The Undecided

[Ashleg]

Twisty waited for Darrin to turn the corner before racing, with a smart grin, back down the hall to where he had noticed a glimmering object. The door to the room hung slightly ajar, and on the floor, the item; a magnificent sword with polished metal blade and implanted in its handle a glistening red pommel stone, reflecting the moonlight off its smooth surface.

The rat's heart leaped how it had when his eyes had first met Raleigh. High.

Squinting, Twisty stepped quietly into the room, stopping one step from the doorway to take a look at things.
The sword was positioned against the frame of the bed, and sprawled across the bed...was a slumbering otter. Elijah the Abbey Warrior snored gently, still asleep, tail hanging off the edge.

Nervous sweat started to bead around Twisty's forehead, but then he remembered that the Redwallers stole his weapon from him, so this was only fair.

He inhaled and crept forward, ducking on the floor near the sword. Ever so carefully, the rat took the weapon by the handle, lifted it, and crept slowly and soundlessly back towards the door.
Elijah slumbered peacefully on.

Twisty hurried from the room with his new prize.
"Whew!"

[LT Sandpaw]

The army's fires burned low, a few stuttering sparks crackled in the shallow burn pits sending tiny flares into the sky. Otherwise all was still. A few sentries shuffled around the outer edge of the army's encampment, but their heads drooped low, their breathing softening. Only one beast remained wide awake.

Hacklaw sat, his back to a tree picking roast bird from his teeth. His sharp intelligent eyes always watching for some sign of Rallowan's return. He'd removed his heavy boots, letting his sore footpaws air in the warm summer night. His plan should work, no reason it shouldn't, as long as Rallowan came back successful. Worry tugged at the back of his mind, surely they weren't like him. They would be soft, like most woodlanders, too loyal to stranger goodbeasts. Perhaps they wouldn't open their gates, but they would trade, a life for a life. Hacklaw's thoughts began to drift and his head droop.

"Oi, oo goes there?"

Hacklaw snapped upright reaching for his halberd and berating himself for drowsing off. A sentry stood at the ready a short distance away, pointing his spear into the darkness, a low growl in his throat. "That'll be Rallowan." Hacklaw grunted, kicking a few hordebeasts awake. "Rallowan, that's yew isn't it? Brought back a few worthwhile prisoners I hope."

[The Skarzs]

  "Yes," came Rallowan's simple reply. He came out into the light with the captives in tow. "These should suffice."

OOC: Will edit later maybe.

[Ashleg]

Twisty entered the hallway, full of exhilaration.
His rat tail swished. In his good paw he held the sword, feeling strong and mighty.
He glanced at the window. The moon shined full, and he guessed that underneath the trees somewhere stood Darrin and his mates. He frowned, chewing his lip. He could go to them, but to do so would mean to leave the one creature he had ever felt anything for; his pretty diamond.
Why am I worried? With my new blade, Raleigh won't be able to resist!

Snickering, he slunk down the corridor, back to the infirmary. The small room inside it, with the mostly closed door, was Raleigh's quarters--the rat grinned, undaunted.
He crept up to the door and stepped in, making barely a sound.
What if she doesn't want to come?
Twisty approached the bed of the slumbering squirrel and raised Martin's sword, letting its tip rest in the air above Raleigh's nose.
He tapped her with it.
She will.

[Dannflower Reguba]

       Raleigh was drifting between consciousness and a tired doze. With her head in the clouds, she hardly even felt the tap, but a subconscious sense of danger slowly drew her from the abyss. She moaned, feeling almost feverish, and nearly stuck her nose into the blade as she sat up slowly. It was only now that she managed to pry them open.... A decision that was soon regretted. There before her, stood her patient, holding the Abbey's only prized weapon mere inches away from her. Even in her bedraggled state, she immediately knew what was happening, though her words were a bit behind, "Wh... What are you doing?" All was fuzzy, was she still dreaming? She couldn't gather her bearings either, only able to recognize the sword and the Rat, whom she cowered from in a fearful daze.

