I spit out the gag. "Why am I here?"

I tried to peer around through the gaps in the woven bag over my head. The night air was sharp against my bare fur and the moon shone down in cold distance. I was in the middle of a clearing, tied to a thick post by layers of rope. Wolf vigils guarded the gaps between the trees.

"You're in my camp, young hero." It was a cold, low voice but not raspy like other wolves'.

The bag was pulled off my head and the scene I had studied through it came into sharp focus. A wolf stood before me, tall and white as snow. A dark crown glared silver on his head in the moonlight.

"I am King Garlacks," the wolf said. "You are my prisoner. With time, you could also be my friend."

I scowled at him, spitting at his feet. "I would never betray King Jupiter. You and yours will die for the innocent blood you've shed!"

Garlacks nodded at a guard, who strode forward and drove his fist into my shoulder.

"I do not take kindly to disrespect, rabbit," he spat. "Be careful what you say. This could be a delicious opportunity!"

"For whom?"

The wolf king's eyes glittered. "It depends."

I shuddered. "On what?"

"Whether or not you'll hear me out."

I did my best to think carefully and calmly. The cords around my chest made talking hard and breathing harder. I needed some time. I needed a rescue. "Fine. What is your offer?"

The wolf king leered at me and began pacing. "We've seen your work in battle, youngling. You're no fool with a sword."

I gave him a cold grin. "Or a bow. Or a dagger. Or a spear. I mean, I could go on..." I stopped talking when the butt of a sword met my chest. I gasped for breath.

"My point," said Garlacks through gritted teeth, his patience clearing waning, "is that you're a dangerous enemy, and a valuable ally. King Jupiter is a young, weak king. Natalia will not prosper under his reign, it will only fall to decay. But there is another king rising, a king who will pardon Rabbitkind's defiance and usher in an age of peace."

I tilted my head. "Who is this King?"

"His name is Morbin Blackhawk."

Every wolf in the clearing bowed their head at the name. I shivered, but not from the cold.

"I've never heard of your King. He must be pretty weak." A fist met my jaw. "Right now, I mean," I added. I frowned at the wolf vigil beside me, who was rearing back for another strike. "No need to be so hasty! What's your offer?"

A shadow crossed the moon overhead. "My offer is this, Longtreader!" It was a low, menacing voice, so cold and cruel I doubted I'd hear a heartbeat beneath any chest connected to it.

A screech like a thousand dying pipes on a battlefield rent the night air, making me cower against the post to which I was bound. A great hawk, black as night, the tips of his feathers glinting silver in the moonlight, swept over the clearing and lighted in front of me, his great, black eyes stabbing into mine.

"You will go back to your little camp," Morbin Blackhawk said, creeping closer to me with every step of his talons, "and you will work alongside King Jupiter, and you will tell me everything you hear. When the time is right, you will set him up for his downfall and return to my side, where you will live a long and prosperous life." His beak was inches from my face.

I could barely manage a whisper of defiance. "And if I don't?"

Morbin screeched in my ear, raising a talon and ripping through my bonds and my tunic. A long, bloody slash was left on my chest. "You will remember this scar, scum, and you will do my bidding."

He gave a final screech that shook every hollow in the Great Wood and took off, his sharp wingspan a silhouette against the moon.

I crumpled at the base of the post, twitch and shivering with a terror I had never known before. I could feel the warmth of blood soaking my fur.

Garlacks brought his face very close to mine. I could smell his foul breath on my face. "What is your answer, Longtreader?"

I could hear now the calls and shouted orders of my army. Torches flickered between the trees. "I... I don't know." How could I ever stand against him?

Garlacks' snout was set in a sneer. "Your indecision will cost you dearly, rabbit. Sholne!"

A black wolf left his vigil nearby. "Sir?"

"You know who to find. Kill any of them."

I struggled to sit up, staring in horror after the Sholne as he rushed into the forest. "Where's he going? Tell me!"

Garlacks signalled his wolves, all of whom began to retreat into the forest. "We will not take no for an answer, Longtreader. Go to the Traitor's Fount in two weeks' time. By then you will have an answer."

And then, they were gone. I slumped back against the post, breathing hard and clutching my wounded chest, as my fellow soldiers charged into the clearing.

I knew I couldn't win.

#TheTraitorsLove #DownWithMorbin