OOC: this is a story of my avatar, and his friends. This tells of his trials, joys, sorrows, and how he became a warrior of the of the Great Redwall Abbey.
Cast: reply to this post if you want a character
Norham Waterpaw: otter, main character. Desc: big star shaped scar on forehead. Black fur.
Riggaeo Starswift: wildcat, main villain. Desc: a pure white wildcat, with extreme sword skills with a star shaped pommel on his sword.
Norham and Riggaeo are my characters, here are the others
Rigjim Garijon: hedgehog, main character. Desc: a big burly hedgehog, a hermit of the woods who wields a warhammer.
Algemas: Riggaeo's first mate, main character. Desc: a weasel with one eye missing, replaced with a glass ball. Also Olgemas' twin brother.
Olgemas: Galley slave-driver. Desc: a weasel, same as Algemas, minus the missing eye, wields a cat-of-nine-tails whip.
Jerimias Barrindol: Hare. Desc: A Salamandastron fighting hare, Norham's friend since childhood.
Tobias Rockshifter: badger. Desc: Also Norham's friend since childhood.
Random soldiers. Desc: none needed, just your average vermin, work for Riggaeo.
Abbey Dwellers. Desc: abbeydwellers, that's about it.
Abbess Emmery. Squirell Desc: tall, with dark brown fur.
Backstory:
Norham's oceanside village was raided by none other than Riggaeo, a white wildcat, who burned the houses and slew everyone. Norham was very little, so Riggaeo only struck his head with his pommel, leaving a star-shaped scar on Norham's head. A while later, Tobias and Jeremias find him, and Norham's blow to the head had damaged his brain, making him insane. They adopted him as a friend, and kept him company, because Tobias and Jeremias, too, had their village raided. Norham would constantly go in and out of his insane rages, but as years passed, he overcame them with the help of his friends.
Now, they wander as a traveling troupe, baking, playing instruments, putting on comical skits and just overall having fun. Dark horizons are brewing though, Riggaeo Starswift is returning to Mossflower.
Welcome to the forum, Norham! Glad to have you here! :) Just a bit of advice, this would go in the OOC Roleplay Discussions section. ;)
Woops, sorry, never started a roleplay before, but thanks for Replying! ;D
Norham and his friends sat arond a warm fire. Their cart blocked the breeze from them. It was a cold night, darkness was countered by moonlight in the open glades of Mossflower wood. Jeremias,cthe hare, broke the reigning silence. " Can't a chap just jolly well keep warm on a night like this? No! Of course not, it's practically freezing in this bally forest!" Tobias, the Badger next to him spoke firmly. " Jeremias, keep a civil toung in thy head, this fire is all Norham could do, he should be back soon..."
Not too far from where they sat, a paw grabbed a sword hilt.
Tailli sat with her back against the tree trunk and her legs straddling the branch. She whistled, content with her surroundings. Someone observing her might of thought her happy, but she wasn't. She was never outright happy. Her white fur almost glowed in the moonlight, she hated her fur. It was too strange, too noticeable. She climbed to her feet and jumped to a lower branch. She ran along it, looking for a place she could 'acquire' some food for the road. She jumped the six remaining feet to the ground and started walked in no particular direction.
Tobias heard rustling, and he slowly reached down for his warhammer. Jeremias also heard, and saw the bushes moving, and drew his rapier, slowly, as not to let the creature know they were armed. They watched the bushes some more, and out came a tall, dark furred otter. "Norham, your name is Norham!" Tobias spoke. Tobias knew Norham was in one of his insane fits, but thankfully, he knew what to do. "You are Norham Waterpaw of the Western Shore!"
Norham put down his scimitar, and sat there dazed. He finally perked up and said. "Did it happen again, mates?" Jeremias spoke this time. "Why, yes, it jolly well did happen again, scared me so bad I nearly tossed up that trifle you made, what a waste..." Tobias scolded him again. "Jeremias, when wilt thou learn when friends are more important the the food you shove down thy throat!" Norham held up a paw for silence, he spoke. "Look, if This happens again, what will I do? Today, we were lucky, you seemed to stop me pretty well there Tobi, old mate... But what if I do this again, I could hurt someone!" Tobias then said.
"Look here, old friend, but in your rages, you can be overcome, by me... I would hate to hurt you, but if push comes to shove..." "I know, Tobi, you will shove..."
Tailli rubbed her nose as she walked, stifling a sneeze. She twirled her tail a bit, alert for sounds. Speech. She immediately scampered up the nearest tree. Her fur would stand out terribly, she cursed it. She searched her dress for any part of it that wasn't needed. She ripped a bit off the end, the dress clearly showed her ankles now. She jumped to the next tree, and the two after that and went out on a branch, holding the brown cloth to her face. Two otters. She watched them curiously, slowing her breathing.
Tobias, Jeremias, and Norham, slept around the ashes of their fire. A twig snapped, and Norham was awake. He looked around, and a large hedgehog was sitting just on the other side of the fire, acting as if nobody could see him. Norham spoke in a low tone. " Um, who on earth are you?" The hedgehog looked up as if surprised to see him there, along with a tired hare and badger. The hedgehog merely replied. " Don't matter who I am, just matters to me who you are, and why you're in my territory!" Tobias spoke." Well, sir hog, how wast we to know if we had entered thine territory?" " true enough, true enough." Spoke the hedgehog. " The name's Rigjim Garijon, I usually prefer solitude, over company. Sorry for the misunderstanding earlier, waterdog." The hedgehog slowly wandered over, picked up his warhammer, and stalked off into the night.
" A flippin odd fellow if'n you ask me!" Jeremias blurted. Tobias struck him upside the head, once again scolding him about insults and such.
The next day, about mid-afternoon, they hitched up their cart, and travelled east, toward Redwall.
Vash saw a cart heading towards him from his perch on a tee. The limb he was on was over the path and was full of leaves that hid him. Cash liked this spot, it was good cover, and merchants took it regularly to get to Redwall. Sometimes he wondered what it was like in the abbey, and he even considered hiding in a merchant's cart sometimes to sneak inside. But he knew he'd just be rejected for being a vermin. His train of thought was broken as he heard the sound of the wheels against the trail. The cart was right infront of him now. He prepared to jump down.
Jeremias was wary of the travel already. He slumped off to the side, under a tree. Norham and Tobi both stopped, for they too, were tired. Jeremias stared straight up, hardly noticing the weasel directly above him. Norham knew there might be foe-beasts about, so he drew his scimitar. Tobi got the small oven from the cart, and began preparations to bake a woodland trifle. Norham sniffed the air, something was not quite right. He sensed a presence, and a not so nice presence at that, but he began to chat and eat with his friends.
Vash watched them for a bit. The food smelled great, but he couldn't get to that. He waited a bit, then quietly dropped down on the other side of the cart, out of sight. He reached his paw in and started grabbing at small items.
Norham could stand it no longer, he stood up, stared hard into the tree, and yelled " come outta that tree, vermin!" There was no reply. He decided it best to check the cart, and as he went around it, he smacked into a weasel.
Vash had a wide-eyed face, staring at Norham while he was grabbing an apple out of one of their sacks. He started running down the road with surprising speed.
Norham was quick to recover, and when he was about to strike with his sword, he saw the weasel was unarmed as far as he could see, and of an age not much older than he. He decided it best just to guard the cart the rest of the night. As he was waiting, he heard a twig snap in the woods. He drew his longbow. "Come outta there!" Norham yelled. Then, after he spoke, a small mouse came out of the woods.
The mouse said in between sobs. "Redwall be's unda ataack!" "Big white wilecat!"
After awhile, Vash stopped and looked back. He'd lost the creature. Or had the beast never given chase in the first place? No, that wouldn't happen. What beast in there right mind wouldn't chase somebeast who had stolen some of their food, especially a weasel. He had spent all this time catching his breath and thinking, that he hadn't even looked ahead. What he saw was Redwall, and it was under attack.
Antura ambled along through the forest toward Redwall Abbey. She smiled. Ah, home. She dearly loved the old place, but she was a traveler by nature. The otter often went on long excursions throughout Mossflower, seeking adventure- and vermin. She had had an exciting trip this time, and couldn't wait to tell her friends about it. Her happy thoughts were interrupted by a ruckus up ahead. It sounded like some sort of trouble. Was Redwall being attacked? Antura hurried through the trees- and smashed right into a weasel. She quickly picked herself up and grabbed the front of his tunic before he could get away. "What are you doin' here, weasel? What's happenin' at the abbey? Speak!" she growled menacingly.
"But, I-um...you see. I don't know!" He told her quickly. Was she with that other group? What did it matter, she was going to snap him in two either way.
Antura glared suspiciously at the young weasel in her grip. "What d'ye mean you don't know? What's your business?"
"I don't! I don't know what's going on! I just got here!" he said, frantically trying to escape her grip.
Antura sighed. She could see that the weasel was scared, but she needed information. She was still suspicious of the vermin, but some inner instinct told her to trust him. "Quit that squirmin'- I'm going to let go of you now. I won't hurt you unless you try to run. Now tell me why you're here. Please." The otter loosened her grip, letting the weasel loose.
"I was just eating some food." He said, backing away and thinking about running.
All thought of running flew from Vash's mind when Rigjim, the old hermit-hog, walked in on their conversation. He pointed his warhammer in the weasel's direction. "What is this walking garbage pile doin' in my woods?!?" He walked over and picked up Vash by the scruff of his neck, none too gently.
"Where did you get that apple?" Rigjim spoke.
------------------------------
Norham and his friends were rushing down the dirt path that lead to Redwall, arming themselves, Jeremias with his rapier and sling, Tobias with his enourmous warhammer, and Norham, with his scimitar and longbow. None of them had been in a fight for a while, well, they had no need, one look at a big, warhammer-wielding badger sent most running. They saw Redwall, the front gate was being hammered by large catapults. Archers kept a constant hail of arrows on the walltops, rendering defending redwallers useless.
"Garbage? Let me guess, just cause I'm a weasel?" Vash said, pulling out his knife from seemingly nowhere. "Put me down now." Vash said, putting the knife against Rigjim's wrist. "Before I cut myself free." he added.
Antura decided to step in before things got out of paw. "Put that knife away! And you- put him down. I gave him that apple. He's-" Well, she had lied once already... "-traveling with me." She heard the noise from the abbey grow louder and knew now that it was a battle. She stood tensely, waiting for a reaction.
"I-yes, I am." he said, pushing himself out of Rigjim's grip. He walked over to Antura.
Antura gave an inward sigh of relief, then adressed Rigjim. "Thank you for releasing my friend. Redwall is under attack and I- we are needed right away. Excuse us." She turned and walked swiftly towards the abbey, motioning for Vash to follow.
Vash quickly followed. It was a better option than being stuck with the beast that wanted him dead. "Hey, thanks a lot." he told her quietly, catching up with her.
She hesitated before answering, but her reply was friendly enough. "You're welcome. To be honest, I don't know why I did it. Usually, I'm the one who's getting rid of vermin." The otter walked on in silence for a moment, then suddenly stopped and offered her paw. "I'm going to help in the battle now, but you don't have to come. If you do, I'll let the Redwallers know, though. So you're not attacked. By the way, my name is Antura."
"Vash." he replied after some thinking. He shook the paw with his. "But I'm no good at fighting." Vash told her. "'Fraid I can't help, even if I wanted to. Guess I owe you one, though." He said to her.
Antura flashed a quick smile. "That's fine. I can hold my own. But if you ever get me out of such a tight spot, I'll make sure you get the best meal of your life. I guess I'll see you around." She nodded politely to Vash and hurried on toward Redwall. When the otter got there, she emerged from the trees on the abbey's east side, around the back. Looking around and seeing nobeast, she called up to the walltops. "Hello! Is anybeast there? Open the wallgate- it's Antura!"
"Okay..." he said as she left. So she had something against vermin, who didn't? At least she saved him. Vash looked between the forest(with Rigjim) and Redwall. He'd rather be there than here. "Hey, wait up!" he shouted to her, running after her.
Antura turned quickly, hearing somebeast approaching. She reached for her cutlass, then- oh, it was just Vash. She relaxed. "Decided to join in after all? I'll see if I can get you some food and a good bed inside the abbey tonight." Then she shouted to the walltop again. This time an old mouse appeared. He peered down at the two creatures below, then, wide-eyed, he shouted at Antura. "Look out! There's a weasel behind you, miss Antura!" Antura merely smiled and replied, "It's okay- he's my friend! Now are you going to let us in or not?" The mouse, grumbling loudly, came down and opened the small wicker wallgate to admit the two young creatures. As they passed, the mouse glared at Vash, then said to Antura, "Hmph. You keep a sharp eye on that weasel, miss. He's your responsibility." Antura nodded and headed toward the west wall, where most of the action was going on.
OOC: Am I making my posts too long? They seem really long to me. Sorry- I'll try to keep them shorter.
OOC: I personally like long posts, it adds to the detail. Even though I don't always post ongoing posts myself, I try to when I can.
BIC: Vash nodded, avoiding the glare. After the had walked of a bit, Vash spoke. "I'm your friend? I thought you didn't like vermin. Why'd you help me get into the abbey?" he asked her quietly. "I mean I'm greatful and all, but I've never bean treated this nicely before, and I'm just curious." he added, hoping he didn't seem like a jerk.
OOC: Thanks- I was just making sure.
BIC: Antura shrugged. "I don't really know why. I guess I just noticed that you were... different than most vermin. Something told me to trust you, so I did. And now I've got a new friend. I mean, that's if you want to be." She faced forward again, smiling ruefully. Oh, what do I know about weasels? The only ones I've encountered are dead by now- except Vash. Why? Antura shook her head in bewilderment.
"Why not? I could use a friend. And thanks again, for everything. But just to let you know, it's not always best to trust your gut, because it's might not always be right." Vash said to her. "At least it was this time." he told her.
Antura nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for the advice, Vash. Are you ready to see what we can do at the front gate? It sounds pretty bad over there."
"Can I do something else to help?" he asked her, not wanting to participate in the battle.
Norham was in one of his crazed rages again, fighting through all odds of losing. The vermin had to retreat, for just seeing a crazed otter, a badger, and a trained fighting hare sent the archers off in a mad scramble. The catapulters ( is that a word? ) would not budge, they kept a heavy bombardment on the walls and main gate from the safety of the other side of the ditch. The vermin around the catapults formed firing lines, one group fire, drop, and the next group would fire. Slingstones and arrows peppered the small war party of three. They had to retreat, Tobias having to drag Norham away from the fight. Norham had seen his foe, the great White Wildcat, Riggaeo Starswift.
"Woah." Vash uttered, viewing from the wall. "That beast is crazy!" he shouted.
Norham was finally calmed down, he sat with his back against a young oak tree. He stared at the monolithic building. Redwall, he finally made it to Redwall. His thoughts were interupted by Tobias' yelling. "Ahoy, up on the walls! There happens to be a vermin horde at your front gate, mind if we come in through this one?" Norham could not help but chuckle. Tobias, no matter how dire the situation, could always keep a sarcastic sense of humor.
"I happen to take that offensively!" Vash shouted down, though he didn't mean it. The gate opened.
Antura, who was standing next to Vash, chuckled at his reply to the hare below. "Vash- you asked earlier if there's anything else you can do to help. I guess you don't like battles, right? And that's fine- I'm sure the infirmary or the kitchens could always use an extra pair of paws. If that suits you, I can get you set up with something to do."
"Okay, I will." he said to her. He wasn't that good with either, but how hard would assisting professionals be?
Antura smiled wryly at Vash. "You don't sound too pleased. What do you like to do? I'll try to find a task that will interest you."
"No no, I'll be fine. There's probably nothing here that my specialties would benefit. I should probably just help in the kitchen. Don't want my face to scare the babies in the infirmary." he said, starting to walk down.
She hurried after him, wanting to introduce him to the Friar before any misunderstandings could occur. "Why would you scare the little 'uns? Young creatures don't care what a beast looks like- what they see is how that beast treats them." Impulsively, she patted Vash's paw. "Don't worry- you'll do fine here."
"Really? I always thought that they had a natural instinct to hate us." Vash said, feeling a little awkward when she patted his paw. He looked away, his eyes looking at the tapestries on the walls.
"A natural instinct to hate? Hah. You should hear some of the trouble they get into. Why, only last season two of our Dibbuns went missin'- only to turn up two days later, followin' an old injured hawk. They had gotten out of the abbey, and trailed behind the hawk until he brought them back. He was a fearsome enough creature- almost shredded poor Sister Baypaw when she tried to set his wing." Once they were in Great Hall, Antura could not help pausing a moment to admire the tapestry there. She tipped Vash a wink and pointed to the central figure. "That's Martin the Warrior. He helped build this abbey. I'm sure he would be happy to know that a weasel like yourself could enter Redwall peacefully, as a friend."
"He doesn't look like much of an abbey-goer, nor does he look like he takes to kindly to vermin. Are you sure?" he asked her, though he found himself admiring it as well. However, he kept moving towards the kitchen.
Antura explained Martin's story eagerly. "He came from the northlands, and defeated a wildcat called Tsarmina. Martin was wounded badly, but he survived to help build the abbey. After it was done, he hung up his sword and became a mouse of the order. And one of our laws is to give aid to any creature who needs it, as long as they are not seeking to harm us. That includes all beasts," she finished firmly as they entered the kitchen. It was very busy, as usual, and Antura soon found the harrassed-looking Friar. She introduced Vash, and he was soon set to work. Antura waved and said, "Good luck, Vash! I'll be at the front gate."
"Okay, you to!" was all he managed to say before he was sent to dice up apples.
Tailli smirked slightly, she had found out all she would need about the group from her spying. They were going into Redwall. She snorted, fools the abbeybeasts were, empathy and sympathy never helped anyone in the long run. She was sitting, cross-legged on a thick branch that connected to a tree growing rather close to the back wall. She looked up into the branches above her head, if she got high enough, she could probably make the jump. She was a squirrel, after all. There must be loads of pies and food in there, they were going to be caught up in the attack, after all. They wouldn't miss a few scones. She began climbing the tree with the agility and skill only a squirrel could have. She reached as high as she could go without breaking the branches. She jumped onto the thin branch below her and used the propulsion like a spring board. She made the wall, barely. She scrabbled a bit for another handhold and was able to pull herself onto the battlements. She smiled morbidly and ran along the wall. She would be able to trick the abbeybeasts into thinking she was one of them. Time to go to above the front gate, she would act like she cared, she would act as if she had emotions. Dibbun's play.
Tailli ran along the wall, ducking, and reached the front gate on the opposite side fairly quickly. She crouched beside Antura, biting her lip as if worried, "What's going to happen? I can't fight!" She asked, a purposeful whimper in her voice.
Ooc: Antura, so you don't get confused later, Tobias is the badger, not the hare.
Norham stared at the odd pair. An otter and a squirell, none of them garbed like the redwallers. He was going to ask them who they were when an arrow thudded in the ground next to his footpaw. He yelled. "You on the walltops, keep your heads down, the archers are back!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Riggaeo Starswift was roving in between the ranks of his men, giving advice, giving orders, but all in a low, reserved tone. All the soldiers feared Riggaeo, but they all liked him as a leader too. He knew when they needed a break, without being asked. The beasts did not abuse this privilege at all, all of them were in top shape. Riggaeo spoke to them. "Think of all the fools who have tried to conquer this place, they all had one crucial flaw..." A young stoat piped up." And what was that, chief?" The stoat suddenly turned pale, thinking he should not have spoken. Riggaeo walked slowly over, and merely patted him on the head. "Good question, but I will tell you, what is your name anyway?" Riggaeo said. The young weasel spoke. "Algemas, sir, my name is Algemas." Riggaeo looked him down, gave him a pat on the back and said. " I like you, you're young, fit, and you ask good questions, come along my new first mate, we have business to speak of. Oh, by the way, my answer to your question." He spoke so all could hear. "Was that their crucial flaw, is that none of them, were ever me."
OOC: Lol that's the only thing Cluny did wrong.
BIC: Vash walked out and started to hand out slices of pies. It was his new job, being a distributed. He felt more like a waiter, but he didn't get paid. Not in money, at least. Many of the abbey-dwellers tried to be polite and nice, even though Vash could still tell they didn't like him bear them. Vash walked out into the court yard, seeing Norham and his group. He quickly handed out the pies, trying to not show his face to the group. When he only had two pies left, he sped-walked over to Antura and Tilia to give them the pie slices.
Antura was reassuring the squirrelmaid who had appeared next to her when she heard somebeast shout that the archers were back. She ducked below the ramparts, pulling the squirrel with her. "You'll be fine- why don't you see if they need some help in the kitchens or infirmary? I'm sure that extra help with the Dibbuns would also be welcome." She saw Vash hurrying over with two slices of pie (OOC: Lol, did you notice that today is pi day- 3.14?) and made the squirrel wait. "By the way, I'm Antura. You must be new here, right? Or maybe I've just been gone that long. What's your name?"
"Uh, Mabel," Tailli lied, "I am new, picked the wrong time to come, though." She jumped up and took a pie slice from Vash, and ate it as she ran down the wall stairs. Tailli let herself a secretive, triumphant smile as she ate the pie and headed toward the kitchen area. The fool Antura would likely cover for her if she was questioned. She made short work of the pie and was finished when she entered the abbey.
Vash eyed her warily. He didn't trust that squirrel. He was great at lying, and was decent at knowing when other people were. Vash shook his head. He was probably wrong, he didn't know anything about the squirrel, and he was probably making a stupid assumption. He shook the thought from his mind. "I'm going to go get some food for the soldiers." he told Antura before running off to the kitchen. He stop when an arrow landed infront of him before he kept running. An arrow landed where he was just standing.
Tailli strode into the kitchens, and ignoring the workers, grabbed a scone and scarfed it down. She gasped as the hot pastry burned her tongue and fanned her mouth. She gulped it down and panted to cool her mouth. After her mouth felt good enough, she shut it and brushed the crumbs from her lips and paws.
Vash walked in and quickly grabbed loaves of freshly baked bread. He cut each into slices and ran out. He avoided the rain of arrows and ran up to the wall. He gave a mouse all the slices and told him to go along the wall and pass them out. The mouse was frightened from suddenly seeing a vermin inside the abbey, but realizing that he was helping, took the bread and did as he was told.
Ooc: sorry for the late reply, just got back from being in our school play, charolette's web.
Lots of fun being in a play! ;)
Norham curiously eyed the odd server of their meal. The "waiter" hurried off with his head bowed, why? Norham wanted to know who it was that served him, and why the secrecy.
His thoughts were interrupted by Jeremias. "Jolly flippin good tucker they have here. Mmfff, thif thrifle iss fery goovd!" He said with his mouth completely stuffed with a woodland trifle. Norham wandered into the great hall to assure everybody to stay inside, to avoid being cut down by the hail of arrows.
Ooc: if you couldn't understand already, Jeremias said " This trifle is very good." With his mouth full. I hope I was clear enough.
OOC: Hello all who don't know me but I'm new to both the foroum and the roleplay
BIC: Riggaeo was assuring his troops of his immanent victory. "Many have come close to capturing Redwall, but none have succeeded. I am here to change that!". Just as he finished talking a mouse burst out of the woods behind him, his eyes red with bloodlust. Vermin scattered left and right trying to escape the slashing of his mighty sword. "Get back here!" Riggaeo screamed. He decided to end the madness by knocking the mouse out with the pommel of his sword. The mouse was out though not dead due to his excessive toughness. He had, however, scatted the horde and disrupted the constant barrage of the archers.
