Author's Note: Whew! These last couple weeks have been reallllllly busy. I hardly have any time to write anymore, let alone daydream about what happens next. I certainly hope I can get some writing done over my next week off of school...

Chapter 4

The afternoon sun was a hard thing to bear, boring down into the backs and brows of the three creatures below. One was staggering doggedly forward, the other panting and taking sips of water, and the final creature, who was completely black and emotionless, sweated, though keeping a tight rein on his tongue to protect his dignity.

Jem, however, had nothing holding him back, so he talked often, anguished by heat stroke.

"'Tis a hard day! I don't... think I can make it..."

"Oh, hush up, Jem. We're nearly there."

Jem shook his head. "I can't wait that long. If you wish for me to die in these forsaken lands, promise me you'll carry my shriveled, dry body to the badger lord!" The mouse had on an expression of hardly convincing despair.

Feran glared at him. "Will you be quiet? We can't do anything about the heat. We just have to keep going."

"No! I'm... F-finished."

Jem fell to his knees, staring blankly at the ground. Feran rapped him sharply between the ears with he walking staff.

"Get up or I'll have at you with the sharper end of my stick!"

Jem scrambled forwards, rubbing his head angrily. "Huh, yore startin' to sound like a fussy ol' gran'ma. "Do this, Jem, do that! Move it or I'll beat ye' with me ol' legendary tanner o' hides!"

Feran merely continued to look forward, ignoring Jem's remarks. Suddenly, Jem brightened up for a moment.

"Hehe... oh, Ferannnnn!"

"What is it now, Jem?

"I think we have to stop!"

"And why's that, Jem?"

Jem laughed. "What time did you say we would be getting there?"

Feran blinked. "Sometime tonight. Why?"

Jem shook his head. "You specifically said, 'midnight'!"

Feran continued walking, giving a slight shrug. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Jem smiled. "If we show up at midnight, don't you think the badger lord will be angry? I mean, after all, he's the badger lord, and he needs his sleep."

Feran stopped. She considered for a moment, then answered. "Ooh, I can't help but think you've won! You're right, we can't stop in at midnight..."

Jem smiled. "Yessirree, I believe the champion of reasoning has won his way into a good nights sleep!"

Feran shook her head. "No, no, you misunderstand. We have to go double time. I want to get there as soon as possible, so we should go! Alright, move it, move it!"

Jem's draw dropped. "Wha...?"

Feran stared at Jem's bewildered face, then laughed.

"Haha! I was only kidding. We're going to stop and rest."

Jem glared at her. "That was a nasty joke, y'know."

Feran smiled. "I know."

Jem threw out the mats. "Well, lie down everyone!"

Feran shook her head. "No, no... We're going to walk until to nighttime. Oh, keep your fur on! The sun's almost setting."

Jem rolled his mat back up. "Alright, fine. I can compromise."

And so, the three friends and their confidence pushed further down the path that seemed never-ending.

---

It was three long, painful hours, when Feran finally gave the signal to stop. Jem fell down on his knees, letting off his pack and letting his mat roll out on it's own. The weary mouse fell flat on his back, using his pack as a cushioning for his head.

"My, oh my... See you two in the morning..."

Sauvin stared, his emotion locked inside the rusty, iron chest, sunk at the bottom of the sea in his head. It rattled as the squirrel wished desperately to smile in his amusement. However, in his current situation, he could not show any signs of pleasure or anger.

Feran rolled her mat out along the ground. "Come, now, Sauvin. Don't sleep standing up..."

Sauvin shrugged, rolling his own mat out with one, slight movement of his arm. "I suppose I should sleep, huh?"

Feran nodded. "Nobody can go for long without sleeping."

"Au contraire, O night owl. Makin' us walk all night yesterday..." murmured Jem from his mat.

Feran shook her head, laying her head down on her haversack. "Well, I'm sure we'll all feel better in the morning. Come on, let's get some sleep."

Feran shut her eyes, and Sauvin followed. Soon, all three creatures were sound asleep beneath the stars.

---

With a cool new morn, the sun seemed to show mercy on the withering plants, and shone with a mediocre glare. It was downright perfect for travelling beasts, and so it was with Jem.

"Wow! The weather today is sooooo much better than it was yesterday. Very bearable, with a light breeze. You see? I told you we should wait until tomorrow to get to Salamandastron. Aren't I a good thinker?"

Feran smiled. "You're lucky the weather is nice, because if it rained, I would've beaten you over the head with your haversack. You know, the one with the pot on the outer edges. Makes for good whalloping."

