Chapter Three
Vatrana Presented Bloodtooth with the poor and shriveling vittles. "What
is this?!?" Bloodtooth Roared as she held out the selection of shriveled
dandelion leaves, mushrooms that had a terrible stench, and a body of a
crow. "You bring me poison mushrooms , dead leaves, and a carcass of a
old, sick, crow?" he growled. "Master, It is the only thing our party
could find. We are not hunters and botanists!" she said. "You talk back
to me? When you in a death of trouble already? I shall teach you!"
Vatrana thought of his words: he had used the expression "In a death of
trouble" she never got to figure it out, for Bloodtooth took out his
skinning knife and plunged it into her body. She fell down dead, in a
mass of Blood. "Hah! That 'ill teach 'er, I'd say that will!" he sneered
as he walked out of the red mist of Death.
Bloodtooth walked out calmly. He shivered as the cold, icy, wind nipped
his cheeks and ears. "Is the fort done yet?" he called to the workers.
"No!" the captain of the project replied. "We couldn't finish a bloom'in
sandcastle workin' this weather, no siree! We will have to find an
abandond or occupied house that we can stay in till' it's spring. If
it's occupied, well, we can kill the beasts or tie 'um up for slaves!"
said the captain of the project. "I love the way your evil little mind
works!" Bloodtooth laughed.
"Daffy? Do you know anything about the Amounits? Or the Acient Tree?"
Ralph asked Dafnul as he pace the floor back and fourth. "Well, the
Amounits sound like a faraway place, and the Acient Tree sounds like a
very old tree." said Dafnul. "That's very possible, but which Acient
Tree would it be, and what place are the Amounits?" Ralph questioned.
"That's exactly what we have to find out!" Replied Dafnul. "Wait a
minute! What cities did Bloodtooth conquer?" Ralph asked Dafnul. "Well,
let me see. I think; Lonkia, Ravativia, Honslute, Karltite, Galflandia,
Utopianhavern, Farklitian, Salshuming, Haranka, and Acient..Acientry!"
Dafnul gasped. "That's it! we know what Acientry is now! A city! No we
just have to find what's above Acientry, as it says in the song! We are
looking for the blade of rightful heir! That means we are looking for
Apollo's sword to conquer Bloodtooth!" Ralph exclaimed. "Good thinking
your highness!" Dafnul said happily. "But we have one more riddle to
solve. What are the Amounits?" he uttered. "Oh yes." Ralph said meekly.
"Well let's write this down on a piece of birch bark paper so we don't
forget to solve it. "Okay!" Dafnul said as he scribbled "Amounits" on
the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. "Let's go now. We can go to my
house for tea and cookies." Ralph suggested. "Yeah!" Dafnul said as he
followed Ralph out the door. He ran after Ralph so fast that he didn't
realize the drawbridge was icy. He slipped and slid and fell on his
back. The paper that said "Amounits" drifted down on to the frozen moat
where the children where skating.
"Are you okay?" Ralph said to Dafnul. "Yes." he replied, as they walked
away.
A child raccoon that was very mischevious and naughty saw them drop the
paper. His name was Samuel. He picked up the paper and skated to his
friends. "Let's go to the sitting room for hot cocoa. When we get there,
I have a surprise for all of you!" he giggled. "Oh, Emma, go steal some
pokeberry ink from Madias the scribe." he said to a young girl raccoon.
"What for?" the pretty raccoon replied. "You'll see.." he said with a
giggle.
Ralph smiled as he walked home. It had been a couple days since he had
seen his father and mother.
He said to Dafnul as he pointed to the north "My home is over there."
"Let's pick up the pace! I'm ve-e-r-r-y c-c-o-l-l-l-d!" Ralph said with
a smile, "Here, you can wear my Dacket!" he said. Daful popped the coat
on. "A little big isn't it?" Ralph said with a giggle. Before they knew
it, theywere at Ralph's house. A light smoke came out of the chimney and
seemed to drift into the heavens. They went inside the warm, cozy house.
Dafnul sat on the beatifully soft chair and sunk into it. Ralph popped a
cookie in his mouth to hide the big laugh that almost came out of him.
"Hello Ralph. It's nice to see you again." Iris said hugging him. "And
who's this?" Iris asked looking at Dafnul. "I'm Dafnul!" he said through
a mouthful of cookies. "Where's father?" asked Ralph. "I don't know. He
wandered into the forest to chop wood... and now..he's gone." Iris
uttered. "Poor father! He could have froze to death!"
exclaimed Ralph. "Or something else might of happened, but I don't wan't
to think about it." Iris said.
Ralph sipped his tea solemnly. "Dafnul, would you like to go to the pond
to ice skate?" Ralph said, trying to make the Subject happier.
Chapter Four
Ralph and Dafnul tied some fish-bone ice skates on their feet. The blade
was made of a fish bone, and the strings were made out of Yucca fibers.
They Started whirling and twirling greatly and they lept in the air.
