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[[A_Pleasant_Swim| « continued from A Pleasant Swim]] and [[Page_not_found|The One That Got Away (uploading soon)]]

* '''Location:''' Shore somewhere off of Collinsel Seaport

* '''Participants:''' Soclose, Stubb, Amos, Sandy, Hactor, Trace, Frigg, Targa Wfol, a lieutenant of Izmir.

[[Sometimes_Club|(Sometimes Club)]]

The closest waters that '''Soclose''' could find were some flat rocks up in the grasses.  Still, they are above the tide and couldn't have been sitting very long due to the recent storms.  Flying loops in the sky, the osprey leads the band over to the rocks to refresh themselves.  "Not much!  /Heek?/  But we can drink here, and then find more water to the north.  Sure, sure!"

'''Stubb''' clings gingerly to the crust of a rock, avoiding as well as he can the spots where the sunlight has lingered and heated the surface to scorching.  He kneels and dips his muzzle in the pooled water.  "Mm," he says.  "Bi' warm, dis.  Guess oi won' complain, do."  He laps at it hungrily, then dries his mouth messily on his arm.  "Whoi you helpin' us anyway, bird?"  He crooks an eyebrow at the winged behemoth, then resumes his thirsty repast.

"Help?"  Soclose preens his wing feathers and dips his beak into the puddle himself before he croons, "Water and directions do not weigh me down!  /Hee!/  And they are a nice payment for a broken boat do-you-agree?"  The osprey pauses for a moment to pipe, "I have friends who could fix it up--nice!"

'''Amos''' shakes his head, "No, never again am I getting in a bloody boat with this lot, " He grunts, "We're walking, and that's that... so forget the bloody boat bird."

If '''Sandy''' had to see too much more water, she thought she would drown. Even if she wasn't IN the water. Bent over with paws on her hips, she felt tired, hungry, and a little thirsty, even though the water-filled leaves Frigg found for them were enough to slake the thirst for a few minutes. Poor squirrel had the obvious look of someone who cried about her still... Standing up straight, she gave a weak smile. "I don't know why anyone's wanting back on a boat that almost killed them..."

'''Hactor''' begins to wildley lap up water saying, "This birds allright!"

Having dispatched all the water the rock had to offer, Stubb takes cover in the shadow of the rock and glances strangely at the unfamiliar squirrelmaid.  "Fink 'e wants tha boat for hisse'f, ma'es.  Though oi don' know wha' use a bird 'd have wif a boat, if you don' moind moi sayin' so."  He props his back against the stone and squints up at Soclose.  "What /do/ you want a boat for?"

"Er, ya were out for a bit mate. This squirrel is with us, or been following us around since we found her in the sewer, " He shrugs, he turns to eye Sandy, "Though, I forget her name... something something, " Amos mumbles.

Soclose's head feathers ruffle a bit as the osprey looks at the quickly emptied pool.  "/Hee!/  Rewards, of course!"  Soclose struts on the rock with a clicking of talons, "My friends aboard the Wakerunner would like a new boat, or the 'Dagger, or the Yellow Cat."  The osprey waves a wing, "I have no need to be admiral, myself."

Sandy frowns a little bit. Yeah, go figure. The prissy-kitty would forget her name. "Sandy." she replies dryly, before looking off to the water. "You'll do well to remember it..." she adds, looking off to the side.

Soclose perks up, "Oh-oh?  Are you someone important?"

Hactor belches loudly in hydrated content, sitting cross legged across from Stubb. "Well," he begins, scratching at a flea behind his ear. "Aint this a fair change in tha winds says I. Stubby, me thinks this feathered friend is tha luckiest thing ta happen to us as of late!"

Sandy frowns. "No. But I am getting tired of being forgotten." she replied. Of course, having just escaped slavery about a day ago, she wasn't in the best of spirits...

Stubb looks woozily from one companion to the next.  He eyes Sandy with vague interest, then the babbling cat, then finally Hactor.  "Aye," says the weasel uncertainly.  "Oi s'ppose so.  But oi ain' clear on all da fings what've 'appened a la'e.  Don' even know whoi we was in that bloody boa', or how you bloody fools manage' ta crash tha fing."

