((Ok, ok, I know. I took forever. I went on vacation. Long, nice, draining, chaotic, vacation. It was lovely, and it was hell. Eh, you know how it goes. I might be leaving again late this month. I'll try and get at least one more chapter up before then.
So, let's see, I added more flesh to Fallen's character skeleton, did the same to all the generals, and killed off a character. This chapter's rather productive, and I wrote half of it before I left and half of it after I got home, so it feels a bit weird sometimes. I really should work on my death scenes, there's going to be a lot more and they just get worse as I go along. I also didn't edit this much so beware.))
The sunrise was brutal. Fallen watched it from the top of a mountain, his green eyes taking the beginning of the day in quietly, calmly. It looked almost as if he were the reason the sun were rising. Almost as if the otter was calling it forth. He stood nearly as still as the mountain he had climbed early this morning, his eyes narrowing slightly against the burst of light. Long days had passed since he had spoken with the hawk. Long, bitter days. Fallen shook his head, turning away from the sunrise. Let the sun rise on its own today.
He had been forced to make a difficult decision. A full season ago he had let the otter, Redsplash, go free. Now, he knew that it had been a mistake. The only reason he had allowed her to live was the hope he felt that she might still be Brighteye, just hiding under another name. No…now he knew it wasn't true. Gone to kill a badger lord? And why? Because a ferret had been killed. Oh, he remembered the ferret. Remembered the bastard well. Son of a warlord; son of a coward. Fallen snorted, shaking his head.
Redsplash had gone mad. No otter in their right mind challenged a badger. He should have expected it, though. After all, what otter in their right mind befriended a ferret and traveled freely in the presence of a Warheart prince? Still, he did not understand. Once, she had not appeared to be insane. Perhaps it was the ferret that had kept her sane, though how that made sense Fallen didn't know. This entire situation was far too confusing.
It had taken him days to come to a decision. It was a decision he regretted, but regret was to be expected. He was, after all, planning on murdering another beast. Only fools and maniacs did not regret the loss of life. Still, it would be far better for Redsplash to die than for the badger lord to be slaughtered. If Salamandastron fell, then the entire continent would not manage much better. No. The badger had to survive, and Redsplash had to die. It was simple, really, but it was the simple things that always hurt the most.
There was a slight problem with this whole matter of killing Redsplash…the simple problem being half a continent and a rather large river known for its volatile rapids dividing the otter from his prey. Of course. It would be a terrible tragedy for him to save lives, wouldn't it? Fate had to place as many obstacles in his path as possible. Days like this almost made his whole life seem worthless.
Fallen snorted at his own cheerless thoughts and quickened his pace, practically throwing himself down the steep hill. He knew that he would not fall. He hadn't lived through as many battles and suicidal jaunts as he had without knowing his limits. Still, he was pushing himself. Even he had limits, and he knew them well. It wasn't like he had time to take care of himself anymore, though. With the entire world in danger, who was he to attempt to keep himself healthy?
He knew why he was thinking this way. It was an easy enough answer to a very complex question. Oh, yes, he knew very well he did not want to kill Redsplash. Knew it better than he knew his own name, which he had not used in seasons. He didn't want to kill anyone, but he really did not want to kill Redsplash. A season ago, he had not been able to do it. Now, he knew he had to. It did not rest easy on his mind, though, and his mind made sure he knew it.
…
Rekth sagged into his chair and sighed heavily, leaning his head back. Marching was hell. Today one of Kani's rats had started a brawl that had enveloped even Devman's normally perfect soldiers at the noon mealtime. Only Aysini's army had refused to join in, gathering around their general as if she could not protect herself. Of course, it had all been blamed on Rekth. Despite the fact that Kani's rat had thrown the first punch, all the generals blamed Redsplash, saying she had instigated the entire thing by insulting the rat's facial features and general ancestral heritage.
