The Grieving Process [Open to Fort]

[Arturo]

It had been all too easy. How could she have resisted it? N'tashi wasn't fit to rule. Nobeast in the entire Fort was smarter than Riven, at least in her view of things. Sure, they might have tried to kill the sleeping warlord, but they would have used a knife, or something even messier, not to mention easier to track. And besides, smothering him had been so enjoyable...

But now she would have to put on an act, make sure she could use this without being blamed...and what better way to avoid being fingered when you could finger someone else?

"N'tashi wants some water. Hop to it, before I reports you!" Riven could barely hold down a smirk as the hapless stoat went off to do the 'warlord's' bidding. Knowing that time was now of the essence, she went to set up the stoat for being discovered over N'tashi's body. Pushing open the doors onto the grounds, she sought out a captain. As luck would have it, Lorna wasn't to far away, in the remains of the orchard. "Cap'n Lorna!" she called, breaking into a trot. "Cap'n! Somethin's happ-"

Her plan went south in an instant as she heard the stoat's terrified yells behind her. "He's dead! N'tashi's dead!"

A slew of curses ran through Riven's mind. This was supposed to be a nice, quiet affair! Lure Lorna into the chamber, stab her in the back while she was distracted, and do the same for the stoat!

With that revelation, the situation became far from quiet. The word spread quickly as those who hadn't heard were told by those who did. Within a couple minutes, most of the Fort knew, even the remaining slaves. A few moments later, the captains were gathered together, and confirmations of what had happened were quickly giving way to a power struggle.

[Treble Tiderunner]

Lorna stood talking to Ritten in the orchard, the skinny stoat was one of her newer recruits, a snitch and valuable resource. For the time being.

"Cap'n Lorna!" she called, breaking into a trot. "Cap'n! Somethin's happ-"

The vixen turned swiftly, sharp eyes fixing on the ratess hurrying toward her as Ritten slipped silently into the stunted trees and away. He knew the penalty of being seen with Lorna, she’d made herself crystal clear. Lorna’s pretty grey eyes hardened to steel as the ratess reached her, an untrustworthy opponent to be sure. Lorna trusted the rat about as far as she could throw her, which wasn’t very far. Maybe because she sighted many of her own qualities in Riven.

"He's dead! N'tashi's dead!"

“Hellgates!” Lorna once again proved her extensive vocabulary as she pushed past the rat, running towards the voice. And she’d meant to finish the old rag off herself! Even as she ran, she composed her face into a look of anger and sadness, though of course she felt no such thing for the fat stoat. A silent snarl curled one side of her mouth, no doubt that sneaking Riven had done it, and intended to do the same to her. Not unobservant, some may say not blind, (it was that obvious, her hate for her superiors), Lorna had long recognized she had an enemy in the rat she’d flogged to within an inch of her life. With Jakk dead, she was the only “commanding” officer on the entire wall that day.

The other officers appeared soon, as Lorna was shooing the hysterical hordebeast out the door. That pitiful creature may be the only one that truly mourned the dead leader. The officers immediately started bickering, and she stood back, arms crossed and tail flicking as she silently and keenly followed the argument.

[Tirael]

“Hellgates!”

Shoved aside by Lorna as she rushed away, Riven stumbled over her own tail and almost fell. Regaining her balance as quickly as possible, she tried to smooth over the awkward move and move gracefully over to eavesdrop on the argument. Maybe she could pick up a thing or two, use it to her advantage. Hopefully there would be something to use against that high-and-mighty Captain Lorna. The ratess was still consumed with burning hatred for the fox; nobeast would ever get away with flogging her. But, however displeasing it was to acknowledge, it was much easier to get rid of an old, delusional stoat than a vixen.

Not impossible, though.
_____________________________

"Tha' stoat, the one was yellin' 'is 'ead off, he did it fer sure!"
"It don' matter who did it! What matters is what happens now, you idiot!"
"Donchu call me an idiot, beetlebrain!"
"Botha you, shaddup! Who's takin' command!?"

