[Mkguild] Earning His Stripes: Chapter I

[Mark Ewing]

Here is the first of four chapters of my latest Metamor Keep Story, Earning
His Stripes.

Earning His Stripes

Oberon Snowcat

Chapter I

It was still dark outside when the clock on my desk began to ring at me. I
pulled myself out of bed and slowly began to stretch before I got dressed in
my full battle gear.

On my back I wore the quiver that I had won in the summer archery contest
and crammed it with fifty spear-darts and fifty long arrows.

Once I was sure that I was fully ready for the coming couple of weeks I put
on my hooded mottled cloak and headed out into the hall and locked the door.
I quickly headed to the mess hall where I grabbed some breakfast and all of
the rations that I would need for the next two weeks or so. As soon as I
took care of that I made my way to the armoury where I knew that I would
meet Misha for my first mission out deep beyond the Giant's Dike.

When I arrived in the armoury I found Misha looking over a selection of
short pole-arms.

He looked up at me asked, "How are you feeling this morning Oberon?"

"I'm feeling ok Misha. Before I got here I grabbed something to eat. I also
had to grab some rations."
"Why don't you put your pack on the floor? I would like to check it out
before we leave."

I lifted the heavy pack off of my shoulders and set it on the floor along
with my enchanted quiver.

Misha looked through my pack's contents before he said, "You seem to have
packed everything."

"Well Misha I have far too much experience no to know how to pack a long
range patrol pack."

"I see. But do you always have to carry so much? This pack here weighs more
than I do."

"Misha most of the weight of my pack is made up of food. After all I eat a
lot more than you do." I pointed out.

"Good point. Of course you can always hunt for some food you know. Cuts down
on the need for trail rations."

"That may be true Misha, but how plentiful is the large game, which I
require, out north of the Giant's Dike?"

"Very." The fox answered. "It is a wilderness up there, lots of game."

"Then perhaps I should leave some of this stuff behind and take a slightly
lighter pack."

Misha shook his head. "Better to be over-prepared till you get a few more
missions under your belt."

"Yes sir." I picked up the pack and my quiver before I replaced them on my
back making sure they were properly settled. I grabbed my monster of a
longbow and flipped it over my head. "How do you think I look now?"

"Scary," Misha answered in a tone of voice that conveyed his honesty. "Just
your sheer size will scare most lutins."

"That is the image that I want to project Misha." I told him as I adjusted
one of the belts in my double baldric. "Are you almost finished looking at
that weapon Misha?"

The dark camouflaged fox nodded his head and handed the weapon that he had
been examining to me. "This is a fine weapon. In the future I hope that I
get a chance to use it at some point."

"Well this weapon here is a Shedatz War-staff that comes from my homeland.
However, I think that I should leave it behind this time. After all don't
you think I have enough weapons with me right now?"

"You do have a lot of weapons Oberon. We're going on a mission not besieging
a city." Misha answered.

I laughed for a moment before I said, "Well I really like my weapons but if
you think that I am carrying too many what do you think I should leave
behind? One of my swords, or maybe a couple of my throwing knives?"

"Personally I believe that you don't need all of those knives. A sword is
much more useful then a dozen knives."

"I only carry eight knives, ten if you count my by-knife and long dagger."

"The swords, and your projectile weapons are enough really." Misha said.
"There won't be any real knife work on this mission."

"Well personally I like to have my options open in a fight."

"I understand that Oberon, but I prefer to travel light. My bow and axe are
all I really need."

I nodded my head and placed the shedatz on the rack on the wall. "Well
let's' get going Misha, unless you want to stand around here discussing
weapons for the next hour."

"Fair enough," the fox answered. "Time enough for chatting when we come
back."

"Yes sir." I replied as I ensured that my bow was properly strung and ready
before I slung it over my shoulder.

At that moment a large silver-black wolf came up to us and looked up to me
and gave a low whining bark.

"It seems that your friend wants to come along for the trip."

"I know what you mean Misha, but you are the one who makes the decisions
around here around here."

Tcukendra turned his head and looked up at Misha and gave another one of his
whining barks at the fox. The question in the bark was very easy to
understand.

