Buddy Cop Movie

[Zevka]

The first thing Zevka saw when she woke up was Nyika, watching her and looking very troubled. The second thing she saw was the white pattern on Nyika's face. The marteness sat bolt upright.

"Nyika, why do you look like Istvan?" The marteness put her face in her paw, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Oh, 'Gates, Nyika...did you by any chance get really, really smashed last night? And if so, why didn't you share?"

The wildcat didn't smile. "Zevka...I went out last night, after you were asleep. And I learned some horrible things out there..."

"Hold on a moment, Nyika...let me get dressed." The marteness proceeded to do just that, then plopped down into a chair across from Nyika. Poko was already up and about, although Nessa was nowhere to be seen -- the otter had trained until she had been ready to collapse the previous night, and if Zevka knew her, that's probably what she had planned for today.

"Mornin', Zevka," Poko said as she re-bandaged her stitched foot with clean wraps.

"Good morning," Zevka replied, then turned back to Nyika.

"Alright, now tell me..."

Zevka listened raptly to Nyika's information, and when the wildcat was done, the pine marten leaned back in her chair, a look of absolute shock on her face. Her brain couldn't even wrap itself around what Nyika had just told her, let alone put it into words. She just sat there in stunned silence for several minutes. Finally, she leaned forward towards Nyika again.

"Beechton was in league with Carrigul the whole time? That means they not only know who I am, they know so much about me. I told Beechton so much, things I shouldn't have told someone I didn't know that well, but he just has this way of making beasts open up to him." The sheer scope of the betrayal made Zevka's voice shake.

"Zevka? Who is Beechton Valash?" Poko asked, clearly concerned by the marten's reaction.

"He's the beast I work for, Poko. He owns the tavern that Mekad and I help run. There have always been rumors of his involvement in much shadier lines of business, and to be honest, I never had much trouble believing those rumors...but, oh Gates, Poko, I would never have believed him capable of this."

"And Mekad..." The bitterness in Zevka's voice was heavy. "It all makes so much sense now! They knew Mekad was coming, knew who he was the second he set paw in Carrigul, and they knew that I would come looking for him! That means they don't just know I'm here, they're expecting me! And no wonder Mekad's main signal to me that something was wrong was writing about our imaginary romance! Beechton always just assumed that we were a couple pretending not to be. He would have no trouble believing a letter like that."

Zevka's tail thrashed furiously. "Dammit! How could I have gotten Mekad involved with somebeast like Valash? 'Gates, I'm slow! This is a trap set especially for me...and oh, Fates, Nyika, I dragged you into it right along with me!"

Nyika shook her head. "You didn't drag me into anything, Zevka. I wanted to travel with the Dewhurst Players. I thought...I thought that I might have finally found some beasts who wouldn't just assume I was crazy or a freak or a fraud. Beasts who would have ? would have accepted me. Loved me, even. I wanted to be a Dewhurst player so badly, Zevka, more than I've ever wanted anything before! And who knows? If I hadn't met you, and I hadn't been in that specific cart, maybe I wouldn't have lived through the avalanche."

"I...I didn't know that that was why you were with us, Nyika," Poko said very quietly.

The wildcat smiled a bit. "And if I hadn't met you, Zevka, I would have never guessed that I might have a brother!"

Zevka's ears and tail drooped. "If he's even alive, Nyika. I spent this whole journey just assuming that he was. Assuming that he had just gotten caught up in some kind of strange business with beasts who took him hostage because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But if Beechton was involved, then maybe he wrote that letter, and then...and then..." The marteness couldn't even say it.

"Don't forget Levandra. She still departs, she's still watching over somebeast else. Asides, you climbed a mountain to rescue Mekad. Are you really going to give up hope now?"

Zevka's gaze hardened. "No. No I am not. I am going to find Mekad, and then I am going to feed Beechton Valash his own tail." The marteness suddenly shifted topics.

"And Nyika? I'm very, very proud to know you. You were amazingly brave last night. Are you alright?"

Nyika laughed bitterly. "No, I'm not alright. I...left a bad impression of myself last night--"

Zevka leaned forward. "And by 'bad impression,' you mean that you now have a bunch of cutthroats trying to kill you."

"Aye," Nyika replied, eyes flicking towards Poko uneasily.

Zevka, despite the impression that Nyika was not telling her everything, decided not to push the matter.

"We can protect--"

Nyika shook her head. "No, Zevka. I can't drag the rest of you into this. They're looking for me, nobeast else. Maybe Istvan?probably Istvan?but mostly me. I have to go into hiding. I have to protect the rest of you."

Zevka shook her head. "But if they find you...you'd be better off sticking with the rest of us! Istvan, Noonahootin, Nessa and I can take a few rats any day."

