Chapter 2

Breaking and Entering

Fiene Pardus

Although Dawnsbury felt empty, news of what happened at the Drowned Otter spread quickly. Two bodies were found. One was a mouse covered in bruises and tears, and the second was a fox with a large gash in his head. Needless to say, Fiene Pardus was mortified at the fact that they hadn't even been here for a week and two beasts had been murdered.

Yesterday, the squirrel in charge of the mission that everybeast was ignoring, Porter, had found them on a walk, told them to return to the ship in a few days, and brought them the news of what happened in the tavern. Lahjin looked shocked while Greymist seemed apprehensive for whatever reason. After he left, Lahjin had asked, "why would anybeast even do that?"

Greymist's reaction told Lahjin all he needed to know.

The grey wildcat didn't want to talk about it and Lahjin was understanding enough not to prod. Still, Fiene felt very conflicted. She and Lahjin both knew Greymist had killed before, without a doubt. Greymist never spoke directly on the matter (at least, not that Fiene knew of), but she did accidentally hint at it sometimes. Lahjin never seemed bothered by it so Fiene shouldn't be either, right?

If so, why did she feel guilty? Fiene wasn't even involved in the incident at the Drowned Otter. She was as removed from the situation as any other beast, but she still felt like she needed to do something. So when the wife of the mouse that died asked for volunteers to help out at the tavern, Fiene jumped at the opportunity to do so, much to Lahin's worry. It took a lot of talking, but Lahjin eventually let her help.

So that is why Fiene was now standing behind the tavern's counter, cleaning up scraps of food that were left behind since the incident. To her surprise, there wasn't a lot she could do. The two bodies had already been cleaned and removed by the other helper. Now, it was a matter of keeping the place tidy and running it when beasts arrived. However, whether it was because of the two murders or the low population, nobeast had come to eat yet. Still, Fiene felt better knowing that she chose to do something.

Fiene rested her head against the counter, gazing around at the empty tavern. It was quiet. The only noise she could hear was the cook's rich singing from the kitchen. Their voice flowed through the air like a river. Fiene couldn't help but listen to the odd ballad.

"... There's nought on this earth that could see

The beauty you exude to me,

Your coarse fur so fine;

Your raucous spirit's sublime!

But 'twas not meant to be,

For nobeast approved of thee.

A noble from royal halls,

A hoodlum who started brawls.

When the noble left to see

His lover, happy and free,

The guards found their light

And snuffed it without a fight.

The noble, locked inside his walls,

Watched as the headsman's axe falls…"

As Fiene peeked through the partially open kitchen door, she saw Imanol Honeyblade checking inventory. His body flowed energetically between chests and shelves despite the grim lyrics he was singing. Fiene couldn't help but chuckle. With how fluid his movements were, Fiene could tell he had practised this dance before.

And then Imanol abruptly came to a halt. He glanced at the door and continued to check the inventory as a normal beast would. Fiene's face felt hot as she realised Imanol must've noticed her watching. Ah, to heck with it. She opened the door, scratching behind her ears awkwardly. "Sorry. I just thought it was a nice song."

Imanol seemed to relax when he realised it was just Fiene. "Oh, no, you're fine. Force of habit s'all," he chuckled lightheartedly.

"If I may ask, where did you learn it?"

The golden wildcat shrugged. "Y'know, now that you mention it, I dunno. I think it was just popular back home and I picked up on it. Y'know how there are songs that just kinda go around? There were a lot of those back home. Well, I mean, most of 'em aren't about eloping, I just like those ones the most. This one in particular is kinda cheesy but I don't care, I love it so much. The story behind its creation 'tis quite interesting as well… and now I'm rambling. Oops. Well, you get the point."

Fiene's ears twitched. Imanol's gaze kept turning to the floor. "I wouldn't know," Fiene admitted, "music didn't really go around as much back home."

"Oh. That's fine." Imanol waved it off and went back to looking through the storage. "So, I have to ask, how are the three of you doing? Y'know, you, your brother, and Greymist. Sparrow knocked on my door in the middle of the night and it sounded like Greymist had quite the wild night."

"Really? What happened?"

"Do you not know?"

"I think Greymist told Lahjin, but I don't know what happened," Fiene admitted. "Greymist seemed bothered, I think. She doesn't really show it. Lahjin knows, though."

"Hm." Imanol pulled himself away from the shelves and gazed at Fiene (amusingly, she was taller than him). "What about you? How are you holding up?"

"Who, me?"

