This a fanfiction written by me and Bluestripe the wild. it is not canon or policy guideline. thank you.
Prologue[]
Blue
The night was pierced by the screams of creatures locked in combat. Death cries were heard over and over until it seemed that they were nothing but echoes that would never cease to repeat. The sound of steel against steel rang out as many creatures engaged one another in battle. Hares and sea otters fought against searats and fox, weasel, stoat, and ferret corsairs. Nearly a score of ships containing woodlanders and vermin alike were clustered together as each creature fought to board another ship. A few ships in particular had been victims of fire arrows, timbers crackling as the flames consumed he ships they had made their prey. The flames rose into the dark night atmosphere, the glow of the fires illuminating the darkness; flaming sails fluttering dismally as if they acknowledged defeat by the enemy’s doing. Chaos reigned that night over the ships and the creatures aboard them who participated in that grand and revolting battle.
Below the deck of a ship known as the “Deathsail,” an attractive female weasel of about nineteen seasons old sat in a bed, gazing down at a newborn weasel like herself with love and pride glowing in her brown eyes. A female rat stood beside the bed, smiling slightly at the new mother as she saw her son for the first time. She nodded respectfully to the female weasel before addressing her. “Congratulations, Shia.” Shia looked up from her infant son to the rat attendant, her bright eyes meeting the nurse’s.“Thank you, Sagra.”
Sagra raised her head slightly as the sounds of the warring creatures came from above deck. Shia’s ears twitched as she held her son close to her chest. Sagra met the weasel’s eyes before speaking what the pair of them were thinking. “We need to leave this place at once. The lives of you and your son are at stake.” She noticed the look Shia gave her and responded quickly. “I’m just a mere attendant, Milday. It doesn’t matter if I am slain doing my duty to you.”
Shia did not respond to what her attendant said about her life being the least important of the three creatures present, but simply nodded before speaking. “Very well then. Let’s be off. I know of a place where we can go where we will be safe. That includes you too, Sagra.”
The rat grabbed a blanket and gingerly lifted the child from its mothers arms. Her son gave a faint cry as he was held by the stranger as he was wrapped in the blanket before being handed back to his mother. Shia eyed her friend before querying her. “Are we ready?”
Sagra helped Shia out of the bed as she replied. “That we are.”
The going was slow for the two female creatures, especially for Shia, who was still in pain after having given birth to the creature who she was now holding. Fortunately, Sagra was patient with her and did not leave her side. Shia’s anxiety increased as they each step. As they reached the top of the stairs that led to the deck, they met one another’s eyes. Sagra speaks to her friend in a calm voice. “This is the dangerous part. If either you or your son’s life is in peril, I will do all I can to protect you two.”
Shia smiled despite the contingency that they may all succumb to death by taking the risk of escaping the ship in the midst of the widespread battle. “Thank you, Sagra for all you’re doing.”
Sagra modestly dismissed her friend’s remark as she placed a paw on the doorknob. She turned the knob slowly and glanced at Shia. Shia nodded in confirmation, her heart pounding in her chest. The rat opened the door and aided her friend out onto the deck, making sure that she was blocking Shia from any enemy that may come their way. Shia’s child wailed as the sounds of battle rang in his ears.
A ferret appeared before them and raised his cutlass. “I’ll cover both o’ ye while ye make it for the lifeboat! Go, go!”
The pair nodded gratefully while making their way quickly towards the jolly boat, the ferret following them closely. He kept watch while Sagra helped Shia climb into the jolly boat with her frightened son. Sagra began to lower it towards the water. The ferret corsair turned and watched as the jolly boat continued to go lower. The ferret let out a cry and gritted his teeth together as a shaft struck him in the back. He swung his cutlass at the ropes holding the jolly boat, severing them. He gripped the rail with a paw for support as he watched it land with a small splash on the surface of the water. He felt a second arrow lodge itself in his back. He watched the rat pick up the oars and begin to row through eyes which were beginning to cloud over. The cutlass fell from his paw as his life ebbed away; falling to the deck in a heap, his dead eyes looking in the direction of the escaped creatures.
Shia turned her eyes away from the ship in an attempt to erase her mind of the death she had just witnessed. She frowned sadly and began cradling her son in her arms, causing her son’s sobbing to end as he fell asleep. Sagra raised her head and looked at Shia. “Where to?”
