Glad to be back! It's crazy to think I've been working on this story for almost a year now! This chapter is longer than the others by a bit, but I hope it still is enjoyable.
Please let me know what you think and what I can improve on. Enjoy!
Sathe sat in shock unable to move. Her body felt numb while her face throbbed from Muckfur's maddening assault. A stiff breeze from the west chilled her and she raised her paws to cover her ears with her cloak. She touched her face worried that she had broken something. Her jaw wasn't broken, but she could feel swelling begin over her right eye. No teeth had been lost but some had been jarred loose. Her fur felt strangely damp. Looking at her paw her stomach churned when she saw it was covered in blood. Horrified, she retched. Blood splattered from her nose onto her cloak and onto the dirty snow beneath her. She had seen blood countless times before, but it was different knowing this was hers. Suddenly feeling the river pouring from her nose, she placed one paw on it while the other rummaged through her satchel for dry moss.
How long have I been bleeding? Were these fools going to say anything or were they just going to watch?!
Sathe grabbed a small piece of moss and pressed it against her bloody nose. Her dark eyes darted around the campsite, searching for any beast who might be foolish enough to gawk at her humiliation. She noticed Crooksnout watching over Seabane, who appeared to be dozing off. Meanwhile, Marrow returned to the fire, and Ruddy's tail protruded from the sick tent.
Sathe scrambled to her footpaws, determined not to be outdone by these fools. But as she stood, a sharp pain shot through her stomach, forcing her to her knees. Sathe spat out a mix of blood and saliva, realizing that she wasn't completely unharmed.
"Are ye alright?"
Looking up, Sathe saw Ruddy's concerned face staring down at her.
"I'm fine! What d'ye want!"
"Well, ye don't look like yer fine." Ruddy eyed her oddly.
Sathe was irate. How dare he look upon her with pity!
"I just… got the wind knocked out of me!"
He didn't budge.
"Don't you have a squirrel to take care of, or some kindling to gather!"
Ruddy paused a moment rolling the thought around in his head.
"Well, I just put the squirrel back with Silvertongue and her kits, an' all the wood we had I made into spears and javelins." Ruddy drawled on detailing all that he had done.
Didn't he have anything better to do than bug me? Sathe thought as he babbled to himself.
"Are you sure you're, ok?" Ruddy suddenly asked.
"I am you idiot, use yer ears! Go find some food or make yourself useful you mud-brained toad!" Sathe crawled past him her nose held high.
"An find me some more dry moss while you're at it!" She shouted after him.
Ruddy watched her for a moment, shrugged then meandered over to Crooksnout.
"Stupid fox," Sathe muttered under her breath.
She had managed to crawl to the sick tent where she heard Silvertongue's weak voice calling for her from inside.
"Give me a minute!" Sathe snapped at her.
Sathe removed the moss that she had been holding to her nose, relieved that the bleeding had stopped. She scooped some clean snow from the top of the wall and used it to wash the blood from her paws and face. She wished she could also clean the blood from her cloak, but unfortunately, that would have to wait. They didn't have access to clean water or a pot to boil snow in. Sathe doubted that Silvertongue would even notice. After quickly rubbing the dirt and grime from her face, and taking a moment to collect herself, Sathe crawled into the opening of the sick tent.
The tent was dark and marginally warmer than the air outside. It reeked of damp oak and decay among various other things. It was large enough for two beasts to lie down inside and have another crouch uncomfortably at the entrance. Sathe had to give Seabane credit, the tent was better than what they originally had. The stone wall was cool but was excellent protection from the freezing wind that assaulted them. The wall wrapped around the opposite end of the entrance but was crumbling and sunlight shined through gaps in the stone. The canopy of the tent was made from various tree branches combined with frozen mud along with whatever else could block the elements. It wasn't the best protection from the wind, but it was better than nothing.
Once inside Sathe leaned against the stone wall.
"What do you want." She hissed at Silvertongue.
