Chapter 9 - Chapter 8

Sunlight glinted through the dense foliage, dappling the forest floor with light. Pennybrite walked through Mossflower wood. She had been glad to find a small dagger inside the haversack, and had strode off the path, feeling well protected. She soon realized what a foolish mistake it had been. She was completely lost.

Suddenly she tripped; her footpaw had become caught up in a tree root. Penny fell flat on her face with a thud. Like lightning, someone jumped out of the tree behind her. She couldn't see who it was, because her hood had fallen over her face. She felt the prick of an arrow on the back of her neck and cursed inwardly at her foolishness. Why had she ever left the path?

“Who are you, and what do you want?” a voice behind her said.

“My name is Pennybrite Moonsparrow. I mean you no harm. I'm stuck in this stupid tree root…” She felt someone grab her footpaw, easing it out carefully from beneath the root. She stood up slowly, testing her footpaw before turning to the creature behind her.

It was a squirrel, about 25 seasons old. His face was stern and commanding, yet still friendly. He wore a green tunic, and carried a bow and a quiver of arrow. Around his neck was a gold medallion on a moss green ribbon, with two crescent moons and a small bird engraved into it. He was a Moonsparrow, and Pennybrite recognized him almost immediately.

“You - you saved my life!”

“I doubt you would have died stuck under a tree root.” he said smirkly.

“No, about three days ago. I was running through the woods, pursued by three vermin. You killed them and saved me…”

The squirrel looked thoughtful. “Oh, right, right. Think nothing of it. Pleased to meet you. Again. Name's Jhekel.”

Penny couldn't help but stare at the medallion around Jhekel's neck. He nodded. “Yep, I'm a Moonsparrow too.” Penny told Jhekel about how she was a slave, how she escaped to Salamandastron, and her plan to somehow free the slaves of Fort Spar. She noticed that at the mention of Lord Kreinach, Jhekel grew solumn, almost angry, and he furrowed his brow. “That scum and his crew murdered my family when I was no more then seven seasons old. I had to fend for myself, in the dead of winter, deep in this unfamiliar country of Mossflower.” He seemed to tighten his grip on his bow.

“Oh, Jhekel, I'm so sorry…”

He cut her short, offering his paw to her. “Here's my hand and here's my heart, mate. I'm with you.”

Penny smiled and shook his paw. “Thank you, but I don't see what the two of us are going to do against a thousand soldiers.”

“There is a large group of otters that patrol the areas northeast of here. They may be able to help us. I last saw one of them, a big burly fellow named Quake, about ten days ago.”

“How far?”

“ `bout a good six days march from here.”

Penny sighed. “Then we best be moving on…”

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