While the next act began onstage, the dragon and the cheetah met up with Drift and Alexis backstage. "That was impressive, Drake, Dimalya," the fox-bat said with a smile, offering her hand to the cheetah femme. "Quite the lightshow."
Drift nodded distractedly in agreement, tugging at the belt of the white robe he was wearing, as if just finishing tying it. "Thanks again for agreeing to help with this, Drake," he said, finally looking up. Under his robe, his tail started swishing as his gaze landed on Dimalya's décolletage and bounced hastily away. It fixed its direction deliberately onto the stage, where an all-lupine male choir sang, and the samoyed continued, keeping his voice low so it wouldn't carry beyond the backstage area. "I don't think my act would be nearly as fun without your music." As his eyes settled on the crowd beyond the stage, his tail stilled and he started fiddling with his robe again, his ears flicking about as if not sure where to settle as stage fright began to set in.
"Thank you," Dimalya said, clasping Alexis' hand at the wrist rather than the palm. Still panting a bit from her exertions, she continued, "I am glad another way of summoning was found; this way is quite tiring." She beckoned Drake to stoop so she could kiss him, and then excused herself, saying she wanted to go change. Drake settled down to oil the skin of his drum while he waited and loosened it a bit to lower the sound, tapping out a quiet note or two to check. "You're welcome," he rumbled once that was done. "This should be an interesting performance." Looking up, he saw the samoyed fidgeting and took pity on him. "Relax, Drift," he said, giving his drum a final tap and then settling back against the wall with an air of deliberate nonchalance, as if there was not a thing in the world to worry about. "Have you done a final check of your gear? I've found that works well for settling my own nerves when they're a little rattled."
The samoyed turned away from the stage with a puff of relief at the suggestion. "Yes, that sounds like a very good idea." That kept him busy throughout the lupine choir's repertoire, but the next act drew his attention back stageward. An age-regressed jester had the crowd roaring with laughter, especially when Wanderer started chiming in 'to protect his job'. Drift started fidgeting again, but Alexis reached out and blocked his view with a broad, dark-skinned wing. With her other hand, she cupped his cheek and steered it around until Drift was looking at her. "Hey," she said, her voice soft and tender while she stroked his cheek with her hand, making sure his eyes met hers. "Here. Me." Rising on tiptoe, she kissed him on the side of the muzzle. The wing that had been blocking his view of the crowd folded against her arm so that she could scratch behind his ear while she looked him over. "You look so handsome," she said, matching the smile that blossomed on his face. "Now, close your eyes. Forget about the crowd." She dismissed them with a flick of her hand. "They no longer exist. Just close your eyes and breathe. That's it. Relax. Don't worry about fear, don't worry about doubt, don't worry about anything. Picture yourself going through the dance during practice. Make it as real as you can imagine. Feel the loops of the chains in your hands. That's right. Good. Feel the flow of the dance as it progresses, and let it carry you through to a successful finish."
As Alexis spoke, the tension seemed to drain out of the white-clad samoyed. Opening his eyes, he wrapped her in his arms, his tail swishing again under his robe. He bowed his head to kiss her, and then asked with a smile, "How is it that you always know exactly the right thing to say?" His laughter blended in with the crowds at her standard 'that would be telling' reply.
Watching the young lovers through half-closed eyes, Drake smiled a small, knowing smile, but otherwise did nothing. He preferred to let them have their moment without interference.
"Don't go wandering off during my performance, love," Drift admonished as he turned Alexis loose with a nuzzling of noses. "I've got a surprise for you once I'm done."
Listening to Wanderer introduce him, Drift put his hand on a support pillar, closed his eyes, and prayed. 'Oh Lord, please don't let me foul up…' And then Alexis tweaked him on the rump.
Drift stepped out onto the stage, blushing slightly, but with a smile over top of the blush. "Good evening," he said, making his introduction. "I thought I'd discovered a new dance style this summer, while practicing with a sling-"
In the audience, a certain Keeper nearly choked on his ale.
"Oh, good, I see Finbar remembers," Drift said with a wry smile, pitching his voice over the ferretmorph's laughter. That got Misha, Caroline, Danielle, and Wolfram laughing, too, along with several others. "Now, imagine my surprise when my girlfriend, Alexis, came to me a month ago with a book from the library detailing the very dance I was practicing. Apparently, I wasn't the first to come up with it. The people of the Iscoy Islands in the southern seas did, and apparently, it's pretty warm there. So, my apologies for the outfit." As he spoke, Alexis set up a table to the side, with a bottle of clear liquid and a lit torch held upright in a stand. Several feet away, she set up a metal crosstree, from which hung by leather loops a matched pair of black-painted chains, with a cylinder of fabric and metal at the end. Meanwhile, Drake stepped out on stage for the second time that night and settled down, waiting, with his drum. "My thanks to Pascal for the fireproofing," the samoyed said with a smile and a nod to the porcupine, "or I'd be a lot more nervous about doing this than I already am." Chuckles rippled through the audience in response.
As Alexis exited the stage, Drift gestured grandly to her and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, my lovely assistant, Alexis." The flying fox poked her head back onstage to acknowledge the smattering of applause with a gleeful grin and to blow Drift a kiss. The samoyed returned the gesture, and then nodded to Wanderer, who gestured to several people at the lamps around the stage. While they shuttered them, casting the stage into darkness aside from the circle of light around the torch, Drift picked up the torch and the bottle and stepped over to the crosstree. "Don't try this at home, folks," he said and then, taking a swig from the bottle, he blew a column of flame across the torch! The fire engulfed the ends of the chains, and the cloth at the ends ignited!
