carabadgermum
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~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Feb 8, 2009 16:06:36 GMT -5
Kolia was still watching the door where the twins had disappeared into the bedroom when she said to Senn distractedly, "You can stay if you like." She had decided Senn wasn't enough of a threat to throw him out immedately and had heard enough from him to think he might have some information about the outside world that she could use. And there was still that part of her that missed adult conversation enough to take the risk. She could feel Senn watching her but if it bothered her she didn't give any outward indication. She merely turned back to the table and continued tidying up.
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Post by blackfox7 on Feb 10, 2009 18:41:12 GMT -5
Senn's eyes brightened momentarily. Usually beasts of these soft woodland places resisted him, however useless the efforts of those woodlanders had been. More often than not they tried to run him off (if they were "honest goodbeasts") or rob him (if they were vermin bands). This mother was a bit different. She had never seen what he was capable of, the horrors he knew the brutal art of commiting. But that was not what gladdened his heart: She did not fear him, but rather treated him--even grudgingly--as an equal. The only other creatures to do that in his fragmented memory were a few of his fellow battleslaves and his twin sister Marrione. A genuine smile, not sugar-coated or smug, crinkled his eyes. "Do you need help with that?"He asked, eyeing her paws as she cleaned up. His gaze flicked back up to her eyes, still smiling.
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carabadgermum
Co-Administrator
~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Feb 11, 2009 9:38:22 GMT -5
"I won't say no to the offer." She looked back at him, smiled and then rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing. "There's another rag in the cupboard there." She pointed with a claw in the direction of the stove and the counter with the wash basin atop it. "You know I never pictured myself like this: settled down, cleaning up after two little whelps. Always preferred traveling, scouting out the land. More comfortable in a tent. The walls and ceiling tend to press down on a body so." She rambled in not quite complete sentences trying to regain the feel for conversation. It had been a long time.
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Post by blackfox7 on Feb 21, 2009 10:38:45 GMT -5
((Should some Red Horde scouts make an untimely appearance soon?))
The washrag was easy to find. Senn settled into a steady rhythm as he scrubbed at a few drips of meat juices the little ones had so convniently placed on the table for him. Messy, messy...
"Is that so? Hmm. I could picture you being a tracker or something similar. Must be the eyes,"he pondered, chuckling slightly, "My sister and I both were... are... the same way. There was little that could keep us indoors for long." The black weasel's young features twitched slightly in frowning, but he swiftly returned to his usual confident smirk.
"Besides the obvious..." he began to venture, giving Kolia a longer glance than usual. His gaze moved momentarily to the where the little weasels slept, "What made you give up the traveling life?"
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carabadgermum
Co-Administrator
~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Feb 21, 2009 13:11:50 GMT -5
. . . a tracker . . . must be the eyes . . . At first Kolia was flattered. She'd always been told she had her father's eyes and he was the best. And then the warning signals began to go off in her mind, He's lying. He spoke of the Red Horde. They wanted Dada to work for them. Why wouldn't they want the daughter he taught everything to? Her breathing came faster and her heart hammered. They've sent him to find me. Kolia's gaze was also drawn to the bedroom door and her thoughts to the whelps beyond. What would they do to the boys? She had heard stories of the awful experiments that they had tried on twins. Then she realized that her paw was hovering over her dagger and she clutched it. She fought to keep her composure. He's probably not a twin at all. He's been sent to gain my trust. It took her a moment to realize that he'd stopped speaking. He had asked her a question. "W-what? What did you say?"
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Post by blackfox7 on Feb 28, 2009 13:17:33 GMT -5
Senn blinked. He had steadily noticed the other weasel becoming ...upset? Was that what she was displaying? He frowned slightly, brow creasing more than usual. Her eyes kept being drawn to the unseen part of the dwelling, where the little ones had gone. He folded his paws together on the table, perplexed by Kolia's sudden change of attitude.
"I asked you what made you settle down and quit wandering," he repeated, noting where Kolia's dagger-paw was, "Um... was that wrong to ask?" The black weasel averted his eyes momentarily, a slight twinge of guilt piercing him, "Because I'm sorry if it was."
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carabadgermum
Co-Administrator
~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Mar 1, 2009 17:59:48 GMT -5
"No - no of course not." Kolia tried to breathe more slowly and regularly but she was even more watchful of her guest now. She put her dagger into her belt where it would be close to paw but not appear so defensive. "I - I," Her tone returned almost to normal but slightly rehearsed as she gave him the story she had given all the creatures in this part of the wood. "My mate told me to meet him near here. He went away to find a better place for me and the little ones." She wished that were so. But then not wanting him to think her vulnerable she added. "We expect him back any day now." She almost kicked herself. A story that worked on woodlanders was sure not to fool one of her own species, especially if he was with the Horde. But if he wasn't. . . Was it possible he could have heard of Roask? Might he know someplace else I haven't looked? She looked at Senn searchingly trying to figure out if she could trust him.
