The Fox Who Lost His 'Grip' on Reality- and the Ghost Who Came to Visit!
Characters: Anba_Hor, Bree, Byronn, Kevarr, Treaglo, Tornear (spoofed), various hordebeasts (spoofed), and…Uknown!
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Redwall Abbey: Champion’s Cottage
Anba_Hor is sitting in the large maroon chair by the fireplace. Looking at the fire, his opalescent eyes capturing the movement and flicker of every tongue of flame that licks at the sooty walls containing them. The fox senses something is behind him. "Who is it?"
Treaglo squeaks just barely in surprise. She had just entered the place, looking for Flicktail but forgetting he wasn't here, and was just about to leave before she was noticed. "Uh, me!" She blurts. She can't see the fox's face, but she has a bad feeling about who it is.
Anba_Hor doesn't turn around just yet, and has some fun with this one... he chuckles, "Me, me, hmm... well I don't know who me is... you'll have to come a bit closer - so I can see you. Don't make me turn around and crane my neck to see you, please..." He props a leg up on his knee, the bare footpaw and its claws now visible beyond the back of the chair.
Treaglo shudders slightly and shuffles toward the door...she pauses for a long moment. Should she leave or listen to him? If she leaves he'll probably be irritated. With fear tending to overcome her desire to leave, she inches nearer to the chair. Her body is glued to the wall, but she eventually reaches a point where she is visible to the fox. Though it is a fair distance away still.
Anba_Hor remains looking at the fire, or does he? It's impossible to tell if the fox is using his periphery or not, as he has no pupils. By the looks of him, he /should/ be blind... "Ah. The little squirrelmaid Zdith has told me much about. He's still a little angry at you for... well, for not being able to kill you. He's resentful of Hactor for letting you live, too. Should I kill you, then? Or not?"
Treaglo begins to shake, causing her voice to stutter. She tries to stand taller, but it is not much of an attempt. In her nervousness she can't stop staring at the fox's odd eyes. "N-no! I didn't d-do anything wrong! He...he...I...Hactor..." She stops babbling for a moment, regaining her speech. "That fox was crazy!"
The fox roars with laughter, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, "Hoahahahaa!!! Yes, yes they all are, those filthy lieutenants... Hactor is much tamer than they are, I'm afraid - the whole of my lot would simply rip this abbey apart and decorate it with your entrails, use the skulls to build an addition onto Great Hall. Oh, I'm being quite literal - they've mentioned that very idea. Unfortunately, you don't have a thing to worry about... well, except for Hactor's death." He leans over and grins; an extra-hideous one, with the fox's foul teeth bared. "Pray either that it comes quickly or that we are overtaken. I can feel the whole abbey dreading it - which, of course, is what /I've/ prayed for."
Treaglo's trembling becomes even more evident, as she watches the fox smile evilly at her. She steps closer to Anba as if she was walking on broken glass and takes a deep breath. She frowns angrily and narrows her big eyes into slits, disguising the fear in them for a moment. Her expression stays there until her rubber knees turn back to normal. "I've heard that this has happened before...Martin's already decided that you'll never get away with destroying th'Abbey." She takes another deep breath to steady her voice.
The figure of a mouse creeps along the walls heading towards the fox, a small knife in his paws. Byronn takes a breath as he begins to creep in closer behind the fox, the floor creaks slightly under his footpaws. Byronn freezes and holds his breath, waiting.
Anba_Hor ignores the squirrel for the moment and looks behind him at the other beast, "What in /hell/ do you think you're doing?" The fox stands up on the chair and leans a footpaw on the back, riding the chair all the way over onto its back... He approaches the other beast, "You had better have a suicide note written, my friend... because it's going to accompany your horrible demise." He steps even closer, drawing a dagger.
Treaglo blinks when she is ignored and suddenly takes in a quiet gasp at sight of the mouse. "Byronn!" she cries without thinking. She backs away toward the fireplace, her mind tangled with the thoughts of what could possibly happen.
Anba_Hor looks back at the squirrelmaid quickly and at the mouse, alternately, "Well, this is a problem... I'll have to kill one of you in front of the other, and you seem to be friends - Byronn, sir, would you mind her going first? You seem to be brave and have a strong heart, if not a foolish one..." He backs away from him towards her, yet keeping an eye on the squirrelmaid as he approaches, the dagger outstretched and pointing at her.