Imanol snickered. "Yes, that's what I just said. I mean, 'tis a big change. All of us abandoned our homes, came here, and Sparrow and Greymist did… something."

Fiene frowned. "That's a… blunt way of putting it."

"We did, though," Imanol said casually. Fiene watched as he walked out and went behind the front counter. "Apologies. I'm not trying to bring the mood down."

"No, you're fine," Fiene muttered. But what Imanol said made her think. It just set in what they've done and it made her throat itch. "Do you think they're fine?"

Imanol tilted his head. "I don't know. I don't know what your life was like back home or who you left behind. What I do know is that the beasts I have left behind really hate me. Just kidding. They're sad."

Fiene's ears twitched as she stood next to Imanol behind the counter. "That doesn't make me feel better, sorry."

"Oh, I thought that was- sorry, my sense of humour is weird." Imanol chuckled awkwardly as he gazed under the counter. "Hey, do you want me to make you something? We're going to be here for a while, so why not?"

"Isn't that stealing?" Fiene asked sceptically.

Imanol shrugged. "Well, yes, but if I'm giving my time to cook, the least they can do is let me have a bite or two."

"Didn't we volunteer? That seems a bit mean."

"Eh. Depends on who you're working for. Here, I can make you something. Not fish, though. It looked like somebeast opened the icehouse and made a mess. None of it was cleaned up. We're lucky 'tis winter."

"Huh." Fiene rested her head on the counter and shrugged. "In that case, I guess. Do you want me to help?"

"Nah, you're fine. Just take a break or something."

"I haven't done anything, though," Fiene pointed out.

Imanol shrugged and slipped back into the kitchen without another word. Fiene let out a sigh. Did we make a mistake coming here? Mom and Dad are going to be fine, right? Then again, Lahjin did most of the work… Lahjin doesn't seem all that guilty leaving-

Fiene's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. She looked up, expecting it to be a mouse. Fiene's ears twitched as she listened to the heavy footsteps outside. She gazed around, expecting somebeast else to open it. A jolt of fear shot through her heart as she recalled Alcaeus knocking on their door not too long ago. I know you love him, Greymist, but Lahjin and I don't. He's scary.

The knocking continued. Fiene took a deep breath and exited the counter. Shakily, she padded towards the door, silent as a mouse, and placed a paw on the door handle. She took in a shuddering breath and opened it. On the other side stood a monitor lizard draped in a heavy fur coat over a brown leather tunic. The reptile's sharp eyes gazed curiously around the bar before settling on the small wildcat standing in front of him. "I did not expect tavern to be clean," he spoke in a slow, dry tone. "Who is thisss one?" He asked, slowly leaning down to match Fiene's height.

The brown wildcat opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She stood paralyzed with fear as she gazed into the lizard's piercing stare. "I…"

The corners of the lizard's mouth moved upwards as if somebeast was pulling on it. "Small cat has nothing to be afraid of. I am simply here to give some ingredientsss."

"Ingredients?"

"Yesss," he nodded slowly. Fiene gazed towards his paws which were buried in his pockets. He reached into a bag slung around his heavy body, pulled out a pouch, and handed it to Fiene who took it cautiously. As the monitor buried his paw back in his pocket, Fiene could see that his fists were covered in metal. "Don't tell," the lizard whispered, "I can see. When group comesss, put thisss in meal. I pay you." Fiene blinked a few times. The lizard's delivery was so dry and monotonous that she couldn't tell if he was lying or not.

Fiene gazed at the bag suspiciously. Alarms were going off in her brain and she looked up at the lizard dubiously. The lizard tilted his head. "You are out of ingredientsss. I give more. I will see you. By the way, if you refuse, you end up like moussse." With that, the monitor lizard left, pulling his heavy coat across his scaled body before padding away. Fiene looked down at the bag again. This couldn't be anything good. She hesitantly pulled on the string keeping it closed and to her surprise, it looked normal. Just leaves and berries of some kind. Nothing out of the ordinary considering what the Drowned Otter had in its kitchen. She thought about taste testing it, but generally speaking, eating something a creepy stranger hands you is a bad idea. Instead, she decided to ask somebeast who may know what these were.

"Imanol?" She called out as she shut the door.

"I'm still in the kitchen," he called back. Fiene sighed and headed inside, where Imanol was standing over a counter. "Did you need something?" The golden wildcat asked.

Fiene nodded and placed the pouch on the counter. "Um, yes. Do you know what this is?"

Imanol gazed at the pouch and walked up to it, opening it and looking inside. Immediately, he froze. He pulled out a few of the leaves and berries and set them on the counter with a snicker. "Oh. How fun. Fiene? Where did you get this?"

