FSE

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XXII

Senseless Violence

The young rat waited beside the tree as the watervole continued to look around the forest. He felt the burning pain around his midriff again and winced as he lifted his tunic and groped his wound. He couldn't see very well in the dark, but as he brushed a couple fingers against the stab wound, he inhaled sharply, surprised that it still hurt to touch. The watervole turned around and looked at the rodent.

"Oi, don't pick at it! Yer gonna get an infection that way!" said Grustur.

Tegast blinked and lowered his clothing. "Sorry."

Grustur sniffed and turned back around, sniffing the air as his tiny ears wiggled. He scanned the environment, wondering if he'd find somebeast or something useful in the dark. He could make out the dark figures in the distance: very large trees that were great for climbing and most likely contained edible fruits. As he moved his footpaws around the ground, his toes and paw pads would brush across fresh leaves that had fallen from trees, a few roots planted deep inside the earth, and moist, soft mud that was wet from the nearby river. Grustur blinked a few times and crouched down, still sniffing the air as he detected something hostile nearby. The vole thought he heard a loud hiss, followed by leaves rustling and something traversing around in the dirt. The watervole waited a few more seconds before the rustling noises stopped, and the odd odor in the air began to go away. Grustur closed his eyes and sighed with relief.

"All right. False alarm mate!"

Grustur smiled as he stood up and turned around, but he didn't see Tegast standing behind him. He frowned and heard faint grunting noises.

"Tegast?"

Grustur walked beside the tree and found the supplies Tegast was carrying lying down on the ground. He heard another grunting sound and walked near the giant tree where he heard Tegast breathing softly. The watervole huffed heavily before he crouched down and smacked Tegast in the head.

"Hey, wake up!"

Tegast snorted and shook his head, blinking several times before he fully opened his eyes. "Huh? Y-yeah, I-I'm up mate. I'm up!"

Grustur chuckled. "Please. You were about to start snorin'!"

The brown rat sighed heavily before he grunted and stood back up. He crouched down and picked up the large sack containing Grustur's supplies while Grustur picked up the second sack and hauled it over his back.

"Still ain't used to traveling at night, are ya?"

Tegast sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Before I met you, I always moved durin' the day. Made it easier to spot other beasts, any traps on the ground, food, all that stuff."

"Yeah, but you said you an' yer family were in a tribe together, weren't you?"

"That's right."

"And your tribe never traveled at night?"

"Not really. We only went at night whenever we were in trouble or on the run. Sometimes if we had enough lanterns and spent all day resting and eating, we'd travel when it got dark."

"An' your group made a lot more progress at night, didn't ya?"

Tegast shrugged. "I guess. If by 'progress' you mean we covered more land."

Grustur smiled. "That's the point mate! While all them beasts are snuggled up in their cots or in their trees or wherever they sleep at night, we're out here, wandering about an' evading anybeast who would normally be awake! Pirates, rogues, them lizards chasin' after you, mercenaries even--they're all sleepin' right now!"

"We still gotta worry 'bout owls, an' vampire bats an' other nocturnal beasts."

"Bah, they won't bother us! And vampire bats? Don't be silly, Teg! You know them things don't exist!"

"I think they said that about wolverines too. I take it you never heard of Gulo the Savage."

Grustur didn't answer, in large part because he didn't want to think about running into such a fearsome beast. So the duo stayed silent for the next few minutes, walking around the ground slowly as their footpaws squished around in the mud beside the river. Tegast entertained himself by kicking a few rocks around, smiling as a few of them splashed in the water. It didn't take long before the rat sighed out of boredom and resumed chatting with the watervole.

"Since yore a thief, I s'pose you don't have many friends."

Grustur smirked. "Kinda hard to make friends when you steal from most of 'em!"

"Soooooo were you like me? Did you travel with beasts in a tribe or group, like nomads?"

"Of course I did. Used to be in a clan of thieves, all professionals like me! We always had this code: only steal from beasts when we absolutely had to. But this was before I got interested in stealin' treasures."

"Wot happened to 'em?"

Grustur paused. "Otters. Uh...we pissed off the wrong beasts and they punished us. Fiercely. I s'pose it was bound to happen, but still...it hurt after I lost 'em."

"How'd you escape?"

Grustur exhaled and changed the subject. "It's a lot easier for me to be alone, pup."

"But I thought you said you don't like to be alone all the time?"

"I don't! But, uh, I don't like being so...close."

"Wot d'you mean?"

"Uhhhh..." Grustur chuckled again. "You'll, uh, you'll understand later."

Tegast blinked and asked a different question. "D'you have any family?"

"I used to."

"Did you leave 'em or...?"

Grustur sighed. "No."

"So did they--"

"Listen, Teg...let's just walk for now, hmm? Embrace the silence."

Tegast's ears lowered. "Oh. Sure, I guess that's okay."

The rat and watervole resumed walking along the river for a few more minutes, stopping occasionally whenever one or both of them heard anything suspicious. But it always turned out to be nothing, or merely the sound of fish splashing in the river or birds flapping their wings near the trees. Grustur rubbed his nose as he listened to the water babbling quietly.

"Fuck, this is boring. Never mind--feel free to ask more questions, Teg!"

"Okay...a mate of mine told me about somethin' called anilingus once. D'you know wot that is?"

Grustur shut his eyes and let out a long snicker before he turned around and grinned at the young rat. "It's gonna be fun travelin' with you, I can tell!"

