Lost Cause

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Each step was made with hesitance, but he was fairly certain that this path was the safest. The only problem was that it was a guaranteed safety. His eyes darted about to and fro with a growing sense of dread and anxiety. He was alone, out in the open, in the place he'd last seen Voix. For all he knew the damned Zoroark lived here and yet he was coming back. It made his skin crawl and fur stand. He honestly looked adorably fluffy more so than terrifying. He swallowed his fears as he stepped along, uncertainty kept him from making much progress.

He came with the intent of collecting some items, a sack strapped around his side. The light crystal blue necklace dangled from his neck as he walked on all four legs. It was much more comfortable this way. It kept his stomach less exposed, far easier to run from danger as well. Zadira needed more items though. Not only for his own protection, but to hopefully sell them to the local merchant back at Grassveil, maybe an explorer or two. The debt he needed to pay was big and the lawyer made it perfectly clear what would happen if he couldn't keep on his payments.

It was understandable, considering the pachirisu saved what was essentially the rest of his life, but the lawyer's expectations were brutal. He could either pay up or he was going right back to where he was found.

What Maxie apologized for wasn't exactly clear. Not to Roi and most certainly not to Zadira considering he was in a far different place at that moment. The mushroom capped roo assumed it to be for the lack of bringing up the spurn orb sooner. He returned to Maxie's side, but remained standing. All of what happened was hardly a work-out for the likes of him, which meant he was a little disappointed when Maxie looked so worn.

"You sure you don't want to pinch me or something to be sure?" he asked. While it intended to be a light-hearted jab, there was a sincerity to it. He offered his arm out for the mawile. He didn't quite know if he would or wouldn't be offended if she did, but quite frankly he was tired of having to deal with this.

Whether she did or not, he went right back into business. He spoke a little louder, with confidence and authority, effectively deciding he was in charge again, "If we're going to be settling down for a while, we're going to want to move at least a little bit. We created a lot of noise with that mess and I wouldn't doubt if the dusknoir up the slope wants round two. It would also be better if we found someplace better suited for hiding and farther away from the edge of a cliff in case there is another spat."

He looked to Mocha and Zadira. He wasn't sure if he should even attempt to talk to the two considering their earlier reactions to him, but he decided to give another shot at trying to patch things up. As much as he wanted to make an irritated comment about Zadira's cry-baby attitude, he kept his mouth shut about it. He approached the two, but made sure to keep his distance-both for their comfort and his safety. The last thing everyone needed was Zadira lashing out and hurting Mocha further. "What do you two say? Is there anything I can do to prove I'm me to you or is everything all good?"

Zadira's response was to shrink into Caritas's hug like a small child hiding from the boogeyman. It wasn't actually Caritas, but at this point his head wasn't exactly in the right place. Everything was so scattered and strained yet still recognizable at the same time. He was confused and all he knew was that he didn't want to be here. He was still convinced that this "Roi" was Voix, seeing as all the information that this breloom had could have been easily obtained by Voix. He didn't know what he could request of the breloom to prove himself-bar letting him attack him.

Really attack him.

Voix could keep up illusions through his weak simple attacks, a trained concentration that he helped him form in the earlier days. Even then, it was entirely possible that Voix prepared for this. He could make the illusion look like he'd attacked him when he'd really attacked air-just like when he'd attacked "himself." There was no winnng.

Mocha: [Energy: 2 + 1 (Page) = 3]
Maxie: [Energy: 2 + 1 (Page) = 3]
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At the offer to pinch him to confirm he was really real, Maxie’s horns began to shift towards the breloom’s offered arm, only to stop as suddenly as they had started. ”Nah. I’m pretty sure you’re real…” After Roi turned his attention to the group, clearly assume the role of leader again, she whispered under her breath, ”I’m just not sure you’re right.”

Mocha only glanced at Roi when he asked if he could do anything to prove he was real, her expression skeptical. If Zadira wasn’t sure, she wasn’t. He seemed to have a greater understanding of the threat he perceived, and she trusted him.

Maxie watched Mocha and Zadira’s reactions to Roi, and she suddenly began to realise just how badly their experience had affected them. Just how long had the fight been going before they showed up? What exactly happened?

