Shhhh! Quiet in the Library!!! (Lyra aka Fawn)

[Mista P]

The sun was obscured by the silver cloud cover that blanketed over the mid morning sky. The thick clouds rumbled across the sky, threatening to dump their loads of rain down upon the beach and the looming mountain of Salamandastron. The waves beat heavily upon the sandy shore, whipped about by the bitter wind. A fall storm was rolling across the sea and was about to hit the Mossflower shores with all it had.

Now the solid stone mountain, Home of the Badger Lord and the Long Patrol had nothing to worry about, even though the heavy clouds rumbled with thunder. It would stand strong. Anybeast on the ground however, would need to take cover soon.

But Rider Axehound enjoyed this kind of weather. It wasn't hot with the sun beating down, in stead it was nice and brisk, with the chilly wind nipping, but not penetrating his thick northern fur. The waters roared and crashed about on the shore just like they did at home, the salt spray gently showering anybeast near by.

Plus, the stormy weather represented his mood....

Rider had left his home to deliver his messages to Salamandastron in a sour mood and it hadn't improved much on his journey. Although Rider normally liked to solve his problems on his own, today he felt like he needed to talk to someone. Someone that would listen to what he said, maybe give him some advice, but would stay out of the way and not try to fix things for him.

And he knew just the beast he need to talk to...

His cloak whipping about in the harsh winds as the rain started to fall, Rider quickened his pace to the doors of Salamandastron. After being let in, Rider took a few minutes to search around for Captain Rake Nightfur. Upon finding the old friend of the family he gave the Captain the letter from his Grandfather and the message from his father that was supposed to go to the Badger Lord. The two talked for a bit, or at least Captain Rake was asking Rider about how his family was back at home and Rider would answer grudgingly through gritted teeth.

After their chat, Rider hiked off toward the Salamandastron Library, still garbed in his traveling gear, shield still strapped to his back, and sword to his side. He would take all his things off later. Rider, being a regular visitor had his own sleeping spot in barracks where he could leave his things, but Rider didn't want to wait.

Opening the door to the Library, Rider stepped inside and took a deep breath. Aaaahhhh, the smell of books, old parchment and ink flooded Rider's nose. Things were starting to get better already. Now all he had to do was find Lyra.

"Lyra!" Rider barked out in the deep gruff voice that he inherited from his Grandfather. Looking up and down the rows of shelves, Rider's shield clanked lightly as his chain mail shirt shifted under his jerkin. "Lyra! Ye in here!?!" He called out once more, however it was only after he did so that Rider remembered, you were supposed to be quiet in a library.....


((Ooc: Sorry about the lateness of the post Fawn, I hope it's okay. I didn't describe much of the library, I left that up to you if you so choose. ))

[Lyrielle]

Let's see here...a good book with lots of action and strategy in it, that's what he said, right?
A pair of small black paws touched the wellworn spines of the various tomes and leatherbound books lining the massive oak shelves of the Salamandastron library. Those dainty paws mimicked their owner's indecision, flitting from one faded cover to the next, only to double back on themselves and pick the first one they'd touched anyway, sliding it out of it's carefully marked spot for further inspection.
"The Legend of Captain Scarborough: the Demon Fleet of Mordis." She read aloud, bright violet eyes taking in the peeling gold letters stamped across the top, the illustration of what appeared to be Captain Scarborough looking out over the front of a ship gracing it's cover. Lyrielle chuckled. This book had been a good one, but perhaps because of the lack of romance, she hadn't quite enjoyed it as much as she did some of the others. But Dallas would like it, right? It had lots of action, and there was even a character in here who had a scythe! Well sure, it was your run-of-the-mill type scythe, nothing like Dallas', but he might find it interesting anyway.

"I should probably get him something a little funny, just, y'know, in case he gets bored or lonely in the infirmary." Speaking her thoughts out loud was an unfortunate habit she had when she was in the library -- it was almost as though she was speaking to the books directly, like chatting with old friends she had grown up with. Lyrielle barely raised her voice above a whisper, and her long jet-black ears were accustomed to the quietness of her favorite place in the world, already lost in this literary realm of possibilities -- before nothing short of a deep, gruff BARK brought her back down to earth for a crash landing.