"No. I can't do that. I can't endanger you all." She paused, thinking. "Listen, in the run down part of town there's an old apothecary shop with the picture of a fox skull on a cauldron. If you need to find me, I'll be there. Knock four times, wait a tic, and then knock three more. I'll ask who it is in an elderly voice, and you say 'Gashrock.' I'll know it's you, then."

Zevka sighed, her head filling with arguments against Nyika running off on her own. There was no mistaking the young wildcat's determination.

"Alright. But if we hear or see anything that suggests you aren't safe, then we're going to come and find you. And Fates have mercy on anybeast who tries to kill you while we're around."

--

Carrigul was clearly a restless city, Zevka noted as she walked down the street with Istvan and Poko, with whom she had opted to explore the city for clues about Mekad's whereabouts. Everywhere she looked, there were signs of new buildings being constructed among the old stone ruins, which themselves often had the look of having been recently innovated. The citizens themselves seemed to have a slightly harried, agitated air about them.

They seem a little nervous, actually, but after what we saw earlier... The marteness winced. It was like somebody had taken her old inner image of Istvan from the start of the journey, copied it a few times too many and then put the copies in charge of a city.

The otter himself had been rather quiet and pensive the entire morning. Zevka had been almost afraid to see what his reaction would be, and a certain part of her was relieved that Istvan was so subdued. For all that they had been through together, a tiny part of her had worried that Istvan would embrace Carrigul, that seeing a place full of other beasts who shared his beliefs would overwhelm the otter. She was glad that hadn't happened. At least not yet.

Worries about Istvan aside, the marteness was enjoying just walking around in the late morning sunshine after the most restful sleep she had gotten since they had set off from Yew. Still, beneath the surface, her thoughts roiled with worries about Nyika's safety, and about how to find Mekad.

"All these rooftops are calling my name!" Poko chirped, bringing Zevka back to reality. "I had so much fun running across them the last time we were here! There are places where you can spend all day without ever touching the ground -- you just hop from roof to roof, and watch all the other beasts below you. Found the best place to smoke, too."

The young ferret's ears suddenly drooped a bit, and her smile lost some of its happiness. "Papa and I had so much fun here..." she trailed off.

The sprite looked rather glum for a few minutes, but then her spirits seemed to lift a bit. "Someday, though, I'm going to bring Takis here, and show him all the places my Papa and I found."

Someday, if we survive all of this. Zevka thought. Suddenly, Zevka felt a pang of guilt. I've been so focused on Mekad...I never stopped to ask myself what Poko would do when we got here. What IS she going to do? Help us kill off a bunch of Carrigul guards, grab Mekad and then rush out of the city with everybeast in it trying to kill us? She's not a fighter, and trying to fight Carrigul isn't going to bring her family back -- it just risks her getting killed. She should be off playing with Takis or finding another troupe, not getting mixed up in this.

"Poko?" Zevka started to say something, then paused.

"Yeah?"

"I...maybe you..." Zevka suddenly didn't know what to say.

If I tell her to leave, is that another loss? Where will she go? How will she get back? How will she live in Yew or travel anywhere else all by herself? And what happens the first time somebeast bigger than her decides that she's easy pickings?

The marteness opened and closed her mouth a few times, before her eyes settled on something that could rescue her from wrestling with these kinds of questions.

"Maybe you should finally get a decent meal in you, now that we're in civilization again!" Zevka pointed at a tavern whose sign identified it as the Green Campfire. It was a humble enough building, but much cleaner looking than the rather sleazy establishment they had boarded in the previous night. The marteness checked her coin pouch, and was pleased to discover that her supply of silver coins was holding up surprisingly well "I have enough for all of us, as long as we don't overdo it. Certainly, we can get something better than that swill they tried to force down our throats last night!"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Istvan said. Apparently, the prospect of his first decent meal since they had left Yew was enough to get his attention away from whatever was troubling him. The three began to walk towards the Green Campfire.

Zevka felt her spirits lift a bit as the unmistakable smells of cheap but filling tavern fare began to reach her nostrils. Her stomach growled, and her brain began conjuring up tantalizing images of what she was going to get for lunch. No tavern fare had ever looked so delicious as the items that were taking shape in her head. However, the marteness paused for a moment as her eyes noted a rather disreputable-looking stoat manning a street stall that was lodged in an alleyway. The sign over the stall read 'Speshiality Foodstufs.'

Zevka stared at the stall for a moment, trying to figure out if that phrase meant the same thing here that it had meant in the towns near Stevat Academy.

Ooh...I can't pass this up...

"Istvan, Poko? Go ahead and go in and wait for me. I have one quick little thing I want to check out." The marteness fished two coins out of her pouch. "Here, this should be plenty until I get there."

