<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1>This story takes place right after Shadows of the Past and Present which you can find here http://metamorkeep.com/story/Shadow_of_the_Past_and_Present1.php .<o:p></o:p> This ponders and what was learned in that story and the questions answered and the new Questions raised.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Pondering the Past<o:p></o:p>by Christian OKane<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>This takes place after Shadows of the Past and Present<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Thanks to Leo M. Panther for the cool quote at the end of part 2<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> The bathhouse at Metamor Keep is quite large with lots of small rooms in addition to the large main bath chamber so it took Edmund several minutes to finally locate Misha. The fox scout and his otter fiancé were in one of the larger side rooms with a group of their fellow long scouts and their families. There was quite a group there and it seemed to be more like a party than a bath,<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> All of them were scattered around the room and in the large pool. The pool itself in addition to the people floating in it had a number of floating trays filled with food and drink. Even a wooden, yellow duck, bath toy floated about.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Edmund!" Misha said cheerfully. "It's good to see you. Please come in. Sit down!" <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The cheetah stopped at the steps leading into the pool. He was wearing just a pair of briefs that covered just enough to satisfy modesty. The attendants wouldn't allow him in fully clothed. "Why are you here? Doesn't Long House have its own bathhouse?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "It does," Misha responded. "But someone's practical joke turned the water into a foul smelling, green sludge. So we have to use the main bath house till ours is cleaned out."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The cheetah took one step into the water and stopped. "I see."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "No fear," the fox commented. "This water is safe. Now come on in!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Reluctantly the cheetah morph slowly stepped down into the water and found it had been heated to a nice temperature - not too hot and not too cold. He held up his pouch to keep it and its contents dry. "Thank you!" the cheetah morph said as he sat down next to the fox.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What brought you here today? I doubt it was to enjoy the cheese or have a bath?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> He pulled a bundle of paper from the pouch and handed them to his friend. "I'd like your advice on some items we recently discovered." <o:p></o:p> Misha examined the various papers. "Where did you get these?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "These are copies of scrolls and documents we found in the ruins in the haunted forest," Edmund explained. "The originals are far too delicate to be brought here but these are exact copies down to the dirt smudges." He tapped the top document with a clawed finger. "This one is the most important. It has a list of names."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The fox turned his head and waved to an older woman standing nearby. "Helen can I have that writing float please."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "You and your people are certainly keeping the serving staff here busy," Edmund noted as the attendant raced over with a large piece of oddly shaped wood. The woman leaned over and dropped it into the water and it floated nicely. Edmund realized it was a floating desk.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I know," the fox admitted. "But we are paying them very well. Rest assured they are being paid fairly for all their hard work. A Brightleaf never cheats or bullies a servant or a craftsman. Good service should earn good pay." He handed the woman a silver coin.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Edmund's ears perked up and his tail swished back and forth slowly in the water. "That's fair. But all too rare in some parts of the world."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "True," Misha answered. "But Grandpa Misha started life poor as a peasant and we've never forgotten that in the Brightleaf clan." He placed the papers on the desk and began to read through them.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Death Walkers, Raging Killers, Dripping Blades are all Lutin tribes," Misha commented without looking up from the page. "All the names that I recognize are Lutin tribes. At least four of the rest sound like tribal names but the tribes must be extinct or they've been changed."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The fox tapped a name on one of the sheets. "This name I recognize. Gulak Crawsag. He's a legend among the lutins. Usually called Gulak the conqueror."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "So this is from the time of the great collapse?" Edmund asked excitedly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Most certainly," Misha answered. "Gulak captured the city now called Kelewair in the Midlands after a long and difficult siege in 150."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That's great. I suspected as much but . . ." Edmund stopped in midsentence and looked down into the water.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What's wrong?" Misha asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Edmund leaned forward a little bit and stopped. "I can't quite say." He fidgeted about a bit. "I think my tail is caught in the drain." The feline squirmed some more and seemed to drift backward. "No, no, wait, yes I believe it's stuck."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha leaned forward. "Seriously?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Yes," Edmund responded in clipped tones. "It is firmly stuck in the drain."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The fox disappeared below the water for a moment and Edmund felt something touch his tail. He reappeared few moments later dripping wet. "Oh yes, it's firmly caught."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The drain is open and there's enough suction to keep your tail stuck sir," Helen said. The attendant was standing on the floor next to the pool and looking at them. "I'll have the drain closed. That should allow you to remove your tail." With that the woman turned and started moving away from the pool. In moments she reached a door and after opening it stepped inside. "I've always wondered," someone asked. "All these baths with all this water. How is all of it heated?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I've always thought it was some sort of magical thing," Finbar responded as they waited for the drain to be closed.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "No," another attendant said and pointed to the floor. "On the floor below are massive furnaces that heat the water."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What happens to the used water? I mean they do drain out the dirty stuff and bring in clean don't they?