A Is the Anchor {Aidan, open}

[Nagini]

Nadie did not know much about the place she was headed, but she felt she knew the essentials. It was a big mountain called Salamandastron and it was unconquerable. It was ruled by badgers (or, at least, a badger), guarded by hares, and neither liked corsairs--hey, that rhymed!

Hare, corsair... Maybe she could make a song out of it. Nadie felt too tired for song-writing though. She was worn out from wandering down the coast. Sure, she wasn't half-drowned anymore and she was dry, but she was still half-starved.

Or more, she thought as her stomach growled and pained her. Corsair-hating hares aside, she needed food and rather than try her luck at the River Moss, Nadie had decided to go south to Salamandastron. It had seemed closer at the time too, but maybe that was just because of its size.

Now that it was more in sight, the shipwrecked rat started having second thoughts. There wasn't much she could do about them though. She was pretty sure that if she turned back and went north, she'd starve to death before reaching the river.

Did badgers and hares like music? She couldn't imagine why they wouldn't. All beasts liked music, even the deaf ones!

Nadie may not have had the mental energy to write a whole song, but she did have strength enough to play things she already knew. And they've big ears too, she thought of hares. Nadie took out her reed flute and began to play a sea shanty.

Even if the mountain hares and badgers didn't like corsairs, maybe they liked flutists and if they liked flutists, maybe they'd think twice before trying to shoot her. Nadie didn't even know if she was in range of being shot, but there was nothing wrong with thinking ahead.

[Grath]

Aidan was sitting on the beach, his footpaws dug into the damp sand. The older hare leaned forward on his knees, his eyes staring into the far distance, where the sea blued and blurred with the sky. His fur was dark against the sands, but the gray streaks of age broke up his form, giving him patchy camoflage.

Retired life wasn't what he thought it would be. He wasn't content, but he hadn't been content on the battlefield. At least there he had known what to do, had felt he belonged. Here, he felt out of place. How could he feel out of place? this was his home, the birthplace of his sister, the place he had laboured so very long to protect and defend. It was Salamandastron, the ancestoral home of hares and badgers, the long dead moutain fires burned now in the blood of the beasts who lived there, driving them in their quest to protect the coasts.

So how could he feel out of place? Aidan leaned his chin on his paws, closing his eyes. The warmth of the sun and the calm breeze lulled his senses, and soon his ears drooped in sleep. The brigadier was sound enough asleep that the sounds of the flute drifting to his still keen ears did not immediately wake him.

[Nagini]

Playing the shanty had been a good idea. Not only did it keep Nadie distracted from her empty belly, but it gave her mind and paws something to do and kept her moving at a steady pace. It didn't keep her from stumbling some from exhaustion though.

Nadie didn't move quite in a straight line because of that, but her tail did its job at keeping her balanced for the most part. Her walking stick might've helped there too, but it wasn't that easy to play the flute and hold the stick at the same time, so Nadie'd put the stick into her sash and now it was sort of like an odd brace.

She kept on playing until she hit a particularly high note that was both unintentional and not a part of the song. "I need... something," she mumbled, lowering the flute from her lips. She didn't care if she was talking to herself. She'd been doing it anyway. "Food would be nice, but--" Nadie gave a large yawn, "--sleep would be good too..."

She was dragging her paws now, not walking like a proper creature. She was sure that she'd drop to her knees any second now and nap. The sand wasn't that cold if you buried yourself in it. "Warmer than the sea... that's for sure," said the rat with another yawn.

She shook herself. "No," Nadie said, blinking heavily. "No nappin', no stoppin', no... buryin' myself in the sand! None o' that. I'm gettin' to that bloody mountain if it kills me..."

During that little speech of hers, Nadie stomped forward in the sand, only to fall flat on her face when she moved faster than she should've. She landed on the beach with a heavy oof! despite her light size and she spat out sand loudly when she sat up.

When she sat up though, she also noticed someone up ahead of her. It was a hare! Right? Or was it a rabbit? Nadie never really remembered the difference, but it didn't really matter right now, did it? There was someone else there on this empty beach!

"Ahoy the--ack!" Nadie fell again after trying to scramble to her paws and wave at the beast. Served her right for rushing. The black rat got up slower this time and after wiping sand from her snout, she shouted, "Ahoy!"

Was ahoy even what you said on land? It didn't feel like the right thing to shout, but Nadie could barely think at this point. "You there!" she went on. "Um... Long-eared, uh, thing!"

[Grath]

"Ahoy the--ack!" [...] "Ahoy!"

The noise finally roused the old hare from his sleep, and he instinctively lept to his feet, his wiry, tough body held in a defensive position the moment he became upright. Two blades balanced each other in his paws. His eyes darted around, finally locating the source of the disturbance. It was a black rat, waving her paws and falling on her snout. Aidan relaxed slightly, slipping one blade away, but keeping the other handy. He had not lived so long to play the fool now.

"You there!" she went on. "Um... Long-eared, uh, thing!"

"I am a hare!" he called out, bringing himself up indignantly, feeling slightly insulted (and yet slightly amused) to see the creature tripping over its own paws. Was she drunk? The hare's eyes narrowed, uncertain. She could have been, but he somehow suspected something else was the matter. He drew nearer, not forgetting his surroundings. She could be the bait for a trap.