The weasel maid lay curled up in a ball, tightly wrapped in the blanket the vermin had taken from the squirrel's home. She held her three kits close to her, providing as much warmth to them as she could. The squirrel babe lay next to her, wrapped in its own thin swaddling.
"I need water and me kits are burning up." Silvertongue whimpered.
Silently groaning Sathe left the tent and retrieved clean snow a few paces from camp.
"Open your mouth." The ferret ordered upon her return.
Silvertongue did so as Sathe placed the snow onto her tongue. Sathe repeated the process with her kits only she forced their mouths open.
"More!" Silvertongue demanded.
Furious at being ordered by the weasel, Sathe retrieved more snow, taking her time as she did so. After repeating the process, she felt their necks.
"You and your kits are burning up with fever. Here let the squirrel under your blanket." Sathe said lifting her blanket.
Silvertongue's paw jutted out and pushed Sathe's claw away.
"No! I don't want it near my kits!"
"You need to stay warm if you want to survive. The squirrel will warm you faster than you think. Unless you plan on sharing your blanket with Herrik!"
Silvertongue looked weakly at Sathe before carefully drawing the squirrel and her kits tightly to her.
"Good, now go to sleep," Sathe said as she turned to inspect the weasel's footpaw.
"Sathe," Silvertongue called.
"What!" She snapped back.
"What happened out there? Is anybeast hurt?"
Sathe held her tongue. She wanted to scream at Silvertongue for asking.
"No. Muckfur attacked Seabane, but Marrow intervened. I assume you heard that Seabane banished Muckfur."
"I didn't. I was half asleep when the fighting started. I heard yelling but not much else." Silvertongue propped herself up on one elbow as Sathe unwrapped the bandage on her footpaw.
"Seabane should've killed Muckfur! After he banished Muckfur he wanted to force us to leave. If Marrow hadn't gotten involved, you'd be marching through the snow now."
"Why would he do that!" Silvertongue demanded. "He knows I can't get up and Herrik hasn't moved since we made camp!"
"Seabane's delirious because Muckfur stumbled upon an otter holt a short distance away."
The words hung in the cold air as Sathe inspected Silvertongue's paw. When she looked up again, she saw that Silvertongue's teal eyes had filled with tears.
"Seabane should've killed Muckfur!" Silvertongue choked out a sob and drew her kits closer to her.
"Yes, he should have," Sathe responded with a sigh.
Sathe could feel the despair emanating from Silvertongue. She was surprised that a beautiful weasel like her could end up with an ugly beast like Crooksnout. With her thin figure and teal eyes, Silvertongue could have had a better mate, maybe even an officer within the horde. Sathe felt that she deserved better than a foolish coward. But unfortunately, that was not her fate. She was likely to freeze to death clutching her brood in some forgotten clearing of Mossflower wood. Sathe hoped she wouldn't meet the same fate.
After a few muffled sobs, Sathe rewrapped Silvertongue's footpaw. The cut hadn't gotten better, but it hadn't worsened either. Sathe suspected that now wasn't the right time to inform Silvertongue. She then crawled over to inspect Herrik. Silvertongue was right; he hadn't moved since they made camp. He was cold, and his breathing was shallow. Sathe didn't know what else she could do for him. She could take Silvertongue's blanket and give it to him, which would only create more problems. After a short deliberation, Sathe decided that there wasn't much she could do anymore. It wasn't a difficult decision to make; she never liked Herrik that much anyway.
With Silvertongue slowly fading back to sleep Sathe realized her work was done and gathered her herbs and medicines from about the tent.
"Sathe?"
"What!" Sathe didn't try to hide the annoyance in her voice.
"See if Seabane could move the fire closer to the tent. It might help us stay warm. I'd also like to have a word with him."
"He's sleeping now. But I'll tell him when he wakes."
With that Sathe left Silvertongue to shiver in the cold.
Sathe managed to walk, with much discomfort, to the fire. She slumped to a seat across from Marrow who didn't say a thing.
That rat is a mysterious one, Sathe thought to herself.
