As a warning... the lore does use some AI... you have been warned...

The History of Oykiya (The Old World)

Oykiya was not just a continent—it was the cradle of all life, the birthplace of magic, and the stage upon which the gods themselves seemed to have waged their own battle. Its skies were once filled with the howls of wolves, the calls of proud cats, and the sharp yips of foxes—each imbued with the power to shape the world around them. Magic flowed as freely as the rivers themselves, and no one could have foreseen the cataclysm that would tear the continent asunder.

Then, Icetooth was born—a wolf of such strength and cunning that the earth trembled at his first steps. His rise to power was unstoppable. It was not enough to conquer the known world. He exiled those who lacked magic to the furthest reaches of the earth, forcing them into forgotten lands, forgotten lives. For millennia, Icetooth's iron rule held sway, and the world was forced to kneel before him. But nothing, not even the most ruthless conqueror, could escape the grasp of time.

When Icetooth finally died, the world shattered. What was once a unified empire splintered into countless warlords and factions, each vying for dominance in the wake of his passing. Two thousand years of conflict followed until the nations of Oykiya coalesced once more, forming eight great powers, each as unpredictable as the magic that once gave them birth.

Section 1: The State of Välma

State Anthem: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (Instrumental)

Leader: Thin Ice Toanak

Beneath the towering shadow of Icetooth, Välma was a marvel of industrial prowess—a land of steel, magic, and ruthless ambition. Yet, the death of Icetooth left Välma a scarred and broken kingdom, fractured under the weight of centuries of war.

Now, in 2074 A.I.T., Välma teeters on the brink of annihilation. Thin Ice, the wolf-descendant ruler, is a diplomat, a survivor, and a master of conversation. He restored his people from the ashes, negotiating alliances with an uncanny precision. But the recent expansion of enemy territories has turned the nation into a powder keg, and Thin Ice's enemies grow bolder by the day. His rule, once secure, now faces assassination attempts from within his own bloodline.

Section 2: Fallen Destiny

State Anthem: “Drum Bum”

Leader: Queen Fallen Leaves the 1st

The land of Fallen Destiny, once ruled by the absolute power of its queen, is now a place of uncertainty. Under Icetooth's rule, the nation thrived—its navy unmatched, its economy controlled by a rigid caste system that reinforced the queen's divine right to rule. Under Queen Fallen Leaves, the fear of dissent is tangible; criticism was punished with the sword, and revolution was a word too dangerous to speak.

But now, in the face of mounting border skirmishes, cracks are appearing in the foundation. The queen, once an unyielding figure of authority, has softened—perhaps too much. Some speak of a return to the old ways, to the strict and oppressive rule that once kept order. Others whisper of an alliance with Välma, though such a pact would be anathema to everything the nation once stood for.

As tensions rise, betrayal lurks in the shadows. Is there a traitor in the queen's inner circle, or is the nation’s descent into chaos inevitable? With the looming threat of Blizzardtail’s growing empire, Fallen Destiny is torn between survival and its own identity. Will the monarchy hold, or will it crumble under the weight of its past sins?

Section 3: The Chiefdom of Oykiya

State Anthem: “Farewell of Slavankia" 1912 version

Leader: Saint Roman Bartman

The Chiefdom of Oykiya is a land of contradictions—a proud and ancient society that claims to be at the height of a golden age of exploration, yet lingers in the past, disconnected from the rest of the world. Under the rule of Saint Bartman, the Chiefdom has embraced a theocratic monarchy, seeking answers in the unknown lands to the east. But what they find there may not be the answer they hope for.

Rumors swirl of a vast, untamed tribe that inhabits the eastern lands—creatures of unimaginable power, perhaps even older than the gods themselves. Yet the Chiefdom remains a place where anyone with magical powers is welcomed, where the boundaries between gods and mortals blur. But as the world around them shifts, so too does the Chiefdom's grip on its own identity.

Can Saint Bartman hold the country together in the face of growing outside threats, or will the Chiefdom fall to the tides of time, swallowed by the unknown it dares to explore?

Section 4: Blizzardtail’s Empire/The Cult of Blood

State Anthem: “Stronalli Legoniarori”

Leader: Blizzardtail Toanak

Blizzardtail’s rise is a tale of betrayal, ambition, and madness. Banished by his father, he learned that power was not given, but seized. To do so, he allied himself with the brutal Empire of Notath, overthrowing the government in a coup so swift it left the land reeling.

Now, under his iron rule, Blizzardtail has plunged the world into a nightmare. His empire, driven by nationalist fervor and autocratic ideology, feeds on the blood of the innocent, and the cries of the damned. A cult of personality has arisen around him—he is no longer just a ruler, but a living god in his own eyes. Horrors unimaginable are taking place within his borders: internment camps, forced conversions, and executions to maintain his unholy grip on power.

His forces now march upon Fallen Destiny, seeking to further his conquest. But even as his enemies cower, Blizzardtail knows that his own empire is fragile. The line between god and monster is a thin one, and the whispers of rebellion grow louder with each passing day.

The question is: will Blizzardtail’s insatiable hunger for power destroy him, or will his empire burn to the ground beneath the weight of its own darkness?

Section 5: The Republic of Nødmoor

State Anthem: “Korobenki” (official) (unofficial: “Politruk”)

Leader: Leoverra Toanak

In the wake of Icetooth’s death, the Republic of Nødmoor rose as the only democratic light in a continent of empires and warlords. Its people, drawn from generations of fishermen and hunters, once held hope that the principles of liberty and democracy could flourish.

But civil war has torn the nation apart, and now, as the old world crumbles, a new storm brews on the horizon. The descendants of Icetooth’s line have reemerged, and the military junta that has ruled Nødmoor for three centuries has only deepened the wounds. Lee Iceicov, a hardline revivalist, stands on the cusp of a revolution that could either restore the nation to its former glory or drag it into another age of tyranny.

As elections draw near, the future of Nødmoor is uncertain. Will it fall back into the hands of its military rulers, or will it chart a new path toward a future defined by freedom and justice?

Section 6: The Empire of Esarrano and the D.L.A. (The Desert Liberation Army)

State Anthem: “Regiments are Marching” sung by loyalists. DLA anthem: “Bella Ciao”

Leader of the Empire: Simon B. Ikle. Leader of the DLA: Michal A. Dallas

The Esarrano Empire, home to the cats who were cast into exile by Icetooth, is a nation born of struggle and survival. Its founding was marked by the tragedy of slavery—a scar that has never healed. Once a proud constitutional monarchy, the empire is now a fractured and impoverished state, teetering on the brink of collapse.

In the shadow of an impending invasion by Blizzardtail's forces, the nation is gripped by a new hope: the Desert Liberation Army. With a former sheriff, Michal A. Dallas, now at the helm, the D.L.A. has vowed to oust the invaders and reclaim their land. But can the army, made up of both wolves and cats, truly unite against the greatest threat they’ve ever faced?

With promises of liberty the desert’s sands are shifting. The stakes are higher than ever before, and the survival of the Esarrano Empire—and its people—hangs in the balance.

Section 7: The Mountains (The Kingdom of Nath and the Kingdom of Kole)

State anthem of Nath: “Sivi Sokole” State anthem of Kole: “Le Leve A Passe”

Leader of Nath: Ivan “Shredder” Kanav II Leader of Kole: Kyle Starkny I

The Mountains, a land untouched by Icetooth’s reach, is a place of untapped resources and ancient potential. But as the descendants of miners and thrill-seekers carve out their existence in the harsh peaks, they find themselves locked in a bitter war over control of the wealth that the mountains promise.

The Kingdom of Nath, led by the ruthless Ivan Shredder, has allied with Blizzardtail in the hopes of solidifying their dominance. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Kole, under the calculating Kyle Starkny, has reluctantly aligned itself with the Chiefdom of Oykiya, aware that survival in these mountains requires unity.

The stage is set for an all-out war, one that could plunge the entire region into chaos. Will these nations tear each other apart, or will an unlikely alliance arise from the rubble?

Section 8: The Holy League of Lairum

State Anthem: “Wir Sind Des Geyers Schwarzer Haufen”

Elected Emperor: Flavius “the Honorable” IV

Lairum, a collection of city-states united by the need to survive in the shadow of the Esarrano Empire, has long maintained a policy of neutrality. Led by the charismatic fox Flavius, the League has offered sanctuary to refugees and has remained an enigmatic force in the region.

But as the Esarrano Empire grows more hostile, Lairum’s neutrality is being tested. The once-proud cities are now on the

edge of war, and Flavius must decide whether to stay neutral or to lead the League into the fires of conflict. The fate of the cities—and the millions who call them home—now rests on his shoulders.

Character Lore

Section 1: The Villains

Main villain: Blizzardtail

After being exiled by his father, (for an attempt on his father’s life) Blizzardtail quickly fled the nation of Valma until he was taken in by the Kingdom of the Notath, and quickly gathered support from the Kingdom. After a year of planning he made his move, he launched a coup d’etat of the Kingdom and was quickly put in charge of the nation. Then began his reign of terror, purging the Kingdom’s population until it was filled with his loyal followers. Then after a speech he established the ‘Cult of Blood’ , his own personal alliance of nations and creatures with similar goals. Thus the nation was ready for war under his power hungry rule.

He has white fur, with icy blue tips on his ears, tail and paws, and his eyes are a violent shade of blue.

Villain #2 Simon B. Ikle of the Esarrano Empire

Immediately after Blizzardtail’s so called ‘Cult of Blood’ speech the Desert lands were thrown back into chaos. Seizing upon this opportunity, the little known officer Simon B. Ikle launched a coup similar to Blizzardtail’s and quickly signed a defensive pact with him. This then would allow Blizzardtail’s forces to construct bases in the Desert and launch strikes from their territory. But Simon was not content in having the control of his nation, he wanted one thing: full control of the Lake of Gabrovo in the Nødmoorish Republic for his thirsty population.

This, Simon argued, would maintain his people’s happiness and their dependency on his reign. But, things didn’t go according to plan, as the Republic was attacked, the D.L.A. was formed once again. This would result in retaliation by Simon (who was increasing his dependency on Blizzardtail’s equipment and forces.) And this is where the country finds itself, torn by class and revolution. As if that were not enough Blizzardtail has been building ‘internment camps’ for political prisoners and others who oppose the rule of the Empire.

Villain three, Osprey the Deadly

Although Blizzardtail may be the face of the empire, Osprey is the man behind the power. With no known family he sees Blizzardtail as his father, where Blizzardtail goes he follows. When the coup happened, Osprey was originally supposed to become king, but with a new regime in power he could finally flex his muscles, and his true self.

By eliminating his opponents, Osprey earned the nickname ‘Sharp Blade’, very well. With power in his hands he seems like he has it all, he’s wealthy, and is in a relationship, but he could be waiting like his name implies, like an Osprey ready to strike.

Villain four, ‘Poison’ Ivy

Having served as a longtime ally of Blizzardtail she is a loyal follower. She even has her own personal guard and it has been striking fear into the eyes of the conquered regions. But she also has something quite surprising: control over poisonous plants.

But with her relationship with Osprey going poorly, she seems like her soul is being dragged somewhere much much darker…

The Heroes:

Shadowpelt, is a male black furred and purple eyed wolf with a power over time that he cannot control. He is also very open to other ideas, not to mention his charismatic personality and forward looking thoughts.

Feathernose, is a white she-wolf with orange eyes who doesn't have powers but is very intelligent and very persevering. She also is from Fallen Destiny. She also is very in tune with the world and its current events.

Winterpelt, is a white pelted and gray eyed old male wolf who has committed his life to tracking down all of the mystical powers in Oykiya in a comprehensive book.

Cloudfur is a white and light gray she-wolf with brown eyes, she is very sarcastic and has a sharp tongue. Not only that but she is a seasoned warrior. She also has a traumatic past that she keeps hidden.

Matteo is a yellow and beige fox from Kole and is an ally of the questers, along with that he is a powerful warrior, an excellent sharpshooter, and a master blacksmith. He has a fun, yet dorky personality with a smidge of pride.

Marrow is a temporary ally of the questers, with a mystical reputation as a traveling merchant and monk. He has black fur with red stripes, and his eyes are yellow. His personality is very ambitious, and very mysterious.

The leader of Valma, the blue and gray male wolf named Thin Ice. He has spent his life negotiating with neighboring powers and is a descendant of Icetooth, not only that but his son, Blizzardatil, is a power hungry maniac who Thin Ice exiled from his territory. Thin Ice is very patient, calculating, and very intelligent.

Leafpelt is the son of the queen of Fallen Destiny, he is a charismatic, adventurous, and selfless green and white wolf with amber eyes. Although he is royalty he sees the oppression under his mother and wishes to find a new path forwards for Fallen Destiny.

Raven, is a black wolf with large wings, he has purple eyes, and long fur, his personality is one of curiosities, he is a partier, yet he is tame, he is hopeful, yet dreadful, he is chaotic, and very real in his ideals. He also strikes a resemblance to Shadowpelt that some say is too similar to be a coincidence. He also is rumored to have powers over moving objects with his mind.

Neutrals/the Resistance

Maple

She is an orange, brown, and white vixen that is a product of Blizzardtail’s reign of terror. She is a reanimated corpse who has green eyes, and her many stitches are visible. Her personality is a somber one, constantly seeking a soul to fill the void in her spiritual self.

Obsidian

He is a black wolf with sharp purple eyes, his personality is determined, yet depressed. As he was once a lieutenant of Blizzardtail, but was forced to become a servant to the regime. He has seen the many injustices of the Cult of Blood, and is now, along with Maple, is in the process of creating an underground resistance to the cruelty of the Cult.

Dr. Blaze

He is a scientist that works for Blizzardtail, as such he has seen the many horrors of the Cult of Blood. His pelt is orange, and red, with yellow fiery eyes. He is almost always working, as he sees the best way to destroy the Cult of Blood is from the inside. Not to mention his personality is stern, fatherly and noticeably eccentric. He is also the father of the infamous bounty hunter Phoenix.

The Rise and Fall of Icetooth: A Legacy of Conquest and Chaos

The Prologue of Shadows

Two thousand seventy-four years ago, a dark storm gathered over the land of Oykiya. It was a time when tribes flourished and rivalries festered, a time before the wolf named Icetooth carved his name into the annals of history. His origins remain shrouded in mystery, whispered tales suggesting he emerged from the uncharted eastern lands, a child of the wild who bore the frost of winter in his blood. From the moment he took his first breath, destiny wove a thread of ambition into his very being—a relentless desire to unify the fractured tribes under his iron paw.

The Chief of Välma

After a decade of fervent rallying, Icetooth was elected chief of Valma , his voice echoing like thunder across the mountains. It was here, amidst the cheers of the faithful and the jeers of the fearful, that he revealed his true nature. With a fierce glint in his ice-blue eyes, he launched a brutal campaign against neighboring tribes. The world trembled as he conquered with an unparalleled swiftness, his tactical genius rivaled only by the terror he instilled in those who dared oppose him.

But as he carved his empire from the bones of the vanquished, a darker shadow began to creep into his heart. His rule, once marked by visionary zeal, became tainted by paranoia. Those who whispered dissent found themselves exiled or worse, fueling a narrative of tyranny that would haunt his legacy. Each act of brutality deepened his isolation, transforming the once-revered chief into a figure draped in the mantle of fear.

The Southern Campaign

Having dominated the north, Icetooth’s gaze turned toward the shimmering sands of the Desert of Bohnes. Legends began to swirl around him, claiming he wielded powers over ice and snow, as if the very elements bowed to his will. The desert tribes, too, fell prey to his ambition, but the war was far from straightforward. The unforgiving climate and fierce resistance of the desert warriors tested Icetooth’s mettle as never before.

With every battle, the toll grew heavier. The war against the desert tribes became a nightmare, fraught with losses that rattled even his most loyal followers. His divinity was questioned, the fervor of his earlier conquests overshadowed by the creeping specter of madness that clouded his judgment. What was once a united front began to splinter; the voices of dissent grew louder, echoing through the winds that howled across the arid landscape.

The Fall of the Conqueror

Icetooth’s reign reached its tragic crescendo amidst the chaos of war. The tale of his death is steeped in myth, a somber ballad sung by bards across the land. It is said that his own royal guards, weary of the tyranny and bloodshed that defined his rule, conspired against him. In a bitter twist of fate, the very pawns he trusted became his executioners, delivering him to the void he sought to conquer.

His death marked the end of an era—a moment when the world of Oykiya fractured anew. The lands he had wrought with blood and fire were divided among his progeny, each claiming their inheritance but burdened by the weight of their father's legacy. As the dust settled, the once-mighty empire splintered into chaos, giving rise to the nations that now contend for power.

The Legacy of Icetooth

Icetooth’s story is a haunting reminder of ambition and tyranny, a parable of how the thirst for power can corrupt even the noblest of dreams. Though he lies in the cold embrace of the earth, his legacy lives on, a shadow that looms over the nations forged in his wake. In every conflict, every whispered betrayal, echoes of his reign are felt—reminders that in the pursuit of unity, one may sow the seeds of their own destruction.

After his death the world seems in chaos, and some wish for a return of the Empire of old, as for who will run that empire it is unknown. But most see his empire’s fall as the beginning of the modern era, and a return to that empire so soaked with blood and sweat could mean death for all who stand in its wake.

History after Icetooth’s death

• 1AIT-28AIT Queen Valheena the first, the third wife of Icetooth, rules the crumbling empire with an iron fist for 27 years, until she is taken captive by a madly religious nun and killed for treason. The Queen would later be known by the saying “Valheena’s Noose” for her personal oversight of executions under her madly paranoid rule.

• 29AIT Then the empire collapses, and the four main empires of Valma (the woodland east), Esarrano Empire (the arid south), Kole (the mountainous north), and Nokash (the western coast), are created in the ruins.

• 34AIT Then, a guild founded the city of Lairum, and thus founded the Holy League of Lairum, first as a republic waiting for holy salvation, and later would turn into an empire that would rival that of the former Icetooth’s in the north.

• 30AIT-300AIT Invasions by the eastern tribes, which founded the Chiefdom of Oykiya, who still rule there to this day. These invasions are known by most as the “Fallen days’ and are even said to be when the empire of Fallen Destiny was given its name, due to almost 200,000 of its finest men who had fallen to the invaders, which also furthered its own independence movement from Valma.

• 350AIT-380AIT King Phylo the 2nd rules Valma, turning it into a beacon of stability. Under his 30 year reign the empire of Valma would become more centralized, along with that he would attempt to canonize his ancestor of icetooth which was hot down when the people rebelled in what is called the “Great Silence” due to most of the canonizer’s efforts being lost in the courts of the young empire.

• 390AIT Then, the southern provinces of Fallen Destiny and Nodmoor finally boil over and into revolt, until they secede from what was left of Icetooth’s empire, which in turn banishes the empire that he built to the rubbish bin of history. The secession would be almost bloodless, but the two sons of Phylo would take each throne as dictated by their father’s will..

• 400AIT Nodmoor was founded on the shores of lake Gabrovo, under a hope of liberty, but would almost immediately fall into anarchy.

• 407AIT-607AIT Then, the Esarrano Empire erupts into a bloody 200 year civil war, seeing the king Xohoa III flee to Fallen Destiny.

• 601AIT-625AIT Valma at this time reinstates the descendant of Icetooth, Ferasar the Good, into power, known for massive reforms and even the abolition of slavery in his time, he would rule for 24 years, until a palace coup put his cousin, Tori the 1st into power, who becomes ‘supreme autocrat’ of Valma. Tori would later repel most of the reforms from his cousin, and even undo the abolition of slavery, until in 629AIT only 4 years after his ascension to the throne he was forced to repel his own repel, and completely abolish the practice altogether.

• 630AIT-2003AIT Meanwhile in Nodmoor, a civil war erupts after a scandal in the government, which lasts until the rise of Thin Ice, who would broker a tense peace between the rebels and the military.

• 800AIT Kole, in the north, fractures into the rival kingdoms of Nath and Kole.

• After Nath secedes from Kole, (officially), many miners and thrill seekers travel north to these lands.

• 900AIT-1500AIT Next, the first ‘Books of All Knowing’ are written, which details the cultures, powers and rumors of the lands of Oykiya, and its anonymous author calls for more reforms, and even an end to the bloodletting, but would never be fully implemented, with only scholars knowing that they once existed.

• 1500AIT-1522AIT Valma then collapses into warlordism after Tori the 1st is assassinated, then finally reunited after 22 years by Shokotoi the wise, (a prince from Fallen Destiny), the great grandfather of Spike (the ruler of Valma before Thin Ice).

• 1222AIT-1248AIT Almoradei IV rises to power in the Esarrano Empire, and begins massive reforms in the slavery based economy. Later his son, Okashilli the bold, would remove Almoradei from power, and undo Almoradei’s reforms.

• 1578AIT-1585AIT After Shokotoi dies, Fallen Destiny invades Valma, which devastates both nations, being dubbed the ‘2nd Great Battle of the Thrones’. This war would last a short 7 years, and would end in the treaty of Helninki, which proclaimed that Fallen Destiny would renounce their claim to the Valman throne. Also around this time, the “Books of All Knowing” were burned after the siege of “Valano” a major city in Valma that would never fully recover from the war.

• 1585AIT-1998AIT After the war, Valma would (quite controversially) start reforming the Code of Honor.

• 2003AIT In Nodmoor the civil war ends with a military junta coming into power, after intermediaries agree with the then young Thin Ice’s compromise, called the “Illno Proclamation", which called for both the military and the people for “free and fair elections” but with almost no safe guards on what was referred to as ‘free and fair’.

• 2001AIT-present Thin Ice, the current leader of Valma, arrives in Valma, after being banished from his home in the disputed region of Nadam, which is contested by, Fallen Destiny, Valma, and even Nodmoor and after Spike retires ten years later, Thin Ice becomes ‘supreme autocrat’ and starts rigorous reforms. He is the current ruler, also he was seen by most as the ligament ruler of Valma as he had a bloodline that linked directly with Icetooth’s.

• 2005AIT-present Queen Fallen Leaves is crowned in Fallen Destiny, who rules to this day, her rule is one of stability, but only masked with quiet oppression.

• 2001AIT-present The Chiefdom of Oykiya, under their current ruler of ‘Saint’ Bartman I makes the formerly tribal nation into a theocratic monarchy.

• 2029AIT-present Then in the far south, in the lands of Lairum, Count Flavius is elected emperor, he is an old, yet compromising individual, often called the “Kind King” that has promised full freedom for the many cultures of the Holy League, and as such no rebellions have happened under his rule, a first in the Holy League’s history.

• 2071AIT Blizzardtail, Thin Ice’s son, is banished from Valma after attempting to take his father’s throne, and flees to the coasts of Nokash.

• 2072AIT One year later, after amassing his followers, Blizzardtail launches a coup of Nokash, removing the king, and proclaiming himself “Ashi-noka” (pronounced ashee-nuka) or ‘Divine Cleanser’ of Nokash. He would shortly found the Cult of Blood, a military alliance of his followers and would also rename Nokash to the ‘Empire of Blood’, but it is commonly referred to as the ‘Cult of Blood’.

• 2073AIT Simon B. Ikle overthrows the last king of the Esarrano Empire (a certain Alamendi the first) and massive riots follow afterwards, leading to the foundation of the D.L.A.

That is what has happened from the death of Icetooth to the beginning of the quester’s adventures.

Notes on age: In this universe a creature is a juvenile in the ages 0-3, and they age in their early life rather quickly, in the ages 4-20 are more like the teenager troubled years. Then the ages 21-75 are considered adult like, while the ages above 76 are considered elderly, but it is not unheard of to have creatures live past 120 years old.

Cultural influences

The cultures of Oykiya are as diverse as each of their histories, like these histories each of these cultures are unique, but intertwined.

The northern Kingdoms of Nath and Kole are heavily influenced by the cultures of ancient miners, merchants, and blacksmiths. These kingdoms heavily praise blacksmiths and see them as the backbone of their nations. The Kingdoms also share a common language, called Viendani, which is close to Swedish and Norwegian in our world. But, with the rise of the Cult of Blood, the kingdom of Nath has been slowly drifting closer to the Cult of Blood, which has driven the Kingdom of Kole into the arms of the Chiefdom of Oyikiya.

The Chiefdom of Oyikiya is a theocratic monarchy, which speaks the tongue called Sarerini, which is close to human Finnish and a blend of Yakut. As like our Finns, they highly respect independence and have a certain fierceness to them. Coupled with this is the high regard of religion and knowledge, though these two ideas have been often at odds with each other, the Chiefdom has embraced the exploration of the unknown eastern lands with a hopeful zeal. Under ‘Saint’ Roman Bartman the exploration seeks to convert the unknown peoples of the east to their religion, thus far they have found nothing, though most believe that someone is out there, just waiting for the right moment to show itself.

Then in Valma, they speak, well, Valman, which is close to human German, with a touch of Czech. This unique blend comes from Icetooth’s rule, which forced wolves, vixens, and felines alike to speak Valman. Due to Valma being the main hegemon of the region, Valman is widely spoken across the world for diplomatic reasons and for universal laws, (Like the Code of Honor). But under Thin Ice minority languages have been preserved, and even fully embraced.

Further to the south, in Fallen Destiny, they speak Loken, similar to our Italian and Latin. This is paired with a staunch sense of national unity, coupled with the loyalty to the crown of Queen Fallen Leaves, Fallen Destiny has reluctantly conceded more rights to the vast minority of Valman speakers in the nation, even as repression at home grows ever more present.

Even more southwards in the Esarrano Empire, Sranese is spoken. Which is similar to our Persian. This has been exacerbated by the wolves and vixens, who mostly speak Highland Sranese, to push their culture down onto the felines of the region, which are mostly seen as a lesser ‘slave’ class. But, this is mostly due to the massive influence of the desert nomads called the Krennai, they also speak Sranese, but a specific variant called “Honorable Sranese”. The Krennai, which mostly make up the ruling classes of wolves and vixens, are seen widely by the felines of the region as invaders. This view is compounded by the overthrow of the last monarch, (Alamandi I) by Simon B. Ikle, who has allied himself with Blizzardtail’s Cult of Blood.

In the Cult of Blood the language of Nokai is widely spoken, which is similar to human Icelandic. But Nokai has replaced the once dominant Nekari, which is similar to old Norse. This has been worsened by the influence of the Cult of Starfire, which Blizzardtail is the head of. He sees the goddess Starfire not as a god, but as a flesh and blood entity that can wreak havoc on his enemies whenever the goddess chooses. This has led to a culture of fear and of paranoia in Blizzardtail’s inner circle, with widespread purges being commonplace.

Classifications of Species

1. Lupus (Wolves)

• Physical Traits : Characterized by their robust build, strong jaws, and thick fur. They typically possess tails, which can vary in length and fluffiness, and their ears are often erect and pointed.

• Cultural Traits : Wolves are known for their sense of community and loyalty. They often hold leadership roles and emphasize honor and valor in their societies. Their strategic cunning makes them adept in both diplomacy and combat.

• Societal Role : Often viewed as natural leaders, lupus individuals are expected to uphold traditions and maintain the welfare of their packs. They are seen as guardians, defending their territories and kin with unwavering resolve.

2. Vixen (Foxes)

• Physical Traits : Vixens exhibit a blend of features from both lupus and feline classifications. They are typically smaller, with slender builds and may or may not have tails. Their fur can be a mix of colors, often showcasing vibrant patterns.

• Cultural Traits : Renowned for their intelligence and agility, vixens are quick thinkers and problem solvers. They excel in negotiation and are often seen as mediators between different factions, utilizing their wit to navigate complex social landscapes.

• Societal Role : Vixens often serve as diplomats, strategists, or advisors. They play a crucial role in maintaining peace and facilitating communication among species, leveraging their adaptability to thrive in changing environments.

3. Feline (Cats)

• Physical Traits : Felines are the smallest and leanest of the classifications. They typically lack tails and have large ears, granting them exceptional hearing. Their agility and grace make them adept at stealth and quick movements.

• Cultural Traits : Felines are known for their vibrant personalities and assertiveness. They are often perceived as unpredictable, with a propensity for mischief and conflict. Their rich emotional expressions allow them to forge strong connections, though they may also lead to rivalries.

• Societal Role : Felines frequently find themselves as agents of chaos, challenging the status quo and pushing against established norms. Their fierce independence and tenacity make them formidable adversaries and passionate allies.

Religion & The Role of Magic

The main religions of Valma, Kole, Nath, and to an extent the Chiefdom of Oyikia are as follows. Reverence for your ancestor, and of the three main gods, Freazar (Ice and water), Starfire (Fire and sky), Doeshi (the underworld and wisdom), not in any particular order.

In these northerly areas Freazar is mostly followed, but in the south in the Esarrano Empire, Doeshi is worshipped, the same is true in the Holy League of Lairum. Then in the Cult of Blood, the goddess Starfire is heavily worshipped, her fear-instilling, vile and utterly demonic reputation keeps the followers of Blizzardtail in line. Blizzardtail personally thinks of himself as a follower loyal to Starfire, to the extent that he sees himself as the ‘Divine Cleanser’ of all of Oykiya. Also he sees her as a flesh and blood wolf who he models himself off of.

The role of magic is complicated. Under Icetooth, magic was forbidden with deadly force, in fact those that were not killed were sent into exile across the western sea to the lands of Newvliya, but the last holdouts of magic remained in Oyikya. In fact Icetooth himself was rumored to have the powers of ice and snow, but those are just rumors, surely?

After Icetooth’s death, magic was slowly reintroduced into society, but the stigma of power-hungry, evil-doing, and pure hatred is still attached to those who have powers, whether they do good or evil. Most are politely refused from inns and taverns, but when welcomed most creatures make sure to let them have one free meal, as who knows it could be your last when a “Chaosen” is allowed in. (Chaosen is an old term for “highly feared/revered”). An important day in Oyikya is the Day of Fra, a day of fasting and remembrance for those who perished under Icetooth, and as a day for some to remember Icetooth and his lasting legacy. The Day of Fra always takes place on the first full moon of winter. In addition to this, the Empire of Icetooth still has remnants in the form of vine or snow covered statues, old walls, and older castles that some say are still tended by Icetooth’s loyal forces, even in death. An example of the massive undertakings under Icetooth is the Wall of Shicai, which is mostly on the Esarrano side of the Nerval river, and stretches for 500 miles through the desert.

The Books of All Knowing

They are books that chronicled the rumors, customs, legends, and stories, along with the powers of Oykiya, that have been passed down over thousands of years. They were written down in four comprehensive books, the powers included in the books are, fire, ice/snow, water, lightning, earth, wind, and psychic along with necromancy. These books were said to be lost to history, or it was rumored that they are guarded by monks in the Caverns of Boath.

Notable stories in the Books of All Knowing are as follows:

• The Blazing Teeth, which are said to be a mythical set of metal jaws that has the blessing of Starfire, and can melt whoever opposes the wielders of the Blazing Teeth, it is said to be in the Caverns of Boath, being studied by the tenants living in its cavernous halls and libraries.

• Icetooth’s Crown, is said to be a crown made of steel infused with bones and with a smattering of silver. It is said the wearer can peer into the near future, but only one catch with it, whoever wears it will find themselves dead within the year, some sooner.

• The Sword of Kathira, is a mythical sword blessed by Icetooth himself, and consequently made of ice and steel, and can freeze anyone who is cut by the sword, it has been lost to history and its last known location was in the Kingdom of Kole.

• The Vekre Tribe, is rumored to be in the unexplored east, they are an unknown tribe (or empire) that is said to be older than the gods themselves, and are said to practice an older and more mysterious religion, and were once the home of Icetooth.

• The Scythe of Fire, is Starfire’s personal weapon for summoning demons and cutting down her enemies. The wielder of the Scythe is said to be invincible in combat, she is also believed to give it to one of her chosen pupils for one month a year. Currently, no one knows who holds its power.

Stories of Oykiya

• The Drowning of Time, is a tale that is told when the gods roamed the world, that Freazar lost a bet with the minor god of time (who was named Thochia). Freazar was so enraged that he froze Thochia and sent him to his death by sending his body to the bottom of Lake Gabrovo. But in order to honor his, Freazar put Thochia into the sky in the part of the sky we call the Big Dipper, which is known to Oykiyans as “Thochia’s Shadow”.

• The Fountain of Kreath, is a tale in which Freazar created a fountain that created the oceans and all of the animals in the sea. He was said to have made it from the blood of his dear wife Malona (the former goddess of the hunt), and as such every year, everyone is required to give one full animal to the water, that is not from the water to feed her in the afterlife.

• The Hall of the Dead, is a tale in which the hero Smye fled to the underworld where Doeshi has his court, Smye tried to fight his way out, but was captured by a shade and was forced to create the neverending hall of the dead, which is said to still being in the process of construction.

• The Second Body of Doeshi, is a tale in which the god Doeshi was slain in battle, then a feline named Greathic, a master blacksmith who created a second body for Doeshi, with help from Smye, it was made of these ingredients, the root of a fire, the feet of a snake, the tongue of a roach, and the antlers of a goat. Then Smye made his body out of silver and was allowed to be Doeshi’s second in command. As such Smye and Greathic were allowed to share the second in command position.

These are the main stories in the Books of All Knowing, along with various accounts of magic and weapons of the time.

The Code of Honor

The Code, conceived by Icetooth, serves as a guiding principle for the diverse races of Oykiya, aiming to unite them under a banner of honor and respect. It emphasizes the importance of leadership, community, and ethical conduct.

1. Merit and Honor : Leadership must be earned through deeds of valor and wisdom, ensuring that the most capable guide the populace.

2. Respect for the Populace : Leaders are duty-bound to care for their people, particularly in times of hardship, fostering loyalty and trust.

3. Reverence for Ancestors : Both the living and the deceased deserve respect. Honoring ancestors is vital, reflecting a connection to the past and its influence on the present.

4. Preservation of Way of Life : The people's liberty, traditions, and joys must be safeguarded, ensuring that they can thrive without fear of oppression.

5. Prioritization of Values : Tradition should take precedence over modernity, while health remains a critical concern, reinforcing the importance of communal well-being.

6. Equality Among Species : All creatures, regardless of classification, must be treated with equal respect, fostering unity and collaboration.

7. Dignity in Death : If capture is imminent, a creature should choose a respectful end, reflecting honor even in death.

8. Role of Medicine Wolves : Those who serve as healers must remain childless, preserving their focus on their vital role and the sanctity of their bodies.

9. Choice in Mortality : A wolf nearing death should choose to depart on their own terms rather than succumb to the enemy, emphasizing personal agency and honor.

