The new recruit - LP 1/1/20

Ol'random · 2020-01-02 12:35:09 AM

Lt. Gregorian,
Sgt. Terrence,
and Rct. Zeldove, hares.

For nearly two days Terrence had been in a rather sullen mood, staying mostly separate from the other hares. The sergeant has been taking out his energy by partaking in fights down in the boxing ring in the name of 'practice', but by this morning very few were interested. With a rather large bruise on his cheek Terrence leans against the rope, tapping his foot against the ground in an impatient way.

Gregorian barely seems different despite the news but then he's been in a grouchy mood for weeks so perhaps it's just harder to tell. He appears in the chamber, for once not trapped in the forge or training "So keen tah break the new glasses already?" he says instead of a greeting as he's heading towards the ring.

"Not really." Terrence replies with roll of his shoulders, but leaving the glasses on. "I've been smart enough to take them off before going in for blows, sah." By now he turns to face Gregorian by gripping the rope with both paws. "I don't intend to cause you even more work, sah."

Zeldove was learning her way around the mountain, even went to see Halyard for a short while. She is a little lost but the sound of voices brings her to the boxing ring area, she steps on inside and takes a quick glance around.

Gregorian leans against the ring from the outside and snorts at Terrence "Yah'd be the only one, the work nevah seems tah end, they just keep givin' yah more papahwork up the ranks" a short pause and he glances around "Yah already driven off the whole mountain?" in his glancing he spots Zeldove's arrival "Ah, except there's the newest recruit"

Terrence looks down, letting out a forced chuckle. "All ten of them that's willing, lieutenant. And I lost half." When he looks up again, he sees the recruit. "Zeldove, isn't it?" He sighs, glancing once again at Greg. "Sah, I don't think that'd be the best thing to do, too much like hazing for my tastes..."

Zeldove steps forwards, she does a salute as she has seen other hares do "Yes sur...Zeldove Rose Fay Swiftpaw." She lowers her paw and remains standing where she is.

Gregorian shows a brief bit of confusion at Terrence for a moment after the hazing thing before Greg suddenly understands "Oh, hm, not really my intention tah suggest it. More distracted by the new face. The poor choice of words is my own though" he throws a quick salute Zeldove's way "Lieutenant Gregorian Formalis Harthwill" another little puzzled look to Terrence for a second "Didn't we have a Swiftpaw once?" he shakes his head and waves his own question off with a paw "Probably unrelated. Apparently I'm easily distracted tahday"

"Only name I can think of similar is Mjr. Varus' Swiftbuck, but that isn't quite the same." Terrence mutters, stepping over the the rope to give an even more relaxed salute than the lieutenant's. "I'm Sergeant Terrence W.H. Cadwallader, recruit Swiftpaw." He drops his paw to his side, looking down briefly. "I heard you brought the news from Redwall, yes?" He looks back up, gazing intently at Zeldove. "Pvt. Ewan," He begins, slowly, "Ewan was in my squad way back before he went to Mossflower. It's a bad thing, what happened..."

Zeldove frowns as Ewan's name comes up and she silently looks at the floor a while before speaking "He's....dead sur. It happen not too far up the road from de abbey, someone ran to get a healer but they....they didn't get back in, in time....he died before, before they likely even, got thar. He...was stabbed in the back and the blade came out the...front, I don't know if they...could of done much even if they had got back in time."

Gregorian shakes his head "Swift somethin', first name I think...Years ago though, probably lost tah some battle" he nods slowly to the mention of Ewan and the news. Though they already know of Ewan's fate he still sighs and then it's distraction again as a private sticks their head in the door and after spotting Greg quickly comes in with a pile of paperwork "Ah, sah" a quick salute "I was told this was important" Greg nods to the private and takes the papers, giving another sigh as he glances over them "Perhaps I'll go boxin' the next time I can surface for air through the papahs" a little grumble and he heads for the door "Anothah time. Excuse me"

"Sah!" Terrence salutes to the departing lieutenant, more formally than before. "Anyway, yes." He says, turning back to Zeldove, "I heard." Another sigh and he closes his eyes for a bit longer than a blink. "I had hoped, when I heard he was staying at that Redwall, he'd be safe and well. I was rathah afraid if he'd stay here he'd be killed, like so many othahs..." Shrugging, the sergeant leans back against the rope. "But it seems that the Long Patrol is cursed when it comes to Mossflowah. Something always terrible happens in those woods."