Drift handed the bottle and torch to Wanderer, taking a moment to wipe the sleeve of his robe across his mouth just in case there were any drops of fuel still on his fur. "And now," he said as Wanderer exited the stage, "the Iscoy Fire Dance." He turned away and shrugged out of his robe, tossing it aside. A gasp ran through the audience, because beneath it the samoyed wore nothing more than a leather loincloth, front and rear, dyed red with yellow edging that suggested flames licking up the sides. The double loincloth stretched only to his knees, broad and covertly weighted at the bottom corners. The rest of his athletic body was clad only in his white fur, which gleamed in the light from the fireballs, his muscular physique garnering a few teasing (or perhaps appreciative) whistles.
The toss of the robe was apparently Drake's cue, because with a loud clap on his largest drum, he started to play. Winding the leather loops around his hands, Drift took the fireball chains from the stands and spun away from the stand. The fireballs chased each other around the whirling samoyed as Drake started an exotic, tribal dance. Two spins was enough to give Drift the room he needed, but the fireballs continued their chase even when he stopped, high, low, in front and behind him.
Drake stepped up the tempo, and with a snap of his wrists, Drift stopped the chase and set the chains whirling vertically on either side of him for two beats before crossing his wrists in front of him. The chains whirred as the fireballs seemed to bounce off each other at the top and bottom of their arcs, like a butterfly's wings. After several 'flaps', he opened his arms, sweeping the flaming arcs high, then back into the butterfly. He repeated this twice more, including a double sweep, then flipped it behind his back and whirled them behind before bringing it back forward again.
Another tempo change brought Drift's hands back to the sides, again whirling two beats before he started to spin. As he did, one hand went up and one down, and then each started circling clockwise. The result was a four-leaf flower of fire, spinning on stage, with the samoyed, grinning in the center, his feet and the flowers both moving to the beat. He stopped spinning and brought both flame chains back to his sides, then flicked his wrist to speed one up until they alternated forward and back instead of both being forward or back at the same time. Whirling it across so that both were on his right side, he crossed the chains and twisted, bringing them across his body. The two fireballs orbited each other in a blur, a circle of flame edge on to the samoyed's face, before untangling on his left. He repeated the cross, another halo of flame, then spun the chains free and back into sync with each other at his sides.
Four loud thumps from Drake signaled a final tempo change, and Drift's face set with concentration as he spun the flame chains faster still. Suddenly, a metal 'snik!' was heard, and the fireballs changed abruptly from red to blue fire! "Hya!" the samoyed yelled, and started them whirling around him again, weaving across and back, before and behind, dancing amid the flames! Back into the butterfly they went, still alternating in front and behind, then out wide twice before a skyward throw! Drift caught them when they fell just as the last beat of the song boomed from Drake's drums, and the samoyed swept his arms wide to take a bow as the crowd applauded and cheered, his chest heaving and his tongue lolling in an ear to ear grin matched by a wildly wagging tail. Switching the swaying fire chains to his left hand, he gestured to Drake with his right, too winded to do more.
When the applause died down, Drift beckoned to Alexis as he hung up the fire chains on the cross-stand. "Alexis," he panted "would you come up here, please?" He took a swig from the canteen Wanderer offered him, thanked the wolf, and then turned to Alexis when she came onstage. Taking her hands in his, the samoyed stilled his wagging tail into seriousness and said, "Alex, I've loved you from the moment we met, back in that moonlit orchard all those months ago. Now, this night, once more under the moonlight, there's something I really want to ask you." He dropped to one knee, making sure that knee was on the audience side, and Alexis' eyes widened as Drift produced the ring, seemingly from thin air, and held it out to her with a hopeful smile. "Alexis, will you marry me?"
Word spread fast about the party. Meat & vegetables (a half ton!), several hundred bottles of the finest wines and three full kegs of ale! All to be delivered to Long House at least a full day before the start of the harvest festival. The invitations started to arrive later.
Misha's parties were legendary. The fox's parties always had huge amounts of food and drink. Although the party was to start at seven pm people started to arrive at five. They stood patiently in line to pass through the one entrance into Long Hall. It was well worth the wait.
Long Hall glittered and glistened. Fine carpets covered the floors and tapestries lined the walls. Massive wooden tables lined on both sides with chairs filled most of the hall. At one end of Long Hall was a small raised platform. The area in front of it was free of all obstructions.
The hall filled quickly and soon it was filled with the sounds ands voices over several hundred people chatting excitedly. But while the crowd waited for the party to start a more important ceremony took place behind a locked door located off to one side of the hall.
Behind that locked door was a room a lot smaller then the great hall. Inside stood a group gathered for a private ceremony. The ceremony was meant for just the Long Scouts and their closest family and friends. The only newcomers in the group were a dozen people who were Padraic's close family, his mother, father and three brothers and sisters and Kristinai who was standing next to Oberon. Standing off to one side was George, the old jackal looked splendid in a silk doublet and pants. Both were dark blue and edged with silver. Standing next to him was Terry. The woman looked a little odd dressed in men's clothing, the only provision to her new gender was that the neckline was cut low highlighting her cleavage.
Misha stood at one end of the room with the rest gathered in front of him. He was dressed in brown pants and a white linen shirt, over which was a vest brocaded with gold that shone in the light. "We are here tonight to celebrate the initiation into the Long Scouts of two fine people." The fox paused for a moment and continued in a softer voice. "Padraic joined us in our darkest hour when the Keep itself was under attack. He fought bravely and with great skill, showing he is truly a Long Scout in word and deed." Misha waved a hand and Padraic stepped forward.
