Chapter 38 Pawprints on My Gross Goblin Heart

My knees trembled as I looked up at the towering Cat Boss, eyes wide, throat dry. I wrung my grubby fingers together like they might somehow shield me from the weight of the moment.

“I—I… I would need a plan. Rakrak—he’s not stupid. Cruel, yes… but not dumb. If I go back like this, empty-handed, he’ll know something’s wrong… He’ll—he’ll hurt me. Real bad. He’ll chain me up, beat me until I can't crawl, maybe toss me back into the pit… maybe worse.”

My voice cracked.

 “And… and my hatchlings… eeeep!” A squeak of pain slipped through my teeth.

 “He’ll take them. Use them to punish me. Or feed them to the hounds. He’s done it before. He will do it. I—I need something. Anything. A sign, a trick, a piece of bait. Something that makes him think I’ve done well. That I’m still his loyal little rat. Please. I just… I just want to make it back alive. With enough breath to whisper to the others. So they know hope is real.”

Lyn flashed her trademark mischievous grin, her tail flicking behind her as she suddenly joined the conversation.

 “What if… we play Rakrak’s game? You know, let’s pretend we’re on his side, giving him exactly what he wants—alliances, all that good stuff. I’ll go with Hermit to the breeding farm. I’ll pretend to be cat people sent messenger, all serious, and act like we’re super interested in talking about this big, happy alliance Rakrak’s offering.”

“Wait, you—you would go with me to that place? You’d pretend to work with him?”

Lyn didn’t hesitate, practically bouncing on her heels as she grinned wider.

 “Of course! I’m cute, I’m sneaky, and I’m definitely the last person Rakrak would expect to be strolling into his camp all sweet and friendly. He’ll never see it coming! You’ll be my big, tough, important goblin contact, and I’ll be the messenger. We’ll go in, pretend we’re down for an alliance, and give Dad time to gather his warriors. They won’t even know we’re just stalling.”

Cat Boss, who had been watching her with a stern gaze, let out a slow breath. 

“It’s risky, Lyn. I assume Rakrak isn’t a fool. He’ll see through a trick like that if we’re not careful.”

Lyn shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by the risk. 

“He might be a little clever, but he’s also got an ego the size of the forest. He’s not gonna think a thing about a sweet little messenger like me coming in to chat. We just go in, hear him out, maybe stay a day or two so that Hermit could pass the word and pretend we are going back with his demands and offers back to my people. Trust me, dad, we’ve got this.”

I looked torn, but my tired eyes glimmered with something that looked like hope. 

“But what if... what if things go wrong? What if Rakrak tries to... trap us?”

Lyn chuckled softly. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. We’ve got surprise on our side. They’ll be too busy thinking we’re there to ‘talk peace’ while you sneak around. You will pass the word to your fellow slaves that they don’t have to fight for Rakrak. We’ll get them to lay down their weapons and stop being pawns.”

My face lit up, a flicker of relief washing over me.

 “So, you think… this could work? You think I can save them?”

Lyn nodded firmly, her playful tone suddenly shifting to something more serious, more sincere.

 “Absolutely.”

Cat Boss, still standing with his arms crossed, let out a long sigh, but the expression on his face softened just a little. 

“I don’t like it. I don't. But you have a point. If it's just you and Hermit go in, then I don't see why he would harm you. But don't start the fight with him, just listen what he has to say, agree with his demands, and leave when you think is ready. If it buys us time, and if it means the goblins stop fighting for nothing... then we’ll do it. But you better be careful, Lyn. Don’t let your guard down.”

 “Got it, Dad! We’ll go in, have a little chat with Rakrak, pretend we’re all buddy-buddy, and buy you the time you need to prepare for the real fight.”

I looked both grateful and nervous, but there was a definite spark of determination in my eyes now.

 “Thank you. I’ll get the message to them. I’ll make sure no goblin will have to fight for Rakrak anymore.”

Lyn’s grin turned into a wide, triumphant smile. 

“That’s the spirit! Now, we just have to get Rakrak to think we’re on his side, and then we’ll have a party with the biggest surprise of his life!”

Cat Boss gave her a long, hard look before he sighed once more, shaking his head.

 “You two are both insane. But if this works… Just… don’t make me regret this.”

Lyn beamed up at him.

