A New Life
Characters Involved: Hallow, Ayita, Alais
<----> Camp Willow - South Main Grounds <---->
Towering above all of this otter camp is an immense willow tree that has seen bygone seasons over generations of the inhabitants below. The girthly trunk is seen over gingerly waving reeds and cattails swaying in the cool breeze off of the wide river aside the camp. Camp Willow is settled underneath the elder willow tree casting off its shade over the land below. Perking ears are the soft waves lashing gently against the shoreline of the inlet that has been jetted into the shoreline. There are no hints of any of the outside land away from the secluded grounds of otters and their kin, hidden away from any sight of beasts outside the natural defense of the reeds.
Extending from the lashing flames of small campfires flow light smoke trails, soon disappearing within the clear air of the woods. The dry piles of wood are stacked above a thin matting of reeds, leaving the logs to dry out completely to lessen the risk of thick gray smoke to give away their position to any beasts besides their allies. Set aside these same piles are various small, mostly one-room cabins that hold families as their own sheltar. An occasional tent sprouts from the ground, holding travellers or gypsys as they go about their own unusual business of trading and bargainning.
-- Travel: Public Places: Private Adobes: --
-- [So]uthwest Entrance [Na]rrow Path --
-- [Ea]stern Entrance [Tr]aining [G]rounds --
-- [W]estern [E]ntrance [No]rth Main Grounds --
The morning's quiet as a new set of guards takes over from the night watch at the entrances to Camp Willow. The sun's just warming things, there's a nice little breeze going and everything seems oddly quiet and peaceful as if it's going to be a very lazy day.
After a night of blindly stumbling through Mossflower, Ayita had finally made it: though, her nerves were on edge. Bag slung over her shoulder, the ottermaid steps tentatively forward, eyes flicking back and forth between the guards, she was more than a little sleepy, and nothing is scarier than an otter on guard duty. "Erm...'ello?" she calls to them, offering a little wave. Was she supposed to just flounce on in like she belonged there? Tell them her name? Do a dance, what?
Alais is on guard duty too! Well, actually, she's just bothering the guards. Once again left behind by, or choosing not to play with, the other dibbuns, she's taken to following the newly on-duty guards. And she has the early morning energy that dibbuns seem to possess.
The guards seem more than happy to just let her wander in. She's an otter, it's an otter place, no one recognises everyone that lives there, they do indeed assume she belongs. Even offering a quick nodded greeting until she seems so unsure of herself anyway. One who was leaning on his spear and doing his best not to be bothered by Alais raises a paw in greeting to Ayita "Mornin' miss, ye look a little lost?" his partner guard is more distracted by Alais, running round behind the dibbun in hopes she'll keep following and he can have an excuse to play about.
"Lost? No. Suprisingly not. I am -ah- new though?" her eyes trail to the dibbun otter as she plays chase with one of the guards, and a smile pulls at the corners of her muzzle. Nothing like dibbuns to make a place seem less threatening, and give Ayita a little more reassurance "I've travelled from Redwall in the hopes of a new home, life there got too...conflicting. Think ye could help me out?"
Alais is indeed happy to run around after that other guard. Playing is fun. And, no doubt, some beasts are hopeful that early morning play will tire her out. No such luck though when Ayita catches her ear. "..Redwall?" She comes to stand, a tiny bit, behind the guard talking to Ayita, and poke her head around.
Convenient coincidences are one of Hallow's specialities and currently she's on her way to the training grounds. The guard with Ayita grins "Well there ain't a better place for otters either side o'the sea" he happens to catch sight of Hallow then and raises his voice to a yell "Hey! Skip" he points at Ayita "New maid" the guard playing with Alais stops running about when the dibbun's attention shifts and then his is stolen by mention of the Skipper. Instantly he's looking a lot more serious, like he wouldn't dare play on duty.
Ayita smiles relieved up at the guards. "Thanks, mate." her ears prick forward as the dibbun speaks and she nods. "Aye, Redwall." She moves a paw to rub at the back of her neck (stiff from walking) and feels the tickle of the leaf that must have been there the whole time, stuck to her head. Well, thats embarressing. She pulls it off and drops it to the ground in the most nonchalant way possible.
Alais nods her head, and shifts a little out from behind the guard. "That's far away. People come to visit, but I've never seen them 'fore." She looks to Hallow, and retreats behind the guard again a little more. Authority is scary.
