The sun was just beginning to shine when Elli slipped into the water for an early morning swim. She pranced about under water. In most places the stream was deeper than four times her height. It was almost large enough to be a river.

The young otter popped up a ways downstream. On her back was her double ended sword, something she never went without, and her sling was wrapped around her waist. After floating down the water way for several minutes she perked up, hearing something farther down. She swam off to investigate.

"Harhar, pathetic oaf. Can't even step forward." A dozen vermin surrounded a large, wounded otter. The creature struggled to attack the speaker but was pushed back by the rest of the vermin. The speaker had been a stoat. They all laughed wickedly. The otter was male and young, but severely wounded and exhausted. The broadsword in his paw barely held up. A ferret snickered.

"You'll see your family again, after we kill you." A rat sneered at the panting otter.

"Who would of thought a bunch of otters would be so easy to slaughter. I can hear them now, 'No, please, we beg you. Don't kill them.'" He laughed along with the others but it was cut off when he flung himself at the rat. The rat was dead by the time the otter was beaten off of it. They tripped him and pinned him down to the ground while a fox stood before him.

"Insolent fool. You shall die now for killing a soldier of Lord Ragelarse!" the fox raised his cutlass and prepared to strike when a stone struck his paw. He hunched, nursing his bruised paw, when more stones were hurled into the group of vermin, causing chaos.

They didn't notice the second otter slip in and grab the one the vermin had cornered until the fox turned and spotted them.

"Kill them! It's just one otter and a half dead one!" With one hand Elli sent stones flying from her sling, buying her and the other otter enough time to get to the river. The slipped into the water and disappeared from sight. The last thing the fox heard was the female otter voice.

"Tell Ragelarse that the last daughter of Wardance is coming for him."

"General Redeye, what are your orders?" The fox turned to the stoat who had spoken before barking out commands. They were going to report back to the Lord.

Elli hauled the other otter into her cave. He was barely conscious and the young female was having difficulty supporting him, he being far larger than she was. With some difficulty she managed to half drag, half lead him to where the bed was and lay him down on it.

By now he was completely unconscious and Elli set about cleaning his wounds and binding them. There were so many that she was surprised he wasn't already dead. His broad sword, which he had held onto the entire time, was clutched in his paw still. She admired the size of it. Such a great blade would be hard for her to even lift, let alone impossible to fight with.

As she worked in fixing him up, Elli observed him. Judging from his size, he guessed him to be a sea otter. Even for a sea otter though he was huge. Elli was no small otter but she guess that she barely came to the males shoulders. He looked like a beast used to hard work and rough living, though he was probably close to the same age as she was, a few seasons out of younglinghood. But it was his fur that got her the most. At first Elli had thought that it was stained or even dirty or wet. But upon closer examination she realized that the other otter's fur was a deep black, through and through.

Around his neck hung a simple medallion, made of polished stone. Engraved on the back was a name, Aeon, which she assumed to be his name, and a short simple message. Loved always, Brookshadow Clan. The front was a carving of the sea, confirming her suspicions.

Elli felt bad for the poor otter. His entire clan, wiped out by the same vermin that took out her own most likely. She recognized the fox from when she was just a few seasons old. He had been among the vermin that destroyed her clan, along with Ragelarse.

After making sure the young male was fully cleaned and his wounds were patched up, Elli stood up. The other otter wouldn't be waking up for some time so she leapt into the water and swam downstream to where she found the vermin attacking him. There she climbed onto the land, being sure that no other vermin were about, and traced the tracks that the young male and his pursuers had made. Elli fooled them to their origin.

When Elli arrived upon the scene, she wished for a moment that she hadn't. Here and there dead bodies lay on the ground next to the water. Both vermin and otters. Many of the otters had the same type of necklace that the otter back in Elli's camp had. She had found his clan. Unable to leave them strewn about, Elli began digging a mass grave for the otters.

"Here now mates, rest in peace. Them vermin will get what's comin' to them. Mark my words." Carefully she placed the last of the otters in the grave before filling it in. After she completed that task she set about tossing the vermin bodies into the creek.

"Scoundrels like you don't deserve a proper burial. Murdering innocent beasts. The lot of you deserve to rot in the Darkgates."

It was evening by the time Elli finished her tasks. When she had finished taking care of the dead, Elli had gone inside the cave that must have once been the otters home. She hung the necklaces up along the wall as a memorial and went through to see if the vermin had left anything behind.

"The scum, destroying everything they can't take." Elli spit scornfully. Whatever items the vermin had left behind, they had ruined or destroyed. Still though, Elli was able to find an extra blanket, some rope, a travel sack, and a few vegetables and spices. But the choice find was a large bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Hm, maybe the big fellow can use this thing. Suppose I better get back and check on the brute."

By the time night had fallen there wasn't a single trace of the young otter maid, only the freshly dug grave marked her passing. Out of the darkness sly figures crept. They too had seen the otter maid.