OOC: If you think that I'm posting too big then I will try to shorten my posts.
OOC: Welcome! there's nothing wrong with the size of your posts.
BIC: Vash quickly tried to blend in with the crowd heading into the inside of the abbey. However, it's not to hard to pick a weasel out of a group of mice.
Ooc: Hey Thom, I know you're new, and that is fine, but Riggaeo's troops are organized, well trained and could pin a fly to a tree without killing it. They aren't the kind that would scatter, besides he killed a whole village of badgers at one point. Just to let you know.
Riggaeo was still wondering what stupid mouse would make a charge in the open like that?
Anyways, the mouse was unconcious, so why did he have to worry. One thing troubled him though, his red eyes, he had seen those before, many times, but never on a mouse.
Then he remembered the white eyes of that crazed one, the otter, now he had two battle-crazed beasts to worry about, one was in his camp, unconcious, for now.
OOC: Do'h! Sorry for the misunderstanding, I'll try to fix that in this post
BIC: Thomas woke up with an immense pain in his head, then realized that he couldn't remember anything, except that his name was Thomas. He was on the ground surrounded by assorted organized vermin, and facing a great stone building. The vermin were firing at the building and that was all he could see before blacking out.
Vash heard more arrows hitting the ground outside. He turned around, seeing Norham. Vash immediatly turned back around and hurried through the crowd, avoiding eye contact.
Ooc: It's really fine Thom, but just so ya know...
Norham was still hot on the trail of his server, he spotted a head sticking out above the rest, he followed the beast till he got inside. He found the "server" to be a weasel, as he saw him from afar. He looked familiar.....
Melvin beat his wings powerfully and soared high above the ground, his keen kite eyes spotting Redwall quite a ways off. He figuratively(as birds cannot) smiled to himself in anticipation of seeing the abbeybeasts again. While he could see Redwall itself, he couldn't see the attackers yet. Naturally, when he did see them, he flew faster and more urgently toward the abbey, desperately hoping Linda or none of his other friends had been hurt.
Linda crossed great hall, swinging her crutches quickly, with an urgency. Had anyone been hurt? She maneuvered herself to the entrance door and peered out, looking for a beast that was coming back, so she could ask them what the state of the defenders was. She awkwardly patted her belt, as the crutch was strapped onto her forearm, to make sure that her medicines were there.
OOC: I'm assuming you saw Melvin's and Linda's sheets.
Vash saw Norham and turned back around, quickly scooting his way towards the kitchen. It was even busier than the halls, and it would be hard to find even a weasel like himself in this mess of hustling beasts. He grabbed an apple and then shuffled into the crowd of maids, cooks, and chefs.
OOC: I would just like to know if anybody in the abby noticed Thomas, and feel free to call me Tom or Thom. (Tom sounds more natural to me.)
OOC: Vash couldn't, but Antura might when Kitral gets back on.
Ooc: I don"t think any abbey beasts would have seen you, and if they did, well, what could they do about it? But one of them did notice....
Norham heard a definitive plunk of an arrow knocking against the abbey. he decided it best to stop following the weasel, besides, if the abbeybeasts were fine with him being there, why should he care? He walked out side, and stepped up the wallsteps to the ramparts. he looked carefully at the organized lines of vermin, and then he saw something out of place. There was a young mouse, lying unconcious, by a tent, then he saw the wildcat, white like the mid-winter snow. The wildcat sauntered over to the mouse, and spat upon him. Norham, without notice of anyone, crept out the small east wickergate, checked his quiver of arrows, and set off toward the ditch, under the cover of bushes and trees.
Melvin circled like a vulture, high enough to be out of the reach of arrows and stones. The keen eyes of a hunting bird saw the unconscious mouse. His heart went out to the limp creature and he dived. He landed on a branch above the mouse. He could see the otter, and tipped him a wink. Melvin ruffled his feathers and looked at the nearest vermin, "Ye gonna dae anything wit thet mouse? Ah could, eh, dispose of 'im fer ye, mebbe a warnin' tae them beasts in yonder abbey. They don't surrender, they gets fed tae ta kite." His eyes lit up as in a smirk in a convincing manner, "Och, ah cudd help ye. Ever heared of Genr'l Ironbeak? Thet was a bird o' smarts. Conquered thet place top down. Then ah cudd let ye in tae pick 'em off. Just gimme ta mice ah need fer snacks, ah'll get birds and help ye. Ye ken?"
OOC: Sorry I haven't posted for a while. Oh, and Thomas- welcome to the forum!
BIC: Antura was crouched down beneath the ramparts. She was a fair paw with a sling, but preferred to do battle face-to-face. An arrow clattered harmlessly on the broad walkway to her right. Suddenly she stood up and whipped off a stone into the vermin ranks below. As she had ducked back down as soon as her stone was in the air, she didn't see whether she made the shot. She was quickly rewarded, however, by an agonised squeal from below. "Yaaoow! Owowow, me blinkin' paw!" Smiling in satisfaction, Antura peeked up over the battlements to pick out another victim. Behind the main body of the horde was a white wildcat, who was standing over a young mouse. At this distance, she could not tell whether he was dead or merely unconscious, but she flushed wiith anger when she saw the wildcat spit on the mouse's prone figure. Then a big bird of some sort landed in a tree directly above the mouse and began speaking with nearby vermin, looking rather pleased. That did it. Antura bounded up, twirling her sling, and loosed a stone in the direction of the bird. Missed! She shook with rage as her pebble instead connected with the branch above the bird with a resounding crack!
Melvin instinctively ducked when the stone hit the branch above him and dropped onto his back. He dipped his head to the vermin, "'Cuse me fer a few mom'nts." He took off and flew toward the abbey, high in the air. He dived quickly toward at the ramparts, hoping that the otter would hear him out.
Thomas awoke at the feeling of Riggaoes spit landing atop him. His head turned upwards just in time to see a bird wink to an unknown otter, then say something to the guard. Judging by the kites non-evil look he decided to take the birds words to be something to do with a rescue attempt, and assumed that the bird, which he now recognized as a kite, would fly him to safety.
A pebble then smashed into the branch above the kite sending the bird flying away. He mentally shook with rage at what the unknown slingman had done. When he met him,or her for that matter, they would get off to a VERY bad start.
OOC: Thank you for your kind welcome, and I hope there are no hard feeling for the in game relationship, which will undoubtedly unfold.
Antura was sitting behind the battlements, inspecting a scratch she had gotten from a stray arrow. Suddenly, a huge bird landed in front of her. She gasped with shock and fear- the bird was big enough to kill her with only a few strokes of its wicked talons. Then she looked closer. It had been a few seasons since she'd seen him, but- "Melvin? Is that you?"
Melvin narrowed his eyes, "And ye just aboot ruined mah plahn, Antura." He lowered his voice, though the vermin could hardly hear them from here, "Play aloong." He surged forward and grabbed Antura around the shoulders. He flapped his wings and jumped off the ramparts. He didn't fall immediately, but under the weight of the otter he lost height rather quickly. He released his grip, "Stay doon 'ere fer a bit." and ran away from her, beating his wings quickly. He barely cleared the wall and soared back to the tree. He dipped his head to the vermin again, "Sorry, but ah couldnae let 'er go fer chuckin' ta stone et me. Them abbeybeasts too trust'ry fer ther oon gudd." He shifted on the branch, "Ah'm gettin' hungry."
Antura was an adventurous beast, but her stomach dropped as Melvin flew her quickly down from the walltops. She sat still for a moment, then picked herself up. "Huh. How was I supposed to know it was him? Still, it's nice to know that old grouchy-beak is doin' fine." Smiling, she headed off to the kitchens to find Vash.
Thomas smiled. The kite had returned, and this time it looked like the guard was going to let Thomas be devoured by the "fearsome" bird.
OOC: do you think Norham would mind if I got rescued Imminently? I just finished school for the week and I'm pumped for some RPing
Before the guard could speak, Melvin jumped down and grabbed the mouse in his left talon, stood on his right, and beat his wings powerfully. He took off and chuckled. He circled above the trees with the mouse in his claws. Melvin looked down at the mouse, "Ye dae look tasty." He said almost wistfully, "But ah daen't et mahce an' beasts like em, fer them Redwallers." He flew toward Redwall quickly, holding tightly, "Sorry if ah'm holdin' a bit taght. Et's either thet or fallen." He swooped down and an arrow narrowly missed him as he came down below the wall. He let go of Thomas and alighted on the lawn not far from him. Melvin turned and nodded to Thomas, "Ah'm Melvin."
Thank you, my friend. I owe you my life. If their is any way I can help you, I would cross the world. In the meantime, I would like to be brought up to date on the situation. Unfortunately I was hit on the head by the wildcat, and I can only remember very basic things, such as my name. By the way, I'm Thomas Barkshield.
Ooc: You are more than welcome to be rescued, now I gotta get Norham outta the vermin camp. Hmm....
Melvin scratched his stomach, "Nae idea. Ah wud guess thet Redwall is unner attack, ye ken? There's all ta vermin ootsahde, an ta fact thet they'm shootin' arrers."
Linda grinned and swung out of the abbey on her crutches. Melvin was back! She crossed the lawn to Melvin and Thomas fairly quickly for her and gave the big kite a hug. Her crutches were strapped on her arms and they acted a bit like extensions of her arms, "Melvin!"
Melvin chuckled and let her lean into him, "Linda! Nahce tae see ye."
Linda maneuvered her crutches to support her weight again. She seemed to see Thomas for the first time, and immediately cast her gaze to the ground, "H-hello."
Melvin shifted a bit, "Ah saw annoder beast there, ah'll want tae check on 'em summ'ow."
Linda raised her gaze to Melvin's wing tips, "Y-you just got back. Rest for a while."
I'm sorry if my appearance has frightened you, but your friend Melvin has just rescued me from the vermin camp. I appear to have lost my memory, and as you appear to be a healer, I would like to ask your help after this battle is over. Melvin, who was that otter I saw? If he is in trouble I feel it my duty to help him.
OOC: Will this entire RP be about the current battle? Or will there be more to it?
And also, I forgot to mention that Thomas is wearing a breastplate and greaves(shin armour).
Antura was almost inside the abbey building when she heard Melvin land on the lawn again, this time bringing back a mouse. Linda rushed past her, not even noticing the ottermaid. Antura smiled. Linda and Melvin- what a pair! She hesitated momentarily, then went back to the lawn to introduce herself to the mouse. Antura reached the small group just as the newcomer was explaining his situation. Glaring at Melvin in mock severity, she said, "Linda's right, Melvin. You should stay- 'twill keep you from overloading our abbey with beasts that you've dragged in. Besides-" she lowered her voice confidentially, "-you're a good influence on Linda. Er, sorry for chuckin' that stone at you earlier. I won't do it again." She turned to the new mouse, holding out her paw. "Hello, and welcome to Redwall Abbey. I'm Antura- what's your name?"
Norham sat crouched in the nearby brush, scarcely making a sound. He drew his scimitar noiselessly. A nearby rat got to close, one swift stroke of the scimitar, and he dropped. Norham caught the body before it hit the ground. Norham decided he had done enough, but then, emerging from his tent, the white wildcat, Riggaeo Starswift. Norham's blood ran hot, and his eyes became pure white, as white as the wildcat. He rushed yelling madly in to the camp, scattering vermin. The vermin reacted quickly, and Norham was soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of assorted vermin piled onto him, then everything went black.
Melvin 'frowned', "Yer blamin' me fer helpin'?" He asked, "Ah really shud stop helpin' ye then."
I'm sorry to bother you but I have this uneasy feeling that something is wrong. would you please check the vermin camp, Melvin? By the way my name is Thomas Barkshield, but beyond that I'm having trouble remembering anything else.
Ooc: Norham is glad for that uneasy feeling thom had there.
Norham slowly came to. When he did, he found himself in a small, iron cage. It was suspended by a thick rope hanging from an old, solid oak tree. He had a small gash on the side of his head. He could feel dried blood on the side of his head.
--------------------------------------
Riggaeo Starswift swaggered over to the cage. "Not very smart, were you, barging into my camp like that. You're lucky I didn't have my men cut you down with arrows. Luckily, I have a slower, more painful death planned for you, my old friend." Riggaeo walked off, back into his tent.
OOC: finally, I can rp!
BIC: Vash sighed in relief, but the relief was cut short when the friar shoved more food into his arms and pointed out the door. Vash sighed again, but this sigh had nothing to do with relief. He walked outside, avoiding an arrow that landed at his footpaws. "Anyone hungry?" he asked aloud, holding to plates of bread.
OOC: Use grammar. Y'know, "Parenthesis", and the other stuff.
BIC: Melvin grumbled a bit and headed over to the stairs, followed by Linda. He walked, not flew up the stairs. He didn't take off immediately, but watched the vermin. He ducked(though he was a kite) as an arrow whistled right above his head. He peered over the edge of the battlements and clicked his beak, "Them naughty vermin, ah 'ope them be kilt." He jumped off the wall and circled higher before flying over the camp. His kite eyes spotted the black otter in the midst of the vermin. He dived back to the wall and screeched in alarm as an arrow thunked into him. He flopped over the battlements. The arrow was embedded in his shoulder between his wing and neck. He swore as he sat up, "Och, there's an ottah doon by them vermin, unconsis, ah thunk."
Thomas heard someone offer food. "I'm famished, come over here." Then he had his uneasy feeling again. "Someone get me a sword" he said. Then he screamed the request. His eyes started to cloud red, then he stopped. His eyes returned to normal, and he apologised for his behaviour. "I must be suffering from bloodwrath" he stated. "I am one of few who is not a badger but is still cursed by it."
Jeremias immediately arrived next to Vash, saying. "Oh, I would bally well like some mor... Hey, you're the chap my buddy saw stealing an apple! You're the... Ooomff!" Tobias had cuffed Jeremias in the stomach.
Everyone was staring at Jeremias, Tobias, and especially Vash. Tobias said to divert the attention of the small crowd. "Please excuse my friend, he seems to think he knows people that he's never met. He even one time confused me with his AUNT!" This seemed to do the trick, the crowd laughed, and left. Tobias, while Jeremias was still winded, spoke quickly. "Please forgive him, he can never seem to shut up when he needs to." Jeremias apologized, and then tucked into good Redwall cooking.
"I would think Melvin would be back by now" Thomas muttered. "Where is the armoury?" he asked a passer by. "I would like to go on wall top patrol."
Vash started walking towards Thomas, but stopped when his eyes went red and he seemed to go a bit crazy for a moment. Then things really got awkward when Jeremias went to his side and almost blew his cover. Luckily, Tobias saved his skin with his interruption. Vash just went with what they were saying and stated quiet.
OOC: can I go on patrol with a sword?
Antura, hearing a disturbance, turned to see Vash being confronted by a hare. Then a badger saved the weasel from further embarassment, and apologized to him. Antura hailed Vash as she strode over. "Oi! Vash, over here! Hey, how are you doing, mate? Listen, if anybeast gives you trouble, let me know. I can't abide closed-minded beasts," she finished lightly, glancing casually at the hare, Jeremias.
"No, it's really okay." Vash assured her, feeling even more awkward.
Antura shrugged. "Suit yourself. Really, I'm just itching for some combat- I wouldn't mind giving somebeast a lesson in swordplay."
OOC: Quickpaw- Am I actually making you feel awkward? Sorry if I am... My character is just trying to be sympathetic/friendly. *sigh* But I have just about no social skills, so I am often seen as either unfriendly or overfriendly. :P
sorry but what I previously said on this post didn't fit.
OOC: No, not at all!
BIC: "Lesson, or butt-whoopin'?" he asked her, smirking.
OOC: Okay. Just making sure.
BIC: Antura shrugged and placed a paw on the hilt of her cutlass. "Well, it all depends on your point of view, doesn't it?"
Thomas was getting bored. He decided to walk up to Vash and Antura. "Who is your friend here, Antura? "
"Yea, it does. Apple?" he said to her, holding out the apple he had.
Antura, smiling, accepted it. "Stealing apples again, eh? Isn't that what got you in trouble in the first place?" Thomas walked over and asked who Vash was, so the ottermaid performed a short introduction. "Thomas, this is Vash. Vash, this is Thomas. Melvin the kite rescued him from the vermin." Antura noticed Jeremias and Tobias pass by, and she muttered, "Huh. Wasn't there an otter with them? Where's he gone?"
Vash nodded to Thomas. "Who knows?" he said on reply to Antura.
Norham was plotting a way out of his prison. "How hard could it possibly be to get out of this thing?" He thought to himself.
A vermin walked too closely under the cage.
(Now remember here, Norham is being gaurded by archers, ready for an epic escape?)
Norham grabbed the vermin, who happened to be a slave driver, Olgemas, and pulled him up in front of the bars of his raised cage. A gaurd shot at Norham, but only hit Olgemas. Norham reached around, ripped out the arrow, and sliced the rope that was suspending him from the tree. Before he hit the ground, he had already picked the lock, with the same arrow. Norham ran for his life, but not into the woods, but into the camp. He found his stuff, and ran, knowing he could see Riggaeo at any moment, and go into a rage.
He needed an army to help him out of this, and the next best thing happened. He heard a loud cry from the woods. "LOGALOGALOGALOGALOGALOG!!!" Slingstones rained on the enemy like angry hornets. With no time for introduction, Norham ran with the strange, spiky-furred small beasts. They all retreated toward
Redwall. All those on the wall could see the shrews and one otter being chased by an entire horde.
"Whatever that was, it sounded like someone has someone needs help. Do you have a sword I could borrow?"
OOC: cue him being told to look for one and finding the sword of martin, if thats okay with you guys.
OOC: Norham- very nice! That escape put Houdini to shame.
Thomas- 'S fine with me. (Can't speak for anyone else, though)
BIC: Antura heard a Guosim warcry from outside the abbey, and she rushed to the front gate to peek through a knothole. She saw a large group of shrews, headed by an otter, fleeing towards the abbey. Antura recruited some nearby creatures to help her open the gates. Somebeast on the walltop yelled frantically, "Open the gates!" But Antura did not give the signal until Norham was about to run into the gate. Then, as soon as the last shrew was inside, the gates were slammed shut. There came the faint thunk!s of several arrows embedding themselves in the wood, and Antura breathed a sigh of relief. That was close.
Thomas rushed up to Norham. "you're the otter who helped me escape the vermin camp! Tell me, were you in trouble these past few hours? If so it would explain some uneasy feelings I've been having. By the way, the names Thomas Barkshield."
Vash heart was pounding. He had a very nervous look, and there was a reason why. Many gousim where glaring at him with hating looks, and about five of them where holding spears a few inches from his neck. He didn't dare move, or make a sound, or breath for that matter. He just stood there like a statue as the little creatures eyed him.
Norham intervened on Vash's part. "Hey, if the abbeydwellers are ok with him, you should be too! Put down those spears!" The shrews obeyed. Norham looked at Vash, finally recognizing him. "Hey, aren't you the one who.." Norham looked around, all the shrews were staring at him and Vash. Norham continued slowly. "Aren't you the one who repaired our cart, when it's wheel popped off?" Vash smiled and nodded vigorously. This was satisfactory for the shrews. They left. Norham then spoke in a hushed tone. "Um, no hard feelings about earlier, right?"
"If anything, I should be asking you that." he whispered back apologetically. "Thanks for helping me, too." he added.
"I am very glad to have you here my friend, but I am afraid there is still an angry horde of vermin out there, and I still need a sword."
Norham sat on the battlements, waiting for dinner, while he waited, he hummed an old tune he learned when he was young
Melvin stumbled along the walltop, ruffling his feathers against all that tried to help him. He stopped standing next to Norham, "Och, thet's a purty tune."
Linda swung herself on her crutches toward the wall stairs, ignoring the odd arrow. She stopped at the bottom of the wallstairs bent her knees and used the crutches as a swing. She was waiting for a creature that needed help, because she had no idea of what to do.
Vash saw Linda as she swung. "Hello." he said blankly.
Antura heard Thom's request for a sword and replied cheerily, "Well, we haven't got an armory here, but let's see what we can find you, eh?" She headed off toward the abbey, motioning for the mouse to follow her.
Thomas was glad that someone had answered his request. He would feel better with a sword in hand. "A bow to pick off some unlucky vermin would be good too" he thought.
OOC: Linda could remember the mouse that was having memory problems...
OOC: Oops! Sorry for Antura's apparent unconcern for Vash's predicament. She could see that Norham was handling it, though.
Norham- I'm going to start playing Baypaw now, if that's all right.
BIC: Antura led Tom into Great Hall, pausing for a moment to think.
Now, where's a likely place for weapon storage? Hm. Maybe I'd better ask the Abbess.~*~*~*~*~*
In the Infirmary, Sister Baypaw was being kept quite busy. A constant stream of creatures had been moving in, out and through the sickbay all day, and her patience was wearing a bit thin. She glanced out the window between patients, and saw Melvin take an arrow, then shrug off any would-be helpers. The hare's ears quivered with anger. "Foolish kite! He'll get himself jolly well killed if he continues on takin' wounds without getting them flippin' seen to," she muttered darkly.
Linda seemed like a busy beast, so Vash kept moving. He heard that they needed help in the infirmary, and quickly headed towards it.
Linda had barely looked up, but when Vash started away from her she stammered, "Oh, h-hello." She inwardly cringed and cast her gaze back down to her footpaw, her twisted thing, and the ends of her crutches.
"Oh, hey." Vash said, turning around. "How are you?" he asked, feeling bad for almost leaving her.
Linda stared at the ground, the stairs, the pond, anything but Vash, "I'm good." She said quietly, "I'm waiting for Melvin, my friend."
"Melvin? I don't believe I know him. Then again, I don't know many people here. I'm new. My name's Vash, by the way." He said, holding out his paw.
Linda looked a bit higher, to Vash's chest, but still didn't meet his eyes, "Linda." She said, and took a few moments to readjust her crutches so one wouldn't fall over when she let go and shook his hand tentatively.
"Ok, Linda. Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked her.
Linda nodded, unsure if she should be asking him for help. She didn't want to impose, "Get Melvin down here for me, please. He's a great big kite, can't miss him."
As Antura and Tom walked through great hall he noticed two things. The first was a tapestry depicting a strange mouse who he somehow knew to be Martin the warrior, the second being a great battle blade which he also mysteriously knew to be Martins sword. "That is a great blade, light and razor sharp." he said as if in a trance. He had no idea how he knew what he just said.
Vash thought he had misheard. "A kite?" he asked for clarification.
Linda nodded, "Great big bird, brown and white."
"Oh, okay. I'll ah, I'll go. And he won't eat me?" he said to her.
Antura was surprised by Thom's knowledge of Martin's sword. When the otter spoke, her voice was full of awe. "Aye, that it is. A great Badger Lord of Salamandastron forged it, out of a fallen star."
~*~*~*~*~*
Sister Baypaw was still grumbling about Melvin when there was a tentative knock on the sickbay door. Baypaw sighed wearily and said, "Don't stand out there tapping, please come in and I'll see what I can flamin' well do for you." She turned and saw a small molebabe who was sucking his paw. Managing a smile, the tired sister asked, "What's the matter? Did you burn your paws again, wot? You should know better than to dip 'em in bloomin' hot soup, young master Burrl." Burrl removed his paw from his mouth and replied indignantly, "Oi didden' bees dippen moi paws in ee zoop! A gurt 'ard rock coomed over d'wall an' smacked moi paw." Baypaw inspected the paw expertly. There were no broken bones- in fact, the only evidence of Burrl's unfortunate encounter was a small purple bruise. "Hm. Y'should be just fine, old lad. Toodle off now and play with some other Dibbun chaps, wot."
