Welcome, to the Barkhills

[Jasper]

This was one of Trillo's favorite subjects:
"Oh we come from a wonderful place called Redwall Abbey! There's all kinds of food. Pies, Tarts, fish; anything you could think of! It comes in every flavor! Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, rhubarb! There's wonderful things to drink like Strawberry Cordial and October Ale. Ah, there never was a place like Redwall! I'd offer you some of the food we brought with us to eat, but I think we lost it all in the wreck."

[The Skarzs]

"Abbey. . ." The cougar echoed the strange word. "It sounds like you live in a kitchen, if you don't mind my saying so. How different is your land from this mountainous place you find yourself in? I must admit, I am curious, as we don't get many foreigners around here."
Garan decided to help explain, as Trillo was obviously content with the food. "Well, it ain't hilly like this. Mossflower is what it's called, most of it covered in leafy trees, not these evergreen giants here. 'Tis strange, how different two places can be."
"Indeed. . ."

[Jasper]

Trillo grinned.
"Aye true enough, what's this castle you live in like? Is it made of red stone as well? I've never seen a fortress not made of red stone before."

[Izeroth]

 "I'm afraid that I never made it to Redwall Abbey," Ashtail noted. "Most of my days were spent in Mossflower wood. A very dangerous place if you're alone, but I always travelled with a group of like-minded beasts. We journied far and wide across the land, but our adventures ended when we ran into a group of villains. I was forced to retreat to the sea, where I found the ship."

[Gwen A. Mouse]

((OOC: Sorry, sorry! Agh. By the East Wind, I've been slow. I'll keep up as best I can from here on in.))

Ginny had stayed silent, mostly lost in her own thoughts, as the small party decided to go with Karn. She had heard of cougars once before, from her grandmother, but she had no idea that they were so big. The ferret trailed along behind the others, listening and watching. Her paws clenched when she heard Trillo's comment about vermin, but she refused to confront him about it right now. Maybe she would talk to him later, privately. To be honest, she wasn't sure that she trusted Trillo entirely, either. If she slipped up even once, he would jump on the chance to prove that all 'vermin' are inherently bad.

"Vermin," she muttered, the word leaving a sour taste in her mouth. "Vermin only means badbeasts, but some take it to mean everybeast within certain species."

Then Ashtail's comment reached her ears. A faint smile briefly rested on her lips. "I've always wanted to see Redwall. All those beasts living together in harmony..." She shook her head in wonder. "May war never sully their walls."

[The Skarzs]

Karn nodded at what Ashtail had said, then answered Trillo's question. "Red stone? Hardly. Castle Rakar was made from blocks of basalt cut from the mountain's feet; gray stone is what it is, strong and dark. The only red stone I've seen was when I visited the iron mines."
Garan wasn't paying much attention to the conversation, more concentrating on adapting to his surroundings. They were walking on a dirt road cut through the trees, on either side were the trunks of countless wood giants. He kept getting glimpses of something moving in the woods, and pointed it out to Karn.
"Oh, that's just the squirrels again. They enjoy trying to keep out of sight from us; it's some peculiar practical joke. They're also probable curious about you." He cupped his mouth with a paw and called out. "Alright, if you want to see them better, you might as well actually look at them!"

[Izeroth]

Ashtail was not a stranger to the ways of woodland squirrels. In fact, he'd fought them a few times. Out in the open they weren't very hard to defeat, but in the woods they were near-invincible. They hid behind logs and in the grass, they crept along the trees, and they slipped through the undergrowth. And then, when you least expected it, a volley of arrows would come flying towards you. He hoped that these particular squirrels would be more friendly to vermin than the ones in Mossflower usually were.

[Cornflower MM]

Arya had stayed quiet, happily listening. Although if she had heard Trillo's thoughts at that moment, he would probably have had his ears boxed. But fortunately for him, she couldn't. She was happy to meet more squirrels in this strange place.

[Jasper]

"Oh boy, squirrels," Said Trillo happily! Picking up an acorn of particularly enormous size, he threw it into the trees, yelling a challenge as he did:
"Betcha can't catch that 'un mates!"

[Cornflower MM]

Arya shook her head at Trillo's throw. But, who really cared?

[Jasper]

A squirrel leaped into the air, neatly caught the acorn and threw it back before he had even reached the next tree. Chuckles echoed throughout the forest as the acorn bounced off Trillo's forehead. He rubbed his head and grinned.
"Guess they could catch that 'un after all, eh?"
Noticing Arya shaking her head, he tossed the acorn to her.
"Why are you wearing a face like a boiled frog? This place is amazing! Ha! You'd think a squirrel like yourself would enjoy meeting more squirrels. Somethin' on your mind? I do hope we get there soon!"

[The Skarzs]

Karn chuckled at their antics. "Just be glad they're our friends; they can be dangerous in large numbers, even to creatures my size." His face went distant for a second, his brows furrowing, then the moment was gone. "Shall we continue? Some of them might follow us back to Rakar."

OOC: I was thinking we could time-skip for when they get to Rakar; they could be a little more accustomed to the land and Karn would know them better.

[Cornflower MM]

OOC: Sure.

BIC: Arya laughed as her paw shot up, catching the acorn. "Oh, I am. Don't worry about that."

[Izeroth]

 Ashtail grumbled as Arya caught the acorn. Stupid squirrels, always showing off.

OOC: As far as I can tell, my post is still relevant, but I will remove it if you want me to.

Ashtail gazed up in awe at the great castle Rakar. Its battlements rose up into the sky; guards patrolling along them. The castle's walls, made of grey volcanic rock, were covered in many tiny holes. A great wooden gate stood in the center, its gates shut against the outside world.

A very impressive fortress indeed.

[The Skarzs]

OOC: Usually it's the GM who does the time-skip, so I'm going to do so and introduce Rakar the way I perceive it.

BIC: Karn led the group through a group of buildings in a large clearing at the foot of a hill. Atop this hill stood Castle Rakar, it's dark walls looking out over the treetops and the farmlands below it. A path wound its way up the hill to a singular gate, wide enough for three creatures Karn's size to walk in side by side and two high. Some of the creatures in the buildings waved to the soldiers and looked curiously at the foreigners as they made their way up to the castle. Guards on the ramparts waved to the gate to be opened, and they walked in.
Karn ordered his soldiers to go the barracks, and he was left with the others.
"Well then; do you wish to meet Lord Durgren?"