"The Watch shall one day meet
its match,
Though its spirit shall never
die."
~Found in the first log of Ghost, founder of Eagle Watch~
Rain pounded on the forest canopy leaves, drowning the common daytime sounds of the woodlands in the loud, continuous roar as the water fell from the sky to the canopy, and from the canopy to the floor below. The water turned the dirt to mud, and puddles had formed long ago and were on their way to becoming small lakes. It was a day that one would not think to find any beast stirring, but in the forest, defying all logic, there was life.
A young ferret, clad in the traditional forest green robe of her family with a brown eagle embroidered over the heart, emerged from the entrance to a rabbits den, immediately drawing the hood over her face to help fend off the falling rainwater. Following immediately after were two more, also clad in similar cloaks, but visibly older.
"Thank you for having us over. You were right about it being a bleak day." The oldest of the three, a male, glanced over his shoulder and smiled as a rabbit peered out of the den.
"Any time, Shadow. You, Storm, and Mirage are welcome to come by whenever the urge catches you. My home is always open."
Shadow grinned and put an arm around his wife, Storm. "Of course, Garret. Thank you, again, for your hospitality. If you ever need anything, just let us know."
Garret nodded and vanished back down into the den, not wanting to stay out in the rain any longer. Storm walked over to their daughter, Mirage, and put an arm around her shoulders as they started walking back towards their home.
"That was a nice little snack, wasn't it?" Shadow came up alongside both of them.
Storm grinned. "Yes, dear, it was. Don't you think so, Mirage?"
Mirage frowned. "I don't like tea and scones."
Storm returned the frown. "Aw, don't talk like that. He's just being nice. There's not much a lonely old rabbit can do by himself."
Mirage glanced sidelong at her mother. "Right, and it's only polite for us to humour him, right?"
Shadow sighed at Mirage's sarcastic tone. "It's not only polite, it's just a good thing to do altogether. We live in the same area as Garret, and a few others, and it is nice to get to know them all."
Mirage rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure, they've known us longer than we know them. It kind of sticks out, being the 'good vermin' and all."
"Aw, now no one says that, dear." Storm gave her daughter a little squeeze and smiled.
"Yes, mother, a lot of them do. Shows how much you listen." Mirage broke free of her mother's grip and took a few steps to get ahead of them.
Shadow motioned them to stop. "Hold up, I think I forgot something."
Storm looked back at her husband. "What did you forget, dear?"
Shadow was searching the pockets of his robe, a slight frown on his face. "Well, it might be…no, it's not. I left the key to the door."
Mirage growled and continued on. "I'll meet you at the house. Let me know when you've got everything together."
"Mirage, stop. I don't want you wandering on by yourself. There is still Drek and his band of foxes prowling about. Stay with us."
"Fine, mother." Mirage turned and started walking back to Garret's den ahead of her parents.
Storm shook her head as she watched her daughter leave. "It's a shame, really. There's so much she doesn't understand yet."
"We should tell her about the family history soon." Shadow started walking. "I am not sure she understands fully what Ghost started here."
Storm nodded. "True, but she is still young, and she won't want to hear about the family line. She hardly spoke to your parents when they were alive."
"Yes, but she is going to have to learn sometime or another. Right now, she has trouble explaining why she can pick a lock and move around without being noticed. I know that some of the older folks around here know about our family history, but the younger ones are giving her a hard time about it."
Storm looked up at Shadow. "She told you this?"
Shadow nodded. "Yes, she…"
Storm frowned. "What's wrong?" Then she caught it. The unmistakable scent of smoke. "Garret."
The two broke out into a run until they came to the rabbit's den. Upon arriving, they saw the black plume of smoke rising from the entrance. Storm shouted Garret's name, hoping he was already out, and waited for a response. When none came, she started walking towards the door.
"Shadow, wait out here," she looked around. "Where's Mirage?"
Shadow surveyed the area and noted with some concern that Mirage was nowhere to be seen. "I don't know."
"You don't think she went down, do you?"
There was a brief pause, during which both of the ferrets looked first at each other, then the smoking den. Without saying a word, they both darted towards the entrance.
"Welcome to my inferno!"
The two froze as a fox emerged from the den, patting ash from his grey coat of fur. He eyed them for a moment before whistling softly. At his signal, four other foxes, each with matching grey fur, emerged from the trees. All of them were armed with a bow, whose black arrows were aimed directly at the two ferrets.