Linda gave a weak smile, "No, Melvin's swore off all creatures but bad ones." She realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself, "He only eats those that do evil." Other than that, it was mostly fish and a few 'squirrel treats' as he called them. Or more accurately, 'Squirdal trets.'
"Oh, well, okay then. I'll go get him." Vash said, heading to look for the Kite.
Norham sat talking with Melvin, telling him where he got that "purty" tune.
"My mother taught that song to me. I've forgotten the words, but the tune is unforgettable."
Norham looked over to see Vash heading for melvin. "Ah, Melvin, I think Vash needs ya a moment."
--------------------------------
Algemas sat weeping over the arrow ridden body of his brother, Olgemas. Olgemas was the rat that was guarding Norham's cage when he escaped, and Norham used him as an easy way to get an arrow.
Algemas slowly got up and started digging a quiet grave for his brother. "Neither of us were meant for war, and now you're dead, and I am stuck as second in command..." He thought to himself.
When he was done with his impromptu burial, he looked around, nobody was watching. He snuck off into the woods. He wandered past a huge tree. He inspected it carefully. There was a small door, with writing on it. Well, it was to old and rotted to read. He opened the door, and it creaked loudly. As he opened it, a large, shadowy figure bulled past him. He turned around to see what it was. All he saw were two pairs of razor sharp teeth, and that, was the last thing Algemas ever saw.
"I have the strange feeling that I've been here before" Thomas said.
Antura shrugged. "Maybe you have, Thom. You could've stopped in for a visit or somethin'- I wouldn't know, because I'm gone a lot."
"Umm, Melvin?" he asked, trying to get the kite's attention. "I have a message for you." Vash added.
"Who is abby warrior right now" Tom said "He could help us find some weapons". "Or we could just ask someone on the walltops if I could borrow a weapon".
OOC: Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
BIC: "We don't have an Abbey Warrior right now. If we did, they'd be carrying Martin's sword," Antura replied. "You're right, the best place to ask about weapons is the walltops."
~*~*~*~*~*
Sister Baypaw sat down, glaring out the window at Melvin. He was talking to an otter until another creature approached. Hmm, exactly what was it? It was tall and lithe- an otter perhaps? No. It was- "Hmph. Can't be. How could a blinkin' vermin get itself into the abbey, anyhow?" Her thoughts were interrupted by another patient- a squirrel defender with an arrow stuck in his brush. Baypaw sighed and got back to work.
Tom departed Antura, giving her his thanks. Once he was on the walltop he saw an unattended bow with some arrows. "who's are these" he asked nearby squirrel. "There my friends, but he got hit by an arrow, so you can borrow them" the squirrel replied.
Tom notched an arrow to the string and let it fly. He was soon rewarded with an agonized scream, then silence.
Vash waited for a response, hoping that he wouldn't become a snack for a hungry carnivore.
Norham assured the large kite that Vash was a friend, not lunch. Norham decided it best to go inside for a while. As he was going in, he bumped into Abbess Emmery, who was just leaving to go encourage the gaurds on the walltops. Norham did his best to bow, and failed. The abbess laughed, but not in a mean way. The tall squirell told Norham to stand up straight, and just call her Emmery, no fancy abbess, miss, or other such titles. Abbess Emmery was always involved with the young and old, and really blended in with the crowd. She did not mind this, but she did take command when the time was needed. Norham continued on, and found himself near the tapestry of Martin. He stared at it for what seemed an eternity, and he finally realized Antura was still there. He stuttered and stammered as he talked to her. " Er, um, how, err, how long was, er, I, standing here?"
Antura hid a smile, trying not to increase Norham's embarassment. "Not long. It's all right- Martin has that effect on most beasts."
"Um, Linda, wants to see you. She's waiting." Vash said before quickly leaving. He did not want to be near that kite any longer than he had to be. Vash started heading for the infirmary. After a little but of searching, he found it and walked in.
Baypaw looked from bandaging the squirrel's tail and saw a weasel. A weasel, and in her infirmary! She really was a peaceful beast, and she had no idea what to do. Twitching her ears, she wondered if she could make it past him- oh, bother! She couldn't leave her patient alone... Finally, she asked boldly (or so she thought), "What do you want?"
Norham decided it best to leave, before he got emberassed further. He said a most ungraceful farewell, while tripping over his own footpaws on the way out. He tried to cover his clumsiness and emberassement by humming. It seemed to work for a little while, and then he thought about how odd he had acted. He had never stammered in front of anyone before. He had never been so much of a clutz before. He blushed, and tried to stop thinking about it. He tripped again.
"I'm just here to help." he assured her. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little shaky." he said to her. Actually, it was probably just because she was a little opposed to him helping or maybe even scared of him. "Look, I'm seriously just here to help in any way I can. I may not be the best, but I'm sure I can help with something." Vash said.
Norham went down to the cellars. A mole by the name of Ginbur was tending to the barrels of ale and wine. Cellarmole Ginbur looked up from his work. "Woi stan' on moi tunnel, if it bain't be masta Nor'am. Sit ye down good zurr!" Norham spoke. "Wow, is that you Ginbur? You haven't changed a bit!" Both exchanged warm handshakes.
Sister Baypaw was startled by the weasel's polite tone. Somewhat reassured, she replied, "Uh, help, y'say? Well, I am a bit flippin' busy, wot. Erm, could you get me some more bandages out of that cupboard? There's no bloomin' tellin' when the next injured beast is going to show up."
Norham and Ginbur sat sipping October Ale, for which redwall is famous, and eating cheese. Norham had apparently never had any kind of ale, he passed out within a few minutes. Ginbur, who was on his fifth round of ale, stared blankly at the otter next to him. "Huh, happen every toim."
Vash modded and went to get more bandages. Some beasts gave him a look on his way over, but he just ignored them. The truth was, he didn't want to do any of this, but he had to if he wanted to stay in Redwall.
OOC: Riggaeo is really not doing much to capture Redwall so Thomas is going to die of boredom soon, being a warlike creature.
OOC: maybe his troops need some rest, or even to regroup I guess. Idk.
Thomas, being an impatient beast, was getting frustrated. Long waits on the enemy part always meant something was being planned. He wasn't going to let Riggaeo live long enough to do that. When nobody was there he took martins sword off its holders and stole off into the night.
Melvin nodded to Vash as he left and toddled down the stairs, "Ye want me?" He asked Linda.
Linda nodded, "You need help for that arrow wound."
Melvin scoffed, "Och, an arrer ain't gonnah fell a braw best lahke me." He ruffled his feathers proudly and stood a little taller.
Linda shook her head at the kite's foolishness, "It may impair your flying abilities."
Melvin seemed to deflate slowly, "Och, ye really say thet?"
Linda nodded, "Let's go to the infirmary. Crouch down."
He crouched as low as he possibly could, grumbling darkly, "There bes fixziks there, fixziks dae mahre 'arm than gudd."
Linda clambered onto her friends back, using her strong arms(that came from holding much of her weight all the time) to lift herself. When she and her crutches were safely on Melvin, he slowly walked into the abbey and the infirmary with Linda inspecting his wound. It was fairly clean, and missed the bone, but there was a bit of torn muscle and skin. She gently wiped the blood away with a cloth from her bag as Melvin reached the infirmary.
Vash saw Melvin and gulped then he saw Linda on the kite's back. He walked over and handed Sister Baypaw the bandages. "Hello again." Vash said to them, but mostly to Linda.
Melvin nodded, "Hallo."
Linda didn't respond, she was too busy sliding off Melvin's back. Melvin didn't notice her difficulties and didn't do anything to help her get off.
"Hello, uh, Melvin." he replied. Then Vash looked at Linda struggling. "Need help?" he asked her. It would probably be a lot better than helping Sister Baypaw.
Sister Baypaw relaxed, as Vash seemed willing enough to help. She got a triumphant gleam in her eye as Melvin strode in carrying Linda. She turned to comment on this to Vash, but the young weasel was offering his services to Linda. Smiling drily, Baypaw turned back to Melvin. "Well, if it isn't old bushel-britches, wot. What happened to you and when? Tell the truth now, sah!"
~*~*~*~*~*
Antura, feeling restless, headed back to the front wall. It seemed like the vermin onslaught was becoming gradually less severe, but it was difficult to tell. Not that it mattered much to Antura- she could sling stoness just as well at one vermin or tenscore. But she was craving a real battle, face-to-face with an enemy. She suddenly decided to go outside the abbey to fight. Why not? She could be rather stealthy and quick- why not use some guerrilla warfare? Strike hard and fast, taking a few vermin at a time and vanishing. It would not only nibble at the enemy's numbers, but would unease the survivors as well. She snuck out through the wallgate- no need to worry anybeast- and headed off into the darkening woodlands. Antura was only a minute or so away from the abbey when she saw a creature up ahead. Good, her first victim. She edged closer, and was unsheathing her cutlass when she realized that the creature was Thomas. Antura quickly revealed herself to the mouse. "Hello. Fancy seeing you out here. Getting a bit restless, eh? So was I," she said, stepping forward.
Ooc: well, if you want Riggaeo to do something, then do something he shall.
Riggaeo had been working, working his men that is. He had a new weapons being constructed. Ballistas, those were the war-machines he needed, ballistas. He had forty in all. He also saw to it that his archers be issued new weapons aswell. Crossbows, those were compact, long-ranged, and accurate as a needle if tuned properly. His men were fit, armed to the teeth, and ready to march. "This is the beginning of the end!" Riggaeo shouted to his men. His men chanted back to him. "Starswift, Starswift. Bring down redwall!"
Hearing the noise, Antura headed quietly towards it. "Come on, Thom- it sounds like the vermin are up to something!" She halted at a good vantage point, taking in the new weapons that the vermin were constructing. Ballistas! Well, that wasn't good- Antura smiled as she began scheming as to how she could upset their plans...
Vash, with some trouble, gently eased Linda down to the floor. "There ya go." Vash said with a small smile before walking back into the crowd of injured soldiers and nurses.
Linda nodded her thanks as Melvin replied to Baypaw quite inidgently.
"Mah nahme ain't bussel brits! Ah'm Melvin!" Melvin replied rather frostily, "Ah wahs cumin beck from scouting, eye o' a haek, me, tha ah ain't un. Arrer came while mah beck wahs turned, nae fault o' mahne ah got shot, ye ken. Nasty varmin, tacking while mah back was turned. Coward, probly know thet ah'd kill 'im stone der if ah wahs shot while facing 'im." Melvin jumped up on a bed post and looked around hopefully, "Where bes thet think o' canny chesnuts?"
Baypaw glared severely at Melvin. "There'll be no bloomin' candied chestnuts for you, sah. Those are for the Dibbuns only. Now come here so I can dress that flamin' arrow wound. A poultice and a good physic should cure you, wot!"
"So do you need anything else?" Vash asked Linda, walking back.
Norham happened to look over the wall at the wrong time, a ballista bolt came a fraction from Norham's head. He ducked swifly as another soared high over, blasting into an upper story window. He had been at the abbey just long enough to know that the window, lead to the infirmary.
Melvin shook his head rapidly, "Nae, ah'm fahne widoot fixsicks. Et has sick in ta name!"
Linda shook her head and didn't speak. She made her way over to the door and looked out, waiting for patients. She was getting a bit bored, and began using her crutches as swings again. She shrieked in alarm as the balista rock crashed through the window.
Vash ran and lunged at Linda, pushing her to the floor as another shot came into the infirmary. It hit the floor where they had just been. "We need to get out of here!" Vash shouted. He got up and then started to help Linda up.
Ooc: They're not shooting rocks, bolts are solid metal arrows, but like, the size of spears. Ballistas are awesome like that.
Riggaeo smiled inwardly at the thought of having impaled an innocent foebeast. He decided it best just to lay siege from here, rather the rush the place, he was having fun with these idiots, he thought to himself.
Melvin fluttered from his perch and tore downstairs without a second thought for the others. He was 'selfless' like that.
Linda's crutches had been knocked away from her as she fell, but she knew that if she got the crutches, she would be putting her life in unecesary danger, "The patients." She said quietly, "Are there many alive?" She had to lean on Vash for support, as she was fairly sure she would have to hol down the stairs.
OOC: Oops, thinking of the wrong sort of weapon.
Vash looked back and winced and the mess and panic. "Let's just get to safety." Vash said, leading her toward her crutches.
Ooc: that's ok, I tried to make one today off the top of my head, I was thinking of the wrong kind of weapon, I always thought they were just a supersized crossbow, apparently I was WAY off.
Norham rushed up the stairs, and was bulled down by a kite, he quickly recovered and ran ahead. "Is everybody alright?" He yelled.
"I can hop, and there's a wheelchair in the kitchens." Linda said stubbornly, "Leave them, and help the patients downstairs."
"The kitchen's farther and wheelchairs are bad for stairs." Vash said before gently setting her down and running towards her crutches. He reached them and a bolt landed right infront of him, piercing his vest. From behind he looked impaled.
Big edit. Pretend this post never, ever happened.
OOC: Powerplaying is when you majorly affect someone's character without their permission. I did not say Melvin was eating, so he is not eating. Just a bit of advice, most people do not like powerplaying. I understand that you're new, and should be cut some slack.
OOC: Yeah, I was going to have some things happen to Vash...but it's okay.
Ooc: oh, er, massively sorry, er, then I suppose Linda and Vash are still in the infirmary?
Um, yes. But it's your rp, so I'll go along with what you want if you want me too.
Ooc: no, no, I shouldn't have powerplayed like that, please as you were saying, with the bolt protruding through your vest...
OOC: ok
BIC: Vash was silent, finally letting out a small breath. He was as still as a statue. He had almost died!
Norham was rushing up the stairs and saw Vash! He finally realized he was not dead, but almost! Norham went over to help pull out the bolt when another rushed through the shatter window and grazed Norham's back, and he began to bleed profusely.
Vash finally came back to consciousness in time to turn his head and see Norham get grazed by a bolt. He tossed the crutches to Linda and dashed towards Norham. His vest ripped of and he discarded it, forgetting about it.
Norham blacked out. The last thing he saw was someone leaning over him.
Vash picked Norham up with a lot of effort and slowly moved him to the wall so that he would be out of they way of the onslaught. He headed back for Linda, but suddenly stopped. "Oh jeez, this is bad..." he said quietly, before looking down. There was an arrow in his upper leg near the hip.
OC: Yikes! I missed quite a bit! Sorry, I was at church, and then had to help with dinner, including making a picky five year old eat. :P
BIC: Sister Baypaw regained consciousness painfully. What had happened? She gasped as the saw the ruins of the infirmary. "Oh no." Standing carefully and quickly assessing her wounds- amazingly it was only a few minor scratches and bumps- she noticed Norham propped against the wall and Vash stopped at the doorway, an arrow protruding from his leg. She had never been through a battle, so had never seen such bad injuries, but Baypaw did her best. "You there- Vash, was it? Come here an' I'll get that flippin' arrow out. Then y'can help me with the others, includin' that otter." Her tone brooked no argument.
Vash slowly looked at her, then nodded. He went to walk but as soon as he moved his left leg his eyes went wide and pain surged into it. Vash let out a cry of pain as he fell to the floor, clutching his leg. He had realized the pain until now, and it was agonizing.
OOC: Sorry I missed a lot, but I had a violin recital, and then dinner at my grandparents. Also, if I'm away for a while feel free to powerplay me.
BIC: Tom was glad Antura was here. when he realised that ballistas were firing at the Abbey he went into an insane rage. Eyes red, he charged at the nearest Ballista and choped the string in half. He wrecked four more ballistas in a matter of seconds.
Sister Baypaw rushed to Vash and carefully pulled out the arrow. She then bound his wound quickly to stop the bleeding. Using the remains of her wrecked stores, she made a special poultice to deaden the pain and quicken the healing process, placing it on Vash's wound. She bit her lip. He didn't seem in any shape to help her. "All right, nevermind, old chap. Get y'self out of here on the double, laddie buck. That's an order!" she barked, imitating her old sergeant. Then she turned to deal with Norham. There was nothing she could do for him here, so she painstakingly dragged him out into the hallway, her eyes widening at the sight of the blood trail that he left behind. Baypaw rolled up her sleeves resolutely and got to work.
~*~*~*~*~*
Antura was about to outline a plan to disable the ballistas when they began firing, and Thom charged past her, hacking madly at the weapons, heedless of the vermin around him.
Well, there goes my plan for stealth, she thought. Drawing her cutlass, Antura followed Thom. As he attacked the ballistas, she defended him, shouting warcries all the while. "Blooood an' vinegaaaaaar! Redwaaaaallll!"
OOC: Just for clarification, she learned some Salamandastron warcries from Sister Baypaw, and loves to use them.
OOC: To Norham: Is it okay if me and Antura destroy the ballistas or should one or both of us get captured? I feel it appropriate to ask you as it is your roleplay.
Vash nodded to her in thanks before slowly getting up. He started to hobble away.
OOC: I am agreeable to Thom's idea, if Norham's okay with it. ;D Oh, and if you don't hear from Baypaw for a while, just assume she's going about her healing duties and such. I don't want to make an account of every poultice she makes and every bandage she wraps. :P
Ooc: I am fine with the destruction of the ballistas, or the getting captured idea. But so you know, I wouldn't be attacking a ballista up close, because a ballista works because of torsion cords, and if those are cut, the huge arms swing outward, possibly taking off a head or two, just so ya know...
Vash was hobbling to the basement, but it was taking him a little time. He was hoping that no one would shout him when he got down, since he highly doubted that he would be on any of their roll calls. He sighed and hoped as he neared the bottom.
After destroying several balistas Tom sliped up and cut the cord from the wrong place. the cord wrapped around a dead weasels sword and due to incredible bad luck, it was impaled in Toms chest. His life flashed before his eyes and he knew he was going to die. "well, I might as well go down in glory" he thought. Shouting war cries he single pawed took down a score of vermin. The last thing he saw was the vermin taking down Antura, then everything went dark.
OOC: I did check with Antura about her getting captured and Thomas is still breathing (he's not dead).
As Vash the corner, he found everything barricaded shut. He couldn't get in! He'd been locked out!! Vash swore under his breath before turning around and hobbling back up.
Norham was slowly coming to. He felt a shooting pain as Sister Baybaw wrapped a poultice on his back. "Where's Vash?" He said, with a tone of urgency.
Sister Baypaw saw that Norham was coming to. The first thing he did was ask about Vash. Baypaw shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know where he is. I sent him away from here, seein' as he'd taken a flippin' arrow in his jolly old leg, wot!"
~*~*~*~*~*
Antura fought madly, but the vermin's superior numbers brought her down. She saw Thomas impaled after he cut the ropes on one of the ballistas, and then a vermin spear-butt thudded into the back of her head and she lost consciousness.
Ooc: You know what I like best about roleplays? Well, sort of the best. But my favorite thing is seeing amateur writers like us make a cool story. ( if you aren't an amateur writer, sorry, but I know I am.)
Algemas' dead corpse was slowly being eaten by none other than a pure black snake. Its scales did not gleam in the moonlight, making it practically invisible to the eye. It slithered back into the massive tree from whence it came. Argarsis was the snake's name. He descended from the line of Baliss, the massive black adder.
OOC: Well, I'm pretty much an amateur writer, and you're right, that is a fun part- my favorite part is being someone else for a while. ;D
Vash finally reached the top with a huff. When he didn't see anyone, he started to make his way towards the eastern exit. It took him awhile, but he eventually made it. He opened the door with some effort and then started walking to the woods east of the vermin camp.
OOC: I kind of know how you feel, Norham. But I have to admit, my role playing has definitely improved since my first couple of roleplays.
Ooc: This is my first RP, I couldn't have ever chosen a better group of writers, unless of course I could choose from Doyle, Lewis, Tolkien, and of course, Jacques. But other than that, this is awesome. Btw, Kitrall, what exactly is steam powered giraffe, is it a band? It has a steampunk look to it.
OOC: Thanks, I suppose. Everyone starts somewhere with writing and roleplaying.
BIC: Melvin strutted to the window and looked out. There was nothing of importance inside the walls. He itched to go out and fight, but a kite couldn't shoot an arrow or sling a sling. A kite could only scout, and fight from above. Sometimes he wished he had arms. That must be a luxury.
OOC: Thanks Norham!
OOC: Just a reminder that Tom was using martins sword.
BIC: Tom was dreaming. In his dream he saw Martin the warrior and himself in great hall. Martin simply said one phrase, "protect my sword". Then Tom awoke in immense pain. He pulled the sword from his chest and, gripping the sword of martin in his hand, he started crawling towards the abbeys east wicker gate. As he crawled he hoped that someone had noticed him, as he couldn't open the door himself.
Vash noticed a mouse crawling as he hobbled. He debated whether or not to help him. He could just leave now, and he could get away from it all. But maybe he could just help this one mouse. Then he would walk off. Yeah, that was what he would do. Vash walked over to Thom, just now recognizing that he looked a little familiar. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, tapping him in the shoulder.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm not. Why are you outside the abbey now?"
"I can't get inside the barrier and nowhere else is safe. But there's still a good doc inside that's outside the barricade, I'm going to take you to her." Vash said, pulling Thomas up and supporting him with his shoulder.
Tom was glad that Vash was there. leaning on Vash's shoulder and Martins sword he went inside. He was glad to have regained his memory due to the flashback. He was especially glad that he remembered how to make repeating crossbows. " I've had an idea Vash, and I need you to carry it out". "Ill explain it while I'm resting, preferably inside".
OOC: A repeating crossbow has a crank you can turn to shoot about 5 arrows in a row.
OOC: ??? Barricade? Did I miss something? @Norham: Thank you, and yes, Steam Powered Giraffe (SPG) is a steampunk musical pantomime group. I like them a lot. ;D
BIC: When Antura woke, it was to find herself bound to a tree and completely helpless. A nearby rat was inspecting her cutlass curiously. "Where'd ye get dis, eh? It's not a otter weppin." Antura laughed at the rat. "You want to know where I got it, rat? I took it off of a vermin that I slayed. Those notches on the handle aren't his count- they're mine. Let me loose an' I'll take you to Hellgates! Redwaaaaall!" The rat promptly dropped her cutlass and scurried off. When he was gone, Antura's head drooped and let out a sigh. It looked like this would be her last adventure. But she would take many vermin with her to the Dark Forest. Oh, yes. The horde of Riggaeo Starswift would not easily forget her.
OOC: I thought Norham of someone posted that the Redwaller's had barricades themselves in the basement...
BIC: "Yeah, uh, about that. I may not be here much longer." Bash said as they reached the eastern gate.
OOC: Yeah, I must have just missed it. Whoops. *sheepish grin* Anyway, g'night.
Ooc: this may resolve a lot. I said they barricaded the WINDOWS. Not the entire staircase.
Norham was recovering swiftly, and he decided it best to leave the abbey. He went downstairs to the great hall. Others were having breakfast, but he had another thing on his mind. He was given a dreamby Martin last night. It showed a black serpentine figure in the background, with Riggaeo fighting several creatures. It was hard to interpret, so he just left it be. He had a bowl of Shrimp and Hotroot soup. Then, he left.
Thomas suddenly remembered a very important fact. "Antura was captured by" he whispered, then Tom passed out.
OOC: I think we should keep the abby barricaded, not just the basement, as the vermin still have a few balistas.
