Redwall MUCK Forum

SCENE:  Redwall Abbey: Old Office

CHARACTERS:  DoraRose, a female mouse.  Zolomon, a male hare. 

LOG:
Zolomon lays on the cot, like the only thing in here besides a chair and a washbasin nearby.  He sighs as he looks at the ceiling.

DoraRose has been busy, and has also decided to let other beasts deal with the AWOL hare first. Now, around a week after he showed up, the Warrior mouse has decided to pay him a visit. Dressed in her black training outfit, fresh from her rounds on the wall tops for the day, the Gatekeeper opens the door and enters, closing it behind her. Seeing him on the cot, she takes the chair, sitting in it and getting comfy, not saying anything just yet. Her blue eyes stare at him, her expression unreadable.

Zolomon looks over at her but doesn't speak, he just frowns a bit.  He looks away again." Wow...visitor...least your not Elbio."

DoraRose cocks an eyebrow. "Not even a 'Hello, Ms. D.'?" she asks, sounding a little sad. She doesn't move, just sitting there, staring at him in that unreadable way.

Zolomon has not called anyone a nick name for weeks, one slipped barely a day or two ago.  He has been in here most of the time, meals brought to him, normal meals or least normal for others, not a hare though.

DoraRose sighs when he gives her the silent treatment. "Zolomon...did I ever tell you about when my sister died?" The mouse finally looks away from him, staring at her paws in her lap. "She was murdered by the fox Stormfeather. I hungered for revenge, and I left home the day after my sister's funeral to hunt him down." She pauses, seeing if he'll respond at all.

Zolomon snorts. " Vermin are scum." His voice sounds cold.  He then frowns." And...no, then suppose was before I was around here.." He is quiet and.  "Mother...was here."

DoraRose purses her lips. "Vermin are scum, hmm? Even Blisa? Marek? Zarok? Scioto?" She raises a paw. "But don't answer that right now." She crosses her arms and stares at the floor. "I wandered for seasons, searching for Stormfeather. When I eventually found him, I helped kill him. I enacted my revenge, but I didn't feel any better. I still was full of hate and pain, but I also felt empty. My one reason for living was gone, and while I had Leon, I still felt lost. And I had learned that my parents had died and my family home had burned to the ground after I had left. My foolish search for revenge had made me abandon my family, and I will never see them in this life again." She pauses, then softly asks, "Who did you leave behind? Do you have any friends in Salamandastron, Zolomon?" 

Zolomon snorts, " Not really. Most dislike me, took a while to see it. I knew Major Varus did, he hates everyone. " He does think a moment." Maybe one friend...sort of friend maybe...well not now suppose.  And..." He just goes quiet now and takes a couple deep breaths as if preventing crying.

"And who was your friend? Why do you think they don't want to be friends with you anymore?" DoraRose continues. "It was only by accepting the friendship of those here at Redwall that my heart started to heal. I stopped hating Stormfeather, and all the other enemies of Redwall." Well, it took her a while with Marek, but that's a different subject. "I moved past it, and I let go of the hold they had on me. And now I have friends, and I have family again. But if I had not abandoned my home, I could have at least told my parents good-bye before the Dryditch Fever took them." She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Life is so short, and we don't know when it will end. I deeply regret not saying good-bye, and now I can only tell my parents my regret in my dreams."

Zolomon frowns and is still mostly quiet, but there is silent tears now. He finally speaks." Sargeant Felicity was a friend...though she likely hates me now...I kind of..acted stupid..couple times...more times...and I left to get info, just to find out the beast I hope to find...is who knows where now."

DoraRose smiles a tiny bit. She had figured as much. "I know Felicity. I'm sure she still wants to be your friend, Zolomon. But what if something happens between the time you left and the time you get back? The life of the Long Patrol is a dangerous one, in addition to all the regular dangers we all face in storms and sicknesses." She shakes her head. "And I don't believe you only wanted information, Zolomon. You want revenge on the beast who killed your best friend. My sister was my best friend in the whole world, and when she died, I felt as if I had been destroyed. I miss her still, even to this day. But I know now that hunting down her killer out of a thirst for vengeance only led to my inner death, even more than losing her had. I didn't even grieve properly until I let go of my anger and hate, which was after my children had been born." That last part is tinged with regret.

Zolomon frowns. " But..." He grumbles. " Zoltar...thats his name, needs one of me arrows..threw his head and chest and...be s pin cushion."

DoraRose nods. "I understand that. But I also understand that if you continue to hunt him down and try to get your revenge, the best parts of who you are will be lost...perhaps forever. And I know that that would be a tragedy....one that I certainly don't want for you, and I know Felicity and Xander wouldn't want that, either."

Zolomon looks at her now,tears go down his face. " The wildcat needs..d..d..dead and...he took my best..buddy..friend, true friend..away and away from his family and he likely has his dibbun..." At this point he is breaking a little and makes a fist,slams it into the pillow." Go...GO AWAY!!!!"

DoraRose sits firm, not too concerned about his tirade. "Zolomon, I was one of the ones to find his body. I know that. But I also know from the depths of my heart, from when my sister was killed and hate and vengeance consumed me, that this will destroy you just as it did me. You've dug yourself into a deep pit by abandoning your friends and Salamandastron. Please don't let revenge take you deeper still. You'll get lost in there, and you may never come back."

Zolomon takes a few deep breaths.." Just leave me..alone..." Part of him wants alone, part doesn't. He looks at the door and then just slams his fists into the cot and then stops and just starts sobbing, the kind that causes your whole body to shake, a mix of rage and saddness and then it slows and stops....he is asleep.

DoraRose stays with him until he's asleep, remembering how she needed friends to help her when she was like this. When he zonks out, she tries to cover him with a blanket, then slips out the door, shutting it behind her. She can only hope he'll think about what she said...

~*END*~

Thanks for reading!