The Lutin Chronicles Chapter 17 Enemy Sun by Oren Otter They were a very ragged-looking lot. Sytet couldn't say he was particularly impressed with them. There were about fifty in all. They didn't really look like goblins. Skin tones among them ranged from pine green to chota brown. Their bodies were thin, apart from oversized bellies, possibly from malnutrition. Their noses were extremely short and round, though their ears were definitely classic goblin. Short, brush tails protruded from their pants not unlike those of the tragso. It was the feet that were the most unusual. Rather than a set of toes, each foot ended in a small hoof. "You call yourselves..." Sytet paused to study the word again. "Killikantzaros." said the group's spokesman. "Right. And you come from..." "Down." said the spokesman. The others murmurred in agreement. "Down. Okay. Do you have any special skills?" "We cut trees." said one. "That's hardly special." said Sytet. "From below ground!" the newcomer clarified. "Why do you want to work here?" asked Sytet. "For money, of course." The others heartily echoed the sentiments. "Of course. What I'm trying to ask is what kind of work do you want to do? We have a number of different kinds of operation here. There's mining, construction, metalworking, vehicle operation, medical, trading, magic, engineering..." "We want to cut through the world!" said one of the killikantzaros. "Right. Excavation. Get on the train. Take it as far south as it will go. When you get to a dead end, ask for James the nilbog. He'll tell you what to do." As the Killikantzaros departed, another goblin approached. "Kofak Sytet?" he asked. Sytet's ears perked. Seldom did anyone address him by his full name. "That's me." The stranger had tannish skin and white hair. He was dressed in a red robe and had the telltale features of a shape-shifter. "I am Zutsu of the tengu brotherhood." "I'm not familiar with them." Sytet admitted. "Are you werebats?" "Dogs." Zutsu corrected. "We are overseers of nature. I have been informed of some serious alterations in the magic fields of this area. I have been assigned to this place to insure that these changes pose no threat to the environment." "I assure you, they don't." said Sytet. "While there has been some deforestation to make room for farms and towns, our magics have actually been improving the ecosystem by increasing the water supply, accelerating plant growth and maximizing biodiversification." Silently, the werebat thought to himself that he'd hit some kind of new low to be using this kind of vocabulary. There was a puff of smoke. Rog and Blotchet fell out of the air, landing inches away from Sytet and Zutsu. "Oh, hey, sorry, there." said Rog as he got to his feet. Extending a hand to the tengu, he introduced himself. "Spectaculo the wizard. The unicorn is Pureheart. I was just researching a teleportation spell. I guess I Frimmined when I should have Jim-jammed. But hey, that's what research is for, am I right?" "Your name is Rog." said Zutsu. "His is Blotchet. You're a scam artist from Prendor who discovered an ancient spellbook in a lake when you were transformed into a fish. You only started your legitimate study of magic after you were apprehended by Norebo and forced to make good on your deception after magically emptying the Federation's food banks." "Whoa." said Blotchet. "He nailed you." "And you are the dim-witted sidekick who, despite being forced to eat grass for the rest of his life, helped him to get away with it." "Nailed you too." said Rog. "Hey, wait... Who are you, anyway?" "Zutsu of the Tengu brotherhood. You may think of us as the magic police. We've had our eye on you for some time, Mister Spectaculo. Rest assured, I'll continue to watch you very closely." "If you really want to talk magic, I suggest you talk to Jun or Count Dupris." said Sytet. "They're our senior wizards and they're both on the council." "Actually, I need to speak to Norebo." "Cabin seven. Just past the hospital." Zutsu left without so much as a thank you. As he left, Anser the fox came storming in, walking on his hind paws, his front paws curled into fists. "Mister Kofak, I demand to speak to Captain Kayrok!" the fox barked. Sytet sighed. "What is it, Anser?" "I was promised hot and cold running water for Intersect." "I was just at Intersect yesterday." said Sytet. "You HAVE hot and cold running water." "But the taps are out in the square! They were supposed to be inside the shop!" "I know Fugu and Gerf discussed this with you. Eventually, the water lines will be hooked up to each home. Everyone will have indoor plumbing. But for right now, it's one set of taps per town. Yours have been placed where the public can get at them." "This isn't at all what we agreed upon!" snarled the fox. "Then take it up with Kayrok." "That's what I'm TRYING to do. Where is he?" "He's busy." "Doing what?" Sytet lost his temper. "Busy taking care of matters that are of actual importance rather than wasting time catering to the selfishness of control-hungry little furballs like you! Now get out of here before I stick my fangs in your neck and suck your little carcass dry!" "You're bluffing. You're a fruit bat." said Anser. Sytet transformed and shrieked. Anser ran out of Dimtorch as if his tail had just been lit on fire. Sytet changed back into a lutin and went into the CQ to flop his head onto his desk and sigh heavily. "Kayrok to Sytet." came a voice from the radiant. "Come in, Sytet." "Sytet here." said the werebat without lifting his head. "Go ahead, Sir." "Good news. We've just hit a vein of sunstars down past Progress. Point thinks we can generate enough light to sustain a small forest. Inform Splin that we need a supply of saplings. Preferably fruit saplings, if he can swing it." "Yes, Sir." said Sytet. "Is anything wrong?" asked the captain. "No... yes." "What's wrong, soldier?" "Permission to speak freely, Sir?" "Always." "You know I count it a privilege to serve, Sir, but... why am I here doing Sujan's old job? I'm a werebat, Sir. My place is in the sky, not behind a desk. This is much more Qlin's line of work." "Qlin's mind hasn't been in the here and now of late. Tell you what, Sytet. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off. I'll come back and man the CQ myself. Go for a fly. Unwind a bit." "Thank you, Sir." Sytet wasted no time in clearing out of Dimtorch. Rising high into the sky, he soared over the forest, enjoying the feeling of sunshine on his wings. * * * It wasn't the old humanologist of whom Sytet had been speaking. The lutin who had been among the first to marry now had a son. Qlin Junior had followed in his father's footsteps, studying human history and culture. It was an interest, nay, a fascination which bonded the two close together. When he was old enough, Qlin the younger became his father's apprentice, with an eye to one day becoming an intelligence officer in Kayrok's army. Qlin stared at the picture of his father which stood on the table beside his bed. The loss of his father still stung, still hurt very deeply, as though it had only happened yesterday. Certainly, his mother had not taken it well. The lutin woman spent her days sitting in the dark, waiting all day for the night to come, and then when it did, waiting all night for the morning. Qlin had been keeping the house and cooking her meals, but this was beginning to put a strain on his allready stressed-out spirit. The humanologist put the picture down. He sat and stared into the darkness for a moment. He never realized he had fallen asleep. As he slept, he dreamed. Horrible creatures made of darkness descended upon his people. A tower stood in the forest. A sacred fire. A glass blower. Clockwork gears. Seven towers in the wilderness. An angry mob. Qlin the elder, smiling, and