The female weasel nodded towards the direction they were already going and replied in a soft voice. “You’re going the right way. My friend doesn’t live too far from here.”
Sagra rowed in silence, glancing back at the scene of the battle before turning her gaze away. Shia looked up at the sky, stars twinkling brightly against the blanket of darkness known as night. After the rat had been rowing for a while, land came into view. Along the coast was a port town, which was shrouded in the dark of the night. Sagra continued to row until they had pulled up to the dock. The pair climbed out and headed into the town. Shia stopped and looked around before having spotted the house she was seeking. She approached the house with help from her faithful friend. She knocked on the door and waited for the creature living their to answer.
The door was opened by a male weasel with dark brown fur. He looked at the two creatures standing at the door and met Shia’s eye. He glanced down at the baby bundled in blankets that she was cradling in her arms. He smiled at her. “Shia, it’s good t’ see you! It seems that you’re a mother now! What can I do for you?”
Shia smiled back at her friend. “I need to talk to you about something very important.”
The weasel blinked and took a step back. “If that’s the case, you two come on in and have a seat!”
Shia entered the house with Sagra right behind her. The mother weasel took a seat by the fireplace while Sagra sat next to her. The weasel shut the door and sat in a chair across from the two creatures. He picked up a glass bottle from a table and pulled the cork out of the top, taking a swig of the contents. He wiped his mouth with the back of his paw. Shia eyed the bottle disapprovingly as he placed it back on the table. “Drinking’s a bad habit, Gard.”
Gard waved a paw dismissively. “Ah, don’t worry about it. Now what is it that we need to talk about?”
Shia cast a quick look down at the infant she was holding before looking back up at Gard. “It’s about my son. I am unable to care for him without putting his life in risk of danger. His father also leads a life of danger. You’re the creature I can trust to raise him like a real father. Can you handle it?”
Gard met her gaze steadily for several moments before looking down at the sleeping bundle she held. He replied calmly. “I’ll take on this child as my own son. It’s just for you, Shia.”
She smiled brightly and looked down at her son. Sagra helped her out of her chair as she walked slowly to where Gard sat. She cradled the child in her arms with a smile on her face before kissing him lightly on the forehead, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She turned and began to walk to the door with Sagra. Gard called to her as she walked away. “Shia, wait! What’s the child’s name?”
She looked back over her shoulder, a tear running down her cheek as she answered the weasel. “His name? You shall call him Sharrk, Black Sharrk Kidd.”
Enter: Destiny Carressand[]
Meeks
Destiny sat up in bed, her head aching and her neck stiff and weak. She could hear the waves crashing against the docks at least a block from the empty, woebegone house she resided in.
The young weasel maiden pulled her blanket around herself, and when she looked into the cracked and dusty mirror in front of her, she seemed covered from head to foot in a white funeral shroud. She clutched the corners of her blanket and shook her head violently. She shouldn’t think things like that.
She padded out of the bedroom and down a hall covered with dusty paintings and maps in chipped and peeling frames. The house was completely dark accept for small cracks of light which came in through the boarded up windows.
The entire floor was covered in a thick carpet of dust, except for small paths created by Destiny in her daily routines. The place was gloomy and deserted, but the small weasel found it comforting in its own way.
She entered the old workshop, the place where her father’s customers would enter and the now silent little bell would tinkle cheerfully, and behind that counter, her father would chart and draw maps.
Her father, Mortimer Carressand had been a celebrated map maker, the best in the entire world. Seafarers from miles around would come to buy his work, or tell him of new islands discovered.
Destiny smiled. How she had loved to sit by the fireside, with her mother, father and her little sister, Lily, and listen to a visitor tell tales of his adventures, while her father wrote down what the newcomer said and together, he and the sea captain would work on the map.
Those tales, of swashbuckling, mutinies and of sea monsters had thrilled Destiny, though they had terrified Lily.
Destiny sat down on a bench, her bright orchid eyes filling with tears. It was all gone now.
A terrible sickness had swept over the port, and houses had been put under quarantine. Destiny had been the last of her family to get sick, and she had collapsed in the basement, fevered and delirious. When the pickup crew had come to take away bodies, they had found her, the only one still alive.
She had been taken care of by a kindly old hedgehog, since her sickness was not nearly severe enough to put her in quarantine, and she had recovered.
But her family had all died. The house had been boarded up, and no one entered it, superstitiously afraid that the sickness had been absorbed in the walls.