OOC: Sounds good to me.
BIC: Vash's eyes widened as he heard what Thomas said. The first, and one of the few, to actually accept him. He hobbled to sister Baypaw with Thom on his shoulder. "Help this one too." Vash said before hobbling out of the abbey once more. He looked from the woods, to the abbey, and back at the woods again. Vash then started to walk off...
OOC: Scrap the repeating crossbow idea
Vash casually walked into camp with the sack of apples he had stolen from Norham. He immediatly walked into the crowd of Vermin, blending himself in with the group. And no beast would suspect a thing of him, he was just another vermin soldier. He started to look around the camp.
Antura raised her head to glare defiantly at the wildcat warlord- Riggaeo Starswift. Not that it did any good, he was looking the other way anyway. Her cutlass was on the ground only a few feet away from her, as if it was taunting her. If only she could get loose somehow... Then she would give these vermin tales to tell around their fires for many seasons to come. A stoat ambled closer to get a look at her, and Antura feigned unconsciousness- until he put his face close to hers. She lunged forward, latching onto the stoat's ear with her teeth. He wriggled about and shrieked in pain. "Yeooow! Owowooo, mates, 'elp!" Three guards rushed over and laid about the otter with their spear hafts until she let go. The stoat, nursing his torn and bleeding ear, hurried off before he could be injured again, and the other guards left too, casting fearful glances back at Antura.
Vash heard a big commotion and slowly walked over. He saw some others walking away with a stoat who was gripping his ear. Vash then looked to where they had been walking away from, seeing an ottermaid tied to a tree. It was Antura! Vash turned around to see if anyone was watching him before turning back around. He slowly walked up to her, looking away so she wouldn't recognize him. If she saw him and made any sort of reaction to him being there, it would blow his cover. He leaned his back against the side of the tree, right out of her reach. "'Ello, mis truble." he said in a rather poor accent.
OOC: BTW Kitrall, I joined your rp.
Sorry for the again late reply!
Norham was just outside the vermin camp. He watched closely as a familiar weasel talked to Antura. Norham wanted to help her escape, but how? He was stumped. He drew his longbow, and aimed for a vermin gaurd on the far side of the huge camp. He drew back, and adjusted for the wind, and fired. He was happy to see the gaurd drop, and many gaurds ran to him. Now, to distract this side, he fired again at a closer gaurd. More ran to him. Norham crept to the foliage till he was not but three yards feom Antura' tree. He signalled for Vash with a low, bird like whistle. He tossed a small knife to him, to cut Antura free. Now, the wait for the opportune moment.
Antura didn't even bother to look up. "Hello, mangy-fur. Haven't you got any innocent creatures to slay, or did your mamma tell you not to get your paws dirty afore supper?" She said mockingly, trying to goad him into getting closer. If she had her way, there would soon be more than a few vermin nursing bite wounds. (OOC: Is that the correct term- bite wound? ??? )
Suddenly a commotion broke out as several vermin guards fell, transfixed by arrows. What was going on?
Norham was glad to see his plan work so well, but then he thought of what could go wrong, they needed help. A distraction! Thought Norham. Norham got up and shot five arrows at a time, not very accuratell, but it made a point.(made a point! Geddit? Sorry, horrible.) he ran skirting the woods firing off arrow after arrow, he looked back to see how Vash and Antura were getting on.
OOC: I think so.
BIC: "Well, that's no way to treat a-" he was cut off from the sound of a bird. He looked around, almost which was fortunate when he saw a knife that was tossed his way. He caught it, looking in the direction it had came from. He shrugged, sticking the knife in his belt. "As I was saying...that's no way to treat me." He said. He felt like keeping the act up a little longer, smirking to himself. Just in case anyone was watching, especially since now the others were more alert.
Norham would have face-pawed if the moment weren't so tense. Vash was just standing there, chit-chatting like the knife just was given to him for no reason! He cut back through the woods, toward Vash. He laid low in the bushes nearby, he whistled again.
Ooc: Kitrall, I was reading through your RP. Is Baypaw a sort of alias of Liathach?
Tailli ran from the abbey, several scones hidden in her dress. She bounded up the wallstairs and jumped into a tree. Stealing from these fools was so easy! She reached the ground easily and was now going more slowly. She didn't want to be caught by the vermin, after all. When she was only twenty feet from the closest one, she scampered up a tree and hopped branch-to-branch until she reached a tree that was right next to the vermin camp. She would wait until nightfall, then do some big stealing. She peered from her perch. The otter fool had gotten herself captured. Tailli didn't care at all. She went to where the branch connected with the trunk and put her feet up and her paws behind her head. She would be patient.
Ooc: I was wondering where Talili went...
Norham looked up to see that same squirell feom the Abbey, just sitting there! There was a whole vermin camp next to her!
Antura raised her head to snarl at him. "Oh yeah? Let me loose and I'll show you-" she stopped abruptly, recognizing Vash. She shot him a quizzical look, but knew better than to blow his cover. "I'll show you how I treat evil creatures. Hah! I'll give you scars, too. Care to try your luck?" As she finished, Antura winked at Vash, hoping he would take the hint.
OOC: No. Are Liath and Baypaw that similar? ... I guess I'm not really very good at making different RP personalities yet. :-\
Tailli leaned forward, somewhat interested. She pulled a scone from her pocket and ate it in a casual way. She might be able to sell the abbeybeasts out. Yes, that would be smart. A plan began unfolding in her head. Brilliant, brilliant plans!
Ooc: Er, that's not quite what I meant, I said they were very similar, not the same, er, sorry.
Norham finally saw that the two of them recognized each other, and he was glad Antura was playing along with the disguise. Norham crept close to the tree, and whispered in her ear. "I'm getting you two out of here, don't act suspicious, or make any sudden moves till I say so." He paused. "Vash, could you stay here and find out some information about this army, and their plans? You'd blend right in!"
"But I was...fine. But what do I get out of this?" he sighed. He really wants to just leave and get along with his life. At least he was helping Antura...
OOC: Btw, I'm at Retake Redwall.
OOC: No, no, it's fine. I'm not offended or anything.
BIC: Antura heard the exchange between Vash and Norham, and had to hide a smile. Poor Vash! Well, she would try to get him out of here soon- it was obvious that he didn't relish the thought of staying in the vermin camp.
Vash sighed as he walked off into the camp. Why was he Doing this?
Thomas was remembering lots of things now. the strangest being that he somehow remembered the name Norham. He could almost place it...
Tailli grinned as Vash walked off. She didn't move and spoke to Antura, "Trouble, aren't you?" Se chuckled and took another bite of her scone, "I could help you." She shrugged, "But I see no reason to." She shifted slightly, "Don't bore me with pleadings for help. The answer is no."
Norham looked up at the speaker, again with that squirell!
He knew something was up with her, he couldn't quite put his paw on it though...
Antura looked up at the sound of a voice overhead. She was puzzled by the squirrel's attiude. "You're that squirrel from the abbey- what are you doing here? Why won't you help?"
OOC: Just so you know, Wonwill, there's no pleading or whatever in her voice, just curiosity.
Sorry, Quickpaw, I didn't notice your ooc post. I'm glad to have you in my RP. Thanks for joining.
OOC: Tailli doesn't understand emotions. She thinks that normal, non-sociopathic creatures would plead in this situation, thus her mentioning of pleading.
BIC: Tailli smiled mirthlessly, "There isn't anything in it for me."
OOC: It's fine, and you're welcome!
BIC: Vash walked into the camp. It was getting cold, and he was really starting to wish he hadn't lost his vest. His fur was helping, but it still wasn't nice to have a bare chest when it was getting a little chilly.
Norham was beginning to grow impatient with the rude squirell, he did not like someone speaking to Antura like that. "Just scram, bushtail!" Norham yelled at the squirell.
Tailli looked down in mild surprise, "Why? I see no reason to. You can't outclimb a squirrel. And I could call some of those vermin over here." She shifted slightly in her position on the branch and narrowed her eyes, "I wouldn't feel any regret for your death."
Vash heard a shout behind him. Unfortunately, so did some other vermin. Oh no. he thought to himself as he and two others went to investigate, though he already knew that it was something to do with Norham and Antura.
Norham drew his longbow and dropped the approaching vermin, he then raised it at the squirell. His eyes were pure white.
Tailli smirked, "You wouldn't. You're bound by emotions." Even as she said this, she climbed a little higher in the tree. She stopped on a thick branch almost directly above him, "A sociopath isn't." She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Abbeybeasts here! Trying to free the otter! Hurry up!"
Vash ran up to Norham. "What are you thinking?!" he demanded. "What are those vermin going to think when these two don't return and I do. No one recognizes me, and you're obviously going to be gone by then. Are you trying to get us killed?!" he told Norham, anger in his voice.
Ooc: ho's the sociopath, me or you, who are you referring to? When Norham's eyes are white, he's in one of his killing rages.
Norham slowly cleared up. He grabbed Antura and Vashby their arms and pulled them down as an arrow whizzed overhead. He pulled them behind himself in a mad dash for the abbey.
"Well, there goes the spy plan." Vash muttered as he was pulled away. He quickly got to his feet and ran past Norham.
OOC: Have I ever mentioned how much I hat autocorrect?
Ooc: my face, or pace? ;D
Norham and his companions finally reached the abbey. "Problem one, how do we get in? Problem two, vermin horde on our tails! What on earth do we do now?"
OOC: Tailli is the sociopath. She has a mental psychotic condition that makes her have no morals and extremely antisocial. She doesn't know about the killing rages of Nor's either.
BIC: Tailli leaned back and let them go. She had no want to go chasing after them. It was none of her business. She may be able to make the vermin pay her to spy, double agent or something. She could show up, and ask if she could be taken in and be shown how to care. Then she would pass information on to the vermin.
Ooc/: sorry, didn't know what a sociopath was,thought it was the same as psychopath. Woops.
Norham turned around and began shooting off shafts like chain lightning. Several of the front runners dropped. Many still pressed on. Norham took the group around to the west wallgate. He had figured out this trick awhile ago. He slid his sword in between the wall and the door and unlatched the gate bar. He had just got the group inside when a shower of arrows hurtled over the wall.
Thomas finally remembered it! He and Norham were childhood friends, until the raid on their village. then he heard commotion outside the gate. almost instinctively knowing that his friends were at risk he took martins sword and rushed to the wall. Ignoring the pain of his wounds he rushed to the scene. "Redwallllllllllll!" he cried! then he stood by his friends. "Do you need a sword?" he asked Norham, while offering martins sword.
OOC: Um, Antura's still tied to the tree. It's okay though- we'll assume that Norham cut the ropes before he carried her off. No harm done.
BIC: Antura broke free of Norham's grasp and ran back for her sword, dodging spears and arrows all the while. Scooping it up, she slew the first vermin to reach her with one slash. Then she ran to catch up with Vash and Norham. Once they reached a more protected area, she grinned at them. "Well, this is what I get for wanting a real battle. Who's ready to show some of these scum the way to Hellgates?"
OOC: Sorry, I type really slow, so this isn't exactly where it should be, but hopefully you guys get the basic idea.
Ooc: Wow, Thom can go down stairs fast!
"No, I have my own, thanks Thom." He stared at Thom before running for cover as another shower of flint and wood came whizzing down.
Ooc: I'll let Vash/Kitrall decide where they want their people, I've got them far enough.
Norham and Thom rushed to the gate house for cover. When they were finally caught in their breath, Norham asked. "Thom,you look very familiar. I've seen you before, where?"
Ooc again: sorry, just noticed your post! Where should Antura and/or Vash be?
"Not me, no way!" Vash said, running towards the abbey building, dodging as as he did.
Ooc: sorry, so are Norham and Thom inside the Abbey, or am I still outside?
OOC: I thought they where inside.
Ooc: me too.... Hermm.....
Antura, finding herself alone, chuckled and slipped back out the gate into an especially dark patch of shadow. A ferret came running up- directly into Antura. She quickly put a paw on his mouth and her blade at his throat. "One sound an' you're a deadbeast. Do you know the plans for attack?" The terrified creature could hardly shake his head. "All right then. You go and tell your chief that he is marked for death- there are other beasts besides myself who have a claim on his blood." The ferret was off like a shot.
Vash ran into the building. He looked around, seeing a few abbey beasts running around and working. Then he saw sister Baypaw.
I have just remembered that you and I used to live in the same village. I also know that Riggaeo killed your parents as well as he did mine. We must plan for the future siege that will undoubtedly come.
OOC: I want Norham to get Martins sword as the RP is about him.
OOC: Grammar.
BIC: Tailli looked over the branch and hailed the vermin below, "I can help you, at a cost. I can infiltrate the abbey, let you folks in." She sat down crossed-legged, "All I want is a fair pay. Victuals mostly."
Igdu, one of Riggaeo's Captains, decided to hear out the squirell. "So, you want vittles, for Redwall?" He asked, somewhat astonished.
Sister Baypaw saw Vash and headed over. Looking him over, she scowled. "I thought I told you to get to bloomin' safety, wot! By the looks of it, my advice was lost on you. What have you been up to, young wretch? No, never mind, I don't want to know. Come here." Grabbing Vash by the ear, she began dabbing ointment on his various scratches.
~*~*~*~*~*
Antura stayed in the shadows and ambushed vermin, striking like lightning and vanishing like smoke. She created unease and fear bordering on panic within a small group of Riggaeo's horde. She was sitting several yards away from their campfire, cleaning her cutlass. When she was done, she found a paw-sized rock and crept silently closer. She hurled it into their fire, throwing up sparks as she yelled a blood-curdling warcry. "Eulaaaliiiiiaaaa!!!" Knowing that would keep them on edge for a while, she retreated back to the abbey for some much-needed sleep.
"It's not my fault, I tried to leave! People were hurt and for some reason I helped them. I don't know why, but I did! I knew it was a bad idea." he muttered, sitting still with his arms crossed as Sister Baypaw cleaned his cuts.
"I can sell them out." Tailli repeated, "No morals comes in handy." She didn't move from the branch, but stayed there with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her cupped hands.
Antura entered the abbey to find Vash getting patched up by Sister Baypaw. She stopped to listen to what the sister was saying to Vash. "Don't mind me. You did well, wot. Helpin' creatures and such noble deeds." Here she left off cleaning a cut to strike a heroic pose, even putting her paw on an imaginary sword-hilt. She dropped her pose when she saw Antura, however. "You bounder- you're bloomin' cut up worse than him! I suppose you were jolly well helpin' too?" Antura was too tired to break out of the hare's grasp, and merely said, "Well, actually, I was the one being helped. Vash rescued me from the vermin camp." Sister Baypaw shook her head wordlessly and went to work, cleaning and bandaging injuries with a good will.
Igdu looked inquisitively at Talili. "It's a done deal, treejumper... Well, when do ye want the vittles?" He asked.
"I want proper victuals, mind you." Tailli said, "Wine, fish, that sort of thing." She stood up on the branch, "I'll take the vittles when I report to you lot." Tailli began climbing down the tree, "Every night I'll report, tell you what's going on." She jumped down in front of Igdu and looked up at him(as she was still fairly young and shorter than him), "Every night you can tell me what to do in the abbey. I can unlock doors, kill beasts in their sleep, as long as you pay me enough." She began walking toward the abbey and called back over her shoulder, "I'll make them trust me, sentimental fools." She began running and climbed the same tree she used to get into the abbey earlier. She reached the same limb and jumped onto the wall again. She would speak to the otter, Antura, she believed, and convince Antura that she wanted to change her ways.
"Well, Norham did most of the work." Vash said. If the vermin did manage to conquer Redwall, he wasn't going to be the one who helped them get out. "And now I can't leave, because they know I'm with you now." he sighed. He shivered a bit, which reminded him that he had lost his vest. "Hey, you have some extra clothes I could use?" Vash asked aloud.
Tailli started down the wallstairs. She was just another Redwaller to those who hadn't seen her near the vermin camp. She paused at the bottom and looked around for Antura, or someone else to speak to.
Sister Baypaw looked up at Vash's request and smiled mischievously. Eyes twinkling, she said, "I believe we have a few extra habits that might be your size, wot. Since you're stuck here anyhow, you might as jolly well look like one of us."
He looked at her with a questioning look before coming to a realization. "Oh no, you don't mean..." he started without finishing. He did not want to be wearing one if those.
Ooc: Ahhhh, feels good to RP again
Norham was sleeping in the gatehouse, it was fairly peaceful, other than the vermin horde across the ditch, on the plain. He woke up with a yell, holding his sword. He had another dream, this time Riggaeo had killed another one of the creatures fighting alongside Norham.
Tailli spotted Antura and instinctively crept up to her, trying not to make a sound. No! You're supposed to be one of them! No sneaking around! She told herself sternly. She reached out a paw and tapped Antura on the shoulder.
Antura turned, startled by the tap on her shoulder. Oh, it was only that squirrel from- the vermin camp. The one who had said coldly, "I'm not going to help you." Antura became wary. "Uh, hello. What's going on?"
Tailli acted nervously, scratching the back of her neck, "Back there," She clenched her teeth, this was painful to say, "I can't help it." She shuffled her paws and looked down at them to add to the illusion of nervousness, "I can't feel the way you do. It is impossible, or, I think it is, for me to have emotions of friendship or sentiment. As well as some other feelings." She looked up at Antura's face, "Do beasts normally say sorry for this sort of thing?"
Antura immediately felt ashamed for her suspicion of the squirrel. (Ooc: Sorry I've been referring to her s that a lot. Antura doesn't know her real name and I had forgotten her alias. *sheepish grin*) "No, no. It's not your fault. You have no need to apologize- Mabel, right?"
"You're not going to make me wear one of those dresses, are you?" Vash asked, though he already knew the answer. He sighed, wishing he hadn't lost his vest. Jeez, helping these beasts wasn't turning out very well for him. He should probably stopped. Bash sighed again.
Sister Baypaw's shook her head, still smiling. "They're called habits, Vash. And no, you don't have to wear one if you don't want to. It was just a bloomin' suggestion."
Vash sighed. "Well, it's better than nothing I guess." He said with a shrug.
Tailli paused, then remembered that she had lied. She nodded, "Mabel." She repeated. That was almost too easy! She didn't have to lie about wanting to be reformed.
Sister Baypaw nodded and hurried off, saying, "Stay there. I'll be right back." She returned soon after with a dark green bundle of fabric. She unfolded it and held it up, waggling her ears in amusement. It was a homespun tunic, plain, but sturdy and servicable. "What d'you think, old chap? It's yours if you jolly well want it, wot."
"I think this is where I ask if I'm forgiven?" Tailli asked, "Or do I not ask that?" This was all so confusing. Caring, even pretend caring, had so many complex levels that didn't make sense.
"Unfortunately, I'm to cold not to." Vash said, sighing yet again. After some hesitation, he grabbed the cloth and put it on. He didn't even need a mirror, he felt ridiculous.
Antura shook her head. "You're fine- you don't have to apologize or ask to be forgiven." She smiled reassuringly. "If you need any help or advice, let me know."
~*~*~*~*~*
Sister Baypaw had to hide a smile. "You look absoballylutely dashing." Ooc: Just to clarify, it is a regular tunic, not a habit. :)
Tailli shifted uncomfortably. Why was this otter helping her? She hadn't done anything for her. Tailli opened her mouth to point this out, then shut it. She didn't want to remind the otter. She mutely nodded, and wondered what to do next. Being social wasn't her expertise. She looked around a bit for inspiration, then spoke, "What are you going to do 'bout the vermin? Got many weapons around here?" Information for the vermin, she might get good food tonight.
Antura shrugged. "I really don't know what we're going to do. And I'm not too sure about our weapons situation. You know, you seem really smart. Maybe you can help us with some plans. I'll let you think about it- let's go get some food."
"I thought you abbey beasts didn't tell lies." Vash joked, though he was not amused.
Tailli wasn't too sure about being smart(sure, she could think when she had the mind to, but she had never applied thinking to things that weren't for her), however, she perked up at the mention of food. She immediately ran toward the kitchens. She wouldn't be eating the odd scone she had snuck out, she would gorge herself tonight.
Sister Baypaw glared reprovingly at Vash. "We don't. You do look good. Though if you want somethin' else, we have a chest of clothes that some performers left here once. They were jolly types. You can look through it if you'd like."
"Perfomer's clothing? No thank you." Vash said. "And do I really look good in this thing?" Vash added, not believing her.
Baypaw nodded. "Of course. An' the performers didn't leave costumes; they left their regular flippin' clothes. There might be a few vests in there."
"Really? Then I'm gettin' outa this thing." he said, a little too excitedly.
Antura was faintly amused by Mabel's dash to the kitchens. Smiling, she followed at a more sedate pace. It was obvious that whatever other problems Mabel had, there was nothing wrong with her appetite.
"So, where can I find those new clothes?" Vash said, knowing he would need the sister's help finding the stash of clothes.
It wasn't hard for Sister Baypaw to see Vash's eagerness. "They're in the attic. I'll help you in just a moment." She deftly tied off a bandage. "All right, let's go."
Vash nodded and followed her. He wasn't used to it, but he knew that he should thank her. After awhile of walking, the silence got a little awkward. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at her as they neared the attic. "Hey, uh, thanks, by the way." he said.
The sister was surprised. "What? Oh, yes. It's nothin' old chap. Don't mention it, wot." Try reached the attic, where Baypaw quickly located the chest. Inside was a large array of clothes, including several vests of varying colors. "Well, take y'pick, there's plenty to choose from."
Vash looked around for a little but before finding a green vest. He grabbed it off of it's hangar and put it on. "It's a little small, but it'll do." Vash said, walking out into the open.
Tailli scampered into the kitchen and was able to make off with a tart before she was chased from the kitchen by a mole wielding an oven paddle in a floury apron, "Burr, you'm best brung ee tart back nao! Oi chase dibbuns frum 'ere, but not 'un as growed as you'm!" Tailli kept running, a look of concentration on her face. The mole gave up when Tailli bounded up the stairs and into the nearest door.
Tailli looked around the room. It was fairly big and filled with small beds. And two small beasts. Tailli payed them no heed and clambered onto a wardrobe accessible by a bed. Tailli wasn't a dibbun anymore, but she was still young enough to enjoy sitting and eating in strange places. She dug her paws in the tart, biting her lip at the warm interior. She didn't look at the two dibbuns below her until the mousebabe spoke.
"You bes naughty." He waggled a finger at her, "Not 'sposed to take from the cooker. Or climb onna cab'net."
Tailli glared at him, "Shut it, welp."
The hedgehog dibbun stepped forward and looked up at Tailli, "That not nice." She said very matter-of-factly.
Tailli didn't move, "You two, shut it."
The mousebabe shook the cabinet, "You've bes naughty!"
Tailli moved quickly. She jumped/fell down and grabbed the mousebabe by his smock. She bundled him into the wardrobe and closed the door. The hogbabe ran from the room. She ran down the stairs and stood on the lowest one, her paws spread wide, "White squirrel put Jen inna cab'net!" She exclaimed.
Tailli looked around the dormitory for a long straight object. She ran to the corner of the room and grabbed the broom that seemed to magically be right where needed. She thrust it between the handles and the door of the wardrobe, effectively locking Jen in. She then stood on tip-paw to grab her tart and walked slowly from the room, without a care in the world. Tailli finished her tart and went down the stairs, sucking the last of the pastry from her paws.
