Bloodbane rested in the shadows of the tree tops, with half closed eyes and a relaxed composure. Her dwelling was simple, but camouflaged well in the forest of the island of Sampetra. Here she was allowed her own territory to do as she like as long as it was hidden to the eye. And, it was certainly. The resourceful wildcat had cut down a tree, so that there remained only a stump. She chiseled the timber into thin and sturdy planks, which were cemented into the canopy of the trees with hardwood gum. After mixing berries and leaves, she then stained the planks to match the natural color of the forest. Thereafter, with a bit of furnishing, she turned it into her residence. Twas the perfect spot also; she could view anything from fifty paces or more and easily move through the trees like a shadow.

Napping the afternoon off, her ears perked at a distant sound. Bloodbane continued the pretense of sleep as she heard three beasts approaching. From their pawsteps she determined that they were all foxes, wiry and quick. Estimating the distance, the wildcat waited.

Redblood the Mace was in a most foul temper. Earlier, he had sent out his trusted comrade with two foxes to return with news of the assignment as quickly as possible, but already it was mid-day. He stood leaning against a wall hiding from the officers. Redblood was a young and intelligent fox, smaller than most vermin but large enough to be imposing to his gang of lackeys. Redblood was the best espionage agent in the Swaquay Tribe, a small-time horde of roaming foxes who plundered others and had acquired the title of Sovior. It was led by Boss Neazlu, a brawny fox who depended on his fellow vermin to obtain riches and food. He would assign Redblood to infiltrate hordes, then either steal from them, or gain the trust of the horde leaders. They would then destroy the horde, enslave the vermin and sell them off to a needy buyer.

Redblood controlled a score of young foxes who were easily awed by Redblood’s skills with a mace. Redblood had formed his own weapon a long time ago out of hard-oak and a few broken arrow-heads. He called it a mace, and wielded it expertly. Redblood wore a simple brown, leather vest over his tawny fur. His body was bony and thin, and muscles weren’t apparent until he used his mace or for other strenuous work. He had convincing dark brown eyes and could put on different manners to whoever it fitted.

At the moment, Redblood lurked in the shadows of Sampetra, a stronghold hidden in the tall trees lead by a powerful pine martin named Ublaz. His officers were merciless and they had keen eyes for any slacking vermin. He recalled his present purpose: to gain the trust and know the lay-out of Sampetra. Now, he wondered furiously where the three foxes were when a weasel guard approached.

“Ya there! ‘Alt an’ show yerself.” The guard yelled from a distance. He turned half-way to his partner. “’Ey, Rotfang, com’ere. Some slacker is here.” Redblood the Mace took the spilt moment to run off and take cover elsewhere when two voices hailed him.

“Sovior Redblood! We’re back... news ‘ere... bad an’ good,” panted two foxes as they emerged from the side-gate. Redblood gave them a silencing glare and motioned for them to follow him. He ducked into the main hall, and slided through the shadows past guards, then descended a flight of stairs. At the end he reached behind a small stone and produced a key which he fitted into a concealed key-hole. After shutting the door, he and the two foxes were in a small cramped room with only a blanket and a rotted stool. Redblood pointed to the smaller of the foxes.
“Where’s Lufang? You first, Shaxey.”
“Yessir. Me, Lufang an’ Raeno were comin’ back from the briefin’, like ye told ussn t’go, an’, an’ we were goin’ through the woods, an’ alluva sudden, Lufang was gone. ‘E left us! Gone! Me an’ Raeno ran outa there, an’, an’, an’ ‘ere we are!” Shaxey gasped out his account, half rambling on until he saw the expression on the Sovior’s face. He quit talking, but his body kept shaking.
“Raeno, word o’the Boss?”
“’E wants weapons. Boss told us t’tell ye that ‘e needs, uh,uh.. ,many.. an’ lotsa food. Buh, buh, whaddya gonna do ‘bout Lufang? Poor--” Redblood interrupted, his voice grating as he grabbed both foxes by their noses.

“Lufang? Poor ‘im?!? Do ya know that this is yar fault? Whata ‘bout I toldya to take the sideroad? Nooo, ya lazy trampin’ noodle-brain’d scum-dregs! Ya hadda take the short-cut through that forsaken fores’... Ya never knew what happened... Lufang was the Boss’s favorite thug! ‘E’s smart... not like ya two... An’ ye probably didn’t even help him. Ye spineless cowards! Now lemme ‘lone! Ya worthless scrabble!” Redblood dropped the foxes whose noses were throbbing as they scurried out of the tiny room. Redblood sighed in frustration, and slammed his paw into the wall. He knew that this was not good and could compromise his position plus the fact that the Boss would not approve of his Sovior losing a good fox. Redblood thought though, on the good side that his competition was eliminated. Lufang was his threat at a stable position as Sovior to the Boss... but now no worries. Still, Redblood was irritated at the strange disappearance.

Bloodbane arrived at her lodging and approached her captive, a speckled fox in his early years. She remembered briefly her painstakingly slow process of getting information out of him but it was well worth it. She found how names, places and plans while he only gained scalded paws and perforated ears. In fact, he could not even walk on his paws, as they had been scorched with hot oil so there was no way for him to escape. He had been grim and silent for the first three sessions, but was no different from prior victims of the wildcat.

“Well, well... ‘Ere ye go, wrrite a good ol’ messssage fer Rrredblood, sayin’ how ye wanna meet wid ‘im in the Grrrove, an’ how the Bossss will be there. Go on.” Lufang groaned audibly, as he was roughly uprighted and thrown a piece of charcoal and a pale cloth. While he was scrawling out the message, his mind drifted off earlier, when he had not been in such pain. When he was done, he gave the cloth back to the wildcat who in turn descended onto the ground and dashed off towards Sampetra.

