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Dozens of eyes surrounded Fippy as he strode past the knolls of Blackburrow towards the elders' lair. They stepped out to meet him, unnerved and disapproving. "Fippy. Where is Briartrot? All of Blackburrow awaits his return."
Fippy stopped. A sea of ears had perked up. "I have spent this morning with him, and I will tell you of his whereabouts when the time suits me. But first--"
"Fippy!" The elder barked.
Fippy continued. "Hear me, elders. Hear me Blackburrow. You have ignored me for too long, and you will learn of what has befallen Briartrot."
Gasps sounded throughout the caves.
"I am here to talk to you all, about greed."
The elders looked baffled.
"Yes, but not only the greed of Gydar Briartrot. The greed of the humans, and the greed of the knolls."
"Fippy, what are you on about? We don't want to hear more of your stories."
"He's dead!"
There were more gasps, some whines, and many angry yaps.
"This is a good story." Rorph said in his sleepy tone of voice. Wilx, hiding in the shadows stroking his new blade, nodded. "Fippy's best story."
"What?" responded one of the elders.
"Briartrot is dead. Slain at the hands of the humans."
Murmurs and howls arose. The elders exchanged looks. "How did you come to know this?"
"You all knew he was going to the ogre camp, but that's not what he did. I know because I went to the ogre camp, alone."
"Preposterous!"
"The humans had ventured out farther than ever before. They caught him."
One of the knolls in the crowd protested, "Gydar would not have been trapped so easily!" The crowd roared agreement.
"What proof of this do you have?" Cried the elder, who was becoming very impatient.
"Behold! Briartrot's sword!"
Wilx came forward and another wave of gasps and yaps shook the walls of the cave.
"Whiskerhunt and Rorph had been looking for me. We, along with the ogres, came to Briartrot's aid but it was too late."
"The ogres?! What have you gotten this burrow into Fippy Darkpaw?"
"Yes, elder. The ogres are no friends of the humans, and if not for their boundless strength, I would not have escaped with my life."
The elder's sat back in their chairs, wordless and fearful.
"Gydar was ambitious. But he was foolish. He ventured too far. Greedy, as we all have been. Living off the plains and keeping to ourselves while the humans destroy our land. We can no longer be greedy and steal from them on occasion. We cannot scavenge any longer. Their greed is never ending, and with it they will take everything from us. And so I say we join our forces with the ogres, together we will stop them. Together we will take our land back!"
This time their were a few howls and yaps in favor of Fippy. A sound he had only dreamed of hearing.
"And what makes you think the ogres are so willing?"
Fippy focused every bit of conviction to steady his voice. It was time to show Blackburrow who he really was. It was time for clan Sabretooth to reclaim its rightful place.
"Elder, they await my command as we speak." A dead silence filled all of Blackburrow only to be broken by the triumphant howl of Wilx thrusting the serrated sword high into the air.
To be continued...
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