[Mkguild] The Harvest Festival (2/20)

[Hallan Mirayas]

-------

 =


Saturday

 =


-------

 =


   Padraic Cul Dethain
was enjoying the festival. He always loved the fall festival, celebrating t=
he
successful gathering of the harvest. Hs family had always been closely invo=
lved
with the festivities since the dim past when it was held around the old col=
umn
known as the Stone Sentry. Nowadays the festival had lost much of its relig=
ious
nature and had simply become a time to relax and celebrate.



   In the past, he
would have been helping his family with the festivities or the preparations=
 for
the rituals. But Misha had been very specific that Padraic was to be in Lon=
g House
on Saturday morning, a full hour before dawn.

 =


   Stepping through
the doorway into Long House did not lead him into the grand, main hall.  In=
stead, the rabbit found himself in Misha's
office. The room already contained all the Long Scouts.

 =


    "How long have you been with the Long
Scouts?" Misha asked in an oddly calm tone.

 =


    "Since the Yule attack," Padraic
answered. It was an odd question since Misha had been there where the rabbit
had first joined.

 =


    "That's
true," Caroline answered. "And he has done very well since then. His
skill with a bow is fantastic and there is no doubting his courage."

 =


    "He is a fine tracker," Danielle
commented.

 =


    "And he does well with a sword,"
Finbar added.

 =


    "But he is sadly lacking one thing,"
Arla corrected.

 =


    "Oh yes!" Kershaw said in agreement.

 =


   They had slowly
moved forward and were crowded around the rabbit. "What?" he asked
disturbed as much by their actions as by their words.

 =


    "You have to be initiated," Misha
said in a soft tone that the rabbit understood to mean trouble.

 =


    "Initiated?"

 =


    "It's a time honored tradition that
George invented recently," the fox explained. "It's sort of your last
test."

 =


    "Test? What test sir?"

 =


    "A test of your honor and sense of humor.
Think before you act."

 =


    "Don't worry," Finbar said
cheerfully. "It'll wash off with water."

 =


    "WHAT?"

 =


-------

 =


   It was still at
least an hour before dawn but already the festival grounds were starting to=
 see
activity. Some of the people about were getting ready for the coming days
festivities. Others were revelers still out celebrating from the evening
before. All were greeted by a strange sight moving quickly through festival
stalls. At first glance the figure might have been one of rabbit Keepers th=
at
called Metamor home. But this male was colored a deep purple with the ears,
paws and hands a bright pink. He had bells on his ears and bright pink bows=
 on
his hands and paws. His sole clothing was a strategically placed bow that
barely covered. The figure paid no attention to the stares and startled gas=
ps
that came with his passing and moved as quickly and quietly as possible.

 =


   Padraic was angry.
Angry at Misha and the others for such a silly and humiliating trick. It was
bad enough being dyed such embarrassing colors but left in the busiest part=
 of
the Keep was truly humiliating. Why had they humiliated him like this? All =
the
months of friendship and loyalty had been repaid with this humiliation. He =
was
so wrapped up in his anger that he failed to see the fountain and the person
seated there.

 =


    "Not even a hello for your baby brother?"
a voice said from the fountain.

 =


   He came to a sharp
halt and turned to it's source. There seated on the edge of the fountain wa=
s a
brown hyena morph keeper dressed in the brown robes of a Lightbringer acoly=
te. The
Keepers brownish, gray fur offset the brown of the robes he was wearing.

 =


    "Philip!"

 =


    "Well I've seen you in some strange
situations but never quite like this."

 =


    "This is humiliating!" he said
through clenched teeth.

 =


    "Why? It's not like being naked really
bothered you when you were swimming in the river last year with those girls=
."

 =


    "I wasn't dyed purple and pink," he
countered. "And how did you know I would be here?"

 =


    "Misha told me."

 =


    "To make my embarrassment complete?"
Padraic growled.

 =


    "You still don't understand why he did
this do you?" the hyena asked shaking his head.

 =


    "NO!" the rabbit snarled.

