>"Well, you didn't let us get to the good parts! [flick] It mentions you by >name!" Sly flipped past several pages and placed his paw on what looked to >Chit like a scratch-mark like any other. "See? It says the chosen one will >be named Chit!" "Hi, Chit, Zander and I brought back some... who's that?" "Kara, meet Iris and Sly. They're my followers." Chit said sarcastically. "And yours as well, milady," Sly said, with an exaggerated human-style bow in addition to a [greetingsflick]. "You are the warrenleader of this burrow?" "Well... [shrugflick] sort of. I guess." "Close enough. [flick] We're here from UCirc with news of Prophecy" he pointed out the volume laying open on the floor. "And your part in it." "*My* part?" Kara chittered, looking slightly scared, "I doubt it!" "Anyway, I told them they could stay..." Chit said to change the subject. "Of course! [flick!] What, are we going to throw them out for the bunnies? You'll have to dig your own burrows, though." She looked them over, and squinted at Iris. "Hey, didn't I see you somewhere? [flick?]" "I doubt it," Iris said softly, "If you're going to force us to dig our own burrows, it's your right, but we didn't come here to do scut-work." "What else is there?" Chit asked, "It's not like we're doing anything." "Why, we came to protect you," Sly replied, "We overheard the courier's report to her supervisor -- who sent her to see Loren. [flick] It's likely he'll respond..." Iris looked at him, and he shook his head. "It's prophesied in fact. [flick] We came to help you set up defenses. Patrols. To find the assassins before they find you." "Assassins?" Chit asked, incredulously. "Loren has assassins?" "UCirc has changed since you left, [flick]" Iris replied. Kara swished her tail a few times. "I suppose. You can sleep in the main room for now, I guess, and I'll try to find someone to dig you a burrow. [swishswish...flick!] Anyway, wanna come eat? [flick?]" Dinner was twinkies and mountain dew, poured into a saucer. The pair from UCirc literally turned up thier noses at the sickly-sweet offerings and crunched some preserved algea-chips they'd brought. No one said much (it's hard to talk when your face is buried in a mound of cake and filling) until after it was over, and then Babylon 5 came on so everyone had to watch. Iris and Sly excused themselves and went to check the warren defenses. "Well, that won't take long. [grinflick]" "Have you ever heard of that prophecy?" Chit asked. After a chorus of angry shh's and angry flickings they retreated to the corridor to talk. "Have you?" Chit asked. "Yeah, sure," she said, "Everyone has. It was one of Loren's dreams he copied down. [flick] The rhyming stuff came later." Chit suddenly had a thought. "How come it rhymes in english, if it's written in chitter?" "Written in chitter?" Kara chittered, confused. "Wasn't that chitter in the book there?" Kara snickered, then giggled, then rolled over laughing. "Nonononono... that's just Loren's handwriting. [giggle] You thought... heeheehee." "Shush," Chit said, grabbing her muzzle and holding it closed until she calmed down. "Does it really mention me by name?" "There are a lot of Chits. [flick] It's probably the most common squirrel name. Anyway, it can't be you, it's not 'sposed to happen until the end of the world. [flick]" "Well, that's comforting. Not only do our guests think I'm some 'chosen one', they think the End is Nigh." "I don't like them," Kara said suddenly. "Well, if Loren *is* sending assassins after us... do you think you could set up good defenses?" "Not my specialty. [ruffle] I'm in scouting, not security. But *I'm* going to run the patrols! [flick!]" "Relax, it's not like we're going to throw you out." Chit smiled. Kara sighed. "Hey," came a voice from the room. Chit and Kara turned. "Have you seen Conway?" Charlie asked. "He's not here?" "No one's seen him! [chitter] Do you think he might have been... [chitter]" Chit looked at Kara. "I'll go look," he said. "Watch out, if there're really assassins out there..." she paused. "Why don't you take Zander and I'll take Charlie here?" "Zander?" "You two got away from the bunnies with that marker stuff on you, you can certainly dodge a couple assassins. [flick]" She motioned to Charlie. "And you could use the practice. [flick] Come on, let's go!" Chit watched them leave, then slowly crawled back into the crowded room to tap Zander on the shoulder. "Come with me," he said. "But -- but --" Zander waved at the TV screen. "It's a repeat, you've seen it twice. Now come. We need to find Conway before the assassins do." Zander's eyes lit up. "Assassins? [grinflick] Let me at 'em!" == Chit (It's okay. The assassins can't be here yet. Iris and Sly just got here, and they didn't need beaurocratic clearance. Would assassins need clearance? [chitter] [grabthroat] Erk!)