Pop goes the weasel

[Suede]

It would come as only a partial suprise to the minature guards standing watch over the so-called tunnel to the fairy kingdom, as whatever was coming came with such a pittering of feet it echoed rather noticably off the stone which surrounded them. But they came after night had come, and they came with singleminded purpose enough to charge directly for their target.

Out of the shadows came a small army... in the most literal of senses; which consisted of ferrets, weasels, and large spiders by the scores. It became clear quite quickly they intended to pass through the entrance into the fairy kingdom. And one could imagine what waited them beyond the cramped tunnel, a feast already coated with sparkling sugar. Little eyes gleamed both mammal and arthropod.

Dinner time!

[Treadwell]

Some hours later, it was finished, for now.

It had been a hard, long battle for the fairies. They had the high ground--all two feet of it from the cave floor to the base of The Tunnel, though, and they had the advantage in mobility with their wings. A messenger had been sent flying for assistance, for the New Hiberan Royal Guard had certainly faced threats like these before though never in such numbers! Fairy dust flew more than a little liberally, putting many a rodent and many a spider down for a nap before those same critters were skewered on fairy spears.

Reinforcements started coming within the first moments, drawn from the ranks of the guards at the other end of The Tunnel, and the battle was joined. More fairies came flying as quickly as their wings could carry them, and the third regiment--taken from the palace--brought in the heavier artillery, of sorts: fairy-sized vials of concentrated fairy dust, enough to be lethal to non-fairies if dusted freely enough.

No critters were to make it very far into the town. Any that did were promptly dealt with by either set of reinforcements as those fae came up from behind. However, this does not mean that there were no losses whatsoever.

At the end of it all, or at least what was perceived as an end, as many critters were skewered, and many others were simply waiting their turns asleep, there were indeed a number of fallen fae to be remembered. Spider venom didn't do too much to their numbers, for, as Richard had noted earlier in a letter to the Myrken Council, these fae have some resistance to such from ages of similar onslaughts. No, the deadliest assaults came from the rodents and vermin. These rats and mice of the outer world were larger than the tiny Hiberan Rock Rodents that lived in the caves in harmony with the fairies, and they were far more vicious, snatching the fairies who got too close from their places in the air.

So, the afternoon of the twelfth finds two new additions to The Tunnel: the first is an army of about a hundred fae guards with perhaps a dozen blue-winged messengers. It rests camped outside the entrance, awaiting another wave if necessary. The second is a gate being put up over The Tunnel's mouth. Such a portcullis has waited for some time to be installed; now is indeed a good time.

And behind that portcullis? A certain pink fairy stands, staring out over the carnage and wobbling there numb on his feet. By him stands a battered green-wing, leaning on his spear.

"Can we handle another such army, Sergeant? Mmph mmph?"

"I don't know, my lord. I simply don't know. I should hope we don't have to find out."