Bring Her Home
This is apart of 'The Great Ones', a Camp Willow plot. Read the [[[The_Great_Ones_Aren%27t_Here|introduction]]], Part One], and [[[It_Comes_to_War%3A_Part_One|Part Two]]].
Setting
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<----> Camp Willow - Base of the Tree <---->
Before you stands the towering willow tree, that is the symbol of Camp Willow. It stands taller and has a greater circumference and diameter than most trees anywhere. Set in the trunk of the tree is a small doorway, that only small to medium sized creatures could fit, it is made this way, because it was made so that all the otters could gain entrance to it. There is a small flowerbed, with a few wood benches set around, as well as a small otter-made pool with clear fresh water in it.
Characters:
Lutea, the Taggerung
Gaheris , Camp Willow Skipper
Raisa, Camp Willow cook
Lee, Redwall guard
==
<---->Bring Her Home<---->
==
A blood tinged sky is relinquishing its last grip on daylight as the sun sags lower beyond the tree line. Lutea, favoring her left side, is doggedly assisting the evening's builders by bracing up a beam; there's a grimace, but it's probably due more to strain than the stitches that she's "totally not" going to pop out any second. The tattooed ottermaid digs her good shoulder in and thumps her rudder against the ground in impatience. That craps /heavy/! There's the distant call of a bird, and the monotonous drone of crickets to keep the night from becoming too still; but even as it grows later there continues to be the music of labor - otters, determined, as they rebuild their homes.
Another day and every night there's a little more progress. The dead buried, rubble was starting to be cleared in places and the frames of homes were starting to take shape. Carrying several more lengths of wood to the building site Gaheris has been a constant ferrier of planks, discusser of plans and generally just busy all the time. Sleep and rest are fairly rare but there are things that need doing instead. Dropping off the planks Gaheris straitens up and takes in the progress made on the house before he steps in to help brace the beam before Lutea gets the healers after her "How goes the buildin'?" he questions on the way over.
"It goes." The ottermaid grunts for the second time that day. "Thanks - agh!" Lutea ducks away from the prying paws. "I was careful, /see/?" She motions towards her side. "Clean. Off wi'ya!" She shooes them away, scowling, before her attention is turned to Gaheris. "'Ow y'holdin' in there?"
Gaheris shifts his stance around a bit until he's mostly comfortable holding up the weight of the beam while the other otters hurry around to fix it in place. He grunts at the question, the beat preventing his shrug "It's gettin' better but by the time we're done the woods are goin' t'ave a pretty sizeable extra clearin'"
Raisa helps in her own way.Right now its to bring the otters out her some coold drinks, or at least as close to cold as one can get. There has been some fresh water to drink and some has managed to make some simple rolls.
"Trees'll regrow." Lutea rubs at her side, pointedly avoiding glares from the healer she ducked away from. "Y'cin 'ave a planting or somethin'. One for each of th'fallen, we used to do tha' back home." Rolling her shoulders, there is a small smirk. "But if y'do? Come up with a less creepy name than 'Forest'a the Dead', yeah? Less kids darin' each other t'walk through it an' all that." Although some of her fondest memories were spent gloating at the feet of the great, weathered trees before jumping at small sounds. "'S gettin' there... Listen, Skip - I know y'place is with th'Camp, but mine ain't. I don't live 'ere, but we 'elp our own, yeah? S'beasts from /my/ home tha' wrecked y'lives, an' it would be an honor if I could 'ave y'blessin' to take some beasts after the captives. I know this lot - they're keepin' 'em alive. There's still hope." A nod is given to Raisa as she passes, and her nose wrinkles at the sweet scent of rolls. She didn't even realize how hungry she was until that moment.
Gaheris' whiskers twitch uncomfortably as he thinks and resists the urge to encourage the builders to hurry up "There's a lot of otters here that plant saplin's from the willow tree f'the dead here, think we've been avoidin' callin' it anythin' but the graveyard though, even if there is enough f'a forest..." He finally slips out from under the beam seconds later as it's safely secured in place allowing him to nab a drink from Raisa with a quick nod at the otter "Thank y'" He twitches an ear at Lutea's request and there's a short pause before he slowly nods "I'd like t'meself, we don't abandon our own...but we've g'vermin still lookin' closely at the camp, checkin' how weak we are and we've got little enough t'guard the place and put 'em off. I'd welcome the 'elp an' anythin' y'need for the trip consider it done. There'll be volunteers t'go with y', no doubt about it"
Raisa passes out rolls and cold water to whoever wants some. She nods to one otter who gets a roll and offers a smile to another to show encouragement.
There's a nod, something of a relieved sigh, and Lutea gives the Skipper a tired grin as she snatches one of those rolls up. "Aye-aye, Skip." She gives him a mock-salute. "I'm jus' th'scary lass with th'Juska marks, I think I do th'public more good when I'm far away an' out of sight, eh?" She jokes, and there's a hearty laugh at her own self-deprecating humor. She has to live with the vermin marks on her face for the rest of her life, why not laugh about it?
