Chapter 6: Partners

Sierra watched the wolves argue about something in front of the tent they had set up. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but the conversation sounded pretty heated. The fire provided some light, and the sky was slowly getting brighter as the sun was preparing to dawn. Though it was still too dark to see more than shapes and the wolves’ bright reflective eyes amid the shadows. By the sound of it, the middle wolf had said something controversial, and the other two were doing their best to convince him to reconsider. He was unmoved as he responded to everything they said in short authoritative terms. Eventually the one in the tent came out to properly join the discussion. It sounded like she was gently trying to talk some sense into the middle wolf. But he shut down all protests and slowly wore them all down. The big wolf was the first to disengage, the tent wolf awkwardly returned to her tent, and the last one pointedly refused to look at the middle wolf as he started walking towards Sierra. As he got closer to the fire, Sierra could see more and more of the tired look on the wolf's bloody face. Or maybe it was a slightly more neutral look? She wasn't quite sure. He was somewhat hard to read.

The two bird chicks, Joy and Serenity, were both on the verge of tears again. Joy lifted his wings and flapped awkwardly as if he was trying to learn to fly so that he could get away from the approaching wolf. Serenity would have just hopped away by foot, if it wasn't for Parvus very intentionally pinning her toes. Once Parvus was sure that Serenity wasn't going to go running off into the woods, the young turtle turned to Sierra with a look of uncertainty. “Come on guys, just stay with mis Sierra. She'll keep us safe.”

The wolf hesitated before speaking. As if he needed a moment to format his words to be as un-frightening as possible. “Actually, you four will accompany my companions back to Westberrow. The rabbits there will take care of you and will start the process of getting you back to your parents.”

Sierra stood up. “Four? I'm not going back to Westberrow until Madam Rosary is safe.”

“What?!” One of the little blue bird chicks exclaimed while their sibling cried.

“Oh, I'm sorry Serenity.” Sierra said guiltily. “I wish I could stay with you and your brother. But you are safe now, and my friend is still in danger. You remember her right? The rat with all the pretty flowers? I have to go save her so that she can be safe too.”

The big wolf cleared his throat. “You really don't. In fact, I'll insist that you do stay with the other civilians. I'm perfectly capable of rescuing your friend alone.”

“Alone?” Sierra looked past the wolf at the other three, who were discussing something surprising and worrisome amongst themselves. “What about your friends?”

“They are my coworkers.” The big wolf clarified. “And they are going to be busy dealing with the aftermath of...” He hesitated for a second before shaking his head. “It doesn't matter. I am perfectly capable of completing the task.”

Sierra stomped one hoof. “Absolutely not! I'm definitely coming now, and you can't stop me! You'll need a sidekick if you want to do this right.”

“I don't need a-” The wolf started before getting cut off.

“Are you going to eat us?” A little voice asked through tears.

The wolf's voice caught, then he answered without thinking. “No. Not for a long time anyway.”

The bird started wailing again.

“Why did you say that?” Sierra scolded him. “You've scared Joy!”

The wolf took a step back. His ears pulled down with concern. “I didn't- I meant years from now! After he’s already died of old age or something. Obviously I'm not going to kill-” The wolf abruptly bit his tongue as he realized that he wasn't helping the situation. With a huff of annoyance he sharply blew air out his nose and just started walking.

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Hawl's ears were burning as he walked away from the camp. He was flustered, annoyed, and rapidly second guessing himself. What was he doing heading off on his own like this? The empire sent them in teams for a reason. Should he turn around? No, of course not. He had already committed to this course of action. Turning around now would not only be a betrayal of his ideals, but it would also be hugely embarrassing for him.

The sun was coming up. The night sky was growing brighter by the minute and it was clear that dawn was about to break soon. Hawl had turned his head to look at the faded orange that was just starting to illuminate the undersides of distant clouds. Then his pointed ears twitched as he heard a sound. The gentle clopping of hooves against dirt, and the panting of someone who had been running but had to slow down to catch their breath. Hawl knew who he would see when he looked back the way he came.

“Well…” Sierra gasped before catching her breath. “That took longer than it needed to.”

“What?” Hawl tilted his head in surprise. He knew he had been hesitating, but he didn't think that she would be able to catch up with him. Let alone that she would try to in the first place.

