Pek made his way to the Salamandastron dining hall. Already, cooks and
chefs were bustling about, setting the table and clearing the aisles. Pek
sighed as he smelled the delicious aroma that wafted down the hallway, and
accidentally bumped into a badger cook.
"Oops, sorry, Rawney," Pek said quietly.
"Wot's wrong, mate?" asked Rawney, wheeling a trolley and talking to him at the same time. Then his face fell. "Ohhh.. Last week."
"Yeah."
"Terribly sorry, 'bout what happened to Laressa."
"It's all right. Speaking of 'er, d'ya know where 'er parents are? I wanna talk with them and all that."
"Er, yeah, sure! I think they're over there." Rawney pointed to a dark corner, where two elderly hares huddled next to each other, unmoving and silent.
"Ohh." Pek glanced at them. "Okay, well, Rawney, I'm gonna go there now. See ya later, wot."
"Yessir!" Rawney said, imitating soldiers.
Pek managed a hollow, empty laugh, then left to comfort the grieving parents.
"Hi, Meadowpaw! Hi, Earthshaker!"
The two hares looked at him solemnly. Then, the female spoke. She was pure white, and not so old. Traces of beauty were still with her. "Hello, Pek."
Pek tried smiling, but found it very hard. "Laressa." began Pek, "She, uh, left a necklace with me." He fondled the hard, flat stone at his chest. Then, he took it off. "Thought you might wanna have it, wot?" He chuckled nervously.
Meadowpaw smiled sadly. "No, keep it," she said. "It's your's. She gave it to you, didn't she?"
"Er.well.yeah," managed Pek, looking at the ground.
"Then keep it." Meadowpaw took the necklace in his paw and hung it around his neck. "Keep it," she repeated, her deep blue eyes locking with his.
"Th-thanks, Meadowpaw," he said, bowing slightly.
"It's nothing," she said.
Hobbling unsteadily, he muttered a farewell and left their lonely table. He looked around and saw Father Reynold. "Father!" he shouted.
Father Reynold turned and saw him. "Hello there. I see you could make it to breakfast, wot?"
"Yes," said Pek, smiling a little.
Father Reynold looked at the necklace he was touching. "That your's? Never seen it before."
"It was. Laressa's. She gave it to me," said Pek.
"Ah, I see. Well, would you like to join me for breakfast, laddie?"
"Sure." The two walked, arms around each other in a comradely like way, to a nearby table and sat down.
Meadowcream pies and strawberry tarts were placed before them, along with cold apple cider.
"Mm!" said Father Reynold. "I love strawberry tarts. They're h'absolutely delicious." He placed one on his plate and ate ravenously.
Pek grinned. Father Reynold was his favorite, out of all the other hares. He was kind and had been with him for a very long time. He looked to him as an uncle. "Yes, Father," he said.
From behind, a voice yelled, "Pek! Hey!"
Pek, surprised, looked around and saw Rawney, bounding over. "Hi, Rawney," he said.
"I just had the wildest idea!" he said, excitedly. Then, seeing Father Reynold, he said, "Hi, Father Reynold!"
Father Reynold raised an eyebrow. "What's that, young Rawney?"
"Er. nothing. It's private." He glanced at Pek, as if willing him to come with him.
"Um, I'll be back!" Pek said to Father Reynold, and got up. Pek and Rawney walked away, with Rawney whispering excitedly to him.
"I want to go on an adventure!" he exclaimed.
Pek blinked. "An adventure? We're only ten seasons old." "So?" hissed Rawney. "We can go after the vermin that killed your ex!"
"My.. ex?"
"Yeah, that's what they call lovers who aren't lovers anymore."
Pek snapped at him, "Doesn't mean we're still not lovers."
Rawney's face fell. "Yeah, okay."
Then, seeing his friend's face hurt, he said, "Well, I think your idea is good. We can sneak off and find a way to kill the vermin that killed Laressa. Ever since she died, I've been thinking of a way to punish those stupid oafs." His eyes blazed, and his cheeks turned red.
Rawney, delighted, nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Okay! Well, I can't really fight and all. but I can cook!"
"That's fine, Rawney," laughed Pek. "But we've gotta figure out a way to leave. Like. when? And what shall we bring with us?"
"I dunno," shrugged Rawney. "Food, weapons, all that good stuff, right?"
Pek nodded at his badger friend. "Yeah! I want to leave as soon as possible. Too many sad memories here, eh?"
"Right-o!" said Rawney, grinning. "I've always wanted to have an adventure!"
"Same here, Rawney, same here." His eyes still blazed as he was lost in his thoughts. Finally! A chance to go avenge his beloved, Laressa. He glanced at her parents, Meadowpaw and Earthshaker. They would be proud, no doubt. Hope and happiness rose in his chest, swelling and growing. He was eager to get started at his adventure.
