The sound of clopping hooves could be heard as two horses crashed through the forest undergrowth, lead by a pack of barking dogs with teeth bared in pursuit of a fleeing fox. King Chernobog held his bow aloft from the back of his horse but held back on firing, because he knew his younger brother Uaithne was nearby, waiting until they had cornered their target. Even at the tender age of 15, Uaithne was a better marksmen then Chernobog, and had always been the one most handy with weapons between them. For the most part, Chern enjoyed the thrill of the chase but was secretly unable to kill anything himself and always had to wait for someone else to dispatch the prey animal. His brother and heir apparent on the other hand had no such apprehensions.
As the two riders reunited in a clearing, it was clear that the fox was cornered. Chern watched out of the corner of his eye as Uaithne pulled an arrow from his quiver and took aim at the fox. His gaze then darted to the fox, and in a moment his heart skipped a beat. He raised his hand, waving it in the air frantically.
"WAIT!"
Startled, Uaithne let go of his bow before he had centered on the fox, and the arrow fired into a nearby tree branch as he winced. There in the crook of the tree behind the fox was a litter of kits, and Chern had realized almost too late that they had been tracking their mother. He heard Uaithne swear under his breath as he lowered his weapon and shook his head in dismay. The fox family had already vanished into the trunk of the tree, and the formerly bloodthirsty dogs where now sitting patiently waiting for orders from their masters.
Chern looked at his brother apologetically. "Sorry, I just didn't think it was fair. ...If we do things like that there'll be no more foxes to hunt, after all."
"Whatever." Uaithne sneered.
Just then, as they where turning around to find another animal to track, a carrier pigeon appeared and descended from the sky and landed in front of Chern. He untied the message around the bird's ankle and read it, getting wide-eyed with every word. He made a gesture to his brother to follow, and then took off at full speed for Saffron castle to prepare for the meeting.