Crisis of Kismet (Final Hour)

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Quickly, Darkhawk ran threw the streets. He remembered being lead around by Daeton in these streets, being shown where everything was. Every back way, every place that could be used to hide or escape threw was drafted out in his mind as he ran to what seemed to be toward a dead end. However, above the wall like area there were stairs that lead to the top.
The top of the stairs were easily ran over by the Red Fox as he ran on top of the wall. The roar of water could be heard as Darkhawk listened intently. He didn't stop and jumped off of the Wall. The divide from the cliff side and the wall was only about 3-4 foot. Darkhawk grabbed the cliff face and began to climb up it.
"Come On!" he yelled as he climbed the cliff face.

Freya followed Darkhawk's example and climbed as fast as she could as well on the rocks. She didn't look back as the roar of the water came echoing threw the cannon. Instantly there was a loud yell from the city as the enemy realized the trick. Freya didn't hesitate as she climbed as fast as her paws could take her. She didn't look down, despite a terrible need to vomit. Her heart beat was up and she couldn't help but thing of something else as she looked up to the top. It would take a while... Perhaps not all of the dam was destroyed... Maybe that could give them sometime...

[Ashstripe]

Every inch of Ashstripe protested in agony as he stomped behind the group in a semi-limp, silently he made a mental note to kill whoever ordered the dam to be blown early and thank the fates if he survived this. The mental list slowly extended into the changes he would make in his life if he should survive, many of them being as unlikely as being more open-minded.

But the silent protests of his body were eventually silenced by a curse that Ashstripe couldn't help but release as soon as he saw the Cliff. He hadn't sworn anything other than an oath of honour ever since he became Badger Lord but this managed to outweigh his self-control.

"By the stars..." He gasped lightly, Ashstripe wasn't expecting this, he didn't even know if his body could handle this. But the distant roaring of water quickly persuaded him that his body had the capacity. Without wasting another thought on what could be a potential watery grave, he tightened the cloth that bound his sword to his back and leapt with as much power as he could put into his legs.

In the brief free-fall, the badger felt the overwhelming fear of not having solid ground underneath his paws, he didn't mind heights, he just didn't like falling off them. Suppressing a roar of terror, he focused on what could make a possible foothold on the cliff-face. Nothing seemed to satisfy him, nothing was long enough for his needs, whether that was fear or genuine need he didn't know, for as soon as his paws came within range, did they instinctively smash themselves into the rock-face. Somewhat carving a niche in the process.

The Badger sighed, here he was, hanging off by his two paws, the claws digging in, his muscles in his arms were pulsing, they had never been subjected to this kind of treatment before. With another released breath he dug his feet in and made his slow ascent to the top.

Ashstripe reminded himself to kill whoever designed this city as well, if he or she wasn't already dead.

[Chancellor Zeffer Winterfur]

[glow=white,2,300]Zeffer preformed an acrobatic flip as he grabbed a hold of the rock face. He moved rather quickly, easily moving past Ashstripe and the others. He seemed to be accustomed to climbing the rocks as he moved quickly.
"Ah... come-on, Ash-dog... I know you can climb better then that..." said the White-fox in a jeering manner. It was merely to prob the Badger into moving faster as they climbed the rocks upward. Zeffer glanced to his side to see some of the water coming.
"Keep a firm hold... it doesn't look high enough yet... but it will shake when it hits... Climb fast!"

"Sir... We will not make it to the top by the time the dam completely breaks." Zeffer glanced down to one of his Merrito warriors. The White foxes seemed to have the easiest time climbing as the glanced at each other.
"We don't need to reach the top... We need to get as far up as possible... find a crevice to get into and wait to get some help."
"Understood, Chancellor... We follow what you speak..."
Zeffer kept climbing.[/glow]

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk didn't glance back as he pulled himself higher. After a moment, he glanced back, shrugging slightly as he climbed.
"Sorry, Ash... Everyone doing alright?" asked the Red fox as he continued to climb, remembering his friend and his mother doing this when he was taken away from his father. It was many years ago, and Darkhawk couldn't help but remember it. Each grip he made on the wall reminded him of his past. However, it didn't bother him to much as he tried not to think about it.

