Chapter 42

Fight to the Finish


So far, Toran Firepool and Kallius Placent's search for prisoners had not been going well. Toran had a basic understanding of how to stay hidden and away from danger, but neither of them had a clue when it came to tracking down allies. Toran suggested they head to the lake (and immediately rescinded it once he remembered what was there) while Kallius wanted to follow the paths around the island until they found somebeast. They didn't get much done. Quite frankly, their lack of progress was starting to frustrate Toran. Kallius mistook Toran's frustration as him wanting to take a break, and Toran was too embarrassed to say otherwise. They set up camp by a set of rocks on top of a hill, overlooking a rougher part of the island covered in steep hills and ledges. Still, Toran hated the thought of sitting idly when there was stuff he could be doing. "Can I help anything?" He muttered as Kallius scanned the trees surrounding them somewhat groggily.

The hogmaid shook her head. "No no, please do not worry about needing to help." She sighed and looked over her shoulder. "A kid should not have to need to worry about this, anyway. This is just unfair. Just sit here and rest. Try to take your mind off everything that is happening."

"But I'll be by myself," he protested. It wasn't something he worried about with Ahlrath around, but it was just Kallius now. He didn't want to say this out loud because he thought it was kind of rude, but he feared for their safety without him. Kallius has already shown to not be of much use in a confrontation. Toran sighed. Plus, although both Ahlrath and Kallius treated him like a kid, Kallius did it too much. It kind of bothered him.

Kallius clasped his paw in what would've been comforting if it didn't remind him of his mom and make him homesick. "I told you, everything is going to be fine. Please do not worry. You have a spot you can hide in if there is trouble. No one can see you in there. Just try to relax and take your mind off everything, alright?" Toran nodded slowly and turned to the rocks. True, there was a gap between two boulders that Toran could fit between, but that wasn't the issue. Still, he didn't want to argue anymore, so he simply stayed quiet. Kallius nodded reassuringly and left to find food, ensuring Toran didn't need anything before she did. The otter sighed and fidgeted with his tie, undoing and fastening it repeatedly.

After removing his tie and tying it around his head like a headband, he lay on the grass and groaned guiltily. He wasn't even that hungry (comparatively speaking) while Kallius apparently hadn't eaten ever since they arrived. If anything, he should be the one foraging for food. It was one of the few things he knew how to do anyway.

A distant thud made Toran flinch. It came from Kallius' direction so he assumed she fell some rocks while foraging. Still, he wanted to check on her anyway. Right when he was about to stand up and head to her, he heard something in the opposite direction: pawsteps.

Toran's eyes widened and he quickly hid in the crevice as he was told. He clasped his paws to his mouth, ears twitching as he listened for anything else. The pawsteps, made more obvious by the shuffling rocks and pebbles, moved closer to Toran's hiding spot, uttering a short exchange as they did so.

"How many beasts do ya think're in this area?"

"Dere's at least one, if d'marks o'er dere meant anytin'."

Toran shrunk backwards as he saw a fox and a weasel trod past with a sai in their paws. They didn't seem to notice him, thank the lord, but they knew that he and Kallius were here. At this rate, they'd find Kallius! Toran waited until the guards passed him before crawling out of the rock and looking around desperately. He had a single dagger, no supplies, wasn't strong, and had only rocks and a sparse amount of trees to help him. His heart hammered frantically as he backed away from view. It was then he remembered a conversation between his mother and father that he eavesdropped on (which he did a lot since his mother didn't want him to listen to this kind of stuff). It gave him an idea.

Toran looked around for a suitable boulder and grabbed a thick-looking tree branch. He waited until the guards were at the bottom of the hill before cupping his paws around his mouth and yelling, "Durkfor! Where did you go?! Get back here, now!"

Toran couldn't hear what the guards were saying, but the two looked at each other and one said, "Ah. Guess d'trail we're followin' 's just Durkfor. Stupid hare."

"Aye, but there's still somebeast up there. Sounded like a kid. Prolly Toran. Let's go git 'im."

