Quinten Log - 120 - 30 May 2006

Mossflower Woods

• ----------------------------------------------------------------------------*

You meet here with the king of all the trees in the forest. It towers above all the others, the first in the forest, the first to receive the sun's precious light and the first thing noticed when you walk into this part of the forest. So massive is this tree that is has a gigantic door carved into it. This door, big enough for any badger to easily fit through, seems tiny in the giant tree's trunk. The other trees, dwarfed, can only hope to receive some of the sun's life giving light after the giant tower above them has had its fill. Amazing.

• ----------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Keiran steps into the small clearing caused by the wide span of a certain ancient tree's branches and leaves, and immediately stops, his mouth opening in awe at what he sees. The gigantic tree before him is even larger than he could have possibly imagined, his ears pinning back to his head as he tilts his head back to look up the trunk. "...Brock'all..." He whispers to himself, his mouth returning to its slacked open state as he takes in the legendary place.

Quinten is a few steps behind the Brother, paw resting on his sabre hilt, the buck is starring at the floor a thoughtful frown on his muzzle. Just in his shirt and truosers after his tunic was bloodied in the fight. Mind still back on that nasty interlude, he only looks up when he hears your words and blinks "Cor, will ye look at that Brother"

Keiran simply stands still and enjoys the view from where he is, his head going back down the massive trunk. "I can' e'en b'lieve it. Th'place's 'uge!" He finally takes a step toward it, grinning widely. "...Y'think anybeas' lives there, still?" He asks in a comment to the recruit.

Quinten shrugs and moves to the left, starring up at the branches and reaching out to touch the tree trunk "No idea sah...you'd think we'd know back at the abbey if anybeast was a living here rigt?"

Keiran doesn't quite answer the question right away, reaching out to lay his paw flat against the trunk as well. "...I don' know 'f our records are updated. Bu' 'f I r'member c'rrectly, th'should be a door somewhere 'roun' th'trunk." He starts to hobble around the tree, trying to find the entrance.

Quinten nods and moves in the oposite direction "Just give me a shout Brother if you find it afore me..i'll go this way" he moves off at a lope, paw on the trunk as he looks for the door

Keiran continues to hobble around, stepping over a giant root on the surface of the ground. "...'ey!" He shouts, walking towards the tree. "Foun' 't, Quinten, o'er 'ere!"

Quinten comes loping into sight from around the tree, sliding to a stop next to you, white shirt billowing out around him from where he has untucked it "Super Brother, is it unlocked? can we get inside?" bouncing from paw to paw as he comes the young buck reaches for it

Keiran shrugs, letting Quinten try for the door... Which opens all too easily as he tries, an eerie 'creak' resounding and echoing inside the tree as it does so. "Guess w'can. Keep 'n eye out while we're in there; don' know who migh' b'livin' 'n th'place."

Quinten nods and holding onto the door sticks his head inside peering down into the gloom "Ok brother...did you do any reading about this place? anything we should know about?"

Keiran follows Quinten inside the tree, shaking his head. "Didn' learn much. I know th'place isn' in reg'lar usage anymore, so guests might've moved righ' in." He sniffs at the air just inside, and thinks. "Doesn' seem like anybeas' 'as gone in 'r out o'th'tree 'n a good season 'r two."

Quinten is bent over peering at the floor, trying to make out any marks in the dust "Well i'm no runner or tracker but i can't see any footprints in this dust"

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Brockhall Foyer *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The anti-chamber before reaching the ground floor of Brockhall, this

circular chamber is quite barren. There is a soft layer of moss and lichen

that carpets the flooring, while a small lantern, suspended from the center

of the low ceiling, casts a warm glow throughout the plain parlor.

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Brockhall Foyer *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* "Yeh, an' 't smells musty. Nothin's been stirred; we sh'd be safe." Keiran hobbles into the darkened foyer, navigating his way through the bit of daylight that seeps through. "Keep y'eyes peeled, though."

Quinten nods and places his paw on his hilt "Yes Brother i'll stay alert" he pushes against the door "Still i'll push this shiut, no point inviting trouble it"

Keiran nods to Quinten, his eyes narrowing as he tries to adjust to the new lack of light. "C'n barely see..." Keir murmurs, stepping forward to get to the next room, his staff pressing against the carpeted flooring.

Quinten hurries along behind you "Aye it sure is dark" he calls out to you "want me to open that door again Brother?" he holds a paw out in front of himself to stop himself from walking into anything

Keiran moves along at much the same pace as Quinten, slowly making his way to where he remembered he saw the entrance to the next room was... He reached a wall, and shifted to the side, grabbing a hold of the handle and turning it, slowly opening the door with a push. The same loud creak echoes as the hare steps into the next room.

Quinten pads along after you, ears tipping forwards to follow the sound of that creek. Pausing to reach out ahd feel for the wall and then the doorframe "Really Brother we should not go on in this darkness you know?" he stops moving waiting for an answer.

Keiran pays no heed to Quinten, grinning in the darkness. "Oho... /Now/ who soun's like th'ol'beast?" He chuckles in good nature, taking a few steps into the next room and allowing Quinten to follow.

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Brockhall Annex *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

This chamber, lit with soft-glowing lanterns, is the very hollowed trunk of

Brockhall and serves as an annex for a host of adjacent rooms and a grand

entrance hall. The room's ceiling is lost overhead in the darkness of the

mighty oak trunk. The tree's thick roots, that twist their way around the

chamber, have been honed and polished to resemble simple furnishings -- the

chairs, tables, and shelves are all part of the rustic decor, as much a

part of the tree as the beings who dwell here. A great stone fireplace

dominates the far wall, encircled by small stumps and even a large, comfy

chair. Carved into the living walls, a staircase with a sturdy railing runs

around the chamber, ascending gracefully into darkness. Another smaller,

darkened stairwell, the steps worn with age, leads to the woodlands. Above

the stairwell, a brightly polished, bronze plaque reads: Brockhall.

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Brockhall Annex *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Quinten follows you down the passage and into the next chamber, groping along in the dark and grumbling under his breath before he speaks out. "Brother this is no joking matter, i cannot see a thing, we could walk off a landing, fall down a hole. Anything." he gropes around trying to catch hold of your tunic, "If i go back with a dead you the Major will kill me."

