|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
 Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:08 am
That night, Whisper was leading the way down to one of the smaller side gates in the wall. Cold though it was, the bat didn't seem to notice, and wore no other protection against the weather than her normal tunic. She undid the latch on the gate and raised its bar, then looked behind her to Jamie and Sideswipe before opening it, her face apparently completely calm.
Donato, meanwhile, was out for a walk, trying to clear his head before taking a shift standing guard tonight. He had been trying to sleep when he'd remembered that Eula's father and brother would probably be with the Long Patrol when it came, and that they still had no idea what had happened. Now, warmly dressed against the weather and little heeding the cold that nonetheless came creeping in through his cloak, his attention was caught by a movement of shadow near one of the gates. He moved a bit closer, then hung back to see what was happening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 1:49 pm
The energy pumping through Jamie's body formed an almost tangible radius around him. He could feel his heart pumping in his ears and the adrenaline running through his veins. In his guest dormitory, he tugged on a black long-sleeved undershirt to cover his light-grey fur and provide some warmth from the cold night. He then pulled on a dark green tunic over that, and tied a black hooded cloak around his neck. Buckling up his belt and scabbard about his middle, he lifted his saber, curling his paw around the ribbed hilt. Bringing the blade to eye-level, he ran his paw along the sharp edge. Seeming satisfied, he slipped the saber into his scabbard.
Stepping out into the cold, windy night, he tugged his cloak around his shoulders and stole across the grounds to the dark gatehouse. A mouse guard - who'd been too frightened to confront Kusaa - stopped Jamie and asked what he thought he was doing. Keeping his hood up to seem a little more intimidating, Jamie slung his attention at the mouse as if there couldn't be anything more wasteful of his time than speaking to him. "While I appreciate you vigilance," Jamie started rather condescendingly, "I'm in the Long Patrol, so you don't have any authority over me." He motioned over his shoulder with his head at the bat, and the now-approaching badger. "However, if you'd like to take issue with them, be my guest."
The mouse-guard looked cowed for a moment, but determined. Upon laying his eyes on the other two of the party, the mouse decided Jamie was still the least intimidating, so he bolstered himself up a bit. "Hey, you listen. It's my job to keep this gate locked and closed. The warrior here'll have my head if I let you out."
Jamie, although knowing the mouse was only trying to do as he was told, was still already losing his patience. Bringing himself down to outright bullying, he lowered his voice. "No, you listen. I'm leaving whether you let me pass or I make you let me pass. It's your choice." He pushed his cloak aside a bit to bring his sheathed saber into view. He had absolutely no intention of harming the mouse, but the Woodlander could hardly know that.
Setting his jaw and glaring at Jamie, the mouse stepped aside. "Use the wicker gate, and I'm locking it behind you."
As Sideswipe walked up, he could see Jamie talking with the mouse-guard outside of the gatehouse, though he couldn't hear the exchange. When he walked into the gatehouse behind Jamie, who had apparently finished up the conversation, he lifted an eyebrow at the hare. "What was that about?"
Adopting a look of utmost innocence, he looked up at the badger from under his hood. "Oh, just asking the fine guard to let us pass. Quite a reasonable chap, wot."
Sideswipe eyed Jamie for a moment, not believing him for a second. He turned away a moment, wincing as a sharp twinge of pain ran through his arm. His left arm was swathed heavily in bandages and was horridly painful. Unfortunately anything he could do to take the edge off the pain would compromise his lucidity tonight, though pain was turning into enough of a deterrence itself. He turned then to bring Kusaa into the conversation. "Have we decided which direction we're going? Are you scouting ahead?"
----------
Eula never thought she could be so disturbed by a total lack of action. All the horde was doing was moving... moving and moving. She had to admit she was impressed by the discipline shown by the vermin. The group didn't concern her as much though, when she considered Radaz's admission the he had a larger, stronger force somewhere else. Although she was careful to take everything the fox said with a grain of salt, it was hard not to take him seriously after she had been captured with apparent ease.
Unfortunately she had shown her speed early on, so no chances were being taken with her. Her ankles were lashed together, forcing her to take short, clumsy strides, which did more to grate on her nerves than the harassment by the vermin. Even though her tied legs forced her to walk slowly and carefully, vermin kept prodding her with spear butts to make her go faster.