The rabbit was dressed in a tan colored tunic, decorated with a rampant dragon stitched with silver. His pants were the same color as the tunic, and just as liberally decorated with gold and silver. Around his neck was a torc made of gold and silver wire braided together. At each end was a rabbit's head of gold. On each finger, he had a ring of silver or gold. Misha couldn't help but smile at the sight of the bells that dangled from each ear.
Misha extended his hand to towards the rabbit. In it was a small hand axe whose head was of the finest steel, blackened to the dark of midnight. The long handle was wrapped in leather as black as the blade and just as tough. The razor sharp cutting edge was covered with a strip of leather. This was no ceremonial thing, to be brought out at parades and ceremonies. It was tough and rugged and was meant to be used long and hard. "Take this as a sign of your passing the trials and troubles, and that you are now and forever a Long Scout. I proudly call you my brother."
Padraic took the axe slowly. "I'm … I'm deeply honored." He said softly as he ran hands along the length of the weapon.
Misha hugged Padraic tightly. "Welcome to the Long Scouts."
Kendrick waited until two hours after dark before slipping out of bed. It was never hard to stay awake when he needed to. If not for the fact that his body was more comfortable being active at night, he always had Barrick's snoring to fall back on. The bear could rouse the dead. It was a wonder he or Brigitt got any sleep at all.
He'd left his clothes next to his bed. He took them in his arms and walked as carefully as possible out the door. Once outside their bedroom, he pulled the tunic over his head and shoulders, wriggling it over his plated back. He lay on his belly while pulling his trousers on. Though he had never woken his parents before, even when his claws had tracked across the woodwork, he wouldn't take chances.
The main hall of the Urseil home was lit only by the light coming through the windows. That was more than enough for Kendrick's sensitive eyes. He climbed down the stairs, making sure to keep his toes claws lifted as high as they would go. When he reached the landing, he saw that the moonlight came through the window just right to illuminate the family quilt.
Kendrick took a deep breath and stared at the fabric fashioned by their mother back before any of them were born. Each of the Urseil children had a column, started at the bottom with an image of their face as babies. Kendrick smiled as he traced his claws across his own, the third in the line. He always thought all babies looked alike.
Each panel of the quilt followed every four years of their lives. Some moment that made the most impression on his parents was immortalized in fabric. Kendrick put his claws upon the first column, and read the name at the bottom. Rodrick had been the oldest, and as Kendrick traced his claws up, he remembered all the wonderful times they'd had together as children. First while living in Ellcaran, and then when they'd come to Metamor. The fourth panel showed Rodrick as the grey wolf he'd become, and the fifth him standing with sword in paw.
The sixth panel contained a yew tree, and a wolf rising up with a hand reaching out of a cloud to greet him. Kendrick wished he could run his paw over it, but he couldn't reach that high. Rodrick, his beloved older brother who should have inherited the family business, had been killed in the Winter Assault. His squad had been on patrol when the Lutins attacked, and they'd been slaughtered to the last man. When Father Hough had offered the Requiem at his burial, they'd buried only the parts they could find. Although his father hadn't meant for Kendrick or his siblings to know, he'd heard the guard tell him that they'd found Rodrick's head on a pole in the midst of the Keeper's bodies.
Kendrick offered a quick prayer to Eli for his brother's soul, and one to the angel of death that he would visit every last Lutin who'd attacked the Keep.
He reminded himself that the Urseil family had been lucky to only lose one
of their own to the attack. His old playmate Herold, who'd become a girl but
still liked to play rough and tumble, had lost her entire family. She'd left
Metamor after the Lutins had been defeated to live with relatives who worked
the fields in Lorland, and Kendrick hadn't heard from her since.
The next column in the quilt had only two pictures. Kendrick had never known
his older sister Heidi, who'd died while still an infant. He'd seen her grave
in Ellcaran several times. His parents would only ever say that she'd had the
deepest blue eyes they'd ever seen. And the blue in her baby face was rich,
almost indigo. The picture above showed angels carrying a child into Heaven.
Kendrick was the third child in the Urseil family. He'd seen his panels so many times, but he stopped at the fourth and grinned at the first showing him as a pangolin. There he was, rolled into a ball and rolling down the hillside towards Euper. He smiled as he remembered that day, a dare from the other children which had left him dizzy for hours afterwards.
Barrick and Brigitt were next. He took a moment to admire Brigitt's pigtails. He'd helped her braid her hair when their mother was taking care of the other children. Now of course, the thought of Brigitt having pigtails was hilarious. They only had four panels in their column. In another year, a fifth would be added.
The next column only featured a single picture. Hedrick had been five years
younger than Kendrick, and like Heidi, had died before he'd reached his first
birthday. He too was buried in Ellcaran, a grave that Kendrick had visited many
times with his parents.
The last two columns were for Sofie and Emma. The pangolin smiled as he traced
his claws over their panels. Unlike the rest of their family, Emma had lived
all her life in Metamor, and Sofie nearly all of it. For them, it was nothing
unusual having older brothers who looked like beasts and parents who in any
other land would be treated like children or apprentices at best.
It took several minutes, but Kendrick finally tore himself away from the family quilt. As much as he loved his family and loved reminiscing on their past, he had his responsibilities. He stepped carefully over to the wall beneath the staircase. He squeezed himself beneath the couch which stood just high enough that he could crawl underneath without rubbing his back plates on the upholstery. With one hand, he pressed down on a wood plank, and with the other, he pulled up the opposite side.
The plank came free, and he set it to one side while he reached in and pulled out his toolkit. He brushed the dirt free and wiped his paws over the hole. He didn't want any of the dirt on the floor, and wiped whatever had spilled back into the hole too. He then replaced the board, making sure that it was level and firm, and then crawled back out from under the couch.
