So, lookie here. 'Nother chapter from THE MOST AWESOME: Dead Chick Walking. -cough- sorry for the ego. I've been talking to Ripred and that's kind of a side effect. Hope you like this chappie!
"You're right," Ripred responded, "but if that is true, then you have been following a liar and a traitor all this time."
Deepest Night. Chapter 8.
It's Dead…
In the end, Ripred couldn't prevent the stubborn females from accompanying them on the trip. It took a long time, a tear or two, and a couple screaming matches, but when the dust cleared, the group going on the quest was a bit larger than previously planned.
Luxa came as the leader of the group. She was the queen of Regalia and would represent her people in the discussions with the sleepers. Aurora, her bond, was the flier she rode upon.
There had never been any question about Ripred going. He was the Peacemaker, and also represented the gnawers. Since he'd had dealings with the sleepers before, he was a valuable asset. It was hoped that his sharp tongue wouldn't hurt relations with the sleepers.
Gregor had been given multiple chances to turn back, but he insisted on accompanying Luxa and the rest to the Crystal Grotto. Though Ripred would never admit it, he was grateful that another fighter he could trust was coming on the trip. Had Gregor known his main use would probably be babysitting Flay, there would have been a good chance he wouldn't have come. Spica made himself available to be the Warrior's mount, and Gregor was glad he didn't have to ride and fight with a stranger.
Erin had produced the stunning argument that there was no way they would get anything done without her. Ripred had countered saying they had done just fine through five quests without her help. The teenage girl merely rolled her eyes and replied, "But it would be so boring if I wasn't there." No one could convince her otherwise, so she came along as well. Ariadne, the somber silver and black bat, served as her flier.
The team of Howard and Nike added another pair of fighters to the list, and an accomplished doctor to boot. Gregor also suspected that Howard was coming to avoid the stressful training to be Lord of the Fount.
The hardest fight had been on Flay's part. In the beginning she was coldly logical, pointing out the reasons she should be allowed to come. As her argument with Ripred continued however, she delivered an ultimatum: either she came, or she ran away. Ripred and Luxa talked about it for a moment and then came to the agreement that she could come, as long as she was kept on a short leash.
Holding the leash was Shadowshiv, something Gregor couldn't see the logic in. Everyone but him seemed certain that Shadow would actually be loyal. The explanation given to the Council was that Shadowshiv had good relations with the sleepers and would be serving the position of diplomat. The real reason for her involvement was to continue Flay's training.
"Meet you at Queenshead," Ripred told Luxa as she fastened her pack to Aurora. The gnawers had flat out refused to ride upon fliers, because none of them were comfortable in the air. Luxa grunted, and clicked the metal clasp to secure the pack filled with food for the journey. This having been done, the young queen vaulted onto Aurora's back. Erin, Howard and Gregor mounted as well; the fliers took to the air with the gnawers on the ground watching them.
"So," Ripred sneered at Flay, "think you can keep up with real gnawers?" Flay's answer was a scowl. Shadowshiv looked on impatiently,
"If you two don't put aside your feud for a couple seconds, we're going to be late, and that girl will never let us live it down."
Ripred scowled, but Shadowshiv was right. The three gnawers began at a walking pace, and he snapped at her, "Why don't you just blend or whatever you call it." A smirk twisted across the female's face and she shimmered visibly. Then she took a running leap and disappeared like smoke being torn apart by the currents.
From the shadows came her lilting voice, "The word is meld, Ripred, dear." The bad-tempered grey rat snarled at her for the appellation. "Now, why don't you go a little faster? I'm way ahead of you, you know." Flay sprang forth, her youthful vigor urging her to run. Ripred urged his muscles into action as well, though he would never admit it, running wasn't his favorite pastime and eventually he would get tired. He wasn't a pup anymore. That was for sure. The older gnawer watched as Flay gamboled about, happy to be out of Regalia, and bursting with adolescent energy. Ripred was almost jealous…almost.
xxxxx
Queenshead was reached in little over an hour; the fliers had flown straight from Regalia to the meeting place, but the gnawers had had to run through many tunnels so as not to startle the Regalians.
When the fliers got there, the three rats were already waiting for them. At Luxa's request, Aurora swooped down and landed right in front of Ripred. Flay was examining the surroundings, Shadowshiv was reclining lazily, and Ripred looked impatient as he grimaced at the approaching group.
"Took you long enough," he snapped irritably at Luxa.
"We came as fast as we were able," she retorted as she dismounted. With a gesture she commanded all of the questers to gather around. "Well, Ripred, you know where we are going. I do not."
"Exactly," Ripred replied with a smirk, "which means perhaps you want to be a little more polite to me." Luxa scowled at him, and he gave a little shrug as if he was excused from his previous rudeness. "Now then, the Grotto is on the edge of the Uncharted Lands, south of the diggers' lands. So we need to head east."
"Hang on," Gregor interjected, "everyone seems to know what's going on except me."
