Picayune
Page 4
The euphoric sound of applause broke the silence as the crowd jumped to their feet. After several long minutes, the clapping and chattering faded and everyone meandered to their homes.
Picayune followed Phineas to his room. There were two hammocks already set up with bedding. Phineas jumped into the upper bunk and waved to the dormouse.
The squirrel pulled a brush from within his tail and used it to fluff the already bushy tail before placing the brush back in its hiding place. Then he wrapped his tail around himself and curled up. “Night,” he said, before falling quickly into a deep slumber.
Picayune climbed into his bed and stared out a round, glassless window set high in the wall. He could see Luna in the perfectly clear sky. The round pearl was especially bright among the stars. He watched it slowly rise, until it moved out of view. He eventually drifted off to sleep with a satisfied look on his face and a feeling of peace on his mind, something that had been lacking for a while.
Chapter 7
The light of the new day tickled Picayune's nose. He sat with a happy expression on his face and his eyes closed, letting the sun warm his whiskers.
Phineas grabbed his arm and shook him hard enough to move Picayune's entire body. “Get up, sleepyhead!”
“I'm up, I'm up,” Picayune stated. “I was just greeting the sun.” Stretching his body, he jumped out of the hammock onto the wooden floor. He smacked his dry lips together a few times before a gentle breeze caressed his nose. A delicious aroma on the wind caused his mouth to instantly water. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the pleasure that only truly remarkable scents could stir in his being.
Sibyl’s booming voice broke Picayune's euphoric state. “Come and get it!”
Phineas nearly knocked him over to get to the serving room first. “Out of my way!”
After regaining his balance, Picayune followed. Sybil and Phineas were sitting on soft pillows on the floor around a small, low-rise table. A plate of food was set out for him next to an empty pillow, so he joined them on the floor.
He stared at the steaming plate of nuts and berries, covered in a buttery-nut glaze. Tentatively, he took a bite, amazed at the melody of flavors and how harmoniously they blended together. He tried to resist the urge to gobble it down, but the more he had, the more he wanted. His belly won the fight, and in no time, his plate was clean.
Phineas jumped to his feet, rubbed his stomach, and stretched. “Ready to go?”
Picayune stood, rubbing his hand over his belly, mimicking his friend. “Just like that?”
“Sure, why not? The quicker we leave, the quicker we can save your friend.”
Walking over to Sybil, Picayune hugged her. “Thank you for everything.”
Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, “Watch out for my Phineas.”
Picayune nodded to her. “I will.”
A crowd greeted Phineas and Picayune when they left Sybil's place. The squirrels cheered for the two of them as they made their way to the trunk of the tree. Next to one of the limbs, a plank with ropes on each end was dangling over the edge.
“Get on the plank,” a burly squirrel told Picayune, “and we will lower you down.”
Picayune blinked, but didn't argue, stepping onto the board and sitting down. The squirrel gently lowered the board. Phineas jumped onto the trunk and dashed down it head first. Picayune watched as he broke through the covering. He shivered, seeing how truly high off the ground he was. He sat still until the ground came into view. Swift-Hopper was looking up, surrounded by about a dozen children. Nearing the ground, he hopped off and walked over to his mount.
Picayune suppressed a giggle, putting his paws over his mouth when he saw that Swift-Hopper's face was still covered in berry juice. “Are you able to travel?”
Swift-Hopper moaned and grunted. “If we take it slow, it shouldn't be a problem, but don’t expect me to be galloping anywhere in the near future. Those kids sure know how to spoil someone.”
“And you just let them, of course?”
“Hey! Who am I to argue when I am getting delightful treats and goodies?”
Picayune looked around for Phineas, but he was already way out in front of them. He settled himself on his friend's back and urged him forward at a comfortable speed. He looked back and saw all of the youngsters waving, some chasing after them for a while before he lost sight of them over a hill.
The forest was thick on both sides of the path with a stream parallel to the dirt road. Picayune stopped to wash Swift-Hopper's face. He went to gather some of the cool water, but as he opened the packs, he discovered the squirrels had already taken care of that as well.
The two of them continued down the path all day without interruption until the sky faded to a light crimson. They managed to find a small clearing that just fit the three of them. After taking care of Swift-Hopper, Picayune settled down near the small campfire Phineas had started.
Phineas chewed on a roasted chestnut. “How many adventures have you been on?”
Picayune swallowed the leaves and flatbread he had been chewing. “Adventures? I don't consider this an adventure, but this is my first time leaving home.”
Phineas yawned and stretched his arms and legs. “Every journey can be an adventure if you let it, my friend.” He got comfortable on the ground and watched Picayune’s actions.
Picayune walked around the fire a few times, making sure it couldn’t spread beyond the stones, before resting on his back, watching the stars. The two of them chatted until the fire was almost out, before going to sleep.
Chapter 8
The stoic knight urged his mount to the summit of the hill. As he crested the rise, he could see the alabaster walls of a castle. The bright orange twin moons, Finn and Fang, had just begun their rise into the crisp, autumn night. Positioned over the two tall drum towers, the moons looked like flames atop candles, lighting the castle below.
