(Okay, yet another chapter I've got up. This isn't the greatest chapter in the story, probably because of all the flashbacks. Anyway, I did get everything I needed in though…I think. I've come up with an ending that doesn't involve a massive explosion, though it's not much better…and I'm really, really sorry for taking forever getting this up. From now on I'll have all the chapters up a lot sooner though, unless my life gets hectic once again. Only three more chapters to go.)
The sunrise was mainly a blood red. The Ghost watched it from the deck of his ship, his paws clenched as he watched the sun come into the sky. The bloody theme of the sunrise mirrored his life quite well. Except his life was not just beginning. If anything, it was ending.
His brief trip over the sea was coming to an end. He could see the land on the horizon. He wasn't sure how he felt right now. Once he landed he would be closer to finishing his task, but he loved the sea. He turned his back on the land, looking out at the sea he had been traveling on for a day now. Only a day. He already knew very well that he didn't want to leave. But he would, because he had to find Redsplash. And Brighteye. Had to find the two of them, and soon.
He needed to change his name, also. Ghost was becoming too familiar, as Slayer and Slay had before that. Beasts were beginning to connect the three otters, and his reputation was growing. He hadn't wanted to be a hero. He had only wanted to do the right thing. Now, though, he was beginning to feel confined by the role he had taken on. Still, it was worth it, because, eventually, he would get his revenge on the one that had killed nearly all of his kin. The Nameless Bastard would pay for what he had done. That damned ferret would regret letting him live, even if there was no way the ferret could have known the otter had survived.
Ghost turned away from those thoughts and set to coming up with a new name. Others had given him the names Slay, Slayer, and Ghost, but now any strange otter whose fighting abilities were too powerful was asked if they were the famous 'Ghost'. And Ghost would never lie. Not anymore. Not again. So he needed a new name to call himself. He cringed away from the idea of using his real name, knowing better than to attract attention to himself that way. The Nameless One would be hunting him down in days, and Ghost needed the element of surprise if he was going to ever get close enough to plant a dagger in the ferret's heart.
Fallen…that could work. It was, after all, what his mother had in mind when she gave him his real name. Fallen from what? Fallen from grace? How ironic and fitting that was. He shook his head, his lips twisting into a derisive smile. Fallen it was. He turned away from the sea and carefully directed his boat until it came to a complete stop, the shore reaching up to greet it and to stop its journey. Fallen climbed out of his small shrew-built craft and began to haul it up onto the shore. He would hide it somewhere so that it wouldn't be stolen before the sunrise had even finished its show. And then? Then he would find someone to tell him what they had heard of Redsplash the otter.
Fallen finished dragging the craft up onto the shore and hiding it, and then looked around, a frown on his normally emotionless features. He remembered this land very well. This land had once been about to be his. But then the Nameless Bastard had come along and had stolen it all. The ferret had killed his people, ruined his lands, and was terrorizing everything and everyone within his reaches. And Fallen would put a stop to the ferret's life. Or the ferret would put a stop to his, and right now Fallen wasn't sure if he cared which happened.
Havoc walked confidently along the halls. Two rats and a weasel, all three of which had turned and sprinted away, had already spotted him. It surprised him how stupid the guards in the Nameless One's castle were. They knew an albino otter was a slave here, and still they ran from the 'ghost' in the hallways. Havoc knew where the torture chamber was. He knew how to get there almost as well as he knew how to get back to the slave's cell. He had been brought in a day and a half after Redsplash's second escape from the Nameless One. Being an otter at that time hadn't been a very good idea. For a while Havoc had lived in the torture chamber. He hadn't seen the sky for five days when he was finally brought out again.
Havoc's deep hatred for slavery had reminded the Unnamed One a bit too much of Redsplash's rebellious attitude. Havoc had paid for Redsplash's escape with blood and broken bones. It had been worth it, though, because now that the slaves saw him as another, more traditional, hero, they would follow him to the Dark Forest's Gates and back…if he brought them down that path. So far being the leader of this band of slaves had only gotten him a few extra bruises, but given another month or so and he could, perhaps, have a real rebellion. The problem was that he didn't have enough warriors. Redsplash, though, she was a warrior. But she didn't seem interested in helping free the slaves, and Havoc wouldn't force her or even try to convince her. Redsplash had had a hard enough life, if even a quarter of the rumors were true. She deserved a bit of happiness, at least.
