Thread:Selound/@comment-4482397-20120122211335/@comment-4482397-20120224164103

Okay the next chapter is called Where Will You Go

i think in the next chapter Stumptooth remembers the rest of the map poem and after the group separate, there should be more Findo/Risk/Lonny/sia rectangle... and Ralken is having misgivings of leaving his friends family and mate behind but Tara (who has the second sight) tells him it'll be fine.

and some more romance between Tail and Aqua...

As they made their slow and silent procession back to the woods, Elonwyn walked beside Sia and Risk, Findo way in the lead. The small stoat glanced at Risk who had had his paws retied behind his back.

“you had a chance to run away earlier.” Elonwyn eyed him almost sternly. “Why didn’t you?”

Risk gave her an amused look from across his shoulder. “And where do you think I was gonna go runt?”

Elonwyn had to admit, he had a pretty good point. Where WOULD he have gone? He certainly couldn’t have gone far even if he’d tried; Findo was the second fastest scout in Badrang’s horde next to Juni (who had had to step down since her pregnancy).

This also brought another point into Lonny’s head. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and nibbled her claw in thought. Where would THEY all go? Now that Badrang was dead, they didn’t need to GO anyplace to get away from him. He was in a place where he could not touch them.

“We have no plan.” Elonwyn said aloud.

Risk grinned at her. “Speak for yourself.”

“And what’s your plan then?” Sia said coldly, her eyes still red rimmed. Findo had convinced her not to bury her brother and she was still in mental anguish.

“Not me.” Risk gave a sneer. “But all the lovey-dovey couples sure as hellgates do. They’ve probably all left us in the dust now we singles are gone.”

Elonwyn noticed that Risk was grinning in Findo’s direction and allowing his voice to carry over to the weasel.

Findo’s shoulder’s sagged but that was about his only reaction. Elonwyn gave a relieved sigh. The last thing they needed was a brawl.

“You aren’t helping anything you know.” Lonny looked up at Risk in earnest. Elonwyn thought she saw his blush.

“He was gonna kill me.” Risk grumbled, averting his eyes from hers.

“What happened?!” all three of them, including Sia jumped. Aqua had limped over to Findo’s side as fast as she could and her voice was somewhat shrill with apprehension. “You guys just took off after Sia without a word!” her slightly crabby look softened as she noticed Sia’s pinched features. “Is anyone… alive?”

“Just Clogg and he’s nuttier than a tree in fall.” Findo grinned down at Aqua.

Lonny sighed. The guilt of leaving her father still clung to her insides.

“He got a leak in his dingy!” Risk called.

“He’s got splinters in the windmills of his mind!” Findo shot back.

Risk retaliated. “Someone blew his light house out!”

“That is enough the both of you!” Ralken strode over angrily. “Do you not have any consideration for others?!”

Everyone was staring at Lonny and she realized she was crying. The little stoat bit her lip in embarrassment, a blush going up her face. Why did everyone have to stare at her? She hated being the center of attention.

“D’aaaaw.” Elonwyn almost shrieked as Risk suddenly wrapped his tail around her (as his hands were tied) and rested his cheek on her head and glared in mock reproach at Findo. “Look what you’ve gone and done Fin, you made her cry.”

“Don’t act so innocent you were making jokes too.” Findo’s tail bristled at the sight of Elonwyn being fondled by Risk, but he resisted the urge to attack him. “And don’t call me fin.”

“Get off!” Elonwyn fell over backward trying to scramble away from the silver weasel.

“This is not the time or the place for fooling around!” Ralken tapped his foot impatiently. “Juni, Alya and the others are waiting for us up the hill-

“Don’t mind him ladies and gentleman he’s just being a crab because Kenroy took his place in Alya’s bed.” Findo grinned around at the others and Ralken went rigid.

“Findo- Sia let out a frustrated sigh.

Ralken gave Findo a hard punch in the stomach and the weasel doubled over with a slight “oof” before he grinned up at his friend. “You call that a punch?”

“Come on.” Ralken turned away and started up the hill. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

“What ground?” sia said darkly.

Ralken turned to stare at her. “What?”

“I said: What ground?” Sia snapped, raising herself to full height. Risk let himself flop on the ground next to Lonny and the runty stoat and the silver weasel exchanged apprehensive glances. Aqua and findo crouched down beside them.

All eyes were on Ralken and Sia.

“As Elonwyn pointed out a while ago,” Sia flattened her ears. “We have no place to go. We have no plan.”

“We have a plan.” Ralken’s tail lashed back and forth in annoyance. “We’re going to travel until we find a decent place to separate-

“Travel?!” sia let out an almost hysterical laugh. “Juni and Aqua are hardly in any fit state to travel! Juni’s going to give birth any day now, and you tell me we’re going to TRAVEL?!”

“We can wait until she gives birth and then-

“And then what?!” sia snarled. “Tote little ones around? How will we feed them if we end up in, say, a desert, or a mountain?! Are you willing to put their lives on the line?”

“No, of course not!” Ralken said, looking shocked. “But we can’t just hang around here!”

“Badrang is gone. We can stay here as long as we wish, now he’s no threat!” sia snapped. “You’re willing to put us all in peril, and you don’t even have a decent plan! WE HAVE NO DESTINATION!!!!” she shouted, and her voice echoed across the woods.

“I hate to say this…” Findo sighed, rubbing the pack of his neck as he padded over to his best friend. “But she’s right. We need a plan before we do anything.”

