Stoker reached for the book on Martian fauna, flipping through it to ensure it held the relevant information he would need to help Charley prepare for the Trial. He sighed as he rubbed his forehead, trying to stave off the headache that was forming. He hadn't slept well last night. The last few days had been…arduous.

The devastating attack on Quiet Grove, Throttle's withdrawal, the Council's arrival…It all seemed so trivial compared to the bombshell that was Charlene. And no, he did not mean she was attractive, though it was true.

Her confession from the day before was still ringing in the back of his mind. If someone had told him he would save a woman sent through time a few months ago, he would have laughed in their faces. Now…he had no idea how to proceed.

"You still there, Stoke?" He snapped out of his musings as said woman gently touched his shoulder. Her green eyes sparked with worry. He shook himself and held up the book.

"Yeah, found what we were looking for. Let's find some seats and go over these." Charley nodded determinedly, and lead the way, carrying three more book under her arm. They found a table near the center of the library and laid out their research. Stoker quickly grabbed one of the books and flipped it to the page he was looking for, laying it in front of Charley.

"That…is an Arch Povar." He said, watching her eyes widen as she studied the image on the page. He could understand her alarm.

An Arch Povar was a truly terrifying creature. It almost resembled a black panther of Earth…if they had six legs and were double the size of a regular panther. The worst part, in his opinion. were the two barbed tentacles that extended from their backs and had the power to punch through solid steel.

"You have got to be kidding me." He heard Charley mutter in disbelief as he sat down next to her. He leaned closer to her in order to read the page.

"Arch Povars are pack hunters, living in small groups called prides, although they can be encountered alone. Squirrel-bats, Kuibans, Nogas and Somsos are their preferred prey, though they will kill and consume Mice, Rats, or Hyenas given the chance."

"I'm taking a guess here that the Hyenas are the Sand Raiders?" Charley interrupts for a moment, Stoker nods before continuing.

"Arch Povar use their barbed tentacles to incapacitate their prey from afar. Once their prey is sufficiently weakened, they use their tentacles to pull them closer, finishing them off with their deadly claws and bites. They are capable of lightning fast movements on their six limbs."

"Arch Povar have the ability to bend light, making them appear to be between 1 foot (0.3 meters) to 3 feet (0.91 meters) from their actual positions.

The light bending is created by molecular vibrations generated by the specialized type of nerves located only in the outer layers of the Arch Povar's skin cells. The vibrations are too fine to be noticed by the naked eye, but are enough to bend light and create an illusion of its body."

"Are you serious?" Stoker felt a weak smile spread on his face as Charley leaned back in her chair. "Not only do I have to worry about spiked tentacles possibly tearing me apart, I might not even be able to tell WHERE the attack is coming from?" He couldn't stop the half-chuckle that escaped him, which only got stronger when Charley shot him a sour look.

"Now do you understand why everyone one was freaking out?" he asked through his laughter.

"Yeah... So it's a very big scary, unstoppable, homicidal Cat! Of course. What else could scare a mouse so much!" Charley groaned as she fell forward, crossing her arms on the table and hiding her face in them.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he heard her mutter. He sighed, placing a hand on her back attempting to comfort her. He had to admire her strength of character though, considering her true circumstances. She really had been left alone in all this.

"Hey, you survived three years with Vinnie. This will be a breeze." Charley peeked at him and glared.

"I hate you." He laughed as she shoved him half-heartedly. After he calmed down, he grabbed another book and opened it.

"Here are some of the records of the previous Trials." He explained as he pointed them out to her. Rather worryingly, there were only 5 entries in the last century. Charley's eyes flicked over the page, even though she was unable to read the text.

"Why does the Trial usually happen?" she asked softly. Stoker grimaced and leaned back.

"There's a reason I called it barbaric, Charley. It's supposed to be some "trial of worth". Whether that be to be accepted in a clan, or accepting a new position of power. But honestly it's just a veiled execution. An excuse for the Council to get rid of any that oppose them without repercussions." He forced a grim smirk and glanced at her. "That's an unpopular opinion though, so don't go sharing it."

