No Tears, No Regrets

[Kentrith Hapley]

Blasio was the worst boss Kentrith had ever had. Kentrith stomped out of his third ?meeting? with the brusque beaver, ready to slit the fat beast?s throat.

?My, my, someone?s in a temper!? Lady Eve strode toward him, resplendent in a dark green gown, a smile on her face. ?Do tell me what?s bothering you.?

She slipped her arm through his, and he made an effort to shorten his stride. In the past week, she had been showing more signs of affection than he had received from anyone his age. He found himself wondering if they were all for show, or if she might actually be warming to him. The thought stunned him, and filled him with warmth at the same time.

?Well?? she murmured, breaking him from his thoughts.

He shook his head. ?It?s Blasio,? he muttered. ?It?s as though he doesn?t trust me to do as he asked.?

?You aren?t,? Eve pointed out with impeccable logic.

?That?s not? He?s? no, it?s like?? Kentrith growled. Pulling himself together, he continued, ?It?s like he thinks I?m incompetent, that I have no aptitude for murdering children.? He snorted. ?I was a healer, for crying out loud. I am perfectly capable of doling out death, based on that alone. That?s not accounting for my years as the Crane!?

?Anybeast who knows you would be shocked if you resorted to such actions.?

?Every beast is capable of murder, Eve,? Kentrith remarked bitterly.

?Any beast can kill another, it?s true. For some, however, it is so far out of their character, it is inconceivable. You are one such.? A delicate paw joined the other in a placating gesture on his arm.

Kentrith shook his head. ?You give me too much credit. But that?s a conversation for another time. What have you found out??

The comforting paw smacked his arm lightly in annoyance for the change of subject, but Eve obliged. ?Plans are moving forward for unveiling the banner during the Tourney. We will be aided by the storm, and there are movements for a mass-scale revolt during that time.?

?Hopefully it is before too many of your recruits are killed,? he inserted acerbically. That earned him a dirty look.

?This does mean, however, that we are short-staffed.? After an uncomfortable pause, she murmured, ?We don?t have the bodies to move the children out.?

Kentrith halted mid-stride and rounded on her. ?You mean, if we get them out of the Crater, they?ll be trapped in Northvale??

Eve opened her muzzle, but Kentrith bulled through whatever she was going to say. ?Nire is not going to take this lying down!? he barked. At her look of alarm, he lowered his voice, moving her to a doorway for a little more privacy. ?Once he realizes the kits are gone, there will be city-wide search for them. He will dig up the rocks in the road to find them, and will not stop until either he finds them, or finds proof that they are not in the city. And then,? he shuddered, ?he might punish them so severely?? He had to slow his panicked breathing at the thought. He shook his head again. ?We have to find a way.?

?There might be one avenue,? Eve said slowly. ?Well, I don?t know how helpful??

?What?? Kentrith asked, ears perking.

?Narvi received some unexpected guests??

******

Kentrith walked into Narvi?s shop and into the midst of utter chaos. Beasts were everywhere, poking their snouts into jars, quarreling over pawfuls of dried herbs, and nattering at everybeast they could corner. Narvi seemed at his wit?s end, clutching his head with heavy digging claws. He spied Kentrith and hurried forward, moaning, ?You?m here! Gerremout o? moi shop! They?m turrible??

Kentrith was forcefully sidetracked by a blow to the gut. He doubled over, gasping as spiky headfur corralled by a bright pink headband came level with his eyes.

?Hello, Kentrith.? Frey?s eyes sparked with malevolent glee. She saluted at her pink head wear.

?Gloomy Guts!? cried the shrews from around the shop.

?What was that for?? Kentrith wheezed at the smug shrew.

?That was for doing something stupid.? Frey punched him on the shoulder, her eyes narrowed at him. ?Without us!?

?Ow,? Kentrith muttered, trying to straighten as his wind slowly returned. He started to rub his arm when Frey grabbed him around the waist and squeezed.

?What!? Kentrith barked, trying to brush her off.

?And that?s for doing something brave.? She muttered into his shirt. She let go and punched his arm again. ?Without us!?

