A/N: Waycaster: Yeah, Momchillo still has a lot of lessons to learn, but don't we all? XD
AlexFalTalon: Yup, Added Alliteral Appeal is always a plus. I agree, we need some more deaths! Buuut maybe not yet hehehehe...
One-Eye: Last Chapter's title was courtesy of Waycaster.
Abrahem: Spot on about Butch's role in the story. So were you Waycaster. Yeah I told them about the podfic but they weren't tooo interested XD I've started some sketches on the frogs but havent uploaded them yet. Amphibians are hard XD But yeah, there are a few good scenes hehehe
Sack Redwall? Hmmm, we shall see... But nah. I think I worded that badly 'based on parts of' Theon, hence the similarities. Fret sacking Redwall *was* an alternate story option though. Which I want to Drabble... some day soon... Fret is a mix and match of sorts. He's Veil, he's vermin, he's Theon, he's got bits of me etc- but he is his own character as well. Thanks! Summer is off to a fine start over here.
Keldor: Ah yes, we all want Fret to just succeed already, don't we? Well... I can't say much here but there is a purpose to me continously tormenting him XD As you can probably tell, this chapter is about his escaping hehehe
So without further adooooo, I give you the next chapter!
Also- if any of you are tired of Fret and Momchillo (for now anyways) please tell me what you'd rather I write. Because my 'interspaced' arcs are... not *that* interspaced are they XD?
"No." Fret hissed under his breath, rubbing away a half-formed plan of escape. Then, because all his other plans had been similarly infuriating, he kicked at the ice he'd been drawing on. "No! No! No! No! No!" Such was his anger that soon he was hopping up and down in panic-fueled rage.
"Save your breath vermin, vermin." An old bat advised. "And your energy too, too."
"No!" Fret snapped, beginning to pace. There was a lump in his insides, as if his organs had tied themselves together. A dozen or so boulders filled the pit of his stomach, and try as he might he could not get the feeling to go away. He was not cold, but always on the verge of shivering. He was not crying but could feel a storm of tears rising to his eyes.
What did I ever do to deserve this?
"Fretch?" Came the baby beaver's voice as the ferret continued pacing.
So I pushed my uncle overboard- he can swim! And I wouldn't even have been there if Martin the Warrior didn't chase me to him.
"Fretch?"
I never wanted to polish his stupid sword, and I never asked to live in his abbey. I should have run away when I had the chance.
"Fretch?"
And the Skipper tried to kill me too! And he nearly did. Momchillo came close with the snake-
"Fretch. What's wong?" Butch's voice finally penetrated the ferret's mental barrier.
"N-nothing's wrong." The ferret lied. "Just trying to figure out how to escape."
The timing was inconvenient for at that moment Chief Slimegut entered, although he did not seem angry in the slightest.
"Har-har! What did I tell you boys? A true warlord! Trying to escape. That's the spirit vermin! Try and wiggle out of this one." The Toad Chief smiled widely, and Fret shivered. "You won't find a ways out, but it'll give me and the boys some fun."
Fret barely held it all together. If he broke down now he was doomed. They'd know it was an act and nothing would stop them from having their sadistic way with him. His lip quivered and his stomach squirmed but no other motion was made on his part.
"He's scared." Longtongue taunted, drawing close. Fret's heart thumped frantically, not that it made any difference doing so. "Look at the little wretch, sweat all over him." The amphibious fool poked the ferret's chest, realizing too late that it was in fact snot.
This prompted Fret to snicker. He got a glare for it but that was better than he'd expected.
"He ought to be scared." The Chief walked over to where Butch was sitting down. Cruelly, he twisted a toe, a mocking leer glued to his face. "This ones mummy's yet to show up. Where's your ransom Butch? Where's your ransom?" He twisted sharply, until Butch began to cry softly.
Fret felt an inner rage swell up within him, and for a moment he was sure he'd conjure fire.
"His daddy's a warlord." The fat toad continued. "Warlords are busy beasts. Mayhaps he won't find the time to respond. Like I said vermin, you're not going home any time soon."
"We're done chief." Another toad said, indicating a freshly-chained bat.
