Maple Warriors

Feliciano

"Feli, can I speak vith jou for one second?"
I looked up from Lovino's sleeping form. Another midnight gone and my brother still couldn't walk.
"What is it?" I whispered to the door where Gilbert stood.
"Come look at zhis." There was a smirk in his voice. He was doing better.
"I'm coming." I whispered back, standing and heading toward the door.
"Do jou know who zhe maple variors are?" He asked as soon as we got outside.
"No. Why would I?"
"It says maple varrior on all zhe valls in our base." Gilbert grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me toward the nearest wall. He pointed to the design carved there; two words inside a maple leaf.
"What the- who did this?"
"Just the new gang in town." A small voice piped up. "The newest threat to society."
Gil and I exchanged a look.
"Jou...come out here." He commanded to the voice.
A tall blonde stepped out of the dark. He had violet eyes rimmed with glasses and a curl sticking out of his hair.
"How did jou get in here. Und how did jou make all zhose carvings so fast?"
"That is classified information, buddy." The stranger said in his small voice.
"Zhen who are jou?"
"Isn't he that Alfred guy? From the allies?" I assumed. He did kind of look like him...
"WHAT?! I am NOT Alfred!" All the calm in the stranger's face disappeared. His face turned bright red and he clenched his fists.
"Okay, zhen who are jou?" Gilbert looked directly in the stranger's eyes.
"I'm Mathew." He said boldly. He didn't even stutter despite being clearly nervous. "Alfred's twin brother."
Twin huh? Looks like we had something in common. But still. His gang was the reason my Ludwig was gone.
"Jour coming vith me!" Gilbert grabbed Mathew's shoulder and drug him along in the direction of the place we stored our prisoners.
"Let me go!" He shrieked. "I will destroy you!"
"Jou und vhat gang?"
Suddenly a large black bear stepped out of the shadows.
"Holy mother of awesome." Gil gasped. "Jour gang is made up of...forest animals?"
I adjusted my sight, looking further into the darkness. I could see furry creatures of all kinds moving in.
"Oh my pasta!" I shrieked.
"Forest animals? Zhat's-zhat's...awesome!" I smile broke out on Gilbert's face.
"Yeah, it is. Now let me go!" Mathew forced himself away from my leader.
"Jou run along now." He commanded.
"This place is a mess." Mathew exclaimed.
"That would be your old gang's fault." I sneered.
"I'm sorry for them." He started to walk away but stopped. "You know, I could probably help you."
"Help us? How?" I was glad to see that Gilbert didn't quite trust this "gang leader" either.
"Well, beavers are good builders. And you don't want to piss off a moose. Trust me." Mathew smiled kindly. "Plus I know all the Allies' secrets."
"What do you want in return?" There had to be a catch. There was no way we were getting help that easily.
"Nothing, actually. I just want to be helpful."
Gilbert thought for a moment.
"Ve don't have anyvhere for jou to sleep. Most of our beds have been destroyed in jour friend's bombing."
"I've been sleeping on the forest floor for the past week with no complaints. The floor here shouldn't be a problem."
"Und everybody here has zheir own jobs. Vhat are jou going to do?"
"I'm amazing with medicine." I could see it in his violet eyes. He really did just want to help.
"Vell jou can verk under mein friend Antonio. How does zhat sound?"
"Great!" Mathew's face went red as Gil set his arm over the boy's shoulders.
"Zhen you're in."