Thank you so much for all your replies! It's motivating me a lot!
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Chapter Sixteen: Expect the Unexpected
"'s not fair! How does the Queen expect us to take over their headquarters while they're in it? Crazy, if y'ask me!"
Brogg whirled around, his eyes roving across the army. "Sharrup, d'you hear! If Milady says it's possible, then it is!"
He couldn't see the speaker, so he contented himself on yelling insults to the stragglers.
But even he knew it was almost suicide to catch the woodlanders in their own headquarters. And if he disobeyed....
Either way, he thought, he would probably die. He figured he would rather die by the woodlanders than his own mistress.
But what Brogg /didn't/ know, was that Brockhall was almost deserted. The Corim had not yet returned.
"Whew, that was a good battle, eh, Bella?"
The large badger kept walking, not sure how she felt. "Yes, it was a good battle, although I feel terrible for Martin."
Rowanoak nodded. "Ah, his sword. Maybe somebeast could fix it?"
Bella shook her head. "Alas, no beast I know of could fix it except..." Bella's eyes grew wide. "Of course! And they're traveling in that direction!"
Ballaw stiffened his ears indignantly. "Well, don't be on all day about it, wot? Tell us sometime before we jolly well perish of suspense."
Bella ignored Ballaw. "Salamandastron. They're traveling that way."
Friltip wrinkled his nose. "Salacawhat?"
"Salamandastron. Where Boar the Fighter is. They're traveling west, they should eventually come to Salamandastron! Then Martin can get Boar to fix his sword...and oh! And bring Boar to Mossflower and get rid of Tsarmina... it all fits!"
Rowanoak's eyes widen. "Boar? My father? Oh, I would really like to meet him!"
Bella and Rowanoak laughed and danced around like two little dibbuns.
Skipper shook his head, smiling. "Those two mus' be very happy, never seen Bella dance like that in seasons!"
Ballaw squinted. "Nor Rowanoak either, wot. 'cept for the time when we performed for those fat old molechaps, Rowanoak insisted on switching with Gauchee. Thought it would get their bally attention."
Trefoil looked around nervously. "Hey, it's getting dark, d'ya think we should be getting back to Brockhall soon?"
Amber replied, "Well, I doubt we could make it before it gets dark, but still, we should try to cover as much ground as we can while we can still see. When the sun goes down, we're all going to be tripping over one another and such."
Celandine the beautiful but vain squirrelmaid shuddered. "Ugh! What a horrid thing to think about, it'd ruin my dress!"
Ballaw sighed resignedly. "Same old Celandine, wot. Never changed a bally bit since... forever."
Kastern looked around. "Hey, where's Chibb?"
"After the battle, he flew back to Brockhall to bring the rest the good news. He's probably stuffing his beak of chesnuts now."
"Aye, sounds like Chibb alright."
"Or Gonff."
"Haha, yes, wasn't thinking of Gonff."
"Ha, look who's talking Skip."
"Who, me? I'm not a glutton!"
"You ate up all that hotroot soup yesterday."
"Ah, but Bula and Root helped me. In fact, they took more than I did. I'm still skinny as a pole."
"Hey, we heard that Skip."
"Yeah, and sucking in that great stomach of yours doesn't help much, matey!"
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Argulor was back from hunting.
He had not been very successful, unless you call a small frilled lizard successful. He had flown back to his nest near Kotir to see if he could catch a glimpse of that pine marten, or even luckier, eat the pine marten, which he constantly dreamed of what it tasted like. He swooped and landed in his nest. He looked down, where the forest of Mossflower began from Kotir. How strange; a large command of Kotir soldiers were heading into the forest. The hunting eagle eagerly looked to the front of the procession. No, it was the dim-witted weasel captain Brogg, the pine marten was probably in Kotir.
Argulor looked to the other side of his tree. Unusual! Those woodlanders were heading in the same direction as the soldiers, though it was plain neither could see each other.
The eagle looked forward to where the two enemies would meet if they kept going straight forward.
Oh, Argulor thought, it was the large tree where the woodlanders lived, the one called Brockhall.
He settled deeper into his nest. Since the pine marten wasn't out, he decided to take a little nap. Tsarmina's crazy little schemes were none of his concern.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Brogg's and Ratflank's command of soldiers were now dangerously close to Brockhall, just a couple stone-throws away, yet the Corim and Noonvale warriors were still quite a large distance away.
Brogg had decided to split the patrol. "Ratflank. You take half, and go that way, off t'the left here, an' I'll take the remaining soldiers an' keep going straight. Give a signal if you find something suspicious."
