Anba Hor Returns (Once More) Loss of a Friend

Characters: Aikuen, Fira, Kentar, Will, Anba_Hor, Psamathe, Arevin, Garnet (spoof)

Location: Moledeep Well, Mossflower Woods

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(Continutation of Reviving Moledeep: Fixing Up the Infirmary and Cleaning Out the Well)

Aikuen doesn't bother yelling back into the Well. He put a paw on the crankshaft, and turns it quickly, shooting the bucket up to the side. He frowns at the muck, and tosses the lot into a nearby bush. He covers his nose at the smell, and lowers the bucket back down, "Here yah go! Though the next load could be a little cleaner please!" he laughs.

Ahh, poor Aik, the humour's falling on deaf ears. Fira can only just about see that he might be saying something if she squints and she can't quite work out what it is. Soon as she sees the bucket coming back down though she dives back under again, start digging up the muck again, try and find the bottom of the well.

Garnet and Kentar have been gone the entire day so far. Up until now of course, and Kentar is the only one to return to the group while Garnet went off for a nap. "Did I miss anything exciting!?" he asks loudly as he arrives at the well.

Aikuen looks to Kentar and waves, "Oi, Kentar! Yah you missed me having a drug freak out. Then we are now just cleaning out the well..." He points down the well, "Fira is down there, cleaning up the mud and stuff... and Will is well..." He points to the sleeping rattling, "Other then that... not much!" he chuckles.

Kentar laughs and nods slowly. "I'm sure I'll see you having a drug freak out sooner or later." he laughs, grinning before peering over the side of the well. "Hey Fira." he calls out before looking over towards Will, chuckling. "Must be tired." he chuckles. "So Aikuen. How are you feeling today?" he asks.

Aikuen snorts, "Besides the fact i cant feel my bottom lip, and I'm slurring my words together because of that... Other then that i feel great!" He laughs, "And you?" He goes back to watching into the well.

Kentar shrugs and smiles. "Doing great. Garnet and I decided when we'd get married." he nods. "So of course I'm great." he nods before eyeing the otter. "You always slur your words together."

Aikuen looks to Kentar and stick his tongue out at him, "I do not! Rude!" He laughs and continues, "Really? So when is the bid day? And am i invited... or do i have to sneak in!" He snorts.

Fira can't hear Kentar's call, she doesn't even know he's there yet. Soon as the bucket's back down again she's loading it up again, finally finds the bottom under thick layer of stuff. Few loose stones too that she gets to work fixing until one rolls out onto her paw. Ow. Nice and silent since she's underwater at the time. She forces the stone back in with her other paw and gives it a kick for good measure.

Kentar smirks and grins before shrugging. "I don't know if we like you enough to invite you to our wedding." he smirks. "You were going to leave me to the fox...do I like you enough now to invite you?" he pauses before grinning and slapping Aikuen on the back good and hard. "Yeah, I guess you can come." he smirks.

Aikuen rubs the spot where he was slapped, "Ow! Ouch matey..." he chuckles lightly, "Thanks mate... but you didn't tell me when... I might be busy that day!" He laughs at that.

Fira picks good times to interrupt "Aik! Another bucket to come up. Might get away with just one or two more, it's not too deep, just gross"

Kentar laughs and grins. "The first day of fall. First snow fall could be too random." He nods. "So yeah. First day of fall. And we're going to go for a walk in the woods tomorrow to see if we can find a place to have the wedding. She really likes the colors of the leaves in the fall so I thought we could get married somewhere where there would be lots of colored leaves." he nods before peering over the edge of the well.

Aikuen goes over and draws the bucket back up, and quickly tossing the mud and rocks away. He lowers it again and yells back, "Okee-Day!" Even though he can guess that she cant see him from here. He laughs and turns back to Kentar, "Sounds good mate! Just don't get lost in the woods! Because I'm sorry to say... but that would be funny!" He chuckles.

Kentar tilts his head some. "Why would it be funny?" he asks, laughing. "Whatever. But I'm dragging you with us." he smirks. "Just for saying I have a bad sense of direction."

Aikuen places his paws on his head, and groans, "Oh no! That's punishment! Please don't 'Force' me to go!" He laughs, "Yah yah mate, ill going wether you like it or not... But if we get lost... I'm gonna laugh anyway!" He goes back to watching the rope.

Fira awaits the bucket again before she's quickly filling it up again. Quite eager to be up again since she has stirred it all up a bit and for all she's sure nothing's broken her paw hurts. She dumps as much as she can in the bucket, over loading it a bit to get the last of the sludge in. A quick last check and she starts to slowly climb back up the rope with the lantern on it.

Kentar grins. "Yeah yeah, but I'll put the blame on you" he grins before yawning and sitting down against the well.

Fira pops up out of the well behind Kentar. Clinging onto the rope, with footpaws on the well wall and good bit of the gunk in her fur, couple of leaves here and there "Hey Kentar"

Kentar looks up and smiles. "Hey Fira. Have fun in the well?" he asks, grinning.

