Casey meets the elders and explores the village.

Refuge

by TypicalFloof

Chapter 7: Building Bridges

Chapter Theme: Seatbelts - Space Lion 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DybCZvW1mBo

The entryway opened into a wide room that stretched back and ran the length of the building. Two chandeliers hung high above Casey and Nora as they stepped toward a dais at the far end of the hall. Sunlight reflected off the beautifully lacquered wood, casting the interior in honeyed tones. Taxidermied animal heads sat mounted on either wall. Casey saw elk, bucks, a bear, and several animals he didn’t recognize. The fox and the human walked alongside the rectangular table dominating the center of the room. It had to seat at least a hundred, Casey guessed. 

Resting in chairs atop the broad dais were three anthros. As he and Nora neared the platform, Casey could tell they were of advanced age. A tawny rabbit was seated in the center cradling a swaddled bundle in his arms. Casey saw an adorable pair of ears protruding from the infant bunny who was fast asleep in his lap.

Left of the tawny rabbit, a diminutive mouse hunched with hands clasped in her lap. Her wispy gray hair fell past her shoulders. In the rightmost chair, a wizened otter rested his paws on a cane.

All three were focused on two rabbits seated on floor cushions below them. The rabbit couple did their best to contain a wriggling toddler as they listened intently to the elders.

The elderly mouse was the first to spot the new visitors. She nudged the rabbit beside her.

“Ah,” he said. “We were just finishing up here…”

The rabbit was interrupted by a squeal from the toddler who caught sight of Casey and Nora. He shot toward Casey and bounded up to him on powerful hind legs.

“Whoa,” he breathed, pulling on the hem of Casey’s robe. “A human! Cool!” His ears flicked in excitement. “Justin says you can jump super high! And you can fight a hundred men with your giant machine! Can you show it to me? Please, please, please?”

Casey was overwhelmed by the energetic furball. He turned to Nora for help, but she was busy trying to stifle a laugh behind her paw. Fortunately, he was rescued by the rabbit’s mother.

“Thomas! Get over here!” She pointed to her side, whiskers twitching.

“Aw, but Mom—”

“Thomas,” warned the rabbit’s father. “Now!”

Ears drooping, the little rabbit sulked back to his mother.

“Thanks for the help,” Casey said wryly.

“You were doing fine,” Nora gasped, shaking with mirth. Her laughter died in her throat as all three elders fixed their eyes on the pair. Having retrieved their infant from the arms of the tawny rabbit, the young family scurried away across the opposite side of the hall’s great table.

Casey stiffened and stood at attention, uncertain.

“Please, come this way,” the rabbit said. Despite his obvious age, his voice was clear and strong. “Some prefer the cushions, but it’s not mandatory. Make yourselves comfortable.” He gestured to one of the great table’s innumerable chairs. Casey grabbed one and set it before the dais.

“You may leave,” the mouse rasped, waving a dismissive paw at Nora. She tensed and refused to budge from Casey’s side.

“It’s alright, Madeline,” the old rabbit said, turning to the mouse. “She can stay. Given the circumstances, I think it would be a good idea, actually.” Madeline harrumphed but didn’t protest. Nora pulled up a chair and sat next to Casey. She raised an eyebrow at his still-standing form.

“Please, sit; I insist,” the rabbit said, making a shooing motion. Casey finally lowered himself into the chair. Nora shot him a sidelong glance.

“Let me introduce us,” the rabbit said. “My name is Cedric.” He gestured to the mouse. “Madeline is to my right, and the otter to my left is Arthur.” Arthur remained silent as he appraised Casey over the handle of his cane.

“Sirs, Ma’am,” Casey said, nodding at the elders. His throat was parched and his palms sweated.

“And who might you be?” Cedric asked.

“Casey Jenson, sir. Sergeant in Baker Company.”

“A mercenary,” Madeline spat. Cedric ignored the remark and continued.

“Please, call me Cedric, Mr. Jenson.” His lively eyes twinkled. Casey sensed the wisdom of long experience in his gaze.

“Well then it’s only fair that you call me Casey,” he replied. “I assume you have some questions for me?”

“To put it mildly, yes,” Cedric said, leaning forward. “A human in our village is quite unheard of. You arrived with Nora, which helped in your favor, but there was quite the hubbub last night. No one knew what to make of you.”