telling him "You'll know what to do." Qlin awoke suddenly, feeling extremely confused. Such a strange dream. What could it all mean? "I've been inside for too long." he said to himself. "i ought to go for a walk to clear my head." And that's what he did. His wandering took him into the woods to the north of North Hunger. In a cleaning, he noticed some stones. It occurred to him that these stones would look so beautiful in a ring. He began to lay them out in a large curcular pattern. As he did, a strange peace washed over him. He didn't know why laying the stones like this made him feel better, but it did. It would be several hours before anyone needed him. Qlin decided to find more stones and add them to the ring, in order to hold onto this feeling of solace just a little longer. * * * Kapik was not the sort of princess who shied away from work. She had spent the afternoon in Point Grove picking strawcherries. Because of the terrible heat, she'd spent most of the time in her goblin form. While this form did better handle the heat, even it began to feel the burn. One of the great new features at Point Grove was a series of cool pools created from the fountain recently made possible by Gerf. Kapik made full use of these, swimming in her lutin form and penguin form, as well as her inbetween shape. She wished she could stay all day, but her people were waiting for the strawcherries. Picking up the basket, she started off on the long journey back to Bounty. Most of the werepenguins had settled there to be close both to the lake just to the south and to the cold storage facilities. The train roared by on its way from Singing Pony as Kapik made her way down the hill. She knew that riding the train would be a much faster way to get home, but she had always prefered walking. Like most werebeasts, technology made her feel uneasy. As the princess came in to Intersect, she found herself sweating profusely. Anyone who believed that princesses don't sweat had never met Kapik. She sweated like a pig and smelled just as bad on a hot day like this. "Hot enough for ya?" someone asked. Kapik looked around to see an elderly hogboon sitting on his porch, drinking tea while rocking in his rocking chair and soaking his feet in a watering trough. "It is that." Kapik replied. "...In spades." "Folks ought not be out working in the noonday sun on a day like this." said the hogboon. "Mad dogs and men of Whales, as they say." "What do they say?" asked Kapik. "I do not know the saying." "Mad dogs and men of Whales go out in the noon day sun. Sensible folk take a siesta, leave the working for the cool of the evening." "I like the way you think." said the princess. "Why not rest a spell?" said the hogboon. "Get yourself a nice mint julep over at Anser's. Tell him to send the bill to ol' Bob Longfoot." "Thank you, Sir. That's very kind." "Just don't let Bob know that you're doing it." Kapik paused. "But I thought you..." "I'm funnin' ya, miss. Bob Longfoot is me." "Princess Kapik." said the werepenguin with a slight courtsey. Bob showed no signs of being impressed. He simply nodded and smiled warmly, then closed his eyes and rocked. Anser's shop was a bit livelier than usual today. There was an eagle perched on the back of a chair regaling the assembled customers with a story. "The whole time, he hasn't caught on that it's been me talking to him. So he puts us both in the cell together. He never thinks about the fact that I'm perfectly capable of fitting through the bars. So in the middle of the night, I wait for the guard to doze off, slip out, grab the key and free my first mate, then the two of us just walk out of the prison, bold as you please, and right aboard the White Sealion. Only it turns out not to be the White Sealion at all. While we were in the slammer, the White Sealion went and set sail without us, and the ship we boarded was none other than the Deathcoil." Everyone in the place burst into laughter. Kapik asked for a lemonade and seated herself. "How did you escape?" asked one of the other patrons. "Oh, we didn't escape. They threw us into the sea. He managed to swim to safety on a deserted island. Me, I ended up drowning. And that was one of the many times I met my untimely end." "That's quite an adventure you had." said Kapik. "Well, hello there, lass." greeted the eagle. "And what might I call you?" "You might call me Matilda, but that won't do you much good, since my name is Kapik of the werepenguins." "Not PRINCESS Kapik, now?" Kapik blushed. "Yes. I am that Kapik." The eagle bowed with a flourish of his wing. "Marcon Prox, adventurer and treasure hunter, at your service." Anser brought the princess a cold glass of lemonade filled with slices of lemon and ice. Kapik took a look at the glass and asked the fox "Where did you get this?" "Made it myself this morning." said Anser. "Using only the freshest lemons, the purest water and the sweetest beet sugar." Kapik grabbed Anser by the scruff of the neck and lifted him off of the ground. "Don't toy with me, fox. Where did you get the ice?" "It's a trade secret!" Anser yelped. Kapik drew her knife. "Don't think for a moment that living among friendlies means I can't slit your throat like any other goblin. Answer my question." "ALL RIGHT! All right! Gee wiz, no need to get violent about it. Come on and I'll show you." * * * Rog consulted one of his ancient texts while mentally going over all of the ingredients he had laid out on the counter. "Stairweed, Harpseed, Wonderberry, Saint Arlow's Tooth, Vanilla, Pure water..." blotchet walked in at that moment, using telekinetic magic to open his saddlebag. The unicorn looked weary, as though he'd walked a great distance. "Did you get it?" Rog asked. "I did. One fertilized egg from a non-talking chicken." he placed the egg on the counter. "Blotchet, no! It was supposed to be a non-fertilized egg from a talking chicken and you're totally yanking my leg, aren't you?" "Gotcha." said the unicorn. "Go ahead. Candle it yourself if you like." "I trust you." said the wizard. It was then that Jun walked in. "Boys, what are you doing?" he asked. "I'm going to make a familiar." said Rog. "Make a... Rog, do you even know what a familiar is?" "Ancient, dark wizards used to keep familiars." said Rog, eager to show off the fact that he'd been paying attention in class. "They would place a portion of their souls into an animal so that when their bodies required sleep, they could continue to remain active through their animal companion. This also meant that the animal was a living horcrux, preventing the wizard from being killed even if his body were completely destroyed. This, of course, was considered unethical and is not practiced by any wizard of repute. In modern, civilized magic, a familiar is merely an animal companion which has been enhanced with intelligence spells or potions." "Very good. You get an A." said Jun, half sarcastically. "So what do you mean you're going to make one? And I thought Blotchet was your familiar." "Blotchet doesn't want to stay a unicorn forever." said Rog. "Do you?" "No..." Blotchet responded. "In fact, I think it's time I turned him back. We've met Norebo's conditions. Don't you think he deserves to have his life back?" "Fair enough, but you still haven't answered my question." "I'm making a super-animal." said Rog. "My familiar is going to be the ultimate animal buddy. Super-strong, super-agile, versatile, tough, smart... the best at everything." Jun looked at a series of vials in which Rog had collected blood samples. "Cobra... lion... badger... Yarasa... Bess the goat... Rog, what in the WORLD are you going to make with these?" "Relax. These are just modifiers." said the junior wizard. "Here's the base animal right here." Rog picked up a tiny calico kitten who had been