”Roi,” Maxie kept her voice quiet—not because she wanted to exclude the other two from the conversation, per se, but because it felt strange to openly talk about the two in front of them. ”I’m not sure we fully realise just how shaken they are. I don’t think Mocha even knew what a zoroark was before this, let alone what they’re capable of. And Zadira… Has he ever mentioned dealing with one before? He almost seems intimately familiar—in a real bad way.”

”Imagine suddenly realising that you can’t trust your senses. What you see may not be real, and there’s no way to tell without taking a risk—and you have no idea how big that risk may be.”

The roo was met with silence. Great. He was thoroughly annoyed, but fortunately Maxie came in for the save before his thoughts could get too out of control. It was difficult to remember that they didn't have the same advantage he did. It just felt so natural to him with how often he abused it. He gave a thoughtful hum in response to her as he considered what she said. While he didn't particularly imagine it, it reminded him that he didn't quite need to.

It did seem like Zadira was awfully familiar with Zoroark. Maxie had that much going for her. The breloom lowered his head to Zadira's eye level to observe the ferret, all the while he took on a faint lavender light that seemed to have a much stronger saturation than it did when he focused on the Zoroark. The breloom's tail raised up slightly to level him out as he focused on Zadira.

The zangoose didn't know what was happening, but fortunately this particular "attack" wasn't an offensive one. He didn't feel anything. He could hear what the others spoke on about, but he couldn't trust any of it. Not with how talented Voix was. He just had to sit here and wait for Caritas to get killed all over again didn't he? Unpleasant imagery taunted him, but he was too tired to cry.

Roi's eyes widened as he focused on Zadira, a shock that outmatched any look he made prior. He slowly rose back upright, merely staring at the cowered cat as his mind tried to piece together all that he'd just read. The breloom glanced over to Mocha after thoroughly invading Zadira's private mental bubble. "Uh..." was all he could say, a little dumbfounded, "That's uh...huh." His head lowered so that his leg could give it another scratch. The foot returned to the ground with a much slower and lighter step. He needed a moment to consider what he'd just learned, but eventually he gathered his thoughts enough to speak.

"Heeee iiiis....family-familiar with one-the target i'm after in fact...annnnd it seems to have tricked him into thinking Caritas, Voler, Couper, and I are all dead...and that he went to prison...?" The breloom's face contorted with confusion. None of this made any sense. Zoroark couldn't accelerate a pokemon's sense of time, "He was sound asleep in Caritas's house this morning I saw him-how could any of that be there?" he mumbled to himself.

He shook his head, "No. Nope. Nuh-uh. None of that's right. There's something really wrong in his head. That's not even psychosis." he looked over to Maxie, "New plan, I go back with you two and take him straight to the psychiatric. Something messed with his head, big time."

Mocha: [Energy: 3]
Maxie: [Energy: 3]
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Ah, there it was. There was that anger she had briefly considered searching for many moments back. As it turned out, she didn’t have to search for it. It found her, in the form of Roi. He was wrong. He was so very wrong. It was as if he refused to accept any potential explanation that didn’t end with “Zadira was crazy.” Zadira had problems, yes, she wasn't blind to that fact. Of course he had problems—no normal Pokemon could ever go through what he had and come out unscathed.

Yes, she had only met him today, only known him for a few hours, tops. But she knew he was telling the truth. She knew Roi was wrong. And she was going to make sure he knew that. She broke the hug—it felt as though the action itself hurt, more than the actual pain from the movement. She briefly struggled as she got up onto her hind paws—the task made slightly more difficult by the fact that she never let go of Zadira’s paw. They were each other’s ground to reality, and she refused to lose that.

”NO!” The change in volume from her whispering a moment ago to her shouting now surprised even herself. After a brief second of shock, she collected herself and continued, just a notch quieter. ”No, stop it! Stop saying he’s crazy! He’s not! Her claws suddenly sprung up from her free paw, but she didn’t attempt to strike with it—it seemed to be a reflex. She pointed at Roi accusatively with it instead. ”You’re behind, Roi! A year behind! The zoroark didn’t do this to him, something did this to you!”

