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

[Ashleg]

Alfhild raised her arm to scratch at her ear, making her many bracelets jingle eerily in the process. She grinned as she watched her rats force Bracklew down.
"If the ferret was the sweet little squirrel's prisoner, he's notably both physically and mentally weak--because that little squirrel is weak. I can tell just by the looks of him..." She trailed off and aimed a kick at Bracklew's side before slinking around him and up to Rapshade.
Suddenly, the vermin chieftain took in a sharp breath.
"He looks like somebeast I knew once...and yet I can't place a claw on it. Hmm..."

Rapshade avoided her eyes at all costs. "P-please, ma'am, I..."
She grinned and ran a claw up his neck.
"Kneel like your squirrel friend, dear. Fastooth! I want them both to bow."

[LT Sandpaw]

An unbidden squeak escaped Bracklew when Alfhild kicked a sensitive part of his side. Furious with himself and Rapshade, Bracklew sunk lower in his bow, digging his face into the snow. Tears of shame sprang from his eyes as Alfhild's words cut deeper then he thought possible. To weak to save Mixy, to weak to save Skipper, to weak to save myself.
  Fastooth, on the other paw was enjoying himself immensely. Having no qualms in hitting Shade he made a fancy salute to Alfhild, grinning like a fox among chickens.

"Yes chief, right away chief." He said snappily before giving Shade a hefty push, and kick and throwing him into the snow next to Bracklew. "I figure chief, if'n he ain't worth keepin' then th' crows might like 'Im?"


OOC: What if Alfhild decideds to kill Rappy, and Brack but then Farden comes along and reasons that they would be better kept alive? Like he needs a new armor polisher, and the squirrel might have information or something like that.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
Ja, ja.
Fardan can interfere whenever he wants to, but Alfhild may have different plans if she changes her mind.
IC-
Alfhild nodded, walking in a large circle around the two newcomers. She cast a satisfied glance at Bracklew...though upon seeing Rapshade's expression as he reluctantly stayed down in the snow, she shot forward and dealt him a hard slap on the back with the flat of her blade. "Get down!" She barked. He yelped in shock and crumpled without looking up again. Alfhild glanced at Fastooth and walked around Rapshade to get to Bracklew, as if nothing had happened.
"Yes...The crows would love them immensely, but I get to have my fun first. Or have you forgotten?"
She asked, running her claws through the fur on Bracklew's head.
"I do love young'uns, don't I.....Even weak, weak little squirrels not deserving of anything, like this one."

[LT Sandpaw]

Nodding enthusiastically Fastooth rubbed his paws together, a wicked smile on his face. "Yes chief, o' course chief. What'cha gonna do ter 'em first chief?"

Something inside Bracklew twisted as he felt Alfhild's paw on the back of his head. Something squirmed in his gut at the injustice of what he was about to go through. Pain, torture it sounded like, simply for another beast's amusement. He had stacked himself against the odds, he had set off with Rapshade knowing full well he could die. But torture was something he hadn't considered.

"Please," The squirrel whispered hoping Alfhild would hear. "Please just kill me..."

[Hickory]

OOC: Hey, so I can't really write a post with anyone without needing to write a follow up, so I'm not going to post at all. Grodds, just assume Asher is following along and guiding One-Ear. PP him if needed. Sand and Ash, if you want to use Fardan than do. Otherwise, good luck.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
Got it.
IC-
Rapshade's eyes blazed.
Alfhild was talking to Bracklew so similarly as she had back when he was around the squirrel's age.
He wanted to leap up and score his claws across her face; end her here. But he knew it was a bad idea.

Alfhild hummed sweetly as she considered what to do to them, shooting a grin back at Fastooth.
"Oh, you know. Whatever I feel like."
Then came Bracklew's plead, which caused her icy blue eyes to light up in amusement. The ferret burst out laughing.
"He thinks I'll kill him without making him suffer! Some creatures are so naïve!"

OOC-
Permission to PP Bracklew? I won't do anything that won't heal.

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Yeah, sure go ahead.


IC:

Following Alfhild's example Fastooth, along with some of the nearer horde beasts, began laughing along with Alfhild, their eyes stupidly fixed upon the scene before them.

"Harr, yeah chief," Chimed in the rat holding Bracklew down, doing no favor to his own intelligence. "Them are nai- neve- niav- er, stupid ain't they? Har hehehe."

Drawn by the commotion Grah along with one of her trusted lieutenants landed on a branch just above the prisoners. Ruffling her black feathers ominously she croaked her approval adding her own horrible voice to the crescendo of chuckling vermin.

[Ashleg]

Without warning, Alfhild leapt upon Bracklew and began smacking and hacking away with her sword.
"I want to hear you sing, Squirrel! Tell me how great I am! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" The ferret screeched, obviously having fun with this. Her shrill voice faded off into more of the same heartless laughter as before after a couple more minutes of this, except as time went on she got bored with the blade and began incorporating kicks and claw slashes into the mix.

