Another filler chapter. I wanted to look into the horde's reaction at their newest addition, as well try and make a few clues as to the mysertious creature is.
Chapter 31
Knottail decided there was some choice words he had for the mysterious newcomer to the horde. And he was pretty sure he had some good reasons. First off was the sheer fact that the creature was so mysterious. He seemed to appear out of nowhere to aid the horde to capture the mouse, Mattimeo, then had every intent of leaving again, to vanish back into Mossflower woods, until Toka convinced him to fill the post Grim had left empty since he vanished without a trace.
Which annoyed Knottail, because for one, even though he knew everybeast in the horde by name, and maybe a little bit about their backgrounds, Grim was Knottail's only real friend. And he had put his utmost confidence into the hope that Grim would return. To Knottail, handing Grim's post over to a completely unknown creature was saying that grim wasn't coming back, and that his role in the horde was so unimportant that anybeast could do it.
And a newcomer at that, one no one really knew anything about. The creature's species was in doubt even, for the creature's figure was constantly hidden from sight by the cloak he perpetually wore. Although, it was almost unanimously agreed throughout the horde that the creature was most likely a weasel.
The creature's name was unknown as well, and the creature seemed to have no intent in revealing it to anybeast. He asked as to what to call him, he quite briefly would reply that he simply didn't care. So, since the horde couldn't call their new captain "the creature" all the time, he had been dubbed "Hood" because of the hood he always wore, disguising his face.
Which was the second thing Knottail had against Hood. He was so mysterious, and had every intention of keeping it that way. No one had seen what was exactly under the hood, and it was hard to find a chance to do so. Hood held true to his description of himself. He was indeed a loner, and tried to find the most secluded places in the horde to be when he wasn't needed.
When the horde was stopped to rest, Hood would have his tent set up and spend all of his time within, telling the two guards he got just for being captain of the horde to not admit anyone, including themselves, into his tent without his approval. When the horde was on the march, he marched along side the horde, towards the back, keeping his distance, unlike Knottail, who always lead the group of vermin he commanded, just like Toka always lead the entire horde when marching.
All of this told Knottail that he could not trust Hood until he knew more about him, and with each passing moment only seemed to add in his distrust for him.
And it was something he was going to try and rectify.
That night, as the horde made camp for the evening, Knottail decided to have a little chat with Hood. Quietly and calmly, he approached the new captain's tent. Hood's personal guard, standing at the ready at the tent's entrance, stopped him short.
"Sorry, cap'n," one of the two said to Knottail, "Hood wishes to not be disturbed."
"I need to talk with him." Knottail said, then added, "It's urgent." Not really a lie, because it was urgent for Knottail to get answers about Hood.
The two guards didn't seem satisfied with that. "Wot about?" the second guard asked.
"None of your business." Knottail said. "This is a captain matter only."
"Ya mean Toka sent you?" the first guard asked. If there was any creature that could go anywhere he wanted regardless of the creature's wishes, it was Toka. By being leader of the horde, he overruled just about everything within the horde.
"Maybe." Knottail replied, thinking that this could give him a wedge, but also not dedicate himself to the fact that Toka had sent him, which he hadn't.
This seemed to please the guards, for one of them gently tapped on the side of the tent door.
"Cap'n, Knottail would like a word with yeh." he said.
"Wot about?" Hood asked.
"He won't tell us exactly." the guard replied. "Says it's 'cap'n buisness'."
Hood was silent for a moment. "Is he unarmed?"
Before the guards could even inquire, Knottail held his paws open to indicate that he was. He had dismissed his own personal guard and sent them elsewhere for this same reason as well.
"He is." the guard answered Hood.
Hood paused for a long moment, then answered, "Then send him in."
The guards grabbed the folds of the tent door and held it open for Knottail to step through. Knottail obliged and promptly entered. He wasn't surprised with what he saw inside the tent. Like all of the tents, it was scarcely furnished, containing only a small mat and blanket for sleeping on, and a chair.
Hood sat on the mat cross-legged, his cloak draped over his legs and tail to hide them from view. Like always, he wore a hood, which concealed his face. It was even more concealed more than ever at the moment, given the poor illumination the single lit candle in the tent provided.
As Knottail entered, Hood turned his shadowed face to look at him, then motioned with one paw to the chair. Knottail gently lowered himself into it, looking at his fellow captain.
"You're probably wondering wot I'm here for." Knottail began, his confidence fading slightly when he realized how eerie it was to see Hood's face be nothing more than a shadow.
"Nah, I already know." Hood replied. "Yore like any other beast in this horde. Yeh want to know more about me."
"Aye, I do." Knottail confirmed, surprised it was that obvious.
"Well, I already told yeh everything about me." Hood said bluntly.
"There has to be more to it than that." Knottail persisted.
"Well, there ain't." Hood said. "I'm a wanderer and a loner, new to this whole horde thing. Wot's left to tell?"
"Well, don't you have family or somthin'?" Knottail asked, curious.
"I suppose I must 'ave at one point, but I must have lost 'em at some point too." Hood replied. "Fer as long as I can remember, I've been alone."
"You must have met somebody though." Knottail said.
