Slaves of Azhra - Komali's Capture

Location - The Dirt Road, North of Redwall Abbey

Characters - Malini, Komali

It was a day since she had last seen him. A day since that rat had crossed her path. A day is a lot of time to travel, a lot of time to lose interest. Komali keeps walking, huddling under her gaily-coloured scarves and sari, clinging to what shreds of her cloak still remain. The rat had shredded it in his furious attack... but that Otter had stopped him.

She sighed and looked up as she trudged through the slush, grateful for the little bit of warmth cast to her from the sun. She could see a great building in the distance, rising above the trees like a red beacon. The mousemaid wasn't sure why, but she felt heartened by the sight, knew that there was safety. For that she was glad, for the woods around had turned silent - oppressive even. Only the softest breeze tickles the trees above, a few branches scrabbling over one another.

It wasn't a pleasant silence. She had discovered when she had come to these lands that the woods are usually alive and cheerful, bustling with birdsong and activity, but not today, not now. She feels gooseprickles crawling up her arms despite the heat from the sun. Komali takes in a long breath, staring to the great Abbey beyond, a place she has never seen before, but now wants to get to so badly. Not long now.

Not long now. The rat barrels through the scrabbling branches and tugging brambles of the underbrush, all the foliage long since fallen from winter's chill, leaving behind naked fingers of black and brown. He snarls as he tears his cloak free from a particularly stubborn sapling, the heavy crimson cloth ripping open a hole even as the young tree is snapped and broken in two. Malini pays it no mind, not even sparing a curse. He leaps the small ditch at the edge of the trees and splashes into the slush and mud of the dirt road, filth splashing up his legs and over the edge of his torn cloak.

Tall for a rat, broad in the shoulders and thick of tail. The cloak usually covers his body, bright red but faded and stained in places, small rips and tears showing in the heavy folds. His rush leaves it hanging from his back, showing the plates of hardened leather and cloth, banded and strapped to his body, but leaving his joints free and flexible; armour made for speed. His legs are long, thick and strong; made for tireless running over even the most difficult terrain; his hands thick and meaty, folded into great fists. Scars mark him in many places, white and pink lines through grey fur, some seeming no worse than an old scratch, others looking to have gone deep enough to find bone.

His hooded stares at the ground, lips peeled back to show yellowed, cracked teeth, breaths frosting in front of him as he pants... but not to catch his breath. Fists clench and unclench, he seems to be practically vibrating with rage as he stares at the road.

Pawprints. Small ones. Fresh.

The hood rises, it's wearer's ears caught beneath the folds of scarves. Had it been the usual bustle of the forest, the rat's hurried rush from the undergrowth could have gone unnoticed. Komali pushes the hood back and half-turns at the sound. Her bright eyes widen, jaw dropping in a silent 'Oh' at the sight of the red-cloaked monster.

No... no it can't be...

Time seems to drop to nothing, the mouse's heart thumping in her chest as she turns and starts to run. She can see the rat out of the corner of her eye, hear his enraged bellow as he lurches forward into an all-out run.

Its hard for Komali to run... sandals are not made for mud and slush in the first place and now they are sodden and slick, her muscles are cold and half-numb and her layers of baggy clothes are unwieldy... A chill of fright rolls up her spine, a desperate, exhausted scream coming from her lips, the rat roaring behind her, "YOU. ARE. MINE!"

Strong legs hammer his footpaws into the muck and slush, claws gripping at the solid earth beneath it, the slurry splashing away from him as if terrified to even be near this monster. He doesn't feel the cold, dripping water splashing up his legs or over his tail, he doesn't feel the cold. The Fury of the Red Monk is beyond that, his body is supercharged, burning hot to the touch, fueled by rage. The scars marring his body are bright pink, the skin of his paws the same.

Komali pleads in her native tongue, tears falling from her eyes as she tries to outrun the rat, but she knows it is hopeless. Her language is usually so melodious, lovely to hear, but now her voice cracks with terror, the musical quality of it lost in her panic. Malini hears her pleas, her cries, but they only grind on his nearly non-existant nerves, driving him further into in his fury. The rat's powerful stride closes the distance in no time, unhindered by the conditions or tired from his hunt.

