[Mkguild] Act of Kindness

[C. Matthias]

Although not part of the Christmas Exchange, here's a little tale I 
penned for Stealth.  Takes place in November 707 CR.


Acts of Kindness

By Charles Matthias


There were perhaps fewer things he dreaded than visiting the Keep's 
Steward, Thalberg the alligator. While Sir Edmund assured him that 
the arrogant and demanding demeanor of the stalwart reptile masked a 
tender and protective devotion to the House of Hassan, it did little 
to improve Stealth's opinion of him. Ever since the incident with the 
chicken and the mouse with the frying pan, any time he was forced to 
deliver a message to Thalberg it took him half the time just to build 
up the courage to face the massive scaly beast. Every time those 
yellow eyes surveyed him he felt as if the alligator was looking for 
an excuse to consign him to working in the kitchens as he'd once threatened.

But this time was different. He'd tried to take a long route through 
the Keep, but the geometry stymied him. Every time he turned a corner 
there was the familiar door to the Steward's office. The guards 
outside were probably getting sick of seeing him run past. After the 
fourth time, Stealth decided that he couldn't put it off any longer 
and marched up to the door and presented his summons.

The guards let him through and Stealth tiptoed into the very warm 
office. A fire roared in a nearby hearth, and light from the sun 
streamed through unseen windows. It was actually quite comfortable 
for the cheetah. He stretched a little as he stepped into a pool of 
light in front of Thalberg's desk.

"Ah, Stealth, I'm so glad you came so quickly," Thalberg intoned with 
a faint hint of dry sarcasm. The alligator was dressed in a heavy 
woollen red robe that cover him from neck to tail. His green-scaled 
hands extended from the voluminous sleeves and offered him a small 
letter. "I need this delivered to Baron Samuel Christopher of the 
Iron Mines. Today if you could."

Stealth blinked and nodded. "The Iron Mines? I know of them but not 
where they are."

"Take the southern road past Lorland. Turn east when you see the sign 
of the pick and sword at the next crossroads." Thalberg offered him 
the letter. "It is very important that this letter arrives with all 
haste. I have heard good things about your recent services. I will be 
expecting the same diligence on your part."

Stealth took the letter and held it carefully between two fingers. 
"I'll be on my way at once." Anything to get out of the Steward's office!

The alligator cracked his jaws in what was either a smile or a sign 
of ravenous hunger. "I'm delighted to hear it. Now hurry. This is 
very important." Stealth was out the door only a second later.

----------


Being a crisp winter day, Stealth felt grateful once again for the 
suit the tailor in Euper and his mage friends had made for him. After 
several adjustments and his trial runs it felt comfortable and kept 
him warm as he ran along the southern road and unlike the first time 
he thankfully had a place to put his back pack. His legs moved in 
tandem, paws bounding across hard packed snow and the occasional 
patch of frozen mud. His chest swelled with each breath, golden eyes 
focussed upon every twist and turn as the road made it's way through 
a series of low hills and white frosted trees.

The road south from Metamor Keep was travelled far more than the 
northern road which made the cheetah feel both safer and more 
conspicuous. After only a quarter of an hour running alongside the 
road he passed two wagons and a pair of riders. All of them glanced 
at him with a far greater curiosity than he appreciated. But with as 
fast as he ran, he knew they wouldn't see anything on his body he 
didn't like strangers seeing. Still, the exposure reminded him just 
what his suit didn't cover.

But after a while Stealth found he could ignore the others passing 
him on the road. His eyes strayed to the scenery. The sun stayed 
behind the grey clouds to the south which gave the valley a sombre 
and quiet cast. The trees thinned as he journeyed south, soon broken 
by more than watchtowers. Farms and small hamlets dotted the 
countryside. Several times he caught the scent of cooking meat rich 
in salt and had to keep his paws from veering off the road.

The Iron Mines were about as far from the Keep as was Glen Avery, and 
in the opposite direction. But the road to the Iron Mines was easier 
than that to the forested Glen, passing as it did by the relatively 
flat Lorland. To his right he stared at the long rows of field 
covered in snow. In four or five months the fields would be full of 
peasant digging and planting. But now they were populated only by scarecrows.

