Sypha, Gerald, Antoine, Teran and Vanguard all stood in front of Kain's headstone with reddened eyes and sore throats. Dusk was settling over the castle, and behind them members of the Guard were mobilizing about, gearing up, sparring and all that what not.
"Ohh Kain..." whispered Sypha, a few more tears running down her already moistened face as she reached out with one paw and ran it along the curved top of the soft red hued headstone, with her other paw holding a kerchief to her mouth as she sobbed into it. None of the others made a move to comfort her, or say, "I'm sorry Sypha." Because this is all what they felt inside already, she was just the representative of their feelings.
All the creatures were dressed in formal clothing from the service which had been held hours ago in the early morn, save Vanguard. Begging special permission to go with one of the cadre's from King Ardor, he received it and was issued orders to meet with his commander at sundown. So much like his father did he look. His face stalwart and dire, seemingly carved from granite. The armor was even his father's, well, what of it could be salvaged. The helmet with its long flaps of steel hanging over the sides of his head and the slight visor to shade his darkened hazel eyes. A large breastplate covered his body, made of light and strong metals it would allow him to move quickly in combat. After that, there were many slats of steel about his body placed in key points and fastened together with tough leather so not to hamper his movement. Slung across his back was his father's daisho. Taking a different course, he'd decided to train himself with the light and keen blades as opposed to the broadsword. Now, only at the age of eighteen he wielded them with style and grace, speed and elegance.
Orion's Bell rang out slow and sad, signaling to the cadre's it was time to depart. The group all hugged Vanguard, and he hugged back. "Now you better come back now Van.." said Antoine with a small smile, swinging a paw and brushing Vanguard's arm.
"Yeah Van, you better come back." Remarked Teran, going up and hugging her older brother again as he smiled a little, nodded and went to go check in with his commander.

Commander Cert was a medium sized squirrel, thin shoulders and tiny brown eyes held within' a narrow face. Age was his friend, being he was only in his mid-twenties. But his mind was far more advanced than his years, cold and calculating he had the tactical and strategical skill to be master of chess at the castle. No noble could beat him. No other commander, no Tribune, and certainly no royal could. But his skill was in check and his ego non-existent. He acted as if he were the last in a great line of Commanders, and that it was up to him to uphold the honor and dignity of what it meant to be great. Not only was he intelligent, but he wasn't too shabby in combat either.
"Vanguard reporting for duty sir." Shot out Vanguard in a tight voice as he stood straight up with head titled skyward, after a smart salute.
It was near dark now, and the moon shone bright over the land. "Heh heh, at ease soldier, at ease.." replied Cert with a soft and compassionate voice.
Head moving back into it's normal and comfortable position, Vanguard let out a deep breath and continued to stand straight up as he always did and crossed his paws behind him.
"So..." started Cert, unrolling a scroll and scanning for Vanguard's name and profile, "this is your first outing as a...special member of the Guard. Congrats Van. It also says here you have an extensive skill with those swords strapped to your back. Well, let's just hope you won't be needing to use 'em now shall we?" finished Cert, a smile on his face as he patted Vanguard's shoulder.
Smiling back and already taking a liking to Cert he replied, "No sir, let's hope not."
"Please Van, call me Cert." He replied, moving beside Vanguard as he gently urged him forward so they soon started walking to be with the other members of the cadre. As they walked, Cert took the time to explain their mission in depth to the young mouse, "Ok Van here's our mission, which I'm sure you've already been explained. What we're going out there for is to find Tribune Darryl and any other members of the scouting parties. Now, we don't know what we're going to find out there, for all we know the idiot fell into a hole, but if for any reason we encounter battle our orders are to retreat back to the castle only if we can't handle it."
"So if we encounter say a horde of vermin we should duunk-on-'em?" remarked Vanguard with a grin thinking of battle.
"Nah, I think we should fall back in that instance." Replied Cert with a smile, "but if it's say a small band of vermin or something of the like we should attempt to subdue and capture. Though if it were a small band of vermin, Darryl would've been able to handle it, especially with backup..." his voice trailed off and smile faded momentarily, then bounced back, "But anyways, I doubt we'll encounter anything too exciting."

"I've had a vision." Spoke Rubicant, his eyelids snapping open and his eyes clearing. He was sitting near the stream again, a cast iron plate of with a bird of some sort on it in front of him, untouched.
Talus was laying on his side nearby lazily, rubbing his girth as he eyed the plate, then moved his sight to Rubicant after hearing his master speak, "Eh? Wot'd ye say Rubi-"
"Cant! Rubicant you buffoon. Uhhh, why I keep you alive is beyond even my knowledge. I've had another vision pea brain." Said Rubicant, not too happy as he stood, arms crossed under his cloak.
Looking up at the tall fox from the ground Talus replied, "I'm sorry Rubicant, oi really am."
Grumbling, "Yes, I'm sure you are. Wake the troops, tell them to prepare for battle."
"Bu' why?"
Now growling he reached down and grabbed the unfortunate weasel by the front of his tunic and hauled him up, holding him off the ground and choking him off at the same time, "Because I said so!"

