FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 5

Carton

They can't tell what time it is in the cellar but it seems terribly early when Ms. Ringtail wakes them. Twinkaleni must have given her the mushrooms the girls had gathered in the swamp because the soup she brings has plenty of them. The motherly Lotarin joins them for breakfast and encouraged the girls to eat quickly so they can start on their chores before it gets too hot out. During the morning meal, the raccoon woman reveals she had always wanted children but the war had taken her husband before they could have any, and so is especially happy to have her three young guests.

After, Ms. Ringtail has Alice and Twinkaleni do a little light gardening for her, which consists mostly of pulling a few pesky weeds. She takes pride in telling them of the "secret" techniques she employs to determine a vegetable's readiness to be picked or pulled up from the ground. She also demonstrates by harvesting several crops for their dinner.

Before the sun can reach its strongest, the girls are taken back inside where Danahlia has been cleaning. They have a break and are then freed to do as they please. Danahlia must stay indoors to ensure a low profile but Twinkaleni and Alice decide to explore the town. Ms. Ringtail gives them a small cask to fill at the well and the girls head out.

Carton turns out to be quite lively despite its size. Shops and stalls replace houses as they near the center and people hustle about their business as shopkeepers call enticing praises for their wares. Alice zigzags along the street, unable to help looking at all there is at offer. Fancy fabrics and fully made garments, pots and other earthen wares, fruits and vegetables, cooked and raw meats, and freshly baked goods line the streets. She even sees some live chickens in tiny cages. She squats before the cages, watching the imprisoned birds jerking their heads around as if trying to watch everything around them at once while clucking nervously.

Twinkaleni has to back track to find her. When she does, the little Murin taps her shoulder, "Alice, I believe I have found someone who may be interested in our remaining core stones."

The Murin leads her to a stall consisting of several tables, all with elaborate bits of jewelry. A young, dark furred Feladine girl, perhaps of an age with Twinkaleni, though a bit taller, shouts to the passer-byes while gesturing grandly at the tables, "Best necklaces, rings, and bracelets in all of Arsalia! Jewels and gems from far and wide! Only the best, for the best, all right here!"

The stall's owner, presumably the younger cat girl's mother, is occupied by other patrons. The two browse the tables' glittering wares as they wait, Twinkaleni standing on her tippy-toes to see.

Alice had never worn jewelry but her mother had had several pieces. She recognizes rings and necklaces easily enough, but she wonders how some of the others would be worn. Some pieces consist of pearl white cloth with jewels and gold filigree sewn right into the fabric. She thinks they might look nice wrapped around the arm or even tail. Other pieces look as if they might go over one's ear.

"Ffft ffft!" Hisses the younger Feladine, waving Alice and Twinkaleni away, "Customers only, no gawkers."

"We_are_ customers. We're waitin' to talk to her," counters Alice, pointing to the cat woman.

The younger Feladine looks to the older then back to Alice, yellow feline eyes narrowing, "My mom's busy and you don't look like you have any money," the girl then crosses her arms, "And if you don't have money, you don't have business, and if you don't have business, you don't have no business bein' here," she claims in a way that sounds rehearsed.

"But we do. We seek to trade," assures Twinkaleni, turning her back to Alice.

Alice sets down the empty cask to rummage inside Twinkaleni's backpack to pull out a few core stones, showing them to the girl, "We have these. We'd like to sell 'em."

The cat girl looks closely at the glowing core stones, her eyes widening. "Oh," she murmurs in awe and tries to pick one up only to have Alice close her fingers around them.

"Do_you_ have any money?" Alice asks, pulling them away.

The Feladine narrows her eyes again and then makes her way to her mother. She tugs on the woman's dress, speaking up to her while pointing at Alice and Twinkaleni. The shop owner looks away from her conversation to her daughter and then glances at the two waiting girls. With a negligent shake of her head and a few words, she returns to her other potential customers. The cat girl persists and is eventually given a small purse. She returns to Alice and Twinkaleni, examining the contents without revealing it.

The young Feladine then tucks the purse away into a pocket on her beige dress, "So, how much you want for those glowin' gems?"

Alice had little experience with actual money. She looks to Twinkaleni, who shrugs, and then back at the girl, "How much you got?"

"Why don't you tell me how much you want and we'll go from there?" the girl says, stepping closer to Alice, standing as tall as she can.

