PART TWO
THE WATCH
Chapter I
As far as he was concerned, the path was his. He had given it a reputation, and a shroud of mystery. Four seasons had gone since Ghost had left the western seashore and travelled north, across the River Moss and into the Badlands. Once there, he found a path frequented by solitary travellers, and vicious robbing beasts. Though he never claimed to be a good beast, or wicked beast, he would wait for some traveller, good or bad, to come along. Depending on his mood, would either frighten them off or see to it their journey was uneventful.
He had, during his first season of travel, befriended an ironsmith who made weaponry for some horde or another; he never paid attention to the beast's small talk. After a short apprenticeship, he had tested his skill and forged twin daggers. Once done, he vanished one night and never saw the smith again, nor did he desire to.
The path before him had been under his watch for two seasons and had been given the titles 'Path of the Ghost' and 'Haunted Path.' He enjoyed the thought of having brought about the names, although he could not claim credit; no beast had ever seen him. It was his own personal joke, and he was playing it out to its fullest.
One day, the sounds of two travellers caught his ear while he was resting on the side of the path. He had been caught unawares and realised that the two, whoever they were, were nearly upon him, and he had no chance to vanish without a trace. Instead of hiding, he feigned sleep, keeping one eye open just enough to allow him to see. The two beasts stepped into view and Ghost had to concentrate hard on keeping still while his mind begged him to confirm the sight with a better look.
The two travellers, a full grown otter and, odd as it seemed, a ferret halted upon spotting the sleeping Ghost. The ferret chuckled.
"I say, there's an odd sight fer ya." She chuckled again as she pointed to the sleeping ferret. "Ever see one sleeping on a haunted path?"
The otter shook her head. "Well, he either doesn't know th' tale, or is just a fool."
"A young fool," the ferret added. She seemed to study him a moment. "Should we warn 'im?"
"I won't tell you one way or the other, Celleste. You do as you please." The otter leaned up against a tree, arms crossed in front of her. "Just be careful, remember that stoat who played dead?"
The ferret -Celleste- made her way down the path towards Ghost. She stopped a short distance away and kicked some dirt at him. He played along as if she had just disturbed his sleep and, for the first time, got a good look at what she looked like.
"Wake up an' move on. Take m'word for it, this is no spot for sleeping." She stared down at him like some sort of authoritative figure.
Ghost suppressed a chuckle. Though she acted like it, she was no older or younger than he. He stood and wrapped his dark green robe, now well worn, around him. He would have to be careful how he handled this; the wrong words spoken could very well put both of them against him. He pointed towards the otter. "Who's that?"
Celleste grinned. "Elflein, we're sort of like sisters."
The answer confused him, and he obviously showed it because Celleste started to laugh.
"It's a long story, but made short it goes like this: I was abandoned when I was young, real young, before I could care for m'self. Elflein found me and brought me home with her and her parents agreed to take me in. Odd, ain't it?"
Ghost gave a slow nod, still not comprehending fully what it was she was trying to say. "I see," he finally said. He turned to Elflein the otter, started to say something, and then looked back at Celleste.
"Oh, don't act so surprised." Celleste crossed her arms in front of her. "Now, you've had a question answered, now it is my turn. What's your name?"
"Ghost," he answered. Normally he would have given out a false name, but Celleste's relation to the badger was still distracting his mind and he was not paying much attention to what he was saying.
"Ghost? Odd name, but I've heard stranger. What brings you to the Haunted Path?"
He snapped out of his mental daze. "Excuse me? You mean the Path of the Ghost? Well-"
"Wait a minute, what did you call it?" Elflein took a few steps towards Ghost.
"Path of the Ghost. That is its name, right?" He knew he had slipped up and was now slowly working his way into a corner.
"You know about the path, then?" Celleste scratched the side of her head. "And still you sleep on it."
"Now listen here, I was just trying to get some rest. I've been travelling without rest since this time yesterday, and I was just tired."
"Well, I'll bet you didn't even catch our names. You seemed pretty out of it during the introductions," Celleste smiled disarmingly.
"Oh no, I know you. Elflein," he pointed to the otter, "And Celleste." He looked back at the ferret and caught his second err immediately.
Celleste laughed as Elflein came up alongside her. "Well, we got him there. Ghost, eh? Like I said; odd name. Care to explain it?"
Elflein put a paw up before Ghost could speak. "I think it is fairly simple. Think about it. This is th' Path of th' Ghost. I think we just stumbled upon th' Ghost."
"Now you've got me all wrong," Ghost jumped in. "I am not...I'm just..." He sagged his shoulders. The two were staring at him and he knew he was trapped. "I'm the Ghost." He eyed the two coldly. "Now get along."
Celleste shook her head. "No, not yet. Explain something to me first."
"What?"
"Why you do what you do."
He frowned. "You mean on the path?"
"Yes."
He shook his head. "I honestly cannot explain it at the moment, but part of it is because I can."
Elflein cut in. "Well, even though I've heard a bit of odd things about your...um, hobby, I must thank you. You saved m'brother once from some pair of foxes who were gainin' up on 'im."
Ghost faked a smile. "Good to know I did something right."
Celleste's mood seemed to change. She frowned. "Why do you say summat like that?"
"In truth, Celleste, I am a murderer. I was trained to be an assassin, and have killed before."
Elflein took a step back, but Celleste was intrigued. She took a half step closer to him and locked eyes with him. "Like who?"
"Two. Skullrag the assassin, and some horde rat who tried to catch me three seasons back."
"Well, the second seems like self defence. What about that Skullrag fellow, why did you kill him?"
"He was going to kill my...some beast who...." He narrowed his eyes. "You've got no reason to know my business."
"Well, Ghost, based on what I've heard both of those 'murders' were actually some form of defence. I see nothing wrong with that, however I can see something wrong with this haunting thing. Why do you do it?"
"Why do you care."
Elflein shook her head and began walking back up the path, leaving the two ferrets. Something caught her eye and she went further up the path to see what it was. Celleste's voice caught her attention.
"I don't know, it is just something I've always wondered about."
Elflein closed her eyes and worked at tuning the two out. She looked down the path again. It looked like some beast was being attacked. She raised a paw to her eyes to block the sun and tried to make out the scene below. "Two...no one rat...an' a weasel?" She shook her head to clear her eyes and looked again. "An' a mouse." Something caught her eye. The rat had a red cape on that was flowing in the wind. The mouse had been pinned to the ground by the weasel, and it appeared that the rat had a rapier poised for the kill.
"Celleste, trouble northward. A weasel has a mouse pinned, and a rat in a red cape looks about to kill him."
Both ferrets looked up at the otter, but Ghost spoke first. "And what do we do, rush in and rescue him?"
Elflein and Celleste grinned. "Aye, Ghost. And just think, 'e'll never s'pect two ferrets to come t' a mouse's rescue."
Ghost and Celleste made their way down the path. Ghost was wondering how he had allowed Elflein to convince him to go along with the scheme, but as they neared the rat and weasel, he turned his mind to the task ahead. Celleste was the first to speak.
"Well, look what we've got 'ere. A li'le mouse 'bout to taste steel."
The rat turned and studied the two newcomers. The first thing Ghost took note of was the star-shaped white patch of fur over the rat's left eye. As far as he could tell, there was no other marking on the sleek black fur. The rat approached them.
"Who are ye, and state yer business 'ere quick."
Again, Celleste spoke. "Call me Spectre, an' this 'ere's me mate, Ghost."
The rat came up to Ghost and stared hard at him. "Why don't 'e speak?"
Ghost answered in a soft whisper that carried a cold touch of menace in it. "Sir, I am silent by trade and nature. Few hear me speak at all."
The rat furrowed his brow. "Well, state yer business, then."
Celleste gave a nod. "Watchers, sir."
The rat shot a glance back to his weasel comrade. As soon as he looked away, Ghost drew his dagger and shoved it under the rat's chin. The weasel reached for his rapier, but Celleste moved quickly, pulling Ghost's second dagger from beneath her tunic. Before the weasel had a chance to act, he found the cold steel of the dagger blade against his throat. The rat chuckled.
"You're makin' a mistake, ye miserable beasts. You don't know who you're messin' with."
"Really?" Ghost still spoke in a near whisper.
