The tolling of Orion's Bell rang loudly over the castle grounds, calling out the time. Groaning and turning onto his back from laying on his side, Vanguard stretched out his thin frame and commented, "Oh yes, love the early morn..." Sitting up with his legs hanging over the side of his bed, he yawned again, eyes closed and rubbing his neck. Hearing a light knock at his open door, he opened his eyes and turned to see Antoine standing in the doorframe, "Hey Antoine, what's up?" asked Vanguard, smiling tiredly.
"Van, something terribles happened."

Vanguard stood in the bedchamber, shaking with rage and eyes watering with sorrow. Arms crossed tight, and throat constricted; he looked upon Kain's lifeless body. "Who did this?"
His eyes were closed; he'd been sleeping. There was a large wound running from his neck to his stomach, a wound that appeared to have been caused by a battle-ax. He must have been sleeping soundly, and the attacker must have been skilled in the ways of stealth.
"We don't know Matthew, we'll get to the bottom of this." Replied Tribune Darryl as he stood from kneeling, and placed a white sheet over the young badger's body. Darryl was a tall and muscular hare, with dark sandy fur and dark brown eyes, he was Tribune to The Guard. Under the King and Queen was the Chancellor. On level with the Chancellor, were the twelve Tribunes. The Chancellor was head of the tribunes, but still on level with them. The Tribunes were each actively associated with the various aspects of the Castle. The Tribune of Scholarly, the Tribune of Victuals, the Tribune of Affairs, and the Tribune of The Guard. There were others as well.
Vanguard continued to stand, slightly shaking as a few tears streaked his face, "Good..."

"I can't believe this happened...I'm sorry Van..." soothed Queen Eva as she hugged him warmly.
"Thank you mother..." choked out Vanguard as he hugged back tightly and wept into her shoulder.
"We'll find who did this Van, Darryl will find who did this..." She then rubbed his back vigorously and stroked the back of his neck with care while he let the bile of the past events drain from him emotionally as a few tears slipped from her own brown eyes, which were now closed.

Vanguard walked into the room. Gerald, Antoine, Sypha, and Teran where already there. It was the classroom, sunset. Deep yellow light shone into the wooden room, dust particles could be seen floating about slowly. The quartet of friends all sat on a desk looking out the western window, watching the sun make it's dip into the horizon. Leaning against each other, they made almost no sound, but each turned their heads at the noise of the door creaking slowly open.
Standing in the doorway with reddened eyes Vanguard asked in a weak voice, "What are you guys doing?"
As he Vanguard walked his way over Teran answered back feebly, "Just, watchin' the sunset bro..."
"Neat..." he replied as he sat next to his sister on the far end and looked out over the land with them.
Silence...painful silence that pierced each of theirs hearts like a sandy needle filled the air for a hanging moment until Antoine swallowed heavily, his mind full of questions like, 'Why?', then he asked aloud, quietly, "Who could have done this..?"
The silence was now shattered, and the question that was already floating around everyone's mind, was now made material. The creatures turned their heads down, looking at the bare wooden floor. "We don't know Antoine..."started Sypha, "I just hope that it doesn't stay that way.."

