Chapter 38
Relationship Ties
It was a disgrace that she was still sitting here, but every time she considered leaving the confines of the run-down shack, fear prevented her from doing so.
Damn it. Could she do anything by herself?
Gurnilal Speareye sat hunched against the wall, nursing her wounded arm. She wrapped it earlier, but she'd seen enough injuries in her life to know that there was more you had to do. Not like it mattered anyway. Even if she was completely fine, she doubted she'd be able to get anything done. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but every time she created a list of options it became so overwhelming that it terrified her. After all, one wrong step could lead to death, and there were so many factors to consider.
One was the guards, all of whom were trying to kill her and the other prisoners.
Speaking of which, next were the prisoners. As the past few hours have shown, everyone has different goals, and some may even be hostile.
But the most daunting of all was time. Picking one action loses the opportunity for another, and with so many beasts roaming around, getting injured, dying, gaining, losing, and more, time was of the essence. Other beasts were searching for her, too, so what she decided to do for the next couple of hours could not only decide her life but the lives of her friends.
And she, more than anyone else on the island, was terrified of death. She didn't want to go through all her friends dying again. Going with Vhynias was supposed to ensure she wouldn't have to go through that anymore. But here it was, happening right now. Every sound made her jump. Her body felt cold, and whenever she tried to psyche herself up to make a move, something pulled her back, and she hated herself for it.
Ya really can't do nothin' on yer own, huh? Vhyn's gone. Rianne's gone. Tornear's…
Gurnilal shivered and buried her head in her arms. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Tornear was captured yesterday, and Vhynias had gone after him. Tornear had told her about the situation with his family, and she guessed that he had to be still alive, right? He had to be. There wouldn't be a reason they wouldn't just kill him there, right?
They wouldn't do that. They couldn't. Nobeast could. They…
Try as she might to deny it, she couldn't. Both she and Vhynias knew enough about how these beasts worked to realise Tornear was in danger, but she didn't want to believe it. Without Tornear, she couldn't do anything. No, scratch that, she was absolutely worthless on her own. If she isn't even able to make a decision to help the situation then what could she do to even-
Gurnilal's head jerked up as she heard approaching pawsteps. From the sound of it, it was just one beast. Still, she knew to stay on alert. Some of the guards may be hunting alone. After all, when she was taken to the brig, she saw through the wildcat's platitudes and realised he genuinely didn't like the beasts that worked for him. He might be alone for that reason.
Gurnilal didn't want to die, but she could take on one beast. She grabbed her chains with her paws and snuck towards the front doorway. Her body shook as the pawsteps got closer. She didn't want to kill them, but she knew that if they attacked, she'd have no choice but to fight back. It wasn't even that she was against violence or even murder, but the way Tiviko treated his crew made her feel guilty putting a knife to them. Her ears twitched as she listened to the approaching beast. The pawsteps were heavier than she expected. How large was this beast? Was it the otter?
Before she had a chance to think about it longer, somebeast walked through the door. Thinking quickly, Gurnilal swung the chains over their head and pulled them taut over their throat. The intruder gasped and grasped at their neck, but that's when Gurnilal noticed the metal collar. She didn't even get a chance to stop and apologise before the beast twisted and punched her straight in the kidney.
Her body exploded with pain, and she stumbled backwards. Lights danced in her vision as she clutched her stomach, groaning with agony. As the pain subsided, she looked up at the tall beast who entered the shack. He leaned calmly against the wall, rubbing his neck and watching her cautiously. If the white fur didn't give it away, the large ears did. She remembered seeing this beast back in the brig. It was Ahlrath Palaechia.
Ahlrath scowled as he shut the door behind him. "Mind tellin' me what that was 'bout just now?"
Gurnilal wheezed, backing away slightly as she leaned a paw against the wall for support. "I thought ya was an enemy. I didn't know t'was ya."
"Aye, yer right, but my experience wit' the other prisoners've been a wee bit messy as o' late, so I might as well ask tae be sure. Yer not against us, are ye?"
"No?"