"What do you think?" Misha asked me. "If you want him to come along he can."

I looked down into Tcukendra's golden eyes and finally nodded my head and
gave him a subtle signal that he could take up a position beside me right
heel.

As soon as Tcukendra had taken up his position at my side Misha took the
lead on his way out of the Long House.

It was still pitch black outside though on the horizon I could see that it
was just beginning to lighten up in an indication that dawn was coming. I
was very comfortable with the lack of light because my night vision was
superb, though at night my colour vision faded down to not much more than
dark and light. As we reached the main gate of the Keep two guards came out
of the gatehouse and came up to us.

"Three for patrol," Misha, said to the senior guard as he came towards us.

The guard looked at Misha for a moment and asked, "Morning Misha. Who do you
have going out with you this time?"

"Oberon and a large friend heading out to cause a little mayhem," the fox
explained.

"Good luck Misha, and I hope to see you when you get back here in a couple
of weeks."

Misha grinned to reveal a set of long sharp vulpine teeth. "Thank you."

I gave one of my more vicious grins that revealed my own impressive set of
teeth. "I hope that I can add to my collection of souvenirs when we get back
here."

Misha nodded. "That is a certainty where we are going Oberon. There is an
excellent chance that we will end up killing a lot of the enemy out there."

The guard also nodded and then opened a small door in the gate that let us
out down onto the road to Euper.

The three of us made our way down the road. Leaving the Keep behind us as we
turned north down the road to Glen Avery.

"From here on we always have to stay alert Oberon. Expect trouble at any
time."

"Yes sir. I know that now is the time when I have to earn my pay." With that
said I shut my mouth and began to pay more attention to my keen senses of
sight, smell, and hearing.

The trip went quickly as we moved silently through the farmland north of the
Keep towards Glen Avery. Tcukendra left us behind and began scouting out the
countryside ahead of us with his nose.

Finally after more than half of the day had gone by we cam upon a tower that
was stuck up in a tree, by this time Tcukendra had rejoined us and was
walking by my side once more.

"We're near Glen Avery," Misha said softly. "That up there is one of their
guard stations for the town."

"Would they be aware that Tcukendra here is from the Keep?"

"No," Misha answered. "No they wouldn't, so he needs to remain close to us."

I nodded my head slightly before I placed my hand gently on the massive
wolf's neck. I looked around the grove of trees that we were entering with a
professional warrior's eyes. "This place is beautiful Misha, but where is
everything?"

Misha gave a low chuckle. "You're looking at the town now," He said before
he stood up in plain sight. "Misha and friends coming for visit." He
announced to several unseen watchers.

I looked around up at the trees and surrounding brush, this time using all
of my keen senses. Finally I gave a small grin and pointed to five different
places in the trees. "Those trees are where the people that you were talking
to are positioned"

He looked at me for a moment, "I am surprised that you were able to spot
them at all. They are very good at hiding." Misha commented. "And it isn't'
just the hiding places that are in the trees."

"When I looked this time Misha I didn't just look with my eyes. I used all
of my senses in order to locate them. Any good warrior and scout knows
better than to trust just one of their senses when they are looking for
anything."

"I understand that Oberon, but a lot of people have to get used to the
enhanced senses of their new animal form."

"Well I am getting used to my new senses. After all I have had them for the
past six months." I told him before I looked around and asked, "So what now
Misha? Are we just going to move on, or are we going to stay here for a
short time? Perhaps get something to eat?"

"We're here to look over the town's defences, but that won't take long. We
can certainly afford the time for a warm meal."

"Well it would keep me from having to eat my trail rations until later. I
would prefer to put off having to eat them for as long as possible. They
taste=85well pretty tasteless."

Misha laughed. "Rations are food for keeping up your health, not for
enjoying. But in any case they do have a fine inn here in town."

"I agree with you there Misha. Even fresh wild game is preferable to these
blasted things." I indicated the pack that I was wearing on my back with a
wave of my hand.

"First we meet with the locals and tour the defences. Then we can eat
lunch."

