Chapter Eight: Discovery
Ghan Cloudcleaver was leading his skein north when he saw the lights below him. Signaling the rest to continue without him, he dipped lower in order to get a better view. Vermin! The lights were from campfires, after taking careful note of their exact numbers, Ghan turned, and angled west a bit. The news that around three hundred vermin were marching north would be worth a lot of food from Lord Adaracor of Salamandastron. As the goose flew off to the northwest, another figure stepped out from the shadowy edge of Mossflower. Nettleclaw knew perfectly well where the bird was headed. It was all according to plan.
Several hours later Ghan reached Salamandastron. Upon hearing his news, Lord Adaracor immediately summoned his top officers.
"You're sure of this? There are three hundred of them?"
"Ghan is sure. They are coming this way"
An old hare with many medals on his tunic spoke up, "That does it then, we'll have to stop the blighters before they get too close to the Abbey."
Adaracor sighed, only last week he had sent a regiment of pike hares to deal with some searats that had captured a costal settlement. "If there are three hundred of them, five hundred should be plenty, they might even turn back without fighting. Ghan, can you guide them to the vermin?"
"Yes, Ghan will lead them."
"Major, you will be in charge of this. Pick out your troops, and leave by tomorrow at noon. Colonel , alert the kitchens, get them a week's worth of rations. "
The hares left to carry out their orders. Adaracor strode to the forge. There would be only five hundred hares to defend the area, until one of the two groups returned.