Antura got to the kitchen to find the mole Friar muttering darkly to himself about Dibbuns that never grow up and chopping tails to make soup. "What's wrong, Friar?" When he informed ht of Mabel's offense, Antura shook her head and sighed. "She's trying, Friar. I told her that we were going to get some food, and she doesn't know better than to just take it. She'll learn. I'll go find her." As she got to the stairs leading to the dormitories, a hogbabe came barreling into her, yelling about a white squirrel locking Jen in a cabinet. "Oh no," Antura groaned as she hurried to the dormitories. There she found a broom stuck in the handles of the cabinet doors to prevent them from opening. From inside, she could eat the shrill, shrieked yells of a Dibbun. Antura quickly pulled out the broom and threw open the cabinet doors, gathering up the crying mousebabe. She soothed him, talking softly and wiping away his tears. She would have to speak to Mabel about this, and let her know it was wrong. For know, though, Antura would see if she could get Jen to take a nap.
Vash didn't know what to say, so he tried to start a conversation. "So how old are you anyway? I mean, if you don't mind me asking." Vash said.
Tailli licked between her fingers, getting the last of the sticky tart filling from between her fingers. She was sitting in a small single room, that only had room for a bed and a chair, near the stair. The door was shut, but there wasn't a lock. That irritated Tailli, but she had to make do with what she had. She liked the little room, or at least she disliked it less than anything else she had seen in the abbey. She lay on the bed, staring at the low ceiling, lost in her thoughts. The scared crying of the mousebabe had slowed, and now existed in hiccups that weren't audible from the room. Tailli ran her paws over the bed covers. Single rooms like this must be hard to come by in this abbey. Her eyes were growing heavy. This was a nice bed. Tailli let her eyes close. Soon she was half-asleep. She was standing for the most part, but she was bent over backwards with her head in the middle of the bed. Tailli blinked hard and shook her head. Now was not the time to be falling asleep. She stood and paced. Four paces wide, seven paces long. She collapsed on the chair.
Tailli suddenly grinned as she remembered. She took from her pocket the last scone she had stolen that morning and ate it. Tailli brushed the crumbs off her dress and stood. Maybe there was something interesting going on outside the room. Maybe she could sample some of the food from the kitchen(though she was full now), or get a nice drink from the pond she had seen, there had seemed to be no other water source. Maybe she could even learn to read. Books and stories had fascinated her for a long while, since her mum used to tell tales. She would speak of handwritten documents, knowledge gathered. She would also tell funny stories about moles and squirrels who lived together in a big beech tree. The tales had stopped her from being bored, at the very least.
Sister Baypaw thought for a moment. "Hm. About 23 seasons, I suppose. I never really bothered to keep count. What about you?"
"Me? I'm 21 seasons." He told her. He didn't know what to say after that. "So, um...what do you like to do?" he asked when it popped into his head.
"Well, I rather enjoy healing, dontcha know. Patchin' up other creatures' hurts and making them better, wot. Besides that, I like to sew. It's relaxing, really."
"Well, I guess that seems nice." Vash said, shrugging. He had no clue how to continue the conversation, do he was just going to say whatever popped into his head.
Tailli extracted herself from the chair and stretched. She would explore, that would keep her occupied for a while. She opened the door and stepped onto the landing. She walked away from the stairs, running her hands over the stones of Redwall. She tried the first door she came across, just another dormitory. She closed it and continued down the hall. The next three doors she tried were all dormitories, and the fifth door she tried was locked. Maybe she would try and break in later, see what was in there. The sixth door led into a washroom. There was all the doors in this hallway. Tailli had reached the other end of the hallway and began climbing the stairs. These were covered in dust.
Tailli reached the top of these stairs and tried the first door she came across. This led into the ruined infirmary. That wasn't important. Tailli shut the door and went back to the stairs that seemed to go up another flight. Tailli climbed them slowly and came out at a small landing, not the big hallways like before. Tailli tried the nearest door and came into the library. Tailli walked to the nearest bookshelf and pulled down a book at random. She brought it to the table and opened it to a place in the middle. There were no pictures of any sort, and Tailli couldn't read. She instead traced the inked words with a paw. Tailli snapped the book shut, not paying heed to its obvious age. She carried it to the shelf where she had found it and put it roughly back in a different place.
Tailli could see that the shelf that it was from only had thick books, written in often before they were catalogued. Tailli went over to a different shelf and pulled down a thinner book and opened it. This one had detailed drawings of plants in it, next to a blob of text that Tailli could only guess said if you could eat the plant or not. She brought it to the table and sat down. She absently flicked through the pages, looking at each illustration.
A question popped into his head, so he asked it. "So, do you have a mate?" he asked, immediatly feeling stupid after the words had left his lips.
Sister Baypaw gave Vash a quizzical look. "No. I could have had one, but I joined the Order of Redwall instead. I'm not allowed a mate now." She got a distant look in her eyes as she thought of her old home.
Norham was up and about. He decided to go see how it was inside Redwall. He had never really taken the time to explore it. He had never been upstairs, save dor the time he was in the Infirmary, while it was being destroyed. He explored each room carefully. He was coming along an old, rickety stairwell. It had fresh pawpints in the dust. He climbed its many flights of stairs. He stopped short when he heard someone flicking through the pages of a book of some sort. He opened the door slowly.
Tailli barely looked up before turning back to the book. She couldn't make head or tail of the words, but the pictures were detailed and well-drawn. She could recognize a few of the plants as well. There was marigold, water cress, strawberry. She reached the last page and closed the book. Only then did she glance at Norham, "What're you doing here?" She asked sulkily. She couldn't explain why she felt so sulky and bitter, it was just one of those times. Though maybe it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't even getting a quarter of the pleasure from reading.
"I was going to ask you, you sold us out to those vermin, remember?" Norham said through clenched teeth.
Tailli looked down, "Can't help it." She muttered. This otter scared her slightly, she would have to play innocent. She slid off the chair and walked over to a shelf. She picked a book at random and brought it over to the table. She knelt on the chair and opened it. This one had less pictures, and they were of pies, cakes, and tarts. It was a cookbook, Tailli could see.
"Really? That's silly. Why wouldn't you be able to? I never got abbey beasts." he said, sighing. "Anyway, thanks." he said, moving towards the exit.
"And why couldn't you help it, you're just a vermin with a bushy tail to me, treejumper!" Norham was trying to control his temper. He knew if he got any wilder, bad things were going to go down. "You sold us out! We could have died back there, and you simply reply, 'couldn't help it', and just keep reading?!?"
Tailli looked up at Norham, "I'm not reading." She replied, "I'm looking at the pictures." She turned back to her book and flicked a few pages to the next picture.
Norham walked over and slammed the book shut, narrowly missing Talili's paws. "You're ignoring me, I could care less if you can't read!" Norham could feel himself being pulled into a rage.
Antura had finally gotten the hogbabe to go to sleep. Sighing, she got up to find Mabel. He found her sitting at a table in the library with a book in front of her- and Norham yelling at her. Antura hurried forward and put a paw on Norham's shoulder. "Wait! Norham- calm down, please. She can't feel emotions like we do, but she wants to try."
Norham turned to see Antura standing there. He wanted to stop himself, for the sake of everybody in the room, even Talili. Norham slammed the table and stormed out of the room, his senses slowly returning. After he had cooled down,che returned to ask for an apology.
Tailli watched him go and opened the cookbook again. After a bit of flipping through the pages, she found the page she had been on. It had a quickly done drawing of a cake on it, not well done with minute details like the plants book. Tailli didn't as much glance at Antura.
Norham was felt he should say sorry, to both of them. He wanted to, but what had he done. He had nearly strangled Talili, and would have hurt Antura. Norham shuddered, why had he been cursed with this insane power. He shuddered at the thought of hurting the squirell and Antura.
Vash left with a sigh. Now what was he going to do? He walked aimlessly through the hallway.
Sister Baypaw looked through the chest some more, remembering the performers she had traveled with on her way to Redwall. Her eyes began to fill with tears. How she missed her old home! Redwall was a wonderful place, but she wished she could visit Salamandastron. Maybe she could, after the vermin were driven away from the abbey.
~*~*~*~*~*
Antura looked at Mabel, calmly flipping through the pages of a cookbook. "Mabel?" She ventured cautiously. "Why did you lock that Dibbun in the cupboard? You shouldn't do things like that."
"He wouldn't be quiet." Tailli muttered as she flipped another page, "He got on my nerves."
Riggaeo was glad his plan was working. He had lulled the abbey into a sense of security. He was tunneling, through the ditch and into redwall, and he was building siege towers. His men, though, were afraid, lately, a large, black snake had been haunting the camp.
Vash sighed and walked up to the wall, taking in the view. What had he gotten himself into? And all for some apples...
Norham walked in as Talili was replying to Antura. "Uh, I want to say I'm sorry, to both of you..."
Tailli flick a bored glance at him and went back to the book. She sneezed as the dust was disturbed.
Antura turned to Norham. "Oh, it's okay. I know you have problems too. We all do- some are just harder to get over than others."
OOC: Ugh, sorry for the sentimental philosophy moment. :P
Ooc: eh, I get those too.
"Thanks, um, what's your name, I really am sorry, uh, squirell."
Vash then looked at the vermin camp, worry entering his mind. Would anyone remember him? And if they did, would they know that he was with the Redwallers? He instinctively ducked below the wall, just in case any vermin were looking.
Tailli glanced up at him, "T-Mabel." She lied. She cursed herself silently for almost giving her real name. She looked back to her book, her shoulders hunched and stiff.
"Well, um, Mabel, I am sorry for the way I acted toward you, if you have changes since the vermin incident, I truly am sorry."
Tailli ignored him and closed the book. She walked right past him without looking at him and just before she left the library, she spoke, "It's very hard to change who you are."
Antura called after her. "But it is possible."
Tom walked up to the wall, only to find Vash. "Things are too quiet in my opinion. Do you want to take a little look around the vermin camp with me?" he said
OOC: Wheres that new guy who wanted to play?
"Yeah." he said in response to the first thing Tom said. "I'd rather not." he replied for The second.
Not if you have a mind like mine. Tailli thought as she went back down the stairs.
Norham sat down at the table that "Mabel" was just using. He was going to try and explain his predicament to Antura, but he just sat in silence.
Antura watched Norham for a moment, then spoke. "What's wrong, Norham? You seem worried."
" I am, I'm worried about you, Mabel, and all the abbey-dwellers, I don't want to accidently hurt one of them..."
"You think none of us know the danger? We're willing to take that risk, because you're our friend." Antura grinned cheerfully. "You'd better get that through your thick skull, water-whomper, because you're a greater asset to this abbey than a danger."
OOC: Please note that she is not saying this in an insulting manner. Rather, she's saying the second bit in a kidding tone. Just making sure that it's understood properly. :)
Ooc: Nah, I understood you fine.
"Water-whomper yourself! I need dinner, bye!" And with that, Norham left. He was laughing at his own comeback, which wasn't really that good, when he tripped and tumbled his way down the attic stairs. He immediately got up, retained what composure he had, and went down the stairs at a much slower pace.
Tom decided to go to great hall to look for Norham. Besides, he hadn't eaten for days!
Vash was resting in one of the trees inside the abbey. It was surprisingly peace. Intact, maybe a little too peaceful...
Norham's stomach growled loudly as Abbess Emmery said the grace. When she had finished, Norham looked over to where Jeremias was sitting. There was no Tobias! Norham rushed and sat down next to his friend. "Where's Tobi?"
Vash was getting hungry, and he could swear that he smelled dome amazing food cooking. He hopped out of the tree and followed his nose, leading him towards the meal.
Antura was sitting next to Sister Baypaw at dinner. The older hare seemed sad and distant. "Thank you for patching me up earlier." Baypaw started slightly. "What? Oh, er, you're welcome, I suppose." Antura as curious- usually Sister Baypaw was so focused. So she asked, "What are you thinking about, Sister? You look sad." Baypaw have Kit a strange look, then placed a paw right on the young otter's chest. "You, m'gel, are young, pretty, and suited to travelling and having adventures, wot. You're not bound to anyplace or anybeast- y'can go where you jolly well please, when y'please. I am crossing into my middle seasons, and never liked travelin' and such. Also, I am bound to this abbey- I can't just leave it." She paused. "Not that I'd ever want to. It's just that sometimes, I miss the old mountain, dontcha know. Oh, it's too flippin' much, wot!" To Antura's horror, the good sister broke down and began crying. "Sister Baypaw, please stop crying. Here, dry your eyes." She handed Baypaw a handkerchief that a sympathetic hedgehog had passed to her. Baypaw took it and buried her face in it, calming down gradually.
Tailli was outside, sitting underneath a tree in the orchard. She was still full from the food she had stolen before and doubted that she would be much welcomed after the day's events. She stood up and brushed off her dress. It was time to report. She went up the wallstairs, and making sure no guards were nearby, jumped onto the same maple growing near the wall. She had used a fake name inspired by it, Mable and Maple sounded close. She clambered down and ran towards the vermin camp, she would collect her payment when she left the area for good. She called to the nearest guard, "I got information, one of you emloyed me as a spy."
The rat snapped to attention and jogged toward Tailli. He looked her up and down, then spoke, "Come 'ere wid me." he said and led her to the white wildcat.
Riggaeo watched the squirrel enter his tent. He spoke in a low tone. "So, you are my spy?" He looked her up and down. "Hmm... Well then, what have you to tell me?"
Tailli flopped down, leaned back, and crossed her ankles, "They trust me, there's no problem there. They have several otters and a big bird that seem to fight well. I checked the wallgates, there's a deadbolt and lock on the inside of the smaller ones, and the biggest one is reinforced in some ways, don't know much about door making, so I can't tell you exactly what. They have plenty of food and drink, so you can't exactly starve them out." She scratched her ear and continued, "Other than the bird and otters, they don't seem to have many warriors and weapons."
"Very good. Your reward awaits you." He handed her a bottle of wine, and three seasoned loaves of barley bread.
Tailli greedily grabbed the bread and shoved it into her pocket. She then snatched the wine from Riggaeo and sipped it. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, "Whaddya want me to do?"
Vash entered and stood, mouth agape. He had never seen this many creatures in one place that weren't in a horde. He knew that there where many beast in Redwall abbey, but he had never imagined this many. What was even more astonishing was the food. They had enough to go around and even for seconds. However, the room seemed very full, and Vash couldn't seem to find a seat. Well, first things first, food. He walked up to a table and reached over a mouse, grabbing an apple off of a plate full of them. It would do until he could sit down and enjoy a meal. Only now was he realizing that some beasts were giving him looks, but at least it was less than when he had first arrived.
Tom sat down and ate some food. A rabbit burst into tears and then he noticed that Norham was sitting not far from him. "After dinner would you like to look around the vermin camp with me?" he asked Norham.
"Yes, Thom, sure..." Norham obviously had something on his mind.
"Is something wrong?" Tom asked.
"Well, yes, my badger friend, Tobias, has gone to rule at Salamandastron, he was led there by a dream, he left a note for Jeremias stating he was gone, and why." Norham sat there a while before continuing."Well, at least he's going to be happy where he is, and I can visit him, after all this is over."
Tailli stood to go, "Want me to do anything in the abbey tommorow?" she asked.
As Vash was searching for a seat he saw Antura, with Suster Baypaw beside. Her. She was still sad, which made him feel bad. Why'd I have to ask that stupid question?! he thought. He turned to leaving, cursing at himself under his breath.
Riggaeo grinned at the squirrel."Just keep me a good stream of information coming my way. You know, you're playing a very dangerous game for one so young." Riggaeo stood up in front of her, blocking her exit."Now, be a good girl and get me a few dibbuns, that is what they call their young, is it not?" He did not wait for a response. He simply opened the tent flap, and shut it once she was gone.
Quote from: Norham Waterpaw on March 26, 2013, 10:09:32 PM
"Well, yes, my badger friend, Tobias, has gone to rule at Salamandastron, he was led there by a dream, he left a note for Jeremias stating he was gone, and why." Norham sat there a while before continuing."Well, at least he's going to be happy where he is, and I can visit him, after all this is over."
Baypaw heard him, and rushed over. "Did you say you're going to Salamandastron? Could- could you take me too? I mean, I can't be gone long, and I'd have to get the abbess' permission, but-" her eyes filled with tears again. "I'd love to visit the mountain again."
Tailli nodded as she left. She knew the perfect dibbuns. The mousebabe, Jen, and the hogbabe, Marci. She ran back to the tree she had been using and climbed up it. She peeked from the branches to make sure there was no-one nearby as she jumped to the wall. She went down the stairs, smiling to herself. Her pockets were full of bread and wine. She headed into the abbey and skirted around the edges of the great hall before bounding up the stairs and into the little room she had taken. She stowed the bottle of wine and the bread underneath the armchair and lay down on the bed. She was soon asleep.
Linda looked up, aghast. She had heard Baypaw, "W-what am I sup-p-posed to do with the infir-firm-firmary?" She stuttered, "I can't ma-manage it by mys-self."
Norham looked at the infirmary keeper, and nodded. "Why, I'll ask the Abbess for you. You can most assuredly come to Salamandastron. On one condition though..."
Baypaw smiled hopefully at Norham. "Oh, corks, you mean it? I'll be ever grateful to you, sah. Name your condition." Then she ears Linda's distressed remark. "Of course you can, m'gel," she replied matter-of-factly. "You're the best bloomin' assistant I've ever had. Besides, it will only be for a little while, and only if the abbess says I can go. You'll do absolutely spiffing, wot!"
"I-I don't know..." Linda said hesitantly, "But I t-trust you, I'll do the best I can."
Vash overheard the conversation before he left, felling better that the Suster was happier. He walked over and put a paw on Linda's shoulder. "I'll gladly help." he said to her.
Linda looked up at him, though didn't meet his eyes, "Th-thanks."
Ooc: In order for me to answer, can Baypaw sing?
"You're welcome. It's the least I can do. Seriously, medical expertise is about what I'm worst at. But I'm sure you can teach me." Vash said to her.
Quote from: Norham Waterpaw on March 26, 2013, 11:57:58 PM
Ooc: In order for me to answer, can Baypaw sing?
OOC: Yeah. She doesn't have an amazing voice, but she's pretty good. (I could probably write a song, too, if need be. But it would probably take at least a day.)
"Well, Miss Baypaw, I can only let you come.... If you promise to travel with our troupe for the season-long journey back, and sing!"
Ooc: Norham is not being all serious when he's saying this, he's sort of saying it with, "mock severity"
Baypaw sat still for a moment, gnawing her whiskers as if in thought. Then she brightened. "Pass up the chance to travel with performers again? I would never. Of course I'll sing for your jolly old troupe!" Baypaw remembered her journey to Redwall very well. She had traveled with a troupe of performers- they too had asked her to sing for them. If she hadn't been so set on staying at Redwall, Baypaw might have become a wandering performer.
"Well then, maybe I'll see sometime after this is all over. Then I'll be hitting the road too." Vash said to her.
I was just being an idiot here, so just forget this post ever happened. Ugh. :P
OOC: Wrong roleplay.
OOC: *facepalms repeatedly* Oh I'm such an idiot! I'm going to change that now. Thank you for pointing that out... *sigh* I guess my sanity is off on yet another vacation. :-[ :-[ :-[
OOC: happens to all of us. Humans are human, what're ya gonna do? Thus the great invention of the edit prevails.
Ooc: Amen.
"Now, we aren't going yet, mind you. We still have a wildcat to fight!"
Baypaw nodded resolutely and rolled up her sleeves. "Just let me get near the blinkin' cad with some bandages and my best bottle of physic. He'll be leavin' our abbey behind pretty fast, wot!"
"Well, you might have to whack some additional vermin with that staff of yours too. Well, who's up for a battle?"
Melvin nodded, "Ya, this bird ready tae fahght!" he cried.
Ooc: Getting Friday off of school! I'll be able to post anytime then.
OOC: I'm halfway through spring break!
BIC: Those vermin had better watch out, because thomas Barkshields their opponent today!" Tom replied.
OOC: you should probably take Martins sword this time, Norham
Ooc: Nah, s'yours my friend. Also, it's dinner time, so let's attack during the night.
Antura had been thinking, and now she had a plan. "I suggest that we do a lightning strike. If each of us attacks a separate part of camp at the same time, it should unease them. We can also trick them into thinking that there are more of us than there actually are. Plus, this way there are less deaths- on our side anyway."
OOC: I get two weeks for spring break. ;D It is the best two weeks of my school year because it means that summer is almost here!!!
"I agree to that plan. How many groups should there be and who would like to lead them? I, for one volunteer."
Melvin hooped up and down with excitement, "Keep ta bowers busy! Ah will hit them frem ebove!"
"Well mates, I will go too, of course. I have some bows, we could attack from afar, and increase our range."
Vash didn't say anything. He wasn't going to be in some crazy fight. Besides, he was going to be helping in the infirmary, even though some of the injured still refused his help.
"Well, Vash,what say you?"
"Hm? No. Sorry. I'm going to be helping miss Linda in the infirmary." Vash said to him.
Ooc: Wow, It's hard to be half dead, and ready for battle. (Comparison between Retake redwall me, and Norham me.)
Antura pulled out a stick of charcoal and barkcloth. "Melvin, could you map out the vermin's camp for us? Just mark where different groups are and where you think would be the best spots to attack." Them she turned to Norham and Thom. "We should probably attack under cover of darkness, like Norham said earlier. How soon can you two be ready to go?"
"As soon as I can strap on some armour" Tom replied. "How many fighting beast are amongst you? I haven't been here for years"
Melvin nodded, "Ah cahn't red an' wrahte, but ah cahn draw fer ye." he snatched the drawing materials from Antura's paws, "Ah'll go now." he said unnecessarily as he headed for the door. Dusk was falling, it would be harder to see him, but not impossible.
Antura shrugged. "I just got back too, but my guess is not many. Usually there are a few, but these have been peaceful times for the abbey until that wildcat attacked."
Karnik Grudgespike was roving the woods. The red fox stopped when he saw a pillar of black smoke rising.
He carefully inspected the clearing, which was really a big open plain. He saw vermin, and lots of them. It reminded him of the day he lost his hand, to another beast. His hand was replaced with a steel, razor sharp spike. In its blood channel, was poison. He was a roving mercenary, constantly on the move.
Vash just listened to them, waiting for Linda.
OOC: Ooh! This guy sounds cool! Nice name, too.
Linda bit her lip awkwardly, she had nothing more to say.
Melvin soared above the vermin camp, committing a small bit of it to his rather short memory, and flew back down to the wall. He set the parchment against the stones and badly drew a crude map. He repeated this several times until he had it all written down.
Sister Baypaw had work to do- she knew that fighting meant injuries, and besides, there were still some sick and injured inside the abbey, too. "If you two are jolly well going to help, I'm going to need it. We have to make poultices, sleeping draughts, and prepare bandages against the return of those scalawags. Oh, and poor little Jen has a cold. A good dose of physic should set him straight." She bustled off, still muttering a list of things to do under her breath.
Antura was busy too. She gathered all the "weapons" that the abbey had to offer (which wasn't many) and set to work disguising them to make them unnoticeable- adding leaves to staves, blackening spear-points, etc.
OOC: Jen is a he. Just to let you know. His hedgehog friend is a she.
BIC: Melvin flew his crude map into the abbey, "Ah have et." he called.
OOC: Sorry, I'll fix it. EDIT: Fixed.
Vash nodded and followed the Sister, looking back at Linda.
"We could never defeat the whole army." Tom said. "One or some of us should go to Salamandastron to get reinforcements. I am a slow traveler, so I should not go."