The rat moved quickly. He drew a hidden dagger and stabbed blindly backwards, scoring a light blow that left a small gash in Ghost's stomach. Ghost jumped back to avoid further damage, and the rat spun, bringing his rapier about in a wide arc. If Ghost had not been armed with a dagger, he would have been near unable to stop the attack. Steel rang against steel and the two stood staring at each other.
Elflein came to Ghost's aid, wielding an improvised club she had pulled from a tree. The rat looked from the ferret, to the otter, and back again.
"You're a traitor to your kind." He lowered his rapier. "Warspite, come. Leave th' beasts. We can always find 'em later."
The weasel took a step away from Celleste's dagger. "As you wish, m'lord."
The two left without a word, leaving the four standing in the middle of the path in an odd silence. Elflein was the first to act, going over to the mouse and offering him a hand. Celleste made her way over to the injured Ghost and had him sit back against a tree.
"I swear I never thought he would have a dagger on him." She went to examine the wound, but he resisted. "Come now, I know what I'm doing."
Elflein offered a paw to the mouse. "Call me Elflein, th' two over there are Celleste an' Ghost, don't ask 'bout them yet."
The mouse probed the surrounding bushes, looking for something he had lost in the scuffle. "Corbin Swiftblade. You should not have gotten involved; you have no idea who you were dealing with."
Ghost reluctantly gave in to Celleste's insisting that the wound be treated. "I still can't figure out why I let you talk me into doing that."
Elflein caught the glint of sun off metal in one of the bushes and went over to investigate, finding a longsword. She pulled it out and offered it to the mouse. "Looking for this?" He took it and examined the blade. "Who exactly were we dealing with, Corbin?"
"If it makes you feel any better, I think you did a good job." She cut a piece of his robe off with a dagger and held a paw up as he started to protest. "I'll repair it later." The folded the cloth in half twice and pressed it to the wound. "Hold that there and apply pressure."
Corbin placed the blade into its scabbard and looked up at the otter. "Starbane. He's been terrorising the northlands for a while and has decided to move south. The weasel was his Second, Warspite."
Ghost tried to stand, but was pushed back down by Celleste. "Well, thanks for making me feel like I did a good job, and I will hold you to your word. I want this robe to look like new when you get done with it."
Elflein eyed the mouse curiously. "And he's decided to settle here?"
Celleste sat down next to Ghost. "Don't fret, I will."
Corbin gave a nod. "Yes."
Ghost suddenly felt uncomfortable where he was and tried to stand again. Celleste held him down. "Relax, Ghost. Learn to take things easy."
Elflein shook her head sadly at the thought of a new menace in the lands. "Why were they after you?"
Ghost snorted. "Ha, try to take it easy after you've been through what I've been through."
Corbin frowned as he rubbed a spot on his head where Warspite had clubbed him. "I've been trying to form a resistance group, but every time I get volunteers, they break it up. I am a thorn in their sides they want to be rid of once and for all, but I've always managed to get away. This time, however, they took my second in command prisoner. Montel the badger."
Celleste punched Ghost on the shoulder. "Quit saying things like that. Learn to think positive every now and then. You would be surprised at how much of a difference it can make."
Elflein scratched the side of her head. "I'd help you, but there is not much I could do."
Ghost started to say something, but kept quiet. He leaned back against the tree and faced the woods on the opposite side of the path. His ear tuned in to the conversation between Elflein and the mouse.
"Don't worry too much about it, I wouldn't ask another favour of you or your friends after what you did. I owe you."
Celleste let the silence fall and, like Ghost, stared off at the surrounding scenery.
"Where will you go now?" Elflein came up alongside the warrior mouse.
Ghost's eyes focused on a dark object in the sky, which he quickly recognised as an eagle. The bird of prey was a good distance off, and not a threat to him or the others on the path. He watched the eagle fly further away until it was lost from view.
"I'll move on, maybe as far as Salamandastron. I can get help there, I know that for a fact." Corbin grinned weakly.
Celleste looked at Ghost curiously. He had said something, but she had not caught the words. "What did you say?"
"Well," Corbin clapped the otter on the back. "I hope to see you again someday, may our paths cross again."
"Eagle Watch." Ghost looked over at Celleste, and the two stared at one another for a moment. "When we first got here, you called us watchers. Why not form a Watch group."
Elflein had overheard what Ghost had said and, consequently, missed Corbin's farewell. She placed a paw on the mouse warrior's shoulder. "Wait, listen t' those two."
"What exactly are you talkin' about?" Celleste's expression gave away her confusion.
Ghost grinned. "Eagle Watch. What if we were to form a group, like what he is talking about." Ghost pointed to Corbin. "A Watch group dedicated to peacekeeping and fighting against tyranny."
The idea was still a bit vague to Celleste, but she had grasped the main concepts. "A good idea. But who all's goin' t' be in't?"
"Well, I will," Ghost said. "And any others who wish to join can."
"I'll join ya." Celleste smiled.
"As will I. Where Celleste goes, I go." Elflein looked down at the two ferrets.
Corbin had been listening to Ghost's idea and shrugged. "It is something I would like to be a part of, I will join as well. Eagle Watch is a fitting name."
"Well, Ghost, what now?"
Ghost shot a glance at Celleste. "Why me?"
"You thought up the idea, and the group, it is only fitting you lead."
Ghost looked around at the others. "Well, I think I overheard you, I am sorry but I never caught your name." he pointed to Corbin. "Well, I think I overheard him say that help could be found at Salamandastron."
Corbin grinned. "I am Corbin Swiftblade, sir. Corbin will do."
"Well then, Corbin," Ghost stood and this time held back by Celleste. "I know of the mountain fortress, and I think we should follow Corbin's idea."
Elflein gave a nod. "Salamandastron it is, then."
Celleste stood. "Onward to Salamandastron."
The four members of the newly formed Eagle Watch shook paws with one another in agreement of the idea, and started south.
Chapter II
"I'll tell y' wot, it's a bally shame. I thot we'd done taken' care o' that blighter, but now look wot 'e's got us doin'." Acer hopped atop a large rock and shielded his eyes from the sun as he scanned the horizon.
"Its not that bad, y'know."
Acer rolled his eyes at his companion. "For a fightin' hare with such fine blood in ya, Solace, y'can really-"
She jumped up onto the rock and shoved him off. "Speak fer y'self. B'sides, who's the older of us two? Mum always said I was th' smarter o' th' two o' us."
Acer threw a pawful of dirt at his sister. "Well, now y've gone an' fergot wot we've been sent t'do. D'y'see the little chap?"
Solace ducked as the dirt flew up at her and jumped down beside Acer. "I warned y'bout teachin' 'im 'ow t' hide."
Acer shrugged. "Least I could do fer the little scamp, wot."
The seasons since Acer had last seen Ghost were good ones. He had never forgotten what took place that day, but it was becoming a mere memory. Still, few days went by that he did not wonder where his friend had gone. Now he was an experienced patroller and had learned the area around Salamandastron better than almost anyone else within the mountain.
Though he did not doubt that Ghost still lived, he had long ago given up hoping for the odd ferret to appear over the sand dunes. The most troubling memory from Ghost's turn against the assassin trainer was that a patrol that was sent out a few hours later found no trace of Skullrag. However no trace had come up in the past seasons, and all had accepted the death as fact.
Now, though he was a skilled patroller, he was stuck in a game of hide-and-seek with a young hare who was intent on duping his instructor. He pointed to a small grove of trees. "Last time 'e did this, I found 'im in there."
"Righty-o. I'll check it out, y'can take th' river bank."
Solace took off towards the grove while Acer hopped along towards the River Moss. It had been a quiet day, and no troublesome hordes or gangs had been seen roving about by the morning patrols, so there was no true reason for alarm.
"Listen up, Gulner y' little scamp. When I find ye I'm gonna hand y'right over t' th' badger hisself to deal with ye as 'e likes."
Nothing around him stirred, even as he approached the river. He stared down at the cold, swirling water and listened for any sound that might give the young hare away. Something snapped behind him and he spun to face it. He growled, finding only Solace, who appeared to have been as successful as he had been in searching for Gulner.
"I couldn't even find a set o' tracks." Solace shrugged and shook her head. "This's th' first time 'e's gone off like this, bloody troublemaker."
