Author's Notes:
Thank you to those who've reviewed! Book I may only have a few chapters left. Sorry to those who 'd like to see it, but I might not include the slaves' escape, I think with too much plots the story will go out of whack. It is possible I will show them, though, if demand is high enough. However, I will include the deleted scenes in a future collection of drabbles that is unwritten though planned, and it will be a much better account. They however, will be seen in this fan-fic later. Most definitely.
Onward!
The Swamplands
"Rrrrreb! Intruders in Queendom Dragwa! Intruders!" shouted a fat toad in a throaty voice.
"Crrrrrk! Rrrrreb! Intruders! Intruders!" shouted the toads.
Trident bearing toads confronted Vafír's horde and the Wroots as they trudged through the dense swamps. The toad horde blocked them from continuing.
"Crrrroak! Enemies of Queendom Dragwa will die!" shouted the horde spokesman. "Who is your ruler!"
The white fox walked forward. Though he was covered in sludge and facing a horde of toads, he still looked proud and dignified."I am king here! I am no enemy of Queendom Dragwa! I want alliance!"
The toads looked a little uneasy. A few retreated back. It made no difference to the horde of hundreds of thousands of toads.
"Whitefox. He is whitefox. Bulgum?" asked the toad.
Vafír nodded. "Aye! I king and Bulgum!"
"Rrrrreb! Proof! Proof!"
The white fox grinned. Grabbing a hawthorn staff from the waiting Zäev, he plunged it into the earth. "I will not show you bulgum power until I am brought to Queen Dragwa!"
The toad frowned. "Rrrrreb! Call High Queen Dragwa!"
The toads that had retreated back returned, and behind them was a large female toad with a silver crown, the High Queen Dragwa.
"Show me Bulgum powers, whitefox! Crrrroak!" Her voice was pompous and slightly higher pitched then the toad spokesman, but not by much.
The white fox nodded obediently. "As you wish, High Queen Dragwa. Bloodtoe! Zäev!"
The rat and pine marten took out a glass bowl and filled it with swamp water. Out of the side of his paw, Zäev poured one of Vafír's invention, a liquid version of the toxic gases in the mine, into the the bowl.
Vafír lit the tip of the hawthorn staff on fire. The toads took a few steps back; toads are terrified of fire. Grinning, Vafír put the tip of the staff in the water.
Expecting the staff to be numbed, the toads leaped back when the water exploded with fire.
"Eeeeeh! Whitefox bulgum! Whitefox bulgum!" called the queen.
Vafír nodded. "Now that you know that, I have more to tell you..."
ooooooooooooooooo
Toads crowded around Vafír and Queen Dragwa's council, making sure nothing went wrong.
"Rrrrreb! Wadda ya want, whitefox bulgum?"
"I want your help. You command thousands and thousands. I wish to conquer yon mountain fortress, and with your toads' help."
"Crrrroak! Wad's inna it fer us?"
Vafír put his snout on where her ear should be. "What do you want?"
The toad queen shrugged. "Us toads not ambitious like vermins. We wish fer food or..."
"Owado! Owado! Owado!" called the toads.
Vafír smiled. "You will have plenty of food and Owado. When we conquer the mountain there be many places to get Owado."
Dragwa's eyes shone. "'Ow much?"
"Fifteen percent of the fishes we find a day, all prepared to your liking, and forty percent of the Owado we find a fortnight."
"Rrrrreb! Dragwa not know percents!"
Vafír sighed. "It's a lot. So you get fish and Owado. I know toads love seafish, but hate seawater."
Dragwa smiled, twisting her gruesome face. "For Owado and food!"
Vafír laughed. He surveyed the thousands he welcomed to his horde.
oooooooooooooooooooo
"Master Silvertung, why do we stay in the swamp?" asked Zäev over their chess game, moving his rook into the center..
Vafír moved his bishop, knocking the pine marten's rook off the board. "Because the toads won't survive on the shore, and they make up most of the army."
Zäev picked his rook up, wiping mud off it. He put it on the table, the moved his pawn forward. "So how will we conquer the mountain?"
Vafír moved his queen up diagonally in front of the pawn. "We'll bring the original horde up to the mountain to lay the groundwork for the siege, make sure we have enough food, have trenches, stop the from getting out, and I'll put my... plan out there."
Zäev greedily took the queen with his pawn. He threw it back, and it hit the tent flap and fell to the ground. "Ha!" Earning a glare from Vafír, his enthusiasm dropped and so did he, grabbing the chess piece and scrubbing it clean with his tunic, not noticing the smirk Vafír had.
Putting the queen down, he asked, "So what is your plan, then?"
"You'll see in due time," said the fox, taking the pawn with his bishop. "Checkmate. I'll see you tomorrow so we can discuss the trip from here to the mountain."
Zäev was trying to make sure it was checkmate while Vafír left the tent.
Salamandastron
"Whew! You were out all day, chap, wot wot wot!" called Alfar as Krudeblade came out of the healers room.
The bandaged sea otter laughed. "Haharr! Yer right. It's time to go find those blue hordes!"
As Krudeblade made his way to the exit, Alfar threw himself in front of him. "Wait! Yew can't take them on your own, especially in your state, chap!"
"I don't care, they'll pay!" the sea otter charged forward, then tripped and fell across the rocky passage. Brigadier Bristlefur came from his hiding place, swinging his swagger stick. "Well, chap, you want teh make 'em pay, wot? Well there's a much better way teh do it than getting yerself killed!"
The brigadier placed his footpaw on Krudeblade's back. "Now, if I were you, I'd go back to the Rogue Crew and get those chaps. After all, that was the original plan if anythin' went wrong, wot wot!"
Krudeblade sighed. "Alright. Then I'll go!"
"Tut-tut. Yer in no state fer travel, mate. I'll send our best gallopers. But yer all bandaged up and whatnot, nay, the mountain'll take care of yeh!"
Krudeblade shook the footpaw off and started running, followed by the two hares. The second he made it to the exit, two young hares barraged in, pummeling him to the ground.
"Sah!" called the first one. "We ran to the Cove and got the Rogue Crew, sah!"
"Aye aye, sah! They're swimming just behind us!" called the second hare.
"You must've ran hard! How did you do that in less than a day, wot?" asked the confused brigadier.
"Ah, no problem for us! Me and my brother are the fastest hares here, dontcha know!"
"My sister's right! We could run all the way to the east coast and back without breakin' a sweat, wot!"
A ghost of a smile appeared on Bristlefur's grim features. "Good. Now chaps, go get some food and take some rest."
As the two hares ran off, Bristlefur commented to Krudeblade and Alfar, "Harris and Feya De Mayne, twins and fastest hares on the mountain. I sent for them the moment that great lump of fur washed up.""
Alfar laughed. "Whew! And they brought quite a pong with them!"
Now it was Krudeblade's turn to laugh. "Well of course! They were with the Rogue Crew, after all!"
Bristlefur perked up as if he remembered something. "Oh yes! I must tell the cook that she'll need to make extra food if the Rogue Crew's coming!"
As the brigadier ran off, Krudeblade warned Alfar. "You might want to follow him, or be stampeded by us!
The hare took his advice and ran. Moments later, the great war-cry of the Rogue Crew could be heard. "Hooooooooooolaaaawheeeeeeeey!"
The Rogue Crew was in Salamandastron!
