I Smell a Rat

[CyledyrWyllt]

Upon faithful Squidge, Mrs. Rosemary leads the foraging party deeper into the untamed wildness of this unfamiliar stretch of the Hedge. The Lost accompanying her will notice that the foliage gets sparser and the land drier as they continue up the slope of what can only be Mount Diablo. The short, scrubby Thorns still make the passage difficult as they ascend the blasted mountainside. When an arch made of bleached bones and dry, twisted branches looms before them, their mounts halt and silently refuse all efforts to get them to go any further. Mrs. Rosemary dismounts and turns to the brave Lost that have followed her this far.

"The 1st Cavalry may go no further, or the rats may view it as an act of war. We will continue on foot, and they'll wait for us here."

As the Ogress leads them into the encampment, the other Changelings see round tent-like structures of stretched hides erected in semi-circles along the twisting route they seem to be following. While they also start to see signs of activity, none of it appears to be particularly hostile or threatening. Enormous rats whisper to each other, some even running off as if to spread word of the strange visitors. Finally, the Lost arrive at a central clearing in the village where a fierce-looking rat sits on a throne of leather and bone. He stands and bows his head slightly as he addresses the Ogress.

"Welcome, Champion of Cheese City. Once more, you honor us with your presence."

"Thank you, Warlord. It is an honor to be here."

Mrs. Rosemary bows to the Giant rat, but her companions notice that she keeps her eyes on him at all times.

"You must refresh yourselves after your long journey. I shall send for you when all is in readiness."

A young-looking rat leads the group to one of the nearby tents and brings refreshments for them as they get settled, then leaves them to their own devices.

[Nightfall]

Nightfall watched his... Cheesiness... closely, not missing Rosemary's vigilance.

[Rust Mane]

Rust Follows after Rosemary, keeping an eye on the Rats that scury about the village. Haveing already ate his fill, Rust refuses the refreshments. His focused kept on Rosemary.

[Lesingnon]

Rick likewise seemed to be in no need of food or drink. Though a few amused thoughts about the relative positions of falcons and rats on the food chain were prompted by the environs around them.

The thought that they didn't really know whether the rats were in the wrong or not also crossed his mind...but he tended to err in favor of those not sitting on thrones made of bone.

Despite the cordial treatment though, he did not forget for one second that they were in hostile territory. And he carefully monitored their surroundings in case of treachery. He did move to Mrs. Rosemary though, keeping his voice low so as not to carry far. "Given your history with them...this isn't the reception I was expecting."

[Phoenix]

She follows the other changeling and Mrs Rosemary to their new destination. She is quite surprised of the welcoming the rat people give them. She was kinda suspecting to fight her way through or be sneaky and stealthy about it. As it turns out, the rat people were quite aware of what was going on. Seeing as the other losts don't partake into the food the hobgobelin gave them, she risks herself into grabbing a bite of the food and testing some of the drinks provided.

If only to show that at least one of them was cordial about the hospitality they were shown.

[Alice White]

Alice followed along with the others and was a surprised at how welcoming the rats were being to them especially since they likely knew that Mrs Rosemary was coming to kill their leader. With Nightfall watching the the rat's leader, Alice turned her attention to scanning the rest of the encampment to make sure none of the other rats tried anything funny.

[CyledyrWyllt]

Mrs. Rosemary raises an eyebrow in Rick's direction before looking at the other brave Lost who have escorted her into the encampment.

"As barbaric and uncivillized as they might seem, the rats of Diablo do respect one thing... strength. To them, might makes right, and the only authorities they respect are those enforced by brute force and cunning. They make a show of deferrence to me due to the fact that I have defeated the last nine Warlords to sit on that horrible throne and have once again returned with formidable-looking company. In the past, there were always a few young toughs and seasoned warriors willing to follow me from the Market. But, had you chosen not to make this journey with me, I'm not sure if I would have had the same reception this time."

The old Ogress gives Kathleen a small smile as she see the Fairest partaking of the meager food provided by the rats.

"The rat clans spend their Winters burrowed deep in the mountain, surviving off of what little they have stored. However, they always end up attacking each other when their supplies run out. Once Spring begins to warm the frozen earth, the rats venture out to start hunting and gathering what new life they may find on the slopes of Diablo. By the time Summer arrives, with its heat and abundance, the clans begin to gather together and the strongest warrior left standing becomes the Warlord over the entire rat horde. By Summer's end, they have raided all nearby settlements and start to look once more toward Cheese City. If the Warlord is defeated before the rats can ride against the city, the resulting sqabbling for leadership cripples any attempts to organize them before Autumn. By then, it is too late for a raiding party, and they begin to scatter in order to gather their Winter stores. If the Warlord refuses to accept the challenge of the Champion of Cheese City, the clans will lose faith in his strength and attempts will be made to replace him. This also has the same result. I have stood in defense of Cheese City for an entire decade, but the mice will need to find a new Champion next year..."

Mrs. Rosemary reaches for one of the skewers of brown meat and begins to chew at it thoughtfully, allowing her last words to hang in the air ominously.

[CyledyrWyllt]

Once Mrs. Rosemary partakes, Marcus also leans forward to help himself to the refreshments provided by the rats. He nods to himself as he chews the bland food, but keeps his thoughts to himself.

[Xerxia]

Xerxia had been silent, watching the exchange between Mrs. Rosemary and the Rats, and then her explanation of the originally odd-seeming reception given the nature of her Pledge with the Mice.

Given that Mrs. Rosemary deemed the food edible, and even though she partook of the Gristlegrinder's excellent cooking earlier, she feels that not eating at least something offered by their tribal hosts would possibly upset them in some way. As such, she takes a very small helping of what is being offered. Enough to appease the Rats, but not enough to displease her already full stomach.

Before starting into the food, Xerxia asks the Ogre quietly, "Is there some sort of formal way that you perform your duty, like a gladiatorial thing, or do you do it... less formally?"

She then takes a bite of the food. She doesn't bother to savor it.

The richer foods supplied at the picnic had made their mark on her taste buds.

[Enzo]

Enzo follows along silently, standing near to Rust and watching. He notes Rosemary's watching the rat king and also watches his surroundings, making sure no surprises happen. He was surprised by the cordial treatment, and when Rosemary explains, he nods.

Once inside the tent, Enzo sits back waiting to see the answer to Xerxia's question.