When Daleria awoke, she felt a slight, numbed throbbing at her left
shoulder, all four paws felt as heavy as lead, and a fiery burning blazed
through the many gashes she had received. Her head felt as if somebeast was
pounding away with a hammer, yet everything seemed to be glazed over with a
sweet numbness. As she gazed around, she saw sunlight flowing through the
rock hewn infirmary windows and a few blurry figures that turned out to be
the colonel and her patrol, consisting of Longrunn, Dallaw, Reaprunn,
Wellam and Fitirel.
'Wha --? What happened?'
The colonel answered.
'You blacked out two days ago, me gel. In that time Taremin has been working her ears off to patch you up. You're bally well injured everywhere.'
'It's been two whole days sah? What happened since?'
'Lady Consellariel has been fixing your sabre.'
'My sabre? What's wrong with my sabre sah?'
'That ferret chipped it.'
'Have there been any sightings of black foxes?'
'No. Why should there be?'
'Oh, nothing much sah, just asking.'
As the colonel exchanged glances with Sergeant Longrunn they were both thinking the same thing. Daleria would never ask questions about specific things then dismiss it so lightly. There was always a deeper meaning.
Daleria was hiding something.
The sergeant drew himself up to the bed and asked,
'Right ho Daleria, what are you hiding?'
The hare captain looked up and gave him her most innocent face.
'What do you mean, sergeant?'
Rapieratce looked Daleria straight in the eye from where he was sitting. Without blinking away his piercing glare, he said,
'You know what the sergeant means, captain. We both know you are jolly well hiding something.'
His bright, dark green eyes blazed into her own black ones and she slumped back into her pillow, defeated. Sighing, she responded.
'You know me too well, sah. Very well, I shall tell you.'
Everybeast listened intently as she retold her story, of Seppak the Black, his swordfoxes and that night so long ago. After she had finished, the colonel sat back in his chair and a faraway look glazed his eyes over. There was a short silence, and then Rapieratce launched a surprising question.
'What do you plan on doing, captain?'
Though he asked, he already knew what the shocking answer would be.
'Hunt the vermin down and slay him, sah.'
Sighing, sergeant Longrunn looked at Daleria.
'As I have told you before, you cannot throw yourself into a throng of vermin, like before with Vaxial. Be the numbers big or small. Swordfoxes are dangerous creatures, unpredictable, fast and extremely skilled in their trade.'
The captain shot back.
'As am I.'
The colonel looked at the captain.
'So you are. But no matter how highly skilled, nobeast is invincible. You cannot do this alone.'
Daleria's head whipped over and made eye contact with Rapieratce. His bright, dark green eyes were afire with his normal pure, unnerving calmness, his natural ability to command, that look of knowing and that one, unnatural flare that was his alone. Daleria's were fierce and confidence, as they always were, her fathomless black eyes were questioning his.
'What do you mean by I cannot go alone, sah? What are you trying to say?'
Heads turned towards the colonel.
'What I am saying, captain, is that we try to get Lady Consellariel's consent, and go together and find this Seppak fellow.'
'We, sah?'
'Yes we. As I mentioned earlier, you cannot go alone wot. If m'lady approves, I will go with you, as will your patrol, and mayhap a few others.'
Suddenly Consellariel strode in. The hares sitting down all got up and saluted her, while Daleria struggled painfully to get up.
'At ease, all of you, and Daleria, lie down before you hurt yourself more.'
Pulling over a chair, she sat down next to the colonel and motioned for the others to do likewise. Turning, she interrogated Rapieratce
'Approve what, colonel?'
Exchanging a quick glance with both Longrunn and Daleria, the colonel started to explain. Finishing, everybeast in attendance looked keenly at Consellariel, waiting for an answer. There was violent doubt in her eyes, and it was clear she was debating whether to allow them, her colonel and one of her best captains and closest friends as well as an experienced hare patrol, plunge into a pack of swordfoxes.
'No.'
An immediate out roar broke out. Daleria started to plead.
'But marm! Why not?! There are only a score of those foxes!'
A sharp, acute bark silenced them.
'I will not allow my colonel to go without a substitute in his place, and if there is one, your patrol might not be enough to overcome the foxes. The score Daleria saw may only be a small part of a main pack. That is my say.'
The second Consellariel finished, Rapieratce sneaked a glance at Daleria, even though he didn't make eye contact with her, he could see from her tensed up body and the fiery glint in her eyes that she was an emotional volcano waiting to happen. With or without Consellariel's consent, she would got to spare the lives of others, and finish what Vaxial had long ago started.
Turning his head to face the badger lady, his eyes clearly gave warning and at the same time a glint of plead.
The badger lady noted the look, and sighed resignedly against the onslaught of complaints and warning.
'Very well, but you bring a further twenty hare patrol with you, and I insist if anybeast is heavily injured you must return.'
The hares nodded silently.
'Fine. You shall leave when Daleria recovers sufficiently. In the mean time, find a replacement for Rapieratce and choose the twenty other hares.'
Consellariel slowly got up and left. Even though she had given consent, everybeast could see from her reluctance and worried frown that it was not given willingly.
One Week Later
Daleria had gotten up at dawn that day, healed and ready. Her pouch was slung across her neck, her sabre, newly repaired, buckled across her back. Her lightweight quarterstaff in paw, she marched out of Salamandastron, meeting up with Colonel Rapieratce, her patrol and the further twenty hares. Saluting the colonel, she walked over to the head of her patrol, and they made their way across the first sand dune.
Lady Consellariel stood at her forge window, with Brigadier Remora, standing in for Colonel Rapieratce, at her side. There was worry on her face, more than Remora had ever seen.
'Wot's wrong, marm?'
