01.20.09 - Two for One

Location: Redwall Entry, Dirt Road

Characters Involved: Darcy, Sargas, Kara, Brenden, Garth

Sargas comes stumbling blindly through the snow through the gate. It was only by luck that he even made it out of the forest, and he certainly looks like it. His clothes are torn and he's bloodied in more than one place, mostly from his shoulder and his right eye. He holds his paws out in front of him so he doesn't run into anything. What he runs into wasn't above the snow though, he trips over a buried rock and falls down. He only lays there breathing for a long moment, not wanting to get back up.

Kara was just walking by the gate too. She finally came out of seclusion there a few weeks ago and decided she wanted some Fresh air. The pregnant vixen hears something near the gate...And her face goes from happy to horrified in a matter of seconds when she sees Sargas. "SARGAS!" She shouts and runs over to him, quickly keeling at his side. "What happened to you? Who did this? Why?"

Darcy is just exiting the great hall when the shout goes up from Kara. The doe squints and then heads toward the pair. Her expression rapidly hardens into a cold scowl.

Sargas blindly turns his head towards the familiar voice. He doesn't move to get up, but he reaches out towards her. He is so cold he's beyond shivering at this point. "Kara...I...I did something horrible...." He sniffs, "I just came to say bye...."

Darcy picks up her pace. Her teeth are bared as she aims toward the two foxes. "/Sargas/," she snaps. "/You're/ Sargas.." Her fists are curled up.

Kara quickly frowns. "Sush...dont talk....Save your Strength...No...no....you....your not going to say goodbye....I wont let you" She goes to help him up. "You'll fill me in later..." then the vixen spots Darcy. "Please..help me get him to the infirmary...please..." tear's are starting to streak down her face like a waterfall.

Sargas turns his head towards the new voice, then he looks down and shakes his head, "N..n..no Kara. I c.c.can't go inside."

Kara frowns. "You have to...you just have too....I'm not going to let you die....No...You have to...come on....please...." she keeps trying to pick him up...hard task for a pregnant woman. Then Darcy gets another look. "Help...please!" She still doesn't get whats going on.

"Like /hell/ I will," Darcy snaps. She crosses the last few steps, draws back her arm, and aims a sudden, hard backhand toward Sargas's face. "You. You! /Sick/, /twisted/.. MONSTER!"

Darcy pulls back her arm - and hits him again for good measure.

The fox's head jerks suddenly from the hit, but instead of trying to defend himself, he reaches out to where Kara's paw was, "Kara. Listen...you don't know wha..." and he's hit again. He turns his head to spit out some blood, "You don't know what One Eye made me do..."

Kara looks Amazed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She cries out, quickly stepping between them. "He needs your help!" She shouts. "You have to help..." Her tears are now the only thing on her face..

Darcy snarls at Kara. She's not a vermin species, she doesn't have fangs - but that pretty face can sure twist into something menacing. "Get. Out of. My way. You oblivious. Stupid. /Wretch/!"

Sargas turns his head towards Darcy, "Please...she has nothing to do with this. She....doesn't know....leave her be."

Darcy is bristling, teeth still bared. She doesn't even pay any attention Kara anymore. "... get out. Get out get out get the HELL. Out. Of the abbey. You. SCUM!" she snaps at Sargas.

Sargas nods towards Darcy's voice and tries to get up. His numb limbs make it very difficult, but eventually he gets to his feet. "I just c.c.c.came to say bye to my mate. Please don't be angry with her because of me."

"OUT!" Darcy seethes.

Every muscle in Sargas' body was impossibly sore from the cold, but he manages to look towards Kara and give her a small, reassuring smile. "Raise our young proper," he says before he starts to stumble through the snow towards the gates.

Darcy stands in the cold, bristling, watching him go - then follows, giving Sargas a shove when he turns, forcing him back out of the abbey and onto the road. She ducks into the gatehouse briefly, then follows him out, her dirk in hand.

