((You have brought to my attention that Redsplash has become almost a background character. Well, after writing this chapter, I think I might've cured the problem. I've also brought in the character whose basic personality ends up in nearly every single story I ever write (I really need to fix that) though I think I've taken out all the originality in him and made him a bit cliché. Shoot me. Pff, I'm really staring to hate all the crazy little subplots that I've got running around. There are way too many for my health. My brain hurts.
Anyway, I'm going away again…another two weeks. Going to go see if I can push anyone into the Grand Canyon. I'll probably be pretty bored for an insane amount of time (driving from Texas to Arizona…oh, joy,) so, when I come back, I might actually be interested in writing on this story again. I hate it when I lose interest in things. Always leads to boredom. I thought I'd post this before I left, and I got started on the next chapter so it wouldn't be so long before the next chapter was finished.))
…
"Otter, get up." Redsplash ignored the voice, curling into a tighter ball, and forcing her eyelids closed again. Nearly before she had finished closing her eyes, she felt herself being lifted and awakened instantly. Two rather brawny creatures, a stoat and a weasel, had her by the arms. Her lips drew back in a snarl and she growled at them, green eyes narrowing to slits.
"Redsplash, I wouldn't-" Root began, his tone warning.
But his warning came a bit too late. She jerked her arms together, surprising both the stoat and the weasel enough for them to stagger forward. She kneed the weasel in the stomach and when he bent forward, his free paw going to his stomach, she elbowed him in the face with the arm he was holding. The weasel dropped her arm, staggering backwards and fumbling for his sword. With her recently freed paw Redsplash punched the stoat in the face. The stoat turned his head away from the blow, and Redsplash's paw collided with his jawbone, which the stoat had intended, but he had not thought the otter would be strong, and had not been prepared for the anger behind her punch. He took a step backwards and slipped, releasing her as he fell backwards.
Redsplash whirled around, taking in her surroundings. Root and Darkclaw stood in the corner of the tent, a ferret and a rat standing in front of them. The vermin were, apparently, supposed to be containing the squirrel and the wildcat, but the expressions on all four of their faces said quite clearly that Root and Darkclaw weren't trying to help, and that the ferret and rat would be dead in seconds if the two were inclined to. The weasel had his sword out and was advancing cautiously. The stoat was standing up slowly, rubbing the side of his face. With his sword out, the weasel blocked her only exit, and, with the way he was moving and the fact that he hadn't chopped her in two when she was dealing with the stoat, Redsplash could tell he didn't want to kill her. Besides, Darkclaw and Root only looked a bit strained, not upset. If this were an execution, they probably would have been showing a bit more emotion. Maybe.
The weasel took advantage of her distraction and swung his sword, slowed by the fact that he was trying to brain her on the side of the head with the flat of the blade and not slice open her skull. Redsplash lunged forward, tackling him. She felt the sword bite awkwardly into the back of her neck and elbowed the weasel in the face again, snatched the sword out of his paws, and lunged to her feet. The stoat moved far faster than she had thought he could and grabbed her wrist, twisting it until Redsplash winced at the pain, rendering the sword useless unless she was willing to break her wrist to stab the stoat. She dropped the blade, as it brought even more stress to her already nearly breaking wrist, and tried to knee the stoat in the stomach. The stoat dodged backwards, released her wrist, and was back by the time she lowered her foot. The otter was bringing her paw up to punch him again in the jaw when she saw the stoat's paw moving. She had enough time to mentally curse her need for sleep before she felt the impact.
She staggered, tripped on Root's damn mountain of pillows, and fell over onto her side. The otter panted for breath as her vision swam. The damn stoat was at least twice as big as she was, and far too muscular for her health. A strange taste was filling her mouth, one she recognized but one that wasn't exactly familiar. Realizing what it was, she spat it out, and blood drenched a lavender pillow. Teeth had been knocked loose by that blow. Teeth she needed to eat with. What a lovely life it was.
The stoat and weasel had grouped with the ferret and were standing between her and the exit. Darkclaw had his paws crossed over his chest and was giving her a look that told her clearly how stupid he thought she was. Root's mouth was hanging completely open and he kept shaking his head back and forth, as if denying the idiocy he saw before him. Redsplash blinked, eyes narrowing as she thought this through. Realizing that the stoat and weasel had just picked her up and that the weasel had not drawn his sword until she'd elbowed him in the face, she came to the conclusion that this might have not been an assassination attempt.
"Wait…" She began, looking around in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Now, she asks!" Root bellowed. "Now! She asks!"
"Of course she asks now." Darkclaw commented. "Now that she's condemned herself, it would be the perfect time to ask."
