Mouth of the Mint River
Just below the bridge at the eastern edge of town, the Mint River flows into the swamp. This is the industrial area of town, with the tannery nearby and the sewer outlets as well.

On the muddy bank of the river, Emmett Oggton swaggers back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back. The gait is especially odd looking on a short-legged otter. "Okay Tadpoles," he says, glancing at Nene, Bebe and Gunther, "you've been asking for something challenging. So your mission will be just that! You are to procure some of Isolde's special bowel-cleansing potion, and sneak it into the order of cheese that Djivan the Gypsy buys today. Are there any questions?"

"You want us to steal from a witch?" Gunther has to ask. "Wouldn't she turn us into real tadpoles? And why Djivan? Did he beat you at cards again?" Gunther asks with a grin.

"Did I say steal?" Emmett barks. "No! I said procure! There's a big difference! As for why Djivan; because he's a challenge. He expects to be pranked, after all. And don't worry, I'll be there to sell him an antidote if you succeed."

"Mmmm hmm," Gunther says with a knowing grin. "So … did a certain Eeee put you up to this? I heard you were now spending time with the winged weirdos… "

Emmett chuffs. "Nobody needs to put me up to stuff, Gunther Kettenrad," the Scout Master claims. "Now will you all accept this mission, or is it too hard for you?"

Nene and Bebe huddle with Gunther. "I have a plan!" Nene whispers, her whiskers tickling Gunther's nose.

"Of course we'll take it. I'm just nosy," Gunther points out as his tail flicks with amusement. "I'll just consult with the team." Now rubbing his nose, he asks, "So, what do you have in mind, Nene?"

"You're a Kadie, so you can hide stuff in your cheeks," Nene explains. "So we stash a little bottle in there. Then you go to the Gnarly Tree and say your butt is clogged up. When the witch gives you a dose of the potion, just use your magic tongue to splash it into the bottle!"

Gunther … nearly goes cross-eyed at that. "That's, that's … silly. And what happens if I swallowed any? Eeef," the Kadie comments. "Who will comfort me through that?"

"Did you have a big breakfast or something?" Bebe asks. "We can practice first," Nene claims.

"I did eat, yes," Gunther notes, crossing his arms. "And okay, we can practice first."

"We'll do it!" Nene barks to Emmett.

"Okay then! Remember, if you are caught, then Liliana put you up to this," the older otter says.

"She's missing, though," Gunther points out.

"Well, then she can't be retaliated against, so it's win-win!" Emmett notes, then purses his lips. "I'm sure I didn't give her amnesia or anything," he mumbles…

Gunther hrms. He actually walks over to Emmett and goes up on his toe tips. The Kadie is peering directly at the Otter's neck.

It's impossible to see the skin through the dense Akwavi fur, but Emmett notices the attempt and asks, "What are you doing, Gunther?"

"Looking for bite marks," Gunther explains. "I've eliminated Olivia as a suspect in Lili's disappearance and she said you were with her last… "

"Well, yeah, so what?" Emmett asks. "Of course she bit me! She's a vampire bat you know."

"How drunk were you?" Gunther asks next.

"Well, she didn't drink all of me, obviously!" Emmett replies with a grin.

"No, no. How much booze had you consumed?" Gunther clarifies.

"Ah! No more than… uh… " the otter says, and starts counting on his webbed fingers. "The bottles weren't all the same size, so I can't rightly say. But not enough to give me any problems, no sirree! And I had to stock up in anticipation of losing some fluids… "

"And when you left her, she was still alive, yes? Did you make plans to see her again?" Gunther questions as he peers at Emmett.

"Oh… well, I'm pretty sure she was gone when I came 'round again," Emmett says, rubbing an ear. "Couldn't walk for a bit, so… she could have left any time."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose I won't consider you a killer … yet! But I'll be watching!" Gunther notes, then grins. "Now, time to have some fun with the girls." He spins around and walks back to the twins. He puts an arm around each, then says, "Let's go practice for a bit, then … off to the witches!"

"Okay!" Bebe says, and fetches a vial of… something… from her Otter Scout Futility Belt. "We can use this!"

"What is that?" Gunther asks as he takes the bottle, unstoppers it, and sniffs.

"Fish oil of course," Bebe notes. "It's good for loosening stuff and stopping squeaks!"

Gunther's nose crinkles at the smell. "You want me to put this in my mouth and get it back into the bottle?" he asks.

"No, of course not," Bebe says, and pulls the cork on the vial. She then pours the oil out. "Here, you can put this in your cheek and practice putting the cork in with your tongue!"

Gunther takes Bebe's entire hand into his mouth. While his ears waggle, he pulls the vial from her fingers with his tongue and tucks it into his cheek (Which feels rather funky against her finger-webbing). When he does finally let go, he holds out his hand for the cork.

"That was warm!" Bebe says, and hands over the cork. "Wished I'd washed my hands first now though… "

"Right, you guys do your stuff!" Emmett declares, and then jumps into the river to swim out to the swamp.

