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XVI

Talking Doesn't Always Help

He knew it was late. He knew he shouldn't even be pestering a beast at such a late hour. But he couldn't sleep. And if Stanno knew his Badger Lord well enough, then chances were that he was having trouble sleeping too. So the hare quietly broke away from the group of hares he was sleeping next to and began to wander around the woods. He walked past a few other soldiers--some were naked and bunched up together, having just mated after many stressful days. Others were snoring with their mouths wide open and drool running down their chins. But Stanno ignored all of them. He kept weaving past the soldiers and trees, thankful that the full moon provided enough radiance for him to see. It wasn't long before the scent of the badger filled his nostrils, and Stanno could hear gruff breathing not far from a thick elm tree. The hare paused, his big ears twitching as he heard more breathing. The hare walked towards his left and quietly approached a tree with a large shadow spread across the ground. Then Stanno saw the beast, the oversized creature sitting against the tree and snoring deeply.

Urthquake was still wearing his armor--as always--and his fur was messy, sweaty. From what it looked like, he hadn't even patched up the wounds he received from the Battle of Blackheart's Fortress, and he was letting time heal his body. His axe was lying on the ground, but his broadsword was still strapped to his back. Stanno stared at the badger at first, watching as he twitched in his sleep, his footpaws and whiskers moving. Then the badger made a strange snorting sound before jolting around in his sleep. Stanno thought about walking away, but he was already up now; he figured he may as well wake up the badger too.

"Urthquake?"

The badger didn't respond. He breathed very quietly in his sleep. Stanno reached forward and grabbed the badger's armor-clad shoulder, hoping to rock the beast until he woke up.

"Urthquake, wa--"

The badger snorted and snarled at the same time. He jerked his head in Stanno's direction so fast that the hare yelped and fell down. His teeth were bared, and his eyes were redder than usual, like he was being consumed with the Bloodwrath. The badger panted heavily, letting out air through his big nostrils. He noticed who the shivering hare on the ground was and began to settle down. Urthquake blinked a few times before he shut his eyes and put a paw on his forehead. The bulky creature groaned and shook his head, forcing himself to calm down after snapping at the hare. He lowered his paw and opened his eyes again, which now looked clear and blue.

"What is it, Sergeant? Can this not wait until morning?"

"M'Lord, were...were you just under the Bloodwrath?"

Urthquake ignored his question and blinked. "Did you want something or not?"

The sergeant brushed some dirt off his tunic before he stood up next to the badger. "Yeah, jus' wanted to talk about a few things is all."

Urthquake sighed heavily and turned his head away. "We can talk later. I've had enough talkin' for one day...I need to rest."

"We all need to rest, m'lord. Don't mean we won't keep marchin' across these woods 'til our footpaws are raw and bleeding, wot! I thought as our leader, you wouldn't mind toughin' through a little weariness."

Urthquake growled so deeply Stanno could've sworn he felt the vibrations of his growl in the dirt. The badger slowly turned and looked at the sergeant again, clearly not in the mood for having a discussion.

"Fine. What is it?" he snapped.

Stanno sat down beside the badger, feeling his body heat and strong scent washing over his body. The hare played with one of his ears for a moment, suddenly apprehensive now that he was preparing to do this with the Badger Lord up close. But Stanno had come this far. There was no point in backing out now.

"I've been thinkin' about transferrin', m'lord. Maybe I'd go back to Salamandastron, be a scout an' watch over the mountain like the others while you're gone. I'd be closer to my family, it'd be quieter, an' I'd still be around my fellow hares, just not the ones in your battalion."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

Stanno slowly shook his head and sighed. "I'm tired, Urthquake."

"Then go to sleep," he barked.

Stanno looked over at his Badger Lord and scowled. "That's wot I'm talkin' about, sah. Your temper, your bloodlust fer these vermin, all the times you've carelessly tossed us all into battle, regardless of the consequences or how many beasts you end up losin'. There's just...it's too much fuckin' death, Urthquake. An' after wot you did to that slave, I'm startin' to realize how easily my own son, my wife, could've been slain like that. You took her life away that quickly; who's to say the same won't happen to them?"

Urthquake huffed and pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "You hares and this fuckin' slave..."

"Lotta beasts are upset, sah. They've never seen you do that before."