?Stop that,? Kentrith snapped. ?You realize I am twice your size? I could break you over my knee, twist you into a knot, and stuff you into one of those jars.?

?Not before my crew got to you!? Frey?s declaration was followed by a cheer from the shrews, accompanied with the crash of dropped pottery and a groan from Narvi.

Sighing, Kentrith stood straight, eyeing his tiny antagonist and friend. ?What are you doing here?? he asked.

?Are you jokin?? Yer involved in the biggest slave revolt in history, and you didn?t invite us!?

?They say they want to help. A bit of warning would have been nice.?

The familiar voice caught Kentrith?s attention, and he turned to find the hooded figure from his first meeting. It stood, arms crossed, with footpaw tapping. He hadn?t seen below the cloak before, and he realized the beast under the robe was an otter. Should have seen the rudder, he thought ruefully.

He turned to face the hidden beast. ?I had no idea they would come,? he told her.

?Fights for all!? called Murbilee, raising another jar and dashing it to the floor.

?Yargh!? Narvi growled as several of the shrews made to follow suit. He yanked three jars away, juggling them in his arms as he howled. ?That be it! You?m gettin out moi place, you?m scallawagians!?

?Wait, Narvi,? Kentrith cautioned. ?We might need them.? He turned back to the hooded figure. ?Eve tells me that FTN doesn?t have the numbers to help with the kids.? There was a shuffle to the side, but Kentrith kept his eyes on the hooded figure. There was something about the way?

?We have the numbers,? it replied, and Kentrith detected a note of frustration. The voice seemed feminine. ?We simply do not have the agreement of the Council.? At Kentrith?s cocked head, she continued, ?While I and one or two others are supportive of your aim to spirit the hostages away from the Crater, the rest are too invested in the revolt to pull extra paws from the crews.?

Kentrith watched as the paws clenched under long sleeves, and he finally noticed the scars. Long lines that snaked up and under the cloth, leading to the shoulder. Several clues clicked, and he realized the husky voice was female after all?

Keeping his gaze on the paws, he stated numbly, ?I?m surprised you didn?t fight harder for help. You of all beasts should want to get the hostages out. Seeing as you used to be one.?

Weighty silence blanketed the room, until scarred paws reached up and pushed back the hood. ?I thought you would have realized sooner,? Dia pronounced, her eyes hard.

?And I would have thought you would stay far away from this place,? Kentrith snarled back. Shaking with anger and despair, he stalked up to her, menacing her with sheer height. ?It almost killed you! You?re supposed to be safe from all this, in a house with a garden!? He clenched his paws to stop them from seizing and shaking her.

She glared up at him, not intimidated in the least. ?Well, some stupid fathead helped me get out, and I had to make sure I wasn?t the only one!?

They glared at each other, tension boiling about the room as palpable as fog. Slowly, Kentrith put both paws to her face, raw emotion causing his voice to break. ?I didn?t want this for you.?

Her eyes grew shiny as she took his paw and squeezed it. ?I couldn?t be free while my friends are still captive.? She wiped her eyes and whispered, ?Especially Marik.?

Kentrith sighed. ?Aye. Well, I think our feisty friends can help with that.? He turned his gaze to Frey, who now stood with crossed arms. The shrew snorted.

?What, we?re supposed to leave with a bunch of snot-nosed Dibbuns, and miss out on the fighting??

Kentrith drew in a shaky breath, suddenly unable to verbally fence with her. ?Yes.?

An argument broke out amongst the shrews, but Frey bellowed, ?We?ll do it!? despite hearty complaints from Murbilee.

?Hold on,? said another voice. A figure moved up beside Kentrith, and a paw decended on his shoulder. Kentrith turned to the young beast, who carried a long bundle slung over his shoulder. Bright eyes pierced him through.

?You came,? Kentrith sighed, reeling from the rapid pendulum of emotions that assaulted him.

?Of course I came. How could I do any less?? Arms crossed as the stoat heaved a sigh. ?There's more at stake here than just the kids. Now.? His eyes grew hard. ?Where is she??