"I won't ask what you were handling," Gunther notes. He tosses the cork up into the air and catches it in his mouth. "Hm. If this turns out to be easy, I should try to make it harder by one of you holding the vial in your mouth and having me try to cork it," the Kadie muses. And with a wave of his hands, he starts trying to cork the bottle. It apparently involves making a lot of funny faces.

"Try to look like you just tasted something nasty," Nene offers encouragingly.

That doesn't take much encouragement. The fish oil remains do taste nasty. Looking rather ill after about three minutes, Gunther spits the corked bottle back out and says one word: "Bleh."

"Okay, ready to try with some liquid now?" Nene asks, holding up a full vial of oil and waggling it between her fingers.

Gunther's ears wilt, but being a Kadie powerless in the face of cute otters, he says the only thing possible; "Okay."

"Don't worry, we'll make it fun!" Nene claims. She wipes off and uncorks the empty vial, handing it back to Gunther (along with the cork). "Tell me when you're ready!"

Gunther tucks the bottle in one cheek and the cork in the other. After swallowing several times and trying to remind himself to not get ill from fish oil, he lets out a long breath. "Okay, I'm ready," he says, then opens his mouth for the otter to dump the vile stuff in.

Nene pops the cork on her own vial, pours it into her own mouth, and then locks lips with the Kadie to pour the oil into his mouth. Maybe she learned the trick from Parsley Chalk…

"That's not how the witches do it!" Bebe complains.

Much like his brother, Gunther's tail sticks straight back and puffs out! He might actually enjoy it, except for the slimy, oily, fish oil now oozing into his mouth. Visibly twitching as he tries to fight back an extreme gag reflex … the ill-looking Kadie goes about trying to gather in some of the oil into the bottle, then force the cork on. This is not easy while snogging an otter and dealing with a very slick liquid. At one point he's so wobbly from the nausea, he grabs onto Nene for support. It's about five minutes before Nene actually feels Gunther place the corked vial back into her mouth and releasing her. He takes in a few deep breaths, then coughs!" Looking practically green, he says, "Guh, I swallowed some of it!"

Nene spits out the bottle, and checks it. It's maybe half full, which isn't too bad. "We should try again!" she declares, and empties out the vial.

Gunther shudders. "Do we have to?" he asks weakly.

"Let me try this time," Bebe says, and produces a wooden spoon from her kit. "I think the witches use spoons anyway."

Nene helpfully hands Gunther some mint leaves from the river bank. "Here! Chew on these for a bit first."

"I think I prefer Nene's delivery method," Gunther wheezes, but sadly, he takes the emptied bottle back from Nene then chews on the mint for a bit.

Once he's ready, Bebe pours a spoonful of fresh oil, and says, "Open wide now! Good boys get zerberts if they take their medicine!"

That earns Bebe an odd look, but after the bottle and cork are tucked away, Gunther opens wide and closes his eyes. Maybe if he doesn't see it coming it won't be as gross.

GLOOP It's just as gross, but at least the spoon makes it a little easier to manage.

The completely nauseated Kadie takes about three minutes to get some of the liquid into the vial and cork it. So, yes, the delivery method makes it a little easier. He falls down to his hands and knees, then spits out the corked vial. Groaning, he rolls onto his side and twitches.

"Hmmm, it's taking some time," Nene notes, picking up the vial. "He got more of it though!"

"Well, that's something," Bebe admits. "And he does look sorta sick now too. Enough to fool a witch, maybe! Let's carry him to their tree."

"Please tell me you don't drink that stuff for fun," Gunther whines.

"No, for energy!" Nene says, hoisting up the Kadie by getting her hands under his shoulders.

"And to freshen our breath, too," Bebe says, her whisker's twitching.

"It's not a scout requirement, is it?" Gunther asks. At the comment about freshening their breaths … he looks even more ill. "Maybe I should reconsider… " he mutters.

"What, drinking it?" Nene asks. "Of course not. We use it for oiling stuff and setting fires."

"At least the first test was fun," Gunther admits to Nene. Wobbly, he tries to walk along to the Witch's house.

---

The Gnarly Tree
Climbing halfway to the top of Witches' Rock, the Gnarly Tree dwarfs even the oversized trees used by Kadies. The tree trunk-thick roots are twisted and knotted, and the multiple trunks bulge out oddly in places – some of the bulges even sporting windows. Beneath the shade of its canopy, an oddly shaped log cabin sits, its angles skewed to conform to the wandering roots it hugs. A clearing surrounds the tree and Rock, with several fenced off herb and vegetable gardens filling most of the open space. To the east, the bulk of the Gnarly Woods looms darkly, contrasting with the calm tinkling of the numerous wind-chimes hanging from the twisted limbs of the tree.

In an unusual display of obviousness, Gunther staggers up to the door of the witches' cabin. Before he knocks, he just rests his head against the nearby wall. After suppressing a few heaves, the Kadie raps his knuckles on the door loudly.