Fira moves round him to get up onto the edge of the well and out, start pulling up the rope again "Funner on the way down. Not quite so nice down there once get the gunk stirred up but worth it for the fall"

Kentar tilts his head and chuckles. "I can tell." he nods before smiling some. "So. How are you today?" he asks slowly standing up and going to help her pull the rope up.

Fira lets him take over the rope, going to pull up the other rope with the bucket on it "Oh same old, same old. Tidying up the place and all. How about you then?"

Kentar nods slowly and keeps pulling up the rope, chuckling a bit. "Been great. My limp is gone, spending time with Garnet...I've never been better." he smiles.

Fira smirks faintly "Lucky. Almost all healed up and better than ever then. Good. Glad to see you're doing better again"

Kentar nods. "Yeah." he smiles, setting the rope fully up and setting it aside. "Doing much better then better."

Fira tosses the contents of the bucket into the bushes before untying the thing from it's rope. It could do with a clean out. She blows out the lantern as well, untying it from the other rope and taking that rope off of the well, coil it up again "About time too, deserve a bit of good luck"

Kentar nods slowly. "Yeah. Finally. After that fox, I feel like i deserve a lot more then good luck. But good luck is fine too." he laughs. "But that's probably just because I'm a stoat. I feel like I'm owed everything." he laughs.

Fira smirks back "I've got news for you. It's not a stoat thing" she gathers up the rope and bucket "Right, I'm popping down the river. Wash this stuff and get this...gunk out of my fur. I'll be back soon. Make sure the lantern gets back inside" pausing long enough to see any response before she's off.

Kentar nods and smirks, laughing. "Alright then. I'll see you later Fira." he smiles. "I'll bring the lantern inside when I go." he nods.

Aikuen comes back after taking Will to the sleeping hall, and is just able to hear what Fira said, "Bye me darling!" But he is still far away.

Fira doesn't catch Aikuen's words but she does spot him just before she leaves "Off to the river, back later. Don't break anything while I'm gone! Breaking includes setting it on fire" may as well cover the basics aaaand she's off.

Aikuen goes to where Kentar is, and frowns, "Set things on fire? And Breaking stuff? Cant help the breaking part, but if i lit something on fire, not my fault!" He watches Fira go, and sighs, "May follow her later..."

Kentar laughs. "Its always your fault." he nods, grinning. "So Aikuen. I've...er...got a question for you I guess."

Aikuen frowns at Kentar, then tilts his head, "Er, a question? Well then i have an answer!" He laughs.

Kentar smiles a bit. "How much to you love Fira?"

Aikuen goes wide eye at the question, "What?... I love her more than anything... I would do anything for her, anything!...If she told me to jump off a cliff, i would do it with a smile on my face... She is my world now... I guess that means, i love her unconditionally...Why do you ask?" he tilts his head at the stoat.

Kentar nods slowly and then thinks. "I was just wondering if you'd go so far as to die to let her continue living?" he asks. "Garnet asked me that and I said yes. I would die for her. But I've never really thought about it."

Aikuen sighs a puts a paw on Kentar's shoulders, "I would die without a second thought, if it saved her... It shows a measure of well how much you care about her... willing to die, is one of the greatest sacrifice." He thinks about it for a minute before saying, "Are you having second thoughts on your answer to Garnet?"

Kentar nods slowly before shaking his head. "What? Of course not. I am not rethinking at all. I'm just. Nervous about all of this I guess."

Aikuen scratches his head, "Good to hear mate! Good to hear!" He laughs and looks to the stoat at the last statement, "... Nervous? What for?"

Kentar sighs. "I got married once before. And I lost her. I don't want to do it again. I tried so hard not to fall in love with Garnet but it happened and now I'm scared I'll have to pay for it again."

Aikuen nods a bit, "I Know what you mean, but as I've told you before; its a chance you have to take, but its worth it... Believe me mate. And its normal to feel scared, but do not dwell on it..." He sighs and looks over to Where Fira went, but not seeing her, he just looks back down again.

Kentar nods and runs his paw through his head fur slowly. "Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to lose her...ever."

Aikuen nods, "Aye... I feel the same way...If she died... i don't think i will be able to handle it like last time..." He closes his eyes and shakes the thoughts from his mind, "Best not think about it..." He sits on his paws, feeling a bit sick now.

Kentar nods slowly. "Yeah. I guess." he smiles. "Garnet and I were going to go for a walk after. You want to come?"

Aikuen sighs, "I don't want to intrude... I know you may want to have some alone time. So you can stop trying to help me feel better" Though he would still like to go.

Kentar laughs a bit with a grin. "You wont be intruding Aikuen. Garnet and I already decided to invite you and Will along, so..." he smiles. "And Fira if she wanted. But I doubt Fira would come after cleaning the well." he chuckles.

Aikuen nods and sighs, "Alright then... just a little one, I still need to talk to Fira. I was gonna ask her this morning, but i fell asleep as we were talking, and never got to it..." He rubs his eyes, and his bottom lip, then it feels like something grabbed him in the chest, "I don't fell so well..." and he leans forward, clutching his stomach.

Kentar's eye widens. "What's wrong?" he quickly stands and goes to the otter, placing his paws on the otter's back and chest. "Are you alright?"