Ralken flattened his ears, refusing to look anyone in the eye. “And if I make the wrong decision… and beasts die…”

“You’ll make the right decision mate.” Findo put an arm around the stoats shoulder.

“You think so?” Ralken let out a weary sigh, and Elonwyn realized how much he was burdened now they had left.

“Of course!” Findo ruffled his friend’s fur cheerfully. “I’m your second in command so you’ll have me to help you decide! You can’t possibly lead us astray!”

There was a collective groan from the group and Ralken responded by punching Findo again.

Elonwyn smiled. She had been slightly undone by Findo’s sudden cheerful behavior, what with his cold angry personality he’d somehow managed to gain in Marshank. Now she understood.

Badrang was dead, and all the worry and pressure that Findo had been going through had been lifted, and he was acting the way he had before their lives in Marshank had become complex.

He was Findo the playboy wonder weasel again. Lonny beamed at Aqua from across Risk and her cousin gave her an evil grin in return.

“Let’s get back to the others before they think we died.” Aqua said as she and Lonny both hoisted Risk onto his feet.



At the top of the hill, everyone sat in a big circle, while Ralken and Findo crouched in the middle.

“Not entirely sure how to go about this ya know.” Stumptooth gave a nervous smile as he ruffled his head fur in thought. “Makes me feel out of place, us making all these decisions. With Badrang you were just told what to do and didn’t question nothin’ he said.”

“This is Ralken and Findo, not Badrang.” Juni smiled at the simple ferret, one arm around Kenroy, the other around her belly.

“Why do I still have to have my paws tied?” Risk muttered to Elonwyn, who was nestled between him and Aqua. She simply shrugged and he muttered something under his breath.

“Alright.” Ralken called over the others mumblings. “Are there any ideas as to where we can go? Has anyone heard of anything, even a rumor? And any plans about what to do with Kenroy and Juni’s future babies on the journey?”

“Babies?” Tara glanced at Alya in confusion.

“She’s huge.” Alya smirked slightly. “I’m fairly certain it’s twins.”

Stumptooth cautiously raised a paw and Findo pointed at him. “You, the scruffy old ferret in the back there.”

“Very funny Fin.” Stumptooth growled under his breath as everyone laughed. “Well, what I wanted to say is that I heard of this place when I was real young… about ten seasons.”

“What do you know about this place Stumpy?” Ralken elbowed Findo in the ribs.

“Well, there was an old fairy tale we was told, and I believed in it, see.” He blushed. “It was called Court Sanctum. I was told, see, that it’s this vast amount of land, ruled by a king and queen and their council, and it was a place where woodlanders, and vermin like us, ya know, not evil, would live together in harmony…”

“Do you have any idea where this place would be?” Ralken cocked his head.

“What I was told… you follow the path of the rising sun. There was a poem see, that was like a map… but I can’t quite recall…” he let out a breath and started again.

“Ye who search for that sanctuary.

Ye who wish to join our court.

Ye who are chivalrous and daring…” Stumptooth trailed off awkwardly.

Tara took his paw. “I’ll help you… just try to remember it.”

Ralken raised a paw. “While you’re doing that… who has a plan for what we can do for Juni and her babies… not to mention Kenroy.”

Elonwyn hesitated, and then raised a paw tentatively.

“Yes! The gorgeous beauty over to the left!” Findo pointed at her and Elonwyn’s face burned.

“W-well…” she trailed away, until Risk gave her a slight poke in the ribs. “Since, Aqua, still needs to heal, and… Juni is going to have babies sometime soon… I thought, maybe, those who are stronger, can go ahead and a pawful of us can stay here-

“WHAT?!” Ralken and Tailwart both leapt to their feet and Lonny’s fur fluffed up in terror.

“Hey, let the kid speak!” Risk snapped.

Aqua glared at her mate and cousin. “Sit down and shut up!”

Lonny wriggled uncomfortably. Findo smiled at her. “Go on kiddo.”

Elonwyn swallowed then continued. “Well, me, Juni, alya and Aqua can stay here until Aqua and Juni are ready to travel, then we catch up with the rest of you…”

“But, how will you catch up to us?” Findo and Ralken said in unison.

“I GOT IT!!!” Sia leapt to her feet knocking Alya over. She raised her right paw over her head and everyone stared at it. Clasped in her fist, was a handful of white ribbons.

“Brilliant!” Aqua shrieked clapping her paws. “You’ll tie a white ribbon onto something every so often to leave a trail!”

“That sounds good.” Ralken sounded as though he had doubts, but he continued. “Now, who all will stay behind? I don’t feel good about leaving you without protection…”

“Well…” Alya tapped the ground with a claw thoughtfully. “I’ll have to stay behind because I’m the healer. Lonny’ll stay because she’s my assistant, and Findo and Tailwart still need to heal from their whipping ordeal, and Juni because she needs to give birth first, and Aqua because of her leg. We should also keep Kenroy with us because he’s young.”

“I’ll stay behind.” Sia said, twitching her tail. “so I can protect them all in case of danger.”

“And me.”

Everyone stared at Risk because it was he who had spoken.

“What?!” he spat. “It’s either that or be stuck traveling with Findo and Ralken!”

“Well, it seems we have a plan…” Ralken let out an uneasy sigh. “Now all that’s left is for Stumptooth to remember his map poem.”