Quinten Log 137 - 25 06 2006

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Salamandastron *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

This is the training room for the hares of the long patrol. The walls

seem to have taken a severe beating, more than likely not from stray

arrows missing the archery targets. There are several of said archery

targets lining the west wall, each with small oak stands a good

distance off to hold arrows, hang a bracer, and rest a bow on. The targets are

of simple design: a large, tightly wrapped bale of hay with a coarse paper

target on the front. A wooden mannequin, in no better shape than the

walls, is in the northeastern corner of the room. Besides that,

several wooden practice swords sit in a small pile. On the eastern side of the

room is a small, makeshift wrestling arena consisting of two mattresses

tied together. Then on the southern side of the room is a fitness

area, assembled from several pull-up bars, and a nice padded area to do push

up. Narrow, cylindrical weights (both wooden and metal) are pushed up

against the wall, along with a few straight metal bars for them to be mounted

on.

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

With: Darklett, Taye

- Start Log

Darklett still has those two knives in between his knuckles. "My

popularity seems to have come back, a little." He looks around himself again,

to all the other hares, who have turned away. "Ha..." He shrugs, his

paw flicking up and one of the knives leaving the grip of his knuckles

and arching about a foot above his head, and falling back into his other

paw, where the knife, along with the other, is back-gripped. "So how've

you been? It's been a few days."

Heh? Taye drops his gaze briefly before forcing a smile which wavers on

the edge of frowning as he looks back up. He squints slightly and

shrugs. "Yeah. It has been." He glances around briefly before spotting the

quiver of arrows set up near this particular range, where he deposits

the arrow. He slings his bow over a shoulder. "How've you been?"

Darklett looks over Taye carefully. Didn't answer the first question,

huh? "I've been... pretty good. Real good. Better." He nods, the brief

sentences punctuated by the dips of his head. "Getting back into the

swing of things, I guess." An eye goes to the mannequin victim to Taye's

bow. "Good shootin'."

Quinten moves into the training room, circling the outside of the room

and avoiding meeting anyones eyes, spotting Taye and the familiar black

furred form of Darklett he ducks over towards them both. The recruit

looks harried and his paw fur is wet and he runs them along his ears with

a sigh. "I'd forgotten how much time needs to be spent on chores, erm

mind if I join you?"

Taye's ears twitch and he cuts his eyes toward the mannequin. He bobs

his head in a nod. "Easy when they're not movin'," is his only reply.

He's about to say something more when Quinten approaches. He turns,

regarding the other buck. "'Llo, Quint."

Darklett's ears twitch as well, but only when he spots Quinten.

"...Hey, Quinten." Something seems a little odd, here... He shrugs it off,

though. "How're you doing?" Knives twirl in his paws. Is he ever going to

throw those? "Back so soon?"

Quinten shakes his head and smiles leaning back and shaking his head,

"You know i should just write something about it and hand it out, would

save me explaning it to every hare i see." He smiles a tight smile at

Taye and flicks his ears before turning to look at Dark. "Got summoned

home by the Colonel after me demotion you know....things went rather ary

at Redwall."

From the look of Taye, he's already heard this story. He ducks his

head, rubbing absently at the back of his neck whilst backing off a step

to let them 'catch up'.

"Rather awry?" Darklett's eyes widen. "What in the /world/ did you do?"

Blinkblink. "They didn't even send /me/ back after all /I/ did. What,

did you... Knock the abbey over, or something?"

Quinten smiles and pulls an arrow out of the collection set aside for

training. "I lost Jakk Sir...to vermin....thankfully he got away from

them...but the Major and the Colonel decided to ship me home."

Magramba strides into the training room, eyes glancing about at the

hares already present. A polite nod is offered in the way of greeting, as

the squirrel walks toward the mannequin. Mag's ears rotate to forward,

in an attempt to give the hares some added privacy.

Darklett's words actually gets a snort. But he sobers up a little as

Quinten responds, looking from one hare to the other. After a few more

seconds he turns, eyeing the arrow-stuck mannequin. He starts yanking 'em

out, his ears turned so that he can still listen to other two. He

doesn't notice Magramba's approach.

Darklett bites at the outside of his lip, nodding slowly. "...Ah, I

see. Seems a little unfair of them, don't you think?" He scratches behind

his ears, giving a grunt of thought. "Like the Major just wanted to get

rid of ya, or something, rather than punish you."

Magramba stops a few paces from the mannequin, silently waiting for

Darklett to finish his removal. The big squirrel is anything but

unnoticeable.

