A milky-white haze had settled over everything. The sun came through the fog as a feeble reminder of its robust power it exerted in the summer. Extra lighting would have helped, but the moistness of the atmosphere made it difficult for a torch to remain lit. And the snow on the ground didn't help either; it chilled one's paws to the bone.
A lone figure swathed in a cloak and travel blankets slowly waded into a small valley town. It wasn't much of a town to speak of. Maybe a three dozen houses, a pathetic excuse for a trading outpost, and an inn.
The figure staggered into the inn. Even with the added bulk of the blankets, it wasn't really impressive in size. It was wrapped head to toe in frost caked cloth, with a few choice body parts barely exposed. It walked to a table and collapsed in a chair. The figure grunted and motioned to a waitress to come over. A young squirrel walked over the shivering mass of textile and asked "What can I get 'cha, sir?" To this the lump took of the strip of cloth off of its muzzle and responded "It's miss, and I want whatever is warm."
The vixen wrapped in blankets then huddled up; bringing her legs to her chest, and shivered. She sat there and quivered in her bone-chilled state and sorrow. A minute later the same squirrel returned with a cup of some steaming sugary-smelling transparent liquid. The vixen greedily took the liquid and gulped it down. It was warm in more ways than one. The quick dosage of alcohol flushed the fox's skin immediately. She threw a few copper pieces on the table and demanded more.
After slurping down three tankards of the unknown booze, the vixen asked about a room for the night. The manager escorted the tipsy fox to a small but adequate room. She passed out in seconds from the combination of fatigue and inebriation.
The next morning, the fox lazily rolled her self out of the small bed she was resting in. Almost immediately, she hopped back into her bed. The season of winter, coupled with the lack of heating in rooms made it very cold for the slim vixen. She could see her breath as she shivered violently under the sparse blankets provided by the inn.
She wrapped herself in the bedding, and shuffled over to the corner of her room where the travel blankets lie. They had frozen solid overnight. "Well this is just great, how in the name of the gods am I going to get on the road with my blankets like this?" she muttered angrily to herself. She pried and pulled at the cloth to get it flexible again. It was no use; she would have to wait in the tavern in front of the fire until they were dry again.
She looked around the room for her clothing and found it resting on a chair in the corner. She quickly donned he tunic and breaches, tied a rope around her waist, and put her cloak on. After grabbing her money, rapier, and the big pile of frosty blankets, she traveled into the tavern. No one was in there except for the waitress she vaguely remembered from last night.
The vixen settled down in front of the inviting fire, and attempted to dry her blankets out.
The waitress wandered over to the vixen and asked "Miss, did you like your room?"
"No, the rooms are too damn cold and there's not enough blankets. I came in here to get out of the cold, not get drunk and pass out in it again." The fox replied. The young waitress looked a bit surprised at the language of the fox and apologized for the quality of the rooms. She then walked off to deal with the cleanliness of the tavern.
Hours seemed to go by as the vixen dried her travel blankets and cloak off by the fireplace. People came and went; they were mostly local folks who have lived in the small village their entire life by the looks of them. It wasn't until the fox started getting hungry did things start to get interesting.
She hadn't eaten all day, and the protests from her stomach were starting to become a nuisance. The fox called the waitress over and ordered some sort of meat the tavern had. She arranged the blankets to dry out better, and waited for her meal. Just as the fox got her meal and was happily stuffing her face, the door slammed open with a dramatic gust of cold air. The sound of metal meeting wood and more metal filled the tavern as a group of soldiers entered the inn.
There were four of them in the group, all of them ferrets. Three of the men were wearing armor that consisted of leather and chain mail. The remaining soldier was dressed in full plate under a flamboyant red velvet cape. The vixen recognized these soldiers. She hoped to the gods that they didn't recognize her.
