Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-31986068-20160429231407/@comment-31986068-20161217011732

CHAPTER FIVE

The place they entered was filled with animals of all sizes—if Rain looked closely in the noisy crowd, she could even see a few humans.

The entrance was elevated, so Rain and Sparrow were above the crowd. Several animals turned to look up, and whispered to the other ones. Soon half the crowd was staring. Roe yowled to get the rest of the crowd’s attention.

Almost automatically the crowd was hushed. They turned to look. Whispering ensued at the sight of Rain and Sparrow.

There was a stone staircase that Rain and Sparrow could walk down. The crowd parted to admit a hurrying brown shape, with a glimmer of white above its head.

It went up the staircase towards Roe. Looking closely Rain could see it was a pig, with a foxlike hat perched atop her head. She looked old.

“Whiu aner thal?” she hissed.

Roe rolled his eyes. “Stallni beioin si susprincion, Fireblaze.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">He continued in what Rain assumed to be Animalun. “Plare transilati feor makal ih thea languagenio onf thea poulitned woes.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Roe turned to the crowd. “Hello, fellow Guardians. You are all undoubtedly pondering why there are two unfamiliar humans in our home.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">“Halli, falei Guardinils,” the pig muttered, still irritable. “Krn ven aili undobetenely pouletering whii thera ere tawen unfamierilan quazartrazikas ih oer hoeme.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">The pig snorted and said, “Not doing this... those who understand that polluted tongue can tell it to their friends who don’t.” She sat down, still eyeing Rain and Sparrow.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">“...But these humans,” Roe continued, “They can understand my speech. They don’t hear meows. They hear... Words.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">There was a collective gasp in the crowd. The curious, annoyed, and even distrustful looks on some of the animals’ faces changed instantly to amazement. Rain heard several whispers about “the second prophecy.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Roe turned around suddenly, and stared at Rain and Sparrow intensely. Rain felt a strange feeling inside, like something was being pressed against her. The feeling stopped quickly and Roe turned around as if nothing had happened.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">“...Rain and Sparrow are their names.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Sparrow poked Rain in the shoulder. “How did he do that?” she whispered. “I felt like I feel when you stare into my soul...”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">“Oh, stop,” Rain snapped.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">The pig stared a moment, then said, “They must stay.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Roe nodded agreement.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">A voice called out from the crowd. “There’s an open room, near mine!” it called.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">“Hm?” Roe looked around.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">A lemur hurried out of the cluster of animals and padded up the stairs. It wore gauntlets of Russian Sage on its paws. It also had a belt around its underbelly, which several knives hung from. Both Rain and Sparrow felt uncomfortable somehow when he had reached the top step.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">“I’m Deser,” said the lemur, wearing a smirk that seemed like it wouldn’t come off. “In Hallway Nine, left of the blacksmith’s tavern.”

<span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">“Ah,” Roe replied mildly. The pig, too, seemed to look uncomfortable, but Roe looked normal.