Quinten smiles softly and shakes his head, "I think it was pretty much

the end of the straw Darklett, you know how much trouble i've been in

over the months...think that was the end of my chances. So i'm back down

to 2nd Class and am gonna have to work my way back up. I haven't

told you about Flaxpaw yet..." He turns to look at the practice bows and

picks one of them starting to string it. "Flaxpaw has been thrown out

completly."

Big or not, Taye's back is turned so he continues to not notice

Magramba. His ears perk every now and then at what he is paying attention to -

the conversation behind him. He yanks the arrow sticking out of the

mannequin's abdomen last and then finally turns, expecting to see Darklett

and Quinten and not a squirrel. He blinks, eyeing him for a few seconds

before looking past him to the other two. "'Llo," he greets.

Darklett is /quite/ surprised at Quinten's news of Flaxpaw.

"Completely? Wh..." The buck is rather shocked now, shaking his head. "What

happened with /her? I don't believe this... It has to be an overreaction on

Major Jarril's part. There's no way you recruits are really causing that

much trouble..."

Magramba moves over towards the wooden weaponry, an awkward "Hello,"

coming from his lips as he unseathes his sword and dagger, carefully

setting them by the wood weapons and selects a wooden sword and dagger of

similar size and shape, putting them in his sheathes.

Quinten lifts up his bow and knocks an arrow to it sighting along it

before he lowers it down. "She went weird Darklett, started talking to

some pine marten, saying things she shouldn't about the abbey beasts and

then she went AWOL with Ender....she's been struck out completly orders

where all from the Colonel, not the Major." He looks at the dark furred

hare and sighs.

Taye watches Magramba's actions for a moment longer, then shrugs. Eh.

He starts back across to Darklett and Quinten with arrows tucked under

an arm. He stops just short, looking from one to the other with squinted

eyes. "Do ya figure she'll be makin' yer way back to the mountain,

Quint?"

Darklett's ears fold, and he frowns. "...That's a shame... Wonder what

got into her?" The ex-Major's nose twitches, his knives spinning idly

in his paws a few times. Taye airs a question he'd just been about to

ask, and he looks to Quinten for the answer, eyeing the squirrel for a

moment before returning his attention to Quinten.

Quinten raises his bow and pulls back now that Magramba and Taye are no

longer standing infront of the manequin and fires watching the arrow

whizz past it to the left and thunk into the wall behind. "No idea...if

she left with that horse and the pine marten, not to mention Mister

Wheelock then i get the feeling they had Southsward in mind...at least they

started south."

Magramba hrms lightly. If the hares were using the mannequin for target

practice, it would be tricky for him to practice close combat. The

knight stands there, indecision written on his face. He could go elsewhere

to beat on something, but that just didn't appeal to him. So he removes

the wooden weapons and replaces his own, and walks toward the fitness

area.

Taye's eyebrows go up. A horse and a pine marten? "Well..." He bites

back a sigh, looking off toward the door as if Flaxpaw might materialize.

"Hope she does, all the same." He shrugs, then a thought comes to him.

"Dark? How's Audri been? I haven't seen 'er..."

Darklett sighs, shaking his head some more. "...Just... Odd that she'd

do something like that. Completely out of character, from what I've

seen." He hmfs thoughtfully, and turns to Taye with a neither here nor

there shrug. "She's been alright. I've got her inside the mountain now.

She isn't allowed to leave, 'cause she's just gonna be in danger if she

does."

Magramba is beating the mannequin with a straightforward fighting

style, and has yet to draw the wooden dagger. Broad sweeps of his sword

target the neck and chest areas, where a sword can do the most damage.

Quinten pulls out another arrow and pulls it back and shoots again this

time hitting his target with a smile. "Well all said and done Darklett

not much any of us can do about Flaxpaw and i just got to keep my head

down and work hard." He peers over towards the mannequin and then

blinks as Taye and Darklett's words sink in. "What about Audri? What

happened whilst i've been gone?"

Aha. Taye's ears flatten back at Darklett's explanation. "... Bet she's

been hidin', then. Bet she ain't happy 'bout it, eithah." His brow

knits slightly but - oh! Quinten doesn't know. He looks around to Darklett

with a slight wince, letting him explain. A paw goes self-consciously

to his side.

"Well... A lot happened, Quint." Darklett manages to chuckle this out,

rolling his eyes. "A lot more than I wanted to happen. She got

kidnapped, enslaved... Beaten. Tail was cut off. We were out on search parties,

and it turned out me, Taye, and Seven finally found her." He turns

towards Taye, the motion of the paw to his side catching his peripheral

vision. "Lots of fighting. The slavers are probably still out there, too.