---

Stanno was still sleeping, trying to forget about his frustrations, about being lonely, about constantly masturbating in his spare time just to relieve his sexual tensions. He knew it wouldn't be long before he was home. It'd be over soon--it had to be. Stanno breathed heavily, still thinking about coming home, listening to his son laughing as he jumped up and embraced him. He thought about camping with his family, with his neighbors, all the hares gathering together so they could relax and eat all their tasty vittles and long-prepared foods in peace. He thought about lying in a field of flowers with his wife, looking up at the clouds and counting the butterflies that flew past their faces or landed perfectly on their noses. He imagined waking up to the smell of his wife's fur and the sound of his son constantly shouting at him to get up as he poked him, instead of the smell of over a dozen hares in desperate need of a bath, and the sound of vermin hissing and growling as they slowly crept inside his tent. Stanno suddenly stirred in his sleep, and then his eyes opened up at the last second.

And then he shouted as he threw himself off his bed, mere seconds before a ferret stabbed him in the chest. Stanno started to panic, taking note of the other vermin that was starting to head inside the tent. He reached backwards as he started to crawl along the ground, grasping his sabre just as the ferret tried to attack again. The hare quickly swung his weapon at the vermin's stomach, revealing his innards. Stanno immediately got on his footpaws and shouted as he shoved the creature's body forward, knocking him into the other assailant. The other ferret grunted and gurgled as Stanno swiftly ran his sabre through both beasts, stabbing them in the chest. The panting hare removed his weapon from the two vermin with a wet squelch before he heard a few screams from outside. Stanno exited the tent and swore when two arrows nearly took off his ears, the shafts whizzing past his face. Stanno grunted when an otter nearly shoved him out of the way, and a few seconds later, he found a weasel chasing after the aquatic creature. Stanno instinctively swung his sabre at the beast and sliced his midriff in half before kicking the beast down. The otter stopped sprinting and turned around, breathing heavily as he looked at the hare.

"Th-thank you!"

"Wot the fuck's goin' on?!"

The otter shook his head. "I dunno! I-I think it's the Red Sand tribe! They just snuck in a few minutes ago an' started killin' everybeast!"

"Where did the--"

Stanno ducked and rolled along the ground after somebeast threw a spear at him, the weapon landing by his footpaws.

"Gah, just get the others and find a safe place to hide! GO!"

The otter nodded and ran off, looking for other Tearmannians to bring to safety. While he went to go look for more survivors, Stanno sprinted out into the open, taking note of the various tribal members dressed in shaggy clothing and hauling innocent beasts out of their tents. Some of them were killed on the spot, while others were tormented for a brief moment, the assailants cutting off limbs or other sensitive body parts before leaving their victims to bleed out. The hare was about to run out and rescue a few of them when he heard another thunk and rolled backwards as another spear landed near his footpaws. Stanno heard the soft twang of wire vibrating; he looked up at the guard towers and could see that the vermin already took them over, the archers launching their shafts at the innocent beasts. Stanno ran towards the tower, hiding beneath it as three tribal members started to run after him. He turned around and blocked two attacks with his sabre before he braced himself against the wooden structure. Two stoats snarled as they attacked simultaneously, swinging their cutlasses down to try and cave his head in. Stanno ducked and swiped his sabre at the vermin's legs.

They both hopped in the air and dodged his attack, whilst Stanno found himself shouting and crawling beneath the guard tower to get away. One of the stoats crawled in after him and swung his cutlass again. Stanno quickly side-stepped him and shoved the beast against the small logs that held the primary segments of the tower in place. The vermin grunted as the cutlass got stuck in the wood, and Stanno raised his sabre, ready to slice his head off. The hare shrieked when the other stoat stuck his paws through the wooden steps and yanked on his ears. Stanno dropped his sabre and found himself gurgling as the stoat wrapped his arm around his throat. As the hare began to choke, a third member of the tribe crouched beneath the tower as well, walking towards Stanno while carrying a rapier. Stanno desperately lashed out at the ferret, kicking her in the stomach before he reached behind and tried to claw out the stoat's eyes. He only succeeded in scratching his face; the ferret recovered from Stanno's kick and was already starting to walk towards him again. The stoat choking him shouted and let go when somebeast threw a spear into his spine; Stanno gasped as he breathed in fresh air.

And then he side-stepped the ferret as she tried to run him through with her rapier. Stanno rolled backwards and retrieved his sabre, just in time for the other vermin to wrench the cutlass out of the wood. All three beasts began to fight simultaneously, with Stanno panting and grunting as he waved his weapon up, down, left and right. The swords clanged and sent sparks into the air whenever they made contact, and Stanno would occasionally punch or kick one of the assailants whenever he saw an opportunity. Stanno focused more on evading the ferret--the lithe creature knew every which way to twist and curve her body to avoid his attacks, while the stoat seemed to be attacking him in a desultory pattern. Stanno screamed when the ferret's rapier almost nicked his left side, and then he grunted when the stoat grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the thick column placed under the center of the tower. The hare crouched down when the stoat swiped his cutlass at him, but it only made contact with the wood. The tribal member swore loudly as the metal became stuck again.

Stanno drove his sabre into the base of his skull before he reached down and removed a dagger from his waistsash. He jerked around and tossed the weapon into the ferret's face, silencing her forever. The panting hare rubbed some of the sweat from his brow before he emerged from beneath the tower. And then he shouted and swore as three arrows nearly struck him in the face. He pressed his back against the tower again, glancing over and realizing that another guard tower had been taken over too.

"Somebeast take out the archers! Now!" he ordered.

