5
It was a dark, cold, starless night in Mossflower Wood. The forest was devoid of any creatures now except for two otters. Brookfin limped and stumbled as he tried to keep up with Dusk as he pushed relentlessly on. Luck had not been on their side since rain at midday had washed away any tracks which were left behind by vermin. The duo had ventured for what seemed like days yet it had been mere hours since they had left the ruins of Stella. ÔCÕmon Dusk, weÕve walked for hours, canÕt we at least take a little break and set up camp? I could use a bit oÕ shuteye. A bite to eat wouldnÕt hurt either right about now...Õ Dusk ignored BrookfinÕs suggestion and pushed on. His entire body was aching but he barely noticed; his troubled mind was fixed on the murdering scum who slaughtered his people. And then there was his brotherÕs cold eyes boring into his skull which now felt as if it was on the verge of splitting. He stopped dead in his tracks and tightly snapped his eyes shut. ÔOkay. We will rest here for the night.Õ Brookfin knew better than to ask questions. Despite his groggyness he vanished into the night and a couple of minutes later returned with a pile of dry wood. Before they knew it, they had a lively fire going.
Unlike Brookfin who knew nothing of war, Dusk realized that the flames and smoke would be a huge beacon for vermin but he didnÕt care. He was far from caring. All his thoughts of revenge and anger drifted away and his problems and concerns faded as he slowly fell asleep. Time dragged on but the darkness refused to relinquish. Suddenly the blackness severed and DuskÕs eyes began to water from a burst of blinding light but he refused to look away. His heart was filled with a very homely and comforting feeling as the light slowly weakened. He was now able to make out the proud courageous figure of a mouse clad in brilliant armour. In his paw he gripped a the most magnificent sword he had ever seen. The blade of the sword depicted odd markings which Dusk could not understand. The mouse emitted a comforting aura which put Dusk in an odd trance. He now recognized the mouse. It was the same one that visited him in his last dream.Suddenly the warrior lowered his sword and began tapping it against the side of his leg which, too, was clad in glamorous armor.
Clank... Clank... Clank...
DuskÕs eyes snapped open and he was awake. It was still dark. How long had he slept? Before he had the time to ponder on what he had witnessed in his dream, sounds of clashing metal alerted him. A battle. Taking a quick glance at BrookfinÕs snoring form, he bounded off in the direction of the sound. It quickly grew louder as he got nearer.
Clank... Clank... Clank...
Leaping through the thick foilage he came upon a scene of battle. At least thrity heavily armed vermin were attempting to bring down a single female squirrel. She was armed with nought but an empty sling. The squirrel lashed out whith her teeth and claws at overwhelming odds and strangled a stoat on the spot with the sling. Without thinking twice, Dusk was amidst the frenzy, hitting the vermin like a tornado with his twin axes. The two fighters would have been crushed easily by their opponents but Dusk had brought in the element of surprise. With his back against the squirrel he cracked a ferret in the face and swung blindly with his blade. Rewarded with a screech of pain he began attacking a rat who had opened deep gash on his left shoulder with a dagger. Seconds later the duo had been pressed tightly together and began going down under the wave of armed vermin. With all hope lost, Dusk gave up fighting.
So this is it. This is how itÕs gonna end. Forgive me Ruby. Dusk closed his eyes and prepared for the final blow. Suddenly, a gigantic shadow stormed through the motionless trees. What ever it was, it began dealing death with an enormous weapon. Vermin screamed with panic as they were thrown off the two fighters. The creature charged at the few remaining vermin and sent them soaring all over the place with a mighty swing of his weapon. The villains were now beaten, their crippled carcasses littering the bloodsteined ground. Dusk, drenched in the verminÕs blood, scrambled up alongside the squirrel. He could finally see what the creaure was. It was the most gigantic badger lord he had ever seen. He had an enormous scar running across his muzzle and his black eyes glinted dangerously. Dusk couldnÕt help notice the fur running down his sinewy back was dyed with red like fire. He had a powerful figure but aside from his bulging muscles, a miraculous sight almost took DuskÕs breath away. In his right paw, the beast held an incredible war hammer made of stone. What astounded Dusk was the size of the hammer. It was easily bigger then the otter from head to toe. This was not a creature to cross.
