The Quest for Romance: Sea

[W0NWILL]

Phillim sighed, "There's a sheltered hollow of sorts, I slept in it last night. It's actually quite big." Cats were hopeless, they always needed somebeast to look after them, like dibbuns.

_____

"I rooli!"(You coward!) Elay snapped. She was very much conscious and wriggling about, "Rah A, roo I!"(Brave/important me, coward/small you.) She had flinched at the boot, but that did not dampen her spirit.

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper looked at Phillim.  "Wot?  Uh, thankee.  Where might it be?"  He turned around and walked back to Phillim.  Maybe this rabbit could be of some help after all.

[BrookSkimmer]

Brielle sighed, not sure if the hare was worth their time. The shecat definitely did not trust the black furred lapin, however she would stand behind the decisions of Cooper. She listened intently, watching Phillim closely.
_______

Churrup landed high on the main mast of the Lashkeel. He could hear some harsh tones coming from below decks. The robin waited to see what would happen. He hoped it would be enough information to warrant reporting to Redwall.

[W0NWILL]

"O'er there." Phillim bent her ears backward, "It's near a clump of heather, you can't miss it. I've slept too many nights without a roof over my head." She added in a mutter.

Birata had came at his captain's call and was standing smartly in the door, "Yes marm, I'll throw the rabbit below." He grabbed Elay's upper arm and pulled. She resisted long enough to look at Raven with an expression of utmost hate and say an old rabbit saying, "Naylte ven, naylte yen."(Alive here, alive now.) No-one really knows the origin, but all rabbits know that it means that they will not give up, they will not die so easily, they will fight.

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper cleared his throat.  "Ahem, thankee."  He looked at Brielle.  "Uh, if'n ye want to take the shelter, ye can.  I'll sleep..."  He looked around, finding a low branch on a tree not too far away.  He pointed to it.  "I'll sleep o'er there.  Ye can take the 'ollow."
  Walking over to the tree that had his branch, Cooper dug his claws into the trunk and climbed.  He lied down on the branch and looked at Brielle again.  "Ye might want to get inta the hollow.  We 'ave nothin' else ta do till nightfall."
  Closing his eyes, Cooper fell asleep.

[BrookSkimmer]

Brielle nodded and walked towards the hollow Phillim had pointed out. The shecat was surprised that Cooper had climbed the tree and fallen asleep. Did he really trust the hare that much? They had just met Phillim and Brielle certainly didn't trust her.

She opted to sit on the log, keeping an eye about the place, and on the hare. Besides somebeast had to stay on watch. She felt like waking Cooper up but figured he would need his rest since he would be leading the ship mission later.

"So, what are you thinking of doing with yourself hare? Going out to sea or do you have a home somewhere?" Brielle decided a little small talk couldn't hurt. If Phillim decided not to answer, no loss.
___________

Churrup watched as an otter hauled a rabbit across the deck. They disappeared down a hatch. He had his information now! One rabbit being held hostage by two wildcats and one rabbit on board the ship! The robin took off towards Redwall.
___________

Raven's eyes met those of the rabbit. The black otter narrowed her gaze and smirked.

"Talk all you want rabbit. Your death will be at the oars before the season in through."

She watched Birata haul the rabbit away and then followed out onto the deck.

"All paws! Make ready to sail! We leave this port within in hour!"

[W0NWILL]

Phillim sighed, "I loved my great-uncle, I wanted to be like him. So, like a fool, I went traveling as he did." She drew her knife, "He gave me this before he left. He told me to kill if necessary, but how could I do that?" She sighed, "I don't know what I'm doing, telling all this to a cat." Phillim pinched the bridge of her nose, "He told me a beast he considered a friend was a vermin, but what could I do? I'm a Torsorem, a fighter of vermin, a slayer of evil." Phillim stood up, "That is why I must kill you," her voice cracked, "I have to follow the family Torsorem's tradition, I must. I don't want to." She looked at the dagger in her paws, "I swore never to kill another beast with this. However, I never swore about myself. I can't dishonor my family if I'm dead."

OOC: Wow, that was dark...

BIC: Birata drew his cutlas as soon as he threw Elay in the brig, "Yew'll stay down 'ere, chained to an oar." He backed up so he was directly under the hatch, "Some'un, get o'er here!"
A ferret answered the call smartly. She had heard the rat and seen his paw, "Wot is it?"
"Yew'll chain the rabbit, while I stop 'er from escaping."
The ferret nodded and jumped down the hatch as soon as Birata had gotten out of the way. She grabbed Elay and wrestled her by an oar. While Elay was kicking and struggling, she managed to click the manacle around Elay's paw. Before the ferret could scramble out of the way, Elay gave her shin a good kick.
"Ooh!" The ferret gritted her teeth and hopped around, holding her knee to her chest. As she did so, Birata disappeared back up the hatch with no encouraging words to his crew mate or threats to the rabbit as he would of done before his rise to power.