“What do you want to know?” Casey asked warily.

The otter finally spoke. “Nora has already filled us in on some of the highlights.” It was Casey’s turn to shoot Nora a sidelong glance. What had she told them?

“Including how you rescued her — twice,” Cedric added. His ears wiggled as he gazed at Casey. “What I want to know is: Why? That’s why you’re seated here now, instead of at the base of the mountain.”

Casey scratched the back of his head.

“Well, s— er, Cedric. My lance was on patrol north of Vella a few days ago, and we were engaged by hostiles. My ‘Mech was heavily damaged and went down in a river. I was forced to bail out, so I decided to follow the river to head east, away from where I knew the Capellan forces were concentrated.”

Madeline interrupted. “Why didn’t you head southwest,” she hissed. “Away from us!”

“I was cut off. I couldn’t go in that direction,” Casey said.

The ancient mouse pressed. “But there was nothing but open country to the east. What did you expect to find? And how did that lead you here?”

He was uncomfortable sitting through second-guessing after the fact. It was always easy to criticize a decision made in the heat of battle when one was removed from the situation. Out of the corner of his eye, Casey saw Nora’s tail flick. Her ears pivoted back.

Casey’s brow furrowed. “I had to make a snap decision, ma’am. I didn’t want to get caught out in the open in that firefight,” he said. 

“So you walked right into another!” Madeline accused.

“I stumbled onto the militia patrol, yes. The fight there was over quickly. I approached the transports because I needed supplies,” Casey said. “That’s when I first saw Nora. She was wounded, but I was able to treat her.” 

He shivered at the memory of the dead Otto brothers and his recent confrontation with Helga. Cedric was gazing at him intently. Casey wondered if he could guess his thoughts. His knife wound itched.

“And then what?” Cedric prompted gently.

Casey explained the reluctant partnership, and then Nora’s capture and rescue. He tried to relay the events dispassionately, but he had difficulty keeping his voice level. Despite his best efforts, he choked with emotion when he described his entrance into the tent. Casey lowered his eyes to collect himself. He felt Nora brush his shoulder encouragingly. He ended the account with his journey up the mountain.

Cedric’s whiskers twitched. “The question remains — what led you to save her in the first place? We’ve always had a strained relationship with the human colonists. Why would that be any different for an offworlder?” 

Casey’s heart felt heavy. It was painful enough disclosing that to Nora, let alone to anyone else.

“Hasn’t he answered enough?” Nora interjected. “He saved my life! Shouldn’t that be good enough?”

Madeline’s eyebrows shot to her forehead, but Cedric held up a paw before she could reply.

“Perhaps you’re right,” he said gently. “I don’t mean to cause you distress, Casey. I will restrain my curiosity. That goes for all of us,” he said, casting a pointed glance at Madeline. “Now if you’ll excuse us for a moment…”

Cedric motioned, and Arthur and Madeline dragged their chairs to huddle around him, occasionally casting glances in Casey’s direction. Madeline and Cedric whispered intently, seeming to be in disagreement, while Arthur inserted the occasional comment. Casey did his best not to fidget.

The scraping of chairs announced the end of the brief discussion as the elders reoccupied their previous positions. Cedric held Casey in his warm gaze. 

“We’ve decided that you may stay here,” he said. Madeline looked irritated but didn’t interpose. Arthur’s expression was thoughtfully neutral. 

“Thank you,” Casey said, surprised.

“Now I’m sure you have questions of your own,” Cedric said.

“I do, but…” Casey couldn’t stifle a yawn. Telling his story had taxed him more than he cared to admit, and the sun had moved a fair distance since he’d set foot in the great hall.

“Another time then,” Cedric suggested. “As for accommodations, I’m sure Nora will be more than willing to help,” he said, eyes sparkling. “Before you go, you should know that we are planning a feast sometime in the next few weeks. I’d like you to attend if you’re able.”

“I’d like that,” Casey said, surprising himself. He was normally not a fan of such social events, but this one seemed right somehow. 

“If you need something, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Cedric said generously. He rose, signaling the end of the interview.

“Actually, Cedric, there is one thing,” Casey said. He couldn’t take it anymore. The rabbit turned slightly. “Do you know where I could get a razor?”