She didn’t really have an explanation for what was happening with Roi, but she was certain the problem did not lie with Zadira. ”I’m not leaving him,” she finally added, before shakily dropping to her knees and wrapping Zadira back into a hug, as if she were afraid someone was going to try to pull them apart.

Maxie was stunned. She had never seen Mocha mope about for long, like she had been doing here, and she had never seen her get so angry and defensive. She had to admit, though, the zangoose did bring up a possible explanation for the time discrepancies between Roi and the rest of the group—Zadira’s claims and her own mission document. It was, however, a pretty far-fetched idea. But the world was strange—it wasn’t an impossible idea, she supposed.

She remained quiet as she tried to think of any legends or stories related to the subject that she had heard or read about.

It would have been natural to be shocked by the sudden outburst from Mocha. Roi, however, found himself...irritated. He was the one that could read minds here. If anyone could figure out whether someone was crazy or not, it was him. His final conclusion just then wasn't even that Zadira was crazy, but that something messed with his head-like a perhaps a beheeyem or something.

The frills around the breloom's neck flared out, "I'm not saying he's crazy I'm saying something's messed with his head! There is no plausible way I could be behind. Hell-maybe something messed with all of your heads, because it's certainly not a year into the future. We could go around and ask any local around here what year it is and they'll agree with me. I know fully well that a zoroark isn't capable of this-but there's plenty of other pokemon who could." His voice raised. He wished Couper were here. Even with Mind Reader in his arsenal, the scyther always was a better conversationalist than him. "You realize that he doesn't even think he's hugging you, right? He think's you're Caritas right now. If we don't get him help as soon as possible, then we could be risking this becoming permanent if it isn't already."

While Maxie held an open mind, Roi's was sealed shut. He was absolutely confident that he was in the right. There was no possible way he could be wrong. These strangers certainly lacked the evidence prove it.

Pathetically, Zadira nearly fell over when Caritas broke the hug. He just barely managed to catch himself before he could, the fact that she continued to hold his hand helped. Caritas sounded different. Very different, he noticed. Was it not her? He wanted it to be her. He wanted to see her again, but he knew it wasn't possible.

He felt himself get wrapped up again. Instead of reciprocating, his paws moved to cover his ears as Roi began to raise his voice. It sounded so much like him. He hated it. At the very least, he felt right about Voix's attempts to undermine him. He actually hated that he was right, since apparently that meant just killing his friends was no longer enough.

Mocha: [Energy: 3]
Maxie: [Energy: 3]
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Mocha went quiet. Her ears flattened as she turned away from Roi. She stared at the ground instead. Of course she realised that. He had already done it once before, and while she wasn’t sure when exactly he had slipped back into the delusion, she knew he had. She didn’t let it bother her, tough, if it made Zadira feel even a bit better in the moment. She wasn’t sure about the potential harm it might do in the long term.

She was still certain she was right, though. … Mostly certain. The idea that Roi was right, and that the rest of them had all somehow had their memories and thoughts manipulated unnerved her. She looked up at Maxie, searching for reassurance, hoping that the mawile would take her side.

Maxie stepped between the two zangoose and the breloom. ”Okay, that’s enough. This isn’t helping.” She gave an apologetic glance to Mocha. The zangoose somehow appeared to become even more discouraged. The mawile continued in a sobering tone, ”Alright, Roi. Take charge. Tell us what to do.”

She didn’t like saying it. While she didn’t have a problem with Roi leading, strictly speaking, she didn’t completely trust him to make the best decisions. She understood he had the best intentions, but she wasn’t certain he’d go about it in the best way. Even so, she was well over her head now. She had no idea how to deal with Zadira, and even Mocha in her current state was beyond her expertise.

Mocha tensed. She squeezed Zadira just a bit tighter. She turned her attention to Roi, her eyes expressing something between pleading and fear.

Finally they were going to listen. Roi refrained from making some comment about it taking them long enough, knowing that it was probably going to set him several steps back. He didn't want to be friends with these people, just get them out of this situation and to some serious help alive. He stood taller upon being placed completely in charge, a sense of authority over the situation was restored to him.