Freya was having a slightly difficult time climbing. She was feeling rather tired as she climbed. Her mind was screaming to her to climb faster. What if we don't make it through this... NO be quiet... we will make it through this... Don't even begin to think that we will not make it... I have to much to tell him... I have to much to live for... Keep climbing... move it! You are the Chieftain of the Tribes... You must be strong...
"Come on..." she said mainly to herself, but clear enough for everyone to hear. "...we just beat the Empire... are we goin' ta' let a little water beat us? Na... There is a Hero's welcome awaitin' us, and we wouldn't want to disappoint 'em, eh?"

A hero's welcome? I wonder what that is like...

[Luna Broadsword]

Luna paced like a rabid animal, urging people on and yelling out orders. Even when nothing else could be done but wait she paced angrily. Finally a cry came up, a cry she'd waited what felt like a lifetime for.
"We found them!" In that instant she was running to the source of that call. She stopped at the edge of the cliff to look down at the struggling creatures below. She glanced around.
"Well don' stand around starin' in wonder get to pullin' them up1" She shouted before grabbing one of the ropes that had been brought earlier and tossing part of it down. She passed it of to several other beasts who instantl formed a line. "Grab the rop1" She roared to those below before repeating the movement several more times. She wasn't about to let her allies drown: It was much less fun than killing them herself.

Vigil had hated the tunnels, and was relieaved to get out of them. She wasn't releaved to see the tons of water coming towards them though. She jumped from Zeffer's back and began to quickly climb up. This upward motion was stopped when a rope hit her on the head. Shaking her head she grasped the rope. Those above felt the increased weight and instantly began to pull, and Vigil found herself practically flying up the cliff face, tring to avoid hitting the rock face.

[Ashstripe]

The Badger Lord was never one in favour of goading, it was a tool he held in his verbal arsenal but could never quite develop a defence worthy of shielding the complete against blow from it in another's paw,

"Aye. I also hear fish prefer to walk upon the firmament." He snorted sarcastically, of course he could climb better! It'd help if his arms were not covered in cuts and bruises, each one crying out to him in pain a long screech to his nerves.

Ashstripe's paw unwillingly released itself from it's chosen niche, the effect was instantaneous, the sudden extra weight placed on the remaining arm was not met with good grace. He heaved himself up slowly, feeling the blood course thickly through his veins. His heart was thundering inside his chest. He didn't hear it. He felt it.

Darkhawk's apology came from further up the chain, he grunted in response. It was essentially his way of saying, 'Apology accepted'. Again he repeated the slow arduous process of subjecting his paw to a brief free-fall, practically carving himself groves to climb into each time he slammed his arm into the cliff-face.

"Believe me lass, that be the least of my fear." The Badger strained his voice as he heaved again, he doubt he could ever look at his beloved home the same way again after this ordeal. Ashstripe had already experienced the adrenaline of free-fall and it was not to his liking.


Grab the rope!

Sure enough it was there, dangling in front of him, mocking him, as if it had been there this entire time and he had only just noticed it. He swallowed, a swallow of his pride and fear. Ashstripe was at Luna's mercy. They all were. But it was a choice between a watery grave and falling to a rocky grave. That was clear enough for him.

Without another moment's notice, he grabbed the rope, his feet ready to dig into the rock-face at any given sign of betrayal. "Fate have mercy.." He muttered as he felt himself be pulled up slowly.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

(Zef is lazy.. >_>...)

"Vicut!" screamed a Merrito loudly as several Merrito Warriors, Azurrian, Woodlanders and Freya's vermin allies grabbed the robe holding it with all the strength they could.

Zeffer glanced over to the others. The Merrito seemed to be having a rather easy time climbing. After a moment they grabbed the rope and seemingly easily climbed up it, barely spending a moment of hesitation as they moved.