Antura was returning with her arms full of weapons and several "warriors" following her when she heard Thom. She looked back at the pathetic group behind her. "That's probably a good idea, Thom. This is all we've got. Sister Baypaw would love to go, too."
"Why not. It would give her a chance to see old friends, as well as the fact that hares are famed for their speed and efficiency. I would like you to tell Baypaw of my plan. Any more volunteers?"
"Well Antura, looks like Baypaw and I will be travelling sooner than I thought! Though, you don't have to sing on the way back."
OOC: Just so you know, Baypaw left to go gather healing supplies and such.
Ooc: whoops, I'll change that.
OOC: Just making sure you knew.
BIC: Antura nodded. "Yeah. She'll be happy to hear it- I never realized how much Salamandastron meant to her. She hasn't ever really talked about it before. All I know is that she left because she didn't want to be a soldier, and the Badger Lord gave her that swordbelt she wears."
Melvin came toward the group, "Ah have ta mep." he cawed in triumph.
"Good! Where do you think we should attack?" Antura gave Thom a quick look. "Sorry, but we can't just sit and wait for reinforcements. We have to do something in the meantime."
"Perfect Melvin!" If Norham is leaving with Baypaw then I will take over command of Redwalls defences. May I see that map Melvin?"
Melvin toddled over to Tom and handed him the crude map, "Ah'm not fer strategies mahself." Melvin said. He tilted his head questioningly, "Whah's Nor'am leaving wi' Baypaw?"
"Because, upon my my request of getting reinforcements from salamandastron, they volunteered."
OOC: can you post pictures? If so I could draw up a pretty standerd map of the vermin camp, if thats okay.
Vash stopped as Baypaw kept walking. He was still waiting for Linda, and stopped and looked back in case she needed help.
Linda stayed at the table, listening intently to the conversations.
Melvin nodded in understanding, "Ahkay."
OOC: You can. Photobucket or Imgur, I like to use. Imgur doesn't require an account. I have a typed guide several places..
EDIT:
Quote from: W0NWILL on January 30, 2013, 02:56:54 AM
You need a cord that connects your camera to the computer, and iPhoto or something similar. You open your iPhoto/whatever and select import, and choose the photos you want. Import them(importing is pretty straightforward, you'll be able to figure it out, even if you're terrible at computers), put them in a special folder or the desktop, and open Photobucket, Tinypic, or Imgur. Imgur you don't have to sign up for, and Tinypic isn't the best in my opinion. I'll walk you through Imgur for this. In the top right you'll see a bar that says upload images. Click the computer button below that and choose the photo(s) you want online. Then, after they're online you'll be redirected to a page with your pics. Now you can either right click and choose 'copy image address' or copy and paste the URL.
http://i.imgur.com/9HhP5mJ.jpg
Thanks and I hope this work
EDIT: I guess you have to open the link, but there it is, a crude map. ( the two lines behind the camp is the ditch.)
Baypaw had accomplished quite a few tasks before she realized that Vash and Linda were nowhere in sight. "Where the blazes have they got to, wot?" She muttered as she went in search of her helpers. She soon found them, still at the table in Great Hall (OOC: Or are we in Cavern Hole? I don't think it was ever specified, but sorry if I got it wrong.) with the rest of the fighters in Redwall. She came up behind Vash and said, "Well well, what's going on here, wot? Ah, I seem to see two young rips who forgot that they were supposed to be helping an old Infirmary Keeper. What should I jolly well do with the bounders, do you think?" Her voice was stern, but there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes and a faint smile on her face.
OOC: I looked at your map. Good job! :)
"I was just waitin' on Linda in case she needed help." Vash told Sister Baypaw.
OOC: temporarily have wifi, I'm getting back from my MRI. Hope I don't have another tumor!
Ooc: wait, did I miss the whole, 'you have a tumor thing', because that's news to me, I'll be praying for you for sure! :)
OOC: Thanks! The other one got removed in November, but I'm having the same symptoms again. It was a brain tumor, but I don't think I've talked about it here.
Ooc: oh, wow! I will pray for you! Hebrews 13:5 And he hath said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee"
OOC: Thank you, it means a lot! :)
Edit: wrong rp again.
OOC: Bad news that is. Well, scientists do the best they can, which is very good, their best. New discoveries and new remedies and whatnot.
BIC: Linda shook her head, "Not now, I-I don't think."
Ooc: starting to write a new story, called Zephyr Town. It's sort of a steampunk themed story, with animals. Hope it turns out well!
Vash looked at Linda, then shrugged. He turned to follow the hare to the infirmary.
OOC:Except for the person who put my IV in today. She messed up twice, so she would fish around with the needle in my arms both times she missed and it didn't work. Do they had someone else do it and they got it. Good thing I'm pretty good with handling needles.
Norham had finished packing for the journey ahead. He had all he needed, arrows, a sword, and of course, he had Food.
Ooc: The exact same thing happened to me, but they were drawing blood. Thankfully, I can handle needles too.
Quote from: Quickpaw on March 29, 2013, 02:47:55 AM
OOC: Thanks! The other one got removed in November, but I'm having the same symptoms again. It was a brain tumor, but I don't think I've talked about it here.
I didn't know about that either! I'll pray for you too.
Quote from: Norham Waterpaw on March 29, 2013, 03:27:08 AM
Ooc: starting to write a new story, called Zephyr Town. It's sort of a steampunk themed story, with animals. Hope it turns out well!
Awesome. Steampunk is so cool!
OOC: Geez, I can't remember how many times they drew my blood after surgery. I got no sleep because they would come in every two hours to draw blood and stuff. Not to mention that I'm a cross-country runner, and they had a heart rate monitor on me that every time my heart rate dropped below average heart rate it would beep loudly. And naturally, since I'm a runner, I had a much smaller heart rate. When I was asleep, it would go below 40. Needless to say, I got about two hours of sleep that entire week. :(
Quote from: Quickpaw on March 29, 2013, 03:39:12 AM
OOC: Geez, I can't remember how many times they drew my blood after surgery. I got no sleep because they would come in every two hours to draw blood and stuff. Not to mention that I'm a cross-country runner, and they had a heart rate monitor on me that every time my heart rate dropped below average heart rate it would beep loudly. And naturally, since I'm a runner, I had a much smaller heart rate. When I was asleep, it would go below 40. Needless to say, I got about two hours of sleep that entire week. :(
Runners have small heart rates?
OOC: Yeah. Anyone who exercises a lot does. The stronger you make your heart, the less it has to work to pump blood. So your heart rate goes down.
Quote from: Quickpaw on March 29, 2013, 03:42:24 AM
OOC: yeah. Anyone who exercises a lot dies. The stronger you make your heart, the less it has to work to pump blood. So your heart rate goes down.
If you exersize a lot you die? Wow, how am I not dead?
Quote from: Quickpaw on March 29, 2013, 03:32:59 AM
OOC:Except for the person who put my IV in today. She messed up twice, so she would fish around with the needle in my arms both times she missed and it didn't work. Do they had someone else do it and they got it. Good thing I'm pretty good with handling needles.
*shudder* I'm okay with getting shots, but I have a problem with needles sticking in me for prolonged periods of time. Especially if my blood is draining out of said needle. I would probably pass out getting my blood taken.
OOC: Hate (and love) autocorrect.
OOC: I figured out where we are. Baypaw doesn't know she's going to Salamandastron yet, Norham is packing for the trip, Melvin brought back the map, and everyone else is either sittin around or strategizing, as far as I can tell. (I wasn't rates what was going on in the RP, so I went back and looked.)
OOC: Vash went back with Baypay. I thought I posted that.
OOC: Oh, sorry. Oops. I guess I missed that; I was pretty tired last night.
BIC: Baypaw looked at the faces of the creatures around her. "What's goin' on, wot? There's somethin' you lot aren't telling me," she said curiously.
OOC: I know what you mean, Kit.
BIC: "They're going to Salamandastron to see if they can get help. And UN the meantime, they're attacking the camp." Vash told her.
"Going to Salamandastron for reinforcements, wot wot? I thought we weren't leavin' until the vermin had all jolly well cleared off, but I'm not bloomin' opposed to leaving earlier!" Baypaw's voice was eager and her eyes were shining with excitement. Antura smiled. "Well you'd best get packed then, Sister," she said, and Baypaw nodded. "Just how soon are we leaving, Norham, old thing?"
"As soon as you"re ready, Miss."
OOC: Sorry for taking so long to reply- I think my big brother hid my iPod...
BIC: Sister Baypaw could move with surprising speed. She made an undignified dash out of the room, calling, "Why didn't you bally say so, you blighter? I'll be back and ready t'go in two ticks!" Indeed, she returned in a very short time with a light traveling pack, some provisions, and her staff.
"Well, I guess that leaves us." Vash said to Linda. "Shall we?" he asked, nodding toward the exit.
Norham was pleased to see someone so eager to go. He slung his sack over his shoulder and tied it under his arm, so he wouldn't have to carry it. He told Baypaw."Well marm, we'll have to cut around the vermin to reach the western shores, how do you suggest we do that without coming back full of arrows?"
Baypaw chuckled, already beginning to enjoy her adventure. "We'll have to run out the back, I suppose, and cut off into the jolly old woodlands. What a super wheeze, wot! Slippin' out from under their blinkin' noses to get reinforcements!"
"Well said marm, let's go."
OOC: sorry I've been away for a while, but I was visiting relations and I couldn't access the internet. On a more in - game note, we should all get a prearranged time and do an in - game strategy session.
Baypaw silently opened the east wallgate and slipped out into the woodlands, waiting for Norham to follow. It was a beautiful day, marred only by the presence of a vermin horde on the other side of Redwall. Baypaw sighed. Even from here, she could faint strains of raucous laughter from the camp. She straightened her sword belt decisively. Well, they weren't going to stay in front of the abbey much longer. Soon after she and Norham returned with Long Patrol warriors, those scum would be gone forever.
Norham caught up with the eager hare. He followed in silence.
OOC: Just to let you guys know, I probably won't be posting much for the next week- things are going to be pretty hectic for me. Baypaw can kind of go on autopilot- she'll follow Norham to Salamandastron, but I can't promise a lot of conversation. :)
Ooc: Thanks for telling me, ot would kind of be an akward silence if I didn't know. Thanks,
OOC: No prob. :)
Linda stood on her good leg and looked at Vash, "Wh-what do you know-ow ab-b-b-bout healing?"
OOC: Hey ;D
BIC:"Not much. Only the basics like infection and band-aids and stuff. Mostly how to recognize something, not how to treat it." He said to her. Cash looked back at Linda. "You okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
Linda nodded awkwardly, blushing slightly, "Never bett-t-ter." she shifted slightly, "You can l-learn."
"I'm sure I can. You seem to know a lot, and I'm sure that you'll be a great teacher." He said assuringly.
Linda smiled, "Thanks," she said without stammering
"You're welcome, miss. However, I suggest we don't practice on patients." Vash said. "But your smart enough to know that." he complemented. Vash didn't notice, but he had a smile on his face as they walked.
Norham was showing Baypaw how to make Flare cakes. You would take chopped beets and onions, put them in some thin dough, and set them over a fire. You would then put a special oil they kept on their cart in the fire, which made the fire leap up and cook the cake near instantly, making it flaky on the outside, and chewy and savory on the inside.
OOC: Ooh, yum! Sounds really good- I'll have to try that sometime.
BIC: Baypaw was amazed at Norham's culinary skill. "This is absoballylutely delish, old chap. Top hole tuck, wot!" she pronounced, picking the last crumbs out of her whiskers. "I'll have to tell the jolly old Friar about it when we get back to Redwall."
Ooc: Well, in real life, I like to cook. That helps.
Karnik had finally entered the vermin camp, and already agreed with Riggaeo to find and kill Norham. Karnik was an amazing tracker, and he was already on the scent of Norham and Baypaw.
Well, I'm ready whenever you are, Linda, Is it?" He said, making sure he had matched the name right.
Linda nodded, and went over to help some of the recently injured Redwallers.
Vash waited by her side, ready to do what she asked.
Baypaw and Norham were on the move again. Baypaw had gone north for a while, but now she turned as went west. "We should be far enough away from those vermin chaps that they won't see us when we pass by, wot. Now our quest truly begins- onward to Salamandastron!"
Norham nodded. "Indeed marm, it's about time we were on our way to the western shores... What's that?"
Out of the nearby shrubbary, Karnik leaped at Norham. Norhamstopped him short by slamming him mid-air with a tackle. Both were grappling to get up furiously. One on top of the other, Norham biting and clawing, while Karnik bit, desperately trying to plunge his poisoned spike into Norham.
Bay paw was taken completely by surprise, but recovered quickly enough to thwack her staff down at the battling creatures. Her aim wasn't very good and it was hard to tell who was who in the melee, but she sincerely hoped she was hitting Karnik and not Norham.
Norham saw the staff coming down, he let Karnik get on top of him. Suddenly a round of blows hit Karnik on the back of his head, he blacked out. Norham said." Thanks Marm!" And fell over from exhaustion.
Baypaw found herself trembling with shock and exertion. She just wanted to sit down- but she knew that she couldn't. She found some rope and tied Karnik securely to a tree, then inspected Norham. There was no damage that she could see other than some mild scrapes and bruises. "I suppose you are just bloomin' tuckered out, wot. And who wouldn't be, after fightin' a horrible vermin like that fellow?" Baypaw decided it was best to let Norham rest after the ordeal, but didn't want to be too close to Karnik... She finally dragged Norham under some nearby bushes and set down to wait.
Norham woke in the night, another dream about Riggaeo. He snapped into reality, punching the creature over him in the snout. "Aagh! Me blinkin nose!" It was Karnik, who had just recently used his hand blade to cut himself free. Norham hammered down with both paws on his back, knocking him out cold.
Baypaw, unused to standing guard, had fallen asleep, and woke at the ruckus from the bushes. The first thing she saw was the cut ropes where Karnik had been tied up. Oh no! Was Norham okay? She hurried over to where she had hidden him, to find Karnik unconscious (again) and Norham standing over him. "Oh, dear! I'm awfully bloomin' sorry, old chap. I thought you should have some rest, so I tied this brute up and- Norham, I must have jolly well fallen asleep! Are you all right?" Baypaw was visibly upset at the thought of what might have happened. "I won't ever flamin' well fall asleep on duty again, sah. You have my word of honor, wot!"
"Don't worry yourself over me marm, Just remember, his hand is sharp, he can cut rope." Norham inspected the fox a little more closely. He remembered this fox, and remembering cutting off his hand. This was long ago, but apparently the fox had never forgotten. He stared at the fox a while.
Baypaw could see that he was reliving old memories. "Er, I say, shouldn't we get going before this chap wakes up?" she asked hesitantly.
Norham snapped out of his trance like demeanor. "Oh, er, right." Norham bent down, picked up the fox, dunked his in the icy cold streamwater nearby, and plopped him down. The fox, newly revived, sputtered water, and got up on his feet. "Hey, you and me have a long past together, let's finish it as "old friends", and duel properly this time...." Karnik knew he was no match for his old foe, but he must, and he would fight.
Baypaw was extremely nervous, but knew that she should stay out of this fight. She found a safe place nearby and began preparing to tend to Norham's hurts- if he won, he would most likely have some injuries, and if he lost... Baypaw shook her head. He would win, she could feel it.
Karnik circled his opponent. He lifted his arm blade, and lunged at Norham. He spoke while he fought, thrusting, missing, and dodging sword slashes. "You know, that first time we fought, I had the upper hand, but now, I have no hand! It's because of you I'm like this, now die!" He plunged the spike deep into Norham's lower chest. Norham collapsed immediately. Karnik let out a triumphant cheer.
Baypaw gasped in surprise and fear. She was trembling violently, and about to collapse when she heard a voice say, "Now is not the time to hesitate in fear- do what you must! Go, help your friend!" As if in a trance, Baypaw picked up her staff and stole up behind the cheering fox. She closed her eyes when she brought the staff down as hard as she could, but felt a sickening thud as oak met flesh and bone. She opened her eyes slowly, afraid of what she might find...
Karnik stood with a shocked expression on his face, the back of his skull had been busted in. He fell forward, still frozen in that position.
"So, uh, anything I can do to help, ma'am?" Vash asked a little awkwardly.
OOC: Whoa. Geez, I didn't think she could hit that hard...
BIC: Baypaw couldn't bear to look at Karnik's body. Instead she sat next to Norham, inspecting his wound. It was deep, but fortunately had missed any vital organs. She cleaned it, then bandaged it, putting a special numbing poultice under the bandages. She then splashed some water on Norham's face to wake him.
Norham was slowly coming to. blood was crusted on his face and arms. though short, the battle he had just fought was ecscruciating for both beats. "Well marm, you certainly did your job there, thanks!"
Baypaw had tears running down her face as she shook her head and answered. "No, I didn't. My job is to heal creatures- I'm not supposed to cause harm to anybeast. Now look at what I've done: that fox is-" her voice faltered. "-dead. And it's my fault. I killed him." She couldn't say anything more, and merely put her head in her paws and wept.
Back at the abbey, Antura was growing restless again. Her fighting spirit had been stirred, and it would not quiet until the battle was won. She had complete faith in the abbey- in its creatures, in its guiding spirit, in its very stones. However, she also had good sense, which told her it would be foolish to go on another night raid. She just hated not doing anything...
Norham put a paw on Baypaw's shoulder. "Taking that foxes' life was the right thing. He was going to go after you next, I'm sure. If you hadn't... Er, done your job, then he would kill us both." Norham had known many people to come down with shock, after their first real fight.
Baypaw looked at Norham. "I know he would, but I feel like I could have done something else- maybe just knocked him out, or something. I didn't have to kill him," she said softly. Then her face cleared a little, and she continued, "But I think- I think that it was Martin the Warrior that told me to help you. That's all right then, isn't it? But I still never want to take another creature's life again."
"It's alright marm, if Martin wanted that beast dead, and he's dead, than I'm assuming he's supposed to be dead, am I making sense when I say that?"
She shook her head, a slight smile around her whiskers. "Not really, old chap, but I understand you. We'd best get going sharpish, before we're attacked again, wot."
"True enough, let's move." He began humming an old tune. He also began to start a slight jog. The fresh air and good atmosphere was getting to him. He might actually have been happy if Redwall were under better conditions.
OOC: I have a question. Isn't Karnik's spike poisoned? Does Norham know about it? When will the effects kick in? How severe is the poison? (Okay, that was actually four questions, but they're all relevant.)
Ooc: I was about to get to that... :D
OOC: Sorry.
Ooc: It's fine.
Norham began to feel faint as he jogged. He began seeing double, and slumped over.
OOC: idk what to do on this rp. Should I have Vash leave Linda, because I don't think Wonwill is rping Linda anymore.
OOC: I am.
BIC: Linda found it easier to ignore Vash than to talk and teach him about healing, so set about to healing those who needed help while not speaking to any of the others.
OOC: Yay!
BIC: Vash felt a little awkward since Linda wasn't talking. Every now and then, he gave her a glance. "So, is there anything I could help with? Or should I just try and be helpful elsewhere?" Vash asked, glancing at Linda again.
"Er, you can salvage wh-what you c-c-can from the infirmary." Linda stammered, unsure what to say and wishing Sister Baypaw was here.
"Sure thing, boss." he said, turning around to search.
Sister Baypaw saw Norham fall. She rushed over, already pulling out her satchel of medicinal herbs. "Norham? Can you hear me? Oh, I shouldn't have insisted we move on so soon!" She thought he must have lost unconsciousness from blood loss, but his wound hadn't reopened... Was it poison? She's heard of vermin poisoning their weapons. Grimly determined, she started mixing any antidotes she knew to common poisons.
Norham woke slowly with Baypaw above him. He felt a burning pain in his lower chest. "What happened?" Asked Norham, quite confused.
"You collapsed- I think you were poisoned by that fox's spike. How do you feel?" Baypaw was intensely relieved that Norham was awake, but was worried that the poison's damage might not be completely done.
"Thanks" he said hoarsely. He sat up, looking into the distance. There was still quite a bit of travelling to do before they reached Salamandastron.
Baypaw noticed the direction he was looking and shook her head firmly. "Absolutely not, laddy buck. We are not moving from here until you're healed." Her tone softened a little. "How do you feel?"
"Quite sore, but other than that I-" Norham collapsed again. The poison was not yet gone.
Baypaw, alarmed, hurriedly administered another dose of the antidote. Hopefully it would completely cancel out the poison this time...
Vash came back with a couple plants he had found in the infirmary, and also some tools. The plants were medicinal at least.
Norham woke to the hustled breathing of Baypaw. She was mixing this and that, adding things to it. "Was it really that bad?" He thought to himself, wondering if he would live.
OOC: He can't die! No really, he can't- because he appears in a later RP.
When Baypaw finished mixing the antidote, she turned to put it on Norham's wound and she that he was awake. When he spoke, her voice was quiet. "I'm going to put this on your blinkin' scratch, wot. It might sting a bit, but only for a moment." She unwrapped the bandages covering his wound and took a quick look at it while applying the antidote. It was much better already- with luck, it could be healed in just a few days, though Norham would likely have long-term effects from it.
Ooc: Oh, I know, but Norham doesn't. :D
Norham passed out again, not from pain though. He passed out from lack of water this time. The poison was gone, but he needed water.
Baypaw was less alarmed this time, but still worried. What was wrong now? She was sure that the antidote had gotten rid of all traces of poison. Maybe it was exhaustion, or shock from his ordeal...
Norham was dreaming once again. The huge snake that he saw befor had killed every beast around him. It was him, versus the snake. There was one more figure, it was the white wildcat, telling him something...
Riggaeo sat in his tent, pariently waiting. It appeared he had won, but the Redwallers would not stand down. His army was getting hungry, and he had to act now! He stepped outside of his tent. He strode through the tightly packed vermin horde.
Baypaw frowned in worry- Norham was hallucinating, calling out feverishly from the depths of unconsciousness. Something about a snake, and a wildcat. Suddenly Baypaw knew the problem: dehydration! It must be pretty bad by now though, if he was hallucinating. Baypaw found a canteen of water, but then realized that the only way Norham could drink it was if he was awake. She set about trying to wake him up.
Riggaeo stood framed against the moon. His fur gleamed, as if it were aglow all on its own. He spoke, not loudly, but could be easily heard somehow. "My fellow beasts, this Redwall! It has rebelled against our rule for far too long! Let us take down this haven, those hallowed halls have stood for far too long!" His men gave a huge shout, and began chanting." Starswift! Starswift! Kill, kill, kill!
Antura was tossing and turning in an uneasy sleep when the shouts of Riggaeo's army woke her. She rushed up to the west walltop, to see Riggaeo standing in front of his horde, probably working them into a battle frenzy. She wished that she was a good archer, but she couldn't even draw a bow properly, much less hit was she was aiming at. But she did know an archer! Smiling secretly, she slipped out a back wallgate and hurried off into the woodlands.
OOC: I'm going to bring in a character, but he's not a real character or anything... anyone can play him or whatever.
Vash heard the horde's shouts and hollers, and it made him feel uneasy. How long was he going to stay here?
Ooc: You can make him real, s'fine by me. :)
OOC: 'Kay. I'll post a character sheet for him in the OOC Discussion thread later today, as I'm helping out at my church this morning- preparing for summer camp, dontcha know. ;D
Ooc: Gotcha.