Despite his enormous size, Marrow was surprisingly elusive. He spoke very little but held immense power amongst the deserters, perhaps because he could tear them apart if he wished. Sathe despised him but dared not show it. How could such a brute be held in such high esteem? He did nothing more than show up when things got out of control. From the night of their desertion to the squirrel's cottage and to earlier that day, Marrow managed to remain relatively distant from them until the other vermin lost control of the situation. Then he would swoop down like a hawk and crush whatever came his way with his mighty hammer. That wasn't cunning, that was luck! Although the other deserters were not as wise or insightful as her, Sathe was still surprised that they couldn't see through his scheme. She had warned them about the otters by the river a fortnight ago. She had even provided them with some scavenged food and healed some of their injuries. But she was called a fool and looked down upon. Yet Marrow was respected almost as much as Zidar! Marrow was just a brute, who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately for Sathe, it seemed that was all that mattered.
Sathe watched the glowing coals of the fire as they danced in vibrant hues of red, yellow, orange, and white. The popping and hissing of the firewood were relaxing and eased the trauma left by Muckfur. One thing she appreciated about Marrow was his ability to know when to keep his mouth shut.
At least he was good at that. She thought to herself, she would've gone mad if he wasn't.
She focused on warming herself and relished in the few scant moments of peace. It would help soothe some of her aches and pains. Slowly, her mind wandered from the pain in her head and stomach to the dancing flames of the fire as she drifted off to sleep.
"Sathe! Wake up I got yer moss!"
Sathe blinked in surprise as Crooksnout dropped an armful of soft moss on her. For a moment, she considered not snapping at him. But as he turned to leave, he stepped on her tail, so peace was not an option.
"Ow! Watch where yer stepping yew clumsy oaf!"
"Make some room for me tah walk then!"
Now fully awake Sathe muttered curses under her breath but didn't respond.
"Look what we found tah eat Sathe!"
Ruddy bounded up to the fire. In his arms, he carried an odd assortment of mosses, tree nuts, and quite a few mushrooms.
"We found some moss and pine sap, for bedding and to help Silvertongue's paw," Ruddy said as he dumped the moss onto the ground at Sathe's footpaws. The fox was bouncing with glee.
"We didn't find it Ruddy we foraged for it." Crooksnout corrected him.
"Oh yeah, your right. We also foraged some more acorns, which you probably don't care about, but we also found these."
Ruddy held up a wrinkly mushroom. It was about the size of his paw and was white and sandy yellow in color. It was oddly shaped as its cap looked like an upside-down bell.
"They're everywhere you jus' hav to be keen enough to see 'em."
Sathe stared at the fungi, trying to remember where she had seen it before, but her thoughts were interrupted as Ruddy popped it into his mouth and chewed loudly.
"Dey tastes good too," Ruddy exclaimed between bites. "Ya don't even need tah cook 'em! Do ya think we should wake Seabane up for vikkles?"
"Naw," Crooksnout had seated himself aside Sathe by the fire. "It's not much of a meal, besides he needs sleep more than the food now."
Ruddy dropped the remainder of the foraged goods on the snow between Sathe and Crooksnout and grabbed a small armful of moss.
"Finally, I kin sit without getting my tail wet!" Ruddy carefully placed the moss down on a log next to Marrow, turned towards the fire, and plopped down upon his new throne.
Sathe tried to ignore him. "Impressive, you found moss and a few mushrooms. Tell me is it enough to keep us from starving?"
"Not for now, fool. But there's plenty more all over the trees around camp." Ruddy snapped back.
"Mebbe, yew kin help us next time yew go inta the woods!" Crooksnout barked at her as he stuffed a mushroom into his mouth.
"Shuddup, an' giv' me one of those!"
Ruddy tossed Sathe a mushroom from the pile. She snatched it from the air and brought it to her nose, inhaling its earthy scent. It didn't smell any different from what a mushroom should. She took a cautious nibble from the cap, she was surprised by its coldness. However, the taste was unexpectedly sour and acidic, causing Sathe to spit it out immediately.
