So I decided to follow Saraa Luna's advice and make a collection of shorts that feature the going-ons of my other story "The Blood Between Us." If you haven't read it yet, I suggest that you do that (and review while you're at it!). :)

Anyways, these are just drabbles to get my creative juices flowing. The quality of the writing isn't up to snuff compared to TBBU (or even Chains) but I decided that if I've already written them then I might as well publish them.

NOTE: Because some drabbles contain spoilers, I will put a Chapter number on the side of each title. If you've read up to that part, it would be spoiler-free for you. So, don't read this unless you've already exposed yourself to Chapter 3 of TBBU. Anyways, enjoy! :)

Palindrome
Asch Waycaster

In which Asch gets his first lesson of defense.

Read after Chapter 3 (The Stolen Warrior)

"Vermin nimrev! Vermin nimrev!" taunted the chorus of children.

The oldest mouse in the gang raised an arm while I curled into myself and anticipated the blow. I yelped as a dirt clod shattered against my arm, the first fire before a volley of dirt pelted down against me. I wanted to run or do something but I was so little and most of 'em were more'n three seasons older'n me. Sounds like nothin,' but to a child that's ages old! A beast could merge from child to adult in just a season. For some beasts, that's really all it takes.

Believe me. I'd know.

"Vermin nimrev!" they shouted again. They said it as if it was a curse. In many ways, it was. Vermin nimrev... It's one of those things where you can say the same thing frontwards and backwards and it'll still be the same thing. Sorta like that Urgan Nagru fox and his pick o' names. What is it now...? A pali... Palindrome.

They call it a palindrome.

Well, after all the chaos that the fox-wolf caused way back when, I guess they would treat any vermin in the same way. And if being a ferret was bad enough, I was a red one. I was a freak that couldn't hide in any crowd.

"'ey! HEY!" Ma's voice screeched over their jeering and I felt the final dirt clod crumble at the impact of my body. I didn't see where they went. I didn't even see them run. I just stayed stuck in my spot, huddled against the wall with my arms and knees barricading my face. I wanted to hide. I wanted to shrivel up into nothing. Nothing would've been better'n scum.

"Asch?" my mother asked gently. I heard the swish of her long skirts and I knew that she was kneeling down by me. "Asch, are ye alright?"

"I'm 'kay," I croaked. It didn't hurt. Honestly, all o' that pain would'a been equal to a couple of knee-scrapes. What really hurt was that cramping in my chest and my lips that I'd bit bloody... Don't ask me why, but that kinda saved me from cryin'... for a while, anyways.

Her paws hooked under my arms and pried them away from me as she lifted upwards.

"What were ya doin' out here?" chided the otterwife, brushing off the clumps of dirt that collected on my orange fur. "You know these little upstarts! They're no good! Just wait 'til I get their ears twisted up in my claws! The nerve of those brutes!" I didn't give her an answer and she didn't need one neither. She knew what it was all about. Six seasons old and my only friends were the officers of Sword, beasts more than quadruple my age at that time.

"When do you ever learn?" she scolded into the air as she escorted me back to our home. Damn. My brave mask didn't even last to the cottage.

"I'm sorry, Ma." I pressed my face into her skirts and made a thousand other muffled apologies while my shoulders quaked and my chest heaved. She didn't know what to say or do. They could say all the kind words 'til they were blue under the fur but it didn't matter a fig. Nothing did.

"... and this..." The general's palm bounced the shaft of the heavy weapon and I stared at it with dull eyes. I could see my miserable face on the steely reflection.

"... this is a halberd," the otter continued. "Do you know how it's different from the pollaxe?"

I didn't make a sound. I didn't feel up t'speed and Ma was against th' idea of me goin' to trainin' in this state. She told Birger that I was recoverin' from the shock but he said 'orders were orders' and pulled me into Fort Riddian.

"Asch?"

I looked down at my footpaws as if they were real int'restin'.

"Answer when I'm talkin' to ya," came the general's stern voice. I didn't even make a peep and I think that the general would've preferred a full-on outburst over that. "Reply or that's a belt across your sorry bottom," he growled.

"I don't feel so good," I whimpered. I squeezed an arm around my stomach and curled into myself as if anticipatin' a punch. "I wanna go home." I stared down at his footpaws and saw the weight on them roll forward as he leaned towards me.

"Oh?" he asked. I could tell that his surprise wasn't genuine. "A fever?"

"No, sir," I whined. "I just... don't feel good."

"Oh." His claws drummed over the pole of the halberd. "Well I s'pose that one day when you're out in battle, y'can curl up in a ball and explain t'the enemy that you wanna do battle tomorrer because you don't feel too good. I'm sure that would stop the enemy from cleavin' ya in two and he'll just go right home and send you letters wishin' ya well." I cringed at his false understandin'.