Antura had been walking for about twenty minutes when she stepped into a small clearing that had a stream running through it. On the opposite bank was a spreading oak tree. She gathered up some pebbles and began tossing them into the foliage. She was soon rewarded by a low cry and a stream of curses. Leaves rustled, and an aging shrew dropped out of the tree, an arrow clutched in his paw. He glared at Antura, who waved cheerily. "Of all the cheeky, thick-headed beasts to come callin' at midnight, it had to be you." The shrew shook his head with an over-exaggerated sigh, then waded swiftly across the stream to shake paws with Antura. They were both grinning as they exchanged greetings. "Antura, me darlin', what've ye been eating? You're twice as tall as me now!" "Haha! You've got it backwards, Zef. I'm not growing taller, you're getting shorter!" In mock alarm, the shrew pretended to measure himself against a tree. "So I am! I used to be taller than this ash." Growing serious, Zef tugged at his belt distractedly. "What did ye come to see me about? It must be important if ye woke me this late." His otter friend nodded. "There's a whole horde of vermin camped out in front of Redwall. Their leader is a big white wildcat, name of Riggaeo Starswift. We've kept them out so far, but I don't know how long we can hold out. I was hoping you could put your talents to use for us, and maybe teach some others how to use a bow." Zef thought. "I can bring down as many vermin as get in range, but I can't teach. Archery isn't somethin' ye learn in one day anyhow. It takes time." Antura was used to her friend's solitary tendencies, and understood. "All right. Well, I'd best get back to the abbey- who knows what that white-furred scum is up to. Are you coming?" Zef began walking toward Redwall. "O' course. And as long as ye keep feedin' me Redwall vittles, I'll keep feedin' the vermin arrows."
Riggaeo sat within his tent. The tunnels they had made earlier were going quite well. His men had also made small stone and wood defense structures. They were all loaded with ballistas, and stocked with bolts. Siege towers with small trebuchets had also been constructed. His army was fed, now that they had found a good source of fish, mainly pike, from a secluded lake with an island in the center.
Baypaw was getting worried- Norham still wasn't waking up. She decided to try to get some water in him anyway. Lifting his head, she gently trickled water into his mouth. "Norham, please wake up. Please." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Flippin' cad! If you die, I'll see to it that you never receive another good meal ever again. Just wait and jolly well see, you blighter."
Norham coughed and sputtered a bit. He sat bolt upright. "Wha?! Who? Gah!" As he sat up, he nearly missed conking heads with Baypaw. "Oh, thankee' miss Baypaw! Thank you so very much!" Norham said, he wasn't acting normal... Though, he never is. But he seemed, odd.
She heaved a deep sigh of relief, wiping away her tears as she regained control of herself. "Stay there, Norham. I think there's a stream nearby- I'll find it and bring back some water." Baypaw stood and hurried toward the sound of flowing water. The sooner she was back with water, the better. She paused for a moment when filling their flasks- something about Norham had seemed a bit off. Shrugging, she capped the flask. Some strangeness was to be expected , after all. He had just been poisoned, cured, dehydrated, and collapsed several times. He was not likely to be his normal self.
Antura and Zef reached the abbey only to find that the wallgate Antura had used to slip out was locked. She hissed in frustration and disgust. Of course somebeast would find it open and lock it. How could she be so thoughtless? And they couldn't risk calling up to the walltops- they might be hawed by unfriendly ears. Zef chuckled softly, selecting an arrow and tying it to a thin length of cord. Antura watched curiously. "Even if it caught on something, that rope isn't strong enough to hold either of us, mate." Zef didn't even look up. "Aye, but when your friends see an arrow sticking in their front lawn with a rope on it, they'll be interested. Don't ye think they'll look to see where it goes? Ah, but that won't be until dawn at least. We might as well get some sleep afore then, me beauty." He sent the arrow flying over the wall, trailing its cord. Then he tied the other end to a nearby branch and swung up into the tree for a nap. Antura was amazed that her friend could sleep- she was far too tense. She decided to stand watch, and leaned back against the tree, listening to Zef's quiet snores.
Vash, unnerved by the noise of Riggeo's horde, was still awake. He was staring out the window of the room he was in and was looking out onto the courtyard. That's when he noticed the arrow. Immediatly thinking that the horde was trying to invade Redwall, Vash went to investigate, knife drawn.
OOC: I can finally do something!
Norham was having dreams again, but these were at least peaceful. He dreamt of Redwall and its great halls. He was worried too, because those halls were about to be invaded.
Baypaw returned to find Norham unconscious again- no, he was merely asleep. He looked so peaceful it would be a shame to wake him, but he really needed water. She shook his shoulder gently. "Norham? Norham, I brought some water. Wake up, you need to drink."
Norham woke with sword in hand. "Aughhhh! Oh, er, sorry. Water you say, please!" He gently took the flask from her and drank gratefully. Norham, besides the strange awakening, seemed to be back to normal.
Antura woke suddenly. Realizing she had fallen asleep on watch, the ottermaid heaved a disgusted sigh. What if a vermin soldier had happened upon her? She would have been dead before she had a chance to wake up. She scanned the woods quickly, looking and listening for anything out of place. Everything was still and silent- almost too peaceful. Wait, what about Zef? She couldn't hear his snoring anymore... Antura climbed clumsily up the tree to where Zef had fallen asleep. He wasn't there!
Jeremias woke. The moon shone through his window. It was a peaceful looking night, but it was all but peaceful. He saw great torches, mounted on giant rolling towers, and many vermin, heading toward Redwall! Jeremias dashed down the dormitory stairs, yelling. "The bally vermin are upon us! Take up arms! The flippin' cads are attacking. He ran across the grounds, and after a while, he reached the belltower, and he began tolling out the alarm.
Startled by the tolling of Redwall's twin bells, Antura fell out of the tree and crashed to the ground. Moaning, she sat up. "Unhh... What? Oh no, the vermin must be attacking!" Throwing caution to the winds, she bellowed up to the walltop. "Oi! Anybeast there? It's me, Antura!!" To her surprise, the wallgate opened immediately, and Zef poked his head out. "Huh, some guard ye were. I snuck away while ye were sleepin', an' managed t'find a way over the walls. There's a branch that sticks out over 'em, y'see." Antura glared. "Well, you gave me the fright of my life in the process. I had no idea where you were!" Then she saw a shadowy figure stealing up behind Zef...
Ooc: Oh, good, I thought the worst had come to Zef!
Jeremias shot a glance over at Antura. "Antura m'gel, could you help a chap out and get the old, and the dibbuns to jolly old cavern hole?"
Antura let out a sigh of relief. It was only Jeremias. "Uh, sure." Zef turned to see who Antura was talking to. It was a hare! He glared at him, then turned back to address the ottermaid. "Ye're on speakin' terms with such beasts?" Surprised at her friend's obvious disdain, nodded. "Why wouldn't I be? Zef, I know you don't like being around other creatures, but please try to cooperate can you fight on the walls while I help the young and old to Cavern Hole?" Zef stalked past Jeremias, commenting airily, "O' course, me darlin'. If no snot-nosed rabbits get in my way, that is." Antura sighed and headed toward the main abbey building.
Vash saw the rope attached to the arrow and quickly cut it. He heard somebeast coming, and quickly his in the shadows. But it was only a shrew. Relieved, Vash came out of his hiding place. That's when the bell started ringing. The relief he had been feeling earlier was instantly gone. They were being attacked! Why did he choose to stay, why?!
OOC: Finally, something to do!
BIC: Tom awoke to the sounds of panic and bells, and knew that the enemy was attacking. Of all the times to be injured it HAD to be now...
OOC: Can the abby have a couple of crossbows? There easier to shoot than bows.
OOC: I know how you feel, Thom. And poor Tom!))
Ooc: I think Ginbur (cellarmole) could hook you up with some weapon. ;)
Norham sat by the fire, it was warm, and it gave him happiness in the dark. Baypaw sat on the other side. They would have to get a move on though, because Riggaeo was already attacking.
Tom asked the patient next to him about getting a crossbow, and upon receiving directions from him, he started limping towards the cellars.
Zef was on the wall before most other beasts got there, already loosing arrows into the horde's ranks. When he saw the siege towers with fires on top, he grinned and pulled a small packet out of his belt pouch. He tied it to an arrow and shot it at the closest tower, ducking and shouting to the other beasts on the wall. "GET DOWN!" A second later, there was a massive BOOM! and the tower was little more than a pile of ashes.
Vash was heavily debating on whether or not to stay. He looked from the wall to the small back gate and didn't know which way to go. What was compelling him so much to stay here?!
Ooc: Nifty powder in that bag there, Zef. ;)
OOC: Thanks. I meant to make it damaging but not completely decimate the tower, but then the bell for class rang and I had to end it quick. I guess I'll make that the stuff he uses for really urgent occasions.
BIC: Zef stood and began firing arrows again, his paw shaking a little. It had been a long time since he had used that powder, and he had forgotten how powerful it was. Driving all thoughts from his head except for the ones about aiming, he got back to picking off the vermin pushing the siege towers.
Tom had gotten a crossbow from the cellars and limped to the top of the wall. He started sniping vermin from the walltop.
Zef stiffened as a mouse with a crossbow set himself up a few feet away from Zef. Then, seeing the mouse was a good shot, he relaxed- fractionally. Antura soon came up to the walltop, carrying a sling. She waved to the mouse. "Hi, Thom." Then she sat down between Thom and Zef. "How many have you gotten so far, friend?" Zef snorted. "Lost count," he muttered, painfully conscious of Thom's presence. Antura grinned. "Just wait until I actually get good with one o' these- I'll catch up, aye, and surpass your score." Zef shook his head silently and focused on his targets.
Tom was finding that the crossbow shot straight, but was hard to aim. Then he saw the animal Antura was talking to was obviously a skilled archer. "What is your name, friend?" he asked. "Do you happen to have some form of sight with you?"
Vash bored himself to make a decision, and headed towards the smaller exit.
Zef paused. Was that mouse talking to him? Why? He decided to ignore him. Antura sighed. "Sorry, Thom. He's not really comfortable around most beasts. If he didn't owe me a favor, he wouldn't be here." The old shrew huffed angrily. "I ain't shy o' nobeast. An' that debt's been paid by my reckonin', miss!" He dug something out of his pouch and shoved it at Thom. "Here's your blasted sight. I hope ye knows how to use it." Antura her head and got back to slinging. "You're hopeless, mate."
OOC: Is it a telescopic sight, or an iron sight? Cause I know how to use both IRL.
Norham woke to early morning dew on his brow. The march to Salamandastron was taking lonepger than expected, but he and Baypaw pressed on.
Riggaeo ducked at the explosion from the tower. He had his men marhc double-speed to get there. He ordered the ballistas to fire. Bolts zipped through the night sky like angry hornets from a nest.
OOC: Umm... no idea. Whichever one you need/want. (I have a bow, but I actually don't know very much about archery...)
Antura shifted position, going around Zef to get a pebble that was lying on his other side. She was ducking to pick it up when Zef heard the buzz of the ballista bolts. "DOWN!" he shouted for the second time that night, and instinctively pulled Thom to the walkway stones with him. Antura reacted automatically, throwing herself flat as the bolts whizzed by overhead.
"Darn ballistas!" Tom said. Feeling courageous he took a pot shot at one of the men manning the ballistas, and was rewarded by a cry of death.
OOC: Actually, crossbows use different sights that bows, there closer to gun sights. I guess I'm a bit of a nerd for knowing that. :P
OOC: *shrug* No, it just means you really know what you're doing when you pick up a bow. Actually, I would much rather everyone that used/held/touched a weapon of any kind really knew what they're about. ;D
OOC: Knowing a lot about bows seems pretty cool to me. All I know about archery weapons is pretty much how to load, how to fire, and safety.
BIC: Vash quietly slipped out the back, hoping no one had or would see him.
Tom heard rustling in the grass and instinctively aimed that way. It was a vermin, but it was wearing clothes like Vashs! Fearing that he was going to tell the enemy of their plans, he fired a warning shot at Vashs feet, while warning the others of his presence.
Vash flinched and stopped when the arrow landed right in front of him. He followed the arrow's direction, seeing Tom on the wall. He gave him a look that said 'What in God's name is wrong with you?!'.
"What are you doing down there!" He said in a quiet shout.
Vash pointed at himself with his thumb, the pointed at the woods. He was trying to give Tom the message that he was leaving.
Jeremias put a paw on Thom's shoulder. "It's Vash, old chap! Don"t bally shoot him!"
"He has decided to leave." Tom said solemnly. "I thought he was going to betray us to the enemy."
Antura shook her head. "You thought Vash would betray us? Great seasons."
"I have learned that one can never be too careful."
Norham was setting a fairly good pace, and now, they had reached the dunes
OOC: Now I just gotta sit back and wait.
BIC: Vash turned around and shook his head before allying further into the brush.
Slowly, Antura nodded. "I suppose. Just-" she smiled, recalling an incident not too long ago, "- trust your gut." Zef enjoyed making sarcastic comments, and did so now without looking away from his target. "Aye, darlin'- always. Until yer gut argues against yer common sense. Not that ye have any o' that," he muttered as he loosed an arrow. A thin scream of agony reached them from below.
Baypaw was happy- Norham seemed to be fully recovered, they were already on the coast, and it was a beautiful day. She sighed with contentment, closing her eyes for a moment and feeling the breeze ruffle her fur. Baypaw scanned the horizon, and saw Salamandastron rising in the distance, majestic and formidable. "There it is! The jolly old mountain, wot!" she called to Norham.
Norham looked up to see the huge monolithic figure, jutting up from the shore. It was an awesome sight. Huge terraces, small homes carved into the massive structure. It was jaw-dropping. This just pushed him further. He started to run. This was it.
Whooping with delight, Baypaw dashed off after him. "There's nobeast born yet that can outrun a jolly old hare, wot, though I'd like t'see you try! Whoohahahaha!" She caught up to her otter friend easily, and was soon kicking up sand in front of him. "Haha! Let's see how you like sand for bloomin' supper, old chap!"
Norham sped up his pace. "Alright marm, a race it is then!" And with that, he sped up further, laughing the whole time.
Soon Baypaw had reached the entrance. She stood there for a moment to catch her breath- and wait for Norham to catch up.
Norham, good runner that he was, was no match for the hare. He arrived, huffing and puffing. "Goodness marm! You sure outbested me!"
Baypaw grinned. "Did I never tell you that I was the champion Galloper at Salamandastron in my time? Ha! Nobeast could keep pace with me, not even that snooty Leliah Togworth." With this, she turned and rapped on the door that was the main entrance to the mountain fortress.
Norham chuckled. The door opened slowly, with the face of a large hare in a spotless dark green tunic, peeking out. "Wot, visitors!" And with that he slammed the door. Norham assumed he was going to tell Tobias of their arrival. A few minutes passed. The door. opened again. It was Tobias! "Norham old friend! Come in! And you too, please!" They entered into a large room, set up in it were long dining tables, carved chairs, the works.
Ooc: Sorry I have to end here! Have to go!
Baypaw looked around, obviously glad to be back. She turned and curtsied respectfully to Tobias. "Er, you must be the new Badger Lord here, wot? I'm Baypaw- I used t'live here several seasons ago. Norham and I came from Redwall Abbey to ask for your help, sah."
Zef was beginning to run low on arrows, but he didn't want to leave the walltop and mix with other creatures. "Er, Antura, me darlin'- ye wouldn't be wantin' to find me some more arrows, now would ye?" She smiled and shook her head, whirling her sling. She was starting to get the feel of it now. "What's the matter, Zef, are you shy?" The old shrew scowled and stomped down the wallsteps to go look for arrows. Fortunately, he found plenty of them on the front lawn, where vermin had shot them. He was soon back up on the wall, loosing shafts left, right, and center as quickly as he was able to.
OOC: I'm not going to be on at all tomorrow. I have a full day. So just do whatever with my characters- Zef and Antura will keep up the attack, and Baypaw will just stay quiet while Norham talks to Tobias, if that's okay. :)
Tailli awoke, not remembering where she was. She panicked slightly, before recalling that she had fallen asleep at Redwall. She relaxed slightly, letting herself sink into the soft bed before sitting up. The room was smaller than a closet, and it was hot and stuffy. She loosened the collar of her dress and the young squirrelmaid padded from the room. She paused at the top of the stairs before running down them. She looked around the great hall, her eyes rested on the tapestry. She walked over and looked up, inexplicable fear seized her heart as she beheld the mouse warrior's likeness. She just knew if he was here, and he knew what she was going to do, she would not make two steps before dying. She gave a squeak of terror and ran away from it. Martin's eyes in the tapestry seemed to follow her as she ran down the hall and into the kitchens. His eyes were still had the kindly light that they had been woven with, but stroke fear into Tailli's heart, black with her intentions.
Tailli was breathing hard as she entered the kitchen, nearly running into Jen and Marci. The mouse squeaked in fear and jumped behind his hedgehog friend. Marci drew herself up to her full height, which was still much shorter than Tailli, "You leave Jen 'lone, bully!" she said.
Tailli had jumped back in surprise, but had now recovered, "M'sorry." she muttered, scuffling a footpaw on the stones.
Jen came out from behind Marci, "Isfine." he said.
Tailli brightened slightly. She could make friends with Jen and Marci, she was only a little bit older than them, about three seasons out of dibbunhood, and she could gain their trust. From then, it would be easy to con them into following her to the vermin camp, "I'm Tailli." she said, not realizing that she hadn't used her fake name, Mabel.
"Wanna play?" Jen asked.
Tailli nodded and led them through the great hall. Marci hung back slightly as Tailli exited the abbey, "We're no' 'sposed to go out." she muttered.
Jen turned and put his paws on his hips, "It be fun!" he said.
Despite this urging, Marci stayed behind and headed back to the kitchens as Jen and Tailli ran out.
Near the wall, Tailli suddenly rounded on Jen and clamped a paw over his mouth, "Not a word." she muttered nastily. Jen nodded vigorously.
Tailli led Jen through the wallgate, into Mossflower woods. It was an easy matter to guide the terrified mouse to the vermin camp.
"Anyone here?" she called in a low voice.
Igdus emerged from the shadows. "Ah, our spy has returned, and with some fresh bait too!" He said menacingly. He gagged the dibbun with a strip of cloth, and blindfolded him. (or her, Idk which.). He led them both into Riggaeo's tent.
OOC: Jen is a him.
BIC: Tailli stood proudly behind Jen, eager for her reward. She hoped it would be slightly better than the bread and wine.
Ooc: Yes! I finally got the gender of a minor character right!
Igdus unwrapped before Talili, a large bottle of the best elderberry wine that they had. "Well, our young spy, here is your prize, along with this!" He beat her over the head with a wood club, knocking her out cold.
Tailli fell sideways, almost comically, still clutching the wine with a morbid grin of triumph on her face. Oh well, she wouldn't be telling them about the reinforcements then.
Zef had taken down several siege tower pilots (if that's the proper term) but two were still coming. In fact, they were about to reach the wall. "Swords out! Here comes trouble!" He shouted. Antura loosed of one more stone, then dropped the sling and drew her cutlass, grinning eagerly. "Let's get 'em! Redwaaaaaaall!!!" She charged the vermin climbing onto the wall, slashing and thrusting recklessly. Zef laid about the foebeast with his bow and used an arrow as a dagger, but the vermin of Riggaeo's horde seemed endless.
Marci had watched Jen and Tailli leave and ran onto the lawns, toward the wall with the defenders. An arrow landed right in front of her paws and she screamed in fear.
Riggaeo himself, fought too. He was running down the battlements, slaying defenders left and right, and he spotted Antura. "That otter! I had her captured long ago, and here she stands, fighting against me!" And with that, he rushed down the walltops toward her
Zef heard the scream from below and turned to look. He saw a young hedgehog staring in fright at the arrow that was stuck, still quivering, in the ground before her. What was she doing out here? The young ones were supposed to be inside! He started to battle his way down the wallsteps to help her- there was no way she could make it back to the abbey building alone. He eventually reached her, but he had lost half o one ear on his way, which did not improve his temper. Grabbing her paw and hauling her quickly along to the main building, he berated her. "What d'ye think you're up to, miss? Ye'll get yourself killed out here!"
Antura, too, heard the scream, but was more focused on the rat she had locked blades with. He pushed him closer to the edge and, with a grunt of effort, heaved him over the side. The ottermaid was distracted again when she saw the white wildcat barreling toward her. Riggaeo Starswift! Her blade shone crimson in the moonlight as she held it up, ready to meet the enemy.
Tailli awoke, a throbbing pain in her head, and cracked open her eyes.
Marci sniffed, "Tailli putta paw o'er Jen's mouth and took him outside!" she said, seeming to shrink slightly.
Zef paused. "Who's Tailli, an' who's Jen?" An arrow buried itself near them, and Zef hurried Marci inside. "Tell me what happened."
"Tailli isa white squirrel." Marci said quickly, hoping that Zef wouldn't do something rough again, "She locked Jen ina cupboard, then she and Jen went out to help. I saw 'im from the door. Then Tailli putta paw o'er Jen's mouth and pull him outta Redwall."
Zef released Marci's paw, thinking. What to do? He didn't know anything about this white squirrel or Jen, who sounded like another Dibbun. It seemed like Jen had been kidnapped- where would they have gone? Zef tensed as he realized the only place a kidnapper would go- into the vermin camp. "Stay inside. No wandering around outside," he said sternly, and left. He slipped out of a wallgate and stopped briefly to pick up several clothing items from various vermin corpses until he had an outfit. Then he continued toward the vermin's camp, trying to convince himself that he would not be seen through. "An' even if they do see I'm not one o' them, they'll never catch me. I'm far too quick for those buckoes." He sighed, wishing he didn't have to go. He might act on his own standards, but the old shrew knew that young ones were precious, and that to harm them was wrong.
Ooc: So many Characters! ;D
Riggaeo slammed his sword down, hoping to disarm his opponent.
Igdus was beaming. He had captured Talili, and Jen, kept the wine, and bound the two prisoners to a flagpost in the camp. It was a good day for him, but the prisoners would not have such a good day.
Norham and Baypaw were led by Tobias to his forge room. There he had weapons all over the wall, ranging from tiny knives, to massive glaives. He sat them both down on a cushioned window sill. "So, what brings you here, is the wildcat not about anymore?"
OOC: @Norham- Yeah, I know. :) Oh, um, should the fight between Riggaeo and Antura play out like a duel would? Or would you rather decide by PM who gets hurt, how badly, when, etc.? (I'm perfectly fine with either option.)
BIC: Antura was ready, however, and swung her cutlass upward to block Riggaeo's blade. She gasped as the impact sent a shock through her paws, almost numbing them. Gritting her teeth, she twisted her blade, trying to send his to the side and give her a moment to regain a grip on her sword hilt.
Vash had snuck into the camp, and it was extremely easy. There were ver few vermin left to guard the camp, not to mention he was a expert at sneaking around. He was going to just take some things and try and sabotage what he could, when he saw Igdus, and his prisoners.
Baypaw was gazing around the forge room in wonder- she had never been inside it, though she had heard about it from older hares. Tobias' question brought her back to earth. "Hm? Oh, right. No, he hasn't gone. In fact, Redwall needs reinforcements. We may be able to hold his horde out, but at a great cost. And we completely lack the ability to drive him off. We were hoping that you would help us. We stand in great need of your aid, m'lord."
"She is exactly right, we need Salamandastron!" Norham shouted. "There ist no need to yell, mine friend. Me and my hares will come! And aid in the defeat of this monster!"
