" I died again!"
896 words
'Dawn' occurred roughly eight minutes later, right after Viper found a sack to tie around Rusty's head.
Darkmoon knotted it with a rough finality to her movements and when she was finished, the bag was stretchd over Rusty's muzzle and forcing his ears down, leaving a strange impression of a blank fox's profile.
"I dn't lik dis," Rusty growled, his voice muffled by the fabric "Hw lng do I hve t wer it?"
"Forever," Aberdeena replied cheerfully "You're dead."
"Now take him away!" Timothy ordered, flourishing his scepter, then sinking back into the chair.
"To the dungeon?" Lily asked, grabbing Rusty's arm "Because really we should bury him, since he's dead."
"Nnnn!"
"Nah," Tim shrugged. He had lost interest in his first execution and was busily trying to rescue part of his muffin from Skipper's ravenous clutches.
"Oh my word what have you done now?" Rolland groaned as Rusty was marched in and forced to sit next to the doctor "Does the Queen know what you've done to her son?"
"It werf hr idea," Rusty muttered, the bag sucking in around his mouth as he spoke "Mm ded now."
"Wonderful, the Queen has gone rouge and executed her heir, Callie is not going to be pleased when she gets home."
As if on queue the door slammed and heavy sea boots trampled in the entry.
The "Royal Guard" charged into the front hall, innocent grins smeared across all their faces.
Callie looked up from wiping her boots across the mat, surprised to be greeted by such a cavalcade. Behind her, Martin leaned against the doorframe.
"Hey, Lily!" He greeted his wife "I though you might be over here. Where's Skip?"
"Playing with Tim." She took another step towards him, the innocent grin turning mischievous.
"Alright, what is it?"
"What?"
"You're up to something."
"No...?"
"Hey, Callie, Rolland wants to talk to you."
Darkmoon grabbed the ring-tailed captain and before she could protest, Darkmoon drug her off.
"I'm next aren't I?"
She nodded slowly and hooked her arm around his "Come quietly and it'll go better with you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, I'll make sure the knots aren't too tight and I'll sneak you a muffin."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Skipper was asleep midst a pile of muffin crumbs and Timothy was rapidly growing tired with his game. He'd eaten far too many muffins for a little weasel and his bedtime was approaching.
He tugged at Aberdeena's sleeves and the vixen leaned close to hear his whispers.
"What do you do when you're done being the boss of people?"
She smiled sadly down at him "You can't just stop, Tim, you're responsible for them."
"Oh..." His little ears tucked down "Can we be done with the game?"
"No. You've got two more trespassers to judge."
"Oh. What about after that?"
"Well, I suppose. But you have to promis to be a good boy for your mum."
"Ok," his ears pricked up and he straightened his back "Bring in ALL the prisoners! "
"All of them?" Shyshie asked poking her head in "Are you sure your majesty?"
"Yup. All of them."
"All right then."
A few minutes later, the four prisoners where marched in: Rolland still annoyed, Callie protesting loudly and struggling, Martin quiet and bemused, and Rusty still dead.
"I'm done," Timothy said "They can be free now."
"Thank you," Rolland snapped, straining against the knots "Honestly, Queen Aberdeena."
She laughed and shook her head "What about Rusty? He's still dead."
"Plf jst tk th bg off."
Timothy squinted down at the prince, then Rolland.
"Can you fix him, Doctor?"
"Just take the-"
A pleading glance from Viper caused him to pause, then sigh.
"Well. What did you do to him?"
"Cut his head off."
His paws finally free, Rolland pressed them to his forehead in frustration.
"I can't fix that, Tim. Can we please just take the bag off?"
"No."
"Fine... Where's his head, I'll sew it back on."
There where giggles from every corner, even from Callie, as Rolland went through the pantomime of sewing Rusty's head back on, untying the knot and pulling the bag off when he was finished.
"Thank you," Rusty gasped, looking around dazedly "It's hot in there."
"So wait," Martin said, as Lily began to undo the knotted sheets "Why where you dead again?"
"What?" Rusty turned towards his friend, eyes wide with confusion "What do you mean again? I only died once, right?!?"
He spun in a circle, glaring at all of them "Did something happen while I was in that bag? What did you do?"
Aberdeena laughed, standing up and catching her son by the shoulder "Nothing happened, Rusty, you only died once."
"Are you sure?" He raised a suspicious eyebrow at her "You're not just trying to throw me off are you?"
"How long did you have him in that bag?" Martin asked stepped back from his friend, nervous concern showing.
"Not that long," Darkmoon said, pushing her face close to the fox's and staring at him.
He stared back at her, his ears held half-back.
"Alright, I think that's our cue to go home," Aberdeena pulled Rusty along by his shoulder "Darkmoon, if you don't mind I'd like to take a plate of muffins back to Terrimine."
"Sure go ahead- I'll get the plate back later."
"Thank you."
"Are you SURE I didn't die again??"
Aberdeena sighed.
"Come on Rusty."