"You ijiots! Those mushrooms are poisonous!"
Ruddy looked up, a look of confused despair strewn on his face.
"How do you know? We're not dead yet!" Crooksnout snapped at her.
She threw her remaining mushroom into the fire. As it burned it gave off a hideous-smelling odor.
"If I wanted tah kill the two of ye I'd use these to do it!" She snapped back.
"Tell me Ruddy do you feel thirsty? Does your mouth feel parched?" The fox's lower lip began to quiver as he slowly nodded.
"Wonderful," Sathe said as she started rummaging through her satchel and the pouch on the side of her cloak.
"You fools can't do anything without me!"
Crooksnout groaned and grabbed a pawful of snow and started to lick it. He shot Sathe a malicious glare which Sathe thought was odd considering he had just poisoned himself.
"Any problem, Crooksnout? Or are you just wishing I was the one that was foolish enough to eat these?" Sathe threw a few more of the deadly fungi into the fire.
"No, not yet." He growled. "I just don't know how we could be so unlucky all the time."
"Maybe it's because yer both fools! Who should've never been foraging for anything aside from moss!"
Sathe had pulled out the last of the herbs and plants she had brought from the horde. She hurried about crushing them and mixing them together as the weasel spoke.
"Maybe, but we don't have much other option. Muckfur was the only one bringing any real food back, an' now he's gone. It would've helped if you could've taught Ruddy anything about foraging but I suppose even that's beneath you." Crooksnout's teal eyes burned with rage.
"Do you want me to stop making this?" Sathe held the few herbs she was using for an antidote up so they could see.
"Keep making it seer!" he growled back.
"It's not my fault that neither of yew knows the difference between edible and non-edible fungi," Sathe said as she ground the herbs together.
"All I'm saying is that we're not gonna survive the winter if we can't find any food. It might be smart for you to try and at least an' show us what we kin eat!"
Useless idiots! Without me, they really would be dead!
Sathe momentarily lost her attention when a beast began to cry from the sick tent. Crooksnout looked up as the cries grew louder and shrill.
"Crooksnout shut yer kit up!"
"That's not mine. It sounds too young." Crooksnout said as he breathed out a sigh of relief.
The crying continued for a short while longer. No beast around the fire stirred. They remained quiet hoping that whoever it was would go silent. Eventually, Silvertongue's faint voice called for Sathe from the tent. She pretended not to hear it.
"Go get yer squirrel, ferret!" Crooksnout barked.
"Ruddy! Quiet that stupid beast!" Sathe looked venomously at the young fox who had sat frozen on the log.
Quickly he bounded off the log and over to the tent. Sathe looked down at her handiwork. She stuck a claw in the fine green powder and lifted it to her tongue to taste it. She swirled the antidote in her mouth for a thoughtful moment and spit it into the fire. It was ready. The crying hadn't stopped and only escalated.
"Ruddy shut that squirrel up before I slit yer throat." She screamed at the fox, her head pounding.
Ruddy crawled out of the sick tent carrying the crying bundle with a desperate look on his face.
"I don't know how! Mebby its sick or something? Why don't you take a look."
Sathe reeled in disgust.
"Don't bring that thing near me, if it's sick I don't want to catch whatever it has!"
"Then what do I do?" Ruddy wore an even more worrisome face.
"Get it to stop crying!" Sathe snapped at him. "Do it now or I'll throw both of yer medicine into the fire!"
Sathe held the flat stone with the ground herbs delicately above the fire. Realizing that Sathe was serious Ruddy looked at Crooksnout for support.
"What kin I do!"
Crooksnout removed his paws from his ears. "What?"
"How do I stop its crying!" Ruddy shouted at him. Which made the baby wail even louder.
"Uh… I don't know. Sathe's is its new mother, give it back to her."
Ruddy looked back at Sathe who hurled a clump of frozen mud at Crooksnout, hitting him in the chest.
"Ow! You wench what didja do that for!" Crooksnout said wiping his vest and tunic.