He looped his toolkit over his belt, taking a moment to make sure that none of them had fallen out since the last time he'd used it. Satisfied that everything was there, he snuck out the back entrance to their home and proceeded to dart back and forth through the alleys between the many homes and shops in the merchant quarter. He'd check the festival grounds first before attempting the Shoeshine Inn.
"Adòn Naharél Sahnat'Haudörn has only recently come to the Keep," Misha announced and pointed to where the feline was standing. "But he has shown himself to be daring, skilled, and possessing the endurance needed to be a Long Scout. Already he has an impressive record of lutin kills."
Oberon stepped toward Misha, but kept a distance of about five feet between
him and the fox. The snow tiger morph was wearing a vest of dark blue and a
black kilt both edged with silver and gold. Behind him trailed a crimson-lined
black cloak. His belt was of rich, light colored leather, elaborately etched
and inlaid with gold, silver and pearl. From it hung a dagger, a short sword,
and his powerful weapon The Claw. Even at a ceremony and party, it seemed, the
tiger went heavily armed.
Misha extended his hand. In it was a duplicate to the one Padraic had just received.
"Take this as a sign of your passing the trials and troubles, and that
you are now and forever a Long Scout. I proudly call you my brother."
The tiger looked at the axe, one that that he had only given to Misha two weeks before and nodded his head. "I am deeply honored that you consider me worthy to join this small group," he said.
Misha gave the tiger a large hug. "Welcome to the Long Scouts."
The fox morph held up an axe in his left hand. It was a mirror to the ones he had given to Padraic and Oberon. "We Long Scouts are proficient with many weapons from the bow to the spear, and yet we are most widely known for an axe! I wonder why?"
That drew a round of laughter from the crowd.
"Could be that oversized bread slicer of yours," Finbar joked.
Misha hefted the axe over his head. "Here, catch this," he joked, but didn't throw it. "Each of us Long Scouts will have an axe like this as a sign of who we are and all that we have gone through together."
Edmund arrived at 8:30 pm exactly. The cheetah morph was dressed simply in a tunic and pants of gray and white. A Follower cross was embroidered in gold on his chest. Hanging onto his arm was a female canine morph. She had the sharp angular face and pointed ears of a fox but her thick, red fur was several shades darker that on a red fox. Her long spindly legs seemed far too long for her body. She was wearing a long, flowing dress of burgundy. Her head was twisting about constantly taking in all the sights and sounds around her. Her eyes and ears missed nothing that went on around her.
"Good evening!" Caroline said to the pair. The otter was standing next to Misha with their arms intertwined. She was wearing a dress of dark blue velvet with a complex pattern of loops and swirls embroidered on it in green and silver threads.
"It's good to see you two here," Misha added.
Edmund bowed to the two. "Thank you for inviting us."
The female bowed but not as deeply. "W e l c o m e…" she said slowly as if pondering each word carefully. "Nice... to… meet… you."
"This is Bridgette?" Misha asked. "You look beautiful tonight."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Bridgette," Caroline said and curtsied.
"You've come a long way in such a short time."
"Thank… you… I... wish… I… could… remember…
more," Bridgette said.
"Some things just take time," Misha commented.
Misha and Caroline were both surprised by what Teria was wearing. For once, she actually had the majority of her body covered. Her dress was of the finest (and most expensive) silk, colored a deep yellow color. The dress came only up to her armpits, though, leaving her shoulders bare and covering just enough of her breasts for propriety.
Ferwig was dressed just as elegantly in a doublet of dark burgundy and a plaid kilt. He was also, Misha noted, the only one wearing more gold and silver than Teria. Still, the hyena morph looked suave, confident, and well aware of all the women staring at him.
Teria pointed to where Edmund and Bridgette were slowly walking among the guests. "Is that the woman Edmund found in Caralore?" Teria asked.
"It is," the fox explained, nodding his head. "She's doing very well."
"Did she ever recover any of her memories?"
Caroline shook her head. "None. She couldn't read, write, or even speak," the otter answered. "Edmund has been teaching her since she came here."
"She has no relatives here?" Ferwig asked.
"None," Misha answered. "We think she's probably from one of the cities or towns in the Giantdowns."
"What species is she?" Teria hadn't taken her eyes off Bridgette and Edmund, watching the couple with open curiosity.
"Maned wolf," Caroline said.
"They're native to the southern Giantdowns," the fox scout added.
"So her species would be found naturally in territory Nasoj already controls?" It was more of a statement then a question. The mage was still looking at Bridgette and Edmund.
"What are you thinking about?" Ferwig asked.
Teria shook her head and looked up at the hyena warrior. "Nothing important. Tonight is for partying, not pondering!" She gave Ferwig a playful lick on the muzzle. "And some real fun afterward." Arm in arm, the two canines wandered into the crowd, more interested in each other then anything else.
"They make a nice couple," Misha announced.
"Who? Ferwig and Teria, or Edmund and Bridgette" Caroline asked, looking at the love of her life.
"Both!"
Misha spotted them first. His sharp vulpine eyesight spotted the two figures making their way slowly across the hall. One had a distinct limp, and that the other looked to be overweight. Very overweight. Excusing himself from a conversation with Oberon, he quickly made his way through the crowd to them. "ANDRE! JENN!" the fox shouted and hugged each one. "I'm glad you came."
"Wouldn't miss one of your parties," Andre said cheerfully. The wolverine morph was wearing a robe of dark green edged with light blue. Misha noted that the robe went all the way to the floor, completely covering his leg. He was leaning on a cane of mahogany that was both topped and tipped with silver.
"How are you both doing?" Misha asked.
