An unwelcome Welcome home.
Location: Dirt Road, Redwall Abbey: Infirmary
characters Involved: Koyla, Starla, Ashton
Kolya Was wandering though the woods for Four days...The stoat has left his mate four days ago...and he's not eaten anything since then...he was lost...hungry...upset...sore...weak...so many different things. He wandered onto the dirt road and sighs as he glances up and down. He doesn't notice the abbey...so he sighs as he tries to find out which direction the black gull is. so he starts north, hoping to find something food wise soon.
Starla had been miserable the last four days since her mate left her. she hardly ate, only eating because she knew she was eating for more than herself. The last four days had been very sad for her, practically crying every day. This day was no different, she was walking along the Abbey wall top sniffling slightly with red puffy eyes. She often walked along the wall top when she wanted to get away and be by herself. She wipes a paw across her eyes again and leaned onto the wall battlements to cry some more, her crying echoing pretty well from the wall top into the quiet cold air and t the path below where anyone walking along the path would most likely hear.
Kolya is too weak to hear her cries. He also doesn't notice the abbey still. "So...weak..." he mutters to himself...Then Zoom! Out from the Tree line, An Arrow flies at him and hits him in the back. Just under his left shoulder. The stoat lets out a loud cry of pain before falling over. "Help!" he cries out as he stands and tries to run but he's far to weak to run very far.
Starla pauses her crying as she notices a blurry figure walking along the path through her tears. She sniffs wiping her eyes again and the figure become clearer. She gasps standing up and rubbing her eyes again to see if she was indeed seeing what she thought she was seeing...Kolya? She looked a second time and she smiled, her mate had come back to her it had to be him. but even from the wall top she could tell he wasn't in a very good condition. She raised her paw to wave and was about to call his name when the arrow suddenly came out of nowhere and struck him, her voice suddenly rising in a cry of horror as he fell "KOLYA!" she screamed in shock and immediately dashed toward the wall steps. "Help!...Some beast help!...Kolya's been hit by an arrow!" she shouts tears of worry welling into her eye's this time as she rushes to the Main Abbey gate, trying to get to her mate.
Kolya has landed on his stomach. Another Arrow flies out from the trees at him, this time it lands in the ground next to him. He still doesn't hear Starla...he just lays there...The combo of pain and weakness crumbles his life away quickly...The whole mix of everything right now is really a toll on him...he's not been like this in a long, long time. He just lays there and covers his head with his paws, hoping nothing else hits him
Starla threw open the gate at RedWall with no beast responding to her yells for help. Throwing caution to the wind she ran out to Kolya dropping down beside her future husband "Kolya! Oh Kol, who's shooting at you?" she asks in worry as she tried to get his attention. it didn't occur to her that she could be in the line of fire as she looks her mate over checking to see how deep the arrow was and to see if she could be able to pull it out.
The Arrow can be pulled out easily if she tried. "Leave...it...in" he says. "Run! Quickly!" another arrow zooms into the ground by them, causing Kolya to yip and jump though it didn't hit him. "quick! Get to the abbey"
Starla had finished examining the arrow and gripped it, trying to pull the arrow out when he finally becomes aware of her presence. hearing his words she shook her head "I can get it out hold on Kol hold o- Eek!" she jumps back as the arrow bury's itself in the ground inches away from her footpaw. Frantically she grips the arrow again and yanks it from his shoulder before she tried to help him up. "No Kol, I'm not going to leave you out her." she said trying to lift him. "The abbey isn't far. Now come on!" she said quickly glancing around to see if she can locate the shooter. the looking back toward the open abbey gate she bellowed "Help!...Some beast help! My husbands being shot at!" she shouted hoping that SOME BEAST would hear her cries.
There just so happened to be one creature in the abbey that heard her pleas, Ashton had just made his way out of the Abbey. he was out for some fresh cool air. Pausing as he noticed the Abbey main gate open he paused ears perked and tail stiff as he heard Starla's cries. Swiftly he rushes toward the gate house to retrieve his longbow/Staff and his arrows. "Hold on I'm coming to help!" he yells back taking off at a dead run through the gate knocking an arrow to his longbow.
Kolya goes to push her away. "no...Run! Just...run!" he yips really, really, really loudly when she yanks the arrow out. "Ungh..." he growls. "dont...do that!" he growls as they go. Ashton gets no notice as another arrow embeds itself into Kolya's neck...it wasn't in the right place to kill him though...He's just out like a light now, bleeding furiously, laying face first on the ground, not moving.
Starla frowns snapping the arrow in half before throwing it down grunting as she gets pushed away.
"I'm sorry Kol It was interfering with me trying to help you up." she replies apologetically. She gasped suddenly as yet another arrow struck her bate in the next. "Kolya!!" she screams in horror as her mate suddenly goes limp when he was hit in the neck. With horror ridden tears in her eyes she rushes back to his side trying to hug him. In her panic she though he was dead with this arrow.
