Cam's Connection

Bellmount Wood Chapter 6 ~ Rescue Dahlia Cottontail gnawed carefully through the rope holding her in place and kicked valiantly with her powerful back legs. In a few minutes she was free and the net fell away uselessly to the ground. "Just like Corsairs to use low quality supplies!" she laughed. But she forced herself to stay on task. She must warn everyone about the vermin attacks and try to free the otters, hares and dibbuns! Dahlia galloped like a horse into the sunny fields of Rowanbrooke Hall. Everyone looked so happy. And so unsafe. They could be attacked at any moment! They didn't even know the vermin's numbers! She sounded the alarm loudly, proclaiming for all beasts to hear about exactly what had happened in detail. Lady Bluebelle heard her and hurried over. "Are you sure my dear?" she asked worriedly. "Of course I am marm." Dahlia said quickly. "Why I just escaped from a cleverly laid trap meself!" "This is serious!" Lady Bluebelle decided. "May I have everybeasts attention please?" every eye was riveted to her face. "We've had an emergency and I'd like to ask everybeast to leave what they're doing and come into the safety of the great hall. We have to discuss what's been happening and send out a war party to get back their prisoners!" There was a fast, steady stream of creatures running up the stairs and taking their seats in the great hall. Lady Bluebelle outlined their emergency safety plans to make sure nobeast would be in danger and their action plan to get back the hostages without any difficulties. Although Rowanbrooke Hall experienced peace most of the time Lady Bluebelle put everyone through rigorous training to make sure they were fit, competent and were adept at using weapons. Mothers comforted crying babes and fathers gazed at specks of dust on the floor giving them a harsh look and shooting insivible daggers as if the dust were to blame for all of the problems. Younger creatures scurried about happily, unaware of the danger but all the same a tad confused about why the adults were sitting together in tight groups with worried looks on their faces. Lady Bluebelle summoned the best archers, strongest beasts in paw-to-paw combat and the fastest runners to huddle around her. They would attack the vermin camp and beat them away from the otters, hares and babes. The main objective would be to rescue the hostages without harming them, but the secondary one was to defeat the vermin beasts. They would soon feel the wrath of the Woodlanders. Unfortunately it took a while to make sure everyone was safe in their homes and the rescue party was ready to go. The elite commando group finally descended the stairs soundlessly. Before leaving to command the mission Lady Bluebelle instructed Hazel to distribute hot cocoa with warm milk to try and calm everyone down. The group of squirrels, hares and otters armed with swords, bows and arrows crept quietly through the forest following Dahlia's lead. When they reached the clearing filled with trampled bushes and other signs of a struggle they were astonished to find it empty. Not even a shred of fabric from the net that had held Dahlia remained. "Those sneaky tricksters!" Lady Bluebelle exclaimed quietly in rage. She felt like screaming it out in a huge burst of a anger and sorrow but self-discipline kept it in. This could be a trap laid by the enemy. They could not afford to lose time. "Which direction did they go?" she asked Dahlia silently. Fortunately Dahlia could read her lips. "They've done a fair good job of covering it about-like, but they can't supress the instincts of a top-hole tracking hare!" Dahlia followed a barely discernable path through the woods. Normally vermin left gaping holes in tree trunks from their vicious axe blades and ripped up turf from their plodding feet but these ones were obviously smarter than usual and had gone to trouble to conceal their camp. Only tiny things, like late-bloomig violets missing a leaf and a blade of brown grass out of place gave away their presence. Most beasts would have dismissed these signs as just a coincidence, but Dahlia had an almost clairvoyant sense of which way to go. The Woodlanders plodded silently through the barren forest, devoid of life except for the owls who flew overhead, hooting ominously. Suddenly they came to a very large clearing that had signs of recent life. Muddy patches showed where tents had stood just hours ago and been hurriedly taken down. Smoky ashes lay in a huge firepit that still had live embers burning in it. Whoever had lived here, had left in a hurry. The Woodlanders were crestfallen. The vermin had obviously escaped in the nick of time and planned this attack before hand. They could track them down, but valuable time had already been lost. It would be better to find a tracking party of the fastest warriors to slow them down long enough that a larger band of beasts could take part in the rescue attempt. The leader behind this had so far proven to be reckless, cunning and successful... Lady Bluebelle and her troops returned to Rowanbrooke Hall to regroup. She wouldn't let this happen again. I haven't continued the story past this point. I doubt I will due to a lack of interest on my part and my non-existant readers.