Round 2: Swords of Freedom (Ready on All Fronts)

[BrookSkimmer]

Timballisto listened with a grim expression on his features as the members of the Swords of Freedom discussed options for preparing their coast for vermin attack. It was possible that the ship Xbalantie had spotted might continue on and miss their shores completely. It was possible, but not likely. There was not another coast for a ship of this one's size to land on for seventy five miles. Rocky crags, and submerged coral reefs abounded in this part of the ocean, save for near the cave dwellings. Living here was a blessing and and burden. Easy access to the sea but also the makings for an attack from the same place. They would come to the cave dwellings, whoever they were, they would come.

And we will be ready. Tim thought to himself as his band of warriors put together various plans for defending their home. He would never allow what had happened before to take place again. Oh, the waters would run red but not with the blood of those he had been charged to watch over. No, it would flow crimson with the life blood of any vermin foolish enough to challenge the Swords of Freedom!

"Brethren!" Timballisto spoke up from his position at the head of the low set table they had gathered around. "You have come up with sound, workable ideas for defending our home. These we will put into action as quickly as possible. This ship and whatever she carries will not taint our homeland."

The mouse stood tall, placing a paw to the hilt of his sword. He spoke out over the assembly, his words strong and hard, laced with pent fury at past actions of vermin on their coast.

"Xbalantie, your idea of using fire ammunition on this ship is excellent. You will see to our supplies and prepare for firestones to be launched by the ballista." Tim nodded to the mercenary squirrel. She would be quick and efficient in the job.

Fire stones were another of Timballisto's inventions. Pine resin and straw, packed between sheets of slate rock from the salt marshes. This was bound together with cord and once lit could be hurled by the ballista. Once making contact, the firestones would shatter, sending flaming resin over the target.  Many of these missiles had been constructed and stored below each ballista to keep them dry.

"Marcus, you shall work with Xbalantie to see this task through." He nodded at the stoic mouse in whom he had come to find great dependability.

Next the ballista themselves needed to be readied.  Tim looked over the group and nodded to several beasts. "Vannøyne, Sora, and Nevfae. You will see to the ballista. Make sure they are readied, and aimed towards our enemies and our coast line for defense. Do not fire until I give the command." He took a small breath. "And see to the downed ballista. We may need all the force we have to stave off these vermin."

The mouse paused and looked outside, it was still raining but appeared to be letting up slightly. The drops now fell as a thick mist instead of heavy drops. Perhaps the storm was passing. The lightening and howling winds had died down as well. Though the weather seemed less hostile it brought little comfort to Timballisto. Their home was at risk and that was enough to keep Tim's mind on only one thing, to protect him home.

"Liv, Frost, and Spera." He nodded to each of them. "You are to see to our families. Speak to them all in the Hall of Dawnlight. If any of the males or females are able bodied and wish to help protect our home, send them to me. The mothers, those too old to fight, and all the young ones are to go to the refuge cave."

The refuge cave was set deep down in the back of the Hall of Dawnlight. It was a bunker shelter of sorts, a last refuge for those in need of protection. Those unable to fight could stay there and ride out the confrontation that might be coming.

"The time has come my strong and able Swords! We will strike hard against any foe coming our way to protect our homes and loved ones!"

Tim watched as each of the Swords of Freedom went to their tasks. He was glad of his group of warriors and hoped they would be enough to stave off the coming enemies.

[Icefire]

*Liv nodded to Tim as she left the locker to fulfill her orders. She moved quickly through the rain towards the Hall of Dawnlight with Spera and Frost hard on her heels. She raised her face to the rain as she walked. It seemed to be letting up slightly. She sighed as the rain coursed down over her. If only this were just a bad dream! Then she could wake up and dance in the rain to forget the nightmare. She looked towards the crashing waves, wishing her father could be here to help. He wouldn't be afraid...

