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An unfortunate accident happens on the island.

After a long break where I wrote a 14000 word story for a friend, we're back with another installment of ItSotV!

"Give me back that wig!"

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Harimau had lost his way a long time ago, but he didn’t stop looking. He cried out until his voice was hoarse, barreled through brush and branches, ignoring the stinging pain and thousand little cuts. It was pitch dark. He didn’t know where he was going, or where Rita went. He eventually collapsed in the snow, shaking from exhaustion. “Rita…!” He gasped.
He fell onto his legs in a kneeling position. “I’m sorry, Rita… I had to!”
Sniffling, he placed his paws on his face. A snap behind him caused him to turn. “Who’s there? Rita? Is… Rita! Thank Drifrasa it’s you!”
She looked terrible. Her face was gaunt and hollow looking, and she looked like she lost weight in the short twenty minutes she was gone. He stood and turned to her, face downcast. He didn’t speak. Rita did, though. “I’m alone now, Harimau.”
He was about to protest when she cut him off. “I’m not done! What about me makes- makes people feel compelled to lie right to my face? I’d really like to know. Not from you, you’d probably just lie about it!”
“Rita, please-”
”Shut up! I don’t care! I’m done, Harimau. From now on, don’t speak to me. I don’t want to hear your excuses, rationalizations or any other shit you’d like to try and manipulate me with!”
“Rita, listen to yourself! We’ve been friends for a long time, don’t throw it away over one mistake-”
“I said shut up! If you told me the truth from the start, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“I know! I just couldn’t bring myself to say it! I… I didn’t want to be the one to put those tears in your eyes. And sure! That’s a stupid thing to think, but at the time I thought it was right. Now I realize I was wrong.”
Rita stopped and thought, something she hadn’t done in at least a half hour. Wary, she narrowed her eyes. “Why not tell me later then? Why did you want to protect me so much?”
Harimau took a step forward. “Because I-!”
Rita tilted her head. “What?”
“Because… I swore to protect you. I swore to Khol I’d protect you. I guess I took that directive too far. I’m sorry, Rita, from the deepest recesses of my flawed heart. Even though it all went wrong, know I was trying to… trying to help things, and… and I care for you deeply… I never sought out to hurt you.”
Rita was speechless, but stalwart. She stood there, staring at him as tears streamed down his face. She sighed. “Get back to where there are people. You’ll freeze out here.”
With that she spun around and walked into the forest. Harimau followed, feeling just a little bit dead inside.

Flasu was enjoying himself immensely. And he could tell Kathresh was too. The heat from their bodies had melted the snow on the tree, their breathing was heavy and Kathresh had worked Flasu’s shirt off somehow. He broke their prolonged kiss to do the same to her, when a flash of silver caught his eye for a split second. After that, a sharp pain in his arm. “Arrgh!”
He jumped back instinctively, clutching the bleeding gash in his shoulder. Beel stood, the bloody knife in his paw dripping crimson. “Filthy feline! Get over here, and let me send you to the ether realm where you belong!”
He lunged for Flasu, but was intercepted midair by Kathresh. They tumbled to the ground, turning over several times before Kathresh ended up on top, clutching his bloodied paw and pressing her elbow against his neck. “What the hell are you doing old man?! How dare you attack him?! And don’t give me that talk about feline inferiority, because I’m sick of it!”
Beel didn’t answer, he just stared Kathresh down. “What? Nothing to say? No verses to quote at me? Or has… Has…”
She realized his bloody paw no longer held the knife. Instead it was buried in Beel’s stomach, oozing dark fluids. She scrambled back. “Oh… shit.”
Ace arrived and looked over the ghastly scene, Garth in tow. “What happened?!”
Flasu crouched beside the body of Beel, the deep cut on his shoulder forgotten. “Oh, no… Kathresh, I-I’m sorry!”
A few others from the nearby bonfires began to gather, canine and feline alike murmuring among themselves as they looked upon the dead body of Beel.
She didn’t want to move closer. “What are you talking about? He attacked us!”
He stood and walked off towards the huts. “Flasu! Come back!”
Kathresh scrambled up and followed him. Ace called out. “Hey! Come back here you two!”
They disappeared into a hut. Someone from the crowd shouted. “Was it the feline that killed him?!”
“It was a feline? I thought they were peaceful!”
Ace turned around and growled at them. “It was an accident! A little drunken spat! Unfortunately Beel lies slain…”
There was a lull in conversation as the crowd heard this. Beel was, unofficially, the leader of the group. As news spread, the partying died down and tears were instead shed. Ace gulped. “I think it is time we returned to our ship…”
There was a murmur of agreement as people began shuffling off. Some to the ship and others back to the huts. Elder Laurel ran over to ace, but stopped when he saw the body. “What happened here? Explain!”