"Wench!" one figure yelled, "Get us some ale, and make it snappy!" The young waitress dashed into the kitchen to fulfill the rude ferret's order. It wasn't long before one of the knight's men noticed the fox by the fire. "Hey, sweetness, you free tonight, or do I have to come over there and show you what the term 'divide and conquer' really means?" The rude ferret called. Everyone, excluding the figure in plate, laughed at the lewd comment.
The vixen didn't dare turn around; these brutes would probably take it as an excuse to use her as a toy. She swore to herself. Then the young fox grinned evilly; she had a plan. She tightened the rope to exaggerate her curves, and called out in an innocent, yet seductive voice "I'm sorry sir, I don't know what you mean..."
The rude soldier softly elbowed his comrade "Heh, I'll show her what for, she won't know what hit her". The soldier slunk over to the vixen and put his arms on her shoulders. She yelped out in true surprise. She hadn't expected the ferret to take the line she fed him as an invitation to come over. Oh well, she'd have to kill him sooner than she expected. "Come now, you think I think someone as old as you doesn't know what I'm talking about? Ol' Cedric here will give ye a fine ti..." it was about then she decided to give "Ol' Cedric" a really close look at the blade of her dagger.
After he fell over, the vixen removed the offending bit of metal from the soldier's eye. "Now, which one of you are next?" She flipped and caught it for effect. It only took a second before the remaining three soldiers were almost on top of her. She grabbed her sword and took off down the hall to her room. She slammed the door behind her.
The first soldier was through the door. A thundering roar and the acrid smell of gunpowder were the last things he saw. He was blown out of the room and into the one across the hall. It's not smart to mess with a gal with an aquebus. The next soldier that entered the room was a bit more cautious, but when he entered, the vixen was missing.
*****
"Damnit!" The fox swore to herself "it's so cold; I don't even have my cloak, let alone my blankets!" She thought about returning to the inn, but the remaining two soldiers were probably lying in wait for her. That was if they already haven't taken her stuff "Oh gods!" she said to herself. The thought of her... unmentionables in the hands of those two perverts just ran through her mind. She became flushed with anger and embarrassment just thinking about it. She couldn't leave her belongings behind; they were all she had from her past. She had to go back; she didn't have much of a choice.
*****
The ferret in armor thought to himself. She was quite skilled in combat. She dispatched two of his men without effort. It is true she won both times because of her trickery... but that is beside the point. What matters is that he was down two men that cannot be replaced quickly, and his lord would not like this to go on unavenged... And neither would he. He would bring her head to show his lord what he had done; that he had captured and killed not only the murderer of two brave soldiers, the last person who posed a problem to his lord: Kathryn D'maille.
*****
Kathryn, holding only a bag of coinage, a spent aquebus, and her rapier; trekked back to the inn. She flipped the contents of the day over and over in her head. She tried to remember the floor plan of the inn so she could sneak inside. It soon occurred to her that those soldiers were probably the only two people in the town that had any formal training in fighting. If she avoided any townsfolk, she could probably sneak into the inn and back out before anyone noticed.
She threw the aquebus in some nearby bushes. She couldn't use it now, what good would it do for her? Kathryn kept her sword sheathed; she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention by waving that around. It wasn't long before she spotted the inn. The only remaining lesser soldier stood outside the front door. He looked cold and worried. If he knew what was good for him, he'd go inside so Kathryn didn't have to turn the worry into pain and fear. She waited.
Her extremities were numb from the cold. Her ears felt frozen. She shivered violently for a bit, and exhaled a small cloud. If she didn't get her things soon she would freeze. The guard ducked inside to warm up a bit. Good, the time was now.
She slinked up to the inn's door and peeked around the corner. She saw the soldier talking with the waitress by the tavern's counter. Kathryn creeped over to the now warm pile of blankets sitting by the fire. The vixen quickly scooped up the tattered and worn cloth and made a break for it. There was no yelling or any alarm called by the guard. She had gotten away home free! Or so she thought.
