Under No Disguise

[Enon // SoMtW]

"Oh," Sleet said softly, absentmindedly. "Well it would be nice if you could send out a few to take a look around for him... he should be around, He said he would try and find me in the fall so he must be close enough. He's dark, taller than me... 'bout Tirael's age I'd bet."

“Right, then.” Skipper stood, moving out of the way of Hazel, who bustled in with a tray of food. “Excuse me a moment.” He moved over to confer with Enon.

“Now dear.” Hazel moved Skipper’s stool over to Sleet and placed the tray on it. “You eat up now. This here’s good vegetable soup and yesterday’s bread. I could only find water, but its nice and cold.”

“Sorry. Never know.”
Ye will not be needing those, laddie.” Enon said, not missing the way Join’s paw moved to his weapon. “Enon McKie.” She said simply in reply to his continued speech, She held up a paw as Skipper came up, turning to face the otter chieftain, rubbing at her cheek as the scar twinged. The otter and squirrel warrior held quiet conference for a moment before Enon turned back to the newcomer.
“Well, Join, me lad. Ye said ye were a flippin’ tracker? Kin ye track a ferret, wot wot?” She spoke with a mix of her native northern brogue and the harespeech of the mountain that was her second home.

[Elicia]

Join grimaced. "Um, yes, I can. Usually use it for protection-avoiding 'em as much as possible." The thought of what they wanted him to track a ferret for almost turned his stomach. It twisted and turned unpleasantly at the thought of killing someone that HE, Join, had tracked, that they wanted to use HIM as a weapon of destruction.... oh well. It was nothing new. The quiet squirrel was used to taking orders so he didn't object to anything that they said.

He just nodded, worry lines creasing around his eyes. He just nodded, hoping that no one saw his worry for the good beasts that might go out and get injured because they knew the location of a certain ferret directly from him.

He just nodded and said "Yes'm, I can track a ferret."

[lorki]

Sleet raised her brow at Join and Enon. The two of them didn't seem very... well... she wasn't sure how they seemed. Truth be told Sleet was not a fan of squirrels... too loud, often energetic and obnoxious. Her eyes fell to Hazel, who brought in food, but Sleet's stomach turned at the very thought of eating. "Thanks," she muttered, "I'll get to it soon."

Her attention turned back to the squirrels, the new one seemed quite uncomfortable, she didn't spend her time wandering why, odds were it was simply a strange situation to be thrown into. "He ought to be 'round the river, coming south probably. He won't trust you, give him this," she riffled through her bag a bit before producing a small carved wooden figure of a ferret, it was suppose to be her- chopped ear and all. Kutenai had made it and given it to her at their last meeting, she gave a small laugh while she admired it before holding it out for Enon.

[Elicia]

Join's face paled. "Oh, um, ma'am? There's, er, no chance that someone can come with me? I don't..." He blanched in front of the many faces, sheepish because of his old habits. He had never sought out vermin and KILLED them before. Never. It just wasn't something the awkward squirrel did.

Blanching again, Join couldn't make eye contact with Enon at all. She was a pretty squirrel. He would never love her-thankfully no, but still. Join was sensitive to appearances.

"Ma'am. I, usually as a rule, don't search out and err, harm the vermin. I hope that isn't what you meant."

[Enon // SoMtW]

Join grimaced. "Um, yes, I can. Usually use it for protection-avoiding 'em as much as possible."

Enon correctly identified the look on Join’s face, but rather than go into complicated discussion, settled for a simple explaination. “Top hole, old chap! We have some business to conduct with ‘im.” Skipper moved up next to Enon, holding out his paw to Join to shake.

“Skipper o’ Otters, matey. I hear you’re going to find Sleet there’s brother for us?” He nodded in Sleet’s direction.

He just nodded and said "Yes'm, I can track a ferret."

Enon nodded, muttered a quiet excuse me, and scaled the tree quickly to her sentry spot.

[Elicia]

Join shook Skipper's paw with strength that came from years of gasping heavy bows and nimble arrows. "Nice to meet you, sir. Jonathan, or Join." He shot a quick look at Enon as she walked away and scampered up the tree. "Nice." He could have been referring to a million different things, and none were any more likely than the others. So, once again, Join managed to be completely confusing with his sentences. He had gotten used to that, however, and didn't try to change it any more.

"Sir, do tell me. Will I be able to complete this, well, task without assistance?"

[lorki]

"Ma'am. I, usually as a rule, don't search out and err, harm the vermin. I hope that isn't what you meant."

A dark scowl clouded Sleet's features, her mood was not helped by the circumstances and this Squirrels' obnoxious misunderstandings grated on her nerves. "Since when does tracking mean hunting down and killing, you idiot?" Annoyed that Join had immediately thought they were going after him- probably for the reason of him being mentioned a ferret.


"Sir, do tell me. Will I be able to complete this, well, task without assistance?"

