Evil Squirrel Empire - On The Fritz
an excerpt

"Melda grabbed my arm. “You just stay with me until Chitter and William take you before Francis.”

My eyes grew ten times their normal size. “Take me before Francis? What are you guys planning, er… not planning, um… whatever? Why am I being taken to Francis?” This took me completely by surprise.

“You are being taken to him, because that way you can talk to him without being stopped before being able to.” William had walked up and joined us.

“I think I understand now. So what is with all of the wires and everything?”

“We call them distractions.” Muffled chuckles ran through the band.

A soldier waved at us from the larder entrance. William grabbed me and then tied me up. I was slightly annoyed that I was also gagged. I gave William a dirty look. “Sorry about this, but if our plan is to work, you need to be our prisoner and not our leader.”

Just then two soldiers from Francis’ army were making their rounds and stopped to look into the larder. William, along with several of his fellow soldiers had picked me up and had started to carry me out the entrance to the larder, just in the nick of time. The two soldiers jumped back and nearly fell over backwards. William belted out an order. “Get out of our way! We are taking this prisoner to the Emperor Frank the First.” William was good. I liked the part about Francis being the first. The two soldiers collected themselves and ran off toward the royal quarters. We started moving slowly but with the look of determination across the glen. Well the rest of my comrades did anyway. I did not have much say in how I looked. I must have looked like a trumped up nut for the up and coming squirrel autumn festival. I was being carried above their heads like a trophy. I was lying on my back with my head hanging downward. I could see what was coming at me, but upside down. I started to get real dizzy at one point as we were nearing the entrance to the royal quarters. The steps went up about three feet and then a landing type of courtyard before the large opening. We had stopped at the bottom of the steps when I saw a figure emerge at the top of the steps up on the landing."