Here's the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Dogtanian. Not at all!
Now, let's resume our story!
The Man With the Black Mustache
Two and a half weeks later…
Gavin whistled a little tune as he walked alongside Dogtania, who was sitting on top of Sandy the horse. 'Man, we're on our way to Paris to become muskehounds,' He thought, before shaking his head. 'Man, my parents would be so surprised if they could see me now.'
As they walked, he started to hear the sound of hooves approaching from behind them, causing him to pull his hood up and cover himself, before looking behind.
Approaching them quickly was a large black stallion with a rider on it. Said rider looked like a 6-foot tall 27-year-old male whippet of some sort, with brown fur covering his skinny body and white fur on his long pointy muzzle, which had a small black mustache on it and a goatee and a round black nose. A large scar ran down the center of his forehead, and another scar was on his right cheek. He was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt underneath a black tabard, a brown belt that went over his right should and down to his left hip, a large black hat with a white plume, sky blue pants, and dark brown boots that ended right above his ankles.
"Dogtania, I think we should move to the side," He said to her, before noticing that she was daydreaming. "Hey! Dogtania!" He said with a bit more force.
"Hey you! Move that old horse and yourself off to the side!" The man called out in a sophisticated voice as he reached them, forced to slow down due to Sandy being in the middle of the road. "You're in my way and I'm in a hurry, you hear me?!"
"Hmmm?" Dogtania hummed with confusion as she turned around to look at the man, having been pulled from her daydreaming by Gavin and the man.
"You country bumpkins have no respect for your betters!" The man said before he whipped the reins, causing his horse to let out a loud neigh and run forward. "Now move I say!"
"Holy crap!" Gavin said as he jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding getting run over by the man, who sped by, uncaring that he had almost run over a person. "Rude!" he called out to the man, who had kicked up dust behind him.
"Hey!" Dogtania said with a frown as the dust hit her and Gavin. She then coughed and sneezed a few times, as did Gavin, before the dust cloud settled. "Who does that guy think he is dealing with?! He called us country bumpkins, the stuck-up snob!"
"Dogtania, calm down," Gavin said to her as he got up and reached over to pat her shoulder. "Technically, he is right. We don't know much about city life." 'Well, I do, to an extent,' He thought to himself. 'You don't though.'
"You'd better come back here and apologize!" She growled, before looking at Sandy, who was grazing again. "Stop eating. We gotta go," She said to him, completely ignoring Gavin, who sighed.
'Here we go,' He thought as a few seconds passed, before she yelled out, "I mean now!"
Sandy neighed upon hearing that and started to run down the road, with Gavin running after them. Sandy was not very fast though, and Dogtania voiced her opinion about this as Gavin caught up. "I'm sorry to say this Sandy, but you are slower than a donkey," She said, causing Sandy to look at here with a frown. "Hey! Come on. Come on!" She continued as Sandy slowed down to a walk. "Come on, that guys getting away from us!"
Upon hearing that, Sandy snorted, and reared up, before he started to run even faster than before, while Gavin groaned. "Great! Just great!" he said as he started to run after them, slowly being left behind in the dust. "Now I'm alone, and going to miss everything!" he groaned as he ran. "That's just perfect!"
Then, he noticed something, and arched an eyebrow. "What in the hell?" he said as he noticed that he was starting to move faster than before. "How am I speeding up?" He said, before he looked down at his feet. "Like, seriously, how?" He continued with confusion, before he spotted Dogtania and the man riding alongside each other. "Seriously, I'm that fast?!" he said as he got closer and closer, before he eventually reached them. And he appeared to have arrived in the middle of a conversation.
"Back there on the road, you called me and my friend country bumpkins! Now you're going to apologize or else!" Dogtania said to the man, who looked genuinely surprised.
"I'm what?" the man replied as he pulled on the reins, making his horse stop.
"You're going to apologize now, that's what!" Dogtania said to him as Sandi stopped, before she grabbed her sword hilt.
'Oh thank goodness!' Gavin thought as he stopped, his legs starting to feel pretty sore. 'A break!' "Dogtania, *Gasp* don't-"
"If you don't know how, I'll teach you," Dogtania replied as she looked at the man. "Well?!"
"You're insane my friend!" The man said to her with a frown.
"You have no manners sir. You will have to fight me," Dogtania replied, while Gavin thought, 'Oh boy.'
"I, fight you?" The man said with an arched eyebrow. "That's a good joke."
"It is not a joking matter sir! I have challenged you to a duel!" Dogtania replied firmly, while Gavin facepalmed.
'Dogtania, don't!' Gavin thought to himself with a quiet groan, while the man laughed at her challenge.
"That is funny! Terribly funny!" The man said to her, before growing stern again. "Now listen, you farm girl. A Cavalier's time is too precious in quarreling with pups like you! Hya!" He continued as he whipped the reins, taking off again.
"That's just an excuse not to fight me!" Dogtania called out as she urged Sandy forward, while Gavin ran after her. But soon, Sandy tired out, and stopped to sit down, feeling very worn out from all that running. "You did your best Sandy," She said to her horse, before she heard Gavin speak.
"Dogtania," He said as he stood near her. "What were you thinking?"
"He insulted us Gavin!" She replied. "He called us country bumpkins! And pups!"
"I know Dogtania," he answered her. "I heard him. And yes, he did call us that. But he is technically right."
"Huh?"
"A country bumpkin is someone who isn't used to city life," He explained. "Yes, it's a rude term, but it is an accurate description of us, don't you think?"
"Yeah, but he called us pups!" She replied. "And neither of us are pups!"
"I know that," he replied as he put a hand on her shoulder, while Sandy stood back up and started to slowly walk forward. "Just try to keep calm and think before you act, alright?"