Aikuen shakes his head, and pushes Kentar out of the way, just as he vomits on the ground. He falls on his rump, and breaths irregularly, still clutching his stomach.

Kentar watches and panics. "Aikuen...Are you alright?" he asks, having no idea what to do. "Did you eat or drink anything weird?"

Aikuen go and leans against the well, and wipes a paw across his mouth, "I...I can feel my... my bottom lip again..." he chuckles weakly, "This... has happened before... Just need to rest... Its that damn drug, and me... What we were talking about must have, have set it off... My body is finally dumping it from my system..." He opens his eyes and looks to Kentar, "Please don't tell her, i don't want her to worry..."

Kentar watches Aikuen and sighs. "You'll...be alright...right?" he asks. "I don't want you to die or anything...Just...be okay." he nods.

Aikuen's color is beginning to return to him again, and he smiles, "Ill be fine... Will knows what happened the last time this has happened... As long as i take it easy for a bit, ill be okay... I won't die!" He laughs.

Kentar sighs and nods. "If you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you myself." he smirks. "I guess you wont be coming with us though."

Aikuen sighs, "Fira would do the same thing..." He smiles and stands slowly up, "I'm much better... Just need some water, and ill be right as rain again! I can still go, but it just give me another reason to leave early!" He looks at the sick then back to Kentar, "Eh?... you mind... Shovel..." He points to the shed off in the distance.

Kentar chuckles a bit and goes to help the otter up. "Right. Right." he nods. "Shovel?" he looks at the shed and goes over, returning with the shovel. "Here." he nods. "And yeah, I'll get you the water if you want."

Aikuen smiles, "Yes please get me some water, that would be most helpful... Ill dispose of the... Ahem... yah" He frowns at the sick, and carefully and slowly shovels a small hole next to it, to dispose of it.

Kentar nods and runs off to get some water. "I'll be back in a sec!"

Aikuen nods to the stoat, as he shoves the mess into the new hole, then covers it back up. Then after making sure it was hidden and completely destroyed. He leans the shovel against the well, and sits on the edge, placing his head into his paws.

Kentar comes back with a nice big mug of cold water, handing it to Aikuen. "Here you are."

Aikuen looks up and his eyes have gone red, but he smiles as he takes the mug, "...Thanks mate.." He takes a few sips, and he shakes violently. Then he takes longer drafts till the whole thing is empty, and he places it on the well edge, "Thanks..." He then places his head in his paws again, and remains quiet.

Kentar watches and panics at the shaking. "Aikuen! Are you sure your alright?" he asks. "Maybe I should get Fira or Will..."

Aikuen shakes his head, "Please... no... Don't tell them, i will eventually... I thought it was something that happened before, but now i remember what it was... and now I'm scared..." He rubs his eyes with his palms.

Kentar quickly sits next to the otter and hugs him gently. "Just...be okay."

Aikuen smiles and leans into Kentar, "I'll be fine... as long as Fira doesn't die... I'll be fine" He takes a deep breath, and breathes out slowly, "...I'll be fine..." He rubs a paw across his eyes, and sniffs a bit.

Kentar nods and hugs the otter gently still, resting his head on the otter's shoulder. "She wont die. She's got you. And she's got me too." he nods. "Two captains with a will to keep our friends alive. No beast can ever harm us." he smiles.

Aikuen sighs, "I hope so mate... Because if she dies... I don't think my heart could take it anymore, that's why i felt sick before, i thought about it and my heart skipped a beat... If she actually goes..." He tenses up and shakes violently, "I don't want to think about it..." He wipes away another tear.

Kentar hugs tighter and leans in more against the otter. "Don't worry. She wont...So. You think your well enough to go on that walk?" he asks.

Aikuen stands up and smiles, "Yah just give me a second..." He takes his paw and wipes the streaks from his face, so there is only red eyes that give it away, "I need something to get my mind off of things..."

Kentar nods. "The walk will do it." he smiles standing. "I'll get Garnet. You take your time."

Aikuen says, "I'll put up the shovel... Meet me back here, and we can go..." He takes the shovel and leans on it, "I will take my time... I need too..." He sighs and walks back to the shed.

The stoat leaves and vanishes from sight for a while before returning with Garnet. "We're ready Aikuen. Lets go if your ready." he smiles. "I know the perfect spot to go to!"

Aikuen, who had put up the shovel and had been waiting for them, says, "Oh Aye? I was ready hours ago! Lead on then!" he laughs. He already seems better, as he falls next to the pair.

Kentar laughs and smiles, nodding. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, pa, you know how us son's are." He laughs grinning before sliding his arm around Garnet and walking off.

Aikuen shrugs and walks on after them, "Aye i know how sons are... always late for tea... You young whippersnappers!" He laughs and smiles as he follows along.

Somewhere in Mossflower, near the river:

Kentar Garnet, and Aikuen are walking down the riverbank. Garnet is on the outside, Kentar is on the middle and Aikuen is on the other side. The stoat is smiling and laughing. "So Aikuen. What do you think of us? Me and Garnet I mean?"

