Ten Thousand Fists

[Grace.E]

In the heart of the Cascades in Oregon, deep with the thick forests, lined with ferns, paths invisible to the human eyes. down a tall waterfall, rested an invisible village in the trees. only by invitation or if you knew the code password you were allowed. a rope was slung down, and someone would pull you up.

Willow sat in the back of the mass hall with a small glass of water and a bowl of venison soup, her feet propped up on the empty table, watching as her anthro, human and Sapien Animales men and women talked, laughed, gambled and arm wrestled. Rowdy yet entertaining, this clan was only two years old, but they were a family.  from the door way she caught sight of her second in command, Keith, a mountain Lion anthro, a grim look on his face as he bent down to whisper "we ran into some trouble.... Karl and Gerard were...murdered"   
Willow looked grim as well as she whispered back "the 'kings' men I presume?"
"I am afraid you are right again" he said sadly, she looked at him "did you at least get the medicine?"
"that was a success"
"good"
he left as he continued his mission, Willow stood up and left the mess hall, taking her bowl of food with her...she felt sick to the pit of her stomach.  entering her room, setting down her bowl she went to the washroom, looking at herself  in the mirror, seeing the alabaster skin, jet black hair and the greenest eyes you will ever see. her 5'10 structure and slender, athletic body. her body shook as she became even more pale, her snow leopard ears flattened as she puked. her tail twitched, when she was done with that she washed out her mouth, after a brief moment she violently threw something across the room, hotting the other wall with a cry of anger.
"the 'king' is ruining the peace I have worked hard to keep" she muttered angrily, sh left the room and ate her soup again, not feeling hungry but it would be better if she did.

[serpington]

marco walked his usuall route to his home, he passed a door, the only door he had never seen anyone use, when he heard somethin smash inside. he walked over to the door and knocked loudly, "hay, you ok in there? need any help?"

durako stroled carelessly along the side of a street, people playing and selling in the large hidden markets. he looked around while covering his entire body with the deep crimson membrains of his wings. he noticed some kids running from stall to stall looking for something to eat, they ended up with a small raw fish. he walked past them casualy, never looking away from the path directly infromt of him, he reached out from under his wings with an almost flaming hand and passed it over the fish which was cooked by the time he had passed the group who just looked at him in awe as he disapeared into the crowd.

[Grace.E]

Willow heard the vice and composed herself "everything is fine" she came out of the room to see a fox anthro, Stretching her arms "you are Marco right?"

[serpington]

"uh..yes mam, is everything ok in there? i thought i heard something break." marco looked over the woman standing brfore him, taken by her composure, how calm she was. "if you don't mind me asking...what was your name?"

[Grace.E]

"Willow Forsyth...your new I presume" she sat in a deer skin chair, pouring two glasses of water from a scotch jar. "i was going to call on you yesterday but I guess fate has decided to do it now" she offered him the seat across from him " I interview and get to know every, I wan to know who is, just for starters, I hope you are comfortable"

[serpington]

marco froze, he couldn't beleive what he had just heard. "n...no, i've been in the resistance for a few months, i've heard nothing but rumour about you. in fact a few of the others i normally work with think your just a myth." he slowly walked in and went to sat down, slightly nervous and feeling under dressed, he slowly pulled the large umbrella, that looked like it was from an outdoor table set, from a make shift sheath on his back and set it against a nearby wall so he could sit comfortably before actualy sitting down. "yes, i'm comfortable. so what sort of questions do you want me to answer?"

[Grace.E]

Willow smiled gently "I am 'considered' a myth, which is fine because i can get things done better" she then sighed "well, how did you join us?"

[serpington]

"i was kind of 'recruited'. a few months ago i came across a group of your men, they we're outmatched by the king's forces so i helped them, afterwords i helped them carry their wounded and since then i was pritty much taken in as one of them." marco smiled, hoping she didn't think he was lieing. "the groups leader took me under his wing, literaly, and tought me almost everything i know about the art of  war."

[Grace.E]

"ah, Jared taught you, well you were in good hands, I presumed he praised me for all the great things I have done" she said softly, sipping her water "tell me, what has he told you?"

[serpington]

"he spoke of you as a legend, bracticly singing the tales of your adventures. he spoke so highly of you, if i didn't know better i'd say he had a thing for you." marco smiled a bit looking away before he continued, "i can see why he would though....."

[Grace.E]

Willow smiled as she stood up, she walked over the window and looked out over the serene tree tops. many people see her eerie calmness as if she was the forest, calm, tranquil and patient. leaning against the window, her body still facing Marco as she looked out the window. "as glorious as my adventures sound..they were never that glorious in my eyes, I am only nineteen and I seem to be a legend that lasted for centuries" she looked back to Marco, her brilliant green yes seemed to hold an ancient knowledge, an old soul behind them , the moon was rising high in the sky. "your a good person in a very angry world right now" she said softly as she drank her water again.  dragging her chair to sit next to Marco "I lost two men of mine today, the kings men is drawing too close for my comfort, we do not steal for the pleasure of it, we steal because we need to" she eased herself back into the chair "If i had the choice, I wouldn't be the Queen of Thieves"

[serpington]

"but what if we could end all the fighting? surely theres a way to cure this world." he comented watching willow sit next to him, he started to grow warm under his fur.

[Grace.E]

"Humans have been bread to want and desire power, as long as some seizes he opportunity, it will never stop, there is no cure to this"

[tangletail]

Leo looked on to a river as he neared it after haveing to escape from a nearby community. The feline looked like any other slave. The useual scars hear and there, and the lack of thickness, though muscle was apparent; and of course the rags he was givin that was supposively clothes. Other then that he held a few fresh cuts and injuries as well as a make shift bandage over his tail. He also looked like he was sprayed with blood as speckles here and there could be seen but mostly collected near his wounds and his hands which had blood from someone else.

He glanced behind himself and shook his head. He sighed and let out a soft whistle from disbelife "How did I pull that off." he asked himself before his head back to the river. He carefully rose a single foot and held it over the edge, before leaning forwards and falling into the river below the water surface. He quickly pushed off the ground and sprung back to the surface, paddleing to the other side. By the time he reached the other side all the blood on had already been pulled away from his clothes and fur and floated down the stream.

[Grace.E]

Willow merely smiled until she heard something going on outside, looking outside her window, a huge fight between two men, very big men, Willow sighed in irritation as she jumped from her window, slid down a rope onto the forest floor, they would not notice a 5'11 Sapien Animales walking towards the group as the crowd cheered and began gambling. hanging from her belt was a ten foot bull whip, lifting it, she did a over head crack, the sound was loud enough to silence everyone, and then echo through the forest. everyone, human, anthro and animales alike stared at Willow, her bright green eyes shined with stern irritation. most of the men knelt, including one of the fighters, there heads bowed in shame, other, new recruits with no idea who she was started laughing. The other who have knelt tried to shut them up but with no avail.
"who the heck is she?" said a middle age human male. "who does she think she is? she is just a little girl" Willow's ears merely flicked at those words, the eerie calmness about her was not more frighting to the others than ever. Willow merely wrapped up her bull whip, the only weapon besides her short sword she kept on her. she looked at the man fighting the new comer. " are you alright?"
"yes Ma'am"