Acer scanned the riverbank. The sun was beginning to set, and light was starting to become limited. "Maybe 'e's gone back t' th' mountain. I 'ope nothin' 'appen's t'im."
"Come on, Acer; we need t' get back ere dark."
Acer scanned the area again hoping for some glimpse of the runaway hare, but saw none. He reluctantly turned and gave a silent nod to his sister. "Right then, back to ol' Salamandastron, then."
Two pairs of eyes watched the hares leave, one of which did not know the second was even there. The first pair blinked, and then vanished from view momentarily. Gulner rolled out from his hiding place on the opposite side of the riverbank, grinning happily to himself.
"Ha, y'never thot t' look fer me o'er 'ere, Acer. I outthought ye good this time." He wiped some of the drying mud off his damp fur. Now he faced only one problem.
When he had originally swum across the River Moss, it had been during the daytime, and he could see what was in the river, to some extent. Now night was slowly coming on, and the water was dark. A natural fear of the unknown prevented him from jumping in and swimming to the other side. He had cut himself off from the mountain fortress until morning.
He shrugged the dilemma aside. He could survive a night in the wild if he needed to. He took a moment to get his bearings straight and decided to do a bit of night-time scouting. The faint smell of something cooking caught his nose and he decided it might be worth checking out. Using the smell of food as a guide, he set off north.
The owner of the second pair of eyes had caught the smell too. Drawing the hood of a black robe over his face, he set off silently after the hare.
Chapter III
Elflein spooned another helping of hotroot soup into Ghost's bowl. "There, that's yer third tonight."
"It is good. I cannot help but come back for more."
Elflein gave a polite nod in response to the comment. "Glad t' hear you like it. Celleste is a big fan as well. I'll bet I could make a fortune selling this stuff to some of the big hordes up north."
Ghost chuckled. "You will make a fortune if they don't kill you and steal the recipe."
With the wooden bowl of soup in paw, Ghost found a spot near a large tree and sat down. The dagger wound he had received earlier had not troubled him in a while, and after an insistent Celleste examined it again, she informed him that it would be as good as new in a day or two.
As he settled down against the tree, Ghost noticed Corbin sitting further out from the campfire, the longsword drawn and laid beside him. Curious, Ghost stood and made his way over.
"I would like to thank you for joining us, Corbin."
The mouse warrior looked back at the ferret. "I owe it to you."
Ghost shook his head. "I don't want you to join because you feel you owe me, join because you want to."
"I want to, Ghost. I sincerely do." Corbin went back to staring at the surrounding woods.
"Will you be needing anything?" The mouse declined with a slow shake of his head. "Well, just let me know if you do. Try and get some rest, it is not far to Salamandastron from here. At most another day."
Ghost started back for the camp and met Celleste halfway there. He instinctively placed a paw over the dagger wound. She just chuckled at him.
"Oh, relax. I'm not going to trouble you anymore about that. I've seen for myself it's going to be fine." She half smiled at him. "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me."
Ghost shook his head. "Sorry, I can't."
"Give me one good reason, and I will let you stay. If you can't, though, we're going for a walk."
Ghost felt cornered. "My soup will get cold."
Celleste shook her head.
"Some one needs to watch the camp?"
Celleste took the soup bowl from Ghost and set it on a nearby rock. "Come on, Corbin and Elflein can watch the camp, none of them feel like sleeping anyway." She took him by the arm and started south. "We can see the river at night, I hear it is worth seeing."
Ghost allowed himself to be pulled along into the trees, and soon fell in step alongside Celleste. The two walked on in silence until they came to the riverbank. The water was dark, and the moon reflected silver off its surface. Celleste sat down on the bank and motioned Ghost to sit beside her.
"Ghost, do you mind if I ask you something?"
He sat down and looked at her. "No, what is it?"
"Why are you the way you are? I know I am this way because an otter family raised me, but something tells me you weren't. I am curious about why."
Ghost stared down at the black water in silence.
"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked."
He shook his head. "It is an honest question. I'll answer." He took a breath while he thought over what he was going to say. "I am a highly trained assassin, taught by another ferret named Skullrag. During my training, before I was old enough to know about natural enemies, I became friends with a hare from Salamandastron who was not more than a season older than I was. One day I was ordered to assassinate him and Skullrag was going to supervise, as he did not want to see his student mess up his first kill. I could not bring myself to kill him, though, and instead drove the dagger into my teacher. That was four seasons ago, and I have not spoken to a beast since, until today. As for why I chose to be the way I am, I guess it is because I do not wish to become like Skullrag."
All the while he had been speaking, Ghost had been replaying scenes from the four seasons past in his mind. When he had finished answering the question, a deafening silence seemed to fall over them, and he continued to stare at the black water that was rushing down the river. The thickness in the air seemed to disappear, though, as he felt Celleste lean against his shoulder.
"That's a fair reason, Ghost, as fair as I've heard."
An ear-splitting shriek filled the air and both ferrets jumped to their feet, spinning to face the direction that the shriek had come from.
"What was that?"
Ghost shook his head. "Should we check it out?"
"Aye, come on. Give me one of those daggers."
Ghost drew the twin daggers and handed one to Celleste. They silently made their way towards the source of the shriek, half expecting some deadly beast to jump out and attack them. Something caught Ghost's ear and he motioned for Celleste to stop.
"Do you hear that?"
Celleste tried to, but could not hear anything. "What is it?"
"Sounds like something struggling." He took off running.
Celleste hesitated, but was soon following close behind. Ghost came out in a small clearing and ran into a hooded figure that seemed to materialise out of nowhere. He tripped over something on the ground and rolled while the hooded figure staggered backwards from the unexpected blow. Ghost jumped to his feet, dagger ready in paw as he turned to face the dark figure.
The robed figure seemed to regard the ferret for a moment and vanished into the surrounding trees without a sound. Celleste came crashing through the trees soon after. Ghost turned to see what had tripped him and felt his heart skip a beat. Lying on the ground, dead from a dagger wound to the chest, was a young hare.
Celleste followed Ghost's gaze to the hare's body and swallowed hard. "Who did that?"
"I saw whoever it was, Celleste, but they left before I could do anything." A thought struck him. "The camp. What if it goes to the camp?"
"We can't just leave him here." Celleste pointed at the dead hare. "What do we do with him?"
"We are going to have to. We'll just have to come back tomorrow for him."
"We still can't leave him here like this, its just not right."
"Alright, run ahead to the camp. I'll bury him and join you as soon as I'm done."
Celleste hesitated again. "What if whoever it was that did this comes back?"
"I'll fight. Now go as fast as you can. Warn the others and get a guard set up."
Ghost watched Celleste vanish into the woods and started digging with his paws. Luckily, it was soft dirt, so it would not take too long to finish. He looked at the hare again and shook his head sadly. Whoever the young hare had been, he had come from Salamandastron.
Ghost returned to the camp four hours after Celleste, during Elflein's watch. The otter gave him a nod. He would have spoken, but exhaustion coupled with knowing he had just buried some beast that was younger than he, had taxed him to the limits. He listened without interest at Elflein reported that all was well, and then stalked off to find a place to rest near the fire. Celleste was sitting, waiting for him.
"You should have gone to sleep already."
She stood and walked him to the fire. "I had to know you got back safely."
Ghost was too tired to argue, so he just contented himself with lying beside the fire. He even found it relaxing when Celleste joined him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Ghost, everything will come out good, right? I mean, if we do go up against Starbane and his horde."
He put his arm around her. "Aye, everything's going to end up just fine. I have a friend at Salamandastron who will help us."
The cracking of the fire and the sounds of the nocturnal woodland insects had a soothing effect, and both ferrets slept soundly until morning.
Chapter IV
Acer and Solace left the mountain at the first light of dawn. Gulner had not returned during the night, and now patrols had been organised that would search as far north as the badlands, and as far south as the marshes and toad lands. Acer and Solace had volunteered for the morning northern patrol.
"I think we should start at th' river. I thought I could smell summat over there, but th' daylight'd gone an' I'll be willin' t' bet a toad could see better than me."
"I agree. Lead th' way, brother. I'm right behind ya."
The two took off, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Acer led the way straight back to where their search had ended the night before.
"Okay now, look fer anythin' that might show th' little chap was here. Pawprints, tracks, a fire pit, anythin', just find it." Acer stared at the water. "I'll check across th' river. Give a holler if y'find anythin'. If not, check back th' way we came. I'll be back by nightfall."
