Rainbows 'n' Sunshine (Silus Delmore)

[Substitute Author]

?Master, Mr. Lowri asks to speak with you.?

Silus pawed another page of his book. ?Send him in.?

Before the weasel finished the chapter, the servant opened the door for the pine marten. Silus raised his paw, indicating Jonas to sit and wait. When he did, he closed the book and sat it neatly on the desk. ?What can I help you with, Jonas??

?The emperor has appointed me to do an expedition to Sampetra.?

Silus nodded. ?Congratulations, I see that your research is paying off. How?s the family??
?Well. I have a question for you?well maybe more like a favor.?

Before Jonas could ask, Silus placed his paws on the table. ?How much??

~

?Great display of leadership there.? The pine marten glared at him; perhaps it wasn?t easy being a father, but Silus didn?t care. He wanted to say that if she?d been his daughter, she would never have run off, that she would?ve been a good little daughter, but she was his?

?She?s my daughter; I don?t expect you to??

?Understand? I understand quite well, Jonas. You screwed up when you ordered the rat to find your daughter, and now you want me to make sure that gets done because you can?t trust her. I?m not dumb, but I wish you?d thought before making a simple situation worse. Next time, when you?re going to include me in your problems, include me first. Now, if you don?t mind, I?ll be off to play hero.?

The weasel grabbed a low quality short sword and attached it to his belt. It fit well for being scavenged from the wreckage. Normally his dagger was efficient in the city, but the squeaky rats had him on edge. The past few days refreshed him; they reminded him of the seasons he spent hunting the slaves, living with nervous excitement with the next morning?s raid. Although he missed the wilderness, he felt that he?d miss the gold a well-disciplined servant brought on market more.

Reaching a paw underneath his vest, Silus made sure the dagger was secure before approaching Sableclaw. ?Need a paw??

The rat eyed him suspiciously. ?Why would I need your help??

?I guess you don?t, but it?s here if you want it. I?m coming regardless.?
The rat nodded her head as five other beasts finished their own preparations. At least, Silus thought, she doesn?t hate me.

~

The sound of crashing waves breaking on cliffs was eerie. Perhaps it was the silence they walked through that made it impossible for the weasel to ignore it; back home, the city was never silent with the constant murmuring of pawsteps, laughter, and even the drunks that somehow found their way into North District. The gritty sand was new too. The way it rolled over itself when he stepped on it made it a bothersome process to travel, much less track a runaway pine marten.

?Silus! Do ya know where we?re ?eaded?? It was Sableclaw. Jonas just had to order the black rat to find his daughter, and then ask Silus. If he had it his way, he?d have taken the five others with no other beast to question him.
Turning to her, he asked, ?Why are you asking me, Sableclaw, if you?re leading the fetch party??
?You?re walkin? in front,? she mumbled. Stopping beside him, she scanned the horizon. ?No sign of nothin?. I don?t know how that pine marten expects us to find his daughter. She?ll come runnin? back soon ?nough.?
?Know why she left??
?No idea. Acted like she went runnin? with a purpose, though.? The rat sighed and cursed under her breath. Silus silently agreed but began stumbling down the dune. The small group continued past the fort making their way north; they passed a few stray weeds bowing to them in the wind, but there was nothing screaming ?little crazy pine marten came this way.? He chuckled to himself.

?What?? the rat asked, but Silus shook his head and breathed deeply, feeling the wind rippling his shirt. For the next half hour, the progress was slow.
~

?How much what??
Silus leaned back in his chair, a hint of a smile on his face. ?I?ll need payment, Jonas. Unlike you, I can?t travel and keep up my business. Before you ask, know that I?ll need compensation for any time lost.?
Jonas nodded. ?The emperor will assure that.?

?Good,? Silus said, ?Then let?s hear the favor.?

?Well, I?ve thought about what I?ll need, and you came up in my mind as someone I?d like to have around in Sampetra.?

Laughing a little at the statement, Silus replied, ?Surely not for my looks. This isn?t because I used to run around and play in the woods is it??

?Not just that; you have certain other qualities that I like.?

?Think what you want about me, but I?ll need payment. Would you like to join me at the auction today? My otter?s been promised to Mr. Gardicus, and I need another toy to break in. We can discuss it further.?

?I don?t have anything this afternoon.? The two creatures rose from their seats, Silus opening the door for the other.

~

A cold chill ran down his spine; fur bristling, Silus stopped walking. Sableclaw pointed at the tunnel entrance to the right. The weasel followed her paw with his eyes. The hole seemed to consume the light; a stale smell of salt and dust wafted out of the darkness embracing Silus. His senses sharp and paw on sword, Silus crept closer. Standing two strides away from the entrance, he listened: the cool wind ruffled his clothing; the sand slid beneath his paws, the other beasts breathed heavily, his own heart beat rapidly. Silus took one step forward, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness to see down the tunnel?s path. He couldn?t even move; his feet felt as though the sand was digesting them.

Sableclaw stared at him. ?Silus??
?Yeah?? he managed to speak calmly, but his ears bent backward, betraying his hesitance.
?What do ya see??
The blackness gurgled when he warily took a step, his eyes beginning to understand the depth and contours of the tunnel. It was rocky inside, the jagged walls glistening with perspiration deeper in. The sand had spread a few pawlengths inside due to the wind, but Silus noticed that it had been recently disturbed. He stepped inside, calmly glancing over his shoulder. He crouched over the undistinguishable print, but it was useless. Delicately rising, he noticed a small glimmer in the light. Another deep breath. Silus raised his footpaw to move forward to inspect the item. When he gently placed his boot on the ground, a gust outside made the tunnel whisper an unearthly sound like a blade being scraped down cold stone. Not caring whether the others heard it, he stumbled out. No one laughed, but Sableclaw swiftly clenched Silus? collar and yanked him to his feet.
?What?s in there?? she plainly asked.

Silus inhaled the fresh air before answering. ?Not rainbows ?n? sunshine, if that?s what you mean. But somethin?s in there about twelve paces lying on the ground.?

The rat confidently stepped within the cave, returning a few moments with a small ring. She tossed it to Silus who rolled it in his paw. The simple gold piece of jewelry refracted the light after Silus cleaned it with a claw; a small ?D? was imprinted on the inside band. When he looked up at the rat, she said, ?Ready to go in??

?No. I?m not going in there without something to guarantee my way out.?
?Like what? We?re armed.?
?I don?t trust myself to remember the passages; if you want to continue on, be a lost fool. We?ll return with a couple torches and a better solution than running around aimlessly.? Silus rubbed the fur on his chin thoughtfully for a moment. ?I?ll handle Jonas.?

?Then let?s go back.?