Quinten Log 98 - 22 04 2006

Western Shore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pale blue sky meets glassy green as you look out over the ocean to the

west. Gentle waves lap at the sand you stand upon. The sea is calm, and

so is the overall aura of the beach. A cool, salty breeze whisks

through and is gone as suddenly as it came. The distant cry of a gull, the

splash of a fish, and suddenly, all is still again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a long trek, the patrol has stopped and had set camp for the

night under the stars. Most of the lower rank hares had been given the

tasks of making scrapes or searching for firewood so that some food would

be prepared by those with culinary skills. Jarril is sitting on his

patch, a long dry stalk from dry grass is hanging from his mouth as he

stares out towards the sea.

Quinten has been out gathering driftwood from the shoreline, gathering

a variety of sizes he has built up a pile of wood and is in the process

of placing a ring of stones around the wood pile before lighting it,

lugging the stones into place.

Apparently the task of the moment for the recruits, Harper is wandering

around gathering firewood in an unhurried manner, reaching down every

now and then to pluck up a stick here or there. Apparently he's

gathering kindling.

Rishald Takes some food from his pack and sets about chopping roots and

vegitables to make a Dinner for he has learned a good deal of cooking

out on the wilderness and prepares to cook a meal for the Patrol.

Swiftgale goes out and starts to look for drift wood for the fire and

starts picking up the driest peices.

Quinten has sat himself down on a rock now, using flint and tinder he

is creating sparks, preparing to start the kindling and blow it gently

on the driftwood, hoping it will catch.

Jarril is having a quiet conversation with other majors within the

patrol, from time to time he looks about and see's the lieutenants giving

orders to the privates while some do the same for the recruits, some of

the privates are showing some of the recruits on how to do this or

that. Coughing Jarril nods his head to one of the other hares. "Well,

we're changing sentry duty three times tonight. None of the recruits are

doing it though, they're not exactly ready for that sort of

responsibility yet..." The major continues to talk with the others while his

stalk moves from one side to the other in his mouth.

Rishald He takes out some more food and sets the chopped up roots and

vegatables aside and starts on a large batch of lettace and continues

chopping for a salad he is making.

When he's gathered an armful of kindling, Harp wanders over Quinten's

way, dropping his load near the fire that he's working on. "Here's

s'more," he offers, then seats himself on a fallen log.

In a room page-pose, Jarril forgot about that :)

Swiftgale Takes out a large bowl on his way and gives it to rishald

after he does that he continues and goes to quinten and gives him some

more firewood and he says "here ya go".

Quinten accepts the firewood from Harper and Swiftgale and nods his

head piling wood slowly on the fire as it begins to take hold, the

flames licking over the logs "Cheers you two, i'll have this going soon"

A passing lieutenant passes Quinten and nods his head looking at the

fire. "Mind that ya don't make it ta big, mind. Nevah know what's out

at sea." Seeing something else, the hare moves on again to give advice

to another hare in her patrol.

Quinten nods to the Lt. and smiles letting the fire settle at a

sensible height, keeping it low and stacking up the rest of the wood next to

it, to be used later on. "Ok so Harp grab me some fresh water if you

can, we'll put together a soup, somehow." he grins at Harper.

Swiftgale comes over to rishald and starts chopping more food saying

"rish-a-thing think the old salad will be done soon?"

At the request, Harp eyes Quinten for a speculative moment, and for a

second it looks like he'll just turn and head off, ignoring the

question, but in the end he hauls himself up with a nod and turns, heading

toward the edge of the forest where he knows a spring to be. "Be back inna

moment," he offers.

Rishald he takes the bowl and says "tis ready now my friend stop

chopping lets make a stew with the water harp's getting." and takes the bowl

and brings the bowl over to the fire.

Quinten nods to Harper and eyes Rishald "if you want water for Stew

Rishald be best to get another pot, am preparing a soup in that pot"

Jarril is now in a deep discussion with the other higher ranking hares,

nodding to one of the colonels as he coughs. "Was my decision, besides

my cousin gave the go ahead. Not my first time at the abbey though."

