‘We are with you, General Winter,’ said a square-headed Tiger with bushy black brows and a wide, flat nose, seated halfway down the left-hand side on a Giraffe bone chair. ‘What is the plan of action? Tell us and we shall see it done.’
ALL THE CAPTAINS NODDED their agreement.
‘Excellent.’ The Winter Tiger slammed his fists on the table. ‘Before we begin can someone have Kleinot tossed into space. I don’t want his carcass stinking us out.’
Blackfire walked around and dragged the fat Tiger out of the room, never looking back or asking permission to leave.
‘Very good, as you all know we’re moments away from Lupus. This is it; war is upon us.’ The Winter Tiger strolled around the room, tapping his razor-sharp claws across the tops of the bone chairs. ‘It’s time to test the mettle of these Wolves on their patch.’
‘Forgive me, General Winter.’ A youngish Tiger, in his early forties if Winter had to guess, stood. Though he waited for the Winter Tiger to acknowledge him before standing. ‘If we are planning on attacking Lupus why have we not brought most of our fleet? I understand protecting the food planets, that is a masterstroke and in time will win the war on its own. But if we are to land on Lupus, shouldn’t we have greater numbers?’
‘A fair question.’ Winter spun to catch every pair of eyes. ‘Do not fear asking such questions, I’m not a maniacal killer after all. Strategy and planning go into everything we do.’ He slapped the nearest Tiger on the shoulder. ‘Our intelligence tells us the Wolves have joined forces with several other species from their so-called “Band of Breeds”, Badgers, Foxes,’ Winter paused, delighting in the captive audience, ‘and would you believe it Leopards!’
That brought a few grumbles of discontent.
The Winter Tiger continued to pace the room; his golden armour plate shimmered as he passed each black candle pinned into the walls. ‘So, it wouldn’t be prudent to go in all guns blazing without knowing the extent of their forces. It’s Dalfang, isn’t it?’ Winter pointed a claw at the younger Tiger’s chest. ‘Wouldn’t you agree?’
Dalfang, a skinny yet toned Tiger, carried his frame well and fitted his golden and black tunic perfectly, a Tiger who clearly paid attention to detail. Winter couldn’t believe this young Tiger would’ve been a few years younger than Winter himself at the end of the Apex Wars. ‘I am honoured you remember my name after all these years, sir.’ Dalfang bowed, his lustrous orange fur flowed to his shoulders and swished as he bent forward. ‘Of course, you are correct, General. So, this is a stealth mission to begin with and then we escalate should you deem it worthwhile?’
‘Correct.’ He moved around to stand before Dalfang who had a pleasant woody, sandalwood, scent up close. ‘Can you think of any other reason for keeping forces back?’
Dalfang paused, before stroking his grey whiskers and resting his sinuous chin in his palm. ‘If we engage the Wolves it’ll certainly draw attention and bring everyone to u—’ he stopped talking, a sly grin spread over his face. Most of the Tigers looked confused, but thankfully a dozen had also comprehended the plan.
‘Very good, Dalfang.’ Winter returned to the head of the table and sat down in his Lion bone chair. The back of the chair was formed from hundreds of tiny bones pinned into the skull of what was once a great Lion to create a mane of bones. ‘We create a little chaos and then draw everything the Wolves has to offer upon us, they’ll have no choice but to as what we have already may prove too much,’ he leaned low against the cold gemstone table, ‘but if they prevail we will have another seventy ships encircling the planet.’
‘They’ll be trapped.’ Dalfang’s delight was delicious to witness, he clapped his
hands on the table. ‘If they flee, they’ll meet the bulk of our force and if they return to the planet’s surface we’ll be waiting, and they’ll get further hemmed in by our forces.’
‘Indeed, what’s say we end this war today.’
The room full of killers roared its delight.
THE WINTER TIGER STOOD, thick arms folded across his chest, at the main window of the flight deck gazing out into the glorious infinite black. Though his face was pursed tight into a scowl he secretly smiled thinking of the young Wolf and his latest move. World Cannons, you delightful pup!