They were bent on following us before we even reached the mountain, it

seems, so... I don't want her out there."

Magramba feels his ears perk at the mention of vermin slavers. Perhaps

there was work to be done here after all. The squirrel's ears swivel

back to listen in. The dagger is out now, stabbing and slashing right

along with the sword.

Quinten fumbles his next shot at Darklett's words and his ears go up on

high. "She had what cut off!" He turns to stare at them both.

"Gods....and they are still out there too? No wonder you don't want her coming

back...and i thought i had some adventures at Redwall before it all went

wrong.."

Taye listens to Darklett's explanation with the occasional nod of

agreement thrown in for flavor. In the end, he hehs softly. "Well, that's

the mountain for ya, Quint. Welcome home." He smiles, but it's a

sick-looking one. He glances toward the door again, his ears flattening back.

Meh.

Darklett shrugs again with a flick of his ears forward, folding at

their tips. "Yeah, welcome home. Which reminds me, I need to write my

brother back sometime." Knives twirl again, and apparently he's sick of

holding them, 'cause he turns to the target, grips one, and hurls it. Nice

arch, it's got the distance, and... Thud, right in the middle of the

mannequin's chest. The other knife, thrown fractions of a second after,

lands just below in the upper 'gut' of the dummy.

Quinten nods to Taye and sighs, "I was going to build a Belltower you

know...we had just finished the plans..." He scuffs a footpaw on the

floor and stares off at the mannequin again. "It's nice to be home at

least. Sleep in my own bed." He stares at the knives now quivering in the

mannequin. "Good shot Darklett sir...and Keiran says hello, I got to

spend alot of time with him."

Magramba glances over at the thud, and his movements slow as he

realizes he could be using his weapons. With a sigh, he drops the wood things

and begins hammering the mannequin with clenched fists and armored

forearms.

Taye looks back just a fraction too late, but he sees the results of

the thud and he smirks. "... So who were /you/ picturin' it was?" He

indicates the mannequin with a nod of his head.

"Who do -you- think?" Darklett's ears pin slightly as he gives Taye a

meaningful look. "Any of those waste of fresh air vermin that laid a

single /grimy/ paw on Audri." Hrmph! He settles quickly at news from

Keiran, and actually smiles a little. "Heh, good. I trust he didn't work you

too hard, then?"

Quinten smiles, "We worked hard Darklett, we found Brockhall and beat

off some mad bats." The recruit turns to look at his friends. "How is

Audri dealing with not having a tail?" He shifts and thinks, "I learnt

some interesting Redwall recipes..maybe i could make her something? If i

ever get free time."

Magramba has stopped the loud banging and is simply pressing hard on

certain spots of the mannequin, paws flying. So that was why the

squirrelmaid was missing her tail.

"Whatevah ya do.... just don't bring it up to 'er, a'right? If ya think

/you've/ got it bad with folks always askin' ya what yer doin' back 'n'

havin' to explain it all the time, well... she's got it worse." Taye

sends a sideways glance to Darklett, a worried distraction sort of look.

"Maybe I'll go... look for 'er, or somethin'? Think I should?"

Darklett looks... Almost pleasantly surprised at Quinten when he talks

about what he, and more interestingly, Keiran did. "Ha! I'll have to

include that I heard what a reckless hare he is in my letter." He's about

to continue before Taye steals his words. So, he simply nods to

Quinten. "Yeah, it's probably not a good idea to bring it up... Taye, I think

you really should go look for her. I haven't seen her all morning, so

just make sure she's... I don't know. Still eating, and not gone...

Check the crater."

Quinten nods his head to Taye, "Ok Taye i'll make sure i don't mention

it at all..." He glances at Darklett and grins, "I'll be writing back

to him soon as well....should mention he helped me through my first

kill."

Magramba picks up the wooden weapons and walks back across the room. He

places them back with the others and retrieves his own weapons.

Taye listens to the exchange for only a short while longer before he

nods. "All righ', I'll do that. Thanks, Dark." Without really thinking

about it he throws up a salute and turns, nodding to Quinten as he heads

for the door and out.

"First /kill?/" Darklett's jaw lowers. "What in the world is he doing

back at that Abbey?" Headshake. "Wait, he didn't get hurt or anything,

did he?" Aww, Dark's concerned. He watches Taye go, returning the salute

with only a dash of hesitation in mid-motion. "Hmm."