He looks to seeing Harper move off towards the edge of the forest and

moves his head back again to get back to listening while nodding his

head. "Where is she by the way?" He looks about and gets a reply from

another colonel. "She's helping out at the other end of the camp,

someone managed ta get a sprain on the first day."

Quinten lays a log on the fire and uses a stick to stir the fire,

sending some sparks up into the air before he leans over and opens his main

pack and draws out a variety of items to use in the soup he's going to

start making.

Rishald Says "Don't get so upset I've got a pot. Swift go an' get Da

pot over there." He points over to where a pot lay.

After disappearing beyond the tree line, Harper remains gone for at

least a minute. He's taking his time, despite being out of the sight line

of the other hares, which the recruits were told specifically not to

do. When he reappears, it is with the necessary water. He makes his way

back over to Quinten, where he sets the water in its container beside

Quin's fire. "There ya go, mate."

Swiftgale goes to get the pot and mutters "All right I'll go." coming

back eith the pot he gives it to rishald and goe's and sits down on a

log not currently being used for fire wood.

Quinten smiles at Harper and flicks his ears "Thanks Harper your a real

hand" he nods and starts to toss things into the water, setting the pot

in the out coals of the fire and stirring it with a long wooden spoon

Jarril pulls up one of his fighters from his patrol and as the fighter

bends down to listen carefully. "We need volunteers for tonights

sentry duty. Make sure that their private rank or above for tonight, we

give the recruits a go another night under supervision. They need ta

settle in yet on patrol." Seeing the buck leave to begin to ask around for

any volunteers for the night's sentry duty, he goes back to listening

to the conversation going on around him.

Rishald thanks rishald heartily and starts putting all the food in the

pot and asks Harper "Harper can ya go and show swift where some water

is for my stew?

Harper shrugs indifferently, dropping back down onto the log. He ducks

his head, then, rubbing absently at a healing cut over the ridge of his

right eyebrow. "What kinda soup ya gonna make, Quint?"

Quinten peers into the pot and drops in a couple of carrots and then

smirks "Not sure...am using a bit of this, a bit of that, vegetable

probably" he eyes his pack "Anyone got a frying pan? I'm sure i had one"

Harper grunts at Quinten's reply, then stands up to do Rishald's

bidding. He doesn't look too pleased about it, though. Since when is he the

water boy? He gestures for Swiftgale to follow. "C,mon, then. Over

here." He starts to jog, to speed up the chore.

( One of the majors chuckles. "So when ya going ta let them know they

can't have soup every day?" Jarril blinks and looks around before he

see's the recruits making something over a fire. "They learn. Besides,

they run out of their food rations they can bally well look for some

while they walk." Blinking slightly, the major opens up his own backpack

and takes out one leaf wrapped biscuit and places the rest in his bag.

Taking out the stalk he places it down before slowly taking a nibble.

"Then again who said all hares act the same in a patrah." )

Quinten frowns and stands up stepping over the log he was sat on and

moving towards an officer and nodding to him "Excuse me sir, did anyone

bring a frying pan? If not any suggestions on what i can cook with

instead?"

( One of the officers looks at Quinten and replies. "What's wrong with

a flat slab of stone?" )

Swiftgale Starts Following Harper agreeing with him muttering as soon

as he is out of ear shot "Yeah when do we get to do all the work all ya

see everyone else doing stuff enjoyable not being fetcher's and

waterboy's!" he grunts indigantally.

Quinten nods his head to the officer "Well sir i would, but there seems

to be a lack of stones on the shore, mind if i go down to the waters

edge to have a look" he points towards a pile of rocks "I might find

something there"

Harper glances to the side at Swiftgale, frowning. "What?" he replies

and then shakes his head, waving off the other's words as they reach the

edge of the woods. He points. "Just about ten paces in, you'll see the

stream. There ya go. I showed ya."