Jem shuddered. "Aye, but you forget that I'm the one with the sword. If you had run at me and taken my haversack, I would've cleaved the fur right off your underside. I can tell you right now that the badger lord would find that very amusing."

Feran was surprised at this remark, but she returned with her own assault of words. "Yes, but how would you explain the fact that all of you clothes were strangely burnt when you weren't looking."

Jem laughed. "Ha! I would cleaved all of your fur off if I had known you would've done something as heartless as that!"

"Well, you started it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember all of your ranting about how great you were?"

"I recall you saying that if it had rained, you would've hit me with my own haversack! Ha! Goes to show how cruel you are. Beating on someone because the weather isn't that great."

"I only said that because you wanted us to praise you for your greatness. You know, because we slept, and now it's good weather."

"Yeah, whatever. It's your fault anyways. You threatened me."

"You were boasting!"

"You're both very obnoxious."

The two walking creatures stopped and looked at each other, wondering where the voice came from. It took a few moments to register, and they got angry at Sauvin.

"Whattya mean, we're obnoxious?"

Sauvin remained silent.

"Oh, Jem, I see. How about this, let's play the quiet game. Whoever is the quietest from here to the mountain wins those five apple scones and honey jar in Sauvin's haversack."

Before the attack on the village the few night's before, this had been his particular favorite food. "Why is my food the prize?"

Feran smiled. "Because I figured you would probably win anyways."

Sauvin stared blankly, then continued walking. "I suppose so."

Jem shook his head. "Why don't you talk, anyways?"

Sauvin shrugged. "I don't know. I just have a lot to meditate on. That's all."

This was the first time Sauvin had hinted his remembrance of the attack. Feran was surprised Sauvin had recovered to the point of voluntarily bringing up the subject.

"Alright! First person to talk, or make noise with their mouth loses the quiet game. The game ends once we catch sight of salamandastron."

Jem shook his head in disbelief. "Alright, I think this is stupid, but I'll do it anyways."

So not one of the creatures said a word throughout the rest of their walk. It did not last too long, because Jem had spotted the tip of the mountain from far away.

"Hey! That's it! Sillymeanderstand!"

Feran looked at him oddly. "Uh... Sillymeanderstand?"

Jem shrugged. "All that being quiet caused me to crave strangeness. Thus, sillymeanderstand!"

Feran stared for a moment, then continued walking. Jem followed. "So now that we're not playing the game anymore, we can talk? Good. So I was think that when we got to the castle, we could put our food together and have our personal little feast. Afterwards we could go outside and spar with the friendly hares. I'm sure they wouldn't mind, and we need to become better with our weapons. Maybe then we could go inside and rest, because after coming off that trip, we're sure going to be tired!"

Feran shook her head. "So let me get this straight... You want to fill yourself up on food, go and fight on a full stomach, and then rest because you're tired because of the trip, even though you still had the energy to spar?"

Jem blinked. "Er..."

Feran sighed and kept on walking. Jem remained quiet for the rest of the trip, recieving the subtle hint.

The only time he spoke was when he came around the final bend to the longstretch to Salamandastron. Ahead of them was the wondrous mountain, and it was all that they thought it would be. They, however, did not expect the hundreds of vermin tents lining the shore.

"Woah! Is that...?"

Sauvin drew his blades. "C'mon, let's go and get 'em."

Feran gasped as Sauvin began darting forward. Jem halted him with his sword. Sauvin followed the blade from Jem's paw up to his nose with his eyes. "Are you on their side?"

Jem shook his head. "No, no..."

Feran put her paw on Sauvin's shoulder. "We know you want revenge on your mother, but we can't go and charge them just like that. We need more creatures than just us."

Sauvin glanced around. "Well, what do you suppose we do?"

Feran gnawed on her nails. "Well, the entrance is sure to be guarded, so we have to find another way in... Sauvin, wait!"

Sauvin had already darted down the path around the mountain, which led to the entrance to Salamandastron.

Feran yelled after him. "Just yell if you need us!"

Jem gawped at her. "You mean we're not going to help?"

Feran shrugged. "Well, I figure if he's out for blood, he won't hold back. I don't even think he'll need us."

Sauvin, in the meantime, had left the path, and was scaling the walls on the side of the mountain. He surveyed his surroundings, making sure no one saw him. The black squirrels shifting eyes spotted the entrance to Salamandastron, or at least four guards standing on the path towards the headstone under him. He ducked and rolled behind it, making sure he wouldn't be spotted. Next to him he saw a pile of small rocks. Sauvin curled his lips back into a cruel smile.