"Good!" Said Slimegut, releasing the toe. One more he addressed Fret. "I hope your quarters are befitting your mighty heritage."
Fret did not dare glare at him, despite his urge to do so.
"If you prefer we could keep you in a little cage instead." The toad winked, his chins shaking from the effort of keeping in a hearty laugh. "Might be easier to escape from, don't you think?"
"How about a sack at the bottom of the river?" Longtongue added.
"How about a bear belly?"
"How about my belly?"
Shrieking with laughter, the Yellowbellies left the chamber and pushed the boulder back over the exit.
The ferret felt his ears rise and fall in time to his breathing. The toads were threatening him, trying to cow him into submission with horrible fates. Yet he knew that if his lie fell apart his fate would be much worse. He had to escape. He had to escape. He had to- Panic took over and before he could stop himself he let out a whimper.
Before he was quite sure what was going on, he was sitting next to Butch. Evidently it was the beaver's turn to comfort, and as much as he hated comforting he needed it right now. It helped that this comfort did not come in the form of a bear hug. The beaver gently stroked his back, like one would a pet. It was demeaning of course, but it stopped him shivering and the lump in his stomach seemed to weigh less.
"It's okay Fretch. Dey won't huwt you if you are nice." Sniffed the bigger beast.
"They hurt you." The ferret snapped, seething again. The Chief would pay for that. If Clogg showed up to save him (unlikely but not exactly impossible) Fret would make sure he knew exactly who had mistreated him. And Butch. As gruesome a sight as a flayed frog was, they deserved it.
"Dey didn't huwt me much." Butch replied, his eyes wobbling with tears.
"They'll pay for it." Fret hissed. If Snakeskin was alive and by any chance managed to rescue him, he'd make sure to crush Slimegut under the biggest boulder in the Lands of Ice and Snow... "When I escape-"
"But dey will huwt you." Now the beaver was clinging tightly to him. Fret could feel his whole form quivering. It was a bit like an earthquake really, only softer. But also more uncomfortable.
"Butch. I've been hurt my whole life." Fret felt the beaver's arms tighten. "I've been bullied and beaten my whole life." He wheezed, unable to stop. "Slimegut and his amphibian fools are just the latest in a long line of meanbeasts trying to make me miserable." Butch shivered ever harder. "Besides. If I stay here." His ears drooped. "I'm doomed."
"The toads want us alive boy, boy." One of the bats said, trying to shake the new arrival awake. "If Chief Snap, Snap, realizes the bear's just a trick he'll come down with fury and vengeance- but he can't do that if the toadies threaten to kill us, us, us."
"What bear?" Fret demanded, twisting round in Butch's grip so that he was facing said bat.
The bats shared looks of simmering rage. "The toads are the bear, bear." A fat one said, contemptuously. "They stand on sticks and then one atop the other and pretend to be a bear, bear."
"And who's Snap?"
"Our Chief, Chief."
Fret went on, slowly- his anger boiling beneath the surface of his skin. "And why would he give a tail about what happens to me? In case you didn't know, I'm only here because of a bat!"
None of the bats dared to look at him but a door, once opened, was hard to close again.
"They think I'm a warlord's son! What do you think happens when they realize I lied to them? You think they'll keep me around for long?" Fret (with difficulty) prized himself free of the frightened Butch and resumed pacing with interest. He had not ranted in a long time, usually it was Constance he put all his troubles to, but he didn't get to choose that now and there was no stopping. "They'll hurt me anyways, and I'd rather they do it when they think I'm important enough to keep alive!" Fret growled and tugged at his ears. "There has got to be a way out of this place!"
The bats watched him pace frantically. Anybeast could see desperation written all over him, but none of them had any escape routes to offer. A particularly scrawny one thought that perhaps reassurance was a fair alternative.
"You may not be a warlord's son, but you're important to somebeast yes, yes?"
Fret paused momentarily. He felt his face twist into anger, yet felt a wave of sadness wash over him, but held back the tears. "No." He squeaked, his voice suddenly weak. "And even if I d-do, they're too far to help." He quivered on the spot, before resuming his pacing, this time less frantically and dragging his tail along the ice. "B-but y-yeah." He swallowed. "I'm on my own..."