Acer jumped into the water and was halfway across before Solace could say anything. He climbed out of the cool river, shook himself off, and hopped into the woods. Something caught his ear and he followed it. He was rewarded; pawprints from a hare, not more than a night old, were clearly visible in the soft dirt.
"Solace, I found tracks!" He took a moment to get his bearings straight and headed back to the river. Solace was wringing the water from her ears. "Come on, I think I've found where he went."
"When I find him, I'm gonna tan that hide o' his like it's never been before. He'll thing the badger was lenient."
Acer shot her a look. "We're in horde country, we don't know if he's in trouble or not. Now come on."
The two ran through the trees towards the trail. Now Acer could hear what had drawn his attention earlier. He skidded to a halt and held a paw up, ordering Solace to keep quiet. Voices were coming from beyond a small clearing, but he could not make out the words. He ordered Solace to circle around to flank whoever it was, and flattened himself against the ground, gripping his javelin tightly in his paw.
Two ferrets came out of the trees.
"I buried the hare where he died, right over here." One of the ferrets pointed to a mound of dirt.
Acer growled and charged. "Eulaayliaaa!"
The ferret that had spoken looked up in time to be tackled by the enraged hare. Both rolled into the surrounding woods. Acer rolled off the ferret, allowed him to stand, and then planted a solid kick in the vermin's gut with both of his hind paws. The ferret flew into a tree trunk and slid to the ground, stunned.
Hefting the javelin, Acer slowly made his way over to the stunned beast and pressed the point under his chin.
"Now then, y'ugly vermin. That hare y'killed, was he from Salamandastron?"
The ferret took a moment to regain his senses and looked up at him. "I can assure you, Acer, I killed no hare. He was from Salamandastron, though."
Acer's heart skipped a beat. "How d'y'know my name?" He stared at the ferret and the answer slowly dawned on him. "Ghost?"
"Aye, and I'm sorry about the young hare. I saw who did it, but I was unable to stop him. I buried him, and was on my way to report the murder to Salamandastron."
A twig snapped and Acer glanced over his shoulder. The second ferret accompanied by a mouse, an otter, and Solace stood watching. The ferret was slowly making her way towards him.
"Acer, I believe 'im. Celleste here was tellin' me all about it." Solace bounded up to her brother and gently took the javelin from him.
"Ghost, are you alright?"
He gave a nod. "Winded, but I'm fine, Celleste." He stood and put his paw on Acer's shoulder. "It is good to see you again, Acer, though I wish it were under different circumstances."
Solace eyed Ghost. "You know each other?"
Ghost nodded. "We were short time friends four seasons back, before I left."
"We kept it a secret because we both knew we would get in trouble for having each other as a friend," Acer added. His voice was solemn and downtrodden.
At Solace's recommendation, Acer was left alone by the grave while the rest started back for the river. She kept glancing at the group as they walked on in silence. Finally, though, her curiosity overtook her and she started to ask questions.
"Wot brot y'all together? Y'make an odd group, if y'ask me."
"We all have a common desire for peace," Ghost answered.
"The Badger Lord'll 'ave a fit if he sees y'two," Solace pointed at Ghost and Celleste. "No offence, but he's not too fond o' vermin."
Celleste chuckled. "Quite alright. Ghost and I understand. We'll just have to sit on the shore and wait."
Elflein gently elbowed her sister. "Ye don't seem t' sound too disappointed wi' that, sis."
Solace flashed the otter a confused look. "Sis?"
"Aye, m'family took 'er in when we were both young li'le dibbuns. She's been me younger sister e'er since."
"Odd things do happen in th' north, wot!" Solace laughed.
They had reached the river and Solace held a paw up for them to wait. "We need t' wait up fer Acer."
As if on cue, Acer hopped out of the woods and onto the riverbank. "Last 'ne in's a rotten tomato wot, wot!" He dove headfirst into the river.
Celleste arched an eyebrow. "Hmm, odd things happen down this way, wot!"
Elflein was the next one in, followed by Solace and Celleste. Ghost was a little hesitant, and Corbin had to be half carried by the otter. When the six of them had finished drying on the opposite bank, Acer took the lead.
"Ghost, I did some thinking and when we get back t' Salamandawassit I'm gonna request transfer int' yer group."
Ghost gave a nod. "You are welcome to join."
They had reached the flatlands and were moving at a moderate pace south to Salamandastron. Solace guessed that they would arrive some time in the afternoon. Ghost passed the time by taking in the familiar surroundings. The seasons that had gone by did little to change the area, and he made a note to himself to pass by the old assassin's home where he had been raised.
They journeyed most of the way in silence, and when they finally arrived at the base of the mountain fortress, it was mid-afternoon. Corbin, Elflein, and Celleste stood staring up at the summit as though it were an image out of a dream that had suddenly become reality before their very eyes. Ghost saw it as a wonder he would never get to see, and he avoided admiring the mountain stronghold as much as he could.
"Well, sorry t'say this, ol' chap, but y' two ferrets are not allowed in."
Ghost gave a nod. "It is understandable, Acer. Besides, I have something else I would like to see while I am down this way."
Acer gave a nod and clapped Elflein and Corbin on the backs. "Come on, then. The ol' Badger Lord'd love t' see y' two."
Solace and Acer escorted them into the main entrance, leaving Ghost and Celleste alone. Ghost stood staring at the mountain for a moment before turning and walking north. Celleste caught up to him and began walking alongside him.
"Where're ya goin?"
"To see where I was raised most of my life as an assassin. You do not have to come if you do not want to."
"I'll come along, if it's not a bother to you."
"Not at all."
Acer's jaw had dropped almost all the way to the stone floor. He quickly composed himself and gave a smart salute. "Sah, beggin' y'pardon, sah, but 'ow'd y'know I was leavin'?"
The big badger examined a spear point he had been pounding out on the forge. "I have my ways, it is for me to understand how I know what I know." He set to work on the spear point again. Every time he brought the mighty hammer down, the sound of it striking metal would ring and echo in the large room. The Badger Lord spoke in between blows. "I actually wish you had brought them in, I would have liked to have met him. What was his name again?"
"Ghost, sah!"
"Ghost, ah. That makes sense." He set the hammer down and examined the leaf-shaped point of the spear. "Here," he tossed it to Acer. "How does that feel?"
Acer hefted the spear. It was surprisingly light and well balanced, and seemed the perfect size for him. "Very nice, sah."
"It's yours to keep. Wait here, I have something else that I need to give you." The badger disappeared up the stairs. He returned a while later and gave a small book to the hare. "That is for Ghost's eyes only, and he will know the time to read it."
Acer gave a nod. Although he was puzzled about Ghost's knowing when to read it, he knew better than to doubt the Badger Lord's words. "Right, sah. I'll be off now; Solace must be buggin' th' poor guests t' death with that tour o' hers. I'll return ere long."
"So long, Acer. May the paths before you always be straight and shone upon by the sun."
Acer bowed and left the forge room. The sound of the Badger Lord making another weapon rang down the stairs after him. He was no longer a member of the Long Patrol of Salamandastron, he was now a part of Eagle Watch.
The abandoned house was only a season away from falling to pieces completely. Ghost walked up to the door and ran a paw over the spot where he had driven the dagger into it on one rainy night four seasons ago. Though it was only a memory of all he had despised in the past, a part of him regretted that no one had taken care of the house. Four seasons of salt air, strong winds, and storms had taken their toll. The house would not be standing much longer, and Ghost knew it would be the last time he would ever see the place he had once thought to be a prison.
"This was home for me, Celleste. I knew the surrounding area better than any other beast around." He turned and walked along the beach until he came to the gnarled remains of a dead tree. "I used to spend my free time here, lying down in the water, every day."
Celleste drew up alongside him and hooked her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's nice here. Peaceful and calm, and I'll bet on a clear day you can see forever."
"Forever is a long, long way."
The sun was starting to sink below the horizon behind them, and the sound of the crashing surf had a soothing effect. They stood in silence, staring out across the eastern sea.
"Forever is like tomorrow," Celleste started softly, "and what is left of today, and whatever you make of it." She looked up at Ghost and waited for him to look back. When he did, she closed her eyes and kissed him.
