Tepics Confidence

He might have caught the scent on his own, but Arnold was grateful the cats let him know that the fox child was coming long before he arrived and shouted, “Boo!”  

He stared flatly, but his friend just giggled and asked him if he had found the rooms in the north wall, as they moved even further away from the nest to talk.  “I wouldn’t call them rooms, but they were being searched that night by clockworks.  I must have seen over a dozen raptors that night alone.  How bad are things out there?”

“Oh, they are causing quite a nuisance….but the trams have taken a liking to them though…..keep running into ’em!”  

The cat rubbed his head, if they were only being a nuisance and weren’t attacking people then no one else would have any cause to fight them.  So much for the militia stepping in, and Dr. Obolensky was no longer able to stand in the dinosaurs way either. 

“I got his attention at least.  I don’t need to send another letter to him and push my luck.”

“Errrr..think yer probably riled him enough fer now, can’t go anywhere without one of them clockworks being around…”

“In that case I need you to take the device to Avariel,” He explained carefully what he needed while he used a claw to illustrate on the floor.  Tepic nodded along and after he was done the cat asked, “…how did you find me.”

“Well, I did say come here, or up the Fells, if yer needed ter move….and seemed likely you would be here.” The young boy explained. “An don’t worry they was on to yer.  They were searching everywhere, don’t mean they would find yer, I been hid right under someone’s nose while they searched a room, an they couldn’t find me …

He was still worried he would reveal this location to the raptor, and told Tepic about how he’d had to lead them away from the hideout.  The fox looked at him as if he must be mad. 

“…what? I couldn’t let them discover the hideout.” Not after swearing to protect the secret.

“Errrrrr….” Tepic finally pointed at him accusingly, “You ARE a hero, ain’t yer?”

“What?!”  Arnold gaped at the wild accusation, “No!  Why?”

“Well, only a hero would do that, or an absolute daft bugger…..”  The cat grimaced as he put himself into the latter category.  “An yer ain’t daft, so,……”

“I would be a terrible hero.  You’ve seen me almost die often enough.”

The fox wasn’t listening to his protests, “Of course, true heroes don’t like ter brag, so of course you would say yer ain’t, but yer are, ain’t yer!”

Confused, he considered his responses and tried, “…no?”

Tepic beamed as if he had just said Steam Santa was coming early, “There ya go!  That proves it!”

He tried another argument, “Heroes don’t go around screaming as much as I do.”

“Well, yer usually screaming “Here I am” or some other stuff ter help other people….” The fox countered. “Can’t argue with logic yer know, if yer does as a hero, looks like a hero, and smells like a hero, yer a hero!”

The cat was ready to argue with logic all day, especially faulty logic, “I  don’t look like one-”  

He was about to say or act like one when Tepic overrode him, “Yer do to the cats….” He doubted that. “An ter me….”

He was taken aback by the sincerity in Tepic’s voice as he looked at him.  Why did kids keep thinking he was worth looking up to? “I’m nearly dieing almost every time you see me!”

“Yep, though cats, well, cats don’t really see hero’s the same as people, more like ‘them as does really daft silly things that would get anyone else killed a dozen times, yet manages to survive with all their lives intact an their tail held high’, or sort of like that….”

That…wasn’t quite it, “I’m just unlucky, and have made poor decisions.  I stand by them though.”

“Ah well, ye’ll cotton on sometime, guess it tain’t important what yer think long as yer keep doing heroic stuff….”

“You really think this is all going to work out in the end, don’t you?  No matter what?”

“Course it will, Mr Arnold, yer our hero, an yer always get out of scrapes! Gonna be dangerous and some of us could get hurt or worse before the end..but yer with us, so it’s natural we’ll win!”

“…what?”  Arnold looked at the fox as if he were the mad one, “If I wasn’t here what would you say then?”

“Oh…. well… then we could be in trouble….”  The cat stared at him even more surprised, confused, and flabbergasted.  “Course, if Miss Bookworm were here maybe still come out, cus she’s a hero too… but she’s gone away fer a bit…”

“She’s gone?”

“Yep, just after Dr O, she packed up with her friend an headed off…..she’ll be back, i’m sure, sometime…but no one is really takin much notice, official like…”

Arnold sighed as he got back to the floor to lay down while watching his friend, “I’m not surprised, anyone under his influence will cheer him on and everyone who isn’t affected still leaves half the town amused by the new clockworks.  They don’t have any reason to be concerned till they are endangered, and right now they aren’t.”  Just cats and moreaus. “Their lives will go on until he actually moves against the city in a real way.”

“I recon it’s the devices…..” Tepic said, but the feline doubted that could be the only reason.  “I’ll take the device ter Miss Avariel, an get her ter send the message, Mr Arnold, yer can rely on me!”