 “You won’t, I promise!”

Cat Boss stood still for a moment, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he thought over the plan.

 "Alright, but tell me this—how much time do we actually have? I need to assemble my warriors. Some are scattered around the forest, hunting, scouting, or handling other tasks. I can't just send my forces on a whim. I’ll need time to gather them all, to get them in position. If we strike too soon, if we rush into this, it could end up being a disaster."

Lyn’s playful demeanor softened for a moment, but she still didn’t hesitate.

 "We’ll need a couple of days to reach the place and another few to get back, I’d guess, to set up the meeting and get Rakrak to think we’re serious. We’ll buy you that much time."

Cat Boss took a deep breath, his expression hardening with the weight of the decision. 

"Alright, at least four days. You’ll have two days to get in, convince Rakrak, and return here before we make our move."

He looked between Lyn and me, his eyes filled with concern. 

"I’ll send word to my warriors to start assembling, but it’s going to take time. Be ready. If anything goes wrong, we’ll need to move fast."

Lyn gave a sly smile, her usual lighthearted tone slipping back into place. 

"Don’t worry, Dad. We’ve got this! Just give us our time, and Rakrak won’t know what hit him."

"I... I’ve got time. I... until the full moon. That’s still plenty of time. Time to think. Time to prepare."

I glanced briefly at Lyn, then back to Cat Boss, my eyes filled with both gratitude and the weight of the task ahead. 

"I’ll do what I can to make this work. But I’ll need all the time I can get to plan and make sure Rakrak believes me. He’s clever... and I don’t want to fail. I can’t."

With that, Lyn gave Hermit a playful shove, her tail swishing behind her as she headed toward the door.

 “Come on, green bean. Let’s go trick some goblins. It’ll be fun!”

As we left the room, my mind swirled with a mixture of fear, hope, and a tiny bit of excitement. This was a plan, a risky one, but it was the first one that actually made me feel like maybe—just maybe—we could do something about Rakrak.

The heavy wooden door of Cat Boss’s chamber creaked shut behind us with a satisfying thunk. I still looked like a damp leaf clinging to the edge of a storm drain — hunched, twitchy, and completely out of place in the grand, fur-lined hallway of the feline village.

Lyn, however, was practically glowing.

“Well! That went way better than I thought. You didn’t cry or throw up on my dad’s shoes — I’m honestly impressed.”

I tugged my ragged skin tighter and glanced away, cheeks flushed a deep, mossy green. 

“I… I thought about it. Throwing up, I mean.”

“I know,” Lyn laughed, walking backwards in front of me, arms swinging freely as her long tail curled in amusement. 

“Your face was doing that twitchy thing. You always look like you’re either about to bolt or sob into the floorboards.”

I gave a tiny shrug, eyes flicking to her for a split second before darting away again. 

“I-I usually just sob into mud.”

“Oh, mud sobbing,” she gasped, clutching her chest. 

“A true goblin tradition. Come on, sad boy, let me give you the grand tour of my glorious cat village. You’ve earned it.”

She didn’t wait for my response — just grabbed my gnarled goblin hand with her soft, furred one and dragged me down the path, chattering all the way.

The village, sun-dappled and charmingly chaotic, buzzed with the easy life of cat folk. Stone-and-wood homes with moss-covered roofs curved around the central fire pits. Leather workers stretched hides in the sun, humming tunes while cubs darted between their legs. Blacksmiths banged metal, sparks flying. One shouted, “Lyn! Who’s the lil’ swamp boi?” and she only waved, grinning.

“This is my disgusting new boyfriend!” she shouted back.

I squeaked.

 “Wha—?! I—?! I-I’m not—?!”

“Yet,” Lyn winked, tossing her hair like a victorious bard.

“I-I don’t think anyone’s ever… said that before,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck, thoroughly pinkish-green in the face.

We passed a bakery, the scent of smoked fish pies and roasted root vegetables making my stomach audibly howl. Lyn heard it and smirked, tossing me a crumbly meat roll she snatched off a windowsill.

“Don’t say I never spoil you.”

I took it like it was the crown of a forest king.

 “You… you’re really nice,” I said quietly.

She slowed a bit, glancing sideways at me.

 “I’m not always nice. But I’m nice to you ‘cause you don’t seem to be like any other goblin I met.”