The Lengthening Shadow

Fernwood was a great stone castle in the middle of Greenbloom Forest, a symbol of justice and prosperity among woodlanders for countless seasons. Ruled by the kind and just Maows, Fernwood had endured many generations. Its mighty walls protected by defenders; brave knights who had risked their lives to defend their beloved home. Occasionally, the great fortress was attacked by wandering bands of vermin, but the ruthless forays were soon decimated. In the present time, Fernwood was governed over by a cordial Maow named King Jacober; known to his friends as “Jake”. His strong and courageous right hand was a mouse Warrior called Sir Samuel. One morning, Jake called Samuel to his chamber. “I have gotten a message sent from my friend the squirrel leader King Sedi. Apparently, the ship Ragsail slew a patro...” the king paused at the look upon his friend’s face. “Evidently you’ve heard the name Ragsail before. Just to jog your memory, in case you’ve forgotten, I’ll give you a little history” “The Ragsail is a corsair galley, completely dark gray from stem to stern, with ragged, tattered sails, hence the name. The captain is a vile black weasel named Alrack Bloodfen. The crew is a mixed bag: foxes, weasels like Alrack, ferrets, stoats, rats, even a pair of adders. It doesn’t have slaves though, thank the seasons, I can’t imagine such cruelty heaped upon helpless beasts.” The cat ruler heaved himself up out of his throne onto the polished marble floor “ Well, enough of killing and vermin, there’s a feast about to start in the dining room. Let’s go, my friend, we have much to do.”

The Ragsail!

Such an evil vessel had not plowed the ocean rollers in many a long season. Crewed by the rankings and scrapings of the darkest corners of the stormy seas, it landed only to murder, plunder, and cause destruction. And Alrack Bloodfen was the head of the whole villianous entourage. He was dressed in a tattered red coat with a black cape. On his left arm he wore a studded metal gauntlet that went from clawtip to shoulder. Across his waist he wore a broad belt of crimson silk, fastened with a bronze clasp set with a round black jetstone. Thrust into it was his only weapon, not that he needed any others. It was a curved sword with a common crosshilt, although the rest of the deadly blade was anything but plain. The armament had a curving steel blade, a brown, leather-wrapped handle, and a rounded pommel. The pommel and crossguard were pure ruby, priceless red stone from across the great south seas. On his feet, the sable-hued corsair wore a pair of green leather boots with laces made from foebeasts’ hides. On this certain stormy morn, he paced the helmdeck of the Ragsail. The black weasel had been waiting for clement weather so the dreaded schooner could make a raid. He had noticed that his crew were getting restless; thirsty for blood and plunder. One thing Alrack knew a captain could not have was a mutinous crew, so he decided to respond to their requests. Stopping in mid-step, he called to his first mate. “Oi! Waveclaw! Get yer worthless ’ide over ’ere and help me set a course for land.”

“Aye aye, Cap’n! I’ll be over there in two shakes of a spear.” Waveclaw; a burly peg-legged rat, ambled over to his leader’s side. “What land? I know every wave of this strip o’ ocean and there’s no land anywheres.”

Waveclaw ducked as Alrack swung at him with a clenched paw, narrowly missing his first mate’s jaw. “ I di’nt mean yer could steer, fool! I meant, ’elp me set a course fer Fratch ter foller!” The rat stalked cautiously over to the shipmaster’s side, preparing to dodge any further blows. “ Aye, I’ll get Fratch for yer, jist don’t ’it me, alright?”.