"And me!" Erin added. The two stood next to each other, and looked to Ripred for the answer. He sighed and said,
"Find a comfortable spot then. This won't be a short story." This having been said the grouchy scarred rat slouched against a well-placed boulder. The bats gathered together, and the humans sat cross-legged on the ground.
"The sleepers are creatures very similar to gnawers in appearance. Their culture and just about everything else is completely different, however. Many years before the humans interfered, the diggers, gnawers, and sleepers had a joint pact. We were all fearsome fighters, and dominated the cold bloods easily, even the cutters and spinners."
"Now, when the humans poisoned the diggers, the sleepers and gnawers were immersed in a battle with the spinners. We were unable to come to their aid which ended in the diggers being forced from their homes and breaking off alliances with us. The sleepers and gnawers were not much concerned."
"Recently, the sleepers have drifted out of contact with their allies. They went through great losses in their war with the darters half a century ago and they merely want to be left alone in their little Crystal Grotto. I doubt they even know about the War of Bane." Ripred finished abruptly. Erin nodded to show she understood, but Gregor blurted out,
"How could they not know? I mean it was a huge war! Even the diggers came!" Then, realizing he had spoken aloud, he flushed slightly but waited for Ripred to answer his question.
Ripred gave an amused smirk, "It will be clear once you meet a sleeper."
"Have you even seen a sleeper, Ripred?" Luxa asked accusingly.
"Yes, actually," Ripred replied, "I've met three. Now if you are all done asking stupid questions, we should probably continue toward the Grotto." Gregor and Luxa shared an exasperated look; neither had their questions answered to their satisfaction. Ripred, however, wasn't saying another word, so they mounted the fliers. The gnawers ran in front, with Ripred leading, and the group traveled toward the Crystal Grotto.
xxxxx
There was a rather uneasy vibe during dinner when they stopped once more. Erin had cooked without complaint, and the group was gathered around the fire, eating quietly. Gregor's eyes flickered between everyone in an attempt to figure out who was the cause of the uncomfortable feeling.
It seemed to be a combination of a couple of people. Erin was morosely picking at her food, with a thoughtful scowl firmly on her face. Flay kept shifting uncomfortably under Ripred's stern gaze. The main source of the bad feeling was surprisingly Luxa. The young queen completely refused all offers of food and sat with her knees pulled up to her chest; she was staring into the fire.
"You ok?" Gregor asked her worriedly. She shrugged, her eyes not moving from the fixed point.
"She is worried," Aurora supplied quietly, "if we do not gain the sleepers as allies we may lose the upcoming war." Gregor nodded thankfully, and silently slapped himself. Of course she wasn't ok. This was her home, and it was on the verge of destruction…again. He wondered if you ever got used to things like that. He sure hadn't. Not, yet at least.
"There is also the likelihood that the sleepers will slay us before we reach them," Howard voiced in an almost accusing tone. His eyes briefly flickered toward Ripred, who caught the glance and snarled.
"What?" Gregor replied shocked, "Why?"
"Because they are the gnawer's allies," Howard supplied, "because they are cruel, because they can." The group was getting restless and irritated. Luxa didn't move from her spot, but Aurora seemed to notice something the others did not, and she wrapped her wing around her bond.
Ripred rose to respond to Howard's accusations, "You obviously know nothing of sleepers-" But the doctor cut him off. Shocked that someone had actually interrupted him, Ripred unintentionally allowed him to finish.
"I know they had a reputation as vicious fighters! I know they were the allies of gnawers when they wished our extinction!"
A sneer crossed his scarred face as Ripred replied insinuatingly, "And of course the fact that the killers assassinated their rulers had nothing to do with their enmity?" Howard didn't respond, but just glared at the grey rat who smiled triumphantly. "Can't say anything to that, can you? Know the facts before you argue."
At this point Nike, who had remained quiet until now, was driven to speak up for her bond, "How do we know for certain this is fact? You may have conjured this argument merely to support your own cause."
"You're right," Ripred responded, "but if that is true, then you have been following a liar and a traitor all this time." Silence settled among the group, broken only by the agitated fluttering of the flier's wings. The sensitive bats could feel the discontent in the air much like the gnawers could smell the same emotion hanging over the party like a disease cloud. Gregor shook his head. If this was how the quest was starting, they would never finish. They'd just keep picking away at each other until they were all fed up.
"I propose a story, m'dears," Shadowshiv voiced, "Perhaps that will calm us." The antagonists settled hesitantly. The oddly affectionate term of address Shadow used seemed familiar to Gregor, and then he realized he had heard Ripred use it before. He wondered silently if it was something most rats did or if it was merely a shared idiosyncrasy.
"Do tell," Howard invited skeptically.
"Yes," Luxa spoke for the first time, her violet eyes still locked on the flickering fire, "tell us a story."
Flay smiled just a little bit. It made her look much younger, almost childish, "I like stories, what's it about?" Shadowshiv smiled indulgently at her youthful charge.
