‘Cheer up, why so glum,’ said River, clearly delighted at venturing to a planet with a similar climate to Lupus. His chipper mood was infuriating. As was always the case with River, he missed the subtleties. He was a Wolf oblivious to the threat of the Bear. River’s purpose within the pack was that of a blunt instrument. Star had need of such Wolves but what he really lacked was seasoned warriors honed in the art of war. Bloodhound and the March Hare were a start but they both had their idiosyncrasies. Ash was his most reliable Wolf but pinning his hopes on one Wolf was foolish.
‘You think you can take on Bear?’ said Star Wolf, gazing out upon the endless black of space.
River grunted and skulked off down the dimly lit corridor of Lupenroad without response, his exposed hind leg claws clacked furiously on the metal floor.
‘A useful fighter I’m guessing,’ said the March Hare, he had snuck up beside Star. ‘Not the brightest though.’
The more creatures Star Wolf met out in the galaxy the more he realised he wasn’t the accomplished hunter he believed himself to be. Hunting mindless creatures in the forests of Lupus wasn’t the real galaxy. In the real galaxy creatures lurked, waiting to murder you before you even knew they were hunting you. It was infuriating not knowing whether he was hunter or prey.
‘Indeed,’ said Star Wolf, brooding over their impending arrival. From the relative safety of the flight deck he could gaze out upon the infinite reaches of the galaxy and revel in the potential opportunities. Perhaps that was the best course, head for the farthest reaches of the galaxy and never return.
That was the coward’s way.
Star was no coward.
‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ said Bloodhound, another who moved about Lupenroad deafly quiet.
‘I had you pegged more for an ocean view,’ replied Star.
‘At nighttime the sea and sky bond to form some of the most beautiful sights you’ll ever see, and who knows what the best part about those nights is?’ asked Bloodhound.
Star shook his head.
‘The Stars,’ answered the March Hare, sharing a knowing glance with Bloodhound, ‘and one Star can shine very brightly if looked after and given the chance to flourish.’
‘I see.’ Star flushed with pride. To have two legends throwing their lots in with his small band of Wolves, to take on arguably the most formidable creature to grace the galaxy with his murderous presence, filled Star with a shred of hope. ‘I must admit I fail to see how we beat the Winter Tiger, especially without the help of The Council of Worlds.’
‘Really?’ asked Ash, the trio of legends following Star was complete. ‘You know
better than that. How large is the Council? A few thousand at most, so many across the galaxy don’t adhere to or bother with the Council’s rules. You’ve seen that now, firsthand on Ranae; you ask a poisonous Frog what he does when someone crosses him. You’ve thought it yourself. Surely? The Council is full of weak creatures incapable of fighting. Most of the Council would be a hindrance to us rather than a help, you know this.’ Ash’s words came with a little rebuke, the little kick Star needed.
He glanced down at his neatly pressed uniform, taking strength from the House of Wolves emblem, the black stitching in stark contrast to the grey tunic. It was nice to be back in familiar clothing heading to a planet with a similar climate to Lupus. Star’s recruitment drive might see him away from home for quite some time, but now was not the time for nostalgia.
‘The key to beating him is in your forces, and who you select. You need Apex’s.’ said the March Hare.
‘Like the Hare?’ said Bloodhound, there was no love lost between the Dog and Hare but a mutual respect, born from battle most likely, did exist.
‘There are always exceptions to the rule, that is what I can offer. As one I can spot others,’ the March Hare put his hand on the hilt of his whip, ‘perhaps Bloodmutt would like to put his Apex status to the test. Are Dogs an Apex? Perhaps over the Cats, and even then, I think I know a Persian or two who’d best your kind with ease.’
‘I like the sounds of exceptions. I offer you the sea and I have no doubt I can recruit you some creatures you wouldn’t believe even existed,’ said Bloodhound, it wasn’t a boast. He meant what he said. Star was just thinking about asking what type of creatures when the announcement came.
‘Prepare for jump to Brunneis Ursus,’ said the tinny, overhead system.
‘To the Bear.’ The March Hare grinned to reveal sharp, narrow white teeth. He tapped at the golden pocket watch on his hip, ‘time for another adventure.’