The four weasel guards were completely unaware of the squirrel above them, and they sat around staring around, wondering different things(Some things more appropriate than others).

Yink!

"Eh? Wuzzat?"

One weasel rubbed his helmet.

The three other guards stared over at him. "Wot are yew talkin' about?"

The one weasel shook his head. "I thought summat just bumped off me helmet..."

"Aww, go back to sleep. Yore nuts."

Bonk!

"Yaaah! What wuz that?"

The same weasel yelled.

The other three heard it this time. "Hmm, it's prolly just rubble rollin' off the mountain. Stop botherin' us..."

Cruuuuuunnch!

"YEEEEEOOOOEEEWWWW!"

The weasel shrieked as a huge boulder fell and crushed his footpaw. "AAARGH! YEEOW! GET IT OFF!"

The three weasels looked at each other. "That wouldn'ta rolled off th'mountain... I think they're attacking us! Soun' the alarm!"

Sauvin realized that his fun was over. If the vermin launched an attack on Salamandastron, he would be the reason. The black squirrel threw himself over the entrance. "I'm the one you're looking for."

The three remaining weasel guards stared at him. "You? Yore just a kid..."

"Yeah? Give me what you got!"

One weasel raised his spear to throw, but Sauvin was faster.

Spllrrtt!

The weasel had a goofy grin on his face as he dropped his spear and hobbled around aimlessly, a dagger in his throat.

"Bring it on, nitwits!"

The the last two weasels ran at him, One with spear, another with sword. Sauvin hurdled the sword stroke, but grabbed the spear on its way by. He tugged it out of the weasels grasp and hit him on the head with it. However, the weasel with the sword let his follow through come all the way around, slicing a gash in Sauvin's back.

The squirrel yelped aloud. His cry rang down the path, reaching the ears of Feran and Jem. They looked at each other, and then darted down the path. As they went, they roared aloud the ancient Salamandastron war cry, hoping to arouse some of the hares in the mountain of their arrival.

"Eulaliaaaaaa!"

However, it only brought about the attention of the four other stoat guards at the side entrance.

"C'mon! Them weasels seem t'be havin' a bit o' trouble. Get yer bottoms up n' at 'em!"

Sauvin kicked the weasel with the spear in the chest, knocking him sideways off the mountain path, and turned to confront the one who had sliced him in the back. The weasel, having normally laughed in the face of a thirteen-year-old, was greatly terrified by the fiery red eyes of the young black squirrel. He shook where he stood, and Sauvin ran him through on the spot.

The last weasel, not including the one who was unconcious from losing the use of his left footpaw, had died from falling about 50 feet from the cliffside mountain path.

Sauvin considered his job done, but then he heard the four stoat guards running around the corner, and he sighed. In his condition, this would probably be his last fight. He did not expect the arrival of Feran and Jem, however, who showed up with bow and sling loaded. Feran let her arrow fly, but it landed harmlessly in one stoat's shield. Jem's slingstonewas completely off target, ricocheting off the mountain wall. However, Jem did not count on it bouncing off and knocking a stoat in the back of the head, sending him falling off the cliffside.

"Hehe... I meant to do that."

Sauvin plucked his dagger from the weasel on the ground and whirled around. Two more daggers let fly, but only one hit near its mark. One stoat ducked and the dagger went soaring behind him onto the path, and the other stuck right through the upperarm of another stoat.

That particular stoat shrieked and pulled the dagger from it angrily. He threw it back, and Jem fell to the ground with a slash in his shoulder.

"Yeeowch!"

Feran returned the blow with an arrow to the stoat's neck. The remaining two stoats were now within close combat range, and Jem had regained his composure and was up with his sword drawn. The two stoats charged, and once again Sauvin found himself facing two familiar weapons; The sword and spear.

The spear was very long, and Jem recieved the unlucky fortune of having to fave the stoat that wielded it. Feran drew her dagger and tried to fight the stoat with the sword, but she also had the disadvantage. Sauvin took this opportunity to go and nonchalantly stab each of them in the back of the neck.

Jem was very surprised when the stoat with the spear fell on him.

"Yeeaagh! What kind of fighting style is this? Kamikaze? Take that!"

The stoat's severed head fell to the ground. It was then that Jem realized Sauvin was holding the dagger.