"What we do," he started with a quick glance around at the party members, assessing their condition once more, "Is we find someplace to rest-like Maxie suggested. I have plenty of reviver seeds to help everyone with little boost in energy and I'm certain Zadira does too. Once we get there, we can keep an eye out for Voler. If we see him, I'll get his attention, and then he can go fetch Couper. If not, then we'll have to trek our way up to the path into the staircase where my team and I are going to meet. We camp there for the night and when they all return, I'll call off the mission and we'll all get out of here and set things straight with the help of more qualified professionals."

"Mocha, you're not in any state to travel. I'll carry you. Zadira'll be capable of walking more after he gets Reviver Seed in him. In the meanwhile of all of this, we avoid as much conflict as possible. If we encounter anything hostile, Maxie and I are the only ones permitted to fight. If we see either of you two fight, Maxie should take the assumption that you're not you and attack. If you're attacked, Mocha, your goal will be to try to take Zadira, get him to help you, and get as far from the conflict as you can up the mountain path."

"Maxie, if the battle is being lost or you're getting weak, you're to disengage and follow them-no questions. No comments. If something happens to me or either of us don't come back, continue up the mountain and find a scyther with a chipped left scythe and red bandanna with "Breakout" woven into the folds or a Fearow with a set of goggles that has "Breakout" inscribed on the inner side. On both of them, Breakout is spelled incorrectly as two words with the "O" capitalized. Show them two fingers on your left hand hand, point at your eyes, and then point at their's. They'll do the same-except Couper who'll use both of his blades and Voler will use his right foot. They'll say their names, and you'll say mine. Explain what happened, what's going on, and that I want them to get you three out of here. Camp out at the entrance to Spiral if you don't find them along the way. There's a 12 hour wait period before they're to abandon the mission."

"I don't want to hear any complaints, but I'm open to any suggestions any of you may have. Is that understood?" Roi looked between the three critically, assessing their reactions as he waited for their responses to his instructions. To his surprise, Zadira finally spoke.

"I have a suggestion..." his voice was quiet, weak even. It was tired, mostly because he was. He was tired of multiple things on multiple levels. He broke away from Mocha just enough to finally glance at Roi with a hateful glare.

"...What is it?" The roo questioned, though he had a feeling he knew what was about to happen.

"Rot in hell."

Yep. "...Anything else?" he looked to Mocha and Maxie.

Mocha: [Energy: 3]
Maxie: [Energy: 3]
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It was a sound plan. Or rather, it would be, if either of the zangoose were particularly cooperative. Roi had good intentions, Maxie was sure. But Zadira was convinced he wasn’t real, and Mocha seemed to be taking his side. Maxie was beginning to wonder if Mocha was losing trust in her, too.

Mocha mimicked Zadira’s quietness when she spoke after his little insult. ”I can walk.” There was a fair amount of indignation in her voice, despite its quietness.

”Mocha you really shouldn’t—”

”I’ll be fine.” If her resolve matched the bitterness in her voice, Maxie would have believed her.

”... Are you really going to make this more difficult?” Maxie asked Mocha direct and stern. This wasn’t how Mocha usually was. It was beginning to annoy her, but not nearly as much as it concerned her.

Mocha didn’t answer. She only took a step back to be behind Zadira.

”Great.” the mawile sighed before picking up her bag, then Mocha’s. She picked up Zadira’s medkit and put it away in his own bag. She handed said bag to Roi, not wanting to get too close to Zadira. It was like there was some invisible line dividing the two pairs, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to cross it.

It was wrong to say he was surprised by the defiance in both of the zangoose, but he was certainly upset by it. Maxie was on his side, but Mocha wanted to walk on her own. Not only would that be dangerous for her, but it had all sorts of other problems that were entirely unnecessary. He frowned as he contemplated his response. He glanced to the mawile, then back to the other side of this odd divide. After a brief consideration, he decided on what to say.

"Mocha, I know you don't like me or particularly trust me, but this is not a choice. You'll slow us down trying to walk with that. I am carrying you. The choice you do have here is whether you'll be awake for it," he challenged. He figured Maxie wouldn't like it, but it was imperative that they moved as quickly as possible. He wasn't here to make friends, he was here to make sure they got out of this mess alive. If that meant becoming the bad guy, then he was willing. He tried to play nice, but the clock stopped for no one.

"So what'll it be?" At the very least, he didn't intend to harm her in the knock out. Spore would do just fine.

