Black, blacker, blackest. or Reckoning.
ICly, this happened a few days before it was RPed. Hope you enjoy!
Mossflower Woods
Around you the edges of the forest creep inwards, the treetops meeting in one giant canopy hiding the sun high above, that is, everywhere except here. Here, the canopy opens up at the top, for a lack of trees has created a small clearing. Of course, small trees sprout out from the ground in several places, nature rebuilding after the damage that was done. The crisp smell of woods, leaves, a gentle breeze, they all join into one fresh scent caressing your senses. Soft soil and plant life lie underfoot, while the winds above are driven off by the sheltering forest.
Exits: [T]owards [C]learing, [W]est to [G]rove, [E]ast to [R]iver, [S]outh, [N]orth
The drumming of running footpaws. The gasps of terrified beasts out of breath, dashing from some horrible terror. A golden-red fox leading the way, scimitar in paw, obviously the leader, what with his flowing red cloak and expertly sewn cloths, wich contrast with the rough rags his followers wear. The vermin band, a good score-and-a-half strong, are running blind. They're lost, but they don't care, so long as they can get away from the horror that chases them. The leader fox's sneaky yellow eyes dart here and there as his mind works overtime, trying to think of a plan to make the hunter of his band stop following them.
The aforesaid hunter steps through the brush now, silent as shadowfell in contrast to the noisy retreat of his prey. The beast wears a ragged, dark, threadbare, rough-woven traveling cloak, homely and pitiful next to the leader of the group's fine garb, yet this one is even more imposing, and the black sword he wields glistens wetly and hungrily as blood trickles along the word "Nevermore" etched in the blade, the cold eyes of the wielder matching the deepiron weapon's black, pitiless hue.
Unbeknownst to the creatures in the clearing, DoraRose has followed her brother from Redwall and has now just found him. Her lips in a tight line, she quietly draws her sword, keeping it hidden under her cloak. She creeps foreward, trying her hardest to not be seen. But fate is against her. The fox spots her and swiftly changes direction, slashing at her with his scimitar. The clang and clash of steel resounds, and the fox's band stop to look back as DoraRose is pushed from the bushes where she had been hiding into the middle of the snow-covered clearing. Stepping back into an at-ready stance, the fox hollers at his pursuer, "Stop, halt, or I'll kill the mousemaid!"
Emyuil stops, surprised, and shock shows for a mere instant on his face for the first time in many a week. /Rose, what in _Hellsgates_ are you doing here?/ he thinks. Then the situation, in the same instant, hits him completely and he snarls, baring his teeth and brandishing the black sword cooly. "Step back, cone face, or you'll spend your last seconds in this life scrabbling in the undergrowth looking for your ugly oversized growth you call a head." Meanwhile a good deal of the gang disappears into the distance, and seeing this, Emyuil takes one step forward, lightly twirling the blade.
DoraRose hollers as the fox swings and chops, nearly sending her sword flying into the undergrowth. Snarling, he shouts, "Don't take another step, scumball. I could disarm her and run her through before you got halfway to us."
"'Rose!" Emyuil yells. One bandit, less fortunate than others, fell behind, hoping to stay and impress the leader with "boldness", and he head-on rushes the shred-cloaked killer, and is felled with a single stroke from shoulder to hip, Nevermore ripping him open, fueled by its wielder's fury. "Touch her and you /die,/" Emyuil shouts at the fox at the same moment.
The fox's sword becomes a blur as he lets loose a flurry of strokes, disarming the mousemaid and holding the point of his sword to her throat. "Then let's make a deal." he snarls.
"I do not /deal/ with you, vermin. I kill you." Emyuil hefts his blade; wondering if a throw, which has been proven effective for him several occasions previously, could take out the beast.
The fox takes a step foreward, twirls DoraRose around, holds her arms down and lays his swordblade across her neck, all in about 5 seconds. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." he snarls.
"You /scum,/" Emyuil hisses, his eyes truly deadly now, even if this situation leaves him powerless. He whirls his blade in a figure-8, impressive at any range, and murmurs low and dangerous, "Try it, and I'll make your death last for days before you finally wilt." He sounds almost like a certain grey fox, now deceased...
Narrowing his eyes, the fox snarls, "If you care about this mouse, -- and don't deny it, I can see that you do -- then you will stops following me and my band. You will swear on all you consider sacred that you will stop hunting us robber bands, and I might let her live -- unless, of course, she really means nothing to you. Then I'll kill her without mercy."
"Hah!" Emyuil spits, buying as much time as he can possibly pay for with his metaphorical money bag. "How can you prove that you'll hold true, dirtscum?"
DoraRose shouts, "Don't listen to him! He's trying to--glurk!" The fox growls at her as her presses his sword closer into her neck. Smiling thinly, he says in a flat monotone, "Ohoho, you're a sneaky one. You're trying to get me to let her go so you can kill me. I'm not bying it." He begins to slowly back out of the clearing, calling, "I might just keep her as a slave. She would make a good one, don't you think?"
"Just try it," the Half-rat murmurs in answer. "Just try it." Then he sees the gangleader vanishing into the trees and instinct takes over, no matter the risk, and his sword is low and away from his side as he begins an almost silent sprint at his enemy, soundlessly roaring as he bares his teeth.
DoraRose bares her teeth and takes a risk...she stomps on the foxs' foot. He yells is pain and moves his sword paw just enough for her to turn around and sock him in the stomach. Roaring in rage, he picks her up by her neck and she grabs his arm, feebily trying and failing to get him to let go as her feet dangle above the ground.