Ahlrath narrowed his eyes, staring directly at the weasel's face. He then scanned the shack for anything strange before letting out a sigh. "It dinna seem like yer up tae anythin' bad, so ah believe ye."
"Sorry fer tryna strangle ya."
"Nae, dinnae be sorry. Ah'm fine." Ahlrath buried his paws in his pockets awkwardly and looked at Gurnilal's stomach. "Ye okay?"
"Aye, mostly."
Ahlrath nodded. "That's good." Despite the mutual understanding, there was a degree of tension in the air. Gurnilal scanned the mountain hare and guessed it might have something to do with the claw and bite marks dotting his fur. Somebeast attacked him, and given the last few hours, Gurnilal couldn't even count out the fact that it wasn't a prisoner who did that to him.
"Are ya okay?" She asked, motioning to the wounds.
Ahlrath scoffed. "Aye, ah am, dinnae worry. Bloody otter got too playful fer his own good. Met up wit' the damned wildcat that sent us here, too. Speakin' o' which, have ya seen anybeast nearby? Maybe a tiny otter or a hogmaid?"
Gurnilal raised a brow. "What, did th'tiny otter do this t'ya?"
"What? Nae, the otter-" Ahlrath paused and looked at the ground. For a moment, Gurnilal was worried that she angered him, but instead, he let out a rumbling chuckle. "Ah was talkin' 'bout another otter. Lad's like, 10, ah dinnae think he'd be able tae do this!"
Ahlrath continued laughing, and Gurnilal couldn't help but do the same, albeit nervously. "Yeah, prolly not. To answer yer question, yeah, I just…" separated from one 'cause I was too scared t'follow th'squirrel. "Did she have a red an' yellow robe thingy, kinda sharp eyes, an' black an' white fur?"
The mountain hare folded his arms. "Oh, nae, ah fergot there's two hogmaids. Ah meant the other one." Ahlrath raised a brow at Gurnilal's pause and asked, "Did somethin' happen?"
"Nothin' too important," she lied.
"Then why aren't ye wit' 'er?"
"'Cause, I…" It was too much for Gurnilal to say she felt like a coward, so she just didn't answer at all.
Ahlrath's face softened, but he still needed information to go off of. "We're either o' youse in danger? Is she safe at least?"
Gurnilal thought back to the squirrel Rianne left with. There was something very blatantly sinister about him then, but he and Rianne knew each other. Surely she'd be fine, right? Still, Gurnilal felt awful not following along. "I dunno. Mebbe." From Ahlrath's expression, Gurnilal guessed he wanted her to elaborate. "Th'squirrel she left wit' seemed… very angry. I dunno. I didn't want t'come wit'."
Ahlrath sighed. "Oh boy. Ah think ah know who yer talkin' 'bout… Wait, they just left yer tail behind 'ere?" The mountain hare growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Next time ah see 'im ah've gotta give 'im a piece o' my mind."
"No, ya don' gotta do that. T'was mostly my fault, after all."
"How? It just seemed like ye was scared."
"I'm not scared," Gurnilal snapped in a panic. Ahlrath raised a brow. Gurnilal shrunk back and scanned the hare's face. Confusion and annoyance mixed with concern. The weasel's face grew warm with shame. "Mebbe I am."
Ahlrath sighed and glanced out the window. After making sure no guards were nearby, he responded, "Ah mean, there's nothin' wrong' wit' bein' scared. 'Sides, if that's the same squirrel ah'm thinkin' of, ye've got the damn right tae be. Damn moron."
"I dunno 'bout that," Gurnilal muttered as she looked at the spot she sat at for the past hour.
"Ah mean it."
"I know, but…" Gurnilal walked to the wall and sat down. "Sorry, ya prolly don' wanna hear somebeast talkin' t'ya 'bout this."
"Nae, 'tis fine. Ah'm scared too," he admitted. Ahlrath sat down on the opposite wall, gazing at the weasel curiously.
"Scared enough t'just sit 'ere an' do nothin'?" She muttered. Admitting it out loud gave way to that fear again, gripping her like a vice.