Freya glanced to the rope for a moment and shook slightly as she glanced down to see how high up they were. The roar of the water made her glance up to look at the raging torrent that was now heading for them. A paw touched her back making her look to her side to see Darkhawk touching her side to tell her silently it would be alright. She released the rock face and grabbed the rope and began to climb. Darkhawk smiled for a moment weakly before glancing to Ashstripe. He merely nodded to the Badger Lord in a reassuring manner that showed that he wasn't thinking that they wouldn't make it threw the current situation. In fact he seemed sort of optimistic about it as he grabbed the rope and began to climb. The Empire's bells began to bang wildly as they realized that they had been tricked. The water from the river they had dammed up was coming straight for them. There was no hope for the enemy. The first wave of the water hit, shaking the cliff brutally as it hit with the force that would take down legions of badgers if there was one.

That's right, Darkhawk... a little higher, my child... My little one... Just a little higher. Hold on... You can do it... You are stronger then what your father says, you can do it... just believe in yourself...
That's right, Darky, no givin' up... As long as ya' have life in ya', no one can bet ya'. If ya' can't run, ya' walk, can't walk, crawl, can't crawl, then ya' friends will carry ya' home...
A little higher, faster a little... climb and finally you will find where you belong... climb!

[Luna Broadsword]

Luna sat down heavily on a rock as those clinging to the rock face grabbed onto the rope. They weren't safe yet, but Luna wasn't needed. Than again... Her thoughts wandered to the consequences of cutting the rope that held Ashstripe up. She was saved from making a decesion by the arrival of several healers, one who went straight for her.
"What ar' ye doing'? There ar' those worse off." She growled, but the healer wasn't convinced.
"You're bleeding. Lift up your shirt, so I can fix the stitches you ripped not five minutes after getting them in." Luna glared, bu the healer just waited. Grumbling, Luna lifted up the mail and leather that blocked the healer's sight of the wound.
"Not liftin' it up any further. Gotta look halfway decent in present company." She mumbled, barely wincing as the healer poked and prodded her wound. Luna was happy that when the healer began to put new stitches her her side, that she only yelped quietly at the start.

[Ashstripe]

"Where's me blinkin' grump of a Badger? Eh!? Wot!? Cliff-side? Oh bloomin' goose-berries!" A familiar voice with a near mothering edge cried out above the chaos. All plans for ransacking the city had been cast away in favour of saving Breeze's 'beloved' Badger Lord.

"No! Not that one! She ain't him! Wot wot! Nex' ye'll be callin' me Kenzie!" The lanky Captain shoved aside the 'helpful' soldier who pointed at Luna. He fell about in a fret, pacing quickly in every direction conceivable. Most of his shallow wounds had already been patched along with a few of the deeper cuts, yet it did little to detain him.

Breeze wiped his face in frustration, dragging his features down and snapping back into place as he glanced over the edge of the Cliff; the roaring monster of water and the dizzying height aside, there was one thing that caught his eye.

"Found 'im!" He slapped his knee in triumph and returned to his default grin, "Well ain't this blinkin' grand! We're all tryin' to win a war and his Lordship goes rock climbin'. Jolly well done sirrah! Bringin' a few friends too I sees? Well look who it isn't! Mista' Dark-bird! Surely y'can climb faster than that wot wot! Word after word, remark after remark, the mouthy hare carried on, there was no rest in between his verbal prods. Each one chipping a little bit out of the stone that was Ashstripe's patience.

"And look who else y'ave brought! Miss Freya! Blinkin' Vigil, huh, thought y'were dead! Wot wot!" His greetings continued to his old companions, "And look who it is!...It's...You!" He grinned and waved to Zeffer enthusiastically, taking a wide arc with one paw. Of course hadn't forgotten him, it was just his nature to goad those in perilous postions like these.


Indeed, he was quietly seething in between his slow, aching ascent, but yet he found one last reserve of energy that had failed to make itself known in his previous plights, as if he had anticipated this moment and made sure to put aside enough energy to show his 'affection' towards Breeze.
"Ye be dead, Rabbit." The Badger muttered as his arms found a new pace and his legs kept rhythm, they still slammed into the rock face as hard as they did before - just much more quickly.

