I got really bored yesterday and ended up writing a one-chapter fanfic about Perkinson. soo...

“That had to have been the easiest mission of my life.” Jo Shanks said, laughing and leaning against his sword. He glanced around at his companions faces and saw that they agreed, I mean, who wouldn’t?

“Don’t you think it was a little close though? We’d have been dead if the Mystery Buck hadn’t shot the wolves down first.” Picket replied, looking at the ground as if grass stems were more interesting than his friends.

“It could have been anyone.” Heyward muttered, letting his hands fall to his sides. “It could have been anyone.”

“True, but Picket saw our hooded figure. It was a buck our age.” Jo muttered, only thinking about what Captain Helmer would do. “The wasp stings.”

“What wasp?” Heyward asked, looking around for any buzzing insects.

“This Wasp.” Helmer walked from the brambly tunnel next to a tall buck with searching eyes and bright fur.

“And the spider.” Heyward whispered under his breath. In the Fowlers, it had long since been tradition for each member to get an insect nickname. Jo smiled. I’m the grasshopper.

“This is Perkinson. You owe him your life.” Helmer said, slowly. Perkinson was a small bit shorter than Jo, with bright green/blue eyes and tan fur withy reddish markings, he held himself like a warrior, and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.

“Like I said, this is Perkinson, son of Lord Captain Perkin, and he is the fourth member of our team. He has strength and skill, as he proved when the wolves attacked you three.”

“We were saved by a Lord Captain’s son?” Jo asked, surprised- A Lord Captain’s son, their age?

“You shouldn’t have to be saved by anyone’s son.” Helmer replied, a somber look in his eyes. Jo felt nervous- did Helmer like Perkinson better than them?

Perkinson smiled, his eyes gleaming kindly, and his ears flopped down.

Perkinson smirked, then started to laugh, and Picket Joined in, then Heyward, then Jo.

“I’m Picket.” His friend managed to say through submerged laughter. “And these are Heyward and Jo.”

“Picket Longstrider, right?” Jo asked, winking.

“I wish,” Then, turning to Perkinson, “You do like to read books, right?”

Perkinson was laughing at Jo’s joke. “Strider, oh that’s a good one, Pippin.”

“How’d you know?” Jo asked, indignantly, “My secret identity has been revealed. Anyways, now I want second breakfast, uhh… Perkinson?”

Perkinson laughed. “Perk’s fine.”

The four bucks laughed Joyfully, while Helmer rolled his eyes.

Perkinson had been a Fowler for four months with no word from anyone in Terralain. He was going to be in so much trouble if Bleston found out he’d joined their sworn enemies.

He bustled through the halls of Halfwind with three heavy pumpkins in his arms, their spiky leaves making his face itch as well as the rest of him, thanks to Picket who had conveniently shoved him into the pumpkin patch.

Unfortunately, Perkinson wasn’t watching where he was going at all, so he didn’t see the floor that tripped him. That is, until it tripped him. Perk went flying across the hall, orange pumpkin smashing him and staining his clean Halfwind tunic.

And that’s when he saw the silver stars.

Perkinson dashed through the halls, his head spinning with empty promises, with betrayal, they’d trusted him, cared for him, why was he doing this? So Bleston doesn’t kill them. He reminded himself. I’m saving their lives, doing the right thing. But inside he knew the right thing was to tell them, yet he didn’t. instead, he had killed lord Ramnor.

Perk saw his father’s face; heard the words he knew were coming. “How could you, Perk? They trusted you, and you let them down.” Sorrow filled him, but hadn’t one rabbit said he could mend? Who was it?

Perk rushed on in his own tearful trance, oblivious to the sorrow around him, oblivious to the after-battle work, only aware of his own treachery that burned him, set him on fire and he couldn’t escape it. Perkinson had no idea where he was going, but he sped on, letting his feet lead him away from all the silver stars and their lies. Away from his betrayal.

Perkinson opened a heavy oak door and threw himself inside, attempting to lock himself in but there was no lock. He sunk to the floor and cried.