"Shadow and Storm. I know you, don't I?" Drek grinned slightly as he walked towards them. "Strange we should meet here, I have some news to tell you. Garret died, in a fire, it seems. He really did not have a chance, you see, because he panicked and got caught under the bookshelf when it fell."
Shadow growled and reached for his daggers. "You'll die, Drek."
Drek shook his head. "I would not move, if I were you. My archers are among the best, and if you show any sign of aggression towards me, they will shoot you." He waved a paw to the foxes, and they moved in around the two ferrets. "Hold both of them, I have a few things to say to them."
Storm winced as one of the foxes dug his claws into her arm and held her tightly in place. "Say what you want to say, cretin, and make it quick."
Drek shook his head. "Well, I am afraid I cannot make it quick, but I will say it. These woods are falling under a new order, mine. Any who stand in my way are going to get killed, and any who are not a fox, will be killed." He grinned and drew his dagger. "You do both, because I know you. I know your line, all the way down to Ghost, and I know what you stand for. Had you ever caught wind of my whereabouts, things could have become problematic, so I will deal with the threat right here, and right now."
Shadow fought to break the grip of the two foxes holding him, but their strength seemed to be unyielding. He eyed them both and quickly deduced they were from the north, as he had never seen any foxes like them around south.
Drek walked over to Shadow and drew the ferret's twin daggers. "Finely crafted blades, these are. How many times have you used them?"
Shadow growled. "I'm about to, on a fox who doesn't seem to know what's good for him."
Drek chuckled. "Yes, sure you are." Fingering the daggers, he walked about, apparently in thought. "You know, you never can be certain about how sharp a blade is, until you've tested it, Shadow." He looked up at Shadow, his face suddenly turning dark. "Do you agree?"
Shadow growled loudly and struggled to break away from the two foxes that held him. "I swear, Drek, if you so much as harm a hair on her, I'll see you to the grave!"
Drek stared at the enraged ferret, unfazed by the threat. "I see." He walked over to Storm and lifted her chin up with one of the dagger blades. "Storm, take one look around you, before you go."
Storm gulped and glanced at her husband as the dagger bit into her throat. Shadow hissed and managed to push the two foxes away with a surprising burst of strength. Acting quickly, he reached for a fallen stick and charged the murderous fox. Drek turned just in time to be dealt a hefty blow to the side of the head, which rendered him unconscious almost instantly. Shadow picked up one of the daggers and raised it to kill, but was attacked by the four other foxes.
The five wrestled and fought, Shadow scratching, biting, and stabbing blindly with his dagger, until the four were dead. He lay motionless on the ground for a moment, feeling the pain from wounds that he knew would see him dead soon. He rolled on to his hands and knees and pushed himself to his feet. Once his eyes focused, he saw Storm.
She was dead, and at her side, tears vanishing into the already wet fur under her eyes, was Mirage. Shadow took a few steps towards her and called out her name, surprising himself with the weakness of his own voice. Mirage looked up at him and gasped, immediately running over to support him.
"Daddy, what happened?"
"Drek…he ambushed us."
"He killed mummy," she sobbed.
Shadow felt a lump rise in his throat, and the threat he had given to Drek suddenly returned in his mind. "It's going to be alright, dear." As he consoled his daughter, his eyes fell on the still form of Drek. He would see the fox died as soon as he could.
Suddenly, the fox blinked. Shadow pushed his daughter away and gripped his dagger tightly.
"Mirage, run and don't look back. Go to the house."
"But it's locked."
"Do as I say."
Something in the tone of his voice told her that her father was serious, and she silently backed away, tears still flowing freely from her eyes. It was then she noticed her father's wounds and realised he was dying.
"Mirage, run!"
She turned and ran.
Shadow turned to face Drek as the fox rose, rubbing his head.
"That was a mistake, Shadow. First you hit me, then you kill four of my companions," he shook his head and drew a rapier. "That was a big mistake."
"You will die one day, Drek. Heed my words."
Drek laughed. "You are already dead, who is there to kill me?"
Shadow lowered his dagger and let it drop to the ground; he was too weak to fight anyway. "You'll see. In time, I guarantee it."
Drek chuckled darkly and shook his head. "I doubt that."
The rapier flashed, and Shadow fell to the ground.