"Right, Brogg, whatever you say, matey." Ratflank grinned and led his patrol over to the west.
Brogg ignored the jibe and yelled out orders, knowing that Ratflank and he were not exactly "mateys".
"Get a move on, you lazy lot, or I'll make sure Lady Tsarmina will tan your hides!"
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Argulor opened his eyes sleepily at some disturbance near his tree. That stoat, Ratflank, was leading some soldiers to the left.
Directly head-on into the returning Brockhall defenders.
The ancient eagle turned and paid no heed to what he knew what was going to happen from his bird-eye's view. As long as the pine marten wasn't involved, neither was he.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Ratflank enjoyed being a Captain. Well, how many out of Kotir's vast horde got to be a Captain, enjoying the privilege of bossing around other soldiers and devouring extra rations.
He smiled nastily at some stragglers in his group, and beat them on the back with his spear, and turning so that the twirl of his Captain's cloak was very much in evidence.
He knew Tsarmina Greeneyes was crazy. She was going insane, the determination to finish off the gentle woodlanders was all going to her head. And plus, she was keeping the rations to herself. The stoat could not help another smirk. It was he who kept calling out from the horde and insulting the Queen. She would never know who it was, and he was a Captain.
Life couldn't get any better. In fact, it got worse.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Friltip looked nervously around him, his teeth chattering. "I-I-I'm s- scared! It's v-v-very d-d-dark out h-h-here!"
Trefoil herself was feeling a bit uneasy, but took it upon herself to chide Friltip. "Ah, quiet now, ye little rip. With any luck we should get back to Brockhall soon."
Lady Amber sniffed the air, uneasiness building within her too. "Aye, back soon, I suppose. What do you think Skip?"
The Skipper of Otters followed Amber's ruse and peered into the darkness, pretending to look for signs of Brockhall, but really checking for somebeast's else's prescence.
"Not sure 'bout that, matey, I'm not really sure, but I think we've lost the way."
Everybeast groaned, though Amber looked alert and slowly drew her bow and arrow. "Oh Skip, I'm sure we'll find the way."
"Ah, you're right there again, matey, but how long twill it take us?"
Friltip was busy trying to exterminate his fear of the dark when he bumped into something. The thing was moving, then stood still, obviously just as surprised as he was. The young hog reached up and felt, nervousness slowly seeping in him. It was long and hard. He gasped. It was a spear. And not only that, somebeast was iholding/i the spear!
The poor young hedgehog screamed at the top of his lungs, and ran about, flailing his arms, running smack bang into one of the otters, who yelled as Friltip's sharp little spines dug in his fur.
Ratflank, who now realized that the woodlanders were out here, and not at Brockhall, shouted urgent orders to his command of soldiers. "Quick! These are the woodlanders! Kill them all!!! KIIIIIILLLL THEEEEEEEEMMMM AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
The ten-score of vermin from Kotir yelled at the top of their lungs, victory in their grasp at last. They charged the woodlanders, who defended the best they could.
Trefoil now understood what Skipper and Amber were talking about before the start of the battle. She whacked a weasel over the head with her loaded sling as she called to Skipper, "So, does it still look very likely we're going to get back to Brockhall, eh Skip?"
To her surprise, the Chieftain of Otters just laughed, twirling his spear around, catching a rat in the stomach and another creeping up behind Friltip. "Bless yer liddle 'eart, missie, o'course we're gonna get back. We just gotta find the right way first."
The squirrel narrowed her eyes and laid a ferret unconcious. "Very funny, Skip, very funny."
Skipper just grinned and loosed off a stone at the back of the Kotir ranks.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Brogg heard the commotion, and sent two scouts to see what was going on. They came back some time later excited and breathless.
"Ratflank an' 'is command are fightin' with the woodlanders!"
"Aye, which means their not in their 'eadquarters! It's empty!"
"Yeah! An' Wilky 'ere found it! Where they've been stayin'!"
Brogg looked excited, his dull features lighting up. "Great! Common, you lot, let's got movin'! Wilkear, where did you say it is?"
The rat Wilkear was nearly hopping up and down with excitement. "'Tis over there! It's some giant tree, wi' a door in the middle! I saw an 'edgehog peek out of it!"
Brogg patted the rat scout heartily on the back. "Great work, mate, I'll see to it that you're a Captain for this, now let's go!"
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
*puts her hands up to her mouth* Oh my goodness, what happens next? Heeheehee, only I know!!!! You must reply if you want to know what happens next! MWAHAHAHAAA!!! Sorry, I'm feeling extremely hyper right now, I have a cultural dance going in a few minutes.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Chapter Sixteen: Expect the Unexpected
"'s not fair! How does the Queen expect us to take over their headquarters while they're in it? Crazy, if y'ask me!"