Lyrielle jumped. "R-Rider?!" Oh for the love of Brocktree! "This is a library not the parade grounds!" Came her weary hiss as she quickly scurried out from the fiction/fantasy section, nearly smacking into the armor-clad warrior otter in the process. Though she was a bit miffed at him for shouting, this slight agitation was overriden by her joy at seeing one of her best friends, an unusual kind of grin spreading across her pretty little face.
"Back this way, where there's less officers," she beckoned, hearing the clank of chainmail and shield to indicate he was following. "Good to see you again Rider, I was hoping you'd show up before the snow finally settled in here." She talked in jovial tones, barely above a whisper but nevertheless enthusiastic.
Sure he didn't look extremely cheerful right now, but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to be happy to see him, did it?

(( I hope that was okay! =/ sorry if I accidentally power-played Rider there a bit.))

[Mista P]

Rider growled a bit to himself after he barked loudly in the library. Lyra was probably going to snap at him for that, that is, if she heard it. Where was she? Rider continued looking up and down the rows of shelves, she didn't seem to be anywhere in the library. Starting to become frustrated, Rider was about to quit looking in the library and check somewhere else when he almost ran smack into the dark-furred haremaid he was looking for.

"Back this way, where there's less officers," she beckoned, hearing the clank of chain mail and shield to indicate he was following. "Good to see you again Rider, I was hoping you'd show up before the snow finally settled in here."

Noting her whisper, Rider lowered his voice as he replied following Lyra through the shelves of the Salamandastron Library. "Aye, well, travelin' in the snow isn't bad. Like it much better than the 'eat. Plus it ain't nearly ready for snow yet. Just rain. Too warm fur snow."

Lyra seemed very happy today. Her face was lit up by her large smile and her voice couldn't hide her excitement. Rider, although glad to see his friend and glad to see her happy, was still rather grumpy. It wasn't anything that Lyra did, no she would never make him upset. Frustrated maybe a little, but it hasn't happened often. Rider was much more frustrated with his family at home then his friend.

Following the young haremaid, the pair walked a small reading corner. It was a hidden spot in the library, not easily found unless you were looking for it. The reading corner wasn't much. There were two blue cushioned chairs in the corner with a medium sized square wooden table between the two. Above the chairs was a candle stand attached to the wall which flickered brightly. Due to the sudden advance of the storm and the rain, the sky had now darkened to black and the small window in the wall beside the chairs gave no light beside the occasional flash of lightning. Thankfully, the window was facing the opposite side of the mountain then the storm so it wasn't raining in the small window.

Shedding his shield, bow, bag from his shoulders and unbuckling his sword and quiver, Rider set all of his things beside his chair and plopped down with a sigh. Razing his voice to a level just above a whisper, Rider ran his left paw through his headfur. "Ohhh Lyra, the stories I've got fur ye today..."

Pausing, Rider reached over to his bag and pulled out two leather bound books. "Which reminds mea. I forgot to bring these back last time. Sorry about that." He said as he handed the books back to her. Surprisingly, through all that Rider takes his books through, they stay in good condition. He doesn't warp them or spill on them and keeps them relatively dry, which, for an otter, is quite a hard thing to do....

((Ooc: Naw, you were fine. I described a bit of what I thought the corner looked like. If you want to describe more, you can. It was just an idea.))

[Lyrielle]

By the way he'd shouted earlier, the lithe black hairemaid was almost certain Rider had an interesting story to tell -- or more like a rant, which sometimes happened, given how frustrating his family could be sometimes. Lyra wasn't the best hare to talk to about family troubles, as her own was fairly rock solid, and being an only child made it hard to relate to Rider's struggles. But, Lyra was, if nothing else, highly empathetic, and was able to understand just were her burly otter friend was coming from.

"Has something happened? You seem a little more agitated than usual," she observed, flicking her ears in curiosity, attention momentarily diverted by the two leather-bound books he'd just pulled out of his bag. Lyrielle smiled as though she'd met up with some old friends. "Oh I wanted to read them last week, and I couldn't, for the life of me, remember where I'd put them! Thank you for bringing them back, and in one piece no less!" Nightfur had no idea how he did it, what with all the adventures he went on and the rough terrain he so often trekked, how he managed, every single time to return the books in the same condition in which they were borrowed. Lyra was subconsciously waiting for a dirt-encrusted, blood-stained, water-logged library book to turn up in her paws one of these days, courtesy of the life of a messenger. Setting the books aside, her paw remained on one of the covers fondly, absentmindedly withdrawing it once she brought her violet eyes back up to Rider's face.
"You mentioned a few stories? Please share! I always love hearing about the adventures of Rider Axehound." The gleam in her eye gave away the slight teasing she'd just done, as Lyra was often-times joking that Rider was secretly the main character of a novel, and was meant to have all sorts of bizarre but fascinating things happen to him.