As Istvan and Poko went into the tavern, Zevka approached the seedy mustelid with the mispelled sign. He immediately  picked up on her interest, his sharp little eyes fixating on her in a way that was distinctly incongruous with the jars of candy and assorted dried fruits around him.

"Can I help you find something?" He asked, in a voice that made Zevka immediately resolve to keep a close eye on her personal belongings.

"I think you can. I have a friend with...dietary needs. You know, the sort of beast who isn't always happy with just woodpigeon and fish...an adventurous palate, if you know what I mean."

The stoat grinned a bit. "Oh, I know plenty of beast like that. It can be hard to help them get what they need. So many beasts who'll get riled up if you talk about that sort of thing."

"Quite. Luckily, I've been to 'specialty foodstuffs' shops before, and you look like the sort of beast who can help me get something for my friend," Zevka replied.

The stoat chuckled. "Oh yes, the sign. The authorities here leave you alone as long as you pay your taxes in full and don't get too flashy, but in my line of work, you learn to be careful. More than one honest merchant's been bloodied or worse over the wrong beast seeing the merchandise. I knew a bloke who got the stuffing beaten out of him over it in Yew. Wouldn't you know, broad daylight on a crowded street, but nobeast saw or heard anything. Bloody Yew Guards."

Zevka bit back a retort, but her tone became distinctly less friendly. "Look, I have beasts waiting for me in the tavern. I'm not looking for your life story right now."

The stoat rolled his eyes. "Alright, settle down, Miss. What do you want? I can get you some decent rat for--"

"No rat!" Zevka snapped angrily, an image of Gashrock bursting into her head.

"Or mouse or shrew!" the stoat said quickly, paws raised. "We might even have some mole, if I remember correctly. Or if you're really willing to shell out the money..."

"Mouse is fine," Zevka said curtly. "My friend likes jerky, and we might be travelling a bit more."

"Mouse jerky it is!" The stoat said brightly. "I'll be back in just a minute." The stoat vanished down the alleyway, and came back a short time later with a package wrapped in barkcloth. It smelled good even through the packaging.

"Oh, and one piece of advice, Miss?" The stoat said as Zevka paid. His smile was suddenly warmer, and a good deal less sleazy than it had been at the outset. "Loosen up a bit. We're living in a city run by beasts who are smart enough to build all this, but who have decided that they can kill you on any day for anything they damn well please. You either learn to smile, or you spend your days jumping at  your own shadow, wondering if this is going to be the day their Earth Mother picks you to be the lucky winner -- I know which one I 'd rather do."

Zevka's scowl softened. "I'll try to remember that."

"Sometimes...I wonder if moving here was the wrong choice or not. This place is still new, still growing -- anybeast can make it big in a town like this. It just comes with the price of always keeping your ears open and your mouth shut, even if it's not what you want. If I were you, I'd think carefully before staying here too long. Some beasts wind up regretting it," the stoat said.

"Thanks. I'll keep all of that in mind." Zevka smiled at him as she turned to walk away.

Wait 'til Noonahootin sees this!

--
A short while later, Zevka was comfortably seated at a table with Istvan and Poko, who had both waited for her to order anything. After a few minutes of discussion they settled on a big, spit-roastedwoodpigeon to share, accompanied by baked apples and some piping-hot oat farls filled with currant jelly. For a while, they just gorged themselves without talking, all of them too enraptured by the experience of hot, fresh food that didn't require them to risk drowning themselves under the ice or falling off a collapsing cliff in order to eat it.

Finally, Zevka had eaten enough to feel just a bit guilty -- but only a little. "I wish Nyika hadn't left so soon! She was too skinny before we started this trip."

"What about Nessa?" Poko asked.

Zevka shook her head. "I'd love to have her here, but I know she wouldn't want to eat right now. She's really throwing herself into training -- trying to modify her fighting style to work with one paw. If we ever get back to Yew, I figure she can challenge the officers who run the Yew Guard to a fight. If she can take them all at once, they can't very well kick her out, can they?"

Poko grinned at the image, and Istvan nodded.

"The Mother has given her so much strength...even without a paw, I don't doubt that she could win a fight against such decadent beasts," the otter said.  "It is good to see that you two have reconciled. Our group is too small to be divided."

"I'm glad you made up, too!" Poko chimed in.

"Not as glad as me," Zevka replied.

Poko tilted her head. "So, speaking of friends, how do we find out where they're keeping yours?"

Zevka felt her stomach tighten a little bit around its contents. "I...I'm not sure, to be honest. I've been so focused on just surviving and getting here, that I never really had a chance to fi--"

CRASH!