The fox has taken a break from things and decided to leave that pesky badger shackled back at the den. He tracks along with the other beasts whom he has grown familiar over many recent, fond experiences. He decides to play with their minds a bit and loudly /stamps/ through the overgrowth, /exactly/ in time with the otter's pace...

Aikuen shrugs and shoves the stoat, "Your an awful looking couple... makes me eyes hurt just looking at yah..." He laughs, "I think you guys are great... You guys..." He holds his paws out in front and claps them together, "You complete each other..." he laughs.

Kentar watches the otter and grins. "You love us...admit it." he laughs and grins widely, shoving the otter back. He doesn't hear stomp and in fact, wouldn't care if he did.

Aikuen fakes being thrown off balance from the shove and laughs, "Whoa! Almost fell into the trees! Then id be lost forever!" He then walks backwards to get a good view of the pair, "I will admit nothing! Cause, i have too love yah, my son of mine!" He stops and looks down. Thought he heard a twig snap, and he caused it. Looking around he doesn't see twigs, and scratches his head.

Anba_Hor comes out of hiding, quicker than anything those in witness would be accustomed to seeing, and wraps his arms around Garnet. His paw is holding a kerchief which he quickly puts over her mouth - when she gasps in surprise, the agent is quickly inhaled and knocks her out. He drags her as if she were weightless, back into the trees not a second after the first surprised sound from Garnet.

Kentar Grins. "Maybe its better." he smirks before stopping, tilting his head. "Hearing things old ottah?" he asks, grinning. "Come on. Lets just..." he stops as he hears Garnet, looking around to see her being dragged off...by Anba. "GARNET!" he draws his rapier and takes off, faster then he's moved before, dashing after them.

Aikuen looks up from the ground and hears and sees Kentar. Instinctively he draws his own sword, and makes after them. He still has a splint on his lower leg, and it hinders him, but he can still move like the wind.

Anba_Hor quickly deposits the stoatmaid in a shallow hole underneath a log, /well/-hidden by foliage. The perfect hiding place, picked out before making his move... he proceeds to run off in the opposite direction, double back and wait for the other two to stop running...

Kentar screams. "GARNET! WHERE ARE YOU! GAAAARNET!" he cries out. But then realization sinks in. He doesn't stop running until he trips up over a branch on the ground, sending him face first onto the ground, sword thrown in front of him. "Garnet...no..." his paw thumps the ground. "Garnet! No!" he starts to cry.

Aikuen gets to Kentar, and quite forcibly helps him up, "Get up you! Your not gonna save her that way! Speed is what we need... Not crying dibbuns... We can still save her!" He goes over to the fallen sword and forces the hilt into his paw, "Move mate! The tracks are still visible!" He points to the ground where, light prints can be seen.

Somewhere in the nearby woods, twigs snap and brush rustles--somebody is unwittingly approaching. It could be anything at this time of the night, and a keen ear could easily pick up the disturbance. As the commotion echoes through the trees, the movement abruptly stops. A faint silhouette might even be spied ducking behind the first available tree trunk; or the glimmer of two curious canine eyes in the moonlight.

Anba_Hor's attention is briefly taken off of the two pursuers in favor of the new sound... he hears snapping and rustling and his ears point towards the sounds - silently and carefully, he makes his way towards it, creeping low...

Kentar takes the sword and stands, wiping his eye. Something clicks now as he shoots the otter a piercing glare. "I will find that fox, and make him wish he had killed me when he had the chance." he growls before taking off in the direction of the tracks.

Psamathe crouches lower, narrowing her eyes at the figure coming toward her. She is currently weighed down--a large pack is slung over her shoulder, containing something quite heavy. While unarmed, the fox prepares to swing the large bagged object if necessary; she situates her feet in a 'lunge-able' position.

Aikuen is fired up by Kentars growl and speed. He pulls out his dagger in the other paw, and licks the blade. He laughs evilly as he quickly follows the stoat.

Anba_Hor, dangerously, forgets about the otter and stoat and closes his eyes - since he always paints over his tattoos in situations such as these, the fox becomes /aaalmost/ completely invisible. Yet he creeps closer to the vixen.

Psamathe is poised as she scans the visible trees for the location of the nigh-invisible invade; one hand digs at the dirt, the other readjusts its grip on the pack .. her toes flex. Sliding her tongue over her teeth, as she is given to do when uneasy, the fox throws caution to the wind and spits, ".. stop there!" at the unknown foe. ".. Come any closer 'n yer gonna' getta' clockin' like ye' ain't had since ye' was a wee chil'!," she barks.

Kentar stops dead in his tracks, the stoat almost falling forward by momentum. He quickly holds up a paw to the otter, trying to stop him. Being a captain, he does have ears like a hawk. Only his aren't as good anymore. But that voice he hears. The stoat tosses himself into the bushes, vanishing from sight.

Anba_Hor grins. Now he hears where Kentar is and makes a note of it... but he keeps going after the vixen, circling around and painstakingly avoiding /every/ leaf and /every/ twig... slooowly. Where is he even coming from?

