Meh... I posted this later than I meant to. Also, I dont know what I think about it, so if you guys feel like it needs redoing, just let me know! And uh, if you guys want snow, I can send you some! JK... Blessings and Merry Christmas, Abbigail (Sorry for typoes) -----------------------------------------------------------      Over the next few days, Laurel somehow developed a routine. She would greet her mom in mornings, have a quick breakfast, then work for most of the day. Then in some way or another  Dylan would meet up with her and they would go to the seventh district.      As tensions heightened among the Administration, excitement filled the Resistance. There always seemed to be new reports coming in and all were favorable. Laurel could feel that the Mended wood was close. Very close. Freedom would be just around the corner! And soon, she would hear these words, words that would spur her on, even during the most painful days to come:      ‘… but a fire comes first. Bear the Flame.’        Laurel craned her neck and tried to relieve the dull ache in her back as she staggered to her feet. Her job for the day had been cleaning the front rooms of Browns villa by sweeping, mopping, laundry, et cetera. It had confused her at first. This was usually Delta's job, since she had been on staff longer than most and Brown only allowed those he had confidence in to work within his house.      Laurel shrugged and picked up her cleaning supplies before heading back towards the kitchen, trying to figure out what her next job would be.      Delta met her halfway and stopped her, worry in her gaze. “Laurel, Brown wants to see you.”      Laurel blinked. She wondered if she had heard right. Delta clenched her jaw as her eyes continued to fill with concern. That confirmed it.      Laurel nodded dumbly and let the older doe take the supplies from her and she headed towards her master’s study, smoothing her fur and apron. What did Brown want with her? Had she done something?      Soon, the heavy wooden door loomed before her. It was almost as intimidating as the rabbit behind it. Laurel inhaled deeply a few times before knocking. A raspy, “come in" answered and she raised her shaky hands and opened the door.      Brown no longer completed missions for the Administration, but his office was just as orderly as when he was in service. A huge desk sat at the end of the room in front of the window that shared glimpses of the bare, Akolan road. To the left, the wall was covered with maps and some sort of documents to be proud of, Laurel thought. A few certificates, ribbons, that sort of thing. To the right of the room, the wall was covered in bookshelves. A few sparse books filled the shelves such as geographies or war tactics. The rest of the shelves were full of trophies of sorts. The one that frightened Laurel the most was a long iron spear. The spearhead was in the shape of a wolves tooth, though it was much larger and menacing looking than a real one.      The retired officer was sitting at his desk, a smart looking pen in hand and a half composed letter on the desk before him. He hadn’t even glanced at the door as Laurel entered, and the only sound beside Laurel’s nervous shallow breathing was the scratching of a pen on paper and an occasional grunt from the old buck.      Laurel shut the door as softly as she could and waited for acknowledgment, as was the rule. Until Brown addressed any of his servants, they were to stand perfectly still and quiet with heads lowered. Laurel waited in the tense silence, her fur beginning to get damp with sweat.      “Girl,” Brown addressed, standing to his feet. Laurel was surprised to see that he was in his officers uniform. The red feather pin on his left shoulder and many gold bands on his right arm.      He grasped his cane with his arthritic hand and hobbled to the side of his desk, motioning her to come closer. Laurel stepped closer, very slowly, not wanting to be reprimanded for getting too close.      Brown folded the letter and sealed it with red candle wax and pressed it with a stamp. The seal's crest was a feather.      “I want you to go to Longtreader Administration Headquarters and deliver this to the Commandant. Tell him it’s from Captain Brown. He will have a letter for me in turn, and will send it back with you. I may have more errands for you later, but until then, carry on with your work.” He instructed, his voice raspy but almost excited. Laurel swallowed and nodded as she took the letter from him.      She curtsied and left the room quickly, as her master returned to his seat behind the desk. Once she was in the hallway, she leaned against the wall and tried to calm her breathing. The letter in her hands quivered as she tried to keep from shaking. Brown wanted her to deliver this to headquarters. To the Commandant. Why her? Why did he say he would have another errand for her, of all rabbits?      Placing the letter in her apron pocket, she headed towards the door and out into the courtyard. She didn’t know why Brown was assigning her, or why he was in his uniform again, or anything for that matter. She hoped whatever this was, it would be quick.        