Valley of Shadow

[Nyika]

As the ground opened up to spew forth hot steam and swallow them whole, Captain Noonahootin was on the scene immediately, barking orders and sending aid to those closest to the threat.

"Guards! Fall back! Miss Zevka! Assist Miss Poko!"

Nyika had flattened herself as best she could on the shifting ground, her eyes wide and staring at the open maw of where Goragula had disappeared. They had locked eyes before he had fallen, and she had seen the sheer terror of a beast not ready to die in them. Clarence was dancing around the mouth of the pit, the few others joining him as they rained taunts and jibes down where Goragula had made his death bed. Nyika made to move closer. Had the toad survived? Was he clinging on to life in his own irrepressible way?

"Corporal Istvan, to Miss Nyika!" Noonahootin called.

She found herself in the burly arms of the otter, ushering her back to the safety of the group.

"Miss Nyika, are you all right?" Noonahootin said. "Everybeast is accounted for except Greenfleck."

"He fell in the fissure," Nyika said, and before the owl could protest she had darted from Istvan's side to the lip of the opening.

It led to darkness, the cliff side jagged and asymmetrical as she peered down in search of the toad. He was there looking at her, hanging perilously on a stray root that jutted from the side of the hole. Ignoring the cries and protests of Clarence and the others, she reached down and Goragula reached up. Her arm stretched as far as she was able, unsheathing her claws just to get that little extra bit of distance, but it was of no use. They were too far apart.

Slinging the bag she wore across her shoulder to the ground, she grabbed hold of the strap and lowered the bag down within easy reach of Goragula. He grabbed the bag but did not let go of the root.

"Will you let go?" he asked.

"No," Nyika said. Her ears pinned flat as Clarence cursed her to Hellgates and back.

When Goragula released his grip on the root and bore his full weight on the bag, Nyika almost took back her word. He was fat and heavy and without a good paw to provide leverage or an anchor, the wildcat could feel herself being dragged towards the fissure. He was going to kill them both. Her grip faltered, and just as she was about to let go Istvan's strong paws grabbed hold of her, anchoring her to the ground.

"I have you, Mistress of Spirits," he said.

She bowed her head in thanks and began focusing on keeping her grip on the strap. It was beginning to slip, her paw still slick from Risk's skin, and there was no way for her to pull him up or else risk losing it completely. It was a while before Goragula realized this, and when he started climbing Nyika thanked the fates for it. Once Goragula had cleared the fissure and they had all taken quite a few steps back onto solid ground, everybeast took stock of their situation.

"Wot jus' happened?" Vanessa said.

No one had an answer.

"Well, I guess we know why those bone pillars were set up," Zevka said. "If the rest of our trek is anything like the first few paces, we're going to be in for a pretty rough walk."

"Alas, if my wing were in little better shape, I could take to the skies and scout out areas to avoid."

"You will not be taking to the skies, Captain," Istvan said.

"Yes, indeed, but how to progress when any step could lead us to certain doom?"

While the rest of them argued and chatted amongst themselves, Nyika made her way over to where Goragula was tending to his injuries. She sat down without a word, diving into her medical bag and removing some salves and a poultice.

The toad gave her an inquisitive look. "What are you doing?"

Nyika gave a simple reply. "You are burned."

"I've received worse."

"And did you leave them untreated as well?"

"Some, yes."

"Well, this one will not be."

He was quiet as she began applying the salves, although he flinched as she rubbed it into his skin, already beginning to bubble from the heat of the vapor. He spoke up as she was setting the poultice.

"Why did you save me?"

"Should I not have?"

"Yes, if what you say is true, if I have haunts that wish me dead. Why didn't you listen to them? Surely you heard their cries."

"Aye, Clarence is not happy," Nyika said, casting her gaze to where the vole was pacing nearby, throwing her dirty glances and insults. Her ears flattened as she fought a well of tears behind her eyes. He was being very hurtful.

Goragula saw this. "Then why?"

Nyika brought the back of her wrist to her eyes. "Far be it from me to judge a beast on how they live their life. You've upset a great many creatures, but all beasts deserve to live. It is the greatest gift the world can give. I can't take that away. Asides, if I did, we would have lost the medical bag."

"It is good to know my life is worth no more than the contents of a bag."

"I said all beasts deserve to live. I did not say they were worthy of it."

Goragula grinned, his wide mouth sending shudders down the wildcat's spine.

He left her alone to pack up her supplies, although Clarence lingered to throw a few more choice insults her way.

"Oh, just leave it alone," Nyika said, tired of listening to him. She knew if Goragula had died Clarence would have left with him. The things she did for a creature.

