Taking of Revenge

Prologue

        Her friend… not breathing… wounded to the point of near death… because of a wolverine.
        The wolverine was dead.  Her friend had killed him.  But the lust for blood had been awakened in the golden tailed, reddish brown squirrel. Her desire for revenge on her enemy had been renewed.
        The squirrel's eyes were misted in red.  A wolverine had sorely wounded her friend.  She knew another wolverine, one she had vowed to kill, the one that had killed her father.
        Nightdeath Longclaws.

Chapter 1-The Search

        Riala Goldentail raced blindly through the trees, revenge the only thing on her numb mind.  The squirrel was heedless of the blood on her face, dripping from clawmarks caused by the dead wolverine's leader.  She ran on, and on, until exhaustion cleared the mist from her eyes and sense
returned.
        The sun was setting in Mossflower's skies.  Riala looked to the south. It was the direction Nightdeath had been going.  She would start that way in the morning.  For now, though, she needed to sleep.
        Riala made a hasty lean-to in the brush of Mossflower Woods.  She took out her roce- a short, slightly curved, thick, brown hardwood stick with a long cord attached that served as her weapon- and placed it beside her as she lied down.  It would be there for her if she was attacked.  The
squirrel was tired from the running she had done, and sleep came easily.

Chapter 2-Southsward

        Weeks passed, then months, and still the squirrel had found not a trace of Nightdeath's trail.  She was well out of Mossflower now, more into Southsward country.  Riala could see the pinnacled tops of Castle Floret in the distance, when an arrow whistling by her head caused her to dive for cover.
        "Who are yer, an' are you vermin or goodbeast?" a menacing voice called out.  Riala recognized with relief the accent as that of an otter, and slowly stepped out of the bushes.
        "I'm a goodbeast.  My name is Riala Goldentail," the squirrel answered.
        An otter, armed with a bow and quiver, stepped out from the trees, bowstring slackened.
"'Ello thar!" he said, grinning. "Yore right, y'are a treejumper!"
        Riala glared at him. "I'm a squirrel, waterdog!"  The dark brown otter laughed and shouldered his yew longbow beside his quiverful of blue fletched arrows.
        "Pleased ter meetcha, Riala.  Y'can call me Talrin Streamshot, an' I won't call you treejumper, that sound savvy ter you, matey?"
        Riala nodded. "Yes, it sounds fine, Talrin," she replied.
        As they walked toward Castle Floret, Riala told Talrin of her mission, then asked, "Have you seen Nightdeath pass by, Talrin?"  The otter nodded grimly.
        "Aye, matey.  'E fought a short skirmish wi' us, but s'pose we started et, 'alting 'im in th' path," he answered.
        Riala perked up. "Where'd he go?  Which way?" she asked excitedly.
        "Nor'west, Riala," Talrin replied.  Riala could barely restrain herself from jumping for joy.  She had found the Longclaws' trail again!
        "Where?  Could you show me where the trail starts?" the squirrel asked.
        Talrin laughed and shook his head. "Sorry matey, but thar's no way I'm goin' ter let a creature leave wi' out vittles an' a good night's rest!  You'll 'ave t'wait till t'morrer."
        Riala sighed impatiently, but realized the good sense in the otter's words.  She followed him to Castle Floret's main gates. At the castle, Riala was taken to see the Squirrelking, Rafler
Squirrelking, and the Squirrelqueen, Crocus Squirrelqueen.  After a leisurely supper and a relaxing bathe, the golden tailed squirrel was shown to a bedroom.  She fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

Chapter 3-On the Trail

        Dawn's first light on her face awoke Riala, and she stretched luxuriously.  Then she remembered where she was, and why, and she bolted out of bed.  She changed hastily out of her borrowed nightgown and into her customary mottled brown and forest green tunic. The squirrel ran to the gates, where she stopped short in surprise.  A score of armed otters stood in front of Floret's main gates!  Talrin, at the head of the otters, stepped forward.
        "'Fraid y'ain't goin' wi'out us, miz Riala!" he told her, battle light in his eyes and firm resolution in his voice.  "Y'can't kill th' Longclaws an' 'is army alone, an' if y'don't eliminate them, then they'll be free ter kill good creatures like yerself!"  Riala saw the good sense in the other's words, and nodded.
        "Very well."
        Traveling was more enjoyable with the otters alongside, and Riala found herself laughing along with the irrepressable waterdogs.  They made camp near what seemed the ruins of some form of limestone building.  The group huddled around small campfires and nibbled on plants that some of the
otters had scavenged up.  Riala couldn't get to sleep, so she stood on the fringe of the camp as a sentry.
        Suddenly a dark shadow moved in behind a stand of rocks.  Riala tensed, her roce clenched in her left paw, the end of the long cord wound about her left.  Slowly, silently, the squirrel dropped to her knees and crept forward.

