Chapter 22

The Friend of my Friend…


18:00, Day 1


Up in the stone tower, two beasts were sitting in the armoury, watching as the group of five approached the tower. "Uh, Farshawn? There's somebeast outside," Kallius Placent warned as she stared out the window.

Farshawn Iriswind, who was examining the stone map in the centre of the room, looked over at her friend. "What? Who?"

Kallius narrowed her eyes, leaning forward to get a better look. "Hm… Durkfor, Arthur, and three others."

Farshawn's eyes widened. Sure, Tiviko Polonuk was currently asleep on the first floor, but the front entrance was still barricaded. If the incoming group decided to try to open the door, they would be too loud and by the time they got the door open, Tiviko could be sniping them from the kitchen window. The squirrelmaid looked around frantically. They had to stop them from getting to the tower, but how? She grimaced as she gazed down at the bindings around her wrists and waist. Shortly after Tiviko arrived at the tower, he grabbed the rope from the closet and tied both Farshawn and Kallius around the stone table. Luckily, there was enough pull to let Kallius near the window, but Farshawn was stuck by the table.

"Farshawn! What do we do?" Kallius plead.

The squirrelmaid pondered for a moment before looking up. "Kallius, can you turn around? Show them that your arms are tied up."

Kallius nodded and did as she was told. However, she had to step away from the window as the rope didn't go that far. Farshawn walked as close as she could towards the window (which wasn't much) and glanced towards the door that lead downstairs. Right now, Borsen wanted them alive, so that gave them a bit of leeway on what they could do. Turning back towards the window, Farshawn hid as much fear from her voice as possible and called out as loud as she could. "Hey! Brother Durkfor! Up here! 'Tis us! Kallius and I!"

Neither of them could see how the group in the field was reacting, and Farshawn could only pray that they got the memo. "Durkfor!" Farshawn called out again, "come up here, please! Durkfor!"

Kallius waved her bound arms around, trying to get the point across further. A moment later, she turned around. The hogmaid smiled with relief as she gazed out of the window. "Oh, thank goodness, the rest are heading back and hiding."

Farshawn couldn't help but smile. Not even the sounds of Tiviko stomping upstairs made it go away. The squirrelmaid turned towards the door just as Tiviko opened it with an annoyed scowl on his face. "Both of you shut up, I'm trying to get some sleep. Step away from that window, now."

Kallius' smile faded away as she sat back on the table. Tiviko grumbled and padded towards the window, gazing out to see Durkfor Ventultro heading towards the tower. The wildcat groaned and shut his eyes. While he was distracted, Farshawn made a shoving motion with her paws and motioned towards Tiviko, but Kallius was too nervous to go for it. Tiviko drew away from the window and sighed. "Okay. Borsen wanted you two alive, but he didn't say you had to be unharmed. If any of you two call out again, I'll slice you open."

Tiviko looked back out the window and called out to the hare walking towards the tower. "Durkfor. Stop," he ordered. To his amusement, Durkfor obeyed.

The hare's ears twitched to the side as he placed his paws on his hips. "Aye. Whaddya want?"

"I should be asking you that," Tiviko scoffed. "Leave. Now."

"Are Kallius and Farshawn okay?" Durkfor asked.

"No," Tiviko answered bluntly. "What are you even doing out here, anyway? Did Borsen seriously not bring you back to the ship? I know he ran off with you after we crashed!"

The hare smiled sheepishly. "Uh…"

"Oh dear lord," Tiviko grumbled. "Look, I'm preoccupied at the moment, so how about you head back to the ship. If you don't, I'll kill your friends up here. Sound good?"

Durkfor's face flashed with fear but then melted into confusion. "Huh? Why haven't ya killed 'em yet, then?"

Tiviko stared blankly at Durkfor. He rolled his eyes and rest his chin on the windowsill. "Look, the ship is west, in that direction," he pointed, "just go back. There's nothing for you anywhere."

Durkfor paused. He needed to get inside that tower. He wanted to at least check on Farshawn and Kallius. So, he did what any hare would do in that situation. "Do ya have any food?" He called up. "I haven't eaten anythin' today and I'm pretty flippin' hungry."

Tiviko audibly groaned. "You've got to be kidding me-"

"And I'm lost," Durkfor added quickly.

The wildcat seemed to ponder for a moment. He glanced back towards the stone map in the centre of the table and sighed. "Alright. You know what? Just come inside, you bloody idiot."


