The whip cracked across the ferret's bare back, leaving a long, thin cut. The back had many of those cuts streaked on it, now worn down into barely visible scars. Despite the many marks on his back, the back was strong as the walls it had helped to create.
The whip swished through the air again. Meggrel the stoat captain stood over the young ferret. This slavedriver was enjoying himself greatly. Securing his rope around the slave's right footpaw with a flick of his wrist, he tugged upward. The ferret fell head-over-tail, dropping the dulled sickle he was using to harvest the crops. Meggrel snickered and cracked his lash again, nicking the ferret's ear, then he walked away to have fun with another slave. He found an otter carrying a five bundles of wheat towards the main compound and started to strike out at the poor slave. The otter ignored the slave-driver, continuing his work without hesitation.
The ferret's eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed. Seizing the sickle, he leapt up and hurled himself at Meggrel. The stoat fell roughly to the ground with the slave on top of him. Raising the sickle above his head, the ferret whipped the flat of the weapon across Meggrel's back, repeating the move again and again, savoring the sweet taste of revenge.
Meggrel's screams rang out in agony throughout the fields, echoing off the stone walls of Landurim. The ferret's paws flashed with the steel, light bouncing off the sickle blade, as the mean glint of hatred burned in his eyes.
Scythe the pine marten strode through the hall of his fortress,
Landurim, his pitch black cloak swirling magnificently around
his footpaws. Hearing the reverberating noise outside, he had
burst out of his room to search for his weasel captain, Grot.
As he rounded the corner, he rammed into the very creature he
was looking for.
"Watch where you're going, dunderpaws!"
The weasel frantically pulled himself off the cold stone floor and blundered into the wall. Taking the captain by the scruff of his neck, Scythe pulled him up into his cruel face. "Get some of my soldiers and bring whatever's makin' that noise to me!" The pine marten threw his soldier to the floor, and Grot got up and stumbled away backwards, bowing and saying, "Yes, m'Lord! It shall me done, m'lord! I'm leavin' now m'-"
"Stop babbling and get on with it, bluntnose!"
The weasel whirled around on his paws and sprinted away towards the stairs. He tried to skid to a halt at the top of the stairwell, but he tripped over a loose stone in the floor and fell down the stairs.
Scythe whipped out his scythe in frustration and sliced a torch in half, sparks littering the floor. The pine marten scooped up some of the coal and breathed in the fumes.
The ferret's ears perked up at the sound of soldiers sprinting
towards him from the main building. Noticing Meggrel breathing
his last gasp, the ferret leaned over and whispered into the stoat's
ragged ear, "When you reach the gates of Dark Forest, tell
the keeper my name. Redflash!"