"I feel like I've been pregnant forever," Jenn replied, patting her stomach. The long, voluminous, white dress she was wearing did not hide the fact that she was very pregnant. A happy smile put the lie to her weary complaint
"You must be close," Caroline asked as she carefully hugged around Jenn's bulging middle.
The wolverine woman nodded. "The healer says within a week or two. She also gave even better news!"
"And?" Caroline asked.
"Triplets!" Andre blurted, too excited to contain himself.
"THREE?" Misha asked, slightly dazed. "Congratulations!" he said, and shook Andre's hand vigorously.
Caroline hugged Jenn tightly. "That's fantastic."
"Have you decided on any names?" Misha asked.
Andre shook his head. "It was hard enough choosing just one now we have to choose 6 names."
"Well not six names," Misha countered." Just 3 names. Three girls, or 3 boys, or 2 boys and 1 girl and-"
Caroline wrapped her hands around Misha's muzzle, shutting him up. "Happy now, silly later," was all she said.
The cheetah wore a doublet of light blue over a white muslin shirt with short sleeves, and breeches of the same shade as the doublet. The clothes were of wool and not the more expensive silk. He looked at little ill at ease, and his face had the shy and nervous look that you would be more likely to see on a real cat. Misha saw the feline's eyes widen a little as he and Caroline made their way over to him. "Welcome to the party, my friend!" Misha said trying to sound friendly.
"Good evening," the cheetah answered softly. "It's a pleasure to be invited here."
"It's a pleasure to have you here," Caroline responded cheerfully.
"It's good to have you here!" Misha exclaimed. "You were in the ball game this afternoon."
The feline smiled, revealing a muzzle full of long, sharp teeth. "Yes, that's right."
"You play a fierce game of ball," the fox commented.
"I'm fierce? I wasn't the one bowling everyone over!" he said in mock surprise.
Misha laughed. "You did well enough. There's more to the game then just knocking people down. Fast and nimble does better then brute force. You broke through the defense and scored the last goal! That meant running some distance around heaps of people and dodging tackles. Meredith couldn't do that."
"Meredith was his usual unsubtle self, acting like a raging bear," Caroline commented.
"That's because he is a bear! And he does it so well!" Misha added with a laugh. "Padraic scored too. He's light and nimble."
"Why is he always wearing those bells?" the cheetah asked.
Both Caroline and Misha laughed.
"It started as a joke we played on him, but he seems to like them," the fox explained.
"He never takes them off!" Caroline added with a chuckle. "At least you managed to get him to take them off for the game."
"Were you in any of the games?" Stealth asked.
"No," the otter answered. "We just enjoyed the sights."
"And each other," Misha said softly and licked the otter on the muzzle.
Stealth didn't speak for a moment, but instead looked down at the floor as his ears drooped.
"Something wrong, Stealth?" Misha asked. "You look troubled."
"I've been meaning to talk to you. Edmund told me that you helped me with my… debt."
Misha nodded. Ah. Don't worry about my friend. I am always glad to help a friend."
The cheetah bowed, "Thank you; you've taken a huge weight off my shoulders."
"Well, there is something you could do for me." When Stealth replied with a quizzical look, the fox explained. "Did you ever try the taur form I mentioned?"
"Um… well, I… no," the feline answered with some confusion.
Misha poked the cheetah on the shoulder lightly. "Try it! I know you'll like it. If you need help, I can teach you. It's really not that hard."
"I… don't know." He answered with his head down.
"Stealth," Misha said softly. "You have to try new things! Promise me you will try it at least once. Even if you don't like it I won't mind. So long as you give it a try once."
"But what if I get stuck like that?" the cat asked, spooked by the thought.
"Stealth. I have been a taur countless times, and I've never gotten stuck."
"I… I don't think it's for me," the cheetah answered in a shy tone. He hadn't felt this uncomfortable since the theological chat with Edmund.
Misha patted him on the shoulder. "No need to rush into this. Take your time. For tonight. just enjoy yourself!"
"Thank you. Thanks again." Stealth bowed again.
Caroline surprised the feline by giving him a quick hug. "Thank you for coming to the party. Please enjoy yourself!"
"Thank you! I will!" He chuckled in embarrassment.
"Wolfram!" Misha announced. "Good to see you here! And I see you've already started to celebrate." The ram was dresses in pants and a tunic of brown wool edged in green. Misha noted that he already a flagon of beer in his right hand and a giggling, buxom woman in the other.
The ram nodded a greeting and hoisted his mug to the fox in salute. "Great party!"
Misha just shook his head and chuckled as the two wandered off toward the bar.
The crowd parted with an admiring murmur as Drift and Alexis moved into the hall. Drift was in his taur form, wearing a doublet on his upper body. The caparison that clothed his lower body draped like a blanket down to his ankles. Both doublet and caparison were a deep shade of blue with silver buttons, and the caparison went even further. It seemed a work of art, with three other shades of icy blue curling along its dark length like gusts of winter wind. Snowflakes wrought with silver thread glittered as he walked, seeming almost to dance across the night sky the deep blue symbolized.
Alexis rode sidesaddle on Drift and was wearing a long, flowing dress of red
and orange chased with gold thread, which seemed to have no laces or buckles
to hold it in place. Her wings seemed to extend right through the sides somehow,
without hampering the fabric, and the red and gold of her dress contrasted with
Drift's white fur and blue clothing perfectly. Her only jewelry aside from her
engagement ring was a necklace of gold, from which hung a jewel of deep blue
with little flecks of gold that shimmered like little stars on a moonless night.
"Alexis, if you please?" Drift asked, and Alexis extended her left
hand. Drift took it, and the bat slid off the taur's back, landing softly on
the floor next to him. "Thank you."
