What Really Counts Chapter 5

(Revised Edition 1.1 Of Chapter Five)

A/N: I have linked Renalia with the main villain here, so it makes more sense. Much, much more sense.

*

The world was spinning and Consellariel felt extremely dizzy. The dark and foggy shapes around her slowly began to come into focus. Her head was pounding, but at least she was alive. She groggily got up, and saw a bent figure of a hare sitting in the moonlight streaming forth from the forge window.

'Captain.?'

Daleria's head shot straight up, her ears slightly tipped. Consellariel could see from the black rings under her eyes that sleep had eluded her for a long time, and the black streaks running down her face clearly indicated tears. Her face was deathly pale, her fur in disarray.

'Marm? You're awake! Thank goodness! I thought you were...'

There was an uncomfortable silence until Consellariel broke it with another question.

'How long was I unconscious?'

'Tonight is the third night marm.'

'Three whole days? What happened?'

'The,'

Here Daleria faltered, and her jaw tightened. There was pain in her eyes.

'Corrin Flower poison. Alike to the one that was used to...'

Daleria shut her eyes tightly to stop the flow of tears. When they opened, Consellariel saw the same flames of vengeance that burned long ago when Vaxial was still alive in them.

'This is the work of foxes. This is the kin of Waleb the White. I have seen her kin once. She had a raven furred brother, who was very dear to his sister. His name is Seppak the Black, cruel and merciless. He was a captain of Vaxial's horde and one of the few who escaped. Luckily you did not drink too much of your water, it was spiked with the poison. If you had...'

There was another one of those unbreakable silences that only Consellariel could possibly break.

'Then why is he targeting me?'

'Because, marm, he wants to ruin my life bit by bit, then sooner or later, he will kill me. He will eradicate all those close to me and torment me with old memories and new foes. If that is what he is trying to do. Mayhap I should leave Salamandastron.'

'No. That is what this Seppak thing wants. You stay here.'

The hare captain looked straight at Consellariel.

'But I will hurt everybeast here! Look at what happened to you marm!'

But the badger lady was firm. Her voice grew hard and commanding.

'You stay Captain Daleria. You belong in Salamandastron and may not leave it without my consent. And you do not have it.'

Daleria sank back in her seat resignedly. She knew nobeast could change her badger lady's mind, and she had no right to challenge her orders at any rate.

'Then I shall stay.'

Consellariel settled back down into her pillow.

'Good, now get some sleep. You don't look too well. Good night.'

Rising wearily, Daleria saluted the badger lady.

'Good night marm.'

Daleria silently closed the forge door. As she moved towards her dormitory, she knew what she must do, although it would grieve her greatly to disobey the badger lady's orders, it was for everybeast's good. For her friends, comrades and officers alike. She pushed open her dormitory door and strode in.

From her trunk she withdrew a small, brown and lightweight pouch that one could sling over one's neck. Inside was all she needed to survive in the wild. A small and handy dagger, a few strips of cloth, some medicinal herbs, a length of rope among others. She slung it over her neck, letting it drop next to her side. Turning towards the wall, she took her sabre from the wall peg. Buckling it on, she touched the hilt gently for reassurance. Finally, she took up her oak quarterstaff.

Silently padding down the corridors and halls, she stepped out of the main entrance. Turning, she gave one final salute to Salamandastron, and then took off into the night.

The Next Morning

Daleria awoke near the fringe of Mossflower. After marching at a steady pace through much of the night, she had lain down and slept a very, very deep sleep.

Her paws were tightly bound, her pouch, sabre and staff missing. In front of her was a tall and lithe female ferret who had a sly, cruel look upon her.

'Well lookie here, yon rabbit has woken up.'

Staring at the lone vermin, Daleria snarled,

'Its hare, you scum. What do you want with me?'

An evil smile spread across the ferret's face.

'You. I have been specially, how would I put it, employed to attain a certain hare who seems to be you.'

***

Lady Consellariel entered the Mess Hall and sat at the head of the table. Seeing the badger lady arrive, Colonel Rapieratce got up stiffly and walked over to her. By the look on his face alone, Consellariel could tell something was terribly wrong.

'What is it, Colonel?'

'Lady Consellariel, Captain Daleria is missing from the mountain.'

Upon hearing this, Consellariel slammed her beaker onto the wooden table with such force, the other end of it shook.

'I knew it! That tomfool of a captain has gone and literally sacrificed herself for her friends. I should have ordered a sentry at her door. Colonel, get a search party out. Now!'

Saluting, Rapieratce rapped out orders.