Byronn looks at Treaglo and waves a little and then throws the knife at Anba's shoulder and draws a sword from his belt. "Get away from her!" his knuckles going white from gripping the hilt.
Treaglo becomes twitchy, and a terrifying knot forms in the pit of her stomach. She stands in front of the fire, her anxious eyes never straying from the fox. She fumbles with her paws, and sees the knife fly...
Anba_Hor wasn't at all wondering why the mouse had a knife when there was a perfectly good sword at his side... such considerations are always valuable, especially when the answer is 'he's going to throw the knife at you' - the fox twists his body to the side and is only grazed by the knife. But there's blood. He dabs at it and tastes it, "You have a lot of nerve, mouse! Throwing that at me when she's within my reach!!" He grabs her and points his dagger at her throat.
Byronn narrows his eyes and takes a few steps forward. "Get your filthy paws off her." He swipes at the fox's paw that is holding the dagger.
Treaglo's breath is taken from her in fear when Anba grabs her, and the dagger nicks her neck when she tries to move. For a moment she stands completely still as Byronn's slashes toward Anba's paw. Then, not waiting to see the injury, the squirrelmaid squirms and bites the fox's arm...
The fox cries out when the squirrelmaid bites him... which distracts him from the downward slice of the mouse. The good news? Anba Hor had switched dagger paws, so that he wasn't holding the dagger in his 'dagger paw'... the bad news? He doesn't have a 'non-dagger paw' anymore. Why? Because it's lying in a pool of blood on the floor!! The fox looks incredulously at his paw for a moment, then the realization hits him! He quickly shoves the squirrelmaid towards Byronn to distract him and shoves his mutilated stub of an arm into the flames to cauterize the wound! It only takes a moment, but then he's out of the flames, looking at the singed stump, not bleeding as much now... he looks at Byronn and Treaglo, white eyes wide... the fox is absolutely stunned!
Byronn catches Treaglo and stumbles backwards in surprise. He looks at his bloody sword and then to Anba. He winks at the fox and begins to walk backwards towards the door.
Anba_Hor grabs one of the swords off of the wall and, the initial shock being almost over, runs full on at the two - swinging the sword like a madbeast!! "RRRREAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!! Try that again, try it again you damn fool! You should have killed me with that stroke, because you are already dead!!"
As Treaglo is shoved into Byronn, the mouse's sword pierces her forearm before she is caught. But when she composes herself, she doesn't even notice the pain because she's too distracted by the pawlessness of Anba Hor! She stumbles foward, at the point of fainting, her paws shaking...but the fox suddenly comes running for them. She snaps back to consciousness, and blindly runs toward the fox...she then drops to the floor and scrambles, tripping him.
Byronn panics and grabs a glass teapot from a table and hurls it at the injured fox before sheathing his sword and grabbing at Treaglo. "We've got to get away from here before we both lose our heads!"
The fox trips and flies headlong into Byronn, crashing into him painfully - headlong into his stomach. The fox's head is hard enough, and he recovers immediately - Anba quickly unsheaths the mouse's sword and using that and his own, does something unexpected. He /doesn't/ kill the mouse. They're near the threshold, the ground is dirt... the fox stabs one sword into the ground under the mouse's left arm and picks up his own sword and jams it into the ground just to the right of the mouse's neck. He angles the swords inward, crossing the hilts. Still escapable, but not without an amount of effort.
Byronn may grab at her, but Treaglo is already behind the fox after tripping him. The teapot shatters at her footpaws, a few shards of glass sticking into her legs, though not very deep at all. She dashes to the fire and snatches a torch...she lights it in the fire and runs toward the other two. Her eyes show that she doesn't really know what to do, but she brandishes the torch in front of the fox.
Anba_Hor turns around slowly and crouches, giving the squirrelmaid the snarl of a wild animal - his muzzle scrunching up in a scowl and teeth and gums fully bared. The fox's eyes reflect pure fire back at her and he brings his claws up to swipe at her. No more metal or daggers or any of that. Just a wild animal being confronted with fire and answering with natural ferocity...
Well, the claws of one paw. XP
Byronn wriggles himself around the blade, the blade makes several small gashes in his arm. Byronn winces and is finally free. He grabs his sword from the the dirt and kicks Anba's away. He sees the claws and yells loudly as he kicks a little dirt in the eyes of the fox to try to distract him.
