Prologue

The fall was quickly coming to an end, and winter was just around the corner, but not for the shore and beaches of the west where the mountain fortress, Salamandastron resided. They had never gotten snow, only rain and cold fronts, but today was bright and sunny. Near the shoreline, and neighboring Salamandastron, resided a small fishing and port village. The inhabitants were peace loving bankvoles. They carried no weapons, held no barriers, and trained no armies, these voles only knew the joys of peace and happiness. Banton sat in his small canoe, patiently waiting for the fish to bite the earthworm on his lure. His boat was a mile away from the village, he grinned as he stared at the horizon, the sun's rays caused the water's ripples to sparkle and glisten. Banton hummed an old fishing he learned when he was a young one. He glanced over the edge of his boat to see if any fish wanted to investigate the lure, but no avail. His grin slowly faded and he let out a short sigh.

"Guess they ain't feeling it, today," he said to himself, "I'll try tomorrow." He wrapped the string around the lure rod, carefully placed it in the boat, then got his oar, and proceeded to row back to his home. Banton continued to hum the song, bringing his spirits back up, once again. As the bankvole's boat got closer to the shoreline, the faint smell of smoke and burning wood filled Banton's nostrils. Soon, the smell of cinders, smoke, and fire hung in the air, Banton's eyes widened in terror as he saw a small army of rats lay waste to his home. He witnessed as the vermin laid waste to his village. Cottages and cabins were set ablaze. Many lied dead in pools of their own blood, while the survivors were in shackles, forced to march in a line, single file. Panic struck the vole, he had never witnessed such horror, such barbarism, that he began to breakdown and weep. The one's he saw lying down, cold, and dead were close friends, as well as the one who were taken as prisoners. His body felt numb and heavy, the color in his face soon turned pale, and his breathing became labored. Then a gruesome thought popped in his mind, what if these heathens that were torturing and killing his friends had gotten to his family. He needed to know that they were okay. Gathering himself, Baton rowed to the shoreline, and hopped out of the canoe. He decided to take his oar for protection. Running across the sand, his footpaws finally met stone as rushed to his cottage. As he ran through the demolished town, he was spotted by two hulking searats. Both wore tattered and worn down jerkins, and both were armed with rusty cutlasses.

"Oi, stop roight there!" the rats shouted. Banton saw his pursuers and sprinted even faster. He saw his cottage was one of the only ones that was not demolished. A single tear flew out of his his right eye, and smiled joyously. Only for a silver furred fox to appear out of the shadows and intercept him. The fox was a handsome looking creature, tall, and wiry. He wore black leather breast armor, a light tunic, with a black and golden belt, and a black leathered overcoat. The fox's forepaws were dressed in silver gauntlets, the pawtips of the gauntlets had short steel claws at the end, and the only other weapon was a steel long dagger, tucked away in his belt. The silver furred vulpine apprehended the vole's weapon, and dragged the helpless creature to his home. The fox began dragging Banton by his left footpaw. Banton began to beg, but the fox simply chuckled at the bankvole's attempt for mercy. The two muscular rats walked behind the fox, making sure Banton didn't do anything suspicious. The three vermin with Banton in their claws were at the front entrance, the fox turned to his goons, and when he talked, his voice deceptive and calm, like the sharpest blade running across your spine.

"Oh, could one of you fine beasts let me in?" he patiently asked. The vulpine's thin lips curled into a vile grin. The two searats stepped in front of their master and proceeded to turn the wooden door into splinters. The silver fox picked up Banton by the collar of his tunic and tossed him inside, the bankvole landed on the hard floor with an audible thud. He winced in pain as the fox and the two rats entered his home. He saw his wife and two young ones huddled in the far corner of the cottage, but just as he was about to join them, the two muscular rats seized him, forcing him to kneel.

"Ever since I got here, I've been extracting information from you bankvoles, I would welcome myself into your homes while my subordinates take to the streets and slaughter you. Some thought they were smart and tried to make a fool out of me, oh how wrong they were. For their dishonesty, I decided to increase their pain, twicefold, begging me for mercy. How I love the sounds of my victims begging me for mercy, it's what brings joy to this job. We haven't been properly introduced, my name is Kyron, and these lovely gents are Hogface and Brutis. Hogface, Brutis, I need you two to stand guard, in case they show up."

The ugly pair nodded and released the bankvole to guard the front entrance. Kyron pulled out his long silver dagger and tested the tip. It ringed as his armored index claw brushed it.

"Nice and sharp, still," he whispered, "now, let us get down to business. You will answer my questions honestly and efficiently. Like I said before, you try to deceive me, or do anything funny, and your suffering will only get worse. Are you Banton the fisherbeast?"

"Y-yes, why do you ask?" Banton hesitantly asked.

"I'll be asking the questions, bankvole!" snapped Kyron, "somebeast told me that they've seen you with the hares of the Long Patrol. They even saw you enter the mountain fortress one time. So tell me, how many hares of the Long Patrol are there, and how fortified is the interior of Salamandastron?"

