Chapter 3 – Peril

With a flourish, what had seemed to be a shadow, unsheathed its dagger. It was Peril, one of the generals of the claws of power. Her body was covered in a strange armour that had green crystals coming out of her breast plate. Her face was covered in a mask, which was garnished with pitch black obsidian stripes and two shards of green crystal next to her eyes. In her hands, the sword’s obsidian, serrated point was held to the first badger’s throat. The other badger guard blew a horn and the streets filled with foxes and badgers. 

When the blood bath had stopped, there were too many bodies to count in the blood spattered street, but no sign of Peril anywhere. Cautiously, Amber Scale crept back to the cottage, badly shaken by what he had just witnessed. A cold, horrible dread slithered down his spine and began strangling his heart. He was sure Peril had followed their tracks, and come for them!

By sunrise, Amber Scale, Arcen Claw, and Feather Swift had left the fortress far behind and were trekking up the claws of the clouds mountain range. The journey took almost a day and so by nightfall, they found themselves huddled up in a cave, close to the red hot tip of the mountain called “fire” in the claws of the clouds mountain range.

Outside the cave, the warm wind whistles and churned, inside the cave, he siblings were starting a fire and preparing to cross dry scale desert. Warily, Amber Scale unwrapped the last thing his father had given him before being turned into a soldier for the claws of power. It was a small dagger, that glowed gold in the dim light, warning him that there was danger nearby. The handle was engraved with words, Gold Dragon. 

The walls of the cave seemed to grow veins of green pulsing light and exploded, revealing Peril, and millions of wolves and foxes, clad in the same armour as Peril. Cold, hard metal surrounded him, and he was trapped. Realising he needed to keep Gold Dragon safe, he tucked the dagger into his cloak.

Peril laughed and said “Going somewhere?,” ”Going nowhere I think!” She snapped her fingers and 4 guards stepped forward, they cornered Arcen Claw, and Feather Swift tried to make a run for it, but was stopped when a guard used the flat of his blade to knock her out. Both of them were thrown into the cage with Amber Scale and the guards began to push the cage deeper into the tunnels.

The Claws Of Power were in their thousands, sharpening weapons and stabbing training dummies. WIth a sudden jolt, Amber Scale realised they were waiting, waiting to attack the very place they thought was safe – the indestructible tree fort!