10. Care for the Vulnerable : The elderly and young should be prioritized for nourishment and protection, embodying a society’s commitment to its most vulnerable members.

11. Duty to Serve : All capable of fighting must serve with dignity, retaining the right to oppose a leader who threatens their land, upholding the principle of honorable resistance.

The Origins of Blizzardtail: The Son of Thin Ice

Blizzardtail's story is one steeped in a mixture of legacy, ambition, betrayal, and tragedy. His rise to power was not simply the result of a single event but rather the culmination of years of family turmoil, fractured ideals, and the pursuit of vengeance.

The Early Years: A Son’s Upbringing

Blizzardtail was born to Thin Ice , the esteemed ruler of Valma , and his mate, a noble wolf whose name has long been forgotten. From a young age, Blizzardtail was marked by his striking appearance, his silver-white fur that shimmered like ice and his piercing blue eyes that held a depth of both intelligence and cruelty. He was the firstborn of Thin Ice, destined to follow in his father’s pawprints, inheriting not only the bloodline of the esteemed chief but also the heavy mantle of leadership that would one day fall on his shoulders.

Thin Ice, ever the patient and calculating leader, raised Blizzardtail with a strict regimen of discipline and education. He saw potential in his son but expected nothing less than perfection, for in the frozen lands of Valma , only the strongest survived. Blizzardtail’s early years were filled with training in both combat and governance, and under his father’s tutelage, he was prepared to one day ascend to the throne. But those lessons came at a steep price. Thin Ice’s obsession with duty often left little room for personal connection, and despite the best efforts of his father to groom him, Blizzardtail’s soul began to grow increasingly restless.

The Affair with Frost

A year after his formal training began, Blizzardtail’s world was irreversibly changed by a single, catastrophic revelation. The once-untouchable image of his father was shattered when Blizzardtail uncovered that Thin Ice , the noble and revered ruler of Valma, had been secretly involved in an affair with Frost , the realm's highest-ranking Medicine Wolf. Frost, revered for her wisdom and healing abilities, was a figure of great respect throughout the land, and her affair with Thin Ice was an open secret—yet one that had been hushed by the leaders of Valma.

The affair was not just a personal betrayal; it was a direct violation of the Code of Honor —the sacred principles that governed the land. The Code forbade a Medicine Wolf from bearing children or entering into romantic relationships, as they were meant to focus solely on their sacred role as healers and caretakers of the land. To make matters worse, Frost had become pregnant, an act of defiance against the very values she was sworn to uphold.

Blizzardtail, who had been raised to hold the Code of Honor above all else, was disgusted. He saw this betrayal as evidence of his father's corruption—Thin Ice had failed to uphold the sacred tenets he had once sworn to protect. Blizzardtail, consumed by rage and disillusionment, could not tolerate this perceived weakness and dishonor. The carefully constructed image of his father as a wise and just leader shattered before him. His father, the man he had once respected, was now a symbol of hypocrisy and deceit.

The Attempted Assassination and Banishment

Blizzardtail’s sense of betrayal drove him to the unthinkable—he plotted to assassinate Thin Ice. Believing that only by ridding the land of his father's corruption could Valma truly be great again, Blizzardtail meticulously crafted a scheme to kill his father. The plot, however, was foiled before it could come to fruition.

Thin Ice, ever the astute and calculating leader, had grown suspicious of his son's behavior. The young Blizzardtail’s increasingly erratic actions and brooding demeanor did not go unnoticed. Using his network of spies and loyalists, Thin Ice uncovered the plot just days before it was set into motion. The father, heartbroken and betrayed by the very son he had once hoped would carry on his legacy, had no choice but to act decisively.

In a cruel twist of fate, Thin Ice exiled his son from Valma, branding him a traitor and a threat to the realm. The exile was harsh, but it was the only option available to Thin Ice, who feared that his son's thirst for vengeance would lead the nation into chaos. Blizzardtail was cast out, his title and family name stripped away. With no allies in Valma and nowhere left to turn, he fled to the Empire of Nokash , a distant and volatile nation on the edge of Oykiya.

The Rise to Power in the Empire of Nokash

Blizzardtail’s exile, however, was not the end of his story. The Empire of Nokash, a sprawling kingdom ruled by weak and ineffective leadership, became the stage for his next chapter. This new land, ravaged by internal turmoil, was ripe for conquest, and Blizzardtail, fueled by his lust for power and his burning desire for revenge, quickly seized the opportunity.

He began by forging alliances with disenfranchised factions within the empire, using his natural charisma and ruthless pragmatism to gain support. His mastery in combat and warfare, honed through years of training under his father, made him a respected and feared figure among the empire's warlords. Blizzardtail’s swift rise was marked by a series of brutal campaigns, in which he systematically purged the kingdom of royalists and those loyal to the old regime. In their place, he installed his own followers—wolves, foxes, and felines who had suffered under the oppressive rule of the empire’s aristocracy.

Blizzardtail’s brutal tactics left the Empire of Nokash broken but solidified his rule. Within a year, he had seized the throne. Under his command, the empire’s armies became a force to be reckoned with. No longer was the empire divided; it was united in terror, bound by the iron fist of Blizzardtail. His reign, though cruel, gave rise to a new order—one that would stop at nothing to expand and claim new territories.

The Cult of Blood and the Road to War

Blizzardtail’s ambitions did not stop at merely ruling the Empire of Nokash. He sought to build an empire that would rival the ancient power of Icetooth , the legendary conqueror whose name still haunted the lands. To do so, he established the Cult of Blood , a brutal faction of like-minded rulers, warlords, and local counts who shared his vision of domination. Under his leadership, the Cult of Blood grew into a powerful alliance, one that spanned multiple regions and nations.

With the Cult of Blood at his back, Blizzardtail set his sights on the neighboring realms— Fallen Destiny and Valma —lands that had once been home to his family and his people. The old wounds between him and his father, Thin Ice, had never healed, and now, with his newfound power, Blizzardtail was prepared to settle the score. War seemed inevitable, and with every passing day, his forces gathered along the borders of Fallen Destiny and Valma , ready for a war that could reshape the future of Oykiya.

Blizzardtail’s ambitions were no longer just about revenge on his father; they had grown into a thirst for ultimate control over the lands that had rejected him. He sought not only to conquer but to ensure that the legacy of Icetooth —and his own cruel rule—would dominate the world for generations to come.

As war looms on the horizon, Blizzardtail’s destiny remains unclear. Will he become the tyrant his father feared he would be, or will he carve out a new, blood-soaked path of conquest and power? Only time will tell as the world of Oykiya once again stands on the precipice of chaos and destruction.

Book One: The Beginning of the Night.

Shadowpelt had just woken up when the screaming started, a sharp shrill sound of anger and loss.

As he mumbled something to himself he fell off of the edge of the bed and onto the cold hard ground.

“For the star’s sake!” Shadowpelt yelled out of his window at the widow just down the road from his home, “Shut up!”

Going through his house, he got an outfit of red and black jeans, a pair of black boots, a large baggy tunic, and to top it all off his black and red striped choker.

Looking into the mirror as he brushed his teeth he looked at himself, his long shaggy black and dark purple fur, his bright purple eyes, and his large raven black wings, and sighed.

“What a day.” Shadowpelt mumbled as he got a cup of coffee and walked out into the deary, and misty light outside.

As Shadowpelt walked down the road he noticed something strange, the world was utterly silent. No birds chirped, no squirrels ran in front of him, and the widow’s screams and cries faded off.

Huh, weird. Shadowpelt thought.

Then he noticed the startling crunch of someone following him.

“Hey!” Shadowpelt yelled as he turned around as a pale figure ran into the trees.

Sprinting after the figure Shadowpelt didn’t realize that the world froze around him.

As he ran to the now stopped figure he suddenly realized that the area around him was slightly cooler than the rest of the world.

When Shadowpelt finally got to the figure he stopped before saying, “Who are you?”

Then time came back to normal.

The figure halted almost immediately and stared at Shadowpelt.

The figure was white, with large blue eyes and long flowing robes that seemed to hang on his body like he was severely malnourished.

Shadowpelt then realized from the wolf’s expression that he was a newcomer to the area.

Immediately Shadowpelt softened his gaze and said, “What were you doing?”

The wolf responded by saying, “I uh, was studying.”

“Studying what?” Shadowpelt pressed.

“Umm,” the white wolf shifted uncomfortably, his old face wincing in embarrassment, “What you just did to time.”

“Wait,” Shadowpelt said, putting a paw up to stop the wolf from talking any further, “You saw me?”

“Yes,” the white wolf responded. The pain now on his face was all too real, “I am compiling a report.”

He then collapsed in a heap in front of Shadowpelt.

By the time Shadowpelt got the white wolf to the nearest hospital he noticed the book in the man’s robes.

As the doctors were taking care of the white wolf Shadowpelt looked through the cryptic leather bound book that had a pattern of swirling frost like appendages on the book’s cover.

As he thumbed through the old stained book he saw something he thought was amazing.

Magical powers.

As Shadowpelt looked at the illustrious cursive he read the following.

These creatures have been wanted for thousands of years, with magical powers including fire, ice, earth, air/wind and other amazing powers. But perhaps the strangest power is the one over time, a strange but fascinating power that hasn't been seen since Icetooth was alive. These powers I am finally putting on the record for-

“Shadowpelt?” A nurse called Shadowpelt quickly, Shadowpelt closed the mind bending read, and looked up at the nurse.

“Winterfang wants to see you.”

“Who?” Shadowpelt coughed, not sure if he heard that right.

Winterfang is the one who wrote this book isn’t he?

As Shadowpelt entered the warden he saw the sickly man on the bed and coughing hard.

Shadowpelt knelt in front of the foot of the bed, “My lord.”

“Please,” Winterfang said with obvious humor, “Call me Winter.”

Then Shadowpelt realized that he still had the book in his hands, he tried to quickly shove it under his clothing but Winterfang noticed and said, “No, let me see.”

Shadowpelt reluctantly gave the book over to the ill Winterfang and gratefully took it.

“Please,” Winterfang nodded to the nurse, “Can we have a minute?”

“Of course.” The nurse bowed slightly and walked out of the room quietly closing the door.

“You are our savior.” Winterfang whispered to Shadowpelt, “For your powers could stop the incoming conflict that will plague us soon.”

Shadowpelt startled as he was he also mentioned, “Winter, I’ve been having strange dreams,”

“Such as?”

Shadowpelt then quietly talked about his dreams of his ancestors and the bloody battlefields that he had witnessed. Not to mention the strangeness of being in the realm of the stars.

“Hmm,” Winterfang mumbled as he stroked his book like it was a pet, “I must train you at once.”

“Wait, WHAT?” Shadowpelt stumbled as Winterfang painfully got up in his bed, and looked out of the window into the snowy expanse of the pine forest.

“We must go.” Winterfang concluded, “I must show you how to control your powers, and how to use them against the coming enemies.”

So they left.

Over the next few days they passed many villages, stumbled through the snow, and altered many people to their mission: they were to have an audience with the leader of their nation, the infamous Thin Ice.

When they finally got to the capital of Helniki, they found themselves surrounded by the strangely satisfying hustle and bustle of the capital.

“Hey,” Shadowpelt began as a figure walked past him, “Do you have a minute?”

But he was ignored by the wandering pedestrians, until they came to the Valma plaza.

There, they looked up in awe at the grand castle that lay ahead of them.

With large columns, massive windows framed in marble and spires of gold on the top of the arching roof, not to mention the endless gargoyles that lead up to the balcony overlooking the plaza.

“Wow,” Shadowpelt gasped as he looked around the plaza, but it was strangely vacant.

“Hmm.” Winterpelt studied the massive columns ahead of him and said, “We must leave, now.”

“Wait,” Shadowpelt countered, “I just heard something.”

Then another strange crunch sounded by the edge of the plaza, then a sharp shink of a blade being drawn.

“Halt.” someone commanded as Shadowpelt and Winterpelt turned around to look at the newcomer.

He was tall with short gray and blue fur, with huge icy blue eyes, and in his arms he was carrying a rifle with a bright red sash, he also had shining teeth with one canine being made of silver.

“Why?” Shadowpelt asked, with an undertone of fear.

“Why? So you can be inspected by the ruler, as he is wanting to see you.” the guard said as he lowered his weapon, “Please come with me.”

Chapter 2

As Shadowpelt walked behind the guard he started thinking about the ruler of Valma, the infamous Thin Ice. With his generations of legacy behind him in the forms of the amazing conqueror Icetooth. Not to mention his willingness to negotiate with foreign powers.

Then they made it to the door of the castle. With a system of complicated knocks the guard was answered by a single harsh _BING! _

When they got into the castle Shadowpelt was taken away, the ceiling was covered in bright frescos and the innumerable amount of gold, silver and amber framing the rose colored glass stained windows.

Then they made their way down a hall and up a series of stairs, to a large cherry wood door.

Another complicated system of knocks sounded from the door frame.

The door then opened, revealing a huge study filled with volumes of books going floor to ceiling the whole way around the walls including the one window. But what really caught Shadowpelt’s attention was the chair by the crackling fire in the far corner of the room.

The chair then swiveled around, revealing Thin Ice.

He looked rough, that was all Shadowpelt could think of.

His once great light blue pelt was now gray with age, his slightly somber icy blue eyes were now filled with the mistyness of age. His outfit was modern though, with blue jeans, and a denim jacket covering a still muscular frame.

Shadowpelt then knelt in front of his ruler.

“No, you don’t need to do that.” Thin Ice said, his voice like a rusty door hinge opening.

“It is my honor,” Shadowpelt bowed, “Why have you summoned me my good sir?”

Thin Ice, unimpressed by the politeness, looked out of the window and into the snow covered plaza.

“First off all, call me Thin Ice, sir makes me feel old.” Thin Ice said with his usual wit then continued, “As for why I need you…” his voice trailed off then he found himself in a bout of coughing.

The guard then rushed over to Thin Ice and asked, “Do you need a drink?”

“No,” Thin Ice coughed. “Just leave me with them.”

So the guard then bowed with respect and rushed out of the room.

Thin Ice then looked at Winterpelt and Shadowpelt and said, “I see, you have a book, can I see?”

Winterpelt, taken aback by this command, simply nodded and laid the book on Thin Ice’s lap.

As Thin Ice looked through the volumes he caught glaces of illustrations revealing the powers of old. Then he saw it, the prophecy.

Thin Ice cleared his throat and spoke, “‘When time comes to the age of 1979 a man shall appear, his world turned upside down he shall either make or break the nation. Furthermore he will be the son of a prince of parties, and will be the new master of time.’”

Thin Ice then looked at Shadowpelt and said, “You are the son of a prince, and you are determined by the fates to see the end of our time.”

Before Shadowpelt could respond, Thin Ice looked back over the balcony and whispered, “Only if my son was here.”

Too stunned to respond properly Shadowpelt just simply nodded and with a nod from Thin Ice left with Winterpelt and exited the office.

After a minute of being alone in the silent room, Thin Ice finally came back into the room with Winterpelt and looked Shadowpelt up and down.

“Shadowpelt, you must lead a quest, for our people are in danger of death.” Thin Ice ordered.

“But who will I take?” Shadowpelt asked, “For I alone can’t do a quest by myself.”

“You will take a wolf from Fallen Destiny, and you will be lead by Winterpelt and his younger sister of Cloudfur.” Thin Ice looked at Shadowpelt with his wistful blue eyes, “For our lives depend on you.”

Chapter 3

After being led out of the palace Shadowpelt was taken to a small clearing in the forest on the outskirts of the city.

“This will be where you will train for your mission.” Winterpelt hollered, “Feathernose and Cloudfur should be here soon.”

Shadowpelt looked down at his slightly scuffed black shoes, and kicked the dirt. Suddenly the world froze.

_Not again. _

As the world froze Shadowpelt found himself back in the realm of the stars.

As the clouds from the sky descended he noticed a figure on one of them. The figure was a golden color with beige patches on them.

As the cloud touched the surface of the ground it billowed out in whisps.

The figure then walked right up to Shadowpelt and said, “Please, do come with me.” As Shadowpelt walked onto the cloud he saw the world get smaller and smaller below him until he felt like he was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen.

“Where to?” Shadowpelt asked.

“Go,” the figure said, “To the kingdom of Nath you must journey, and to the storm’s den you must go. For the darkness of night is close.”

Then the figure said, “You will be the hero of the empire, and you will cause the storm to fade.”

Suddenly Shadowpelt found himself back in the clearing with Winterpelt and the others.

Then his head started hurting, and he fell to his knees, Feathernose and Cloudfur then rushed to his side.

While in his half conscious state he noticed the same figure smiled down at him.

“We must go, now.” Shadowpelt croaked.

“Why you still have to train!” Winterpelt scolded.

Shadowpelt stumbled to his full height, “No, I just had a vision, a voice told me to go to the Kingdom of Nath.”

“Fine,” Winterpelt gritted his teeth, “But if you fail…” his voice trailed off.

Then they left the clearing and into the unknown.

Chapter 4

Everything was black.

As Obsidian sat in the dark and musty cellar he found himself looking around the room as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

Then he heard it.

A wail of pain and anguish followed by the sobbing of a female voice.

Then the door opened and a shape was thrown in front of him.

The shape was vaguely feminine and breathed shallowly.

Obsidian then quietly broke the silence, “What are you here for?”

To his surprise the figure shakily stood up and asked him, “You look like you don’t belong down here.”

Obsidian looked her up and down. Her clothes were in tatters and her emerald green eyes flared with an intense fire of anger and more noticeably, fear.

Obsidian then saw the stitches, they were everywhere on her body, they covered all of the joints and all of the gashes in her skin.

It can’t be.

It’s her .

“Maple?” Obsidian asked his voice barely above a whisper in the cellar.

Maple did a mock bow, “The one and only,” she then lightly wheezed, “And you are?”

“Obsidian.” He then put out his hand.

Maple smacked it away.

“Well,” Obsidian looked back at Maple, tears were welling in her eyes, “Are you alright?”

“OF COURSE I’M NOT!” Maple screamed, and then fell to the ground, slowly bleeding from a gash in her back.

Then the door opened again and light filled the room.

“Obsidian!” A voice yelled from the door, “Come here!”

Obsidian then silently sulked back to the door making sure that his ‘King’ wouldn’t betray him, not again.

“I have a special assignment for you.” Blizzardtail mused as Obsidian walked out of the cellar, “You must stop a quest from getting here.”

Then he explained the group and their goal of finding Blizzardtail and removing him from power.

“Now, find them and make sure they don’t come back.” Blizzardtail ordered and pointed Obsidian out to the door.

“Oh,” Blizzardtail’s icy blue eyes locked onto Obsidian’s purple eyes, “If you don’t succeed you will be joining Maple down there.”

Chapter 5

When Feathernose saw the deer carcass she knew that they had entered hostile territory.

“Ewww!” Feathernose mumbled as she smelled the scent of rotting flesh.

Then Cloudfur and Shadowpelt walked into the clearing with her, the carcass nailed to a large oak with the sign “KEEP OUT” labeled above it.

“My stars.” Shadowpelt whispered as he traced the slash marks in the deer.

“Where exactly are we?” Cloudfur asked, her nose twitching from the stench.

Then they heard rustling in the bushes around them.

“I know pain, I know dread!” A voice with an audible zing to it filled the air.

Then two purple eyes looked out of the bushes, filled with a palpable rage.

Then, in a flash, a black shape hurled itself at Feathernose and swiftly landed a strike to her face and her right leg.

“Feathernose,” Shadowpelt yelled as the shape of an obviously male black wolf threw a wild punch at Shadowpelt. “Get his legs!”

So Feathernose, though not much of a fighter, ran over to the surprised black wolf and grabbed his legs from out underneath him.

POOMF!!

The black wolf hit the ground and lay still for a second save for his breathing.

He then struggled to his feet, but Cloudfur put her serrated sword up to his neck, “Who are you?”

The black wolf, seeing that he had no other option, stammered, “I-I-I’m Obsidian.”

“Why are you here?” Cloudfur inquired.

“I-I was sent, by the great king Blizzardtail.” Obsidian whimpered as he curled up into a ball, “Just don’t hurt me, I’ve had enough.”

Feathernose looked at Cloudfur, and she looked at Shadowpelt.

They all knew what they were going to do with this newcomer.

Cloudfur then extended her hand and pulled Obsidian up and said, “Would you like to guide us to your king’s palace?”

“Umm,” Obsidian seemed to falter underneath the weight of his own fur, “Sure.”

“But first,” Shadowpelt interrupted, “We need to head north, to the nation of Nath.”

At this Obsidian seemed to curl into a mental ball of sorts, then he said, “Well, there’s only one way to get a safe passage to King Shredder's territory.” Obsidian gasped for air, “We must meet the Count of Disheri: Raven.”

Everyone grew silent, they had all heard of the count, he was a party goer, a sort of boogeyman of the border, and rumored to be the deadliest wolf alive, and was said to have mystical powers like Shadowpelt.

“Well,” Shadowpelt broke the pondering silence, “Let’s get a move on.”

After traveling a day to the north they finally see it: Raven’s massive and immaculate treehouse.

“Holy,” Feathernose whispered as they approached the dusty one lane trail going up to the massive swaying mansion.

The area was surrounded by huge oak trees, a barrier of rose bushes in decay and the pungent smell of fermented grapes filled the air.

Then they saw the gate.

It was massive and ornately carved from gold and silver, and at the side of the gate a huge speaker was connected to the ramparts surrounding the tree borne castle.

Feathernose was about to say something when the speaker crackled and a handsome almost velvety sounding voice sneered, “Who is it?”

Shadowpelt then spoke up, “Hello, is this the great Raven we are talking to?”

The speaker responded, “Yes it is I, Raven, why are you here?”

Cloudfur then shouldered her long serrated sword, “We are here to gain access to the lands of King Shredder.”

The speaker went silent for a moment before it responded, “You may enter my grounds, but on one condition,” the speaker then huffed to a voice in the background which was indistinct and unintelligible before returning to say, “You must meet me in my tree house for I have a party tonight, and I need a guest to entertain my crowd.”

Shadowpelt looked at Cloudfur, who looked at Feathernose.

They all knew what they were going to do.

“Of course my lord, we would be honored to help you in your party.” Feathernose responded.

The speaker then crackled, “Well, come on in.”

The gates then opened with an audible creaking sound and they walked into the grounds, the whole time Feathernose was hoping they weren’t walking into a trap.

Chapter 6

As Obsidian walked into the immaculate gardens and saw the tree borne mansion he was in awe.

The gardens were filled with nature and the sounds of birds chirping, then they got to the house.

The treehouse was made to impress.

The doors looked of solid gold, and had ornate carvings of leaves and feathers on it. Then a butler quickly opened the door and said, “The Count awaits you.”

As they walked the halls of the treehouse Obsidian felt the ground sway under his feet.

Hold it together. Obsidian told himself as they walked to another massive golden door where the butler quietly opened the door with a heave.

The room was massive.

It had huge windows going floor to ceiling letting the setting rays of sunlight. The room was black, so it felt like you were floating amongst the stars. Then in the middle of the room a bed was made and there, sitting on the bed in a pondering pose was the pitch black Raven.

He was way more handsome than Obsidian thought.

He had long flowing fur, huge midnight black wings surrounded his slender yet muscular body. His eyes were a vibrant shade of blue-gray, not to mention his eyes seemed cold and rather calculating. His outfit was a navy suit and a pair of white slacks that contrasted boldly from his fur. His shoes were made of scales from some beast, and his tail curled around his side.

“Why hello travelers.” Raven nodded curtly, “I know why you are really here.”

Obsidian shuddered in fear, _How does he know? _

“Sir,” Cloudfur said with brisk, “We mean you no harm, we just need to pass through your duchy to get to-”

“Stop,” Raven interrupted, “you must stay the night to host my party, but be careful, the prince will be there.”

Obsidian audibly gulped.

Raven then looked at his butler and said, “Please let the two girls and the purple eyed one get the preparations ready.”

The butler nodded and walked out of the room taking Cloudfur, Feathernose, and Shadowpelt with him.

As soon as the door clicked shut Raven said, “Well, well, you’ve come crawling back. How is the emperor doing?”

Obsidian felt his eyes flicker to the door, “Umm, he’s a little enraged.”

Raven then got off the bed and grabbed something from the corner of the room that looked suspiciously like a curved blade.

He then grabbed the curved blade and ran his fingers down it, just hard enough to cause him to bleed. “Ahh, are you scared?”

Obsidian felt his voice tremble, “Y-yes sir.”

“Well, complete your mission by tonight or else you will be more than just scared.”

Raven threatened.

Chapter 7

After the butler walked them down the long dimly lit hallway they came to a huge oak door.

When the door opened Shadowpelt saw a massive ballroom with couches on the sides of the room, frescos lined the ceiling and the walls, and the room was lit by a massive crystal chandelier.

Taking his pack off Shadowpelt heaved it onto one of the side couches and muttered, “Jeez, we might have been caught.”

Much to his surprise the butler was next to him, his gray fur barely showing from under a golden masquerade mask, “Indeed, Raven knows what you want.”

Shadowpelt looked up at the butler and said, “How much does he know?”

The butler then stated, “Enough to make him suspicious of your true intentions.”

Shadowpelt then looked around the room, and his eyes got caught on an object in the corner: a line of golden letters on the spine of a book.

Looking to see if any one was going to follow him, Shadowpelt quickly ran over to the book and snatched it. Upon cracking open the volume he saw images flick by but one earmarked page caught his eye.

On the page was a series of charts, detailing debts and sails of massive amounts of weapons and lastly on the margin a scribbled note said, “‘We must ally ourselves to the services of King Shredder.’”

Uh oh. Shadowpelt thought but he had a job to do, he needed to host a party.

After an hour the moon rose and the guests arrived.

As Shadowpelt served the guests venison he saw amongst the crowd the prince of Nath, Prince Charles.

As the upbeat music played Shadowpelt felt like eyes were on him at all times, just a perfect time for a vision.

In the vision he heard a voice say, _make him pay. _

Then as soon as the vision ended someone shook him, “Shadowpelt, are you okay?”

Shadowpelt looked to his left and Feathernose was there, she had changed into a nice sleeveless dress, with a blue choker around her neck. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes locked onto his and Shadowpelt felt his face flush.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Shadowpelt, do you feel-”

“Like you're being watched?”

They both spun around and right behind them the prince stood.

The prince was dressed in his usual outfit of a long dress shirt buttoned down just enough to reveal his chest. His pants were long and white, and his shoes were a dark brown and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of blacked out oval glasses. His fur was an indeterminate gray and had flashes of black and white.

“The name’s Charles, prince Charles that is.” The prince then extended a hand and Shadowpelt, grateful, took it.

Immediately a shock went through his body, just enough to make him yelp in pain, but not enough to burn his flesh.

“Heh, it gets ‘em every time.” Charles chuckled. He then looked at Shadowpelt and said, “Let’s head to the other room, eh?”

After weaving their way through the throngs of people they got to an elevator built into the trunk of the tree, upon entering the elevator the prince sighed, “Man, I can’t take it anymore!”

Confused, Shadowpelt looked at the prince, along with the two equally baffled Cloudfur and Feathernose.

“What’s wrong?” Feathernose asked, her eyes full of sympathy.

So the prince told them something they didn’t expect.

“My betrolled is here today, she’s quite the stalker.” The prince said as he nervously looked at his silver watch.

Ding!

As soon as the elevator’s doors opened Shadowpelt felt eyes on him.

Across the hall, yelling into a wired up phone was Raven.

“-I don’t care if they need a shipm-”

“Princey!” A high and reedy voice yelled from across the dimly lit room.

The prince then crouched down, behind Shadowpelt and the others.

Then the girl behind the voice walked up to the elevator, and she was gorgeous.

She had rich, coffee brown fur and eyes the color of espresso, in them a dirty flash flared, but when she noticed Feathernose and Cloudfur she scowled.

“Princey! Who are they?!” She yelled as she pointed to the two feminine wolves.

Cloudfur then sprang into action and got right up in the princess’ face, “If you don’t back off you will have to worry about me.”

The princess chuckled rather darkly, “So, you’re his new girl huh, he didn’t choose well did he?”

“Wait, I’m not his-” Cloudfur went to contradict the princess, but she was stopped by the princess saying, “I challenge you to a duel.”

Cloudfur gave the princess a side eye and finally stated through gritted teeth, “Fine, I accept, but have this,” she then tossed a dagger that was slightly curved.

Shadowpelt looked at them in shock, “What are you doing?”

Cloudfur looked back at Shadowpelt with her bright green eyes, “Teaching her a lesson.”

Then they stood back to back and started their paces.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9…

Then on the 10th pace Cloudfur struck, she quickly turned around to the befuddled princess and ran at her with the jagged sword that was on her belt loops just a second prior.

But the princess was fast, she quickly dodged the strike, and parried with a strike of her own. As the blades crossed the lights flickered in the elevator as the doors closed and brought them back up to the ballroom. Then Cloudfur was about to swipe her blade upwards, but the princess caught the move and slashed along the blade and the short dagger buried itself into Cloudfur’s belly.

Cloudfur’s eyes went wide with fear and noticeable anger, and she quickly drove the sword upwards, cutting a deep gash in the princess’s right leg as she fell.

As the princess fell the doors opened with a cheerful, Ding!

Quickly the princess hobbled past them and through the shocked guests, and yelled back at them, “King Shredder will hear of this, and he’ll want your heads!”

All the while the Prince got up shaky as if he had been hit, and grabbed the injured Cloudfur, whose eyes were now rolled back into her head.

“We need a doctor!” The prince shouted, and right after he yelled, Obsidian rushed through the crowd, which was growing rather angry, and said, “Let me, just let’s get out of here, and fast.”

So they quickly pressed the elevator’s buttons to take them back to the ground floor, and as soon as their feet touched the ground they ran into the darkness of the night.

Chapter 8

After an hour straight of running for their lives Feathernose stopped as thunder crashed overhead.

“We need to stop.” She huffed, as Shadowpelt looked at her and asked a silent question, “Why?”

“For one, I’m tired, two, Cloudfur needs to be checked out, and three, we need to eat.” Feathernose countered.

“Fine,” Shadowpelt muttered, “Let’s head over there to that cave.”

As they trudged over to the blackened hole in the side of a sheer cliff, and made themselves comfortable, or as much as they could get, lightning then slashed through the air.

As they got the materials for a fire Feathernose looked at Obsidian, he had been quiet the whole time that they spent fleeing the party.

“Hey, where were you?” Feathernose asked.

Obsidian gave her a thousand eye stare, “Raven needed me.”

“For what?” Feathernose prodded, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

“Well, if I’ll admit, I haven’t been honest to you guys.” Obsidian began.

“Oh?” Feathernose looked at him with a curious smile.

“I was ordered to capture you guys, dead or alive.” Obsidian looked away, ashamed.

Feathernose was silent, for she needed a moment to process.

Just then they heard thunder crash again, and Cloudfur mumbled from across the cave, “Just get it over with man, you had your chance.”

Obsidian was about to say something when Shadowpelt came back into the cave, with a pile full of wood.

He then said, “I’ll go out and get more wood, if you guys need anything just yell.”

But just as he was about to exit the cave a figure appeared at the front of the cavern.

“Who goes there?” Obsidian asked as he rose, grabbing a small pistol-like weapon.

“Good evening fellow travelers.” the figure said as he got into the light.

“Who are you?” Obsidian asked with a tinge of fear.

“I am a traveling mystic, I offer you my services as a healer to you folks.” The figure sidestepped.

Obsidian was about to ask for him to be more clear, but the “traveling mystic” then said, “The name is Marrow.” He then took a bow and looked at the injured Cloudfur.

“Stop,” Feathernose commanded, “Why should we trust you?”

Marrow looked at her with curiosity, “Hmmm, Feathernose, your soul burns bright, like a fiery morning sky, but beware of the dark flies.”

Feathernose, unsettled, just repeated her question.

“I am your only hope for your journey to succeed.” Marrow stated like he knew more than he let on.

“Just let him heal me, we can’t worry about who to trust right now.” Cloudfur coughed as her wound slowly cracked open from her breathing.

“Fine, help her, but why are you helping us?” Obsidian asked.

As the healer got to work he stated, “I thrive on the secrets of others, so tell me, why are you here?”

So Feathernose explained their mission, to find king Shredder and interrogate him, along with his ally Blizzardtail.

“Hmmm,” Marrow said as he got to work by wrapping Cloudfur’s wound in bandages, “I see, he has the information you need, for what?”

“That I do not know.” Feathernose admitted, “But we appreciate your help, now Obsidian I'm going to sleep, I recommend Shadowpelt do the same.”

“Fine,” Obsidian stated as he opened up his pack and laid a blanket on the ground and immediately started snoring.

With the crackling of the fire, the snoring of Obsidian and Shadowpelt, Feathernose felt her eyelids grow heavy and found herself asleep.

Chapter 9

When light filtered through the cave’s entrance Obsidian woke. As he fumbled for a shirt and pants he saw the mystic making breakfast.

“What’s that smell?” Cloudfur mumbled from somewhere to his left.

The mystic then turned and Obsidian finally saw his face.

He had black fur, with red patches all over his body, and a long scar crossed over his right eye and stopped just above his nose. He was wearing a long monk’s habit and a pair of short trousers.

“It’s fish, specifically trout.” Marrow nodded as he produced a bowl of fish in a bone broth.

“Eat up.” Marrow commanded.

As they ate they were treated to a beautiful sunrise, the whole time Obsidian was thinking about his conversation with Raven the night before.

As he thought he looked at Shadowpelt, who was just waking, and he was struck by how similar he was to Raven, the fur, the voice, the personality, and the eyes, it just struck him, but before he could open his mouth Shadowpelt spoke.

“Welp,” Shadowpelt said as he got up, “We better head north.”

“No, first we must head to the town of Alashanka, for we need more medical supplies.” Marrow countered.

“Fine,” Shadowpelt gritted his teeth, “but we must make sure we don’t get followed.”

So they left.

As they journeyed to the northwest Obsidian couldn't stop thinking about his king, as he was probably wondering why the targets hadn’t been eliminated yet.

But as they began to approach the town of Alashanka in the evening something seemed off.

“Stop.” Obsidian said, “We’re being followed.”

As they stopped in the middle of a clearing surrounded by dead brambles Marrow looked at Obsidian with suspicion.

CRUNCH!

Then they heard it, heavy footsteps in the bushes.

Cloudfur, who for the whole journey had felt like she was going to collapse finally did so.

