No More Tree-Rats!
Characters: Aikuen, William and Barto.
Location: Great Hall
Rw Abbey: Great Hall
Aikuen comes in from the doorway. He is heavily bandaged, but doesn't seem to mind it. He seems a little twitchy, because his paws are quite shaky and his eyes from one place to another as if trying to spot somebeast. He leans against the door, and sighs with relief, and falls to the floor.
Orph had just returned to the Abbey after asking the weapons shop to the north about the cost of having his buckler decorated or at least getting the paint to decorate it himself. The squirrel shopkeeper hadn't wanted to part with his paints and was asking too much to paint the rat's shield for him. William enters the Great Hall hoping to flag down a order beast and ask them if the Abbey has any paints laying around he could use when he sees the otter on the floor at his feet. "Pa?!" the rat squeaks confused and a little frightened by the otter's appearance. /He wasn't that bandaged up before was he? What happened?/
Aikuen filches at the squeak, and quickly opens his eyes. He calms down a bit, when he see that it is only William. He smiles weakly, "Lo'... Will... How are you?"
Orph stares a moment at the otter, "What happened?! Ya alroight? Ya couldn't be if ... we'll yurr ere an wot ..." the dibbun sits down his brain unable to put together a sentence and have it come out his mouth right at the moment. He closes his eyes forcing himself to breath slower. Ok he can think better now soo, "What happened t ya?!" Ok maybe not clear enough.
Aikuen is taken aback at the yelling but maintains a smile, "Well the day we got back to the abbey, a sister asked me to get her some sort of herb. Said it grew somewhere north of here. Well i went to go get it... And the time a got a good handful of the stuff, I was snucked up on. Didn't have a chance... Knocked out instantly. When i came too, i was strapped to a pole... Completely naked, and guess who i saw... Its our old matey's, Those blasted squirrels..."
Orph scowls. If it's not hares against him it's those blasted tree-rats or in rarer cases otters. "Alright. Then what. Your here so they didn't kill ya obviously." his tone is sharp and commanding. Yes this is his 'father' he's talking to, but the rat just wants to know where the tree-rats are so he can go chop them to pieces with his dagger. Nice doesn't fit into that equation.
Aikuen shakes his head, "Calm down... Im fine... I've been through worse... There just amateurs at torturing beasts... almost laughable actually..." He smiles wickedly then continues, "Well anyway, they were torturing me for killing those two squirrels at Zens places, Mostly about the girl... I guess they didn't care much about their chief... Well, after four days of 'Torturing me' They finally got tired, and left me alone to starve... Well that didn't faze me a bit. That night i managed to get out of my bonds with some help... Then I... Did some things im not proud of... If Windhunter wasn't there i might have... Er... Never mind... Well to make a really long story short, they rest of them fled south... With their puffy tails between their legs, HAHAHA" He begins to laugh uncontrollably.
Orph chews his lip thinking. "How /far/ south did they go?" his tone is still sharp if not sharper. South of the Abbey lies the ruined church past that and a little to the east is Moledeep and Camp Willow, both lie along the Moss river ... beyond that is the path to the desert ... "How far did they go, Aikuen?"
Aikuen Creases his brow, And speaks in a military fashion. Its the first time he can remember that William called him by his name. while Sneering he says, "Don't know. didn't follow them to find out how far they went, i was more worried about the well being of those that were left, myself, and Windy... But when they saw what i did... The last thing on their mind should too never bother another beast again... I promise you that... Sir..." He shakes his head.
Orph manages to keep his voice level though doesn't care for the otter's tone. "Home is south of here. My tablet's there but I can make another of those, so the only thing worth taking sides from the very little food that's around is a little squirrel that can't talk and last I checked was /still/ sleeping in my room. I think he ate one of those flowers that put ya t sleep a long time. If he stays in my little room I don't think they could get him out cause it's too small, but if he doesn't stay in there ..." the dibbun's tone is biting and he lets the otter fill in what the tree-rat would do to little mute Racky.
Aikuen shakes his head, "They wont go to Moledeep... And if they do, as long as Racky stays in that dern hole he will okay... And i know for a fact, that the parents in the squirrel tribe will never harm any beast... for fear of what may happen again." He laughs evilly for a bit before continuing, "I thought Mossflower was supposed to be 'Peaceful' and 'Caring'. Tchaa, a lot of truth in that statement. Humph... I need my regalia..." He begins to unravel a bandage on his left arm.
"He'd better stay in there," the rat mutters walking off toward the kitchen.