Durkfor sat in the tower's kitchen. He stared at the wildcat sitting across from him; the sunlight illuminating the cat's black fur like embers. The bindle of items he received from Borsen earlier that day lay on the floor next to him. Tiviko's sharp glare bore into him like knives, but whether it was because of his immunity or something else, Durkfor didn't feel scared. Instead, as his gaze lowered to the knife Tiviko twirled around in his paw, he felt an odd sense of guilt and curiosity.

"Are you going to eat your rations?" Tiviko asked sharply, snapping Durkfor out of his thoughts.

The hare blinked sheepishly and nodded. "Ah, aye. Sorry." He hurriedly took a bite out of the salted fish Tiviko brought with him. The hare grimaced. A bit too salty for his liking. Wait, no, that wasn't the focus right now. Durkfor ate his meal in silence all the while Tiviko stared at him, unmoving except for the knife in his paw. Durkfor's ears flopped to the side and he mumbled, "do ya gotta watch me?"

"Yes," Tiviko answered bluntly. "I don't want you to do anything stupid."

Durkfor couldn't help but snicker. "Oh, well, ya don't have to worry. I'm not gonna do anything."

"Hahaha," Tiviko laughed dryly. "Shut it. Hurry up and finish your food so I can go back to sleep."

Durkfor snorted and continued eating. It was pretty awkward with Tiviko constantly staring at him, but while the wildcat was here, Durkfor grew curious. He slowly looked up at Tiviko with a concerned look. "So, um, can I ask ya somethin'?"

Tiviko sighed. "Depends. Do you need a drink, too?"

"No, nothin' like that. I um, I was wonderin', this wouldn't be your first time doin' this, aye?"

Tiviko leaned back in his chair. Normally, he wouldn't be up for conversation, but from what he could tell, Durkfor was about as threatening as a fish on land, and he was bored. "Yes. Well, it usually doesn't go this bad."

Durkfor scratched the back of his ears. "Um, well, this is a bit of an odd question, but what does it feel like to kill somebeast?"

"Uh, that's a bit of a weird question. Why are you asking?" Tiviko raised a brow.

"I dunno," Durkfor lied. "Just wonderin' why somebeast might enjoy it, is all."

Tiviko stared at the hare, unamused as to how transparent he was being. Though, again, Durkfor was probably the least threatening prisoner on the island. "Well, I actually don't care for it. It gets me paid, and I like being paid. It's the other stuff leading up to it like finding where they live and how to get to them." A smug smile appeared on the wildcat's face as he continued. "Let me tell you, finding out where Arthur lived wasn't hard at all. Getting inside wasn't a problem either. Even if Borsen didn't come, I had another plan. Anyway, I was told about a m… squirrel that lived somewhere in the west, reasoned that it was most likely in Mossflower given their background, got information from a- actually, why am I telling you this?"

Durkfor shrugged. "I dunno. 'Tis interestin'?" He admitted. "Sickenin', but interestin'."

Tiviko sighed. "Why are you being so nice to me? You know I'm trying to kill your friends?"

Durkfor laughed nervously. "Well… I mean… I dunno. You're prolly fine? Right?" He answered evasively.

Tiviko raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Anyway, since I can guess what you actually wanted to know from that first question, I'm just going to say that Borsen is a hedonistic sadist. That's it. Dear lord, you two, do you ever stop thinking about each other, or is it only when Borsen is tearing somebeast apart with his bare claws that he stops?" he muttered.

"Well, um, we've been friends fer a long time." In the back of his mind, Durkfor couldn't help but wonder more about Tiviko. Wait, why're ya wonderin' 'bout him? You're supposed to be focused on the bloody mission, which is… somethin', not havin' chats wit' assassins… but I do kinda want to know more 'bout all of this.

Tiviko leaned back in his seat. "I suppose." Tiviko normally would've questioned this friendship (well, he still was), but Durkfor was getting practical use out of it, so there was nothing to question. "Look, I am not going to sit here for the entire night and watch you eat. I know hares like you, especially from Redwall Abbey, eat a small hedgehog's weight in food for breakfast, but can you hurry this up?"

Durkfor blinked owlishly and swallowed the rest of his fish whole, grimacing from the amount of salt Tiviko put on it. "Alright. Done."

"Wow." Tiviko stood up from his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "Now, unfortunately, because of a certain otter, I am not allowed to lay a paw on you, so I can only tell you to go back to the ship and wait everything out. Follow me." The wildcat led Durkfor towards the window where he began motioning with a paw. "There's a bridge leading into a town. Cross that and start heading west. If you're terrible at following directions, just follow the shoreline until you see the ship. Got that?"

