Author:
Mossyra of the II
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 21:27:48 08/20/07 Mon
Martin woke in darkness. His heart ached with painful memories and he turned away from the past. But the past wouldn't leave. Hot tears poured down his cheeks and he mumbled, "Why, Dan?" There was no answer and he let grief sweep him away once more.
Rose stared uncomprehendingly at the small, unmoving bundle.
"I found him up a ways," Sam explained, gesturing to the west. "He was more'n half buried in sand and holding this in his paw." Sam held up a broken leather rope with a golden medallion hanging from the middle. Depicted on it was a mouse wielding a sword in one paw with the other supporting another mouse. His eyes were locked on that of the other mouse's and sapphire glinted in the second mouse's paw. Rose felt the breath leave her and murmured numbly, "There were no other bodies?" Sam shook his head. "Only this li'l squirrel. Poor thing. He's still alive, but only just barely. Don't think he'll make it." Regretfully, Rose looked away and said sadly, "We'll have to leave him. I don't know enough to save him." Sam nodded and they trekked onward. Before they left, however, Rose paused to drape the medallion over the young squirrel and whisper, "I know you tried to save my brother, and for that I thank you."
Juntil growled in anger. Before him was the remnants of a foraging party, most on the brink of collapsing with exhaustion. The guards looked nervous, but they had the sense not to speak.
"You don't know who did this," Juntil said flatly. "You didn't even get a look of them." The guards nodded. "Fools," Juntil roared, knocking over a wooden bowl. It shattered on the ground and made the guards flinch. "You should have brought the slaves directly back here! But instead you blundered through the woods until they started vanishing. Two slaves! That's how many I lost today! Two! If you lose any more I will use you as an example of what happens to those who disobey. Get out of my sight!" The two rats grabbed the rope of the line and hurriedly led the slaves to the compound.
With a sigh Juntil slid into his chair and stared moodily at the bowl fragments. He was surrounded by fools and blunderers without any brains.
A few hours later a squirrel came and silently cleaned up the smashed pieces and Juntil finally understood what was bothering him as she left just as quietly. Whenever he conquered the beasts were always defiant, fighters to the last. But these were cooperative. Why?
"When rebellion is concealed by meekness,
The time for freedom is near,
But death is always the weakness,
For those who love and free.
Seven companions will go,
But one never returns,
For war's cost is never low,
And so the warrior mourns.
Peace must be payed for with death,
Life must be payed for with pain,
A warrior's weapon lies in the heart,
To be found in the weeping rain."
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
|
Feedback: 