Family Values

[Venril]

Venril scowled as Liza suddenly ran away to go chase down Damask and sooth his hurt feelings. Great, leave it to Damask to throw a fit to get her attention.  Venril realizedthat he wasn?t doing a particularly excellent job of rescuing Liza.  However, it was also true that Liza didn?t seem to feel any urgent need to be rescued.  The fact that he and Damask could just waltz in there, have a conversation with the marteness and then go their separate ways without being interrupted suggested that there wasn?t much effort being put into holding Liza.  But Liza was a slave herself!  She wouldn?t be in on doing that to other creatures, especially when the beast doing it is the one who enslaved her in the first place...

It suddenly occurred to Venril what Liza was doing, and he felt both a certain exasperation over not having thought of it earlier, and a rush of admiration for the clever marteness.  Of course!  She?s spying on him.  If she had just run off with me, there wouldn?t be anyone here to keep an eye on Matukhana.  Thus satisfied, Venril decided that he should leave Liza to her own devices for right now, and go recruit his hordebeasts away from Matukhana. 

The moon was beginning to set, and a small vestige of sunlight could be seen.  Venril was able to locate his hordebeasts fairly quickly.  They were still together, the ones that were left, and Venril was disheartened to see how few of them that actually was.  Just fourteen of the original platoon were there, the rest having been lost to the shipwreck, the hazards of the cave or the woodlanders.  Still, it was a good sign that they maintained their cohesion as a group, having slept together some ways from the corsairs, and had posted a watch, a weasel whose name Venril desperately tried to remember, but had not been in the caves with him.  To Venril?s amazement, the weasel, although clearly surprised to see him, actually gave him a salute.  It took several seconds for Venril to remember to return it.

?There y?are, Cap?n.  We were worried ?bout ye,? said the weasel. 

"Oh, well here I am.  Err, what is your name?"

?Switchtail reportin?.  Everybeast accounted for wot?s still alive.  Lost a few in the battle, but most survived who hadn? already died in the caves or the ship.?   The weasel smiled.  ?Or gotten their tails settled after tryin? to rebel.?

?What??  Venril was very surprised at the implication that they knew what had happened to Verand, and it must have showed on his face, because the weasel laughed. 

?News travels fast ?mong ?ordebeasts, sir.  We knew ya ?n? the stripeyface were gonna scrap sooner or later.  Didn? think ye had it in ye, Cap?n?.? 

Switchtail shook his comrades awake.  ?Cap'n's back.?

Venril quickly found all fourteen sets of eyes looking at him and felt a little nervous.  He had never been one for crowds.  ?Well?uh?I know how we can survive this and all go home.? 

?I think Matukhana?s tryin? for that, though I don? know how well he?s doin? it,?   Switchtail said.

Venril nodded.  ?We can get around him, though.  I was away in the caves with the Fritte?with the cave dwelling vermin Matukhana wanted to make into slaves.  I met with the two woodlander leaders??

There was a bustle of dismay amongst the vermin, and Venril realized he had to get control of the situation fast or he might lose them.  ?They?re only mad at Matukhana!  They don?t care about us at all.  We can just sit out this whole fight, not have to lose any more of our lot.?

??Ow will we get ?ome without a ship?? The rat speaking didn?t sound convinced, but nobody was openly mutinying, so Venril felt a little encouraged.

?Look at us.  We?re a small group, and we don?t have that far to go.  What do we need with a whole big ship?  The corsairs are just using you to provide security for them until they can run off and go pirating again.  We could just build a little boat or raft, sail it in a straight line down the coast for a few days, ditch it when we get to a good place and just trek it the rest of the way rather than fighting off woodlanders so a bunch of corsairs can build a ship we might not live to use.?

?We?ve already lost good mateys from those woodlanders??

?Yes,? Venril said, ?And I?m not suggesting that you have to fight with them.  I?m just saying you shouldn?t fight at all.  We can sit this out, wait for things to settle down, and then just go home.  Some of us lived in the caves for over a week.  This probably won?t take that long to get worked out.  There?s food and water, and everything else you need to camp out down there.?

The hordebeasts considered this.  Finally, Switchtail spoke for the group.  ?We?re with you, Cap?n.?

Venril tried not to look visibly relieved.  ?Of course.  Follow me, I?ll show you the caves.?

The vermin assembled their gear and began to follow Venril, Switchtail walking next to the stoat.  ?Bit surprised at ye, Cap?n Venril.  Didn?t think ye had it in ye to take down Verand.?

?Oh.  Umm.  Thank you??  Venril said, unsure of how to respond.

The weasel smirked a little ?So, ?ow?s it goin? with the marten jill??

