Ambush!

---In the woods right off of the dirt road---

Zork seems glad of a little fresh air, having worked a lot on the forge he decided to escort his otter friend to Ferravale and back.

Streamheart walks along “I want a nice dress, not too plain but not too fancy, somewhere in between sound nice Zork? For me and Lee’s Wedding ?”

Zork shrugs as they walk along the path, “I don’t know, you be de female not me”

Streamheart shakes her head as she smiles, “Fine silly, let’s just get there by lunch, so I can look and be back at the abbey by dinnertime”

Zork sings a happy little tune and skips along, “ De birds and de grass and leaves all around, all around all around” He grins as he sings along. He glances at the otter maid.

Streamheart chuckles as she listens to the badger sing, she smiles and looks at all the colored leaves, "Fall is so pretty. I love all the colors it’s my fav time of the seasons"

Unknown to both they are being watched from the trees as they walk and they are being followed.

Zork shrugs, "It’s good ta be happy lass, we could rest 'ere maybe if ya wants, but not long lass, could be bad idea"

Streamheart smiles as she collects colored leaves "It’s fine, any danger is gone and its daylight still, life shouldn’t be full of worry all the time, not healthy" She finds a stone that’s all white and smiles, "Sides..needed some relaxing, working non-stop on forge or sleeping, you need a break"

Zork shrugs, "I suppose lass" He looks around every so often and back to her, "So we get ta Ferravale, find this dress maker and chat, then head back, you did let Lee know ya left, right lass?"

Streamheart frowns "Lee was asleep, but its ok I can even bring back some hot root and maybe some shrimps from the stream, some watercress...it be good, I can’t wait to get married to Lee"

Seth watches them as they chat and walk around, he selects one of his black feathered knock out arrows and pulls back, he decides to aim at the otter first, the after its fired he quickly gets one notched and aimed, fired at the badger.

Streamheart collects some shrimp and places them with a little water into the container she has and smiles again, she stands and feels the arrow hit her shoulder blade, she tenses up and sways a little.."Zork.." she then falls forwards.

Zork rushes forwards and catches her, "What the seasons." He growls as an arrow hits him in the upper arm, he gently lays her down and feels for a pulse, he sighs in relief as she has one and rips out the arrow, he grabs his blade and scans the area, "Show..ya self!"

Seth frowns and fires a third arrow, knock out, at the badger, "Darn strip dog..." He then drops down, not wishing to use a poison arrow just yet, he draws his blade, nothing is on it it’s just a normal blade.

Streamheart is layed down on the ground and in a deep sleep as the knockout stuff takes effect quickly on her.

Zork doesn’t feel the effects right away, another arrow hits him in the other arm and he just then starts to get a little off balance, he sees Seth and angles his sword, he then goes in for a charge and slice

Seth smirks as he sidesteps and slices at the badger, knowing he will soon fall, "Yeah battle me strip dog! Let de knockout stuff race through ya faster!" He laughs coldly.

Zork growls as his arm is sliced some, blood drips from the slash wound, he angles the blade but feels it getting heavy now.."Will stop you rat scum"

Seth grins and pulls out some crumbled herbs from a pack and blows them at the badger, they are hops...for sleeping, he smiles coldly "Take a nap, I have plans for the lass but not you yet"

Streamheart lays where she was layed, still deeply asleep

Zork coughs and gags as the powder goes into his nose and mouth, he spits some out but not all of it and sneezes some more out, he finally has less strength to hold up the sword and trips over some tress roots he normally would avoid.

Seth backs up and smirks, "Feeling weak and sleepy stripe dog?" He chuckles coldly, "Foolish stripe dog.." He rushes forwards and does a kick to the face if he can.

Zork sees the kick and doesn’t have time to avoid it, it makes the end of his snout leak blood as he snarls weakly, he tries to get up and falls onto his face as his visions starts to swirl around him, he groans as he tries to keep his eyes open.

