<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"> This part feels a little rough to me, so any suggestions for polish are welcome. -LurkingWolf _____________ <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> March 3, 708 CR<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Gerard walked the short distance that had been marked out for him on the killing fields, clearly in pain but unwilling to stop until he reached the end. The healer’s assistant that stood by winced in sympathy with him several times as the stag walked about, but he didn’t stop him. The deer Keeper needed the practice.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The false leg that Lois had delivered a few days past was proving to be an interesting contraption. It flexed and moved in ways that a wooden peg would not, giving Gerard a much more familiar feeling as he tried to break it in. It also moved relatively quietly. Sometimes, the stag could hear the mechanism bowing to support his weight, but it was only a slight sound, and would not have posed a likely threat, even on a patrol.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> As he rounded the corner on another lap on the short track, he saw the ermine who had provided the contraption entering the killing fields. Giving a confident smile, Gerard put some more force behind his steps, making his way to meet the ermine halfway.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “You’re looking good on your hooves, Gerard!” the former assassin called as the two approached.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I would still take my natural leg over this any day,” the exhausted man said in return. “Still, the last few days have been inspiring. With some help from the healers, I’m certain that I will be battle ready before long at all.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The expression on the face of the assistant showed that he was far less confident, but he afforded a smile and a nod nonetheless. He clearly did not mean for the attempt to fail due to any lack of effort on his part. Lois turned back and gave Gerard a hearty clap on the back. “Let’s see what you can do,” he said, motioning towards the small rut that the stag had already beaten out with his pacing.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The buck heaved a sigh, but squared his shoulders towards his destination and set off in a march towards the other side. He was at least past any lapse of confidence. All that remained was to retrain his body to walk with this new leg attached.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lois watched his friend give a few laps before he caught a glimpse of another familiar figure to the side. Dressed in light leather and carrying his bow along with him, the lynx, Alex, came towards him with a purposeful gait. The ermine acted as though he had not seen his patrol commander until he had come closer, and by that point the cat had already greeted him.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Lois!” he called, coming close. He offered a paw to the ermine, who accepted with a strong shake.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I had not expected to see you until tomorrow,” Lois admitted, turning to keep an eye on Gerard. The stag had taken a seat near the walls, and was discussing something with Coe’s assistant. Whatever the discussion, he had not yet noticed Alex’s arrival.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Neither had I, but it’s just as well that I found you before we left. I want to talk with you, Lois.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I’m certain you do,” was the deadpan reply.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I think you misunderstand me.” Alex stepped around Lois to make sure that the man was looking at him. “I do not mean to berate you, or to demand you call the mission off. I just want to know why we are on this mission, that is all.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “You assume that I know any better than you do,” Lois replied.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Alex snorted quietly. “George may have delivered the patrol assignment, but Andwyn contacted me specifically with further details. According to the official word, this is an intelligence mission to ascertain the current alignment of the Wounded Moon tribe. Less officially, we already know where their allegiance lies, and we’re sending you in to change it.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Why? I’m not negotiator.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Stop playing dumb, Lois,” the commander said, all trace of friendliness gone from his voice. “You and I both know that your method of changing alliances is to kill the person who decides them and allowing the chain of command to do the rest. You’re not a negotiator, you’re an assassin, and that’s the entire reason for this mission.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Very well. I will admit the true purpose of this mission, but I will also contend that I have no pleasure in the methods I must use in its accomplishment.” Lois met Alex’s gaze for the first time in this conversation. The lynx watched him for several moments before letting out a soft sigh.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “You and I are the only two who realize our true purpose in this. It’s dangerous to keep truths from my fellows, but I see few alternatives at this point. I assume you have been informed of our new companion?”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I think Andwyn called him Julian, but I know little beyond that point,” Lois admitted. “Do you not consider him trustworthy?”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Andwyn grunted and shrugged uncertainly. “He spent quite some time in the North, allegedly maintaining the façade of alliance with Nasoj since the Three Gates. Andwyn trusts him, but I find it extraordinarily difficult to believe that a man could keep the trust of Nasoj for nearly ten years without giving him some very good reasons. I’m not planning on telling him any more than I have to. Unfortunately, the curse changed him into a moondog, and Lucy was forced to perform a bonding ritual with him just to save his life. I am not certain about the nature of the bond, and that makes it difficult to trust Lucy with sensitive information although it’s no fault of her own.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “You mean to keep our purpose secret, then?” the assassin asked.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Until I find it necessary to do otherwise, yes,” Alex said. He looked back across the field towards Gerard, who had noticed them and was making his way to them. “I’m not sure about you, Lois, and this only gives me more reason to question you. Tread carefully.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> As he spoke, Gerard gave a cry, thankfully more of frustration than of pain, and sank to the ground on his one natural knee. The healer was next to him before Lois and Alex could arrive, but he was still looking the stag over with a confused gaze when the two reached him.