Once again, Treaglo begins trembling with fear, especially at the sight of the fox's literally fiery eyes. She takes a sharp breath, hunches down for a second, and jabs at Anba Hor's stomach, attempting to set his clothing of fire. She then turns quickly and scuttles in panic away from him, casting a desperate glance toward Byronn.
Anba_Hor turns around just at the wrong moment as he hears Byronn stir - the dirt goes /right/ into his eyes and he trips backward, falling to his back. His shirt does indeed catch fire! He rolls on the ground, in a panic to try and get it out... he does, and recovers, running for his sword to chase the two with!
Byronn doesn't hesitate and grabs for Treaglo. "C'mon! we'll have to try to lose him" he quickly looks at the fox and then back to Treaglo.
Treaglo drops the torch on accident, and she looks down in shock as the rug beneath her burns. She starts stamping on the torch and rug before it spreads anymore. Her bare footpaws are burned, and her injured one begins stinging horribly, but she continues stomping as Byronn cries until it's finally out. She sprints to the mouse before it's too late and grabs his arm, reaching the door...
Grabbing his sword and losing his balance slightly, the fox still dizzy from what loss of blood he'd suffered from the severed paw, Anba Hor runs in pursuit of the two, out of the gatehouse! He shouts all along the way, "Treeeeaaaason!! Stop them!! Guards!!!", rousing every walltop guard and those standing just inside the gate to join their leader in the chase!
Redwall Abbey: Second Orchard
After some conversation in the orchard…
Kevarr's ears suddenly twitch. "...Do you hear that?"
Bree seems about to speak, then looks at her curiously, ears flicking, "...No.."
Kevarr puts her paw to her sheathed sword. "It sounds like shouting." Another eartwitch. "And it's getting closer. You any good at climbing?"
Bree nods, "I am."
Kevarr gestures at the tree she was just leaning against. "You may want to give it some more practice, just now."
Bree simply nods, stepping rather quickly over to the tree. Just as she stated, she scampers up the tree with practiced ease.
Suddenly Treaglo, still with a tight grip on Byronn's arm, runs past the beasts in the orchard. She glances at them with panic, shouting only two words to them, "Anba Hor!" The squirrelmaid keeps her mad dash up, disappearing behind the cover of the tree trunks. There is a growing, chaotic noise following their rush, and a glimpse of black can be seem just around a few trees in pursuit...
Anba_Hor stalks into the orchards, a long line of guards one-deep spread out behind him. Those immediately behind his severed paw look down at it in horror and disbelief... had somebeast /actually/ managed to cut off the fox's paw?! This starts a whisper down the line, until the fox yells back at them, "Idiots! Shut up and keep your eyes trained on the pair of escapees!" His voice echos against the tree trunks in the orchard. "Stay in a line, comb the entire place!"
The marten has her sword half drawn, but as the beasts run past her, she shoves it fully back into the sheath and takes off in hot pursuit. For a beast that's clearly getting on in years, she's very fast, fast enough to keep up with, if not close the distance between herself and the two fleeing woodlanders.
Bree stays up in the tree, peering down at those bellow. Her brows are raised upward as she attempts in vain to sort out what in the world all the commotion is over.
Byronn crouches amidst the stumps and tries to catch his breath. He wipes the fox's blood off his paw and on his trousers. The mouse closes his eyes for a second to collect his thoughts.
Anba_Hor passes the tree that Bree is up in, and looks up at her, glaring with his eyes - eyes which, at this extreme angle, reflect the moonlight perfectly. He bares his fangs at her in a sick, delightful grin, his lips rolling past the teeth and gums, following their contours and seeming to reveal a previously hidden world of horror inside the fox's mouth. He looks level again when he passes by, now focusing on the search.
Treaglo, breathing very short breaths for a nimble squirrel, stops with Byrron as well, hiding behind a big fat tree trunk. She peeks from behind it, unable to quiet her hysteric breathing, and almost falls over in surprise to see the marten almost upon them. She pulls her head back behind the tree and turns around, grasping the trunk against her back with her paws. She would've gone up the tree in an instant if Byronn wasn't crouching right next to her...she couldn't just leave him! Her mind is racing.
