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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 14, 2010 19:09:08 GMT -6
Roseleaf headed the complement of healers, herself and two assistants, and a young otter named Tirael. She’d gotten his name sometime in the Camp, and though not having much contact with him still recalled his name. She made a point to remember a beast’s name, even if she only met him or her once or twice.
“Tch!” She said, paws on hips as she surveyed the infirmary. It was clean at least (Lorna believed in good healers) but the years of misuse had left it stained and dingy, an obvious toll. “Well at least its fairly clean. Penny, nip off back to that camp, bring t’able-bodied back here. And Penny,” She said as the young hare prepared to dash out the door; “be sure t’bring the medical supplies. Oh, an’ their Skipper, though I doubt not bein’ able-bodied would keep him from this place. Redwall Abbey, is it?” She looked at Tirael for confirmation.
While she had been talking the warriors had been carrying in the wounded, or walking in by themselves.
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Post by Tirael on Apr 14, 2010 19:26:16 GMT -6
It was horrible.
Somehow, in twelve years fantasizing about this moment, Tirael had never realized his cherished new infirmary would be so ugly. Once he was free of this massive load of patients, he was going to have a lot of cleaning to do. At the moment, though, he was occupied with triage; the line of injured creatures waiting to be examined probably extended partway down the stairs.
"Redwall Abbey, is it?”
The otter had been busy settling a shrew onto one of the cots, and didn't notice he was being addressed until he looked up and saw Roseleaf staring at him. "Oh," he blurted. "Yeah." The hare's presence was another variation on his life-long expectations: he hadn't expected to be second-in-command during entrance to what he'd always subconsciously thought of as his infirmary. Not that he resented her presence; he would no doubt have collapsed from stress without her being there to shoulder a good deal of the burden.
Of course, if he didn't collapse from exhaustion, there was his mounting anxiety over Skipper's arrival. With any luck, he could be lost in this massive ocean of injured soldiers and bustling healers.
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 14, 2010 20:19:58 GMT -6
"Oh," he blurted. "Yeah."
“Hm. Good thing those bloody vermin are gone then. You ever do surgery, young’un? I don‘t mean just simple sewin’ critters back up, wot!”
The fort was magnificent. The soaring red walls were dingy and the grounds were bare, but still he saw Redwall in all its glory--or at least how he imagined it. He’d never seen Redwall, he’d been born after the fall, but he’d heard many stories and had kept that vision alive in his heart, and in those of his followers.
The molelads brought him up to the infirmary, leaving him in a corner on a chair. He was, after all, already treated and (partially) on the mend. He searched the infirmary until he spotted Tirael. He wished very much that he could talk to his son, but now was not the time. He had many beasts to care for. “’ere, laddos. Take me downstairs. Ah’m just in the way here.” On the way out he caught Tirael’s eye. We’ll talk later. he mouthed to the younger otter.
The vixen was grinning, coming at her with a whip. Ragged metal and braided twine lashed severely across her face. Enon bared her teeth in a snarl. She’d teach that vixen to mess wi’ ‘er, the wild warrior o’ the North!
The black squirrel lashed out, kicking and clawing before strong paws restrained her, holding her arms down by her side. She growled, thrashing about under the firm, gentle grip until she suddenly stilled, only the rise and fall of her chest betraying her life.
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Post by Tirael on Apr 15, 2010 22:06:51 GMT -6
“Hm. Good thing those bloody vermin are gone then. You ever do surgery, young’un? I don‘t mean just simple sewin’ critters back up, wot!”
Despite himself, Tirael felt a little stung by the question. "Yes, of course I have." He knew that Roseleaf didn't mean to condescend to him, but something about the fact that she wore a uniform and seemed so comfortable in a position of authority made him feel ancillary, even unnecessary.
He didn't notice his father's presence in the crowded room until he looked up and accidentally caught the Skipper's eye; it was only because he was so startled that he didn't immediately look away. He only stared, petrified, as the Skipper mouthed that they would 'talk later.' He wasn't sure what to feel about that upcoming talk--fear of what Skipp would say, or relief that, no matter how disgusted or ashamed his father felt about him, at least it would be over.
Sighing desolately, he returned to his duties, a welcome distraction from his thoughts.
__________________________________
Brush gently loosened, then released, his grip on Enon as her fit subsided. If anyone had been watching him carefully enough, they would have seen him shaking. He'd lost friends before, but never any as close as Enon, and the thought of her not being there tomorrow--
The squirrel, usually so in control of his composure, slumped onto the edge of Enon's bed and placed his head in his paws. He lifted it almost immediately; he had forgotten the cuts on his face. Those cuts would heal with time, but those on Enon's face might never fully disappear. Gazing at her, he realized this was the first time he had ever been able to see what she fully looked like. She had always looked away, always hidden herself, and Brush found himself wondering why.
