Waiting for Impatience ((open!))

[Wildrun]

Nothing pleased the stoat more then when something went the way it was supposed to, and hardly anything penetrated his well of non-existant emotions at all.

When things went as Tataroo Raketail, the Stoat with Red Claws, so wished then to go, he pulled up the bucket from his emotion-well and was pleased. It was seldom those moments came.

And this, of course, was NOT one of them.

To any outsider, or insider, absolutely nothing was wrong with Tataroo at the present moment, nothing disturbed him. His dark black eyes were steady as they stared at a fixed point on the wall of the enormous barn. There was really only one obvious clue to his irritation.

His motely crew was gone, he had rdered them all to wait for him on the fringe of the woods and not to re-enter the barn until his say-so. Meaning, expressly, the pathetic crew of stoats would be waiting in the woods for at least four days, haning on the word of their commander. And they'd be cursing the fox and the mice and the otters who had infuriated Tataroo in the first place.

Tataroo knew his crew would wander off and leave the area, and be back by the time four days was up. So it was him, alone, in the vast barn, waiting for the irritation to leave him and impatience for action to take it's place.

So far, nothing had happened.

((watches muse die painfully* Oh, dear. *forehead smack*))

[Rocky]

The woods were quiet. Something unusual. No birds cawing, and no screaming... yet. Rain starting coming down. Something that was common these days. A flash of lightning lighted and a crew of beasts could be seen running through the forest. A crew of vermin. Not Tataroo's, but some random horde that was running as if the very whips of their masters were behind them.

Thunder cracked overhead, causing a fright among he mingled vermin. But unfortunately for them, thunder wasn't their only problems.

Thirty or so otters jumped out of brushes, trees, undergrowth, anywhere, and ambushed the vermin. Vermin were killers. These otters didn't like killers. The vermin scattered, some nursing wounds, others dieing but trying hopelessly to escape. Skipper Rocky stood away from the group, surverying all around him. No otter casualties. Good.

Something had happened to Rocky over the past week or so. Something inside his mind just snapped, and he has been acting differently. Normally, Rocky wouldnt have just ordered the ambush, but these days, Rocky wasn't the normal Rocky that others came to know and like.

He called off the ambush, letting the rest of the vermin scatter, and had them regroup together. He nodded ever so slightly at his second in command, Meko, and ordered the otters to follow him.

They were heading for shelter from the storm, and they decided to leave Redwall temporarily. The otters wanted action, and the Skipper was only too willing. As to the shelter, what better shelter than a barn?

The otters set off in the general direction of the barn, with Skipper and Meko out in front. It wasnt long until the otters made it to the barn. Lightning flashed again, revealing a lone figure inside the barn. This figure would look normal to every other normal beast, but lately, Rocky wasn't normal.

"Bad day?" Rocky called from the entrance. "Dont even think of escaping, vermin." The young warrior spat on the ground and walked forward towards Tataroo. He, surprisingly, extended a paw. He didnt extend it because he wanted to make a new friend, but because he couldn't see this beasts claws, and if they were the color Rocky thought they were, the otters may be in some bad situation.

((OOC: Bleh... I think this post was awful...))

[Wildrun]

What on earth was that?

Tataroo had turned his head, his black eyes now staring unflinchingly out the cracked-open door of the barn, watching the driving rain come down as some pack of vermin--for decidedly the screaming was vermin--ran and crashed through the woods. He could only see their outlines, but he knew it wasn't his crew.

He also knew the mass of otters weren't his crew, either. The holt made short work of the vermin, and after a breif lull, the remains of the vermind bunch were allowed to dissapear into the foliage. The otters, however, only became more clear as they approached the barn. One of them spoke to him, and Tataroo noticed that the otter, apparently the leader, had some strange kind of emotion in his eyes. Not an emotion, really, just something that was not usually seen in ' goodbeast's ' eyes.

"...Yes. The day has been very trying, for me." Tataroo did not ask how the otter's day had been. They were not friends. Instead, he said in the same flat, heavy voice, "Thank you for noticing." He didn't mean it.

The black orbs flicked with a touch of disdain to look at the extended paw. Then, slowly and deliberately, Tataroo met the paw with his own and held the otter's glare.

