Hodbar
Just after waking from the night's sleep, the travelers were sitting in a circle around a table, along with Villyemm and Highminer Alvladd.
"So the flowers of Icetor, eh? How would this work?" said Rivertunnel.
Mervo answered. "Well, the cure is that they're boiled in spring water, mayhap the water with the boiled flowers could douse the flame."
Zeela hugged her son as the young fox tried to squirm away. "Of course! Good job!"
Getting away, Mervo asked, "Still, how do we get those flowers? Then we need to get to Salamandastron."
Alvladd answered. "You can go out and harvest the flowers today, then the tunnels to Harbod expand everywhere, even to the deep caverns of Salamandastron."
Erzvin smiled. "That makes this much easier. Thank you, Highminer."
The mole nodded. "Maybe we will join you, you speak of an emperor fighting the mountain, we can help."
"Oh, thank you," said Rivertunnel.
"Could you give us weapons?" asked Erzvin. "We're going to go around the mountain, and there may be vermin gangs there."
"Of course. But my moles could not accompany you, we are not partial to sunlight."
oooooooooooooo
Mervo sheathed his short, well-balanced sgian dhu. he had been given. Zeela had gotten a light Dirk, Rivertunnel a hefty battle-ax, Erzvin a sharp sabre, and Bungle had a hammer. With the exception of Rivertunnel, none of them really knew how to use the weapons, and they would undoubtedly get ran down if they were to meet a vermin gang.
They exited Hodbar saying goodbye to the moles. Leaving them, they wandered aimlessly, realizing they had not thought this through well enough and had no real clue what to look for, never having seen a flower of Icetor before.
So they hiked through the mountains, tired and confused.
oooooooooooooo
The camp was sizable enough, with three and a half score vermin. Their leader was a strong, proud fox, called Balefur, and his father was called Balefur, and his father's father, and so on.
Two scouts, Scabby the ferret and Chizvil the rat returned to him, reporting, "Ach, Laird Balefur, we've spotted five, with good weapons and prob'ly loot, easy prey!"
Balefur smiled wickedly. In his deep voice, he ordered, "Get the crew ready, and tell mah captains to cum here!"
The scouts ran off. After them came four captains, two foxes and two weasels.
Balefur grinned. "Och, me bonny captains! T'day's yer lucky day! We'll be gettin' sum fine weapons, just enough fah us lads!"
The captains cackled wickedly. Time for plunder!
oooooooooooooo
"Rivertunnel, did your old ancestor Thrugg ever write what those flowers look like?"
"Oh, all he said was they were white. Fat lot o' help that-"
"Hurr, wot is it?" asked Bungle.
Rivertunnel stared into the distance. "I just saw, in my mind's eye, wot those flowers looked like. Small, delicate. Star-like and white as driven snow, with a tinge of light blue."
"But how?" asked Zeela.
Bungle chuckled. "Hurr, that'd be Marthen ee Warrior."
Rivertunnel nodded. "Yer right there, Matey. Now-"
"Aaargh!" An arrow flung overhead, nicking his Erzvin's off.
"Get down!" called Rivertunnel.
They ducked, but it wasn't much use, they were on the side of a mountain. Mervo looked below, and to his dismay he saw a vermin band approaching.
Arrows flew through the air as the travelers unsheathed their weapons. The vermin were now charging up at them, bearing makeshift weapons made of what ever they could find.
"Baaaaaaaaaaalefur!" cried one of the vermin, a ferret, bearing an ax made from a piece of slate tied to a hefty stick.
The vermin were soon at them. Still, they had the advantage of the high ground, and Rivertunnel and Erzvin were able to keep them away at the moment.
Rivertunnel kicked a rat back. "We can't 'old 'em back forever! Wot'll we do?"
Just as the vermin were about to breach them, a cry rent the air.
"Haaaaaaaaaaway the Braw! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaway the Braw!
"Logalogalogalog! Guorafs! Guorafs! Logalogalogalogalogalog!"
Bearded shrews with head bands leaped into the fray, wielding rapiers. There was also a strange group of creatures, large white-furred beasts with great horns and bushy beards.
The tides changed almost instantly. The shrews and creatures outnumbered and outmatched the vermin. They were fierce and deadly fighters, especially the horned beasts with massive battle-axes.
Mervo observed in awe as the vermin retreated back in fear, splitting up and running away. These were real warriors, proud and fearless.
"Redwaaaaaaall!" called Rivertunnel, leaping into the battle. Hacking at an axe, he came up next to one of the creatures. "If you don't mind me asking, what are ye, matey?"
