Bonds, by Charles Matthias

Story name: Bonds
Author: Charles Matthias

Date: early May, 706 CR
Location: Metamor Keep (rats' cellars)

Overview

One morning, the rats sit together and talk as Hector carves a sculpture out of wood.

+ Story info (Spoilers!)

Summary

Charles has been away on patrol for a few weeks, and so has not visited the rats in some time. Today, Hector is the first to wake up. He sits in the hallway outside the rats' rooms and begins gnawing a block of wood into a sculpture. Elliot joins him, and the two begin talking the recent events with Michael and Saulius. Goldmark then joins them, and Hector goes back to his sculpture as Elliot and Goldmark chat.

Saulius arrives as the two are discussing the upcoming Gnawers' Meeting. Julian is the last to join as the topic of jousting at the Summer Festival comes up. Goldmark suggests to Saulius to try, and although Saulius is unsure, he decides to consider it. They watch as Hector finishes his sculpture: the five of them as a group.

To everyone's surprise, Julian speaks up, proposing they all get breakfast at the Mule. The rats agree and all set out, with Hector carrying his finished sculpture.

Characters

Main characters:

• Hector: A sculptor and rat morph. He wears a brown tunic.
  • Hector decided to go out drinking last night, instead of staying in the cellars. He visited Michael, but he was out.

Supporting:

• Elliot: A rat morph with a bright red patch. He wears a cheap brown tunic similar to Hector's. He doesn't use a chewstick like the other rats. Because of his growing incisors, he has a slight lisp.
  • Years ago, he made his income as Pascal's test subject. Most of the changes were temporary; the one exception is the red patch, which was an accidental spill.
• Saulius: A rat morph who fancies himself a knight. He has recently changed his coat of arms from a proudly-standing eagle to a similarly-posed rat.
  • Saulius speaks with an archaic dialect, which is unusual as most other Keepers who arrive with dialects have adopted the Metamor mode of speech.
• Goldmark: A rat morph who often prefers shifting to a full rat. No one understands his motives.
• Julian: A rat morph who is quiet and keeps to himself.

Important mention:

• Charles Matthias: A rat morph who often visits the rats, and is currently away on patrol.

Referenced:

• Benedict: A mouse who gave each of the rats a bouquet of flowers at the last Gnawers' Meeting.
  • He owns a garden, which is where his flowers came from.
• Pascal: The alchemist who gave Elliot his patch, and has recently fallen out with Michael.
• Michael: A timber man, who has recently recovered from his injury in Battling a Tree.
• Brian Coe: The raccoon physician.
• Bryan: A cobra morph.

Locations

• Hector's room is much the same as in Escaping, but with a recently purchased rug, the only nice thing he owns.
• The rats' cellars have a line of torches and braziers down the corridor.
  • Bryan also lives in the cellars, but on the opposite side of the Keep as the rats, out of respect for them.

Story Connections

• Elliot asks if Michael's door is fixed, in reference to Best Friend's Burden.
• The patrol Charles is on is the monthlong patrol given in Attacking Cossack and seen in Keeping the Lamp Lit.

Points of Interest

• Brown tunics are cheap and easy to replace, and so several of the rat morphs wear them. It helps that they go well with their fur.

< First Cycle	Matthias's Second Cycle	Third Cycle >
Stories	Stories in yellow are not part of the cycle proper, but give important context for other stories.
	Winds of Destiny · Fetish · Admissions and Applications · Arduous Tasks · Attacking Cossack · Awake · Colors · Battling a Tree · Best Friend's Burden · Bonds · Keeping the Lamp Lit · A Long Patrol · Busy Schedule · Casting · Clothing · Conquering a Dead Man · A Place Where There Is No Darkness · A Shoving Match · Dancing with Shadows · Decisions · Declarations of Allegiance · Picnic · Delights and Diversions · Dialogues · Diplomacy
Characters	Charles Matthias · Kimberly · Misha Brightleaf · Dr Channing · Elliot · Garigan · Goldmark · Gornul · Hector · Father Hough · Julian · Lindsey · Loriod · Michael · Nahum · Phil · Rickkter · Saulius · Tallis · Chief Tathom · Thalberg · Duke Thomas · Wessex · Zhypar Habakkuk