History Part II

By Greg Mills

I don't need to say I don't own Redwall.

Takes place directly after the events of History Part I, same POV.

Most of the vermin had trooped out of the house.  Fireflash was the only one to stay behind.  He looked around, savoring the sick stench of boiled flesh, and then his eyes were caught by Darkflash's prone form.  He smiled evilly and stomping on his ex-friend's body.  Laughing maniacally, he began kicking it like a soccer ball, until suddenly, he let out a yell and jumped back, holding his foot.  Darkflash stood up, blood dripping from his teeth from biting Fireflash's leg to the bone.  Fireflash let out a gasp of pain and shock at the same time.  He scowled at Darkflash.

"How are you still living?!  You have a hole the size of a spearhead through your neck, you CAN'T be alive!!"

  Darkflash smiled maniacally, the blood dripping off his teeth accentuating his appearance.  Blood stained the front of his black shirt (he has the same clothing from the description in the first chapter of this story, and always does from this point on.  Yes, he washes his clothes; he's not a slob.) from the neck injury, blood dripped slowly off the twin silver shining titanium sabres from the vermin he had slew earlier, and the cloak billowed slightly from a strong wind blowing through the windows, all of which had been smashed in.  Fireflash took a stumbling step backwards.  He had always thought of Darkflash of a friendly peace lover like most of the other goodbeasts were.  But he was wrong.  He had never known the military force of Salamandastron, nor had he known the dark ancestral blood vein that ran all over Darkflash's body, the blood vein that caused a wrath and power beyond comprehension of any creature.  Darkflash took a step forward to make up for Fireflash's backstep.  Fireflash shook his head in disbelief as he backed himself right into a wall, then, unwittingly, into a corner.  Darkflash smiled and spoke in a silky, cold, sinister voice that would remain with Darkflash for the rest of his life as his normal speech, and one that would remain in Fireflash's memory forever. 

"And now you will die…TRAITOR."

  With that, Darkflash leapt forward and swung his right sabre in from the right to left in a powerful sweep.  Fireflash pulled out a pair of short swords and blocked the sabre with one, then tried to retaliate by slashing at Darkflash's head.  Darkflash put the left up and blocked, then swung in the right in a diagonal upwards arch, which Fireflash blocked with much difficulty.  Fireflash leaped sideways and pulled out a throwing dagger and hurled it at Darkflash.  The now red-eyed hare moved like lightening.  The sabre flashed, and the dagger hilt smacked into his chest harmlessly, the blade sheared off from the lightening-quick counterslice.  Fireflash whimpered involuntarily and stumbled backwards as Darkflash advanced on him.  Fireflash looked around desperately.  There was no one to help him, his forces having left several minutes ago to go back to the dunes.  He bit his lip and stood up quickly, then slashed inexpertly at Darkflash.  One of Darkflash's blades mimicked his attack.  The sabre edge connected with the short sword, then passed right through it.  Fireflash whimpered nervously as he stood holding a short sword and a REALLY short sword.  The other half of the blade clanged on the floor.  Fireflash gulped as he looked at his halved sword and dropped it, holding his remaining one in a defensive position.  Darkflash advanced on him, then with the force of ten badger lords, swung the sabre that didn't cut Fireflash's first blade in half at Fireflash's remaining sword.  Fireflash was left without speech as he stared in horror at the place where the blade was.  Then he looked down at the ground where seven shards of metal now littered it.  Darkflash looked at his blade.  Not a notch, scratch, or dent.  Darkflash licked the back of the sabre, smiling menacingly.  Fireflash could only shake his head.  Then, he somehow snapped to reality.  He dropped the hilt, which was all that remained of his weapon, and blew out of the door like the devil was chasing him…which was what was happening.  Darkflash chased him about two miles away from his house and stopped as weariness suddenly overtook him.  He had lost too much blood.  He struggled forward a bit more, stopped, then collapsed, unconscious, as Fireflash raced onwards, trying to put as much space between him and the invincible killing hare as he could.

The rest of Salamandastron slept on, unaware of the events that had just taken place.  They would awaken tomorrow to find Darkflash missing and his mother and father dead, boiled to the death in a pot of scalding hot water.  And they would find out later that same day who did it when Fireflash's army would attack the mountain fortress directly after a proclamation that he was responsible.  He would leave Darkflash out, however.  Never would he allow anyone to speak of that name again within his range of hearing.

WHOO.  Chapter 3 done, and Darkflash has just gotten a slight tinge of revenge by haunting Fireflash for the rest of the traitor's life!  Pretty tragic, Darkflash's history, and its only going to get worse, I can assure you.  Next chapter, Darkflash is saved by a beautiful albino squirrelmaid named Angel.  Coincidence, is it not, that the first thing out of his mouth when he sees her is going to be "Whoa, an angel, I must be in Dark Forest…"?  I dunno.  I'll let you decide.  Catch ya tomorrow!