Chapter Three
The group were settled into a small building close to the centre of the village. It was one of the few buildings that were offered to guests when they visited the Flareon Village. Made of stone mined from the mountain, with three rooms holding two small beds each, a washroom and a small living area, it was big enough to hold the six comfortably without them feeling like they were in each other's way. The roof itself was made of tiled wooden slats that allowed airflow and kept the heat of the volcanic area out of the house.
Arric strode into the house early the next morning, returning from Vespers home that he had been summoned to as dawn crept over the canyon. He had slept much better this time around, the previous night's dreams still haunted him but his mood had improved. Vesper had asked, in reality ordered, him to escort the others around the village and try to persuade them to pledge Flareon.
"Make pledging Flareon sound like a good investment. Sell it. We all know that Flareon are strong, cunning and resourceful. Show them that we are the best bet."
Vespers' voice echoed in his mind from their conversation and it only made him feel sour. Arric knew the Flareon were as Vesper described but making their futures nothing more than a sales pitch made his stomach knot. It did not feel right to push the others into something so important that he himself had no idea on. Sighing to himself, Arric ran a clawed hand through his short spiked light brown hair and called out to his friends,
"Hey guys, Master Vesper asked me to show you guys around the village. He figured you might want to check out the kitchen for breakfast, have a wander through the artisan area and finish up at the blacksmiths."
The others gathered and Arric led them towards the kitchen, the others taking in the sights around them. The kitchen was not far off from the visitor buildings and it was not long before Arric could smell the sweet scent of cooked meat and fruits wafting towards them. His stomach growled as he rounded the corner and they came upon the large building with the stone tables and chairs they had seen yesterday. This time, the building was full of life with Flareon gathering themselves a meal or sitting with a small group chatting away happily. Arric led his group inside and towards the buffet area where a delicious sweep of various meats, fruits and vegetables were laid out before them.
"Grab a plate and fill her up." Arric instructed as he took a clay plate for himself. "There is always plenty. The kitchen staff are usually good the food is always delicious."
He watched to make sure that all his friends had grabbed a plate before setting a few cooked fruits and vegetables on his own plate. After gaining a small hoard for himself, he turned to look for a table big enough for them all. Spotting one near the far corner, he slipped past the other Flareon, many of who towered over he and his friends, and sat down before it could be taken by anyone else. His friends joined him, Hannah and Bree made an effort to sit away from each other, while Grace plopped herself down next to Arric, picking at her food quietly. Quin nibbled nervously, taking in the scenery around him, it was clear being in such a crowded place affected him, while Tak grazed on his food lazily next to him.
"So how come they have a communal kitchen instead of preparing their own food at home?" Bree asked between mouthfuls.
Arric shrugged, "I guess this is the way it has always been done. It is a roster system; everyone has to have a turn sometime. It is like this way with most of the work around here."
Arric pointed to a smaller Flareon gathering left over plates and small clay cups from empty tables before scurrying behind the kitchen counter, slipping into the back. "Even clean-up is rostered. No one really minds and even Master Vesper and Madame Lea are rostered. They have always believed that everyone works together and so there are no disputes over who wants to be what, in the end there is a job for everyone."
"An efficient model of employment." Quin nodded as he watched two more Flareon clean up the tables in between the chaos of breakfast.
They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence before clearing the table and returning their dishes. The Flareon at the wash basin smiling at them as she scrubbed the dishes before passing them to another to dry. Arric led them out of the building and down the road toward a type of marketplace area. Each building that lined the large courtyard was relatively small and similar in design with a wooden slat roof, stone walls with a shop front under cover. Though instead of selling items, each building housed a different item production. In one, a Flareon sat on a small stool with a pottery wheel in front of her. Her hands were covered in clay as she shaped the putty before her, her paw paddling away at the foot to make the wheel spin. Various pottery stacked the shelves around her, with a kiln inside for finished products. In another building a Flareon was chiselling stone from a large boulder into what looked to be a start of a table. His tongue stuck out at the side of his mouth as he chipped away at the stone carefully in order to made the complicated curve on the tables legs.
"Here is where artisans of all kinds come to do their work." Arric spread out his arms to address the courtyard.
They wandered to each building and watched each artisan for a few minutes impressed with each of their work. Once they had circled the courtyard once, Arric gathered them to take them to the blacksmith workshop close to the mountain itself. Hannah looked back at the pottery workshop with a longing look in her eyes.
"Could we perhaps give some of this stuff a try? Do we need to go to the blacksmiths now?"
Arric shook his head, "Master Vesper wanted to make sure you guys had a full tour first." He gave a small smile, "We have a few days here, I'm sure you can have a go at any of the crafts before we leave."
The group murmured with excitement as Arric led them down the road that led towards the blacksmith workshop. It was a fair way from the village itself and was much closer to the mountain itself. As they got closer to the blacksmith the canyon opened up into a large enclosed area with the mountain reaching up towards the sky. A large workshop sat to the east side of the mountain base with a small mine at the centre. Flareon pushed carts of stone towards the building to the east, dropping them into large containers that sat to the side of the building.
