Thieves
Chapter 10 - No Regrets
20.02.2014 – 09.04.2015


The town of Kononoano, once up close, indeed didn't seem like an ordinary town. There were few stores here, and none of which proclaimed their goods as they would in every other place. One saw almost no children or women, and the ones one saw looked either poor, or as though they would put a knife in your back for the last coin you carried. The men were even worse. Bundled up in rags and cloaks, to protect them from the cold weather, they were unshaved, unwashed and unfriendly. Everyone looked to be either grumpy or busy.

Jack had lit one of his cigarettes again and looked cautiously and judging through the narrow streets. No one seemed to care for the two, and now, that they were a good bit into the town, Sis could make out others of his kind. Most of them were chained and led by a human, only one rat he saw was straying through the streets alone. From the short glimpse Sis had upon him, he looked to be half starved. He was a more or less living reminder that, weren't it for Jack, Sis would now suffer the same fate. Hungry, hated and hunted. Over the last few days it had felt almost normal to Sis, that Jack was there and shared his food with him, and shared his blanket with him. But the sight this town offered was the newly revealed truth that it was anything but. At this very moment he thought of himself to be a very lucky fox.

Jack turned into a sideway, away from the main road, and continued through the narrow passages formed by the surrounding buildings. Sis followed behind him. It looked as if Jack knew this place. In such a small street some humans turned a look towards the fox, though they never seemed to be wary, or care much about him. Sis just ducked and went after Jack. 

After a few minutes they reached their destination. It was a building somewhat bigger than the others, and in a better condition. It had only one ground level, small windows and a sign over the entrance that read 'Good Night Scum'. Jack snipped the rest of his cigarette into the muddy snow before he entered the house.

The interior was a small dining area, too small to fit the buildings outlines. Two hallways, to the right hand side and to the left beside the counter, which contained several doors to rooms, and the distinctive name of the establishment, told Sis that this was a tavern of some sort. The dining area was empty, only behind the counter stood a female, lazily swirling a wet cloth through a glass beer tankard. The woman was middle aged, though her hair was already grey. The skin was dark and rough, her features were rather manly, quiet muscular, and the face was anything but hospitable. She acknowledged Jack with a bored stare as he approached her.

"One room for one night," he stated, the ever present happiness gone from his voice.

The woman continued to clean the tankard. No attempt to make a good impression on a paying customer was made, until she answered, "Four."

Jack reached into his pocket and firmly placed a few coins on the counter, which quickly disappeared into the woman's dirty apron. She placed the tankard down and let her gaze slip to Sis, then back to Jack. "This ain't no zoo here, right?" she said.

Jack looked down onto the fox, "Oh, this. Don't worry. He'll stay outside."

The woman knitted her brow and turned to pick up a key from the board behind her. "Welcome to the 'Good Night Scum'," she announced lifelessly as she handed the key to Jack, who stuffed it into his pocket. "Sixth to the right," she added, pointing to the right hand hallway before minding her own business again.

Jack turned and headed for the exit again, the fox behind him. It was strange to see the human in such a serious matter. He wasn't smiling and his tone was really stern. For a moment Sis wondered if he was only like that around him.

Once they exited the tavern, Sis spoke up, "If you're thinking, that I will stay outside, in this cold, you're wrong."

"Haha," Jack laughed, "Foxy, do I really look like I would let you sleep in the open?"

"Why do you want to stay in this place?" the fox asked.

"Because it's clean," he replied.

"Doesn't look like it."

"Yeah... the kitchen's maybe got a little 'bug problem' and the whole place smells like last week's garbage, but the beds are free of fleas and the rooms are adequate for this region. Trust me, there are far worse places here," he explained and stepped from the place's porch into the snow, "Now let's get us some dinner."

After another short stride through the back alleys, they reached a rundown booth squeezed in between the narrow gap of two larger buildings. The booth was open to the street and consisted of nothing more than the cooking place, the counter and a few stools in front of it. The entrance was partly covered with a thick, filthy cloth, to serve as a protection against the cold wind and to keep the snow outside. The cloud of white steam, emitting from the cooking area, smelled strongly of fish and very spicy.

Determined, Jack shoved the curtain aside and plumped himself down on one of the stools. This time he wore a more open expression on his face, and one of his smiles. Likewise was the host more concerned of the happiness of his customers, than the woman in the tavern was.

The man wore a stained apron over his corpulent body and had a short beard. He looked over Jack and smiled between his red cheeks, than immediately approached his new guest, "One bowl for you and leftovers for your short one. Yes?"

"Two bowls actually," Jack replied holding up two fingers, "He's been a good boy today. Brought me in quiet a sum. Didn't ya?"

Sis had no clue what he was talking about, but if it would spare him the leftovers he would play along. So he nodded when Jack looked down at him.

The host looked derogatory over Sis, as though his food would be horribly wasted on him. "As long as you pay for it, I don't care. But he won't eat in here. This is no stable."

Somehow these words sounded familiar to the fox.