"Battle lessons go as planned," he said in a dead-pan tone.

"'S'not like it makes a diff'rence," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?"

"I said it's not like it makes a diff-er-ence," I enunciated, louder this time since the pigeon was outta the bag. I still didn't look him in the eyes, though.

Dirk breathed in a deep, deep breath as if he were gonna take a dive. "Asch, your father told me what happened yesterday." He pat my shoulder with a sturdy paw.

My vision blurred and I swiped a sleeve over m'eyes. A Swordsbeast was never allowed t'cry.

"A'ight, a'ight," the otter scowled. "Grow up. You're not a baby." I looked down at my footpaws again.

The general waited a tick until I was a little calmer. Then he added, "Change o' plans. We're doin' something different today. I want you to go outside and grab some rocks and pebbles. Any size ya want. I'll give you a bucket and I want'cha to fill it."

I jerked my gaze up at his scarred face. "Wha'?"

"Orders are orders," he glowered. He thrust a claw at a mop bucket standin' in the corner of the armory. "Now move!"

I stood in one corner of the training arena while the general stood in the other. Beside me was the bucket o' rocks he told me to gather. They were all ugly and their ridges clogged with dirt and mud and weeds. In fact, I'd say half of them were dirt clods. Shoddy job, I know, but I didn't care at th' time.

"Now here's your first real combat trainin'," boomed the otter. "Do you know what the most important fightin' skill is?"

I twitched my ears and glanced 'round at the beasts sparring in the other areas. "... How t' punch?"

"Wrong, lad!" he yelled from the distance. "It's how t'dodge! How's a beast t'kill ya if he can't touch ya?"

"I..."

"Now I'm gonna run at ya and I want'cha t' chuck those rocks at me."

"What?"

"Clean your ears out, Asch!" He leaned forward, his shoulders squared and knees locked. He looked like he was fit t' charge a badger. "You touch me with a rock- if it even grazes me- then you can go home free. Deal?"

"But I don't wanna-"

"Dammit, brat! Take a good deal when y'see one!"

"Yessir." I gulped and pried two pawfuls of rocks outta the pile. In m' left arm I cradled my weapons while with m' right, I clutched a single pea-sized pebble in my sweaty palm. I'd skipped rocks with Birger before and he said I had a real good throwin' arm. General or not, battle warrior or not, I think it would'a hurt anybeast to get hit in the face with rocks. Pebbles might've been okay, though. He waited until I was done and ready before he nodded a warning to me.

And then he was off.

His speed surprised me. I flung my pebble at him and he took a dodging half-step. I pitched another rock and he twisted out of the way. I felt real fear when I saw this adult bearin' down at me with those steely cold eyes of his. He wasn't slowin' down. I didn't think he'd stop. I grabbed the biggest rock out of my arms and hucked it as hard as I could.

It would've hit him square in the head but he spun in another direction without breaking his stride. He was upon me in three more steps and I yelped as he grabbed my wrists and hoisted me straight up into the air.

The unused pebbles and rocks rained harmlessly onto the ground while I dangled uselessly in his grasp. I hung by my outstretched arms and my paws were so far away from the floor. I gulped and stared straight ahead and into my mentor's eyes. I heard the other sparring beasts stop for a minute just so they could gawk at me.

"See what I mean?" he rumbled. I nodded with two shakes of my head and he let me down gently. The other Swordsbeasts were still gaping at us, mumbling to each other like "The hell was that about?" and "Poor kid" and "General's got his work cut out for that stripling." I'm sure the otter heard them but he didn't acknowledge 'em with a glance or even a pause in breath.

"Now you go to that side and it's my turn to throw rocks." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder and at the far side of the training area.

"What?" I lost two beats o' my heart right there.

"If you run the entire stretch and touch me without a single hit, then I'd call it a day."

"B-b-but..."

He silenced me with a snap of the wrist. A pebble knocked against my shoulder and I bit back a yelp.

"Stings, doesn't it?" he said casually. "Now you know how badly you want t' avoid it. Well?" He nocked his head to the side and towards my end of the arena. "Get to your post."

"But it'll hurt!" Arguin' against an order meant a belt across m' bottom but that was preferable to this madness. Lettin' the general pelt me with rocks? Crazy!

He smiled and shook his head. "Yup. And every pain is a lesson. Now do as I say."

I was sore the next day and the next and the day after that. Birger was shocked to see the state I was once Dirk was done with me. I bet I was all black and blue under my fur and I had a bump on my head that felt the size of an egg.

Seven tries it took me. Seven trials by fire, so t'speak. He went easy on me. That was the scary part. Every thing he threw at me was a pea-sized little pebble that whizzed and stung like a hornet. And unlike me, he never hesitated to hurt. He told me that an enemy would never hold back and this trainin' was supposed t'be like real stuff.