Bree stares straight back at the fox, though a frown begins slipping across her face. Whatever's happening, this really doesn't seem good. She begins making her way down from the tree, jumping off the last little distance to land lightly on her footpaws. She then begins trailing after - not in a rush or a run, but simply taking her time following, her eyes locked on the creatures ahead, and ears perked up to catch any words spoken.
The gray-furred marten is there only moments later. She puts her paw to her lips, one ear twisted back toward the sounds of Anba's approaching soldiers. Obviously, the squirrel's thoughts aren't the only ones racing. She hisses something low and urgent to the pair.
The marten is in a perilous position, ahead of the line of soldiers where the other two are hiding. Anba Hor hails her, "Marten, if that is you... you would do well to distance yourself from this situation. I don't need your help!" He grabs a group of soldiers and orders them to run forward to where the marten is and apprehend whomever might be there, /including/ the marten. "I don't want to be forced to tell Hactor one way or another that you were conspiring with these treacherous beasts!"
Byronn takes a deep breath, opens his eyes and pulls Treaglo away from the stump, and sprints off into the night.
"Cdibet!" the marten snaps over her shoulder as she whips out her sword and points through the trees in front of her. "Quit grandstanding at me if you want to actually catch those beasts. They're headed for the wallgate!"
Treaglo nods dumbly in slight confusion at Gray, letting Byronn take her and dashing after him. She glances back for half a second at the marten behind her and hears her shout at Anba. She turns her head forward and continues running, relief on her features.
"No doubt thanks to your generosity! You will burn if they are able to leave the abbey, marten!" The fox hangs back as the group of soldiers runs up to Gray, brandishing swords at her, and as the other half run past her to try and catch the fleeing woodlanders. The beasts, two foxes and a weasel, don't quite manage to circle the marten, but arc out in front of her - the foxes seem eager and happy to have orders against the marten, but the weasel looks slightly guilty...
Kevarr says flatly, "Shut up. You ordered me not to interfere, and now you're blaming me if they get away? Stop wasting your own /time/." She sneers at the two beasts closing in on her. "Oh come on. You're really going to attack me because I happened to be standing in the path of two fugitives?"
Anba_Hor finally catches up to the party keeping Gray in check, "We saw it, sir, she was almost upon 'em woodlanders and did nuthin'! Like she let 'em go, or somethin'..." The fox regards Kevarr, raising his sword at her too, "It seems you have already interferred, marten, and /that/ is why I told you it would be your useless hide at the stake if they managed to leave. You helped them!"
Bree is approaching the scene, moving once more with a carefully practiced grace and head held high. Likewise, her dialect slips into the eloquence of the aristocratic - and her eyes lock on Anba Hor, "Sirrah! A word before you set your men on that marten."
Kevarr laughs in Anba's face. "You're /insane/. I did no such thing. I started chasing them, and /you/ ordered me to stop, and I followed your sytvuq orders, so if they get away, it's your own bloody fault, not mine."
Anba_Hor turns around, narrowing his eyes, "That word had better be 'goodbye', to /her/. What is it you wish to say at this extremely urgent and inopportune moment? Go ahead, flatter me with your grace and charm." He turns back to the others, "Don't let her make a single move."
The marten says lightly, "Go ahead, keep insulting the representative from the vermin city with a giant army." She flicks her sword blade in the direction of the nearest guard. It's a seemingly idle gesture, and she gives him a headshake and a look that seems to say 'isn't this ridiculous?'
The guard she gestures to seems to lower his sword a bit, but then the guard next to him shoves him in the arm and raises his a bit more, prompting the first guard to do the same, "We won't have you gettin' insides our minds, now, or makin' any moves, marten! Stay still!"
Bree's eyes narrow slightly, "Sirrah, I /demand/ that Sir Hactor be involved in this particular matter. You quite clearly," she gestures toward his paw...or, rather, where a paw had been, "Are in pain, and should not be making swift decisions when a creature's life is at stake. I was standing here the same as you, and saw her give no aide to those creatures. If your men were too slow to catch up with creatures so young and tired looking - that has nothing to do with this marten here. She was given a direct order not to get involved, and she did as commanded."
"Tornear," the marten says, with a tone of long-suffering patience, "You know I'm not going to bolt, and you know I'm not going to be sticking you unless you give me a really good reason. Ease up before you give yourself a heart attack."