The generals had called a meeting, and had, somehow, decided it was going to be in Rekth's tent. None of them were here now, which was good. Rekth needed a certain amount of time to himself after marching. Otherwise, he was a complete beast. He smirked at that, tilting his head forward so he could stare at the opening of the tent. The two ferrets that normally constructed his tent in nearly a minute had taken around five today. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that both of their right arms were in slings. Rekth hadn't paused to ask.
The first general to arrive was Devman, and the stoat came carrying a flask in each paw. He handed one to Rekth before removing the top from the other one and swallowing gratefully. Rekth stared doubtfully down at the flask, frowning lightly. "I'll just pray to the gods this is poison." He muttered quietly and took a quick sip.
"Pray hard." Devman responded. "For the both of us."
Rekth rolled his eyes and lowered the flask to the top of the table. Only the most powerful poisons could kill him after such a small sip, and Rekth knew all the most powerful poisons by taste and smell. He had, after all, been the best assassin alive when he had been in that business. After a certain amount of time he would drink more. As much as he talked about suicide, he was not one to let a simple thing like poison kill him.
Aysini was the next to arrive, and she was livid. She carried a foreboding-looking axe in her left paw and her golden eyes glittered with fury. Only a glance was spared for the two other generals before she began pacing furiously around the tent, looking ready to cleave skulls with that axe of hers. Rekth wondered calmly what she had to be so angry about. After all, none of her beasts had even been injured in the brawl.
Kislin came scurrying in after, eyes tripling in size when they fell upon the furious fox and her axe. He waited nervously for her to pass by before darting over to stand by Devman, the only general he even pretended to get along with. Of course, all the generals liked Devman. Devman was in control of the alcohol, and was nearly as free with it as he was with his contempt for the rest of them. Kislin glanced at the flask in Devman's paws and Devman handed it to the weasel calmly. Kislin brought it to his lips and drank greedily before handing it quickly back to the stoat. Devman shook the flask and, upon realizing how little was left, sent a long look at Kislin who shrugged and smiled nervously. Devman sighed and finished off the liquid in the flask before putting the flask in one of the numerous pockets of that long cloak her always wore.
When Kani finally arrived, a full ten minutes after Kislin did, Rekth had to fight the laughter back hard, though he did allow a smile to form on his face. The rat's entire right arm was wrapped in a bandage and held in a sling. The top half of his skull was wrapped in bandage, too, and it made him look quite ridiculous. Once setting eyes on the smiling Rekth, Kani's paws clenched into fists, and he waved them waved it at the fox. "This is all your fault!" The rat bellowed.
"My fault?" Rekth inquired, his tone and expression one of surprised innocence. "How is your inability to keep yourself whole in a battle my fault?"
"I should kill you where you sit, fox." Kani informed Rekth coldly.
Rekth smiled, his smile cheerful, but his eyes devoid of warmth. "You should try, so that I could rid the world of you and your grotesque appearance."
"Enough!" Aysini shouted, coming to a stop with her axe clutched to her like a cub would clutch a stuffed toy. "I am tired of you filthy fools and your soiled minds. Your very being disgusts me. You should have been cleansed of your filth long ago!"
Rekth spread his arms out wide in a disarming pose. "Then, by all means, Aysini," He told her solemnly. "Cleanse me."
"Stop being such an idiot, Rekth." Devman ordered. "The brawl was your fault."
"Completely your fault." Kislin agreed.
"Was not." Rekth argued, frowning lightly. "Kani's rat started it."
"Did not." Kani snapped.
Rekth smirked, and purposefully answered as any cub would. "Did too."
"Fools!" Aysini's input was less than helpful.
"Someday someone's gonna put a blade right into that impudent skull of yours." Kani told Rekth coldly.
"Aye, someday. But that day is not today, and that blade is not yours." Rekth replied calmly. "Besides, why does it matter whose fault the brawl was? The point is that it happened. What are we going to do about it?"
"Nothing. Let those stupid enough to be injured learn the price of their actions." Devman suggested. "Make them march wounded."
"Yes." Kislin agreed.