Quickly Feathernose got to her side, but before she could get to her a voice yelled, “Halt!”

Shadowpelt along with Obsidian then spun around, and to their horror a few figures dressed in all black, save for their eyes, were looking back at them.

The leader of the group was tall with gray eyes and a long tail that swished from side to side.

“You are entering the territory of Alashanka, surrender your weapons now, or pay the price.” the leader bellowed.

Seeing that they had no other choice Obsidian laid down his pistol and motioned for the others to do the same.

“Good,” the leader nodded, “now Rosemary, take them to the town, and let’s see if they are traitors or not.”

“Wait,” Marrow interrupted as a ruby red fox went to walk towards him, “I have something to show you.”

The leader looked at Marrow with renewed interest, and stated, “What do you want?”

As soon as the leader went to look at Marrow’s hands a bright flash of light filled the air and the cawing of a thousand crows began.

“AGH!” The leader went down with his hands over his ears and Obsidian knew it was time to run.

Quickly they ran down to the village and as Obsidian looked behind him he saw a cloud of crows fly at the people following them.

“Quick!” Obsidian yelled as he ran into a small carriage that could fit all of them, and that had three wheels and turned the machine on.

As he drove the machine through the town he heard the crowd grow quieter and quieter until they made it to the woods past the town.

“Wheew, that was close, you guys good?” Obsidian looked back at Shadowpelt, Cloudfur, and Feathernose, as Marrow was up front with him.

In the back a voice mumbled, “Yeah, just give me a second.”

Marrow then nodded and said, “Indeed, but we are under surveillance.”

“We’ve entered king Shredder’s territory, haven’t we?” Shadowpelt asked from the back.

But as they entered the mountains ahead of them they didn’t know that they would not get to the castle in a distinguished way.

Meanwhile in King Shredder’s castle…

“Hmmm.” the king mumbled as he stroked the eye patch that covered his left eye, “We need to capture them.”

The white and blue Blizzardtail nodded, “Yes they must die, they know too much, and we must capture that book.”

Shredder looked out of the massive stained glass window and looked out to the town below.

“Yes, the book is key, for it holds the future of our world.” Shredder continued, “Get them here, now, I’ll deal with them.”

Blizzardtail nodded in agreement, “Don’t mess this up, otherwise…” he let the threat hang in the air, and he walked into the cellar and into his room of the captured.

Chapter 10

As they walked up the long trail leading to Shredder’s castle, Shadowpelt got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. “We’re going to be discovered,” he whispered.

“What was that?” Cloudfur asked, now fully healed and re-energized.

“Nothing.” Shadowpelt answered.

As they got closer thunder roared overhead and a tremendous downpour started.

Then after twenty minutes of walking up the trail they finally reached the castle’s ramparts.

“So, who wants to knock?” Obsidian asked the question they all feared.

But, as if on queue the huge wooden door opened with a long ear splitting sound.

Behind the door laid a wolf, but as they got closer the figure refused to get up.

It's the prince.

Then they got to the body and Charles mumbled in pain, “Don’t go any further, my father will be very unpleased.”

His body was in ruins, his once immaculate coat was torn and ripped to shreds. His left eye was bloody and his face was a mess of scars and bloody slash marks.

Finally his body was a mess of broken and battered ruins and had blood seeping into the muddy ground.

Marrow quickly got down to the prince and started chanting, “Hereford the dead lay, and the blood of gods slain, praise the king and the cult, for winter must be raised to thine lands of sorrow.”

Shadowpelt gave the mystic a strange look, who returned the look to him.

Thunder crashed again, and in the light Shadowpelt could make out the shape of a wolf beckoning them forwards.

“Cloudfur, tend to his wounds, we will have to see about him.” Shadowpelt commanded, and looked at the wolf in the distance.

As they ran to the figure they were beckoned into a long hallway, where torches flickered and finally they were led into a massive chamber.

“Welcome, to the Chamber of the King.” The wolf then heaved the door open and they were met with a large glowing eye attached to a figure.

Shredder was huge, as he was a large lumbering wolf sitting on a bright throne of opals and rubies.

His left eye was a bright glowing shade of yellow, and where the other eye was supposed to be was a black void. His fur was a dark gray mixed with black, and his suit was a bright burgundy and in his left hand he held a cup filled with a dark red liquid.

“Good day!” The king of the Mountains hollered in hello.

“Hello,” Shadowpelt said crisply, “We have come here to negotiate.”

“Oh?” The king’s head tilted slightly to the right and he took a swig of the dark liquid.

“We wish for peace, and we wish for free passage through your lands.” Shadowpelt looked at the king’s cold and critical eyes.

He then let out a heavy hearted laugh, “Oh, I see, seeing as you’ve gotten this far I might as well,” the king paused ominously, “On one condition.”

“Which is?” Shadowpelt prompted.

“You beat me at a contest, of who is less fearful of nature.” Shredder mused darkly.

Just then the smell of something metallic and the burning smell of rotten flesh pierced Shadowpelt’s nose, it was the smell of blood.

“Sir, if I may ask,” Shadowpelt looked nervously at the dark red liquid in Shredder’s hand, “What do you do to those who wrong you?”

The king practically spat out the dark liquid and smiled, revealing blood stained teeth, “I turn them into wine.”

Shadowpelt swallowed. He really is mad.

At this Feathernose started to shake which drew the attention of the king, who got off his opal and ruby studded throne and walked up to her. “You have very nice eyes, so you won’t be my next victim.”

Feathernose then started to cry as king Shredder went to brush away her tears.

“Stop.” Shadowpelt said as he put himself in between the two of them, “We just need to rest, but please leave her alone.”

King Shredder looked at Shadowpelt with a renewed interest, “Fine, but beware, I can unleash the beast at any time.”

“Okay,” Obsidian nodded, and led them out of the room, the whole time Shadowpelt was wondering how he knew where they were going.

After they got to the guest room Shadowpelt got onto the bed and laid down, “May the stars have mercy, Shredder is mad.”

Feathernose, who still had tears streaming down her face sobbed, “How dare he?”

Shadowpelt put a hand on her back and gently rubbed her back, “I know.”

Meanwhile Obsidian shut the door and said, “I got to see how the prince is doing, for I owe him… a favor.”

Chapter 11

As Obsidian walked down the hall he felt shivers down his spine.

My stars, why am I doing this again?

Then he recalled his conversation with Blizzardtail, he wanted to get his full name, and the only way to do that was complete a mission for him.

But Obsidian didn’t have the heart for it, these people he once saw as his rivals were now his friends.

I must end this conundrum.

After turning down the hall and into Shredder’s personal arsenal of swords and daggers Obsidian grabbed a small and unusual dagger with the words einingu og samstöðu, Unity and solidarity. In the old language that is.

Suddenly a knock sounded at the door, and Obsidian quickly ran the dagger over the door and yelled, “Who is it?”

Then the door splintered and standing behind the mess was Raven.

“Hello, little corporal, you have a choice to make.”

Obsidian suddenly understood and nodded in agreement, “Yes my lord, I will get rid of him today.”

As Feathernose slept she had a strange dream.

In the dream she was standing on a hill overlooking a bay and a set of cliffs, in the middle of the crescent shaped bay was an island, where a massive palace had been constructed.

Then someone appeared next to her, a wolf with blue fur and many scars, with kind blue eyes. It was the legendary conqueror Icetooth.

Feathernose knelt before him.

Then his voice spoke into her mind, Beware of the winter’s bane, for he shall not be slain.

Suddenly the dream faded as a new voice yelled, “Get up!”

She suddenly shot up and looked at two purple eyes staring back at her.

“What’s going on?” Feathernose whispered, trying to rub the crusties out of her eyes.

“Shredder is onto us.” Shadowpelt said as he practically pulled Feathernose up from her bed, as she got up she almost brushed Shadowpelt’s lips with her own.

She then promptly blushed as Shadowpelt looked out of the door that was slightly ajar.

“Wait, we need to find Cloudfur,” Feathernose looked at Shadowpelt with fear.

“I know, she’s in the next room.”

As they got to the next room Cloudfur lay in the bed just barely awake, “I heard you guys last night, what were you talking about?”

“Wait what?” Shadowpelt looked at Cloudfur confused.

“Oh nevermind,” Cloudfur rolled her eyes, “Let’s just leave.”

Then Feathernose heard it, a quiet low drumming sound that felt like it was coming closer and closer.

Suddenly Shadowpelt got out his book, and started chanting in the old language.

The sounds grew louder and when they reached a fever pitch she started to feel the ground sway.

Then they saw it, the blood red eyes at the end of the hallway.

“Run,” Feathernose yelled, quickly she started knocking over plants and moved the door off its hinges and shouldered it like a riot shield.

They then ran down the dark hallways and into another room, and in the dimly lit room were skeletons, many, many skeletons.

Feathernose then saw a sight that creeped her out more than the skeletons, they started to move.

“We need to leave, NOW!” Feathernose yelled as she ran past the skeletons and out of the window above.

I’m going to die. Feathernose thought as she plummeted down the window and onto a balcony below.

Then she heard the others jump out too, and as soon as they did a siren started in the distance.

As the others landed next to her she looked at Shadowpelt and said, “We need to get to the woods, they’ll have a harder time finding us there.”

Shadowpelt nodded and yelled at the others, “We need to get to the woods, and quickly, if you see anyone just run, don’t fight.”

Then a guard appeared on the balcony and flicked a sword open and pointed it at them. “Halt, or be taken into the custody of the king.”

Immediately Feathernose dangled her feet off of the balcony and dropped onto the ground, and the others followed.

As they ran to the woods shots were fired behind them just barely missing them.

The woods came closer and closer, but much to their collective horror a parade of guards appeared and yelled in distaste.

“We have to fight,” Shadowpelt said, “Get your weapons out.”

Then the leader of the guards yelled, “Surrender or die!”

Feathernose then snarkily yelled back, “Make me!”

Then the battle commenced.

As figures fell around Feathernose from her sharp knives she silently cursed herself for not bringing a ranged weapon, then, as a fox with gray fur was about to strike her she saw it: a cannon lay in the field facing past the ramparts.

“We need to get that cannon!” Feathernose yelled as Shadowpelt and she fought side by side.

Then a huge lumbering wolf came into their view, bearing down on Cloudfur, who in the fight had reopened her wound and was lightly bleeding from her ears.

Right there Feathernose knew she would be too late to rescue her friend.

But as the wolf went to send a master cut with his ax something weird happened, Shadowpelt suddenly was by her side and quickly cut down the wolf, then he reappeared right next to her.

Then the whole army seemed to be freaked out from the strange sight that Shadowpelt had made.

Then as the battlefield cleared Feathernose started to cry, she had slain creatures of the world just for what? So she could live? Am I really that bloodthirsty?

Then Marrow appeared and along with him Obsidian, who muttered something under his breath.

“Ahh, the battle is not over, but it only begins, for death will remain true.” Marrow said as he began to chant in the old language and pray over the dead on the battlefield.

Next the party started to venture towards the east and into the lands of the Kingdom of Kole, and whether or not they knew it, they were going to meet the leader of the area, the rather little known King Kyle the third, due to a rather persistent Cloudfur.

Chapter 12

As Shadowpelt trudged through the trail in the woods with his fellow questers he began to think aloud, “I wonder why Thin Ice wants us to find Blizzardtail.”

After a bout of silence Obsidian finally spoke up, “Well to be honest Blizzardtail is his son, but they never had the best of relationships.”

Shadowpelt looked down at his shoes, “Why?”

Feathernose and Cloudfur then yelled in unison, “Look!”

Obsidian looked at Shadowpelt with a look that said _I’ll tell you later. _

As they exited the forest they came to a massive cliff face, and beyond the cliff face and in the valley below was a huge castle made from a black-brick material.

“We have entered the Kingdom of Kole.” Marrow stated, “Now we must gain access to King Kyle’s arsenal, we could use some more weapons.”

Shadowpelt gave the mystic the side-eye but nodded in agreement, “We also need to get something to eat.”

Just then a bugle sounded in front of them, and a fox with bright yellow fur and green eyes dressed in baggy pants, a striped green and purple shirt that was covered by a plate of armor on his chest.

The fox was on a strange stead, his stead was a massive black bear that had a nametag on it that glimmered a bright gold.

The fox then dismounted and knelt before the travelers, then rose and produced a long scroll with well aged paper.

“The king of Kole, the one and only Kyle Starkny, invites you to a banquet.” The fox then mounted his bear and nodded for the others to follow him.

As they walked the trail up to the castle Shadowpelt got to know more about the king of Kole.

“What is he like?”

“He is very quick witted, and very tough, some would even say battle hardened.” The response came from the fox.

“Is he peaceful?”

“Ha! Not a chance, he’s in a war ya know.” The reply came.

“With whom?” Shadowpelt asked, a little fearful of the answer.

“With King Shredder of course.” The heavily armored fox stated, his tone clipped.

Then they came to the immaculate silver ornamented doors leading into the castle’s interior.

With a heave the fox opened the door and yelled an announcement to someone in a foreign tongue.

The response was a gruff and heavily accented “Let them in and join us.”

As the questers walked down the artfilled halls they came to a huge banquet room where the king of Kole sat.

He had fiery orange eyes, gray fur that turned white near his heavily jeweled shirt, his legs were obscured by the table but Shadowpelt could feel the royal’s foot tapping.

He then spoke in that strange and frankly complicated language and the fox interpreted, “King Kyle wishes you well and wants to hear of your travels.”

So Shadowpelt, still conscious of his traveling, began to explain his quest.

All of this seemed to make Kyle perk up, and after the end of his speech the king of mountains said in a heavily accented voice, “We will get your party to the ends of my lands, but no further.”

Shadowpelt bowed in respect and was led out of the room with Obsidian while Feathernose and Cloudfur went to a chamber to sleep.

As they creeped out of the room Obsidian knew this was his last chance, quickly and silently he positioned himself behind Shadowpelt and drew that accursed dagger.

And he slashed down striking Shadowpelt in the small of his back.

Shadowpelt turned around, shocked and yelled, “How dare you!”

As Obsidian went to strike again Shadowpelt put up a paw and the blade stopped just mere millimeters away from it.

Shadowpelt looked deep into Obsidian’s eyes, “Go back, to the hole you crawled out of, you traitor.”

Obsidian, then looked at Shadowpelt ashamed and said, “Fine, I will leave, but if you need help I’ll be there.”

“Wait,” Shadowpelt said, a little unnerved, “once we get to Blizzardtail’s palace, you will get us in, right?”

Obsidian looked past Shadowpelt and gave a somber nod, and opened the door to outside and left. All the while Marrow walked with him.

Unbeknownst to the questers the night passed by and Blizzardtail’s forces began to march into the Kingdom of Kole in support of his ally Shredder of Nath.

But just across the river Nerval a storm was brewing inside Blizzardtail's realm.

Chapter 13

CRASH!

Blizzardtail smashed the glass goblet onto the table and yelled, “Get that book, and now!”

In the distance the assassin that he had hired looked on at Blizzardtail and nodded, “Yes my lord, I will destroy them, with the fire of the deep.” As he said that fire danced along the orange and red wolf’s paws, just above his fur yet not burning it.

“Go,” Blizzardtail commanded, looking out of the frost covered window, “And avenge my failures.”

The assassin’s name?

The legendary Phoenix, a wolf with the powers over fire.

When Feathernose woke from her sleep she cracked her eyes open and saw the shape of Shadowpelt in the corner making coffee.

“W-what?” Feathernose asked, still half in slumber.

“We’re still in Kyle’s castle, he just let us have a room, he kinda figured that we would need the night to prepare.” Shadowpelt explained.

Feathernose, silently embarrassed, looked away from Shadowpelt, his purple eyes focused on making breakfast, but the whole time her gaze was on his muscle toned frame.

“What?” Shadowpelt asked, his head tilted slightly to the side.

“Nothing, well I guess it’s something.” Feathernose looked away afraid of her own feelings.

“What is it?” Shadowpelt asked.

“I’m in love with you,” Feathernose clarified her heart pounding in her chest, but just as Shadowpelt was about to say something back, Cloudfur opened the door from the adjacent bathroom, “What did I just walk into?”

Feathernose, a little more embarrassed, moved the conversation to something else, “What do we got for weapons?”

“We got a sword, a pack full of throwing knives, and Obsidian’s pistol.” Shadowpelt counted out the weapons on his fingers like numbers.

“Wait, where’s Obsidian?” Feathernose inquired.

“He’s… going to get us a way in.” Shadowpelt said after a short pause.

Cloudfur, now dressed in a white ghillie suit said, “Why do we have to wear these?”

“I talked to Kyle last night, he said it would keep us camouflaged.”

CRASH!

They all looked at each other and a silent conversation went through them.

Fight? Cloudfur seemed to ask with her eyes.

Run? Feathernose pleaded.

No, stay calm. Shadowpelt countered.

As they approached the door someone yelled in that strange tongue.

After opening the door the fox from the day before came out and said, “Why hello travelers, I’m your guide to the end of our nation. I’m Matteo, I’ll be your driver and protector.” The yellow fox bowed with obvious respect.

Then he turned and motioned for them to follow him to the king’s arsenal.

The whole time as they walked to the arsenal a whistle escaped Matteo’s lips, “With fire and stone, we shall heal the bones of the ones who have fallen alone,” Matteo sang as he opened the doors of the arsenal.

They were amazed, the high walls were covered in weapons from many different ages, and many different types, but at the end covered in a black tarp was a hulking shape.

“What is that?” Feathernose asked, her interest peaked.

Matteo took off the tarp revealing a metal beast that Feathernose had never seen before.

The machine was huge, it had a bulking gun on its top by a hatch where they would enter, a couple of mirrors, and large treads on wheels.

“In your language they call it a tankur, but just call it a tank for short, and this model was made by yours truly.” Matteo said with a tone of pride.

“Now let's do this!” Matteo said as he gave Shadowpelt a pair of headphones and said, “You’ll need these to hear me from inside, and you,” Matteo looked at Cloudfur, ‘You know how to drive?”

“Umm, yes.” was the stunned reply

So as they got into the cramped and stuffy machine, Feathernose asked, “Is this really necessary?”

Focused on his task of flipping many switches and dials, Matteo just nodded before clarifying that, “This thing's armor will keep them from killing us, only one of these have failed us, and that was in target practice.”

“Okay,” Feathernose said, not entirely convinced.

As she thought to herself Shadowpelt sat down next to her and placed his bag aside and said, “Well, if we die we won’t feel it, for we’ll die in a fiery explosion.”

“Oh, yeah that’s really comforting,” Feathernose rolled her eyes, a little exasperated.

Then the machine lurched forwards and they headed towards Blizzardtail’s palace.

Chapter 14

As they headed towards the palace Phoenix spread his orange wings and spied his quarry, a fast moving vehicle that had thick armor plating.

This will be easy, Phoenix thought as he descended and quickly grabbed a hefty piece of wood from the side of the snow-swept road.

Then he descended and jammed it in the treads, and watched the machine sputter to a stop.

_CREEEEK! _

“What was that?” Shadowpelt yelled as the tank came to a lurching halt.

“I don’t know, I’ll go out and check, and come with me Shadowpelt.” Matteo called as he opened the hatch and grabbed a toolbox.

As soon as he got above the hatch Shadowpelt felt heat on his face.

Then he saw it, past Matteo working on the treads he saw a figure looming in the trees, and yelled, “You better hurry up!”

Then Matteo looked up, and right into the trap.

Suddenly a fireball appeared out of nowhere and engulfed Matteo, Shadowpelt, scared as he was, picked up Matteo’s sword that fell off of his belt, and swung madly into the flames.

Then he heard it, a sharp THUNK! The sound of the blade burrowing into skin, and a sharp howl sounded from within the flames.

“You dare?” A loud and ominous voice bellowed from the flames, “I’m the mighty Phoenix you can’t destroy me.”

Then flames went around Shadowpelt, and he felt the world go black.

As the chaos reigned just beyond the tank, Feathernose quickly heard the crackling of the fire, and jumped out to see Shadowpelt and Matteo engulfed in the fiery depths of the flames.

But to her horror she saw no signs of life, as the bodies were charred.

Quickly she jumped down to Shadowpelt and felt for a pulse.

“Whew!” She muttered as she felt the pulse in Shadowpelt’s wrist. Then she went over to Matteo, he had just barely a pulse.

Silently she grabbed Shadowpelt and Matteo and dragged them into the tank, hoping they would stay alive.

As the night wore on the moon rose, and the birds stopped chirping, and the crackle of a fire began to start, one that Feathernose had started.

As she stirred the fire with Cloudfur she looked over at the passed out Shadowpelt, and the badly burnt Matteo, who had yet to wake as well.

“So, I heard you and Shadowpelt are a thing.” Cloudfur murmured as she threw a stick into the fire.

Feathernose thought before she answered, “Honestly, I do like him, and he likes me, but I'm not sure what he thinks of me.”

Snap! The fire crackled.

“Well,” Cloudfur said, “Once he wakes up, you should talk to him.”

SNAP! This time it wasn’t the fire.

Then Feathernose saw it, a dark shape walking through the woods, making its way through the pines.

Then the shape came into focus, it was Marrow.

“Dear travelers, I see you need aid, so let me help you.” the mystic bowed with respect.

Then before she could say anything he touched Cloudfur’s head, and touched her own.

Immediately she found herself in the realm of the stars, as she was surrounded by starry figures who looked at her and one of them, the Blue form of Icetooth came forwards, and put a blade over her shoulders and said, “Rise Lady Feathernose, for you have much to do.”

Then the vision stopped, and she felt a renewed sense of purpose. I can do this, I got to get us to the palace.

Then as she got up she saw Cloudfur look at her and say, “Did you just have a vision?”

“Yes,” Feathernose nodded, “We need to get there, and now.”

So, quickly and quietly she poked Shadowpelt awake who mumbled something and slowly followed her into the tank.

All the while Cloudfur got Matteo out of his slumber and went into the hulking beast.

Chapter 15

In the heart of the capital, the air was thick with tension as Thin Ice sat at his desk, his eyes scanning a parchment delivered by a young page. The flickering candlelight cast shadows that danced ominously on the walls.

“Your Grace,” the page began, his voice trembling slightly, “Fallen Destiny has expressed a desire for an alliance. They also mention that the questers are in dire need of aid.”

Thin Ice leaned back, his expression unreadable. He rubbed his temples, the weight of leadership pressing heavily upon him. Just as he was about to respond, Winterpelt burst into the chamber, his fur bristling with urgency.

“Thin Ice! We must find the questers! They’re out there, and they need our help!” he pleaded, eyes alight with desperation.

“Winterpelt,” Thin Ice replied, his tone firm yet weary. “I appreciate your concern, but I cannot risk further weakening our own position. The trust I have in that group is not as solid as you believe.”

“But—” Winterpelt started, but Thin Ice held up a paw, silencing him.

“Blizzardtail is preparing for war, and his forces are slightly more advanced than ours. We must focus on fortifying our defenses, not chasing shadows.”

Winterpelt’s expression faltered, the flicker of hope dimming in his eyes. “But if we don’t act now, we may lose them… and everything they stand for.”

Thin Ice sighed, torn between duty and compassion. “We will consider a response to Fallen Destiny. For now, we must hold our ground. We cannot afford to be reckless.”

As the conversation hung heavy in the air, the distant sounds of drills and marching echoed through the capital—a stark reminder of the impending conflict.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the forest, Shadowpelt lay severely wounded, the remnants of battle weighing heavily on him. His breath came in ragged gasps, and as the world around him began to fade, a vision pierced the veil of darkness.

Images flashed before his eyes: the relentless march of Blizzardtail’s forces, their banners waving triumphantly in the wind. They advanced like a tide, sweeping toward him and the other questers with an ominous certainty.

In that moment, he felt the heat of their ambition, the cold steel of their weapons, and the certainty that they were coming for him. The vision was a chilling echo of his own fears, a portent of the chaos that threatened to engulf them all.

As the images faded, Shadowpelt gasped, eyes snapping open. The reality of their situation crashed down on him like a wave. He had to warn the others. They needed to prepare, to fight back against the storm that was Blizzardtail.

Then as they traveled towards Blizzardtail’s palace the questers began to plot what they were going to say, but as noon neared they came to a stop on the cliff overlooking the bay of the Half-Moon.

As soon as they stopped the tank Shadowpelt noticed a black raven amongst the snow covered pines.

Then he saw the scroll in its talons.

“Wait,” Feathernose looked at Shadowpelt with curiosity, “why are you trying to catch that raven,” then she noticed the scroll.

Quickly jumping up Shadowpelt grabbed the raven unceremoniously and fell to the ground, when he got back up from the brush he yelled, “I got it!” and the raven flew off.

With fumbling hands Shadowpelt unrolled the scroll and read the following message.

“Hello questers, it is I, Winterpelt, and I’m facing a court martial for telling you this, but I have made a decision: instigate an uprising in his lands after you talk to Blizzardtail, for his forces are feeding off of fear. We need to stop them, and right now, or else we may face a new dark age. And finally my last wish is for you to hold onto that book of powers I’ve kept within my reach, and that reach will now be extended to you, for I’m on death’s door.”

Shadowpelt then looked at the scroll, his paws trembling, “Winterpelt could be dead,” the scroll then fell to the ground, shock showing on his face.

Feathernose looked at Shadowpelt and silently whispered, “We must do this, for Winterpelt.”

Suddenly she put her sword in the middle and motioned for the others to do the same, and they did.

“For Winterpelt!” Feathernose yelled to the snow swept sky.

As they started to go through the palace’s neighboring forest they Shadowpelt noticed something odd, no one came after them.

As they reached a tree with its roots turned up into the air he clutched the book close to him, reading himself for what was about to come.

Then he heard it, a quiet crack of a twig breaking, not much but something to note.

Then another crack, followed by another, until the noise seemed to be right on top of them.

Shadowpelt then ignited a silent conversation, it went like this.

Shadowpelt: Find it?

Feathernose: No, we’re too close.

Cloudfur then broke the silence and said, “Alright just come out and get us!” She then was surprised to see a group of vixens, lupi, and felines jump out of the surrounding trees and land right in front of them.

They had walked into a trap.

Chapter 16

As the figures descended from the trees, a chill ran down Feathernose’s spine. Her heart raced, and her instinct screamed danger, but as they emerged from the shadows, one figure stood out among the rest. It was him—Obsidian, their former guide and ally, the one who had promised to lead them to Blizzardtail’s castle. Relief and confusion washed over her.

“Obsidian!” she called, stepping forward despite the looming threat of the vixens and lupi. “What are you doing here?”

Obsidian's dark eyes flickered with a mix of emotions as he raised a paw, signaling the others to hold back. “Feathernose,” he said, urgency tinging his voice, “I’m here to propose a truce.”

The others shifted uneasily, their weapons still drawn. “A truce?” Feathernose echoed, her brow furrowing. “Why should we trust you after everything that’s happened?”

“Because Blizzardtail wants to see you in person,” Obsidian replied, his tone grave. “You need to understand—he is not what you think. You must witness his true nature for yourselves.”

Feathernose’s heart pounded. “What do you mean? Why would he want to meet us?” The questions tumbled from her lips, her suspicion flaring.

“Please,” Obsidian pleaded, desperation etching his features. “You don’t understand the peril you’re in. Blizzardtail isn’t just a leader; he’s a force of nature, ruthless and cunning. You need to see how vicious he truly is, or you’ll never be prepared for what’s to come.” Obsidian’s face was dark and pleading.

For a moment, the world around her fell silent, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. She exchanged glances with Shadowpelt and Cloudfur, uncertainty swirling among them.

“Why should we walk into the jaws of a monster?” Cloudfur asked, her voice steady yet filled with apprehension.

“Because it’s our only chance,” Obsidian insisted, stepping closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “If you can prove your strength in his eyes, you may just have a shot at survival—and a chance to undermine him from within.”

Feathernose hesitated, her mind racing. Every instinct warned her to refuse, to run, but the gravity of Obsidian's plea anchored her. She thought of Winterpelt and the urgency of their mission. What if this was the key to turning the tide?

“Fine,” she said finally, steel creeping back into her voice. “But if this is a trap, I swear—”

“It’s not,” Obsidian interrupted, his gaze intense. “I swear it. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure your safety.”

With a heavy heart, Feathernose nodded, her resolve firming. “Then lead the way. But know this—if Blizzardtail tries anything, we will fight back with everything we have.”

As they prepared to follow Obsidian, the tension in the air shifted, a fragile truce hanging over them like a thin veil. Feathernose could feel the eyes of the other figures on her, each one a potential threat, yet somehow, amidst the uncertainty, a flicker of hope ignited within her.

As they started to walk to the castle’s huge iron door a thick mist shrouded the area, ringing them in like they were in an arena. Just as they were about to knock on the door,and out of the mist a pair of two foxes unharnessed their axes from their backs, then one of them, a large blue fox bellowed, “Halt! Why are you here?”

Feathernose replied with a crisp, “We need to see Blizzardatil, for we have come here to negotiate.”

The blue fox then nodded and said, “Fine, come with us.”

After the foxes opened the iron doors they walked down a long dimly lit corridor and as they walked Feathernose thought she could hear screaming from someplace below her feet.

Then, the two vixen guards then got to the end of a corridor where a pair of huge birch doors was with large golden leaves on it. As she was marveling at the doors one of the foxes snuck up behind her and poked her with their ax.

“Ow!” Feathernose yelped, “I’m moving, okay?”

Then they entered the chamber of Blizzardatil.

In the chamber was a huge red carpet with golden edges, then a massive glass table was off to the side, where an orange, brown and white she-wolf was pleading with an unseen shape. Just beyond her was a black throne made from some sort of metal as it was shining in the light.

Then when the door creaked from the foxes opening it the chair turned around, revealing the most immaculately adorned wolf.

He was large, with bright piercing blue eyes, his fur was a combination of white with blue spots, his teeth shined in the light like silver. His face was almost perfect save for a long scar on the bridge of his nose, his outfit was an army officer’s green with black splotches, and his pants were a dark brown that contrasted greatly with his blue shoes.

“Why hello.” The deadly-stylist looked at them, his eyes burning into Feathernose’s very soul.

He then looked at the cowering she-wolf who looked at Feathernose with pleading green eyes, her eyes at the edge of tears.

Just then Feathernose saw the scars and stitches all over the she-wolf, and almost puked in her mouth.

“Go,” Blizzardtail told the pained she-wolf, “For I do not need you right now Maple.”

As the she-wolf got up and passed by Feathernose she walked with a slight limp, her right leg bleeding from a small, but persistent wound.

Her eyes seemed to plead with Feathernose, Help me.

Then she left the room, her eyes never leaving Feathernose’s.

The King of the Winter then looked at Feathernose and said, “Why are you here?”

So, Feathernose told him everything, the quest, their challenges, and the count of Dishri, and finally her fear of Blizzardtail, the very wolf she was talking to.

“Hmm, so you come to negotiate?” Blizzardatil looked at Feathernose with a foreboding vengeance.

Feathernose then felt Shadowpelt hold her hand, as fear was in his voice when Shadowpelt started to speak.

“Yes my lord, for one thing, a truce.” Shadowpelt wavered.

Blizzardtail then looked at them, and laughed a hearty laugh, loud and maniacal.

After he was done laughing he looked at the shocked questers and said, “You don’t know what Thin Ice did to me? So you don’t know half of it.” Blizzardtail snarled, teeth bared.

“Well,” Shadowpelt swallowed hard, “Not exactly.”

In a flash of movement Blizzardtail was at Shadowpelt’s face, and whispered something so low that Feathernose could only make out a few words.

“He…. Banishment…. Almost attacked me….. I survived…. I am a hero.”

Blizzardtail then looked at Feathernose, but just then he noticed the cowering Obsidian in the distance.

“You.” Blizzardtail looked at Obsidian, a claw pointed in his direction.

“You go back to your cage, and now!” Blizzardatil yelled at Obsidian.

Obsidian then sulked over to the throne and went underneath it where Feathernose could just barely make out a small, cramped cage.

At this Feathernose began to get enraged, but to her horror Blizzardtail looked at her and smiled, his mouth full of blood.

Then in a flash, Blizzardtail rushed past her and grabbed a shocked Cloudfur and sliced a quick slash at the base of her ankles, which afterwards she fell to the ground howling in pain.

Seeing that they were running out of options, Feathernose yelled, “Enough! We came to negotiate, not be intimidated!”

She then slammed her sword into the carpet where it made a loud THUNK!

Everyone stopped.

Blizzardatil then looked at Feathernose and said, “Fine, I’ll give you your truce, but on one condition,” Blizzardtail then pointed to the book in Shadowpelt’s coat.

“I want that.”

“No way,” Shadowpelt countered, his voice rising slightly.

Then Blizzardtail howled and tackled a shocked Shadowpelt and quickly slashed his sharp claws across his chest, making Shadowpelt yelp in pain.

Feathernose then knew that she had to do something, so she ran to Shadowpelt and punched the surprised Blizzardtail who whirled around snarling and foaming from the mouth.

Blizzardtail then tackled her in turn and unsheathed a long knife and was about to pierce her skin when an ear splitting howl went through the room.

Her heart raced, she didn’t want to die, but she had a feeling she couldn’t outsmart this tyrant.

Right behind Blizzardtail was the beaten and bloodied she-wolf that Feathernose had seen earlier, and she grabbed Blizzardtail by the legs, knocking him to the ground, and she quickly dragged him away, the whole time he yelled, “Guards! Make sure the questers don’t survive the night!”

So they fled.

As they fled they tackled and punched their way through the castle’s grounds, but when they got to the gates a group of wolves were holding bayonet clad rifles.

“Stop!” The captain yelled, “Or else you will pay the price for leaving!” He brandished his bloodied bayonet towards them.

Feathernose, angry at this proposition, flipped off the wolves and yelled at the top of her lungs, “Try if you dare!”

Then they slashed their way past the guards, and back into freedom, feeling a sharp pain in her side as she defeated them and ran with her friends to the north.

But after running for a mile or so Feathernose stumbled, her vision turning red, then gray, just realizing the puncture hole in her side that was bleeding profusely, and seemed like it would tear her apart. She hit the ground with a thud, hoping that she wouldn’t meet gods this soon.

“Feathernose!” Shadowpelt gasped, “Don’t give up now!” His voice seemed far away, but she could still hear it.

As Feathernose lay dying she saw the stars and the moon high in the sky, but she was not ready to die, but she felt her life slipping away, slowly, but surely.

Chapter 17

Shadowpelt felt like he was running out of options.

