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Chapter 24. There's Got To Be A Morning After

by Pearl

Oh, can't you see the morning after?
It's waiting right outside the storm
Why don't we cross the bridge together
And find a place that's safe and warm?

Crying- or more like whimpering was the sound that awoke Pearl that morning.

"Don't fret, Sandy love. Granmum's here," she mumbled before she opened her eyes and realized that she was not at home. The creature she had heard could not be her own little kit.

The vixen's disappointment was enough to send her back to sleep. She pulled the cover over her head to block out the sunlight streaming in through the partially-boarded window. But somebeast is crying, I'm sure of it. She sighed and looked around the room.

The bed to her right, that should have been Sybil's was empty. Then the voice called out again. ". . . Papa . . ." was the only discernible word among the sleepy ramblings of the wolfmaid in the bed to the left.

"Poor little thing, so far from home." Pearl noticed that Rea had kicked off her blankets during the night. Rising swiftly and silently, the older female pulled the blanket up to the wolfmaid's chin and tucked it around her snugly. It was only what she would expect (or rather hope) that somebeast would do for Sandy in her absence.

The thought brought tears to the vixen's eyes. Where had the woodlanders taken Sandy? Are they taking care of her? How will I ever get her back?

Rekkua had said she would help Pearl with the rescue mission. And Sheriff Brull was not going along with Sarkleyet's scheme so he may be of some help as well. That was encouraging. Surely some of the other beasts were not swayed by this Red Brandy nonsense. She could inquire at breakfast.

Speaking of breakfast. . . Now that she thought of it, the vixen could smell something tempting coming from the other side of the bedroom door. She patted Rea's shoulder gently and whispered, "Sleep well, Hon." before slipping out of the room to investigate what their host had provided for the meal.

The hallway was so quiet that Pearl wondered if she might be the only one awake at this early hour but then she heard a quiet knocking and a low voice around the corner.

"Breakfast is being served in the dining room." It was the weasel, Thalliv.

The vixen rolled her eyes as the butler rounded the corner and confirmed his identity. He didn't look pleased to see her either. "Ms. Pearl, did you sleep well? I'm sorry if the room assignments didn't allow you to accommodate your customary bed warmer."

A jibe at my profession? How clever. Like I've never heard anything like that before. She merely raised an eyebrow. "Yet I'm sure Nelda's girl got a suite all to herself?"

He didn't correct her and only smiled in return.

"Ah, well, I would expect for Sarkleyet to take care of his own investments. Lucky for me I never had to worry about you running off to the Golden Brush. Your tastes always ran more towards Aluteyn Jewelbright, isn't that right?"

Thalliv sputtered awkwardly. "Why would you think. . . I mean it goes without saying that he's a very fine dancer but that doesn't mean . . ."

Really? Pearl's eyes widened. She'd meant it as a joke. Two for two. First that comment about Sarky's Madness and now this. Maybe I should try my paw at the card tables when all this blows over. However enlightening his reaction though, it still did not bring her any closer to the task at paw.

"So, breakfast is ready?" she asked, trying to remedy the situation and get away from him at the same time. "How very nice." Without waiting for a reply, she left him there to make his excuses to the empty hallway and walked briskly toward the dining room.

~

The nerve of that Higgins girl comparing me to her mother! Pearl began looking for an outlet of escape so she didn't have to remain in the presence of the younger vixen.

The first creature her gaze fell upon was Aras. And she noticed that all her work to bandage his wound had been dreadfully undone. She hurried over to him and scolded cheerfully, "Now, what have you done to yourself, Mr. Ikaras?"

The wolverine hesitated for an instant, then shrugged. "Dunno. It's fine."

The vixen put a paw on his arm to keep him from running away as she stopped a passing servant. "Could you please fetch me a cleaning cloth, some water, and a fresh bandage for Mr. Ikaras?"

The ferretmaid curtsied and went to do the madam's bidding.

"I just go by Aras," the wolverine huffed resignedly.

"Aras then." Pearl smiled. "Come with me." She led him to an alcove off the main dining room and had the flash of a memory of bringing another male to this same spot for an entirely different purpose.

She shook away the memory and explained, "I thought it would be best to do this away from the other beasts and their breakfast."