But two beasts were already on it. The Crowslayer did not intend on losing too many more beasts after what happened back in Blackheart's fortress. The leader of the Shadows wanted his hares to be even more furtive and deadly than they were before. The Northlander, Errol, was climbing up the side of one tower, while Dusk was swiftly moving up the other side. One of the ferrets inside the tower could see the hare moving up the wooden bars and took out his cutlass, getting himself ready. Errol dug into his clothing and removed a blowpipe before he carefully inserted a dart inside. Errol waited for one of the vermin to look down and aim an arrow at him or one of the other soldiers. When he did, Errol blew hard, and the dart hit the vermin in the neck. He shouted and quickly backed away, dropping his bow and arrow as he grasped his neck. The ferret started to breathe heavily, his body convulsing as he felt his throat closing up on him. He gasped and made choking noises until they turned into tiny squeals. One of the ferrets turned and tried to help the dying beast, just in time for Dusk to climb into the tower. He threw one of his knives at the third ferret before sprinting over to the second one and driving his two daggers into his neck.

Dusk blinked as he listened to the beast gurgling on his own blood before he removed his weapons and kicked the ferret out onto the ground below. He flicked his eyes at the ferret lying on his side, foaming at the mouth as his throat shut completely. By the time Errol got into the tower, the poison had already done its job. The Northlander looked down at the dead ferrets and kicked one of them in the back.

"Fuckin' scum. Guid thing ah got mah darts on paw, eh, Dusky?"

Dusk moved his head and blinked.

"Yeah, ah know mate! Yew go on out an' save them trekkers down there. Ah'll be up 'ere, testin' out this new crossbow ah just found!"

Dusk grabbed the brown hare's tunic and shook his head.

"Oh, did ah say save them trekkers? Hmph, ah meant kill them vermin so they don't do it fer us! Been a loooooooong fuckin' time since Urthshit actually needed us fer somethin'."

Dusk didn't respond. He climbed out of the tower, breathing inaudibly as he made his way to the ground with only his daggers and throwing knives on paw. Dusk witnessed all the carnage happening before him and blinked. Then he stepped backwards until he was submerged in the darkness. Dusk crouched down and waited inside his one true ally, knowing it would never betray him. He saw a rat running through the community, panting as he reached backwards and tried to take out another arrow from his quiver. But the rodent swore upon realizing he was out of ammo, and he quickly ran into a dark section of the woods to hide. As he hid, he abandoned his quiver and bow, taking out his dagger instead. He didn't hear Dusk creeping up behind him, nor did he have enough time to scream before Dusk drove one of his daggers into the back of his neck. The hare changed positions, making sure not to step on any leaves or twigs as he traversed around in the darkness. The hare froze and crouched down as he came across two more vermin, one of whom was dragging a wounded weasel out to cover. The female weasel panted as she looked down at the male one, breaking off the two shafts that were stuck inside his torso and chest.

Dusk quietly snuck behind the female weasel and grabbed her head, jerking it around so hard that her neck popped in multiple places. Dusk shoved her body aside before he looked down at the wounded weasel. He blinked twice and turned around, paying no attention to him. Then he moved his right footpaw backwards just far enough so he could plant it on the weasel's neck. The weasel started to make brief choking noises, lifting his paws to try and shove Dusk's footpaw off his throat. But he was too weak from the arrow wounds to do much of anything but wait for the inevitable. Dusk never looked back. He didn't even exhale or make any form of movements. The dark gray hare just waited until the weasel stopped moving, and then he took his footpaw away and resumed staring at the scene in front of him. Angus Renhym was on top of a young corporal, grinning widely as he stuck a dagger into his mouth. Dusk watched as the weasel sliced the corporal's tongue in half. The dark gray hare blinked and rubbed his nose, still waiting in the shadows as he observed Enston Tekwyn drowning in his own blood.

Dusk didn't move or try to save him. He only waited until he passed on into the Dark Forest. And then he went back to moving around silently in the darkness...

---

Lieutenant Hollis Brennly stared at the brutish thug in front of him with a grin on his face. The immense wearet was already tired from swinging his double-headed axe so many times. His clothing was riddled with sweat, and the giant beast was panting from exhaustion. The chubby medic had no idea how the group of vermin managed to tame a wearet, but he didn't fear it. There was no need to. The giant wearet roared, spraying spittle from his gaping maw, before he swung his axe in a downward motion. Hollis took two steps back and watched as the axe landed in the soil, nearly getting stuck in the process. Then Hollis shouted as he ran forward and used one of his daggers to slice the wearet's right arm wide open. The drooling beast roared in pain before he grabbed Hollis with his left paw. The hare started to gasp and choke, but he didn't panic. As he was hauled off the ground, the lieutenant stabbed him in the other arm, slicing down his thick limb until blood began to squirt from the gaping wounds. The wearet roared in Hollis' face and was about to tear his jaw from his body when he snorted twice and shook his head.

The wearet made a confused grunting noise when he found his grip on Hollis' throat weakening. He dropped the hare, who proceeded to cough a few times, before he looked at his arms and the profuse amounts of blood squirting out of the wounds. The wearet started to sway, shaking his head to wake himself up as he became more and more indignant. He bent over to grab his axe, only to find himself breathing heavily as he tried to remove it from the ground. By the time he finally picked it up, he was moaning and moving like a befuddled searat who drank too much grog. His eyelids became heavy, and all the wearet could hear was the sound of the thick blood dripping from his arms onto the ground. His axe fell free from his paw, and then the massive beast collapsed. The hare chuckled after slaying the mighty beast and shouted as two ferrets tried to ambush him. They both came at him from the front before they split apart, going left and right. Hollis swore and found himself ducking, rolling along the ground as he removed his sabre from its sheath. The three beasts started fighting each other, with Hollis having the clear advantage.

