Lost

[lorki]

Soko knew why she had been lead away, and she knew that Tirael and Violet were not 'alright' as she herself had put it. Her sharp ears perked forward as Brookesong left her and caught the change in pace the otter made halfway down the hall. Sighing, the sable dropped her pack to the ground, reminding her it was full of knives she should probably offer to someone else. She pulled the heavy cloak off and left it beside the bag. She was left in the large dark shirt and trousers. She abandoned the bulky boots as well and set off after Brookesong.

She was determined not to be a burden. She was keen on staying here, but if battles were to be fought over she wouldn't sit back and let Tirael do all the fighting. She moved quickly and silently through the hallways back to the kitchens. She moved soundlessly to stand jsut out of sight of the stairwell where the other three had gathered.

"That was me reacting how a normal beast should when someone bring vermin into our camp! What were you thinking?"

Tirael almost cut her off when he spoke. "She's not vermin, Violet! She's nice, and maybe if you'd actually met her before you judged her, you'd notice! And why is my judgment automatically wrong here, anyways!? I'm just as old as you are! Is it because I'm a healer, is that it? Because I don't kill others, I can't tell who's bad!? I think I have enough sense to know that much!"

Soko scowled, her ears pressed back on her head again. She inhaled deeply and turned the corner to face the three of them. "Tirael, it's alright." Of course she looked suspicious, how easy would it be for some hordes beast to cook up her story. Perhaps Tirael was rash to have let her in so quick, but it only spoke volumes that he could tell her true motives weren't bad ones.

Her gaze hardened and fell on Violet, "He doesn't need to be ridiculed because I'm here." She said steadily.

[Brooke]

Brooke had hoped that Soko wouldn't follow her, but she realized all too late that Soko had. She felt her presence and internally winced, knowing that she had heard every word that they had said.

"He doesn't need to be ridiculed because I'm here." She said steadily.

Brooke decided to stay out of this fight and left to get everything else she had said she would.

---

Violet was to infuriated too notice the presence that had stepped out of the shadows, and continued to glare at Tirael. This wasn't the first time they had "disagreed" on this sort of thing. She was shocked out of her reverie when she heard it's voice.

"He doesn't need to be ridiculed because I'm here." She said steadily.

Rounding on the poor creature she pointed a finger at her chest.

"You, you're the reason for this.... You had no right to just prance in here and take over. I don't care what anyone else says.... You're not meant to be here." Then she stormed off towards the exit, but not before grabbing her swords.

[Tirael]

"Tirael, it's alright."

The otter in question turned sharply in alarm; he hadn't expected Soko to be there. He was embarrassed that she had heard them fight. After all, he knew from experience that hearing others argue about you is heart-rending. But now that she was here, he had all the more reason to defend her. "No, no it's not alright. You don't deserve this." He turned to look at Violet as she did.

"He doesn't need to be ridiculed because I'm here."

"You, you're the reason for this.... You had no right to just prance in here and take over. I don't care what anyone else says.... You're not meant to be here."

He couldn't bear to hear another word. "That's enough, Violet! I don't know where you got the idea it's alright to be such a jerk, but..." He was too angry to complete his sentence, and Violet was walking off anyways. His gut went icy with fear a moment as he saw her pick up her swords, but she left without further incident. Sighing, he looked down and covered his eyes with a paw. Shaking his head, he sighed once more and looked up at Soko. "I...I'm really sorry about her. She's just..." Unable to find the right words to explain, he closed his eyes and tried not to explode. Calming, he opened his eyes and repeated, "I'm really sorry."

[lorki]

"You, you're the reason for this.... You had no right to just prance in here and take over. I don't care what anyone else says.... You're not meant to be here."

For the first time in a long while Soko's passive and small spoken outer shell cracked, allowing some anger to seep through. As Violet pointed rudely toward her Soko recoiled and automatically her face contorted into a fanged snarl. The dangerous feral expression faded and was replaced with words, "No more then you do." the sable growled quietly.

She tilted back on her heels as the mouse retreated and took a step back to stand closer to Tirael.

"I...I'm really sorry about her. She's just..." Unable to find the right words to explain, he closed his eyes and tried not to explode. Calming, he opened his eyes and repeated, "I'm really sorry."

