Well here is chapter 10 and we have a lot of other stuff we'll post throughout the week...lol...refraining from flooding the site...hope you guys enjoy!

Joseph:

He felt numb. He was marching and obeying orders, but he felt hollow, empty, part of him was missing. Josiah and he hadn’t been around each other much in the past five years, but they had still been close. Knowing his brother wasn’t out there somewhere fighting for the Cause saddened him. He couldn’t believe his brother was dead. It was a fact that had not yet registered in his mind, it seemed unreal, like a bad dream. But Ambassador Longtreader had confirmed it. It was too horrible not to be true, the entire Right Arm had been killed, except that they had not yet found Lord Captain Helmer’s body, so maybe he was the lone survivor, but Joseph doubted it. He had heard many rabbits say that when you lost a twin or a triple it made you feel empty and he had doubted that but now he believed it. He was missing a part of him now, and he knew Jonathan felt the same way.

Ambassador Longtreader had started sending groups of bucks off to scout the area in various directions. Joseph wondered if he would soon be sent to do the same thing, but Ambassador Longtreader sent off the next group without including him. Then Ambassador Longtreader waved him over. He jogged over and they headed into the woods as Ambassador Longtreader motioned to his brother to take over. Lieutenant Wilfred nodded and saluted.

Joseph walked with Ambassador Longtreader for a while and then Ambassador Longtreader stopped. “I need your help Joseph.”

“What is it you want me to do?” Joseph asked straightening up and fixing his quiver.

“I want you to help me with a plan I have,” Ambassador Longtreader said, looking him in the eye.

Joseph didn’t know why, but there was something in that look that made him question the response of ‘anything’ that came to his lips. So instead he asked, “What plan?”

“My plan for peace, of course, but first the rabble must be routed. First, we must establish our own law, under our true king.”

“What do you mean Ambassador Longtreader? We already have peace under King Jupiter’s reign, he is the greatest king ever, King Jupiter the Great.” Joseph said, not understanding.

“You don’t understand!” Ambassador Longtreader said becoming angry, “We must get rid of King Jupiter in order to have true peace. We must submit to the birds of prey and Morbin’s reign, only then can we achieve greatness! King Jupiter’s peace is but a fraction of the peace we could have under King Morbin’s reign, under King Morbin we could have lasting peace with no more war. We could avenge those who have wronged us, we could be at the top of rabbit society!”

Ambassador Longtreader it appeared could see it all. But Joseph could only see the evil in it. It wasn’t about peace; it was about power. It wasn’t about finding where you fit in a plan, it was about making your own no matter how many you hurt doing it. He wasn’t quite sure what Ambassador Longtreader had in mind, but he knew he could not be part of it.

“I don’t want to be part of the plan. I don’t want to betray King Jupiter or my brother’s memory. If I join your plan, then my brother’s death would have been for nothing and I don’t want that.” Joseph said.

Ambassador Longtreader glowered at him and said, “You are just like your pathetic brother, I gave him a chance for you, but he too would rather give his life than be a hero!”

Joseph was stunned, Ambassador Longtreader had killed Josiah. This rabbit he had worked for and looked up to was the one who had killed his brother. This rabbit whom he had had complete trust in had betrayed him at the highest level. “You killed my brother?!” He asked stunned, it could not be true.

“I gave the order,” Ambassador Longtreader said as he added, “And did only what had to be done. Join me Joseph, you saved me once and I am indebted to you. Join me and we will be on top, we will have power, and rabbits will look up to us. They will call us heroes! They will write about us and sing songs about us; we will be remembered!”

“No, they will call us murders and backstabbers, cowards and crooks, traitors and monsters, but not heroes. No, the word hero would never enter their head except when they call you a hero slayer and dream crusher. They will blot your name from history or only write it next to the most vile things. They will sing songs that mock you and remember you only as a villain. Don’t do this Garten!” He said not willing to use the title ambassador anymore.

“In a hundred years, history will decide which side is right, so what does it matter what they say. Come Joseph!”

“No! I will not taint my brother’s memory or be remembered as a traitor, because rabbitkind will write the history and you will be remembered as a traitor, instead of a hero. Don’t you see Garten you are dooming yourself!” Joseph spoke adamantly trying to sway Garten. But Garten rushed toward him and Joseph felt a knife stab into his side. Then Garten said in his ear, “I will be a hero!”

“To who? In the end the Green Ember will rise, so to who will you be a hero?” Joseph fell back onto the ground and watched Ambassador Longtreader step back, throw up the hood of his cloak, then he turned and left.