---

Voix kept referring to Caritas as Mocha. He didn't know what was going on anymore. Even though he'd gotten the courage hurl an insult at Voix before, it was an attempt to egg the zoroark on into getting it all over with already. It seemed that his brother had patience today, however, as it failed. Of course it failed. All it did was provide a prime opportunity to make him look like the childish one here. Well, maybe he was being the childish one. He didn't know nor did he care.

He kept his paw on Caritas', hoping that she wouldn't accept whatever deal or decision Voix made was. It was bound to lead to nothing but horror for all parties involved, save for Voix-as the psychopath would find it thrilling.

Mocha: [Energy: 3]
Maxie: [Energy: 3]
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Maxie’s immediate reaction upon hearing Roi’s response was to tense up; her horns twitched in the breloom’s direction. She had interpreted it as a threat. After a moment of consideration, she realised it was less a threat and more a statement of intent, and that he intended to use his spores, nothing violent, to put her to sleep. She still didn’t like it, but she had to agree with Roi that Mocha wasn’t fit to be walking on her own and would certainly slow them down.

”Mocha, please let Roi help you. We need to get moving.” She felt like the bad guy—ßhe knew Mocha would think so, but Mocha wasn’t thinking straight at the moment.

”No!” The zangoose was practically hiding behind Zadira now. Why was Maxie trusting Roi? She knew something was wrong about him, she had seen the dates. Why was Maxie turning against her? They were supposed to be friends, she should have been on her side. ”I can’t believe you’re siding with him—you’re going to let him attack me?”

”He’s not going to attack you, just put you to sleep if you’re not willing to cooperate—”

”No! I’m not going with him! You’re not putting me to sleep!” She was genuinely afraid. Maybe Zadira was right. Maybe this whole thing was just a trick. When had it started? Why would Maxie ever betray her like this? Mocha knew she wasn’t being unreasonable—this was not okay.

Maxie stepped forward, putting herself just in front of Roi. ”Mocha, I know you’re afraid, but please try to think clearly. We got rid of the zoroark, everything’s going to be okay. We just have to move somewhere out of the way, so we can stay safe.” She was trying her best to reassure the zangoose, but she wasn’t sure she was even listening at this point.

In a quieter voice, she addressed Roi. ”Roi, I’ve never seen her like this. She’s really shaken.”

Mocha refused to comply. The fear in her voice was clear. So clear, in fact, that it stirred Zadira from his odd state of numbness. Everything felt clear to him, though it was quite the opposite, but his prior submission was beginning to turn. That quiver in tone was probably exactly how Caritas sounded like when she begged for mercy. In that moment, as far as he was concerned, he was in his old house again. Caritas cowered behind him and a zoroark stood before them with the threat to take her away from him again.

He lifted himself onto his hind legs as the claws of his free hand unfurled threateningly. If she still hugged him, he would worm his way out of it and keep his hand connected. His face was still wet with blood and tears as he bared his fangs in a threatening hiss. Maxie stepped in between the two, but it didn't exactly help any. He refused to heed a word either of those two said as anger began to broil and bubble inside him once more.

He didn't wait for whatever it was that the breloom had to say in response to "Maxie." He released Caritas. "Maxie, move!" the breloom called just a moment before he bolted forward at a surprising speed. Dark energy crackled around his claws as he lashed out at the mawile with his Night Slash. It wouldn't be effective against Voix, but it was better than nothing. He could practically see the smirk of the zoroark behind that guise. If he could, Zadira was going to stretch that smile as wide as he could, to make sure that fox never stopped smiling, even if it tore at the skin.

Mocha: [Energy: 3]
Maxie: [Energy: 3]
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Apparently, she had crossed the invisible line. Maxie reflexively turned away from the threat—something that was generally ill advised for most Pokemon, but a legitimate defense mechanism for her. The blue zangoose’s darkened claws struck the hard surface of her horns, rather than he face. She shoved against the zangoose, hoping to upset his balance so that Roi could take advantage of the situation.

Mocha froze the moment Zadira let go. She had lost her anchor, and now Zadira was attacking Maxie—or at least what she was pretty sure was Maxie. She didn’t want this. She didn’t try to stop him, either, though. What if this was the moment the trickster revealed himself? What if this was the moment the veil was lifted and Roi was revealed to be another zoroark after all? What if that wasn’t Maxie, and was, in fact, just another illusion?

