Chapter 1: End of Happier Times

"Everyone tries to control everything. We believe our destinies are what we make them. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I am a wanderer, student, teacher, and some would call "hero", and I have to pay for that mistake for the rest of my life.

* * * * *

"But Mama, I still don’t understand why I must take a mate—especially Victor. I don’t want to get married, so I’m not gonna," Starla complained. Starla was quite tall compared to the other young vixens of the village and was fairly pretty, but she didn’t have many friends outside her family. Normally, Starla would have been found leaning next to a tree that stood next to the town well, daydreaming. But, instead, she was having her raven-black headfur brushed by her mother for her big day.

"I have already told you. You must marry tomorrow. It’s tradition," explained Starla’s mother as she continued brushing her daughter’s headfur.

"But why Victor? He’s so stuck-up and boring," said Starla in an almost spoiled brat tone.

"He’s stable, my dear, and he’s the chief’s son. Besides, he chose you, and that is how it is done."

"I know. But it’s not fair and I don’t want him. I want to…" but Starla was interrupted as her brother walked in.

"Hi Ma, hi Starla, or should I say, Mrs. Victor Plainswalker?" He said teasingly.

"Shut-up, Talus!" yelled Starla, trying to get up, but she was stopped by a paw on her shoulder.

"Calm down, little one. He’s just joking, though he should know better," said the two’s mother. "How did the hunt go, Talus?"

"Very well. This will be the best winter ever thanks to Lupia. There will be enough food for two villages." Lupia Moonhowler was the daughter of the only wolf family in the village, who brought the idea of pack hunting to the village.

"That’s wonderful," their mother said, sounding quite pleased. "Well, you two should be off to bed. It’s going to be a big day tomorrow."

Starla stood up and hugged her mother, as did Talus. "’Night Mama," the two said in unison as they headed for their rooms.

* * * * *

Talus was one of those people who didn’t dream much. He was always too tired from keeping himself busy. He never liked to just sit around, when there was things he could be doing. This was one of the qualities about him that made him so attractive to the vixens of the village. The fact that he was fairly tall and muscular and his long black hair couldn’t have hurt either.

But this night, he did have a dream. Horrible visions of destruction plagued his mind. He found himself wide-awake in the middle of the night, and breathing as though he had been running for hours.

"I need some water," he said to himself as he stood up and tried to shake away the thoughts of his nightmare.

Talus put on his tan trousers and headed for the town well. As he got there he noticed a familiar figure leaning against a tree looking up at the stars. It was Starla, daydreaming.

"What are you doing up? You should be getting your rest for tomorrow," Talus admonished, as he sat down next to his sister.

"Oh!" Starla gasped, coming out of her daydream. "Sorry, I didn’t notice you. I had a bad dream so I came out here."

"Bad dream? What about?"

"I saw our village from above, and a shadow coming from the west. It covered the village and when it left, our village destroyed."

Talus sat there silently not wanting to worry his sister further with the fact that he, too, had a dream of the village’s destruction.

"So… are you going to help set things up for the ceremony tomorrow?" asked Starla chipperly.

"Not until noon," answered Talus. "I noticed an open glade on our way back home today, and I wanted to check it out."

"Ok. Well, I’m going back to bed. Pleasant dreams, Brother."

"You too, Sis. You too."

Talus watched Starla enter their home before looking up at the stars. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but Talus’ mind wasn’t on the stars. They were on his dream.

"Could it mean something?" he wondered. "Is our village doomed, or is it just a coincidence that we had similar dreams?"

The young fox just sat there for hours wondering if Starla’s dream of the shadow and his dream of returning to the village, as it burned, were warnings or something else.

He realized none of his questions would be answered by just sitting there, so he stood up, got a drink from the well, and went back to bed.

* * * * *

Talus woke up with the dawn the next morning. He got dressed, ate breakfast, and was about to leave when, he noticed that the dagger that usually hung from his belt was missing. He wasn’t surprised though, as it happened just about every other day. Rick, the young son of the raccoon family, had "borrowed" it again.

Leaving his house, Talus noticed the rest of the hunting party waiting at the edge of the village, most of them chuckling. The only one not laughing was Victor, who looked quite annoyed.

Victor was a very tall and muscular fox, but his hunting skills and personality seriously lacked. The only reason he was a hunter was that he was the chief’s son.

Talus waved to everyone as he headed to Rick’s house. The whole thing worked out like a well-rehearsed play. Rick’s mother opened the door right as Talus got there. He thanked the raccoon woman, and entered Rick’s room as Rick handed him the dagger. Then he joined his fellow hunters and they headed out.

* * * * *

Starla woke with a start. She’d had another nightmare. "Two in one night," she thought. "Something is very wrong!"

"What’s the matter, Dear?" asked her mother who had been standing in the doorway, apparently about to wake her up.

"Where’s Talus?!"

"He left a few hours ago. Why?"

Starla didn’t respond. She threw on some clothes as fast as she could and ran outside. The confused old woman followed her to the doorway to see her daughter running out of the village.

"What’s going on Mrs. Foxheart?" a voice asked.

She looked down to see little Rick Coon in front of her.

"I don’t know, little one. You go home now," she said as she went back in her house with a worried look on her face.

Rick watched as the elder vixen went inside and ran after Starla, curious to what was going on.

* * * * *

Lupia stopped dead in her tracks; "I don’t like this."

"What are you talking about? There’s nothing around here," stated the stubborn Victor.

"Victor, Lupia is right. Something is wrong here," said Talus.

"But there is nothing here!" yelled Victor, who was getting very angry.

"That’s just it. There aren’t any birds around—no animals whatsoever."

"Where are they?" asked Tilly with a tremble in her voice as she held on to Talus.

Tilly was a little vixen who was about fifteen. She was already arranged to marry Talus when she turned eighteen and she was madly in love with him. It was unusual for a girl, much less a girl of her age, to be hunting. But, she was good at it and she convinced Lupia and the village chief to let her join, though she only wanted to so she could spend more time with Talus.

"Nevermind where they are. Let’s just check out the grove so we can get back in time for my wedding!" Victor demanded as he walked off.

The rest of them chased after him, to find him in the open grove they were looking for. They were shocked and horrified at what they saw. A little nonmorphic fox hanging from the trees by its neck, broken and lifeless, suspended only by the noose around its throat. Tilly ran behind Talus and covered her eyes.

"What type of creature would kill something and leave the body?" asked Lupia as she went to examine the dead fox.

Talus put his chin in his paw to think.

"Who cares? Let’s just cut it down and go home," ordered Victor.

Talus looked up and yelled, "Victor! No! It’s a trap!" but it was too late, Victor had already cut it down. They all heard the sound of tin bells ringing and a twang followed by a whistling sound. Victor couldn’t even scream before he collapsed on the ground with a sickening thud as an arrow hit his back, piercing his heart.

Tilly screamed as Talus tried to cover her mouth. Both Talus and Lupia drew their daggers as more noise came from the forest around them

Out from the woods walked furless creatures that stood about six feet tall, all wielding swords. The three found themselves surrounded.

"Humans. I should’ve known," snarled Lupia.