The hare swung his sword against one ferret's weapons a few times before he reached over and took out a dagger with his left paw. Hollis raised his right arm and blocked one attack before thrusting his left arm forward, stabbing the ferret in his midriff with the dagger. He immediately spun around and started to toy with the other ferret, parrying his strong, sluggish movements with ease. The two beasts paused for a moment and stared at each other, panting softly. Then the ferret shouted as he took a throwing knife out of his waistsash and tossed it at the medic. In the time it took to blink, Hollis ducked, allowing the knife to go in-between his ears. Then he charged forward and stabbed the ferret in the groin, causing the vermin to shriek in agony. Hollis quickly silenced the ferret by slashing his throat, sidling out the way so he wouldn't get too much blood on his white coat. Hollis sniffed the air and scowled; he turned around, expecting to see another member of the tribe trying to creep behind him.

"Fer fuck's sake, Lakler! Don't sneak up behind me like that; I almost perforated your larynx, wot!"

Lakler raised an eyebrow. "You wot?"

Hollis huffed. "Nothin'. Where the hell's Urthquake?"

"Ah dun--" Lakler grunted when somebeast threw a spear at him, nearly tearing off part of his tunic. The smelly hare removed the spear from the ground and chucked it properly, impaling one of the spear throwers in her chest. "Ah dunno mate! Prob'ly pissed off like ah am! Wot kinda tribe ambushes ye when yer attendin' a romp?!"

"A smart tribe, that's wot. We gotta drive 'em all outta Tearmann 'afore they slaughter all of these goodbeasts! Check the orchards--I'll stay over here!"

Lakler nodded. "Ah'm on it!"

The two hares split up; Hollis headed for the main hall while Lakler sprinted towards the orchard. He found Rubus Baccus still protecting a few Tearmannians, although when the dark brown hare saw him, he was on top of a stoat smashing his face in with his hammer. Lakler saw another stoat preparing to toss his spear at the hedgehog and acted quickly. The hare tossed one of his daggers at the vermin's chest before sprinting towards him and retrieving his dagger and the spear. Lakler shouted as he stood up and held the spear in front of his face, blocking an incoming attack from a weasel. The scruffy creature split the spear in half, sending tiny wood fragments all over Lakler's face. The hare backed away and started to fend off the weasel with the broken weapon. He panted and hopped into the air twice before he spun his body around and kicked the weasel in the jaw. Lakler spun again, this time jamming the broken spear with the pointed edge into the creature's torso. The vermin shouted and fell to his knees, giving Lakler time to jam the other half of the spear into the vermin's left eye.

Lakler gasped when a ferret crept behind him from some of the berry bushes and jerked his head backwards. She swiftly raised her dagger and held it near his throat. Lakler's lightning-fast reflexes saved him, as he raised his left paw and grabbed the dagger's blade just before his throat was sliced open. The hare swore as he felt the blade digging into his flesh, tearing right through the paw and almost going down to the bone. Lakler jerked his head backwards three times, making the ferret shout as the hare broke her nose. She backed away and loosened her grip on the dagger, giving the beast enough time to grab it, turn around, and slash the ferret's throat open. Lakler winced as he felt the burning sensation in his left paw, knowing it'd leave an indelible scar. His instincts kicked in again, and Lakler found himself ducking and turning around as a rat ran towards him with two cutlasses in paw. Lakler crouched down and picked up the dead ferret's sword before the beasts swung their weapons at each other simultaneously. Lakler started to grunt and step backwards as the three swords locked. The rat grunted as he tried to overpower Lakler, his swords scraping noisily and emitting a few sparks. Lakler found himself slowly backing away as he grit his teeth and held the sword firmly.

The rat got so close to Lakler's face that he could see some of the food stuck in-between his teeth. Seeing no other option, Lakler opened his mouth and exhaled in the rodent's face. The rat's eyes grew wide for a moment before he gagged and backed away, coughing and covering his nose with an arm. Lakler saw an opportunity and took it, ramming his sword into the rat's chest before taking it back out and slicing the beast's head off. The noisome hare closed his eyes and let out a huge breath before he looked around the orchard and noticed how much quieter it was. The survivors were panting and sweating, double-checking to make sure all the vermin on the ground were really dead.

"Everybeast awright?" asked the panting hare.

The creatures around the orchard nodded or sat down hard, taking a brief moment to breathe. Rubus groaned as he stood up, wincing and feeling a nasty gash around his midriff.

"That's gonna leave a nasty mark," he mumbled.

Lakler looked around Tearmann. "This ain't the time tae relax! There's vermin still 'round the main buildin'! Split up in groups an' push 'em all back--they'll retreat if'n they see their numbers dwindlin'!"

Rubus panted as he held his giant hammer. "So long as I get to smash more skulls!"

The beasts all broke off into their appropriate groups, sprinting out into the courtyard to assist the fellow hares and Tearmannians in need. But the Red Sand tribe was starting to take heavy casualties. They were losing more beasts than the Tearmannians, and dozens of their opponents were finding the will to fight back. The medics Penjo and Ruula were holding their ground, with the otter being the more offensive of the two. Ruula panted and snarled as she stepped forward, sweating as she wildly swung her twin swords at the rat and stoat in front of her. She swung her left sword down and sliced open the rat's kneecap before jerking to her right and slicing the stoat's head off with both swords. By the time the rat was starting to get back on his footpaws, Ruula was already eviscerating him, watching as his intestines slowly emerged from his torso and plopped onto the ground with a wet squelch. Ruula gasped when she saw two hedgehogs go down and scowled as she looked up at one of the guard towers. Vexed, Ruula took a bow and quiver from a dead hare's body and notched an arrow to the bow. She aimed at one of the vermin who procured the tower, slowly shutting one eye, before she let the arrow fly and hit one of the vermin in the chest.