A yellow-toothed, hunchbacked Tiger with oversized upper claws stepped toward the Winter Tiger. ‘Sir,’ he paused, ‘with those cannons we cannot hope to land.’
The thirty-odd Tigers milling around the flight deck were masterfully attempting to give the appearance of being busy, even though Darkchurch sat stationery with all pre-landing checks carried out.
‘Indeed.’ The Winter Tiger flicked the comms line on for the entire ship. ‘Our young Wolf friend has acquired some help and if I’m not mistaken from the Lions no less.’
The grizzly old Tiger next to Winter gasped. ‘What makes you so sure its Lions?’
‘Display, show me one of the World Cannon below.’ Darkchurch responded to Winter’s request in a split second and before him was a 3-D hologram of an immense cannon down on Lupus. Every Tiger on the deck had stopped with their attempts to avoid Winter and were intent listeners.
‘Zoom in on the lip of the cannon, please.’ Winter moved within the digital display and pointed at the ring of laser guns attached around the muzzle. ‘See here the ring of lasers not uncommon for World Cannons. Ours have them, as do Leopards, and others that have World Cannons, but can anyone tell me the difference?’
Winter’s question was met with silence.
‘They are above the first astragal.’ Winter recognised Dalfang’s smooth, low-pitched voice. The Tiger captain had crept onto the deck moments earlier. ‘The Lions have the most efficient World Cannons in the galaxy for this reason.’
‘Precisely, bravo, Dalfang.’ Winter beamed. ‘Can anyone else elaborate as to why?’
More disappointing silence met Winter’s question, infuriating given most of the Tigers aboard the ship were older than Winter.
‘Oh, for Tigris sake!’ Blackfire stood from his control station and slammed his right claw down into the monitor, cracking the screen in two amongst a puff of smoke and sparks. ‘It makes their cannons quicker and more accurate!’ He stormed off out of the flight deck.
‘He’s correct.’ The Winter Tiger walked around the flight deck, up the stairs and around the upper ring of workstations. ‘And more of you should’ve known that. We are not mindless fighters. Train your mind as much, no more than your body. That’s why Blackfire was a General, that’s why Dalfang here is a captain.’
Multiple Tigers nodded.
Some grunted.
Others looked disinterested.
It was always the same and why not all Tigers reached the lofty heights of rule, which wasn’t a problem. The Winter Tiger knew that all arsenals needed both blunt and sharp instruments; it was just harder to keep the sharp instruments like a blade’s edge.
‘So, in conclusion, display off.’ Winter returned to the window with the 3-D display gone in a flash of light. ‘The Wolves have had help from the Lions to construct the defences. Lupus is off limits for now I’m afraid. Our skirmish is off, this won’t be a smash and grab win.’ Winter turned from the window to give a beaming grin to all his Tigers. ‘This is going to be an epic war. Take me back to Tigris at once, I have some items to take care of now.’
Darkchurch’s sleek dark frame fired up and shot across space, stealth and speed personified.
12. The Vegetation Of Lupus
Supply runs to nameless planets, due to no one species claiming residence or birthright, ranked low on the list of priorities for the Band of Breeds. It was only the Night Badger and Bloodhound who joined Star Wolf aboard Lupenroad. And of course, Ash, Sky and River. No that’s not right. Star kept forgetting River was rotting in a cell back on Lupus underneath the House of Wolves castle.
The Band of Breeds was a little disjointed of late, a group of elite fighters pulled back tight like a bow with nothing to aim at, at present.
The trio of Lions kept mostly to themselves, now that training was winding down for a period of preparation, even the Red Lion had stayed out in the forests of Lupus. Star often wondered how the Lion acclimatised so well out in the freezing cold conditions of Lupus, deep in the heart of winter.
The others, Kodiak, the March Hare, the Scarlett Fox and Shadowfang had all returned to their homeworlds, which seemed odd to Star given only two of them were returning to speed up the arrival of their troops. Or so they said, Star was becoming suspicious that the Scarlett Fox and Shadowfang were bluffing and didn’t have any guarantee of troops for the imminent war. They’re going to abandon us.