Anba_Hor growls at Bree, "Hactor will know of all the treachery that has occured this night! Our very security will be compromised by the escaped woodlanders, and here you are standing and talking to me about a marten that should have been found guilty of espionage, not made a captain! Well, Hactor won't make the same mistake again, I guarantee you both. I have valuable information that will crush the resistance, and I will soon act... and /you/, marten... your little goodwill gesture tonight will mean /nothing/! Nothing!!! AAaaahhahahahaha!!!!" He storms off, out of the orchard, leaving all the soldiers and guards there wondering what to do...
Kevarr stares after the fox. After a few moments she glances toward the beasts encircling her, glances back in the direction Anba left, then back to those beasts...and brings her paw up to make a circular motion near her ear.
Bree's gaze now shifts to the marten...a very questioning, quizzical expression.
Some of the men chuckle, but most of them aren't amused - and this clearly has an effect on the remainder, who prompty cough and pretend they never were amused. Tornear looks at Kevarr, "Look, ma'am, Cap'n, ma'am... We don't want to upset either the monster or Hactor... they's got control here, and it don't matter a bit whether or not we trust ya... when Hactor's around, we do what 'e says... when the Torturer's around, we do likewise. It ain't about trust, no offenses..."
"Ahh," Kevarr sheaths her sword and shrugs. She now seems far more relaxed. "Don't you think I know that? No worries, lads. /Now/. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. What say we and the Lady there all go poke the cooks into fixing us some late dinner? We could eat right in the kitchen I bet, shouldn't be too crowded."
Bree shakes her head slightly, still looking absolutely at a loss. She mumbles very quietly, "...Stars above..."
There's a rousing 'aye' from about a quarter of the beasts... the other three-quarters aren't so enthusiastic. But they look around... if they all went for food with the marten, would they /all/ be punished? Not likely, they decide, and they all manage a half-hearted 'aye' at disjunct intervals. They're afraid... one guard says just above a whisper to his mate, "Mate, did you see that fox's paw? 'E probably did it to himself, just to /feel/ somethin'... just so he could get in the proper mood to take off somebeast's head!" The other replies, "Fool!! Is that what you think?! That fox don't need to be in any special mood to take off a head or two or six! 'E'll just do it!"
Kevarr claps a nearby beast on the back, and starts off toward the kitchen at a casual stroll. "Don't bother about it too much, lads. Seems we match now, eh?" She lifts her maimed arm, grinning faintly. To Bree, she says, "Hey, if I'm going to end up on a stake, I'm going to have a decent meal first."
The beast she clapped her paw on nods and grins, "Yeah, that Anba Hor, he's naught but a coward, heh!" At that, the guards around him all stop moving in unison and turn to face Kevarr to see what she'll do. It's one of those critical moments... maybe it was a test, or maybe just an accident. Or maybe those that stopped are all testing the system...
For her part, the marten keeps on walking, neither faster nor slower, as if she didn't even notice the change. "I dunno if you can call a beast that lights himself on fire a coward, mate. But he's a damned crazy sunuh vuq."
Again, there's that light chuckle, and the situation is diffused for the moment, as they all walk towards the kitchens in tow.
Redwall Abbey: Kitchen
Kevarr steps into the kitchen as though she owned it. "Oi," she calls to the few cooks still on duty. "We need some sustenance for me and my mates here." She gestures toward the tables. "Have a sit. And let's see...ah, you three, the wine cellar is that way, why don't you grab us a small cask of whatever looks good? The cooks will do some cooking, and.../oh/. Right, the rest of you sit, I know what'll be great to munch on while we're waiting."
Bree steps lightly into the room. She makes her way to sit at a table, though she still has the most baffled look on her face. This is an odd night.
Tornear looks uneasy as he sees the marten bossing the kitchen staff about... Hactor's not gonna like this if he hears about it, in conjunction with the other bit the fox has for him... he pokes the weasel next to him that was guarding her in the orchard, "You still feelin' guilty? Don't you know where you stand mate? You can't afford not to know where you stand... why, if that fox..." He lowers his voice, "If that fox tells me to run her right through, do you think I'm gonna waste any time?"
Kevarr waves off one of the cooks. "No no no, whatever's left from dinner is fine. I'll get the rest. You just relight the stoves and do that...cooking thing that you do." For her part, she heads toward the larder.