Aikuen stops abruptly and snarls a bit, but seeing as he is following the stoat, he crouches low, and looks all around him. Any change in the environment can alert this well trained scout. He is completely out in the open as he takes his bearings. He smiles again and slowly stalks forward. He heard it, the rustle of the trees gave it away.

Psamathe is looking frantically from left to right, ears swivelling as fast as her eyes are darting about. ".. show yerself, y' git!"

Anba_Hor is behind the vixen, and out of nowhere lunges and goes to drag the female down by her heavy packs, using them to /his/ advantage... He whispers, out of range to the others, "Not so fast, now, don't make a sound or they'll kill you... trust me, please." His voice has just the right hint of anxiety and desperation - should she believe him?

Kentar hear's the fox move and moves quietly himself now. He heads towards both foxes, blade being held to his side, slowing down as he nears them.

A canine howl shatters the remaining tranquility of the surrounding woods. Psamathe is dragged violently down--Anba's whisper came too late to stifle her instinctive shriek. She struggles for the first few seconds, then pauses and gives Anba a hard blink as she tries to decipher him in the faint moonlight. ".. er--wha' .. who'?" the vixen stammers, and tries to roll off her back and regain some kind of aggressive composure. Anba doesn't seem to immediately want to harm her, so she shifts her attention to the other figures .. they're just barely visible at this point.

Aikuen hears the yell and makes a minor adjustment in his path... should this work, he will walk right behind the yeller. He grips both blades tightly as he continues to stalk forward, using the shrubbery as cover as much as he can.

Anba_Hor sees Kentar and immediately draws a dagger, whispering again, "Stay behind me, okay? Don't mind what I say, I'm lying to the stoat so he won't hurt us..." He stands in front of the vixen before Kentar can see them, hiding her in his shadow and the darkness of night, "Not so fast... I have your pretty little lass here, not a step closer or she'll get it! Be careful what you do, stoat..."

Kentar growls and jumps upon where they were. "I do not care if you kill us both fox! I will send you to the dark forest where the souls of all you've murdered will be at peace now that you join them!" he growls, aiming his blade for them and launching himself at Anba. He honestly doesn't care if he and Garnet both die, as long as that fox is out of the picture.

Anba_Hor doesn't expect this from the stoat - no matter, she's safely hidden anyway. He eagerly awaits contact with the stoat and draws two daggers, one to parry the stoat's blade, the other to stick in the stoat. "Come and get it, friend... you were lucky to get away..." He collapses his frame underneath the jumping creature, getting under him so Kentar will overshoot.

Hiding behind Anba is more difficult than it might seem--especially if you are toting around a giant rock in a bag. Parting with her treasure is *not* an option for Psamathe. The fox is as resourceful as any other scum, though; when Anba drops to the ground, Kentar is headed straight for her. She uses the momentum of the heavy object to swing herself around and, with any luck, clobber the stoat--or unfortunate Anba, if he happens to be within its trajectory. The attack is desperate and wild.

Aikuen hears the sounds of battle, and he no longer hides behind the trees, as he makes straight for the noise. He reaches the area, and is about to attack, but he stops as he see Kentar has already started, and this otter could kill him by accident. So instead he points at blade at Psamathes neck, "We will have nor more of that!" He snarls at the attack she did.

Anba_Hor quickly turns around and blocks the subsequent thrust from the stoat, and has no intention of getting into any sort of advanced paw-to-paw combat with this creature. He'll save it for that fox who reportedly is Champion... Anba sees the pack coming straight for him and quickly stows his blades, catching the pack and missing not a single beat as he uses the momentum of the throw to swing it towards the stoat... the 20 or 30 pounds isn't as much for him, and he's rather agile with it...

The momentum of the statue causes the skinny fox to lose her footing--just after Anba snatches it from her. Psamathe stumbles and hits the dirt. ".. yach! I ain' no partta' this!" she screams at the new creature or, more specifically, she yells at the sword pointing at her neck. "Ah'm just lookin' fer toads!" Nobody asked what she was doing milling around in the woods at this hour, but Psamathe hopes the alibi will save her from certain otter-inflicted death. ".. oi! Watcherself withat', todtod!" she hollers at Anba, now that the 'treasure' is no longer in her possession. ".. it'sa valuable!"

Kentar uses the fact that Anba has his arms full to attack. This time, he's launching himself at the fox, aiming his blade for the fox's neck. "I Will have revenge for everything you've done to me!" He growls!

Anba_Hor thinks it's his luckiest day yet - he's about to brain this stupid stoat with something 'valuable' now in his possession, and he has a new beast to bargain with. Besides, the vixen isn't a bad-looking one... all these go to the back of his head, as the stoat comes at him... though the heavy, broad-sided object being swung would make even a sword parry virtually useless... the fox is swinging the thing everywhere, up, down, left, and right...

Aikuen pokes her in the neck a little harder, he growls, "You with this Fox? No? Then stop cheering him on... and you better hope he wins... Or that treasure will be the least of your troubles" he laughs and turns back to the battle, grimacing and snarling, He yells, "Kill Him Kentar... Make him suffer! MAKE HIM DIE!"