Once, an overzealous weasel prodded her in the back with the sharp end of his spear. Angry, and with her paws left untied, Eula had stopped, turned, and catching the vermin offguard, knocked his spear aside and landed a few punches on him. Smaller, unarmed and tied up, it didn't take long for Eula to be on the losing end of the fight. Pinned beneath the weasel who was now viciously returning the volley of punches, Eula could only try to ward of his blows. She struggled until the weasel suddenly and unexpectedly stopped attacking her. After a moment, she lowered her arms, coming face-to-face with the weasel's glazed over eyes. He was already bleeding on her before she gathered her wits enough to push him off and scramble back.
Radaz pulled the thick blade out of the weasel's back, grinning and winking at the startled and disgusted haremaid. Slowly licking the bloodied blade, he kept his red eyes on Eula. Kicking aside the dead weasel, he strode over to Eula and pulled her up by her arm. Letting his sword glint before her eyes, he leaned in and whispered into her ear, "You just let me know if any of them gives you trouble now, hmm?"
Recoiling from him, she stared silently ahead until the fox withdrew from her, disappearing into the darkness he'd come from. Eula was tired. She was sick. She was hungry, thirsty. She was scared. She was in pain. Wiping her own blood from the side of her mouth, she turned away. Time to get moving again.
After Radaz had vaguely declared his maddened plan to Eula, they were almost immediately on the move. The whole campsite was taken down with speed and precision, and Eula couldn't help but be reminded of the Long Patrol. Thinking of the patrol was painful though. Was Salamandastron really in danger? Were they even traveling that way? She had no idea where she was when she had woken, and it was already deep into the night when they started moving, so she had no idea where they were going, absolutely no point of reference.
This was looking more and more hopeless.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:17 pm
During the exchange, Kusaa had paused in her work of opening the gate, waiting to see if she would need to interfere in Jamie's argument with the guard. When the mouse gave in, she closed and locked the gate, ready to use the smaller gate if it would keep him quiet. In response to Jamie, Kusaa nodded once. "Yes.* And yes, I'll be going ahead. Keep an ear out - I'll let you know when I find something."
As Kusaa led the way to the wicker gate, Donato approached the group. "What are you doing?" He snapped, sotto voce. Kusaa began opening the gate, leaving the others to respond.
*Jen has no idea which direction we're going.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:24 pm
Jamie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose at the sound of a familiar voice. Was there any getting away from this hare? Turning to face Donato, he shook his head a bit. "We're leaving. We have things to take care of. It's no business of yours," he said in the same snappy voice as Donato. Who did the hare think he was, speaking to him like that? He wasn't the boss of anyone but Dibbuns in this place after all.
Sideswipe frowned, approaching the two hares. "All right, calm down," he said to Jamie, who clearly was less fond of Donato than he was. "He's just looking out for his abbey." He nodded to Donato then. "We need to get an idea what we're facing, Donato. We can't let another attack like... like last night happen again." He didn't include the more dangerous aspects of the plan... like how they intended to find and kill Radaz. It wouldn't do any good to worry Donato anyway. "So do you think you could just do us the favor and not say anything, mate?"
Jamie stood off behind Sideswipe, arms crossed, doing nothing to mask his impatience, with footpaw tapping and frequent throat-clearing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:00 pm
"It's no business of mine!" Donato echoed indignantly, ignoring Sideswipe for the moment. "It's more my business than it is yours! This is my home, damnit." He looked at Sideswipe now and, still angrily but with less venom, went on, "And no, I can not do you that favor. You're three of the best fighters we have; you can't expect me to stand here and not say anything while you risk your necks doing something stupid."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:14 pm
Sideswipe blinked at Donato's reaction, not expecting him to lash out, and definitely not expecting him to make this harder on them. Before he could reply though, Jamie was already stepping up to take up his side of the fight.
"That's right Donato. Three of the best fighters you have - that's why we're the three doing something. Not you, and not others. Not the ones who have other responsibilities at your abbey. This is our responsibility." He lowered his hood then and stepped up to get eye-level with Donato. "Now, if you've some plan of your own, please let us know." He held his paws up. "As far as I know, you all have nothing but a wait and see plan right now. That was the plan before, and-" he paused and stared at the other hare for a moment. "Well, it didn't turn out well, did it?"
