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    The heavy rains soaked the two otters as they slowly made their way through the woods. Cassia shuffled along a few feet behind Dune, lost in her own thoughts. She was glad to finally be free from Port Eastbank, the strict laws, heavy taxation, and long work hours enacted by the invaders had taken their toll on her, but worse than that, at least, was how long she'd been separated from her family.

    She was brought back to the present when she bumped into Dune, who had abruptly stopped walking. "Hey wh--"

    "Shh. Get down," Dune interrupted, ducking down behind a tree. Cassia followed suit, sticking as close to him as she could. Listening carefully, she could just make out two distinct voices through the sound of the rain.

    "There's some beasts over there," Dune whispered, peeking carefully around the tree. "I think maybe one is a badger? Let's keep our heads down until they move on."

Two Months Ago

   Cassia was jolted awake by the sound of something, or maybe someone, falling to the ground with a heavy thud outside her house. Getting up, she crept over to the window and pulled back the curtain just enough to get a look out the back window, where she saw an otter trying to free his footpaw from the bucket he'd stepped in, the crashing sound had been him knocking over the table and plants on the porch as he'd fallen down. He was dressed in a dark tunic, with a knapsack of supplies that was now strewn about the back porch.

   Opening her window, she leaned out and whispered just loud enough for the other otter to hear, "Dune Waveskipper, do you mean to bring every guard in Port Eastbank to my back porch?"

   "Shhh! Let me in," Dune whispered back to her as he kicked the bucket off his footpaw and climbed through the window. Shutting it behind him, he quickly closed the blinds and sat down on the floor. Cassia sat beside him and they waited, listening for any sign of guards coming to investigate, but the night was silent.

   "Hey Cass," Dune said, getting to his paws. "I'm sorry about your plants. I gotta get my things and go though, I've only got a little time t-- Hey!"

   Cassia grabbed him by the shoulders and dug her claws into the fabric of his tunic. "Where are you going?!"

   "I-I have a way out. Past the guards, past the walls, B-b-but it's really dangerous and really more of a one-otter type th-thing you kn--"

   "Please! Dune, Please. Take me with you. Or at least try!" She said, voice wavering as she held back tears. "Please, I need to find my... my..."

   "Your son, that's right," Dune said quietly, pulling her into a hug as she broke down, sobbing into his chest. "Alright, Cass. We can't stay here much longer, we've got a small window of time that's already been taken up by me failing to cut through your yard. Grab a few necessities, and let's go."

----------------

Present Day

   "Y'know, I hear there's an island in the middle of it," Dune said, skipping a rock across the surface of the Great Inland Lake.

   "I hear it's haunted by the ghosts of those Foxes," Cassia replied, setting her pack down in the sand. "Do you think that's where they could have gone?"
   Frowning, Dune pulled a weathered piece of parchment out of his pocket. It had been the only clue they'd found on their quest to find the other refugees who had escaped Southsward since Sanglier and his Conquerers, as they had taken to calling themselves, had arrived.

Cassia and Dune had come across a holt that looked like it had been abandoned for a few seasons, and amongst the upturned furniture he'd found this parchment with a hastily done drawing on it, with the word HOME scrawled at the top, though neither he nor Cassia had been able to identify the structure depicted. They could only hope the inhabitants had made it out before the holt had been ransacked.

   "No, there's definitely a tree drawn here. I don't think this building is on an island," He said, folding it back up and tucking it back into his pocket. "Somebeast should recognize it. We shouldn't stick around here much longer anyhow, those storm clouds look nasty to me. I don't fancy being out along this shore when that storm hits."

   "So explain to me why you think a tree means its not an island?" Cassia asked as she gathered her things and followed Dune as he led the way northwest into the forest.

Three Years Ago

    Sanglier stood on the forward deck of his ship Liana's Claw, leaned against the railing, and took a deep breath of sea air, closing his eyes as he placed one hooved hand over his heart.

    "Trinity guide me," he whispered to himself in prayer, voice trembling. "As we enter this new world. Give me the strength to guide this land into your light, that these creatures here--"

    "S-sir?" A gaunt rat nervously interrupted. Sanglier took a deep breath to calm himself before gripping the railing of the ship before him, his fur bristling ever so slightly.

    "Mate Hookfang, what is it?"

    "We're close to land, sir. You can see the lights. The other ships are anchoring here to await further orders,  and we shall sail on to Port Eastbank and dock there. B-but Sir, a lot of the soldiers are a bit worried. The creatures of Southsward have been our trade partners for many, many seasons. Don't you th-"

    There was a loud crack as Sanglier whipped around and backhanded the rat across his jaw, sending him stumbling backwards, where he collapsed upon the ground. Hookfangs eyes were wide as he pressed a paw to his now fractured and bleeding jaw, where the boars hoof had sliced into the skin where he made contact. Strolling over, the boar placed his foothoof on the rat's chest, and pressed down on him.

    "If the soldiers have a problem with our mission, I will send them to the Gods themselves and they can tell them their doubts. Saint Liana herself told me we are to have Southsward, and Trinity willing, all of Mossflower for ourselves. Well, in the name of our King, of course."

    He lifted his weight off of Hookfang, who scrambled to his feet, wheezing as his breath returned.

    "Tell my soldiers to ready themselves, we dock at sunrise."

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Port Eastbank was built along an interconnected group of small islands along the Southsward shoreline, all connected by a series of bridges, with one large bridge that lead onto the mainland, turning into Galedeep Road, named after one of the heroes that defeated the Foxwolf, which connected the Port to Castle Floret and the rest of Southsward.While many creatures came and went, the Port itself was mainly inhabited by otters of various Holts that had united.