"Yup."

"... I'm going to guess that you aren't planning on heading towards the ship."

"I am," Durkfor lied.

Tiviko narrowed his eyes at the hare. "Do your ears move when you're lying?"

"What? No," he replied a bit too flatly.

The wildcat sighed. "Alright then. Anything else before you leave?"

Durkfor paused. There were so many questions he had on his mind. Ever since he got captured, his mind ran amok with many questions such as "what does it feel like to kill somebeast" or "do you feel guilty doing this". Just anything to understand why Borsen or Tiviko would be doing any of this. However, he needed to stick to the plan. Martin knows he out of all beasts would have time to ask later. "Can I go see Farshawn and Kallius?" He asked.

Tiviko snorted with amusement. "Huh. That's a bit forward. You do know I am the one keeping them here, right?"

"Well, I mean, there's no blinkin' way I'm sneakin' up there what wit' ya on my tail and all."

"... So you just asked politely? You are pathetic."

"Is that a no, then?" Durkfor asked sheepishly.

Tiviko stifled a chuckle. "You've got to be kidding me… You know what? I will let you see them."

Durkfor tilted his head in disbelief. "Really?"

"No. I'm not letting you have any chance of freeing them. What do you think I am, stupid?"

"No," Durkfor answered. "I mean, ya knew how to track down Art."

Tiviko waved his knife casually. "Eh. That was child's play. Let's say he had a reputation."

Durkfor tilted his head in confusion. "Art did?"

"Sure," the wildcat answered dismissively. "But that doesn't matter. Anyway, the point is that-

Tiviko was cut off as Farshawn could be heard yelling from upstairs, "Durkfor! Get him! He can't fight back against you!"

Both Tiviko and Durkfor stopped. The hare slowly looked back towards Tiviko, who stared at him as if daring him to attack.

Farshawn was right. Durkfor could attack Tiviko if he wanted to. Durkfor was both taller (though not by much) and weighed more. If he really wanted to, he could take down Tiviko. It's pretty easy to take down a target that can't fight back, if you wanted to.

But as Durkfor looked back at Tiviko, something inside him couldn't bring himself to do it. He could claim it was because he despised violence or that he hated being mad at beasts, but he knew that it was something else entirely.

Tiviko smiled in satisfaction (and confusion) as Durkfor sighed resignedly and leaned back in his chair. "Why didn't you do it?" The wildcat asked.

"I… Borsen likes ya, right?"

"Hm?" Tiviko didn't expect Durkfor to ask that. Sure, the hare was being incredibly stupid, but, hey, a break is a break, and dealing with Durkfor was the least stressful thing in the world right now. "I mean, I am enabling whatever is wrong with him, so I would say yes."

Strangely enough, Durkfor began to smile. It was small and barely noticeable, but it was there. That took Tiviko off guard more than anything the hare said thus far. "Why aren't you disgusted?" Tiviko asked flatly. "I could list off many reasons that you should be angry at me or Borsen, but I don't think you care."

"I do," Durkfor replied indignantly. "I hate what you're doin' and I wish ya never did any o' this."

Tiviko scoffed. "You don't seem very angry about it."

Durkfor thought to himself for a moment before responding. "Guess I'm not. Never really am."


Sending Durkfor in turned out to be a bust. The hare didn't want to do anything to hurt anybeast which was a bit of a problem since Farshawn and Tiviko were both actively wishing for the other's demise. Luckily, while Tiviko was distracted by Durkfor downstairs, Art Swiftpaw had the foresight (more born of general paranoia than anything related to Durkfor) and snuck to the tower a few minutes after Durkfor had gone in. Tucking his sickle in his belt, he climbed up the tower, heading towards the armoury window. Faintly, he could hear Durkfor and Tiviko talking from the kitchen window.

Holding his breath in anticipation, Art peered into the armoury window. There, he saw Kallius sitting against a stone table while Farshawn watched the door that led down into the kitchen. Art sighed with relief. The two were relatively unharmed. Farshawn's left sleeve was bloody and torn, but otherwise, they seemed fine. "Hey, Sister Farshawn, over here!" Art hissed, getting the pair's attention.

"Arthur?" Farshawn whispered in disbelief. While she was happy that somebeast came for them, she was a bit conflicted about it being Art. The kid was weird (then again, so were you. Remember those embarrassing lyrics you wrote at his age? Exactly), but seemed pretty driven and nice. Honestly, she couldn't remember a time she ever spoke with him, so this felt kind of strange. What was even stranger was the bloodstained sickle she saw tied to his waist. It unnerved her a bit, but whether she felt uncomfortable or not wasn't important. "Hey, can you cut our binds off?" She hissed urgently.