"I've got an idea for you." Rekth told Kislin calmly. "How 'bout you stop letting Devman here think for you, and try to come up with some ideas for yourself? You're a general, mate. You've got to have some ideas packed away in your mind somewhere. Come on. Let 'em out to play."
"This is not a game, Rekth." Aysini intoned viciously. "If this were a game, it would not matter who won or lost. This is war, and the winner is all that matters."
"Aw, come, Aysini. Is that what you really think?" Rekth inquired. "I prefer to think it's not whether your side wins or loses, just that you come out alive in the end."
Aysini's lip twitched in disgust. "You would think that, Rekth. Worm that you are."
"Worm? I am clearly a fox." Rekth's tail snapped forward and waved at Aysini. "See the bushy tail?"
"We need to talk seriously, Rekth." Kislin remarked poisonously. "If we need to remove you from here to do so, then so be it."
"Grew a brain, did you?" Rekth asked. "Or just a spine?"
"Rekth!" Devman growled. "Stop being so foolish. You must know by now that every day we spend wallowing around here is another day the badger prepares for our coming. We are planning to launch a siege, fox. What point would there be to a siege if they already have enough food to last for seasons?"
"I thought that would be a rather simple problem." Rekth remarked with a shrug. "Either was gather up all the surrounding innocent little creatures and keep sending 'em into the mountain, because the badger lord really couldn't refuse a hungry mouse, and would have to feed them." Here Rekth paused to sip from the flask he had decided was not poisonous. "Or we send someone in to poison all the food stores. Really, I would think it rather simple."
Kani's eyes narrowed at him. "And who would be stupid enough to sneak into the mountain and poison all the food? That's a suicidal idea if I ever heard one."
Rekth blinked at him. "In case it has escaped your notice, friend rat, we have a squirrel and an otter in our army, along with several little hostages who will do anything we ask them to do as long as we don't torture their little friends to death. Personally, I don't think getting a creature into the mountain will be very hard. Getting them out might be a bit more difficult, but I doubt it."
"What exactly are you suggesting?" Devman asked.
"Well, we could send someone in to poison the supplies and then leave…" Rekth suggested with a shrug. "Or we could send someone in to spy around for a while, figure out what's going on, then poison the supplies and leave."
"As long as that damn otter goes in, I don't care." Kani growled.
"That's two votes for it." Rekth remarked without batting an eye.
"A spy is always a good idea." Devman muttered. "I vote for it."
"So do I." Kislin agreed almost half a second after Devman.
"What I surprise. Kislin and Devman on the same side." Rekth mused quietly, before turning to Aysini. "And what is your answer, Aysini?"
"My answer does not matter, Rekth." Aysini growled. "In a vote of five, the fifth vote only matters if it is a tie."
"Lovely way of looking on it there." Rekth muttered. "Bloody pessimist."
"What?" Aysini growled, lifting her axe ominously.
"Oh, nothing." Rekth told her with a shrug. "Just commenting to myself on the lovely shade of your eyes. 'Golden loveliness' I said."
Aysini snorted at him. "Soiled beast." She muttered. "Dirty as the day you were brought screaming into this world."
"Well, what can I say? Worms like me always did love the dirt." Rekth told her with only the slightest annoyance in his tone.
"Rekth…" Devman began, his tone threatening.
"What?" Rekth demanded, finally letting the stupid smile slip from his features. "Really, what? What is there to talk about anymore? We don't enjoy each other's company, obviously. I'm not keeping you here. You can all leave now."
"The riot-" Kani began.
"Was started by your own rat, so I would stop bringing it up." Rekth interrupted, scowling lightly.
"Your otter, who shouldn't even be in your army, started that brawl." Kani argued.
"Shouldn't even be in my army?" Rekth questioned, leaning back against his chair. "And why is that?"
"Because she's an otter." Kislin offered with a roll of his brown eyes.
"And what's wrong with that?" Rekth asked quietly.
"Otters are good." Kislin informed him.
"You're generalizing." Rekth retorted, his tone very quiet indeed, but still audible.
"What?" Kislin looked as if he was trying to decide if he should be offended or not.