"That sounds good to me." Though my stomach chose that moment to give a loud
grumble to put the lie to what I had just said.

Misha laughed. "This won't take long. These people are always well prepared
here."

"Yes sir. Now where to first?"

Misha stayed quiet but he led the way through the heart of the strange
village.

Every so often I would see a door or a window tucked into the roots of some
large tree. In other places I noticed a set of stairs wrapping around the
trunks of several other trees. "This is an interesting way to build a town
Misha."

"The town was burnt down so many times that the residents here got tired of
rebuilding, so they went underground, and up into the trees."

"I see." I commented as I looked around the small town at the unusual
architecture.

At that point a stout, tough, looking badger morph walked up to us. "Welcome
Misha. Who are these two that you are bringing with you toady?"

I looked at the badger and tried to see if I could recall him from my last
visit to Glen Avery, but he escaped my memory. I guess that I had been too
out of it at that time for even my superb memory to work.

Misha indicated me with a hand. "The tiger is Oberon, the newest member of
the Long Scouts. The wolf is also a good friend of ours."

I held out my large hand and said, "I am honoured sir=85"

"Angus." He introduced himself as he shook my hand. "Any Long Scout is
welcome here."

I smiled at the badger with my body language before Tcukendra looked up at
me and gave a small bark that definitely had a questioning tone to it.

"Your little pet here had best not try and eat anyone here," the badger
warned us

"No need to worry Angus, they've been living at the Keep since the Yuletide
and they know not to eat any Keepers."

I made my own comment at that point. "Sir I really don't view Tcukendra here
as a pet, he is more of a comrade to me."

"I don't care what he is, as long as he doesn't hurt anyone. If he minds his
manners here then he is welcome."

Tcukendra looked up at the badger morph and gave an affirmative woof before
he walked over and cast puppy eyes at the old badger. He reinforced the
appearance with a low whine.

Angus laughed before he said to Tcukendra. "Don't give me the puppy dog
eyes. You are welcome here. Any friend of Misha's is welcome."

Tcukendra woofed again and inserted his head under the badger's right had
and whined again.

Angus gave Tcukendra a pet on the top of his domed head. "You're pretty
friendly for a huge killer wolf." He joked.

I laughed before I said, "He really likes to have his ears scratched. And
yes I have seen him in action before, though not against the lutins. It was
against a deer, while we were out hunting together a couple of weeks ago."

"I can believe that he's a good hunter." The badger said before he turned to
Misha. "You're here for a reason? Or just a visit?"

I chuckled at the comment about Tcukendra before the large wolf came back
over to me and sat down by my heel.

Misha looked at the badger standing in front of us and said, "Just checking
the town's defences as usual Angus. Anything happen around here lately?" Any
attacks?"

"We lost some sheep to a gryphon last month, but that always happen this
time of year. We were also attacked three times last month. No one was
killed but we lost a lot of sheep and Bryan's barn was burned to the
ground."

I looked at the badger before I asked in a purely professional tone of
voice, "Did your attackers leave any signs of who they were?"

"We did see signs of ogres and we found some troll tracks." Angus answered.
"A caravan headed here was ambushed by lutins and trolls two weeks ago."

"I know about that ambush," Misha said. "Were you able to find any clues on
who they were loyal to? What tribe were they part of?"

"I am sorry Misha but this is the only relic that we managed to find at the
ambush site."

"That's all?" The fox asked in surprise as he took the medallion from Angus
and examined it closely. "This is an interesting emblem." Misha pronounced
when he finished looking at it and handed the object to me.

I looked at the medallion and the emblem on it. The emblem the medallion was
of a black star on a field of sickly green enamel with two golden claws
holding up dripping red swords. "Are you familiar with this emblem Misha?"

"From what I've heard this is the emblem of a one of Nasoj's remaining
generals. From the rumours that I have been hearing he has been organizing
things in his sector of the Giantdowns recently. One of our comrades
recently overheard a conversation out there where this general was mentioned
as increasing his activities."

I chuckled and gave a particularly nasty grin before I asked, "How about we
go pay this misguided general a visit and make him regret his actions,
permanently."

