Wane lounged on a branch in the heart of the forest, one eye cracked open as he watched the other anthros. He rolled on his back and looked up at the stars, staring at each twinkling spot in the sky. He sighed deeply, his thoughts peaceful.
So it was a bit of a shock when shouts boomed through the forest
"PREPARE FOR WAR!"
Wane jumped in surprise, the branch creaked, his body tumbled into the air. In that moment he plummeted to the ground, righting his body at the last minute to clumsily land on his feet, he gasped when he impacted the ground in a crouch. His sapphire eyes watched as the forest dwellers reacted with equal surprise. Wide eyes, fur standing on end, and anthros mumbling loudly. Wane stood up, running through the forest, his ears swiveled to the origin of the booming command, trying to find his old friend.
"Carson!" he called, 'War? What war? There's going to be a war' The anthros were well aware of Carson's ability to prophesize through the dead, and it made everyone all the more alarmed. Wane's fur stood in hackles, and he swished his tail furiously, claws extended from his fingers. He'd need Carson to explain.
He knew one thing. If it was a war that humans want, it's a war they are going to get.
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Ann ran down the stairs, guards on her tail "Lady Annette! It goes against the kings orders for you to run off, you must return to the castle at once!". Ann paid no attention, continuing to run. She was still royalty, she could get away with disobeying orders with minor consequences. This was incredibly important, her heart pounded in her chest as she ran to the Mayhem engineer, casting her gaze behind her momentarily. She'd have to lose the guards first.
Since she had been back her father the king had noticed her absences through eyewitnesses, and disapproved of her wayward attitude. He ordered her to stay on the grounds of the castle. But she couldn't, not after what she had just heard.
She pressed her body against a stony building, holding her breath. The guards ran past unknowing of her existence. She stayed there a moment longer, then peered over the corner of the rock. Then she took off running, towards the renowned machine engineer. She made it to a sturdy wooden building, though the building wasn't the most impressive work. A large field spread beside it, and it's surface was occupied by wooden machines of war. Massive catapults and crossbows built with deadly intent. She made it to the door, her fist knocking furiously on the door and awaiting a reply.
Adric eyes blinked open when pounding erupted on his door, he lifted his head up from the cluttered table, where he had fallen asleep. A small fire in the corner illuminated his handiwork. He hastily got up from his sitting position and strode over to the door, opening it. Though he had never met her, one could always tell who the princess was. He blinked a moment, then spoke in a quiet tone "Princess Annette..." he said nonchalantly, though he was quite confused at her presence. Annette blurted out "You have already been ordered by the king?" Adric said nothing, just did a simple nod. Annette pleaded at him "You have to stop making your machines! We can't go to war! It solves nothing!"
Adric's dark eyes stared cooly at her, betraying none of his feelings. It had only been a few hours, but the king could feel trouble brewing, and the tides turning. The king issued a war to begin, and Adric was the first to be contacted to make the siege weapons. He had been busy all day and night putting them together and making them battle ready. He looked back at Annette, smoothly responding "Can't. Already made." He didn't have any desire to stop what he was doing. Politics bored him, to be honest he didn't know how evil the anthros are, he'd never met one. He didn't know if war was necessary or not.
Annette gasped "But the anthros aren't evil! I've read about it...and...it's just wrong! Have you seen the fox!" Annette bit her lip. She'd been reading the books all her life, and in her heart she knew the surreal tales weren't just fakes. She hadn't told anyone this, but the day of the foxes death, the stories became real. She had watched the guards drag the fox into the deep recesses of the jail. Later she dropped in the dark crypts, visiting the anthro locked away behind bars. She kneeled down in front of the bars, seeing the creature curled up and afraid, but it's eyes shown with an intelligence, the same intelligence that would be of humans.
She stared at the fox and he stared back, Ann frowned, looking at the fox apologetically. "I-I'm sorry. I wish there was something". The fox seemed to understand her sympathy, a smile crossing his face despite his situation. He nodded, "It's okay" he blinked, tears in his eyes "If I could only ask one favor..."
That was when she had taken the armband and returned it to the anthros. Ann's eyes began to stream with tears, "Please, we need to gain peace!" Adric looked up at the sky, pondering the turn of events "It will happen, Ann. Your peace will only come through war" he said assuredly. Maybe his indifference was detrimental, maybe Ann was right that the anthros weren't evil, there certainly wasn't any politics in her eyes. Nonetheless, he did mean what he said 'peace will only come through war.
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Ann, though disappointed by the lack of progress in stopping the war, made one last trip. She looked up at the gallows, the broken, dull body of the fox hanging limply. The body was scheduled to be burned in the morning. Carefully, she undid the noose, cradling the stiff body in her arms as if it was a child. She came down from the wooden structure, looking around warily. It would be tough to be unseen, but she knew how to work the system, and she knew how she could hide the body as she traveled.
The fox mentioned a friend of his before he died, that friend was a wolf anthro.
She knew what she would do. She would find a place to bury Crimsonpaw.