"It's like saying all weasels kill for pleasure, or that all apples are delicious. You get pacifistic weasels and wormy apples. Otters can be just as bad as any of us could be."
"No. There's a difference between otters, mice, shrews, squirrels, badgers, hares, an' all the rest and us ferrets, weasels, foxes, stoats, wildcats, and all of 'em. We are superior species. We can choose if we want to be good or bad. Otters and the rest like 'em are inferior. They are born to be something, and they can't change it." Devman snapped, scowling.
With a shriek of some word that none of the other generals understood, Aysini slammed her axe into the table. It stuck there, and she did not try to pull it out. "You," She began at a shout, "Are all inferior! You waste my time." And with that she turned and stalked out so angrily that, for a very long time, none of the generals spoke.
"Where's she goin'?" Kani demanded.
"I dunno. Why don't you go ask her?" Rekth suggested sarcastically. He knew as well as the others did that she would probably kill the next beast to approach her.
"I need to see how many of my army was wounded in that little riot today." Devman remarked and left quickly, but at least without sticking any weaponry in the table.
"So do I." Kislin agreed, and followed Devman a little less calmly.
Rekth and Kani exchanged glances. Rekth smiled, about to make some remark that would have sent the rat into a weapon waving fury, but Kani turned and stalked out. Apparently, Kani was leaning. Which was too bad, really, because now Rekth had no one to bait. Sad, how things were turning out.
"Another lovely meeting called to a close far too early. Damn." Rekth muttered and looked at the axe buried in his table, wondering how, exactly, he was supposed to deal with that.
…
Aysini approached her army's camp, fuming and furious. Immediately, her children surrounded her, murmuring to her and amongst themselves. They were very thirsty for blood, they told her. Desired it above all else. Aysini exchanged glances with her captains, and found that even they were starting to lose their precious control. The golden-eyed fox scowled, unable to believe that things had gotten this drastic. They would not arrive at the mountain for another three days or so, and, already, her creatures were getting jittery. Only bad could come from this.
"Aysini! Oh, Ay-sini!" Came Rekth's annoyingly upbeat voice. Aysini considered ordering her children to kill him, but there would be little to no point in that.
"What is it that you want?" Aysini demanded, refusing even to turn around to face him.
"I brought your army something. Two somethings, actually. A little gift from my army to yours." Rekth informed her, sounding very pleased with himself, indeed.
Aysini whirled around quickly, preparing to yank his head right off his body, when she saw that he had brought two of his captives with him. Both were mice and both were young, perhaps halfway through youth. The two captives looked terrified out of their wits, teeth drawn back to show fangs in a grimace of terror.
Aysini approached, her children falling back to follow like her shadow. She reached Rekth, but ignored him for a while, staring at the two captives he had brought with him. Finally, though, she looked at the blue-eyed fox. "What is this?" She demanded, her tone very quiet.
"Well, we caught these two tryin' to break out of their cages during the riot, and I was a bit too tired to come up with the proper torture-to-death thingy to scare the others into obedience, so I thought I'd just bring them on over to you. You being so good at those purifying rituals of yours, and all. All I ask is that after your army's done with 'em, you deposit the bodies near the other captives, so they'll learn their lesson."
Aysini could practically feel the bloodlust rising in her beasts. Strange, that Rekth had known of the danger all the armies were in. Oh, he pretended to be a fool, but he knew far more than he ever let on. Perhaps more than she did herself, about some things, anyway. She could see the knowledge in the other fox's eyes as he scanned the creatures of her army. He knew very well that if he hadn't brought these two for her army, some from the other armies had have been taken. And he knew very well the danger he was in, staying behind for even a second after offering two hostages.
"We will take them, but only as a favor to you." Aysini remarked coldly. "A favor I except to be paid back, sometime."
Rekth stared at her for a while. "A favor then, and hope that all such favors for me are so beneficial to you." And with that he left quickly, dropping the chains and the keys to the chains on the terrain that was half sand and half grass, and strolling away, a bit too quickly for his usual lazy self. Aware of the danger he was in, that one. Aysini would have to watch him closer.
