“Why ain’t we nebah just twabew on foot to Maximus? be a wot cheapah den hiwin’ some boat, an’ nu chances of gettin’ sick as weww…”
“‘Cos to be honest, peopwe down souff am just weiwd. Those fowk am dah types that just wan’ to be weft awone, if 'ou know what I mean.”
[An excerpt from a conversation between two caravanners, about the southern passage between Inner Motor and Maximus]
Leaving Stablelot, things weren’t looking up. Ezekiel and Ander were back at it with the fighting, with Pip sometimes trying to calm them down. But she spent most of the time barraging me with questions, sometimes getting a bit to personal…
“Hey Emiwy am 'ou in wub wiff anyone?!”
Ughhhh… We seemed to be traveling south by the looks of things, me noticing signs giving directions to Seaside as we made our way down. I speak to myself as we get past the last Seaside sign and head more down south.
“Why dah heww did Emiwy get woped into dis. Dammit!”
As I expected, Pip speaks.
“Nu feew to bad Emiwy, it’ww be wike camping!”
Ander chimes in, with him looking at Pip with a slight condesention.
“Pip it’s obbious she doesn’t want’ to tawk to anyone, an’ one unwanted wepawk aftah anothah isn’t goin’ to change it!”
Pip looks down slightly and Ander takes in a deep breath, I look at him and speak.
“How in Anu’s name did Quin an’ WingScwatch ebah get 'ou guy’s to wowk togethah…”
Pip jolts up with a massive smile on her face, but before she could speak Ander shushes her and speaks.
“Fo’ Quin, she wisewy put me in chawge when we exewcised. An’ fo’ WingScwatch, to be honest she usuawwy just fweatened us.”
Feeling as though I had a chance to get to know bunk 8 better (And to make sure to arguments happen) I speak.
“What city did 'ou aww come fwom?”
Pip prepared this time speaks before Ander even had a chance to move his lips.
“Bunk’s 7,8, an’ 9 am aww fwom Gween Woof, Pip pewsonawwy gwew up neaw dah city centew!”
Surprisingly Ezekiel speaks in a tone that wasn’t a shout.
“That pwace am a compwete shitshow, it am.”
I am awestruck by what I see, Ander chuckling and seeming to have a positive reaction. Ander speaks.
“Boy Andah wiww say dis, ‘ou actuawwy ain’t wwong about that. Dah onwy thin’ that dump am gud fo’ am whowe house’s an’ gambwin’ den’s.”
Yoyo looks up from her book and rolls her eyes, while Pip speaks more genuinely than I had ever heard before.
“Pip knew ‘ou two couwd agwee on somethin, an’ on ouw impowtant test to!”
This happy mood didn’t last long though, as Ander looks ahead for a split second and shouts out, sounding nervous.
“What!?”
We all look ahead now, and I couldn’t blame Ander for shouting out…
[Cat’s Den-5 Miles l Inner Motor Border-10 Miles]
“Dewe takin’ us to Cat’s Den, 'ou know what Andah takes it back. Cat’s Den makes Gween Woof wook wike dah best of Stabwewot!”
Ezekiel shouts at Ander and the quick moment of bonding between these two is completely ruined.
“Am ‘ou becomin’ seniwe owd man, dewe takin’ us to Outah Motow!”
Ander speaks, scowling.
“Boy ‘ou bettah watch am mouth, bein’ neaw dah pwace am cuwsed!”
I speak before things get out of control between these two.
“What’s su bad about Cat’s Den anyway, it’s just some pwison-”
“‘Ou mean dah wowstes’ pwace imaginabwe! Andah heawd stowies about what dey do dewe, an’ dah types who do time… Shit am scawy, excuse my wanguage instwuctow.”
With that he head on.
After making it to the Inner Motor border we arrived at a large forest, with how many trees there were it looked kind of dark. Once all of the supplies were removed from the wagon the exhausted and fed up looking driver spoke, sounding pissed.
“I’ww be back in 1 week to get ‘ou annoyin’ pwicks, gud widdance!”
With that they left, leaving us completely alone. I look at bunk 8 and speak.
“‘Ou am to pwetend that Emiwy am dah King’ an’ we hab been stwanded, what am ‘ou goin’ to do?”
They all think for a moment before Pip speaks, her looking as though she had just made a groundbreaking discovery.
“We shouwd defiantwy set up camp fiwst! Dewe maybeh be dangewous animaws if we stay out hewe.”
Ander speaks, looking at his sorroundings.
“Gud caww, buh we nee’ to find some wawa as weww. Onwy 2 day’s wowff of suppwies on hoobe. Wet’s head out.”
Both Pip and Ander start making their way into the forest, with Ander looking at Ezekiel and shouting.
“Am comin’ wiff us to 'ou wazy bastawd!”
Pip quickly starts to defuse the situation.
“'Ou shouwd come wiff us Ezekiew, it’s ouw finaw test!”
Reluctantly Ezekiel follows, and I am left alone, with only Yoyo for company.