It was his fault for letting them get in this predicament in the first place, he had let Feathernose get injured, he couldn’t let her die now.

Cloudfur then looked at Matteo and yelled, “Have you seen this before?” And promptly ripped the book from Shadowpelt’s grasp.

Matteo then quickly skimmed the book and gasped at one page near the center.

Shadowpelt then looked down at Feathernose’s battered body, and thought, No, she will not die on my hands.

Cloudfur then looked at Matteo and asked in a tone of wonder, “Can you revive her?”

Matteo shook his head but said, “Not exactly, the closest I can get is to put her in suspended animation.”

“So?” Shadowpelt snarkily commented, “we don’t have the time.”

Matteo then countered, “You're the only one that has powers, so you have to do it.”

Shadowpelt then looked back at the book and looked at the ancient text, and drew a circle around Feathernose’s body, not entirely knowing what he was doing, and then started chanting in the old language.

But as if on queue the wolves that had tried to capture them appeared at the end of the clearing.

“Drop the book!” the leader of the pursuers yelled.

Matteo then yelled at Shadowpelt, “Don’t worry! I will cover you!” He then unslung his massive rifle and pointed it at the approaching army.

As the crackle of gunfire erupted in the previously quiet clearing Shadowpelt continued his work, all the while Matteo and Cloudfur fought for him, and to save his love.

As their enemies fell one by one to the ground Shadowpelt felt the energy leaving his body, and with a final scream of all of his emotions, his love, his fear, his anger, his sorrow, willed Feathernose back to life.

Suddenly her eyes flew open and she gasped in surprise.

Just as the army got to them.

Then they stopped, as Feathernose, was now suspended in a greenish blue light, floating in the air, her eyes opening and closing rapidly.

The leader of the enemy forces then looked at her, and back at Shadowpelt, then ran off back the way he had come from, panic in his eyes.

“Let’s go,” Shadowpelt nodded as he felt sweat brim his brow.

As they traveled back to the cave that they had made shelter in their first escape it started to snow a heavy, wet slush, and as they trudged on Shadowpelt felt himself get weaker and weaker, one step at a time.

When they finally reached the cave Shadowpelt was shocked to see a fire already raging in the back of the cave, but not thinking much of it he looked at Cloudfur and Matteo who looked back at him, just as confused as he was.

Then Shadowpelt, who had been guiding the floating body of Feathernose, sat her down as best as he could in his sleeping bed.

“I’ll take the first watch,” Shadowpelt yawned, trying to keep the sleep out of his voice.

But, just before he went to walk out and watch for followers, a figure appeared at the front of the cave.

The figure was none other than the prince, Charles.

Charles then looked at them and said, “I have come to aid you in your journey back,” as if this weren’t enough a loud chopping sound echoed through the cave.

“What is that?!” Shadowpelt asked as the chopping sound got closer and closer.

“It’s a helicopter.” Charles said in a matter of fact tone, “Get the others.”

So, after helping get Matteo, Feathernose, and Cloudfur into the helicopter they flew back home.

As they were flying for three hours on the flight back to Helninki, Shadowpelt fell into a fitful sleep, and was awoken by the chopper landing onto the concrete roof of a home.

On the roof was Thin Ice, and a sickly looking Winterpelt.

As Shadowpelt carefully got off of the chopper Thin Ice gave him a curt nod, and Winterpelt croaked, “Welcome back,” then started to cough heavily.

As Thin Ice then led them down the roof and into his chamber, as they were in his palace, and nodded to Winterpelt after they closed the door.

“So, what happened?” Thin Ice asked, and then followed up with, “How is my son?”

So, Shadowpelt explained everything, the battle with Raven, the meeting with King Shredder, the chaos of Kyle, and the deadly encounter with Blizzardtail.

When Shadowpelt got to the part with Feathernose he could barely raise his voice above a whisper.

“Enough,” Thin Ice scolded as he looked at the still unconscious Feathernose, “Do not feel bad, for the spell can be reversed.” Thin Ice then looked at Shadowpelt and finished up with, “don’t feel bad, for she is perfectly fine,” Thin Ice said with the tone of a wisdom filled father.

“Now, come with me,” Winterpelt motioned, and led them out of the room and into that massive library that Thin Ice had.

“Good job,” Winterpelt began, “For you have begun the age of light,” and he carefully laid a curved sword onto each of Shadowpelt’s shoulders.

“Rise, for there is much to do yet, for we must destroy Blizzardtail’s forces.” Winterpelt nodded, and then looked at Feathernose, who had just regained consciousness, and said, “You must finish my quest, to find all of the powers in Oyikia.” Winterpelt then coughed and looked out of the window and into the rising moon.

Epilogue

As Blizzardtail walked down the halls of his palace he thought about what he would say to his boss.

Then he entered the elevator and went to the bottom floor.

As he walked past the innumerable amounts of cages, his gaze caught on a yellow and orange colored wolf, and looked at her green eyes and said, “She’s the one.”

He then unlocked the cramped cage and pulled her out, and locked his eyes with hers, “You will be mine.”

He then trudged on to the end of the hall with the yellow she-wolf in tow, and when he opened the door the acute smell of sulfur and metal pierced his nose.

“Yes?” A dark voice answered from in the black, and unlit room.

“I found her.”

“Good,” came the reply, “Keep her close, she will be valuable in the future.” The voice then revealed its glowing golden eyes and said, “We could use an insider.”

Blizzardtail nodded and asked, “May I leave now?”

“Yes, you may, but before you go,” the golden eyes locked onto his, “make sure that Obsidian doesn’t escape, for it could spell doom for us all.”

Meanwhile…

As Obsidian was put back into his cage he knew that things were going to change, for Maple had saved his life. He then looked at her eyes, which were closed and her body was trembling in fear from what Blizzardtail had done to her.

“We will survive,” Obsidian began, “I will get us out of here, no matter the cost.” Then he looked upwards to the moonlit sky above and said his silent prayer.

May we survive what is to come.

Book 2, the Return to Darkness

Chapter 1

When Leafpelt got the news about the queen, his mother, he knew he was in for a rough day.

As he read the newspaper in the cafe, he began to feel an encroaching feeling of fear go up his spine, but he didn’t know why.

The news article said, “The Queen of Fallen Destiny announces her hunt to find the perpetrators of the incursion in Kologn province, furthermore she has demanded retribution for the damages…”

As Leafpelt crept his eyes further down the newspaper, he noticed movement in the far corner of the cafe.

Leafpelt, curious, took his green eyes off of the paper and turned his white and green body towards the figure.

The figure was tall, they had a long black coat on and they had bright orange eyes, but their pelt was obscured by the coat.

Then the figure jumped over the cafe’s fence, and ran off.

But no one batted an eye, and Leafpelt, even more intrigued, got up from his still warm espresso and headed out of the cafe, all while leaving a generous tip to the waitress.

As he headed out of the cafe he bumped into a graying vixen and mumbled, “Excuse me.”

The aging vixen looked at Leafpelt with dark brown eyes and in a raspy voice said, “You are a young royal, yes?”

Leafpelt responded curtly, “Indeed ma’am, but I must go.”

The aging vixen then fixed her eyes on Leafpelt and croaked, “Alright, but be warned, a traitor lies in your house of bones.”

Leafpelt then walked past the vixen and onto the path leading back to his home, where he was planning to follow that mysterious figure.

As he walked down the snow covered path with the picturesque fading sun as a backdrop to the forested area, he heard the rushing waters of the Mouchen Rapids, a series of rapids that was near the royal house in the Isle of Eria, and began to think that he was being watched.

SNAP!

A twig broke in the distance, and startled Leafpelt, but he quickly walked past the noise and headed to the royal gates.

When he got to the gates he quickly slammed them behind him and huffed, “That was close.”

“Are you sure you’re alone?” A voice said.

Leafpelt quickly turned around to his surprise when he saw a black wolf with black clothing and purple eyes looking at him.

Fumbling for his small pocket knife that Leafpelt always kept on him, he asked, “Who are you?”

“I am Shadowpelt,” the black wolf bowed slightly as if for an apology.

“I am here on Thin Ice’s orders.” Shadowpelt stated.

“What for?” Leafpelt bristled, as Thin Ice and the State of Valma were rivals to Fallen Destiny.

“We need your help.”

As soon as those words were uttered Leafpelt knew he was in for a long day, for the queen would not be happy, for royalty never waits.

Chapter 2

Maple was exhausted.

She had just gotten out of the room in which she was held and trudged her way to the bathroom, utterly exhausted from being summoned by Blizzardtail’s dark magic.

As she entered the bathroom she looked at her scared and stitched face, a face that was filled with untold horror.

Silently she sobbed, for she didn’t want to be Blizzardtail’s personal punching bag, no what he called her was his “Little Voodoo Doll”, a saying that said it all. The abuse, the attacks, and most of all, the pain.

She then looked at her orange, brown, and white patterned fur, and looked back at her emerald green eyes through a broken mirror and told herself, I will not be his dead man, I will not be his plaything.

She then heard a knock on the door, startled, but prepared for the worst she yelled, “Please go away.”

But much to her surprise the shape outside of the dimly lit bathroom just said, “Okay, I hope you’re alright, Maple.”

By the voice alone Maple was able to tell it was Obsidian, the male black wolf that had been Blizzardtail’s closest ally, until he betrayed him, and found himself stuck with her.

“Wait,” Maple said, “You can come in.” Her voice still showing her weariness.

Silently the door creaked open, and Obsidian peered through the crack in the door and when she saw him she said, “It's alright, what did he do this time?”

Obsidian muttered, “Well, nothing but he wanted to see you, but first I wanted to ask,”

Maple blushed, but when I heard the last words of, “If you need to talk to anyone, I'm here.”

Maple then turned away from the mirror, and looked at Obsidian’s handsome purple eyes, but quickly looked away.

“Fine, I guess I have no choice.” Maple conceded.

As she walked down the dimly lit hall to the massive chamber that Blizzardtail saw his guests in, Maple started to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach, even though she knew pain, she couldn’t help the feeling that something darker was awaiting her.

Then they opened the door, and she was immediately greeted by a dagger being thrown next to her ear and embedding itself into the wooden door frame.

Then she saw Blizzardtail look at her with his icy blue eyes and he said, “Ahh Maple, we see each other so soon.” He then looked at her with distaste, “I have a project for you.”

Maple was stunned, A project for me? Why would he trust me with one?

“Of course,” Maple stuttered, even though she didn’t want to do anything for this menace in front of her, “What is it?”

Blizzardtail then let out a long sigh, “You know, I would give you your freedom for this. I want you to find the crystal of Seeth.”

No way, Maple thought, as the crystal of Seeth was a magical crystal rumored to be in the hands of Fallen Destiny, but the stone was also rumored to make one immortal, the way one had to do this was to heal a wound by putting the stone on a person’s wound and it would make their skin like iron.

Maple then sputtered, “No, sir, in all due respect, I would like to stay here, for I wish for someone more loyal to do this.”

Blizzardtail then looked at her with interest, “You would rather get hurt by my hands than earn your freedom? Huh, I guess I’ll send Obsidian, for he still trusts me.”

Blizzardtail then snapped his fingers and the doors shut, and he cackled, “You made a mistake, because I will destroy you, mentally and physically.”

Maple was so distracted by the threat that she didn’t even notice the claws sinking into her sides until it was too late.

“Wait!” Maple cried, “Please, I would do anything to keep Obsidian alive,” Maple then sobbed again, “For he is my friend in the darkest times, and he is my hope.”

Blizzardtail then made a laugh that wasn’t at all sane, and bellowed, “Take her to the boneyard, and do it quick, for I’ll be back for her. She needs to learn a lesson.”

Then a sharp pain hit her side and the last thing Maple saw was Obsidian, the wolf who she trusted, looking at her in hatred, and looming over her with a long knife, and then everything went black.

Chapter 3

When Shadowpelt entered the vast hall that the Queen was in he felt the feeling of anger and harshness.

Then as soon as he entered the hall and shut the door behind Leafpelt, a knife embedded itself into the door right above his head.

Then he saw the queen.

She was walking around a table with a vast map of the borderlands and a grim looking fox in camouflage stroked his beard, silently in the corner, almost brooding.

The queen otherwise known as Fallen Leaves, was rather small, her eyes were a deep blue and her pelt was a combination of ambers and bold oranges. The queen then turned around and looked at her son, and yelled at him, her voice sounding like daggers on ice, “Leafpelt! Who is this?” She then directed a paw to Shadowpelt and Leafpelt responded, “This is Shadowpelt, allow him to explain.”

Shadowpelt then walked up to the queen and knelt low, and said, “Your majesty, I come on the behalf of Thin Ice of Valma, he wishes for an alliance, for he-” He was then cut off by the queen waving her hand dismissably and overriding him, “Oh please! He needs to mind his own business.” She then was about to dismiss him when Shadowpelt responded, “His son, Blizzardtail, is looking for the Crystal of Seeth.”

The queen’s ear perked up, now interested she dropped her pointer that she was using on the map, and dismissed the fox with a curt nod. Once the room was emptied, the shades were opened slightly, just enough to let the fall light enter in.

“Where did you hear that name?” The queen looked at Shadowpelt with renewed interest, and asked, “Why is he looking for it?”

Shadowpelt, braving the stern gaze of the queen kept his temper and countered, “I hear it from Thin Ice, he believes that Blizzardtail wants it for his cult, we don’t know why, but we believe that you could be of aid in the battle against him. That is if you are in need of the Crystal, you do have it, right?”

The queen then looked at Leafpelt witheringly and said, “Make sure you go with him.”

“Wait!” Shadowpelt started, voicing his disbelief, “You… don’t have the Crystal?”

“Well, I can’t tell you if I don’t, but we have been lacking our royal possessions ever since the last raid from Shredder of Nath.” The queen pointed out, her face now lit by a small line of light filtering in from the windows.

“Now, what do you wish for me to do?” Leafpelt piped up, bowing his head towards his mother, “If it's to find that accursed Crystal we can do that.”

The queen then looked at him with a long stare and said, “Yes, go with him to Nath, and get that Crystal back,” as Shadowpelt was about to turn around she finished with a smile and gave him a note, “This is for King Shredder. Now get out of my sight.”

The door then slammed behind them as the fox returned and ushered them out of the palace.

“My stars, what’s up with your mother?” Shadowpelt asked, voicing his disbelief, and shaking his head slowly.

“My mother…” Leafpelt mumbled, “Is looking for a traitor in her court.”

“Why is that?” Shadowpelt gazed at Leafpelt with confusion, “Why not just… punish the traitor? Your mother isn’t exactly merciful.”

Leafpelt sighed, “I will say this once, we don’t know who it is, all we know is it's someone in the court. I have my own theories, but… that is for later.”

Shadowpelt nodded slowly, “I see, hey let’s just go to Valma. Thin Ice would like to know our results.”

“Fine,” Leafpelt said through gritted teeth, “Let’s go.”

As they got back out to the wilds of Fallen Destiny Shadowpelt thought to himself, I have to go back? That is a death sentence.

As soon as he voiced his thoughts to Leafpelt he mumbled something and said, “Let’s get to Valma, and see Thin Ice. He’ll want to hear about this.”

As they walked across the bridge going over the Baryen river they saw the sun start to set, showing the beauty of the river and the shadows of night, all of this could be won or lost, it only depended on their actions. No pressure, thought Shadowpelt.

After a day of journeying northeast and into the more snowy climate of Valma, they finally were picked up by a traveling merchant and he quickly escorted them to the capital of Valma: Heliniki, where Thin Ice would meet them.

Chapter 4

Maple felt her eyes flutter open.

As she struggled to wake up she found herself in chains, a clear pane of glass in front of her, and her clothing were in tatters.

As she looked about the glass she spied Obsidian and Osprey playing a game of cards, their faces down and deep in focus.

“Cruel isn’t it?” a deep and twangy voice said behind her.

Disturbed, but not necessarily surprised, she nodded to the best of her ability.

The voice then said, “It's Blaze, you remember me, do you?” The voice behind the figure then walked in front of her.

He was tall, with large amber eyes, his pelt was a vibrant orange, and his body was covered by a long lab coat.

Faintly Maple did remember him, but only just.

“Yes?” Maple looked at him, and Blaze looked back across the glass and back at Obsidian who had apparently given up in frustration and threw his cards up in the air.

“I want you to know that you aren’t alone, even when you think you are.” Blaze looked back at her with watery eyes.

Just then Maple noticed a small burn mark in Blaze’s fur, but before she could ask he covered it up with his lab coat and knelt to look at Maple.

“I know I’m not alone.” Maple responded.

“Listen,” Blaze then looked her right in her eyes, “I’m going to get you outta here, for I swore an oath.”

Before he could say anything about his oath the unmistakable voice of Blizzardtail yelled, “Get over here!”

Obsidian felt fed up with the world.

As he paced back and forth in front of his small party next to the creek, where its insistent murmur could be heard, that he was to lead a raiding group to find the accursed Winterpelt and his apprentice Shadowpelt, they had met before, but Obsidian never really challenged them as Blizzardtail had asked, this was his final chance. Obsidian felt his stomach churn, he knew what would happen to him, and it wouldn’t be very pretty.

He then stopped pacing in front of the party, they were an odd assortment of wolves, vixens, and one feline who wanted to find the book that they so desired. They were dressed head to toe in armor and armed to the teeth. Axes, knives, and one lonely rifle poked out from his party’s hands. They were going to do this, no questions asked.

“Alright,” Obsidian began, trying to steady his voice, “We are to find Winterpelt and Shadowpelt, once we find them we must take those books of knowledge off of them, and eliminate them from our list.” Obsidian felt his stomach sink further, as he knew he would be the first to be punished if he failed, which he planned on. For he had felt kinship with Shadowpelt when they met last, something he couldn’t explain, something almost… supernatural.

My life depends on this. I need answers.

“So,” A bright blue fox named Gideon piped up, brandishing his silvery axe with dramatic flare, “We just need to find them and bring them back, dead or alive?”

“Correct,” Obsidian nodded grimly, just as a single crow cawed above on a spindly pine, sending an ominous tone over the group.

I hope this works. If it didn’t Obsidian knew the consequences would be harsh.

After that they began to travel southeast, and towards the Mouchen rapids, and to battle.

He then gazed up at the cloud covered sky, hoping that he would live to tell his tale.

Chapter 5

When they got to Thin Ice’s palace, Leafpelt was shocked.

The palace was huge, and ornately covered in regalia from long ago, the large stained-glass windows were in the process of being replaced, so the overgrown home seemed to be in disarray.

As they walked up the stairs to the palace gates in the center of the city Leafpelt felt like a cloud was hovering over his head, not just because of what he had to say, but why he had to say it.

Quickly a heavily armed guard came up to them and told them, “Thin Ice is waiting.”

Leafpelt and Shadowpelt then were quietly escorted up the stairs and into the palace.

The palace was even more grand on the inside.

They were led through a long hallway that had paintings and memorabilia from the time of Icetooth, and the hallway was lit by electric lights and when they got to the end of the hallway they came to a huge cherrywood door that was carved with the likeness of Icetooth.

The guard then opened the door and Leafpelt was even more impressed.

The room was a huge library and had a bristling fireplace in the far corner of the room, where Thin Ice was waiting in a chair facing the fireplace, silently reading a book.

“Ahem,” the guard started, “Shadowpelt is back, and he brought someone to see you.”

Thin Ice then turned and nodded, “Please leave them with me.”

After the guard left the room, Thin Ice steepled his fingers and said, “Why, Shadowpelt, you brought a visiter?”

Sick of being treated less than his class, Leafpelt interrupted Shadowpelt when he was about to answer, “Yes my lord, I have come on behalf of Queen Fallen Leaves.”

Thin Ice seemed rather surprised to hear this and he demanded, “Continue, please, why are you here?”

Leafpelt then said, “She requests an alliance, for Blizzardtail’s forces have crossed into our territory, and we believe that they are coming to your lands to capture you. Also we wish for a quest to find the crystal of Seeth.”

After this was said Thin Ice seemed lost in thought until he finally said, “Yes, you may go, but be warned, if anyone finds out what you seek you could be captured, or worse.” Thin Ice’s voice then trailed off.

But just after Thin Ice finished his statement a feminine voice came from the entrance of the room.

“Who is he supposed to be?”

Then all turned to look at this stranger, or at least Leafpelt did and when he turned his head he was met by a striking white she-wolf with small features and large brown eyes who looked him over.

“Cloudfur, this is Leafpelt.” Shadowpelt nodded in the direction of Leafpelt.

Cloudfur then cast a glare at Leafpelt and took a seat next to Shadowpelt.

“So, when do we leave?” Cloudfur asked Thin Ice.

“You leave today, and you have five days to find the crystal.” Thin Ice soberly added.

So, the party left.

As they traveled northeast to the lands of Nath, Leafpelt began to feel a little homesick, as this was the furthest he had ever been from his home. Then as they crossed the Nackok river near the border with Nath, Leafpelt began to feel a growing sense of dread.

“Stop.” Leafpelt said, as he thought he heard something.

As they stopped in the middle of a snowy field on the edge of the treeline he heard it again.

“Why are we stopping?” Cloudfur asked, letting loose a long yawn.

CRACK!

Just then a nearby pine tree fell and crashed in front of them.

Stunned, Leafpelt took a step back, then much to his surprise an arrow slammed into the tree’s bark and shattered to smithereens.

Just as he was about to leave, Shadowpelt said, “Stop,” then asked no one in particular, “Where are you?”

Much to the parties collective surprise a figure crawled out of the knee deep snow and sprang up in front of them.

The figure was handsome, with yellow fur, a large pair of orange eyes, he wore a large white coat with a pair of long white pants, and his boots were bright white with black treads. Lastly he had a pack on his back filled with tools and weapons, and in his hands was an overly large crossbow.

At the sight of the yellow fox, Leafpelt noticed that Cloudfur seemed rather excited to see him and yelled, “Matteo! Where have you been?”

Matteo, who gingerly grabbed Cloudfur’s hands said, “I’ve been getting ready for war.”

Leafpelt looked at Shadowpelt, who looked just as surprised as he did, and asked Matteo, “Yeah, where have you been?”

As quickly as he could Matteo mentioned that king Kyle of Kole was mobilizing against his arch-enemy King Shedder of Nath. He also explained how Kyle was looking to punish anyone who deserted and Matteo claimed that, “I’m taking a huge risk in seeing you.”

As Cloudfur was about to say something another loud CRACK sounded closer.

“Hey,” Leafpelt prodded, “Were you being followed?”

Matteo nodded silently, and motioned for them to follow him into the woods.

Then the shots started to ring out, with a hellfire of bullets flying past them, and they ran as fast they could.

Suddenly Leafpelt saw Shadowpelt get hit by a bullet, and he fell to the ground.

Quickly he grabbed him, and they stumbled into the woods.

As they got to a huge oak Matteo was motioning for them to the large tree.

“Why do you want us to perish here?” Shadowpelt yelled, as another bullet knocked off his hat.

Matteo then knocked on the oak and the front of the tree opened like a fairytale and they stepped inside, all the while Leafpelt felt like he was walking into a hideout full of terrors.

Chapter 6

As they entered the lair Cloudfur’s thoughts were swirling.

Not only did she like Matteo, but he liked her, or at least she was convinced of it. As she thought about this her mind wandered to the many letters that Matteo had given her since they met. He is such a sweetheart, Cloudfur thought, maybe my heart will be healed.

But, as she followed him down the corridor and into the earth she noticed that his hand was twitching with anger, and that he was mumbling something to himself, something that he never did.

Just before she could ask him what was wrong they reached a door.

“Quick,” Matteo ushered, “We must get to the base.”

“What base?” Leafpelt asked, shattering the silence.

BOOM!

Next to her the light from the explosion, she saw that Shadowpelt was wincing and trying to hold in his screams as Leafpelt wrapped his right arm in bandages. Each roll made him wince harder.

As the explosion rocked the tunnel Cloudfur fell to the ground, and the room’s lights began to flicker ominously. As the lights flickered pieces of the ceiling began to crack and fall to the ground.

Quickly the door flew open and Matteo dragged Cloudfur into the darkness of the room followed by Leafpelt and Shadowpelt.

As soon as the door slammed shut, Cloudfur looked up at Matteo, who was holding the door shut and then locked it.

“We should be safe.” Matteo said with confidence.

As she looked back at him she began to sob, for this was exactly how her father had died.

Then she felt the darkness swallow them and her eyes closed shut.

Cloudfur remembered it all.

Her memories rushed past her. Her father’s death at the hands of the queen of Fallen Destiny’s forces. Then her first lover, he had died in combat over the river of Fallan. Then finally and most painfully, the death of her brother, which she remembered in all of its gory detail.

Quietly she closed her eyes, avoiding the painful memory of her brother dying by her hands.

“Cloudfur!” A voice yelled, ripping the dream’s fabric from the reality of the situation.

“What?” Cloudfur mumbled, her voice quivering.

Then she looked up at Matteo, who was brandishing a rifle, and stood protectively over her.

To his left was Shadowpelt, who was looking out a small window in their hideout. Next to him was Leafpelt who was pacing back and forth, then looked at Cloudfur with suspicion.

“What's that look for?” Cloudfur spat at him, “I’m not a traitor, unlike you and your cruel mother.”

Leafpelt looked away and said, “I didn’t say you were, but now I have reason to think that you are. As for my mother, she is complicated, yes, but a traitor? Not a chance.”

Quickly Cloudfur got up and put her face right in front of Leafpelt’s, “Guess what? I’m not a traitor, now you can take your royal ass out of here and boil in the pits of the dead!”

Leafpelt then growled at her and grumbled, “You dare insult my status?” He then was about to punch her when Matteo stepped in between them and said, “Whoa, whoa, stop. Right now, we’re on a quest for the stars' sake.” Matteo then looked at Cloudfur and said, “Now apologize.”

“For what? He's an arrogant royal! You know how I feel about royalty.” Cloudfur snapped.

“Cloudfur, apologize, he is not his parents, afterall heritage isn't everything.” Matteo said, gently resting a hand on her shoulder.

Grumbling, Cloudfur said, “Fine, I apologize, and I’m sorry for wanting you to leave, I just… I have had trouble with your mother.”

“It’s alright,” Leafpelt said, his eyes somber, “I don’t care for her either.”

Then Shadowpelt looked out the window, which now was filtering in the first rays of sunlight.

“Ugh,” Cloudfur coughed, “Whatever, but where are we?”

Matteo then said, “We’re in my bunker. It is safe to go out now?”

“Who in the name of Doeshi was attacking us?” Shadowpelt asked, his voice rising.

“It was King Shredder’s mercenaries.” Matteo nodded somberly.

Before Cloudfur could ask how he knew this and why he had a bunker the door opened and they stepped into a snowy wonderland.

Over the night it had snowed about a foot, so moving was difficult to say the least. As they trudged past the forest they Cloudfur saw the sun’s rays glint off of the snow like diamonds.

So beautiful. She thought.

Then after walking for about two hours, they finally came to the small town of Oldsford, which was on the border with the Chiefdom of Oykiya.

When they entered the town Cloudfur immediately felt eyes on her.

“Hey, can we get something to drink?” Cloudfur asked, shivering, “Also I need to warm up.”

“Yes, we can go to a tavern, just, be careful, this town is home to many mercenaries, thugs, and vigilanties.” Shadowpelt warned, “or at least Winterpelt told me so.”

But not thinking much of it, the party and her went to a small tavern called the “Black Bird” and opened the door. So called because of the giant black bird statue in front of it that dated to the ancient times of Icetooth.

As soon as the door opened a bottle smashed the area right above her head.

She flinched, shaken.

After the bottle shattered she looked around, and much to her eternal chagrin a pair of black capped foxes were at the bar, they were wearing the small black berates that signaled them as part of the “Black Heads” a group that Blizzardtail had sponsored in the Chiefdom.

One of them had green eyes and slowly turned to look at her and nudged his colleague and said, “They’re here.” The other had beige fur and brown eyes and winked at Cloudfur.

The bartender, a small stocky feline then interrupted, “You going to pay for your-”

But before he could finish his response the beige fox grabbed a bottle of fine Alkana, or river wine, and hit the bartender over the head with it, “I'm not paying anything! You understand?!”

“HEY!” Matteo yelled and pulled out his rifle, and cocked it. But before he could fire Cloudfur stepped in and said, “Stop, we could use them.”

“You could, but you’re now you found yourself fighting in old land, with an older people.” An unknown voice said, deep and booming.

Turning around they saw him.

He had black fur, large wings on his back, he was wearing a purple suit and had large purple eyes.

It was Raven.

They had thought he was dead, yet there he was.

Chapter 7

As Obsidian walked down the road with his raiders in stride he began to feel like he was being watched.

Upon entering the lands of Fallen Destiny the group had seen no resistance, no person, nor a living thing other than the trees.

It was eerie. Almost like it was supposed to be this way.

Snap!

Suddenly a twig snapped in the forest next to them, he searched for where the noise came from, wary.

Obsidian, always one to be cautious, put a hand up, halting his raiders.

SNAP!

It was closer now. He swore he could hear footsteps in the woods ahead.

“Ready yourselves!” Obsidian shouted as the snapping became so close that he felt the ground shake beneath his feet.

His raiders then started to panic, looking at Obsidian for guidance.

Then the world became cold, unbearably cold.

Teeth chattering Obsidian yelled into the misty distance, “Show yourself! Or answer to the Empire’s blood!”

Then laughter began to flow eerily through the mist.

“Stop? You dare try to stop me?” the voice laughed, “For it is I…”

Don’t say it, Obsidian silently hoped.

Then the figure stepped out of the mist, revealing Blizzardtail.

“This is what I do to traitors.” He cackled, his voice sounding like ice shards. He was dressed in a large light blue over coat, with shiny black buttons that seemed like they were made from frozen pieces of wood, and he also wore light colored trousers that had noticeable red stains on them.

He had walked into a trap.

Then in an icy explosion ice shards went everywhere hitting everyone but Obsidian.

Looking at the dead and dying men Obsidian looked at Blizzardtail and said, “My lord, I-” he was then cut off by Blizzardtail saying, “Shut your trap, for you will be punished when you return.”

“B-but.” Obsidian tried to speak.

“SILENCE!” Blizzardtail snarled, his teeth showing and covered in blood. “I know what you're up to, I will be watching, now complete your mission, or else…”

Then above Blizzardtail’s shoulder a misty copy of Maple hovered, in mid-scream, obvious pain on her face.

“Y-yes my lord. I will do as you say.” Obsidian knelt, his voice quavering.

“Good, now go.” Blizzardtail growled, “And do as you are told.”

He then walked away, stepping into the icy and foggy mist.

When Raven entered the tavern Shadowpelt felt the tension rise in the small tavern. The cool air almost froze in place, the room's warm colored lighting seemed to be darker, and the patrons in the room looked around nervously.

“What do you mean by that?” Cloudfur hissed, getting her pistols ready.

“Hush,” Raven said, his fur bristling, “I’m here to rescue you guys.”

As if that were a queue the two Black Heads tried to radio for help, and then one of them, the beige one, took out a dagger and ran at Cloudfur.

Shadowpelt saw Cloudfur quickly parry the strike and countered with a punch of her own, but before she could land another blow Raven stepped in between them.

“Stop!” Raven ordered, staring at the beige Black Head, “Turn off that damn radio or else you will get it.” He then raised his fist threateningly.

“F-fine, sir.” The beige wolf cowered.

“Good,” Raven then raised his head, “Let’s go.” He called the questers.

“What for?” Cloudfur snapped, “Why should we trust you? Didn’t you try to kill us afterall?”

Raven looked at her with a withering stare, “That doesn't matter, You follow me, or you will die by me.”

Chapter 8

After two days of walking without incident Shadowpelt and the party made it to Raven’s treehouse, yet again. The whole time Raven told them they had to follow him because, “You could be thrown into a river of blood if you don’t.”

Like the last time the treehouse was grand in every sense of the word. Giant windows, golden railings, and a massive oak holding the whole thing together.

As they stepped onto the cold brick steps Shadowpelt felt Raven look at his back, his eyes probing into his mind.

What is he thinking? Shadowpelt thought.

When they got to the door, instead of letting Shadowpelt open it, Raven brushed past Shadowpelt and opened the door with dramatic flare.

“I have a guest for you!” Raven called down the corridor as Shadowpelt, Matteo, and Cloudfur walked behind him, exchanging confused looks.

“Has he gone even more mad?” Cloudfur mouthed.

Shadowpelt shrugged, he didn’t have an answer to that.

Shadowpelt was about to ask why Raven was announcing them in his own home when a butler opened another door, this one framed by silver and gold, and behind the door was Raven’s massive ball room.

“So,” Raven said, instructing the party to sit down, “I hear you are after the crystal of Seeth.”

Uhoh. Shadowpelt thought.

Raven’s piercing purple eyes gazed deep into Shadowpelt’s face, forcing the truth out of him.

“Yes, my lord. For we need it for our quest.” Shadowpelt nodded slowly.

Raven quietly grabbed a cup filled with wine and paced around the party, and gazed out of the window and into the snowy expanse.

“Good,” Raven nodded, “For I have it.” Raven then paused as if pondering his next words carefully.

“But you will pay a price.” Raven said as he steepled his fingers above the wine-filled chalice.

“What price?” Cloudfur asked with an edge of fear in her voice.

Then before Raven could answer another butler walked over and whispered something into his ear.

Judging by the look on his face it wasn’t good.

“Nevermind,” Raven commanded, “It is on the bottom floor in a case filled with diamonds. The code is ‘Soroya’,” for a moment Shadowpelt thought he could hear Raven say, “after his mother's name.”

“You will need it.” Raven told them, gazing a little too long at Shadowpelt for his liking.

Then, Raven led them down the elevator and into his treasury room.

As the doors opened Shadowpelt could smell the gold, silver, and other precious minerals in the vault, to say the least it was concerning.

Raven then walked down the dimly lit corridor and said briskly, “Hurry, for he is here.”

“Wait,” Shadowpelt countered, “Who is ‘he’?”

Raven looked at Shadowpelt like he was an idiot, “He is here for the crystal, if we don’t hurry he will-”

BANG!

A loud smashing sounded through the room, and knocked Shadowpelt onto the floor, along with Cloudfur, rattling them and their bodies.

Matteo, who had survived the rocking of the treeborn palace, quickly grabbed his trusty rifle and yelled at Raven.

“Who is ‘He’?!” Matteo demanded, his voice loud and commanding.

Raven then shouted over the calamity of the crashing treehouse, “It’s Blizzardtail! He’s here for the crystal!”