The two nodded and readied their sais before marching back up the hill.

Toran headed over to the boulder and jammed the tree branch underneath it. He grabbed another rock and set it under the branch as a fulcrum. With the guards now disinterested in Kallius, he needed to do something to drive them away from him. Turning his head, he yelled, "Ahlrath, help me!"

He pushed on the far end of the lever with all his might, nudging the boulder slightly towards the edge of the hill. It hardly budged. Toran growled with effort as he put his whole body into forcing the branch down.

Unfortunately, even with the reduced force, Toran found that he wasn't strong enough to push it. His vision darkened as he heard them getting closer. He needed to do something.

Toran shakily climbed the boulder and stared at the edge of the lever. His full body weight combined with the momentum should do it. He gulped before jumping off the boulder and slamming into the lever. To his delight, it worked. The boulder jerked forward and loudly rolled down the hill.

The guards didn't know if Toran and Ahlrath were really together, but seeing the boulder fly down the hill, they knew they had to be. After all, Toran couldn't have thrown a boulder that big on his own. The two yelped as it flew past them before turning. "Let's git outta here! I ain't fightin' dat hare!"

"Me neither. Scram!"

Toran clutched his tie as he peeked over the top of the hill and saw the fox and weasel run away from both him and Kallius. He couldn't help but giggle before lying on the ground, breathing with exertion.

A few minutes later, Kallius came up the hill, holding a fair amount of roots and berries in her paws. Toran's eyes widened as he looked at the haul. It was a lot more than he would've expected to find here.

Kallius set the food down before walking over to Toran. "Toran! Are you alright? What happened?"

Toran motioned vaguely in the guards' direction. "There was beasts there and I made them go."

Kallius turned to where Toran was pointing and shook her head fearfully. "You could have gotten hurt! You did not have to…" Kallius sighed and looked back at Toran apologetically. "Sorry. You did a good job."

"It's fine," Toran responded honestly. This was something he was used to hearing at this point anyway.

Kallius brought the food over and handed some to Toran. The otter tried to decline but Kallius was insistent that he eat. The two sat on the hill, eating what Kallius had collected when the hogmaid asked, "So, how did you come up with that idea to scare them off?"

Toran shrugged, unsure how to explain. He remembered his mom talking about a pine marten threatening a squirrel with a dagger only to later realise the marten didn't have one. The squirrel just thought he did. "I dunno. Heard it from mom before."

"Ah." Kallius looked at the sky and asked, "Um, what does she do?" Toran swore he could sense concern in her voice, but he wasn't sure why.

"She helps beasts," he answered with admiration. "She's big and strong and smart and cool and… yeah."

Kallius chuckled with relief. "Ah. She sounds like a pretty cool otter."

"She is." Toran's smile faded once he remembered the reason he was even here in the first place. His mind still could not forget that somebeast was targeting his mom. Even now, he didn't regret taking her place, but what if something happened while he was gone? "I miss her."

Kallius patted Toran on the back. "You will get to see her soon. I promise."

Toran internally scoffed. What is it with beasts saying stuff like this to him? First, it was Durkfor (who by the way, was a terrible liar. It just never felt right to bring it up) and now it was Kallius. At least Ahlrath was more transparent about where his thoughts were. It was one of the things he liked about him. Now that he thought about it, Ahlrath reminded him of his mom in many ways. Big, strong, gruff, a bit awkward, but extremely loyal. Toran sighed. Even though he was sure Ahlrath would be fine, he wanted to see him again.

It made him sadder than he'd like to admit so he changed the subject. "What about you? Is there somebeast you want to see back home?"

Kallius bit off a stem and chewed silently. Toran had a feeling he shouldn't have asked. Kallius eventually nodded and stood up. "Yes. Anyway, we should get going."