Sargas didn't try to fight her when she shoved him, but he did hear the gatehouse door open and close while he stumbled blindly through the snow. He was a guest at the abby long enough to know thats where all the weapons were kept. She probably didn't trust him even in his weakened state. He stops close to the middle of the road, then turns and starts to shamble slowly towards the north.

Brenden was out on a run around the abby to keep in shape when he noticed Darcy push a fox out of the gates with a dirk in her paw. This interested him greatly, so he decided to follow. "Dahcy....wot're yah doin?" He asks as he jogs up beside her breathlessly.

They're out of the abbey. It's the road, it's no-man's-land. Darcy pulls the sheath off her dirk, eyes pinned on Sargas even as Brenden shows up. "... you know how Tam went missing? Yeah." Her voice is fairly calm, not yelling - but grated. "That's the scum that did it. And tortured him. 'scuse me, Bren." She heads after the fox.

Sargas trips and falls again. This time, he doesn't move. Seems that the cold finally got to him and he doesn't have the strength to get back up. His breathing is very slow and shallow.

Brenden spots the blade and his eyes get wide, "Bloody 'ell..." He looks at the fallen form of Sargas, then back to Darcy, "Dahcy....it's not right. It's not right at all. But yah can't kill a beast wot can't even stand." He reaches a paw out to her shoulder, "Thats something wot 'e would do."

Darcy jerks back from Brenden, eyes on his face now. "/He/? Which /he/ are you talking about? Surely not /that/ he!" She points the dirk at Sargas. "Not the /he/ who stole away a /child/ and /tortured/ /him/! ... if you touch me, I swear I will cut you to pieces also." She is just. Seething.

Sargas groans incredibly soft, and stirs, trying to continue crawling away from the abby.

Brenden takes his paw back from her, but doesn't back down. He gets a determined look on his face, "I know wot 'e did. But....Dahcy...." He then takes a step towards her, his paws up in a non-threatening manner.

Darcy ignores the buck. Her ears twitch and she says nothing, stalking toward Sargas, dirk gripped tightly in her hand. She goes to shove her foot against the middle of the fox's back and shove him flat on the ground.

Sargas grunts when he's forced down into the snow. His head is towards the side, "K...Kara....th...the forest wou..." Then he starts coughing lightly. "Would be...a nice place for our house..." he finally gets out through his delerium.

Brenden steps in front of Darcy, over Sargas' prone form, "Dahcy. Don't do this." He puts his paws out to her shoulders, "Listen tah me. Dahcy. Look at me..."

Darcy gives Brenden a flat, harsh look, foot shoved against the middle of Sargas's back to keep him down. ".. do you want to get stabbed? Do you really, Brenden?"

Sargas again coughs lightly, laying there with his fate in the paws of others.

Brenden doesn't take his paws off of her shoulders. He looks into her eyes, "If thats what it takes tah get yah tah listen tah me. Don't do this Dahcy."

Darcy switches the dirk to the other hand, draws her dominant hand back, and aims a punch at Brenden's jaw.

Brenden doesn't flinch, but the blow does turn his head. He returns his gaze to hers with a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Darcy's muzzle twitches, and she reaches up with one hand to grasp Brenden's shoulder - then shoves her knee forward, aimed at his groin.

The buck saw that one coming, but he didn't shift his hips like he was supposed to. His eyes clamp shut and he grits his teeth to the point where it's audible. His paws clench on her shoulders, but he refuses to let go. His head bows as the pain moves into his gut. Eventually he lets out a long breath, his eyes still closed, unable to speak for the moment.

And here comes Kara...Sargas's mate...she's not alone though...no...in fact there's two of her inside that one head....and this one...well.....this one is ticked off...Pregnant or not, she comes flying from the Abbey, a long saber in her paw. "YOU LEAVE MY LOVE ALONE!" and she aims for Darcy...Brendan however, gets waved at as she runs.

Darcy jerks back from the buck as soon as the well-aimed blow lands. She ducks, using her downward weight to stab the dirk double-handed, aimed at the back of Sargas's neck.