***

          Casey stood under the hot water in Nora’s shower for a full minute before he even considered moving. The fox had giggled when Casey expressed wonderment at the village’s running water.

          “Just because it’s primitive up here, we’re not savages,” Nora said. She explained that a nearby mountain spring provided the village’s water source. Long ago, the villagers had dug a crude but effective sewer system. Electricity was usually provided by the spring-fed river, or by efficient generators. As a practical matter, the village was too remote to accommodate some technology like skimmers, which wouldn’t have been much use on the narrow mountain pass anyway. Most anthros got around on foot or on horseback.

Casey didn’t care where the water came from at the moment. He was just content to soak up its steamy warmth. Slowly, he shampooed his hair before scrubbing himself with flowery-scented soap. Heeding Patty’s advice, Casey was careful to keep his left arm out of the shower spray. He’d visited her that afternoon to check his bandages. Casey had followed Cedric’s suggestion, and much to his delight, Patty had been able to find him a razor. Under the pounding water, he gratefully shaved his days-old stubble.

          Feeling human again, Casey toweled off and dressed in clothes Nora had gotten from the village’s tailor. The tailor had even thoughtfully sewn closed the tailholes on the pants and underwear. Examining himself in the mirror, Casey decided he looked presentable enough in his simple ochre pants and earth-colored overshirt.

          Casey stepped into Nora’s living room much refreshed. It adjoined the cozy kitchen where Nora eyed him from her seat at the small table.

          “No way you dried off that fast!”

          Casey chuckled. “Being furless does have its benefits.” His gaze traveled to the rifle propped in the corner of the room.

          “Grismore was ogling it, but I told him he’d have to find his own,” Nora said.

          Casey grinned at the mental image of Nora and the burly badger playing tug of war with the firearm. His smile dampened at the thought of his next activity.

          “Hey, relax,” Nora said, rising to her feet. “My parents are nice. You’ll fit right in.”

Casey couldn’t help but picture Helga Otto’s accusatory claw from earlier that morning.

“It’ll be fine,” Nora said. Casey became aware that they were very close. Her vibrant eyes drew him in. The warm feeling again spread in his chest as they stood face-to-face. He was sure his countenance was flushed.

I can’t! He brushed past Nora and headed through the door. Was that a flash of hurt he’d seen in her gaze? Disappointment? Or did he just imagine it? His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He needed time to think, alone. But time alone was exactly what he wasn’t going to get. 

He felt Nora bound beside him and he tried to shake the awkward feeling.    He cleared his throat. “So… which way do your parents live?”

          “This way,” Nora said. The two turned down the path and headed perpendicular to the road Nora’s small cabin was on. Beyond the village’s main street, the anthros’ dwellings were spread out over a loose collection of dirt roads that snaked away from the front of the village.

          They soon arrived at a similar-looking cabin. Smoothing his shirt, Casey hesitated outside the front door. Should he knock?

          “Just go right in,” Nora said, squeezing past. She pushed through the door.

          “Mom! Dad!”

          “Nora!”

          Casey stepped inside and smiled at the sight of Nora’s wagging tail as she hugged both of her parents at once.

          Abbott Weiss was a broad-shouldered fox who stood about Casey’s height. He looked as though he’d been impressively muscled in his younger days, but middle age had softened his body.

Nora looked very much like her mother. Mary Weiss carried herself with an air of elegant grace that was complemented by her youthful energy. Nora had told Casey that she was eminently practical and had an easy laugh.

Nora untangled herself and swept her arm.

“This is Casey,” she announced.

Casey extended his hand to Abbott. When Abbott didn’t grab it, Casey at first wondered if he’d done something wrong.

“Ah, sorry,” Abbott said, tilting his head and finally clasping Casey’s hand in his rugged paw. “I forgot this is how humans greet each other. Don’t have many of your kind over for dinner,” he said with a pointy grin.

“No worries,” Casey replied. The fox had a strong grip.

“Don’t tease the poor thing,” Mary said.

She walked over to Casey and brushed the tip of his nose with her own. Her whiskers tickled! Casey could detect the faint scent of lilac. He realized this way of greeting must be much more powerful for the anthros’ sensitive noses. Had he scrubbed enough in the shower?

