Stoneslide - Original Short Story

AN: Tear this thing apart. This story is a year old today, and I want to celebrate it by showing how far I've come. Take non of this as canon in the least. Honest. (Yes, there's no grammar punctuation... XD)

Fleck paused a second as a hoarse voice called through the wood in which he was playing in. “Fleck! Could you sort out this Pile of seeds the Gatherers brought in?” It was Hazelwood, The head storekeeper and teacher to all the apprentices. The silver around his muzzle glowed in the darkness.

“Coming!” He immediately started to sort out the one large pile into three; Dog food, Oats, and Birdseed.

Some time later, Fleck finished the sorting, and looked at the three piles in front of him. He picked up the pile with the oats, and put it into a pack the sewing mice created. Then he took the walk down from the nests into the tunnels where the storage room was.

“Hey Fleck!” Fleck looked behind him to see his friend whom he was playing with earlier, Nera. She climbed over a small pile of pebbles in the tunnels, with a pack on her back. “I thought I’d help!” Fleck smelled the strong smell of dog food in her pack. Her round, grey, ears pointed at the tunnels. “Which way?”

Fleck looked into the tunnels. “This way.” They continued walking to the storage room until they found an intersection. Fleck recalled the way Hazelwood told him not to walk down there until he was older or with another mouse. Hazelwood had always escorted him to the Storage room himself until yesterday. Now that there was another mouse with him... He could always wait until they’d dropped off the seeds, but the temptation was too much. Though Nera might not want to join him now... “Wanna explore?”

“Sure.” She followed Fleck through the new turn, dropping a couple seeds from her overstuffed pack.

After a few minutes there were new turns everywhere! They just got more winding, more confusing. Now there were intersections everywhere! A thought hit the back of Fleck’s mind. They were lost.

Fleck knew he had to get back. Good thing Nera wasn’t lost in these catacombs. He tipped his nose up, smelling for a draft that could enter. There was none, so he headed upwards in hopes to find where they came in from. There was just another path, headed downwards. Fleck’s sandy brown pelt began to bristle in fear.

Nera noticed, and she asked what was wrong, but Fleck wasn’t listening. Instead his ears were trained on footsteps aboveground. There was a creaking sound, the sound of things crashing, and the sound of mice squeaking from all across the land of Wolf Plains. The wooden roof of the tunnels had disappeared so the light of day filled the tunnels.

Fleck climbed up the wall of the tunnels, sunlight blinding him temporarily. There was the wooden Nests tilted so they were vertical.

“Go get Hazelwood!” The strange voice of Sir Highwhisker told Fleck to go and get him in the storage room. When he got there, there was Hazelwood, muttering in pure and utter shock. The entire store room seemed to have been re-dug, destroying the storage room entirely.

“All my life’s work... Gone...” Hazelwood started to weep.

A Healing mouse came in and looked at Hazelwood, and then a spectating Fleck. “It’s alright Fleck, he’s in shock. Now come along Hazelwood. We’ll fix you up as soon as we’re out of here.” She started lifting a crestfallen mouse over the edge of the storage room and back into the light.

Sir Highwhisker stamped his foot onto the Stone beneath him. “Listen! This meeting is to listen to the witnesses and their accounts of the Nests getting tipped over. For the first mouse...” He looked at a list. “Flekannos Smallsnout, you say that the nests tipped over?”

“Yes, Sir Highwhisker.” Fleck fought the urge to roll his eyes. You could look out the window of the court burrow to see that!

“Thank you Flekannos, You are dismissed.”

Fleck looked over a tree to see the sun rise. He could see the tipped over nests, which had been searched and investigated for the past few weeks. Last week a man had put a wooden frame where the nests had been. But he looked at the box again, and saw the man walk to it, with a container full of rocks. The man started to shovel the rocks in the frame. Fleck knew this could be of importance to Sir Highwhisker, and immediately scampered off to the court burrow.

When he got there, there were three other mice there, reporting what had happened. Sir Highwhisker nodded. “Thank you, Edvard, Tyranos, and Tulun.” The three mice nodded.

Fleck needed to catch their attention. “Excuse me, Sir Highwhisker. A man has shovelled rocks into the wooden frame!”