The reaction from the three beasts was instinctive and instantaneous. Zevka and Istvan leaped up, paws seeking the hilts of their weapons, as Poko pulled out her crossbow. It was only after they had already done these things that they realized two things: somebeast had accidentally knocked a glass bottle off of a high shelf, and everybeast else in the tavern was staring at Zevka, Poko and Istvan, who were the only ones to have reacted that way.

The moment passed, and when the three sat back down, it did not take long for everybeast else to resume ignoring them. Zevka felt her heartrate beginning to return to normal, and a flush of heat in her ears.

"So...does anybeast else think that we're all still wound too tight?" Poko finally asked.

"Yes, I think we are, Poko," Istvan replied.

Zevka found herself laughing nervously. "None of us is ever really going to be normal again, are we?"

There was silence at the table. Finally, Zevka broke it.

"I think I'm going to head out into the city for a bit on my own and see if I can work out anything about Mekad. Surely somebeast in this town has seen him, or at least seen evidence of his presence. Istvan, can you make sure some of this gets back to Nessa? I want to make sure she doesn't pass out from hunger or anything."

"I certainly shall."

"Thanks, Istvan."

"I think I'll head out, too. There are some places around here I want to find again," Poko said. "And who knows? I might see something useful along the way."

"It's always possible," Istvan said.

"Oh!" Zevka paused on her way out. She reached into her pouch and gave Istvan more coins. "Can you get us all lodging for the night? We're probably better off not staying in any one place for too long -- we're a pretty conspicuous group."

"I will certainly try," Istvan replied.

"Thanks!" the marteness replied.

Zevka and Poko rose and began to make their way out of the tavern. However, on her way out, Zevka's eye was drawn to a tall stoat jill in garb that left little to the imagination. An idea formed in Zevka's mind. She sidled up to the stoat.

"Hey, you see my friend over there? The jack with the muscles and the tattoos? He was just telling me that he likes you, but he's too shy to say anything. A little nervous around females, you know? Why don't you go over there and talk to him?"

"Ye don' say..." the stoat eyed Istvan and grinned. "Thank ye fer the tip..."

Zevka and Poko managed to not burst out laughing while still in the tavern. Barely.

"So, what are we doing now?" Poko asked once they got outside.

"Well, I'm going to walk around for a bit and see if I can find the city dungeon, or wherever they keep prisoners. Mekad might be there..."

Unbidden, a horrible image of Mekad being stabbed repeatedly by a tattooed stoat burst into Zevka's mind. She tried to force it out, and was only partially successful.

"They obviously wouldn't just execute him. There had to have been some kind of plan for him here!" Zevka said decisively, albeit more to herself than to Poko.

"Yeah...I think I might go off on my own for a while, too. I'll keep an eye out -- you can see anything from up on the rooftops," Poko replied.

Zevka glanced upwards. "Sounds like a plan."

And probably safer for you than being on the streets..

"Try to be back at the Green Campfire by late afternoon, Poko!"

The nimble young acrobat was already making use of a pile of crates to make her way up to the rooftops.

"I'll try!" She yelled back at Zevka.

"So..." Zevka said, eyes narrowing as she surveyed the city. "If I was a tattooed crazy who abducted a wildcat, where would I keep him?"

--

Several hours later, Zevka had still not figured out the answer to that question. The marteness had walked all around the city, but felt no closer to finding Mekad than when she had set out. The few questions she had been able to pose to locals had proven singularly unproductive -- it seemed that despite living in the city, they had an extreme talent for not noticing anything.

The pine marten eventually decided to return to the Green Campfire and see if the others had been able to make more productive use of their time. When she got there, Istvan was waiting for her. The look on his face made Zevka's pulse quicken. Something was clearly very wrong.

"Istvan? What is it?"

"Come up. We're talking to Poko in one of the rooms I got. We have a serious problem."

Zevka hurried after Istvan. In the room stood Poko, and Noonahootin...but not Nessa.

"Istvan..." Zevka turned to the otter slowly, not wanting to believe what she was already starting to suspect. "Where is Nessa?"

It was Poko who answered first. "I saw them take Nessa from the market when I was up on the rooftops."

"Take her?!?" Zevka demanded. "What do you mean? Who took her?!? What happened?"

"She was walking around in the market -- she looked like she was after something to eat. She looked tired, as though she had been practicing a lot. It was a ferret, a stoat and three foxes, with a whole bunch of rats in tow. They came up behind her with sticks in paw, and just attacked her with no warning. She put up a huge fight -- left a whole bunch of broken arms and muzzles behind her, and some of the beasts who jumped her had to be taken out on stretchers -- but there were just too many of them. One of them hit her on the back of the head with his stick and she collapsed.

Zevka stared at Poko in shock. "They...abducted Nessa?"

Poko nodded. "I tried following them as far as I could, but I lost them when they turned down a side street." The sprites ears drooped, and she looked away from Zevka. "I don't know where they took her."