"Um, a giant lizard gave it to me and said it was ingredients and that he'll pay us if we give them to a large group of beasts… and if we don't we'll end up like the mouse."

Imanol let out a chuckle and placed his paws on his hips. "Huh. That's bold."

"Why? What are these?"

Imanol turned to Fiene and explained. "Well, these are ingredients, I can tell you that. At least, they are if you consider dying an integral part of the dining experience. There are an assortment of things here, but I will just name a few. These leaves and berries right here are nightshade. They're extremely poisonous and you will have a bad time if you eat them." he explained. "This one over here is hemlock. Don't touch it or breathe it in, or you could die- I should wash my paws. This one here is just poison ivy- why did I touch that? Wow. Um, I'll be back in a moment." Imanol walked out of the kitchen's back door rather nonchalantly. Fiene held her breath out of fear and backed away.

Poison? That lizard gave me poison? How could anybeast stomach this? Sorry, Greymist, but I don't know how anybeast lives with this! I know we aren't listening to Porter, but I feel sick knowing this is what we came on that ship to do… I don't want that lizard to kill me, though…

Fiene stood there for what felt like forever. It's just me, isn't it? Greymist has killed before and doesn't seem bothered about doing it again, Lahjin is… he doesn't show it, but I know how he thinks. Raven and Sparrow don't seem to care at all. Sparrow even brags about it. Imanol appears to be taking this all in stride, but I don't think he's opposed to it, either. You know what? I will just throw these away. Sure, the monitor lizard threatened to kill me, but… well, I feel bad for falling back on her, but Greymist pledged to protect me and Lahjin. Besides, that lizard is slow. Nothing bad will happen to us, right?

Still, a cloud of anxiety shadowed Fiene (mostly because of the hemlock she was scared about breathing in) and she stayed where she stood. She tried to psych herself up in her mind to dispose of the plants but every time she took a step forward, she walked back and in the end, no progress was made.

The sound of the back door opening alerted Fiene to Imanol's reappearance. The golden wildcat shook off his damp paws and looked around. "Well, remind me never to touch things that can kill you again. Anyway, what are you doing? Why are you just standing there?" Fiene motioned towards the plants on the counter. Imanol grinned. "Oh… Well, let's get ready to serve these up, then."

Fiene's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Why?"

Imanol paused. "How much are we getting paid for this?"

"He didn't say- that doesn't matter! We're not poisoning anybeast! Look, didn't you say you were a chef? Would it feel right to kill somebeast with the food you make?"

"If you want me to be completely honest, no. If I make food, I want somebeast to eat it and, well, live. But it depends on how much we're getting paid. Oh, and also you said that he threatened to kill us."

"I can't believe you're saying this!" Fiene exclaimed, "I don't- please tell me you're joking!"

Imanol stared at Fiene with confusion before smiling apologetically. "Oh. Um, I mean, even though none of us cared about Porter and his mission, I thought you'd think similarly given that you signed up for an assassination mission."

"I don't," Fiene said adamantly. "I only came because Lahjin and Greymist were both going and I…"

Lahjin did most of the work. You don't want to be left without him.

Imanol waited for Fiene to finish before he realised she wouldn't. "Well, we don't have much of a choice. You said that the monitor lizard is going to kill us." With little compunction, Imanol walked up to the plants and shoved them back into the pouch with a stick.

"There has to be a better way to get rid of these that doesn't involve somebeast dying, right?" Fiene muttered.

Imanol clicked his tongue and gestured with the stick. "Well, we have two options. We either serve the food and kill a buncha strangers, or we don't and we're the ones that die. Maybe. Or we just hide, but as somebeast with bright yellow fur, I'm pretty awful at hide and seek," the golden wildcat joked. Fiene didn't find it very funny. Imanol cleared his throat and added, "unless you can think of a better option, I'm just gonna serve this food. 'Sides, maybe that group won't even arrive. Maybe we just get to sit here all day. Somebeast- no, two beasts did just get brutally murdered here, so maybe that large group will avoid this place," he reasoned, trying to comfort Fiene. "Also, how do we even know that lizard's serious? He just implied he's gonna kill us. For all we know, he's just bluffing."

Fiene's ears twitched. "If you think he's bluffing, why are you still serving it?"

Imanol shrugged. "I don't know. Really, I don't mind what happens either way, so…"

Still, Fiene seemed very conflicted about what to do. Imanol offered her a reassuring smile. "Look, if you can think of another option, I'll help you every step of the way."