After looking him in the eyes for several seconds, Dogtania sighed. "Alright Gavin, I'll try," She replied, making him smile.
"Good. Now then, let's find some water for Sandy here," He said as he looked at the horse, who looked rather thirsty. "I think he deserves a long drink after all that running."
"Yeah, I'd say so," Dogtania replied, before she realized something. "Hey, how'd you catch up to us so quickly?"
"Oh, I just ran as hard as I could," he answered her with a smile, deciding to not say that he had no idea how he had sped up so much. "You just didn't notice me arriving."
"Oh, alright," She replied, before she turned her attention to the road ahead with him.
An hour later…
Sandy neighed happily as he stuck his mouth into the large trough of water, while Gavin and Dogtania stood by, with Gavin wearing his cloak and hood to conceal his whole appearance. They were now in front of a large cottage, owned by a middle-aged pig farmer who was currently churning butter nearby.
"Thank you very much monsieur! You are very kind!" Dogtania said to the man while Gavin brushed Sandy's neck, making him whinny happily.
"Help yourself! Think nothing of it young lady!" The male pig farmer said in a gentle and friendly voice as he paused in the churning of butter. "Let him drink his fill! All he wants!"
At that, Dogtania nodded, before she turned to Sandy, who was still guzzling water. "You don't have to drink up every drop you know! We'll be in Meune soon and they have plenty of water there!" She said to him, causing him to lift up his head and look at her.
A few seconds went by, before the pig farmer spoke again. "Thought I'd seen it all," he said, catching their attention. "But I've never seen a horse quite like that before."
"Huh?" Dogtania and Gavin said as they looked at Sandy, before they all looked at the farmer with a frown, although the farmer couldn't see Gavin's face.
"Don't take offense now!" the farmer replied. "It's not an insult. Quite the opposite! Your horse is the only one of its kind and that makes it special."
At that, all three of them smiled. "Why thank you for saying that," Gavin said to the man. "Now, do you happen to know of an Inn in Meune we could stay at?"
"Yep! I know of one!" The pig farmer replied. "I've heard tale of a real nice place with tasty food. The Frank-Mugne Inn is its name."
"Thank you so much for everything monsieur! Now we must say farewell!" Dogtania said as she hopped on Sandy, before she and Gavin started to walk away.
As they left, the pig farmer stared at them, before he said, "That horse is one of a kind. And why was that one young man hiding himself?" Then, he accidentally lifted the pole out of the butter churn, and almost knocked it over, drawing his attention away from them.
A couple hours later…
The sun was setting as they reached the city of Meune, which, compared to their hometown of Bern, is quite the sight.
"Wow, I didn't know it was so big!" Dogtania said as they looked at the city while walking down the main road.
"Neither did I," Gavin replied, impressed by what he was seeing. "Now, where is that Inn that farmer told us about?"
And just as the city was quite a sight to them, so too were they a sight to those who lived in the city.
People stared at them from their windows, with some laughing at Dogtania. But many stared at Gavin, wondering why he was covered in a cloak.
After a few more minutes of walking, they spotted a sign for the Inn. "That must be it," Gavin said as they headed over to the sign, which stuck out from a two-story building made of white stone. A large courtyard sat next to it, with a large archway for the entrance. "Oh, I hope they have two rooms available," He continued as they walked into the courtyard, looking at the each of the windows to see if someone was inside.
"So do I," She said with a nod. 'Although, sharing a room might not be a bad thing,' She thought to herself as she imagined her and Gavin sharing a room and bed. At that, her face heated up, which Gavin missed, as he was tying Sandy up to a hitching post.
"Come on Dogtania," He said to her as he headed towards the open doors to the inn. "Let's see if they have rooms."
"Alright Gavin," She replied as she hopped off Sandy and headed after him.
When they stepped into the inn, they saw that no one was there, and Gavin called out, "Hello! Anybody home?"
A few minutes later, a man walked in, presumably the innkeeper. He was a middle-aged male hound with shaggy light tan fur, a somewhat skinny body, and dark brown ears. He was wearing an apron around his dark green outfit and a pair of small black pince-nez glasses.
"Monsieur? Madame?" He said upon seeing them, his voice somewhat scratchy.
"We would like two rooms if you have them," Dogtania said to the man.
"Hmmm," The innkeeper hummed as he looked them both up and down several times.
"Well? What's the matter? Don't you have a room available?" Dogtania said to the man.
"Of course my young friend! We have rooms available here!" The man replied. "It's just that I haven't met either of you before."
"Then we shall introduce ourselves," Dogtania said. "I am Dogtani from Bern."
"And I am Gavin from Bern," Gavin added.
"Ah, from Gascony," The innkeeper replied.
"Yes, are there any objections?" Dogtania asked the man.
"No, not at all!"
"And we are going to Paris on an important mission!" Dogtania replied as she gestured to herself and Gavin. "To become a musketeer."
'You didn't need to tell him that Dogtania,' Gavin thought to himself with a roll of his eyes. 'He just needed to know who we are.'
"I understand, of course," The innkeeper answered. "But, uhhhhh."
"What, don't you trust us?" She asked him, before she pulled out her blade, much to Gavin and the innkeeper's surprise.
"Woah! Dogtania, what are you doi-"
"Aha! Then I see you must be taught to trust the word of a Cavalier," She said.
"What are you doing?!" The innkeeper exclaimed with shock, while Gavin stared at her with wide eyes. "Now put that sword away!" The innkeeper added.
Dogtania then did several slashes in the air to show her ability with the sword, before she did one particularly hard slash down. Unfortunately, that downward slash hit the old candle chandelier above her, and caused it to fall onto the table and break.
