No Man Is An Island

[Robert Rosequill]

The rope bridge creaked as it swung loosely beneath Robert's footpaws. He and the other captive beasts were being led by a single savage each, firmly guiding the beasts with a short leather strap binding their paws. The bindings made the hedgehog struggle to keep his balance on the teetering bridge and he stumbled every so often, sending a tearing pain through his chest wound. Every stumble also reminded him of the threatening rock spires lying far below the bridge. Robert wasn?t the only beast struggling, however. Directly in front of him, Twilbee, the young hare who was friends with Fildering on the Zephyr, another hare Robert started to worry he'd never see again. Twilbee was letting anxiety get the best of him as he tripped constantly, causing his captor to stumble as well. The frustrated mongoose boxed the hare?s ears.

?Stop eet, o I trow you ovuh!? The savage hissed. Twilbee jumped in fright, shuddering the bridge even more, earning himself another box to the ears. ?Ayah! I no lie, beastie!?

"Ain?t nothin? to worry about there, Twilbee,? Robert mumbled. ?We?re almost off?n this blasted bridge.?

?Quieet, Preeckledog!? Robert was rewarded with a blow to the head from his own captive. After the stars left his eyes, he saw the mongoose grin evilly to Twilbee?s captor. ?Let dem struggle. Shuga do worse, ayah!?

Twilbee managed to pull himself together the rest of the way, and flashed the hedgehog a smile of gratitude. Robert somberly nodded back before being wrenched forward once more by his guard. Once he stepped off the bridge himself, Robert noticed the ground was ugly gray stone, with nothing to remind them of the jungles he left behind. In the distance, an enormous mountain loomed, its intimidating size rivaling that of Salamandastron itself.

Robert and the others were being corralled towards a large crowd of mongooses a few dozen feet away. There were males, females, and even children, all looking on with disturbing anticipation gleaming in their eyes. Robert became the anxious one now. He breathed heavily, his eyes darting between random onlookers only to find their stares increasingly more discomforting.

The savages pulled their captives one last time towards a set of small stone columns protruding from the ground, where they forced them to their knees to have their paws chained to the pillars behind them.As Robert was chained to the column, he looked to see the other beasts still struggling with the mongooses. The fox who spoke to him earlier was shouting, while a nearby ferret shouted at her. Chak was struggling with his own captor, as was Reedox. Atlas roared and fought, but strong as he was he was still brought to his knees by the mongoose warriors.  Robert, however, simply let himself be chained up.

Tied next to him was Crue. The squirrelmaid looked just as restless as Robert, nervously glancing at him every few seconds.

?We?ll be okay, Miss Crue,? Robert muttered. ?They're jus' showin' us off. We'll be back to that pit soon enough.?

"Mister Rosequill, I don't think this is an exhibition," Crue breathed, "I think this is a-"

"Don' worry, Miss Crue," Robert replied, muttering once more. ?they're just havin' their fun."

"How can you be so sure?" Crue stammered.

?Well I?m. . .? Robert began, then stopped. The mongooses were shouting, and wood and twigs were being thrown into a pile at the top of what looked to be some kind of altar set in the middle of the wild crowd. The hedgehog looked over to the squirellmaid, wincing once he saw the fearful longing for an answer. ?I?m not. I?m not sure. I don? know at all, Miss Crue, I jus?. . .I don? know.? Robert choked, feeling a single tear roll down his cheek. Crue?s eyes widened in shock. ?I'm sorry, Miss Crue. This's all me fault. Chak was right, we should have stayed at the beach. . ."

Robert thought of his daughter, and her songs, and how she would always hold her eyes shut while she concentrated. And never once did Maribel see her father's smile as she sang, nor did she see the proud looks that passed between him and Violet with every soft note that reached their ears. Robert wondered if he would ever hear another one of them.

Robert felt the tears welling in his eyes, spilling over and flowing down his cheeks.. The hedgehog choked on them as he pressed his head to the cold stone under his knees.

?Robert. . .? Crue?s soft voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He glanced over to the squirrelmaid, concern mixed with fear on her face.

?I?m sorry, Miss Crue,? Robert stammered, regaining his composure. ?I don? know what came over me, I?m. . .?

?It?s okay, Robert.? Crue smiled warmly, a few tears of her own sliding down her face. ?We?ll get through this.?

The mongooses parted, making way for a procession of new beasts. These were dressed differently from Robert?s captors. They wore much more than the others, snakeskin wrapped around their torsos and bones fashioned into ugly jewelry on their arms, legs and necks. All of them had strange markings drawn with a dark paint all over their faces. These mongooses danced crazily, with their wild eyes leering at the captive woodlanders as they jumped and twisted about.

?Shuga!? the crowd chanted. ?Shuga Shuga Shugaa!?

