Not all vermin are totally evil.....it's just the nice ones have pet snakes. Who will try to eat you. Or something.
FV:Path to Ferravale
This path heads along a wooded path to the west and if one heads east they see the dirt road. Trees and bushes line the road here and slightly off the path is some berry bushes.
Exits: [D]irt [R]oad, [W]est
Amarro the squirrel. Blisa the cat, Ferdinand the ferret, Clarissa the rat.
Lost.. Lost lost. Amarro is so lost. Traveling in the middle of the night is usually a good idea until day comes and you realize you've gotten way off track. Dangit. The squirrel angrily kicks a little pebble and sends it scurrying down the dirt path she just stumbled across on accident. "Ferravale. Dinna want to be here." She pauses in the roadway for awhile trying to make up her mind as to which way she should head next.
Who wouldn't want to go to Ferravale? There's a tavern, an inn, barfights, a marketplace, vermin everywhere....y'know what, that might be a good reason for a woodlander to avoid the village. But Blisa Wyrmtamer is a cat, which is in that grey area between woodlander and vermin. Julian was a cat and ally with Redwall. Gingivere was a wildcat, and ally to the founders of Redwall. Then again, his crazy sister Tsarmina was a wildcat, and she tried to kill Martin the Warrior. So, yeah....the historical relationship between cats and woodlanders has always been....complicated. Let's call it that. The white cat has decided to checkout the road, much to the distress of her bodyguards. Ferdinand the ferret and Clarissa the rat are following her, trying (very loudly) to try and make her go back home. She is blithely ignoring them.
Well of course things just go worse. "Things never go right anymore." Amarro sighs. So much for just leaping into the trees and taking off again. She can't now, not without looking really suspicious. So she stops in the middle of the road, paws in the pockets of her long overcoat, booted footpaws in an at ease position. all weaponry deliberately hidden. "Afternoon....friends." She tries so hard to be polite sometimes.
Blisa has her dirk and dagger strapped to her side, Ferdinand has his sabre and recurve bow, and Clarissa has her 13 knives (in their oh-so-fashionable baldrics) and her bullwhip, all in plain sight. But they do not threatn the squirrel. As a matter of fact, the cat is downright polite. "Good day! Is there any way I can help you? I live in the village down the path here."
Amarro is a squirrel of the old tradition. If you aren't a woodlander then you aren't trusted. Period. Which is why ending up at Ferravale is the worst thing that could've possibly happened. "Nope. I'm good, thanks. Just headed towards Camp Willow." She side-tilts her head towards the woods in the direction she hopes the otter camp is. "Ended up here on accident."
The cat smiles and points in the correct direction. "It's that way. I went there with the group from the Abbey--the Abbot was doing a processional." Ferdinand digs out some paper and a charcoal pencil, scribbles down the correct directions, then offers them to the squirrel. The feline grins her thanks for her guard, then adds, "My name is Blisa. Blisa Wyrmtamer. My father, Scioto, is the Chieftain of Ferravale. You are very welcome to visit us if you'd like. I'll personally make sure you are protected." Yes, she knows that that is a reason some woodlanders don't visit her home. So she'll make the offer.
Amarro accepts the directions and immediately folds them up in her pocket. "No, no thank you." She shakes her head. "I've heard enough about your fair village to know that I probably won't get along very well there." She smiles crookedly, almost wistfully. "Besides, the otters are expecting me." Lies! But who hasn't lied in order to get out of a social situation?
Blisa hasn't. Made excuses, yes. Told a lie? Nuh-uh. She shrugs. "Well, that's alright. It is kind of dangerous--even for me sometimes." She also smiles crookedly, but it instead is a friendly smile, not a wistful one. "I was expecting us to be disarmed during the time we were there, like al beasts are when they enter Redwall, but we were allowed to keep our weapons, which I found quite surprising."
Amarro is bewildered. Why is this cat being so obviously politically nice? She fidgets. This accidental meeting has gone on way too long. "Well...that's the way they are at Willow. Every beast for themselves. They keep the right to protect themselves and give every beast the right to the same. As for removing their weapons..." Amarro raises an eyebrow and shakes her head "...well, the Skipper doesn't visit the abbey all that much."
Blisa isn't just politically nice. She's just nice to most people in general. Especially new people. "Perhaps she should. I'm sure the Abbot would like to talk about their peace treaty. He and my father re-cemented the peace treaty between my home and the Abbey."
Amarro knows the Skipper pretty well and knows that she doesn't care about peace treaties. Leave her alone and she'll leave you alone. "I'll be sure to mention it to her." She lies. "So...." Due to her resistance to anything akin to friendship with vermin, Amarro isn't quite certain how much longer she can keep this conversation up without running out of things to say. "...anything interesting happen recently?"
Blisa blinks. 'Kay. Random subject changes can be...good. Right? "Um....well...my pet snake ran into a wall yesterday. It was funny." Ferdinand and Clarissa chuckle at the memory, the rat adding, "'E's a nutcase. If ye do visit us, don't stay in Miss B.'s house. She has control over that dumb reptile only when she's awake."
Amarro blinks, trying to figure out how this information fits into the scheme of current events. "Oh! Oh. I meant like...important? Information?" Amarro shifts on her paws. "Not that...snakes aren't interesting..." On that note, pet snakes? Isn't that a tiny bit like slavery? In a way? Amarro keeps this opinion to herself along with the information filed away in the back of her brain.
Blisa 'ohs' and nods. "I understand. Um....er...." she furrows her brow as she thinks. "Um....maybe. What I consider important most beasts don't seem.....to really....y'know, care about." Important? Information? What in the what? It dawns on the petite cat that this squirrel might be a spy, so she makes a mental note to keep careful watch on her words. Loose lips sink ships and all that.
"Oh, well, you know. Anything the otters at Willow might need to know. Verm-, er...uh, sightings of beasts up to no good? Kidnappings, news...?" Amarro mentally flails around for the appropriate words.
Blisa appreciates the attempt to not offend her. She smiles--grins, actually--and says, "I got kidnapped many weeks ago, but I was rescued. The evil, crazy mouse was killed. I think he was considering trying to take over Mossflower. But he's dead now, so you won't have to worry about it." Yes, she's talking about Irinevok, who died how many weeks ago? 3? 4? Maybe 5? Who knows.
Amarro nods. They probably already know about that but this is better. "I'm sorry to hear that. Glad to see you are safe again. I take it that is why you have these two?" She nods at the bodyguards.
Blisa laughs slightly. "Well, it actually started seasons ago, after I was rescued from the clutches of Vladmir Stormfeather, a horrible fox who almost took over this area, including Redwall. I've just been getting more bodyguards ever since." Ferdinand nods and adds, "Yeth, beathtth have an annoying tendenthy to try and kidnap her...or kill her. One of the 2."
Amarro nods sagely. "I see. That just sounds absolutely terrible." She squints up at the sky and then down at her shadow on the ground. "Well, my apologies but I must be taking my leave. If I am to not get lost again, I should probably travel in the daylight." She bows somewhat elegantly. "I appreciate the good conversation and the map. Be safe."
As her bodyguards nod and murmer good-byes, Blisa bows also, very lithe and elegant. She is a cat, after all. They rarely do awkward. "It was good to meet you, I'm sure. Have safe travels! I hope you find your way this time." After the squirrel leaves, they will head back to the village, the cat's wanderlust cured.
Amarro turns around and heads away from the village. That wasn't too bad, even she has to admit that. Once she's far enough away, she hops onto a tree and takes off more or less towards the camp. Roads are for wusses.
Thanks for reading!
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