"DAMMITDAMMITDAMMITDAMMIT!" Zevka shouted, pounding her fist repeatedly against the wall. "It's not right and it's not fair and it makes no sense! She cuts her paw off to save me, and I can't even stop her from being grabbed in broad daylight by a bunch of maniacs!" The marteness slammed a paw against the wall repeatedly, punctuating her words with the blows. "We survive avalanches! Moles! The cold! We survive everything the mountains can throw at us, and then she get kidnapped from a place where we're supposed to be safe?!?" The marteness let out a string of obscenities that would have made most Bayguard hordebeasts blush, before slamming herself down into a chair and putting her face in her paws.

"I'm sorry, Zevka - I swear I'll find her! I'll look everywhere!" The ferret wrung her paws, clearly distressed.

Zevka looked up suddenly, and was surprised to see the guilt etched on Poko's face. Zevka sighed, and her face softened a bit.

"It's not your fault, Poko. What would have happened if they had seen you following them? They might have taken you, or at least spread the word around to grab you if they ever see you out in public again."

It was at that point that Zevka made a decision.

I am going to find some way to get Poko out of here as soon as I can scrap together some money. She'll want to stay, but after this, and after everything I learned from Nyika this morning? No, this business we're in is far too risky for Poko.

"Zevka..." Poko walked over and put her paw on the pine marten's shoulder. "We'll find some way to get her back."

Zevka suddenly looked up, eyes smoldering with resolve.

"Damn right, we will. Istvan, you're coming with me. Somebeast in this town has to know where they take prisoners that aren't slated for public execution. We're going to find that somebeast, and you and I are going to take turns asking them nicely and beating the stuffing out of them until they tell us where Nessa and Mekad would have been taken."

"You'll hear no argument from me." Istvan's face was calm, but the tension in his body and the darkness in his eyes bespoke an anger that went much deeper than the otter needed to acknowledge aloud. "I suggest we start near where she was taken. Somebeast had to have told her assailants where to find her."

"True. We need to watch our backs, though. If they know Nessa, then they know you and Noonahootin," Zevka said. She paused and looked thoughtfully at the heavily disguised owl.

"Although...maybe they won't recognize Noonahootin -- you did a great job disguising him, Poko. Captain, do you think you could fly for a short while if we needed you to scout out a limited area?"

"For Guardsbeast Fern, I am quite certain that I can, Miss Blackbriar," the owl said resolutely. "And I would not exclude myself from the search on the ground, either." Noonahootin's eyes narrowed. "Injured wing or none, these eyes are a good deal sharper than yours, and if the stick-wielding rats who hurt Guardsbeast Fern accost me, I will have no hesitation in reminding them who eats whom."

Poko chimed in. "And I can go back across the rooftops another way to try to see where they went. They don't know you or me, Zevka! We're vermin, like everybeast else here, and we don't really stand out the way Nessa does."

Zevka swished her tail back and forth a bit. "Well, Beechton knows me, but you're right, Poko. That doesn't mean that ordinary guards are going to recognize me on sight. They've never seen me before. And it wouldn't stop me if they had -- we just need to watch our backs while we search."

"I have noticed that beasts in this town seem to fear beasts with the markings of the false priesthood that presides here," Istvan said with a frown. "I think we should use that to our advantage. Most ordinary citizens will not question my markings."

Zevka nodded. "Alright. And let's keep an eye out for Nyika, too. Istvan, did you explain where Nyika is?"

The otter nodded. "I did."

"I remain unconvinced that this is the proper time for solitude and contemplation," Noonahootin opined. "But Miss Nyika has clearly had an enormously significant experience lately, and it is times like these that make beasts turn inwards."

"I think we should return to the scene of the kidnapping as quickly as possible," Istvan said, switching subject. "Let's focus on finding a beast who might be on friendly terms with the guard -- somebeast who might have sent them a messenger upon seeing Nessa in the marketplace, and who might still be watching out for the rest of us." The otter's eyes hardened. "That beast has much to atone for."

--

It did not take long for Poko to lead the rest of the group back to the spot where Nessa had been abducted. The sprite and the owl proceeded to follow the path that Nessa's kidnappers had taken, while Zevka and Istvan remained behind at the scene of the crime.

"Well, she certainly did put up quite a fight," Zevka said, fondness in her voice as she examined the wide patch of bloody cobblestones that most beasts were trying to avoid. "So, I've been thinking about how we go about doing this. In most towns, it's the well-to-do beasts who have the closest relationship with the guards -- after all, rich beasts are the ones who have things worth stealing."

"That is certainly true in Yew," Istvan said, a hint of irritation in his voice. "I've spent many hours walking needless patrols around the homes of beasts who can more than afford their own guards, rather than pursuing sinners."

