A/N Oi! Welcome to my fic! (Okay, that was weird.) Obviously you read
the summary, or just clicked on this fanfiction. There are no pairings here-
just pure Briar. I decided to write about his thieving life because it had
always interested me. By the way, I call him 'Roach' because that was his
thief name. I have some of the real names, like Dancer and Alleycat, but
most them are made up. I rated it PG for basic thief violence. Please
review! (Should I make this a chapter fic, or a one-shot?). -Shadowsong
CometShard StarGlaive
Roach was squatting down in his den, smoothing some moss down with his dirty hand. He lifted his hand slowly, letting the sunlight filter down onto the fuzzy fungus. He was about to stroke it again when a uneducated voice rang out from the den entrance.
"'Ey, Roach! Thief Lord wants ya!" His friend, Dancer, peered down into the musty den. His sharp eyes didn't miss a thing, like his nimble feet. Dancer noticed Roach hastily moving a hand over the patch of moss.
"What's that, Roach?" he asked. Roach jerked up, almost hitting his head on the low dirt ceiling.
"Nothing. What's the Thief Lord yammering on about, Dancer?"
The bandit shrugged, his clothes rippling. "Som'tin bout a statue 'e wants offa a building. I'd hurry, mate, this ain't gonna be easy to explain if you're late for him."
Roach stood up, checking his wrist knives. The Thief Lord was not to be trifled with, nor ignored. Stepping out of the den, he nodded at Dancer. "Where's the rest of the Lightnings?"
Dancer gesticulated towards the market area, about a good stone-throw away. "Nicking a few goods. Alleycat and Slug were pickpocketing, then moved over to the market. I wuz gonna join them, but the Lord wanted you first."
Roach nodded, rechecking his blades. "Good." He turned, then darted up a cloth souk shop which was empty and onto the roof of the building his den was under. Stealthily, he slipped behind the jutting wall and dropped. Cautiously, he repeated this with other buildings, until he reached the designated structure. Flitting through the broken door, he straightened and opened the door to his left.
It creaked open, and a commanding voice sounded. "Come in."
A few chairs, and an old easy chair was being occupied. Roach bowed, his head nearly touching his knees. "Yes, Lord?"
The chair swerved around, and a figure clad in a dark cloak and hood stared back at the bowing youth. "Roach, is it?"
"Yes, milord," the thief murmured.
The head nodded. "Yes, it is. Roach, I have a job for you. The mayor from Summersea is coming in soon, a day or so, and bringing much wealth too, I imagine. I am assuming that his stay will be long enough for my best pickpocket to well... pickpocket?"
Roach was almost shaking with ecstasy. "When do I begin, Lord?"
The hooded leader nodded out the window. "In two days time, my thief. He will have settled in by then." The figure stood up, his cloak rustling softly. "Do not fail me."
Roach bowed, backing out of the room. "Yes sir." He kept bowing until he was out of the Thief Lord's sight, then ran back to his gang.
~~~~~~~~
Roach met his gang back at the den. Sliding down the hole, he saw the rest of his gang, numbering about a score, eating some obviously stolen food. Viper, one of his gang mates, stood up and handed a chunk of meat- Roach couldn't tell what- and said, "So? The Lord didn't bite off your head?"
Roach shook his head, his cropped hair shifting. "Nope. Offered me a job nicking the Money-bag that's coming in Sotat."
Viper sat down again, the blue cloth wrapped around his right arm straining from the movement. "Hmph, more Bags coming in. More pickings for us, I suppose."
Roach took a huge bite of the meat- most likely lamb or mutton. Chewing with satisfaction, he asked, "So, how go the market nickings?"
Slug, another member of the Lightnings, held up a woven bandanna, blue and red, grinning. "Nicked off a weaving stall. Bag was looking the other way. Chufflebrain." He tied it around his head, but the leader of the gang, Swift, shoved it back in Slug's hands again.