"Who needs to escape?"

[Eastpaw]

((I don't know whether to join with Tampa or Lorna... ah well.))

Lorna had been walking through the woods, searching for something to eat. A woodpigeon would do nicely. Or perhaps a late robin. Either would do nicely, she was tired of fruit and roots and whatever she had managed to scavenge. Fish would have been nice, but the ex-corsair had not seen even a drop of running water in days.

Until now. The skies opened up and poured down a cold, fur-drenching rain. Lorna shook her head and shielded her eyes, peering ahead, into the clearing. Was that a barn? Forsaking caution, she dashed across the open field and into the barn. Shaking the water from her fur, the russet fox looked around. Sure, it had the possibility of falling down around her ears, but it was dry inside. Well, dry-ish.

Then she froze in the act of wringing out her tail. There was close to a score and a half otters also inhabiting the barn. Lorna released her tail, flicking it out behind her to rid herself of the last of the water. How she hated looking wet and bedraggled.

"Hellgates." She cursed, but wisely bit down on the more colorful corsair curses running through her mind. Thirty to one were odds she did not favor, and these otters already looked pissed off.

[Tirael]

Tirael was, to say the least, freezing. A week beforehand, he had gone off to treat a severely wounded Guosim shrew. On his way back, he had been close to the barn when Tataroo's band had shown up. Knowing that trying to defend himself would only lead to his death, or worse, his capture, he ran into the barn and hid in the rafters. There he had waited since Tataroo had started brooding. He was beginning to consider a mad dash when Rocky and his otters showed up. Immensely relieved, he dropped down.

As he really didn't know any of the ottercrew, he would have gone up to Rocky himself, but the strange look in the skipper's face deterred him. Turning to Meko, whom he had at least met, he asked "What's wrong with Skipper? He looks almost...evil..." Explaining why he had been in the barn was forgotten as he stared fearfully at the otter's odd state.

[Rocky]

The young warrior smirked at Tataroo. Seems like these two shared emotions. When the stoat grasped Rocky's paw, Rocky grabbed Tataroo's sleeve and pushed it up. He stared at the beast's claws. "Tataroo. The stoat with red claws." Rocky said, shaking his head ever so slightly. "Where's your horde? They leave you? Why? Because you were a bad leader?"

The skipper was trying to get a rouse out of the stoat. Trying to get this stoat to attack him. Because if he did, well... Rocky would have an excuse to kill him. The otter flashed a smile. Something that had been rare to see of Rocky these days.

