The Jackal's Song 
Chapter 15: The Scout

Master Sanguine hadn't exactly been enthusiastic about the idea, but Senu knew another delve was likely his best shot at raising the kind of money he needed. He was stronger than he'd been a month ago, and he knew more of what to expect. So, he began making subtle inquiries at some of the delving-oriented businesses he'd visited with Eirik. After a few days of pestering, one of the wainwrights in town set up a meeting between Senu and a dungeon scout who was supposedly eager to put a crew together for a big job.

He had never met a kobold before, so he wasn't sure what to expect, but this wasn't it. The little green lizard creature was wearing dark leather, but the short black cape and oversized pair of spectacles perched on top of his snout gave him an almost scholarly look. The meeting had been set up in the Shimmering Archive, the large library in the castle complex at the center of the city, but the moment the reptile opened his mouth, Senu realized that hadn't been the best choice.

"Aubade's gleaming balls, you're the tallest fuckin' dog I've ever seen."

Tracker, as he called himself, was no more than three feet tall. Despite being an adult his small body and oversized head gave him a childlike appearance. With glistening green scales and wide lavender eyes that were magnified by the lenses of his spectacles, Senu had expected a light voice. This was low and raspy. Anything but childlike.

"Umm. I'm not a dog. I'm a jackal."

"Oh, well fuck me." Was that an apology?

"That's… all right. We aren't very common."

"Well, neither are kobolds, but you didn't come in here calling me a dragon like a big asshole."

A few of the archive's keepers were watching them now, though they'd already been getting attention. Likely the only species rarer than jackals in the Beast World were kobolds. He'd only ever heard of them a few months earlier. This one had already stirred up several rumors before Senu had learned he was a scout.

"I'm not offended if that's the concern." Noticing that most of the quiet conversations and reading around them had stopped, Senu hesitated. "Would you like to go somewhere more private?"

Tracker narrowed his eyes. "Is that a proposition?"

"What? No! I just..." he lowered his voice. "We're getting a lot of attention."

Tracker looked around, squinting somewhat as if noticing that they were gathering a crowd for the first time. "What are you dicks looking at? Mind your own gods damned business!" He shouted the last part, and that at least kept most of the other library patrons from openly staring.

Senu sighed.

"Well?" the kobold asked.

"Well, what?"

"Are you here about the job or not?"

"Yes. I would think that much was obvious."

He scoffed. "You're a bit of a priss, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. But fine, let's get down to business."

With that, the diminutive lizard stood and began making his way to the exit, leaving Senu to follow along.

"So, I've only been at this for a year. I act as a scout because most of the crews I've run with keep kicking me out."

"I can't imagine why."

"Smart ass. Look, I know I'm not the easiest to get along with. But I'm damned good at what I do. Back in Allemance, I led a crew through some tough delves, but you know how it is. You sleep with some noble's wife and suddenly no one cares about how good you are at your job." They were exiting the castle grounds and Tracker paused a moment to gain his bearings before turning south. "So, I went solo. I've been making money here and there as a scout, but I want to get back into proper delving. I came south looking for a fresh start, and from what I was told, it sounds like you could use some help too."

"Well, yes. I'm new at this."

"You don't say," the kobold said as he kept walking towards the bridge to Southbank. 

"...Right. Well, what I mean is that this would only be my second delve."

“That's fine. I don't mind helping you out. You're a bard, right?" 

“Yes."

“You know some healing magic?"

“Some. I'm also good with a sword and I have a few advantages from being a jackal."

Tracker nodded. “Good. So, the deal is this. I have a solid lead from a friend. But the place is supposed to be dangerous. Lots of history with lots of bad magic. But the first thing to learn about delving is that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Assuming you don't die. So, you're welcome to come with me if you're good with that. But, we're going to need more than just you and me."

Senu considered. “I have at least one friend I could probably convince to come along." 

"Yeah? They hot?"

Senu blushed. He'd been actively trying not to think of Terrance in that way. Besides being married, Senu was fairly certain he wasn't interested in males. Still, Terrance was attractive in a grizzled kind of way. "Kind of."

"Nice."

"Right. So, do you want to go talk to him?"

"Maybe. A delving crew's supposed to be four. With you, me, and your hot friend, that's three. We need to find one more."

Senu's ears splayed as he realized nearly every group they passed was openly staring at the unlikely duo. "Do you know anyone else we could ask?"

The kobold laughed. "Sure, I know lots of someones. But no one I'd trust not to cut and run with my gold while I'm trying to fight off a fucking goblin or something. What we really need is a wizard or cleric, but most of them are pricks. I'd settle for a good thief as long as we could trust him not to stab us in the back the second we look the other way."

