, rather profoundly. "There.... There was a girl. Did Nic' tell you? A girl... her name was April, is she alright?"
"I'm sure she is" he assured. "You'd best be worrying about yourself, especially if you want a good chance at capturing this Prowler."
Fiona hadn't even thought of attempting to capture him again. They'd have to come up with some sort of plan, but she'd need Nic's help. "Nic', where is she?"
"Oh she went out; I think she went back to her ship for something."
As Fiona ran off, Alicia followed closely behind her.
.................................................................
It was warmer outside, than it was at the cats' place. Fiona walked through the village, still getting strange looks from the locals. She was going to go catch up with Nic' at the ship to discuss the previous night. But it was Nic' who found her first, just on the outskirts of the town; she was carrying a large bag that hung around her neck and dropped to the opposite side of her waist.
"Geez, your up." said Nic'. "This going to be a habit now? Me pulling your fat outta the fryer, and you sleepin' all day?"
"What went on last night? It felt like some kind of dream." She asked, rubbing her forehead.
"The music, the rats, sleepwalking girl... Nope! Not a dream. That scar on yer tail there is solid proof of that Fi'. Though I'm more curious to know what happened after you chased the Prowler?"
"I.... I think he got me. I fell down, from the rooftop. Those horrible, I guess they were rats; surrounded me and then... I can't remember what happened afterwards."
They were both silent for a minute, deep in thought as they walked back towards Paisley Village. Nic' struggled to carry the heavy bag, but didn't want to ask Fiona to carry it, not because she was sympathetic for her, but because she didn't want to think she needed her help.
"It just doesn't add up" said Nic', breaking the silence. "When I found you unconscious on the ground just seconds afterwards, your tail was bandaged up in a kinda green material. Was there anybody else around before you nodded off?"
"Not that I recall" she answered. "Hey! What about that girl April? I mean, she's alright isn't she? We should go see her, find out if she"-
"I'm afraid, that she's disappeared"
"She disappeared? When was this?"
"Well... I followed after you, when you went off after that weirdo flute player" she said, keeping her eyes on the ground and away from Fiona. "Then afterwards when I went back to where the kid was, she wasn't there."
Fiona knew very knew very well that she meant to say that the girl had been left alone by herself. "You left her all alone!? What were you thinking!?!?" she said rather upset at her.
"Hey, first of all; I'm not a stinkin' babysitter! Capturing the Prowler is our mission here, not saving silly little children walking into dark alleys at night time. Secondly: I was coming to back you up, since you went off bleeding half to death. I didn't think that you'd be able to take him or it, or whatever it was on your own. Looks like I was right." The two of them were now rather ticked off with each other, that as they walked through the streets, everybody could hear what they were saying.
"Oh, so you think that this kid went missing because of me do you!?!?"
"No, I'm saying that you've forgotten who the brains of this operation truly is, ME!!! Don't EVER tell me what to do, we may be partners but I'm the one in charge." She snarled at Fiona, her fang looking like it might want to take a bite out of her. "Y'know what, just go back to the Bounty One and wait this one out. You're too much of a liability to me right now; I'll take care of this one myself. And in future I suggest you think twice about telling me what to do. I trained you to be a bounty hunter myself, but I guess you'll never be as good as me. From now on I'll handle missions alone, just the way I like it"
She stood there silent as Nic' walked off carrying her baggage, she had lost that fight, because she knew that Nic' was right, even though it didn't make up for the fact that she had left the girl alone. She had gotten ahead of herself, wanting to capture the Prowler, and had been punished for it. She felt rather miserable now, but wasn't the kind to sulk. Villagers had overheard the argument, and this time they had a good reason to stare at her intently other than because they were from out of town. She felt embarrassed and walked off to find a quite area of town to be alone at. She found her way to another alley that had some small steps coming out the back of somebody's place. She didn't really care, since this area wasn't very busy. She sat down and recent events played over in her head like a tape recorder. She never really liked to think about all her adventures with Nic', since they seemed to jolt from one to another. It had become her life, and if she stopped to think about it every time, then she might regret her life.
She remembered dressing up as a hand maiden in the Heliopolan desert barely more than three days ago. She had poisoned the Basenji soldier's drinks and they had all nodded off, leaving the resting place of Osiris open to thieves. The memory of being almost strangled to death by Brutus, or the bar fight with Leonid who didn't understand the word "no". Having her tail bitten by a rat really put things into perspective for her.
If she kept on this self-destructive path there'd be nothing left of her. She had pretty much given up hope of finding her parents, because even if she did she couldn't forget all the pain she had endured. There was no other life for her. It was Nic' who brought her into this world of cat and mouse, the life of a bounty hunter. It was hard to imagine what life could have been otherwise.
