The next morning, everybeast on both sides gathered on the shore to watch the final combat between Lord Brocktree and Ungatt Trunn.

Lord Brocktree of Brockhall unshouldered his great sword and strode onto the sand. Behind him the sea lay calm, like a glittering mirror. He breathed deep and stood ready, clad only in a loose green tunic, a broad woven belt circling his waist.

Ungatt Trunn prowled into the place of combat. The wildcat was a barbarous sight. His pointed ears could be seen through the slits of a round steel helmet with a spike on top and a shoulder length fringe of fine chain mail. He wore a purple tunic, topped by a copper breastplate. Above his paws were metal bracelets with spikes bristling from them. In one paw he carried the big trident, in the other a woven net edged with metal weights.

Silence fell upon the packed shore, a quietness that was almost unearthly in its intensity. Lord Brocktree came to the center of the arena. Lifting the sword level with his face, he saluted his enemy in the traditional manner of a beast about to do combat. But salutes, rules, and formalities did not figure in Ungatt Trunn's nature. A screeching growl ripped from his throat, and he charged!

The cat darted wildly at the badger, and whetting their savage boar teeth with the dew of the sea foam, they began to fight, trying to engage each other with their trident and sword respectively. But they were both so carefully guarded by their armor that neither of them could stab the other. Suddenly Ungatt Trunn kicked a stone at Brocktree, but in doing so he exposed his leg. The Badger Lord saw an opening and struck at the vulnerable limb with his sword.

He just managed to graze Trunn, drawing a small amount of blood, but the cat had so many tricks up his sleeve.

"Oh, it's on," Trunn hissed, falling to his knees. "I'll take you on now!"

Doomeye was hidden in the rocks above the beach. When he saw Ungatt Trunn take a hit, he realized it was the perfect time for him to pull out his arrow. He drew back his seasoned yew bow to its limit and fired. He meant to pierce the base of the badger's skull from behind, but Brocktree shifted his position at the last second and the arrow hit him in the shoulder instead. The badger groaned and dropped his sword.

Doomeye's lip pouted sulkily as he laid another shaft on his bowstring. "I still got 'im," he muttered.

But Luna had seen him shoot the first arrow from the crowd. She was already moving. Flying up to Doomeye's level, she shot a blast of magic from her horn that sliced the rat's bowstring in two. With a sob of horror, Doomeye fled, with Luna in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, down below, the main battle continued. Both combatants were wounded now, Ungatt Trunn in his leg by the badger's sword, and Brocktree in his shoulder from Doomeye's arrow. The Badger Lord groped for his sword, but before he could reach it, Trunn lunged and stabbed him in the side with his trident. Brocktree fell to the ground with an almighty crash, raising a cloud of sand, whereat the vermin cried for joy, one and all!

With painful effort, Ungatt Trunn raised himself to his feet, his leg still dripping blood. He looked around at the crowd. Some creatures had their eyes full of tears, others looked angry, some turned away from him in fear, while his remaining Blue Hordebeasts were jubilant. He focused his gaze on Celestia, who glared defiantly back at him, surrounded by Chancellor Puddinghead, Smart Cookie, Princess Platinum, Clover the Clever, Commander Hurricane, and Private Pansy.

The cat laughed triumphantly. "These are the days of Ungatt Trunn the Fearsome Beast! O Mighty One, he who makes the stars fall!" he declaimed. "Conqueror, Earth Shaker, son of King Mortspear, brother to Verdauga! Lord of all the Blue Hordes, who are as many as the leaves of autumn! O All Powerful Ungatt Tru…"

BAM!

Suddenly, Lord Brocktree leaped on him and pinned him to the ground. He was not dead after all!

The badger stood over the cat, sword in paw, ready to deal the vermin his final death blow. But something prevented him. He heard Pansy's voice in his head as he remembered what she had said the day before.

"Why does it have to end this way? Maybe Ungatt Trunn could change and be a goodbeast if you only gave him the chance."

Brocktree knew that was a bunch of baloney. Ungatt Trunn would never change. He would always be a sadistic evil tyrant.

But if Brocktree killed him, would that make him just as bad?

But if he didn't kill him, the cat would continue his reign of terror. Even if Brocktree made him leave Salamandastron, Trunn would just go somewhere else and hurt other creatures.

What to do? What to do?

At last he removed his footpaw from Ungatt Trunn's chest, but he still kept his sword to the cat's neck. "Keep your life," he said. "But I'm giving the hares back their kingdom."

Brocktree released Trunn, letting him stand up.

Ungatt Trunn was in agony! How could he have been so arrogant? If only he had known how powerful Lord Brocktree really was.

But he didn't get to keep his life after all, because as soon as the cat regained his feet, a blast of magic shot out from somewhere in the crowd, killing him! Brocktree whipped his head around, looking to see who had done it.

The slayer of Ungatt Trunn stepped out from the group of vermin. It was a big creature wearing a hood.

"Isn't that the Fragorl?" Platinum whispered to Celestia. "I thought you said she deserted!"

But it wasn't the Grand Fragorl. It wasn't even a female. With a pair of red hands, the creature lifted his hood. He was muscular and red, with four hooved legs, two arms, and long black horns on his head. He looked really evil and the sight scared Brocktree to death but not enough to actually make him die.

The thing spoke in a voice that made Brocktree go first cold, then hot.

"I AM TIREK THE CENTAUR!"