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Casey said. 

Nora’s parents nodded. “Likewise.”

Mary motioned toward the table that was set for dinner. “Sit!” she encouraged. “I just need to finish up a thing or two in the kitchen.” The vixen ducked behind the counter.

Abbott sat at the end of the table while Nora and Casey sat across from each other. Mary carried in a few piping-hot dishes and seated herself. Casey took in the various sights and smells as the anthros began serving themselves.

The main course looked like some manner of roasted poultry. Its pungent aroma intrigued Casey. It had a sharp tang, like onion or garlic, but after some contemplation, he couldn’t place it. Off to the side, a few rootlike vegetables steamed on a platter. Abbott had one of the starchy vegetables on his plate, sliced down the middle. The fox was busy slathering the whole thing with butter. Green, leafy vegetables sat in a dish to Casey’s right that completed the ensemble.

Casey loaded up his plate and dug in. Everything was delicious, especially the poultry.

“Mrs. Weiss, this is excellent,” Casey exclaimed. He was now on his second plate, much to Abbott’s amusement.

“Thank you, dear,” she said. “But please, call me Mary. Mrs. Weiss makes me feel old!”

“Do all humans pack it away like you, Casey?” Abbott inquired, poking a fork in his direction. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you had two stomachs or something!”

Casey laughed at Abbott’s gawking expression. “I can’t remember the last time I ate this well.”

“Oh, stop it!” Mary flushed.

Casey scooted his chair back slightly and sighed contentedly. He hadn’t stuffed himself, but he was still rather full. Noticing that Mary had begun to clear the table, Casey got up to help.

“I see he’s got manners, too,” Mary said. She winked at Nora, and it was her daughter’s turn to blush. Mary didn’t really let Casey help and shooed him out of the small kitchen. In the living room, he padded over to a thin glass display case supported on spindly metal legs. It had a few shelves that were mostly filled with small, ornate carvings.

“Some furs say they’re for good luck.” Abbott’s voice sounded behind him.

“Did you make them?” Casey asked.

Abbott shook his head. “I traded for ‘em mostly. Other villages have some very talented craftsmen.”

“Other anthro villages? How many are there?”

“Oh, there are about a dozen, spread for miles around. There used to be more farther west, but once the humans established their colony, everyone tended to move east.”

“Hm,” Casey said. Had he touched a sore spot?

An awkward silence settled over the living room. Fortunately, Casey was spared trying to restart the conversation when Nora appeared and hugged her father goodnight. Nora and Casey said their goodbyes and walked through the still evening air. They reached Nora’s cabin and Casey flopped onto the couch, exhausted after a long day.

“Goodnight!” Casey called out.

“‘Night,” Nora responded, sashaying into her bedroom and closing the door.

Casey tossed and turned in the darkness for a long time. Thoughts of Nora and her parents swirled in his head. If they were anything to go by, the villagers appeared to place a great deal of value on maintaining close-knit family ties, even among independent young adults. It was yet another difference between humans and anthros. Between him and Nora. 

His own upbringing on the frontier of a colony world was vastly different. His parents were killed by a band of raiders, so from a young age, self-reliance had been forced upon him. The only family he had now was his ‘Mech company.

Casey tried to push those thoughts away by focusing on his immediate predicament. He had to contact Baker Company! But how? Even if the village had a comm set powerful enough to broadcast to Vella, it would be impossible to get through to them. He needed a comm set that was encrypted, but no one on the planet would have one except for mercenaries and the Capellans. Casey sighed and turned onto his back. He drifted into fitful sleep in the early morning hours.

As the days gradually slipped into weeks, Casey explored the village. Fortunately, he didn’t have any more run-ins with the Ottos. Most of the anthros avoided him, which suited the MechWarrior just fine. The children were another matter. Everywhere he went, parents would have to peel their excited offspring away from the strange human. Casey didn’t have much experience with kids, but their energy was infectious. However, as much as he wanted to play with them, he reigned that desire in. The last thing he wanted was to get in between a mother and her cub.

Under Patty’s ministrations, Casey’s knife wound healed swiftly, leaving a thin scar running the length of his forearm. His bicep came along more slowly. Eventually, Patty decided he could remove the bandages.

