Is Redwall as safe as they say it is? (Role-play thread)

[Groddil]

One-Ear nodded his satisfaction and led the party through the gate into the woods, heading towards the River Moss, the pirates, and Bracklew. After waling for some time, he halted. There was an abandoned camp, once belonging to Vix the assassin, the long dead fox who had slain Threeclaw.
"We should be on our guard, there could be pirates around."
But there was nothing, the wooded glade was deserted of all life, or so it seemed...

*****

In the bushes on the outskirts of the clearing, a pair of dark, evil eyes watched the three Redwallers poke around the camp. The creature hissed and began dragging itself from the bushes.

*****

"Did you hear that? It sounded like...hissing."
A twig snapped. One-Ear readied his crossbow.
"Who's there? Show yourself, pirate scum!"
Another hiss echoed through the glade as a huge adder slithered out of the bushes. The fox loosed a bolt from the crossbow. The snake hissed again, bleeding slightly, but otherwise unfazed. It continued to relentlessly slither towards One-Ear, Duncan, and Skipper. The fox grabbed his allies.
"Run. RUN! Try to climb a tree."

[Ashleg]

"Don't run. We have to fight it off!" Duncan snapped, drawing the slingshot from the supply pouch.
"Give it blood 'n' vinegar!"

[Groddil]

One-Ear pulled Duncan away.
"Are you crazy? We can fight, sure, but we need some distance between us and it. Up that tree!"
Like a squirrel, the fox leapt at the trunk and heaved himself to a low branch. He reached down, extending a paw.
"Grab my paw, hurry!"
The adder was closer now, it slithered through the abandoned tent and stopped short of Duncan and Skipper. Turning its gaze to the otter, it stared at his eyes and began hissing softly as it edged further forwards. One-Ear loosed more bolts from the crossbow, but the snake was still unfazed.

[LT Sandpaw]

"Do I look like a squirrel to you mate? Otters are for water!" The adder's cold gaze  furrowed into Skipper's and for a moment the tough otter was struck dumb. The death residing so close to him lay forgotten as he stared into the deep pools of gold. Somewhere a voice inside his head screamed.

"MOVE!"

Like a bolt of lightning the adder struck, and Skipper's brawny paw swung out with his loaded sling snapping into one of the snakes venomous fangs. The tooth cracked off and Skipper rolled away unhurt. The snake recoiled but looked mostly unhurt, hissing in fury.

[Groddil]

The snake poised itself to strike, and lunged at Skipper. In midair; however, it hissed again, but there was a different tinge to its hissing. The snake's fang that had broken off speared the inside of its mouth, which hung openly limp. The snake's eyes clouded over and it fell to the ground. One-Ear shot it one last time in the open mouth just to make sure. The huge adder was dead, killed by its own fang. One-Ear jumped from the tree.
"Glad that's over, we should really get going again. Uhh, snakes. Rather have pirates."
The young fox led the way back into the woods.

[Ashleg]

"I'm not climbin' up any flippin' trees, One-Ear." Duncan said, loosing a slingstone at the adder's neck.
He nodded in approval of what Skipper did.
"That's great! See if you can knock his other tooth out!" Then the snake flopped to the ground, and the hare grinned sheepishly.
"...Well then. It feels like I didn't do much to help with that. That was one easy snake."

--

Rapshade gave Fangfang a shove and watched in contempt as the rat hurried away.
Then he went to where Saltooth was gathering the crew.
"Who'd ya pick, do you know yet?" The ferret asked, eyes darting about the area. "Bring Frogeye an' Fishwhistle for sure. Ha, I bet ya wish you could bring yer old friend Blackclaw, eh mate?"

[Hickory]

Jetfur ignored Fangfang running past him and instead moved over to Bracklew. "Hullo, squirrel. I'd say a warm welcome is due, by order of Cap'n Rapshade." The rat unfurled his whip.

[LT Sandpaw]

Glaring up at the rat Bracklew set his jaw, a vein throbbed in his throat as he spat towards Jetfur. "What are you talking about seascum? I wouldn't want a warm welcome from you or Rapshade. You're all going to pay for what you did, I'll kill you all myself if I have to!"

~*~*~*~*~

Saltooth's eye did a very Rapshade-like twitch but the steersrat controlled his temper.