Hearing no response, he went to give the assignment to Fratch, the Ragsail’s steersrat. After carrying out his barbaric leader’s command, the rat went to meet up with the other members of the Ragsail’s command: The second mate; a lanky ferret called Lagurna, the aides; a battle-scarred fox known as Krakler, and a burly ferret named Twiner, Alrack’s personal adviser; another ferret, a well-dressed specimen whose name was Venge, and the Seer of the vessel; a cruel and intelligent ferret called Havaraa. Waveclaw addressed the gathering, acting as leader of the conference. “I ‘appen ter know of a plan ter take ol’ Cap’n out o’ the picture. The leaders of this here mutiny are a sailsbeast and an oarbeast. Their names are Axetooth the fox and Finnel the stoat. They’ll be strikin’ in the course o’ two sunsets. Our job is ter “Take ’em out”, if yer knows what I mean”. Havaraa the Seer answered for all the other vermin. “We’re wid yer, Wavey!”. Waveclaw grinned in anticipation of the slaughter he would inflict upon Axetooth and Finnel.

Far across the ocean waves, back in Greenbloom at Fernwood Castle, the feast spoken of by King Jacober was in progress. The castle cooks had done the Maow monarch proud. There were flans of all shapes, sizes, and flavors, an assortment of fruit- and nut-puddings, cakes and small snacks galore. Huge salads on copper platters adorned the tables, sharing space with the centerpiece: a huge hazelnut-pear-plum trifle with hot arrowroot sauce dripping down the sides. Knights and other Fernwooders gathered to enjoy the delicious meal, talking and laughing without a care in the world.

Jake presided over the happy gathering, Samuel at his side. “ I say, Sam, this is the life we should have forever: eating, laughing and joking with friends, endless merriment and joy”. Samuel agreed with his comrade’s statement. “Ahhh, yes. I think so too, Jake. Never-ending peace, happiness, good food, friends. This is the life for me” Samuel leaned his legs on the tabletop. The Maow had seated himself at the head of the table, with Samuel at his side. Next to Samuel was a pretty young mouse by the name of Marigold, for whom Samuel had grown slightly fond of. She was funny and kind, always asking Samuel questions about what it was like to be a Fernwood defender. “ Samuel, what is it like to have to carry a dreadfully heavy musket and sword around all the time?”. Samuel did not answer, and promptly started spooning down some chestnut and honey pudding. Jake chuckled at the antics of his friend. “Samuel, stop shoving salad down that great mouth of yours. It isn’t proper behavior for a Fernwood defender, especially the king’s strong right paw. Now, you should try some of this delicious raspberry trifle.”

The feast went on in this sort of manner for a long while until many babes started to get tired and were taken up to bed. The fat old hedgehog cook Bernie Potbelly ordered his kitchen staff to start cleaning up the dishes and silverware, and Jake officially declared the feast over and sent for Samuel. The Warrior mouse came to Jake’s side, and they both walked up to the cat’s bedchamber. Jake sat down and beckoned Samuel over. “You remember how I told you about Alrack Bloodfen earlier?” Jake paused at the look on Samuel’s face at the mention of the dreaded name “ I know you’re unsettled at the mention of his name, but bear it. Now on with the story: If what King Sedi reported is true, Alrack will soon be making his way to Fernwood Castle.

The only thing he could want here, I will now tell you about: It is called the Diamond Tablet, and when it is decoded, it holds the directions to a treasure hidden somewhere in Greenbloom Forest. If Alrack gains the treasure, there’s no telling what he might bargain out of people with it. So, I must have every beast be on guard in case of an impending attack by the Ragsail and its villianous crew of vermin. Also, we must get word to King Sedi that he must fend off the Ragsail as soon as it comes his way; because of course it will, his fortress is smack-dab in the middle of the route all vermin take to Fernwood”. Samuel nodded, hiding his fear. “I won’t fail you if the vermin come here, Jake, and I don’t think King Sedi will let them pass unscathed either. So don’t be pessimistic, Jake, look on the bright side. They might not get to Fernwood or past Sedi. So don’t worry, old friend, everything’s going to be all right, wait and see!”. Jake could not resist a smile at his mouse friend’s optimism. “I hope you’re right, Sam. I hope you’re right”. After leaving the great cat’s bedchamber, Samuel went down to the barracks, his chosen sleeping place, being a Knight of Fernwood.