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Post by blackfox7 on Mar 2, 2009 18:49:09 GMT -5
Now this was turning into quite a puzzle for Senn, bold and straightforward as he was. He did detect a hint of lie in Kolia's story, but he wasn't sure where to place that lie into any sort of sequence. The black weasel cocked his head to one side and watched her inquisitively, slightly open-mouthed, as he answered:
"I see. But aren't you worried about your little ones--by yourself in these woods where all manner of beasts might wander," Senn's eyes widened slightly in concern, then shivered. "You could probably handle yourself remarkably around the common rakings and scrapings, but there are some that... a lone mother with... twins... can't hope to stop..." His sentence trailed off shakily. He ran a sweating paw across his brow. Something was wrong--he could sense it--but he couldn't be sure what. He sucked up a deep breath and tried to compose himself for his host. "Whew, hot in here, isn't it?" He lied. Anything to take attention away from his weaknesses.
------------------------------------------------------------- The shadows were lengthening, and like shadows some large multitude of forms crept through the treeshade, clad in full battle armor and war gear. On every one of the sinister beasts was a brilliant scarlet vest stamped with the emblem of a red "R" encircled by a chain. It was one of the infamous field divisions of the Red Horde.
A powerful-looking red squirrel stood apart from the others, his stone-cold countenance surveying an hours-old trail made by a lone beast. He waved over a stoat Captain and pointed it out to him. The stoat eyed them a moment, then nodded. "See there: Weasel tracks, likely a female, but it could be a very slender male. Given our intelligence, these are likely hers..." The stoat Captain remarked with wolfish excitement. The squirrel nodded curtly and dismissed the Captain, staring levely down the trail. He adjusted his long coat and barked out an order: "Heads down and forward. Any who make excessive noise will be punished sevely. Move out!"
Silently the ranks of Red Horde soldiers obeyed, each knowing the gruesome reality behind their commander's words.
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carabadgermum
Co-Administrator
~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Mar 2, 2009 20:30:43 GMT -5
She was worried. Without a word Kolia hurried over to the bedroom door. She opened it a crack and peeked inside Thunder was asleep in the bed but her heart nearly stopped when she didn't immedately see Lightning. Then as she went to push open the door a little further to look for him, she found its progress was impeded by the little whelp's sleeping form on the floor. A well of emotion surged through her for the little one who had obviously been listening at the door before he drifted off. She couldn't help but smile and tears almost sprang to her eyes as she lifted him carefully and put him into the bed next to his brother. It was then that she made her decision. She came back out into the main room of the cabin staring hard at Senn but she waited to speak until she had closed the door behind her and closed the distance between them. Then standing eye to eye with the other weasel, with her paw back on the handle of her dagger she questioned him, her voice low as if there were somebeast else listening at the door, "What do you know about the Red Horde?" Then with a trembling lip that betrayed her fear, she gasped, "If you've led them here so help me . . ."
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Post by blackfox7 on Apr 21, 2011 13:46:06 GMT -5
(Hooray! Woodpidgeon again!)
The black weasel's eyes momentarily glared in a hot rage at the notion. Forcing himself to keep the wrath at a low simmer, he narrowed his fearsome eyes indignantly and curled his lip, showing a fang.
"What did you say..?" he growled dangerously, "You think I answer to those hellspawn? Is that what you're implying..?" His tone was as dark and menacing as a black adder on a moonless night.
--------------------------------------------------------- The troop came to a halt. Under lengthening tree shadows and under failing light a squad of quiet hordebeasts stopped at a woodland bank and crouched behind it. Beyond was a scrubby clearing, against the trees of the far side was a meager cottage. Hemlock joined the first score of troops. The Red Horde was unlike any other: The nearest two soldiers were otters, not the expectable wavescum or stoat or fox marauders. "Wait for reinforcements", the squirrel hissed an order, and the otters stopped halfway over the bank and scurried back with alacrity, "That dark one is deadly--any ten of you couldn't take him. We need at least three score to recover the General's property..."
The Red Horde ranks nodded and waited like a hunting spider, waiting to pounce on their commander's word.
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carabadgermum
Co-Administrator
~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Apr 21, 2011 15:45:23 GMT -5
"You don't throw a name like that around off the paw. Either you know somethin' or yur stupid." Her voice came out in a hiss and her paw tightened around her dagger. "You gotta tell me. I can keep outta their way well enough on my own. But with two whelps, twins ...." She drifted off looking towards the bedroom again, hating this feeling of weakness. The weaselmum had thought she was over this when she'd given birth, all the crazy weepiness of the pregnancy but just the thought of one of those Red Horde beasts laying a paw on either one of her little ones was like a dagger to her own heart. In a split second she made a decision. If she was to expect this weasel to be honest with her, to help her even, she was going to need to start being honest with him. "I've got other reasons t'want to stay outta their path too." Looking once at the front door of the little cabin she brought her gaze back strait into Senn's eyes willing him to understand. "My name's not just Kolia, it's Quickeye. Redak Quickeye was my father."