"Yer the only beast here who has kits. How would ye stop yer kit from crying?" Sathe said loud enough to be heard.
"Well, the baby's too young to give it a proper whipping. I'd give it to Silvertongue if they didn't quiet up after I tried shushing it."
Ruddy turned to Sathe and stepped towards her.
"It's not mine!" Sathe snapped at both of them, making Ruddy jump.
"Ruddy, make it stop, or I'll pour all of this into the fire!" Sathe said venomously, gesturing to her antidote.
Quickly Ruddy tried telling the baby to be quiet, to no avail. He looked ridiculous, holding the squirming creature at arm's length. The squirrel was partially wrapped in swaddling cloth, but its arms and head were free. It wailed loudly, its cries echoing through the forest. The vermin could only guess what could be causing such distress.
"Try rocking it, that should quiet it," Sathe remembered a female rat calmly rocking her baby to sleep after it started fussing. The child's cries had awoken Sathe from her midday nap (an indefensible crime), and Sathe had threatened to slay the mother and child. Luckily the mother was able to lull her baby back to sleep, avoiding the seer's wrath.
Ruddy sent her a confused glance and started to vigorously shake the squirrel.
"No, you idiot!" Both Sathe and Crooksnout snapped at the fox. Ruddy stopped and the baby wailed even louder.
"Haven't you ever held a baby before!"
"No! Not until now!" Ruddy looked disappointed, nothing he had learned from the horde had prepared him to care for a squirrel.
"Does the baby smell?" Crooksnout asked.
"Of course it does! It smells like a squirrel! Whatever that's supposed to smell like."
"Well… I don't know what it's supposed to smell like either." Crooksnout shook his head. "Try making faces at it."
"What, that's stupid!" Ruddy looked disgusted at the idea.
"Do it fox!" Sathe snapped, desperate for some peace and quiet.
Grumbling quietly to himself, he stuck his tongue out at the squirrel, but when that didn't work, he tried making faces and silly noises. Some were grotesque, others were odd, but eventually, the squirrel's crying turned into a whimper.
Thank goodness that worked. Sathe sighed.
The squirrel watched Ruddy with dark unsure eyes, curious of the strange beast holding it. Sathe was just beginning to enjoy the silence until Ruddy flashed his fangs and the squirrel began to wail once more.
"Great job idjit!" Sathe said as she through a clump of frozen mud at him.
"Shuddup, jerk! I'm trying but neither of yew knows what to do!"
He tried making faces again, but it only made things worse. Sathe covered her ears furious at this stupid squirrel babe. She was just about to draw her knife and quiet it once and for all when Marrow got up from where he sat on the log next to the fire.
Sathe watched the rat walk over to Ruddy and delicately pluck the squirrel from the fox's paws. She swallowed the bile that was building up in her stomach. Surely the rat had the same idea as she did. Ruddy and Crooksnout appeared to think so. Marrow was silent but cocked his head as he studied the wiggling, wailing, coal-furred creature in his paws. He scrunched his nose and looked towards Sathe.
"Done?" He said gesturing to the antidote in her lap.
She paused for a moment remembering what she was doing before the squirrel started to cry.
"Y-Yes. Yes, I am!" She stammered out.
"They just take this, and they should be fine. All they need is a small amount of snow since we don't have any water."
"Good." Marrow's low voice could be heard through the crying.
Marrow glanced at Crooksnout and Ruddy, and a silent signal must have been given as they both hurried to collect a handful of snow. Sathe swiftly drew her knife and equally divided the powdered antidote into two portions. Ruddy and Crooksnout quickly rushed over to her, as if Marrow was counting down how long they had before he tore them apart. Sensing their urgency, Sathe hastily mixed the snow into the antidote, ensuring that every last bit was thoroughly mixed.
"Eat this quickly, it's not supposed to taste good, but it'll work."
Without complaint, they quickly stuffed the snow into their mouths. The two licked the remnants from their paws, careful to get every crumb.
With that finished Marrow walked up to Sathe and tried to hand her the wailing kit.
