#aaaaand that's the end of the Nelrindenvane chronicles with Wy the Menace

[wythedumpstercat]

Kaelan Finds a Solution

Lithris has just gotten out of his Royal Guardsman armour when Iandral bursts into the barracks talking way too fast for anyone to catch the words. Telling the youth to take a deep breath and try again, the brunet eventually manages to convey his urgent message between breaths. "Captain Kaelan! Has ordered everyone! Of the Royal Guards! To meet up in the courtyard! Pronto!"

Exchanging confused glances with the other Guardsmen, Lithris sighs and shrugs as he herds everyone outside. This was just another oddity in a long line of oddities. Better to roll with the punches.

The courtyard is swarming with Guardsmen, it seems like absolutely everyone had indeed been called out. Captain Kaelan is pacing at the front of the congregation, his face emulating flashing thunderclouds. His silence has everyone whispering with each other and looking nervous, and someone has the bright idea of telling everyone to line up based on shift groups. When they've all stood in their neat lines for a while, the Captain finally speaks up.

"I have a new Training Excercise for you." He begins. Lithris can see several of the others straightening their backs. Oh dear. "In groups of eight on a four hour rotation, you are to capture and contain any and all animals on the castle grounds." Scandalized murmurs flare up, and is swiftly hushed away with a terrifying glare. When the Captain continues he's nearly hissing. "A black cat is of particular interest, but it can be mice or rats or even a crow. Use any tool, be eachothers' eyes and ears, be creative. I don't care how. Just. Do. It."

Someone raises their hand and asks about how the scheduling is gonna be set up forwards with regards to normal shifts and training when adding in this massive post, and nearly gets their head whipped off their shoulders from the Captain's fiery stare. It would apparently be taken care of and posted to the notice board in the barracks courtyard.

"Any other pertinent questions?" Now the Captain really is hissing. The faint sound of birdsong is the only answer he gets, everyone too intimidated to speak up. Not that there really was anything pertinent to ask about. He'd been quite clear, though the why of it was still elusive.

The Captain had started marching off when he suddenly turns on his heel, and stalks back to the front of the congregation. "Also. The Street Rat. The tall one. This applies to him as well! Capture. Him."

This time it's impossible to keep quiet and just accept it, and thus a cacophony of voices rises in both protest and confusion as to why they should be doing something so frivolous with their time. And teams of eight? Wasn't that a bit of an overkill?

The Captain sneers at them. "Come talk to me if it's too easy, otherwise I do not want to hear it. Just know that any guard who catches the boy will receive a boon of their choosing. Within reason."

That has the disatisfied mutterings turning excited instead. Well then.

-:-

The next day, the guards were abuzz with lively competitiveness, despite them looking and acting like absolute lunatics. The servants really didn't know what to make of it all. Chasing mice, carrying cages around, or even walking a badger on a leash. One memorable occasion that got gossipped heavily about was the time when the cat that Prince Ayal'aran tended to have around him got caught with a blanket. The team of three guardsmen literally tumbled over eachother in their attempt at re-catching it when it somehow struggled free and skittered off to the offended screeching of the guards. Before the three guards got to recover from the defeat, the Tall One of Prince Amreth's party of friends skidded down the hall from where the cat had disappeared looking harried and more bushy haired than usual, followed by a group of five more guards. The three cat chasers immediately got up to assist the new arrivals.

Upon catching sight of the three approaching, the teen rolls off to the side and slides in behind the curtains. Thinking they finally truly had the upper hand, the guards gloats a little between themselves with some jolly elbow knocking before they pull aside the curtains...only to curse up a storm when they find the space empty.

A while later when everyone's left to do work elsewhere, the curtains bulges and flutters as Wy tumbles out from the stone wall. He lies there sprawled out for a moment, staring at the ceiling, face scrunched up in a grimace that slowly changes into a giddy grin.

The Guard Captain had changed the rules of the game. Wy would have to think of ways to counter.

-:-

Staring down at the barracks courtyard, clutching at the railing of the balcony, Kaelan let's out a long relieved sigh. No new reports of ghostly activity had reached him in the past few days. The plan was working.

Still, the fact that a single druid rascal could elude his Guardsmen this well rankled. It was a sign that their normal training exercises needed thorough revision and improvement. Considering this, the boy was a blessing in disguise. Putting the Guardsmen under pressure to improve, while the real life stakes couldn't possibly be lower.

"A few little birds have told me of your sanity being questioned today." Ilira glides up to bump shoulders with him. "Care to shed some light on the situation?"

Kaelan shrugs and huffs, nodding down at the group of Guardsmen that just came running into the courtyard below. One carrying a cage with a single fat rodent, another with a chicken wrapped in a blanket tucked close to his chest, and the last one balancing a basket full of yellow little chicks. Ilira studies them for a moment with her brows slowly meeting in the middle. "I don't understand..."

Kaelan debates it to himself for a moment, then braces himself a bit as he explains the situation. Ilira's face goes on a journey through various conflicting emotions until amusement seems to outweigh the rest as she descends into uncontrollable chortles behind her palms in an attempt at holding back laughter. 

A commotion erupts down in the courtyard. Someone is shouting something about a cat. Kaelan glances down, squinting. Indeed, one of the guards have appeared with a black cat wrapped in a blanket. But so has another guard. A third stumbles over with a black cat in a cage, the white bandages around his hands a stark contrast to his darker somewhat dishevelled uniform, joining the argument over which cat is the right cat.

“Ilira. Kaelan." Kaelan tears his gaze away from the source of his growing headache to greet Ayal'aran only to zero in on the creature nestled in his arms. Gold slitted eyes blinks lazily up at him, sporting the smuggest look he's ever seen on a cat. He can't stop himself from hissing an accusatory "you!" at it.

Ayal'aran's eyes widen comically, arms bunching up protectively around the cat, while Auree squeaks as she takes a step back and behind the prince.

The cat meows at him innocently. Kaelan seethes--Then there's another higher pitched meow from nearby. Followed by another meow, and another and another.

Dread crawls up Kaelan's back as he finally catches sight of the four little black furballs nestled in a cloth lined basket in Auree's arms.

That. Little. Shit.

-:- MASTERPOST -:-

#aaaaand that's the end of the Nelrindenvane chronicles with Wy the Menace #dnd #oc #out of the abyss #wy: the written saga