Blisa and Co., on the run from Zurrgg.....
Somewhere in the depths of Mossflower woods....
"Hungry." Basil hisses, loud enough to let others know that they should take note of this. "Bassilissk misssses his bed. Hisss fire place." The snake seems to growl as he slithers with the group into the woods. It was near impossible to sneak something so big out of the city. His sleek and powerful coils leave a small trail in the soft grass of the woodlands. He would never admit it, but a small part of him felt good to be back here. Out in the WYLD. It felt...somewhat right. Yet it lacked cheesebread and so he hated it immensely. "Hungry!"
Ferdinand looks at the sky as if patience could be found there. "If you don't thtop whining, I'll hook the cart back onto you." Hank, Statler, and Waldo grunt as they pull the heavy-laden cart, full of the irreplaceable belongings of the Scioto family, along behind them. "Having him pull it again would be nice," comments Statler dryly.
Blisa has been silent ever since they found her father in the office. Valerie is holding her paw, leading her along as she gazes at nothing. Something inside her is broken.
Clarissa is nowhere to be seen; she's on a scouting trip. Ferdinand sighs and digs out a cheesebun from a haversack. "Here. Now do pleathe be quiet."
What's that? Is that a beast in the fog, or is it just a shadow up ahead? A flash of grey robes, a mottled sable cloak, and, briefly, jet-black fur. A familiar ermine steps out of the woods next to the party, fully armed. Nightbreath speaks. "It is good that I have found you. These are dark times--But," he adds, to Blisa, "I have news that may ease the shadows."
The snake gives those behind him a hiss. How dare they suggest hooking his beautiful scales up to a cart like a common pack animal. With the new ermine appearing out of the fog the snake swivels his head back to Nightbreath. He stares down at the seer with unblinking eyes but says nothing.
Blisa is unresponsive. She just keeps staring at nothing, her eyes unfocused. Valerie kneels down beside her and starts murmuring to her and stroking her head, but the cat still does not respond. Ferdinand, pulled his sword out the second that he detected that something was amiss, and came /this close/ to stabbing the Seer. Growling, he sheathes his sabre and mutters, "Don't DO that, y'little irritant." The rest of the bodyguards stop to watch the proceedings as Clarissa crashes through the underbrush. "Hey, I found Nightbreath, shipmates! Oh, hey, Basilisk, matey. I caught ya a fish. 'Ere." How she did that without being late to get back is a mystery, but she still produces a dead pike and gives it to the snake. Friends yet?
Sensing that his news should wait, Nightbreath stands quietly and waits to be addressed. All in good time, he thinks to himself. To busy himself, he begins covering the tracks left by the cart.
He knows he won't have time to cover the entire trail, but every little bit counts, and it's better safe than sorry--he doesn't want to lose his new liege, Blisa, as he did Scioto if he can help it.
The snake licks his chops, leaning closer to the sea rat, "It'sss a sstart." The snake opens his jaws wide to swallow the fish, but then his eyes glance behind him to his smaller, fluffier companion. With a slight whimper the snake goes to coil around the cat, practically slapping her in the face with a large fish as he tries to give it to her using only his jaws. "Eat." he says simply.
Blisa turns to look at the ermine vaguely....then gets hugged by her pet and slapped in the face with a fish. "Ahk, BASIL!" She jerks her head away, suddenly focused as she struggles to not have a fishy in her face while staying in the hug. "Er.....um, thanks, but I don't eat raw...fish, thanks." She goes to return his hug affectionately, trying to lay her head on his coil. Suddenly she spots the Seer, and her eyes reveal her great sorrow. "Oh! ....Nighty. Um....hi. When did you get here?" Clarissa is biting her paw, struggling to not laugh. Valerie is smiling. Good ol' Basil. Ferdinand leans back and watches. Where is Cerah? She should be back by now, too.... The 3 pulling the cart sit down and rest for a few minutes. That cart is so HEAVY......
