Wandering Back Home [[OPEN]]

[terg]

Ephriam glanced after Tirael and Sleet and hurried into the woods himself. He hated ro run from a fight but he knew he couldn't take on several beasts at once. He retireved his dirk and bowfrom where they lay and flipped up the hood of his cloak, melting effectivly into the shadows. His paws where gripping the bow, and arrow knocked and drawn to half-shaft. He glanced from behind the tree where he stood concealed and saw the vermin band. They stopped in the clearing where he had just been fighting a moment before. He could see them inspecting the obvious signs of the spar, though he doubted they where very good trackers.

He glanced of in the direction that he had seen Sleet and Tirael take. He thought he saw a small movement. He half admired Tirael. He had to have more in him than just healing ability to lead the vermin here. He obviously had a sharp mind and was desperate to brake the fighters apart. For this Ephriam gave the otter his respect.

[lorki]

Sleet's ears pressed back as she realized Ephriam was coming along, couldn't he at least take some other path? Or it might be that he was that determined to kill her...

Either way she didn't like that the otter trailed behind her and Tirael. She staggered along in the underbrush, black dots speckled her vision, her paw, the one clutching her bag that she'd grabbed in the escape, pressed against the gash in her thigh.
"I didn't intend for you to have to fight them."



"Well thats working out pretty damn well if you ask me," Sleet hissed, turning her head to glance behind her as Ephriam paused to shoot a few arrows. She would have to stop soon, this much was true.

[Tirael]

"Well thats working out pretty d**n well if you ask me."

Rolling his eyes at the comment, Tirael supported Sleet along as he looked around for somewhere to deposit her safely. He'd done this with Estlin before, a ferret shouldn't be too much trouble. Except this time he had no specific place in mind, and that patrol was getting rather close...

"Yes!" he exclaimed as he saw something convenient: an old, hollow oak. Pulling Sleet toward it, he pointed and said, "Hide in there if you have to. I'll distract them." Pressing his medicine bag into her paws, he turned and ran before she could protest. That is, if she were to protest. Given that Sleet was Sleet, he was pretty sure she would just call the plan stupid without coming up with a better one anyways.

Looking back briefly, he unwittingly ran straight through the group of vermin, disappearing back into the trees and leaving most of them very startled. After a moment, though, he heard they were following.

Step two...

Well, he couldn't call it accomplished just yet.

[lorki]

"Hide in there if you have to. I'll distract them."

"If I have to..." She repeated spitefully, falling back into the cover as Tirael ran off. As if she'd had a choice, that otter's logic just got worse and worse.

The ferret sat down, shielded by the leaves she figured the vermin patrol wouldn't notice the blood splatter, they wouldn't be tracking, just chasing. She flipped open Tiraels bag and glanced across the contents. "What the hell kind of stuff is this..." She grumbled, shoving the bag aside. Sleets healing went something like this: Alcohol will fix it. Bandages will fix it. Alcohol and bandages will fix it. If they don't infections are pretty well cured with maggots... and maybe a bit more alcohol but this time as a drink.

She grabbed her own bag and yanked out an amber bottle. She grit her fangs together, this would have been better if she could do it before the pain started and while her adrenaline was still going... Now it would hurt, bad.

Ripping the cork out with her fangs she shut her eyes and proceeded to douse her deep wounds with the foul smelling alcohol. All of her self control held back a screech of pain as he eyes shot open and watered. She grunted and spit the shredded cork from her mouth, taking a quick drink that drained the rest of the bottle she tossed it away in the forest and glanced curiously after Tirael.

What would the foolish otter do with those hordebeasts oh his tail? She made a disproving face, he'd have to learn somehow- bad ideas are bad ideas.

[terg]

Ephriam turned his attention from Tirael and Sleet. He melted from shadow to shadow like running water. Soon he had a clear view of the vermin. He could have ssniped several off from his postition behind a large tree but he decided to step into the open just to let them know ahead of time that they where under attack. he prefered face to face fightign and this was the best he could do with a bow.

He whipped out into the open and the arrow that wall already drawn whizzed off toward the nearest vermin, with only a moments hesitiation to allow for accurate aiming. The thick shaft caught the rat in his throat and he fell to the ground with out a sound. Blood leaked from his his gaping mouth and wound.

Ephriam stood his ground for a split second, mainly to survey the damage and then swung back behind the tree. He moved away silently to another tree in preperation for his next geurilla style attack.

Suddenly he saw Tirael blast past him about a hundred yards away. A few seconds later a confused bunch of vermin came stumbling after the otter. Ephriam watched and moved stealthily along with them in case Tirael should get in over his head.

[Tirael]

Tirael was beginning to find himself at a disadvantage: he'd been running around like crazy for quite a while, the cut over his eye was starting to bleed again, and he was rapidly running out of tricks to get away from his pursuers. Hearing them getting closer, he was beginning to realize that his plan really might not be so good.