[Mista P]

"Has something happened? You seem a little more agitated than usual," she observed, flicking her ears in curiosity, attention momentarily diverted by the two leather-bound books he'd just pulled out of his bag.

"Ye could say that..." Rider muttered quietly as he passed the leather bound books to the dark haremaid.

"Oh I wanted to read them last week, and I couldn't, for the life of me, remember where I'd put them! Thank you for bringing them back, and in one piece no less!"

Although he was upset, Rider had to chuckle at Lyra's comment. It was true, Rider did his best to keep the books that he borrowed from the Salamandastron library in the best condition possible. For one thing the books were not his and Rider didn't want to bring back a piece of junk and never be allowed to check out another. Plus, Rider was sure that Lyra would be very angry with him if he somehow got an old book incinerated and lost forever. The last thing Rider wanted to do was make Lyra cross with him. His family already did that and Rider didn't want anymore. "Well, I try." He shrugged grinning slightly, but it quickly disappeared covered once again by his inner frustrations.

"You mentioned a few stories? Please share! I always love hearing about the adventures of Rider Axehound."

The otterlad eyed the dark haremaid, the same glitter of mischief sparking in his green eyes, despite his frustrated appearance. Leaning back in his chair, putting his paws behind his head in a relaxed position, Rider replied. "Well, the bold an' 'andsome Rider Axehound, after almost comin' ta arms wit' his father, traversed out inta' the wild, afraid o' nobeast! Even swam wit' a shark the other day!"

((Ooc: Sorry about the lateness! ))

[Lyrielle]

(( No worries Prank! XD I'm a little late too!))

"Well, the bold an' 'andsome Rider Axehound, after almost comin' ta arms wit' his father, traversed out inta' the wild, afraid o' nobeast! Even swam wit' a shark the other day!"

Now that caught her attention! Ears twitching, the haremaid's violet eyes fixed the otterlad with an intrigued expression. "What? You swam with a shark? Oh that deserves an explanation, Rider!" Exclaiming much louder than she should've in a library, she was inevitably shushed by a senior librarian passing by. Lyra winced twith a guilty twinge of her whiskers. "Sorry Mrs. Appleby." She whisper-hissed, and once the aged harewife had passed, she let her gaze swing back to Rider Axehound's, resting her elbow upon the simple wooden table between them, she rested her dark cheek into her palm, watching him raptly.
"Now is it the shark that's put you in a bad mood, or was it your father?"

Even though she was extremely distracted by the idea of him 'swimming with a shark', she couldn't help but be drawn right back to the obviously frustrated mood he'd been in upon arrival. Hopefully he hadn't been harboring all of that frustration the whole journey over! It certainly seemed like he had.

[Mista P]

"What? You swam with a shark? Oh that deserves an explanation, Rider!"

Unable to hold it in, Rider burst out in a loud chuckle. Lyra's expression was priceless. It felt good to laugh a bit. After having been moody and a smidgen lonely for a while, it felt good to be with a friend and laugh.

The laughter didn't last long however, as the pair were shushed by an old haremaid that Rider had seen working in the library a time or two. Turning his barking laugh to a concealed cough, Rider watched as the harewife gave Lyra and himself a deathly glare and continued on.

"Sorry Mrs. Appleby."

Listening to Lyra whisper an apology, Rider shivered a bit. Now, his father he could deal with, but if he got in trouble with that hare? He would be scared. Or at least, she gave a mean glare.

"Now is it the shark that's put you in a bad mood, or was it your father?"

Rider turned back to look at the dark haremaid in the chair beside him. She had put her elbow on the table and rested her paw in it, not willing to move until Rider had told everything. Sighing, Rider leaned back in his chair again, this time his paws across his chest, instead of behind his head. "Nah,The shark didn't put mea in a bad mood. T'was actually quite funny really. Ah was swimmin' wit' some Whoomers two days ago, farther up t'a coast. Iffen I 'ad trouble, dem Whoomers would o' had my back. T'was a small t'in', no bigger then two lengths o' mea."

