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Minx had snuck her way into Homewood, at long last. She'd been surprised that it had been so easy. She'd been ever more surprised to see other rats seemingly buddying up with the Nouilcorns. She'd crept past whatever sort of celebration was happening, and into the denser woods. Now, she was wandering and snacking on lovely greenery here and there. Life here sure was lush. And a lot easier than the Ruins. Minx was pretty sure not a single catbeast called Homewood home. How nice would it be to just find a tree to curl up under and sleep, without a worry in the world! In truth, she was starting to feel rather jealous of the Noulicorns and the rats who did. She wondered what a rat had to do to get an invite to this plush lifestyle ... Probably make some sort of promise to someone important.

As Minx wandered further into Homewood, she stumbled upon a little grove. It was quite neat, and the plants seemed to grow in a purposeful manner. Near the back of the clearing there even seemed to be a little shelter. Carefully bent boughs sheltered a cozy place between trees. As far as Minx was concerned it looked like the perfect place to nap. She was sure whoever normally occupied it was busy with whatever celebration she'd slipped past on the way in.

Taking another look around, to make sure she was alone, Minx slipped into the shelter. Inside it was equally well organized. Dried plants, and some pretty stones all had clear places. As did a very interesting blue crystal ... It seemed to compel Minx to touch it. Hold it. Take it for her own. She reached towards it, and as soon as her little paw touched it the crystal lit with blinding light.

Everything stunk. Minx wrinkled her nose in disgust. Hadn't she just been in Homewood? In a nice snug little place? Her mind tried to grasp at what she'd been doing, but nothing stuck. How odd. Maybe she'd hit her head on something, and just not realized. Regardless, she certainly wasn't in Homewood now. She had to be in Blackbriar Bog. No where else she'd ever experienced smelled quite like it. Normally she avoided the place. It was dangerous, even for a rat. Lose track of where you were and you could be sucked under in an instant. Or attacked by a different colony. Or picked off by a cat beast. There were many fates for a Dire Rat, many of them unpleasant. So why had she come here?

Perhaps someone in the Ruins had told her about some tempting loot. That had been the case last time she'd braved this stinking heap. That tip had turned out to be nothing more than a moldering bone. Minx had chucked it back into the swamp where it belonged. Minx squinted through the murk. She swore the air was so thick with stink here it made it harder to see. Was there even anything out here that wasn't rotting? Then her keen eyes noticed something in the distance. Whatever it was, it was big. Big enough to be seen out here. Minx stood very still. What if whatever it was was alive? She almost held her breath. But whatever it was didn't move.

She squinted harder. Whatever that thing was, she was sure that was why she was here. Some rat must have tipped her off about whatever this ... thing was. Why else would she be in the bog? Minx carefully began to pick her way towards the mystery thing. Despite being light on her feet Minx knew it was of the utmost import to be careful out here, lest the bog suck her in. Minx didn't want to become one more set of rotting remains out here, adding to the stink. As she picked her way across little peat islands, avoiding the disgusting bubbling water, she pondered what the thing in the darkness could be. Minx hoped it wasn't just some stupid rotting stump. Or more useless bones. Perhaps it would be some leftover from the others. Something she could trade with other rats in the colony. Now that would be worth her while.

Slowly the shape resolved itself. It was rectangular. Light in colour. Metallic looking? Minx eased herself onto the closest peat island. She tip toed over to the thing stuck in the muck. It certainly wasn't a tree stump. Or bones. This was something from the others. It seemed to have a handle. Minx approached with a healthy mix of excitement and caution. Her little paws wrapped around the handle and she tried to pull it open. It wouldn't budget. She dug her feet in, and tried harder. Still nothing. Minx took a step back. This artifact could contain untold riches! She needed to get it open! But how ... Clearly she wasn't strong enough ... She'd need backup. Her mind drifted to who could possibly help her. Not another rat. They'd just want the loot for themselves ... Her mind settled on Homewood. A Noulicorn? Hmm ... Perhaps ...