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

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: There are quite a few Redwallers out on the path right now, just NPCs though.

And yeah I'm fine with that plan Grodds.

IC:

Having secured the main gate and assigned several guards to the wall tops Fastooth sought out Fardan, saluting the wildcat chieftain. "Hoy chief," he grunted coming to a halt beside him. "There be a giant hole in th' ground, surrounded by a barricade right smack in the middle o' th' lawns. I 'ave reason to believe that's where th' Vigil was stayin', any orders on th' subject chief?"

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

"Relatable?" Petu questioned, sounding a small yelp when Rapshade kicked him. "I dunno how I feel about being a personal slave," the young rabbit griped, limping along behind his new ferret master. "Sounds sort of vile keeping somebeast in chains, and making them do work and.... Oh...."

[Ashleg]

"Ouch, realization can hurt, can't it." Rapshade mused, savoring every note of Petu's "Oh".
He casually shoved him towards the stairs.
"By relatable I meant your leg is. Why not go make up a room for me, preferably the Abbot's, eh, Rabbit?"
He could've picked somebeast better to vent this on, since Petu did less to harm him than some other beasts.
But a scapegoat was that for a reason.
Tauntingly, he pulled on the rabbit's ear.
"Quickish now, eh?"

--

Maxy caught the treat in small paws and began sucking on it.
One of the elders glanced at the squirrels.
"We should hurry before they decide to kill us."

--

"Yaaaah!" Roscoe yelped, paws leaving the ground.
For a second he was cleaving thin air...

[Groddil]

The squirrels nodded. One of them walked behind the crowd of Redwallers, while the other stayed where he was.
"Follow him, I'll bring up the rear."

*****

One-Ear pulled Roscoe's foreleg with all the strength he could muster. Soon, weasel and fox alike were sprawled on the outcropping. One-Ear panted heavily, slowly rising to his footpaws.
"Come on... Down here."
He started to trudge down the tunnel.

OOC: OE pulling Roscoe up was probably PP-ing, but it's either that or spending 4 posts trying to get up one ledge.

[Ashleg]

Roscoe pattered after One-Ear snootily.
"I could've done it myself, ya great bottle of idiocy!"
It was quite dark...and scary...and dangerous.
Perhaps, he thought, he should shut his mouth so the fox didn't push him back down.

[Groddil]

"Who was it that needed whose help again? Twice, in fact, in the space of a few minutes. Shut up and follow me."
The tunnel began to slope upwards.
"Mustn't be that far down. You don't have any weapons on you or anything?"

[Ashleg]

Roscoe snorted.
"I was kicked outta Redwall for punching a Dibbun, y'think I still have weapons?"
He glanced up, tail swishing.
Certainly not more climbing...?

[Groddil]

"Better hope we don't run in to any undesirables on the way, then."
He started to clamber up the rest of the tunnel. The slope was gentle enough that it was still walk-able.
"I see light, come on."
As the two vermin clambered out of the hole, which ended up underneath a maze of twisted tree roots and loose stones, One-Ear creased his brow. He couldn't see much beyond the roots, but they didn't look too strong. He grabbed a nearby rock and bashed one of the roots. It shook far more than he would have expected. Wriggling through a gap between two of them, the fox thudded into the snow. Not a stones throw from Bracklew and Seacloak.
"Bracklew? What-?"
Seacloak grinned. His paw reached behind his back, to where his dagger was. A sword in the hands of any other creature, that dagger was all he had managed to sneak out of the Wetlands. And now it would prove it's purpose. He snatched the dagger from his belt and charged the fox. One-Ear nimbly side-stepped, kicking the weapon from the badger's paw. Seacloak, eyes clouded with Bloodwrath, grabbed the fox by the leg as he went to dive for the dagger. Still, the fox managed to wrap a paw around the weapon before the badger lifted him clear off his feet. The fox coughed. He couldn't breathe. He stabbed the large dagger into Seacloak's foreleg, but the badger was in such a fury it seemingly had no effect. He wrenched it from the badger's flesh and stabbed him again and again. Blood oozed from a dozen wounds, but still the badger held on. With one final roar, he slammed the back of One-Ear's head into the tree trunk. And again. And again. When the badger finally dropped the fox's limp corpse, the blood, brain, and bone had turned the snow red. Seacloak's wrath began to recede, his eyes becoming calm. He laughed at the sight of his defeated enemy. A laugh, a wince, and a cough. So... weak. Without the bloodwrath, the wounds were starting to take their toll on the badger. He shook on his feet, just like the trees that surrounded him. He turned to the squirrel, a grin on his face.

Grenlik had watched the whole situation unfold from the bushes. How lucky that he had stumbled upon the badger just as he was already weak. The weasel drew his own dagger and strode out into the open. Ignoring Bracklew and Roscoe, he walked up to Seacloak.
"The north sends its regards."
He plunged his dagger into the badger's heart. Seacloak gave one last chuckle, blood spurting from his mouth, before his body landed heavily atop One-Ear's. The weasel smiled, picking up Seacloak's dagger. It would be a fine sword for the vole. Very fancy, and very sharp. The weasel tucked the sword into his belt and vanished into the bushes, as quickly as he had came.

