1.
the cheap seats, the last resting place of badgers
2.
Milk Wood and badgers in his vest
3.
He thinks out loud, communing with no one, with nothing that matters, revealing to the woods, the badgers and the bats a simple logic
4.
Local wildlife includes otters and badgers
5.
hills, they watched entranced as two badgers emerged to eat the
6.
“No,” responded his mate, “I really believe watching badgers in
7.
“Indeed, I couldn’t “Nathan replied “The badgers stole them all and I suspect they are using them for unthinkable illegal sexual acts of badger pornography
8.
That badgers there didn't shun each other just because one happened to be a Healer, or a Teller of The Way
9.
"There must be another sett out there somewhere," she whispered softly, "where badgers live together with tolerance and understanding
10.
And as Skelda dreamt his dreams of power, savouring his dominion over all badgers, the sun slid behind the horizon, bringing the moon's dark shroud across Brockenhurst Forest
11.
And with the falling temperature, badgers stirred in their warm chambers, readying themselves for the moon's foraging
12.
As badgers hurried about their business, trying to lay down enough body fat to carry them through the coming moons, the mist gathered between the trees, swirling about, its inquisitive fingers touching every surface
13.
The winter was harsh and cold, and most badgers stayed semi-dormant in their snug sleeping chambers
14.
Back in the upper tunnels, Grey could hear other badgers moving about and knew it was time he returned to his work, but he sighed gently instead, settling his large bulk into a more comfortable position
15.
To him, it was inconceivable that Brockenhurst Sett could erupt into an expanding fireball, devouring all before it– that badgers would die horrible deaths, beating at flames as they sprang into life on their fur
16.
Head slowly moving from side to side, he drank in every detail– the large expanse of floor that still held the Magi's teeth-marks, even after all the generations of badgers who must have walked across its sanctified surface, the walls covered with deliciously intricate and delicate patterns, the vaulted ceiling that disappeared from view far above his head
17.
The fewer badgers who know what we're up to, the better
18.
Laying the branches in a row, Brock wove the switches cross-wise through them, and when he was satisfied that the makeshift platform was strong enough, the four badgers carefully eased it out over the water until its far end rested on the trunk, bridging the gap perfectly
19.
Redoubling their efforts, the two badgers hauled for all they were worth, Brock's features twisting with the effort
20.
She'd never actually seen a dog but like most young badgers, she'd been warned about their legendary ferocity and hunting skills
21.
It felt as though it was going to be hot and sultry, the kind of sun-cycle when sensible badgers should be safely tucked up underground, not traipsing about on a surface that burnt their feet
22.
Greenblade's assignations with young Hawn– the secret meetings of two badgers in love– and Hawn still almost a cub at the time
23.
At the time Slikit could only suppose such a terrible thing was happening because the Custodians of Spinningbrock had forsaken the old ways when younger more impatient badgers had challenged their customs, thinking they knew better how to live life
24.
He was unhappy at the prospect of spending even more time in the company of these badgers, but he could hardly just go off and leave them helpless like this
25.
Yellow cough was a slow and painful way to die, feared by all badgers
26.
"A small group of badgers has acted directly against the Council
27.
"These badgers have been selected to replace the Custodians, and their orders must be obeyed
28.
Remember, it is essential that I find out how many more badgers are involved, because it is obvious that Grey could not have done this thing alone
29.
"Badgers," he began, pausing to let his gaze traverse their faces again, caressing them with his smile
30.
Most other badgers were cowed by his size, doing as he ordered without argument, but he knew that mere strength would be no match against Grindel's cunning
31.
Cherva backed from the chamber then hurried away to inspect the badgers guarding the Custodians
32.
Whether it was the dust cast over his head by Grindel, or the badgers own terror
33.
After the Preceptor's visit Cherva quickly set about collecting a band of badgers to train as guards, only choosing the largest and most aggressive, those with grudges against their fellow badgers
34.
With these badgers Cherva would hold sway over the whole sett, second only to the Preceptor himself
35.
