CHAPTER 1 of The Sampetrian Wars A rat fidgeted nervously as a grappling hook came over the railing of the ship Wavecrest. They stood in ranks thirty wide and ten deep and were dressed in outfits of tough red leather. There were spearbeasts, swordbeasts and strange ones with long poles with two sharp spikes attached to either end. A tall Marlfox stood on the cabin roof surveying the other ship with his two weasel bodyguards. Another ship was attacking Captain Goldengfang's great trireme. Three hundred beasts stood on the upper deck and another two hundred of the veterans waited on the deck below. They would not be needed. A lit iron brazier was placed in front of the Captain and he was given a large crossbow with huge arrows. Each arrow was dipped in oil so when it passed through the fire it became a deadlymissile. Goldfang shot off five arrows in quick succession, four of them each hitting a sail and the last hitting the mast. A hail of arrows answered back slaying four hordebeasts and wounding another. A stationary balista was fired from the deck launching a huge fire bale packed with rock that his Emperor Ublaz had thought up. The missile struck the ship and created a gapping hole in its side. Screams rent the air as pieces of falling wood crashed down on unfortunate beasts. Ropes were let over the side to the survivors in the water. As the beasts climbed aboard they were immediately seized and thrown to the deck and beheaded. All 30 of them save the Captain of the ship. He was brought before Goldenfang to await his punishment for deserting from Sampetra…. CHAPTER 2 A black dog fox leaned against the doorjamb of the tavern on Sampetra's jetty, his own ship was anchored there, The Verminkeel. He pawed at the scar that ran down from the corner of his right eye to the middle of his muzzle. He wore a dark green tunic and tan pants. His main weapons was back on board his ship but now he had a wave bladed dirk with a bluish tint to the blade, much better for small bar fights and squabbles. Zilaco Wyndshard, the dog fox waited for one beast, a reddish-orange wildcat by the name of Nassia. A claw tapped him on the shoulder and he turned his head slightly and reaching for his dirk at the same time. A voice spoke softly,"I have come as you requested." Zilaco turned around to face the mercenary, Nassia. "Good" he replied coldly and then he beckoned for her to follow him into the tavern and out of the night. The tavern was crowded with yelling, fighting and cursing wave vermin. He passed the bar giving a small nod to the bartender and entered into a back room and pulled aside a tattered old rug, revealing an iron ring set in the wooden floorboards. He levered it out with a flat piece of stone and motioned for the wildcat to get in. The wildcat felt the cold, sharp steel of a sword pressed against her back, Zilaco had grabbed a sword when they came in. She wondered what this was about. The two marched down a narrow hallway where a couple of passages branched off into the darkness. "This must be the underground honeycomb of passages on the island." Nassia blinked in surprise as a large spacious cavern suddenly burst forth in firelight. Five monitor lizards filed out from a hidden passageway blocking the way back and another 10 surrounded a figure on a throne of smooth stone. Half a score of trident-rats lined the walls. The figure on the throne spoke, "You have done well Admiral Wyndshard" Zilaco bowed. Nassia gulped as she realised the only beast who could give Zilaco orders was the Emperor, and he was sitting right in front of her. Chapter 3 Emperor Ublaz spoke to Nassia, "You have heard of the large group of islands ten leagues to the south?" Nassia nodded they were in control of a large army of corsairs who refused to pay tribute to Ublaz. "Good, you will take Lieutenant Nightskar with you, he will be your second-in command. You will also take one hundred and fifty of your best soldiers with you, and just to make sure that everything goes smoothly, I am sending General Nighthood. He will command his own force of thirty soldiers but will have supreme command of this operation. Admiral Wyndshard will brief you on the mission outside this room." Another black fox emerged from the shadows. This must be Nightskar thought Nassia. This was a handsome looking fox. He had a scar across his right eye. He held a black bo with a poisoned curved sword on the top. Thrust in a scabbard at his side was a black onyx scimitar and tucked in the back of a jewelled belt was a black onyx dirk. A tall figure moved from behind the Emperor and stepped into the light. A tall Marlfox in a black leather tunic and loose black pants stood before Nassia and Zilaco. Overtop of the tunic he wore a light vest of chain mail. He had two cross-belts of throwing daggers strapped to his chest, a whip with small metal barbs was hooked to the side of his belt. He held a staff in his paws with an iron rod in the centre. He pressed a small button on it and a