Hello everyone, hope all are having a fine day. I just finished my annual re-read of the series and had an idea for a small short fanfiction thing. Hope that is okay to post here. It’s based off one of my favorite names and wish I could read a story about them. Comments and critiques always welcome. Thank you and have a lovely day!

The earth shook beneath pounding foot paws, ragged breathing accompanied the frantic beat. Two hare maids, one older and one younger, ran as swiftly as they could. It was easy to see how tired they were, their pace flagging and their ears drooped. The younger one tried to look behind them but the older pushed her on, saving her breath for the race. They dodged between the trees, stumbling in thick loam and over exposed roots.

Their ears were sensitive, able to hear above their shaky breathing and uneven stride. The cracking of twigs and muttered curses revealed their pursuers approaching, and the pair sped back up. Inevitably they stumbled. Fatigued limbs would not rise high enough and a protruding root caused the two to fall scut over ears into the thick detritus.

“K-keep going,” the older hare gasped. She tried to rise but her shaking limbs would not bear her weight. “Run Lily!” The younger haremaid dithered, eyes wide and pleading as she pulled at her sister’s paw. “Go!” The prone hare nearly shrieked, pushing her little sister hard. “Keep going, if you go just a little farther you will be safe. Please.” With a stifled sob Lily ran on, leaving her sister behind.

Maple watched her little sister run deeper into the forest, relief briefly eclipsing her fear and pain. She rubbed at her twisted ankle, dragging herself up into a seated position, waiting for their pursuers to arrive. It did not take long. Four grim faced rats approached, eyes piercing and wary as they looked about. They were dressed in black tunics, a red fanged maw emblazoned on their chests. Three of them held long spears and they encircled the sitting hare.

Their leader stepped closer, looking down at the quivering Maple. Dark eyes glittered with intelligence and he stood out of her reach. “Here’s one,” he said softly, his voice cold and collected. A paw rested on a sheathed sword. “Tell me, where is the other one?”

“Long gone, and safe from you!” Maple spat.

The leader chuckled. “Is she now?” He saw the disturbed path of broken leaves leading away from the hare. “She’s smaller than you, can’t last much longer.” He jerked his head and one of the spear holding rats bobbed his head. The rat followed the path and Maple felt despair growing within her chest. “Though, if you answer my question, I may just let her go free.”

She shook her head, hashing the sudden hope. “There’s no trusting you Vargas! You or your master.”

Vargas smiled even wider, a friendly gesture turned macabre and the other two rats sniggered. “Oh? Pity you think so, I was being sincere. Tell me girl, are you the special one? If you are then I’ll call off the tracker and let your little sister run away. If she is the special one, then I will let you go. That’s a fine deal is it not?”

Maple closed her eyes and turned her head away. A shriek cut through the air, a scream of a young hare maiden and Maple could not prevent the moan from leaving her lips. “Too late,” Vargas sighed. “Well you had your chance. I’ll allow you to rest for a moment longer, you lead us on a merry chase and it’ll be a long march back. You should have known that you can’t escape the Master.”

Maple glared at the rat captain. “One day your Master will be gone and you with him. We will be free and safe!” She shivered as Vargas stared at her with his weird flat stare.

“Is that the truth? You have seen that?”

“I don’t need to, I know it will,” she replied unconvincingly and the rats laughed aloud.

“I fear the Master is wrong about you and your sister. The Master will lay down a legacy that will last forever. If you cannot understand that then I doubt you truly possess-“ Vargas stopped in mid sentence, noticing the stares of the other two rats. He turned, drawing his blade. “What’s the matter? Oh, it’s just Rotgut. What have you two so....” His voice trailed as Rotgut came flying through the air, landing on the ground in a heap.

The rats gasped and even Maple joined as they saw the form approaching them. The figure was ginormous, broad shouldered and much taller than any beast present. She was definitely feminine, fine features and svelte limbs. Yet she swayed with the easy grace of one sure of her step, a long staff held easy in one paw. She was clad in a long tunic belted with woven fibers, the ends opening into a skirt over breeches. Yellow gold eyes looked at them over grey striped muzzle. Maple’s heart leapt as she Lily standing farther away, crouched against a tree.

Vargas stood at the ready and his two rats followed suit, weapons pointing at the badger. “This has nothing to do with you stripe-dog!” Vargas hissed. “This has to do with Master RedMaw and his slaves, no beast else. You have one chance to leave.”

The badger maid smiled, leaning on her staff nonchalantly. “Master RedMaw must be brave and just to send underlings for two little hare maids.” She giggled as the rats bristled. “Such bold beasts, armed against unarmed maids. How about you try your skills against me? You have the advantage in numbers.”

Barely had she finished Vargas shouted an order. The two rat guards charged at the badger, spears forward and ready to thrust. Vargas ran close behind, splitting off at angle to flank around the badger. The two rats thrust as one, one aimed high and the other low.

The badger maid swung her staff around and a covering slipped off the end revealing a gleaming spear point. She stepped and swung, knocking the other two spear hafts aside. She thrust and one guard screamed as he died, pierced by the double edged spear point. The maid pulled the blade out, Turing in place and brought the end of the spear around. A heavy metal cap struck the other guard in the neck and he fell with his head lolling loosely.

Vargas had wasted no time and leapt at her as she slew his companions. His blade whistled through the air and the maid blocked it with the haft of her spear. She pushed hard, knocking Vargas back several paces. She thrust and the rat dodged nimbly, swinging the blade and cutting along her arm. With a hiss she grabbed the sword at the hilt and with a grunt she snapped the blade in half. Vargas gaped at his broken sword before he squealed in pain. He leapt back, clutching a stump where he had held the broken sword a moment ago.

The badger pointed her spear at him and she breathed heavily. “I spare your life rat. Go back to your master, tell Red whatever to give up on these maids. Any that follow after I will slay just like I slew these rats. Count yourself lucky.”

Vargas glared at the badger, spitting on the earthen floor. “Oh no, you’re lucky right now. I’ll go back and you better keep looking behind you. These two are his slaves and he won’t let them go, no one steals from him. You’ll regret this stripe-dog, you’ll wish you killed me this day. I’ll make you regret it.” With his free hand he snatched up the broken blade of his sword and ran back south, away from where his fortune had turned.

Lily scampered forward, hurling herself onto her sister and the pair sobbed with relief. “Oh thank you!” Maple said looking at the grinning badger maid. “You saved us, thank you so much.”

The maid shrugged. “There was no way I could let them bully you, vermin like that only learn from violence.” She wrapped the cut on her arm. “I am glad to be of service.”

Maple rose slowly, favoring her twisted ankle and leaning on Lily. “This is Lily and my name is Maple. What is yours?”

The badger maid touched a badge on her chest, a plain metal disc etched with flowers dyed yellow. “You can call me Gorse. It is a pleasure to meet you.”