There was a fiery glow in Rocky's eyes. They made him look bad, for lack of a better word. It was as if all the anger from his past had finally been unleashed. Now, the young but seasoned warrior acted as if he didn't care for anything. He was reckless, and unpredictable. Rocky liked that. He felt in charge. Powerful. It felt good.

~~~

Meko looked at Tirael, shaking his head. "Even I dont know what happened to 'im. We recently ambushed vermin. they were scared, and for some reason Skip gave th order to attack. He never would do that to beasts who were scared, no matter their species." Meko said lowly. "Me and Rocky have been friends. Lifelong friends, and he wont tell even me whats wrong. He denies accusations. All he says is that he changed, and thats all. Nothing else."

Meko stared at his friend. Something was up with him, and Meko was going to find out. "Dont interrupt him in this state." Meko eventually said, leaving the reason out of his statement.

[Eastpaw]

Lorna flicked her ears back, then forward, as she considered what to do. More than thirty otters, and their leader seemed out for blood for some reason. Not a coward, the fox was also not a fool.

Suddenly she grinned. She could stay dry, avoid getting herself slaughtered, and watch the show unfold. Taking two steps back, she reached the wall and scrambled up with the inborn agility of a born and bred corsair.

Laying on her belly in slightly musty hay, she took a pawfull of dried berries from her pouch and munched them as she watched Skipper trying to provoke the stoat. Tataroo, The stoat with red claws, she'd heard him called.

((So what is wrong with Rocky? Now I'm all curious.))

[Rocky]

((You'll just have to wait and see. =P))

[Wildrun]

Slowly, the stoat tipped his head to one side, considering briefly and without interest the otter's face. Slowly and deliberately, he twisted his paw out of the otter's grasp, and let his cape fall down to his elbow, spreading his claws apart as if contemplating them.

"...Yes," he murmured, curling his claws into a fist and letting it drop to his side. Everything was done with the same slow deliberatness, even his voice dragged and did not change. My claws... "They are gone. I suspect you might find them all, or at least most of them, slightly northwestward from here. There is a small stream we wer camped at temporarily, it offered good fish and clear water." He refocused his eyes on the otter again. Tataroo said, "And they left, obviously, because I told them to."

For a second, the slightest flicker of interest appeared, and Tataroo's eyes flicked for a second to the new otter who had dropped down from the rafters. He didn't glance at the fox, as he didn't know (or care) what side she was on. All he knew was that she was resourceful enough to watch, and not let the otters know she was there. Then the split second of interest was gone, and the black eyes stared at a space above the otter's head, as if pondering.

"You know, otter," Tataroo spoke even slower than before, wondering exactly what reaction he would get, "I rarely see a beast like you at all--an otter, that is, with...fury, I'll call it, begging to be let loose. Usually," he added in an almsot musing tone, "It's searats who are like that, mad searats." The corner of Tataroo's lips twitched. "I'm sure there is someone very close by you could ask for a second opinion, but I don't know if she'd be willing to see you right now."

"...And either way, you shouldn't be looking for corsair's or other seabeasts right now. By the expression on your face--" And the coment of your large friend over there, "--you should be looking for a doctor. Because if you're looking for a solution to your problem, I do not have it." His fist relaxed and his cape slid over his paws again, hiding them from view. "So sorry."

((OOC: What a snot, huh?))

(( *pokes Skip* Wassa matter with ya' otter, mate? o_0 ))

[Tirael]

For the first time, Tirael took in a good look at wickedness. He saw it in Tataroo's eyes, his face, his red claws... The otter's lip curled in contempt, feeling that such a creature deserved nothing more. Then, his eyes registered a flicker of movement in the dark back of the barn.

He couldn't tell what it was, or was it a who? As the crew seemed focused intently on their leader (probably in case that stoat made a wrong move), he moved silently to the area where he had seen the movement. Looking up, he saw a silhouette in the rafters, where he had been just a short time ago. He called in as loud a whisper as he could muster, "Who are you? What are you doing up there eavesdropping?"

[Eastpaw]

"Who are you? What are you doing up there eavesdropping?"

A loud whisper penetrated Lorna’s concentration, and her ears swiveled, tracking the sound. She munched a final berry before moving into a sitting position, peering down at the young otter below.

“I am who I am, and what I do is none of your business, otter.”

She hissed in a whisper. Dangerous, maybe, but it really wasn’t her nature to padfoot it around, and all this hiding rankled her. She jerked her chin at Rocky.

“Somebeast get under your skipper’s skin?”

[Tirael]

“Somebeast get under your skipper’s skin?”