She shook her head and squared her shoulders. This was no time for such thoughts! The tribe needed the Swords to be strong in the face of fear. They needed to know their protectors would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

As she stepped into the Hall, she sensed panic rising among the tribe. Everywhere she looked she saw creatures nervously chattering about the vermin outside. She saw dibbuns crying and mothers holding them close, unable to comfort them as they faced their own fears. She saw several grouped around Bryant questioning him about what exactly Tim had said about the approaching threat. As she worked her way through the crowd, many surrounded her, begging the Sword for more information. She forced herself to remain calm as she continued on towards the precipice Tim had spoken from earlier. She faced the crowd and waited until she was sure she had everybeast's attention.

"My friends, I'm sure you've all heard about the ship outside-"

"Is it vermin, Miss Liv?" asked a young hedgehog maid.

Liv sighed and said as calmly as possible, "Yes, we believe it to be a pirate ship."

As cries of fear went up from the crowd, Liv raised her voice a little and said, "However, there is no reason to panic! The Swords of Freedom are preparing our defenses as we speak. This is why we are here. This is what we have trained for! We will do all in our power to make sure our friends and families are safe."

Liv paused for a breath and noticed the fear starting to melt at the mention of the Swords.

A sturdy male squirrel raised his paw and asked, "What can we do, Miss Liv? I for one don't want to sit here and do nothing while there are vermin on our very doorstep!"

Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the cave. Liv felt a small smile creep across her face as she considered her tribe. One moment they seemed on the verge of panic and now they seemed ready to attack the ship head on!

"The best thing you can do to help is to keep calm and be brave. We are fighting for you, our loved ones, and we need to know that you are not afraid. Those who wish to help in the fight should meet me at the entrance to the Hall. Those who are too old or too young or too weak to fight should make their way to the refuge cave. You will be safe there until the danger has passed."

She watched as the tribe began to move as she had bid them. The mothers were now putting on brave faces as they guided their young towards the refuge cave. Some of the older mice and moles had the good sense to gather the remains of the feast to bring with them. Where once had been whispers of panic there were now murmurs of encouragement. Liv was proud of her tribe. She rested her paw on her sword and clenched her jaw as she renewed her resolve to protect them with her life.

[Rainshadow]

  Spera stood behind Liv, the mouse she had looked up to all her life, both figuratively and literally.  Liv was slightly taller than Spera, so the young squirrelmaid actually had to look up to stare her dead in the face.  But right now, she was mostly looking up to Liv in the figurative manner.  The mousemaid had taken charge of this situation, leading them to the Hall of Dawnlight, then giving the speech to the rest of the clan.  Spera was very proud of her for what she'd done.  She was also glad that she hadn't been the one to give the announcement, because she was sure that she would've started panicking and possibly started crying.  There were vermin nearly on the doorstep!

  Taking a deep breath, Spera stepped into the crowd, picking up a mousebabe and carrying him as she made sure that no beast was left behind.  She gestured with her head for Liv and Frost to come and help, hoping that one of them would take the lead.  She would have, if it didn't require speaking, but she was trying to keep the group together in the back.

  Shooing a few squirrel children back into the group, she said, "C'mon, get back to your mums, all of you.  This is no time for playing!"

  A strong mouse walked up to her, taking the babe from her arms and hugging him close.  He looked rather worried.  "Thankee, Miss, I was wondering what had happened to little Joey!  He's always wandering off."  The father walked off, scolding the small child as he did.  Spera could tell that he was afraid.  Most of the creatures there were afraid.  She was afraid!  Though, she still held out hope that the vermin would miss the shore in the storm.  Maybe they wouldn't notice.

[W0NWILL]

*Nevfae saluted far too extravagantly, "Righto!" she said and bounded for the exit. Halfway there, she halted with a paw in the air, turning on the spot, "Lesse, lesse, missing something...AH!" she exclaimed and ran to get her seagull cloak. She fastened it and ran after Vannøyne and Sora, behind them. She ran slightly behind them as they climbed up to the ballista.