Baypaw stood and saluted smartly. "My thanks to you, sah! We are in your debt- if there is anything Redwall or any of its creatures can do for you and yours, just say the flippin' word!"
"Well, come to think of it, there is something I need, come with me."
*steals sack of food from the group*
Ooc: Assuming that you're new to the forum, I should tell you something. You need to sign up in the Ooc Roleplay section first, then you can begin to join. Please don't post random things though. ;D
OOC: I have to agree, though I would be glad to see you join this RP. :) You might want to look in the Rules and Guidelines thread, too. (Welcome to the forum, by the way.)
BIC: Baypaw smiled. "Of course, sah. Where are we off to?"
Zef had managed to get past the guard without detection. He breathed a sigh of relief as he headed toward a campfire near the prisoners- he saw now that the Dibbun was tied up along with a white squirrel. It must be Jen and Tailli, he thought. Plopping himself down next to a weasel, he mumbled a greeting. "How is it goin', mate? Are ye here to watch those prisoners?"
Antura struggled to turn Riggeao's blade aside so she could gain a brief moment of respite.
(how do i sign up for it)
*eats apple**gives sack back* ware are you guys from
Ooc: You still haven't signed up, just follow my instructions.
Quote from: swift paw on May 02, 2013, 06:46:00 PM
(how do i sign up for it)
OOC: Go to the OOC Discussions, (found at the top of the Roleplay Section page) then find the thread for this RP and post your character sheet. When the Game Master (Norham) accepts it, you can start posting in this thread.
@Everyone else- Is there anything else I should mention, or is that good? (I haven't explained this before, so...)
(done thanks)
Zef chatted with the weasel for a few minutes. He learned that the weasel was not the guard- another beast was. When he heard the name, Zef nodded as though it meant something to him, then continued the conversation. Finally, the weasel fell asleep and Zef sat quietly by himself, trying to figure out a way to help Jen and Tailli escape. Or perhaps just Jen, he thought. Tailli was the one who had taken Jen in the first place. It was unlikely the vermin thought her useless. In fact, they might have tied he up with the babe to make her look innocent. Zef mulled this over, thinking, watching... and waiting.
Vash waited till no one was looking of was asleep, before starting to sneak up behind Igdus, his knife pulled out.
*wakes up* hey ware are you going!
OOC: Just to clarify- where are you, Swiftpaw? Are you in Redwall, at the vermin camp, on the road, etc. Our characters are all in various places at this point. Just so ya know. :)
@Norham- Are you going to continue Riggaeo's fight with Antura? He started fighting with her when he got off the siege tower, right? Just checking.
OOC: So, if the siege towers are breaching the walls, time to change tactics. BTW, welcome to the forum swiftpaw!
BIC: Tom realized that ranged weapons were useless, so he dropped the crossbow, only to find that he did not have a sword at paw! Thinking quickly, he shoved a weasel off the battlements, grabbing the weasels sword as he did so. Seeing Antura in trouble, he launched into action and ran to help her.
(im just confused im at red wall )
OOC: If you are not in character, you should say OOC: before you write. I would highly recommend reading the rules, although we all make mistakes.
OOC: Just a guess, but did you happen to come from the warriors forums?))
OOC:sorry this is the first forum I've ever been on
OOC: It"s ok, I was in the same situation when I joined. :)
Norham was organizing plans while Tobi prepped the hares. they were going to march to redwall, and retake it soon. well, at least they hoped. "Baypaw marm, are ye ready to march?" Norham asked
Baypaw smiled. "Of course I'm flippin' ready. I can out-march you any day of the season, laddy buck!"
Almost everybeast was asleep in the vermin camp. At least, they were in the area with the prisoners. Zef was about to make his move when he saw movement. A weasel was coming up behind Igdus with a drawn knife. The old shrew got up and moved closer to the weasel. Soon, he was right behind him. He put an arrow on the string of his bow and drew it before whispering harshly, "One wrong move an' yer a deadbeast. I've got an arrer pointed right at ye, weasel. I couldn't miss at this range, even if I wanted to. Now tell me, what are ye doing, eh? Got an old score t'settle with that'n, or do ye just like killin'?"
Vash stiffened, not moving an inch more. "Well, hopin' that you're not another vermin, I'm here to rescue the dibbun." he whispered, trying not to alert anyone.
Zef relaxed slightly. He lowered his bow and loosened the string. "Seasons know why, but I believe ye. Seems I've found an ally. All right, let's go. What about the squirrel, though?"
"I don't know, I've never trusted her though." he whispered. Then he turned around, seeing the shrew. He looked a little familiar, like Vash had seen him a little bit earlier.
OOC: I thought Thomas shot at you? Zef was shooting siege towers at the time.
OOC: Oh yeah, whoops!
OOC: Tom was near to Zef at the time, it's possible that Vash saw him while replying to Toms warning shot.
OOC: True. It's fine with me if Vash thinks Zef shot at him. I was just confused. (As per usual. :))
BIC: Zef shrugged. Well, we can always kill 'er later. Unless she causes trouble while we're rescuing the liddle'un. Then we can kill her right away." He moved silently closer to the prisoners. Placing a paw over Jen's mouth, Zef shook him gently.
Vash quietly followed him, making sure no beast was watching.
Jen didn't seem to be waking up, so Zef went ahead and cut the rope that held the babe to the post. Then he quickly tied a loose gag around Jen's mouth- he didn't want to scare the poor mite, but couldn't have him waking up loudly either- and hefted him over his shoulder.
Quickpaw looked around for signs of guards as he untied Jen. "Wow. It almost looks like you're kidnapping him!" Vash joked quietly.
Zef scowled. "Shut yer gob an' do somethin' useful. Why don't ye untie the squirrel?"
"Why would I free her?" He asked Zef, scowling back at the shrew.
"If'n she's workin' fer the vermin, she can tell us about them an' their plans. If'n she ain't, then it does no 'arm t'rescue her. An' because we need to hurry." He paused. "Please," he muttered grudgingly.
"Fine." Vash muttered, rolling his eyes. The weasel cut the albino squirrel free, and didn't give her a chance too escape. He put his paw over Taili's muzzle and the knife to her back, pulling her out of sight.
Zef followed furtively. "Good. Now we've just got t' make it back t' Redwall. The guard is over there-" he gestured, "-so we just needs to go some paces around 'im an' he won't hear a thing. Let's go." The old shrew walked quietly and gracefully off into the trees.
Vash did it quietly as well. He had done this many times, sneaking away quietly. However, it was a lot harder this time. He had never tried to escape while having a hostage beast.
Zef looked back and sighed. He could tell Vash was good at this sort of thing, but was hampered by Tailli. "D'ye want t' take th' liddle'un an' I'll take th' squirrel?" he asked quietly.
"I don't care, really." Vash told Zef.
The old shrew shrugged the shoulder that Jen wasn't hung over. "Suit yourself. We should be there soon anyway." As he spoke, he caught sight of Redwall through the thinning trees. The walltops were occupied by fightingbeasts from both sides, locked in combat with each other. In all the chaos, nobeast had seemed to notice that the small wickergate was not shut all the way. Zef headed swiftly towards it, carrying Jen almost effortlessly.
Vash moved with Taili, which took some effort, and ran behind Zef, who, only having to carry a child, was going faster than him.
Zef reached the small wallgate and held it for Vash. He adjusted the burden on his shoulder, not noticing somebeast coming up behind him...
Vash nodded and walked in with Taili, unaware of any beast besides them. He was to busy getting an albino squirrel through the gate.
Sensing something wrong, Zef whirled- but only managed to turn halfway before a rat's blade sliced across his ribs. Zef roared with pain and fell, Jen rolling off his shoulder and coming to a stop in the shadows by the wall. As Zef tried to regain his feet, the rat sneered at him and smashed his swordhilt down on the old shrew's head. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the rat's snide voice. "Wait for yore friends at 'Ellgates, sh'ew. They'll be joinin' ye afore long!"
Vash turned at the noise. "No!!" he shouted, dropping Taili. He ran at the rat, jabbing at him with his knife.
The rat hadn't seen Vash. He panicked, desperately parrying the viscious dagger thrusts with his sword. Then he missed, and Vash's dagger buried itself to the hilt in the rat's chest. Giving a surprised squeak, he toppled over, the knife still in his chest.
Vash stopped like he was frozen. He had just killed a beast. He had just killed a beast! He had never killed anybeast before. Vash started to panic, tears starting to well up in his eyes, blurring his vision. He slumped down to his knees, crying. Both from his actions and for Zef.
Vash's tears dripped onto Zef's face where he lay, unconscious. After a few minutes, he began to stir faintly, letting out a low groan and trying to raise his aching head. "Unhhh... Wha'- Vash...?"
Vash slowly openness his eyes. "Z-Zef? You're alive?" he said, almost not believing it.
Zef coughed. "S'pose I am, if'n I 'urt this much," he managed. "Not f'much longer if I don' get 'elp soon though..."
"O-okay." Vash said, nodding. He slowly and carefully pulled Zef inside the gate and closed it, locking it behind them. "Is there anybeast here that can help a hurt one? Anyone?" He called out, looking for a healer.
Though still extremely weak, Zef managed to stagger upright. He stood, leaning against the wall for support, and gauged the distance to the main building. "Most beasts who aren't fightin' are in there- that's our best chance uv an 'ealer..." he said, taking a shaky step forward and almost collapsing. Holding out a paw and cursing inwardly, Zef continued. "Can ye 'elp me t' the buildin', Vash? Ye can do wha' ye like after that."
Vash nodded, helping Zef up and supporting him, helping him to the building. But the shrew's last words were recalling brilliant a way into his thoughts. What did he want to do after this?
They made it to the main abbey building, and as soon as they were inside, Zef leaned against the wall and slid down, exhausted. His mind began to fog over, but he suddenly remembered Jen. "Vash- the little'n's still outside, by the wall I think. Can ye tell somebeast?" He didn't get the chance to hear Vash's reply, as he blacked out again.
"Don't worry, I figure something out!" Vash told Zef, though the shrew was unconscious. Unfortunately, no one was around. They were either hiding deeper somewhere else in the abbey or at the wall protecting it. Thinking quickly, Vash propped Zef's body against the wall and went back for the dibbun, and Tailli too.
Up on the walltop, the last thing on Antura's mind was a healer- she was more concerned with the wildcat in front of her. She had managed to turn his blade aside, and now had a better grip on her sword hilt. Se stood warily, never letting her guard down, searching for an opening...
Riggaeo was frustrated with this otter! Why wouldn't she just die. With that, he hacked furiously at her blade. Come on! Just die!
Antura parried his wild swings almost desperately, still searching... Finally, she had time- just barely, but enough- to launch her own attack after parrying Riggaeo's. She started her swing at waist-height, then whipped the blade up, across, and back down at neck-height. With some luck, she might be able to wound him, but Antuea doubted that she could actually kill him. The wildcat was no fool.
Riggaeo was surprised at the ferosity of his opponents next move. He swung his blade up too late, the sword zipped across his upper chest, blood spurted a bit. He staggered, and then, he leaped of the wall.
Antura gasped in shock, unable to grasp what had just happened. She peered over the wall, unable to see where Riggeao had fallen. "What? Why would he-" An arrow zipped past her face, reminding the otter that she was in the middle of a battle. Suddenly exhausted, she stumbled down the wallsteps, tryin to make it to the main building.
OOC: Your post reminded me of Back To The Future II, when Marty jumps off the roof because Biff is going to shoot him- and lands on the DeLorean.
Vash was shocked when the large wildcat landed infront of him. The weasel timidly pulled out his knife. No matter how much he tried to hide it, fear was plastered on his face.
Riggaeo was pleased to know that his fall was broken by a squirrel, who's neck was snapped in the process. He was extra pleased to find that a suitable target was next him, Vash. He managed to heave himself up, and raised his blade for the blow.
Vash was paralyzed by fear and when he broke his trance, it was to late. When he jumped back to avoid Riggeo, Vash was cut from the left side of his chest down to the right of his stomach. It was a clean hit, but didn't go to deep. If he died, it would be from a second attack or bleeding out.
Antura had looked down to find out if the fall had killed Riggaeo. Seeing what had happened to Vash, she didn't hesitate- she jumped. Hopefully I'll land right on his fat head, Antura thought viciously. She didn't call out for fear that Riggaeo would hear her and have his sword ready when she came hurtling towards him. Aye, and hopefully I won't break my neck landing on him.
Vash's last sight was of Antura falling down at Riggeo before he slumped over backwards on the the ground and blacked out.
Riggaeo leaped forward at Vash, and heard a pretty distinct thump! from behind him. He wheeled around, his face a mask of rage. "Why, Why won't you just die, stupid otter!" He snarled. He hacked at her feet, trying to disable her "getaway".
Antura grimaced as she landed- she felt a sharp pain in her footpaw. She barely had time to hope that she hadn't broken or sprained it before she had to scramble backwards to get out of the way of Riggaeo's wild swings. Several of them sliced across her footpaws, but Antura managed to reach the wall and use it to pull herself up. Grinning recklessly, she said, "Why? Well why don't you die, scabbywhiskers?" Antura's lunge forward after that was more like a fall, but she managed to point her cutlass at Riggaeo's chest.
Riggaeo was startled by the sudden lunge, no matter if it succeeded. He reeled back, and tripped over Vash's unconscious body. He had never been in a situation like this!
Norham and Tobias, along with Baypaw and the hares, were doing a fair paced march to Redwall. They had just crossed the dunes, and were heading to the western flats.
Vash only rolled over a little when Riggeo tripped over him, but didn't wake up.
Antura landed heavily, her sword point burying itself in the ground as she rolled away. She was so tired- she didn't know if she could get back up... But then she thought of what would happen if Riggaeo won. Redwall would become his fortress; inside its walls, he could build a military force to rival Salamandastron's, and undoubtedly he would take over Mossflower. Antura shakily got to her paws, drawing on her last reserves of strength to pull her sword out of the ground and level it at Riggaeo once more.
Riggaeo acted swiftly. He rolled to one side, and leaving his blade, dashed into the woods of Mossflower. He took no care if he was being followed, and dashed headlong into the shrubs and thickets.
Antura's knees buckled, and she collapsed against the wall, letting her sword drop beside her. She was so tired... The world around her faded slowly as she lost consciousness from exhaustion.
OOC: Now we could really use some nurses.
Ooc: On their way! ;D
Norham and the rest were picking up their march to a swift run, as soon as they saw there was a battle. The surprise attack worked. The hares scattered the vermin everywhere. As soon as it had started, it was over. Norham rushed over to Vash, who wasn't too badly hurt, just unconscious. Antura, was a different story. He had Baypaw rush her to the infirmary. The pressing thing on Norham's mind though, was where was Riggaeo. He hadn't seen him...
(Vash: Not badly hurt?! I've got a gash across my body and I'm bleeding out!)
Vash was still uncouncious, blood staining his body, his fur soaked red. His paw that he had draped over his chest was also soaked with blood.
OOC: HOW DID I MISS THAT!?!?! :P ;D
Norham saw that his previous assumption was terribly wrong. He had the Salamandastron hares work on him.
OOC: Better? :P
OOC: Is fine.
Baypaw worked with a will, cleaning Antura's numerous minor injuries and bandaging a few more serious ones. The otter's footpaw was sprained, but fortunately unbroken. Just as Baypaw was finishing, Antura came to with a start, sitting up and reaching for her sword- which was, of course, still on the front lawns. "What- what happened?" Baypaw pushed her gently back down. "I don't know what happened before we got here, but Norham and I seem to have brought those reinforcements just in time. You and Vash were lying next to each other out there- you appeared to be the worse injured, so-" Antura sat up again. "I seemed worse?!" She shouted incredulously. "Vash has a big cut across his chest! I'm fine! In fact, I'm leaving- y'need this space for other creatures." She stood and limped out the door, leaving behind a faintly bemused Baypaw. When Antura got down to the front lawns, she saw that Vash was being taken care of. "Good," she muttered. "They must've seen his wound. He's in the paws of the best healers asides Redwallers now." She sat down on the front steps, watching the goings-on around her.
Vash had been taken care of, and would be fine, though it would hurt when he woke up. At least he would live.
It looked like the hares had done a good job of patching up Vash. Antura remembered her sword, and went to get it. It was near the wall, right where she had dropped it, and lying next to it was a disheveled bundle. No, not a bundle- it was a Dibbun! She picked up the unconscious creature gently, murmuring, "What are ye doing out 'ere, liddle'un? It's been much too dangerous." She took the Dibbun- Jen- to the abbey building and handed him over to Baypaw. "I found this'n outside, by the wall." Baypaw merely nodded, already checking Jen for major injuries. On her way out the door, Antura took a quick look around the room. She stopped in surprise- Zef was here! The old shrew was lying still, bandages wrapped around his torso. Antura sat next to his cot, determined to stay there until he was able to leave. "Zef, please get better soon," she whispered.
Norham was just finishing strapping his sword belt on when someone informed him that Riggaeo had escaped. Norham shoved past the creature and hurled himself through the front gates, and into the woods.
Riggaeo, for the first time in his life, was afraid. He was crashing through bushes, and dodging low branches on his mad dash for survival. The last thing on his mind was Norham, who had just picked up his trail. He ducked into a hole in a rotted tree. His heart was pounding, but so was something else!
He recognized it as the sound of footpaws on the soft leafy turf. He instantly remembered the otter, and found himself right next to it.
Norham had stopped in front of the tree, not noticing Riggaeo. He longed for the moment when he would find him, and then he would make that beast pay!
Riggaeo heart thumped harder, and he feared it would be heard. Of course, it wasn't heard. He shuffled a little, to try and hide himself further. That was a crucial mistake.
Ooc: Sorry for the inactivity on my account lately. I've had things come up :P . I'll try to be on more often, thanks! ;D
Zef opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but Antura glared at him fiercely. "Ye just lay back down there, Zef. I don't know what happened t'ye, but ye've got t'let yer wounds heal." Too tired to argue, the old shrew did as he was told. "Antura, me darlin'- 'tis wonderful y'see ye, so 'tis. Where's Vash? If he hadn't helped me, I wouldn't be here 'tall, an' that's a fact." Antura's expression softened. "He's hurt, but bein' taken care of. He should-" she paused, then rephrased the thought. "I think he should be all right." "An' the squirrel an' Dibbun we rescued?" "The Dibbun is fine, but I haven't seen a squirrel."
When Vash woke up, the hare's had done what they could and moved on. He got up, slowly and weakly, tell he was standing. Wincing in pain but still standing, he walked off into the woods. No matter how great Redwall was, he knew he couldn't stay. This wasn't a place for a weasel like himself. No matter how much he loved it. Vash was gone, thinking he'd never return.
OOC: Vash's ending in this rp, transition to next.
Ooc: Inactive again! ARGH! Sorry, there I go again. ;D
Norham heard the minute rustle of the dead leaves and brush. His eyes gleamed with the moonlight. He slowly turned his head to Riggaeo's hiding spot.
Ooc: I'm probably gonna' end the RP soon. It's been fun guys!! :D
Ok, when I said "end it soon" it didn't mean stop posting. :P Topic revive
Zef looked concerned. "Really? You haven't seen 'er? A pure white squirrel is sort o' unusual..." Antura shot to her paws. "A pure white squirrel? Do you know what- nevermind. Where did you last see her?" The shrew gave a puzzled reply, and his old friend was off like an arrow from a bow.
Upon reaching the front gate, Antura found the area deserted, except for a jumble of pawtracks. Some led off into the woodlands, and vanished at the edge of the trees. "Blast it- those must be hers," Antura muttered angrily, then sighed. Once a squirrel was in the trees, it was nearly impossible to catch them. If that white-furred traitor wanted to run off, let her. Yet- Zef had said that she had been tied up with Jen. What had happened? Well, it didn't really matter now. Everybeast was safe in the abbey, as long as they kept proper diligence. Antura headed back inside for some well-deserved rest.
Norham bent down and grabbed the white wildcat. He hoisted him up in the air by the scruff of his neck.
Riggaeo sobbed. "What is it you want?!? I'll give you anythin- Augh!" Norham had gripped tighter.
By this time, his eyes were pure white.
Only the trees and the leaves witnessed the death of Riggaeo Starswift, by the paw of the lone survivor.
Ooc: Well, great. We still have an army, and an adder to take down. *slaps self* Why did I add the adder?
OOC: Maybe the adder could attack the vermin camp (for some undisclosed reason, probably food), and they could kill it. Then, if Norham brought back Riggaeo, or his pelt or something, chances are the army would run. Who wants to face somebeast that killed their illustrious leader?
Or not. Just suggestions, as always, and I hope they help stimulate the brain-juices. ;D
Ooc: Gotcha. :)
The battle at Redwall had died down. The vermin were routed, and the Salamandastron hares drew back.
As the minds of the returning vermin wore heavy, something caught everyone's attention.
Up atop their Banner Staff, something white shone in the sunlight. Everyone recognized the limp figure.
It was Riggaeo, strapped to their pride and joy of a banner. To say the least, this put a dampener on their day.
As if it wasn't bad enough, the weather turned sour. All the vermin fled for tents, and for hope.
***
Everybeast at Redwall held their breath. The vermin were either gone, too tired, or ready to strike; everybeast with their own and different opinion. Some waited for the end of Redwall, some just shrugged it off.
Abbess Emmery had her own opinion to give. Everybeast began filing into Great Hall, where she stood at a new podium, curtesy of Rigjim.
Ooc: Busy at the moment, posting soon.(ish)
As everybeast gathered in the musty old room, the Abbess gave the podium a whack to which her temperament was given credit. Silence filled the hall, aside from the occasional cough or shuffle.
After a long and awkward pause, she spoke. "Everybeast! Please, I believe we have routed the vermin, and we should relax, and be at peace! Please, everyone, the night is closing in, and you all need your rest. To the dormitories, please."
Zef, who had finally gotten out of bed, balked at being sent back to it. "Dismissed t'bed like a naughty Dibbun- ah, sure, y'wouldn't do that t'me. Would ye, darlin'?"
Antura's much-needed nap was interrupted for the Abbess' announcement, and she was spittle grumpy that it was mostly an order to go to bed. The ottermaid faced her old friend firmly, scowling. "Oh? Ye need yer rest, an' I need mine. Don't make me knock ye out to put ye t'sleep."
Zef assented, without grumbling. In fact, he let out a bark of laughter. "Ain't I glad ye're safe, darlin'. Ain't I glad."
The two friends went up to the dormitories together, quite ready for the peace that was to come.
Ridgley was your average vermin. He also happened to be a watchman.
After a humiliating defeat that day, he was especially tired.
His eyes began to droop, and he eventually drifted off.
He woke suddenly to a crackling of dry brush. He grabbed his spear in vain, for he died before he could grasp it properly.
The Blake Snake had returned one last time.
Aargriss, the great Grandson of Baliss, had come for a feast tonight.
He slithered through the camp, hitting off the ones nearest the forest.
~* 6 Months Later *~
Notation, written by Abbey Scribe: Friar Goodthistle
Things have been peaceable ever since the vermin left us.
It is almost time for the Autumn Feast, and ever Dibbun in Redwall is waiting for my masterpiece, a giant 5 tiered cake with fruits and preserves inside. I'm going to glaze it with honey, and-
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Heh, we got tha' mouse! Slit 'is throat we did! Didn' we Rath?"
"Yes we did Grod. This Abbey was certainly a great spot to raid, eh Tzarin?"
~Continued in Retake Redwall