“We know young’un. I am sending off some of the burrowers to dig it out as soon as possible. You four should talk together, get to know one another. ” The chestnut coloured mouse continued circling the burrow.

Noon came by, and Fleck soon began to learn about the other three mice. There were Tulun and Tyranos, two black mice with high ambition. The only difference between the two besides gender was their size and temperament. Tyranos was a very large mouse and he liked to show it. His orange eyes always had something in them. Tulun on the other hand, was tiny, but was very reserved and quiet. Her blue eyes revealed nothing. The siblings were guards. Then there was Edvard, the kindly blonde one. He was of the sewing type, and he was a good speaker. He would most likely be a leader if given the chance.

A brown-spotted mouse walked into the burrow where they were talking. “Sir Highwhisker wants to see all of you. Quickly.”

“All attempts to dig out the rocks have failed and there aren’t any other spots to store food like the tunnels were. There are common thieves like magpies too, so we can’t just put all of our food into piles in the open.” Highwhisker looked at the four mice. “I need you four to go on a mission to find bigger diggers.” Tyranos’s eyes lit up. “There will only be you for I have investigations to deal with.”

Tyranos looked at Sir Highwhisker. “Then who will lead us?” Ambition sparked his orange eyes.

“Edvard will be leader of this mission.” Sir Highwhisker said. Tyranos’s eyes turned angry. Possibly with jealousy, Fleck thought.

Tyranos glared at Edvard. Edvard looked up at Sir Highwhisker and thanked him.

“You leave on the morrow’s dawn. Sleep in the same nest. That way there will be already a bond in between you.” Sir Highwhisker instructed.

“Hey, Fleck! Come learn some battle moves from us!” Tyranos puffed out his chest and showed his claws. “We’ll be only fighting without claws.” His eyes were sparkling.

“No thanks. I’m wondering how Edvard does his sewing.” Fleck twitched his tail to Edvard, who was carefully sewing a pack together.

“Fine.” Tyranos demonstrated his fighting moves with tiny Tulun, who dodged artfully.

“Come here, Fleck.” Edvard poked the needle through, and then pushed it out the other side of the leaf. “Watch what I’m doing.”

Fleck watched with attention until the pack was finished. “Wow. I wish I was a sewing mouse.”

Edvard silenced him. “No, I wish I was a gatherer like you. Being a gatherer is the best thing that one could be for a leader. You could provide for the group and keep them healthy. Battle is not the only thing.” This seemed a little bit pointed, and Tyranos’s eyes darkened at that moment.

It was noon, and Tyranos kept complaining, or mocking something, or complaining. Fleck rolled his eyes. Could this Mouse ever shut up? He looked at Tulun, who nodded at him in agreement.

Edvard stopped at a large rock. “Alright, now we rest until moonrise. There will be less heat so we can continue. Fleck will gather seeds, Tulun and Tyranos will stand guard atop the rock, and I will create shelters.”

Fleck started collecting wheat seeds, and some grass seeds too. He recognized a few wild strawberries, but they weren’t ripe yet.

When he got back, there was Edvard, Tulun, and Tyranos in camp. They had finished their jobs, and suddenly Fleck felt a small bit embarrassed that he had finished last of them.

Tyranos was still glaring around the camp. Tulun was just deep in thought. How could two siblings be so different?

Edvard settled down. “Now time for the real break. Go and do what you wish.” Tyranos and Tulun ran in another direction, getting as far from camp as they could.

Fleck followed them. Now he could learn battle moves, but just the basics..

He saw Tyranos and Tulun muttering at each other, and a small spark of suspicion dwelled inside of him. He stayed back, and he listened to snippets of their conversation. He only caught words that Tyranos raised his voice for.

“Flek..competition..Edvard..same!..Me!.leader..Mutiny!” Tyranos said. Tulun nodding slyly to his words. It sounded like they were planning a mutiny on Edvard!

He realized that this spark of suspicion had been inside him since he had met the black mouse. And Tulun too! He had trusted her! How wrong had he been! Suspicion now turned to anger, and Fleck had wondered if he should “join” their little plan. He’ll be an informant, and he could learn about his new enemy. Edvard and him will be long gone at the gopher’s and they’ll be lost and hungry without Fleck’s gathering knowledge and Edvard’s navigational skills. He decided to, and walked in on their conversation.