Nevfae poked her tongue between her teeth as she studied the broken one, "Er, this thingy goes in this place." she muttered, and attempted to put the 'thingy' in a place she thought was the proper one. The ballista groaned a bit in protest, and Nevfae quickly removed the 'thingy', "Maybe not?"

"Er, um, eh," Nevfae made nonsense noises as she walked around the weapon, "I think this?" Nevfae adjusted a piece, and was surprised that the ballista didn't completely fall apart more, "It's intact? I think." Nevfae studied the ballista some more, "I believe that this thingy needs to be tightened." Nevfae shrank back as she twisted a thing that had a bit of rope on it, afraid(with good reason) that the whole thing would explode in a non-combustible way in her face. Surprisingly, it didn't.

Did she have a talent for machinery? In her mind, it was about as likely as her flying and then setting the vermin ship on fire with her gaze. In her mind, the little thing that she had done would probably prohibit the weapon from ever firing again. Not in her mind, she gave herself too little credit.

[WarriorOfMossflower]

*
The albino squirrel glanced at Nevfae with a tiny bit of apprehension. Poking and prodding at things randomly may not be the best way to go about this. Still, I don't know much more about a ballista than she does...hm... Sora frowned pensively, walking around the weapon to get a better view and perhaps find the source of the problem. She tapped a hinge experimentally, pinkish-red eyes narrowed in concentration. "What could the problem be?" she muttered to herself. "Vannøyne, do you happen to know anything about these ballista? I have no idea how to find--much less fix--a problem on this thing." Even as she said this, Sora had a new thought. Would it be better to attend the other ballista, the ones that are in good condition, first? We may not need this one in the end and it might be best to make sure we are ready with the ballista that are in a better state. We know that those ones will work: we just need to load and aim them. Briefly, Sora proposed the thought aloud.

"I think it would be better to see to the fit ballista first, so that at least they are ready, even if we cannot fix this one. We could work on loading the others, unless you know how to repair this one, Vannøyne. In that case, Nevfae and I could work together on loading unless you need a hand here."

Sora flicked water droplets from her soaked tail. At least the rain wasn't pouring anymore, but there were still light sprinkles. Mist hung heavy in the air, drifting around in patches like steamy wraiths. The albino shivered and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for a reply.

[W0NWILL]

Nevfae sighed, "Fine." she said, pouting. She wanted to work on this ballista, the others had no faith in her, not that she had given them much reason to. She trudged to the next ballista, running a paw over the smooth wood. She blinked against the mist and stuck her feather cloak on her headspikes. That was one good thing about being a hedgehog, she could create a hood. Nevfae picked up a large rock and mechanically loaded it into the ballista, brooding like a hen. As far as she was concerned, she was the most important, and got a bit ticked when she didn't get her way.

[Dannflor]

  Frost even though she had weapons decided to make javelins. Taking a long straight peice of wood she sharpened it at the end and threw it in the pile she was making. Some of the Swords of Freedom asked if they could take some she gladly said yes and told them that they were not for her. After she decided to watch the ship. Leaving her pile she went to the beach. It was silent only a few gulls were soaring above the sea. The quite was so intence that her fur pricked. She looked at the ship that was getting nearer and nearer to shore.

[Dannflower Reguba]

Xbalantie stood and nodded her head in acknowledgement to Timballisto, "Twill be done." She didn't even bother to find out if Marcus was helping or not, she didn't care, she'd done it alone before. The squirrel left the cave and descended to one of the nearer supply caves to pick a few things before heading up to the ballista, "Oil, dry straw, I've got the herbs... done."

She headed back up the cliff face, almost tripping over the edge at the top. When She came across the fixing party at the top, the squirrel put a paw to her forehead and groaned, "You're not supposed to load them yet! How am I supposed to prepare them for water warfare if they're in the ballista's already! Xbalantie searched the area for a significantly dry area to place the supplies.

