Fast Food Furries Book 1

Chapter 11b: The Truth - Part 2

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Alarn

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The morning after the feast, I found Elrin sitting outside by the garden, holding an apple but apparently lacking the appetite to eat it. It was a dewy, foggy morning as I stepped out onto the veranda, and the air was much cooler than yesterday. "I'm surprised you're not still full from the feast," I joked, sitting down on a rock next to his.

He shrugged, not even looking over. "As if it was edible."

I laughed, leaning back to listen for the morning birds. "So, what else have I missed?"

"Let's see..." Elrin pondered for a moment. "Old Nima passed last year."

"That's a shame, but she'd been unwell for years."

Elrin nodded. "Oh, Rymar left to attend the college."

"Took him long enough."

"Nanalyre and Vero had another son,"

"Yes," I said, "I saw them yesterday. What's that now, five?"

"Six," Elrin chuckled. "How they feed them all is a mystery to me. Uhh, Nasher's gone—acquired a crownstone mine way up north."

"I was wondering where she was," I said.

"But surely there's more interesting things happing elsewhere in the world," Elrin mused.

"Bah," I dismissed. "Nothing that matters here."

"Mmm," said Elrin. "What about Laeroth Naelemin?"

"What about it?"

"I don't know," Elrin hemmed. "I've heard there's trade issues up there."

"Well," I thought, "we don't usually do much business that far north, but I've heard exports have slowed down. Maybe has something to do with the secession."

"Maybe." He took a deep breath and ran his hands gently over his still uneaten apple. "What do you think of the rebellion?"

I turned to face him but he still wasn't looking at me. "Like, do I like them?"

Elrin nodded.

I shrugged. "They fought a good fight and won. What's not to love?"

"What if they kept fighting?"

"Do they intend to keep fighting?"

"Supposedly."

I made another attempt to catch his eye but he continued avoiding me. "Where are you hearing all these rumours?" I said, trying to lighten things with a chuckle.

"I don't know," Elrin said dryly. "Word gets around."

"Well," I figured, trying to match his energy, "I suppose I'd hope they tone it down a bit at least. I mean, I'm sure there will still be issues, especially once they're fully independent, but... they keep to themselves, we keep to ourselves, everyone's happy, right?"

"They can't feed themselves," Elrin said flatly.

"What?" I asked.

"Laeroth Naelemin," Elrin clarified. "Mallux Tunar has ruined the entire province. They're pulling out because there's nothing left to extract. They'll embargo the snow elves, and they'll starve."

I scoffed. "That simply can't be true. Maybe food is getting scarce, but this supposed embargo is speculation and nothing more. You assume the worst."

"Mallux Tunar is the worst."