"Oh, um, okay." Rather abruptly, the two headed off to continue their search. Toran really hoped that they would find Ahlrath on the way, but knew that the odds of that happening before they encountered trouble were somewhat low. He couldn't help but wonder how the mountain hare was doing right now. He shrugged. Ahlrath wasn't the one he should be concerned about. If anything, it was probably best to find less capable beasts before something happened to them.

Unfortunately for Toran, they wouldn't make it in time.


In contrast to the morning events, the stone watchtower stood tall and silent in the field as if nothing had happened. A figure shuffled around in the kitchen, their face solemn from the aura of death that seemed to emanate from the building. There was a horrifically mutilated body of a squirrelmaid with its face and eyes torn off in a closet, but even then, they could tell that more than one prisoner had been there.

A bat's body also lay by the treeline, curled up in a stiff ball as rigor mortis set in. Two beasts walked by the corpse as they looked at the ageing tower rising into the cloudy sky. Crookedfang paused and turned to the bat with the face of trepidation. He could tell they didn't die painlessly if the pose and the expression meant anything. He couldn't help but wonder how long they survived and if Vhynias could feel the arrow before he died. What would death feel like to him and, more relevantly, how would death feel to the beast they were following?

Yos Peonymaid pointed up at a window. "Someone… someone is in there."

Crookedfang looked over and slowly nodded. "Aye." The two traitors watched as the figure moved past the window and sat down. Both of them knew what they had to do. Yos turned to Crookedfang's belt and muttered, "So… you have the knife."

The rat looked down. "Uh-huh." He clasped a shaking paw on the handle and pulled the dagger out of his belt. "Didja see who it was? 'Tis… 'tis her, ain' it?"

Yos squinted at the figure. "I think so."

Crookedfang sighed as he tried to psyche himself up to enter. He clenched the dagger in his paw as he reimagined Vhynias dying right in front of him. He didn't get to plead. He didn't get to fight back. He was shot down then and there. There was nothing Crookedfang could do about it.

Until now.

The rat sighed and stepped forward. "D'ya wanna come?" He asked Yos.

The vole clasped her paws nervously and shook her head. "I think 'tis best if you go alone. I don't have a weapon, so I would just be slowing you down."

Crookedfang shut his eye and nodded. He marched stiffly towards the tower to meet the beast he had been hoping to find ever since Vhynias was killed in front of him. As he approached, the smell of blood grew overwhelming. He grimaced and ignored the mangled body as he walked up the stairs and opened the door.

There she was. Miena Dawnraft turned silently as she sat at the kitchen table, alone. A wave of anxiousness rushed through Crookedfang as he made eye contact. For some reason, the first thing he noticed was that she wasn't smiling. The second was the crossbow placed on the table. He didn't know if that was what shot Vhynias, but looking at it filled him with anger. Miena sighed and leaned back in her seat. "I was gonna say 'hi', but from the way yer lookin' at me, I'm guessin' ye aren't here fer a good reason."

Crookedfang couldn't stop shaking. Even though they hadn't worked together for long, they still did in some capacity back at the temple. Even if Miena and Ulfrad were hostile to him and his friends, there was a part of him that couldn't stop thinking of her as an ally. "Didja… do it? Kill Vhyn, I mean."

Miena shut her eyes and sighed. "How didja know?" She asked plainly. Crookedfang stared silently at the ottermaid for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"Why?" He choked out. "Why didja do it? Whatever reason ya had, ya didn' gotta kill 'im. I know he didn' like youse all dat much, but is dat really a reason ter kill 'im?"

Miena opened her eyes and tilted her head. Crookedfang wiped his face with his free paw and whimpered. "Y'know," Miena began, "yer a pretty easy rat to read. I don't think any answer I give'll suffice. Ye just want revenge, don'tcha?"

Crookedfang bared his teeth and turned his head. "How didja-?"

"Shut it," Miena interrupted. "Here's what I'm guessin' happened. After we killed Vhynias, ye ran away, cried, sulked fer a bit, and then decided to get retribution. Did I hit the mark?"

Crookedfang backed away slightly. He slowly raised the dagger, but Miena didn't even move. "Mebbe," he admitted with gritted teeth. "What do ya know?"