But Ashstripe could see the purpose behind the almost senseless teasing, it took his mind off the pain and the fatigue and truth be told, he was grateful. Not that he was going to tell Breeze that.
"Just...A...Little...More." He could see the end of his journey quite clearly now, it was just a matter of not falling off until then.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk holds onto the wall as he feels the rushing water roar shake the rocks that his feet are on. At that moment, he froze up, remembering that his father was down there. His body stiffened as he felt himself tremble. Weakly, he turned to gaze off at the fortress that was now submerged under the water. The Red fox feels tears in his eyes as he watches pieces of the fort drift away.
"...Good bye... father..." Darkhawk uttered weakly as he watched what was once the Empire drift away in the water. "... You might have despised me... but... I can't help but... I don't know... I am sorry, that you could never love me... A part of me loves you, despite what you did..."

Freya climbed as fast as she could in front of both Ashstripe and Darkhawk. She glanced back to Darkhawk who had paused for sometime, but not long enough to stop Ashstripe from climbing.
"Come on... We don't have far to go..." Darkhawk glanced to Freya for a moment, before nodding as he continued to climb but much more faster.

"Intik Kavitik!" shouted a Merrito followed by the cheers of several Merrito Warriors as the Supreme Chancellor reached the top, helped up by several soldiers there. Zeffer smiled as he heard the Merrito cheer happily. "Ari! Ari! Ari!"
Zeffer smiled after a moment with a large grin on his face as he heard them cheer. "Ari... Victory... They are finished..."

Freya lifted herself up to the last bit of rope, pulling herself onto the rock face side and dragging herself onto the rock. She glanced back after a moment and reached out to Darkhawk, who paused again. His eyes were wide but didn't seem to registered that she was offering to help him up.

Darkhawk... Thank you...
Darkhawk's mind was seeing his mother stand before him, smiling down at him as she looked at him. Her eyes were a beautiful, yet strange blue that was unlike those of most of the creatures seen. She smiled softly at him as she reach for him.
... It was so much to ask of you... And you did it... We will always be with you... don't forget that... And.... smile once in a while...
His mother's hand reached out to grab his paw. The Red fox reached for it and grabbed her paw only to suddenly realize it was Freya now that he saw.
Stay strong, Darkhawk...
He grabbed her hand and was quickly helped upward as Zeffer came over after being greeted by Breeze and stood by the rope to help Ashstripe.

[Luna Broadsword]

"Victory... Ya don't say." Vigil panted sarcastically. Sweat dampened her brow, but she was almost to the top. She looked up at Breeze. "Better back of the cliff, bunny, or I'm gonna toss ya down it." She said as she climbed. When she reached the top, she wobbled a few paces before sitting down. A healer went over to her istantly, and Vigil didn't make a sound as she was poked and proded. Luna, meanwhile, was still enjoying a healer' sewing skills, as well as polutice that stung in a way that had the badger biting her tongue to resist saying several things about it.

[Ashstripe]

Even Vigil's cynicism and threats failed to deter the joy that was flowing from Breeze. It was as if someone had turned the valve a little more on the pipe that contained his boundless energy and let it flow all the more violently - much like the now broken dam. But he humoured her with mock offence.

"Now, is that anyway to treat a 'ero? I would think not! Wot! I'll 'ave y'know that whilst y'were enjoyin' the view, I was fendin' off hordes of the blighters with me free paw. Tch. Blinkin' typical, figures 'is Lordship would be involved in the bludgin' too! Tis' ain't justice! Tis' ain't bloomin' justice!" The hare continued his ranting streak, muttering whilst seemingly splitting himself away from the group to find an imaginary corner to sulk in,
"If'n's I don't get a medal for this! I'm joinin' the flippin' 'orde! Wot! Wot!" Breeze declared with extra volume for everyone's benefit all the while stomping away - if Ashstripe didn't know any better, he'd say he was still a leverett.

Thud! Ashstripe's paw smashed itself into the first stretch of horizontal rock that he had come into contact with for what seemed like an eternity, he savoured every moment as he clawed the rest of his body up the rock-face. Legs kicking into whatever niche he could find or painfully create for himself. This was it, the final ascent.