Penjo was staying in one area, fending off the vermin with either her sling or the scimitar she had found during her travels around the world. She saw one ferret driving a spear into a mole's throat and promptly launched a hard stone at his temple. She glanced to her left and spotted another vermin biting out an otter's throat; she fitted another stone to her sling and fired, letting the stone crack against the beast's jaw. Then the hedgehog turned around and saw three beasts approaching her. One of them stood still, growling and holding a huge broadsword, while the other two began to circle around the hedgehog, blocking her in a triangle. The hogmaid held her scimitar firmly before muttering to herself at which one she should take out first. The two weasels struck first, both swinging their swords at the hedgehog in an attempt to behead her. Penjo turned her back for a brief moment and blocked the attacks before she heard the heavyset rodent behind her snarl and lift his broadsword high. The hogmaid hopped to her right as the rat hit the ground and immediately spun around with his broadsword at chest height. Penjo panted as she backed away and the rat stopped himself before he got too dizzy and fell over.

But Penjo didn't plan on waiting any longer. She ran for the large rat, slicing at his chest before sprinting behind him and crouching down, spinning around and cutting into the creature's Achilles tendons. The rat screamed horribly and found his broadsword falling from his paws while Penjo continued to fight the other two vermin. Both of them were large and carrying giant swords, but the hedgehog only had a sling and scimitar on her, making her much more lightweight compared to the vermin. She found herself rolling and ducking out the way with ease, and it only took her seconds before she was behind her foes. She swung her sword down one of the vermin's backs, almost cutting through the spine, before she swiped her sword across the other vermin's face, cutting his eyeballs in half. Penjo grimaced when she heard the creature hollering as blood squirting from his maimed eyes. She put the creature out of his misery by slitting his throat, seconds before she saw the heavyset rat panting and crawling for his broadsword.

"I don't think so," she growled.

By the time the rat grabbed his giant weapon, Penjo was already crouching down and placing her scimitar against his neck. As she swiftly slashed the vermin's throat, she glanced in the distance and spotted Honward and Tike Bonson trying to fend off a large group of beasts. Both hares found themselves panting and grunting as they slowly stepped backwards toward the foundation of one of the buildings. Honward roared as he drove his sabre into a rat's mouth, jerking it downwards and splitting his mandible in half. Tike stumbled over part of a smashed fence and shouted as he landed on his back. The stoat driving him backwards hopped over the fence with his spear pointed down. Tike rolled out the way before he swung his arm back around and chopped off the stoat's left footpaw. The stoat shouted and collapsed, which led to Tike stabbing him twice in the stomach. When the young corporal got back up, he grunted and dropped his sword, feeling a sharp pain in his side.

"TIKE!"

The corporal looked down and spotted the arrow that found its way into his midriff. Tike let out a wheezing gasp before he saw another stoat rushing towards him with a crossbow. The corporal ducked as he fired and picked up his sword again. He mustered enough strength to swing his sword at the stoat and slice off a few fingers, then he struck the stoat in the neck, driving the blade into his neck as though he were trying to decapitate him. The stoat gurgled up a fountain of blood before both beasts collapsed. Tike gritted his teeth as he broke the arrow and tried to pull it out. Honward tried to aid his friend, but the vermin had him backed into a corner now. He knew it was only a matter of time before one of them got lucky and dealt the finishing blow.

"You always did need somebeast to pull yer arse outta the fire," said Morson.

Tike looked up and saw Morson picking up the dead stoat's crossbow, firing it at the group of vermin who backed Honward up into a corner. He hit one in the back of the neck before fitting another bow to the weapon and firing again. By the time the group figured out what was happening, Honward was fighting back again, thrusting his weapon into another vermin's back. Tike breathed heavily as he stood up and hobbled his way towards a dark corner near the building, gritting his teeth as he attempted to remove the broken shaft again.

"DON'T! Jus' leave it in, Corporal! Don't need you bleeding out all over the ground, wot!"

Tike huffed when he saw the chubby medic sprinting towards him, with blood splattered across his face and coat.

"It ain't bad, is it?"

Lieutenant Hollis inspected the wound and the length of the shaft very quickly and blinked. "Don't look like it hit any organs. Just stay put! I'll get it out properly in a moment!"

The medic turned around and sighed with exasperation as he witnessed more vermin walking towards them.

"These buggers don't quit, do they?"

---

He crept around meticulously, waiting until he spotted the perfect prey. The weasel breathed heavily, grinning and giggling to himself as he played with the knives in his paws. Angus could see him now: the brown hare with a green collar on his coat, laughing in the face of his opponents as he slew Red Sand members left and right. Jadden and a few other hares were surrounding him, fighting alongside the hare as the weasel began to scan the area.

"Get back to the guard towers! We gotta take out the h'archers 'afore they get the upper paw!"

"On it!" shouted Jadden.

Four of the hares began to sprint towards the guard towers, while one stayed alongside Harstow to help him clear out the area. They started to search around the woods and bushes, knowing full well that somebeast was hiding in the shrubs. Angus Renhym licked his lips as he gripped his knives firmly. He waited until both hares were close enough before he emerged from the bushes, throwing a knife at the hare standing beside Harstow and hitting him in the forehead.

"GOTCHA!"