nine-inch blade sprung out of each end. Nassia gulped, here was another cold-eyed fighter. She had seen it in Zilaco and now Nighthood. Zilaco and Nighthood led Nassia and Nightskar into a dark stone cavern hidden by a revolving stone door. It was as dark a pitch till Nighthood struck steel to stone, a bright flame suddenly erupted and ran along the walls in a small fire gully set into the walls. A few large bags of gold and a map were the only things on a large trestle table in the centre of the room. Nighthood spoke, "The bags of gold are for you and your mercenaries, this amount will triple if you return" Nighthood bent over the chart and began to chart the journey with Nassia. CHAPTER 4 Bladepaw stretched and rolled out of the bed on her ship. She was a nice weasel. She had beautiful woodland brown fur and a cream underbelly. The sun shone off her deep brown eyes in the morning light as she donned a light coloured and loose sailor's shirt and a pair of black breeches. She looked over her small assortment of weapons and selected two daggers, a sabre and a small beautifully crafted dagger with a diamond tip. All over the island similar happenings were taking place. Bladepaw met one of her friends by the tavern, Cap'n Shandi Soulfire. They sat by the tavern together in the morning sunlight drinking fresh melon juice as they watched passers by. "So Bladepaw, you seen much o Anguris lately?" Shandi asked. Bladepaw thought reflectively on the past few days. She had seen the happy-crazed ermine hanging around the tavern and getting into trouble and grog fights. "Yeah he been in the tavern and stiff, going on about penguins and other such things. I swear his mother dropped him overboard and he hit a shark with his head!" A scuffle sounded and a figure went crashing through the door of the tavern. It was a spotted ermine. He landed on the soft grass outside the tavern and shook his fur spraying grog everywhere. He then straightened his fish shaped hat with the word Happy spelt on it in yellow letters. Bladepaw and Shandi went to investigate. The minute the entered that tavern they were set upon by a mob of screaming vermin wielding everything from swords to barstools. Admiral Bladepaw grabbed her two daggers and set about slashing and knocking out vermin with swift raps on the head with the handles of the daggers. Shandi picked up a broken table leg and hurled it like a knife across the room knocking out a rat that was sneaking up behind Bladepaw. She then swung up into the rafters and lashed out with both footpaws snapping one rat's neck and knocking out another. Rats started to back off after Bladepaw despatched of one on the end of her dagger. The vixen and weasel left the tavern Shandi grinned and commented to Bladepaw, "I always like a spot of action in the morning" A pair of eyes blinked once and the hurried away, a swift dark shadow in the morning sun. Bladepaw shook her head, something weird was going on on Sampetra CHAPTER 5 Nassia watched her crew of two hundred mercenaries; she had got more volunteers than she expected. A horn sounded and ten ranks of five deep smartly clad soldiers in black leather and sparkling chain mail. They were foxes and wolves. They were part of Nighthood's personal army. A tall black fox led the way clad exactly like the other except he held a staff that glowed on the end. "Weird" thought Nassia. Lieutenant Nightskar hailed the two parties from the flagship Bloodsprayer. "Welcome aboard Lieutenant Shadowfang, and you too Captain Nassia" the young fox smiled his fellow lieutenant and best matey Shadowfang had come aboard. This was going to be a fun voyage. A soft voice sounded behind Nassia "Well are your fighters ready?" She turned around to be starring directly into the ice blue eyes of Nighthood. She was startled for a moment then quickly regained her composure and replied,"Yes General, they are all here." "Good" "Alright Captain, get the crew standing by and the sails furled out." Nighthood spoke to the weasel. Cap'n Bracken was your rough and tough Captain. She wore a black barret and combat boots. She was well known over Sampetra with her skill with a whip and fencing sabre. The weasel grinned mischievously and flashed out her whip hitting the helm and turning the rudder. The sails filled out and the two ships set outto sea. Nighthood called all the officers to his cabin for a Council of War. "Alright we are headed to the Lone Islands. Admiral Goldenfang had pledged loyalty to the Emperor but ran off after a short time with four ships with a crew each of fifty bests. This must be stopped otherwise we will lose every beast loyal to Ublaz. We captured one of the ships drifting offshore of an island. Unfortunately none of the crew were on board. Cap'n Brackers! Set course south-west by West." A knock sounded on the door and Lieutenant Shadowfang poked his head in. "Hate to break up the meetin' but we got a ship comin' in off the port side, and they ain't flyin' Sampetrian colours"