Of everyone in our small party, I felt I had spent the least time with Eris. And now, looking into her bright, intelligent eyes, I found myself wishing it had not been so. This, then, was why I felt regret; but now was not the time for such feelings, I knew. Swinging the lantern, I pushed the door open all the way and stepped over the threshold, my head bowed. "Wait!" came Eris's voice. Turning yet again, I motioned for her to get on with it. She placed her hands behind her back. "Can I sit out with you?" I smiled slightly and nodded. "Very well." And so we sat by the door, looking out in the light cast by the lantern, the rain flattening down our feathers. "You worry a lot, don't you?" said Eris eventually. "About things you've done wrong." I ran my claws through the feathers on my head. Perceptive. But she was neither entirely wrong nor entirely right. I quietly said, "How can you tell this?" "Your eyes. When you said you needed time alone." I blinked (ironically). Keeping things from her would be difficult, apparently, for more reasons than one. "Don't worry about something you can't change," she went on. "That's why we wake up on a new day, isn't it? To start again. To let the past be the past." "I--I suppose so." I looked into the soft feathers of her face, searching her eyes as she must have searched mine. "But everyone has worries of their own." The brightness of her gaze faded slightly, and she looked away. "Sometimes...I feel like the others look down on me. Like--" "I understand," I said, though I wasn't sure I did. The way she said it, it seemed different from how I felt the others looked upon me. When she continued to stare off into the rain, I said, "But when you are among them--you can make new impressions. Things change. And being here is much preferable to being enslaved by Loradus--is it not?" She smiled rather sadly and took one of my hands in hers. "I guess you're right," said she. "We're all here for a reason. We'll do what we can."
Next morning dawned cold and grey, the rain ever falling from the sky; but when I awoke next to the hearth in Rothmir's house, I knew it not. A strange wind blew in my mind, and I felt that we needed to move on, to leave the raccoons behind: today. I tried to shake the thought from my head, but it was insistent, as if someone had repeatedly whispered it in my ear as I slept. Soon Eris awoke, and I told her of it. "That's weird...." said she. "I feel the same way...." Hurriedly, we readied ourselves to go out and meet the others, stepping out into the drizzle. "Eh..." said Eris. "Why does it always have to rain here?" I looked up and let the drops wet my face. "I rather like it, actually." "Maybe--but all the time?" Not having any idea of where to go, we nevertheless started off from the house--only to run into Rothmir, who was bustling down our way. "Up bright and early, I see," he said. "Except--it's not bright--" "Or early," I finished for him. "Now, can you show us to our friends' housing?" "Ah--hmm--yes. Follow me." In several minutes' time, we had gathered up all of the others, and were now making our way to the raccoons' meeting house (which had never been used for its intended purpose, according to Rothmir). Drawing closer, I could see that it had been built very near to the waterwheel; and as Rothmir stepped up to open the wooden door, one could hear the water trickling and gurgling in the creek, and the wheel groaning as it slowly rotated. "Come--come on in," said Rothmir, gesturing through the open door. "I--your breakfasts are all ready." And so, one by one, we entered the meeting house.
The first thing that struck me about the place was the smooth wooden walls, ceiling, and floor; unlike the interior of Rothmir's house, an effort had been made to cover any and all brickwork. A long table, made from the same smooth wood, filled the majority of the space; but, while several places (nine, to be exact) had been set with steaming dishes, there were no chairs to be seen. "Wow," said Eris, brilliant eyes widening. "This is amazing!" Instantly, she rushed to the opposite wall, skirting the table. Puzzled, I stepped farther in, straining my eye--and soon I was by the wall as well, for it was laced with the most intricate of carvings: animals, trees, strange symbols-- And, I realized, glancing about the room, it wasn't just on a single wall, but on every wall (not to mention the floor and ceiling). "They're--you like our--ancestor's carvings?" Rothmir came up to us with the others. Eris nodded. "They're wonderful! Are they supposed to tell a story, or--?" "It's some--er--ancient prophecy. Don't know what it means--looks nice, anyway--" I looked over all the carvings directly before me--a depiction of the raccoons' solitary lives, mostly. As I continued to interpret the meaning of the pictures, I began to feel sorry for the raccoons yet again. How could they live so close, and yet so far from each other? The effect this had on one's mind and soul was all too apparent: Rothmir's troubled and uncomfortable manner was a perfect example. And that was when a terrifying thought struck me: had I not been living in very much the same way for years and years? In my own village? Hiding my true feelings away, even from my fellow ravens? And what good had come of that?