"I don't know, Darkclaw. You wanna answer her?" Root inquired, shaking his head in frustration.
"No. Do you?" Darkclaw answered darkly.
"At this point I think I'm just going to go stick a sword through my stomach." Root answered.
Redsplash turned away from them, facing the stoat, weasel, and ferret. "What's going on?"
"The generals requested your presence. Something about a murder." The ferret informed her, scowling.
"Murder?" Redsplash asked "I didn't kill anything lately."
"'Lately?' Oh, brilliant, Redsplash." Root threw up his paws. "Goodbye, everyone. I'm leaving now." And leave he did, walking out as if he could beat the world into submission by stomping his feet hard enough. Darkclaw grumbled for a moment and then followed unhappily, apparently deciding that now was not the time to be associated with Redsplash.
Redsplash considered making a break for it. Whatever was happening, it had Root and Darkclaw acting strangely. But one look at the rat, ferret, stoat, and weasel told her it probably wasn't a good idea. She sighed, and spat the build up of blood at them. Unfortunately, it didn't even get close. "Where're the generals?" She demanded harshly.
…
Rekth lounged unhappily in one of Devman's more comfortable chairs that ringed the circular table and Kani shifted uncomfortably in the one with splinters. Kislin drooped in the chair opposite Rekth, and Aysini sat stiffly in the chair next to Rekth. The foxes were sharing a very long, very communicative look. It was beginning to annoy Kislin. The weasel knew the foxes were talking back and forth, as they did occasionally with their stares, and wanted to know what they were saying. Just the way Aysini's golden eyes kept flashing angrily and Rekth's frown kept deepening caused Kislin to wonder if they were speaking, through their stares, about the murder. Kislin was about to speak up, and get them to stop, when the otter arrived.
The rat and ferret had left, as they had been ordered to if the otter came willingly, but the stoat was holding his jaw as if it hurt, and the weasel's lip was bleeding profusely. Blood dribbled ominously out of the otter's mouth, and a shallow gash at the back of her neck stained her shirt. The bandage around her forearm had been ripped and was now barely holding on, and doing her no good. She looked at it, scowled, and ripped it the rest of the way off, letting it drift down to the ground.
"I'm confused." Rekth admitted dryly, turning away from Aysini to quirk a brow at the three newcomers. "Was there an epic battle?"
"She fought us, sir." The stoat revealed, swallowing nervously.
"Then where's the rat and ferret?" Kani demanded angrily.
"Well, she came willingly…" The weasel added, sounding terrified.
"So she fought you, but she followed peacefully?" Rekth asked, smirking at the confusion they were causing.
"Once she knew what was happenin'." The stoat said with a nod.
"I still have no idea what's happening." Redsplash snapped, spitting blood skillfully onto the ruined bandage.
"You two can leave." Rekth informed the stoat and weasel with a nod. They glanced at Kislin, their army's leader, who nodded, and then left as quickly as they could while still being respectful.
"Otter, what were you doing last night?" Kislin demanded.
Redsplash gave him a long look as if to discover if he was both serious and sane. "Uh, sleeping. What were you doing?"
"Kislin saw you in Devman's camp last night." Rekth informed her.
"I went on a walk. I didn't kill anybody." Redsplash retorted defensively.
"She did kill him!" Kani bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at her. "How else would she know it was murder?"
"Don't get too excited, rat." Redsplash suggested with a sneer. "The ferret told me. Who died, anyway?"
"Devman." Rekth answered, and Kislin and Kani glared at him for revealing what they had decided to keep secret.
Redsplash's eyes widened. "Really? A general?"
"Yes, a general. Did you kill him?" Kislin demanded.
"No." Redsplash shook her head. "I barely even knew who he was."
"I say we execute her." Kani offered suddenly. "Just to be sure."
"I say we don't." Rekth argued, turning to stare with minor annoyance at the rat. "You just want her to die now because you've wanted her to die since you met her. Just because she's not a rat, doesn't mean you can-"
"Rekth!" Kislin objected at a yell, unable to believe the fox would dare to insult the rat general in front of a soldier.
"And you-" Rekth started turning to Kislin.
"Quiet!" Aysini snapped, and, immediately, her order was followed. "I am in charge of executing. I decide if she dies."
"Not now you don't! One of our own rank is dead!" Kani shouted.
"And that's exactly the reason not to let our entire system go to pieces!" Kislin hissed back, and then shook his head, sagging back against his chair. "No. She decides."
Rekth watched, scowling slightly, as Aysini stood up. Kani, nearly completely confident that Aysini would take the otter and "cleanse" her to death as Aysini tended to do, sat forward in his chair, his eyes narrowed. Kislin, not liking the tension in the room, chewed on his bottom lip apprehensively. The otter spat more blood on the bandage and then looked up at the fox, making eye contact for the first time.