Nonetheless, she had lost a fight with Nic', and really felt the need to prove her worth right now. But she couldn't think of what to do. Should she go around asking about the girl who disappeared? Her parents must be worried, mustn't they? And what off the rats, they couldn't have just come from nowhere. The Prowler with the strange voice, had she heard it before? "Hey" she thought. "Back at the cats' home... that girl was talking like..."
She lost her train of thought as the girl in question appeared before her.
"Uhh, hello Ms. Fiona. You probably want to be alone, but I... it's just."
"No, please. Why don't you sit here with me, I could use some friendly company." The young girl obliged, sitting down on the stone step next to her. She now had on a light-pink dress, with a red cardigan over top. Her feet pointed towards one another the way she sat, with her hands firmly tucked between her knees.
"Well, it's just that. I overheard your conversation, about stuff that you and that weasel lady did last night." She said, all the while gawking at her fingernails, paying no attention to Fiona. "And it's just that, this has happened before. A long time ago, before I was born. Nobody likes to talk about it, but my... Friends tell me stories of long long ago, when this village was young. That the Prowler existed even back then, killing girls."
"But, I thought.... We (and by "we" she meant Nic' and herself) were never told that. But if what you say is true, then it can't be the same person. This village has been around for hundreds of years."
"Yeah I know. Daddy doesn't like to talk about it, but the Prowler; he uses some kind of magic. He especially hates people from out of town, or so I'm told. My sister Rose... she was killed by the Prowler when she was my age. I never got to meet her as I was only a baby then, but my mommy hasn't been the same since."
"I'm sorry to hear that Alicia. It must be hard on you."
"Not really. She's still with us, in spirit... I just wish mommy will get better again."
"I hope so too" she said, planting her hand on Alicia's head, stroking her hair.
"Ms. Fiona, I don't want to see you get hurt again. If he captures you you'll die, he hates people from out of town. Please I'm begging you, just leave here! It's for your own good and the weasel lady's too. It's something only the people of this village can fix, not you."
Alicia had a scared look on her face, like it was her own life at risk here. Fiona had taken in only about half of what she said. Though she understood what was going on, and assured her that it'd be alright,
"You did a good thing coming to me" she patted her on the shoulder. "But you don't have to worry about me. I've survived worse than this." she assured the girl.
"No! You don't get it!!!" she was becoming more aggressive now, standing up and looking straight into Fiona's face. "You were brought here for a reason. It's because you're a..."
"Is everything alright here?" An adult lion walked out from around the corner, staring wildly at the two of them, probably over-hearing most of the conversation, which made Alicia clam up. He was the same lion Fiona and Nic' had met yesterday, getting directions off him. "Alicia, I think your mother was looking for you." The distraught girl ran off past the lion, who left right behind her, leaving Fiona alone to question what just happened.
"No, it can't be." She thought to herself. "But if she is, then I wonder if everybody knows? Problem is I can't work out what's the truth and what's false. It's all mixed in there together. Perhaps I should tell Nic'... she could be in danger at the cat family's home... Nah, she can take care of herself, and I'd show her a thing or two solving this case. I've got my lead, guess it's time for me to get to work.
.........................................................
Tonight was a lot clearer than last, thanks to some easterly winds blowing away the clouds. The town was once again silent as it was midnight, leaving it open for the players to set up their pieces.
Fiona the Fox was perched up on a rooftop, across from the cat family's home, hidden behind a chimney. She was dressed in black stealth gear, with a face mask on concealing all but her eyes, equipped with night-vision goggles hanging around her neck and a bow 'n' arrow tied around her back.
Alicia was in her bedroom, changing into a black trench coat she had worn the night before, checking she had her musical instrument. She hummed a tune as she geared up.
Nic' the Weasel was just leaving the cat families home, with the large bag she was carrying earlier.
Fiona saw both of them leaving. Nic' exited the house heading off in one direction, Alicia, leaving through her window, jumping over rooftops, in a familiar garb, the same clothing Fiona saw the Prowler wearing the night before. Fiona chased closely behind her, yet out of sight, hoping she would take her back to her lair...
Authors Notes:
Well wasn't that weird? But the journey just gets stranger from here on out, so maybe I better clear some things up first.
When I started writing this chapter, I realized that it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long, so I decided I had to split it up into three chapters. Hence why under the chapter title I wrote "The Fox, the Flute and the Rats. Part One." There will be three parts, and I've already finished chapter five I just have to go through the tedious task of editing it. After Part 3(chapter six) there will be the final two chapters left that deal with a fallout between Nic' and Fiona, and the culmination of the search for her parents.
I was also influenced by several things for writing this three-parter, which I will get into once I've finished the whole story. As for the next chapter, Fiona meets a relative from the past, and Nic' and Fiona duke it out... but it's not what you think. By the way the next story is a bit complex so it might awhile before it's up, as I don't want any continuity errors. Not to mention that the next installment is an exposition nightmare... well you'll see.
Keep an eye out for it and let me know if you liked this chapter, hated it, think I should burn in Hell for such lameness, etc. :)