PART VI - RETELLING
“Here you all go,” Pama said with a comforting smile as she handed a low-sided basket to Thucax. Two of her Goblin assistants were along, and handed off baskets to others, which were all set on the table. The entire Bogwump team, minus Reynard and Celeste, were sitting in the mess tent, relaxing as a group. Pama promised she would whip up something for all of them since they had missed dinner. She delivered in the form of simple sandwiches of grilled meat slices with various condiments, some raw vegetables and a tasty dipping sauce for said veggies. It wasn’t anything elaborate, but honestly, nobody felt in the mood for anything complex. Somehow, Pama knew exactly what they needed.
“How’s Reynard?” Shul’an asked.
Callie shrugged, breaking a yellow carrot-like thing in two. “He pretended everything was good, but he was obviously exhausted and in pain. I guess that’s to be expected. He was worried about us, too, when we took a while to get back.”
“He is going to be fine, eventually,” Lhawni reminded everyone.
Callie nodded in agreement. “He said Trainer Rowani will be able to regrow his leg, although it will take a while, it sounds like. He doesn’t need to go back to Imor, like Kaisess did, at least.”
“Did you tell him about the unicorn?” Jesca asked reluctantly, worry evident on her face.
“I did. Both bringing the body back and the baby.”
“And?”
“He seemed fine with the body, once I explained about the horn’s magic. As for the baby he was … let’s just say he was skeptical.”
Jesca groaned, thumping her head on the table. “He’s angry at me, isn’t he.”
“He was at first,” Callie said, before quickly adding, “but it’s me he was angry with, not you. He just assumed it was my idea, which I guess it was. Once I explained we couldn’t leave her, I think he understood. He isn’t thrilled we brought back a pet, though.”
“But she’s not a pet!” Jesca snapped defensively, relief on her face at the fact she wasn’t in trouble. “She’s in the hands of the Herdmaster now, so doesn’t need me any more. What am I supposed to do with a unicorn here?”
“Ride it,” Tazrok pointed out with a shrug. He then looked thoughtfully in the air, pondering. “Jesca Catkin riding War Unicorn. Would be sight.”
The rest of the table quickly agreed it would be an amazing sight.
The Cheetahkin groaned. “I’m a Ranger, Tazrok. How would I hit anything if I was shooting while riding something?”
“Get good?” Tazrok suggested, actually trying to be helpful, but eliciting a chuckle from everyone else around the table.
“What about training?” Thucax asked, changing the topic slightly.
Callie swallowed her bite. “He gave us tomorrow off. Like I told the others on the hike back, I think he’s going to ask Vonn to help out, but she may not be able to get away, so I don’t know what the plan is. We should probably just relax for the day and let him and Thorn figure out what’s next. He did say he wants me to check in with him in the morning. I think he feels the need to join us when we sit down with the Commandant. Tazrok, maybe you could come with me to help carry him, or he can ride your Curvax form?”
“Can do,” the Ogre mumbled through the entire sandwich he had shoved in his mouth.
The sound of someone’s throat clearing interrupted, and everyone turned to see Lena. It was now dark outside, so she was lit by the few lights inside the tent.
“What’s up?” Callie asked.
“Hey there. I wanted to let you know nearly all of the recruits have moved up to the training grounds for a bonfire. You all should join us.”
“I’m not really in the mood for a party, Lena,” Callie sighed. It had been a long day and the idea of something upbeat just didn’t fit with her mood. The others from the mission joined with nods in agreement.
Lena shook her head quickly. “No, it’s really mellow. Vanis is playing his lute, and using his light spell to create shapes in the air. A couple other people that know how to play or sing are joining as well. There’s some wine and harder alcohol, too. We’re just, what’s the word you use, Callie? ‘Chilling’?”
That did seem a little more appropriate for Callie’s mood. She had to admit she wanted to be around people tonight, but just couldn’t stomach something that was going to be a loud, raucous celebration. Reynard was hurt, and she had killed a unicorn. She didn’t feel like celebrating.
“We’ll think about it,” Ambria replied before Callie could, speaking for everyone and seeking to cut Lena off from pushing any harder.
“Thanks for telling us,” Jesca added, trying to be polite, but also implying Lena shouldn’t push the subject.