"Well, I do know someone who seems to have some influence with the local thieves. I could try to talk to him."

"Sure, sure. That might work." He stopped, and Senu almost slammed into him.

"I guess we should try that big church in town. Could be some baby cleric that might be willing to keep us alive."

"...baby... cleric?" What did that even mean?

"You know, the type that isn't so far up Pirhoua's ass to stop liking money."

"You haven't been in Vinyot very long, have you?"

Tracker scratched between his legs as he started walking again. "Nah. Was in Allemance for most of the last year."

"Well, trust me, finding folks that like money isn't too hard around here. Hell, the Varastans turn most of their temples into casinos."

"Yeah? That's good to know. Was worried everyone would be prudes."

"So, where are we going?"

"To the church."

"The bethel, you mean?"

"Whatever. The big building with all the statues."

"You know that's the other direction, right?"

***

The bethel ended up being a waste of time. Luciano was polite, but after about ten minutes of Tracker's foul language, he'd all but kicked the kobold out. It didn't help that he kept trying to both hit on and recruit every creature he saw with a cleric's robe. "Hey, you wanna make some money!" had been a common starter. Eventually, Luciano had had enough and, not wanting to incur the kindly raccoon's wrath, Senu had gently guided the kobold back to the main square before he could offend someone enough to call the guards.

Senu's next idea was the Boathouse. That too ended up being fruitless. Greyson was nowhere to be found, and Tracker was in the tavern for five minutes before someone tried to throw a punch at him.

"See what I mean?" he said, sounding frustrated as Senu watched over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. "Everyone worth a damn is probably already running with crews."

"Makes me wish Eirik was here," Senu said, a bit wistfully. He still missed the elk, though it had been over a month since their whirlwind fling.

"Who the fuck's Eirik?" the kobold sniffed, then gave him a weird look.

"What?"

"Nothing. Come on, take me somewhere to rest. My feet hurt."

Since they were close to his apartment, Senu decided that would be the best option. Besides, he was getting tired of babysitting the kobold and his impulsive urges. "We'll go to my place. You can rest there."

Tracker perked up. "Perfect. Got any wine?"

 The apartment was just a single room, but the ceiling was high enough that Senu didn't have to tuck his ears. He had a large bed, a stove, a simple wooden table with two matching chairs, and a small alcove he often used for reading and practice. It often felt cramped with two people, but Tracker barely seemed to take up any space.

The kobold took everything in within a few seconds before stopping off at the bed where he braced a hand against the top of the mattress and pressed. "Nice. Wouldn't mind trying that out."

Senu blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Just saying. Never fucked a jackal before."

He stared at the kobold for a moment, trying to understand if this was a joke or a serious come-on. Tracker was… compelling, but the height difference alone made the concept feel like the setup to a bawdy joke.

Tracker gave him a sideways glance. "Don't tell me you're not curious. Remember when I said I was good at what I do? That includes sex.

"You just propositioned half the city's clergy."

"Yeah, and they were prudes, just like I thought they would be. If I got one of them off, I thought they might come down from their ivory tower long enough to help us out." He tilted his head. "What, are you jealous?"

"Of course not," Senu said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Most beasts prefer a bit of buildup before… that."

Tracker considered for a few seconds before speaking again. "I don't like wasting time. It's not like I'm looking to get married. I'm horny. You are too, or at least you smelled like it. Why not take care of each other?"

"Maybe later," Senu finally managed, though he was surprised at how strongly his body was reacting to the idea. He wouldn't have thought he'd find this foul-mouthed little thing attractive in that way. And yet...

The kobold seemed satisfied with that as he took a seat at his table instead. "Fine by me. So, any more ideas for recruiting?"

Senu shook his head. "Not really. The only other delvers I've known went to Al'ar over a month ago. I doubt they'll be back any time soon."

"If they left you behind, they must be pretty stupid."

He bristled at that but fought back that reaction. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you're going to be good at this. I can tell."

His tail tried to go between his legs. "You've known me for what, two hours?"

Tracker shrugged. "I get it. You live a long time, so that probably feels like nothing to you. I only really gained consciousness a couple of years ago, so two hours still feels like a long time for me." He shrugged. "And you should know by now I'm not the type to lie to make people feel good, so you know I mean it. If I had a crew, I'd put you on it in a second."

"That's... sweet of you to say."

"Maybe, but I'm not thinking about it like that. I just think you're likely to make a crew a lot of money someday and I want in on it. I'm a prick."

Senu chuckled. "I'm starting to think you aren't so bad."

"Yeah, well. That's the advantage of just saying what you think. Makes things clear, you know?"