…
"Damn, that hurts." Redsplash hissed, staring at the white bandage that circled her right forearm, a bit too tightly.
"You're not gonna get any sympathy from me." Root informed her coldly, his tone still a bit nasal due to the punch in the nose he's received nearly ten hours ago. "This is all your fault."
"Is not." Redsplash countered angrily. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Because it is." Root snapped. "I got punched in the nose by a stoat the size of Darkclaw, and it's all your fault!"
"Little bristly, aren't we?" Redsplash inquired darkly. "Must be all the bandages that you've got."
Root rolled over on the mountain of pillows he had constructed to glare at Redsplash. "Don't even start that, Redsplash. You know that I've been in two fights in the past couple days."
"Who's fishing for sympathy now?" Redsplash questioned, smirking like she knew all the secrets in the world.
"Both of you be quiet before I rip your guts out through your eye sockets." Darkclaw threatened furiously from his corner of the tent where he was staring disgustedly at the gash on his stomach.
Silence reigned over the tent for a while and Root snorted, shoving violently at the pillows until he found himself a comfortable spot. He rested his head against a particularly fluffy one, and closed his angry green eyes, thinking that now, finally, he would catch up on that sleep he had lost.
"Aw, come on, Darky. Tell us who beat you up." Redsplash cajoled, and Root scowled, his eyes popping open to glare at her.
Darkclaw stood up slowly, turning to pin her with his gaze. For a second, Redsplash actually looked intimidated, and then she grinned at him. "I was not beaten, otter." The wildcat informed her coldly.
"Then how come you got yourself a wound?" Redsplash asked calmly, smirking.
"I would have thought a bit more before asking that question, otter. You yourself have a wound." Darkclaw pointed out, his tone frigid.
"Well, yes, but I got it fightin'. I didn't see you doin' much fighting." Redsplash retorted lazily.
"That's because there was no point to it." Darkclaw replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It was not my fight and I saw no point to wasting my energy. After that merry little march you lead us on to get here, I have little enough as it is."
Redsplash glared at him, all humor draining from her features. "Poor little Darkclaw. All tired out after a few days of walking. Do your need your mommy to tuck you in and kiss you goodnight?"
With a noise that was most definitely a roar and equally as definitely not comforting, Darkclaw lunged across the tent and grabbed Redsplash by the front of her shirt, lifting her up as easily as Root could lift one of these pillows. "In case you have forgotten, Redsplash, my mother is dead." He remarked, his tone surprisingly calm. "And, since your memory seems to be failing, I'll forgive you for your arrogance and impudence. Do it again, though, and I'll rip out your eyes. The Nameless One would pay richly for you, eyes or not, and I grow increasingly bored of you and your disgusting existence."
He held her up for a second longer and then threw her down on the uncomfortable floor of the tent. With a tiny little growl of annoyance, he stalked back over to his tent, stealing several of the pillows Root wasn't really using on the way, and made himself a nest, settling into it angrily. The white bandage blazed against his dark fur right up until a pillow hid it from view. For a while it seemed that he was asleep, but Root knew he was not. When he was really asleep, Darkclaw appeared dead. Right now, Root could see the wildcat's torso moving every time the cat breathed.
Redsplash lay on the floor, propped up on her elbows, and stared at Darkclaw silently for a while. At first, Root thought she was angry, or, at least, surprised. But, no. The otter wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she seemed almost pleased. A deranged smile had commandeered her face, and, for a second, she seemed completely insane. And then she met Root's eyes, and all traces of insanity drained from her. Without making a sound, she slipped out of the tent, and was gone once again. She was doing that a lot these days.
With a muted sigh, Root rolled around until he found a more comfortable spot on his mountain of pillows. This entire journey was getting uncomfortably dangerous. That voice in his mind had quieted lately, though it kept bursting in at strange moments. For entire minutes it seemed to take over him completely, and he found himself truly happy for the first time since he could remember. Something about that dark, pain-loving, voice in his mind seemed far more real than this half-terrified half-confused mindset of his. And, whatever it was, it got very happy very quickly when it was in control again.