The host turned quickly and stirred through a big pot, sitting on the fireplace. Soon he had filled two wooden bowls with its content and placed them in front of Jack on the counter. Jack in return placed two coins in front of the man and handed one of the bowls down to Sis. "Eat outside," he ordered and went for his meal.

The fox wasn't happy about the game Jack played. It made him feel as though he was turned down by the only person who gave a damn about him, as though he was just a slave again. But this game had just bought him a hot meal, so he accepted the disguise and stepped out in the cold air.

Sis sat down on the wooden step to the booth, behind the thick curtain, and took a closer look at the food he was provided with. It was a fish soup. Thick, strong, very spicy and relatively fresh. And he was given a spoon too! Whether it was out of pure routine, or because the host obviously thought very highly about his soup, which Sis found indeed quiet good, as he tasted it, he didn't know. But it was quiet funny to think of him as a man who thought he'd belong into a stable, yet provides him with adequate cutlery.

However mindless he was, he sure knew his profession. The fish soup was really good. The fish fitted the setting and filled him good, and the strong seasoning tasted hot and made him feel warm against the cool evening breeze. So he sat there, in a snow covered corner, somewhere, and hurried to eat before the food got cold.

The bowl was more than enough to fill the little fox's stomach and soon Jack was done himself. The human handed the dishes back, exchanged some last words and then both were on their way again. Sis noticed they were heading in the general direction they had come from, so he presumed they were going back to their quarter for the night. And a short walk later he found himself indeed at the corner of the low tavern building.

Jack, who had lit yet another of his cigarettes, pointed into one of the narrow passages, "The room's somewhere down that lane. I'll open the window. Make sure no one sees you."

Sis nodded and turned for the lane, while Jack entered the building through the entrance. The lane was empty, save for a few persons crossing it through side alleys, so remaining unseen would not be a big problem. Sis slowly walked down the alley until he stood at the middle of the tavern. He leaned against the wall and waited for Jack to open the window, and while he did so, he observed the streets. They were still empty. All the surrounding buildings were also lifeless, the windows dark and the doors closed.

The night was approaching and Sis' breath condensed into white clouds as it left his nose. The sight reminded him, that it was about to get really cool soon, when the winter fully settled in. With mountains of snow, freezing winds and most likely some snowstorms. He hoped he would make it a fair deal into the north before the weather got too bad to travel. Hiding in taverns and inns for months might become a bit troublesome. That is, if Jack would be up to it at all. Without him he'd have to have slept in the snow.

A few paces beside him a window opened. With a quick sniff of his sensitive nose he knew it was Jack. He glanced from left to right once more before he moved. Still no one in sight. So he approached the window and quickly slipped in.

The room was dark, illuminated only by the dim light that passed the narrow window. Jack lit a small candle while Sis closed the window behind him. As the small flame sparked to life, more features of the room revealed themself. It was a tiny chamber: a bed, a table and the window. That's it. But, due to the low and sturdy design of the building, it held a moderate temperature, and the bed was provided with some pelts and it looked and smelled clean.

Jack had already dislodged his backpack and was about to take off his jacket. Sis leaned backwards against the small table and pulled off his pullover. It has gotten a bit wet due to the snow, so he hung it over the edge of the table. "So, tomorrow we'll resupply in the town, yes?" Sis asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied, tossing his top onto his jacket and sat on the bed to untie his shoes. "I plan on sleeping in, tomorrow. The way to St. Curson isn't far. Business for me starts in the evening anyways. Then we'll get the money, get resupplied and get us some equipment. That should speed us up some," he finished and tossed the boots aside.

"What kind of equipment?" the fox questioned, as the warmth of the room started to heat him up.

"Cloaks, pelts, a tent..." he listed.

"A tent?" Sis interjected, "Are we going to sleep in the open?"

"Why yeah. There isn't much civilization up north from here. Not that the places here are civilized at all, but...." He started to unbuckle his pants, "Anyway, from St. Curson it's either straight to the north through the wilderness, or along the mountains in the east, where there are some settlements."

"Why... why not that way?" The fact that Jack was almost finished with undressing set the fox at unease.

"Because along the mountains there are mines, and in the mines there work slaves. Many of them. Most of the settlements are mines and I don't wanna drag ya 'round an' explain to every darn mining worker, why I dun' wanna 'sell ya for the best price I'll get'. That and it would take us about three weeks longer," explained the human as he got ready for the bed.

He could see his point. If it would take them three weeks longer that way, they would be likely snowed in. Not to mention that it would cause trouble to travel through a place that lived off of slave work. In a mining complex, they might have a bed for a human traveler, but where a slave would stay he knew all too good. And sneaking in there would be too dangerous; for himself and Jack. And he didn't think that the human would take such a risk.

"You coming to bed now, or what?" Jack asked, offering the place next to him.

Sis sighed and took off his shirt, before he sat down on the bed to open his pants.

"Get your hands off of me!" he ordered as he felt one of Jacks big hands creep up his back.

The hand stopped its movement, but remained where it was. Sis hesitated to completely undo his pants. "Oh. Don't be so mean to me. It's cold and I wanted to warm you up."




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