Drift took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stiffened his front legs, bracing them as if to take root at that very spot. His hind legs, though, stepped forward, his lower torso started to compact in on itself as if the hind legs were compressing it against the still braced front legs. His upper body changed very little, losing height and a bit of muscle mass, but he showed no sign of pain or discomfort. As the horizontal part of his body contracted so did the caparison that covered it, growing shorter to match the diminishing body, the colors swirling as if momentarily liquid. The change went on with surprising speed, and in a few seconds Drift's lower torso had compressed in on itself leaving just four legs separated by only a fingers width of horizontal torso. Then that too was compressed and the hind legs came into contact with the front legs, the four limbs merging smoothly into two. The physical change complete, Drift's caparison shifted and wrapped itself around the legs, forming into pants of the same dark blue as the caparison, with the seams sewn in silver. Where there had been a Samoyed taur a few moments before now stood Drift in his two-legged form, looking just as resplendent on two legs as he had on four.
Opening his eyes, the samoyed morph offered his arm to Alexis, and the pair walked in Misha's direction. Alexis' eyes sparkled mischievously at all the looks their unique entrance had gathered, and even Drift was not able to suppress a slight smirk. An older woman intercepted the pair, and Alexis patted Drift's arm before letting go to talk to the woman. Drift gave her hand an affectionate return squeeze and continued on to Misha.
"Quite an impressive entrance, Drift," Misha said when the samoyed
arrived. "An interesting set of clothes. Where did you get the enchantment
to shapeshift them? Up until now, I've only seen it on armor."
"You'll have to ask Alexis," Drift responded. "She was the one
who ordered it, as an 'incentive' to do that Fire Dance in … " he
paused, flicking his ears in wry amusement. "…'traditional Iscoy
garb'. Darn sneaky woman."
"I was hoping you would still be wearing the loincloth," Finbar commented out loud.
"After you already tried once to cut it? Not a chance in hell," Drift answered with a shake of his head. He reached out as a servant walked past with a tray of wineglasses, taking one and sipping at it. "Mmm. Good wine. I don't care how good you are with a knife, Finbar, that was much too close for comfort."
"I bet Alexis thought it was too close too." Misha joked.
That got a laugh from the whole group, though Drift just rolled his eyes. "I'm just glad I thought to string a chain through underneath the belt, just in case. Though I was preparing more for a slipped knot than a dagger point."
"I thought you looked very impressive in that outfit," Caroline said cheerfully.
Drift jumped when Alexis came up behind him, her gown flowing, smiling innocently as she snuck a pinch. "So do I," she said.
Everyone laughed, even George, who openly yipped in delight. Terry, sitting next to him, covered her mouth with her hand but she couldn't hide the wide grin on her face.
"Buuut," she continued with a wink, "that's not exactly formal dance attire."
"It certainly would have made the dance more interesting!" Misha joked.
"A more interesting dance," Alexis mused, slowly breaking into a mischievous smile. "Is that a challenge, Misha?" she asked in a quiet voice that made Drift's ears drop, and his eyes widen. The samoyed gave a quick shake of his head, eyes pleading.
The fox shook his head "I know better then to accept any of your challenges."
Drift blew out an exaggerated sigh of relief and downed the rest of his wine
in a single gulp. "Whew. Another close call." Alexis laughed. "I
think I need to get this lady back out on the dance floor and away from people
tempting her to mischief," Drift said as he set his glass aside and took
Alexis' hand and heading out onto the floor.
"They dance well," Misha said as he and Caroline also made their way,
slowly onto the dance floor.
"Yes, but Alexis is better," Caroline answered as they started to
dance. "Watch her hands. She makes subtle little signals from time to time,
suggesting a move here and there. I wouldn't have spotted it if that ring didn't
catch the light against her dark hand.
"True, but every so often Drift surprises her with something different.
A flourish or some other elaboration," Misha added. "Just enough to
keep her on her toes."
Caroline's brow furrowed. "She looks so businesslike, sometimes."
"Yes, I noticed that," Misha answered as he spun the otter slowly about. "It's a cycle she seems to go through: she gets too involved in the planning, and then Drift surprises her with some improvisation and she loosens up for a while and really looks like she's enjoying herself. The two go well together."
"They do make a fine couple," Caroline added.
Nearby, they saw the ferret morph Finbar dancing with a female pine marten dressed in a beautiful silk gown of red trimmed in silver and decorated with dragons of gold. The ferret was dressed in a tunic and pants of the deepest blue Misha had ever seen and edged with red thread.
"Is that Finbar?" Misha asked, surprised. "I've never seen
him dressed so well! Usually he is wearing some old and worn stuff."
"That's Danielle's doing," Caroline answered. "And she looks
beautiful. Is that dress from the Orient?"
Misha nodded. "It is from the far east. Danielle's family is from Fan Shoar and they keep close trading contacts there."
The feline morph was slender in build and fairly short, no more then five foot three and slender in build. She had unmarked tawny fur all over her body that was lighter on her chest and stomach than on her back. Her ears were long and pointed, and her nose ended in a light brown leathery tip. It was rare for animal morphs to keep the same human hair they had before the Change, but she had, long and brown. Caroline noticed the feline's eyes were a mahogany color, a shade more appropriate for a human, but her pupils now had the vertical slit of most felines. She has short claws on her fingers and toes, and her palms and soles are covered by thin leathery pads. Her long tail was very much like a domestic shorthaired cat's in appearance.
The white robes of a Lightbringer priestess did nothing to hide the slight clumsiness that spoke of a young girl still going through adolescence with all its awkwardness. "Merai," Misha announced cheerfully. "I'm glad you could come! I was hoping that Raven would attend."