Miena laughed wryly. She motioned to the crossbow on the table and looked around the lonely kitchen. "Whaddya think?" It took a bit for Crookedfang to realise what she meant, but when he did, his eye widened. Finally, Miena stood up and stretched her body. "I'm a bloody idiot, y'know? When it comes down to it, I can't help anybeast. I tried to keep things steady at the temple, but we fought a lot and I ended up doin' nothin' while Ulfrad shot Vhynias. I tried to keep Ulfrad alive, but then I left 'im to a fate worse than anybeast should ever have to suffer. Dunno if it means I'm selfish or whatever, but I can definitely tell ye that I'm not suited fer any kind of leadership role. Boy oh boy, would've been a real shame if we faced some actual danger back home, lemme tell ye." Miena chuckled.

Crookedfang scowled. "Why are ya tellin' me this?"

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "This is prolly just the ramblings of an otter who's gonna die wit' many regrets." Miena grabbed the crossbow off the table and slung the quiver over her shoulder. "Look, I know ye wanna kill me. I know 'cause there's a dead ferret in the woods with many, many stab wounds in their stomach and they weren't even the one who killed Ulfrad. Let's just get this over wit'."

Crookedfang raised the dagger defensively. Miena scoffed and lifted the crossbow. Crookedfang noticed the blood staining the fur around her arm and her shaky grip on the crossbow. "Come on, then," Miena challenged. The rat steeled his face as he looked up at Miena. The ottermaid was over a head taller than him, but he knew for a fact that he was stronger. He stared at that crossbow again and growled. Any reservation he felt about fighting Miena burned away into an inferno of rage. Crookedfang knew he had to win for the fox that had meant so much to him. The rat let loose a guttural snarl as he swung his arm, launching his dagger just as Tornear taught him to.

Miena stumbled to the side but wasn't fast enough to dodge as the dagger lodged in her shoulder. She yelped and steadied her aim. Before she could fire, Crookedfang ran to a fallen table and hid behind the top. Miena growled and pulled the dagger out of her shoulder in a spurt of blood. "Ye just got rid of yer only weapon. Feel happy 'bout that?" She lifted the crossbow, prepared to shoot the moment Crookedfang ran out from behind it. Instead, Crookedfang lifted the table like a shield, covering the upper half of his body. Miena tilted the crossbow down and fired.

Blood dripped onto the floor as the bolt pierced Crookedfang's leg. The rat snarled and threw the table at Miena, knocking her back into the wall. Crookedfang picked up a chair and held it threateningly with both paws. Using anything he could as a weapon was something Gurnilal instilled in him a while ago.

Despite the wound in his leg, Crookedfang staggered forward on pure rage and adrenaline as he raised the chair. Miena recovered and held the crossbow in front of her. Their weapons locked as both beasts grunted with pain. Miena grabbed the dagger and swiped at the rat, giving her a window to strike as he leapt back to avoid the slash.

Miena swung the crossbow like a bludgeon, knocking the rat to the floor. Right as Miena raised her dagger, Crookedfang jabbed the chair into her knee with a yelp. The two stumbled onto their footpaws, Crookedfang shaking his head as lights flashed in his vision. He turned to Miena. The ottermaid was limping. Crookedfang swung the chair as hard as he could into Miena's wounded arm. She screamed and dropped the crossbow onto the floor.

Crookedfang swung the chair down, but this time, Miena grabbed onto a leg with her free paw. Miena jerked the chair away with a grimace and tossed it to the side. Crookedfang backed away once he realised that Miena had all the weapons in the fight. The ottermaid stepped forward with a tired grin. Crookedfang braced himself for an onslaught, but instead, Miena backed off. "Right, that was a nice attempt, but it looks like 'tis over. See ye later."

Crookedfang's eye widened as she headed for the exit. No, it couldn't end like this. He wouldn't let Vhynias' killer get away. Right before Miena opened the kitchen door, Crookedfang yelled, "Aye, leave me like ya said ya did ter Ulfrad! See how dat works fer ya!"