That thought was turned into fact as he felt somebeast cannon into him.

He and the weasel who'd tackled him fell to the ground, both a little stunned. However, Tirael instinctively squirmed to get away, and he'd almost managed to free himself when a spearpoint was pressed against his cheek. Leaning reeeallll close in, the stoat, Kirig, bared his teeth in a frightening smile and spoke quietly. "'ello again, otter. Where's yer ferret friend, eh? Nobody t' buy y' free now." Straightening up, he called to the rest of his patrol, who were just now stumbling in, panting hard. "I don' wan' him escapin'. You know what t' do."

Indeed they did. Despite his struggling (he even managed to knock one of his captors over), within a few moments, Tirael was in a familiar situation: paws bound behind him, head hurting from a recent blow, and completely undefended, although there was the new development of a halter about his neck. Pulling their prize toward the Fort, the group had only gone about a few yards before Kirig heard a rustle in the nearby bushes. "Hey! Who's there!?" Holding his spear up at Tirael, he called, "Come out or I'll stick 'im!"

Maybe Sleet had been right to insult his plan...

[lorki]

Pulling a long trip of cloth from her bag she prepared to begin walking again. She wrapped it around her upper leg, above the deep javelin wound in her thigh and tied it tightly to slow the blood flow. Acting just as quickly she tied a large bandage around the actual wound, snarling as the action pushed more stinging alcohol into her flesh. The bleeding from her early injuries felt as if it had already stopped and her vision was begging to clear up already.

Pulling herself up with a branch she hobbled and stumbled momentarily before steadying herself. She looked carefully down the obvious path Tirael had carved through the forest, pitiful. Annoyed, she began to limp along his messy trail.

[terg]

Ephriam watched carefully as Tirael was captured, trying to form a plan. As the vermin moved off his drew back his bow, though not to it's maximum stretch. He loosed an arrow at the rear most vermin, hoping the other wouldn't notice as their companion fell. No such luck. The arrow struck but the l what seemed to be the leader of the vermin heard him.

"Hey! Who's there!? Come out or I'll stick 'im!"

Ephriam, thinking fast loosed his next arrow at Kirig and followed in close sucssesion with two more. He couldn't let Tirael be hurt, so with out giving it barely a thought he sprang in to the open. Since he had been sensed before, several vermin where ready for him. He knocked the sword from ones grip with a well placed blow from his javelin and knocked him out with and equally well placed blow.

As Ephriam spun to face the rest of the vermin, he knew he had made a bad choice. He only hoped it didn't hurt Tirael.

[Tirael]

Tirael gasped as Ephriam appeared, firing off arrows in quick succession. The first one grazed Kirig's shoulder, but gave him enough warning to escape the other two. "Get him!" he shrieked. "Kill him! Now!" Most of the patrol was busy trying to do so without his orders anyways, but those nervous few who weren't were pushed to do so now. Blocking the sea otter's view of Kirig or Tirael, they tried desperately to get rid of his threat.

Kirig seethed, glaring in Ephriam's direction. This was supposed to be smooth, easy, and well-rewarded. And most importantly, it wasn't supposed to involve any casualties to take away from the glory of it! But surely, this one sea otter couldn't kill the entire patrol. He'd looked injured in the brief glance the stoat had gotten of him. Before long, he'd either have to run, or die. But in the meantime, Kirig was getting away with his slave, and there were going to be no more hassles. Simple as that.

Tirael started as the stoat clamped a paw over his mouth. Trying to shout for Ephriam's help anyways, he only succeeded in making a strange, muffled noise. "Enough o' dat!" Kirig hissed, pulling the young otter away while they were obscured from Ephriam's view. "Yer comin' with me whether y' like it or not!" Stopping briefly to call "Keep at it! He ain't got long now!" to his patrol, he and a few others began a dash for the Fort.

[terg]

Ephriam deftly blocked strikes that ccame in a deadly rain at him. He lashed out again and again with his javelin and succeeded in injuring several vermin. Despite this he knew soon he would tire and be over come. He had just fought with Sleet and that had worn him down. He couldn't take on this whole army. He realized he had made a very foolish mistake that many warriors made. Jumping in over his head.

A blow from a cutlass sliced open his thigh, though not deeply. Ephriam growled as the cut burned with pain and began to ooze warm blood. He was trying to conserve energy but this was easier said than done.

Ephriam began to back toward the woods. If he could draw them into the forest and find a narrow opening, he could ensure that they could only come at him one at a time. Of course this would also make it hard to maneuver his own weapon.

Ephriam stood half in the woods, half out. His javelin cracked the skull of an approaching rat but this left him open to take a hard blow to the ribs from a spear butt.