Ace gulped. “I think… I think he tried to separate Kathresh and Flasu. It was an accident.”
The Elder’s expression hardened. “I see.”
“We should have seen this coming. I did see it coming.”
The elder placed a withered paw on Ace’s shoulder. “I am sorry this happened. It seems as though we were both naive.”
Ace made sure Beel’s eyes were open. “What do you mean?”
“I hoped that the social climate of the mainland might be different. I see it has not changed.”
Ace shook his head. “You’re wrong. It’s changing. I use myself as an example.”
He looked down at Beel. “We’ll be back tomorrow. Thank you for your hospitality.”
The elder nodded.
Flasu was bent over a basin of water, looking into his reflection. Kathresh walked in after him. “Flasu!”
He didn’t respond. She sighed and poked around the room. “Where are there any bandages?”
“That basket has rags in it.”
He retrieved some long, thing, clean white rags and stood next to Flasu, pulling a stool along with her. “Sit.”
He did. He soaked a rag and cleaned the wound. Flasu flinched and grimaced, but withstood the pain. “I’m sorry this happened. I shouldn’t have gone after you.”
“Nonsense.”
She wrapped his shoulder over and over. He shook his head. “I knew some of your people object to canine feline relations… huh, it still sounds alien to me.”
She tied off the rag. “There’s no way we could have known. But alright. Maybe what we did was a little rash.”
“Rash? Someone died!”
“His fault for attacking you with a knife!”
Flasu stood and looked back in the water. Kathresh joined him, and they looked into the water, their two faces staring back. “I was going to ask you to stay.”
She was startled. “You… what?”
“It was a silly notion. Probably brought on by loneliness and ale.”
Kathresh’s heart began beating harder. “Flasu…”
“I think you should leave. All of you.”
“Flasu! What the hell are you talking about?!”
He grabbed her paws and shoved them into the water. Immediately the blood on her paws -his and Beel’s- began washing off and turning the water a deep crimson. He didn’t say a word, only walked away to another part of the hut, leaving Kathresh staring at her own red-tinted face.
Marten, Bronze, and Arbalest all came over to the scene of the accident after noticing the escaped slaves all moving off towards the ship. At that point they had gotten word about what had happened. Marten couldn’t say he felt a powerful sense of loss. Just regret. “I wish I could have gotten through to him.”
Arbalest was still drunk, but he patted Marten on the shoulder reassuringly. Bronze looked over at the elder and Ace. “What now?”
Ace shook his head. “I don’t know…”
There was a heavy silence. The Elder turned away and walked towards his hut. “I think we should all sleep away our drunkenness. We can discuss this tomorrow.”
As the Elder walked off, Marten looked back at the body. “We should bury him…”
Bronze drew his blade and stabbed the ground. “The frost it too thick here. We better bury him at sea.”
Marten nodded, removing his cloak. “Give me a hand here…”
They wrapped him, and together bore his body towards the ships.
After his confrontation in the woods, Harimau did not feel like partying much. He had already returned to the ship and was sitting there watching his navel and nursing a bottle of ale he had taken with him. He reached up and placed his paw on his chest between his pecs, pulling on his fur a bit. He was finally developing his winter coat. He sighed. It was getting later and later every year, for everybody. At this rate no one would get that thick, silky, scarf like fur again. Stress from the war was the most probable cause. It was a damn shame, too. He always loved Rita’s winter coat… He shook his head and downed the remaining ale. No use thinking about that now. The alcohol had little effect on him, and he found little comfort in it. He perked up as he heard footsteps from above him, and stood to see what was happening. He staggered a bit, clearly more inebriated than he originally thought. Stumbling towards the ladder, he climbed onto the deck where the assembly of returning canines were conversing under the moonlight. He walked over to a group, consisting of Petal and a few he didn’t recognize. “What are you all doing back here?”
Petal looked at him seriously and he could tell it wasn’t a good sign. “Beel is dead.”
Harimau wasn’t expecting that. “What? How’d he die?”
Petal scratched her head. “I’m not totally sure. It was an accident though.”
Someone else in the group piped up. “I heard that he attacked a feline and was killed when the feline defended himself.”
Petal nodded. “That seems plausible. But wasn’t Ace watching him?”