THE WATCH
Chapter I
As far as he was concerned, the path was his. He had given it a reputation, and a shroud of mystery. Four seasons had gone since Ghost had left the western seashore and travelled north, across the River Moss and into the Badlands. Once there, he found a path frequented by solitary travellers, and vicious robbing beasts. Though he never claimed to be a good beast, or wicked beast, he would wait for some traveller, good or bad, to come along. Depending on his mood, would either frighten them off or see to it their journey was uneventful.
He had, during his first season of travel, befriended an ironsmith who made weaponry for some horde or another; he never paid attention to the beast's small talk. After a short apprenticeship, he had tested his skill and forged twin daggers. Once done, he vanished one night and never saw the smith again, nor did he desire to.
The path before him had been under his watch for two seasons and had been given the titles 'Path of the Ghost' and 'Haunted Path.' He enjoyed the thought of having brought about the names, although he could not claim credit; no beast had ever seen him. It was his own personal joke, and he was playing it out to its fullest.
One day, the sounds of two travellers caught his ear while he was resting on the side of the path. He had been caught unawares and realised that the two, whoever they were, were nearly upon him, and he had no chance to vanish without a trace. Instead of hiding, he feigned sleep, keeping one eye open just enough to allow him to see. The two beasts stepped into view and Ghost had to concentrate hard on keeping still while his mind begged him to confirm the sight with a better look.
The two travellers, a full grown otter and, odd as it seemed, a ferret halted upon spotting the sleeping Ghost. The ferret chuckled.
"I say, there's an odd sight fer ya." She chuckled again as she pointed to the sleeping ferret. "Ever see one sleeping on a haunted path?"
The otter shook her head. "Well, he either doesn't know th' tale, or is just a fool."
"A young fool," the ferret added. She seemed to study him a moment. "Should we warn 'im?"
"I won't tell you one way or the other, Celleste. You do as you please." The otter leaned up against a tree, arms crossed in front of her. "Just be careful, remember that stoat who played dead?"
The ferret -Celleste- made her way down the path towards Ghost. She stopped a short distance away and kicked some dirt at him. He played along as if she had just disturbed his sleep and, for the first time, got a good look at what she looked like.
"Wake up an' move on. Take m'word for it, this is no spot for sleeping." She stared down at him like some sort of authoritative figure.
Ghost suppressed a chuckle. Though she acted like it, she was no older or younger than he. He stood and wrapped his dark green robe, now well worn, around him. He would have to be careful how he handled this; the wrong words spoken could very well put both of them against him. He pointed towards the otter. "Who's that?"
Celleste grinned. "Elflein, we're sort of like sisters."
The answer confused him, and he obviously showed it because Celleste started to laugh.
"It's a long story, but made short it goes like this: I was abandoned when I was young, real young, before I could care for m'self. Elflein found me and brought me home with her and her parents agreed to take me in. Odd, ain't it?"
Ghost gave a slow nod, still not comprehending fully what it was she was trying to say. "I see," he finally said. He turned to Elflein the otter, started to say something, and then looked back at Celleste.
"Oh, don't act so surprised." Celleste crossed her arms in front of her. "Now, you've had a question answered, now it is my turn. What's your name?"
"Ghost," he answered. Normally he would have given out a false name, but Celleste's relation to the badger was still distracting his mind and he was not paying much attention to what he was saying.
"Ghost? Odd name, but I've heard stranger. What brings you to the Haunted Path?"
He snapped out of his mental daze. "Excuse me? You mean the Path of the Ghost? Well-"
"Wait a minute, what did you call it?" Elflein took a few steps towards Ghost.
"Path of the Ghost. That is its name, right?" He knew he had slipped up and was now slowly working his way into a corner.
"You know about the path, then?" Celleste scratched the side of her head. "And still you sleep on it."
"Now listen here, I was just trying to get some rest. I've been travelling without rest since this time yesterday, and I was just tired."
"Well, I'll bet you didn't even catch our names. You seemed pretty out of it during the introductions," Celleste smiled disarmingly.
"Oh no, I know you. Elflein," he pointed to the otter, "And Celleste." He looked back at the ferret and caught his second err immediately.
Celleste laughed as Elflein came up alongside her. "Well, we got him there. Ghost, eh? Like I said; odd name. Care to explain it?"
Elflein put a paw up before Ghost could speak. "I think it is fairly simple. Think about it. This is th' Path of th' Ghost. I think we just stumbled upon th' Ghost."
"Now you've got me all wrong," Ghost jumped in. "I am not...I'm just..." He sagged his shoulders. The two were staring at him and he knew he was trapped. "I'm the Ghost." He eyed the two coldly. "Now get along."
Celleste shook her head. "No, not yet. Explain something to me first."
"What?"
"Why you do what you do."
He frowned. "You mean on the path?"
"Yes."
He shook his head. "I honestly cannot explain it at the moment, but part of it is because I can."
Elflein cut in. "Well, even though I've heard a bit of odd things about your...um, hobby, I must thank you. You saved m'brother once from some pair of foxes who were gainin' up on 'im."
Ghost faked a smile. "Good to know I did something right."
Celleste's mood seemed to change. She frowned. "Why do you say summat like that?"
"In truth, Celleste, I am a murderer. I was trained to be an assassin, and have killed before."
Elflein took a step back, but Celleste was intrigued. She took a half step closer to him and locked eyes with him. "Like who?"
"Two. Skullrag the assassin, and some horde rat who tried to catch me three seasons back."
"Well, the second seems like self defence. What about that Skullrag fellow, why did you kill him?"
"He was going to kill my...some beast who...." He narrowed his eyes. "You've got no reason to know my business."
"Well, Ghost, based on what I've heard both of those 'murders' were actually some form of defence. I see nothing wrong with that, however I can see something wrong with this haunting thing. Why do you do it?"
"Why do you care."
Elflein shook her head and began walking back up the path, leaving the two ferrets. Something caught her eye and she went further up the path to see what it was. Celleste's voice caught her attention.
"I don't know, it is just something I've always wondered about."
Elflein closed her eyes and worked at tuning the two out. She looked down the path again. It looked like some beast was being attacked. She raised a paw to her eyes to block the sun and tried to make out the scene below. "Two...no one rat...an' a weasel?" She shook her head to clear her eyes and looked again. "An' a mouse." Something caught her eye. The rat had a red cape on that was flowing in the wind. The mouse had been pinned to the ground by the weasel, and it appeared that the rat had a rapier poised for the kill.
"Celleste, trouble northward. A weasel has a mouse pinned, and a rat in a red cape looks about to kill him."
Both ferrets looked up at the otter, but Ghost spoke first. "And what do we do, rush in and rescue him?"
Elflein and Celleste grinned. "Aye, Ghost. And just think, 'e'll never s'pect two ferrets to come t' a mouse's rescue."
Ghost and Celleste made their way down the path. Ghost was wondering how he had allowed Elflein to convince him to go along with the scheme, but as they neared the rat and weasel, he turned his mind to the task ahead. Celleste was the first to speak.
"Well, look what we've got 'ere. A li'le mouse 'bout to taste steel."
The rat turned and studied the two newcomers. The first thing Ghost took note of was the star-shaped white patch of fur over the rat's left eye. As far as he could tell, there was no other marking on the sleek black fur. The rat approached them.
"Who are ye, and state yer business 'ere quick."
Again, Celleste spoke. "Call me Spectre, an' this 'ere's me mate, Ghost."
The rat came up to Ghost and stared hard at him. "Why don't 'e speak?"
Ghost answered in a soft whisper that carried a cold touch of menace in it. "Sir, I am silent by trade and nature. Few hear me speak at all."
The rat furrowed his brow. "Well, state yer business, then."
Celleste gave a nod. "Watchers, sir."
The rat shot a glance back to his weasel comrade. As soon as he looked away, Ghost drew his dagger and shoved it under the rat's chin. The weasel reached for his rapier, but Celleste moved quickly, pulling Ghost's second dagger from beneath her tunic. Before the weasel had a chance to act, he found the cold steel of the dagger blade against his throat. The rat chuckled.
"You're makin' a mistake, ye miserable beasts. You don't know who you're messin' with."
"Really?" Ghost still spoke in a near whisper.
