Long ago, in Mossflower Woods, there lived a family of badgers. The father was a strong, sturdy badger called Oakpaw. The mother was a big, but gentle badger named Renah. The smallest member of the family was special. What made him special was that where most badgers have a white stripe running down the middle of their faces, he had a blue stripe instead. Because of his blue stripe, his parents named the badger babe Bluestripe. One day when Bluestripe was older, (three seasons old) he became bored and started searching for something to keep him entertained when he saw his mother, Renah.
"Mamma, Mamma, I'm bored, can you play with me?" Renah knew she had no other option." It seems I have no other choice, it seems I will be your playmate."
Bluestripe jumped up and down excitedly. "Yay! Mamma is gonna play games with me!" Renah smiled at the antics of her son." Come Bluestripe, let's go play outside." Renah and Bluestripe had played together for a long time when Renah had to stop to catch her breath. When Renah got up to play more games with Bluestripe, her son was nowhere to be seen. Renah searched through the forest calling his name.
"Bluestripe! Come out, wherever you are!" No response. Renah was getting worried, it was almost dark outside. After several more minutes of searching, Renah spotted Bluestripe hiding behind a bush." Come here, you little wretch!" said Renah, making an attempt to grab her son.
"EEK!", squealed Bluestripe as his mother grabbed at him. Bluestripe jumped nimbly out of his mother's reach and ran. Renah began to chase her mischievous son. After chasing Bluestripe for a minute or two, Renah finally caught the naughty badger babe.
"Grr! I've got you, you fat little badger!" said Renah as she began tickling Bluestripe. "Hee hee hee! Oh Mamma, stop that tickles!" giggled Bluestripe. Despite the happy atmosphere, trouble was not to far away. As Renah and Bluestripe laughed and played together, a group of vermin circled mother and child.
"Well lookee 'ere, 'tis a pair 'o stripedogs!", snickered a ferret. "You two stripehounds better come with us to the castle of Lord Panthera Longclaws, you two would make good slaves for 'is majesty," said an important looking stoat.
"You're not putting a paw near my child!" growled Renah.
"Then we'll just take your brat an' you can stay 'ere. Get the stripedog babe!" said the stoat. A rat had walked forward towards Bluestripe when THUMP! The rat who had walked forward lay dead, killed by Renah, who stood clutching a tree branch like a mace. "I warned you once now away with you all!" Renah charged at the vermin. CRASH, THWACK, WHACK! Renah battered away at the vermin.
"Stop the stripedog! Kill 'er!" shouted the stoat. A ferret raised his spear to throw when Renah brought the tree branch over his skull, killing him. Renah made a rush for the stoat captain, attacking whoever came too close. "Kill the badger, hurry!" wailed the horrified stoat. A weasel archer named Scring pulled an arrow and prepared to fire at Renah. TWANG! The arrow found its mark in Renah, right in the chest.
"Mamma!" cried out Bluestripe. Renah gave her son one last smile and fell over, dead. Bluestripe began to cry.
"Hurry, get that badger brat!" commanded the stoat captain. Right before the vermin left, the stoat captain kicked Renah's body and said, "See, no worries. Just stay 'ere an' sleep."
As the vermin carried Bluestripe away, he turned to look at the body of his mother. Soon, the vermin were at the castle of Panthera Longclaws. The vermin carried Bluestripe to the top of the castle, the chambers of Panthera Longclaws. When the vermin brought the badger babe in, Bluestripe was surprised. Panthera Longclaws was a wildcat with no stripes and he wore a black cape fastened by a weasel's skull.
"My, my, what do we have here?" The wildcat's voice sent shivers down Bluestripe's back. "We found 'im in the woods with another stripedog, Scring was the one to kill 'er.", said the stoat captain.
"Hmm, you're quite a skilled archer, Scring. I will reward you by appointing you as the Assassin Squad Captain." said Panthera.
"Thank you, sire," said Scring.
"Now, why did you bring me a badger babe?" asked the wildcat.
"When he grows to be big an' strong, he will become a good slave." answered the stoat captain.
"Give him the markings of a slave; and use the blue paint," ordered the wildcat ruler.
Bluestripe sniffled. Panthera Longclaws turned on the young badger. He gave a wicked smile. Even though Bluestripe was scared, he tried to be brave. "You killed my Mamma, I'll get you someday!" The wildcat's smile grew larger. Then, Panthera Longclaws laughed. "Guards, take him away!" Bluestripe glared at Panthera Longclaws as the guards carried him away.