Aysini paused, golden eyes staring in suspicion and surprise at green ones. The fox drew back, her cloak swirling as if it shuddered. "This one lives." The fox's voice was strong and angry.
"What?" Kani demanded. "No!"
"Yes!" Aysini hissed, turning to glare at the rat. "She did not kill the general. This one lives."
"There, you heard her, we're finished here." Rekth practically lunged to his feet. As entertaining as it would be to watch Aysini rip Kani apart, now was not the time, what with the unpleasant experience of telling the armies that one of the generals was dead approaching far too quickly and all. The death of one general would cause alarm. The death of two would cause panic.
"Yes." Kani agreed, surprising them all. "We are finished here." And then he stalked out of the tent. Aysini's paw went to a throwing knife at her belt and she watched Kani's retreating back carefully, but she released it after a while, golden eyes smoldering. The gesture alone was enough to convince Rekth that the fox had seen something in the otter that connected with one of her insane religious rituals. Corrupting or threatening to corrupt one of Aysini's rituals was one of the fastest ways to convince her to end your life.
"Yes, well, this has been lovely, but I'll be going now. I need to tell my army." And Rekth left swiftly.
"Ah, yes, so do I." Kislin muttered and left as hastily as Rekth.
Redsplash glanced at the insane fox with the gold eyes for a second and then fled, attempting to ignore the feeling of disquiet in her gut. Of course, as always, she couldn't convince her guts that there was nothing wrong with them. The beast that normally kept rather quiet was trying to flee out of her by digging its way out through her stomach, and that was never a good sign.
…
Someone had told Redsplash, Darkclaw perhaps, that leaving an army was a nice way to get yourself killed. But Redsplash had seen it in the rat general's eyes. She was going to die anyway. If she stayed with the army she would be killed before she could get her revenge on the badger, and vengeance was all that mattered now. The only thing she had paused long enough to get was the necklace Havoc had given to her the night he died. He had promised that it could get practically anything out of another otter, if she had it. She had promised to tell his family he was dead, but such promises were useless now. Let him die with only her to know. Did his family even care?
The necklace hung around her neck now as she wandered through the light forest. She had hesitated to go into it, after remembering what happened the last time she was in a forest, but decided that it was a small enough forest that she could see anything around her that might have been dangerous. Of course, just because she decided that she could see a threat, didn't mean she could.
"Who are you?" The voice was male and vaguely annoyed. Redsplash whirled around, but all she saw was a tree.
"Who are you?" She demanded in response.
An arrow hissed down from the tree and dug deep into the ground an inch from her right foot. "Who are you?" The voice responded, the tone, if anything, more annoyed, though it was hard to tell, as the voice was mostly emotionless.
"Redsplash." She informed him darkly, not liking this situation at all. Was there anywhere she could go where she wasn't being threatened with death? This was just getting ridiculous.
There was some rustling in the tree and, abruptly, an otter jumped down out of it, a bow in his paw and an arrow in his teeth. He landed in a crouch, his free paw helping to steady himself as he stood swiftly. The arrow went to the bowstring immediately, and he drew it back, aiming at her throat. "I've heard some disconcerting stories about you, Redsplash." Again, the voice was nearly completely emotionless.
Redsplash gaped at him. His fur was dyed completely black, with strange blue symbols painted on his face, with a particularly jagged one on the underside of his chin. Glancing at his paws, Redsplash noted he had more symbols, one for the back of each paw. His tunic was black, as were his pants, and the sheaths for his two daggers and the sword he carried on his back, were black, and the pack he carried was, obviously, black. The quiver of arrows was black also, as was the fletching on his arrows.
"Are you obsessed with the color black?" She demanded, her voice rather shrill.
His eyes, nearly as blue as the symbols, narrowed and he drew the string back even further. "Very disconcerting." He remarked.
It took Redsplash a moment to realize he was talking about the stories he must have heard about her. "You've heard stories about me?" She was shocked. She'd had no idea there were stories about her. For some reason it made her feel smug. "What kinds of stories?"
"Disconcerting ones." He clarified, his tone blank while his eyes burned momentarily with what might have been mocking humor.
"Yes, I think I get that part." Redsplash snapped sarcastically. "Now, lower your bow and let me leave or shoot me. I don't have an ample amount of time set aside for lunatics."
"You are a lunatic." The other otter replied.
"Very well, then." Redsplash growled. "I don't have ample amounts of time set aside for other lunatics."
"I'm afraid you'll have to set aside some for me." He remarked.