He smiled wryly. "Hmm, I guess that wasn't very sportsmanlike..."

They were interrupted by a creak coming from the door. An old haremaid stuck her head out and gasped. "You children! What are you doing! It's dangerous out here! You might be attacke-!"

The haremaid spotted the six bodies on the ground and stared in both wonderment and disgust. "You... You killed them all?"

Sauvin shrugged.

"Yes, ma'am." said Feran, shaking her paw. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Feran, from the Greenraven tribe, to the east of here. My friends, also from Greenraven, are Sauvin the black squirrel, and this is Jem. We have come for your lords guidance, and for help for Sauvin here."

The haremaid stared and blinked. "Er... yes! Well, My name is Berum the uh... hare. Please come in."

The old hare beckoned with her paw, looking left and right before they came in. When they had reached the inner corridors, Berum put three big boards up onto holders on the door. She turned around and saw their vague expressions and smiled wryly. "These are trying times. Not to mention there are about a thousand vermin out there who are just ready to come in and slice us to bits! These boards are only the beginning of more defenses to be put up. Right now were installing big cauldrons up there to be filled with boiling water, and we're going to tip them down on their sorry hides when they try to attack us!"

Feran smiled. "We certainly hope you'll let us be a part of your defenses. We've nowhere to go."

Berum stared at them, confused. "Did you say you were from a Greenraven village? Won't you go back there eventually?"

Feran shrugged. "Eventually, yes. Soon, no. You see, our village was attacked by vermin, only eight remain alive. The three of us, my father, and some others..."

Berum stared at them sadly. "Really? Oh, my, children, if there's anything I can do..."

Feran smiled grimly. "That's not all. You see Sauvin? He never smiles, or gets angry, or depressed. He has lost all emotion. That's why we came. To see Kacime Zen."

Berum nodded. "Ooh, Kacime, yes... The old healer. She is... not quite herself anymore. She tends to be quite... bizzare at times. More prevalantly the more she gets older. I'm afraid she won't be with us much longer."

Jem rushed forward. "Then let's hurry! Gotta get 'er before she goes!"

Berum scratched her head. "I didn't mean much longer as in minutes. I meant in seasons..."

Jem blinked. "Right! I knew that."

She led them down the corridors, chattering on a bit more about the eccentric Kacime. "Oh, she hardly comes out of her room anymore. Keeps on blubbering about the light. Her sensitive eyes can't take it n' all that blinkin' rubbish, wot! Also says she can't stand the bloodshed. She wants the vermin t' pack up an' move out. I told her she was one of every flippin' beast in the mountain that shared her thoughts, wot!"

Feran smiled along with Jem. Sauvin stared.

"She has been quite loud recently, screeching whenever she hears the door creak open, or if a fly buzzes around her head. Sometimes I wonder if that 'un was ever a dibbun. Can't imagine what she woulda been like. Look at the dibbuns these days! Some o' them Bubbles and Giggabet. Have you ever considered the hardships those teen yeared beasts will go through? Other beasts will laugh at them and say, 'Hey, look! There goes Giggabet the squirrel!' or, 'Hey, Bubbles! Had your mom overdrank october ale when she named you? She musta seen all those bubbles comin' out of her mouth and thought it was a sign from heaven!"

Jem felt very tempted to point out that Berum was just as crazy as Kacime.

"Well, look at me. I went from talking about Kacime Zen to baby names. I certainly lose my train of thought when I begin to ramble. Now, which of these three options do you want to consider doing?

"Either you could go and see Kacime right away; you could go and see the Badger Lord Urthrun the Gripper; or I can show you to an unused guest room. At least I certainly hope it's unused, because not one blinkin' soul has been through those double doors for months! I suppose that's why I'm rambling so much. You are all new bodies, and I have just so much on my mind, I'm afraid my head will burst! Everyone else is so boring, but I have nothing left to say to them anyways..."

Sauvin thought back to the beginning of her sentences and decided. "Let's go see the Badger lord."

Berum glanced at him. "I do believe I've met my opposite, this squirrel here... He talks in simple, six word sentences, and they barely require commas, either!"

Feran smiled wryly. "That's sort of why we came. Sauvin needs help, and I think we should go see Kacime as soon as possible."

Jem shook his head. "Lead me to the guest room! I am so tired and hungry, I could eat Feran and use her skin as a blanket."

Berum gasped. Feran shook her head angrily. "Jem! Don't speak in such vulgar terms! Keep your mouth shut whenever something stupid is about to come out of your mouth! Oh wait! That particular rule doesn't let you talk much now, does it?"