Miena paused. Crookedfang slowly reached for the chair and clutched it with his paws. "What've ya even done, huh? Everyt'in' ya did just ended up bein' useless now dat yarr friends are dead. Why not do somet'in' useful fer once and finish me off? Can ya even do dat?" He snarled. Crookedfang heard a growl as Miena turned around.

"Well, when ye put it oh so eloquently, how can I possibly refuse?" Miena bared her fangs. Good. Bolgash told him a while back that a few well-placed words can be just as effective as a punch in a desperate situation.

Miena raised the dagger and charged. Crookedfang was prepared and jammed the chair into her stomach. The otter staggered back as Crookedfang snarled, "C'mon, is dat all ya can do, or were ya just lucky ter make it dis far?"

"Shut up! It wasn't as if ye had yer friend protectin' ye the whole time while ye did nothin'!" Miena spat. Crookedfang swung the chair as she darted forward, but this time, she paused right out of range. Miena tore the chair away from Crookedfang's paws, leaving him unarmed yet again.

Unfettered, Crookedfang flexed his claws. "Yeah? Well, ya was just dead weight ter him anyway! 'Twas prolly yarr fault he died!"

Miena snarled and raised the dagger. "Don't put this on us! If it weren't fer youse bein' so difficult, we would all still be workin' together!" Crookedfang leapt aside as Miena thrust the dagger toward his chest. He grabbed her wrist with both paws as the two struggled for the weapon, snarling like feral animals. Just as Miena pried one of Crookedfang's paws away, he slugged her in the stomach and tackled her to the ground.

"Don't ever talk 'bout 'im like dat! He wasn' perfect, but he was one o' d'best beasts I've ever known!" Crookedfang reached for the dagger but was stopped when Miena jabbed his snout. Crookedfang roared and slammed Miena's wrist against the ground. Even though the dagger was released and slid away from the pair, it didn't stop them from lashing out with their fists and claws. His body felt like it was burning. Crookedfang's head burst with a mix of pain and memories as they wrestled and traded blows on the floor. Vhynias comforting him after he spilled his guts one night. Tornear laughing as he taught Crookedfang how to throw knives. Him and Bolgash pranking beasts they had a petty grudge on. Gurnilal protecting him when he angered a drunk stoat.

Eventually, Crookedfang raised a fist and swung it like a hammer into Miena's head. The rat quickly pinned her and brought his fists down again and again. Vhynias was telling him a story about some long-abandoned town. Vhynias letting him use his blanket whenever he got sick. Miena shoved him off and slammed him against the table. Vhynias listening to one of Crookedfang's jokes even though he didn't like them. Vhynias begrudgingly helping him carry supplies after somebeast slammed a club into his paw. Crookedfang threw Miena aside. His throat felt torn and ragged. Had he been screaming? What was he saying?

After they had been banished from Vulcan's crew, Crookedfang broke down and cried to Vhynias. Vhynias told him about his mother. That was the first time Crookedfang ever heard about her. Vhynias told him that even though Crookedfang was probably the strongest of all of them and could definitely survive without them, he would have his back no matter what, even if he admitted that the rat was pretty irritating.

Miena was blown back from another one of Crookedfang's punches. This time, the rat tackled and kept her firmly pinned down. His entire body screamed at him to stop and rest, but he couldn't. Crookedfang clenched his bloodied fists and punched Miena again and again, roaring as he did so. "Why?! Why didja have ter take 'im away from me?! He was like a dad ter me an' I can never git 'im back! Why?! I miss 'im so much already… an' ya just had ter go and kill 'im… He was such a nice beast… I don'... know what I'll do wit'out 'im…" Crookedfang's punches slowed as tears poured from his already wet face. "I kin never repay 'im fer everytin' he's done fer me… even when I've just been dead weight ter 'im… so why…? Why am I alive an' he ain'...? He deserved so much better den dis... I just want 'im back… Why…?!"

