The snow fell lightly on top of the beast's white head. It was asleep, oblivious to the snow. The beast was obviously albino, the white fur not common for the species. So what was this beast? It was an otter. An ear twitched, and it stirred slightly. It's blue eyes opened, as if it had been hit and left for dead. Sitting up, the beast rubbed its head. Earrings jangled in its ears, and the many bracelets clinked as it moved. The otter was a young adult. Everything was quiet, only the wind whistling through the empty branches the only sound. No birds, no crickets, nothing. Deciding silence was best it took off the bracelets and left only one earring in each ear. The snow had covered it halfway, so it brought its legs from the snow. The steel-toed black boots were soggy and cold, but the beast didn't care. The black pants, as well as everything else, were soggy also.

"Kon, ye buffoon." He muttered to himself. He had lost his shirt in the fight, so the many scratches on is chest and stomach were visible. "Ye lost yer blade." He chided himself. He fell onto his knees, and started digging through the snow.

"Och, laddie, Ah do believe this be yores. Ah don't think another beastie would carry a braw sword." A voice came out of the empty forest. It was masculine.

"Ar, who's there?" The otter called out in a gruff voice. He stood up, eyes straining to find the source of the voice. A whistling sound was heard, and he jumped out of the way as a large sword buried itself where the otter had been moments before.

"Ah do believe the name's Shadow," the voice called, "ahn' ye happen tae be in ma terra." A black squirrel dropped from the shadows. Kon fell back, startled. "Ahn' ye're name?" He asked.

"Er, name's Kon, nice ta meet ye mate." Kon stuttered. Picking himself up, he made his way to the sword. It was rather peculiar. It was as tall as himself, one half black and the other red. The color split the length of the sword. There was no hilt, only a long handle.

"Och, ye're a braw beastie tae be carryin' a sword like tha'." Shadow commented. "But ye best come tae ma cave, the evil beastie will be around soon. 'E don't care this is ma own land."

"Lead the way, Shadow. Cos I ain't gonna get better afore I git warmth." Kon replied, nodding his head in thanks.

Shadow started walking off. The pair would lose sight of each other often; Shadow would be lost in the shadows, and Kon would be lost in the white of the world.

"So, Shadow, where's this place, eh? Cos I don't recognize it." Kon asked, striding next to the squirrel.

"Ye're in the Northlands, Kon. Ah'm surprised ye don't know where t'is at." Shadow replied. "Ah thought ma accent you give it away. Apparently not." He added.

"Northlands, eh? I don't s'pose ye know where the rest o' me crew is?" Kon wondered. To his dismay, Shadow shook his head.

"Ye just follow me, laddie." Shadow called over his shoulder.

"Ooh, where is that husband of mine?" A female squirrel fussed about, having already set dinner on the table. "He's always running late, but his is ridiculous!" She dashed outside yet again, her coat pulled tight about her. The sun hit her glossy orange fur, and her fierce yellow eyes looked about. Pricking her ear, the squirrel listened hard. She heard pawsteps. No doubt one pair was her husbands, but she heard another. Sure enough, he and the other beast plodded out of the dark forest.

"Lily, ma dear. Ah found this beastie, and 'e looks hungered!" Shadow called. Lily ran over to them, her blue dress flowing behind her. She looked Kon up and down.

"Well, look at you, all cut up and without a shirt. Come in, come in." She muttered. The small group strode thankfully into the warm cave, Kon's boots making a clacking sound on the rock. He looked around, and noted the many gun styles.

"What's your name, dear?" Lily asked Kon. She was busying herself getting food for him.

"Name's Kon, marm. And thankee fer 'elpin' me." He replied, sitting down. Lily set the food in front of him. Kon gave a two-fingered salute, and started digging in.

"Ah found 'im out in the woodlands, the poor beastie." Shadow told his wife. "Ah think he needs tae stay awhile." He muttered under his breath. Lily nodded.

"Och, he puts away food like a hare!" Lily exclaimed, putting another plate in front of him.

"I'ff heard dat." Kon said around a mouthful of food. He swallowed. "D'ye mind iff'n I git another five tarts, marm?" He inquired politely. "Cos they're good!"

Under her fur, Lily blushed. "Sure, dearie." She set another plate of food in front of him. "I'm glad somebeast likes my food." She remarked, glaring at Shadow. He rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed way.

"Et's no' tha' Ah don't like et, Ah'm just never hungered when ye cook." He tried to explain. Lily wouldn't hear it.

Suddenly Shadow put a paw over her mouth and Kon's chewing mouth. He put a finger to his lips, signaling silence. Kon pushed his hand away and continued chewing. Peering out the door, he saw a big form. It looked that of a fox, like his second mate, but the beast was much bigger.

Swallowing, Kon used all his skill to cross the cave quietly. Grabbing a gun, he made his way outside, and slipped his form through the snow. Once he was far enough away from the cave, he stood up. "'Ey! Blind-eyes, over 'ere!" He called. He suddenly wished he hadn't, as he knew he wasn't strong enough to beat whatever was lurking in the forest. It had heard him, and started making his way to him.

