Not all who wander are lost

[BrookSkimmer]

Ciro flicked her tail as she thought through different scenarios that could play out from their next set of moves. Either way it went the squirrel was firmly determined to aide in the escape of the poor captive. She drew forth one of her dirks, blacked by soot, and licked the blade lightly.

"Aye, sounds like a plan to me!" She whispered.

The female eyed the beasts around the fire. They seemed capable of handling themselves in a fight. Some vermin were all bark and no bite but these ones looked like they could bite!

"Jus' make sure you leave from that merry chase without gettin' tagged mate... I'd kinda like to keep you around." She gave him a small smile and a wink.

She readied herself and nodded. "Make your way down, I'll watch from here and go for the hedgehog when the time's right. If you get into trouble I'll come help you out."

She sucked in a breath, hoping their plan would work.

[Jasper]

Malcolm grinned - and bounded away, circling towards the other side of the fire - "Oh, you can be sure of that Ciro, good luck!"

~~~~~~~~~~~

As minute cracks and groans announced that Malcolm was circling the campsite, the weasel, completely unaware of both Malcolm and Ciro, nodded her head in return to Ruplug's comment. She was a fierce looking vixen wielding a skinning knife. "Aye mate, I'll wager this liddle tickler wud make a quick job of it. " - She waved the knife around as she spoke to emphasize its capabilities. This was Widdle the Weasel, a well known killer in these parts. She had harassed and robbed the woodlanders in the area for over a year.

Widdle was a clever one, even for a weasel. She already had the perfect plan: "Here's the deal mate, we tell the 'edgepig to make us some real grub, and if'n he don't, we eats him!" she cackled. As the other two beast agreed to the plan, She rose to go fetch the hedgehog. But she had only taken a step when Ruplug drew his rusty stair rail. "'Old up dere mate. Somtin' ain' right," he spoke suspiciously, he turned in circles in the firelight, as though trying to spot a ghost or shadow. He was facing is Ciro's direction when he heard the cheerful voice of Malcolm from behind.

"Hey! There's no need for that! I'm a friend."

The three vermin wheeled around to see a squirrel, armed with a bow hung around his shoulder emerge from the shadows.

"What the...? You... Watsit.... Who the devil are you?" Snarled Ruplug, stuttering in surprise

"Me? You can't be serious! Why, I'm Mumo the traveling player of course!" Malcolm waved his hands around mysteriously, "The greatest magician who ever lived! I saw your fire, and it was cold. I was hoping I might perform to earn a place next to it."

Ruplug grinned, and gave a slight nod to his companions. "Ho, aye, we'll give ye a space to be sure, matey. But firs' ya gots to show us what ye can do. Show us a magic trick, eh?"

Widdle and the other rat looked excited, neither of them had ever seen a magic trick before.

Malcolm grinned and took a quick bow. "See that apple our good friend with the pretty knife is roasting over the fire? I'm gonna make it disappear!"

The three vermin turned to look at the apple, and it happened in an instant. Malcolm sprang into action, he shrugged the bow off his shoulder, drew and released, sending an arrow straight through the fire, into the apple and into the tree, pinning it there. As the three shocked villains turned to react, they realized he was gone. Malcolm quickly swung through the trees around the campsite, and reached the arrow. He yanked it from the tree, removed the apple and took a bite.

"Thanks for dinner, friends! I told you it would disappear!" He ducked a thrown spear from the other river rat, sprinted across the campsite, darted past Widdle and took off into the woods, heading North, away from Ciro and the others. He gave them a quick wave as he left. "Ta, friends!"

Ruplug roared with anger: "It's a trick! After him mates! 'urry! Forget eating the 'edgepig, that'n's for dinner tonight, mark me words! Make it slow, eh Widdle?"

Widdle grinned, and nodded to the other Rat. The two took off into the woods with surprising agility and speed - Malcolm would have a job escaping them.

Ruplug was not one for endurance, and he spat into the fire, and sat next to the hedgehog. He had no intention of tramping through the woods after a maniac squirrel, and he didn't have any intention of leaving his prisoner unguarded either.

[BrookSkimmer]

Ciro cursed under her breath as the rat took his position near the captive. She would have to get by him somehow if she was going to rescue the poor hedgehog. She flitted down through the trees and sucked in a breath. She would have to take care of this rat...one way or another. Adopting the best imitation of a smile she could muster she strode onto the scene.

The rat spat towards the bound creature in disgust. "Waste o' time trin' to catch that un'... we should 'ave done what I suggested earlier 'n spitted ya over the fire..." He licked his lips. "Who's teh say I don' jus' take care 'o that meself right now eh?"

The hedgehog moaned pitifully as the rat looked him over.

"Been a good long while since I've had any real meat teh eat..." Ruplug came nearer, holding the stair railing out over the hedghog's head. "One quick blow n' then onto the fire yeh go!"

"Hold on just a tick there!"

Ruplug cursed and spun around, his eyes widening at the sight of the squirrel maid.

"Well well looks like the menu jus' got longer," He chuckled. "Haven't had squirrel in a while,"

"Had squirrel for what mate?" She grinned at him rather foolishly. "Had a squirrel for a friend? I could be your friend." She stepped forward.

