I know it's really short, and kind of boring and odd, but it's really just a kind of prologue . please bear with me. I'm new to this, and this is kind of an experiment D though I really like the story I have.

The mood around the mountain of Salamandastron had been morose, somber - the death of the mighty Badger Lord Mistsripe had only been announced that morning. The eldest son of Mistripe, Thorne, had been absent from the volcano fortress for quite some time, having had set out on his journey from the volcano, as most young badgers do, quite a while before the death of his father. Thus, the mighty Thorne was not there to assume his rightful position as lord of the mountain.

Lord Miststripe had sired many children, for a Badger Lord. Thorne had been his firstborn, a nearly full-black male badger with thin, narrow slits for stripes. Emestris had come next, the kind, pretty daughter of a mighty lord. After Thorne had left on his journey, another son came, named Lycus. Lycus was near his older brother in appearance, though his stripes were lengthier and wide, his black coat thick and jet as night, just as large as his immense brother. After Lycus came Phellern, another pretty female badger whose heart was kind, soft, and gentle, somehow both the polar opposite and alikeness to the older, and much larger, Emestris.

Unfortunately, Emestris had been stricken down by a vicious disease only three seasons before her father's own death, and so she could not follow him as Lady of the mountain. Thus, the task fell to Lycus to step into the position of Badger Lord of Salamandastron.

He was quite young to assume the role, and so Colonel Resselo de Chigran Riffice stepped in as a sort of regent. The new badger lord, however, eventually proved to the hares of his new Long Patrol that he had no need for such a regent; he was quite capable of making mature decisions for his hares on his own. However, the Colonel had formed an almost fatherly bond with Lycus during his assignment as regent of the young badger; the two remained close, even as Lycus became the true Badger Lord and was instructed to choose a weapon for himself.

Quite oddly, the massive young badger could find no weapon that truly suited him amid the heaps of finely-crafted steel left for him by the badger lords and ladies of old. The enormous battleaxes did come very near to being chosen, though finally the mighty new lord decided to merely craft his own weapon at the forge, using the skills and instruction taught to his father, and his father before him. Taking to the forge, Lycus practically isolated himself from his curious hares.

Eventually he completed his mighty weapon, a huge battleaxe fastened with four great rivets to a thick and long oak rod encased in steel. It seemed a normal axe, despite its great size, until you gazed at the top of the mighty axe – it was crested with a pike-like triple spear point, a single point rising from the top before two longer and larger points emerged from both sides of the rod.

The young Badger Lord had fashioned two of these mighty axpikes (If one dared to call them that), both heavier than six hares apiece (before they had eaten, of course). However, Lycus held them easily, his practices that followed his creation of this weapon showing he wielded them with great skill and speed.

For them he was given his second title, christened by his perilous mountain hares: Lycus the Doubleaxe!

I might change Lycus's second title. I had a lot of trouble choosing it, and originally I thought Lycus the Cunning sounded cool, but it didn't go with my story, or with the plot I have planned for his character x Next time, I might write a chapter of Redwall, or maybe even our enemies! We'll just have to see.

-- Aaera