Kentar doesn't have his armor weighing him down, the stoat avoiding the slowish moving object and aiming his short sword right for Anba's ribs, focusing as he attempts to hurt that fox as much as he can.

Psamathe gulps at the otter, but narrows her eyes--pretending to not acknowledge her situation. ".. ah'm lookin' fer *toads*, not fights 'r foxes 'r oilbacks," she says, mouth developing a soft sneer. She shifts her focus to Anba and the stoat, blinking and attempting to take in the situation. ".. yer all *mad*," she snorts.

Anba_Hor avoids most of this, although the ribs would probably be the worst place to be putting the sword, as the huge object is frequently crossing in front of him, in the way of the sword... the fox gives one hugely energetic heave /down/ on where he predicts the sword would be going next, to try and knock it out of his paws! "Give.... arrrrghhh up!! You can't beat meeeee!"

Meanwhile, a faint rustle is heard in the distance... the shrouded form of a vixen, familiar to some, combs her way through the wildnerness. She takes sight of the gathering and lowers herself, crouching... watching with apprehension.

Kentar knows he wont get that sword in Anba any time soon where he wanted, so he moves his paw quickly out of the range of the swinging toad. It makes contact with his other wrist though and there's a bit of a crunch but there's no reaction from the stoat, his eye full of anger as he attempts to redirect his sword towards the fox's chest, trying to drive it into his heart if he can. Or somewhere close to it.

Aikuen loosens the poking on her neck and gives it a nudge in direction of the forest, "Then go, leave...RUN!... Before my blade spills blood again..." He gives a toothy grin, this otter means business.

Anba_Hor is stabbed! But due to the stoat being injured in the wrist, it isn't deep, nor is it directly in the heart... the fox takes a hit just below the collar, and staggers back. Against his better judgment he /heaves/ the whole object towards the stoat, falling backward on his paws and feet from the inertia of the throw. "Aarrrrrghhh!!!!" Right for the stoat's head. No sword would stop it, that's for sure. A stoat's skull /might/?

Psamathe scoots herself away from the ensuing battle as much as possible, without angering Aik or giving any sort of indication that she intends to join in. She doesn't, after all; this whole scene was completely unexpected. Adrenaline is pumping now, though--other thoughts begin to play her mind, manifesting in her features as a toothy grin. She raises two disarming paws and rises to her feet, trotting backward. She can't run now; Anba has her statue.

Kentar sees that thing flying towards him. He manages to get his head out of the way but it doesn't get stopped from hitting his left shoulder, an extremely loud crack and a yelp. He keeps his paw on the hilt of his short sword though and gives it a slight twist. His vision starts to fade and he sounds like he's slowly about to pass out but he keeps his paw firmly on the blade and gets his face right into Anba's. "Tell me what you've done to Garnet, and I'll make your death quick fox...." he says doing his best to stay awake.

Arevin lets out a sharp gasp as she witnesses the battle. Her reaction is mixed as she watches the fox get stabbed and hurl the toad-thing; she stays put, ears tilting forward with great interest. She quietly hopes he doesn't come "home" with a sour mood due to these circumstances.

Aikuen has forgotten all about Psamathe, he yells at the hit to the stoat, "Kill him... Kill him now! Or ill finish the job!" He grips his blades tighter and takes a step forward.

At such a close range, the fox simply grabs Kentar and pulls him closer, baring his teeth and chuckling in a low growl that would vibrate in the stoat's skull, "You'll do nothing of the sort... you'll die before she does, but she'll die too, I guarantee it." He shoves the stoat off of him and pulls out his daggers, all but one - five in both paws.

Meanwhile, because the others look occupied enough, Psamathe is edging ever closer to her prized toad. She stoops to pick up rocks occasionally, stashing them in the crook of her arm--possible ammo if things get ugly. It's the best she can do at this point. If nothing else, she needs to get on Anba's 'good side,' and backing him up if the situation turns foul could be a good means .. even if she just distracts the stoat and otter with a few loose stones.

Arevin steps closer to get a better look, flitting her malnourished body next to a tree. She turns her head to peek out from behind it, her acute eyes taking in every movement.

Kentar growls. Then with a bit of a grunt, the dagger that was sticking between his ribs is yanked out and driven into Anba's side. "A coward dies a thousand times...a warrior dies only once...remember that...coward..." he says before he's pushed off. He stumbles a few steps back, and unfortunately there was a hill right behind him that he tumbles down. And after a few moments of rolling and bouncing, there's a loud splash as he hits the river.

Aikuen yells, thinking that the stoat, his best friend, is dead now. He charges the fox, and tackles him around the middle, yelling "YOU WILL DIE! NOW!"

Anba_Hor grunts as the dagger goes in, just below the ribs, winding him. He goes into panic mode and comes at the stoat, swinging all five blades in at close proximity to the stoat's face, hoping take his other eye, his throat, /anything/. He struggles to breathe but that makes him even more of an angry animal, slicing and ignoring the sword completely, totally on the offense.