Brogg whirled around, his eyes roving across the army. "Sharrup, d'you hear! If Milady says it's possible, then it is!"
He couldn't see the speaker, so he contented himself on yelling insults to the stragglers.
But even he knew it was almost suicide to catch the woodlanders in their own headquarters. And if he disobeyed....
Either way, he thought, he would probably die. He figured he would rather die by the woodlanders than his own mistress.
But what Brogg /didn't/ know, was that Brockhall was almost deserted. The Corim had not yet returned.
"Whew, that was a good battle, eh, Bella?"
The large badger kept walking, not sure how she felt. "Yes, it was a good battle, although I feel terrible for Martin."
Rowanoak nodded. "Ah, his sword. Maybe somebeast could fix it?"
Bella shook her head. "Alas, no beast I know of could fix it except..." Bella's eyes grew wide. "Of course! And they're traveling in that direction!"
Ballaw stiffened his ears indignantly. "Well, don't be on all day about it, wot? Tell us sometime before we jolly well perish of suspense."
Bella ignored Ballaw. "Salamandastron. They're traveling that way."
Friltip wrinkled his nose. "Salacawhat?"
"Salamandastron. Where Boar the Fighter is. They're traveling west, they should eventually come to Salamandastron! Then Martin can get Boar to fix his sword...and oh! And bring Boar to Mossflower and get rid of Tsarmina... it all fits!"
Rowanoak's eyes widen. "Boar? My father? Oh, I would really like to meet him!"
Bella and Rowanoak laughed and danced around like two little dibbuns.
Skipper shook his head, smiling. "Those two mus' be very happy, never seen Bella dance like that in seasons!"
Ballaw squinted. "Nor Rowanoak either, wot. 'cept for the time when we performed for those fat old molechaps, Rowanoak insisted on switching with Gauchee. Thought it would get their bally attention."
Trefoil looked around nervously. "Hey, it's getting dark, d'ya think we should be getting back to Brockhall soon?"
Amber replied, "Well, I doubt we could make it before it gets dark, but still, we should try to cover as much ground as we can while we can still see. When the sun goes down, we're all going to be tripping over one another and such."
Celandine the beautiful but vain squirrelmaid shuddered. "Ugh! What a horrid thing to think about, it'd ruin my dress!"
Ballaw sighed resignedly. "Same old Celandine, wot. Never changed a bally bit since... forever."
Kastern looked around. "Hey, where's Chibb?"
"After the battle, he flew back to Brockhall to bring the rest the good news. He's probably stuffing his beak of chesnuts now."
"Aye, sounds like Chibb alright."
"Or Gonff."
"Haha, yes, wasn't thinking of Gonff."
"Ha, look who's talking Skip."
"Who, me? I'm not a glutton!"
"You ate up all that hotroot soup yesterday."
"Ah, but Bula and Root helped me. In fact, they took more than I did. I'm still skinny as a pole."
"Hey, we heard that Skip."
"Yeah, and sucking in that great stomach of yours doesn't help much, matey!"
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Argulor was back from hunting.
He had not been very successful, unless you call a small frilled lizard successful. He had flown back to his nest near Kotir to see if he could catch a glimpse of that pine marten, or even luckier, eat the pine marten, which he constantly dreamed of what it tasted like. He swooped and landed in his nest. He looked down, where the forest of Mossflower began from Kotir. How strange; a large command of Kotir soldiers were heading into the forest. The hunting eagle eagerly looked to the front of the procession. No, it was the dim-witted weasel captain Brogg, the pine marten was probably in Kotir.
Argulor looked to the other side of his tree. Unusual! Those woodlanders were heading in the same direction as the soldiers, though it was plain neither could see each other.
The eagle looked forward to where the two enemies would meet if they kept going straight forward.
Oh, Argulor thought, it was the large tree where the woodlanders lived, the one called Brockhall.
He settled deeper into his nest. Since the pine marten wasn't out, he decided to take a little nap. Tsarmina's crazy little schemes were none of his concern.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Brogg's and Ratflank's command of soldiers were now dangerously close to Brockhall, just a couple stone-throws away, yet the Corim and Noonvale warriors were still quite a large distance away.
Brogg had decided to split the patrol. "Ratflank. You take half, and go that way, off t'the left here, an' I'll take the remaining soldiers an' keep going straight. Give a signal if you find something suspicious."
"Right, Brogg, whatever you say, matey." Ratflank grinned and led his patrol over to the west.
