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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 1, 2008 22:20:48 GMT -6
Fern walked slowly through the woods, the hood to her dark cloak down. She smiled, skipping a few steps. It was an unseasonably warm day, practically Indian summer, and Fern was happy.
"How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.
At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow."
She recited in a voice half-song, half-chant, one of her poems. "Well, what do you think?" She asked a late leaf that floated past her nose.
"Hee hee, lookit lookit, th' otter's a fancybeast!" Fern whirled to face the owner of the voice. A rather evil looking stoat stood leaning on his spear, leering at her. Behind him were six other vermin.
"Er, hello Mr Stoat." Fern said. Always be polite. Her grandmother's words rang in her ears. That stoat certainly made her nervous, she decided. She may not know much about the world, but neither was she stupid.
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Post by Tirael on Dec 1, 2008 22:56:53 GMT -6
Tirael was headed for Camp Moss. Strolling through the woods, he knew to be silent when alone. A breeze carried Fern's voice to his ears, which perked and turned towards the sound. It sounded so sweet to him that he lost his guardedness; then he realized the danger the source was in. Loping to the source, he saw an ottermaid walking happily along the river. Is she insane? he thought to himself. As the thought that she might not know what she was doing came into his head, the vermin slunk into the clearing.
Tirael's heart sank in his chest as he watched them interact. He knew he had to act fast, and cursed his lack of warrior instinct. Unwinding the sling that the others had insisted he carry, he chose a good pebble. He may not be a warrior, but he couldn't possibly miss. Not at this range. Whirling the sling, he released the stone and fired it at the vile stoat.
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 1, 2008 23:07:22 GMT -6
The stoat spat to one side and squinted suspiciously at Fern. "Mr Stoat? Me names Fell, not Mr Stoat, fanc--" A slingstone hit him hard over the nose.
"YEOWTCH!" He shrieked and clapped his paws to his nose.
Fern backed away towards the river. Maybe she could get away while the stoat was distracted.
"Harr, comeback fancybeast!" the rest of the little band rushed forward, determined not to let a possible source of loot disappear.
"Er... Now might be the time for another slingstone." Fern called out, nervously eying a rusty sword waved in her general vicinity.
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Post by Tirael on Dec 1, 2008 23:33:34 GMT -6
Tirael cursed his aim as the stoat clung his nose. "Er... Now might be the time for another slingstone." "Seems right to me," he muttered, and loaded up another shot. He fired off again, hitting the eyes of one of the other vermin, a rat. Allowing himself a split-second of pleasure, he moved closer to Fern. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her away as the vermin gathered their wits. Running toward Camp Moss, he spoke quickly to Fern.
"Sorry to startle you, but we've gotta get out of here. I can't hold them off forever, but maybe the others can." Not bothering to explain, he allowed himself a brief look behind them. The sight of the vermin giving chase made him look forward and speed up even more.
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 1, 2008 23:54:38 GMT -6
Fern was yanked along by a young otter, who was running for all his worth, before she could blink. Casting a glance over her own shoulder, she sprinted alongside him, trusting that he knew were he was going.
"Sorry to startle you, but we've gotta get out of here. I can't hold them off forever, but maybe the others can."
“Others?” Fern managed to gasp between breaths, sucking in air in short, regular bursts. She wondered who the ‘others’ he talked about were. Looking over her shoulder again, Fern tripped and went falling flat on her face just as a volley of javelins soared just over the place where her head had been. Winded, she lay for a moment in the drying and dying fall grass.
“Duck!” A voice from up in the trees yelled, shortly before a volley of heavy stones and arrows flew into the vermin, who broke and ran, those who weren’t dead.
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Post by Tirael on Dec 2, 2008 0:20:24 GMT -6
"Duck!"
Tirael followed the command unthinkingly, dropping to the grass in a half-roll. As the cries of the vermin faded into the woods, he did the first thing his instinct told him to do: getting up, he moved over to Fern. Helping her up, he asked, "Are you alright?"
He turned as their rescuers dropped from the trees- squirrels. The leader of the group came up to him. Shouldering his bow, the squirrel indicated Fern with a jerk of his head. "Who's this, Tir?" Looking at her, the otter thought for a moment, before replying "To be honest, I don't really know."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 2, 2008 0:32:07 GMT -6
"Are you alright?"
Fern accepted Tirael’s paw. Once standing, she released it and brushed off her dress. “Yeah. Thanks for saving me back there.” She turned to watch with Tirael as a few squirrels dropped from the trees.
"Who's this, Tir?" Looking at her, the otter thought for a moment, before replying "To be honest, I don't really know."
“Oh!” Fern made a gesture, as if to say, how silly of me. “I’m Fern Wildflower, from Up-Mountain Holt.” Her voice quietened a bit, but brightened up right away. She didn’t allow herself pity parties. “Who are you?” She asked Tir.
“Oops! Silly me.” She curtsied to the squirrels. “Thanks for rescuing us.”
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Post by Tirael on Dec 2, 2008 0:54:51 GMT -6
The squirrel, whose name was Join, nodded in acknowledgement. Moving away to attend to other matters, he left the two otters a little off to the side. A little nervous now that he was in a social setting, Tirael turned to Fern. "I'm Tirael...nice to actually meet you." His thought process suddenly died with a spectacular explosion in his head, and he found himself at a complete loss of what to say or do next. C'mon, Tir, say something, ANYTHING! He looked away in embarrassment, biting his lip as he searched his mind desperately for something to say.
