Reinforcements [Open]

[Tirael]

As the late-summer sun rose lazily over Mossflower Wood, the still of the night gave way to a sound the region hadn't heard in years: the march of the Long Patrol. Guided by Brush and Enon, they made their way toward Camp Moss as inconspicuously as possible (though a crowd of over sixty hares is rarely even close to inconspicuous).

After a brief scout ahead, Brush dropped from the trees and made his way over to where Enon and Melroch were leading the Patrol. "Looks to be all clear up ahead, but there might be a vermin patrol in-" he pointed "-that direction, so we should probably take a bit of a southerly curve." Though there was next to no chance that one of N'tashi's patrols would stand a chance against their forces, he didn't want to lose the element of surprise. After all, an additional sixty-four experienced fighters, plus a badger lord, were all the more useful when unexpected.

And at present, they were completely unexpected.

[Enon // SoMtW]

Enon smiled as Brush approached, back from his scouting mission. The brown squirrel was her opposite in so many ways, coloring, outlook on life, past. Despite this, what had been more an acquaintanceship than a friendship had grown into a true friendship. She realized as he drew closer that he’d probably rank up with Aidan when it came to trust, he’d shown he was reliable during their solitary journeying and their travels with the patrol.

"Looks to be all clear up ahead, but there might be a vermin patrol in-" he pointed "-that direction, so we should probably take a bit of a southerly curve."

“Is there an entrance that Lord Melroch will fit through? As far as I am aware, most entrances are rather small.” She said, looking at the large badger towering at her side.

[Brooke]

Southpaw walked up to where the two squirrels were and over heard them contemplating how to get Melroch in. "What ho chaps. I've got an idea, now listen here. You can give me his rations, wot wot. The bugger can lose some weight and squeeze through and I'm a growin' hare. I need my bally scoff." He said grinning insanely.

[Tirael]

“Is there an entrance that Lord Melroch will fit through? As far as I am aware, most entrances are rather small.”

As Southpaw made some inane proposal about rations (hardly unexpected), Brush considered Enon's question. True, most of the entrances were rather thin. However, there was that one entrance...

As soon as South was done, he said, "Back to reality," giving the hare a bemused look. "There was one entrance; I think the last time it was used was when the Camp was being dug out. If we go ahead and tell the moles, I'm sure they can reopen it for Lord Melroch." He decided not to mention that it would still be something of a tight squeeze; best to leave that indignity for later, so it could be thought of as little as possible.

Poor Melroch...victim of his size. Oh well, being a badger had to have some drawback, didn't it?

[Rocky]

The days of traveling from his home really took a tool on the Badger lord. He barely rested at any of the times that he had called for breaks, and didn't eat much, either. Thoughts of what were to happen in the future seemed to... un-nerve the badger. Sixty four fighters were taken from their homes to travel with him as the journey to the place many used to call Redwall began. Had he brought enough warriors? How well trained were the guards at Fort N'Tashi? Would he die? Would it be a massacre, with is soldiers on the losing end? These were only a few of the thoughts that passed through the head of Melroch Winterpaw as his feet pulled him onward to the battle to be that loomed so close to him. So close in the future that it seemed he could reach out and touch it with his large paws and lock it away some place that would keep his soldiers safe.

"Rest time!" His booming voice shouted, the two words echoing down the lines of his troops. He sighed wearily as he lowered his massive frame to the ground, his intention to try once more to rest. It seemed to the badger that those two words he had just shouted mere moments before took what little stamina he had left as he rested his back against a thick oak tree. Melroch felt more fatigued then before as he un-tensed his body and leaned his head backwards. He watched through half lidded eyes as his hares sat down and started pulling out food. With a blink of his two eyes, his gaze fell upon the two squirrels, Brush and Enon talking, and judging by the way they gazed at each other, it seemed to the weary Badger lord that they were speaking of something important. Whatever it was, Melroch didn't believe they'd need his thoughts on the matter, as Brush and Enon were well capable of handling situations of any sort. A grin formed on his lips as he watched Southpaw, one his hare soldiers walking over to them. The young hare seemed eager about something and from what Melroch knew about hares, he figured it was something about food.

His eyes lids began to fall even further until they fully covered two very useful tools in the badgers life. At this very moment, it seemed to the very fatigued badger that he would finally get a decent rest.

[Enon // SoMtW]

"What ho chaps. I've got an idea, now listen here. You can give me his rations, wot wot. The bugger can lose some weight and squeeze through and I'm a growin' hare. I need my bally scoff." He said grinning insanely.

