A talk [River]

[Treble Tiderunner]

Tampa leaned against a post in the small slave shelter, scanning the crowd for River. He was supposed to meet her here. It was the corner farthest from the guards, and most slaves did not venture here, because it was the draftiest. She nibbled a piece of dry bread, thinking about their encounter with the fox. He had seemed sincere, but was he?

“Come on, where are you?” She muttered under her breath, swallowing the last bite of bread.

[Brooke]

River had finally been released by the guards although the whipping was a severe one he wouldn't let them see. He hobbled back to the slave shelter hoping Tampa would be there in the corner to talk with him. Should we trust the fox? There was something off about him, "there I go again being biased." he mumbled. Just because he was part of the horde doesn't mean he's bad.

[Treble Tiderunner]

“Hey.” Tampa said, looking up at River. “What did you do this time?” She sighed, dipping a rag in a puddle. She was glad now that it had rained yesterday. “Sit down and let me see your back. We can’t let it get infected.”
She wrung the rag out. “Do you want to know how I got in here? I got in here on purpose. I let them capture me.” Tampa shrugged. “But things don’t usually go the way you plan, do they?”

[lorki]

The late rain had quite upset the small sable, considering a large amount of it had fallen directly onto her makeshift bed and soaked through all of her clothes. She had been there for years, she knew the seasons and the weather they brought with them. The biting cold and uncomfortable heat in the salve shelters was never pleasant, a good day as far as weather was concerned, was hard to come by.

She had tried for the past few hours to patch the hole in the roof over her small pile of tattered blankets. She managed to change the flow of water to a bucket beside her bed and decided to leave it at that for the time being. Her arms ached form being held up so long and her neck as well from being arched continually while she worked.

Soko sighed heavily and stumbled off the little stump she had used as a stool and shoved it back against the wall. She would worry about the rest of the leak later or perhaps find someone who was willing to not only look at her but possibly help her out. She wandered idly about the shelter she didn't honestly have much to do when she wasn't being ordered around- she hardly enjoyed that idea and quickly shook it from her mind. She passed a pair of otters, the same she recognized from working with in the kitchens a few times.

"I got in here on purpose. I let them capture me....“But things don’t usually go the way you plan, do they?”

She stopped, having over heard this and turned blankly to stare at Tampa. She knew she would seem live an eavesdropper but the words astonished her, "Why... why would you do that?"

(In keeping with the fact that she's a loner and a vermin-ish creature friendliness may not bloom immediately...)

[Brooke]

River winced while Tampa dabbed at his wounds.

"According to the guards I looked like I was "sneaking around" and they thought I was going to escape, so they asked me and I told them I was going to the slave compound they didn't believe me so, they whipped me for "lying"." He looked at Tampa as innocently as possible, he had told her the truth, just not all of it.

"Now, back to how you got in this miserable hole."

"I got in here on purpose. I let them capture me....“But things don’t usually go the way you plan, do they?"

"Why... why would you do that?" asked a sable that had been listening in. River turned viciously towards it.

"Why does it matter to you, I'm guessing you used to be part of the horde, so why bother to talk to us, you're just vermin who took us from our friends and families!" River said angrily.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"According to the guards I looked like I was "sneaking around" and they thought I was going to escape, so they asked me and I told them I was going to the slave compound they didn't believe me so, they whipped me for "lying"."

Tampa shook her head. “Things have been getting harder and more difficult over the years.”

"Why... why would you do that?" asked a sable that had been listening in. River turned viciously towards it.

"Why does it matter to you, I'm guessing you used to be part of the horde, so why bother to talk to us, you're just vermin who took us from our friends and families!"

Tam wiped blood out of a long whiplash on River’s back, nodding at Soko to take a seat. “I’m here to plan a slave escape. And River, she’s been a slave since she was a child. I heard that her family refused to be hordebeasts.” Finishing her ministrations, she tugged River’s tunic down.

[lorki]

"Why does it matter to you, I'm guessing you used to be part of the horde, so why bother to talk to us, you're just vermin who took us from our friends and families!"

A knot formed in her gut and twisted painfully as the wounded otter turned to snarl at her. Soko took a sharp breath, her ears which had been perked in curiosity shot back and pressed against her bristling fur. Her eyes which had locked on the otter when he spoke and contained a muted mix of anger and hurt quickly glanced away as he finished his snappy remark. Mentally she kicked herself, she should have known better- to approach these creatures was difficult enough for her, to approach them when injured (probably by a beast with striking similarity to herself) was just stupid.

