ShadowSong stepped out of the clump of bushes shielding her. It was two
hours after dawn.
She was clad in a tunic of faded gray and a cloak of black cloth. Two daggers hung parallel from the other, each with a black pommel stone at the end. Her sling pouch held many pebbles, her sling made of dyed green cotton. A rapier was thrust in her belt with a tough steel sheath.
It is every warrior's goal and dream
To be upon each battle scene
It is every warrior's honor and life
To slay the foebeast upon a knife
A warrior's code is the warrior's word
So the foes don't avoid the sword!
ShadowSong ended her ditty when three vermin, a rat and two stoats, strutted into view. All were wearing holey rags and were armed with rusty or broken weapons.
One of them, a stoat, pointed at her food sack. "Give us what goodies are in there, and smartish!" He pulled a rusty dagger from his muddied cloak, and waved it at her.
ShadowSong hated vermin, cowards and bullies. She especially hated beasts that demanded things from her. She unsheathed one of her daggers quickly, then hurled it.
The stoat that pointed gazed in wonder at the dagger in his heart, then dropped. ShadowSong bounded over, and in two moves, pulled the dagger out and cracked her glaive over the head of the rat.
"Owoowww! Why diger do that? We ain't done nothing to yer. You slayed ole Sikler fer no reason! Owwwowww!"
ShadowSong hefted the glaive, which had no dents or splinters, and thrust it in the uninjured stoat's direction. "I don't have time or patience for fools or bullies. Next word gets you cold steel. I want you out in three seconds. One. two.."
The vermin that were living scattered. ShadowSong kicked the slain Sikler in a patch of deep and soft loam and covered him with dead leaves and undergrowth. She continued travling with ease, know the vermin would stay away for a long time.
Surugiar the searat, or known among shipmates as Suru, was captain of the then sinking CrabCarcass. He was heading towards the land, whichen had be sighted by Dilear.
"Land ho!" cried Dilear. He was clad in tawdry rags, brown and red, with a cutlass in his belt. Suru, however, had two silettoes and a whip in his sash, and wore his victim's clothing. Today, it was a deep green tunic he had gotten from a slain hare on the shores of Salamandastron. His brown pelt made him look like a forest.
Salamandastron! Suru had always heard tales around campfires about the place, so he decided to defeat the hares and badgers living there. With a crew of fourscore, he knew he was match for anything. But not the hares, or the Badger Ladies Icebright and Mooneye were to be toyed with. Captain Surugiar of the CrabCarcass had lost threescore before hastily retreating to his ship. Now, the ship was sinking down, lower every minute.
Suru glanced up at the squint-eyed Dilear. "Ahoy, Dilear, mate, how far is the patch of land?"
Dilear peered closer. "About arf a shiplength, iffen we don't sink afore then! Ahoy, cast out anchor!"
There was no need for the anchor- sand was piling up around the saturated crew and boat. Searats, random ferrets and a scattering of foxes and stoats jumped out of the boat, now at tail level.
Suru was the last off. He shook water droplets off his mud colored coat and looked around. Some of the crew was picking berries off trees gingerly, while some fished around in the sinking boats for some last victuals floating in the wreckage.
Suru cleared his throat, gagged, then spoke. "Mates, we're in need of vittles, so Deckler, Spoteye, Halfsnout, you go and forage. The rest of us are going to make a fire and feast on the vittles youse'll find!"
This was greeting by cheers and much paw stamping. The three foragers sped off into the forest. The rest of the crew started collecting boughs and dry wood from either the forest of sinking boat.
Suru smiled. Finally, things were going his way.
*** At Salamandastron, the two badgers Mooneye and Icebright were at the mess hall, eating. A hare was preforming a dance, and not very successfully either.
A vetren hare, Krelgar, eyed the hare with distaste. "Hmph! His pater probably was a bally toad and his mater a scalded worm. Yes, sah!"
The dancing hare bounced over to the area where Krelgar sat. "Hello, chap, you old dust noggin, wot!"
Krelgar swiped at the hare. "Young snipfur! Haifal, you are an insolent scutwagger. Go or I'll tell Lady Icebright if you want trouble!"
Haifal's ears drooped. "Sorry, sah, I'll behave." Then he muttered, "If frogs begin to skip on his bally head, wot!"
At the other end of the table, Lady Icebright herself and her twin sister Mooneye were chewing on some honeyed scones. Icebright stared at the dab of honey on her paw, then slammed it down.
Craccckk! The length of plank spilt, causing a deep fracture in the tough oaken table.
"Twelve hares lost! To sea scum!" The Badger Lady snarled. She raised her paw again to strike the table.
A gentle paw stopped her slate blue paw. "Icebright, those hares died defending us. Surely they are at a better place, with sunny hills and breezy summers." Lady Mooneye clasped her angry sister's paw. "Please."
Icebright drew her lip back in anger, but no longer hit the table. She stood up. "I'm going to the armory. Nobeast follow, or you will be sorry!"