hidden behind some of his jars. "Meet Epiphany." "Hello, Epiphany. Rog, please tell me that's not one of the talking cats." "No, but I'm pretty sure Urik's her grandpa. Let the experiment begin! Now the spells I'll be casting are very style sensitive, so I'll be activating a rhyme charm." Blotchet asked "What does it do? Will it cause any harm?" "It will just keep us talking in rhythm and rhyme. No danger at all. Would you hand me that lime?" Jun said "This is very advanced, Rog, and frankly, I'm worried. I'm having a vision of you getting burried." "I know what I'm doing. Three eyes from a newt and a dash of black pepper, then one snarpa root." "You're mixing both potions and spells." said Jun. "Quite a risk." "And charms. Now stand back while I give this a whisk." "I wish you had told me what you plan to do. I'm sure that disaster's about to ensue." Rog raised his hands. "The sound in this room now, on silence must border, I must say twenty sarcelds and say them in order." Jun turned and whispered to Blotchet. "Is he writing sarcelds? He's too young for that!" Blotchet replied "He's written a hundred in seven days flat." Rog's voice boomed out. "Hand of a cukoo clock, tongue of a shoe, bone of contention and hair of a gnu. Nose of a wine bottle, mouth of a jar, sweet lady fingers and heart of a star. Liver of pool and a kidney of bean, leg of a table and snark from a teen. Head of a cabage, long arm of the law, toe of a wagon and a donkey's hee-haw. Elbow of water pipe, neck of a sweater, rib of a joker that never gets better. Then top it all off with the nuts of two squirrels! Now make her the ultimate animal girls!" A wind whipped through the room, knocking books off of shelves and breaking bottles. Epiphany was lifted in the air as if by an invisible hand and moved to a vaguely human-shaped box. The potion Rog prepared reared up out of its cauldron like a sea serpent, then splashed down on top of the kitten, who by now had passed out from fright. Kitten and potion became one as the fluid slowly assumed the form of Epiphany's new body. "He made a mistake!" said Jun, though no one could hear him over the wind. "He said the wrong thing! What kind of disaster will this error bring?" Rog watched with excited satisfaction as Epiphany took shape, but his excitement changed to worry when he saw that his familiar was forming two distinct heads, one on the left shoulder, one on the right. No... three heads, for a face was forming at the end of her tail. As the wind died down, the creature began to stir. Her right head was that of a lion, the left, of a goat. The left side of her body was curvy and feminine, covered in a soft, white pelt. The right, much more athletic with a coarser fur. She was humanoid, with paws on the right and hooves on the left. Finally, her tail was the front half of a cobra, scales bright red and eyes showing a shrewd intelligence. "Hey Rog, you okay?" asked Blotchet. "I think I need water." said the young wizard, sitting down hard. The three heads of the creature looked at Rog and spoke in unison. "Hi, Dad. We're Epiphany, your brand new daughter." * * * Alnalam loved oranges. He could literally eat them by the bucket. For the gargantuan man, the oranges were like berries, so he ate them whole, peel and all. This meant that he got all of the flavor present in the fruit, and despite a touch of bitterness, the sensation was absolutely delightful, especially on a hot day like today. Of course, there was only one place in the Federation where oranges would grow, and that was in the white clay orchards around Anhunger. Thanks to Mara's special charm, the Anhunger farmers were able to grow many crops of lemons, limes, oranges, blood oranges, blood limes, kumquats, grapefruits, citrons and monster hands. These would provide food for months to come. Everything growing now was purely surplus. For a copper coin, Alnalam had been permitted to pick as many oranges as he could carry, and he could carry a lot. The giant had a large basket which he had filled to overflowing. He had been hard at work picking the fruit and was sweating profusely. Placing the basket on his head, he made his way toward the Anhunger railroad station. It was so hot, and the oranges were so heavy, Alnalam stumbled a bit. The world seemed to get a bit blurry, then dark. The giant fell. "Alnalam!" called a distant voice. "Alnalam! Can you hear me?" "Who there?" asked the giant, struggling to rise. Though still unable to focus completely, he recognized the face of Lo-Mahle. "Hungry tail-man?" "Accurate, if simple. Yes, it's me. Alnalam, what happened?" "Carry fruits. Fall down. Feel bad." "Here, drink some water." said the mayor, bringing a canteen to the giant's mouth which, when it got there, seemed woefully undersized. "I feel bad." Alnalam repeated. "Want doctor." "It's all right." said Lo-Mahle. "I've already sent for one." * * * Timothy the human was almost excited when the message came through. It had been only yesterday that the new, hard-walled hospital had installed a permanent radiant and hired him to attend it. "This is the medical center." he said. "What is your emergency?" "This is Mogor at Anhunger. We have a giant suffering from heatstroke. Possible dehydration. Passed out in the citrus orchard." "Understood. Stand by, Anhunger. An ambulance is being dispatched." "Send two." said Mogor. "They're small." * * * Bored. Ipliit was bored beyond words with her new duty. Since the werepenguins had moved to Furbluffs, many things had improved. There was plenty of food, there was sunshine, there were lots of things to do, but when it was time to go to work, Ipliit always seemed to get the worst job: guard duty. It wasn't as if anything ever happened out here. There was only standing and sweating in the hot darkwood sun. Psht. Darkwood. How could a place called Darkwood offer so little protection from the blazing sun? Ipliit frowned to herself as she stood there, leaning on her spear and gazing at the hills to the north. Some animal was moving around over there. At least it was something to watch. The animal was followed by another, and then another. Ipliit became curious. Shading her eyes from the glare of the sun, she peered out into the hills. Those weren't animals. They were wearing armor. Ipliit sounded the alarm. * * * Kapik followed Anser into the back room, then through a door in the floor. He took her down a long, spiral staircase into a cavern beneath the hills. All the while, it got colder and colder, making Kapik more and more comfortable. A small orb of light followed them, courtesy a cantrip which the fox used whenever he came down here. Obviously, he had to have some alternative to a torch. Foxes aren't built for holding torches. When they reached the bottom, Answer ordered the light "intensify". The cavern, which was vast, was illuminated and sparkled with frost and ice. It seemed to go on forever. Below their feet, at least from what Kapik could determine, there must have been at least thirty feet of solid ice. "How long have you known about this?" asked the princess. "Since Solstice. I was digging out a wine cellar when the ground gave way. I might have fallen to my death if I wasn't holding a steam-powered drill that was tethered to a boiler." "Why haven't you told anyone about this?" "Are you kidding me? I heard about Algene's prediction of a heat wave this year. As a businessfox, it is beyond value to me to be the only creature in the federation able to sell ice." "You nasty, greedy vulpine!" snarled the princess. "This is the answer to my people's search for a new home! It's cold, it's protected, and it is directly beneath a land of plenty. I must tell them at once." "So long, monopoly." said Anser, sadly as the two of them headed back up the stairs. * * * "Delivery