Joseph was left alone, the life slowly draining from his body. He wished there was a way to warn the others of what was coming, a way to stop it all. Should he have killed Garten while he had chance? But now it was him lying here dying, is this how Josiah had felt? He hoped not, he hoped his brother’s end had been much quicker. He then thought of Jonathan, who was now the last Shanks brother standing and said softly, “Farewell brother, and I pray whatever comes next that you make it through alive.”

Jonathan:

The day had passed ever so slowly. He was worried about Joseph and he was saddened over the loss of Josiah. His brothers were his best friends, his comrades, his confidents, his triplets. They were even closer than normal brothers, bound by a bond that no one but another triplet or twin could understand. Not even Lea could understand, though she tried. He had spent the day at the range, shooting arrows to vent his frustration. Why his brother? Why now? Why him? Why, why, why, why… was all he could think. It didn’t make sense, but did these sorts of things ever make sense. He thought about when his parents had died, he had been sad, but he had understood. They had been old, had lived a good life, raised three sons, but Josiah…

Josiah was so young, had not married, not had children, had never done anything but fight for everyone else’s dreams. But now Josiah would not get to live his own dreams, how was that fair? Jonathan sighed; it wasn’t. Life wasn’t fair. He picked up his arrows and headed home, his emotions raging like a storm inside. A storm that he could not control, but nor did he really want to control it. It felt right to be mad and sad about the death of his brother. It felt right, somehow, to be angry at King Jupiter and Lord Captain Helmer for it. He felt entitled to the storm inside him, so he kept feeding it. Kept thinking of the injustice of the situation and the unfairness of it all. He felt like he owed it to Josiah, who wasn’t here to fulfil his dreams or live his life. He walked past the standing stones and paused at the base of the seventh one. He had watched Josiah jump into a fist fight to save Joseph from that stone, but he had also gone there many times with his brothers when they were growing up. He turned away from it, so many things reminded him of his brother, and fueled the storm inside.

He looked up at the sky and his eyes widened. Birds of prey filled it and they were coming straight for First Warren. He ran to find a commanding officer and to sound the alarm. As he ran, he called, “Birds of prey coming for First Warren, get the does and younglings to safety!” As he neared the barracks, he saw that they were already moving around and preparing, apparently, they had already seen the birds. He stopped running, huffing, and trying to catch his breath.

“What is it buck?” Someone asked near him. He looked up to see Perkin One-Eye, one the Lord Captains.

“Birds of prey!” Jonathan gasped out, pointing to the sky.

“Blast it!” Perkin One-Eye said, “Wolves at the gates and birds in the sky what is going on! Some get Lord Rake or…”

“Sir, Lord Rake is away with most of the army and commanding officers. Ambassador Longtreader heard about a threat….”

“Silence!” Perkin barked turning to the soldier. He then said, “Just get some archers to the standing stones and save all those you can. I have to get to the castle.”

“Yes sir,” the soldier said hurrying off, and waving for a few others to follow him.”

Jonathan turned to follow he was an archer, wasn’t he? “You.”

He turned to face Perkin One-Eye, “Yes sir?”

“Lead as many as you can out,” Perkin said, looking him in the eye as he added, “I’m afraid we have a traitor on our hands, and I don’t think this is going to end well.”

“What about the wolves and who would betray us, sir?”

“All will be clear soon enough,” Perkin said as he started to leave, but he paused and said, “As for the wolves…just do the best you can.”

Jonathan didn’t know what to think as he ran through the streets of First Warren, a traitor, who? Who would do such a thing? As he ran the birds arrived over the city and dropped pots full of some sort of flaming concoction, Bird Fire, the very thing that had killed Prince Winslow and many soldiers. This was not the first time Jonathan had seen it and he knew what the stuff could do. He ran faster, he had to get to Lea and little Jo. Around the next corner there were houses on fire, wolves inside the city, and birds swooping down from on high. Terrified shrieks filled his ears, as did cries for help, and wails of pain. He helped where he could, but he could not slow down, he had a horrible twisting feeling in his gut. He rounded the corner of the street and looked to their house. It was on fire! Smoke billowed from the windows and roof and joined the cloud of smoke that was even now beginning to envelope First Warren. In front of the house stood Lea. She was blacked and sooty, but she was there in front of the house holding Jo. But she was cornered against the blazing building by three large wolves. As he watched, one pounced.

Wanted to write more but the chapter was pretty long so we deiced to wait till next week, about two to four more chapters till we're done...hang in there...lol...

Sincerely,

The Fowlers!