"Darkclaw?" Root asked quietly. If the wildcat really wanted to pretend he was asleep, Root knew better than to bother him. On annoying the wildcat, both voices agreed that it was a bad idea.
"What is it, squirrel?" At least the wildcat didn't sound as annoyed as he did when speaking with the otter.
"What do you know about me?" Root rolled his eyes and then clarified. "About my past, I mean."
For a while there was silence, and Root was very sure he wasn't going to answer. "Not nearly as much as I should. You were very secretive. I suppose I knew more than most outsiders. Probably all the outsiders. I know you hated yourself, if that helps any."
Root made a face that the wildcat couldn't have seen in the dying light of sunset. "Stop playing the idiot, Darkclaw. I know what you're doing."
"Do you?" Darkclaw inquired, suddenly sounding very different, almost surprised. It suddenly came to Root's attention that he had never heard Darkclaw sounding surprised. The wildcat always seemed to know everything about anything, and exactly what was about to happen. For some strange reason, Root was proud that he had almost surprised the wildcat. "Then you're progressing far too fast. You're in for some pretty dangerous outbreaks if you don't slow yourself down. I would suggest very strong herbal teas. Your mind is not at all prepared for the real you to come out of its shell."
"You know what my mind's prepared for, do you?" Root asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"Better than you do. Of course, if I'm wrong then you'll just be yourself and that will be bad enough. If I'm right you'll be turned into a gibbering idiot mumbling nonstop nonsense, probably unable even to feed yourself. You'll starve, of course. The otter isn't about to take care of you, and I'm just not about to care."
"Lovely bedtime story. Can't wait 'till you have children of your own, Darkclaw. You could scare 'em senseless every night." Root muttered dryly and, once again, searched out a comfortable spot. "I'll ask you properly when I can think straight. Sleep, now, I think."
"I think if you don't sleep now you'll faint due to fatigue." Darkclaw replied calmly.
"Eh. Either way, sounds lovely." Root mumbled and was asleep around half a second after speaking. Darkclaw smirked, rolled his eyes, and let go of consciousness, allowing himself to sleep into a light sleep. His body was demanding a very deep sleep, but with Redsplash murderous and missing, now was not the time to give in to what his health was demanding. Maybe he would sleep deeply later, when the otter calmed down enough to sleep through the night.
…
Devman sat on the unyielding ground just outside his tent, his eyes closed and his legs folded. Every night he did this, clearing his mind of all the troubles of the day. Each day he marched with the other generals it seemed to take more and more time to clear away the troubles. Soon enough it would take a full half hour, and a half hour was a lot of time to spend on something that used to take ten minutes at the most. The stoat remembered fondly when the only troubles he had were wars and the possibility that he might die at any second. Things had been much more peaceful then.
Now everything was a trap. If not set by the enemy, then it was set by those that he was supposed to fight alongside. Rekth was a joker, or at least that's what he seemed to be. Something about the smiling fox bothered Devman. He had a feeling that if he could look deep enough into those laughing blue eyes that he would find something dark and dangerous and deeply not funny. But every time he tried, all he found was mocking laughter, and Devman was not used to not being able to understand something. The fox was smart, Devman was well aware of that, but smart enough to pretend to be an idiot as well that convincingly? Or maybe the fox was really just an idiot with good instincts. How was Devman to know for certain?
With a sigh, Devman continued attempting to clear the troubles from his mind. It was much more work than it used to be. Somehow it made him feel old and weak, and he did not like that in the slightest. He had no intention of ever being weak, though age might be inevitable. Devman certainly didn't want to die young. Others might want to die in battle or in some other glorious ending, but Devman didn't want anything like that. Devman was a survivor. All he wanted was to live, and that was all he planed to do.