If I’m wrong he thought I should get prepared. If I’m right, why should I be worrying? Alrack probably isn’t even close to King Sedi’s fortress either. I hope my optimism proves to be true so I don’t have to worry about anything happening to Fernwood or Greenbloom...” Samuel’s thoughts stopped there. He had fallen asleep in his bed in the right wing of the barracks. Snuggling into his silk sheets, he dreamed of happy times when the thought of a vermin attack had not disturbed the minds of Fernwooders.

That same night, when peace was reigning at Fernwood, the Ragsail‘s crew were in a bit of a quandary. When Fratch could not chart a time-efficient course, Alrack called upon the oldest member of his crew; a stooping, grizzled ferret called Hatchetback. He leaned upon his spear as the captain told him of the ship’s difficult situation. “Hatchet, I want yew ter try an’ find a course that’ll set us toward land. I don’t care whether it be’s time-savin’ or not, just get us ter good, firm, mainland. Alright?”. Hatchetback nodded. “I’ll chart a course fer yer, an’ it’ll be right like yew say it’ll be; getting’ you ta nice old land agin.” The captain nodded. “Thanks, Hatchet, I’ll see that she gets us ter land so we’s kin have a nice liddle raid on any of the gutless ninnies that call ’emselves ‘woodlanders’. Hahaharr! They won’t know what ’it ‘em! Just like spearin’ fish in a barrel, eh, ’atchetback?”. The old ferret obediently cackled along with his evil master. “ Heehehehehe! Those silly idiots don’t know theys soon gonna be flatter than a cold toad squashed by a dead tree inna snowstorm!”.

Two creatures stood eavesdropping on the chuckling pair: Axetooth and Finnel. The fox and his stoat cohort had listened intently to every word the other two vermin said through the thin cabin door. Axetooth shrugged. “ What are they laughin’ about, matey?”. Finnel was also uncertain about the cause of their captain’s hilarity. “Dunno, whadda yew suppose? I hope it’s somethin’ about goin’ ashore, ’cause then we’ll fin’lly be off this stoopid ship”. Also with them was the hook-handed boson stoat Whiphide. He contributed his piece to the conversation; although it was not very understandable to Axetooth and Finnel, Whiphide being one of the only two beasts on the ship to have extremely elegant speech. “Methinks our trusted master hath gone slightly insane, due to our elongated time away from any civilized land, and our confinement upon this heathen vessel. That, or another cause beyond my comprehension. Not that I care, only allotting my allegiance to him and his vessel because it was the only reasonable choice at the time. But I still wonder why they are making this unexplained ruckus”. Finnel glared at the well-spoken bosun, angered that he could not understand the stoat’s speech. “We get yer, even if yew do talk like a fancybeast. We all have the same idea, Our Cap’n has to go!”.

Whiphide looked at his fellow stoat as if he had sprouted an extra snout. “ I did not say our leader had to ‘go’, as you so commonly put it. I merely said that I wondered what he and our ferret subordinate were laughing about”. Axetooth caught the bosun a glancing blow with the butt of his short, single-headed axe, his namesake. “ Shut up and git out if yer not wid us! Go while yew still have a life!”. Whiphide took the warning to heart and scuttled off to a dusty corner of the ship. Axetooth and Finnel shared the same thought, and the fox spoke it out loud, stomping his peg-leg on the deck. “ If our mutiny is goin’ ter work, that cringin’, snivelin’ stoat’ll have ter be taken out. Finn, will yew do it? I can’t abide bein’ responsible fer the murder of one of the Cap’n’s trusted crewbeasts”. Finnel agreed with his friend’s reasoning. “Aye, mate. I’ll do it. I’ll get rid o’ Whip’ide afore the sun ‘as set seven times. Just yew wait, Alrack. We’ll get yer trusted mateys out o’ the way, one by one”. The mutinous pair slunk off to their cabin, muttering darkly together about what they would do to Whiphide.