"Unfortunately, Raven is out of Metamor on an urgent matter," Merai answered.
Misha nodded. "Shame. This is a fine party. "
"Have you any news of our troops up north?" Merai asked. "I have not heard from Daria and Tessa in several months."
"They have been working with a small tribe of Lutins up north," Misha explained. "The ironic part it's the Red Fox tribe. Daria still has a lot to learn, but she's distinguishing herself well. She's a fine leader. Tessa is shaping up to be a very good battlefield healer. She tries to do too much, pushes herself too hard, and her stubbornness can get her into trouble, but she seems to be mellowing as of late."
"You've been watching them?" Merai asked.
"Of course," Misha answered. "I always keep a watch over all my friends. I'll send you a complete report on what they have been up to the last few months as long as you keep the details quiet. Please relax and enjoy the good food and good companions."
"Thank you," Merai replied, and bowed to the fox.
Even though everyone in his family was sleeping, the festival continued into the night. Kendrick had no trouble entering the Killing Fields where the merchant had his booth, but he did have trouble steering clear of several people who knew him by sight. It was hard to miss his shape. Being a pangolin meant that nobody knew quite what he was, and those that knew him would recognize him instantly.
But there were two things working in his favor. First, he was small and that made it easier for him to move about without being noticed. Second, most of the revelers still up at this hour were enjoying libations both fine and poor. If they weren't already drunk they would be soon. Either way, Kendrick knew he could slip past most of them with little danger.
The trick would be remembering where the stall was! The festival grounds changed character completely from day to night. Stalls that had once been barren were now bright and full of laughing faces, while others that had been lively by day were now dark and abandoned. He took several wrong turns, and had to duck into an alley between the booths to catch his breath while he tried to recall where everything had been.
Not once did he contemplate asking directions. He was smarter than that! But he should have been clever enough to remember where the wine merchant had been.
After leaving the alley, he took every cross street until he found Gregor's booth. It was closed down, but the scent of baked bread was unmistakable. He backtracked along the path he remembered them taking that morning, but quickly became lost again. It was an accident that led him to stumble on the toy shop where he'd met the rats. The tent had been closed for the night, but to avoid being seen by one of Rodrick's old friends, he'd ducked between the tent flaps and almost hit his head on one of the tables.
Kendrick had just enough light to see where he was, and that was all he needed. He crawled beneath the flap on the other side, and took the next street across. Though all of them were closed, he recognized the vendors with the impossible to win games. Wooden shutters covered the front of the wine merchant's stall, and a lock taunted all thieves who saw it.
Kendrick glanced down the street, but saw no one nearby. He crossed to the stall, took a small metal pin from his tool pouch, and poked at the lock. It was a solid iron lock and didn't see to have any magic about it. He took an extra moment to poke all around the stall, at the wood covering the shelf and the wood paneling placed over the bottom. Nothing unusual. When the merchant returned in the morning, he'd unlock the panels and fold them around back. He could even see the hinges.
Kendrick consider undoing the hinges along one side, but decided it was probably more effort than it was worth. He'd have to pound them back in, and that might attract the attention of the Watch.
The lock was also a waste of time. He knew he could pick it, but the Watch would surely see that!
Instead, Kendrick squeezed between the booth and its neighbor. The paneling wrapped around the back, where the booth became a carriage. When the festival ended, a few strong men would lever the booth up onto the carriage, and they'd ride out of town as comfortably as any. But that could give Kendrick what he needed.
He crouched low to the ground and poked his claws under the paneling. He felt supports beneath the paneling, but as he'd guessed, no floor. His father had once owned several carriage booths like this, and he remembered playing in them with Rodrick when they were young. He grinned and squeezed further back, putting himself entirely in darkness. The Watch would have to be looking closely to see him now.
He removed his tool pouch from his belt and set it against the wall. He then concentrated on his body and shifted into his animal form. He shrank out of his clothes, and crawled through his shirt. Gingerly pushing his clothes up against the back of the carriage so that they couldn't be seen, he then spent a moment listening. In the distance he heard the laughs and cheers of the Keepers reveling, but nothing more.
Kendrick took a deep breath, and then began carefully digging into the soil next to the booth. He made sure that the dirt didn't land on his clothes, nor that it went very far. He kept it instead in a neat pile, low to the ground where it wouldn't be seen.
As small as he was, and with claws built for digging, it didn't take him long to burrow beneath the supports and into the booth. He climbed back out, opened his tool pouch, and wrapped his tongue around a small bit of stone. This he placed gently inside the booth, tapping the activation sequence on one end with the tip of his tongue. The stone began to glow faintly. It would be enough for him to see to work.
He crawled into the booth and took a quick look around before shifting back into his normal shape. The chest was right where he'd felt it earlier that day. It too had a lock, but he'd seen the type before. He reached one hand through the hole and pulled his tool pouch inside.
Kendrick used his magic detecting pin first and tapped across the chest, but he found no spell. He set that aside and took out one of his picks. It took him a few minutes, but he did manage to open the chest. He set his pick aside, took the glowing stone in one paw, and peered inside. His jaw opened slightly in surprise. He couldn't believe how much the merchant had made! The entire thing was filled with gold suns and silver moons atop a bed of foreign bronze pieces. Kendrick could easily take twice what Elliot had said. That would more than cover what his father's shop had lost yesterday because of the other foreign merchants.
But Kendrick well remembered one of the guild rules: a greedy thief is a dead thief. He counted out ten suns, put them in his pouch, and closed the chest. He reset the lock after another minute's fiddling, and then shoved his pouch back outside the booth. He left the stone inside while he changed, then wrapped that in his tongue and crawled back outside.