“Getting the kids introduced to your friends.” Sierra explained with a helpful smile. “Had to get them at least somewhat comfortable with them so that they don't freak out on the way back to Westberrow. I tell you, it wasn't easy. Though it helped that that Wouf guy of yours is good with kids. Is he a father by the way? I didn't get a chance to ask.”

Hawl paused and stared the goat down with as much menace as his unreadable face could muster. “I thought I told you to head back with the others.”

The little goat shied back just a bit, but was ultimately unphased. “You did. And I told you that I was coming anyway. You can pitch a fit about it if you like, but it's not going to change my mind. So you might as well just accept the company. Besides, a good friend of mine told me that it's dangerous to travel alone anyway.”

Hawl was taken aback. He didn't really know how to handle the situation. He wanted to chase her off, but he got the impression that wasn't going to work unless he broke some laws and actually hurt her in some way. Which, of course, he was unwilling to do. He sighed deeply through his nose. “Fine. I suppose I have no choice then. Just know that I am not waiting for you. If you fall behind then that is just one less problem for me to worry about. Also, I'm traveling on a mostly nocturnal schedule. If you want to follow me then you will have to get used to sleeping through mid-day.”

Sierra beamed. “You don't have to worry about me sir. I can keep pace. And I've been traveling with a rat for the past few months, so my sleep schedule is already messed up.”

Well that settled that then…

Hawl started walking again with renewed purpose. In fact, he even picked the pace up a fair bit. Just to make a point.

Sierra matched his pace effortlessly as she pranced along beside him. “So what was your name? Sorry if you told me already. I was focused on other things at the time.”

“Hawl.” He answered after a pause. “Howl?” Sierra tried, to which the hunter corrected her. “Hawl.” The young goat scrunched up her face. “Isn't that what I said?” To which Hawl responded with a stern. “No.” Not to be deterred, Sierra spent the next few minutes searching for the correct pronunciation until she figured it out.

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“So why is your fur blue?” Sierra asked some time later, after the sun had fully dawned and she could see properly again.

“It's dyed.” Hawl said flatly.

“Yeah, I know that.” Sierra snarked. “But why did you dye it? Does it mean something special?”

Hawl did not appreciate the way she looked at him like he was something exotic and fascinating. “Not particularly. I just think it looks good.” As a retort he asked back. “What about you? Why do you wear a ribbon on your horn?” He intended it as more of a rhetorical question, but his monotone clearly made it seem literal.

“Do you like it? Madam Rosary tied it for me. I didn't ask her to do it, but I think it's pretty.” Sierra looked up at the slightly muddy ribbon tied into a vaguely flower-like shape with a clear look of pride and admiration. “Just look at how tight the knot is! Can you believe how dexterous her paws are? I could never do something like that with my hooves, I'll tell you that much.”

“It's because she's a rat.” Hawl explained. “Rats are legendary for their craftwork. They're small and they've got thin paw pads that are great for manipulating tools.”

Sierra gave him that look again. Staring up at him as she walked, as if she was watching something fascinating.

Hawl ignored her for a while. But eventually her staring got too uncomfortable for him. “What?” He asked flatly, instead of in the frustrated tone that he wanted to convey.

“Oh.” Sierra smiled warmly. “It's just that I've never actually met a wolf in real life before.” Hawl was about to tell her that didn't make her staring any less rude, but then she followed it up with. ”You're really cool.” The little goat was so sweet and genuine. She was like a little puppy, though Hawl knew she was an adult despite her small size.

After an awkward pause Hawl reached for the only response he could think of. Just a simple statement. “I'm nothing special.”

Sierra reeled back with an offended and hurt look. “Everyone's special!” She insisted strongly.

Hawl looked back at her with a slight head tilt. “Wouldn't that effectively mean that no one is special then? If something is true for everyone then what's the point of making the distinction in the first place?”

The little goat huffed. “It just means that everyone is special in their own unique way. I'll prove it! What's something that is unique to you that other animals don't have?”

Hawl nearly smiled with amusement, though the expression didn't quite reach his face. “Well that's hardly you proving something if you're making me do all the work now is it? But sure.” he thought the question over for only a few seconds before he responded. “I've got a Telling that's unique. As far as I'm aware at least.”