As if the argument wasn't already loud and pointless enough, it grew in both intensity and volume with that question. Various hordebeasts hung around nearby, only slightly veiling their eavesdropping; the officers were too distracted to notice, anyways. Several looked at each other questioningly, as one point that had been made, and in fact the only one that presently mattered, was true: nobeast had ever really created a second-in-command to take over after N'tashi. The argument was bound to become a bloodbath before long, if things kept going the way they were.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Tha' stoat, the one was yellin' 'is 'ead off, he did it fer sure!"
"It don' matter who did it! What matters is what happens now, you idiot!"
"Donchu call me an idiot, beetlebrain!"
"Botha you, shaddup! Who's takin' command!?"

“Shut up, all of you!” Lorna barked imperatively, narrowing her eyes and making shooing motions at the horde members gathered about. Her eyes lighted at random, and she pointed one elegant finger at several unlucky beasts. “You, you and you. yes you, you bumbling idiots! Get in here and clean this magpie’s nest out! Scrub it down, shine the brightwork, holystone the wood floor.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she saw them hesitate. “Make it shipshape, you fools. Polish the metal and scour the floor. Great Vulpuz, no wonder lubbers are always stumbling over their own tails.” She rounded on the officers.

“Now you. I will be taking command. Any problems?”

[Arturo]

“Make it shipshape, you fools. Polish the metal and scour the floor. Great Vulpuz, no wonder lubbers are always stumbling over their own tails.”

Despite various floating murmurs and muttering, the gathered hordebeasts headed off to do the task or bully others into doing it for them. However much they all hated Lorna, their fear tended to override it.

“Now you. I will be taking command. Any problems?”

Most of the officers looked away uncomfortably, as fearful of the vixen as the rest of the horde. However, one spoke loudly. "Yeh, we gotta problem." Stepping out into clear view of Lorna, Strich the weasel crossed his arms and gave her a hostile look. "Yew know well as I that y'ain't exactly pop'lar 'round here. An' now N'tashi's dead, ain't nobody to stop us from gettin' rid o' you." He had intentionally said the last sentence even louder; more than one hordebeast had heard him outside the ring of officers.

Keeping one paw near his blade, Strich gave a false smile and gestured at the gate. "It c'n be nice or real unpleasant-like. Yer choice."

From nearby, Riven narrowed her eyes in thought. Surely, it wouldn't be long before Strich was dead; however tough he was, there was no way he was going to beat Lorna. She was too crafty for that...but how could this work for her? The weasel had been right when he'd said nobody liked Lorna...

...and hadn't she just shown that getting rid of a leader didn't have to be in plain combat?

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Yeh, we gotta problem." Stepping out into clear view of Lorna, Strich the weasel crossed his arms and gave her a hostile look.

“Excellent. At last somecreature shows some backbone around this dump.” Lorna smiled toothily at the weasel, who was at least a few inches taller, but the fox was willing to bet(not in public, Vulpuz forbid) she outweighed him and had more experience, though he was older by a few years. It was not a friendly smile.

"Yew know well as I that y'ain't exactly pop'lar 'round here. An' now N'tashi's dead, ain't nobody to stop us from gettin' rid o' you."

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Lorna said sweetly, and to all appearances it was sweetly.

“Cap’n!” Her paw came up, neatly catching the dark flailing thing that had arched just over the other officer’s heads.

“Its too bad.” She smiled hungrily as she crouched, leaving her saber in its sheath. “I had a use for you, Strich. Maybe if you survive.” With a crack![/b][/i] she opened her new weapon, a 20 foot long bullwhip.

"It c'n be nice or real unpleasant-like. Yer choice."

This time the smile was a soundless snarl, a mad grin of delight. “I don’t feel it necessary to leave, weasel.”[/size]

[Arturo]

“I had a use for you, Strich. Maybe if you survive.”