"Why don't you tell me how much you got and then we can discuss how much I want?" says Alice, matching the smaller girl's posture.

The Feladine doesn't back down, instead saying louder, "Why don't_you_ tell me how much you want 'em for, and I'll tell you how many I want?"

Not wanting to lose any position in the bargaining, Alice practically shouts, "Well why don't you tell me how much you got and_I'll_ tell you how many you can have?!"

The two escalate, throwing their conditions at each other until their noses are practically touching while Twinkaleni looks uncertainly between them. The other customers leave without purchase and the mother turns to the arguing pair, hissing, "Katia! Why are you yelling?!"

The irritation in the cat woman's tone startles Alice and the cat girl into silence, their ears folding back as she approaches angrily, hands moving to her hips as she waits for a response.

Katia whines, "These girls have core stones and won't tell me how much they want for 'em even though I asked over and over."

The mother looks to Alice in surprise, "Core stones? Let me see them, child."

Alice reveals the ones in her hand and the mother looks at them much like her daughter first had, "Mm, how many do you have and what colors?"

Alice looks to Twinkaleni, who then lists off their inventory, "Six red, three blue, four brown, and eight green."

"I'll take the lot. What do you say to... ten glints?" the mother offers.

Alice looks to Twinkaleni, who takes her by the hand, saying to the Feladine mother, "Allow me to confer with my colleague for a moment."

The two take several steps away, then Twinkaleni tugs on Alice's hand getting her to bend over and offer an ear.

The Murin whispers, "What is the worth of a glint?"

Alice whispers back, "I don't know, I never handled much money."

Twinkaleni takes a glance back at the waiting Feladine before whispering again, "They seem quite interested in acquiring our core stones, perhaps it is a fair bargain."

In Alice's experience trading, the first offer was never the best and she whispers back, "Let me handle this."

She turns back and approaches the Feladine, "We'll need at least fifteen glints. These are rare stones after all."

"Ha!" scoffs Katia, but before she can say anymore, her mother puts her tail in front of her daughter's mouth.

The mother then counters, "Only the red and blue are worth noting, the rest I can take or leave, eleven glints."

"They're all of good size. We can't take less than fourteen for 'em," Alice tosses back as if already disinterested.

"Twelve, for all," counters the mother, her tail twitching.

"Thirteen," Alice demands.

The mother Feladine takes in a long breath and then says, "Show them all to me then. I want to see each one."

Twinkaleni and Alice pull out their stock of cores, holding them out for inspection. The mother Feladine takes one up and shoos her daughter away when she tries to do the same. The cat woman looks at several of the cores, rolling them around to see them from different angles and holding them under the shade of her hand to examine their glows. Alice begins to feel a bit anxious, standing there like some criminal awaiting sentence.

After several long minutes, the woman smiles, "Deal, thirteen glints for the lot. Let me just get my purse."

Alice lets out a relieved breath and Twinkaleni beams up at her. Katia retrieves a small wooden box and opens it to Alice saying, "Alright, alright, put 'em in here. And I'm counting." The box contains several unset gems and precious stones. The girls place their cores into the box and Katia snaps it shut when they finish.

Alice asks, "Your mom makes all this jewelry?"

"Best in all Arsalia," claims Katia as her mother returns.

The Feladine woman drops thirteen gold coins into Alice's hand, counting each one out. Doing everything she can to hide her excitement, Alice graciously thanks the woman, hoists up the empty cask, and wanders off into the street, her tail wagging wildly.

"Well done, Alice!" Twinkaleni exclaims, hopping excitedly along at her side.

Alice grins, handing the little mage a coin, "Look, they're so beautiful."

Alice had never handled gold before but looking at the coins now, she can see why it would be so valued. The surface of each small disc glitters with the afternoon sun in a most mesmerizing way. She angles a coin to catch the light and finds they're all stamped with a regal lion's head and minuscule bits of writing along the edges.

"Is that the king?" Alice asks, tapping at the tiny image.

"Mmm, according to the inscription, that would be King Ghadhanfar the second, Ghadhanfar the third, who's death ignited the current Blood War, must have been his son. That must mean that these coins where minted sometime before King Ghadhanfar the third's coronation. He really didn't rule for very long at all."