"Sounds like fun," Misha answered. "His fortress is about two days walk
north of the Giant's Dike."

"Does this particular general have a name?" Angus asked.

"High General Rakunder Stretnaz," the fox answered. "A human =96 whose been=
 in
Nasoj's pay for a very long time."

"Then he's a mercenary then, like I used to be."

Misha shook his head vehemently. "Not like you at all. You have morals
Oberon. While that monster of a human has none what-so-ever."

I growled deep in my chest before I spotted something that bothered me
deeply. After a moment of watching the thing that was causing me some
concern I moved in a blur of motion as I pulled one of my throwing knives
from its sheath on the front of my double baldric and threw it at a large
rancid looking black bird that was sitting on a tree branch near our heads.
"Misha that bird was looking at us too closely to simply have been curious."

Misha looked over at the bird, which had fallen from the tree and was making
a final, feeble attempt to fly again before it expired with my knife in its
breast. "Was that one of your people Angus?'

The badger went over and knelt by the dying bird just as it gave a final
shudder and lay still. "No sir, this isn't anyone that I know from the Glen,
or any of the hamlets in this area."

Misha walked over to where Angus was knelt over the dead bird and looked at
it. "That doesn't look like any species of bird that I've ever seen before."
Misha commented. "It's not a shape-shifter either, or it would've changed
form when it died."

I gave nothing more than a cursory glance at the dead thing before I
pronounced. "Well I believe that it may have been a spy of some type and I
firmly believe that a dead spy is a good thing."

"Well whatever it was doesn't matter anymore because it's dead now," Misha
said. "Just to be safe we had best burn the body."

"Can I please have my knife back before you do burn it Misha?"

Misha knelt down a pulled my throwing knife from the body of the bird and
handed it to me. "Be sure to clean that off."

I took a small black rag from one of my belt pouches and began to wipe the
black blood of the bird from the blade of my weapon. "Misha I am no amateur,
I know better then to sheath a bloody blade." I told him as I finished
cleaning off the weapon before returning it to its sheath. "Misha can you
see now why I like to carry these handy little knives around?"

"A good bow can do the same thing, but yes those knives are handy. Finbar is
good with a knife but he prefers to use it close up."

I nodded. "As I have already told you before Misha, I like to keep my
options open when it comes to my weapons."

"All right. Let's not start that argument again." He replied holding up his
hands. "Right now we need to survey the town's defences. In light of that
little airborne spy I would suggest that you move your guard posts and
change the patrol schedules Angus."

The badger nodded in ascent. "That would be a wise precaution Misha, after
all who knows what that thing told its masters before Oberon killed it."

"Now I know that we need to kill this general that has taken up command of
Nasoj's forces in this area. He is far too skilled for us to be secure for
any length of time."

Angus nodded his head. "I would agree with you there Misha. We must do
something about this general before he becomes more of a threat to us then
he already is."

Misha grinned a little. "Right now though we should do things in this order.
Tour first, lunch second, then after that Oberon and I can go and see what
we can do about taking care of this general." Misha ordered.

As he said that my stomach growled to underline my own need for something to
eat.

Misha laughed. "Lets get this tour started Angus."

Three quarters an hour later after looking at the town's north wall and all
of the hidden guard posts we returned to where we had first met with Angus
and I asked him. "Now where is this inn that Misha has been telling me
about?"

"We had best feed him," Angus joked. "Before he eats us all."

Misha pointed to a door that was tucked into the roots of a massive tree.
Over the door there was a sign with an image of a flying green duck on it.
"It is right over there."

"Let's hope that they have enough warm meat to fill the cave that I call a
stomach. Or at least fill it for a few hours."

"I'm sure they do," Misha said as we made our way through the door of the
inn and into the warm dry common room. "The food here is great."

I inhaled and smelled the odours in the air before my tail twitched and I
smiled. At that moment I began to salivate at the smells of the food in the
room. "I need some food soon, or I will begin to drip saliva on the tables
and floor here."

