Wandering Back Home [[OPEN]]

[Treble Tiderunner]

A tattooed face broke the otherwise serene waters of the Moss River, it belonged to an ottermaid who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She tossed two middle-sized bream in a net upon the bank near a rather large rucksack, unstrung bow and arrows before returning to mid-stream.

Grath leaned back, floating with her paws laced together behind her head. Whenever the current moved her too far, she would swim back up and resume her leisurely floating. It was a perfect spring day, hot without being muggy with a lot of sunshine. It was on her way back upstream to the bank where she'd left her stuff when she heard the noise. Treading water with all but her face submerged, she waited, eyes watchfully on the forest.

[terg]

Ephriam cursed under his breath as his footpaw broke a dry twig, making a loud snap.
He had wndered far from the Moss Camp and saw the otter that he was now watching.
The otter he had been watching was now treading water her eyes scanning the trees no doubt looking for her watcher, him. Feeling it was useless to hide anymore he stepped out from behind the sycamore. He wore his bow and arrows and carried his javelin. The dirk the hardly ever left his side was tucked in his broad belt.

The large otter scanned Grath. She seemed friendly enough, but he watched incase she should spring for her weapons. He tried to keep his paw from straying toward his dirk. He knew that if he was hostile, she would be hostile. Instead he addressed her with a simple question. "What are you doing here? I've never seen yeh. Are yeh from 'round 'ere?"

He tried to sound friendly but he knew he was doing a poor job. His frustration at himself boiled in his stomache, or was that just hunger? His footpaw tapped like it usually did when he was nervous or frustrated. Right now he was both.

[terg]

OOC: What...?

[Treble Tiderunner]

Oops....

Dang, now I have to right it again. I thought I had copied my post out of word, but apparently not. I'll fix it when I get back from my trip.

Sorry!

[terg]

OOC: S'ok

[Treble Tiderunner]

"What are you doing here? I've never seen yeh. Are yeh from 'round 'ere?"

A male otter around her own age emerged from the woods where she’d heard the sound. Deciding he wasn’t a threat, she swam back to her belongings and exited the river. She shook the water from her fur and pulled a dry tunic over her head. She’d left it behind on the bank for that very reason. He spoke while her head was still covered with fabric, and her foot tapped with impatience as she yanked the neckline down.

“Wot, ye think ‘cause ye’ve nevar seen me before that I not be from here?” She asked in return, fastening her belt, needed not to keep her clothing in place, but to hold objects she needed kept close. “An’ stop pawing that dagger, me bucko.” She never looked up from her belt buckle.

[lorki]

Sleetfang found herself in a foul mood on the sunny day. Her recent job had left her a bit more battered than she'd wished to be and taken far longer than she'd planned. Annoyed, the ferret knelt beside the river and dipped her bloodied leg in the water. As she washed the blood from her fur it became clear the injury was not serious, just painful. Oddly the fur on her legs was dappled white in an odd pattern, now stained a light pink from the blood.

She muttered to herself as she hauled her lower body out of the water and wrapped the clean wound. She covered her legs again in her dark trousers and stood up slowly, testing the sting of weight put on her leg. The pain didn't matter if the injury was not serious, she left it alone and slung her pack over one shoulder.

Sleet walked along the bank, growling to herself and cursing at whatever root of plant grew over her path. She wanted to eat or sleep but instead here she was, stumbling along like an -

In a sudden whirr the world around her turned upside down... or to be more exact, she herself turned upside down. The snare rope tightened painfully around her already burning ankle, sending small flames of pain shooting up her body. before she could react her pack fell and spilled most of its contents on the ground about four feet below her.

An enraged roar escaped her, she screamed a slew of curses into the forest and fiercely pummeled a fist against the tree she hung from, as if trying to punish it. She pulled a knife from her belt, a few had already fallen to the ground below her. After a few agonizing attempt to reach the rope and cut it she relaxed and swung gently from the tree she now found herself caught i. She would have to wait until either her leg went numb so she couldn't be distracted by the pain... or by some stroke of luck a beast walked by that wouldn't use her as a pinata.

[terg]

Ephriam jerked his paw guiltily away from his dirk hilt. "Sorry Ma'm. You have to be careful of strangers these days. Many who wander these woods are working for N'Tashi." Ephriam spat the name out like a curse, which it pretty much was.

Suddenly the air was split by Sleetfang's roar. Ephriam's paw shot right back to his dirk and he crouched slightly. Glancing at Grath he asked "Not a friend of yurs I 'ope?" Although it probably would be better if it was a freind of this seemingly friendly otter maids. That would mean it almost certanly was not a vermin.

Not waiting for a reply Ephriam stalked off toward the sound of the cry dirk now drawn and his javelin was held readily.

