Red Waters, Almond Eyes (Sandpaw vs Ashleg)

[Ashleg]

"Oh shut up," Vilu snarled, pointing his scimitar at her.
The army halted just as they'd closed in enough, waiting to hear their leader's orders.
"I'm sure you do. Somebeast seize her!"

Two rats descended on Sagitar.

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: I've been a little stuck on what to do next, is Vilu going to try and get rid of Ublaz next? Or should they just fight?

IC:

Doing her best to fight them off Sagitar screamed in horror, but her fight was in vain as somebeast clubbed her in the back of the skull. She slumped forward a bit, stunned but still conscious, staring fearfully up at her captors.
"Ublaz made me do it," she excused desperately, with a bit of an added slur from the recent impact to her head. "He forced me a sword point, if I didn't try he would have murdered me. You have to understand, I had no choice."

[Ashleg]

OOC-
Is what I said in the PM okay, orr??
IC-
Raising his voice to a mockingly high pitch, Vilu fluttered his eyelashes.
"You have to understand, Sir." The stoat bared his teeth, kicking out at Sagitar.
"Understand the potential murder?! How about you understand this! Beg harder, Ratty, or I'll send your head back to Ublaz next time he asks for lunch!"

One of the guards raised his spear.
"Milord, mabbe ye'd like to--"

The stoat was still raving, claws out and pointed. "Get Parug and tell him I gave the order for him to go back to the Goreleech and get Akkla and his mates, as they are to set fire to Ublaz's ship!"

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Yeah its good.

IC:

"Ough," Vilu's footpaw connected with Sagitar's jaw at the rat slumped over onto her side, crying pitifully. Spitting out blood from a bit tongue, she groveled at the stoat's feet, pleading for mercy.
"Please sir show kindness, I understand ye in full." Sagitar knew her very life depended upon the stoat's ego and mood, and she went after it like a starving dog after a bone, throwing any self-respect and pride out the window. Her pleas and cries went on for some time as she practically kissed the stoat's jacket hem as she described his greatness and how foolish her attempt to assassinate him was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Standing to his full height Ublaz pointed towards a searat he'd seen in action before. The creature seemed more or less loyal, and would make do for an expendable officer.
"You there, what is your name?" He demanded, trying to recall it in the back of his mind. Gula, Cuja or something... "Get over here rat, I have a task for you."

[Ashleg]

"G-G-Guja, sir!" stammered the rat as he stepped over to Ublaz, eyes darting to and fro.
Anywhere except the marten's face.
Trembling, he lowered himself into some sort of awkward bow.
"What k-kind of task? Erg..." He bit his lip, his mind screaming 'Why me?'.

--

Vilu was enjoying Sagitar's begging, but nothing in his face gave it away.
Casually, he flicked a claw at her.
"Silence. Do you know any of Ublaz's strengths?"
He needed to know what to avoid.

[LT Sandpaw]

Pulling the steersrat in close, Ublaz whispered into his ear, his voice like honey. "Guja, good rat. I have need of a loyal creature to relay my orders to these buffoons. Someone who, can steer through troubled waters, and what better creature then a steersrat?"
Or, Ublaz thought sadistically. Somebeast stupid enough to charge first into battle. This rat would be no Sagitar, but he could be useful.
"As an officer you would receive triple the loot of everyone else, and double the rations. What do you say? Shall you become my strong left paw?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Y-yes great one," Sagitar stammered, feverishly wondering if she might just survive. "I know of all of them, Ublaz trusted me above all others." Perhaps that wasn't necessarily true, but maybe it would sweeten the deal, and give her a fighting chance.
"What would you like to know, sir?"

[Ashleg]

Guja, still a bit shaky, smiled greedily.
"T-triple th' loot, Sire? Now that y'say, that doesn't sound so bad!"
The rat nodded his vigorous agreement.
His loyalty, merely there due to fear, was on the wavering side compared to most of Ublaz's hordebeasts.
But this...
He could use this, at least for the time being.
"What d'ye want me to do?"

--

Vilu's eyes twinkled.
"Does he have any signature abilities, hmm? Why the blindfold?"

