Chapter 331

The more I spoke with Tar, the more I realized he was asking much better questions than I could manage. Each thought he expressed gleaned more from and about me than I could manage, and once the thought occurred to me that the only thing I had as proof as to the veracity of his claims was his word. I couldn't continue answering in good conscience. Even so, at that point, I'd answered dozens of seemingly and possibly innocuous questions. How much he'd learned about me and my people, I couldn't say, but I realized that, under the jolly facade, the rat was a quick-witted and clever interviewer. 

"That's all from me now, Tar." I said as I stood tall. "Safe travels." 

"Oh, but there is so much more to learn about you and your people! Where can I go to find the rest of you, so I can ask more? Please, Alpha Ashlani."

"Perhaps our paths will cross once again." I denied the request. "If we do, then we'll see if we can't enter into this agreement once more."

"Well, that would be wonderful." Tar answered, his grin wide and showing his yellowed rodent teeth. "Perhaps that can occur somewhat sooner rather than later?"

"We'll see." I said and led the rest of my pack onward and away from the rat. "If you follow us, you'll find me much less patient than today, Tar. Just as a warning."

He squeaked in a distinctly less refined way than he'd been speaking, and it took only a moment for him to disappear into the grasses that filled the mountain.

"Why were you so patient with that little creature?" Farahlia asked, her tone and body language indicating her confusion and disregard for Tar. Her disrespect towards something that I'd placed importance in irked me. The growl that bubbled in my throat was so quiet as to nearly be inaudible, but even so, Farahlia heard it. "Forgive my insolence, Zaaktif."

"We are not the only intelligent creatures in this world, Farahlia. You know this."

"Of course, Zaaktif. We've encountered the indlovu, Moonchildren, and more. You've told stories of the Speakers and their Veratocracy. To attempt to divine the point to which you speak, yes, the rat can speak. We have seen another, and there may be many of them. Even so, they pose no threat and we have no reason to interact with them as equals."

"I have no fear of talking rats," I allowed, "but I can think beyond their existence alone."

"I beg, forgive my ignorance." Farahlia bowed. "I can't say that I understand what you're saying."

"You never gained a solid grasp of the human language, did you?" I asked, and Farahlia clacked her teeth in acknowledgement. "If I can trust what Tar said, then there are a mere fifty to one hundred of these speaking rats in these mountains. We haven't seen the entirety of the Shandise, but they're huge. It will take thousands more khatif and Keel years to attempt to know the intricacies of our new lands, and yet these speaking rats are able to live safely with so few of them? It doesn't make sense."

"Yet, if there's so few, is that not a greater testament to their unimportance?"

"No." I clacked my own teeth. "It simply doesn't make sense. Rodents survive because there's simply too many of them to kill. They're constantly popping out more and more litters of their babies, and the way that Tar talked about his people means that they aren't doing that. If that is the case, I can only see one of two possibilities: either they truly aren't like normal rodents and so they survive through some other way, or he was lying to me."

"Then we need to find the creature and find out the truth." Brutus grumbled behind me. "Mrak, Hrash, find the creature and bring it here. The rest of you, be ready in case something unexpected occurs."

"That isn't going to be necessary." I said, calling the two guards back. "If the rats were trying to be hostile, then we'll be better served by staying together. If they're not looking to harm us, then they won't be anywhere near us.

"Back to what I was saying–if they're lying, then there's thousands upon thousands of the rats, and we'll never wipe them out completely. Whenever we think we've killed them all, more will appear, and the more we kill, the more they'll hate us. The other possibility is that there's something that keeps them safe, that ensures that they continue living. If that's the case, what is this creature? Is it one of the different peoples or nations we've encountered, or is it something else entirely? 

"You asked me why I was willing to take time and speak with this rat for so long, and this is why: we will have enemies for as long as we exist. The Veratocracy sees us as pests to be exterminated, and the Inkulu of the Indlovu hated our arrogance. Though I am fahvalo of the Moonchildren, that merely means I am a respected enemy. They will march on us if they so desire. If these rats number in the thousands, I would prefer not to have to spend the time of keelish to exterminate every rodent we ever see, since we've offended them for no reason. On the other hand, if they have a race or nation of protectors, then we shouldn't add them to the lists of people who are after our deaths."

"Of course, Zaaktif. Forgive my ignorance and foolishness." Farahlia bowed, and I sighed. I wasn't sure that my approach was the correct one, but so far as I could tell, it was the best option available to me at this time. 

"Should we treat all rodents we find differently now?" Brutus asked. 

I cocked my head, thinking about it, then shouted out in the human tongue, "Tar! We'll continue eating any rodents we find that don't talk! If you encounter any of your family, you should let them know to speak up if they get caught and they don't want to be eaten!"

There was no answer, but I hadn't expected one either. "No." I responded to Brutus. "Unless they start talking, they're food."

Brutus grinned as he flared his frills in agreement. With something else on the menu, we continued on our path, me looking for something new to hunt to make more progress towards finishing my usual hunting [Quest]. Eventually, as is always the case, we found our new target.