As the badger approached them, Dusk was far too stunned to turn and run. For a split second, the badger froze and the otter wrrior was sure that he was going to crush him with his impressive weapon. On the contrary, he held out his paw and automatically, Dusk shook it. As they shook paws, Dusk was nearly lifted off the ground by the badgerÕs astounding strength. ÔI am Lord Blazeback the Untamed, master of Salamandastron.Õ He said in a surprisingly calm tone. ÔI am on a search for a vermin scum that goes by the name of Shadow.Õ He pointed in the direction of Stella. Dusk gasped. There hadnÕt been vermin in Mossflower wood since the mighty rat, Raga Bol, who had come to conquer a mighty fortress made of red stone. This badger must be searching for the vermin who raided Stella. Blazeback suddenly interrupted DuskÕs thoughts and cleared his doubt. ÔThe was originally seven of these creatures, but when they attacked my mountain my hares killed a decent number of them. Now there should be two left. IÕm in search of their leader, did you happen to have crossed paths with such creatures? They are both wildcats, armed to the teeth.Õ Dusk explained everything to him, from the Harvest Festival, to the attack on Stella, and finally, to hunting down this evil.
Once Dusk finished his story, the badger nodded knowingly. ÔSo youÕre after the scumbag too.Õ He stood up from the ground and lifted his war hammer on to his shoulder. ÔWell, good luck to thee but I garentee you that you are wasting your time because I will get to him first. I am cursed with the mighty bloodwrath and I will not rest until he pays for murdering my hares.Õ ÔBut I canÕt stop now!Õ Dusk yelled in anger. ÔI have no where to go, and I have to avenge my people! Nothing you say can stop me. IÕm going and thatÕs that.Õ Blazeback hid a smile. ÔYouÕre a determined one. I can see youÕll make a fine warrior one day, but I would stop while IÕm ahead if I were you. So long...Õ And with that, he walked off and vanished into the rustling trees, as quickly as he had come. Dusk stared off after him, pondering on what he had said. ÔBlood and vinagar, am I just a phantom? I would like to thank you for helping me kill off those vermin. I wanted to give my gratitude to that big beast but by the looks of things, heÕs gone now. Oh well.Õ Dusk gave a startled jump and wheeled around to see who had adressed him. Finally his eyes clapped on the black squirrel standing with her paws on her hips. She rubbed her eyes; it looked as if she dozed off.
Dusk now felt very silly for forgetting about her, but the sudden appearance of Blazeback had caused him to forget all about the creature. Words poured out of DuskÕs mouth like wildfire but before he had time to explain the squirrel waved her paw at him as if dismissing the subject. ÔNo harm done you old riverdog. My nameÕs Keyla Inferno, at your service! And what, pray, might your name be?Õ She said while examininig rogue-like tattoos scattered over his body. ÔMy name is Dusk Parabola.Õ He said awkwardly. Suddenly he remembered about Brookfin. He realized how much time had gone by and the Brookfin was probably wondering where he was. He told Keyla about his friend and that they had set up camp nearby where he could offer her some hospitality. Keyla winked at him cheekily. ÔLead on, friend.Õ And with that they marched on. The sun was now just visible over the horizon, emitting a blood red glow which shined through the trees giving them an eerie aura.
As time went by, Dusk told Keyla about Crono and while they talked, the subject fell on Prowler, the black squirrel who lay dead deep in Mossflower. It turned out that he was KeylaÕs husband. Dusk was immediately regretting bringing up the topic but the crestfallen squirrel suddenly stopped. ÔListen Dusk, I just remembered something I forgot to do. IÕll be away for awhile but donÕt worry, IÕll catch up to you. Just go on without me for now.Õ As her silluette vanished in the trees, Dusk was once again left alone, feeling downer than usual. At least once he got to camp he would have Brookfin as company even if he wasnÕt the brightest creature in the land. Dusk marched on through the silent forest, digesting all of tonights unbelievable events until he was able to make out some dying embers in the distance which he recognized as his campfire. Dusk took a deep breath and bellowed with a grin: ÔYou better not be cooking up some vittles and scofffing the without me you greedy brute!Õ He had expected to be greeted with a swift, witty answer any second but none came. Slightly worried, he ran towards the dying light.