His heart lifted when he saw the castle of Lorland set amidst those 
selfsame fields. It's once gaudy accoutrements had been torn down and 
the old fortifications were restored. The excess stone had been 
reshaped into new barracks and a town commons. Stealth remembered 
hearing how the people of Lorland were all brow beat by the 
thrice-damned Loriod, but just looking at the town none would have 
ever guessed.

Stealth suddenly felt grateful for living at Metamor. He'd been 
afraid of the beast inside him for a long time, but Sir Edmund and 
others had shown him how it could be a powerful ally. But he'd never 
been afraid of tyranny from Duke Thomas. He tried but failed to 
imagine what life would have been like under a ruler who would have 
insisted that he live out his animal shape.

Stealth took one last look at Lorland castle and pressed on, shutting 
the thought out of his mind.


----------

Ten minutes after taking the left fork, Stealth had his first glimpse 
of the Iron Mines. A long city wall stretched in a semi-circle around 
a tightly packed cluster of wooden and stone homes as well as several 
far larger buildings. Some Stealth recognized as towers for defence, 
but several were wholly unfamiliar; from the tops of these issued a 
steady stream of smoke. Beyond the walls lay a long field of grasses 
and tree stumps. The city walls drove into the side of the mountain 
at which the tallest towers stood. The mountains rose into the 
impenetrable sky, and with the low clouds, were lost to view.

It took Stealth another two minutes to run down the road to the city 
gates. Tall, wide, and fashioned from bronze, they seemed both dull 
and imposing. And to his surprise they were closed. Stealth blinked 
and paced back and forth to keep his muscles from tightening.

"Hallo down there!" a voice shouted from above. Stealth glanced up 
and saw a human man who looked old enough to have been touched by the 
curse waving down to him from the top of the wall. Next to him and 
sitting on the crenellation was a small red squirrel man. There was 
something odd about the squirrel's tunic, but he couldn't tell from the ground.

Stealth sat down on his haunches and stared wide eyed at the two. The 
man said something to the squirrel who laughed and flashed his tail 
back and forth. Stealth growled under his breath.

"Messenger from the Keep?" the man yelled down. Stealth nodded his 
head and the two guards conferred again. The man yelled, "Wait a 
minute while we open the door. Krystoff here will take you to the 
Baronness." While Stealth waited the man shouted to somebody else on 
the other side of the wall. The bronze doors creaked as they ground 
inward. Beyond Stealth saw the main road lead between the thick walls 
and another gate at the end. Those little killing zones always made 
the cheetah nervous, and this time was no different as he crept 
through the massive bulwarks of stone.

"Lookout below!" a newer higher pitched voice shouted. Stealth 
glanced up as he passed out of the killing passage and gaped as the 
squirrel jumped off the city wall. He stretched out his arms and legs 
and a flap of skin between them stretched and billowed in the air. To 
the cheetah's surprise and to the amusement of the guards, the 
squirrel glided down to the ground and landed comfortably. The folds 
of skin drew back against his sides as he lowered his arms. The 
squirrel turned back, claws ticking on the stone road, "Sorry to 
surprise you. I love doing that! I'm Krystoff. Follow me."

The red squirrel was definitely smaller than Lady Avery had been, and 
judging by his awkward gait, it looked as if he'd be better off 
falling to all fours and scampering like his arboreal brethren. 
Stealth followed him at a leisurely pace while glancing around to get 
a better view of the city.

The Iron Mine looked to be about the same size as Euper with a 
similar variety of shops. The homes were small and fit together like 
pieces of a puzzle. The main road was cleared of snow, but Stealth 
could hear children playing in the drifts beyond the line of houses. 
The steady clang of blacksmiths resounded from the east, as well as a 
deeper groaning coming from a large pyramid shaped building stained 
black. Smoke billowed out of the top, dark and carrying a very dirty 
scent that he couldn't identify.

The squirrel led him nearly all the way to the mountains and then up 
an incline toward one of the larger towers. Krystoff gestured to the 
mountains and the network of cables, pulleys, and wooden planks 
leading into several gaping holes in the mountainside. Several large 
animal morphs pushed cranks that kept the contraption moving. "And 
that's the Iron Mine. Richest deposit of iron in all the valley. 
We've dug pretty deep into the mountains. There's even some tunnels 
underneath the town now. The Baron has talked about opening some new 
tunnels to the north and to the south, but until we can build the 
defensive works, it's still not safe enough."

