Search Your Soul

[Alan]

There are many ways to inform one of a death.  One can do it delicately, with respect for your feelings, maybe asking you to take a chair and making sure there are a handy amount of tissues nearby.  One could be blunt and to the point, getting it over with as fast as possible so as to get on with the grieving process.   It could be written, whispered, sobbed, spoken.  It should definitely not get shouted at a peacefully sleeping beast in order to wake them.

"Ow!"

Alan jerked awake and stared blearily around.  Beasts were moving around him, going about their various jobs.  In front of him stood Rousseau, her arms crossed, and a grim look on her face.

He rubbed his eyes and glanced over to the cot where Mirdros was... not sleeping.

"Where the-"

"Did ya hear me?"

Alan looked back at Rousseau. 

"What?"

"Clutus, he's dead."

"Very good, where's the kit?!"

"Alan, yer not listen'n t' me."

"Certainly I am, where's Mirdros?"

Alan glanced frantically around the mess hall, when Rousseau reached down and slapped him sharply.

"Captain, I'm talking to you!  Mirdros is fine, he's right there, eating."

Alan focused on the kit, burying his nose in a bowl of something steaming.  He narrowed his eyes.  "When did he get up?" he asked.

Rousseau closed her eyes.  "'Bout five minutes after ya fell asleep.  He came an' stayed with me fer th' night.  Said 'e liked me better."

Alan relaxed.  "Oh, that's all right then."

"Alan, Clutus is dead."

"I heard you the first time, why do you keep...  What?"

The mink focused on the rat for the first time.  There was blood smeared into her fur, and her eyes were bloodshot, as if from unshed tears.

He blinked at her.  "How?"

"Idiot bird was tryin' t' fly or somethin'."

Alan sighed and rubbed his eyes.  "Vulpuz help us." he whispered. 

"Captain."

He looked to see Sergeant Airya standing to attention, her paw held in a stiff salute.

Alan licked his lips.  "What do you want?"

"Lady Kovari would like to know when you plan to release her?"

"When I'm good and ready to!  What is our status update?"

"Nothing new to report sir."

"Dismissed."  He turned back to Rousseau.  "Where-"

"You're pretty bad at being demon fiends you know."

Alan refocused on Mirdros, who had finished eating and come to investigate.  He narrowed his eyes.  "What?"

"Demon fiends, you're not very good at being them.  You don't even sing any horrible chants over big fires where you roast kits.  Da says you roast children.  Are you just waiting to roast me?"

Alan felt the words rise in his throat that would summon Radish, who would then procure him a drink.  As if reading his mind, Rousseau flagged down a passing beast and sent them for a bottle.  Alan nodded.

"Thank you."

"Don't bother.  Yer a better Captain drunk anyway."

Alan looked at Mirdros again.  "What makes you think we would want to roast you?" he asked.  "You're far too skinny."   He prodded the little rats bulgy stomach.  "Besides, I don't eat rat."

Mirdros looked rather disappointed at this development.  "Oh.  Are you going to hold a mad ritual then and dance around on the roof in nothing but your fur?"

The mink squinted at the kit.  "What on earth does Captain Rousseau tell you for bedtime stories?"

Mirdros snorted.  "Her stories are no good.  They're nothing compared to my da's.  All she lets me do is put some funny paste on a board."

Alan could see the scruff on Rousseau's neck rising.

"That was expensive paint imported all the way from-"

"Yes, yes, that will do I think," Alan said, waving his paws in the air for silence.  "Mirdros, tell me, what did your father tell you about us?"

The little rat scratched his head.  "You have stolen the holy water and you must be punished.  You hold evil rit-you-alls," he paused, looking pleased with himself, "and all the evil that is Kotir must be swept away and clenzed-ded with water."

Alan crossed his arms.  "And when is that supposed to happen?"

The little rat counted on his claws, shook his head, made a face, recounted and then scratched his ear.

"How many days ago did you steal me?"

"Three."

Mirdros counted again, and then looked up with a self satisfied smirk.  "Four, ten, seventeen, three... tomorrow."

Alan blinked and shook his head.  "Tomorrow what?"

Mirdros sighed.  "Don't you ever listen?"

The bottle Rousseau had so kindly sent for arrived, and Alan wasted no time in downing half of it for the good of Kotir.  When he came up for air, he returned his attention to Mirdros.

"So tomorrow your Da' is going to clenze this place with water?"

Mirdros nodded.  "Yep."

Alan snorted.  "How?  Mumble a few words and toss some water into the air."

"Don't be more of an idiot than you already are Captain."

He looked up to see Tobias walking towards them.  He sniffed.  "If I were a girl, I'd say I wasn't speaking to you." he said.

Tobias raised an eyebrow.  "If you were a girl I wouldn't be mad at you."

"Well aren't you clever."

"Do I have to knock yer two heads together?"