 =


   Philip leaned
towards his brother. "What was the last thing Misha said to you?"

 =


   He said this was a
test of my sense of humor," the rabbit replied.

 =


   The hyena shook his
head. "No, that's not all he said."

 =


    "Don't treat me like child!" he
countered harshly.

 =


    "I will treat you like a child for as
long as you ACT like one," his brother responded pointing a finger
accusingly at him. "Now relax and tell me what was the last thing Misha
said to you?"

 =


   That made Padraic
pause and think. "It's a test of your honor and sense of humor, was his
exact words." He was quiet for a moment then he turned and looked into the
water of the fountain. The rabbit calmly stuck his hand into the water and
pulled it out. When he removed his hand from the water the pink dye was gon=
e!

 =


   Without hesitating
the rabbit climbed into the fountain and dropped completely under the water=
 for
a moment. The water was ice cold and chilled him to the bone but it felt go=
od
and refreshing. He noted first that gone was the hated coloring and he was =
back
to his normal coloring. Padraic was relieved even if he was still wearing o=
nly
a large bow.

 =


    "Before the Yule George and Misha came to
me and asked me all about you," his brother explained. "Misha asked
about your skills and your temper and about your likes and dislikes. George
asked only one question, 'Will he let his honor get in the way of doing what
needs to be done? Will he let his honor overwhelm his common sense?"

 =


    "Remember when you first changed?"
the acolyte asked. "You were upset for a week that you were a simple
rabbit and not something ferocious like a wolf! But you adjusted to it. Be
honest. If I hadn't spoken to you just now Padraic you would have walked ri=
ght
past this fountain and probably STILL be purple and pink."

 =


    "And mad." Padraic nodded slowly and
sat down next to his brother. He hugged the hyena tightly. "Thank you. My
anger and my pride always seem to get the better of me."

 =


    "Thank Misha, he's the one who asked me
to sit here and talk to you. He was worried about how you would take their
joke."

 =


    "Misha was worried?"

 =


    "He has his own problems with anger that
have gotten him into trouble more then once."

 =


   The rabbit shook
his head. "I never knew. The other Longs are always telling stories about
his wild days but I never really believed them. Well. Not all the stories."

 =


    "Misha had some very wild days before
Caroline toned him down. I don't know how he managed to survive them. And if
you feel embarrassed now you should have Misha tell you what George did to =
him!"

 =


   Padraic leaned
closer, "What did he do?"

 =


   Philip pushed the
rabbit back a little. "I can't tell you. Misha made me promise."

 =


   The rabbit shook
his own head making the bells he was wearing tinkle lightly. "You can't
tease me like that and then not tell me."

 =


    "You will have to get Misha to tell you,"
Philip answered. "Something that embarrassing shouldn't be shared lightly.
And are you going to take off the bells?" Philip asked pointing to the
bells attached to the ends of Padraic's ears.

 =


   Padraic shook his
head making the bells tinkle softly. "No. I like the sound of them!"

 =


   Philip patted his
brother on the shoulder. "You stay here and dry off brother and I'll see
you tomorrow evening for dinner. "Amanda is looking forward to see you
again."

 =


   The rabbit nodded. "Thank
you," he said and waved good bye to his brother. "You'll be at the
ceremony tonight?"

 =


    "Of course! I would never miss something
this important. Also Amanda is eager to finally go to one of Misha's famous
parties! Be sure to ask Misha what happened to him at his initiation. It was
truly hilarious!" the hyena called as he walked out of sight.

 =


-------

 =


   Padraic was
squeezing the last of the water from his ears when the rabbit realized he w=
as
not alone.

 =


   The young woman was
standing some ten feet from the fountain and had a large jar in her hands a=
nd
an even bigger smile on her face. Her long, black hair was tied behind her =
in a
pony tail.

 =


    "What are you looking at?" Padraic
asked angrily.

 =


    "Something out of a dream," she
answered and smiled.

 =


    "You don't seem upset at seeing a rabbit
walking naked through town, wearing only a bright pink bow," Padraic
commented.