"Is he botherin' you?" Risk said, appearing at her side. He stuck a thumb at Clarence. "You want me to take care of him? I'll go take care of him." And he did, cracking his knuckles as he marched over to Clarence. As Nyika picked up her bag and made her way over to the rest of the group, she could hear the vole's wails at her receding back. She had never been sure if ghosts could feel pain, but she was sure they thought they could, at least.

"Are we ready to go?" Zevka asked as she saw Nyika approach.

The wildcat frowned. "We're still going?" she asked, although she didn't know why she thought Zevka would change her mind. Something about keeping herself alive, but Nyika knew that until Mekad's fate was known, the pine marten would walk to the ends of the earth for him.

"Yes," she said, and Nyika shrank a little at her tone. Zevka was growing weary of the wildcat's cowardice.

"We will stick to the snow," Noonahootin said. "I have done some scouting and it appears that what we happened upon had been grassy and warmed by the earth beneath. There are a few other areas like it, more than likely just as dangerous. I also got a better look at that building; I believe it is some sort of temple."

"Well, let's get going," Zevka said, shouldering her bag and marching forward.

The rest followed her lead, Nyika lingering to the back of the pack as she waited for Risk to amble his way back over to her. Noonahootin stayed as well, though for a different reason.

"Miss Nyika," he said, puffing out his chest feathers as he stood in regal attendance, "what you did for Greenfleck was no minor feat. It was very brave of you."

"I don't think so," Nyika murmured, playing with the strap of her bag.

"I do," Noonahootin said. "You could have been lost in the fissure, or the ground could have continued to crumble away beneath you."

Nyika shuffled her feet, feeling a flush rise to her cheeks as she thought of the senseless danger she had put herself in.

"You do not give yourself enough credit, my dear."

"I don't?" she started, but she did not know how to finish.

"Are you two coming?" Zevka called. The pine marten had retraced her steps to stand with arms crossed and a tapping foot paw.

Nyika jumped, hesitating long enough to give Noonahootin a quick bow before she ran to Zevka's side.

"What were you talking about?" Zevka asked once the wildcat had fallen in step with her.

"Nothing," Nyika responded. 

Zevka nodded and did not question further. Noonahootin moved past them, doing short hops to gain distance as he caught up with his Yew Guards at the front. Nyika watched his receding back, her chest tightening as she thought of his injury and what it would do to him when he found his flight would never be the same.

"He has too much honor in him," Nyika said, lifting her nose to indicate the owl.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It will get him killed. There'll be a day he finds when his honor can't protect him, and that it will be his undoing. This letter, if it's true and we were sent to our deaths, it will kill him, in more ways than one."

"You mean it will break him."

"His entire life has been to the Yew Guard. They are his family, and you've seen how much he talks about his kin. Betrayal will cut him deeper than any sword or knife ever could. It will not simply break him. It will destroy him."

Zevka was quiet, thinking over her words.

"But why send an owl to a road collapse?" Nyika continued. "He was right when he said he did not cheat any reaper. What was his purpose? Did they expect the moles to strike him down, the harfang to finish him off? Or were they waiting for his report? Which of us did they want dead?"

"I received a letter from Mekad. If they had forced his paw, they could have been looking for me."

"But you would not have known about the caravan unless I had heard it from the Players. It could have been Pyracantha, but I can't think of any reason why they would want her dead."

"I can see why they would want Istvan to die. He can be a loose cannon if left to his own devices. Risk, too, if they found out the Players had been keeping him."

Risk scoffed at the notion.

"And send so many to their deaths for his sake?" Nyika said. "Why not simply arrest him? No, there had to be something bigger at stake, someone with more power and influence."

"You suspect Greenfleck."

Nyika nodded. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "He had denied too much involvement with Goragula before, but I know now for a fact he is him."

Zevka was just as quiet. "How?"

"When we were in the tunnels, he and I got separated. I asked him about Clarence, one of his lingering haunts that cry for his death. He denied knowing him, but later he asked about my vole friend. I never told him Clarence was a vole."

"Just because a ghost says something may not mean it is true, Nyika."

"I knew Clarence when he was alive. I treated his mother with herbs and tinctures when she fell ill. He had a surprising amount of money for a farmer tending to an ailing mother."

"He got this money from Goragula."

"Aye, and Goragula took a claw when he couldn't pay up, and then his mother's life. He ended up slitting his own throat, but not before he told me everything."

"Why would he tell you?"

"Because he thought I had given his mother poison."

Zevka nodded, comprehension dawning in her eyes.

"So then we really do find ourselves in the company of Goragula."

"Please don't let the others know. He's already tried to kill me, and I think the only thing that stayed his hand was his superstition of destroying a magical beast."

"He's superstitious?" Zevka was surprised.

"Very much so."