"Your secret is safe with me." She responded with a wink. "I'm assuming the Council knows they can't push their luck with it, since it doesn't seem to happen often."

Stoker leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his legs and interlocking his hands. "If there's one thing the Council knows how to do it's playing their cards well. Even with the invasion of the Plutarkians, they've kept their involvement hidden." He saw Charley raise her brow at this. "Oh, I know they were involved, but trying to find proof of it is impossible." He sighed, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on his hands. "Sometimes I wonder if creating the Freedom Fighters was even worth it." He muttered.

He blinked when he felt a soft hand on his head, before it moved to his cheek, forcing him to look back at the woman. Her eyes were shinning as she smiled comfortingly, leaning forward to whisper softly.

"If it weren't for you and the Fighters, Mars would have fallen ages ago. You have no idea how much you've already done for your home, or will do." Her tone was one of unspoken admiration, and for a moment Stoker felt captivated by her. His brow furrowed as he sat up a little, taking her hand in his.

"Charley, what exactly is going to-"

A cough startled them. "Um, pardon me?" They pulled away from each other, and Stoker felt grateful that his fur could somewhat hide the blush that had formed on his cheeks. Though he did feel a surge of delight at seeing Charley's equally red face. Behind them stood a monk he did not recognize, likely a new initiate. The light furred mouse bowed to them apologetically, hands tucked into the sleeves of his garnet robes. "I apologize for the intrusion. I am Brother Tynan. I wished to speak to Miss Threemane regarding any questions she may have about her future duties as Matriarch." He explained briefly. Charley smiled gratefully.

"Oh, thanks. I was planning to talk to Brother Griffin about a few things I didn't understand." She paused and turned to Stoker with an apologetic look on her face. "Do you mind? It should only take a few minutes?" Stoker smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all. I'll look through these in the meantime." He gestured to the book on the table. "See if there's anything useful." Charley nodded gratefully and left with Brother Tynan. Once they were out of sight, Stoker sighed and slumped back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.

When Charley had confessed her situation to him, his only concern at the time was calming her down when she was obviously distressed. The reality of it all hadn't hit him till he had gone to bed that night.

She was from the future. She knew about events yet to happen. She had to ability to singlehandedly turn the tide of the war, with just a few words. He wanted to ask her a million questions. What was in store for Mars? How could they defeat the Plutarkians? His first instinct was to use that knowledge to ensure the future of Mars, hang the consequences.

And there was his dilemma.

Because the consequences of trying to change the future using Charley's knowledge would affect her. Stoker breathed out a disparaging laugh. He sympathized with Charley. To have all this knowledge, yet having to tread carefully to circumvent an even greater disaster.

There was also the matter of her safety. If the Council found out about her, or worse, the Plutarkians…

He shuddered at the thought. Charley was already on the Council's radar. He could not in good conscience do anything to jeopardize her well-being. For her sake, if not Throttle's.

He ran his hands over his hair, linking his hands at the base of his neck and blowing out a breath. He put his thoughts aside and glanced around. It had been a while. Charley should be back at any moment. He reached for one of the books, flipping through it only to find it held no relevant information. He rolled his eyes and stood, intending to return the book to the shelf when Brother Griffin passed him.

"Ah, good morning General." Brother Griffin bowed as he held some scrolls close to his chest. Stoker smiled. Brother Griffin had been the one to reach out to him when he had established the Freedom Fighters, offering the unused labyrinth of multi levels of basement space of the Monastery as a cover for their headquarters. He was indebted to the mouse.

"Good morning, Brother Griffin." He nodded his head in respect. "How are you today?"

"I am doing well, my boy." Stoker rolled his eyes lightly at the dig. Brother Griffin was barely a decade older than him. The monk scanned the area for a moment. "I thought you were here with Miss Threemane?"

Stoker nodded as he placed the book back on the shelf. "Yeah, she just stepped away for a moment with Brother Tynan." Stoker paused at the perplexed look on the monk's face.

