LAND OF SNOW AND ICE: STORM DEEP
"All hail the new emperor! All hail Baro Steelclaws!"
Storm Deep's main hall was filled with hundreds of vermin. Lords, captains, soldiers, even cooks were present, all paying respects to their new leader. Old King Ragvor had died only two days ago of a "strange and sudden illness." His son, Baro, had graciously accepted the mantle of ruler in his stead.
The vermin all thumped their chests with their fists, then bowed as Baro walked into the massive room.
"Long live Emperor Baro!"
"May his reign be long and great!"
"T' th' Emperor!"
A long dark blue cloak was clasped onto his broad shoulders. He walked over to the black throne at the far end of the room. Sitting down, he raised his paws for silence.
As the crowd quieted, he began, "It's indeed a great tragedy that my father has passed from this life. His illness took us all completely by surprise. However, I promise you, with me as your leader, the Lands of Snow and Ice shall prosper and be made great once more!"
A small smile touched his lips as the vermin cheered.
"Of course, that means that there will be a few changes around here, but there will be more on that later. First, there are a few traitors that must be taken care of." He beckoned over to one of the captains. The vermin soldier saluted as he opened one of the hall's side doors.
Two beasts were roughly marched in by a group of ermine guards. One was a female ferret, the other a male fox. They had dark circles around their eyes from lack of sleep, and their clothes were damp and tattered from their brief stay in Storm Deep's deepest dungeons.
"These two were my father's most trusted beasts, as you all know. He put his faith in them, giving them the titles of head captain of the guard, and royal treasurer. And how did they repay his generosity? They stole from him!"
The two prisoners shook their heads desperately.
"No! We didn't! We were framed! We're innocent!"
"I served your father for twenty seasons! You know I'd never do such a thing!"
"Liars!" Baro hissed, slamming his fist on his throne. "You shall be sentenced to death for your crimes! Skinned alive and tied to posts for the carrion birds to pick at your flesh."
He waved his paw, and the two pleading vermin were hauled away.
"That will be all for now," Baro addressed the crowd. "Go about your business." With that, the young wolverine stood up and walked out of the hall.
Before going into his personal chambers, Baro glanced at the guards stationed at his door.
"Fetch Althea," he said.
"Yes, Your Supremeness."
Baro's room was plain. He had ordered most of his father's things to be burnt or put out of sight. The large wooden bed crowned the center of the room. Besides that, there were a few more pieces of furniture, such as a small table and a bookshelf.
The young creature paced the floor until he heard a knock.
"Yes?" he said.
"You wanted to see me?" a female voice asked.
Striding over to the door, he opened it slowly. The creature in the hallway was an attractively beautiful ermine. Her soft fur was neatly brushed, and she smelled of roses.
"Yes," Baro replied, indicating for her to come in, "I did." He closed the door.
"What is it this time?" Althea blinked, her eyelashes fluttering.
"Quit the act. I know you're not the innocent flower that you wish other beasts believe. I need you and your sisters again for another job."
"How much is in it for us?"
"Two chests of gold. You know I pay my friends well."
"You have a deal. I'll tell my sisters."
"Good. Tell me, have you ever had experience as a cook?"
"Can't say that I have."
"Well, you're about to have the pleasure."
NORTHLANDS: FOUR WEEKS LATER
A group of woodlanders trekked through the winter landscape, pulling wooden carts.
There were a score of them, mostly trader mice, along with their hired otter mercenaries. The carts were laden high with food and other essential supplies for their northland buyers. Some had argued that it wasn't wise to travel the Northlands during the winter season, but their leader, a mouse who went by the name Logan Anderson, reasoned that since many of the other traders were scared off by the freezing cold, the Northlanders would be desperate. And desperate beasts would pay more in gold.
Logan clapped his paws together and shivered. The icy wind went right through his heavy coat and clothes.
The path ahead led to a mountain pass. Logan had passed through it before, and knew that it was wise to take precautions.
He called out to one of the otter guards in front of him, and beckoned him over with a wave of his paw.
"Bowen, take three beasts and scout ahead. Make sure the path is clear. I've heard some ambitious vermin are trying to extend their kingdoms around these parts. Better safe than sorry."
The otter saluted with his spear then trudged off through the snow to find his companions.
The carts rounded a bend and finally they were at the foot of the pass. Logan ordered the company to halt, waiting until the otter scouts returned.
"Nary a sign o' a whisker," Bowen replied, shivering, "Nothing but th' blasted wind."