Sierra gasped with joyous amazement. “You have a Telling!?” She then pranced around off path. Literally bouncing with excitement and jumping for joy before running back up beside Hawl and rapidly saying. “You did the thing with the water right? Wouf was the scary bones wolf and the scowling girl was the only one talking through the silence. So I assume that was hers.” The goat took a moment out to inhale before continuing her breathless ramble. “Unless the water was the white wolf's thing and you do something else? But wait, no! The water must be yours! It was the same color as the stripes in your fur!”

“Blue?” Hawl scoffed. “Your guess is correct. It was my Telling which summoned the tide. But the logic you used to come to that conclusion is nonsense.”

Sierra blinked. “What? It makes perfect sense to me! Blue water? Blue fur! I bet you only started dying it like that after you found your Telling, right?”

He stayed silent so she pressed him on the issue. “Riiiight?”

Hawl exhaled sharply in annoyance. “You are correct again. But I found my Telling fairly young, and it's not like I started dying my fur immediately after. In fact, I've been dying my fur blue for a fair bit longer than my water has been that color.”

“Whoah!” Sierra was enthralled. “Why did it change? And what did it look like before?”

Hawl felt a slight pricking of the fur on his back. But he ignored the sensation. “When I first found it, the water was a foggy brown gray. Like dirty river water kicking up mud right after a storm. As seasons passed I worked through some personal challenges, healed from some old wounds, and slowly accepted my Telling for what it was. And as my mind cleared, so did the water. Until I eventually remade it into something beautiful.”

Sierra looked at him with a look of admiration. “That's so amazing. You said you found it young? How did you find it?”

That slight pricking feeling escalated to his fur standing on end as Hawl spoke with more force and irritation. “I'm in no mood to share life stories right now. And to be frank, it's none of your business anyway.”

Sierra’s enthusiasm broke as her body language became apologetic. “That's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I only asked because I'm trying to find a Telling of my own. That's actually the reason I set out on this trip in the first place. So I can better understand what it takes to get one.”

The wolf relaxed a bit, and took on a slightly more sympathetic tone. “Well you wouldn't be able to learn anything from my experience anyway. Since my idiom is entirely different from yours.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“Well that's not necessarily true.” Sierra reasoned. “You wolves might have an idiom that encourages a different set of values than ours. But that doesn't mean I can't take the lessons I learn from you to help me better understand myself.”

Hawl raised an eyebrow. A species’ idiom wasn't just a source of power. It was also a way of life, a philosophy. They were specific to each species, so a rabbit couldn't find a Telling of Hawl's idiom. Just as he could never have received one of theirs. “Do you want my advice?” He asked. “If you really want a Telling of your own, then you should go spend some time studying your own idiom. Really reflect on its meaning and try your best to live your life by its teaching. Maybe find some goats that have Tellings and ask them for advice.”

The little goat scrunched up her face and whined. “I tried. But none of the goats in my village have one. One of the neighboring villages had one a few years ago. But apparently they disappeared one night cause’ folk kept pestering them for boons.”

Hawl actually had to stop dead in his tracks to process that for a second. How small were the settlements she was talking about? Because even a small village should have at least someone with a Telling. Right? Tellings were rare, but they weren't that rare. The wolf realized that he didn't actually know all that much about goats. He wasn't trained to traverse the mountain ranges on which they lived. So he was never sent out on any hunts for them. “What was your idiom again?” Hawl was embarrassed to ask. He had been taught all of the idioms back in basic training. But that was a long time ago and this wasn't a piece of information that he had ever needed up until this point. So his mind must have assumed it was irrelevant.

Mauor had claimed that everyone enjoyed explaining their idiom to others. But Sierra just looked frustrated with herself as she sighed. “The answer lies within.”

Hawl blinked. That was… a bit vague. Normally idioms were pretty straightforward in their message. But he struggled to find the meaning of that one. He waited for her to explain further. But the goat just huffed grumpily. “What does that m-”

His question was cut off by Sierra whining. “I don't know! No one does! It's never explained in any of our stories. The hero always just sits on the edge of a cliff or something and thinks real hard until, boom. They understand some unspecified great truth of the world, and they suddenly have magic powers.”

