Chapter 2
The two sides clashed.
Fleetfoot dove into the fray, sword swinging, shouting the battle cry.
"Eeeeliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
On the other side of the battle, Disodeum was talking to the vermin leader, Monofluro. Monofluro was sixteen feet of hard hitting adder power. Nobeast had ever stood to him and lived. Maybe that was why Disodeum was shaking.
"Milord, we could easily take Salamandastron if the second in command was gone. The second in command is Fleetfoot Lorenes and she is the most annoying--"
"Yessss, Dissodeum. Thissss ssecond in command, thissss Fleetfoot, sshe issss dangerousssss?"
"Very milord. Sshe issss the badger lady's most trusted. With her out of the way--"
"You sssaid that already Dissodeum. Get rid of thisss Fleetfoot. Bring her in here. If sshe issss Velvet'sss mosst trussted sssshe could be ussseful. Alsso, do sssomething diabolical and if our plan goesssss wrong, ussse it to get her away from the mountain. I will deal with her then. We will put her in the cage with the dog who thinksssss he'ssssss a hare."
"Yes. Um, good idea, I'll go while the battle's the thickest." He scrambled out of the hatch.
Monofluro slithered back to the pillowed chair in the corner. Coiling his great length around it, he breathed a great sigh.
"Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss."
Back in the battle, Fleetfoot and Lady Velvet were back to back in the thick of it. They both struggled to stay on their feet after hours of standing. They were both certain the other would die.
Just then, Fleetfoot noticed Disodeum emerging from the ship. She fought her way over to him.
"What was goin' on?" She asked
"You'll find out soon enough!" He snarled.
Then two things happened.
Sea otters and some shrews who had heard the fighting joined in.
And a rat standing behind Fleetfoot flung a large piece of driftwood into her head.
"Get her to Monofluro, and hurry!" He snarled.
Ten minutes later, Fleetfoot stirred in the hold of the ship. She gradually came to and shook her head to clear her vision.
She was in a cage!
Fleetfoot levered herself up, taking in every dimension of the room at a glance. She saw
Monofluro snoozing on the padded chair in front of her.
"You bally snake thinggy! Let me out this instant! I demand you remove your scaly rear from that chair and unlock this cage this instant!"
Monofluro slithered over to the cage and raised itself up to Fleetfoot's eye level.
"Ah, the little hare is awake. I wondered when."
"Let me out you thingummy!"
"Nosssssss. You didn't realize it but you are the ticket to Ssalamandasstron. Lady Velvet won't let her precioussss ssecond in command sstay with Monofluro. Sshe will resscue you. And when sshe doessss, I will get her," He bared his fangs. "And your little hare friendssss will be leaderlesssss and witlessss with both leadersssss gone."
"That's not what happens! We think for ourselves!"
"Ahhhhhhhh. I ssseessssss. You are very headssstrong and ssstubborn. That will change. I liked you better asssleep. Looksssssssssss...Looksssssssss..."
He locked his gaze with Fleetfoot, who was unable to divert hers. She dropped like a log.
The dog whimpered.
"We sssshall have nonesss of thatsssssss, little dogsssssss." Monofluro hissed. Now the battle was over and a soldier came saying that Lady Velvet had requested a parley. Monofluro sighed. It was time to skin the badger.
"Badger, you wanted parleysss, you getting parleysss."
Most of the hares had never seen an adder before, and, unfortunately, Monofluro knew.
"Yes scalynose. What did you do with Fleetfoot?"
"You want the truths. It doessn't work like thatsss. But yessss, I have your (cough) hare."
"Well, you know what I'm here to parley for."
"And you know what to givesssss for it."
Velvet did a fair impersonation of Monofluro.
"Wellsss it doessn't work like thatsss."
"If you want your hare back in onessssss piecessss than you had better sstopssssssssssssss."
Velvet was extremely annoyed.
"We can do this the hard way snake, or we can do this the easy way. One false move and you'll be getting used as a pincushion. We will parley when I know Fleetfoot is safe."
"I would notssssss parley for what I want if I knew that if the hare returnedssss deadsss that I would be a pincussshionssssssss."
"I'll take you're word on it, snake. But it had better be true, or you'll learn what's it's like to be dead. I'll give you my decision tomorrow at sunset."
She turned with her hares and went back to the mountain. Fleetfoot's closest friend Balinger, said to Velvet, "We'll figure something out, milady."
"I hope you're right." she sighed and left.
Unbeknownst to the others, Balinger noticed Disodeum sneaking off and followed him.