"Oh aye, that ya could missy. I'm sure ya could be a right good friend couldn't ya?" The rat slowly drew his stair rail, this was too easy. Soon there would be two nice meals ready to serve!

Ciro came closer, scoping out the set up. If she could get one of her dirks between his ribs she could grab the hedgehog and make a dash for it! She had noticed him going for the stair rail, the time to act was now!

"Earth n' sky!!!!" Ciro roared out her war cry and drew her dirks. She moved with agility but the rat was a seasoned fighter. As she went for his ribs Ruplug moved to the side, taking the strike in the arm. He roared out in pain and brought the stair rail into play. Ciro could not respond fast enough. The squirrel maid was brained between the ears by the rail and toppled to the ground.

The rat threw the rail to the ground and growled as his arm bled freely. "Hell's teeth! I'll gut ya fer dat!" He spat again and snarled. "No, no let's make this slow." He chuckled evilly and went for a coil of rope.

It wasn't long before Ciro was bound paw and foot and tied alongside the hedgehog at the stake.

[Jasper]

Malcolm puffed for air as he sped across the forest floor. Twigs snapped and vines broke as he crashed through the underbrush. He ducked through a thorn bush, and chanced a glance back.

To his amazement, Widdle and the rat were still on his trail. He drew his bow, and leveled it at the duo. They both stopped, panting for breath.

"Mayhap...huh...mayhap ye can get one of us... but yore as good as dead once you fire dat arrer, treehopper." snarled Widdle through gasps.

Malcolm laughed in reply: "No one has to die. I go my way, you go yours."

Widdle agreed - "Aye, dat's fair. I'm too tired to foller you anyway. Le's go back ey, matey?"

Malcolm let the bow drop slightly, and both the rat and Widdle launched themselves forward immediately. Malcolm released the arrow, and it caught the rat in the thigh. He ducked under a nasty swing from Widdle, and shouldered his bow. He drew a small hunting knife and took a defensive stance.

The rat had fallen to his knees, gasping in pain "He shot me! He shot me, get this bloody arrer outta me! I beg yah! WAhhhgg!!"

Both Widdle and Malcolm ignored the rat, circling one another like tigers ready to pounce. Widdle was a seasoned fighter, and she took small skipping motions, as though darting forward, and each time Malcolm adjusted to meet the possible attack. Finally, Widdle sidestepped to the left, and Malcolm took a quick swing, but realized with horror that Widdle had feigned the move, and instead darted right, crossing the distance between them and slicing the air with her knife. he felt the blade drag slightly across his right cheek, and he felt blood drip from the cut.

He shook his head, muttering to himself to focus. Widdle chuckled to herself. "You'll 'ave wounds worse than that'n soon, treehopper. I'll carve ye skin off and feed it to da crows, I will." Malcolm opened his mouth to reply when a cry from the distance caused both adversaries to pause and turn their heads. "Earth n' skyyyy-" the voice was unmistakable. Realization dawned on Malcolm, as he glanced around the hollow they had been fighting in. The rat on the ground had snapped the shaft, and removed it, cursing as he did. He used his weapon as a crutch, pushing himself to his feet. Weedle was peering at him curiously, but there was no third creature. Where was Ruplug?

Malcolm locked eyes with Widdle for a moment. She glared at him, and spat in the dirt. "No treehopper. Ye stay 'ere an finish this." The squirrel ignored the creature, sheathing his weapon and jumping to grab hold of an overhanging branch. He swung onto the top and began to make his way back, hopping from tree to tree. As he left the yells of Widdle pursued him:

"Cowarrrrdddd! Cowaaaaarrrrddd!"

But Malcolm knew he had made a grave mistake. The three creatures had not followed them. The toughest of them all had stayed behind, and he had left Ciro to deal with him alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruplug cursed. He was holding a handful of leaves to the deep cut in his arm, but trails of blood were leaking through. He used one of the insolent squirrel's blades to cut a piece off of the lean-to. He cursed again, and wrapped it around the wound, containing the bleeding, and leaving the a few of the leaves as insulation.

"Always 'ated your type. Nasty pieces of work, squirrels. Taste jus' fine though." He turned back, and approached the squirrel, dragging the stair rail behind him. It clinked and bounced off of the rocks and roots as he came. He circled Ciro, still dragging the rusty weapon. "Thought ya' pulled a fast one on ol' Ruplug, did ye? I'll make ye regret ever bein' born for this cut, squirrel. See, normally I guts travelers afore I cook 'em. But you? I'll roast you alive squi... What is yore name anyhow?"

[BrookSkimmer]

Ciro woke in a haze of pain. Her head throbbed unmercifully and her eyes had trouble focusing. She could feel dried blood in her fur and as she licked her dry lips she could taste blood. Her paws were bound tightly, adding to her discomfort. Overall it was a terrible predicament. The squirrel racked her brain, unable to remember much of what happened before she ended up where she was now.

Ruplug's question as to her name filtered through her mind. At the moment she was in so much pain she could hardly recall her own name. She did know enough to figure out that the rat was the one that had done this to her. The squirrel maid spat at Ruplug's footpaws.

She glared at her captive from hooded eyes.

"Gah, don't really matter whot yer name is does it treejumper?. You'll be screamin' for mercy in a few minutes anyway." He turned to work on setting up a spit over the fire.