***
She was clad in a tunic of faded gray and a cloak of black cloth. Two daggers hung parallel from the other, each with a black pommel stone at the end. Her sling pouch held many pebbles, her sling made of dyed green cotton. A rapier was thrust in her belt with a tough steel sheath.
It is every warrior's goal and dream
To be upon each battle scene
It is every warrior's honor and life
To slay the foebeast upon a knife
A warrior's code is the warrior's word
So the foes don't avoid the sword!
ShadowSong ended her ditty when three vermin, a rat and two stoats, strutted into view. All were wearing holey rags and were armed with rusty or broken weapons.
One of them, a stoat, pointed at her food sack. "Give us what goodies are in there, and smartish!" He pulled a rusty dagger from his muddied cloak, and waved it at her.
ShadowSong hated vermin, cowards and bullies. She especially hated beasts that demanded things from her. She unsheathed one of her daggers quickly, then hurled it.
The stoat that pointed gazed in wonder at the dagger in his heart, then dropped. ShadowSong bounded over, and in two moves, pulled the dagger out and cracked her glaive over the head of the rat.
"Owoowww! Why diger do that? We ain't done nothing to yer. You slayed ole Sikler fer no reason! Owwwowww!"
ShadowSong hefted the glaive, which had no dents or splinters, and thrust it in the uninjured stoat's direction. "I don't have time or patience for fools or bullies. Next word gets you cold steel. I want you out in three seconds. One. two.."
The vermin that were living scattered. ShadowSong kicked the slain Sikler in a patch of deep and soft loam and covered him with dead leaves and undergrowth. She continued travling with ease, know the vermin would stay away for a long time.
Surugiar the searat, or known among shipmates as Suru, was captain of the then sinking CrabCarcass. He was heading towards the land, whichen had be sighted by Dilear.
"Land ho!" cried Dilear. He was clad in tawdry rags, brown and red, with a cutlass in his belt. Suru, however, had two silettoes and a whip in his sash, and wore his victim's clothing. Today, it was a deep green tunic he had gotten from a slain hare on the shores of Salamandastron. His brown pelt made him look like a forest.
Salamandastron! Suru had always heard tales around campfires about the place, so he decided to defeat the hares and badgers living there. With a crew of fourscore, he knew he was match for anything. But not the hares, or the Badger Ladies Icebright and Mooneye were to be toyed with. Captain Surugiar of the CrabCarcass had lost threescore before hastily retreating to his ship. Now, the ship was sinking down, lower every minute.
Suru glanced up at the squint-eyed Dilear. "Ahoy, Dilear, mate, how far is the patch of land?"
Dilear peered closer. "About arf a shiplength, iffen we don't sink afore then! Ahoy, cast out anchor!"
There was no need for the anchor- sand was piling up around the saturated crew and boat. Searats, random ferrets and a scattering of foxes and stoats jumped out of the boat, now at tail level.
Suru was the last off. He shook water droplets off his mud colored coat and looked around. Some of the crew was picking berries off trees gingerly, while some fished around in the sinking boats for some last victuals floating in the wreckage.
Suru cleared his throat, gagged, then spoke. "Mates, we're in need of vittles, so Deckler, Spoteye, Halfsnout, you go and forage. The rest of us are going to make a fire and feast on the vittles youse'll find!"
This was greeting by cheers and much paw stamping. The three foragers sped off into the forest. The rest of the crew started collecting boughs and dry wood from either the forest of sinking boat.
Suru smiled. Finally, things were going his way.
*** At Salamandastron, the two badgers Mooneye and Icebright were at the mess hall, eating. A hare was preforming a dance, and not very successfully either.
A vetren hare, Krelgar, eyed the hare with distaste. "Hmph! His pater probably was a bally toad and his mater a scalded worm. Yes, sah!"
The dancing hare bounced over to the area where Krelgar sat. "Hello, chap, you old dust noggin, wot!"
Krelgar swiped at the hare. "Young snipfur! Haifal, you are an insolent scutwagger. Go or I'll tell Lady Icebright if you want trouble!"
Haifal's ears drooped. "Sorry, sah, I'll behave." Then he muttered, "If frogs begin to skip on his bally head, wot!"
At the other end of the table, Lady Icebright herself and her twin sister Mooneye were chewing on some honeyed scones. Icebright stared at the dab of honey on her paw, then slammed it down.
Craccckk! The length of plank spilt, causing a deep fracture in the tough oaken table.
"Twelve hares lost! To sea scum!" The Badger Lady snarled. She raised her paw again to strike the table.
A gentle paw stopped her slate blue paw. "Icebright, those hares died defending us. Surely they are at a better place, with sunny hills and breezy summers." Lady Mooneye clasped her angry sister's paw. "Please."
Icebright drew her lip back in anger, but no longer hit the table. She stood up. "I'm going to the armory. Nobeast follow, or you will be sorry!"
***