A FULLY-GROWN BROWN Bear would be a serious match for several Tigers, and Star thought he had a teasing piece of information that could secure the services of the Bears. He just had to work on his ability to lie, or at least bend the truth.
Star was stood inside the vast Bear Hall, at the foot of an ivory throne, rumoured to be fashioned from the long-extinct Woolly Mammoths, cumbersome creatures on the edge of the galaxy on some inhospitable ice planet. Kodiak, the leader of the Bear, was late, which was normal for the Bears or so Star’s experienced advisors told him. Still, the insult grated him, didn’t Kodiak realise the urgency of this meeting. What had the March Hare told him to get him to agree to it in the first place? The Hare had done his usual trick of remaining scatty and vague.
‘Kodiak has arrived,’ announced a snooty Bear, her fluffy brown fur shone, bursting out in every direction from a ridiculous yellow dress, one born into pampered luxury. She’d be useless, as would, looking around the vast wooden hall, most of the Brown Bears in attendance. Their numbers were small, only twenty-two Bears had bothered joining the meeting and Star didn’t think one of them had spent a winter in hibernation out in the vast snowy mountains on Brunneis Ursus. When the twenty-third Bear entered Star’s hopes and fears surfaced.
Kodiak was the biggest Bear he’d ever laid eyes on; his grizzled and scar torso was full of thick brown fur. The Bear leader only opted to wear a pair of black leather trousers and enormous snow boats. The pelts around them looked suspiciously like Wolf but Star left the slight alone, it could’ve been husky or something else. Not likely.
‘What have we here a disgraced pack of Wolves, a drunken old Rabbit and a barking
mad sea Dog!’ every word boomed around the rafters, before the entire wooden building shook under the weight of Kodiak’s thunderous laughter. ‘Don’t look so sullen young Wolf. The Wolf is always welcome at my throne. Despite what those fools at the Council decreed.’
Star fought down a growl and the urge to point out the facts of that fateful day, a day where the Kodiak was present and kept quiet.
‘You are too kind.’ Star managed in a pleasant, false tone. Kodiak didn’t seem to notice; he’d already moved onto jesting and joking with the March Hare and Bloodhound. The comradely between warriors was a sight to behold; Star wanted a piece of that action one day.
‘So you want to take on the Tiger,’ said Kodiak, not a question but a statement.
Star nodded.
Kodiak appraised him for a long time, the Bears never did anything in a rush, before settling on something close to a smile, it was hard to be certain in the dimly lit hall what with his dark features and narrowed eyes.
‘I could do with some fun and exercise,’ he enthused, though Star noted none in the hall echoed the sentiments of their churlish leader. Kodiak, sharp as a blade, caught Star’s glance around the hall. ‘Pay them no mind Wolf pup, they are sheep dressed as Bears. They won’t come with us, nor will they stop me when I return.’
‘If you return,’ pointed out the March Hare.
Kodiak’s imposing laugh surfaced, and this time a few of his followers laughed too.
‘Oh, you think it’s funny, do you? Look at them.’ He indicated for Star to take a good look around the room. ‘I’ve lost count of how many of them I’ve fathered, and still none come to challenge me. As I enter my fifty-seventh Bear year I am still the most formidable of my species. Do you know when I took th
is throne from my father?’
His questioned was directed at Star, who shook his head.
‘A long time ago,’ suggested Bloodhound.
‘Quite,’ Kodiak agreed. ‘After my twenty-first Bear year, and in the thirty-six years since I’ve squashed all challengers flesh and blood or of another Bear’s seed. It makes no difference. I am the Great Bear reborn to rule forever. They all know it here, and there’s not a Bear within ten thousand miles who I’d bring along with us to crush the Tigers.’
Ash grunted at that but said nothing, though the sound caught Kodiak’s attention.
‘You doubt me, Ash? You’ve seen me in combat, no?’
Ash nodded.
‘How many Tigers do you think I could battle singlehandedly?’
Ash flicked his teeth over his lips, scrunching his wet, black nose. He made a show, clearly what the Kodiak was after, of looking all around and pretending to give the answer real thought. Star knew Ash was playing up for the Bear, a smart move if they wanted the imperious creature on their side.