"Will I? Well…wait! You're an otter!" Redsplash reached for Havoc's necklace as the other otter blinked at her, perhaps his version of confusion. When she pulled the necklace off her neck and brandished it at him, though, he blinked twice and leaned backwards a bit, and that, Redsplash realized, was as much confusion he showed.
"Where did you get the Stone of Khalidian?" The otter demanded, his tone completely blank as he stared at the black stone with its strange golden symbol.
"It was given to me." Redsplash informed him, somehow smug. "By an otter who died. His name was Havoc."
"Havoak?" The otter asked, his blue eyes staring up at Redsplash.
"No." Redsplash argued with a shake of her head. "Havoc."
"Did he have white fur?" The other otter asked.
Redsplash blinked, uneasy. "Yes…"
"Then it was Havoak." The other otter told her calmly. "How is it that he died?"
For a moment Redsplash considered not telling him. But there was no real reason for it, and he still had an arrow pointed at her throat. "He jumped in front of an arrow."
A blink. "Did he take his own life, then?"
"Yes. In a way. No." Redsplash struggled with how to answer this. "There was an arrow, and it was coming at me, and he jumped in front of it."
The otter's eyes narrowed. "And when he died you took the Stone?"
"No!" Redsplash snapped, actually offended. "I don't rob corpses. The arrow didn't kill him immediately. He gave it to me right before the poison killed him."
"Poison?"
"It was on the arrowhead." Redsplash elaborated.
"So, he did it on purpose, then? He died…for you?" Redsplash found herself slightly insulted, but she couldn't decide why. It wasn't like the other otter sounded surprised or disbelieving. He didn't sound anything.
"Yes." Redsplash answered after a slight hesitation.
"That's the first time the Stone of Khalidian has been a death-gift for over two centuries…" The otter shook his head slightly, blinking. "Havoak must have seen something in you that I do not see to give such a gift to you." He paused. "Did he ask you to give it to anyone?"
"No." Redsplash said slowly. "Why?"
"Because then you would be simply a Transporter and that would make far more sense. Anyone can Transport the Stone to its proper owner, but if he gave it to you…" Suddenly the otter's expression changed, though Redsplash could not have described exactly how it changed. He went about putting the arrow back in its quiver and unstringing his bow as if she weren't there, concentrating so much on the weapon that Redsplash was, for a second, cowed into silence.
"So, what can this necklace thing do?" She asked curiously and a bit quieter than normal.
"The necklace cannot do anything. It is the Stone that holds the power." He answered her distantly.
"What can the Stone do, then?" Redsplash corrected herself impatiently.
"What do you want it to do?" He asked, finishing with his weapon and looking up at her, the blue symbols shimmering oddly in the filtered light of the sun.
"I don't know. I haven't really thought of it. I haven't seen another otter since Havoc died." Redsplash twirled the necklace around her paw, frowning in thought. "If I asked you for your sword…?" She glanced down at the blade.
"I'd give it to you." He answered calmly.
"You'd choose to give it to me?" She questioned.
His eyes narrowed. "If you wish to think of a moral obligation as something you have a choice in."
"It's just a moral thing?" Redsplash was slightly disappointed.
He looked like he would have sighed if he ever dared show that much emotion. "For most, yes. For those that refuse to obey its power there is a tribe of warriors that will enforce its will."
"An entire tribe?" Now, this Redsplash appreciated. It gave her a lot of power, this Stone. She stopped twirling it around her paw and placed the necklace around her neck.
"Of warriors. Havoak was one of them. I am one of them."
"You are? Does your tribe not stay together?" This was a bit perplexing.
"There are several levels of warriors among my tribe. I am training to reach the last level, and must learn from the world for five seasons."
"How does one 'learn from the world?'" Redsplash asked, openly mocking the word choices.
"By traveling across it." He responded, somehow managing to mock her just as harshly as she had mocked him, only not as openly.
Redsplash glared at him. "What's your name?"
"Sade." He responded simply.
Redsplash snorted. "Sounds like sadist."
"Yes." He replied. "Well."
"Are you?" She asked. "A sadist?"
"Occasionally." Was his only response.
"Where's this tribe of yours?" Redsplash asked, wondering if she could use these warriors to kill the badger.
"A season's travel away for me. Perhaps three seasons for you."
"What's that mean?" She demanded angrily.
"What do you want it to mean?"
"Not what it sounds like it means."
"Then it means nothing." He was nothing if not cryptic, this Sade.
"I've had a wonderful time here, but I've got to leave now. I might have a few beasts hunting me by nightfall and would like to be a few miles ahead of them." Redsplash turned to leave.
"Who will be hunting you?" Something about his tone reminded Redsplash that this otter was a warrior who had to obey her wishes as long as she had that stone of whoever.