"Oh? Is it broken?" Dogtania said, while Gavin groaned and the innkeeper looked at the chandelier with alarm. "Well, don't worry. Take this," She continued as she pulled out the bag of money her mother had given her, before opening it and taking out one coin. "There you are Monsieur, is that enough?" She asked him as she handed him the coin.
"Hmmmm, it's gold!" He said with surprise as he looked at the coin, before holding it up to make sure it wasn't a fake. "It's real! A gold coin! Thank you thank you!" The innkeeper said to her. "Thank you ever so much! The two of you can have my finest room!" He continued as he gestured to the nearby stairs.
'Well that answers my question. Look's like we're sharing,' Gavin thought as he looked at Dogtania. 'We haven't done that in a long time.'
"By the way, where do I stable my horse?" Dogtania asked the man.
"I'll see to it madame," The innkeeper replied.
"Um, no thank you I'll do it," She said to him. "I'd like to take a look at the place where he will be staying."
"I'm sure he deserves the best!" The innkeeper said, before he walked out and pointed to the left. "The stables are over there. The stableman will give you everything you need."
"Thank you sir!" Dogtania and Gavin replied before they left, taking Sandy with them as they headed to the stables.
Once they were gone, the innkeeper walked back inside and pulled out the gold coin. "If everyone were like her I'd be a rich man!" He said with a smile.
"My, what splendid stables," Dogtania said as she, Sandy, and Gavin looked around at them, before spotting a 22-year-old anthro female bear nearby washing a bucket. She stood 6 feet tall, and was somewhat burly, with dark brown fur covering her entire body. She had a very large chest, black eyes, and a big butt. She was wearing a light yellow dress that appeared to be a bit dirty, with a small green ribbon between her ears, as well as a pair of brown boots. "Good afternoon!"
"Hello!" The female bear replied with a jovial and kind voice.
"We have ridden all day, so please give my horse Sandy your best stall, and plenty of feed and fresh water," Dogtania said to the woman.
"Of course, madame, whatever you wish!" the female bear said as she set the bucket down and headed over to Sandy.
"You were wonderful today," Dogtania said to Sandy as she pat him on the shoulder.
"You deserve a good long rest Sandy," Gavin added, before they heard another horse whinny. "Hey. It looks like you have some company over there!" He continued as they looked past the bear at the farther stall, before seeing a black horse standing there.
"Huh?" Dogtania said upon seeing the horse, her eyes widening with surprise. She then hurried over to the horse, confusing Gavin and the bear.
"What is it Madame?" The bear asked Dogtania as she looked at the horse.
"Ha! I recognize this beast!" She said as she pointed at the horse. "Hey, who owns this horse?" She asked the bear woman, who was starting to take off Sandy's saddle.
"I'm told he belongs to a Cavalier who arrived today," The woman replied as she took off the saddle and hung it up.
'Oh, I hope it's not who I think it is,' Gavin thought to himself. 'That's the last person we need to be around.'
"Well did you take good look at him? Just tell me this, did you notice if he had a black mustache?" Dogtania asked the stable hand.
"I don't know. A boy brought the horse in here. I never saw the owner," The bear replied as she started to clean the saddle.
"A boy? But he was travelling alone," Dogtania said to herself, before she looked at the horse again. "But I'm absolutely positive that that's his horse!" Then, she realized something. "The innkeeper! He'll know!" She continued as she ran out.
"Why is she so excited about this man?" The bear asked Gavin with curiosity.
"We ran into him on the road a while ago, and he was a bit rude to us," Gavin replied as he pat Sandy on the nose gently with a gloved hand. "She challenged him to a duel, but he ran off, saying she was a waste of time."
"Oh, I see," She replied, before he started to leave. "Well, I hope things turn out alright."
"I do as well," he replied with a nod. "Good day madame."
"Good day Monsieur," She said as he left.
When he got back to the inn, he found her talking to the innkeeper in the kitchen, with the man peeling potatoes with a knife. "Which room is he in?" Dogtania asked her.
"The one next to yours. Go up the stairs, and it's the third one on your left," The innkeeper replied.
"Thank you Monsieur," Dogtania said to him before she hurried off, prompting Gavin to follow her.
They carefully made their way up the stairs, and almost immediately heard a familiar voice speak.
"This place is a dung-heap!"
"I'm sorry, my lord, but it's the best inn the village has," A male voice responded, sounding scratchy and whiney. "Besides, no one will recognize you here," The voice continued as the two tiptoed down to the third door and stood on either side, listening carefuly. "Your privacy is guaranteed! Heheheheh!"
"I hate sneaking around like this," Dogtania whispered to Gavin. "But I must have a good look at them! I'll just take a look through the keyhole," She continued, before doing just that.
And inside, she saw the man from before, the one with the black mustache. He was sitting in a tall chair, facing another canine, who was apparently his servant. All she could see of the servant was that he was somewhat short, wearing green clothes, and appeared to be a gray hound of some sort.
"Ah, voila!" Dogtania whispered to Gavin. "It is the same one!"
"Tell me, did you speak with Milady personally?" The man asked his servant, who nodded.
"Yes, everything worked out perfectly! Milady will be here tonight, my lord count!" The servant replied with a bow.
"Grr, quiet! How many times must I tell you, you must never address me by my title or my name," The man said to his servant, before he looked at the keyhole. "One never knows who might be listening."
"Uh, pardon me madame, monsieur, but I believe you've made a mistake," The bear lady from earlier said, startling them and causing them to step away from the door. "That isn't your room. This is your room over here," She continued with a smile as she gestured to the door next to it.
"Oh yes! Of course! How silly of us!" Dogtania replied, quickly coming up with a lie. "We're just so tired that we must have missed the room."
As they walked to the door and opened it, Gavin spoke. "Luckily you came by, or we would have been in the wrong room," He said, while the servant of the man with the black mustache peeked out to look at what was going on.