They both turned their eyes on the toad, walking a little ways off from the rest of the group. He was always keeping to himself, casting wary glances at the others and scowling in his amphibian way. He had a great secret to hide, and for good reason. When the others learned the truth, Istvan would slit his throat before Noonahootin could even organize a trial. She should tell them, before Goragula could make good on his threats, but she had to be careful now that he was watching her. Zevka knew and Nyika could trust her; any more and it would all unravel. She had to play her paw with delicate finesse.

Goragula was counting the beasts, now. Nyika saw as his gaze went from one to the other, Noonahootin, Istvan, Vanessa, Poko, but it took him a moment to find her and Zevka. She and the pine marten had allowed the others to get too far ahead. He turned his head behind the rest of the group, locking eyes with her for a split second before she turned away, hoping he hadn't noticed her staring. Zevka, however, did not follow suit. She saw Zevka watching him, and he watching Zevka, and she noticed the way his eyes narrowed before she stumbled, knocking into Zevka and forcing her to turn away.

"Are you all right?" Zevka asked as she helped Nyika regain her footing.

"You were staring at him," the wildcat hissed.

"I was not."

"He knows."

Zevka's tail bottle-brushed as she realized her folly. "Well, he can't do anything to us now, there are too many others about."

"I don't think that makes him any less dangerous."

"Even so, he'll have to get through me first."

"And me," Risk said, too.

Nyika was not sure how a ghost had the ability to protect her from corporeal dangers but she put it out of her mind as she and Zevka jogged to catch up with the others. They had halted at the crest of a hill, and Nyika's tail fluffed as she caught sight of another set of bone pillars erected nearby. Once they had all gathered around, Noonahootin spread his wing to the valley below.

"It is a village."

Settled in the valley that dipped before them were small cottages and stone buildings, worn with age and overgrown in moss and vines. They stretched around the small peak where the imposing building Zevka had first spotted was situated, wrapping around in a perfect circle of suspended animation.

"D'ye think it's inhabited?" Nessa asked.

"No," Nyika responded. The buildings were too old, the walls cracked and broken, and snow covered the landscape in a perfect blanket of white. There was something ominous about this place, something that drew her further into its sense of mystery. Without warning, she began walking down towards the village, her ears flicking back as she heard the others follow. She picked a building at random, her paw coming up to knock on the door before she hesitated and simply opened it. Nobeast protested.

It was cool inside, and Nyika found herself located in a type of receiving area. Wooden benches and cushions were strewn about the place, and a dusty fireplace with ashes still in the hearth was set against the far wall. Old, rotted wood was stacked nearby.

"We should take respite for the night," Noonahootin announced. "The sun is waning, and I find myself exhausted from the day's events."

"Ah'll build a fire," Vanessa said, making her way over to the fireplace and stacking wood in a pile.

"We should move on," Zevka said. She was lingering by the door, her body fidgeting as she saw the rest of the group settle down. "At least we can make it to the temple. Who knows how far Carrigul is from here."

"I think not," Noonahootin said. "We need rest, and our trials have not yet finished. It is safe here in this abandoned dwelling, where we can have a proper night's sleep. You will find we will be able to travel more quickly and efficiently when we have cleared our heads and rested our bodies."

The pine marten made to argue, but seeing Poko curl up on a cushion stayed her tongue. "All right, but we leave at dawn's first light."

Noonahootin nodded. "That is a sound plan."

It was not long before Vanessa had a fire roaring despite the rot and everybeast settled around the warm flames, dragging pillows and blankets together but still segregated to some degree. Vanessa had her own little island, away from Zevka, which the pine marten noticed with a grimace on her face. Poko was not so unforgiving and curled up next to Zevka, using her tail as a pillow while Risk sat beside her, stroking the ferret's back. Nyika tried also to curl around them until Zevka's crinkling nose suggested otherwise.

"Nyika," Zevka said, "I'm sorry, but?"

"You stink," Poko finished.

Nyika could only nod in sad, quiet submission as she erected her own island of pillows. Rather than lay down, though, she sat upright, staring into the flames, becoming lost in their chaotic dance and crackling hisses.

"I will take first watch," Istvan announced.

Noonahootin nodded in gratitude and settled close to the fire, his great eyes blinking in weariness. Soon they were closed and did not open again.

It was when the flames had died to embers and no light filtered through the cracked windows save for the stars and moon that Nyika heard the sound of children's laughter ringing in her ears. Blinking heavy eyelids, she turned to each of her companions, watching every one of them as their bodies rose in the gentle rhythmic cycle of sleep. She gazed the longest at Poko, her whiskers drooping and her heart aching as she thought of the young ferret's trials, remembering the night she and Zevka had found her, the promise she had made her mother, and the way they had treated each other since.

