::Underground::

Disclaimer: Legally, I don't own it. Technically, the world is mine.

A/N: Hello! The D/A version is coming along quite well, and I must say I'm getting rather attached to it, shameful as it is. Ah well, when you snap into character, you snap into character. So basically I'm intertwining the sequels together with the D/A unless it is a non D/A sequel. Come on, you knew there was going to be a sequels) right?

*

'So they've practically trampled all over you bally roof?'

Ruft nodded. Rapieratce looked bemused.

'And it did not cave in?'

Daleria's head immediately pricked up from dead to alive, and the captain panicked, shaking her head furiously at the colonel, mouthing madly over to him. Basically, it went along the lines of No! NO! Don't, 'Atce! I'd die of boredom if- but it was too late. Ruft had already launched into a complex, if not overused, explanation of very confusing parts of mole architecture. Remora looked actually rather interested, putting in her comments here and there while the colonel remained passive in his normal calm temperament, of which Daleria clearly saw through to a very bemused colonel, but Rapieratce simply ignored her and sat listening and nodding his head. Consellariel must really have bored him out at the meetings if he could shut off just like that. Daleria found herself thankful that she did not attend the many various meetings she was supposed to, often pleading 'sick' or 'occupied', which usually involved a bit of a scuffle with an immensely disapproving Rapieratce and a very amused badger lady. Longrunn accompanied Rapieratce in his appearance, having been forced to go in stead of Daleria for the meetings most of the time. Daleria rolled her eyes and slumped back into her seat, having undergone the torturous conversation numerous times before. Glamoren smirked at the captain, whilst Longrunn listened as attentively as he could, not being as versed in boring councils as Rapieratce. After a various amount of wasted time and various degrees of yawns later, they returned to the affair at paw and everybeast seemed to awake miraculously. The more they discussed, the more they realized how Ruft's home might come in extremely handy in a pincer assault from the back. Once they got a plan into action and managed to get Seppak to force his masses forward, the attack might shift in their favour. It was, however, very unfortunate that the swordfoxes were so experienced in their trade and that few on the mountain were better to them. True that they were good, and experienced, but swordfoxes had something in their blood, and they were beasts that were truly subtle in the affairs of the steel. Furthermore, there were numerous hares that preferred the lance, sling, spear, bow and other various weaponry that could not level par to the swordfoxes, not through lack of experience nor skill, but merely that the blade had advantage over their own.

Daleria, however, managed to come up with a rather incredulous and inane plan, as only Daleria could. It was so crazy, it might work. Not in Rapieratce's opinion though. He had put up an immediate barrage of refusal the minute he heard the plan.

'No! That idea is... Completely insane! The lady would have my head! And yours, mind! We're here to live, not to try and commit suicide here, Dale!'

Glamoren shook his head in disagreement, and poked his lance across the sand diagram that had been drawn in the ground. He drew a long streak from what looked like a lopsided triangle through a few pointy squiggles, through to a dent in the sand. They represented Salamandastron, the rocks and Ruft's home respectively.

'If,' he said, tapping his lance lightly against the squiggle that was Ruft's home, trailing up with a slight scratch.

'Dale runs fast enough,'

There he smirked at the captain before quickly ducking a swipe from her sheath, which ended up nearly beheading Rapieratce behind him, who fortunately caught the piece of artillery before it could cause any damage on any side. Glaring at the captain, the colonel threw the sheath back, once again giving Glamoren a reason to duck. But instead, the major caught the sheath in his right paw and set it against the wall. The south pawed major waved his lance at the captain.

'You, Dale, won't be able to jolly well run very much if I kill you first, so stop trying to hit me with the sheath,'

Then the major turned to Rapieratce, who knew enough of his partner to roll against the wall in the opposite direction and out of the way before Glamoren's lance crashed down moments later onto where his head once was. The major smirked at him.

'You haven't got very much bally rusty, then 'Atce?'

The colonel grimaced as he moved back to his original position. He commented dryly.

'How could I? I had to deal with you a few seasons back. Now I have to deal with both you and Dale. My life is getting too bally hard for me to handle.'

Rapieratce immediately dropped to the floor through reflex as both sheath and lance came at him.

'Peace! I mean to make it out of this alive, thank you. Get back to the plan!'

Glamoren glared at him before folding his outstretched arm back in while twirling his lance back into position while Remora tossed Daleria her sabre back. Coughing, Glamoren turned back to the diagram, which had miraculously survived without being tramped to death in the process, not that it would have doing it much difference if it had.

'As I said, if Daleria can run fast enough, we could take the route past the shore, dispatch into the mountain, then pray that our captain here has got a good speed compared to the foxes.'

Rapieratce shook his head silently, rising from his leaning position from the nook against the wall, grabbing his sheath in the process.

'It's not right. If we should stumble upon a stray, we're all doomed. It's safer if we take the route along the main rock formations. Should we stumble, there's always Mossflower to stray into. It would be a safer barrier.'

'I doubt it. They would never expect anybeast along the shore route. The Mossflower way is probably guarded. Should it be, we would waste precious time. We cannot afford that.'

'True... but I'm still reluctant on the shore side idea of things, 'Moren. It feels too insecure. But I suppose it would be worth a try...'

Daleria smirked at him. Rapieratce shot her a look that clearly said that she was going to be in serious trouble if she opened her mouth. Daleria smirked wider. Ruft nodded.

'So you'll be leaving at sundown, I suppose?'

Rapieratce nodded.

'Better now than never. I thank you for the short stay, Ruft.'

Ruft waved a paw at Rapieratce.

'Tsk. Dale would have killed me if I didn't but that it is not the point. You are helping me, and for that I am grateful.'

Rapieratce nodded. Looking pointedly at the others, he commented.

'You chaps better be sure you can run. And fast. As for you Dale, if something goes wrong... I don't know who's head Consellariel will be after. Yours or mine. We leave at sundown. Glamoren, Remora, let the others know.'

Longrunn looked at the colonel.

'This is not going to be easy, is it sah?'

'Easy? That word won't be lingering around when war breaks out.'