 =


    "I live in a castle with walls and halls
that move about like leaves in a winter storm," she answered. "My
mother now looks like my little sister. My older sister was once my older
brother, my younger brother is a type of bear we still haven't identified y=
et
and my father is now an opossum. And I am supposed to be startled by someth=
ing
as mundane as a person wearing a pink bow?"

 =


   Padraic gave a
little laugh. "I hadn't thought of it that way. At least they gave me the
bow."

 =


   She laughed. "Last
year I saw a rat. He was dyed all pink and didn't even have a bow."

 =


    "So they really did humiliate Matthias
that way."

 =


    "Not humiliate him. They were just having
some harmless fun." She countered.

 =


    "Harmless? Being left naked and pink is
humiliating!" Padraic countered.

 =


    "Had they wanted to really humiliate you
they would have left you here in the middle of the day when this place is
crowded with people," she explained.

 =


   Padraic didn't have
an answer for that. He hadn't considered that possibility.

 =


    "How much does that bow of your cost?"
she asked suddenly breaking the rabbits chain of thought.

 =


    "It's not for sale," he answered
angrily and a little distracted.

 =


   She leaned closer
till their faces with almost touching. "But you haven't even heard my
price." She kissed him tenderly on the muzzle.

 =


    "Is that the price or just a part of it?"
he asked and returned the kiss with one of his own.

 =


    "My house is nearby," she said
softly. "We have some clothes you could borrow."

 =


    "I would be in your debt, my fair lady,"
Padraic answered.

 =


    "You're one of Misha's people aren't you?"
she asked suddenly.

 =


    "How did you know?" he asked,
surprised.

 =


    "We tend to find at least one person like
you here when Misha has one of his famous parties."

 =


    "I'm not the first?" the rabbit
asked surprised.

 =


    "Oh no! Not the first and certainly not
the strangest! You should have seen what they did to Misha!"

 =


 =


-------

 =


 =


   From a doorway
nearby, hidden is shadows and unseen by the rabbit Finbar and Georgette wat=
ched
Padraic. "He just scored?" Finbar asked amazed. "Naked and
wearing bells and bows he winds up with a beautiful woman."

 =


   Georgette shrugged
her shoulders. "Well this is a harvest and FERTILITY festival."

 =


 =


-------

 =


 =


   "Kendrick!
Kendrick! Wake up! Wake up!"

 =


   The delighted
shouts of his little sister reverberated in his mind, banishing the sweet
dreams that had finally settled in Kendrick's mind. He stirred, glared down=
 his
snout at the ray of sunlight slanting through the narrow window, and then at
the beaming face of his little sisters, Sofie and Emma. Emma bounced up and
down beside his bed, face brimming with the eagerness only a child of five
could muster. Only slightly moderated, Sofie at ten bore that winning smile
which he knew would undo his will in the end.

 =


   "The sun's
still up," he grumbled, slumping his head back down on the pillow. "Wake
me up when it sets."

 =


   "It's dawn,
Kendrick!" Emma squealed. "You have to get up! The festival! Momma
said you'd take us."

 =


   He groaned, and
rolled over in bed, careful that his heavy scales wouldn't catch on the she=
ets
and tear them. "Fine, fine!" He looked them over with one eye. Though
the curse had impaired his vision, making distant objects blurry and colors
harder to discern, he would always recognize his little sisters. Emma's che=
eks
round, curls of dark hair framing delicate ears and chocolate eyes, all wer=
e so
familiar. And Sofie, with her longer, lighter hair surrounding a freckled f=
ace,
masked a devious mind.

 =


   "How late were
you up last night?" Sofie asked with that superior tone only a child her
age can manage.

 =


   "Fine, fine, I'm
getting up! Where's Father?"

 =


   "Waiting for
you," Sofie replied.

 =


   He nodded and
slipped one arm from under the covers. He waved long claws at them. "Go
on, I'll be down as soon as I'm dressed. And you get dressed too! You canno=
t go
to the festival like that!"

 =


   Both girls smiled,
giggled, and ran off.