"Yes, they have, just not to goodbeasts. Nobeast cares when I do something 'unforgivable' to the vermin, but now that I slew one insignificant slave, you all see me as a demon."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

Stanno turned away and shook his head. He was tempted to leave right now; clearly talking to him when he was in this state of mind wasn't the right call. And yet, the hare felt like he should press the badger even further, hopefully enough to break the giant beast. So he scratched himself a few times before looking up at his leader again.

"Why d'you hate the vermin so much?"

Urthquake blinked. "Because they're all evil. They're cowards, sadists, unholy beasts who have no purpose in this world. They rob, rape, and kill for their own amusement, nothing more. And they all stink. I'm getting tired of walking around Mossflower with their stench filling my nose."

Stanno wasn't sure if Urthquake was joking about the last part or not. But his expression didn't change, so the hare disregarded the last comment and asked a different question.

"Wot happened to your family?"

Urthquake was caught off guard by that. "What?"

"I've heard somebeasts mention that you had a family before all this. We never really talked about your personal life before...never really talked about much of anythin' not dealin' with the Long Patrol. So tell me: where's your family?"

Urthquake slowly frowned. "You're not gonna leave or go to sleep until I answer, are you?"

"No."

The badger snorted and rubbed his forehead again. "Fine then."

Urthquake paused and turned away. He looked straight ahead at the trees in the distance, many of them trapped within the darkness of the night. The hare and badger could hear a few other soldiers snoring, but it was very faint, and the soldiers were several yards away from them. A strong gust of wind blew through the trees and the beasts' fur, the warm spring air feeling comfortable along their bodies. Urthquake flicked his eyes to his right and could see Stanno still sitting in the same spot. He shook his head slowly before he started to speak.

"Marlene and Conwyn. Those were their names...my children. My wife was Eleanor. She'd always make funny faces at Conwyn whenever he was a babe and started crying, and he'd always laugh. She'd always sing Marlene to sleep whenever she couldn't lie down at night. I taught 'em how to fish, how to cook, how to fight, how to dress...the usual. Every season the four of us would fish together for one day, have this giant meal until our bellies were stuffed. Conwyn and I would always belch or pass gas afterwards just to annoy my wife and daughter, but they'd just laugh too."

Urthquake shrugged. "We were a happy family. Boring, cliché maybe, but happy. At least until a group of foxes and ferrets tried to rob and kill us."

"Wot happened?" asked Stanno.

Urthquake scoffed. "What do you think happened? My wife was the one who killed most of 'em; she had a bigger temper than I did. But once all the fighting was done, my children were terrified of us. That was the second worst thing that's ever happened to me...having to kill those vermin in front of them. We had to force them to understand. We had to tell them--show them--that sometimes, you have to kill others for the sake of your own survival. They understood what we meant after two seasons, but I know they were still afraid of us."

Urthquake paused again. He felt another gust of wind blowing against his face and sighed heavily before he continued.

"Then there was that day in the fall. I think a plague had broken out in Southsward at the time. Lotta beasts were panicking, trying to find shelter. But so were the vermin. To this day, I still don't know how they cornered us, snuck up on us like that. But they did. There were a dozen of 'em, at least. And they weren't bandits or wanderers either. They were trained, probably part of some tribe or army. They shot a dart at my wife, poisoned her with something that slowed down her senses and speed, made her sluggish. So I tried to fight them off myself. It wasn't until I slew a few of them that I heard a high-pitched scream and saw that the vermin were trying to force themselves on top of my daughter and son."

"Shit...so wot d'you do?"

"What any father would. I sacrificed myself to save them. I told them...I told them that they could have me, so long as they left my children and wife alone."

Urthquake shut his eyes and lowered his head. "They raped me, Stanno. More than once. And the whole time, I didn't try to fight back. They made them watch...my wife and daughter couldn't stop sobbing. But Conwyn was quiet, just looking at me with shock. He...what I did disgusted him; I know it did. I spent so long telling him to stand up against the vermin, and yet there I was, being plowed from behind because I was scared for my family."

Stanno couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm...I suppose I can understand that. If my family was in danger, I'd give up my life for 'em. I'm sure that's wot you were tryin' to do too."

"Exactly."

"They killed your family anyway, didn't they?"

Stanno said it in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer. Urthquake glanced down at the hare and snorted.