And the guard isn't authority? Wouldn't tell him that. Hallow looks pleasantly surprised and makes her way towards the group, her pace about as lazy as the guards before she turned up. She gives Ayita a glance of before offering her a paw and a smile "Hallow, Skipper, whichever you prefer. Welcome to the Camp. Redwall eh?" Alais hiding place goes to give her a poke with his rudder.
Ayita nods, grinning wide - theres that smile we all know and love. "'s a pleasure to meet ye, Skipper. I'm Ayita, an' yeah...Redwall. Not as much fun as its cracked up te be when ye'v been stuck inside it fer a few seasons." She says the last part with a sidelong glance at Alais, responding to her as well. So far she'd observed that they were lax here: Lax was good, lax was something any teenage beast could appreciate.
Alais frowns at the poke and goes to poke the rudder back, completely forgetting that she was hiding a moment ago.
The camp's always been relaxed, so long as things get done they're not too concerned how or when. They're otters! As a species they're not exactly high strung. Hallow smirks "Heh, no kidding. I visit sometimes for a break but never could live there. Not enough for me to do. Ye travelling through or staying a while?" The rudder attacks! With poke after poke aimed at Alais.
"I was hoping to stay awhile, I have no plans of returning to Redwall but I'm not the travveling type...is there anyway I could make myself useful here?" She was guessing that taking a vague approach would be more polite than ramming requests to live there down the Skipper's throat. Her attention occassionally wavers to the game of poke going on between dibbun and guard, a little chuckle escaping her throat.
Alais grrs at the rudder. And pokes it again. And tries to grab it! Other otters? What other otters? She has a rudder to defeat!
The otter guard smirks but so far he's avoided looking back as he sways his tail from side to side with Alais attached to it. It doesn't seem like Hallow's even noticed yet, busy talking to Ayita "Welcome to stay long as you like. As for making yourself useful, that can you do?" the chuckle finally draws her attention and she glances round, raising a brow at the guard before she spots Alais and smirks, leaning round the guard to get a better look.
The otter guard smirks but so far he's avoided looking back as he sways his tail from side to side with Alais attached to it. It doesn't seem like Hallow's even noticed yet, busy talking to Ayita "Welcome to stay long as you like. As for making yourself useful, that can you do?" the chuckle finally draws her attention and she glances round, raising a brow at the guard before she spots Alais and smirks, leaning round the guard to get a better look.
Ayita smiles, dipping her head in thanks and casting a smirk in the direction of the guard and dibbun. "'m an alrigh' cook, I can mix drinks though, an' I'm good at talkin' te people...if you have a job that has any or all of those things, I'm your otter." shrug "Or, ye know I can do the odd job if yer in need." she was brought up in the abbey, afterall; their basically *raised* on odd jobs.
"Wah! Grr!" Alais clings to the tail! She will defeat the taunting appendage! And then, Hallow's peeking around. Still attached to the guards rudder, she stops and blinks up nervously.
The guard's trying to look innocent again. Hallow's smirk just grows at the nervous look. She straightens back up again a moment later "Carry on. If you can wrestle him to the ground I'll give you a medal" she looks back to Ayita again "Nice collection of stuff. The drink mixing could be handy, we're between innkeepers again at the moment if you fancy working behind the bar?"
Ayita smile brightens, that sounds like her kind of work. "I fancy I would, long as I don't have to wrestle nobeast as ferocious as *that*!" she gestures to Alais playfully. Nothing is scarier than an enraged dibbun, especially when their teeth are coming in. Back to business, though "When do I start?" gringrin.
A medal? Ooh! Alais eyes the guard and grrs. She could manage this, maybe... She grins and wags her own rudder as Ayita feigns being frightened of her, than tries to tangle herself around the guard's legs. She has been promised a medal for bringing him down, so this is what she'll do.
Ayita nods again, flashing another grin. "Alright, I'll head over there now, an' get comfy with the place." she adjusts her bag on her shoulder, shaking a leaf free from her fur. How long had THAT been there?! A final thankful head dip is offered to Hallow, a cheeky salute is given to the dibbun doing battle with the guard, and she's off! Humming a spritely tune and almost skipping. Most teenagers aren't this happy about getting a job.
Linu comes in from the other side of the camp.
Linu has arrived.
Groups:
