The Redclaw Camp (please join!)

[ferretface]

'Retchen sidled up to Tataroo.
"I got a mark on all the important ones, boss," he whispered. "Who d'yer want me ter focus on first?"

[redclaw]

Zarek was done talking. As far as he was concerned, they had just made an alliance and he was in no danger. Far from it. Treachery and war was in the air. Zarek strode toward his tent. Turning he said, "If any of you have any more annoying comments, talk to Valdis. With this, he retired to his tent.

Valdis, happy with his new position as spokesbeast strutted back and forth in front of the Redclaw lines. Turning to the troops he shouted, "Get some sleep! If we are going to attack that impossible to defeat Abbey we need some rest!" The troops lay down capes or blankets by the fires. Grumbling, they fell to sleeping and snoring loudly.

In his tent, Zarek was thinking. He knew the red-walled Abbey had clammed the life of many warlords. "Think of them all!" he grumbled, "Cluny, the Marlfoxes! I will not join them!" He thought long into the night, his clever mind trying to find a way out of attacking Redwall.

[Rocky]

Rein looked back at his army, smirked, then shouted the order, "Make camp! If you want food, take it by force!" He let the smirk leave his face, he had no doubt that quarrels may form over food, but whatever. He has plenty of troops, what's losing one or two?

"You'd like to sleep?" Rein scoffed. "Better plant a guard or two so I dont kill you in your sleep." He turned back, his cape trailing behind him, then walked off amid his troops, and sat with his captains, having a "council".

OOC: Sorry... In a hurry... Ill post better next time.

[ferretface]

"Huh...don't look like it'll be an issue," muttered 'Retchen, disappearing back into the shadows.

[Wildrun]

Tataroo nodded absently, and the crew moaned reluctanly at missing a fight. Matecol relaxed as Tataroo sheathed his scimatar and turned on his heel, the crew making way for him as he stopped at the fringe of the trees. Another curt nod from the captain, and Matey called out loudly, "Alright, boyos, shuddap an' siddown. We're stayin' fer the night!" More groans, but under Matey's baleful eye no one complained. Stoats plopped everywhere, shuffling backwards until they were no longer between the two armies. Tataroo's crew now formed a straggling half-circle, encompassing both hordes but not encircling them.

Matey scanned the stoats for 'Retchen, then waved a paw above his head, trusting the ferret would see him. The crew began to settle down, and Matey absently kicked out (and missed) three stoats as he passed them and told them to spread out and stand gaurd and change with someone else after two hours. That being seen too, he joined his captain at the fringe of the trees.

"Yes, sir?" he asked in a low voice, not slurring the words together as he sometimes did. "What's the plan, cap'n?"

Tataroo tipped his head backwards, watching the moon vaguely. He muttered softly under his breath, "The plan, my dear Matecol, is not to be decieved." He turned around suddenly. "Is 'Retchen with you?"

[ferretface]

"Well, I am now," said 'Retchen, coming out of the shadows. "Wot d'yer want us ter do, boss?"

[redclaw]

Valdis, hearing Rein's taunt, decided to take action. "You there!" he yelled to a score of guards, "circle the boss's tent!" The guard did so, ready to protect their leader to the death.

A slender female weasel, captain Trysta Firefur, crept up to were Valdis was standing. "Should I wake the night-crew?" she asked. Valdis nodded. Trysta hurried off to where about 30 vermin, mostly foxes, were resting. "Come on," she said commandingly, "patrol the perimeter." The vermin, wearing all black, slunk away to keep watch. This "night-crew," more commonly known as the assassins, were feared and hated by the rest of the horde. Creature by the fires drew back as they passed, not wanting to fall victim to the assassin's' foul temper and poison darts.

"So foxy," whispered Valdis to himself, "you want to kill our leader, huh? Well I'd love to see you try something now."

Trista was focusing on Tataroo and his meeting. She did not trust them, especially Retchen. "He's up to something," she whispered to herself, "he plans to shoot someone with that bow of his." Her hands tightened into fists. Not if she had anything to do about it. Calling over five archers she stood guard, watching the stoat camp.

[Rocky]

Rein grabbed a bird from one beast, not knowing or caring if it came from his or redclaw's camp, and ripped a piece off, then spat it back out and threw the bird away. "This bird is terrible." Rein remarked, shaking his head. "It probably came from the cats camp."Melroch grinned, "Aye, sir... Are cooks are better..." Before, Melroch took a bird from a redclaw beast and when he bit into it, he spat it out just like Rein, thus leading him to his remark.

"So Jeron, what are we going to d--"

His ears twitched and he turned and stared at Valdis, rolling his eyes, stood up and grabbed a knife from his belt, and headed towards him. "Look, scum, you honestly think those guards can stop me from killing your leader?" He laughed and turned to look at his own horde, then grabbed a torch so he could see better and turned back to Valdis, "What I said before was sarcasm. Also... Your leader bugs me, and I don't think Im going to keep our deal anymore."

He turned back to his horde, and grinned, "Get up! We're leaving!" And at that, Melroch had the troops up and ready, ignoring some groans, and headed out of the area.

"Oh..." Rein grinned, his back to Valdis, "You're leader's tense... I think he needs to lighten up..." Then he turned and threw the torch at Redclaw's tent then sprinted out of the area, shouting, "Go! I cannot risk any troops if we're to take Redwall!" And the troops charged out of the scene, laughing maniacally, with Rein's laughing louder than all others.

[ferretface]

"They expect me to start the fight an' shoot off at 'em," said 'Retchen derisively. "An' none of 'em look any good at what they do...they aren't an obstacle...anywa-"
'Retchen's peripheral vision just made out the sight of someone throwing a torch into the Redclaw tents then running along with his troops into the darkness.
"It's pandamonium there, boss. If we are to strike, looks like now'll be the time. An' I don't think they're gonna give a weasel's turd about diplomacy right now with that ter deal with."

[Wildrun]

A low, infuriated hiss made it past the stoat's teeth, and he turn on his heel, drawing his scimitar and roaring to his crew, "Go, you sorry excuse of a corsair band! Thin their numbers! Attack them!"

An earshatteirng roar erupted from the crew, stoats jumping to their footpaws and bristling with weapons. The cook, the slave-master, and the look-out split off into three directions, backwards, left, and right--approximately 25 stoats followed each of them as they turned to meet the forces of the horde. Matey shot off through the chaos towards the blazing tent, another ten stoats immiediateyl behind him. The bipolar corsair shrieked at the top of his lungs, "Keep yer deal for the Destroyer, backstabberssssss!!!", and laughed manically.

Tataroo smiled grimly at 'Retchen. "Diplomacy? I beg to differ...among hordes, this is diplomacy. Shoot whoever you wish." And he lunged through the crowds for Rein.

[ferretface]

'Retchen nodded grimly, and the low thrum of his longbow spelt doom for one of the archers trying to take him out. The other four noticed and fitted arrows to their bows, but anoother was dead before he could fire and a third was killed just after. The three arrows arced through the air...one missed by far, but the other two went straight at him. But 'Retchen had dueled with archers before, and if this was a two-on-one affair now, he could handle it, and tumbled off to the side, taking one in the shoulder while the other whizzed over his head. Grabbing the arrow out of his shoulder, he gritted his teeth as he pulled it out, got up, and shot it at the penultimate archer. He never knew what hit him. The last archer bottled it and ran.
"THAT'S RIGHT!" 'Retchen bellowed across the field, "YOU JUST TRY THAT AGAIN!" before covering Matey's group.

Kurrad 'Chopper' Bludfang was with Matey's group, and ran straight at the blazing tent, sword out and ready to kill. The fact that something had gone wrong in the diplomacy barely penetrated the dim fog that was his mind, but he didn't care. This was fighting. This is what he was good-well, less inept-at.

[Wildrun]

Matecol was enjoying himself. His high-pitched keening screams hardly wavered, and he didn't pause for breath. His mind took note of the arrows whizzing overhead as 'Retchen had them covered, and Matey spun in a circle, laughing insanely as his belt snapped out and clubbed the foe closest to him. The enemy went down wit ha muted cry and Matecol surged forward, twirling like an insane ballerina, his weighted belt creating a circle of havoc around him. The shrieking first mate reached the tent and plunged into it, singing in his highest pitch at the top of his lungs,

"The seas are heaving,
the cook is leaving,
the sky is died with RED!
Oh the deck is fine
and the crew's all swine,
'Cause without a boat they're DEAD!

Flames, flames, flames...
I'll sing me crewbeasts' names,
'Cause if they see the flames, flames, flames...
They'll have lost the game!

Flames, FLAMES, FLAMES!..."

Twirling again like a top, the belt smacked through the supporting pole of the blazing tent, and it started to cave in around him. Matey bounded out of the flames, checked to make sure he had at least half his followers, and started another chorus...

[Rocky]

Rein turned and caught the blade of Tataroo with his own blade, and the black fox growled, "Don't you know you can't win this fight, you excuse for a leader? I have nearly 2000 on my side, you have a raggedy band of 100... You'll lose this fight if you dont back out now!" He shoved forward and moved Tataroo's blade from his face then thrust forward.

Melroch turned and looked at his leader engaged with a stoat, he quickyl sounded the order to repel the stoats, and as he turned two of Tataroo's fell dead from one of Rein's archers, and Melroch stabbed forward, laughing as he killed another. He pushed through both groups, killing two more, and found himself behind Retchen. "C'mon, ferret! Let's fance!" He grabbed a shield from a dead rat and twirled his mace with a chain, laughing as he advanced upon 'Retchen.

[Wildrun]

The scimitar flashed up like liquid steel, parrying Rein's attack and dipping down, flashing towards the fox's abdomen. Tataroo's face was half-lit by the eerie light of the inferno that was the Redclaw leader's tent. Strange as the illumination was, the clod, humorless smile that didn't warm his black eyes was stranger. "I do not intend to lose," he said emotionlessly as he fought, "I simply intend to gain...an advantage, if you will, a step closer...to my goals."At the last second, the blade snicked upward, not at the abdomen, but towards the throat...