One down .. one to go. Psamathe begins hurling her armful of rocks at the otter, one by one. ".. yer pally's dead! Yeah! Lookslike' the foxes is on toppa' the game now, oilback!" she shouts to Aikuen. She doesn't expect the pebble onslaught to really hurt the otter much; hopefully, it will distract him enough for Anba to dive in, though. ".. dead stoats - mm! 'ey, foxtod! Let's go getthe' body 'n cookim' up fer a victory feast!" Now she is just antagonizing him. )

Anba_Hor sees that Kentar is gone, and the otter makes contact with him as he goes down /yet again/. This is getting old! He oofs! and goes down, rolling in the dirt with the otter, stabbing where he can at the otter while the air is being further crushed out of him!

Arevin clutches the handle of her dagger nervously, a snarl encircling her lips. She's not sure if she should bolt now, or stay if she could help... most likely, the former, considering Arevin's lackluster career in battle.

Aikuen takes most of the rocks, but he is keeping all his focus on that Fox, keeping him pin down to the ground "Val... How much do i have to tell you... GET A BIGGER BLADE!" Ha laughs evilly as he brings his own dagger into his chest. The foxes daggers, like last time, are ignored.

Anba_Hor now scoops up piles of dirt and thrusts them into Aikuen's eyes, rubbing them /in/ and hoping his reflexes are good... if not, well, Anba Hor will certainly have at least one... or one and a half more options... The fox throws the daggers towards the vixens and keeps his body close to the dagger, flat between both of them, so that it can't be used against him...

Psamathe has made it to the statue. She drops the remaining rocks and snatches up her toad. A brief minute passes as she watches the otter roll around with Anba--she considers whether or not to help out her fellow fox. After all .. he didn't slit her throat on sight; he gets points for that. She inhales sharply and decides to do the 'righteous' thing. While Aikuen is busy stabbing away and getting smeared with dirt, the vixen runs foward and smashes the giant stone downward at the otter's head. ".. take that ye' smelly ole' oily rat!"

Aikuen yelps as the dirt is shoved into his eyes, and he instinctively uses his other paw to wipe out the dirt with the back of it. He is momentary blinded and the the statue crashes on his head. He immediately sees stars and falls back, but she doesn't know this otter very well, and he tries to scramble back up, but falls back. the world is till spinning to him. Blood trickles down the left side of his face.

As Arevin senses that the otter's threat has been reduced somewhat, she twists around the tree until she can creep forwards some more. By now, her presence should be more apparent to the others.

Psamathe looks almost shocked that her attack worked for once. Her eyes widen as she waits for the reaction--the reaction that comes after Aikuen clears his head at least. ".. sees what 'appens when ye' mess wi' the fox--" she stops abruptly, becoming aware of another presence. Her ears and attention switch to Arevin. ".. more o' ye', eh?" Her confidence is bolstered from the successful smash. "C'mere 'n get yers, y' twit!"

Anba_Hor stops the other vixen, catching his breath, "She's... with....... with me... we should get out of here, someplace safe." He staggers around, "Do you.... either... -f you have... bandages....?" He thinks about the stoatmaid - she'll be out for another few hours, he'll come back later to collect her. "Told... told you to wait..." is the only thing he says to Arevin.

Arevin brandishes her sorry-looking dagger, the edges blunt from seasons of multi-purpose use. She swipes the air with it. "C'n I play?" she says, smiling nervously at Anba Hor. Upon his remark, she sheathes it inside her pouch and mutters, "Just thought ye wanted sum help..." Right. The vixen rips open her haversack and produces several stained, unkempt rags. Rev shoves them towards Anba. "'Ere, ye wanted bandages?"

Arevin glances quickly at Psamathe, but does not directly acknowledge her. However, there's a slight tinge of guilt on her face for a fleeting moment.

Psamathe nods briefly at Anba, breathing heavily and letting down her guard as the new fox is a friend. ".. aye--bandges and escapin' is what we should be thinkin' of," she tells her canine brethren, ogling the clobbered otter. ".. he'll be 'is ole fearsome self again soon."

Aikuen has got enough time to recover. The otter blinks a few times as the now watering eyes, have flushed out the dirt. He is breathing heavily, and places a paw on his open wound on his head. Felling blood, he curses very colorful profanities to the Fox, as he walks forward, egging him on at the mid fight heal, "Fight... Fight me... Dammint, Fight! I'm here... I bleed, FIGHT!" He uses this chance to attack the still mostly fuzzy form of the fox.

"Shut yer yapper!" Rev barks, glaring at Aikuen. Her ears fold back at all the noise he makes, like she's enduring a splitting headache.

Anba_Hor takes them and nods, wrapping them around his middle - decidedly unfashionable, but they do the trick. He has things at home which would heal him thrice as fast as without them... until then, these'll do just fine. "That one... I can't... understand..." He pants and staggers along with the two, "No fear of death..." He whirls around, and is finally /pissed/ off. He leaps at the otter, with a single dagger from his belt, hoping to stick the thing right in his fat, furry face! "Shut uuuuup!!"

Arevin suppresses a smirk at Anba Hor's rag getup. She becomes enthralled by all the excitement and aims a kick square at the otter, but her clumsy limb misses him by a fair distance. The vixen composes herself, acting as if nothing happened; she starts to egg the tod on with loud jeers.