“Southpaw!” Enon aimed a half-hearted cuff at the hare’s long ears as he came up. “Thanks for the selfless offer, ol’ chap, but I’m afraid he’ll need his strength.” Melroch had left them as Southpaw came up, heading over to sit against an oak as the column came to a stop. She turned to Brush as he made a suggestion. “That would be best.”

She looked over the hares. "We'll rest a few minutes and then move on. Are we close?"

[Tirael]

"We'll rest a few minutes and then move on. Are we close?"

Brush nodded as he sat. "Aye, we are. The detour should add on a couple minutes, but nothing much." It felt a bit unnecessary to him that they should halt less than fifteen minutes from the Camp, but supposed it would allow the reinforcements to appear more battle-ready upon their arrival. Appearances matter, after all.

Glancing over at the Badger Lord, he noticed Melroch's eyes slide shut. He was rather different from the more jovial badger Brush had met at Salamandastron; the squirrel supposed that all the time spent marching had given his personal demons to catch up to him. At least the next few days wouldn't allow him to think about them too much. After all, there wasn't going to be much rest soon.

"If we're going to widen that entrance for Lord Winterpaw, someone should go ahead and tell the others."

[lorki]

Oh it had been ages since he'd seem a sight like this. Curiosity had woken him, in fact just moments after he'd fell into rest. Pity he had spent the night hunting, pity he was still a bit malnourished, a bit beaten from his earlier bout with hysteria. But his blue eyes gleamed with interest as they swept across the group, he had not seen so many hare's or such organized troops in quite a long time. Something about the atmosphere, the readiness to battle that he could tell each of them held... it made his heart beat fast and a strange longing well up and sit uncomfortably in his chest.

Even if the beasts below him were stupid food obsessed hares, even if they'd proven time and time again to be all talk and no action, the very sense of them made him yearn for...

The branch beneath him quivered, his sharp ears turned with his eyes to the massive badger- a beast that Estlin could feel small against was a rare sight, this badger made his interest peak. That creature... he could do some damage and damage was all Estlin could respect any more.

The wildcat's thick tail brushed against the trunk of the evergreen as it swished quietly behind him. He was somewhat disappointed that he held no real plans for this occasion- the troops were stupid, the badger would certainly not take an fight as long as their were plenty of little hoppers around to take care of it instead. Estlin was confined to his tree, aqua eyes staring out from the green, all paws pressed to the tree with claws that sunk beneath the bark.

[Enon // SoMtW]

"Aye, we are. The detour should add on a couple minutes, but nothing much."

Enon said nothing, taking the example of the troops and finding a place to sit. She took off her rucksack, dropping down beside it. “Lord Melroch didn’t know how close we are or he would not have stopped us.” She said, removing a waterskin from her bag and taking a few good gulps. She wiped her mouth with the back of her paw. “You’re allowed to sit.” She pointed out to her companion. “The benefit of being with a organized military is that whenever we stop the officahs put out scouts or guards.”

"If we're going to widen that entrance for Lord Winterpaw, someone should go ahead and tell the others."

“I don’t think that’s necessary, my dear chap, wot!” Aidan had approached them and now pointed in their intended direction, where a small party of woodlanders was escorted by a young galloper.

[Tirael]

“Lord Melroch didn’t know how close we are or he would not have stopped us.”

Brush nodded, shading his eyes with a paw and using the sun to gauge the time of day. Enon was right; had they gone on for just a few more minutes, not only would they be able to rest much longer, but they could do so in a cooler, more secure environment. Besides, the Patrol was more vulnerable while it was exhausted, and he preferred that they get to safety before they were discovered by vermin.

“You’re allowed to sit.”

"Huh?"

“The benefit of being with a organized military is that whenever we stop the officahs put out scouts or guards.”

Giving her an 'ah, I see' smile, Brush sat with his back against the tree and took a sip from his own skin.

"If we're going to widen that entrance for Lord Winterpaw, someone should go ahead and tell the others."

“I don’t think that’s necessary, my dear chap, wot!”

Following Aidan's gesture, the squirrel looked over and saw the small group of woodlanders approaching. Getting up, he strode over and shook their paws warmly, receiving multiple 'welcome backs' in the process. After a short discussion about the situation, he returned to Enon with a very confused look about him. "They were sent to find us. Apparently, somebeast at the Camp knew we were coming...funny thing is, nobeast saw us until just now."