Gesturing about with his paws, occasionally the red spade on his paw showing as he continued to speak in a low tone. "Was out swimmin' in some deeper waters wit' a group o' Whoomers like I told ye. The problem was ah didn't see it commin'. The Whoomers I was wit' did first and started getting all upset. Turning around Ah saw it. It's left flipper was damaged an' it wasn't swimmin' right. Must o' thought we were an easy catch flounderin' about like we were." He chuckled. "It startled mea when Ah turned around, so I bopped it one quick on the nose."

Rider emphasized his words, swinging his left paw quickly like he was fending off an unseen adversary. But pausing for a moment, he let his paw drop mid-swing with a sigh. "It swam off quick like an' that was the end o' that. Naw.." Rider looked out the window, the rain now thundering down in sheets. "..Dad an I got inta a fight just 'fore Ah left on the trip. Mum had ta split us up. Pretty sure we woulds have been dukin' it out if she didn't..."

[Lyrielle]

((O.O I am so sorry for this being literally ten days late! The closer it gets to Christmas the busier I become! Gah! ))

"You punched a shark in the nose, and you don't consider that exciting?" Lyrielle's tone was flat with utter disbelief. For her, a hare who had never really experienced adventures quite like Rider's (okay, nothing like Rider's. The most adventure she'd had in a while was the issues with the eagles, and she wasn't very involved), punching a shark in the face and being able to live to tell the tale was extraordinary in of itself! Why wasn't he writing all of this stuff down, instead of chuckling like he'd just told a funny joke? Lyrielle smiled. He was an odd otter, to be sure. Not odd as in he'd wear his socks on his ears and his earrings on his feet odd, but odd in that his idea of danger was very different from the average creature's. Sharks, apparently, were not considered 'dangerous' in his travel guide.

The comment about the fight he'd had with his father made her eyes fill with sympathy and understanding -- even if she couldn't exactly relate, she possessed enough empathy to comprehend his feelings right now. "What was the fight about?" It must've been pretty important for Rider to have carried his anger all the way to Salamandastron...but then again, Rider and his father seemed to be going at each other a lot lately. It must've been a male thing, kind of like two male badgers couldn't exist on the same mountain? Perhaps two headstrong warriors couldn't exist in the household without things (and bones) getting broken? Well now, that brought her to the idea that, had she been born a boy, would she have fought with her father the way Rider fought with his?
Interesting, very interesting.

[Mista P]

"You punched a shark in the nose, and you don't consider that exciting?" Lyrielle's tone was flat with utter disbelief.

Rider smirked, his green eyes glittering with hidden mirth and mischief. Shrugging, he replied. "It be only a little un Lyra. Ye see some pretty scary things out dere, an' a wounded baby shark ain't biggest thing Ah've seen." Rider was not lying to his friend. Not that he would dream of doing so, but it was the truth. Rider's wild and dangerous lifestyle is quite an extreme to his friends disciplined, and relatively safe lifestyle. But that was the life that Rider was used to and he knew that he could never live without. Rider had seen too much, lived through too much, experienced too much adrenaline to ever go back. Little experiences like the shark were minor to him. Now a lager snake? Now that would be dangerous.

The comment about the fight he'd had with his father made her eyes fill with sympathy and understanding -- even if she couldn't exactly relate, she possessed enough empathy to comprehend his feelings right now. "What was the fight about?"

Rider's deep brow furrowed, his muscles tensing. Staring off into the space in front of him, the memories flashed across Rider's mind.

It was a pretty rough fight...

Sitting in his usual corner, Rider sat alone, writing in his journal. His paws had been feeling "itchy" for the past few days and unable to stand being couped up, Rider had went out on a walk. Rider tramped through the harsh Northern Lands, returning home refreshed. Now as he sat alone, penning his thoughts before turning in for the night.

Finishing his note, Rider capped his ink, tucked his pen in his belt and stood. But before he could head off to his room, an all to familiar voice echoed through his ears.

"SWIFT EINRIDE AXEHOUND!!!"

Growling to himself, Rider spun around, his eye teeth sticking out of his frown. His father, Ruggan Axehound, approached him, fuming. "Where 'ave ye been!! Do ye realize what ye 'ave done??!!!??" He roared.

