The Dammed Plan

[Tobias]

What is Alan?s problem? Toby thought as he followed the beaver Chokk into the stream. Doesn?t he know we won?t get anywhere if he kills everyone?

The icy water was waist-deep and freezing, yet Chokk didn?t seem to mind. Toby glanced back to Rousseau, who was striding forward resolutely but not enjoying it, and Alan, whose expression was frozen in a scowl. No one was in the mood for talking.

They reached the hut, if one could call a large mass of branches and mud that. The mink studied the snow-laden structure, perplexed. Where was the door?

?Entrance is right here. Dive down and follow the tunnel,? the beaver instructed, not bothering to face the rest of the group. He dunked himself in the water and disappeared into a large hole leading under the dam.

?He can?t be serious!? Alan said as soon as Chokk dove. ?Getting wet is one thing, dying from cold water is another.?

?Aye,? Rousseau said. ?Doesn?t look big enough t? hold all of us, either.?

Toby agreed; it hardly looked inhabitable, but the dam was thick. He was too intrigued by the design of the place to refuse seeing the interior. He turned back to Rousseau and Alan. ?We don?t have much choice. If you?d like to risk being caught by those rats, be my guest.?

He dove in before either of them could reply. The shock of cold almost forced him to involuntarily inhale, but he resisted the urge and fought his way down into the hole. His arms and legs protested motion as he descended, but then he felt the tunnel curve up and he let himself buoy up, giving a couple helpful kicks for the sword weighing him down.

Toby broke the surface and inhaled deeply. He opened his eyes after a few seconds and saw almost nothing. Everything was black, save for several pinpricks of light coming from what he assumed were holes in the ceiling.

?Get out quickly so the rest can get in,? Chokk said from somewhere in front of him.

?Right.? He pulled himself out of the hole and immediately started shivering. He took off his shirt and wrung it out, and at the same time tried to shake all the water off his body.

It was surprisingly warm in the room, but it wasn?t very big. He had to bend over a bit to avoid hitting the ceiling, and the way Chokk?s voice carried told him the place couldn?t be longer than fifteen paces across.

There was a scraping sound and a flash of bright orange light seared the black room. It happened a few more times until a few specks of bright orange stayed. Chokk blew on the embers with a slight whistle. As Toby started worrying that Rousseau would not follow, he heard a splash from the hole followed by a deep breath.

?Glad you could join us,? he greeted. The architect stared at the orange specks, silently pleading the ember to catch the kindling.

?We?re never comin' back ?ere again,? the rat grunted as she pulled herself out of the hole.

By the time Alan came through, Chokk?s fire was crepitating profusely. Even though the fire was small, it lit the entire interior of the half-dome. There were three small benches in a U-shape around the small fire pit, with Chokk sitting on the rush-covered floor tending to the fire. Everyone was still shivering when they sat down around the fire except for Chokk. Six paws were extended toward the flames, greedy for warmth. It was silent for a while, gaining warmth taking precedent over talking.

?Won?t they see the smoke?? Rousseau asked after she had stopped shivering.

"This hut was built to be a secret location, do you think I'd build it so smoke could be seen?" Chokk clicked his teeth and pointed to the walls. "Smoke filters through many gaps in the structure??

?Yes, I?m sure you have some very enlightening information about roof holes, but I?d rather get this planning thing over with and sleep,? Alan said. He hadn?t even removed his armor after entering but looked comfortable anyway.

Though he was still freezing cold, Toby felt tired at the mention of sleep. They?d all been awake for, what, more than a day and a half? He would have gotten some shuteye last night, but Radish had to drag him to Alan?s meeting. He hoped the slaves could deal with construction without him; he left them some hastily written instructions, but it was only roofing and they didn?t need him for that. He?d have some time dealing with Yvo when they got back?

?First thing is, where would they keep them?? Toby asked.

?That?s the golden question, isn?t it?? Alan said. ?If we know where, it?s simple. Except we don?t, so it?s practically impossible.?

Rousseau spoke up. ?If we spy on ?em fer a while, they?ll tell us where they?re keeping ?em.?

Toby didn?t follow. ?How so??

