Chapter 3

"Why are we up here?" asked Riffly, a brown-furred guard-in-training. His pal Welpinns, another brown-furred hare, just looked at him familiarly, as he always did, and smiled. "I'd tell you if I knew," he said smartly. Riffly looked at him and slipped a snigger as Colonel Ferrimord gave him 'The Look'. Immediately his paws shot to his sides and he stood up straight.

"What in the name of marmalade is so funny, wot?" demanded the colonel. Riffly kept looking forwards.

"Jus' wonderin' why we are up here, sah!" he said, continuing to stare forward into empty space.

"Is that any of your business, young hare?" he said.

"No, sah!"

"Will you snigger again while we are up here, guard-in-training?"

"No, sah!"

"Good. Now keep looking towards the sea and I'll tell you why we are bally up here, though you jolly well don't deserve to know, wot. Do you see those dots up on the ocean water?"

"Yes, sah!" shouted every hare gathered on the rim of the volcano. Ferrimord had gone to the end of the line and turned around to go back the other way.

"Well, good, because those dots are ships, and they don't look too friendly to me. Vermin ships, by the way of their shape. Don't get me wrong, they could be good, but I still want the bally lot of you to stay up here and guard, wot!"

There were many "Yessahs" that followed the theory. Riffly looked smartly in front of him as Ferrimord passed by him, trying to make up for his previous mistakes. Ferrimord barely noticed, as all the other hares around him were doing a great job too. Welpinns' eyes darted to the left to make sure that Ferrimord was not there, and then turned towards Riffly.

"Sorry for getting' you into trouble, wot! I hope you'll forgive me!"

"Ah, 'twasn't your fault, 'twas mine. Shouldn't have bally been spreadin' spit everywhere in the firs' place, doncha know."

"Yes, yes, very well. Oh, do stop talkin', here comes the ol' colonel now. Look straight, look straight!"

"What was that, young Welpinns?" asked the colonel.

"Nothin' sah, jus' lookin' for that pesky gnat, keeps flyin' in me ears, can't get quite swat at him, wot!" lied the brown hare.

"Very well, very well," said Ferrimord, though Welpinns saw the look that the colonel had given him. It was as though he could see right through the lies that had just been told to him. Welpinns looked away as Ferrimord passed, but he did it behind his back so that the colonel wouldn't notice. Then Welpinns' gaze fell back over the seas. If they were vermin ships, than this would be the young hare's first battle. It would also be Riffly's. Realizing this at the exact same moment, the two inexperienced hares looked as each other grimly and gulped, a knot forming at their throats.

Even though he was nervous, he was also eager, eager to get to his first battle. He could be famous soon after.

A white hare named Podgerom looked over at Riffly. He gulped and started to sweat a little, as eager as the young hare next to him.

"Are you nervous, Riff?" he asked.

"Nah," replied Riffly. Then Podgerom smiled.

"Okay, maybe a little…" Podgerom smiled again.

"Okay, yes! I am nervous! Now stop bally lookin' at me like that, wot, or you're goin' to make me more nervous!"

"Okay, okay, fine. I knew you were nervous."

"What? So are you!"

"I know, but at least I'll admit it."

"Pff," said Riffly as he turned back to watch the noontide waters. He was indeed nervous. The ships were coming, and there was nothing he, Podgerom, or Welpinns could do about it.

Redfury had held the conversation with Ferrimord about an hour before, yet the badger was still in his forge, thinking, ever thinking, for a plan, just the slightest bit of plan. Maybe if he found a tiny idea he could branch off of that and form a great welcoming plan, though nothing was coming to mind but the thought of eating apple pies of summer. He licked his lips in thought, and then realized the importance of what he had been doing the moment before. He looked up towards the door. The presence of another creature was there. Creeping over towards the door, he waited for them to make a sound. When none came, he pushed open the door, and before him stood Swiftpaw with another note.

"Sah, here is another note from Ferrimord!" she said.

"What are you, his personal messenger now?" he joked as he opened the letter.

Everything in ship shape up here. Ships coming closer (as expected). Vermin ships most likely. Hares are doing fine. Hope you're doing fine too. Any battle plans?

Colonel Whipscuttle Greenrage Ferrimord

The badger looked at it and read it over a few times. He smiled weakly and grabbed his pen. Scribbling something down quickly, he rolled it back up and shoved it into Swiftpaw's paws.

"I'll see you when he sends it back the next time. You are a good hare, Swiftpaw."

"Thank you, Lord, and I'll give this to Colonel Ferrimord as soon as I get back up on the volcano rim. I think those ships are bally bad news, wot!"

"Me too, Swiftpaw, me too…"