There were shrugs and muttered I don’t knows. Harimau stroked his chin. He was too absorbed in his night with Rita that he never considered there would be unrest between the two camps. Now that he though about it, there was always a risk of that, though he never thought it would be this serious. A drunken brawl, maybe, not a death. “What happens now?” he asked.
Petal scratched her head. “I don’t know. We’d usually ask Beel, but…yeah.”
There was a commotion from nearby. The group went to see what it was, and across the beach moved four figures. Harimau squinted. No, five figures. One was being borne by the others towards the surf. They set the figure down and one went to climb aboard. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the body was. Ace climbed aboard, his usual confident air now undone. “Hey, everyone.”
There was an awkward silence. He coughed. “I’m sure you’ve all… um, heard what’s happened. We’re going to bury him at sea now, so… if you want to come pay your respects now is the time to do it.”
There was some murmuring as people moved off the boat and onto the beach. Ace walked over to Harimau - probably because he was the largest person on the boat - and gestured to a longboat which was lashed to the deck. “Could you help me get this onto the beach?”
He didn’t know if he should given the amount of alcohol he had consumed, but he was the strongest here by far. “Yeah, sure.”
They began untying the boat, and Harimau noted the expression on Ace’s face. He seemed more agitated than the rest of the escapees. “Did you know Beel well?”
Ace removed the boat’s covering and threw it aside. “What?”
“You look extremely on edge.”
“Well, I did… but I didn’t like the guy.”
He jerked up and waved his paws. “N-not that I’m happy this happened or anything!”
Harimau tossed the remaining ropes aside. “Take a few beep breaths, friend. You’re hyperventilating.”
They picked up the boat and brought it to the edge of the boat, where the rope ladder was. They put it down. “Sorry. It’s just that Beel was kind of our leader, as you probably already gathered.”
“I know, but why are you more anxious than the rest?”
He shrugged. “I just get the feeling that people are going to expect me to take his place as wise leader in dire times. I don’t want that.”
“Sometimes power lands in our laps. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Isn’t there?”
Harimau chuckled. “If people want you to lead them, it’s probably best you do. It means they trust you.”
He climbed down the ladder. “Now, pass me that boat.”
Ace peered over the edge. The boat was too short to be safely dropped horizontally, so someone had to be there to catch it. Harimau spread his arms. “Come on! I can catch it!”
Ace took hold and began pushing. “Alright! Be careful!”
The boat slid and eventually began to fall, ace letting go before it pulled him off the ship. It fell for a couple feet before Harimau caught it and held it against the edge of the ship. He let it down gently as Ace climbed down as well. He looked up at Harimau with new respect. “You are very strong…”
He chuckled dryly. “Thanks.”
They dragged the boat over to the crowd. It parted and Marten stepped over, cradling the corpse, which was still wrapped in his cloak. “Here he is…”
Bronze took his blade and cracked the bottom of the boat, ensuring it would sink after a while. The boat was pushed to the edge of the water and left there, getting licked by the waves. A few people were looking at Ace. He scratched his head and coughed. “Um… Rest peacefully, friend.”
He pushed the longboat out and it was quickly swept away. After a few minutes that felt like hours, it finally sank below the waves. The onlookers lingered momentarily, but eventually people began trickling back aboard the ship to get some rest. Ace yawned, turning to Marten. “It’s very late. Come, let’s to bed.”
They began walking towards the ship, the nighttime air causing them to shiver somewhat. Bronze tapped Marten on the shoulder. “Hang on a moment.”
He turned. “Yes?”
Bronze folded his paws. “I’ve made a decision and I wanted to tell you first.”
Martin raised an eyebrow. “Oh? About what?”
“Well, You know the story of my father. You were there.”
“Yes…” Marten didn’t like where this was going.
“Well, the whole reason I left was to find him, then settle someplace nice and peaceful. And, seeing as he’s dead…”
Marten’s eye widened as the realization hit. “You… you want to stay on this island?”
Bronze nodded. There was a silence between the two. Marten didn’t know what to say. He was so used to travelling with Bronze that he couldn’t help feeling betrayed. “Come, let’s get back on the ship and talk about this.”
He nodded. They climbed up the ladder and crossed the deck, entering the cabin, away from everybody else. Well, almost. Pil was sitting there, his back turned. “Hmm… No, not that…”
Marten approached. “Hey, P-”
“AH! Don’t sneak up on me like that! Don’t you see I’m lost in thought?!”
“Sorry. What are you thinking about?”
Pil stood and raised a claw as if to begin explaining. But, as he opened his mouth to explain, his expression changed and he lowered his finger. “I don’t remember.”