‘Being conservative, I’d say thirty, without weapons of course. A laser to the face stops most creatures in their tracks.’ said Ash finally.
‘Ha, very good,’ said Kodiak, with a broad grin. ‘Though you’ve not seen me a against a laser.’
The mention of being gunned down by laser fire didn’t dampen the confident Bear’s mood in the slightest.
‘So Star Wolf, will one Bear suffice?’ asked Kodiak, standing to display his full height, before slamming a paw twice the size of Star’s head into his barrel chest.
No it won’t.
‘Yes, of course,’ said Star Wolf.
‘Very well,’ said Kodiak, ‘to the Wolf & the Bear.’
‘The Wolf & the Bear,’ bellowed the thirty Wolves at the back of the hall. The
March Hare and Bloodhound joined in the chant too. Perhaps I am getting better at this lying malarkey.
‘And might I ask why you want to take on the Tiger?’ asked Star, silencing the crowd and immediately regretting the question. The only noise came from the slightest of breezes buffeting the wooden shutters from the windows in the skylights.
‘Do you want the answer everyone gives?’ asked Kodiak.
‘Which is?’
‘Because the Tigers are the biggest threat to the galaxy, twenty years of peace hasn’t led me to believe they have changed. Sure they killed a Space Kraken but if what the Night Badger tells us is true that creature was long dead and therefore not the culprit responsible for destroying those planets. Where is the Night Badger?’
‘He’s resting,’ answered Ash, as Star didn’t actually know. Since getting separated on Ranae the Night Badger had been off with Star keeping to the shadows or off sleeping, much to the annoyance of the Wolf crew. Star guessed he was annoyed at Star’s stupidity at running off into the marshes, only to survive at the hand of a crazy Hare. Star thought the Night Badger and March Hare were very similar. Perhaps that’s why they don’t get on.
Star’s band of warriors was growing, as was the tension within the ranks. Time for a little honesty, ‘and the real reason?’ asked Star, marching forward to stand toe-to-toe with Kodiak. ‘Tell me what I already know.’ he challenged Kodiak.
To his rear he noted the familiar stances of Ash and the pack, paws on laser hilts, ready to spray Kodiak with piercing shots.
Kodiak smiled; a sadistic grin that settled on amused.
‘Very good, young,’ he paused, ‘Star Wolf. My real reason to join is to be remembered. I am the greatest fighter in the galaxy, and I will prove it once and for all in front of the entire Tiger forces. The Winter Tiger will die by my hand.’
‘Join the queue,’ said the March Hare.
The Hare and the Bear exploded into laughter.
Star’s Band of Breeds now included a Badger, a Hound, a Hare and Bear.
His mind wandered at the possibility of the songs and legends that could, no would, be told about his endeavours.
16. Pardus
Star Wolf struggled to contain his excitement. His growing band of legendary fighters filled him with pride. To think such fighters would join his cause and take up arms against the Tiger was a dizzying thought. Still he pressed on in search of more warriors, the latest on the March Hare’s recruitment list was none other than Shadowfang, a hero of many a battle if the tales were told correct.
The fact that Kodiak seemed impressed with the destination was further testament to the Leopard’s fearsome reputation. A big cat in his own right and a worthy adversary for the Winter Tiger, Star’s mind tingled thinking about watching the scrap that might ensue. He was starting to give into hope. With so many elite soldiers at his disposal, many who laid claim to possessing the ability to destroy the Winter Tiger, it was hard not to.
‘Your ship is too small,’ complained Kodiak. The Bear had grown more and more restless as the journey dragged on. One thing the March Hare didn’t possess was the ability to plot a course with the shortest distance involved. Bouncing from the Frog planet to the Bears and back to the warmer reaches of Pardus proved a time-consuming affair.
Lupenroad was becoming a crowded spacecraft.
‘I’d wager any spacecraft is small to someone as big as you,’ said Star Wolf, who worked out already to keep Kodiak onside he needed constant attention, banter and most of all praise.