With a sneer on his face and his paws crossing in front of his chest, Rider snarled back."Nah, Ah don't know what Ah've done. What 'ave Ah done this time?"

His father's eyes narrowed. "Enough lip youngen'. Ye know what ye've done. Why did ye go trampin' off, shirking yer duties, an' breakin' curfew?! Ye knew better!"

Rider threw up his arms exasperatingly. "Ah told ye where ah was goin'! Ye weren't listenin' ta mea as usual! Ah didn't 'ave anything to do today, an' since when was there curfew?! Ah dan't need a curfew! Ah wasn't in danger! I covered mea tracks! What be the problem!!"

Ruggan's eyes flared. "That lip is the problem. Ye need to learn some respect for yer elders and betters. Respect and discipline Swift!"

Rider's eyes flared in return. "Respect!! Ye e'er 'eard that ye have to give repect to get respect! And stop calling me SWIFT! IT'S RIDER!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE.."

"Enough."

Just as Ruggan and Rider had begun shouting at eachother, almost ready to throw blows, Rider's mother, Kenna, stepped between the father and son. With her voice harsh, and calm she looked both her son and husband's eyes. "Enough. Both of ye. Ye are both well respected and ye should act like it. Split up. Now. Son, go to yer room. Ruggan, ye 'ave work to do. Go on."

Ruggan and Rider, eyes blazing, chests heaving remained still for a moment, locked in a stare down, neither willing to give. Unfortunately, a member of the Rouge Crew called out to Ruggan and he broke the stare. "Be right there!" He called out. Turning back to his son, he snarled. "We aren't done 'ere." And with that, he walked off. Leaving his son fuming and his wife sighing.

"Swift..." Kenna gently put her paw on her son's shoulder, but Rider spun away quickly, storming off to his room, leaving his mother sighing alone.....

Blinking, Rider brought himself back to the present. While the argument seemed like a little spat, it was much more than that. It proved to him what he had thought for a long time.

His father didn't respect him...

Twitching his ears, Rider took a deep breath before replying. "It was about respect..."

((Ooc: It's okay Fawn. I hope this is okay with the flashback and all.))

[Lyrielle]

Only a 'little un' he says. Well a shark is still a shark!
Not wanting to argue further on the point of how large a shark had to be before it could be declared dangerous, Lyrielle focused her attention upon the otter-lad's face. She sat watching it change from a tense exasperation to fuming for a few seconds, as though he could remember the exact words exchanged and they still cut him like knives.

"It was about respect..."

Respect? Lyrielle frowned a little, her dark face unreadable for a moment. Oh now there was the cause of many an argument and injury or two around Salamandastron. Beasts with pride and skill wanted to be respected, regardless of rank, and those ranked officers who had earned their respect a thousand times over wanted to be respected by anyone beneath them. Sometimes the higher ups and the young, promising officers didn't always see eye-to-eye... Given that most perilous beasts were protective of their reputations and pride, fights over 'respect' could sometimes turn into blood feuds if they weren't careful.
Lyrielle's nose twitched a little anxiously. She didn't want something like that to happen between Rider and his father.
"Did you guys fight because he felt like you weren't showing him enough respect, or the other way around?" chimed the hare, violet eyes blinking slowly. Her tone was by no means accusatory, it was an honest question to help her to better understand things. She didn't want to make him feel guilty for what he may have done or said, or make him angrier for what was said to him in return.

(( =) Oh the flashback is fine! I like flashbacks!))

[Mista P]

Rider sat stiffly in his chair, his dew claws digging into the arms of the chair in frustration. Why! Why did his father had to be so..so..ARGH! As the memories of the fight passed through his mind, he looked away from his friend. Lyra probably thought he was a wreck, always coming to the Mountain with a load on his mind and venting it like he did. Rider twitched his whiskers, his tense muscles slouching in disappointment with himself.

"Did you guys fight because he felt like you weren't showing him enough respect, or the other way around?" chimed the hare, violet eyes blinking slowly.

Clenching and un-clenching his left paw, Rider thought about the question. "Both." Rider grunted through gritted teeth. Rider did his best to respect his father and stay out of the way, but it got so hard, especially when he didn't feel respected. He felt trapped, like his father didn't trust him with anything and still treated him like a child.