Then he yelled at them, “Get into the chamber! The crystal is in it!” Shadowpelt was about to say something but Raven commanded, “Son! Just get the crystal and get outta here!” And with that he slammed the door of the treasury, and went back upstairs.

Shadowpelt froze. That word hit harder than the shaking walls. Why would Raven…?

Quickly Shadowpelt found the crystal right where it was supposed to be, and yelled at Cloudfur and Matteo, “There’s a tube down here, get in it and it will send you to an underground cavern!”

Then another crash, closer this time. Almost as if it was searching for them.

Cloudfur quickly dashed into the small corridor, visibly shaken, and Matteo followed suit, and to finish it off Shadowpelt grabbed his book, and the crystal and shut the hatch behind him, praying to the stars that he would survive.

Chapter 9

As soon as the party hit the floor of the giant cavern Leafpelt felt like he was in a forbidden place. Almost like it was not meant for mortal eyes.

Then the others crashed on top of him, sending him sprawling.

“Uugghh.” Leafpelt mumbled as he untangled himself from the party, sore and in pain, “Where are we?” He said, shaking himself off.

Shadowpelt got up and dusted himself off and quickly turned on a flashlight. “We are in the caverns of Boath.”

Silently helping Cloudfur and Matteo up, Leafpelt looked at the musty cave. The place was huge, with stalagmites hanging from the dim roof. There was a small stream flowing a short distance from them, and the echoes of the water filled the sound of the cavern.

CLICK!

“Wow,” Leafpelt gasped as Shadowpelt explored the cave with his flashlight, the light glinting off of the walls and hitting various precious stones.

“This place is amazing.” Shadowpelt agreed, his jaw slack.

Then he took a step forwards, and a loud crunch echoed through the cavern.

Leafpelt looked down and saw something that wanted to make him throw up.

A skull.

The skull was small, it had obviously been there a long time as it was dirty and missing teeth. Its eye sockets seemed to plead with Leafpelt for him to leave, but Leafpelt steeled himself and said, “We’re not alone down here.”

Behind him Cloudfur gasped silently, and Matteo darkly joked, “Well, we better move on up, or we’ll end up like him.” He said, nudging the skull with his boot clad foot.

Matteo then took the flashlight from Shadowpelt and marched ahead of the group making sure that he was by the small stream.

As they followed Matteo down the cave Leafpelt could feel something watching him, he then voiced his concerns to the others. “I think someone is here.”

“Yeah?” Cloudfur said, unholstering her pistol, “We’ll be ready for them.”

CRUNCH!

Leafpelt turned around and saw the unmistakable flash of a crooked smile.

“Who are you?” Leafpelt yelled, his voice echoing off of the cave.

The voice then answered, “I am the hunter of these chambers,” the smile then faded and a feminine vixen walked out and into the dim light.

She was beautiful.

She had gray fur, with black stripes and long ears. Her eyes glowed a ravenous shade of green that was complemented by her sharp teeth. She was wearing a denim jacket, a white undershirt that left little to the imagination, she had small curves and was wearing a pair of faded black jeans, her shoes were a black leather and they sparkled in the dim light.

She then growled at Leafpelt, “What are you looking at?”

Leafpelt shook his head, starstruck but when his eyes settled back onto the vixen she was right in front of him.

“Well?” She said, grabbing his jaw and angling it up towards her.

Shadowpelt, ever the wiser, said, “We were looking for a way out, for Blizzardtail is hunting us.”

“Oh?” The vixen said, her tone changing, “He is after you?”

“Yes,” Leafpelt swallowed, “He is here for us.”

As if that were a signal a loud booming sound echoed from above, as if the earth itself seemed to shake.

“Okay, we don’t have much time.” The vixen nodded, “Come with me.”

They then ran.

As they followed the mysterious vixen through the labyrinthine caverns, Leafpelt began to think that he would never see the light of day again, but just as he felt his chest burn from the musty and dank air he saw a pinprick of light.

“Go, go, GO!” The vixen yelled as she ushered the party past her and into a small chamber next to a large waterfall.

“Where to?” Leafpelt yelled back.

“Behind the waterfall!”

BOOM!

The earth shook again, and Leafpelt and the others ducked behind the torrent of water and into a hidden chamber.

When his eyes adjusted to the light of the room he was shocked, for the huge chamber laid out in front of him was like a city glittering in the distance.

The chamber was a giant library that had rows upon rows of bookshelves going floor to ceiling, the roof was one with the cavern’s ceiling, a row of lamps hung from the walls and cast an eerie and ominous light over the place. Finally the room was structured in a way that everything flowed to the back of the cave.

“Stay here.” The vixen said, “He will take you to the surface.”

“Wait, who are you?” Leafpelt spluttered, his heart racing from how close the vixen was to him.

The vixen looked at him with those stunning green eyes and whispered, “I’m Ivy.”

She then looked back at the others and said, “Go, my apprentice will meet you guys by the pool.”

She then brushed past Leafpelt, and walked away, but not before she looked back at him and gave Leafpelt a wink, making his heart race.

Chapter 10

Meanwhile up above on the surface, Raven was thinking to himself as he went back up the elevator, and when he emerged from the elevator he was in his great ballroom. He then scanned the room for threats, and almost immediately he saw one.

I hope my sons will live. Raven thought, I will not let them die.

The threat that he saw was none other than the leader of the ‘Cult of Blood’, the power-hungry, the wrath filled, the winter-blooded, Blizzardtail.

He was sitting on a couch and was chatting with a beige winged wolf, who was dressed in a dashing military uniform, talking like old pals, then Blizzardtail locked his icy blue eyes onto Raven’s.

“Why hello.” Blizzardtail mentioned for Raven to sit, but Raven stood, defiant and angry, clenching his fists.

As he stood he saw one of his maids give Blizzardtail a cup full of his wine.

“What do you want?” Raven snarled, his voice shocking himself.

Blizzardtail then nodded to the beige wolf, who got up and started to walk towards Raven unsheathing a knife.

“You see,” Blizzardtail growled, “You are harboring my enemies, and you know what I do to those who are allies of the enemy.” his eyes glinted with malice and equal anger.

The beige wolf was now right in front of Raven, his fiery green eyes staring right into Raven’s very soul, but he stood defiant.

Raven sighed, “Listen, if you must search my home, please go ahead, but, I make the rules here, not you.”

The Conqueror of the North then said in an icy tone, “You will know what it takes to get what I want.” The breath coming from his mouth looked like it was in mid freeze.

Then the beige wolf struck, his blade tried to hit Raven’s side, just under his ribs, but he let out an enormous scream before the blade could touch him, and the entire treehouse seemed to shake with his voice. Finally, they will know what I’m made of.

The beige wolf covered his ears and Blizzardtail yelled, “Osprey! Get us out of here!”

Then came the sound of the tree groaning as it started to crack and snap in step with Raven’s voice.

As Raven screamed he saw out of the corner of his eyes the tree bending its branches inwards, conforming to his command.

Blizzardtail, who was now prone on the ground, lashed out at Raven, and from his claws ice seemed to fly out of them and hit Raven in the ankles.

Then the treehouse started to fall.

As the treehouse fell, Raven saw Blizzardtail regain his footing and his assistant, Osprey, grabbed him and they flew out of the tree house just before it crashed to the ground.

Just before Raven felt the tree hit the ground, he saw his life flash before his eyes, his battle with Blizzardtail, the goddess, and worst of all, the future, in which his sons would take place in and do battle.

All of this happened just as Raven felt his body hit the ground, and he felt an immense amount of pain, then he blacked out.

It will be worth it.

Leafpelt heard the mansion fall before he felt it.

CRASH! BASH! SMASH!

“Shadowpelt!” Leafpelt yelled, as he saw the soil above get cracks into it.

Shadowpelt looked at his party, “Cloudfur, Leafpelt, Matteo, you are like siblings to me, so promise me this,” he then looked at each of them in the eyes and said, “I’m going back up, and I’m going to find more about Raven, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

Leafpelt felt like he was about to say something, but he thought better of it, and nodded, so did Cloudfur, and Matteo did at last.

As he watched Shadowpelt walk past the cavern’s bend he heard a high pitched male voice say, “There was no arguing with him.”

Stunned, Leafpelt turned around and saw a black and tan wolf, with short pointy ears and a large monk’s habit, and said, “I am Khali, I am here to guide you back up the surface, and give you knowledge as you travel.”

“What for?” Leafpelt raised an eyebrow.

“So you can survive the upcoming war.” Khali steepled his fingers, his look grim.

As they followed Khali through the winding tunnels, the weight of his words pressed heavily on their minds. They came to a vast opening in the cavern, where the walls were lined with rows upon rows of bookshelves stretching up to the ceiling. The dim glow from the lamps cast eerie shadows across the books and scrolls that filled the space.

“This is the Library of Boath,” Khali said as he guided them deeper into the chamber. “Here, you will find the knowledge you need for what’s to come.”

Cloudfur looked around in awe. “This place... it’s huge. What kind of knowledge is kept here?”

Khali’s expression turned serious. “The knowledge of the old wars. Of the powers that bind this land. And of how to survive what Blizzardtail will bring.”

Matteo’s voice was low, filled with concern. “You’re saying Blizzardtail is preparing for something bigger?”

Khali nodded solemnly. “Yes, much bigger, for he has the ears of the old ones. And you need to be ready, it will be a bloodbath when he turns his empire on us.”

Leafpelt felt a chill run down his spine. The war was coming. And with it, the end of an era.

Chapter 11

As they walked through the massive hall and up to the surface Cloudfur began to feel the familiar chill that she got when she was by an enemy.

“Stop.” Cloudfur said as Khali was explaining how to use the weapons that he had handed them while they were passing through his ‘bookdom’.

Khali looked at her and said, “Why are we stopping?”

“Shhh!” Cloudfur hissed, and listened intently, as Leafpelt got his rifle out and readied it.

Then she saw it.

Just at the end of the tunnel was a large fan, it whirred slowly and then she heard a puff of gasoline and yelled, “They’re trying to smoke us out! They blocked the exits!”

“Then the only way out is through.” Matteo nodded and unsheathed his sword.

They then charged.

As they battled Cloudfur parried strikes from her enemies and slashed with a renewed sense of vengeance, as these were the people that had killed her family, the ones who had made her so bitter and angry, they deserved the sword in her hands.

She kept seeing flashes of her father being sliced to bits by Blizzardtail’s forces, her mother being executed. The sound of the ax dropping on her mother's head, and the smell of blood in the air.

She had to do this, not just for her, but for her family.

As they fought their way through the passageway she could feel the emotions of her friends, and Matteo in particular.

Then, as she was about to strike a vicious blow to a gray and red vixen who was ahead of her, she heard Matteo scream in pain.

Everyone stopped.

The scream was so loud that it chilled her to the bone, and she could almost feel Matteo saying in her mind, I love you, but it's the only way.

“NO!” Cloudfur screamed and charged the huge bear-like wolf that was hauling away a broken and bloodied Matteo.

As she slashed her way towards Matteo she felt a sharp pain in her side, and she fell.

Her vision went red with anger as she saw Matteo get carried away, broken and bloodied, but still trying to fight.

She almost fought her way to him, he was so close, she could almost touch him.

The last thing she remembered was Matteo yelling back to her as the other questers held her back, especially the small and shrimpy Khali who whispered in her ear, “He’s gone, there’s no saving him.”

Khali pulled her away.

The battle was over, but at what cost?

Matteo then yelled in the distance, “I love you Cloudfur!”

Before her vision went black, she fell to her knees, and she began to cry, then her vision went black.

When Shadowpelt got to the surface it looked like a wasteland.

As he walked past the area where the crystal was he felt glass crunch under his boots, and he looked about, searching, hoping.

He then made his way up the stairs, (the elevator was broken) and saw the destruction that Blizzardtail had wrought.

The ruins of the treeborne palace were everywhere, branches were scattered and were covered in glass and ash. They were covered in what appeared to be glass, but when he touched it, it felt like ice.

As he stepped out of the palace, shell-shocked he called for Raven.

“Raven!” Shadowpelt called, his voice cracking.

From somewhere to his right the winds howled in answer. Then looking across the wasted landscape Shadowpelt saw a small black feather, about the right size for Raven’s wings.

Running to the feather he felt tears in his eyes, his legacy was there, he could feel it in his very soul. He knew what Raven had meant, he had to be his son, right?

Quickly and fervently he threw the stones off of the feathers, revealing a black wing, and he kept digging, oblivious to the snow starting to fall.

When he finally revealed Raven’s broken and battered body Shadowpelt started to feel tears in his eyes.

Then much to his shock, Raven opened a purple eye and reached out with a hand.

Quickly helping Raven up Shadowpelt examined him, his left arm was broken, his right eye was shut and swollen, and he stumbled and walked with a noticeable limp.

Raven then coughed, “Shadowpelt… the books… Do you have them?”

Shadowpelt nodded somberly, as he helped Raven to the dirt path that led up to Raven’s former mansion. This wasn’t just a battle, but a message from Blizzardtail.

“I have to confess something to you,” Raven began, his voice cracking.

“I know, I’m your son.” Shadowpelt whispered.

“Yes, but,” Raven’s voice then was interrupted by a fit of coughing.

“But what?” Shadowpelt asked, his eyes searching Raven’s gaze.

“There is another, his name is Obsidian, he is your twin.”

Shadowpelt felt his mind go numb, I have a brother?

Then the cracking of wood alerted them to the direction of the rising moon, which was just barely poking through the snow choked sky.

Then he saw it, a figure, no, two figures.

Drawing his blade Shadowpelt growled, “I’ll keep you safe.”

“Shadowpelt!” a familiar female voice yelled.

No, it can’t be.

Then the figures came into light.

They were Feathernose and a hobbling Winterpelt.

When Feathernose got right in front of Shadowpelt she hugged him and said, “I missed you.” Her voice also contained something: fear.

Pulling away, Shadowpelt asked, “What’s wrong?”

Raven then stumbled up and heaved in front of them, spilling the contents of his stomach right in front of them.

Feathernose, absolutely ignoring Raven, said in a hushed tone, “Blizzardtail’s forces have arrived in Fallen Destiny, they are about to seize the city of Okotash,” she then stopped, and looked at him and said, “We need you.”

Looking back to the sky Shadowpelt nodded and claimed, “I will go, but we need to alert the others.”

Chapter 12

As Blizzardtail marched down the Oko river and towards the city of Okotash, he smiled.

He knew this conquest would mark the beginning of the end of the old realms, the end of his father’s rule, and a new age of total annihilation of the old world.

“Revenge is sweet, and it will be mine,” Blizzardtail whispered to himself, “I will not be my father.”

Then, as he sat in his carriage, a small and young wolf with black fur and red stripes halted them.

It was Marrow the mystic. He was dressed in his typical monks' habit, and his large brown eyes glinted with mystery.

“Yes?” Blizzardtail looked up at Marrow as he walked to the door of the carriage.

“All is ready. The world is going to know of your conquests.” Marrow then looked the Conqueror of the North in his blue eyes and said cryptically. “The black star will meet you there.”

Marrow then nodded in Blizzardtail’s direction and ushered them forwards.

As the days went on Blizzardtail’s forces conquered, destroyed, and leveled wherever they traveled. During these days resistance was futile. As anyone who resisted would be captured and be ‘eliminated’.

Then as the snow fell onto the redded dirt, a sign was sent to him in his slumber.

As the dream materialized a pair of golden eyes gleamed in the darkness of the dream, and silver teeth shined in approval.

“You have done well.” The voice was like many knives being sharpened at once, sharp, piercing and a deadly air of silence followed, but one that was familiar to him.

“Why thank you, Dark One.” Blizzardtail bowed heavily before the goddess.

“Now, go, the city is waiting, and your birthright will follow soon after.” The Dark One then nodded and with a final smile said, “Bring me as many sacrifices you can get.”

Then the dream faded away, and Blizzardtail knew he would march on Okotash the next day.

Meanwhile…

Cloudfur was still feeling the pain of loss when Shadowpelt found them. He had quickly explained to them about Blizzardtail and how he was currently marching his army towards the city of Okotash, which was near the center of Fallen Destiny’s vast and swampy lands.

As he was talking Cloudfur noticed that Khali, the strange wolf from the caverns was lingering close to her, Cloudfur, who thought of Khali as a bookworm, who she also saw as a bit irritating, and looked at her with his amber eyes and said, “What?”

“Nothing.” Cloudfur snapped, feeling the eyes of the whole group look at her.

Feathernose, the white she wolf from their first quest, looked at Cloudfur with curiosity, “What’s going on between you two?” She then pointed a finger at Khali and dragged it to Cloudfur.

“No, it’s nothing.” Cloudfur muttered. Trying to keep tears out of her eyes.

Matteo, why did it have to be him? Cloudfur thought.

Shadowpelt, who had just finished explaining to the others about the invasion then nodded to Raven, who, with a bit of rummaging through the rubble, found an old mine cart.

“Ah ha!” Raven exclaimed, “We will travel through the mines, they lead to the city of Okotash.” Then he saw the look on Cloudfur’s stormy face and said, “Nevermind, we will travel down the river in a boat.”

“Ahem,” Feathernose interrupted, “With all respect, what boat?”

Raven then said, “Follow me,” and limped away into the direction of the river.

After following him for about a half an hour they found a small shack, and next to the shack, docked on the river was a massive steamboat that glinted in the moonlight like the diamonds on the water.

“Get in,” Raven said, and ushered them forwards, “I haven’t driven this thing for a while, but we should be able to make it.”

“Well,” Cloudfur looked at Raven with suspicion, “If we are found out by Blizzardtail, how will we defend ourselves?”

Raven enthusiastically exclaimed, “That’s what the machine guns are for!”

“Whoa, whoa, WHAT!?” Cloudfur looked at Raven then at the others, who had now fastened themselves into the nice velvet seats in the interior of the boat.

“You're joking. Please tell me you are, also where in the stars did you get machine guns?” Cloudfur looked back at Raven.

“Nope! Now buckle up buttercup. We’ve got a journey ahead of us, and oh, get some sleep.” Raven announced, “Also I got them from… a blacksmith let’s just say.”

Sighing, and getting into the seat, which smelled like old cigars, she promptly fell asleep.

She wished she hadn’t.

In her dream she saw her past, the past she tried so hard to forget.

Her father’s dead and broken body lay in front of her, her mother, her everloving mother, lay screaming for Cloudfur to go to the king’s castle. Cloudfur, turning away, knew what was next, the large brown wolf next to her mother drew his axe, and Cloudfur heard the sickening crunch of bones being broken.

Then the dream changed, she was in King Kyle’s castle, his grin said it all.

“So,” the king snarled, “You have been sent here by the bishop of Droathar? Ha! You make me sick…” Next to him was his accrued queen, the one that had ordered his family’s execution, and had taken her hostage, then her face was replaced by a new one, one that Cloudfur had never seen before.

In the darkness, a pair of glowing golden eyes stared back at her, and a sharp voice said, “You will never find peace, you will always be a loner. You are nothing.”

Then the dream faded, and when she woke up she saw Khali hovering over her.

“You good?” He said, his amber eyes full of concern.

Cloudfur, feeling tears welling in her eyes, just mumbled, “Go away.”

Khali, knowing that there was no arguing with her, motioned to the window, “We just got past the frontlines. But I will stay here, with you.”

Cloudfur, looked at Khali and nodded, “Thank you.” Khali then helped her out of the chair and he hugged her close.

Chapter 13

They suited up, ready for battle. Shadowpelt put on his leather jacket and stashed his knife in his pocket, unlike Cloudfur and Khali, the others, Raven, Feathernose, and Winterpelt, he got suited up and ready to venture out of the boat and onto the occupied land.

“Ready?” Winterpelt asked, his old raspy voice crackling.

Shadowpelt looked out of the boat and looked at the forest, that was where Blizzardtail’s army was.

Shadowpelt nodded somberly.

As he went to open the door to leave the boat, Feathernose dressed stylishly, in a green dress and long black boots, went up to Shadowpelt and took his head in her hands.

Shadowpelt, a little shocked, was even more so when Feathernose leaned in and kissed him.

He felt his heart flutter, and his stomach jumped.

She tasted faintly of roses, and she smelled like vanilla, and her lips twitched slightly.

She did it.

He opened his eyes, and felt his eyes water.

After she parted from his lips, Feathernose had tears in her eyes, and gripped him hard, “I love you, and I want to tell you, if we die, I’m glad to do it at your side.”

Shadowpelt looked at Feathernose, stunned, “I-I… love you too.”

Winterpelt then interrupted and said, “Well lovebirds, let’s go.”

After trudging through the suspiciously quiet forest Shadowpelt heard something strange, an odd crackling and buzzing, something that he couldn’t place.

Then, right before leaving the forest Shadowpelt saw the first body.

“Shhh!” Feathernose hissed as Shadowpelt instinctively knelt next to the battered body of a gray fox with amber eyes, she had no pulse.

Raven, wise as ever, shouldered his weapon, and mouthed, “He’s here.”

CRUNCH!

Suddenly a cold feeling went into the air, and Shadowpelt could suddenly see his breath in the cold and crisp air.

“Oh Shadowpelt, you shouldn’t have come…” An icy voice chuckled.

Then he saw him.

Across the clearing was Blizzardtail, his blue eyes looking more insane than usual, his green jacket was covered in bloodstains, and behind him was an army of followers, all dressed in black outfits and the steel on their boots shined like the sun.

“No, you shouldn’t have come to us.” Shadowpelt countered.

Blizzardtail looked at Shadowpelt with… pity?

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. What you fight for, who you fight for is nothing. Thin Ice can’t help you. His regime will die by my hands, and so will you.” Blizzardtail sneered, “But, I can give you something you always wanted: a home. You’ve never felt comfortable with your life, and you never will.”

Shadowpelt felt the words hit him like a boulder, each word utterly destroyed his ego, his hope, and fueled his anger. For a few seconds, he was tempted, his father Raven afterall, never even knew him, and didn’t even bother with him, his mother was lost to history and for what? For him to suffer?

Blizzardtail looked at the quavering Shadowpelt, and he said, “What do you say? Join me, and you will have everything you need.”

Then he saw the smug look on Blizzardtail’s face, his eyes gleamed with anger, malice, and a touch of something else. Something that Shadowpelt saw in his own eyes every morning.

Fear.

“Blizzardtail you are the one who doesn’t have a home. You don’t fight for honor, you fight for carnage.” Shadowpelt looked at Blizzardtail in his cobalt blue eyes, which widened with anger.

Blizzardtail snarled, “Lies! You speak nothing but lies, just like your father!”

Raven then appeared at Shadowpelt’s side and whispered, “Stop, he will kill us!”

Blizzardtail then let loose a low growl which seemed to echo through the small clearing, “I will have your heads! For I’m indestructible! You will bow to me! Now men, die for the empire!”

Then he charged.

Bullets immediately whizzed over his head, and he dived quickly behind a rotting log, and Feathernose jumped next to him.

_Ping! _

As the bullets rained down, a new voice yelled, “Enough!”

Everyone stopped.

Shadowpelt, cautiously looking over the log saw Leafpelt, and his mother, the queen of Fallen Destiny: Queen Fallen Leaves.

Her pelt was like Leafpelt’s, green, brown, and white, she was dressed head to toe in glittering iron armor, and she raised her sword and yelled, “This is our land! You cannot steal our lives, our souls, and our homes! Death to the traitors!”

The battle then resumed.

As swords clanged, bullets whizzed, and wolves fell in droves, sparks flew above them, and the smell of blood was thick.

CRACK!

Peaking above the rotting log, Shadowpelt saw an insane scene.

Blizzardtail was in a literal storm of ice, no, he was surrounded by a storm of ice, no, he was controlling a storm of ice. As wolves approached him they were knocked down and thrown against the trees, which were now tinted with ice, and the unlucky ones were pierced by sharp icicles that had reason to be as strong as they were.

Then Shadowpelt saw a few branches above Blizzardtail, one that was about to break.

“Idea.” Shadowpelt said, and pointed to the branch, Feathernose followed his gaze, and nodded in agreement.

“I got you.” Feathernose nodded.

But then, Leafpelt approached Blizzardtail, Shadowpelt, acting instinctively ran in his direction.

“No!” Feathernose yelled.

Shadowpelt approached an embattled Leafpelt, who was in a brutal melee with Blizzardtail. Dodging his attacks, Blizzardtail tripped Leafpelt and was about to plunge a dagger made of ice and snow into his side.

Shadowpelt lunged.

And a massive crunch followed.

Shadowpelt couldn’t feel anything.

The pain was intense, like fire burning through every nerve in his body, then it seemed to explode throughout his body.

Is this what death is like?

Darkness followed.

Chapter 14

Feathernose’s heart hammered in her chest, a deafening rhythm in the sudden, eerie quiet. The forest seemed frozen, the snow-stained ground holding its breath. Before her, Blizzardtail loomed—towering, relentless, unstoppable—his icy blue eyes fixed on Shadowpelt’s motionless form. The Conqueror of the North paused only a heartbeat before stepping back, his sharp claws glinting in the pale moonlight, the shattered branch hanging perilously above him.

Feathernose’s breath caught. Even Blizzardtail’s army—the black-clad soldiers who had crushed so many before—stilled as if in awe and fear.

“Your lands will stay yours… for now, for I have other matters to tend to other than your puny attempts at war.” Blizzardtail snarled, his voice carrying a weight that made the snow itself shiver. Rage and disbelief burned behind his eyes. Then, with a slow, deliberate step, he and his army vanished into the forest, leaving a chilling silence in their wake.

Feathernose fell to her knees beside Shadowpelt, Leafpelt and Raven right behind her. The air smelled of frost and iron, the ground trembling with residual power from Blizzardtail’s storm of ice. Every second felt like an eternity.

“Help me move this,” Raven grunted, his claws digging into the rotten branch that had pinned Shadowpelt. Leafpelt’s hands were trembling, fury coiling like a snake in his chest.

As they heaved and shifted the splintered wood, Feathernose’s mind spun. Please, survive. Don’t leave me now.

A dark shape caught her eye. A tuft of black fur.

“Guys! I found his hand!” she cried, voice cracking.

Raven’s hands moved quickly to the wrist, his fingers pressing for a pulse. For a moment, nothing. Then a faint, trembling beat.

“He’s alive,” Raven breathed, voice low but urgent. “Barely… but he’s alive.”

Relief crashed into Feathernose with the force of a tidal wave. Tears streamed down her face as she clasped his hand in hers, feeling the faint but stubborn pulse beneath her fingers. Shadowpelt’s grip tightened, weak but defiant, and she whispered, “Hold on, my love. Just hold on.”

Leafpelt’s jaw tightened, emerald eyes flashing with rage. “And Blizzardtail? He can’t just—”

“Don’t worry about him,” Raven interrupted firmly, his eyes scanning the forest for lingering threats. “We’ll deal with him soon. Right now, we save Shadowpelt.”

With practiced coordination, they lifted him onto a makeshift stretcher of branches and a torn banner from Queen Fallen Leaves army,moving cautiously through the forest. The snow crunched beneath their feet, each step echoing in the frozen silence, every shadow a potential threat.

Before they left, Queen Fallen Leaves saw the sight of her son Leafpelt and gave him a nod of approval, almost as if he earned his place in the family. And quietly she ordered her soldiers to kneel before the broken body of Shadowpelt, and much to Feathernose’s surprise she even removed her battle helm as if to respect Shadowpelt’s courage.

The journey back to the river felt endless. Feathernose’s mind raced with visions of what could have been. Every time Shadowpelt’s hand twitched in hers, she felt hope, and every time he went still, her chest constricted with terror.

Finally, the river came into view, the boat docked and swaying gently. Cloudfur stood on the deck, her eyes wide as they took in Shadowpelt’s battered form.

“Hey,” she said softly, stepping forward. Her gaze softened but darkened as it met the bloodied figure on the stretcher.

Khali was already there, his amber eyes sharp and focused. “Step back,” he ordered, voice calm but commanding. “We must make space, we don’t want him to fall into a coma.”

Feathernose, Leafpelt, and Raven obeyed instantly, watching as Khali began assessing Shadowpelt’s wounds.

“I’m going to heal him to the best of my ability,” Khali said, turning to Cloudfur. “I’ll need your help.”

Cloudfur nodded, her jaw tight, amber eyes reflecting determination and grief. Together, they disappeared into the doctor’s office on the boat, leaving the others on deck, shivering in the cold wind.

Feathernose sank onto the bench Raven had offered her, exhaustion threatening to swallow her whole. Her fingers absently clutched the edge of her coat as her mind replayed the chaos over and over—the storm of ice, the snap of the branch, the way Shadowpelt’s eyes had briefly opened before darkness took him. She then decided that she would sleep, for she would need it, and promptly she blacked out.

Sleep came fitfully, haunted by visions of the battlefield. Blizzardtail’s grin, the green eyes of Leafpelt’s mother filled with defiance, Shadowpelt’s pulse trembling in Feathernose’s hand—all merged into a single, relentless nightmare.

And through it all, one thought refused to leave her mind: the war was far from over. Blizzardtail had retreated, but he would return. And when he did, the fragile hope that had survived the night might be the only thing standing between them and total annihilation.

Epilogue

Twenty three years earlier…

When Thin Ice got the news he was livid.

“That little, mother-” he was then interrupted by the door to his private chambers opening.

“Who is it?!” Thin Ice snarled, as the ornate gold and silver door opened.

Then he saw her.

She hadn't changed a bit.

Her fur was blue, with white markings on her neck and by her eyes. Her eyes, those that Thin Ice had fallen for so long ago, were still that stunning aquamarine. She was wearing her usual outfit of a long green dress.

“Frost?” Thin Ice said with a tinge of melancholy, “What are you doing here?”

Frost, without a word, set something at his feet.

It was wrapped in a blanket, no, he was wrapped in a blanket.

“His name is Blizzardtail,” Frost whispered, her eyes with tears flowing out of them, “His sister is at my home, her name is Snowball.”

Thin Ice gingerly held the little bundle of fluff in his hands.

“My son,” Thin Ice stated, “You will be our last hope for peace.”

Frost frowned, “But the prophecy…”

“No, he will be our hope, our star, our guiding star in the night. He will follow in his ancestors footsteps.” Thin Ice cried.

“I will miss him,” Frost said wistfully.

She then stormed out of the building, and so was the beginning of Blizzardtail.

“Oh Fraszar I know I have been tempted by the untouchable medicine wolves, so hear my call,” Thin Ice felt the weight as he said with an ominous certainty, “let my dear son live to see his dreams come true, no matter what.” And with that Thin Ice looked out to the northern cluster of stars ahead and felt a tear on his cheeks.

Now, as the questers returned to Thin Ice he knew that he had to tell them, for he knew his life was soon to reach its sunset, and he told his guards. “Let them in.”

As the questers filed in one by one Thin Ice could see the sorrow in their eyes of the fear of having failed…

Thin Ice looked each one of them in the eyes, “Cloudfur, Feathernose, Shadowpelt, Winterpelt, Khali, Raven, and Leafpelt, I must tell you this.”

He then looked at Shadowpelt, who was barely standing straight after two weeks of rest, and angled his head upwards, “Blizzardtail is my son.”

Everyone's jaws dropped.

“But there is more,” Thin Ice continued as the sun started to shine through the stained glass windows, “You must find his sister, the daughter of Frost, Snowball.”

The questers, all silent, nodded one by one, until Shadowpelt said, “But our mission!”

“Forget about it,” Thin Ice said, steel coming back into his voice, “You must find Snowball, for she may be the key to our survival.”

Thin Ice then told them to leave, and trudged back to his office, and sighed.

Only if he was a hero.

Thin Ice then stared at the photo on his desk, the one that he had hidden for so long.

In the photo was his son, smiling, and in mid-laughter.

My son, I will save you if I must.

Then he looked at the other side of the desk, where an old and dusty map lay, it was yellowed with age, and it had cracks in the ancient paper. On the top of the map was inlaid the words, Terra Newvliya.

We must find them, and they will help us finish the fight.

With one final look at the photo of his son, Thin Ice whispered, “For you… My son.”

Two days later…

Frost’s paws trembled as she clutched the ancient scroll, the ink seeming to writhe beneath the flickering candlelight. Her chambers in Valma were quiet, unnervingly so, the usual bustle of nurses and healers muted by the weight of her own foreboding. As High Medicine of Valma, she was accustomed to death, to suffering—but never like this. Never like the shadow that whispered through her soul.

The prophecy had come in a dream—or was it a vision? She could not tell. Golden eyes burned into her from the darkness, silver teeth flashing with sharp laughter, and a voice like splintered ice hissed, “He rises… the son of frozen blood shall burn the lands. Rivers will run red. No crown will hold him. No heart will sway him. Only the hidden star may still the storm.”

Frost gasped, her breath fogging the air as she sank to her knees. The words seared her mind. Blizzardtail—her son, the one she had entrusted to Thin Ice’s care—was destined not for guidance or peace, but for carnage. The weight of the oath she had broken years ago—the promise to remain barren, to devote herself fully to the healing arts—felt like chains around her chest. She had thought herself prepared for loss, for heartbreak, but never this.

Outside, the night winds howled across the hospital grounds, rattling the windows as if echoing the cries of the innocent who would fall in the coming storm. Frost’s blue fur bristled with fear and fury alike. Her paws clenched the scroll so tightly that her claws pierced the parchment. She had to act. She had to warn them. She had to stop him…

But as she rose, her heart pounding and her mind reeling, the hospital’s newspaper made her reel, summoning her gaze. The words stared at her like a blade:

“Blizzardtail’s War Has Begun.”

Frost collapsed into a chair, sobs racking her body, hot tears spilling over her cold fur. The prophecy, the vision, the warnings—they were no longer abstract threats. They were reality. And the storm she had feared for decades had finally arrived.

Her claws dug into the armrests, knuckles white, as a single thought burned in her mind: How do you stop a son from destroying the world you swore to protect?

Book Three: The Fallen Star

Prologue

Icetooth stood victorious once again.

His men, his empire, the one that he had cobbled together from the various tribes of Oyikya were united at long last.

As he looked over the western ocean and towards the setting sun, a messenger stopped next to him.

“Yes,” Icetooth said, not even bothering to turn his head to the messenger.

“It has been done,” was all the messenger could say.

A slow smile spread across Icetooth’s face, for the wretched and intolerable ‘magic ones’ were finally going to be gone, for once and for all.

“Sir,” the messenger continued, “Where are they heading?”

Icetooth, a cruel smile across his face turned around and said, “To their deaths.”

