Disclaimer: In the drain.
A/N: Well, now that my life that cleared up a bit... For Gaeron, who wants more Seppak.
*
Seppak the Black was once again tormenting his hostages, nearly to the point of breaking, but never pushing them overboard. Withdrawing a thin cutlass like blade, the midnight black fox grabbed Willow by the scruff of her neck, his claws biting painfully into her skin. Oblivious was he to her pained screams as he shook her ruthlessly, directly in front of Cosenet, Tehora, Mealiney and Silecy for all to see. Willow screamed in agony as her broken ribs were jolted about, only the strange, disgusting concoction that some of his healers had forced down her throat somehow saved her. Medicine or no, it still hurt. A lot. But the black one did not stop there. Cosenet could only watch in silent and tormented horror as her partner was whipped by the fox's blade. After three whippings, Willow was wavering in between painful, dreadful consciousness and the bliss of delirious unconsciousness, bleeding heavily and looking extremely mangled. She had no more will to even scream, resorting to whimpering helplessly as the pain spread like a wildfire, burning painfully, as she was unable to escape the stabbing pain all over. Seppak's face was blank without mercy though, only shaking the galloper even more, partially choking her and near ripping through her coat. Simply dangling the galloper off the ground, Seppak turned to the horrified quartet before him, asking in a deceptively soft tone as he watched them watch blood drip of Willow and dribble down onto the sand.
'Now, does anybeast want to give me any information?'
Even in her near delirious state, Willow took enough courage and pure nerve and perseverance to speak in a hoarse, pain riddled voice.
'Don.. Don't... te... ll.. tell.. hii.. hiim.. Don't! We... caa... can't... give... Daal... Dale... Up... No!'
Cosenet held her useless arm tightly as Seppak kneed her close friend in the stomach, causing her to scream out again, blood dripping from her mouth in a small trickle, as he dropped her in a small, whimpering, writhing heap on the bloodstained sand. The galloper bit her lip. Tehora looked on the scene grimly, hiding her horrified expression to herself. The only way they could tell the captain was shocked was by her ashen face, which had drained away. Mealiney had looked away, unable to stand the sight before her, choking back tears. Silecy edged slowly backwards on the sand, unable to believe what was happening, closing her eyes and trying to blot out the screams and scenes that flashed before her very eyes. If any of them would have answered Seppak in the first place, they were all too shocked and disbelieving to have done so anyway. After several moments of unresponsive silence, Seppak's patience wore off, and after wiping his blade on her tunic, he kicked Willow backwards as she writhed in agony, sending her crashing back in a bloody heap next to Cosenet. Snarling with dangerously sharp fangs, he warned.
'If you do not answer, I warn all of you, none of you will ever walk back into Salamandastron intact. If you even make it to Salamandastron. That badger lady of yours can be more heartless than you think.'
Cosenet screamed at him.
'Never! Lady Consellariel would never do that! Liar!'
Seppak grinned at her.
'You may choose not to believe it, but you never know. Badgers are unpredictable creatures...'
With that closing statement, the Cruel One walked away, leaving Cosenet near in tears, trying to revive the still alive but unconscious Willow.
*
Daleria winced as if in pain as she heard numerous screams coming from Seppak's horde, willing herself to ignore them and instead to make a move over towards Rapieratce, who was conversing with Glamoren, who had put off his scout report until then due to what had occurred before. The conversation was quite an odd yet interesting one.
'What did you say you found? A mole, y'say?'
'Yessah!'
'A mole? Out here in the middle of nowhere? Are you sure?'
'Yessah!'
'Ah, 'Moren, stop acting all strung up, for Mossflower's sake! You've been my partner for, wot, neigh ten bally seasons already! You need not keep on calling me sah!'
The major grinned at him.
'Yessah!'
Rapieratce gave him a playful shove backwards, coincidentally sending him off balance, and before he could notice, directly falling onto the approaching Daleria. The colonel froze at the sight of her, slowly edging away from the death glare that she was sending his way as she pushed Glamoren off. Her paw was straying deadly close to her sabre. Too near for comfort. Rapieratce knew that running for his life would be a good option if she managed to get her paws on it.
