Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (my version)
A/N: Hello everyone. My name is Sonicfigher21354, but you can call me Sonicfighter for short. I've been on this site for several years without coming with a story, now it's my time to shine. Before I begin my first ever story, Please note. I don't own Mouse Guard, or it's characters, story line, and setting. They belong to David Petersen. I only own my OCs. Now, on with the show!
Chapter 1: Merchant and the snake
Mice struggle to survive and thrive in the world with harsh weather conditions and dangerous predators. And thus the Mouse guard was made. Serving as escorts, bodyguards, scouts, pathfinders, and weather watchers for the common mice. They protect the mice going for one village to the next. They once serve as soldiers during the Winter War against the weasel warlord, Rampaul two years ago. With the war over, the Mouse Territories is no longer as troubled. Despite this, there are still many dangers everyday. The guards have many skills to keep their border safe. They help find new routes from one village to another, lead shipments of goods and supplies safely from one town to the next, and protect the mouse territories from evil.
It is Autumn in the Mouse Territories. The leaves changed to yellow and orange, and the weather grew colder, which means Winter is approaching. A tan mouse with a straw hat is pulling a cart of grain. He is a merchant who carry grain from Rootwallow to Barkstone. Normally, the Guard would escorts traders like him safely to their destination. But instead, he decided to go alone. Which is the worst thing a mouse would do. As he pulled the heavy cart, he started to feel exhausted.
"Man, I'm getting too old for this." The merchant said while wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I think I should rest for bit, when I'll be on my way."
The merchant stop by a tree and parked the cart next to him. He lied down, and rested with his hat over his eyes. Unknown to him, a shadow appear in front of the merchant. Awoken from his nap, he said, "Huh? Who's there?" Before he know it, the shadow swallowed him whole without a single sound.
(A few Hours later)
As soon as words of the missing merchant reached Lockhaven, Gwendolyn and her brother Richard, send 4 of they're best guards to find him, Lieam, a redfur mouse wearing a green cloak with a short sword and the youngest of the Guards, Kenzie, a tall gray mouse wearing a purple cloak with a staff, and is known for his intellect and cleverness in battle, Saxon, a brown mouse with a red cloak with a long sword, and he think ahead with his sword rather that his head, and finally, Edward, a tan mouse with a bright orange cloak and carry a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a dagger, and is known for his archery skills and he never misses his target.
The 4 mice travel along the same path the merchant take before he vanish.
"Gwendolyn said you would brief us once we were on the trail Kenzie." Lieam said to Kenzie.
"So tell us, why have four of the Guard's finest been dispatched?" Lieam ask Kenzie in concern. Kenzie replayed,
"A mouse haling grain took the path from Rootwallow to Barkstone without escort. We need to find the missing grain mouse. Seems he never reached his destination." Saxon short in contempt.
"If you ask me, we won't find him at this rate." He complained to the others,
"We're miles away from Barkstone and that fool's nowhere to be seen."
"That's is why we're finding him Saxon." Edward said to Saxon.
"He couldn't just vanish into thin air." Soon the search party stop next to a huge tree.
"We should keep moving." Saxon said to the other Guard's. Kenzie replied,
"I agree with you Saxon, but I think one of us need to see where to go to."
Lieam, being the agile climber, climbed up to one of the branches of the tree to see where his comrades should go next. Kenzie called out to him,
"See anything up there Lieam?"
Lieam spotted something in the distance, It was the merchant's cart.
"Hey guys, I see a cart over-there!" He called to the others while pointing the way to the cart.
Soon, the group reached the cart. It have been turn on it's side, spilling the grain and one of the handle had broken off. Saxon draw his sword and jumped on top the chart in chase of trouble and Edward readied his bow with a arrow. Kenzie examine the cart for signs of attacks as he hold a grain.
"Hmmm." Kenzie though.
"The grain is still here, but there's no sign of the merchant." Kenzie looked around for like blood stains. But there was none.
"It could be a carnivore, but there is not a single stain of blood around. Not even a drop." Lieam saw the sun going down and said to the others.
"Guys,we're losing daylight."
Kenzie, knowing finding a missing mouse at night would be dangerous cause of the dangers of owls, agreed with Lieam.
"We can't find him at night. We need to wait til morning." Saxon, agree with the idea.
"We'll camp here for the night. Each of us will stay up for a hour in chase of trouble and we'll switch places."
"That's a great idea Saxon." Edward said to Saxon. Saxon said to the other Guards while explaining the plan,
"Lieam, you take first watch, I'll take second, Edward, you'll take third, and Kenzie, you take fourth. Agreed?"
"Agreed." The other replied to Saxon.
That very night, Lieam is standing watch while Kenzie, Saxon and Edward are sleeping. Hour after hour, the Guards took turn standing watch while the others went to sleep. Later before dawn, Kenzie woke up Edward while whispering.
"Hey, Edward, wake up." Edward shorted a bit and woke up with sleepy eyes. he yawned and said,
"What is it Kenzie, is it my turn to be on watch?"
