A battlefield. Blood, everywhere, nothing but blood. Mists of red drifted.
Bodies littered the ground. The clang of metal against metal. The sounds
of war. The screams of those who were dying. Sweat dripping. Pain...the
pain!
~~~
"ARRRGH!" Azura sat up straight in the bed. She looked around her
wildly, sweat running down her face.
Barkfir burst into the room. "What? I heard you yellin'!" The squirrel
looked at the ferret. She was shaking violently, clutching her side. Her
eyes were wide open in terror. Caley was crying.
"The pain...the pain!" Azura moaned. "Where am I?"
"Don't worry, Azura, it's safe." Barkfir spoke in soothing tones.
"You're in the treehouse. You had a nightmare."
"But the pain...it seemed so real." She still held onto her side.
"It was an omen. A dream fortelling the future." A ragged old badger
covered in long flowing robes limped into the room. "An omen seems so real
you feel it."
Azura shakily got to her feet. She almost collapsed, and grabbed
onto Barkfir for balance. "An omen?" She asked.
"Yes, an omen. Do not forget it, Azura, daughter of Firebrand and
Jadewind." The old one drifted back out the door and vanished.
"Azura, what's wrong? You were talking to thin air." Barkfir was
thoroughly confused.
"A badger told me something. I won't forget what he said." The
ferret had recovered now and opened the door. "I'll just be goin' for a
short walk, just to work this out."
~*~*~*~*~
Far south, another ferret had awoken from the same dream. He rubbed his
eyes as he sat awake, looking at the badger in front of him.
"You will reunite with your child, Firebrand. Remember the omen."
The badger faded into the mist.
~*~*~*~*~
Azura came back. She sat down at the great table and dug into her bowl of
fresh fruit. Fleetspaw and Briskpaw were on either side of her. She murmered
something to them.
"I'll be leaving soon. Caley will be stayin' here wid the other squirrels.
D'ye mind if ye explain this ter Barkfir?"
"Sure, ole ferrety-type. We will." Briskpaw answered for the two of
them.
"By the way, ole chap, we're comin' with ya." Fleetspaw added.
"I say, capital idea, wot wot!" Azura replied in harespeech. Just at
that moment, Barkfir walked behind them.
"Caley will be broken hearted. I'll help him to remember you by givin'
him a little carvin' of you." He said.
"Thank ye. Ye two will always be with me, even if you're here." She
clasped his paw and shook it. "Many thanks, friend. I hope we'll meet again
someday."
Caley toddled over. Azura ruffled his headfur and said that she would
be going away for a while. The little squirrel burst into tears.
"'Zura not go 'way! She stay here!"
"Don't worry, little 'un. I'll be back." The ferret stroked his headfur.
"Take care of the others, ok?"
The little squirrel was heartbroken, but nodded sullenly. He hugged
her and ran off into the woodlands, sobbing.
Azura, Briskpaw and Fleetspaw were given full haversacks and were
sent off on their journey. The two hares carried a quiver of arrows, a bow,
a double-pointed javelin and a light longsword each.
Goodbyes were made
and hankerchiefs were waved. The three travellers trekked deeper into the
woodlands, disappearing from the view of the squirrels. The two hares grinned.
"When's jolly ole lunch, eh wot?"
Azura rolled her eyes and replied. "We just finished breakfast! Ye
two are nothin' but stomachs."
The hares tried to sneak a few scones from the haversacks but Azura
drew her sword and threatened to chop their paws off. The scones went back
very quickly.
Suddenly, there was a rustling nearby. All three creatures drew their
swords and stood on the alert. Harsh whispering was heard, then a fox and
two stoats emerged from the bushes.
"Whatcha got there, gennelbeasts?" He said roughly.
"None of yer buisness, fox." Azura snapped.
"Ah, but it is my buisness. We're hungry, y'see. And we kin take those
packs from yer with a slice or three here an' there."
Azura drew her sword. The sparkling jade pommel stone shone in the
sunlight as she swung it over her head and gave a blood-curdling warcry.