Arric headed for the eastern building, the sound of clanging of stone and metal rang in his ears as the group drew closer. The building itself was large, made mostly of stone with a wooden roof and pillars making up the structure. To one side there were stone slabs with various tools sitting on them. Most of the tools included those used for farming and crafting, some were spears meant for hunting. To the other side, small anvils were set up, with a couple of large water tubs for dipping the finished tools. A large forge that took up one side of the workshop burned brightly, a few Flareon causally heating the coals inside with their power in order to keep it to the right temperature for melting stone and metals. The heat that radiated from the furnace was almost too much for the group to bear and they stopped short of the entrance, fur already slick with sweat.
"Orion!" Arric called out into the workshop.
A humongous Flareon sauntered from one side of the forge, his thick, bushy fur the colour of the forge fire itself. He wore large gloves and his face was covered with a thick leather mask to protect his face from the intense heat. Spotting Arric and the other Eevee, he lifted his mask revealing a face covered in small scars, the fur left was beginning to whiten with age, his long ears had several chunks missing and his bright red hair had been trimmed into a short Mohawk to keep it out of his face.
"Arric and friends." His deep voice was husky with age as he greeted them, "Came to see the workshop I see."
Arric nodded and stepped into the workshop, making sure to keep away from the forge. A few other Flareon were placing coals into the forge, while some poked at the metals and stones that were slowly heating up. Orion looked over the six Eevee, judging them each before letting out a short grunt.
"Come. I will show you how we work."
Grabbing a pair of heavy metal tongs, he picked up a small piece of metal, burning red in the forge fire. He placed it on a small anvil.
"Flareon are renowned for their craftsmanship skills in the forge. We are the sole providers for farming, hunting and protection tools."
He grabbed a hammer and gave the metal a few strikes, shaping the metal before taking the tongs and placing it into the forge to heat it again, "Without our work, many of the other tribes would find it difficult to protect themselves or harvest food."
Taking the metal piece back and placing it back onto the anvil he striked it a few more times. "The key to our success is our ability to control fire." He took a deep breath and blew a stream of fire towards the metal, allowing him to mould the metal into a small sickle. When he was satisfied he tossed the sickle into the tub of water next to the anvil, watching as the steam hissed at him. "As you learn to control your fire more, the hotter it gets and soon the forge is more of a metal warmer than anything else."
Chuckling to himself, he dipped his hand into water and pulled out the finished sickle, its metal gleaming in the sunlight. "You have to be careful though not to get burned. It's easy to get so lost in your work and I've known a couple of Flareon almost take another out when they weren't careful."
Orion shuffled over to one of the racks and placed the sickle ready to be taken to be fitted for a handle. He looked over to the group, waving a hand to the rest of the workshop, "Take a look, handle the tools, strike some metal if you like. Just don't grab any of the metal without asking another Flareon first. Safety you know."
With a nod he sauntered off into the back of the workshop, leaving Arric and the others to themselves. Bree headed into the workshop storage area to have a better look at the tools they made while Hannah followed Grace towards the mine chatting excitedly. "I want to see how they mine the stone. I hear they use their fire power to cut pieces like a laser!"
Tak, Quin and Arric headed closer to the forge, handling some of the tools that were recently made. A Flareon explained how each tool was shaped, how different temperatures affected the quality and how some metals had to be heated more in order to be able to be worked with.
Arric studied some of the tools and took one of the spear heads in his hands. It was jagged on the sides, perfect for taking down larger prey. "Orion mentioned tools for protection. Is it mainly spears made or are other weapons made?"
The Flareon fidgeted on his feet, refusing to meet Arric in the eye, "Orion tells us we are not allowed to make those types of weapons. Master Vesper has ordered only Orion is allowed to make anything remotely that powerful to cause harm to others."
He looked up at him, a serious look on his face, he leaned in closer, his voice almost a whisper. "You didn't hear it from me but I heard that Orion has been working on some weapons imbued with fire power so that Master Vesper can….."
His voice trailed off as his eyes locked onto something behind Arric, his face suddenly paling as he shouted, "Stop! You can't move that or it will cause it to coll-"
A loud crash followed and Arric spun around to find that a small portion of the roof had collapsed into the forge. Hot coals flew into the workshop, causing the Flareon, Tak and Arric to scramble out the way. Quin scurried from underneath the collapsed roof, eyes wide with shock. The roof caught fire almost immediately, the coals setting fire to the area inside the workshop where they had flown. The dry air and wind causing the fire to quickly spread, engulfing the workshop in smoke and flames. Arric and Tak followed the Flareon out of the workshop with Quin following behind. The Flareon turned on Quin, "What were you thinking?!"
Quin shook with fear, "I, I, I just wanted to take a look at the metal that was in the forge, I thought it was more steady!"
They watched in horror as Flareon scrambled for safety away from the workshop, its fire blazing in the sun. Flareon raced to try and put the fire out with their own power, some throwing water in hope to put it out. Hannah and Grace joined the others, looking up at the fire as it swelled before them consuming the blacksmith workshop completely. Hannah suddenly spun in a circle and stopped to look at the four of them, her eyes wide, "Where's Bree?"