"They didn't kill my family. They butchered them. Conwyn was lucky; he didn't suffer, short of seeing his father disgrace himself. The leader of the vermin group sliced his head in half, and then laughed as he picked some of his brains out of his exposed skull. Marlene had her eyes cut out while she was still fully conscious. They let her scream and run around for a minute or two, and then a ferret stabbed her so many times that it looked like an archer had used her body for target practice. And Eleanor was pinned down by four vermin, all of whom chopped off a limb simultaneously. As she wailed and bled out, the leader took a rapier..."

Urthquake had to stop as the painful memories began to resurface. Stanno couldn't tell if the badger was about to smash his fist into a tree or if he was about to start crying hysterically. The hare watched as the Badger Lord gritted his teeth and growled to himself. Stanno began to lower his ears.

"You can stop now..." he muttered quietly.

"No," he snarled. "You need to know what he did. The leader...he took a rapier, and he shoved it inside her, Stanno. My wife. She didn't die right then either. I had to lie on the ground, my wrists and ankles bound to stakes with thick rope, and listen and watch as she bled from her orifice. Such a beautiful creature Eleanor was...and they had to defile her like that."

Stanno looked away from Urthquake and shuddered. And at the same time, he felt selfish. His family was safe and sound, still living in the same village, the same home. Even now, after hearing Urthquake's story, all he felt was relief that his family had never had to experience such a tragedy. The hare took a few deep breaths before he whimpered.

"I'm sorry," Stanno said, feeling his eyes watering.

"No, those vermin are sorry. They never should've attacked me. They should've killed me first. After my wife died, all the vermin kept laughing at me, continued to defile my family's corpses. I couldn't stop blubbering no matter how hard I tried. But then this rage built up inside me, and I couldn't stop it. I didn't try to. I let it take control of me. The Bloodwrath engulfed me, swallowed me whole, Stanno. I broke free from my restraints with ease, feeling like I had the strength of all my ancestors combined. If there's one thing I wish I could have remembered from that day...it would be what I did to those monsters. I can't recall how I killed them, but I know they screamed. I know they pleaded, cried for help. I know they soiled themselves as they tried to hide from me. But I killed every single one of them."

Urthquake paused again and unclenched the fist he made. He began to calm down. "Three days, Stanno. That's how long I was under the Bloodwrath. For three whole days, I did nothing but run around Southsward and Mossflower, slaying vermin of all sorts. Slavers, bandits, assassins, pirates, cannibals...I didn't care. By the time I finally recovered, some goodbeasts found me sleeping peacefully in the grass. I was naked and beat up, and covered in blood so thick it took a week to wash out. I don't remember how many I slew in those three days. I don't care either. Sometimes I fall asleep and see myself gouging out rats' eyes and their blood splattering in my face. Sometimes I have images of myself smashing babes' heads against trees and rocks. They were all vermin...they all deserved to die."

Urthquake turned and looked down at Stanno again. "That's where we come in, Sergeant. We have to kill them. All of them. Do you understand?"

"...I understand that you went through a lot of pain and trauma, sah...and I'm sorry. Nobeast should...you didn't deserve that."

"Your tone suggests you don't agree with me."

"I agree that wot those vermin did t'you an' your family was outlandishly cruel. I agree that they deserved to die; you had every right to kill them. But to spend the rest of your life ridding this world of every single rat, stoat, ermine, fox, ferret and weasel? That's...that's genocide, sah!"

Urthquake snorted. "No, it's not. It's called cleansing this forest of all evil."

"Y-you told me you smashed vermin babes' heads against rocks 'cos you were angry and under the Bloodwrath. That...m'lord, this is all 'cos some vermin killed your family an' raped you?"

"No. I'm doing this so no other goodbeast out there has to suffer through what I suffered through. If we have to slaughter every vermin we see to do so, then fine."

"Sah...h-how far are you willin' to take this, wot?"

Urthquake lowered his head and stared at Stanno. He was so close to him that their muzzles almost touched, and the hare could feel Urthquake's hot breath in his face.

"Do I frighten you, Stanno?"

"...Why are you askin' me that?"

"Answer," he growled.

"No," Stanno lied.

"Then you should have no problem trusting me, right?"

"You didn't answer my question. How far are you willin' to go to kill all these vermin?"

"As far as I fucking have to."