"What happened to 'im?" Alice asks, rubbing her thumb over a coin's surface.

"That is a great mystery. King Ghadhanfar the second was already quite old when his only son was born. Once Ghadhanfar the thirds father had passed, he was named king, as is custom. Only a few years into his reign, the still young Ghadhanfar the third died rather suddenly. With no heir of his own, Arsalia is now kingless and run primarily by the Royal Council."

Walking down the street, Alice wonders, "How do you know all this stuff?"

Twinkaleni grins, "I speculate on some details, but such things have happened in the past. This entire war could even just be a cat's-paw for someone intending to take the throne for themselves."

"A cat's-paw?" Alice asks, thinking of the Feladine they just dealt with.

Twinkaleni explains a theory she had cobbled together from what the mages were told and what she has read of politics and the history of Arsalia back when she was studying under the Order of Thermathrogi.

Frequently, when a king would perish with no heir, a struggle of some sort would ensue as various factions attempted to seize power. Often the struggle would be internal and possibly lead to a civil war, though it is not unheard of for the factions to direct their hostility toward a common enemy, such as in the Blood War. Twinkaleni is sure to note that this is the forth Blood War and that such a conflict would weaken some political factions while strengthening others.

Alice wonders how anyone could benefit from a war and Twinkaleni goes on to say, "Suppose during this war, your lands are far from the conflict and remain safe, allowing you to field large armies that claim several key victories over the enemy. This would not only put you in a stronger position over your rivals, who have had battles on their own lands and thus have had their strength diminished and their populaces suffer, but victories would grant you glory and the support of the people."

As they search for the town well, the Murin mage goes on in length, revealing various instances she has read about. It seems strange to Alice that people would take advantage of their own in such ways but can imagine how desirable ruling an entire country might be. As the little mouse prattles on, she imagines herself as a queen. Rich and powerful, she sits on a massive golden throne within a great hall with servants to attend to her every need. She wonders what a queen does with all her time, sitting around with no concerns seems like it would get boring. Then she imagines herself as a warrior queen, Jellybane in hand, the head of armies, facing down legions of monsters, and bringing peace to the world. The image makes her grin.

The girls find the well near the center of town and fill the cask before heading back to Ms. Ringtail's house. It's late in the evening when they arrive and Alice's arms are terribly sore from carrying the heavy water. She's relieved when the raccoon woman meets them in the front yard to take it from her.

"Thank you, dears. I know luggin' this around can be quite a chore," she admits, taking the cask inside, the girls following. "So, how was your stroll 'round town? Find what you were lookin' for?"

"Oh yes, Alice did quite well in negotiating prices for our core stones," says Twinkaleni, smiling up at the Tokala.

Alice proudly holds out the gold coins to show Ms. Ringtail, "We got thirteen glints for 'em."

"Thirteen glints?" Ms. Ringtail exclaims, looking back to the girls and nearly losing her hold on the cask as she sets it down in the kitchen. "Goodness, I had no idea they were worth so much. Oh, don't go showin' 'em off like that, girl. You never know who might be watchin'."

Alice closes her fingers over the coins as Ms. Ringtail hurries into another room. She returns with a small cloth purse.

"Put 'em in here for safe keepin'," she says, handing it to Alice. Alice does and they jingle satisfactorily as she places the purse into her trouser pocket. Ms. Ringtail nods, "Good. Now pull 'em out only when you need 'em. Times are tough and thieves might be lurkin' anywhere."

Twinkleni holds out the coin she was carrying to the woman, "For your trouble, please take it."

Ms. Ringtail smiles broadly, accepts the coin, and strokes the mouse girl's cheek, "You girls are no trouble at all, thank you. Your friend is in the cellar. Why don't you go see her? Supper's nearly done, I'll bring it down in a minute."

The girls thank Ms. Ringtail for her kindness and head down to see Danahlia. They find her napping on one of the bed rolls and gently wake her.

"Huh? Oh, hey guys. How was town?" she asks groggily, sitting up.

Twinkaleni answers, "Alice has gotten us a fair sum of money for our core stones. I believe we may have enough to replace all that we lost in the Muck."

Alice grins and pulls a few coins from the purse to show, their golden surfaces glittering beautifully even in the faint candle light.

"Wags! How many did you get?" Danahlia asks, holding out her hand.

