Redwall Isn't Safe Anymore! (Is Redwall as Safe as they Say it is? Part Two)

[Hickory]

OOC: K.

[LT Sandpaw]

"A wildcat named Fardan cut it off, " Bracklew said bitterly, hiding his left arm from view. He'd forgotten he hadn't seen Duncan since before he had left with Rapshade. A lot had happened since then. "I bet Rayne is pleased, she wanted to amputate it, I bet this wasn't how she thought it would happen though."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"N' why not?" Fastooth snapped, angrily stepping closer to Rapshade. "Don't ye wanna burn th' red abbey to th' ground? Or d'ye 'ave affections for em? I heard ye might 'ave had somethin' to do wit' our prisoner's escape."

[Ashleg]

"Why, the bounder!" Duncan scowled, ear going rigid.
"Hope it didn't hurt too much. Say, you'd have bled out, did Rayne already tend to it?"

-

"Um, I mean..." Rapshade faltered, wincing as all eyes turned on him rather than Glaser.
The ferret stalled a moment and then bared his teeth, whirling on Fastooth. "How dare y' question me like that!? I share blood with th' all powerful Chief Alfhild! Why would I care an inch for the creatures in that cursed redstone castle, whom beat me and teased me like I was some kind of fool?"
Drawing the blade across Glaser's throat and up into the air towards Fastooth so that the blood spattered, he snarled, "If you for one second doubt me, pick up a sword and try your luck!"

Alfhild's icy blue eyes danced in excitement as the crowd behind her murmured a chorus of "Oohs".
This ferret who stood in front of him was no longer "Rappy", but the Rapshade the Swift he said he was.
Roscoe pushed past her to get a better look, eyes trailing down to Glaser's dead body.

[Hickory]

Fardan smiled from the back of the crowd, thinking along the same lines as Alfhild.

But he had enough of watching that.

Pushing forward through the crowd, he reached Alfhild and stood next to her. "Looks like your nephew is earning back his power... What's your next move?"

[LT Sandpaw]

Wisely stepping back Fastooth held up his paws in a submissive gesture, keeping his eyes downcast. "Oh no Rapshade, nephew to th' chief. Wouldn' dream o' crossin' blades wit' ye. Please accept me humble 'pologies fer accusin' ye o' bein' a woodlander lover." The rat fell back until he was standing behind Fardan, inwardly seething, but keeping calm outwardly. This wasn't the time or place to challenge authority.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Blinking in confusion, Bracklew stood up quickly looking at Duncan in concern. "Of course she did. You think I'd just be sitting in here with my wrist spurting blood? She probably saved my life, I really ought to go thank her. And Asher too. And I need to speak to Grant. Sorry I've got to go." Trotting over to his bed Bracklew slipped on his sword and belt clicking the buckle securely down. Nodding to the rabbit and hare, Bracklew hurriedly pushed through the door and out onto the sandstone steps.

Petu shrugged taking a drink of his milk. "Well, more for you and me old timer." He joked pulling Bracklew's half finished meal closer to Duncan and himself.

[Ashleg]

Blinking as he turned to Petu, Duncan put on a nervous smile.
"Daylights, that was odd. You think he's hiding something?" The hare asked, about to reach for another scone when he realized how lazy he was feeling.
"Pass the old war hero another, will you, chap?"

--

Alfhild nodded proudly as Rapshade strode past her and disappeared into the crowd.
She turned to Fardan.
"Nothing that won't come across as a shock to the Redwallers and the Vigil alike. Do they know where our camp is?"

[Hickory]

"Not likely, seeing that we stopped them at the hut."

He looked over his shoulder. "Fastooth, stop sulking behind me. We'll need your input. Alfhild," he said to the ferret, "what's your plan?"

[Ashleg]

Alfhild's eyes glowed from under her hood and travelled to the side to land on Roscoe.
"Send somebeast they more or less like and don't know has teamed with us all the way back to the Abbey...and have him try to poison the Abbot and frame the little squirrel prisoner for doing it. There's nothing like spreading inner chaos in somebeast before swooping in to kill them with their eyes still closed."
She placed her footpaw in Glaser's blood and smeared it back, leaving a streak in the snow.
"And while that is going on, we should be focusing on spreading random attacks through the ranks of the Vigil and those little Guosim shrews that live by the river. On all accounts I've heard, the only reason Redwall hasn't fallen is because their outside friends had not been dealt with fist."

[Groddil]

OOC: Lul mate, shame the Vigil right now can only be harmed when they're actually out of Redwall. Also, Fardan is very wrong. Remember that time right at the beginning where One-Ear literally walked right into their camp? 

[Hickory]

OOC: They'll have progressed far past that worrying them when One-Ear returns.