The ship crashed across the shore, its hull battered and breaking after the long voyage across the Western Sea. As the ship landed, an escort party came out onto the shore with a small lifeboat. As they ventured through the pine covered hills, they collected firewood, but they wouldn’t last long.

As the ship was unloaded its contents, and the occupants, whose faces were covered in grief and anger, started their new life. But, as the night went on the people of this ‘new land’ the ‘Evankians’ as they called themselves came out and attacked the strange foreigners who had arrived at their shores.

After years of fighting the two groups, who had finally come to terms with the inevitability of coexistence, began a new home, one they called Newvlyia, this would be an experiment for all to know in this new land.

Meanwhile across the sea the people of Oyikya mourned the loss of their conqueror and their destructor: Icetooth was dead.

But, this would pave the way for a new power: the Newvlyians were going to be the ‘new home’ of the known world, and they would aid in the reconstruction of the world.

All of this Thin Ice thought about as he lay in his study, and finally he decided on something brash, he would send his most loyal followers to Newvlyia, and once they returned, if they returned, Blizzardtail would finally be stopped.

Chapter 1

Snowball felt fear rising in her body. Then, she felt herself dumped unceremoniously out of a large leather sack.

She tried to get up, but a foot quickly pushed her back into the cell.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness and the dankness of the barred cell she saw a pair of eyes looking back at her.

Slowly she scuttled backwards to the front edge of the cell, the bars going into her back.

“Hey,” a voice said, coming from the direction of the two green eyes, “You're hurt.”

Snowball was about to cry when the figure came into view, she was small, with brown, orange, and white fur, she was dressed in rags, which covered her fur. But as Snowball concentrated she saw something in the fox’s fur.

Stitches.

The stitches were all over her body, but were concentrated on her joints, Snowball then was taken out of her trance, as the fox said, “Can I help you?”

“Umm,” Snowball looked at the fox’s face, she couldn’t tell if she was a friend or foe.

“I take your silence as a yes.” The fox said she then started to look over Snowball, who at this point hadn’t noticed that she was in a small tight fitting yellow dress, which she noticed wasn’t her’s. Then as the fox started to look at the nasty wound on her shoulder, that was oozing pus and still bleeding.

Snowball whimpered, and flitched back from the fox’s hand.

“Hey, I’m here to help.” The fox said she was now level with Snowball’s eyes and took her hand, “I’m Maple.”

Snowball, who didn’t see how this fox could hurt her worse than the others had, sighed, “I’m Snowball.”

Maple then called over her shoulder, “Obsidian! We have another one!”

Then, out of the darkness a black wolf with purple eyes dressed in a tattered shirt and blue jeans, he was tall, thin, and his eyes were dim with sadness.

The wolf knelt beside Snowball and looked into her eyes and said, “Where are you from?”

Snowball, stunned, said, “I’m from Valma. I’m the daughter of Thin Ice.”

Obsidian’s jaw dropped.

Judging from Obsidian’s reaction Snowball knew that something was wrong, or no, she was something that could be found wrong.

KNOCK KNOCK!

The iron door to the cell opened and an orange and yellow vixen dressed in a guard’s outfit said, “Alright you losers, let’s go.”

Snowball was about to say no, when the vixen sighed, “Blizzardtail would like an audience with you.”

No, not him… Snowball thought, the world swirling around her, it can’t be.

Chapter 2

Feathernose knew something was up when she saw Shadowpelt enter her room. He still had a slight limp from the battle they fought against Blizzardtail. Some days he was in visible pain, other days he was massively depressed and would look into the distance.

It had been a month since they had returned from their last quest, and an unsteady silence had fallen over the realms of Valma and Fallen Destiny. Worst of all, Winterpelt, Shadowpelt’s mentor, was extremely sick but still insisted that Shadowpelt go to his training exercises.

Feathernose, who had been concerned for the whole time that they were back, saw Shadowpelt enter her room, while she was in the act of getting up and ready for the day.

Shadowpelt, who had just opened the door and was greeted by Feathernose blushing promptly, as she was still in her nightgown.

“Oh,” Shadowpelt said, putting a hand over his mouth, “You want me to go?”

Feathernose, who always had a knack for knowing when her boyfriend was upset, said, “Umm, no, I’d like to know, what’s wrong?”

Shadowpelt then turned his head, staring out of the open window, which gave an amazing view of the city of Helninki, the capital of Valma, and sighed, “I just heard from Thin Ice, Winterpelt… he’s… dying.” He hung his head in somberness.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Feathernose said, wrapping her beloved in her arms, “Has he passed over yet?”

“Not yet, but the medicine wolf gave him three more weeks, tops.” Shadowpelt had a few tears falling from his eyes.

Feathernose, upset at seeing her lover in such a blue mood said, “Hey, don’t think about it, besides once you complete your training you should be able to heal him.”

Shadowpelt seemed like he didn’t hear her as he was staring off into the distance, as if looking for something, no, _someone. _

“No, what’s really on your mind.” Feathernose pried, her green eyes gazing into his purple ones.

“Thin Ice, he also said that… we need to go on another quest, otherwise…” he let the thought trail off.

Feathernose, a little shocked, kept her mouth shut and silently leaned in and kissed him gently. When she finally pulled away she ruffled his fur and said, “Hey, where you go, I go.”

Then there was a knock at the door, and it opened slightly ajar.

“Who is it?” Shouted Shadowpelt.

Silently a gray and black wolf walked in and said, “Thin Ice wants an audience with the both of you.”

Sighing Feathernose said, “Fine, we’ll go.”

As they followed the gray and black wolf down the hall and towards the massive throne room where Thin Ice had his court they got to know their messenger.

His name was Blade, he was a strong looking wolf, with silver eyes and a bold taste in clothing, in fact he was wearing a large orange cloak and had a pair of beige trousers on and had a shy, yet energetic personality.

“So… Blade, right?” Feathernose said, “Why does Thin Ice need us right now?”

Blade, clearly a little bothered by this, simply stated, “Umm, it’s about his son.”

Nodding, Feathernose didn’t push, but at the same time they reached the doors to the throne room.

As they opened the doors Thin Ice was locked in a heated debate with a medicine wolf, whose pelt was as blue as the oceans, her eyes were also a stunning blue, and she wore a simple outfit of a gray dress, she was in mid-speak when Feathernose, Blade, and Shadowpelt entered the room.

“-you can’t do that to him, he’s our- I mean, your son!” She then glanced nervously at the questers.

“Frost,” Thin Ice snapped, “Just because he’s my son doesn’t mean he isn’t safe from justice. For we must move quickly, before anyone else gets hurt.”

“Ahem,” Feathernose interrupted, “We were told to join you.”

Thin Ice turned his head in their direction and shooed the medicine wolf away from him, and she promptly stormed out of the room brushing past Feathernose, and muttering, “What a coward.”

“What was she so upset about?” Feathernose postulated.

“Oh, Frost, she’s just, you know,” Thin Ice then whistled and spun a finger in the air, “But anyways, yes I do need you.”

“For…” Shadowpelt rolled his hand, motioning for Thin Ice to continue.

“You are to gather the others and go to the shores of the Empire of Esarrano and find a boat and journey west.” Thin Ice looked at their stunned faces and finished, “I know, it sounds impossible, but, I must tell you something,” he then leaned down like he was about to tell them a secret that had been lost to history.

“There is land across the Western Ocean, and you must make contact with them, for our fates lay with them.”

Feathernose felt her mind expand with the newfound knowledge that Thin Ice had just given them, the Western Ocean was supposed to be the boundary of the known world, it was said to be filled with monsters that could eat ships, and it was said to be unnavigable.

It was said, it was said, it was said.

Those words resonated with Feathernose, she then looked Thin Ice in the eyes and told him, point-blank, “You want us to cross a monster infested sea, go to a land that we have no knowledge of, and contact a possibly hostile people?”

“Sign me up!”

They all turned around to see Blade clutching a rain jacket and a pair of boots and a thrilled smile across his face.

“What?” Blade asked, laughing quietly.

Shortly thereafter they got Cloudfur, Khali, and Marrow and began the journey south-west.

So they were sent on their new mission, to find the lands across the Western Ocean and contact people they never knew existed.

Chapter 3

After a week of traveling the questers made it to the border of the Esarrano Empire. As they approached the small town of Saronoa, the town was located on the Southern Lakli River. The town, once a center of trade and commerce and fallen into disarray. As Shadowpelt and his group crossed the brown and silty river he silently thought through the plan to himself, “please let us go through your lands. For we need a vessel to go to Careal Isle.”

His thoughts were interrupted by the bottom of the boat running aground on the sandy shores.

“Okay!” Shadowpelt began to his comrades, “We need to get a boat, so be sincere to the locals. For they have endured a year of conflict.” Shadowpelt let his gaze rest on Feathernose and finished, “We must act normal, don’t stand out, and most importantly, don’t get caught.”

As they silently unloaded from the boat, Shadowpelt felt like eyes were on his back, and were staring at him from unseen people.

BANG!

A warning shot fired from a nearby cactus, which shook from the force of the weapon being fired. Immediately Shadowpelt put his hands up into the air, over his head, and motioned for the others to do the same.

“We come in peace!” Shadowpelt shouted, and laid down his weapons. Feathernose then gave him a flash of concerned hope.

As the sun beating down on the questers a voice said from the cactus, “Forgive us, we’re very tired of the conflict,” and was followed by a beige feline walking out from behind the cactus, along with an entourage of foxes and felines all dressed in desert camo and rough looking black boots.

Shadowpelt, who was now mere feet from the feline, said his piece, “We would like to go through your lands, for we need a vessel to Careal Isle.”

After that the feline looked at his followers and said something in hushed tones. What they said was unknown to Shadowpelt but the feline translated, “Why must you go? Careal Isle is under the Empire’s control. You see, we are no fans of the Empire, but we won’t help traitors.”

Shadowpelt, who had anticipated this exact reaction, winked at Feathernose and whispered, “Get the money out.”

She then rushed back to the boat that they had rented and along with Cloudfur, Khali and Leafpelt brought the boat back, dragging with it the sacks of gold and silver coins with them.

Shadowpelt then said to the feline, “We have plenty of gold, silver and other trinkets, if we were to give you these would you accept?”

The feline, whose golden eyes grew big from the sound of cascading coins quickly shook his head, getting himself out of the trance, and spoke sternly, “We will accept, only if you beat us in a contest, one of our choosing, as this is our custom when it comes to accepting money from others.”

Shadowpelt felt his confidence waver, he knew he couldn’t win against the natives of the desert at their own game, but he had to accept, otherwise, well he didn’t want to think about the horrors that would happen if he didn’t.

“We accept.” Shadowpelt nodded.

“Good.”

Chapter 4

Snowball was scared, not only was she going to see the most hated and feared wolf in all of Oyikiya, but she was about to see the creature that hurt her friends.

As the yellow and orange vixen took her forwards and into a long hall that was filled with cages she began to think about escape.

There’s three of us, and only one of them. She thought.

“Don’t even think about it.” The vixen said from in front of her.

Snowball just shook her body from the cold and dankness of the caverns.

As they passed a cage Snowball saw two felines playing a game of cards, but when her somber entourage walked past one of them muttered, “Well, they’re dead.”

CREEK!

A door opened in front of them, and the vixen led them into an elevator, quickly she pressed a button that sent them to the top.

As the elevator creeked up the shaft, Snowball could feel Maple crying softly besides her, quietly Snowball rubbed her friend’s back and whispered into her ears, “You’re going to be-”

She was stopped by the vixen whirling around and smacking her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

The orange vixen stood over her and hushed Snowball by saying, “No talking, for every word you speak you get one punch.”

Ding!

Light poured into the elevator and Obsidian helped Snowball up, who wrapped her left arm around Maple and followed the vixen down a brightly lit corridor.

They walked for what seemed like hours, endless side doors taunted them with escape, but Snowball knew better.

Finally they reached a huge gold and silver door that had the likeness of Icetooth on it.

The vixen then knocked on the door and a hole opened at her eye level.

“It’s Honey,” the vixen said, “I have the prisoners.”

The door then clicked open, and revealed a massive throne room.

As they were walked up to the throne, Snowball took a good look at her foe.

He was on the throne, with the orb and scepter of Icetooth in his hands, his eyes were a crystalline blue, with a hunger in them that Snowball couldn’t explain.

He wore a cape made of a bear’s pelt, his clothes were covered by a thick leather jacket, his pants were made of black slacks, his shoes were leather and had iron teeth on the bottom that looked like icy spikes.

It was Blizzardtail.

Honey, the vixen behind them, then pushed Snowball, Maple, and Obsidian down and onto their knees.

“So,” Blizzardtail steepled his hands, after putting away the holy relics, “You are finally here my sister.”

Sister? Snowball thought, How?

Snowball had the feeling that she should raise her head, so she did, and came to eye level with Blizzardtail.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” Blizzardtail sneered, “What a shame. But indeed I am your brother, both by blood and in spirit.”

Apparently this came as a shock to Maple and Obsidian, as they both gasped and Honey just yawned in boredom.

Blizzardtail then got off of the overgrown chair and got right up in Snowball’s face, “My sister, will you join me in my conquests? Father has never been kind to us, he has never cared for you or me.”

Snowball looked at him in shock, she thought to herself, Should I, I don’t hate Thin Ice, which turned to anger.

“No!” She spat, “I would never, you hurt those who are close to you, those that love you. How coul-”

She was stopped by Blizzardtail slashing his claws across her face, blood sprayed from the wound, and Snowball fell to the ground clutching the pain in her left eye.

Maple went to steady her, but Honey intercepted her and pulled her back. Maple's eyes betrayed the fear in her, and she shouted, “Snowball! We will help you!”

Obsidian was seemingly shocked by the bout of fury from Blizzardtail, as he fled and ran after Maple.

Blizzardtail now stood over Snowball, who was still reeling from the blow, and was staring at the ornately painted ceiling as her vision swam.

“What, sister? Too shocked to hear the news?” Blizzardtail looked at her with mock pity.

Then she saw it.

There by his foot was an orb of white and green, not just any orb, but her eye.

Snowball felt her face, it was hers.

Blizzardtail then barked orders, “Get the scientists in here.”

The last thing she remembered was the sound and sight of Blizzardtail walking away, flanked by two guards.

Chapter 5

Cloudfur was terrified.

As the questers and her were taken to a small corral by the edge of the bay, and one of the felines that were leading them towards it knocked on the small door to the home that was next to the corral.

After the feline knocked a rugged looking feline stepped out, his orange fur bristling in the heat.

As he stepped out Cloudfur got a better look at him. His fur was orange, his eyes the color of green grass, he was wearing a sheriff's uniform that was tattered and boots that looked equally desperate. He also wore a wide brimmed hat over his head, it had a lone brown feather sticking out of the side of it.

“So,” the sheriff said with an audible Esarrano twang in his voice, “You wish to challenge me, Michal A. Dallas, to a contest?”

At this Shadowpelt simply nodded.

Cloudfur then looked back to the sheriff, and he said, “Very well, follow me into the corral, we will have a contest on who is the master of the art of Sharkieri.”

Sharkieri, it was an ancient practice in these lands, basically a combination of jousting, but on a bull, and with a hooked javelin to send them to the ground.

Cloudfur looked at Khali, who looked back at her.

They would never be able to compete with the sheriff, but they could trick him.

As they were led back into the corral Michal asked the questers, “Okay, as per custom, I am obligated to give you a meal before you play, as the host, so I have assembled a combination of foods from these lands for you to enjoy. Oh and darling!” Michal yelled to a bright white feline across the dining hall, “will you get the water? I need to pay my allies somehow.”

Water had always been a scarce resource in the Essaronao empire, but the fact that rebels had to sneak it into the borderlands was something Cloudfur did not expect.

As they sat down and ate the meal of fish, with a small amount of rice, Cloudfur looked around the table, analyzing the situation. Each feline at the table serving them had a look of fear, maybe a tinge of sorrow, and all of their faces were filled with the feeling of defeat.

She had an idea, but it would be messy.

“Excuse me,” Cloudfur asked a silent waitress, “May I use the restroom?”

The feline nodded, and pointed to the home that the sheriff was in.

Gently she walked across the corral, and into the home.

As she entered the front room she could smell the sharpness of cigar smoke, and the light was dim, as the sun was starting to set.

She then entered the restroom, and looked through the medicine cabinet.

“No, no, no,” Cloudfur mumbled as she went through the various bottles, then she found one.

It was a bottle full of a local plant that’s nickname was ‘the green grumble’ due to what it would do to the person who ingested it.

Silently she found the silk dresses that the felines serving them had on, and put one on, and walked out of the room and back into the room.

“Hey, Misty?” A feline asked her, mistaking Cloudfur for someone else, something she planned. “Will you serve Michal? He has something to tell you.”

Cloudfur nodded, and grabbed the tray full of food from the feline and slipped one of the ‘green grumble’ pills into the cup full of wine, which dissolved instantly in the red liquid.

She then found the sheriff and put the plate down in front of him, he looked up at her and said, “Hey Misty, you really don’t think that they’re going to win, do you?”

His voice was twangy and slightly deep, like a man who had seen many battles, yet too little fame.

“No,” was all Cloudfur could say, watching Michal take a sip of his wine.

Please work.

“You are dismissed,” Michal waved her away.

Quickly she ran out of the room and back into the corral, after changing back into her clothes of course.

As the sun began to touch the water on the shore the competition began.

Cloudfur, who was selected to be the rider in the act of Sharkieri quickly grabbed her saddle that she was given, and set it on the bull.

As she got on the bull, it began to buck trying to get her off. Eventually she got the bull under control, and faced her opponent, the sheriff.

“You ready?” Khali asked, now by her side, calming the bull by giving it some barley.

Cloudfur nodded slowly.

“Knock ‘em dead.” Khali said, and gave her a thumbs up.

The gate then opened, and she braced herself.

As she charged the sheriff she could feel time slowing down around her, she could see her friends cheering her on, the sheriff’s wife, a tall and lithe white feline with a scowl on her face, which she saw on the reflection on Michael's armor, a face she always saw every morning in the mirror.

Lastly she could hear her father in her ear saying, “You will restore our family, and our honor. You are our olive branch to the world.”

She raised her shield, and threw her javelin at the sheriff, who tried to block it, but was too slow. The javelin then knocked him off, and he hit the ground with a harsh crash.

Quickly, she jumped off the bull, and drew her blade in one fell swoop.

When she stopped, her blade was under the sheriff’s neck, who smiled in respect.

“Good job.” The sheriff said, huffing from the fall. “You have a heart of steel in there.” He then pointed at her chest.

Silently, Cloudfur pulled him up and said, “Now, can we have that boat?”

After the questers and her got to the boat she was shocked to see it fully loaded, and ready to sail.

It was a small vessel, it was an older model, as it had yellow stains on the edges, and the stairs to the captain's room were covered in salt. Not only that but the hold was musty and smelled of dead fish, and the ship was a sickly shade of white, as it were a poison.

“Are we ready?” Shadowpelt asked from the bridge.

Everyone replied with a silent nod.

“But first,” Cloudfur began, “I must say this. Since we are going to be traveling across the western sea, we must be prepared for anything. But most of all, we must be ready for whatever comes our way. Whether it be monsters, pirates, or something else, we will find Newvlyia, and we will get the help we need. Also I have never been a big fan of water.”

The others let out a light chuckle, after which she continued.

Cloudfur looked at the others, tears welling in her eyes, and finally said, “I love you as a family. Because you’re the only family I’ve ever had.”

Chapter 6

Blizzardtail looked across the room, his eyes blazing with a fury even he could feel, his eyes traveled over his inner circle. ‘Poison’ Ivy, her gray and black fur bristling, Osprey, his golden eyes looking around the room, as if searching for something. Blizzardtail paced in front of them, in the dark room full of relics from Icetooth’s time, and said with a dark note of humor, “The goddess has given us this realm, but we must gain the other realm.”

Ivy looked rather confused, and Blizzardtail answered her confusion with a sharp tone, “The other realm lay across the Western Sea, the lands of Newvliya.”

Silence, then Blizzardtail heard it in his mind, the Dark One.

Do what you must, for you will wash away the tyrants and the hypocrites.

Blizzardtail looked back at his friends, and summoned his frost covered sword, the mythical sword of Karitha, which was said to be Icetooth’s personal blade and pointed it at them.

“Now, who wants to go for a hunt?”

They journeyed to the underground prison that had been built for his rivals, and Blizzardtail knew he was about to witness history.

Stepping out of the elevator, with Ivy and Osprey in tow, Blizzardtail snapped his soldiers to attention, “Warriors! Stand ready, for we are about to destroy the false idols and the false empires once and for all. Kyle will go, Fallen Leaves will perish, and Thin Ice will be brought forth, and stand trial for his acts.”

Blizzardtail gazed at his warriors, one of which dropped his gaze, Blizzardtail, went up to the trembling wolf and sneered, grabbing the young wolf’s chin, “What’s your name?”

“Umm, it’s Woden.” The gray and white wolf’s voice was barely a whisper.

Blizzardtail slashed upwards, his claws sinking into the wolf’s face, the wolf gasped for breath, and Blizzardtail threw him to the ground, dead.

“As icetooth once said, ‘Weakness must be eliminated, and cruelty forges in the fires of vengeance.’”

Blizzardtail walked past the wolf, and kept going towards the room at the end, the room where his scientists, Blaze and Dr. Hyde, did their experiments.

He knocked on the iron door, which hissed and opened to him.

After Blizzardtail and his entourage entered the room, the door shut behind them.

Blizzardtail looked at the orange and yellow vixen bent over his work along with the tall black and gray feline who was running back and forth grabbing various bottles and vials.

“Blaze!” Blizzardtail yelled, “How’s the ‘experiment’ going?”

Blaze didn’t turn from his work, but he replied with, “It’s going well, he is responding well to the treatment.”

Blizzardtail was now right next to him, staring out of the window into the chamber below.

In the chamber a brown and gray fox lay on the floor, his body heaving up vomit, and his face was one of utter fear, shock, and anger burned in his orange eyes.

Blizzardtail looked at Blaze and asked, “Is he the one we captured?”

“Yes,” Blaze responded, “It’s Matteo.”

Chapter 7

It had been days since Shadowpelt had last seen land. So far the questers and him had traveled out into the ocean after the incident with Michal A. Dallas.

The ocean was a stunning dark blue, and Shadowpelt was on the deck, looking over the sun-drenched ocean, looking, hoping.

“Shadowpelt,” a familiar voice said.

“Yes, Feathernose?” Shadowpelt answered, his eyes staying on the ocean.

“You’re thinking about Winterpelt, aren't you?” Feathernose answered, going in front of Shadowpelt, so he would see her.

“How do you know what I'm thinking?” Shadowpelt said, his eyes starting to water.

Winterpelt, I hope you’re alive.

“Oh whatever,” someone said from behind them.

They turned, Cloudfur was sitting on the deck a few feet away from them, trembling from seasickness.

But her eyes said it all.

She was angry.

“What’s wrong?” Shadowpelt asked, kneeling next to Cloudfur.

Cloudfur looked away, and promptly threw up over the side of the ship.

Sighing, Shadowpelt looked down at his outfit, it was a nice gray coat, and matching pants, with a pair of worn leather boots.

“Shadowpelt,” Feathernose said, “I love you.”

Shadowpelt said, “I know, we’ve been together for three months, I care abo-”

The ship lurched forwards, throwing them onto the deck.

He felt his head hit the railing of the ship and as the ship lurched and flailed about he struggled to his feet, shaking from the impact.

ERRRRK!

The sound of metal scrapping against metal immediately made Shadowpelt rise to see the damage that they had done.

“What’s happening?!” Shadowpelt yelled, his voice rising.

Then he saw it, across the deck another ship had rammed into them, it was bigger, and seemed to be made of a strange silverish gold metal, and beyond it Shadowpelt could see something else.

Land.

Shadowpelt quickly went down into the lower deck and yelled at the others, “A ship just hit us!”

Khali, Blade, and Marrow, looked up at Shadowpelt and scrambled out of the below deck and ran to the main deck.

But, as soon as Shadowpelt got on the main deck, a knife was at his head.

In front of him a red and orange vixen stood over him, his face marred by a scar running across his nose and stopping just under his left eye.

His eyes were a vibrant blue, and had a fire in them, his outfit was one of rank, as it was seemingly a naval officer’s uniform. Sharp and pristine, as if he had just ironed it.

The vixen leared down at Shadowpelt and asked something in heavily accented Valman, which he almost couldn't understand, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

Shadowpelt had to admit, he was scared. As Thin Ice had warned him, these people could be hostile, no would be hostile, due to a history of colonization from Oyikiya.

“Well?” The officer sneered, pressing the knife a little closer to Shadowpelt.

“I’m Shadowpelt, and they are my fellow questers.” He answered.

The vixen stepped back, the unmistakable look of shock on his face, and possibly a hint of fear.

The vixen looked at his men, barked an order at them in that strangely accented Valman, and looked back at Shadowpelt.

“You realize that our people have not made contact with yours for generations?” The officer said, a look of pity on his face.

“Yes,” Shadowpelt nodded, “I do realize that.”

“But do you realize that our people are at war?”

Shadowpelt looked at the officer, “No, I did not.”

The officer turned around and said over his shoulder, “Come with us, as you will be taken to our capital, to stand trial.”

Shadowpelt, squinting against the sun, asked, “To stand trial for what?”

“For your tyrant has… seized us, and he is causing all sorts of chaos.” The officer replied, his voice clipped and formal, all the while he polished his bronze buttons on his naval commander's outfit.

“Wait,” Shadowpelt said as the officer’s men went to surround him, and put him and the questers in chains, “You mean Blizzardtail?”

The sailors backed up, apparently, even across an ocean they knew the name.

The officer turned around swiftly, and got so close to Shadowpelt’s face that he could smell the salt in the vixen’s breath.

“We do not say that name here, for we have been warned.” The officer stated, his voice suddenly serious and stern.

“About?” Cloudfur yelled from behind Shadowpelt.

“He,” the officer said, pointing one of his hands up to the sky, “Has been a threat that we do not take kindly to, he has scarred our lands in more ways than you simple folk wouldn't understand. Now, come stand trial, or else.”

Shadowpelt nodded, and asked, “Wait, if I need to stand trial, my I know your name so I know who I'm talking to?”

“Me?” The officer asked, his bronze buttons gleaming once again, “I am Admiral Forli, and I will escort you and your ‘questers’ to Newvliya City.”

So, he followed the Admiral across the ship, and onto the metal deck of the ship that the Admiral had commanded, and so the questers would soon land in Newvliya, a land just as torn as their own.

Chapter 8

Something was up, Winterpelt could feel it as he lay in his hospital bed, his breath ragged.

He knew he was dying, he could feel it in his ragged breath, and the pain in his sides.

He scanned the room, his eyes going about and looking at the different medical equipment and the steady beep, beep, beep, of the machines started to lull him back to sleep.

Then he heard it.

It’s time.

Winterpelt coughed, his lungs rattling, and just then a familiar face walked through the large wooden door.

Thin Ice had arrived.

Thin Ice looked at Winterpelt and nodded at his two guards to take up positions on either side of the now locked door.

“Well old friend,” Thin Ice began, “Your protege has done well.”

“So?” Winterpelt began, immediately realizing what Thin Ice had meant.

“So well in fact that I have sent him across the Western Sea, and to Newvliya.”

Winterpelt was not expecting that.

“What?” Was all Winterpelt could say before he fell into another fit of coughs.

It’s time, you must go.

Thin Ice looked at Winterpelt with a grim look, “I know, it’s wild, but, I have come here not just for that, but for this.”

Thin Ice then walked right up to Winterpelt’s side, and laid a small envelope next to him.

“When you feel the call of Doeshi’s realm, open this, and all will be revealed, for I have committed many crimes, and I have disobeyed the Code of Honor.”

Winterpelt nodded in understanding, “I see.”

Right before Thin Ice was about to leave the room, he said over his shoulder, “And remember, Winter does not mean death, it is a time to rest, and a time to heal.”

The door clicked shut.

It is time, you will go.

Silently Winterpelt opened the envelope with trembling hands, and right before his eyes closed he read the following:

“The Star gazers shall see the new age

The dead will rise with rage,

Blizzard will be his name,

He will kill, not maim,

But, a new era shall burn,

For the gods will return.

And forever more the Shadow and the Feather will have in store,

A battle of fury that will shake the core,

And a soul from the Master shall take her revenge,

For, winter will soon end.”

And with his last breath Winterpelt felt that the world was going to change, for nothing lasts forever.

Blizzardtail felt smug.

His Empire was ready for blood, ready for conquest, and most of all, ready for new members.

He gazed over his inner circle, ‘Poison’ Ivy, Osprey, and of course the new recruit, Queen Capenose of the Kingdom of Nath.

She was legendary in her own right, wife of King Kyle of Nath, and had once known that dreaded quester Cloudfur.

As they sat in their chairs Blizzardtail looked at each of them, his voice echoing off of the stone walls, “We are ready. Our armies are in position. It is time that Thin Ice paid a visit to Doeshi.”

You will be the bringer of a new age, the Dark One said in his mind.

Blizzardtail turned around, and clicked the door shut behind him, he said to one of the guards by the door, his lovely Honey, and said, “Begin the cleansing.”

That was his sign, the sign to execute his next horrors.

Maple was about to die, she knew it in her heart.

As she lay in her cell, along with Obsidian, she could feel the presence of darkness weighing over them.

She remembered her promise, that promise she made when she was created.

It was a day to remember, it was the day she was created.

Blizzardtail had taken scraps of other ‘prisoners’ and sewn them together, and had instructed the scientist Blaze to raise her from the dead.

She remembered waking up in a dark and sulfurous place, a place she could only say was the realm of Starfire.

She remembered Blizzardtail selling his hope for power, and for the promise that she would live, but only on one condition…

“‘She will break your heart, and break your life not only will you torture her, but you will hate the love you lost from your family. I hereby aid in my promise to give life, but only to her, not for you. Afterall, all mortals must die.’”

Maple shuddered, brought back to the present by Obsidian putting a hand on her back.

“You were thinking about it again, weren’t you?”

Maple nodded somberly.

Obsidian took her hands in his own, a sweet yet sad gesture, “I will promise to the stars that you will escape, even if it means my death.”

Maple looked at Obsidian with a new sense of hope in her green eyes, “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

They turned around, at the new voice next to the iron bars that separated them from escape.

A pair of yellow eyes looked back at them, it was Blizzardtail’s lover.

Honey, who they knew as a spy from Thin Ice.

She had been found out.

Chapter 9

The city was beautiful, yet something seemed wrong. The city was vast, it had shimmering towers, massive spires, and the glass covered buildings reflected the morning sunlight with a brilliance that Feathernose had never seen before.

As she stood on the deck of their transport, the officer, Admiral Forli, had gathered the rest of the questers on the deck, his gaze withering.

“Well, morning to you all,” the officer said, his voice like gravel, “I will escort your ‘questers’ to the president’s palace.”

Feathernose thought she heard a ‘so he can deal with you’, come from the officer’s mouth afterwards.

“Sir,” Feathernose spoke, her breath steaming in the cold morning air, “How come the city seems so quiet?”

Admiral Forli gazed at her, his eyes probing and saying everything in one horror filled expression.

Obviously he had seen some horrible things.

After docking into the pier, Feathernose looked at Shadowpelt and whispered, “I wonder where everyone is.”

“Yeah, it’s a little too quiet if you ask me.” Shadowpelt nodded.

As they got off the pier, a small party of sailors looked at them, and quickly ran off to the nearby storage rooms, as if foreigners were the least of their concerns.

Admiral Forli looked at them, and said, “Now get lost.”

“I thought you wanted us dead.” Feathernose asked, fearful.

“I did, but your friends and you won’t survive for very long.” Forli grimly stroked his chin, “Now get lost, you rats.”

Feathernose nodded and said her thanks, and started to walk with the rest of the questers when a loud Boom, boom, boom, came from somewhere ahead of them.

Feathernose looked at Shadowpelt, and he gave her a look of pure fear.

They then ran, Feathernose glanced back, seeing that Cloudfur, Khali, Marrow, and Shadowpelt were behind her.

Another boom, this time there were distant screams from the road ahead of them.

They kept running down the road, and as they rounded the corner something connected with Feathernose’s face.

She fell to the ground, her face aching.

“Hey, let me help you up.” A voice said.

Getting to her bearings, Feathernose took the person’s hand, and nodded her thanks, only to see that no one was there.

What is going on?

She looked back at the questers, who were further down the road, running for a huge palace that was at the end of the road.

As she ran after them the massive palace came into better view.

It had huge columns that reached up to a massive ornate roof, the building was covered in gold, and silver. On the top of the roof was an enormous statue that was easily the size of a small bear.

Then they were stopped by a group of wolves in ornate and stunning silver and yellow suits that billowed out around their legs.

The guards, or at least she figured they were guards, fixed a series of sharp blades to their weapons, and yelled something in a language that Feathernose didn’t understand.

Feathernose looked at her friends, and nodded and mouthed the words, “we must surrender”.

So, Feathernose put her arms in the air and the others followed.

The guards came up to them, they were all dressed the same, and even had the same features,

They aimed their weapons.

But just before they could fire a loud and booming voice yelled, “Enough!”

They were trapped, and the questers knew they had walked right into the teeth of an angry bear.

Chapter 10

When Thin Ice walked into his quarters he knew something was wrong.

“Sir,” a short and stocky vixen said, his voice wavering.

“Yes?” Thin Ice said, nodding a reply to his guards outside of the door.

As his gaze swept across the room, he noticed the map on the table. It was a newer map, but it had the cracks and coffee stains of an aging masterpiece.

“We have just received a letter from Blizzardtail.” the vixen said, his white pelt bristling as he spoke.

Thin Ice stopped, his heart was pounding.

No, what has he done this time?

“What does it say?” Thin Ice commanded.

The vixen, with trembling hands, rolled open the scroll and read from it.

“As Icetooth once said, ‘sometimes evil is necessary,’ I too have decided to write back to you, but I offer you something in exchange for your daughter’s freedom: We meet in one on one in combat. If you do not show your face at the shores of the Kree River, she will be as good as dead. One last thing, remember, legends never die…”

Thin Ice felt his face go numb from fear.

He knows. Thin Ice thought. Snowball is more than likely dead already.

Thin ice said out loud, “I will go at once.”

The vixen stopped, his jaws open.

“Thin Ice!” a female voice yelled, “You can’t do this!”

Thin Ice turned around, his old lover of Frost standing at the door.