"I also think they're the ones who are most uncomfortable around the priests. Oh, sure, they like the fact that Carrigul is so orderly, but beasts who are motivated by concrete things like money tend to be wary of beasts who are motivated by a cause. You never know what beasts like that might do." She looked up at Istvan with a wry grin. "Present company excluded, of course."

"Thank you," Istvan said dryly.

"Point is, I say that we play to that fear." An idea was taking shape in Zevka's head. "Not to mention the fact that you look like you can pound any of these merchants into paste. I think that's our best shot. Now we just need to find the right beast. Try looking for somebeast who looks both rich and nervous. Or rich and too haughty -- either might work."

Zevka looked around a bit, trying to find an appropriate beast to single out. Nobeast immediately leaped out at her as an obvious candidate. Istvan joined in her search, but seemed distracted. Finally, her eyes settled on a slightly plump fox sitting with a pair of stoats at a table full of silk and velvet. The overdressed vulpine gave off an air of bored snobbery as he watched beasts go back and forth through the marketplace. The two stoats were hard at work haggling with multiple customers at once, but the fox was not taking a very active role in selling his own wares.

"I think we have our winner, Istvan!" She said, pointing out the fox.

Istvan nodded. "How are we going to do this?"

Zevka began walking towards the table. "One thing I learned from being in a horde, Istvan, is that if you stick five vermin on an island together, they'll split into six different factions. I'd bet you all the damson wine in Yew that there's some infighting going on among the Yew leadership, and I think we should exploit that."

"How, exactly?"

"Just follow along with me, Istvan. You'll pick it up quickly enough."

Zevka siddled up to the fox, drawing in close enough to smell the slightly cloying scent that the fox had over-applied to his fur and clothing. She ignored it, clapping a paw on his shoulder and leaning in.

"Let's not make a scene here, shall we? We need to talk to you. Or rather, he needs to talk to you."

"What is the me--"

Zevka cut off the fox's protestations by turning him towards Istvan, who had come up on the other side of him. Zevka felt the fox go tense as he took in Istvan's tattoos.

"Oh, seasons, sir! I didn't know you were there! How...how may I be of service?" The fox was barely able to hide how unsettled he was by the sudden confrontation.

"As my associate said, we would have words with you...in private." Istvan said, putting a deliciously ominous inflection on the last two words.

"Y-yes! Of course!" the fox replied. "Please, come this way, sir!" He lead them down a side alley. His outward demeanor became calmer, but the tense flicking of his tail bespoke the fear that was still there. They stopped behind what appeared to be a healer's shop.

"Now, what may I help you with."

"We've received word that a group of beasts came into this part of the market and abducted an otter from Yew, in broad daylight. This wasn't supposed to happen this way, and we need to know exactly who took her, and where she is, so that we can make sure this little problem doesn't turn into a big problem."

The fox looked surprised. "That was Lieutenant Naksha and Nettle Platoon. I would have thought that you would know that -- they spend a lot of time doing work directly for the Council, with Naksha's cousin being who he is..."

Istvan leaned in, scowling fiercely. "Would we be asking you these questions if Naksha were truly doing the Mother's work as intended? He may well be a devoted servant of the Mother, but he clearly has not fully received her gift of wisdom."

The fox wilted a bit, and Zevka took this moment to chime in. The marteness feigned a sigh of exasperation. "Oh, Naksha...he believes, alright, but as my associate says, he can be a bit of a hothead."

The fox looked troubled. "I...would not have expected for Nettle Platoon to be acting without the permission of the council. Naksha always struck me as so studious and level-headed -- I would never have taken him for the sort of beast to act without orders."

Zevka beamed at the fox. "I can see why the rest of the Council thinks so highly of you, good sir! Of course he didn't act alone!" She leaned in close to him. "The problem is that some of the Council think that we should move against Yew a little faster than everybeast else does. It is as we were told: somebeast -- can't tell you who, I'm afraid -- just got a bit impulsive and ordered Naksha to grab some otter from Yew without thinking things through."

"Do you know where they took her? I have made sacrifices to the Mother side by side with Naksha. I'm sure if we go and speak with him, he will readily repent for his transgression," Istvan asked.

"I'm sorry, but Naksha didn't say, and I'm not sure. I have heard that there are several houses throughout the city where they keep valuable prisoners. They don't want to keep them all together, because separating them decreases the risk of a mass escape or rescue, and makes them easier to manage. They don't tell anybeast outside the Carrigul Guard where they've put individual prisoners"

Dammit! We're going to have to find somebeast who's actually in on the whole thing to tell us. No wonder I couldn't find a dungeon, though... Zevka was unable to totally hide her disappointment.