The two sides clashed.
Fleetfoot dove into the fray, sword swinging, shouting the battle cry.
"Eeeeliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
On the other side of the battle, Disodeum was talking to the vermin leader, Monofluro. Monofluro was sixteen feet of hard hitting adder power. Nobeast had ever stood to him and lived. Maybe that was why Disodeum was shaking.
"Milord, we could easily take Salamandastron if the second in command was gone. The second in command is Fleetfoot Lorenes and she is the most annoying--"
"Yessss, Dissodeum. Thissss ssecond in command, thissss Fleetfoot, sshe issss dangerousssss?"
"Very milord. Sshe issss the badger lady's most trusted. With her out of the way--"
"You sssaid that already Dissodeum. Get rid of thisss Fleetfoot. Bring her in here. If sshe issss Velvet'sss mosst trussted sssshe could be ussseful. Alsso, do sssomething diabolical and if our plan goesssss wrong, ussse it to get her away from the mountain. I will deal with her then. We will put her in the cage with the dog who thinksssss he'ssssss a hare."
"Yes. Um, good idea, I'll go while the battle's the thickest." He scrambled out of the hatch.
Monofluro slithered back to the pillowed chair in the corner. Coiling his great length around it, he breathed a great sigh.
"Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss."
Back in the battle, Fleetfoot and Lady Velvet were back to back in the thick of it. They both struggled to stay on their feet after hours of standing. They were both certain the other would die.
Just then, Fleetfoot noticed Disodeum emerging from the ship. She fought her way over to him.
"What was goin' on?" She asked
"You'll find out soon enough!" He snarled.
Then two things happened.
Sea otters and some shrews who had heard the fighting joined in.
And a rat standing behind Fleetfoot flung a large piece of driftwood into her head.
"Get her to Monofluro, and hurry!" He snarled.
Ten minutes later, Fleetfoot stirred in the hold of the ship. She gradually came to and shook her head to clear her vision.
She was in a cage!
Fleetfoot levered herself up, taking in every dimension of the room at a glance. She saw
Monofluro snoozing on the padded chair in front of her.
"You bally snake thinggy! Let me out this instant! I demand you remove your scaly rear from that chair and unlock this cage this instant!"
Monofluro slithered over to the cage and raised itself up to Fleetfoot's eye level.
"Ah, the little hare is awake. I wondered when."
"Let me out you thingummy!"
"Nosssssss. You didn't realize it but you are the ticket to Ssalamandasstron. Lady Velvet won't let her precioussss ssecond in command sstay with Monofluro. Sshe will resscue you. And when sshe doessss, I will get her," He bared his fangs. "And your little hare friendssss will be leaderlesssss and witlessss with both leadersssss gone."
"That's not what happens! We think for ourselves!"
"Ahhhhhhhh. I ssseessssss. You are very headssstrong and ssstubborn. That will change. I liked you better asssleep. Looksssssssssss...Looksssssssss..."
He locked his gaze with Fleetfoot, who was unable to divert hers. She dropped like a log.
The dog whimpered.
"We sssshall have nonesss of thatsssssss, little dogsssssss." Monofluro hissed. Now the battle was over and a soldier came saying that Lady Velvet had requested a parley. Monofluro sighed. It was time to skin the badger.
"Badger, you wanted parleysss, you getting parleysss."
Most of the hares had never seen an adder before, and, unfortunately, Monofluro knew.
"Yes scalynose. What did you do with Fleetfoot?"
"You want the truths. It doessn't work like thatsss. But yessss, I have your (cough) hare."
"Well, you know what I'm here to parley for."
"And you know what to givesssss for it."
Velvet did a fair impersonation of Monofluro.
"Wellsss it doessn't work like thatsss."
"If you want your hare back in onessssss piecessss than you had better sstopssssssssssssss."
Velvet was extremely annoyed.
"We can do this the hard way snake, or we can do this the easy way. One false move and you'll be getting used as a pincushion. We will parley when I know Fleetfoot is safe."
"I would notssssss parley for what I want if I knew that if the hare returnedssss deadsss that I would be a pincussshionssssssss."
"I'll take you're word on it, snake. But it had better be true, or you'll learn what's it's like to be dead. I'll give you my decision tomorrow at sunset."
She turned with her hares and went back to the mountain. Fleetfoot's closest friend Balinger, said to Velvet, "We'll figure something out, milady."
"I hope you're right." she sighed and left.
Unbeknownst to the others, Balinger noticed Disodeum sneaking off and followed him.