[Groddil]

OOC: 

BIC:

"Shh. It's all right. You're okay."
One-Ear felt himself drifting back into consciousness. He tried opening his eyes, but to no avail. Reaching a paw towards his face, the fox recoiled when something struck it.
"Don't. Keep still. There's a lot of dried blood stuck to your eye."
He felt something soft wipe across his face, then a sharp jab of pain.
"Keep still. Okay, try to open your eye."
Eye. Not Eyes.
One-Ear gingerly tried opening his eyes. His vision, although blurry, still let him make out the faces of Mortembell and Shadomay.
"Where are we?"
Shadomay threw a bloodied rag over her shoulder.
"The tunnels, under the city."
Mortembell shook her head.
"It's a disaster up there. That hare that killed Farnod, he ruined everything. There's rioting in the streets, the guards loyal to Seacloak have practically declared war on the last of the Revolution. And that Hellgates-damned stripedog still lives."
Shadomay shrugged, testing the point of an arrow.
"And ye lost an eye ta go wit' yer ear. Plus, ye got a fine set o' scars down yer face from Seacloak's claws."
One-Ear shakily rose to his footpaws.
"Way to break it to me easily, Shadomay."
The young vixen rolled her eyes and dug through one of the packs assembled in a corner. She tossed a rough woven eyepatch at One-Ear.
"'Ere, put that o'er the gap in yer face. We're leavin' soon."
"Leaving?"
The two vixens motioned to a tunnel carved into the rock.
"We're goin' back to Mossflower, son. Nothin' more we can do here."
"The revolution?"
Shadomay chuckled darkly.
"It's dead, One-Ear. Everybeast who hasn't bent the knee up there'll be food fer Sheba afore sundown."
"So we're running?"
"Aye. Everybeast still alive knows better'n ta stay here. We're goin' ta Redwall, which, if Mortembell is right, sounds much better'n this place could ever be, even if Seacloak was dead."
"But... What about Farnod? What about everything he stood for? We can't just let Seacloak get away with this."
"No."
The three foxes turned to the speaker; it was the squirrel, Farnod's former second in command.
"Farnod's dead. Without him to rally around, the revolution has no chance. Even if there was another leader, with Seacloak's return, nobeast will dare oppose him. This is my plan. There are... eight of us. You three, myself, the prisoner, and three other revolutionaries. We will all travel south until we reach onE of the subsidiaries of the Great Northern Stream. We will meet up with a division of the Guosim, who will take us south until we meet up with Filargo. He always visits these regions occasionally, it shouldn't take long. There, we will part ways. The three of you, and the prisoner, will travel with Filargo to Mossflower. My allies and I will stay with the Guosim and make plans on how to dispose of Seacloak. This is not your fight, I don't want you dying for us. In time, we will cast off our shackles. Seacloak cannot live forever. Soon, not even fear is a good enough motivator..."
One-Ear nodded.
"Okay. We'll finish the last of the packing and meet you at the exit. But first, I want a few words with the prisoner..."

*****

After splitting with the others, One-Ear found himself along in a side tunnel with Needle, who had been bound, gagged, and tied to a large boulder. The fox tore the gag from his mouth and drew the Governor's blade. Inserting the point under Needle's chin, he lifted the hare's head until they stared into each others eyes (s).
"Why, Needle. Why did you betray me?"

OOC: Ashes, ya wanna control Needle?

[Hickory]

OOC: Mind if Gruddil meets them at the stream?

[Groddil]

OOC: Hmm, it seems pretty far north for him, but it doesn't bother me. Actually, scratch that. It's a good idea, let's do this.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
Yup, taking him back now.
IC-
"I was never with you to begin with, Vermin!" Needle spat, struggling against his bonds until he felt the metal of the sword press against his neck. Quickly, the hare's reddish eyes travelled down to the blade.
He began chuckling, then laughing jeeringly.
"You think I ever liked you? You think any self-respecting Woodlander would want to work with a fox like you?"

[Groddil]

One-Ear stood back up, withdrawing the blade tip from Needle's neck.
"Which self-respecting Woodlander? How about the entire Vigil? How about all of Redwall Abbey? Or everybeast with a brain in the city above us? Everybeast I know would much rather work with a fox like me, who doesn't kill others for sport. What makes Seacloak any better than me? At least I kill my enemies quickly. I don't throw somebeast to Sheba just because they stole a loaf of bread, or because they accidentally bumped into me in the street. And I don't torture anybeast for information. I don't keep hurting somebeast until they tell me what I want to know. I wait until they see the sense in telling me. Why don't you ask the Governor how well tortures works? Oh, wait. You can't."
The fox took another step back, picking up the gag.
"Tell me, Needle. What did I ever do to you? I would bet an apple to an acorn, that you were much better off with me than you were with Seacloak. But that doesn't matter, does it? Because you're coming back to Mossflower. You're going to convince me why you deserve freedom. You know what? I'm changing how the Vigil is run, just for you. We're going to introduce trials! There will be no more executions, except for those who really deserve it. You will be put in front of the Vigil, and they will decide your fate. Whether you have to work for your freedom, or if you get put to death, either way, you aren't getting away with what you've done to the Wetlands."
The fox whistled down the tunnel, and in short time, one of the Revolutionaries, a mouse, appeared, spear in hand. One-Ear handed him the gag and brandished his sword.
"Make him shut up. He needs to save his breath for the journey."