Soclose looks about at the small group, "/Hee?/ Bad luck and bad experience go together.  So says the First."  Sticking his feet out to wiggle on their own, the osprey sits on the rock with a flumph and spreads his wings out in the sun.  "Where did you sail from?  Where were you sailing to?"

"The short of it, you got bloody ill. Delilah said she was going to help us out, betrayed us, we nearly go up in flames after bumping into the squirrel maid and get into a tiff with the owner of the place we were staying so we got the heck out of there, " He rolls his eyes, "It was someone's bright idea that we take a boat, I overpay for it and then a storm tosses most of us out of the boat and thus we're here, " Amos grins.

Sandy, tired of standing up, finally moves to lean against a rock, closing her eyes. "Never gonna catch me on a boat again..." she muttered, before looking over to Amos. "You make it sound like it's my fault we almost became flambéed beasts."

Stubb looks from Amos to Soclose.  "Oi suppose dat answers bof a are questions, eh, ma'e?"  He stands in search of another puddle.

"Hell if I know!" grumbles the old fox. He then lazily looks at Sandy saying in an even lazier tone, "Love, yer preachen to tha choir. I was a slave fur over 6 years and look at how great I turned out!" Upon hearing Amos' explanation, barks a laugh. "Ye make it sound so romantic Amos!"

"Oh--hmm?  Answered both questions?"  Soclose says, "I'm think it has answered half of one!"  He points a wing at Amos, "You escaped from one place," and he points a wing a Sandy, "and you aren't going anywhere on a boat ever again.  /Hee!/  It is clear as mud!"

Stubb's tongue works greedily at a second puddle, this one muddier but more plentiful than the first.

"It ain't your fault Sandy, " Amos remembers the name for the moment, and at Hactor he laughs, "If only, but now that we've escaped death for the....I've lost count, but eh as ever its just nice to have everyone alive. You bloody bastards gonna give me a early grave just from the stress alone!" He hmphs, still grinning as he watches Stubb drink from the muddy pool of water.

Sandy smiles softly. Seemed Amos had eased up his harsh opinions and criticism on her. "I escape slavery, I escape death..." she muttered, glancing over to Hactor. "You look like you've been through hell." she commented.

"The squir'l speaks tha truf, ma'e.  You ain' winnin' over any ladies lookin loike that," Stubb smirks, his face still sopping wet.  "Least, not any sober ones."

Soclose takes a look at the group once more with a critical orange stare.  Sighs through his beak and preens his chest feathers.  He can be the presentable one if need be.  "There is only water to drink here," he reminds, "if you want something else we will have to go there first!"

Hactor roars with laughter at Sandy's little comment. "Sure have sis! Sure have!" He then wipes a tear of mirth from his good eye, before continuing, "To bad tha devil didn't want me. But then again I guess there's one fox out there worser than me. Aye Stubby!"

Sandy quirks a brow at the final comment - a fox worse than him? "Who's worse than you then, sir? My master?" she asked. To her, that fox was nothing but trouble.

In a room page-pose, Sandy has a feeling she knows what fox they really mean...

"Ain't mean no disrespect, but who says they would have before all this mess?" Amos smirks, shrugging, "Least ya didn't lose anymore limbs, you lot okay now?" Referring to Hactor and Stubb.

"Fine, fine." Soclose decides, "No more questions, no more answers.  No more puddles."  The osprey hops up off the rock after checking his feathers and asks, "Do we travel north then?  Or south?"

Stubb leans against the rock and watches the raptor.  "Oi say we foin' shade now.  Course, we'll 'ave ta leave a trail so de uvvers can follow, oi s'ppose.  Don' seem to make no difference to our enemies wevvah we leave a trail or no'--dey always foind us whatevah we do--so we moigh' as well make it easy for our frien's."  He stands up and claps the dust off his back.  "So, norf if dere be shade dat way.  Don' even know where we are, so oi'm at yore mercy."

Stubb looks at the others.  "Lef' moise'f to tha mercy a moi friends for a for'noigh', an' tha bes' oi can say is dat they din' kill me."

Hactor stands to, shaking sand out of his fur in typical dog fashion. "Nort bound den!"

Sandy puts her paws behind her head, and stretches a good bit. She needed that... Looking over to the others, and then the osprey, she shrugged... Then glancing back to the others again. "Well, I'm with you lot..."