His staunch friend bucked at the distant sound of a lone wolf howling. The Tarpan had never failed in alerting him of danger in the past. Moving his lance to his left hand, he stroked the side of his horse with his right, trying to calm it down.
“Easy, boy. Tonight we have something more important to attend to than fighting the malevolent inhabitants of the land.” Picayune gently squeezed his legs to urge the mount forward. His steed snorted, ears back, but obliged, racing for the castle.
As they approached, they could see all the banners of the king gently flapping in the breeze. The moonflower vines were in bloom, having easily conquered the entire façade during the few months he had been away. Hanging from the pinnacle of the entrance archway was a large gold and purple tapestry of the king's coat-of-arms.
Lining the drawbridge were two score of men in full ceremonial armor, standing motionless in battle readiness, looking like statues. Each suit had been imported from some far-away land. Each intricate etching of the city's emblem on each suit took its crafter many moons to create. The armor was rarely used, but the casual observer would have never known, for the metal was polished to a mirror brightness. Red strips of fabric were tied under the armpits and around the pauldrons to further embellish the look. Hanging at their left sides, their scabbards were tied with red leather lanyards. In their right hands they held long pikes, polished to the same sheen as the armor and tied with the same type of red leather strips around the shaft as decoration.
As the warrior rode over the wooden planks, the men saluted. The sound from his mount's horseshoes caused the bustling activities to come to an abrupt halt for a moment as the guests glanced over to greet the newest arrival with simple nods. After the palace staff recognized who had arrived, decorators hastened to finish with the many flower arrangements, cooks and servers checked the trays of food, and the musicians murmured to one another about which song was to be played first.
A page sprinted over and grabbed the reins of the man's mount as he dismounted. Tossing his lance near the boy's feet, he removed his helmet, letting his long, flowing hair loose.
A door on the left opened to the sound of trumpets blaring, admitting the king and the princess. Everyone immediately bowed. The train on the princess' royal dress was so long it took four servants to carry it. The two solemnly made their way to the men waiting in the center. A rumbling caught everyone's attention, including the musicians, who stopped playing.
In the distance, where the mountains met the evening sky, purplish clouds formed. Thick and puffy, like heavy smoke, they spread out, first along the horizon, and then approached the castle. Moving rapidly, the clouds unfurled, taking up every inch of space in the sky. Occasionally, lightning could be seen, growing more frequent, the closer it approached to the castle.
Everyone was mesmerized by the storm and unable to move as they watched it pass overhead. It blocked out the light from the twin moons, leaving only the simple torches around the courtyard to light the way.
Suddenly, a blood-chilling scream could be heard from one of the women. She pointed to a certain region of the sky. From the clouds, a dark creature appeared. It unfurled its wings, showing off its massive form. The reptile moved its head back and forth. It opened large amber eyes wide until it spied its target. Narrowing its vision until only slits could be seen, it started to dive.
The knight grabbed his lance and leaped into his horse's saddle, urging the horse forward. He timed the lance thrust perfectly, hitting the creature’s leg, diverting it just long enough for the king to swing the princess out of the way.
The monster menaced its foe by expanding its wings fully as the knight drew his sword. It roared at him with such ferocity that the walls crumbled, showering the panicked people below with pieces of rubble. The dragon lunged at the knight, but his horse side-stepped the attack. The knight used the extra force to swing his sword, slicing the reptile on the side.
The serpent coiled its neck around and barely missed the horse and rider as the warrior rode under the creature and headed for the drawbridge. The beast followed in pursuit, crashing through the barbican as though it was made of paper. The guards jumped into the moat to avoid being crushed by debris.
Once in the open field, the knight rode his steed in a tight circle, galloping toward the descending beast. It was caught off-guard, rage blinding it enough that it couldn't pull out of the dive. The man severed the left wing, just at the point where the membrane met the arm. The dragon crashed into the sod, burying half its body in the earth.
The knight slid off his horse. He ran over to the creature and was about to slice off its head when the tail whipped the back of his legs, knocking the fighter to the ground.
The beast got to its feet, shaking away the dirt. The knight slipped into the crevice created by the creature's movements, getting buried up to his chest in the loosened sod. Seeing its opportunity, the dragon slammed its claws over its prize, holding the man in place. Pulling its head back like a snake, it paused before striking.
At the last moment, the knight managed to free his sword arm. He held Puissant aloft, piercing the dragon’s skull as it impaled itself on the weapon. The warrior had only seconds to scramble out of the way before the mass of the beast came crashing down. Without hesitation, he decapitated the beast to prevent any possible return. Retrieving some rope from the supplies on his mount, he tied the prize to his horse's saddle and made his way back to the castle. The sky had cleared, and the twin moons illuminated the damage to the front of the castle.
Cheers could be heard as he entered the courtyard. He waved to the people and dismounted as he saw the princess running to embrace him. He caught her, but fell on his back from the impact. She simply whispered, “I vanquished you.” She stood up, placing her bare foot on his chest. Her shoes had been lost in the chaos.