Enon didn't seem vain. He'd never seen her whine, fuss, or primp, and even her scar, which was larger than he'd ever noticed, didn't seem like it should affect her so strongly.
Absentmindedly gripping the dark squirrel's paw in his own, he wondered why she seemed so afraid to show herself to him...
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 15, 2010 23:30:26 GMT -6
“Sir.” It was Penny, the young runner/assistant. Behind her stood Roseleaf, and behind her stood a young vole with a basin of steaming water. Penny carried mounds of bandaging, and Roseleaf had several small bowls in paw. “Please sit in the chair sir.”
The three moved in swiftly, Roseleaf moving to Enon’s side and starting to gently bathe away the blood and tend to her injuries. She pulled the dagger out, laying the bloody thing on a ledge. “A good thing this was left in, it gave things a little time to clot… she tied a pad over the wound tightly, then moved on to her face wounds. “I’ll just clean these, leave them to the open air to heal…
All this time, Penny was working on Brush. She too left his face unbandaged, but wrapped his shoulders.
Enon drifted towards the light, away from the fevered darkness that had consumed her. She tried to move her paws, but one of them refused to move. She opened her eyes in alarm, but relaxed when she saw it was Brush. She smiled, it looked like he was asleep. Afternoon sun slanted through the windows of a place she’d never seen before.
The black squirrel looked around as much as she could without sitting up and disturbing the male who held her paw. There were beasts all around, though for the most part they were silent, they too, drowsed in the afternoon muzziness.
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Post by Tirael on Apr 16, 2010 22:16:25 GMT -6
"Sir."
Brush glanced up at Penny. Enon's paw remained firmly held in his own.
“Please sit in the chair sir.”
Looking back at Enon, he nodded slowly, then shifted over to the chair, still holding on, as though keeping a physical grip would keep her with him. He stared at her, staying unflinchingly still as the hare exposed, cleaned, and bandaged his back and shoulders. Once she and Roseleaf had finished, he simply sat with Enon.
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Brush frowned, shifting to avoid the sun glaring through the window. After a moment, he realized that brightness meant it was daytime; grunting, he opened his eyes blearily and looked at Enon. "Enon! You're awake!" he gasped, grinning in relief. He was a little embarrassed to have been caught sleeping, but he was too glad that she was alright to care. "How're you feeling? You had us all worried to no end..."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 16, 2010 23:07:43 GMT -6
She had become bored of looking around the room, some sort of medical ward, though where, she wasn't certain. So she turned her head and stared at her companion, though something seemed remarkably odd with her vision. Everything was flat-looking and everything on her right side was rather dark and blurry....
“Enon! You're awake!" he gasped, grinning in relief. He was a little embarrassed to have been caught sleeping, but he was too glad that she was alright to care. "How're you feeling? You had us all worried to no end..."
The black squirrel looked up at the sound of her name, straight into Brush's eyes. Or eye. “I-I can't see...” In her sudden distress at finding her vision greatly reduced she failed to specify exactly how this inability affected her sight.
The wounds, still unbandaged but laved generously with salve, scored deeply across her face, even having stitches in some places. Roseleaf, in sewing her friend up, had muttered unpleasantries about a creature who would do such a thing to another.
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Post by Tirael on Apr 17, 2010 23:03:34 GMT -6
“I-I can't see...”
Poor Enon, she looks terrified... He didn't know what to say. He'd never seen her scared or confused, and he took this to be why her emotions so strongly affected him. But what could he say if she had lost her sight? "Oh...Enon..." Avoiding her wounds, he gently pulled her into a hug; if she couldn't see him, at least he could remind her physically that she wasn't alone. "I should've gotten there sooner..." he whispered remorsefully. If he'd arrived just moments earlier, she might have been alright...
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 18, 2010 10:37:38 GMT -6
"Oh...Enon…”
Enon was surprised as Brush drew her into a hug. She tensed, slightly unsure. She wasn’t exactly used to having physical contact with other creatures, but slowly she relaxed, her own paws coming up and returning the hug tentatively.
“I should've gotten there sooner..."
She drew back, uncomfortable now. “It was you? Ah thought Ah ‘eard a voice…” she paused, sitting up against the pillows. She thought back, trying to recall through the pain and red-hot anger. “But ‘ow did ye know Ah was there? What happened, exactly?”
