"Wake up!" I feel a spear butt jab be in my ribs, I up immediately
groaning, Celeste was still asleep and I glared at the weasel, one of
Ulnan's crew.
"What do you want?" I hissed and got the spear in my face.
"Ulnan wants every able bodied beast on the deck before him right now." He ordered and thrust clothes and some weapons into my arms.
"Why?" The weasel sighed and leaned on the wall.
"Durin' the battle he caught one of those filthy sea rats, it told 'im 'bout all the booty to be had at Salamandastron. It set something off in him, seems he wants the booty and since most of yer crew got wiped by that explosion, he took over." The weasel held the door open, as I got equipped as quickly as I could trying not to disturb the stick sleeping Celeste.
"I take you dun like it." I observed while struggling with a tunic.
"I'm no warrior, I'm just a navigator. This ain't 'ow I'd like to about things, but I ain't gonna challenge Ulnan." We left the room together, I followed close behind and upon the deck we found ranks of about ten by ten standing at attention in front of the tiller house.
"Is everybeast 'ere an' accounted fer?" A female stoat whom I recognized as Ulnan's mate as well as his strong right-paw called into our ranks as we stood.
"Aye!" A loud murmur sounded, slightly depressed save for a few excited voices I couldn't place.
"Salute!" She called as her husband cam out atop the tiller house to stand battle ready, clad in armor with a long sword strapped at his side.
"We're nearin' the western shores and Salamandastron. I have information that within the mountain is great treasure. If we can take its all ours!" He yelled to us and on cue we cheered. I felt sick, we'd gotten out of one danger to throw ourselves into another obvious danger, and most of us had heard the legends of Salamandastron. The badger lords and his long patrol were said to be completely unassailable forces upon their native western shores.
"We're dead mate." I whispered to the weasel who had woken me up.
"Aye. Dead as can be mate." He nodded half-heartedly as Ulnan went on promising victories, treasure and power in the new land, I found myself thinking only of Celeste and what fates could befall us if I died or worse yet if she died, I couldn't go on without her.
"How far do you think he'll go?" I asked still thinking of Celeste seeing visions of her alive and well and then as dead as the planks below us. She was my family, my links to the happiness and joy in life, I had to get us out of this.
"As far as the gates o' the dark forest." He replied miserably. As soon as Ulnan finished his speeches I hurried to the infirmary to find Celeste gone and her mother crying on the bed.
"What's wrong?" I was panicked.
"Ulnan already has her, she's going to be in the field as a healer. Go to the front of the ship and you can see it, the badger's mountain." She cried into the bed as I shot up to the front of the ship to find it looming in the setting sun, standing proud and forever. I looked to the top tow find a great beast silhouetted by the fires of the mountain looking down upon us, they were ready, and I most definitely wasn't.
"What do you want?" I hissed and got the spear in my face.
"Ulnan wants every able bodied beast on the deck before him right now." He ordered and thrust clothes and some weapons into my arms.
"Why?" The weasel sighed and leaned on the wall.
"Durin' the battle he caught one of those filthy sea rats, it told 'im 'bout all the booty to be had at Salamandastron. It set something off in him, seems he wants the booty and since most of yer crew got wiped by that explosion, he took over." The weasel held the door open, as I got equipped as quickly as I could trying not to disturb the stick sleeping Celeste.
"I take you dun like it." I observed while struggling with a tunic.
"I'm no warrior, I'm just a navigator. This ain't 'ow I'd like to about things, but I ain't gonna challenge Ulnan." We left the room together, I followed close behind and upon the deck we found ranks of about ten by ten standing at attention in front of the tiller house.
"Is everybeast 'ere an' accounted fer?" A female stoat whom I recognized as Ulnan's mate as well as his strong right-paw called into our ranks as we stood.
"Aye!" A loud murmur sounded, slightly depressed save for a few excited voices I couldn't place.
"Salute!" She called as her husband cam out atop the tiller house to stand battle ready, clad in armor with a long sword strapped at his side.
"We're nearin' the western shores and Salamandastron. I have information that within the mountain is great treasure. If we can take its all ours!" He yelled to us and on cue we cheered. I felt sick, we'd gotten out of one danger to throw ourselves into another obvious danger, and most of us had heard the legends of Salamandastron. The badger lords and his long patrol were said to be completely unassailable forces upon their native western shores.
"We're dead mate." I whispered to the weasel who had woken me up.
"Aye. Dead as can be mate." He nodded half-heartedly as Ulnan went on promising victories, treasure and power in the new land, I found myself thinking only of Celeste and what fates could befall us if I died or worse yet if she died, I couldn't go on without her.
"How far do you think he'll go?" I asked still thinking of Celeste seeing visions of her alive and well and then as dead as the planks below us. She was my family, my links to the happiness and joy in life, I had to get us out of this.
"As far as the gates o' the dark forest." He replied miserably. As soon as Ulnan finished his speeches I hurried to the infirmary to find Celeste gone and her mother crying on the bed.
"What's wrong?" I was panicked.
"Ulnan already has her, she's going to be in the field as a healer. Go to the front of the ship and you can see it, the badger's mountain." She cried into the bed as I shot up to the front of the ship to find it looming in the setting sun, standing proud and forever. I looked to the top tow find a great beast silhouetted by the fires of the mountain looking down upon us, they were ready, and I most definitely wasn't.