She turned back to look at him. "Vermin, most likely. I'm leaving their army."
Blink. If he had been surprised by her admission of joining an army of vermin, he hardly showed it. "Do you wish for me to kill them?"
"You would do that?" Redsplash asked, but she already knew the answer.
"If you wished for me to kill them, I would."
Redsplash considered everything that had just been revealed. She had been leaving the army because she had been worried about danger. But with this strange otter who was already agreeing to kill creatures for her, what danger did she really have to worry about? Besides, even if he was the weakest warrior ever to be able to jump out of trees and string a bow, he could distract someone for long enough for Redsplash to run. And now that she paused to remember, that squirrel, Root, could track her down if he wanted too. Running made no sense, but going back with someone who she could order to kill when she felt like it…
"I've changed my mind. I'm going back to the vermin army." She nodded, her grin wide and nearly sadistic. "And you're going with me."
He paused for a heartbeat, something in his eyes telling her that he knew everything that had just gone through her head…the ideas, anyway, if not the specifics. Instead of objecting, though, he simply nodded. "Of course."
…
Redsplash walked back into the tent, mildly surprised the army hadn't marched off without her, to find Root and Darkclaw lounging around in what appeared to be comfortable silence, both resting, apparently, due to their wounds. They didn't even bother to mention the morning's altercation. In fact, Darkclaw just opened his eyes, blinked, and closed them, going back to his nap or whatever it was he was doing. Root, who had been sprawled on his back on his mass of pillows, propped himself up on his elbow.
"Where'd you get this one?" The squirrel asked lazily, yawning and showing every single one of his pale teeth.
"Up a tree." Redsplash snapped. Sade was like her shadow, following her always, though sometimes invisible, and, just like a shadow, completely silent. Sometimes he even refused to answer her unless she demanded him too. Useful he might be, but he was as annoying as everyone else.
"Otters seem to love trees lately." Root remarked with a shrug and fell back against his pillows. "Never seen a black an' blue one before, though."
"Never seen one bruised enough, then." Darkclaw rumbled from the corner.
"Darkclaw Warheart, your sister sends greetings." Sade remarked uninterestedly as he looked around the tent indifferently.
"Does she?" Darkclaw lifted one eyelid. "And when have you met my sister?"
"Not very long ago. Your siblings are engaged in a power struggle. I was a pawn for a while, and then grew bored." Sade walked forward to stare down at the wildcat for a while before turning his back on him, dismissing him, and moving over to look at the squirrel, as if memorizing their faces.
"What're you doin'?" Root mumbled, turning his face away. "Stop lookin' at me."
Sade turned to look at Redsplash, his permanently serious expression firmly in place. "You choose odd companions." He remarked.
"She chose you. Or are you just a visitor?" Darkclaw remarked, standing up. Redsplash noted the old Darkclaw was coming back again. The Darkclaw that had existed before Fatefiend had been killed. The dark one. She wondered who exactly had resurrected him.
"I am here because she wished for me to be here." Sade replied.
"And you just follow other's wishes?" Darkclaw asked, his smirk in his words, if not on his face.
"She carries the Stone of Khalidian." Sade remarked blankly.
Darkclaw turned to Redsplash. "You carry what?"
"Oh, this thing Havoc gave me." Redsplash answered, gesturing at her necklace. "You remember Havoc. The otter slave who jumped in front of the arrow after you put me back in the Nameless One's slave pits."
"Havoak was a slave?" Sade asked quietly.
"You mean the otter you convinced to die for you in less than a day?" Darkclaw replied to Redsplash, ignoring Sade.
"The otter who wouldn't have died at all if you hadn't sold me back to the Nameless One." Redsplash retorted.
"It is the wildcat's fault Havoak is dead?" And immediately Sade had everyone's attention again. He had a very odd way of saying everything without changing his tone. Tension had just arrived in the room, and it had alarmed them all.
Redsplash looked for a very long time at Darkclaw before turning to Sade. "Yes." She told him with a nod. "Yes, it is."
"Would you be bothered you if I killed him?" It was amazing how he could say things like that without even blinking.
"I would!" Root objected loudly. "Someone'll get their skull ripped off and I'm not cleaning up the blood. Blood stains you know. And we're in a tent."
"He does have a point. Wildcats tend to be bleeders." Redsplash conceded, attempting not to appear alarmed at the otter's complete willingness to attempt suicide. Darkclaw was, after all, not exactly a weakling.
"It's like their blood's too lazy to clot." Root added, nodding.
"If you continue to speak of me as if I am not here I will be forced to give you some kind of validation of my presence." Darkclaw told them, his tone steely.
