Looking for Lily (FV, Willowbark TP, RWA, MW, & Mourning Leon log)

BlisaMarshmellow · 2018-04-05 04:40:40 PM

SCENES:
Ferravale Tavern
Mossflower woods

LOG:
It's a fair early Spring day. Breezy, sunny (with a few clouds drifting by), and pleasant. Some of the early Spring flowers are just peeking their petals up through last year's dead leaves. The only sign of last night's fearsome thunderstorm is the mud.
Which some beasts are carelessly tracking into Ferravale's tavern.
The tavern has a few beasts in it, but not nearly as many as there will be in a few hours when the lunch rush starts. There is also a random drunkard who was hidden in the closest alley all night. He is soaked to the skin, and looks positively miserable as he sips some soup.
One of the beasts tracking in mud is, surprisingly, DoraRose Strongheart, Gatekeeper of Redwall. The tavern door slams open under her paw as she dashes in, looking anxiously around, axe in her grip. Behind her, in a much more stately fashion, comes Chieftain Blisa and her bodyguards Ferdinand, Clarissa, and Valerie, who take the time to wipe the mud off their boots before entering.
The mouse Warrior continues to look around as she heads to the bar, ignoring the stares that she is getting. "Marek? Marek, are you here?"

Marek is busy cleaning dishes behind the counter while Patch is serving drinks, as soon as Dorarose comes rushing in, Marek stops his duties to turn around and face the mousemaid. "Ms. Dorarose? I didn't expect you back so soon. What are you doing so far from Redwall?"

Rushing up to the counter, DoraRose looks at him with panic showing in her face and her voice. "It's Lily, she and the others who went to Willowbark got back yesterday and I told her about Leon and she ran away into the woods and I couldn't stop her and she's missing!" Blisa and her retinue comes up, carefully not spreading the mud around more. "DoraRose insisted that she had to see if you would help, even though I reminded her that you're a pacifist now." The mouse is trembling slightly, but she's gripping her axe with both paws to try and hide that fact.

Marek takes a deep breath, and requests that Dorarose do the same. "Calm down, Ms. Dorarose. Panicking will solve nothing, I would like nothing more than to help you find Lilymoore. We shall have to bring someone along however as I no longer carry any of my weapons" he steps out from behind the counter. "But perhaps my tracking skills will be enough to find your daughter before it is too late"

Putting a shaking paw to her forehead, DoraRose nods. Blisa pipes up. "I could watch your tavern for you while you're gone, Marek, if you need that." Ferdinand adds, "And I've already given Claritha leave to come with you in the thearch, tho that'th not a problem." The former sea rat nods. "Aye, if anybeast 'as hurt that little mouse--" "If anybeast has hurt my daughter, I'll make sure they never live to see another sunset," Dora interrupts, anger causing her trembling paws to still. "Thank you, Marek. I....I don't think I could handle losing any more members of my family." Valerie scoots forward a little. "I'll come, too, just in case she needs a healer."

Marek nods as he grabs his pouch. "So it's settled then. Our group will venture into the nearby woods and look for Lilymoore. A child could not have gotten very far on foot by herself, so we should be able to find her quickly. Let us hope we don't run into any trouble along the way"

Nodding, Blisa takes a flowery yellow apron (that Valerie dug out of her bag), which contrasts immensely against the black she always wears, and steps behind the counter. "Don't worry, I've got this!" Ferdinand smiles and squeezes the mouse Warrior's shoulder, then joins the Chieftain behind the counter. DoraRose manages a smile and leads the way to out the door and out the gates, the bodyguards following closely. "I'll take you to where I lost her trail. Lily can run very fast, faster than others her age. I hope she's nearby..."

Marek follows rapidly behind, feeling that there is no time to waste. "Make sure that evertyhing runs smoothly, Ms. Blisa. Things to get a little...out of hand when I'm not around." Before officially departing he adds, "And keep a close eye on Patch, I trust that beast as far as I can throw him near my coffers"

After a little bit of time, the foursome arrives in the woodlands to the North of Redwall. The path from here to the road was easy to see, what with the axe swings DoraRose did to the underbrush last night. They get to where Xander had found the Warrior, and she looks around, biting her lip. "It looks like all the footprints got washed away in the storm last night. Maybe we should split up and meet back here in an hour?" Valerie nods. "That sounds like a good idea. You and I can go North, and Clarissa and Marek can go East." The sea rat looks at the stoat. "I'd be okay with that. What d'you think?"