"Who're you calling blind-eyes?" It growled. Passing into sunlight, Kon saw it was a wolf. He was a big wolf, and grey. "No beast has challenged me for a long time, ferret!" He growled.

The last remark made Kon wonder if he looked like a ferret. He shrugged, and pointed the musket he had grabbed at the wolf. He took it off safety, ready to shoot. "I'm callin' yerself blind-eyes, cos I ain't a ferret!" He replied. Kon pulled the trigger, and saw the wolf duck as he himself fell back. Okay, so this wasn't a musket like had first thought. It was a much more powerful gun, and he hadn't seen it before.

"What is that gun?" The wolf called, once again coming toward Kon.

"I dunno." He replied, gaining his balance once more. He aimed once more at the wolf. Too late. The wolf was right in front of him, and took hold of the barrel.

"I like you ferret. How about you be the first beast to join me?" The wolf asked. Kon ground his teeth.

"I'm not a ferret, an' I won't!" He shouted, suddenly jumped at the wolf. His hands were out, seeking the wolf's throat.Only one found its target, as the wolf had been fast enough to draw a pistol and fire.

"Nobeast fights Zyre and wins!" The wolf managed, already fighting for breath. He was amazed at how strong the little beast was.

"So yer name's Zyre, eh wolf?" Kon winced. He felt the warmth of his blood soak his fur, and knew his once-white left arm fur was now a deep red color. "My name's Kon. Goodbye!" He shouted.

Zyre remembered his arms. Unlike Kon strangling him, he had two arms, both fully functional. He started trying to claw Kon off, who just hung on.

"Ain't no way yer gonna live, wolf!" Zyre heard Kon laugh. This made him struggle harder. His vision left him, and he felt Kon squeeze even harder.

"Och, laddie, stop!" Shadow called. He pried Kon's paw off of Zyre's neck just as he passed out from lack of air. "This is no' the way tae beat the beastie, Kon. An' tha' gun is as Blunderbuss." Shadow whispered. Then the black squirrel shot into a tree, to watch from above.

Kon sighed. "Aye, yer right." He strode quickly back to the cave, and retrieved his sword. It had been a little bit since he had last used it. Kon quickly spun the massive blade in circles, then did plenty of tricks that one unskilled in the way of the sword might find extremely difficult with a rather thin blade. He had to admit, it was a little difficult to do the tricks with one arm. "Ar, me beauty, yer still in nice shape. Wot say ye slay a wolf fer the first time, eh?" He muttered. His pawsteps were heavy, and even a few steps from the cave the echo was still ringing.

Zyre opened an eye to see Kon approaching with a sword even he could probably never lift. Shaking his head, he stood up. The beast was wielding the blade with one arm!

"So, your back, eh Kon?" Zyre sneered, trying hard to hide his fear. Kon grinned, his canine teeth making him look more like a white fox than an otter.

"Aye, Zyre, I am. An' yer time's up!" Kon was swift, and standing beside the wolf before Zyre had a chance to understand that Kon had even moved. Zyre stood there for a few seconds, a look of confusion upon his face. Then a long line of red traced itself across his chest, and he felt the terrible pain go deep. He fell back, as if in slow motion, shock etched upon his face.

Kon had turned his back to the falling beast. The sword was slung over his shoulder with his good arm holding the handle. He wiped the gore off his blade in the snow, and sat down heavily. 'This fight wasn't much.' He thought. 'I've had a crew member give me a better fight.'

Shadow dropped to the ground, and ran over to Kon. "Are ye alright, Kon?" He asked worriedly. He picked up Kon's red left arm. "Ye pore beastie, Ah'll get ma wife tae look a' this!" He looked at the otter, who nodded. Kon heaved himself onto his footpaws, and started back to the cave.

Lily came rushing out, already carrying a bandage and a box of medical supplies. "Sit, sit, sit!" She commanded. Kon did as told, sticking the sword's point deep in the ground. Lily saw him wince as she started cleaning the bullet wound. "You're a lucky beast, Kon. The bullet didn't go too deep." She informed him.

"Argh!" Kon tried to keep his voice down, his arm in extreme pain as Lily extracted the bullet. The cleaning medicine hurt almost as much as the bullet removal. "Thanks, Lily." He choked out, eyes watering with pain.

"Oh, it's nothing, Kon. You deserve it, as you've ridden the land from that evil beast!" She replied, bandaging his arm. Lily had restored the fur to a pure white, in a matter of minutes. Kon was amazed at how much she knew and how fast she could administer medical attention.

Kon bent his newly bandaged arm, and felt the pain subside. "Thankee, Missus." He mumbled. Standing, Kon brushed the snow from his pants, and pulled his sword from the ground. "I'm sorry I can't stay, mates, but me callin' is on the ocean. An' I can't stay away from it fer long." He apologized.

Shadow pulled Lily into a hug as they watched Kon walk off. It was just about sunset now, and the world was turned into a gold color. He headed into the direction of where he left the earrings and bracelets, back into the dead forest.

"Who is that brave beast, again?" Lily asked quietly.

"He's our savior. An' no doubt 'e's gone off tae look for his crew." Shadow replied. Together, they watched Kon's strong form and large sword disappear into the growing darkness.