1.
looking up for any predators they toured around the sett giving a
2.
With a mounting sense of frustration and anger, he burst from the sett, heading out into the bright moonlight
3.
At present they control Brockenhurst Sett, and through that, all the other setts in Brockenhurst Valley, something they've done for generations
4.
It's just that every instinct tells me that Brockenhurst Sett is in real danger
5.
"You told me once that your sett was different from this
6.
"There must be another sett out there somewhere," she whispered softly, "where badgers live together with tolerance and understanding
7.
Help me find a sett like that Brock, and I'll help you find Boddaert's Magic
8.
They laughed in unison, breaking the black mood that had enveloped them, walking along the path towards the sett
9.
Occasionally the throaty purr of a mating adult could be heard, or the deep warning growl of an aggressive encounter, but mostly the sett settled quietly into the slow rhythm of winter
10.
Both cubs had visited the sett frequently during the winter-cycle, Broshee making a number of new friends, but Darkburst hadn't fared so well
11.
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
12.
How often is a chance like this going to present itself? The Preceptor probably won't leave the sett again this season
13.
He would slip away at the earliest opportunity, return the Sacred Roots to Brockenhurst Sett, then throw himself on the Preceptor's mercy
14.
Hidden in the shadows of the thickening mist, Grindel watched them leave the confines of Brockenhurst Forest, and once he was satisfied that they were well on their way, turned back towards the sett, ready to report to Skelda
15.
How am I supposed to return to Brockenhurst Sett now? What possessed you? How could you have done this to me? You
16.
"Go on, get back to the sett," his father finished with a toss of his head
17.
As she walked she allowed her thoughts to wander, reliving past times; happy moments spent in Brockenhurst Sett
18.
Screaming yellow monsters had scooped up the sett by the mouthful, spitting them out into the maws of other creatures that had scurried away with their prize
19.
Slikit had left the ruins of his sett on the edge of Veyatie Copse and never returned
20.
But worse than that, they have acted directly against the sett
21.
"I have discovered treachery, right here in Brockenhurst Sett
22.
Cherva had immediately recognised that the Preceptor was offering him the chance to become the first suzerain of Brockenhurst Sett, with the authority to rule a realm within a realm
23.
Taking them away from the main sett he ordered them to dig a temporary burrow in Low Meadow
24.
With these badgers Cherva would hold sway over the whole sett, second only to the Preceptor himself
25.
Through Cherva and his guards, he now had total control of Brockenhurst Sett
26.
No longer under the hated Skelda's power, Grindel was free to pursue his own plans with a vengeance and this he did, his grip tightening on the sett with each passing moon
27.
"When you were asked to spend time and effort building the earthworks around Brockenhurst Sett, it was for a reason
28.
"They'll use Boddaert's Magic to destroy Brockenhurst Sett, and that includes every badger here this moon
29.
"I'm from Brockenhurst Sett," she finally answered
30.
Then wrinkling her snout as though a nasty taste had flooded her mouth, she answered, "Brock had a vision in which he foresaw the destruction of Brockenhurst Sett
31.
"And you hoped to use Boddaert's Magic to save the sett?" Slikit prompted
32.
The Preceptor of Brockenhurst Sett would never have let such precious items out of his protection
33.
Soffen was elated to hear that Broshee was still alive, but was worried that waiting for her return before starting the long journey back to Brockenhurst Sett, would mean that Brock might be too ill to travel
34.
Turning away Soffen forced herself to think about other things, things she would have to do once they arrived back at Brockenhurst Sett
35.
He could follow the river, which would eventually lead him back to Brockenhurst Sett, but it was a winding and tortuous route, or he could strike out overland, using the stars as his guide
36.
All thoughts of returning to Brockenhurst Sett vanished abruptly, and with a growing sense of wonder, he studied the landscape, suddenly realising his destiny
37.
Cherva had turned his vague orders into reality and now the sett was protected on all approaches
38.
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
39.
As well as this precaution, most of the entrance tunnels to the sett were now filled with large stones and packed earth, which ensured that no badger could gain an entry unnoticed
40.
Only two tunnels remained open– one facing the large semi-circular clearing between the front of the sett and the new earthworks, the other, a much smaller tunnel leading into the rear of the sett
41.
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
42.
The earthworks laid out around the main entrance formed a complicated maze of corridors that had to be negotiated before gaining admittance to the large semi-circular clearing in front of the sett itself
43.
As an additional precaution the undergrowth for a considerable distance around the sett had been cleared so that no badger could approach the sett without being spotted
44.
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
45.
But there was one weak point– the air vent at the rear of the sett
46.
Badachro Sett was the key to his plans, that much was certain
47.
The name, Badachro Sett, was really a misnomer, because in the strictest sense it was not a sett at all, more a scattered collection of separate tunnels and chambers that made extensive use of a natural cave system at the base of the Badachro Mountains
48.
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
49.
But the population of Badachro was unlike that of any other sett
50.
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
51.
He stood now on a small ledge far above Badachro Sett, studying the shadows cast onto the rocky cliff face by the moon
52.
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
53.
Badachro Sett was a loose conglomeration of smaller badger communities and as each group mistrusted the other, an uneasy alliance existed
54.
A Council of Elders kept the peace between the factions, setting down the laws and mores of the sett
55.