No words were said after that. The two beasts stared at each other, breathing quietly as they tried to read each other's eyes. Both of them tried to shield how they really felt about their current situation, but it was impossible when Urthquake had exposed so much. Stanno already had doubts before; hearing about Urthquake's past wasn't helping him. He knew the beast was in pain, but with that pain came rage, one so rampant that nobeast out there would be able to stop it. Stanno didn't know what to do or say at this point. He was glad that he found out about the badger's history, but at the same time, worried that Urthquake was getting closer and closer to losing his sanity. The hare slowly turned away from his Badger Lord, and Urthquake did the same. They sat in silence for another awkward minute before Urthquake began to feel tired again and leaned back, resting his head against the tree.

"You have a good night, Sergeant."

"...Good night."

Stanno didn't move at first, not until he glanced over at the badger and saw that his eyes were closing. After that, he started to breathe softly again, and the hare knew his Badger Lord was sleeping. So Stanno slowly got back to his footpaws and walked away. He headed back over to Honward--who was snoring and drooling--and lied down a few feet away from him. He closed his eyes, told himself to go to sleep. But between Honward's vicious snoring, and everything on his mind, he found himself lying awake with his eyes closed.

---

He still didn't understand why he did this, why he was interested in these beasts. The shrew couldn't help himself. He couldn't control his urges no matter how hard he tried. At least, that's what he told himself. That's what made him feel okay spying on other beasts while they were in the nude, or bathing in a river. But most importantly, that's what he told himself so he'd be content with masturbating as he spied on them from afar. The Shrew Chieftain's son panted as he looked down. His shaft was fully erect, and his kilt was lowered, exposing his nether regions. Then he looked over at the stream and could see Kallin cleaning himself, washing all of the dirt and musk off his body in the glistening water. His back was turned, so the shrew had a perfectly good view of the Guosim brewer's large rump. Benrath started to breathe heavily as he wrapped a paw around his member and began to stroke. He did it hard and fast, whimpering quietly and squeezing his penis, feeling some of the pre-ejaculate getting onto his fingers. Kallin bent over, exhaling as he started to wash off his legs.

Now Benrath had an even better view of the brewer's wide rump. He whimpered again and started to grunt, rubbing his shaft even faster, hoping that nobeast would discover what he was doing. He needed this. It was his only leisurely activity he could perform that would get rid of his stress, make him forget that beasts like Jurlick and his friends ever joined the Guosim. Besides, he knew if he got it out of his system now, he wouldn't have to worry about suffering from another wet dream. So Benrath kept grunting and started to rock his hips slowly, squeezing his shaft as he fantasized about all the sexual things he wanted to do with Kallin, if not several other members in the tribe. The shrew started to feel a tingly sensation in his groin as he thought about Kallin turning around and showing off his bare groin. The shrew wasn't even looking at the Guosim brewer anymore. All he needed was his perverted imagination. The shrew began to slow down; he could feel the orgasm coming on. The shrew pressed his back against the tree he was standing by and slowed down. Some of the ejaculate was dribbling out.

Then the shrew let out a gasping, panting noise, forcing himself not to shout as he came. The shrew took several deep breaths as he heard his semen splattering on the ground, leaving various white blotches in the grass and soil. Benrath could feel his ejaculate running down his fingers and getting all over his left paw. The shrew relaxed after coming, and he licked some of his semen off his paw before wiping the rest of it off on his tunic. Then Benrath quickly pulled his kilt back up before Kallin finished washing himself. The shrew exhaled and walked away from the stream, glad that he managed to play with himself again without being spotted. He hurried his way to the Guosim's new campsite, which consisted of various tents spread out near River Moss. Benrath snickered to himself as he walked towards the small patch of dirt he was sleeping on beside a ditch. Just as he was about to lay down in the soil, he shouted when he felt a sharp pain in his left footpaw. The shrew started to swear as he hopped up and down on his right footpaw, grasping his left one with both paws. He looked down at his left footpaw and realized he was bleeding.

"Shit! The 'ell did I step on?! Yowch!"

Benrath nearly fell down when something bounced off his jaw. The shrew stumbled and rubbed the left side of his face, feeling more blood. He spat on the ground and moved his jaw around, hoping he didn't lose any teeth. The shrew bent down and picked up the object that bounced off his face, surprised to see that it was a thick, spiked pinecone. Benrath was about to question where it came from when he heard raucous laughter in the distance.

"Sorry there, Benrath! Was tryin' t'hit yore eyes!"