Moving over to the ferret deep in sleep, Nyika rummaged through Gashrock's cloak, extracting the loose yarn that had once made up Risk's hat. Rolling the yarn into a compact little ball, she then went to Gashrock's sewing kit but frowned when she saw the seamstress had not packed a pair of knitting needles. Surely there could be some in this town. Conscious of Istvan watching her, hoping he wouldn't say anything, she slinked over to the door.

"Where are you going?" the otter said, interrupting her.

Nyika froze, her paw on the door handle. "I need some fresh air," she said.

Istvan stood. "I will accompany you."

"Please do not."

He hesitated. "It is dangerous to go alone."

"No more dangerous than it is in here. I am awake and alert. Everybeast else is not. Please stay. I do not wish to be followed."

"I'll follow her," Risk announced, rising.

"No, you will not," Nyika said, a little more forcibly than she liked. She softened her tone. "Stay here, with Poko. It is all I ask of you."

Risk grumbled a curse and sat down, frowning at her. Istvan sat, too, watching her as she opened the door and left the house.

The sound of laughter was louder outside and with the bright moon hanging overhead and reflecting off the snowscaped valley, Nyika could see as kits frolicked in the snow, tossing snowballs as they played and cavorted in their youthful manner. They stopped as she passed them, turning their eyes to her with wondering gazes. She could hear their whispers. A wildcat! She's a wildcat! Nyika had to grin at their excitement. They must not get visitors very often, and the idea that she might be the first wildcat they had seen had her straightening her back and squaring her shoulders as she walked throughout town. There was a door ajar in one of the dwellings, and Nyika found herself compelled to knock and enter.

"Hello?" she called.

"Aye? Who is it?" came a rough voice.

"Just a traveler passing through," Nyika called back. She stamped her boots by the door though it didn't do much good. Snow had breached the threshold and had covered most of the floor.

"A traveler, eh? We don't get many travelers around 'ere. What brings ye to our quaint little valley, miss?"

It was an aging stoat, seated on a chair with five little ones gathered around. They all turned their heads to gaze in wonderment at her.

"Golly, she's like Miss Sandingomm from the way you described her, grampy," the littlest said.

"Aye," the old stoat grinned. "That she is. Would ye stay a while, marm? I was just tellin' these scamps a story o' Cluny th' Scourge."

Nyika blushed. "Oh, thank you, but I couldn't. I was looking for something, see."

"Ah, well, 'tis a long tale. If you find wot ye're lookin' for, come on back and ye might catch th' tail end o' it."

A few of the kits giggled at his pun.

Nyika could not hide her amusement, either. "I'm sorry to say, but you've got some snow in your home."

The old stoat waved his paw in dismissal. "Aye, happens every season. Once spring comes 'round it'll clear up."

Nyika cocked her head. "Have you tried closing the door?"

The stoat frowned. "Don't see what good that'll do. Go on, find your thing, and come back t'hear the tale."

"I will," Nyika said as she bowed, then left to continue onward.

She entered a few more dwellings, all inhabited by stoats, all friendly and welcoming and excited to see a new face in their isolated part of the world. The moon was high overhead when Nyika began feeling discouraged. This village was too isolated, too rustic. She'd never find what she was looking for. One more house, she said to herself. One more house and she'd return. She didn't want Istvan up all night worrying over her.

Picking a house at random, Nyika knocked on the door. "Hello?" she called, but there was no answer. Regardless, the wildcat entered.

It was a quaint little abode with a fireplace and the remnants of cushions strewn about the floor. Nyika moved cautiously about the house, her whiskers splayed in an inquisitive nature. Wood creaked beneath her footpaws and the walls groaned with her presence.

"Effy, we have company," said a soft, lilting voice.

"Oh?"

Nyika started, noticing for the first time the two female stoats sitting on the floor. In their paws were faded yarn and knitting needles. Nyika smiled at her fortune, but still, she couldn't intrude.

"I'm sorry," Nyika said. "I didn't mean to disturb. The door was open, and..."

"Oh nonsense," the first jill said. "It is not often we get visitors. Come in and have a cup of tea."

Nyika looked around, spotting a tea kettle on the floor between them and went to the kitchen to retrieve a stonework cup. A cloud of dust rose as she gave it a quick blow before she returned. Sitting on the floor, she lifted the tea kettle, her brows furrowing at how light it felt in her paws.

"It's empty," she said as she tipped it, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice. A spider crawled out of the spout and onto Nyika's paw, which she flicked away after setting the kettle down.

"Oh, dear," Effy said. "Effly, could you refill that for our guest, please?"

Effly shook her head. "I'm afraid that was the last of it."

"No matter," Nyika said. "Thank you for the offer."

"That is very kind of you," Effly said. "I am Efflorescence, and this is my sister Effervescence. To whom do we have the pleasure of joining our company?"

"Nyika," the wildcat said.

"What a pretty name!" Effy said, her smile warm and inviting.

