The Fall (Ashira)

[Substitute Author]

Ashira glanced down at the body with a severe frown and slowly lifted her eyes to glare at Silus.  ?Why did you kill him?  He was no threat to me!  You just slaughtered the rest of my profit,? Ashira said when she jumped to her paws and shoved her nose into Silus? face.  She may have just kissed him but he was not immune from her ire.

            ?It wasn?t worth taking the risk,? he replied as he nonchalantly cleaned the blood using the vole?s remaining rags.  ?Slaves that resist and rebel should be put to death.  There is no breaking them!  If I remember correctly, that was not the first time he has stood up to you.?

            ?You think that matters,? Ashira said, shaking her head in undisguised disgust.  ?That is the joy of being a slaver!  To take such a risk!  It is what I revel most in having a slave!?  She lowered her voice as fire continued to burn in her eyes.  ?Because I always win.?  She poked a claw at him hard enough to make him grunt in surprise.  ?If you?re so weak in your dealings with upstarts, then perhaps you should leave them to me.? 
            Her anger was so close to bursting that she turned quickly enough for her surroundings to blur, and when it finally cleared her eyes locked onto the wildcat?s and she snapped a claw at him.  ?On your paws!  I should skewer you for your lapse!?  There was a pause as though she were truly considering it, but then she pointed in the direction of the castle and snarled, ?Get going!?
            The wildcat and weasel walked back, but Ashira stormed back.  It was as she had predicted before even setting out: the mission was a complete failure.  The only faint silver lining around the cloud was that Sableclaw had met her end.  A little too early, but it can no longer be helped.  I just wish I had been given the pleasure of removing her filthy hide from the world.  Otherwise, all they had of Dyera was a bloody piece of cloth, and two slaves given to madness now dead.  For Jonas? sake, he better hope the escapees have not managed a way off the island or he will answer to my blade. 
            Ashira?s paw fell to the hilt of her blade as she burned holes into the back of Silus? and the wildcats? heads.  There must be a shift in power.  We cannot live the rest of our tenure on this island under that cowardly pine marten.  I must retain order and the only way to keep Jonas from ordering me to his bidding?  She allowed the thought to trail even as her resolve forged into a mighty rock wall for what she must do.

            She could see the castle getting larger as they continued toward her and then she turned her gaze to Silus, and instead of glaring at him she frowned in confusion.  They were different species but even she could not deny the weasels attractive build and soft fur.  She had not seen him much on the ship since she had been attending to the slaves while he was on deck or in his room, but when she had first heard he was a slaver her interest was further sparked until she became smitten.  Now Ashira wondered what had guided her recent actions.  Lust or love?  Thinking to her previous encounters with him from before kissing him in the cave, she analyzed the conundrum with a clear head.

            The ferret had been giving him subtle hints since they washed onto shore, the first of these came just after the slaves had pulled their escape plan.  Silus had been surprisingly slow on the uptake and she wondered if he had no experience with females or if he was dimmer than at first appearance.  But now that she had cleared her mind of both lust and rage, she realized that the first reaction she had gotten from him was a raised sword in defense of Jonas, despite his continuously poor leadership.  He had been equally unhappy to head into the caves this morning but he had not disobeyed Jonas, simply followed him.  Of course he did, those are not his slaves that escaped, Ashira mused as a low growl escaped her lips.

            The gates were half open by the time the tiny little group, reduced to half its size, walked through.  The rats and the crew fell back as Ashira strode through the building and then sharply wrapped on the pine marten?s door.  Jonas smoothly opened it and watched as Ashira walked in and slammed Dyera?s blood-stained cloth onto his table.  ?The fruit?s of our labor, Captain.  Sableclaw and two slaves are dead for the sake of your daughter,? Ashira said.  There was no sneer in her voice and she gave him a cold hard stare.
            Jonas allowed his eyes to fall to the table and he gingerly picked it up and held it up to the light that filtered through his window.   He remained expressionless for some time and Silus stood in the doorway waiting for Jonas? reaction as well.  ?Three creatures dead now?  How did that happen??

            ?Sableclaw and the rabbit are a mystery,? Ashira replied.  She prided herself on her poker face to mask the seething anger that threatened to erupt into what she would consider a constructive strangling of their leader.  Our terrible leader.  ?The vole attacked me and Silus saw to his death.?

