Wandering Back Home [[OPEN]]

[Treble Tiderunner]

"I'm Tirael."

“Grath.” It was said simply, if a little forcefully as she gritted her teeth and glared at the pair taking up their fight again. She stood for a moment, partially wishing to interrupt them again, but the otteress’s heart wasn’t in it. She sighed, looking around for the younger male, who’d disappeared.

There he sat by a tree, seemingly huddled in misery. She skirted the fight, laying a sympathetic paw across his shoulders. “Hey. Wot be ye sayin’ to us bein’ leavin’ them two? Where be your home? I will escort ye there before I be continuing me way.”

[lorki]

Sleet stopped quite suddenly as her attack struck. She moved past Ephriam, dragging her sword over his chest as she went. She might have been satisfied with the wound she'd managed to inflict on the enemy... that is, if she hadn't noticed Tirael leave.

A cold feeling sparked in her chest. It chilled her blood and worked its way through her body and into her limbs. He'd left her, even if he hadn't cared the fact that he'd just up and walked off while she could get killed... But she shouldn't be surprised. Tirael couldn't handle the more violent aspects of life, she knew that, but still that he would run away...

Her attention snapped back to Ephriam as he turned to face her. He threw his knife... towards her face. Sleet quickly ducked sideways, the knife skimming over her torn ear, had her ear not already been tatter it might have been cut. Her eyes widened as she willed her mood to snap back into the viciousness it had been in before.

Failing, Sleet twirled her short swords forward. She would give the otter time to retrieve his javelin, part of her hoped that the wound would slow him down enough to the point where he would issue a sort of compromise. Sleet rarely stopped a fight herself, especially if that fight was with such a pompous beast. Still, she would accept at the point where she knew her winning was edging more and more to the unlikely side of things.

She waited, unable to get herself back into the fierce mindset she'd found herself in before.

[terg]

Ephriam felt his paws close around the smooth familiar grip of his javelin. To easy, he thought, she let me past. He whirled on her just in time to see her glance off in the direction that the other two otters had wandered off to. What was up with her? She still faced him boldly but her eyes kept straying back to where Tirael had dissapeared. He now felt that he had the advantage, with his javelin though she still had two to his one.

Sleet's sudden lack of spirit had an effect on Ephriam he stepped forward half heartedly and a swung with the butt of his javelin, not really hard enough to do any damage even if it got past her defenses. Why was he so down all of the sudden, he wondered? Usually he was pleased to fight vermin, to feel as if he had probably saved some inoccent family from being terrorized. He hated facing a beast who really wasn't putting their heart into the fight. It was slightly like killing an unarmed beast, though he reflected, he had almost been ready to kill Sleet as she hung from the tree.

[Tirael]

Tirael gave a bit of a start as he felt an arm drape across his shoulders. Looking up, he saw it was Grath, and relaxed a little.

"Hey."

"Hey," he said with a weak smile. While it was a little weird being in such close physical proximity with someone he didn't know, her gesture was rather comforting.

"Wot be ye sayin’ to us bein’ leavin’ them two? Where be your home? I will escort ye there before I be continuing me way.”

Looking around, Tirael realized he'd never been in this exact part of the forest; there were no landmarks for reference. Shading his eyes with a paw, he noted the position of the sun and pointed eastward. "It's over that way. But..." Looking back the way they'd came, he thought of Sleet and Ephriam, probably still locked in combat. His anger had fluttered down already, and now he just felt concern, with a good helping of depression. "I can't leave them just yet." Standing up, he straightened his tunic and held out a paw. "Thank you, Miz Grath. I hope you have good luck wherever you go."
________________________________

A minute later, he was watching the fight again, this time hidden behind a tree. He didn't quite know how to make his re-entrance, nor was he particularly eager to have to talk to either of the combatants. They both looked rather deflated now, as though they'd lost the wind in their sails. Even then, though, staying hidden wasn't going to help, so he trudged in and sat on a large-ish rock. "I'm here when you decide this is pointless and want a patch-up job."

[lorki]

Sleet looked Ephriam over carefully as he retrieved his weapon. He seemed to regress just as quickly as she had and that concerned her. She didn't like it when others could sense how she felt, Sleet's entire existence was (and had been more many years) one large facade and any holes in it were fully unacceptable. She knew that they were there, but others catching on so quickly to her always made her displeased.

She didn't have much time to dwell on this, however. A rustling near her made her attention snap away, Tirael had returned. Unsure how she felt about this the ferret turned her full attention back to Ephriam, just as he swung at her. She managed easily to block and push the blow away from her, surprised at how little strength he'd put into it.

"Thats a mighty hit there otter... if you were attempting to swat a fly," She growled, "If you're done just say so, I didn't start this fight."