Quickly her short lived anger was gone and she offered a wan grin to the otter, "It's alright, really. I knew this was coming at some point, don't get upset over it."

[Brooke]

Brooke walked back in with the bed sheets and such just in time to see Violet storm off.

"What did you do to her.... Didn't you hear what happened to her? A scout found a mouse lying on the forest floor. Just on the verge of death, they brought him back here, but it was too late. He passed this morning. Vi went to see what all the commotion was about... Tirael, that was her brother lying in there. He was killed by vermin and then bringing Soko here just rubbed salt in the wound." Brooke said accusingly. Vi may not be the nicest mouse ever, but they were a perfect pair of friends. And Brooke protected her friends fiercely.

"I hadn't heard about it until now... Tirael you should go apologize!" she reprimanded him like a dibbun. Then giving him a meaningful look she continues back to her room.

---

Violet wiped away the tears that spilled over as she walked out of Camp. She was going to practice swords to get her mind off of things. She hated the cruel way fate had treated her and then Tirael brought the sable here. That thing It was probably the one who had murdered Michael. Then she met up with Tirael and convinced him that she was good, just so she could spy on the woodlanders. Her hate thoughts continued until she got to the clearing, but instead of un-sheathing her swords, she sat on a stump and stared ahead of her to stop the tears from flowing down her face.

[Tirael]

"Tirael, that was her brother lying in there. He was killed by vermin and then bringing Soko here just rubbed salt in the wound."

Tirael was speechless; Violet had never told him she had family. "Brother..." He was stung by the way Brookesong acted as though this was all his fault, but the news about Violet's dead brother was more important. He felt like he was groping around in the dark, completely unsure of what to say or do. He should have just consulted Skipper or something instead of getting angry at Violet's bigotry, but he had felt hurt for Soko. Soko...he realized only then how rashly he had acted. Nobeast was to be trusted in times like these, and he had brought a total stranger to the most important secret the rebels had. The thoughts piled up in his head, making him feel worse and worse. He felt like crawling into some dark hole and dying, though of course that did nothing for his situation.

"W...what can I do, I mean, I can't just go right now and talk to her, she's still mad..." He wished fervently for Skipper, or Fern, or Tampa, especially Tampa. When he was younger, he would have gone to her for advice without hesitation, an option that was, of course, not an option now. Maybe in a week...but of course, not when he needed it. He felt helplessly lost and alone. Unable to do anything else, he looked down, closed his eyes, and sighed.

[lorki]

The sable felt the vibe change swiftly, from one of tension to one of doubt, sorrow even... blame. The sort of things that often landed her in unjustified trouble, as it had plenty of times with the other slaves when she was younger. She quickly believed that this outburst had effectively alienated her from them. No matter how kind Brooke and Tirael were to her of course the two would stand behind their close friend and be suspicious of her. It wasn't particularly something she could place blame on them for, but...

Angrily she turned away from the two otters. Annoyance at Violet for putting blame on her for something she had no say in, and more irritation at those two for so quickly abandoning her. It was worse to have been brought into the camp, then deemed a risk, then to have been left out in the cold all together. If she went wandering without Tirael near her she could easily get herself killed. Just think if Violet had met her coming around a corner.

Frustrated, stuck, her expression set unhappily and she crossed her arms over her chest. She stood like that while Tirael fell silent, swallowing her angry comments and contemplating what she should do. Finally she turned and ducked out of the stairwell. "I'll leave until I can speak with someone who is in charge." Her voice was flat, emotionless- mainly to hide the fact that she was angry with them. She moved quickly and darted down the next hall she came to, hoping not be followed as she wound through the tunnels back towards where her and Tirael had entered.

[Brooke]

Violet stabbed the ground at the ground with her sword. Why did he have to die? Why, I didn't even get to catch up with him! And Why now? She sat down with a huff again... Why? She sighed as she got up... She felt really bad for going off on Soko earlier. She made her way slowly back to camp.

As she walked back in to the camp she plastered a fake smile on her face. She turned and bumped into the sable that was coming the other way.

"Soko, can I talk to you? I... I-I I'm really sorry for what I said back there, that's not me. Its just that I recently lost my brother and was in a bad mood, I judged you for what I shouldn't've. And I'm really, truly, honestly sorry." She looked tentatively at Soko's face.

