Lord Two-Tail was dead. Assassinated at a royal feast by a disgruntled servant, and it seemed within a few hours that all of Canine country had learned of his death, and public outcry had an uproar as noble and common dogs alike demanded justice!
King GrayFur of house Round, protector of all Dogs and guardian of the North, South and West had yet to marry a suitable bride and even in his old age had not produced a single child, bastard or legitimate to take the throne after his passing.
It was agreed that Lord Two-Tail was to be his heir apparent in the situation of no pups being fathered due to being not only GrayFur's closest living relative but the Lord of Dog Island and an icon among all the people of the realm.
He was young, handsome, rich beyond any dog in Petseros and looking for a bride to take his side in ruling after he became King. Now both the positions of Lord of Dog Island and heir apparent were in jeopardy…
"Your grace? May I have a word?" King GrayFur snapped his head up and found himself in his dimly lit throne room, facing the captain of the city's guard and his younger - now, only brother, Barksalot of house Round. A young pup but on the larger side with light brown fur as it was the mark of his clan. The king motioned him to step forward and speak.
"Your grace I think it wise that you and I discuss the inheritance of Dog Island and the crown together before consulting with the others. We are now the closest family we have." It was fairly obvious what Barksalot was trying, it was a desperate grab for power whilst the opportunity was ripe and for that no Dog could knock him for his ambition.
Deciding not to play along with his cousin's obvious lack of finesse in the world of politics GrayFur asked "Our Brother's corpse isn't even cold yet and you wish to know who will receive his lands? His title? I hadn't given it much thought as I was hoping to find his killer before naming an heir!"
The old King had to take a deep breath after his outburst as his cousin took his side to help him breathe, Barksalot rubbed his back and asked, "Barley anyone even saw his killer, all that is known was that a cat of orange and white was seen fleeing the scene and that he somehow managed to infiltrate the castle. Your grace, there are millions of cats in the High City, this is a nigh impossible task."
The room endured a moment of silence before the King broke it with the disgusted tone that always managed to find its way into his voice when discussing the Cats.
"I don't care if you have to go door to door looking for this assassin, if these filthy felines think they can just kill our brother and then slip back into the shadows they have another thing coming!"
Taking a moment to kneel before his King, Barksalot turned for the door, though clearly disappointed that the old fool would rather seek closure for someone soon to be rotting in the ground than to provide him what was his by rite!
Hours blurred as Barksalot returned to his chambers and the king resumed his mix of daydreaming and penning letters to all the different Lords of the land, asking them to attend the late Two-Tail's funeral and leave an offering for the fallen Dog.
Though GrayFur tried to appear as if he had no intentions of putting any thoughts into the matter until justice had been served, he actually had great plans for Dog Island. Lord Two-Tail was a spitfire of a pup and hungry for battle and glory but he had always listened to his older brother and king; the task of replacing him would be a difficult one as not so many people in Petseros have the same loyalty to him.
He arrived upon the final name on his list, an individual who he dreaded contacting despite the grim circumstances. He was an outsider! No matter what anybody told him there was no possible way they shared blood. Despite his feelings, the forces he commanded were second only to his own and the resources he provided for the High City were essential to daily life in the High City.
Letting out a deep sigh he picked up his quill, "To my dearest cousin Arlington of house Polar, Lord of Snowhill and Guardian of the North…"
NebraskanKing