However, because of her strict avoidance of them she hadn't been spoken to in such a way in quite awhile. Her eyes fell back on the otter, this beast was obviously quite unhappy, disgruntled and perhaps harsh. Judging by the wounds (and his clear displeasure with Soko's appearance) he was determined and very hateful of the horde. Considering the fact that most of her life was spent as a slave she understood who was brought in when and she knew this otter had not been captive for long. On top of that he appeared to be a bit younger then her. If there was one things she could do for herself it was to read others somewhat well.

Calculating these things about the otter still did not allow her to see a key area to escape. She could turn around and hurry off, embarrassed, uncomfortable, leave him thinking his assumptions were correct. She could apologize for the upset, a thing she hated to do because she felt as if every apology she made was like speaking sorrow against her very birth and kin. But it proved time and time again to be the easiest thing to do. However as the female otter spoke she settled on the last option- put the grumpy riverdog in his place and back up Tampa's words.

"I'm a slave." She said evenly though with the words she felt her legs shake slightly, "like you. I have been one for twenty years." She left it at that. it was simple pure fact. She would not argue, she was not one for fighting, she would prove. And if he were any judge of age he would know that she would have been but a dibbun at the time she became a slave to the horde.

Uneasily she took Tampa's cue and sat down near them. She tried to put on a friendlier face for the female otter, though the remark had left her a bit edgy. She extended a paw, "Sokana... Soko." She spoke her name as a sort of quiet greeting, "And you are...?"

[Brooke]

River immediately felt bad, he'd had no right to yell at her. As Tam pulled his tunic down he turned to face the sable.

"I'm a slave." she said, "like you. I have been one for twenty years."
"Sokana... Soko." she extended a paw. "And you are...?"

"I'm so sorry, I had no right to yell at you like that. I'm Riverflow... River by the way. If you don't mind me asking, why are you a slave?" His manners returned to him.

[lorki]

"...why are you a slave?"

The question echoed in her head. Soko found it hard to grasp for an answer, the facts of her imprisonment and her solidarity pushed far back into her head for her to ignore, forget. "Thank you... I don't mind." She said, but then paused, still attempting to find the correct way of explaining her situation. Although the otters disposition towards her had taken a huge turn she still felt somewhat uneasy.

She decided to go with a very short mostly painless version of the story. "You may already know that N'Ashi expanded a bit when he came to rule. Our home- my parents and me- became part of his territory. We were asked to join the horde... I was only six at the time so I can't quite recall the circumstances but I know that my parents refused."

She glanced back at the otters, realizing her eyes had fallen to the ground, "I'm sure you understand that 'no' isn't an answer this horde likes to hear. And so here I am." She did not mention her parents death, she hoped that the otter might have notice a lack in any other sable slaves and realize it himself. Also she knew that the story would bring enough of a downer on it's own without adding that in.

She forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood, her voice contained a slight joking ring to it. "and you may be a 'newcomer' but right now you look a bit worse off then me, River"

[Treble Tiderunner]

"I'm a slave." she said, "like you. I have been one for twenty years."
"Sokana... Soko." she extended a paw. "And you are...?"

“Tampa Tiderunner, of the Mossflower holt.” Tampa said. Technically it wasn’t a holt, it was a Redwall abbey without the abbey, a place to live for all creatures. She listened as Soko told her sad tale.

"I'm sure you understand that 'no' isn't an answer this horde likes to hear. And so here I am."

“And here are we.” Tampa shook her head sadly, looking straight ahead, as if she was staring through the wall. “My uncle, he used to tell me how beautiful Redwall used to be…but he’s never seen it. We hope to see it that way once again, before our lives are over.”

[Rocky]

(I was told I could join here, but if I'm not allowed, I'll leave)

Griff, probably one of the oldest slaves here, and probably the one who saw the worst things that happened here, was walking on the slave grounds, looking for a spot to lay his head down and rest. He checked a few tents, and each one was empty. Griffin sighed, then went to check another one. Then, his ears twitched to the sound of a conversation, and he walked over to the tent with River, Tampa, and Soko. He'd seen each of these slaves before, but never really sat down and had a real conversation with them. Huh, maybe now was that time.