"Did you have your eyes shut while around the market today, Slug? The Scars have the same rag, it's their gang symbol!" he hissed. Sitting down again, he looked up again. "What's that, mates?"
Roach had finished his meat, and was inspecting his blades when he looked around for the cause of the question.
A thundering noise, like footsteps, sounded from above the den. Roach jumped out of the den, followed by Viper, Dancer, Alleycat, and the rest of the gang.
A gaggle of boys, about Roach's age, was laughing outside the hideout of the Lightnings. Roach distinctly heard one say, "our territory now." Roach hissed silently. They were on Lightnings territory!
Swift came out, crouching, and muttered, "Charge 'em quick, mates, and be like lightning!" He hurtled himself at the throng of about fifteen boys, and stabbed a knife in the closest person. He slumped, and the rest of the gang looked around, and saw Swift.
"Now!" yelled the gang leader. The rest of the Lightnings came out, thrusting knives, other blades and clubs made from gnarled tree limbs.
Roach found himself facing a tough, tall, and lean thief, his dagger drawn. The taller of the two leapt at Roach, lunging forward. Roach wryly twisted his mouth, and neatly dodged, plunging his twin daggers into the attacker. The attacker collapsed. Roach stole the dead bandit's knife- it was a good one, especially since Roach's blood wasn't on it.
Satisfied, he whirled around, to find the rest of the intruding gang except for a single member, who was being held by two rather large members of Roach's gang, dead. The Lightnings were stripping the dead of weapons and valuable items. Roach eyed his new dagger, then nodded towards the captive. "What was the name of your gang?"
The thief spat on the ground. Swift came up to the prisoner, and asked menacingly, "What was your gang," Roach mentally winced at the words his gang leader used to address the hostage.
The thief swallowed- Swift was tough and mean looking. "The Bonecutters."
Swift nodded, then quickly slew the prisoner. "Last thing you ever said."
A/N How was the first chappie? Nice? Should I continue? I mean, this could be a small, basic look into what Briar's life was like... Please review! -Shadowsong CometShard StarGlaive
P.S By the way, I post and type on two different computers. I type on my laptop (well, my mom's but same difference, she never uses it) and the family computer. It takes a while to transfer the story on a disk, then transfer it onto my computer, then upload it on here. So please be patient!
Roach was squatting down in his den, smoothing some moss down with his dirty hand. He lifted his hand slowly, letting the sunlight filter down onto the fuzzy fungus. He was about to stroke it again when a uneducated voice rang out from the den entrance.
"'Ey, Roach! Thief Lord wants ya!" His friend, Dancer, peered down into the musty den. His sharp eyes didn't miss a thing, like his nimble feet. Dancer noticed Roach hastily moving a hand over the patch of moss.
"What's that, Roach?" he asked. Roach jerked up, almost hitting his head on the low dirt ceiling.
"Nothing. What's the Thief Lord yammering on about, Dancer?"
The bandit shrugged, his clothes rippling. "Som'tin bout a statue 'e wants offa a building. I'd hurry, mate, this ain't gonna be easy to explain if you're late for him."
Roach stood up, checking his wrist knives. The Thief Lord was not to be trifled with, nor ignored. Stepping out of the den, he nodded at Dancer. "Where's the rest of the Lightnings?"
Dancer gesticulated towards the market area, about a good stone-throw away. "Nicking a few goods. Alleycat and Slug were pickpocketing, then moved over to the market. I wuz gonna join them, but the Lord wanted you first."
Roach nodded, rechecking his blades. "Good." He turned, then darted up a cloth souk shop which was empty and onto the roof of the building his den was under. Stealthily, he slipped behind the jutting wall and dropped. Cautiously, he repeated this with other buildings, until he reached the designated structure. Flitting through the broken door, he straightened and opened the door to his left.
It creaked open, and a commanding voice sounded. "Come in."
A few chairs, and an old easy chair was being occupied. Roach bowed, his head nearly touching his knees. "Yes, Lord?"
