Foraging for Blood

[Jasyn]

Rizhacka gazed at the sky. The sun was being strangled by the trees' branches as it fell from its lofty perch. The moon, round and glowing silver, soon took its place. Stars dotted the sky as if a giant pierced the black velvet cover with a needle and revealed the white sky above.

The otter rabidly drummed his fingers across the basket at his side. Two leather tubes over his shoulders held his signature weaponry, and the basket held his rations and a few other things. His vision briefly grew red as he remembered why he killed with so much pleasure. And why he was out here tonight, Foraging for Blood.

Finally, the young otter noticed Ringu coming towords him. He gave a brief nod as he approached, and then spoke. "The gate is guarded sparsely. Those on duty will let us through easily. So everything is all set with you, and for me. Let's begin, shall we?"

[Aalai]

"Let's begin? Ohhhooho Yes."
The otter smiled, exhibiting his white needle like teeth for all to see. Assuming his earlier look of a dull eyed zombie like state he began to walk towards the gate. Trying his best to hide the shivers of anticipation, and hoping that the guards mistook them for shivers, the night was chlly, and his tunic was thin and moth bitten, so it wasn't unheard of that he would shiver. Hopefully the young pup could keep up, of course he doubted it , he had probably killed not that long ago. Not Ringu he was rearig to go.

At the gate the two guards looked up. They whispered something to one another, and laid their spears so they were blocking the mad otter's path. He wasn't allowed outside without supervision after all, but he didn't look like he was in the mood to start a drunken brawl tonight, not at all. In fact he looked half dead, lie some creature risen from the dead, and beaten over the head with a mallet, not in te mood to be angry at all.

Oh ho if only they could see into his mind. It was filled with visions of these infuriating guards dying in a ring of pain and fire. Those who helped vermin live were worse then the vermin themselves, they needed to hae their heads checked. All the otter did was turn around and stiffly begin to walk toward the abbey. His head shouting at this injustice the whole way.
DAMN THEM! Well..that Rizh better hurry his young legs up before I rip his and the guards off, and club them over the heads wth em.
He would do it too.

[Jasyn]

Rizhacka caught up to Ringo and directed him back to the gate. "Let's go, my friend. The cellar keeper would like some fresh berries to make his wines and cordials with, and the cooks could do with some more fruit and herbs." The small otter directed the zombified warrior to the guards, and seeing them tense again smiled warmly.
"Why hello you two. We were supposed to go out foraging tonight. It's on the duty roster you know. You'll need to let us by if we're to go about our chore."

The mouse to the left looked a bit dubious, but the squirrel on the right looked downright rebellious. He said so.
"Abbess Saol knows better then to let the likes of you out alone. You two hate vermin, and would kill any you see on your path."

"Do you want to ask her yourself? I assure you that what I say is true. If you don't believe me, ask the Abbess yourself." Rizhacka kept on a mask of truthfulness and innocence. He knew that with the mask, dubiousness would become understanding and believing, unless he ran into the wrong people. This squirrel was wavering. Right words would tip him in their favor, wrong words would tip him into untrusting them for a long while yet. He'd have to keep on his toes, so to speak, if he wanted to leave the abbey with Ringu. "Why else would we be here in this kind of time. Vermin are gathering outside, and soon a warlord will attack the abbey, if history repeats. Even two known vermin haters like us would find it difficult to traverse the woods alone unless we had a very good reason." The squirrel seemed to almost be on their side. Time for the finishing touch. "And don't you think finding food would be that reason? Let us pass...please." SCORE! The squirrel nodded, and he and the mouse opened the gates wide.

"I'll check both your packs when you get back, just to make sure you are telling the truth." Rizhacka nodded as if to say, but of course. He led the mad warrior out side, and grinned as the gates shut behind them. "Alright then, Ringu. Let's hunt."

[Aalai]

Ringu at first seemed to push against his friend, as if he hadn' heard him. Then as docile as a infant he nodded his head and turned around.
"Ohoho berries and cordial yes. I remember now."
In reality that was a rather good cover-up story. Not the one he would have chosen, but he as supposed to be the idiot here. The otter behind him seemed to be guiding him somewhat .Those guards were lucky eh really wantd to get outside without any hassle, other wise he'd have smashed their cheap ass spears over their idiotic thick skulls.

Knowing these two guards the squirell would likely go and ask the Abbess. Just to see if his friends later tellings of 'I tld ya wee shouldn't have given them any trouble' held true. Ringu did nothing but listen, he was supposed to be to drugged up to offer anything, but a slow and hesitant nod every few seconds. As if to confirm everythig his friend was saying, but his gaze was directed at the sky, mostly so they couldn't see the anger raging underneath it. That would be a very bad idea. Now that damned squirell was comparing them! They were nothing alike, the young one was unscared, and well clothed with all his family intact, Ringu was a loner, with ratty clothes, a slavers past, and familyless. They were nothing alike, hell this fellow would probably faint at the idea of killing a babe, pr biting an oppenent. Not Ringu no not he.
"Jus' findin' food mates."
The lder otter added, his voice purposelly slurred to show how harmless he was, to vermin and goodbeasts traveling alike. Besides with the baskets they needed a lot of food, and they didn't want to go witout their cordial!