[Leatho Shellhound]

*Vannøyne got up from his seat and went out the door. As he looked up at the sky he saw that the weather was clearing up and a few patches of blue sky showed through the dark and laughless clouds. Glad that the working conditions would be better, the young mouse made his way up the steep path that ran up the cliff. Listening to the thoughts that were voicing inside of his head, I wonder how many beasts walked up here, some for joy some for sorrow, and how many will walk up here after me? Looking behind him he saw his fellow swords working there way up the steep and muddy road.

     As he made it to the top of the cliff he began oiling and cleaning the ballista, after all that rain mud, dirt, and  other things had been sprayed all over them. Wiping some sand and mud off his paw on an old rag, he watched in horror as Nevfae began “trying” to fix the one that was out of order. All it needed was a new torsion spring that was broken earlier in the storm.

     “Why yes, Sora, I do know how to fix it, would you and Nevfae mind helping by cleaning these while I go down to my workshop and make a new spring for the broken ballista? Good, I will be on my way then.”

     Walking over to the broken ballista he removed the spring and and brought it down to his little workshop. He labored for some time and then returned and fitted it in the ballista.

     “It should work fine now” He said to the other two which were standing next to clean and shiny ballista.

[Dannflor]

  Horror and Dread filled her as she looked at the closer ship. It seemed at least a full four score was in the huge thing. Shaking her feelings aside she stood watching the ever closing ship ''We will defeat this she promised herself even if it takes countless years. The waves splashed on the shore she noticed that it was a clear crisp day the sun peeking around the clouds. She nodded she thought of the babes and wives and decided even if she might die she would die for protecting them.

[Ceteruler]

*Marcus, sitting quietly in the back of the little cave, merely glanced up at his order. Marcus, you shall work with Xbalantie to see this task through. The fire stones. That should rid the beasts of their ship. With a small nod, he only waited to see what the others had been assigned. Having noted each one in turn, the mouse stood, shortly following Xbalantie with nary a sound. Not wearing a cloak, as most of the other beasts had, Marcus rather enjoyed the feel of the softening rain running through his fur. It felt relaxing to him.

"Hmm... " No need to go with Xbalantie to the supply cave. She could carry everything with ease. And anyway, with the way she was looking, he doubted she would have appreciated him helping much. So when she deviated from the trail to get the supplies, he merely stopped and waited. While doing so, he turned his face to the see. There it was, the vermin ship. What business did it have here? Marcus desperately hoped that it was the same group that killed his beloved family. Then retribution would be paid. Paid in full. Marcus would destroy every last one he could, no quarter, no surrender. His fist clenched as his thoughts brought his anger to the surface.

"Vermin, stay away from these coasts if ye want to live. No, I dare ye, come here, and know that we are not the same weak beasts that ye met before! We will not surrender! You will not be victorious here! Never again! Do ye hear me!?" What started up as a murmur gradually grew to a shout by the end, and he shook his clenched fist at the ship before realizing the Xbalantie had blown by him with the supplies. He let out a small sigh, resuming his walk behind her. Retribution would have to wait for now.

He glanced over at Nevfae as he came over the edge, hardly noticing the squirrel's tripping. Walking over, he silently let Xbalantie do the verbal complaining as he gently moved Nevfae aside to get near the rock. With a silent grunt he jumped up, climbing swiftly on top to where the rock lay loaded, standing with one paw on either side of it. Reaching down, he pushed the rock between his legs, letting it fall with a harmless thud on the ground.

"Nevfae, don't load the ballista without the proper preparations Timballisto has given us," he reprimanded her as he jumped down. He was polite in his tone, though his face showed little emotion. Without a further glance at her he jogged over to where Xbalantie could set down the supplies.

[WarriorOfMossflower]

Guiltily, Sora trailed after Marcus. "It was my fault, not Nevfae's. Sorry. I'm not very good with ballistas. Is there some way we can help?" She lifted up onto the balls of her footpaws and rubbed her arms to ward of the cold that was beginning to seep into her fur.
The albino moved nearer to the other squirrel, addressing her, too. "Sorry, Xbalantie. I suppose you know best when it comes to stuff like this. Can we help in any way?" She breathed lightly, feeling the chilly air sting the back of her throat whenever she opened her mouth. The soft drizzle and the shrouds of mist didn't overly bother her, but they were enough to make her aware of and uncomfortable in their presence.

