I felt the cool summer sea breeze as I sat on the ship and watched the sparkling blue waves, and felt the sun starting to rise. Diringe the searat stood a few steps away, rubbing his paw admiringly against the smooth wooden deckrail. A faraway look was in his eyes, but he started to tell me the story, of my parents, and why I was captain of this wonderful ship.
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About twenty-five seasons back, [Diringe began], There lived a stoat warrior.
His name was Zinkah Fireblade, and he was the from one of the largest breeds of stoats. Everyone that knew him feared and respected him, his black hooded eyes, his flaming red fur, and of course, his horde. He had nine score of beasts to do his command, and for a while he was content to make raids, seek plunder, and do battle with other hordes and woodlanders. But there was always something he wanted- a fort of his own.
In time, Zinkah’s horde grew, and he married to a pale stoat named Zarrose. But all the while he was taking more and more slaves, more than he could count, and, almost frighteningly, more than his own horde. He never treated them very bad, and the beasts six seasons or less and the old ones did not have to work very long. Many beasts said he was too soft with his slaves, but he was only being wise. A whipped, starved creature will never get anything worthwhile done. But he never truly worked them until he happened to wander to the highest cliff anyone had ever seen. It took three days for Zinkah and his horde to climb down to a ledge that was in the middle of the cliff, overlooking the ocean, and overtop of the caves that the ocean waves roared in and out of. If Zinkah’s horde had not tied very long ropes to the trees at the top, and threw them down to the ledge, they would never have been able to get back up to the top.
The ledge was very huge, big enough to build a fort on. And that was what Zinkah decided to do. His slaves and hordebeasts toiled on, chipping rocks out of the cliff side in back of the ledge, fitting them together with a mortar that the younger slaves made, and building a wall all around the ledge. In about a season, there was a small cave chipped out in back of the ledge, and the walls on each side were as tall as Zinkah himself. In four seasons, a large cave was chipped out in back of the ledge, and the walls were four times as tall as Zinkah. In one more season, he ordered battlements to be made, and two stone staircases, on the east and west walls to be made. There were only three walls in the fort, because the North wall was the cliff, with the small cave entrance and the huge cave inside the cliff.
Zarrose had been left in charge of the cave, and she had two score beasts to command. She ordered them to chip out many rooms leading off from the big room. These were the barracks. In the main room that led from the fort, there was a small, clear, stream running through the rocks where everyone drank. There was a huge fireplace where a bonfire was built every night, and a natural room in back where the slaves slept. In one more season, the fort was built. Zinkah released all his slaves, because he had no need for them. But not before he built a harbor. In the natural caves beneath the fort, the waves were always rushing in and out. He had already found a natural tunnel from the cave in the fort down to the largest cave, that was almost like a deep lake. The opening was large enough for a ship to get in and out, but trying to get in or out without a large ship would definitely kill you. He made the tunnel down to the lake-cave-harbor more comfortable, with torches on the wall, and he himself made the narrow places wider. The first ship he obtained was from a bunch of tired corsairs. It was a run down boat, without a name, but Zinkah was glad for any ship. He named it the Leaky Tub.
Zinkah named the fortress, Fort Scarfire. And no fort was finer.
By this time, Zarrose had two twin males, and Zinkah named them Quixler and Swishkin Fireblade, and he spoiled them rotten. They were both bullies, but fast friends together. They always pulled nasty pranks.
Well anyway, Zinkah soon had seven ships in his harbor, the finest one was given to them by Zarrose’s uncle, who was very old and only wanted a safe place to live out the rest of his seasons. It was called, QueenDarksea, but everyone called it the QueenDark.
In time, Zinkah and Zarrose died, leaving the leadership of Scarfire to Swishkin, who was the oldest. Of course, Quixler detested the fact that Swishkin was the leader. He was always the one who bossed Swishkin around, so why shouldn’t he be the leader of the fort?
“Brother, just hand over my father’s iron scepter, and I will not kill you,” Quixler threatened, his knife point at his brother’s throat. Swishkin made as if to give him the scepter, but at the last minute he hit Quixler over the head with the heavy iron. Relieving the stunned Quixler of his knife, Swishkin tied him up and waited until he opened his eyes. Then he tried to reason with his brother.
“I will give you the QueenDark,” He suggested, because he still was very fond of his twin and really didn’t want to get into a big fight. But he still wanted the leadership of Scarfire, and it was rightly his. He continued, “Then you can be the leader of your own crew,”
Quixler spat on the ground, but he was really in no position to argue, and he knew it. “Alright.” He said, gritting his teeth. It didn’t actually sound that bad. The QueenDarksea was one of the finest ships built.
So Swishkin stayed behind to rule Scarfire, and Quixler went off with his own crew. On one of his visits to an island, he met a pretty young albino stoat named Moonsnow, and she became his mate. They had a daughter named Zyneera Roseflame Fireblade, but she was accidently left on an island, and there was a huge storm that prevented Quixler from going back to find her. He didn’t care that much anyway, because Moonsnow had another daughter, Zandiar Brighteye Fireblade. When Zandiar was two seasons old, Moonsnow died. To top things off, soon after that Zandiar was accidently left in Mossflower woods.
Quixler sailed back to Scarfire, to find out if Swishkin was dead, and see if he would be the leader of the fort now. Swishkin was dead, but when Quixler had ruled for two seasons he died too. The beasts of Scarfire were leaderless. One of the most cunning and quick beasts, a ferret named Drastool, announced that he would ‘take the burden of commanding Scarfire,’ Some beasts were so desperate to have a leader that they said he could, but a seer named Rubelle, who was a crewbeast on Quixler’s voyage, claimed that there was still a beast alive who was related to Zinkah. The denizens of Scarfire agreed with Rubelle. They claimed that if a Fireblade was alive, there was no way Drastool could be leader. So Drastool had to give in. He chose twenty five beasts to take on the QueenDarksea to go and find Zyneera, who might still be living on a small island. Rubelle went along because she was the only one who knew where it was.

Drastool looked up at Zyneera, who was looking at the ship, feeling it, and shaking her head. “I believe you know the rest,” He remarked.
“I don’t believe this is the ship I was born in,” I said. “But. . .I have a sister? Where is she?”
Drastool shrugged. “Doubtless she survived and became a wanderer. But she may show up at Scarfire someday.”
I jumped up and walked into the cabin. “Thanks for the story. . . First mate Diringe,” I called, heading off to the galley for some Skilly n’Duff.
“You’re quite welcome,” He called back pleasantly. “. . .Capn’ Zyneera. . . Ruler of Scarfire, the legend of the cliffs."