He walked over to the tent, and stood next to Soko, but slightly behind her, not really knowing if he was intruding on something. "Um... Hello..." He managed, in a low voice. "I'm Griffin, but you can call me Griff. I've been a slave here all my life, probably longer than anyone else in this fort."

The mouse mentally palm-smacked himself. Wow, great way to start a conversation. "Um... Sorry If I... er... Intruded on something... I'll go if you want."

[Brooke]

River motioned for Griff to sit down, he looked like he needed a rest.

"I'm River. You didn't intrude at all. It would be nice if you could tell us about the Abbey before it was overrun."

[lorki]

Her face lightened up as Tampa introduced herself. When the Redwall Abbey was brought up her brow furrowed slightly, she forced a relaxed expression and smiled at the mouse, "Hello Griff, I'm Soko." A good first impression was always important about these creatures, even though they all seemed well natured she tread carefully.


"It would be nice if you could tell us about the Abbey before it was overrun."

Soko's ears perked and her dark eyes shot to look more closely at Griff. The mouse was older... he had apparently been around before the abbey was taken, hardly any of those sorts were still around... still living. She knew the original Redwallers to be some of the most defiant of the Horde's rule... for this reason not many were still around.

She was not sure exactly why she was so interested, something in the back of her mind had seized her thoughts and filled her with questions. She stared blankly at the mouse trying to find some sort of memory there was something in her head dieing to said out loud but she couldn't grasp it completely.

[Rocky]

"There's not much to say, really. I was only at the abbey for a day or two..." He sad slowly and quietly. My past was too gruesome, but that is a story for another time." He lowered his head a little bit, then stood up straight again, ready to tell them everything he knew. He knew the younger ones liked stories, so he hoped he could satify their thirst for the knowledge he had, and he was only too happy to obilige.

"I'll tell you all about it."He said with a smile.

He grabbed at his coat, then said, "If any of you are cold, you may have my coat." He smiled again, then grabed a stool inside the tent, and took a seat. "Alright. Here's my tale of what happened." He cleared his throat, then began,

"When I first arrived at Redwall, before it was overrun, it was unbelievable. It was a home to everybeast, and anybeast, as long as they wouldn't harm another. They were most famous for their wonderful cuisine, which could satisfy anyone's taste." He began, adding emphasis on the word "anyone's". "They held a contest, while I was there. They had footraces, and there was one where you had to race to the top of a tall pole and grab an apple. But the only thing was, the pole was doused with syrup and oil or something like that, so it would be slippery, and harder to get up. They even had a singing contest for little dibbuns. Karaoke. Thhey would sing a little song, share anecdotes, and the winning team got a big trifle, speacially made by the friar." A stear ran from the old mouse's features as he remembered the fun he had. "I'm sorry." He said apologetically, before he began again. "At night, the youngsters would try and escape bath time, and run all around the grounds, trying to flee. Me and a few others hid in a bush, while the badgermum ran by, trying to find us. After being caught, and washed up, everyone sat in the cozy great hall and shared stories, and even some dances, like the contest I told you about earlier. It was like that for the two nights I stayed there, then... The vermin attacked..." A few more tears fell from his eyes, as he remembered his father defending him, then falling to the ground, right in front of him. "And there was even a wonderful tapestry, of Martin the Warrior. Do you know who he is?" He asked, still crying lightly.

[Treble Tiderunner]

"Um... Hello..." He managed, in a low voice. "I'm Griffin, but you can call me Griff. I've been a slave here all my life, probably longer than anyone else in this fort."

The mouse mentally palm-smacked himself. Wow, great way to start a conversation. "Um... Sorry If I... er... Intruded on something... I'll go if you want."

“No, stay.” Tampa said along with the others. “I’m Tampa. Its nice to meet you.” She said kindly to the old mouse. She knew how few old creatures were left. They had all died in the battles or in the slave pen here at the Fort. Even in the caverns of Camp Moss few were over forty. But certainly more than here. Griff was the only silver-furred creature she had seen in two years.

"And there was even a wonderful tapestry, of Martin the Warrior. Do you know who he is?" He asked, still crying lightly.

Tampa listened in awe as Griff told his tale. It all sounded so wonderful. He had actually been there, a distinction her uncle could not claim, even with all his stories. “Martin the Warrior?” She repeated. “My uncle said he was a guardian for all Redwall, a guiding spirit. The Champion of Redwall always wielded his sword.”