9

Roaveen was eager to hope for the fact that the Mountain Regiment would become an efficient fighting unit. The troops were eager as always, and his father had allowed him to take his pick of weapons from the armory.

The leverets had shown a little uncomfortable position while wielding the long, heavy pikes that seasoned warriors of the Long Patrol wielded with ease. The swords, axes, and other weapons that would normally be wielded by recruits slightly older than they, by perhaps five seasons.

Roaveen was discouraged, and his two brothers recognized it, which made Roaveen realized it was a matter of pride, and the ability to rule the mountain.

Korari was young, and loved to laugh at Thornback's snide jokes and clever wit. Roaveen was always infuriated by these comments, and used his large size to hold his own. The tension merely steeped up.

It was on one such occasion that Roaveen was training the Mountain Regiment to use the bows that all starters used. However, even these bows were proving too hard for the leverets to use.

Korari, remembering his strain and struggles with his archery skills, and his brother's bullying matter, laughed on the sidelines. Roaveen glanced angrily at his youngest brother.

A young leveret named Jutsin grimaced, and let loose an arrow that went wildly off course. Korari and some hares the age of the Mountain Regiment recruits laughed. One glare from the Regiment's commander silenced all but Korari.

"So, brother! Why don't you show them how it's done then."

Roaveen, his teeth grinding together, nevertheless took the bow from Jutsin. He drew back to loose an arrow into the center.

Had he not been so frustrated and angry, he would have remembered that he was not using his regular bow. His temper, however, had risen so high that it dominated his mind. He drew back using all his strength.

The bow snapped into three pieces. The string was ripped to uselessness. The big badger was left standing with a destroyed bow.

Korari started laughing harder than ever. The others, seeing the danger in staying, fled.

Roaveen turned to see Korari laughing as hard as he could. A roar of fury erupted from the heir to Salamandastron, and he threw himself in the direction of his brother.

Korari, seeing the brutal strength of his brother coming towards him, sobered rapidly, and ran as fast as he could towards the beach. Roaveen pursued him doggedly, oblivious of the sand kicked up that was filling his mouth.

Korari realized how foolish he had been to incur the wrath of his hot-tempered brother, and he changed direction, sprinting towards the entrance into Salamandastron, trusting that even Roaveen would control his temper at the prospect of making an embarrassing scene.

Roaveen was far too angry to lose his brother now. He gave another bellow, and erupted through the high doors, and into the vast interior of the mountain after his brother.

Salamandastron was veritably a city carved within the extinct volcano. Korari was sure that he had an opportunity to escape.

He mounted a stairway, pushing past hares to elude Roaveen.

Roaveen roared at all to stand aside. Many obeyed, and Roaveen drove up the stone steps.

Other hares, however, attempted to stop this. Seahawk and Roselyn were both present, and they hastened to end the madness.

Roaveen was furious enough not to even care about the fact that the hares of Salamandastron were observing him. He wanted to break Korari so that no one would mock him again.

Korari scaled another set of stairs. He could hear his brother even closer behind him than ever.

He saw that he'd never make the top of the stairs. Roaveen was too strong and desperate to catch him.

But he knew he could not just turn and plead for mercy. He forced his burning lungs to wait, and he scaled the stairs with the last energy he could muster.

He made the top. He had no idea how, but he made it.

However, he could not hope to stop. He inhaled deeply, and began to run.

He tripped. The seconds where he had stopped to breathe had given the maddened Roaveen to dash forward, lunge for the top, and grab his brother's foot paws. A wild yell of triumph erupted from him, and he exerted his strength to pull Korari down.

Korari had lost all balance, so instead of grabbing the stairs like Roaveen had thought would happen, he literally fell through thin air. Eventually, a meaty thud sounded as he fell at the bottommost stairs.

Roaveen, and indeed, every hare around him, was speechless. His fury had evaporated, and he realized that he had taken it to a bad level.

Korari was lying spread-eagled on the hard stone floor. A tiny trickle of blood formed where his tooth had been knocked out.

Roaveen emitted a low groan of grief and regret, backed away, turned, and ran to his quarters.

Roselyn, Thornback, and Oakfur pushed their way through towards the young badger, who was slowly rising. Korari had a hand to where three ribs were hurt, but it was unclear to see how hurt it was, and there were bruises everywhere on his body. Along with quite a few cuts and scrapes, and a hard blow on the head.

Oakfur sighed at his youngest son, and turned to witnesses, "Who will tell me what happened here?"

An older hare of the Long Patrol named Krieg stepped forward, "Milord, I've served under your command in many a long battle."

Oakfur nodded solemnly, a little reminiscing smile twitching on the corners of his mouth, "I know you well, Krieg, son of Kamwiss."

Krieg indicated Korari, "Milord's son here was being pursued by Lord Roaveen, who eventually caught him. Lord Korari took a tumble, and Roaveen fled in guilt and shame. That is all, sah."

Oakfur nodded, and turned to his younger son, a stern look developing, "Why was he seeking pain on you?"

Korari flinched at the throb from his ribs, "I scorned him, father."

Oakfur closed his eyes in exasperation, "Son, why do you and Thornback continually taunt your brother?"

