Mission:
The sun beat down lazily on the island of Sampetra. Though the mood of Ublaz was not as fine as this fine day. He walked around his fortresstrying to think of what to do. Just a few days before a slave from his owncompound had excaped with 60 other able body creatures. Imidiatly the emporor found the careless trident rats that let his slaves escape and put them to death. He looked out his high window at their miserable bodies floating in the tideline. He sat down for his afternoon meal, picking daintly at thelobster and fish trying to think up an idea to stop those escaped prisoners. He nodded to a female trident rat that had entered the room. "Tell me my right paw, how shall I deal with this unfortunate matter of the slaves?" His hypnotic stare pierced into her very soul as she trembled. "Master, sir, I know a beast who might be of help you, a pinemarten like yourself. She is wise and very resorceful; I heard this from my troops."

He looked away from her as she blinked and waited for his word of thought. "Yes, A very interesting idea my friend, go fetch this marten, and hurry Sagitar. If she fails, then your head will roll with hers!" He sipped at a goblet of damson wine, a small smile on his lips. If this marten wasas smart as he heard, then those excaped prisoners will be as good as hisagain. And oh, he had very cruil plans for their return.

In a few moment he looked up from his wine to see the beast he had sent for. . She was short for her species, but very lean and sinewy. She looked down from him, dare not to look at him. She knew the truth about hishypnotic stare. He looked her up and down. Compared to him she was about a third his size. He wondering how such a small beast could have been mentioned forthis hard task. She stood still and said nothing. He noted that she trembled slightly, but managed to hide her fear. "Look at me and tell me your name marten." He said sharply. She looked right at him with deep amber eyes. "As mah lord wishes. Mah name be Gillas, but why am ah sent here?" She said nervously. He stood and looked down upon her. " I ask the questons here and you obey! But I will let that go for now. I sent for you with a mission. I want you to take how ever many beasts with you, but you will find the group of prisoners. There is a mouse leader, his name is Tyrainnel. Capture himfor he is their leader, but kill the rest! You will be rewarded greatly if you suceed, but if you fail, then I will kill you." He watched her bow her head and gulp. Then her eyes met his again and she stood motionless. " I have comanded this, how many beasts do you want?" She stood motionless, "Ah believe dat 2 score will be suficiant sir." He looked at her wondering why she chose such a low number of beasts at her back. This pinemarten waseither very cunning or very stupid. He then turned away. "I know my your accent that your Northlander, known to be good warriors, well go then and show me you are worthy to lead this command. Go now and show no mercy!" She bowed, and then turning away she quickly left his chamber. He flexed his claws and watched his lead trident rat figit nervously. " That was your grand beastto lead this, well I hope for your life that she is what you say she is. I promise that I will make your dying slow if she makes a laughing stock outof me!" That night Gillas was at the main tavern thinking of what she was ordered to do. She sat down and sipped elderberry wine wondering how this mission will be completed. She swished her goblet around watching the red hued wines motion. She knew she didn't need two score beast to do this, but she also knew that she was expected to take these beast out and she assumed that afew where spies, only there to report how she did. She still felt unconfortable from her interveiw with the Emporror. She was not afraid to admit shefeared him. Anybeast in their right mind would fear him. A large fox came upbeside her and sat. She eyed him a moment and laughed. "Swiftail, what be youdoin' here? Yor suppose ta be on de Nightwake ah thought!" The huge fox grinned from ear to ear. "Nope, not this time lassie, ah be helping you out on your mission, his high'ness told me all about yor mission." She nodded at him. "Ya, but ah don't need all de island ta know about mah mission, ah onlyneed ta pic out mah 40 beasties, and begone by tomarrow mornang." Swiftailgrabbed a jug of grog and gulped a swig down. "Ah already took care o that lassie,I got a good 40 beasts at your command to do whatever you tell them. I amgoin' with ya to make sure you don't screw up. I don't wanna see your headrolling anytime soon." She nodded as she sipped wine and thought more about whatshe should do.

That morning Gillas stood upon a cliffside. She was dressed in her dark green tunic with her twin dirks strapped to her back. Ah her side pouch she had her bag of herbs and unknown things. She thought more about what she should do, and decided to try to do this on her own. Swiftail looked up at her with the 2 score beast behind him. He had known her since she was ayoung ‘un in the Great North mountains. He knew she wanted to do this alone,and reasoned with her about the idea through the night. Her deep amber eyes picked up the ridge where the prisoners had claimed their land. She raised her hand and dropped it, and the troops began to march.

By evening she ordered the troup to stop and make camp. She watched the ridge with her keen eyes, Seeing a faint light, she assumed that it wascamp for the escaped prisoners. She then took out her canteen and a white pill. Swiftail looked at her wierd about to ask her what it was. "Dis pill be poison mah friend, I have been taking it for most of mah life. Not tafear." She said assuring with a smile. She ordered 6 beasts to cover 1st watch and3 other groups for the night. Then she sat with her back against a largerock. Always watching, she knew not to trust other beast with her life. She knew that the excaped prisoners will try to stop them tonight when it was dar,and so she waited.