Harstow raised his sword, but Angus was swifter, already hopping in front of Harstow and jamming one of his knives into the hare's stomach. Harstow shouted and dropped his sword before Angus slammed his body into the hare's, pinning the beast against one of the trees. Panting, the weasel removed his knife and stabbed the hare in his abdomen three times, puncturing some of his organs. Harstow groaned as he felt the blood running down his stomach and tried to press his thumbs into the weasel's eye sockets. Angus head-butted Harstow before he removed his knife again and shoved it into the hare's groin. Harstow let out a bellowing cry as the weasel ruptured one of his testicles and nearly sliced his member in half. The weasel hissed in Harstow's face before he backed away and let the lieutenant fall to the ground. Harstow groaned as he groped his bloody crotch, whimpering and panting as he tried to crawl towards his sabre. Angus began to drool, staring at the hare's bottom as he moved sluggishly against the ground. The weasel slowly approached the hare and crouched down, stabbing the hare in the groin again. Harstow shrieked as he fell down, with one of his testicles dangling from his scrotum, ready to fall off.

Angus got on top of the hare, pinning him down as he drooled all over his back and neck. Angus leaned forward, exhaling and running his knife against the back of the hare's head. Harstow shut his eyes and whimpered as he smelled the weasel's rotten breath and felt the blood-soaked knife in-between his ears.

"Such a shame I can't have more time with you..." growled Angus.

Angus lifted his knife high into the air, his whole body shaking. Harstow managed to scream one last time before Angus jammed his knife into the back of his skull. As Angus heard the bones crunching and the blood squelching, he shuddered and shouted vocally, still drooling all over the hare's head as his body kept shaking. Harstow's body twitched a few times as Angus started to twist and turn the blade, his groin planted firmly on Harstow's rump as he saw more blood spewing from the head wound. After Harstow's body stopped twitching, Angus let out a soft, shuddering breath and wrenched his knife so hard that the blade broke off, leaving it stuck within the lieutenant's skull. Angus looked at his broken knife and tossed it aside before he giggled and stood up, looking for more hares.

"Who else is next?"

---

The otter gurgled after the ferret slashed at his body, cutting him right down the middle. The ferret shoved the otter's body to the ground before she found the other otter clad in his purple tunic, spotted bandanna, and baggy trousers. Russell Galedeep glanced down at the otter's corpse before he sighed heavily and looked back up at the ferret.

"I see yore still workin' on them anger issues."

"Let's get this over with," said the ferret.

"You dun wanna sit down, share a cup of tea first? If I'm gonna stand 'ere an' address ye as a 'Lady,' you damn well better act like it."

The ferret scoffed. "After everything you did to me, to my tribe, and yer gonna stand there and joke about it?"

"Pssh! Don't act like yore tribe is fulla saints! I did the world a favour that day! Beasts should be buildin' a statue of me fer my heroic deeds!"

"Heroic huh?" Lady Sesslyn blinked and shook her head. "Take out yer swords. I wanna see just how 'heroic' you really are."

Russell removed the two swords from his back, grinning as he pointed them at the ferret. "I must warn ye, Lady Sesslyn, I'm much more skilled at sword fightin' than you are!"

"And yet you had the nerve to try and slay me in my sleep, as opposed to facing me like a true beast."

Lady Sesslyn and Russell started to walk around the ground carefully, making sure they kept their footing as they traversed around the soil, away from most of the chaos going on near the main hall.

"You looked so peaceful, m'dear! Didn't wanna disturb yer slumber!"

Russell attacked first, running towards the ferret before he swung his swords at the vermin. She parried his attack with ease and side-stepped him, letting the otter stumble forward and nearly trip. The otter quickly recovered and turned around, standing tall on his footpaws. Lady Sesslyn waited again, allowing Russell Galedeep to walk towards her quickly waving both swords erratically. The ferret moved her sword up and down, smacking at the otter's twin weapons while flicking her eyes down to watch the otter's movements. She backed away slowly, occasionally crossing her footpaws and turning at an angle before she found herself near one of the fences. The ferret looked down at the otter's footpaws again. Then she waited for Russell to swing both swords forward before she calmly stepped to her side. She kicked at Russell's right kneecap before grabbing the back of his head and slamming him against the fence. The otter shouted as the fence cracked and he scratched his chin. He shook his head and turned back around, panting heavily as blood trickled from his mouth. The ferret stared at the otter again, watching as he stepped towards her and raised his right arm high.

Lady Sesslyn glanced at the otter's left paw and the sword dangling from it. She sprinted forward and grabbed his left paw, smacking it away hard. Russell's eyes grew wide as he was taken aback by the maneuver. The next thing Russell knew, Sesslyn was slamming her head into his, and he had the breath in his lungs pushed out of him when the ferret kneed him in the groin. The ferret punched him in the temple, knocking him right back down to the ground. Lady Sesslyn watched as the otter coughed a couple of times and groaned as he held his crotch. The ferret rolled her eyes and huffed.

"No wonder why you tried to kill me in my sleep."

Russell glanced up at the ferret and scowled. He moved his paw around the ground slowly, moving his fingers along the dirt and gravel. Then he grabbed a large pawful and tossed it at the ferret's face. Sesslyn flinched and jerked her head backwards, panting and quickly rubbing the dirt from her eyes. When she opened them back up, she saw Russell running towards her with his swords in paw again. The ferret winced when Russell tore through her tunic, nicking her midriff enough so it would bleed. Sesslyn ignored the minor injury and resumed fighting the otter, glancing down at his footpaws while keeping an eye on the way he moved his swords. She backed up at first, letting the otter get the upper paw while she defended herself. Then Sesslyn spun around and pulled a knife from her waistsash. She threw it at Russell, causing him to shout and duck while Sesslyn charged forward and tried to sever his head off. The otter got behind the ferret this time, grinning as he started to run towards her. Sesslyn turned back around and defended herself, only to shout when Russell spat in her eyes. The otter tackled her down before he slashed her arm, making her scream as she loosened her grip on her sword.