---

Brookesong finished making the beds before going to find Violet. She sighed as she thought of how much drama had unfolded in one morning! Just as she was about to round the corner to the exit, she heard Vi apologizing to Soko. I'll just calmly walk in, but I have to be ready to stop them if it results in a fight she thought placidly to herself. She calmly rounded the and quietly stopped in the shadows.

[Tirael]

"I'll leave until I can speak with someone who is in charge."

Tirael could only look after Soko with a look of failure in his eyes; from his viewpoint, he had hurt two friends, possibly endangered Camp Moss, and ruined his own credibility. What a day to wake up to. Sighing, he shuffled unhappily to the infirmary. The room was thankfully empty; sitting on a bed, he put his head in his paws and sighed. Lying down, he stared at the ceiling and thought of what to say to Violet. It didn't take him long to realize there wasn't a 'right' thing to say. Steeling himself, he levered himself up and walked out in search of Violet.

Soon he heard her voice. Remaining hidden nearby, he strained to hear what he could. He couldn't believe it; she was apologizing to Soko? On her own? Not that that was bad, it was just totally unexpected. Sitting against the wall, he pulled up his legs and rested his head on his knees. With any luck, the day would be salvageable.

[lorki]

once she had entered the last lengthy corridor leading her back to the entrance Soko realized that she had left her cloak, boots, and what little food she did have behind, in Brookesongs room. The frustration at this seemed quaint and quickly dissolved in with her larger unhappy emotions and melded.

She'd abandoned her anger and tried hard to replace it with some form of morphed understanding but that was proving difficult if not impossibly. She simply could not see herself as a dangerous threat, and how they saw her as one only frustrated her more.

Feeling as if she'd lost both a fight with her heart and her mind she reserved to stare blankly at the ground in front of her. Her ears perked forward as a noise took her attention. She raised her head to see Violet standing only a few steps ahead of her. Her horror was quickly apparent as her wides widened and her ears tilted back again. Her first thought was considering how possible it would be for her to outmaneuver a sword swipe.

"Soko, can I talk to you? I... I-I I'm really sorry for what I said back there, that's not me. Its just that I recently lost my brother and was in a bad mood, I judged you for what I shouldn't've. And I'm really, truly, honestly sorry."

The words surprised her, and quickly she tried to hide the horrified expression though the feeling still remained. Unable to conjure some correct feeling to show, She looked quite blank as she quickly considered a response.

"I understand." It was flat lie, but sometimes, she figured, those her necessary. "I'm sorry about you're brother..." That much was true. "I... I'm leaving now, at least for awhile." She made to move around the mouse and continue towards the exit patially fearing a response.

(Skipp should jump in soon ^^)

[Maxodis]

It really was too cold to go out, dressed as he was, to do his daily weapons training, Danol though ruefully in between sneezing fits. He was beginning to seriously reconsider his repeated (foolishly)prideful refusals to the offers of more clothing, specifically warmer clothing. He didn't feel like he could rightfully accept the offers, despite the fact that he had been practically raised at Camp Moss, simply because he could not serve any beneficial purpose to the community. He felt he wasn't pulling his weight, and until he could, he resolved to work with what little he had asked to be supplied with. This, of course, was discounting food.

He felt some sense of guilt at the result of his overzealous behavior however, as he trudged back to the entrance of Camp Moss while trying not to shiver too badly. In trying to make himself useful, in training to better himself and be better able to protect the peaceful creatures within, he had gotten himself ill, which would ultimately lead to him being forced to accept more hospitality than he was comfortable accepting. The young otter winced as he realized that his rash behavior would probably earn him an earful from both Tirael and the Skipper, as well as anyone else that happened to find out that Danol had been smart enough to go shoot arrows on a windy plain on a freezing day in summer clothes. Ah well, there was nothing that could be done about it now.

A particularly violent sneeze heralded the young otter's entrance into Camp Moss. Instantly he wiped a paw to his nose, and was surprised when he saw that it was specked with blood. Well that can't be good. It didn't help matters that with each sneeze he felt more and more lightheaded. He kept close to the far wall, clutching his nose with one paw and guiding himself along with the other. Yeah. Definitely an earful.