Stealth turned his head in surprise. Krystoff laughed. "Yeah, we 
don't see many Lutins this far south. We used to, but these days its 
pretty quiet. But there's plenty of thieves and bandits still. Any we 
catch the Baron'll make into miners. We've got one fellow down there 
who hasn't seen the sky in two years. Course, he raped and murdered 
one of the Baron's cousins."

Stealth wasn't sure whether he should be amazed that the murderer was 
still alive, revolted at what he'd done, or more revolted at his 
sentence. Either way, staring at the gaping hole in the mountainside 
and watching men, women, and many age regressed coming in and out 
covered in dirt, he knew that he didn't want to get on the Baron's bad side!

The squirrel continued on his way to the tower, oblivious to 
Stealth's confusion. The tower door was flanked by a pair of older 
male guards who in heartiness reminded Stealth of George, despite the 
fact that both must have been female before the curses changed them. 
They nodded to the squirrel and let him pass through the wide doorway.

The tower was wide and flanked the mountainside. Inside, it appeared 
a little cramped with close walls and low ceilings. There was 
carpeting and tapestries bearing a silver pickaxe on a black 
escutcheon, as well as several other symbols and decorations the 
cheetah didn't recognize, but they were the only signs of opulence in 
the otherwise drab interior.

Krystoff led him to another small room off the main foyer and bade 
him sit down. "Wait here and make yourself comfortable. I'll go fetch 
the Baronness." Without another word, the squirrel flicked his tail 
and scampered out the main door. It swung shut behind him, 
effectively trapping the cheetah inside.

Stealth stretched a little and glanced around. He stood in a sitting 
room with a quartet of upholstered chairs whose backs had been opened 
up to allow for tails. A bookshelf occupied part of one wall, though 
the shelves were filled with more brightly coloured rocks than with 
scrolls or tomes. Hanging from them all next to it was an old pick 
with rusted head and worn handle whose value could only be 
sentimental. A liquor cabinet stood next to it with several bottles 
and glasses.

Stealth was about to risk shifting to his morph form (Changing in a 
room where anyone could enter at any time did trouble him as opposed 
to changing behind a bush) and replace the clothes in his back pack 
when he noticed the bundle of clothes resting in one of the chairs. 
He walked over and nosed it, blinking in surprise when he glimpsed 
the parchment that lay atop the pile. On the parchment was a drawing 
of a cheetah. Curious, he nosed the paper off and stared at the 
clothes. Tunic and breeches. Were they for him?

Very curious, Stealth finally did risk shifting into his morphic 
form. The running suit and armour stretched and slid along his frame 
as he shifted. Once he could stand on his hind legs, he removed his 
pack and took the tunic in his paws and pulled it over his chest. A 
little baggy but it fit. The same with the breeches. The breeches had 
a rope belt sewn into the sides. This he pulled tight to keep himself 
modest then replaced the pack. The clothes were a dusty tan that 
blended well with his fur, and he smiled as he ran his paws over the fabric.

He heard footsteps approaching. Stealth straightened up and smoothed 
the clothes down against his running suit. The doors opened and an 
enticing woman stepped one pace into the room. Her cheeks were hard 
but faintly plump. Raven black hair fell behind her without a curl in 
sight. Pert breasts accented her chest. And then Stealth saw that her 
belly was distended in an obvious sign of pregnancy. It was then that 
he finally noticed that she was also wearing clothes of a simple but 
elegant weave. At the cuffs silver lace was embroidered in the blue 
wool of her blouse and gown. But she eschewed the many petticoats 
typical of female nobility.

And then it finally dawned on Stealth that this lady must have once 
been a man. Her smile and voice had a pleased turn to it. "Ah, you 
must be the courier Stealth. Welcome to the Iron Mines. I'm Baroness 
Stephyni Christopher. Do you like the clothes?"

Stealth nodded. "They look very nice on you, milady."

The lady's lips drew back in a chuckle. "I meant yours."

The cheetah blinked and glanced down at himself. "Oh yes! I have my 
own clothes but it's very nice to have something waiting for me when 
I arrive." He blinked again and then removed his pack. "I have a 
message for your husband somewhere in here."