Twigs snapped under his footpaws as he entered the campsite and ground to a halt. What met his eyes caused him to scream in horror. Across from the dying fire lay a motionless Brookfin with an arrow driven through his chest. Unable to look at the gruesome site, the otter diverted his gaze and his eyes fixed on a scrap of parchment pinned to an oak tree with a rusty dagger. Dusk walked over and yanked it out. Seconds later he tossed the parchment into what was left of the fire and in his fury, hurled the dagger into the woodlands. That night he burried Brookfin, the whole time pondering on the words on the parchment. ÔGo home brother, or youÕll meet the same fate.Õ But Dusk couldnÕt even if he wanted too. He had no home left. Or family. Or friends. But he had himself, and a thirst for revenge.
~~~~
While all this was going on, Keyla Inferno had become a blur as she sprinted through the woodlands. The red glow from the rising sun had not yet ceased but the forest had now become alive with tiny woodland critters. Keyla didnÕt care. After what seemed like an eternity later, she finally reached her desired destination. She walked over to the limp form of Prowler. Any regular creature would have hurled at the sight of the once perilous beast now being devoured by maggots, but Keyla was no ordinary creature. By the time she had given the warrior a proper burrial the sun was fully up in the sky but the forest was not granted a single breeze. KeylaÕs eyes were as hard as the war hammer of Lord Blazeback. ÔI swear to you, as long as there is still life in me, I will continue to plague the vermin until I slay them. This is my pact.Õ She removed his dirk from his pouch and took it as her own. She would keep her promise for the fires of hell never lie, and neither does Keyla Inferno.
It was a dark, cold, starless night in Mossflower Wood. The forest was devoid of any creatures now except for two otters. Brookfin limped and stumbled as he tried to keep up with Dusk as he pushed relentlessly on. Luck had not been on their side since rain at midday had washed away any tracks which were left behind by vermin. The duo had ventured for what seemed like days yet it had been mere hours since they had left the ruins of Stella. ÔCÕmon Dusk, weÕve walked for hours, canÕt we at least take a little break and set up camp? I could use a bit oÕ shuteye. A bite to eat wouldnÕt hurt either right about now...Õ Dusk ignored BrookfinÕs suggestion and pushed on. His entire body was aching but he barely noticed; his troubled mind was fixed on the murdering scum who slaughtered his people. And then there was his brotherÕs cold eyes boring into his skull which now felt as if it was on the verge of splitting. He stopped dead in his tracks and tightly snapped his eyes shut. ÔOkay. We will rest here for the night.Õ Brookfin knew better than to ask questions. Despite his groggyness he vanished into the night and a couple of minutes later returned with a pile of dry wood. Before they knew it, they had a lively fire going.
Unlike Brookfin who knew nothing of war, Dusk realized that the flames and smoke would be a huge beacon for vermin but he didnÕt care. He was far from caring. All his thoughts of revenge and anger drifted away and his problems and concerns faded as he slowly fell asleep. Time dragged on but the darkness refused to relinquish. Suddenly the blackness severed and DuskÕs eyes began to water from a burst of blinding light but he refused to look away. His heart was filled with a very homely and comforting feeling as the light slowly weakened. He was now able to make out the proud courageous figure of a mouse clad in brilliant armour. In his paw he gripped a the most magnificent sword he had ever seen. The blade of the sword depicted odd markings which Dusk could not understand. The mouse emitted a comforting aura which put Dusk in an odd trance. He now recognized the mouse. It was the same one that visited him in his last dream.Suddenly the warrior lowered his sword and began tapping it against the side of his leg which, too, was clad in glamorous armor.