“I see.” Hawl said slowly. “Well, stories often differ from real life. Or maybe your idiom really does have Tellings to be found within deep thought and meditation. Have you tried sitting on the edge of a cliff yourself?”

Sierra kicked a rock with her hoof. “My entire childhood was spent sitting near cliffs. But it never earned me anything.”

“Hmm…” Hawl thought it over thoroughly before shrugging. “Again, I'm the last creature to ask about your idiom. But maybe you should try to find your own interpretation of what it means. To me, the answer lies within, seems to speak to a notion of independence and self reliance. So perhaps you goats are meant to overcome your challenges without aid?”

Sierra mulled it over. “Hmmm… maybe.” She muttered uncertainly before a thought crossed her mind and she narrowed her eyes with sudden suspicion. “You're not just saying that to get rid of me are you?”

Hawl gave her a long blank stare before eventually responding just as lifelessly. “No.”

“Good.” The goat nodded to herself. “I wouldn't run off on my own anyway. Making sure that my friend gets saved is much more important to me than finding my Telling.”

To that, he just nodded in agreement.

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Sierra was a little annoying, and perhaps just a bit too brave for her own good. But Hawl had to admit that she wasn't the worst company. She spoke constantly whenever there was silence, but she also liked to throw in questions and other opportunities for Hawl to jump into the conversation if he wanted to. Hawl didn't, so he mostly ignored the chatter. But when he did speak, Sierra listened diligently. The little goat kept up surprisingly well with the brisk pace Hawl had set. Especially considering how much shorter her legs were. As the day moved on, Hawl did eventually end up slowing down the pace a little bit. Not just because he was getting tired himself, but also because it was becoming apparent that he couldn't use the threat of physical exertion to discourage her from coming along.

Hawl looked up and took note of where the sun was in the sky. It was just a bit after mid-day and the heat was getting unpleasant. Thankfully the little patches of trees were becoming more common as the grasslands mixed with the various forests in the area, so at least they had some occasional shade. “We should bed down for the morning.” Hawl declared. Interrupting whatever rambling story that Sierra was recounting.

The goat stopped and looked up. “Oh. Yeah okay.” She agreed, without a second thought.

Hawl didn't have the tent to set up or a flint and steel to make a fire. So he just found a nice soft patch of grass, spun in a circle, and then flopped down.

Sierra followed his lead and found a spot of her own nearby. Hawl was expecting her to be a bit put off by the nocturnal sleeping pattern. But she seemed to be adapting exceptionally well to the idea. He even caught her yawning out the corner of his eye. She noticed him looking at her and smiled tiredly. “I wasn't kidding when I said that my sleep schedule is all mixed up.” She explained with her eyes closed. “I wish we could just push on to get more ground. But I haven't slept in like, thirty two hours.”

“Yes. Exhausting ourselves would be unnecessary and unhelpful in this situation. We are only a day or two behind our prey, and they are unaware that we are after them. So we've got time.” Hawl nodded to himself.

The little goat gave the hunter a curious look. “Okay? But how are we going to catch up with them then? Aren't rabbits really fast?”

Hawl shook his head. “Rabbits are only fast in short bursts. When it comes to long-distance travel like this, we actually have the advantage because we are bigger than them. We should be able to catch up before they reach the next settlement.”

Sierra nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. If you're sure. You are sure, right?”

Hawl yawned. “I'm sure. I've already got their scent, so I should be able to track them down. Just so long as we don't get any storms along the way. Even then, they'd probably take shelter somewhere. Potentially giving me the option to find the scent again.”

The goat looked impressed. “You wolves really can just smell everything, hu?”

Hawl smirked a little as he drifted off. “Pretty much, yeah.” He wasn't worried. Just two clueless rabbits? Even without the other hunters. He could tell. This was going to be easy.

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Yu felt her legs burning as she lifted her paws, one after the other. Her shoulders felt soar as a wooden stick pressed down across her back. “Hey Her’rin?” She asked between panting breaths. “Why did Le’bo’my send us with the skin tail? I get why we want to keep the rat and the mask separate from each other. But couldn't we leave this one in the cage with the others and have us take the mask instead? I would much rather be running with a scrap of fabric rather than this fatty.”