"You two better get to Camp; they'll expectin' you now," Join called before he and his patrol took to the trees. Silently blessing the squirrel, Tirael looked back at Fern. He gestured in the direction of Camp Moss. "This way."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 2, 2008 1:06:11 GMT -6
"I'm Tirael...nice to actually meet you."
“Can I call you Tirs or Tir?” Fern asked, looking after the squirrels. She’d only seen one squirrel before, a friend of her grandmother’s. Tn the mountains where she lived, this was a sure sign of how much she failed to get out into the world.
"You two better get to Camp; they'll expectin' you now,"
“What camp?” Fern questioned, turning to Tir, but he had already turned and was motioning her forward.
"This way."
“You mean you actually live all together? Doesn’t it get crowded?” Fern questioned her new friend as they wended their way through the trees.
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Post by Tirael on Dec 2, 2008 1:16:30 GMT -6
“Can I call you Tirs or Tir?”
Tirael smiled a little sheepishly. "Either's fine. People usually call me Tir, though." The woods were less dense as they walked, and the going was a little easier. As there was no real threat lurking, and Fern wasn't an enemy, he began explaining things to her. "We're headed to Camp Moss, the center for rebellion in Mossflower. Y' see, over that way is a fortress..." He related the sad narrative of Redwall's capture and the events of the past forty years as they walked under the leafy green ceiling of Mossflower Woods.
"...and no, it's not really crowded there." He smiled as they walked through a small clearing. He looked around and said, "Well, it's close now- another ten minutes should get us there."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 2, 2008 19:44:49 GMT -6
"We're headed to Camp Moss, the center for rebellion in Mossflower. Y' see, over that way is a fortress..."
Fern had been humming quietly the song she sang earlier, but grew quiet as Tirael continued with the story. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger. "War. Rebellion. Slaves. Tyrant." She said the words, trying them out in her mouth.
"Well, it's close now- another ten minutes should get us there."
"What's Camp Moss like?" She asked.
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Post by Tirael on Dec 2, 2008 20:44:30 GMT -6
"What's Camp Moss like?"
Tirael thought fondly of Camp Moss; it was the only home he could ever remember having. Looking up for a moment as he let a description come to his head, he worded it as best he could.
"You'll love it. All the goodbeasts in Mossflower live there; it's the only safe place anymore. There are whole families there, and great food, and everyone's so kind, especially to newcomers. It's all in tunnels, see, so they can still be together without worrying about being found out." Pausing a moment, he added quickly "I think they'll like you."
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 2, 2008 22:23:49 GMT -6
"You'll love it. All the goodbeasts in Mossflower live there; it's the only safe place anymore. There are whole families there, and great food, and everyone's so kind, especially to newcomers. It's all in tunnels, see, so they can still be together without worrying about being found out." Pausing a moment, he added quickly "I think they'll like you."
Fern was silent a moment, trying to comprehend that many creatures living together. Finally she just gave a little sigh. "Do you really think so?"
"Hey Tirael!" Skipper hailed him, coming around the three willows. "What's all this about ye fellin' six or so vermin?" The jovial otter leader stopped in his tracks when he spied Fern.
"well, float me rudder, you found a girlfriend!" Skipper winked at Fern. "Ye'd best watch 'im, miss, 'e 'as a 'abit o' runnin' about on battlefields and t'lot."
"Ah, er... well, that is..." Fern stammered, blushing under her fur.
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Post by Tirael on Dec 2, 2008 22:58:55 GMT -6
"Do you really think so?"
Tirael nodded, and was about to go on when Skipper strode into view.
"Hey Tirael!" Skipper hailed him, coming around the three willows. "What's all this about ye fellin' six or so vermin?" The jovial otter leader stopped in his tracks when he spied Fern.
"Well, float me rudder, you found a girlfriend!" Skipper winked at Fern. "Ye'd best watch 'im, miss, 'e 'as a 'abit o' runnin' about on battlefields and t'lot."
Tirael had never been more embarrassed in his life. He spent a good few seconds staring slack-jawed at Skipper, providing the perfect accompanient to Fern's stammering. Finally, Tirael managed to say something. "...uh, well, we're not, that is, well, I just, uh, we just met a few minutes ago." Had he actually stopped to think a moment, he might have realized he did have a crush on Fern, though that probably would have made his situation worse.
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Post by Treble Tiderunner on Dec 2, 2008 23:25:52 GMT -6
Skipper casually saluted Fern with the tip of one of his javelins, electing to introduce himself as Tirael stared silently. “Skipper o’ Moss Otters, miss. And you are?”
Fern introduced herself, finding that she liked this otter, despite her embarraccment. “Fern Wildflower, sir, of the Up-Mountain Holt.” She said, just as Tirael found his voice.
"...uh, well, we're not, that is, well, I just, uh, we just met a few minutes ago."
Fern nodded, backing up Tir’s statement. “Are we almost at Camp Moss yet?” She asked, eager to see this wondrous place.
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