Chapter 38

It turned out Larkspur and Aster were the parents of twenty total. Two litters, Larkspur had proudly proclaimed. Each of them was named after a specific flower. There was so many, the three Noonvalers couldn't keep them all straight. Larkspur and three of their elder sons accompanied Brome and his friends on their way back to Noonvale.

Aster stood at the doorway of the warren with the rest gathered around her, waving a white kerchief in farewell. Larkspur adjusted his heavy pack and blew her kisses.

"G'bye meh dear! Watch fer them vermin."

"We c'n take care of ourselves, Larkers. Hurry up. Our friends are waitin'." She scolded.

They covered quite a bit of ground that day. Only stopping to refill their canteens at a stream. Brome sat down with a groan and began to unwrap the bandages.

"You alright?" Keyla asked him.

"Fine." Brome replied quickly.

"Did any vermin stay be'ind when the stoat took ye?" Larkspur sat down next to him to inspect Brome's foot.

"Only a few. But I have a feeling Verang will be on his way back. He must have figured out by now we're headed that way." Keyla explained.

Brome shook his head. "We can't hide in those caves forever. We'll have to evacuate everyone again."

"We can't Brome! There's not enough of us that can fight and protect ourselves from them. And don't forget Stoneclaw and his foxes."

Larkspur sat up. "Foxes, huh?"

Brome stared at him. "Yes. Didn't we mention them before?"

"Oh ye did, me lad." He waved a paw to reassure him. "Sorrel! Get yer brother fer me!"

Sorrel looked up from where he sat downstream. "Which one, Pop? I got two 'ere and eight at 'ome, amember?"

"Smart aleck." Larkspur grumbled under his breath before he shouted again. "I don' care! Whichever one saw them foxes last night."

Brome glared him. "You saw them last night and didn't tell us?"

"Now 'old on. Wait fer Zephyr and Phlox t'come."

The three rabbits walked up nervously, seeing that their new friends were furious.

"Out wit' it. Are the foxes on t'us?"

There were two nods and a shrug.

Keyla rolled his eyes. "That's just great. And we left them a clear trail to us."

"Then pack up yer things, lads. Tis time ye moved like rabbits."

Birch raised an eyebrow, mystified. Larkspur grabbed a hold of Brome's paw and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on, Chieftain of Noonvale. We got t'skedaddle."

Threx the weasel had been promoted in Clamjaw's place. At first, he liked the mantle of authority given to him. He found out quickly, it wasn't a great place to be. Especially when your master was a mad stoat.

Verang paced back and forth in his stateroom while Threx waited by the doors for his leader's orders. The stoat had the mouse's sword in his paw, swinging it about carelessly. Threx backed away as far as he could to avoid the blade.

"So you didn't find the foxes but several of our own were dead in the woods?"

Threx nodded slowly. "Yes. Well... besides the survivor but he died this morning, sir."

"Never trust a fox, Threx. They make fools out of their victims."

Threx didn't dare answer for fear of saying the wrong thing.

"We'll just have to be quicker than Stoneclaw." Verang said, half to himself. "When we get to Noonvale, I want traps set. Those three fugitives are bound to return there first before they go to wherever the rest are hiding."

"Yes Lord Verang."

"And Threx?"

The weasel stood to attention. Verang narrowed his eyes.

"You know what will happen to you if you fail."

Threx gulped. "Yes, my lord. All too well."

The stoat smiled dangerously. "Good. Now get out."

Threx nodded and hurried out the doors as fast as he could.

Verang swung the sword, the blade burying itself deep in the wood door frame. As Verang tugged viscously at it, the blade broke with a loud SNAP. He pulled the hilt away, staring at the blade still imbedded in the wall. His shock didn't last long.

A feral scream erupted from him as he realized the mouse had tricked him.

Atheria swung her sword and Martin blocked it with his own. They stared at each other, nearly nose to nose as they locked blades. She grit her teeth as she fought to hold off his weight. Finding a burst of strength, she pushed into him and he had to back away to avoid getting scraped. Atheria had wanted to learn more from Martin and so they were practice fighting on the deck. Violet and Laurel watched from the stairs, their eyes wide with admiration. The two warriors paused and began to circle each other.

"You're quite good with a blade, your highness." Martin praised her.

She grinned. "Thank you." She replied, breathlessly.

"Ha!" Wally laughed from where he was watching near the mast. "There isn't much more you c'n teach our princess."

Martin gave Atheria a wink as he replied to the hare. "We'll see."

Atheria raised an eyebrow. Martin stood ready, folding his free paw behind him. "On guard, Atheria. Go for a direct thrust."

The princess went on guard and watched for any flash of emotion in her opponent's eyes. Martin was standing calmly, waiting for her.

Moving quickly, she went in sideways to take him by surprise. She lunged her sword towards him.

Martin hardly moved. With a flick of his own blade, he disarmed her, sending her sword spinning across the deck and pinning her against the stateroom doors in the same movement. His sword point was only inches from her face. She was speechless.

Laurel and Violet stared at them in shock. Wally's jaw dropped.

"Wow." Laurel breathed. "How did you do that, Martin?"

Martin dropped his sword and stepped backwards. Atheria sheathed her weapon and stared at him admiringly.

Martin sheathed his own and walked over to Laurel. "It's a trick I learned from a Badger Lord seasons ago." He told her.

Gonff and Dinny had walked up from below deck and had seen the last half of their skirmish. Gonff laughed as he walked over to join them.

"Don't get discouraged, Lady Atheria. I remember old Boar the Fighter doing the same trick to Martin. I thought that fire iron was going to be imbedded into his head."

Laurel and Violet giggled.

Trout walked down the stairs from where he had been up on the Quarterdeck, his face grim. He carried his spyglass in his paw.

"I 'ate to break up the merriment mates but y'better come an' see this."

Martin stared through the glass at the walls of Marshank. He dropped it, his face unreadable.

Gonff patted his shoulder. "This is where it happened, huh matey?" He asked gently.

"Yes." Martin replied quietly. Atheria sighed.

"Verang's not here."

Quincy looked up at the sky. It was a dark gray as another summer storm moved in. There were birds circling overhead.

"Wonder wot that is?"

Wally sniffed. "Bloomin' scavengers."

Trout was at the wheel. He shook his head. "No reason fer us to go ashore. I say we leave this dismal place be'ind."

Martin continued to stare at the abandoned fort, his gray eyes expressionless. He didn't look away until it was out of sight. He gave the spyglass to Atheria and walked down the steps to the main deck. She stared after him worriedly. Gonff sighed.

"He'll be fine, Princess. Just... painful memories have returned."

Atheria nodded once. "In a way, I know how he feels."

Wally put his arm around her. "We all do, old gel."