The ferret in full plate grabbed her tail right as she went through the door. A burning shot of pain ran up her spine. He quickly subdued her, then put her in a headlock. "Kathryn, I didn't think I'd see you again." He inhaled deeply for effect; "You still are a spit-fire I see. You never gave up on your rouge-ish ways."
A growling noise from Kathryn slowly became audible; it then rose into angered cries. "Shut up, you back-stabber! You destroyed me, you bastard! You killed my father and brother! I'll tear you apart! I'll gut you li---"
"Now, now." The ferret clutched at Kathryn's ear. A thin line of crimson slid down his armored fist. "How would your poor deceased father feel if he heard you talking like that, eh?" A tear of anger and pain gathered in the young vixen's eye.
"How dare you speak of my father, you honor-less coward! I hope you rot in hell!" The ferret's grip tightened, with accompanying noises of flesh rending. The red line grew thicker and hotter, and a yelp of pain followed.
"That is the last time you call me a coward miss!" The ferret swung Kathryn around and backhanded her with his heavy gauntlet. She lost consciousness instantly.
*****
Subtle warmth washed over the fox as she opened her eyes. And then she felt the pain. Her right ear sizzled with pain, as did her face. The rest of her body was immersed in a dull ache. Right away, she noticed that she was in a wagon of some sort, and wrapped in blankets too. Not her worn threadbare blankets but clean new ones. She tried to sit up, but she then found her wrists and ankles bound. Kathryn was startled by a voice.
"No no no miss! Don't do that!" She traced the voice to an elderly skunk sitting on a bench next to her. "You should rest now, gain your strength."
"W-who are you?" Kathryn managed to croak out. Her voice was scratchy. It was then that she realized she possessed a burning thirst.
"Tha' name's Simeon. I am a wandering apothecary, the one who attended to those wounds that armored fellow gave thee."
"I-- I don't understand. What are you doing with him? I thought he came only with his soldiers."
"He did. I was just passing by with my colleague, and I saw him bind you and throw you on tha' back of a drey. I told him you probably wouldn't survive long in that state, and then he handed you over to me. 'Tis fine and dandy for me and Shiris, we get some coinage and an armed escort. Some water me dear?" He held an old water skin close to her face.
"Please." Kathryn grabbed the canteen with her muzzle and guzzled the contents. "If you are helping me, then why am I bound?"
"Ah, That's were the coinage comes in. The armored feller said you were a danger and needed to stay tied. I almost didn't take yer until he placed a few silver crowns in me paw. No matter to me, it gets things paid no matter how I earn it."
"Can't you loosen the ropes a bit? They are much too tight." Kathryn was trying to pull her 'innocent girl' routine again. "My hands are a bit cold, and I can probably heal faster in a bed, sir."
"Sorry lass. The knight said you might try something like this. I cannet let you roam about. I kin help ye a bit, if ye really needs it." Simeon smiled. Kathryn swore under her breath. She smiled and tried to get things going her way again. "That would be appreciated. I could stand to be sitting, sir."
"Aye lass, I can do that fer ye." Simeon helped the vixen up on to the bench he was reclining on. She rested her hands in her lap and looked at Simeon. "What did that ferret say about me?"
"He said you weren't to be trusted. He told me that you killed some of his men an' that he was takin' you to be dealt with at his lord's estate."
"He's lying! I- I did kill two of his men, but it was out of self-defense! The only reason I am going to Lord Rathersby's estate is so I can executed for lesser crimes than the blood on my hands! He wants me dead for who I am!" Moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes. Kathryn was crying again. Simeon tried to comfort her. "Now, now lass. You can't be breaking up like this. You said the Knight worked for Rathersby, eh? Don't worry, shush now and get some sleep". Simeon lay her head in his lap and tried to soothe her for a few minutes. Kathryn soon did as instructed and fell asleep, quietly sobbing as Simeon walked to the front of the wagon.
*****
So, whadda think so far? If you like it mail a response to lauran at [email protected]
