Come with me now, into the past, as I tell you a tale of Kormiak and Ulfr, the Packmates, who's courage and audacity to this day make old men raise their chins, and young men act like fools...

Bandit's Flower

Chapter 1

Thanks to the rain, which came down in a steady downpour, the wagon was plodding along at a snails pace. They were still nearly a day's ride from Bafflegate, nestled in the comforting embrace of the hills around the Chunnel entrance. A young beast, a Bandicoon looks out of one of the windows of the wagon. He is the son of the Governor of Bafflegate, and he is traveling like this because there has been a problem with bandits as of late. Everybeast in his party is well trained in the art's of combat, as is he, and they are returning home after an important journey to Heartwood, capitol of Great Forest, the Midlands larger, and more prosperous neighbor.

So far it has been a most boring trip, and the young beast is ready to be back where he belongs.

Suddenly, there is a loud ruckus outside of the wagon, and the guard that stays inside with him goes to the door. The wagon jerks to a halt as the sounds of violence outside grow, then, just as quickly as they began, end, and silence returns again. Then the door opens, and an arrow comes from nowhere, slaying the guard where he stands, then a figure, draped in a long hooded rain cloak, steps inside, along with three big brutish looking bandits, and looks him up and down.

"Hello, Sonny" the figure says, and the other's move forward to claim their prize.

'Twas three day's later that the Governor, Emery Heartstrong, burst into the Constablery Office in Bafflegate, and demanded to see the Head Constable. Lemmet Skysong, an Avian, and the Head Constable, sighed heavily and went out to see what all the fuss was about, though he felt he already knew. "Lemmet!" Exclaimed the Governor. "What, exactly, are you doing to find my son?" Lemmet sighed again, and wished for a drink. "Everything we can, Governor" he said. "Oh, Really-" began the Governor, but he was interupted by a noise from the cellblock, as of many beasts singing;

They're gonna hang me,

in the morning,

for the things that I have done.

Theyr'e gonna hang me,

in the morning,

and I'll never see the sun.

"What is that?" demanded the Governor, but Lemmet just shook his head and went to the door. "Shut it, you lot!" he shouted, and most of the prisoners, being used to the Head Constables violent temper, were silenced immediately.

Most, but not all.

Two voices continued to sing, even louder than before;

They're gonna hang me,

in the mornin',

before the night is done.

They're gonna hang me,

in the mornin'

and I'll never see the sun!

Lemmet's eyes hardened, and turned and blasted through the doors into the cellblock like a wrathful storm.

Two prisoners, Fangren, stood staring at him. "I said SHUT IT!" He roared at them.

They looked at eachother, then back at him, then grinned;

Oh, a girl from Earthend,

who knew not what I'd done-

He grabbed them both by the collars of their shirts and yanked them up against the bars. "Shut...Up!" He said, dangerously. The taller of the two smiled slightly, and looked at his cellmate, who closed his eyes and muttered "Oh, boy..."

The tall one looked at Lemmet, and said "Whatever you say, Darling!" At which point he snaked his muzzle through the bars and kissed Lemmet on the beak.

The Avian spat, and threw them to the floor, reaching for his key's so he could go in and beat some sense into the two, when he felt a hand on his arm, holding him back. He looked up and saw the Governor, looking into the cells, a strange light in his eyes. "Who are these two?" Heartstrong asked. "Why should you-" Lemmet began, but was cut off by a glare from the Governor. He stood up a little straighter. "Just two drifters, Sir," he said, "They got drunk last night and smashed up L'Frassier's tavern." Here, one of the drifters, the small one, piped up; "I would just like to say here, Sir, that it was he, not I, who was drunk" he said, pointing at his cellmate, who instantly rebuked; "I? I? Why that is an insult, Sir! Not a drop of liqour has ever passed these lips!" The small one smiled, "True," he said, "It's usually more like a gallon!"

This may've continued for some time, had Lemmet not seen fit to strike the bars with his club. "What, exactly, did they do, Constable?" Asked Heartstrong. "Well, Sir, they sent five beasts each to the Healers, is what they did!"

Once again, they were interupted, this time by the big one; "Oh, tell the truth, Darling! 'Twas more like nine each!"

Lemmet rapped the bars harder, and continued, "They even put Ol' Col down so hard, the Healer says it'll be a month before he can work again!" Heartstrong's eyebrows wrose at this. Collen Mannheim, or Ol' Col to his friends, was a big, gruff, old Ursine. At nearly seven and a half feet tall, few had seen bigger. Heartstrong looked into the cell at the two scraggly, bruised, battered, smilling Fangren, and smiled a little himself...