Clank... Clank... Clank...
DuskÕs eyes snapped open and he was awake. It was still dark. How long had he slept? Before he had the time to ponder on what he had witnessed in his dream, sounds of clashing metal alerted him. A battle. Taking a quick glance at BrookfinÕs snoring form, he bounded off in the direction of the sound. It quickly grew louder as he got nearer.
Clank... Clank... Clank...
Leaping through the thick foilage he came upon a scene of battle. At least thrity heavily armed vermin were attempting to bring down a single female squirrel. She was armed with nought but an empty sling. The squirrel lashed out whith her teeth and claws at overwhelming odds and strangled a stoat on the spot with the sling. Without thinking twice, Dusk was amidst the frenzy, hitting the vermin like a tornado with his twin axes. The two fighters would have been crushed easily by their opponents but Dusk had brought in the element of surprise. With his back against the squirrel he cracked a ferret in the face and swung blindly with his blade. Rewarded with a screech of pain he began attacking a rat who had opened deep gash on his left shoulder with a dagger. Seconds later the duo had been pressed tightly together and began going down under the wave of armed vermin. With all hope lost, Dusk gave up fighting.
So this is it. This is how itÕs gonna end. Forgive me Ruby. Dusk closed his eyes and prepared for the final blow. Suddenly, a gigantic shadow stormed through the motionless trees. What ever it was, it began dealing death with an enormous weapon. Vermin screamed with panic as they were thrown off the two fighters. The creature charged at the few remaining vermin and sent them soaring all over the place with a mighty swing of his weapon. The villains were now beaten, their crippled carcasses littering the bloodsteined ground. Dusk, drenched in the verminÕs blood, scrambled up alongside the squirrel. He could finally see what the creaure was. It was the most gigantic badger lord he had ever seen. He had an enormous scar running across his muzzle and his black eyes glinted dangerously. Dusk couldnÕt help notice the fur running down his sinewy back was dyed with red like fire. He had a powerful figure but aside from his bulging muscles, a miraculous sight almost took DuskÕs breath away. In his right paw, the beast held an incredible war hammer made of stone. What astounded Dusk was the size of the hammer. It was easily bigger then the otter from head to toe. This was not a creature to cross.
As the badger approached them, Dusk was far too stunned to turn and run. For a split second, the badger froze and the otter wrrior was sure that he was going to crush him with his impressive weapon. On the contrary, he held out his paw and automatically, Dusk shook it. As they shook paws, Dusk was nearly lifted off the ground by the badgerÕs astounding strength. ÔI am Lord Blazeback the Untamed, master of Salamandastron.Õ He said in a surprisingly calm tone. ÔI am on a search for a vermin scum that goes by the name of Shadow.Õ He pointed in the direction of Stella. Dusk gasped. There hadnÕt been vermin in Mossflower wood since the mighty rat, Raga Bol, who had come to conquer a mighty fortress made of red stone. This badger must be searching for the vermin who raided Stella. Blazeback suddenly interrupted DuskÕs thoughts and cleared his doubt. ÔThe was originally seven of these creatures, but when they attacked my mountain my hares killed a decent number of them. Now there should be two left. IÕm in search of their leader, did you happen to have crossed paths with such creatures? They are both wildcats, armed to the teeth.Õ Dusk explained everything to him, from the Harvest Festival, to the attack on Stella, and finally, to hunting down this evil.
Once Dusk finished his story, the badger nodded knowingly. ÔSo youÕre after the scumbag too.Õ He stood up from the ground and lifted his war hammer on to his shoulder. ÔWell, good luck to thee but I garentee you that you are wasting your time because I will get to him first. I am cursed with the mighty bloodwrath and I will not rest until he pays for murdering my hares.Õ ÔBut I canÕt stop now!Õ Dusk yelled in anger. ÔI have no where to go, and I have to avenge my people! Nothing you say can stop me. IÕm going and thatÕs that.Õ Blazeback hid a smile. ÔYouÕre a determined one. I can see youÕll make a fine warrior one day, but I would stop while IÕm ahead if I were you. So long...Õ And with that, he walked off and vanished into the rustling trees, as quickly as he had come. Dusk stared off after him, pondering on what he had said. ÔBlood and vinagar, am I just a phantom? I would like to thank you for helping me kill off those vermin. I wanted to give my gratitude to that big beast but by the looks of things, heÕs gone now. Oh well.Õ Dusk gave a startled jump and wheeled around to see who had adressed him. Finally his eyes clapped on the black squirrel standing with her paws on her hips. She rubbed her eyes; it looked as if she dozed off.