The moon had come out in full light. Her eyes gleamed amber in thelight, for she was ever so watching. She heard the movement from afar, and now her paw held a dart pipe. She held one dart to her mouth and she waited intill she saw movement even closer. Her dark brown coat covered her pressence in the shadows. She watched as a mouse walk almot walked on top of her. She glanced and shook her head at the sentrys sleeping. Right when she saw the beast almost on top of her troops she stot up and her war cry went tearing through the air like thunder. "NORTHSHEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Her troups jumped out of their slumber with weapons in hand, fighting before anyone could blink an eye. She stood out of the way and looked behind thefighting. There stood a tall slender mouse. She almost laughed, as usual the leader stayed in the back, letting his men die before him. She aimed her dart gun and blew. That was all it took, for her aim was perfect. Soon the mousefell and disapeared into the night. Hitting the ground with a thud. She left him there and unsheathing a dirk jumped into the fray. In moments the prisoners fled a retreat. She saw they had no real weapons other then stick androcks. She passed by Swiftail and looked at the 6 dead sentrys.

Her eyes were cold and she shook her head. "Better they die, or ahwould have dealt with ‘em. Ah beast who cannot pull der own weight is worth nothing!" She nodded to the dead beast scattering the ground. "Hmmm, ah see we lost about 6 beasties, an we killed o'er a score of dem." She sniffedthe air. "We shall kill dem all here and now!"

The other beast looked at her, and Swiftail nudged her. "They ran away, they wont be back." She turned and smiled at him, something rare for her to do. "Oh, how sad, but dey will be back, if dey want der leader back. Ah caught the blaggard and drugged him while you all got wounded andambushed!" The horde looked at her in suprize. This pinemarten seemed uneasy and not leader material when they started, but they now realized just how wrongthey were. There she was standing tall (though she was still shorter then any of the vermin). She dragged the limp body of the mouse Tyrainnel from the shadows and dropped his body on the ground non-to-softly. "Tie dis mouse up good and proper, here is de plan, lets go to de dark brush over yonder and light ah big fire. Put de mousie close to it, and on ah spit, still alive mind ya, close as you can without killing ‘im! He will wake, and oh willhe be in ah surprise when he feels de heat. He will scream, call for help anything. When the beast comes, we be hiding, they will only see 2 beasties sitting close acting like dey roast ‘im. Dewnose and Largeclaw, that willbe you 2 weasel chappee's. Now, if you all think ah will be doing nothing, let me tell you what ah have in plan! How many yon beast carry arrow shafts?" A good 25 beast raised their hands, she nodded. "Good, come with me while de others set up the spit, ah got plans with you all!" She winked at Swiftail and parted with the chosen few.

The more Swiftail watched her, the more he knew she was resourceful anda good leader. She was the one who warned them about the attack, and she captured the mouse leader, and now she will pull off the last task for her; to destroy all the beast she was send to destroy. He shook his head as he remembered how others had put her down for her looks. He would never lookat another beast by sight again.

The moon was going down and dawn would arrive in a few hours. A fire crackled fiercely as the mouse Tyrainnel opened his eyes. The sight he was terrifying. There stood 2 big nasty weasels with pikes in their hands, andhe was mere inches away from flame. The heat was almost unbearable. LikeGillas had planned, he began yelling for help. The weasels acted like they where mad. "Shut up mouse, or I will gut ya!" Dewnose snarled and waved his pike close to the mouse's nose. Tyrainnel struggled in his bonds and yelled louder. Gillas relaxed in the bushes, she then paid heed to her archers,each ready with bows at paw for any movement. Time only told when the escaped prisoners would come for their leader.

Dawns rays were just beginning to show. The archers and horde beast waited patiently, knowing that dawn was the best time for an ambush. Gillas sighed and her ears perked up. She heard the slow walking of beast. "Holddem arrows. Ah hear dem" She whispered harshly. In the faint light she pickedout a large group of beast coming. They tried to hide in the shadows. Gillas stood tall, her blow pipe in hand and a poison dart fitted into it. She waited in till she saw every beast coming close to the fire and the mouse screaming. "NOW! NORTHSHEERRRRRRR!!" She screamed. Arrows buzzed through.The deadly slayers of the night. As the arrows flew, the horde beast closed inon the circular fire. This way none escaped. Gillas grinned wickedly as herdirk brought down a mole who jumped at her. She then stood back surveying whathad taken place.

The bright morning brought her to reality. She stood watching hertroops licking wounds. Only 4 of her beast where slain in this fight. But every escaped prisoner that didn't give up where brought down. A miserable 17where huddled tight and muzzled to be brought to the lord Ublaz to deal with. She smiled grimly at the mouse leader Tyrainnel. "So mah wee beastie, yathought ya can outsmart the horde of his lord Ublaz, what de ya got ta say to yonself ? Very clever trying ta fool me, eh?" The mouse sneered at her. "You are scum, vermin of the sea and land! If I could get out of my bonds I willslay you!" She stepped aside as he tried to spit on her. "Yon be very foolish mouse! Ah watched ya lead yon horde from behind, Ye are dey coward! Yedepend upon your beast ta do everything! It was ah who brought you down, and itwill be Ublaz who kills you nice n' slowly!" She kicked him and stepped away, to go talk to Swiftail.

The fox nodded to her. "Well lassie, it looks like you did good. Iadmit you were the right beast for the job!" She hid her smile. "Ah suppose, butya know, ah still believe we coulda done dis without killing 10 of my troop.Oh well, let us head back an give des worthless scum to Lord Ublaz! Ah tire o' looking at der miserable faces" They nodded to the rest of the horde beast and headed back to base. That was how a pinemarten, fox and 40 other beast defeated Tyrainnel the mouse leader and his 60 escaped prisoners in lessthe one day.