Sargas would have opened his eyes in surprise as the dirk goes into the side of his neck, but, he didn't have any eyes to open. He lays there as his lifeblood flows around the blade, staining the snow beneath him.

Brenden gives Darcy a cold look, then dives at her, trying to take her to the ground. Being that their size differences were so different, he didn't figure it would be difficult.

Kara screams out. "NOOOOOOOO!!!" the vixen Shreaks. The saber aims for Darcy's head...neck more like it. As she gets in range she Swings, attempting to behead the doe...Even though she's moving, Kara has made sure at least she'll get a good attack on...would be an Added bonus if she hit her too.

Darcy jerks while the dagger is shoved into Sargas's neck; this might or might not open the wound further, she's not paying any attention. The doe is already low down, and shoved over sideways by Brenden's tackle, which knocks her out of the way of any immediate sabre strikes - in fact she's so small that Brenden is more or less a full-body shield against them. The doe grunts.

Sargas lays there, slipping into a cold blackness.

Brenden grunts and blinks when the blade comes down on his left shoulder, easily cutting deep into it from the force fueled by the anger of the pregnant vixen. It didn't hurt at first, it was mostly surprise. But when he did feel it, he could only narrow his eyes and growl. /That/ fox, was going to try and kill Darcy. Unacceptable. He turns his head towards Kara but only ducks his head, getting hit more in the back with her blade.

Darcy grunts again, muzzle against the side of Brenden's neck, head down to avoid being sliced up. "... will you please get that crazy witch under control." She sounds relatively calm.

Kara growls. "get out of my way you stupid rabbit!" she shouts, still trying to get to Darcy. Even if that means Going though Brendan.

Brenden grunts as a few more blows rain down on his back. He figured that it was pretty tore up, but he had to stop her or they would both end up dead. He tries to push himself up, his left shoulder being mostly useless by now, but he tries to leap and tackle the vixen. Call him a rabbit will you?

Sargas more of his blood seeps from the wound. He had already lost all feeling, but now, the cold was being replaced by a warmth as the life left his body. At least, thats what his last thoughts percieved.

Kara side steps and lets the hare fly past her..but her saber is taken...."fine, I'll just use my paws!" she shouts, starting to bound towards darcy. "You hurt my love, i'm going to hurt you!" she shouts. Then something Dawned ..."Noo!" She stops and heads for Sargas..."no...no no no no"

Darcy immediately scrambles up when Brenden's weight is no longer keeping her down. The dirk is still in hand, dripping the fox's blood onto the snow, as the doe hastily gets out of the way. Let the trained fighter-guy keep her from being mauled.

Brenden fetches the downed saber and gets to his feet, rage fueling him at this moment. His left arm hangs limply, blood running down his arm and dripping into the snow. He steps between Kara and Darcy, turning his head to Darcy, "Get tah tha abby. Get some help. Now." he growls at her, his voice leaving no room for argument. Then he raises the blade in a defensive manner towards the vixen.

Kara apparently has lost all other thought...any feelings towards darcy, Brenden or any beast else are gone...gone gone gone...replaced by pain...lots...and lots of pain. "No...sargas...you cant be gone...." she lays her head on his chest after rolling him over. "No..please! NOOOO!" she sobs hard into his chest. "

Darcy backpedals, kind of circling around and keeping Brenden in between herself and the vixen. She has an odd kind of grimace across her muzzle. "Bren. Just leave her. Let's go."

"What the 'ell are you all shouting about out here." Enter Garth, dark circles under his eyes and lantern in paw. He steps out onto the road. "Isn't it enough that the place is under a plag..." Eyes rest upon the dead fox, the jump up to the saber wielding hare. "Hold it there miss," his free paw jumps up to his stiletto, "no ones leaving till /I/ know what happened." Like he's some sort of important beast.

Kara keeps sobbing before something clicks. "no...no...i wont let you die. She tears off some of her dress and starts to use it to apply insane amounts of Pressure on the neck wound. "You wont die...you cant leave me here...you cant, you cant...Dont leave me...please dont leave me..." She's screaming in between rivers of tears.