Amos yowls, "Ya lead, and I'll follow!"

"/Heek!/ Make follow then!"  The osprey flaps up into the air and circles, leading up the beach.  "Put your trail in the sand and they will see it just as well as I do!"

Hactor stretches and watches the raptor ascend in a flurry of feathers. "A live one aint he?" he muses to the others. He then looks to his weasely friend saying, "Lets get this over wid den. would give fer some good pipe tobacco and a pint of grog right now."

Soclose wheels in the sky, "/Aiee!/  You are much faster now than before, no?  The rest has done you well!"

Stubb crunches along through the warm sand, eyes alternating between the low-flying bird and Sandy, beside whom he has decided to walk.  "Whoi'd you take up wif tha loikes af us, squir'l?  Oi can' fink you'd be so comf'table aroun' verminous toipes."

Sandy trods along with the others, dragging her tail in the sand in an attempt to leave a trail for the others. "I used to be a slaver, so I guess I sort of count as vermin, myself..." she replies, rubbing the back of her head a bit.

Hactor snorts adding, "Meh. Tis good teh see a woodland lass loike yerself, who aint all stuck up an' hoighty toity tah be seen wid a few of us lesser folk."

Soclose hovers and listens, while slowly drifting northwards.  "/Hee!/" the osprey calls out, considering, "You would do fine in town, but not at see.  You should should have had a pilot!"

Sandy blushes a little bit from the fox's comment, rubbing the back of her head. "I was humbled from slavery, I guess." she replies with a smile.

Stubb rubs his head too, where the shorn fur has left his blistered skin much exposed to the sunlight.  "Ah," he says simply.  "Don' fink we'll be doin' any slavin' ourse'ves."  He chuckles.  "Too much trouble."

Hactor looks up to the sky and shouts, "Ow mach furder along is eh then?"

Sandy yawns a little bit. The heat was making her a bit drowsy. "I don't think I want to go back to being a slaver, myself... I messed up last time. It's not happening again..."

Soclose wheels about and pipes down, "What?  You need another rest?  You have just started!"  The osprey flies higher and then drops back down, "Surely you will get there tonight!"

"You can see tha water?" Stubb calls up to the bird.

Soclose croons, "Water for dinner and fish for breakfast, /hee!/ and I can see the trees, sure sure!"  He emphasizes, "Then you are practically there!"

Hactor speaks to Sandy saying, "Ta hell wid slavery an' slavers aloike! If I could ave it me own way, every slaver would be forced to walk to exaustion then forced to climb the Great Mountain!" He humphs before continuing, "My slaver got out easy. I gave em a short drop den a sudden stop!"

Sandy whistles, smiling nervously. She was glad she wasn't his slaver then. "It must have been a harsh ending for them."

Soclose calls down, "Surely you mean long drop and sudden stop?"  The bird drifts a bit further north to inspect some seaweed strewn about the sand.

Stubb, encouraged, drags his slender carcass along.  He occasionally drops a pebble in the sand to mark their passage.  "Now tha's somefin'," he calls to Hactor.  "'E don' moind puttin a whole abbey a woodbeasts ta work for 'im, but 'e hates slavers.  Yore a reg'lar enigma, 'Actor."

Hactor roles his eye at the bird and gives Sandy a wicked grin while making a hanging motion. He then replies to Stubb, "Enigma says tha great Stubb emself! I was given them Abbey beasts a service I was! Better da ferm yet wise warlord, then tha crazed torturer Anba rulen dem. Who do ye tink kept him on his leash?" The old grizzled fox jabs a thumb into his own chest to emphasize his point.

Sandy quirks a brow a little bit. Yeah, that was a quick one. She got the message quite easily... Though she tilts her head at the comment. "Anba? You don't mean...?"

Stubb looks at Sandy.  "You know tha name?"

Sandy rubs her head a little bit. "In passing..."

Now is Hactor's turn to quirk an eyebrow at Sandy. "Small world," he sayes in a quiet and astonished voice.

Soclose flaps back over and lands next to the group, "Nothing over there for us!" he reports, walking along in the sand with a hopping step, "Everyone is still here, I did not miss anyone?"

