::Exchange of Words::

Disclaimer: You know it, so don't ask it.

A/N: Ai! My nineteenth chapter! It is a LANDMARK! One more, and this will be my longest story... EVER! Yay!

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Holding his breath and pressing his back into the wall, Longrunn tried to fade into the shadows as much as possible. Silently praying that Rapieratce would simply walk by and not notice him at all, he held his breath but mentally cursed himself. Of course the colonel would not simply walk past! If he weren't one of the most observant and attentive hare on the mountain when it came to details such as this, Longrunn did not know what he was. And even if he did walk by, the absence of the key was most obviously going to spark suspicion like a bright blinking flare. Rapieratce was most definitely going to find him out one way or another tonight.

Waiting as the seconds passed agonizingly slowly, Longrunn watched as a shadow emerged from the turn in the corridor, and the colonel came into view. Pressing as far back into the shadows as possible, Longrunn placed the key in a death grip as he inched slowly, bit by bit into the opposite direction as Rapieratce's dormitory. But just as he was about to take the turn and run, home free, a tired voice hit him from behind like a tidal wave.

'Give me back the key, Sergeant.'

That's it. I am bally well dead.

Stepping out of the shadows cautiously, the sergeant walked forward towards the colonel. Feigning innocence, Longrunn decided to play the fool and evade the questioning as much as possible, feverishly praying he would get out of this mess with fur still on his back after the colonel was done with him. Grasping the key in a death grip, Longrunn put his paw behind his back and asked,

'Key, colonel? What key? I have not seen any key.'

Turning and staring intently at the sergeant with almost cloudy green eyes, which clearly displayed how stressed and frustrated he had been the past few days. Only now did Longrunn notice how much so did the colonel's step was not as light as it usually was, and his normally straight back was bent in weariness as if a heavy load were placed on him. His features were nearly hollow, and his voice held strain and a sense of tiredness. Rapieratce's long ears were folded back slightly instead of half tipped as when he was usually aloof and less burdened. There were marks on his shoulder from having his weapon strapped on for such long periods of time during training, clearly showing how strained he had been over the past few days. As durable as Rapieratce was, the past few days of shouting out orders and heading prolonged training sessions, along with the number of scraps he had been going through, both mentally and physically, were now taking their grievous toll on the hare.

'Yes the bally flippin key. I know you have it the blinkin thing, sergeant. Do not make matters any more difficult as they already are.'

Sheepishly removing his hand, the sergeant did not give up without a fight.

'Sah... She won't last. You and I both know it.'

Leaning against the wall and stretching his long frame against it, the colonel leaned against the support tiredly. Putting his head against the cold stone, Rapieratce answered,

'Do you think I want to leave her down in that bally stinkin place, sergeant?'

Keeping quiet, Longrunn did not answer. Rapieratce went on.

'I never wanted to. But I had to. If I did not, the lady...'

Rapieratce's voice was changing as well. He was so tired, he had almost lost his usual way of talking, half of his slang had faded away. Probably under the influence of the way that Daleria talked, but it was also to blame to the stress he was under. Longrunn quietly put in.

'You can change that, sah. You can get her out.'

Rapieratce shook his head.

'I know I can. But I cannot. By Mossflower, if it weren't going in two directions, I would have got her out of there a blinkin long time ago. I would not even have bally well put her in there in the first place. But there is too much to loose either way.'

Silently, the sergeant walked up and placed the key in the colonel's hand.

'It is up to you, sah.'

Rapieratce shut his eyes.

'Why must it always be me? Just because I am the hare that gives out the blinkin orders. Just because I am the flippin highest ranking hare. But why?'

Longrunn looked at the colonel again, pitying him. Shaking his head, Longrunn countered again.

'Yet you will not let anybeast give you pity.'

'Pity will not help in this sort of situation, sergeant.'

'Help is something that anybeast needs and should accept. Pity is the starting point of help.'

'Help? This matter is beyond help already, sergeant. The only bally thing that will help right now is probably Daleria. But I cannot move her away from her position.'

'Stop denying that you cannot, Rapieratce. You know you can.'

'I have the key, but I have not the blinkin right to do so.'

'Sometimes you have to push you rights in order to do what is right.'

'My blinkin rights cannot be pushed right now.'

'Yes they can.'

'Everybeast is telling me the bally same thing. Only that I cannot risk the life of Daleria.'

'Every second you let her stay down there is endangering her life, sah.'

'Maybe we should talk to her.'

'Yes indeed. Maybe we should.'

Forcing himself to stand upright, Rapieratce turned and moved towards the cells, Longrunn in his shadow. Silently trailing downwards, they passed the officers dorms, the recruits dorms, the kitchens then finally made it down the main hallway. Padding noiselessly down the stairs, they got to the cells undetected.

Moving to where Daleria was kept, the colonel struck the lamp that was hanging on the wall, illuminating the cellars again in a dim light. Looking through the bars, however, both hares panicked at the sight that lay spread out before them. The sergeant was already rushing up the staircase. Rapieratce thought to himself while fumbling in his hurry to unlock the doors, jamming the key into the hole.

Not again! Not now, not her, not this same situation! Why her, for the sake of Mossflower, spare her from this!

Flinging open the doors, Rapieratce gathered up the shaking and twitching hare captain in his paws for the third time in the past months. Another hallucination had struck, and at the worst possible time. Daleria's wrist was once again bent, the bandage having come loose and the wrist had twisted even more, which must have been hurt horribly. Taremin would be able to patch her up, no problem there, but in addition to that, Daleria had successfully rammed her head again, which would prove hard to get her out of the hallucination. Hoping once again for the hundredth time that Daleria would live through the blood loss she was going through, Rapieratce scrambled up the staircase in his hurry to the infirmary.

The torment of Seppak worked past the barriers of land, and even physical boundaries could be broken. The cut that Daleria had attained on that night was poisoned. And it was too late to work it out of her bloodstream. The only thing they could do was wait for the hallucination poison to fade off at it own accord. Not deadly, but dangerous in its own way. It had all been planned. Daleria would not live, one way or another. The only cure was in Seppak's hands, and virtually impossible to attain without attempting suicide, plunging into such danger. Seppak the Black was striking with deadly force.