Kodiak shuffled with delight, shaking his bare chest. The Great Bear seemed to detest wearing clothing on his upper body, Star guessed he enjoyed the opportunity to show off his numerous war wounds and regale anyone who would listen with tales of his grandeur. At least he donned a rich purple cloak, which matched the jewels encrusted on his enormous golden belt buckle. The Bear’s attire was minimalist but of the finest quality, even his trousers and boots were black leather covered in exquisite circular patterns. Luxury wasn’t something Star considered important, nor did the majority of his band based on their more practical outfits. Star was going to have to keep a close eye on the Bear, he was erratic and powerful — a deadly combination.
‘True enough, Wolf,’ Kodiak’s voice had lost the tone of disdain for the word Wolf, which was useful given Lupenroad now housed over a hundred Wolves. Many of them weren’t convinced by Star’s plan but stayed the course anyway. Loyalty was the Wolves most prided quality.
River and Sky were accompanying Kodiak and Star on a stroll around the ship. Star knew they were aware that a disgruntled Bear on their ship would cause havoc. They’d even gone to the trouble of making a makeshift room for him at the edge of the hanger bay. Crew quarters, uniform row after row of shoebox rooms with a bunk, toilet and wardrobe and nothing else, wouldn’t suffice for Kodiak. He probably wouldn’t fit through the doors, not that Star even bother insulting him by showing him the quarters. Not even Star’s Captain’s quarters would be a sizable enough space to placate the Bear’s need to roam free, despite his other desire to be left in peace.
The Bear were a contradictory species.
More than any other Star had met.
‘What are Bear’s ships like?’ asked Sky, always ensuring River remained between her and Kodiak.
Another useful tactic, get Kodiak talking about himself and the Bear, ‘Ah where to begin my sweet child,’ he had an odd mannerism around females, not condensing nor flirtatious more protective, like they all needed wrapping in blankets, he obviously doesn’t know Sky, ‘we Bear don’t rush perfection. Our ships take years, some decades, to make,’ Kodiak began wandering off with Sky and River, whilst Star stopped in his tracks glad for a break from entertaining the Bear.
‘That’s why the Bear will never rule,’ said no one in Star’s eye line.
The voice came from the rafters, Star looked up to see the March Hare sprawled out across the metallic ventilation system. In the artificial lighting the Hare’s grey whiskers and hair around his eyes showed age was catching up to the warrior. He tapped his ankles against the steel, allowing the hilts of his knives to bang on the metal. His eyes
darted to his ankles, as if saying to Star listen carefully and you can track anyone, at least that was Star’s interpretation. Who knew with the March Hare? He was mad or so the stories went.
‘What are you doing up there?’ said Star, wondering what insane answer the Hare would offer up.
Star hadn’t asked him about some of the tales he’d been regaled with as a youth in history lessons back on Lupus. As with all the stories they told of courage, prowess in a fight and an unrelenting desire to succeed, for the better of the galaxy. Star often wondered, with so many working for the better of the galaxy, how the balance never tilted fully toward peace and prosperity. A few decades of peace, albeit a lie, after thousands of years of open war seemed poor, at best.
‘Hiding. Resting. Listening. Learning.’ The March Hare he rolled down into a somersault before landing gracefully on his hind legs. The graceful movement was betrayed by his need to grasp his green corduroy trousers before they fell. ‘Four traits often undervalued in this galaxy I’m afraid.’ He fussed at the whip on his hip.
‘What were you hiding from?’
‘The truth perhaps?’ Responded the March Hare in a cryptic tone, ‘or maybe the hundreds of Wolves roaming the spacecraft. That would be prudent wouldn’t it.’
‘But you’re our guest.’
‘Oh, of course I am, you know what they say about the lone Wolf.’
Star shook his head.
‘And why do you require a rest?’
‘When you have a mind as wild as mine, as the stories say, you require as much shuteye as possible.’
‘And what did you learn while listening up there?’ asked Star Wolf, aware he combined the final two traits.
‘Ah, very good,’ the March Hare clapped, ‘listening is learning, or at least a form of learning. You’re sharper than a Shark’s tooth. Have you ever seen a walking, talking Shark?’
Star Wolf: A Space Opera Fantasy (Songs of Star & Winter Book 1) Page 14