"Validate your presence, wildcat, or be dismissed." Sade shot back at him, his tone neither hurried nor bitter, but giving the impression of both.
"I like this otter." Root informed them. "Much more than the other one that's always around us, Darkclaw. I think we should keep him. Can we keep him, Darkclaw?" His words sounded oddly slurred.
Redsplash looked over at the squirrel and frowned, before glancing questioningly at Darkclaw. "What's wrong with him?"
"Since Devman died, the vermin brought out all the beer and wine and had a rather large funeral festival, or something along those lines. Root got involved in some kind of drinking game among a group of ferrets. They brought him back a few hours ago. Apparently, he won." Darkclaw shrugged.
"I'm not drunk, you know." Root informed them all. "Just a little less sober than most."
"Is that festival still going on?" Redsplash asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"The generals, except for Aysini, came down intent on stopping it. Rekth, of course, joined in immediately. Kislin took about half a second of convincing, and Kani couldn't get them to stop. He did take most of the drinks and leave, though. There's enough left to last for the rest of the night, I think." Root explained lazily.
"I'll be back…" Redsplash hesitated at the exit of the tent. "Eventually." She finished awkwardly.
"I wouldn't recommend leaving." Darkclaw informed, his tone shadowy. "Kani's entire army wants you dead. You're safe in Rekth's army's territory, but outside it, they will kill you."
Redsplash glanced at Sade. "Will they?" She asked him.
"No." He replied calmly.
"Yes." Darkclaw amended just as evenly.
"They'll bloody kill you dead." Root agreed at a mutter.
Redsplash looked again at Sade. Oh, well. It was time to see if this black-furred otter was as dangerous as he seemed to be. "I might not stay as long as I planned." She told them and left, feeling, but not seeing, Sade step behind her. The sun was setting quickly, and, already, the long shadows hid him nearly perfectly. No wonder he had dyed himself black.
…
Redsplash had barely made it out of Rekth's camp when seven rats appeared out of nowhere. "Well, damn." She said aloud, blinking. "The one time Root's right, and I don't listen to him."
"Our general wants you dead." One of the rats informed her.
"Does he?" Redsplash inquired, frowning as she looked around. Where was Sade? What kind of guard was he?
"Yes, he says-" A strange hissing sound filled the air, followed by an even odder sound as an arrow appeared from out in the darkness and burrowed into the rat's neck. The rat fell over, emitting the weirdest noises as it trashed its life out on the ground. Two more arrows, and two more dead rats later, the remaining rats found Sade. He had been following Redsplash at a distance, apparently, and when the rats formed a circle around Redsplash they had impolitely left him out. Now he was making his presence a little clearer.
When they closed in on him, he dropped the bow, and drew his sword. He attacked the spear-toting rat first, gutting him as easily as Redsplash could gut a fish. Innards flew everywhere as Sade threw the rat at the others, and Redsplash felt something splatter against her and she cringed away from the warmth of it. A rat charged at the black-furred otter, which struck Redsplash as idiotic, and Sade whirled around quickly. A little too quickly for the rat who ran himself right onto Sade's sword. With what appeared to be a roll of his eyes, Sade kicked the rat off his sword, and lunged at the last remaining rat. Wait…Sade had only killed five. There had been seven rats.
"I'll kill 'er!" Came the announcement from behind as a blade reached Redsplash's neck.
"Oh, hell." Redsplash muttered bitterly.
Sade turned to look at the other rat as the corpse of the sixth rat twitched at his feet. "I doubt you will." Sade replied, kneeling to wipe the blood off his sword, using one of the dead rats' tunics. Redsplash was about to say something, when, with a motion she couldn't quite follow, the otter grabbed one of the two knives at his belt and threw it. She heard, and felt, a sick, cracking impact and turned to see the knife sticking out of the rat's eye. She yelped and shoved him off her, staggering backwards.
"I suggest that we do not go to the revel." Sade remarked far too calmly as he picked up his bow, walked over, yanked the dagger out of the rat's skull, and proceeded to clean it of various liquids.
"Yes. I agree." Redsplash panted, unable to believe what had just happened. She walked around, staring at all seven of the bodies. The otter followed her like the shadow he pretended to be. Almost constantly she watched him now, not sure how to treat him now that she realized how strong he really was. She had expected a warrior, not a monster who could kill seven without even pausing to give a few decent pants. There was something wrong with him, with the way he thought. She could see it in the way his eyes were always blank.
"I would suggest moving back into the territory we were in before." Recommended Sade's calm voice.