"Oh sure, loads of times." Hood answered. "But until now, they never wanted much to do with me, and I didn't want much to do with 'em."
"Does the same hold true now?" Knottail asked, wondering if Hood planned to desert at the next chance he got.
"Partly." Hood said. "Toka and most of this horde obviously wants to do much with me. Me, on the other hand, well, I didn't want to join at first, but Toka's a very persuasive feller, and now that I've done it fer about half a day, I think I could get used to it."
"Don't we all?" Knottail asked rhetorically, remembering he felt the same way when he made the rank of captain.
"The only catch is the killin'." Hood went on to say. "Never killed anybody before. Never had a need."
"Well, if you plan to be successful in this horde, it's a must." Knottail said, rising.
"I know." Hood replied.
"And that a chance to do it will come around eventually." Knottail added, sensing the conversation about to end and heading for the tent door.
"I know."
And with that, Hood said nothing more. Knottail, sensing that he got nowhere in that conversation, shrugged, and left to get a good night's sleep.
As it turned out, Hood's chance to prove himself came much sooner than they all thought. The following morning, as a horde grabbed a quick bite to eat before they started marching again, an incident happened.
A female rat named Ruby happened to be helping in the re-packing of supplies in preparation to be carried as the horde marched. She was carrying a bit more than she should, and quickly overbalanced and fell over, scattering not only the valuable supplies everywhere, but also lost some of it in the nearby pond, ruining it.
All of the nearby hordebeasts let loose a long "ooh" at this, knowing that this was a serious matter. Hood and Knottail arrived at the scene at the same time, and examined the situation, Hood taking longer than Knottail. Knottail simply assumed it was because he was knew to the post, and quickly took control, commanding some nearby creature to clean up and try to salvage as much as possible.
He then approached the quivering Ruby, who had not moved since she fell. She looked up at Knottail as Knottail sternly looked down on her.
"You know the punishment for damaging valuable supplies is, correct?" Knottail asked darkly.
Ruby nervously nodded.
"Care to tell me what it is?" Knottail asked.
"D-death." Ruby answered with a stutter.
At this comment, Hood suddenly looked in their direction. With his face hidden, it was impossible for Knottail to see his expression, so the weasel captain ignored Hood. Drawing his sword, he studied Ruby, and thought the situation over again. Mostly accidental and it was due to a mere oversight. A quick death should be all that was necessary then.
Raising his sword over his head, he lined up his blade with Ruby's neck, and then began to swing. He stopped when a sapphire-hilted dagger zoomed past Knottail, startling him enough to stop his swing, which was all that throwing of the dagger was intended to do.
Knottail looked around for the culprit and saw that Hood was making his way towards him. It was his doing.
"Isn't death a bit harsh?" the cloaked figure asked.
"Not for damaging supplies that are vital to the horde." Knottail replied, annoyed.
"But it was an accident." Hood pointed out. "She didn't mean to."
"That's not an excuse." Knottail said, but Hood had diverted his attention to Ruby.
"Does this happen often?" he asked the rat.
Ruby shook her head.
"Will you do it again?"
Again, Ruby shook her head.
"Then be sure not to next time." Hood said, motioning for her to leave.
Ruby needed no second bidding, but Knottail was nearly beside himself with fury.
"You can't do that!" Knottail declared, outraged that Hood had broken the rules.
"I just did." Hood replied, sounding only slightly agitated. Knottail's fury did not worry him. "Besides, I'm captain, ain't I?"
"I'm captain too!" Knottail pointed out.
"But you can't overrule me." Hood retorted, and walked off.
Knottail raged for a moment, until he realized something.
"Maybe I don't." he said to himself. "But I know who does."
And he quickly marched over towards Toka's tent.
Only Toka's response wasn't what Knottail had imagined.
"It's not that serious of a matter, Knottail." Toka said as he packed up his things in preparation to march again. "No damage was inflicted that couldn't be repaired. I think we can let it go just this once."
Knottail kept himself from bursting out, and, trying to regain his composure. "May I ask why?" he said.
"Hood is new to the horde." Toka explained. "It will take some time for him to adjust to everything. Right now I just want to be lenient on him, not force him to do what he doesn't want to just yet. He's a valuable asset to this horde, but I virtually had to pull his fangs out in order to get him to join. Out of any creature in this horde, he is the most likely to desert, and I don't want him to."
"Personally, I'd say good riddance if he did desert." Knottail remarked without thinking.
Toka froze. "Excuse me?" he asked, setting down the sack of items he had just picked up.
"I will be frank and say that I'm starting to think that it was a mistake to let Hood into the horde to begin with!" Knottail exclaimed, deciding to get it over with, regardless of the consequences.
"You are boarding on insubordination, Knottail!" Toka declared, warningly.
"And right now I don't care!" Knottail exclaimed back, and was about to say more when Toka cut him off.
"You will care if you don't shut up this instant!" Toka said, then pointed to the tent door. "Get out!"
Knottail gave his lord a scowl, then obeyed. The matter still stood, though. There was something very wrong about Hood, and heaven forbid should he not find out what it is. Before it was too late...