Butch had him in a hug before he knew it. The beaver held him like a stuffed animal and tight against his chest. "You're impowdant to me Mister Fretch!" The oversized dibbun reassured him.
Fret couldn't say anything, both because he was squished against said dibbun (who did indeed, smell like flowers) and because he was at a loss for words.
When Butch eventually did release him all Fret could say was a weak (because most of the air had been squeezed out of him). "Thank you."
There came a groan, and all turned to see the latest captive sitting up. Bartok blinked back into reality. At the sight of his fellow sacrificed bats, he blinked. "I-is this the Great Sky?"
"This is a cave, cave." A particularly old bat corrected.
"B-but the bear, bear!" Bartok said, flapping to his feet in sudden panic. "I- I saw him take you! And you, you! And eat y-"
"There is no bear, bear." The fat bat said, scowling. "It's a bunch of toads, toads."
"Toads, toads?" Bartok repeated, confused.
"Toads, toads." The old bat affirmed.
"B-but-" Before he could finish his sentence Fret, who had been creeping up on him, pounced.
"Sorry bat, bat, bat!" The ferret cried, as he brought his fists down upon the larger beast. His claws dug viciously into the back of Bartok's head. "Bat smashed to bits -bi-ack!"
The ferret was pulled off by the fat bat, who pinned him to the ground with little force or effort. But then again, sitting did not require much effort.
"Get off!" Fret snapped, trying to claw himself free of the aerial mammal's girth and back to his vengeance.
"No, no, no! Sorry, sorry, but you can't hurt our clan, clan, clan."
Bartok flapped to his talons, spun round and went pale at the sight of Fret.
"He pushed me off a waterfall!" Fret wheezed, raking the ice in his bid for freedom.
"I-I had to, to. The bear, bear- I mean toad, toad, wanted to eat-"
"So you gave him me!"
"Well it was me or you, you, you. So yes, yes. Sorry, so-"
"And you laughed!" Fret's growl cut him off. Whether the ferret was red in the face from anger or lack of air, nobeast knew, but it was most likely air, even if Fret said otherwise. He managed to pull himself out from under the bat- but found Butch had taken over the job of holding him back. Thankfully the beaver decided not to sit on him, but that was hardly much of an improvement- especially since Butch's alternative had been to step on him.
"So..." A little bat with a very nasally voice started. "You were talking about how nobeast loves you, you, you?"
It took Fret a moment to realize he was the creature being addressed. "I never said that." Was his immediate snap. Even if it's true, his first thought. "What I said was that the only beasts that might care are leagues away." He had no idea where Clogg was, but the rat was definetly farther south than he was. Constance was at Redwall most likely, or searching for him. As happy as the latter thought was, he thought the former more likely. Momchillo might've been his best bet for rescue, but he had no idea where the mouse was either. Or their guide, the stoat.
"Where are you from?" Butch once more drew him back into reality, and free of his footpaw.
Seeing no reason to lie, and because there were no toads in earshot, Fret spat out the truth. "Redwall."
Butch, oblivious to his tone, banged his tail against the ice in excitement. "Redwall Abbey? I've heard so many stories aboutch itch! My nana always reads to me aboutch Martin de Warrior and Deyna the Daggerung! Are you really from Redwall? Whatches itch like dere?"
"I've heard of Redwall too, too." Bartok added as the dibbun went on about about all he'd ever heard.
Fret glowered at him. "Everybeast has heard of it. Redwall, where any and all of good heart are welcome..." He trailed off grumpily. This was a subject too sensitive to discuss amongst strangers.
The others were silent, save and except for Butch who continued to chatter about everything he'd ever heard of Redwall.
"I heard Martin De Warrior dropped a lamp on dis big bad rat! An-and dere was dis cat and owl! And dey wentch off on a boatch! And den dere was dis place wid all de tunnels. Slamerandashtronch! And den it crashed! And den-"
"I've got it!" A light went off inside Fret's head, as if a firefly had buzzed in. Slipping out of Butch's grip, the ferret scampered over to the jar of ice, which seemed to grow from the floor. He placed his claws upon the cold surface and stared at it in wonder. The glow of a hundred fly posteriors was beautiful, and sent shimmering shadows across the walls of ice. But beauty was not what he was interested in. "Butch, I need you to chew this open for me."