"Brother Tynan?" he ponders. Stoker hesitates for a second, before elaborating.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to discuss any questions Charley might have about being a future Matriarch. I hadn't seen him around before, I figured he was a new initiate."

Brother Griffin shook his head, genuinely puzzled. "I'm sorry General. There is no initiate, or Brother, by that name."

Stoker's heart sunk.

"Please... excuse me, Brother Griffin." Stoker stumbled away and hurried between the shelves, trying to settle his nerves as he surveyed the area. He was just overreacting, right? He had to be. There was no way…

Stoker hadn't realised how fast he had started walking until he stumbled around a corner, bumping shoulders with Vinnie, almost knocking them both over.

"Woah! Watch where you're going, Coach." The mouse whined as he rubbed at his shoulder. Normally, Stoker would retort, but his mind was a little preoccupied, mentally boarding a one-way train to 'panic-ville'. Ignoring Vinnie, he frantically glanced around, spotting Modo and Throttle approaching them. They looked like they had just arrived back from somewhere. The tan furred mouse was the first to notice their Coach's unease.

"Stoke? What's wrong?"

Stoker swallows before answering. "Did any of you see Charley on your way in?" He asked a little louder than he meant too. Instantly a blanket of awkwardness fell over the three. Throttle looked away, pouting before shaking his head, as though just the sound of her name was too much for him to deal with, but Stoker pushed passed it. "I think she's in trouble." And just like that, the awkwardness broke as three heads snapped up to attention.

"What do you mean!?" Throttle demanded.

Charley followed Brother Tynan past the bookshelves, trying in vain to will her blush away. She felt like an awkward middle-schooler around Stoker. It was embarrassing, really. She shook her head as Brother Tynan paused by a doorway and tipped his head slightly, allowing her to enter the room first. It was a small study room by the looks of it, with two bookshelves and a small table with two chairs. Charley also took note of the jug of water in the corner of the room, with a few glasses that stood with it. Brother Tynan entered the room.

"Please, have a seat Miss Threemane." He begins as he moves over to the water jug. "Would you like a drink?" Charley smiled at him as she sat down.

"Yes, please." She accepts and after a moment, she takes the glass with a nod of thanks from the monk, taking a sip as he makes his way to one of the shelves.

"I understand you have been reading some of our translated texts, correct?" She nods in affirmation as he pages through a tome. "I fear they would not hold all of the information you were seeking. This volume holds the list of duties a Clan Leader is expected to perform. Allow me to translate it for you." He sits down across from her, resting the book on the table.

"As declared by the High Marked Aldous, a Clan Leader shall be the voice of their Clan before the Conclave of Ancients and the Council of Mars.

Once the heir apparent reaches their 26th year, the former Clan Leader may pass on their duties and step down as Leader. Should the heir apparent find a suitable partner before their 26th year, it should be assumed they may take on the role of Clan Leader should they wish to."

As he carried on, Charley began to feel an odd sensation in her hands. She frowned as she glanced down, trying to stretch out the fingers of her left hand. They were trembling, and felt slightly numb. She curled her hand into a fist and forced herself to focus on Tynan. He didn't seem to notice anything was amiss.

"The duties of a Clan Leader are as follows:

· All disputes within a clan are to be brought before the Clan Leader, who shall settle the dispute to the best of their abilities. If unable, the Leader shall defer the matter to the Council for further examination.

· Any potential suitors seeking the hand of a Clan member must first approach the Clan Leader for approval. The Leader has the right to approve or deny the suitors petition. The Leader may also invoke the Trial of Manos, should they deem it necessary..."

Charley shook her head slightly and blinked. Her vision seemed to be tunnelling. Her throat became bone dry. She tried to swallow, and choked on her breath. Something was wrong.

Tynan kept on reading.

"Within the Conclave of Ancients, a Clan Leader is expected to stand for their Clan. The Leader must be present amongst legal proceedings, and stand ready to offer counsel, should the affairs pertain to them and their Clan.

The Council shall defer judgement to the Conclave of Ancients, should it be deemed necessary…"

Charley braced herself on the table as her head felt fuzzy. She choked on her breath again. It felt like her throat was closing. She started panicking. She couldn't seem to breath. She tried to motion for Tynan.