“Oh … alright. I just wanted to let you all know,” Lena said, sensing Jesca’s hint. Then she added, as if it might change everyone’s mind, “I think a lot of people are curious about what happened today, too. You might want to share? All they know is that Reynard got hurt badly and about the baby unicorn.” Lena was obviously fishing for details of what happened, and not doing a very good job of being subtle.
Callie sighed, a low growl unintentionally in her voice. “Some of us I’m sure will come up. Give us a bit to finish eating.”
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In the end, all eight of the recruits decided to join the bonfire party. Callie had mentioned to everyone that she wanted to be around people as long as it was a low-key affair, with the others revealing they felt the same way. Even Thucax, who generally was anti-social and mostly kept to himself when relaxing, was feeling the need for people, admitting he felt ‘a little lonely for some reason’.
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Thankfully, the gathering really was relaxed. There were no loud conversations or cheering or people whooping it up. Instead, everyone seemed to be lying back, a few in pairs or larger groups, watching the fire’s embers and the stars far overhead. Vanis was lightly playing his lute, a slow, almost somber tune to which a few people sang quietly along.
Vanis spied Callie and the others entering the light thrown off by the fire, and smiled. He slowed and then stopped his playing, and the singers continued on for a few more notes, one by one cutting off as well. The sudden cessation of music caught the attention of the rest of the crowd, and soon all eyes were fixated on the team.
She wasn’t sure who started it, but Callie heard someone start a slow clap. One by one, everyone stood, joining in the applause. Embarrassed, the team tried to wave everyone off, not wanting the attention. Soon though, everyone was on their feet, clapping loudly. A few even cheered, and at least one shrill whistle was heard, Callie was pretty sure from Lena, but for the most part the adulation didn’t get that crazy. Not having a choice, Callie and the others acknowledged the accolades, while they tried earnestly to settle everyone down.
“Alright,” Callie finally said, speaking for everyone as she tried to bring solemnity back to the circle. “Thank you for that, but we’re really just here for the wine.” Then she added, “Preferably, a lot of it!”
Almost before she could look for one, a cup was in Callie’s hands and the hands of the others, accompanied by people scruffing their hair or patting their shoulders. While there was a general upbeat in the tone of the gathering, it still didn’t become boisterous, and the team fanned out, joining their houses or other people they were close to. Callie spied Vanis sitting with Lena and Juniper, and both she and Pixyl moved towards them, Jesca choosing to join as well.
Handing her cup to Vanis to hold, Callie climbed up on a log to sit, Pixyl doing the same by handing hers to Jesca. The crowd of recruits were almost completely silent, eyes moving between the eight team members, but generally resting on Callie, having heard that she was leading the mission. There was anticipation in the air, which Callie tried to ignore.
“What?” she finally said, in general, to all the staring.
“So, tell us?” someone called out, instantly joined by several people nodding and calling in agreement. Everyone’s eyes were eager and full of questions. Callie heard more questions called out, ranging from a simple, ‘what happened to the Foxkin’ and ‘what about the unicorn’, to someone grousing about the rest of the Bunkerball game being delayed until the next Homeday, and another snarled comment about Callie being ‘Xera’s new pet’.
Callie looked at the other team members around the circle, and they all shrugged, seeming to unanimously volunteer Callie to be the storyteller. She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to explain again what happened to Reynard, or about all the sick animals they had to kill. She didn’t want to talk about the dead unicorn, or the live one for that matter. But she could see from all the eyes looking at her, she had to say something, or the demand for details would never stop. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll give you the overview of what happened.”
Gulping down her cup of wine, thankful it was almost instantly refilled by someone, Callie began to relay the events. She kept the details fairly light, explaining the mission, and why they had to do it in order to eliminate the risk to Juniper. She briefly talked about Rowani’s return, but not that she had admitted to multiple mistakes on her scouting flight. The trek to the swamp was skipped, including the brief engagement of Ambria and Jesca, resuming with Tazrok’s war song.
The audience was enraptured. This was something that happened to eight of their fellow recruits. Sure, the Major and the Ranger trainer were along, essentially as chaperones, but it was their peers that were leading the mission and in the thick of the fight. Someday, this might be them. This was real.