Pounding the arm of his chair lightly with his fist, Rider growled. "Ah try Lyra, but he just doesn't listen! He treats mea like a child, then expects mea to be perfect! What am ah supposed to do Lyra!?!" Rider's voice began to rise as he continued. "'E expects mea to be an adult, but don't let mea act like un!"

Realizing that he was almost yelling, Rider stopped and sat back in his chair, dropping his voice low once more. "Seems like e'er time we're talking, we're yelling ats eachot'er, an' Ah dan't know what ta do..."

[Lyrielle]

Lyrielle wasn't going to sit there and pretend to know the answers to his problems, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to ease some of Rider's frustration. Having never actually gone to visit Rider's family on the High North Coast, Lyrielle felt like she was an outsider to the situation, as though she was reading about a scene in one of her books maybe; she was emotionally involved now that she was attached to the characters, but she had no real say in the direction things were going to go, but could support the main character as best as she could.
"I think you both need more space," she said after a few moments of thinking. It sounded like a basic answer, given the situation, but Lyrielle had a bit more thought behind it than that. "Perhaps you should move out for a while? If your father can see you taking care of yourself, and functioning just fine without him, perhaps you'll earn a little more of his?" Given that there was a new family member to fuss over, plus whatever stress Ruggan might've been dealing with outside of Rider, it might've been a good idea for the young headstrong otter to find a nice place for himself, even if only temporary.

From what she could tell, Ruggan and Rider were cut from the same cloth, and had it not been for Rider's mother, Lyrielle fully believed that they would've attacked each other at the end of such a heated argument. Since neither side was willing to give in, putting some distance between them -- and not just Rider being here at Salamandastron -- in the form of living in separate locations might do them good in the end. Glancing up suddenly, Lyrielle's dark face flushed beneath her fur as Mrs. Appleby stood nearby, glaring down at them through her rock-crystal spectacles.
"One more outburst out of you two, Mr. Rider and Ms. Nightfur, and I am banning you from entering for the remainder of the day. Do I make myself clear?"
Her voice was sharp and bossy, as though she was used to reprimanding others, and Lyrielle winced, trying to smooth everything over with a smile and quick compliance. "My apologies, Mrs. Appleby. We'll keep our voices down."

"Yes," she replied with a withering stare. "See to it that you do."

[Mista P]

Rider clenched and unclenched his left paw, watching the red spade disappear and reappear. In so many ways he was like his father and his grandfather. His teeth, his eyes, his fur....

But did his father understand him? No. No he did not. He didn't even understand at all.

Lyra's voice broke the tense silence..."I think you both need more space," she said after a few moments of thinking. It sounded like a basic answer, given the situation, but Lyrielle had a bit more thought behind it than that. "Perhaps you should move out for a while? If your father can see you taking care of yourself, and functioning just fine without him, perhaps you'll earn a little more of his?"

Rider's ears twitched as he thought about what Lyra said. Sighing, he replied, his deep voice resonating in his chest. "Sometimes, Ah would agree wit'c' ye...other times, not saw much.

"Ya see Lyra, Ah want ta leave. Ah want ta leave so bad at times! Just ta leave and be on my own, make my own decisions, just be myself!" As he spoke, Rider looked out into the rain, his eyes gleaming with the spark of adventure. But, when he paused, the light quickly flickered away. Slouching back into his seat, Rider continued. "But..ya see...Ah've got things ta do at home. Ah've got friends there, an' lil' Nanna, an' Ma...Ah'm also in line for Warchief...Ah guess, tryin' ta please Dad Ah...Ah don't know..."

Fingering the symbol on his vambraces, Rider growled a bit in his throat. "Not like Dad would let me anyways...Ah get inta too much trouble fur that...Happens e'erwhere Ah go."

Glancing up suddenly, Lyrielle's dark face flushed beneath her fur as Mrs. Appleby stood nearby, glaring down at them through her rock-crystal spectacles."One more outburst out of you two, Mr. Rider and Ms. Nightfur, and I am banning you from entering for the remainder of the day. Do I make myself clear?"

Rider flinched as he heard the sharp voice of the old harewife. When did she get there? Rider wasn't as afraid of the punishment as he was of the glare of the harewife. She could stare! If his father had that glare....Oh...that would be bad...

"My apologies, Mrs. Appleby. We'll keep our voices down."