Alice gives her a few coins, "We have twelve now."

"Twelve glints! We should be able to get plenty o' stuff. That means we can get outta here. I mean, Ms. Ringtail's been great, but I'm not a fan of staying cooped up indoors like this."

"Yes, we really shouldn't impose any more than we must," adds Twinkaleni.

Alice purses her lips, "Yeah, I guess."

This was the first settlement outside of Toki she had ever been to and wouldn't have minded if they could look around a bit more before leaving. Though she understands her companions' desire to do so. As far as they knew, they were still being hunted after all.

"You girls aren't talkin' 'bout leavin' already are you?" asks, Ms. Ringtail, entering the chamber with another steaming bowl of soup. The trio makes way for her so she can place it on the table.

"Not immediately, we still have to replace what we lost getting here," assures Twinkaleni.

"Yeah, and with the money Alice got, we should be able to get plenty more," adds Danahlia, making Alice smile.

"Well, that's good to hear. Where're you all headin'?" Ms. Ringtail asks, handing out spoons.

They hadn't really made plans on a specific destination and so Ms. Ringtail tells them of some possible stops they may want to make in nearby towns and villages. They all eat together, discussing preparations for their eventual departure. Ms. Ringtail proves to be very knowledgeable of various local shops they should visit to gather their needed supplies. The girls are yawning when their host wishes them goodnight and they go to sleep.

The next morning, after a few chores, Alice and Twinkaleni head off in search of supplies. Their first stop is at a stall that sells various bags and pouches. They buy two large backpacks for one of their glints to replace the ones they had lost to the awful culicades and the giant toads of, what Ms. Ringtail refers to as, the Southern Muck. They then move on to purchase various other items, a small iron pot, extra clothes, food, and even a map.

Glints are worth quite a lot and many of the items they purchase are not worth a whole glint alone. This has the girls ending up with a few shils, silver coins, and many brins, bronze coins. They also become acquainted with the monetary value of each as they shop. Twelve brins is equal to one shil, while six shils adds up to one glint.

As Alice is finishing a purchase of some dried salted meat, Danahlia having made several mentions of the need to acquire some the night before and then again this morning, Twinkaleni appears from down the street and practically drags her to an elderly Houdain sitting on the ground. The canine man's legs are crossed, with a sheet of burgundy cloth under and before him. Atop the cloth are several books. As they approach, the old man looks to Twinkaleni and smiles wearily, his face and ears drooping with age. His coat may have been brown once, patches still lightly colored so, but now he was so far past graying that the fur around his mouth is turning white.

"This man has a most remarkable volume in stock, a combination bestiary and herbiary!" exclaims Twinkaleni, pointing to a particularly thick tome.

Alice had only seen a few books in her life and this one had to be the biggest by far.

"What's that?" she asks, peering at its plain forest green cover.

"May I?" Twinkaleni asks the old man. He nods, a subtle movement, still smiling.

Twinkaleni hefts the book in her small hands, opening it to show Alice a page with a highly detailed drawing of some sort of plant. There are notes beside the plant and lines from the notes to different parts of it, the flowers, the leaves, the stem, and the roots.

"This book has detailed information on various plants, ferals, and monsters, we may encounter. It can tell us what is edible and what isn't, what dangers to look and prepare for, and even about creatures we can hunt and how best to go about it!" the little mouse bubbles, clearly very excited about her discovery.

She opens the book to another section and reveals a drawing of some sort of unpleasant looking creature that walks on two squat legs, has little to no fur, lanky arms, and a large angular nose.

Alice points to it, "Ew, what is that?"

"It says it's a boggart, a creature that inhabits swamps and other wetlands. And look at this," Twinkaleni says, quickly flipping through several pages to stop at one that has a drawing that resembles the amphibian creatures from the Muck.

Alice points to it, "Hey, that looks like the giant toads that were eating those huge mosquitoes."

"Indeed. They are known as Greater Anuragoata. As we already know, their legs are edible, but according to this book, much of the rest of them are too. It goes on to say that they are commonly hunted for their meat and skins which have a variety of applications."

"Wags. So you want this book? How much is it?"

The elderly Houdain holds up four boney fingers as Twinkaleni answers, "He would like four glints for it."

"Four?!" Alice blurts, shocked any one thing could cost so much, "That's almost all our money, and didn't you say we should try to save some for later?"