The thought plagued his mind.
He couldn’t decide if Kodiak’s and the March Hare’s blatant refusal and lack of effort to source troops was better or worse than the false promises of Fox and Leopard.
‘You worry too much,’ said the Night Badger as they strolled the neon-lit corridors of Lupenroad. ‘You don’t see me running back to my planet to beg for troops. The Badgers have answered my call and will send troops. The others only weakened their calls for help by heading home and begging.’
Star couldn’t help but envy the Night Badger’s assured attitude toward their forces. ‘I’m sure you’re right.’ Star patted the Badger on his back. ‘As you always are.’ He managed a laugh, an alien sound to him of late. ‘But I just can’t look past the fact we need to outnumber them by at least ten to one and with your troops I make us at five to one at best. We’re well short.’
‘We don’t even have enough supplies for the creatures we have let alone double the number so I wouldn’t worry too much. Let’s get our supplies and then worry about more troops. We know that the Tigers won’t go after Lupus, your scouts told you as much.’
‘We need to make sure we get back there in one piece.’ Star Wolf nodded at a group of engineers as they strode past. It always pleased and worried Star in equal measure so many Wolves wandered around the spacecraft in oil-covered overalls; either they were hard at work or the ship was falling apart, or both.
‘And that’s why you’ve brought half your fleet with you, safety in numbers. Half here, half on Lupus and by the time we return you’ll have a hundred Badger vessels at your disposal. We’re a small world but trust me one Badger is worth a dozen Foxes or twenty Hares, some of us can even best the likes of Wolves, Leopards and Tigers one on one.’ The Night Badger spoke with real pride about his race. These days he went as far as wearing a stunning silver badge, the House of Badgers emblem, a Badger head, side on, teeth bared with an emerald jewel for an eye.
‘I have no doubt as to the prowess of the Badgers, but thirty thousand Badgers won’t win the war.’
‘Remember you might not need to destroy all the Tigers.’
‘Very true, if I can get to the Winter Tiger we might save millions of lives.’
‘Which, believe it or not, is the main purpose of any war.’
‘Sir, we are ready for landing,’ said a lanky Wolf, his dark grey uniform sagged a little across his wiry shoulders, a Wolf not used to battle, which was fine Star needed those of a technical disposition as much as a physical one.
‘Very good, have all crew prepped and ready to land,’ Star Wolf replied, and the Wolf spun on his heels, heading back in the direction to the flight deck. ‘Will you join me on the flight deck?’
‘No.’ the Night Badger was already heading in the opposite direction, toward the back of Lupenroad’s hull. ‘I think I might go and wind up Bloodmutt.’
‘Enjoy.’ Star listened to the Night Badger’s powerful steps echo on the floor, before he disappeared around the corner. ‘You and Bloodhound will accompany me down to the surface.’
The Night Badger stopped and turned to regard Star, the ship’s lighting glistened off the Badger’s shiny eyes, always alive with intensity buried around a scarred and haggard face. ‘It’s a world of vegetables.’ He tutted. ‘OK, fine. Perhaps I can push the Dog down a waterfall or something.’
‘HAVE THE HOVER SKIPS brought to my location please.’ Star was satisfied the area was free from Tigers, or for that matter any other creature that might represent a threat. The fact the area was a gorgeous open green field, surrounded by hedgerows full to bursting with all manner of insects and a waterfall at the northern reaches didn’t reassure Star Wolf. His recent experiences told him that beauty could mean death as easily as the most foul and oppressive location.
‘This place is lovely.’ Sky had walked side-by-side with Star once they departed Lupenroad, it was the first time she’d spoken to Star in a while. Days blurred into one for Star. ‘Don’t you think so?’ The hopeful inflection sent a pang of guilt through Star’s gut, he’d been neglectful of Sky, not that he knew what he was supposed to do. They’d never discussed the barrier that fell, momentarily, on Leo only for its invisible constraints to return when the Winter Tiger’s destruction of a hundred million innocent creatures across the galaxy struck.