Benrath frowned when he saw the shrew wearing the red headband laughing. He walked up towards Benrath, carrying another pinecone in his right paw as his posse backed him up. He chucked the last pinecone at Benrath, who quickly ducked so it wouldn't bounce off his muzzle.

"It's in the middle o' the fuckin' night! I ain't got time fer this shit, Jurlick!"

Jurlick snickered. "No, but ye do got time fer a quick wank, eh? Who were it this time: Drelyin, our chef? Or mebbe you was tuggin' one out to ole Kallin back there in the river?"

Benrath didn't say anything. He just exhaled as he turned away. Jurlick and the shrews around him started to laugh again; they could already tell by his face what he had done.

"It was Kallin, wasn't it? Wot d'ye do, gaze upon his fat arse, thought about sniffin' his crotch?"

"SHUT UP!"

Jurlick didn't stop. He walked over to Benrath and grabbed him roughly. The two beasts tussled around for a brief moment, with Jurlick having the upper paw. Benrath shouted as he stepped on one of the pinecones and tripped, falling flat on his back. Jurlick didn't give the shrew any time to stand back up. He pinned him down, getting on his knees, his backside pressed down against Benrath's crotch. All the shrews needed to do now was pull down their kilts, and Jurlick would be riding the unfortunate shrew.

"This wot ye like, faggot? This wot ye father does as his hobby: pin ya down an' ride ye 'til ya shoot yer cream up his fat arse?"

"Get off! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!!"

Jurlick and the rest of his friends all laughed at the shrew as he thrashed about and tried to jerk his way to freedom. But Jurlick was heavy and had Benrath pinned in all the right places. He bounced up and down, making it seem like he was thrusting into Jurlick right then and there.

"Hahaha, he does like it, Jurlick!" said another shrew.

"Cummon then, cocksucker! Get it up! I know yore jus' dyin' t'fuck somebeast!"

Jurlick started to rub his rump back and forth against Benrath's groin, hoping to make him erect again. Benrath snarled violently as he reached over and grabbed one of the pinecones.

"I SAID GET OFF!!!"

Jurlick shouted when Benrath bashed the pinecone against his temple, causing him to fall to the side. Jurlick groaned as Benrath got to his footpaws, and the bully's friends stopped laughing as well. Jurlick grasped his head, feeling the sharp pain in his temple, and snarled as he stood up and charged for Benrath. But the shrew simply chucked the pinecone at Jurlick's face, watching as it bounced off his forehead. Jurlick shouted as he was stunned again, at which point the shrew went in for the attack. He punched Jurlick in the temple again twice, watching as the shrew stumbled and tried not to trip over his own footpaws. Panting, Jurlick tried to swing his fists at the shrew's face, but being struck by the pinecone messed up his vision and made him dizzy. Benrath dodged his punches with ease, at which point the shrew tackled him and shoved him against a tree. Jurlick grunted as Benrath began to punch him in the ribs, forcing him to spit up some blood.

"A li'l fuckin' help would be--"

Jurlick groaned again when Benrath punched him in the mouth. Jurlick's friends just stood idly by and watched as Benrath kept bashing him up. He grabbed Jurlick's throat tightly with one paw and used the other to plant his fist into his face over and over again. Benrath lost count of how many times he punched him, but when Benrath felt his knuckles becoming sore and bloody, he panted and let go of the shrew. His nose bleeding and right eye blackened, Jurlick groaned and felt some blood and saliva pouring out of his mouth. He wheezed and tried to crawl away, but Benrath kicked him in the stomach, causing the shrew to collapse. Jurlick coughed twice before he slowly rolled onto his back. Benrath crouched down and grabbed his tunic so he could lift his head up. Then the shrew punched him in the eye and knocked his head back down to the ground. He picked up Jurlick's head again and punched him a second time, not caring that his knuckles had started bleeding. He grabbed Jurlick's tunic a third time, at which point the wounded shrew spoke up.

"Stop," he mumbled.

Benrath took a few deep breaths before exhaling. "Sorry, don't think I heard ya. Wot d'ye say?!"

"S-stop...jus' stop."

Benrath stared at the shrew's bruised and bloodied face before he scoffed in disgust at him. He shoved him back down to the ground and listened as the beast groaned. Benrath slowly stood up, looking down at the spiky creature in his red headband. Then he shook his head.

"No. Yore not gettin' off that easily. Lugo, Tileer, hold 'im down."