Zeldove frowns, "I do know...maybe tis true more so here than other places...being a member is a life long thing and one thing, any hare would know is...the chance of death happening...The Long patrol is to protect the helpless, defend the weak...a family of squirrels are safe now and maybe had me and him not been where we were, they would not be safe now"

"Indeed..." Terrence mutters, thinking. "But the Long Patrol does have limits. It's a lesson very few seem to learn - one cannot be everywhere, especially now with how few of us there are." Biting his lip and glancing up at the ceiling, he adds, in a quiet and controlled voice as if he's trying to hold something back, "There's a part of me that wondahs if Ewan should have been alone at the abbey, in terms of patrol hares that is. It doesn't mattah how good a fightah one is, as even the best will easily fall on theih own..."

Zeldove listens as he speaks, then she does "Maybe it was thought he would....not get into danger, I...don't know. I am an archer, but I do know how to fight with a blade if needed and use a sling"

Dipping his head, Terrence nods. "Maybe. But whatevah the reason it's not like I had much say." There's a slight hint of bitterness to his tone, "I was a newly made corporal back then, and certainly was nowhere neah the decision makahs, wot." Another sigh comes from him, and he seems to deflate. "I wish I could have seen him again - now all of that squad are dead..." The sergeant falls quiet, looking at the floor, remembering. After a little while he shrugs his shoulders. "But I suppose that's the way of things, eh? Can't change it, no mattah what we do. But besides that, I'd like to get you as good with the blade, particularly a daggah or something short, sling, and speah, as you say you are an archah."

Zeldove nods "Yes...a darn good archer as well." She smiles "I was in a group called Mossflower Defenders before coming 'ere...I heard about that siege...not much of it though, I mean I suppose I could of asked the hare that showed me around, he even got me dinner at Halyard, he's nice."

"Corporal Zolomon, I assume?" Terrence asks, already guessing the answer. "I saw part of his report. He also claims to be a crack shot with the bow, and was a part of that defendah's group himself." He leaves the way he's been unimpressed by the corporal's skills - and what he's heard of the Mossflower Defenders - unsaid. "He's directly undah me, so I suppose he'll be the one to help you out the most. He's a good hare, all things considered, if a bit clumsy."

Zeldove nods "He's handsome too..." She clears her thoat "I mean...others are too...and..." She tilts her head "Clumsy sur?"

For the first time since the news of Ewan's death was announced two days ago, Terrence laughs genuinely. "There's at least one othah doe that shares you'h views on the good corporal that I know of, wot! And there might be even more than that." He's grinning from ear to ear. "As fo'h being clumsy, well, he's not the most careful of hares. You might see it if he tries one of his somersaults again." The sergeant's smile, while smaller than before, remains - though now its with the twinkle of some private joke. "But don't give him a hard time fo'h it." His expression returns to somberness again, "Goodness knows I and a few othah's already do..."

Zeldove nods "Well he is a high rank so I likely would get into trouble if I did. He sounds...funny, I can't do cartwheels at all."

"I suppose you could say that." Terrence shrugs. "But in the grand scheme of things corporal is the lowest of the officahs - noncommissioned o'h commissioned - you'h not technically supposed to say 'sah' to them even! But it's become a sort of tradition 'round here, and I don't know when it started to be frank. And I'm one to talk!" He says, chuckling with a shake of his head, "Being only one rank above Zolomon that is, and I certainly nevah minded being called sah when I was a corporal."

Zeldove says, "Is not any rank above your own to be called sur or...maybe madam though? " She glances around the room "It also seems there is working to get beasts better at paw to paw training also."