Aysini was deadly. Devman knew that almost as well as he knew his own name. She was a fanatic who lacked a fanatic's illogical behavior. Oh, she offered up lives to her strange gods and mutilated corpses to "cleanse" them like any other of the thousands of crazed fanatics, but she was the first fanatic Devman had ever met that was still aware of everything going on around her. Even without her blood craze she would still have been a general. With a mind as organized and violent as Aysini's, it would have been a difficult task to escape such a fate. The black furred fox was not as confusing as Rekth, but she was all the more impossible to understand because she seemed so simple.
The other two generals, Kani and Kislin, were much easier to understand. They both desired power, though for different reasons. Kani wanted power because it was there to want, and Kislin wanted power for security. Kislin was an odd beast, searching for safety through violence and destruction. He liked to manipulate everything in secret, and was far too smart for one who seemed so stupid. Devman thought Rekth underestimated Kislin very much, and that was not a good thing to do. Kislin thrived on underestimation.
For a second Devman thought he heard a rustling in his tent. That made no sense though, because none of his beasts would bother to enter his tent, and none of the other armies would dare. Settling back into his half-trance, Devman let his mind slip away from the noises around him. If there weren't so much on his mind, he would never had heard that noise in the first place, whatever it was. His brown eyes closed and he took a deep breath, completely unaware it was the last one he would take.
Suddenly, a noise like two quick footfalls sounded and Devman's eyes snapped open, his mouth open to gasp in shock, but his reactions, quick as thought, were far too slow. Something was tied quickly around his throat and Devman reached for it, struggling with all the muscles of a general who could snap necks and break bones. His paws encountered some kind of wire, and he fought to get a decent grip on it. He was not one to panic, but even he could not stop his heart from speeding up, forcing his lungs to use up all that was left of his air far too quickly.
The wire was slick, though and his paws couldn't find purchase. Still, her fought against it, unable to understand exactly what was happening. Where was his army? Why weren't they there to see what was happening? In a camp as full of creatures as this one, why we he alone?
It was only when his vision was already blackened that he thought of turning to see who his murderer was. After all, dying without fighting back was bad enough. Dying without knowing who was far worse. He fell forward and rolled weakly onto his back, staring up at a face. Recognition struck and his mouth formed a name. A smile flickered across the face, and Devman's mind flew into darkness.
…
"You can't do that, miss. He's sleeping!" Rekth recognized his guard voice through his dreams and, for a moment, struggled to wake. But then deciding that his guard was a guard after all and that he was rather tired, let himself slip back into sleep with a groan. However, when the familiar sound of moving metal ended with a brief but hearty scream, Rekth came fully awake. Pushing himself up, he squinted at the entrance to the tent and grabbed his scythe.
"Put that thing up, Rekth. I have not come to kill you." Aysini looked downright deranged as she stalked into the tent with her golden eyes blazing and his bloodstained cloak dyed freshly. "Devman's been killed."
"What?" Rekth squawked, his eyes widening as his paw tightened on the handle of his weapon.
"He was strangled to death, and Kani's been saying to anyone who will listen and everyone who won't that it was you who did it." Rekth was surprised to see that Aysini seemed more enraged at Kani than at the fact that Devman was dead. "That one would take weeks to cleanse."
"Where are the others?" Rekth demanded as he let his scythe slip out of his paw and grabbed wildly for a pair of pants.
"In Devman's tent." Aysini informed him, her tone furious. "Ruining all chances of ever detecting who killed the stoat."
"Yes, that would be our beloved fellow generals, wouldn't it?" Rekth mumbled darkly as he finished pulling on the pants. For a moment he considered grabbing for a tunic, but, after seeing the murderous look Aysini was directing at him, decided wasting any more time was probably not a good idea. Neither was going into Devman's tent unarmed and accused of murder, but Rekth couldn't do anything about that. Brining a weapon would only cause Kani to go into fits.
…
"There he is!" Kani bellowed as Rekth walked in. "He killed Devman."
"Will you shut up?" Kislin screamed back, looking more upset than Rekth thought possible. "Or do I have to cut your tongue out of your throat?"