He did not even react.

"Above all, a Clan Leader must retain the ability to uphold the best interests of Mars. Should it become apparent they are unable to carry out this responsibility, it is to be assumed that they are no longer qualified to remain as the Leader, and shall step down."

Tynan paused. "I'm afraid, Miss Threemane, this is why the Council fears you."

Charley's eyes widened as she coughed and gasped, knocking her chair over as she stumbled back into the bookshelf hard. Several books fell to the floor as she grasped at her throat with numb and trembling fingers, desperate for air that would not fill her lungs. Tynan showed no remorse as he slowly closed the tome and stood.

"You see, its simply impossible that an Earther would know the first thing about what is best for a Martian Clan, let alone Mars herself." He smoothly turned away from her and returned the book to its place on the shelf. "And the Council cannot take the risk that you should actually succeed in becoming the Matriarch of the Threemane Clan. Not when it has become clear that the 'Freedom Fighters'," he had spat that out like it was something disgusting stuck to his shoe. "…would be likely to interfere on your behalf."

Feeling herself falling, Charley dropped to a knee trying to prevent herself from hitting the floor harder as her vision darkened. Barely catching herself with one arm. She could hardly make out Tynan's feet as he now stepped in front of her. His voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.

"If I can offer any comfort, I used our fastest acting poison. Your death should be quick." Charley tried to raise her head but her last remaining strength left her body and she collapsed, hearing one final parting from Tynan before her world went black.

"Farewell, Miss Threemane. You will be a lesson to us all."

Stoker rushed past yet another vacant room, cursing under his breath. Throttle was tense as a bow next to him. They had split up from Modo and Vinnie, deciding they would cover more ground between them.

"What if we can't find them? What if he took her somewhere?" Throttle's agitated tone made Stoker wince.

"I doubt the Council would be stupid enough to attempt a kidnapping." He tried to assure him, though he couldn't even convince himself.

"You really think the Council is behind this?" Throttle asked softly. Stoker went to reply when the sound to his left caught his ear. He threw his arm out to stop Throttle and they both turned their heads towards the sound.

It was the same impostor monk Stoker had seen Charley leaving with. He was in the process of locking a door before turning around and spotting them. Upon seeing the two of them he froze to the spot, eyes going wide. Then he was running.

Stoker snarled. "Stop!" He and Throttle took off running. Throttle braking off to kick the door down while Stoker continued the pursuit. The mouse raced for a doorway before he was suddenly tackled by a white blur. The two mice rolled for a moment before Vinnie sat up triumphantly, digging his knee into the mouse's back while twisting his arms behind him.

"Where do you think you're going Sweetheart?" He taunted as the mouse struggled against him. Modo came rushing forward, adding his weight to the downed mouse before he glanced back at Stoker.

"We got him, Coach." He assured with a resolute expression. Stoker nodded.

"Get him down to Headquarters, we can interrogate him there." He ordered, turning back to find Throttle, when he heard a shout.

"STOKER!" He balked at the sheer terror in Throttle voice before taking off at full-speed back the way he came, nearly crashing into the frame as he rounded on the door. He found Throttle on his knees, cradling a seemingly lifeless Charley in his arms. Throttle turned his gaze up to him, tears streaming down his face.

"She's not breathing!" he exclaimed. Stoker dropped beside them, scanning Charley for any injuries. When he found none, he turned to take stock of the room. His eyes fell on the unassuming glass of water that remained on the table…

Except the liquid in the glass was producing a wispy white smoke.

Stoker felt a chill down his spine. There was only one substance on Mars that was undetectable for a short amount of time before it caused this reaction. He spun back to Throttle, who looked utterly lost as he held his sister close.

"We have to get her down to Harley. Now." He bent down, swiftly sweeping an arm under Charlie's legs and back before picking her up, wincing at how limp she was. Her colour draining at an alarming rate. Even her lips had turned choke white. He could only pray to the gods this wouldn't end the way it usually did with mice. Throttle could not protest as he got back on his feet.