No sooner than had his entire, white quivering mass fall flat upon the ground did he give a muffled cry of triumph. His lungs were emptied, his throat was dry, his nose could only smell blood, his paws had been freed of their gauntlets but were now caked in mud and blood and his eyes, he wasn't sure what was blurring his vision but it sure wasn't his fur.

The Badger shuffled onto his back, the edge not too far away from his paws. Ashstripe's chest heaved up and down with every stuttering breath. But he felt good. He was grinning and chucking a deep low rumble in between the rise and falls of his fatigue,

"Victory." The word felt like October ale, the deep brown, sparkling liquid rolling off his tongue was even greater ecstasy than the entire battle with bloodwrath.

[Chancellor Zeffer Winterfur]

"Ari!" shouted Zeffer to his warriors. The Merrito warriors instantly cheered as did the Azurrian's, whom began to cheer as well with joy. "The Empire has fallen! We are free! Rosethorn and his Magi are dead! Slain! The blood shed of the empire is over! The Sephron and Irean are finished!" The Merrito continued to cheer happily. Zeffer smiled as he patted Ashstripe's shoulder.
"Ash--stripe... Ashstripe... Legends shall be said of your deeds, of woodlander deeds... by the Merrito... The war is not over... but now... the world knows hope... it has tasted freedom, and her power... thanks to you... The other prisoners of the Empire will see... freedom is worth any price... the Merrito owe the Woodlands thanks... and we are sorry for the role we played in the war... Forgive us, Ashstripe-za." The leader of the Merrito bowed his head slightly.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk was breathing hard as he laid on the ground trying to find the strength to stand. It wouldn't come to him as he laid there, still and motionless. After a moment looked up, seeing all the warriors that had fought against the Empire beginning to cheer. The red-fox looked down for a moment.
"Are you alright, Hawk?" said a soft voice next to him. The fox looked at her for a moment, showing that he felt sad sorta. "... I understand... he was your father... you feel some sorrow of losing him."
"Yeah..."
"You know... you still have me... right." The She-fox smiled at Darkhawk, who nodded after a moment to her.
"I know... and if you need... I'm here too..." The fox smiled after a moment as he felt a celebrating warrior pat his shoulder. He turned to look at the cliff to see something he didn't expect. A light red, nearly gold colored she-fox was staring at him, her bright blue eyes creating a deep contrast. Her fur was neatly kept, hair long and tied in a braid. She wore robes that were gray and bore golden symbols on it. A smile was on her face as another warrior was along her side. He wasn't as nicely cleaned, looking more like a fighter. There was a slight look of regret in his eyes as he looked away from Darkhawk, his red fur extremely vivid and the marks of the Empire on his face, with a war-axe on his back. His mother, Maria, and his brother, Hector were the two figures that he was imagining. They seemed to wave good-bye at him, and seemed to fade away. He felt sadness tug at him but Freya seemed to sense that and give him a hug around his shoulders. He looked at the Badger lord after a moment, and smiled, genuinely glad and happy that the fighting could end in Mossflower.

[Luna Broadsword]

"Till the next conflict," Vigil muttered, as the healer who'd come to her decided she was relatively fine and went to another beast. Vigil smiled as she noticed a large group of healer's getting ready to pay Ashstripe a visit. Luna meanwhile was readjusting her mail as she stood up and walked over to the returning heroes. "All entry forms have to go through Philip," She told Breeze with a amused smile before looking at Ashstripe. The smile was instantly gone. "I do believe we 'ave things ta... discuss." Luna said. "We can 'ave it when ya are lookin' better o' course if tha's wha' ya prefer."

[Ashstripe]

((I officially give everyone currently participating in this thread, the right to smack me over the head. Virtually or otherwise.

Curse the real world and all it's realness.))

First the Badger tensed, every muscle sheathed under the white thread of fur in his upper body in hardened in preparation to swing his weapon but he steadily eased, eventually smiling. A genuine from the bottom of his heart smile, no malice or sarcasm or even fear was in that smile - just pure undiluted happiness.

The normally reserved Lord of Salamandastron gripped Zeffer tightly in a slight embrace, arm draped around the smaller beast's shoulder, at first hesitating, but, after taking a leaf from Breeze's book, quite literally, embraced the moment. Obviously in hindsight Ashstripe would think he wasn't thinking at all; he was more or less drunk on joy.