The weasel looks back, not looking Tornear in the eye, and shrugs, "Oim not gonna wurry none about it... not whens the both of dem ain't even herr... I see it as she'm be responsible furr what we do when we's with her..."
Bree's ears flick as she catches snippets of the horde beasts' conversations. However, she continues to simply observe for the time being.
Redwall Abbey: Larder
Meanwhile, in the larder…
Byronn scurries into the larder and opens a barrel at the back of the room. He motions for Treaglo to climb in. "There you go."
Treaglo scrambles into the empty barrel, pointing to the one next to her. "You get in that one quickly! I dunno when they might find out where we are..." She pauses a moment in thought, her gaze on Byronn but her mind elsewhere. "I thought that marten and Anba Hor were on the same side...then 'gain, she didn't really seem to be too fond of him." She furrows her brows and kneels down under cover.
Byronn nods and places the lid on the barrel and clambers into the one next to it sealing himself in. "Told you I'd come back for you, although I think I may have made it worse for the both of us" He sighs and closes his eyes. "Yeah, I thought she was going to do us in, I didn't think she'd actually help us."
Treaglo sighs too and smiles a small, sad smile. Her voice is muffled through the thick of the barrel, but she speaks clearly enough for Byronn to hear. "Thanks for coming back, I'm not sure what that stupid fox would've done t'me if I'd have made him angry. I don't think you've made it worse, 'cause it would've been bad anyway." There is a long silence. "These vermin, sometimes they jus' totally confuse me, I don't know whether Gray is good or bad...and Hactor. I /know/ he's not a good guy, but he keeps showing signs of niceness...maybe I'm jus' over-thinkin’ everything. But it's overwhelming." Her voice has quieted somewhat with this last comment, and she shifts positions to cross-legged.
Byronn nods. "It's odd, most beasts just start spitting at a vermin's feet when they see one or start threatening them. but sometimes they turn out to be just as nice as any woodlander, I’m sure Hactor has kindness somewhere in his heart which I’m sure does show sometimes but he keeps it hidden behind a mask of a fearsome warlord." Byronn rubs his face. "Has anything really important happened while I was up in the sparra loft?"
Treaglo frowns, though it's unseen in the barrel. "I know, I can sense the kindness inside of him, I usually do with most beasts...but the thing that keeps itching me is that I also know he's a murderer! He killed our Abbeybeasts in the battle, and he's done it in the past. But..." She sighs very, very deeply. "I dunno." She lifts her chin into the notch of her paw, with her elbow on her knee. "Well, if you've heard about the Soulslashes, then nothing much else has happened around here besides the usual you would expect...y'know, from a take-over..."
Byronn nods and closes his eyes and gets as comfortable as he can inside the barrel and dozes off. "Wake me if they show up."
A certain gray-furred marten steps quickly down into the larder, and her pace only increases as soon as she's closed the door behind her. She pauses to take in the large, large room, then makes her way quickly between the maze of barrels and shelves, crates and baskets of food, heading for the back of the massive storage area.
Treaglo hears something from outside the barrel she's hiding in. She whispers to Byronn as loudly a whisper could be, "Byronn! Someone's here...!" She listens for a reply, but hears nothing. He must be asleep. She peeps through a crack in the barrel, trying to make out the figure moving towards them, but figures there's only one who would know...hopefully...
Kevarr spares a glance for the barrels near the back wall, but for some reason, she moves directly for the wall first before she hisses, very, very lowly, "Are you there?"
Treaglo startles at the voice, but she can see who it is now. She opens the top of the barrel slightly to let her voice be heard clearly, but it's still very quiet. "Yeah, I'm here, and Byronn's in the one next t'me. What're you doing? Why'd you let us go?" She hears an extremely faint booming sound from the main building, but strains her neck to hear the marten.
Kevarr makes a hushing noise, even though Treaglo is being very quiet. "Questions for another night when I have more time. Rouse your friend." She moves to the wall, runs her paw over the brick, and then presses just a little, in just the right place in the stone work. A small, mouse-sized door appears where there wasn't one before. "Inside, quick."
Treaglo climbs silently out of the barrel and taps the barrel next to her. She opens it and lightly shoves Byronn to wake him. She indicates him to follow her and they both shuffle over to Kevarr in the semi-darkness.