Chapter 4-The Capture

        An arrow landed beside Riala and she leapt up.  The squirrel bounded over to the rock, stealth abandoned now that she had been sighted.  She jumped onto the rock and brought her stick crashing down on the creature's head, knocking the animal unconcious.
        Riala knelt and cast a swift glance over the intruder.  It was a ferret, black and siney, with the symbol of a long white claw on the black tunic.
        Riala curled her lip in fury.  He was in the horde of Nightdeath Longclaws!
        The squirrel tied the ferret with strips from his own tunic and awoke a brawny otter.  He looked up from beside the fire. "Is it me turn fer sentry already?" he asked.  Riala shook her head.
        "No, I just need your strength to bring a ferret here.  I'm not big enough to carry him," the squirrel answered.
        "A ferret!"  The otter followed Riala to the rock. "Nasty creatures, ferrets," the otter remarked as he picked up the vermin.
        Once they were back by the fire with the prisoner, Riala awoke the next sentry to change shifts, then roused Talrin.  "We've got a prisoner," she told him. "A ferret. One of Nightdeath's."
        The otter nodded and went with her to the  ferret, who was gaining conciousness.  Talrin pricked the ferret's throat with his sword.
        "All right, ferret, I want answers.  Who are you, an' why are you 'ere?" the otter barked.
        "Ain't tellin' yer nothin'," the prisoner answered sullenly, staring straight ahead.  Talrin looked at the ferret with contempt.
        "Oh, you'll talk!  I've made tougher coves'n you talk!" He put some pressure on the sword, and it started to dig into the ferret's neck.
        Riala knocked Talrin and his sword aside, baring her teeth angrily. "Let him alone, waterdog!  He's my prisoner and the Longclaws is my enemy!" She turned to the ferret. "Look, scum, I've killed many of your kind, and even some of your horde members!  I wouldn't hesitate to kill you! Why? I'll tell you why!"  The squirrel's eyes blazed angrily. "Your leader, Nightdeath Longclaws, killed my father in a duel, using a hidden weasel archer!  I will not rest until I kill him!"  Riala's voice became dangerously soft. "And if killing you means disposing of one more member of his vermin horde, then I will kill you!"
        The ferret's eyes widened in fear at the sight of hatred and vengeance in the angered squirrel's face. "Keep her away!  I'll tell you everything, but don't let that squirrel near me!" he pleaded.  Talrin
nodded to Riala, who reluctantly backed away.
        "All right then, answer.  Who are you, why are you hear, and where is Nightdeath?" the otter queried.
        "I'm called Blafur, an' I'm a spy fer th' Chief.  'E knows yer followin' 'im, an' wanted ter know who y'were an' 'ow many," the ferret said nervously.
        "Where is the wolverine?"
        By now the camp had awakened and was watching the interrogation. Blafur glanced around in fear.  "I was s'posed ter meet 'im two days from now, at th' fringe of a pine grove.  'E said there's a big ol' rock tht I was s'posed ter meet 'im at!" Blafur replied.  This news interested Riala.
        "Will he be alone?" she asked.
        Blafur looked at her as if she were insane. "Alone?  Th' Chief?  'E's not stupid!  'E always takes a score o' others wi' 'im."
        Suddenly, Blafur screamed and fell, an arrow protruding from his back.
        The camp ran in the direction the arrow had come from and saw a running fox.  Talrin took aim with his bow, stretching the string back as far as it would go.  The otters threw their javelins, which fell short as the fox put on speed, but Talrin's mighty shot felled the vermin.
        The fox wore the same tunic as Blafur.  Riala nodded grimly. "Probably followed Blafur in case he was caught.  Longclaws didn't want to spill information," the squirrel mused.
        "S'pose yore right," Talrin agreed. "Well, we'd best get some sleep. I know th' forest Blafur spoke of, t'ain't far.  But we'll need our strength for the fight.