Ahlrath rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, not that scared." Gurnilal couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she guessed it wasn't good. "Ah dunno. Dinnae think ah was ever that scared, but ah see where yer comin' from."
"Whaddya mean?"
Ahlrath shrugged. "A while ago, ah was part of a… let's just call it a mercenary group. Saw some good friends die a couple o' times. Always got bloody pissed after that." He tapped his fingers against his coat while his face flushed slightly with guilt. "Bloody terrified too, though, ah dinnae think ah'd ever admit tae it then."
Gurnilal looked at the ground. "How do ya move on from that kinda stuff?" she asked shakily.
"Dunno," he replied flatly. "Ah dinnae even if ah have, yet. Havena exactly been thinkin' straight since ah got here," he laughed humourlessly.
"Really?"
"Eh. Sometimes ah think ah have, but then, it hits ye, like," Ahlrath punched his palm for emphasis. "Ah dunno. Guess ye just learn tae go on anyway… Though, it may take a while," he muttered bitterly.
Gurnilal looked up at the mountain hare hesitantly. "I dunno if I can."
"Well, ye have tae eventually," Ahlrath replied bluntly. "'Tis a shame we're here. Now's really not the time tae face yer fears safely." He looked at the weasel with a faint grimace. "Here, 'tis dangerous tae be alone an' ah dinnae want tae leave ye, so why dinnae we work together, aye? Ah can tell there's somethin' yer worried 'bout." He ran a paw through his neck fur. "If ye want."
"I shouldn't," Gurnilal answered resignedly. "I'd slow ya down."
Ahlrath snorted. "Nae, ye wouldna. 'Sides, ah've noticed yer alone. Ah'm guessin' ye want tae find yer friends, aye?"
Gurnilal winced. "I do…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of Tornear. "I'm scared. Tornear's always been there fer me, but somethin' happened ter 'im. I dunno if he's okay."
Ahlrath's eyes widened momentarily. Something about that subject in particular seemed to strike a chord with him. "That's… awful. Sorry… Um, ye dinna have tae talk 'bout this if ye don' wanna, but he means a lot tae ye, aye?"
Gurnilal nodded.
Ahlrath grimaced and brought a paw to his neck like one would while playing with a necklace. "Look, ah'm searchin' fer a few beasts. Ye are, too. Why dinna we help each other? Maybe it willnae get ye over yer fear, but ah know what that fear is like. 'Tis better tae go through it wit' someone else."
"Ya don't gotta do that."
"Maybe not, but ye want tae save yer friends, aye? Ye canna do that by yerself."
Gurnilal wiped her face and gazed into Ahlrath's eyes. "Okay… thanks."
"Nae problem. C'mon, let's get outta here."
Gurnilal nodded and slowly stood up. The slightest smile crossed her face as she said, "I promise ya won't regret bringin' me along."
Ahlrath grinned and buried his paws in his pockets. "An' ah willnae, ah can tell ye that." His expression hardened as he headed towards the door. "Now, let's go. We have nae time tae waste."
Rianne Wurtil realised her mistake to follow Art Swiftpaw almost immediately, and it has really driven in the point that not only was she an ungrateful, selfish, loser, but she was also a huge moron. Art had already told her about his desire to hunt down the guards, but that wasn't the worst part. A few minutes ago, they were walking in tense silence when the squirrel suddenly said, "We need to find Borsen and kill him."
"Art. Don't do that," she quickly responded.
"Why not."
"Do you see how big he is? He would tear us apart if we tried to fight- for that matter, I can't fight, and we both know that he'll kill you one on one."
"Uh huh."
"Art, come on, you're scaring me. What, do you want us to die?"
The look Art gave her afterwards made her realise she shouldn't have asked. She stopped in her tracks and addressed the squirrel. "Art, listen to me, you can't do this again. I don't know what happened to you- in the past day, I mean- to make you feel like this, but if you're just going to act like we're already dead, then-"
"I can feel however I damn want!" he snarled. Rianne flinched. For the past couple of hours, Art had been rapidly switching between intense anger and resigned apathy. The fact that he seemed to be switching with little provocation didn't inspire much confidence either. "I know what the hell I'm doing, so don't you bloody question me!"
