The Mentor

[Poko]

A trickle of musical notes carried through the crisp winter air as a fine crystalline dust blew in sparkling swirls around the young ferretmaid, Poko. The words to the song were all mixed up in her memory, so the tune was mostly made up of ?da?s and ?la?s with something about ?water pixies and silver fishies.? She swung her arms and danced a few steps through the snow before jumping behind a tree and squinting back at the smoldering campfire. She was not too far away, yet it was far enough for privacy. She put her back to the tree and reached into one of the many inner pockets of her hedgehog costume to pull out a dried piece of fish to gnaw on. She had Gashrock to thank for the added storage space. The rat was almost as fond of pockets as Poko was, though for other reasons. In this white-washed, barren land, the ferret had no need for stage props and confetti, but ample need for extra food rations. Poko was, in fact, very pleased with herself for thinking ahead. She could take care of herself as well as anybeast.

Above her the pale morning sun shone, illuminating the dazzle of the snow-laden trees. Poko focused on her breakfast, savoring each bite. The sound of chewing masked the scrunch of footsteps approaching until suddenly the ferret felt herself seized by the scruff of her costume. Poko gasped and nearly choked as she spun around to face the black belt of a blue Yew guard uniform. Her eyes moved up, following the brass buttons until they reached Istvan?s grim, tattooed face.

"Where did you get that food?? the otter?s deep voice rumbled. Above him a dead tree stretched naked and black into the gray sky and a crow cawed ominously in the distance. This close Poko could see the dark maroon stains that spotted his otherwise official-looking coat. ?Did I not explain to you the nature of sins, including stealing, and the consequences?"

"But it's mine!? Poko squeaked. ?I didn't steal nothin'!" She dropped the half-eaten piece of meat in her agitation as she struggled against his restrictive hold. Her arms arched, partly suspended in the seams of the spikey robe.

"Then why did you not share this food with the group? Killing other beasts by allowing them to starve is still murder."

Poko squinted one eye up at the surly otter, "I'm not killin' anybeast! Nobeast starves to death in one day. Besides, the other otter ? the one that can swim ? is bringing us back fish!"

The jibe had little effect on the otter?s expression or tone. "So then why did you not tell us about this food after Guardsbeast Vanessa and I failed to catch fish last night? Were you planning to wait until beasts start dropping dead before you would share?"

"It's only a little! It's not enough for everybeast ? leggo of me!" she snarled, trying to pull away. Her feet kicked at the snow until green grass poked through.

"You have still not answered my question.? His grip tightened as he leaned in. ?Where did you get this food?" His breath smelled like decomposing flesh and Poko made a face.

"It's mine - I told ya! The toad said it was for me when he came out of the ground! You were there!" Poko pushed uselessly at his strong paw, grunting with frustration. Her self-defense lesson had been too limited.

"He may have given it to you first, but that sack belonged to the group as a whole. Not to you alone. You had to know this. Why else would you sneak away from the rest of us to partake of it?? His words probed relentlessly, digging and picking at her insides like he knew there was filth deep down.

This conversation was not going the way Poko had expected. If she had just lied and told him Cookie had given it to her, he would have left her alone. But she had been so sure of her innocence that she had not seen the need to lie.

She decided to try another tack.

?I thought you said kits were precious and the All-Mother doesn?t want bad things to happen to them! Greenfleck told me to help myself because he knew I?m the most likely to be affected by not having enough food.?

"You are no innocent kit. You knew the guilt of your crime and did not want your shame to be revealed to the rest of us."

Her temper flared at his unwavering accusation. "I ain't ashamed of nothin' you flea-pickin' waterdog! Put me down!" She thrashed and kicked at him, but his reach was too long.

"I am sorry," he said, drawing his knife. "If you refuse to acknowledge your sin of stealing food from the mouths of hungry beasts, the punishment will only increase in severity."

The ferret froze at the sight of the weapon, mouth agape and eyes wide.

"Wh-what? But - but I didn't steal nothin'!" she whimpered, beginning to quake visibly at the nearness of the sharp, curved blade. "What're you gonna do?" She shrunk back within the costume as if she could vanish into it if she willed herself hard enough.

"I am going to give you the greatest gift anybeast can receive: the opportunity to atone for your sins."

Poko?s face paled beneath her fur and she writhed in desperation. She was halfway out of her hedgehog costume when Istvan spun her around and shoved her down, pinning her casually to the ground with a knee in her back so that she could not bite, scratch or kick him. It was evident that he had handled far greater resistance in the past.

