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Date Posted: 13:22:03 12/10/03 Wed
Author: Lavender the ottermaid
Subject: Rescue A Slave

I hope someone likes this. I would appreciate comments by e-mail.

Rescue A Slave
by: Lavender the ottermaid
Started on: November 21, 2003
Finished on: November 22, 2003

It was a cold rainy night. Esel, the squirrel, was hunched in one corner of the slave compound, within the walls of the fortress on the west coast known to all as "Verbanth". Esel's parents had been captured by the ruler of the fortress many years ago, when Esel was a tiny infant. Now they were dead and Esel was still a captive. He knew that someday he would escape and that he would free the other slaves as well.
__________________________________________________________________
A young brown ottermaid sat behind a rock on the coast, munching on a flat oakcake. She peeked around the rock, surveying the gray stone fortress in the distance. The ottermaid's name was Lavender. She finished the oatcake, brushing crumbs from her whiskers with one paw. With the
other, she reached for her bow and arrows. Selecting an arrow, she peered down the shaft, checking it's straightness. Then, she picked up her
bow.
Fitting the arrow to the string, Lavender knelt and fired the arrow to
the right of her rock, watching it disappear down the coast. Satisfied,
she sat back and waited.
__________________________________________________________________
Esel had been about to drop off to sleep when he was awakened by his
close friend, a somber mouse called Fith. Fith had been captured two
years back and Esel had immediately liked the mouse. He was not given
to
fanciful whims, he was more slow and methodical and also liked to think
things over before he would do anything. He sat down by Esel. The young
squirrel knew his friend would have information. He scooted closer to
him.
"Well, is it on?"
Fith never looked at him.
"Yes, Esel, Lavender and a few others are here."
Esel wriggled with excitement.
"Great! Lav'll help us, I know it!"
Fith looked around nervously.
"Not so loud, Esel. The guards are still around."
Esel smiled at his worried friend.
"Ah, they won't have to guard us anymore after tonight."
Fith only gave Esel a look and slid away.
__________________________________________________________________Lavende
r checked the contents of the pack at her side. Four more oatcakes,
some
cheese and a flask of elderberry cordial. Hmm, not enough to last for a
long time, but she wasn't going to be there for a long time. Lavender
looked down the coast to her right, smiling when she saw a movement.
Soon, darkness would be coming. Lavender snuggled deeper into her black
cloak as the rain continued to patter down.
__________________________________________________________________
The leader of Fortress Verbanth was a stoat, taller and more fierce
than
any others in his murderous group. They had been mere coast pirates
until
they had stumbled upon the half-ruined and forgotten fortress. The
stoat,
Verbanth, had immediately claimed it as his own, got a line of slaves
and
set them to work rebuiling the fortress. When it was complete, he had
set
himself up as it's tyrant. Now, Verbanth sent out guard patrols, to
capture anything they could find. He never left the fortress.
__________________________________________________________________Verbant
h toyed with his scimitar's long bone handle, mentally running over the
past four years since he had found the fortress. He had plenty of
plunder, food and slaves to command. All in all, he had a good life.
Verbanth was satisfied to stay on the west coast and not move. Verbanth
pointed his scimitar at a dormouse.
"You! Get me some supper, on the double! And be sure you don't drop it
like the last one did."
The dormouse bowed and hurried off, chilled to the bone. He knew what
had
happened to the other slave. Dead!
__________________________________________________________________
Lavender looked up as a sleek otter came wriggling up to the rock. He
crouched beside her, glancing now and again at the fortress.
"Well, are we set?" she asked.
The otter nodded.
"Yeah. Wish this rain would stop, or it'll ruin that one part."
Lavender smiled.
"It'll stop soon, don't worry. Come on, let's get going."
The otter grabbed her pack, Lavender grabbed her weapons and they
wriggled off through the sand, headed down the coast to the right.
__________________________________________________________________
Esel turned over, snuggling closer to the damp ground. He could hear
the
rain gently thrumming on the earth outside the compound; then it
stopped.
Esel sat up, sensing something was about to happen.
__________________________________________________________________
Lavender and the otter crawled to another rock, closer to the fort and
within view of the gates. There, several mice, squirrels and otters
were
crouched. One of the squirrels turned as Lavender and her companion
came
crawling up.
"You guys are just in time, we were about to send 'em off."
Lavender's companion grinned happily.
"Right, let's do it."
The squirrel smiled at the otter's eagerness.
"Okay, Tarel, you and a couple others get the fire going. Me, Lavender
and Siker will get the javelins ready."
Siker, the otter leader, nodded.
"Aye, let's jump to it, mateys!"
Soon, Tarel and some other squirrel, mice and otters had a fire
blazing.
Tarel and Lavender both grabbed a javelin. Siker gave the nod and 6
javelin tips plunged into the fire.
__________________________________________________________________
Esel stood up and hurried past the other slaves, some asleep and some