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Post by blackfox7 on Apr 21, 2011 16:11:19 GMT -5
Senn blinked, for once in his life at a loss for words. His brain was thrown back and forth--first angry at being called stupid, then eye to eye with the mother as he recalled his own experience. Then it was suspicious again: He had heard of Redak. Quickeye had worked for Red Horde once before. The black weasel remembered his face through the reinforced slave cell's bars. But Razpir Gherru, the Red Horde General was a fickle employer at best, and had no respect for life. Or rights.
Either one of them could be a target. Together they'd be a great... asset to the General.
"Alrighty," he sighed with the relief of coming clean,"I dunno if I can repeat the whole story, but I'll give you the jist of it. I don't remember my early life--my memory's all to hell from what they did. The Reds had me and my sister both caught in the North. Battleslaves, we were to be. They did something called... 'Conditioning'..." he smirked humorlessly, "you may've heard of that little habit of theirs..."
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carabadgermum
Co-Administrator
~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Apr 21, 2011 16:22:27 GMT -5
Kolia repressed another shudder. Yes she knew very well what they were capable of and she didn't want to be on either side of it giving or receiving. "Yes, Yes we both have reason to keep away from them. But the question is, where are they? I haven't run across them in seasons but you..." It was no use to curse him for bringing them to her door. They surely would have found her one day without his help.
The legendary 'Quickeyes' bored into him. "Could they have followed you? Where did you leave them and how long ago?" The weaselmum's mind went into tracker mode. She was envisioning all the surrounding countryside laid out like a map just waiting for the information he would give her to place the players like chessmen and make her plan of action.
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Post by blackfox7 on Apr 22, 2011 10:15:07 GMT -5
Sennveil worriedly drew one of his knives, Stinger, and checked the blue-silver edge for imperfections as he calculated.
"Nobeast knows where they all are. They're shadows in the night. But I tell you what, their main headquarters is in the High North, just south of the mountains where the glaciers begin. I escaped not two moons ago. With all the armor they wear they can't have caught up to me yet from that venue." He frowned, The problem's their spies--they're everywhere, and anybeast could be one. Squirrels, otters, rats or foxes; there's even a mole under their payroll. A field unit could've picked up my tracks, or either of us could've been told on by a spy. Either way, if the Reds're onto us there's only one way out." He grinned in savage anticipation: "The only good Red is a dead Red!" --------------------------------------------------- The tracking squad was getting anxious. The night was coming on, and the quarry they tracked was perilous enough in the daytime, never mind that Quickeye could be there as well. Little streams of soldiers were arriving slowly, bobbing and weaving through the bramble and thicket. The Field Marshal surveyed his numbers. Barely over fifty, with the rest coming two slow for his liking. Grabbing a ferret none too gently in a mailed paw, he whispered an agitated order.
"See who's home." The ferret whimpered at this, "Oh, shut your gob. Do it quietly and report back and I'll reward ye."
The ferret scaled the bank and crawled forward on paws and knees, below the height of the dead grass tussocks. He dearly wished he could've been kitted out with a heavy pike instead of a puny Taskmaster's baton. Soon he reached the window. Stealthily he peeked the top of his head over the sill, eyes wide at what he saw within.
(There's always some luckless grunt!)
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carabadgermum
Co-Administrator
~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
Posts: 3,409
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Post by carabadgermum on Apr 25, 2011 19:40:16 GMT -5
Kolia also smiled but the expression didn't reach her eyes. The walls were suddenly pressing in on her again. She wanted to be moving not tied down here.
"You said you were fast?" She surveyed the other weasel carefully, then as it had become her habit she glanced back at the bedroom door. "How fast do you think you could run with a whelp tied to your back? We can't stay here. I don't know where we'll go but this place is too exposed." She didn't know why she hadn't seen it before when she had chosen the spot to stay. Everything about the cabin seemed to be calling out, announcing their presence: the smoke billowing out of the chimney, the worn curtains pulled back to see...
"Oi!" Kolia tossed her dagger without a second thought, taking the ferret directly in his right eye and burying it up to the hilt. Before she heard the thud of him hitting the ground outside she issued her orders. "Bring him in here and get my dagger back. The rest of them can't be far. I'll pack up the boys and we'll run." He didn't have to obey. He could very well run away and leave she and the twins to face whatever came on their own but somehow she knew he would recognize the note of command in her voice.
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