But they clearly hadn't finished exploring the cave. Annan now had two choices:
Keep heading south through the tunnel and explore it to the end. For all he knew, it might run beneath the Northern Great Wall and into the Empire.
Or reveal himself, round up the Greyfur Rats, and interrogate them until they gave up their plot.
Annan chose both.
"Can you still fight?" he asked Black Pearl.
Annan had been secretly feeding her for the past two days. With plenty of food, her wounds had begun to scab over and heal.
They had grown closer, too. Annan wanted to lure Black Pearl back and make her his black dragon slave; Black Pearl thought, He's so good to me. He must have feelings for me.
"If I fight the Rat King again, I won't lose," Black Pearl blurted out, still remembering her defeat.
"Good. I'll leave those Greyfur Rats to you in a moment."
After a moment's thought, Annan opened a Portal and summoned Black Mole, entrusting him with the task of scouting the Mousehole.
"Leave it to me, Uncle Annan!"
Jerry had long wanted to do something for Uncle Annan. With his father gone, Uncle Annan was the only one he could rely on.
Eldest Sister doted on the children and often gave Cathy nice things. Cathy, a wealthy little lady herself, was a generous leader who was always handing out gifts to her followers. The Magic Ring on Jerry's now-plump paw said it all.
Annan gave Black Mole the Otherworld Leaf. He had only recently discovered that the Otherworld Tree could sense the location of whoever held it. Even if Black Mole wandered into territory crawling with Evil Fiends, Annan would still be able to locate him.
Watching round little Jerry, now as fat as a piglet,