“‘Ou ain’t goin’ wiff em? We’ww guess I’ww nee’ someone to be my bodyguawd.”
Yoyo doesn’t respond and I just turn to look back outwards, towards the way we came. In the far, far, distance I could see the very top of Cat’s Den prison. From what I saw it must be a massive complex, multiple large dark stone towers, all of them waving long orange banners. And if I raised myself slightly higher I could see the top floor, where “Supposedly” they kept the torture room. As I kept analyzing the far off building, a voice suddenly rang from behind me, it being slow and heavy.
“Am sowwy about them, theiw usuawwy not dis obnoxious.”
I quickly turn and notice nobody else there, just me and Yoyo. I speak, surprised and caught off guard.
“Su ou can speak!”
I could already tell by Yoyo’s eyes that she had slightly regretted what she had said, but continued to speak anyway.
“Yoyo speaks when she wants to…”
I speak, finding solace that their was at least one semi normal person in this bunk.
“Sowwy about bein’ fowced in dis Bunk, y’know to be honest dah onwy weaw peopwe who Emiwy sees passin’ hewe am ‘ou an’ pip.”
I quickly add to my words, thinking of the “Mute” thing.
"Buh ‘ou hab to stahp bein’ su quiet 'ou know? When ‘ou become a guawd an’ someone gibes 'ou an owdew, 'ou nu just sit theiw in siwence. Get me?
Yoyo thinks for a moment, than gives a one word response.
“Yeah…”
After just a few moments of mostly one sided chatting, the others had returned with Yoyo going silent and an emerging Pip excitedly speaking away.
“We found a site am highness! Wibew, pwenty of fwesh bewwies, fwat suwface, isn’t it gweat!”
I get up and speak.
“Fiwstwy nu caww me that, second wet’s go an’ quick it maybeh be gettin’ dawk out soon.”
heading towards the camp site with the supplies, Pip wasn’t lying. I could see a beautiful river next to a flat piece of land and berry bushes in a viewable distance. I speak, sitting down and dipping my front hooves in the water.
“Just to wet ‘ou know am goin’ to be dah ones to assembwe dah tent, Mac’s owdews.”
Before I even had a chance to take off my helmet, close my eyes, and relax, Ander yells out.
“'Ou heawd hew, stawt wowking!”
I yell out, Ander’s behavior really starting to piss me off.
“That means 'ou to Andah!”
2 hours had passed since sunset when the tent was finally set up, with Pip looking exhausted by how much diffusing and compromising she had to do between those two idiots. As I enter the tent to put my things down, I look over at Ander and Ezekiel with the stink eye and speak, with me at my wits end.
“That’s it, am done wiff 'ou two idiots! When we get back, boff of ‘ou am gettin’ dah boot! Most unpwofessionaw gwoup of sowdiews Emiwy has ebah met…”
Ezekiel speaks, him now actually sounding like he cared about being here.
“‘Ou nu can do that, dis gig am my wast’ chance!”
I speak, my tone almost reaching the levels of angry WingScratch.
“weww 'ou bwew it asahowe!”
Ander suddenly chimes in, him sounding dazed.
“Andah nu did do anythin’ though, what awe-”
I shout, completely losing composure.
“HABIN’ SEBEWE ANGAH ISSUES ISN’T WOYAW GUAWD MATEWIAW!”
That was a bit loud… I could see Pip and Yoyo looking almost frightened by my outburst, with the tent completely silent. I rub my eyes and speaks, feeling a faint headache beginning to set in.
“Emiwy needs moment to wegain hew composuwe.”
I take less than one step before noticing Pip begin to walk I speak again, more assertive.
“awone.”
She stops and I head outside, less than a second later I hear a hoove hitting the ground bluntly and Ezekiel shouting.
“THAT FUCKIN’ BITCH!”
Ander and surprisingly even Pip begin arguing, and I just sigh and head towards the water. What am I going to do? Less than one day out here and I already felt more stress than my entire journey west, dammit! As I put my front paws in the river, I look out and… What? I could barely see it across the dark river but still I could kind of make it out. It was a round shape with it being half white and half some sort of brownish color, with the brown part looking fleshy… As I got slightly closer I could see tiny white things on it, them moving across the thing at a slow speed. I speak silently to myself.
“Am those, maggots?”
Getting even closer, I notice that shape of the brownish part resembled a fluffy, with me even seeing what looked liked a few tiny hairs still clinging on the scalp area. And as this shape moved down the river, it turned and I saw that it’s behind was caved in (Like a blunt weapon hitting the back of the head) Holy shit, is that a… I fall back afraid, as I hear Pip’s voice from the tent.
“Ughhhh, Emiwy? not to intewwupt, buh whewe goin’ to nee’ some hewp in hewe!”
I turn and begin heading inside, not even mad. That couldn’t have been! It was just me hallucinating from all the stress, there’s nobody else in this forest but us. Fin
Thank you for reading my story! Got something really special planned for the end of the Gauntlet of Fire, and can’t wait to start writing it! I hope to have it done in a few day’s to a week, and of course constructive criticism is appreciated. May you have a good day!