The rat moved quickly. He drew a hidden dagger and stabbed blindly backwards, scoring a light blow that left a small gash in Ghost's stomach. Ghost jumped back to avoid further damage, and the rat spun, bringing his rapier about in a wide arc. If Ghost had not been armed with a dagger, he would have been near unable to stop the attack. Steel rang against steel and the two stood staring at each other.
Elflein came to Ghost's aid, wielding an improvised club she had pulled from a tree. The rat looked from the ferret, to the otter, and back again.
"You're a traitor to your kind." He lowered his rapier. "Warspite, come. Leave th' beasts. We can always find 'em later."
The weasel took a step away from Celleste's dagger. "As you wish, m'lord."
The two left without a word, leaving the four standing in the middle of the path in an odd silence. Elflein was the first to act, going over to the mouse and offering him a hand. Celleste made her way over to the injured Ghost and had him sit back against a tree.
"I swear I never thought he would have a dagger on him." She went to examine the wound, but he resisted. "Come now, I know what I'm doing."
Elflein offered a paw to the mouse. "Call me Elflein, th' two over there are Celleste an' Ghost, don't ask 'bout them yet."
The mouse probed the surrounding bushes, looking for something he had lost in the scuffle. "Corbin Swiftblade. You should not have gotten involved; you have no idea who you were dealing with."
Ghost reluctantly gave in to Celleste's insisting that the wound be treated. "I still can't figure out why I let you talk me into doing that."
Elflein caught the glint of sun off metal in one of the bushes and went over to investigate, finding a longsword. She pulled it out and offered it to the mouse. "Looking for this?" He took it and examined the blade. "Who exactly were we dealing with, Corbin?"
"If it makes you feel any better, I think you did a good job." She cut a piece of his robe off with a dagger and held a paw up as he started to protest. "I'll repair it later." The folded the cloth in half twice and pressed it to the wound. "Hold that there and apply pressure."
Corbin placed the blade into its scabbard and looked up at the otter. "Starbane. He's been terrorising the northlands for a while and has decided to move south. The weasel was his Second, Warspite."
Ghost tried to stand, but was pushed back down by Celleste. "Well, thanks for making me feel like I did a good job, and I will hold you to your word. I want this robe to look like new when you get done with it."
Elflein eyed the mouse curiously. "And he's decided to settle here?"
Celleste sat down next to Ghost. "Don't fret, I will."
Corbin gave a nod. "Yes."
Ghost suddenly felt uncomfortable where he was and tried to stand again. Celleste held him down. "Relax, Ghost. Learn to take things easy."
Elflein shook her head sadly at the thought of a new menace in the lands. "Why were they after you?"
Ghost snorted. "Ha, try to take it easy after you've been through what I've been through."
Corbin frowned as he rubbed a spot on his head where Warspite had clubbed him. "I've been trying to form a resistance group, but every time I get volunteers, they break it up. I am a thorn in their sides they want to be rid of once and for all, but I've always managed to get away. This time, however, they took my second in command prisoner. Montel the badger."
Celleste punched Ghost on the shoulder. "Quit saying things like that. Learn to think positive every now and then. You would be surprised at how much of a difference it can make."
Elflein scratched the side of her head. "I'd help you, but there is not much I could do."
Ghost started to say something, but kept quiet. He leaned back against the tree and faced the woods on the opposite side of the path. His ear tuned in to the conversation between Elflein and the mouse.
"Don't worry too much about it, I wouldn't ask another favour of you or your friends after what you did. I owe you."
Celleste let the silence fall and, like Ghost, stared off at the surrounding scenery.
"Where will you go now?" Elflein came up alongside the warrior mouse.
Ghost's eyes focused on a dark object in the sky, which he quickly recognised as an eagle. The bird of prey was a good distance off, and not a threat to him or the others on the path. He watched the eagle fly further away until it was lost from view.
"I'll move on, maybe as far as Salamandastron. I can get help there, I know that for a fact." Corbin grinned weakly.
Celleste looked at Ghost curiously. He had said something, but she had not caught the words. "What did you say?"
"Well," Corbin clapped the otter on the back. "I hope to see you again someday, may our paths cross again."
"Eagle Watch." Ghost looked over at Celleste, and the two stared at one another for a moment. "When we first got here, you called us watchers. Why not form a Watch group."
Elflein had overheard what Ghost had said and, consequently, missed Corbin's farewell. She placed a paw on the mouse warrior's shoulder. "Wait, listen t' those two."
"What exactly are you talkin' about?" Celleste's expression gave away her confusion.
Ghost grinned. "Eagle Watch. What if we were to form a group, like what he is talking about." Ghost pointed to Corbin. "A Watch group dedicated to peacekeeping and fighting against tyranny."
The idea was still a bit vague to Celleste, but she had grasped the main concepts. "A good idea. But who all's goin' t' be in't?"
"Well, I will," Ghost said. "And any others who wish to join can."
"I'll join ya." Celleste smiled.
"As will I. Where Celleste goes, I go." Elflein looked down at the two ferrets.
Corbin had been listening to Ghost's idea and shrugged. "It is something I would like to be a part of, I will join as well. Eagle Watch is a fitting name."
"Well, Ghost, what now?"
Ghost shot a glance at Celleste. "Why me?"
"You thought up the idea, and the group, it is only fitting you lead."
Ghost looked around at the others. "Well, I think I overheard you, I am sorry but I never caught your name." he pointed to Corbin. "Well, I think I overheard him say that help could be found at Salamandastron."
Corbin grinned. "I am Corbin Swiftblade, sir. Corbin will do."
"Well then, Corbin," Ghost stood and this time held back by Celleste. "I know of the mountain fortress, and I think we should follow Corbin's idea."
Elflein gave a nod. "Salamandastron it is, then."
Celleste stood. "Onward to Salamandastron."
The four members of the newly formed Eagle Watch shook paws with one another in agreement of the idea, and started south.
Chapter II
"I'll tell y' wot, it's a bally shame. I thot we'd done taken' care o' that blighter, but now look wot 'e's got us doin'." Acer hopped atop a large rock and shielded his eyes from the sun as he scanned the horizon.
"Its not that bad, y'know."
Acer rolled his eyes at his companion. "For a fightin' hare with such fine blood in ya, Solace, y'can really-"
She jumped up onto the rock and shoved him off. "Speak fer y'self. B'sides, who's the older of us two? Mum always said I was th' smarter o' th' two o' us."
Acer threw a pawful of dirt at his sister. "Well, now y've gone an' fergot wot we've been sent t'do. D'y'see the little chap?"
Solace ducked as the dirt flew up at her and jumped down beside Acer. "I warned y'bout teachin' 'im 'ow t' hide."
Acer shrugged. "Least I could do fer the little scamp, wot."
The seasons since Acer had last seen Ghost were good ones. He had never forgotten what took place that day, but it was becoming a mere memory. Still, few days went by that he did not wonder where his friend had gone. Now he was an experienced patroller and had learned the area around Salamandastron better than almost anyone else within the mountain.
Though he did not doubt that Ghost still lived, he had long ago given up hoping for the odd ferret to appear over the sand dunes. The most troubling memory from Ghost's turn against the assassin trainer was that a patrol that was sent out a few hours later found no trace of Skullrag. However no trace had come up in the past seasons, and all had accepted the death as fact.
Now, though he was a skilled patroller, he was stuck in a game of hide-and-seek with a young hare who was intent on duping his instructor. He pointed to a small grove of trees. "Last time 'e did this, I found 'im in there."
"Righty-o. I'll check it out, y'can take th' river bank."
Solace took off towards the grove while Acer hopped along towards the River Moss. It had been a quiet day, and no troublesome hordes or gangs had been seen roving about by the morning patrols, so there was no true reason for alarm.
"Listen up, Gulner y' little scamp. When I find ye I'm gonna hand y'right over t' th' badger hisself to deal with ye as 'e likes."
Nothing around him stirred, even as he approached the river. He stared down at the cold, swirling water and listened for any sound that might give the young hare away. Something snapped behind him and he spun to face it. He growled, finding only Solace, who appeared to have been as successful as he had been in searching for Gulner.
"I couldn't even find a set o' tracks." Solace shrugged and shook her head. "This's th' first time 'e's gone off like this, bloody troublemaker."