"Art, I was just- I wasn't trying to make you mad, okay?" Rianne replied slowly.
The squirrel's face was still alight with fury, but he didn't say any more. Rianne still felt like she made a mistake in following Art, but this recent bout of anger reminded her of another reason she decided to stick with him. Her mind flashed back to a season ago. Art lying in bed, refusing to get up even for food. When Durkfor finally coaxed him into leaving, he lashed out. A lot.
Rianne stared at the squirrel with a mix of fear and concern. She knew that right now, it was important to keep an eye on him.
Art eventually led the pair to a strange building by the river. Well, "led" is overstating it. Despite his supposed determination, Art was walking around aimlessly. Anyway, it took a moment for Rianne to realise why this place seemed familiar, but it hit her. It was the fishing hut she found earlier with Noruth while searching for Crookedfang. She couldn't help but wonder how the rat was doing right now. Does he still have the same upbeat attitude he had back then?
Rianne grimaced. She hoped the rat was pulling through. Back to the present, she motioned towards the entrance and said, "Hey, we should take a look around this place. I found this earlier but didn't get a good look."
Art shrugged and walked inside. "Sure." He took a glance and commented, "Hey, this kind of reminds me of the boathouse."
"What, the one by the abbey pond?" Rianne muttered casually as she walked to the hatch in the corner of the room.
"No, the one in Kotir's throne room. Of course I mean the pond. What else would I be talking about?"
Rianne scowled and lifted open the hatch with a grunt. "Well, you don't have to be a pain in the tail about it. C'mon, there's stuff down here." She climbed down the ladder and narrowed her eyes. Well, it was a bit brighter than when they investigated it earlier, but not by much. Art followed behind her, foregoing the ladder and leaping down instead.
Once he landed, he blinked rapidly, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. "Dear Martin, why is this here? Why would you build an underground room so close to the river? That just sounds dangerous."
"Who knows? This entire island is strange," Rianne commented. "There's a temple on the west shoreline, and the Skipper told us that there's a castle somewhere."
"Is that so?" Art mumbled. "Who's 'us' and where's the Skipper?"
"Don't worry about it," Rianne sighed.
Searching the storage room under the hut turned out to not be that useful. On closer inspection, Art likened the room to that of an emergency storage. There was rotted food in some of the barrels, a torn bandage, a needle with a tiny bit of string stuck to it, and the shack's location allowed for easy access to water. Of course, this place also seemed like it had been raided, so any useable medical supplies were gone, but Art did find a hatchet tucked behind a shelf.
Art passed the hatched to Rianne. The hogmaid took it hesitantly. "Will I have to use this?" She asked.
"Probably," Art deadpanned.
Rianne stared at the blade in her paws. All she could think about was what happened at the temple. She recalled the blood that stained Art's paws and the sickle. "Art, have you ever killed anyone?"
"Yup."
Rianne blinked. She was mainly asking out of concern for herself. She didn't expect Art to actually answer, much less as blunt as he did. "What the hell?"
Art didn't elaborate. His ears twitched as he looked at the trapdoor. "Wait, Art, you've actually killed somebeast? How and why? Out of everyone here, you did it? I didn't think you'd-"
"Rianne, shut up," Art hissed, pointing up the hatch. Rianne scowled but kept quiet anyway. At first, she had no idea what Art was talking about, but then she heard an argument faintly in the distance.
"That's a lot of beasts," Rianne muttered. "Do you think they're guards or prisoners?"
Art narrowed his eyes as he concentrated. "I… don't think they're prisoners. Hide somewhere. Now."
Rianne grimaced and turned to hide within the many barrels and crates when she heard creaking behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Art climbing the ladder. "Art, what are you doing? I thought you said to hide!"
"Stay hidden," was all that Art said in response. Before Rianne could say anything else, Art scurried up the ladder and shut the trapdoor, leaving Rianne in complete darkness.