Keiran chuckles at Quinten's uneasiness. "Ah, don' worry. M'staff'll catch any pitfalls b'fore I accidentally walk 'nto 'em. Jus' stay be'in' me, we'll try an' fin' some sort o'ligh'. Jus' let y'eyes adjus' f'a bit, an' tell me when y'c'n see a li'l better."

Quinten mutters under his breath but carries on following the other hare. He pauses after a few yards and waves a paw before his eyes, "I can see something Brother, but not much, like different shades of grey and black....." He sniffs at the air "And definatly dust lots of dust."

"Y'll be able t'see better 'n a li'l while." As soon as Keiran says this, the sound of his staff hitting something that rolls in a circle echoes through the vast room. "Wha's this?" He kneels down, his paw reaching out to grab at whatever he nudged with his staff, his paw barely missing it as it rolls towards Quinten.

Quinten frowns hearing the object rolling about, it hits him in the left footpaw and the buck jumps back with a yell "hey...wot was that" he leans down and reaches out for it, feeling about in the dark for it.

"Y'got 't?" Keiran stands up, turning his head but not his body.

Quinten picks up the object feeling over it carefuly "It feels like a lantern brother....quite an old heavy one two, though i cannot tell if it will work or not, here you have a feel of it."

Keiran reaches back and finally finds the lantern in Quinten's paw, grasping around it and trying to make out the shape. "Well, only one way t'fin' out. Y'got th'flint 'n y'pack, righ'?" He reaches back. "M'handin' 't back t'ya, b'careful."

Quinten nods his head and takes the lantern back, the buck sets it upright on the floor and rumages in his pack and takes out flint and tinder. He strikes some sparks into the tinder and peers at the lantern in the dim glow, trying to work out how to open the glass and get to the wick.

Keiran turns around to face Quinten and the lantern. "Good, good. See 'f y'can ligh' this place up a li'l... Seems a shame t'be inside th'great Brock'all an' not be able t'see a thin', heh!" He looks at the lantern, and points briefly. "Th'latch's o'er on this side o'it... I 'ope it 'as oil."

Quinten nods and manages to get the latch unclipped, he slides the glass door open and touches the smouldering tinder to the wick. A flame takes hold slowly, and Quinten begins to fiddle with knob on the outside to see if there is any oil for the wic to draw up.

As the younger buck tries to light the lantern, Keiran smiles, looking up as the light from the lantern grows and grows, until it's brightly shining, a decent enough radius to make the shinier attributes of the room to catch at least a glint. With the luminescence comes a sort of haunting absence... It's obviously a huge, vast room, but it's also completely void of presence, save the two bucks. Keiran gets a chill, whether it's from excitement or from the spookiness of it all. "Perfect... Look a'this place!"

Somewhere on the muck, Flaxpaw has connected.

Quinten raises the lantern up higher, casting its light further away from us. It reflects of various things leaving the young buck gawping "it is...huge Brother...just look at it...i mean really it is amazing, something so big under a tree."

Keiran nods in agreement. "Yeh, I'd say... Le's get o'er 'ere on this table, so I c'n look o'er my notes." He hobbles over to the nearest table illuminated by the lantern light, and fishes a book from a pouch in his belt, placing it on the table, opening it up and removing a folded piece of parchment, waiting for Quinten to follow with the lantern. As his face is lit up, a wide, very happy grin can be found crossing his features.

Quinten is smiling just as broadly as the other buck, excited at the prospect of exploring such an ancient place. He places the lantern on the table and fiddles with the wix, getting a bit more brightness of it and allowing him to see further "Look at that fireplace."

Keiran whistles as he looks around, the increase in light allowing him to see more easily the outline of the more nearby walls. "This's..." He shakes his head and gives a sigh, simply unfolding the parchment and laying it flat on the table. "A'righ'. So we're 'ere..." He points to the parchment, which has a map of Brockhall drawn on it. We need t'get 'ere." He points to another point on the map. "W'd y'rather carry th'lantern 'r navigate, Quint?" Now he seems a little giddy, even, the adventure getting beneath his fur.

Quinten lifts the lantern back up "I'm the youngest aye'll be our light bearer Brother Keiran." He swings the lantern from side to side and moves around the table holding it up. You just show me the way to go"

"Righ', then." Keiran raises the map and places the book back into the pouch, reading it briefly before looking around. "S'place's... 'mazin'," he repeats in a sort of sigh, smiling. "Le's get goin', though."

Quinten chuckles, "Your telling me brother this place is huge... are you sure you know the way? i would hate to get lost down here"

Keiran chuckles nervously, letting the laughter fade off with a quiet, "Heh... I can' guarantee ya I know where m'goin'. Bu' we won' get los', I've got th'sense o'direction o'a..." He nibbles at his own lower lip. "I got a /great/ sense o'direction. This way," he points towards one of the staircases along the wall of the huge room.

Quinten nods and follows along a few paces behind you, checking the lantern every now and then. He is worried about the oil, he has no way of telling really how much we have left or when it might run out, leaving us in darkness.

Keiran reaches the wall, and the base of the staircase, hobbling up the first, then the second, one stair at a time. "M'jus' 'opin' th'plans're there when we get t'his room. Though e'en 'f they're not, jus' gettin' t'here an' seein' th'inside o'Brock'all w'd be 'nough. 'f I c'd only paint a picture, y'know?"

Quinten nods his head and follows you up the stairs, "Same here brother, aye i glad you allowed me to come along with you." he grimaces as the lantern flickers and he reduces the light to conserve oil, only throwing light over a small expanse of the stairs ahead of us. "Of course we could really do with some more oil."

Keiran looks up the staircase. "Yeh. 'R more lanterns, heh." He looks around, shaking his head as all the lanterns seem to be gone from their spots on the walls. "'opefully we come 'cross more." Steadily, he climbs the steps, looking up the huge staircase.

Quinten peers over your shoulder, holding the lantern higher to try and light the path towards the top. "I can't really see the top from here brother. What is up here?"