"Yes," she replied with a withering stare. "See to it that you do."

Rider watched as Mrs. Appleby walked slowly away, still glaring. Whispering to his friend Rider shivered a bit. "Alrig't, she offishily gives mea the creeps."

"Well!" Rider said, making sure to keep his voice low. "Enough abouts mea fur now. What's been goin' on wit'c' ye lately?"

((Grr, hope this is okay. I'm kind of distracted right now...And Lyra and Rider are planning on heading to GI, so we keep them out of the Sali plot ...Right? *chuckles*..Wow..I'm really distracted. Sorry. XD))

[Lyrielle]

Lyrielle was forced to over her mouth with her sleeve, trying not to laugh as Rider shivered a bit. Yes, Mrs. Appleby could be a bit...intimidating, like a scary witch or something who would've gotten way too much enjoyment out of turning them both into frogs. The black-furred hare was just as puzzled by Rider's predicament as Rider was himself, and while she wanted to help him so badly, she wasn't having much trouble coming up with a better solution than the one she'd already given him. Hmmm...Well it's a rainy day and there's not much to do, so I definitely have time to mull this over. Lyra would simply have to work at it until she found a better answer for him -- if there was a better answer for him, anyway.

"Well!" Rider said, making sure to keep his voice low. "Enough abouts mea fur now. What's been goin' on wit'c' ye lately?"

Lyrielle grinned, for once having an admittedly absurdly dangerous story to tell. "Well, I almost got ripped to shreds by our own dear Badger Lord." It was literally only to Rider that she'd ever brag about something like that -- sometimes the young hare felt that her life was incredibly boring compared to his, and, after the initial shock and danger was over, she was able to feel a surge of excitement throughout her body, and just couldn't wait to tell Rider all about it.
"I was really lucky Dalla-- Corporal Devereux saved me, otherwise I'm pretty sure Lord Braythe would've crushed me into a pancake." Her eyes momentarily glazed over as her brain conjured up the image of the bloodwrathed Badger Lord, his sword raised, ready to cleave her in two from ears to tail with a single swipe. The haremaid shuddered.
Right.
If Dallas hadn't intervened, she really really would've been killed.

(( D: So sorry for how late this is, I'm planning to be way more active this week, now that things have settled down. Had lots of friends come back from college for winter break, and I've been catching up with them all. =) and yes, we'll keep them out of the Sali plot so they can go to GI.))

[Mista P]

Lyrielle grinned, for once having an admittedly absurdly dangerous story to tell. "Well, I always got ripped to shreds by our own dear Badger Lord."

Rider leaned back in his seat, ready to listen to the usually calm stories. Not saying that his friend was boring by any means! Rider just thought maybe Lyra should get out more, have some more fun! But when Lyra mentioned almost being ripped to shreds, Rider jerked forward in shock. What? Lyra did what?

Spinning quickly, the otterlad saw the glimmer of amused pride in his friend's eye for a quick moment that quickly glazed over in memory as she continued.

"I was really lucky Dalla-- Corporal Devereux saved me, otherwise I'm pretty sure Lord Braythe would've crushed me into a pancake."

"W'oa, w'oa, w'oa!" Rider interrupted, waving his paws to cut the haremaid off. "'Old up there. Ye nearly got killed by da Badger Lord? That's either one big whopper o' a tale or yer tellin' the truth an' Ah' need to know more. An' whose' dis Corporal Dever-whastit? An' ye better tell mea e'erythin', or I'll find it all out for meaself, an' ye'll nay wantin' mea doin' dat!"

Although Rider wanted to trust that his friend would tell him everything, Rider wasn't afraid to find out more information. As a representative from the Rouge Crew, Rider had a bit of pull at Salamandastron. Not much, but enough to either talk peacefully to a few superiors or buy off a few leverts with some candy. Rider was an incredibly loyal otter by nature and when his friends and family was threatened, Rider was not an otter to be trifled with. It didn't matter if it was the Badger Lord or a sand lizard on the dunes, Rider would have a bone to pick.

And he picked his bones clean....till there was nothing left.