Destiny had run away from the orphanage she had been placed in, and had torn a hole in the house and she came and went whenever she felt like it. She survived by stealing her meals, and she slept in the quiet house, which had once been full of the smells of her mother’s baking, Lily’s laughter, and her father scratching his quill on parchment.
Destiny blinked as her stomach growled up at her, and she let the blanket slide off her shoulders. It was time to find something to eat.
The second she set foot outside the house she felt as though a great load had been pulled from her chest and shoulders and she beamed happily around, as the sound of daily bustling and people cheerfully calling good morning to neighbors, and hagglers out in the street, buying and selling fish and other supplies.
Destiny bounced down the alley humming. Inside the house was death, out here, was life. She belonged out here.
The smell of seawater wafted into her nostrils and she laughed to herself as she listened to captains from docked ships yelling out orders. One poor mouse had fallen off the mast and into the ocean and they were hauling him out, and fruity oaths and curses were coming from everyone.
Some spectators stood around her, laughing uproariously. Once the mouse was pulled back onto the ship, they all dispersed to their business, and Destiny wandered the street. What was she hungry for? Not fish. Bread and cheese sounded good.
She idly wandered by the bakers booth, waiting for a chance. The baker was a squat hare as big as a barrel and the second his attention was focused on a very pretty haremaid who was eyeing a loaf of bread, Destiny scooped up a small loaf for herself and disappeared into the crowd, nibbling the hard crust but not taking big bites. Bread was best eaten with melted cheese.
The cheese monger was an inside business, so Destiny had to wait for someone to come outside with some cheese they had bought before she could take anything, so she sat on a barrel of trout and waited. The fisherman gave her a small smile as she sat and chewed a clawnail thoughtfully, trying to keep from eating the warm bread in her paw.
“luverly day ain’t it?” the fisherman was a tall rat with a sea coat and a sailor’s hat.
“Yes sir.” Destiny said, slightly distracted. “Very lovely. The suns out and the sky’s clear. Perfect day for swimming ad sailing.”
“Aye.” The rat leaned his elbows on the barrel. “Remember when I was younger I used to do all sorts of stupid things out on the sea. Got in trouble I did. My buddies and I would go over the reefs in our sailboats, not something I would advise you to do. Sharks, and the coral will poke holes in the boat, but we liked the risk we did. Too old for that sort of thing now, I am.”
“My moms here.” Destiny said quickly, wishing she could stay and listen. However she had just spotted a squirrel walk out of the cheese mongers with a few packets of cheese in his waistcoat pocket.
“Good day to ya miss!” The rat called after her and Destiny gave him a wave.
She followed the squirrel into a crowd and carefully slipped a packet out of his left pocket, before walking past him.
The second she got out of the crowd, she heard a loud cry.
“STOP! THEIF!”
Idiot. Destiny picked up her pace a little bit. Did he think yelling that would make her stop? And what was a little cheese to him?
She slipped down to the docks, were some sea beasts had left a small fire going in a bin. She roasted the bread and cheese over it, and then took a bite, savoring it.
She stopped mid chew and stared at the ground. Something had fallen to the floor with the wax paper that had covered the cheese. She picked it up and nearly dropped it in alarm.
It was a small, leather wallet. She must have grabbed the squirrels money as well the cheese. She swallowed. No wonder he yelled after her! But what could she do? She hadn’t meant to take the wallet, but she certainly couldn’t take it back to him and get arrested for pick-pocketing! And she didn’t dare want to use the money, her father had taught her against doing such a thing!
Food was one thing but money was a very different matter. With a sigh she put the wallet in her pocket. She could take it to the lost and found, but if the squirrel had seen her stealing it, he wouldn’t think to go to lost and found. What a mess!
“There she is!”
Destiny jumped and whirled around. The Squirrel stood there, flanked by a couple of tall hedgehogs.
“Oh man.” Destiny swallowed. The squirrel was the captain of the ship that mouse had fallen off of!
Destiny did the only thing she could do under the circumstances. She ran.
“Come back here you little wench!” someone roared after her.
“Yeah, I’m gonna do that.” Destiny muttered as she ran, almost knocking a startled little vole wife over in her mad dash to hide. She slid down an alley and gasped for breath, her lungs aching with her sudden burst of speed.
She sighed. She had dropped her sandwich in her hurry and her stomach growled. She started to walk out the alley when someone grabbed her from behind and clapped a paw to her mouth.