"Art, you jerk," she whispered. Without any light, she had to hold her paws out to find the barrels. Once she did, she found an open one and crawled inside, as Crookedfang did the day prior. Still, she wondered why Art hadn't hidden down here like he told her to do. Whatever the reason was, it probably wasn't good.
Soon, the argument got close (and heated) enough to where Rianne could hear what they were saying.
"… Was sorry, I knew he wouldn' let'cha die."
"Ya held a crossbow ter his face!"
"I wasn' actually gonna shoot ya."
"Did I stutter? Ya aimed a crossbow at 'im!"
"I said I was sorry."
"Aye, an' ya threatened ter kill my friend an' ya expect me ter-"
The argument from there got more incomprehensible since everybeast was yelling at each other. For some reason the first thought that came to Rianne's mind was, wait, they're actually friends? Every mention of vermin in history lessons treated them mostly as agents of chaos only concerned with their own needs. She constantly had to remind herself that Crookedfang's entire existence was definitely not proof of that.
"Shut up, all o' youse!" A voice cut through the arguments, followed by the sound of metal beating into flesh. The arguments ceased, and the voice continued. "Listen, Kaj said they're sorry, so how 'bout y'all shut your mouths."
"T'anks Marls."
"Shut up, you're to blame too."
"I know. Look, dere's a hut o'er dere, let's just check it out an' ferget 'bout all o' dis. Plus, Durkfor said some of 'em went dis way, so somebeast might be here."
"I ain't forgettin' this," somebeast growled.
"Yes you will, or I'll slap you again."
Rianne held her breath as she heard pawsteps directly above her. She clutched the hatchet in her clammy paws, even if she had no intention of harming anybeast with it. Even in the darkness of the cellar, her sight grew hazy as somebeast pulled on the trapdoor. She shut her eyes. This barrel didn't have a lid. If they found her, she was as good as dead. Light flooded the room, and he heard creaking as somebeast climbed down the ladder. As much as Rianne tried to keep herself still, she couldn't stop herself from shaking.
"Oh wow, there's a secret room. Hey, Badpaw, come check this out," a voice called out. Another beast climbed into the room shortly after, landing on the floor with a heavy thud.
"Huh. Nice find. Do ya t'ink somebeast's down 'ere?" A deeper voice spoke.
"Maybe."
"What'd yew two find down dere?" A voice called from above.
"Go jump in a river Kajiir, I ain't talking to you," one of the intruders snapped.
"I said I was sorry."
"Sorry ain't cutting it, ya bollocks, go play with your crossbow."
The voice above, presumably Kajiir, grumbled and left the pair alone. The deeper voice sighed. "Well, guess we'll check dis place out. Yew take dat side an' I'll take d- ow! What d'heck?"
"What happened?"
"Sometin' just hit me."
"What was it?"
"Dunno. Ow! It happened again! Who's doin' dat? Marlus, is dat you?"
"Hell no!" A distant voice yelled back. "But whatever it is, you deserve it!"
Rianne heard a nearby growl. "Rottail, stay here, I'mma slug dat bloody marten in d'face."
"I'd like to see you try, vermin!" Marlus snarled back.
"Marlus, don't say dat," Kajiir deadpanned.
"Ok, I'm definitely punchin' ya! Get o'er here, now!"
"Mebbe we should all calm down?" Kajiir suggested. Their pleas were ignored when one beast ascended the ladder and stomped off to punch Marlus. The other beast in the cellar sighed and continued searching the room. Rianne heard his pawsteps move closer. Her breathing hastened and she slowly raised the hatchet to protect herself.
In the next moment, the trapdoor shut. Everything went dark as the light was seized from the room. The intruder yelped and spun around. "Badpaw? Where are-"
A choking sound followed by clattering metal cut the voice off. Rianne whimpered as the sound of struggling bodies filled the room. Above her, Rianne heard another argument ring out.
"Yer an awful leader, y'know dat? Yew'll never be anytin' like d' captain and yew'll never be!"
"I'm not trying to be! I'm just tryna help him! What, am I not allowed to help?!"