Arric felt his blood run cold as he turned to face the fire, "She followed Orion into the workshop." Hannah wailed and went to race into the burning building, Grace wrapped her arms around her to stop her. "Bree! Bree!"
Arric and Tak shared a look, nodded and both sprang into action. The two them raced towards the building. Covering his face, Arric watched as the smoke swallowed Tak before him, filling his eyes, ears and mouth as he followed. Dropping low, he crawled along the floor, Tak completely disappearing in the smoke and fire around them. His lungs burned, his chest felt like it was on fire. He pushed on calling out for Bree. The roof of the workshop splintered before him, making him roll to the side, feeling the intense heat of the fire burn into his hands. Screaming he whacked his hands in the sand below, trying to put out them out. Suddenly his hands hit against something, it felt solid and furry. Without another thought he grabbed the body and began to drag it out, the building beginning to collapse around him. His eyes watered from the smoke and the roar of the fire around him made it nearly impossible to figure out which way to go. Gritting his teeth, he hauled the body out with him and gave a cry of relief as he felt the heat lessen as he finally made it outside. Grace helped him drag the body the rest of the way and once they had laid them on the ground, another Flareon grabbed his hands and shoved them into a bucket of water. Pain shot through his fingers and he hollered in pain but soon the throbbing eased to a manageable ache. Arric looked over to find that he had dragged out Orion's unconscious body, the other Flareon preparing to load him onto a stretcher to take him for medical help.
"Where's Tak?"
His voice was hoarse and he coughed, his chest and throat burning from the smoke. Grace patted him on the back, offering him a drink of water, which he took eagerly. He looked up at her, her eyes full of worry and tears.
"He managed to get Bree out. He." She choked on a sob, "Oh Arric, he looked pretty bad when they carted him off."
Arric coughed again, the feeling of smoke in his lungs wouldn't shift and he gladly took another drink of water when Grace offered. Around him the Flareon were still trying to get the blaze under control, Arric watching as the flames grew higher.
"Stand back! Get out of my way!"
Vesper arrived with Lea and the two of them headed for the group of them. Lea gasped at the sight of them, taking Quin in her arms. He looked absolutely terrified, his face pale and visibly shaking. She soothed him and stepped further back from the blaze, motioning for Grace and Arric to follow. Grace helped Arric stand and they watched as Vesper strode towards the burning building, a fire in his eyes.
"Master Vesper wait!" Arric croaked but his voice barely made it above a whisper.
Lea clicked her tongue, shaking her head, "Don't you worry about him sweetie. This is child's play to him."
Confused, Arric could only watch as Vesper stood before the flames, reaching out his hands and letting the fire lick at the tips of his fingers. Arric gasped in awe as Vesper breathed in, the fire siphoning towards him, enveloping him and finally steaming up from him, turning into vapour. The smoke cleared and all that was left was the burnt out husk of the blacksmith workshop. Vesper turned and glared at him, Quin flinching further into the fur of Lea, who put a hand around him. Vesper reached out and grabbed Quin, ripping him out of her grasp by the scruff and growling,
"What in the world have you done!" His voice roared through the enclosed canyon. Everyone was silent. Quin looked like he was about to faint, his eyes wide with fear and he tried to shrink away from Vesper, wriggling in his grip. He opened his mouth to try and speak but only stammered words.
"Useless Eevee! You have caused an amount of damage that will take weeks to repair and you can't even explain yourself!"
Tears formed in Quins eyes, he struggled against Vespers grip but the Flareon held him firm, his claws digging into the scruff of his neck.
"You had better hope you pledge Sylveon because you can be damned that I'll take someone as useless as you as a Flareon!"
Arric stepped towards them, Lea grabbed his arm to warn him not to get involved but he pushed her away.
"Master Vesper, it was my fault. I was not watching when I was supposed to. Quin was only trying to learn Flareon ways better."
He broke out in coughing fit as speaking became harder to manage. Vesper looked between the two of them. Lea sidled up next to her mate and murmured soft words to the large Flareon. Vespers shoulders twitched with anger and with a snarl, threw Quin to the ground, storming towards Arric, staring him down, close enough for Arric to feel the heat of Vespers breath on his face.
"You need to learn the difference between owning up to your own mistakes and taking responsibility for your friends. It might cost you your life one day."
He looked at Quin quivering on the ground and Arric felt the Flareons face and stance soften slightly. Vesper growled, running a hand down his face and through his dark red dreadlocks before turning to Arric.
"Get that Eevee out of my sight."
He turned and headed back to the village, calling out over his shoulder,
"I expect your presence at my home tomorrow Arric. Don't disappoint me again."
Grace put a hand on Arric's shoulder to help him and Lea put her hands around Quin, squeezing him gently and comforting him like a small child. "It's alright sweetie, everyone makes mistakes. I always warned him not to make the roof of wood but the silly Flareon never listened."
Arric watched as tears began to stream down Quins face, his face burrowing into the Flareon's fur and Arric felt his heart break for him.