Banton looked back to his captors, then to his terror struck family. Impatiently, Kyron kneeled down and seized the cowering bankvole's forepaw.

"I said honestly and efficiently, or else," Kyron whispered coldly. The silver vulpine dug his claws into Banton's forepaw, blood welled up and dripped onto the floor. The bankvole clenched his teeth in agony and tears rolled down his eyes.

"Yes! YES! I've been inside the mountain of Salamandastron! I've met the hares of the Long Patrol!"

Kyron released the wounded animal's forepaw and grinned from ear to ear.

"Now, how well fortified is the interior?" demanded Kyron.

"Not sure, pretty well fortified, and their are over dozens upon dozens of hares! I am not a fighter, I'm just a fisherbeast, I know nothing of war fighting!" Banton cried out.

"That doesn't exactly help me, or you. I need to know specific details, give me what I want or my blade will see to your loved one's throats, starting with your children."

The silver fox tore the little bankvole babe from her mother's paws and the places the blade right at her throat. Banton's bottom lip quivered and his eyes welled up again. His vision had gotten blurry as he gazed into Kyron's cold and evil yellow eyes.

"No, please! The interior is mainly made out of stone with some steel and iron reinforcing it, pl-please, please, please stop this!" he bawled, "just leave my family alone, what have we done to deserve this?!"

Kyron released the tiny beast and she scampered back to her mother, the evil silver furred fox laughed.

"Nothing, my friend, you've done nothing to me. I do still need more information out of you, Banton. Why were you in the mountain?" Kyron asked. Right as Banton was about to answer the evil one's question, the faint sounds of battle took place outside. As the sounds of battle continued, the bankvoles, fox, and rats could hear a faint battle cry.

"Eulalia!" a group of disembodied voices called out. Kyron quickly turned to his cronies.

"What in the name of Hell's teeth is going on out there?!" Kyron demanded. Right as the two ugly brutes were even able to investigate, a tall, beautiful, and young female hare appeared right in front of them. She wore a hooded red scarf, and the Long Patrol's officer tunic. Her auburn eyes shined hope into the bankvole's family's hearts.

"Get her!" commanded Kyron. The two swung their cutlasses simultaneously, but the young elegant haremaid quickly dodged the attack and drew two silver dirks from her belt. She drove both blades into her attackers' evil hearts, killing them instantly. Kyron stepped back a pace and readied himself for combat. The hare charged, swinging her blades at the silver fox. Kyron blocked both attacks with his gauntlet paws and long dagger. She took half a pace backwards and slashed upwards at Kyron's neck. Kyron quickly dodged the attack by ducking down. However, he wasn't quick enough, even though his neck was unharmed, half of his left ear had been taken. Kyron yelped in pain. He blocked and dodged her third attack, Kyron then punched her square in the face. The hare stumbled a few steps back, blood filled up her snout and she held her face with both paws, this gave Kyron the chance to escape. Rushing out of the cottage, the female hare tried to apprehend the vile coward, but Kyron slashed at her paw her paw with his dagger, and sprinted far from the cottage. Pulling out a handkerchief from her breast pocket, the haremaid gave it to the bankvole mother.

"Th-thank you, ma'am, may we get your name?" Banton needed to know who his rescuer was. The haremaid pulled down her cowl and smiled graciously at the bankvoles.

"I am Lieutenant Vivian Rosemary Pedalton of the Long Patrol," she proudly and honorably stated while still holding her snout with one paw, "that cad that you and your village had the displeasure of meeting was Kyron, a master at torture, destruction, and reconnaissance. However, the blighter is nothing more than a blinkin' coward, as you saw it only took me a couple of swings of my trusty dirks to send the dirty wretch packin', wot, wot!"

Banton lifted himself up, holding his wounded forepaw.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Vivian, my family and I are forever in your debt, but I don't suppose you have somebeast that could fix my paw?" asked Banton.

"Oh of course we do. Do not move, I'll bring him here."

"Thank you, ma'am," Banton said gratefully.

Far from the smoldering village he laid waste to, Kyron chanced a look. He needed to know if anybeast was tailing him, ally or foe. Luckily for him, he saw nobody. Winded from all the sprinting, he casually pressed on southeast, towards the river he and his cronies travelled across. Around evening time, Kyron eventually made it to the river's shoreline, he met up with two skinny river rats. Not saying a word, the silver fox boarded one of the rafts.

"Where are the others and what happened to your ear, Master Kyron? One of them asked in a concerned tone of voice.

"The Long Patrol came out of nowhere and ambushed us. I had to fight my way out, unfortunately for us, we lost our dearest comrades."

"It's a good thing we were 'ere to guard the boats," the second rat stated.

"Yes, yes, now take me back to Marlfox Island, I've got enough information that Lord Tamial will want to hear."

"But what should we do about the other rafts?" the first rat dumbly asked.

"Dispose of them, obviously!" Kyron snapped. Not questioning anything he told them, the two underlings pushed the four vacant rafts out into the current. They grabbed their oars, travelling back to their base of operations.