for Mister Anser." said a troll with an enormous crate. Iota the rabbit hopped up and sniffed the box. "Those must be the pipes he purchased in order to install indoor plumbing. Would you mind putting those in the back room? Thanks." "No problem." said the troll. "Just have an cold drink ready when Torg comes out. It is an hot out there." * * * Anser pushed and pushed, but to no avail. "It just won't open!" the fox grunted. "Some idiot must have put something heavy on top of the door!" Kapik added her strength to the struggle, but was similarly unable to budge the door. "HEY!" she shouted. "CAN ANYONE HEAR US?" * * * The patrons of Anser's were having a terrific time. Lars the hogboon had gotten into a conversation about music with Torg the troll. Not long thereafter, Lars had run home and returned with his bagpipes. Now everyone was singing and clapping along as the hogboon played The Pines of Whales, followed by Remember Pyralia and the more comical This Girl's a Keeper. * * * "It's pretty obvious no one is coming to help." said Kapik. "Is there another way out of here?" "There has to be." Anser replied. "What do you mean 'there has to be'?" asked Kapik. "Don't you see? This used to be an underground river. At some point in the past, the river was diverted and this portion stopped flowing. Without the sun or motion to keep it liquid, the water froze. That means that there must be an inlet and an outlet." "Well, then." said Kapik, assuming her half-penguin form for maximum comfort. "We'd better get hiking." * * * Alnatak hadn't yet heard of his brother's collapse in Anhunger. The older giant brother was down in the pass, digging busily. He reasoned that heat came from the sun. Therefore, if he remained underground, the heat couldn't get him. It was one of his wiser ideas, only he hadn't given any consideration to the fact that the equipment everyone was using was powered by steam which came from the magma chamber just behind them. The portion of the pass on which he was working, just beyond progress, was uncomfortably warm. "HELP!" came a shout from up ahead. "SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE NILBOGS!" Workers rushed to the furthest point forward in the pass. Alnatak was at the front of the group. There was a crack in the Earth about the size of a lutin through which light was pouring. Beside it stood a cyclops. "We found this cavern." said the cyclops. Noj and Ritep went in to check it out. I couldn't fit. Next thing I knew, they were passed out!" Alnatak leapt into action. Being a man of very little brain, it never occured to him that a smaller person might be better suited to this rescue. Instead, he pummeled at the cave opening. He didn't worry about the debris potentially raining down on the two nilbogs inside. With their backward health system, it could only help. Alnatak beat and beat at the stone until finally, he was able to fit his enormous body through the cavern entrance. It was extremely difficult to see, but he could make out the two dark shapes of Noj and Ritep. Taking one unconscious nilbog in each hand, the giant carried them back out. In fact, he carried them all the way back to Progress, where he put them both on a train and demanded they be taken to the hospital in Dimtorch. The engineer was only too happy to comply. When a 20-foot giant tells you to do something, you do it. After seeing the nilbogs safely off, Alnatak turned, panting, to the other diggers, smiled, and fainted. * * * "Lanthanil." said Smallbeard, examining the stone which Kayrok had just given him. It had been extracted from the luminous cavern and had a soft glow to it. "I never thought I'd see it in my lifetime. This is one of the rarest minerals in existence." "Tell me about it." said Kayrok. "Indeed." said Smallbeard. "No, I mean literally tell me about it." "Oh! Of course, Sir. This is also known in the coastlands as Scragstone. Keep one of these in your pocket and you'll never get the scrags." "What are the scrags?" "A collective term for nautical maladies. Scurvy. Rickets. Beriberi. Pellagra. That sort of thing. I've heard it really works." "That makes sense." said Kayrok. "If lanthanil makes you healthy, then it would be pure poison to a nilbog." "Yes... that would explain it." Smallbeard agreed. "This means you'll have to create an extra path for the nilbogs. You can't take them through a cave that's going to expose them to lanthanil." "No. We can't." "Say, what's with Alnatak? I heard he had a fainting spell?" asked Smallbeard. "Gitch says it's heatstroke. The pass in the vicinity of the lava cave is just too warm for giants. Same thing happened to Alnalam up in the orchards at Anhunger. They're both very ill." "Give 'em this." said the dwarf, handing the lanthanil back. "It should help." * * * "Hey, you two knuckleheads." said Mintaka as she entered her brothers' hospital room. It was actually not so much a room as a tent, hastily erected to accomodate the large men and cooled with the spare refrigeration crystal from Bounty. "Come to gloat?" asked Alnatak. "No." said the giantess. "I came because you're my brothers and I care about you. Look, I brought you flowers." She held up a bouquet of sunflowers, which looked like daisies in her giant fist. "You were right, sister." said Alnalam. "We were wrong. Alnatak and I have been talking, and we are ready to go back to the north with you." "Can we go to Nunguserak?" asked Alnatak. "I've always wanted to visit Nunguserak." "Sure." said Mintaka. "But not now. It's too late to go north. "The sun is so hot now, if we travelled in it, it would kill us." "But if we stay here, it will kill us." Alnatak countered. Mintaka sat on the floor and sighed. She didn't know what to do. * * * "Norebo!" called Zutsu. "I must have a word with you." Norebo had hoped for a bit of solitude up here on top of the cliffs. His duty today was inspecting the river to make sure it stayed clear of pollution or obstructions, and it normally provided some much needed respite from the hubbub of the many towns below. The spy turned around to see the Tengu rapidly approaching and let out a sigh. "What do you want, weredog?" he said in a voice laden with as much unfriendliness as he could muster. "I need to speak with you about undisclosed usage of magic." "I'm no mage." said Norebo. "I don't use magic." "That is not what reports indicate." said the tengu, taking a list from his pocket. "In the past year alone, we have at least forty-seven reports of GOOD KLEPNOS, WHAT IS THAT?" "What is what?" asked Norebo, following Zutsu's stare straight to Sky Valley. "What, Castle Dupris?" "No, the thing on TOP of the castle!" "You mean the Sondshara capstone?" "A sond..." the word stuck in Zutsu's throat. "Do you have any IDEA how much energy that thing is putting out?" "Yes." said Norebo, simply. "You must take it down at once!" cried the tengu. "There's a reason those things were buried! The ambient magic they put into the atmosphere is..." "Necessary." Norebo interrupted. "Highly disruptive." Zutsu corrected. "It must be destroyed at once!" "Do not touch it." said Norebo. "Try to stop me!" Zutsu challenged. "Oh, I can." said Norebo. "Rest assured of that. But I would rather not resort to force. Just know that the capstone is extremely necessary. It was allowed to find its way to Lavamist for a reason. The purpose for which it was sent to the lutins has not yet been fulfilled." "Give me one good reason to believe you." Zutsu balked. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. We can't risk a war with the brotherhood." Norebo then proceded to blow Zutsu's mind. * * * "Whatcha doin', Dad?" asked the chimera's lion head as she trotted along behind Rog and Blotchet. "Epiphany, I am not your father." said Rog. "I've explained it to you six times. There's a difference between a creator and a father." "No there's not." said the snake head. "That's the definition of a father. Well, unless you're a girl." "Hey, Dad, said the goat head. "Are we a girl or a boy?" "You're a girl." said Rog. "What's the difference between boys and girls?" she persisted. Rog turned red. Blotchet answered for him. "Girls have bumps." "So whatcha doin'?" the lion head asked again. "We're going to North Hunger to try an experiment." said Rog. "Another one?" said the snake, rolling her eyes. "Is it another chimera?" asked the lion. "No, not another chimera. I've been working with some magicians in Wadogo in hopes of making a teleportation closet." "And what's that?" asked the goat head. "It's basically a magic door. You can step in on this end and step out in Wadogo." "I wanna try it!" declared Epiphany's lion head. "It's not ready yet. Now I need you to be very quiet while I listen to the radiant. It's almost time for Wadogo to call." Epiphany sat down on the grass outside of North Hunger, waiting while the man she insisted was her father went into a nearby shed and brought out a large cabinet on a wheeled platform. In short order, she became bored and began playing Guess the Number, guessing correctly every single time. "Sarrosek to Spectaculo. Are you ready to receive?" came a voice on the radiant. "We are ready." replied Rog. "You are go to send." "Sending one apple." said the voice in Wadogo. "Door closed." Rog opened the door on his end. The object in the cabinet exploded, covering him with applesauce. "Sarrosek, let's try that again with the energy rune set to half size." * * * Tripe and Foxtooth had been in this part of the forest, but they never got bored with it. There was still so much to explore. The Forest of Darkness was a big place, and the two scouts were as eager as ever to map it all. Foxtooth looked over the map he had already drawn as he sat on a mossy boulder enjoying his dinner of meat cube jerky, strawcherries and a loaf of gnomish bread. "Let's see. We ran into the xvart here..." "And his rat three hundred yards on." Tripe interjected. "Who would have known a rat could be so pretty?" "The bugbear cottage was right about there... and the Smaun right here next to the quicksand bog." "Wasn't that lucky for us?" "Lucky indeed. And then the village with the red lutins, they were just two miles north of that." Tripe held a hand up for silence. Foxtooth became perfectly still as both scanned the area with their ears. "There's a disturbance." Tripe said. "Animals running. Lots of them." Foxtooth got down and put his ear to the ground. "Hooves." he said. "And shoes. A few paws. But something else. There's a second group beyond. They're wearing metal." "The sound is coming from the northeast." Tripe observed. "And there's no birdsong. Whatever it is, it has even the birds spooked." Foxtooth put all the pieces together. "Furbluffs." he said. "They've been attacked." "Let's not jump to conclusions." said Tripe. "Maybe it's just a hunting party from Marai-Uthra." But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. He activated his radiant. "Tripe to Dimtorch. Come in Dimtorch." "This is Dimtorch." came Sytet's voice. "Go ahead, Tripe." "We are thirty miles east of Marai-Uthra. Unknown hostiles in area. Furbluffs possibly in danger. We are expecting refugees at any moment." "Understood." said Sytet. "Bring the refugees to Steadfast. They'll be safe there." "Be advised. Hostiles are in pursuit." There was a moment of silence. "Understood, Tripe. Reinforcements are being dispatched." The noise was getting louder. Tripe's sensitive ears were starting to pick up distant shouts. "Intercept the refugees." he told his partner. "Get them to safety. I'll distract the pursuers." "You always take the fun job." Foxtooth complained. "Fine. I'll escort the refugees. You distract the pursuers." "Now we're talking." * * * Qlin was hard at work. He didn't know why he was working so hard, and if he were asked what he was doing, he would likely say he had no idea. It simply amused him to take large stones wherever he found them and begin stacking them here. He arranged the first bunch of stones in a large ring with a space for a door. He then topped it with a layer of clay-rich mud. Then the next layer of rocks went down. Qlin was building something, but he didn't know what, nor did it matter. He was enjoying this for some reason he could not fathom. Bit by bit, the building had grown until it was as tall as Qlin. That wasn't the end of it, though. Qlin had built in a staircase by using a series of long, flat stones. Whatever this was, it was to have a second story. As Qlin climbed to the top to place a few new stones, he noticed a stranger walking by, looking completely dazed. "Hello down there!" he called. Zutsu looked up. "Hello." he said, weakly. "Are you lost?" called Qlin. "No." was the simple reply. "All right, then." Qlin got back to work. Zutsu seemed to rise to awareness out of a trance. He stood staring at the tower. "What are you building?" he asked. "Don't know yet." Zutsu seemed to grow nervous. "How long have you been building this?" "A couple of weeks, now." Zutsu stepped inside the structure. The werefox stood with his back to the wall, then walked across to the other wall, counting his steps. When he reached the far side, his face seemed to turn pale. "I understand." he whispered to no one. "It makes sense, now. They need that capstone." "Are you all right?" asked Qlin. "No." answered Zutsu. "I'm not all right. I have to get to Kayrok!" * * * "Sending." said the voice on Rog's radiant. "Closing the door in 3, 2, 1." Rog opened the cabinet. Inside was a small paper box containing a dead earthworm. "No good." Rog reported. "Test subject did not survive." "I think I know what you're doing wrong." said Epiphany's snake head. Rog's voice was hot with irritation. "And what, pray tell, am I doing wrong?" "I was just looking at the runes you have carved on the door. The seventh line... ' Si diabolus non frui potest bucellatum sedent'... You copied that from a cleric spell, I'm guessing." "So?" "So you're not a cleric. Trying to invoke divine power is probably only going to bring bad luck." Rog examined the runes carefully. "How can you know that? You're literally hours old." "I dunno." said the snake, attempting a shrug. "I just know." Rog got on the radiant. "Wadogo, stand by. We're going to change the spell." "Roger that." Rog switched his attention back to his chimera. "What would you recommend, then?" The tail thought about that for a moment. "Try 'O et in via ne occideret nos.'" Blotchet translated. "Oh, and by the way, don't kill us?" "It's to the point." said Rog. "Wadogo, Try changing the seventh line to 'O et in via ne occideret nos." There was a pause. "You're kidding, right?" * * * Foxtooth was enjoying himself immensely. The lutin was in his element, deep in the woods. Whoever these people were, they did not know how to maneuver through the trees and brush. Foxtooth found that he had to pause frequently to avoid losing them completely, lest they go back to hunting their original prey. The hard part was making enough noise to let his pursuers think that they were still hunting the entire band from Furbluffs. He was carrying on several conversations with himself while stepping on every twig and rattling every branch. "These guys couldn't hit the side of a barn." he said to no one as several arrows whizzed by him. "I know, right?" he answered himself. "Maybe we should turn around and offer them lessons." "Will you two shut up?" he demanded loudly in yet another voice. "We don't want the bad guys to know where we are!" "Aw, Winifred, let the boys heckle the enemy. It's good for them. Why back in my day, we would