The fox blinked. "But I'm sure you two already know that, since you were sent by..." He frowned. "Who did you say asked you to look into this?"

Istvan gave the fox a rather cold stare, moving into the vulpine's personal space. "If we wanted to discuss Council business in such depth with you, we would have done so already." The otter's face softened. "But what matters is that we all serve the Mother in our own way, to the greatest extent possible with the gifts she has given us. That is what unites us, more than anything could divide us."

Zevka nodded vigorously. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you, you've been quite helpful. And by the way, please keep this quiet. It wouldn't do to have too many beasts hearing of Council business." The marteness leaned forward with an unsettling grin. "Spreading gossip of dissension among the All-Mother's faithful children is a grave sin, is it not?"

Istvan nodded sternly. "Very much so. To spread news of a disagreement or error of this type would be to seek to undermine the All-Mother's servants, to the detriment of all who worship her. Such an act wold not be lightly forgiven, except with deep penance."

The fox gulped. "I understand."

Zevka clapped him on the shoulder. "Excellent! Now, we will get out of your way. We don't want to take any more time away from one of Carrigul's most respected citizens. Your reputation for wisdom and honesty proceeds you, and you have not disappointed."

The fox looked somewhat flattered, but not as much as he looked happy for the chance to get away from Zevka and Istvan.

The marten and the otter walked out of the alley, both feeling rather disappointed. The information the fox had given them was interesting, but not enough to find Nessa, or Mekad.

"So...what do we do next?" Istvan asked.

"I'm not sure," Zevka admitted with a sigh of frustration, kicking a piece of trash down the road ahead of her with great ferocity. I think we're going to have to somehow get our paws on a Carrigul Guard -- and a relatively sharp one at that -- to find out where Nessa and my friend Mekad have been taken." Zevka looked thoughtful. "Or maybe they have maps or records somewhere that could tell us th--"

Istvan hurriedly cut her off. "Zevka, we need to leave the market, now!" A group of thuggish looking beasts in guard uniforms, lead by a similarly attired ferret, were moving aggressively through the market, shoving beasts aside and making no effort to hide the fact that they were angrily looking for somebeast. This time, they were armored and carrying swords and spears.

Zevka swore. "I'm guessing those are the beasts looking for you and Nyika? We need to find her immediately!"

"Agreed. I think I remember another way to get to the old apothecary shop from here."

"Don't run yet. Running will make us stand out. We need to get further away from them first."

The two forced themselves to move "only" at a quick pace rather than a flat out run.

"Istvan? What exactly happened with Nyika? I need to know!"

Istvan told her as they walked, with Zevka's eyes growing wider and wider as the tale progressed.

"A ghost tricked her into poisoning a whole tavern full of beasts? No wonder they're angry! And no wonder Nyika didn't want to talk about this in front of Poko! She must feel horrible!" Zevka snarled. "And over beasts who probably don't deserve her guilt."

"But that is the sort of beast that Nyika is."

Zevka sighed. "Yes, it is." She peered back over her shoulder, and saw that the guards had stopped to question a shopkeeper.

"I think we're far enough away now. Run!"

The two beasts did just that, and it did not take them long to find the old apothecary shop. Zevka knocked on the door four times, paused, and then knocked three more times, then waited.

There was no immediate answer from Nyika. Zevka and Istvan exchanged worried looks, and drew their weapons.

Zevka opened the door, and started to walk in. "Gashrock? Nyika! It's us! You--"

"DON'T MOVE, ZEVKA!" Nyika shouted.

The marten obeyed, freezing in place as Nyika ran into the room.

"Don't step on that carpet, Zevka! I...I put nails under it, points up. It was a trap for anybeast who came barging in here -- they're all rusty, and I soaked some of them in various things I found around the shop. Come around this way."

Zevka's eyes widened a bit at the revelation. "Well, thanks for warning me, Nyika! Seems like you could have mentioned that back at the Green Campfire."

"Why did you come storming in? I told you to wait!"

"Well, you didn't answer!"

"I was in the back!"

"How were we supposed to know that!"

"I don't know!"

"Well, that's real helpful, Nyika -- never mind." Zevka rolled her eyes, then looked back down at the carpet.

"Still, that is impressive. You've certainly been hard at work, Nyika! And not a moment too soon -- the Carrigul Guard are out in force, looking for you and Istvan. Sounds like some of them may have been the ones who took Nessa, but this time they're heavily armed -- they think they're dealing with somebeast who intentionally killed off a whole tavern."

Nyika swore. "Nessa's gone? What happened?"

"She was in the market, when a group of Carrigul Guards showed up and grabbed her! We tried to figure out where they took her, but apparently the Carrigul Guard doesn't like to label its prisons as such."