"Would you two knock it off?" Sideswipe whispered fiercely. "How is your fighting helping anything? Put aside whatever problems the two of you have and figure it out like adults."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:00 pm
Donato stood still, glaring at Jamie and too busy choking on his anger to respond for the moment. Damn. Why was everything he had ever said to Jamie being turned against him now? I know I'm right, here. I think. That was the trouble - he didn't know if it really were better to let them go or try to stop them. Well, that and the fact that he was so occupied with wanting to hit Jamie right now that it was hard to think clearly were the trouble. Anyway. Of the remaining fighters at the Abbey, he was sure he trusted Turan's judgment and Sideswipe's. Well, I thought I trusted Sideswipe's. He certainly didn't trust Kusaa's rational abilities. Jamie? He couldn't tell right now. He gave a short sigh, then spoke.
"Sideswipe, tell me, what are you doing? If this is supposed to be some scouting expedition, why am I supposed to keep it a secret?" He glanced sidewise at Jamie then looked back at the badger. "'You have things to take care of?' Come on, Sideswipe. Whatever you're doing it's risky; you know it. Is it really worth risking leaving the Abbey defenseless?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:18 pm
Sideswipe looked between the two hares helplessly, and in disbelief. He'd never seen Donato get so frustrated with anyone, except maybe... Sighing, he turned in such a way to block Jamie from Donato. "Donato, we aren't leaving the abbey defenseless. Turan is here, and plenty of other fighters, not to mention the entire Guosim. Besides, we're going toward them, so if any group were coming to attack Redwall, we'd know about it, and probably even be able to stop it before it happens. The truth is, what happened last night should have never happened. We have no idea how Radaz got into the abbey and he and his horde are more powerful than we first thought. We... we need to bring an end to this," he said in a meaningful tone, at least giving Donato a hint there.
Jamie leaned around Sideswipe. "So, now we're just wasting dark hours that protect us. So instead you could make yourself useful and g-"
"Jamie," Sideswipe said sternly, turning to look disapprovingly at the other hare.
The young soldier looked like he was about to continue for a moment, but then he bit his tongue and let it go. There was just something about being admonished by a badger...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:41 pm
Kusaa at this point seemed to lose patience with the entire proceedings. Without a word, she simply opened the gate and left.
Alright, Sideswipe had a point about, well, everyone else that was there to defend the Abbey. But. "The three of you are going to stop a group Radaz at least thinks is capable of some attack on the abbey." A simple statement; a tone of disbelief wasn't even necessary. "You've just said his horde is more powerful than we thought."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:48 pm
Jamie threw his paws up. "Donato, you need to just back off! All you're doing now is-" and now he noticed the bat leave without him and he groaned in frustration. Turning, he walked over to the small gate and poked his head out. "Um, Kusaa?" He turned back around to the other two, knitting his eyebrows. "And tell me Donato, what're you going to do if we leave, hm? Tattle on us? Have others sent after us so they can be in danger, too? Do you really want their blood on your paws?" Just as he had earlier, Jamie had resorted to bullying and manipulation. But Donato was getting on his nerves.
Sideswipe stared at the ceiling, giving himself a moment to compose himself after Jamie's taunt. "Yes, it is. But we have the element of surprise on our side now. Donato, I can't sleep at night knowing that we can have a repeat performance of last night. This has to end now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 1:44 pm
Donato put his head in his paws, trying to think what to do and to not think about last night. Right now he was just wishing he hadn't found these three before they left. How could he tell the others that they had gone, and risk, as Jamie pointed out, their getting hurt or killed as well? (He chose to ignore Jamie's use of the word "tattle," as though he were a Dibbun telling on them for taking cookies from the pantry.) But how could he not tell, and then deal with knowing that he could have stopped them from getting themselves killed? Or face everyone else afterward? "Damnit. I just had to come out for my watch early." He looked up.
His heart sank. He knew he couldn't convince them to stay. And he was sure this plan was crazy - wasn't it? Sideswipe he trusted, and Jamie, infuriating though he was, was no fool. And Kusaa. Creepy, yes. Creepy. But he couldn't quite imagine any plan of hers, no matter how crazy, not working out. (Well, he could well imagine it, but things seemed to work out unexpectedly somehow.) But speaking of Kusaa, where was she? "Ugh. Did she leave?" He groaned. "Oh just go. Whatever. I'll lock the gate," he added, nodding at the waiting mouse to leave.