She tried to struggle as the unknown person pulled her back, but she heard a voice growl in her ear.
“Don’t move an inch.”
Enter: Black Skarrk Kidd[]
Blue and Meeks
Destiny’s breathing quickened as she tried to turn her head and get a look at the creature who had pulled her back. She looked at the creature behind her from the corner of her eye. Much to her surprise, he appeared to be not much taller than herself. Now that she knew that she could possibly fight the creature, she jabbed her elbow back. She heard the beast give a grunt. Destiny lunged forward, but the creature grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.
The young weasel was about to shout out when she saw the creature who she had just tried to run from. He was a male weasel who was slightly taller than her with sleek, pitch black fur and bright, brown eyes. She realized that he was probably her age if not a season or two older. She paused for a moment as she looked at him, but suddenly remembered what was going on and opened her mouth to let out a scream.
The other weasel covered her mouth with a paw. He leaned forward and whispered in Destiny’s ear. “I’m not trying to hurt you, I’m trying to-”
Destiny grabbed his arm and jerked his paw away from her mouth. “Somebeast help me! He’s trying to attack me!”
The black weasel sighed and twitched his ears. He suddenly pushed Destiny against the wall and glanced out of the corner of his eye. The sound of several full-grown creatures running by was heard. The black weasel waited for several moments before letting Destiny go. She scowled at him. “What are you doing? You keep grabbing me and shoving me around! I’ll show you that I’m not some helpless maid!”
The female weasel swung a fist at the weasel, who easily sidestepped it. She continued her assault upon the other weasel until she eventually landed a hit to his shoulder. The black weasel did not look very concerned. He finally spoke. “I was never trying to hurt you. I saw you running from that squirrel and those hedgehogs and made sure that you stayed here until they passed.”
Destiny’s eyes widened when she heard the stranger say this. How embarrassing! This stranger was only trying to help her and she repaid him by attacking him! She blushed and averted the black weasel’s eyes before muttering to him. “Sorry...” The black weasel remained silent. Destiny soon realized that she would have to break the awkward silence between them. “My name’s Destiny. What’s your name?”
The weasel crossed his arms and muttered a reply. “Sharrk.”
Sharrk? What kind of name was that? He certainly didn’t look like one. Destiny gave what she hoped to be a friendly smile.
He didn’t return it. Now that the urgency of his errand was over, he looked even less social than he’d been before. He scuffed his foot on the alley brickwork, staring at her from the corner of his eyes, though not looking her directly. Destiny couldn’t help but remember her father’s words.
“Never trust a beast who never looks you in the eyes, it means he has something to hide.”
Destiny gripped the hem of her tattered tunic, giving an involuntary shudder. What would this young weasel have to hide?
“You don’t seem like much of a thief.”
Destiny started. Skarrk was watching her with his black emotionless eyes, but he had an eyebrow raised.
“What do you mean?” Destiny crossed her arms.
“Well if you go around stealing wallets, I’d think you’d do it so you DON’T get caught.” Sharrk rolled his eyes.
“But I don’t go around stealing wallets!” Destiny snapped, outraged. “I steal for survival, not a living! I only take peoples food, nothing more!”
“Oh, really?” Sharrk gave the faintest trace of a smile, and held up the small leather wallet. Destiny’s jaw dropped.
“How did you get that?!” she stared at him in shock then made a wild grab for the wallet, but Sharrk easily swerved away from her and she tripped, and hit the ground with a smack. She rolled onto her back, wheezing, and then let out a squeak as Sharrk swooped down over her.
He crouched above her, examining the wallets contents. “A lot in here. About fifty gold coins worth of notes in here. Would come in handy.”
Destiny shoved him away and he let himself fall on his rump, still fingering through the notes. Destiny wrinkled her nose.
“Here!” she glowered at him. “You can’t have that! It doesn’t belong to you or me for that matter! I guess the best I can do is give it back to that Captain-
“And get arrested?” Sharrk let out a humorless laugh. “You’re noble, but stupid.”
“Shut up!” Destiny snarled. “You think just because you save my neck once you can insult me?! Well forget it!”
“Tell me.” the black weasel looked at her. “You say you steal for survival. Where are your parents?”
“Dead.” Destiny glanced over her shoulders to make sure no one was coming down the alley. She shifted to her knees to stare at her companion more closely. “What’s that have to do with this?”