"What's going on out there?" His master asked him.
"Nothing sir. Just a couple of the guests having the wrong room," he answered his master, before the man came to look for himself.
"What'd they look like?"
"I'd say country bumpkins," The servant replied, before the man spotted the bear lady.
"Have a good rest madame and monsieur," She said before the door shut.
"And who's that?"
"Oh? That big lady? She's the stableman," The servant replied.
"Fine! Come!" The man said as he pulled his servant in and shut the door.
A few seconds later, the door to Gavin and Dogtania's room opened and they stepped out, before they shut the door and headed towards the stairs, prompting the servant to peek back out and look at them.
When they got back downstairs, they headed to the kitchen to speak with the innkeeper again.
"Is there anything I can do for you two?" The innkeeper asked them. "I hope the accommodations are satisfactory."
"Um, there is one thing you can do for us," Dogtania said.
"I am at your disposal madame," The innkeeper replied.
"Can you tell us the name of the man in the room next to ours?" She asked him, with Gavin looking at the man curiously.
"His name I don't know," The innkeeper replied as he started to cut open a small pumpkin. "He's a strange one. His squire made all the arrangements."
"But he must have told you a name?!" Dogtania said with surprise.
The innkeeper opened his mouth to respond, but let out an "Oh!" as he looked beyond the two of them, prompting them to turn around.
"So, you want to know my name ey?" The Cavalier said as he stood there, prompting Gavin to back up next to Dogtania.
"I assure you, I've told her nothing," The innkeeper said as Dogtania started to growl, which worried Gavin a bit. "Nothing at all sir! She was very curious, but not a word from me!"
"And now at last, he will apologize, Monsieur Black Mustache, orrr fight!" She said as she grabbed the hilt of her sword.
'Oh boy,' Gavin thought, knowing that Dogtania wasn't going to back down. 'She's really mad.'
"You cur!" The Cavalier replied with a frown, making Gavin frown at him, while Dogtania growled even more. "You, give me a nickname? Ha! You're speaking sir, to a Rosh-ehem!" He continued, catching himself.
"Well, for a Cavalier, you certainly could use some manners," Gavin said to the man. "Weren't you ever taught to not call people by that word?"
"Hmph! As if I'd listen to a country bumpkin about proper manners," The Cavalier replied, before arching an eyebrow. "And why are you hiding yourself in that cloak? Too scared to show your face?"
"Why I am wearing a cloak is none of your concern, Monsieur," Gavin answered him firmly. "What is your concern is whether or not you will apologize to my good friend here, or fight her."
"Yeah, now, defend yourself, you coward!" Dogtania added as she moved over to another part of the room that was more open, still looking at the man firmly as she did so.
"Wait!" The innkeeper cried with alarm. "Please wait! If you fight in here, you will wreck everything! And who will compensate me for the damage?!"
"I will!" Dogtania said to the man. "Once I have taken care of him, my good man. And if I don't come out of it alive, my friend here will get my horse, and you will get everything I own."
"Well, that's a different thing altogether," the innkeeper said as he calmed down. "Go ahead."
'Really?! That's all it took?!' Gavin thought as Dogtania turned her attention to the man with the black mustache.
"Come on! Is that sword just an ornament?!" Dogtania said to the man. "Unsheathe your blade!"
"Uggggh! I cannot abide your insolence any longer!" The man replied, while his servant/squire stood by. "Both of you must be taught a lesson!" he continued as he reached for his sword, surprising Gavin and pleasing Dogtania.
"Pardon me master, but considering this evening's plans, do you consider it wise?" The servant replied in his high scratchy voice.
"Don't worry. This will only take a moment or two," The man replied as he looked at the two. 'I'm sure these two country bumpkins are just pushovers!' He thought.
"Is that so? Dogtania and Gavin of Bern shall now prove you wrong, Monsieur!" Dogtania said as she pulled out her blade, while Gavin sighed and slowly pulled his blade out as well.
Then, the man whipped out his blade with a chuckle and did several slashes, using the tip of his sword to get an apple and hold it up into the air, surprising Gavin and Dogtania with the speed and skill the man showed with his sword. The man then tossed the apple into the air and gave it three swift strikes with his blade, before he stabbed it at the bottom, causing it to fall into evenly sliced pieces onto the ground. "Heheheheh!" The man cackled.
"He handles his blade magnificently! You'd better stay away from him, dear lads, or else you'll have as many holes as Swiss cheese!" The innkeeper said to them, before Dogtania grabbed an apple with her sword and tossed another one to Gavin.
She then looked to him and nodded, before she tossed the apple into the air and started to give several short and quick strikes to it.
'Well, I might as well,' Gavin thought before he did the same thing, except his strikes were a bit longer and stronger.
After about twenty seconds had passed, the two stopped, and balanced the apples on the tips of their blades, before they blew at them. This caused the apples to fly apart, revealing they had been sliced so thinly that they could be blown away. Dogtania's apple slices were still circular in shape, but Gavin's were star shaped.
"The lads aren't bad either," The innkeeper said to himself with surprise as the apple thins flew past the man with the black mustache.
"Not bad, for a couple of country bumpkins," The man replied.
"Monsieur, whenever you are ready to stop this show of swordplay. You still owe me and my friend here an apology," Dogtania said as she spun her sword around a few times.
"She'll be here soon!" The servant whispered to the man form behind him.
"Why don't you just admit that you're a coward!" Dogtania said to the man, irking him even more.
"You both need to be taught to respect your betters," He said, before turning to his servant. "It is a matter of honor."
"But your appointment this evening?!" The servant replied.
"Sir, if you will not engage us, then I shall come at you!"" Dogtania said before she stepped forward. "En guarde!" She yelled as she jabbed her sword forward.
