Sol finally arrived. His heart pounding, hatred burning, wanting more than anything to rush in, but that was foolish. But as his keen elfin eyes surveyed his surroundings, calculating his entry, he didn't know whether or not he was going to keep from it. The opening was clear, only darkness was his cover, anyone with eyes would see him crossing the yard, and were-rats had superb night vision. To make matters worse, two wooden guard towers stood high on each corner of the encampment. This wasn't going to be a secret mission.
He closed his eyes and tried to relax, which was near impossible with his mind so clouded by anxiety. The magic was happy to speak, but his connection wasn't clear. Gritting his teeth, he rudely forced a stronger bond, something he was taught never to do, he was going to have to apologize later. "Show me," he said, and the magic obeyed. It revealed a snake curling under some leaves nearby, trying to escape the chill in the air. He wasn't worried about that. It showed him a small bird somewhere behind and above him. "No, no forward!" he said. "Show me rats - rats upright upon two legs!" Sol was getting a bit frustrated now. The magic seemed hurt, Sol had never spoken to it in such as brutish tone before, but it did what was asked.
High above the ground stood one in a tower, two on the ground, one standing near the entrance. Sol ducked low abruptly cutting off his vision and waited, but he was tired of waiting. He had time, but Raniah did not; she needed him now. With a burst of thousand sparks, Sol ran from his hiding place straight into the heart of the area, knowing full well the dangers of what he had just done. He was ready to burn everything to the ground anyway, he might as well just get it over with.
"Rats!" He yelled at any within earshot. "I know you are here, show yourselves!"
"Ooo!" Arden said. "Look what we have here."
"He commands us," Fisk spoke now. "Who do ya think you are, elf. So alone."
"Stop playing games, I know you have her," sol yelled letting sparks fly from his eyes.
"Games, he says," Arden said.
"Her?" said Fisk. "Who is this her you speak of ... she sounds lovely, must be for you to come all this way."
"Bring her before me, or so help me I will burn you all!" Sol was burning now with hatred, blinded by it.
Another rat stepped out from the cavern one with a large tin can upon his head. Sol would have thought it a peculiar headdress if he cared about such things at the moment. The rat shuttered, not out of fear, but because he couldn't help himself, a tick that stayed with him from youth. His name was Jax.
"Y-yes," Jax said. "I'm s-sure you think so, but at this v-very m-moment, an arrow is pointed d-directly at your s-skull. You will be dead before you can cast a spark our way!" Despite his silly appearance the rat clearly wasn't stupid. "You h-have foolishly entered our home, lone elf, and demanded of us s-something we clearly know n-nothing about."
"Why should I believe you rat!?"
"P-Perhaps she ran away, elf. C-Clearly you don't have good M-Manners."
Yes Jax of the house of Gully was an unusual rat with dirty brown fur and a noticeable twitch. Despite his simpleton look, he was brilliant and very much the Mangari's planner. Nothing was done as a group without consulting him, even Ta'nnah sought his countenance, he, after all, worked as her adviser and was thought of as a second in command, though he held no actual title. He had scouted and suggested this old mine a few years back, and for a while, it was the prime real estate. He was the one that got them out of a great many problems in the past. A valued member despite his stutter, no one ever complained, not to his face anyway.
Sol would not listen to any more lies. His eyes burned with fire, his hand burst with flame. He was ready to burn everything, one blink and everything in his path would die. He was so blind that he did not hear the movement behind, did not sense the grey rat with a massive stone raised high, and it wasn't till the rock struck him that he understood what had happened and how foolish he truly was. Jax had distracted him. I'm sorry Rainah... this thought echoed throughout his aching head, and by the second blow, he was out cold. No fire. No thoughts. No dreams. Nothing. He had failed.
Laimon stood over the elf, breathing heavily. "Thank the gods!" he said, not that he was all that religious. A small bird fluttered down landing on his shoulder. "Tuss, did you see!" He was nearly squeaking like a common mouse. "I got him! Just in time too."
"HOW MANY MORE!" Roared Ta'nnah bursting with rage. She shot out of the mouth of the cavern like a white cannonball, her eyes wild with the fury of death. "Answer me!" Was there a hint of fear there also? Laimon, who wasn't used to cowering, cowered. At that moment he felt like he were a small ratling who had just been caught spying on the Neighbors daughters during bath time by a very furious mother. Pure Venom.