"You're not hiding, Gunther," says a familiar voice from above. Morgan, the witch apprentice, leans out his window with an embroidery circle in his hand. "I take it something has gone wrong?"

"Otters. Fish. Stomach. Butt," Gunther groans loudly in an attempt to explain his discomfort.

"Had a bad meal by the otters, did you? The Swampwater Shimmy? Well, come on in and I'll get the Castor oil," the witch says, before tsking as he vanishes from the window. Moments later the door unlocks, and the witch (in what appears to be a summer dress) gestures the other Kadie inside.

One look at that dress and Gunther has to suppress another heave by cupping his hands over his mouth. The insides of his ears look a bit green up close, too. "No more oil. Enough oil. Too much oil," the Kadie complains through his hands as he staggers in.

"Well, there's always the enema approach, I suppose," the witch offers as he guides the younger squirrel on inside. "You're familiar with how that works, aren't you, as an … what's the word … engineer? Water pressure and, well, think of a blocked dam, or drain." Trying not to smile, Morgan then calls out, "Mom! Gunther is sick again – we're blaming the otters this time!"

At the comment of an enema, Gunther' waves his hands wildly. "No, no, okay, a bit more oil," the Kadie grouses. "Just tell me where the bathroom is first."

"Who was it last time?" Isolde calls back from somewhere in the labyrinthine house. "Hordes poisoning the wells?"

Morgan just shakes his head, and gestures down a hall. "The patient bathroom is right down there, you should know that by now, Gunther," he answers. Yelling back, Morgan tells his mother, "Also otters! Before that, his fault, and before that I think it was Zahnrad!"

"Ask him how he slept last night, and if he has any memory loss," Isolde calls back. Maybe she's in the kitchen.

Up close, Morgan can definitely smell fish on Gunther. When he finally pulls away, Gunther staggers over to one of the fluffy chairs and falls over one of the arm rests. "I want to die," he moans.

Walking over to Gunther, Morgan leans over and asks, "Did you sleep well last night, and how's your memory? Oh, and no one dies in this house if we can help it, so you'll just have to keep on living a while longer."

"If he survives he can have a fresh muffin," the senior witch calls.

"A bran muffin," Morgan calls back to his mother.

"You enjoy torturing people, don't you?" Gunther complains, then unleashes a fishy burp in Morgan's face. "Bet it was you who took the bat," he continues. "Slept fine last night, memory is perfect."

The junior witch wrinkles his nose at the burp, but shakes his head. "Oh, you torture yourself Gunther. We just enjoy helping people," he insists. Then he raises a brow and asks, "Took the bat? Do you mean Lili? Are you sure your memory is fine?"

"Olivia didn't. She survived the chair and swore she didn't," Gunther mumbles, "And Emmett claims he was too drunk. Airtight alibi for him. So, that leaves you," the Kadie claims and weakly points a finger at Morgan. "The bat is missing and you're the next suspect!"

"Does he want a spoonful of jam to help the oil go down?" Isolde calls from the kitchen.

"No, he's full of enough muck as it is," Morgan calls back. To Gunther, he asks, "Are you sure Lili simply isn't out eating, on a trip, or busy? She is a gypsy, and a free spirit. Not all who wander are lost, Gunther."

Gunther shakes his head. "Olivia is worried, so is the gypsy leader. She isn't gone this long, ever," the Kadie says right before another round of heaving. "Missed … dance practice, even," he adds once his stomach settles.

"Hmm, that is worrisome. I'll look into it," the witch promises. "But for now, concern yourself with getting better, as I will with seeing that comes to pass. When you're recovering, I'll see to Lili."

Gunther raises a finger as if about to say something … then deflates. "Okay. Just … get me the oil and I'll go … literally," the Kadie whimpers.

"That I can do," says the witch. He straightens, then dusts off his dress as he walks over to a cabinet and removes a brown glass bottle. The contents he pours into a cup, then this he offers to Gunther. Thinking a moment, he also reaches into another cupboard and retrieves a book – this he also offers Gunther. "It's about gardening, but you might find it more interesting than staring at your feet for a few hours," he explains.

Gunther takes the cup and dumps a portion of the nasty-tasting liquid into his mouth. Ears now quirking as if he's deciding to swallow, he takes the book. Slowly, he leafs through it, looking more and more … bored. After a few minutes it seems the Kadie finally decides to swallow and goes "BLEH! Don't you have any books on interrogation?"

"No, but perhaps you'd prefer sewing? I have a catalog of dolls from Justininople, as well," offers the witch, smiling. He then pats the younger Kadie's shoulder gently, and says, "You'd best go, or you'll be running soon."

"Right!" Gunther admits, then wobbles off down the hall to visit the patients restroom. "The things I do for people," he thinks, feeling more and more annoyed by the minute.

"Muffins are ready!" Isolde calls. "I put swampberry jam into the centers too. Jammy muffins make everything better."

"Mother, I'm going out now. Keep an eye on Gunther, you know how he is," the younger witch says. Then, grabbing his traveling cloak, Morgan hurries out the door!