Dusk now felt very silly for forgetting about her, but the sudden appearance of Blazeback had caused him to forget all about the creature. Words poured out of DuskÕs mouth like wildfire but before he had time to explain the squirrel waved her paw at him as if dismissing the subject. ÔNo harm done you old riverdog. My nameÕs Keyla Inferno, at your service! And what, pray, might your name be?Õ She said while examininig rogue-like tattoos scattered over his body. ÔMy name is Dusk Parabola.Õ He said awkwardly. Suddenly he remembered about Brookfin. He realized how much time had gone by and the Brookfin was probably wondering where he was. He told Keyla about his friend and that they had set up camp nearby where he could offer her some hospitality. Keyla winked at him cheekily. ÔLead on, friend.Õ And with that they marched on. The sun was now just visible over the horizon, emitting a blood red glow which shined through the trees giving them an eerie aura.
As time went by, Dusk told Keyla about Crono and while they talked, the subject fell on Prowler, the black squirrel who lay dead deep in Mossflower. It turned out that he was KeylaÕs husband. Dusk was immediately regretting bringing up the topic but the crestfallen squirrel suddenly stopped. ÔListen Dusk, I just remembered something I forgot to do. IÕll be away for awhile but donÕt worry, IÕll catch up to you. Just go on without me for now.Õ As her silluette vanished in the trees, Dusk was once again left alone, feeling downer than usual. At least once he got to camp he would have Brookfin as company even if he wasnÕt the brightest creature in the land. Dusk marched on through the silent forest, digesting all of tonights unbelievable events until he was able to make out some dying embers in the distance which he recognized as his campfire. Dusk took a deep breath and bellowed with a grin: ÔYou better not be cooking up some vittles and scofffing the without me you greedy brute!Õ He had expected to be greeted with a swift, witty answer any second but none came. Slightly worried, he ran towards the dying light.
Twigs snapped under his footpaws as he entered the campsite and ground to a halt. What met his eyes caused him to scream in horror. Across from the dying fire lay a motionless Brookfin with an arrow driven through his chest. Unable to look at the gruesome site, the otter diverted his gaze and his eyes fixed on a scrap of parchment pinned to an oak tree with a rusty dagger. Dusk walked over and yanked it out. Seconds later he tossed the parchment into what was left of the fire and in his fury, hurled the dagger into the woodlands. That night he burried Brookfin, the whole time pondering on the words on the parchment. ÔGo home brother, or youÕll meet the same fate.Õ But Dusk couldnÕt even if he wanted too. He had no home left. Or family. Or friends. But he had himself, and a thirst for revenge.
~~~~
While all this was going on, Keyla Inferno had become a blur as she sprinted through the woodlands. The red glow from the rising sun had not yet ceased but the forest had now become alive with tiny woodland critters. Keyla didnÕt care. After what seemed like an eternity later, she finally reached her desired destination. She walked over to the limp form of Prowler. Any regular creature would have hurled at the sight of the once perilous beast now being devoured by maggots, but Keyla was no ordinary creature. By the time she had given the warrior a proper burrial the sun was fully up in the sky but the forest was not granted a single breeze. KeylaÕs eyes were as hard as the war hammer of Lord Blazeback. ÔI swear to you, as long as there is still life in me, I will continue to plague the vermin until I slay them. This is my pact.Õ She removed his dirk from his pouch and took it as her own. She would keep her promise for the fires of hell never lie, and neither does Keyla Inferno.