In no time, the ferretmaid arrived with the things the madam had requested and Pearl directed her to leave them on a small table. The vixen went right to work silently untying the old bandage. Her muteness was mostly due to the fact that she was trying not to breathe in the scent of the blood. The sight of the shallow cut would normally have been enough to send her into a swoon, but she managed to stay on her footpaws and continue her ministrations.

"Are you a healer, then?" Aras asked.

Pearl chuckled. "Not in the least. Generally the smell . . . being around blood or sickness . . ." She made a face to illustrate her discomfort.

He laughed at some irony she was unaware of. "You're the brave one then."

The vixen looked up at him curiously, not understanding his meaning.

"Yesterday, you called me brave. I'm . . . not."

She saw something in his eyes then: that restraint he'd had during the battle. "Sometimes bravery is not doing what our instinct first demands," Pearl said.

He was quiet, not even wincing as she finished cleaning the wound and then began to tie on the new bandage. He started to speak, stopped himself, and then went ahead. "Is it true, what the cat said? Are you . . ."

Pearl took her paws off the wolverine's arm and turned away with a sigh. "I was . . . but not anymore. I gave it up . . . didn't want Sandy, my kit, to be brought up around that sort of thing."

He nodded and she watched him. It was funny that Aras had not elicited the same response out of her as had the sheriff and any number of other males through the years. But what was it he had said? "You shouldn't talk to a lady like that." Right after he punched Dirano.

Her expression dissolved into one of wonder. "Just like Jasper," she whispered.

Aras looked up from the bandage he had been inspecting. "Huh?"

Pearl shook her head and smiled. "Nothing, I -" She bit her lip and her tone became more serious."I swear," she promised to him. "That I will never fall into that lifestyle again." She hoped that her conviction would also inspire him to abstain from whatever it was that she had seen him trying to control during the battle.

"Now." The vixen's smile returned and she patted his paw. "You really should have something to eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

The wolverine looked distastefully toward the dining room. "I'm not really that hungry, ma'am."

"Nonsense, come along." She pulled him toward the sideboard where all sorts of foods had been laid out by Sarkleyet's servants for the guests to choose and partake at their leisure. Pearl took a plate for herself and shoved another into Aras's paws. "Look at all this. There must be something here that would strike your fancy."

She began to fill her own dish expecting him to do the same but when she turned back to see what he had chosen, he had gone. The plate she had given him lay there empty on the table and the door out to the courtyard swung wide has he exited through it. "Oh well," she sighed. "He'll eat when he's hungry, I suppose."

The vixen carried her own heavily laden plate over to the table. Might as well bleed everything out of Sark that I can while there's the opportunity.

She noticed the plate on the table next to her own before she looked up to see the creature to whom it belonged. It intrigued her that the diner had gone to the trouble of making sure that each different type of food was segregated to it's own specific position on the dish. Her gaze followed the fork as it made it's way up to the muzzle of the stoat, Antonio. Then she continued to watch as he proceeded to finish all of one type of food before he wiped his fork with a napkin and then started on the next excruciatingly neat pile.

It was then that he noticed her staring. He wiped his mouth needlessly with his napkin before he spoke. "Is everything quite alright, madam?"

"Yes." Pearl cleared her throat and turned her eyes to the haphazard jumble of food on her own plate. "Yes everything is fine. It's a lovely morning don't you think?"

"Indeed." The stoat went back to his own meticulously arranged meal and the madam pondered, If that's how he likes his vittles, I wonder how he likes his . . . Fates!

She was doing it again. Her mind was just programmed to imagine how she could best accommodate any given male. Banish the thought! She should be thinking about how to get Sandy back, about what was best for her granddaughter.

Thankfully at that moment her mind was given a distraction. Unfortunately it came in the form of Sarkleyet. The master of the estate entered the dining room unobtrusively enough. It was the female marten who rushed in just behind him who actually caught Pearl's attention.

So that's where Sybil went off to. Pearl thought and her eyebrows rose a fraction when Sarkleyet leaned closer to the marteness and whispered something to her. Sybil pulled away quickly and exited out to the courtyard.

What was that look on Sarkleyet's face? Oh, yes. The madam knew that look. The expression he wore spoke of complete satisfaction. The vixen would have never thought it possible, but she didn't fault the young female. Sarkleyet was obviously the villain here.

And then he addressed the room. "I hope all of you slept well and that you are enjoying your meal. I do hate to interrupt, but I have some instructions for those of you who have decided aid me in my search. If you will just join me in the courtyard, it will only take a moment and you can all go back to your breakfast."