still awake. He found Fith near the compound gate. Esel stopped beside
the mouse.
"What's happening?"
Fith pressed his face to the gate bars.
"Listen! Listen, Esel!"
Esel listened. Faintly, he could hear shouts.
"Free the slaves! Fire!"
A whoosing sound came and Esel instinctively ducked. When he looked up,
he saw 6 firey comets cut through the air, pass over the compound and
hit
the large wooden door of the stone house where Verbanth lived. It burst
into instant flame. Fith was trembling with excitement, but managed to
keep his voice low.
"Esel, quietly wake the others and line them up. We need to be ready."
Esel nodded and hurried off.
__________________________________________________________________
Siker watched the javelins disappear over the fort's walls. He stood
up,
swinging a loaded sling.
"Second load, aim for the gates! FIRE!"
The second hail of flaming javelins hissed through the air and slammed
into the gate, blazing merrily.
__________________________________________________________________
Verbanth leaped up as the first javelin tip came through the door. He
knocked over his chair.
"Dert! Dert!" he screamed.
His captain, Dert, came racing into the room. Seeing the door, he
halted.
Verbanth grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
"Get the horde roused! Someone's attacking! Move yourself, Dert!"
The frightened weasel raced off.
__________________________________________________________________
Esel lined up the slaves, advising and sorting.
"Here, stand there, make some more room. Marm, please keep hold of the
young one. Okay, everyone remain still!"
Esel found Fith near the back of the compound. He poked him.
"Fith, what do we do now?"
Fith straightened up.
"Now we wait for the others to come and rescue us. Be paient."
Esel nodded but inside he was thinking, Be paient? I've been paient for
how many years now?
__________________________________________________________________
Siker nodded to the squirrel leader and smiled.
"Right, troop, listen. Those gates aren't going to last much longer.
You
two, keep pouring those javelins in until you hear me shout. Then douse
the fire and join us. Understand?"
The two, Lavender and Tarel, nodded. Siker and the others headed off
toward the fort. Lavender dipped another javelin and sighed.
"Well, let's get to it. One...two...three...fire!"
Two more javelins thudded into the already burning gate.
__________________________________________________________________
Verbanth left the gatehouse. It was in no danger of burning down since
it
was made of stone. The door was a goner though. Pawing his scimitar
handle angrily, he stalked toward the east wall where he could see Dert
waiting with 10 of his band.
"Dert! Get up on those walls, now!"
Dert and the 10 with him scrambled up the wallstairs, followed closely
by
Verbanth.
_________________________________________________________________
Siker and his band lay low near the east wall. The otter leader nodded
to
it.
"Well, there's Verbanth and some of his band. Where're the rest?"
The squirrel leader, Saner, laughed.
"Probably trying to put out the fire on the front gates."
Siker smiled.
"That'll take 'em awhile. Right, crew. One good load of stones, then
immediately after, arrows! Fire!"
__________________________________________________________________
Verbanth was standing beside Dert, peering over the wall when he heard
the hiss of weaponery. Throwing himself flat, Verbanth heard the
screams
and yells as the stones and arrows hit home, slaying 6 and wounding 2.
Verbanth bounced up, waving his scimitar.
"Archers, fire!"
Arrows rained down onto the place where Verbanth supposed his attackers
to be.
__________________________________________________________________
Siker sat, watching the arrows pounding into the sand where they had
been
before. He turned to Saner.
"So, think they're trying to do something?"
Saner made a face.
"Whatever they're trying to do, they're doing a poor job of it, but
they're vermin. What now?"
Siker nodded.
"Right, those gates look ready to fall down any second. We'll go over
there and hail Lavender and Tarel. Then we charge in and do our job.
Everyone ready?"
There was an instant chorus of yes's. Siker led the band as they
hurried
toward the gates.
__________________________________________________________________
Nov 22: Lavender dipped another javelin into the fire. Raising it, she
sighted on the gates, leaned back and threw it. It hissed through the
air
and slammed into the gate. Tarel threw his javelin, sighing as he
watched
it break through the gate.
"Wonder when Siker's goin' to alert us?"
Just then, a clear sharp whistle split the night air. Lavender nodded
to
Tarel.
"Douse the fire, come on!"
Tarel doused the fire, grabbed a javelin and followed Lavender across
the
sand to where Siker, Saner and the others were waiting near the gate.
They stood watching. The gates began to give into the flames. They
buckled near the center and caved in. The doorway was open. Siker waved
his sling.
"Up and at 'em, troop!" he yelled.
Bounding over the burning wreckage of the gate, the small band of
otters,
squirrels and mice raced toward the east wall. No one noticed Lavender
and Tarel as they slipped off toward the slave compound.
__________________________________________________________________
Esel was first to spot the two dark figures as they came toward the
compound. He whistled low and Fith appeared beside him. Fith nodded.
"Right, here they come. Everyone ready?"
There was a low growl of assent. Lavender and Tarel pressed their faces
