Yes, it's CT again, with yet another story thing.
*ducks the flying rotten tomatoes*
Taking joiners like usual, but I think I can afford to be a little more picky this time. So. This probably won't be updated too often. The chars introduced here can be found in the profiles thread. Those of you who read my last story will be familiar with the Bloodflames.

Benedict lashed out with a fist, sending a lizard reeling, and grabbed for his katana. Autumn had lost his blasters and was now laying about himself with his staff. Benedict assessed the situation with a jolt. They were losing.
The pair were cut off from the Bloodflames. Benedict watched with a sinking feeling as Kachallion yelled something unintelligable, and the mercenaries pulled back, abandoning Benedict and Autumn.
He redoubled his efforst, but the lizards mobbed them. Autumn lost his staff and lashed out with fists and feet. Benedict fought now to get to his friend's side. His katana was wrenched from his hands, and his blaster had mysteriously vanished along the way. Disbelieving his eyes, he watched his allies vanish from sight before he was seized and dragged away from Autumn, whom had been similarly captured.
"No!" Benedict fought his captors viciously. He had to reach Autumn!
But there were so many and he couldn't stand against them all ...

Benedict Fleetfoot awoke with a start. It took him a second to remember that he was no longer on that doomed battlefield. Instead, he was imprisoned in the rebels' stronghold.
And there was no way out.
He hadn't seen Autumn since their capture, and had no way of knowing if he was alive or not. He couldn't even tell what time it was, how long he'd been there - the light in his cell wasn't natural; it came from the forcefield that made up the walls.
He sank wearily back to the floor, and remembered.

Autumn stood beside him, green eyes bright as he watched his best friend. Benedict shook his head doubtfully.
"I don't know why you insist on trusting Kachallion, Autumn."
"If I've told you once," Autumn sighed, "I've told you a million times. Charne vouched for him, and I trust Charne."
"Who hates his half-brother's guts, killed his cousin, and now hangs out with the roughest member of the band."
"Ouch. Okay, so he's had a shady past. The point is," Autumn went on enthusiastically, "Tephro's never lied to me -"
"- knowingly," Benedict finished. "What about Tansale Pass?"
"Everyone's entitled to a mistake."
"My point is, what if this is another mistake on Tephro's part? He's only been with the Bloodflames for a short time."
"He trusts Jheran, whom I assume told him about Kachallion."
"He does," Benedict said. "I don't."
"You wouldn't trust your own grandmother."
"Of course not," Benedict said promptly. "Her memory's faulty."
"Benedict, you don't even have a grandmother."
"See? You shouldn't even trust me. My memory's faulty."
"You can say that again."
Benedict looked around innocently. "Say what again?"
"Your memory isn't just faulty, it's completely gone."
"Were you saying something?"
Autumn laughed easily. "Nice try, Benedict. My point has been made: I trust Kachallion because Tephro trusts Kachallion, and I trust Tephro."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why do you trust Tephro?"
"Oh, not this again ..."
"Oh, this again. Explain to me why you trust Tephro."
"He made a good impression on me."
"So?"
"My impressions have never been wrong before."
"And what was your impression of Jheran?"
"I like him, but I know better than to trust him."
"But Tephro trusts him."
"They are best friends."
"So Jheran isn't trustworthy, but Tephro is, even though Tephro believes virtually everything Jheran says?"
"Well ..."
"And you trust Kachallion because Tephro does?"
"... yes ..."
"Even though Tephro was told by Jheran, who is not trustworthy, that he could trust Kachallion?"
"Oh."
"And you're taking Tephro and Jheran's word for it because you've never met Kachallion and haven't got a first impression of him."
"... I see what you mean."
"Yes."
"Do you think I shouldn't trust Tephro then?"
"Trust Tephro all you want. Just don't take what he says for granted."
"What?"
"Tephro is basically Jheran's mouth at this point. He believes absolutely everything Rambarath says."
"Tephro's never done anything," Autumn protested.
"Remember Tansale Pass," Benedict said pointedly. Autumn sighed.
"Okay, you've made your point. I shouldn't believe everything I'm told just becuase Teprho says it, because he might be mistaken."
"You got it. What would you ever do without me?"
"I'd be a lot happier ... "
"... and a lot more dead."
Point to Benedict.