“So what’s this?” demanded the pine martin, Emperor Ublaz. He had heard out the wildcat’s story, and half believed her as rumours about neighboring hordes had been reported by his scouts. Not really understanding, he listened to Bloodbane and gave her his permission to carry on, as long as it was for the best for him, which she assured him.

Bloodbane returned and geared for the night. She suited up in her traditional black tunic and rummaged around for a sheath that would fit her long-sword. She finally discovered a raven-hued scabbard with a sable sash. Then, she strapped it onto her back and tended to her long-sword. Rubbing some bird fat and some burnt leaves into a paste, she applied it to her blade which prevented any gleam or screeching sound when being drawn. Next she wrapped a tanned strip of hide around the hilt and sheathed the sword into the case. She pulled on some soft brown boots, and attached only one Rifter to the inside of it. Finally she grabbed a couple props and the fox, Lufang and disappeared into the night.

Redblood the Mace strode along silently as he clutched the cloth that had mysteriously placed on his stool. He was very wary and somewhat nervous, for the Boss seemed the trust Lufang more than he. He carried his mace slung over his shoulder as he entered the Grove. It was drab, dismal and discouraging; the tree boughs slumped as if depressed and there was no noise at all. Suddenly, the russet fox crept forward since he saw two black ears. Charging forward with surprising speed he let out a yell and clouted where the ears.

“SWAAAQUAAAAAAAAAY!!!!” His battle cry resounded off of the emptiness of the forest as he stepped forward and peered at what he had struck. Redblood only smashed the ‘two ears’ which in fact were just two dark leaves. Rubbing his eyes with spittle, he thought to himself to keep alert and to act more controlled. A sudden mumble behind him sent Redblood spinning around to see about ten paces far, a lump hanging in the trees. Stealthily moving towards it, he found out that it was not just a simple apparition. It was Lufang!

Lufang was hog-tied and suspended into the trees with a single rope as he felt his gag loosen up. Redblood came into view with wondering eyes, as Lufang warned him in a rasping whisper.

“Beware... beware... cat... black.....” He managed to cough out as the light from his eyes dimmed out forever. Redblood, one who was not easily frightened, cursed underneath his breath and attempted to seek his way out. It seemed as if he was going in circles until he came upon a small leafy opening. Stepping forward, he gave a yelp as the ground caved in and he fell into a burrow.

Redblood came to a thud when he realized that this was it. Looking up, the hole had been dug like a bowl. The top was small, while the room itself was rather spacious. It was set out from end to end about fifty to sixty paces with nothing in it. Redblood leaped to a wall and attempted to dig his claws in to climb out, but the shape of the pit and the darkness caused him to fall backwards. Muttering, he decided to stay in the center as there was little moonlight shining through, and if he went to the end of the cave, it would be pitch black. As Redblood leaned on his mace, a dangerously soft voice drifted towards him.

“Oh, Rrredblooooood! Come, come... can ye nae get out?” A tall well-toned body of a wildcat emerged from the shadows. “The only way out... issss thrrrrough me!” A mild sliding sound came forth as she drew her long-sword and faced Redblood with it.

Redblood arrived to his senses and brandished his mace, whirling it around in intricate patterns, then springing forward striking downwards towards the cat. But, the wildcat was not there. In one move, she performed many actions. She crouched down into a half-kneeling position while sliding to the side of Redblood. Bringing her long-sword in a horizontal position, she slashed across at Redblood’s lower side-chest. Redblood gasped as he felt the mace fall from his out-stretched paws, when the cold steel sliced through him. Fallinig onto his knees, he seized at his wound in wonder. However the wildcat was not done. She was behind him now, and stood upwards to slowly circle him so that he was facing her. The long-sword’s tip wavered none while it was softly placed on his nose.

“Sampetra will naever fall to the likes o’ye... Sampeeetraaaaa!!!!” The fox had time for one last whimper, as the blade whistled through the air and cleaved into him, severing his head completely from his neck. Bloodbane, the victorious wildcat, sighed as she wiped off the blood from her long-sword and kicked aside the body. She picked up the detached head by the ears and shoved it into a bag, then grabbed the mace. Searching the wall, she found the plank and tore it off in a mighty pull. It revealed a tunnel which she crawled through and reached the top. Bloodbane untied the carcass of Lufang, took care of it and threw it into the pit with the other cadaver. She had one last duty which she wearily set upon.

Boss Neazlu arose early in the morning. A malodorous stench greeted him as he stepped out of his make-shift cabin. His eyes bulged slightly at the sight which welcomed him. On two sturdy stakes driven into the ground, right outside his lodging were impaled the cold heads of Lufang and Redblood. Angrily beckoning for two of his beasts to remove of it, one of them found a small bark-peice and read it out loud.

Disband and leave the Isle of Sampetra or the fate of Lufang and Redblood shall be the same as yours!

The other beast dropped the heads in fright, when he saw two small flat coins tumble out of the remains’ jaws. The whole band of Boss Neazlu watched ominously in a silent stupor as the coins spun and spun and finally came to a halt. On the face, was a large B with a slash through it. Then, coming out of their daze, the craven beasts ran awry anywhere... far from the danger.

“Ublaz, ‘errre the mace of Rrredblood....” Ublaz nodded slightly in approval as the wildcat presented the mace. After reading the report, he discharged Bloodbane, who returned to her dwelling, to rest up for the next mission or whatever it takes to serve Ublaz.

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