Singing Wildflower [open]

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"Ha, well he'd never met Miss Fern before. That little maid's got 'im wrapped around her paw, she does!"

Skipper tapped a heavy paw on the table, trying to get the attention of the laughing creatures. "Well, we'll have to see that they get t'gether, won't we?" He sobered quickly, the thought of his niece, a slave in the Fort insinuating itself into his mind. "Anybeast heard from t'slaves?"

---

"Y- you're welcome." Tirael said, just as quietly as Fern. He looked around, a sure sign he had no idea what else to say. "Well...umm..."

"You two sounded really good together. My name's Violet." She stretched out her paw, "I hope you'll enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks!" Fern shook her paw, giving Violet a friendly smile. "I'm Fern. Nice to meet you."

[Brooke]

Brooke who was sitting next to Violet said,

"Oh, shush stop teasing him, can't you see he's embarrassed?" She gave violet an exasperated look.

"I think its romantic!"

[Tirael]

"Well, we'll have to see that they get t'gether, won't we?"

A general chorus of agreement met the Skipper's statement.

Anybeast heard from t'slaves?"

Brush, who had been observing the Fort for several days, looked up and spoke. "We've kept in contact, aye, but they don't have much t' report. 'Parently it's been business as usual for a while now. N'tashi ain't gettin' any younger, though, won't be long afore there's some kinda shakeup." Realizing why the otter had inquired, he added a little more softly, "The slaves are fine, Skipp." Not a soul in the Camp didn't miss Tampa.
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Tirael definitely missed her. As Fern introduced herself to Violet, his thoughts strayed to his adoptive sister. He had never been preoccupied by the "adoptive" prefix; she was just his sister, Tampa. They had been inseparable; he had barely believed it when he'd heard she'd gone to work underground as a slave. He sorely wished she was back; among other things, she would surely know what to say to Fern right now.

Wouldn't she?

[Brooke]

Brooke looked at Tirael's face and knew he was thinking about Tampa.

"She's fine, I know she is managing well, and if I know her, she and River will probably have an escape plan in the process. We all miss her."

She gave him a hug and then turned to Fern,

"Hi, I'm Brooke." she stretched out her paw.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"We've kept in contact, aye, but they don't have much t' report. 'Parently it's been business as usual for a while now. N'tashi ain't gettin' any younger, though, won't be long afore there's some kinda shakeup."

Skipper nodded, Brush was the main link between the camp and the slaves. He usually knew what was going on there before anybeast else. Skipper pondered this, it was true that Ntashi was getting older, but as of yet no hordebeast had shown any signs of stepping up and trying to take the tyrant down.

"The slaves are fine, Skipp."

“No, they’re not!” Skipper suddenly stood up and pounded the table with his fist. He caught the looks of those around him and continued, “And I don’t just mean Tampa! All of the slaves, they’re not fine as long as they are in that festering fort!”

The otter chieftain stood straight, fixing those around him with a hard stare. “We need to get them out.”

---

Fern was surprised and startled at Skipper’s outburst, but she was shocked at his subject. “Slaves?” She asked tentatively. That a creature would hold others as slaves… the thought sickened and horrified her, and Fern stood up, abandoning the last bites of her dessert. A lingering dibbun promptly ate it.

“You mean this N’tashi, he keeps others as slaves?”

The young otter was angry, so focused on Skipper and those at the table that she didn’t hear Brooke and Tirael speaking to her. At Skipper’s answering nod, she spoke up boldly once again. “Then I agree with Skipper. What’s more, I want to help.”

[Brooke]

Violet stood up. She hated the fact that there were slaves.

"Yea, I want to help too, we all miss Tam and River was like a big brother to me. We need them home for us to plan a full blown rebellion, who's with me to help the slaves? They deserve their freedom and we should use our freedom to help them." She yelled.

She turned to Skipp and took out her sword, laid the flat on her hand and kneeled in front of him.

"I, Violet, swear on my oath as a warrior that I will help with the rebellion and fight until I have nothing left to fight with. We will free the slaves!"

[Tirael]

“No, they’re not! And I don’t just mean Tampa! All of the slaves, they’re not fine as long as they are in that festering fort!”

Brush was a little startled by the outburst. Not that he didn't agree with his friend, but he hadn't expected Skipp to react this way. He regretted saying what he had, but as the otter went on he was pleased that it might help galvanize everyone to action.

“We need to get them out.”

"Yes, we do. Though we'll have to wait until the right moment. " Brush thought a moment, then said, "We'll watch the fortress by night, see if we can't find a consistent weakness in their defenses."
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“Then I agree with Skipper. What’s more, I want to help.”

Tirael was taken aback by Fern's apparent anger at N'tashi. He had hated the stoat for as long as he could remember, but he somehow hadn't expected to see Fern act like this. She had seemed too...gentle? Well, she looked anything but gentle right now. "An extra pair of paws always comes in handy," Tirael said. "How do you propose to help us?" Fervently, he hoped he wasn't going to lose someone else; being separated from Tampa was already too much to bear.

[Treble Tiderunner]

“Then I agree with Skipper. What’s more, I want to help.”
Skipper, who had pegged the young otter as one who was tending towards non-violence, was surprised but appreciative of her offer of help. “Thankee, miss.”

The burly otter crossed his arms, standing looking around at the creatures around the hall. Just then, the mousemaid Violet made a loud speech, then knelt in front of him, pledging her sword.

"I, Violet, swear on my oath as a warrior that I will help with the rebellion and fight until I have nothing left to fight with. We will free the slaves!"

Skipp placed a roughened paw under her elbow to lift her up. “Come now, missy, no need fer that, I’m no lord. But,” he added, “we do need ye in the rebellion.”

"Yes, we do. Though we'll have to wait until the right moment. " Brush thought a moment, then said, "We'll watch the fortress by night, see if we can't find a consistent weakness in their defenses."

“Right.” Skipper looked about. “We’ll hold a meetin’ ’ere tomorrow during lunch.”

"An extra pair of paws always comes in handy," Tirael said. "How do you propose to help us?"

“I can use a sling.” Fern said calmly. She’d only used it on a target before, but this wouldn’t be that difficult. Would it?

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