"Marlus, Badpaw, calm down. Look, all-"
"Shut up, ya damned ferret! Why're ya always defendin' his scrawny behind?"
"I'm not scrawny!"
Rianne drowned out the argument and focused her attention back on the fight happening in the room. The struggling seemed to be growing weaker. Amidst the violence, she could hear rattling chains.
"... No, Marlus is a terrible leader! Two of us are dead, and it's his fault! We shoulda just listened to the captain."
"I didn't mean for that t'happen!" The pine marten shrieked. "I didn't! Why don't any o' ya take me seriously!?"
"Marls, calm down," Kajiir spoke, visible panic leaking into their voice. "Look, we can call it off an' return ter d'ship."
"Yer ter blame too, Kajiir! Four o' us're missin' 'cause o' ya."
"Well, 'tis not my fault y'all are unable ter make decisions fer yerself an' ride Tiviko's behind. If ye t'ought t'was a bad idea mebbe ya shoulda just not listened. At least Marls had d'balls t'put toget'er dis group an' do somet'in ter help! What are all o' youse doin' sitting on yer tails?" Kajiir snapped.
"Don't talk about the captain that way!"
"Dat's what ya have a problem wit'?"
"Look, d'two of us're leavin'. Yew an' Marlus can stay behind. C'mon, let's go. Where's Rottail?"
The argument ended, leaving everything silent. Wait, silent? What happened to the… noise…? Rianne gulped and slowly poked her head out the barrel. Faintly, she could hear heavy panting. Rianne could see two shapes, barely visible in the inky void surrounding her. One lay on the ground. The second stood above the first.
"Rottail? Where'd you go?"
"I tink he's still in d'secret room."
"Maybe."
The two blurs merged into one as Rianne heard something dragging along the floor. They disappeared behind the crates and went still. Rianne ducked back in the barrel as somebeast walked up to the trapdoor. They opened it and called out, "Rottail? You in here? We're gonna leave." When there was no response, they shut the hatch. "Rottail's not down there. Did he leave?"
"He's not dere? Rottail? Mate? Where'd ya go? He didn' wander off, did 'e?"
"I don't think so. Did anybody see him?"
The conversation continued unsuccessfully, and the group sans Marlus and Kajiir left to search for him. The other two went in a different direction. Many grim minutes passed before somebeast spoke up behind Rianne, cold and dripping with anger. "They're gone. It's probably safe to go." Rianne stood and watched as a blurry shape headed to the trapdoor. Light flooded the room, allowing her to get a look at Art. The skin on his paws was rough and scraped while a low growl emanated from his throat. A bit of fur stuck to the chains attached to his collar.
Rianne turned around, shuddering.
The body of a rat lay on the stone floor, obscured by some crates. Although she could barely see it from where she stood, the fur on his neck was dishevelled, and his face had swollen. A few days ago, she probably wouldn't have thought much of it, but she knew much more than what she was comfortable with. His name was Rottail. It was probably a nickname. Given his voice and features, he was likely in his early 20s, maybe even younger. He had a friend named Badpaw, who had just left to search for him. Kajiir aimed a crossbow at him, and although they apologised, the two of them didn't seem to make up. He worked for Tiviko doing who knows what, but it didn't matter now.
He, just like many other beasts on the island, was dead. Rianne tasted bile, and she swallowed. This rat reminded her too much of Crookedfang. No, even if it weren't for Crookedfang, she would still feel bad, right? She turned back to Art. The squirrel had a look of grim satisfaction in his eyes. "We could've just kept hidden," Rianne whimpered. "Why did you have to…?"
Art scowled. "What do you mean 'why'? If I didn't separate those two, they would've found and killed you. You know that, right?" Rianne didn't answer. Art sighed and continued. "Listen, that rat just gave me an idea. If you strangle someone, they're mostly quiet. If you stab someone, they scream."
"Thanks for stating the obvious. Where are you going with this?" Rianne asked disgustedly.
Art motioned up with his sickle. "I have a plan to find Borsen."