Redwall Abbey: Kitchen
Back in the kitchen…
Another conversation is going, across the room, a fox - who's none too shy about his feelings towards the marten captain and the commander, "Aye, what's we doing here, mates? Participatin' in treason? What if Hactor marches out right now... sees we're not at our posts?!" Another shouts over the hushed conversations, "Idiot! That fox ne'er gave us orders to get back at post! He's not in his right mind, right now, and I'll corrobulate with the marten on that!" "Treason! You'll hang!"
Suddenly, a fight breaks out!
Bree is very startled. She stands up, but just sort of stands there uselessly. These aren't her men...but, eh. Worth a shot. She shouts suddenly, "Both you two! Knock it off before I let Anba Hor know you're making fools of yourselves!"
A deep, echoing voice can suddenly be heard from Great Hall. "Doom! Doooom!"
The fight spreads, regardless of what Bree says... some of the men point, and ask each other, "'o's she?" "I dunno, mate, but one thing's right... if Hactor finds out we're fightin', we'll be in for it real good..." That's a cue for one of the higher ranking guards to stand atop a table, "Listen all you dope'eads!!" Just as the hush comes over the group, they hear it... "Doom! Doooom!"
Tornear lets go of the collar of a beast that had fallen onto him, pushing him away and walking towards Great Hall in front of the group. He turns around, "That's it... there it is again! We're all deadbeasts... if it ain't Hactor or the monsterfox's gonna kill us, it's /that/ thing for sure! Where's that marten?! She just left us alone to die! I say we all go back to the wall, mates!"
“Nobody asked you what we should do! We stay here!" "Aye, it can't get to us if we're all together! We're too many for it!" "Fool, it's a ghost, ain't never too many mortals for a ghost to kill!"
Bree's ears flick, and she starts stepping carefully over nearer to a door.
There's a strange, harsh breathing sound, followed by the faint clink of metal.
All of the sudden, a group of soldiers start to disperse and leave the kitchen, "C'mon, men, no use waitin' here for its revenge! Out to the walltops, where we can see it comin' at least!" "Yeah, mate, agreed! Let the marten die on her own!" They all file out, the weasel the last to go, peering into the larder in the hopes of warning the marten...
Bree can probably see it first, as she's looking that way. A shadow moves out in the darkened Great Hall--the candles have all gone out, it would seem, and the moonlight makes it barely detectable against the black. The figure is taller than the shadow that appeared before, and as it lifts its head, it's revealed that this shadow does have a face. The beast is all white furred, except that the fur doesn't seem a natural white. In fact, it seems to be giving off the faintest glow of its own. And sticking right out of the stomach of the glowing beast is half of a spear.
The sight makes the last few men quake with fear and run to catch up! They all shout frantically at the others about the vision they'd seen, which starts a crescendo of murmering into a constant hum of conversation, as they all walk quickly back to their posts!
Bree, however, stands her ground. She stays near the exit to the Kitchen Path, bet she squints her eyes at the strange creature. She's rather tensed, however, and doesn't say a word.
It's hard to tell just what sort of creature it is, as most of it is darkly garbed, but it does look weasel-ish. A mustelid of some sort, which is either lacking ears or has very small ones. As the soldiers flee and Bree remains, the creature lifts both paws, palms outward. These are also white and faintly glowing, as is the tip of a footpaw that can be seen from beneath the robe. The beast doesn't seem terribly bothered by the bloody spear sticking out of it. The voice comes again--but it doesn't seem to come from the apparition but the dark hall behind it, and the 'ghost' doesn't move its jaws at all. "Beware my fate, conquerors of Redwall!"
More squinting, and ears flicking at the out of body sounds. Bree seems quite tense, but also quite frozen to the spot. Bree opens her mouth to speak, but nothing seems to quite be spilling out.
One paw clenches, pointing a finger directly at Bree. Again there is no movement from the lips at all, and the deep, booming voice seems to come from behind it, echoing off of the stones. "Beware the fate of Vengro! Defilers who remain shall remain with me forever!"
And, that's enough. Bree's ears flatten, and she turns tail and BOLTS right out of the kitchen.
The voice seems to call after her. "Dooooom!" If she chances any glance backward, the figure has vanished.
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