"Y'see, dear Sesslyn? Isn't it much more comfortable down 'ere?"

Sesslyn shouted when Russell grabbed her head and got off her, gradually forcing the ferret to get on her knees. Russell held both swords against her throat, preparing to slice her head clean off if she tried anything. The otter chuckled as he slapped his thick tail on the ground a few times.

"Now that's where ye belong: on yore knees in front o' us goodbeasts! D'ya really think you'd best a proud, gallant creature such as I?"

The ferret didn't say anything. She glanced around the ground, looking for some kind of weapon to use against the otter.

"Hmph, wouldn't matter anyhow. No cunt ever got anywhere tryin' ta rule o'er other, stronger beasts like us males. Yer s'posed ta be suckin' our cocks an' bendin' o'er when we ask, remember?"

Russell lowered his swords and walked in front of Lady Sesslyn. Then he grabbed the back of her head and shoved it against his crotch, making her scowl when she smelled the otter's musk beneath his trousers.

"P'haps I shall remind ye again?"

Sesslyn gritted her teeth as she heard the otter chuckle. And then she reached over and snatched her fallen knife off the ground, using it to stab Russell in his side. The otter shouted moments before Sesslyn punched him in the groin, stood up, and punched him in the muzzle so hard that one of his teeth was knocked loose. The otter fell down, dropping his weapons in the process. Lady Sesslyn quickly retrieved them and started to stomp towards the otter as he slowly backed away.

"H-hey, hey, hey now! Let-let's not be too rash here!"

Sesslyn raised the swords. Russell raised his paws.

"C'mon! I-I was jus' foolin' 'round is all! I weren't gonna--"

"EULALIAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Lady Sesslyn raised an eyebrow and looked at the forest, hearing thunderous booming in the distance. Russell Galedeep's pitiful frown slowly merged into a devilish grin as he chuckled and stared at the ferret.

"Oh dear. Yore up shit's creek now m'dear! That there's a badger cry!"

The ferret scowled. "You're lying. You're just stallin' for time."

Russell shook his head. "Strange. I thought my nostrils would be filled with the stench o' ferret shit!"

"Stop--"

Russell found a rock on the ground and tossed it at the ferret's face. Lady Sesslyn shouted and flinched again, giving Russell just enough time to stand up and sprint away. The ferret snarled and gave chase, running after him as he disappeared into the chaotic battle taking place in front of the main building. The ferret was on the verge of finding him when she heard an ear-splitting crash, followed by a few screams. Lady Sesslyn flicked her eyes at one of the guard towers and noticed that it had toppled over. And standing right beside the fallen tower was a colossal beast that made her look minuscule in comparison. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at Urthquake the Tough, the bulky creature spreading his arms apart and roaring so fiercely she thought the beasts in the Dark Forest could hear him. Then she saw the beast's full power: an endless amount of fury and ire bottled inside an indestructible mass of flesh, bones, and muscles. Urthquake started to swing his axe around aimlessly, slicing various vermin into two parts. The ferret gasped as she saw multiple bifurcated vermin fly into the air, raining organs and blood down on the badger. Urthquake snarled and decapitated three rats before slicing off another's arms and splitting his head in half. Then he threw his axe horizontally, watching as the weapon spun around and chopped more beasts at the center.

She didn't even try to approach him--she knew better. Even Urthquake's own hares were backing away from him. Lady Sesslyn almost vomited; Urthquake was adroit with his bare paws and footpaws compared to his weapons. He picked up a stoat and opened his mouth wide, biting down on his skull so hard that he removed a chunk of his brain in the process. He spat the bone and meat out before he grabbed another stoat and effortlessly pulled one of his arms off, the limb squelching and popping as it was removed from the socket. As the stoat shrieked and began to bleed out, Urthquake roared again and held the stoat's legs. Then he grabbed another vermin by her legs and held them both high in the air. He slammed them around the ground like ragdolls, snorting and snarling as he crushed their bones and destroyed their bodies. Then he used the dead vermin as his own weapons, swinging and flinging them around at the other Red Sand creatures. Skulls smashed into skulls, bones were crushed by other bones, and the badger had no issue using the two vermin to bludgeon other beasts to death. By the time he was through with their bodies, he tossed them against the wall of the main hall building, leaving behind what looked like two sacks of meat that had been horrifically deformed and misshapen. Lady Sesslyn whistled shrilly twice and started to pant as she signaled for the survivors to follow her.

"Retreat! RETREAT! Everybeast follow me!"

The ferret's second in command, Rektar, blinked as he saw the ferret rushing towards the woods. "But, m'lady! Isn't Russell--"

"We do not have enough beasts to take on that! We have to go now before he slaughters us all!"

Rektar was about to say something when a weasel's severed head landed beside his footpaws, with one eye gouged out and the jaw missing. The weasel blinked and looked at the roaring badger again before he whimpered. The two beasts started to sprint away and didn't look back. Other members of the Red Sand tribe could see Urthquake's wrath and didn't dare try to get in the middle of it. They all followed Sesslyn and Rektar into the woods, disappearing into the darkness while Urthquake dealt with the remaining stragglers. Many of the hares and Tearmannians saw no point in getting close to the badger--they couldn't risk getting caught within the burly creature's deadly wrath. He grabbed two rats by their throats and squeezed so hard that their necks cracked multiple times and blood spewed from their mouths. He kicked a ferret in the groin and elbowed him to the ground, planting his face in the dirt. Then the badger snarled as he stomped on the back of his head, shattering his skull with a wet crunch and causing one of the eyeballs to pop out. He stomped on the head four more times, getting his footpaw sticky and wet with blood.

