On the shoreline before a storm 4-21-2016 (A Long Patrol log)
Western Shore
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soft sand cushions you as you walk. To the south a lone mountain stands at attention, guarding the seashore. Curls of smoke grace the sky as they escape from the top of the looming mountain. The sight is breathtaking to anybeast. To the west the sand meets the glassy sea.
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Exits: [I]nto [H]ole in the [G]round, [T]o the [N]orthwest [F]ace of the [M]ountain, [Sh]allows, [U]pshore, [D]ownshore
Eagles: Thunderwing, male.
Hares: Terrence, male. Felicity, female.
Thunderwing circles around the beach and then lands. He looks around and perns a wing as he waits. He knows some hares saw him as one pointed and seemed either excited or scared, he was not sure but he landed here. Over his wing is a small pack made so he can still easily fly well.
Trotting along the shore, a hare hefts his spear to rest a bit more comfortably against his shoulder. He looks around, sighing - Terrence wasn't much of a fan of patrolling. Granted, it wouldn't be much of a Long Patrol without patrols and all that. He glances behind him, to see if his partner is anywhere nearby.
Felicity is close behind him; she's just hiding behind a dune. She suddenly appears! On top of said dune. Looking around, she shields her eyes with a paw, then points to a dark thing further up the beach. "I say, I think that might be the big bird the othahs saw. I vote we go investigate, wot!" She slides down the dune and starts walking towards the eagle, her long, practiced Runner's strides threatening to (unwittingly) leave her companion behind.
Thunderwing looks at the hares and adjusts his wings "Bunnies...bunnies come and get message from Thunderwing ya" He uses his beack to move and empty the bag of maybe 3-4 letters. He has no clue what they say as he is not nosy but no bad news, "From friend Wintersclan ya...let bigbadger of mountain know beasts go back and safesound and news ya"
"Big Bird, eh, /what/?" Terrence asks, alarmed, turning this way and that until he catches sight of the eagle. "Ah! Investigate? /That/? Aren't you at least a tiny bet afraid of being /eaten/?" Apparently not. After a few moments of dithering, he sucks in a breath and follows after her, muttering darkly under his breath. "Bunnies, eh? Not much in the way o' brains, is he, eh, wot?" He says quietly out of earshot (hopefully) of the eagle.
Felicity is a little bit afraid, but the Long Patrol is also all about facing your fears and doing something about them! But as they get closer, she comes to recognize the eagle, and she waves cheerily at him. "Oh, 'ello, there! Winters clan...oh, d'y'mean Miss Zinnia?" She ignores the 'bunnies' comment for now and just smiles as the letters get dumped on the ground. Stopping near the eagle, she smiles and waits for the other hare to catch up.
Thunderwing nods "Izzz yeah, Zinnia friend and others sent letters ya. News and belong okiekay is friends. Thundering fly high and then low." One most likely mentions the new champion and maybe one of the others sent a note also, he is just the deliverer not the reader of notes, he looks at the hares "Bunnies have fishies for Thunderwing?"
The other hare stops to stand a safe distance away, tightening his grip on the spear. If things go south, well, /nice knowing Felicity./ But things don't appear to heading in that direction - yet - so he relaxes for a moment. Gesturing to the pile of letters with a nod, Terrence asks, "So I assume he's a mail beast, then?"
Felicity has her paw resting on her shortsword handle, just in case. But she's managed to have it look like that's just her natural way of standing. "Y'know, 'e can 'ear you, and 'e is intelligent. Please stop talkin' about 'im as if 'e weren't 'ere." She tells the other hare. Turning back to the eagle, she smiles and says, "Um, please call us 'hares'," she makes sure to emphasize the H in there, since she has a tendency to drop it when she's just normally talking. "An' I afraid we don't usually carry fish around with us. Sorry, mate. I do 'ave some oatcakes, though. Wanna try one?"
"Well, excuse me for being /rightfully afraid of a bird that could kill us in an instant./" Terrence mutters to himself as said bird assumedly flies away. "Well..." He blinks, looking at the sky. "/That/ was rather rude of 'im."
"I'm not afraid of 'im because I kind of know 'im. We've met before." Lissie turns and rolls her eyes at him. "And now 'e's gone and you 'ave nothin' to worry about."
Terrence shrugs. "Well, anyway...We should probably get moving' again - don't want sarge to chew us out for being late, eh?" He says the last part in a joking manner.
Felicity chuckles slightly, then turns and keeps walking upshore, munching on an oatcake. Because hares are always hungry. "I say.....'ow many Patrols 'ave you gone on? I lost count at 20." She's not very good at making conversation.
"Eh...17, 18 now?" Terrence shrugs as he walks, more or less keeping pace with her. "Managed to avoid a few before..." He adds, thinking.
Felicity glances at him from the corner of her eye. "Why would you want to avoid them? ....'ow old are you, anyway, wot?" She suddenly has the feeling that he's younger than she is. "I'm about 9 seasons."
Terrence blinks. "8 an' a half." He looks over at the ocean. "Eh, I suppose I was just being lazy back then..." He turns back, looking her in the eye. "Though I don't plan to be anymore."
Felicity smiles. "I'm glad that you decided not to be any longah." She turns and looks in the direction that they're headed in. "'Ave you evah done any solo Patrols? They're kind of creepy at first, but you get used to them after a while...and they 'elp you get away from the always chatterin' beasts our age back at the Mountain." Having finished her oatcake, she holds her paws up and turns them into puppets of a sort and starts pretending that they're some of the more....flighty hares in Salamandastron. "I like make-up! Do you see my new dress? Did you see who What's-'er-face is datin' now? Did you 'ear what she said to Leslie?" Flopping her paws to her sides, Lissie rolls her eyes and sticks out her tongue in disgust. "'Tis shameful."
Terrence can't keep a straight face at her rather accurate impersonations, laughing heartedly. "Bahahaha...Aye, that it is!" He manages after a moment, shaking his head. He stops walking, thinking about what she said before. "Bu', no, I haven' had the chance to do solo, yet... Can't say that I really want to, though."
Felicity stops walking, too, and turns to face him. "...solo Patrols....aren't for everybeast," she admits after a few moments. "I...started goin' on them aftah my parents and brothah died. I....use them to honour their memories...and to escape from the more motherly beasts always askin' me 'ow I'm 'oldin' up, y'know? I'm not a baby; I wish they wouldn't treat me like I'm one." She stares out at the distant horizon, which is starting to turn pinkish as the lowering sun sheds its light on a building cloudbank. "....do you 'ave any reason for not wantin' to do solos?" She asks after a few minutes, turning back to look at him again and give him a faint smile.
Surprised at the sudden break of silence, Terrence says, rather awkwardly, "Uh, er, well..." he shrugs, again. "I suppose, well... I suppose that if I am a lone patrol and happen upon trouble, well - if it's any more than two I'm rather screwed, eh? I'm not /that/ proficient with a spear or blade, yet." he says with a slight smile, trying to cheer the mood with a joke.
Felicity's smile widens a little bit. "That's a good reason. I could 'elp you, probably, if you'd like. I'm pretty good with my shortsword, wot!" She turns and starts walking again. He'll catch up.
Terrence nods. "Ah! Right - I'm decent with a saber myself." He follows, rushing forward for a moment to catch up. "Maybe when we get back, eh? After submitting our report to good ol' Sarge, wot?"
Felicity grins. "Deal." She continues on her way, happy that she seems to be making another friend......
Later that night, a storm breaks upon the shore, beating and lashing at the sand.
A good night for weapons practice....followed by warm pastries 'borrowed' from the kitchen....maybe.
Thanks for reading!
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