Tirael looked over at Skipper. Tataroo was in the saying something in a low voice about him having fury. Looking up at the fox, Tirael said, "Well, I'm not in his crew, so he's technically not my skip..." He cut off as he remembered who he was talking to. "I don't know. Besides, what he does isn't your business either, fox." He said it somewhat sarcastically, mocking Lorna. Inwardly, he was somewhat surprised that she hadn't identified him as a Redwaller by his habit; he decided she must not be from Mossflower.

[Eastpaw]

"Well, I'm not in his crew, so he's technically not my skip..." He cut off as he remembered who he was talking to. "I don't know. Besides, what he does isn't your business either, fox."

"I didn't think so, otter." Lorna smirked, laying back on her elbows in the straw. She didn't think he was a threat, too soft-looking. Besides, the non-showdown between Skipper and Tataroo was much more interesting.

[Rocky]

Skip stared at Tataroo with scary looking eyes, "Why did you tell them to leave?" He asked almost immediately after Tataroo finished speaking. "You're lying to me, stoat." He growled. "I dont like liars." By now, Skip's nostrils were flaring, and his anger was rising. Not from Tataroo's attitude, no. But from his past. "You know... A stoat killed my father." Skip said after a long silence. "I really am not in the mood for your antics."

Skip looked up at Tataroo when he started to talk about fury. The young warrior's eyes were black as night, a signal that he was getting angry and going into a rage soon. "Dont start talking to me about fury, for you know nothing of what I am when I have fury. You and your "horde" would be dead right now if I was in a fury."

"I'm sure there is someone very close by you could ask for a second opinion, but I don't know if she'd be willing to see you right now."

"And who might that be?" He suddenly snapped. Skip bared his teeth at Tataroo, for this stoat's antics were getting deep under his skin.

"...And either way, you shouldn't be looking for corsair's or other seabeasts right now. By the expression on your face--" And the coment of your large friend over there, "--you should be looking for a doctor. Because if you're looking for a solution to your problem, I do not have it."

(Slight gmod, if you want me to change it, Wildrun, I will)

This was the breaking point for the skipper. The burly otter lashed out and grabbed Tataroo's throat. "You will stop. Right now." And with that, he pushed Tataroo very forcefully towards the ground. "I am in no mood to be trifled with, vermin."

[Wildrun]

Tataroo had completely ignored Skipper as he was talking, instead going on with his low, bored, never-altering tone of voice. He hardly seemed to notice that he was indeed making the otter furious. He also apparently did not notice the smaller otter (smaller than these waterdogs, anyway) who had dropped from the rafters creep over to talk to the mystery fox.

A stoat killed his father. I'm positive I've heard that before... Tataroo almost smirked, but didn't. Hardly a muscle in his face changed at all as he went on talking, Skipper seemed to be getting angrier and angrier, the fox and the otter were hissing at each other in low conversation...

...And the Skipper caught him by his throat, snarled in his face, and hurled him towards the floor.

Tataroo broke off speaking. A low sigh escaped through his nose, and if he had put it into words it might have been a long drawn out, "Ahhhh..." After remaining for a second, on the floor, he slowly, calmly, almost as if he had never been more relaxed, stood and brushed specks of dirt off his shoulders. Raising his eyes to the otter's, his face finally changed.

Ah-ha. I see.

Tataroo raised one elegant eyebrow and tipped his head oh-so-slightly to one side. The otter didn't want to be TRIFLED with? Scorn and completel lack of caring in his voice,

"Now, why on earth should you think that I care?"

[Tirael]

"I didn't think so, otter."

As Lorna lay back in the rafters, Tirael maintained an irritated, angry look in her direction for a few moments. He briefly considered telling Meko about the unwelcome guest in the barn, but looking back at the crew, he felt it would be an unwelcome distraction. Sighing resignedly, he did as the fox was, listening to the skipper and the stoat trading contempt. His ears and rudder flicked in alarm as Rocky grabbed Tataroo and threw him on the ground. Though his disgust for the stoat grew with each passing minute, it was distressing to see Rocky who, despite being no more than half a year older than Tirael was still a figure he looked up to, acting in such a manner. He could barely restrain himself from going up and interfering; however, his own instinct and Meko's warning kept his paws planted firmly where they were.

"Now, why on earth should you think that I care?"

"Because it looks like he's an inch away from killing you, vermin." Tirael froze; he hadn't meant to say it out loud, and hoped desperately that nobody else had heard. He seemed to shrink back against the wall behind him as he tried to not look so embarrassed.

[Rocky]