Quinten waves bye to Taye and then looks back to Darklett and smiles,

"Oh he is fine Darklett...was on our way to Brockhall we got attacked by

some rats....i had to help him fend them off."

Darklett looks relieved enough, nodding to Quinten with his previously

tensely perked ears folding over relaxedly. "He shouldn't be out there

like that with his footpaw injured. Can't believe he can even defend

himself like that..."

Quinten laughs softly and shakes his head, "Come on Darklett sir he was

more then capable of defending himself, if he'd not been there i'd have

frozen up."

"More than capable?" Darklett repeats, astounded. "Huh. Well, guess

it's a good thing he's crippled. If he can do that much damage without a

footpaw, I can't imagine how he'd show me up here at the mountain if he

joined up..." He shrugs. "I gotta get to training though, Quint. Gotta

keep fresh, and all that. Talk to you later?" At that, he turns and

unsheathes two more throwing knives, facing the mannequins.

Quinten nods to Darklett and moves over to continue working on his

archery. "Ok Darklett sir, i'll speak to you later."

- End Log - Change Scene

Salamandastron: Dining Chamber

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Salamandastron *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

This is the dining chamber for the mountain of Salamandastron. It is a

veritable cavern, the necessity of feeding so many hares making the

room so big. Dominating the room is a huge banquet table made of solid oak.

Nobeast knows how such a venerable object came to be here, but its

presence is undeniable. Smaller tables skirt the outside of the room,

each sitting near a large torch burning brightly in its sconce. The

chair at the head of the table is different from the plain maple chairs that

occupy the rest of the room - it belongs to the Badger Lord. The

massive object is graced with a carving of the very mountain it is in, with the

sun setting over the sea.

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Gregorian is sat down to eat, small pile of paper scraps next to him

that he's sketching on slightly distractedly, food being dealt and led to

his mouth with his other paw, not really looking at what he's picking

up each time.

Quinten walks into the Dinning Hall and looks around, his fur is damp

from where he has had a bath after training to chase away that sweaty

buck smell that lingers on a hares fur after a good work out. Spotting

Greg he starts over towards him weaving around the crowds. "Hey Greg."

Gregorian grunts once and almost looks up but seems he has to finish

off one little bit first, once done though he looks up to the other buck,

smile offered "Aftahnoon ol' chap"

Quinten laughs softly and moves to lean against the table, "Nice to see

you too Greg." he tilts his head and grins, "So what you drawing?"

Gregorian glances to his bit of paper before looking back to the other

buck, the drawing itself is a bit of a jumble, a circle in the top left

corner and the rest just full of odd little shaped parts. He shakes his

head "Nothin' much, just somethin' tha' popped intah me head, good time

back at the mountain so far?"

Quinten nods his head and chuckles, "Aye good time so far Greg...very

busy though alot of settling in to do."

Gregorian chuckles lightly "I can imagine" he can't really, still he

nods to a seat "Don't have tah stay standin' if yah want tah sit down yah

know"

Quinten flops down into a chair and grins leaning back to look up at

the ceiling. "Aye well you remember what recruit training is like."

Gregorian smirks faintly, adding more little bits to his drawing and

eating a little before he speaks again "Yah do know I'm still a recruit

right?"

Quinten laughs, "I do yes but i'm having to re-adjust to 1st/2nd level

training again, its a whole different kettle of fish."

Gregorian can only chuckle and shrug "Well, guess that's not exactly

something I know anything about anyway..evah was a 2nd class recruit"

Quinten smirks, "Lucky you, never get busted back down Greg it is

terrible and i mean it."

Gregorian shakes his head and finishes off a little cog on his paper

"I'll bare it in mind though I got no plans tah do anything worthy of

that"

Quinten chuckles and nods and peers at the paper again, "Come on greg

tell Quint what is that your drawing?"

Gregorian grins and shakes his head again, he knows he should stop to

take attention off the drawing but he's obviously proud of the thing

"Nah, it's nothin' at all"

Quinten reaches out and taps the paper with a claw. "Come off it Greg

you can't take your eyes off it, tell me what it is?"

Gregorian quickly moves a paw to wave his paw away "Hey now chap, claws

off" he smiles wide and proud "Tis a music box, or will be when I work

out all the little details" he points to one of the "Yah see yah turn

that handle, it turns tha' tube which has got little spikes on it, it

hits these little thing down here which should make a little ping

sound...if get the spikes in the right place might be able to make a good tune

out of it..not a long one mind"

Quinten frowns at the plans and nods, "Oh....can't say i see it

Greg...but then i'm not much with the metal work...writing is my bussiness."