Aikuen scoffs at the departing William, then mumbles, "Aye..." He finished removing the bandage, and several new sutured scars are visible, he grunts as he places his other paw on top of the shoulder and rotates his left arm. It sounds like broken glass rubbing against each other. He grits with pain, and begins to fashion an arm sling from the bandage with his good paw.
Orph pauses at the door to the kitchens chewing his lower lip. He /was/ rather hard on the otter. Ears down in submission he asks quietly, "Ya need anythin' ... Pa?"
Orph stands by the kitchen door chewing his lip some more before going to the kitchen. After some time he returns with a heavy laden tray of various drinks and foods. He sets it by the otter with some trouble. "There ya go. Take whatever ya want and if ya have to ya can throw yourself in th pond so long as it helps." Defeated for the time being the ratling goes to sit at the table grabs all the candles he can see on his way there.
The entry doors to Great Hall opens rather abruptly! In walks an irate mouse-maid towing a scrawny hare along with here by his ear. "Now how many times have we warned you dibbuns NOT to play by the gate? And you went out on the road without an adult." The little hare seems to disregard the scathing remarks, wincing in pain from his tugged ear, "I said I was Sowwy didn' I?!" The mousemaid leads him near the kitchen entrance and scolds him some more, "Now you wait here while I go tell the scullery maids they're gonna have some extra help doing dishes tonight!" The mousemaid exits, leaving Barto at the entrance arms crossed in a foul mood.
Aikuen Smiles softly and reaches for one of the flasks of water. He drinks down in one gulp and replaces it on the tray. With his good paw, he reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a a small burlap pouch. He empty's the contents on the floor. Among them are several small flasks. But the item that stick out the most is a bloody needle, and once white linen string. He grunts as he removes the bandage on his right arm. The bandage was holding up a dock leaf to the wound. He removes the dock leaf, then literally reaching into his arms, he pulls out a hunk of moss. The wound is a hunk of flesh removed from the otters underarm, and it begins to bleed immediately. He Is blinded with pain, as he takes the needle and begins to suture it up. Because of the pain, and cant hear anything at all...
Orph sits at the table carving a candle. A pile of them sits beside him on the table. He glances up at Barto's arrival, "Causing trouble again future warrior of Redwall?" he's tone's sharper than he'd meant it to be but he's still upset and doesn't care if the hare takes it the wrong way or not. The rat doesn't look at the otter just yet, if he did he would have dropped acting surly right away. But he doesn't look at the otter just yet and remains in his bad mood a while longer.
Barto pouts his lips, awaiting his inevitable doom. He scans the room, looking towards all the exits-- probably planning an escape route. He catches Orph's comment and furrows his brow, "I was ownly out t' get 'a bawl n' come back! N' I AM gunna be a' warri-ah one day! An iffen I am I can't be in dah h'Abbey all da time!" The hare turns his gaze away from Orph, not wanting to engage him at the moment since they both seem to be in a bad mood. Looking in the direction of Aikuen, a look of shock falls on his pouty face and he shrieks, "HE ES A' BLEEDIN'!"
Orph hadn't meant to be mean to the little hare it had just come out that way. Barto'd get over it though and ... wait what? The rat looks up from his carving and looks at the hare. He's fine. He looks to Aikuen. Oh! "Shush Barto. He knows how t take care of himself ... /some times/," he chides. The last part is said softly, only to himself.
Barto looks back to Orph and clams up. After he notices there is no need for alarm, he walks over to Aikuen as he finishes the suturing. Interested in whats going on the dibbun inquires, "But doesn' yowr arm hurts?" The hare watches the otter's arm in awe, realizing that if he was gonna be a warrior one day he needed to be tough like this beast
Aikuen replaces his bandage, minus the dock leaf, around the now sutured arm. He looks to The little hare as he works, "Like Hellgates itself, matey" He finishes wrapping it, and go back to leaning against the wall.
Orph has decided that with few exceptions all squirrels hate him and with much fewer exceptions all hares hate him or want him to hate them. He sighs, "Barto get over here," /Does it hurt? No of course not why would /getting hurt/ hurt?! Stupid hare./ He shakes his head half wishing the other dibbun were big enough to spar with or at least hit without feeling as bad afterward. /Dibbun him? He's no more than a babe an he says he'll be th Abbey warrior. Well maybe he will, but not at this rate he won't./ Aikuen wasn't being as mean to the hare, but he was an otter so he'd see things differently anyway.