Into this scene of rebuilding and cleaning up wanders an otter that by all rights looks like he should be in bed, resting. With the crown of his head wrapped thickly with bandages like a turban, his left eye still badly bruised, and his left arm in a sling, he looks like death warmed over. Add to that, he's leaning heavily on a walking stick clutched in his right paw, and it's any wonder that he was able to walk three feet... Much less the distance from Redwall to Camp Willow. "Ahoy! You lot. Skipper Gaheris, good ta see ye again." He stops, and sighs. "Good ta see the Camp bein' rebuilt, Mate... I been wantin' ta get back up 'ere for over a week. Blasted 'ealers... Anyway... Is there anyplace I can sit? I feel as if I might just fall over any moment."
"Y'stick around long enough y'might be surprised wha' beasts get used t'" the Skipper quips back at Lutea before the sudden appearance of the battered newcomer. He blinks as he quickly gestures towards a pile of logs "Hey, do sit, definitely. 'ealers 'ave enough t'do without new beasts collapsing" He jokes though he looks a little concerned.
Raisa walks over to offer Lee some water, looks like he may surely need some as it is summer time just about."Here... may be good idea to get some water into ya"
"Hah! I s'pose so. Did only take 'bout an hour 'fore the dibbuns started pullin' on m'face." She taps the hoop through her nose with a smirk and a wink, but it quickly dissolves into baffled concern when Lee hobbles up. "Why th'bloody hell would y'make th'trip then?" Lutea's eyebrows shoot up at him, on the brink of collapse. It's a miracle he made it there at all! "Careful there, mate..." She steps back to allow him room to sit, and pops her roll into her mouth.
Lee rather unceremoniously slumps onto the pile of logs. "Thank ye, an' water would be quite good, yes. As for why I made th' trip, why don't ye try bein' cooped up in that Infirmary for days on end with wicked Sisters Violet an' Agatha pumpin' ye full o' physics an' brews, an' broth... Heavens above, the broth. I tell ye, that Sister Agatha fancies 'erself an 'ealer, with 'er ol', 'Granmum's special cure-all recipe'. Well, she ain't. She's a witch."
Gaheris sighs quickly and shakes his head "Mate, y'know they might 'ave 'ad a point this time, y'look 'alf dead...but on account a the fact y'might be full dead if we sent y'back y'can stay" It's at that point that a little commotion seems to be stirring on the other side the camp around a guard who'd just appeared out of the reeds, there's a little crowd gathering.
"Hah! I was. Nearly gave a 'eartattack to tha' grumpy... Er, wazzername... Angela? Somethin' like that. Sprung th'/coop/ I did." The tattooed ottermaid laughs, but her ears perk forward, and Lutea turns towards the commotion. "Whazzat, then?"
Lee glances over at the scene, as he replies, "Well, mate, I ain't 'ere ta live, I got a job at th' Abbey. I can certainly stay a few days, though. At any rate, we at the abbey also want ye folks ta know that we'll gladly offer wotever 'elp ye require ta rebuild. Wood. Materials, wotnot. Extra carpenters, if ye need. Anythin', just ask." He sets his walking stick aside. "Anyway, I also came up 'ere ta see after me little cabin 'ere... Totally destroyed, I assume? I 'ad good memories there..."
Gaheris nods at Lee "We 'elp is welcome an' likely needed. There's a few buildin's that escaped the flames. If y'lucky y'cabin might be one but most of the 'omes are gone, sorry t'say I wouldn't get yer hopes up" He glances over at the group too as the healer who was hounding Lutea is suddenly waved over to the group though the guard doesn't look injured. Gaheris' only thought is to worry what happened this time but the group is starting to look happy, there's laughing and quickly one of the group starts shouting the news "The Skip's alive!" which confuses a few because Gaheris is standing right there. He frowns in confusion for a second himself until the realization actually hits him.
"No /way/!" Lutea breathes, casting her gaze towards Gaheris. She nudges an elbow at him with a wide grin. "Go. We'll 'old down th'fort 'ere." Heavens know that they could use some good news, now... After all of this - and Gaheris more than most.
Lee peers over at the group. "Wot did 'e say? The Skip's alive? Hallow? But... 'Ow is that possible?"
Gaheris stares for a moment, he's pretty sure he's had this dream multiple times now. A slow grin forms though and he runs to the group, he doesn't need prompting twice. The guard who brought the news is getting a lot of questions, most of them are along the same lines as Lee's so he speaks up for everyone "They left her for dead but she weren't, got her out to a mate a mine in the woods. She's hurt...pretty bad. Need a proper healer over there but she were still alive when I left t'come searching"
Lee starts to get up. "It's miraculous! Skipper Hallow, alive! A bit of 'ope in such a dark time, mate. Yer fortunate, Gaheris."
Finally, there was some good news, something to make the situation a little less hopeless and depressing. Gaheris actually looked happy for the first time since the first attack though his grin does falter a little with the news that his mother is injured. Quickly though he points at the healer then a couple of the more-able beasts "Get y'supplies we're leavin' right now" he claps the guard on the shoulder "Show us the way, about time she came 'ome."
A reason to hope…
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