The minks turned to look at Rousseau.  She glared at them.  "Yer worse than kits."

Alan stuck out his tongue, then turned back to Mirdros. 

"How does your father plan to clenze Kotir then?"

The rat smirked.  "It's a secret."

"It's Rexim's tunnel," Tobias supplied. "I didn't get a chance to go over it completely with him, but I know we dammed up a good part of the river that fed the underground lake we built over. His tunnel emerges near it."

Alan blinked.  "So?"

"So, the rats dug a channel from dam to the tunnel, and when they finish it, the force of the water flooding in will completely destroy Kotir."

Alan scratched his head.  "Forgive me, but Kotir seems far from waterproof.  Won't the water just drain out?"

Tobias laughed.  "Not with the amount of water that?s coming through and all the debris from the broken dam it'll be dragging with it.  And with Morleo and his army laying siege outside, there's no escape.  Anyone in here when it hits will be killed."

"Sounds like Morleo is our rat."  Alan glared at Rousseau.  "And you bloody well stopped me from ending this three days ago." 

"Well forgive me fer tryin' t' not start any fights, like ya said that day.  If ya haven't noticed, I don't wish t' be gutted on the end o' some rat's spear an' killin' one o' their leaders, an' gettin' the entire tribe on our tails didn't seem like the best idea!"

"Yeah?  Well think about this, had I killed Morleo when I had the chance there would be three more beasts alive today!"

"What are you implying?"

"Oh I'm not implying anything.  I just think it's funny that every day we've failed to carry out Vulpuz's instructions he's taken another one of us back to the Dark Forest."

"What are you demon fiends talking about?"

Alan stopped and looked down at Mirdros.  The kit was staring at them with wide eyes.  "Are you going to kill my da?"

"Oh, good job," Rousseau spat.  "Now look wot ye've done."

Alan reached out to take Mirdros' shoulder but the kit flinched back.  "What are you going to do to my da?!" he demanded.

"Nothing," Alan said, "no one is killing anyone."

"But you just said-"

"I say a lot of things, look, I'm drunk, you can never trust what a drunken beast says."  Alan looked pleadingly at Rousseau for backup, but she stared stonily at the floor, refusing to meet his gaze.

Mirdros stared at them for a few seconds more, then turning, ran out of the mess hall as fast as he could.

Groaning, Alan motioned at a soldier.  "You, follow him, do not let him out of your sight."

Without a second glance the beast was gone, trailing after the kit.

"Well you handled that rather nicely." 

Alan turned his glare to Tobias.  "Lot of good you did in helping out."  He crossed his arms.  "At least we know our target for certain now."

"Thank Vulpuz. How do you propose we get to the most powerful and guarded beast sitting outside?"

The older mink shrugged.  "Simple.  Challenge him to a one on one duel.  He wins, we surrender, I win, he dies, Vulpuz is appeased, and everything goes back to normal."

Rousseau looked up sharply.  "An' wot makes ya think you should be the beast that gets t' fight 'im?"

Alan eyed her.  "Lot of things.  Frankly, I'm bigger and stronger than both of you, I'm not blind on one side, and-"

"You're also drunk, impulsive, reckless, and prone to getting riled up if your brother is mentioned."

Alan whirled on Tobias.  "Who asked you?  I didn't see you gaining any ground yesterday when you brought him up.  What's the problem?"

"The problem is you don't have the most t' lose."

He turned back to Rousseau.  She was staring at him with her good eye unblinking.  "The last o' my crew, an' my only friend, is out there.  I've let him an' the rest o' my crew down ever since I've taken this position, always relyin' on them t' get the job done. Yer beasts follow you Alan, no questions asked.  They trust you. But me... I finally have their support an' I ain't about t' let them down again!"

There was silence as Alan weighed up her words.  Then he spoke again.

"Can you take it upon your soul to kill Mirdros's father in cold blood if the opportunity presents itself?"

She was silent, staring at him.  He didn't break off his gaze.

"Because I already have," he whispered.

"That's not fair Alan."

"I wasn't asking you Toby," Alan snarled.  "I'm asking our gallant Captain if she can knowingly take the life of someone a kit loves.

She was silent for a moment more. "Aye."

Alan shrugged.  "Then I suggest you start practicing," he said.  "I'll issue the challenge tonight, and set it up for tomorrow.  But hear me, Tobias and I are going to be out there with you like it or not.  If you start faltering, I?m taking over.  Is that clear?

?I wouldn't expect anythin' less, but still, I ain't no kit t' be looked after an' you'd best believe that.?

"Tomorrow's when he plans to drown Kotir."  Tobias waved a paw in the air. ?In case you weren?t listening.?

"I did.  But I also know he won't flood this place with his son inside it."

Tobias eyed him.  "How can you be sure?"

Alan shrugged.  "Because not even I, would kill that little monster."