Check his basket!? SO they could steal his grog. HELL NO. Of course he just nodded and followed Rizhacka tiredly through the gate. The second he was out of earshot he opened his mouth, and a sequence of growls and snarls resembling insults to mice and squirells flowed from his mouth.
"Let's so I don't wanna bash in their skulls when I get home."
He was trying to protect them and they thought they had a right to yell at him, well they didn't. Those two were gree to fighting, hell they probably couldn't even use those spears, or properly wield a kitchen knife for that matter!

[Jasyn]

Rizhacka started forward, after placing the food in the basket in a haversack also inside the basket. He put the haversack behind him, between the spear sheaths on his back and started looking around. The moon was full, so he could see fairly well between the tree branches to find good berries and herbs. He was, after all, on a foraging trip. All he needed to do was to wait for a group of vermin to try and ambush them, or until he found traces of their vile camps. He waited knew that Ringu would make his own choice. Whether or not he chose to follow Rizhacka was of no business to him. He needed to look busy, however, and he also needed traces of his 'foraging'. He couldn't exactly bring back bloody, empty hands to show his work now could he? No, of course not. And anyway, what he said to Ringu to fool the guards was entirely true. The Cellar Keeper would indeed welcome more berries for his stocks, and the cooks needed as much ingredients for food as they could get, what with all the dibbuns taking pasties from the cooling window. That last thought made him smile. Those dibbuns were always eager to cause as much mischief as possible. That's one reason why he liked the little ones so much. The other reason was private. He would rather not anyone know anything about what disaster happened to Holt Mirdo all that while ago. He shook his head in irritation. Rizhacka needed to focus his mind on the matter at hand. Otherwise he might accidentally pick up a poisonous plant.

[Gratis Swiftarrow]

Scalor and his crew had also been sent out on a foraging mission but they were not looking for berries or herbs. They were looking for birds or small creatures that they could take back to the main camp to be roasted.
However Scalor was not in the mood for foraging for the entire camp and instead had made a small camp and sent out 5 of his score of vermin to find food for them.
Scalor was a small fox compared to most but none were faster and more vicious when it came to a fight. He was highly skilled with his thin whip like blade and could throw daggers as well as any. The only other fighter that was any use was Jula a large stoat who carried an axe. The rest of the gang were made up of a mixture of weasels, stoats and rats. They could fight but were no more skilled than swinging their blades at a target. Scalor had settled himself close to the fire with Jula by his side the other vermin who were not out hunting were lounging around the clearing.

The 5 strong hunting party had wandered their way through the woods with limited success only having brought down 1 bird and gathering a few small eggs. They were making their way along a small track eyes turned sky-wards when they heard something approaching. They quickly dived into the bushes and one a rat ran back along the trail back to the clearing to alert Scalor.
The others just sat in the bushes and waited to see what it was that they had heard.

[Jasyn]

Rizhacka stumbled over an over-large root hidden in the bushes. He tripped forward some ways before regaining his balance. When he did, he noticed some suspicious looking eyes in the bush ahead of him. "Ringu!!! We have company! Let's greet our friends shall we?" Thus being said, the golden otter dropped his basket, scattering herbs and berries, and reached behind him. He liften the flap on the tube and pulled out his weapon by the blade. His fingers clamped it lightly as he threw it in the air above him. When it was fully out, Rizhacka grabbed his double-bladed spear and thrust. "Come out and show me who you are, else I won't give you a small prick."

[Aalai]

Ringu paused beside Rizhacka. Both of his orange eyes flickering like flames, and his attention was focused on the bush ahead. Seeing the other otter drawing his weapon he reached into his vest and pulled out his shortest spear. His muzzle broke apart into a sharkish grin.
"By th' way ya stupid vermin that means he'll poke ya quite hard mates."
Of course the young otter would have to fight him for the right, after all there didn't seem to be that many. It was rather disappointing, all this waiting, and dealing with Rizhacka for soem scrawny scouting party. With a snarl he jabbed his spear at the bush, images of sneering salave drivers flashed through his mind, small amount or not these were still vermin!
"Course I get ta kill ya first!"
By the gleam in his eyes and farawy look that accompanied it, the fact that his sanity had flew the belfry was rather obvious. Without a thought for his own safety he dovei nto the bush, lashing out wildly with his lance.
"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"
Well one thing was obvious, he was long gone, and his gourd was left ignroed on his hip. After all unless he was setting them on fire to heat himself he had no need to remain; or try to remain calm.
(OH WOW..so crappy)