The Undecided

[The Skarzs]

OOC: Little bit of PP here, Dan. Hope it's okay. Ash, I know Twisty is a little protective of his little package, so I'mma poke him.

  Darrin chewed on an apple core, wishing he had something else to eat. He looked around at his band, seeing Raleigh crumpled on the ground, but he didn't see Twisty.
  The ferret got up and went over to the squirrel, looking down at her. She was sleeping fitfully, face-down on the ground. She unconciously coughed from dirt she had breathed in, then went back to silence. Darrin frowned, bending down and rolling her over so she wasn't breathing in dirt. Her dress was ripped, her face looked thin, and her tail brush was full of debris.
  "Blasted rat," Darrin said.

[Ashleg]

Twisty leaned up against a tree, picking his teeth with a sharp twig he'd found.
Where was Darrin? Were they going to move soon?
He squinted, seeking out the ferret with his eyes. No, that's not him... Aha! He got up and approached- and halfway there he realized what the ferret was doing and his heart may as well have jumped out of his mouth.
"Darrin!" Twisty yowled, waving his paws. He wanted to smack the ferret. "Don't touch 'er! She don't like you! See, she's coughin' somethin' nasty; might be sick, an' if she is it ain't fer yew to deal with, no- she's my business, Darrin!"

[The Skarzs]

  Darrin jumped and spun around as Twisty yelled. He came at him, and Darrin prepared himself for an attack, though he didn't seem to be trying to kill him. The ferret tried to grab the rat to gag him. "Will you shut up! We can't be yelling! And can't you see she's eatin' dirt in her sleep? You want her to choke an' die?"

[Ashleg]

Twisty made a choking noise and stumbled back. He dug his claws in to pry Darrin's paws off his neck, and once he was free he turned and gasped, rubbing his throat.
"...N... Not my fault," the rat said hoarsely. His fur was still spiked and bristling, and the concoction of hurt and confusion that was stamped on his face said more words than he spoke.
Not her, Darrin. I don't want her to choke and die.

[The Skarzs]

  "Not your fault? You left her there and went sneaking off." Darrin pointed at Raleigh. "You brought her! If you want her to live long out here, take care of her! Get somethin' for her to eat, she looks starved."
  He ignored the look Twisty gave him, looking at Martin's sword. "You'd better hope that thing wasn't special to them Redwallers either, because I'm not about to risk my hide over some fancy sword and a squirrel."

[Ashleg]

"That's what I was doin'- lookin' fer food," Twisty complained, regaining his voice. He rubbed his throat once more and then folded his arms, staring crossly at Darrin. "Then ye moved an' I 'ad t' run t' catch up."
He stomped over to the apple tree, grabbed an apple off it, hurried back, and crouched down by Raleigh. "Wake up," he whispered, "I's got's food for ya."
Not once did he forget Darrin, though. While he waited for the squirrel to wake up, he shot the ferret another look.
"You jus' say that... 'Cause yer jealous."

[The Skarzs]

  "Jealous?" snorted Darrin, folding his arms. "Of what? I have a sword, (well, it's a bit rusty, but it's a sword). And I don't have a use for any squirrelmaid, no matter how pretty she might be. She's just extra weight."

[Ashleg]

Twisty growled. "Not fer me, she's not. So if'n yew don't care about her like ye say, then stop 'angin' around 'er, why don'tcha? She's not gonna die. I won't let 'er die." He nudged Raleigh, praying that she'd wake up. I didn't mean for this to happen.

[Dannflower Reguba]

       The dust and dirt finally balled up with Twisty's nudge, causing Raleigh to choke on the mass in her throat. She awoke to a jerking cough, desperately attempting to expel the clot in her throat. She found some relief after rolling over and coughing into the ground, clearing her airway, although still a little panicked. Her breathing was still ragged, but she got it under control enough to ward off the rasp for the time being. The squirrel propped herself up on one arm, leaning heavily as she turned her head after finally comprehending that Twisty had spoken to her. She hadn't heard what he said, but his posture and the, "apple," in his hand were more than enough. Her head lolled to the side, it was almost funny, "Oh you silly rat..... Look at it, it hasn't even grow... Eating that would just cause more hunger, and that's after the gagging from the taste..... If you're looking for something to eat, you should look for.... Nettles... Dandelion.. and possibly Leeks... Harvested foods like apples won't be ready for several months yet..." Taking advantage of the quiet moment, she turned to scan the untarnished forest floor behind her from her sideways position. She breathed a sigh of relief, spotting a small clump of Day lilies which she gently removed from the earth, removing the shoots which she promptly slid into her mouth. 

[Ashleg]

As Raleigh ate the flower-shoots, Twisty watched in mild disgust.
"Don't look good," he muttered. "Mustn't taste good. Darrin was eatin' an apple jus' fine..." Maybe Darrin got a good one. Of course he would, why wouldn't he? He was Darrin, and fate seemed to be in love with him.
Twisty snorted.
"Yew like fish, Purtty? I'll kill yer a fish."

[The Skarzs]

  "Where the devil are you gonna get a fish, huh?" Darrin muttered. Twisty was becoming difficult. . . More than just being Twisty. He shouldn't have let him bring the squirrel along.
  He didn't move from his spot, watching the rat cater to Raleigh. He was certain the Redwallers were almost treading on their tails, and she was why. It wouldn't have made sense for them to follow them just for leaving Hacklaw there with them.
  A sudden chill went up Darrin's spine, and he could almost feel the huge stoat's paws around his neck.

[Ashleg]

"I'll find a river an' get one. What do you think? From a tree?" Twisty folded his arms, his bad paw out at an awkward angle. He hoped it'd heal soon.
"Raleigh needs good food, not some stinkin' weeds."

[Cornflower MM]

Rowan sat staring at the flames grumpily. She hadn't particularly wanted to stop, but had seen the logic in taking a break after some wheedling from her fellow Redwallers. That didn't mean she was particularly happy about it, however. She wasn't sure about the fire, either, concerned about the smoke giving away their location, but hadn't bothered to voice that concern.
She looked up after Elijah spoke, "I'm not sure. I don't think we'll get Raleigh and Martin's Sword back without violence, but we're outnumbered and they have more experience. The only thing we'll have going for us is surprise."

[The Skarzs]

  "Sometimes that's all a beast needs," Elijah said grimly. "If we use guerilla tactics, we would have a chance. Hopefully Raleigh can do something to help us. They were owards to run away from their own fight, so they'll be cowards when they see our mettle."
  He looked hard at Rowan. "You'll find battles aren't always even, but you've gotta use what you got. And I think you've got more in you than you show."

~~~~~~~~~~~

  Darrin pointed to his pack. "I've got a bit of bread. She can have some of that, but not all of it. I don't need you to get yerself lost in the woods at night."

[Ashleg]

"She don't need your bread!" Twisty snarled.
Then, looking at Raleigh, he shook his head and held out his paw to Darrin. "Fine. Give it here."