Wolf in the Fold: Continued
The villagers instantly stopped their attack and turned and stared at the huge roaring Battle Cat.
"I suggest that you people return to your homes," ordered He-man. "Peacefully or I may have to set Battle Cat on to you. And I doubt that you would really like to see that."
Battle Cat gave a roar to back up He-man's statement. Fearful that they would soon become a meal for the fearsom cat the villagers began to back away from the rebels with the exception of Memnek.
"Come back!" called out Memnek. "Don't you see t is just what the rebels want you to do."
"I suggest you go now trouble maker," said Bow. "We are tired of hearing your lies today."
"Are you threatening me?" asked Memnek.
"No I am," said He-man, Memnek turned to face He-man, He-man held up his sword. "And if you don't want a taste of my sword then I suggest you leave now."
Memnek quickly backed away and ran in to the trees.
"Wow I've never seen you act like that." said Bow as Memnek ran.
"Sometimes all you need is to bluff." replied He-man slapping Bow on the back.
He-man then turned around to see She-Ra heading towards him.
"It's good to see you again brother," smiled She-Ra as she hugged He-man. "You couldn't have come at a better time."
"The Sorceress told me about the situation," said He-man. "We have discovered that one of Skeletor's men called Faker is on Etheria. I'm here to help capture him."
"I have never heard of Faker," replied She-Ra. "Who is he?"
"Faker is a robotic clone of myself created by Skeletor's evil magic." explained He-man. "He is almost as powerful as I am however like all of Skeletor's plans Faker is not a perfect copy of me."
"What do you mean?" asked She-Ra.
"Once Faker was discovered the Sorceress placed a spell on him," said He-man. "This spell turned Faker's skin to a blue color and his hair a bright red."
"He should be easy to find then." said She-Ra.
"That was the plan," replied He-man. "However Skeletor has found a way to allow Faker to change his color for a limited time. The one thing I know for sure is that Faker only looks like me and he hasn't got my powers."
Deep within the Fright Zone Hordak watched a giant viewer. The image on it showed Faker disguised as He-man with a group of rebels and She-Ra. Silently Shadow Weaver made her way over to Hordak.
"Do you really trust Faker?" asked Shadow Weaver.
Hordak snorted with laughter.
"Of cause not," replied Hordak. "Faker may have been created using my technology but he was created by Skeletor. I never trust anyone who would defect from Skeletor's army without good reason. I'm going to allow Faker think he is a member of the Horde, if he has some other reason for wanting to join the Horde then he'll show it sooner or later. None of the others know about Faker, I want you to have Catra send a couple of Hordesmen to capture the villager that was stirring up trouble for the rebels, have them make sure Faker is around I want to see how well he plays his part." Shadow Weaver nodded and left to inform Catra of her orders. Hordak then walked over to one of the many control stations and pressed several buttons. The image on the viewer changed from Faker to Imp.
"Yes Lord Hordak." said the small shape shifter.
"I want you to use your skills to keep an eye on the rebels especially the one called He-man." ordered Hordak.
"At once Lord Hordak." replied Imp before disappearing from the viewer.
Memnek staggered out of the tavern ever since the rebels had broken up his attempt to show the villagers that the rebellion was as bad for Etheria as the Horde he had decided to drown his sorrows in ale. Memnek heard a sound from behind him, he span around but nothing was there. Memnek carried on walking and heard the sound again.
Faker stood by Terror Cat slowly following Memnek waiting for the right moment to attack. Once Memnek turned towards the trees Faker leaped on to the mighty back of Terror Cat, suddenly Grizzlor and Leech burst from the trees in front of Memnek.
Memnek staggered back as the two huge hordesmen stomped towards him.
"W-W-What do you want with me?!" asked Memnek as panic raced through his body. "I-I have done nothing to you!"
"Hordak wants us to bring you to him," Leech said with his gurgling voice. "So we are taking you to him."