None of that was true, of course. She knew that—or at least, a big part of her knew that. A smaller, louder part, though, had doubts, and wasn’t willing to trust anything she could see or hear; and that part of her was very loud at the moment.

So she froze. She just watched her friends turn on each other.

His claws met steel-horn-whatever the dark jaws of the deceiver pokemon were made of. The fact that what his claws and paws met certainly didn't feel nor sound like zoroark fur failed to even make him hesitate in his assault. He was primed and ready swipe again with an attempt to reach the smaller and frailer body of the mawile herself when she pushed back against him. His face met the ground again. He attempted to get back up, but a weight suddenly pressed him down with an impact that pushed the air out of his lungs with a pathetic squeak.

Roi was on top of Zadira's back now. He pinned the zangoose down with his own weight and a very annoyed look. It was very clear to him now that Zadira was, in fact, not going to walk along like a good little boy. He was before, but now? Nope. He was just going to be a problem. Zadira was always a problem. He'd let the zangoose into his team out of the kindness of his heart and waited so long for him to improve and yet nothing came of it.

Spores drifted down from the breloom and fell over Zadira. His body felt heavier, he had a much harder time resisting it than he did before. As much as he struggled to keep his eyes open, his head fell back into the dirt and sleep finally took over.

Roi's gaze snapped over to Mocha defiantly, as if he dared her to try anything now. One foot remained planted on top of Zadira's body, both in the event that he woke up quickly and as a visual reminder that he was in charge here. She had no other choice, whether she trusted him or not.

"Is everyone done making my life harder than it already is?" he questioned, though it was more pointed towards Mocha seeing as Maxie was already willing to come along.

Mocha: [Energy: 3]
Maxie: [Energy: 3]
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Seeing Zadira pinned down took Mocha out of her stunned state, taking a single step forward, then two steps back. She wanted to run, but she knew she couldn’t. Even if she could, she knew the breloom would catch her. Her ears stayed flat against her head as her gaze locked on Roi’s. She didn’t say anything. She took another step back, then stopped again.

Maxie hated the current situation. She hated seeing Mocha in the state she was. She hated the fact that she had clearly betrayed her friend’s trust. She hated seeing Roi have to handle Zadira like he did—even though she understood the necessity to do so. She approached the red zangoose, slowly. Mocha did not move any further away.

”I’m sorry, Mocha, but he’s not well.” Mocha didn’t respond; it wasn't clear if she had even heard the mawile. She just kept staring at Roi standing over Zadira, wide-eyed. Afraid.

”Well, what now? You can’t carry them both, and I can’t carry either.” Maxie turned toward Roi after taking another few steps toward Mocha. The zangoose remained still.

If this was all a trick to torment Zadira, why would it keep going after he was knocked out? Was it just as much for her as it was for him? Why? It must not have been. It couldn’t be. This was all real, surely. But even if it was, that didn’t make anything better.

Roi surveyed Mocha with a critical eye. He looked down to Zadira as he contemplated Maxie's words. He couldn't carry both. He was probably strong enough to, but they just both wouldn't fit. The breloom seemed as if he were completely lost for the briefest of moments. The breloom's arms suddenly flipped his satchel open and he began to rifle through the items.

A coil of rope dropped to the ground at his feet, followed by a few lengthy scarves of different varieties. Defense scarves, Trap scarves, even the certified colored ribbon of an explorer. He picked the scarves back up and stepped off of the zangoose. With a small lob, the scarves were tossed over into Maxie's direction. "Tie these together," he instructed her.

Without another word, he took the small coil of rope and began to wrap it around Zadira. The rope wasn't very long, in fact, it was more for binding someone up than anything. He could only just barely secure Zadira in it with a harness-like bind, rather than a constrictive one, and leave some left over to hang onto. He gave it a quick few test-tugs...before he began to tie the other end around his tail for him to pull with. If Maxie did as instructed, he would tie in the shoddy make-shift rope to Zadira's very uncomfortable rope-harness and give the end of it to Maxie...for her to pull.