Several dozen of these crazed beasts paraded in, crying out and whirling about until at the tail end of the procession came the most gaudily dressed savage of them all. This showy mongoose wore robes made of snakeskin, and dozens of fanged bracelets and necklaces littered his body. He walked with a slight hunch to him, and he held onto a staff with a small snake skull at the top. This garish beast narrowed his gaze at the woodlanders. A slight sneer spread across his lips as he looked at Robert.

The beast raised a paw. Silence swept across the crowd of savages as the older mongoose raised his other paw and shook them both.

?High Priest Shuga ees heeyah!? the elder shouted. ?Shuga ees pleased by keefts broughta heem!? The mongoose motioned towards the captive beasts. ?Shuga knows not what to do vit keefts, toh.?

The crowd cheered once more, jumping and pounding at the ground with their footpaws.

?Should Shuga keev keefts to Fiyah Gott??

?Fiyah Gott!? the crowd chanted. ?Fiyah Gott! Fiyah Gott!?

?Shuga keev to Fiyah Gott?? Shuga asked, and the crowd screamed. ?Keev vot to Fiyah Gott??

?Preeckledog! Preeckledog!?

Shuga sneered, and pointed to Addai. The Waverunner hedgehog cried out, scrabbling backwards before a punishing kick from his captor stopped him.

?Tis Preeckledog??The crowd hissed in reply, to which Shuga pointed to Robert instead. ?TisPreeckledog??

The crowd cheered this time, and Addai burst into tears. Robert was too frightened to join him.

Shuga flashed his fangs in an evil grin. ?Shuga agree. Shuga not like thees Preeckledog. Shuga hate heem, even. Vy doss Shuga hate Preeckledog??

?Keelah!? some shouted. ?Preeckledog keelah brutter!? shouted others, causing Robert to wince.

Shuga shambled closer to Robert. ?Preeckledog keelah, yes,? the mongoose spat, ?he keeled Keefah, an he keeled Tookta, my brutter. Dey be two off our fineest scouts, evahday defendeen us from te dangers off te jungle. Dey be brutters to all monkoosahs, an Preeckledog murdah dem!"Shuga jabbed a claw towards Robert, and two burly mongooses emerged from the crowd and rushed to the woodlanders. Robert braced himself, clenching his eyes shut.

Robert felt sick, a dizziness seizing him. Fragmented thoughts raced through his mind. Images of Maribel and Violet, blood and corpses. The hedgehog?s stomach tightened. A searing pain of guilt struck his chest.

I?m sorry, Bel. I?m sorry Violet. I?m sorry everyone. . .

?No! Gerrof me, you villains!?

Robert's eyes snapped open. The savages were dragging Twilbee from his side.

?Fates, Twilbee!? Robert shouted, ?What?re you doin?, you bleedin? sods? He ain?t done nothin?!?

"Preeckledog right! But Preeckledog keel my family, my brutter. Our brutter. So, fo revenge..." Shuga began, his voice lowering to a threatening whisper, "Shuga keel Preeckledog's family."

Twilbee screamed again. Robert scrambled to his footpaws, but was yanked down by the mongoose behind him. Colonel Swiftpaw and others tried the same, with similar results. All his fellow prisoners could do was watch the unfortunate hare kick and scream as he was lugged uphill through the crowd and up the stone steps of the altar.

?Fiyah Gott Fiyah Gott! FIYAH GOTT!?

Twilbee, battered and bloody and long given up, was finally laid next to a stake at the top of it where everybeast could see. The burly mongooses tied the hare?s restraints to it, then left him. A silence fell upon the crowd as Shuga made his way through them and up the steps, finally stopping when he hovered above the shivering hare. Shuga reached under the folds of his robes and procured a pouch.

?Fo Fiyah Gott. . .? Shuga muttered, emptying the pouch onto Twilbee. Robert squinted, barely making out a glimmering powder that now covered the hare. The mongoose high priest then pulled out two rocks.

?Fo revenge!? Shuga shouted and struck the rocks together. Sparks sprinkled onto Twilbee, igniting the strange powder and engulfing the hare in hellish fire. The hare screamed a bloodcurdling wail, more chilling than any scream Robert had ever heard. Twilbee writhed, the flames roaring as they swallowed him whole. The crowd roared as well, while the woodlanders screamed in horror for their friend. But nothing could drown out Twilbee?s cries of agony. Robert, trying with all his might, couldn?t silence Twilbee?s wails. He kicked and screamed, fighting with his captor, though there was nothing the hedgehog could do. Twilbee still screamed his last screams.

All the while, Shuga smiled, staring straight at Robert. His stare bored into Robert's soul, forcing the hedgehog to look away. Even more than Twilbee?s agony, Shuga?s stare chilled Robert to the core. It frightened him because the mongoose knew.

He knew Robert was glad he wasn't the one burning.