And that was why he was wandering back towards the torture chamber, one of the few places he normally would absolutely refuse to go. His blood stained those walls. But the ferret's son was in there now. And the Nameless One was asleep, because the ferret never tortured after dark. The screams from the torture chamber kept his minions up all night, and he only tortured at night when his army was getting too rebellious. Not that his minions were ever rebellions. No, not anymore. They acted like slaves themselves, terrified of acting out. What would a ferret have to do to inspire that much fear? Havoc didn't know, but he had a good enough idea to know that he didn't want to.
He reached the torture chamber and pulled open the doors, careful to make no noise. The sight that greeted him was gruesome, but not all that shocking. The ferret's son was laid out on the rock Havoc remembered well, paws chained so they would be useless. Fatefiend, though, had obviously fought so hard to get at his father that not only had he torn the skin on his wrists, but he had also snapped his left shoulder out of joint. His other arm was useless as well, broken and shredded. The ferret was awake, but stared lifelessly at the ceiling, eyes dazed and blank. His left leg was broken, his right looking half-skinned from the numerous cuts. The only thing that showed he was still alive was the erratic, forced, movement of his chest as he breathed in and out, paying for each breath with a stab of pain from his ribs, many of which had been broken.
The worst thing, though, was the slab of rock, the boulder itself. It had been created so that the boulder, if the boulder weren't locked in place, would, thanks to the slant of the room, roll forward. Of course, it rolled forward so slowly that the prisoner had an hour to think about what would happen before the crushing actually started. Then the boulder slowed down even more, and rolled in such a way that the last thing to crush was the head. From the time the foot paws started to crush to the time the boulder had worked its way up to the knees, about two hours passed. Havoc doubted, though, that Fatefiend would last more then a few more hours. The ferret was loosing too much blood.
The ferret's son was fully aware of this, but didn't complain or even speak, even after his eyes flickered to Havoc and then back to the ceiling. Havoc stepped forward uncertainly, "Fatefiend?" he asked hesitantly.
"I'm dying. Go away." Fatefiend said, voice rough. Apparently he had been half strangled, too.
"Redsplash sent me…"
Fatefiend's eyes slid back over to him and then closed. "Don't tell her." He said, "Tell her I'm fine. Don't tell her I'm…dying. She would never understand a weakness like this."
"I have to tell her." Havoc said.
"Do not." Fatefiend replied. His comment childish but annoyed.
"You shouldn't have to die like this." Havoc said, "No one should."
Fatefiend opened one eye and gave him a long look, "You're one of the heroic otters Redsplash and I always made fun off. Ironic, don't you think, that the last beast I'll ever talk to will be the type I always made fun of?"
Havoc shook his head and backed away, "I'm going to tell Redsplash." He said.
"If you really value the innocent creature's lives you won't." Fatefiend replied, "She'll kill you all."
"She won't." Havoc said, turned, and ran out of the chamber.
Darkclaw sat across from Bloodrise, watching her tear into the meat. He hadn't bothered telling her what creature he'd gotten the meat from, and she didn't care. It was surprising, though, considering she had always been a vegetarian. He watched her finish her food and then look up at him, "We have to break Havoc out." She said.
"Who?"
"He's an otter. He saved me."
"It seems we all have our problems with otters." Darkclaw murmured.
"What?" Bloodrise said, glancing up at him. "What do you mean?"
"What happened to your accent?" Darkclaw asked, avoiding the subject.
She blinked at him, "What do you mean?"
"Your accent. It's gone."
"So is yours."
"Mine was never very pronounced. I only need it back at the castle. Here I don't use it. You…when did you lose yours?"
"You mean how I used to say 'ye' instead of 'you' and the like? Well," she looked away, baring her teeth in a snarl, "I lost that the first day I was here. Our accents annoy the ferret."
Darkclaw scowled. "We can't kill the ferret." He said, "Not now. We don't have the numbers."
"We have to at least get Havoc out. Adan too, if it's possible."
"And who's Adan?"
"A squirrel. They're both fearless, Dark. They…could be used, maybe." She sounded like she hated that last sentence. Good. Darkclaw didn't want to have to worry about a possible betrayal coming from his younger sister when they got back to the north. Bluefang was already bad enough.
"Fearless? I doubt it. Everyone fears something."
"Well…Adan might, but he doesn't show it. Havoc isn't natural, though. It's like he's a really oddly shaped wildcat."
Darkclaw rolled his eyes, "I wonder how he and Redsplash will get along…" he muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing. Look. We have to get the ferret's son and an otter slave out. If you want to try to get Havoc out, that's fine. Kael and I will be going in an hour."
"I'm coming."