Father Reynold watched the two young ones with sadness. He could tell, by the great fire underneath Pek, what they were planning. But he said nothing. He would let them do whatever they want, as long as it gave Pek peace of mind.
"Oops, sorry, Rawney," Pek said quietly.
"Wot's wrong, mate?" asked Rawney, wheeling a trolley and talking to him at the same time. Then his face fell. "Ohhh.. Last week."
"Yeah."
"Terribly sorry, 'bout what happened to Laressa."
"It's all right. Speaking of 'er, d'ya know where 'er parents are? I wanna talk with them and all that."
"Er, yeah, sure! I think they're over there." Rawney pointed to a dark corner, where two elderly hares huddled next to each other, unmoving and silent.
"Ohh." Pek glanced at them. "Okay, well, Rawney, I'm gonna go there now. See ya later, wot."
"Yessir!" Rawney said, imitating soldiers.
Pek managed a hollow, empty laugh, then left to comfort the grieving parents.
"Hi, Meadowpaw! Hi, Earthshaker!"
The two hares looked at him solemnly. Then, the female spoke. She was pure white, and not so old. Traces of beauty were still with her. "Hello, Pek."
Pek tried smiling, but found it very hard. "Laressa." began Pek, "She, uh, left a necklace with me." He fondled the hard, flat stone at his chest. Then, he took it off. "Thought you might wanna have it, wot?" He chuckled nervously.
Meadowpaw smiled sadly. "No, keep it," she said. "It's your's. She gave it to you, didn't she?"
"Er.well.yeah," managed Pek, looking at the ground.
"Then keep it." Meadowpaw took the necklace in his paw and hung it around his neck. "Keep it," she repeated, her deep blue eyes locking with his.
"Th-thanks, Meadowpaw," he said, bowing slightly.
"It's nothing," she said.
Hobbling unsteadily, he muttered a farewell and left their lonely table. He looked around and saw Father Reynold. "Father!" he shouted.
Father Reynold turned and saw him. "Hello there. I see you could make it to breakfast, wot?"
"Yes," said Pek, smiling a little.
Father Reynold looked at the necklace he was touching. "That your's? Never seen it before."
"It was. Laressa's. She gave it to me," said Pek.
"Ah, I see. Well, would you like to join me for breakfast, laddie?"
"Sure." The two walked, arms around each other in a comradely like way, to a nearby table and sat down.
Meadowcream pies and strawberry tarts were placed before them, along with cold apple cider.
"Mm!" said Father Reynold. "I love strawberry tarts. They're h'absolutely delicious." He placed one on his plate and ate ravenously.
Pek grinned. Father Reynold was his favorite, out of all the other hares. He was kind and had been with him for a very long time. He looked to him as an uncle. "Yes, Father," he said.
From behind, a voice yelled, "Pek! Hey!"
Pek, surprised, looked around and saw Rawney, bounding over. "Hi, Rawney," he said.
"I just had the wildest idea!" he said, excitedly. Then, seeing Father Reynold, he said, "Hi, Father Reynold!"
Father Reynold raised an eyebrow. "What's that, young Rawney?"
"Er. nothing. It's private." He glanced at Pek, as if willing him to come with him.
"Um, I'll be back!" Pek said to Father Reynold, and got up. Pek and Rawney walked away, with Rawney whispering excitedly to him.
"I want to go on an adventure!" he exclaimed.
Pek blinked. "An adventure? We're only ten seasons old." "So?" hissed Rawney. "We can go after the vermin that killed your ex!"
"My.. ex?"
"Yeah, that's what they call lovers who aren't lovers anymore."
Pek snapped at him, "Doesn't mean we're still not lovers."
Rawney's face fell. "Yeah, okay."
Then, seeing his friend's face hurt, he said, "Well, I think your idea is good. We can sneak off and find a way to kill the vermin that killed Laressa. Ever since she died, I've been thinking of a way to punish those stupid oafs." His eyes blazed, and his cheeks turned red.
Rawney, delighted, nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Okay! Well, I can't really fight and all. but I can cook!"
"That's fine, Rawney," laughed Pek. "But we've gotta figure out a way to leave. Like. when? And what shall we bring with us?"
"I dunno," shrugged Rawney. "Food, weapons, all that good stuff, right?"
Pek nodded at his badger friend. "Yeah! I want to leave as soon as possible. Too many sad memories here, eh?"
"Right-o!" said Rawney, grinning. "I've always wanted to have an adventure!"
"Same here, Rawney, same here." His eyes still blazed as he was lost in his thoughts. Finally! A chance to go avenge his beloved, Laressa. He glanced at her parents, Meadowpaw and Earthshaker. They would be proud, no doubt. Hope and happiness rose in his chest, swelling and growing. He was eager to get started at his adventure.
Father Reynold watched the two young ones with sadness. He could tell, by the great fire underneath Pek, what they were planning. But he said nothing. He would let them do whatever they want, as long as it gave Pek peace of mind.