"Me," she informed the gathered questers. There came a muttered, 'egotist,' from the direction of Ripred. The charcoal colored gnawer rolled her eyes. "Let's see…to start off, traditionally, shadowmelders have two names. The one they are born with and the one they have after their training is completed."
"What was your name?" Erin pushed curiously.
Everyone was slowly gathering around, much like they had done when Ripred was telling the story. "Bloodspill was the name I received after my birth." There were a few comments about the appropriateness of the name. "When I was three months old, I began to display the symptoms of a melder. A very old gnawer lived a couple caves down from us, and my mother took me to receive training from her. She was the sister of a shadowmelder. He is now dead, but she was able to teach me enough to get by. It was a good thing too, or I would probably be dead by now."
At a couple of confused looks she explained, "After a while the dark moods tend to last for a very long time. Eventually, an untrained shadowmelder would die, consumed by the powers they couldn't control."
"What happened afterwards?" To everyone's general amazement it was Ariadne who spoke. The silent, morose bat hardly ever spoke aloud, and sometimes she faded into the background so completely that the group forgot she was there.
Shadow didn't seem surprised however, probably because she didn't know Ariadne well enough, "I got into politics, much to the dismay of Ripred." The older gnawer scowled at her, and she retaliated with a brilliant smile. "I actually wanted to help people, believe it or not. Then the brutal side kicked in and I suppose I became a bit selfish, but I always wanted what would benefit the gnawers. Furyfire courted me because of these traits, and I accepted his offer because I knew we would make a good team."
"There was no flitter tale love story, in fact the decision had very little to do with love at all. I didn't love him, not a bit, and when he died I mourned the loss of a partner, not a mate. After the…incident in which Furyfire died, I lurked around the Dead Lands for a little while. Then I came to Regalia and allowed myself to get caught."
Spica jumped in this time, "Why would you do such a thing?" he asked curiously.
She smirked and turned to him. "Truly?" Shadowshiv said, "I was bored, I cannot stand knowing there is action going on without being in the thick of it."
"Drama queen," Ripred spat deprecatingly. Shadowshiv snarled at him viciously. "See what I mean?"
This got a laugh from Erin. The group was very well settled now, most of them having forgotten the fight a half hour previous. They had all been wrapped in the story, and it was rather a shock when Luxa stood suddenly. "We must go," said she, and turned to Ripred for information about where exactly they had to go.
"We made good time," Ripred stated, "Soon we will near the outskirts of the sleepers' territory. It is imperative that we continue on foot so the sleepers are not alarmed. Give the fliers a rest from carrying around your lazy asses all the time." The humans scowled at that comment, but the fliers secretly felt relieved. They had been worked hard, and if they were going further today it would have to be without riders. "And don't worry; soon you will all be able to rest in the fine court of King Nysamar."
"Nysamar?" Gregor asked, stumbling over the odd inflections.
Ripred grimaced, "Yes, to my knowledge that is the current ruler. No idea about his mate. Wretched sleepers…their names are always impossible to pronounce."
xxxxx
An hour passed before there was any change in landscape. Gregor began to notice the ground getting rockier, and a couple times when he stepped, a sharp piece of quartz would jab him through his Underland style sandal. The Warrior steadfastly hoped this was a sign that they were getting close to the end of their journey. He couldn't remember the last time they had gone so far in so little time.
Then there was a cry from Shadowshiv, "I smell blood."
Aurora swooped down almost immediately after, "Our echolocation is picking up an unmoving body close ahead," she informed Luxa, "be on your guard." Without a sound, everyone drew their weapons. They continued on, their pace slowed.
Soon, the humans could see the mass of bloodied fur that the fliers had detected. It was an animal similar in size and anatomy to a gnawer. Its face was longer and more pointed. The fur that wasn't covered in blood was a grey color; it lightened around the face, paws and underbelly. The creature was like the Overland possum, except with a few differences. One, it was enormous. Two, its fangs and claws were the length of daggers. And three,
"It's dead," Gregor said mournfully as the group got close enough to tell. Then the dreadful sound of mocking, derisive laughter echoed through the air.
Flay was laughing.
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Flay: You just HAD to make me mean and heartless!
Me:Well, -shrug- kinda
Shadowshiv: Now now children, stop fighting.
Flay: -sigh- This chapter was beta'd by Rojo
Me: YAY!
Erin: You so left me out of this chapter!
Ripred: She did it so there could be more of me. I'm terribly sorry you didn't get the memo.
Bane: PIZZA!
Dead Sleeper: Wtf? You aren't even IN this fanfic!
Bane: Yo Quiero Taco Bell!!
Ripred: -sigh- Aria's hungry...
Me: -stomach growls- Maybeh...
Flay: ENOUGH! Read and review, or I'll come and find you.
Me: HARDCORE WILL NEVER DIE!
Shadowshiv: What is up with you today?