Pearl looked around and she wasn't the only beast to do so. They all seemed curious to see who would be participating in this ridiculous game.

Antonio rose from the table and stood motionless for a moment while the snake (oh what was her name? Silis?) slithered up his arm and draped herself over his shoulders. Together they made their way out to the courtyard to join Aras and Sybil.

Then Rea rose from the other side of the table. Pearl hadn't even noticed when the wolfmaid came in. She nodded politely as if to excuse herself and then also headed toward the courtyard. But the vixen stopped her. "You don't have to do this."

Rea shrugged. "I have to do something."

The older female glared at Sarkleyet. She watched as he ushered the wolfmaid out the door and then checked to see if everybeast was gathered. Seemingly content with those who had chosen to join him, the marten followed them out and shut the door behind him.

Pearl growled and turned her back. Then she noticed that Sheriff Brull and Rekkua were still standing with her. She had the vague thought that somebeast from their original group was missing, though her frustration prevented her from pursuing the idea any further.

"Well, let them have their little conference. What do we care?" Pearl asked her two remaining comrades. She wasn't really expecting a response.

The distinctly rumpled looking monitor surprised her, however. "You care, Mz Pearl. You zay to Martie t'at you find out about Zarklet'z planz."

"I did, didn't I?" The vixen turned back towards the courtyard door, running into the other of her own kind who was standing directly behind her. She sputtered, "Miss Higgins, what are you doing here?" Why are you not tagging along with your mother's patron?

The youngster pushed her glasses up on her muzzle with her paw and smiled. "I'm gonna help the sheriff."

Pearl glanced at Brull with a raised eyebrow and then returned her gaze to Miss Higgins. An idea came to her. "Do you think you could help him by finding out what Sarkleyet is telling them out there?"

The Higgins girl nodded. "Aye, Ms Pearl." And without another word she went.

The madam waited till the younger vixen was out of earshot before she addressed Brull. "She's going to help you?"

He shrugged. "Supposedly she's got somebeast on the inside, with the woodlanders."

Pearl wondered who that might be. Then she remembered her midnight conversation with Dirano. "I might just have somebeast in the woodlander's camp as well." If what the alley cat said about Emmy was true. . . That's who's missing!

"Were you able to find out anything about the Red Dawn's plans?" The vixen asked Rekkua, trying to keep herself on task.

The monitor hissed. "T'ey too busy holding drink to make planz."

"Well the four of us ain't gonna be able to do much against those Felld-whatsits, even if we do have a woodlander or two on our side," the sheriff put in before Pearl could ask what the lizard meant.

"You're right. We will need some help."

"How about t'e Martiez? T'ey help you, maybe, if you tell t'em about Zarklet."

It was a good idea, Pearl thought, but then remembered, "The fox didn't tell me where to find them."

"We could go up t' Nakat's tower an' look for 'em," Miss Higgins smiled cheerfully.

The older vixen had not heard the child come up beside her. "That – that's true. A beast can see the whole town from up there. Good idea, er, Zuzu."

"Me name's, Zula." She giggled at the mixup. "But you're welcome, Ms Pearl. And I heard loads about what Sarky wants them creatures t'do for 'im."

"Like what?" The older vixen grabbed the younger's shoulder excitedly. Maybe she will be of some help to us after all.

Zula lowered her voice secretively. "He wants 'em to find where a house is."

"Where a house is?" Pearl repeated in amazed disappointment.

"Aye," The little vixen went on. "And that butler, Thall . . . Thla . . . Thliv . . ."

"Thalliv," the madam supplied while rubbing at the ache that was starting to throb in her temples.

"Aye, that's the one. He's goin' with 'em."

"Well Toni better watch his tail," Pearl muttered.

"Here I am. What did I miss?"

The voice of her other favorite creature made the vixen cringe.

The feline made a beeline for the buffet. "Food! Fabulous! I worked up such an appetite." He turned to the madam almost as an afterthought. "You too, Pearl ol' girl?" Then seeing the rat next to her, he gave Brull a wink.

Pearl covered her face with a paw. For the first time in seasons she was mortified by the assumption. Dirano was not going to make changing her reputation any easier and she found herself hoping he was going on the quest for the Red Brandy with the rest of them.