"Ha! I'll slice the both of you to pieces!" the man replied as he quickly blocked her jab.
"We shall see Monsieur!" Dogtania said to him, before Gavin stepped in and went for a stab.
"Ha!" The man huffed as he blocked his stab as well. "You insolent louts!" He shouted as he swung back at them, forcing them to step back as they fought, blades clashing with each other.
"My lord, this fighting must not continue," The man's servant said to him. "Sir! Milady will be here soon! We don't have time for this!"
"First I'll finish these bumpkins!" The man replied, before he started fighting the two even harder, applying more speed and force to his strikes.
"Ouch!" Gavin hissed as the man managed to land a blow on his shoulder, making him back up even more as he blocked each blow the man was throwing at him. Dogtania growled with anger upon hearing him let out the hiss of pain, her eyes narrowing at the man with the black mustache.
Soon, she had backed up to a set of wooden shelves with plates on them, with Gavin backing up next to it. The man then grinned as he thought, 'I've got you now!' before he thrusted his sword at Dogtania, who jumped up, causing the sword to hit the shelves and knock it forward.
"Look at that!" The innkeeper said with shock as Dogtania jumped up onto the fallen shelves and over the man, who howled with pain, as the shelves had landed on his toes.
Gavin quickly followed her, and blocked a slash from the man as he went over to her. The two then proceeded to push their attacks forward at the man, pushing him back. After Gavin made a particularly strong thrust that almost hit the man in the leg, he jumped backwards, flipping, and landing onto a table that collapsed from the force.
As the three continued to fight, the servant started to hear something outside. "I think someone's coming!" He said, before he headed out the door and into the open courtyard, the night sky overhead. He hurried over to the entrance of the courtyard and peaked out, before seeing a horse and carriage heading their way. "Oh no! Milady has arrived, and my master is in the middle of a brawl!" The servant then hurried back to the kitchen, where his master was still fighting, although his back was now to the door.
"My lord, Milady has arrived. You must attend to your business!" The servant said to his master.
"Then there's no choice!" The man said to him, Gavin and Dogtania too focused on the fight to pay attention to what they were saying. "You keep these country bumpkins busy, and I'll go immediately!"
"Yes my lord!" The servant said, happy to help him. He then turned and walked over to a nearby pile of firewood, before he grabbed two long and heavy pieces of cut wood. "Innkeeper! Lend a hand!"
"Me? I'm not a fighter!" The innkeeper said as the servant came over to him.
"My master will pay you well," The servant said as he held out a log, which the innkeeper immediately took upon hearing he'd get more money.
"He looks pretty dangerous," the innkeeper replied.
"We'll jump them together," The servant said. "It'll be easy."
"I don't know," the innkeeper replied as he followed the servant over to the man, standing directly behind him.
"Your appointment, my lord," The servant said.
"Give these impertinent people a sound thrashing for their rudeness!" The man said, before the servant swung the log at Dogtania, causing her and Gaivn to back up with surprise.
"Ah! You cowards!" Dogtania said, with Gavin frowning at them. Then, before they could react, the innkeeper jumped in and swung his log at Gavin, hitting him on the side and catching the two off guard. The servant swung again, and his log connected with Dogtania's head.
"I regret I must leave on urgent business," The man said to them with a smirk before he ran out of the room and to the front door.
Then the two began to smack and hit the two with their logs over and over and over again all over.
After they did this several times, they stopped, and saw that the two were wobbling about a bit. "Just one more each, I think," the servant said with a grin, before he raised up his log to smack Dogtania on the head. "For a good long rest. Now!"
Fortunately, Dogtania and Gavin managed to snap out of it, and pointed their swords at the servant, who gasped with surprise and worry.
"Watch out!" The innkeeper said as the two frowned and stepped forward, causing the servant to step back.
"How dare you attack us you cowardly swine!" Dogtania replied as she pointed her sword at the man.
"It wasn't even your fight!" Gavin added.
"Please don't hurt me! I give up! I surrender!" The servant quickly said, before falling to his knees and passing out.
"Now then, where did that man go?" Gavin said as he and Dogtania hurried out the door, while the servant opened his eyes and looked at them. The two hurried over to the front entrance to look for the man, and peaked around the corner.
There, sitting close by the inn was a large brown carriage drawn by black horses. The man with the black mustache stood to the side of it, in front of the open carriage door.
"What took you so long?" The man asked the occupant inside. "Is everything alright?"
"We broke a wheel on the road," a young female voice said, sounding quite seductive. "I'm sorry if the delay concerned you. Now, what do you want me to do?"
"You must go to England immediately. There is someone there who must be watched carefully."
"I see. Who is it, pray tell?"
"It is the Duke of Buckingham," The man said, while Gavin and Dogtania watched with confusion, wondering what they were saying.
"The Duke of Buckingham, the prime minister himself!" The lady said with surprise and a smile. "And why him?"
"Our queen and the duke have made their pure and simple friendship common knowledge, but we have reason to suspect that there may be more to it," The man replied. "Take this purse for expenses and discover what you can," he continued as he held up a bag of coins, prompting the occupant of the carriage to lean forward and reveal themselves.
And what Gavin saw made his eyes widen and face heat up slightly.
The occupant of the carriage was a female cat who appeared to be in her early 20s. He couldn't tell how tall she was, but he could tell that she was wearing a voluminous red hood and travel gown that gave away nothing about her figure, with white frills around the edges of the hood on her shoulders. Her fur, what he could see at least in the moonlight, was grayish green in color, and her eyes were a brilliant blue, with long black eyelashes. Around her eyes sat a large black domino mask.
"Mhhhh!" Gavin said as he turned away, his face still heated up a bit.