That got Fiene to smile a bit. "Thanks."

"Eh, no problem. Now, let's get brainstorming. Think, what's a third option you can take?"

"Is that your idea of brainstorming? That's just restating the question."

"Look, I don't usually have to do this," Imanol chuckled.

Fiene turned towards the door. "Well, um… how long do we have until they arrive?"

"Good question, but I don't know who or where they are."

"Oh, right, sorry. Um, do you think any of them will be armed?"

"I don't know. Fiene, I'm sorry for being bad at this. Here, I'm guessing we have a bit of time until that group arrives, so let's-"

He paused as soon as he heard the door open. Considering the lack of customers for the day (to be precise, there were none), it came as a surprise. "Huh. Is that them?" Imanol muttered. "What perfect timing."

Fiene gulped. The small wildcat padded out of the kitchen and peered into the main dining area to see… well, Fiene wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting, but it sure wasn't this. A group of five or so beasts stood in the centre of the room while a larger beast sat at the main counter.

With the exception of the beast at the counter, all of them wore mismatched jackets and tunics, strung together in a way that vaguely reminded Fiene of the military uniforms Greymist sometimes wore back home. One beast, a mouse, wore a dirty white tunic that was torn and ripped by lord knows what. Over that was an oversized red poncho with black striped sleeves, cut in the front to resemble a coat; coins were embedded regularly in the front as if to look like buttons. All of the five beasts wore something similar and Fiene was ashamed to say that the mouse had the best costume. She only had a vague idea of what they were supposed to be mimicking when she looked at the ferret sitting by the counter. The ferret wore a plain grey coat and a tattered red apron over his black and white fur. Any subtlety in the ferret's costume was thrown out of the window with the cape (a curtain) he wore around his shoulders. Patchwork artwork of a badger (evidently torn off from a larger piece) was stitched onto it.

Their appearance took Fiene by surprise so badly that she started coughing. The ferret looked over and tried to act tough by putting his paws in his pants (he didn't have pockets) and standing up straight. "Hey," he growled in a surprisingly deep voice. "Kin me an' my patrol git sometin' t'eat?"

"Uhh…" Fiene froze, still dumbfounded by their costumes. "Uh, yeah. Um, what did you want?"

"Gimme four- wait, nah… one, two… dere's six o' us. Aye, give six o' d'finest ting on d'menu." The faux Badger Lord grinned and folded his arms across his thin chest. "An' make it snappy. Dey had a ruff day."

"Okay?" Fiene smiled politely and slowly backed away into the kitchen. Once she was inside, she immediately shut the door.

Imanol was covering his mouth with his paws, peering behind Fiene to make sure the door was fully closed before breaking out into laughter. "Hahaha! Did you see their outfits? What are they supposed to be? Ha! Why does the lizard want to kill them? They're about as harmless as a fly!"

Fiene scratched behind her ear awkwardly. "Um, so, we're not poisoning their food, right?"

Imanol clutched his chest as he wiped away some tears. "Nah! This is funny."

Fiene frowned. Imanol's decision to not kill them is just because they're funny?

"So, anyway," Imanol began as he picked up a kitchen knife. "What'd they order?"

"They just asked for the best thing on the menu. Sorry if that's vague."

"Hm. Guess I can work with that. One time, somebeast just asked me for 'anything that doesn't taste like…' Actually, I'm not gonna finish that sentence. You're too young to hear that. Now, do you have a plan for if the lizard comes?"

Fiene turned towards the door. "I dunno. I think I do, but I don't want anybeast to get hurt, including the lizard. it looks like somebeast may have to, though," she mumbled.

"Yup. Looks like it. Hopefully, 'tis neither of us," Imanol said as he idly scanned the kitchen. "Look, I don't care what your plan is, I'll go along with it, aye?"

Fiene slowly turned towards the bag of poisonous herbs on the counter. Her face quivered with worry as she stared at it. "Are you sure?"

Imanol threw his paws up. "Aye. I did just get here, so 'tis not like I have anyone to give my will and testament to if something happened," he said jokingly.

"Don't say that," Fiene muttered. I need to be the one to do something. Greymist and Lahjin aren't here and Imanol clearly doesn't care all that much… I don't like this. I don't want to hurt anybeast, but unless I think of something else… actually, I think I have an idea. An easy one, at that.

"Alright then." Imanol walked up to the shelves and chests and began rummaging through them. "So, what? There're six orders? If that's the case, can you help me with some stuff?"