"Very funny, ha ha, I could fall over dead right here from the hilarity of it all."

Berum gasped again.

Feran stamped her foot. "Would you stop mentioning death! Everyone here is probably very sensitive to that sort of thing!"

Berum shook her head. "No, only me. I lost two children and my husband to vermin last summer."

Feran frowned. "I'm sorry."

"What, did you kill 'em? C'mon, there are no apoligies to be wasted on me. I'm only here to help others, wot!"

Berum lead them down the hall, a tiny tear trickling down her face as she thought of her husband and two sons. All she had left was her daughtr, Rashel.

"Well what do you wish to do?"

Sauvin spoke first, surprisingly. "Let's go see the badger lord."

Jem shuddered. "Are you kidding? I'm not quite ready to feel like an insect."

Feran nodded. "Aye, so let's go see Kacime."

"What? No, I meant we should rest."

"But we came here to see Kacime, and so we should see her as soon as possible!"

"Aw, C'mon Feran, Kacime is going to be here tomorrow!"

"Let's go see the badger lord."

"How do you know that she'll be here tomorrow! She could be hit by an arrow, or the mountain could be invaded!"

"But the likelyhood of that is so slim..."

"Who cares? It's a possibility that I'm not willing to take a chance about!"

"Let's go see the badger lord."

"Feran, even if she did go tomorrow, there's nothing that she could possibly do! There aren't any potions or herbs that she could use on him!"

"Oh, hush up you two." Berum interjected. "Now here's my take on the whole bally thing. Y'can't get a room without seein' the badger lord, so Jem, if y'want a flippin' room, you'll have to see him first. Not to mention, we want Sauvin to be in the best shape possible if he does see Urthrun, so 'e should take wotever 'e can get from Kacime. So I think wot you should do is this: Have Sauvin diagnosed and treated, then see the badger lord. After that, Jem can eat his fill along with the rest of you, and then you can get some rest. Sound good?"

Feran nodded, and Sauvin didn't care. Jem, however, was sour about the whole thing, yet did not rebuttle because of his respect for older creatures.

"Good. Now let's go."

Berum took a right down the next corridor, leading them to a wooden door with an old rusty handle. Berum twisted the small handle and creaked it open.

"Hello, Kacime, I have a patient for you..."

The voice that replied was sickly and hoarse. Jem and Feran could only see the face from which the voice came as being horrible and distorted. "Send him away, I will see no one!"

Jem backed off wide-eyed. "Wellthatsettlesthatcmonletsgo."

Feran however, had determination to make Sauvin well again. "Now just a minute, Kacime! I've come a long way to hear your wise words and see your tremendous healing powers! We won't be turned away now just because you don't feel like it!"

There was a pause.

"Hmm, that sounds like an otter. Otters always intrigued me, being able to swim fast and hold their breath for a very long time... Is she young?"

Berum was the one to speak. "Yes, ma'am."

"Perhaps I will let her in. Who is the patient?"

"A squirrel."

"Oh, those are simply boring. Always grey, never exciting."

Feran smiled. "Actually, the squirrel in particular is a black squirrel."

Another pause. "Black? Now those are exciting. Very exciting indeed. Is there anyone else I should be expecting?"

"A mouse, ma'am."

"Hmm, well I suppose with the eccentricity of the other two that a mouse could even out the score a bit. There is only one condition in which I will let them in."

"And what's that?"

"They must not have blood on them. I can not stand blood."

Sauvin felt the tear in his tunic and the scab beginning to form where the sword had gone by. Jem also had a wound in his shoulder. He smiled.

"Wellthatstoobadletscomeagainsomeotherday." He began walking off.

Feran turned around and grabbed him. "Jem! Get back here! We can manage... Look Sauvin take the extra cloak in your backpack and put it on. She won't be able to see it under that. As for Jem, put on a new tunic."

After undressing and much grumbling from Jem, they were ready to enter. Feran pushed the door open a little more and enter. Sauvin strided into the room without fear, but Jem's legs were shaking as he entered.

The room was L shaped, with the door at the head of the long end. On the walls to their left and right were strange instruments that were old and rusty. Scattered around the ground were old documents written in strange languages, and some old vials and test tubes. Cupboard in the corner had one door open, and on it were corked vials with some sickly looking fluids floating around inside. The room was entirely dark, except for the slitted door behind them and they could see Berum's shadow on the ground ahead of them. Another slight light came from the corner of the L shaped room, and they saw Kacime for the first time.