Venril?s ears felt a little warm.  ?Oh, uh, well, she wants to take things slowly, but I?m definitely winning her over.?  The stoat thought he did a pretty good job sounding more confident than he felt.  It was a skill he had gotten to be pretty good at since arriving in the desert. 

The weasel kept talking, but after a while, Venril?s mind began to wander. 

I?ve held up my end of the bargain and taken the hordebeasts out of the fight.  Liza?s spying on Matukhana and Rath.., seasons, Rath is gone.  The pain came rushing back, and he forced himself to shove it aside.  It almost feels like I?m forgetting about someone, though?oh!  That?s right, that crazy jill, Revel, who was pregnant.  Venril felt a little twinge of guilt.  A pregnant female probably was not very safe in a place like that.  He really should have gone and gotten her.  The stoat looked up at the sky. 

Hmm.  There?s a little bit of time left before the corsairs are likely to get up.  Maybe I still have time for one more quick trip back?

By the time the hordebeasts reached the cave, Venril had made up his mind.  After taking them down to get them settled in with the Fritterik, Venril emerged from the cave again and headed back towards the palm grove.  It took him a long time, but finally he saw the little hut some distance removed from both the grove and the settlement where the woodlanders were.

Venril moved to the hut and cautiously poked his muzzle into it.  ?Err, Revel, are you in here??

?Ven... Venril?  Venril!?  The stoat jill sat up on the cot where she had been laying, and Venril was shocked to see that she was bruised and bleeding.  It looked like someone had attacked her viciously, and Venril felt a surge of anger at whoever had done so.

?Revel, what happened to you??

?Nothin?.?

Venril sighed.  ?Come on, something did that to you.  What was it?  Who was it??

?It was nothin?!?  Revel?s voice was a bit sharper this time, and she sounded like she might be on the verge of tears.  Venril decided not to press the issue. 

?Err, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the Fritte--."  Revel stood and half walked, half waddled over to where he was.

?O? course I?ll come with you, Venril!?  She gave a little chitter and then proceeded to rub her neck against his, a gesture that caught Venril completely by surprise.  ?Better yet, you could stay ?ere...?

?Uh, Revel, you didn?t even let me finish explaining where we were going.?  The stoat took a big step backward.  ?I came up to get my hordebeasts and rescue Liza??

Revel snorted.  ?Eliza!  ?S always Lizalizalizaliza with you!  She?s not even a STOAT!  Why d'you care??  The last question had a note of desperation to it.

Venril scowled.  This was not what he had come all the way out here for. 

?Because she?s Liza!  I know she?s not a stoat, but maybe that doesn?t need to be?she?s a very special marteness.  She?s smart and spirited and she?s been through a lot but doesn?t let it get to her or scare her.  She doesn?t really notice me yet, but eventually she will!? 

For some reason, Revel looked chipper at the news that Liza was not as interested in Venril as Venril was in her.  ?I know somebeast who notices you, an' she's a stoat, too...?  She moved closer to Venril again and resumed her nuzzling. ?I really like your smell.?

Venril flattened his ears, unsure of what to do about this.  ?Err, Revel?  This is not why?"

?OY!?

Revel gave a squeak of fright and dashed away from Venril as another figure entered the hut.  It was a burly stoat who Venril vaguely remembered from the voyage.  He appeared to be unarmed, aside from a flask, but was much larger and heavier than Venril, and looked rather mean as well.  This was not helped by the fact that he seemed to have had some damage to his face, which had healed partially but was still easily visible.  He looked evil.

?I leave yer alone long enough to get some grog to wet m?whistle, and I finds you ?ere rubbin? yerself up on Cap?n Scrawny ?ere.?

Revel cowered on the cot, dragging Rath's coat overtop herself like a blanket.  ?Don't 'urt me, Nivard!  I wasn?t doin? nothin?.?

Venril saw the fear in her face and suddenly knew exactly what had happened to her.

?Stop it!  This was just a misunderstanding!?

?I?ll give yer a misunderstandin?!?  Nivard seized Venril by the shoulder and shoved him, sending him crashing into a wall.  The smaller stoat ducked as Nivard followed up with a punch that sent his fist crashing through the thin wall of the hut.  As the corsair struggled to free his trapped paw, Venril threw a series of punches at his face, exactly like Rath had taught him.

Thumb tucked in, lead with the first two knuckles, put your weight into it?The ferret?s lessons had served him well, but Venril was still very surprised as the yowl of pain from the other mustelid.  His form may have been good, but Venril really wasn?t THAT strong.

Apparently, Nivard was better at throwing punches than taking them.  The other stoat finally freed his paw, however, and sent a fist into Venril?s face followed by a headbutt that caused blood to spray from Venril?s muzzle and made his ears ring.  Nivard followed up with two kicks to the ribs that made Venril curl up into a ball. 