***

"I trust you were successful?"
"Of course Rubicant, you are speaking to Pyros, are you not?"
"Of course of course, silly me." Responded Rubicant, standing in the entrance to a large tan tent. His cloak was drawn close to him, and still there was excess cloth lying on the ground about him. The chill night air knifed into him.
"Who is next?" asked Pyros, taking a step toward Rubicant. He stood behind the other fox, because he also was a fox. But his fur wasn't like Rubicant's rich orange, but rather it was an odd amalgam of colors. Streaks of white here, splashes of red there, and some orange for effect. It was all natural, too, which was also quite bizarre. The walking bonfire as some called him.
"Rubicant! c'mere quick like!" Came a shout from deep in the vermin camp.
"Now what could we have stumbled upon...?" asked Rubicant with a slight turn of his head to Pyros, smiling with merriment.
"Hopefully dinner." Commented Pyros as he followed Rubicant from the tent, which was nicely secluded from the vermin camp.
The moon shining brightly over the scene, the two foxes moved up and crested a small hill to the camp and saw all the vermin, crowded together. They were shouting, jeering, making all sorts of noise.
"Everyone to order!!" shouted Rubicant over the horde, and soon within seconds all the vermin where standing with perfect posture in a circle around three other creatures who all were upon all fours on the ground.
Moving through the sea of vermin, Rubicant entered the space where the three creatures where. Two hares and one squirrel, all moving very slowly, breathing deep and heavily. Picking up the only hare, who had a sword slinged to his belt, by the front of his tunic, Rubicant gave him a fierce backhand across the face and asked, "What is your name..?"
Coughing up a spot of blood and swallowing, the hare lolled his head so that if faced the foxes and replied with a smirk, "Tha names Tribune Darryl, and by matter-a-chance, yor all under errest, by the divin' authoritay, of his most high-"
CRACK!
Darryl grunted out in pain as Rubicant dropped him to the ground after sternly head butting him. Drawing a long and thin sword from within his cloak, Rubicant then slashed out at the other hare who was now lying on his stomach. Screeching out in pain that he'd never felt before, the hare arched his back and floundered on the ground trying to put a paw over his wound. Darryl's eyes burned with hate and compassion as he reached out to help the young hare but Rubicant, in a flash of the sword, slit the back of his paw open, forcing him to grit his teeth and grasp the madly bleeding wound. While the young hare continued to writhe in agony, Rubicant then walked toward him, and stood upon his back with a footpaw, grinding his hard boot heel into the wound. Now screaming out in terror and pain, the hare feebly tried to throw the heavy fox off him but without success. Grasping the hare's ears, with little sympathy, Rubicant pulled his head back and in an arc of reflected light slashed the hare's throat open. Gurgling slightly while trying to cry out, the hare shook for a moment then died.
With Darryl looking upon him with eyes like meteors of vengeance, Rubicant sheathed the sword into his cloak while stepping from the body and asked, "There will be no more games now, I trust?"

***

Sirius looked out over the early day from the castle's eastern rampart. Spreading his gentle brown wings wide, he took a deep breath and released it, letting his wings down. "Oops, careful there old bird." Muttered Sirius smiling lightly as he tipped his tiny spectacles back onto his beak. Mossflower Wood was dark and foreboding this hour, but would soon improve. The sun had yet to rise, and the land was washed over with dark grays and light violets. It was peaceful, serene, the busyness of the day was still a few more good hours off. Still looking over the forest, Sirius frowned slightly at the times ahead. A mysterious killed in the castle, and one of his beloved students the first victim. Kain's death had affected him ever more than he would allow, so as with every tragedy he'd encountered, he shut if out to some small corner in his wise brain. Hoping to lose track of it as he did with most of his memories. Looking out still, Sirius cocked his head slightly, attuning his ears to a small sound. The sound, like an ax chopping at a tree, but the sound wasn't like that of an ax, but a sword. Turning and descending the soft-maroon steps, and moving across the castle grounds to the source of the noise he found Vanguard in the castle orchard. He was panting heavily, gripping his father's broadsword while facing a tree that had deep chunks taken out of it from damages caused by the sword. Sweat coating his young body, Vanguard raised the blade in a high arc and struck out at the tree, placed a footpaw on the trunk as he wriggled the sword free, and began the process again.
"Just like his father..." thought Sirius, head bowed and shaking.

"How long has it been since Darryl has checked in?" asked King Ardor, sitting forward on his throne eyeing each of the eleven Tribunes.
"Nearly two days your majesty." Responded Chancellor Solomon, an aged mole, short from many years of gravity and stout from many years or dinner. A pair of rectangular spectacles hanging from his long face, he folded his withered arms into his wide sleeves.
"What about the other scouts?"
"None have returned either, majesty."
Sighing and sitting back, Ardor closed his eyes momentarily and rubbed at his temples. Darryl knew Mossflower too well to get lost, and he would never be on a search this long without checking back thought the young king. "What do you suggest we do Chancellor?" asked Ardor, sitting back up.
"Wait another day, if no word comes, I suggest we place the Guard on alert and send out a number of small cadres to search for Darryl and the other search parties."
"Is that really necessary you think?" asked Ardor, leaning forward a bit and looking up at the mole with blood shot eyes.
"Sir, we cannot take chances, not after what happened all those years ago..." an odd silence followed what Solomon had said, every creature in the room had been close friends of the martyrs who gave their lives to save the castle.
"Make it so then." Responded Ardor, sitting back and waving a paw, indicating the Tribunes and Chancellor to leave. As soon as they left and the large throne room doors were shut, Ardor settled back into his throne and fell into sleep.