Thin Ice looked at her in those crystal blue eyes that he fell for so long ago and said with determination, “I’m going, he needs to be taught a lesson in war.”

Frost looked back at her and pleaded, “No, remember, the prophecy.”

Thin Ice wished he hadn't.

Thin Ice walked past Frost, determined to save his son from himself.

Blizzardtail was eating his lunch when he heard the news.

“My lord,” Osprey called from the other room, “Thin Ice has accepted the challenge.”

Blizzardtail looked up, trying to not let the shock show on his face.

“The troops are ready, my lord.” Osprey nodded, his green eyes flickering.

“Good,” Blizzardtail said, looking up at the ornately carved ceiling of his palace, “Kill them all.”

What followed was a massacre.

Down in the underground prison camps, officers turned their blades on the innocent, brother slew brother, and the dead were mistreated. Their bodies desecrated, and their souls left to haunt the caverns beneath.

It was a massacre worthy of myth.

Something told Blizzardtail that this was not just because of him, something, no someone else is at fault, but whatever, she demands blood and I must fulfill that request.

“Maple!” Obsidian yelled, his voice bellowing from the back of the cage.

It was happening.

He heard the sound of the guards blades sinking into the other prisoner’s flesh, the horrid stench of death wafted through the air.

Maple, stirred, her green eyes blinking open. “What’s going on?”

Obsidian yelled, “We have no time for that!”

The revolt would start, for he had enough of Blizzardtail’s tyranny.

It only takes one, Obsidian thought to himself, _the whole system of fear will fall. _

Just then, at the iron gates of their cell Honey appeared, her orange and yellow pelt bristling.

She put a finger up to her mouth, and said, “Let’s go.”

She opened the gate, and motioned for Maple and Obsidian to follow her.

As they ran through the dark halls, Obsidian could hear the sounds of his resistance dying behind him.

He stopped.

“We can’t let our people die!” Obsidian shouted, his voice rattling as he said it.

They had just arrived at the underground commons, the place where the prisoners would gather for meals, or for torture.

Honey looked back at him, and yelled back, “Well suit yourself!”

Then Obsidian heard the doors behind him open with a long creaking sound.

Blizzardtail had arrived.

Obsidian grabbed Maple’s face with his hands, and told her, “Listen, you deserve escape, a better life, and a new chance.”

Maple looked back at him and cried, “No, we stand together.”

Obsidian leaned down and kissed his reply.

When he finally pulled away, he looked back at Maple and said, “Now go!” his voice broke when he saw the tears streaming down her face, Maple left with Honey.

Just in time.

Blizzardtail was now right behind him.

“Obsidian! This is your final warning!” Blizzardtail yelled, unsheathing his sword made of steel and ice.

Obsidian turned, looked at Blizzardtail and said to himself, “For Maple.”

He launched himself at a shocked Blizzardtail, who fell beneath him.

As he tore at Blizzardtail, his rage came out, all the lies, the deaths, the horrors, spilled out of him.

He had made him seem less than who he was. He wasn't a slave, no, he was something that couldn't be controlled: a rebel.

All those years of fighting for Blizzardtail hit him hard, he had voiced his opinion and been enslaved by him. Now Blizzardtail would pay for his crimes, even if Obsidian died.

Blizzardtail slashed his sword upwards, taking a chunk off of Obsidian’s left ear.

The wound felt like frozen ice was seeping into his veins, but Obsidian kept going, slashing, stabbing, hoping that Blizzardtail would get the message.

Finally, a young officer of Blizzardtail’s got Obsidian off of the ‘divine cleanser’, and dragged him off, and back to his cage.

Blizzardtail would still live though.

And his vengeance would only just grow.

“You're a monster Blizzardtail! Your empire will fall!” Obsidian spat as he was dragged away still swinging at Blizzardtail who was touching the wound on his cheek that Obsidian had given him.

“No, a monster hides, I don't hide, I just show others what they truly fear: death.” Blizzardtail’s eyes seemed to glow an extra chilling shade of ice blue when he said those words.

Chapter 11

As they went to the surface, Honey felt guilty.

When the doors of the secret elevator opened (a secret only she knew), Honey stared at Maple, her stitched together body shaking from the cold, and possibly from loosing Obsidian.

Maple’s sad green eyes looked at Honey, she said managed through a sob, “Thank you, you are a true friend.”

Honey looked at her, confused. A friend?

She then knew she had to tell Maple.

“Maple,” Honey said, as they walked into the brush, “I’m a spy for Thin Ice, so this is my job.”

Maple could only manage a smile, one that was strained.

When they came out of the bushes, Honey gave Maple some new clothes, ones that weren't ragged, as a show of support. As she knelt in front of Maple, Honey said, “You are what I don’t have. Hope.” She then produced a small sac of leather, in it enough gold to bribe Maple past the frontlines.

Maple looked at her, a slow realization spreading across her face.

“Now, as much as it pains me, I must go back” Honey read the shocked look on Maple’s face.

“Why? He just abuses us! Why go back?!” Maple said, her voice hollow.

“It… a long story,” Honey responded, and with a wave of her hand, she gave Maple a map to get to Fallen Destiny.

Maple was about to say something when Honey looked at her, Honey’s own eyes betraying her true intent. The fact that even a tyrant like Blizzardtail even demanded something that could be called love was unsettling.

“Oh, I see…” Maple nodded, and then said, “May Doeshi guide your path.”

And with that Honey went back.

After leaving Maple on the surface and handing her a bag filled with gold coins, Honey knew she was in trouble.

As she sulked back to Blizzardtail’s castle she felt a weird sense of regret, for she had helped in her escape, and she thought she would be dead.

Anything for the mission. Honey thought, a tear slipping out of her golden eyes.

But, if she was truly a spy, why did she feel that strange sense of longing for Blizzardtail? She wished she knew.

As she came up to the guards in front of the massive oaken doors, she knelt before them, “Gentlemen, excuse me, for I need an audience with Blizzardtail.”

One of the guards, whose long and luscious gray fur spilled from his helmet opened the doors slowly, nodding to Honey in recognition.

Before she passed, she threw him a gold coin, might as well, she thought they could use it.

By the time she arrived in Blizzardtail’s throne room she was shaking, but she couldn’t tell from what, fear, anger, or was it something deeper, more… hopeful?

When she walked in, Blizzardtail was mid shout at one of his guards,

“-Does it look like I care?!’ and the sound of bullets fired and the crashing of a body to floor sounded, and echoed off the stone walls.

“Ahem,” Honey started off by kneeling before Blizzardtail.

Stars I hope this works.

Blizzardtail’s head swiveled and his intelligent blue eyes looked back at her, “What?!” He spat, his voice like venom.

I can’t mess this up, Thin Ice is counting on me.

“I have something to tell you.” Honey nodded slowly as Blizzardtail motioned for her to continue.

In the background she could hear a scream, from who, she didn’t know, but it made it feel all the more eerie.

Then, she played her trump card.

She laid before Blizzardtail a scroll, inscribed with the line, “Valma announces an alliance with Fallen Destiny.”

Blizzardtail snatched the scroll from her slowly, cautiously reading it, then he looked up, his eyes with a new fire in them.

“You’re kidding?” Blizzardtail began rather friendly, “Why would my father, of all people, do this? Then again, he’s not the smartest.” Blizzardtail chuckled an insane laugh.

Honey felt her heart beat quicker.

She really needed this to work.

“I’m as serious as the stars,” Honey answered, her voice shaking.

“Where did you get it from?” Blizzardtail asked, his eyes probing her thoughts.

She had to do it, she needed to betray her mission in order to follow it.

“I got it from an assistant of his.”

“How?!” Blizzardtail snapped, his voice raising, “Did you turn traitor like the rest of them?”

“No,” Honey answered, “I have some other contacts on the inside.”

Blizzardtail looked at her, then looked at the scroll, then back at her.

Then, he took a step towards her.

Honey’s heart quickened, from fear and something she never thought she could feel, but something that she shouldn’t feel, I need this to work.

Blizzardtail then said it, his fingers walking up Honey’s silver dress, “You know, I value loyalty above all.” He then gazed into her eyes, his blue ones burning with something she couldn’t place.

Then, when his hands got to her neck, he brought her close, and then, to both Honey’s horror and excitement, kissed her.

His breath was oddly smooth, almost like a cold and relaxing stream. As he pressed onto her, she felt her eyes close, but she didn’t do it as an act, she felt that feeling now.

It was love.

When he finally pulled away, Blizzardtail was gazing dangerously into her eyes, searching, and possibly hoping. “You are my most trusted one, I will keep you, for Starfire’s sake.”

He then gazed down at Honey, her body trembling from something primal, yet desire rooted her to the spot.

“Oh,” was all Honey could manage, trying her best to not freak out, her mission was now in jeopardy, she knew it, but she thought quietly to herself, if hearts and minds win more than battles this should work, no, it will work.

“Now, “ Blizzardtail said, his eyes for once playful, “Let’s take this somewhere else…”

He then motioned for his private chambers with a wave of his hand.

For Honey, her feelings were real now, and she knew that she had a choice to make: turn traitor on her nation, or on her love, either way something in her died.

Chapter 12

As the guards parted, and the figure, a yellow vixen in a business suit guided them to the palace, Cloudfur felt the weight of history on her shoulders.

When the doors finally opened, her and her friends, the ones Thin Ice had called the Questers, were ordered by the guards to take a seat in the large room that was centered around a fireplace that crackled without warmth.

The vixen in the suit sat across from them, and asked a young feline to fetch some wine for the guests.

Cloudfur looked at Feathernose, Shadowpelt, Khali, Blade, and Marrow, mouthing the joke. I've seen this one before.

They all let out a dry laugh, breaking the tension.

When the young feline came back, and gave them their glasses, Cloudfur looked at the suited vixen ahead of her, but gave the feline a generous tip, one that made the feline eyes go wide.

“So…” the vixen steepled his fingers, “I’ve heard of you, the questers from across the ocean,” the vixen’s eyes got dark, “Our nation is at war, if you couldn’t tell.” the vixen let out a dark chuckle, “Now, why are you here?”

Cloudfur looked at her fellow questers, a silent understanding between them.

“We come from Oyikiya, and from Thin Ice, we wish for help.” Cloudfur nodded slowly.

The vixen in the suit dropped his glass, it shattered on the floor, the wine spreading like a bloodstain.

“HA, Help? Even as the President I can’t spare anything! My country is tearing itself apart, how and why should I help you?” The vixen’s voice chuckled.

Shadowpelt spoke up to her left, “Because Blizz-”

Then the boom hit.

A huge fireball crossed the sky, exploding into a million fiery pieces.

“Oh, what the stars?” The president yelled, his tag finally showing.

President Hayes.

“His forces followed you,” the president looked at her, deadly serious, “Leave now, and you may live.”

“But-”

“No, I stand by my word, your people have done enough to my lands, now leave!” Hayes commanded, his eyes focusing on the fires in the distance. “Save yourselves, we have our own battles to fight.”

With that the questers knelt with respect and fled the city.

Chapter 13

When Matteo woke, he felt like a goner.

His arms and legs were bound tight to a table, and dim light flickered above.

“What in Doeshi’s name?” he said to no one in particular.

As if to answer a figure approached, a feline with gold and black fur, his eyes like miniature moons. When he got to the table, Matteo could only smell the scent of cigars and blood on the feline’s breath.

“You are going to Blizzardtail.”

No, I can't be there, am I?

As the scientists unchained him, he was told that his name was Dr. Hyde, a blood curling thought went through Matteo. It can’t be… no, I refuse to believe it.

But he didn’t have time to name his issues, as the doors opened and they came to Blizzardtail’s throne, who was suited up for battle.

“M’lord,” Dr. Hyde forced Matteo to his knees.

“So… this is Cloudfur’s love, not much if I say so myself.” Blizzardtail laughed bitterly.

Matteo felt his anger starting to rise.

He looked up at Blizzardtail, his voice hoarse, “I’m more of a lover than you ever will be, now What have you done to Cloudfur?”

“Oh, nothing, to be frank I don’t know where she is.” Blizzardtail paused, “But you will find her, but under my banner.”

“You think I would serve you?!” Matteo snarled, instinctively reaching back, hoping to find his signature blades on his back.

They weren't.

“You have no leverage,” Blizzardtail responded, “If you don't go, we will have to take drastic measures…” he then guested to the corner of the room, where a family of vixens and one feline stared back at him, their eyes wet with fear.

“No…” Matteo shook his head in disbelief, “It can’t be.”

“Yes, I have your family, your life, you have nothing. NOTHING!” Blizzardtail snapped, “Now go, or they die.”

Matteo had no choice, he had to.

“Y-yes, my lord.”

Forgive me Cloudfur, I have betrayed you.

Chapter 14

It took two days to pass the frontline, and when Maple did she was relieved, she was finally free of that evil.

But why did she feel hollow?

Obsidian.

The name echoed in her head, she had left him to that monster, he would be killed.

She started to feel tears roll down her face in sheets.

Then a loud crash sounded from near the river.

Grabbing a sharp stick and with trembling hands Maple howled, “Whoose there?”

“Relax, you're safe.” A voice answered from the brush, then the bush parted to reveal a stunning female wolf with icy blue fur, and giant kind gray eyes. She was dressed simply, in a shirt and a pair of shorts despite the snowfall.

“The name is Frost, I am the chief medicine wolf of Valma.”

Maple, not knowing what to do, tried to bow, “Ma’am I-”

“Please don’t call me ma’am,” Frost said with a slight smirk on her face, “It makes me feel old.”

“Of course,” Maple nodded, feeling her stitches slightly relax.

Then Frost must’ve noticed, as her eyes gazed over Maple’s pelt.

“My stars…” Frost whispered, her eyes wide, “What happened to you?”

Maple immediately put up her mental defensive shield, “It’s nothing.” But it came out sharper than she meant it.

Frost, seeing the pain on Maple’s face, nodded slowly, and answered, “Follow me, Thin Ice must know of this.”

But right before she could turn around, a messenger, dressed in a dark blue and aqua outfit ran over to Frost. The messenger’s voice was low as he handed a scroll to Frost, and after a curt nod, he ran off.

Frost furrowed her brow.

Then she said, “Oh Fraszar most merciful, please, don’t do this, my heart has suffered enough.”

Maple asked Frost, “W-What’s wrong?”

“Read it for yourself.”

Maple, with trembling hands, took the scroll carefully, and read it out loud, her voice shaking.

“I must tell you this Frost, I am going to battle Blizzardtail. His tyranny has lasted too long, he must fall, we cannot have his insanity near our realm. I’m sorry to say this my friend, but I must kill him, my own flesh and blood, for the prophecy foretold it.”

Maple dropped the scroll in shock.

Frost sobbed, “He’s going to die, my heart cannot take this, he won’t last a minute!”

Maple looked at Frost and gently put a paw on Frost’s shoulder, “Thin Ice, I may not know him, but…” Maple gazed into Frost’s eyes, “He sounds brave.”

“Or foolish,” Frost laughed half seriously.

Then they walked to the north, crossing the Oko river and after a day of travel they saw Thin Ice’s army.

As his troops marched past, their faces grim yet determined, Maple got many strange looks, but when she saw the carriage she knew.

The carriage that was carrying Thin Ice was gilded, and covered in frost like crystals, a shiny blue hue coming off of it. As the sun peaked out of the clouds, and the rain departed, Thin Ice jumped out of his carriage, and immediately noticed Frost and Maple.

Maple, admittedly, felt self conscious of her looks and gently brushed her paw through her fur.

Thin Ice then gazed with something that looked like longing to Frost, and his gaze swept across his army, and with a steely voice he demanded that Maple get on the top of the carriage.

Maple obeyed, after all, how often do you meet someone as famous as him?

Thin Ice’s voice boomed, and he pointed at Maple, “She is our reason why we must fight. She has been made of the scraps of the dead. If we do not save our people, our people will face the same fate.” Thin ice looked at Maple dramatically, and then pointed his crystal blue blade to the sky, “For if we die today, history will be on our side. And all of us, every single one of us, can change the storm that is approaching. Now say it with me: Death or dishonor!”

The army cheered half-heartedly and cried his name hesitantly and finally when the crowd calmed down Thin Ice ordered them to move, but before he left, he handed Maple something, his cold paws setting on hers.

“This is for you.” Thin Ice said, his graying face seeming to age and echo the ghosts of the past. He then laid a small little leather bound book into her paws, and it said in the old language.

The First Book of all Knowing.

“No, you can’t be serious,” Maple said, awe struck, “I thought they were destroyed melliana ago.”

Thin Ice smiled lightly and said, “I have my ways. Now go back to my palace, you will be well cared for.”

Chapter 15

Blizzardtail smiled cruelly, his plan, his destiny, was going to be his. He glared down at Snowball, her gray eyes burning with fear, and tape over her mouth. He slowly walked around her, and nodded towards his guards.

His signal to leave him alone.

After the doors slammed shut, Blizzardtail looked at his sister, his eyes so full of hate and anger that even he could feel them burn.

He drew his blade, a sword that made the air freeze around it, and placed it under Snowball’s chin.

Her eyes went wide.

“Sister, your fear smells delectable.” Blizzardtail let out a mad chuckle, “I am going to kill our father, then when I come back…” he let the threat hang in the air.

“Any words?” Blizzardtail then tore the sap-like substance off of Snowball’s mouth, and she gasped for breath.

She slowly looked up at him, pure hate in her eyes, “You are a bastard child. You will be killed, you have no power over me!”

Blizzardtail smiled, “I don’t ,” he paused calmly, facing away from her.

“Or do I?”

Then out of nowhere a sharp cold pain crawled over her pelt, she then knew she wouldn’t survive the night.

As the cold icy texture of frost covered her, she let it consume her, and just before she collapsed to the floor she snarled, “You kill your kin, you pillage and rape the world, you are no brother of mine.”

Then the world went black.

Blizzardtail looked back at Snowball’s lifeless body, a feeling of betrayal hitting him for the slightest moment.

Am I really that evil?

Then the voice answered, those piercing sun-like eyes in his mind, and the shining teeth showing.

You must continue your mission, for the world will be made in your vision.

He then left the room, his face had a smirk on it.

He would conquer, and make the world into his vision.

He then climbed into his carriage and ordered his men to move out, as he was back on the war path.

“Men, only DEATH TO TRAITORS!” he hollered, his voice rattling the world.

So he went, crossing the rivers, the lands of Oyikia and ready to kill his father.

Feathernose and her gang, the crew she had brought with her to Newvliya, were shipping out, their mission failed.

She looked at her friends, first at Blade, their guide for this trip, then onto Cloudfur, her body slumped in a rare show of defeat, next she gazed at Khali, the bookworm, then to Marrow, their mystical guide of the dead, then finally and most painfully onto Shadowpelt. His purple eyes said it all, he had lost hope.

“Friends,” Feathernose nodded to each of them, “We may have lost, but, we have each other, we must go back.” she stared at them all, her eyes finally settling on her love, Shadowpelt.

“We have to, for the stars will not forgive us if we don’t.”

So they went back.

Book 4 The Deadly Dance

Prologue

Blizzardtail knelt, his knees firmly on the sharp and jagged stone floor of the cave.

He dared not to look up. He could already imagine those piercing and sharp golden eyes staring at him and that mouth with its sharp teeth glistening in the face of another sacrifice.

“Blizzardtail,” the dark one said, her voice like honey but with a noticeable edge of anger. “You have failed me, you have lost your will to fight.” The lines were more like an insult than a pretense to get better.

“No, I have not.” Blizzardtail growled, daring to tempt fate.

“HA!” the goddess laughed, her voice now heavy with anger, “You intend to fix this? What is there to fix?” She snarled, her golden eyes now burning like miniature suns.

“Star-” Blizzardtail caught himself, he shouldn’t invoke her name in vain, “What can I do to fix this?”

The goddess then leaned so close to his face he could make out individual teeth, and the wetness of her eyes.

“Take this,” the goddess said, pushing a vile of something into his hands, “after you get back.”

Blizzardtail read the vile’s name.

Elixir of purity

“Remember, as you say, only DEATH TO TRAITORS!"

Then the room dissolved. And Blizzardtail found himself back in his carriage and on his way to kill his father.

The vial was in his hands still.

It's real. She's real, so will be my enemies' fear.

Chapter 1

The ship had finally made landfall in the neutral port of Lahina, in the Holy League of Larium. The dawn sky slowly faded from darkness to the bright orange of daylight.

Feathernose, just barely awake, stumbled onto the deck, the rest of her questers equally grumbling and muttering. As the sun rose over the port, the stars began to wink out, and Feathernose looked back at her friends.

“Friends,” she began, never much of a talker, “We have arrived back on our lands, but,” she took a deep breath, “we still have much to do.”

Then she saw the crow.

On the mast of the ship, a massive crow, with intelligent eyes looked down on them, she swore it was more than just observing them, it was learning and studying them.

Then she saw the scroll in its claws.

Quickly acting she leaped up and climbed the mast, just barely conscious of her night gown fluttering in the breeze. When she got to the crow, it didn’t even move when she took it in her paws. It just looked at her, its black eyes staring at hers with unusual intelligence. She gently took the scroll, and read it to her friends.

“‘As your leader Thin Ice, I must say, I have made a decision. I am going to fight Blizzardtail in personal combat. I hereby declare that Shadowpelt shall replace my good friend and trainee of Lightningtail as my debeauty. Furthermore, I have given you my vast collection of artifacts, use them well,’” Feathernose gasped when she read the last lines.

“‘This is my wish, if I am to die my own flesh and blood, let the world know that I am no longer a king, nor a legend, but a traitor to my own people. I have for ages been in ailing health for years, and my heart is no longer what I lead with. Do not become me, a tyrant in a king’s uniform. Just promise me will you bring liberty to Valma, for in Doeshi’s name I am dead from this moment, whether my heart beats or not.’”

Feathernose almost fell off the mast.

“Shit,” she said, “he’s going to be killed!”

She then slid down the mast and landed next to Shadowpelt, his pelt bristling in distress. He was about to say something when Feathernose snapped, “Don’t talk to me.” and she walked off.

After they had been processed by Larium’s customs officers, Feathernose, Shadowpelt, Cloudfur, Marrow, Blade and Khali, began the journey northwest, their plan was to travel through the League's cities and go through Nodmoor, the dying republic which wore the guise of a republic to hide their military dictatorship.

“So,” Cloudfur, ever the sassy responded to Feathernose after she talked to them, “we go through a nation that might hate us or might aid us, to a nation that is dying and kills its civilians for fun?”

“Yup,” Feathernose nodded grimly, “I don’t like it either, but we can’t go through the unexplored lands, we don’t know what is there, or who.”

“Fun,” Cloudfur rolled her eyes.

They then piled into a carriage and started the journey north, but Feathernose felt like unseen eyes were watching them.

Then it hit her.

The crow, the message, the books, the fires, she thought, it's the gods, they are interfering.

The thought made her shiver.

The gods, Frazsar, the god of ice, snow and water, and life, his bloodline was in Icetooth’s family, he had given her kind their bodies. Doeshi, the god of the neutral underworld, and ever the builder, and ever the smartest of the gods, for he had given their kind curiosity. Then Starfire, she was the goddess of fire, destruction, and of the dark forces, she had given her kind destruction and ambition.

She had also given her kind something else, something darker, much darker.

She had given all species one thing: a way to poison the mind, manipulation.

“No,” she whispered to herself, “It can’t be.”

She then let her gaze travel to the sun above, she could swear it looked back at her.

Chapter 2

When Obsidian woke he felt like he should be dead.

He had rebelled, there was no way Blizzardtail should let him live.

Opening his eyes he realized that he was in a chamber deep underneath Blizzardtail’s castle. The room was dimly lit, and various racks of indiscript torture were on the walls.

Then he heard the click of boots.

He tried to move, but realized that he was chained to a table that was angled towards the door.

The door opened with a long eerie creeeek.

But luckily it was Blaze who came in.

Blaze looked at him with a nod of acknowledgement, and said with his usual twang, but with audible sorrow, “I’m sorry about what’s about to happen.”

Obsidian looked at him, searching his eyes for a reason, “What do you mean?”

Blaze sighed, his lab coat shivering over his pelt, “It's… worse than what you could ever imagine.”

Then from the shadows Blaze wheeled out on old television.

When it was just put in place in front of Shadowpelt, Blaze turned it on.

Immediately he was greeted with Blizzardtail’s face.

“Obsidian, you are a traitor, as punishment you will be forced to watch horrors beyond your belief.” The voice was static, low and cutting out in portions.

“And oh,” the Blizzardtail on the television laughed, “sweet dreams, you’ll need it.”

Then it began.

He tried to shut his eyes, but Blaze told him, his face full of remorse, “If you try, I will have no choice,” and he pulled a serrated knife off of the wall.

In the video he saw his love, Maple, being torn apart, then sewn back together, only to be assaulted again and again by Blizzardtail, in ways that Obsidian wished were not possible.

She had her body systematically broken by Blizzardtail, only to be clawed to death, then brought back to life, and then sewn back together.

Something in him broke around the third hour of it.

He thought it could be his sanity, maybe his trust, or possibly his hope.

When the television finally winked out, Obsidian was taken off of the table, and even though he tried to steady himself, he fell to the ground, his heart and mind broken.

“N-n-no,” Obsidian looked past Blaze, his vision swimming with a tragic eerieness, “I-i-it can’t be…”

Blaze looked at him, just as shocked and just as horrified.

Blaze wiped the tears off his glasses, and said through trembling lips, “My stars… what have I done?”

“W-what d-do you mean?” Obsidian asked, not wanting the answer.

Blaze slowly lit a cigar, his hands betraying his anger and disgust, “I helped create her, and he did that to her…” his voice trailed off, still in shock.

Obsidian felt his eyes start to close, not in death, as he wished, but in sorrow, he could not have this happen to him now, Maple, even though she is free, would never forgive him.

Obsidian made a vow, but he didn’t know if he could keep it.

“‘By blood or sweat, I shall kill my leader’s grip of steel.’”, his voice was barely a whimper, as he invoked the ancient rite to topple his leader, “Doeshi, if you are listening, most merciful and divine, strike him down.”

Then his eyes closed, still replaying the horrors that were shown to him.

Chapter 3

Cloudfur saw something was up with Feathernose.

After they climbed into the carriage she immediately slid into the seat next to Feathernose.

As they went the scrubland turned into desert, the occasional cactus going by, and sun beat down so intensely that Cloudfur thought she was going to melt into her seat.

Feathernose couldn’t meet her eyes.

Gently resting a hand on her shoulder, Cloudfur asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”

Feathernose slowly looked up at Cloudfur, her once beautiful green eyes, now drifting past her, “This damn quest, it’s taken everything.”

Cloudfur nodded slowly, her usual sass gone, which even surprised her.

“Hey,” Cloudfur put her hands over Feathernose’s, “We’ve all seen a lot recently, and we will probably see more.” Feathernose lifted her eyes, just barely meeting Cloudfur’s.

“I just feel… that I’m not good enough for this quest.” Feathernose’s voice cracked.

“Hey, you’re not crying on me.” Cloudfur said now, “I know how it feels, everyday I think that I’m not good enough for you guys, my friends.” Cloudfur sighed, her voice trembling, and stared deep into Feathernose’s eyes, “And I’ll be honest, I’ve lost a lot too. First my father, then my mother, then Matteo. I know what it’s like to feel like you failed everyone, but, what I do, is I try to hide it. But that isn’t working anymore.”

Feathernose whispered now, "But what will?”

“To be frank, I have no clue, but that’s why we must just keep going, for the reward is almost always worth it.” Cloudfur, never much of a drinker, went through the overhead compartments, and found a bottle of fine desert wine.

She poured two glasses, and when they were done she raised her glass, “To hope!”

But just before their glasses could touch a loud CRASH shook the carriage, throwing the questers in every direction.

For a moment all she knew was the tumbling of limbs and the pain of having hit her head on the window.

Shadowpelt, who was sitting on the other side of the carriage screamed in shock, as he was pulled out of the carriage by an unseen person.

“Help!” he screamed, “We’re under attack!” and before Cloudfur could make a biting response, a gun was put in her face.

No, it can’t be.

In front of her, dressed in his usual blacksmithing outfit, was her love, the one she thought had died in that cavern.

It was Matteo.

Chapter 4

It was about dawn when Blizzardtail left, and Ivy couldn't have dreaded it more.

For in his absence, his deputy, Osprey, her former lover, would be at the helm of the empire. For how long? Ivy hoped it wasn’t for long, for while Blizzardtail’s violence was real and upfront, Osprey was always the enforcer, and always, always, the worst of the two, as his popularity gave him vast sway over everyone even while his villainy was personal and brutal.

Ivy looked into the cracked mirror in front of her bed. Her pelt was gray with black stripes, and she wore a nice red dress with stylish long white gloves and boots to match.

“Here we go,” Ivy sighed, “He has summoned me, that monster.”

She opened the door, almost expecting Osprey to be there.

But he wasn’t.

Odd, he’s usually a stalker.

As she walked down the halls, she called for her loyal guard, her so-called “Green guard”, the only ones who knew about her powers over plants.

As guards slinked from the shadows, she could even feel her agitation.

The lights as she got closer to the throne room began to flicker, an ominous sign.

When she got to the doors, she nodded to two of her guards, her signal for them to stay with her.

She opened the doors to see Osprey about to kill someone in mid-execution.

“Oh my stars…” Ivy muttered, she had seen this before, but she wasn’t expecting this.

The feline on the floor was withering and hissing at Osprey, saying, “You can’t do this! I’ve only been loyal to you!”

Then the ax dropped.

She was horrified, even if she had seen this before, for that was why she always hated him: he was more than brutal, but he was anger, hate, sly, and cruel all in one incomprehensible being.

When the feline’s screams became no more, Ivy opened her eyes, just barely so, to see Osprey with a maniacal grin on his face.

“Yes?” Osprey said, his teeth and face covered in splattered blood.

Then he realized it was her.

“Ohhh, I see, you’ve come crawling back,” Osprey sneered, ignoring the blood on him.

He jumped down from the throne, and walked straight up to her.

The feeling of ick in Ivy’s body was starting to make her sick.

“So, the first thing you do when our leader is gone is take revenge?” Ivy sneered back, putting on her brave face, “You realize if he dies we will have a power struggle?”

Osprey turned away from her, his green eyes dancing with that burning sense of passion Ivy had once found attractive.

“Oh Ivy, if only you knew,” Osprey then turned, his claws just barely grazing Ivy’s chin.

Then the pain was unusually strong, just a scratch on her chin couldn’t feel like this. But it did.

It felt like a fire was poured into her chin, and on top of that her lungs felt like the air had been taken by a hot and arid day. She then collapsed onto the ground, her body shaking, her guards, who she thought once loyal, turned their knives on her.

“Sorry, ma’am,” one said, his voice deep and almost regretful, “Boss’s orders.”

She felt her legs and her arms start to get tied together.

“Osprey! You can’t do this to me! We had once loved each other, did that not mean anything to you?!” Ivy snarled.

Osprey knelt down at her level, “I’m sorry, my love, but the Dark One demands it.”

Then behind him, Ivy swore she could see two golden eyes and sharp teeth staring back at her, mid-laugh.

“No, no, NO!” Ivy screamed, her voice breaking.

Those eyes, she thought were from a myth, were now real.

The goddess of fire, death, and destruction had finally shown herself.

But before Osprey could turn his blade on her, he looked back at those eyes, “Oh Dark One, what should we do with her? She has seen too much.”

“Ohh, my son, I say we keep her in a cage as an EXAMPLE for the others.” The goddess’s voice was intoxicating, almost lovable, but with undertones of evil, and manipulation.

“Son?” Ivy growled.

“Ohh, you weren’t told?” Osprey said, his eyes now drifting back to Ivy as if examining her body for a harvest, “The Dark One has a son, and he lives among you.”

Then Ivy felt a sharp prick in her left leg, and the whole world went dark.

The only thing she could remember seeing was those golden eyes, dancing like miniature suns.

Chapter 5

It was time.

The purge had begun.

As Blizzardtail stood over the hill of the burning city of Nolaki, the second largest city in Fallen Destiny, he smiled with the thought of his empire, and his dream finally being accomplished. He smiled at the thought of his father’s coming death by his hands, and smiled at the smell of death in the air.

The city below was burning, as his armies had ravaged it. Going house to house, destroying whoever had been inside. Everyone, women, children, the infirm were killed.

And those were the lucky ones.

The ones that escaped were quickly captured and taken by his troops, and sent back to his empire for labor, as any great empire had to “rely on no one, but only its conquests”, as he would say.

Being brought back to the present by a small tap on his right arm he looked down.

Beforehand, quickly and silently a young page ran up to him and while out of breath huffed, “My lord, Thin Ice has accepted your challenge to face him in personal combat.”

His smile grew to a maniacal width, “Good, he will finally learn what the code means to me.”

He felt a laugh escape his lips, cruel and low, and full of insanity.

He then looked down at the now empty vial on that chain that hung ever so lightly on his neck.

She wasn’t wrong, I do _feel pure. _

“What should we do my lord?” the page asked, not meeting Blizzardtail’s eyes.

Blizzardtail whirled on the poor young page, who was no more than eleven, “We should take the fight to them! For my father MUST be destroyed. He has no more power on that rotten throne of his. He only deserves DEATH!”

With that Blizzardtail lashed out at the page, eagerly ripping him to pieces.

When it was all over, Blizzardtail felt something escape his lips, it wasn’t blood, saliva or even a combination of the two.

It was some sort of foam.

Starfire had tricked him, yet he didn’t know it.

He had been infected with the sickness we know as rabies, and he had finally gone completely insane.

Over the next few days Blizzardtail gave contradicting orders, threw his troops' lives away in pointless battles, even when the opponents wanted to surrender, completely obliterating the Code of Honor, the most sacred laws in the land that every nation followed, and worst of all, he lost all touch with the outside world.

He lashed out at his men, with a new sense of cruelty, attacked Honey on more than one occasion, and even had the captured generals of Fallen Destiny killed in show trials. Which had horrified even his most loyal supporters, for the Code of Honor strictly forbade such horrors. He began to lash out at even his closest confidants, he replaced his generals at will, even for the smallest perceived slight. A wrong look, dead. Envious of someone’s medal? Death. Talking to Blizzardtail about anything not about war, conquest or the eventual downfall of his father? Death was as always the answer.

Then someone asked him if he was okay.

They ended up dead, somewhere in a prison cell, their body rotting for the vultures.

He had gone mad.

And the world was going to pay for his madness.

Chapter 6

Shadowpelt was out the door of the carriage and had a gun put in his face before he could count to three.