"I can't, either. 'opefully there's a passage, 'r somethin', soon..." Keiran hoists himself up a few more steps, looking down to see how many he and Quinten have already scaled, quietly making his way up. After a while, he looks down again. "...Mus' be 's high 's th'abbey walls righ' now."

Quinten shakes his head in amazement and smiles, "I wish we could bring more beasts, and more lanterns, light the whole hall back up and see it in its splendour"

"Heh, that'd b'nice." Kerian looks across the tree into the darkness. "C'n y'imagine this place filled with beas's young an' ol'?" He shakes his head, climbing stairs all the while. "Think I see somethin' up there."

Quinten leans forwards over your shoulder, thrusting the lantern ahead of us "Where?" he glances back down "Aye...with a bagder lord or lady living here holding court and guarding the realm too. It'd be a sight, maybe we could hold one of your famous Redwall feasts in here?"

Keiran ears flick in interest, nodding in agreement. "It'd be somethin' else t'see a place like this alive..." He grins, turning his head inward as if watching it happening as he walks. "I don' know 'f we c'd 'old a feas' with all o'Redwall 'ere. Can' jus' move e'erybeas' 'n th'abbey, y'know. Bu' a trip 'ere again w'd definitely be nice."

Quinten nods, "Well maybe not a feast but we could certainly give the place a bit of a cleaning, hold a party maybe?" he turns his attention back to the path ahead "See anything yet?"

Keiran nods slowly. "Yeh. S'a doorway!" He calls out, almost jubilantly, looking at his map. "S'about time, too." The hare, due to his disability, had to put a lot more effort into climbing all those stairs, and so when he gets to the landing, he heaves a big sigh and leans against the wall. "All those stairs tired m'out, heh. Jus' a secon'."

Quinten smiles and flicks his ears from side to side, "Well if you need someone to carry you about a bit Sir, i am sure i could cradle ye in me arms and carry you down safely." He winks at you in the lantern light and then turns to examine the door."

Keiran chuckles at Quinten's quip, rolling his eyes. "Righ', righ'. 'f s'gonna be like /tha',/ then le's go. Jus' try not t'fall too far b'hind, heh." He looks at the door, patting it, and grabbing the knob, giving it a turn. Hm. He tries again, shaking his head. "Ah, not /now./" He turns to Quinten. "S'locked."

Quinten frowns and leans past you, grasping the doorknob and giving it a good shove himself, rattling the door as best he can. "Awww come on, not after we came all this way."

Keiran purses his lips. "S'gotta be a way in..." He hefts his staff, as if seriously considering knocking the knob off and forcing his way in. "...S'no lock on this door. Why w'd y'lock a door 'ere? /This/ door? S'no point 'n it..." He thinks on this one, pushing the door open after twisting the knob.

Quinten frowns and looks the door over, "Your right you know brother...it doesn't make anysence, i mean it would surely need to be barred or something from inside if it does not have a lock?"

"Barred, 'r blocked by somethin'." Keiran shakes his head, leaning against the door frame silently. "Got any ideas?"

Quinten frowns at the door and rattles it again "Well...is there another way around it? On your map?"

Keiran unfolds his map and looks over it, holding it up to the lantern light. "...No, it'd seem t'be a dead end." He sighs, looking back towards the door, and giving it another twist of the knob and shove. "Wha' c'd be blockin' th'door?"

Quinten frowns and puts his shoulder to the door and begins to push, "Maybe something is just leaning in the way?" the buck grunts and puts his whole weight behind it.

Stepping out of Quinten's way, Keiran watches, hopefully... And sure enough, the door begins to budge. "...'t moved! Keep tryin'." He looks excited now, grinning as the recruit slowly but surely starts pushing the door open.

Quinten grunts and rolls his eyes, "Of course it is moving Brother...got to wonder what...it is...behind this..."

Suddenly, the door stops budging, the sound of metal clunking behind the door. Unfortunately, it's not enough to slip through quite yet. Keiran's ears twitch at the sound, and his face twists up. "Awwwh, what's that /smell?!/"

Quinten sniffs and frowns, he stops pushing and moves back a step, raising a paw and covering his nose with his sleeve. "I do not know sah...but it is rotten wotever it is."

"What's th'..." Keiran's dark fur seems to go a shade paler. "Quinten... I don' know 'f y'wanna know wha' 't is, 'f m'righ'." He knows what it is, his ears folding.

Quinten frowns at Keiran his own ears perking up, he sniffs again and grimaces. "Wot is it? we got to go this way anyway haven't we?"

"...Think a beas' chose this t'be 'is dyin' place, Quinten." Keiran winces and breathes through his sleeve, looking towards the door. "On three," he comments to Quinten, putting his shoulder close to the door. "W'both push. One... Two... Three!"

Quinten grimaces and closes his eyes, muttering a prayer as he shoves the door with you, putting his back into it and heaving.

Keiran shoves into it... He can't get much purchase on the ground with his one footpaw, but he helps nonetheless, his eyes closing tight as he pushes with all the force he can muster. Slowly, the door begins to budge again, but the smell gets stronger... Finally, it's open wide enough to slip through... But he doesn't quite yet. :P

Quinten looks at that gap in the door and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath the recruit presses the lantern into your paws and slips through the gap. Sleeve pressed over his nose and muzzle as he darts inside.

Keiran takes the lantern, quizzically watching the younger buck slip through. "...Quinten!" He calls, following closely behind, carefully slipping through the thin space in the door. On the other side is a squirrel, dead and beginning to rot, a few bugs hanging out of his ears and other scattered over his body. The smell is terrible.

Quinten is down the far end of the room, his eyes closed and a paw covering his muzzle, trying not to wretch and be sick. "Brother...its...a...squirrel..." He gasps out and groans hanging his head.

Keiran covers his nose with his sleeve, wincing and turning away from the sight of the

dead creature, and hobbling down the hallway to get away, stepping inside one of the dormitories in the hall and beckoning for Quinten to follow.

