The treasure of Agnar. Leto was almost tense with anticipation. Everyone knew the store.
Agnar had been the chief, the king of his pride. A mighty leader who sailed the seas and conquered many lands. He had been brave, cunning, strong, none had ever defeated him.
He gathered riches from every land he conquered, building up a vast store of wealth. But for all his greatness, his luck did eventually run out. A storm at sea sunk his ship, and his most recently acquired treasured with it.
When he died his sons fought over his land and remaining wealth. They fought so long and so hard that by the time they were through all but two had died and the wealth had been spent on battles.
With nothing left the lands Agnar had conquered eventually made their way into new paws while the brothers managed to keep only a portion of it. In time even that portion was taken from them, and it became The Empire.
Leto herself had been born into the empire created after the fall of Agnar’s sons. But she had never like the way of life she was born into.
Her mother was a noble, and expected her to act as one. But her father was only a soldier, so while she was expected to play the part of a noble lioness, she was no better than a common lion really. She couldn’t inherit a title or much wealth from her mother.
But now she had a chance to change things. Now someone was looking for Agnar’s treasure, and Leto was as capable of sailing as any lion thanks to her father.
She would leave immediately before the news spread too far, hoping to get a head start. With the reward for finding the treasure she could build a new life. One of her choosing.
So Leto set out, hiring a small crew and taking her boat, the only thing of real worth she owned.
For many months she sailed the sea, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the wreck. When it had happened all those years ago some of the treasure had been found and claimed, so Leto would avoid the areas that had already been searched then for now.
First she and her crew dove beneath the water, carefully fastened to the ship with ropes and with another couple crew members watching. But their diving produced no treasure.
Next she landed at the nearest chain of islands and began the long search over the land. The first two islands yielded nothing, but when she reached the third her luck changed.
On the first day there she found some old jewelry, half buried in the dirt. Then she found broken vase, and at last the rest of the treasure.
It had washed onto the shore from the sea, entering a small pool fed by a stream coming in from the sea. The small inlet was mostly hidden by overgrown trees and bushes. Nearly invisible even from the sea.
But within it hid all that had remained of Agnar’s treasure. It must’ve been worth a king’s ransom the crew said! And that was when Leto had a thought. Why return it all to those who searched for it…when she could keep it all? After all, she was only offered a portion of its total worth as a reward for finding it.
But she had done all the work, why shouldn’t she keep it? Those who looked for it weren’t even related to Agnar so had no better claim to it than anyone else.
Her mind made up Leto brought the treasure back to her ship and sailed away, not returning to the Empire with it, but instead looking for new shores where she might find a new beginning.
Agnar had been the chief, the king of his pride. A mighty leader who sailed the seas and conquered many lands. He had been brave, cunning, strong, none had ever defeated him.
He gathered riches from every land he conquered, building up a vast store of wealth. But for all his greatness, his luck did eventually run out. A storm at sea sunk his ship, and his most recently acquired treasured with it.
When he died his sons fought over his land and remaining wealth. They fought so long and so hard that by the time they were through all but two had died and the wealth had been spent on battles.
With nothing left the lands Agnar had conquered eventually made their way into new paws while the brothers managed to keep only a portion of it. In time even that portion was taken from them, and it became The Empire.
Leto herself had been born into the empire created after the fall of Agnar’s sons. But she had never like the way of life she was born into.
Her mother was a noble, and expected her to act as one. But her father was only a soldier, so while she was expected to play the part of a noble lioness, she was no better than a common lion really. She couldn’t inherit a title or much wealth from her mother.
But now she had a chance to change things. Now someone was looking for Agnar’s treasure, and Leto was as capable of sailing as any lion thanks to her father.
She would leave immediately before the news spread too far, hoping to get a head start. With the reward for finding the treasure she could build a new life. One of her choosing.
So Leto set out, hiring a small crew and taking her boat, the only thing of real worth she owned.
For many months she sailed the sea, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the wreck. When it had happened all those years ago some of the treasure had been found and claimed, so Leto would avoid the areas that had already been searched then for now.
First she and her crew dove beneath the water, carefully fastened to the ship with ropes and with another couple crew members watching. But their diving produced no treasure.
Next she landed at the nearest chain of islands and began the long search over the land. The first two islands yielded nothing, but when she reached the third her luck changed.
On the first day there she found some old jewelry, half buried in the dirt. Then she found broken vase, and at last the rest of the treasure.
It had washed onto the shore from the sea, entering a small pool fed by a stream coming in from the sea. The small inlet was mostly hidden by overgrown trees and bushes. Nearly invisible even from the sea.
But within it hid all that had remained of Agnar’s treasure. It must’ve been worth a king’s ransom the crew said! And that was when Leto had a thought. Why return it all to those who searched for it…when she could keep it all? After all, she was only offered a portion of its total worth as a reward for finding it.
But she had done all the work, why shouldn’t she keep it? Those who looked for it weren’t even related to Agnar so had no better claim to it than anyone else.
Her mind made up Leto brought the treasure back to her ship and sailed away, not returning to the Empire with it, but instead looking for new shores where she might find a new beginning.
