• Published 20th Jun 2013
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The Reader: Book Two - GnollReader



Scar the gnoll and the newly-formed squad arrive in the Griffon Kingdoms, eager to hunt the hated Izelim from their hiding places but unaware of what sinister plans lie hidden in the dark.

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Chapter 7: Little ears

"I don't know Scar... this doesn't look like one of the Izelim..."

The world around Meck slowly started to become alive again, sounds and smells the first things to break through to him.

"It looks so funny! Look, mommy! It even has a little hat!"

"Kelba! What have I told you about getting to close to it? Let the hunter squad handle this." there was a short pause, "Are you sure it is still alive?"

"Still breathes... little heart still beats... is alive."

Meck wasn't sure where, but he had heard that voice before...

"I think it just moved!"

Slowly, the mouse opened its eyes and for a short moment it wondered what it was looking at. It certainly wasn't the ceiling... Instead, Meck found himself under the skeptical gaze of two magenta-colored eyes, "You're awake?" the pony asked with a frown, "Good."

Meck's eyes fully sprang open, suddenly realizing with terror that he was out in the open and surrounded by ponies and griffons... all of them staring at him with dubious expressions. Completely by instinct, the mouse jumped to its feet and made a dash for the nearest exit... only to run face first into a huge slab of stone with a mustache drawn on it.

"No running." a deep voice grumbled at him, "Scar doesn't want to put any more holes in castle."

Its small head rearing from the impact, the mouse fell on its behind with a small squeak of surprise.

Meck rubbed his head in confusion, eyes blinking furiously to see what he run into. At first... he saw the stone, then the rest of the maul. His gaze traveled up further... and his eyes finally locked with the red eye of the gnoll.

For a moment, the little mouse and the gnoll simply stared at one another, the gnoll waiting for the mouse to make another attempt to flee... and the mouse in a state of pure terror.

As Meck continued to stare at the huge monster towering above him, the events of the day finally became too much for him to bear... and what he did next served to surprise all of those present inside the room.

---

The old mouse carefully wrote another sentence into his book, the memories and thoughts of all those years spent in this part of the world kept inside for the next generation to.... Senquine paused. Did he really want the young ones to remember? How they came to live here and of the things they had done? What they had been a part of?

Senquine sighed and let his tired gaze travel over the countless pages. Even now, with his sight almost gone and his hairs white he still couldn't forget. These days, his memories were returning to him in the form of bad dreams, his past haunting him. He was the last of those that remembered... of those that knew of what they had done and why they lived like this... in hiding and in fear.

His time spent in reminiscence came to an abrupt end though, as Peck came storming into his burrow with a frenzied expression and gasping for breath.

"Calm down, boy..." Senquine patted the young mouse's back, "What's gotten you so upset? Weren't you and Meck supposed to get new threads?"

"Inside castle!" in his state, Peck was having problems forming the sentences, "Storage Room!" he used his tiny paws to mimic a set of jaws in front of his face, "Huge!"

Senquine nodded, "Yes. The chest is next to the old gargoyle..." he chuckled, "Nice fellow, been here longer than any of us. Doesn't talk much these days though... Did you and your brother get into a fight again?"

"No!" Peck shook his head frantically, "Inside the castle! Meck!" the mouse started to sob.

"Calm yourself." Senquine spoke to him clearly and slowly, "There now, tell me what happened."

After taking several long breaths to calm himself, Peck finally managed to blurt out a single sentence, "A huge black monster with a red eye and huge teeth is inside the castle! It's got Meck!"

For a moment, the old mouse simply stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. But then, his gaze became inquisitive, "How big was it?"

The question surprised Peck, but still he raised his arms in the air and started to make gestures, "It almost reached the ceiling! It had fur as black as the night and teeth as long as my arms!"

"Did it talk funny?" Senquine asked with sudden interest, "Did it say anything?"

Peck shook his head in confusion, "No... not much... it sounded pretty angry..."

"Concentrate boy." Senquine spoke, "What did it say?"

Peck lowered his head as he furiously tried to remember the words the savage mountain of teeth and claws had shouted at them... most of it had been drowned out by their own screams.