'Heh, hello captain. Nice day, wot!'
Daleria glared at him, picking herself up and dusting herself off. Deciding that she would let him off for the moment, she went on to talk about the mole that Glamoren had stumbled upon.
'Very funny, sah, but what did the major say about a mole over in these parts?'
Glamoren piped up to cover for his ex-partner, who was obviously quite high on Daleria's death list and therefore was keeping quiet. It was, after all, he who reported the mole in the first place. He could just see Rapieratce mouthing a thank you to him from the corner of his eye, and resisted the urge to smirk. Daleria managed to instil fear in nearly everybeast when it came to things like these, and even Rapieratce, of all the hares on the mountain, was not an exception by far.
'Yes, captain. He's over there, with the lieutenant. A seemingly very strange mole. Doesn't talk in that funny accent like most do. From what I heard last, they were conversing on apple crumble, of all the possible things that they could have been talking about, wot.'
The major pulled a dry face at his statement. Daleria only raised an eyebrow.
'Apple crumble?'
'Aye, apple crumble, with apples that, I heard, were grown-'
Before the major could finish his sentence, Daleria broke in, practically grinning in joy.
'In an shaft near an underground spring in one of the mole's tunnels, am I not right?'
Both Major Glamoren and Colonel Rapieratce looked at her in amazement.
'How did you know?'
But Daleria was already making her way over to where the mole and Dallaw were talking animatedly.
'Ruft! Ruft, it's me!'
The mole, evidently Ruft, turned and looked at Daleria for a moment, a grin spreading over his face. Daleria grinned back at him. Lieutenant Dallaw could only look on in puzzlement.
'By my fur! It is young Daleria!'
Rapieratce looked at Daleria.
'You know him, Dale?'
Daleria retorted back sarcastically.
'No, 'Atce, I suppose that after seven seasons in Mossflower alone that I would not meet a single creature at all.'
'Fine, captain, fine! Need not bite my ears off.'
Grinning up at him, she shot back, waving her sabre under his nose.
'Do you want me to cut them off?'
'Ah, don't tease the poor hare, Daleria!'
Turning her attention back to Ruft, the captain sheathed her sabre.
'Oh, you need not worry yourself to bits, Ruft, he more than deserves it.'
'Captain!'
Ignoring him, she went on with her conversation.
'What made you come out of that little underground city of yours? I couldn't find that place if I tried!'
'Indeed you couldn't, young one. It seems to me, that some warlord of a fox or another had plonked his main tent directly over one of my tunnel entrances, and his horde has helped block of most of the rest save the main and my library entrances. Anyway, that fellow left this liddle lot down when he shoved it downwards into the sand to hide it or something like that. I doubt he knows I even have this.'
Ruft waved a little package of herbs about in the air. Seeing Daleria's jaw drop open, he inquired.
'What? Is this some kind of a miracle cure to something or sommat?'
'In a way, yes!'
There was immediately a small council, Daleria explaining all that had happened, and what the package probably was. It was worth giving a shot. Ruft smiled.
'Good thing I didn't throw this beauty away!'
'Indeed it is, you liddle book mole.'
Rapieratce was looking rather interested in who the mole was in the first place, having not been thoroughly introduced. Daleria therefore, went on to explain the long story of how Ruft had helped her out on the last leg of her journey all those seasons ago when she first went to Salamandastron, having taken her in and provided shelter and food. He was probably one of the few moles that did not have an accent, having been thoroughly versed in many books and scripts that he collected. His little city underground, that he had tunnelled single pawed with the help of family and friends seasons ago, consisted on well disguised entrances, shafts, windows and even an underground spring that he had struck upon by chance. Now he was in a little trouble, if any of his secret entrances that the horde were covering should be found out, a virtual city of moles would be wiped out for sure.
'D'you think you could help us, Dale?'
'After what you've done for me, indeed I do think so... Sah?'
'Of course, m'gel! The lady would have my head if we didn't help Ruft and his little gang down there. Why don't we just sort out this problem and yours in his home then?'
Ruft agreed.
'Better than having the risk of being
found out above ground, missy. Let's get down there, and help you fix up
this little hallucination problem of yours and maybe we can formulate a
plan for mine.'