Devman was laid out on the floor of his tent, his face less than attractive now that death had gotten its claws into him. Rekth snorted at the fact that no one had even bothered to close his eyes and reached down to do so, grabbing a blanket from nearby as he did so. He stood up quickly, dropping the blanket over the dead stoat and turned to look at Kani. The rat looked absolutely insane. Black eyes and white bandages blazed against his pelt. At least half the bandages were stained with blood.
"You should be resting, Kani. You're in no condition to be running around and accusing people of murder. Think of your health." Rekth told the rat calmly.
"Even now, you joke?" Kislin demanded, looking at Rekth as if he were some kind of monster that mothers threatened children with. "Even now when one of our rank is dead?"
"Breathe, Kislin, before you pass out." Rekth suggested.
"I saw you walking about last night!" Kani shouted, waving a paw at Rekth. "I saw you, so you might as well just confess."
Rekth blinked, surprised. "I wasn't out at all last night…except for when I delivered two unruly hostages to Aysini for execution. And after that I went back to my tent."
"You're a liar!" Kani bellowed. "Out of all of us, you're the assassin! It has to be you! Who else would it be?"
Rekth sighed, not wanting to deal with this right now. "Has it even occurred to you that it might have been the damn enemy?" He demanded loudly. "Or even a soldier that didn't like Devman?"
"Everyone liked Devman." Kislin muttered. "His troops are almost as loyal as Aysini's."
"Everyone has enemies, Kislin." Rekth corrected. "In an army this big there has to be at least fifty beasts that didn't like him."
"Stop trying to trick us." Kani ordered, drawing a dagger. "I know you killed him!"
Aysini's paw darted out and slammed against' Kani's wrist. Instinctively, Kani dropped the dagger and Aysini caught it before it hit the ground. "There is no proof that Rekth killed Devman." She informed Kani coldly. "There is no proof that you didn't. If you can't control yourself, then I will make you leave."
"But he's the only assassin-"
"Among the entire army?" Aysini demanded at a hiss. "I believe that you are wrong, rat. Very, very wrong." She stepped away from him, holding the dagger to herself and scowling like she wanted to rip his flesh from his bones right here.
"Why would a common soldier want to kill Devman?" Kislin questioned softly, shaking his head.
"How would a common soldier kill a general? They're all weak!" Kani growled, glaring hatefully at Aysini who stared at him impassively.
"All of us were common soldiers once, Kani." Aysini told him coldly. "Except for Rekth, we were all what you just called weak. And I was never weak."
"Any of them could have killed Devman if they snuck up on him when he was in one of those trances of his." Kislin muttered, his tone fierce. "I told him to get guards, but he refused. Idiot."
"I know he was alive before sunset." Kani offered up the first piece of useful information. "I saw him forty minutes after our meeting ended yesterday. He was watching the sunset and drinking with his captains."
"I might've been the last one out of us to see him, unless one of you three actually killed him." Kislin was obviously afraid of being accused of murder for speaking up. Rekth wished he could go back to sleep. "I went to borrow the list of siege equipment from him, and to get a drink, but he was already going into his trance. He didn't hear me when I talked to him, so I just left."
"Why'd you want the siege equipment list?" Rekth questioned, confused.
"I didn't, really." Kislin replied with a shrug, "But it gave me an excuse to ask for a drink."
"Oh." Rekth commented understandingly. "I understand."
Aysini snorted. "Did you see anyone out where they did not belong?"
"What?" Kislin asked, apparently confused.
"Like a solider in the wrong section. One of Aysini's soldiers in Kani's army or even in Devman's. Something like that." Rekth clarified.
Kislin blinked, his eyes tightening slightly. "Yes…yes, I saw a solider completely out of place. I thought she was going to Devman for the same reason I had, but she's new, so she wouldn't have known…"
"Who was it, Kislin?" Rekth asked quietly.
"The otter." Kislin announced, brown eyes looking at Rekth accusingly. "Redsplash." Immediately, Aysini and Kani turned to look at Rekth.
Oh, damn. Rekth thought to himself.