heckle..." Foxtooth looked down to find the reason for the sudden sharp pain in his chest. "Oh." was all he could say as he stared at the arrow that had gone through him. The soldier stopped and fell to his knees, then slumped into a crumpled heap as his life left him. "Spread out." someone said, their voice seeming to come from far, far away. "Find the others." Foxtooth smiled to himself. He had done his job and saved the citizens of Furbluffs. A sense of peace washed over him as everything went dark. * * * Rog was ready to celebrate when he opened the door of the cabinet and saw a little lizard looking up at him and breathing, completely unharmed. "Wadogo, the subject is alive and well. I repeat, the lizard is alive." "Stand by, Federation. We are sending a human through." came the reply. Rog closed the door. "Ready on this end." he announced. A moment later, someone was opening the door from the inside. Out of the cabinet came a man with tightly curled black hair, a scragly beard and skin darker than chota. He was dressed in green robes with several beaded necklaces. "You must be Rog." said the man. "Or should I say 'Spectaculo'? I am Akili." "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Sir." said Rog. "This is my companion, Pureheart, AKA Blotchet. And those three are my... chimera, Epiphany." Akili could not help but stare. "A live chimera! I never thought I would actually see one." Then pointing to the radiant, asked "May I?" "Of course." "Wadogo, this is Akili. I am in the Federation. The teleporter is a success!" "Excellent news!" said the voice on the other end. There were cheers in the background. "Come on back, and bring Spectaculo with you. We have a lot of celebrating to do!" Rog opened the door for Akili. "You go ahead." he said. "I have something I need to take care of here." While Akili teleported back to Wadogo, Rog turned to Blotchet. "We've more than fulfilled what Norebo demanded of us. Besides, I have Epiphany to help me, now. Blotchet, return to your true form. Snik Snak Snorum!" Where the unicorn had been standing, there was now a young human man, naked but for a saddle and bridle, as well as four horseshoes lying on the ground with their nails still protruding from them. "Thanks." said Blotchet. "Sorry." Rog apologized. "I should have brought some clothing. Hang on. I'll get something from Wadogo for you." "Okay." said Blotchet. But he was far from okay. * * * Alnatak, Alnalam and Mintaka were all huddled around the refrigeratrion crystal, trying to stay cool. The heat in their tent was stifling. "Why don't we go into the pass?" asked Alnalam in the giants' language. "It's always cool in there." "Not any more." replied Alnatak. "That lava chamber has made everything hot." Mintaka thought there was something slightly off about her brother's reasoning, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Gitch walked into the room just then. "And how are you three doing so far?" he inquired. "Awful." replied Alnalam. "Miserable." added Alnatak. "Mbaya sana." said Mintaka. "Right." said the doctor. "I've called for Jabar to come pay you a visit. He should be able to boost the power of the refrigeration crystal and make it a little bit more comfortable in here for you." The giants all nodded their understanding. "Need ice." said Alnalam. "You can bring ice?" "I'm sorry." said Gitch. "The only place around here to get ice is the food bank in Bounty. It would melt by the time we got it here." "That's not entirely true." said a voice from beyond the door. It was Hornbeam. "Anser has ice." "How can Anser have ice?" asked Gitch. "I don't know, but he serves the coldest drinks around. Speaking of drinks..." Hornbeam carried three buckets in, each filled with cold water. "I brought these for you from Gerf's water chilling machine." Each of the giants took a bucket and drank. So small were the libations to the giants that they might as well have been empty. Mintaka silently cursed her brain. It felt as though there were some obvious solution to her family's problem right in front of her, but she was simply too stupid to see it. * * * "Chairman Kayrok!" called Zutsu across the town square at Dimtorch. "Tengu Zutsu." Kayrok replied. He'd heard about this fellow and was not looking forward to meeting him. He braced himself as the Tengu came across the plaza. "Chairman, I must speak with you!" "I'm a little bit busy right now." said Kayrok. "I'm expected at Singing Pony to open the new Swackball field." "Chairman, this is extremely important!" "Everyone's problems are extremely important. Right now, everyone is depending on me to have things ready for the tournament." "This is far more important, I assure you!" "Of course it is. I'll make time to speak with you if you just go into the CQ and make an appointment with Sytet." Kayrok turned and began to walk away. "It's about darklings." said Zutsu. Kayrok's heart stopped for a split second. He turned around to face Zutsu. "Go on." he said. "One of your men, an archivist by the name of Qlin..." "Yes?" "He is at the northern border of your territory, building a tower." "I know. He's mentioned that a couple of times. But how does that relate to darklings?" "The way he is building it, using stones and mud for mortar, being compelled to build in a certain way and not knowing why, it is an omen. I have read numerous accounts of this phenomenon. The creation of such towers always portend a darkling invasion." Kayrok pursed his lips in thought. He had been a part of such a darkling invasion in the battle of Devil's Strand. Such a tower had recently been constructed just as Zutsu described. It was Oren of Hipocc who had constructed the tower itself, though others had contributed to it, each feeling compelled to create something. One created a clockwork motor, another a giant lens. When it was finished, all the parts came together to form a lighthouse which quickly wiped out the darklings. "Go on." Kayrok said, eager to hear more. "Qlin must finish his tower." said the weredog. "In every case where the towers were not finished, the darklings were victorious and civilization was wiped out where they attacked. When the towers were completed, the attack was staved off." "So we allow Qlin to finish his tower." said Kayrok. "It's not that simple. We are talking about a war between the forces of light and darkness in the most literal sense. Just as the forces guiding Qlin are working to protect your people, opposing forces will work within the hearts of others to try to stop him. Qlin will become the most hated man in the Federation. You must help him, Chairman. You must protect him and help him to finish, or your entire nation is doomed." * * * Kapik and Anser had been walking for hours. Finally, they came to the river's outlet, an oppening in the side of a cliff that had once opened into a large pond. That pond was gone, now. Only a shallow pit remained to show where the water had once been. "Freedom!" cried the fox. "I hope you're not too tired." said the princess. "We still have to hike all the way back to Intersect." Anser swore and promised himself that whoever had blocked his trap door would be severely punished. He started out of the cavern when Kapik stopped him. "Wait! Listen!" she whispered. "I don't hear anything." said the fox, but a few seconds later, he did hear something. Taking a moment to let his eyes adjust to the light, he peered out into the forest. There was a large group of people coming this way. Not just any people, but a mixture of goblins and animals. "It's our peoples." said Kapik. "And they're in trouble." "How can you tell?" "The way they're running, they're fleeing something. Stay here." Kapik ran out to meet the group. There was a short exchange between her and Tripe, then she led them back