Administration headquarters. Laurel stared at the building for a few minutes, trying to settle her thoughts. She didn’t like being this close. She didn’t want to be here at all. But she had to.      Taking a deep breath, Laurel withdrew the letter and approached the building, pushing the door open.      Inside the foyer- if you could call it that- was a desk where two bucks argued about some reports, and a few benches where rabbits sat waiting. To the left, a few doors lined the wall before a hallway took shape for the remainder of the room. Laurel tried to keep from trembling.      As she approached the desk, Laurel glanced at the waiting rabbits. Some were dressed like her in plain, worn, and almost ratty clothes. Others were dressed slightly more lavishly. Laurel realized that these rabbits were the Inwallers. They scowled as she passed, and a few turned up their noses like she was a disease. Laurel fought the urge to curse.      The two bucks behind the desk ceased talking when they noticed Laurel standing there. The one had an amused look on his face, the other just looked downright grumpy.      “Yes?” He asked curtly.      Laurel made eye contact with the buck, showing she was not in the mood to be treated like trash.      “I have a letter for the Commandant from my master, Captain Brown, sir. I am to give it to him directly and receive a letter in turn.” She answered, her voice quiet but stern. The rabbit behind the desk glared at her, but Laurel knew she had caught him off guard. He returned to the document in his hands and motioned towards a door.      “He’s in there. Knock first.” And he paid no more attention to her. Laurel rolled her eyes as she turned and headed towards the door. But she heard the amused buck whisper – none too quietly- to his friend. “That’s the doe that Walters has his eye on. You wouldn’t believe what some of the bucks have been saying-"      Laurel felt her face burn, and she hoped no one could see her blushing. She didn’t like it when rabbits- especially those under the Administration- spoke about her and Dylan like that. He was a great buck, to be sure… but she didn’t think that there could be anything between them.      She stopped. Wait… could there?      Laurel shook her head and tried to brush the petty and irritating thoughts from her mind. She had work to do.      She knocked on the door, heard a voice bark “enter,” and pushed open the door.      Inside was dark, except for the window directly ahead of the door. A figure of a rabbit stood just in front of it, and she couldn’t tell who it was. More rabbits lined the wall to the left, all in uniform and waiting for orders from their boss.      “Who are you?” The voice asked, not even turning to face her.      “Laurel Evergeen, sir,” she answered, not in the mood to cower. She needed to get on with her work and get answers.      The figure stiffened, it looked like. But he didn’t move. Laurel knew she had caught him off guard.      “What do you want?” the voice said, sounding aggravated. Laurel realized she recognized that voice. The Commandant.      She stiffened. “I have a letter from Captain Brown you, sir. I’m to take a letter back for him.”      The Commandant swiveled around, and Laurel wondered what his expression read. She couldn’t see anything, other than the outline of him against the bright light from outside. However, she didn’t have to see his expression; she could hear it.      “Is that so?” He sounded worried. He began to pace, and that began to scare Laurel. She had no idea what was going on.      The Commandant waved his hand to his soldiers. “Leave for a moment.” The bucks didn’t move. They looked around at one another, a little bewildered.      “OUT!” The Commandant roared. They all stiffened and headed towards the door, some shouldering past Laurel and out of the office.      The Commandant crossed the room quickly and shut the door. Once it was shut, he turned to Laurel and gripped her arm tight, dragging her to the corner of the room. Laurel ground her teeth against the painful grip he had on her arm.      “What do you think your doing?” He hissed, his voice low. He looked angry. Laurel was too.      “Me? I’m doing what I’m told! Brown tells me to give this to you, and I’m to wait for an answer!” She shot back, her voice quiet but angry.      The Commandant snatched the letter from her and read it. The silence was long and tense, and it made Laurel even more angry.      When he finished reading the letter, he finalized looked at her. He looked worried.      “Evergreen, you’re in a dangerous position.”      She glared at him. “I know that already!” But he shook his head.      He threw the letter onto his desk. “No, I mean really dangerous.” He answered, his voice dropping low. “Two things. One, Brown wants Vitton to be reprimanded for beating his servants. Once that happens, Vitton is going to be hunting down any of you, and most likely beat you himself. Second, Brown has accepted a position in Morbin’s war council, and has requested he have a servant or runner to accompany him. He’s chosen you.”        Laurel gaped at him. What? Her heart pounded.      “Me?” She whispered.      