Korari flared up, "Roaveen is a bully, and we do nothing but to retal-"

"-Silence!" Oakfur barked at his younger son. He jerked his head, "Go and have your ribs inspected. I shall speak with Roaveen."

Korari nodded, and left, a trace of a tear in his eye. His father was a noble, efficient, and just ruler, but he knew that Roaveen would always come before Thornback and he.

Oakfur turned towards Thornback, "Bring Roaveen to me."

Thornback went to Roaveen's chamber. A few minutes later, Roaveen walked in, all traces of anger withdrawn from his face. Instead, there was humility, and at the same time, a defiance.

Oakfur looked at his eldest son, "You brother told me what happened."

Roaveen looked his father in the eye, ready to protest, but thought better of it.

Oakfur never broke his gaze, "It occurs to me that your Mountain Regiment may need some experience. You will pick fifteen of my veterans, and Krieg will be your lieutenant." He gestured towards the older warrior, who bowed low to both father and son, "And you will apologize to your brother who will report to me if you meant it or not."

Thornback, standing to the side, saw what his father had done. Roaveen wanted sole independence on the concerns of his new Mountain Regiment. Now, however, Oakfur was ordering him to choose from a selection of offers. Thornback was, to say, a little disgusted by it. It would definitely rankle at Roaveen's pride to have to accept his father's influence on his regiment, and to have to apologize to his brother, but the punishment was very light.

Thus the whole argument was settled. Roaveen gave a profound apology to his brother, and gave a heartfelt welcome to the newly promoted Lieutenant Krieg and fifteen veterans of the Long Patrol. But the resentment between older and younger brothers did not abate.

However, time went on as usual. Salamandastron continued to stand. Patrols were sent, food was grown on the cultivated areas of the mountain, and the three brothers continued to grow.

Roaveen, although he hesitated to admit it, found that the veterans hastened the discipline of his Mountain Regiment. Plus, Roaveen knew that it would be some time before the young recruits could use the weapons used by the veterans, so he decided to fashion them as slingers prior to the heftier weapons. By a season and a half's end, every one of them could sling an accurate rock as far as 40 yards. Roaveen also worked on their fitness, so that every morning, the badger and his hundred soldiers could be seen running laps along the beach.

If Thornback had been annoyed with the lack of punishment his elder brother had been given, he was now furious. If Roaveen was resentful, he did not show it. And why should he? The Mountain Regiment was running much more smoothly.

Korari had long recovered, but he shared Thornback's resentment.

They decided to speak to their father.

Oakfur, as he had always done for so many seasons of his life, worked in his forge for the entire morning, stopping for lunch, and then would go and do his duties as Badger Lord. He loved the forge's heat, the freedom to make anything out of the twisting metal, and also the noises.

This morning was no different. Thornback and Korari went to the forge entrance. Korari knocked on the door.

"Enter!" Oakfur called out over the clanging of his forge hammer.

Thornback and Korari went in.

The forge was an ancient room that had been the natural room of Badger Lords. It had originally been smaller, but growth in the stock of weapons necessary had caused the smith to be enlarged over the years. There was a space on the west wall where the fire burned almost endlessly. The armory had been moved into a much larger room to make room for the newly forged weapons.

Oakfur was completely at home in the forge. There was space enough for him to work without having to move anything.

At present, he sat, munching at a meal of fish. Traditionally, meat was highly uncommon, but Oakfur's grandfather had nurtured a liking for a roasted fish. Since then, fish were scantily taken from the sea. Once, Roaveen had actually seen an exhausted bird ebbing its life out. Putting it out of its misery, he then tried roasted seabird. He had always said it had a unique taste.

Now, however, the Lord of Salamandastron was frequently having a lunch of fish.

He looked at his two sons, "So?"

Thornback stepped forward, "Father, I have a problem with how you value your sons."

Oakfur knew what it was about. Thornback had been ever resentful of late. He was not happy about how Roaveen could get away with certain things, while he or Korari got the worse end.

Oakfur, however, was a very stubborn beast, and he met up to his son's challenge, "Thornback, I do not want to hear this over and over."

"Then do something about it and you won't hear me complain!" Thornback thundered, riled up by what he saw as a lost cause.

Oakfur's face went hard and cold, "Don't you dare speak to your father like that, Thornback."

Thornback said nothing for a moment. He just stared at his father.

Korari, who normally did not dare speak like that to his father, was full of admiration for his brother. Roaveen could be defiant, too, but he never went as far as Thornback. Thornback was a real piece of work.

Thornback spoke up again, this time full of defiance and daring, "Lord, I refuse to stand for this longer. If we are not treated fairly, I will leave the mountain."

He turned on his back and left the heated forge room, blinking back a tear, and leaving his brother and father stunned.

He was incorrigible. No one could talk him out of it; Thornback was set on his goal. He did not know if his father would make the first move, but he knew it would hurt to leave the mountain.

But as the days passed, Oakfur did nothing different. He also looked at Thornback differently, as though he was walking out of the mountain. It was a colder attitude than before, almost demanding his departure.

So on one such morning, a hare went to summon Thornback to breakfast, and found the bed neatly made, and a letter stating that Thornback, the resentful middle son of Oakfur, had left.