Poko cried out with alarm as she felt the one arm that had been freed from the costume forcefully turned, palm-side up. She felt the scratch of the knife point as the otter sought the right vein amidst the black fur of her forearm, then it stopped. Poko wailed, believing it had found its mark, bracing every muscle in her body for the sharp, lancing pain. Instead she heard a rough, female voice.

?If you so much as cut one hair on that kit I will cut you, otter.?

?Zevka!? Poko turned her head as best as she could and saw the pine marten standing directly behind Istvan with her sword drawn. He was frozen with the ornamental, curved knife poised against Poko?s skin.

?This kit has been stealing from the group. She must pay for her crime.? He seemed determined despite the marteness?s threat.

?Not like this,? Zevka snarled, taking another step toward the otter. Poko saw Istvan?s back arch slightly as he too felt the point of a blade touch his skin. Zevka?s breath came in visible puffs, ?Bleeding a hungry kit in the middle of the mountains is about one step up from killing her. Every one of us needs to be in top condition if we?re to live.?

The otter?s eyes narrowed with merciless derision. ?Not all of us deserve to live. This life is a gift you all take for granted. This one has tainted the All-Mother?s life-blood within her. There must be recompense.?

The light in the sky dimmed as a cloud moved in front of the sun and Poko shivered, feeling her breath come fast.

?I have no problem maiming or killing you, otter.? Zevka warned with a curl of her lip. ?I?ll deal with the consequences later.?

For one chilling moment, Poko wondered if Istvan would cut her anyway, but then he re-sheathed his blade and stood, turning to face the pine marten. The instant his knee was off her back, Poko leapt to her feet and fled, leaving the thick hedgehog costume where it was trapped still under his boot. Her heart raced and her legs pumped with a speed she had never known before, despite her bandaged footpaw.

The young ferret tore across the forested mountainside, her brightly embroidered vest flapping at her arms like colorful bunting wings. Behind her she heard another beast in hot pursuit, pushing noisily through the low-hanging branches that she had ducked. Poko looked over her shoulder with apprehension as the footsteps drew near, then relaxed noticeably when she realized it was Zevka, not Istvan.

?Poko ? stop! He?s not following you!?

"Oh good.? She slowed to catch her breath. ?That otter is crazy!" She shivered, wrapping her arms around her body and panting.

"Yes. Yes he is,? Zevka huffed, also recovering her breath, ?He's completely out of control ? he could have killed you! Is Noonahootin insane, keeping a beast like that around?? She came up beside the young ferret and handed her the battered hedgehog costume. Poko accepted it gratefully, sliding her scrawny arms into the warm sleeves and pulling it tight against her slim form. She shook still even after the chill was dispelled, eyes wide.

"Oh, Fates, I'm sorry Poko. You've been through 'Gates lately, and this is just the latest thing."

The ferret crossed her arms self-consciously and shrugged, "Gotta learn to look out for myself I guess." She meant to sound nonchalant, but failed.

Zevka winced at Poko's words. "I've been trying to look out for you...but I guess I haven't been doing real well at that, have I?"

Poko toed a circle in the snow. "Yeah, well... I guess it's been hard with Nyika getting in the way all the time."

"I'm trying to keep both of you safe. I don't want either of you getting hurt or lost.? Zevka shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose between her eyes before setting a paw to Poko?s shoulder, looking directly into the little ferret?s shiny black eyes. ?The wilderness is not the only place where a kit like you or Nyika might be eaten alive. The world is not nice to young female vermin who don't have anybeast.?

Zevka pursed her lips and looked back in the direction of the camp. ?But what Nyika said at the lake...I should have punched her a second time."

Poko felt suddenly warmer, looking up at the steely-eyed pine marten as they started back the way they came. "She's a mangey-furred liar. Everything she says - all that rot about ghosts - you don't really believe it do you?"

"I don't know.? Zevka pushed a snowy branch out of her way. ?I'm usually pretty good at spotting chicanery. I don't believe in ghosts...but I think Nyika definitely does." Zevka looked down at the ferretmaid shuffling through the snow beside her. "But I guess being chased by ghosts seems pretty trivial when you've just lost so many real beasts that you cared about."