Nyika grinned behind a blush. "I like yours, too. You are twins, aye?"

"We are!" Effly giggled.

"What are you knitting?" Nyika asked, looking at the needles in their paws and the yarn balls on the floor. Effy was in the middle of a small sock, the second of a pair with the other sitting on her knee.

The stoat paused as she placed a paw on her stomach. "It's for the little one," she said.

A warm feeling grew inside Nyika, her heart fluttering with excitement. She smiled at her before saying, "Are you only making one pair?"

"Aye," Effy was hesitant. "Why do you ask?"

Nyika gave her a surrepticious look. "You're going to need another."

"How do you know?" Effly asked.

Nyika bowed her head. "I am a seer."

Effly's eyes grew wide as Effy clapped a paw to her muzzle to silence a squeal of excitement.

"I told you! Didn't I tell you so!" Effy laughed, the sound like morning bells chiming at dawn. "I knew there was a second set of legs!"

"You did," Effly was laughing, too. "How did I ever doubt you, sister?"

"Come, come, stay a while," Effy said, motioning Nyika closer. "I do apologize for the tea, but I hope you will find our home welcoming."

"I do," Nyika said, nodding. "I was wondering, if it would be all right if I could borrow some needles? I have been meaning to knit a friend of mine something, but I lost my own a few days past."

"Of course," Effly said. "Here," she said, indicating a box of yarn and needles. Nyika took some care selecting the size she desired, though much of the yarn fell apart in her paw. Insects crawled from the box, centipedes and roaches and spiders, but Nyika paid them no mind. Poko would be so pleased.

The remainder of the night was spent in the company of the stoat twins as she knit Poko's hat back together, giggling over jacks and toms and kits and kittens until Nyika found herself nodding in her seat, the final knits and pearls coming together as the sun breached the valley grounds. 

"Istvan? What are you doing out here?"

Nyika's weariness dissolved as she heard Poko's voice outside. She blinked, looking down. The hat was finished. When had she finished?

"I have been keeping vigilance," Istvan said.

"Is Nyika in there? Zevka and Noonahootin want to go."

"She is."

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Effly called.

Poko opened the door slowly, frowning at the cobwebs that broke and drifted across the threshold. "Nyika?"

"Here!" Nyika said, stuffing the hat in her sling and turning around to face the ferret.

"Zevka wants to go, and Noonahootin thinks it best if?" She stopped when she saw the company the cat was in.

"Oh, Nyika, is this your friend?" Effly said.

"Aye," Nyika said, nodding. "Poko, this is Efflorescence and Effervescence. Effly, Effy, this is Poko, the ferret jill I was talking about."

Poko's eyes were wide, her body frozen at the sight before her. "Nyika," she said, her voice wary and shaking. "These beasts are dead."

"What?" Nyika said. "What are you talking about? We were knitting."

"They're a bunch of skeletons."

"What is she trying to say?" Effly said, affronted. Effy's brow was furrowed in concern.

"Don't mind her," Nyika said, glancing at the stoats. "She has a little bit of a lip on her." She turned to give Poko a heated glare. "Poko, that is rude. Effy is pregnant, can't you see? She is having twins!"

Effly, Effy, and Nyika all squealed, though the wildcat's excitement died when she saw Poko did not share their enthusiasm. What was wrong with her? Why was she being so cold?

Ah, yes, probably because of that whole ? thing.

"I knitted you this," Nyika said, removing the hat from her sling to offer as a present. "I wanted to do something nice, because I wasn't so nice before."

Poko took a tentative step forward, taking the hat from her. "I didn't know you knew how to knit."

Nyika shrugged. "It helps pass the time."

Poko was silent as she studied it, recognizing the color and worn fabric. "This is Risk's hat. You remade it."

"Aye," Nyika said. "I stole it from you when you were asleep. Part of the yarn had snapped, so I couldn't do both tassles. I did the left one for you, though."

"Why?"

"Because left is sinister."

"No, why would you do this for me?"

"Oh. Because I was cruel, and I didn't mean what I said."

"You did, though."

"Aye, but I regret it. I can't take it back, but I can try to fix it."

Her paws clenched as she narrowed her eyes. "You called my mother a whore, and that my Papa was cheating on her."

"He never cheated," Nyika said, a sad look in her eyes. "That ferret jill he took interest in ? that was you."

Poko opened her mouth, then closed it.

"And your mum ? just needed attention. I guess mine did, too."

"Your mati?"

Nyika nodded. "She was an adultress. Risk was ordered to kill her for it. He did."

"I see." Poko was playing with the hat in her paws.

"We're not so different, you and I," Nyika said, catching Poko's eyes and holding them in her own. "But you had a family."

"And you didn't."

Nyika shook her head, hiding a grimace as she averted her gaze to the floor.