“What if I told you, I could give you a home and a loving person to take care of you and you’ll never have to steal again?”
Destiny cocked her head, suspicious. “What’s the catch?”
“That you let me keep the wallet, and the notes.” Sharrk gazed at her thoughtfully.
“But that wallet isn’t mine to give!” Destiny cried out, shocked. “There’s no way-
“I could always, take you to the authorities.” Sharrk licked his lips, eyeing her.
Destiny muttered something incoherently before grumbling her reply. “Yeah… but I still don’t like it. Anyway, how did you know I didn’t have a home and family? For all you know I could have a family, just cause my parents are dead-
“Your clothes and physical appearance don’t exactly say ‘I’m being taken care of’.” The young male weasel pulled himself to his feet. “So, we have a deal.”
“How do I know I’ll like this person you’re going to give me too?” Destiny got to her feet as well.
“He’s a nice pawn shop owner. I’m good friends with him, and he’s always wanted a daughter, but he’s never been married. I’m sure he’d be glad to take you as an assistant and boarder. You’d be paid well.” The black weasel put a paw on her shoulder. “So, do we have a deal?”
“Yes. But I’m not going to do any more stealing if this pawn shop man is good, so don’t expect me to get you more money.”
“Of course.” Sharrk sighed.
Destiny noticed, as they walked out of the alley, that her companion walked rather stiffly, as though he was in pain. She brushed her observation aside.
Enter: Gard[]
Blue
Sharrk shrugged off the pain he was feeling in his leg. He wouldn’t allow Destiny to see him in pain. That would be a sign of weakness. He glanced back to make sure that Destiny was with him before he continued to the pawn shop. The pair maneuvered between the many creatures that crowded the street. The black weasel looked back at Destiny as they started walking towards an alley. He turned and went down the alley with Destiny, who glanced around at the shadows as if somebeast would spring from them at any moment. They exited from the other side and Black Sharrk lead her straight to a small shop.
He opened the door and looked around, causing a small bell to tinkle. There was no sign of anybeast. Sharrk called out,”Bilius, it’s me, Sharrk! I brought somebeast for you to meet!”
There was the sound of somebeast walking slowly when from a back room, a pine marten of about thirty five seasons old appeared. He wore a pair of spectacles on the end of his nose, gazing around at the shop without having seen the two young weasels who had just entered the shop. He turned his head and noticed Black Sharrk and Destiny standing there. He suddenly brightened up. “Why hello there, Mark! I didn’t see you there for a moment! Who’s your friend?”
Black Sharrk frowned at the pine marten and spoke in a flat tone. “It’s Sharrk, not Mark. I wouldn’t exactly call her a friend... Anyway, I was wondering if you could hire her to help you out around the shop.”
Bilius looked at Destiny, his eyes twinkling happily as he walked towards the two weasels. He adjusted his spectacles and peered through them as he looked Destiny up and down. “Hmm...yes... I would greatly appreciate having another creature helping me out... Uh, what is your name, Miss?”
Destiny didn’t quite enjoy being called ‘Miss’ very much, but she just smiled and said,”My name is Destiny.”
The pine marten smiled and extended an open paw to Destiny. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Destiny. So, how long do you plan to work for me?”
Destiny spoke,”Um...Actually, Sharrk told me that you were kind of lonely, so I’d thought I would live with you...That is, if you don’t mind, of course.”
Bilius’s eyes brightened at what Destiny said. “Splendid! Did you bring your belongings?”
The female weasel looked slightly embarrassed when she replied. “Um..I don’t have any...I’m an orphan and I’ve been living on my own.”
A flash of sympathy shone in the pine marten’s eyes for a moment. “There’s no need to worry, Destiny! I will provide for you in the best way that I am able!”
Destiny smiled at Bilius. She thought he was a little odd, but a kind beast, even though they had just met. “Thank you very much, Bilius!”
Sharrk turned and began heading for the door. Destiny called out to him as he reached for the doorknob. “Sharrk!”
He turned his head and glanced over his shoulder at Destiny. “What is it?”
Destiny made eye contact with him, but swiftly turned her gaze away from his eyes. They were cold and empty. “I just wanted to thank you for bringing me here.”
Sharrk looked back at Destiny for a full minute before speaking. “It was nothing.” With that said, he turned the knob and opened the door. He stepped out and shut the door behind him.