The rumours referred to by Drac had been circulating the sett for some time now
56.
What makes you think the Preceptor of Brockenhurst Sett is aiming to take over Boddaert's Realm?"
57.
Brokin left the cave deep in thought, already planning his strategy should the need arise to defend Badachro Sett
58.
From a small insignificant badger, constantly taunted about his appearance, he'd turned himself into a boar whose opinions and skills were sort by the highest authority in the sett
59.
If the Preceptor left his planned attack on Badachro Sett much longer, he'd be forced to postpone it until after the cold winter winds had relinquished their hold on the forest
60.
He didn't recognise either of them, but that was no surprise, given the large influx of badgers into the sett lately
61.
He realised now that he should have stayed well hidden after spotting the large badger preparing to attack the guards, but he had hoped to use the situation as a means of winning favour and gaining entrance to the sett
62.
This was the fabled Great Chamber of Brockenhurst Sett itself
63.
Brokin guessed that this must be Grindel, the Preceptor of Brockenhurst Sett
64.
But after it has shed its cold embrace, then we will attack Badachro Sett
65.
Then, then my brothers, we will be free to restore the splendour that once dwelt in every sett throughout Boddaert's Realm
66.
Brokin was on the sixth moon of his journey back to Badachro Sett when he spotted the body at the bottom of the deep ravine
67.
On his journey back to Badachro Sett, Brokin's thoughts returned often to the boar that he'd buried in the ravine
68.
Whatever, he would follow her scent until he found her sett and ask her for help
69.
It was sometime later, as he emerged from a particularly dense patch of tangled undergrowth, that he spotted the sett beneath a tall ash tree on the edge of a large meadow
70.
Darkburst approached the sett warily, but could detect no other scent than the females around the entrance, so it appeared that she did indeed live here on her own
71.
Darkburst shouted the greeting down into the sett, shaking his head in annoyance when it echoed back up to him unanswered
72.
Perhaps the sow was out hunting for food? Yet his nose told him she was definitely in the sett below
73.
And how the Preceptor of his sett had given him a great task to carry out
74.
It was during these occasional wakeful periods that Darkburst learnt how the Elders in Brightness's home sett had forced her mother to abandon her on an exposed hillside because she had been born with white fur
75.
Having convinced herself that her mother had only told her these things to stop her wandering off and getting lost, Brightness pushed the warnings to the back of her mind and set out for the sett
76.
Her mother had been right, she should have kept well away from the sett
77.
Then one moon, stumbling upon a slender ash tree on the edge of a large meadow, Brightness decided to dig herself a small comfortable sett beneath its protective roots
78.
Brightness had spent many seasons living out a quiet existence on the edge of the meadow, snug in her sett during the winters, roaming the nearby copse during the summers
79.
It had alarmed Brightness deeply therefore, when late one moon she heard a badger's footsteps approaching her sett
80.
Rushing back to her sett, Brightness hurriedly dug a short tunnel into the side of the sleeping chamber
81.
Then, slowly turning her back on the grey heavy sky, she returned to her sett, where she lay on the bed of leaves she'd shared with Darkburst, closed her eyes and began sobbing
82.
Not in the busy tunnels and crowded chambers of Brockenhurst Sett, as grandiose as they probably are
83.
When Soffen nodded yes, both guards quickly took up position on each side of her, then keeping close in so she could not escape, they began shepherding her along the path towards Brockenhurst Sett
84.
Gone were the wild flowers that had swayed in the summer breezes, lending their scents to the comforting smell of the sett
85.
Finally they stopped in front of the main sett entrance
86.
The stench that engulfed Soffen as they entered the sett made her gag and it was some time before she could see through the tears stinging her eyes
87.
He would explain what was happening to Brockenhurst Sett and where all these rough badgers had come from
88.
After Moss had finished telling Soffen about the ills that had befallen the sett, the exhausted sow fell into a restless slumber, leaving Soffen to ponder on the facts
89.
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
90.
When the Preceptor realised how bad things were becoming in the lower tunnels of the sett, he ordered Soffen's release from the chamber where she was incarcerated
91.
His fear was that Yellow Cough might sweep through the crowded sett, decimating his fighting forces
92.
Soffen was determined that when the weather warmed, she would escape the terrible place that Brockenhurst Sett had become and take the knowledge she had gathered to others
93.
Having journeyed such a long distance since leaving the safe confines of Brightness's sett, he felt totally worn out
94.
He would spend some time beside the lake, resting and eating, then set out for Brockenhurst Sett with his prize
95.
On reaching Badachro Sett, he put his proposals to the Council, who then held a private session to discuss his plans
96.
"Four are spread evenly along the main pathway and three more nearer to the sett itself," The black head swung around as his eyes focused on Brokin
97.
When he'd been practising the killing thrust, high up on his favourite ledge above Badachro Sett, he'd always imagined he would experience jubilation when he finally used it in earnest– that he would be more alive, nearer to Her
98.
When winter finally broke its hold on Brockenhurst Forest, the Preceptor cautioned patience when Cherva had suggested that they launch an attack on Badachro Sett as soon as possible
99.
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
100.
Still that didn't really matter, because whoever it was, they were in for a big surprise when they attacked Brockenhurst Sett