"You okay Gavin?" Dogtania asked him with some concern.
"She is so beautiful," He said with somewhat dazed voice, before he looked out once more.
The female cat moved back into her carriage after counting all the coins, and said, "Adieu," to the man, before the carriage driver said, "Move out" and shook the reigns. This caused the horses to neigh before they started to move.
And soon, the carriage was driving off.
'I wonder if we'll see her again?' Gavin thought, before he heard Dogtania say, "You again?!" prompting him to turn around.
There, standing with a log held high, was the servant.
"This rude behavior will only make me angry," Dogtania said as she pointed her sword at the servant. "Now go! And tell your master we must finish our duel!"
At that, the servant swung his log forward, and almost hit Dogtania if Gavin hadn't used his sword to block the log.
"Hey! Stop it!" Gavin said to the man with a frown. "I don't want to hurt you." The servant wouldn't listen though, and continued to swing his log at them, prompting them to go on the defensive. They easily deflected the man's swings, and soon pushed him back towards a tree in the yard.
Then, Dogtania spotted the man coming back into the courtyard, a smirk on his face. "There he is!" She said, before she and Gavin looked at the servant again.
"Now that's enough!" The two said as they stabbed their swords at the servant, pinning him to the tree by his shirt.
"Help!" The servant cried, before he hit their swords with the log.
"With all this whining you're doing, you sound more like a baby pig than a man," Gavin said with a shake of his head.
"Now we're sorry, but we have to go!" Dogtania added as she and Gavin tugged on their swords, trying to get them out of the wood.
Then, the servant swung a couple more times at the swords with the log, and the old metal in the swords soon gave way to the abuse, having been dealt enough damage.
"Ah!" Gavin and Dogtania said with shock and alarm. "Why you?! You've broken the sword that my/her father gave me!" They yelled at the man with anger.
"You-You-!"
*Thwack!*
"Dogtania!" Gavin said as he turned and saw her fall forward, before there was another "THWACK!" and he went down as well, falling to his knees.
The servant then started to go ham on them, hitting them on the head several times with the log.
"Stop! That's enough!" The innkeeper said, having been the one who had hit Dogtania first on the head. "Any more and you'll kill them."
"They deserve it! They made a fool of me!" The servant growled, before turning to his master, who then walked forward.
"Well, so much for them," The man said as he looked at the two prone figures. "Well done you two." He then hummed as he looked at them. "They fought well. As if they'd been…trained."
"Yes, it's strange my lord," The servant said as he looked at the prone figures. "Let me take a look," He continued, before he knelt and started to search Dogtania, turning her over as he did so. He then reached into her shirt and started to feel around.
"What do we have here?" he said after a couple seconds, his hands grabbing onto something leathery and round, before pulling it out. "I believe there's quite a lot of money here!" He continued as he held up a large leather sack of coins. "My lord?"
"The girl did promise to pay the innkeeper for anything damaged in our fight," The man said to his servant. "So give it to our host, squire. Take it Monsieur, with my gratitude."
"This is yours now," The squire said as he handed the coins to the innkeeper.
"A pleasure!" The innkeeper said, happy to have more money.
"And there was something else in there," the squire continued as he reached back in, before grabbing the other object he'd felt. "It's a letter!" he said as he pulled out an envelope. "Here!"
"Hmm," The man hummed as he looked at the envelope. "It's addressed to…Monsieur Treville of Paris! The captain of the Musketeers! Is it possible?" he continued as he looked at the girl, before he looked at the other creature. 'Could they both be…?' "Squire, search the other and see if he had a letter as well," he ordered.
"Yes, my lord!" The squire replied before he hurried over to Gavin and turned him over with some difficulty. He then pulled back his cloak, and all three men gasped upon seeing his face.
"Ugh! No wonder he wore a cloak!" The man with the black mustache said upon seeing Gavin's face, disgusted by it. "His face is hideous!"
"I quite agree," His squire replied, while the innkeeper had more of a surprised look than a disgusted one, having seen many odd things in his life. "My lord, do I still have to search him?" He asked his master, who nodded, causing the squire to shudder with revulsion before he reached under Gavin's shirt and felt around.
After several seconds, he looked at his master. "There's nothing sir!"
"Hmmm, alright then! Cover up his head! I can't stand looking at it!" The man said, prompting his servant to pull the cloak back over his head. "You will dispose of them innkeeper," he said to the man.
"Yes monsieur!"
"And you are to say nothing of this to anyone!" The man continued as he and his servant walked off, leaving the innkeeper with the travelers.
The innkeeper grunted and groaned as he dragged the two inside one at a time, before he gained a surprised look when Dogtania whimpered as her sore head bumped against the ground, while Gavin groaned. "By the saints! They're still alive!" He said with shock.
"Ugh, my head!" Gavin groaned as he sat up, while Dogtania continued to lay there, unconscious. "Could I have some water? Ugh, I hurt everywhere. What happened to me?" he continued, having momentarily forgotten the fight they'd been in earlier. "And what happened to Dogtania?" he said as he looked at her.
"I'll get you a drink!" the innkeeper said as he ran off and grabbed a pitcher of water, before he returned.
"Thank you," Gavin said as he took the pitcher with a shaky arm and drank from it, his head throbbing with pain. "Ahh," he sighed as he handed him back the pitcher, which the innkeeper then put away.
"Feeling better?" The innkeeper asked him while thinking, 'They're not such bad sorts, and, although they don't know it yet, she's paid me very well.' He then chuckled.
"Pardon monsieur?" Gavin asked upon hearing the chuckled, mistaking it for a question.
"Nothing! I was just thinking aloud!" The innkeeper said to him. "You better rest for a bit now, eh?"