"Wiiiiiillllldddddfffffyyyyyrrrrre!"
The two hares drew their longswords and, quick as lightning, the points
of the weapons were against the stoats' throats. Azura, who had the fox
cowering beneath her blade, ordered the band of robbers to drop their weapons.
There was a clatter of steel as a sickle, a dagger and a short sword were
dropped on the forest floor. Azura kicked the weapons into the nearbly river.
The hares lashed out with their long legs to give each robber two whacks
on the snout before sending them on their way.
~*~
Later, the three travellers sat with their backs against a tree eating a
scrumptious lunch of bread stuffed with honey and strawberries and some
cold apple cider. Briskpaw winked at the ferret.
"I've got a jolly ole idea that I want ta try, wot wot! Be back in
a tick."
The hare got up and picked up his javelin and went off into the woodlands.
He came back with some wild carrots speared on his javelin. Smearing honey
and shredded crystallised rosehips all over the produce, he roasted the
stuff over the fire that they had going. After the carrots cooled, they
became hard sweet snacks for travelling. Azura took a bite out of a carrot.
The hard honey and rosehip coating was delicious and she licked her lips,
trying to get every single morsel.
Once again on the march, the trio took bites out of the sweet carrots
every so often to keep up their energy. As they climbed over a hill, a vast
expanse of flatland stretched out in front of them. Fleetspaw looked at
it.
"Well, chaps, looks like we have a bally hard trek coming up!"
"Ho, yes, definitely a hard trek." A voice came from behind them.
Azura whirled around to come face to face with an a tall sea otter
who was backed with a crew of threescore river and sea otters. A red rolled-up
bandana was tied at a jaunty angle around his head and he wore a black eyepatch
over his left eye. A small brass earring was attatched to one of his ears
and on his arm was a tattoo of a two-headed lizard spewing fire from its
mouths. He wore a short-sleeved shirt several sizes too big for him with
the collar sheared off and some pants that were ripped off at the knees.
"Well, mateys, ye can 'ave a rest wid us fer a few nights afore
ye go on the long 'ard hike through the flatlands." The otter held out a
rough paw, scarred in many places. "Me name's Oceangale. These are my mateys,
Crosscreek, Fordbattle an' Wavespray." He indicated two river otters and
a sea otter. "I'll show ye to Holt Waterglide."
The otters led the trio to the holt. It was a large cave beneath
a cliff right beside a river. Holt Waterglide was located where the river
took a sharp bend just before the flatlands. Trees grew on either side of
the cliff and fish and shrimp swam by gracefully. Oceangale lifted the curtain
of vines away from the entrance so the ferret and the two hares could enter.
Holt Waterglide consisted of a group of large caves joined together
by tunnels, one tunnel leading into the depths of the river. In one cave,
there were many reed-mats covering the floor and a couple of ovens in one
corner. There was a circle of stones in the centre, where a pile of wood
was standing. Some other caves were full of beds made from soft moss and
grass. A tunnel led up to the clifftop, where crops were tended to.
Oceangale's wife, Whistlerudd, took a pot of steaming hotroot
soup off one of the stone ovens. She smiled at the travellers.
"Welcome, friends. I've cooked up a batch of 'otroot soup just
fer ye. Sit down on th' mats...I'll serve ye in a second."
Whistlerudd, more commonly known as Whistle, filled bowls with
the spicy soup. Fruit salad was piled high upon wooden plates and hot loaves
of bread were handed around. Beakers of light apple and peach cider were
passed out.
Azura dipped the loaf of bread in the soup and tore
at it hungrily. After that, she gulped down the remaining soup, which set
her mouth on fire. She quickly washed it down with some cider and fruit
salad. Meanwhile, the hares were wolfing down anything that came their way.
Otterkits giggled at the hares and piled more and more food on their plates.
After dinner, everyone drifted off into the bed-caves. Azura, Briskpaw and
Fleetspaw were each given a bed and a cup of warm tea before they went to
sleep. The ferret dozed off gratefully...food made her unusually sleepy.