Quinten hurries after the brother, ducking into the dormitory and sitting down on an empty cot "Why...would he choose to die there"

Keiran shuts the door behind Quinten, the lantern light now illuminating this rather sparse dormitory. "I don' know... Maybe tha's where 'e jus' gave up." He coughs into his sleeve, brows furrowed. "Looked ol'..."

Quinten nods his head and shivers. "I did not really stop to look at him Brother....do you think it was old age then?"

Keiran nods. "S'prob'ly 't. Poor soul." He shakes his head, breathing the air, testing it... The smell is still present, but a lot weaker. "Now le's see 'ere..." Keiran looks at his map, holding the lantern up to it. "'parently, there's a staircase at th'end o'th'hallway we need t'take up. Y'ready t'keep movin'?"

Quinten blinks and stands up again "We...are not just going to leave the poor old thing are we? He needs to be buried properly." he looks out nad back towards that gruesome sight,

Keiran shakes his head. "W'not gonna leave 'im." He heads toward the door behind Quinten, holding up his lantern. "Can't bury 'im /now,/ though. Le's get done with wha' we need t'get done, an' we c'n get 'im on th'way back. Righ' turn out 'ere."

Quinten nods and straightens his ears. "Right..of course Brother sorry...seems i'm seeing alot of death on this trip."

Keiran nods to the hare, and follows behind him down the hallway, trying to ignore the smell. "Watch y'step," he murmurs, walking past Quinten. "Think I sh'd go firs', since I've got th'lantern." He holds out the map for Quinten to take, heading up what seems to be a spiraling staircase.

Quinten takes the map and looks at it, frowning as he tries to work it out. "Ok so this spiral stair will take us up again...to where we want to be?"

Keiran pauses on the staircase, and chuckles. "...A'righ', so you take th'lantern, an' I'll keep readin' th'map, heh..." He hands over the lantern, and takes the map, stepping against the wall to let Quinten past. "Won' be too lon'."

Quinten smiles and steps forwards, holding the lantern high and with determination, taking the first step onto those spiral stairs. "Ok sah do we go all the way up?"

"Yeh. All th'way, Quinten." Keiran holds the lantern up and hobbles up the staircase behind the other buck. "S'only one fligh', but it doesn' say 'ow lon' 't is."

Quinten just walks up the steps, lantern held high and one paw resting on the wall besides him, trailing up over it. "Ok so we just keep going till we hit the landing then, cannot be much further"

Keiran nods. "Yeh, jus' a bit farther. So I 'ope, anyway." He hoists himself up step after step, his ears folding backwards as he breathes into his sleeve again. "S'th'smell gettin' stronger, 'r is 't jus' me?"

Quinten frowns and nods his head his own paw moving from the wall back to his miuzzle "No sah...the smell is getting stronger again." he frowns ahead spying the landing on the edge of the lantern light "here we are."

Keiran hobbles up the stairs, following closely behind Quinten... As the lantern illuminates the landing slowly, it reveals... More corpses. Three of them, hunkered into two corners... In one there's a rat, and in the other there's a mouse and a ferret, piled haphazardly atop each other.

Quinten stops and stares at the corpses in surprise, his paw creeps to his sabre "Brother...somethig is not right here.....this is beyond just beasts coming inside to die..." he looks at you worriedly and raises the lantern high.

Keiran's ears flick at Quinten's words, peering up to see the three dead beasts. Looking up and around the range of the lantern light, his ears go alert. "...What 'n th'..." He shakes his head, trying to clear his head of the smell. "Keep goin', bu' be careful..."

Quinten reaches to turn up the lantern light but stops as the wix sputters and the light wavers. "Brother...the oil is almost out!" he draws his sabre partway, looking about worriedly, ears cocked for any sound.

Keiran reaches the landing, looking around carefully, then down at the map. "One... secon'." His eyes flick over the map, studying it carefully. "...A'righ'. We want t'go down /OOF!/" Keiran is stopped short as a bat flies out of the darkness and collides with the hare's back, knocking him over and sending his staff rolling against the wall. As soon as it happens, though, the bat's gone.

Quinten yells in surprise and his sabre swings out, chiming gently as it leaves its scabbard. He raises the lantern. The buck has one look at the bat as it sweeps away and then the lantern dies completly. "Bat..." he muttered, reaching out for your arm and holding it firmly.

Keiran fumbles around in the dark, trying to find his staff. "Quinten! Y'a'righ'...?" There's a squeak coming from behind the hares, and again, through the darkness, a bat comes cannonballing into the older, knocking him down again. "Unh!" he grunts as he hits the floor, his arm yanked from the other's grasp.

Quinten yells and flails wildly at the air for a moment with his sword, when that doesn't have any effect he kneels down, groping for your arm agian "Hey shove off and leave the Brother alone"

"Quinten!" Keiran calls out, flailing his arms for finding either his staff or the recruit, paw grasping at nothing several times. "Quin-...Agh! G't /off/ me!" There are a few thuds that sound, the flapping of wings, and one more squeak, followed by the sound of just panting, otherwise quiet.

Quinten yells and reaches out with his good paw, trying to grab the bat, he grabs what he things is a wing and stabs out at it with his sabre. Hoping to wound the mad creature and drive it off.

There's a screech as the sword pierces /something,/ probably the wing of the bat, but

before Quinten can finish the job, the creature flies away. Keiran's breath can still be heard, as well as some knocking against the floor as he reaches blindly for... Anything.

Quinten scrambles forwards "Brother...brother are you ok" he pulls his daggr and slides the hilt into Keiran's paw, wrapping his paw about it firmly "Here me dagger..." he holds his sabre just as tightly. "Answer me brother."

"M'okay..." Brother Keiran takes the dagger, gripping it tight. "Can' see anythin'." He backs up against the wall he's found. "Where's m'staff?" In the darkness, some more squeaks can be heard... Though it sounds like more than one bat this time.

Quinten curses at the sound of the squeeks and shifts feeling about him with his paw for the brother's staff. "I can't find it sah...but we can't stay here...i can make out some things now...we gotta shift."

"I can' walk 'thout m'staff," Keiran whispers to Quinten, his ears perked to catch the squeaking... It's getting closer and closer by the second. "Le's go, 'elp me up." He grabs for the recruit's arm, snatching hold of his sleeve. The sound of flapping wings is now audible along with the squeaks.