[Ashleg]

Roscoe heaved himself up on shaky paws.
"W-wh...what?"
He glanced at Bracklew in disbelief and then back down at the bodies.
They'd fallen from a tree and One-Ear was mauled by a badger?
Then the badger was killed by another weasel, and...
He shook his head and fixed his hat, trying to clear it.
"I'm goin' crazy!" The weasel laughed. "Crazy, Squirrel, downright insane. I fell from th' sky an' hit my head, now he's dead...heh."
Stepping unevenly to the side, he swayed and fell on his tail.

[Hickory]

OOC;

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: That was entirely unexpected.

IC:

Entirely subdued Petu went along with Rapshade, limping up the stairs to Grant's room in abject misery. He winced a little at Rapshade's tormenting, but he otherwise remained silent, staring at the ground. He felt foolish, and pathetic to have given up so easily, at least he wasn't dead. That was something right?

Entering the room Petu looked around realizing just how filthy the battle had left him. Blood stained his legs and paws, while cold mud clung to his hindquarters and tail, sharply contrasted by the neat and tidy little room that Grant had once called his own.
"Er, what exactly do you want me to do?" He asked Rapshade, the room was obviously well kept, and Rapshade didn't appear to have much in the way of personal belongings.

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

Shocked by the sudden display of violence, Bracklew remained frozen even as Grenlik slunk off, back into the woodlands. The young squirrel's eye twitched, and he fell to his knees slowly shaking his head. Reaching out he checked Seacloak's pulse. Dead... He would have done the same to One-ear, but what was the point? He could barely recognize the fox's destroyed head. He half listened to Roscoe, focusing instead on the flame sigil etched upon One-ear's tunic. Blood, still warm, pooled around the two bodies and Bracklew began to laugh.

It was cold laughter, filled with confusion and lacking humor. His whole body shook as he laughed, trying to rid himself of the darkness that swirled in his gut. Just as the laughter reached a climatic note it switched, rapidly turning into racking sobs, and pitiful crying. Bracklew rocked back and forth unable to control himself as he looked upon the two creatures that had carried him across the breaking point.

[Ashleg]

"I wasn't expecting it to be this neat..." Rapshade murmured to himself, scratching his chin.
He turned suddenly to Petu.
"Errh, clean up this mess you're making."
The rabbit himself was dirty and bleeding.
Cursing, the ferret shoved him back out the door. "Addlebrain, how dare y' throw me off!"

The hallway, though clean, was quiet and dark.
Rapshade tripped over himself as he was coming out the door and had to grab onto Petu's shoulder to cease his fall.
"Drat it...cursed leg! C'mon, we're going to the infirmary, because I'm messed up too."

--

Roscoe was a vermin, and although not as bad as some, he still hadn't any friends.
Although Abbot Litho was dead he hadn't cried for him.
The weasel rocked back and forth in the snow, screwing up his face in confusion.
"I think I should go."

[Groddil]

OOC: Just channeling my inner self.



BIC:

Aside from the two squirrels left behind to guide the Redwallers, most of the Vigil had returned to the Moledeep entrance. Charm scoffed.
"Where's that vole gone off to, leaving the entrance open like this?"
She sighed.
"Anybeast with injuries, report to the Infirmary. The rest of you, get some food and some rest. We'll hit them again once they don't know what's coming."

*****

Further north, still within the confines of Mossflower wood, an old squirrel trundled along one of the many forgotten tracks winding through the snow. Basket of food in hand, he made the same trek every day, to deliver vittles to a friend of his. But this day was different. The birdsongs were strangely not present. He almost jumped a foot in the air when a scream echoed through the trees. The elder clutched his heart for a brief moment, then hurried forward to a clump of bushes. Peering through, he gasped. It was that fox chap, the leader of that group he had met on a few occasions. Dead... He sighed. Those creatures had helped him before. He felt they needed to know. It seemed the fox was alone, he would have to be the bearer of bad news. The squirrel set the basket down on the side of the track. He would come back for it later.

[Hickory]

Fardan nodded as Fastooth spoke. "Station three guards directly by it, and another three in the wall with bows. The ones on the wall will keep an eye on the hole at all times, and kill anything that emerges. Alert me if anything happens that requires my attention, I need to talk to Alfhild."

The wildcat started across the lawns.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
Where'd you find that picture?
IC-
Alfhild was heading inside herself, pushing Grant along in front of her.
"You saw that Dibbun? He was just the first. Anybeast who we three leaders deem insubordinate will be killed on the spot." The ferret hissed into his ear, sending shudders through his fur.
"Does poor Grant still deny the existence of a horde, my beautiful, powerful, victorious horde?"

Upon not answering, Alfhild swung out and kicked him across the heels.
"Answer me!"

Grant snapped back, "Victorious in name, but in spirit you never will be. Martin will help us out of this!"

[Groddil]

OOC-
Where'd you find that picture?

Here.