Bodies littered the ground. The clang of metal against metal. The sounds
of war. The screams of those who were dying. Sweat dripping. Pain...the
pain!
~~~
"ARRRGH!" Azura sat up straight in the bed. She looked around her
wildly, sweat running down her face.
Barkfir burst into the room. "What? I heard you yellin'!" The squirrel
looked at the ferret. She was shaking violently, clutching her side. Her
eyes were wide open in terror. Caley was crying.
"The pain...the pain!" Azura moaned. "Where am I?"
"Don't worry, Azura, it's safe." Barkfir spoke in soothing tones.
"You're in the treehouse. You had a nightmare."
"But the pain...it seemed so real." She still held onto her side.
"It was an omen. A dream fortelling the future." A ragged old badger
covered in long flowing robes limped into the room. "An omen seems so real
you feel it."
Azura shakily got to her feet. She almost collapsed, and grabbed
onto Barkfir for balance. "An omen?" She asked.
"Yes, an omen. Do not forget it, Azura, daughter of Firebrand and
Jadewind." The old one drifted back out the door and vanished.
"Azura, what's wrong? You were talking to thin air." Barkfir was
thoroughly confused.
"A badger told me something. I won't forget what he said." The
ferret had recovered now and opened the door. "I'll just be goin' for a
short walk, just to work this out."
~*~*~*~*~
Far south, another ferret had awoken from the same dream. He rubbed his
eyes as he sat awake, looking at the badger in front of him.
"You will reunite with your child, Firebrand. Remember the omen."
The badger faded into the mist.
~*~*~*~*~
Azura came back. She sat down at the great table and dug into her bowl of
fresh fruit. Fleetspaw and Briskpaw were on either side of her. She murmered
something to them.
"I'll be leaving soon. Caley will be stayin' here wid the other squirrels.
D'ye mind if ye explain this ter Barkfir?"
"Sure, ole ferrety-type. We will." Briskpaw answered for the two of
them.
"By the way, ole chap, we're comin' with ya." Fleetspaw added.
"I say, capital idea, wot wot!" Azura replied in harespeech. Just at
that moment, Barkfir walked behind them.
"Caley will be broken hearted. I'll help him to remember you by givin'
him a little carvin' of you." He said.
"Thank ye. Ye two will always be with me, even if you're here." She
clasped his paw and shook it. "Many thanks, friend. I hope we'll meet again
someday."
Caley toddled over. Azura ruffled his headfur and said that she would
be going away for a while. The little squirrel burst into tears.
"'Zura not go 'way! She stay here!"
"Don't worry, little 'un. I'll be back." The ferret stroked his headfur.
"Take care of the others, ok?"
The little squirrel was heartbroken, but nodded sullenly. He hugged
her and ran off into the woodlands, sobbing.
Azura, Briskpaw and Fleetspaw were given full haversacks and were
sent off on their journey. The two hares carried a quiver of arrows, a bow,
a double-pointed javelin and a light longsword each.
Goodbyes were made
and hankerchiefs were waved. The three travellers trekked deeper into the
woodlands, disappearing from the view of the squirrels. The two hares grinned.
"When's jolly ole lunch, eh wot?"
Azura rolled her eyes and replied. "We just finished breakfast! Ye
two are nothin' but stomachs."
The hares tried to sneak a few scones from the haversacks but Azura
drew her sword and threatened to chop their paws off. The scones went back
very quickly.
Suddenly, there was a rustling nearby. All three creatures drew their
swords and stood on the alert. Harsh whispering was heard, then a fox and
two stoats emerged from the bushes.
"Whatcha got there, gennelbeasts?" He said roughly.
"None of yer buisness, fox." Azura snapped.
"Ah, but it is my buisness. We're hungry, y'see. And we kin take those
packs from yer with a slice or three here an' there."
Azura drew her sword. The sparkling jade pommel stone shone in the
sunlight as she swung it over her head and gave a blood-curdling warcry.