?Liddle sneak!  I?ll show ye to creep in and try to get my female!?  The corsair dropped down and wrapped his paws around Venril?s neck.  The smaller stoat struggled to breathe, his lungs burning.  The punches he threw at Nivard from the ground were totally ineffectual.  Finally, as his vision began to blur, he stopped trying to punch and instead began to grope at the pouches on his belt.  His paws closed around a jag, sharp piece of rock that he had found during his week in the caves.  It was jet black and very shiny, and Venril had never seen a rock like it before, so he had picked it up.  Good thing, too.

Venril swung the piece of rock again and again with all the strength he could muster, and as his vision began to grow dark, he was rewarded with a spray of warm blood and a scream from Nivard, who released Venril?s throat as his paws flew to his face.  Venril shoved the off-balance corsair, and then it he who was on top, slashing Nivard across the face and neck with the piece of shiny black rock, tearing chunks away from the abusive stoat?s face. 

Nivard's face was a hideous sight by now.  Most of his left cheek had been ripped away by Venril?s rock, exposing sinew and bone, and part of his nose had been crushed in.  The rest of his face was covered with gashes and scrapes.

Nivard finally managed to muster up the strength to throw Venril off of him.  He delivered a sharp kick to Venril?s face, but then began to try to stagger out of the hut, running away rather than continuing to fight. 

Venril snarled.  Seeing a clay pot sitting on a cooking fire in the corner, he rushed over and grabbed it, throwing it?s contents over Nivard?s head.  The corsair stoat let out a high pitched scream as the burning contents scalded his exposed flesh.  Venril, now free to pull out his saber, did so, and slashed across the back of Nivard?s leg, dropping him to one knee. The stoat then stabbed through Nivard?s side, and kicked him in the back as he withdrew the sword.  Dropping the saber, Venril pulled out his knife, grabbed Nivard?s head and pulled him backwards. 

?P?please??  Nivard could barely get the word out. 

?Sorry, Nivard.  Matukhana?s going to have going to have to find another corsair, one who doesn't beat up pregnant jills!?  The stoat jabbed his knife into Nivard?s stomach and pulled the blade laterally.

He gutted Nivard like a fish.

Stepping away from the dying corsair, who lay on the ground moaning and clutching his exposed entrails, Venril walked back to hut.  Revel?s face lit up as he walked in.

?Is 'e... gone??

?Yep.  Nivard is gone now.?

Revel nodded happily, then frowned and began to sit up again.  ?You're bleedin'...  Did - aaourgh!?  The jill suddenly curled up, clutching her stomach.  Venril started to rush forward, but suddenly she looked up at him and snarled.  ?G...get out! Go 'way!?  Venril would never have expected her to be able to yell that loudly.  He beat a hasty retreat, jumping over the pool of blood and intestines next to Nivard, who gurgled weakly as Venril made a hasty departure from the area.

The sun was now beginning to rise, and Venril decided it was time to head back to the caves.  He scowled as he jogged away from the camp, acutely aware that he had accomplished absolutely nothing other than enraging Matukhana if Revel should say who killed Nivard.  He sincerely hoped the stoatmaid would have the good sense to get rid of the body, or mislead Matukhana, or do something, anything, other than tell Matukhana it was him.  Knowing her, he decided not to get his hopes up.

The stoat was fairly close to the caves when all of a sudden a voice started yelling.  "Hold it right there, mister!"  A young female squirrel marched right up to him, club in paw, accompanied by her equally juvenile companions, an otter and a mouse.  "I'm taking you prisoner in the name of Sagaru...and...and the Oasis!"

Venril just gawked at her, scarcely able to believe that she was trying to hassle him.  "Can you get out of my way?  I've been up all night and I just want to get back to the caves and go to sleep."

"I don't think so, Mister Stoat!  You think I'm going to fall for the whole 'look tired' trick!  Oldest trick in the book!"

"Err, which book, Ash?"  the otter interjected. 

The squirrelmaid just gave him a dirty look and turned back to Venril.  "You're coming with us.  Are you going to go quietly, or are we going to do things the hard way?"  The squirrelmaid's swagger was absurdly out of proportion to her small size and nonexistent level of menace.

"Look, can you stop playing stupid games and just-OWWW!  Geez, what the 'Gates are yo--OWWW!"  Venril shouted in pain as the squirrel smacked him in the shin with her club, than struck him again near the tail.  The stoat snarled, but he didn't draw his weapon, not wanting to incite Bellona's eventual wrath.  "Why are you hitting me?  Are you insane?  I have a truce with Bellona, you crazy little--"  The next word he called her was considerably harsher.

