His name was Lynum. After apologising profusely for running into me, he built a fire so we could both dry off, and also started rummaging about in his haversack for anything still edible after its dip in the sea. Food is a wonderful peace offering. I was soon laughing about the whole thing and chatting away as if I’d known him for years.
I told him a tailored version of my story, simply saying that my parents had died when I was young and the moles had adopted me. He seemed keen to meet Patrice and Yan, who I had totally forgiven by now, of course. I promised to introduce them if he came by the burrow sometime.
Time passed. He told me he was a Salamandastron runner in training. His father had been a colonel and a lot of his family had been in the service. He talked of his sister, Saithe, who was a healer and his bold brother Captain Tammo. I found it all fascinating.
It seemed we would go on talking until the sun set, but we were interrupted when Lynum noticed a shadow heading up the beach towards us. “Oh no!” he exclaimed and hurriedly doused the fire. Running about madly, he tried to hide all signs of a camp.
I looked up and noticed the looming shape, undeniably aimed straight for us. “Trouble?” I asked.
“There will be if he sees me!” was his only reply as he grabbed my paw and dragged me into the dunes. We crouched down in a patch of long sratchgrass, not the best cover but with the waning light I hoped we’d be alright. Soon the shadow revealed itself to be another hare, the chest of his tunic glistening with medals.
Confused, I held my breath, still not fully aware why we were hiding and remembering another occasion when I had hidden in a similar manner. Beside me, Lymun was crouching as still as a stump. Suddenly, a powerful voice rang out over the clam. Down the beach, a flock of seagulls took to the air.
“Lynum, you lazy curmudgeon! You don’t have to hide, I saw you a blinkin’ mile away! Now show yourself, lad. Don’t make me come find you!” Lynum twitched nervously, but did not stand up. There was a tiny smile on his face.
“LYNUM!” the strange hare bellowed, making both of us in the grass jump. Then there was a paw on the scruff of his neck and he was dragged forcefully out of hiding. I watched as Lynum cringed away from the older hare, scrambling backwards in the sand. Still, he retained the slight smile that I had noticed before.
“Colonel sah, my apologies sah! Ran into a spot of trouble, wot! Won’t happen again sah!”
The formidable figure of his colonel twisted his mouth in disapproval. “”Won’t happen again, sah!”" he mocked, “That’s what you said last time, you miserable excuse for a recruit!” Abruptly, he seemed to soften. He sighed, shook his head and crouched down amicably next to his charge. His face cracked with a smile as he gave Lynum a despairing but amused look.
“Nah then, what was your “trouble” this time?” Lynum sat up grinning and pointed a paw in my direction. I sat in the tuft of grass, and knew there was no point in standing up since the colonel could see me anyways. “Her, sah” said Lynum.
The older hare’s jaw dropped. “Well, blow me down with a feather! What’s a pretty young gel like you doin’ with old fur for brains over here?”
The insult had a playful ring to it, and I sensed the officer was Lynum’s friend at heart. I liked him, and stood up with a slightly evil grin on my face. “Well, sah, he ran into me you see, and half drowned me.” The soldier put a paw to his face to cover a chuckle. “So he was just helping me get dry again. It wasn’t his fault,” I added in case his mood changed “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
The colonel only sighed, and cast a despondent look at Lynum, who was looking at his footpaws interestedly. He turned back to me. “And your name is?”
“Lupwa.”
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