"Take your time to find it."

He did so. His tail flicked nervously from embarrassment as he opened 
a side pocket but quickly found the letter and handed it to Stephyni 
who took the letter from his outstretched hand. "So, milady 
Christopher, I was told that a reply was needed. How long will it be?"

"Don't be in a rush to return. It's already past midday," Stephyni 
smiled as she sat down in one chair. She ran one hand over her 
swollen belly and sighed. "My husband will be here soon. I sent 
Krystoff to the mines to fetch him."

"He works in the mines?"

"Every day he can," Stephyni replied with a fond smile. "Would you 
like something to eat while you wait? It may be a few candlemarks 
before he returns."

Trying not to look too closely at his hostess, Stealth nodded. "Thank 
you, milady. I would like some food."

She smiled and clapped her hands.

----------


It was an hour later that the Baron finally arrived. During that time 
Stealth enjoyed a meal of roasted duck and potatoes. The cook lacked 
the fine artistry of the Keep's kitchen staff who were capable of the 
most delicate of flavours, but at least he wasn't stealing these 
delectable morsels.

When they were finished, Stephyni introduced him to her two children, 
a young boy and girl both of whom were only a few years old. The 
children were amiable but were more interested in chasing each other 
waving toy mallets around. Though both were human like their mother, 
the boy's black hair was marred by a streak of white like a badger 
down the middle of his head. Stephyni proudly said he took after his father.

The boy reacted to this praise by smashing Stealth's foot with the 
mallet, at which the baroness admitted sometimes he took too much 
after his father. After having the children taken back to their 
chambers to rest she apologized to the cheetah who continued to hop 
up and down cradling his bruised toes.

So it was when the Baron arrived that Stealth had a cold cloth 
wrapped around his paw and could neither rise nor kneel to greet him. 
The Baron was a stout badger who stood shorter than either Stephyni 
or Stealth. But his arms and chest strained within his russet 
doublet. The cheetah stared in amazement at his arms, noting they 
were thicker than he was in his middle. This Baron probably ripped 
trees out of the ground for fun!

The Baron was flanked by a child similarly muscled who dressed in 
slightly less fine clothes. Both of them, though freshly cleaned, 
smelled of soot and stone. The badger put his paws akimbo on his 
waist and smirked. "I see you've met my boy. Little Samuel wants very 
much to be a miner like his father. He's the only child I know who 
wants to receive rocks for Yule."

Beside him the boy who looked only twelve but must have been much 
older began to laugh. "That's one way to keep the poor fellow in 
town, Sam! Break his foot!"

"It's not broken," Stealth said, feeling quite uncertain in the face 
of these two. "Just bruised. I can make it back to Metamor." He 
wasn't about to have his abilities questioned!

The badger's grin widened and he began to nod. "I'm sure you can, 
lad. I'm sure you can. But I hear you have a message for me that 
requires a reply. Since my son has done you injury, I insist that you 
enjoy my hospitality for the night while I compose my reply. It 
smells like you've been enjoying my dinner already, so you may as 
well as enjoy my bed."

Stealth flushed with embarrassment. "Oh no, my lord, I couldn't 
possibly impose for the night."

The age regressed man laughed again. "Hear that, Sam? He thinks your 
offering him that lumpy pile of dirt and rocks you call a bed."

Stealth groaned and clutched his face with a paw, "I didn't mean your 
personal bed."

Baron Samuel Christopher glanced at the youth and then smacked him 
across the back of the head with the flat of his paw. The youth 
neither stumbled nor did he stop laughing. Returning his gaze to 
Stealth, the badger replied, "Aye, I wasn't offering you my personal 
bed just a bed inside my home. It's better than anything you'll find 
at the inns and it's free." He cast a quick glance at the youth who 
still chuckled to himself. "And despite what my cousin here says, I 
don't actually sleep on dirt and rocks."

"Not if he wants to share a bed with me!" Stephyni said with obvious 
admiration in her voice.

All of them laughed except for Stealth who felt slightly 
uncomfortable. It was always that way when in a group who he didn't 
know but who knew each other well. These three were family whereas 
Stealth was an outsider. Friendly though they may be, and far less 
intimidating than Steward Thalberg despite their physique, he'd still 
only met them today.

"But where are my manners?" the Baron asked.