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Post by Tirael on Apr 18, 2010 23:46:42 GMT -6
“It was you? Ah thought Ah ‘eard a voice…”
Brush nodded, letting go of Enon as she pulled away. He wasn't too surprised that she didn't know; when he'd arrived, she looked like she'd had a foot on death's doorstep. Patiently, he allowed her to sift through her own memories.
“But ‘ow did ye know Ah was there? What happened, exactly?”
Shifting to a more comfortable position, the squirrel considered how best to summarize what had happened. "Er, lessee...I saw you leaving the battlefield, so I figured something must be going on. I went to find out, but I had to fight my way there. Once I was in the woods, I followed the way you'd gone, and...well, there you were." Brush's eyes flashed as he added, "And there she was."
After a moment, he blinked, shrugged, and sighed. "Not much to say after that. We had a bit of a tussle, that white badger came an' chased 'er off, and I brought you back here." Glancing around, he finished, "'Here' being the For--er, Redwall." He gave her a small grin. "I guess it's Redwall now."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 19, 2010 19:24:00 GMT -6
"Er, lessee...I saw you leaving the battlefield, so I figured something must be going on. I went to find out, but I had to fight my way there. Once I was in the woods, I followed the way you'd gone, and...well, there you were." Brush's eyes flashed as he added, "And there she was."
Enon thought back to the battle. She’d been accosted by the Champion in her hare-brained dash for the Fort…
“Sokana needed cover, so I was drawin’ them off… I lost ‘em so I was going back to th’ battle…” Enon turned her head again, so her good eye focused on Brush. He sounded angry… no, more than angry. Furious. Protective. Because of her?
"Not much to say after that. We had a bit of a tussle, that white badger came an' chased 'er off, and I brought you back here." Glancing around, he finished, "'Here' being the For--er, Redwall." He gave her a small grin. "I guess it's Redwall now."
Enon’s eye flashed back to meet Brush’s, she had looked away. “You fought… Lorna? Her eyes narrowed and she reached out to touch the white bandaging over his shoulders, but her fingers missed. Her ears flicked uncomfortably and she lowered it back next to her side. Who was she to go touching him, anyways? She scolded herself, trying to avoid even mentally what had really shook her. If she couldn’t even reach for something at her bedside, what would happen if she tried to shoot something?
"This is Redwall?" She asked.
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Post by Tirael on Apr 19, 2010 23:23:03 GMT -6
“You fought…Lorna?"
Brush nodded, watching curiously as Enon reached out for him. She didn't quite reach, however, and as she drew back, he finally realized what was wrong with her vision. Losing one's depth perception wasn't the worst thing that could happen, but it was still going to be a big adjustment for the ebony squirrel. Catching a bit of her awkwardness, he grabbed his tunic from where Penny had laid it and pulled it on, covering his bandages and, hopefully, a source of Enon's discomfort.
"This is Redwall?"
It was an obvious distraction from the previous conversation, but there was no sense in pointing it out. He nodded again, saying with a rueful sigh, "It's not much yet, is it? There's a lot of work to be done." He glanced sideways at Enon, himself, and every other creature in the room. "Once everybeast's up to it, that is."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Apr 19, 2010 23:56:01 GMT -6
Enon lifted a paw slowly, but it didn’t take much maneuvering to touch her own face. She rubbed under her eyes, discovering why it felt so stiff and numb… there was salve spread all over. She grimaced, both at the stickiness and the slight pain--more of a sense of pressure. It was definitely Roseleaf’s work, she decided as light fingers traced over the scars, feeling the bumps of stitches. Her face remained stoic as she wiped her paw on the bedspread and lay down. She was so tired, all of a sudden.
"It's not much yet, is it? There's a lot of work to be done." He glanced sideways at Enon, himself, and every other creature in the room. "Once everybeast's up to it, that is."
“I guess not…” she murmured between yawns. “I-” before she could form the rest of this thought she was out again, head on the pillow and slightly curled up under the covers. Her tail peeked out of the covers under her chin and she moved, settling deeper into the sleep of the healing, her nose now nearly buried in her tail fur.
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Post by Tirael on Apr 21, 2010 18:35:23 GMT -6
“I guess not…” Enon murmured between yawns. “I-”
Brush watched Enon settling down into her bed with an affectionate smile on his face. She seemed so peaceful, snuggled into her own tail fur. Happier than I've ever seen her awake, he thought as she finally found a comfortable position and stilled. After a moment, he felt a slight rumble in his stomach; it had, after all, been quite a while since he'd eaten, and he was in the healing process as well. As silently as he could, he got up and headed for the door. With one last glance at Enon, he slipped out and shut the door gently behind him.
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