"All right, but if you get captured again, I'm not saving you twice."
Bloodrise looked up at him and bared her teeth in a snarl before answering, "I don't plan on getting captured ever again."
"For the last time, squirrel!" Redsplash bellowed, "I will not go out and steal you some food!"
Adan looked hurt, "Well, fine." He said, his tone wounded, "You just had to say so…you didn't have to yell."
Redsplash sighed in annoyance and turned her back on him. She knew in a few more minutes he would be cheerfully and subtly suggesting she go steal food again. Havoc had been gone at the most an hour, but those sixty minutes had been long and aggravating.
She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, resting briefly. To her surprise Adan didn't try to bother her, but seemed content to stay silent for a while. The other slaves were all asleep, some crying out as their dreams turned dark, and some sleeping like they were so close to dead they could hardly drag up the energy to dream at all. Redsplash, though, wouldn't sleep. She would stay up the entire night if she had too. She would not go to sleep until she knew what had become of Fatefiend.
Her mind, tired but still sharp, drifted back through her life. It shifted through memories, shoving aside those of no importance and dancing around the one Redsplash refused to think about. It settled on one memory and dragged it up.
"They say the ferret only has one child. A son." The whisper found its way to Redsplash's ear as she lay on the ground, staring up at the roof of the slave holding cell. Her eyes drifted towards the whisperer. The old mouse was talking to a strong, brave looking squirrel and a younger, frightened one who clutched at the other ones paw with the determination of someone not planning to ever let go.
"And what about it?" asked the older squirrel, smiling down at the younger squirrel and giving her a reassuring wink. The small squirrel swallowed and offered a shaky smile back. Redsplash recognized the two as siblings and looked away, not wanting to remember her own sibling.
"The ferret's son arrived today." The mouse said, his voice shaky with age. Redsplash wondered if she should warn the young male squirrel that had arrived just two days ago that the mouse was manipulative and backstabbing, probably trying to trick the squirrel into doing something wrong so he could go running to the guards. She decided against it and tried to get some sleep.
"And why does this matter to me?" the squirrel asked. Redsplash closed her eyes tighter, trying to drown out the conversation.
"Because if you kill the ferret, then the son will take his place. And the son is worse then the father, child. Reared in that one's house, what else can you expect?"
"So, what are you trying to get at, old one? Do you want me to kill the son? Is that it?"
"It is merely a suggestion. There is already one who would kill the Nameless One. She has a true chance of doing it, too. There is merely the matter of getting the son out of the way so that she would be motivated to attempt the killing." The old man said and Redsplash's eyes snapped open.
"She? Who do you speak of?"
"An otter. No older then you. Younger perhaps. But she is deadly and she is angry. She will take the Nameless One to the grave with her." Redsplash rolled her eyes at the mouse's words. She would have to hit him a few times with a heavy rock for making her sound so much like the heroes she despised.
"Perhaps she should kill the son and I should kill the father."
"No, no, child. The otter is the only one who stands a chance. She's as evil as otters get, and she's willing to kill anyone that gets in her way to get what she wants."
"Ah. So…" the squirrel let out a breath, "If I kill the son, she will kill the father and we will be free?"
"Yes."
"How do I get out of here?"
"I know of a way…come and I will show you."
"No!" the strangled voice made Redsplash glance back over that way. The older squirrel had tried to move and the younger sister was holding onto his arm with more determination then ever not to let go.
"Skydance let go of me. I have to go, but I'll be back. I promised to take care of you, and I'll do that. But to do that you have to let go of me for a while, all right?"
"But…but what if you don't come back?" she said, staring up at him in worry.
"I will." He said confidently. "Now let go."
She let go, stepping back in a daze. The mouse led the older squirrel off and Redsplash sat up. "You might want to get some sleep." Redsplash said, quietly. "You'll need it tomorrow."
"Who are you?" the squirrel demanded, sticking out her chin and glaring.
Redsplash smiled softly, "You'll find out soon enough."
The next morning the slaves were dragged out to witness the decapitation of Skydance's older brother. The squirrel maid had to be held back by two of the strongest of the Nameless One's henchmen, her grief and anger driving her into a half-crazed state. The unknown squirrel walked calmly, ignoring everything around him. He paused for a moment to say something to the newly arrived ferret prince. Redsplash thought it was an insult, but the ferret only nodded and looked away, mouth twisting into a grimace as his eyes fell on his father's face.