The knight slid his hand behind her ankle and lifted her foot so he could kiss the tops of her toes. The light of the moons blinded him as his lips touched Dauphine.
Chapter 9
Phineas peered downward at his friend with a perplexed look on his face. “Um, Picayune, what are you doing?”
Picayune raised his eyes to see the squirrel standing above him. He had Phineas' foot in his paw and was kissing the top of it. “Nothing,” he blurted out, scrambling to sit up, blushing and releasing the foot. “Just a dream.”
“We really need to talk,” Phineas replied as he rummaged his tail for flint and steel to start a fire to prepare breakfast.
The two sat by the fire, driving away the chill of the morning. They nibbled a butter-nut and berry blend on thinly shaved acorn husks that Sybil had packed for them. Phineas listened to the dormouse’s tale without interruption.
Picayune wiggled his whiskers nervously as he told Phineas of the previous night’s dream. He picked up a stick and stirred the ashes of the campfire. “I guess I’ve always had these elaborate dreams of knights and dragons.”
Once Picayune finished, Phineas stood and brushed the remnants of breakfast off his clothes. “Those are some vivid dreams. Are you unhappy with who you are?”
Before he could respond, they heard rustling in the bushes all around them. Phineas did a backflip onto a nearby tree, clinging to the trunk upside down. A group of figures broke through into their camp.
Picayune yelped when a brawny badger captured him, pinning his arms behind his back. Four other badgers toppled Swift-Hopper by grabbing his legs and pushing him into the dirt.
The tallest of the group stomped over to Picayune, bent over, and yanked Picayune's muzzle up so he could stare into the dormouse's eyes.
Picayune whimpered and examined the badger in front of him. The badger had crimson streaks around his beady, red eyes, and down his cheeks in a wavy pattern. The streaks continued down his neck and across his bare chest, forming the image of a claw poised to strike. Picayune noticed that each was painted in a similar pattern, although none as grandiose as their leader.
“I am Thunder-Strike from Clan Badger. Tell your friend to come down, or we will eviscerate you on the spot.” The leader smirked wickedly and extended his claws. Striding to the nearest tree, he swiped it, leaving deep gouges in the wood.
Shaking violently, Picayune nervously called out, “Save yourself, Phineas!”
The badger snarled. Walking over to Picayune, he swiped at his face, barely retracting his claws in time, but hitting the mouse with enough force to snap Picayune's head back. Picayune hung his head and wept, and tiny drops of blood dripped on the ground from where he had been nicked by the leader's claw.
When Thunder-Strike noticed the blood, he snickered and pulled his arm back a second time, his claws extended.
Phineas jumped down and yelled, “Stop!”
Two of the badgers who had previously wrestled Swift-Hopper to the ground tackled him and tied his hands behind his back.
“They are kind of scrawny, don't you think, boss?” Wired-Fret asked, still holding Swift-Hopper, preventing him from rising.
“Who cares?” Thunder-Strike scoffed, checking Swift-Hopper’s saddlebags. “Bah!” he grunted, “nothing but fruit and nuts. Let's go.”
The three were pulled along through the dense, moist foliage until they reached a steep cliff face above a swift stream. The leader walked over to a moss-covered rock and pushed it aside to reveal a dark tunnel. The nauseating odor of decaying earth and vegetation washed over them, seeping into their very souls.
One of the badgers crawled into the hole and waited as Thunder-Strike grabbed Picayune in his claw, nearly covering his entire head. “Give me a reason to end your pathetic life, and I will happily oblige. Otherwise, follow Trailblazer.”
Picayune looked down and trembled, shaking so badly that he w
as moving the hand that held him.
Thunder-Strike tossed him into the hole and stared at Phineas. Without making a sound, Phineas curled his lip in a snarl before shuffling his way to the hole without ever taking his eyes off the leader. Another badger climbed into the hole behind Picayune before Phineas backed into the hole, disappearing into the blackness.
The passage curved in seemingly random patterns, and dirt from the front diggers clouded Picayune's vision. Picayune tried to draw in as much air as possible, taking in more dirt than air with each breath. By the time the group emerged into a colossal chamber, he had lost all track of time.
Picayune coughed dirt from mouth and nose and looked around. The high, damp ceilings were eerily lit with different colored fireflies arranged in paths that led off in different directions like a giant spider web. As his eyes panned down, he spotted small mud-thatched houses along the pathways. “Oh, what is that smell?” he asked, pinching his nose.
“Move along!” a deep-voiced badger ordered Picayune, pointing down a pathway outlined in soft, violet lights.
Picayune's muzzle trembled and his eyes widened, reflecting purplish glints of the path ahead. “Where you taking us?”
The guard was about to back-hand him when Phineas came out of the tunnel and stopped the guard's arm in its swing with his bound arms.
Phineas held his hands in front of him and took in soft, calming breaths. “Take it easy on him, chief. We will do what you say, just give him a chance,”