"I know you're angry," He said.
"HOW MANY!"
"Just the one, it was just him and her... the human. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"I'm guessing lox told you, I left her with him. I couldn't drag her with me, I needed to make sure you..."
"Made sure I what?!" Ta'nnah roared, her tail blade was up and ready to strike him down.
"To make sure you were safe." He blushed as he said it and was glad of his fur. Did she know? Could she sense his feelings?
"Oh, great my hero!" she barked sounding more like a wolf then a rat. "Knight in shining Armour come to help a poor damsel in distress were you?"
"Not what I m-meant" He shuddered sounding like Jax. Jax smiled at this, Arden and Fisk just sort of backed themselves in a corner and Ivan laughed from his tower.
"Take the elf, bring him into the cages, lock him away... and Laimon, don't mess this up too."
That hurt, but Laimon didn't blame her for being peeved at him, he was angry at himself. How could he have been so careless? He was never reckless, and he was just as mad at himself than she was. He did as he was told, and said nothing to defend himself, for he deserved it.
The elf was light but dead weight, which would have made him awkward to carry, so instead, he dragged him. Besides, it made him feel better about the situation knowing the elf was being pummeled by the dirt and rock beneath him. Laimon hated elves anyway, they all thought too highly of themselves, fancy clothes and fancy everything; smooth skin and hair and magic also, pure as silk woven into every molecule, they were like angels without wings, and not to mention tasteless. What good was being made of meat without being good to eat? Even rotting, the flesh of an elf was like eating wax and parchment.
"Jax," Ta'nnha said. "Follow him. I need you to cast a spell of protection on the cage. He can't be allowed to use his fire beyond his bars."
Yet another trick that Jax had that most rats did not, he was magic. Somewhere in his bloodline, he had magic flowing through him. Jax didn't know the history of his family's past, but he was always grateful for the gift; It was a rare gift indeed for a rat, one in a billion.
"As you wish T-Ta'nah" stuttered Jax nodding, smiling at the scene. He knew full well he could merely levitate the poor Elf, and help Laimon, but what was the punishment in that. So instead, he followed close behind laughing to himself.
###
The air was growing colder by the minute, and the cabin lox saw as a home for much longer than he should have, was growing more and more abandoned by the second. He really didn't want to leave it in such a state, but it was too late for that.
"So you are going to help me," Rainah said. "I'm coming with you?"
"Yes!" Lox growled in discontentment.
"Why the sudden change of heart, was it the stones? Who was that your grandmother?"
"My grandmother," The orc confirmed. "She is a powerful witch, even beyond her mortal shell it would seem, she has been guiding me, I could always feel it, but never so directly. I don't know how it works, but what you witnessed was a message from beyond the grave."
"So you will help us then?!" Rainah was beginning to repeat herself now, but she was more excited than anything. She had help now, hope was on her side.
"I said I would, and I am an Orc of my word."
Rainah for a moment smiled despite the circumstance. Hope! There was hope. But the smile faded almost as soon as it began. She couldn't bear the thought of sol marching into arms of killers for nothing. The longer they were apart, the longer he would have to fight for his life, the chance of his survival were waning as they spoke. Hope was the only thing keeping her sane. It was stronger than the fear she felt, but it's essence was still there lingering like a dark shadow.
"Okay then" she begins. "Which way!?" she didn't even know if she should trust this orc, but she didn't have a choice.
"North, mostly, northwest," Lox pointed up at an increasingly sloping hill, into an increasingly thick and dark forest.
"Of course it is," She said more to herself, she was dreading walking into the dark without her Sol to warm her, to keep her safe. Her eyes began to water, but she stopped them. She would keep herself strong until she was safe until they were safe. It was no time for discouragement. She could fall apart when the time was right.
Lox lifted his fingers to his lips and gave off a shrill whistle as if calling a horse. "No sense in treading this wood on foot," he said.
"A horse!?" Rainah said with a hint of relief, little excitement. She liked horses, and it would help speed the pace a bit. Walking on foot would take too long. She had a sickening feeling something was going very wrong. She pushed this idea away, she couldn't take thoughts like that, not now, not yet; Instead, she focused on the prospect of horseback riding. He knew how to ride and it would make the journey much more comfortable and quicker, both of which were positive things.