The chair swerved around, and a figure clad in a dark cloak and hood stared back at the bowing youth. "Roach, is it?"
"Yes, milord," the thief murmured.
The head nodded. "Yes, it is. Roach, I have a job for you. The mayor from Summersea is coming in soon, a day or so, and bringing much wealth too, I imagine. I am assuming that his stay will be long enough for my best pickpocket to well... pickpocket?"
Roach was almost shaking with ecstasy. "When do I begin, Lord?"
The hooded leader nodded out the window. "In two days time, my thief. He will have settled in by then." The figure stood up, his cloak rustling softly. "Do not fail me."
Roach bowed, backing out of the room. "Yes sir." He kept bowing until he was out of the Thief Lord's sight, then ran back to his gang.
~~~~~~~~
Roach met his gang back at the den. Sliding down the hole, he saw the rest of his gang, numbering about a score, eating some obviously stolen food. Viper, one of his gang mates, stood up and handed a chunk of meat- Roach couldn't tell what- and said, "So? The Lord didn't bite off your head?"
Roach shook his head, his cropped hair shifting. "Nope. Offered me a job nicking the Money-bag that's coming in Sotat."
Viper sat down again, the blue cloth wrapped around his right arm straining from the movement. "Hmph, more Bags coming in. More pickings for us, I suppose."
Roach took a huge bite of the meat- most likely lamb or mutton. Chewing with satisfaction, he asked, "So, how go the market nickings?"
Slug, another member of the Lightnings, held up a woven bandanna, blue and red, grinning. "Nicked off a weaving stall. Bag was looking the other way. Chufflebrain." He tied it around his head, but the leader of the gang, Swift, shoved it back in Slug's hands again.
"Did you have your eyes shut while around the market today, Slug? The Scars have the same rag, it's their gang symbol!" he hissed. Sitting down again, he looked up again. "What's that, mates?"
Roach had finished his meat, and was inspecting his blades when he looked around for the cause of the question.
A thundering noise, like footsteps, sounded from above the den. Roach jumped out of the den, followed by Viper, Dancer, Alleycat, and the rest of the gang.
A gaggle of boys, about Roach's age, was laughing outside the hideout of the Lightnings. Roach distinctly heard one say, "our territory now." Roach hissed silently. They were on Lightnings territory!
Swift came out, crouching, and muttered, "Charge 'em quick, mates, and be like lightning!" He hurtled himself at the throng of about fifteen boys, and stabbed a knife in the closest person. He slumped, and the rest of the gang looked around, and saw Swift.
"Now!" yelled the gang leader. The rest of the Lightnings came out, thrusting knives, other blades and clubs made from gnarled tree limbs.
Roach found himself facing a tough, tall, and lean thief, his dagger drawn. The taller of the two leapt at Roach, lunging forward. Roach wryly twisted his mouth, and neatly dodged, plunging his twin daggers into the attacker. The attacker collapsed. Roach stole the dead bandit's knife- it was a good one, especially since Roach's blood wasn't on it.
Satisfied, he whirled around, to find the rest of the intruding gang except for a single member, who was being held by two rather large members of Roach's gang, dead. The Lightnings were stripping the dead of weapons and valuable items. Roach eyed his new dagger, then nodded towards the captive. "What was the name of your gang?"
The thief spat on the ground. Swift came up to the prisoner, and asked menacingly, "What was your gang," Roach mentally winced at the words his gang leader used to address the hostage.
The thief swallowed- Swift was tough and mean looking. "The Bonecutters."
Swift nodded, then quickly slew the prisoner. "Last thing you ever said."
A/N How was the first chappie? Nice? Should I continue? I mean, this could be a small, basic look into what Briar's life was like... Please review! -Shadowsong CometShard StarGlaive
P.S By the way, I post and type on two different computers. I type on my laptop (well, my mom's but same difference, she never uses it) and the family computer. It takes a while to transfer the story on a disk, then transfer it onto my computer, then upload it on here. So please be patient!