::Fencing, Anybeast?::

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Some pre-war action for the anxious Gaeron... The war is only in a few more chapters time... Another note, 'Atce's name is pronounce Rapier-AATCH, you know, rhyming with Haaaaaaatch... Aaatttcch. Thats it. The "E" is unspoken, but the "a" is drawn out and the "TC" is pronounced like "tch". ALONE though, his nickname, 'Atce, is pronounced A-CHEA, y'know, aaa-chea, the chea rhyming with may. Just thought I'd let you people know. And Dale's name isn't broken into two syllabuls, Daleria is one syllabul.

*

Staying her paw, Daleria shot the colonel a troubled and confused look, intermixed with light anger and worry. What on Mossflower was he thinking? The colonel ignored her totally, only gritting his teeth as the stoat at his side inched his cutlass to his throat and pressed it. Turning to face the vermin, she decided that a bargain had to be made. With Remora aiming at the vermin leader who was aiming at the colonel, who was being held hostage by another stoat while holding a rat hostage, who was aiming a bow at Daleria, who was holding the leader hostage, the situation was a tricky one, no mistake at all. Snarling without remorse, she said, not holding back in showing the distaste she had for the vermin' leader. She was making a shaky proposal that she highly doubted that the vermin leader would refuse.

'Tell you what, vermin, we go, one on one. Winner take all.'

The rat leader grinned with fanged teeth. This was going to be a piece of cake. Some wussy female rabbit would post no problem to his immaculate history of slaying with blades and such. Nodding, he slowly put down the bow, signalling to the other vermin to keep their arms down and move away to make space. The hares did the same at the nod from the colonel, but paws were all on hilts all the same. No party trusted the other the faintest bit, having made truce only to see the outcome of the play of blades. High alert was all about the area, and suspicious glances were thrown everywhere.

Longrunn swore that Daleria was insane. She was weak, tired, sick, and yet she was still playing around with vermin and blades. So throw in the fact that she was second in swordplay only to Rapieratce, but that was a small matter. Fine, so maybe she really was one of the best at swordplay on the mountain, but she had never gone one on one against a vermin that probably had seasons more of experience compared to her. This was different, very much so. The sergeant made a mental note to reprimand her if she got out of the affair alive. In the meantime, he settled with pawing and gripping the hilt of his sabre in heated anxiety. Making a side glance to the colonel, he saw Rapieratce do the same, as that was the only way that he could tell the colonel was actually worried at all, seeing his face was blank and totally clean of all emotion. Turning his head, he returned his attention to the fight before him.

Daleria took up the en gard position, watching the vermin leader unsheathe his cutlass. Before she could do or say anything, the rat struck. Only instinct and reflex caused her to swipe her sabre up in a diagonal slash, glancing off the other blade, resulting in a scraping sound. Pushing her blade forward, she thrust and took a swipe. A trail of blood appeared across the rat's shoulders, from the right to the left in a long, thin cut. Scowling in anger and pain, he made a mad swing with the cutlass, the air whistling with the keen blade. Grinning and almost carefree, the hare captain simply side stepped away from him in a fleeting movement, evading the cutlass slash that came her way with eased grace and practised fluidity. Stepping forward, parrying then thrusting, she took the vermin in the right shoulder, drawing even more blood before backing off again, still smiling as if she were a dibbun picking berries.

'Hard luck, scum! Maybe better luck next time.'

Growling in provoked anger, the vermin charged forward with all the speed he could manage, and in a glorious clash of metal, took a cut down Daleria's arm, and a deep on at that, only to be rewarded with a slash across the neck that was near fatal. The hare captain lost the happy attitude at once, and made a quick attack with a zig zag double slash, which caught the vermin in the sword paw once before being blocked off the second time. In a skirmishing movement, the angered Daleria hit the cutlass blade on the right, then a dip down and a long draw upwards to the right in a figure of eight movement that few had seen done with such accuracy, sending vibrations down the cutlass blade before flipping it upwards in a well timed downward push on the sabre blade, the final draw pushing it out of the rat's paws. The cutlass skirted away into the sand, leaving the rat disarmed and afraid. He had met his match and his death. Daleria advanced on him, darting away as the rat tried to throw sand at her, ducking before neatly tripping him up. Standing above him, she snarled to him.

'You pushed the line too far. You should have stayed away. Perhaps your useless and worthless life would have stayed a little longer. The Long Patrol are to be reckoned with consideration and respect, things that your revolting rabble have naught at all. Be thankful that you did not fire that arrow, or you life would have left you less swiftly, and pain would have been your friend. Fate has been good to you that orders have been given to make this affair clean.'

All in company turned their heads away and grimaced as a long swipe across the throat took the rat. Daleria took the cutlass as threw it away in disgust. The rest of the vermin, cowardly and leaderless, were easily dispatched by the hares, who all sprang into immediate action after the rat was done in. All who tried to flee were taken down by the returning Major Glamoren, who reported the area clear save for some sentries, all of which were far away, but widespread.

Nodding grimly, the colonel set about the task of finding the captain, who seemed to have disappeared the moment the battle had ceased. He found her rummaging around in her pack for a bandage while trying to block away the sergeant's voice. Longrunn was standing beside her, looking very disapproving.

'You shouldn't have taken such a foolhardy risk, captain.'

'Go away, sergeant. What matters is that the affair is over and done with already.'

'The rat had more experience than you by far! You were lucky you got out of the scrape alive. It was a very close call, Dale. Your sword arm is bleeding heavily already.'

'I know, 'Runn, why do you think I'm looking in my pack for? You could at least help.'

The colonel moved forward with the herb pack, joining the conversation.

'He's right, you know, Dale. You took a very big risk there.'

Daleria looked sharply up at him, binding the wound and securing the bandage tightly,

'You took an even greater one, sah! Getting yourself cornered was not a very good idea, 'Atce. I had to do it for your sake.'

Shaking his head and smiling slightly, Rapieratce put the herb bag away and helped the captain stand up.

'You did not have to Dale. You were not exactly very smart in nearly putting down your blinkin sabre as well, Dale.'

'What do you mean? I thought you were insane, telling me not to put it down. The rat could have taken you down at any time.'

The colonel disagreed though, and began to argue back.

'Not true. He was standing behind me. One draw would have brought both the rat and the stoat down.'

Muttering under her breath, Daleria knew that he had beaten her there. Wiping her sabre blade on a dead weasel's tunic, she sheathed the steel and rightened herself properly and scowled at Rapieratce, not liking to be beaten at an argument, even a petty one such as that.

'Next time, I should just let them have you, 'Atce.'

Laughing, his green eyes sparkled in mirth.

'Right, I'm sure you will, m'gel.'

Glowering, she shoved him into a mound sand before turning tail and fleeing, laughing at him at safer distance as the particles of sand flew everywhere.

'Very funny, Dale!'