"That's quite right," Terrence says, walking over to a bench and sitting, "Every hare, sergeant and above, is to be addressed as 'sah', particularly when in uniform and on duty. It gets more complicated the highah up you go, though, but you don't have to worry 'bout that just yet. As fo'h training well," he mutters, "If I'm being honest, everything needs to be worked on. I plan on having every hare in my division, corporal and below, train till they're considered experts with the speah, sling, and daggah- as well as paw to paw, wot. And if you want to, I'll give Cpl. Zolomon the ordah to train extra with you fo'h both you'h bow skills."

Zeldove nods "Sounds good....is thar many archers in the Long Patrol? I know it was good to have the skill, as up close fighting is not always good in some fights, others it might be best"

Terrence shakes his head. "No, there is not. Least not any dedicated archahs. I've been thinking about proposing to the general staff a rehaul of sorts fo'h the patrol. Instead of just having fightah, runnah, and the like, there'd be more specialization to those, like skirmishahs, shock troops, o'h archahs. If that doesn't get through, I'm still thinking of having Zolomon's squad all train in archery so we have something fo'h ranged options, wot."

Zeldove nods "Doesn't sound like a bad idea...and make sure there is healers, a healer is important or least all have some basic healing first aid knowledge to help a beast till get to a skilled healer, yes...not all the time a life will be saved, but other times it could well be saved if a fellow patrol member had some basic healer skills...wrap a wound to stop bleeding, know how ta hold pressure...that sort of thing"

Terrence gives a dry chuckle. "Obviously - don't worry," he smiles, "I hadn't forgotten ou'h healahs. Hopefully, we can have at least one in every squad, and yes, every recruit should learn first aid. Do you happen to know any of the basics? It'd go a long way and you'll have more time fo'h the bow."

Zeldove says, "I know...some, keep a beast calm and talking if can. I can take a pulse and check breathing. I can sort of bandage a wound, I did sew a leg wound once, of course wasn't the best and needed redone BUT...it lasted with bandages till the mouse got to a real bally healer...but yeah sewing beasts wounds not really de same as sewing a hole in an outfit or like a patch on to a shirt maybe"

A rather grim smile plays across the sergeant's face. "Indeed. Hard alcohol works to clean such wounds, as well. Without it they run the risk of infection, which is probably the biggest killah of fighting beasts..." Terrence nods, slowly, as if preoccupied by another thought. "I daresay you should go through at least one day fo'h a refreshah in healing, but beyond that I don't believe you'll need the same level of training in that area as most of the othah recruits do, so that's good."

Zeldove nods "Of course...sur. I am hoping to not be a recruit for too long but I suppose we will see"

Nodding again, Terrence replies, "Yes, I suppose you do hope that. But we shall see - recent events have shown to me a lot more work is need fo'h both recruits and privates before they're ready fo'h the field."

Zeldove says, "Well unlike some I do have some fighting in...though...nothing against my former leader...he likely should do more training than he does, but one good thing is he did do things like exercise like push ups, some jogging...even has this thing in the woods that requires a little jumping and there is a rope to swing across this pit, it's...interesting but he only ever used a blade...my longbow skills I learned from my mother, my uncle and a lot, LOT of practice." She yawns and frowns "Sorry...sur a little tried is all, been doing a lot of walking today"

"Right, right." Terrence stands, rolling his shoulders. "I daresay I'm a bit tired myself. But I'm hoping you'h - and the rest of the recruits' and privates' training - will be more than just exercises and weapons practice. We all need to learn how to work as one again, and how to relay on each othah. Perhaps we'll begin you'h formal training tomorrow, but I'll let you know then." He nods to her. "Anyway, I need to go check in on some of my division, as I've been admittedly neglecting them the past couple of days...Recruit Zeldove, it was pleasure to meet you." He says with a small smile, "But I'll take my leave now." The sergeant gives a hasty salute as he heads for the exit.

Zeldove nods, a salute and then she heads on back threw the tunnels, luckily she finds the correct one and gets to bed, she will get a somewhat good amount of sleep, then who truly gets a good night's sleep the first night or two in a new place.

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#1 2020-01-02 12:35:09 AM

The new recruit - LP 1/1/20

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