"I think... I think it said; Gnoll will catch little rats..." the mouse scratched its head in wonder, "I don't remember much anything else..."

Already confused by the old mouse's strange questions and trying furiously to find out to what end Senquine was asking them, Peck felt what little of his sanity was left start to slip away when a broad smile found its way onto Senquine's face.

---

"Scar can't take much more!" the gnoll held his ears in terror, "Make it stop!"

"You got it to start in the first place!" Purple Haze retorted.

Inside the room, sitting on the floor... the little mouse was crying its heart out.

"Waaaaaahhh!" big tears ran down its face as it sobbed, "I don't want to be eaten! I'm not even tasty!"

The gnoll let out a bark, "Quiet! Scar isn't going to eat you!"

The mouse stopped its crying for a single moment to stare at the gnoll with teary eyes in shock.

"See? Is alright..." the gnoll tried to sooth the mouse's panic with a small smile... a small smile that failed to hide his teeth.

"Waaaaaahhhh!" the mouse continued its sobbing with new-found vigor, "I don't want to die! It's not fair! I haven't even finished my button collection yet! Waaaaaaahhh!" surprisingly, the volume of its cries was still rising.

"Scar! Don't scare it any more!"

"Then Purple Haze do something!" the gnoll shouted back, "Scar is here to smash rats, not take care of crying mice!"

"Sm-Sm-Smash?" the mouse began to tremble, "I don't want to be smashed! Waaaaaahh!"

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Purple Haze tried to shout over the mouse's screams, "This is your mess! The least you can do is..."

She, the gnoll and everyone else present in the room became quiet and watched in fascination... as a white mouse leaning on a small stick came walking out from behind one of the curtains.

Seemingly completely ignorant of its surroundings, the white mouse started to walk towards the still-crying mouse in the center of the room... only to bump into one of Purple Haze's legs on the way, "Pardon me there, young lad..." it rasped with a chuckle, "My eyes aren't as good as they were back in the old days..."

"Senquine!" another mouse poked its head out from behind the curtain, "Come back here or they'll..." it froze as it spotted the others, "Oh, no..."

"Look, mommy! There's more of them!"

The griffons, the ponies and the gnoll let their gaze travel over the room... everywhere, little mice were poking their heads out from behind pictures, furniture and curtains... even the occasional stone tile was lifted to show tiny eyes staring out in wonder.

"Children, stay behind me..." Aethris carefully observed her surroundings. Next to her, Vayu looked like someone had just set her on the moon.

"What in the world is this..." Blackbeak whispered in surprise.

Purple Haze was carefully counting the little eyes, even over the mouse's continuous sobs she could hear them whisper to one another... She saw Scar grip the handle of his maul tighter and both he and the other members of the squad search her eyes for a command, but shook her head quietly.

Something tapped on her leg, "Pardon me, lad." it was the white mouse again. It was tapping her leg with its stick, "Could you move a bit?" Purple Haze slowly stepped to the side, "Thank you."

The mouse stepped past her and continued to the still-sobbing captive. When it reached him, a small thwack could be heard as the old mouse smacked the younger one on the head with its stick, "Settle down, Meck. This isn't the time for crying!"

Meck sniffed, "It... it isn't?"

"No!" Senquine hollered at him, "It's the time for joy!" he chuckled and squinted his eyes to search the room, "Now where's the big one? Come a bit closer, I don't see so well anymore." he started to waddle around the room, tapping around with his stick, "Come on, now. Don't be shy! I won't bite!"

His stick came into contact with something soft, a careful check of his eyes telling Senquine that it was a toe... covered in black fur. He looked up and squinted his eyes until he could make out the frowning face of the gnoll above him. Unlike Meck, his expression was not one of terror. Instead, a huge grin broke out over his face.

"Ha! Ha Ha Ha! I knew it!" the old mouse laughed with joy, "I knew there were still some left! Ha ha ha!" he whirled around with his stick held high, "The gnolls are back!" Senquine started to dance, "Everyone! Come out! The gnolls are back!"

As countless mice started to hesitantly appear from their hiding spots, Purple Haze couldn't help but think that this was going to be one hell of a report to write to the princess... but she was certain that it would be an interesting one as well.