After the decapitation, the Nameless One, in a particularly bloodthirsty mood, suggested amiably that Skydance be killed also. The ferret prince, sitting next to his father, muttered something to him and the Nameless One scowled. They proceeded to talk back and forth for several minutes, in what Redsplash suspected to be an argument, and then the Nameless One laughed and nodded. The guards that had been dragging the now berserk female squirrel to the guillotine were told to stop, and all the slaves were herded back into the slave cell.
Three days later Redsplash was attempting to pop her dislocated right shoulder back into place with her teeth, as her limbs were so well chained up that Redsplash could barely even move her chin, when the door creaked open. She continued what she was doing, assuming it was Defarlan, the idiot fox.
"Well, that's a rather stupid way to try to help yourself heal." Came a confident, if slightly surprised voice. A voice Redsplash did not recognize.
She glanced towards the voice with one eye then turned her face towards the ferret. He was wearing a black mask that covered the upper part of his face, with golden decorations meaning 'Knowledge', 'Deceit', and 'Darkness' painted on it. He was tall for a ferret, and about her age. He was more lithe then muscular, and the only weapon he carried was a dagger at his waist.
"Nice mask." Redsplash said, arrogantly, "Did the Nameless One make you wear it when he saw how hideous you are?"
"No, actually." The ferret youth said and moved forward, getting within biting rang. Redsplash snapped her neck out and, growling, tried to bite him. He jumped backwards, narrowly missing getting his arm bitten. "Well." He said, "What a way of making friends you've got."
"I don't have friends." Redsplash hissed.
"Well, no wonder with that attitude." He said with a smirk, "Now, look, I'm going to get your shoulder back into place, and if you bite me I swear I'll bite you back." He bared pointed, sharp fangs to emphasize his threat.
"Bitten by a ferret…now that would be embarrassing."
"Yes. It would. So don't bite me first."
The ferret dodged forward quickly, popping the bone back into place. Redsplash hissed at the pain, glaring at the ferret as he danced back. "You have the clumsiness of a rat!" she snapped, "I could have done that better."
"Excuse me, my dear otter slave, I had no idea you were so sensitive to pain."
"You little idiot! Come here, I wanna rip your eyes out."
"With what? You're chained up, remember?"
"My teeth!"
"Well, that would sting a bit. And what happens if you accidentally swallow my eyes? That would be uncomfortable. For both of us. No, I think I'll stay where I am, but thank you for the offer."
"Offer? What offer? And what do you mean 'thank you'? I'm confused!"
"Well, considering the amount of brains you've shown so far I wouldn't think that would be such a new experience that you would have to shout about it."
"I think I'll kill you now."
"I think you won't."
"And what makes you so confident?"
"Several yards of chains and about a dozen locks."
"Well, at least I'm not ugly!"
"Oh, yes, that hurt. How can you call my ugly? You haven't even seen my face! I have dashing good looks under this mask!"
"Uh-huh, I bet you do."
"Oh, lovely. Sarcasm. Well, we'll just see…as soon as I can get…this mask…off…"
"Need some help?"
"Oh, be quiet. There!"
…
"What do you say to that otter?"
"You're the Nameless One's son…"
"Oh…uh…you weren't supposed to notice that…"
"I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"Great, otter, so now you're trying to be my friend so you can get at my father. Well, I don't think so. Goodbye."
"Redsplash! Redsplash! Come quick!"
"What is it now, Skydance? I was happily sitting here staring at the wall before you came along, you know."
"There's a ferret that just got tossed in here! It's the Nameless One's son! They're all gonna kill him! Wanna watch? Redsplash! Where are you going? Wait for me!"
"We're gonna kill you, ferret."
"Heard it all before."
"We're gonna rip out your eyes and eat them."
"Are all you slaves obsessed with eyes? Ow! You just bit my arm!"
"Yes…"
"Ow! That is my own personal rib you just broke, dolt!"
"Leave him alone, idiots. If you're gonna be brave, do it when you can get something out of it. Like food."
"Of all the beasts here, Redsplash, I would think that you would be the last one to complain about killing the ferret's son."
"I'm not complaining. I'm stopping it. I don't feel like cleaning up the mess his guts will make. Now go away and get some sleep."
"Fine! But you'll regret this later."
"If you weren't a mouse, idiot, I would probably care about your threats. As it is…"
"Fine! I'll go!"
…
"Otter…are you aware you just saved me?"
"Oh, please, it's not a big thing. Like I told the mouse, I only did it because I didn't want to scrape your intestines off the floor."
"Redsplash, you're my only friend!"
"I'm not your friend!"
"And since you're my only friend I think I'll sneak you some wine. What do you say to that, huh?"