As he was pushed onto the harsh desert ground a voice, gruff and with a tinge of twang said to him, “No sudden movements man, or else.”

Then out of the corner of his eye he saw Matteo, their once thought dead friend now very much alive, he climbed into the carriage and looked back at Shadowpelt, a mixture of guilt and pride in his face.

Shadowpelt’s face was pushed further into the sand.

He felt unseen hands search his pockets, his shirt and his boots for anything they could find.

I left the books in the carriage.

He had to stall for time.

“So,” Shadowpelt tried, only to have his face slammed back into the desert sands.

Well this is going great.

“I said, I don’t wanna hear a peep.” the voice said, pushing the gun closer to his head.

Then an idea hit him.

“Do you know who I am?” Shadowpelt tried, his voice hopefully sounding tough.

“I don’t care who ya’ are, if you don’t shut your trap…”

“I’m Raven, the Count of Dishri.” Shadowpelt hollered as loud as he could, hopefully letting his appearance to his father work as cover.

“Hold up,” another voice said, this time slightly feminine, and definitely not a local, “Did he just say Raven?”

“Yeah, why? Shouldn’t we just kill ‘em?” the voice behind him said.

“No, he’s powerful, too powerful, people have lost their lives for less from him.” The second voice replied, “So let him up.”

It was time, but before he could respond another voice said, this time with a slight Essaronao twang responded, “Get your hands off of them.”

He knew that voice, it was wanted in the Essaronao empire, a legend to the freedom fighters.

The former sheriff and key figure in the DLA, Michael A. Dallas.

Cloudfur looked at her former lover with utter rage, “I thought you were dead! You lied to us?!”

Matteo gave her that shy smile that he always used to give her, “It was for survival, I had to do it.”, she felt her heart flutter as he spoke.

Man I really did fall for him.

He looked deep into her eyes, something had broken in him, something had changed, Cloudfur knew it. Her eyes scanned the carriage, looking, searching for anything that she could use to get Matteo out of the small confined place.

Wait, where’s Khali? Cloudfur thought to herself, then to her left she saw movement, a flash of beige, and a blur of tan.

Then Khali, ever the opportunist, jumped out of nothing, really nothing, it was almost as if he appeared out of the ether.

He slammed into Matteo with the ferocity of a wild bear, pushing him into the side of the carriage.

To her right Matteo’s gun clattered to the floor.

Quickly and with grace Cloudfur knabbed the gun and pointed it at her former lover.

Khali then used his fleece coat and wrapped it around Matteo’s neck, his face started to turn blue, and he choked, “You wouldn’t kill me, would you?”

Cloudfur felt the anger leave her, “Khali, put him down.”

Khali looked at her, confused, “Why should I?”

“He’s… a former friend of mine, he could be valuable.” Cloudfur hesitated, wincing when she said ‘friend’.

She looked out the window, eying the cacti nervously, hoping Matteo didn’t have any other mercenaries with him. When Khali finally put down Matteo, Matteo eyed Khail with suspicion, as if jealous. “Who is he supposed to be?”

Cloudfur winced again, shame crawling up her throat, but it came out as a sassy retort, “Oh since you ‘died’, I fell in love anew, I’m sooo sorry, just like how you were sorry for breaking my heart.”

Matteo looked at her, shocked, “You wha-what?”

“Yeah you heard me, I fell for someone else.” Cloudfur growled.

Then they looked outside, Shadowpelt was getting up next to a feline sheriff and knocked away two bandana clad felines and shook hands, and started to talk to one another.

Huh, I wonder what they’re saying.

Matteo then asked, “So… I’m here now, what are you going to do to me?”

Cloudfur whirled on him, “I’m going to keep you captive and if you don’t shut up…”

She couldn’t finish the thought, she knew she couldn’t do it, it was an empty threat.

Anyways, after the battle the sheriff clad feline introduced himself as the former sheriff that Cloudfur had beat in a joust before the quest to Newvliya. The sheriff, a certain Micheal A. Dallas, or he likened himself, “just Micheal.”

As the day drew long Micheal told them he could get them safe passage through the Nodmoorish Republic, as he would “bribe the stars out of them”, to let them through.

So the questers went north, and towards chaos.

Chapter 7

After a few more days of uneventful traveling the questers made it out of the Holy League, and entered the lands of Nodmoor, the dying republic. As the group woke up on the train that Michal had "commandeered" (stole), and driven, (bribed) to go through the lands of Nodmoor. As they entered the capital, the city of Akamia, Michal ordered them to get down, and to hide in the train.

As they hid in a cattle car Shadowpelt looked at his friends, their eyes staring back in the darkness.

The door opened, and gray light streamed in, blinding him and the others.

They had been found.

Quickly and without warning hands grabbed him, and threw him to the ground unceremoniously, and with a loud thud, the air left his lungs.

Above him stood a stunner of a wolf, she had large blue eyes, grayish blue fur and wore a rather revealing outfit for such a cold region of the world.

“What you lookin’ at?” the wolf demanded, her voice frosty and cold.

“Welp,” Shadowpelt tried to begin, then the wolf put a knife to his throat.

“I don’t care,” she looked at them, her eyes looking like they craved attention, “You're going to the square.”

He looked behind him, his friends, all of whom were tied up and gazing at the wolf and her fellow guards with pure anger. He had never seen his friends so angry before, but this was beyond what he had imagined.

As the she-wolf brought them past the train, Shadowpelt saw Michal, their “ally” standing next to the train, a fat stack of cash handed to him, and several bags of gold laid next to him. As they passed by him, Michal couldn’t meet their eyes.

As the cold bit into them, Shadowpelt started to have a growing sense of dread, he had come so far, only to be captured? And what for?

The wolf stopped in front of him and he practically ran into her behind.

She turned, her eyes blazing, “What did you just do?”

“Uhh,” Shadowpelt looked back at his love Feathernose, who looked at him with an ominous look.

“It was an accident.” Shadowpelt mumbled, “I swear it,” though he did feel his heart flip, that the wolf in front of him could take his life at any moment, but there was something about her that made him speechless.

The wolf looked back at him and laughed, “Wow, cat got your tongue? I’ve been told I look good but wow, this is just too funny.” The wolf laughed again, her voice intoxicating and sweet, she then put a hand under his chin, staring at him.

“You know, I’ve never had someone ever be this stunned by me, what do you say I take you to my place?” Her voice looked at him, full of craving.

Wait, I know her, but from where?

“Hold on,” Feathernose said behind him, she marched forwards, her pelt bristling, and green eyes with a fire, “I know who you are, and you sure are not taking my love from me.”

The wolf in front of him gazed at Feathernose with disgust, “Oh, it’s you.”

“Wait, you know each other?” Shadowpelt asked, stunned, looking back and forth between his lover and his captor.

“Yeah, this wolf you see before you is ‘Stormcloud’ Sam, or Stormy as she likes to be called.” Feathernose growled, her voice low, “And she’s a homewrecker if I’ve ever met one.”

Stormy looked at Feathernose, her blue eyes dancing with malice, “You think you can just call me out right now? Well newsflash, I’ve changed, everyone’s changed.” She looked down at Shadowpelt, giving him a wink, “And if you don’t back up I’ll have no choice.” Stormy then pulled out a large ax, its blade sharp as the sunlight.

Feathernose’s eyes narrowed, “I challenge you to a duel, bitch.”

The ax clattered to the ground, and Stormy’s eyes narrowed, “What did you just say?”

Feathernose then charged at Stormy, but Shadowpelt dove in front of her, as the cliff they were standing on would kill them both.

As the hit came Shadowpelt inadvertently jabbed his elbows backwards, and into Stormy.

He turned to see Stormy mid fall, screaming in terror, until her back hit the ground sixty feet below, shattering her body.

The thud was sickening, and the crunch of bones could be heard from the top, and Shadowpelt knew that he had just killed someone.

Feathernose stood next to him, her body heaving from the run, and she gasped, “Thank the stars, I could’ve died!”

Shadowpelt found himself looking at the dead form of Stormy, he hadn’t known her, but he thought to himself that she deserved better than death.

The mercenaries behind him gazed at him in horror, and one of them knelt before him and said, “Please do not kill us, for we were just following orders.”

Shadowpelt, surprised by even his anger, snapped, “I don’t care if you were just following orders, you ruined my reputation, I will never recover.”

Cloudfur, for once being the diplomat, stopped him gently by pulling on his arm, “Listen, we cannot fight right now, we are in hostile territory, if we were to attack them we ourselves would be killed, and Thin Ice would not want that.”

Shadowpelt felt the anger leave his body like a gust of wind, he knew he had lost something, and he would never get it back. It was his innocence, for he had just aided in someone’s death.

“Shadowpelt, we must go north, Thin Ice needs us.” Feathernose whispered to him, gently resting a hand on his other shoulder, warm and reproachful, “He needs all of us, we can’t do this alone. Yes, I know what you're thinking, and you are not dying on me, we must leave.”

Sighing, Shadowpelt nodded, he knew what he had to do, and he knew it would be worth it, then why did he feel so hollow? He wished he knew.

After a quick four hour hike to the north they finally made it into Fallen Destiny, where Thin Ice had his army, and they finally got another letter from him, saying that he would meet them before the battle, and his actions would be for the better of the world.

That night as they rested just fifteen miles from Thin Ice’s camp, as he lay in bed next to Feathernose, his love, Shadowpelt felt a tear go down his cheek.

His eyes gazed over the wooden walls of his shelter, and Feathernose lay next to him, snoring quietly, and he got up, and slipped out of the door, the cool near winter breeze refreshing him as he stared into the cloudy sky.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He heard Marrow to his left, startling him.

Shadowpelt nodded, not meeting Marrow’s eyes.

“Remeber, the darkest of hours always leads to the brightest of days.” Marrow said, picking up a dying flower off of the ground.

He gently took it in his hands, gazing at each of the dry petals, which were close to falling off. His claws gently cut into the center of the flower, and he met Shadowpelt with his brown eyes, “I must say this too, your heart may say it is hopeless, but the world does not, for after every winter, spring must come, such is the way of the world. It may take years, but it will come back and the flowers will bloom anew, and the grapes will cast their vines, and we will all be joyful weather in this life or the next.” And as to add dramatic effect the flower in Marrow’s hands suddenly came back to full health, its beautiful pink petals straining against the wind, and Marrow let go of it.

“Now, you go to sleep, for the world awaits.” Marrow responded with his voice full of the wisdom of someone who had lived many lives in such a short span.

With that Shadowpelt went back to the wooden room and fell asleep next to Feathernose, praying, no, pondering that ever existential question, was it worth it?

Chapter 8

“YOU LIAR!” Cloudfur yelled and threw a plate from her, Khali's and Matteo’s cabin towards Matteo. “You broke my heart! How could you?!?” She howled, tears streaming down her face.

Matteo caught the plate just above his head so it wouldn't hit the log walls, as if he was trying to respect something for once.

“Listen, I had no-” Matteo said, cowering, his smudged blacksmithing outfit covered in his own tears, his large orange eyes betraying his fear.

“Bullshit!” Cloudfur screamed, lifting another plate.

Just then Khali walked in through the door, and was instantly shocked, his brown eyes analyzing the situation as if it had happened too many times in his life.

“Cloudfur, calm down,” Khali pleaded, his eyes telling her to stop before someone got hurt.

“Why should I?” Cloudfur snapped, her sass now gone and replaced with anger, “he broke me, you know this!”

“Cloudfur, look at yourself,” Khali then grabbed the mirror off the far wall and placed it in front of her, his voice soft and soothing.

When she looked into the mirror she saw a completely different wolf.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her black eyeliner was smeared. Her nose was running profusely, and her fur was tangled and matted, for she hadn't slept since Matteo showed his face.

That… can't be right.

“What do you see?” Khali prodded.

“I see a tyrant in waiting, “ Cloudfur mused to herself, not fully aware of Matteo and Khali next to her.

Then the flashbacks hit.

“Mom!” Cloudfur cried, “why aren't you talking to me?” Her voice was almost silent and pleading as she stood over her mother's unmoving corpse.

“Ohh, she can't hear you little one,” Queen Capenose said, her voice poisonous and vile.

Cloudfur looked back at her mother's soot-covered body, and the red sticky substance slowly creeped towards her.

“Mom? Please, wake up” Cloudfur’s voice was now in tatters, her young voice cracking.

“Cloudfur,” a gentle and warm hand rested on her shoulder, “are you alright?”

“Matteo,” Cloudfur said, her voice as small as it was ten years ago, “I didn't tell you everything, did I?”

She felt Matteo shake his head more than see it.

So she sat on the edge of the bed, and told him everything.

The kidnapping, her parent’s deaths, being sold to the crown for nothing more than to look pretty, and be a servant. The previous heartbreaks, and of course, her anger and frustration at the world.

Matteo listened, nodding and even crying a few times, his heart full of understanding.

“I… I'm so sorry,” Matteo said, his voice hollow, “I didn't know it was that bad.”

Cloudfur gently kicked the wooden trash can in front of her, her eyes now sore from crying.

“You were always a hero to me, even if I regretted it.” Cloudfur sniffled, “But you have made me feel alive once again.”

“Hey,” Khali said, “you have us… more importantly you have each other,” he finished, nodding in Matteo’s direction.

Matteo looked at Cloudfur with a new sense of love and passion, “I don;t regret what I’m about to say, but I love you Cloudfur, you always meant the world to me. I will never let anyone hurt you.”

Cloudfur responded slightly sassy again, “I don't need your help,” and she jokingly punched Matteo in his arm.

“You were always there for me, thank you, you deserve my love.” Cloudfur said, now knowing her curse was finally broken.

“I love you too,” Cloudfur declared, then looking back at Khali she said, “can you step out for a moment?”

“Yes, I can, I do need to take a shower. “ Khali nodded in understanding, a shy smile on his face.

“No hard feelings?” Matteo asked Khali, his eyes watering.

“None at all friend, now you two play nice.” Khali responded by going back to the bathroom to take his shower.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Cloudfur kissed Matteo passionately and wildly, her love was finally back, and so was her heart.

Chapter 9

Raven sat comfortably on the edge of his bed, his trembling hands betraying his fear.

What have I done?

Blade, his good friend that had joined them on their last quest, looked at Raven with his large silver eyes, and he tried desperately to look casual by picking at his nails.

“Blade… Do you think I'm a traitor?” Raven said, his voice now bitter.

Blade looked shocked, they had known each other since before Blizzardtail’s rise to power and both had been good friends of Thin Ice, what could Raven be talking about?

“Why would I think such a thing? You've sacrificed so much.” Blade nervously stated, his voice about to break.

Raven looked past Blade and into the wooden walls, “What do you know about sacrifice?” he spat at Blade’s feet, his voice toxic.

Blade looked at Raven begging for him to tell him.

“You really want to know?” Raven snarled.

“Yes, you have been a model for me.” Blade bowed respectfully.

Raven then showed the scar.

By his left ankle there was a spot that looked as if it were raw and bleeding, but would never heal, for he made a bet with Starfire, a foolish bet at that.

Blade immediately locked his gaze onto the scar and nodded slowly, “you did it to protect him, didn’t you?”

“Indeed, he was supposed to free us.” Raven said, hanging his head.

“No, he will save us.” Blade contradicted, “I may not know him well, but he’s no tyrant.”

Raven was about to respond when suddenly a tight and sharp pain hit him in the chest like a thunderbolt.

He felt his vision swim, and pain swirl around him.

The next few hours were a daze. First screaming, then pain, the fade to black, then seeing his son stare at him, shaking him.

“Father, you are not dying on me!” Shadowpelt yelled, as he held his father’s shoulders.

Raven coughed hard, and mumbled to himself, “I will last until I see the new glimmer of hope. Under my son.”

The next few hours were a pain for the questers, they had met Thin Ice, who was determined to fight to the bitter end with his own son. They met Maple, Blizzardtail’s personal frankenstein, and saw her scars and bandages. They consulted Frost, telling her it would be fine.

But everyone in the group knew it was false, Thin Ice wouldn’t live past tomorrow.

Chapter 10

It was time.

Thin Ice had assembled the questers and ordered them to stand on the river bank, they couldn't interfere with destiny.

The morning was cool and crisp with the sharp winter sun staring down from the patchwork sky of blue and gray. The river below was frozen over and he could hear it churning beneath his feet. One last time he gazed back at the questers' forms, and let his gaze fall longingly onto Frost.

This is for you. Thin Ice told himself.

Now he held his iron and steel sword that had served him all too well in combat, and stared at his son Blizzardtail’s eyes, cold and incalculable. He felt his shoulders slump as he said to his son across the frozen river, “Son, this is our last chance to make things right,” Thin Ice met his son's eyes which now burned with anger and frustration.

“Don’t call me son.” Blizzardtail snarled, unveiling his chosen weapon of an icy blue sword, its edges jagged, and sharp, almost beckoning for blood.

It can't be, he has the sword of Karitha.

“Do you at least wish to observe the tradition?” Thin Ice whispered his sword already heavy in his aging body.

“Of course, I observe tradition more than you ever have.” Blizzardtail spat.

They gently crossed their swords right above each other's faces, and Thin Ice gently let his sword rest on Blizzardtail’s nose, an ancient sign of mortality, that no king, no god, no hero, nor tyrant was permanent.

Blizzardtail hesitated at first then rested the cold icy surface of his blade onto Thin Ice’s nose as well.

They took three steps back.

“Ready?” Thin Ice nodded.

As if to answer, Blizzardtail lunged.

Thin Ice narrowly avoided the strike, and defensively jabbed, feeling the ache in his joints.

When he got back up he felt Blizzardtail’s blade just barely graze his ear, letting blood spill from the cut. Thin Ice countered by stopping Blizzardtail’s blade right in front of his own face, their blades meeting with an eerie screech as if the wind was holding its breath.

“My son, look into your heart! You've always meant the world to me! You are my own flesh and blood!” Thin Ice pleaded his eyes staring into his son's.

Blizzardtail snarled, “my heart was banished when you exiled me. Father!”

Slowly Thin Ice saw his son's left eye, which had always been a cold shade of blue turn brown for just a moment, but that couldn't be right.

That damned goddess, Starfire, was taking control.

Quickly Blizzardtail flicked his sword throwing Thin Ice onto the ground with a hard crack of ice following.

Thin Ice just got up when Blizzardtail followed through with quick and jarringly unwolf-like speed and Thin Ice just barely blocked a slash that would've decapitated him.

The blades crossed again, sparks and ice flew.

“Son, all of this was for you! You're not a monster, you were supposed to be a hero! Not this!”

Blizzardtail barked back, “You made me a monster! You were the tyrant who wouldn't stop!”

Thin Ice bit back though it hurt him to say so, “As if endless bloodshed is not tyranny? Look at yourself, you kill, rape and pilliage! Listen to your heart! I. Love. You.”

Blizzardtail’s eyes went wide as if he didn't just deny it, but despised the fact it was the truth.

“You are no father of mine.” Blizzardtail growled his face as brutal as the cold ice below their feet, “you are only a liar."

Quickly Thin Ice tried desperately to parry a few blows from Blizzardtail and suddenly he felt himself slip on the ice, his blade clattering to the icy surface.

Blizzardtail growled at his father, with his sword tip resting on Thin Ice’s chest.

“Any last words, traitor?”

Thin Ice looked into his son's eyes seeing his own ambitious and naive young self in it. His life played before his eyes. The coronation, the affairs with Frost, seeing Blizzardtail’s face for the first time. Exiling his son, and now this.

“Only these, you are my everything, my anger, hate and vengeance.”

Blizzardtail gripped his blade harder.

“But the emotion that outweighs all of that is my love. You will always be my son. You will always be my son, and always my hope.” Thin Ice opened his arms wide and with a final breath let Blizzardtail plunge the blade in straight through his chest.

Blizzardtail hesitated for a moment, brief, yet noticeable.

I will miss him.

Then the world turned as cold as the ice he laid on.

Chapter 11

Blizzardtail had done it.

As he stared at his father’s bloody body he felt all of his pride, ambition and bloodlust find his throat, and in a mighty roar yelled, “The traitor is dead!”

Chest heaving, he slowly retracted his blade from his father’s corpse, but something in his heart began to break when he saw his father’s still open icy blue eyes.

The icy river bit into his feet, and the sun was now fully covered by the clouds above and a gentle snow began to fall.

Then it hit him.

As he cleaned off his father’s blood off of his blade he thought silently to himself, He’s right, I am a tyrant.

Meanwhile around him, on both sides of the river, everyone looked on in shock, fear, and some in loathing.

Gently, Blizzardtail put his sword into its sheath. He shouldn’t feel like he did, but it was there, raw and unfiltered.

It’s true, the bloodline will end with me.

“Your… Your majesty, what shall we do now?” A commander asked from behind him.

Then he felt it, something he didn’t expect, a tear big and wet drew along the side of his cheek, and when it fell it landed in his own father’s blood.

“My lord, I repeat, what sha-”

“Silence! I have won, yes,” Blizzardtail whirled on the commander behind him, then looked back at his father’s broken body and mused, “But at what cost?”

Then another realization.

He had drawn the blade, yes, but was this truly what he wanted?

In one word, no, this was Starfire’s goal.

She was the goddess of destruction afterall, what better way to cause it than a son slaying his own father?

The shock almost made him collapse, his breath came short and fast and he swore he could hear her voice in his head.

You promised to end a tyrant, but you didn’t say you wouldn't become one. That dark and piercing voice touted him.

“She’s right,” Blizzardtail mused numbly, “I am a tyrant.”

Behind him his armies gasped, he admitted it, they seemed to say.

Blizzardtail fell to one knee, letting his sword clatter to the ground, and gently, as son-like as he could, he closed his father’s open eyes.

“I shouldn’t have been so naive. You were right.” Blizzardtail then ripped the bear fur cloak off of him and let it gently rest over his father’s body.

“I am a tyrant, and this is where tyrants end. With me.” Blizzardtail said more to that persistent goddess that had given him such honeyed words.

The bloodline ends with me. No more kings, no more bloodshed. I will meet my father soon.

Gently the commander behind him helped him up, and Blizzardtail finally laid his sword at his father’s feet, a sign of respect to the fallen.

“As for my orders.” Blizzardtail finished, “We…we go home. I’ve had enough bloodshed for many lifetimes.”

His armies seemed shocked, but they bowed respectfully as he walked in between them.

“You were supposed to be a hero.” Thin Ice had said.

The thing about heroes is, Blizzardtail realized, they always end in tragedy.

Chapter 12

Shadowpelt looked on in shock.

He hadn’t been prepared for Thin Ice’s death, or Blizzardtail’s retreat. It was almost too brutal, and too well rehearsed.

But, he knew in his heart it wasn’t.

He looked at Thin Ice’s body, the bear cloak of Blizzardtail still on top of the unmoving mass of the king.

Suddenly through the ranks of Thin Ice’s army came a disturbance.

Some tried to grab and stop the person surging forwards, others stepped aside.

It was Frost.

As soon as she made it to Thin Ice’s side she knelt, her cries were so raw, and unexpected that Shadowpelt felt the world itself seem to usher in a new age.

Frost knelt for a shaking moment, he went to step forwards.

She put up a single shaking hand.

No, Were the silent words not spoken, I made a pact with him long ago, Frost seemed to say.

Shadowpelt knew he should look away when Frost pulled a knife from Thin Ice’s belt.

He knew he shouldn’t watch, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away.

When he heard the blade sink into Frost, he closed his mind to the sound of death once again.

With a silent thud, Frost fell onto her old lover, her arms wrapped around Thin Ice in one final, and intimate moment.

The world seemed silent for over two minutes.

Shadowpelt felt his knees wobble.

Stay strong, they need you.

He looked back at Thin Ice’s army. Everyone he had allied with was there, and they looked on.

Then in the back, Thundertail, Thin Ice’s still recognized second-in-command, knelt for Shadowpelt.

What followed felt surreal.

Then Maple, her scarred body kneeling like she had done it before. Then Cloudfur and Matteo, each bowing low and with respect. Then Leafpelt, who knelt as if he was his own mother. Then, hesitantly, Queen Fallen Leaves. She removed her helm respectively, and knelt and almost seemed to pray.

Then Feathernose. She knelt so low that her head almost touched the ground.

Then everyone, almost as if they were one said, “‘the old king is gone. May peace he find. May his successor feel the glories of the past.’”

He hesitated at first, it was power, why wouldn’t he take it?

I’m no Blizzardtail, nor Icetooth the Conqueror, I won’t be a king.

Then he spoke his mind.

“No, I am not a king. I am not your leader. I am merely one of you.” Shadowpelt said, his voice solid like it had never been before. Everyone looked up in shock, the silent thought hit everyone: he doesn’t want to be king?

“I am not fit for a king. I only wish to be your ruler if it is your wish” Shadowpelt paused to take a deep and long breath. He looked directly at Feathernose when he said it.

“Kings and tyrants have caused enough bloodshed for ten generations today. I will not be a king. I will rule, but only by the people’s will.” And to respect the people Shadowpelt knelt and gently let his eyes shed tears that he had long suppressed.

First silence.

Then, Queen Fallen Leaves, even though she was the queen of Fallen Destiny murmured, just loud enough for everyone to hear, “What an honorable man. He deserves a world of hope.”

Shadowpelt then turned to Thin Ice’s and Frost’s bodies, and knelt in front of them, and yelled as loud as he could, “Your final wish was for the people. I will live that promise on. Thin Ice, Frost, you were heroes in every sense of the word, may you go to Freazar’s realm in peace.” Then a large wet tear hit Thin Ice and Frost’s growing blood stain on the ice.

Silently afterwards, the questers lifted Thin Ice and Frost into hollowed logs, and wheeled them away to the Graves of Kings, in the far north of Valma.

Shadowpelt had chosen not himself, but had chosen the world.

Chapter 13

Osprey was ready for a purge.

It had been a few days since Blizzardtail had returned and he didn’t seem himself. Too weak to give orders, too ragged to be a leader, and too tragic to see his fate.

Osprey knew what was to come, and relished it before it ever came.

As he sat in his private chambers he saw Honey walk by, Blizzardtail’s lover, and into his room.

First was the arguing, then the yelling, then a calm and quiet peace.

He knew what was about to happen, and it would finally mean that he would finally get his long awaited birthright.

Blizzardtail had been in chains of his own making since he slew his father.

As he waited on his bed, contemplating his last words he heard a simple, silent few knocks.

She probably was here to ask if he was okay.

Blizzardtail mumbled, “Yes Honey, come on in.”

The large oak door opened with the sound of a vulture’s caw, as if death was already in the very room.

Honey walked in, her bright orange eyes hidden by a mask of grief, her simple brown outfit was weighing on her as if it itched, and she closed the door simply behind her.

“Blizzardtail, I know what you're about to do. Don’t. You may have forged an empire of blood, but you can always be-”

“Redeemed?” Blizzardtail spat bitterly, looking down at his old war coat as if it was covered with the blood of son’s, father’s and others, which it was.

Blizzardtail felt Honey grab his arm gently, sweet, and try to save him.

Blizzardtail couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Listen, there’s also another thing I must say.” Honey hesitated, then finally said, “I was a spy. But as much as I hated the way you ruled, you… you captured me. Not my body, but my heart.” She then gently planted a kiss on his lips, as if trying to remove him from his fate.

He pulled away instantly, “No, I knew the whole time… I was just too wrapped up in myself that I couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge it.” Blizzardtail felt tears well in his eyes.

Honey looked down at him, her face finally revealed that they both knew what was about to happen.

Blizzardtail looked over across his room, across the red and plush bed, and walked to the old gramophone, a commodity, nearby.

Causally, almost as if he had rehearsed it in his dreams, he put on a record, labeled, “The Death of a King”, and put it on.

He extended an arm to Honey and finally said, “one last dance, for a queen that never was.”

Honey gently took his hand, and they danced.

For five minutes the waltz played, bitter and almost sorrowful in nature, but accepting and intimate, told his story.

The promises broken, the truth slandered, the lives lost.

All of it Blizzardtail finally saw for its truth.

He wasn’t just Starfire’s puppet, but was her loyal subject, when he shouldn’t have been.

As the waltz reached its end, Blizzardtail finally stated, “I have loved you since I saw you. So, when I pass on to her realm… tell Starfire that I was not her pawn, but her player. I did as I was asked, and now… I must pay the price.” Blizzardtail looked back at a tearful Honey, “I will miss you…”

Honey finally cried and said, “I will too, so will she.”

It hit Blizzardtail like a stampede of horses.

“You… you’re going to have a daughter?” Blizzardtail asked, his eyes watering so much he couldn’t see.

“Yes, her name is Brightstorm, after the way you made me feel.” Honey nodded slowly.

“Brightstorm… I like that.” Blizzardtail mused, “tell her that I died a hero… but do not forget what I have done. Let her learn from my mistakes.”

Gently and for the last time Blizzardtail and Honey put their heads together, and with a final sad smile Blizzardtail motioned for her to leave the room.

Almost as soon as she left, he gently rumaged through his bedside table, and found it.

Cold and heavy it was in his hands, yet oddly familiar, as if the prophecy already knew the iron was for him.

“Thus always to tyrants.” Blizzardtail said before taking a final sip of wine.

Everyone heard the shot.

Everyone knew what it meant.

Blizzardtail had died a hero, rather than let Starfire take his body over, an almost noble act, only if he hadn’t been so violent.

When his guards entered the room, everyone knew what to expect.

Osprey entered the room, and in the pool of blood surrounding his former leader, poked Blizzardtail’s left foot, as if to test the reality of a rumor, and finally said, “He had always been a mentor. But he was only the beginning. I will be the next king, and it is time the Dark One got her full respect. As her son, she will be my hand, she will be my blade, and she will be the truth.” Osprey looked at the shocked guards, each of which looked at him in horror.

He was the son of Starfire, and he was not just a king, but a demigod.

They had been lied to, he wasn’t a hero, but a new form of darkness.

That day would finally mark the end of Blizzardtail’s reign of blood in the world of Oyikiya, but not the end of the horrors.

No, it was only the beginning.

Treaties were signed to stop the blood, but only temporarily, and all knew that Osprey wasn’t just a king, but a force of nature.

The world was finally set for a new age.

End of book 4

Book 5: The Final Storm

Chapter 1

It had been five years since Blizzardtail had taken his own life, five years since treaties were signed that ended seemingly endless bloodshed. It had been four years since Shadowpelt became the leader of Valma, three and a half years since Kole and Nath signed a hesitant peace. Two since Osprey became the leader of the former Empire of Blood, now re-cristened the "Republic of Nonalk”, one year since the Holy League of Larium federalized and invaded Nodmoor’s dead republic, and installed a local loyalist as their preferred leader. Six months since the Desert Liberation Army finally ousted the tyrant of Simon B. Ikle, and two weeks since the Chiefdom of Oyikiya proclaimed herself an empire.

And now, sitting behind a lightly light desk, signing his own nation’s bills into laws, Leafpelt wondered how much longer his own mother, the Queen of Fallen Destiny would last.

Recently devastation had wreaked the countryside, with the refugees from Nodmmor flooding the already straining nation’s cities, and as a result violence was currently going on in the hinterlands of his mother’s domain.

Sighing, Leafpelt told himself as he copied his mother’s signature onto a bill, a practice he had to do, as his mother was out on a diplomatic mission to Valma.

“When will it be us?” Leafpelt asked no one in particular as he signed the bill with flawless accuracy.

He reached over, casually adjusting the lamp’s calming yellow light over the mahogany desk, and the artificially aged paper.

Leafpelt tried not to think of the violence in his own kingdom.

He had in part caused this, he had promised the Nodmoorish population refuge, even when his own mother disagreed, but he pleaded with her, and she relented.

“May the stars save me.” Leafpelt sighed, and checked his silver watch, it read 1;37 AM.

I really need to sleep.

BOOOM!

Leafpelt jumped.

“Who’s there?” He yelled, getting up from the ridged chair, quill in hand instead of a knife.

The door opened slowly, almost comically so.

It could only be one person.

Standing in the doorway was his younger brother, yet the more likely successor to the throne, Prince Crumpled Leaf.

He was dashing as always, his white, gold, and purple tuxedo, the same colors as the national coat of arms, was stained slightly with wine his trousers were equally an off white color,, and his brother’s orange and white face was plump, almost dorky in a way. His eyes shifted as if he had been to another party, which he looked as if he had been.

“Brother,” Leafpelt asked, “Where have you been? I’ve been writing papers all night.”

Crumpled Leaf looked sheepish, and said through a yawn, “I was busy with the populace.”

Leafpelt had to resist saying so you could fatten yourself.

“Of course my brother, but why?” Leafpelt replied through clenched teeth.

His brother’s face changed immediately to an almost grim look, his yellow iris’s looking at Leafpelt with almost distance.

“Do I have to remind you of the 'incident'?"

Damnit, Leafpelt thought.

The ‘incident’ as the royal court called it was when Leafpelt was found with his then, and still secret lover of Brightstorm in his own private castle, and they were in a forbidden relationship. She was a commoner, he was royalty.

“That was a low blow, even for you.” Leafpelt felt his eyes narrow in anger, “Love is love.”

His brother clicked the door locked, and walked over to Leafpelt with the suave that made him all the rage with the locals, and the court’s women.

“Careful brother,” Crumpled Leaf said, his voice like a sharped knife, and he said in Leafpelt’s ear, “I could ruin your reputation. And I could do some… unsavory things. Lest, dear mother were to have an… accident.”

Leafpelt stiffened, “You wound’t dare kill our own mother.”

Crumpled Leaf walked over the the front of the desk, and right infront of Leafpelt, and leaned over it, “No, I wouldn’t, but you could.”

Leafpelt stopped, and got up.

“I will not be-”

Suddenly his brother lunged, knocking him to the floor, and bearing his teeth at him.

“Blackmailed?! Guess what brother? I’m sick of playing second fiddle, it’s time you had your own damn accident.”

Leafpelt looked on in shock, his back on the ground, “‘second fiddle?’” Then he realized the implications.

He was going to be king.

His brother apparently made plans.

His brother then seemed to realize the slip up.

Crumpled Leaf calmly got up, dusted himself off, and before slamming the door shut said pointedly, “We will not talk of this. Never. Otherwise…” he let the threat hang for a moment before slamming the wooden door shut with a furious grunt.

Leafpelt knew he had to leave.

He couldn’t deal with blackmail, yet, he could be king…

No, I must tell Shadowpelt, he will understand.

Leafpelt knew what he had to do. They had to get the group back together, one last time, this time, for the safety of all of Oykiya.