Wildcat Attack! Part Two.

[Cornflower MM]

"No, Argunath, you're not a monster. You may have killed many, but what about all the creatures you've saved?" Arya wheezed. "You would have made an excellent Abbey Warrior." The squirrel continued after pausing.

[The Skarzs]

  Argunath looked hazily at Arya, almost hearing the voice of one he lost long before . . . "I couldn't save every. . . beast. . . So many . . ." He closed his eye and coughed horribly again. When he opened it, he saw something, or at least he thought he did, behind Arya.
  "No, you're not a monster . . ."
  The words echoed in his mind, and he reached weakly for the figure. "El. . . Elmeath?" The form almost became clearer, the likeness of a female cougar like Argunath had not seen for a long time. "How. . . can you say that? I'm the cause. . . of your wounds. I tried to. . . to keep you from danger. . ."

[Jukka the Sling]

Her limp more pronounced now, since she'd been hurrying on her injured footpaw, Paisley drew close to the Abbey.  Amid the hustle and bustle of beasts carrying the wounded indoors, she spotted two young mousemaids who weren't occupied.  "Oi!  You two mice!" the hare called raggedly, with no time to waste being polite.  "There's a squirrel chap back there, badly wounded, so hurry, come on!"  Turning, she hurried back to the ditch with the mice scurrying behind her."
-------------------
Tears pricked Kaylan's eyes at Argunath's words.  He might have been unstable, but here he was, someone who she'd accused without a cause, who had fought for the Redwallers and was now dying for them.  And he was young, too.  He, and every goodbeast who had died that day, hadn't deserved death.  The sheer injustice of everything slammed into her like a physical blow.  Tears spilled over and silently ran down the ottermaid's cheeks.

That was when she noticed that Arya was wheezing.  Though the squirrel had just blown off concerns about herself, Kaylan knew that her friend was not all right.  Added to that was the patch of blood on her tunic, and suddenly fear lanced through Kaylan.  Yes, she had noticed the blood a moment before, but since then it had spread dangerously.  (OOC:  That okay?)  She put a paw on the squirrelmaid's shoulder.  "Arya, listen, I don't think you're alright.  The-the blood.  It's spreading," she whispered. Her voice trembled.

OOC:  I love angsty, tragic, brutal stuff like what's occurring right now.  (I must have serious issues.)  Anyway, I hope that what I just did didn't ruin the atmosphere.

[Cornflower MM]

OOC: It's fine! I don't think it would have 'ruined the atmosphere,' but that is, you know, up to Skarzs.

BIC: Realizing Argunath was becoming slightly delirious, more tears came to Arya's eyes. "I hope you find happiness in the Dark Forest." She whispered, bowing her head. When Kaylan told her the blood on her tunic was spreading, Arya turned her to face the ottermaid. "I know, Kaylan," -pausing to smile weakly at her friend and press her paw to her side- "But trust me."

[The Skarzs]

  "You did what you could; I am at peace here, Argunath."
  "But I. . ."
  "Are not a monster in my eyes. The good you have done is enough for me." Elmeath spread her arms to him. "It is peaceful here, and you have done your part of life. Come with me, Argunath!"
  "G-go, little squirrel." The cougar turned his gaze to Arya. "Go with Kaylan." Argunath managed to reach his sword with his good arm and held it gripped at his chest. "Elmeath. . . she calls me. I must -hack- go with her." He turned his head to the group, and through the pain of his body, he managed a smile on his broken and ruined face. "Everyone says I'm not a monster. . . I guess they may be right. May you find. . . peace."
  Argunath closed his eye, and breathed his last.

[Cornflower MM]

Turning back to Argunath in time to hear what the cougar said, Arya's paw flew to her mouth. Bowing her head once more, "May you find peace as well, brave and noble cat," the squirrel replied although she knew there was no spirit left to hear. Staring sadly at the body of her friend, Arya remembered a poem she'd heard once, to honor the dead:
"Always the moon and stars go out.
Ever they come in again.
Sleep 'neath the grass evermore,
Free from hunger and pain.
Morning light will bring the sun;
Seasons go rolling on."

Then, turning to Kaylan, "Please, help me up."

OOC: The poem IS NOT mine. It's originally from Mossflower, and I merely mewssed with it a little they it would better suit the occasion.

[Jukka the Sling]

Kaylan nodded mutely and helped her friend up.  Not only was the ottermaid worried for Arya, but by now she was a complete emotional wreck, with tears rolling freely down her face.  It wasn't just because of the death she'd just witnessed; it was the result of days of stress and worry all put together that she was letting out.

"Are - are you alright?"

[Delthion]

Feldion had managed to slow the blood, but he had already lost much blood, he was holding onto life by a thread...

[Jukka the Sling]

OOC:  Wow, that was a rather direct way of saying it.
BIC:

The two mousemaids climbed down into the ditch, took one look at Feldion, and turned away sadly.  "There is nothing we can do," the older one told Paisley.

The hare tightened her mouth into a line, gave a short nod, and walked away.

[Cornflower MM]

Arya hissed in pain as Kaylan helped her up. "I'm okay for now, I think." She replied, trying to keep her breathing even so as not to alarm the ottermaid. . . . She hoped. Tutrning, sjhe saw the tears streaming down the ottermaid's cheeks. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" She asked, placing a paw on Kaylan's shoulder. Argunath is in a better place now, and we'll have time to grieve later." She murmured.

OOC: That PP okay? And you know something funny? Looking through some of the old RP posts, a lot of us old RPers did a lot of mild PPing without ever asking if it was okay. )

[The Skarzs]

  Aggril rubbed his chin at the whole unfolding of events. Argunath, even if the otter didn't know him, was truly a hero of the battle. Apparently most of the cats had been dead before they had gotten there, and if he was the one who did that. . . He tightened his lips and turned to Arya and Kaylan, noticing the female squirrel was in pretty bad shape.
  "C'mon, Arya. Kaylan'll be fine, but we need to get you to a healer or we'll have another dead warrior on our paws."

[Delthion]

.

[Jukka the Sling]

Kaylan tried to stop crying, but it was hard.  She herself wasn't sure what was wrong with her.  "I-I..." she began, but then Aggril said something, so she stopped and nodded in agreement.  "C-come on, Ar-Arya."

OOC @Del:  Huh?

[Delthion]

OOC: That post was obsolete, Corn asked me to change my post, making that above post useless.

[Cornflower MM]

OOC: Del, you're awesome for doing that. You didn't have to. And skar did, too, I believe. I've made up my mind on what I want to do with Arya!

BIC: Starting to nod, Arya drew a shaky breath "Ohh, I feel strange. . ." She murmured, before starting to topple over, unconscious.