What Really Counts Chapter Two

(Revised Edition 1.1 of Chapter Two)

This is dedicated to Grath Longrudder, who actually reviews my stories.

A/N: Once again, a lot of rather cheesy parts have been removed, but this is not the final draft. It is however, much better than the last.

After a further week of travelling, they had made the trip back to Salamandastron.

During that whole time, Daleria hadn't spoken a single word. Her eyes were like stone, and her face like a blank sheet. She had laid her sister to death, facing Salamandastron, and the rest of the patrol had to literally peel her away from the place. How they had managed to do so was quite incredible. Daleria was no longer the cheerful and helpful hare she once was. She was now quick to lose her temper, and very fierce and unpredictable. No one liked to be around her when she flared up.

On her way up to the forge room to report, every hare she passed stopped in their tracks. They could not believe what Daleria had become in the short pace of two weeks. And where was Major Clandestine?

Knocking at the forge door, she entered. Her expression was as blank as it ever was, and the minute Lady Consellariel saw her face, she knew something was wrong.

'What happened?'

No answer. Daleria's face was as hard as stone, but at the same time, tears streamed down her face, soaking her fur and dropping to the forge floor. Weakly, the badger lady asked,

'Major Clandestine.?'

All Daleria could do was nod.

'At ease.'

Taking up the at ease potion, Daleria tried to stop the flow of tears, but failed.

'What happened? The vermin?'

Daleria nodded again, not a word escaping her lips. Consellariel shook her head sadly at her.

'Daleria, I don't want to sound disrespectful, but truly. You will have to get over this. What has happened, happened, and you have friends around you that are willing to help you through this.'

By then Daleria was shaking violently. Consellariel was seriously concerned.

'Sit down. I'll get Taremin.'

As the badger lady walked out of the room, Daleria stumbled over to a chair and literally collapsed into it. What had happened was almost too much for her to bear. A single thought about Clandestine sent her breaking down. The world had crashed onto her shoulders, and words had little meaning to her any more.

Lady Consellariel had returned with Taremin, the mountain's best medic, at her side. The hare set to work examining Daleria, who didn't move nor say a word. Finally, she finished.

'What's wrong with her?'

Sighing, the hare medic straightened up, looking grave.

'That's the problem marm. I don't know. I simply think it's grief.'

'I hoped it wouldn't be. Very well Taremin, dismissed.'

Sighing deeply, the badger lady turned her attention to Daleria.

'Daleria, just because you aren't talking, I realize that you can still work well enough. I am still putting you on your normal drills and sentries. I seriously hope you snap out of this. I don't want to pressurize you after your sister's death, but I want you to realize that life must go on. Don't think that I don't care about the major's death; I just want you to stop grieving. Clandestine's memory will live on in your heart forever, that you must remember. Dismissed.'

Still shivering, Daleria gave a shaky salute and stumbled out of the forge on weak paws. Dashing into her dormitory, she collapsed onto her bed. Slowly, she took off the silver necklace that hung around her neck. That was all she had now. She shuddered violently. Why? That question echoed through her head again and again and again.

Why?

'Well I guess this isn't the only thing I've got left anymore.'

How wrong was she. Her head hadn't stopped pounding, her heart hadn't stopped aching. Her world was upside down, and she was totally at lost. She knew she had to pick up the pieces and move on, but where were the pieces? How would she glue her life back together again? No one was there to help her. Clandestine had been her best friend ever since she had stepped into Salamandastron so many seasons ago, looking for revenge over Vaxial. Life was spinning round so fast, and she could not keep up. Lying back down, she remembered that she had to go back down into the mess hall for dinner. Life was getting worse by the day.

She did every thing without saying a single word. They had lost all meaning to her, and near everything had turned monotonous.

Getting up from her bed, she reluctantly made her move towards the mess hall. Food was the last thing on her mind. She moved her way through the mass of hares and seated herself down in the midst of the rest of the late Major Clandestine's patrol. Now that her sister was gone, she should have taken on the leading role, as she was the next highest-ranking hare in the patrol. She knew than the Lady would insist on her taking the position, so she had little choice. She pushed the food around her plate, and only the concerned looks from Sergeant Longrunn and the rest of the patrol forced her to eat. She felt so bad, she didn't know if her stomach would accept the food. She couldn't even eat half of the contents of her plate, which contained wild rice and some vegetables. Usually she loved that dish, but the food turned into bitter sand in her mouth, gritty and uneven.

She ended up giving up and retreating to her dormitory until the drill practices later that day.

It was sword drilling that day. It was usually her favourite practice, and everybeast knew she went easy with them, as she could easily disarm any one of them in no time at all. She got paired up with a veteran called Greamal. Daleria fought like a madbeast. Even though Greamal was a fairly good sabre fighter, he was no match to the young hare. She practically battered his sabre to and fro, letting out her pent up frustrations. Again not saying a word. She slashed against his blade in a skilful left diagonal swipe and that sent tremors through his paw. Daleria did a quadruple slash-stab at him. Hitting at the left edge of his blade, and in a blur of silver, hit right, then she countered back with a left again, then with another right, which sent the blade flying towards an unwary Stargaze. Her sabre shot out again, catching Greamal's blade in the air and swinging it in a swipe towards Greamal himself. Too shocked to do anything, the veteran stared at the blade coming at him, and suddenly, a paw shot out and grabbed the blade by its hilt. It was Daleria. Throwing the sabre back at the veteran, she looked at him with a look in her eye that told him to pick up the blade and try again. But before he could even bend down, the Colonel was upon Daleria. Rapieratce looked very, very angry. Taking the sabre from Daleria, he fought to control his voice and temper.

'What on earth did you think you were doing wot? Really, you jolly well know that you could easily take the old chap out! This is bally unthinkable. Please! Don't vent your anger on the bally hare!'

The fire in her eyes slowly burned out. Sighing softly, Daleria saluted the Colonel and sheathed her sabre. Satisfied that she had been suppressed properly, Rapieratce calmed down slowly.

'Fine then. Captain, dismissed until your next drill.'

As she walked away, Daleria was feeling really, really, low. She couldn't believe that she had just done what she did to poor Greamal. His paws must still be shaking from the impact. But what was she to do?

That's chapter two for you guys! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!