Skip stared blankly in the direction of the fox when he previously hurled Tataroo down on the ground. Now, he changed his attention back to the stoat as he so boldly made his way back to his feet. What was wrong with this stoat? Why was he so calm? "Circle him" Skip said calmly, as if he was actually enjoying this stoat's act. But why was he acting calm right after his anger started to boil? No one may ever know, Skip's unpredictable at times.

The otters all drew forth their weapons and circled Tataroo, making sure to keep a distance of about 5 feet between the stoat and them, so no... surprises happened.

"Now, why on earth should you think that I care?"

"Because you have a score and a half of otters surrounding you, ready to run you through at the blink of an eye. All I have to do is say the word, and you'll be on that ground, and never arise again, and no one will come looking for you because no one will want to look for you. Not your horde because you were a bad leader, or any one else, because you treated everyone as an underling."

Something in Rocky's voice made Meko and the rest of the river otters wince noticeably. Why was their Skipper acting like this? What was up?

"Because it looks like he's an inch away from killing you, vermin."

Meko turned sharply and stared at Tirael, and for the first time, he caught a glimpse of the fox up in the rafters. "What are you doing there, fox? Get down." Instinct told Meko to move over and protect Tirael from any unwanted business. As so, the big otter walked over and placed himself in front of Tirael, whispering to his friend, "Can you use a blade? If so, take the long dagger out of its sheath at the back of my belt." Meko stared at the fox, his hand straying to his hilt of his broadsword at his back, and his one hand already holding a shortsword.

The Skipper unsheathed his sword, and held it up, the flat of the blade facing Skipper's face, and Tataroo's face. "Folded steel, then folded again. A powerful blade." Rocky mused. And, to everyone;s surprise, Rocky through it on the ground in front of Tataroo with a carelessness that so many Rocky had known had envied.

Now, Rocky walked towards the ex-warlord, "Pick it up."

[Grath]

Lorna idly nibbled her last berry, half-lidded eyes still watching the drama unfold. She chuckled quietly to herself, it seemed this otter was nothing more than a self-important bully. Though, and her eyes narrowed shrewdly, to underestimate an enemy was to sign her own death warrant. She blinked, watching the big otter, obviously a trained warrior, move over to protect Tirael.

"What are you doing there, fox? Get down."

Lorna moved so she was laying on her side, tail flicking lazily. “Oh no. I don’t think so.” She said, flicking an ear and catching his mumbled instruction to Tirael.

“I’m not stupid, and besides, I’d rather not give up being dry,” she shook her head as an errant drop of water fell on her nose, “Or relatively dry, anyway, for you and your crew and your bullying Skipp to tear me apart.” She paused, an amused eye on his swords. “Besides, what did I ever do to you? Shelter in your precious, leaking, rotting barn?”

[Swing]

((Maul me with GRH, please, sorry to keep everyone waiting...I'm an idiot. DX ))

Suddenly, the stoat's paw was on the pommel of his scimitar. The black eyes flashed, and his nostrils flared just barely as he stared coldly at Skipper. "I beleive I have already explained," said the ice-cold, menacing voice, "that I ordered my crew to leave me be. When I need to think, it does not do to have such a rabble of squabbling idiots surrounding one." He flashed a quick, cruel smile that vanished nearly immiedately as he added, "Not that you would ever know the pressures of having to think, my dear sir."

Perhaps the Skipper had scored a point. He'd gotten Tataroo ready to draw. If he succeeded, there would be blood to pay on both sides.

The stoat once agian flicked his black eyes to glare at Tirael, this time with noticeably malice. These otters were starting to annoy him...He glanced at the sword stuck in to the ground at his paws. Instead of gripping it, he snapped his footpaw out and kick it back to Skip.

"...pick it up? I'd rather not."

[Tirael]

Tirael stepped back as Meko moved to shield him from Lorna.

"Can you use a blade? If so, take the long dagger out of its sheath at the back of my belt."

"Umm...not really..." Tirael mumbled back. He hadn't felt any sense of real danger from the fox; she had been less than pleasant, true, but she hadn't made any move to harm him, or even threaten him. But if Meko thought he was in danger, well...he figured it was a good idea to trust somebeast with more experience in this case. He didn't draw the blade, knowing he had no idea how to use it, but he stayed behind Meko.

“Besides, what did I ever do to you? Shelter in your precious, leaking, rotting barn?”

Tirael had to concede the fact that Lorna had technically done nothing wrong. "She has a point...I mean, she hasn't exactly done anything to me..." Tirael said to Meko in a low voice. He preferred things not getting violent unnecessarily. Glancing briefly over to the main center of action in the room, he caught the stoat give him a rather hateful glare. Huh? What was that for? Had he done something to this stoat?

Sighing, the young otter concluded that life was confusing and he would never fully understand it. Of course, that was hardly something new to him.