Destiny watched him go without saying a word to him. She was grateful for having found a place for her to stay and a job for her, but something about him made her feel strange, but she wasn’t sure how to describe it. What she did know was that she didn’t like it.
Once Sharrk had exited Bilius’s shop, he looked to the sun’s position in the West. He gritted his fangs when he saw that the sun was starting to go down, marking the end of the day. He began making his way down the street as quickly as he could, managing to weave his way between the creatures that crowded the street. His leg was starting to hurt him again, but he shrugged it off. He knew what the consequences would be if he wasn’t where he was supposed to be at sundown...
Sharrk continued heading down the street until he approached a small house. He walked slowly towards the door and shoved a paw in his pocket. He pulled out a key and put it into the keyhole. The young weasel turned it and opened the door. Sharrk entered the house and shut the door behind him. He found a box of matches and struck one, lighting the lantern. The black weasel rushed to the pantry and pulled out a few vegetables. He put them on the counter and pulled down a fish that was hanging over the sink. He grabbed a butcher knife and began dicing an onion. After that, he began filleting the fish. Sharrk brightened up. He might have enough time to finish preparing the meal before-
Too late. The door was flung open and a weasel entered the small house. He slammed the door behind him. Sharrk cast his gaze downward and continued filleting the fish as if nothing had just happened. He heard the weasel who had just entered walk over towards him, but he dared not look up. The creature stood in front of Sharrk and spoke in a gruff, unimpressed voice. “What are you doing?”
Sharrk muttered a reply in an almost timid voice. “I’m preparing dinner...”
The other weasel’s voice sounded a bit angrier when he spoke again. “You’re preparing dinner? It should be done by the time I return home!”
Sharrk still kept his gaze focused on the fish as he replied. “I’m sorry...It’s just that I was in the market today and I was trying to bring back more supplies and-”
The older weasel shouted at Sharrk angrily. “Do you think that’ll pardon you from bein’ lazy? You stayed in the market too long and therefore returned home later than you ought to!”
The black weasel’s voice carried the note of desperation. “Father, I really didn’t mean to-”
The weasel grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground so both creatures were face-to-face. “I work all day at the docks an’ come home to this? I work to have money to help support you and this is how you repay me? I don’t want this to ever happen again!”
He dropped Sharrk, who grunted as he hit the ground. He glared as the other weasel turned and walked away to get a fire started in the fireplace. When he finished preparing a meal, he gave the larger portion of the fish to his elder. Sharrk was preparing to fetch a drink for him when the other weasel got one himself. Sharrk’s heart fell when he saw what it was. Grog.
He opened the bottle and nodded gratefully to Sharrk as he took his plate of fish. He took a few bites and put his fork down to take a swig of grog. The young weasel slinked off to another room to avoid the other creature.
Gard sat back in his chair and sighed after having finished the fish that Sharrk prepared and his bottle of grog. Since he had discovered that Shia had been slain shortly after leaving him with her child over fourteen seasons ago. Shia had been very close to Gard since they were young and he often viewed her as a sister of sorts. He had since attempted to use alcohol to wash away the thought of her death. It was not very effective and was only leading to his mental deterioration.
Gard raised his paws and saw his vision swimming before him. He gripped the arm of his chair with one paw and began to rise slowly with his plate in his other paw. He released his grip on the arm and took an unsteady step forward. He thought he was about to fall, but only stepped forward clumsily. He continued forward, but stumbled and nearly fell. The weasel cursed under his breath and placed the plate on the counter he called out in a loud voice, his voice sounding a little strange. “Sharrk!”
The young weasel entered from the next room, his thin frame making him look small. “What is it?”
Gard staggered towards the black weasel, whose eyes grew large when he saw the way Gard advanced upon him. Sharrk turned to run back, but was knocked flat. He tried to crawl away, but a footpaw pressed down on his back. Sharrk winced, but squirmed out from under the footpaw and scrambled away. He was grabbed by the back of the neck and spun around. Gard smacked him over the head several times and punched him in the face once or twice, leaving Sharrk with a black eye. He released Sharrk, who fell to the floor on all floors. Gard turned and gripped the counter as he walked away unsteadily.
Sharrk crawled into his room and shut the door. He curled up in a small corner and sniffled as he curled his paws into fists. He pounded a fist against the floor and shook with anger as he his gaze hardened. He promised not be the victim anymore.