Acer scanned the riverbank. The sun was beginning to set, and light was starting to become limited. "Maybe 'e's gone back t' th' mountain. I 'ope nothin' 'appen's t'im."
"Come on, Acer; we need t' get back ere dark."
Acer scanned the area again hoping for some glimpse of the runaway hare, but saw none. He reluctantly turned and gave a silent nod to his sister. "Right then, back to ol' Salamandastron, then."
Two pairs of eyes watched the hares leave, one of which did not know the second was even there. The first pair blinked, and then vanished from view momentarily. Gulner rolled out from his hiding place on the opposite side of the riverbank, grinning happily to himself.
"Ha, y'never thot t' look fer me o'er 'ere, Acer. I outthought ye good this time." He wiped some of the drying mud off his damp fur. Now he faced only one problem.
When he had originally swum across the River Moss, it had been during the daytime, and he could see what was in the river, to some extent. Now night was slowly coming on, and the water was dark. A natural fear of the unknown prevented him from jumping in and swimming to the other side. He had cut himself off from the mountain fortress until morning.
He shrugged the dilemma aside. He could survive a night in the wild if he needed to. He took a moment to get his bearings straight and decided to do a bit of night-time scouting. The faint smell of something cooking caught his nose and he decided it might be worth checking out. Using the smell of food as a guide, he set off north.
The owner of the second pair of eyes had caught the smell too. Drawing the hood of a black robe over his face, he set off silently after the hare.
Chapter III
Elflein spooned another helping of hotroot soup into Ghost's bowl. "There, that's yer third tonight."
"It is good. I cannot help but come back for more."
Elflein gave a polite nod in response to the comment. "Glad t' hear you like it. Celleste is a big fan as well. I'll bet I could make a fortune selling this stuff to some of the big hordes up north."
Ghost chuckled. "You will make a fortune if they don't kill you and steal the recipe."
With the wooden bowl of soup in paw, Ghost found a spot near a large tree and sat down. The dagger wound he had received earlier had not troubled him in a while, and after an insistent Celleste examined it again, she informed him that it would be as good as new in a day or two.
As he settled down against the tree, Ghost noticed Corbin sitting further out from the campfire, the longsword drawn and laid beside him. Curious, Ghost stood and made his way over.
"I would like to thank you for joining us, Corbin."
The mouse warrior looked back at the ferret. "I owe it to you."
Ghost shook his head. "I don't want you to join because you feel you owe me, join because you want to."
"I want to, Ghost. I sincerely do." Corbin went back to staring at the surrounding woods.
"Will you be needing anything?" The mouse declined with a slow shake of his head. "Well, just let me know if you do. Try and get some rest, it is not far to Salamandastron from here. At most another day."
Ghost started back for the camp and met Celleste halfway there. He instinctively placed a paw over the dagger wound. She just chuckled at him.
"Oh, relax. I'm not going to trouble you anymore about that. I've seen for myself it's going to be fine." She half smiled at him. "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me."
Ghost shook his head. "Sorry, I can't."
"Give me one good reason, and I will let you stay. If you can't, though, we're going for a walk."
Ghost felt cornered. "My soup will get cold."
Celleste shook her head.
"Some one needs to watch the camp?"
Celleste took the soup bowl from Ghost and set it on a nearby rock. "Come on, Corbin and Elflein can watch the camp, none of them feel like sleeping anyway." She took him by the arm and started south. "We can see the river at night, I hear it is worth seeing."
Ghost allowed himself to be pulled along into the trees, and soon fell in step alongside Celleste. The two walked on in silence until they came to the riverbank. The water was dark, and the moon reflected silver off its surface. Celleste sat down on the bank and motioned Ghost to sit beside her.
"Ghost, do you mind if I ask you something?"
He sat down and looked at her. "No, what is it?"
"Why are you the way you are? I know I am this way because an otter family raised me, but something tells me you weren't. I am curious about why."
Ghost stared down at the black water in silence.
"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked."
He shook his head. "It is an honest question. I'll answer." He took a breath while he thought over what he was going to say. "I am a highly trained assassin, taught by another ferret named Skullrag. During my training, before I was old enough to know about natural enemies, I became friends with a hare from Salamandastron who was not more than a season older than I was. One day I was ordered to assassinate him and Skullrag was going to supervise, as he did not want to see his student mess up his first kill. I could not bring myself to kill him, though, and instead drove the dagger into my teacher. That was four seasons ago, and I have not spoken to a beast since, until today. As for why I chose to be the way I am, I guess it is because I do not wish to become like Skullrag."
All the while he had been speaking, Ghost had been replaying scenes from the four seasons past in his mind. When he had finished answering the question, a deafening silence seemed to fall over them, and he continued to stare at the black water that was rushing down the river. The thickness in the air seemed to disappear, though, as he felt Celleste lean against his shoulder.
"That's a fair reason, Ghost, as fair as I've heard."
An ear-splitting shriek filled the air and both ferrets jumped to their feet, spinning to face the direction that the shriek had come from.
"What was that?"
Ghost shook his head. "Should we check it out?"
"Aye, come on. Give me one of those daggers."
Ghost drew the twin daggers and handed one to Celleste. They silently made their way towards the source of the shriek, half expecting some deadly beast to jump out and attack them. Something caught Ghost's ear and he motioned for Celleste to stop.
"Do you hear that?"
Celleste tried to, but could not hear anything. "What is it?"
"Sounds like something struggling." He took off running.
Celleste hesitated, but was soon following close behind. Ghost came out in a small clearing and ran into a hooded figure that seemed to materialise out of nowhere. He tripped over something on the ground and rolled while the hooded figure staggered backwards from the unexpected blow. Ghost jumped to his feet, dagger ready in paw as he turned to face the dark figure.
The robed figure seemed to regard the ferret for a moment and vanished into the surrounding trees without a sound. Celleste came crashing through the trees soon after. Ghost turned to see what had tripped him and felt his heart skip a beat. Lying on the ground, dead from a dagger wound to the chest, was a young hare.
Celleste followed Ghost's gaze to the hare's body and swallowed hard. "Who did that?"
"I saw whoever it was, Celleste, but they left before I could do anything." A thought struck him. "The camp. What if it goes to the camp?"
"We can't just leave him here." Celleste pointed at the dead hare. "What do we do with him?"
"We are going to have to. We'll just have to come back tomorrow for him."
"We still can't leave him here like this, its just not right."
"Alright, run ahead to the camp. I'll bury him and join you as soon as I'm done."
Celleste hesitated again. "What if whoever it was that did this comes back?"
"I'll fight. Now go as fast as you can. Warn the others and get a guard set up."
Ghost watched Celleste vanish into the woods and started digging with his paws. Luckily, it was soft dirt, so it would not take too long to finish. He looked at the hare again and shook his head sadly. Whoever the young hare had been, he had come from Salamandastron.
Ghost returned to the camp four hours after Celleste, during Elflein's watch. The otter gave him a nod. He would have spoken, but exhaustion coupled with knowing he had just buried some beast that was younger than he, had taxed him to the limits. He listened without interest at Elflein reported that all was well, and then stalked off to find a place to rest near the fire. Celleste was sitting, waiting for him.
"You should have gone to sleep already."
She stood and walked him to the fire. "I had to know you got back safely."
Ghost was too tired to argue, so he just contented himself with lying beside the fire. He even found it relaxing when Celleste joined him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Ghost, everything will come out good, right? I mean, if we do go up against Starbane and his horde."
He put his arm around her. "Aye, everything's going to end up just fine. I have a friend at Salamandastron who will help us."
The cracking of the fire and the sounds of the nocturnal woodland insects had a soothing effect, and both ferrets slept soundly until morning.
Chapter IV
Acer and Solace left the mountain at the first light of dawn. Gulner had not returned during the night, and now patrols had been organised that would search as far north as the badlands, and as far south as the marshes and toad lands. Acer and Solace had volunteered for the morning northern patrol.
"I think we should start at th' river. I thought I could smell summat over there, but th' daylight'd gone an' I'll be willin' t' bet a toad could see better than me."
"I agree. Lead th' way, brother. I'm right behind ya."
The two took off, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Acer led the way straight back to where their search had ended the night before.
"Okay now, look fer anythin' that might show th' little chap was here. Pawprints, tracks, a fire pit, anythin', just find it." Acer stared at the water. "I'll check across th' river. Give a holler if y'find anythin'. If not, check back th' way we came. I'll be back by nightfall."
