Walking Down the Slippery Slopes (Open)

[Rakko]

Rakko had laid back against the log and nearly let himself drift into sleep. Not fully of course, he would never sleep when it was his duty to watch the provisions, but his eyes where clossed and his breathing rythmic. At the sound of approaching footsteps, however, the eyes flashed open and he instinctively reached for the knife at his belt. He stopped though, when he saw it was the two returning.

He was about to speak up, however Zeron did first.

"Notice anything different?"

The ferret had his chest streatched out, subcontiosly and it was easy to tell he was trying to show off the pendant he wore; it had not been there before. "'Tis very shiney, mate. Di ye whin it as a prize?"

[pie4me]

"Ye bet he won something." Jek muttered to himself. "Won some swellin' in that old pride o' his."

Jekker sat down near the fire and put his paws close to the flames to warm them. He shivered and water splashed off his sleek fur and landed on the ground. Some did get on Rakko a bit as well, but eh, they were otters.

He shivered again, releasing once more a wave of water from his fur. He was now starting to look more like a big puffball, because his fur was sticking out everywhere.

Jekker took another look at the amulet and wrinkled his nose a bit. Getting closer, he took another sniff. "Ek! Yuck! Ick!" he snorted and rubbed at the end of his nose. "There is somethin'... ACHOO!"

He sneezed and began to rub his nose once more. "What IS that smell!" he said, a revolting look on his face.

He hadn't noticed it before, but something was definitely wrong about that there shiny necklace.

Suddenly he began to have some suspicions, and he backed away from the amulet and the smell. A few coughs errupted from him, and shook his head.

"Now WHY in the dang flabbit would someone leave an amulet with a' expensive ruby in the middle just lyin' there in the river. Where EVERYONE could see it!?"

[shadow]

"Won some swellin' in that old pride o' his."

Zeron cast a baleful glare at Jekker for a moment but his good mood couldn't be spoiled.

"Now WHY in the dang flabbit would someone leave an amulet with a' expensive ruby in the middle just lyin' there in the river. Where EVERYONE could see it!?"

"They didn't. They left it locked up in a wooden chest. And who knows? Maybe they was careless and lost it, maybe a careless dibbun took it and threw it in the river, or maybe they were superstitious and thought it was cursed. Like I said, who knows. And why are ye coughin? What are ye, alergic to rubies?"

[pie4me]

"I aint allergic to no ruby!" Jek snapped. He took the amulets end in his paws and got real close to it.

Jekker turned it over and snapped it fingers. "Ah ha!" he shouted, casting a triumphant look at Zeron.

"I knew! A name! Ye see there, it says... eh... I can't make it out." Jek yanked the amulet from the ferrets neck and began to examine it.

"Yep! Thar is definitely a name on this here thingy jigger!" he said. And there was a name, but Jekker was right when he said it was hard to make out. Jekker still didn't understand why shadow couldn't smell the odor coming from the amulet.

Suddenly he shook his head. "This here thing keeps on slickin' all o'er me paws!" he said. Jekker scrubbed, wiped, and and tried his best to dry the amulet.

"Curious... still as slick as ever..." he muttered to himself.

Jekker handed the amulet back to Zeron, "Feel it!" he commanded. "Looky here, there is some kind of thin mucus stuff all over it. Thats why it smells so badly. I reckon you just thought it was it bein' in the river, well let me tell you lad,"

Jekker got right in his face, his big eyes staring at Zeron. "Us otters got the best water noses in this here world, and no one else could tell a water smell from another smell but us! Unless of course they were a fish... do fish have noses?"

This question sent Jekker's mind wandering and he sat in a trancelike state, fingering his inkpen in his hand absentmindedly.

"Noses... no surely not? But it is possible... no, I'm going crazy... but it could be... fish and noses... perposterous!" he muttered.

[shadow]

Zeron was furious when Jekker yanked it off his neck and even madder when he started lecturing him and getting in his face. He finally snapped when he started talking about fish.
"Who cares if a stupid fish has a stupid nose!" He got right up in his face this time, poking him in the chest and advancing while he talked, making him step backwards. "Now you listen to me! Otter or not no one lectures me like that. If ye got something tah say then say it. I'll admit your either brave or naive to do that though. Now spit it out." He stood with the amulet clutched in a paw, paws on hips, staring at him fiercely.

[pie4me]

"Who cares if a stupid fish has a stupid nose!"

Jekker looked up and stared at Zeron calmly. "Well of course it's important to know. If a fish can smell you coming to eat it then wouldn't you like to know?" he asked.

"Now you listen to me! Otter or not no one lectures me like that. If ye got something tah say then say it. I'll admit your either brave or naive to do that though. Now spit it out."

Jekker sat down on a log and began to smooth out his vest. "Well then laddie, I already DID spit it out. And anyways, ye might not be wantin' to be touchin' that amulet." he said, again calmly. Then he hopped up and circled Zeron swiftly, light on his feet. "A nice amulet it is me friend! But a nice thing sometimes isn't so nice on the inside!"

[shadow]

"A nice amulet it is me friend! But a nice thing sometimes isn't so nice on the inside!"

Zeron tried to resist the urge to strangle him. One of his eyes twitched for a moment due to his severe agitation. He took a few deep breaths and struggled to calm down. In a even voice he said "If you knew how close you were to be'in throttled ye'd stop yer dancing. Now stand still and say exactly what it is you mean." He looked at him in a rather miffed way and plopped down.

[pie4me]

Jekker stopped and stared at him in amazement. "You mean you don't know?" he gasped, astonished.

The little otter came closer to the ruby and sniffed it once more. The smell was fainter now.