896 words
'Dawn' occurred roughly eight minutes later, right after Viper found a sack to tie around Rusty's head.
Darkmoon knotted it with a rough finality to her movements and when she was finished, the bag was stretchd over Rusty's muzzle and forcing his ears down, leaving a strange impression of a blank fox's profile.
"I dn't lik dis," Rusty growled, his voice muffled by the fabric "Hw lng do I hve t wer it?"
"Forever," Aberdeena replied cheerfully "You're dead."
"Now take him away!" Timothy ordered, flourishing his scepter, then sinking back into the chair.
"To the dungeon?" Lily asked, grabbing Rusty's arm "Because really we should bury him, since he's dead."
"Nnnn!"
"Nah," Tim shrugged. He had lost interest in his first execution and was busily trying to rescue part of his muffin from Skipper's ravenous clutches.
"Oh my word what have you done now?" Rolland groaned as Rusty was marched in and forced to sit next to the doctor "Does the Queen know what you've done to her son?"
"It werf hr idea," Rusty muttered, the bag sucking in around his mouth as he spoke "Mm ded now."
"Wonderful, the Queen has gone rouge and executed her heir, Callie is not going to be pleased when she gets home."
As if on queue the door slammed and heavy sea boots trampled in the entry.
The "Royal Guard" charged into the front hall, innocent grins smeared across all their faces.
Callie looked up from wiping her boots across the mat, surprised to be greeted by such a cavalcade. Behind her, Martin leaned against the doorframe.
"Hey, Lily!" He greeted his wife "I though you might be over here. Where's Skip?"
"Playing with Tim." She took another step towards him, the innocent grin turning mischievous.
"Alright, what is it?"
"What?"
"You're up to something."
"No...?"
"Hey, Callie, Rolland wants to talk to you."
Darkmoon grabbed the ring-tailed captain and before she could protest, Darkmoon drug her off.
"I'm next aren't I?"
She nodded slowly and hooked her arm around his "Come quietly and it'll go better with you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, I'll make sure the knots aren't too tight and I'll sneak you a muffin."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Skipper was asleep midst a pile of muffin crumbs and Timothy was rapidly growing tired with his game. He'd eaten far too many muffins for a little weasel and his bedtime was approaching.
He tugged at Aberdeena's sleeves and the vixen leaned close to hear his whispers.
"What do you do when you're done being the boss of people?"
She smiled sadly down at him "You can't just stop, Tim, you're responsible for them."
"Oh..." His little ears tucked down "Can we be done with the game?"
"No. You've got two more trespassers to judge."
"Oh. What about after that?"
"Well, I suppose. But you have to promis to be a good boy for your mum."
"Ok," his ears pricked up and he straightened his back "Bring in ALL the prisoners! "
"All of them?" Shyshie asked poking her head in "Are you sure your majesty?"
"Yup. All of them."
"All right then."
A few minutes later, the four prisoners where marched in: Rolland still annoyed, Callie protesting loudly and struggling, Martin quiet and bemused, and Rusty still dead.
"I'm done," Timothy said "They can be free now."
"Thank you," Rolland snapped, straining against the knots "Honestly, Queen Aberdeena."
She laughed and shook her head "What about Rusty? He's still dead."
"Plf jst tk th bg off."
Timothy squinted down at the prince, then Rolland.
"Can you fix him, Doctor?"
"Just take the-"
A pleading glance from Viper caused him to pause, then sigh.
"Well. What did you do to him?"
"Cut his head off."
His paws finally free, Rolland pressed them to his forehead in frustration.
"I can't fix that, Tim. Can we please just take the bag off?"
"No."
"Fine... Where's his head, I'll sew it back on."
There where giggles from every corner, even from Callie, as Rolland went through the pantomime of sewing Rusty's head back on, untying the knot and pulling the bag off when he was finished.
"Thank you," Rusty gasped, looking around dazedly "It's hot in there."
"So wait," Martin said, as Lily began to undo the knotted sheets "Why where you dead again?"
"What?" Rusty turned towards his friend, eyes wide with confusion "What do you mean again? I only died once, right?!?"
He spun in a circle, glaring at all of them "Did something happen while I was in that bag? What did you do?"
Aberdeena laughed, standing up and catching her son by the shoulder "Nothing happened, Rusty, you only died once."
"Are you sure?" He raised a suspicious eyebrow at her "You're not just trying to throw me off are you?"
"How long did you have him in that bag?" Martin asked stepped back from his friend, nervous concern showing.
"Not that long," Darkmoon said, pushing her face close to the fox's and staring at him.
He stared back at her, his ears held half-back.
"Alright, I think that's our cue to go home," Aberdeena pulled Rusty along by his shoulder "Darkmoon, if you don't mind I'd like to take a plate of muffins back to Terrimine."
"Sure go ahead- I'll get the plate back later."
"Thank you."
"Are you SURE I didn't die again??"
Aberdeena sighed.
"Come on Rusty."