User blog:Starfire Dawnsong/Keeping Silent

Karalea strained and tugged at the rope. She looked to her right, where her brother, Landis, and several other slaves hauled at the huge stone. Landis glanced at her and smiled. She shook her brown head at him. "No," she tried to mouth. "Stay silent. Don't draw attention to yourself." A groan arrested her attention. She jerked her head around and saw that an old squirrel had fallen. Karalea had talked to him once or twice, but she was far better acquainted with his son Felldoh. Now, the squirrel lay on the ground with a young mouse bending over him. Karalea instinctively glanced at Hisk, who didn't look happy. He raised his whip. "Here, keep movin', you lot!" he ordered. Then he turned on the squirrel. "Get up, you!" he yelled. When the squirrel didn't move, Hisk became enraged. "Move, you useless old lump!" he screamed, growing red in the face with fury. "I'll strip your hide, you worthless layabout!" He pulled back the whip. Karalea covered her eyes, not wanting to see what would happen next. She waited for the crack of the lash. It never came. The young squirrel looked up and saw that the young mouse had coiled the whip around his paw. She gasped. The mouse yanked hard, and Hisk tumbled from the giant stone. The mouse leaped on him, and she saw that Landis had to jump back to avoid getting hit by the mouse.