"I think we had better get out o' here mate. That thar ruby is a trap ye know." he said good naturedly. "Oh and ye might want to be washin' yer hands. That thar mucus is deadly if it ever gets into yer bloodstream. Clever ye know, this looks like the doings of a fox... sly things ye know. I once met a fox, sly thing it was indeed. Had the eye of an eagle and the pride of a badger."

He stared pointedly at Zeron. "Much like someone else I know." he said. "The pride part I mean."

With a chuckle, Jek began pulling different hard clay tablets from his bag and reading them over. Finally, he found the one he was looking for.

"This tells all about that mucus. I think it's called..." he stared at the tablet. "Aha! Creatures call it Clearquix. Clear because you can barely see it. And Quix-hmm... the hare who wrote this word must have been a bad speller-because it kills ye real... well quick, or quix, if yer the hare."

[shadow]

"I oughta slap you. Dancing around while im wearin poison. Well no biggy. I'll go wash it off and to be sure let it simmer over the fire for a bit. Then it'll be fine." He went over and with a bit of grumbling scrubbed it down with a hankerchief he pulled out his vest pocket. When he was satisfied he threw the fabric into the water and watched it race downstream for a moment then went back and held the amulet over the fire at a distance so it would get hot but not get damaged. He mumbled to himself "Now im gonna have to get the stuff off me fur..." He thought for a moment and reached down and grabbed some ash from the fire. Smearing it where the amulet had touched him he sat down satisfied and held up the amulet. "Hey eagle eye, see anything now?"

[pie4me]

Jekker ran over and sniffed. "Hmm... yer clean matey!" he announced. He began to gather up the everything and sniffed at the pie baking over the fire.

"Its all done. But we don't have much time so I suppose we will have to eat it later." he took the pie off the fire with two sticks and laid it on the cool ground.

"Come on Rakko, we best be getting on. I don't want to be caught when the creature who set that trap comes around." he muttered. Pulling on his vest, Jekker stuffed the clay tablets back into his bag, as well as everything else that was scattered.

He took another long look at Zeron. "Well then, it would be easier if you'd just leave it here, then we may not get eaten when the... well whatever it is comes to check on the trap it left. But, I can see there aint no swaying you." he said.

[shadow]

Zeron was using a rock to sharpen his favorite dagger while Jekker was talking. He looked at him incrediously. "Leave!? Ye must be kidding me! If anything im gonna track down the previous owner of this necklace. I don't care who he is. He's gonna die when I find him." His eyes burned with a firey determination. With a quick, fluid motion he slung the dagger. It whistled directly over Jekkers head and embedded itself in the tree behind him. Walking over he judged how good he'd done and how far it had been embedded in the tree. Yanking it out he said to himself "Hmmm. Still good sharp enough to penetrate a skull." Turning to them he said "Well then I guess this is where we part ways. I hope our paths cross again." He bowed and swept off his hat. Setting it straight back on his head he grinned, "May luck be with ye." Then turned and started following the current of the stream to solve the mystery of the necklace. As he walked he grasped the dark crystal necklace his father had given to him and sighed, then he went back to the job at hand and his eyes hardened as they always do before he gets ready to make a kill.

[Rakko]

Rakko had sat on the log for the entire conversation. As it progressed, his eyes got wider and wider. A part of him wanted to interject and stop the pair from fighting and the other part didn't want to get killed by either Zeron or Jekker.

So instead, he just sat there, holding a plate of bark pie in his paws, his head turning from one speaker to the next until the argument finally seased. Then Jekker spoke to him:

"Come on Rakko, we best be getting on. I don't want to be caught when the creature who set that trap comes around."

He nodded and stood, going over to the tent to help take it down quickly while he assumed Jekker would put out the fire. Then, Zeron flung his knife just above his mate's head. He knew the ferret had not aimed to hit but it was still somewhat unnerving. Then he spoke of finding and murdering the previous owner.

Rakko shook his head at the gullability of young ones, especially young assasins. It would be bearly impossible to find the previous owner unless he could read the illegible name and even then, it may prove difficult. But he shrugged; the young'n could do as he pleased. Rakko respectfully bowed his head. "Travel to yer destination mah friend and best o' luck be with ye on yer hunt."

[pie4me]

When the knife whizzed over Jekker's head, he merely rolled his eyes. However, his tail was shaking, which meant he wasn't as brave as he put on.

He grabbed a bite of pie, and turned, doing a sloppy salute at Zeron left. "See yah in the underworld my friend!"

[shadow]

Zeron tredged through the forest gathering his thoughts. First of all, what known vermin were hanging around. There was the flitchaye, a trio of fox bandits, and a small band of assorted vermin. He cracked his neck once then set off in the direction of the trio of foxes. They would be the easiest to take down and question. He put his dagger back in its sheath and pulled out his trusty scythe. "Time to get to work again Deathsong. You still up for it?" He swung it at a small tree and grinned at the familiar whistle from the holes in it. As he turned and continued on his way he heard a satisfactory "whump" as the tree hit the ground.

[Rakko]

Rakko looked back to Jekker when Zeron had left. Waiting until he was far enough away, Rakko burst into a hardy laughter. His head shook vigourously as he sat ont he log, trying to control it. "Wot'd ye tell 'im mate? Deadly mucous? Hahaha. I'll bet yeh dinner for a week yeh planted that' ourdy tresure din' ye? 'Ow much is it really worth?"

The laughter was subsiding now but he was still chuckling slightly. He, too, had recognized the smell but it wasn't one of poison. See, otters where jokesters and as a result, their ansectors had discovered this special slime that only otters could really detect. For decades this secret has been passed down from one generation to the next and is rarely told, even to other otters. As a result, few new about the horrible smelling but compleatly harmless sea gook.