"Aye Cap'n," Saltooth forced out, each word sounded painful for him as he resisted the temptation to attack Rapshade outright. Too many crew members were crowding the deck for such a plan to work. "Fishwhistle n' Frogeye are comin' along wit' Ciptail, Bogfin, Ginnle, an' load O' others. A few beasts'll stay behind ta protect th' ship." Saltooth had never been the best at counting, and numbering a moving mass of vermin in next to impossible. However the steersrat made do and organized the crew into two parties, sorting beast he figured may work with him into the party staying, and those more loyal to Rapshade into the attacking group. He figured the attackers had a much higher chance of being killed, and the broken numbers would be easier to control once Rapshade was dead.

"All ready Cap'n," Saltooth called moving to stand with the crewbeasts marching out to attack Redwall.

~*~*~*~*~

"That fox is purrty ready to fight them searats." Skipper commented to Duncan as he trudged after One-ear. "I'm slightly worried meself, don' know rightly wot were up against." He twirled his loaded sling thoughtfully looking up at the afternoon sky.

"'Sides, I only got so many stones in me pouch, an' only so much luck too. We'll be runnin' out O' both a'fore this is finished."



OOC: Hey Sage feel free to PP Bracklew a little.

[Groddil]

One-Ear halted again within a thick patch of woodlands. He inspected the dried blood on the ground and followed it to the rotting corpse of a stoat. Redfang. One-Ear spat on it, and turned back to his companions.
"This is where I killed Redfang. We're very close. Hmm, I think I'll leave a little surprise for Rapshade, show 'im we aren't t'be messed with!"
One-Ear picked up the decomposing body and carried it over his shoulder as he tracked the path of broken branches and fallen leaves. The fox and his companions emerged on the shore, not far from the ship. One-Ear slipped back into the bushes on the edge and whispered.
"Looks like they're gettin' ready to leave. If we wait here, we can sneak on board, kill the sentries, and rescue Mixy and Bracklew. They have to have been caught, they've been gone far too long."

[Ashleg]

"Ah..." Rapshade's amber eyes scanned the two groups of vermin, and he frowned.
He found the choices to be a tad suspicious, seeing as most of those he trusted were the ones in the attack party. The ferret scratched behind his ear.
"No. You three, Duskfur, Sandpaw, an' you, weasel, you're staying here, switch with these rats over here. Good... I think we're ready to go."
He forced himself to stand up straighter and look more confident, but he instead appeared exhausted and sick.
"Ye ready, crew? Saltooth?"

--

"Augh, One-Ear, that's a body, don't just pick it up like that, that's a bally gross thing to do--Ugh!" Duncan covered his mouth with his paws to stop himself from wretching.
The hare swallowed. "...Let's just...wait here 'till they leave..."

[Groddil]

OOC; If Saltooth just switched, how many PCs are on the ship (besides Bracklew).
Also, One-Ear has a plan to go along with the body.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
I think Saltooth is going with Rapshade to Redwall.
As for PCs...Well, Fang, maaaaaybe Jetfur, and I'll RP the other vermin when they're needed.

[Groddil]

OOC: Jetfur should probably go, if he stays, One-Ear, Duncan, and Skipper could get ahold of the keys.

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: One of the pirates are named Sandpaw? Lol I suppose it works.

BIC:

"Aye Cap'n!" The crew roared in unison, though it was more of a shout than a roar. They looked on uncomfortably at their captain. Saltooth cursed stamping his paw angrily. It would be just like Rapshade to see though his ploy. The steersrat's tail swished as he snarled out a, "Aye Cap'n." With the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Nose twitching in disgust Skipper knelt next to One-ear frowning at the fox. "Ye seem to know a awful lot about these pirates mate. An' I ain't accusing ye O' nothin' but me n' Duncan are seasoned campaigners, an' we ain't fools. An' O' all the battle plans I've ever seen they've never involved carryin' a dead stoat's body around. Er, it was a stoat right." He grimaced at the half decomposed corpse.

"Anyway mate fill us in on yer plan, an' mayhap me n' Duncan can add to it. It's not like I don' trust ye, thing is I've jus' met ye, an' were talking about life n' death here. I think Duncan would agree with me, ain't that right mate." Skipper twisted towards Duncan before turning back to One-ear with a expectant look.

[Groddil]

One-Ear looked at them.
"My father was the strategist, not me. I got you here, and I'll fight, but I thought you had the plan to get 'em out. The stoat's for scare tactics, see. If I get 'im in Rapshade's cabin, he'll know that we've been here, and what a sight a decomposin' stoat makes on yer dinner table. That would put their morale down a bit. Anyway, the main plan is to get Mixy and Bracklew out of there. If we kill the sentries that they leave behind when they leave, preferably from afar quitely, with slings an bows, we can find the slaves. Then its just a matter of climbin' aboard, killin' any pirates in our way, then gettin' the keys, or slicin' through the chains an' freeing as many as we can."