"Oh, um, I only know how to cook a little. I hope that's not an issue," Fiene admitted. The only stuff I know about cooking was told to me whenever Lahjin let me help. Other than that, I don't know what I'm doing.

Imanol waved his paw dismissively. "Eh, not really. I just need you to pass me things sometimes. After all, poison or not, we still have to serve them food. So, let's get this started!"

Luckily for the two wildcats, there weren't any actual hares in the faux Long Patrol so they could actually complete the order without running out of ingredients. Fiene and Imanol sat behind the counter chatting while the costumed congregation of six sat around a table chowing on chowder. Fiene couldn't help but listen and she wondered why the monitor lizard even wanted to bother with this group. For the most part, they were just chatting excitedly about various places and what Fiene thought was history related to the city. It made her uncomfortable. How could anybeast want to get rid of this group of beasts? They aren't doing anything wrong…

It was then that Fiene remembered some offhand comment Greymist made one time about witnessing the executions of three beasts accused of treason. As it turned out, they were completely innocent and Alcaeus was just giving an example or something. Fiene didn't pay attention to the details because it made her feel queasy. But what scared her more than the fact that Greymist and Lahjin kind of brushed past it was the fact that they were innocent. Even though Alcaeus knew Greymist was really close to Lahjin, Fiene was always nervous that something would happen to them. And that feeling didn't go away. With the lizard showing up at the tavern's door, it came back in full force. Fiene didn't know what the faux Long Patrol did, but judging from their entire shtick, she guessed it couldn't have been that bad.

"Hey, Fiene," Imanol muttered out of nowhere. "Don't wanna impede on your master plan or anything, but are we just gonna wait until the lizard comes back? I'm not judging or anything, it's just that, you know he's going to be angry, right?"

"Yeah. We're just waiting." Fiene drummed her paws nervously on the counter.

Imanol nodded. "Alright… Anyway, while nothing is happening, wanna bet on the reason the lizard wants to kill them? I've got a silver piece on blasphemy," he said with a laugh.

Fiene frowned, but not wanting to ruin Imanol's fun, she answered, "uh… one copper piece on… theft. Like, maybe they stole a… fork. Or something."

"Theft, huh?" Imanol snorted with amusement and leaned back in his seat, forgetting that he was sitting on a stool. He fell to the ground with a thud. Fiene quickly stood up and crouched next to the golden wildcat.

"Are you alright?"

"Never been better," Imanol replied, rubbing his head.

"Are you sure?"

"Aye."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"... Yes?"

"You're not hurt?"

Imanol sat up and sighed. "No. I am not hurt." He pushed himself up using the counter as support and looked at the faux Long Patrol. "Are they done with their chowder yet? Staring at those bowls is making me anxious. I'd never let a meal get this cold."

Fiene stood and leaned against the counter. Five of the six beasts at the table were still eating while the sixth was staring at the door. "My lord," a squirrel mumbled, "who's that?"

Everybeast in the tavern turned towards the door as silence reigned in the room. Outside, they could faintly hear pawsteps getting closer and closer. Fiene grabbed a large wooden spoon and looked through the peephole. A shiver ran through her as she saw the monitor lizard heading up the street. Fiene turned towards Imanol and announced, "alright, plan time!"

Twirling the spoon around in her paws, Fiene shoved the spoon through the door handle and backed away. Imanol's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's your plan?!" He exclaimed, his normally casual tone all but gone.

Fiene shrugged, embarrassed. "Nobeast'll have to fight this way, right?"

"Fiene. That spoon isn't going to do anything."

"But that's how Lahjin locked his door back home," she muttered.

"That doesn't matter. If the lizard really wants to, he'll-"

Crack!

"- Get in."

Fiene yelped and scrambled away from the door, hiding underneath the counter. Imanol stayed seated as the entrance rumbled and shook. All six members of the Faux Long Patrol ran behind the counter, cowering with fear. Imanol snorted. "So much for the valiant heroes. Looks like I'll have to do something."

"What do you mean?" Fiene asked.

Crack!

Pushing himself off of his seat, Imanol ran into the kitchen and exited with a kitchen knife. Fiene's eyes grew wide. "What are you doing?'

Crack!

Imanol grimaced at the sound. "Self-defence."

Crash!

The door splintered open, swinging to the side as the monitor lizard strolled in. The reptile's face bore a smug grin as he gazed upon the small yellow wildcat. "I said to you. I can sssee. You didn't put poison. Stop hiding under table," he ordered, turning his gaze to the Faux Long Patrol.

