Chapter III

Esperol watched his younger brothers for a moment as they walked further into the shrew camp, shaking his head and wondering how it could be possible that his father had raised such softheaded fools.

While they are busy fattening their bellies and dreaming of some far off land I spend my days earning my birthright, he thought as he checked to be certain all his archers had full quivers.

This is why I am the one father will choose as the New Log-a-log he reasoned as he sharpened his rapier and walked toward the Watchtower where his brother was supposed to be handling morning guard.

Instead of spotting his brother however Esperol only saw an empty nest atop the oak and he used his reed staff to wrap against the hollowed Watchtower, causing his brother to jump up and almost fall out to the ground.

Alfoh looked down, his face plastered with fresh kisses from his girlfriend and waved happily toward Esperol. The eldest shrew only glared in return as he commanded, "Get your sorry tail down here now!"

Alfoh and his girlfriend, a pretty young shrew maid named Ciana rushed to the bottom of the tower, trembling in fear of the punishment Esperol might give them. But instead he merely whacked his brother on the head before snarling, "What is the point of being a guard if you are too busy smooching?"

"Sorry brother, it won't happen again," Alfoh answered to which he nodded as he looked toward the maid and said, "You are Lucky I don't report you both. A horde of wildcats could have besieged us all!"

Alfoh tried to resist a laugh causing Esperol to glare at him and snarl, "And what prey tell brother is so funny?"

"Brother you have to realize that we haven't had any trouble with raiders or vermin for seasons now! Not since the days of the early Guosim!" Alfoh answered back.

"And I suppose you think all the vermin gave up and tucked in their tails to flee to the lands of ice and snow?" The burly shrew snarled as he whacked his brother on the head again.

"It's my fault Esperol, I kept him from his duties," Ciana said in a guilty tone. She placed her head down to be berated as well but the male knew better than to irk His brother into a fight. Nothing made Alfoh more furious than when his damsel was in distress he realized.

"There is enough fault on both of you. Now go enjoy the breakfast and try to avoid this in the coming days," Esperol snapped, swaying his rapier for them to run off like frightened pups.

His first archer, a stout shrew named Keldan snickered at the young couple and remarked, "Young Love will get ye in trubble every tim Esp'r."

The burly shrew in charge of the patrol raised his nose up and scoffed, gesturing for his archers to follow him toward Mossflower. "We've already wasted half the sunrise!" He bellowed as they marched out of the tribe territory.

XXXXXXX

The Guosssom patrol was a fairly straightforward job in of itself if the shrews who took up the task were familiar with the lay of the land. For Esperol, he had been amongst the tall grass, wild barley and thick forests of Mossflower since he had been a dibbun so he could easily trek thru the winding paths without even having to pause or look back.

The others on this patrol were still mostly wet behind the ears, using maps made either by their ancestors or traded for olive bread and turnip cheese to moles that lived a tad north of their borders. Either way, the routine would be embedded in their minds by the time the season was out, the burly shrew reasoned as he followed the Great South Stream toward the first branching tributary.

Since it was the first of a new season, the eldest shrew of Log-a-log knew the first task would be to check the traps that were hidden among the thick wetlands on their south border, so he raised his paw and gestured for the archers to circle the main group of warriors while he and first command, Kelden; looked at the pits that had been dug up last spring.

Since the summer had been especially harsh, none of them had been checked and Esperol knew that if any vermin had been foolhardy enough to come close to the territory of the Guosssom, it would be their last fatal mistake. The pits had been dug deep by young and strong shrews with moles to help when the bickering started or they needed guidance with a particularly nasty plot of soil. So any who fell into them over the summer will be rotting bones now, he thought as he moved toward the first trap.

Covered with branches of pine and mossy residue, it appeared that nothing had settled near this particular pit and he frowned in disappointment gesturing for his archers to follow him toward the west.

"We'll cross where the stream is shallow toward Ninian's. There are a few deeper valleys amid the hills of the forest there, perfect lairs for marauders," he told them all as he glanced toward his first archer who was devouring a bite of their turnip cheese and celery bread.

Snatching it out of Kelden's paws, the eldest shrew glared at him and remarked gruffly, "Do I have to treat you all like babes? This food is for our luncheon! Imagine how easily the enemy could come upon us if you were lethargic by mid morning!"