Using Cherva's terror tactics, he had consolidated his position and all badgers now cast their eyes to the ground when he passed
36.
Due to the steady influx of badgers brought in by Cherva's guards, there was hardly any room to move on top of Fire Rock when Grindel called his next meeting
37.
Flanked on all sides by the guards that had become so prevalent of late, most badgers kept their gaze lowered
38.
Grindel mounted the rock platform that Cherva's minions had constructed and waited for the badgers ranked around him to quieten down
39.
"Badgers, friends, I have information you should know
40.
One or two badgers began whispering excitedly but quickly settled down when a guard approached them
41.
Watching the assembly carefully, Grindel picked out those badgers who might cause him trouble in the future– the hardened stares, the eyes that questioned even though the owner remained silent
42.
"Will you fight with me, my badgers?"
43.
Will you volunteer, my badgers?"
44.
On the long trek back to the burrow, Slikit thought about the two badgers waiting for him– one sick with the yellow fever, the other sick with a very different illness
45.
The two badgers fell silent again, continuing their search, pushing their way through the thick undergrowth
46.
Using badgers drafted in from the surrounding districts, Grindel and Cherva had raised the tall banks of earth in front of the sett in a surprisingly short time
47.
Brockenhurst Sett was now filled to overflowing with conscripted badgers brought in from the smaller setts scattered about the forest and space was at a premium
48.
Even the internal latrines had been filled in to make room for more badgers
49.
Grindel had covered every eventuality he could think of and felt confident, that should a group of badgers decide to attack the sett, they would fail
50.
Two badgers were on permanent guard duty here, with another pair posted nearby as a precaution
51.
Over time, other badgers had joined the embryonic sett, until now, outside of Brockenhurst Sett itself, it was home to the largest cete of badgers in Boddaert's Realm
52.
Over the generations the sett had grown so large and sprawling that most other badgers left it well alone, even Evaert giving it a wide birth during his attack on Boddaert's Realm
53.
He was small of stature and spoke with a soft voice, a fact which led many badgers who did not know him to assume he was also soft physically
54.
The badgers dwelling in Badachro Sett were considered deviant by others and Brokin himself was no exception, but it wasn't until he took up his fighting stance that you might notice he carried an extra claw on each foot
55.
Meeting infrequently, usually when a crisis arose, they promulgated their decisions and of necessity, most badgers accepted their rulings
56.
They concerned stories of badgers being kidnapped, in some cases killed
57.
He didn't recognise either of them, but that was no surprise, given the large influx of badgers into the sett lately
58.
The almost unbearable noise suddenly quietened and Brokin saw that a boar had entered the taproot chamber and was now staring down at the assembled badgers
59.
As the Preceptor paused again, the badgers assembled in the Great Chamber exploded into a cheer that almost deafened Brokin in his hiding place, and it was as well that they did, because the shock of hearing the Preceptor's words had wrung a loud gasp from his throat
60.
"Winter is almost upon us badgers, so we must wait
61.
Surely no more than one or two badgers could be living here, which was unusual because most badgers he knew hated living alone
62.
How his mother, using her great skills as a Healer, had made him as other badgers
63.
Peeking out from behind a large rock she saw a band of badgers heading up the hill, the boar who had attacked her earlier leading the way
64.
The badgers living there were horrible
65.
Here she would spend the rest of her life, living in isolation, dreaming of things that might have been, if only she had been born as other badgers
66.
Soffen was shocked at how dull and lifeless all the badgers they met along the path appeared to be
67.
Soffen was surprised to see so many badgers out and about during the sun-cycle, usually they would have been settled in their sleeping chambers, especially as winter was almost upon them
68.
He would explain what was happening to Brockenhurst Sett and where all these rough badgers had come from
69.
Soffen was thrown into a small chamber already overcrowded with other badgers
70.
As she searched for a place to rest, Soffen noticed all the badgers in the chamber were avoiding one corner, even though this meant that there was less space for everyone else
71.
"There are three dead badgers back here," she protested angrily
72.