"I've been here for about thirty-seven seconds," Nightbreath says gently, slight humor playing across his features at the proceedings. "I have news you may want to hear before we get on our way to...wherever," he gestures vaguely.
The fish only continues to bap against the back of the cat's head. Holding onto it with his mouth Basil continues to try and give Blisa the fish. "But, Bassilissk give gift! Like Blisssa give cheesse bunss to Bassilissk. Eat. Eat and be healthy." The snake drops the fish towards Blisa, "You not want fish?" He says with some hurt, "Ffffine. We give it to ferret or ermine. Make fat. Eat. Just like Bassil'ss momma ussed to make."
Blisa actually smiles at her pet's statements. Valerie is getting mildly excited. This is the first time the cat has smiled for weeks. Clarissa steps forward. "I'll cook it up and then ye can give it to Blisa, okay, shipmate?" Ferdinand is offended. "Excuthe you?? I'll have you know that I have never been fat in my entire life!" The cat goes to crawl onto her pet's huge neck and tries to sit just behind his head. "What news do you have?" She is focused for the present moment. Unbeknownst to the group below, a group of 3 blackbirds are sitting in a nearby tree, watching and listening. They have necklaces on, and hanging from the cords are carved wooden skulls, painted black. One of them flies away silently, leaving the other 2 to watch...
Nightbreath thinks he hears the rustle of wings for a moment. "It's about Scioto," he says quietly. Way to put a damper on things. "I sensed something at the moment he left."
The snake only chuckles, "Yessss, cook fisssh. Eat. Make Ferdinand lessss Stringy." He slithers slightly closer to the ferret, "Make him harder to spot, yesss? Enemies look for scrawny ferret. Not fat ferret. Perfect disguise!"
Ferdinand glares murderously at the huge snake. "Y'know why I haven't thtabbed you in your thleep yet? It'th because Mith Blitha liketh you. You thould thank her thometime. I'll thtick with being......'thtringy', thank you very much." The bird that flew away returns, accompanied by a female rook, who not only has her wooden skull on, but also a necklace with a carved bone skull hanging from it. The now 4 birds just sit silently and watch. Blisa gasps and lays down on her pets head, even as he moves. "Wh...what about D....Daddy?" She's suddenly close to tears. Valerie hurries to her side. Clarissa sadly picks up the fish and listens to the conversation, waiting to see what the Seer says.
"Sometimes...call it intuition, or the Seer's gift...but whatever it may be, at the moment of Scioto's departure, for just a moment, I knew that he was at peace. He is safe, and happy. Your brother and mother were waiting for him." Nightbreath pauses, uncertain of how Blisa will react.
"Poppa cat was stringy too. Not enough pie." The snake replies, Moving a little ahead of the group. It actually feels good to be out and about, able to stretch his tail rather than being confined in the small house. Any house, even the chieftain's house, would be too small for a whiptail. "Ssnakes care not for afterlifessss. Only /revenge/."
Blisa hops off her pet, ignoring his stupid comment. She can hit him later. "Momma and....Maxxie?" Looking at the ground, she lets a tear trickle down her nose as she thinks. Ferdinand scowls at the snake, but nods. "Killing Zurrgg and hith cronieth will be a good uthe of that thtrength of yourth." Wait, did he just compliment the snake. Cerah the ermine comes into the scene. "Och, well, 'ello, thar, big fella. You like ye're feelin' fine out 'ere. Oh, 'ey, Mr. Nightbreath," she adds as goes to pet the snake right where she's pretty sure he likes to be rubbed. Noting the sad looks of the other bodyguards, she decides to shut up for now.
"He loves you, Blisa, as do they." Nightbreath says gently. "I'll go scout ahead." He drifts off into the woods as spectrally as he entered the area, walking alone, but for the voices in his head.
Thanks for reading!
Will they get to Redwall safely? D:
Will Riana find them?! :o
Stay tuned for future logs!!
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