"What did he do to her?" he asked shakily.

Stoker hated his reply. "Berlock Root."

Harley dropped her notes upon the General violently bursting in through the double doors of the infirmary carrying a lifeless Charley in his arms. Throttle was on their heels, looking like he had seen a ghost. "Help! We need help here now!" Stoker desperately shouting orders getting the entire infirmaries attention.

"By the Gods! Stoker what happened?!" The young female mechanic-turned-medic cried rushing over along with half a dozen other medics quickly lifting the young human woman out of his hands and onto the closes stretcher.

"Berlock Root!" Stoker said gravely watching Harley's face drop. "She was poisoned with Berlock Root!"

Throttle pushed his way through the crowd so he could run along beside his sister as they hurried her down the tunnel to the emergency room. Stoker following on behind them.

Once there the two watched on helplessly as the healers surrounded her, working quickly to attach the monitors, scanners and equipment to her chest and an overly large oxygen mask fitted over her mouth and nose. Originally designed to fit a mouse's feature's, Charlie's deathly white face almost vanished from their view as another healer went to work doing compressions over her heart. All the mice's ears twitched as the equipment then came to life. The room suddenly filled with the sound of a monitor, scanning Charlie's heart for any sign of life.

There was one... but it was fading fast as the heart stopping poison spread through her blood, closing up her air ways depriving her of the precious oxygen she needed.

"No... no, no no no!" Stoker listened to Throttle beside him muttering over and over in conjunction with the sound of his own heart pounding. He had been sitting with Charley just a short time ago... Holding her hand while looking into those deep green eyes. How had things so drastically changed from then to now? He had just blinked, and she was gone.

"You two need to leave!" One of the medics shouted back to them. But the reply was delivered in the form of a dangerous dead pan look from the two. They were not moving, and no hell or high water was going to make them.

Seconds passed and the sound of the beeping from the monitor released a second warning alarm that Charlie's heart was failing. Harley was now working hard standing over their human friend repeatedly pressing and massaging her heart. But the poison was winning, and there was no known cure or treatment for Berlock root. Closing up air ways and starving the brain of oxygen and stopping the heart was the only outcome of anyone consuming a Berlock root plant. Normally it was an instant death sentence within seconds! But strangely Charlie's heart had not stopped beating, at least at the moment.

Suddenly everyone in the room came to a standstill. "I am sorry..." An elder medic they knew as Blaze turned to them. "There's nothing we can do."

"What!" Both Stoker and Throttle yelled together.

"There's no antidote for this. It's going to kill her. There's nothing we can do." Blaze repeated.

Stoker was sure that his heart had to stopped beating as all the air seemed to vanish from the room. He could feel his hands shaking but that was nothing compared to what was happening to Throttle beside him.

"No…no please y…you can't just…" Stoker could see the realisation settling onto the young freedom fighter. Seconds away from crumbling when -

"No!" The word wasn't said very loudly, but it was heard by all. "No!" Harley said again. Everyone looked at her confused.

"We still have time... She... she isn't getting enough oxygen, because the poison is closing up her airways. We need to get her on a ventilator and slow it down." The young female healer was already getting to work removing the breathing mask and replacing it with a large breathing tube.

"But... It's still going to kill her anyway!" Blaze pressed. "It's deadly for a mouse."

"She's not a mouse!" Harley snapped pushing him a side. "She should have been dead right away, but she wasn't. She could react differently. -"

"She's still dying."

"We have to keep her on a rhythm for as long as we can." Harley readjusting the human's mouth to tape up the breathing pipe. But no one else moved to assist her. They only looked around confused, knowing this was prolonging the inevitable.

"But... but the poison will be just spreading. The ventilator will be the only thing keeping her alive, but that won't last for long." Blaze saying what all the other medics were thinking.

"Get the paddles ready too for when she goes into cardiac arrest." Harley added like she didn't care.

"This is insane -"

"JUST DO IT!" Harley yelled at them all.