Poko took a breath and exhaled slowly. "Let's go. Zevka wanted to leave."

"All right," she said, then turned one last time to Effly and Effy. "It was lovely meeting you two. Thank you so much for letting me borrow your needles."

"Keep them, my dear," Effly said. "We don't use them much anymore, anyway."

Nyika gave a gracious smile before trying to rise, her knees buckling as her exhaustion finally hit her. How long had she been awake? She blinked bleary eyes as she left the house, shielding them with a paw from the light filtering down in the valley. Had she really been up all night?

"How are you, Mistress of?" Istvan cleared his throat. "Nyika," he corrected. His own eyes were sallow and bloodshot.

"Tired," Nyika said. "As are you."

"Yes. I held vigilance for you this night. I did not wish to disturb your s?ance."

"I wish you had," Nyika said, glancing into the window of the house, recognizing with dawn's first light the skeletal bodies of two stoats as they sat with knitting needles locked in their paws, their mouths ajar in perpetual conversation. Within the tattered rags of one were the collapsed bones of stoat kits.

"I want to leave this place," she said.

Istvan bowed. "As you wish."

Poko was waiting for them a few dwellings down, the left tassel of her hat swinging against her muzzle. She darted away as Nyika and Istvan approached, reminding the wildcat of the kits that had gamboled around the night before.

The group was waiting in front of the building for their return. Upon seeing Nyika, Zevka ran to the wildcat's side, fussing over her but not enough to get herself dirty.

"Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you."

"Miss Nyika has had a spiritual experience," Istvan said.

"Oh?" Zevka had a questioning look in her eyes.

"And what did you divine, my dear?" Noonahootin said.

"It was nothing, really," Nyika said, casting her eyes to the ground and shuffling on her feet. "Except that something terrible has happened here. A great tragedy that I cannot explain."

"And how did you reach this conclusion?" Noonahootin pressed.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Poko said, noticing the wildcat's distress. "Look, she knitted Risk's hat for me." She presented the hat for all to see.

"She did? Weel, ye couldnae ask fer better. Et's a bonnie piece o' work, Nyika," Nessa said, giving Nyika a meaningful grin.

"I want to leave," Nyika said. There were tears in her eyes.

"Let us tarry no longer, then," Istvan said. "We have much to discover today."

It was high noon by the time they reached the temple gates, big stone behemoths carved in such intricate designs that Nyika had to wonder just what they all meant. Stretching across the center was a giant cone, its peak topped by a dome with a series of what appeared to be bubbly clouds reaching all the way to the top of the doors. On either side of the entrance were erected bone pillars.

"Before we enter," Istvan said, "it must be known that a great suffering has happened here. I will offer a sacrifice to the All-Mother in restitution for her judgment." The otter backed away, giving the temple doors wide berth. He unsheathed his knife.

Nyika frowned, worry crinkling her brows and causing her tail to twitch. She had seen the way he had lost footing on their trek to the temple, the way his head was nodding in weariness and the way his eyes failed to keep their level of alertness that kept her away from his gaze. It was not sleep deprivation alone, else she would not have managed so well. How much blood had the otter lost since the start of this journey? Too much, and he was looking to lose more.

"No, you won't," Nyika said.

Istvan bowed his head. "I must."

"No." Her tone left no room for argument. "You will not. You have lost too much blood. How much more will you bleed to keep us safe from your intangible bounds?"

"It is a sacrifice. You saw yourself what happened in the village. The will of the All-Mother asks for it."

"This is not her land. These beasts owe her nothing."

"All beasts are granted the love of the All-Mother. They may not know, but she casts her protective warmth over us all, regardless of belief or faith. As a sworn priest, I must make amends for those that choose not."

Nyika would not let up. "Why must?"

"Oh, just let him do it, Nyika, so we can carry on our way," Zevka interjected. "But I won't be the one carrying his body when he finds himself too weak to carry on."

"I will do it," Noonahootin said. All beasts turned their eyes on him. "I mean carry him. I'm afraid I have given too much blood already to give any more."

Nyika stared long and hard at Istvan, her eyes narrowed as she searched his soul for the strength of his will. The otter averted his eyes, shuffling his feet, but the grip on his knife remained strong and unwavering.

"Then I will do it," she said, rummaging for Risk's knife.

"No, you will not," Istvan and Zevka spoke in unison. They shared a look, before the pine marten crossed her arms and turned her back on him.

"Why not?" Nyika asked, heat flaring her voice. "We will not progress until the All-Mother has had her sacrifice, and I am the most willing and able among us."

"Because as the All-Mother's chosen, spilling your blood would be as great an offense as the killing of an innocent," Istvan said.

"Hardly," Poko muttered.

Zevka clicked a hiss at the ferret jill, who scowled in response.