The shrew with a black headband on looked at Benrath and blinked. "But...wot d'ye plan--"

"I am Benrath Brugo, son of the Guosim Chieftain Log-a-Log Brugo. You will do as I fuckin' tell ye! Now hold 'im down!"

Lugo and Tileer did as they were told, while the other two Guosim soldiers merely watched in horror and morbid fascination. Jurlick began to whimper as Lugo held down his legs and Tileer held down his arms.

"No, no, PLEASE! Please, ye dun 'ave--"

"Wot, ye think I'm gonna force meself on ya?" Benrath shook his head and scoffed. "I ain't that callous. But I'm gettin' tired o' all ye bullshit...gonna 'ave t'do somethin' about that. Menryl, hold his mouth open!"

Menryl nodded without question. Jurlick looked up at the shrew as he held his head down and then forced his mandible to hang low. Benrath looked down at Jurlick as he struggled to move. He couldn't help but smirk, knowing what this would do to the shrew once he finished. He pulled his kilt down, revealing his bare crotch and bottom to the other shrews. And then the shrew turned around and squatted so his bottom was planted less than an inch above Jurlick's open mouth. Jurlick screamed and thrashed around more, still wondering why Menryl had enough strength to keep his jaw lowered. Benrath knew Menryl couldn't keep his mouth open forever, so he performed the deed quickly. The shrew grunted and passed gas in Jurlick's mouth a few times. Seconds later, there was a disgusting crackling sound, and the smell of feces filled everybeast's nostrils. There was nothing Jurlick could do as Benrath defecated into his mouth, the brown waste landing on his tongue and rolling down into the back of his maw. Jurlick started to retch, already feeling bile rushing up his throat just in time for Benrath to release another large clump of feces into his mouth.

Menryl eventually lost his grip. Jurlick, on instinct, shut his mouth, only to feel the sludge rummaging around in his maw. The shrews all started to laugh hysterically as Jurlick started to retch and cough up vomit. Benrath moved away and pulled up his kilt before gesturing for Lugo and Tileer to let go of Jurlick. The second they did, Jurlick shoved them out of the way and leaned over, vomiting profusely all over the ground. All Benrath did was grin with delight, listening to the shrew belch and vomit while his friends simply mocked him and laughed in his face. Benrath waited until Jurlick was surrounded in a pool of his own bile, blood and some regurgitated fecal matter before he kicked Jurlick again.

"From now on, ye gonna treat me like I'm Log-a-Log's son. Ye gonna show me respect, an' yer gonna do wot I command when I command it, unnerstand?"

Jurlick responded by coughing up more bile from his mouth. Benrath took that as a sign of agreement, at which point the shrew walked away from him feeling more confident. Lugo and Jurlick's other former friends all snickered at him as they walked away, leaving him feeling demeaned.

"Bitch," Lugo murmured as he left.

Jurlick didn't respond. He just lied in his own filth, breathing heavily and whimpering.

---

Barlo sighed heavily as he looked at the falcon and portly Shrew Chieftain. The former was squawking and nibbling at the sweets the latter had promised her, while the shrew was speaking in a slurred voice.

"Yesssh...go on then, Klawtyr! Eat as much sweets as ye want!"

The peregrine falcon didn't hesitate. She lowered her head and started to swallow some candied chestnuts and chunks of the elderberry pie ravenously. The large bird picked at the sugary pastry with her black beak. Then she started to munch on a chestnut while bits of the pie were still in her beak. She lifted her head and spoke to the Shrew Chieftain, causing bits of the vittles to spill from her beak.

"All is well, Sir Chieftain! All is well!"

Log-a-Log chuckled and took another long swig of the shrewbeer in his mug. "Indeed it is, dear Klawtyr! But say it again...I wanna hear them delightful words!"

Klawtyr squawked. "Blackheart and all his minions have been slaughtered! I flew by the fortress an' saw it in ruins; there's not a single livin' soul in there! An' it seems like your good friend Kurwin slew a whole platoon of squirrels! Had lotsa fun peckin' at the skinless cadavers they hung from the trees!"

"Good," said Log-a-Log, before hiccupping. "S'all good!"

As Log-a-Log finished another mug of the shrewbeer, he belched heartily and reached for another mug from his table, mumbling as he struggled to grab it without tipping it over. The inebriated shrew glanced over his shoulder and laughed as he looked at Barlo.