((Ooc: Okay, so the post is a bit short and long in coming, sorry about that Fawn. I had an idea for how Lyra and Rider end up going to GI, that is if you and Grath like it. Currently, in the thread on Green Isle, the 'royal' family is hidden at Mona's Great Aunt's house and they are talking about birds. I was thinking that Mona would send a message by a willing bird ( I was thinking Goose, because Mr. Jacques had one fly from GI to Redwall, I figured it could make the trip.) to Sali. Lyra/Rider volunteer (or are ordered, depends on what he want to do) to take the Posy Gurdy and sail out. Grath told me that the trip would be hard and that could be an interesting thread. Anyways, so they take the ship to the Isle and get involved in the plot. So, what do you guys think? If you think it's not good, that's okay. It's just an idea.))

[Lyrielle]

"'Old up there. Ye nearly got killed by da Badger Lord? That's either one big whopper o' a tale or yer tellin' the truth an' Ah' need to know more. An' whose' dis Corporal Dever-whastit? An' ye better tell mea e'erythin', or I'll find it all out for meaself, an' ye'll nay wantin' mea doin' dat!"

His shocked words put a smile back onto her face, though it was not as gloating as the one from earlier. "His name is Corporal Dallas Dwayne Delory Devereux, and I sort've...interrupted a fight between the Corporal and Lord Braythe." Lyrielle frowned, remembering her own stupidity, though at least her heart had been in the right place. She hadn't wanted them to hurt each other further.
"I picked a sword off of the rack, right? Then I tried to get in between them -- and I accidentally cut our Badger Lord," as she continued her story, the dark-furred haremaid's mood dropped into one of slight unease, as though she could remember perfectly the fear she'd felt back then. "He sort of...went all 'bloodwrathy' and nearly killed me. He didn't recognize me at all! It was one of the scariest things that's ever happened to me -- oh and please don't tell my Dad. It would be really bad if he'd knew about it."

Sure Braythe was no shark, but he'd certainly been scary enough that she'd more than likely have a nightmare or two about this later... Lyrielle had already woken up shivering, but couldn't recall why (she had enough blankets on her bed that shivering didn't make sense). "Anyway, Corporal Devereux jumped in to save me, and it pretty much got him knocked unconscious. It's why I'm in the library today, actually," the haremaid paused a moment to look past her otter friend at the shelves upon shelves of books. "I was trying to find him something nice to read while he recovers from his injuries."

[Mista P]

Rider waited impatiently for Lyra's response, his thick brow furrowed in concern. If he himself got into dangerous situation, now that was fun, but if it was those whom he cared about? No beast, no beast got away with hurting his friends and family(even if they were annoying at times).

Lyra smiled and continued before Rider could jut in again.

"His name is Corporal Dallas Dwayne Delory Devereux, and I sort've...interrupted a fight between the Corporal and Lord Braythe."

"W'at?" Rider ejaculated, almost cutting his lip on his sharp eye teeth. A Corporal fighting with the Badger Lord? More importantly, Lyra getting in the middle of it? What was she thinking? Before Rider could interject further, Lyra frowned and continued.

"I picked a sword off of the rack, right? Then I tried to get in between them -- and I accidentally cut our Badger Lord,"

Rider raised his eyebrows. Lyra? Lyra the librarian? Lyra cut the Badger Lord? Although he was shocked, Rider was almost amused...but more shocked, defiantly.

"He sort of...went all 'bloodwrathy' and nearly killed me. He didn't recognize me at all! It was one of the scariest things that's ever happened to me -- oh and please don't tell my Dad. It would be really bad if he'd knew about it."

"Bloodwrat'y??!!!!"Rider jumped from his seat, spinning to face Lyra. "Lyra!!"

"Anyway, Corporal Devereux jumped in to save me, and it pretty much got him knocked unconscious. It's why I'm in the library today, actually," the haremaid paused a moment to look past her otter friend at the shelves upon shelves of books. "I was trying to find him something nice to read while he recovers from his injuries."

Although the situation probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, Rider's blood was up. "Lookin' fur books?!!! Lyra, you're lookin' for books and yea' nearly got killed by a bloodwrat'in' badger???" Rider began pacing back and forth, unable to keep all of his riled up energy in. "Yea...Yea..Yea could've gotten killed!!" Throwing his paws up, Rider didn't know what to do. He wanted to first go punch the Badger Lord in the face, then probably fret a bit over Lyra, but then congratulate her for living....


((Ooc: Sorry if that ending seems lacking, but it's all I've got... ))