Nyika shut her eyes tight. "And now they're after me, just as I suspected. What do we do?"

Istvan spoke up. "I only put the markings on your face after the incident with the poison. Nobeast would have seen them. If we can get you away from here, we might be able to convince them that you are a priestess. You certainly have more of a real connection to the Mother than any of the so called priests and priestesses around here."

"Aye, and I had my hood up the whole night. They may not be able to recognize me."

Zevka gave Nyika a once over. "Yes, that just might work -- we need to get you into some other clothes. Do you think the vixen still has anything we can use around here?"

"I need to borrow some clothes," Nyika said, presumably to the vixen. She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'll try to bring them back, but we have more important things to worry about right now."

"You'll need more than a change of clothes, Nyika. You'll need a head start." Istvan said. "And I can help give you one."

"Istvan, no! You saw how many of them there were! They'll kill you!" Zevka practically shouted. "You can't fight that many beasts!"

"I have no intention of doing so. I will lead them away from here as far as I can. Some of them are likely to stay here, but there should be far fewer of them, and you can make your way to safety.

Zevka hugged Istvan quickly. "Be safe. Come back in one piece."

"I shall do my utmost," The otter said, eyes hardening with resolve. "Now, go to the back, and wait until you hear me lead them away, then run for it."

Zevka and Nyika slipped past a gaudy purple curtain into the back room, where Nyika began raiding the Vixen's wardrobe, eventually coming out with a red skirt with purple accents, topped with a lace up white bodice. It fit Nyika surprisingly well, considering that its past owner was not the same species.

"Hey! I found the otter, he's in here!

SMASH!

"Dammit, he just burst through one of the side walls! After him!"

"What about the building?"

"Tobley, you search the building! The rest of you, GET THAT OTTER!"

There was a loud commotion as many pairs of footpaws began running in pursuit of Istvan, their owners shouting to one another in an attempt to intercept the otter as he fled into the city. This was followed by the sound of another pair of footpaws entering the building.

Suddenly, there was a wet sound, and a screech of pain. Apparently, the intruder had stepped on one of Nyika's nails.

"Go for it!" Zevka hissed. The cat and the marteness ran out into the front parlor, where a rat knelt, clutching his pierced footpaw. He looked up in surprise, and tried to grab at his dropped spear

"Oh, sca--"

Zevka grabbed the spear, ripped it out of the rat's paw and tossed it aside, then kicked him over.

"I don't have much time. Where did you put the otter you took earlier, and where are they keeping Mekad Mayvery?"

The rat spat at her. "Rot in--"

Zevka put her sword through his chest without another word, twisting the blade in the wound, then wiped it on the dying rat's tunic.

"Zevka?"

"No witnesses. And nobeast who took Nessa gets to live," Zevka said icily. She looked at Nyika, and her face softened. "Now let's get out of here!"

The two ran through the narrow, dirty, congested streets near the apothecary shop. Before too long, though they found themselves in a more lively, prosperous part of town. Zevka stopped running, and gestured for Nyika to do the same.

"Stop running. Remember, if you're a priestess, you own this place. Act like it."

Nyika followed suit superbly, straightening up and holding her head up high, paws clasped in front of her. A beatific but haughty smile graced her features. She and Zevka walked down the street, making no effort to hide themselves. All attention was on Nyika, who strangers regarded with a mix of fear and respect. She, in turn, occasionally deigned to nod at one, or give a blessing to another, looking for all the world like a priestess, even with her scarred face. The hint of nervousness she had given off at first quickly began to fade as more and more beasts were taken in by their ruse, with some even pointing to Nyika's scars and remarking on the sacrifice she must have made.

"What do we do now, Zevka?" Nyika asked as another group of devotees walked away with smiles on their faces at the blessing she had given them.

Zevka's frowned. "We have no useful information about where they are keeping either Nessa or Mekad, and we cannot stay here long enough to find it. I only see one good lead here: Beechton Valash."

"Are you sure? Surely he will be wary of you if you approach him," Nyika replied.

"Yes, but he's the only beast around here who almost certainly knows where Mekad is, and I wouldn't put it past him to know where Nessa is, either. He made his start in life as a confidence artist and purveyor of side-alley magic tricks. This is a beast who knows how to find things out. Another thing -- he was never really fond of traveling with a heavy coterie of armed thugs. I once asked him why he never had more than two bodyguards -- at most -- and he told me that he liked being nimble more than being guarded."

Zevka flicked her tail back and forth, clearly a bit agitated at discussing her erstwhile employer.  "He's curious. He's going to want to know how we got here, and whether he can use us to his advantage. Put it all together, and you have our best chance of finding out where our friends are."

The marteness looked at Nyika, and her eyes narrowed.

"And one more thing: he has a great deal to answer for."