Both Leech and Grizzlor then leaped a Memnek. Grizzlor struck Memnek and he fell to the ground, Memnek scrambled away as fast as he could. Leech leaped over Grizzlor and chased after Memnek as he got to his feet and ran for the trees. As Memnek reached the trees he heard a huge roar and saw a large cat leap from the shadows. Memnek recognized the cat and its rider from the incident earlier.
"Oh thank the spirits!" gasped Memnek as the cat let out a low growl. "You must help me I'm being chased by some Hordesmen."
Faker now disguised as He-man looked down at Memnek.
"I'm not sure I should," growled He-man. "After all the things you said about the rebellion."
"I swear that I'll never say anything about the rebellion again." pleaded Memnek.
Suddenly Leech and Grizzlor burst through the trees and stopped as they saw He-man and Battle Cat.
"What's he doing here?" growled Grizzlor.
"Who cares? Let's get him as well." replied Leech.
Both Hordesmen lunged at Faker. Faker leaped off Terror Cat's back and over Leech and drove his shoulder in to Grizzlor. Stunned Grizzlor fell backwards. Leech crashed in to Terror Cat who raised up on his hind legs and swatted at the Hordesmen.
Memnek watched in stunned amazement as Faker grabbed Grizzlor by his long shaggy fur and lifted him over his head, Faker the hurled Grizzlor through the air. Leech had managed to get away from the razor sharp claws of Terror Cat, Leech turned just as the huge body of Grizzlor came crashing down on him. Leech struggled out from under Grizzlor's massive body and grabbed a large stick off the ground.
"You will pay for that He-man!" hissed Leech before charging at Faker.
Faker easily broke the stick with his sword and drove his head in to the face of Leech. Leech staggered back in pain and Faker raised his sword to strike down the Hordesmen when he was struck from behind. Faker fell forward and turned to see Grizzlor charging at him once more. Terror Cat let out a roar and leaped on to Grizzlor. Leech slowly dragged himself to his feet and charged at Faker. Faker readied his sword to strike down Leech when Leech suddenly changed direction and headed for Terror Cat. Leech crashed in to Terror Cat forcing the huge cat off Grizzlor then Leech reached down and pulled Grizzlor to his feet.
"Come on let's get out of here!" cried Leech.
"But what about He-man or the one we came here for?" growled Grizzlor as Leech dragged him away.
"Leave them!" snapped Leech.
Faker watched as the two Hordesmen raced in to the trees by his side Terror Cat prepared to give chased.
"We can get them later," said Faker. "First we have to deal with the trouble causer."
Faker turned to see Memnek crawling out from his hiding place inside a fallen tree trunk.
"Oh thank the spirits. I-I..." Memnek suddenly stopped talking as he noticed that Faker's skin color was changing in to a blue color.
Faker looked at his hands and noticed that he was changing back to his true form. Faker's eyes began to glow a bright red as he looked up and smiled. Almost frozen with fear Memnek tripped over a branch.
"W-W-Who are you?" cried Memnek as Faker got closer.
"I'm He-man," snarled Faker. "Member of the Great Rebellion."
Faker then lunged at Memnek but Memnek grabbed a handful of dirt and leves and threw them in to Faker's face. As Faker was temporary blinded Memnek scrambled to his feet and ran for his life.
"GET HIM!!!" snapped Faker.
Instantly Terror Cat leaped in to action, his powerful legs soon carried him to the fleeing Memnek. With one mighty leap Terror Cat launched himself at Memnek pinning him to the ground with his powerful claws. Faker slowly walked up to Memnek and lifted him off the ground.
"Now you will know what happens when you cross the rebellion." hissed Faker.
High above them in one of the trees Imp watched the scene below, the camera in his belt sent the images back to Hordak.
"What is he up to?" asked Shadow Weaver as she and Hordak watched the large viewer.
"He is attempting to turn the people of Etheria against the rebellion." replied Hordak.