Benedict sighed regretfully as he recalled that conversation. His warning about Kachallion had been well-founded; the treacherous Bloodflame leader had decided that they were a liability, and abandoned them to their captors gladly. Tephro's trust would never be betrayed; he was a Bloodflame. But Kachallion saw no reason to keep his word when he was dealing with outsiders. Tansale Pass had been an excellent example of that. Benedict was still chilled when he thought about how close he had come to losing one he counted as a brother that day.

"Kachallion says it's not an ambush," Tephro said confidently. "We're scouting."
"The whole band?" Benedict was skeptical. Tephro shrugged.
"Dunno. Maybe it's a big area."
"Where are we scouting?" Autumn asked. Tephro's answer was blithe.
"Tansale Pass."
Benedict should have turned around and gone home then; he should have taken Autumn and Tephro with him when he actually saw the place. It looked like an ambush site. Benedict was uneasy just looking at it. Autumn was also puzzled, but Tephro remained certian that they were just scouting.
Then, once they were all there, the "orders" changed. Yes, they were to scout for recent activity in the area. Of course, if they saw hostile forces, they would ambush them.
Benedict was furious. He should have guessed, should have known ... but he had, and had been assured that he was wrong.
"You said it wasn't an ambush!" he flared at Tephro, who shrugged.
"Look, Fleetfoot, I told you our orders. If Kachallion changed them, I can't do anything about it."
Benedict believed him. Tephro honestly hadn't known. He'd been bait to get his unsuspecting, gullible ousider friends to come and help. Now they were commited, bound by their word to help. But Tephro was not to blame. Kachallion was.
Of course the ambush occurred. The order changes would not have been issued if the ambush had not been planned.
It was quick. A lookout had spotted the band of rebel lizards, and called for reinforcements.
The lizards were startled, but not for long. Their reactions slowed by the frozen air of the pass and the chilling snow, they still outnumbered the Bloodflames three to one.
Autumn and Benedict were at the frong; they were separated early. Benedict escaped with nothing more than a glancing slash on his arm, and another across his chest. Autumn did not fare so well.
Benedict found his partner, his best friend and heart-brother, collapsed in a pool of frozen blood, dying slowly in that frozen mountain pass, left for dead by rebels.
Benedict fled to Autumn, heedless of the blood-soaked snow as he fell to his knees at his partner's side. "Autumn!"
Tephro stalked over, eyes still wild from the battle, Jheran trailing behind. Their triumphant grins vanished when they saw Autumn. Tephro's incredulous whisper was a faint echo of Benedict's anguished cry.
"Autumn?"
Jheran's eyes blazed as he looked down at the fallen rabbit. "Blast you, Kachallion," he hissed. "Blast you." For Jheran had been Autumn's friend too, in his own distant way.

Autumn did not die. He had come close enough, however, that Benedict's manner became incredibly protective. He would not risk losing his heart-brother again.
Tephro and Jheran's anger smoldered quietly. Many of the Bloodflames who knew Autumn and Benedict were uncomfortable with Kachallion's actions, for even if the pair were outsiders, they were well-liked.
The tension between Jheran and Kachallion escalated. Only Jheran's gruding, fast-vanishing respect for Kachallion's skill kept him from challenging the Bloodflame leader then and there. Tephro became Jheran's grim supporter, though more cautious. More than once it was only Tephro's common sense that restrained Jheran. Kachallion could not not notice.
Autumn recovered painfully, and true to his nature he refused to blame Kachallion. It was a fluke, he insisted. It could have happened to anyone. He refused to leave, even though Benedict urged him to. The big rabbit was becoming increasingly uneasy.
And still Autumn refused to go.

More later.