"Um," came Ewar's voice, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked to where he was touching the wall with a single claw. "Is that supposed to be...me?" Rothmir widened his eyes, and I strode over to Ewar. The carving he indicated did indeed bear a strange resemblance to him. "Well...?" said Ewar. I shook my head. "We have no way of knowing." Rothmir cleared his throat loudly. "Right. Er--shall we--let's get to breakfast, hm?" Reluctantly, I stepped back from the carvings and stood by one side of the table. The others swiftly took places of their own, and Rothmir stood at the head. "So--why did you want me to bring--gather--all of you like this?" His question was ignored for a moment, when we looked at our plates for the first time. A heavy silence descended. Then-- "What'd you put in this?" asked Laval, lifting a handful of the flecked and lumpy mess that was breakfast. "Mud?" Rothmir stared at Laval's plate longingly. "In yours, maybe," he said. "If you don't want it, can I...?" Laval sneered in disgust and slid his dish up the table. As soon as it reached him, Rothmir shoveled handfuls of the stuff into his mouth, eyes alight. "Huh," I heard Worriz mutter. "Figures that raccoons would be junk food addicts...." My own dish looked no better than Laval's--still, I dipped a claw into the mash and then placed it in my beak. The taste wasn't bad--but I couldn't exactly call it good, either. Taking one more beakful, I coughed slightly and pushed the plate away. Rothmir, however, continued to eat at a rapid pace, consuming five more unwanted dishes ere letting out a belch, licking his paws clean, and patting his little round stomach. "Ah," said he. "That hit the spot. Now, where was I? Oh--!" Worriz slammed a fist on the table. "You were asking us why we're here?!"
Rothmir jumped. "That's--that's right. So...why?" Worriz put his head in his hands, and to draw attention away from his lack of patience, I said, "We must be leaving you shortly." "Leaving...oh yes..." Rothmir looked down at the licked-clean plates. "That's good--I mean--!" "I understand you want to be alone," said Eris softly. "But...we're trying to get somewhere--" "And we're completely lost," Laval cut in. Rothmir nodded in an approving sort of way. "So you want to--find your--want me to help you?" We all nodded. "And--where exactly are you going?" Without the slightest hesitation, Eris said, "The Gatekeeper of Emerot." And when Rothmir lifted his gaze to hers in alarm, I wondered whether the mention of Emerot would bring us back to the "Great Division" he dared not speak of. And sure enough, still staring, he murmured, "Emerotopia was destroyed by the Great Division. The Gatekeeper..." His eyes then flicked about, like those of a raven who has been caught stealing. "The Gatekeeper is dead. Or--he should be. You--why would you--anyone--want to go there?" "Emerotopia?" said Ewar, placing a claw to his temple. Rothmir's eyebrows lowered, and he snarled. "We keep this information in our texts, known, but never shared! You have no business disturbing the lost Kingdom of Emerotopia!" "But--see," said Eris, holding out her hands, "There's a lion, Lor--" Rothmir whipped out his blowpipe, and soon a sharpened twig sprouted from Eris's shoulder. She stared at it in shock ere crumpling to the floor. "So you're with that Loradus," said the raccoon, reloading his blowpipe. "Now--now, I don't want trouble, but if you disturb the lost Kingdom and bring Loradus here again, I'll--"
He was stopped mid-sentence, however, as Worriz leaped out of seemingly nowhere to take him down; they rolled along the floor thrice ere coming to a halt, Worriz holding his Maulus to Rothmir's throat. "Now," said Worriz angrily, "I don't know what Loradus ever did to you, but you c'n bet yer own skin we don't want it to happen again. Got that? We're trying to help." I stared on in shock as Rothmir narrowed his eyes warily, pushing the Maulus aside. "You're--you've a strange way of showing it." Worriz returned the Maulus to its former position, bearing his teeth. "Will you help us on our way or not?!" "I would rather die than reveal the location of Emerotopia to villains like you," said Rothmir evenly. I clutched the table to keep from staggering backwards. This was altogether different from the timid, nervous raccoon I had met earlier--apparently, Loradus had been here before, and had done something terrible. Could the Great Division have something to do with him? And what of this new name--Emerotopia? There came a harsh squeal from the end of the table, and when I turned to look, Worriz had lifted Rothmir by the neck and was now shaking him about like a rag doll. "That's enough! Worriz!" Laval started towards Worriz, only to trip and fall spectacularly (over Eris, presumably) onto his face. Gorzan and Cragger then charged over and wrested Rothmir from Worriz's grip, the raccoon's eyes bulging. "You see, you see," he said, rather hysterically, "This is--huh--you're never getting the information out of me!" "Hey, bummer-dude, calm down!" said Gorzan. "Calm down. Breathe in..." Rothmir did, but only slightly. Not taking my eye off of him for a moment, I walked around the table and helped Laval to his feet, then carefully sat Eris against a wall.