"You probably left them back at the mine," his cousin interrupted. 
This rewarded him with another swat to the back of his head.

The Baron walked into the room and stood beside the seat where 
Stealth reclined with one leg propped up. "I'm Baron Samuel 
Christopher of the Iron Mines. And this is my cousin Daniel. You'll 
have to forgive him. He's both incorrigible and intolerable."

"Hey!" Daniel objected with a twinkle in his eye. "Why don't you tell 
him about some of my bad qualities too?"

Even Stealth laughed at that. Somehow the repartee between these 
cousins set him at ease. "My name is Stealth. I'm a courier for 
Metamor. Your wife has the message already."

Samuel turned to Stephyni and smiled as his eyes admired her form. 
"Good. I'll read it later. Did you really run here on all fours from Metamor?"

Stealth nodded. "Yes, this morning."

While Samuel settled into the chair next to his wife's, Daniel rocked 
back on his heels where he stood just inside the room. The youth's 
eyebrows raised incredulously. "This morning? How long did that take?"

"Maybe four hours."

"Four! That's better than some horses. What kind of cat are you?"

"I'm a cheetah. According to the library at Metamor, we're the 
fastest runners in the world." It was very hard not to let the pride 
slip into his voice. There were times when he still feared the beast 
inside of him, but making it serve him and Metamor had helped immeasurably.

Daniel's grin widened. "I guess I don't want to race you even with 
that injured paw."

"I'd definitely beat you," Stealth admitted as he looked the youth up 
and down. He was strong from his time working in the mines, but 
Stealth knew he could outrun him hopping on just one leg.

Daniel stretched his arms. "Running's good and all, but how well do 
those twigs of yours work?"

"Pardon?"

Samuel rolled his eyes and Stephyni shook her head. Daniel grinned 
and waved his fingers. "Your arms. Come on, I'm just a kid. Surely 
you can beat me."

Stealth blinked "Arm wrestling?"

"Of course! Arm wrestling!"

Stealth blinked again and stared at the kid's biceps. An uncertain 
chuckle lodged in the back of his throat. "Uh, no, I don't think I'd 
win. Your arms are much stronger than mine."

Daniel's grin fell a little, but he nodded and settled into a seat 
next to him. His feet almost reached the floor. "Good! This one's got 
some sense about him, cousin!"

"Stealth is our guest," the badger baron reminded his cousin with a 
light-hearted laugh. "And since this is my land, I would like, with 
your permission, to show you much of what we do here at the mine."

The cheetah flexed his still sore toes. "Mind if I rest my foot a 
little bit longer?"

"By all means," Samuel waved one paw and grinned revealing his mixed 
set of teeth. "Tell us news of Metamor! As a courier, you are privy 
to many things that I will never hear down here!"

Stealth wasn't so sure about that, but found it easy to share what he 
knew with the affable Baron and his wife.

----------


"So those belts carry the ore out of the mine and into that building 
over there?" Stealth asked as he pointed at a long series of pulleys 
and rollers across which cloth had been sown. The cloth strip was a 
few feet across, an inch thick, and hundreds of feet long to make the 
full circuit carrying the heavy ore. The entire system was connected 
to a tower that turned with the strenuous pushing of several bulky 
animal-morphed Metamorians. They toiled at what looked like a set of 
wheel spokes without the wheel and with spokes thicker than Stealth was around.

The badger beside him nodded and waved his claw in the air following 
the belt from the opening in the mine to the pyramid shaped building 
which continuously belched smoke. "That's right. And that's the 
forge. All of the ore is smelted inside that building. We send 
shipments of fresh iron bars to Metamor every two weeks, but many 
things we build here. Swords, plowshares, and everything in between."

Stealth admired it all as he stretched. Baron Christopher's tour of 
the Iron Mines had been delayed until the next day not because of 
other affairs, but because the four of them had got to talking so 
extensively about Metamor, the Valley, its history, economy, and 
everything else that by the time Stealth realized his paw felt like 
normal again, the sky was already darkening with twilight. So instead 
of a tour they reclined at dinner, then that squirrel Krystoff showed 
him where he could sleep. The bed was comfortable and much like the 
one he had at Metamor, so he slept peacefully.