The mousemaid runs like she is being chased by hell demons. Maybe she -is- being chased by a demon, she can't imagine them being any less horrific or terrifying. The snarling, hissing breaths of the rat close, putting the energy of fear into her feet, straining to reach the sanctuary of the great red building ahead. She spares a glance over her shoulder, tears streaming down her cheek.

The look is greeted with a heavy paw slamming into her side, sending Komali clattering to the path, splashing through the muck and icy water as she rolls to a halt. She curls up, covering her head with her arms, trying to imagine herself away from here, to be anywhere else...

Malini roars as he skids to a stumbling halt on the slippery path. His footpaw catches a half-hidden branch, forcing the rat to fall to one knee, slush splashing over his leg and halfway up his cloak. His teeth grind and he casts a maddened glare to Komali, shoving himself erect and moving towards the huddling ball of sodden, muddy scarves and fur. Fists clench and unclench, claws gripping and scraping at the hard earth beneath the water and snow. He feels no need to rush now.

"Should. NOT. Have. Run." he spits out, his words harsh and clipped, thick with hatred. He looms over Komali, glaring as he reaches down and grabs one of her arms with a heavy paw. His grip is like a vice, muscles bunching as he bodily lifts the mousemaid from the ground. A second paw goes to her scarves, grabbing a fistful as he draws her up to eye-level, like a fish on a hook. The mad dash had cast the hood from his head, but as if too disgusted or frightened to let it's rays touch Malini's flesh, the sun had taken to hiding behind the growing strength of clouds.

The rat is almost vibrating with energy, breath steaming from his jaws. He screeches into Komali's face, voice wavering with unrestrained fury, his breath foul like the stink of bad meat, "LOOK AT ME!"

Komali winces at the shriek, shivering from the cold both from the air and the fear. Her free paw is pressed to her face, trying to avoid looking at this horror, trying to wish him away or wake from whatever nightmare had found her. She squeals as the rat gives her a rough shake and roars at her again. Slowly, her paw leaves her eyes, to stare wide into his own.

His face is marked with dozens of scars. His left ear is almost gone, shredded and torn from some old battle. Thick and thin, the lines mark the black fur of his face, and each one of them is livid red. Komali tries to keep her eyes from those scars, but his eyes are no better. Fever-bright and red as blood, glinting with hatred and fury. If she wasn't so terrified, Komali would have wondered just how this rat could stay so angry for so long...

Malini speaks, but not in the hate-filled scream. It is no less frightening, carries no less of an edge though. His voice sounds like it comes from a pair of rocks grinding together in his belly, "You belong to Azhra now." The iron-grip of the paw on her arm tightens, a knife of pain lancing through Komali's shoulder, "Run and I -will- catch you." he adds with a hiss, then lets her go, unceremoniously dropping the mousemaid to the ground.

Komali can't run. She's already exhausted from the chase, the harsh temperature and the cold water saturating her clothes and fur. It only adds to the lead-filled feeling her joints have. She slowly pushes herself upright from the slick earth, shivering. The fear hisses through her blood, adding terror to her cold body, knowing that his words are not lies, intimidated by just how confident this horrible rat is to simply let go of her.

Malini stares at her for a long moment, then leans back a little, head tilting to the sky and exhaling. He vents a fountain of steam to the sky, then sucks in a long, slow breath of the cool air. His fists stretch out into paws, the vivid red of his scars fade to a sickly white and even his eyes take on a slightly less evil shade of red.

He scowls to the poor mousemaid before him, then draws his hood back over his face. "There will be -NO- trouble, yesno?" He gives Komali a shove with a strong foot and starts to walk North without waiting for her to follow.

The mousemaid stumbles and starts to follow, driven by the fear of what would happen if she tried to run again. She only manages a tiny 'No.' at the question.

"One mouse not enough. Need more."

The sun has taken it on itself to hide behind the approaching clouds, a few glimmers of sunrays beaming down between the cracks to warm areas far away through the forest. The breeze has risen, the sharp cold it brings unpleasant on wet fur and cloth, the chill scent of moisture tell tale of coming snow, proven by few fat, heralding flakes of white fluff decending from the sky.