Blisa's in charge. This promises to be interesting. (Marek's Revenge TP)
FV:Town Center
The gravelly path through the village gets wider the further into the village it travels until at the centre of the village it splits off into four around a large firepit just waiting for any excuse for a feast or celebration and still showing the bones and a few broken mugs from the last one around the edges. A large longhouse for meetings has been built on one side of the road, standing important, decorated with carved wood, shields, weapons, furs and a large skull over the door with the large similarly fearsomely decorated house of the chief sitting proudly beside it.
Meek in comparison across the road a smaller wooden building bares a misspelled sign over the door naming it the 'Infermery'. A few trees dot the edges of the clearing but buildings take over in most directions, only the north showing some vegetation within the village walls. To the west houses seem to spring up and take over the land while noise and masses of beasts take over the south around the market and shops. Down the eastern trail the village gates can just be seen with the tavern close by.
Exits: [A]banded [W]arehouse, [T]own [H]all, [In]firm, [C]hieftain's [H]ome, [N]orth, [S]outh, [W]est, [E]ast
Alura the bat. Aiden the fox and Derean the otter. Blisa the cat, Ferdinand the ferret and DoraRose the mouse. Nightbreath the ermine.
Alura walks along, she isn't sure what to do and has had a day of break from message delivering. She looks around and goes to sit on a bench near the tavern to watch beasts pass by.
Walking along through the town center is an interesting sight. Two beasts walk side by side, conversing casually. One is a brown furred otter, and the other is a red furred fox decked out in a full cloak and cape with a large symbol emblazoned on the back. As they walk, a weasel quickly runs up behind them and taps on the fox's shoulder, getting his attention to give him a message before dashing off again.
The door to the Chieftain's home opens and Blisa steps out, her green eyes and the rigidity of her petite frame communicate great trepidation. Ferdinand steps out behind her, his paw on his sabre hilt, even more ready than usual to defend her with his life. After they exit the doorway, a mouse with brown fur and blue eyes follows them, a dappled woodland-camo cloak cascading gracefully from her taught shoulders. Smoothing the front of her apron, she rests her paw on the hilt of her bastard sword, of which the blue cat's-eye pommel stone is glinting in the sunlight.
Alura looks over at the kitten, mouse and ferret and decides to walk over to them, slowly of course, and nod a hello. "Umm, hello or yeah hello and think know you or well the kitten, I think"
While Aiden is opening and reading the message he had been given, Derean quickly catches sight of the three beasts that have stepped out of the chieftan's house, and he breaks into a smile, running towards them. "DoraRose!" He calls, making Aiden look up curiously.
DoraRose starts slightly, clasping her sword hilt more tightly, then relaxing slightly when she sees that it is a friend. "Derean. Hello!" Blisa smiles warmly at the bat. "Well, hello. You're the recorder, right?" Ferdinand sees the head guard and waves, hoping the kitten will remember what she was wanting to ask the fox without having to be reminded.
Alura nods "I am recorder and messenger of Ferrvale yes I am Alura."
The otter laughs as he gets closer, eventually coming to a stop as he reaches DoraRose. "Wot're you doin' here? I heard about wot happened at Redwall, but how did you escape?" Meanwhile, Aiden catches the wave from Ferdinand and he smiles, folding the parchment in his paws and placing it into a pocket inside his cloak.
Blisa snaps her fingers. "That's right! I doubt I have worry about you not doing your job about recording. Has anyone sent you any messages for me? Since...since my father is trapped in Redwall by Marek, I am the temporary Chieftain." DoraRose shrugs. "Nobeast was watching the north wallgate very well, so I just slipped out when the wallguard was looking the other way. I got this sense that Blisa might need my help. I...I wish I could've helped...Leon escape." Her voice sounds like it's going to break, but she recovers and forces a smile.
Alura shakes her head "No messages, none at all and unable to get any there. Have heard vermin guards have many sharp arrows right now"
Derean looks down, gathering his thoughts. "Well...I'm sorry, but at least you got out alright." Aiden's ear twitches at hearing Blisa, and he edges a bit closer, unwilling to barge in on a conversation without being spoken to first, especially not a conversation in which a chieftain was involved.
Blisa grimaces. "Wonderful. Ah, Aiden. How are our weapon stocks? Do you think we could unobtrusively kill some foragers in the woodlands, if Marek sends any out for woodpigeons or something? Or...would that just bring fire down on our heads aswell as Redwall's?" DoraRose nods, then sighs heavily, staring at the ground, her blue eyes filled with despair.
Aiden looks caught off guard, and he hesitates for a moment before responding, "Our weapon stocks are satisfactory, and I s'pose we could kill foragers if we went fer it, but I wouldn't want t' minimize our soldier count." Derean hesitates as well before holding his arms out for a hug, not at all sure if he would get one or not.