He nodded. “I don’t know why. It puts you in a very risky situation. First, you’re a part of the resistance. Should anyone think such a thing or finds out, you could be executed. Second, rabbits will be jealous of you, or fear you. Since you are being ‘promoted', some will try to rat out on you for no given reasons.”      Laurel grimaced. “But why me?” She asked, feeling so small in this monstrously large world and war.      The Commandant shrugged. “I don’t know. Brown might be trying to do someone a favor. But I’m not sure who, or why, or why you are involved.”      He went over to his desk and folded up a note and handed it to her. “One thing I do know: you will be able to get the raw material from those councils,” he whispered, giving her a grave look.      Information for the Resistance.      “Whatever you do, don’t get yourself into trouble. Brown might be trying to do someone a favor, so be careful whatever you do,” He warned, pointing to the door.        Laurel broke a plate that afternoon. She groaned as she bent to pick up the broken pieces and shards. She had been so distracted since coming back from HQ, and Brown had sent her back to work without a word. The Commandants words had only confused her more. She needed to talk to someone, but she didn’t know who to trust.      Helen bent and helped with the broken glass. She had returned to work a few days ago and was strangely quiet. Laurel didn’t want her to feel like she had to do work that wasn’t hers, but she was grateful for the help.      They worked in silence for a few minutes. Only when the glass was cleaned up did Helen pull Laurel aside.      “You okay?” She asked.      Laurel shrugged. “I’m fine. Just lots on my mind.” She assured.      Helen gave her a small smile and nodded before taking the broken glass and went to dispose it. Laurel sighed and rubbed her eyes, wondering what was wrong with her.           Laurel walked along the shadowed roads of the sixth district, her thoughts scattered and nearly impossible to untangle. She didn’t know why Brown would want her to accompany him to war councils, or why he would think he was doing someone a favor. Who?      “You look a little a little bewildered," a voice whispered, a tall figure in a long jacket striding up to her, both walking side by side.      Laurel sighed. “I am.” She admitted.      They said nothing until they reached the fifth district and entered one of the secret houses. Inside, Dylan pulled out a few dinner rolls.      “Penny for your thoughts?” He asked, looking at her in surprise and concern.      Laurel smirked. “What could I buy with a penny?” Dylan chuckled.      “Dylan,” Laurel began, slowly sorting her thoughts. “Brown is accepting a position in Morbin’s war council.”      Dylan looked up at her in surprise, his eyes wide. “That’s good, isn’t it? He will be in the room where most of the intelligence will be shared.”      Laurel swallowed, something heavy settling inside her. “H-He's also requested that I accompany him as a runner.”      Dylan froze. His eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped low. “He wants you to go with him.” He repeated, his gaze locked on her. Laurel felt herself tremble and she nodded, looking down.      “How did you find out?” He asked, leaning back against the wall. Laurel inhaled. “The Commandant.” Dylan nearly fell off the bench. He straightened up and tried to make eye contact with her, but Laurel wouldn’t. She was worried about how he would react. And now, here was his reaction.      “The Commandant?” He echoed.      Laurel rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dylan! I know he’s a part of the Resistance, alright? I’ve seen you and him talking before, and he pulled me aside today to talk to me.” She explained, looking up at him fiercely. “Now, do you have anymore secrets you’d like to share with me?”      Dylan stared at her, his face expressionless. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle.      “I’m sorry, Laurel.” He said softly, rubbing his forehead. “I… do have some news, but I’m not sure how useful it will be.” Laurel raised an eyebrow.      “I overheard Vitton say that some bucks will be promoted. But he also said that they will be cracking down to ensure there is no resistance from within Akolan.”      Laurel slouched, thinking. There was a long pause, and neither said a word. Laurel looked up at him, and tried to hide her surprise when she saw him watching her.      “This is what we’ve prepared for, isn’t it? The Tunneler and everything else? This is what was always expected, and now we need to be strong.” Laurel whispered, wishing she knew something else to say that would sound better than ‘be strong.’      Dylan smiled and nodded, crossing his arms. “Yes, you’re right… it reminds me of what I heard in the reports today, which I can’t wait to share with others. There is someone out there being called the Scribe of the Cause, and she wrote a book. I’d give anything to get one, but I heard a buck say something like, ‘bear the flame.’ I’m hoping that somehow we can get one.”      Laurel smiled. Bear the flame. It sounded so perfect, so fitting. She knew that getting ‘contraband’ was near impossible, but she hoped that if more prisoners were brought here, that one of them might have the book.      Dylan stood up and motioned her to follow, smiling. “Let’s go find out what else is new…” He suggested.