"We have already tried that," said Shadow Weaver. "What makes you think Faker will have greater success?"
"He is using methods that even I would never think of," said Hordak as he pointed to the viewer, the image showed Memnek screaming for his life. "Or even consider doing."
She-Ra walked side by side with the person who she believed was her brother He-man as the two went about the early morning patrol.
"You look trouble. What's wrong?" asked Faker.
"I'm not sure," replied She-Ra. "I have an uneasy feeling that there is danger nearby. Has the Sorceress contacted you with any more information about why Faker is on Etheria?"
Faker shook his head and smiled to himself.
"No she hasn't," said Faker. "I'm sure that the others are working around the clock searching for Faker's motives for being here."
"I hope so," replied She-Ra. She-Ra looked up as they entered a small village. "This is the village where we had the disturbance yesterday."
"Let's hope that things have quietened down today." said Faker as they walked in to the village.
The instant the two stepped in to the village they knew something was wrong. The villagers were gathered in a large mob and She-Ra could hear the angry shouts of 'THE REBELLION ARE MURDERERS!!!'.
She-Ra stopped one woman as she headed towards the mob.
"What's going on here?" asked She-Ra.
The woman turned to face She-Ra and screamed.
"Let go of me!!" she cried pulling herself away from She-Ra. "You'll not do to me what you did to Memnek!!"
The woman then pushed She-Ra away and ran in to the crowd. One of the men at the front of the crowd turned and along with several others marched towards She-Ra and Faker.
"Come to see the rebellions handy work?" growled the man as he raised his pitchfork. Faker reached for his sword ready strike down the man when She-Ra placed a hand on his arm.
"We do not know what you mean," said She-Ra. "We only came here when we saw the crowds."
"So you deny the murder of Memnek?" snarled one of the others in the crowd.
She-Ra was stunned by what she had just heard.
"We know nothing about this." said Faker.
"We don't believe you," said the first man. "It is strange that Memnek speaks out against the rebellion and that very night he is murdered."
"No member of the rebellion would kill someone for speaking out against them," said She-Ra. "This must be the work of someone else."
"Like who?" cried a woman in the crowd. "Are you going to blame the Horde for this?"
Before She-Ra could reply the first man grabbed hold of She-Ra by the arm.
"We have proof of the rebellion's involvement," he said. "We're taking you to his body. I wouldn't try to resist."
She-Ra and Faker reluctantly allowed the crowd to drag them through the village to where the dead body of Memnek lay.
The sight chilled She-Ra to the bone. It reminded her of the scene she had witnessed at the tavern the other day.
Memnek's body was staked up on a wall of a barn with the words 'BETRAYER TO THE REBELLION' written in Memnek's blood above his head.
"How can you deny this!?" snapped one of the men gathered around She-Ra and Faker.
She-Ra looked over to Faker.
"This is exactly what Faker did at the tavern," said She-Ra. "Why would he do something as vile as this?"
"He wants to cause descent between the rebellion and the people of this village," said Faker. "The thing is why is he doing such a thing."
"First we have to calm these people down," said She-Ra she then turned to the crowd. "We know what this looks like but the rebellion is not responsible for this terrible crime or the one that happened at the tavern, however we believe we know who did this. And when we find him we will bring him to justice."
The leader of the crowd stepped forward and glared at She-Ra and Faker.
"You would say anything to escape your punishment for this crime." he snapped.
She-Ra was about to protest when an elderly man pushed his way through the crowd. She-Ra recognized the man as the village elder.
"What is going on here?!" called out the old man. "We cannot go around accusing innocent people of this terrible crime. She-Ra has done nothing but help us rid Etheria from the clutching hands of the Horde." the old man turned to She-Ra. "Please my child don't prove me wrong. Go find this killer and bring him to justice."
"On the honor of Grayskull I promise that we will do everything in our power to do just that." said She-Ra.
The old man turned to the crowd and ordered them to remove the body of Memnek, slowly and silently She-Ra and Faker made their way from the village.