Darcy just gives Garth a blank look. Her brows quirk up. "... oh get down off your high-horse, you arse."

Brenden turns his attention to Garth, not having any idea who it was. "You /will/ not get in my way, or Dahcy's way. Step aside if yah don't want mah attention too."

Kara looks up to brenden. She eyes the uniform for a split second. "Please! You've got to help me...please...please, I'll do anything...please, just help!"

There /was/ still some blood leaking out of the hole in Sargas' neck, but Kara seems to have stopped it. Perhaps the fox is only comatose?

Paw still resting on stiletto hilt Garth looks cooly back at Brenden. "I'll get in whose ever way I wish. Now, tell me what happened here." He doesn't seem the least concerned that there are two hares wanting to get by him, and that one of them is currently holding a saber and he only has a puny knife >.>

Darcy just. Stares at Garth for a moment. "... right. I'm leaving." And she moves to go past him.

Brenden watches Garth closely. If he makes any move to stop Darcy, the already wounded and angry hare would have to step in.

Garth does indeed step in the way, his stiletto is now out and at level with Darcy's neck. "I said no one leave until you tell me what happened." Seems like Garthy-man means business.

Darcy stops, eyeing the stiletto and then cutting her gaze up to Garth. Okay, mister. "I just killed the guy who kidnapped and tortured the leveret Tameus. Now will you /get/... out of my way."

Brenden snarls and forgets about the two foxes, this was the second time that a weapon was pulled on Darcy. He steps in and uses the saber to hit the stiletto towards a direction that wasn't pointed at Darcy. A trail of blood follows the swinging movements of his left arm as he growls, "Put yah blade away ottah. I have already had a terrible day, don't make it worse."

Kara Starts crying more as she finds sargas is deader then dead. "Sargas...No.......Why....No...No....I cant live with out you! NO! PLEASE! PLEASE HEAR ME!"

Garth lets the blade get knocked out of Darcy's direction and arks it around to face Brenden. "I don't take orders from you. And as for you!" He rounds back on Darcy, "What happened to giving beasts fair trial before killing them, or has the abbey sunk down to the level of vermin and scum?!"

Darcy smirks at the otter, ears back, eyes half-shut. It's a kind of lazy, skeptical expression. "This isn't the abbey, if you hadn't noticed. Get out of my face."

Kara cant breath...her heart has been broken and Smashed into millions of Pieces....The Vixen cant handle anything anymore...She wants to die...To be with her love once more...So she stands....and attacks the closest beast with a weapon, hoping what ever it is kills her...She cant stand the thought of being along with out Sargas anymore...

Brenden starts to step between the two, but is stopped when Kara leaps at Darcy. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and threw up his elbow, "STOP YAH CRAZY WITCH! THINK OF YAH KID!" He was still standing between Darcy and the vixen, so......again.....he was a shield.

Darcy happens to be the nearest beast to Kara when the vixen suddenly comes at her. Brenden is not so much a shield as .. just there. At the same time that Kara's claws raze against her upper arm, the doe's arm shoots out on defensive reflex, dirk in hand, stabbing.

Garth for once is at a lost for words.

Kara takes the dagger in her chest...The vixen stands there motionless for a few seconds before looking down to see the dagger right in her. The pregnant Vixen looks up into Darcy's eyes as she tries to speak. "Thank you...." She stumbles and falls over backwards...She landed next to Sargas, slowly taking his paw with hers. "I....l-love you...So...much" She closes her eyes as the only thoughts that enter into her head are the happy thoughts of being with her love once more...All the pain she feels is gone...she no longer takes it as Pain...but Happiness. She's not dead yet...but She will be soon.

Brenden throws the saber to the side and runs over to her side, looking over his shoulder at any beast, "GET ANOTHA BLOODY HEALAH!" Then he reaches into a pouch on his tunic to pull out some gauze. He looks back at Darcy, "DAHCY! GET THA BLOODY 'ELL OVAH HEAH! AH ONLY 'AVE ONE AHM!"