He shook the dirt off, and tossed the stone in his pouch too. Glancing around, he neither saw nor heard anyone coming down the street. Quickly, he shoved the dirt back into the hole, packing it as firmly as possible. The ground had already been dug up by hundreds of wagon wheels, so he doubted the merchant would notice where he'd dug, but he wasn't going to take any chances.
When he finished, he returned to his normal shape, gave the ground a few more pats to make sure, and then brushed as much of the dirt off his body as he could. His paws were a wreck, but he'd be able to wash them soon. And he went barefoot anyway, so nobody would question why he had dirt under his claws.
Just as he grabbed his shirt to pull it over his head, he heard booted steps coming down the street. He shrank back into animal form and squished himself as far back into the alley as he could. He pushed his clothes to one side, and the pouch he kept behind him. Then he curled into a ball, tail covering the back of his head.
He waited. The footsteps grew closer. Kendrick opened one eye and stared at the narrow slit of light between the booths. Whoever it was took four to five steps, stopped for a moment, and then continued on. The Watch. Kendrick shivered in fright, and then stilled himself. The guard would be in front of him any moment now.
And then the guard was there. Definitely one of the Watch, but he was lucky that she was human. Kendrick squinted as he watched her turn her head to the left and the right. For a moment, he thought she'd spotted him. She looked straight at him for at least two seconds, and then kept walking down the street.
He waited until she'd gone another ten steps before taking a breath. He waited for her to take another twenty before he uncurled from his ball and grew into his usual shape. By the time he'd slipped on his clothes and put his tool pouch on his belt again- heavier now with the ten suns- he couldn't hear her at all.
He wasted no time in darting back out into the streets, eyes ever on the walls of Metamor. It was time to go to the Guild.
Wolfram had a mug of beer in one hand and a large piece of pastry in the other, covered with sticky syrup that was dripping everywhere. A blue object flashed suddenly past and when it was gone, so was Wolfram's pastry.
"Hey! Who took my food?" the ram exclaimed as he stared at his empty hand.
"What was that?" Drift asked, looking around. "And where did it go?"
Alexis laughed and pointed upwards.
All eyes followed the bat's hand. A little, blue dragon no larger then a house cat sat high overhead on a ceiling beam, munching happily on the purloined pastry.
"What is that?" Wolfram exclaimed, staring up at the little reptile.
The dragonette waved a claw that was covered with sticky syrup. Suddenly the image of a large storehouse filled with corn flashed into their minds.
Caroline laughed. "That's Gornul. He doesn't speak, so he communicates by projecting images into your thoughts."
"Stay away from my food!" Wolfram shouted up to the dragonette, shaking a fist. "Blasted flying thief," he grumbled quietly, turning away and taking a gulp of his beer.
Gornul stuck out his tongue at the ram and something sticky dropped onto Wolfram's head.
The ram froze, his eyes narrowing dangerously as one ear laid flat to the side. "That had better be syrup! If not, Drift's fiancée is getting a blue scaled purse as an early wedding present."
The fox and otter quickly recognized the female human entering the hall. She had long, spiky black hair that didn't quite suit a lady and like many gender morphs, she preferred a suit to a flowing dress.
"Hello Alex!" Misha said cheerfully. "Welcome to the party!"
"Thank you, Misha!" she said warmly. "It's great to see you folks again."
"It's great to see you too," the otter replied and hugged the woman tight, followed by a small peck on the forehead.
"It's good to see you again! All the cute girls are welcome!" Misha joked, quoting an old reassurance he'd made some months prior.
Alex narrowed her gaze and gave Misha a malicious grin. "Must kill the fox…" She reached for the scout.
"Ack!" Misha laughed and hid behind Caroline who bapped him on the head.
"Don't mind him. Misha is feeling exceptionally silly tonight," the otter explained.
"I'd be worried if he wasn't." The gender morph winked. "Thank you for inviting me."
"Thank you for coming, please enjoy yourself!" Caroline said pleasantly, and then turned to her love. "As for you…"
"Where did you learn to dance so well?" Caroline asked.
The music was fast and light, and the dance floor was filled with many people dancing. Misha, Caroline, Drift, and Alexis were standing off to one side.
Drift pointed to Alexis. "What, you thought we spent every night at taverns and restaurants?"
"Well," Misha commented. "Yes."
Drift just scowled at the fox.
"Your dress looks lovely tonight, Alexis," Caroline said looking over the bats clothing. "How do you get it to keep from coming open at the sides?"
"Tiny lodestones sewn into the hem," Alexis explained.
"Isn't that rather… accident prone?" Misha asked.
She shook her head. "Not if you buy the lodestones from the right merchant."
"She means Pascal," Drift explained, interrupting them.
Alexis swatted the dog on the arm. "Drift! Never give away your sources. It's bad for business."
"Then it's a good thing this is a party and not a business, isn't it?" Drift countered.
Alexis went up on her toes and, when that wasn't enough to bring her height level with his, she put a finger on the bridge of his muzzle and tipped it down so she could go nose to nose with him. "For that, snowpup," she said, her lips pursed in deliberately overabundant seriousness, "you owe me two dances."
Drift wagged his tail, his eyes laughing. "Only two? A bargain at twice the price! Done."
"What are you two talking about?" Caroline asked in a puzzled tone.
"Just a game we came up with for the evening," Alexis said as she pulled on Drifts sleeve. "Sorry, no time to explain!" And with those words she pulled the dog back onto the dance floor.
Misha looked at Caroline and shook his head. "I don't want to know. I REALLY do not want to know what they are talking about."