"I'll have to remember that. In the meantime, what are we going to do?"

Tracker grinned and started taking off his belt. "I've got an idea. You interested?"

His mouth suddenly felt dry. "I... I said maybe later."

Tracker tilted his head, then laughed. "Not that, pervert. I want to go swimming."

"What?"

"Come on. You heard me."

"I did. But why-"

"It's fucking hot, and I could use a swim. It helps me clear my mind. Plus it's an excuse to see each other naked. Come on, I saw a nice stretch of beach about a mile from the city wall."

"Alright. But let's wait till we get there to take off our clothes, yeah?"

Tracker shrugged. "Suit yourself."

By the time they arrived, it was late afternoon, and the sun had reached its peak. They were far enough from the city walls that there were no other beasts in sight. And, the jackal had to admit, it was nice to get away from all the crowds.

"Now can we get naked?" the kobold asked.

Senu wasn't shy about nudity, but something about the way Tracker kept looking at him made him more self-conscious than he'd ever felt. It was something about the kobold's openness that got under his skin. He'd never met anyone like him before.

"Go ahead," he said.

Tracker wasted no time in getting undressed. Senu watched as the small kobold pulled off his shirt, revealing a surprisingly athletic body. He didn't look childlike at all. There was a sliver of wisdom in his eyes that caused Senu to reevaluate his entire impression. The kobold, of course, seemed to enjoy the fact that Senu was staring.

"See something you like?" Tracker said.

"No, I--"

Tracker laughed. "Your turn to strip. You can go behind the rock over there if you don't want me to see your bone."

Senu's ears went flat against his head, but he did reluctantly start to undress. For his part, the kobold didn't even pay him much attention as he made his way across the golden sand and began wading into the cool water.

"The temperature is perfect!" Tracker called. "Come on!"

The kobold's energy was infectious, and within a few minutes of stepping into the warm water, he'd forgotten his self-consciousness. As they swam and occasionally played together, their guards came down. Tracker was a skilled swimmer, and when they inevitably raced, the small lizard easily beat Senu, despite the jackal's considerable size and strength advantage.

Finally, after more than an hour, they were both laying out on the beach, breathing heavily, Senu letting the sun dry his still-wet fur. "That was exactly what I needed," the jackal said, tongue lolling slightly.

"Yeah?" Tracker said, sprawled out as far as he could. "Having fun is important. Can't let all the dark shit consume you."

"Dark shit?"

The lizard waved a dismissive hand in his direction. "Not now."

"OK."

"So... any ideas about our problem?"

Senu shook his head. "Nope. Nothing."

"Me neither."

"We could go talk to Terrance at least. He's... he's a sweet guy, but he's very serious. You might want to take it easy on him if you want his help."

The kobold propped himself up and brushed sand from his arms. "Terrance is the hot guy?"

Senu laughed. "I mean, he's pretty hot, but he's definitely not interested."

"Oh, too bad."

Senu shrugged. "It's fine. He's a good friend."

"I'll be nice if we can have sex after."

The jackal sighed. "Is that all you think about?"

"No. But I think about it a lot. You want to or not?"

He hesitated. He'd been lonely of late, and though he didn't expect much intimacy with the kobold, he had to admit that there was something attractive about how up front he was with what he wanted. "Maybe. But not till we get back home."

"Deal."

They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the sun begin its slow descent towards the horizon. It was a beautiful view, the kind that would be hard to appreciate with anyone other than someone you trusted.

"You're an interesting guy," Senu said.

"I know," Tracker replied. "You too. Can I tell Terrance you think he's hot?"

"Don't you dare."

***

It was near sunset by the time they reached Saltspray Grove, so Senu wasn't surprised to find Terrance sitting on the wrap-around porch in front of his house, He had three of his kids siding in front of him while he read to them from a tome of old fables. The sun had set, but a few lamps on the porch illuminated the front of the house and made it seem welcoming. "Daddy, it's Senu, and he's got a lizard thing!"

Terrance looked up from his reading, ears perked. When he settled his gaze on the jackal and the small creature, he tilted his head ever so slightly. "Well, pups, I guess that means it's time for bed."

There was a chorus of complaints, but an attentive Alessia quickly emerged to usher her younger children to bed. Senu exchanged a few greetings with her and some of the kids, but he otherwise kept out of the way until Terrance was ready for them. Beside him, Tracker was clearly having to make an effort to remain patient. Senu found it encouraging to learn that he was capable of such a feat, if only for a short while.

"Tracker, hmm?" Terrance said as he lit up a pipe. The three of them were standing on the porch as cricketsong grew louder. Senu had just made the obligatory introductions. "Gods, first a jackal and now a kobold. Who needs to see the world when all its oddities come knocking at my doorstep?"