And as I did all this, I thought of the possible ways to get Rothmir to speak. There were none, as far as I could tell; yet I walked up to him anyway. "Rothmir," I said. "We shall find the Gatekeeper, with or without you. There is no need to open hostilities." Rothmir narrowed his eyes further, snorting. I sighed and stepped back. He was incredibly brave, it had to be admitted--at least, when the need arose. I looked to Ewar, who shook his head helplessly. "You have a problem?" said a voice. I whirled to find Razar standing there, arms crossed. I hesitated. "Er--" "Yes, we have a problem," said Laval, striding up to us. "Ring-tail here isn't telling us what we need to know. But I'll bet you're too busy counting your treasure to know that--" "No worries, my friends!" Razar cut him off. "I'll make this raccoon talk--but for a price...." Laval groaned. "We don't have time for this!" Frowning pointedly at Razar, I pulled a gold coin from beneath my eye covering (which I had hidden there two days before) and flipped it to him. Laval raised an eyebrow as Razar closed his beak on the coin, licked it, and then dropped it into an already overstuffed pouch. "You've made the right choice," he said, taking Rothmir by the arm and pulling him out the door. Ten minutes later, he returned with a pale, shivering, slightly thinner Rothmir. "That did the trick," said Razar gleefully, shaking rain from his feathers. "He'll talk." "You're sure?" said Worriz, raising the Maulus. Razar put his hands behind his back and nodded. "Oh yes." I looked at Rothmir with concern, however; for clearly, whatever Razar had done had left him badly shaken. And when he spoke, telling us of our way onward, his eyes never strayed from the floor, and his voice was heavy with fear and doubt.
"Is she still alive?" asked Laval. I stepped into a puddle, the water splashing outwards. "Most certainly," I said flatly. I glanced up at the limp form of Eris, whom Gorzan carried in both arms as he walked, then returned my gaze to the mud of the path. I had attempted to carry her myself upon leaving the meeting house; but, not having the strength to lift her, I only ended up making a fool of myself. Thus Gorzan took the job instead. As soon as Rothmir had finished telling us of our way to the Gatekeeper, we had escorted him to his house and left him there, still shivering; and now, we were plodding down the path that continued through the forest, one of our number unconscious, the rest of us silent for one reason for another. Somehow, I had expected our departure from the raccoons to be more--well--glorious. Leaving things as they were seemed rather shameful. After all, we still didn't know anything of the Great Division, or how it related to Emerot (if at all); the others (especially Ewar) seemed strangely distant, and I felt I had something to do with it; and, perhaps worst of all, we hadn't even parted with Rothmir as friends. Was this what one had to do to save a world? Tear through others' lives in order to do the right thing? And was doing the right thing always best? "Are you sure?" asked Laval. With much difficulty, I was able to push all troubled thoughts to the back of my mind (though I knew they wouldn't stay there for long). "Come again?" "Are you sure Eris is still alive?" I glanced up again, the rain running down my face. "One can't be more certain than certain, Laval. But yes, I am sure; the potion on the end of that twig was not lethal, and she still breathes." Laval gave no response, but I could tell, even without looking, that something was disturbing him deeply.
Two days later, Eris awoke; and we left the pine forest behind, passing into lands unknown and unimaginable to many, even to this day. Over rolling, grassy hills; through small woodlands, in which thrived countless luminous fungi of all shapes, colors, and sizes; and through vast and seemingly uninhabited marshes and swamps. In and out of two moons we travelled further, at last coming to the flatlands that would indicate the beginning of our journey's end (according to Rothmir). A bitterly cold wind swept across the stony ground, chilling us to the bone and carelessly rattling any small plants that dared grow about. Even now, only Ewar and I were called for watch duty during the nights; but at least now I knew the reason: in Laval's eyes, it mattered not if we were lost to an enemy (though he seemed to be doubting himself of late). And as the cold days continued, we were forced to come together, to settle our differences and push on. It was not at all an easy matter; and some, I knew, were having a harder time of it than others. But whenever an argument, Worriz was there to put an end to it; whenever it seemed we had lost our bearings, Gorzan and Eris found them again; and whenever we felt depressed or weighed down, Razar would entertain us with fantastic stories of raven escapades (for a reasonable price, of course). I felt a strong loyalty to them all now (even Laval, in his own way), but very much doubted that they felt the same towards me. Only time would tell, however....