Seth chuckles more, "Just give up stripe dog, oh How I could slay you now, but what’s the fun when there no challenge, I mean walk up and slit your throat, no I WANT a fight, hee hee....but before you go off to the land of unconsciousness.." He gets closer, "Tell Lee I have his maid and if he wants to see her again, he meets me on the dirt road, one south of the black gull...got it?"

Zork does hear what is said and glares weakly, "You...you won’t..get away..that..easy.."He tries to push himself up but the combination of herbs to the face and the two arrows finally take him over and he loses the fight of staying awake and slips into an unwanted deep sleep.

Seth smirks, he walks over and bends down, gets the otter maid and walks off to his temporary den deeper down a path, a cold chuckle is heard.

---

Road----

A dark figure appears on the horizon and gradually makes its way into the center of view, striding purposefully along the road, a longbow in a quiver over its back and knifes sheathed on the legs.

Zork stumbles out of the woods and about falls flat on his face, it seems to take a lot to get him to fully get the effect of the knock out darts and whatever the powder was, he coughs as he was unconscious for maybe half an hour and decided to try and get back without getting fully back to feeling right, he groans and holds his head, his own blade at his side, wise?. Maybe not but he knows he can’t even lift it well right now, he finally leans on a tree and frowns, vision finally less blurry.

That badger on the road ahead seems familiar. Darkwatcher, for it is he, sprints along the road to the inert creature's side and crouches beside Zork. "Are you alright?" he asks in a low, gruff voice. "Where are you injured? Any bleeding?" As an afterthought, he adds, "Can you speak? Blink if you can hear me and can't."

Zork at first reaches for the blade then figures out who it is, well by the voice, his visions focuses as the effects of the arrows are still in his system, "S...Some sort...arrow..went unconscious" He is semi-awake, his arm has a slice wound from a blade, luckily a normal one, he takes a few deep breaths, "H..has her"

"Who, what, where and when?" Darkwatcher barks. "Tell me now!" Already he is pulling a pouch off where it hangs on his belt, and attending to the wounds quickly.

Zork has the points where the arrows hit on his upper arm and left shoulder blade, the cut close to the one arm wound, he frowns, he can’t speak to well right now, stupid stuff, he coughs as he finally speaks, "Seth....took..her.." He frowns "Took s..Streamheart"

"Seth...wasn't he Marek's lackey?" Darkwatcher wonders aloud. "Dethwing told me he saw him go into the river...Interesting. Where'd he take her, then? Whoever this Streamheart is?"

Zork fights the urge to go unconscious again,.."I..yeah.." He shakes his head, "Wokin'...lone..seemsss..." He frowns as his eyes starts to close, he can’t say a lot but he can mention who else knows the otter lass.."L..Lee" And he blacks out.

Taking note of all the afflicted badger says, Darkwatcher waits a moment and utters a harsh call. Dethwing descends onto his outstretched paw and listens to his instructions, then takes off for Redwall. There's no way Darkwatcher can carry Zork on his own.

An hour or so passes.

Lee comes running up, sword drawn, and halts when he sees Zork.

Zork semi- conscious now and groans, his arm bandaged now and his shoulder has what looks like an arrow wound, the one on his arm covered up as a sword cut was there too, he groans still a little weak and has yet to start to open his eyes, but he is most likely going to be waking up soom from the effects of knock out darts and herbs.

Darkwatcher, crouching by Zork still, grunts as his legs are stiff as he stands up. He raises a paw in silent greeting, hailing Lee.

Dethwing swoops down meanwhile and the large crow lands next to his partner.

Another figure, then two, then three, then four, come running down the road. The second figure to appear is DoraRose, and she kneels beside the badger when the small party reaches him and his fellow travelers. "What happened?" she asks, frowning slightly as the lack of injuries becomes apparent.

Lee looks at the stranger, then at Zork. "Who would ye be?" he asks the stranger, "An' wot 'appened ta Zork?"

Zork eyes slowly open as he hears Lee, he groans as those herbs and knockout stuff still affects him so, "S..Seth" He gets out as he slowly starts to wake up.