Rishald says, "See ya later I'll be right back."

The officer gives a nod. "Aye ya can, but I hope ya not making ta

much, gotta ration, remember that." The hare goes back to what he was

doing beforehand.

Jarril spots Harper and Swiftgale and calls out. "Don't go out of

sight mind, not without a private with ya."

Quinten taps a footpaw on the sand and nods "Aye sir.." he murmurs and

decides to just stick with the soup for now, he can bake something in

the morning maybe. Moving back to the fire he stirs the soup, he looks

up and calls out "Major this is about ready."

Harper's ears twitch. He looks over his shoulder at Jarril, stares for

a moment, and then shrugs. "I ain't goin' no where," he answers, and

then with a shrug turns, leaving Swift where he is as he strolls back

over to Quinten.

Jarril nods at Quinten. "None for me thanks."

Swiftgale Rishald whois sitting close to them says "Yeah but If I had

said it was haversack rations for dinner they would not learn a

valueable lesson. this is many of them's first patrol off the shores let them

have their fun but when their belly's are empty then they will have

learned their lesson. though swift there knows how to scout ahead for

tucker thats what me and him both did when we wandered from place to

place."

Quinten nods to Jarril and begins to ladle up the soup for various

hares who would like it. Filling a bowl for Harper and holding it out to

him as he returns

Harper takes the bowl as he sits, nodding his thanks. He brings the

bowl up to his lips, sitting at the hot soup cautiously. His ears dip

back, relaxed. "... Thanks, Quint."

Swiftgale he comes back with the pot and water giving it to rishald and

sit's down waiting for the food to be ready.

Quinten smiles and flicks his ears, sittinng down on a log and filling

his own bowl from his pack "Your welcome Harper," he nods to another

recruit "Help yourself,"

Rishald takes the bowl of food and pours the vegatables in the pot and

puts the pot over the fire and starts adding various ingrediants to the

stew.

Harper nods his reply to Quinten, his head lowered while he continues

to sip away. After a couple of minute, he sets the mostly-empty bowl

down with a sigh, rubbing at his tired but not achy calf muscles. "Figure

this is the furthest I've ever been from Halyard 'n' the mountain..."

Quinten smiles at Harper "its the furthest i have been since i found

the mountain, though its a damn sight better then slogging through those

swamps"

Rishald Announces the stew is ready and starts handing the stew out to

those who want it.

Harper looks to Quinten with renewed respect. "The swamps? You've

/been/ to the swamps? I've only ever heard about 'em in class..." He frowns,

looking a little envious. With a small shake of his head, he glances

around at Swift, and gestures with a jerk of his head for the other buck

to join them. "So how far've /you/ been from the mountain?"

Swiftgale HE accepts the food from rishald sipping carfully and says

"Oh Actually I have been All the way into the great south stream and up

into the northern fringes of mossflower for me and rishald used to

travel a lot when we were younger."

Jarril continues to munch on his biscuit slowly while listening in on

the conversation quietly. Some of the majors are seeing to their

weapons now or making sure that their uniforms are spotless from the day's

walking.

Harper looks from Swiftgale to the beast he assumes is Rishald,

considering the older buck. "He yer brother or something?"

Quinten sighs and shakes his head "Oh trust me Harp it is no fun, me

and my sister crossed the mountains last spring and spent the entire

summer crossing the swamps..it was all mud and water and filth, you were

lucky to not see me when i arrived, i had enough fleas to die for"

Rishald he now says "no but we are closer than brothers after my

family died at the hands of vermin!" His voice gets sad here but soon perks

up and continues saying "he saved me from the vermin and showed me how

to live off the land and taught me some things about fighting and he

has been more than a brother to me. My hope has always been to join the

long-patrol."

Swiftgale exclaims, "I owe MY life to him!"

