Rangertale, Chapter 1: Embark.
#1 of Rangertale
A little tale about two anthro bears, Rumelis and Mels, and their adventures as Arlen Rangers. My first furry-related story. And, as with everything, an expiriment for me personally.
Rangertale Chapter 1
Embark
Rumelis awoke earlier than usual that day. The sun shone bright blue on the plains, blinding anyone looking upwards for too long. Rumelis changed, got his equipment, and started moving towards the commandant's tent for his first mission.
He had been training for around six years now, after leaving House Ironclaw back in the cities. His induction to the Arlen Rangers was a sad day for many of his kin, who were sure he would fit better in court, but Rumelis had long been spellbound with the romantic stories of war he read as a child. His passion had gotten him to training, but now his first mission was here, for better or worse.
He addressed the Commandant briefly, who returned the greeting and then began briefing. As a first mission, this was relatively easy- he was to scout a large area of forest already known to the Rangers and search for any anomalies. After making a full report he was to return to base. Rumelis would be traveling with another Ranger, a veteran named Mels. A white-furred Ursan woman stepped into the room soon after Mels was mentioned.
"You called for me, Commandent? Am I the one to show the blueblood our way of life?"
There was quite a bit of contempt in her words, an anger barely hidden behind her calm face. The commandant rose and gave her some papers as well as an old leather map case, tightly sealed.
"Don't kill him, Mels. Hate him, sure, but remember that his family practically buys all our armor. Dismissed."
With that, the commandant left to the behest of the aging tacticians in the room behind him. As soon as they left earshot of the commandant's tent, Mels stared Rumelis in the eyes, stopping him.
"Listen, blueblood. I am your superior, you are a rookie, and no special requests or complaints will change that. You are to follow my orders without question. And if you disagree with that don't think I can't kill you- anyone can die in those woods, and no legal shit is stopping me. Understand?"
This was not the military Rumelis knew. He had grown up with an army where there were heroes, tacticians, and, well, everyone else- and that final group never did much. After a brief pause he agreed to Mels' terms, though he wished for a more amicable comrade in arms to travel with.
"You could call me Rumelis, though. We are comrades in arms, even if you hate me..."
Mels seemed outraged at even the thought of Rumelis- the pretentious "blueblood"- even uttering a word. She did not reply to his request, that would show respect for scum.
"You will prepare, blueblood, I will inspect your gear and probably find issues with it. When it is finally sufficient, we will embark."
The two of them went their separate ways to prepare for the mission. After some time, Rumelis returned, carrying a rather light pack along with some other gear. Mels had already arrived, looking impatient. She began to rifle through his things, feigning boredom to hide surprise at his preparedness. It seems he had some intelligence... No, that was giving him too much, he was clearly just a good memorizer. Only one thing seemed out of place, the swords at his belt.
"Blueblood. This is a peaceful mission. Why the swords?" She motioned to the sabre and rapier sheathed at his belt. "They'll only weigh you down."
"I like to keep them around. I've been in the woods before, I know the dangers."
"Surely a regulation knife and bow would be better. Come now, a blade? Only useful against other Kindred. No beast fears that blade, a beast would knock you down and kill you."
"They're useful, I swear-"
"Ugh, fine, blueblood. If you slow down from the added weight don't expect me to wait for you. Now let's go. Our starting site is a few days east, then we're in wilderness."
With that Rumelis and Mels headed out into the forest. The farmers called this place Warden's Woods, after the Rangers, and it was probably the safest bit of forest in Arlas. The unlikely pair of Rangers spent their two days traveling here mostly in silence, avoiding conversation as they walked among the gloomy trees. It was not until they reached the Ranger Post that they spoke again, and only then to report what they needed replaced. No, Rumelis and Mels did not speak until they were deep in the Fell Wood, named for beasts of shadow long since slain.
It was a night Rumelis could not sleep through. Something unsettled him somehow, and not just the unfeeling hatred of his comrade in arms.
He had heard a stick snap. Far off, sure, but risky. He carefully removed the sabre from its sheath, though he stayed lying down in wait, ears perked.
A branch rustled, a muffled curse. Mels awoke next to him, gave him a look of hate, and drew her knife. Both heard the voices in the dark.
"Blast these fekking trees, I cain't hardly see straight! Cain't even fekking piss."
"You're tellin' me, mate, I had my ass beat for drinkin' too much yesterday."
"Your arse beat? Not surprised..."
Two lupines were there, in light metal armor, though not armed. Mels and Rumelis stayed low, and moved closer to them. Mels spoke from the darkness, careful to avoid sudden movement.
"Be ye friend or foe? Answer or find death, armored men."
The lupines looked about, surprised. One of the two finally spoke up.
"Urrm, friend? Are you Arlen folks?"
Mels replied. "Rangers. Is that a problem?"
"Urrm, you see, my boss said I gotta fight Arlen people for... for... Oh yeh, for honor n' glory. 'Cept I think I just want more beer. Yuh won't kill me now, right? I don' have my weapons on me."
"Armoured one, who is your leader?"
"Guy they call Tull the Conqueror, really gud guy. Man, I gotta piss bad."
"Tull? Hmph. Thanks, armoured one. Do not speak of this or find death."
The two groups went their separate ways in the night. The rest of the night passed by easily.
Rumelis awoke to a yell, and armored lupines all around him.
"Enemies of Tull, lay down your weapons! We do not wish you harm!"
Mels was already awake, and replied. "Fuck that! You want us dead, and Ranger central knows why!"
"We'll see."
Their world went dark.
To be, of course, continued.
THE CAST (As we know it)
Rumelis
Black-furred Ursan with blue, deep eyes. Has a dark brown marking running from his nose to about halfway down his back. He is a duelist, slightly muscular but not amazingly fit. A member of the noble House Ironclaw, he has decided to join the Arlen Rangers to fight for his country. Naïve but brave.
Mels
A white-furred Ursan with amber eyes. No extra markings. She is strong, and agile, and bears scars from some battles. She prefers the classic Ranger knife and bow in combat. She dislikes nobles, refers to the as bluebloods, and distrusts them for reasons not quite yet explained. Strong and individual to the point of being aloof.
AUTHOR NOTES
Opinions? Suggestions? Typos? Tell me, please. I am by no means a professional writer, and even they make mistakes every now and again.
TL;DR EDITION
Rumelis meets Mels. Mels hates Rumelis. They go on a mission but get captured by a guy named Tull.
A Note On Furry Types
I feel like modern terms (anthro, furry, etc.) really mess with immersion, so I try to find substitutes that aren't that confusing. Bears are Ursans, Dogs and Wolves are Lupines, Felines are cats big and small, et cetera. Please tell me if a term is confusing- and maybe even help me out by suggesting a better term. Thanks!