After a while, Perkinson noticed where he was. It was a large room, filled with benches like a meeting hall. And then Perk noticed he wasn’t alone. A young buck with silver black fur and hazel and silver markings was sitting in a corner. His bright golden eyes were watching Perkinson.

“Come.” He said, standing. The buck was a little younger than Perk, he was maybe twelve or thirteen, and tall for his age with a patched Halfwind uniform, a long grey cloak that dragged on the floor, an empty quiver, and a sword strapped at his side.

Perkinson slowly got up and walked toward the buck.

“My name’s Adjourn, but I go by Just.” The stranger said, smiling.

“I’m Perkinson but I go by Perk.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Why are you back here?” Perk asked.

“The quiet gives me time to pray to the Maker. I come here every day.” Adjourn said, slowly. “And you?”

“Well… I came here to escape… to try and escape my own feelings.” Perk spoke, realizing that must sound selfish, but the stranger smiled.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I just… better go.”

“Alright. I’m praying for you, Perkinson.” Adjourn said as Perk opened the door and walked out. Somehow knowing that someone was praying for him made Perkinson feel less alone.

He decided to pray to the Maker as well, wondering what he should do. It made him feel much better, even hopeful again.

Perkinson couldn’t believe he was actually going through with this. He stood on the edge of a cliff, betraying his friends, and watching everyone he knew die. But he felt no regret, Tameth had said he would do fine and that’s what mattered.

He saw Adjourn, the quiet young buck from Halfwind, and Emma’s faces, read what they thought. He saw Lord Rake dead, saw the Captain of Cloud Mountain fall with his leader, saw Pacer in his mind, and now all he saw was Picket.

And for some inexplicable reason he was mad at his best friend, and he had attacked him. And now here Perkinson stood, a centimeter from plummeting over the edge and falling to his death. Perk was too furious to care, he struck out once more, but Picket kicked him, and Perkinson fell.

In that moment his senses returned. He knew Tameth had done something to him, and grief and sadness were all Perk knew. He was a traitor worse than Garten, what was he thinking? He wasn’t thinking.

Perkinson closed his eyes for the rest of the fall downwards, praying to the Maker to please forgive him, even though Perk new it was too late.

Perkinson hit his head on the rock below him, and everything faded into blackness.

“Why did he do that?” Jo asked. Tears streamed down his face. “Why?”

Picket looked down, as if he too were burdened by some great bag. “I don’t know.”

Cole’s eyes were closed too, he was crying a little.

“Maybe if I hadn’t killed him…” Picket trailed off, and Jo knew what his friend was thinking, their had to be more to this story than what was at the surface.

“If it was Tameth Seer he’s gonna find an arrow in his bedpost.” Jo muttered.

“How do you know where his bedpost is?” Cole asked, then sighed. “But I get your point- if he tricked Perk into doing all that… well… he’s gonna get more than an arrow, he’s gonna get the whole rath of Kingston rained on him.”

“Guys, that’s not going to work.” Picket muttered, frowning.

“I miss him already.” Jo whispered. He looked down at his arm and thought about his friend. “I miss laughing and eating Helmer’s Christmas Candy and burying the wolf model with the carved everything that got sliced in two so Helmer wouldn’t yell at us, and I miss everything.” Tears fell from his eyes like a rainstorm and this time no one made any jokes about it.

“I forgive him.” Cole whispered.

“How?” Picket asked.

“Well I met a young rabbit named Adjourn who taught me that if you don’t forgive someone, it can be bad, and I just think that I should forgive Perk, because after all he did he was still our friend and the Maker still made him.”

“I second the motion.” Jo sniffed, drying his eyes.

“I third it.” Picket muttered. “I just wish I would have spared him.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Jo said absently.

Years Later

“And I’m sorry.” Perkinson said, everything spilling out at his three shocked friends.

“We already forgave you, Perk, a long time ago.” Picket said, Laughing. The four Fowlers burst into uncontrolled laughter, “Your gonna have to tell us about roaming the forest with the Outlaws.”

“Well they’re not really outlaws, they called themselves… what was it… ummm… Cloud Defenders… they were part of the Forest Guard…”

The four Fowlers joked and laughed again, happy that all was well.

-Fleck the rambler