The officers that weren't still staring nervously at Lorna turned and watched the coiled whip flying overhead. They all, including Strich, flinched as she cracked it. He swallowed, trying to maintain his composure. If he gave up now, his reputation would be shattered for good.

“I don’t feel it necessary to leave, weasel.”

At this point, Strich knew he was rapidly losing the battle. His sword couldn't reach farther than a 20-foot whip, and it was impossible not to know about the fox captain's rather sickening skill with a whip...but it was too late now. The only way he was getting out of this was the winner, or dead. "Put tha' down an' leave, Lorna. 'Afore you find yerself dead."

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Put tha' down an' leave, Lorna. 'Afore you find yerself dead."

Lorna said nothing, instead retracting the whip with a practiced flick of her wrist. It came rushing back at Strich, aiming to leave two tiny cuts, one on each cheek. “Haven’t you learned anything?” The fox barked at those gathering. “Lorna never fails, she never backs down. Murder is mere childs play, it is a game. And she’ll never be subordinate again.” The brief time under N’Tashi had chafed the free corsair captain, and while she truly cared nothing for the Fort, she knew if she were not in control she’d never be able to leave. Initially intending to leave Strich to deal with the Ghost Badger and that regiment of hares from Salamadastron, she was now having to reconsider. She cracked the whip in a rapid fire circle. “Back, all of you! This is between me and him.”

[Arturo]

“Haven’t you learned anything? Lorna never fails, she never backs down. Murder is mere child's play, it is a game. And she’ll never be subordinate again.”

The tone in Lorna's monologue was terrifying, especially to the weasel in her crosshairs. Strich was fast losing interest in his reputation; he just wanted to get away. Now. But he was cornered, now, and his instincts began bubbling up to take over. Rational thought and concern were being replaced by panic, and therefore a lack of fear. If he died now, he was going to do it fighting back.

“Back, all of you! This is between me and him.”

Those gathered around were more than happy to oblige, and a wide, slightly misshapen ring formed around the pair. From up in the branches in one of the few trees still alive in the Fort, Riven bit an apple and watched with detached curiosity. Not that she was curious about who would win this- only about how long it would take before Strich was dead.

Strich, who was now resigned to his death, let out a violent roar and charged Lorna, spear at the ready for a stab. It was going to end now.

[Treble Tiderunner]

Lorna waited, her eyes wandering the crowd rather than watch her opponent, her whip relaxed at her side. They feared her, good. It was appropriate. Fear was her particular specialty, as well as how to capitalize on it. These landlubbers were so easy, so susceptible to manipulation. A wordless roar interrupted her thoughts, and she turned her attention back on Strich. He was charging, a mad light in his eyes. She swung the whip twice. One, she knocked the sword from his paw by stinging his paw sharply with the whip. Two, it coiled around his neck, tightly but with little more than a hair or two out of place.

Yanking hard, she dragged the hapless weasel into easy reach, wherein she grabbed him by the coiled whip around his neck, narrowing her eyes. "You know, Strich." She said conversationally, but only loud enough for him to hear. "I had actually planned on letting you have the fort. But since you'd rather die..." She trailed off in a threatening hiss.

[Arturo]

The crack of the whip made everybeast attendant flinch, even Riven, who'd been watching intently and had expected it. Very few attempted to cover it up afterward, however, as they were too engrossed with what was going on to be concerned with it. None more so than Strich, however, who bared his teeth in pain and anger as he was dragged up to Lorna.

"You know, Strich. I had actually planned on letting you have the fort. But since you'd rather die..."

Blinking, Strich gave Lorna an incredulous look. "Y--you were what...?" Shaking his head slowly, he said, "N-no. I don't want to die...." Not to mention that the power over the Fort was quite the opportunity. Sure, he'd have to crack down on anybeast who used this incident to try and overthrow him, but he could restore his reputation. And unlike all the previous incompetents, he'd get rid of the woodlander threat once and for all.

Riven also wanted Strich in power; he was much easier to get rid of than Lorna...