Barto turns his attention to Orph after Aikuen goes back to the wall. "Wot I dinna' do nuffin, I was jus' askin' a questi'on!" He reverts back to his foul mood, "An' Imma not goin' ova der!" This little hare doesn't take kindly to being told what to do, warriors do what they want after all! he starts back towards Aikuen at the wall and manages the courage to pry further, "Mistah' wot happens to yor arm?"
"Your funeral," the rat mutters under his breath. Louder he says, "Ya shouldn't bother him too much."
Orph has lined up a nice row of wax squirrels and hares which were once candles. He really should use the kiln more or the Abbey may run out of candles. The wax squirrels form one group facing him and wax hares another group on the other side. The ratling walks the figures around the table a little before dismembering them each with great pleasure. William may not act it most of the time but he is a rat and by blood the son of searats. The hare and otter are ignored as he thinks up new ways to mangle the wax figures he's made from the Abbey's candles.
Barto is unsure whether to be offended or even more intrigued, the hare dares further, "'n wot happen' to ee squiggle? Did y' cut 'em up inna likkle pieces?" He seems pleased at the thought of all the excitement of a battle. The hare turns his head in Orph's direction, "I bet da squiggle gots it good!" He makes a fist and smashes it down on top of his other paw -lightly- to accent his point.
Orph looks over at the little hare, "Want t play with em too?" He holds a hare figure against the edge of the table pressing hard so that the leg comes off. He makes the wax hare jerk about in pain and hop on one foot before snapping it's head off with his other paw.
Aikuen gets up and takes the tray to the kitchen, you notices that he is favoring his right foot paws. He comes back and falls into a chair, and watches William Torturing the candle figures. He shakes his head, "That's just wrong"
Orph shrugs, "Next time I see th real tree-rats I'll get more then three." Referring to the three squirrel's he'd killed some days ago. "In time maybe that Craven too," he decapitates a hare figure with a hard whack against the edge of the table, removing part of it's right shoulder as well. The wax head and shoulder fly into the air land somewhere. The rat doesn't really care where it lands right now, he'll clean it up later.
Barto seems a little upset to be ignored by Aikuen, but he quickly forgets after Orph grabs his attention with his wax figurine mutilation, "Hey! c'n you make me n' otter one? I wanna makes it a war'rior otter!" He eagerly bounces over to Orph and his was figurine collection, "deez is neat!"
Orph looks the hare up and down, "I could ... wot ya want one for?" He's only mutilating these ones ... well cause he doesn't much like hares or squirrels, but otters well ok they aren't that great either, but tree-rats and hares were still much worse than otters.
Barto gets defensive, "I wanna toy otter t' play wiv! It'ta make da' otha dibbuns jeal-ous!" Just as he finishes, a familiar mouse-maid enters in from the kitchen area, "Barto! You leave them alone and get over here sir! I have a stack of plates with your name on it!" The hare sighs heavily and sulks towards the mouse. He turns back to Orph and says, "Remembah makes me 'n otter ones!" The mousemaid steps in and fits a small apron around his neck and helps him tie it in the back before taking him to the kitchen.
Aikuen begins tapping his claw against the table, As he does when he is angry about something.
Orph's ears swivel toward the tapping sound. Where has he heard that before ... is he in trouble after such a /long/ stretch of /not/ being in trouble? His ears lower some, "Somethin wrong Pa?" he asks half hoping he's wrong and the otter's just in a bad mood still. That's what the tapping means. How could he forget tapping = mad otter. And mad otter = must go somewhere else fast. Usually.
Aikuen Watches the little hare go off to the kitchen, laughing to himself. He turns back to William, and asks, "How old are yah mate?
The rat turns and looks at the otter confused cocking his head to the side as he tends to do, "Um ... " he chews his lip a little adding things up as best he can, "... nearly five seasons I guess. Why?"
When Aikuen hears the little rat's age, he gets up from the table, "I'm going to go see a beast... You are almost of age... that's why I needed to know... Though you still got 2 seasons, they will come up faster then you think." He nods his head, and heads for the entryway limping with every step.
Orph isn't quite sure what this is about but just to be safe he calls out, "There're not gonna throw me out are they? Pa?" He comforts himself with the thought that he always has Moledeep to go to.
Aikuen exits through the door, but he yells out, "Not if i can help it mate..."
Orph nods and heads out to the gate house. He'll sleep in Moledeep tonight and tomorrow ... well if he's still alive tomorrow he'll figure out something.
Groups:
