Mythlands: THE HEIST

The Taking of Andrew Ketterley

7.20pm Narnian Hinterlands.

The Bulgy Bear was suspicious. 

Standing there with his arms folded, watching the blonde flirt with the Professor, he couldn't help but think that things weren't right. How did Goldilocks ... a non Narnian citizen, just happen to appear in the woods? If Ketterley had given him the chance, he would have strenuously questioned the woman, asked her if she was part of the delegation to the Cair Paravel economic summit that was shortly to reconvene and if so, what was she doing out here?

The thought of 'Out Here' made the Bulgy Bear frown. In many ways this was a cushy number but he missed the capital and all his friends. Still, Ketterley wasn't exactly an exile ... just encouraged to vanish from court for a while, every once in a while. They could go back anytime, but probably wouldn't for months ... not after the Professor had soured what little regard he had, by making drunken suggestive remarks to Queen Susan.

In truth hardly anybody liked Professor Andrew Ketterley. He was regarded as somewhere between a creep and a bore and also - significantly, there was a high level of doubt as to his faith. The Bulgy Bear made the sign of the lion and muttered 'All Praise to Aslan.'

This was another reason he didn't like being the man's protector. Ketterley made all the right noises, went to attend the Church of Aslan (but only on high occasions) but he was somehow insincere. The Bulgy Bear's snout contracted as he felt himself sneer at the thought of an irreligious infidel at the very heart of the Inner Circle. Kept there only by the fact that he was one of the humans who had played a part in the creation and the rebirth of the glorious Aslanist State, praise be the Lion!

It rankled at him, but this was his charge from the High Kings and Queens and therefore he would protect Ketterley with his life if need be. He was still contemplating the coincidence of this woman ... one who the Professor obsessed over, being here, when he heard a slight noise like something being knocked over.

'Watch her,' he told the guard next to him, as he walked out, toggling his comms as he did so.

A few minutes later he turned down a hallway, alert for any sign of disturbance. Things just weren't right ... there had been reports of raids on villages in the area by a band of emboldened black dwarves and scattered sightings of some kind of troll or ogre.

Suddenly the Bulgy Bear froze. It was a damn cat. He was on the verge of turning back when a thought struck him - there hadn't been any talking cats in Narnia since the Rebirth - the small population had been punished and reverted to dumbness due to the actions of the traitor Ginger and the cat that had been here before had been a darker colour not ...

He turned back, in time to see an orange tail whip around the corner. Could it be ...?

He couldn't take the chance. Not on the same night that Goldilocks had coincidentally shown up out of the blue. The Bulgy Bear's tactical mind began to mentally organize a search and possible defense. He was screaming orders into his comms set as he raced back into the dining area to evacuate ...

The Professor! Ketterley was lying face down at the table - the guards were slumped on the floor and a green mist was floating around the rooms, emanating from the air vents. At the table, Goldie Lochs was rising, a knife in her left hand and her right holding a small gasmask to her mouth and nose.

Bulgy went for his side arm but before he could draw it, the knife struck his left shoulder. Howling in pain, he turned and ran, bursting out into the outer compound, screaming for the centaurs. They could still organize a defense and take back the compound and rescue Ketterley, but he had to rally the guards and find out how many of the enemy they were up against.

A small ginger figure burst out of a door ahead of him. At first he thought it was the cat, but no ... it looked like a small man.

'Oh Buuuuuullllggggyyyyy,' giggled the figure as it ran towards him.

Suddenly a centaur charged and rammed the small man aside.

'Sir! We have hostiles on all sides. Black Dwarves and trolls have taken the front gate.'

The Bulgy Bear was about to give orders to regroup when the centaur dissolved into red mist in front of his eyes. More beams of destructive red energy struck the ground in front of him as he dodged and loped from side to side, clutching his injured arm.

Chancing a look skywards he saw two muscular figures with billowing capes, hovering in the sky. One feline head turned towards him and a red beam shot in his direction. He barely avoided this one and made it to the wall of the main house where a strange creature stepped out in front of him.

It was some kind of tall skinny rabbit man - six foot at least because they were seeing eye to eye - the being had white grey fur and tall rabbit ears that were sticking up. It or he was dressed incongruously in black jeans and a dark jacket over a black t-shirt emblazoned with the picture of a long haired human holding some kind of big sitar and with the word Metallica written underneath.

'Sorry Pal, this is for your own good,' said The Hare, drawing back his arm.

The Bulgy Bear hit the ground a second later. The last thing he heard as consciousness drifted from him was the rabbit man crouching over him. 'Those cats would have turned you into red mist. You can thank me later.'