The much bigger rabbit looked over his shoulder at his partner in crime and shrugged, making the stick bounce. “I dunno.” Yu waited for more but the only thing Her’rin added after that was. “Also, you can just call me Her while Her’ber is not around.”

Yu scrunched up her face. “I don't wanna do the full abbreviation. Saying Her sounds like I'm talking about some random girl. It would be too confusing.”

“My mom always called me Her growing up. And I never had an issue with it.” Her pointed out. “And I had six sisters.”

“Good for you. I'm still calling you Her’rin though.” Yu chimed with a sweet smile.

Her’rin rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Yu’mar’ee’wak’with.”

The two of them chuckled as they trundled along. They were in high spirits, despite how taxing it was to travel like they were. Each of them was carrying one end to a wooden staff. Upon which a rat was tied up so thoroughly that one could barely see her gray fur peeking out from between the folds of the rope. She had been trying to scream through her hempen prison for a while. But her snout was held tight, gagging her completely. She’d surely try again later. But for now she had fallen silent. She might be sleeping at this point. Or possibly even dead. They'd check during their next stop.

Yu was daydreaming about what she would do with the money after they got paid. Mostly prostitutes, laserwort, and booze if she was being completely honest with herself. But maybe she'd spend some of it on getting a nice den dug out. Something professional, with actual woodworking and added construction materials. Rather than just a hole in the dirt. She was about to ask Her’rin about his thoughts on living in an above ground wolven style home, when her partner suddenly tensed. Her’rin didn't say anything and Yu didn't bother asking either. His perked ears were enough to communicate that he heard something.

Yu scanned the horizon until her own ears picked up the sound which told her she should be looking skyward. The sound of a cheerful chirping song was carried on the wind, first distant, then steadily closer. The two rabbits looked for a place to hide. They settled for sheltering under the shade of a nearby tree. It wasn't perfect cover, but it was all they had. They watched the sky in tense silence and waited for the bird to pass. They followed the chirping to a dark patch in the sky. Glimpses of dark feathers darted above the thin canopy. With any luck it would be too busy or incurious to notice them. The shadow passed them by… Before circling back around in a lazy arch.

Both of the rabbits let out a collective sigh of disappointment, before Yu turned to Her’rin with a positively sugary smile and asked. “Murder?” In a voice that would be more fitting when asking a guest what their tea preference would be.

Her’rin considered it. Then lowered his voice. “Hold off for now. They might be working for our contact? Let's see where this is going first.”

Yu nodded. “Sure thing. If you change your mind just give me the signal and we can deal with the issue together.”

A brown bird with flecks of vibrant red mixed into their neck feathers swooped into view with a happy little song of chirps. Her black beek clicked as she switched to learned language and declared in a joyful voice. “Hello and good morning fellow travelers!”

Yu still had her far too pleasant smile on, and Her’rin just inclined his head casually. “Good morning.”

They hoped that would be the end of the interaction. But unfortunately the bird found a branch in a nearby tree to perch on. “What's that you got there?” Her voice lowered a pitch as her head bobbed around in sharp bursts of motion. “Is that a body?” The two rabbits froze. But before Her’rin could give his partner the signal to move in for the kill, the brazen bird answered her own question. “Oh, I know! That's for the wolves, isn't it?”

Her’rin hesitated for just a second before he casually nodded with flawlessly imitated boredom and disinterest. “Yes ma’am. Were delivering it as payment for a job they did for our burrow a few days back. Gruesome work, but someone's gotta do it I guess.” He was extremely nervous behind his guise of nonchalance. The rat was silent for now, but she had been screaming into her gag for hours earlier this morning. All it would take would be a squeak and the lie would fall apart. If that happened then the bird would have to die. They couldn't allow a witness to see them and possibly report them to the authorities. Especially if there were wolves in the area. The problem was that the bird was sitting in a damn tree and had the ability to simply fly away if they got spooked.

The nosy bird smiled with her eyes, as her short black beak was incapable of conveying much of an expression. “Well that's true enough. My name is Pensive by the way. But you can just call me Penny. Pleased to meet you!”

Her’rin nodded back to her as he desperately tried to think of a way to end the conversation without drawing too much attention to themselves. “Well that's a fine name. I'm Bo and that's my coworker Jul. Pardon her if she doesn't talk much. She does so like to daydream when she should be working. Speaking of which, we really should be on our way. The um… merchandise will only last so long.”