"We'd hate to be a bother," he replied as he looked at Dogtania.
"Nonsense! Think nothing of it!"
"Innkeeper!" The man with the black mustache called out.
"Now just lie still and don't say anything Monsieur."
"But why?"
"Because that Cavalier hasn't left yet!" The innkeeper said before he walked past them.
"He's still here?!" Gavin said, his memory starting to come back to him.
"Thank you for your hospitality, and remember this well," The man with the black mustache said to the innkeeper in the next room. "If anyone should happen to ask, we were never here! Got that?!"
"Yes sir!"
"Your money," the man said as he gave him a couple coins.
"But sir, this is hardly-"
"You're not satisfied?" The man said to him with an arched eyebrow while putting one hand on his sword hilt.
"Monsieur, you're right as always," The innkeeper replied quickly, not wanting to be stabbed by a sword.
"Hahahaha!" The man cackled as he and his squire left.
"That cheap tightwad!" The innkeeper said once they were gone, turning away as he looked at the coins. "Next to nothing! You can't judge people by their appearance," He said with realization as he headed back to where Gavin and Dogtania were.
"Is he gone?" Gavin said as he sat on the floor, holding Dogtania in his arms.
"He is," he replied.
"Did he take anything?" he asked the innkeeper.
"Well, he did take a letter from her," The innkeeper replied, making Gavin frown. "But he didn't take her money. I have that."
"Alright," Gavin said as he started to slowly and shakily stand up. "Can you take us to our room?" he asked the man, who nodded before he came over and gently took him by the shoulder. Then, the man started to help them along, Gavin feeling lower than he'd ever felt before.
Several minutes later…
"Oooooooh," Gavin groaned with pain as he sat on the bed in their room, setting Dogtania on it, her head resting on the pillow.
"Do you need anymore help?" The innkeeper asked him.
"No thank you good sir," he replied. "I can handle it from here."
"Alright," the innkeeper said with a nod, before leaving the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
"Okay, now let's get you ready for bed," Gavin said as he took off Dogtania's hat and set it on the table along with his cloak, before he saw her eyes slowly open. "Hey Dogtania."
"G-Gavin," Dogtania replied, a small smile forming on her face. "Where are we?"
"IN our room at the inn," He replied.
"How'd we…get here?" She asked him, sounding quite weak.
"The innkeeper helped us," he answered her.
"I see," She replied, before her eyes widened with realization and she started to sit up. "The man with the black mustache! He-!"
"Dogtania, stop!" Gavin said with a firm voice, making her freeze in place. "He's already gone, and we are in no condition to continue fighting him. He also took your letter."
"What?! My letter?!" She replied, before she started to sit up again. "Now we have to go after him! That letter's very important!" She then growled as she realized what else that meant. "And he put his paws on me!"
"Dogtania, I know it is and that he did," he said to her, frowning. "But there's nothing we can do right now about it. We need to rest."
"But-!"
"Dogtania, I won't say it again," he said as he looked at her firmly, making her sigh.
"Alright," She replied, before he reached down and gently pulled off her boots, setting them on the floor next to the nearby table. "Wait, what are you doing?"
"I'm getting you ready for bed," he said to her. "And don't try to argue with me Dogtania." She then nodded silently, before he reached down and took the hem of her shirt. He then pulled her shirt up and over her head, before turning it back inside and setting it on the table.
As he did so, the bag of ointment from her mother fell out on the table. "Here, use this," he said as he grabbed the ointment and gave it to her, before he took off his gloves and boots, wincing with pain as he did so. 'Man, those logs really battered us,' he thought as he set them to the side, before taking off his shirt. He then reached into the bottom of his shirt and felt around, before smiling when he found his bag of ointment. 'Good, they didn't find it,' He thought as he took it out and opened it, revealing a small pot holding the ointment.
The two then put on the ointment and hissed with pain as the ointment stung in their wounds, especially on Gavin's shoulder wound, which consisted of a large bruise on the top.
"Well, let's hope it works quickly," He said as he finished applying the ointment and put it away, before he checked his boot and smiled when he found his letter. 'Good, they didn't find this either.'
"Yeah, me too," Dogtania replied, sounding and looking quite sad.
"Hey, Dogtania?" He said as he turned to her, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "We'll get them, okay? One day, we will," He continued, trying to encourage her.
"I hope so," She replied a bit sadly, before she scooted to the side and pat the mattress. "Now come on, let's get some sleep."
"A-A-Alright," he stammered a bit, feeling rather nervous as he moved over and got into the bed with her. He knew that if he tried to argue for him to sleep on the floor, she'd insist, and he really didn't feel like arguing with his best friend, especially at that moment.
"Hey! Leave some room for me!" Dogtania said with a small smile as he got under the covers, nearly pushing her out of the small bed.
"Sorry," He apologized, before he got an idea. One that was a bit crazy. "Here, does this help?" he asked her as he picked her up and set her in his lap under the covers.
"Yes, it does," She replied as she blushed, keeping her face away from his.
"Good," Gavin said, before he yawned loudly. "Good night Dogtania," he continued as he laid down and closed his eyes, before quickly falling asleep.
"Good night, Gavin," She replied quietly as she looked at him, before yawning herself. 'Gosh! We haven't been this close in a while,' She thought before she laid down, her head resting on his chest. 'I've missed this.'
And with that thought, she fell asleep.
The next morning…
"Mmmm," Gavin hummed as he woke up, the sunlight shining into their room. He yawned as he opened his eyes and rubbed them, before he started to sit up, only to paused when he felt a heavy weight on his chest. 'Huh?' He thought with confusion as he looked down.