Marek nods. "It seems like a good plan, but I suggest that I go with Ms. Dorarose. Lilymoore is more likely to approach us if we are together than if I were with somebeast else, and Ms. Dorarose is more than capable of defending both me and herself if the need arises"

Before DoraRose can say anything, Valerie shakes her head. "She doesn't know me or Clarissa as well as she knows either of you. I think having one of you with one of us would make us trustworthy to her again, while if it was just Clarissa and me, she'd be more likely to run away again, not realizing who we are." The mouse just shrugs. "I have no idea. I don't even know why she ran away in the first place. But either way, we must hurry. There's been some trouble for travelers here recently, and I don't want to risk her getting kidnapped. The last time that happened, Leon...Leon was....ended up...." she can't finish that sentence. So Clarissa adds, "I can go with Valerie instead, shipmate. I'm a good fighter in my own right, but whatever makes you feel safer."

Marek reluctantly agrees. "Of course, it would seem we would increase our chances if we took your suggestion. Let us venturing into this woods then and hope we find Lilymoore quickly"

The 3 females nod, then DoraRose and Valerie treck North. Clarissa gestures East. "After you, matey. I'll have a knife drawn, just in case." When he goes forward, she follows closely, a knife in each paw, one ready to throw, one ready to stab with. After about 20 minutes of searching, they will stumble across fresh tracks. They are headed in a Southeasterly direction, away from Redwall. They are mouse footprints, and they are shoeless. If they are Lily's, then that means she took her boots off at some point.

(To find out what happened to DoraRose and Valerie, check this log: http://forum.rwmuck.org/viewtopic.php?id=633 )

Marek looks down at the pawprints and sighs. "These seem to be a good match for Lilymoore, we should follow them and see what happens. But stay on guard, after the attempts on my own life these past few seasons and I can never be certain that trouble isn't lurking in the dark"

Clarissa nods. "Oh, don't worry, matey. I've been keeping my eyes peeled. I expect danger to come out from anywhere. It's been that way my whole life." The way she says it indicates that she's not joking in the slightest. Following the path of footprints for a while, they'll come upon the sound of someone weeping quietly. It seems to be coming from underneath a huge pine tree....

Marek points in the general direction of the tree. "There! I don't know what to expect but the movement suggests that something is nearby"

Clarissa cautiously and for the most part silently sneaks up to the tree and peeks under it. "Miss LilyMoore?" "Ah! Leave me alone!" A significant amount of rustling can be heard, and the rat has to scramble back to keep from getting jabbed in the face by the end of a branch as they jostle. The Lily darts out from under the tree and bolts away, running directly towards the stoat!

Marek is caught off guard as Lilymoore runs directly into him. "Calm down, child. You are safe here. Your mother is worried sick, you need to return to Redwall as soon as possible"

LilyMoore looks up into her friend's face and bursts out sobbing. "Marek, Daddy died while I was at Willowbark Abbey!" She then goes to cling to him, weeping uncontrollably. Clarissa picks herself back up and brushes some of the mud off, then decides it's a hopeless endeavor. "Landlubbers," she grumbles under her breath as she picks up the knife she dropped and polishes it on her tunic front.

Marek frowns as he hugs his young friend. "I know, child. It was a very sad loss, but your father fought bravely to defend those that mattered to him. Had he not, some of us might not be here today" he offers a handkerchief to Lilymoore has comfort. "Grief is something we must all go through, but it mustn't be something we run away from. We have to face our emotions and not let them consume. us. I made that mistake far too many times long ago when I lost those that mattered to me. My father, my mother, my brother, my mate" he pauses for a second, clearly pained. "Even my only child, all lost to some evil or another. But instead of processing my grief normally, I became a monster, and I killed and I conquered and I caused more pain than was ever given to me. Don't let that become you, child. Please return to your family."

LilyMoore accepts the handkerchief and blows her nose into it. "Dad.....Daddy fought?" She pauses for a while as more tears course down her cheeks, then she adds, "You had a baby?" Clarissa is now feeling awkward, and so she busies herself with standing guard, silently vowing to not tell ANYBEAST what she just heard.

Marek nods. "Your father fought bravely child, against a raven that threatened us all, against overwhelming odds your father fought and won" he smiles through his own tears. "There is little I can do to change my past or get back those that I have lost, but your father was a hero, child. Never forget that, a hero's blood runs through your veins. A hero's might flows through your soul. A hero's heart pounds in your chest, and a hero's last breath was given for you and your mother, so you could live on. Your father is gone, but his memory, his everything lives on in you. My past is a difficult one, and one I prefer not to discuss, but your future can be much brighter if you follow your father's example: live your life to the fullest and in service of others. Follow that example and you will never fall down the dark path that I did; make your father proud, Lilymoore. Return to your family, and make your father proud"

LilyMoore sniffles, then nods. Clarissa murmurs, "Aye, please lets' go, shipmates. This part o' the woods is givin' me the willies. I'll ne'er understand you landlubbers wantin' to live out 'ere in the woods -- I'm sure 'tis full o' ghosts." The mousemaid smiles, then goes to take the stoat's paw as the rat leads them back to the rendezvous point. When they reach it, they'll find DoraRose and Valerie waiting for them. The Warrior scoops her daughter into her arms as tears flow down both of their cheeks, and she looks over the maiden's shoulder at the stoat and mouths 'Thank you'. And the smile she gives him communicates that all is finally forgiven, and she now trusts him. The 2 mice head back to the Abbey, and the sea rat and the vixen go to escort the stoat back to his tavern. Clarissa in particular wants to get back home, and she regales them with stories of ghosts haunting the dark places of forests, ready to eat the souls of unwary travelers.