"Wiiiiiillllldddddfffffyyyyyrrrrre!"
The two hares drew their longswords and, quick as lightning, the points
of the weapons were against the stoats' throats. Azura, who had the fox
cowering beneath her blade, ordered the band of robbers to drop their weapons.
There was a clatter of steel as a sickle, a dagger and a short sword were
dropped on the forest floor. Azura kicked the weapons into the nearbly river.
The hares lashed out with their long legs to give each robber two whacks
on the snout before sending them on their way.
~*~
Later, the three travellers sat with their backs against a tree eating a
scrumptious lunch of bread stuffed with honey and strawberries and some
cold apple cider. Briskpaw winked at the ferret.
"I've got a jolly ole idea that I want ta try, wot wot! Be back in
a tick."
The hare got up and picked up his javelin and went off into the woodlands.
He came back with some wild carrots speared on his javelin. Smearing honey
and shredded crystallised rosehips all over the produce, he roasted the
stuff over the fire that they had going. After the carrots cooled, they
became hard sweet snacks for travelling. Azura took a bite out of a carrot.
The hard honey and rosehip coating was delicious and she licked her lips,
trying to get every single morsel.
Once again on the march, the trio took bites out of the sweet carrots
every so often to keep up their energy. As they climbed over a hill, a vast
expanse of flatland stretched out in front of them. Fleetspaw looked at
it.
"Well, chaps, looks like we have a bally hard trek coming up!"
"Ho, yes, definitely a hard trek." A voice came from behind them.
Azura whirled around to come face to face with an a tall sea otter
who was backed with a crew of threescore river and sea otters. A red rolled-up
bandana was tied at a jaunty angle around his head and he wore a black eyepatch
over his left eye. A small brass earring was attatched to one of his ears
and on his arm was a tattoo of a two-headed lizard spewing fire from its
mouths. He wore a short-sleeved shirt several sizes too big for him with
the collar sheared off and some pants that were ripped off at the knees.
"Well, mateys, ye can 'ave a rest wid us fer a few nights afore
ye go on the long 'ard hike through the flatlands." The otter held out a
rough paw, scarred in many places. "Me name's Oceangale. These are my mateys,
Crosscreek, Fordbattle an' Wavespray." He indicated two river otters and
a sea otter. "I'll show ye to Holt Waterglide."
The otters led the trio to the holt. It was a large cave beneath
a cliff right beside a river. Holt Waterglide was located where the river
took a sharp bend just before the flatlands. Trees grew on either side of
the cliff and fish and shrimp swam by gracefully. Oceangale lifted the curtain
of vines away from the entrance so the ferret and the two hares could enter.
Holt Waterglide consisted of a group of large caves joined together
by tunnels, one tunnel leading into the depths of the river. In one cave,
there were many reed-mats covering the floor and a couple of ovens in one
corner. There was a circle of stones in the centre, where a pile of wood
was standing. Some other caves were full of beds made from soft moss and
grass. A tunnel led up to the clifftop, where crops were tended to.
Oceangale's wife, Whistlerudd, took a pot of steaming hotroot
soup off one of the stone ovens. She smiled at the travellers.
"Welcome, friends. I've cooked up a batch of 'otroot soup just
fer ye. Sit down on th' mats...I'll serve ye in a second."
Whistlerudd, more commonly known as Whistle, filled bowls with
the spicy soup. Fruit salad was piled high upon wooden plates and hot loaves
of bread were handed around. Beakers of light apple and peach cider were
passed out.
Azura dipped the loaf of bread in the soup and tore
at it hungrily. After that, she gulped down the remaining soup, which set
her mouth on fire. She quickly washed it down with some cider and fruit
salad. Meanwhile, the hares were wolfing down anything that came their way.
Otterkits giggled at the hares and piled more and more food on their plates.
After dinner, everyone drifted off into the bed-caves. Azura, Briskpaw and
Fleetspaw were each given a bed and a cup of warm tea before they went to
sleep. The ferret dozed off gratefully...food made her unusually sleepy.