They were Miraculous! Ralph did a triple-axle and Dafnul spun around
eleven times then went into a double-axle. They had races and skated
together. They heard a load noise and skated over to it. They hid in
some nearby brush as a weasel or a ferret (They could not tell which.)
passed by. "Kilakilakilakilakilakilakilakila!" he shouted. Ralph saw
that a ferret had a string of slaves, which of some that he knew! He
looke toward the back, and there was his father! Ralph gasped with
horror. Dafnul giggled and pulled out his sling. He picked up some
ice-coated acorns and shot them at Bloodtooth and the Slaver's skulls.
Piiiing! Piiiiing! They shot true. It hit the slavers skull and he
yelled. "Ow! Who did that? Mangy beasts! Come out you 'ellbeasts! I will
send you to your Bloomin' Demise!" then it hit Bloodtooth's horse's
shin. The Horse reared and Bloodtooth Fell off. The soldiers were
marching so fast they trampled over Bloodtooth as the horse galloped
away. Ralph and dafnul quietly giggled and ran out. Everyone was
fighting, so they snuck past the fight and freed the slaves. Temphjaques
clasped Ralph and Dafnul's hands and they ran and skated across the pond
together.
Bloodtooth was in Bandages! He was in very poor condition. He had two
broken arms and a broken leg. He had Blood running from him from all
over. Outside Bloodtooth's tent, two weasels were boiling oil. A Ferret
that had been wrongly accused of the incidents that happened on the road
was tied up. He had been accused only because he had a sling. He was
hung from a tree and slowly dipped into the boiling oil. He mouth was
stuffed with stinging nettle, so he couldn't scream. The horde watched
slowly as the flesh of him melted off. The oil turned a dark red, and
then, the ferrets head was pulled under. It was a gross scene.
Bloodtooth! He was evil! No one would stand in his way! No one!
Meanwhile, in the city of Acientry, a large group of captured Hares were
held captive in a big castle called Santa Bay. It was their castle, but
millions of evil weasels and ferrets were guarding it. The hares
groaned. "If only Apollo was here...."
Emma scurried into Midiase's room for Pokeberry Ink. Midias wasworking
on writing so he didn't notice her coming, she made a quick grab for the
Ink and it toppled over! She grabbed it and ran out without a word. She
ran into the hallway. She pulled a small torh and a secret entrance
opened. It used to be the King's Secret room at Apollo's time when he
ruled here, but now the children found it and made it there secret
playroom, for it had been long forgotten in these years. She crept in
and closed the door silently. There were many joyous raccoon children
with stolen cookies, scones, and pasties! Empty bottles of ink lined the
old, dusty, shelf and there were funny drawings all over the wall. There
was a raccoon with a sword that looked very funny, and it was titled
"Walf". There was many more, in fact so many I could not tell you all of
them. There were stolen bits of cloth and torn quilts in the corner, and
a soft feather pillow so children could sleep. There was a stolen set of
green mixing bowls (Probably the Cook's) with mud pies in them! There
was stolen cans of paint and drawing paper all over! The children were
very naughty, but the ringleader, Samuel, was the naughtiest. He stole
everything with his friends and always go all the bad ideas. Samuel was
the "King" of the Children's "Castle" he sat in a loft that was supposed
to be for storage on a nice pillow and the girls were his "Servants."
He had empty plates of cookies, empty flasks of Raspberry Tickle, (A
Drink) paper scraps, quill pens, stolen necklaces that were made out of
chips of Mica, and other childesh things. Emma brought Samuel the ink,
and he snickered "Thank you!"
Ralph and Dafnul brought back the tired and whipped Temphjaques. His
mother gasped. Ralph eludicated the whole story to his mother.
Temphjaquese's whiplashes on his back were red and bloody. Iris got some
clean water and herbs and rubbed salt on the wound. Temphjacues winced,
and Iris put fresh herbs on the wound. "Does anyone have any other
herbs?" Iris asked. Dafnul checked his pockets. He pulled out some
herbs, then he started to look flummoxed. "Ralph, do you have the paper
that had the clues on it?" Dafnul asked. "No, I gave it to you, Dafnul!
By the way, what was the clue?" Ralph replied. "Uh, Oh..." Dafnul said.
In the children's playplace all the children were ubiquitous. They
gathered around Samuel with the paper labled "Amounits". Samuel said
happily "We are going to have fun and unscramble words out of this
strange word, because I know all of you are bored." The children looked
at the word and answers came out; "Tin!" "Not!" "Sit!" "Units!"
"Mountains!" they all were scribbled down on the paper as the answers
kept coming.
A Couple days passed and while Dafnul and Ralph were searching for the
paper, it soon became Spring! The sun shined, the pond melted, and
herbs, grasses, and flowers brightened up the fields and maidens and
small girls picked wildflowers. Selth the Strong, Ralph, Dafnul, and
Temphjaques all worked on a new abbey that was in the place of the
church. The rebuilt the church and made it two miles west of the abbey.
Ralph and his friends heaved heavy brown blocks from the cliff for the
abbey. That also meant Bloodtooth and his horde could work on thier
fortress. Many forgot about the paper labeled "Amounits" because there
was so much work to be done.