Alan rolled his eyes. ?Oh come on, Toby. You heard it yourself. That old witch said we weren?t worthy to be sacrificed, so??

"That's wot they'll do to 'em," Rousseau finished. "They'd be in a hut gettin' lots of attention."

?Hold on, why would they be sacrificed?? Toby said. ?Caracatus seemed fairly hospitable.?

?If one rat says there?s sacrifice, we have to think they?re definitely going to, and tonight.? Chokk said. ?You?ve got to think of the enemy as the worst enemy.?

?Er, right. Sorry,? Toby said. He mentally stored the beaver?s tidbit of wisdom. ?How will we get them out if they?re the big event??

"A distraction, o' course," Rousseau said. She pointed to the fire. "That's me favorite one.  'Gotten me out o' more 'an enough of my duties back on The Crimson Lass. Set a good blaze and..."

?There you go!? Alan exclaimed as if the cold water decided to take effect at that moment. ?One: We figure out which hut they?re in. Two: beaver, you and Toby here get their boats blazing, and three: Rousseau and I will get our friends in fate out of there and we regroup here.? The mink captain leaned back looking satisfied.

Rousseau nodded. ?It?ll work.?

Alan clapped his paws together. ?Okay, splendid! We have a plan. I?m getting out of this wretched place now.?

Toby heard the mink captain mumble, ?Still can?t believe I came in here.? before he left with a splash.

The fire was now a pile of glowing coals. Rousseau got up and left without a word. A few drops of water from her exit hit Toby, reminding him with a shiver of the cold that was to come. The mink wondered why they needed to be in a place where you had to swim through ice-water to enter only to experience half an hour of battling hypothermia and five minutes of planning, and then exit in the same miserable method. They were being cautious, he supposed. He hoped they didn?t have to be cautious for much longer.

Toby watched the beaver extinguish the coals by pounding them with his tail. His thwacking looked and felt more violent than what Toby had seen at the group?s first meeting yesterday.

?Chokk??

?Yes?? the beaver said as he was walking over to the water. He sounded surprised.

?What happened between you and Alan??

?It?s none of your business,? he replied shortly. Another splash and Toby was alone.

The architect got off the bench, stretched out on the floor, and closed his eyes. He could stay here, in this hut, and fall asleep if he wanted. It was warm, isolated. He relished the feeling. Toby wasn?t sure whether he liked today or not. On one paw, the exploration of the woods and the encounter with the water rats touched a deep happiness founded in his continual yearning to become anything he hadn?t been for the last several seasons. But on the other paw, there was the inability for anybeast to work together. He couldn?t understand it. What they were doing is like building a building. You have directions, you follow them, and the building gets done. Granted, their instructions were a little unclear, but that didn?t mean everyone could go for each others? throats?

Eventually he persuaded his body to stand up and, after he circled the now pitch-black room to stretch his legs, found the hole and slipped back into the cold, cold water.

Toby surfaced. It was just after sunset now. He waded over to the bank, dried himself off as he had in the hut, and jogged over to the lodge. He heard voices coming from the larder. Well, one particularly irritating voice.

??Torches, too. Don?t you have any more blankets??

Alan was facing the stairwell and saw him first. ?Did you not want to get wet again? I thought I was going to have to send someone over to get you.?

?Since when is staying behind for a little while a cause for alarm?? Toby asked.

?A little while is a long while when there are murderous beasts about,? Rousseau answered. Toby noted that bit of advice as well. A part of him wished he had more snatches of sagacity that included the word ?murderous?.

?Speaking of which,? Alan said, ?we?ll need a night watch. I?ll go first. Rousseau next, then you, Toby, and then you, beaver, if it?s not already time to go. Don?t you have to put up that reed screen??

?I was just about to,? Chokk grumbled, shooting Alan a smoldering glare. He dropped the blankets he was carrying and headed for the stairs.

?Need any help?? Toby asked.

?No,? Chokk said without breaking stride.

Several moments after Chokk left Alan spoke again. ?When you?re on watch, mates, make sure you stay alert for all our enemies, if you get what I?m saying.?

Toby did.