Imanol grinned and walked between the lizard and the table. "Hey, look, we don't gotta do all this stuff, y'know? How 'bout we…"

His voice trailed off as the lizard removed his hands from his pockets. Imanol's smile dissipated. "Brass knuckles, huh?"

Fiene slowly came out from below the counter, gazing at the scene before her. Seeing the lizard again made her blood run cold. This is just like Alcaeus, again. Greymist and Lahjin aren't here to help me this time. I don't think Imanol can do much here.

Try as she might to spur herself into acting, Fiene couldn't and she stayed pinned behind the counter with fear. "Woahwoahwoahwoah," she heard Imanol exclaim. "Listen, I mean, c'mon, what they did couldn't've been that bad, aye? Let's just put our weapons down and…?"

"They stole something that belongsss to me. Isss it wrong me asking for it back?"

Imanol laughed. "Um, ask then? Instead of all of this?"

"We ain't given' yer sword back!" The Faux Badger Lord exclaimed.

"Wha- no, you're supposed to say 'yes' so he leaves but not actually give it back," Imanol chided.

"We're not backing down!" Another beast yelled.

"Just lie so he goes away!" Imanol yelled.

The monitor lizard chuckled. "Ssstubborn," he spat.

Imanol grumbled. "Put those things away before anybeast gets hur- AHH!". Fiene flinched as the sound of footpaws pounding against wood thundered through the air. Tables and chairs were knocked over as the monitor lizard raced towards Imanol.

Fiene pulled on her ears, breathing heavily as the scuffle echoed in the background. You've gotta do something. You've never done anything before. You've always just stayed back while Lahjin did everything for you. Can you do something for once?

Another crash brought her back to reality. Imanol was lasting longer than she thought, but she guessed he wouldn't be for long. Trembling, she reached to the corner of the counter and grabbed the bag of poisons she had stashed there earlier as a backup plan.

"Stop! I'm not built for this!" Imanol yelled.

Fiene sat still, trying to build up the courage to act. In fact, she may have just stayed frozen behind that counter but the sound of Imanol yelping in pain finally sparked her forward. She dashed out from underneath the counter. Imanol was lying next to a flipped table, knife no longer in paw, while the monitor lizard stood over him. "Hey!" Fiene yelled. The monitor lizard turned.

Opening the bag, Fiene ran up and launched its contents towards the lizard. The large beast instinctively turned as the various leaves and berries bounced off his scaly skin. Fiene took a step back, wondering how long it'd take for something to happen.

Unfortunately, nothing happened. Silence reigned in the room as the lizard seemed too confused to act. After a bit, he simply stared into Fiene's eyes and grinned. "That is not how poison worksss."

Fiene backed away as the lizard turned his attention away from Imanol. " But- but I thought if you touch hemlock you…"

"I appreciate the effort, Fiene, but a brief touch isn't going to take him down," said Imanol

Fiene quivered as the lizard stepped forward, his fanged grin widening as he flexed his claws.

The lizard dashed forward.

Fiene screamed and ran backwards.

"Here comes Imanol with the wooden chair!" The golden wildcat yelled as he slammed a chair into the lizard's side. The lizard hissed and swung his tail into Imanol's stomach, knocking him to the ground. While the monitor was distracted with Imanol, Fiene lunged and shoved the lizard as hard as she could.

Unfortunately, it didn't do much of anything. The lizard staggered slightly before setting his sights on Fiene. She didn't even have time to react before his fist lashed towards her head.

Her head snapped back as the world exploded in a flash of pain and lights.

She didn't even have time to yelp before everything went dark.

It was her first time seeing a wildcat that wasn't from her family. Fiene couldn't help but stare at the two beasts arm wrestling at the dining table. Her older brother, Lahjin, growled as he strained against his opponent: a wildcat named Greymist. Unlike her family who either had long black or brown fur, Greymist, as her name suggested, had short grey fur.

Even though it was exciting to see another wildcat, Fiene did think there was something strange about her. For starters, her fur was too neat and well-groomed. Her eyes were blank and her expression never seemed to change. There was also the leather chestplate she wore. Where'd she even get that? Actually, where did Lahjin even meet her in the first place, and why was she here? Not that she was complaining, of course. It was nice not to be home alone again.

Slowly but surely, Greymist was overpowering Lahjin and eventually, his paw hit the table. Lahjin chuckled and said, "huh. You're strong."

"Uh huh," she replied in a disinterested tone. She glanced around the room awkwardly before looking straight at Fiene. "What are you looking at?"

Fiene blinked and looked away. Lahjin stretched his arms with a grunt. "Whaddya wanna do now?"