"Nice to meet you too," Tracker said, irritated. "Can I ask him?"

"Ask me what?"

Senu sighed. "Tracker has a lead on a Dungeon."

Terrance nodded, exhaling smoke from his nostrils before giving the jackal a hard look. "Seriously, Senu? After what happened last time?"

"Hey, you know the kind of money I need to raise. Besides, our problem was that there were only two of us. This time, we're going to put together a full crew."

There was a short pause, and then Tracker spoke up. "What do you mean 'last time'?"

With that, Senu launched into an explanation of his and Terrance's misadventure the previous month and their nearly fatal encounter with the shadow that had taken up residence in the crumbling fortress, and their brief but deadly encounter with the cultists outside.

"Fuck," Tracker said. "Sounds like a mess. Too bad I wasn't there."

Terrance regarded the small kobold with a more careful gaze. "So... what's your deal, exactly? I've heard stories about kobolds, but those implied you were all a little..."

"Feral?" Tracker said, crossing his arms.

"Something like that."

Tracker shrugged. "Not much to tell. A couple of years ago, I went from being a dumb little animal to the charming little lizard I am now. I still remember everything from before then, but a lot of it is just this dull blur. After I woke up, I didn't understand what had happened to me. So, I spent a while just trying to pretend nothing had changed, thinking maybe things would go back to normal. Then my clan went and got itself blown to bits and I was the only one with enough brains to try hiding. Now I'm just trying to make a living and have fun doing it."

Senu wanted to ask questions, but he had the distinct impression the kobold's answer would consist of little more than profanity. Terrance seemed to have reached the same conclusion. 

"So you're a delver now?"

"Close enough," Tracker said. "I like to explore, and I like making money, and I know how to survive on my own in the wilderness. The Dungeon thing is just sort of convenient. Well, except for working with other delvers. A real pack of assholes if you ask me."

Senu nudged Tracker. 

"Right. So anyway, I need a crew. You look like you'd be handy in a fight. You want to join?"

Terrance gave Senu a raised brow. "Look, I'll be honest, Tracker. If it was just you, I'd say no and never have a second thought. But Senu's been a good friend. You're really just doing this to get tuition money together?"

"I can't think of another way to get that much gold. Even this might not be enough."

Tracker was watching them with a curious expression but didn't say anything.

Terrance sighed. "OK. Fine. I'll do it, but I have some conditions."

Tracker seemed surprised but pleased. "Name 'em."

"First off, we need to find a fourth person. Preferably someone with some experience."

The kobold shrugged. "No one seems interested."

"All the same. We go with at least four, or we don't go at all."

"That seems fair," Senu said. "I would prefer a fourth as well, but I've tried everyone I know and haven't been able to dig up leads."

Terrance rubbed his chin. "I might try a few folks. But let's get through the rest of my conditions."

"Well, spit it out," Tracker urged.

"I have experience as a squad leader, and I think I have a good shot at keeping us alive. When it comes to fights, you let me take charge and you don't question my orders."

Tracker didn't seem to like that, but he grumbled out a "Fine. I'll do my best there. What else?"

"Senu handles divvying up all the loot when we're done."

Senu blinked. "What?"

"I want to make sure you get what you need. Plus, I trust you to do things fairly," Terrance explained. "Truth is, I could use some gold to put in a new irrigation system, and Ferro's been wanting to get a place of his own, and land isn't cheap in Vinyot. Some extra coin would be welcome."

Tracker shrugged. "Works for me. I trust Senu not to fuck me too hard."

His cheeks flushed at the obvious double entendre, but Terrance either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. 

"I guess that's it. Well, except that I need to have time to put my affairs in order. Ferro and Alessia will need to handle the farm, and the townsfolk will need to know I won't be doing patrols for a while."

"That makes sense. What do you think, Tracker? Can we afford a few days to let him take care of things?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. I can keep looking for someone to fill out the group while you do that."

Terrance nodded. "Good. Senu, why don't you handle getting together some basic supplies? Some rations, torches, bags for hauling and storing stuff, that kind of thing."

Senu nodded. "Right. And I'll keep an eye out for any more likely prospects."

"Good. Now, Tracker, there's one more thing."

"What?"

"If I hear you swear where my kids can hear again, I'm going to wash your mouth out with a bar of lye soap."

The kobold just stared at him, incredulous, for several long seconds. "Who the actual fu—"

Senu grabbed him and managed to get a paw around his snout. "That won't be a problem. Thanks, Terrance. I'll check in with you tomorrow."

The wolf nodded, and Senu began ushering the muttering Tracker back out to the road back to Shimmer Bay.