[h2][center][color=Brown]Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People[/color][/center][/h2] In the end, it took the better part of two days for news of the 'incident' at the border outpost to reach Raethel's ears and for the leader of the Rattus to make his way to said outpost in order to see the results of it for himself. The corpse of the strange, insect like creature had dried out after two days on the surface, battered by the wind and scorched by the light and heat of the sky as the Rattus at the outpost hadn't wanted to bring the wretched thing underground into their tunnels. While this did have the benefit of making it so that the body didn't have much in the way of an odor to it and, if they were so inclined, would likely make transport of it all the easier... beyond the fact that it proved the existence of an outside threat there was little else to be gained. An examination of the corpse had failed to revel whatever trickery that its injured partner had used to try and mimic the Rattus form, suggesting some form of magic that the creatures used... through the eye witness account from a slightly shaken by recovering Annandale raised the question of if it that was a trick that all of them could do, or if it was something only certain members of the species could perform. The debate on the matter was inconclusive, since what tactics the monsters had employed to stage their ambush would have likely played out [i]exactly[/i] the same regardless of if the dead bug monster had the ability to make itself look like a Rattus or not. The fact that the creature had sacks that were apart of its body that seemed to be filled with blood that had dried up in the heat of the sky that had very clearly been a different color and texture then what had spilled out of its fatal wounds the night it died gave a pretty grim look into what exactly the pair of 'Pretenders' as the local Rattus had started to call them had been after. Still, the general unease and panic of the situation was kept relatively minor all things considered; Annandale had gotten herself out of the situation alive and uninjured, if deeply frightened. No Rattus had been harmed, one of the Pretenders was dead and the other badly injured enough to have been faltering even before other Rattus had scampered to join the fray... and they discovered a major flaw in the Pretender's otherwise convincing trickery in that the winds of mana revealed them for what they were. This was by all accounts the best possible outcome that Raethel could see the situation having gone. The whole situation could have very easily gone a lot worse for Annandale and the outpost. But Raethel would have been a fool not to acknowledge the warning for what it was. The Pretender that fled [i]might[/i] take the defeat and loss of its kin as a sign never to return here or it [i]might[/i] harbor a grudge and seek vengeance in the future, but regardless of its personal actions it was doubtful that these two where the only members of their kind out there. They would have to account for that fact going forward but, just the knowledge they [i]did[/i] have on the matter so far would likely prove highly valuable in what alterations needed to be made. Aethel's arrival at the outpost was not as enlightening as Raethel might have hoped. Their creator appeared, inspected the body of the Pretender, walked up to Annandale and then gave her a headpat before saying "[color=pink]Well done.[/color]" and refusing to comment of anything about the Pretender that they hadn't already discovered for themselves. Despite his personal frustrations, the answer that Raethel had received when he pushed the matter with Aethel had caused him to look at his creators in a light he hadn't considered before. "[color=pink]This is a mortal matter Raethel. When myself and my brother created the Rattus, we put into your being the tools and ability to survive and thrive in this world... and one of those tools is the ability to discover new information and make choices based upon it. To that end, while I cannot speak for my siblings, I will generally not get involved in situations I believe you are more then able to handle by your own paws, intelligence and wit.[/color]" [hr] Once the Pretender's corpse was tossed onto a fire in order to be destroyed, Aethel had stayed at the outpost only long enough for everyone to sit around the fire and tell the story of their ancestry. The tale of the first pair of rats to be brought into existence. From their creation by the Lord of the Hunt, the sacrifice of the first male in order to create the mana winds of death, the bargain the original female struck with the Lord of the Hunt and the results of that. At which point their colorful creator politely excused themself and disappeared upriver. This left Raethel and the outpost Rattus with much to ponder as they helped themselves to an early dinner on the surface, watching as the sky lost its heat in order to let its lesser lights take over. It was during this meal that a discussion began that would alter the view of the Rattus' original creator of the Lord of the Hunt for generations afterwards. "[color=662d91]You know what I don't quite understand?[/color]" Yuri softly asked as she gazed up at the sky and its distant wonders. "[color=662d91]The Lord of the Hunt intentionally sent a Hawk in order to spy on Mother Rat as she did as he asked and stole from the Tree of Harmony... and then rewards the Hawk for being 'loyal and upstanding' when it reveals that Mother Rat took a branch for herself while she was there. Why? There was no great test of skill, no means for the Hawk to actually prove its loyalty to the Lord of the Hunt. Had the Rat Mother not taken an extra branch or been honest about taking two, would the Hawk have been lifted up by the Lord of the Hunt for confirming her story, or was the Hawk only chosen as the Lord of the Hunt's favored solely to further degrade Mother Rat? [/color]" There was quiet around the fire for a few moments as the Rattus considered her statements and chewed their food... before at last Raethel answered her. "[color=brown]You make some very good points. I mean... why did the Lord of the Hunt even send the Hawk to spy on Mother Rat to begin with? Did he not trust her to do as he asked if it meant she would have children? And you're absolutely right! The Hawk didn't do a damn thing worthy of being praised or promoted as the chosen animal of a god and yet the Lord of the Hunt chose them anyway. I think the Lord of the Hunt just wanted to have the Hawk as a symbolic animal and they set up a situation where they could claim the Hawk [i]proved[/i] how good and loyal it was to do so without it looking like the Hawk was selected because it looked nice. The Lord of the Hunt is such a poor judge of character that they wouldn't recognize loyalty if it stopped them from being stabbed in the ass.[/color]" There was much laughter and snickering among the Rattus... and it was Yuri who spoke up in her soft voice as she said "[color=662d91]Have any of you heard of the story of how the Lord of the Hunt was so distracted by a shiny object in the distance that he walked right into a river?[/color]" With a range of snorts and 'no' from her new audience, Yuri grinned widely as she started to weave details into the story she had just made up on the fly. She would not be the only one that night to do so. [hider=Summary] Raethel responds to news of an attack on one of the Rattus outposts and goes to investigate, witnessing the corpse of the 'Pretender' as the local Rattus have started to call them. While the examination of said body provided some insight into the nature of the Pretender, too little is known at this stage. Aethel also arrives, offers the Rattus Annandale a headpat for being a good girl and tells Raethel when questioned to provide further insight into the Pretenders that this was a mortal matter and that they're going to have to figure it out... before Aethel starts telling them stories of the original rats that were the ancestors of the Rattus. After Aethel leaves to do Aethel things, the Rattus start discussing the story of Mother Rat and the Lord of the Hunt... and come to the conclusion that the Hawk is an out-rated narc that didn't do anything to prove worthy of the praise they got and the Lord of the Hunt is a terrible judge of character... before they start making up stories about the Lord of the Hunt in which they are depicted as unobservant, a terrible judge of character and kind of a paranoid asshole, all of which results in the Lord of the Hunt being the butt of the joke as he foolishly gets into trouble. [/hider] [hider=Spirit] [b]Start:[/b] 5 +1 for being apart of a post for longer then a line. +1 for being the main character/focus on the post. +1 for medium length. Still working on the quest to see all Rattus are named. [b]End:[/b] 8 [/hider]