"And I thank ye." He slowly replied, trying to find the words he was after, "We entered this war as foes, we leave as kin."

Kinship was not a term the Badger used lightly, but his words applied to everyone present - even Vigil's realistic pessimism, or Luna's turncoat intentions and especially the hares of the Long Patrol; even Breeze.

Ashstripe then gazed out over the horizon, attempting to gain some bearing of the hours or even days that had passed for this battle, he could feel the skin under his eyes drag with their burden and the weakness in his joints were as apparent as ever - yes, the aftermath was no worse than the battle itself, there was still the matter of the fallen and marching back to his beloved Mountain and top it all off with the fact that Luna still had a war to wage against him, a fact she all too kindly reminded him of.

The more his thoughts drifted in this direction, the more his lips twitched into a half sneer, resisting the urge to swear under his breath. Their day had grown old and the smoke in the distant city only served to further muffle their rays of light. He felt a rough, yet almost delicate paw drop on his shoulder,

"We shouldn't worry 'bout it, sirrah." It was Kenzie, the short lass was still stern and stoic as ever, "We should just count down th' minutes we 'ave of the day, wot?" Contrary to popular belief, she was quite adept at reading her Lord's emotions - more so than she was at books,

"Aye. Ye will have yores, Luna Broadsword. Soon enough." He replied uncharacteristically softly, as if he regretted the fact that he had to fight her. There likely was no choice in the matter, she lived for battle and would likely take her blood-lust elsewhere should he somehow refuse, something that went against his very purpose of Lord of Salamandastron,

"But," The Badger smiled, a weak thing at best, his lips played their part, but his eyes did not, "Tis' a time for celebration and bein' enemies should be no reason to stop us from having a drink." His smile strengthened, they had fought together, side by side and against each other and now he would offer a small gesture of friendship.

"Then ol' Phil-gummy it is! Where's 'e gone this time? Philly! Phillip! I say! Phillip! Wot!" Breeze continued his good natured jest, good or not, vermin or not, Phillip was not above being the subject of his jests - for the jovial hare had no enemies, just friends who weren't quite his friends,
"I reckons I could signs up as y'cook! Just as soon as I finds him! Wot wot!" With that, Breeze dashed off in a random direction, filtering through the ranks to find his target; whether or not he was seriously going to ask Phillip to join their horde was subject to his ever changing whims.

[Darkhawk Shadowheart]

Darkhawk was silently as he he turned to look back at the place he had once called home. It wasn't really a good home back in his memories, but now seeing it gone, he couldn't help but feel a slight emptiness to everything. The Spire was destroyed by the water, the majority of the WARR Empire's army was washed away. The Overlord and his Magi gone forever. The last of the Sephron was an ally to those who had defeated his kind. Darkhawk closed his eyes for another moment, trying to control his confused thoughts. A part of him was glad to see the fighting over, that the Sephron were defeated for the good of all. Anger and regret about everything was yelling at him, the Sephron half. Vulpuz's voice seemed only like a faint echo, no longer as loud as it was when everything seemed to say he was indeed the reincarnation of the former Overlord of the Sephron.
"Darkhawk..." Freya said again as she noticed his gaze was still on the waters below. "...It's alright... remember what you said... what you did... You don't have to be a destroyer... The Sephron that wanted to destroy everything were the destroyers... you- you are a Defender... A Protector of the right road... It's to walk forward now."
There was another set of cheers as the New Azurrian Warriors cheered along side the Merrito. The warriors were overjoyed by the victory and were not trying to kill each other as they did before. Even the Vermin that had fought along side the Woodlanders that they hated cheered happily. This war had caused many to die, many to be enslaved. Now victory was in reach against what remained of the old Empire.