'Longrunn, Dallaw, Fitirel, Stargaze, form a search party and track her down. I will go with you.'

***

'What does your employer want from me?'

The answer was almost idle, as if the ferret had all the time in the world to answer.

'The fox said something about wanting you alive for vengeance of some sort. He offered a high price for you, so I accepted.'

Daleria spat back a vicious reply.

'I would rather die than go with you, ferret!'

'That works with me.'

With surprising speed, the ferret grabbed a bow and let fly a black tipped arrow.

Only quick reflexes and seasons of training saved Daleria. Rolling away, she avoided the arrow striking her heart. The arrow did, however, enter her left shoulder. Wincing at the searing pain and trying not to cry out, she rolled upright.

'Give me back my sabre and I'll fight you blade to blade, ferret!'

The ferret toyed with Daleria's sabre.

'As you wish, and the name is Renalia, not ferret.'

With that, she shed the reed sheath and started whipping Daleria mercilessly with the flat of her own sabre, raining blows here and there. All Daleria could do was wriggled helplessly as the blade flayed her.

Suddenly, a cry rang out.

'Eulalia!!'

Colonel Rapieratce and the rest of the search party came crashing in. With a swift kick of his footpaw and a flash of his sabre, Renalia fell dead to the ground. A further two strokes of the blade cut away Daleria's bonds. He helped her into an upright sitting position. Red, black, blue lash marks were all over her body, with blood flowing from where her blade had been carelessly angled and bit in through skin. The black tipped arrow was still embedded deep in her shoulder, with blood flowing freely still. Her tunic was in shreds; Daleria was in generally very bad shape.

The colonel's voice was a mixture of anger, worry and fear.

'Wot on earth were you thinking, captain? Look at what you got your bally self into! Don't do such flippin foolish things next time wot! How are you feeling?'

A faint and weak answer came.

'My body is on fire, and my shoulder, well lets just say that I've been there and done that so I wont go into the details.'

Right then Longrunn came hurrying over with Daleria's pouch. He was a fairly good medic; having been through quite a few scrapes himself.

'Oh seasons of famine, old gel; you've got yourself into jolly bad form wot! Sabre slashes here there and everywhere, and I bally well won't be able to fix that jolly old shoulder of yours with the limited stuff you've got here. Let's just get the arrow out fix wot.'

With the colonel holding her still, Longrunn wrenched the arrow out in one vicious swipe of his paw. Daleria let out a violent shudder of pain and an anguished yell. Her shoulders buckled violently, then she went fairly limp.

'Ouch. That hurt, sergeant.'

'We need to get you back to Salamandastron, and quick wot!'

Daleria tried to stand up, but her knees gave way beneath her and she crumpled straight back onto the colonel, who caught her.

'What on Mossflower are you trying to do, me gel? You're the only living creature I know who tried to stand after being whipped by a blade and shot by a blinkin arrow!'

'My sabre and staff.'

Lieutenant Dallaw came up.

'I got those marm. And here's yore necklace.'

He gently placed the sapphire around her neck.

'Thank you...'

Anything else she tried to say was cut off by another violent shudder. The colonel chided her.

'Don't talk, old gel, Stargaze has just got a stretcher ready.

Daleria was lifted by willing paws onto the makeshift stretcher, and was slowly brought back to Salamandastron. When they made it, Lady Consellariel was waiting, and she rushed forth.

'Daleria! What happened? Why?'

All the ashamed hare captain could mutter was,

'I'm terribly sorry marm. I shouldn't have gone against your orders.'

Her face was turned away from Consellariel. Daleria knew she must have hurt Consellariel greatly, and more than anything else, failed as a hare captain. She didn't know how to face the shame.

A gentle paw turned her face, and Consellariel's soft brown eyes pierced through her own and bore through her mind.

'Captain Daleria, you have done only what a good and honourable friend would have done. You have placed you own life in the way of immense danger for your friends, comrades and officers alike, showing no fear. Such courage and loyalty is rare and hard to find. You have not failed in any way as a captain or as a good and faithful friend. You are truly one of the long patrol.'

'But I went against your orders.'

'You have not, in a way. You did only what your conscience made you do, and you cannot prevent yourself from doing that.'

'Thank -'

Suddenly a pained yell escaped Daleria's lips, she could not withhold the pain any longer. Fighting to push away the fog clouding her mind, she heard a distant yell for Taremin, the patter of falling footpaws, and the sensation of herself being brought up into the infirmary ere the world closed in on her and her mind went blank.