"Still followin' yore lead, ma'e."  Stubb says.  "What should oi be callin' you, anyways?  Can' keep callin' you ma'e, bird, if oi need ta catch yore ear."  The weasel curiously examines the place where the osprey's ears would be if he were a closer relative.

Sandy smiles a little bit. "Master used to mention him... off and on." she added, before walking at a bit of a faster pace.

Hactor only grunts in reply. The fox goes silent, now in deep thought.

Soclose shakes his foot from the sand and holds it up to show a dusty brown band about his ankle, speaking to the Weasel, "/Heek!/  Introductions?"  The osprey croons, "I am echelon-second-Soclose, of Port Island."  He turns his head briefly and gives Stubb a one-eyed look.

Sandy remains quiet herself now, not having much to say...

Hactor swivels an ear at Soclose, his deep thought interrupted. "Introductions eh?" He returns the one eyed look to Soclose. "I be Hactor Longshakes of the Nordern Highlands."

"Stubb," says the weasel.  "Jes' Stubb."  He returns Soclose's strange stare.  "Of tha western sea."

Sandy smiles at the introductions. Perhaps... "Sandy Skye." she says, giving a little polite bow. "Ex-slaver and ex-slave."

Soclose exclaims, "/Aie!/ We are all all far-travelers, are we not?" Soclose bobs his head towards Hactor, "And another from the north!"  The bird spreads his wings to Sandy and says, "A dangerous job, both!"

Hactor nods at the bird. "Aye. Tha Narth. Though I don't tend ta stay in one place fer too long."

Soclose nods, "We have two homes as well, we are now at our northern home."  The osprey flaps his wings and circles in the air again, looking out at the ocean breakers. "It is where I will go when I have finished here!"

Stubb trudges along, still moving vaguely northward.  "'We'?  Oi've jes' seen you, ma'e.  Who else is wif you, den?"

Sandy shrugs a little bit, following quietly. "It's hot today..."

"/Hee!/" Soclose calls, "No one else is with me now!  It is only Soclose."  He wheels about and continues, "I am talking of the family cliffs, where the First and the others live."

Stubb mumbles something mostly inaudible to Hactor about 'birds' and their 'customs'.  Turning back to Soclose he says, "You live in cliffs?  Oi've 'eard that you lo' go norf an' souf wif da weavah, but oi ain' 'eard a cliff-dwellin' birds."  He drops another pebble in the sand.

Hactor nods in agreement at Stubb. "Aye. Only birds I knows dat stick around threw an' threw be dem owls. But their ways be strange to all anyway."

Soclose pipes, "A cliff?  Why why not?  It's the perfect place to build your homes if you want to look down on things--and don't want uninvited visitors."  Soclose notices Amos following along as he speaks, "And you can throw the mess-- /Heek?/ I don't know where you went, but you're back again!"

"I never left! Can't say I's usually like birds, but ya alright mate, " He grumbles, "On the way over to finding you guys, had a bloody crow taunting us about our little adventure at sea."

Amos eyes the squirrel, "Ya got anything ta eat missy?"

Sandy looks over to Amos at the question. "No, I don't... Why do you ask?"

Hactor chuckles at Amos' grumblings. "Well whadya expect? Tis da nature of crows ta laugh at others. Aye Stubby?"

Soclose looks towards the skies, "I don't see any crows now.  Perhaps the weather kept them closer to home."  Soclose pipes, "Do not expect me to comment on your boating skills, surely you have been pecked over enough already!  You can expect good cheer to be part of my payment!"

"Aye, Hactor," Stubb nods sagely.  "Bloody scavengers'd be wai'in' every toime our ship came in, lookin' for a free meal.  Gulls, too.  Glad oi weren' wif you when you met tha blasted creature, cat."

"I'm bloody hungry, that's why. A cat has got's to eat, " Amos grins toothily at the squirrel and then turning to the others, "Maybe so, wish I could of caught him and had him for dinner. Ain't no offense again birdy, and we'll have to talk about this payment of yours."

Sandy bites her lip a little bit, feeling nervous from this. The male wasn't thinking about making HER dinner, was he? "Maybe there's some fruit trees, or edible herbs around... Something I could make into dinner..."