Matecol's eyes were cold and calculating, taking in the chaotic world rotating madly about him. He saw the ferret and the cat about to sqaure off, and singled out one of the stoats in the group with him. "Chopper, my friend--help 'Retchen!"

[ferretface]

Nodding vaguely, he grabbed his sword and charged.
"STOATS IS DA BEST!!!"

'Retchen was in trouble, but after picking off a couple of flankers, grabbed the sword he stole from some otter.
"Fencin'? Nah. Now brawlin'? That's something I'm good at! Well, kinda." He aimed a kick that was aimed....uh...below the belt, before seeing Kurrad in his peripheral vision. "Sorry I can't stay...gotta, um...kill all your guys. I'll leave you to it, then!"
Then Kurrad impacted with an overhead slash with his huge greatsword.

[redclaw]

Zarek saw his tent go into flames. The wildcat was not bothered. He easily slashed through the side of the tent with his scimitar and steepped out. The stoats seemed to trying to attack them! He smirked. "Tataroo!" he shouted, "We have more than a thousand solders! You and less than 50 stoats are trying to attack us!" But, with Rein's troops around, he wasn't staying. "March out!" double quick!" he yelled. The elite guard, 300 in total gathered about him.

"You heard the boss!" roared Valdis, "Lets get out of here!" He started running. Before he left he turned to the archers. "You!" he said, "Send one volley into the fight! Then run!" The archers fire, hundreds of shafts, mostly poisoned, hummed into the masses. The horde was running now, kicking fires and spreading sparks. Flames lept into the night.

As the troops left, Zarek, Valdis, Trysta, and the other redclaw captains stood together on a hill. "You have not seen the last of us!" shouted Zarek over the din.

"We will be back!" said Valdis angrily.

"Hopefully with more troops also," said Trysta primly. Then the ran into the wood, hopefully away from the battle.

[Wildrun]

((I'm confusing people. The stoats are just causing havoc, and Tataroo is dancing with Rein at the moment--er, fighting, I mean, not literally dancing. ^^"

...and Tataroo has about 90-some stoats left, thank you. *cold glare* ))

[Directed by M. Night Shyamalan]

The marten had been watching the vermin groups for awhile. Farrel watched the two groups fight. He was amused at how quickly vermin attacked each other. Drawing both longswords, he sliced down a vermin here, and a vermin there. Then, he made a sudden dash into the fray, cutting down five filth. One attacked him, scimitar swinging. Farrel merely ducked so that the ferret flew over him, and thrust up and through. Three more assaulted him with cutlasses. His longer blades reached past them and snuffed their lives out. He dove in again slicing, laughing. This was fun.

[redclaw]

The Redclaw had left the battle, but they had not gone far. The swarmed over a high ridge, forming up on the other side. Here, out of sight, they waited. Zarek and the officers stopped just below the top of the ridge, looking over at the fight. The stoats were way outnumbered, but putting up a good fight. Still, thought Zarek happily, they would all be killed one by one painfully till none were left. Valdis turned to his leader nervously. "Sir," he asked hesitantly, "wouldn't it be better to stand and fight than to run away?"

"It is better to live like a coward than to die like a fool," replied Zarek calmly, "lets go." The officers, with the guard around them, descended the ridge opposite the battle. Then with the troops, they marched away to the East, away from Redwall.

[ferretface]

Kurrad's blow fell on thin air, as the retreat was called and the leader fell back out of range. Right now, he was trying to pull his sword out of the ground.
"Guuh...gneh...gruuh...liddle help 'ere, ferret?"
'Retchen, who'd been mopping his brow, remembered his position as someone to set an example.
So he smashed Kurrad in the face.
"The name's 'Retchen! Call me, Furetchen, slime! Or, boss! Or Captain Furetchen! Either of those last two'll do! An' why inna name of Hellgates were you so late in comin' 'ere? Have you no initiative?!" He kicked him in the chest. "Answer, ya fool!"
"I...bu-"
"DON'T TALK WHEN I'M YELLIN' AT YA! And stand up! And salute!"
"But yew-"
"SHUDDUP AN' DO WOT I TOLE YER TO! GIT! SOD! MORON! FECKLESS IDIOT! EYESORE! YEW'VE GORRA FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE! AND YEW AIN'T GORRA MOTHER, ANYWAY! WHEN YOU EAT YER RATIONS, THEY TRY AND CRAWL AWAY FROM YA! STAND UP ALREADY!"
As the stoat stood up and offered a stuttering apology, and 'Retchen slapped him again, he walked off, satisfied. Then he turned. "AND STOATS AIN'T THE BEST, EITHER! FERRETS ARE! DON'T YER FORGET IT!"
Kurrad kept on trying to pull out his sword. "Ruddy ferrit...tryin' ter boss me aro-guh!" He finally pulled it out and slammed back-first into the grass. Ah well, at least the sword was out.
The archer then saw a pine marten, slicing vermin apart in the distance, and walked over to Tataroo. "Well, that's the Redclaw done with...inna meantime, d'yer want me to take that one out? Or leave it to you?"