Poko took the opportunity to air out some of her griefs, batting at a small sapling as she passed. "Then why do you act like you believe her most of the time? Why do you hold her paw and...and treat her like she's all frail and helpless? She's just been manipulating you! Why can't you see that?? The ferret reached out and pulled a switch from a tree. ?She's not a little kitten - she's half grown!" Poko whipped the thin branch through the air, relishing the whooshing sound it made as she limped along.

Zevka frowned. "Yes...I saw that yesterday." The marteness sighed, ducking yet another tree branch and cringing as a sprinkle of snow fell down the neck of her tunic. "And maybe she is manipulating me. Maybe Nyika is just a truly fantastic actress. But, on the other paw...I think that whatever else she is, she's also a frightened beast who seems to be all alone in the world, and who probably really thinks she sees a lot of terrifying things."
   
Poko hopped up on an old rotting log, lashing lines across it with her springy switch. "She doesn't fool me. I knew when she said she saw my Mati but not my Papa she was lying. And then when she saw I wasn't fooled, she stopped trying to make me believe.? The ferret paused and looked at Zevka. ?Now she just makes things up to be mean." She threw the switch as far as she could, then sat, shoulders hunched.

"She was making it up,? Zevka affirmed, striding over to sit beside the ferret kit. ?The things she said about your parents weren't true, and she deserved that punch. " Zevka paused, gathering her thoughts. "But...I'd still rather she didn't die alone and scared on an icy mountain."

Poko crossed her arms again, giving Zevka an annoyed half-frown.

"Hey, I didn't say you had to agree with that..." Zevka ruffled the ferret?s head fur.

Poko's frown turned into an involuntary smile and she looked down at her feet. When she looked back up her smile had turned into more of a grimace. "It's just hard, you know. It feels like it's not just you - It's everybeast. You saw how Cookie defended her for no good reason, and then every time I say anything that shows I don't believe her, everybeast scolds me and tells me to hush up.? She gestured helplessly with her paws. ?Cookie used to be on my side, you know. We used to be buddies - we even had an act together! But somehow she got to him ? I don?t know how ?  and instead of sticking up for me, he slugged you for sticking up for me. How's something like that happen? I just don't think she's as vulnerable as you think she is." 

?In some ways, perhaps not,? the marteness sighed, ?but as shrewd as she may be, it?s pretty obvious she has no idea how to take care of herself let alone survive in a climate like this ? any more than you do.?

Poko drew her legs close with her arms and her back arched as she placed her chin atop her knees. ?She?s still a maggot-mouthed liar. My Mati was no whore, and my Papa wasn't like she said either.?

Zevka nodded and put an arm around the young ferret?s soft back quills. ?I know.? The pine marten looked thoughtful as she gazed up at the high mountain pines.

"Poko...Risk and I talked about your parents once, while we were out at the carts with Gashrock. He said that they had their problems, and they fought, and that sometimes they wanted their space from each other, but that they both really, really loved you, and that's what mattered to them much more than anything else. Your family wasn't a lie, Poko.?

The ferret breathed deeply and nodded, her nose running wetly from the cold. The dry wind, too, caused her eyes to water.

"And if we get out of this alive,? Zevka added, ?I want to promise you that you'll have a life after these mountains. That you won't be left to just fend for yourself. I...know some beasts. I have some connections. I can make sure that you don't fall through the cracks."

Poko looked up at the pine marten, lost for words at the unexpected offer of kindness. She swallowed forcefully then grasped the bigger beast with a hug that said it all.

Zevka hugged the ferret back as she leaned her furry cheek against the top of Poko?s head. Above them the sun broke through the clouds again.

?Come on. We?re almost there.? Zevka stood and dusted off her black pants and tail.

Poko slid off the log and joined the pine marten, high-stepping through the snow.

?What if Corporal Stabby tries to grab me again?? Poko queried, trying to sound like she was joking, but with an honest note of worry in her voice as they drew closer to the camp. ?What should I do?? The ferret reached out and grabbed Zevka's arm as she slumped unexpectedly into a deeper snow drift.

?We?ll have to organize a more comprehensive training session,? the marteness concluded resolutely as she helped Poko back onto higher ground. ?Maybe, if I can convince Noonahootin to back off, Vanessa and I can teach you some helpful fighting techniques. She?s quite good, did you know?? Poko shook her head, smiling fondly up at the pine marten. ?And in the meantime,? Zevka set her jaw determinedly, ?I?ll have your back.?