Ashton just passed through the gate as he saw the second arrow buried itself in the ground next to the two stoats. He traced the path of the arrow as it streaked past but not quite able to pinpoint the shooters location. He ran up to them as the female just pulled the first arrow out. "I'm her to help you, get him to the abbey hurry!" he said watching the rough area that the arrow came from. He was watching closely and when the third arrow was shot he located the exact place the shooter was concealed. quickly glancing as the Jill screams in horror. Drawing his own bow Asthon shot his own area aiming not directly where the arrow was shot from but close enough to let the shooter know he had him located.
Someone Yips and falls dead from where Ashton shot! there were more of them! This one was a weasel that fell...Arrows now Aim For Ashton too...Kolya just lays limp...almost as if he is dead...and his breathing may go unnoticed.
Starla sat in the snow holding her mate close as tears of sorrow coursed down her cheeks, she really though him dead. grieving too much to even respond to the arrows falling around her.
Ashton nods in satisfaction as a weasel toppled out from the brush. With another arrow quickly pulled from his quiver he glanced at Starla. Ducking the arrows shooting at him he hurried to her side trying to pull at her arm "Come on...Get up he needs medical attention get him to the abbey! I'll give you cover." he barked at the distraught jill as he loosed another arrow toward the bushes and drew another arrow. Where he could he tried to lift the male stoat to help the female.
Kolya keep being limp. no sounds...he's breathing yes, but its light. someone needs to get him to the infirmary! now!! Another arrow Flies at Ashton, this time closer then the last one
Starla seems to just now notice Ashton, a complete stranger to her as she stood with his prodding. Teary eyed she stood putting all her muscles to work as she lifted her limp husband. Nodding she struggled under her mates dead weight and she staggers toward the abbey. She didn't want to touch the arrow in his neck to horrified to even consider checking for any signs of life in him.
Ashton growled and ducked avoiding the latest arrow that was shot at him. Now he began to fire off arrows quite rapidly, obviously a creature well trained with it. He sighted down the arrow and shot it aiming for the last place the last arrow appeared from. Quickly he shouldered his bow rushing to aid the female stoat taking some of the males weight for himself as they finally reached the gate. ~At least there's some cover.~ he thought as he released the sad burden to try and close the abbey gate.
Two beasts fall out of the brush this time, a HUGE wildcat and a stoat. Kolya is just carried to the infirmary.
Kolya is carried in! Healers rush over and quickly take him over to a cot, examining the arrow wound. "Get some cloth now!" the healer orders out. "What happened?"
Starla was in tears despite the assistance from Ashton. She's been so distraught that she was almost convincing herself her mate was dead. As the healers rushed to take her mate she released him dropping onto a nearby cot and buried her pace in her paws crying, unable to answer the healers.
Ashton looked grim a little bit of Kolya's blood staining his tunic with his bows and quiver still on his shoulder. He shook his head. "I'm not completely sure I got their late. I was just on my way out for a walk when I hear the panicked cries of her." he said indicating Starla. She was yelling he was being shot. I grabbed my bow and arrows and rushed out to help. It turned out to be some kind of robber band or something. I killed a weasel, wild cat, and another stoat. They were shooting arrows from behind some bushes. I don't know how many there were but I held them off long enough to let her get him into the abbey." he said indicating the two stoats.
The healers nod. The healer mouse sighs as she gets the cloth. "Ready? on three...one...two...three!" Snap! There's a loud snap as the snapped the Arrow at the point the arrow head met the wood. Quickly they apply lots of pressure. A little while pass but they cant seem to get the arrow head out...so they just leave it, starting to stitch his neck up. When thats done The lead healer mouse sighs and sets the stuff away quietly. Kolya is laying on his front to keep the pain from being too great. "Look...He's alive...we cant get the arrow head out without killing him...I have no idea when or even if He'll wake up...For the moment, what he needs is rest" she says. The Jill gets a sad look. "You can stay with him if you want to. But...I'm sorry...don't expect much..." She sighs before turning away and leaving.
Starla sat there as the healer began to work on her husband and then explains about Kolya’s condition. This only causes her to cry some more but she is relived to hear he isn’t dead. But hearing the last of the news only caused her to cry again, nodding to let the healer know she will be staying with her husband. After a short sob she glances at the squirrel that helped her. “Thank you for all your help…Er..Sorry I don’t think I know you.” she said sniffling and wiping her eyes. “I’m Starla and that’s my husband Kolya.” she manages to say before shaking her head as the news from the healer come fresh to her mind again.
Ashton stood silent to the side as he watches the healers begin to treat the fallen stoat, shaking his head sadly as the news is reported to the female stoat. He was just on his way back out to find his own fiancé when the jill stopped him and addressed him. He smiled at her reassuringly. “Your very welcome, I only wish I could have arrived sooner. I’m sorry about what happened I hope he’ll be better soon.” he said chuckling lightly at she made introductions “My names Ashton, I hope to meet your Kolya in the future. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to get my bow back to the gate house. You should probably get some rest too.” he said nodding to Starla before departing.
Starla smiled just slightly barely even registering as a smile before she frowns again nodding to the squirrel “Thanks again for helping me Ashton.” she said nodding to him once more and watched him depart. Sniffling she stood leaning down to give Kolya a gentle kiss on his cheek and forehead before returning to the cot she was sitting on. Wiping her eyes once more she laid down on the cot watching her mates still form as sleep slowly overtook her.