Quinten helps the brother up, letting him lean on him. The recruit feels along the wall and finds what he thinks is a door, he grops for the handle and tries to open it. "If we can get into a room...we can shut them out."

The doorknob resists at first, from misuse. But after a bit of a turn, it does open, and the door swings open. The squeaks grow closer, and the wings can be heard closing in. When the door opens, Keiran reaches forward and all but falls inside, his paw gripping the dagger and wielding it in the case he needs to. "Close th'door!"

Quinten stumbles in after the older buck, gripping the door Quinten swings it shut and slams it into place, leaning against it to hold it close. Listening to those squeeks and wing beats. "Are...we safe...where are we?"

"I don' know," Keiran replied, fumbling around and hearing the bats claw and beat their wings against the door. "...Los' th'map, an' direction o'where we were durin' tha' whole thin'." He pants, and Quinten can hear the sound of Keiran's paws patting over his body. "Y'a'righ'?"

Quinten nods and realises that is pointless as you cannot see him, he claws in his pack and draws out flint and tinder and strikes a glow with the tinder. "Yes i'm fine sah, they never touched me. Only went for you."

Keiran looks towards the glow, at least glad to be able to see /something./ The beating of the wings and the screeches fade off, the bats getting bored with the door and finally flying away. "Le's see wha' other s'prises we c'n run inta..." He hoists himself up, and leans against the wall.

Quinten stands up slowly, his sword still held in one paw ready incase he needs it. "Still Brother we will have something to tell everyone back home." he holds the tinder up. "See if you find another lantern or a candle...paper would do too."

"...Scavengers." Keiran almost spat the word, looking back towards the door as if talking to the bats. "Th'went aft'me 'cause m'a cripple." He shakes his head, starting to hobble along the wall, leaning into it as a substitute for his staff.

The Recruit/Novice raised the tinder higher, its weak glow illuminating very little. The younger buck moved closer to his friend and held out his other arm. "Here Brother, lean on me it will be easier....we need to find those plans and get out of here."

Keiran's head shakes. "Nah, s'a'righ'. I c'n walk by m'self." He offers a smile to the barely illuminated Quinten. "Don' know 'ow we're gonna fin' anythin' with no ligh', though."

Quinten sighs and looks around, peering into the darkness. "We could try and make a torche...or maybe find a candle or another lantern. I would dearly like more light if we run into those bats again."

Keiran nods in response to Quinten, still leaning into the wall. "Le's jus' 'ope we fin' one, heh." He pauses as his paw presses into a door, swinging it open so he has to grab the wall quickly so as to not fall. "...Wanna look 'n 'ere, then?"

Quinten frowns and steps up towards the dark portal, poking the tinder through first, the burning fibres flare for a moment then settle back into their usual dim glower. "Sure Brother..." he draws his sword. "Let me go ahead first."

Keiran nods, ears perking at the sound of the sword being drawn. "Righ', you go in... Be careful!" He whisper/shouts to Quinten, leaning against the wall with his ears perked, trying to compensate for blindness with hearing.

Keiran room-pages, "Sorry again. >.<".

Quinten moves into the room slowly, half crouched and sabre held at the ready, just in case any more surprise are lurking in here. The young bucks ears swivel from side to side listening intently whilst he tastes the air.

"Y'fin' anythin', Quinten?" Keiran speaks softly into the darkness, towards the small glow from the tinder. He jumps, but settles quickly as Quinten's footpaw bumps up against something wood, making it clunk away a few times.

Quinten frowns and reaches out a paw to try and work out what the wooden object is. "I think i have something Brother...come join me, it seems safe enough in here."

Keiran steps reluctantly into the room, still clinging to the walls. The object Quinten kicked is a sort of wooden stick, though it's thick and slightly heavy.

Quinten frowns and shifts his sabre under his arm so he can pick up the wooden stick, hefting it in his paw, he then gets tangled trying to peer at it closer. He drops tinder, sabre and stick with a clatter plunging us into darkness. "Buggerit." he mutters kneeling down and searching for the tinder.

Keiran's ears perk at the sound the stick makes, and he pauses against the wall. "Y'think s'a torch? Sound'd like a thicker sort o'wood." Staying still as he can't see where he is, he keeps track of Quinten with his hearing.

Quinten lays his paws the pile of tinder, with a sigh he leans down, striking the flint creating several sparks which land on the tinder, the soft glow slolwy returning to fill the room. "Here we go brother." The novice then feels about until he puts his paw on the thick stick. "Here we, it is certainly unusual for a stick." He begins to run his paw over it.

Keiran looks towards the small glow of the tinder, biting his lip in hopefulness. "Wha' d'y'think? Try an' ligh' 't, see 'f 't 'as an end y'c'n get burnin'. M'startin' t'not like this place th'longer I'm 'ere."

Quinten lifts the tinder to one end which appears to be wrappped in something, the sparks from the tinder catch hold after a few moments and the dry and brittle wrapping goes up in flames. Quinten yelps and almost drops it before he slides his paw down the haft and hefts it higher. "There...light, now let us find those dratted plans and get ouf of here brother. I am liking this place less and less."

Keiran takes a big breath and heaves a sigh of relief as he sees the light come from Quinten. "Yeh..." He leans against the wall. "It'd b'easier 'f I 'ad m'map..." He closes his eyes... "Bu' 'f m'where I think we are, then... Sh'd be jus' down th'hall."

Quinten moves back to the doorway leading out and sticks his head outside, holding the torch out before him. "Ok brother, i'll go ahead, those bats may know a way around to this hall so lets be quiet and listen out for them."

Keiran nods. "A'righ'." He follows Quinten, keeping against the wall and stepping out behind him. "B'careful," he murmurs, stepping into the hall and leaning against the wall again, using it to help him walk. "Three doors further, on th'lef' side."