[terg]

Ephriam ignored Sleet's remakr about the fly but replied "Me start the fight eh? I don't think I was in it alone. You where the one to make the first lunge even if I was the one who goaded ya into et." He swung harder with his javelin. "You seem to be gettin' bored though. Miss yer friend?"

Suddenly Ephriam saw the bushes rustle slightly to the right and behind Sleet. Was it the two otters again? He quickly turned his attention back to Sleet though, hopeing it wasn't another enemy.

[Tirael]

Tirael rested his head on one paw and watched with an expression of boredom as the fight petered out. What happened was no concern of his, at least until somebody requested his help directly. Sleet seemed largely disinterested by his return; suppressing the little rush of sadness that thought created, he sighed and watched as she and Ephriam began squabbling.

Such children.

[lorki]

"Me start the fight eh? I don't think I was in it alone. You where the one to make the first lunge even if I was the one who goaded ya into et."

Sleet glared, "How humble of you to admit that." Her tone was dry and sarcastic. Black dots flickered at the edge of her vision, a new symptom of the weakness slowly coming over her. Agitate, Sleet turned one of the swords in her paw and flashed it outwards to meet his strike again. This one was a bit stronger, she stepped back and stumbled as her leg buckled and nearly fell out from under her. She steadied herself, the adrenaline was beginning to run off and she was becoming dimly aware of the pain she was in. This fight would have to finish before the rush did.

"You don't seem to intent on killing me anymore, otter. It was never my intention to slay you... though now that I think about it that does sound quite nice... If your just trying to make a point I promise you it won't work. If you're still out to rid the world of me you best get on with trying so this can finish up." She wasn't concerned for her life in the least. He had a sharpened stick, she had her swords, along with her knives, some laced in painful or even deadly poisons. She'd been so kind as to keep them out of the fight thus far... but the battle had lingered longer than she hoped it would and Sleet would not hesitate to finish things soon.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"I can't leave them just yet." Standing up, he straightened his tunic and held out a paw. "Thank you, Miz Grath. I hope you have good luck wherever you go."

Grah smiled at the young otter and stood. she shifted the pack's weight and looked briefly in the direction of the fight. "May we meet again, otter Tirael." She shook his paw, and then watched his retreat, back in the direction they had come from.

"May the road always be risin' to meet ye,
May the wind always be at your back,
May the sun always be shinin' warm 'pon your face,
and rains be fallin' soft 'pon your fields.
And 'til we be meetin' again,
May all life's season''s passin',
bring the best to ye an' yours!"

She said the old blessing quietly, then turned and started her walk east. Towards home.

[terg]

"You don't seem to intent on killing me anymore, otter. It was never my intention to slay you... though now that I think about it that does sound quite nice... If your just trying to make a point I promise you it won't work. If you're still out to rid the world of me you best get on with trying so this can finish up."

"Fine, you want me ta try harder." Suddenly he stepped forward with a dizzying combination of strikes from his javelin. Ephriam held his weapon like a quarter staff and whacked solidly away. He was a trained warrior and knew how to fight. It was time to prove that. He was tired of all this messing around. He was going to finish this soon.

His brain focused in. This was how you where supposed to fight. HIs paws felt quicker suddenly and he continued his barage of blows, aiming mostly for Sleet's head and ribcage, though several blows where swung at her foot paws.

[lorki]

"Fine, you want me ta try harder."

There went her last attempt at ending on a civil note. She hoped Tirael was keeping notice of this but of course he was not. Sleet had long past gotten over her wishful thinking that if the world could keep score she wouldn't seem as bad as they all thought she was. None of it mattered, in the end she was playing a survival game and not much else.

She quickly sheathed one of her swords as she noticed the way Terg was changing his grip on his weapon. The paw that had held the second twin blade replaced it with two knives, held carefully between her claws. As Terg began his assault she made every attempt to block the hits to her head and core, as soon as he swung at her legs she let the knives fly together toward shim, aimed at his upper body.

Without looking to check the damage caused she dropped down, allowing the recoil from his Javelin to smack her bluntly across the shoulder. Just as quickly as the first pair of knives had left her paw they were replaced and these two were flicked away as well, towards the otters legs.

The feeling of pain was returning, so much so that it was making her dizzy and nauseous. Blood was still leaking down her legs, this was not the way she'd wanted to spend her afternoon.

[Tirael]

Tirael perked up as the fight seemed to fizzle out. Had he actually managed to evoke some sense of logic and reason in th-

Never, mind, they're fighting again...

...seriously...

...IDIOTS.

Clearly, non-interference wasn't working either. He suppressed the urge to tackle either of the two, as he could still feel a tiny bit of wetness around the cut on his head, and he had no intention of being hurt any more than that. But if this fight didn't end now, somebeast was going to die, and he absolutely refused to let that happen.

But what to do?