"No". Kenzie answered.
"I believed Saxon found something." Edward, now wide awake when he heard that, is interested.
"Really? What he found?"
"Come see for yourself." Kenzie told Edward.
"Should we wake Lieam?" Edward said while pointing to Lieam who is sleeping. Kenzie said to him,
"Na, let him sleep. I'm sure he'll wake up by daybreak." Edward, looked at Lieam, and looked back to Kenzie.
"Okay. Show me what Saxon found."
"Follow me."
As soon as Kenzie said this, Edward grabbed his quiver and bow and followed Kenzie.
As soon as drawn brakes, a few glares of the Sun woke Lieam from his sleep. Lieam yawned and stretched for a bit. But then, he found out that Saxon, Kenzie and Edward are not with him.
"Saxon?" Lieam called out while he drew his short sword.
"Kenzie?" He called again as to ran down the path to catch up with the 3 mice.
"Edward?"
As soon as Lieam found Saxon, Kenzie and Edward, Kenzie motions Lieam to keep quiet and get down. Saxon crouched down with his sword drawn and Edward have his bow and arrow at the ready.
"Saxon found a trail of grain." He said quietly as possible.
"And the trail leads this way." Saxon added.
"Yeah, whatever took out missing mouse, went the same way." Edward also added.
The trail of grain stopped at a hole. The quartet (meaning four), soon stopped when they heard a hiss. They knew only one creature that can make that sound: a snake!
In a flash, a milksnake slithered out of the underbrush and surround the group. Milksnakes, though not venomous, can strike it's prey (namely mice) in a blink of an eye. As soon as the snake rear's it's back to strike, Saxon, while swinging his sword, cut one of the snakes lower fangs. Edward fired his arrow which his the snakes body causing it to hiss in pain. Kenzie jumped on the snakes head and use his staff to shut the snake's mouth close but for a moment.
"I can't hold it forever!" Kenzie shouted to his fellow Guards.
"We need to fall back!"
Lieam soon saw a hallow tree which they can hide in.
"There in that tree!" He shouted while pointing to the tree.
"This way! Hurry!" Lieam said while he, Kenzie, and Saxon ran to the hollow tree.
"You guys go, I'll catch up!" Said Edward while readying another arrow.
The 3 mice ran to the tree which have a knothole the size of the mice. Edward draw another arrow, pulled back on his bow, and fired the arrow at the snake. This time at one of it's eye, the arrow hit the snake's right eye, and the snake hissed in fury and in pain. Though the arrow didn't go deep enough to the brain, it did buy Edward enough time to join his brothers in arms. The snake looked at Edward in anger for what he did to it's eye, and try to get him. Luckily for Edward, to made it the the knothole in time. Knowing that the knothole was too small for the snake, it hissed angrily and slithered around the tree, waiting for them to come out. Kenzie said to the others,
"We'll wait in here til the snake leave and we'll get the drop on it later."
"We should've killed that snake when we got the chance." Saxon growled in anger.
"Don't worry Saxon." Edward said to Saxon, trying to calm him out. "You'll get your chance."
Lieam, thinking there's no way out, said to the others.
"Are you all nuts? There's no way we'll defeat that snake. Now or later. We'll be it's lunch."
Kenzie placed his paw on Lieam's shoulder and said,
"You forget Lieam, back in Lockhaven there's a saying carved in the stone: It's matter's not what you fight, but what you fight for."
That was true. The saying have become the MouseGuard's motto since those words were carved.
Later, Saxon came back a while to see if the snake was still there, returned.
"Is the snake still there, Sax?" Kenzie said to Saxon.
"No." Saxon reported. "I think it's gone."
Lieam sighed in relief. At least now they can focus on the task at hand by finding the merchant.
"Good." Lieam said.
"Now let find that merchant and get out of here." The 4 Guards came out of the tree and saw a couple of holes in the ground. One on them have a trail of grain.
"Those holes are where the grain and the trail led us to." Kenzie said to his companions.
"One of them should have our missing merchant."
They reached the first hole as fast as their legs should carry them. Kenzie, Saxon and Edward, looked carefully into the hole while Lieam stood guard with his short sword drawn.
"Is it our missing mouse in that hole?" Lieam asked the others. Kenzie, Saxon and Edward moved closely to the hole and find what shocked them.
"No."Saxon said to Lieam. "It's not the merchant, it's eggs!"
What Saxon said is true. In the hole are a cluster of snake eggs which means trouble for future travelers and merchants if not disposed of.
"Come on, we must get rid of them or they'll pose a treat to future travelers." Saxon said to Kenzie and Edward as he drew his sword and drive into the pit. Kenzie followed Saxon while saying,
"Saxon, what for me." Saxon and Kenzie smashed the eggs and kill the young snakes with their sword and staff. Edward, drew his arrow and aimed at one of the young snakes and said to Kenzie and Saxon,
"Hey, save some for me." And fired his arrow at the snake, killing it instantly. While this was going on, Lieam found something in the sand, it was part of the merchant hat. It was close to another hole.