Art's head whipped back and forth between the door and the pair as he quietly dropped from the windowsill. He padded over to Kallius, who was closer, first. She turned, held her bound paws out, and Art began to saw through the ropes. Art found it a bit awkward at first as he was not used to a curved blade, but he eventually freed Kallius from the ropes. All of this felt weird to the squirrel, though. As he went on cutting Farshawn free, he muttered, "what are he and Durkfor doing down there?"

"I don't know," Farshawn replied.

The three beasts in the armoury went silent as they listened in. From the sound of it, Durkfor was just having a simple chat with Tiviko, and it annoyed Art and Farshawn to no end. "C'mon Durkfor, kill him," Art grumbled, "grab a knife and stick it in that bastard's chest."

"Arthur, language," Kallius chided.

"Yes, don't say that, but also, why isn't he doing anything?" Farshawn asked.

Kallius rubbed her wrist nervously, disturbed by how willing the two squirrels were to go for murder as a solution.

Art sawed through the rope binding Farshawn's wrists together and switched to the rope tying her waist to the table. "Do you two think that if I sneak down there, I can catch the wildcat by surprise?"

"What?" Kallius asked in disbelief. "Do not try that, you are going to die!"

"No I'm not," he replied dismissively.

"Look," Kallius said sternly, "he is a wildcat, you are a squirrel. Development-wise, you are also only… 17, right?"

"Yeah."

"You are only 17. He is a lot stronger than you and likely has training. Please do not do this," Kallius pleaded.

Farshawn nodded in agreement. "You should listen to her, she's smart. Plus, you aren't going to be sneaking up on him with the ah," she pointed to his collar and the chains dangling from them.

Art grumbled indignantly but otherwise didn't object. "What about you two, though? How will you get out of this tower?"

Farshawn smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll think of something to get us out. Oh, that reminds me, Arthur, come here."

Art tilted his head as Farshawn lead him to the stone table they were tied up to. To his surprise, it wasn't just a table and was also a map of the island! Farshawn tapped a spot on the shoreline. Although it was dirty, the words Farshawn was pointing to was as clear as day.

Docks

"It doesn't look that big," Farshawn noted, "but there may be something there worth looking for. Head there with your group. I promise, by the time you get back, we will be out of the tower. Okay?"

Art placed his sickle back in his habit cord and crossed his arms. "You don't need to make a promise to me like I'm a dibbun. If you're still in here, we can just help you get out. But, yeah, we'll check it out."

Farshawn grinned. "Good. Go, before Tiviko decides to check up on us."

Art nodded and leapt up on the windowsill. Before he left, however, he turned towards Farshawn and asked, "hey, why is he keeping you two here, anyway?"

"Oh. Um, Borsen wants us alive, I think," Farshawn answered nervously. "The wildcat is staying here and waiting for Borsen to come."

Art's expression grew indiscernible as he pondered to himself. "Borsen's on his way? He's going to be here?"

"Yes? Why?"

"Nothing," Art waved it off before nodding. "Good luck you two. See ya… Stop calling me Arthur. Please call me Art, instead. " With that, the young squirrel left. Farshawn didn't hear Tiviko yelling from downstairs, so she assumed he got away safely. Farshawn sighed and slumped back into the sofa. They were free, Tiviko was still distracted, so what now?

"Farshawn? We have got a problem," Kallius warned. Farshawn looked over and saw the ropes that Tiviko used to tie them to the table. "We should have asked him to just untie us. The rope is too short for us to climb down, now. What do we do? That was our only way out!"

Farshawn's face stiffened and she walked over to the window. Technically speaking, they could survive the fall, but after leaving the tower, they still had to find a way off of the island and survive the guards, so jumping probably wasn't the best idea in the long term. Farshawn grunted in frustration and crossed her arms. At least they had time to think about it. Tiviko was still distracted with Durkfor. The squirrelmaid grew curious and pressed her ear against the door. She could barely hear their voices given that it had to travel through another door and up a staircase, but their voices sounded calmer somehow. Durkfor sounded downright affable while Tiviko sounded much more relaxed.

