Thank you those who reviewed: Idon'twanttomakeanaccount, Hannah and Gildor! And of course anyone who reviews this chapter in the future! I worked on this chapter, but I had a bit of mind-trouble. So please, excuse the mistakes! Read on...


Captured in the Dark Chapter 7

After Taft's departure had caused a stir in the vermin camp, though not a strong one. Word of how Slickcast had searched high and low for the mouse, with no find spread throughout the horde of raiders. How he had returned to the camp disgraced and humiliated by the fact that such a young and weak creature could give him the slip, was the main topic. That was, at least, until they heard that the little slave had no longer belonged to him, but to his brother. So the fire of rumor spread through the camp, giving the second born of Doxtriz Gorelimb a bad name.

Though Slickcast had not heard the whispers of himself, he had heard those of his brother. Determined to show that he was not at fault for loosing the slave, he bounded into Copper's tent, barking in fury and spite. The younger fox barely gave so much as a curse as the insults poured on his head and he was accused of treason. It was as though he had expected it and was well prepared.

"I knew something wasn't right when you bought that slave!" Slickcast hissed in his brother's face, a knife against the smaller fox's throat. "You're a sick pacifist, you rot! Sending that damned slave off to Redwall to destroy our plans!"

Copper lay against a table, his paws on his sibling's wrists to prevent the knife from slipping. He wasn't as strong as Slickcast, but he was smarter. Let the bloody beast gurgle all he wanted about treason and betrayal, after all, he was the master of it. However, he couldn't help but think that the blade was a bit too close to his neck. Lashing out with his footpaws, he sent the bigger fox backwards onto Copper's bed, sending a furious glare towards Slickcast.

"Your mad, Slick." He said sharply. "What the hell are you talking about? Sending a sniveling, ill-fed, useless and near-dead slave to warn off Father's attack? What? Have you gone mad? That very same scum is probably laying dead in the woods. There's no way he could have survived such a trek in the snow alone!"

Slickcast stepped closer to his brother, his black eyes flashing and putrid breath blowing over the younger fox's face.

"Exactly my point, you helped him."

Copper kept his death-gaze on the elder's, wishing fervently that he could just gab a dagger into his carkus and leave him to rot. He had no loyalty to the fox, brother or not. But he knew, such a thing would spell out his guilt on the charges, so he poured water on the desire.

"You're insane." He snorted, leaning in on his brother. "Why would I care for a group of idiotic and pathetic woodlanders? I'm not stupid, Slick. Such a thing would be dealt with by Father, and we both know the punishment for betrayal."

Slickcast hissed a curse and bent into his sibling, it was clearly a war between wills.

"All I know, little brother, is that you bought a slave from me, and the night before last that same slave was seen escaping from your tent with a satchel. He was heading towards Redwall when we lost track of him. Now I've been very patient. I've gathered possibilities together and sorted them, and each road ends with you."

Copper grinned, this game was a hard one, he knew he'd have to play his cards right or it was over.

"You must be very desperate to get rid of me then." He walked to the tent flap and opened it, his brown eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "You tell me this, Slick. You sold me the slave, you knew him the best, he feared you more then any of us. Now you come here accusing me of buying a slave, then letting the little wretch slip from my paws freely. Ah, but brother, I tied that little beast up before I laid down to rest that night. Somebeast freed him and ordered him to go." He turned a glare on the other fox. "Somebeast he feared and would obey, and now I have one less slave."

Slickcast stood there in rage, gripping his dagger in fury and contempt.

"You dare to accuse me of such treachery?" He yelled, only causing his brother to shrug carelessly.

"As you have just done to me, dear brother. I am merely stating possibilities that you have overlooked." He spread his paw, indicating to the camp. "In truth, anybeast out there could have freed him without my knowing. Because at the time that you claim he disappeared I was with our Father discussing battle tactics on how to bring Redwall down."

Slickcast stood there, flaring sparks of anger. He watched as Copper closed the flap and looked at his brother with his hard mud eyes.

"Now is not the time to discuss what happened, but what's to be done." The younger fox stated.

Slick could take no more of the insolence of his sibling; he stomped forward, roaring his rage.

"Exactly my dear brother!" He hissed, pushing Copper aside as he went for the entrance. "Guards! Come and place this pathetic excuse I have for a brother and place him in chains! NOW!"

Copper sighed as a rat and weasel approached, ready to do the will of their ranking officer. He had expected this, it was just a boring process to him.

"You really have a temper brother." He didn't even struggle when his paws were pulled behind him and secured with heavy chains. "What will you tell our Father, eh? Maybe I'm just bound to...disappear as it were."

Slickcast was once again in his sibling's face, fire dancing in his eyes. He was now actually enjoying himself, despite the words Copper had spoken previously.

"Father shall be the one to cast judgment on you, filthy scum!" He flashed his dagger beneath the younger fox's chin. "I shall follow the rules he has laid out for us, though I hope he allows me to take part in the execution. You don't deserve to be killed by such sloppy creatures as those beneath my rank."

Copper sighed again, a small smile on his lips, and obviously not fazed.

"You're so sure I'll be executed aren't you?"

Slickcast sneered gleefully, raising Copper's chin with the knife.

"Indeed. Though, you could have done much under my rule. Ah, well, luck ran out for you, I suppose."

The younger brother cocked his head, ignoring the blood now running down his neckfur in a thin line.

"I'm so sore in the heart to disappoint you, Slick!" He said sarcastically in a dark tone. "Tis a good thing love is not lost between us."