"No," Lox smiled. "Not a horse."
There were a loud rustling and a grunt that sounded nothing like a horse, It was bounding towards her, wide-eyed, she turned in time to see a giant four-legged beast rise up on two legs and growl. A huge brown bear, larger than life, ready to kill her. She screamed and fell to the ground. The bear dropped down to four legs once more and moved closer to her.
"Easy, boy," Lox said as if talking to a dog. "She is my guest."
The bear walked close to her, Rainah was too afraid to move, she held up her hands as if to shield herself as if that would do anything to a creature who could rip through flesh like it was butter. It sniffed her.
"Art! If you would, please back away." Lox said slightly amused. "You are going to frighten her to death."
The beast obeyed, albeit reluctantly.
"She smells!" The bear growled. Rainah couldn't believe her ears. Did the beast just speak?
"That's no way to talk about a lady," Lox laughed.
" She smells of your rat friends," Art said physically pawing at his nose as if to wipe the stench from it."I don't like your rat friends."
"Speaking of my friends," Lox began. "We require your help."
"Doing what exactly?" Art asked.
"We are going to rescue a stupid fire elf," Lox said. "From my friends."
"Will I get to eat them?" art asked smiling; it was terribly disturbing to see a bear smile.
"Do as you will Art," Lox said. "My fight is not with the Mangari. I just want the elf."
"Very well, how may I help?"
Art was no ordinary bear, though he started life as such, he was a witch's familiar. Familiars often found themselves locked in spiritual binds with a witch's or warlock's bloodline. He so happen to have been linked with Lox's grandmother. His purpose was to protect her, and so now after her unfortunate passing, it was his job to protect Lox.
"You can talk?" Rainah said clearly taken aback. She, of course, had heard of talking animals but never had she met one.
"Yes, I can talk so can you," said Art his voice was deep, deeper than even lox's, and gruff as was to be expected. "But can you listen, humans have difficulty listening to nature?"
Rainnah ignored the quip, It was no time to argue. Under better circumstances, she would have been thrilled to meet a talking bear, but now wasn't the time for childish musing either. He was here to help, and that's what she focused on.
"What now, we can't waste much time..." She said. "Who knows what things these creatures will do to Sol."
"I can think of a few things," Lox said matter-of-factly.
"That isn't funny," Rainah burst out in anger, could not help herself.
"It wasn't intended as such!" Lox said truthfully. "These Were-rats tend to be pretty ruthless, they care about only their own."
"And yet you made friends with them," Art sneered.
"Friends. Allies. Same thing."
"Is that all I am?" Art growled. "Just an ally?"
"You are family" Lox barked back. "Big difference."
"If it helps," Art suggested, turning back to Rainnah. "The Mangari are for profit-oriented, once they realize that your husband is a Les'fure they might keep him alive long enough to plan a trade."
"How did you know that?!" Rainah was taken aback by how much the bear knew about her husband.
"I have seen The Mangari in action for quite some time." Art said.
"No, I mean how did you know he was a Les'fure?"
"I am a bear," Art said as if that explained everything. "My nose is very sensitive, I never forget a sent, I have smelled his kind before."
"No more idol talk," Raniah said finally, more commanding then she used to. "We must go now, or I go alone."
"Very well," Art said. "I assume to have called for my help so I can carry you?"
Lox nodded, "Yes."
"Both of you?"
"Yes," Lox repeated.
"Right, do what you need too..." Art bent low as if to lay down so that Rainnah and lox could climb aboard his back. "...but don't pull on my fur too tightly, its unpleasant."
Rainnah climb aboard the beast; it was similar enough to a horse right? Lox followed suit.
"Are you ready?" Ther bear growled, and Rainnah gave unsure "yes."
"Ready," Lox said and off they went, bounding into the forest.
It was nothing at all like a horse, Rainnah decided. Art was much more wide, and a bears movement was entirely different than a horse, she would have to learn real quick how to sway with him or be kicked off and left behind. She held on tight.
"Ouch," Art bellowed. "not so tight!"
"Sorry!" she said and readjusted her grip, she would have given anything for a saddle.