Sathe stepped away in disgust. "Don't give that to me! It's not mine and Ruddy was taking care of it!"
She fell silent as she met Marrow's furious gaze. He was far more exasperated with the wailing than she had anticipated.
"Yours." He said thrusting the baby into Sathe's hesitant arms.
Sathe wanted to scream at Marrow, curse him and Seabane for saddling her with this disgusting, loud, and degrading creature. Instead, she let him lead her to the edge of camp.
"Make quiet," Marrow growled as he led her through the trees just out of earshot of the others.
Before Sathe could object Marrow turned and lumbered back towards the camp. Leaving Sathe alone with the wailing squirrel.
Rage and humiliation coursed through Sathe's body, as she struggled to understand what she had done to deserve such treatment. Despite saving Crooksnout and Ruddy from their ignorance, she was still treated like a lowly servant. The incessant wailing from the squirrel grated on her already frayed nerves. Each cry pierced her ears like daggers. Though she wished to run away, even slay the baby squirrel and escape these worthless fools, she knew that with an otter holt nearby she would only run into more trouble.
The thought of Muckfur still being in the area made Sathe's fur bristle with fear. What if he was watching her now? She whipped around, straining her senses to search the shadows for any sign of the banished weasel, suspecting him to be lurking nearby. The squirrel's cries gave away her location to any beast with ears. Sathe couldn't decide which was worse: running into a group of woodlanders with no good explanation for why she had a baby squirrel or running into a vengeful Muckfur. Despite her fear, she swallowed hard and focused on finding a way to quiet the squirrel before either of those options became a reality.
Perhaps it's cold. Sathe frantically thought to herself.
Sathe held the baby squirrel as close as her pride would allow, struggling to keep it still and avoiding the angry swipes of its paws. She was eventually able to re-wrap the squirrel's swaddling, but it didn't seem to have any effect. Desperate to calm the squirming creature, Sathe tried rocking it back and forth. But after a few unproductive and humiliating moments, she gave up. Unable to stand still with the restless babe, she started walking through the forest, hoping to find a solution.
Maybe the baby will tire itself out. Sathe told herself.
Sathe paced slowly through the forest, flinching at every movement and wail from the squirrel. Despite her fears, she didn't encounter any other creatures and eventually realized she had gotten herself lost. The clouds above her were moving rapidly, and the treetops high above rustled in the wind. The tranquil sounds of the forest around her would have been calming if she wasn't caring for the squirrel.
Sathe struggled to figure out what to do. She remembered seeing Silvertounge pinch Fenril's ear when he was throwing a tantrum. It seemed to work with the little weasel, so why not for the squirrel?
Sathe took a claw and gripped the baby's coal-black ear.
"Shuddup now yew. Ye don't want me to pull too hard or yer ear 'll come off." Sathe ordered to no avail. The squirrel just wailed louder and tried to wrestle free from her grasp.
"Stop squirming!" She demanded.
Sathe was grateful that no other vermin could see her struggle. She needed to prove that she could handle this unruly creature, especially since she was a seer. As she pinched the squirrel's ear, it began to writhe uncontrollably, and its wailing grew ever louder. Her attempt to quiet it had the opposite effect and the squirrel refused to stay still, struggling to get away from her. In a moment of panic, Sathe lost her grasp on the squirrel and fumbled to hold onto the bundle of swaddling. In doing so, she pressed the baby to her breast just as the squirrel let out a piercing wail that caused Sathe's ears to ring in pain. She thrust the squirrel away from her, cursing at it in frustration.
The baby was stunned at the sudden movement and its brown eyes looked at Sathe for a moment before bursting back into tears. The ferret wore a furious face and held the squirrel with tight claws.
"Stop crying!" Sathe pleaded desperately to no avail.
Sathe repeated the demand again and again, each time with less fury and more desperation. Her demands were met with unanswered cries.
"Shut up!" She screamed.