He suddenly looked quite concerned and swept out of the room. The two paid him little heed, and sat around the map table. Marten crossed his arms. “You know you don’t have to ask permission if you wish to part with us.”
He nodded. “I know. But I’m torn. On the one paw,” he held out his left paw and looked at it “this is the perfect place. Free from war. Plentiful food. Pleasant company.”
He held out his other paw. “But… I feel like I’d be abandoning you in your time of need. You’re a good friend, Marten, and I wouldn’t want to do that to you.”
Any feelings of betrayal from a minute ago were suddenly dashed as Marten smiled. “Bronze, I’d be lying if I said I want you to stay here… Even if it is what you want. But you are not bound to me, and you have your own journey to complete.”
He stood. “So stay if you wish. I’ll hate to see you go, but this island is a much more peaceful place to dwell then anywhere I might lead you.”
Bronze stood slowly, and before he knew it Marten had pulled him into an embrace. “Marten…”
“Hm?”
“You are a true friend.”
“I try.”
The moment was broken by Pil, who came bursting through the door once more. “That’s what-! Hang on a moment, what are you two doing?”
They stepped apart and faced Pil. “We were just talking-”
Pil bound up and studied Bronze’s face. “No! Do not be ashamed! I have been studying this phenomenon for some time… It’s perfectly natural! Perhaps it is a trait we will need in the future when overpopulation-”
“PIL! What the hell are you going on about?! What did you come in here to say?”
Bronze barked.
He stopped and thought a moment. “Oh! Yes, well, I was just pondering the little problem of fixing the ship, and I think I have an answer!”
Marten stepped forward and took Pil’s shoulders. He was beginning to sway back and forth in either excitement or exhaustion. Probably a combination of both. “Really? What is it?”
“There’s no sense in telling you now, Everyone is asleep!”
“Just give us the short version.”
He sighed. “We use tree sap.”
“What?”
“Tree sap! We don’t have the proper minerals to make regular sealing agent, so we’ll use sap!”
Marten’s smile faltered. “You’ll have to explain in more depth tomorrow.”
Pil whirled around. “Bah! I told you it was too late for this. Now, I’m going to get a nice night’s sleep for once. It’s been too long!”
He flew out as fast as he had stormed in. Marten and Bronze looked to each other. “We should probably go sleep too.”
“Right.”
They exited the cabin and went to find a quiet spot.

The investigator, who was no longer the investigator thanks to his failure, walked up to the Regent’s door, swirling his cloak. He removed a paw from behind his back and waved the guard aside. He swung the door opened and announce himself. “Regent, Sir! I have done as you asked. Give the word and we will commence.”
The regent was holding his shoulder and reading something. Although he didn’t let anyone know - not even the doctor - it had become badly infected and was severely sapping his energy. He tried regulating the pain with whatever numbing herbs or soothing creams he could get clandestinely, but so far they had amounted to very little. He turned to face the investigator. “No, not yet. I need Halen well and on his feet. He must participate as well.”
“That could take a few days, sir.”
“I’m well aware of that, fink rat.”
The investigator flared his nostrils, but bore the insult. He was used to being the Regent’s golden boy. “As you wish, sir.”
He stood stock still. The Regent glared at him. “Well? Do you have anything else to say?”
“If I was speak freely, sir?”
“Hmm… Just this once.”
He held out his paws beseechingly and took a step forward. “This plan is a little much, don’t you think? All this effort to capture one man. It’ll ruin your public image!”
“You’ve said your piece, now get out.”
“But-”
“Get out! I must meditate.”
The investigator swirled his cloak and swiftly swept out of the room. The Regent grasped his shoulder again, pain flaring up there for no apparent reason. “Rrr, that little wretch got me good, it seems. Well, he’s not around to laugh, at least.”

The forest was completely quiet. Molkka sat down to rest and enjoy the serenity. Little insect broke the silence from time to time. One was fairly large, and Molkka swiped at it, batting it into the snow. He bent over to pick it up when a voice boomed from the forest. “Identify yourself!”
He sprang up. “AHH! Uh…! M-Molkka, tracker for The Regent of Frostblight!”
A group emerged from the forest, and Molkka shuttered in fright. “D-don’t hurt me! The Regent will have your head!”
Zik stepped out of the woods. “Be not afraid, Molkka! We are also trackers for The Regent of Frostblight.”
He jumped in surprise. “Really?! I’ve been bid find you, sirs! You must return to the town immediately!”
Zif stepped out from behind Zik. “We were already heading there. What is so urgent?”
“I do not know. I only know you must come with me.”
Zik and Zif shared a glance, then turned back to Molkka. “Very well. We go.”