Redsplash nodded and walked back into the safety of Rekth's army's territory, feeling very faint. Perhaps she should get more sleep. She really couldn't take any more surprises. Forcing herself to move, she kept walking until she found herself at the very center of Rekth's camp. A campfire had been made here, and it burned still, but none were around. All down at the revel, she supposed. Closing her eyes, she sat down quickly, gripping her head.
"Is there a problem?" Sade asked. She opened one eye to see him crouched within striking distance, though why she was considering killing him, she didn't know.
"Yes. Always." Redsplash winced, a fierce headache starting to brew in the back of her head. "You. How many seasons did you train?"
"I've been training to fight since I was old enough to stand on my own." He told her without blinking.
"I suppose that's a rule of your tribe?"
"The first and third born children are always the fighters. I was the second, but my siblings were killed."
"By who?" If there were a tribe full of warriors like him, she really didn't want to imagine someone insane enough to attack them.
"The tribe leader. It was a ritual sacrifice to the Justice Goddess."
"You have ritual sacrifices?" Redsplash demanded shrilly.
"Quite often." He nodded. "Mostly to the Justice Goddess. She is, by far, the most demanding."
Redsplash sighed and let go of her head, staring at the otter's bloodstained paws. "What do those symbols mean?" She gestured at the blue symbols on his face and paws.
He reached up, touching a vivid mark on his right cheek. "Dedication to the God of Lightning and Battle." His paw moved to another symbol on his left cheek, this one softer. "Sign of eternal mourning-"
"Eternal mourning?" She questioned.
"For the death of the Justice God and for the death of my siblings." He told her blankly.
"You have sacrifices for a dead god?" She demanded, shocked.
"No. We have sacrifices for the Justice Goddess, not to the Dead God." He corrected her.
"Oh. Yes. That would make sense." Redsplash clutched her head again.
"Are you healthy?" Came Sade's voice, not sounding the least bit concerned.
"Oh, fine. Perfect. Only, I think my head's about to explode." Redsplash remarked, her sarcasm as biting as the wolf running rampant in her head.
"Why?"
Redsplash glared at him. "Why do you think? Because I'm in an army full of rats who want to kill me! I've got a wildcat for a roommate, a drunken squirrel with all the pillows, a shadow who talks, only not much, and Fate's not here to help me!"
"Fate doesn't often help anyone." Came the bland reply.
"Not fate the force, you fool. Fate the ferret!"
"Ferret?" Sade inquired calmly.
That was it. That marked the second Redsplash lost it. Exactly. How could someone like Sade, an unfeeling bastard, ask about Fatefiend? How could she have come this far away from who she was born to be? How could a psychotic mouse talk to her in her dreams? How could any of this be happening?
She punched Sade as hard as she could, directly in the face. After all, she had punched two creatures in the face this morning already, why not continue? Of course, the fact that Sade's head only turned slightly to the left didn't help her fury. In fact, she went, if anything, more insane.
It was only after she had locked her paws around Sade's neck and was preparing to kill him that she realized he wasn't fighting back. And nothing will take away bloodlust like the lack of fight. Her paws went limp and she pulled then back to herself, scurrying away. Sade coughed for perhaps thirty seconds and then turned to look back at her, his face perfectly calm.
"Don't you feel anything?" She demanded at a shriek.
"I feel everything. I suggest you breathe, Redsplash. Your eyes are red."
Redsplash reached up to touch her eyelids, and took Sade's advice. She breathed. After a very long time, longer than Redsplash cared to think about, the headache lessened to the point that she could think straight. And it took nearly as long for her mind to finish ranting at her.
"You were going to let me kill you, weren't you?" Redsplash demanded, turning to glare at Sade.
"Yes." Sade agreed calmly, blinking.
"Why?"
"Because you have the Stone of Khalidian." He answered.
"What's so important about this damn stone?" Redsplash demanded, scowling down at the black stone.
"It is final gift of the Justice God to the mortals before he was vanquished."
"Oh. Of course." Redsplash remembered to breathe, though every breath was a hiss or growl now.
"Your eyes are green again." Sade informed her.
"Good. Great. Lovely." Redsplash snapped.
"Indeed." He retorted. Redsplash glanced up at him to find a faint smile disappearing quickly.
"You do feel, don't you?" She demanded suspiciously.
"Everything." He responded, his tone perfectly blank yet again.
"And you were just going to let me kill you." Redsplash mumbled staring at him. What was wrong with him?
"Indeed." He repeated, though without the smile Redsplash was beginning to think was an illusion.
"Yes? Well, then, with whatever power this little stone possess I'm ordering you to never let me kill you." Redsplash snapped, gesturing at the stone to emphasize her point.
There was a long silence, full of unease. "If you order it, then I cannot disobey." He seemed vaguely confused. Perhaps this was breaking some sort of rule of his tribe. Good.