The fighting stopped altogether as Crookedfang crouched over Miena, howling raggedly as grief and rage flowed unrestrained. No matter how much his paws wiped away the tears, they kept coming. Even after Miena wriggled out from under him and sat up, he kept crying. He hugged his arms to his chest, just begging for Vhynias to come back to comfort him, but it was too late. He would never see the fox again.

Crookedfang eventually stopped. He wasn't sure when. Once he did, he opened his puffy eye and turned to Miena. The ottermaid was sitting on the floor, panting with exertion as she tapped a loose tooth with a claw. Miena looked back at Crookedfang with an empty gaze. She laughed humourlessly and muttered, but only with effort, "Ye throw a good punch, I'll tell ye that." Miena sighed, leaning against the wall as she grabbed the dagger and tossed it towards Crookedfang. The rat stared at it silently. "This prolly doesn't mean anythin' to ye. I did nothin' to stop it, after all. But I am sorry. How much ye believe that is up to ye. Y'know, Ulfrad… well, he was somethin'. He wasn't perfect either, and I know ye wouldn't believe me when I say that back home, he's a lot nicer. Still a prickly otter, but kinder to the other members of the holt, at least. When I was younger, he'd take care o' me sometimes when pa was out somewhere. I'm not tellin' ye this to try to get some pity, but because I kinda know what yer thinkin', and I know that I'm responsible fer it and kinda Ulfrad… Y'know what I'm gettin' at, aye?"

Crookedfang nodded slowly. He picked up the dagger with a quivering paw. "Ya say dat, but do ya really…?"

"Don't act like that now," Miena said plainly. "Of course, I don't wanna die. I want to go home just as much as anyone else here. I just wanna give ye the option. Think of it as me takin' responsibility."

The dagger waivered in the rat's paws. This was it. The opportunity for revenge was right in front of him… but now that he was here with the dagger, he just felt tired. So very tired. Miena hardly reacted as he raised the weapon.

The dagger clattered as Crookedfang dropped it to the ground. He slumped against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest. After a brief silence, Miena looked up and mumbled, "So, yer not gonna do it?"

Crookedfang shook his head. "I dunno."

"I didn't stop Ulfrad from killin' Vhynias."

"I know." The rat's head felt dizzy. "I'm supposed ter kill ya, but I don' know if… Well, Vhyn's killer is dead, aye?"

"I mean, aye, but-"

"Den as far as I be concerned, Vhyn's killer's bin taken care of."

Despite her supposed acceptance, Miena breathed out a sigh of relief. Then she laughed dryly. "Yer a strange rat, forgivin' me like that."

Crookedfang grumbled. He didn't forgive Miena at all, but he wasn't sure what good could come out of stabbing her. Justice had (for the most part) already been served, Vhynias' killer was dead, killing her would definitely make Crookedfang feel worse, Miena seemed to feel remorse for her involvement already and isn't going to do anything again, and, most importantly, he remembered Vhynias' decision for all of them to work together. Sure, he may have mostly agreed to secure his friends' safety and it was mainly Gurnilal's idea, but Vhynias still wanted to get as many prisoners out of here as possible. He hoped that he'd never see Miena again once they got back home, but for now, not killing her seemed like an okay idea.

Besides, none of this would've happened if the wildcat hadn't captured them in the first place.

Miena's voice broke the increasing silence. "Say, whaddya mean 'yer supposed to kill me'?"

Crookedfang looked at the otter. He wasn't sure why he wanted to tell Miena of all beasts what happened, but he needed to get this out to somebeast that wasn't Yos. "D'guards promised me dat if I helped 'em git rid o' youse, dey'd bring me an' Gurn back home."

Miena sighed. "Ye made a deal wit' 'em?" Crookedfang nodded. "Y'know, they can't promise ye that."

"Aye, dey kin," Crookedfang said genuinely.