Approximately five moons had passed since the day we had started on this venture: the day we began making our way to the bridge spanning the Bottomless Canyon. And now, as I awoke on the day five moons hence, it seemed that no matter how close we drew to our destination, there were still a great many things to puzzle over, as if more questions were being asked than answered. Most recently, Emerotopia and the Great Division were on my mind, the mysteries of which didn't seem to want to be solved. Shaking my head to clear it, I looked to where Ewar was keeping watch. The sun still had yet to rise; but I felt it would soon, and so I sat up myself and stretched. That was when a wolf howl sounded from somewhere on the horizon, followed by what was unmistakably a lion's roar. Ewar's head whipped about, and when he saw that I was awake, he stood and hurriedly strode over. "We need to wake the others." "That was a wolf, was it not?" Ewar tightened his beak and did not answer. The howl and roar sounded again, and I narrowed my eye. That roar was somehow familiar.... "I think we're being followed," said Ewar finally. "I've been hearing howls and roars for several nights now..." My beak dropped open. "Why, then, did you not tell us before?" Ewar lifted his shoulders awkwardly. Swallowing, I instantly turned to shake Razar. By the time everyone had risen for the day, no more unusual cries had been heard; thus, Ewar hesitated when the others asked him of their early awakening. But in the end, he said only that he'd been overly anxious to continue on, feeling that today our journey would come to a close. Grumbling, the others accepted this; and with many a glance backwards from Ewar and me, we set off into the early morning cold.
For the better part of the day, we travelled without incident, but I should have known it was too good to last. The sun was sinking in the sky, evening beginning to come over the wind-swept land. And that was when I heard it again: a wolf howling, a lion roaring; and this time, they sounded to be within hailing distance. But when I turned about, all that could be seen was the flat ground stretching towards the horizon, the odd tree or shrub poking up. Certainly no wolves or lions. I tapped Worriz on the shoulder, and he turned his head. "Yeah?" "Did you hear--?" Suddenly, a wolf Legend Beast quite literally leaped out of thin air and onto us, and I pushed Worriz away ere stumbling backwards in shock. It landed gracefully, turning its gaze to me: its eyes covered by a mist of red. Faintly, I was aware that more wolf Legend Beasts were appearing and that the others were bowing with hands on weapons, but my mind was alomst entirely engulfed in the same red mist of the eyes staring into mine. I felt a void expand inside myself, my emotions draining away.... With a nasty thunk! the Beast turned away and broke eye contact, and I swayed on the spot, my vision coming in and out of focus.... Cragger was at my side, mace-and-chain in hand, shaking my shoulder. "You OK?" I looked about to find that the others were locked in combat with the four Legend Beasts and their riders: four snarling lion warriors. So we had been followed...but how had they been able to strike so swiftly...? "Are you OK?!" I nodded blearily, and Cragger instantly moved off, taking a rider from his mount with a single stroke of his mace-and-chain. Another rider began firing arrows every which way, and so I was forced to start moving about, still trying to clear my head of the fog.
And through the chaos of clashing swords, the howling of the wind (and the Legend Beasts), and the rain of arrows, Eris came up to me. "Rizzo!" she said breathlessly, raising her slender-headed axe to cut away an incoming arrow. "The--the others're too busy--so I thought you should know--" "Yes, yes, what is it?" I croaked. She turned her head to look somewhere off in the distance, then turned back. "I can see the Gatekeeper's hut." I turned to search for it myself, only just remembering to lean aside for an arrow aimed at my throat. "You can see it? From where we stand?" "I think so..." "Then by all means, lead on! I will tell the others!" Quickly, Eris spread her wings and began to move off; and I ran to each of the others, telling them to abandon the battle and follow after her with all speed. One by one, they broke away to do so, and thus we fled, the lions and their mounts not far behind. To our great dismay, however, the Legend Beasts were swifter runners than we (what with their four legs being double the length of our two), and soon they were a mere wingbeat behind. Wheezing and coughing, I finally spread my dark wings and took to the air, my peg of a leg still swinging in its socket. "Almost--wha--?!" Eris came to a stop in midair as an arrow flew up at her; there were jeers and curses from the lions below when it missed. Another whistled upward, skimming my side, and I inhaled sharply. At last the time came to land in front of a wooden hut, though I failed to see how the Gatekeeper could help us now, assuming one still lived here. I tucked my wings and dived; but before anyone had a chance to knock on the door, it burst open and a bear stepped out.