[Elicia]

Elicia popped up by Brush and Aidan. "Well, have any of you blighters check the bloomin' trees? It seems like any foebeast would hide up there, dont'cha know!" The hare saluted and stood at attention. "Terribly sorry, sah," She was addressing Lord Winterpaw. "I was in the back ranks making sure those blasted hares would stay quiet! No bloody gossipin' in the ranks, no sah, not on my watch!" With a hand on her basket-hilt, Elicia gave a flourishing bow to the assembled beasts. "Lieutenant Colonel Elicia Pittney, at ye service! Sorry 'bout that, don't know if we were introduced, been a bit busy with the ranks, ye understand! You've met the Major, I see." Her eyes passed right by Aidan. "And if the beasts at the camp didn't know we were coming...the how did they know to meet us? I say be on our guard-don't know what these chaps will do, if they can supposedly read minds!" She tightened her grip. "Not sure that we want to meet these blokes right now. Not if we didn't tell them where we were-I assume no gallopers were put out, Major, to inform them of our presence? Bloody heck. I don't like it...but what do you say, sah?" She still stood ready and at attention, back straight, feet together.

[Brooke]

Southpaw wandered through the ranks talking to a few hares here and there. He rolled his eyes and snorted as Lieutenant began to speak. He wasn't very fond of her seeing as she was quite opposite himself. He wandered around trying to find his brother or some way to make mischief. He found Enon and Brush, "Do you two squirrels need anymore of my insightful intelligence and witty... er wit?" He asked grinning and bouncing lightly back and forth on his feet. Habit from his constant boxing practice.

[Elicia]

Lady Farryn Silverclaw sighed. "I'm a small badger, for goodness sakes! I'm not some great hulking beast or something!" It was true. The Lady was very small for a badger, but she still looked intimidating. She studied her claws intently while she listened to the Lieutenant Colonel, then looked up sharply. "That's no way to treat them, Elicia! Apologize immediatly!" Her brown smock rustled as she stood up indignantly.

Elicia saluted again. "Marm!" She turned to the beasts from Camp Moss. "Sorry old chaps, don't like being greeted until we've bally well made ourselves known! Patroller's instinct, wot!"

Ryn smiled. "Thank you Lieutenant Colonel."

The hare looked slightly put out, but she did not move. "Sorry, marm, just wanted to be useful, wot! Don't want a bloody fight on my watch!"

Lady Ryn smiled. "Yes, thank you for that."

Elicia saluted. "Marm!"

[Tirael]

Not sure that we want to meet these blokes right now. Not if we didn't tell them where we were-I assume no gallopers were put out, Major, to inform them of our presence? Bloody heck. I don't like it...but what do you say, sah?"

Elicia's comment raised a bit of Brush's ire. "Are you saying you don't trust us? We're not in league with any vermin, if that's what you're thinking, miss." That a hare of the Long Patrol, especially an officer, would jump to such a conclusion was rather offensive and unexpected.

"Do you two squirrels need anymore of my insightful intelligence and witty... er wit?"

No longer in the mood for joking, Brush simply said, "If you've got something important, yes. Otherwise, there's other things need doing." Turning to the group of Camp creatures, he asked, "Who told you to come out? What did they tell you exactly?" The leader of the little group, a mouse named Darius, simply shrugged and said, "The Skip told us. 'E just said to expect all of you, never said why. It was a little weird, but had to follow orders, after all." Another of the group, a younger mouse, piped up. "Actually, at brekkist this morn, somebeast was talkin' about a dream...can't remember who, though..."

[[Eh, not good. But whatever.]]

[Elicia]

"Are you saying you don't trust us? We're not in league with any vermin, if that's what you're thinking, miss."

Elicia shut her eyes and sighed. "I said I was jolly well sorry! " She sighed again. Great. That was all they needed. Someone had a dream about them, so they came and greeted them. At least she had had reason to be worried-no one had told the beasts that they would be arriving.

Lady Ryn smiled at the mice. "Nice to see we have a welcome party! Thanks for coming out to meet us!" She nodded to the Patrol, too. "Up smart, you lot! We've got company!" Of course, that silly Elicia went over to make sure they all moved 'their blasted behinds' but she meant well and Ryn didn't stop her. When the hare got back, the Badger Lady continued. "I am Lady Farryn Silverclaw, Lord over Salamandastron. Very pleased to meet you!"

"The Skip told us. 'E just said to expect all of you, never said why. It was a little weird, but had to follow orders, after all."

Lady Silverclaw bowed to the beasts in front of her. "Well, if the Skipper sent you...Lieutenant, don't you think that's just fine?"

Elicia stiffened. "Yes Marm! Just fine marm!" Her whiskers were beginning to turn a little red with shame. She really hadn't meant to insult the Camp creatures, she just felt safer if she started the introductions.