The beaver cocked his head to the side. "Why?"
"Because this is my- our way out!" He hastily corrected. Butch still look confused, so he explained further. "Look." He tapped at the ice. "There are fireflies inside of this. Where do you think they came from?"
"Maybe de fwaggies put dem dere." Butch offered, suddenly shaking.
"They'd have eaten them." Fret countered, remembering the discussion of grubs and bugs he'd heard earlier. "So the flies got in here, which means this has got to be a tunnel."
"It could be a dead end, end, end." The small bat said. "I noticed it too but I didn't want to risk getting stuck, stuck, stuck."
"Most of us wouldn't fit anyways, ways." Bartok pointed out.
"Most of us don't have to." Fret countered. "Open the tunnel and I'll go. If I get stuck the toads'll pull me out because I'm valuable." Or they'll leave me to die. "But if I am right this should take me through more tunnels. If I were to get out and tell your Chief-"
"If, if, if." The old bat shook his head. "You're risking your life, life, life."
"I know that!" Fret snapped, squashing desperately at his mounting fear. "B-but I might b-be dead anyways. B-better to d-die free, right?" Of course not dying was by far the best option...
"You don't even want to do it, it." Bartok pointed out.
"I do!" The ferret snapped.
"Don't lie, lie, lie."
Fret growled. "I'm going with or without your help. So I don't need you anyways. Any of you. And especially you!" He pointed a claw at the grey bat.
"I'll help." Butch said slowly. "B-but please d-don't die."
"I won't. I promise." Fret lied, and found himself in a hug again. This was just getting ridiculous...
"And you pwamise you'll come back?" The beaver asked, sniffling.
"I..." Fret returned the hug, not entirely sure why he was doing that, but in any case it seemed to stop Butch's shivering. "I promise."
As soon as they broke apart (which was not soon, Butch hugged for humiliatingly long periods of time) the beaver got to work. The assorted bats and singular ferret watched in wonder as the young beast started from the top of the jar, his incisors biting into the ice. Chip by chip, the ice fell around it like a miniature snowstorm, until in the end the top came off.
The fireflies, no longer held back by a wall of ice, flew into the air. Hundreds upon hundred of them erupted from it, like fire from a volcano. It was a light show of spectacular proportions. Their orange glow bounced from wall to wall, and against the pale blue of the ice they looked like miniature suns, or stars plucked from heaven.
"Wooow!" Squealed Butch, his great scaly tail bouncing upon the ground in excitement, his eyes wide with wonder.
The only beast who had not been paying attention to the spectacle, was Fret, who scrambled up the ice to peer down the tunnel. Ice was all he saw, a slick wall of ice, rendered dark blue by the light above.
He swallowed audibly, and his gulp seemed to echo down the abyss. Was it too late to call off the plan? What would the toads do about the newly-opened tunnel? Would they punish Butch?
Fret growled, and pulled himself further up, so that he could enter the tunnel feetpaw-first. His fear should never have mentioned Butch. The toads would hurt Butch no matter what. They needed no other reason than their own entertainment. And he would not sit idly by and watch the beaver suffer. Even if he had sneezed on him... and was a huggy person... and had an annoying accent...
Butch gently placed a paw around his scruff, and gently lowered him into the tunnel.
"You d-d-don't have to do this, this, this." Bartok stammered.
Fret would have snapped at him, but Butch was quicker to reply.
"It's f-fine if you don't wantch t-t-to do itch." The beaver's eyes were wide and worried, but Fret had made his mind up and stretched his paws to either side of the ice.
"See you later then." He tried to smile, but the only emotion on his face was fear. "On the count of three Butch."
The beaver babe nodded.
"One."
Find Momchillo, Snakeskin or the bats.
"Two."
Come back to save Butch.
"Threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
The ferret slid out of sight, his counting becoming more and more distant until all the others could hear was a distant SPLASH!