The two rabbits started moving and looking busy. Hoping that Penny would lose interest and fly away. But unfortunately she called out. “Oh, hold on a moment.” To them before they even made it two steps.

Had Penny noticed the rat breathing? Yu was struggling to keep that cute cheerful smile up. Her heart was racing as she stealthily put her paws into her bag, just in case she needed to pull out a poisoned dart. She waited diligently for the signal, but Her’rin had far more discipline than her as he casually waited for the bird to finish her thought. “Are you trying to meet up with a trio of wolves? One white, one red, and one blackish? Because if you are, I'm pretty sure you have already passed them.”

Her’rin smiled with polite interest. “Oh?”

Penny nodded. “Mhm. I flew by them earlier this morning. Looked like they were cleaning up after a big hunt. They were cut up pretty bad and there were blood splatters everywhere! They must have killed a whole flock of something.” The bird shuddered. Her feathers rising for a moment before she shook it off. Then she was back to smiling. “I was tempted to fly down and say hi. But they looked busy.”

The two rabbits exchanged looks. But Her’rin just shrugged. “That's interesting. But it sounds like a separate hunting party though. Our destination is still a few miles away.” He sighed as if already bored of the journey ahead.

Pensive nodded with understanding. “I see… Well. I suppose I'll let you get back to it. I'd offer to help but I've got places to be as well, and dead bodies creep me out.”

Her’rin chuckled with a small tired smile. “That's perfectly fine. Safe travels friend.”

“Safe travels to you too-” Penny called down as she caught the air with her wings and vanished into the sky.

The two rabbits continued to walk in silence for a while. Maintaining the act as if someone else was watching them. But behind their placid smile and board expression, they were both nervously contemplating the implications of what they just learned. It was Yu who finally broke the silence. “That was our gang which she saw painting the ground. Wasn't it?” She said it sweetly with a demure smile. But there was an edge behind her statement.

Her'rin wiped tears away from his eyes before turning back to his partner. He had a pained look in his eyes and his voice cracked with grief for a moment before he shoved the emotions down. “Not… Necessarily. But yes. Yes it seems likely.”

Yu closed her eyes and took a moment to calm herself. It didn't matter if they were or weren't. Because now was not the time for mourning. There would be plenty of time to count the dead and drown their sorrows, later. For now they had to focus on their next steps. “Do you think Le made it out?” She didn't specify which Le she was talking about. But Her’rin understood. “Le’bo’my’s tough. If worst came to worst, I'm sure that she at least would find a way to survive.”

The two of them took a moment to reflect on the successes of their first gang. And that did bring some comfort. Enough so that Yu could crack a mischievous smile and joke. “I don't care if the others died. Less animals to split the loot with and all that. But Le had the mask. Don't we need that if we want to get paid?”

Her’rin winced and looked down at the unmoving shape. “I think so? Fake it till you make it gives rats Tellings based on their false identities. So if we have to, I think we could probably make her a new mask? But the Telling will be weaker the more we mess with it I think.”

Yu raised one eyebrow. “Do we know if the client cares about the strength of the Telling? Is that a factor here?”

“I'm sure it matters.” Her’rin agreed. Before giving the bundle of rope a sour look at the thought of possibly losing a big chunk of the value.

The stillness of the bundle was starting to grow extra concerning, as they didn't get anything if the rat was dead. So Her'rin pulled down the rope around her face with a hard tug. He frowned at the fuzzy gray face of their prisoner. She certainly looked dead at first glance. But her shallow breathing made it clear that she was still alive for now. The sudden jostling was drawing her towards consciousness though, and she made an unintelligible sound which belonged somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. Before she had a chance to start screaming again Her’rin quickly replaced the ropes. “Okay, we still have the goods. What are we doing about the wolves? Do you think they will come after us?”

Yu tapped her chin. “We should assume they are regardless. Better to be safe than sorry after all.”

Her'rin nodded. “We should keep traveling through the night instead of sleeping then. That should buy us an extra day. But it won't last forever. We are eventually going to need a way to either lose or kill them.”

Yu looked up in deep contemplation. Then she smiled viciously. “I have an idea.”