"Ferret, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
Redsplash smiled lightly as she remembered how that promise of "some wine" had ended in Redsplash and Fatefiend on their third bottle of powerful wine when they heard the guards coming down the corridor. They had tried to hide in the rafters, but hadn't, for some reason, managed to stay balanced. Redsplash remembered her life back then. Between training Skydance to fight and talking to Fatefiend when she was supposed to be resting, there hadn't been as much time to bully the other slaves. No wonder they had started to think of her as a hero. She hadn't had enough energy to prove she wasn't one.
Suddenly Havoc ducked into the slave cell and hurried over to Redsplash. He looked alarmed and haunted, his sprint turning into a jog and then a walk, as he got closer. Dread, something Redsplash hadn't felt for a long time, settled into the bottom of her stomach. "Redsplash…" he started.
"I hate suspense. Get it over with. He's dead, isn't he?" Redsplash hesitated at the words. Fatefiend…dead. A sudden feeling like a buzz in the back of her mind distracted her, but Havoc was preparing to say something and she had to concentrate on him.
"No…he's not dead. Look, Redsplash. He's dying. He'll be crushed to death soon, if he doesn't bleed out first or if his lungs don't give. He'll be dead by morning."
"Red! Get down from there!"
"It's only a tree, ferret."
"It's not natural for an otter to be up a tree! Get down here!"
"Down? Why? Come on Fate, climb for once."
"I refuse."
"Coward."
"Right, but at least I'll be a live coward when you're dead, Oh Brave One."
The buzz increased to a roar and Redsplash clutched at her head, the pain excruciating.
"Redsplash, Fatefiend has gone crazy."
"He only wants attention. Ignore him.""He's trying to swim."
"Really? How interesting. Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Uh…Red…he really can't swim."
"Imagine that."
"Uh, Red, he's been under for a pretty long time now…don't you think?"
"Oh, hell he's still down there?!"
"Uh…yes…"
"Well, why didn't you pull him out?"
"Uh, I'm a squirrel, I don't swim!"
Havoc was trying to say something, and Adan was trying to help her, but Redsplash couldn't think…couldn't hear…could barely see…and the roaring hurt so much.
"I don't have friends, Fate. I told you that."
"Oh, come on. You need friends, it's a part of life."
"I'm doing fine without them."
"Well you only need one."
"You, I suppose."
"Of course. I do, after all, have access to wine."
"Lots of wine. Yes. I know. But I don't have friends. Don't need them."
"Uh-huh. Well, Red, when you're willing to get over your incredibly high opinion of yourself, come find me."
"What? What does that mean, Fate?"
"It means, Red, that maybe I'll talk to you again someday."
"You can't mean that. You aren't going to just…leave."
"I don't see why it should matter. You can always talk to Skydance."
"Is this about the whole friend thing? Fine. You're my friend, if it's so important to you."
"Uh-huh. Is that a note of panic I detect in your voice?"
"I don't panic. And what were you threatening to leave for anyway?"
"To show you that you really do need friends."
"Well, you failed."
"You two are crazy. I mean it. Insane."
"Shut up, Sky."
"So, Fate, how long you think it's gonna be before Darkclaw gets us killed?"
"Oh, I dunno…couple days at least."
"Really? I was betting a week. At least. Or…it'll take then at least one week to kill me."
"Are you kidding? My father's gonna take months to kill you. Me he'll kill in a week or two."
"No, see, I'll let myself die in a week or two."
"Oh. Right. Like you have control over when you die."
"I do."
"Then die. Now."
"I'd rather not, thank you."
Redsplash rose to her feet with a roar. Adan stepped in front of her and she shoved him out of the way. She ran forward and tore the door of the slave cell off and staggered out into the dark, headed towards the torture chamber.
"Were her eyes…red?" Adan demanded as he pulled himself to his feet.
"Yes." Havoc said solemnly.
"But…what does that mean?"
"I don't know."
"Bloodwrath? Could she have the bloodwrath?"
"Only badgers have that."
"But her eye were red."
Suddenly a terrified scream filled the air, cut short almost immediately. A roar of fury immediately followed the scream.
"We've gotta stop her." Havoc said, taking off after the otter.
"Stop her?" Adan said, staring after Havoc with an expression of shock on his features, "Why?"
(I know, I know. Otters can't get the bloodwrath, but Redsplash did…so…yeah. If you've got a huge problem with it you can just pretend she just got really, really mad and put in red contacts…though where she got the contacts from I don't know…)