Garth lets his stiletto fall limp at his side. "Barbarians," he mutters before stumping off back to the abbey.

Darcy stands there, blinking, a little dazed. She watches Kara's stumbling path back to Brenden. "... don't yell at me," is her curt reply to the Long Patroller.

Brenden gives Darcy a look and says in a calmer voice, "Ah'm sorreh. But if it wouldn't be too much trouble, would yah be a good lass and BLOODY 'ELP ME?! Tha vixen might not make it, but tha kid shouldn't 'ave tah lose it's life cause of this."

Darcy's nose twitches, the top scrunching up as she comes to stand over Kara, looking down. "I'm not even going to bother with the vixen," she states calmly, and kneels, glancing at Brenden's face. "Ever cut a baby out, dear?" Her tone is all full of false cheer.

Kara may still make it if she is taken to the infirmary quickly. She cant do anything. She thinks they are trying to save her..."no...go...away" She goes to push them away.

Darcy just smiles grimly down at the vixen. "Don't worry, crazy. We're not saving you."

Brenden looks down at Kara, "We need tah get 'er tah tha infahmary. Can't do it out heah." He was actually talking about trying them both.

Darcy shoots Brenden a look. "Maybe you can't. I can get the baby out. Would you like to sit back and watch like an invalid?"

Kara just grasps The Dead fox's paw. "I want....to......be with him...again....Leave me be"

Brenden gives Darcy a glare that loses it's focus after a moment. He shakes his head quickly to regain his vision. He did lose a good bit of blood from the crazy saber wielding vixen's fit of rage. He knew what mood Darcy was in, and he more or less pleads, "At least let 'er pass befoah yah cut..."

Darcy shrugs. "What does it matter if she's going to die? Except she'll scream." And she has long ears. This is maybe the most uncompassionate healer in the world. "Hurry up and pass out, will you?" she suggests to Kara.

Brenden shakes his head quickly, blood loss was getting to him. He rises to his feet and moves over to take her arm, "'Nay, 'elp me carry 'er."

Kara hears the word carry. She Grips her dead love's paw harder. "no....no...I.....wont....wont leave him..."

Darcy reaches to bat Brenden's arm away. "Stop being heroic, or I'll knee you again."

Brenden doesn't let Darcy disuade him. He leans over and pulls up on Kara's arm to try and get her to a standing position. Difficult to do with one working arm. He shoots her a cold look, "It's what a healah does. If yah not gonna 'elp. Stay out of mah way."

"... no. It's what an idiot does. You're close to bleeding out yourself," she says, and stands up. "Deal with your own injury, Bren. Stop being such a pansy arse."

Kara resists as best as She can. "No...no.....l-let me die...." she gasps out. "let me be with my love again....please?"

Brenden ignores the doe and the vixen. He lays his ears flat against his head and tries to pull her up to a sitting position. His struggle isn't in vain though, eventually he gets one of the vixen's arms around his shoulders, with his good arm around her while she's in a sitting position. He pushes and tries to stand, the strain causing more blood to come out of his wounds. Once they are standing, he starts to slowly shuffle towards the gates of the abby.

Kara slowly starts to fight. "No...l-l-l-let me go....please....." It doesn't matter anymore...regardless of what happens, She's lost too much blood to live.. "Put....me back...next to sargas....please...."

Darcy stands back and just eyes Brenden. "Will you put her down."

Brenden slips on a small patch of ice and goes to a knee with a groan of pain. He forces them both to standing again, and keeps walking towards the gates. He was starting to feel light headed and his feet were starting to get numb.

Kara pushes herself off of the buck. Then finally slowly starts to crawl back to the body of her love. "Sargas....i....I wont leave you....i'll see you soon....P-P-Promise" She lays on her back before taking his paw again. "I wont leave you..."

Darcy rolls her eyes skyward, and when Kara pulls free of Brenden she goes to step in front of the buck. "Leave her be. I've killed two beasts today, you really think I'll hesitate to knock you out?"