[lorki]

In the few sparse moments of silence she did hear the rustling. Surely she would have attracted some attention if there was a beast anywhere along the river bank. The truth of the situation was clear- she was stuck hanging from a tree by a rope around one ankle and she had no alliance to speak of so a meeting with either N'tashi's troops or a group of woodlanders could not promise a good or bad outcome. She quietly hoped that by some stroke of luck the healer would appear. Perhaps she could use his name to gain some ground if the woodlanders happened upon her... the hordebeasts she could possibly bribe or reason with...

Either way her blood ran hot in her veins and it would be difficult for her to put on a sweet face to gain any help. She swung her her body up with one last attempt to cut at the rope. She managed to slice it once or twice with her knife before the pain became unbearable again and her dropped back down- waiting, as the sound moved closer.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Sorry Ma'm. You have to be careful of strangers these days. Many who wander these woods are working for N'Tashi."

Grath nodded in acknowledgement of the apology. “Who be this N’Tashi ye speak of?” She asked, bending to pick up the rest of her belongings and slinging her rucksack on her back. She turned her head, looking the direction of the roar, and the curses that followed. She whistled low, impressed. “Yon beastie’s a colorful one.”

"Not a friend of yurs I 'ope?"

Grath shrugged. “Not from around ‘ere, and unless I be very lucky, none o’ my friends are close enough by.” She emulated him, but instead of a javelin she drew her bow, stringing it and holding it and arrow ready as she followed him towards the noise. So far, she had seen this forest was not too friendly, and was cautious.

[terg]

“Not from around ‘ere, and unless I be very lucky, none o’ my friends are close enough by.”

As he hurried back into the thick woods Ephriam replied. "Well then yer in luck. Things havn't been all that great around here since N'Tashi moved his cursed body and army into Red'all. N'Tashi's a stoat, all evil. He rules Redwall now and calls it Fort N'Tashi. Keeps a bunch of slaves there too. Our only comfort is that he's gettin' old and fat. He can't stay in power forever. It's our mission to free the slaves and overthrow N'tashi."
Ephriam hurried forward without giving an explenation of who was involved in 'our mission'.

As he continued on Ephriam caught the sound of heavy breathing trying to be quieted. Moving forward stealthily, he made sure that there where no dry twigs around so he would not make the same mistake as he had just made a few minutes ago.

He was thankful that the otter maid had turned out to be friendly and most likely would prove to be helpful in dealing with who ever had screamed. She looked like she new how to use the large bow that was grasped in her paw. Ephriam let his paw stray to his own bow that was strapped across his back.

As he reached a spot not far from where Sleetfang hung he caught site of her. His stomache tightened. He knew this beast would not be friendly. Almost every vermin in this part of the land worked for N'Tashi. But why was she caught in a trap? As far as he knew it wasn't one of the Moss Warriors traps that lay carefully hidden. Most of the those traps where situated in a tight circle around the camp itself, to drive back intruders. Ephriam held up his paw to warn Grath as he glanced back at her.

[Tirael]

His heart still beating too quickly for comfort, Tirael turned to see if his pursuers were still after him. He still didn't understand how he had gotten so close without noticing the patrol's presenceCautiously slowing down, he unwittingly backed into the clearing- and into Sleet. He whirled in alarm and tensed up before he realized who it was.

"Sleet?" he asked incredulously. She didn't seem like the type who would end up in this sort of trap; that was more his specialty. Beginning to be amused by the irony of the situation, he looked around before asking, "D'you want some help here?" It wasn't like she didn't deserve it; after all, she had saved him from slavery and possibly death. Besides, someday he might be the one hanging from the tree...

[lorki]

Sleet's body went rigid as a beast suddenly appeared... a beast that was moving... backwards? She lashed out with a paw at the otter's head as he backed into him, yelling a muffled slew of words as she was swung back around and her back hit the tree again.

"Sleet?"

Her ears perked forwards and her eyes widened as she stared back at the otter. Her incredible luck has stunned her into silence, "Otter!" She nearly yelled, her voice surprisingly pleasant. She appeared actually pleased at something, her voice and expression even ebbed towards happiness. "Well... I was just going to wait until my leg fell off or something to that extent but if you'd like it would be quit nice to get down... leg remaining." She said, a large fanged grin that seemed half sincere and half forced gleamed from her.

[Grath]

Grath blinked, looking confused as Ephriam suddenly launched into a tale about some warlord and a rebellion against him. Shaking her head, she nevertheless followed him towards the noise. She spotted Sleet as soon as they came apon the clearing… and there was an otter with her. She stepped forward, holding her bow ready but not drawn and pointed down.

"Well... I was just going to wait until my leg fell off or something to that extent but if you'd like it would be quit nice to get down... leg remaining."

“Ye two know of each ot’er?” She asked the bloody ferret and young otter.

[terg]

Ephriam entered the clearing a few feet away from Grath. His javelin was held in a ready postion, pointed at Sleet's head. "It dosn't really matter if you know each other. I know a vermin when I see one even if they're hanging upside down. I also know that most vermin around here are working for N'Tashi." The large otter already disliked Sleet. He was ready to kill her at the blink of an eye.