“But don’t you lift anything heavy, hun!” the rabbit warned.

Casey was ecstatic to be rid of the itchy sling and relieved that he appeared to have a full, if somewhat stiff, range of motion.

One afternoon, Casey found himself walking toward the nearby river that was fed from the mountain spring. The day was unusually warm, and Casey decided a swim was just what he needed. He picked his way up the path to the river and saw several adolescents and kids splashing in the slow-moving water.

Casey stripped to his underwear. Wading in, he hoped he was far enough away to not attract the notice of a nearby group of roughhousing young wolves. But just as the water came up to his waist, one of them turned.

“It’s the human!” he yipped. “Get ‘im!”

Casey was besieged by an array of furry bodies as they tried to dunk him. He managed to fend off their attacks for a while before finally succumbing to the combined weight of all three. Casey broke the surface and stood, panting for breath. He laughed at the wolves’ tails that were wildly thumping the water. Swept up in their youthful enthusiasm, Casey grabbed one around the chest and was just about to drive him into the water when a shadow fell across him.

He released the pup and looked up at the amused expression of a female wolf. With a start, Casey realized she must be the boys’ mother. 

“Boys, dry off and leave the poor man alone!” The she-wolf beckoned.

“Mooooom,” they whined. Their mother growled softly and they hastily leapt out of the river.

Casey laughed as they shook themselves off, droplets spraying everywhere.

“Bye!” one of the pups called as they headed back to the village. Casey grinned tiredly and waved. He hadn’t felt this good in a very long time. He pulled himself out of the water and decided to lay in the sun for a while.

***

Nora hopped up on her parents’ porch and breezed through the doorway. She was about to call out but stopped at the sight of her parents in heated conversation. They jolted at the intrusion.

“Oh, hi honey!” Mary was the first to react. Abbott rose and hugged his daughter.

“We weren’t expecting you,” he said. “But you have good timing.”

Nora extricated herself from her father’s arms and eyed her parents suspiciously.

“Good timing for what?”

          Mary flicked her eyes to Abbott before resting them on Nora. The younger fox shifted uncomfortably. What was this about?

          Mary cleared her throat. “It’s good you’re here alone. Your father and I wanted to talk to you about the feast…” Nora’s eyes narrowed. “...and Casey.” So that was it.

          Nora folded her arms. “What about it?”

          Mary nudged her husband. “We’ve been talking, and we think it’d be best if you and he went… separately,” Abbott said.

          “Why?”

          “Because it’s inappropriate! Rumors are starting to go around,” Mary blurted.

          Nora’s ears lowered. “Inappropriate? Mom, Casey’s never laid a hand on me! And people have been spreading rumors ever since he set foot here!” Her face grew hot. She hoped her parents didn’t notice.

“That’s not what I meant,” Mary said hastily. “It’s… well, it’s just, you’re you, and, he’s, well, a human,” she finished lamely. Silence fell over the room.

“So what,” Nora said, dangerously quiet.

Abbott stepped closer. “We just want what’s best for you. That’s all. Believe me, we cannot thank him enough that he brought you back to us—”

Did you tell him that?! Nora wanted to scream.

“—but like your mother said, we’d like you to go to the feast with someone else,” Abbott said.

“You could go with Matthew,” Mary suggested. “He’s a perfectly nice young man. And he’s single.”

Nora’s tail puffed up. “I already turned him down when he asked me out before. I don’t understand. What’s wrong with Casey? You invited him over for dinner for crying out loud!”

Abbott held up a conciliatory paw. “Honey, we’re not saying anything’s wrong with him. We’re just trying to look out for you, and—”

“But Dad, he… I—” Nora interjected. What had she been about to say? Her right ear swiveled to the side. It had been a nervous habit ever since she was a kit.

Mary tilted her head. “You have feelings for him?” she whispered incredulously. Nora’s head felt uncomfortably light. Her mother had always been uncannily perceptive.

Abbott shook his head. “Nora, think about it. Years down the road… He’s a mercenary! That’s no life for you! And besides, a human and an anthro? You can’t have children.”

Nora fought back tears. Why was it all so confusing? She looked back and forth between her parents.

“I’m going with Casey,” she said, voice wavering. “That’s final.”

Nora turned on her heel and stormed out of the house.