Tulun turned around, and her eyes widened with horror. Tyranos did the same, except his mouth curled into a snarl. “What did you hear?” His voice was savage.

Fleck shrank down. “Relax.. I only heard you say mutiny, and I guessed who it is. I hate him too! What did that old saying go like..? Oh, yes! Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Fleck, when scared, was a five star liar. “I think that we should surround him on the trip. Then, when I mutter Stoneslide, we jump on him and kill him!

Tyranos’s eyes softened, then sparkled with glee. “Welcome to operation Stoneslide.”

“Great. Now, can I learn those battle moves that you mentioned?” Fleck sickened himself at giving these mice the plan and strategy to kill a good leader.

“Sure.” Tulun said. “Tyranos, would you like to explain the first one?”

Tyranos nodded. “First, the Tyrant’s Execution. You position yourself in front of your target.” He moved himself in front of an unripe strawberry. “Then, you lunge and give him a bite to throat. Dead immediately.” He laughed, then bit the strawberry and juice burst out of it. Fleck nearly turned green at the sight.

Tulun was next. “Now, there’s another. Better for a small mouse like you. It still has the Tyrant’s Execution of course.” She stepped behind the strawberry. “Now, jump on the berry’s back and cut the tendons. He’ll be rendered helpless and you’ll be able to pull a Tyrant’s Execution.” She did so, and continued. “Now, your turn.”

Fleck came back from practice sickened to the stomach. These mice were deadly. One for sheer size, and another for intelligence. Edvard looked at him and immediately noticed his expression. “What happened?”

He felt the two evil mice’s gazes bore into the back of his head. “Bad berry.”

Edvard nodded. “Okay then. Now it’s bedtime. Goodnight.”

***

Tulun watched the Edvard and Fleck walk into the shelter of their own. Tyranos was trying to sleep, but couldn’t. Tulun wanted to tell somebody about her suspicions about Fleck. And she did. “Tyranos.”

“Yes?” He was tired. She’d have to make this one quick.

“I don’t trust Fleck.”

“Why?”

“He’s too eager. And it happened out of the blue. Besides, he’s your competition, remember? Keep an eye on him. But not tonight.”

“Okay. Good night, Tulun.”

“Good night, Tyranos.” and soon after Tyranos was asleep.

Tulun looked contemptuously at Tyranos. Yes, he was so easily manipulated. And so easily defeated. She would get him to kill Highwhisker, then she would perform her own mutiny. Yes, then she’ll rule the mice to be her army, and she’ll conquer all the Mouse cities. Be they Wolf Plains or Hoof Spots or even Burrowhole. The world would be hers. The plan was perfect in her twisted mind and the lovely thought lulled the sly mouse to sleep..

***

Fleck waited until Tyranos and Tulun were asleep. Then he waited a few minutes after, just to make sure. He shook Edvard awake. “Edvard! Wake up!” He whispered the words.

Edvard stirred. “What, Fleck?”

“It’s Tulun and Tyranos. They’re planning mutiny.”

“What? Then we leave now. With the pack full of seeds we leave now. Leave them for the hawks.”

“Okay.” He grabbed the pack of seeds and put it on his back. “Let’s go!”

***

Tyranos awoke with a yawn. Perfect! Tulun thought. There was no Fleck or Edvard. She had known it. Tyranos’s eyes flared with anger as he saw it. Tyranos’s face turned into a snarl and Tulun’s face turned into one with glee. Time, she thought. Time was all it took. “I hate him!” was his roar, tipped with fury. Tulun knew to feed this rage. His rage would accelerate him to killing Highwhisker, the coward. When Highwhisker was dead, then she knew the rest. She watched him run into the grass, with a face twisted in glee running behind him.

***

Fleck looked behind him, hearing the scuffle of a much larger animal. How he had hoped it wasn’t a fox. In front of Fleck and Edvard, was a giant rodent, who could only be called a gopher. “Halt. Who goes there?”

“Edvard Redwillow and Flekannos Smallsnout of Wolf Plains. We seek refuge and help. If you could offer the latter we’d be most grateful.”

“You’re in an awful tiny group. It’s dangerous out here, you know. Thought you could go it alone?”

“No, we seek refuge from the evil mice that were in our group. They were mutinous.” Edvard’s eyes clouded.