He leans down and hmms, "I am sure it will look good."

Quinten chuckles and nods "Ok then Greg well i look forwards to seeing

it, nice to see you get own time for little projects like this."

Gregorian shakes his head once more, eyes still on the paper "I've not

asked yet, don't know if will let me, would probably have tah at least

pay for materials"

Quinten nods his head "Aye well let me know Greg it'll be nice to see

it i am sure."

Gregorian nods a little as well "I'll tell ye if get tah do it..or any

of me othah little plans.....or even anything but make spear heads and

practice basic stuff..hmm" appears he's thought of something else,

space staring is happening.

Quinten shakes his head and smiles, "Ye sure your gonna be a fighter

Greg and not concentrate on smithing? and if you get good enough at the

basic stuff they'll let you do other things."

Gregorian looks back up to him "Wot? Course will be a fightah...might

dabble in the forge a bit, still trainin' though"

Quinten nods his head and laughs softly, "I don't know Greg you seem to

be turning pretty much into a full time forge beast."

Gregorian flicks his ears once and looks slightly uncomfortable "I

still go tah lessons and train and all...just get somethin' can actually

see from all the forge work"

Quinten nudges the hare in the shoulder, "Aye'm teasing ye Greg tha is

all, come on lighten up wot."

Gregorian leans over for a moment after he's nudges, small smile

forming "I am lightened up..can't say wouldn't mind forge work ovah othah

things, won't get a bod promoted though, wot"

Quinten nods and leans on his elbows on the table, "aye that is true

matey, ye won't get a promotion if you don't work hard, still at leastyou

stand a good chance of getting one soon."

Gregorian chuckles and aims a nudge back at Quint this time "Yah'll be

back tah first class again in no time and I'm workin' on gettin' tah

private, or least soon as find officah I'll be workin' on it"

Quinten nods his head and closes his eyes, "Aye i hope so Greg....but

i'll never advance very far i don't think....this isn't going to look

good on my record."

Gregorian says, "Ah come on Quint, don't say tha', yah young, I bet the

officahs have made a few mistakes in their time, yah'll do fine"

Quinten smiles sadly, "I guess...just feels like i got a long way to

go."

Gregorian chuckles lightly "Yah did it once, yah'll do it again no

problem"

Quinten nods, "That is half the trouble, i'm wasting my time down in

most of my lessons, i've done and passed them all before and can do them

with my eyes closed."

Gregorian goes to clap a paw on the bucks shoulder before rolling up

his drawings "Nevah a waste of time, is just going ovah the basics again,

could always get tah know some of the second class recruits and make a

benefit of your knowledge"

Quinten smiles and leans back "Aye that is true...though most of em

treat me with scorn or don't want anything to do with me...i'm trying

though....just got to keep at it."

Gregorian rolls his eyes "Well they're smart aren't they? Only one in

the class who's done it before and they're not goin' tah pay attention"

Quinten smiles softly and nods his head, "Give them some time they'll

realise that sooner or later i am sure."

Gregorian smirks faintly at him "Now there's the old confidence we all

like tah see"

Quinten smiles and flicks his long ears, "Sorry Greg i'll try be more

upbeat abot it all"

Gregorian chuckles "Hard tah be upbeat about it I know but not the end

of it all, still in the patrol and with a chance to do bettah second

time round"

Quinten smirks, "Aye well lets hope ic an be a better patrol hare this

time round."

Gregorian shakes his head a little "I don't think they'd let you try if

they didn't think ye could"

Quinten nods his head, "Aye that is true...just got to hope i can

convince them"

Gregorian smiles faintly "Be a good recruit and they won't need

convincin' of anything"

Quinten chuckles and flicks his ears softly, "Hmmm i should get back to

training though Greg...can't be a good recruit if i idle about."

Gregorian smirks and nods, a gesture going to the door "Go ahead Quint,

mustn't be late"

Quinten stands up and laughs "Ok Greg i'll see you in a bit ok? Maybe

we can all have dinner."

Gregorian chuckles and waves a paw "Sure, if I'm not there just get

Freddie tah come drag me out of the forge"

Quinten grins and nods, "I will do so Greg am sure he can lure you

out."

Gregorian chuckles more and shakes his head, looking back down to what

he's got left of his food, he'll probably be late now on purpose of

course.

With a wave of his paw Quinten headed away from Greg and out to get

back to class.

- End Log