Zeffer smiled after a moment as he looked at Ashstripe. "Thank you, Ash. My people will be glad to have the Woodlanders as allies and as friends. The old Azurrians were wrong about your kind... They were blind to your potential... In fact they were wrong about a great deal of things... I am glad to see that they were wrong. This marks a new Aeon, a new age of peace... All that is left is to defeat the last of the 'Unconquerable' Sephron Empire. But... they will no longer trouble the Woodlanders of Mossflower." said Zeffer, his voice loud and clear so that possible Luna could over hear him. "I shall lead my people, as their Supreme Chancellor."
"Methos-za Zeffis-Zar!" yelled several of the Merrito Warriors around him to his statement. Zeffer smiled after a moment upon hearing the words that approved of him.
"I have much work to do if my people and the Felishan Alliance are to defeat the last remnants... My many thanks... and we should begin the march back to your home in Salamanstrom... A march of victory and a feast to match... This is a new beginning... and we should welcome it, correct?"

[Luna Broadsword]

Luna nodded, her face becoming soft suddenly, as if she too regretted what was sure to happen. She too felt a kinship with the badger lord she had not felt for any good beast before. However, Luna had long ago come to terms with her true nature. She lived for battle, and would never be able to truly settle down in a peaceful place, to live a peaceful and simple life. Still, there were times when it seemed desirable; when her paws ached from the weight of her sword, when she was tired beyond endurance and when she thought she’d seen enough blood of friends on her paws. It was a temporary state though, and gone as soon as it came leaving her itching for a new fight and a new challenge.
"Me' own paws ache a bit," She said quietly now, a sadness in her eyes that was well hidden from her voice as she looked at Ashstripe. The sadness in her expression was gone an instant late, though some of it remained in her eyes. “Well, if we’re gonna celebrate, might as well go full out.” She turned to a lieutenant from her horde.
“Go an’ see if ya can find somethin’ worthy of such a grand occasion.” She told him. “An’ tell all those who fought today ta hav’ a drink in their own honor.” The lieutenant’s eyes widened in shock. Luna never liked her officers to drink, especially after a victory. His surprised expression quickly changed to one of barely concealed delight.
“Aye Ma’am, I’ll hav’ ‘em send somthin’ up.” He said, saluting before running off. Luna smile was genuine for a moment before she sat down on another nearby rock. If she heard Zeffer, she gave no verbal recognition, though anyone looking carefully at her might have noticed some unknown emotion flash across her face.
Philip meanwhile had heard someone calling his name. He pushed his was to the source of the noise and looked at the hare making all the noise. “Oy, what’s this than?”
“Says he wants ta join the horde Cap’.” Someone supplied helpfully.
“Is that so?” Phillip said. The ferret crossed his arms.
“Said somethin’ about bein’ a cook.”
“Bet he’s good at it.”
“A cook?” Philip said, and shook his head with a small smile forming on his face. Philip wasn’t above teasing others. “No, not a cook. Hare, yer a brave warrior, ain’t ya?” He said, his voice and expression serious.

[Ashstripe]

((I'll be extremely brief. Then I'm locking the thread - well done people! That's a wrap, party at Salamandastron - be there or be square.))

"Aye. Welcome the new age as ye would welcome the sunrise!" Ashstripe raised his sword triumphantly in front of the mixed assembly, the hares attempting to sort themselves into rank and file whilst their allies were caught in between the pockets of space. The attempts were soon forgotten as they raised their weapons and cheered loudly, the sound bouncing off the walls of the Mountain and echoing throughout the Northlands.

"Euuuuuuuuuuuulllllllliiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The Badger Lord and his Hares roared together, amidst the other cries of victory. Satisfied, Ashstripe waved his paw forward, only glancing back at the now watery battle-field, ashamed that he could not give the dead a proper burial, but thankful that he could give the living a proper life.

"A brave warrior!?" Breeze guffawed, as if Phillip had asked him the most stupidest question he had ever heard, "A-a-a brave! Warrior!? Wot wot!? " Clearly, Phillip had no idea whom he was talking to, he was Breeze! Breeze Chuffachop the 23rd! And he was certainly the most bravest and handsome in the line so far!

Eventually, the hare composed himself, it was to be expected that these common vermin hadn't heard the tales of the 'Legendary Hare' - after all, he left most of his enemies dead,
"O' course I am!" Breeze eventually ground out in the most polite voice he could muster, despite the obvious frustrated edge he unconsciously threw in.