Acer jumped into the water and was halfway across before Solace could say anything. He climbed out of the cool river, shook himself off, and hopped into the woods. Something caught his ear and he followed it. He was rewarded; pawprints from a hare, not more than a night old, were clearly visible in the soft dirt.
"Solace, I found tracks!" He took a moment to get his bearings straight and headed back to the river. Solace was wringing the water from her ears. "Come on, I think I've found where he went."
"When I find him, I'm gonna tan that hide o' his like it's never been before. He'll thing the badger was lenient."
Acer shot her a look. "We're in horde country, we don't know if he's in trouble or not. Now come on."
The two ran through the trees towards the trail. Now Acer could hear what had drawn his attention earlier. He skidded to a halt and held a paw up, ordering Solace to keep quiet. Voices were coming from beyond a small clearing, but he could not make out the words. He ordered Solace to circle around to flank whoever it was, and flattened himself against the ground, gripping his javelin tightly in his paw.
Two ferrets came out of the trees.
"I buried the hare where he died, right over here." One of the ferrets pointed to a mound of dirt.
Acer growled and charged. "Eulaayliaaa!"
The ferret that had spoken looked up in time to be tackled by the enraged hare. Both rolled into the surrounding woods. Acer rolled off the ferret, allowed him to stand, and then planted a solid kick in the vermin's gut with both of his hind paws. The ferret flew into a tree trunk and slid to the ground, stunned.
Hefting the javelin, Acer slowly made his way over to the stunned beast and pressed the point under his chin.
"Now then, y'ugly vermin. That hare y'killed, was he from Salamandastron?"
The ferret took a moment to regain his senses and looked up at him. "I can assure you, Acer, I killed no hare. He was from Salamandastron, though."
Acer's heart skipped a beat. "How d'y'know my name?" He stared at the ferret and the answer slowly dawned on him. "Ghost?"
"Aye, and I'm sorry about the young hare. I saw who did it, but I was unable to stop him. I buried him, and was on my way to report the murder to Salamandastron."
A twig snapped and Acer glanced over his shoulder. The second ferret accompanied by a mouse, an otter, and Solace stood watching. The ferret was slowly making her way towards him.
"Acer, I believe 'im. Celleste here was tellin' me all about it." Solace bounded up to her brother and gently took the javelin from him.
"Ghost, are you alright?"
He gave a nod. "Winded, but I'm fine, Celleste." He stood and put his paw on Acer's shoulder. "It is good to see you again, Acer, though I wish it were under different circumstances."
Solace eyed Ghost. "You know each other?"
Ghost nodded. "We were short time friends four seasons back, before I left."
"We kept it a secret because we both knew we would get in trouble for having each other as a friend," Acer added. His voice was solemn and downtrodden.
At Solace's recommendation, Acer was left alone by the grave while the rest started back for the river. She kept glancing at the group as they walked on in silence. Finally, though, her curiosity overtook her and she started to ask questions.
"Wot brot y'all together? Y'make an odd group, if y'ask me."
"We all have a common desire for peace," Ghost answered.
"The Badger Lord'll 'ave a fit if he sees y'two," Solace pointed at Ghost and Celleste. "No offence, but he's not too fond o' vermin."
Celleste chuckled. "Quite alright. Ghost and I understand. We'll just have to sit on the shore and wait."
Elflein gently elbowed her sister. "Ye don't seem t' sound too disappointed wi' that, sis."
Solace flashed the otter a confused look. "Sis?"
"Aye, m'family took 'er in when we were both young li'le dibbuns. She's been me younger sister e'er since."
"Odd things do happen in th' north, wot!" Solace laughed.
They had reached the river and Solace held a paw up for them to wait. "We need t' wait up fer Acer."
As if on cue, Acer hopped out of the woods and onto the riverbank. "Last 'ne in's a rotten tomato wot, wot!" He dove headfirst into the river.
Celleste arched an eyebrow. "Hmm, odd things happen down this way, wot!"
Elflein was the next one in, followed by Solace and Celleste. Ghost was a little hesitant, and Corbin had to be half carried by the otter. When the six of them had finished drying on the opposite bank, Acer took the lead.
"Ghost, I did some thinking and when we get back t' Salamandawassit I'm gonna request transfer int' yer group."
Ghost gave a nod. "You are welcome to join."
They had reached the flatlands and were moving at a moderate pace south to Salamandastron. Solace guessed that they would arrive some time in the afternoon. Ghost passed the time by taking in the familiar surroundings. The seasons that had gone by did little to change the area, and he made a note to himself to pass by the old assassin's home where he had been raised.
They journeyed most of the way in silence, and when they finally arrived at the base of the mountain fortress, it was mid-afternoon. Corbin, Elflein, and Celleste stood staring up at the summit as though it were an image out of a dream that had suddenly become reality before their very eyes. Ghost saw it as a wonder he would never get to see, and he avoided admiring the mountain stronghold as much as he could.
"Well, sorry t'say this, ol' chap, but y' two ferrets are not allowed in."
Ghost gave a nod. "It is understandable, Acer. Besides, I have something else I would like to see while I am down this way."
Acer gave a nod and clapped Elflein and Corbin on the backs. "Come on, then. The ol' Badger Lord'd love t' see y' two."
Solace and Acer escorted them into the main entrance, leaving Ghost and Celleste alone. Ghost stood staring at the mountain for a moment before turning and walking north. Celleste caught up to him and began walking alongside him.
"Where're ya goin?"
"To see where I was raised most of my life as an assassin. You do not have to come if you do not want to."
"I'll come along, if it's not a bother to you."
"Not at all."
Acer's jaw had dropped almost all the way to the stone floor. He quickly composed himself and gave a smart salute. "Sah, beggin' y'pardon, sah, but 'ow'd y'know I was leavin'?"
The big badger examined a spear point he had been pounding out on the forge. "I have my ways, it is for me to understand how I know what I know." He set to work on the spear point again. Every time he brought the mighty hammer down, the sound of it striking metal would ring and echo in the large room. The Badger Lord spoke in between blows. "I actually wish you had brought them in, I would have liked to have met him. What was his name again?"
"Ghost, sah!"
"Ghost, ah. That makes sense." He set the hammer down and examined the leaf-shaped point of the spear. "Here," he tossed it to Acer. "How does that feel?"
Acer hefted the spear. It was surprisingly light and well balanced, and seemed the perfect size for him. "Very nice, sah."
"It's yours to keep. Wait here, I have something else that I need to give you." The badger disappeared up the stairs. He returned a while later and gave a small book to the hare. "That is for Ghost's eyes only, and he will know the time to read it."
Acer gave a nod. Although he was puzzled about Ghost's knowing when to read it, he knew better than to doubt the Badger Lord's words. "Right, sah. I'll be off now; Solace must be buggin' th' poor guests t' death with that tour o' hers. I'll return ere long."
"So long, Acer. May the paths before you always be straight and shone upon by the sun."
Acer bowed and left the forge room. The sound of the Badger Lord making another weapon rang down the stairs after him. He was no longer a member of the Long Patrol of Salamandastron, he was now a part of Eagle Watch.
The abandoned house was only a season away from falling to pieces completely. Ghost walked up to the door and ran a paw over the spot where he had driven the dagger into it on one rainy night four seasons ago. Though it was only a memory of all he had despised in the past, a part of him regretted that no one had taken care of the house. Four seasons of salt air, strong winds, and storms had taken their toll. The house would not be standing much longer, and Ghost knew it would be the last time he would ever see the place he had once thought to be a prison.
"This was home for me, Celleste. I knew the surrounding area better than any other beast around." He turned and walked along the beach until he came to the gnarled remains of a dead tree. "I used to spend my free time here, lying down in the water, every day."
Celleste drew up alongside him and hooked her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's nice here. Peaceful and calm, and I'll bet on a clear day you can see forever."
"Forever is a long, long way."
The sun was starting to sink below the horizon behind them, and the sound of the crashing surf had a soothing effect. They stood in silence, staring out across the eastern sea.
"Forever is like tomorrow," Celleste started softly, "and what is left of today, and whatever you make of it." She looked up at Ghost and waited for him to look back. When he did, she closed her eyes and kissed him.