 =


   Kendrick sighed and
blinked several times. He glanced at two beds on the other side of the room.
Both were empty and made; the twins must be up already.

 =


   He shrugged off the
covers, uncurled his long tail and eased himself off the mattress. It had
lumps, something his old bed hadn't. But he'd grown used to them in the nine
months since the Lutins burned their old home.

 =


   In his small
dresser, he picked out a nice looking woolen shirt and breeches. The breech=
es
had a third leg for his long tail, but because of his hard scales, they had=
 to
be buttoned up the entire length. This particular hardship he'd grown used =
to
in the four years since his change struck. Despite the size of his claws, h=
is
fingers nimbly fastened the buttons over his tail, and then over his chest.=
 He
looked himself over in a small hand mirror, smiled a toothless grin, and le=
ft
the bedroom.

 =


   Their new home had
two stories and a rudimentary cellar, situated as always in the merchant's
district of Metamor. Bedrooms sat on the second floor, apart from the one r=
oom
dedicated to the servants, which his father, regardless of how much the win=
ter
assault had set them back, would employ. The stairs led down into the main
hall, where most of his family waited, talking boisterously in the case of =
his
little sisters, industriously in the case of his parents, and the twins say=
ing
nothing at all. Life as usual these days.

 =


   "Good,
Kendrick, you're up," his father said in a firm voice, which coming from
the mouth of somebody that couldn't even grow facial hair =96 not that he c=
ould
either, but that was different =96 had always felt odd, no matter how many =
years
now it had been the case.

His youthful father held aloft a few papers in his hand and
rose from his desk. "I wanted to thank you for minding our booth in the
festival yesterday. I've looked over these sale orders, and I must say you'=
ve
done a fine job representing the family. However, I still think you can dri=
ve a
higher price for our specialties."

 =


   Kendrick nodded and
hunched forward; a more comfortable posture than standing up straight. "Some
of the foreign merchants were selling at a loss to steal our customers. I d=
idn't
want to lose the sale."

 =


   His father frowned
and nodded. "I'll see to the booth today. Take your brothers and sisters
around the festival. I expect you to keep watch over them."

 =


   "Why not me?"
Barrick, one of the twins, asked. The twins were only two years younger than
Kendrick, but thanks to the vagaries of the curse, stood taller than him,
Barrick by two feet, and probably three in another year or two. The couch he
sat upon groaned when the brown bear rose to his feet. "I can keep an eye
on them better than Kendrick."

 =


   Their father narrowed
his eyes. "With age comes responsibility, Barrick. You will listen and you
will help your older brother."

 =


   Kendrick grinned at
the bear and waved one clawed paw. "You can carry Emma and Sofie when they
tire of walking."

 =


   Barrick gave him a
mean bear stare, but a moment later they both laughed. Brigitt, Barrick's t=
win
sister who now looked so handsome a man that all the girls in the merchant
district fought over who would marry him =96 never mind the fact that a thi=
rd of
them would share Brigitt's fate in changing genders in a few years =96 shoo=
k his
head and patted his twin on the side. Though they spoke to others all the t=
ime,
they almost never had to say anything to each other. Kendrick envied their
closeness, but knew he'd never feel anything like that again until he had a
wife of his own. He wondered what woman would want to be with so odd lookin=
g a
creature as he, but he was sure his parents would make arrangements soon
enough. Especially now that he was the eldest son.

 =


   His father held out
a small pouch of inexpensive leather. "Here are a few coins. You may buy so=
me
sweets while you are out, but nothing extravagant."

 =


   Kendrick took it
and carefully hooked it over his belt loop. "Yes, Father. I am
responsible."

 =


   His father offered
him a tight smile of approval. "I know you will be. Now hurry along. I
have to be at our booth in half an hour, and cannot afford to be late."

 =


   Kendrick nodded and
waved to his siblings. "Let's go! It's festival time!" The twins
followed him, while his two little sisters cheered and ran after him. He
laughed and pushed his way out the front door, the tip of his long tail cur=
ling
up.
















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