“My name’s Dult, this is Sergeant Hoar. We’re two of the Redwatch’s finest.” Dult beamed with conviction. It did not occur to him that so few of Radasanth’s citiezens knew about the small folk, never mind its representation in the City Watch.

“The…Redwatch?” Curiosity overruled the youth’s desire to not get involved.

“Oh, errr, sorry sir. We’re a part of the City Watch. Lots of small animals trying to do good throughout the city.”

“There are…more of you?”

“Hundreds,” Hoar smirked. “Under the floorboards.”

Dult swatted his companion’s shoulder, despite the fact that it was true. They had taken extensive professional development training days about how to handle informing the public about their kind. He tried very hard to not perpetuate the purview that, as a mouse, he was solely restricted to front door’s in skirting boards and consumption of cheese.

“So why are you down on the docks when the city’s teeming with…thespians.”

Dult chuckled.

“We like to eat lunch before going on shift, watching the ships come in with trouble and such.” It might have come across as rude if he said they wanted to avoid the noise. “What about you, sir?” He folded his arms across his chest and twitched his tail. His civic duty unbridled.

Behind them, seagulls cawed and spiralled over the remnants of the morning spawning. Tuna corpses bobbed to and fro on the churn, adding a portentous odour to the distant backdrop of revelry.