Throwing his own voice into the dull wintery grey of the vast, endless sky Emyuil pounds towards the fox, stealth abandoned. "LET--HER--GO!"
The fox glances about, then throws the mousemaid into a tree, knocking her senseless. "You have 2 choices, Halfrat: Stay with your precious Rose, or follow me and leave her here to freeze to death!" he shouts, then runs fast and far, quickly dissapearing into the trees of Mossflower.
"Run, while you still can," Emyuil roars after him. He flicks his sword in a quick, elegant arc and moves to do so-but DoraRose is in his path and he stops in mid-step gazing down at her. His eyes go vague and grayish as a rapid, urgent, terrible argument rages in his mind, his lips moving wordlessly as it plays out. Finally, he shouts, "Hellsteeth!" and hurls the sword of darkness forcefully into a tree, burying it to the hilt at an angle as he battles his own mind, caught between two choices.
The fox laughs aloud, a horrible, evil sound, as he races away from the scene of the crime...DoraRose lays at the base of the tree, as still as death itself, her lips pale, ears and paws slowly becoming cold as she lays there, scarcely breathing.
Emyuil hurls his sword into the tree-trunk once more before kneeling beside his sister. "'Rose...wake up," he whispers.
DoraRose doesn't grant her brother's request. Instead she just lies there, the back her head bleeding slightly from where it had gotten scraped on the tree bark.
"Hellsteeth," he mutters. "Wake /up!/" he repeats, louder, more aggressive. Something /real,/ actual /emotion/ other than hatred and scorn and pride and defiance shows for a moment, flashing in his eyes as he stares down. "Wake UP!" Emyuil places a paw on his older sister's shoulder, gripping it like the hilt of his sword; unwilling to ever let go while danger remained.
DoraRose stirs just the slightest bit...or does she? Other than that little bit of movement, she shows no sign of awakening.
"Wake _up_," her brother whispers hoarsely, his grip tightening even more. "Please."
DoraRose stirs and begins to mutter, "Lily...Rose....Martin....don't want....wanta sleep....no..." she flips onto her back, tears leaking out of her eyes.
Emyuil clenches a fist, until blood flows from his paw. "Wake up. Wake /up/." He slams the fist against the tree trunk. "Wake up...you're all I have left," he whispers. "They're all gone...don't leave me here all alone."
DoraRose groans, and her eyes slowly, slowly open.
Emyuil lifts his sister to her feet, suddenly Half-Rat again, cool, calculating, a _survivor_, causing him to say, "DoraRose, /say/ something. I don't care WHAT, just keep talking. Don't fade now, you're /going/ to live. Just keep talking. Think of..." He pauses, searching, and then the last remnant of the forgotten Emyuil Streamstone speaks, giving him a name which he speaks softly, uncertainly..."/Leon./ Think of Leon." What is he now, who is he, is he Half-Rat or loving sibling, murderer or kin, merciless hunter or caring friend? /Half-Rat or Streamstone? Choose! But Streamstone is gone, Streamstone is _dead_.../
DoraRose groans as she is lifted to her feet and grants her brother's request, just not in the way he wanted. "Sick, I'm gonna be sick." Her eyes pop open and she mumbles, "I'm sick..." then collapses to her knees, closing her eyes as she fights the upset stomach.
"Good. That's a sign that you're still functioning," Emyuil says, callous, the Half-Rat for a moment, then Streamstone as he whispers softly, "You're going to be okay, ye'll be fine after this, really." He releases DoraRose carefully, making sure she has proper footing, saying, "If there's blood, let me know. Just let it go, fighting it will hurt you worse than it otherwise would," turning his gaze slightly; guts and gore, he's used to, but puke is well, puke.
DoraRose swallows twice, then sighs and sits down, her eyelids fluttering slightly. "There's...no blood...I'm so...tired and....cold..."
Emyuil goes to pick her up again to bring her to safety before shaking his head to himself, no, no time to travel. He pulls his sword out of the tree and walks away, though it hates him to abandon 'Rose even for an instant, there's the sound of falling treelimbs and he returns, clearing the snow out from a circle of forest floor directly in front of his sister, layering a stack of pine branches oozing with sap, over those an assortment of dry wood from the upper reaches of the more common trees, oak and ash among these, and then a final crowning layer of pine. He grabs a flint shard from his belt, just for situations such as these, and strikes it against Nevermore's edge repeatedly until several sparks shower onto the shrine of wood, which roars up, due to the pine sap coating its outer layer, into an excellent fire. Having done this, Emyuil crouches by his sister, one arm around her, letting her know that he's here, and he'll never leave her behind, anywhere.
DoraRose leans against Emyuil, the light of the fire making her eyes gain a slightly green colour. Shivering, she half-closes her eyes, no emotion showing on her face.
Emyuil remains silent, using his sword to stoke the fire with one paw while still holding DoraRose with the other, removing his ragged cloak, warming it by holding it up near the flames, but not close enough to ignite, then he places the warm garment over his sister.
DoraRose closes her eyes as the warmth floods through her. Relaxing, she allows a small smile to cross her face, and soon she is asleep.
Emyuil watches, he's younger than her but he still regards her as somebeast who it is _his_ task to protect and watch over, and he remains where he is, watching in all directions, sword at the ready, and even, a long while later, when he does finally drift to seleep, it's with one eye open and a paw on DoraRose and the other on the hilt of his blade, Nevermore.