"Cummon, Barlo! Celebrate with ye Chieftain an' grab a mug!"

Barlo stared at Brugo with a scowl on his face and shook his head. Log-a-Log snorted and turned back around.

"More f'me then!"

Log-a-Log placed the mug against his mouth and tilted his head backwards, chugging the frothy beverage without bothering to lower his glass. The black, gray, and white falcon finished off the elderberry pie and chestnuts, swallowing hard and exhaling as her stomach was filled. She watched as the shrew kept chugging his beer, ignoring the fact that some of the fluids were dribbling down his chin and spilling onto his tunic. Once Log-a-Log finished, he slammed the mug down and hiccupped, wiping his mouth off.

"Now then...y-you go back out there...go out an' ye spy on 'em. Watch 'em both...flap them pretty li'l wings a' yers an' try to figure out where the badger an' the corsair are headed. With any luck-HIC!-they'll bump into each other...slaughter each other while we sit back an' watch!"

The falcon nodded her head. "I'm on it, Chieftain! You just make sure ya got more sweets ready for me! Spyin' on these beasts is tiresome work, and it sure is hard for falcons like me t'find decent meals these days!"

Log-a-Log got out of his chair, nearly stumbling in the process, and wobbled his way over to his hut's door. He grumbled as he opened the door up, and the giant bird quickly walked out of the doorway, ducking and moving her yellow feet out onto the deck of the Chieftain's raft.

"You take care now! And get different vittles next time! I'm growing bored of those chestnuts!"

Log-a-Log merely laughed at the falcon as she spread her wings and took flight. He burped again and wobbled his way back to his chair, huffing deeply as he planted his big bottom down.

"Nobeast ever sees how useful them birds be...'cept fer I, ol' Log-a-Log Brugo! Oh yes...such a glorious ally!"

"How long ye gonna keep this up?"

Log-a-Log looked at Barlo as if he just realized he had been standing there all along. The pudgy shrew sniffed. "Hmm?"

"I told ye, this is a dangerous game yore playin'! Badgers, Long Patrol, pirates--if any one o' these beasts finds out yer playin' both sides against one another, they're gonna come after us!"

"Theeeeeeen I guess we betta not let 'em find out, eh?"

"...It's not too late, y'know. Klawtyr can help us and Urthquake! If she finds Kurwin an' his pirates, she c'n come back an' tell us where he is! Then we can tell Urthquake, we'll team up, hunt those vermin down, an' kill 'em all! We'll solve two problems at once--Kurwin an' his allies will be dead, an' Urthquake and the Long Patrol won't be suspicious of us anymore!"

"Or...or maybe we jus' let this mess sort itself out. After all, we got bigger things t'worry 'bout!"

"Bigger than the Guosim's future?"

"Bigger'n Redwall even...you've no fuckin' idea, Barlo...none."

Barlo Arvack lowered his arms and huffed as he headed for the open door. "I'm gonna get some rest. Try not to piss y'self again, all right?"

Log-a-Log chuckled. "No promises!"

As Barlo headed outside and stepped off the Chieftain's logboat, he bumped shoulders against Benrath, who was still bleeding but smirking at the same time. He ignored the irritated second in command and continued his way to his father's logboat. He stepped onto the floating wooden craft before walking towards the hut, taking note of some of the feathers lying on the deck. Once he stepped inside, he found his father still sitting in his chair, trying to find another alcoholic beverage to pour down his throat. His mood was suddenly lifted once he saw his son enter.

"My son! Wotcha doin' up this late, boy?" Log-a-Log grinned as he grabbed a mug and lifted it up. "Ye wanted t'share a drink wit yer ole father, eh?"

Benrath was confused when he noticed his father was carrying an empty mug, but he ignored it and shook his head. "No, not at all. Jus' wanted to tell ye that Jurlick an' his mates won't give me or anybeast else any trouble. I took care of it."

Log-a-Log snorted. "That why yer face s'all beat up?"

Benrath grinned. "You should go see Jurlick."

The big Shrew Chieftain laughed so hard his belly shook. He stood up from his chair as he walked over to give his son a giant bear hug. Benrath frowned and tried to back away, but his father embraced him before he could move far enough. The younger shrew grimaced; Log-a-Log's breath stank of shrewbeer, and he smelled like he hadn't bathed in a few days.

"Ya see, son? Gotta take charge, keep them shrews in line!"