"Squir'l don' sound 'alf bad, do i', ma'e?"  Stubb nudges Hactor and throws a wink in Amos' direction.  "Can you cook, li'tle lady?" he asks Sandy in a louder voice.

Hactor wrinkles his noes at the thought. "No thank ye lass. I needs some good fish..er pehapsn even a noice fat sparra. That's tha ticket!"

Sandy smiled meekly at the three males, feeling nervous... "Yes, I can cook... I cooked all the time for my master."

Soclose looks over at the wildcat, "Talk?  All we have is time to talk!" Soclose croons, "And I am not leading you astray!  If you look, you can see trees from here."  The sea hawk snaps his beak a couple of times, "Ah, but ocean fish are larger than most and they do not come to the beach very often.  We will want to find some from the river."

"Well maybe ya could cook somethin' up once we get to this river or so, " Amos turns to the bird, "Is it close, and I suppose we're heading in that direction or where exactly are we going?"

Sandy shrugs and smiles happily. "I definitely could cook something, as long as I have the ingredients and a means to cook it."

Soclose hovers over Amos and croons, "We are travelling to the large river.  It is not far now, not as far as it was, to the north."

Stubb looks north where, indeed, a smudge of green treetops has appeared.  "I' don' seem far ta you, but moind dat tha rest of us don' go' wings, ma'e."  He winks at Sandy.  "'Long as you can keep us well-fed, we'll keep you safe.  Ev'rybeast give' somefin."

Hactor picks at his teeth saying to the squirrel, "Aye lass. Nothen ta fear from tha loikes o' us. Besides. I foind squirrel ta be too gamey any how!" The fox cackles loudly, slapping Stubb on the back.

Sandy grins nervously to the two. At least they didn't seem to actually be considering making her dinner... "Y-yeah, gamey, hahaha..." she laughs weakly, rubbing the back of her head. "So long as the necessary supplies can be given. If you're looking for a fish dinner, I'd say... five fish."

'''Trace''' is on the beach.  Somehow.  Does anyone ever question how Trace shows up in places?  Oddly, she looks perfectly well-groomed and proper, happy even, as she walks along the shore and spots a group ahead.  A familiar group.  At least two of them.  "You are /kidding/ me.." she speaks, striding toward the group.  "Is this where you all went??"

"/Heek!/  I would gladly give away fish fins for your soup," Soclose says, showing initiative before anything more is required.  "Sadly I have no fish, and I see no soup pots."  The osprey glides ahead a bit to land on a half buried tree trunk as he waits for the group to catch up.

Hactor hears an all too familiar voice, a look of dread coming over his old features. His paw comes to his forhead. "Oh Hellsteath!"

Sandy frowns a little bit, and rubs the back of her head. "Make that six."

Stubb turns a puzzled look to face the familiar friend.  He squints toward her, as if dredging up her face from the depths of memory.

Soclose pipes up, "/Hee!/ It looks like we've got visitors coming.  Are these the people you are making a trail for?"

"Hellsteeth, indeed.  Would anyone mind telling me where in the bloody blazes I am?"  Trace strides toward the group, pausing to look over them with a narrowed brow.  "I really haven't any clue how I've ended up here."

'''Frigg''' looks over at Sandy, unsure of what to do, "Were they /serious/, about 'squirrel'? I'd have thought an old mouse to be less useful to these brutes than a hardened former slave, but... oh, well I hope something happens to distract them from their awful stomachs, actually." The older maid scratches her head, "Didn't the fox say he would be up here with Malcolm? What trouble is he up to..."

Sandy shrugs at Frigg's question, rubbing the back of her head a little bit. "I dunno... Uh... Let me think... Ten fish?" she said, sounding nervous. She usually only cooked for four beasts - now she had a whole group to cater to, including herself!

Hactor ears perk at the mouse maid. "What!? Yer here to? Toads! Ow many of ye are-" but then he goes silent, his old mind catching on something that Frigg said. "Fox? What fox?"

There's a rattling sound in the grasses, on the fringes of grassland to their left. It stops. Just the sound of breeze in the blades of vegetation, now... until it starts again - /loudly/, a rattling literally like the chattering of teeth.

Stubb follows along closely, quietly thoughtful.

