Arundal Finale

Taking place right after Arundal Reunion Interrupted a final duel commences between Rorgan and Henri. The out come may very well decide the fate of Arundal...

The elderly otter moves his head out of the way in time to get a scratch across his cheek. He kicks at Rorgan and leaps backward trying to get his distance. The otter might be younger but Henri has a life time of experience at survival and longer reach with his saber which he uses with the fluidity of a beast versed in its usage.

Inside the house Byron grits his teeth. His meal ticket is getting pummeled. Finely the fox tilts his head for his deputies to go help the shrew out, "Alright, get off of him." The fox shouts. The shrew whimpers and cries as he is punched in the face.

Rorgan quickly jumps back out of the way of the kick, but instantly moves closer to Henri, knowing he would have the advantage only if he was too close to the otter for him to use his saber. His dagger once again comes slashing at Henri in a sideways cut. Inside, Derrin stands off the whimpering shrew, turning to face the deputies sent at him, and his fists come up, ready to break more than a few bones. "Trust me when I tell you, you don't want t' do this Byron." He says warningly.

Byron rubs the back of his neck and sighs, "Listen mate, I can't just let you beat up the guy who signs the pay checks. I do admit he deserved it, I mean yeah the weasel told me that he was hired by the little gal here Elise, so I figured it was boss's orders. You see, I just follow orders, if the Mayor wants to me to rough up a couple of beasts with out question, so be it." The fox chuckles nervously. His deputies, Aryln the stoat and Thatch the mouse have their short swords drawn and ready to use, but Byron hasn't ordered them to attack just yet. His parents and Elesi continue to watch the fight outside, they themselves being guarded by a pair of hares.

Henri yelps as a cut appears across his chest. A shallow wound but painful. He growls and goes to head but the younger otter.

Rorgan lets out a yell of pain and stumbles backwards a few steps, holding his head with one paw, which leaves him rather open to attack. Derrin growls at the fox, though he keeps his eyes on Aryln and Thatch just to be safe. "Nothin' is stoppin' me from killin' that shrew. He's the reason I lost me home, an' ruined my life as a result." He shakes his head, chuckling darkly. "No no...he's going t' pay fer wot he's done."

Seeing his opportunity Henri raises his blade for one final thrust. Running a sword through the otters guts should finish this fight off nice and easy, "You little snot! Do you think this is going to make a difference? Half of the beasts in charge here, the shop owners, the mine owners, every bleedin one of them wouldn't even care to learn what we did!" he goes strike his enemy down and stops when a beast shouts, "I care!" Henri turns to see his daughter standing there, tears rolling down her eyes, "Mom and my brothers died in the raid that followed. They died because of you!" The old otter twitches his eye, "Elise..."

Byron watches the otters outside and grits his teeth. Turning back to Derrin he says with out humor for a change, "Arrest him." The deputies begin to move forward as Edwin finely gets back to his feet. "About time Byron. Kill them. Kill them all, and..."

"Arrest that weasel of a mayor." The fox shouts. "Step aside Derrin..."

Rorgan yanks his dagger from Henri's back, the serrated edges causing even more damage as he does. "An' justice has been given," He says bitterly, as though he regretted what he had just done. Derrin's head turns as Tavis enters, and he winces, having forgotten about him. "Oh stars...uh...Tavis, I promise this isn't wot it looks like." He says slowly.

The otter's daughter rushes to her fathers side, "You murderer! You killed him You..." Henri interupts her with a cough. "No...Elise...I'm the murder. I...I really did kill them all. Your mother...your brothers...my people...I...Elise I love..." Henri takes his last breath and his body slumps further to the ground.

Inside the room explodes into chaos as everyone at once tries to explain what is happening, most giving their own cover stories. The mouse lets this run its course, then very slowly he rubs his eyes. "This...is going to be a long night..."

Derrin rubs his paws together, hoping his parents won't freak out at him and Rorgan for putting themselves in danger like that and possibly scaring the living daylights out of them. Rorgan simply watches Henri slump to the ground with a sad look as he sheathes his dagger. He knew Henri had been responsible, but even so, he couldn't help but feel guilt make its way inside his chest, gnawing at him from the inside out. He knew it had been the right choice, though he had accomplished it through a sucker punch, so to speak, but still..it seemed almost wrong to him to take Elise's father in the blink of an eye like that.

Byron is the first to begin again, "Hey cousin. We were, well...Derrin you explain it!" The portly fox tosses the ball at Derrin to save their hides. Before he can Edwin shouts, "Treason! It's Treason! Tavis! These beasts are trying to over throw the city!" Tavis only continues to rub his eyes. Vannon, Fiagai and Galah remain in silence, unsure of exactly what to say that won't get them all killed.

Derrin chuckles nervously, trying to think. "Right..." He goes on to explain everything that had happened preceeding the fighting, telling of Edwin's treason and everything that had happened. "So you see...Edwin's been tryin' t' get rid of the bush folk t' satisfy his own greed."

The mouse just stares through this entire proceeding, even long after the otter is done and even through Edwin's many protests and Byron's many assurances that he had absolutly no part what so ever in any of this, and the otter's parrents commenting about how good boys they are and Vannon's sheepish expression when they get to the warehouse fire or the otter gal balling her eyes out by the fountain.

The shrewish mayor growls finely, "This all doesn't matter. Listen Tavis, in the end you need a base here Arundal. You know what? You got it! Just get me out of these shackles and..." The shrew is silenced by the cold, dead glare from the mouse that bores holes into the shrews head. Tavis begins to draw his short sword, slowly, with purpose. "You...Mayor of Arundal...are more vermin than any vermin I have ever killed!" The shrew cowers and begins to plead for his life as Tavis raises his blade. The finishing blow never comes, "Fox. You have a jail. Put this piece of trash in it."

Derrin sighs in relief at those words, though secretly disappointed that the finishing blow had never landed. Meanwhile, Rorgan hesitantly moves over to Elise, wrapping his arms around her in what he hopes is a comforting hug, though it's hard to be comforting when hugging the beast whose father you just killed.

Byron is quick to order his guards about to release the otter's parrents and take Edwin away, Vannon too. A hare stands behind Rorgan as Elise pushes him away. She just glares at the otter a mix of emotions running through her eyes before letting the guard lead her out of the estate. Byron rubs his eyes, "A fine mess eh cousin? There is going to have to be a trial of course, for all three of them. That's going to be fun and..."

Tavis pushes the fox into the wall and pokes him in his fat belly, "If I find that you had any part in this...I'm making you into a cape." And with that lovely bit of information releases him. "Derrin, Rorgan...be thankful I have no jurisdiction here." He doesn't mention what the jurisdiction is for but one can guess. With that Tavis turns for the door with his officers behind him.

Rorgan looks rather saddened when Elise pushes him away, but he eventually steps back inside through the broken window in time to hear Tavis' statement. Fiagai and Galah immediately run to hug their sons, with Fiagai giving Rorgan a tight hug while Galah gives Derrin a rather warm motherly hug. "Ack! Da, not so tight!" Protests Rorgan, though he immediately hugs his father back.

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Note: Derrin belongs to rorgan, Fiagai and Galah now belong to Rorgan as well. everyone else belongs to me. And yes, Elesi is he same as Elise...i forgot how to spell her name a while back and didn't realize it XD