Quinten moves down the corridor slowly, torch held up high in one paw and his sabre in the other, the orange light from the torch reflecting dully off the metal of his blade. Sticking close to the older Hare quinten's ears are perched forwards, listening for those tell tale signs. "Nearly there now,"

Fortunately, there are no signs of the bats, as this corridor, once illuminated, seems to lead to a dead end. Unfortunately, that means they have to go back the way they came to get out. But that's for later, both the hares nearing the turn into the hopefully correct dormitory. Keiran bites his lip in anticipation. "Cross y'fingers..."

Quinten shifts his sabre and takes a smart step back, allowing Keiran the honour of opening the Dormitory door and leading them inside. "I'll have something to write up for my life at sala paper at least. When we get home."

Keiran nods to the recruit, smiling. "Yeh, y'will. Prob'ly th'bigges' thin' y'wrote 'bout t'date, heh!" He grins, and hobbles weakly across the hallway, placing his paw flat against the door and pushing it open, the torchlight barely illuminating a single row of the room. He hesitates, peering into the darkness and limping into the dorm.

Quinten looks about the corridor one last time before moving in after you and closing the door. The torchlight splutters and some burning material drifts off it, crumbling to nothing as it falls to the floor. "Brother this torch is bone dry, it won't last for long."

Keiran turns to look at the torch, biting his lip and looking to the walls... They're barren, and only a desk rests against one wall, covered in old parchment and with drawers stuffed to capacity. "W'have t'make 't quick, then. Check th'stuff on th'top o'th'desk, I'll work on th'drawers," he directs, limping to the desk and opening the top drawer, rummaging through the paperwork that fills it.

Quinten moves up next to Keiran and rams the torch into the wall off to one side of the desk. It flares and sputters some as Quinten begins to read throug the documents on the desktop. "I hope we can find it, coming all this way for nothing will be heart breaking."

Keiran casts a nervous glance to the sputtering torch, working more quickly. "Please be 'ere... Please be 'ere, please be 'ere," he mutters, repeating the phrase beneath his breath again and again, shutting the first drawer and going to the second. "Please be 'ere..."

Quinten lifts a large rectangular sheet of parchment off of the desk and holds it up to the light. "Ere Brother wots this?" he leans in closer to the light, trying to make out what is written on the design. "Hey its the gatehouse...."

"Th'gate'ouse?" Keiran looks up from where he was searching. "Keep lookin' 'roun' there, s'probably close by." He gives another nervous glance to the torch, biting his lip and going back to the drawer, rummaging through piles and piles of parchment. "Whoe'er knew a mole c'd 'ave so much writin' 'n 'is desk?"

Quinten chuckls softly and leans down shifting through the piles of paper on the desk, there are notes and pages and little scribbles on scraps of parcment. "Ok here we have a plan for a water wheel near the pond, and well what do you know, we we're going to have a tower on the south wall...." The hare pauses holding up this discarded design, heedless of the fluttering torchlight.

Dandelion pages, "I'm still kinda annoyed at the "sniper" label. I don't feel the term is applicable..." to you.

Keiran slams the second drawer shut, and goes to the bottom one, opening it up and spotting blueprints. Getting a little excited, he takes the entire stack out of the drawer and sets it on the ground, spreading them out. "S'a lot o'discarded ideas 'ere... S'th'lib'ry, here..." he murmurs to himself, the torch growing dimmer.

Quinten leans down to look at them, "I see and there is the dormitories..." he points a paw then looks at the torch. "I wish we had a chair or something...i could use that to make a fire...."

"Got 't!" Keiran holds up a big, partially rolled up piece of parchment. The part that isn't rolled up reads, "REDWALL ABBEY BELL TOWER - FINAL" and contains a diagram of the building-to-be. "A'righ'... Le's get out o'here b'fore th'--"

Just when Keiran speaks, the torch dims, dims, dims... and then dies out.

Quinten can be heard to sigh, there is a rustle and crackle of paper as Quinten is doing something, the sound of the torch clunks on the desk and more rustling ensues. "We cannot get out of here without light..."

Keiran's ears perk. "Quinten. Quinten, what're y'doin'?" The hare recognizes the sound of parchment being crumpled. "...Quinten, y'not gonna burn wha' I think y'gonna burn, are y'?"

There is silence from the other hare, the sound of is teeth meeting as he snips some twine into pieces, "I'm sorry Brother, but we cannot get out of her past those bats, without light. We have what we came for....we have to Brother...i picked some pieces....that where mostly blank...afore the torch wentout, we got no choice." He doesn't sound happy with this idea.

Keiran sighs, and there's a long silence. "O...kay." He says this very reluctantly. "W'gotta make sure I don' leave w'thout m'staff, though. S'a nice staff." He stands from his spot, clutching the plans to him very carefully. "A'righ'. Le's get out o'here."

There is a clack of stones and a spark of light....a crackle of paper and then a soft Whoomp, the torch has been relit and is slowly being raised in Quinten's paws. "I am sorry Brother really i am, i didn't want to ave to burn this paper."

"Th'blank... Th'were blank pieces o'parchment, Keiran..." The brother hare recites this to himself, shaking his head. "A'righ', le's go." He limps towards the door, opening up one of his belt pouches and shoving the scroll in there, so it stick out along his side.

Quinten holds the torch up higher and removes his sabre from its sheath again. "Ok brother, you get your staff and then get yourself back down the main stairs...i've got fire and a sword i can hold them off

Keiran nods to Quinten. "A'righ'... Quinten, b'careful. 'f y'hurt when y'come back, I don' know 'ow much trouble I'll b'in." He reaches the wall and leans into it, shuffling against it. "Y'go firs'."

Quinten moves ahead of you, hoping you can't see in the burning parchment that there was no blank pieces on that desk....the cast aside southern wall tower's plans are now no more, burning away slowly. "Ok Brother, we're nearly at the door so get ready."

Keiran nods, and audibly gulps, stopping right behind Quinten. "I don' 'ear 'em..." he whispers, his ears perked high. "M'ready s'I'll e'er be. B'careful, Quinten."

Quinten frowns ears tilting forwards, his grip on both sword and torch tightening. "Ok brother, i'll open the door and go through first...hopefully they will not like bright fire."