"Honestly, does anyone know anything around here?"  Trace looks between the group, eyeing the newcomers .. or.. well, really the oldbies, since she's the newcomer it would seem.  She looses her rapier, cutting some higher strands of grass through as she follows suit with the crowd.  "So we just all showed up here?  And no one is concerned about this at all?  Goodness.  We might as well just have a party while we're all involved."

Soclose flies up again from his perch as the breezes start again.  As the afternoon moves on, a colder wind starts to blow in from the water.  "A party?" he asks, "This is no place for a party! It will not be a party when it gets dark here!"

The mousemaid first answers Trace, "No, dear, we were stranded some ways back south, Malcolm, Sandy and I - and the fox, sir, is who we ran into on the way to finding you and the wreckage... but he went after Malcolm, ahead of us... we grew impatient, so we followed up his trail, and lost it... but we figured he should be here, at least." She looks at Malcolm, but receives a blank look. Then, the sound, "Oh dear.."

Sandy frowns a little bit, and starts counting a little bit in her head - completely unawares of any noises or conversation.

Hactor's ears splay flat against his head at the noise. "Shuddap that lot o' ya! Hear that?" He then looks to Frigg again. "Oh dear? Wha did that fox look like?!" The old fox tries to keep from sounding slightly panicked, but an old bit of paranoia plays with his mind, the way a cat plays with a mouse.

Stubb mutters.  "Oi told ya our enemies foind us, even wifout a trail," looking at Hactor.  "Don' make no bloody sense.  Seems loike magic.  Whole world ta search, don' leave a bloody pawprin' behoind, an' still dem foxes track us down."

Soclose circles in the sky and looks down upon the beach and grasses, the osprey looking to determine the nature of the mystery visitor.  ...er, aside from all the others he surely has no idea about.

Frigg becomes frightened even more when she sees and hears Hactor's reaction... "Um... well, he was white, covered in teeth... he said he was.. some kind of lieutenant, remember, Sandy? Sandy? Where did he say, I can't remember..." She looks to Malcolm, "Well, he was talking to you a bit before we even caught up to you, don't you know anything?"

Sandy snaps out of her thoughts about the food, and frowned a little bit. "Huh? Uh, what? I... I don't remember, I think he might have been second in command? I'm sorry, I'm a little hazy on details..."

Trace sighs, flicking a loose strand of hair back from her eyes and tucking it back into her well-kept coiffure.  "All of you and your enemies.  I've better things to do than to protect you all the time.  In fact, if you're enjoying this adventure on your own, I might very well be off to find a ship out of this place.  It's about bloody time one or two of you learn to take care of yourselves-.... Goodness.  Stubb!  You're awake!  I'd scarcely noticed, what with all the hubbub.  That must have been exciting for you."

Hactor eye goes wide. "Second in Command? White?" He may have lost his arm and eye, but the old warlord still had enough since to know this wasn't good. "We need to move. Now!"

At this point, the rattling has been going on over all of the conversation, but after Sandy's comments, it abruptly stops, and the place is returned to a state of complete normalcy, or perhaps the silence, in context, conveys more an incredibly palpable tension and feeling of something dreadful about to happen...

Soclose should be able to see some nice dentistry crouching in the grasses as least from where he is.  "/Heek!/  The first always says people who are hiding have cause to be afraid," the osprey mutters to himself, "I did not know I was travelling with such a formidable bunch!"

"Iz...fan... Iz...dor... Iz...mar...mah...mor... Izmir! Ah, a lieutenant of Izmir, but I forget the name, unfortunately." Frigg look at Hactor, and toward the grass. "He.. he seemed quite friendly actually, but there's tending to be a lot of duplicity on our travels, I'm noticing. He didn't /look/ all that friendly, now that I note. And he might be a bit peeved that we left his belongings back at his camp, instead of watching them. Um..." She shrinks back, behind Sandy.

Sandy gives the mouse, and the fox, a nervous smile. Frigg had a good point - for this, they were probably in as deep, dark waters as Hactor was. "Um... I can't remember his name, either... I couldn't pronounce it either, but... I'm sure..."

Hactor heart practically stops. "Did you just say Izmir?" he replies in a hushed voice.