Despite how drunk his father was, Benrath hugged Log-a-Log anyway, still grimacing from the smell. "Erm, thanks, Dad."

After Log-a-Log finished hugging his son, he pulled up his kilt and backed away, leaning against the table. "Got excellent news on me end too, son! Seems like Blackheart an' all his goons 'ave been slain thanks to the Badger Lord!"

"That's wunnerful! Now all those slaves c'n be free an' we don't gotta worry about him risin' t'power! Tch, tell ye wot though: if Urthquake hadn't kill 'em, I'm sure ye woulda!"

The older shrew chuckled. "Since ye mentioned 'im, looks like me ol' pal Kurwin the Flayer's got his sights set on 'im! They jus' slew several Mossflower Squirrel Brigade soldiers, so it won't be long now 'til the blowhard Badger Lord finds out an' comes lookin' fer Kurwin an' his pirates! I'm sure that'd be a lovely battle, one I wouldn't miss fer the world!"

Benrath started to frown. "Father, ye said Kurwin slew MSB soldiers?"

"Aye, son!"

"But they...I thought we were allies with 'em?"

"Sure, Benrath! We're they're 'allies.' My mistake!"

Benrath blinked as he stared at his father's wide grin. "Dad, wot's goin' on?"

Log-a-Log moved from the table and walked up to his son again. "Wot's goin' on is that...I'm gonna rule Mossflower, son! Me! Nobeast else! I'm gonna let this forest tear itself apart! An' then, once all the bodies 'ave been spread across the soil, we'll shove it all 'way into the ocean, an' then I will move in and take command! Hah, Shrew Chieftain? PAH! KING Log-a-Log Brugo sounds much better! Wotcha think, son? Wanna be me prince once I become king?"

"Um...I-I like the idea an' all, but wot about the Long Patrol? Wot about Redwall an' Skipper an' those squirrels--"

"Irrelevant. Wot matters is me. Wot matters is me tribe. Mine, son. Singular. Every other beast c'n go fuck 'emselves. Shrews protect shrews. Shrews are friends with shrews. S'all ye need to know!"

"...All right then," said Benrath apprehensively.

After his little speech, Log-a-Log walked so close to his son that his spherical abdomen was brushing against Benrath's. He growled quietly as he reached over and rubbed his spiky scalp.

"Ye grew up so fast, my son. Hard t'believe yer already eighteen seasons. I'm so proud of you."

"Uh, thanks, Dad."

Log-a-Log kept rubbing his son's head, growling as he stared at the younger beast. He pursed his lips for a moment, and then leaned his head forward. Benrath's eyes grew wide when his father's lips almost made contact with his. He quickly backed away.

"Dad, w-wot are ye doin'?"

Log-a-Log didn't answer. He walked forward and grabbed his son, leaning in close again. He chuckled deeply as he started to rub his back. Benrath panicked.

"Okay, stop, stop."

Log-a-Log kept rubbing him, moving his right paw way too low.

"STOP!"

Benrath started to breathe heavily as he shoved his father backwards and moved to his left, shaking almost. Log-a-Log licked his teeth as he bent down slightly and spread his arms apart.

"S'matter, son? Don't ye love yer daddy anymore? Don't ye still love me?"

"Shut up." Benrath shuddered again as he slowly backed up towards the doorway. "Ye...ye said you were gonna stop. I'm-I'm eighteen now...ye said after me eighteenth birthday...ye'd stop. S-so--so...we're...it's behind us. Okay? It...ye said we'd put it all behind us. All of it. So please, don't...ju-jus' don't."

Benrath and Log-a-Log stared at each other for a very long time. Benrath wasn't shaking anymore, but his heart was beating fast and he still felt nervous. Log-a-Log was still staring at his son, grinning at him toothily. He blinked once, moments before his tongue flicked out of his mouth. He quickly and audibly licked his upper lip like a predator seconds away from eating a huge meal. Then he exhaled and leaned against the table again.

"Fine then. S'all behind us."

"Good."

Log-a-Log blinked. "Ye 'ave a good night, son."

"...You too, Dad."

Benrath exited his father's hut before he attempted to do anything else. He jumped off his logboat so fast that he almost tripped and fell into the water. After his son left, Log-a-Log slowly shut his hut's door and exhaled. Then he returned to his chair and chuckled to himself as he found another bottle of shrewbeer to drink from.