to the ice cave. "Everybody inside!" ordered Tripe. "Large predators, take the rear position and guard the smaller ones." Hurriedly, he ushered everyone inside and got them far enough away from the forest that their presence couldn't be detected. "I think we're safe, now." declared the scout. Into his radiant, he said "Foxtooth, we're safe and in a defensible position. You're okay to head on home." There was no answer. "Foxtooth, come in." Tripe urged. Again, no response. "Foxtooth, come in. Are you all right?" Silence. "I'm going to look for him." Tripe announced. "Kapik, look after everyone." The scout was gone before the princess could voice any objection. * * * Blotchet walked vacantly down the road while the sun set in front of him. He had missed the turn that would have taken him to Spiritfell, then on to Moondark. Instead, he had taken the long way, going through Rider and Solace. Now, he was coming up on Ponytown. To his right, he could see some ponies gathered, chatting about the events of the day. Among them was a black female with a red mane and tail and a large pair of bat wings. Blotchet found hiumself stopping and staring. Rose, for that's who she was, became aware of the human's gaze. Trotting part way to the fence which ran alongside the road, she asked "Can I help you?" "I'm sorry." said the stranger. "I didn't mean to stare. I'll be on my way." "I know that voice." said Rose. "Blotchet? Is that you?" Blotchet nodded but did not look her in the eye. "Yeah. It's me." "Blotchet, what happened to you?" she came the rest of the way and flew over the fence to land in front of Blotchet. "Who did this to you?" "Rog." came the answer. "He said I don't have to be a unicorn any more, so he turned me back into the real me." "Is this what you want?" asked Rose. "This is me." Blotchet replied. "But is it what you want?" Blotchet thought for a moment. "No." Rose put a wingtip on Blotchet's shoulder. "Did you tell him that?" "No." "Why not?" Blotchet shrugged. "Rog has a new helper now. A better one. I'd just get in the way if I kept being his unicorn." "Then be your own unicorn." Rose advised. "You don't have to belong to anyone." "But I want to belong to someone." He hadn't meant to say that out loud, and immediately wished he hadn't. "You do?" Blotchet nodded. "Whom?" "You." There was a moment of awkward silence before Rose responded with "I would like that, Blotchet. I would like that very much." * * * It was extremely late by the time Anser, Kapik and company returned to the staircase leading up to Intersect. Both were confident that with a few more strong creatures pushing on the trap door, they would be able to open it. To their surprise, the door flew open. Anser ran out into the store. There, enjoying a pot of tea and playing a game of goblin chess, were Bob Longfoot and Marcon Prox. "Oh, hey." said Marcon. "I started wondering about you when you didn't come back, so I thought I'd wait up for you." "We took the liberty of moving that big crate off of your trap door." said Bob. "You're welcome." So relieved was Anser to finally be someplace warm that he offered everyone hot chota at a substantial discount. * * * The sun was just coming up when Kayrok stepped off of the train in North Hunger. Already, the heat was once again becoming oppressive. The commander wanted to see Qlin's tower for himself. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to go too far. He didn't fancy walking around in the hot, sticky forest for hours. When Kayrok reached the highway, he was surprised to find a group of human men standing in the middle of the road, talking animatedly. Among them was Rog. Obviously, that meant they weren't hostile, so Kayrok approached them. "Good morning, gentlemen." he greeted. "Might I inquire what brings you here this morning." "Captain Kayrok!" said one of the men, a light brown fellow in a short tunic with a very full head of jet black hair. Kayrok recognized him from a previous trip to the north. "Lawrence Ashford! What brings you here all the way from Wadogo?" "Your wizard, actually. For some time, we've been collaborating on a means of travelling rapidly between Wadogo and here." "We were just talking about building a pair of teleportation facilities to connect our lands." said another. "This is indeed a surprise." said Kayrok. There was a noise in the forest. Someone was running down the path toward the highway. Everyone turned to see Qlin, sweating and flushed. "Kayrok!" he called. "Commander, it's Foxtooth!" "What about Foxtooth?" Qlin struggled to catch his breath, but by the time he was ready to speak, Tripe could already be seen coming down the path with the lifeless body of Foxtooth in his arms. * * * It was a somber day in Dimtorch. While every life was precious, there was something special about the members of the original omega company, and every time one passed away, it was as if a star had gone out and the heavens were forever diminished. It seemed that the entire Federation had turned out for Foxtooth's funeral. Even the sky seemed to be in mourning, weeping tears of gentle, warm rain as Tripe lit his friend's funeral pyre. After the funeral, Kayrok went to speak with Tripe. "How are you holding up?" he asked the scout. Tripe shook his head. "Foxtooth and I have been together ever since we enlisted. He was more than my best friend. He was... like an extention of me. I just can't imagine him not being there." "What will you do now?" asked Kayrok. "I've been giving that some thought." said Tripe. "And I think I ought to retire. I've been a soldier for long enough. Now Nasoj is gone, I'm wealthy, and my best friend has passed on. All the reasons I had for remaining in the service have disappeared." "And where will you go?" "Not far. I have my eye on a little spot north of Bounty. I'd like to build myself a home out there, away from all the hustle of life close to the cliffs." "Don't be a complete stranger." said the captain. The two lutins embraced. Foxtooth secretly marvelled at the fact that this moment was even possible. Goblins don't hug. This strange man, this lutin who was so unlike any lutin he'd ever known, had so changed his world that what was unthinkable only a few years ago was now a part of everyday life. Tripe found himself glad to be part of this strange, weirdly friendly society. Perhaps with their help, he could make it through this time of loss all right. * * * "Men amnus toto luz." Rog spoke as he waved his wand. Sparks flew across the room and Epiphany was transformed into a a little cub. "I don't think you said it right." the goat head observed. "It would be nice if the author included some sort of pronunciation key." said Rog as he glared at his spellbook. 