Chapter 5-The Fight

        Two days later, the group reached the pine grove.  A ferret that was the spitting image of Blafur emerged from a thicket.  Talrin laughed.
        "You'll do, Norel!  S'long as nobeast steps on yore tail," he said. The ferret took off his false teeth, ears, and nose, revealing that he was an otter.  Riala was surprised, then understood.
        "So let me guess.  Norel goes to meet Nightdeath, and then we charge?" she asked.  Talrin nodded.
        "You guessed it, treebusher.  Now hide, we've got to be under cover when yore wolverine friend comes.
        Norel, disguised as Blafur, sat with his back to the boulder while Riala, Talrin, and the others hid amongst the foilage of the grove.  They didn't have to wait long.  A score of weasels, ferrets, and foxes came into veiw, with a jet black wolverine at the head of them.  The wolverine wore a tight fitting black tunic, as black as his fur.  His fur was lush and perfect, except for a few battlescars.  A jeweled, obsidian handled scimitar was sheathed in a black scabbered at his side.  The wolverine's claws, however, stood out about him most.  They were overly long, and razor sharp.
        Riala tensed with fury and hatred in her hiding place.  Nightdeath Longclaws!  She could barely restrain herself from attacking then and there as Nightdeath quietly asked Norel, "What information do you have, Blafur?"
        Norel glanced at Talrin's hiding place and nodded slightly. "They're all otter warriors, competent ones.  And yore enemy, too, th' squirrel," he answered.  Nightdeath's jaw clenched.
        "Where?"
        Norel smiled slowly. "Right here!"
        The otter whipped off his disguise and leapt onto the rock, then behind it as the score of otters and Riala charged.
        "SOOOUUUTHSWAAARRRD!"  The otters yelled their warcry as they clashed with the Longclaws' vermin.  Norel unsheathed his sword and ran from behind the rock to join the fight.
        "RIIILLLAAARRRR!!"  Riala fought through the vermin ferociously, the only thing in her red-misted vision being the black wolverine.  A fox jumped in front of the squirrel and she blocked his sword with her roce.  He sliced her side, but she didn't notice the pain, numbed as she was with
the bloodwrath.   Riala brought her stick crashing down on his head and fought on.
        Finally she reached her enemy. "Longclaws!" the squirrel hissed, blood dripping from her wounds, and she not caring.  All she could think of was revenge, all she could see through the red veil of bloodlust was the Longclaws.
        The wolverine stared at her with contempt. "You wish to die like your father?" he said, drawing his scimitar.  Riala dodged his thrust and attacked with the lust for blood reddening her eyes.  He blocked her moves, andd she his, and at first it seemed niether would triumph.
        Then Riala hit his paw with her roce, breaking a claw.  The wolverine sliced her leg.  They returned blow for blow.  With a deft twist, the squirrel caught Nightdeath's sword under the hilt and sent it spinning.
        She was on him in a flash, stick delivering harsh blows.  Riala was ignorant of the wolverine's long claws digging into her, slicing into her fur.  She was thrown off by the superior strength of the wolverine, but was back and attacking in a second.  Her adversary's claws broke off and stayed imbedded in her flesh, but still the goldentailed squirrel fought on.
        The wolverine grabbed Riala's roce and flung it away.  Darkness came into the squirrel's vision as Nightdeath's claws raked her back and face.
        She groped for her dagger while her sight was obscured by a black veil. Her paw clenched around the dagger hilt, and the squirrel plunged the blade into the Longclaw's black heart.  Then her mind went numb, and Riala blacked out.

Chapter 6-Dark Forest and Vengeance Won

She found herself in front of double gates.  Two squirrels and a crimson-eyed badger barred the way.  "Father?  Firesight?" the squirrel exclaimed.  She took a close look at the female squirrel standing next to Rilar, her father.  "Mother?"
        The three goodbeasts stood in her way and would not let her pass into Dark Forest.  "You cannot stay in Dark Forest," Rilar told her sternly, though his eyes were kind. "It is not yet your time.  You have your duty to the creatures of Mossflower."
        Riala started to protest, but Firesight, the badger, shook his head. "It is not your time to go to Dark Forest.  Leave!"

        When Riala again opened her eyes, she saw a concerned otter's face above her.  The female otter's eyes widened when she saw Riala was awake.
        "Talrin!  The squirrel's concious!" the otter called.  Talrin came in and saw Riala.
        "Well, you're back!" he said. "I thought you'd left forever!"
        "Did we win?" Riala managed to croak the words out.  Talrin laughed.
        "Did we win!  Why, we was getting' th' better of th' scum when their leader was killed an' they ran!  S'pose th' vermin are still kicken'. We saw you an' th' wolverine lyin' still on th' ground an' thought th' worst, but yer were still livin', an' so we carted yer back ter Floret. Y'had a few wolverine claws in yer, an' lost a lot of blood matey!  Can scarcely believe y'lived!" he told her.
        Riala was getting tired from even just sitting up, so she layed back down and asked one more question. "Did you find my roce and dagger?" she mumbled sleepily.
        "Yeah, matey, we did.  Yer weapons'll be 'ere when y'get better," Talrin said, then was shooed away by the otter female.
Your death is revenged, Father, Riala thought as sleep came over her like a warm blanket.