Almost Saved and Finding A New Friend

Caleb looks around as he is carried through the woods and every so often shivers from being cold.

Jackson mutters under his breath as he tries to find some sort of place to stay, he then remembers a hut and heads that direction.

Outside the hut is a female beaver humming a song and sweeping a small area of snow. Nearby is a forge mainly used in the spring, summer and fall times of the year. She glances inside the hut and then goes to head inside, her back to the door as she goes to a doorway.

Caleb sees the hut and frowns, he then says “I’m..c..cold.”

Jackson hisses “Shut it brat.” He then grins and walks over to the hut and keeps a hold of the mouse with one paw and makes his move to place the blade under the beavers chin, “I say..is this the healer’s hut or are you closed for the winter?” His voice cold as ice.

Kate stops and feels the blade and speaks, ”S..Sir if you require healing you will put the blade away and I will tend whatever wound you have.” She remains as calm as she can, seeing as a deadly blade is at her throat.

Caleb is too scared to try and break free and hides his eyes with his paws,

Jackson speaks as he has her turn around slowly,” Yes..I have an arm wound and where my tail use to be needs healing and your do well to help me with it now.” He looks to Caleb, ”Sit..there brat” He aims his blade at a chair.

Kate nods and glares at the polecat, “And your do well to not call him a brat.” She looks at his arm wound and where the tail stub is, “Not much I can do on the missing tail.” She carefully gets her healers bag and starts looking for herbs to apply to the arm wound and then a bandage to cover it, “There best I can do, now exit my hut..NOW” The last word said more fiercely as a warning maybe as she backs into another room and frowns as a baby crying is heard.

Jackson smirks “Oh did I wake it, so sorry..see I remember seeing you and the infant as well, your mate I believe is the one whom took my tail and what better way to thank him than take his child and mate as slaves. Gee at this rate I will have 4 slaves, not just one…hmmms maybe sale you and the squirrel, keep the dibbuns..even one so young can be trained, who knows maybe to the wrong side.” A dark laugh is then heard.

Caleb states bravely, “I will never be any beast slave cause..cause Flicktail gonna kick your…” Well let’s just say the last word would probably get his mouth washed out by soap.

Kate stands her ground, she may not be a warrior but she doesn’t care as she rushes over and grabs her daughter and barely gets past the polecat to stand in front of Caleb as she looks at Jackson with deadly seriousness, “Over my dead body.” She turns to Caleb, ”Come on honey we are leaving now.”

Jackson just draws his blade and runs a finger across it as he lets the beaver grab the child and get to the mouse and waits till her back is turned and with lighting moves of a skilled killer the blade is heading towards her back, “With..Pleasure!” One her back is turned, two this close he isn’t going to miss.

Caleb whimpers and quickly dives behind the chair and stays there.

Kate feels the blade and manages to shift the baby to her other arm and drop it to the soft chair, the infant avoiding harm. The infant’s mother falls sideways and struggles for breath, and she enters the dark forest as her eyes cloud over.

Jackson gives a cold smile as he looks down at the crying infant and pushes the chair away and looks down at the dibbun, “I think she failed protecting you. Then again she did say I could have you two over her dead body…well just doing as she asked after all. Pick up the other dibbun and come with me, or stay here..but in staying here your end up like her, trust me a much less painful decision to come with me boy.”

Caleb gulps and goes to pick up the beaver infant and nods “Y..Y..YES sir” And goes to follow the polecat.

Jackson nods “A wise choice boy, a very wise choice” He gets his blade out of the beaver’s back and wipes it clean on the chair before going to the doorway.

Caleb follows closely behind the polecat, not being sure where they are going.

Kadar comes home about this time and stops in his tracks when he sees the polecat and gets his ax ready, “What ya doing in my house scum!”

Jackson grins, “Well if it isn’t the beaver who took my tail, well I took something more precious to you!” He steps aside to show the two dibbuns, but whats also beyond them by the chair.

Caleb holds the infant beaver and stays very still, it’s clear he is an afraid of the polecat.

Kate lies on the floor, unmoving and blood all over, eyes open but cloudy, she is dead.

Kadar eyes look in horror and the ax falls from his paws as he races over and cradles Kate in his arms “Kate!” Tears go down his face as he gently shakes her and shakes his head, he looks at the polecat and gently lays Kate down. He walks back over and as the ax is picked back up and his eyes look…..different now and straight at the polecat.

Jackson watches the beaver closely and gets out a couple throwing daggers and moves his wrist to make the daggers sail through the air towards the beaver.

Caleb frowns and runs to hide behind a chair again, seeing as the doorway is blocked and holds the dibbun beaver close.

Kadar ‘s eyes look frightening indeed, the two throwing daggers both hit him in the chest but not in a place that means instant death, but he keeps coming for the polecat and swings his ax down to kill.

Jackson’s color drains from his face as he sidesteps, letting the ax slam into the wall, his ear tip is sliced off where he barely got out of the way. He takes out his long blade, his only other weapon and then charges the beaver while he can and aims for his side.

Caleb stays hidden and looks at the doorway and back to the fighting beasts and then the door and starts edging towards it.

Kadar makes a very unbeaver like snarl as the ax is stuck in the wall and then gasps as the blade slices deep into his side. In his anger he goes to pull the daggers out of his chest, one comes out and the handle breaks off the other one so he tosses handle and dagger back at the polecat and then makes a fist and punches at the polecat as he decides to leave the ax in the wall.

Jackson is punched in the jaw and spits blood at the beaver and goes to kick him hard in the chest. The dagger handle bounces off his own chest and the lone dagger manages to sink into his left shoulder blade, so he still has good use of his sword arm.

Kadar breaths in deeply as pain goes though out him as the kick sends him against the wall and the one dagger blade deeper . He breaths in and out slowly as his energy levels and anger fueled wrath is fading now as he then passes out. He is still alive. Still alive for now.

Caleb, with the infant beaver in arms, has made it to and out the doorway and runs full course towards the abbey.

Jackson doesn’t have time to make sure the beaver is finished off and chases after the two dibbuns, he can run quickly.

Caleb whimpers and slips a couple times on icy ground

Vonda, the small infant beaver, cries now as she is fully awake and scared out of her mind.

Jackson quickly shortens the distance between them and yells “Ya best stop brat! I can easily get into that abbey and slay your parents as well” Now this is a lie as he has no plans to go into the abbey, just a fight at the gates to kill a certain fox, but he makes his words sound so, so true.

Caleb slows and turns around as he tries to calm Vonda, hey he is only 5 seasons he doesn’t know how to truly calm an infant.

Vonda calms, just a little bit.

Jackson steps in front of him, “Wise Choice, now move it seeing as we can’t stay here now, can we.” He leads him to a closed building in the market place, since its closed for winter he has to pick the lock and makes the dibbuns stay in a corner. Least it’s somewhat warm in here or least warmer than outside.

Caleb frowns and sits down, he is soon asleep.

Vonda is also asleep, not much else babies do after all.

Jackson makes a low fire, he knows the redwallers will not look for him that is if they truly value the life of the brat, their honor and all that on protecting life will get him what he wants.

Caleb sleeps, again a restless sleep and helps keep the beaver dibbun warm.