Harper's eyebrows go up at Swiftgale's answer. He offers a slight,

amused smirk and shakes his head at the other. "... All ya needed t' say

was 'no'." He laughs, looking disbelievingly at the other before glancing

to Quinten. At mention of fleas, he looks at the other with fascinated

horror. "Was it bad? We got some in our building in Halyard, but I was

lucky 'nough to be at the mountain already."

Quinten nods his head "Oh heavens Harper it was awful, i remember

Zeraph and Darklett dipping me in the baths until they were gone, still if

my sister had seen me she'd have had a thing or two to say about it." he

smirks

Jarril gets up and walks away, making a routine patrol around the camp

to pass the time as well as check on the sentries around the camp at

the moment.

Swiftgale starts and leads off to his bed saying "see ya we've got to

get up bright and early tomarrow"

Harper glances at Swift as he walks away, turning his attention back to

Quinten. He actually grins a little bit, his ears dipping. "... Yeah.

That's what m'brother said." His grin transforms into a smirk. "So...

yer first interaction with the officers was them givin' ya a bath?

Brilliant, Quin, brilliant."

Quinten smirks and rolls his eyes "Well it was meeting them first on

the shore, but first thing they did in the mountain was give me a bath

like a dibbun."

Harper gives a snorting laugh, shaking his head as he glances to the

side at Quint. He looks skeptical. "... That's great, Quint, really." He

chuckles.

Quinten rolls his eyes at "Well if i can give you some advice, avoid

those swamps, they claimed my sister, and well it was not a pleasent

Journey" he sits up, preparing to lighten the mood "Still Redwall will be a

good place to see"

Harper gives a fairly agreeable nod. "Aye. I'm lookin' forward to it."

He glances around then, eyes squinting thoughtfully. "... Where'd Majah

Quinten looks about and smirks "Not sure..probably the other end of

camp to see the Colonel"

"... Yeah." He glances over his shoulder, shielding his eyes from the

sun with a paw. "Guess so." He stands up, then. "I'm gonna go see if any

of the officers need help. Catch ya later, all right?"

Quinten nods and moves back to tend the fire "Of course harper, see you

later i'll keep the fire going"

Harper nods his thanks and heads off. "Later, mate." And he's off.

End Log - Moving Several Hours Later

Western Shore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pale blue sky meets glassy green as you look out over the ocean to the

west. Gentle waves lap at the sand you stand upon. The sea is calm, and

so is the overall aura of the beach. A cool, salty breeze whisks

through and is gone as suddenly as it came. The distant cry of a gull, the

splash of a fish, and suddenly, all is still again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun has set leaving the shore in darkness, only the light from

various camp fires burning low disturb the darkness, whilst the vault of

heaven is awash with sparkling diamond like stars. Quinten has erected a

small lean too out of driftwood, large enough for at least two hares,

and has spread his blankets out inside, the young short buck has then

moved down the shore a bit to stare at the stars.

Harper has constructed a quick and easy tent, formed of a white canvas

sheet, sticks, and rope. He lies on his stomach, his chin on folded

paws, under which he's bunched his overtunic to provide some pillowing.

He's staring off toward the waterline, looking introspective and a mite

melancholy.

Quinten turns around and starts to walk back towards the camping

ground, he spots Harpers white tent and raises a paw, "Evening Harper" he

murmurs quietly

Stat Player Sex Species Age Idle

Harper's ears perk at the greeting. He glances to the side and sees

Quint's feet. Hm. He rolls over onto his back and tucks his paws behind

his head, peering up at the other upside down. "Hey. How's it goin'?"

Quinten smiles down at Harper and sits down in the sand next to his

head "Not bad...was just thinking is all, hoping i've done the right thing

by coming on this trip"

When Quint sits, he turns his head to look at him, even though it makes

him feel a bit cross-eyed to do so. He lifts his shoulders in a shrug.

"... I'm glad to be goin'."

Quinten nods and settles down on one arm, propping his head up with it

"I was glad....bt now...well Gabby won't speak to me...and Major is

pissed off with me bg time...am worried i'd have been better off staying

at home"

Harper's eyebrows lift. He grins a tad cheekily. "Gabby? Who's Gabby?"