***

King Ardor stood in his bedroom, looking out the large western window, paws crossed behind his back. The sun had set, and now the horizon was a dark violet with streaks of blue and yellow, and the occasional orange. His face was tired and concerned as he looked out over the land.
"Something's wrong love, what is it..?" asked Eva, walking up behind her mate, wrapping a slender arm about his waist and another up his chest with her paw on his shoulder, while resting her head against his.
"Nothing dear, just thinking is all..." replied Ardor, rubbing the paw on his shoulder.
"You think too much these days dear..." commented Eva tiredly, her eyes closed now and her body growing limp.
"I know, I know..." Ardor whispered, holding her paw tight, looking over the land.

***

"Run for help somebody!" Vanguard shouted out over the melee. His heart beat a hundred times swift, the sounds of battle forcing their way into his ears and the adrenaline through his veins. The prim and trim uniforms and armor of the Guard mingled and dueled with the rag tag clothing of the vermin. They were surrounded, outnumbered nearly two to one, and more came. Having both swords drawn, Vanguard was faring well suffering only multiple slash wounds and an aching back. Bobbing and weaving he sliced through the vermin ranks in the chaos of battle, cutting down foe and saving friend.
Nobody responded or reacted to his cry, everyone was in a battle for survival now. His eyes quickly scanned the scene, everything looked like a gray shade in the incandescent moonlight. Seeing Cert in midst of the creatures, Vanguard immediately dashed for him, twirling, spinning, slashing, and killing his way to his commander. "Commander!" he yelled out as he neared Cert, who had a large rat in a head lock for protection as he struck out with a light axe. "Commander!"
"Van!" shouted back Cert, kicking the rat away then leaping into the air in a frenzy of downward strikes, "I told you to call me Cert!"
"I'm sorry sir!" replied Vanguard, spinning around, cutting down a ferret who attempted to back stab him, "But we need to send someone to warn the Castle!"
"I know Van! You go! Your the probably the fastest, you go!"
"But sir I wanted to stay and-"
"Van shut up and go now! I'm ordering you now! GO!"
Taken aback slightly, but soon recovering, Vanguard turned and ran toward the castle. Without looking back.

***

"How many prisoners were taken?" asked Rubicant, sitting upon his makeshift throne in his spacious tent.
Pyros stood before him, arms at his sides as he replied, "Fifteen sire."
"Out of how many of their force again?"
Smiling with mirth, Pyros answered, "One-hundred sire, was the original count before we engaged them in the wood."
Closing his eyes and chuckling slightly, Rubicant spread his arms out and placed his paws on the rests, opening his cloak exposing a glittering array of weaponry and metals. "And only fifteen taken prisoner you say?" He began chuckling again and sat up, his cloak closing. "That is too good Pyros, merely too good. How many did you kill for your master?"
Pyros now grinned and answered happily, getting on his knees before Rubicant, "Twelve slaughtered in your name, my lord."
"Pyros, you have pleased me well."

Cert's eyes flickered open, he was on his knees, heavy stones tied to his footpaws with his wrists bound above his head by a rope attached to some sort of support above him. Slowly his vision improved, the side of his face felt damp. He'd taken a heavy blow from a club atop the head before he lost consciousness. Looking around he saw he in some sort of low level cage, made from slats of wood. The slats that came up from the ground made a large rectangular perimeter, but it was obviously not meant to be a cage because of the sheer amount of space between each slat. Atop the slats, were more slats running length and width wise across the top of the make shift cage. It was on those ceiling like slats that that the rope that bound his wrists was to attached to. The only movement he was capable of was squirming.
He groaned out, beginning to feel dizzy then he heard, "'Ello there messmate! Not a very jolly ole situation we've a gotten ourselves intah eh?"
"Eh...?" was all Cert could manage as he looked around, there were more creatures from the cadres restrained in the same manner as he, but only fourteen other's, and Vanguard was nowhere to be seen.
"Now dinna ya be ah tellin' me that ya don't even recognize yer ole pal Darryls' voice!"
"Darryl?" said Cert, looking around more and barely seeing Darryl out the corner of his eye, restrained in the same manner as he behind him.
"Yer darn tootin'!" replied Darryl, smiling a little, glad to see Commander Cert.
"Darryl!" Cert's voice was now filled with joy, but it was bitter in his throat, "Darryl, we came looking for you, what happened? How much of your parties are alive? Are you injured?"
Swallowing hard and feeling his content mindset vanish like a scent in the wind he answered, "None, none survived save meself and Jona. But...even Jona was killed, before me eyes mate...sufferin and the like..." his voice was straining now as he recalled his own nephew's horrific demise, as tears welled slowly in his sockets, "I ain't injured though," lied Darryl, so not to worry his friend, "only mah spirit...matey, these ere vermin are evil, sheer evil-"
SNAP!
Darryl shrieked out in pain, twisting and contorting his body after feeling the cruel cutting sting of a whip slice his back, leaving a fiery red cut across it.
"Who gave you permission to whine to my prisoners you dirty hare?!" shouted out a thin and short ferret who wielded a whip and spear.
Cert turned his head and shot at the ferret, "I did you pathetic excuse for a warrior! Try that on me and-"
CRACK! SNAP!
The whip fell twice across Cert's young body, once over his back, the second time over his chest. Cert, had never experienced pain of the caliber he felt now, not ever once in his life. He screamed out, crying out from the pain and madly thrashing his body, trying to escape the pain.
The ferret merely smiled as he watched the show, and decided that the two had not yet learned their lesson.