Marek clears his throat. "Well, if we are all ready to go home, I think that would be best. These woods are dangerous after all" As they all make their way back to the Dirt Road, Marek approaches Dorarose. "Your daughter is stronger than she realizes, Ms. Dorarose. She has you and your husband to thank for that. Among all the people I have met in my long life, your family are the strongest beasts I've met. Not in raw strength or power, but in heart and determination and soul. When I returned to Mossflower hoping to change my ways. your daughter did more to put me on the right path then any beast has in a very long time. It's true that Father Lorimis set me on the right path, but your daughter was the first real friend I made since I lost my family long ago. I want you to know, Ms. Dorarose that your daughter is responsible for every good deed, every life saved, and every scoundrel defeated since I returned. My heart was ready to change, but your family changed my spirit and for that I am eternally grateful" He runs to catch up with the others as he returns to Ferravale and to his quiet life, serving those who step into the tavern, and making sure that Patch doesn't step too far out of line.

DoraRose listened to these words and pondered them, writing them in her journal later.

It's strange how once bitter enemies could become such reliable allies.

~*END*~

Thanks for reading

Listening suggestion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDxzxyti2I4

Last edited by BlisaMarshmellow (2018-04-05 04:47:36 PM)

The_Brony_Marek · 2018-04-05 05:48:54 PM

Dorarose and Marek are on speaking terms at this point, but DoraRose hasn't really forgiven him for all the troubles he's caused, has she? Hopefully by the end of Marek's Final Arc, he can change her mind.

BlisaMarshmellow · 2018-04-05 07:00:44 PM

Actually, she just right then forgave him. She ran to him in desperation because she knew he and Lily are special friends, but now she has decided to forgive him. And she trusts him COMPLETELY with the lives of her family members. His immediate decision to drop everything and come find her daughter and bring her home safely has convinced her that he has truly changed

Would you like to do an RP where she proves that to him somehow? I have no idea what that RP would look like, but we could figure out something....do it on the fly, maybe? *shrugs*

The_Brony_Marek · 2018-04-05 07:14:48 PM

Perhaps. It wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe during the next TP. Marek's past is going to come back to haunt him and he's going to have to officially reveal a lot of the information in his backstory ICly that everyone will soon know OOCly. Lilymoore and Clarissa now know a little bit, and to tell you the truth everyone knows bits and pieces of Marek's story, but nobody is going to know the full story until Marek sits down and tells all.

If you want to chat on Facebook again sometime soon, I can reveal more to you of how I plan on going about the next TP. I've been meaning to talk to you anyway, everything that happens in this TP will be Earth Shattering for a lot of people involved.

BlisaMarshmellow · 2018-04-12 01:36:17 PM

Cool I'm looking forward to this TP. Maybe before it really gets going Marek and Dora can talk about why she's forgiven him; he doesn't need to reveal any parts of his past for that. And yeah, we can chat; you can message me anytime you want, and I'll respond when I see it

Also, Angela will be grumpy whenever she sees him. It would literally take him dying to save someone she cares about for her to stop being grouchy at him. She doesn't hate him anymore, not since their little adventure last Summer (it was just a year ago, right?), but she's not going to be gentle with him. SHE'S SO IRRITABLE, YO.

The_Brony_Marek · 2018-04-12 05:47:38 PM

Angelia is just grouchy in general. And trust me, nobody is going to think of Marek as anything but a hero after this TP

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#1 2018-04-05 04:40:40 PM

Looking for Lily (FV, Willowbark TP, RWA, MW, & Mourning Leon log)

#2 2018-04-05 05:48:54 PM

Re: Looking for Lily (FV, Willowbark TP, RWA, MW, & Mourning Leon log)

#3 2018-04-05 07:00:44 PM

Re: Looking for Lily (FV, Willowbark TP, RWA, MW, & Mourning Leon log)

#4 2018-04-05 07:14:48 PM

Re: Looking for Lily (FV, Willowbark TP, RWA, MW, & Mourning Leon log)

#5 2018-04-12 01:36:17 PM

Re: Looking for Lily (FV, Willowbark TP, RWA, MW, & Mourning Leon log)

#6 2018-04-12 05:47:38 PM

Re: Looking for Lily (FV, Willowbark TP, RWA, MW, & Mourning Leon log)

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