"If she wants to cut herself, I don't see why she shouldn't. She's not a kitten, let her do what she wants."

Nyika gave a nod to Poko, thankful for once of the ferret's support. "My blood is of no more importance than any other."

"It is to me," Risk said, rising from the ground where he had been admiring Zevka's tail.

"You are dead," Nyika snapped. "So you don't count."

"Who's dead?" Zevka asked.

"Risk," Nyika said unthinking. She closed her eyes and winced.

"Risk is here?" Poko said, excitement in her voice.

He tried to ruffle her hat. "Course I am!"

"Aye," Nyika confirmed, though she was not happy about it.

The ferret gave her a cautious look. "Is Gashrock?"

Nyika shook her head.

Poko crossed her arms, kicking at a clump of snow. "I don't see why Risk is hanging around when Gashrock isn't."

"Because Gashrock had nothing left to linger for," Nyika said. Despite the heat in her tone, there was a layer of sadness hidden beneath. She did not forget the way the rat had cast her aside when she suggested reforming the troupe. Nyika had thought the Players meant the world to her, that her plays and dresses were all she had. She had guessed wrong, and it hurt to think that Gashrock was just a beast who lived her life without any goals or aspirations to dream of. At least, none that fit Nyika's own.

There was a silent moment as the rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances. Zevka squeaked.

"Did anybeast feel a draft?"

"Stop that!" Nyika shouted. Risk stood up, grinning and buffing his claws against his chest fur.

Zevka raised worried brows. "Stop what?"

"This nonsense." Istvan took a step towards Nyika. "I cannot allow this."

"You will," Nyika said, her grip on Risk's knife tightening.

"This doesnae make any sense," Vanessa said, looking from otter to wildcat with an anxious expression. "Cannae we just move on?"

Istvan and Nyika stared at each other in silence until the otter threw up his paws and stalked around in a circle.

"You know you don't have to, right?" Zevka asked. There was concern in her voice.

Nyika nodded.

"Your arm, then. It is the cleanest part of you, and I won't have you getting infected for the sake of his idiocy."

Nyika rolled her eyes, already in the process of unraveling her sling. With her flesh exposed, Risk's knife hovered over her forearm. Just a small slice, nothing to be afraid of. She had knicked herself plenty of times in the past. Closing her eyes, she allowed the blade to part fur and flesh, feeling the sting of cold steel as warm blood rushed to the surface.

"That is too deep!" Istvan said, moving to intervene.

Nyika turned away from him. "It is a sacrifice, no?"

Blood dripped from her arm to the ground. Nyika could see out of the corner of her eyes everyone looking at her, Istvan fidgeting nearby. Warmth had spread down her wrist, coating her fur a crimson color, and the wildcat gazed in awe at the blood that pooled from her parted flesh. Despite the sting there was a certain sensation of release. Istvan's preaching came back to her, his teachings and proverbial sayings about sacrifice and the cleansing it accomplished. She could feel it, as though a weight was being lifted from her shoulders; all the sins she bore from living and dead alike leaving her to drip harmlessly on the ground. Was this what it was like to have those sins forgiven? She had so many. One little nick was not enough. The knife in her paw moved to another spot, the blade parting fur and touching her skin when a voice cut through her thoughts.

"Enough."

Nyika blinked, lifting her head to see Istvan with a bandage in his paws. Her eyes went back to the knife before it fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The otter took special care as he wrapped her arm, tying a tight knot to staunch the flow of blood. Nyika bit her lip in a pleasure of pain. Redness blossomed on the white cloth, and with an idle claw Nyika drew a line down the center where she had cut herself.

"No more of that," Istvan said, placing Nyika's arm back in the sling and tying it around her neck. The wildcat stooped to retrieve the knife, wiping the blade on her dress and replacing it at her belt.

"Are you all right? You looked ? strange." It was Zevka who asked her.

Nyika avoided her eyes, saying nothing, afraid of what the pine marten might think of her.

It took all their effort combined to push aside the slabs, revealing a great empty hallway that stretched as far as the eye could see. And so it was that they entered the temple, Noonahootin and Istvan leading, their shoulders square and their backs straight as they marched down the hallway in confidence. Vanessa and Poko followed, their strides less exuberant but not so much that they were left behind. Nyika held herself to the back, ready to follow Zevka and Goragula until she noticed the toad watching her with curious eyes. She looked away from that cold, ruthless gaze, wondering what he saw and what he had divined from her. She glanced back and he gave her a nod before carrying on. A small puff of fog left her lips; she would never know.

"Let's go," Zevka said. Nyika nodded and followed.

Their pawsteps echoed on the cold stone floors and the bare walls, casting them all in an aura of loneliness and isolation. Colonnades were broken down and walls were cracked when they weren't missing entirely. A great tear in the ceiling let a cold winter's draft surround them, chilling their fur and frosting their breath. Nyika shrank as she walked, hunching her shoulders and flattening her ears as she threw suspicious glances down the hallway and behind her.