'Snik snak snorum." Epiphany returned to her normal shape. "This is supposed to be a happiness booster." "Hey, Rog?" said Blotchet as he entered Rog's laboratory. "Blotchet! What's going on, my friend?" Rog beamed. "Rog, I want to be a unicorn." "You do? I thought you hated being a unicorn." "Well, now I don't. I want to be a unicorn, Rog. And not just shaped like one. I want to be a real unicorn." "That's... a tall order, Blotch. I can change your shape easy enough, but to make you a real unicorn..." "You can do it. I know you can." "All right. I'll try." said Rog as he began taking books off of the bookshelf. This was going to be a challenge. * * * "Us almost there yet?" asked Alnatak, testily. "It hot!" "Almost." said Princess Kapik. What should have been a relatively short train ride was getting longer and longer with three sick giants riding along on a flat car. None of them could fit in a passenger car, and so all three were forced to endure the hot sun on their heads and backs. Finally, the train reached the highway beyond Sun Harbor. Kapik led the way across the road and into a clearing in the woods. There wasn't anything in this clearing except a large gate with a stairway going down. The stairs were very large, with more than enough clearance for a giant. Inside, the scene was absolutely amazing. An enormous cavern stood before them, and everywhere they looked, werepenguins were bustling to and fro. Other cold weather creatures could be seen among them as well. There were polar bears, arctic foxes, even amitoks. Building was going on in every corner of the cave, with houses being constructed from a combination of rock and ice. "Welcome to Iceberg." said the princess. "Intersect is that way," she pointed down a tunnel to the east. "The outer forest is that way." This time, she pointed to the north. "Where us make houses?" asked Alnalam. "Anywhere you want." said Kapik. "Our home is your home." All three giants took a deep breath. The ice cold air was so refreshing. "There." said Mintaka, pointing to a spot downstream. "Perfect place." Alnatak and Alnalam concurred. * * * The following day brought an emergency meeting of the federation council. The council chambers were still very new and echoed unpleasantly the cacaphony of so many voices attempting to talk over one another. Kayrok called for quiet twice and was completely ignored. Seeing the captain's frustration, Jun took out a wand and let a ball of light rise from the tip, which then exploded with a flash and a bang. The room fell silent. "Go ahead, boss." said the mage. "Thank you, Jun. Ladies and gentlemen of the council, we have a very serious problem. Furbluffs, a city with whom we have enjoyed a friendly relationship, has been attacked and overrun. At this moment, we don't know much else, so I've asked Algene the seer to come and tell us whatever he can." The white-haired cyclops stood up before the council. "Gentle creatures of the council, for the sake of brevity, I'll get right to the point. The people who attacked Furbluffs were known as the Burning Sun. They are, in a way, part of the Lom Shi'Un." "What do you mean 'in a way'? demanded Pentagruel. "They're not officially part of the Lom Shi'Un dynasty. They are raiders who live on the edge of the kingdom. Whenever their resources start to run low, they simply overrun a new territory. The dynasty then moves into their previous location and claims that place as part of their kingdom. The Lom Shi'Un get regular expansion and the Burning Sun get someone to watch their backs. Meanwhile, the poor people in their way are either killed or enslaved." That moment was the quietest the council chamber would be for the rest of the meeting. For the rest of the time, council members would argue vociferously over how to deal with the Burning Sun. Some said hide. Others said fight. Still others said they should try to appease the enemy and even more said the newcomers should be welcomed with open arms in the name of love and tolerance. Kayrok sat with his head in his hands. Leading this federation had once been like dancing a waltz. Now it was like mud wrestling an orangutan. Everything he knew about politics told him it would be downhill from here. * * * Rose sat on the edge of the cliffs looking down at the council hall in Dimtorch, below. The discord within tickled the edges of her telepathic mind in a most irritating way. She felt a little bit sorry for her father, who had to be right in the thick of it. As she peered down, Rose saw a familiar figure. It was a pure white unicorn stallion just entering the plaza. "Pureheart!" she cried, deliberately using his alias. "Rose!" Blotchet called back. "Stay there! I'll be right up!" The unicorn closed his eyes and disappeared, reappearing on the cliffs next to Rose. "You can teleport!" Rose observed with delight. "That must mean..." "I'm a real unicorn." said Blotchet. "Not just shaped like one." The night mare nuzzled him. "Blotchet, that's so wonderful! Did Rog change you back?" "He tried." said Blotchet, supressing a laugh. "He actually ended up turning me to stone and had to go get Norebo to fix it." "Well, I'm glad someone did." said Rose, snuggling up to her handsome, white unicorn. Blotchet smiled. Life was going to be good. "Wait..." Rose said. "Norebo's a spy. Since when does he do magic?" * * * One year had passed. Tripe was living in a modest cottage about ten miles north of Bounty. He had originally intended to live here alone. A few weeks after he moved here, Tripe had become friends with a rabbit from Furbluffs by the name of Alphard. Both were fairly solitary creatures, and since they had that in common, they soon decided to be solitary together, and met daily on Tripe's front porch for chota. As time went on, the two would gather more friends, and become three, four and five. Morning chota on the porch soon gave rise to a community chota shop. The shop attracted more people to the area, and what had once been a hermitage grew into the small town named Foxtooth after Tripe's fallen friend. Tripe stood in his front doorway looking out across the lawn at the chota shop. Today was a significant day. It was a year ago today that the town's namesake had given his life to save the werepenguins and the talking animals from the Burning Sun. In all that time, barely anything had been learned about the raiders and even less had been decided on what to do about them. It made Tripe melancholy because it felt like Foxtooth had died for nothing. But today was significant for another reason. Today was the day that the one and only night mare in the Alpha Omega Federation would be getting married to everyone's favorite unicorn stallion, Pureheart. Yes, everyone knew by now that his real name had been Blotchet, but he hadn't used that name for months, now. The lad from Prendor had so embraced his life as a unicorn that Pureheart was all he ever wanted to be. The years ahead would be good. Though there would be skirmishes with the Burning Sun, as well as the wood elves, the gnurls and other unfriendlies, life was peaceful for the most part, and the Federation quietly grew. * * * Ithuba brought his latest kill into the Furbluffs town square. Chief Eldobhato sneered at the offering. "Is this all you bring us?" he demanded. "A single, scrawny cow?" "It's not just a cow." Ithuba insisted. "Look at its eyes. This was one of the talking beasts. I have killed one of your enemies." "Hooray for you." said Eldobhato with disdain. "Songs of your heroic exploits will surely fill our bellies this night." "There is no prey here." said Ithuba. "We must move from here if we are to continue eating." "It is not yet time to move." the chief insisted. "We are going to our beds in hunger each night." Ithuba groused. "Because you are too lazy to hunt decent prey! If you would work as hard as you complain, we wouldn't have this problem." "There is NO PREY!" Ithuba repeated. "To the west is a human city. Let us take that. They will keep us fed for years." "No!" the chief stomped his foot. "We move when I SAY we move! Do not forget who is chief here!" Ithuba took a deep breath and bowed his head. "You are." he confessed. Eldobhado turned around to go back to his stolen house. "See that you don't forget it." A second later, an arrow was protruding from his chest. Turning back around, the dying chief saw Ithuba with his bow in his hand asking "Forget what?" Eldobhado fell to the ground. Ithuba placed a foot on the former leader's back. "This is the forest of Lillith." said the hunter to the other members of the Burning Sun. "Lillith favors survival of the fittest. Eldobhado was not fit. I, Ithuba, am now your chief. Does anyone have a problem with that?" No one spoke. "Rest well this night. Tomorrow, we move against Prendor." The Burning Sun went back to their evening as if nothing had happened.