Psamathe croaks as Anba lunges at the otter again. ".. c'mon, toddy!" she yelps at him, ".. yer a mess--we should be makin 'ourself scarce .." Her rambling trails off as, for the first time, the vixen gets a good look at Arevin. There is a distinct slackening of her jaw; Psamathe's eyes almost bug out of her head. But she plays it cool; it's been a while, and she's scummier than ever .. perhaps hardly recognizable anymore. She keeps quiet and gathers up her toad, as well as a few of Anba's stray daggers, and trots to the outskirts of the area. She waits for the others to pursue.

Aikuen laughs, this is just what he wanted, He brings his sword paw horizontal, and using it as a brass knuckle. He waits till he gets a clear shot to the Foxes face, with a WHAM! But he takes the dagger in the shoulder anyway. He steps back, and misses the kick, and pulls out the blade and screams, pulling out along with a hunk of flesh with it. He is now visibly shaken as he tosses the blade into the bushes. With his still good paw, he wipes the flop sweat that is now collecting on him, But he maintains his ground, breathing heavily.

Anba_Hor flies off to the side as the otter fist hits its mark, with a loud, *thud* accompanying... the tod rolls on the ground, the pain in his face raging - yet he is too mad to stop now. He goes to get the statue from Psamathe again, asking this time for it politely. Going back over to the otter, he swings it towards the otter, hoping to smash him to a pulp!! He swings it right at his paws first...

Arevin follows Psamathe's path to safety, deciding it would be best for the two to work out their problems on their own. She ambles behind the fellow vixen by several paces, unsure if she should formally greet her... Finally, Rev gives a half-smile, but it fades quickly when she peers at the entangled duo. She waits, anxiously watching the match once again.

Psamathe is hesitant to give up her prize yet again, but she relents. As Arevin joins her, the skinny fox returns the lop-sided smile; she pokes out her tongue a little bit and snickers. ".. what's become of us, ole' pal?" she asks the other vixen, giving her an elbow-nudge to the ribs. Then her attention returns to the otter and the tod. She is becoming impatient; they should exit while they have the advantage, in her mind.

Aikuen sees the stone coming at him and he quickly sheaths both blades and stops the whole thing in his paws. There is a loud crack as he left wrist shatters, and he screams again, but with pain or no pain he tries to twits if out the foxes paw. He is getting very tired, and is breathing heavily, almost gasping for air, but he holds to the stone twitching it from side to side.

Anba_Hor pulls it right out of his grasp and goes to swing, again and again if necessary! The fox goes into a power frenzy with the object, both because of its value and its stopping force - he sniggers with delight at the sounds it makes on contact with the otter's paws, wanting to hear something /wet/ or /crunchy/ next...

Arevin shakily giggles in return to Psamathe, throwing a friendly, soft punch on her shoulder. "Ne'er thought I'd see ya again," she murmurs, her voice low and gravelly. She scrutinizes the vixen's ragged appearance, wondering where the seasons have gone. Then, she waves her arms at the foes, crying out: "Yea! Ye hit 'im wit that... thing!" She cackles maniacally at the gruesome sounds of crushed bones.

Aikuen is now having a hard time trying to remain consciences, due to blood loss and pain all over his body. When the stone is wretched from his grasps, he uses what's left of him to dodge the swings, giving him time to come up with a plan. When a plan does pop in his head, he curses his thinking, but cant think of anything else. He waits till the fox makes another swing, and makes a jab at his face with his unbroken paw. Wether he made contact or not, is was done to give him enough time to turn his rudder, and head for the woods, but he manages to yell back, voice thrown against the trees "Don't sleep fox... I'm coming for you..." then there is silence.

".. 'y kin find all kinds of treasures innese' woods, I 'spose," Psamathe tells Arevin, wiggling a pointed eyebrow at the other vixen. Like her chum, she returns attention to the on-going brawl. ".. make 'im a pulp!" she goads Anba on; ".. mush 'im up! Let 'im feel the brutalish horror of toadin'!" Her tail wags a little--now that she's out of the line of fire, it's time to sit back and enjoy the show. ".. makim' pick the moss outta' 'is remainin' teeth fer weeks!" The fox quiets down as the otter turns tail and books it. ".. slimy ole' riverdog .. 'eaded back to 'is watery dive! I hopeya' sink right t' the bottom!" she yells after Aikuen.

The otter's punch /does/ make contact, and it's just enough to stun the fox to stop his onslaught and stare at the retreating otter. He's too tired to say anything to his back, and it wouldn't be worth it anyway. He turns and smiles his bruised and beaten face at the two vixens, holding up the pack, "This thing is... quite effective..." He chuckles and pants, and walks in the opposite direction of the otter with them.

Crickets chirp as the loud foxes retreat.

Somewhere in Mossflower:

Aikuen can no longer run, and falls against a tree. He tires to control his breathing, but cant and coughs up blood. He leans back and instantly passes out from the pain, and from the tears; for the loss of Kentar and his inability to Avenge him.