WARNING: May have descriptions of blood, gore, death, or violence. Leave if that makes you uncomfortable! Otherwise, enjoy! Also, if you'd like a fox to be added to the story, that will be in the Studio! 18 moons after the events of the Prologue. . . "Gotcha!" a Townling yipped proudly as he bowled over his sister. "No fair!" she barked back. "I wasn't ready!" "Were too!" "Was not!" "Was!" "Wasn't" "Was!" "Wasn't" "Wasn't" "Was. . . Hey!" she barked. "You tricked me! Maaaaaaaa!" she wailed, bounding to another fox, a larger albino like herself. Unknown to them, though, another pair of eyes was watching from the shadows as she slipped through the kingdom, pausing to watch the skirmish. She continued onward, her black paws a contrast to her stark white fur. She whipped her head around at the sound of a twig snapping, but relaxed at the sight of one of the young foxes, the ginger male, reaching for a mossball. His eyes went round at the sight of her. "S-sorry to disturb you ma'am!" he yipped. "My sis jus' kicked the ball over here. I-I'll be goin' now!" He scampered off with the mossball, and she shook her head. 'Strange Townling's with their weird talk.' she thought. She approached the back door to one of the 'houses' in the Kingdom- It was made from a combination of sand, mud, leaves, with large smooth logs on the outside to give it a cleaner look. She knocked once with her forepaw, paused, then knocked twice. The door opened a crack, and a voice growled, "State the Creed." "Never be followed, never be found. Don't give us away, or you'll be drowned. Always be swift, always be sure. Follow your path, as we endure." (Yes I made that on my own, thank you very much) The door opened all the way, revealing a dark gray male, who nodded her inside the dimly lit room. The two traveled into a hole under a rug that led to a tunnel, finally stopping at a large room where three other foxes were. "June!" a light grey vixen yipped. "How'd the first mission go?" "It was alright, Kiera. Clean and smooth. They never caught my scent before I finished it." she responded. "Not bad, for a rookie. Eh, Lyra?" the dark gray male barked, nodding to a vixen in the corner. The vixen stepped forward, flicking her cloak off her head. She looked at Juniper quietly, before yipping, "I suppose. We'll see as time goes on. Just because your first mission went well doesn't mean you can relax on any further missions. What did you find?" Juniper cleared her throat. "Well, the prince snuck out of the castle. It was able to cause enough of a scramble with the guards that I was able to get to the guard. He informed me that there was nothing new, though the Queen seems to be more agitated than usual." "Very well." Lyra responded with a flick of her ear. "Go follow the prince. Make sure he remains unharmed, but be sure to stick with the mission. The prophecy must be fulfilled." Juniper nodded, and padded out, back into the night.
Lyra padded to her den, followed closely by the dark male. "What, Ace?" she barked, turning to him. "You couldn't praise her? Not even a little? She was pleased with herself." Ace sounded annoyed. "Yes, but too much praise brings too much self-assurance. She needs to be sure of herself, but not too much that she loses focus on the assignment. You three praised her enough. How's Mystery?" she changed the subject. "He left a message saying all was clear, and that he was getting closer to one of the guards. It should be soon." he yipped, a scoffing noise behind him. He turned to see Kiera, looking peevish. "I still don't approve of that mission Lyra. You should have talked to me first." she growled. "The job comes first. I understand that he's family, but as your leader, your loyalty should be to me-" "It is! But it's a risky job! What if someone figures out-" "They won't. I chose him because he is smart and cunning." "And not because you didn't want Ace going out, him being your mate and all?" Kiera stated boldly. Lyra growled. "You're treading thin, Kiera." "Don't push this aside Lyra. You're only pack leader because you elected yourself!" This time, Lyra lashed out, slicing Kiera's ear. "I was elected leader because I know what I'm doing. I've been a hunter since the time I could hunt. My parents, Striker and Silver, two of the /best/ guards in the Kingdom, taught me every battle move and defense there is. If you really want to challenge me, then do it." she snarled. (Basically, Silver and Striker were Skulk foxes by the names Silverstripe and Firestrike, but left the Skulk after a fire went through part of the forest. They were presumed dead, but found by some Townfolk, eventually earning their way to becoming the best Guards in the Kingdom. They were well known for protecting the Kindgom in the Great War. Info about that in the future) Kiera's eyes flickered, and she crouched low. "N-no. I'm sorry." she murmured, slinking away to her own den. Ace approached Lyra, wrapping his tail around her. "You're going to need to apologize Lyra. No one can help who their parents are, and you shouldn't think of yourself as better than others simply-" "I'm expecting pups." her tone was flat and devoid of any emotion, but Ace's eyes widened in surprise and joy. "That's incredible news- right?" he tilted his head. "No! How can I remain their leader if I'm busy dealing with pups?" she barked. "I've got to find a way to get rid of them. I'm going to see Selene." she watched as Ace's face paled, but she didn't care. The job was more important than some pups. She'd make sure of it. Thanks to my bestie Mira for the cover art! Read the Kingdom Mystery Series here!: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/966769121/ Prologue of TFT: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/996490601/