"Shut up, Hactor.  Goodness, five minutes and he's already complaining and giving orders.." Trace turns around, tipping her head in the general direction of the sound in the grasses.  And once it's stopped, she just sheathes her rapier, replacing it with her whip as she storms over in the general direction of the sound.  "Get your gods-blasted tail out of the grass and show yourself, or I swear to all that is high and holy, I will drag it out with or without the rest of you attached!"

Now, there's /one/ more rattle. And, as if that wasn't chilling enough, the exact moment this last 'warning' stops, a drumbeat. Distant drumming, as though all the grasslands were preparing war upon the pitiful group on the beach. All in unison, /perfect/ unison. Like the individuality and life of the group of drummers had been ruthlessly forced out of them.

Frigg is frozen still. She looks up at Sandy, her eyes wide, "Wh... what have we gotten ourselves..." She can't finish the sentence, before she sees him. She swallows, but keeps still and seemingly calm.

From behind the delicate percussion of the blades of grass, and in front of the thudding bass of drums, comes the fox. Dressed head to toe in bone and teeth, some of which seem impossibly huge - topped with the headdress of a turtle shell, a shield-like prominence which spider-leg-like protrusions which attach to the outer skeleton. He walks down to the beach, holding up a restraining paw, presumably to the grasses behind him. "Commander." He bows to Hactor, smiling.

Sandy swallows nervously. The sight of the fox was unnerving to her, even if she'd seen him once before... And from the looks and sound of it, he had an army of sorts. Leaning in close to Frigg, she whispered, "I think we're doomed."

Hactor grits his fangs, his fear replace now by rage. "Whomever you are," he roars at the white fox, "go tell the Black Fox he can burn in Hell! I know your kind well boy. A strange white fox from Izmir. Do not lie ta me and go abou sayen yer not allied with him in one shape or fasion! I can not be fooled so easily!"

"Do you need me to kill him, Hactor?"  Trace eyes the fox, with a bit of annoyance in her eyes.  "It's been some time.  I could use the practice."

The other fox plants his bone spear, a great broad thing, easily as broad-sided as himself, behind him, and walks up to Hactor, taking a knee. "Sire, while most of the forces were ordered against you in our occupation of the Mossflower abbey, I and my subordinates never faltered in loyalty. Even the rest of them were tricked, by somebeast you no doubt now know was not Anba Hor. He was slain, and Anba Hor still lives - this much, we know. I only wish we knew as much as you in the rest of this tale."

Hactor keeps himself from backhanding the younger fox, and slightly recoils in disgust. "You want information. I have some for you. Your Anba all but nearly killed me in tha narth, then took me into his lair to do unspeakable tortures apon me. I only nearly escaped with me own loife!!" He is roaring at the white fox, not caring if there may be a small army surrounding them. The old warlord is no fool. and recognizes a flatterer when he sees one. "You are just a finger of the evil claw that is Anba."

Sandy frowns, and wonders if she could comfort Hactor... Going over to him, she gently put a paw on his shoulder. "Sir, please, calm down..."

Frigg has no friggin' idea what's being said. She looks up to Sandy, "Well, he's not being mean - Hactor doesn't seem to trust him, though, seems an awful lot of bad feelings going on. Sandy, I don't think that's--" She frowns.

'''Targa Wfol''' nods, "Sire, I flatter you not. I know we are the vanquished, and the woodlanders ultimately were able to triumph. But think as to the reasons why - we were set upon each other, in civil conflict, by forces I do not think we yet understand. They, even now, make you paranoid to take up your cause once again, to travel /back/ to the woodlanders, their posh existence, and to finally /crush/ them! It was obviously in their best interest for us to fight each other from within. I beg you to believe this... I beg you also not to forfeit your life and the lives of these others." He rises, and goes to collect his spear.

Hactor narrows his eye at the other fox, not noticing Sandy's paw on his shoulder. This was quite the conundrum. The old fox certainly has absolutely no interest in returning to conquer Redwall a second time. Yet he also doesn't want to endanger the life of (more or less) his friends. He thinks on the decision in a silence far more dreadful than the white fox's spear.

To be continued...

Groups:

* [[Order_Redwall_0|Order of Redwall]]

* [[House_Nidlorf|House of Nidlorf]]

* [[Friends_Anba_Hor|Friends of Anba Hor]]

 
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[[Category:Vermin_RP]]