The absolute insolence of the beast! It was obvious to everybeast present that Copper was pulling his brother's nerves.

"Save it, Copper!" Slickcast snarled. "You'll be executed all right, I've got witnesses!"

Copper rolled his eyes as the large fox waved his paw and a pine marten and stoat came forward, looks of eagerness on their faces. He stared at them a few moments, taking their presence in. It was not long before he broke into soft chuckling, much to the confusion of the surrounding vermin.

"What's so funny, deadface?" Slick growled impatiently, bewildered.

Copper eased his snickers and grinned at his sibling, shaking his head.

"Nothing, brother, nothing. Come, let's go pay Father a visit and get this whole thing resolved shall we?"

"Fine." The elder of the foxes hissed. "But the only way this will be resolved is with your head on a pike!"

Copper shrugged.

"Ah, well, at least he won't eat my corpse, eh?"

Pushed forward, Copper was forced from the tent and made to walk through the camp towards the tent of his Father. Though he believed he could deal with this problem easily, he could not help but cast his eyes on the heads of past conspirators', lining the outskirt of the tent on spikes. It was a fearful sight and a disturbing one, one that Copper tended to avoid. Though he never said it (for it would surely mean death), he thought that showing off the bodies of the defeated was a poor way to show one's power. Surprise and technique was what he preferred. He needed no token from the dead to show his worth.

As they entered the double-tent, everybeast went down on their knees, awaiting the presence of their leader, Doxtriz the Slaver, as he was told of their arrival. They did not have to wait long before a strong, powerful-looking fox with a sweeping black cape, entered the tent. His black eyes gleamed with a dangerous, overwhelming power, his fur was a dark red, like that of blood and his clean and sharp teeth overlapped his bottom lip, giving him a fierce and treacherous look. The muscles in his arms and legs were sturdy and unyielding, the build of a beast worth fearing, hordebeast or victim. A beast of few words, but a beast avoided greatly

The pitch eyes fell upon the chained fox and his bowing brother, and he let out a snort of annoyance as he ordered them to rise in his dark, sinister tone. Sitting in his wooden throne-like chair, the fox waved his eldest son forward; he was ready to hear the charges.

"My Father," Slickcast said, bowing again, this time lower. "I come before your almighty presence to present a disturbing find for your judgment."

He paused out of respect and slowly rose.

"Speak, Slickcast, my heir." Doxtriz said forcefully. "What is this disturbing find you gravel on about?"

"My Lord and Father, I humbly accuse my only brother of treachery and betrayal to your own self." The fox waved a paw towards his captive brother. "Not four days ago, my sibling purchased a slave from me, a mouse. On the night before this last, that same slave was seen escaping towards our target with a satchel in paw. My beasts chased the scum, but he somehow managed to slip us. He could not have gotten away without help, my Lord. I have searched the camp scourging for clues, when I came upon these two beasts." He indicated the pine marten and stoat. "They claim to have seen, Copper, my brother, your son, give supplies to the chain-beast and send him off about the tenth hour of the night, towards our target, Redwall. I believe he has become a pacifist towards the victims of our work, my most powerful Father."

There was a long silence that followed Slickcast's list charges. Doxtriz stared hard at his older son, gazing into the eyes, identical to his own. After a few moments, he turned his glare at Copper, the smaller and calmer of his two sons. He observed the eyes, face and fur of the younger fox, all details about him coming from his mother's side, unlike Slickcast. The elder fox had purely taken after his father, the strong body, the blood-red fur, the heartless actions, he was his father's son, through and through. But Copper, Copper was special. While his brother contained the muscle, power and looks, he held the brains, the stealth and the cunning that his mother had processed. Yet even amongst that, there was something strange about him that Doxtriz never overlooked, it was a sense of honor. Something that woodlanders and goodbeasts are known for, not foxes. It was actually this same honor that caused Copper not only to be the younger, but the less favored son of the raider.

"What do you say of these crimes, Copper?" The giant fox asked. "Have you indeed turned against us?"

Copper, despite himself, let out a sigh.

"My Lord, I have no such feelings for the weaker beasts we battle." He stated plainly. "I can disprove these charges without issue, as it takes up our time. So if you will allow me, Sire, I would do so."

Slickcast wondered curiously as his father nodded permission and ordered the chains removed. He had done much work to attach the ends and come up with a solution to the mysterious disappearance of the slave, and he was not about to see it go to ruin.

"Is this wise, my father?" He blurted out, forgetting his place. "The fox could say anything to change your mind!"

Doxtriz raised an eyebrow at the outburst.

"Am I so quick to be manipulated, Slickcast?" He asked darkly, causing the younger fox's heart to stick in his throat.

"No Sire, I simply meant..."

"SLIENCE!" Gorelimb barked, baring his teeth at his son. "Let my judgment dispel all your thoughts and doubts! I have done so always to this point, and I shall continue to do so! When this is your horde, you may do as you will. But as of right now, it is mine and so I make the solutions, understood?"

Slickcast wisely chose not to grumble as he responded.

"Yes, Father."

Doxtriz nodded his head and turned his charred eyes on Copper, standing quietly, awaiting command.

"Begin."


Chapter 7: Send the author to heaven!...uh...didn't mean that! Please review! I've always had more trouble trying to develop the "bad characters" the good ones. I have a feeling this wasn't as good as the last chapters. So let me know what you think! I love reviews! Anonymous or not!

-Ireland Ranger-