"Sorry Esp'r," the stout older shrew said as he wiped his paws and followed the group toward the stream once more.

Thanks to the especially dry summer heat, portions of the stream that they normally had to use log boats to cross now could be traversed by foot so Esperol led the way to the western hills of Mossflower, his eyes ever searching the surrounding treetops for signs of raiders.

Even birds have been known to be violent after long bouts without vittles, he reasoned as he heard the faint cry of a lark in the distance.

Again he raised his paw to halt the archers as he listened intently to the woods, realizing that there was in fact something rustling above and he snarled, "Archers! At attention!"

Kelden was hastily by his side as the other shrews heeded his warning and the aged shrew asked, "Yer ears are bet'r than mine Esp'r. What it be?"

"Rats, or lizards… maybe even skinks," he said worriedly as he grabbed a fistful of arrows and loaded his own bow.

All of the shrews looked about the canopy for any sign of the noise that Esperol had tuned in on, but for the moment none were quite certain where it was coming from. One thing was for certain though, they were being watched.

Another snap of a branch to his left made Kelden jump and fire an arrow aimlessly, causing the leader of the patrol to shake his head in wonderment. What ever happened to the strong shrews of the north tribe before we split off? Esperol listened intently as he tried to get a good look at who the spy might be, but still the creature evaded them, leaping from tree to tree without even a flicker of fur being detectable.

The eldest shrew raised his bow and drew back the string to aim toward the tree line, waiting and listening as the noise grew fainter and then stopped. The onlooker believed that they had chosen not to pursue. Again Esperol let an arrow fly, and this time the response came with the chunking of a stone.

"Over there!" he told his archers who all tried to target the elusive woodlander. Whoever this is has had quite some time to familiarize themselves with this forest, Esperol realized as he again prepared his own weapon and then let it sling out.

This time his aim was true as he heard a soft noise like a sharp yell and Kelden and the other shrew archers cheered excitedly when they heard something fall from the trees in the distance.

"Stay back, it might be dangerous," Esperol advised his warriors as he drew out his rapier and trudged thru muddy trickles of water toward where their spy had fallen. Searching amid the sticks and thick leaves, the shrew tried to find any evidence of their quarry and then paused overtop a small inclined hillside; his heart sinking.

There at the bottom of the hill lie the twisted body of a young squirrel, perhaps no older than Malen and instantly he realized they had mistook him for a vermin.

Running down the hill he looked at where the arrow had pierced the young squirrel's side, his mind racing as he tried to find some nearby moss or soft soil to tend to the wound. Why hadn't he alerted us to his presence in the first place? Esperol angrily thought as he struggled to remove the arrow, only to realize that by doing so the squirrel was bleeding out even more.

As he tried to determine what to do, the shrew recognized that the squirrel had little chance of surviving so he spared him the fate of a slow death and leaned forward, snapping the squirrel's neck with a quick twist.

He stood there for a moment, haunted by the mistake he had just made and removed the arrow, looking at the fresh blood he angrily tossed it aside toward the thick grass.

A clamor of feet approached from the east and he looked up to see his shrew archers arriving, each of them shocked by the scene of the fallen squirrel. Esperol soon realized though that none of them were aware of what had truly killed the young lad.

"The vermin got away and did this?" Kelden asked fearfully. Esperol looked toward his first archer, wondering how many others also believed this version of events and nodded grimly declaring, "Let us give the young lad a proper burial before we go."

A few of the younger patrol members tended to the body, lifting it from the inclined hill and found a small hollow near the base of a great pine to cover him.

Esperol listened as the shrews chanted a death song of mourning, one intended for a stranger and could not help but feel the sting of guilt as he wondered how much of the avenging dirge would apply to him.

O hills of Mossflower country,

They be filled with grief tonight.

For on this peaceful day,

A stranger found the light.

They didn't know the dangers

They didn't see the signs.

We did not know their name

Or any of their blood line.

They died afore we met em

They died before their prime.

Stranger, though we did not know ye

And though you met such a fate.

The Guosssom shrews will find the ones

Who killed ye before ye became great.

So watch your backs to those fiends,

Who would kill an innocent one!

The Guosssom shrews will never stop

Until your days too are done!