Chapter 8

"Put that babe down, rat." Fleetfoot said. The sword pointing at her came a little closer. The rat holding that sword, who happened to be Ripcut, grinned.

"You had better check that tongue, hare, unless you want to find it getting chopped out!"

"Yeah, like you'd do that. I bet that Monofluro ordered me in one piece." Fleetfoot began imitating him. "Ratssss, I orderssss you to bringssssss the haresssss here in one piecesssssssssss. And I findsssss her without a tonguessssssss. That takesssss all the funssssss awayssssssssss---"

"Shut it, hare."

"Only if you let the squirrel go."

"No."

"Then..."

"Look, hare. Right now, you're responsible for your friend's lives. So..."

Fleetfoot didn't say another thing, though she almost had to...

It took them a full ten days of marching (due to circumstance beyond their control, mainly Al and Friska) to reach the entrance hall to Salamandastron. When they did, Fleetfoot closed her eyes tightly and stepped through the door******.

They reached the door to the mess hall, which was now actually Monofluro's 'receiving' room. Disodeum was waiting outside the door.

"No problems?" He asked Ripcut.

"None a'tall. We told the one hare that she was responsible for her friends. If she had done one thing, the squirrel would have been gone. But now it's your and Monofluro's job to decide that."

With a smile Disodeum flung the door wide and shouted, "Ripcut's patrol here with the two hares, the dog and a... squirrel."