It certainly was a surprise when the fevered otter finally noticed the two creatures standing before him.

His eyes widened in surprise momentarily before he sneezed again. And again. Several sneezes and several snuffles later, Danol blinked in surprise at the two in the corridor. Violet and... someone new. Or maybe he just didn't recognize the other due to his watering eyes. He blinked several times to clear his vision. Still the bewildered otter could not place a name to that face. In fact, she looked a bit vermin-ish. The otter retracted the thought as soon as it sprung to his mind, that was not a nice thing to assume of a newcomer. That, however, was the only action his mind took before it departed, leaving Danol clueless as to what to do or say.

Frowning slightly at Violet, still bleeding out his nose, he asked dazedly,

"Did I miss somethin'?"

[Brooke]

"I understand." It was flat lie, but sometimes, she figured, those her necessary. "I'm sorry about you're brother..." That much was true. "I... I'm leaving now, at least for awhile." She made to move around the mouse and continue towards the exit patially fearing a response.

Violet made to stop her.

"No, you should stay... At Camp Moss we won't let anyone get stuck out in the cold. You can stay with me 'n' Brooke. We wouldn't mind!"

"Did I miss somethin'?" asked Danol, his nose bleeding.

"No, but you really should go see Tir or Brooke about that nose... You look as if you could use some help!"

--------------------------------------------

Brookesong who had been quietly waiting in the shadows strode out to stand by Soko and Violet in time to hear:

"No, but you really should go see Tir or Brooke about that nose... You look as if you could use some help!" Brooke finally turned to Dan.

"What did you do now?" then noticing his summer clothes, "I don't care what you say, you're getting new clothes AND you are going to see Tirael so that we can get you some medicine... Vi, why don't you help Soko get settled in and then start introducing her to others" Then grabbing his arm, she proceeded to drag him to the "infirmary".

[[Someone should enter now *cough cough Skipp cough cough*]]

[Tirael]

"What did you do now?" then noticing his summer clothes, "I don't care what you say, you're getting new clothes AND you are going to see Tirael so that we can get you some medicine..."

Tirael lifted his head off his knees with a start as he heard his name. His eavesdropping had slowly turned into him just thinking; he had barely noticed Danol's entrance. Realizing that he was probably expected at the infirmary, and that he would be caught sitting where he was, he hurriedly got up and ran down the hallway, feeling relieved as he cleared a turn before being seen. Making it to the infirmary, he tried to catch his breath before Brookesong and Danol came in. Turning to them, he saw Danol's bloody nose for the first time.

"Danol, are you half-insane? There's a reason we make these!" he said, holding up the scarf he had taken off minutes earlier. Directing the rather foolish, if good-intentioned Danol to a bed, he sat him down and got him a rag. "Here, hold this over your nose, and stay here near the fire. The bleeding should stop in a short while. But for goodness' sake, get yourself a coat or cloak or something! It's far easier on everyone than having you bleed yourself to death because you think it's summer or something." Obviously, that was an exaggeration, but this wasn't the first time this had happened, and the healer was running out of rags.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"EeeYOW!"

Skipper dropped his hammer and did an excellent impression of an otter who had just swung a hammer at a wooden peg and instead hit his thumb. Rather hard.

Cradling his(surely it was broken) thumb, Skipper stumped down the tunnel, one of the narrower and more damp ones, to the infirmary.

"Hey Tir, could you wrap-" Coming in the door to the infirmary, Skipper stopped, the scene was one of chaos. "-this up for me, nice and tight?"

[lorki]

A perplexed look came across Soko's face as the mouse blocked her exit. This wasn't going at all her way. When she tried to stay she was pushed out, when she decided to leave she was blocked in. Her tail brushed the floor as she tried to consider a way around this.

A distraction appeared in the form of another otter, this one younger than the others she'd met. He was bleeding, and she was... in some distorted fashion, happy about that. it would serve as the distraction she needed to get around this current road block. She was right, as Violet almost immediately turned her attention to him. Brooke and Tirael seemed to materialize instantly to fuss over the stranger.

The sable took her opportunity swiftly, and as a new stranger appeared... also an otter she sidestepped around Violet with a dismissing, "No.. that's alright..." And trotted towards the exit.