"That was a very brave thing you did, getting those brutes to remove those poor badgers like that," Moss said quietly
73.
The cold weather fell on Brockenhurst Forest with an unexpected ferocity, and due to the large numbers of badgers over-wintering in the sett, food– always scarce at this time of the cycle– was even scarcer
74.
As Soffen helped the suffering badgers, she managed to smuggle a few of the worst afflicted ones to her old burrow in Bluebell Clearing, where she could tend to their ills without the threat of their eviction and subsequent death
75.
Masquerading as her helpers, these sick badgers were whisked away to her tunnels, safe from the dangers threatening them
76.
There could be no doubt about it, here was part of his history, a history that connected him directly to the ancient badgers who had ruled over Boddaert's Realm since the beginning of time
77.
Brokin glanced over his shoulder, marvelling at how such a large body of badgers had managed to move into the fringes of Brockenhurst Forest without disturbing the local wildlife
78.
The Preceptor had assured him that, given time, the troublesome badgers would come to Brockenhurst Sett, saving their own fighting force the trouble of a long trek out to Badachro, and he'd been right
79.
As the large band of badgers marched towards their destiny, the column passed directly beneath Cherva's hiding place and he stared down at them in contempt, picturing their lingering deaths in the coming battle
80.
As the attacking boars passed by on their way towards battle, the hidden defenders slipped quietly out of their hiding places to join with those already stalking the column from the rear, and by the time that Brokin had halted his badgers at the broken oak tree, he was already trapped between Grindel's superior forces in the sett and Cherva's boars in the rear
81.
Already a large number of his badgers lay injured or dying, and in their panic, the rest were milling around aimlessly, which only added to their confusion and injuries
82.
But that hope was quickly dashed when an enormous group of badgers spewed from the entrance of the sett ahead of them, and at the same moment, a yelling mob charged from the labyrinth behind
83.
He planned to take a small group of badgers through this vent while Thesa kept the defenders busy at the main entrance
84.
As the shouts and screams of the badgers fighting in the labyrinth echoed to him from the thick canopy overhead, Brokin moved his small group through the undergrowth parallel to the pathway leading to the air vent
85.
The badgers nodded their understanding as he explained what it was he wanted them to do
86.
He made a slight gesture and the two badgers at his side arranged the ferns they had gathered over his back, tying them in place with long twists of grass
87.
Turning away from the dead boar, Brokin threw a glance upwards, spotting two badgers locked in a fierce battle on the narrow ledge by the rock pile
88.
Thesa's badgers were attacked with such hatred and ferocity, that for a moment, he thought they would be overrun straight away, but the black badger's bravery was a spur to those around him, and they managed to repel the first charge
89.
But it was also true that there had been no declawing in Brockenhurst Sett for generations and Grindel wasn't sure how his badgers would react if he carried out his threat
90.
It was of his mother and how she had used a special fungus when badgers came to her complaining of weakness
91.
Then, just as he gave up hope of his shouts ever being heard, two badgers appeared at the edge of the waterlogged hollow
92.
With a cold shock, Darkburst suddenly realised that the badgers had no intention of rescuing him from his plight and became increasingly desperate as he slipped ever deeper into the mire
93.
"Why should we?" one of the badgers answered, his lips twisted into an ugly grin
94.
One of the badgers picked up the stone and examined it carefully, turning it over and over between his paws
95.
Yes, that would show all the badgers in Boddaert's Realm that treachery would be repaid a thousand-fold
96.
Once he had killed the remaining badgers at Badachro Sett, nothing stood in his way to becoming the most powerful boar in Badgerdom!
97.
He glowered at the frightened badgers standing before him
98.
Cherva pushed his way passed the two burly guards, who were still dragging the pair of terrified badgers from the chamber, heading off towards the lower levels of the sett where Soffen had her tiny sleeping space
99.
Unexpectedly the giant taproot trembled and both badgers looked towards the roof
100.
"I've sent three badgers to fetch Darkburst as you instructed