"Who I am doesn't matter," Darkwatcher says darkly. "Zork was ambushed by some beast called Seth. And who would you be? Wouldn't ask, but y'see, Zork here mentioned two things: Some beast named Lee, and the fact that Seth took some beast called Streamheart with 'im."

Lee frowns, but maintains a carefully controlled level voice. "Did...Did ye say Seth 'as Stream'eart? Tell me, did Zork say anymore?"

DoraRose glances up, then sits back on her heels and watches the group. The guards are on alert, but look nervous for some reason. They must be new.

"Bloody rookies," Darkwatcher mutters, and Dethwing bobs his feathery head in agreement. "No, he didn't say anything else, Lee...I assume you're Lee?"*mutters, casting an eye over the guards.

Lee nods grimly. "Yer assumption be right. Do ye know about 'ow long it's been? Ev'ry minute counts, that rat be evil, an' 'e has me fianc..."

DoraRose stands and brushes off her skirts. She has her sword at her side, in its sheath. "Streamheart? Why would some beast...this Seth creature--why would he want to kidnap Streamheart?"

"Dunno," Darkwatcher says, tossing one throwing knife from one paw to the other again and again idly. "He worked with Marek; at least that's what Dethwing said."

Zork coughs as he tries to sit up, he is helped up and frowns, "Knock out...darts..some sort powder too...hit Streamheart with dart too"

Lee sighs. "He did it because o' me, but I don’t know how 'e knew 'bout Stream'eart...some beast musta told 'im..."

Zork frowns, "Seth..m..many of overheard us talking in the woods..he also said he" He clears his throat, "Said..if Lee wanted ta see de lass again, some bout...meetin' south of de gull tamorrow." He allows the couple guards to help him stand and holds his arm."

Darkwatcher tucks the knife away, takes out his daggers, twirls them, and sheathes them deftly. "Nothing for it then. We'll jump him. 'Cos I'm bored."

Lee frowns again. "He's as good as dead..." The otter is not his pleasant self. "We'll jump 'im, aye, but *I* kill 'im...this be personal. He lays one paw on 'er... I'll make 'im wish 'e were never born..."

"I get to slap 'im around a bit, though," Darkwatcher says, almost jovially. "Been a while since we've taken any beast out, eh Dethy?" "Don't call me Dethy," Dethwing croaks darkly.

DoraRose nods, her face dark as well. "I understand. Completely. Don't worry, I will do everything in my power to make sure you get the kill. But the questions are; what's this Seth got against you, and /where/ is he? Where could he have taken her?" The guards are still on the alert, but look a little less nervous now.

Lee shrugs. "Per'aps 'e holds losin' Cera against me...I talked 'er away from 'im, an' she were lissenin'.

Zork frowns "No clue..everything went black, woke up and he was gone..got a little ways outta the woods and..bumped inta de fox and..passed out, woke and seen all of ya all...my head hurts and fill all...sick"

Darkwatcher stretches and yawns. "Well'p, another mad beast on the run. What else is new?" He rolls his eyes.

DoraRose is thinking, slowly and carefully. "Do we know who Seth is or was? I'm sorry, but no beast keeps me in the loop, and I don't listen to gossip, so I kind of have no idea what's going on."

Zork nods, "Seth be a rat..assassin, poisoner, archer..."He stops there as yeah he is ill, a guard frowns at this and the other "We should get him to the abbey infirm to umm...Master Leon or some other healer on duty"

Lee says, "Seth be evil"

Darkwatcher checks his equipment and stalks off without so much as a word of goodbye, Dethwing flapping off behind him.

Lee watches the stranger go.

DoraRose nods and waves the rest of the guards back to the Abbey. "Let's go home. C'mon, Lee. We need a plan to find Streamheart."  Lee nods. "Yes..." He grips his sword tightly .

DoraRose nods and leads the way back to Redwall. Why do these nutjobs always have to be kidnapping people?! Seriously...

Zork gets back to the abbey, with the guards , Dorarose and Lee.