[Icefire]

*Liv looked about as she carefully helped an elderly squirrel back to the refuge cave. Most of the young and old had made it to the refuge cave and were now finding ways to keep themselves busy during the wait. Some were playing with the children or telling them stories to keep their minds off of the vermin outside; others were organizing their supplies to make sure they weren't short on some necessity. A few were already gathering strips of cloth and medicinal herbs just in case (seasons forbid!) the Swords and the other volunteers didn't make it out of the future conflict unscathed. After seeing the elderly squirrel safely into the cave, Liv searched about until she caught Spera's eye. She flashed Spera a reassuring smile and nodded her head towards the tribe indicating she ought to continue helping here while Liv worked with the volunteers.  She was grateful Tim had thought to put Spera there. She knew Spera must have been on the verge of panic when she first heard about the vermin, but she seemed calm enough here making sure everyone made it to the refuge cave.

Liv walked out to the entrance of the Hall where the volunteers were gathering after seeing to their families' safety. They were few in number and she saw fear flitting across several faces, but they were all able bodied as well as ready and willing to protect their home.

"Thank you for your willingness to defend your home and loved ones!" Liv said when she had their attention, "I know some of you already have weapons stowed away in your own caves, but we will need to start by arming the rest of you. Go to the armoury and find a weapon you know you can use. I will meet you there shortly along with those of you who need to run to get your weapons. When all are armed and ready, we will report to Timballisto."

She paused and glanced out of the cave before turning back to the volunteers with a grim look, "Let's make the Sea Scum wish they had never seen these shores!"

As the volunteers scattered to find a weapon, Liv rushed to her cave. She wouldn't go a moment longer without her Aegis! She went to where the shield was resting against the end of her bed. She placed her paw on the front of the Aegis, tracing the complicated pattern that decorated the front of the shield. Each bearer of the shield had added a bit to the beautiful design, which served both as decoration and distraction to the enemy. She lifted the shield and made sure the spike was in its sheath in back. She would attach it to the center of the shield when they were closer to battle.

She thought of what her father had told her when he passed the shield on to her, "This Aegis isn't just a defensive weapon to be used in battle; it is a symbol of all our family stands for! Just as a shield is used to protect and defend, so we do all in our power to protect the weak and defend those in need. Promise me this, Liv! Promise me you will never shrink away from an opportunity to give aid and protection to one who needs it!"

She lowered her head as she whispered, "I promise. I will not give you cause for shame!"

She shook herself as she remembered she had volunteers waiting in the armoury. She rushed there and saw several searching around for something they could use as a weapon. She sighed as she took in the scene. There was a young hedgehog armed to the teeth with several decorative weapons that Liv doubted he could actually use, a mole attempting to lift a sword far to large for him, and a mousemaid who seemed to think that all she would need was a dagger! Many were still milling about trying to make up their minds. Liv was grateful to see the squirrel who had spoken up earlier, Derik by name, had already found himself a simple sling and one of Frost's javelins and was now helping others find suitable weapons. She flashed him a grateful smile as she set to work arming (and in some cases disarming) the volunteers.

(OOC)

[Dannflower Reguba]

*     Xbalantie had finally found a sufficiently dry place to lay down the testy materials, "None of you can help with this." The squirrel spoke flatly, dismissively, for only she knew how to make the substance necessary for the job. Once the others left, she turned her back to them and the ballista, further ensuring that nobeast would happen upon the well kept secret of unquenchable fire.

(OOC:)

    The projectiles were now prepped for launching, and only needed to be loaded. Xbalantie demonstrated her wish for the others to load the machines that would deliver the flames by heaving one of the sea worn stones into its' respective sock. Timballisto had to be informed, so the squirrel promptly left the others to finish the loading. On her way down, an undermining feeling, and an out of place smell hit her in quick succession. The feeling: foreboding, the smell?... Vermin! She stopped, but only for a moment. When she reached the cave where Tim was, she had already come upon a decision.