The creature chuckled. "Och, Ah'm wot ye'd call a braw goat, laddie. Not much of us left, y'see. Mah name is Arro, Ah'm the leader of this clan. Heard one of these vermin, sounded ferret or weasel, callin' Balefur's battlecry. We've been after Balefur for a while, scummy vermin."
"Which one is him?" asked the otter, chopping up a ferret. "Och, Ah don't see 'im, 'e must've ran, like most o' these vermin. Ah hate that, gives us less of a fight!"
ooooooooooooo
Balefur at the moment was sneaking behind with his five captains, eager to get their paws on those fine weapons. Sneaking around, they found a young fox in the back of the ranks. Maybe he was vermin, but he must've gone good. He looked down the mountain, there was a score of shrews that had spotted him running up.
"Och, mah braw laddies, go an' get those shrews."
The captains foolishly ran off to their deaths, fighting the shrews, only taking three with them. However, it was a necessary distraction for Balefur. He raised his axe over the young foxes head, chuckling.
Mervo had heard Balefur's laughter, and his reaction was to immediately spin around and stab with his Sgian Dhu.
Balefur froze, the small knife still buried in his gut. He looked down at, then at the young fox, then fell and rolled down the mountain, dead.
Mervo sat, traumatized. He would never forget the doomed look Balefur had given him as the tough fox realized that he was going to die.
oooooooooooooo
The battle was over, the vermin dead.
"Guoraf, my friend. Guerilla Union of Roving and Fighting Shrews, ye see!"
Rivertunnel chuckled. "That was a good fight!"
Arro laughed. "Och, Pity we didn't get Balefur. Ah, well. We'll get him next time."
"Actually, the young fox got 'im, with a little knife!" said the Guoraf, Log a Log Brus.
Arro frowned, and looked at the three foxes in disgust. "Ah'm no fan o' foxes, lyin' beasts, ye ken!"
"Hey! They're my friends!" argued Rivertunnel.
"Vermin are vermin. They're just lyin' to you."
Brus was on Rivertunnel's side. "Oh, Arro! Ye can't just say that, wot if there's some good!"
The goat shook his head. "Nay, Ah've never known a good vermin!"
"Well, ye keep thinking that!" retorted Brus. "'E killed Balefur, didn't 'e? As a matt o' fact, Ah'm gonna go congratulate 'im, right now!"
"Yes!" added Rivertunnel as they marched off to where Mervo was sitting alone, facing the stars.
"'Lo, friend!" called Log a Log Brus. "Ye proud? Ye killed Balefur! The big bad 'un 'imself! Got 'im right in the gut, ye 'ad a little knife an' he 'ad a battle axe! No trouble fer ye, though, right?"
Paying no heed to Mervo's horrified expression, Rivertunnel added, "'E rolled right down the mountain! Ye got 'im good, one o' the best kills I ever 'eard o', I wish I was there to see it!"
At this Mervo promptly broke down into sobs, letting his head drop to his knees as the Log a Log and otter realized what was going on.
"Oh, can ye believe we fergot wot it was like when we first took a life?"
The Log a Log sighed. "Yer right matey, we should've been more sensitive. 'Ere, listen, me young matey. Vermin are cruel, wicked beasts, ye did somethin' good gettin' rid o' a fox, they just live to-"
Rivertunnel slapped the Log a Log with his paw as Mervo's sobs increased nearly tenfold.
"Wot was that for, matey," asked Brus. "I was just tellin' him 'e did a good thing, riddin' the world o' foxes an' vermin."
Rivertunnel glared at him, and realization dawned on the shrew's face. "Oh, I'm an idiot!"
Zeela ran at them, shouting. "Git goin', ye two! Can't ye just see you're making it worse!"
The otter and shrew obediently ran off. Zeela and Erzvin replaced them, placing comforting paws on their sons shoulders, as Zeela began singing.
"Far Across the Land,
And just before the sea,
The mountain of power,
That's where you'll find me,
Where a dragon warns,
The dangers away,
I will find peace there,
A path so far, a very long way,
Through the trees of the great forest,
And alongside a stream that's fullest,
Through the mountains high,
Were the winged mice eyesight is nigh,
Far Across the Land,
And just before the sea,
The mountain of power,
That's where you'll find me,
Through the wetlands,
Of monsters alike,
Brave your way towards the sands,
Beware the swamps fiends,
To the place of golden peace,
Of great tranquility,
Far Across the Land,
And just before the sea,
The mountain of power,
That's where you'll find me,
Across the place where sea meets land,
Across the dunes and sand,
Beware clawed creatures,
Those that are hostile,
To find the mountain where magic does surge,
Far Across the Land,
And just before the sea,
The mountain of power,
That's where you'll find me."