Distraught, Sathe looked around, her head pounding from the noise, and her eyes heavy with tears. Apart from killing the little thing, what else could she do? She wasn't a mother, let alone a squirrel. Sathe swallowed the bile that had been building in her stomach and slowly began to search for her knife.
"Aww, what a poor little babe." A voice rang out from behind Sathe.
Sathe jumped in fright. She pulled the squirrel close to her and attempted to muffle its continued sobs. She spun about to face the voice.
"Oh! Sorry, my dear. I didn't mean to frighten you. But I could hear the little thing from quite a distance." An old female squirrel stood a few paces from Sathe.
The squirrel had streaks of white around her ears and whiskers. Her grey fur was covered by a dark green overcoat with a large hood that allowed her ears to poke out. She wore long pants of the same color and had various pockets and pouches strewn into her clothes that overflowed with mosses, herbs, and other medicinal items Sathe recognized. The squirrel's small, apologetic brown eyes looked at Sathe through delicate spectacles that balanced precariously on the tip of her nose. Around her waist, she had pruning trimmers that hung at the ready. In her paw she held a walking stick that was a head taller than she was, topped with a gnarled bulb.
Sathe was silent. The old squirrel smiled warmly at her.
"Where are my manners, my name is Mildred. What might yours be?"
The squirrel had a voice akin to an old cobweb. Sathe opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"It's alright dear, I don't mean you any harm," Mildred said just as sweetly as before. "I heard your babe crying a ways off-"
"What do ye want!" Sathe snapped, stepping back. The baby squirrel squirmed and squealed at the motion.
Mildred kept her kind smile.
"I just want to know if you and your babe are alright. I know how difficult it can be to find food in the woods, especially with the winter we're about to have. It must be so hard for you as a new mother!"
New mother! Sathe just about hurled at the thought.
"It's n… I …What?" Sathe stammered as she scanned the forest around her for signs of any other beasts.
She was certain that this was a trap. That the squirrel must have known something she didn't. Why else would a weak, old, haggard thing be walking through these woods if she didn't mean to kill her?
"Oh dearie, no need to be worried. I'm alone and I have no intention of harming you. I just was foraging for herbs, and ingredients for my potions and medicines." Mildred winked at Sathe.
"I'm a healer you know."
"I don't need yer help! Now run off before yew regrets it!"
Mildred kept her kind demeanor even after the threat, which puzzled Sathe.
"Now sweety, I know you are probably very scared and stressed with the responsibility of that wee little babe."
"I am not!" Sathe spat indignantly.
Who is this fool to speak down to me like this? Sathe didn't like the old squirrels questioning or the reason she was in the woods either.
"Dearie, you were just yelling at it to quiet down." Mildred tutted and shook her head.
The old squirrel took a few steps towards Sathe. She walked with a slow and deliberate gait, her steps measured and steady. Her posture was slightly stooped, but her head was held high, indicating quiet confidence. Her kindly smile melted the icy fear Sathe was clutching too. The baby squirrel squeaked and then broke out into a long-drawn-out cry.
"Awww, what a precious little thing," Mildred said as she slowly crept forward. "The baby's hungry. Do ye have anything soft to feed it with?"
Sathe heard her stomach groan at the mention of food. She nodded before she could correct herself.
"Aww, ye both must be starvin'. Here I got something perfect for the both of ya."
Mildred reached into one of her coats many pockets. Sathe waited anxiously, desperately thinking that perhaps this idiotic squirrel could help quiet the baby. But then Sathe snapped to her senses.
What if this old squirrel wants to kill me?
"Ahh, here we are."
Sathe flinched as Mildred reached out and handed her a small object wrapped in a finely embroidered white napkin.
"Here sweety, this is some leftovers from my earlier lunch. I hope you like toasted nut bread with meadowcream topping!" Mildred's voice was sweeter than honey.
With one paw holding the squirrel, Sathe used the other to swipe the food from Mildred. After carefully unwrapping it, she scarfed it down, unaware of the mess she was making. It was the first real food she had in weeks, and the rich flavors brought tears to her eyes. Nothing from the horde's cooks compared to the morsel that was Mildred's leftovers. Mildred turned away from Sathe as the ferret licked the remnants of the meadowcream from her paw and face, making sure to get every last bite.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, dear," Mildred said as she gracefully knelt at a bush a short distance from Sathe.