    She smacked a rock on the cave side by the entrance to make a concussive sound to get undivided Tim's attention, rude? Certainly, necessary? Most likely. She pointed up once as an indicator and left. The vermin smell was closing in, slight as it was, " Hmph, no wonder I didn't notice them sooner." There weren't many, but there were all the same! All the worse, there were unsuspecting allies somewhere just off the shore nearby! Curse this confounded fog! She had to base her entire "picture" of things off of smells. Collision was imminent, and catastrophe wouldn't be too far behind! Xbalantie descended as fast as possible, "Maybe.... juuuust maybe!"

[Rainshadow]

  *

 Spera stood in the cave of refuge, making sure that everybeast was comfortable and safe.  She led some children back to their families, telling them not to worry while trying to hide the fear she felt.  She then headed to the armoury, following Liv and the others.  She wanted to stay with the peaceful beasts of the refuge cave, but she knew she had a duty to fulfill.

 After handing out a few weapons, Spera realized she didn't have her weapons.  Passing a dagger to a teenaged hedgehog, she stated, "I'll be right back."  She then proceeded to run to her home cave, about to come in when she heard a beast talking.  Standing just outside the entrance, Spera saw Liv holding her shield, whispering something about shame.  Then the female mouse walked out, passing by Spera.  Spera nodded and smiled weakly at her cavemate, then stepped into the place she'd called home for so many seasons.

 Walking over to her bed, Spera knelt down, reaching underneath the piece of furnature.  She pulled out a small and flat chest, one engraved with hearts, stars and flowers.  The squirrelmaid had been told when she was little that this had once been her mother's chest, where she had kept her weapons.  She kept them locked up so that no one could steal them, but Spera felt like her mother had locked them up so that no one would harm themselves or harm others.

 Spera opened the small chest, revealing a beautiful dagger.  She didn't know where it came from, other than that it had been in her family for countless seasons.  The dagger's blade was made of a shining, blood red metal, and it had a golden hilt with a pommel stone of the same colour as the blade.  Spera had often thought it the prettiest weapon out there, meant for looking at and not for fighting.  She had never actually used it in battle, but from using it for practice, she knew that it was not simply a decorative blade.

 Taking the dagger out, Spera placed it in its sheath and attached it to her belt.  She wondered why she had taken it out of the sheath before placing it back in the chest, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd held the dagger.  She shrugged, picking up the sling that laid next to where the dagger had been.  She stuffed the sling into her belt, grabbing the small pouch of stones that were also hidden away in that box.

 Satisfied that she had gotten everything, Spera closed the chest, locking it and sliding it back under her bed.  She got up, running out of her home cave and back to the armoury.  Strangely, it seemed that fate had another idea for her than arming beasts who weren't warriors.  The pretty maid heard a crashing noise while by the Hall of Dawnlight, turned and saw a mousebabe running out of the caves into the outside.  She chased after the young one, wondering who it was.

 "Come back here!"  She followed the mousebabe, watching as it toddled down the path leading to the shore.  They were heading towards the shore!  Increasing her speed, Spera called out, "If you come back, I'll give you a candied chestnut!"  The babe turned around, sticking out its little pink tongue.  It was young Joey!

 "Joey, you come right back here!" Spera cried, amazed at how fast that mouse could run.  She was panting and puffing by the time they made it down to the shore.  Joey had stopped and was staring at the approaching ship.  Spera too stopped, gasping in horror as it came nearer and nearer to where they were.  "Joey, we need to go back up, okay?"

 Joey shook his head furiously, shouting, "NO!  Joey hide, you find Joey!"  He then proceeded to run off again, leaving Spera to stand there confused for a moment.  She sighed and ran after him, this time not shouting so as to save her breath and not alert whoever was on that ship.

 (OOC)