She was an ancient hare, droopy nose and ears folded down onto her head. He eyes were gray, bloodshot, and crusted, shifting slowly over the three friends features. Her clothes were surprisingly very nice and clean, as she wore an old, frilly dress that could've be mistaken for sleepwear. She sat in a cushioned armchair, gazing at them. She spoke again, but this time in a less ghastly voice. It was obvious that yelling had made her sound horrible.

"Now then, Sauvin, please sit down..."

Sauvin was surprised that she knew his name, but he did not show it.

"Jem. Feran. You also."

She directed with a feeble hand towards four old wooden rocking chairs on the edge of the room.

"Pull them over here in front of me, would you?"

The three friends wasted no time.

"Now then, Sauvin, what seems to be your problem?"

Feran interjected. "Well, he doesn't ever-"

"Quiet, young 'un. Let him answer for himself."

Feran sat back in her seat, quite embarrased.

"...I-I-... I don't-..."

"Don't be shy, you can tell me."

"I don't show emotion."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, now there must be a reason. Tell me."

"I'm telling you, I don't know."

"Is it because you don't want to? Is it because you don't care for them? Is it because another emotion is empowering your mind...?" She emphasized the last question.

Sauvin blinked. Feran and Jem glanced at each other. How did this healer know so much about them?

"Now, Sauvin, please tell me."

Sauvin remained silent. Kacime nodded. "I see. I will have to resort to other means."

Kacime strained her legs and stood up on them. Jem and Feran were surprised she could even stand, let alone walk. But she did, right over to the cupboard in the corner. She removed three vials, uncorking each and sniffing. Afterwards, she took a vial of water and walked back to her seat, sitting down.

"Sauvin, what do you think of this?"

Kacime began mixing the four elements into a smaller, empty vial.

Sauvin shrugged. "I don't know. You're just mix-"

He paused. The elements combined to form a sickly red color. Exactly like blood.

Kacime stared at him. "Well? What's wrong?" She said as she took an eye dropper and began removing liquid from the vial.

Sauvin merely stared, horrified. His eyes turned red. What is that potion she just made? Is it poison? It sure looks like it. It reminds me of (!)

An eruption formed in Sauvin's mind, his eyes burning. Kacime took the full eye dropper and flicked some at him. It hit his nose.

Sauvin began to sob. "Stop it..."

She did it again.

Drip.

Sauvin gritted his teeth, tears pouring freely down his face. "I SAID STOP IT."

"I don't think so. Tell me why you don't express emotion!"

Drip.

"STOP IT OR I WILL SLAY YOU!"

Sauvin's mind nearly collapsed and jumped at her, but she threw her hand into the air. Out of her open palm, some ash-like substance soared out and hit his eyes.

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

It burnt in his eyes, and he jumped around the room, screeching in terror. Kacime remained completely calm, but Jem and Feran wanted to scream themselves. Both amazed and frustrated at how she knew everything about them, and also how cruel she was to Sauvin.

"Stop it! Make it stop, Kacime!" Feran yelled over Sauvin. As if on queue, Sauvin fell over and began snoring.

Jem chuckled. "That was actually rather comical!"

Kacime smiled. "I know. I like to mess with my patients."

Feran was angry. "You are so horrible! Messing with Sauvin's fears and angers. How did you know them anyways?"

Kacime stared at the ground. "Well, if you want the truth, I will tell it to you.

"You see, I am a healer, but I don't stop there. I'm a seer of sorts. I've seen you three in my dreams before. I've seen you village being destroyed, and I've seen your friends traumas."

Feran blinked. "Wow. That's amazing."

Kacime nodded. "Yes, I've been seeing that same vision ever since last autumn."

"What?" Jem was angry. "You've been seeing that vision since before it happened!"

Kacime nodded. "Like I said. I'm a seer. I can see the future. You mice aren't very bright."

Jem blinked.

Kacime shook her head. "Then again, I've met some smarter beasts of your race."

Jem blinked again.

Kacime continued her lecture. "Now, I will speak with you again in the future. As for now, run along and get some food and rest."

Jem grinned. "This woman just keeps on talkin' sense!"

Author's note: Well, chapter 4 is up finally. As for those waiting for Martin, I suppose that will have to wait. I have two weeks until school is out, and I won't have much on my mind. Plenty of time for brainstorming. I haven't been able to write because I don't have ideas or time. Please read and review, and make this story memorable. This is only the beginning.