"You sense something," Zevka said. The others heard her, turning around to face the wildcat with curious looks.

"We are being watched," Nyika said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Ye think so?" Vanessa asked, looking around. "Seems pretty dead tae me. Ah, is that wot ye mean?"

"No," Nyika said louder, standing a little bit straighter as she turned to address the otter. She bit her lip and looked away. "Maybe. I cannot tell. There is a certain ? energy in this place ? that is different from the village."

"Ethereal?" Istvan asked.

Nyika shook her head. "It is more ? vigorous, I am guessing? I cannot describe it. But I feel as though somebeast is watching us."

They all shifted in discomfort until Poko spoke up. "I feel it, too, actually. Like filching cookies when you aren't allowed."

"Et's an auld abandoned temple, ain't et?" Vanessa said. "Those things are made tae make ye afreet o' yer own shadow. Still, let's see if yer watchers got anythin' tae sae fer themselves, aye?"

The otter skipped down the corridor, her voice loud and boisterous as it echoed off the walls. "Ahoooy! Anybeast 'ere?"

Nyika pinned her ears at the noise. "Oh, fates, make her stop, please."

"Guardsbeast Vanessa," Captain Noonahootin hooted. "Fall back, please. You have made your point clear."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n. Ah jist dinnae see the point in whisperin' if we're already bein' watched. An' if we are, at least they know we're nae 'freet o' them," Vanessa said, shifting her eyes as she returned.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Nyika replied, casting wary glances around her. "You don't know what I saw in the valley."

"Weel, ye didnae tell me! Might be a guid idea tae tell us all noo if et was so important, ye ken?"

All eyes were on Nyika. She looked to each of them, hoping for someone to come to her aid, to save her from reliving the experience she had undergone throughout the night. Nobeast did.

She sighed. "They were dead, all of them. Every last one, in every dwelling I visited. I'm sure we trod on their bodies covered by the snow."

Everybeast was silent, frozen in their positions, just like Poko had been when the ferret had found her. Nyika collapsed to the floor, rocking back and forth as she tried in vain to quell the tears in her eyes.

"They didn't even know they were dead. They were just ? living their lives, just as they had been. As if they never stopped. They didn't even know they were dead."

"It is true," Istvan said, bowing his head. Poko gave a slow nod.

"Then we'll leave them, exactly as they were," Noonahootin said. "We won't disturb them. We're just passing through."

Zevka stooped down to give the wildcat a reassuring touch. Nyika sniffed, allowing the pine marten to help her rise. They continued on their way, a sober cadence to their foot steps with the revelation of the village's fate. A nervous air had settled among them, each of them wondering if they would meet the same obscure end.

They wandered aimlessly until it became clear that there was no obvious exit. However, it was Zevka's intent to explore the temple leaving no stone unturned, and they did just that?investigating broken down rooms in search of a doorway or tunnel that would lead them to the other side. It was in one such room where the inner wall had collapsed and rubble was strewn across the floor that an odd light caught Nyika's eye. Making her way to the outer wall, stumbling over a stray piece of debris, she cocked her head, peering with intent as she kneeled against the wall.

"Everybeast, come look."

As they gathered around, her paw went to the wall, wiping away dirt and grime from the letters that were chiseled in the stonework. Nyika's voice was hushed and oracular as she read the words aloud.

"Only those whose mynds blaze free
May know my secret.
Every flame hydes a key,
And yet 
Must shyne apart.
Remember: 
In all things, darkness has a part."

The wildcat sat back, trying to make sense of it, her paw brushing over the letters as though her touch could divine something her eyes could not.

"There's more," Noonahootin said, indicating with a wing a second slab to the right. Nyika brushed the letters clean.

"First ye must the copper bryte,
Turn half left then quarter ryte,
Midway lift the gleaming steel,
Half turn wynd the quadro wheel,
Left spin stone thryce, once for quartz,
Reset all by west-east course."

"That makes even less sense," Zevka said, blowing at her whiskers.

"There's a third one." Istvan pointed.

"Although it may no mark instill,
Naught but the orb shall be thy quill.
In spyte of doubt ye must stay strong,
And not neglect to ryte the wrong."

"Is that all?" Vanessa said.

"There's a fourth one, at the very beginning," Nyika said, scooting in her seat to where she had started. "But the slab is cracked and broken." She peered at the fragmented stone, her whiskers brushing the broken letters. She shook her head. "It is illegible."

"What does it all mean?" Poko asked.

"It is a riddle," Nyika said, "but as to what it means?. Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

The ferret pondered this for a while. "I'm not sure. Why?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."