Brogg ignored the jibe and yelled out orders, knowing that Ratflank and he were not exactly "mateys".
"Get a move on, you lazy lot, or I'll make sure Lady Tsarmina will tan your hides!"
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Argulor opened his eyes sleepily at some disturbance near his tree. That stoat, Ratflank, was leading some soldiers to the left.
Directly head-on into the returning Brockhall defenders.
The ancient eagle turned and paid no heed to what he knew what was going to happen from his bird-eye's view. As long as the pine marten wasn't involved, neither was he.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Ratflank enjoyed being a Captain. Well, how many out of Kotir's vast horde got to be a Captain, enjoying the privilege of bossing around other soldiers and devouring extra rations.
He smiled nastily at some stragglers in his group, and beat them on the back with his spear, and turning so that the twirl of his Captain's cloak was very much in evidence.
He knew Tsarmina Greeneyes was crazy. She was going insane, the determination to finish off the gentle woodlanders was all going to her head. And plus, she was keeping the rations to herself. The stoat could not help another smirk. It was he who kept calling out from the horde and insulting the Queen. She would never know who it was, and he was a Captain.
Life couldn't get any better. In fact, it got worse.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Friltip looked nervously around him, his teeth chattering. "I-I-I'm s- scared! It's v-v-very d-d-dark out h-h-here!"
Trefoil herself was feeling a bit uneasy, but took it upon herself to chide Friltip. "Ah, quiet now, ye little rip. With any luck we should get back to Brockhall soon."
Lady Amber sniffed the air, uneasiness building within her too. "Aye, back soon, I suppose. What do you think Skip?"
The Skipper of Otters followed Amber's ruse and peered into the darkness, pretending to look for signs of Brockhall, but really checking for somebeast's else's prescence.
"Not sure 'bout that, matey, I'm not really sure, but I think we've lost the way."
Everybeast groaned, though Amber looked alert and slowly drew her bow and arrow. "Oh Skip, I'm sure we'll find the way."
"Ah, you're right there again, matey, but how long twill it take us?"
Friltip was busy trying to exterminate his fear of the dark when he bumped into something. The thing was moving, then stood still, obviously just as surprised as he was. The young hog reached up and felt, nervousness slowly seeping in him. It was long and hard. He gasped. It was a spear. And not only that, somebeast was iholding/i the spear!
The poor young hedgehog screamed at the top of his lungs, and ran about, flailing his arms, running smack bang into one of the otters, who yelled as Friltip's sharp little spines dug in his fur.
Ratflank, who now realized that the woodlanders were out here, and not at Brockhall, shouted urgent orders to his command of soldiers. "Quick! These are the woodlanders! Kill them all!!! KIIIIIILLLL THEEEEEEEEMMMM AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
The ten-score of vermin from Kotir yelled at the top of their lungs, victory in their grasp at last. They charged the woodlanders, who defended the best they could.
Trefoil now understood what Skipper and Amber were talking about before the start of the battle. She whacked a weasel over the head with her loaded sling as she called to Skipper, "So, does it still look very likely we're going to get back to Brockhall, eh Skip?"
To her surprise, the Chieftain of Otters just laughed, twirling his spear around, catching a rat in the stomach and another creeping up behind Friltip. "Bless yer liddle 'eart, missie, o'course we're gonna get back. We just gotta find the right way first."
The squirrel narrowed her eyes and laid a ferret unconcious. "Very funny, Skip, very funny."
Skipper just grinned and loosed off a stone at the back of the Kotir ranks.
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
Brogg heard the commotion, and sent two scouts to see what was going on. They came back some time later excited and breathless.
"Ratflank an' 'is command are fightin' with the woodlanders!"
"Aye, which means their not in their 'eadquarters! It's empty!"
"Yeah! An' Wilky 'ere found it! Where they've been stayin'!"
Brogg looked excited, his dull features lighting up. "Great! Common, you lot, let's got movin'! Wilkear, where did you say it is?"
The rat Wilkear was nearly hopping up and down with excitement. "'Tis over there! It's some giant tree, wi' a door in the middle! I saw an 'edgehog peek out of it!"
Brogg patted the rat scout heartily on the back. "Great work, mate, I'll see to it that you're a Captain for this, now let's go!"
`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`,.'`.,'`,.' `,.'`.,'`,.'`.,'`,.'
*puts her hands up to her mouth* Oh my goodness, what happens next? Heeheehee, only I know!!!! You must reply if you want to know what happens next! MWAHAHAHAAA!!! Sorry, I'm feeling extremely hyper right now, I have a cultural dance going in a few minutes.