"Shhhh," Jakka shushed the older goblins. "Wait here. Me go sneaky-sneaky, and stab the elfs in the back with my dagger."
The others exchanged worried glances, but none said anything. This was Jakka's night to prove herself, and they weren't going to turn down the chance to hang back, in the shadows. They knew how dangerous elves could be, and facing danger was not what had made the Muckeaters what they were today.
Jakka crept through the mud on silent feet, creeping towards the elves camp on one of the few little lumps of dry earth in the swamp. She held her dagger low, and grinned with her fearsome teeth. She saw their shapes silhouetted against the light of their fire, and her eyes bulged. She felt her hands shaking in anticipation of the ambush, and she looked back to see the others skulking in the bushes behind her. She slunk closer.
snap A twig broke.
The elves turned, reaching for their weapons, their eyes scanning the shadows.
"BAD STICK!!! I KILL ALL ELFS!!!" Jakka howled, and dropped her dagger. She flung herself at the nearest elf, leapt into the air and sank her teeth into his throat, shaking her head and snarling like a wolf.
The other goblins were more afraid of the screaming Jakka than they were of the elves, but Chief Tunnelbrine had given them a job, and they were even more afraid of him. They rushed in, cursing the ill luck that had given them Jakka to test. To their surprise, Jakka had already killed one and was rushing headlong at another. She was bleeding from a few cuts, but in her fury, she seemed not to notice. The fight was over quickly, and the goblins were victorious.
The first touch of light in the east sent them hurrying towards their tunnels, but Jakka lagged behind, sulking and muttering to herself "Stupid stick make me look bad. Me good sneaky goblin. Me stab stupid elfs with my dagger. I go sneaky sneaky and stab the elfs in the back with my dagger."
The older goblins exchanged glances, wondering if Jakka had been to the same battle they had. She had proven herself, there was no doubt that the night had been a success, but how were they going to explain to the chief what had really happened when she was so insistent on her fantasy?
The answer was obvious, once they remembered what it meant to be a Muckeater.
"She went sneaky sneaky and stabbed the elfs in the back with her dagger," the oldest goblin lied, and Jakka grinned proudly. Chief Tunnelbrine himself smiled at her. As she listened to the story, it sounded almost like something that had happened to somebody else. She found that she couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but elfs were dead, and that was the important thing.