Kusaa, meanwhile, had not actually gone far. She stepped out from the shadows beside a pile of gravel from the now-forgotten construction of the village. "Are you ready?" she asked. Not impatient. Just a question.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:20 pm
Hardly ten minutes had passed before Donato repented of his decision. He watched them slipping away through the Wood for as long as he could, wondering how he could have let them go. His stomach was in knots. "What was I doing? ...Now what?" He still stood in the open gate, the key in his hand. Sideswipe, Kusaa, and Jamie had been out of sight for a little while now. Gritting his teeth, he decided. He wasn't going to risk everyone else by sending them after the group. He knew which way they had gone, didn't he? Somewhere in the back of his mind, his better judgment was shouting at him that he was insane, this was reckless, if he didn't get himself killed he would be in huge trouble when he got back. He blocked that voice of reason out; he couldn't do anything other than this, he decided. He slipped out, closed and locked the gate behind him, and crept carefully toward the cover of Mossflower Wood. He hoped none of the guards would see him. He was wearing his typical ugly brown cloak, dark enough, he hoped, to hide him, and the guards were looking for creatures going towards the Abbey, not away from it, weren't they? Somehow, he didn't think that that would make a difference, but hey, at least one of those guards was overdue to be relieved now. Maybe he would be nodding off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 3:49 pm
Jamie, although glad that Donato had finally buckled, was already feeling guilty for some of the things he'd said. The last thing the Long Patroller was about to do, however, was admit to having treated the Redwall hare unfairly. He chanced a swift look back, and saw, behind Sideswipe's approaching form, Donato still standing at the gate entrance, looking out after them. Sighing, he turned back to Kusaa as the badger joined them. "Sure, I've been ready."
He threw a couple curious glances between Sideswipe and Kussa and thought, not for the first time, that this was a strangely authoritative group. He supposed, by default, he'd given leadership of this mission over to the bat, but it was still a strange feeling to the Long Patrol officer. Not so much the fact that he wsa the underling in a mission... but rather that he was an underling to someone other than another Long Patrol hare. Long Patrollers were, from very early on, encouraged to adopt leadership positions in situations where they might be the only Long Patroller present. Oh well. Who would've guessed a situation like this would arise?
Sideswipe nodded the other two ahead. "Kusaa, obviously you'll have to choose the course, you've a better vantage point than us. Jamie, go on, I'll watch our backs."
Eula had long since lost all sense of time as they moved steadily and mind-numbingly on through the darkness. Radaz's horde carried no lanterns or torches... no source of light to speak of, and the trees above were far too thick to let any moonlight in, even if it wasn't ominously cloudy out. Even with her eyes adjusted, she felt like she was walking blind, her most accurate sense keeping her going being her hearing right now, but that came naturally. She had to wonder how the others had any clue what to do in such darkness.
What felt like days later, she finally saw the narrow strip of daytime, the dark oranges of a peaking sun driving the night sky away. This was the first time she was able to gather which direction they'd been traveling all this time. A steady northwest. She assumed they'd be stopping soon, and she turned back to glance at the guards who were still holding spears at her, if somewhat less enthusiastically. "Turn back around," one weasel said with a low grunt, and Eula realized these weren't the same guards from before. When had they traded? Just as she was turning around, she stubbed her foot on something and stumbled, landing on all fours. Startled and a bit curious, she swiped the small object quickly up, ignoring the sniggers of the guards behind her.
Prodding her to stand up, they continued snickering at her expense. "Wha' didja trip over, you clumsy brat?" one of them asked, still prodding at her to get up.
Curling her paw around the object, she scowled at the guards and angrily swiped the spears away. After last night's episode, no one would dare harm her anyway. "Just some tree root, dimwit," she muttered back, standing and thinking how odd it was to hear her own voice all of a sudden.
When they continued moving, she opened her paw and inspected the small object she'd found. It was a finely shaped arrowhead, sharp and serrated. It took her another moment to realize it was made of bone. She frowned in thought for a moment, and then a look of realization crossed her face. Swallowing and trying to hide her nervousness, she continued.
She knew where they were.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 5:35 pm
((Okay, I have no idea where they are, but that was excellent.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jen the Quiet Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