[Ashleg]

"C'mon Purtty, I'm leaving. And you are, too." Twisty moved the sword a bit, tapping the squirrel under the chin. "No time t' talk. Jus' get up an' do what I say."

[Dannflower Reguba]

       "This is outrageous! But..... what am I to do? What can I do!?" Raleigh's mind searched furiously for something, anything that could help her out, or get her out of this mess.... Nothing..... She couldn't comprise even a single clear thought, much less a plan. She couldn't even keep all of the shaking out of her body. She furtively slid out of her bed, wobbling slightly upon contact with the floor. Words defied her tongue, and screaming was out of the question. The nearly petrified squirrel couldn't drag her eyes away from Twisty, or the blade before her. 

[Ashleg]

Twisty expertly maneuvered the sword along with Raleigh's movements so as to not harm her but to be a blank reminder of her situation all the same. "We're gunna go inter the courtyard, see?" he hissed, voice absent of the friendly stupidity that it had been so abundant with during the day. "Step quickly, Purtty."

He moved, forcing Raleigh forward and out the door.
His good paw twitched tensely.

[Dannflower Reguba]

       Raleigh could do little more than comply at this point. She was still aloof to her surroundings, seeing little more than a few feet in front of her. She was trying to wake herself up, but the drain of the last few days, along with the blade at her back wouldn't let her raise her head, or even rub her eyes. Stepping forward took enough energy as it was.

[Ashleg]

It took them a few minutes to reach the courtyard, but Twisty imminently spotted Darrin and the rest of the vermin and led Raleigh up to them. He stopped to shoot the leader a competitive side grin, a "look at me", as he put one paw on Raleigh's shoulder.
"Well, whatcha gawpin' at, eh? Let's go!"

[The Skarzs]

  Darrin was almost lost for words. Was this idiot really doing what he thought he was doing.
  "Are you insane?" he hissed. "It's bad enough Hacklaw's here, now they're going to-" The ferret stopped and listened as the guard on the wall walked past above them.
  "Fine, just keep her quiet!"
  He motioned to a weasel, who opened the small gate. One by one, Darrin's group made their way out of the abbey and into Mossflower.

[Dannflower Reguba]

       Was that the kitchen on the left? Raleigh could hardly tell, her stupor persisting all the way outside. Being met by a rush of cool air changed her situation considerably. Her eyes finally perceived, and she grew conscious enough to chide herself for not thinking more clearly before. Taking Twisty in the dorm would've been relatively easy, he was in a disadvantageous position in the confined space, and he was notoriously easy to fluster. Outside, however, was an entirely different story, he had plenty of room to move around, and would have a window of time through which he could recover from an initial shock. The story only got worse as they neared the vermin squad, running away over open ground on her tired legs would almost surely result in something bad happening.... But would the others care? Perhaps, but it wasn't a risk worth taking.... Once they got outside, she would have the trees. Raleigh's eyes sharpened for the first time after waking up, she still couldn't grasp all that was going about, but she knew what her only chance of escape was. The only thing left for her was to wait, and comply.

[Ashleg]

"I'm not insane," said Twisty in his usual high-pitched tone as he followed, bopping Raleigh's chin again with the swordtip. "Come along, me purtty! We're gonna have quite a time t'gether. We need a healer anyway."

[LT Sandpaw]

Taking a smoldering branch from the fire Hacklaw inspected Rallowan's hostages, noting the number of young ones taken. Most shrank away from his barbaric appearance while a few held his gaze, anger at their captors and situation shining in their dark eyes.

"These should do nicely." Hacklaw mused, stepping away from the bound prisoners. "You've done well Rallowan. Now all that's left is to see if those Abbey dwellers would rather innocents tortured and slain or give sanctuary to a thieving ferret. They'll serve him up on a silver platter after the first branding if you ask me. How many do you have here?"

[The Skarzs]

  "Seven," said Rallowan. He motioned for the other vermin to get the prisoners secured, then turned back to Hacklaw. "I am going."

~~~~~~~~~

  Darrin urged his group onward, not looking back at the abbey even once, all of them quiet and nervous. Now he had to worry about the Redwallers coming after him.