Lennox Foxtrotter woke up and looked around. Him and his small band of vermin were at the end of The Great Dessert. Lennox was proud of his accomplishment. Thanks to his cunning he had led his vermin across the dessert. The fox looked around at the sleeping vermin. There lying beside him was his mate, Vixy. A more beautiful vixen was never born. The others included ferrets, rats, stoats, weasels, and a third fox. Lennox shook his mate awake and started arousing the rest of his vermin horde.
"Alright get off yer hunkers ye lazy batch of pawn scum!" he yelled to his horde.
Lennox's band got up grumbling and Lennox felt the time was right to give a handful a kick on their back end "Come on" He urged them "We're almost at the end of the dessert. Just think, fresh water again and no more digging holes to find it."
The ten vermin packed camp and started walking south again. One particular stoat was grumbling the whole way. Half an hour later they arrived at an abyss. The abyss was a huge gorge a couple miles wide and unfathomably deep. The stoat, Braunch, took one look at the abyss and had enough.
"That's it" Braunch said, "I've gone far enough. You're leading us all to our death's Lennox."
"Am I Braunch?" Lennox said calmly.
"Yes you are." Braunch continued "And I'm fed up with it. I've got half a mind to turn around and head home."
"Home to where?" Lennox asked moving closer to Braunch.
"Home to the northlands, of course" Braunch stated eyeing Lennox "and back to King Longtail"
"King Longtail, huh." Lennox said calmly moving Braunch closer to the abyss "So after all we've been through, you'd go running back to my brother with your tail between your legs?"
"Aye, that I would" Braunch said not noticing he was getting closer and closer to the edge of the abyss "And I'd tell him exactly what you did. That you slew your father and ran off with his most valuable treasure, and I'd tell him exactly where to find you."
"After all we've been through" Lennox sighed.
"Aye" Braunch said, "I'm sick of you Lennox. We've wandered six seasons in this dessert now. WE started out as fifty strong. Now look at us, there's only ten left."
"Fine then" Lennox replied, "Go"
"Huh"
"I said go" Lennox clarified "I'll even help you with the first step"
"Y-you, you will" Braunch replied not liking where this conversation was going or the gleam in his chief's eye.
"Aye" Lennox continued "and the last one."
"You will" Braunch said nervously.
"Aye"
With that Lennox Foxtrotter smacked the stoat in the jaw. Braunch staggered from the impact. He lost his balance and his foot slipped over the edge. He gave a horrendous scream and fell into the abyss, never to be seen again. Lennox turned to his vermin.
"Alright, Who's next?" He snarled "Because that is what will happen to you if you desert now. It may not be me slaying you. It may not be on of the vermin in this group. If you escape us, the dessert will get you. We started out with fifty strong, able vermin. We're down to ten, no nine. How many do you think will survive if we turn back? None! Now lets get over this gorge."
"But sir" The rat Stubbtail roused up the courage to say "How are we going to get over that thing?"
"Stubbtail has a point" the weasel Smaug replied.
Lennox looked at the abyss for a moment. "There's a bridge spanning the gorge over there." He told his vermin pointing at the bridge in question "We'll simply walk across it."
Lennox then grabbed the bag containing his treasure and started heading west toward the bridge "You are going first" Lennox told the vermin "I don't trust some of you in back of me." he turned to the ferret twins, Deadum and Dodum, his bowbeasts. "If anyone tries to turn around, shoot them." Deadum and Dodum grinned evilly and began to cross the abyss, bows drawn. Next came the stunted fox seer, Grodil. It wasn't known how old he actually was, but everyone know he was ancient. Then came Lennox's mate, Vixy. And last was Lennox.
To everyone's delight there was an oasis on the other side of the abyss. The vermin stayed there that night, singing and drinking the cool spring water.
The next morning they continued on their way, heading south. A week later they arrived at what appeared to be an ancient run down castle or abbey. Lennox took one look at the building and a triumphant smile crossed the sly fox's face.
"This is the place" He announced, "This is where we're going to build our kingdom. My kingdom."
"It looks kind of run down chief" Stubbtail replied puzzled.
Lennox turned on him "Of course it looks run down you idiot" He yelled, "It's the Abby of Loamhedge. It hasn't been lived in for ages!"
"Then how are we going to live in it chief?" Stubbtail continued.
"We rebuild it" Lennox stated "We rebuild it back to its former glory. But first let's set up camp. It's about dark."
Lennox watched as his vermin wandered about looking for a good place to set up camp. He stared up at his castle visions of things to come racing through his mind.
"We've sure come far," he crooned to his treasure in the bag "Soon we'll have our own kingdom and will live in luxury once again."