He had no weapon of his own, there was no chance of him being able to restrain either Sleet or Ephriam, stepping between them would just get him killed, and he couldn't think of how to distract them-

Distract them!

Hadn't he just been running from a patrol twenty minutes ago? What if they, by "chance", came through this way? Certainly it would be more important to deal with them than pursue a useless fight...not exactly an airtight plan, considering all that could go wrong, but he didn't have much choice. Or a second idea, for that matter. Jogging in the direction he had come from to start with, he was pleased to hear the sound of the group of vermin before they saw him. That would make this a lot easier.

Hiding behind a tree, he knelt and scanned the ground before finding a good-sized pebble. Hefting it a moment to feel its weight, he stood up and tossed it at the back of a heavy-set old rat.
________________________________

The group was a little sullen, having lost their little 'prize,' though it had happened before. "Augh!" cried the rat, whose paw went instinctively to his back. The leader of the patrol, a stoat, turned and saw Tirael. "'Ey! There 'e is agin!" The soldiers, following his gaze, saw the otter in the fringe of the woods and gave chase.
________________________________

Part one complete, thought Tirael as he dashed back to the clearing. Glancing back every so often to make sure the vermin were still on his trail, he tried to make his act convincing. If they smelled something fishy, this might end now. In fact, the stoat did sense something wrong: if the otter had tried so hard to escape earlier, why was he provoking them now? But he wanted this otter. He'd wanted him since that day by the frozen pond. And now that most of the slaves were free, getting a new one was that much more rewarded.

Tirael breathed a sigh of relief as he made it back to the clearing, or at least he would have if he wasn't panting so hard. Pointing behind him, he gasped, "Patrol...coming...seven of 'em..." Hearing them coming up behind, he turned and stepped a little behind Sleet and Ephriam. The fighting wasn't over yet...

[terg]

Ephriam saw the blades flick out of Sleet's belt. Anticipating what was coming he twisted to the side and let the first two daggers sail past him. Suddenly the ferret was rolling and two more silver flashes where spinning toward him. He twisted to the other side and spun his javelin in a tight circle to knock the blades away. One of the blades just barely grazed his shoulder and the other wsa hit by his javelin and fell to the ground.

Ephriam righted himself. His footpaw flicked the fallen blade up into his paw and he held it ready to stab. Suddenly Tirael was back in the clearing shouting about a patrol, and then the noise of clumsy beast crashing through the forest reached his ears.

Ephriam turned, still keeping Sleet in the corner of his eye. He could see bushes rattling and deduced that who ever it was, was either very bad at being quiet or wasn't trying to.

[lorki]

Sleet brought her short sword in front of her as Ephriam picked up her knife. How unreal was it that this otter might kill her, might stab her... for hanging upside down in a tree. A sudden remorse took over her expression. Just as it did Tirael rushed into the clearing shouting about a patrol. She scrambled to her feet, legs shaking from blood loss as her bewildered eyes searched the bushes. A patrol? Another one, after this stupid otter?

She staggered a few steps forward and clutched onto Tirael to steady herself, "You decided a patrol was what a pair of injured beasts needed most?" She hissed, pulling him towards the back of the clearing. She'd let Ephriam handle this one, he could get himself torn apart by these horde beasts, Sleet would have nothing to do with another unnecessary battle.

"I can't stay here," she growled at Tirael, "I might have been able to bargain you out of this last time but I'm in no place to be setting the bar. They can kill me." Sleet's ego was regularly unmatched but she'd yet to meet an ill fate because she knew when to stop. The stopping point had already been crossed and now Tirael's rash action had landed her at a very unsavory point.

[Tirael]

It worked! The fight was now over, though, given the look Sleet gave Tirael as she pulled him in closer, he'd pulled something incredibly stupid.

"You decided a patrol was what a pair of injured beasts needed most?"

...Tirael hadn't considered that, and it took a moment for him to realize that particular flaw in his plan. "Uh..." escaped from his mouth as his mind churned itself back into action. Barely listening to Sleet as she continued, he only really heard the last thing clearly. The rest? Well...he had the basic idea...

"I might have been able to bargain you out of this last time but I'm in no place to be setting the bar. They can kill me."

Knowing that Sleet was already rather upset and that he couldn't defend the other two if he hadn't even been able to defend himself the last time, Tirael decided on what was the best course of action to take next. "I didn't intend for you to have to fight them," he lied, pulling Sleet and Ephriam away from the approaching patrol. "I just needed to distract you so you'd stop fighting each other! Now save your breath and move!" His contingency plan he kept secret; no need to worry about last-ditch solutions if they weren't absolutely necessary. For now, he was hoping they could elude their hunters, or at least stay ahead long enough to find help, if they were lucky.

Tirael's luck had proven rather poor as of late.