Lieam move to the hole as quiet as a mouse (Which is ironic cause he is mouse), but as to got closer to the hole, he heard a hiss again from the hole. As the looked into the hole, he jumped back in surprise.
It is the milk snake that Edward blinded it's right eye from earlier. It was in the hole after it failed to get the mice when they went into the tree. The snake emerge from the hole and tower over Lieam and looked at him with it's left good eye. Edward, who heard the hiss, saw Lieam in trouble. Edward rush to his aid while saying,
"Hang on Lieam!" Edward was about to readied another arrow from his quiver, but to his shock, he was out of arrows. He used up his last couple of arrows on the snake hatchlings.
"Uh oh" Edward said to himself in horror as the snake switched from Lieam to Edward. "I'm in trouble."
Just as the snake was about to strike Edward to avenged it's right eye, Lieam shout to the snake bravely.
"Hey! It's me you want! Come and get me!"
The milksnake soon switched it's target from Edward back to Lieam with angry eyes (or eye in case). Lieam's face is in determination as the snake is about to strike Kenzie's words still buzzing in his head, he yelled a battle-cry as soon the the snake's mouth open and strikes at blinding speed. Lieam used one of the snake's fang as a handhold, stand at it's mouth and used his short sword to strike the snake in the brain.
The snake die instantly and hit the ground with a 'thud'. Inside the hole, Kenzie and Saxon stopped hacking and slashing with the dead snake hatchlings around them when the heard the thud.
"Saxon did you hear something?" Kenzie asked Saxon. Saxon replied,
"Yes, sounds like Lieam's in trouble." Saxon and Kenzie climbed out the hole with Saxon saying,
"Hang on Lieam, we're coming!" Edward, Saxon, and Kenzie worked together it get Lieam out of the dead snake by his legs.
"One minute we you alone, and the next we find you in a mouth of a snake?" Saxon said. As soon as they got Lieam out, Edward spoke severely to Lieam. "Lieam that was the most reckless and idiotic thing I've ever seen in my entire life! You could've been killed." Lieam, who was covered in snake drool and a bit of blood, replied,
"Hey, at least I killed the snake, didn't I?" Edward looked at the dead snake. His expression soon soften.
"Well, yes. You did. It was reckless, but brave nonetheless." He said while rubbing Lieam's head. You see, Edward treated Lieam like a little brother and Lieam liked it. Saxon cut open the snake's stomach with his sword.
"Look like we found our missing merchant." Kenzie said grimly.
"Or what's left of him We should give him a proper burial." Edward suggested. "All in favor, say 'aye'."
"Aye." Said Kenzie, Saxon and Lieam sadly.
Soon, Kenzie, Saxon, Lieam and Edward, bury the merchant on a grave made with stones they found and a stick to placed the scrap of the straw-hat, after Lieam cleaned himself getting the drool and blood off of him, they continue their quest with Lieam pulling the grain cart.
"Hey Kenzie, did Rand ever killed a snake before?" Saxon said to Kenzie. Kenzie answered,
"No, but he save your life more times than could be counted."
"Yeah, and with that broken leg of his, I doubt he'll be coming out of Lockhaven anytime soon." Edward said to Saxon. Rand is the Guard's shield-bearer, and is in charge of maintaining defenses in Lockhaven. His right leg was injured during the Winter War 2 years ago and have never fully healed since and force him to stay in Lockhaven. Lieam spoke to the others, wondering.
"Why can't we bury him somewhere else? What about his wife? Would we tell her about what happen?"
"I don't think so Lieam." Kenzie said to Lieam quietly.
"We're going to Barkstone." Lieam is surprise by this.
"Barkstone? But why?" Lieam asked confused. Kenzie handed a folded piece of parchment from is cloak while saying,
"You see our missing mouse was a traitor." Edward is shocked.
"A traitor? Why would the merchant be a traitor?"
"Good question Edward, I found this in the merchant's grain yesterday. It's a map of Lockhaven." Kenzie answered to Edward.
Now, Edward is surprised. What would a map, and a map of Lockhaven no less be doing in a chart full of grain? Kenzie continue by saying,
"And if we found the merchant still alive, I knew Saxon would've killed him where he stood." Kenzie continue while looking at Saxon who have a angry expression on his face while gripping his sword. If they found the merchant still breathing, he would've ended his life.
Kenzie unfolded the parchment revealing the map of Lockhaven.
"And I want to know who's giving out our secrets to and why." Kenzie finished. Edward said to Kenzie in concern.
"I'm sure we'll find out, when we do find the traitor, we'll be ready." Edward said severely. Whoever this traitor is, it's definitely from within there own ranks.
A/N: And there you have it, the first chapter finish. So, what to guys think? Sorry it was short, but don't worry, I'll make them longer than this. Unlike the actual comic, I'll be adding a few of my own twist like Gwendolyn having a brother, another mouse helping the 3 mice, and a few more which I'll reveal later. Til then, be sure to leave a review and no flaming or trolling! Ta, ta for now.