Hatred

By: biacebaolck

She clenched and unclenched both her paws and teeth. In front of her was wooden pole, made of cedar, tied at the top with strong rope. Again, she punched and kicked at the spot, but the pole refused to fall over.

"Uncle Emyrs!" she complained to her uncle, who, even though he couldn't see, could sense things. He sat on the lush green grass. "It's impossible! I'll never be able to make the pole fall over. It's too firmly stuck into the ground!" Her uncle only chuckled.

"Impossible? Young 'un, there's nay a thing impossible when you put your mind to it." He said. And with that, he stood up and walked towards the pole. Backlash automatically stepped back. She had nearly gotten seriously injured the last times she hadn't stepped back.

He gave the pole a good swift and powerful sidekick where the rope was and the pole wavered for a second. She held her breath, hoping it wouldn't land on her uncle, but there was no point in hoping. Her uncle leapt out of the way when the pole toppled over, turning into a million splinters when it reached the ground.

Emyrs grinned and sort of looked and not looked in her direction (well, he was blind…). "Is it impossible, young 'un?"

"Don't start bragging again." She said in a quiet voice. It was soft, quiet, calm…and dangerous… Not to mention, enough to scare the hell out of Emyrs, who had never been so scared in his life. "Uncle, if you start bragging again, I'll beat the heck out of you."

Emyrs chuckled. "You're very much like your dad, y'know. He never could take a joke." Backlash didn't know whether to be happy about it. All she remembered about her father was a black furred hare and the words, 'If it weren't for you, she'd be alive by now.' And…who was he so upset about? That was one problem she couldn't solve.

"Y'know, you sound like a male when you speak like that." He said, as an afterthought.

"Really?" she asked. She was a tomboy. Every dress her aunt had shown her, had told her she used to wear it, she made faces at them. She'd never be caught in a dress. Not on her life's honour.

She had learned to fight like a boy from Master Kagroo, learned to walk like a boy, imitating her uncle's walking whenever she could. Her uncle could sense this, but made no comment on it. He had already guessed what she was up to.

"You planning on going somewheres, young 'un?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "I'm planning on going to Death's Gate." Death's Gate was a place about a 6-day walk from the cottage. Like it's name, anybeast who came there met death's door, or, as it was known as, the Dark Forest Gate. The sentries at the gate of Death's Gate wouldn't allow females in. It was strictly a no female zone.

It was quite rare that anybeast could have been in Death's Gate for even a second and come out alive, having not even gone insane with terror. Rumour had it that those beasts that had gone into Death's Gate had never come out and were never seen, ever again.

Many beasts would have said it was impossible, but Emyrs was one of the few who had went in and survived, and had come out sane. Lash, Backlash's father, had gone in as well, and survived, just like his brother-in-law.

Lash was lucky, he had only a wound on his shoulder which Selena, Backlash's mother, had patched up. Emyrs was not as lucky. He had lost his sight, forever. He had never told anyone what had happened, and Lash was certainly not about to tell.

It seemed that Lash had promised Emyrs not to tell anyone, and once Lash had agreed on something, nothing could change his mind, not even the threat of death and/or torture unless he wished to do so of his own free will.

"Death's Gate?" he looked at her, and if he had eyes, they would have almost been bugging out (if he had eyes he would have looked like he was in disbelief which he was). "Are you crazy, young 'un? Don't y'know that beasts had gone into Death's Gate and they've never come back?"

"I know. And that's why I'm going." She noticed the confused look on his face. "I want to find out why beasts are disappearing just by walking in the area. All the beasts that have went in were warriors, highly trained ones too. Don't give me that look." She added suddenly, seeing Emyrs's attempted innocent look. "You were the one who told me all about the warriors!"

"You know me too well, young 'un." He admitted. "I suppose I can't stop you from going?" She shook her head, determined. "Fine. But you'll have to train hard. Remember, hatred can keep you going, but if you attack in anger, your attack will be off target and by using up all your strength in one attack, the opponent will have a better chance and not to mention an advantage of finishing you off."

"Got it." Replied Backlash, the same determined look her father once had, in her eyes. "I won't forget. Don't use hatred often. I can remember that." She walked off, but not before she selected another wooden pole from the pile of poles.

Emyrs smiled behind his paw. "Good luck, young 'un." He whispered as she began to stick the pole in the ground, this time, in harder ground. She was about 20 paces away, but he didn't want to chance her hearing him. She had her father's good hearing.

He then spoke at a normal volume. "Remember what I've said, young 'un. You'll need it. Or else, you'll have someone sacrificing something of theirs for you, like how I sacrificed my eyesight for your father's life. Don't make hasty mistakes. Live what you learn from both Rhia and I, and you'll be safe. Don't give up."

"I know!" she yelled back, mostly in annoyance, after giving the pole a few kicks and punches before it toppled over. Her uncle had said this speech one too many times. Little did she know that this advice would be needed in the future, or else she would lose a close friend, forever.

"Hatred." She whispered, sitting on a large stone. She looked up at the stars in the sky. "You were full of that when I was named, weren't you, father? That caused your downfall and mostly the death of my mother." Backlash felt a little better, blaming it on her father.

"Don't worry, mother." She whispered again. "I won't let you down. I promise." A star in the sky twinkled as though it was her mother, hearing her and Backlash laughed her one of a kind, beautiful and unique laugh. Every beast in range of hearing her laugh knew it was her laugh and felt joyful and happy no matter what emotion they had felt before.

Backlash was a unique haremaid, and a good friend to all of them. Her bond with them would stay forever, even when they went to the Dark Forest Gates.

Author's note: Guess what! On January 3, 2006, I get to go to Laser Quest for my cousin's birthday party! (waves a little Canada flag and throws confetti into the air) Yay! That means, I'll get first hand experience on how to self-teach myself to be an expert at stealth and that means I can turn Backlash into one too! YAY!

Thanks for reviewing for every of the past chapters, Toobil Streamdiver! And you other readers out there review! Or else I won't update this story as fast as I normally would and I'll start working on another one and Toobil Streamdiver will be so disappointed. I don't like making people disappointed…