"Where did you get this?" Sathe asked as she wiped her mouth clean.
"I made it just before I left home. If I had more, I'd give it to you but that's all I have right now." Mildred was picking small black berries off the bush in front of her.
"Now for the little'un." Mildred got up and turned towards Sathe. "If ye take these elderberries and mash'em up ye can feed it to your baby."
Sathe watched as the old squirrel carefully crushed the elderberries in her paw. She then held her paw out to Sathe.
"Here now put some on one of your claws and stick it in the baby's mouth."
Sathe hesitated. She didn't trust this squirrel. No beast was this kind to somebeast they just met. What if she saw that Sathe was holding a baby squirrel, not a ferret? She didn't think the old squirrel could do anything to harm her. But looking at Mildred's walking stick and with how Sathe's luck had gone so far today, she didn't want to test it.
Carefully Sathe reached out and dipped her claw in the crushed elderberry. The baby had been relatively quiet since Mildred appeared. But it began to fuss once more. Sathe not wanting it to begin to cry again stuck her claw in its face. Quickly the squirrel began to suck the elderberry juice off her claw.
"Don't bite yew!" She muttered softly as she watched the squirrel wrap its tiny paws around her own claw.
"That's much better isn't it." Mildred smiled at her.
Sathe didn't hear her. She was focused on the small creature squirming in her arms.
"Yes, it is," Sathe said after a long pause.
"Good. It's much nicer on the ears isn't it." Mildred chuckled pointing to her ears.
Sathe couldn't help but laugh along with her. After the morning she had, it would only make sense that she would be getting parenting tips from a squirrel. At least the baby had stopped crying.
"I'd love to take the two of ye home with me, get you both out of the cold and such, but unfortunately I don't think you would be taken in very kindly."
"Where d'ye live?"
"Quite a distance away really, so it's best I get going," Mildred said as she wiped the elderberry juice on her coat.
She looked at the sky. "There's a storm brewing, and a nasty one it is. You best be returning to your companions."
"What companions?" Sathe asked a concerned lump growing in her throat.
"The ones that I assume are by the fire through those trees," Mildred said pointing past Sathe.
Sathe turned from Mildred. Her gaze penetrated the thicket of trees. She was about to ask what the squirrel was talking about when she caught a glimpse of fire and could see bits of Marrow lumbering around the camp.
"How could you see that far?"
"Oh sweety, I may be old, but some things are sharper than ever! Now I would hurry back before the storm starts, and I would really find something warmer than that. You won't last long wearing that cloak!" Mildred stated with a hint of urgency.
"Oh, I forgot! Crushed elderberry will be good for now. But soon you'll want to slowly change the consistency to harder foods. It's especially important when baby squirrels start to grow their teeth."
Sathe whipped around horrified, but Mildred was gone. She couldn't find hide or tail of the old squirrel. Searching the ground around her there were no tracks aside from her own that she could discern.
Sathe started back towards the campfire thinking about her strange encounter. That hag is a mad beast! She was lucky Sathe had been preoccupied with the baby squirrel to have put a knife in her gullet. At least, Mildred was wise enough to assist Sathe in quieting the baby.
Sathe looked down at the little thing. It still sucked the blackberry juice as its tiny paws tightly held her own impossibly large claw. As she looked at the child, Sathe couldn't help but feel a wrenching attachment to the babe. It had been left alone in the world by the fools that accompanied her without any beast to care for it. A flood of memories from her youth flashed before her.
Sathe damned the flood immediately. The horde was gone, those times were gone. This wasn't a ferret she held but a squirrel, an enemy of her kind. Whether it be by Seabane or by some unnamed woodland warrior she knew this delicate babe would get her killed. She hurried back to camp as the wind and clouds far above her darkened preparing to unleash their fury.