They continued on through the pass, the twin mountains casting their shadows over them. The mountain slopes were thickly covered with pine trees, the green branches standing out against the stark whiteness.
The travelers jumped with shock as there was the sound of a loud, long howl.
"ARH-WOOOOO!"
Logan's paw dropped to his belt and he pulled out a rapier. "Come on, lads! Run for it! Bring what you can -argh!"
The mouse dropped to the ground as a spear came hurtling out of nowhere and hit him in the shoulder.
Pandemonium broke out as shapes of white creatures seemed to rise from the snow on both sides. Arrows and javelins filled the air as the strange creatures let out a volley.
Logan desperately crawled under one of the carts, leaving a bloody trail behind him from his wound.
Curling up into a ball, he froze. Maybe the attackers would think he was dead if he remained perfectly still. He listened to the sounds of battle cries and screams as both sides clashed briefly.
Not long after, the sounds of fighting stopped, replaced with whimpers and pleads for mercy from Logan's fellow woodlanders. He didn't need to peek out from under his hiding spot to guess who had won the skirmish.
He couldn't help but flinch as the cart he was under was pushed away, leaving him exposed in the open.
A massive pair of paws suddenly grabbed him by the throat, and the mouse let out a strangled yelp. He was lifted into the air, his footpaws dangling.
"What have we here?" a voice rumbled.
Logan's eyes widened with fear. The creature before him was larger than any he had ever seen. The wolf grinned with his large yellow fangs. There was a long scar running down his face and across his snout.
"And what is a fearless beast like you doing under there?" The wolf mocked.
"P-p-please, sir, don't kill me! I'll give you anything! Anything! Name it, and it's yours! P-please don't hurt me! I don't wanna die!"
The larger creature snorted and dropped the mouse. "Nyko!" he called, "Come over here!"
Another wolf, this one smaller and much younger than the first one, came running over and bowed. Nyko was dressed in a thick white tunic. He still carried his bloodied sword in one paw.
"Yes, Father?"
"Do you see this beast?" He gestured to the sobbing mouse. Nyko nodded.
"Good." He kicked the mouse over to Nyko. "Cowards like this who desert their companions to their deaths aren't to be trusted. Do me a favor and take off his head, would you?"
BLEAK CASTLE
Lady Petra gazed out from the nursery tower window. Her baby, Owen, had just fallen asleep.
She was a tall, graceful wolf. She wore a green slim dress with a white sash. Tucked in the sash was an elegant dagger with a blue ruby set on its pommel.
Her blue eyes stared out, searching for any sign of her husband's return.
"Oh, where are you, Almar?" she said softly.
Her husband, Lord Almar Storm, had left Bleak Castle on a raid two weeks ago, taking a company of two-score foxes with him. When Lord Almar was gone, all of the duties of ruler fell on Lady Petra. However, the female wolf wasn't a stranger to hard work.
As Petra turned away from the window, she caught the sign of movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking back down at the land surrounding Bleak Castle. She smiled. He was home.
After checking once more to see if Owen had woken from his slumber, she left the room and ran down to the castle courtyard. She listened as the guards on the wall top began to shout.
"Lord Almar is back!"
"Raise the gate!" Lady Petra called up, reaching the gatehouse. The fox on the wall top nodded, then ran off to her bidding.
Lord Almar smiled as he saw the castle guards scurrying about on the wall top. He and his company halted as they waited for the portcullis to be risen.
"Feels good to be home, doesn't it?" The wolf remarked to his son.
Nyko was Almar's eldest child, being seventeen seasons old . He was wearing a white cape, and carried a shield, with a sword buckled to his side.
"Sure does," Nyko replied. "When do you think the next raid will be?"
Almar chuckled, patting his son on the shoulder. "We'll see."
The iron gate was finally raised, and the group entered Bleak Castle. A small crowd of the castle's inhabitants, mainly white foxes, were gathered in a crowd.
"Bring the carts and the slaves to General Skull," Almar said to Nyko. He caught sight of Lady Petra standing nearby and his face lit up.
"Petra!" He ran over to his wife and embraced her, kissing her lightly.
"Took you long enough," Petra scowled, a grin threatening to break out on her face. "Looks like you were successful."
"Aye." He nodded. "That we were. Oh, I have something for you!" He pulled out a bag from his tunic, and handed it to his wife. "Open it."
Her eyes studied the bag thoughtfully as she accepted it. She felt its weight. "Hmm. What could it be…?" Slowly, she opened it and gasped. "Such fine jewels!" she gasped, pulling one out and looking at it closely. "They're so beautiful. Thank you."