There, fast asleep on his chest, was Dogtania. She had turned over in the night, and her large chest was pressing into his belly, while her head rested on his chest. 'Oh yeah, I put her there last night,' Gavin thought as he looked at her, with her looking very peaceful. 'There wasn't enough room in the bed for us to lay down side by side.'
As he looked at her, she started to move, and slowly opened her eyes before she let out a big yawn.
"Good morning Dogtania," Gavin said to her, catching her attention.
"Oh, good morning, Gavin," She replied as she sat up, pushing the covers away as she yawned again. Then, she stopped, and started to move her limbs around. "Hey! I don't hurt anymore!" She continued with a smile.
"Really?" Gavin said with surprise.
"Yes! Look!" She replied as she got out of bed and walked around with no wincing whatsoever. "See! No more pain!"
"Good," Gavin said, before he sat up as well and got out of bed. "It looks like I'm good to go as well," He continued as he moved his arms around, with no pain emanating from them at all. There was no pain from his head either, which pleased him. "Your mom's ointment really does work fast!"
"Yes it does," Dogtania replied, before both of their stomachs growled loudly, making her blush with embarrassment.
"Well, let's get dressed and head down to the kitchen," He said to her with a small chuckle. "I'm sure the innkeeper has some food for us to eat."
"Yeah!" Dogtania replied with a nod as she started to get dressed, with Gavin getting dressed as well.
Several minutes later, the two were eating lunch in the kitchen, having been so drained of energy from the fight the previous night that they had slept through breakfast.
As they started to finish eating, with Gavin eating at a slow but steady pace and Dogtania eating voraciously, they realized something. The metal skewers they were eating off of were in fact the broken blades of their swords!
'Well, that's one way to recycle,' Gavin thought as he stared at the broken blade, a bit sad it had broken and had left him without a sword.
Dogtania though, had a more verbal reaction. "Man que parre!" She shouted, before turning to the innkeeper nearby, who looked shocked. "How dare you use our blades to serve food with?! Have you gone mad?!"
"Forgive me madame!" The innkeeper said as he held a large piece of paper in his hands. "But I thought 'They're damaged. They won't want it!' So I cooked the roasts on it! Oh! Uh, speaking of damages," The innkeeper continued as he held the paper towards them, prompting them to take it and look at it.
"Do we owe you money?" Gavin asked the man with some surprise.
"You can see that-"
"Say, isn't that a bit high?" Dogtania asked the man as she looked at the paper closely. "Could there maybe be a mistake?"
"There isn't any mistake madame and monsieur! I am charging you for today's lunch, the room, and remember you promised to pay for everything that was broken," The innkeeper replied.
"Right, well, you have my money, don't you?" Dogtania asked the man.
"Yes," the innkeeper said with a nod as he held up the bag of coins. "I've got your money, and, well, excuse me, but I counted it. And I'm afraid it's not enough."
"'Not enough?'" Dogtania repeated with surprise.
"Sorry," The man replied.
"Well, this is a problem, because I don't have anymore!" Dogtania said as she tapped her finger on the table.
"I have some Dogtania," Gavin replied as he reached down towards his boot. "I can pay the re-"
"No Gavin!"
"What?" Gavin said with surprise as he looked at Dogtania. "What do you mean 'no?'"
"I must be the one who has to pay him, not you," She replied as she looked at him with a firm look, letting him know she was serious. "After all, I was the one who said I would compensate the man for any damages. You didn't."
"Are you sure Dogtania?"
"I'm sure Gavin," She replied, causing him to sigh after several seconds.
"Well, alright," He said to her while thinking, 'Dogtania, you can be so stubborn at times!' "If that is what you wish."
"Alright then, so what do you propose Monsieur?" Dogtania asked the innkeeper as she turned her attention back to him.
"Well, I suppose your horse will have to stay here as security," The innkeeper replied.
"What?!" Gavin and Dogtania said with shock.
"You mean take Sandy away from me?!" Dogtania said to the man, who shook his head.
"Now, no one's taking anything from anyone," The innkeeper replied. "He'll still belong to you. I'm just going to keep him until you can come back and pay me."
"Oh boy," Dogtania said upon hearing that.
"Dogtania, are you sure you don't want me to pa-" Gavin was cut off by a firm look from Dogtania. "Never mind," he continued, before she sighed sadly as she looked at the table. 'I guess she'll have to leave Sandy here then. Oh, he's not going to be happy.'
A few minutes later…
"I'm sorry Sandy. This is all my fault, but you're going to have to stay here a little while," Dogtania said to Sandy as she rubbed his neck, she and Gavin standing in the stables ready to go. "We'll be back. I promise."
"I promise as well, Sandy," Gavin said, having grown a bit attached to the horse, although he hadn't ridden him even once. "We will come back for you."
"Goodbye, my friend," Dogtania said to Sandy, who neighed sadly before he gently rubbed his nose against her head lovingly.
"Goodbye, Sandy," Gavin added, before Dogtania started to walk away, carrying Sandy's saddle with some difficulty, prompting him to follow her.
The two then left the inn's courtyard and got back onto the road to Paris, unaware that the Cavalier with the black mustache and the mysterious lady they had seen would play a large part in their adventures to come.
They were both still determined to become Muskehounds, despite Dogtania losing her letter, as they believed in loyalty, honor, and trust between comrades.
For the Muskehound's motto when deeds must be done was this: One for all, and All for one!
Well, this was an interesting chapter!
Can't wait to write more!
I have decreased the distance between Gascony and Paris a bit, so it won't take them many months of travel.
I will also be doing chapters not based on any of the episodes.
Gavin's not ugly by any means whatsoever, but he is quite odd looking, being the only human in their world after all. And some people, like the man with the black mustache and his servant, don't like his looks at all.
Other stories are being worked on! Be patient!
Please leave a review!
This is PuzzleMaster1998 here, signing off!