Twinkaleni closes the large book and holds it to her chest protectively, "I know, I know, but I believe the knowledge this will grant us will be well worth it."

Alice looks to the cute little mouse girl, her massive ears folded back, amber eyes (somehow larger than usual) pleading, tiny pink nose quivering, and whiskers twitching. Alice sighs and digs around in her purse to gather up the last of their glints. As she drops them in the old man's outstretched hand, the Murin mage practically leaps with joy, making adorable little noises while hugging her new book. The old man says nothing, only nodding a few times at what Alice hopes is a bargain well struck.

Fully stocked, the girls make their way back to Ms. Ringtail's. Alice has to keep watch over Twinkaleni as they walk, as the mage's eyes never leave the pages of her book and several times she has to guide the little mouse girl back from wandering off or nearly running into people and walls. The only time the Murin's head pops up is when a delicious warm scent catches her attention.

Her nose sniffs at the air, leading her and Alice to a small bakery. A little Lagomorph boy is busily arranging delectable looking pastries of some sort. At the girls' approach, his long rabbit ears perk up a second before he turns to them. He smiles brightly, moving away so they can browse his wares.

Twinkaleni follows her nose to some pastries that look to be stuffed to bursting with cheese. Others are topped with fruits, nuts, or honey, and all look terribly tempting. Twinkaleni is entranced by the ones oozing cheddar and Alice decides to buy her one. She then uses what little remains of their money to buy an assorted set of the cakes to bring back to Ms. Ringtail and Danahlia. The girls find it difficult not to tear into the small stack of baked goods but manage to get them all safely to the house. Once there, they add a few of their purchases and the pastries to the evening meal, having a feast to mark their last night with the generous Lotarin.

As everyone is enjoying dinner, Danahlia reaches for Twinkaleni's book, asking, "Where'd you get that?"

The Murin beats back the lizard girl's hand with a spoon, squeaking, "No, Danny, you'll smudge the pages!" She then points the spoon at the larger girl's pastry sticky fingers.

Alice grins, "We bought it from some old guy. Cost four whole glints."

"Four glints?!" Danahlia blurts, crumbs flying free from her mouth. "We could've eaten over a month on that!" she whines, reaching for the tome again.

Twinkaleni pulls the book off the table and out of reach, "Money well spent, I assure you."

"I'm sure it was," adds Ms. Ringtail, "That looks like one of Mr. Bernard's works. Word is, he was quite the adventurer in his day, traveled all over the world explorin' every inch of Arsalia and beyond. I'm quite surprised he let it go for only four glints."

"Only?" exclaims Danahlia.

"The knowledge in this book will be invaluable to us, Danny. That money could have kept us fed for a month or more, but this book will teach us how to feed ourselves for a life time," claims Twinkaleni, tapping the book with a tiny finger.

Danahlia eyes the book, unimpressed, "How? We gonna eat it?"

"Don't be silly. Look here."

Everyone leans in to look at the pages Twinkaleni opens the book to. It has several detailed drawings of a mushroom from different angles with writing linked to various bits, including the cap, gills, and stem. Alice recognizes the mushroom from one they saw back at the shack they stayed in during the recent heavy rain.

She points this out and Twinkaleni nods, "Indeed, but we didn't dare eat it because we didn't know if it was poisonous or not. This book says it is edible, not only that but it goes on to say where more can be found and what seasons are best to harvest them. With this to guide our efforts, we can practically live off the land."

"Which means we won't need to risk goin' into as many towns," Alice adds.

Danahlia makes an approving sound and reaches for the book again, only to get another sharp rap on her fingers from Twinkaleni's spoon.

After dinner, the girl's had planned to slip out once darkness set in, but Ms. Ringtail convinces them to stay for one more night so they can resume their journey well rested in the early morning. When the time comes, the trio is eager to be on their way. Ms. Ringtail had spent the night stitching up a few bits of their clothing, being sure to at least finish Danahlia's cloak. The kind woman, gives them a few more bandages, though there wounds have all but healed, and a few hand fulls of her precious vegetables for the road. They thank her again and she gives them each a hug.

"Oh, every time," she fusses, getting teary eyed, "You girls take care of each other, you hear?"

They whisper their goodbyes and depart under the cover of the yet sunless morning.