'I've always been close to that captain, ever since she first arrived here. She's already been through so much, I don't know how much more she can take.'
Remora looked out grimly at the receding figures.
'Daleria's a tough one, marm, and she has good friends and fighters by her side. She will pull through somehow, wot.'
'Wha --? What happened?'
The colonel answered.
'You blacked out two days ago, me gel. In that time Taremin has been working her ears off to patch you up. You're bally well injured everywhere.'
'It's been two whole days sah? What happened since?'
'Lady Consellariel has been fixing your sabre.'
'My sabre? What's wrong with my sabre sah?'
'That ferret chipped it.'
'Have there been any sightings of black foxes?'
'No. Why should there be?'
'Oh, nothing much sah, just asking.'
As the colonel exchanged glances with Sergeant Longrunn they were both thinking the same thing. Daleria would never ask questions about specific things then dismiss it so lightly. There was always a deeper meaning.
Daleria was hiding something.
The sergeant drew himself up to the bed and asked,
'Right ho Daleria, what are you hiding?'
The hare captain looked up and gave him her most innocent face.
'What do you mean, sergeant?'
Rapieratce looked Daleria straight in the eye from where he was sitting. Without blinking away his piercing glare, he said,
'You know what the sergeant means, captain. We both know you are jolly well hiding something.'
His bright, dark green eyes blazed into her own black ones and she slumped back into her pillow, defeated. Sighing, she responded.
'You know me too well, sah. Very well, I shall tell you.'
Everybeast listened intently as she retold her story, of Seppak the Black, his swordfoxes and that night so long ago. After she had finished, the colonel sat back in his chair and a faraway look glazed his eyes over. There was a short silence, and then Rapieratce launched a surprising question.
'What do you plan on doing, captain?'
Though he asked, he already knew what the shocking answer would be.
'Hunt the vermin down and slay him, sah.'
Sighing, sergeant Longrunn looked at Daleria.
'As I have told you before, you cannot throw yourself into a throng of vermin, like before with Vaxial. Be the numbers big or small. Swordfoxes are dangerous creatures, unpredictable, fast and extremely skilled in their trade.'
The captain shot back.
'As am I.'
The colonel looked at the captain.
'So you are. But no matter how highly skilled, nobeast is invincible. You cannot do this alone.'
Daleria's head whipped over and made eye contact with Rapieratce. His bright, dark green eyes were afire with his normal pure, unnerving calmness, his natural ability to command, that look of knowing and that one, unnatural flare that was his alone. Daleria's were fierce and confidence, as they always were, her fathomless black eyes were questioning his.
'What do you mean by I cannot go alone, sah? What are you trying to say?'
Heads turned towards the colonel.
'What I am saying, captain, is that we try to get Lady Consellariel's consent, and go together and find this Seppak fellow.'
'We, sah?'
'Yes we. As I mentioned earlier, you cannot go alone wot. If m'lady approves, I will go with you, as will your patrol, and mayhap a few others.'
Suddenly Consellariel strode in. The hares sitting down all got up and saluted her, while Daleria struggled painfully to get up.
'At ease, all of you, and Daleria, lie down before you hurt yourself more.'
Pulling over a chair, she sat down next to the colonel and motioned for the others to do likewise. Turning, she interrogated Rapieratce
'Approve what, colonel?'
Exchanging a quick glance with both Longrunn and Daleria, the colonel started to explain. Finishing, everybeast in attendance looked keenly at Consellariel, waiting for an answer. There was violent doubt in her eyes, and it was clear she was debating whether to allow them, her colonel and one of her best captains and closest friends as well as an experienced hare patrol, plunge into a pack of swordfoxes.
'No.'
An immediate out roar broke out. Daleria started to plead.
'But marm! Why not?! There are only a score of those foxes!'
A sharp, acute bark silenced them.
'I will not allow my colonel to go without a substitute in his place, and if there is one, your patrol might not be enough to overcome the foxes. The score Daleria saw may only be a small part of a main pack. That is my say.'
The second Consellariel finished, Rapieratce sneaked a glance at Daleria, even though he didn't make eye contact with her, he could see from her tensed up body and the fiery glint in her eyes that she was an emotional volcano waiting to happen. With or without Consellariel's consent, she would got to spare the lives of others, and finish what Vaxial had long ago started.
Turning his head to face the badger lady, his eyes clearly gave warning and at the same time a glint of plead.
The badger lady noted the look, and sighed resignedly against the onslaught of complaints and warning.
'Very well, but you bring a further twenty hare patrol with you, and I insist if anybeast is heavily injured you must return.'
The hares nodded silently.
'Fine. You shall leave when Daleria recovers sufficiently. In the mean time, find a replacement for Rapieratce and choose the twenty other hares.'
Consellariel slowly got up and left. Even though she had given consent, everybeast could see from her reluctance and worried frown that it was not given willingly.
One Week Later
Daleria had gotten up at dawn that day, healed and ready. Her pouch was slung across her neck, her sabre, newly repaired, buckled across her back. Her lightweight quarterstaff in paw, she marched out of Salamandastron, meeting up with Colonel Rapieratce, her patrol and the further twenty hares. Saluting the colonel, she walked over to the head of her patrol, and they made their way across the first sand dune.
Lady Consellariel stood at her forge window, with Brigadier Remora, standing in for Colonel Rapieratce, at her side. There was worry on her face, more than Remora had ever seen.
'Wot's wrong, marm?'
'I've always been close to that captain, ever since she first arrived here. She's already been through so much, I don't know how much more she can take.'
Remora looked out grimly at the receding figures.
'Daleria's a tough one, marm, and she has good friends and fighters by her side. She will pull through somehow, wot.'