"Oh, yah shouldn't gone n' done dat now..." The hedgehog moaned from nearby. "Ruplug don't take no defiance from his prisoners..."

Ciro turned her head painfully to look at the other captive. The hog was covered with cuts and scars. It was obvious he had been poorly treated by the vermin group.

"Jus' hold on mate..." She muttered between clenched teeth. "I'll think of something to get us outta here..."

[Lady Amber]

Azalea ignored Mars and continued walking along at a quick pace, twigs occasionally snapping underpaw. She was sure that Ciro and Malcolm could take care of themselves, but she went after them mostly because she was bored. After walking for a few minutes, she saw firelight up ahead. Unsure of who might be there, she crouched behind some bushes. She peered above them but kept her head low. To her horror she saw a rat standing by the fire, with Ciro and a hedgehog lying on the ground, both of them tied up. She looked around frantically, trying to spot Malcolm.

She couldn't see him, though.

What happened to Malcolm? Where is he? she thought. What if the rat killed him?!

She knew she had to do something, and quick. She hesitated, unsure if she should run back to the group and tell them what had happened. Or would that take too long? Should she take matters into her own paws?

[Jasper]

OOC: I was awaiting the move of someone else, but seeing the lack of one:

BIC:
Azalea the otter heard snaps from the tree above, and a dark figure dropped down next to her. Before she could react, the figure put one finger to his lips.

"Relax, it's just me, Malcolm. We need to be careful. That rat must be quick with that rail if he managed to overpower Ciro. There's two more of them, another river rat and a weasel. I led them in circles out in the woods, but they were smart. If the two of us tried something, we could handle that one, but if his friends came back in the middle of the fight, we could all be in trouble. Where are the others?"

[Lady Amber]

Azalea was relieved to see that Malcolm was all right. "The others are back where we stopped," she said, gesturing over her shoulder with her paw. "I came on ahead, though some of the others might be coming, as well." The ottermaid glanced back at the rat and Ciro, looking concerned. She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Have you got a plan?"

[Aimless Gallivanter]

There was a rustling behind them, and Mars stumbled out of the bushes. She tripped over a root and landed in the dust. "Hell's teeth," she picked herself up, annoyed, "there you are, Mal, we're all lookin' for ya. Gah, now where's Ciro?"

[Ashleg]

After Mars came Topper, looking clueless as to what was going on.
"Don't you just run away on us like that," he muttered, tapping his footpaw on the ground.

[Jasper]

Malcolm chuckled nervously at Mars, who seemed to be as at home in the forest as a snowball might have been in the desert.

"Don't hurt yourself - we need your paws for cooking. Now listen up, pals. I do have a plan, but with those two troublemakers out there, things are bound to get complicated. He doesn't know about you lot yet, just me. So I'll draw his attention on the west side of the campsite. He will focus on me, and that'll leave you three in the clear to sneak up behind him from the east side."

Seeing some confused looks, he gestured towards the right side of the campsite. "That's East, for any who may be wondering." - his eyes darted towards Mars momentarily, but quickly returned to the center of the small huddle.

"Time is short, the other two will be coming from the North any second now, that's why we've got to come from the East and West - so they won't come from behind. No time for questions, and don't be timid - that one is made of sterner stuff than most. If those other two chaps arrive while we're still working, there won't be anything left to do but give 'em hell. Good luck mates." He darted off to the left (and West) side of the camp.

Once he arrived, he immediately broke cover, drawing his bow. "Hey there, ratface! Untie them, now!"

Ruplug, who had been previously occupied with attaching the stubborn Ciro to the spit (his bruised face gave a testament to the struggle she had put up), grinned in something of a horrifying fashion. His bulging muscles, bandana and tattoos made even Malcolm nervous. He lifted Ciro, spit and all, held her between the aggravating squirrel and himself.

"Yew again? Yew must have sum sorta death wish! Back off, or this treehugger gets it!"

[Lady Amber]

Azalea nodded her consent. "Alright." She unsheathed her dagger and took off in an easterly direction. She was nervous, but they had to rescue Ciro and the hedgehog. She continued on until she spotted a clump of bushes, behind which she crouched. As she waited for the others to come join her, she gripped her dagger's handle and took a deep breath.

[Triss8]

Ciro kicked back at Ruplug catching him unawares.He fell down and Malcom was on him in a flash. Azalea whispered "Mars, when we sneak out put your sleeve over his mouth so we don't alert anyone who might be around. I'll cut him free." Then they snuck out of cover towards the hedgehog. They succeeded in cutting him free but as they were going back Mars stepped on a dry twig.

[Groddil]

Hey, @Triss8... You gotta sign up for these in the OOC board. The OOC thread for this RP is here.

Also, you can't control other players' characters like that, it's PowerPlaying. If you get accepted in the thread linked above, you need to make your own character and only control them unless given permission.

[Triss8]

I am so so so so so sorry. I had no idea. Thank you for the heads up!