"Nay, he can't. Look, we have no idea who this wildcat is. We've never heard of him before he arrived at Redwall Abbey even though he already took 12 beasts by then and prolly more in the past. I think 'tis safe to say this is a beast who relies on secrecy." Shaking her head with a grave look, she warned, "There is no way yer gettin' out o' this by workin' with him. He just can't afford that. He's either gonna force ye and yer friends to join his ranks, or get rid of ye afterwards. He can't let ye live to tell anybeast. Even if there are prisoners that need to be taken alive, I'd imagine that life's not gonna be pretty fer them wherever they end up."

Crookedfang didn't even consider the possibility that Ayers was lying to him. He groaned and buried his face in his paws. "Well, what do I do? Dere has ter be a good endin' ter dis, but I dunno how ter git dere."

Miena shrugged. "Eh, seems pretty hopeless to me, but if I'm gonna get killed by those bastards, I wanna take some of 'em wit' me." she laughed. "Besides, the beast who killed Ulfrad is still alive. There's still somethin' I need to do."

Crookedfang looked out the window and into the sea of trees surrounding the tower. "So… d'only way outta here really is ter work wit' everyone, 'cause I'd radder die den join 'em. Vhyn got us away from an awful ship, I ain' goin' back ter one."

"That's the spirit," Miena said wryly. "If we're screwed, we might as well give 'em what's fer."

"Shut up. We might not be, but let's go fer it." With newfound resolution, Crookedfang stood up and picked the dagger off the floor. Miena headed to the window and leaned against the sill. She raised a brow and pointed at the treeline.

"Hey, why's the vole, uh, whatshername…Yos, waitin' by the trees?" She asked. Crookedfang limped over to the window and nodded.

"Oh, I fergot. She also made a deal wit' d'guards," he explained.

Miena narrowed her eyes. "Huh. Y'know, Ulfrad and I met her while the temple was bein' attacked. Turns out she was the one who caused all of it. Fun, right?"

"She what." Crookedfang deadpanned.

"Aye. I dunno what happened, but when the temple was bein' attacked, she just went up and had a chat wit' the guards. Honestly, she's pretty stupid. If they're keepin' her alive, I imagine wherever she's goin' is not gonna be pretty. Y'know, I read a story once where they tied a mouse to a chair and blindfolded-"

Crookedfang bared his teeth and slammed his paws against the windowsill. "So she's d'reason Noruff's dead?!"

As soon as he yelled, Yos turned and ran into the woods. Crookedfang thought about going after her, but when he thought about how he felt when he confronted Miena, he wasn't sure he'd be able to go through with it. Besides, there was something more important he had to do. "We need ter find Gurn," he said urgently. "Riyan too. I dunno where dey went."

Miena nodded. "Good idea. We should prolly find the abbeydwellers, too."

"Riyan an' Gurn first," Crookedfang demanded anxiously. The rat turned to the door and immediately stumbled. Miena grimaced and looked at the bolt in Crookedfang's leg. Part of it had snapped off in their scuffle but the rest was still embedded. Miena walked up to the fallen rat and crouched down.

"We'll need to take care of this, first. Sorry 'bout that, by the way."

"I don' forgive ya," Crookedfang replied honestly. "I'm glad I beat yarr face to a pulp an' I be wishin' I did more."

Miena grinned irately and grabbed her bag. "Well, I'm glad to see that yer gettin' yer energy back. Now let's just get this done so we can find those two."

After they took some time to (shoddily) patch up any wounds sustained from their fight, they left the tower to search for Gurnilal and Rianne. Admittedly, Miena was pretty worried. Their makeshift patchwork wouldn't be enough to stave off any infection that may set in, and she didn't know how much longer they'd be here. If there was any consolation, it was that Crookedfang and Miena hated but were genuinely able to trust each other, and to both of them, that was an improvement from earlier. Even though their current search was driven by a desire to save their friends, it was revenge that led them to each other and the same thing was going to keep them moving forward.

Tiviko and the guards would get what was coming to them, no matter what. They'd make sure of that.