Greymist shrugged and gazed out of the window. "Huh. It's dark already? How long have I been here?"

"Since a bit after noon," Lahjin answered.

"Hm." Greymist rapped her paw on the table as she pondered to herself.

"Um, do you know how to get back home from here-?" Lahjin asked absentmindedly before freezing. "Oh, sorry. You said that somebeast is searching for you at home. Sorry."

Greymist paused. "Oh. I did say that. I'll… I'll figure something out."

"Alright then. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm-"

Their conversation was halted with a violent knock on the door. Fiene and Lahjin flinched from the sound. The three wildcats froze, not wanting to check who it was.

"Is that your parents?" Greymist asked, given that they had been absent for the entire day.

Lahjin shook his head fearfully. "No, that-"

The knocking started once again, somehow even more violently. It felt like their door was going to be broken down. Fiene yelped and ran under the table, much to Greymist's surprise. "Open this door, right now!" A voice snarled from outside.

"Are you kidding me?" Greymist growled.

Lahjin backed away from the door. "Do you know who it is?"

Greymst rubbed the back of her neck. "It's uh…"

"I'm breaking down this door in three seconds! Three!"

Greymist snarled with frustration and stomped towards the door. Lahjin followed her. Greymist opened the door with little compunction. It was now the second time Fiene saw a wildcat that wasn't from her family, and she was terrified. Greymist and Lahjin backed away as the largest wildcat she had ever seen stomped through the door. He looked larger than a badger. Fiene let out a panicked squeak and shrunk even further in the table.

"What are you doing with her?" The massive wildcat- Alcaeus- snarled, glaring at Lahjin.

Lahjin held up his paws. "No- I- What're- I didn't do anything!"

"Dad. Stop," Greymist stepped in front of Lahjin defensively.

"Tsini, where were you? You've been missing for days!" Exclaimed Alcaeus.

Lahjin's ears twitched with confusion. "I thought your name was Greymist."

Greymist glared at Lahjin then back at the large wildcat. "They didn't do anything. I came here on my own."

"They?" Alcaeus' gaze roamed the room, eventually finding Fiene cowering under a table. "Where are your parents?"

"Gone?" Lahjin muttered.

The large wildcat's face wrinkled with contempt before folding his arms over his broad chest. "Tsini, come on. You're going home. Now."

Greymist looked at Lahjin apologetically(?) before slowly going up to Alcaeus' side. "Goodbye," she muttered. The large wildcat motioned for Greymist to leave first, and she did so, albeit reluctantly. Alcaeus glared at the two other wildcats in the room. Lahjin shivered where he stood. When his gaze landed on Fiene, she pressed herself against the wall.

She would never forget those eyes. Those sharp, copper eyes burning with more fury than anybeast she'd ever known. The way they bore into her filled Fiene with dread, emphasising that he could reach over and strangle her at any moment.

But he didn't. Alcaeus simply exited the house and slammed the door behind him. As soon as he left, Lahjin ran towards the table and crouched down. "Are you alright?" He asked. As soon as Lahjin asked that, Fiene felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She just hid under the table. If anything, she should've been the one asking if Lahjin was okay.

She wasn't articulate enough to voice these thoughts, however, so she simply nodded. "Yeah."

She saw faces, though she couldn't put a name to any of them if she tried. Her body felt like it was made of jelly like the ones Lahjin served a few times. Fiene had just enough awareness to identify a large monitor lizard sweeping a tavern while a golden wildcat lay on the floor, clutching his stomach. The lizard looked behind tables and even went behind the counter searching for… something? There was a fog clouding her mind and she couldn't remember anything that was happening.

She tried to push herself up, but everything felt like mush. She instinctively batted at her ears, trying to get rid of that ringing that wouldn't go away. As she lay there, bits and pieces of Fiene's memory slowly started to come back. She tried pushing herself up again and although it was easier, it was still quite difficult. She looked past Imanol's body and up at the monitor lizard. His face wrinkled with irritation as he kicked a table aside. He turned his head towards the two wildcats, eyes locking with Fiene's. He smirked and walked over, crouching next to the pair on the floor. She would've tried to crawl away, but she was still too dazed to move.

Tapping his knuckles against his temple, the lizard chuckled. "Small cats don't worry. I'm after ferret. No hard feelingsss… But, small cats mess with Maiskisss again?" He dragged a claw across his scaled throat. With that, the monitor lizard, Maiskis, stood up and headed out the front door to look for the Faux Long Patrol.