Sleet stood up, despite the sudden shooting pain in her legs and cut in front of Skipper to stare the squirrel sharply in the face. "it's clearly very difficult for you to do these things, hmm? Listen, you take this..." She reached out and shoved the small figure at him, "...you find my brother, and let me underline that you don't kill him. You say something along the lines of 'your sister sent me for you, look she gave me this so you'd know it was true' and then you show it do him, do you follow me so far? Then you lead him, still without killing him preferably, back here. He's bout... oh I dunno, few years younger than me, dark, he'll probably be alone and his name is Kutenai." She paused, still glaring Join in the face, "too much for you still?"

[Elicia]

Join's face was dark as Sleet addressed him sharply. "Ma'am, I don't usually hit girls, nor disobey orders but if you press me to it than I have no problem. I may be quiet. I may be slightly submissive, MA'AM, but I have a temper equal to that of the Lady Farryn Silverclaw's if you catch my meaning, and I live by myself most of the year. There is nothing preventing me taking action against that insult except that I am a gentleman, and therefore do not hit ladies. Despite their usual manner. So please." He took the statue from Sleet, almost tearing it from her paws. "Don't criticize my work before you have determined the quality."

[lorki]

"Ma'am, I don't usually hit girls, nor disobey orders but if you press me to it than I have no problem. I may be quiet. I may be slightly submissive, MA'AM, but I have a temper equal to that of the Lady Farryn Silverclaw's if you catch my meaning, and I live by myself most of the year. There is nothing preventing me taking action against that insult except that I am a gentleman, and therefore do not hit ladies. Despite their usual manner. So please."

Sleet bristled, in one little speech he'd managed not only to liken himself with a badger -making Sleet dislike him even more- but he'd also inferred that she could not handle a fight with him for due to her being a lady. Pain jutted across her legs and up her back and a familiar angry heat lit up in her gut. She was worried, cold, in pain, hungry, tired and here was this squirrel and she wanted nothing less than to have an excuse to get rid of it.

She straightened her back as best she could and with an expression of arrogance she grinned at Join, "So you don't hit ladies? Well lucky for you I make a career out of hitting anyone so at least we know who'll win that fight." She smirked at the pun she'd managed, wondering absently if the squirrel would understand. She relaxed her position and waved a paw up as if dismissing him, "go on then, do your work."

---

The tall ferret moved away from the river, trampling across a little stream that was surely running to join the larger river. He smirked as he walked, gathering the long tailed coat around him and crossing his arms over his chest and his head slightly tilted. Kutenai rarely traveled in a foul mood, he liked moving - as energetic as he was- and generally keeping his head up from looking at where his footpaws landed he enjoyed the beauty of the place... despite occasionally tripping and falling flat over a root he'd not had the desire to glance for.

No matter what happened to him he rarely walked with any sort of fear or anxiousness through the forest, there were certain parts that made him uncomfortable. Perhaps it was Sleet who had driven the fear of badgers into him or the desire to simply not run into anyone while traveling. Or perhaps the memories were still painful for him as well, but certainly in a different way.

Nervousness well hidden by a jovial personality, Kutenai strolled along, turquoise tented eyes scanning the forest, much more for the sake of seeing it than for looking for something amiss. Losing half of one's sight makes looking at things that much more important.

[Elicia]

Join whirled around, ignoring Sleet completely. "I make my leave, then." He gave everyone but Sleet a cordial bow and set off into the woods.

Out there, he was alone and enjoying it. Join relished the loneliness of the area, the feeling of awe because everything around you is so much more powerful than you. But...Join was hunting vermin. Oh joy. It wasn't hard. The squirrel just followed a trail of snapped reeds and bent grass, crumpled leaves and other tell tale signs. When he reached Kutenai, Join spared no time in making himself known. "Hello. Jonathan at your service, sent from your sister." He held out the statue. "You're to come with me. That's to prove that Sleet's really there so you're not suspicious."

[lorki]

Crack

What? Kutenai turned sharply, his paws flying out rather than to his weapons as if to scare away to intruder with size. He didn't, or hadn't, particularly felt in danger- but that all changed when he realized some beasts was stalking after him. He stared wide-eyes, tilting his head sideways to see straight ahead with his good eye.

"Hello. Jonathan at your service, sent from your sister."

"Oh..." His arms fell and he realized how ridiculous he must have seemed. "Wait... What? Is she..." he trailed off, blinking awkwardly at the strange squirrel as it held out the tiny wooden model. He took it tenderly and a grin spread over his face.

"You're to come with me. That's to prove that Sleet's really there so you're not suspicious."

"Oh..." He said again, still awfully taken aback by the whole sudden situation. "Well... I'm sure y'had to wrestle this away from 'er. I'm surprised she hasn't thrown it in a river." He mused quietly, "now thats wha' I call love." He smirked.

(I'm just going to brush through this so we can continue on to bigger and better... RESCUE PLANS!)

Kutenai trailed after the Squirrel as the creature rushed along back to the group. He was slower and less agile than the tracker, even if Kutenai was known for speed he was no squirrel. Upon finally bursting though the forest into the outer reaches of camp moss the tall ferret was wide eyed and out of breath.

Sleet's immediate reaction was to somehow manage to launch herself out of her seat and onto her younger brother, who stumbled backwards, wrapped his arms around his sister and chuckled their normal greeting of, "I'm so glad you're still alive."