“Then I will take you to Bansaan. He is the leader and will know what to do with you.”

***

Tulun sniffed the air. The fear scent Made her smile at their stupidity. That would just lead them closer to Tulun’s destiny.

“What do you smell, sister?” Tyranos leaned in closer.

“Fear scent, headed that way. It’s definitely them.”

“Lead the way.” Tulun’s Heart seemed to swell with those words. ‘Lead the way.’

Tulun whispered in front of her brother. “Yes, little Fleck. Grow this killer’s confidence. Lead me to my destiny..”

***

Fleck and Edvard told their story to Bansaan. He nodded gravely. “Sounds like you need two gophers, but there will be a price.”

Fleck nodded. “What is it?”

Bansaan smiled. “Well, two mice for two gophers. You will be sacrificed to the hawks. When the deed is done, we will send two gophers to Wolf Plains.” Fleck’s eyes widened. Suddenly, a gopher gave the mice blows to the head, and Fleck was rendered unconscious.

Fleck woke up, tied to a stick, being carried by two gophers. This is it..He thought. At least the gophers would go.. There was Edvard, looking just as scared as Fleck was. This was it. The hawks would get them, and when they died their spirits would go to the Great Hawk, who carried them up to The Land of Eternalsun or dropped them in The Land of Frozenmoon.

Fleck saw two hawks circling the air above them. He fell into a dead faint.

***

They had left at dawn, now it was night. This was the best time to find them. Tyranos’s thoughts were on killing the competition and Edvard’s blood on his claws.. There was a trace of fear scent, and he followed it until he saw the two mice tied to a stake. He saw the hawks above. Perfect. They’ll dispose of them. He untied the two mice from the posts. He smelled for Tulun, but she had disappeared entirely. Nevermind that. He thought. Now it was time to do some Tyrant’s Executions, starting with Flekannos. He took a step, and lunged.

***

Fleck saw Tyranos on his neck, saw the bite, but felt no pain from it. Funny enough, he wasn’t dead immediately. He twisted around before Tyranos let go and delivered a bite to the shoulder. Edvard was long gone into the bushes. A hawk, one with a moon pendant around it’s neck swooped for him.. Great Hawk, Take me to Eternalsun..were his last thoughts..

Fleck awoke in a nest. There was a hawk, and there were the talons that hawks were known for, ready to tear him apart. A moon hung around the hawk’s neck. He looked up at it. This hawk’s eyes were blue. She looked down at him. “Thank Aves you’re awake! You’ve been asleep for three days.You were very brave, all through the journey.”

Fleck was confused. There weren’t any hawks following them, especially blue eyed ones. “How do you know this?”

The hawk now looked confused. “I just see things. Past, present, sometimes future. Only at night though..”

“Oh.” Fleck put a paw to his neck. There was a nasty scar, but the wound had healed.

“I have an entire pack of seeds that we need to bring them to your colony at Wolf Plains.” She grabbed it and attached the pack to her talons. Come Flekannos. Climb up on my back. Let’s go.”

“What’s your name?”

“Ora-kel”

Fleck nodded. “Okay.”

***

That night, Ora-kel had a vision. The edges of her vision were blue, indicating it was happening now. There was Fleck, sitting in the sunset. The voice of the Sir Highwhisker rang through her vision. “Your name will no longer be Flekannos Smallsnout. You will forever be known as Sir Flekannos Hawkwhisker. I name you the heir of Wolf Plains. May your days be in peace. There was a great cheer from inside the wooden frame, and two gophers stepped out.

There was one more vision, with grey edges to indicate the past. This was the most intense the young hawk ever got. She read the mouse’s thoughts during it..

A mouse that Ora-kel could recognize easily, Tulun crept out of the bush, watching the entire scene. She saw the rapid breaths of Tyranos, slowly dying. A poem came to her from her darkest memories at the old Black Hill.

Slow your breathing, brother

Let your body be at peace, brother

Soon, Frozenmoon will be paradise, brother

She delivered a small bite to his neck, and closed his eyes for him. Tyranos, her brother, would not help. Now, she knew she was an outcast. She’d have to form her own Kingdom, for her own twisted dark desires. Soon, the new Black Hill would come, and her destiny would be fulfilled..