Keiran gives a nod to Quinten, and tenses up. "Soon 's I get m'staff, I want y'makin' a break f'th'stairs. 'f y'fall b'hind, I'll b'back t'get ya. Can't worry 'bout y'savin' y'self... Le's go." His paws twitch in anticipation.

Somewhere on the muck, Terrance has disconnected.

Quinten nods his head and swings the door open and leaps out into the corridor, setting himself in a fighting stance, ready to move at a moments notice. "Ok brother.....come on, move!"

Keiran limps into the open area, using the torchlight to locate his staff. He limps towards it and nearly falls on it when he grabs it, planting it against the floor and hoisting himself up. He stops for a moment as he hears the squeaking of bats, and ducks low as they fly over his head, coming from the stairs... Three of them, circling around the torch-bearing hare.

Quinten hisses and moves over to Keiran, standing with his back to his, "Come on..lets move for the stairs and get out of here Brother." He then jabs the torch towards one who is circling lower. "Back off you scavengers,"

The circling bat backs off at the threatening torch, and the older hare nods, hobbling off towards the stairs, looking up at the bats, ducking low as one dips close to him, with a threatening screech. The other two dip in close to Quinten, but retreat quickly, squeaking and flapping their wings loudly.

Quinten growls and swings the torch from side to side agressivly, "Next one who comes anywhere near us, looses a wing you hear me.." He raises his sword as well, the blade glittering in the light. "We are leaving."

Keiran balances on one foot and raises his staff to jab at a bat, who swoops away just in time to escape it. "Get out o'th'way...! I'll belt y' t'next winter!" He shouts to the bats, who seemingly don't care, as they group together, hanging from the ceiling right over the stairwell they're headed towards.

Quinten growls and moves up to join you, peering at the bats over the stairway. "I think they are going to try something funny brother, when we try to go under em."

Keiran nods in agreement, staring off with the other hare. "I think now tha' we c'n see 'em, we'll b'able t'fend 'em off..." He takes a few steps towards the steps, nearing them. And, out of the side of his mouth, he murmurs, "I won' be able t'fight on th'steps, though."

Quinten nods his head once to the brother and raises his torch higher, "ye just get dsown brother.....aye'll stop em if we can get through tha door down below we kin lock it."

Keiran takes a shallow breath and sigh, nodding to Quinten. "Watch m'back." At that, he takes a step forward, looking warily up at the bats. Down one step, and then two... He takes his time, looking back up to the bats every once in a while.

Quinten jabs the torch towards the bats just to remind them he still has it. The young buck then begins to move backwards down the steps, two steps above you as he begins his descent, ready to defend you if he has to.

Keiran gulps, his ears trained to hear any sort of sound from the bats as he slowly takes the steps one at a time... He reaches about halfway down, when suddenly, there are three united screeches, all of the winged creatures swooping down at once, attracted by the dancing firelight on the torch.

Quinten screams back at the bats to match their squeeking. Thrusting up with both torch and sabre and trying to stop them from going over his head to get at you. "Back off...leave us alone!"

The brother is just trying to get down the stairs as quickly as possible without tripping and falling... The bats swoop down and hover just out of Quinten's reach, screeching and batting their wings at him, but staying well out of range of that dangerous torch. Keiran reaches the landing and walks down the hall, the smell of rotting fur filling his nostrils again, making him cringe and wretch a little.

Quinten glances back as the smell hits his nose, "Hurry Brother...hurry we are almost there..." he jabs at one of the bats who swoop down to low. "We're going you filthy creatures, get away from us."

Keiran goes as fast as he can back towards the door and the unfortunate squirrel that marks the end of the hallway. The door is still open enough to slip through, and he starts maneuvering towards it, holding his breath... Suddenly, one of the bats swoops in and tries to claw at Quinten's torch to rip it from his grasp.

Quinten yells and stumbles back, one of the bats talons digging into his paw, the young buck drops the torch with a screech of pain and lashes out with his sabre, aiming at the bats head, blade glittering in the torchlight as it rolls across the floor.

Keiran turns to the stairs at Quinten's yell and watches the torch tumble down the rest of them, frozen where he stands. He hears the squeal of a bat as Quinten's blade slices across its forehead, and it falls to the floor, twitching. The other two dive for Quinten now, one for the younger hare, and one trying to get past.

Quinten throws himself backwards towards the door, "Get through brother...get out of here!" Yelling Quinten goes to lash out at the diving bats, hoping to try and slice them both, the light from the fallen torch fluttering and flaring as it lies on the floor, slowly dying."

Keiran starts towards the door again, looking back over his shoulder and tugging the door open more, stepping around the squirrel and getting out of there... The bats flutter out of the way of the blade, but one is too slow and takes a slash to the wing, immobilizing it and making it fall, screeching in angusih.

Quinten just jumps backwards for the door, stumbling into the brother as he lands in the hall way beyond. The recruit reaches out to grab the doorhandle and with a sharp tug the door swings shut. Thumping closed Quinten sinks down panting, cradling his injured paw against his chest, hidden in the darkness once more. "We...did it...a'least. Brother..we got the plans."

Keiran nods to the recruit/novice, leaning against the wall and wiping his brow of some imaginary sweat. "Yeh, we got 't." He listens to the screeches of the enraged bats on the other side of the door for just a moment, before he looks through the darkness, his eyes adjusting. "Le's 'ead 'ome, Quinten."

Quinten stands up slowly, grinding his sabre into the ground to help him back up. His other paw is clutched tightly to his chest and the buck is quivering slightly as he begins to walk along towards the other stairs. "Yeah...i'd like that Brother."

Picking up a strangeness in Quinten's walk, Keiran hobbles behind him, brow furrowed in a small margin of worry. "...Quinten. Are y'okay?" He carefully steps down each, feeling around in the darkness until he gets a feel for how the steps are spaced.

Quinten grunts out what may be a reply and manages to get his sabre back into his sheath single pawed. The novice then leans agianst the wall. "No...it goe my paw..."

"...'ow d'y'feel? C'n y'still move everythin'?" Keiran grabs Quinten by the shoulder, but it's a gentle squeeze, more to show he means business, answer his questions right away, and he means it. "Sick t'y'stomach, fev'rish...? Anythin'?"