One such otter was Harbormaster Cyrus, who on this morning stood with his son, Dune, as they watched Liana's Claw pull into dock. Tapping a claw impatiently on his ledger, Cyrus watched the dockworkers moor the massive ship and set up the gangway.

"Ain't expectin' a ship today from Avignon." Cyrus huffed, flipping through his ledger again. "Unless I missed somethin' but we ain't expecting anything for another month at least."

"We'll have to see what they want then," Dune said, gently placing a paw on his fathers shoulder. "Come, the gangway is secure, let's meet their Captain at the bottom."

-------

The last dockworker scrambled out of the way as a giant of a boar in chainmail swept past them and down the gangway. He was followed closely by a ferret in bright red robes, and the ships Captain.

Harbormaster Cyrus stood squarely at the end of the dock, paws crossed over his chest. The rest of the beasts on the dock had backed away, and were anxiously eying their harbormaster as he strode up and planted himself in front of the boar.

"Now just ye wait a minute there! Ain't got a ship from Avignon docking today, what's the meaning of th--" Sanglier's spear cut the otter short as it was thrust into his gut, the wings at the base of the spearhead stopping it from digging any further into the otters stomach. Gripping the haft, Sanglier pushed Cyrus off the edge of the dock, ripping his spear from the otter as he fell into the sea. With a cry of anguish, Dune ran towards the docks edge, but froze as the bloodied spearhead was pointed at him.

Sanglier gently wiped both sides of the spearhead off on Dune's cheek as the otter stood there and trembled. "I didnt think I'd have to dirty my spear so early. What's your name, Otter?"

"D-d-dune. Dune is my name."

"Well Dune, hopefully your manners are better than your former friends. I've had a long journey, you see. We all have," he said, gesturing to the ship, where at least two score archers had lined themselves up along the railing of the top deck of the ship, bows in paws. "So I think I'm going to have my soldiers disembark, and you're going to take us to whoever runs this beautiful port."

Present Day

    Looking out from the window of his tower in Castle Floret, Sanglier observed the bustling city below him. It had been three years since he and his army had landed in Southsward's Port Eastbank and swept across the country, easily crushing any resistance that had gotten in their way. The beasts here were spread out in small communities, they hadn't stood a chance against the heavily armed invaders.

    Castle Floret had proved to be the most difficult to take, high up on a cliff and surrounded by moats. There was nothing a battering ram and a few dozen determined soldiers couldn't do though, and Sanglier had quickly established himself as Governor of Southsward once he'd slaughtered the royal family.

    A knock at the door drew Sanglier's thoughts away from the city below, and he growled as he strode over to the door. Opening it, he looked down to find Cardinal Alban standing there. The Cardinal was an elderly ferret, his red robes distinguished him as an upper member of the Clergy, and he'd come with Sanglier to not only help establish the Church in this new land, but to be a guiding hand in how the kingdom was to be ruled. He was the one beast in the Castle Sanglier held in higher regard than himself, and as soon as he realized who it was, the boars irritation was quick to dissipate.

    "Cardinal, please, come in," he said, stepping aside and holding the door open. Cardinal Alban bowed, and slowly made his way into Sanglier's quarters, taking a seat in the plush armchair by the fire. He gestured to the seat next to him, and Sanglier turned it around so he could sit across from the Cardinal.

    "My son," the ferret began, folding his paws in his lap. "There's no doubt that we've made great strides in ridding this land of heathens, and bringing a new age of Enlightenment to the beasts here. However, our troops do report some trouble to the East."

    "There's no trouble my army cannot handle, Cardinal."

    "That may be so, but the fact is that there are still creatures who believe that they were better off without us. Why don't you send a patrol out, see what the fuss is."

    Standing up, Sanglier gave a deep bow to the Cardinal. "It shall be done. Thank you Cardinal, and Trinity bless."

    "Trinity bless you too, and Saint Liana watch your back."

Coming here after ages to reclaim my last word throne. Hope y'all are well!

*uppercuts ungatt with a baseball bat*
This is what you wanted correct? Congrats on the marriage! I'm engaged to be married next summer

Congrats! That?s super exciting

Every once in a while.

Today would have been Brian Jacques?s 83rd birthday.

I was a little more generous with Windy ;3

Bro I had the win in the bag

I?m not dead I?m just busy thanks

I don't play Reborn enough to want to be in that discord. I'd love to be in one for just the RWL crowd.

We can add Holbrook. We can see if people like Shark, Briar, Shadow, Ashyra, the Tooth Brothers, (as some examples) all have Discord's and maybe add some of the crew who don't play anymore but we still have contact with.

I just realized this said "Shark" and I meant "Shael". My phone doesn't like her name haha

I don't play Reborn enough to want to be in that discord. I'd love to be in one for just the RWL crowd.

We can add Holbrook. We can see if people like Shark, Briar, Shadow, Ashyra, the Tooth Brothers, (as some examples) all have Discord's and maybe add some of the crew who don't play anymore but we still have contact with.

windy, if we make it another year or so, let's do something for the 20th anniversary?  And by something, I mean meeting at an arranged time on the modern day equivalent of AIM/MSN Messenger :D

I unashamedly never liked the Spa Room, it's far too silly. But I hated the UMD as well. General Discussion is where it's at.

"When we make it another year" not If. Also we could always just start a Discord group anyway. We don't need an occasion to have another group chat.

Cheers.
you had the last word for entirely too long

There's no such thing ;)

I really love your new avatar though! It's a nice change from the pony.

I change my avatar on websites pretty frequently. I like my current one a lot though so it's still my icon most places.

Isn't it just an angry charizard? (Don't google that)

well you cant say that because of course now I've got to google it.