As She-Ra and Faker slowly walked away from the village, She-Ra couldn't help feeling tainted by the blood that had been spilled over the last few days. During her time in the Horde she had seen many vile things done to the people of Etheria, but they were done by Hordesmen or the mindless Horde Troopers but never had she seen the destruction that one maniac could cause. She-Ra turned to Faker ahd smiled to herself, with her brother at her side they would track down Faker and bring him to justice.
"You know Faker more than anyone on Etheria," said She-Ra. "Has he ever done this kind of thing on Eternia?"
"He had done this kind of thing twice," replied Faker. "The first he took a fishing village hostage just to challenge me to a fight. The second time Faker tried to frame me for the murder of a lord."
She-Ra was about to say something when she spotted Bow riding towards them on his horse Arrow behind him was Kry-Star, Glimmer and Swift Wind.
"We came as soon as we heard of what had happened," said Bow as he dismounted from Arrow. "The murder of Memnek is spreading through the villages like wild fire."
"The elder of the village has given us some time to find the true killer," said She-Ra. "I suggest that we return to Whispering Woods and plan on how we are going to capture this person."
"That sounds like the best course of action." said Glimmer.
As the rebels prepared to return to Whispering Woods Faker stopped.
"What's wrong?" asked She-Ra.
"You go ahead," said Faker. "I'll catch up with you, I'm going to find Battle Cat and do some investigation of my own."
She-Ra nodded to Faker and despite the feeling of danger in the pit of her stomach she turned and followed the rest of the rebels to Whispering Woods. Faker watched the rebels walk away and once they were out of sight he smiled an evil grin, his plan was working better than he had hoped. As Faker watched the villagers taking the body he reached in to his belt and removed a small glowing orb. As Faker held the orb in his hand an image began to appear inside its shiny shell, the image quickly turned in to that of Skeletor the evil lord of destruction.
"Report Faker," demanded Skeletor. "How is our plan proceeding?"
"Perfectly," replied Faker. "The people are in confusion over the murderers, they are blaming the rebels for what has happened."
"And what about my old mentor Hordak?" said Skeletor.
"He has given me the extra abilities to make me more like He-man as you said he would," said Faker. "He has no clue that I'm still loyal to you."
"Good," said Skeletor. "With the rebels distracted by the people blaming them for the murderers, the Horde will be able to attack the kingdom of Brightmoon causing even more problems for the rebels, once this happens it will be the perfect time for you to get She-Ra to take you to the Crystal Castle. Once inside the castle you will be able to capture Light Hope and we shall use its magical powers to crush He-man and conquer Eternia and then I may consider taking Etheria from Hordak's grasp."
"As you command Lord Skeletor." said Faker. Faker was about to say something else when he heard a sound of twigs snapping behind him.
Faker quickly grabbed his sword and span around. Faker's sword flashed through the air and just stopped inches from Bow's neck.
"What are you doing following me?" snapped Faker.
Bow didn't reply but held a finger up to his mouth. Faker slowly lowered his sword and Bow stepped back a few steps, suddenly his hands shot out and in to a tree. Faker heard a cry as Bow pulled something out of the tree. As Bow turned to face Faker he saw that it was Imp that Bow had in his hands.
"I spotted this pest as we were returning to Whispering Woods," explained Bow as Imp tried to struggle free. "So I decided to follow him and he led me back here."
Faker walked up to Bow and took Imp from his grasp. Faker quickly clamped a hand over Imp's mouth just as he was about to speak.
"Tell Hordak that I will find the killer of these people," said Faker, he then leaned in close to Imp so that Bow could not see his face and quickly allowed Imp to see his glowing red eyes. "And no spy of the Horde is going to stop me."
Faker's hand then quickly grabbed the camera on Imp's belt and crushed it. Faker then let Imp go. Imp didn't look back as he raced back to the Fright Zone and Hordak.
To be continued……………