He'll address the other stuff in good time.

Quinten shakes his head "Where have you been Harper, Gabriel, you know

Mister Ender's granddaughter, that drop dead gorgeous Rabbit who i

think...if i'm lucky might still be my doe"

Harper snorts and shakes his head. "Oh. That'un. Yeah. I've seen her."

He turns his attention to the sky above, though he sends the occasional

glance Quint's way. "Why ain't she talkin' to you?" He pulls one of his

paws out from behind his head to scratch just above his eyebrow, where

a healing split in the skin is going through the itchy stage of the

recovery process.

Quinten watches you scratching and frowns "How'd you do tha tto

yourself Harper?" he then frowns at the sea "Oh i got drunk in Halyard...after

promising not to drink alcohol.."

Harper's frowns incredulously, glancing to the side at Quinten. "Oh. Is

that all?" Apparently he was hoping for something better. "... Well

she'll get ovah it. Is she comin' with us?" At the reminder, the

scratching finger stills. "Hm? Oh." He resumes scratching. "Fell."

Quinten nods "Aye she is with us...but so far she won't speak to me" he

nods and decides to change the topic focussing ont he wound "Fell on

wot? must have been nasty to leave a wound like that"

He grins - shrugs. "My step-dad's fist." The grin is as light and

disarming as he can make it, turning his eyes to Quinten. "Nice goin' away

present, huh?" Another shrug, and he turns his eyes back to the stars.

"Why's the Majah pissed at you? Same reason Gabby is?"

Quinten blinks "Your step dad....hit you? Sorry to hear that old chap,

why would he do that?" he then glances towards where most of the

officers are sleeping "Aye....put me on permamnet report for it...seems he

was fed up wi th me....i'm never gonna graduate you know...i don't think

he'll let me"

Harper shrugs again, looking a little fidgety about the line of

questioning now that he's started it. His eyes squint around the edges and he

shakes his head. "Didn't like it when I told him I was goin' away," he

sighs. "But you? Not graduate? Yeah righ'. Yer one of the best Recruits

in classes..."

Quinten laughs loudly and then stiffles himself "Me? best recruits your

kidding me right? About the only officer who didn't chew me out for

every tiny little thing i did wrong was Darklett...and well i mean the

Major, jarril that is put me on my permanent Private record for getting

drunk, getting drunk....its like they want to wash me out"

"That's a bunch of bull," is his immediate response. "Fer gettin'

drunk? They officers get drunk all the time." Bah. Harp rolls his eyes with

a shake of his head. "Forget about it. It'll roll over."

Quinten sighs and stands up "Ok Harper but well....its wot he said ye

know, i can't put a foot wrong or well i'll...." the buck trails off and

sighs, its obvious Harper doesn't want to hear his troubles, no one

does, he begins to move away back off down the beach.

Harper looks surprise when Quinten stands up, and even /more/ surprised

when he starts to move away. He rolls over back onto his stomach and

props himself up on his forearms. He frowns. "... Okay, then. Was nice

talkin' to you, too. Oh. 'Have a good evenin'?' Don't mind if I do." With

a slight deepening of his frown, he flops down from his forearms and

turns onto his side, away from the retreating buck.

Quinten pauses and looks back "Aye'm...sorry Harper i thoughtyou wanted

me to leave...i'm just a bitmixed up and scared.....about my future in

the patrol...Major also said he'd do everything in his power to stop me

becoming a recorder..."

At first, Harp considers pretending that he's fallen asleep. But with a

grunt, he rolls back over onto his other sigh, resting his cheek on a

paw. Frown. "A recorder? What's that?"

Quinten looks at Harper and shrugs "You know, keeping the records, i

enjuoy writing, i mean like my article life at Sala.." he looks towards

his bed "Anyway i need to go sleep....another long day tomorrow i am

sure, see you soon Harper"

End Log -