A weasel tried to sneak up on Urthquake, but failed to do any harm when the snarling beast turned back around. He tackled the beast to the ground and glanced at his groin. Snarling, the badger bent his head down, teeth bared, and bit down on the weasel's crotch. The weasel shrieked as he saw blood spewing from in-between his legs. Urthquake bit down hard, tearing through the flesh, muscles and skin, before he gradually started to move his head backwards. With a sickening snap that reminded the weasel of gristle being torn off, Urthquake removed the weasel's testicles and penis. The weasel shut his eyes and started shrieking at the top of his lungs, his moans and cries sounding primal and unnerving. Some of the male hares winced or twitched, suddenly covering their crotches, while a few others turned away and retched. Urthquake slobbered and mumbled as he ravenously engulfed the copulatory organs, chomping on them for a few seconds before he swallowed the weasel's sensitive organs with a thick gulp. After doing so, the badger found a stoat trying to run to safety, but he found his head engulfed in the badger's thick left paw. The badger hauled the stoat off his footpaws and slammed his body into the building.

The stoat whimpered as the badger pinned him to the foundation. And then he screamed when Urthquake dug his claws into the beast's abdomen, ripping through his tunic and puncturing the fur and flesh. He split the stoat's stomach open before shoving him back down to the ground. The stoat whimpered twice and tried to crawl away before Urthquake kicked him over onto his back. The giant beast got on top of him and dug both claws into his chest cavity. He clawed at the meat and bones before punching the stoat in the chest so hard his ribcage split in half. The stoat's screams were turning into gurgled moans and pants as he coughed up blood. Urthquake snarled and drooled as he grabbed each side of the ribcage with one paw, and then violently opened it up, revealing some internal organs. The stoat mercifully drifted away and didn't have to live through knowing that the badger was ripping out his stomach and intestines with his bare teeth, roaring with his maw full, the blood and foam spraying all over the ground. He stopped ripping and eating the vermin's organs when he realized the beast wasn't moving anymore. Instead, he stood back up and started to sniff the air.

He needed more vermin to kill. He wanted to swallow their blood, to feast on their flesh as their murderous screams filled his ears. But there were no more. All the Red Sand vermin still alive had retreated, nowhere to be found. Urthquake let out two vicious snarls, sniffing the air and panting, jerking his head around as saliva fell from his lips. He got down on the ground, sniffing several times and moving forward, growling and snorting, knowing more vermin were somewhere. The hares and Tearmannians all looked at each other, wondering when Urthquake's Bloodwrath would end. They waited and watched for three minutes, but Urthquake's attitude didn't change. Major Fenson slowly let go of all his weapons and cautiously approached the badger, holding his paws in the air.

"M'lord? It's...y-you can...you can calm down now."

Urthquake responded by snarling as he jerked around and saw Major Fenson walking towards him.

"It's okay now...all the vermin are--"

The major shouted when Urthquake lashed his paw at him, scratching him across the face and sending his body a few feet away from him. Still enraged, Urthquake stared at the mass group of beasts in front of him and stomped towards them. Several of them hid or ran away while others tried to calm him down or held up their paws. He capriciously walked up to Tike, and then grabbed him by the throat and held him near one of the trees.

"Wot are you doin?!"

"LET GO OF HIM!!"

"Snap out of it, sah!"

Urthquake wasn't listening to any of them. He was too busy choking the life out of Corporal Bonson. The young hare didn't even try to fight back. The badger's paw and arm were too thick to try and pry away from his throat. All he could do was stare, gaze into the eyes of a Badger Lord driven mad by the Bloodwrath. He growled at him in such a way that Tike's bowels almost loosened. Urthquake leaned forward, snarling again, drooling and barring his teeth. Tike let out a few gagging noises as the badger tightened his grip, nearly crushing his throat. He could smell the stench coming from Urthquake's mouth as he panted in his face. His teeth were so close to his muzzle that Tike thought the badger was about to bite his nose off. Tike whimpered a couple of times as Urthquake kept breathing. He snapped at the hare, getting a glob of spit on his face. The badger sniffed a few times before he took three long breaths. The Badger Lord let the fire come out of his body as he exhaled again. And then he loosened his grip and let Tike fall to the ground. He backed away, giving the beast some time to cough and breathe in fresh air whilst he shook his head and started to calm down.

"...Sah?" asked Major Watson.

Urthquake looked right and saw the dozens of bodies spread across the soil. Then he looked left and saw Watson and a few other hares keeping their distance as they approached him.

"Where'd they go?" Urthquake asked.

"I...th-the--"

"The vermin. Which way did they go, Watson?"

"Um...prob'ly west, towards the seas, m'lord."

Urthquake snorted. "Then we need to follow 'em before they--"

"Sah, you...I-I mean we need to relax...bury the dead and...we can't chase 'em just yet."

The badger looked around the battlefield that used to be a playful community filled with laughing babes and chattering moles, otters and hedgehogs just a few hours ago. But now the community was soiled with blood, and way too many dead beasts to count. The badger rubbed his head.

"Fine. We'll go after them in the morning."

"...All right."

The Badger Lord didn't say anymore. He took a few breaths as he turned and headed towards the orchard, ignoring Tike as he continued to cough on the ground, along with the various beasts still staring at him. He sat down hard, placing his back against the community's cherry tree, still naked and soaked in blood from various different beasts. Then the badger closed his eyes and forced himself to relax, even though his eyes were still red, and he still longed for blood.