Final Fight
Drew and Bandit meet once again on the road way. Can they survive the attack of two bounty hunters?
It's been quite the month for Bandit. Still getting over his shock at being captured by a slaver, almost getting shot, and Elena leaving him. The fox walks along the road by himself deep in though, paws thrust into his pockets. His unarmed carrying only the fur on his back. The woods around him are starting to grow dark, prehaps time to speed up his pace. A chill wind blows through the trees, promising another storm to counter the day of sun shine they had
Drew has been outside the abbey the past couple days now, he has had time to remake a longbow, not the best but it will do. He also used what coin he had to buy a small sword, he can get a better one later and he has his right shoulder tightly bandaged and out of the sling so he can move it better. He walks along the path and has yet to see the fox.
The fox pauses to feel the wind ruffle his fur. He closes his eyes and sighs. "GAH!" he shouts at random, "I am such an idiot!" What was he doing here? walking about in self pitty. He needs to go after Elena not just let her go so easily! No wonder she left him. Making up his mind the fox turns on his heal and begins to move, only to pause when he sees the squirrel walking down the same road, "Oh blast..."
Drew stops in his tracks, he sees Bandit now and folds his arms over his chest, "Ya shout loudly fox, do you know that?" He asks quietly, he doesn;t go to draw his weapon, not yet anyways but he does keep an eye on where the fox is standing.
Bandit sighs deeply, "I suppose its Murphies Law to meet you out here Drew. Kind of makes me wish I still had 'Old Rusty'." The fox leans to the side, crossing his arms as well, "I'm afraid I don't have time to play with you today. I have a vixen to catch." The fox begins to walk towards the squirrel, keeping to one side of the road.
Drew glares at the fox and lays a paw on his sword and raises an eyebrow, "Vixen? Which vixen?" He looks to be thinking and then releses his paw from the sword, "I wont kill you, not when you don't have a weapon. That wouldnt be right"
The fox smirks, "Looks like old dogs can learn after all..." He pauses for a moment, "I'll tell your son you said hello." The fox takes a step forward. He makes a gasp and pauses in step as an arrow flys between them, striking bandit through across the shoulder, tearing a gash into his fur. A few inches lower it would have pierced his chest. As the fox falls to one knee a weasel and stoat appear. The weasel, a brown furred creature in alight brown duster with a wide brimmed hat and a rapier at his side chuckles, "Great shot...almost." The stoat, a plump white furred beast with an open blue vest begins to reload his cross bow. "Aim must be off. I was aiming for heh squirrel."
Drew turns and glares at the two beasts, he quickly gets his own bow and arrow and notches a arrow to the longbow and pulls back, he then lets it fire at the one loading the crossbow, threw pain in his shoulder he holds it and as it fires towards the stoat he hides a small tense bit of pain. He himself is a very good aim and speaks "Ya don't try to hurt an unarmed beast, course I am armed ya vermins."He looks over at Bandit, "You may just want to run."
The stoat yelps as an arrow is lodged into his cross bow, saving him from a painfull but quick demise. "I don't run..." Bandit snarls, standing back up to his full hieght, clutching at his shoulder, The weasel bounty hunter smirks, "I was hoping you would put up more of a fight Bandit. It makes the bounty worth the effort." And with out a moment of hesitation the blade comes free and the weasel is dashing towards them both.
Drew shakes his head and mutters, he quickly loads his only other arrow and fires it after he pulls back on it, a little quicker on the draw this time and moveing backwards at the same time. This tears his shoulder some as some blood starts to form threw the tight bandages and coat them red instead of white.
The arrow tears the hat from the weasels head. A few inches lower it would have stopped him. As it didn't the weasel closes the gap, kicking bandit in the gut and sending him flying backwards onto his tail while slashing at the squirrels bow with his rapier. The stoat is still struggling to get his short sword drawn
Drew places his longbow in front of him and it is cut threw, but probably saved the squirrels life. He goes to try and trip the weasel best he can, even if it means getting throw off balance in the process.
The bounty hunter stumbles backward but doesn't fall, he hisses as his companion finely draws his sword and charges while shouting, "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The fox for his part rolls to his side, trying to get back up after the wind was knocked out of him.
Drew narrows his eyes as he almost falls backwards.He throws the sharp bits of broken longbow at the bounty hunter and lays one by Bandit, "Here fox, need help" He also slowly draws his short sword with his free paw, more blood leaks from his shoulder now and starts to run down his arm, as he fights more it makes it bleed more.
"With pleasure!" The fox takes the broken bow and lunges at the weasel. The bounty hunter simply steps aside, letting the fox run head long into the charging stoat who begin to slash at each other with their weapons. The weasel for his part unleashes a flurry of quick strokes and slashes at the squirrel.
Drew tenses up as he gets a cut to his chest and one on his right arm that cuts some of teh bandages, he also gets one on his side, he stabs forwards and towards his attckers chest as blood starts to come from his own wounds, the chest one misses anything vital, but the side one is deep and looks bad.
The weasel lets out a loud cry as he deflects the blade just enough to slice into and through his shoulder. He takes a step forward, trying to push the squirrel away. Meanwhile bandit ducks low under a wild swing and bashes the bow into the stoats knee.
Drew narrows his eyes as he is pushed down some, he goes to stab at the attcker again, he starts to pant a llittle as he hasn't fought too much lately, usually he just fires off an arrow and they die.