to the gates.
"Listen, all you guys in there," said Tarel. "I don't have a key. Any
ideas on how to get out?"
Esel piped up.
"Sir, we could make a rope with our belts, toss it over the wall and
climb out one by one."
Tarel smiled.
"Right, good idea, young'un! Let's get to it!"
Belts and sashes were collected from the slaves and tied together into
a
long rope. Esel swung the makeshift rope around his head and let it go,
nodding with satisfaction as it flew over the wall. He felt a tug on
the
rope; then Tarel's voice.
"Okay, we've got it. Start climbing. Old ones first."
With the help of Esel, the older beasts started up the rope. They were
helped down on the other side by the strong paws of Lavender and Tarel.
Soon, all the old ones were out. Tarel called his next instructions.
"Now, the babes and mothers."
One by one, they went over the wall. Last to go were the youngest
creatures. Esel and Fith stood at the back of the line, watching as
their
friends climbed up the rope and disappeared over the wall. Then it was
their turn. Fith smiled at his friend.
"You go first, Esel."
The squirrel bowed his head, grasped the rope and shot up it with all
the
skills of a born climber. As his head popped over the wall, he could
hear
the roar of fighting by the east wall. Esel jumped down, coming to land
on the ground with a thump. Tarel nodded to him.
"Hello, anyone else in there?"
Esel brushed off his frayed tunic.
"My friend, Fith."
Just then, Fith's head appeared over the wall. He paused to gather the
rope up, then leapt down and was caught by Tarel. Lavender herded the
slaves together.
"Okay, listen. Everyone follow us closely, don't stray, stay together."
They headed off in the direction of the main gates.
__________________________________________________________________
Saner was balanced on a rampart of the east wall, his tail locked
securely round it as he fired arrow after arrow into the vermin's
ranks.
Down below, Siker's otters and the mice were making short work of the
rest of Verbanth's band. Saner gritted his teeth in anger. If only
there
was someway to get to that Verbanth! He stood on the west wall,
whirling
his scimitar and yelling.
"Cut 'em down! Chaaarge!"
Saner took out another vermin with one of his arrows, using the second
to
stab the vermin creeping up on him. Finally, Saner could stand
Verbanth's
shouts no longer. He unwrapped his tail from around the rampart and
took
off like a streak across the east wall.
__________________________________________________________________
Esel followed at the rear with Fith. Lavender and Tarel were everywhere
at once, advising and comforting. Esel turned his head and saw Saner
streaking down the east wall toward the west wall where stood Verbanth.
Rage filled the young squirrel. He turned and suddenly dashed for the
west wall stairs. Fith cried after him,
"Esel! Where are you going?"
Lavender turned around at Fith's call and saw Esel racing for the west
wall. Without a word, she took off after him.
__________________________________________________________________
Siker and his otters, Saner's squirrels and the mice made short work of
the vermin. Soon, there was no one left to fight. Siker turned as a
loud
shout rang out.
"Verbanth! I am coming!"
Siker's eyes widened as he saw two streaks racing toward Verbanth. One
was Saner, the other was a squirrel he didn't recognize. Dashing after
the squirrel was Lavender. Siker and the others stood, watching,
waiting
to see what would happen.
__________________________________________________________________
Verbanth looked to his left and saw Saner hurtling toward him. Hearing
Esel's shout, he looked right and saw the young squirrel running for
him,
teeth bared and eyes glittering. Running behind Esel was a tall brown
otter. Verbanth hesitated. Then, the three creatures hollered out
together as their paws thrummed the wall.
"Death to Verbanth!!!!!!!"
Verbanth took one look at Esel and Saner's furious faces and leaped
over
the wall with one last yell.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Saner and Esel skidded to a halt and stood panting. Lavender slid to a
halt beside them and they all peered over the wall. Far below lay the
broken body of Verbanth, once the mighty ruler of the fort, now
vanquished. Esel was shaking.
"He jumped off and killed himself!"
Lavender put a arm around the young squirrel and together, she and
Saner
led him down the wallstairs. Saner spoke quietly to Esel as they
walked.
"Esel, don't be mad at yourself. Verbanth was an evil beast and a
coward
through and through. There's no need to bother your head about him.
He's
dead now and you and your friends are...free!"
Esel paused and looked toward the gates where stood the slaves, looking
at him. Esel smiled and looked up at the sky. The dark storm clouds
were
gone and replaced with white fleecy ones. Early morning sunlight shone
down on the conquered fortress as Esel raised his paws. A mighty shout
ripped from the throats of nearly 90 creatures.
"Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!"
__________________________________________________________________
Lavender sat on the green grass of the valley of Noonvale. Brushing a
paw
across her eyes, she smiled as she remembered that time. Every one was
free and Esel had grown up into a fine young squirrel. Maybe someday,
I'll see him again, she thought. But until then, I'll stay here at the
wonderful valley of Noonvale.

The End
by: Lavender the ottermaid
Finished on: November 22, 2003

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