I guess that was true.

That day, I remember looking behind me to make sure Ma was busy by the cooking fire. She had her back turned on me and I just wanted to catch a bit o' sun. Besides, there was something I wanted to deal with.

I didn't even have to wander far either.

"Vermin nimrev!" announced a voice. It was nasally even by shrew standards.

I turned around and saw that same rabble standing side by side like a sloppy picket fence. I looked over at their leader in the center. It was the same mouse as last time. Tall, probably twelve seasons old, and he was just as mean as before. In one arm he carried a load o' dirt clods and rotten vegetables and in his throwing paw he bounced a pigeon egg.

"You dare to show your face around so soon, ferret?" he jeered. "And from the looks of you, I'd say that some other beasts had the beat on you earlier." He and his cronies laughed at that.

"Throw the rocks," I dared.

"What was that, y'red freak?" shouted the mouse. His tail whipped upwards in expression of shock.

"I said, throw 'em at me. Gimme all y'got!" I challenged. "C'mon!"

I saw him lift his chin as if I'd just said something truly awful. And then I saw his arm pitch backwards and I knew what I had t'do.

The egg streaked by me ear and I heard it whistle past before it shattered against the earth. A rotten apple came at me from another beast and I ducked out of the way.

"Keep your eyes open," the general's words rang in my head. "You need t'watch what's comin'."

I threw myself to the right and narrowly missed another rock as the group gave it their all. I regretted it. I regretted takin' them on but I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop until it was all over. It was like fire burning in my chest and heat unfurling through my veins, adding extra strength to my every move and fanning each angry conviction that burst in my mind.

It was like dodging rainfall. I didn't know how I did it. I spun and twisted and danced out of harm's reach every time, each stroke bringing me a step closer to them. Their aims were close but never close enough and they couldn't make me back out. I wouldn't let them.

"Keep throwing!" came a panicked voice.

My upper body bobbed and weaved while I forced my legs to take a step each time. Their stones and garbage and dirt clods and everything came at me in an odd way. It was like watching something move towards you underwater. They weren't that slow, but I could trace their every arc and every spin and I knew how far each would go or where it would bounce. In my mind I knew everything and it was as if I didn't have control of my body anymore. It just did what it did as if it'd done this a million times.

The picket fence wall of bullies broke with two beasts and then it was like a dam that crumbled at the first crack.

"Gates! Run!" they cried. They didn't have any weapons left and I was only ten paces away. They turned on their heels but I was faster. In those ten quick, furious strides, I was upon them. I hurled myself forward and grabbed their leader's wrists the same way Dirk grabbed mine. I couldn't lift him into the air but I could hold him fast.

"Le'go!" he squealed.

I held on and dug my claws in.

And then...

Nothing.

The general never told me what t'do after I touched 'em. I gulped and looked around at the townsbeasts that stared from windows and at the backs of the other children as they fled the littered scene. The mouse was staring down at me with wide eyes. Even if he was bigger than me and could bowl me over in a single move, he was to terrified to act. Whatever I did in the one minute had changed everything he knew about me for all the past seasons.

With trembling paws, I let him go.

My eyes never left him as I took a few stumbling steps back. Whatever strength and precision I had was completely sapped outta me. He stood there and I walked back home. I didn't need to say anything. Both of us knew he wouldn't bother me again. The only beasts that bothered to make a sound were the townsbeasts murmuring under muted tones.

My mother boxed my ears that night and Birger berated me over dinner but I didn't care. All I wanted was to talk to the general. I wanted him to show me what to do and to teach me more. No more books on weapons, no more history lessons, no more trips to the armory. I wanted to learn the real things. I wanted to learn the art of making my movements meaningful.

For the first time, I wanted to learn how to fight.

The next time I saw him I told him what I did. They couldn't even lay a scratch on me. But he just nodded and looked back at his reports. And then I told him that I didn't hurt the mouse. I didn't say it like something I regretted or something to be proud of. It was a blank matter of fact. And then I asked him why he didn't tell me what t'do when I reached my enemies.

His ears perked at the question and he grinned at me. Come to think of it, it was more knowing than friendly. "Because I wanted to know what kind of fighter you are."

I hoped I didn't disappoint him.

A/N: So what do you think?

Not as good as my usual stuff, huh? Well as I said, this was merely some of my drabbling that didn't make the cut (too superfluous to TBBU). Anyways, if you have any constructive criticism or anything to add, please let me know. Also, if there's a certain character interaction that you wish to see, send me a PM or review requesting your ideas and if it strikes my creative side, I might just write out the scene.

Anyways, thanks for reading and I appreciate any reviews you toss my way! :)