"Anything for you, my dear." Almar smiled.
"Where's Nyko?" Petra asked, glancing behind her husband at the group of creatures.
"Seeing General Skull. He should be back in a moment."
Excusing himself, Almar left to find his other children. He walked past the courtyard, and entered the keep where he and his family lived.
Passing through a corridor, he suddenly heard the sounds of yelling.
"You a plank-tailed piece of dung!"
"How dare you, you moldy-hearted bully! Take that back!"
Almar swung the door open with a bang. "What's going on here?" he asked gruffly.
Inside the room were two small wolves. Kano, the younger of the two, was nine seasons old. He had a tendency to whine when things didn't go his way, as many young beasts do.
"Da!" he said, pointing to his older sister, "Tell Cahira to give my knife back! I left it alone in my room for one moment, and she stole it!"
"Oh, fine. Have your measly kitchen knife back." Cahira threw the small dagger out the room window.
"Why you-! Did you see that, Da? She did it on purpose!"
"Both of you be quiet."
Almar barely needed to raise his voice, his grim tone was enough. The two young creatures fell silent.
"Cahira, go back to your room." He jerked his head to the door. "I'll deal with you later."
"Of course, Father." The young female wolf nodded her head then left.
"Follow me, Kano."
The two wolves walked out of the room. Almar began to walk down the corridor, Kano doing his best to keep up.
Almar slowed his pace slightly. He sighed aloud. "Oh, Kano. What am I going to do with you? You're the son of one of the mightiest wolf lords to ever rule Bleak Castle, and you still act like a spoiled young un."
Kano's head drooped down with shame. "She started it though," he mumbled.
"That's not the point." Almar sighed with defeat. "Report down to General Skull. Tell him that I want you trained in the art of the blade. You're not going to be young forever. One day, you'll find out that the world is a hard, cruel place. Just because you are the son of a lord doesn't mean you'll be treated or respected as one."
"Yes, Father."
Almar watched as his son plodded away. He couldn't help but smile. His son would learn how to be a warlord one day. It was only a matter of time.
"Keep your guard up, Kano!"
Kano yelped as the flat end of General Skull's wooden blade smacked him on the head. Skull was a broad shouldered fox with white fur. The scars of many battles crisscrossed his arms and chest. Even his face had not been spared, and an ugly slash ran down the left side of his muzzle, narrowly missing his eye. He wore a breastplate and heavy leather clothing.
"Owch! Watch it!" Kano said.
"Your enemies won't take it easy on you in battle, young un. You have to learn to take a few blows," Skull replied, his blade whacking the wolf on his back.
Kano was breathing hard as he struggled to ward off the blows of his instructor. The young wolf had never fought in an actual sparring duel before, only mock ones with his older siblings, which he tended to lose at as well.
His older brother, Nyko, watched from the sidelines, a grin spread across his face. He knew what it was like to spar with General Skull.
"Keep your eyes on him, Kano," Nyko said. "Don't let anything distract you. You're not focusing."
"That's kinda hard to do," Kano muttered, bringing his sword up to block one of the white fox's blows.
The training session continued a while longer before the fox general finally took a step back, neatly disarming the young wolf as he did so.
"You're not very good," he assessed aloud, "But I've made swordbeasts out of worse before. Take your brother for example."
"Hah!" Nyko scoffed. "I heard that, old one."
General Skull ignored him, His attention fixed on Kano. "That'll be all. You can go down to the kitchens and grab something to eat. Put some good meat and muscle on those bones."
"I'll come with you," Nyko said, walking over to his younger brother and punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Father wouldn't be pleased if you got into trouble again. I'll keep an eye on you."
"I don't need watching. I'm not a cub, you know."
Nyko snickered. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, time's a wastin'."
As they entered the castle's kitchen, Nyko ordered one of the kitchen helpers -a female ermine- to bring them both some food.
"We're starving," he said, patting Kano on the back, "And just look at my little brother! He's so skinny you can practically see the ribs sticking out of his chest!"
"I'm not skinny!" Kano growled, shoving his brother with his paws. "You're all just big and fat."
"I'll see what I can do," the ermine replied, "Though, I'll have to ask the head cook because I'm new here."
"That sounds fine. What's your name again?"
"Rosetta, Master."
"Ah. Well, Rosetta, would you be so kind as to bring our food up to our rooms? Come on, Kano. Maybe we could play a war game of some sort."
Kano's face lit up. "You're on! I'll race you!"