[LT Sandpaw]

"Nothing much at the moment," Ublaz smiled, looking the rat up and down. "But when the time comes, you shall make sure my orders are followed. You can do that, right Guja?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Blindfold?" Sagitar gulped, wondering if lying would be worth it. There was the chance that Vilu could be caught under Ublaz's sway, and she could boast her own part in such a victory. However if she did lie and Vilu found out then she'd be dead for sure.
"I - I told ye before sire, th' pine marten has magic eyes. We call 'Im Ublaz mad eyes behind his back, cause when one looks into his gaze fer too long, they can't think for themselves no more. Th' lord here knew about it, an' he ordered Ublaz to wear the blindfold to keep th' power in check. H - he knew." She point accusingly at Calcabba who was standing a little ways behind Vilu.

[Ashleg]

"Is she telling the truth, Calcabba?" Vilu snapped, glancing at the bigger rat.
He hissed darkly to Sagitar, "If he says you're lying, your head will make a pretty decoration."

--

Guja saluted again.
"Yessir, I 'ear ya sir."

[LT Sandpaw]

"As far as I know my lord she speaks true." The rat said grudgingly, not looking at Sagitar. "I've ne'er seen th' act meself, but Lord Gilver was adamant 'bout 'aving his eyes covered, jus' in case."

Sagitar nodded hastily, backing up what Calcabba said with her own experience. "Tha's right. He's got most o' 'is rats n' lizards under 'is sway. Honest on all that's 'oly lord. He c'n freeze snakes n' a single glance, I've seen it meself, on a grass snake we found on an isle off'n Mossflower."

[Ashleg]

"So be it. Get up, you're going to carry out my attack on your own leader."
Vilu's eyes twinkled. He found irony like this to be very amusing, especially when it was at the cost of others.
"Redpaw, Frogear!"
Two rats raced up to their stoat captain and saluted.
Vilu snorted. "You're going to make sure Sagitar here doesn't chicken out. If she does, or if she disregards orders, kill her."
The rat's saluted.
Turning back to Sagitar, the stoat found himself grinning imensely.
"You are to act as if they're part of your horde, but when the time comes you three will kill Ublaz or die trying."

[LT Sandpaw]

"He'll know," Sagitar moaned in warning. Falling at Vilu's footpaws once again she shook her head miserably. "If'n e' seems me he'll know something went wrong, my task was to kill ye m'lord. An' if'n e' figures out I'm workin' for ye he'll kill all three o' us right then n' there. I knows e' will."

[Ashleg]

"Then perhaps I'll just send you," said Vilu coldly, digging his claws into the hapless rat's shoulders as he forced her back up on her paws.
"He can suspect who he wants and kill who he wants, long as they're of his own. If he keeps that up, he won't have a crew left and I will have no need to fret over it! Get going," he snarled, pushing her towards the door.
"My assignment still stands. Perhaps you'll succeed, mm?"

[LT Sandpaw]

Horrified at the idea of the suicide mission she was about to be sent on, Sagitar dragged her footpaws as she was led out by Redpaw and Frogear. Her shrewd mind worked furiously as she tried to find a way out of the sticky situation.
Something clicked, and she suddenly smiled rather creatively, eyeing the two rats with her. "Yew got th' lucky spot mates eh? Ready to get killed by a crazy pine marten?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Down in the dunes Ublaz was eating a pawful of bitter olives that had been taken off some nearby trees. The marten's minions had erected a shade shelter of sorts, where they rested while they weren't on sentry duty.

The shuffle of paws caused Ublaz to turn and look as a weasel scurried down towards him. "Lord, three rats 'r comin' towards us fr'm th' fortress."

"Oh really? Guja! Get up on that dune an' check it out." The pine marten ordered casually, spitting out an olive pit, wiping his muzzle with the back of his paw. "See if'n that stoat wants to surrender yet, an' then bring 'em to me, ya hear?"

[Ashleg]

Guja squinted.
"Milord, I think that's Sagitar with 'em," he said, looking down at the pine marten from atop the dune.
"None of 'em look very happy."

Redpaw and Frogear ignored Sagitar, considering themselves and all of Vilu's crew too superior to be dabbling with her type.
"Mate, look, we've been spotted!" Gasped Redpaw, pointing a claw at Guja's form.