Ash gasped at the obscenity, and then proceeded to slap him across the face, a move Venril had not at all expected.  "You're not allowed to use words like that here!"  She slapped him again.  "Bad stoat!  Bad, bad, BAD stoat!"

Has everyone around here gone completely mad?  First Revel practically tries to drag me into bed with her, and now this!  "Stop it!  I'm leaving now, just let me alone!

"Oh no, you don't!  I'm taking you to see Sagaru!"

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

Venril scowled.  "No. You're.  Not!"

Some time later, a bruised, unhappy Venril was dragged in front of Sagaru by the three woodlanders.  Ash saluted smartly, or tried to, except that...

"Hey!  You're not supposed to turn your palm outward like that when you salute!"  Venril felt like he had scored a minor point here when the squirrelmaid actually corrected her salute.

"Miss Sagaru!  We captured this vermin ruffian trying to sneak in and spy on us!"

"I was not!  You just ran up and--"  Venril began to protest his innocence, but before he could finish his sentence Ash began talking again.

"Probably going to tell Matukhana everything--"

"She just started hitting me for no reason with--"

"Or going to murder us all in our beds once--"

"And I told her about the truce, but she just kept on smacking me--"

"Called me a nasty name, too!  He actually said--"

"Because you hit me with a club when I wasn't doing anything at all!  I thought you woodlanders were supposed to be peaceful!"  Venril felt increasingly indignant.

"Well next time why don't you think before you call someone a--"

"You mean someone who just smacked me in the shin?  Why don't YOU think before you just start--"

"Venril, Ash, PLEASE!'  Sagaru, whose face seemed a mixture between annoyance and amusement, raised her paws for silence.  "Now, Ash?  Venril is correct.  We have a truce in effect with Captain Venril and the beasts of Baron Proklyan's horde.  They are allowed to stay peaceably in the cave of the Fritterik, and will then leave the Oasis once Matukhana is gone."

Venril smirked at Ash, who just scowled.

"As for you, Captain Venril, please try to act more like a Captain, and refrain from further shouting matches with my subordinates."

"Did the stoat start another pointless argument, ma'am?"  Bellona walked over to join them.  Venril noted, with great surprise, that although she had tried to clean up, the fur around her eyes looked a little bit matted, and overall she seemed extremely stressed and haggard.

Was Bellona...crying?  The very idea of the tough, combative dormouse crying over anything was ridiculous, and yet that's what it very much looked like had happened.  He gave her a strange look, but the glare she gave him told him not even to broach the topic.

"I just got back from the Palm Grove.  I got all of my hordebeasts away, and I also had to kill one of the corsairs when he tried to attack me.  Damask and I were going to go rescue Liza, too.  We found her, but decided to leave her alone since she's spying on Matukhana.  Make sure you...don't hurt her."  Venril's curiosity grew at the harsh scowl that found its way onto Bellona's face at the mention of Liza's name.

"I see." 

'So, uh, after that, I went and found that pregnant stoat.  I think she's about to give birth.  I don't know what happened to Damask..."  Venril's voice trailed off as Bellona's face grew even darker.

"Damask is gone.  He left because of that...that manipulative strumpet Lacrimosa," the dormouse said harshly.

Venril bristled.  "Hey!  Don't talk about Liza like that!  She's a very special marteness, a real lady.  She most certainly is not a strumpet!"

Bellona sneered.  "That must be what she is. I can't see any other reason Matukhana would keep her about."

"Liza would never do THAT!  He's a FOX, not a mustelid!"  Venril spluttered.

"And she led on a bird...stoat."  The pointed look Bellona gave him made Venril want to snarl.

"That's different!  They weren't actually doing anything!  And I'm at least a mustelid!

Bellona rolled her eyes and began to walk away, apparently tired of this argument.  "Fine.  You deserve her."

Venril scowled.  "You didn't even let me finish talking before you started insulting her.  She's staying there so she can spy on Matukhana and undermine him from within!"

"If you say so, stoat..."

"Also, did you hear me earlier?  Revel is about to have kits!"

"Frankly, Venril, that news doesn't interest me."

The two were suddenly interrupted by Baez the hedgehog, who must have arrived earlier in the argument without Venril's notice.  "Thou mayst not care, but I do.  I shall go to her in time to attend to the newborn kits.  I would ask that thou, Bellona, should come with me, and thou as well, Venril."

"Must I?"  Bellona asked, looking far from excited at the prospect.

"Why?" Bellona asked, seemingly confused by the hedgehog's request. "I've no business with that stoat or her spawn."

Venril frowned at the dormouse as she gave her assent.  Good thing he wants me along too...I'll be watching you, Bellona.  He was not sure at all that the surly dormouse was a beast he would want to have around newborn stoat kits.