Farshawn's face twitched with annoyance. Was he seriously having a friendly chat with the wildcat while everything was going on? If there was one good thing Durkfor was causing, it was that the wildcat may be too distracted to notice if she came down with a weapon. Kallius may not have wanted violence, but Farshawn didn't care as much. Anything that would get Kallius out of this tower safely, she would do.


For the first time in a few days, Tiviko found himself at ease. Sure, there was the lingering thought that Farshawn and Kallius were tied upstairs and they might get out, or that somebeast might try to break into the tower, but most of that was forgotten while Durkfor relayed some stupid story about a time Borsen dared him to swim in the River Moss. "And then, y'know, hares don't make good swimmers. At least, not as good as sea otters. I did a runnin' start, like this," he demonstrated by standing up and making an exaggerated running pose, "but I slipped and fell into the river."

Tiviko smiled ever so slightly at the hare's stupidity. "What? You didn't expect the riverbank to be wet?"

Durkfor rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Heh, I uh, I thought it'd be dry 'cause it was sunny all day… I was pretty flippin' dumb as a teenager."

"I can tell," Tiviko said dryly.

"Hey."

Tiviko leaned back in his seat. Durkfor wasn't threatening and didn't seem to have a spiteful bone in his body. He still found it odd that this conversation was even happening in the first place, but it definitely improved his mood after the past few days. "So I'm guessing Borsen saved you when you fell in?"

Durkfor chuckled. "Aye, but this was still back when he didn't like to express anythin' to me, so it was funny seein' him be all awkward and shy 'bout picking me up in the water and draggin' me to shore. I swear, he didn't look at me. Not once."

Durkfor didn't expect this conversation to happen either, but now that he was speaking with Tiviko about this, he found it to be quite nice. In fact, he found it a bit unnerving how this conversation didn't feel wrong. He was fine speaking with his objectively awful beast, and in fact, he kind of liked it. He pushed those thoughts aside and continued the story. "So there I was, lyin' on the riverbank, coughin' up a storm while Borsen tried not to look at me. I don't wanna make fun of 'im 'cause he was still too shy to speak full sentences to me, yet, but it was still funny when he just asked 'good?', without any…"

The hare's voice trailed off as he saw something out of the corner of his vision. From behind Tiviko, the door leading to the armoury opened. On the other side, Farshawn gripped an arrow in her paw.

Farshawn raised the arrow and lunged towards Tiviko. Durkfor's eyes grew wide. "Stop!" He screamed. Pushing the table aside, Durkfor threw himself towards Farshawn and ripped the arrow out of her paw. The squirrelmaid eyed him with bewilderment before she looked up with terror. Durkfor whipped his head towards Tiviko. The wildcat had his dagger and was swinging it towards Farshawn. The hare moved between Farshawn and the blade. Tiviko's face morphed into a scowl as he moved and the blade nicked Durkfor in the shoulder instead.

Nobeast moved. Blood trickled down Durkfor's arm as Tiviko and Farshawn glared daggers at each other. Durkfor panted heavily as his gaze moved back and forth between the two. "Stop. Both of ya. Please, no killin'."

Tiviko narrowed his eyes. "You untied yourself."

Farshawn spoke shakily, "Durkfor, why'd you…"

Durkfor's face bore a look of desperation. "I want this to stop. I don't want any murder. Please."

Tiviko let out a growl as he slowly sheathed his knife in his belt. "Fine. I won't kill them." Because that otter friend of yours will anyway.

Durkfor nodded, though he did seem sceptical. "Farshawn, get outta this tower, please."

The squirrelmaid nodded slowly, unsure how to react.

Tiviko glared at Durkfor, but he couldn't even push him aside. That cut on Durkfor's shoulder already made Tiviko nervous about how Borsen would react. The hare moved backwards, protecting Farshawn until she ran up the stairs. Tiviko scoffed, eyeing Durkfor questioningly. "I see. So you're going to be doing that, hm?"

Durkfor shrugged, honestly not understanding what he did. He just wanted to stop the pair from hurting each other.

Tiviko narrowed his eyes, unease prickling at the back of his neck. He genuinely didn't realise Farshawn had come downstairs until Durkfor screamed. Stupid hare. Won't let you distract me again… "Alright, I think it's time for you to leave. Now. You got your food, your way back to the ship, and there's nothing else for you to do here. Alright? Goodbye now."

Durkfor was still shocked by Farshawn's attack and just nodded silently. The hare turned to leave and padded down the stairs. Halfway down, however, he stopped and turned back. "Um, actually, there's somethin' else I wanna ask 'fore I leave. Just one last question…"


"Ughhh," Midwyng Coeptigo groaned with boredom as they lay on the forest floor. Nearby, Ahlrath Palaechia was watching the tower from a distance while Toran Firepool poked the ground with a stick. "When is that bloody squirrel gonna come back, back, back. I'm soo borrred, bored, bored."