"What do you want?" he asked, not too unkindly. His creased features gave away nothing as he waited.

[Nagini]

"Ah, sorry then," Nadie called when he identified himself as a hare. "I've not seen many hares in my life."

Once she was close enough that she could see him fully, Nadie slowed up and stopped. He didn't sound that hostile when he asked what she wanted--definitely not like she imagined the fierce hares she'd heard of--but she didn't want to take any chances. She was in no shape to fight at all, let alone fight a rested hare. She didn't think she could even throw one of her smallest daggers!

"I don't mean to bother you more than I have," Nadie told him, "but would you happen to have any food on you? I haven't eaten in days and just a bread crust'd be lovely."

[Grath]

"Ah, sorry then," Nadie called when he identified himself as a hare. "I've not seen many hares in my life."

Aidan was perfectly willing to accept this fact, it wasn't often that beasts had the chances he had, to see the world and all that was in it. True, he had left quite a trail of destruction in his wake oft-times, but he just as often left the places more peaceful than they had been before. It was double-edged sword, true enough.

"I don't mean to bother you more than I have," Nadie told him, "but would you happen to have any food on you? I haven't eaten in days and just a bread crust'd be lovely."

Aidan fished briefly in his tunic, pulling out a thick chunk of bread and tossing it to the rat. He stood more at ease, more certain now that this was no trap. He eyed the rat, replacing his blade. "An' wot 'appened t'ye, wot?"

[Nagini]

When the hare threw the bread to her, Nadie was a little too enthusiastic about catching it and almost missed entirely. It hit her paws for a moment, bounced off, and fell into the sand. No matter though. A bit of sand never hurt anyone. Nadie picked the bread right up.

"Oh, bless you, sir," she said, brushing off some of the sand. "Thank you very much!" Sand was a minor matter though. She would've happily eaten stale, maggoty bread at this point.

Nadie wanted to bite right into the chunk and scarf it down, but she had some restraint left. Rather than biting straight into it, she broke off a piece of the bread and popped it into her mouth.

"An' wot 'appened t'ye, wot?"

"Wot 'appened?" she repeated, not out of mimicry or anything, but just so she had a bit more time to get her thoughts together and/or bit off another bit of bread. "Shipwrecked. There was an awful storm and--" Nadie was interrupted by needing to cough, as she'd swallowed too fast, "--sorry--and I got knocked overboard, and ended up here."

((OOC: How did I miss that "to" typo earlier?! I am, like, dying of shame right now. ))

[Treble Tiderunner]

Aidan adjusted his uniform, appearing absorbed in straightening it and ridding it of sand while he observed the young rat. She was very enthusiastic in her thanks, he doubted she was acting as bait. So the question remained: What to do with her now?

He could simply let her go her way: after all, he had given her food, and there was a chance she had a plan. Other than simply wandering around hoping to find some other kind creature to feed her when she was on brink of starvation. Or not, he thought as he straightened, his uniform as crisp as he could get it under the circumstances. There were, after all, limits to what one could do to a wrinkled and sandy tunic.

"Shipwrecked. There was an awful storm and--" Nadie was interrupted by needing to cough, as she'd swallowed to fast, "--sorry--and I got knocked overboard, and ended up here."

“So, wot are ye plannin’ on doing now, miss?” the elder hare questioned.

[Nagini]

“So, wot are ye plannin’ on doing now, miss?” the elder hare questioned.

"Dunno," Nadie replied. "Try to survive, I suppose. That’s why I was headin’ for the mountain. I thought it a better idea to go there instead of trying to go into Mossflower, although I’ve ‘eard that the beasts in Salamandastron don’t take kindly to my type. I’m no threat though. A babe could best me right now.”

The rat took another bite of bread and then asked curiously, “Are you one of ‘em—the hares from the mountain? I know lots of hares live there, but I’ve never met any."

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Dunno," Nadie replied. "Try to survive, I suppose. That’s why I was headin’ for the mountain. I thought it a better idea to go there instead of trying to go into Mossflower, although I’ve ‘eard that the beasts in Salamandastron don’t take kindly to my type. I’m no threat though. A babe could best me right now.”

“Most likely.” Aidan agreed, casting the sea one more contemplative look. It looked like his afternoon was about to get interesting-- a lot more interesting. Oh well-- mopey really didn’t do it for the hare. He was glad for some action. Even if it was only escorting a three-quarters-dead rat to the mountain. He didn’t think his Lady would mind in the end, though she might get a little worked up in the beginning. He knew the Badgerlady well enough.

“Are you one of ‘em—the hares from the mountain? I know lots of hares live there, but I’ve never met any."

“Brigadier Aidan Wavebob.” He executed the sort of elegant bow one just didn’t see the younger beasts pulling off nowadays, and motioned towards the mountain. “Ye may call me Brigadier, miss. Yes, ‘tis my home, yon mountain. Would ye like an escort?”

[Nagini]

"Brigadier Aidan Wavebob. Ye may call me Brigadier, miss. Yes, ‘tis my home, yon mountain. Would ye like an escort?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Brigadier, sir," the rat replied brightly. "My name's Nadie and I would greatly like an escort, thank you." What a life-saver this hare was!

Nadie finished off the last chunk of bread and asked, "Do you think the others will be quite upset at your bringing me to the mountain?"