Chapter 11
Xaviel and Feraug awoke to a very unsettling scene. Xaviel sprang up and shouted at the top of his voice.
"What in the name of the fang happened!?"
"Looks like somebeast killed our guards and freed our prisoners."
Xaviel's fists trembled.
"When I find those beasts, they will rue the day they were born. Feraug, were going hunting again. If Nikos finds out about this, he'll have our hides. Got it?"
"Yes sir."
Feraug said saluting with a spear.
Meanwhile at Salamandastron, Tavadar and a small band of searaiders hiked up the mountain. They carried no weapons, not even a small dagger. As they climbed up the dwellings and rocky chasms of the Western mountain, they were spotted by a group of patrollers.
"Halt! Who goes there!?"
"We are unarmed, my fellow hare. We've only come to parlay with the big stripehound."
Tavadar explained. The big hare leading the group pointed his long rapier at the snout of the raider.
"You shall do no such thing, vermin."
"Oh, but I will, I am unarmed, you won't kill an unarmed beast would you, it goes against your code."
The hare clicked his buck teeth and sheathed his rapier.
"Fair enough, rat. But I am Orlando the Axe's messanger. If you have something to tell him, tell me, and I'll relay the message."
"Alright, tell that big oaf if he doesn't surrender his mountain to Sibo Silverclaw, his friends, the three hares will get skinned alive in a two days, got it?"
The hare's breath was labored.
"You disgust me, rat."
Tavadar laughed at the remark and ran off with his comrades back to the camp.
"This means war."
Said the hare underneath his breath.
Meanwhile at the Corsair ship. Harlee sat with his footpaws crisscrossed frok each other. He was still thinking about his plans to escape his current predicament. He then heard two vermin walk his way, he peered over to see Sibo and a nameless searat walk his way. Sibo whistled an old sea chanty, he waved his index claw to the sounds of his whistles. The searaider Captain pulled up a chair and sat right in front of the bars.
"So, how did we sleep last night?"
Sibo said in a mocking tone. Harlee said nothing to his enemy, he never spoke to any vermin, in his mind, "a good vermin was a dead one." Sibo clicked his tongue and shook his head in disapproval.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Oh you, not saying anything to me isn't gonna change the outcome, it'll only make it worse."
Sibo's voice became bitter and demanding.
"Don't you know, I get what I want, everytime. Nobeast had bested me, not on land of sea, and right now, I want your mountain. So let's talk about your current predicament."
He said to the silent hare. Harlee finally spoke, his words spat out like hot oil.
"Go and boil your snout, you cringin' coward."
Sibo laughed at the hare's insult.
"I've been called worse by babes, you are nothing to me. I currently own you. If your Lord doesn't surrender his mountain to me and my Corsairs, then all hell will break loose. Mark my words."
"Well, mark my words, Orlando will never surrender his mountain to the likes of a seadog who hides out on a ship instead of facing his foe head on."
Harlee stated as his chin trembled with every word he said to the seaweasel.
"You're one to talk, since your Lord hides out in his mountain all day and night. What do you make of that, huh? We're strategizing our plans of attack. Think before you speak, idiot."
Sibo scoffed, this caused Harlee to ball his paws up.
"I will be free from this holding cell, and when I am, you will die a slow and painful death, wot."
Sibo bursted into laughter, he rocked back and forth, cradling his sides.
"Oh, hohoho! You stupid idiot, you can't escape me, nobeast can, they've all tried and failed."
"Yeah, because they were surrounded by bodies of water, you filthy worm."
Sibo stood up and wagged a claw at the young Lieutenant.
"You need to work on your insults and no. Not all the time. Some of my prisoners were on land as well, just as you are today, rabbit."
"You'll be sorry you messed with the Long Patrol and our Lord, Orlando the Axe."
Sibo sat back down and chuckled underneath his breath.
"Oh thanks for giving me the name of the one who will have his head on my blade. I'm gonna kill your beloved Orlando, and I'm gonna make sure everybeast in his presents see his death, it will be glorious! I want to strike fear into everyone's hearts when they see their Orlando get his head clean off! Why, we can't have any possible revolutionaries now can we?"
Sibo shouted with his paws outstreched to both sides. Harlee's chin and lower lip quivered in anger.
"You are a filthy, filthy, filthy, rottin', stinkin', cringin' snake, who never should have been born into this world. You will die, I will make you suffer a thousands deaths."
Sibo leaned near the bars and scoffed at him.
"All beasts who've said that to me, never fullfilled their promise. So, let's not make promises we can't keep, eh?"
Before the two could "talk" somemore, a weasel with brown and black fur raced down to the lower deck.
"Cap'n, Cap'n! Tavadar's back, an' 'e's got news fer ya!"
Sibo dusted off his short overcoat and mockingly bowed to his prisoner.
"We'll talk later, hare. I think our little session did us wonders."
The rat and weasel escorted their Captain on deck. They saw Tavadar leaning over the guardrails and drinking down tankards of seaweed grog. Intrigued on what Tavadar had to say, Sibo did a hopskip in front of his First Mate.
"How did it go?"
He asked the searat. Tavadar slammed his tankard down and let out a gurgly belch.
"Not bad, not bad. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to speak to the Lord of the Mountain, however, I was able to relay our message."
"Which was?"
"If you're Lord doesn't surrender his mountain to us in two days, we'll get skinned alive."
Sibo nodded and patted his mate on the shoulder.
"Good on you, did you mean every word?"
"On me oath as a Corsair."
Sibo laughed with his comrade and gave out one last order for Tavadar.
"Rest up my friend, tomorrow, check up on the status of our little rabbits there, okay?"
"You got it, Cap'n."
Tavadar said saluting with his tankard.