King Ardor sat on his throne,
looking out the large oval windows that lined the throne room walls. It was the
morning. Sunlight flew in through the eastern windows illuminating the marble
tiled floor. Slowly the large wooden doors squeaked open on their bronze hinges
and Chancellor Solomon slowly strode in.
"Sire, none of the cadres have
checked in." spoke Solomon, slowly and eloquently like swallowing a dose of poison
in honor of a passed on loved one.
The lower half of Ardor's face
looked as if he were ready to burst into tears, while his eyes remained dry.
"What now Solomon...?"
Blinking once or twice through
his spectacles, he replied. "I have already placed the Guard on alert, the
drawbridge has been raised and secured. Perimeter guards have been placed on a
rotation schedule, with patrols going through the parade grounds. Also I've
placed soldiers within the stronghold of the castle in key positions and
readied the royal safe house."
"Good...good..." answered
Ardor, and continued, "I want Teran and Eva placed in the safe house
immediately."
"It shall be done milord."
"Good, good...Solomon?"
"Yes?"
"What's going on? We've lost so
many good people already, and to what we don't know, what, is going on??"
"We don't know sir."
"I'm scared, Solomon."
"I am too sire."
***
"Sire, one
of the prisoners has died." Said Pyros, standing before Rubicant who was
sitting on his makeshift throne, eyes closed, merely relaxing back.
Rubicant's eyes opened slowly,
adjusted to the lamp light of the tent and then looked into Pyros' own eyes. "I
see, how did he die?"
"She, sire. Her wounds from
the battle seemed to be too great, as were Artemos' beatings." Pyros had a
slight smirk as he finished his sentence.
"Ah, Artemos..." mused
Rubicant, looking down, smiling, then raising his head again, "he always did
have a penchant for the screams of a woman now didn't he?"
"I believe he did, and if I am
correct so do you. But rather, for the screams of a man." Replied Pyros now
grinning at his master.
"You always have been a keen
one Pyros, nothing gets past you." Commented Rubicant, the same smile on his
face as he stood. He was taller than Pyros, and larger too. Rubicant circled
Pyros, looking over his body. "I've always admired your fur Pyros, so...out of
the ordinary, so unnatural."
"And I've always admired your
gal Rubicant." replied Pyros.
"Among other things." Rubicant
then stopped in front of Pyros, and the two foxes stood facing each other,
looking into one another's eyes.
***
It was
early morn and a light haze of fog hung over the land and in the castle
grounds. Teran sat with her parents a rectangular table in the inner sanctum of
the castle partaking of breakfast. It was quiet with her parents, Vanguard
gone, and the present situation.
Pushing her emptied plate
back, Teran turned her head slightly to look at her father and asked, "Since
none of the cadre's returned on time and your mobilizing the Guard, what's
going to happen?"
Ardor tossed his napkin onto
his own plate and rested back in his chair. "I'm not sure what's going to
happen Teran."
Still early in the morning the
fog lay thick and voluminous over the battle field. Vanguard's eyes opened ever
slowly to the dim grayness. Sitting up carefully he felt a sharp pain on his
right side and lay back down, wincing and panting. He placed a paw there, a
deep gash. Again he attempted to sit up and was able to ease himself into a
position of comfort. It was dreary. Bodies lay scattered about him, the ground
stained red with blood. 'What glory?' Thought Vanguard, remembering back to the
days when Hiro taught Kain and himself of war and battle. Of the honor and
glory to be had. Still ever slowly and carefully as to not incite anymore pain
or injury, Vanguard took a knee then stoop leaning heavily upon his left side.
KLINK...KLINK-KLACK....
Taking a stance and reaching
back to draw his katana, Vanguard nearly gasped aloud when he found that it was
gone, he reached around a little and thankfully found his wakizashi and drew
that. The sound was soft like the pots and pans of a travelers pack. Then they
came into view. It was a pair of rats, both lanky and thin with gnarled faces
of vileness. They moved from body to body in the fog, taking weapons and armor
from their fallen comrades and Vanguards'.
"Halt scum!" shouted out
Vanguard to the pair.
They stopped dead in their
tracks then slowly looked to Vanguard. It seemed they saw his wound as they
looked to each other and each grinned widely then drew a dagger and began
slowly advancing toward the wounded mouse.
"Drop what you have stolen
petty thieves and be gone!" Vanguard shouted out once more. Still, they slowly
advanced. Though wounded, he was more than capable to decimate a couple of
grimy bums.
Sorry but don't expect any more. I wrote this a good number of moons and like so many others has died. Though please don't let that stop you from reviewing if you made it this far, please? :o)