Fiene and Imanol stayed on the floor. Neither of them was too keen on getting up right now. Fiene almost fell asleep then and there, but then, Imanol asked, "hey, Fiene? You good?"

Fiene opened her eyes. "I think. What about you?"

Imanol grunted as he tried to sit up. "Never been better. But really, all things considered, that went better than I thought it would."

"How'd you think it'd end?"

"I thought more blood would be spilt, so this is a win in my book."

At that, Fiene sat up. It was then that she finally realised the tavern was devoid of any costumed ferrets. The Faux Long Patrol must've gotten away while they were fighting Maiskis. Fiene couldn't help but chuckle. "It wasn't for nothing, after all. We actually did something."

Imanol grinned sardonically. "Good for us." Still clutching his stomach, he pulled himself up using a table and got back on his footpaws. "This tavern is even more destroyed, though."

"It's just some knocked-over tables and chairs," Fiene noted. "Nothing that we can't fix."

"Right, but I don't wanna get up," Imanol said, lying back on the floor.

Fiene chuckled softly. "Alright." As she walked over to the closest chair, she hesitated. "Imanol? I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You went and fought Maiskis while I just hid."

"Oh." Imanol placed his hands behind his head and shrugged. "'Tis fine. Don't feel bad about it. Everything ended up fine, so it doesn't really matter anymore."

"It does, though. I hate myself knowing I just left you behind again."

Imanol raised a brow. "Huh. Well. I don't. There we go, problem solved!" Pushing himself up, Imanol clapped and headed towards a table. "What's done's done," he said firmly.

Fiene opened her mouth to speak, but Imanol's tone made her stop. The way he smiled casually made her shudder. "Now, let's clean up this dump," Imanol exclaimed.

Although it didn't take long as the only new damages were fallen tables and chairs, Imanol demanded on singing as he worked. His mostly clear voice rang through the tavern, broken only by the occasional coughing. Fiene's ears twitched, grimacing slightly as his cheerful tone continued his earlier song as if nothing had happened.

When the pair heard knocking on the door again, they froze. Fiene shuddered, wondering if the lizard had come back. "Aye!" A voice exclaimed on the other end, "yer presence's demanded by our great badger lord!"

Fiene let out a sigh of relief, recognising the voice from the Faux Long Patrol (if the strange request didn't give it away). "Alright. What does he want?"

"Uh… Your presence's demanded!" He repeated.

Imanol rolled his eyes and smirked. "Let's go see what they want."

"Can we leave the tavern, though?" Fiene pointed out.

Imanol shrugged. "'Tis not like anybeast's gonna eat here. C'mon… unless you don't wanna go?"

Fiene looked around the empty dining area and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm okay with that."

"Nice." Imanol opened the door, allowing a very small rat to enter the room. He shivered, tail lashing anxiously as he shoved the door closed and adjusted his posture.

"Ahem," the rat began, "D'lord o' Saladamanstrong- Salamandastrin- Sadala- Sam- Sala-"

"Salamandastron." Imanol corrected.

"Aye, dat. D'lord o'… what ya said, Memphis d' Brute, wishes t'extend a 't'ank youse' an' dat if d'two o' youse need anytin'at all, ya can find us. Ahem…" the rat took a deep breath and paused. His eyes travelled around the room before speaking. "I had a riddle but I fergot. Sometin' 'bout d'cliffs outside o d'city."

Fiene couldn't help but smile. "Well, glad that we could help."

"Actually, I shud prolly just show youse where it is, 'cause Memphis has a message t'deliver t'youse."

"Why didn't he just come here?" Imanol asked.

"He's scared o' d'city. Dere's a lotta creepies wanderin' 'round. Now, follow me!"

Without another word, the rat left. Fiene and Imanol looked at each other, debating whether they should follow or not. "Do you think the lizard's still after them?" Fiene asked nervously.

"Possibly, but they also just sent a kid, so who knows? They might be feeling confident."

"I guess so." The two wildcats left the tavern and followed the rat out of the city. For the entire trek, Fiene couldn't help but stare anxiously at all the buildings around her, almost as if the lizard would jump out at any moment. Even though Maiskis said he wasn't targeting them, she also knew Alcaeus promised something similar to Greymist before.

Fiene looked at the beasts walking beside her. It was nice to know she had new friends, but she also gained an enemy. She subtly moved closer to the other wildcat, who noticed and smiled reassuringly. Fiene took a deep breath and stared at the ground, and although this thought didn't occur to her until a few days later, she realised that no matter what the other wildcats decided they'd do while they were here, it'd certainly help to have some friends.