The vixen pushing off of him was too much for his balance, and he goes down into the snow. Brenden lays there for a short moment, looks up at Darcy, and moves to get to his feet. He starts to fall forward and reaches to get a hold on her shoulder, "Why won't you help me? At least help me save the child..."

"I'm going to save the kid. You're in no shape to do /anything/, mister hero," Darcy chides, scowling at him. Her hands are against his chest. "You're hurt. You've turned the snow /red/ you great big oaf. See to your own wounds. I can do this on my own."

Kara grips the paw again, more and more. "few more moments....I promise..." she's talking to a dead guy, She's almost dead....if there's any time to save the child, now is that time. "I'll see you soon...." She closes her eyes and waits...she's not out yet...but She's close to it.

Darcy gives Brenden a hard work. "Don't," is all she says, and goes toward Kara.

Brenden shakes his head, "As long as yah draw breath, yah can still 'elp," he mutters under his breath, like he was repeating something he was once taught. He looks back at the prone form of Kara, "She doesn't 'ave long." He sighs and more or less falls to a sitting position, "Just save tha kid." He doesn't even watch any more, content now to stare at the snow in front of him.

Kara opens her eyes and look to Darcy..."th-Th-Thank...y-you..." she thanking her Killer? yeah...for both killing her and for both trying to save her child...

Darcy doesn't respond. She kneels, rolling up her sleeves, and glances at Kara's face. There's no response to the thanks. The vixen is probably too far gone to really feel what happens next - neatly, with no wasted gesture, the healer doe uses the dirk to cut into the rounded-out abdomen of the pregnant fox. Impromptu caesarian! The premature foxkit is lifted free of the womb and immediately curled up in Darcy's jacket for warmth, while she carefully uses a finger to clear out the nostrils and mouth, allowing the newborn to breathe. There are a few seconds of silence and then the kit gives off a wavery cry.

Brenden is too numb right now to really pay much attention to anything. He was still considered new in the patrol, and had never really seen death like this. He had seen death from the sickness, but, somehow that was different. He blinks at the snow in front of him as a few more drops of blood stain the pure white snow behind him.

Kara didn't feel anything...She glances to the Kit...its a boy! woo! She slowly goes to reach for the kit. "Alexander..." she whispers quietly. "I...love you...." Not dead yet, but fading.

Darcy quirks her mouth a little at the dying vixen. "... good. It's not a stupid name," she says with a smirk, and deftly cuts the umbilical cord. "You can die now." The doe tucks away her bloodied dirk and rises, cradling the frail infant, who continues to give fragile crying sounds.

Voices pull Brenden's attention upwards, though uncomprehendingly. He sees another hare holding an infant, and he smiles. Darcy did save the child, at least that was a small consolation. He mutters, "Alexandah will be well taken ceah of," to try and comfort the dying vixen. But, he couldn't figure out if he said it that softly, or if it was in his own head.

Kara watches the fading image of her son....The last sight she sees is the kit, alive....her grip loosens on Sargas's paw...And she whispers once more..."love...." one more tear falls....until finally...The rest of her life fades away. But a whole new life starts at the time of a life that ends....And once more, she is with the beast she loves...happy once more...

Darcy draws a breath, and exhales. "Pull yourself together, Brenden," she says, heading inside, aiming to get the baby out of the cold.

Brenden looks up at Darcy and shakes his head, not in an answer to her. But more for her lack of any sort of compassion that he could see. He struggles to pull himself to his feet and looks back at the two foxes, "Wot about them?"

Darcy glances back and shrugs. "Leave them, toss them in a ditch. Let the road swallow them up. That's how these things work."

Brenden says nothing and turns to follow her. He really did need to get inside before his condition worsened.

Darcy continues in through the gates, handing over her dirk to one of the speculative guards and aiming inside at a brisk pace.

Brenden follows her through the gates, slower, and a little more wounded. But at least he could move on his own, and now, it's strait to the infirmary with him.