The War for Eventyr

15 | All Eyes

All eyes should've been on him when he reached the Gathering. Instead, the discord of raised voices masked his late arrival. He slipped into the crowd, small and unnoticed, weaving his way through an anxious throng of foxes.

For once, more than just the skulk's oldest foxes had arrived to witness the meeting. Kits and adults alike filled in the usually empty gaps, making it all the harder for Trygve to reach the front. Sharp barks pierced the air, questions hurled at the elders.

"What does this mean?" he heard a fox yell.

"Are the Shadowborn attacking?"

"Are we even safe?" The panicked voice rose against the crowd. The murmurs and shrill whispers grew louder.

Trygve spared an upward glance to see his grandmother pacing atop her stone. He ducked between a couple, squeezing through the space beside their paws. He heard grumbles from above as he brushed against their legs and accidentally stepped on a couple toes. They made up for it by stomping his tail, before he could even mutter an awkward apology. He broke through to the front, meeting eyes with an especially stressed Beste.

Trygve resisted the urge to glance backwards. Not that he could see her through the commotion, but he hoped that Skadi was remaining well enough hidden in the underbrush.

"I assure you," the Har called out, "everyone is safe. Nothing good will come of panicking."

The shouts pushed back at her words. Defeated, she lowered her muzzle, appealing to the other elders.

Jafenhar stood on his rock with a similar, overwhelmed expression. His jaws opened once, twice, before snapping shut with a sigh. Thridi was settled on his perch between them both, the picture of calm with a strangely smug grin.

"The Har makes an excellent point." Jafenhar finally found his words. "There's no need to lose our calm. We don't know that this means anything." He gave the audience his best attempt at a smile. Even Trygve could see the glint of fear in his gaze. "Nor do we know that the rumor is true. This was hours ago, and the word of a single fox. We can't let this cause mass disruption."

"But I saw it too!" A random tod, younger than Trygve, his pupils wide and afraid. "The Shadowborn sent a huge soldier, skulking through our woods right now. Someone needs to find it!" Loud and emphatic, it was like he believed the words he spoke.

Trygve huffed, biting his tongue before he could raise his own voice in objection.

More voices rang out. "Yeah, I saw it too! Its paws were already stained with blood."

"Nonsense!" Har growled from her perch. "All of you, that's enough." Her mighty snarl was enough to hush the crowd. She regarded them with a sweep of her muzzle. "I will not tolerate outright lies at this meeting. You will be calm and rational, or you will leave."

Trygve had never seen his grandmother so frustrated––or her tone so sharp. Eyes rolled and groans sounded in response, but finally the chaos died down.

"But what if they're true?" The question was followed by a deep-throated laugh. "Even if they didn't see it themselves, how do we know that a dangerous beast doesn't roam these woods?" His chilling tone was enough to send ripples down Trygve's spine, and his nose followed the voice to the center stone. Thridi stood tall and proud.

Questioning glares dug into him from both sides. The elders' brows were furrowed. Did he want to cause more mass panic?

"Who's to say that it isn't all a distraction," he droned, "that this isn't all a ploy to get us here, focused on one tiny threat, while they mount the forces for an all-out attack." His words were laced with apathy, like it didn't make a difference. "All the more reason for us to be ready to––"

"She isn't dangerous!" Now, all eyes were on Trygve. He hadn't meant to attract such attention. In fact, he'd previously decided it would be better to approach his grandmother about the situation after the crowds had cleared. But he couldn't stand by while Skadi was dragged through the mud.

Beste's gaze was especially pointed. "She?"

How he wished he could keep his mouth shut.

Thridi seemed especially interested in his response, hopping off the stone to approach. His head cocked. "What would you know about it, Trygve?"

His heart clogged his throat. He tried to sputter out something, a pathetic attempt at an excuse. It seemed he had no choice but to tell the truth. "You can come out," he called half-heartedly, his voice cracking.

Trygve heard gasps behind him; he didn't bother turning his head to see every fox in the clearing scrunch themselves toward the far side, avoiding the white blur in his peripherals like she had some sort of plague.

When she came to stand beside him, her nose darting back and forth with intimidation, he turned and pressed his muzzle to her cheek. "It's okay," he muttered. His eyes drifted back to the elders and two gaping jaws. Thridi eyed him up and down with a shake of his head.

With a swallow, Trygve attempted to smile. "This is Skadi."