Blisa bites her lower lip and nods, then asks, her face lighting up slightly. "We have some of the soldiers Daddy took with him. Perhaps they might've seen a weakness in Redwall....well, no, that doesn't make much sense..." the kitten rubs her forehead as she senses a headache coming on. DoraRose hesitates for a moment, then leans her head on the otter's shoulder, struggling to not cry. Ferdinand is ever watchful, his paw on his sabre hilt.
Aiden sighs, trying hard to think. "Well...I can't say that's wot happened, considerin' ten of our soldiers escaped t' tell me about it. Redwall has been taken, an' we don't have th' forces t' deal wid it." Derean smiles to himself, hugging DoraRose tightly. "If you need somebeast t' talk to, I'll be here fer a while."
Nightbreath walks into the area. Ah. Just as he predicted. Blisa is here. "I have news for you, Chieftainess," he says in a low voice to the kitten.
DoraRose shrugs and shakes her head, then nods, momentarily wordless in her roiling, rolling emotions. Blisa starts massaging her temples, then looks up at the ermine. "Is it good news? 'Cause the best news I've heard all this week is that 10 of the warriors that went with daddy came back, almost all of them injured and unfit for duty. I need more good news." Ferdinand nods in greeting to the Seer, but he doesn't smile. He's worried, too.
Aiden looks down sadly, unsure of what else to say to the kitten until he is spoken to again. He doesn't quite like being the bearer of bad news, and especially not to one so young. Derean pats DoraRose on the back softly, trying his best to be comforting. "We'll get Leon out o' there, an' we'll drive Marek out. Just you watch." He certainly tries his best to be confident, but he can only be as confident as he feels, which isn't quite that confident.
"Here's the news: I have sent scouts and citizens of Ferravale around the countryside to recruit all inhabitants of the forest to our cause. A surprising number of beasts live unnoticed in the woods. I also am going to send a runner to Camp Willow asking for their aid," Nightbreath explains.
Blisa bares her teeth and scuffs the bottom step of her house with a foot. "I wish you had told me about this before you'd done it. But, um, I guess that was probably a good idea anyway. How are the food supplies? Can we last through a siege? If not, can we get more food? How is our water supply?" She looks between the Head Guard and the Seer, waiting for either of them to answer her inquiries. DoraRose nods again and mumbles something in a completely inaudible tone.
Aiden looks at the seer hesitantly, then back at Blisa. "Well...our supplies are good, but we would need t' stock up iffen we want t' last through a siege. As fer water, I haven't checked, but they are likely in the same state." Derean waits a moment, trying to figure out if he had heard something. "Wot did you say?" He asks.
"We should build fortifications," Nightbreaths says. "In the streets as well as on the walls."
Blisa thinks for a moment, tapping her chin, then nods decisively. "Very good. Nightbreath, Aiden, I'm placing you both in charge of building fortifications, strengthening the walls, and patching up holes. There are still many large enough for me to fit through. I know; I've escaped into the woods through them." Ferdinand looks at her with a shocked look on his face, but the kitten ignores him and continues. "Also, put the creatures in charge of the tavern and the inn in charge of gathering as much food as possible. We have a pond within our walls; please see if there are any wells, and if there are some, if the water is safe to drink. Also, the Infirmary beasts need to gather as many herbs as they can."
Meanwhile, DoraRose sniffs and looks into the otter's eyes, wiping tears from her own. "I said thank you, and I hope you're right." She looks positively miserable.
"Understood." Nightbreath nods, not in the least embarrassed by taking orders from a kitten less than half his age. What is his age, anyways? Who knows? Not even him.
There is nothing but absolute sincerity in Derean's eyes as he smiles, looking truly happy for the first time in a long time. Well, a long time in terms of the length of time DoraRose had known him for. "I most certainly am right. Remember, I'm an assassin." He chuckles lightly. "There are just some things that I know by instinct." Aiden inclines his head respectfully to Blisa, but this doesn't stop him from venturing a question. "Uh, a question, iffen I may. Are we sure that buildin' fortifications is absolutely necessary? We can't be sure that Marek would try t' attack us after spendin' so much time takin' Redwall."
Blisa smiles happily for the first time today. "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Then you won't have to worry either way. Right, Ferdy?" Ferdinand nods and ruffles her ears, at which she giggles and slips her paw into his. DoraRose smiles slightly, her mood improving a little. "Alrightly, then. If you say so."
Derean chuckles, wagging a finger at DoraRose. "Of course I say so. I wouldn't lie t' you, now would I?" Aiden smiles at the sight of the kitten and her bodyguard. "Right, well I'll get started right away on doing that," He says, turning and walking off. Derean, for his part, simply steps back from DoraRose, still smiling. "If you want t' come talk t' me, I'll be in the fightin' pit in the tavern or around this area." With that, he also turns and jogs away.
And I had a sudden time crunch, and so had to leave. Thanks for reading! To have a better idea of what D.R. is feeling, listen to "Say Your Name" by Plumb. Some of it doesn't exactly fit, but most of it does! :D
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