He was very tall and thick, wearing a tunic of earthy tones and a gray cloak over it. But my eyes passed over all of this to his left hand, in which he held an elaborate lance-type weapon, the head of which encapsulated a sphere of azure energy. Looking around through half-closed eyes, the bear nodded to us and raised the lance over his head. And as a screeching whine split the air, we turned to behold a rather strange, but welcome, sight. One of the wolf Legend Beasts was caught in the center of a brilliant blue fireball; and as a second attempted to leap onto us, it seemed to strike a barrier ere bouncing back, fear in the rider's eyes. "I'd turn around if I were you," said the bear thickly, as if his mouth were full of honey. But while Eris, Cragger, Worriz, and Razar continued to stare at the Beasts, I shielded my eyes with the remaining others. A sound as of dry leaves rustling in the breeze entered my hearing, and I soon moved my hands away to see a cloud of dust blow away. Likewise, the blue fire engulfing the first Beast and rider blinked out of existence, taking them with it. My head took a sort of spin for a moment, and when I could see straight again, the other two beasts had gone. "They just...disappeared," said Cragger. Steadying myself, I turned to see the bear nod again. "It happens," said he, in the same thick tone. "They're just Traveling the way we did in old times..." I peered at him more closely. "You are the Gatekeeper of Emerot?" He smiled sleepily. "Technically, it's Emerotopia; but when centuries go by, things get confused." "So Emerot and Emerotopia are the same?" asked Eris. The Gatekeeper leaned heavily on his weapon. "They're the same and always will be. Now, what can I do for you?" Several voices spoke up at once (none of them mine): "Can you get us up to Mount Cavora?" "What d'you mean, 'Traveling in old times'?" "What did you do to those wolves?" "Can I have your weapon?"
The Gatekeeper dug a finger into one ear and twisted it, momentarily squeezing his eyes shut. "Come on inside--I'll answer your questions there." So saying, he shuffled inside, leaving the door swinging open for us. I followed the others in, feeling somewhat anxious when I thought of how Rothmir had handled our queries; still, this bear seemed decent enough in his ways, and perhaps he would be more free-speaking if we happened upon such matters in our discussions. There was a clank as the Gatekeeper set his lance in a dusty corner. "Close the door, will you?" he said to me. I took the handle, pulled the door gently into its frame, and latched it. Then I turned to look around the one-room "hut". Unlike the battered, wooden appearance of the exterior, the walls of the interior were made of stone, held together by a strange off-white substance. A small shelf extended from each wall (also of stone), every one supporting half a dozen lighted candles, which allowed one to see into the two occupied corners of the space. In one sat a large wooden rocking chair; in the other, a rounded table with another four chairs. "So," said the Gatekeeper, turning to face us all. "Before you ask me anything...are any of you hungry? Thirsty?" Laval shrugged and said, "I wouldn't mind eating now, no. I think it's about dinnertime anyway..." Worriz dropped a nearly empty sack onto the stone floor. "Well, we're down to our last turnip and joint of meat...you got anything t'eat, um, Gatekeeper?" Eris waved her hands, frowning at Worriz. "No, we wouldn't want to intrude--" "I insist," said the Gatekeeper, yawning. "I have more food than I know what to do with. You're more than welcome to share it."
Bending down, he pulled a loose block of the floor away to reveal a rope ladder, which led down into darkness. Ignoring any further protests, he descended the ladder, and several moments later he returned. Dumping an armload of cans and pots onto the round table, he then replaced the block of stone in the floor and faced us again. "You don't seem all that hungry," he observed. And when Worriz, apparently thinking that it would be rude not to, began to move towards the table, the Gatekeeper raised his hands. "But that's fine. You've come far to find me, and there's obviously something you want to know. Don't be afraid to ask...." There was a silence. Several uneasy glances were passed about. "Uh..." said Cragger at length. "Can you tell us your name?" The Gatekeeper smiled sleepily (something he seemed to do quite a lot). "Ah, the one question I can't answer. I forgot my name a long time ago." Forgot? His name? "If you'll excuse my asking," I said, "Just how long have you been living here? As Gatekeeper?" He took a clay pot of honey from the table and nodded in an approving sort of way. "I've been living here for about eight centuries." "Centuries?" said Ewar. "You're...?" The Gatekeeper dipped a finger into his pot and drew it out, the sticky, golden honey stringing to it. "I'm not immortal," he said. "I just have an expanded lifetime. Something to do with my job..." His finger made it to his mouth, and soon his whole hand and face were coated with honey. "We know about your job," said Eris. The Gatekeeper licked honey off his nose. "I imagine you would. This raven here--" He indicated me "--Was the first to ask about it. Then one of you wanted to know if I could take you up to--Mount Cavora, was it? Is that another new name for our Emerotopia?"
