The Swamp
"Your leader has been killed! Your horde defeated! I give you two choices! Die, or serve me!"
After a moment's hesitation, the blue hordes lifted their weapons in the air. "Silvertung! Silvertung! Victory's in sight! Silvertung! Silvertung! We will win this fight!"
The white fox smiled as the blue hordes joined his ranks. Though he did have something else to deal with. He called to him the score of vermin that were not dyed blue. Pointing to the leader, he said, "You, your name is Grimfur, is it not?"
The dark-furred weasel nodded, clearly nervous. "Aye, aye, Gri-Grimfur's m-my name!"
Vafir smiled. "You were of Griv's horde? And I offered you redemption. And how did you repay me? You went and got enemies to come and defeat me."
Grimfur nodded his head, more nervous.
"Aargh!" shouted the fox. Muttering to himself, he said, "Darkblood better be on his guard. That wolverine will try to take him out," resuming his calm manner, he said, "So why should I give you another chance, as you've already betrayed me once?"
The weasel's eyes widened. "B-because, s-sire, I-I-"
The sabre found its mark in the weasel's gut, killing him. "One who whines and begs is of no use to me," he nodded to Zaev, who smiled and through a piece of cloth in the air. On signal, nineteen toad tridents flew through the air, killing the remaining vermin.
The fox sighed. "Pity, but they'd have betrayed me again," lowering his voice, he muttered to Zaev, "How goes with your spying?"
The pine marten grinned. "I have got the help of two, Bloodtoe rat and Skri fox. They're loyal to us, and they've rooted out some potential traitors."
"Who?"
"Nothing certain, yet. Dethfur and his crew are a possibility. So are Clawd the stoat and Scumsnout the weasel. But, like I said, nothing certain."
"Hmmm... Tell them to keep an eye on all who were loyal to Griv. He's a traitor, Grimfur's proof. Which runner has the best endurance?"
"Srav the ferret."
"Send him with rations and tell him to run west, get to the abbey and warn Darkblood about Griv."
"Yessir, I'll get right on it."
ooooooooooooo
Bloodtoe was a stout, gray rat with a dirty face, Skri the fox was a tall, lean female fox with a missing ear. Spies for Zaev, and in turn Silvertung, they were among the most loyal of troops, head captains and ruthless killers. Skri's one ear was very good, and could hear many things without others noticing. Bloodtoe was incredibly observant, probably more observant than the whole horde, and so they both made good spies, along with being very good at deceiving others when they'd want.
Scumsnout the weasel had once been a captain in Griv's horde, though had been demoted when Vafir had taken over. The result was a grudge against the white fox, who had not found him worthy to continue captaincy.
He pulled out his longbow and fingered the arrow. Eying the tent Silvertung was sleeping, he drew the bow, looking around to make sure nobody was watching, he grinned.
Just before the arrow left a cutlass sped out and cut the bowstring, and Scumsnout looked to where the cutlass had come from, seeing the villainous vulpine face of Skri. Before he could yell out, Bloodtoe's dagger found its place between the weasel's ribs.
ooooooooooooo
Fallear the Blue weasel poured Oleander oils into a goblet. "Hoho, Silvertung'll regret killin' Queen Kamataya, that's fer sure!"
The half-score blue vermin with him chuckled darkly. One, a young rat called Splitty, said, "Yes! Heehee! An' us'n's be kings!"
Fallear scowled. Putting his face close to Splitty and touching the rat's throat with a knife he called, "Nay! You'n's be cap'ns! I be king, coz it wuz my idea!"
"Yes, yes, King Fallear!" cried Splitty, scooting away.
Virrayna the weasel cook grinned. "An' I be 'igh cook! Coz I'm much be'er dan Siller'ung's!"
Silvertung's cook was in reality a master chef, a rotund and dignified stoat called Rurjy, who could produce food to rival Redwall Abbey's, even in the dismal swamp. But being vain, Virrayna took no notice of this.
Fallear patted her head. "Aye, you'll be 'igh cook an' Cap'n!"
Virrayna laughed and took a bite of an apple she had in her paw.
Scowlface the stoat, well, scowled. "Wot if we get caught? Then wot'd we do?"
Bloodtoe's pierced his back like it did with Scumsnout. As the stoat keeled over, Bloodtoe said, "That'll be wot 'appens!"
Skri the fox came from behind, taking out a weasel. "Run an' regroup!" called Fallear, dashing through the swamp.
A hooded figure jumped from behind a rock and slew the weasel with a long rapier. The other eight vermin charged at him, Viraynna shouting, "Come on, we outnumber 'im!"
The figure slew her with ease, and with her fell the rest of the blue vermin, killed with the efficiency of only a master swordsbeast could use. The last was Splitty, who decided it wasn't worth it and ran the other way. Looking backwards, he bolted right into Skri's cutlass with a dying scream.
Zaev removed his hood and congratulated his spies. "Good work. Keep it up and you'll both be generals."
Salamandastron
The mountain was in ghastly condition. Hares, otters, mice, badger, a goat and a squirrel tried to confide themselves to their room, but there was no denying the stomach. Nearly a quarter of the mountain had Mortifer's, and some would not last much longer.
Hurqu was pacing around his stone room, his bed in splinters. Without a fight, he destroyed what he could. The bed, his chairs, the paintings on the wall, and threw a golden statue from a window.
Sighing, he looked miserably out the window. After staring into the sky, he chuckled. Crawling through his window, he laughed as he felt the wind go through his fur. Jumping back into his room he grabbed a haversack to put his grippers in, then slung that and his axe onto his back. Bounding back through the window he looked up the mountain. Stamping his hooves, he ran upwards, up the steep mountain as his ancestors would, laughing into the wind.
Reaching the top, he called, "Och, this is the life!" He enjoyed the others company, but he hadn't ran up a mountain in far too long.
"Now!" came a voice behind him, as a net was thrown over his head.
The goat turned around, roaring. Seven rats had thrown a net over his head. As he turned with such force, the net was slung to the side and a screaming rat fell into the crater at the top of the mountain. Hurqu charged forward, goring a second rat with his horns.
The other five rats grabbed him and held him down. The leader, incorrectly called Bigteeth, cried, "We got 'im! Silvertung be happy! See 'ow 'e ran up 'e mountain! 'E could carrys us'n's! Heehee!"
Hurqu let out a groan of despair.
ooooooooooooo
Thorkrig, chief of the Rogue Crew, had a room in similar shape to Hurqu's. Growling, he was interested by the commotion going just above his room. Opening the door, he saw a moaning rat lying on the floor.
Grabbing his axe and putting the rat out of his misery, he looked upwards, where the crater was. There seemed to be some sort of struggle going on up there. Growling he climbed up there with the his great strength. Five rats were trying to capture the strange horned creature that came new here. Laughing, he called, "Hoolaaawheeeey!"
The rats hardly had time to turn in fear as they were cut down by Thorkrig's axe. Laughing the otter pulled the net off Hurqu. Shaking off the fight, they looked down the mountain.
"Oh, great," growled Thorkrig. "Those vermin are back."