Redsplash glanced down at his paws as he brought out the knife he had stabbed into the eye of a rat to clean it yet again. Another blue symbol shimmered. "What does it mean?" She demanded, pointing at his paw.
He held up both paws to show her. "The one on the my right paw means tranquility, the one on the left is conflict." He went back to cleaning his knife.
"So, peace is right?" She inquired.
"To look upon from my eyes, yes. If I look upon it from another's, it is often backwards." Again with the cryptic responses.
"Is the rest of your tribe like you?" She asked.
"No. I am often punished for being so emotional and talkative."
"For what?" Redsplash demanded.
"Being emotional and talkative. Emotions can cause hesitation and talking can disturb one's thoughts."
"They punish you?"
"Often." He answered calmly.
"Well, that explains a lot." Redsplash remarked dryly. "We'd better go back to the tent. This place is too open."
"Nothing could harm you." He answered as he held the clean and shimmering knife up to the moonlight. "I am enough of a warrior of my tribe to be able to assure you of that."
Redsplash stared at him. "You remind me of Havoc, a little. Except Havoc had emotions and Havoc talked."
"Havoak had the Stone. He was not raised as a warrior, though he decided to become one before he left." Sade remarked.
Redsplash did not respond, knowing the otter probably didn't care, and started walking towards the tent. She felt him behind her, but she never saw him. In the darkness, she could hardly see anything. And everything seemed to be dark in these days.
…
When she reached the tent she found Root and Darkclaw exactly where she had left them, the only difference being that Root had rearranged the pillows a bit. The squirrel glanced up when she walked in. "Back so soon?" He asked. "Found the revels a little too wild, did you?"
"Don't talk." Redsplash ordered and collapsed into the mountain of pillows.
Root twisted to look at her. "You can't order me not to talk." He informed her. "I can talk until I die, and there's nothing you can do about it. Funny how that works, isn't it?"
"Sade," Redsplash called out. "Make him stop talking." The otter glanced at the squirrel and drew his knife.
"Don't do that." Darkclaw rumbled forebodingly.
"Stop me." Sade responded, again managing to portray contempt without changing his blank tone. He drew closer to the squirrel, who gaped up at him in disbelief and confusion.
Darkclaw snarled and stood up, his claws fully out. The otter turned to him, his grip changing on his knife. There was none of the usual threats that accompanied the moment before a fight. They simply watched each other, studying every movement, every breath. Again Sade's grip changed on the knife, so that he could throw it with the same ease that he threw the same knife before, and kill Darkclaw, presumably, as easily as he killed the rat.
"All right, you two," Root snapped, sitting up. "Play nicely."
Redsplash shook her head. "Sade, stop it." She ordered. Sade glanced at her, put away his knife, and stood as if awaiting other orders. Darkclaw snorted and his claws retracted.
"Good." Root snapped and settled back into the pillows.
"He wasn't obeying you, Root." Redsplash told him.
"You're mighty protective of your power there, Redsplash." Root commented, mocking. "Afraid you're going to lose it like you lost your ferret friend?"
"Sade, kill him." Redsplash snapped, talking before she thought, as usual.
However, Root was much more the quick thinker, and he snatched her necklace off her neck. "Oh, look, I got the magic pebble now." He remarked, darkly cheerful. Redsplash snatched for it, but Root held it away from her.
Sade grabbed it out of Root's paws and threw it back at Redsplash, who caught it easily. "Do you still wish for me to kill the squirrel?" Sade inquired, completely polite.
Redsplash considered it for a second, watching Root's green eyes dart from her to Sade uneasily. "Yes, but it wouldn't be a good idea. Leave him alone."
"If that is your wish…" Sade remarked and drew away, moving to stand by the entrance.
"I'm going to sleep now." Root informed them all in a tone of great annoyance. "And if any of you decide to kill me, do it while I'm asleep. I don't have the energy for you lunatics anymore." He closed his eyes tightly and scowled, even after he had burrowed deep into the pillows.
Redsplash rolled her eyes and stole several pillows, making herself comfortable in the corner opposite Darkclaw, who watched her with his cold eyes blazing. She had done something to anger him. Maybe he would kill her. At this point, Redsplash couldn't have cared much even if he was waving a sword and screaming for her death. She was asleep almost immediately, leaving Sade and Darkclaw awake.
…
Redsplash recognized this dream even before it had begun. She was in the place she always was when she spoke with the mouse. A deep hatred for this place was beginning to form in her mind. The mouse was emerging out of the loathed landscape, and he looked livid. He carried the sword, instead of having it sheathed, and looked about ready to use it.
"Redsplash," He began in a voice both ominous and furious. "We need to talk."