"Do as she says!" Stoker ordered stepping forward. It couldn't end like this. Harley was right. Charley's anatomy was different, and they had the most advance med tech on Mars. They had to keep trying. Throttle sent him a look that said this was completely helpless, but couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud. There was still a heart beating there. Fading, but still beating.

The medics did as they were instructed, watching the monitor without much enthusiasm. It was a miracle Charley was still alive, even only just, but she was dying. Without a cure, nothing could change that.

Charley was going to die.

An hour later Stoker felt utterly defeated as he left the room, leaving Throttle and Harley inside. Once he was outside, he collapsed against the wall, covering his face with his hands. They had passed many shocked faces on their way to the infirmary. By now, word would have spread about the state Charley had been found in. No doubt soon they would know the full extent of her condition.

"Coach?" he dropped his hands and looked to his right. Modo and Vinnie stood there, both looking alarmed at his haggard appearance. Vinnie swallowed before he continued. "Is…is Charley ok?"

Stoker tried to hide his grave expression, but ultimately pushed off the wall and approached the two.

"Charley…was poisoned... With Berlock Root." Vinnie's hands flew to cover his mouth as he let out a horrified gasp. Modo faltered, eyes going wide. "Harley managed to stabilize her…I have no idea how. She thinks that Charley being human means it affects her differently." He glanced back towards the room. "They had to put her on a ventilator. The poison is still in her bloodstream. It's affecting her heartbeat and her breathing. Harley's not sure if she'll make it through the night. The other medics have already given up." He ended sadly. The two bros glanced at each other before a sound caught their attention. Harley had emerged from the room, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"I…I don't know what else to do…" she trailed off as fresh tears sprung from her eyes. Vinnie rushed forward and gathered her in an embrace while Stoker shared a devastated glance with Modo.

"Modo?" They turned to see Blade looking solemnly at them. "Rimfire and Primer are on the comms." He continued. Modo's breath hitched as he nodded, before turning to Stoker.

"Coach, I… I can't tell them about Charley… they love her, I…" Stoker placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on the big guy's shoulder.

"I'll come with you to talk to them." He reassured the mouse. Modo nodded gratefully, and together they moved to the vidcomm. The grey furred mouse sat down with a shaky sigh.

"Hey you two." He said, dejectedly. Stoker could see Rimfire and Primer immediately stand to attention on the screen.

"Uncle Modo? What's wrong?" Rimfire asked, before glancing past his uncle to Stoker. "Why is Stoker with you?" Primer leaned towards the monitor, eyes shining.

"Did something happen?" she asked softly, an underlying tone of worry shining through. Stoker took a deep breath before facing the young mice.

"There was an attempt on Charley's life. She's been poisoned with Berlock Root." There was a staggering silence from the young teens as they processed his words. Tears began forming in Primer's eyes as she pulled away from the monitor, leaving Rimfire the only one on screen. The mouse had a distressed expression before it morphed into one of hope.

"Wait…an attempt? You mean, she's still alive?" he asked. Stoker winced as Modo shook his head.

"It ain't as simple as that, Rimfire. She's alive now, but she's barely holding on. The poison is still in her blood, and there ain't no cure for Berlock Root." He dropped his head. "I don't know if-"

The slamming of a door made Stoker's gaze snap back to the screen. Rimfire jumped and turned his head to his left, searching for a moment.

"Primer?" He called, getting up from his seat and moving off screen. Modo glanced back at the General, who could only shrug in response. They heard another voice distantly via the vidcomm.

"Rimfire?" It was Nora. "Why did your sister just run out into the garden?"

"I don't know, Grandmama." They heard Rimfire respond. "We were talking to Uncle Modo an- Hey!"

Both Stoker and Modo were shocked when Primer came back into frame, carrying a woven basket filled with various plants, and the most determined look on her face. She was practically staring daggers through the screen.

"Uncle Modo, get your butt over here right now. I need a ride."

Shout-out awaiting in the next chapter for anyone that can figure out what type of creature inspired the Arch Povar XD!

Charley just ain't catching a break, is she?

Please leave a review folks!