The weasel stumbles backward again clutching at a second hole in his chest near the same one. His arm goes limp, looking up and breathing raggedly he snarles, "I...will...make sure you are still ALIVE when I take your pelt squirel." Bandit and the stoat begin to wrestle with each other. The fox snatches a knife off of the stoats own belt and plunges it into his thick belly. The stoat gasps in pain as the blade mades a deep gash from the pit of his stomach to his chest.
Drew takes a few deep breaths and uses his sword to make a quick slice towards the weasels throat, a finish it off move and he gets a little too close to do the move.
The stoat falls backwards, clutching at the open wounded across his fleshy middle. bandit turns with the knife in one paw, broken bow in the other. He turns in time just to see the weasel and squirrel go at it in one finely charge. The weasel makes a shocked expression as he takes the blade to his throat. However not one to go down with out a fight the weasel lifts his wounded arm just enough to for one last thrust at the squirrels middle
Drew tenses up and gets a shocked expression as the blade goes into middle, it goes deep, he grips hs own blade making sure the aim to the throat kills the weasel before he falls over onto his side and shivers. Blood from his shoulder,arm,side and middle now coat the area red as his eyes close half way. He tries to keep them open best he can and finds it hard as his vision starts to blur some.
"DREW!" Sure the squirrel has tried to kill him in the past but still. The fox drops his weapons and rushes over, skidding to a halt next to the squirrel. He's seen battle damage before, inflicted his fair share of it to. This...does not look good. "Drew, drew speak to me Drew." He leans down to try and help the squirrel sit up, "Stay with me, we just need to get you to a healer mate, they patch you up and you'll be shooting fox's again in no time."
Drew looks at the blurry Bandit, "You..fox, errrrr..Bandit." His voice is weak and he yelps slightly as he is sat up some,he coughs up a little blood..."I'm...sorry." His eyes start to close a little more.
Bandit begins to shake him because in reality that is all he can do. "Don't you do this to me don't you die. Not because of me, ya hear. You...think of your son. Yeah, just keep thinking about Anomen. We can still get you a healer and..." The fox looks about, he is alone in the woods with three dying beasts and at least an hour away form Redwall. With a resigned sigh the fox realizes that his frantic speech is probibly the last the squirrel will ever here. He closes his eyes and forces himself to sound at least reasonably calm. "I forgive you." It's the best he can do at the moment, "Is there...is there any thing you want Anomen to hear?"
Drew opens his eyes more as he is shaked, he groans weakly, his eyes misty now, "Sorry...for all done. I was fool." He coughs up more blood and shivers again, his breathing lowering as is his heart beat."Just..sorry. He good boy..and the white fox...also good, he can help..my...my boy and you." He shivers as his eyes close slowly and he takes a couple shakie breaths, and his heart beat drops to near nothing.
Bandit closes his eyes, tears begin to stream down his cheeks. "I...I will tell him." The fox gently lays the squirrel out. It's not the first time he has seen a beast take its final hear beat but, he regrets not giving Drew the chance to get to know him better. He was a half crazed vermin hating beast but...there was at least some spark of decency in him. All the fox can do is sit there and make the squirrel as comfortable as he can.
Drew lays there, slipping more into his forever sleep, it's only maybe 10 mins later he takes one last final breath and his heart slows and finally stops and he is in the dark forest.
Bandit sits there long afterward, laying on his haunches, staring at the squirrel. His eyes finely glance up at the stars above. The sun has long sense set. The fox takes a ragged breath before standing up. He looks down at his shoulder wound, a glancing blow really, then looks at the squirrel. He takes a deep breath then leans down. The fox leaves two of the beasts behind, carrying the third in his arms. It is going to be a long walk...
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Drew
This squirrel is entering his mid seasons as his once bight redishish fur is a faded red in places and his ears tips a mix of black and bits of grey. His tail is bushy like most of his kind and he has deep blue eyes. He has numerous scars over his body and one on his lef cheek and half his left ear is gone. He wears a blue tunic and brown pants and keeps a longbow and arrows, and small dagger and sling with him at most times. He wears worn black boots on his footpaws.
Bandit
The fox you see before you is young and in the prime of his life. He stands the average hieght of his species if a bit broad shouldered. Bandit's fur coat is covered in light brow fur while his paws both foot and hand, are deep red up to his elbows and knees. A light yellow colored patch of fur starts at his chin and weaves its way down his neck, across his chest, and down his gut. This patch of yellow also spreads out to his under arms and inner legs.
The fox has a long pointed snout with large hazel eyes. His long triangle ears seem to twitch with every sound.
The vulpins body is covered here and there by teh occasional scar most of qhich are hidden by his fur. His body is also coated in a thin but healthy layer of flesh. Bandit has a small but rounded curve to his belly, otherwise you could call him trim and in shape.
The fox wears a set of simple but new clothes. A dark grey tunic adorns his chest losely. The tunic is tucked into the snake skin belt about his waist and then comes out again, the end of the tunic hangs halfway to his knees, the back end is split to accomidate his tail. Over the tunic Bandit wears a brown cloth vest that comes to the bottom of his chest. He leaves it hanging open.
The fox's legs are covered by a pair of dark brown cloth pants that cling loosely to the fox's form. His paws are bare.