"Food!" Misha ordered. "Well cooked please. My large feline friends here
want his meat just slightly warmed, not cooked. Before he makes a mess on
the floor."

"Misha when I am this hungry I can't really help it if I salivate a little."

"We'll need some wine as well, and a mop and bucket too." The fox told the
waiter.

I rolled my eyes went over to a table in the corner of the common room and
removed my gear I sat down on the bench behind the table. All the while my
mouth was dripping like a leaky clay pipe.

Five minutes later the waiter that Misha had ordered from returned with two
large platter in his arms. For Misha there was a large bowl of stew, full to
the brim with lamb chunks and vegetables. For me there was a large platter
with a slightly warm full rack of lamb on it. I pulled out my by-knife and
cut a large slab of meat away from the rack and began to pull it apart with
my large teeth.

Misha dug into his stew, eating the meal with relish. "Delicious as always!"

I finished my first slab of meat. "You're right Misha this tastes great.
What did they do to this meat to make it taste so good?"

Misha shrugged his shoulders and twitched one of his ears. "No telling. A
good chef never reveals his secrets."

"I have got to learn how he, or she managed to season this meat like this."

The fox shook his head. "Some secrets are never going to be revealed."

"Maybe I should spend some time at home trying to figure out how to make my
food taste like this. Whoever this chef is; he or she has even managed to
make what you're eating smell remotely edible."

Misha let out a yip of laughter. "I can see you as a chef someday!"

I managed to get the whole rack cleaned of in short order before I began to
crack the ribs open with my powerful molars to get at the marrow inside the
bones.

Misha ignored my eating as he quickly finished his stew. Once he was
finished his meal he lingered over his wine, sipping it slowly, savouring
the flavour of it.

I finally finished my meal and took a sip of my wine before I asked, "Well
Misha I guess we had better get moving soon?"

"All too true. We have a long trip ahead of us." The fox answered.

I heaved myself out of my seat and began to put all of my equipment back on
before I looked back at the camouflaged fox who was still relaxing in his
chair.

"There's no need to hurry Oberon. I prefer we leave after nightfall. When we
have the darkness to keep us unseen."

I smiled and then said, "In that case I am going to find a tree and take a
little nap in its shade. This huge meal that I just ate is making this cat a
little sleepy."

"Stay inside my friend =96 out of sight of spying eyes." The fox ordered.
"We'll start out an hour after dark."

"Well in that case do you know where I can get some rack time?"

"This is an inn." The fox explained. "They have a few rooms where we could
rest. Then after dark we'll sneak out and head north."

"Ok sir." I answered. Before I went over and asked the innkeeper where I
could shack up for a few hours.

Several hours later I felt something shaking my shoulder and a voice said.

"Time," I heard the voice order. "Time to wake up. We've got to get going."

I opened my eyes and looked up into the green eyes of my commander and said,
"Give me a few minutes Misha."

"No. We have a long way to go and we might as well get started now."

"Can't I at least get dressed?"

"Yes, unless you want to go naked for the next week or so."

I can do that, but I would prefer to have my armour and weapons with me." I
replied as I got out of bed, wearing only my fur.

"You are a tiger Oberon. You already have a nice set of weapons built in."

I simply nodded as I went through the quick procedure of getting dressed and
armed. I had learned, long ago the importance of dressing and get equipped
quickly. For many warriors like me speed was life in getting prepared for
battle.

Five minutes later the three of us walked to the edge of the Glen, to the
old town wall where the people had tried to defend the town back before the
battle that had caused this spell to be cast upon the Keep.

The three of us were acting differently from when we were on downtime at the
Keep. Now we had our game faces on. Beyond this wall we were going to be in
hostile territory.

Misha looked up at me and then said, "The person that we want to kill is
about two days north of here in a small fortress called Denuth Kir, that
means Death's Tower in Lutin. From this point on we are on patrol. Hand
signals only, and please stay alert.

I nodded in affirmation and then communicated as much with my large hands
before I plunged into the darkness beyond the old town wall. I moved through
the thinning trees with quiet confidence because I could see almost
perfectly, even in the dim light of the night.

--
Mark Ewing
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