Quinten peers through the Gloom at Keiran, "Do bats.....no thats snakes isn't it?" He breathes deeply and wriggles his injured paw's fingers. "I can move everything, just feel faint is all."

Keiran closes his eyes, thinking for a second. "Don' take deep breaths. An' try t'stop thinkin' 'bout gettin' bitten. We need t'get t'th'dayligh' as fas' as we can. C'mon, le's move!" He speaks urgently, but not panicked at all. More insistent, than anything.

Quinten nods and breaths slightly quicker and begins to move rapidly down the stairs ahead of you, "Can you remember the way back out?" He looks back at you and then forwards again. "I guess we won't be having that...party here after all."

"Yeh. I tol' ya, I 'ave th'bes' sense o'direction y'c'n fin'. Don' rush, y'makin' 't worse 'f y'do tha'. Jus' walk, an' when y'get t'th'bottom, wait f'me, an' I'll lead y'out." Keiran hobbles behind the recruit down the stairs at a steady pace.

Quinten walks off of the stairs and looks about slowly, shivering. "Ok i'm down Brother," He fishes about in his tunic and takes out a handkerchief and wraps it about his paw tightly. "I feel better now we are down...but i'll feel alot better when we get outside."

"A'righ'. Jus' follow me, an' we'll be out soon." Keiran's easy enough to track... After all, his staff makes loud clicking sounds in the vast empty hall as he walks. "This way."

Quinten pads after the older Brother and can't help but smile softly, his ears perking forwards. "We did it Brother, after countless seasons we are finally bringing the original plans for the Bell tower home. Now all we need is a workforce."

Keiran nods, reaching the wall and rubbing his paw along it, trying to find the exit to the room. "S'gonna take more'n a season 'r two o'reconstruction. I don' know who's gonna 'elp us. We c'n worry 'bout tha' when we come t'it, though."

Quinten chuckles, "Aye Brother, got to shift that rubble first, and if we need a new bell find out who to ask, Only Bellmakers i know are all down south."

"...Yeh. I don' know any bellmakers at all. Tha's another thin' we need t'think 'bout, but don' need ta 'til we 'ave a tower." Keiran finds the corner. "Foun' the doorway. S'over 'ere," he comments, before stepping through it and continuing towards the exit of the great tree.

Quinten moves after you rapidly when you say you have found the way out. "Ok lets hope it is still light, those bats must be able to fly out of the tree from somewhere.." He shakes his head and steps up close behind you. "We can Find a bellmaker i am sure."

"It migh' be. I'm 'opin', 'r else we migh' 'ave t'camp out 'nside Brock'all 'till mornin'." Keiran calls out over his shoulder, walking up the stairs towards the surface and the entry to Brockhall. "It'd b'safer tha' way."

Quinten emits a soft Boff and hurries to catch up with the Brother. "Ok well i hope it is still Daylight, I wish to leave this place behind us quickly."

Mossflower Woods

• ----------------------------------------------------------------------------*

You meet here with the king of all the trees in the forest. It towers above all the others, the first in the forest, the first to receive the sun's precious light and the first thing noticed when you walk into this part of the forest. So massive is this tree that is has a gigantic door carved into it. This door, big enough for any badger to easily fit through, seems tiny in the giant tree's trunk. The other trees, dwarfed, can only hope to receive some of the sun's life giving light after the giant tower above them has had its fill. Amazing.

• ----------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Keiran emerges from Brockhall to see there is plenty of daylight left, hobbling out of the tree and backing up, letting Quinten through. "A'righ', le's see ya. S'it feel bad?"

Quinten holds out his paw to you, His handkerchief is red with his blood, on both sides, the talon has pierced from one side to the other from the looks of things.

"Ah... Mus' sting quite a bit." Keiran purses his lips. "Still feelin' a'righ'? Queasy, dizzy, trouble seein', smellin', stayin' awake?"

Quinten smiles at the Brother and nods his head, which leads him to stagger a few steps. "Just a bit dizzy Brother...everything else is fine. Honest."

Keiran bites at his lip. "Stay righ' 'ere. Sit down, bu' don' lay down. I'll b'righ' back." The hare takes a step away and turns, disappearing behind a tree line, the crushing of greenery beneath him marking his progress.

Quinten sighs and stis down with his back agianst a tree trunk, the young buck places his paw on the grass and stares off at the tall oak tree he had just left. "Such a mighty place...filled with such fear."

After a little while, Keiran comes back, paw filled with some sort of leaves, his paw rolling around and crushing them as he walks. "I 'ope y'still 'ave water t'wash this down with." He stops next to Quinten, kneeling down and setting his staff down, rolling the leaves in his paws until they're crushed enough, offering them to the recruit. "Eat this, it sh'd 'elp."

Quinten eyes the leaves and sighs, "These are going to taste horrible aren't they?" He takes the leaves and crams them into his muzzle with his other paw. He paws for his flask and chews on them slowly.

Keiran wipes the leaf debris off on his habit, just watching Quinten for a moment, looking up at the top of Brockhall and shaking his head quietly. The leaves? They're just picked off a random bit of Mossflower flora, no medicinal nor poisonous values. Simply a placebo.

Quinten makes a face and swallows the last of the leaves, "Ugh they taste horrible." The Novice/Rucruit mutters as he washes them down. "Still the heather was a surprise, I didn't know they had any medicinal values."

"Don' worry 'bout tha'," Keiran responds quickly, hardly missing a beat. He hoists himself upright on his staff, and gestures for Quinten to get up as well. "C'mon, we need t'get goin'. 'ave t'get back t'Redwall with these plans b'fore anythin' /else/ 'appens, hehe!" He grins, back to his normal good nature.

Quinten shakes his head, "Rats and Bats, next they'll be a horde of Squirrels kidnap us and sacrifice us to their dark Mossflower gods, Seems the rodents are out to get us Brother, you sure those Abbey mice are safe too?"

Keiran snickers. "Oh, m'sure o'it. It'd be 'n awful ruse, 'avin' all tha' good food an' 'ospitality, only t'be a stark ravin' mad bunch o'cannibals, 'r somethin' 'long those lines, ha!"

End Log -