Chapter Five
"Aye Bloodtooth!" the captian of the fortress building shouted. "The
Fortress is comin' along fine!" Bloodtooth Snarled "Good! Keep working,
nettlebrains!" The rest of Bloodtooth's horde were ready to capture
slaves. They marched past the church and captured some children who
where being read the bible to by Father Pricklyberry, and knocked the
father out. The children weeped and Bloodtooth shouted "Shut up you
pigs! Do you want them to hear us?" the children weeped quietly and were
changed into rags. There hand were cuffed tightly, so they could not
escape. The cuffs ate through there skin, and made them bleed painfully.
Bloodtooth and his horde captured five maids of the castle, and they
captured Emma, and five other young girls. They did the same to them as
they had did to the other slaves. "Heh, Heh, Heh, you weep, ya' whip!"
that was Bloodtooth's motto. Bloodtooth's spy snuck into the castle with
a group of cooks who where bringing in berries. He captured all of the
children, except Samuel. He captured Selth, Midias, and Selth's
daughter, princess Meredith. They were all chained and taken to
Bloodtooth's fortress. They had to work or they would get twenty lashes
for every five seconds wasted. They hauled heavy stones in the sunlight,
the chopped wood and gathered food and water for the horde. They poured
heavy pails of water on the ground to make mud, and the slaves who
refused to work got five-hundred lashes or a very unfortunate slave woul
get ten spears and ten pikes thrown through them. The children weeped
and cried, "I want my mommy..." very softly. Some slaves were lucky,
they had there mothers with them, and the mothers were allowed to take
care of the poor children because Bloodtooth fely sympythetic for them.
Bloodtooth was really only a coward at heart. So he took pity on them.
You could hear the clink! clink! clink! of the hammers, nails, and pick
axes, all day long...
Meanwhile, at the abbey's building sight, the builders and maidens
danced to a happy tune, whirling, and twirling, doing beautiful dance
steps and twirling round and round, dancing on there toes, pointing
there feet and dancing so beautiful that Dafnul sat mesmerized at
everyone, as the men in there tunics and robes twirled, and danced small
jigs. The turned and flipped, and Ralph did a triple-backhandspring to
the lively music. Dafnul got up and did a quadruple back-handspring and
a triple cartwheel as the raccoons moved there nimble hands on there
violens and Bases, It was beautiful! The boys picked up the ladies and
twirled them and sat as the girls did leaps and curtsies and twirled on
the tips of there toes and the dance ended with the boys holding the
ladies making a chain and they all stood up and made a long, raccoon
mural. They bowed and curtsied. Everyone clapped. Then they sat at a
table for a feast! They said their prayers and dug into everything!
There were salads, Cheese Salads, Cucumber and Tomato Salads, Tossed
Salads, Fruit Salad, Beet Salad, Carrot Salad, Coslaw, and more! There
were rolls! Honey! Mustard! Salt! Onion! Gralic! Herb! Whole Wheat!
Pumpernickel! There were soups, Lentil Soup, Onion and cheese soup,
Carrot Stew, Brocolli and Chive Cream soup, cream of Musroom, and much
more! And the fish! Pike, Grayling, Oily Trout and Creamy Bass! How
delicious! But the best part was the desserts! The creamy aroma wafted
into the air as the desserts came out on trays! Acorn Truffle Cake,
Honey Cream, Nettlesauce with Cinnamon and sugar, Chocolate Mint cake,
Trefolia King Cake, Peanut Cream cake, Honey Scones, Cinnamon Scones,
Cinnamon and chocolate pasties, Honey Mint Cookies, Autumn Olive Berry
Tart, Dandelion Cake with Honey Cream, and the Mint and chocolate ice
cream! How tantalizing the feast had been! The people rejoiced that
finally, there abbey was done! What Bliss! What Joy! The Bells in the
belltower rung merrily and seemed to chant "New Abbey! New Abbey!" as
there high and low notes flew into the wind with the rush of air!
The Hares in Acientry grew weary of being slaves and trying to unlock
the locked doors with a metal wire. One small girl hare had taken it off
of her hairbow. Steven, the wisest of the hares managed to pick the
locks. Steven, his wife, and two children snuck out first. Their last
views were a weasel and ferret drawing there bow and arrows and
shooting. The Hares fell down dead, in masses of Blood, and the locked
door was bound with chain.
There was much rejoicing at Bloodtooth's fortress too! But not as much
rejoicing as the Abbey. Each Slave got a hunk of stale bread, and some
dirty water, and Bloodtooth and his horde got hunks of chocolate mint
cake, and Raspberry Tickle. The Fortress was done! Bloodtooth went into
his room and assined his horde posts. Flogga and Palstreleye guarded the
gates and halted every weary wanderer, traveler, or warrior and took
them as slaves. Inside the fortress, The slaves were held in the slave
pit, while the horde wandered around the new fortress freely.
to be continued.....
~Samri the Warrior