‘Uh, yes.’ Star gazed all around, trying to soak in the surroundings, more than anything to please Sky. ‘I imagine this is a paradise,’ a group of Wolves bounded past howling as they went, ‘until we arrived.’
Star and Sky shared a smile, Star stepped closer and breathed deep the wet meadows filled his lungs and he held Sky’s paw. It was a tender, albeit brief, moment.
‘Where do you want us, sir?’ asked the pilot, who sat on the sidecar of the hover skip at the head of the rest, dozens of crafts and all near-silent, no more than a foot off the ground. The huge storage carriers would allow for hundreds of tonnes of crops to be transported back to Lupus.
‘Here is fine, get every Wolf in the vicinity digging and loading crops, I don’t want to linger long.’ Star realised as he’d spoken he’d released Sky’s paw and she’d wandered away, already collecting a spade and starting on digging. Star decided to follow her and picked up a spade and began digging beside her. They shared a sideways smile and worked in silence as the pleasant breeze took the edge off the beaming sunshine that’d melted away any cloud cover.
Two hours went by at which point the hover skips were filled to max capacity. The Wolves had worked tirelessly, without word. There was a slight delay when one of the engines caught fire, presumably under the weight of the haul, and had to be reloaded, much to the Wolves annoyance, onto another hover skip once it had been emptied aboard Lupenroad.
By nightfall the Wolves had loaded dozens of ships cargo bays full to the brim with vegetables – carrots, swedes, parsnips, broccoli, sweet corn to name a few. They’d stripped acres of this planet bare.
‘Not so beautiful anymore,’ Star said, stood next to Sky, at the top of the waterfall nearby their working area for the day. The field was upturned, green a forgotten colour replaced with huge brown clumps of mud thrown all over the area. Star closed his eyes and savoured the gentle susurrating of the water on the rocks hundreds of feet below. With the sun fading the wind had taken on an icy chill and before Star realised he’d done it he stood holding Sky. They remained cuddled up, again opting for silence.
The sound of gunfire destroyed their fleeting moment.
‘It came from the ships,’ Star shouted, already on all fours bounding back toward the Wolf fleet. By the time he arrived his uniform was covered in mud. He returned to upright and pulled out his laser gun from its leather hilt around his waist. A dozen Wolves lay lifeless, slumped around an empty hover skip. He wasn’t as close to the ships as he’d thought. This was the last of the hover skips returning to the vessels.
Star scanned all around, nothing, no sign of the attackers.
Twelve Wolf corpses sullied the air with their blood. Smoke wafted up from their bodies, each dead Wolf littered with bullet holes. Star opted to take cover behind the driver’s seat of the craft aware it provided little cover. Sky had caught up and shuffled in beside him.
‘Who did this?’ she asked in a whisper, her laser gun out and pointed at the thick thorn bushes on the eastern side.
‘I
don’t know, we need to sit tight for a moment or two, others will have heard and will be here soon.’ Star knew moving back out into the open was risky. Who knew what lurked in the fast-developing darkness?
‘Can we not head back to our ships?’
‘No.’ Star peeked his head over the hover skip, the path to their ships was shrouded in smoke from the recent battle; if it could be called that. ‘We’d be an easy target. We have to wait, maybe even till light if no one comes.’
‘What if the animals that did this return?’ Sky’s paw was shaking on her laser gun.
Star placed his paw on hers and lowered the weapon. ‘We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. Stay low and keep sharp, you notice anything let me know OK.’
In the minutes that followed Star realised his comms line to Lupenroad was crackling static, someone had blocked the signals, which alone meant this was the act of some sophisticated species. The scent of wet fur lingered on the air and after a time Star decided it wasn’t the dead Wolves sprawled about, no this was, ‘Dogs.’
‘I smell it too,’ agreed Sky.
‘It’s not Bloodhound’s scent,’ Star confirmed.
‘I don’t think so either.’ her eyes darted everywhere but at Star. ‘But what if they were sent by him?’
‘Why on Lupus would he do that?’
‘I have no idea,’ said Sky, ‘but let’s face it we’re giving out a lot of trust to a lot of species and that makes us vulnerable.’
The Winter Tiger Page 11