Ahlrath narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Be patient, will ye? It takes time tae sneak up a tower."

"Yeah, yeah, but we're just sitting here, here, here. Hey, I've got an idea, idea, idea. Bunny, when Art and the other bunny get back, we should scare them, them, th-"

"Alright, ah'm tired o' ye. Why do ye talk like that?" Ahlrath snapped. "An' ah ain't gonna scare 'em. We need tae take this seriously."

Midwyng nodded dramatically. "Got it. We need to take this very seriously, seriously-"

"Shut it."

"- Seriously. So that's an even greater reason to scare them, them, them. Keeps them on edge, edge, edge. After all, it's always nice to stay on alert, alert, al-"

"If ye echo yer words like that one more time, ah'm gonna clock ye in the throat."

Midwyng let out a giggle. "What's with you and Art being annoyed with how I talk, talk, talk? If anything, you are the weird ones for not doing this, this, this."

Ahlrath grimaced. "'Tis annoying."

"So is everybeast on the island, but you don't see me going up to any of them and tearing their throats out to shut them up, up, up," Midwyng said dryly. "Want me to start? Because I will, will, will. Hey kid, guess what, what, what?" Toran looked up just as Midwyng lunged at him with their fangs bared. The otter, however, knew Midwyng was joking and didn't even bother reacting, much to the bat's chagrin. Toran smiled slyly and started petting Midwyng's headfur. The bat visibly shuddered and recoiled. "Fine. I won't do that again, again, again."

While Toran didn't seem bothered, Ahlrath definitely did. "Aye, why'd ye gotta scare the lad like that? What's wrong wit' ye?"

Midwyng stammered indignantly. "Wha- Oh c'mon! He wasn't even scared, scared, scared!"

"Doesna' matter. Shut yer blasted trap or else ah'll shut it for ye."

The bat grumbled spitefully to themselves and stared up at the sky. "How're the two idiots in the tower doing, doing, doing?"

"Art's runnin' back, it seems," Ahlrath noted. Midwyng looked up and sure enough, Art was running across the field towards their hiding spot. "Welcome back, didja learn anythin'?" The mountain hare asked.

Art pointed to the north. "Sister Farshawn told me that there's a dock or something in that direction. There's maybe something there we can use to escape. I wouldn't count on it, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to check."

"Wow, great climbing there, there, there," Midwyng said dryly. "Hey, squirrel, can we ditch these beasts, beasts, beasts?"

Ahlrath seemed offended while Art merely growled. "No." He then turned to Ahlrath whom he could actually have a productive conversation. "Ahlrath, after we get Durkfor back, should we send two of us to check it out?

"Hm? Why can't we all go?" Ahlrath asked.

The question seemed to catch Art off guard. "Well… y'know, somebeast should keep watch on the tower, right? Farshawn and Kallius are still in there."

Ahlrath nodded slowly. It wasn't a terrible idea, and if Ravi trusted this squirrel a lot, he wanted to also. "Art, yer goin' 'cause ye know where the dock is. Who else should we send, though?"

The squirrel nodded. "Alright. Um… Toran isn't going, and I think you should be here to protect Toran."

Midwyng let out a sigh. "Alright, fine, fine, fine. I guess I'm coming with you, you, you."

"Nope. You're staying here, too."

"Aw, what?" The bat exclaimed. "C'mon Art, don't leave me with these fools, fools, fools!"

Art crossed his arms. "Midwyng, do you really want me to drag you all across the damn island again? I didn't think so. I guess that leaves Durkfor, then."

"Alright. We'll catch 'im up when he gets back," Ahlrath agreed. "Ah'll lead the group o'er there to set up camp fer the night, so just watch out fer us when ye get back. Aye?"

Art smiled. "Aye."

It was then that Midwyng noticed something. Art's expression just now was the same one back at the barn. The bat couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. By the time Durkfor got back, that expression didn't go away, and that glint in Art's eye had returned. Midwyng shrugged it off. It wasn't their deal, anyway. Art wasn't even bringing them with him.

Midwyng tuned out the rest of their conversations. None of it mattered to them, so they decided to just try to get some sleep. They closed their eyes and were eventually carried off by an indignant Ahlrath as they looked for a safe place to spend the night.