Our Land.

Chapter 12 – war plans?

…

"Wait… What?!" Sid called out as he jumped on his feet. "You're going to marry my granny?"

"Well… yes." Baen said, shrugging.

"I already told you my opinion," Sierra said softly in the background. "It's disgusting."

"No way!" Sid said, not paying attention to the wolf. "You can't marry him, Granny. He's… he's a badger!"

"Meh, I kissed a fish once," Granny said. "Compared to that, this is nothing."

"That's it, I'm out of here." Said Sierra as she stood up. "I've had my food anyway. But don't forget our agreement."

She disappeared between the trees.

"I'm going to have to agree with Sid, Granny," Manny admitted. "This is just a little too weird."

"You guys never let me do anything," Granny complained.

"But aren't you a little old to marry, Granny?" Shira asked.

"Hah!" Granny exclaimed. "I'll burry your children's children and do the polka on their graves!"

"What's the polka?" Eddie wondered.

"And who do you think you are to just waltz by and marry my granny?" Sid asked Baen angrily.

"Well," Baen started to explain. "I'm the last of a long line of badger kings and queens. They were all leaders of our village in the small forest next to this one. Where we live it's tradition that if a king marries, his wife takes over the throne."

"What kind of a tradition is that?" Crash mocked.

Baen gave him a short angry look, then continued talking. "Now, I vowed that I would only marry the woman who could defeat me in combat. And your Granny was the first one to succeed in doing so, Sid."

Sid blinked. "Wow…" He muttered. "So, my Granny is now a queen?"

"Well, not yet, actually," Baen said. "Not officially. But she will be very soon."

"Wow, Granny," Peaches laughed. "Good job. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Thanks, sister," Granny said, grinning.

"Okay, all the weirdness out of the way," said Manny. "Baen, maybe you and your people can help us? We have a little trouble with the wolves around here."

"You are not the only one," said Baen. "We've had quite some trouble with them too in the past. They chased my grandfather and his tribe out of the forest."

"Well, they want us gone too," Manny explained. "So we made a deal with that lone wolf called Sierra. She promised she would help us get Sid back, who was kidnapped by Bela and his pack. She did that. Now we have to help her."

"With what?" Baen asked.

"Well…" Manny hesitated. "She… she wants us to help her kill Bela."

Baen gasped. "Kill Bela?" he said. "Are you mad?"

"We have no choice," said Manny, shrugging. "we made our deal with Sierra, and we're not the type to back out on deals. But I think we need help. We're no match against all those wolves. But maybe if you and your badger tribe helped us, we might have a chance."

Baen frowned. "I don't know," he said. "What do you think, Granny?"

Granny waved her stick through the air. "Let's get those dogs!" she screamed. "We'll burry them and dance on their graves!"

"Well, if you say so," said Baen. "But we'll have to ask the other badgers if they're comfortable with it. We have to think of our people."

"Oh, and Baen," said Ellie. "I wonder if we can ask you for another favor. Just a small one. I wonder if my daughter and brothers and Louis can stay with you where it's safe for a while. I'm afraid they'll get hurt."

"Oh, we don't need protection," Crash said proudly.

"Yeah!" Eddie added. "We fought by the side of Buck the dinohunter, remember?"

"No," Ellie said sternly. "I won't have you two walking right into danger. You'd better stay with Baen where it's safe. At least, if he allows you to." She looked at the badger.

Baen smiled. "Of course your family can stay with us. They're welcome."

"Thank you, Baen," Ellie said, relieved.

"But mom…" Peaches protested.

"I want you to be safe, Peaches," said Ellie. "please, go with Baen."

Peaches sighed. "Okay, mom."

Peaches, Louis and Crahs and Eddie said goodbye to the herd members who stayed behind. Peaches hugged her mother and father tightly. "Be safe, mom and dad." She said.

Then the four followed Baen and Granny back to the badger's village.

Baen promised he would send a messenger with his answer to Manny's request.

Then the rest of the herd was left alone.

"That was a good thing you did there, Ellie," Manny said. He nuzzled his wife.

"Don't you think Sid should go too?" Diego wondered.

Sid folded his arms over his chest. "Hah, as if I can't handle a few wolves," he said stubbornly.

"Maybe Diego is right…" Manny started, but Sid gave him an angry look, so he said: "Fine, Sid can stay if he wants. But don't get kidnapped again, Sid."

"I won't." Sid promised.

…

Hamlin quickly jumped off Bela's rock when he saw the alpha wolf approaching.

"Ah, you're back, your grace." He said, bowing. "Did you find Sierra?"

"Yes," said Bela. "she has apparently found sanctuary with that herd."

"So what is the plan, your grace?" asked Hamlin.

"I don't know yet," was the answer. "I need to think about what our next step is going to be. So leave me in peace and go lead the hunting party."

"Yes, your grace." Said Hamlin.

While Bela walked back to his den, he passed the Witch Wolf, who was the pack's healer and magician. He looked up when the leader walked by.

Bela sniffed. He could smell the Witch Wolf. He smelled like smoke and bones.

"Any war plans, you grace?" the Witch Wolf asked. He giggled with a hoarse voice.

"Not yet, Witch Wolf," replied Bela. "Not yet. But probably very soon."

The Witch Wolf waited until the leader had walked past him.

"Lovely," he giggled then, rubbing his paws.

Bela went into his den and lay down, his head on his paws and his blind eyes closed behind his bird-skull mask.

He tried to think for a while, but instead fell into a deep sleep.

…

Sierra looked at the wolves' lair. She saw Hamlin gathering the hunting party. She saw Seth sneaking around, looking for wolves to pull a prank on. And she saw the Witch Wolf walking back to his den.

The female wolf turned around and walked back to her own home. The small hole in the rocks. She had lived there since she was a little wolf cub.

She went inside. In the back of the small cave, she shoved a stone aside to reveal a small hole, about as big as her paw, and in it was a necklace of a wolf tooth. She took it out and held it in her paws. She looked up.

"Not much longer, father." She said. "Not much longer."