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “What happened?” Lois asked. “Are you injured?”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “No more so than I was before. No, the metal leg just seized up; it won’t move!”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lois sighed, sounding relieved. “All right, I should be able to help,” he said. He pulled one of the throwing daggers that he customarily kept in the bandolier that over his shoulder. He gripped the mechanical leg, only to look up when Gerard placed his hand on the assassin’s shoulder.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I’m just bracing,” the deer said breathlessly. “Remember, this thing is attached to me now, if you’re messing with it you’re going to throw off my balance.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lois grunted in affirmation and began to poke around where Drift had omitted the panel for just such an occasion. “We ran into this problem once when we were performing early tests,” he explained. “I’m not certain why, but something within the leg gets caught.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Can’t it be repaired?” Gerard asked.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Perhaps,” Lois replied, nearly whispering. “Unfortunately, the man who built this is incapacitated.” The leg saved him the trouble of explaining why as the catch suddenly released with a strident squeal, snapping down in the blade of the dagger that Lois had been using to seek out the faulty piece. The ermine hissed and took a step back.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “That’s better,” Gerard said. He stood up and rested his weight on the leg, relieved to see it flexing under his weight. He realized after a moment that Lois was not watching him, and took a look at the throwing dagger in his friend’s hand.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> It was bent, somehow twisted by the force of the mechanism’s release. Lois gave a quiet chuckle. “If you needed to know why I was not using my bare hands to unjam it, you have your answer.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Gerard gave an astonished laugh. “I’ll be certain to make note of that should it ever happen again,” he responded.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “That seems quite a dangerous thing to strap to your leg,” Alex commented, giving a smile to Gerard. “How have you been, my friend? I had heard about this strange invention, but I had yet to see it for myself until now.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Gerard smiled and stepped forward, clasping his patrol commander’s paw in his hoof. “It’s good to see you again. Honestly, I’m not completely certain about this replacement, but it is certainly far better than nothing at all. I suppose that I am likely to miss a few patrols while I adjust; I hope it isn’t too much of an inconvenience.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Alex smiled comfortingly. “We’ll manage somehow. As a matter of fact, we will be taking a patrol beginning tomorrow. It won’t be the same without you.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Gerard sighed. “I do hope to be able to return to duty soon, but I have no idea how long it will take to recuperate. I promise, as soon as I am able, I will rejoin you. Stay safe until then.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lois chuckled. “I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry too much.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Alex sighed. “Don’t rush, Gerard. You will be missed in the meantime, but I want you to be fully prepared when you do return.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The stag nodded. “Give my regards to Lucy. Make sure she stays safe.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “To be fair, the sheer power she wields makes me less worried about her than I am about you,” Alex deadpanned. “Still, I’ll do what I can.” He turned his gaze on Lois. “Don’t tell her that she’s getting special treatment,” he warned. “She’ll think it’s because her age was regressed, and we’ll never hear the end of her lecture over the injustice of the Curse.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lois chuckled, but nodded. “I don’t know if I truly have lips anymore, but if I do I assure you, they are sealed.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The three friends shared a chuckle at that. Finally, Alex nodded to them both as he stepped away. “I need to refine my aim before tomorrow’s departure, but I will see you both as soon as possible. Good day!”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Gerard turned to Lois as the lynx walked away. “You may want to try to replace that dagger before your patrol tomorrow,” he suggested. “You never know when you will need every tool at your disposal.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lois nodded in agreement. “I will be certain to do that. Be careful with your practice. Don’t overexert yourself.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Of course. Be careful yourself. You’ve had all of one patrol and you’ve already gone through a life-threatening situation. If it were something you could decide, I would suggest a few relaxed patrols before you try any more death-defying again.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lois nodded. To be honest, the nature of this coming patrol made him more than a little nervous, but it was nothing he had not done before many times, and often with more dangerous quarry. Perhaps it was the fact that it was not his life alone that could be threatened by his actions, or perhaps it was allowing this one vestige of his former life to carry on that put him on edge. His inaction had led to disaster once before, however, and he didn’t mean to let it happen again while he saw an alternative.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> He managed to snap out of his private thoughts before the silence had hung between him and Gerard for too long. Smiling, he sketched a respectful bow to the stag as he stepped away. “I will see you upon our safe return,” he promised. “I expect you will be walking comfortably once more by then.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Gerard smiled. “I hope so. Perhaps nature will conspire to aid me before long. I should be shedding my antlers before long at all. They are no great weight to be certain, but any small advantage is appreciated. I will see you after the patrol.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">As the two parted ways, Lois silently wondered what would happen to Gerard should his request be granted permanently. With Paula added to their group, he found it unlikely that Gerard would be allowed to continue with him. Had he unwittingly raised the man’s hopes of returning to action, only to crush them by providing his replacement? 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