Koda was incredibly helpful, doing a wonderful job keeping the story from drifting, especially after Jesca took over the telling when Callie got some of the chronology wrong. He’d spent most of his adult life either giving or receiving reports, as well as probably telling similar stories around similar campfires. Thus, he knew where the focus should be and how to keep things moving, without getting caught in nuance. With Jesca now telling, he had to work a little harder to keep her on task, but they paired well, and the audience hung on every word.
When Jesca got to the part about the Basilisk, there were audible gasps when she told of Tazrok and the Major being petrified, followed by cheers when Callie blew it up with her exploding arrows. Callie was now solidly tipsy, the wine doing its job of putting her in a happy mood despite the underlying sense of melancholy she had felt a little while ago. She tried to wave off the cheers, but silently enjoyed the calls of ‘Basilisk killer’ and ‘monster hunter’ she heard, due to the fact she essentially killed the beast single-handedly, with distracting assists from the others.
While Jesca continued her storytelling, it was about this time that Callie saw Xera, Galin, and the Major, standing back in the shadows, easily able to make them out with her Darkvision. Xera shook her head when waved to join, finally giving a ‘hold on’ gesture when Callie pressed. They were content to listen to the story without interfering with the recruits and making it a formal report, and more importantly, wanted to be able to take stock of the reactions of all the recruits as events were laid out.
Everyone gasped in horror at the Dragonfire Oil being lost and Tazrok being attacked in the water while looking for it, forcing his retreat. The revelation that Shul’an came to the rescue, his flaming breath weapon serving as a substitute, elicited cheers of relief and an ‘excellent on-your-feet thinking’ from Koda, and a hardy slap on Callie’s back from Vanis, as well as similar slaps on Shul’an’s.
Reynard being snatched by the toothy eel-monster elicited another set of worried gasps, but then a round of cheers as Jesca described Tazrok’s Hellhound doing battle to save the Trainer, drunkenly cooing and calling him ‘the best little hellpuppy around’. Pixyl was also given credit for her well-timed Ethereal Blast while over the water, furiously embarrassed by the attention. Tazrok also was embarrassed by the adulations, but accepted a dozen slaps on his back and arms from those close to him and finally waved to the circle in blushing acknowledgement. Jesca made sure to mention all the great healing that Ambria and Lhawni did, especially in getting Reynard’s severed wound under control. Ambria, who was sitting with the inseparable Tigerkin twins, echoed the attempt to wave everything away, as did Lhawni, trying to stay modest.
Finally, Jesca kindly skirted over the fact that Callie specifically was forced to kill the unicorn mother, saying instead that she was simply infected and an unfortunate duty they had. That naturally led to the baby unicorn, and their decision to bring the young foal back to camp for care until she could be released back to the wild. This elicited a round of chatter among those that had seen the arrival, bringing those that had missed the experience fully into the fold. Jesca did make a point to tell everyone not to approach the unicorn in the stables, adding that if they had to look, to please do it from a comfortable distance. Callie noticed that Jesca specifically ignored the reason why the unicorn chose to follow her, imagining it could just lead to further awkwardness, and wondered if anyone in the audience might figure it out for themself.
The story concluded, Koda rose from his seat, and held out his cup, a sense of his experienced presence drawing everyone’s attention and calling for silence. “I’d just like to say a couple things,” he said, turning slowly in a circle. You could tell he was a little inebriated, which seemed to make his words all the more heartfelt. “Congratulations on the success of your mission. Despite the challenges, you each exhibited courage and skill, undertaken for the best of reasons - to save our fellow recruit. I take pride in knowing all of you, and you inspire me.” He then gestured in general towards the rest of the crowd. “I hope they inspire the rest of you as well.” He called for a toast, which led to another round of cheering for the eight of them as Koda slumped back to the ground, a big drunken bear grin flashed to Callie.
Almost immediately questions started being called out, most directed to Callie, but a few to the other team members. Callie didn’t know where to begin answering them, and finally took to waving her hand and saying “No more questions!” with growing irritation. It was Tazrok that finally got the interrogations to end, growling out a demand to leave them be, that may have been more forceful than he intended. Rather than irritate their Corporal Punishment further, the chatter seemed to die away.