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Yes they do," Someone explained. "Each evening the pools are drained and the water used in the sewage and the green houses."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "So no water goes to waste. That's good."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Helen returned walking at a slow pace. "Try it now Sir Delacot. You should be able to remove your tail."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Edmund gave a tentative tug and this time he felt some give. He reached under the water and took hold of his tail near the tip. When he pulled the tail came free, much to his great delight. The cheetah examined his tail and found the tip looked no worse for wear but it felt tender.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha pointed to Edmunds tail. "I think that is a small sign from the Great one that you have been working too hard." Misha placed the papers into the pouch. "Enough of work for today. We'll talk about those tomorrow. for now let's just relax."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>*****************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> The office of George the Patrol Master (Also known as The Head of the Scouts) was smaller than Stealth expected but well appointed. Fine rugs covered the floor and expensive paintings lined three of its four walls. A large couch with thick, soft cushions stood against one wall. One wall was bare of any art. Instead it was covered with a large map of the entire valley and a good part of the Giantdowns. In front of that map was a large desk made of the finest mahogany and cedar. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Seated behind that desk was a canine morph. One of the men affected by the curse by becoming something neither human nor animal but as mix of both. His canine head was topped with large ears sat atop a lean, rangy body that was covered with short tan fur. Looking behind he saw a long, bushy tail. The fur on his back was black instead of tan like the rest. The species was called a Black Backed Jackal and it seems to fit George perfectly. On the desk in front of George was a bottle of wine and a silver goblet. Next to that was a small tray filled with pastry.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> George was remarkably quiet while Stealth gave his report. The old scout listened intently and seemed to absorb every word. It wasn't till the cheetah had finished that he spoke. First he took a long drink from a silver goblet that rested on his desk. "That sounds like one of the tales Misha is always writing about rather than the truth."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That's exactly how it happened," Stealth shot back.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The old scout waved a hand. "I know. You did very well. When faced with an unexpected problem you handled it well."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I was hoping for my first mission as a leader to be a simple and quiet one." Stealth commented.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> George gave a yip of laughter and shook his head. "No mission is ever simple or quiet. Never forget - Prepare for the worst but hope for the best."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "How could I prepare for being taken into a ghost city?" the cheetah shot back.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "You WERE near the haunted forest," George said. "What would you have done if a ghoul or a wight attack you?" <o:p></o:p> "Call for a retreat and then we'd run away," Stealth answered. "Fast."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> George leaned close to Stealth. "And if you can't run away?"<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> "Go down fighting," Stealth said calmly. "Alone. And there are no ghouls or wights in the forest."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The Patrol Master took a sip of wine. His lips pulling back into something that could be a smile or a snarl. "Good," he said cheerfully. "But a smart scout wouldn't let themselves be caught with no way out."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "And we weren't supposed to run into ghosts on our first patrol." Stealth responded.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Life doesn't owe you a nice, dry, safe patrol. You need to be prepared for anything or you shouldn't be going out there," George answered. "And all I owe you is three meals a day, a place to sleep and twenty gold a month."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Are you dismissing me, is that what this is? because let's just get it over with," Stealth snarled.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Dismissing you?" George asked and he turned to look at the cheetah scout. "Why get rid of you? You're just getting good."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth simply nodded in response.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> George looked at him for several moments. "Are you all right? <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth didn't answer for a moment but seemed lost in thought. "I don't know. I was in a city of Undead and was killed but survived."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Being killed does hurt a lot," George said in a matter of fact tone. <o:p></o:p> "Not just physically," Stealth said calmly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "All too true." George sat back down at his desk. "Take off till next Monday. That will give you time think this over. I will talk to Edmund and Nest about this. I do not like you three wandering around those woods causing trouble. This needs to be handled carefully."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Nestorius is a careful person," the scout commented. "But too curious for his own good."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The old scout gave a bark of humor. "That describes most mages but that old lion has a lot more common sense than even he realizes."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What do you think this means?" Stealth asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> George shrugged. "Things like this are never easy or simple. Ask a mage and they'll give you a long and complex answer that no one but themselves would understand."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth gave a chirp of laughter. "That sounds like Nest all right. Something really big is happening. But I don't know what." He pointed a finger at George. "What do you think?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> George stood up and turned around and looked at the map behind him. He ran his hand along that part of the map that was the Haunted forest. Stealth saw the jackal's finger rest on the spot where he and his squad had recently been. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. "What do I think it means? Trouble and adventure."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Stealth shook his head and gave a chirp of laughter. "You're starting to sound like Misha."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p></div></body></html>