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper was naturally a very light sleeper, and he usually heard what was going on, even while asleep.  Usually he would have strange dreams about what he had heard, or he just wouldn't understand a thing that he heard.  This wasn't one of those times.

  "That is why I must kill you," he heard.  "I have to follow the family Torsorem's tradition, I must.  I don't want to.  I swore never to kill another beast with this.  However, I never swore about myself.  I can't dishonor my family if I'm dead."

  His eyes snapped open.  What was the rabbit going to do?  He saw Phillim standing with her dagger out of the corner of his eye.  Slowly, careful to be as quiet as he could, he sat up and took his scimitars out.  Unfortunately, he slipped off of the branch he was sitting on.  He made a terrible racket as he landed on a bush.
  Being a cat, Cooper usually landed on his hindpaws.  He held his blades in front of him.  "Don't take another step, Phillim.  We don't wanna 'urt ye, but if ye attack, we'll fight back!"

[BrookSkimmer]

Brielle took a few steps back s the hare's voice grew grave. She knew enough to fighting beasts to make herself ready to defend. The shecat pulled a long knife from her belt and steadied herself.  Though she did not appear to be much of a battler, Brielle could hold her own in a fight.

Then Cooper awoke and fell out of the tree! If it had been under better circumstances Brielle would have jested with him about the move, but this was not the time.

"Go ahead hare. Try to kill me. We'll see how far you get before this knife finds a new home between your ribs." She was done playing games with this hare. If Phillim needed to be taught a lesson, Brielle was up for the teaching.

"Don't take another step, Phillim.  We don't wanna 'urt ye, but if ye attack, we'll fight back!"

As Cooper spoke Brielle hesitated for a moment. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to egg the hare on. She really didn't want fight, but she would do what she needed to to defend herself.

"Aye, that we will hare. Sheath your blade. Now."

[W0NWILL]

"I give you my word as a Torsorem, as a hare of the north, on the soul of my ancestors, you will not be harmed in the slightest way by my paw." Phillim vowed, "However, I cannot let the name Torsorem lose it's meaning: slayer of vermin. I can't dishonor my family if I'm dead." She repeated. She was in quite a predicament by her standards, family honor vs. breaking her vow of not killing a beast with the knife she held in her paws, "What can I do?"

Elay pulled at the shackle, snarling in frustration, "U zulnahlay na Frith!"(The white blindness to Frith[sun]!) Cursing Frith never ends well for rabbits, at least in the stories, however, they still do it to make themselves feel better. Already she was feeling seasick.

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper tried to get closer to Phillim.  "Wot ye can do is put away yer knife.  We ain't bad vermin.  We are wildcats, an' wildcats are a vermin species, but that don't mean we're bad.  We don't wanna 'urt ye."
  He now stood just a few feet from the rabbit.  "Now," he said, "can ye put away the knife?  If ye do, I'll put away me blades.  I give ye my word."

[BrookSkimmer]

Captain Brinewater strode out on deck, checking over details for setting sail. She spoke orders here and there to get crew beasts moving.

"Ye call that a secured main line? Tighten it up!"

"Drop that pin one more time and I'll make ye wish ye hadn't!"

The call of treasure was increasing in Raven's mind. Perhaps when they landed on the island she could order Birata to come with her on the first inland excursion. Eventually she would tell the tattooed otter what she felt about him, but not yet.
_____________

Grimly set about making his meal for the night. He stirred a pot of mackerel stew in the modest galley of his ship. The "Rusty Scallop" was a small ship but very sea worthy.
___________

[W0NWILL]

Phillim couldn't help but smile at the cat's naive nature, did he even know what she was thinking? She chuckled, "You don't know...I hinted quite strongly." Beasts like this made it seem that life was worth living, "I, however, will not sheath my blade out of pure stubbornness. If you want to wait 'till you need a stick, be my guest, but this knife is not going back in my belt."

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper stared at her for a moment, considering her words.  His eyes widened as he realized what she had meant.  "Wot?  Yer gonna kill yerself?"
  He took a step forward so he was standing eye to eye with Phillim.  "Don't waste good," he said, sadness filling his eyes.  He had seen several creatures kill themselves in the past, some of them because he had met them.  He didn't want that to happen again!

[BrookSkimmer]

Brielle stood and watch to back up Cooper just in case he needed it. For some reason she didn't believe the hare would try to kill herself. The shecat chalked it up to being dramatic. However, if she did attempt her life, Brielle was sure Cooper could handle the situation and stop her from doing so.

The sun was beginning it set, casting an orange light over the scene. Two wildcats attempting to stop a hare from killing herself. What an odd situation to end up in. It was better than being on the Lashkeel though. Brielle began to wonder if they would be able to find a good ship.