Rapshade didn't dare look up, even when Roscoe broke away from Glaser and ran over there.
"Er, Alfhild, Chief, Marm. Your might'ness...uh..."
"What?!" Alfhild snapped, ceasing her brutal attack on Bracklew. The ferret dusted off her paws and rose, narrowing her eyes down to slits. She bared her teeth in a growl.
"Who're you?"

"Roscoe, yer honor. The weasel ya sent Glaser to fetch? Don't kill them. They're from Redwall..."

Alfhild's eyes lit up with ambition.
Redwall Abbey!

[Groddil]

OOC: Sowwee for being away...

BIC:

One-Ear gave Asher's rope a quick tug, looping it back into a coil and handing it to the black squirrel.
"This place looks pretty bad. Think you can find the original tunnel?"
Asher nodded, leading the way through the cavern. Shortly thereafter, he stopped at one of the walls.
"Here. That outline, that's the tunnel. Although with that many rocks filling the thing up, it'd take an entire squadron of moles a season to dig it out. Could be natural..."
"...Could be the badger."
One-Ear stuck his katana into one of the gaps between the rock experimentally and wrenched it roughly. Nothing happened. The fox resheathed his blade.
"We need to find another way. How about that river? If we follow it downstream, it might have hollowed out a passage. Aver, what do you think?"

[LT Sandpaw]

The otter tested the rushing waters carefully with his javelin point shaking his head. "I c'n do it, a badger could do it, yew mates, I dunno." Easing his way back up the steep incline to where One-ear and Asher stood Aver jabbed his paw back at the water. "We don' know where th' river ends, one slipped paw, an' ye c'n be sucked miles underground. Not only that, but wit' th' water splashin' like it is, It'll put out our only light source." Aver considered both the fox and squirrel for a moment before stating his conclusion.

"Tho' if'n ye be determined I'm thinkin' we c'n go downstream wit'out much trouble , not sure we c'n make it back."


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

Each one of Alfhild's attacks was echoed by a squeak or cry of pain from Bracklew. Eventually he gave up trying to wriggle away and lay still using his arms to protect his head as he curled into a ball. At last Alfhild left off hitting Bracklew and he lay still, whimpering quietly into the snow. Not caring what was being said, or who was saying it. Just glad that the painful blows had stopped.

The rat who had been holding Bracklew down, and who had wisely abandoned this task when Alfhild had started her assault, prodded Fastooth in the shoulder and pointed at the cowering squirrel and ferret.

"Er, wot should we do wit' em now?"

"Uh," Fastooth glared at the two for a moment then shrugged. "I dunno, let th' chief decide nitwit."

[Ashleg]

Alfhild suddenly whirled around, marching up to Fastooth. Her attention on Roscoe was long forgotten, and the weasel slunk nervously back over to Glaser, who raised an eye at him.
"Fastooth. Send the prisoners to my tent." She snapped, passing him up. "I have some...questions...to ask."

[Groddil]

One-Ear scratched his chin briefly.
"Okay, give me a minute."
The fox took one of the rope coils and attached one end to a crossbow bolt. He fired it point-blank into a wall to test it, then looped it around a large boulder.
"Alright, everyone tie a length of this rope around your waists. Aver, you go first, we'll go behind you. If anything happens, get yourself to shore and pull us out."
One-Ear quickly looped the rope around his waist, Asher following shortly afterwards.
"As soon as you're ready, Aver, we're going in..."

[LT Sandpaw]

Understanding what One-ear was doing Aver added his own length of rope to the fox's cord, expertly tying it off. Then he preformed a graceful side down the bank and into the dark waters with hardly a splash. It came up to a little above his upper thigh, but still below where his rope was tied. Wadding on a few more paces the otter was soon up to his waist in rushing water.

"Alright mates come on in, th' bottom s'all mud, an ye sink into it. Make sure if'n ye are wearin' shoes o' any kind to take 'em off, ye'll lose 'em in this. We'll be goose-steppin' th' whole way, but least tis not rocks."

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

"Prisoners, chief?" Fastooth said before remembering that Shade wasn't yet considered a part of the horde. "Oh aye, right away chief. Move yew two." He prodded Shade in the back forcing the ferret forward into the command tent. Two of his rats grabbed Bracklew around the armpits and dragged the squirrel with them.

[Groddil]

One-Ear clambered down the side of the river, landing in the water with a slight splash. As the water lapped at his waist, he turned towards Asher with concern.
"We're quite taller than Asher, how is he going to do this? This water is bound to get deeper...Any ideas, Asher?"

[Ashleg]

Rapshade growled but started limping. "Watch it, rat...Any more pokin' and prodding and I'll make y' eat yer own tail." The ferret whispered, smirking behind Alfhild's back.

Alfhild got into her tent and, without waiting for her prisoners or the rats, plopped down on a fancy chair she had near her bed.