            Jonas turned slowly to Silus and opened his mouth as though he wanted to protest, but then it closed with a snap and he remained silent for a time.  Ashira had to bite her lip to keep from shouting, ?Well, do you have nothing to say??   This was the calm before the storm, and all of her anger was pouring into a vast well preparing to be utilized in Jonas? ousting.  The moment was near yet she still made no move to rush him.  Just when she thought to check if the sun was setting?the wait was agonizing!?Jonas finally said, ?Where did you find this??

            ?Deep in the tunnels.  I know not the exact spot.  The wildcat had it with him after we split up.  We think whatever it was must have killed Sableclaw and the rabbit,? Ashira said, but she was rather reserved on the rat.  She had heard no more screams after the rabbit nearly caused her fur to fall off.  She did not trust that cat, and he was now at the bottom of her list of potentially disposable crewmembers since he allowed the vole to get a hold of his dagger, even if his threats had been laughable.

            ?What could have??  Jonas trailed off as though he had limited use of his voice, continuing to look somberly at the piece of cloth clutched delicately in his claws.

            ?The ?Big Evil,?? Silus said, walking a little further into the room after carefully following the exchange in the doorway.
            ?You believe there is such a thing, Silus??  Jonas asked. 
            ?I have difficulty believing anything else might be killing creatures the way this one does,? Silus said.  ?It left only a puddle of blood after the rabbit got away.?

            ?The situation on the island has become increasingly more serious, with not just one missing creature but several.  As well as several pieces of my valuable property,? Ashira said.  She reached for her anger just as her paw rested on her saber.  The temperature had dropped below freezing for her eyes to be so such cold chips.  ?We need a stronger leader, Captain.  Your handling of the situation has been less than sufficient.?  The ting of her sword vibrated her ears as she drew it and pointed it into Jonas? chest.  Step down or your blood shall spill on this floor,? she said in a deadly whisper.

            Her muscles had been tensed from the adrenaline rushing through her veins and time slowed to a snail?s pace for her senses.  She easily saw Jonas? eyes widen slightly in fear as he looked from the tip of the sword to her, and Silus appeared to walk instead of rush to the pine marten?s sighed.  Ashira?s ears did not even twitch as he pointed his sword directly at her. 

            ?No, Ashira!?

            ?Stand aside, Silus.  Someone else must take the helm,? Ashira replied.

            ?You cannot kill him!  This need not end with more death,? Silus hissed to her, standing in front of Ashira?s saber.
            Ashira finally locked eyes and shook her head.  ?It has not been a week since we landed here and already our numbers have dwindled further than a missing maid!  How do you expect us to survive?  It is because of him we are on this lightforsaken rock!  Because of his negligence, the slaves were able to escape from our grasp!  In order to survive there needs to be a change in leadership!?
            ?Emperor Malachite assigned Jonas as the leader.  You will follow him, Ashira, or you and I shall settle this dispute,? Silus said.
            Ashira cocked her head to the side.  ?Very well.  You first,? she murmured, gesturing to the door with her saber.
            ?No,? Jonas pushed past Silus and barred their way, giving them both a glare that the ferret thought was not possible from him.  ?You yourself said there has been enough bloodshed!  You will lower your swords, by my orders.  Now!?

            Ashira?s eyes flicked from Jonas to Silus.  Both were aligned against her. One had power over her and the other was eroding what power she had in favor of the weakling continuing to stay in charge.  She could rely on neither anymore. 

            ?So be it,? she said in a cold voice.  ?Don?t come to me for whatever woes befall you.?

            She prided herself on her physical strength and mentality.  She had broken slaves since she was a kit on the knife edge of adulthood.  She had bitten and clawed her way to the top, her path paved with bloody bodies that threatened to stand in her way.  Jonas had originally been all that stopped her from seizing the power, but now there was Silus.  She doubt she could beat him even as good as she was, but if Jonas died Silus could easily point a claw at her and the Emperor would see to her execution.  She could not win without her death and there was still more for her to do.  Much more.
As usual the rest of the crew fell back at the ever present glare on her face, and she reveled in it for what might very well be the last time.