Anxious to make his way back to Metamor in the morning, he 
nevertheless felt some duty to his host to see the Mines. And they 
were quite fascinating, though it was a way of life he wouldn't want. 
Daniel's bravado the day before had a more serious edge to it than 
Stealth had realized at the time. Many of the miners were cutthroats 
and thieves caught by the Watch and sentenced to work off their 
debts. There were minerals other than iron in the mine, some far more 
valuable. Daniel and Samuel had to stay strong to help their men keep 
the involuntary miners from causing any trouble or from stealing anything else.

As a cheetah, Stealth wasn't built for the brute strength the life of 
a miner required. As a badger, Baron Samuel Christopher was uniquely 
suited to it.

Stealth listened as the badger rattled off more facts and pointed to 
more and more places about town. Though a small community, it was 
welcoming and Stealth felt very comfortable here. He secretly hoped 
he could run a few more messages here in the weeks and months ahead. 
He had never received so kind a welcoming as he had here.

But he still had to return to Metamor at some point.

"So," Samuel said as they made their way back to the family tower. 
"What do you think of my city?"

"Much smaller than Metamor, but at least it looks like a city. I 
don't think I'd fit in here very well."

Samuel chortled and patted him gently on the back. "A few years 
swinging and you'd build up the muscles. But I think you're doing 
exactly what you should be."

"Thank you, my lord." Stealth smiled a little as they climbed the road.

"The message to Thalberg is waiting for you. I take it you wish to 
return soon?"

"Yes, I would like to get back."

The Baron nodded. He swayed a little as he walked up the slope, but 
he never looked likely to lose his balance. "I understand. I always 
yearn to rush back here when my tasks at Metamor are done."

Stealth fingered the loose clothes he still wore over his running 
harness. "Thank you for the clothes too. It was nice to have 
something to change into when I arrived. I'll fold them back up 
before I leave."

"That reminds me," Samuel said with a broad grin. "I do have one more 
thing for you." He reached into the satchel slung over his shoulder 
and drew out a flat leather pouch with hooks at all four ends. "If 
the measurements are right, this will attach to your running harness 
without all the bulk of your current back pack. You can carry the 
clothes in this and dress yourself whenever you wish."

Stealth blinked and took the pouch in his paws. He rubbed the tough 
leather hide with his thumbs and stared bewildered. "Why are you 
doing this for me? You don't even know me."

"True enough. I'm not doing it for you," the Baron said with a sad 
smile. "But after meeting you, I wish I could say I was. It was 
Thalberg's idea."

"Thalberg? But he's... so..."

"Cold? He was like that before he became an alligator or so I hear. 
This is his way of saying he was wrong about you. You'll never get 
him to admit it, but that's what this is." Samuel smiled at him with 
an almost fatherly affection. "He told us your measurements and had 
us make both pouch and clothes for you."

Stealth blinked and continued to stare at the pouch. "So this whole 
delivery here was a ruse to say he's sorry?"

Samuel shrugged. "Not a ruse. His letter was important. But these are 
gifts from him to you, and I hope you think of them as from us as 
well. You are always welcome here at the mines, Stealth."

"But it was..."

"An act of kindness," Samuel said, a gruff certainty pervading his 
voice. The cheetah looked up and nodded. The pouch would fit onto his 
harness easily, and it would be very nice to have a proper pouch for 
his full suit to carry his clothing in. A little less awkwardness 
over the winter months.

"An act of kindness," Stealth murmured, then he too began to smile. 
"Thank you, my lord. Do you think I should tell him too?"

"Who, Thalberg?" The badger laughed. "I don't know if I'd thank him 
personally, but I'd wait a month or two before stealing another 
chicken from his kitchens."

Stealth grimaced and held the pouch tighter. "You heard about that?"

The badger laughed long and loud. He patted the cheetah on the back 
and with one arm scooped around his slender shoulders, herded the 
feline up the slope to the tower. "Heard? I used to steal food from 
the Keep's kitchens when my dad was the Baron. You should have seen 
Thalberg then!" Stealth suddenly liked this badger a whole lot more. 
Together, they laughed as they returned to the tower to fetch the 
letter. Stealth knew now that he would definitely come back this way 
any chance he could. And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't quake in his 
fur the next time Thalberg called for him!

----------

May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love,

Charles Matthias