Salamandastron's Call (open)

[Grath]

Aidan Wavebob was returning to the mountain. The captain was, however, returning alone, without the friends with which he had started the quest. The older hare did not, however, trudge or droop. He walked upright, loping along the sand dunes towards the great fire mountain. His friends were all scattered now, to the four winds in their travels. But he was called back to Salamandastron after accompanying the healer Tirael and miss Fern to Redwall.

A tall, lanky figure was loping towards him, Aidan tugged an ear in consideration, then stopped to converse. “Tenth Runner, sah!” the hare, one of the Varilde twins, if he wasn’t mistaken, saluted as he came near.

“Going out for a Gallop, wot?” Aidan replied, saluting in return. “Wots the news at th’ jolly ol’ mountain?”

“Not much happenin’, sah.”

“Ah, that’s good for a change, wot wot!” Aidan said, motioning the younger hare on. “Watch out for those toads on the shore as y’come back, now!”

“Aye!” The two parted, Aidan picking up his pace as the mountain loomed closer. He’d sleep in his own bed tonite, what a blessed change. He sometimes wondered if old Sarge’s moanings about becoming old were rubbing off on him. He certainly didn’t feel old…

[Tracy]

Lieutenant Jameson Sersea had just finished up a training session with some of the younger Long Patrol recruits, many of them still new to swordfighting. It was his favorite group to work with, he enjoyed teaching the young hares the basics of short-range combat. They were the most interesting, but also the most difficult. While many were new fighters, many others still had been fighting since they were even younger, so this group had the greatest disparity of skill. Keeping the peace between the different skill levels could be a challenge. Jamie liked challenges.

He'd left the recruits at the compound to run several laps before they were dismissed. But just to make matters fair, the young officer also went off to do his own daily run. He never had any inclination to watch them run their laps; if they had any sense, they'd do as they were told whether he was watching or not.

Hopping over the low wooden fence that enclosed the training compound, he made his way down the shore. He jogged at a steady pace near the edge of the water, letting his own thoughts wander as the number of dunes between him and the mountain stronghold steadily increased. Continuing down to his normal stopping point - a rocky outcrop that jutted into the water - he was distracted by the sight of another creature coming up the opposite direction.

Slowing down, he shielded his eyes and was on guard until he could pick out the long ears of a fellow hare. Pausing until the other hare drew closer, Jamie was eventually able to recognize the other hare; another officer of the Long Patrol. Lifting a paw, he hailed the other hare. "Good afternoon Captain!"

[Elicia]

Her tunic was rumpled, her footpaws were covered in sand, and her saber's sheath was askew from its usual position across her back. The hare stood upright, back ramrod straight, on top of the the rocky outcrop that jutted out into the sea a ways. There was a sweet, cool breeze blowing, and it ruffled the hare's fur as she closed her eyes. She was enjoying being alone at last. Finally, she had found some peace and quiet. All the other hares couldn't tell when it was time to shout and when it wasn't, therefore, she had come out to the sea looking for a bit of peace.

She adjusted her sheath and tugged at the end of her tunic, trying to straighten it at least a little. It didn't work, and the hare stared down at herself, slightly perplexed. She was an officer, and yet her tunic was rumpled and ruffled and wrinkled. It didn't matter though, and the hare stretched sinuously. She was a tall hare, and thin, and not what would be expected of her rank and file.

The hare's name was Marianna Aurora Sanmira, brigadier of the Long Patrol, called Rora among her familiars and Roarer by her sub-ordinates when they wished to add a bit of humor into the regular salute. She was gaunt and cat-like, and her eyes were quiet and appraising as they snapped towards where another hare was shouting something. Not to her, she realized, but to someone else. It sounded like Lieutenant Sersea. Instinctually, Rora's paw went to her saber hilt, and she tensed. For a moment, she stood there. Then she relaxed as she saw the other hare in the distance. Slowly, almost lazily, Rora stretched again and began walking towards the two hares.

She reached the lieutenant yawning, and fell into step with him with little more than a nod of acknowledgment to him and one to the other hare. She could make out who it was now- Captain Wavebob. A tiny flicker of a smile might have passed over her face, but if it had, it was gone before anyone else could see and her cool and calculating expression replaced it.

The brigadier nodded to Jamie curtly, then picked up her pace a fair ways, speeding her footfalls up until they skittered across the sand. Rora stopped when she was almost to Aidan; she stopped with her hands on her hips, waiting for him to come closer.

[Grath]

"Good afternoon Captain!"

Aidan raised a paw, "Good afternoon, lieutenant Sersea, is it, wot?" This time Aidan came to a full halt, putting a paw to his saber hilt to halt its continued motion. He breathed a little hard, Aidan was a swift and perilous beast in battle, but running was not his favorite thing to do. Long distances were better than short sprints, because he could settle into an easy pace, but he'd been loping along for almost two days now.

"Keepin' th' jolly ol' recruits on their toes, wot?"

Then another hare appeared, and Aidan grinned a little. Ol' Roarer... he bet she still kept the recruits and other Long Patrol members hopping. Between her and Kenzie he was sure the mountain would have stayed in tip-top shape, even while his absence.

"Brigadier!" He snapped a smart salute, but his eyes sparkled with an old mischief that had been missing when he left the mountain. The captain sometimes wondered if that had been Ashstripe's true ambition behind sending him off to the abbey. "Captain Wavebob, returnin' from escort duty, wot!"

No doubt she already knew that, hellgates, the whole garrison probably knew. But there was protocol to follow and she was the senior officer here, though he'd been in the patrol just a few years longer.

[Elicia]

Rora watched as the other hare came up towards her, and a faint smile twitched at her lips. It was good to see Aidan back after so long, and even better to see the little skip that was now in his step. When the older hare had left Salamandastron, he hadn't been this happy in a long time. Rora's sharp eyes noticed many things, and her friends- if you could really call them friends (and if you did, it'd be such a broad category that it'd encompass the entire population of hares at Salamandastron)- were not exempt from her watchings. Nothing really was. She talked and socialized as little as possible, and so she had time for other things like watching and listening.

And training. Rora had never stopped practicing with her saber, not for anything. If she wasn't using it in combat, she practiced with it. Not for nothing had Rora been made a brigadier: she could best many a creature in Salamandastron, some easily, while with some it was a bit harder to accomplish.

But she didn't brag, and didn't need to. 'Old Roarer', as some fondly referred to her, didn't need that sort of thing. She was happy with who and what she was. Not many thoughts in her head were dedicated to advancing her rank or making herself famous. She let her thundering, booming voice do the job for her when she needed it to. Otherwise, Rora was happy with herself.

Rora's brow crinkled slightly, however, as Aidan saluted to her. She saluted to him, her words were terse and to the point, "Captain." The brigadier nodded. "Good t'have ye back, sirrah." Then she was silent. There was a bit of a lightness to her step, though, that hadn't been there before. Aidan was a good, perilous hare. It would be good to have him around again. The mountain needed as many hares like him that it could get.

[Tracy]

Having intended on continuing right along with his jog, he was a little taken aback when another hare had walked up. The Brigadier... he hadn't even noticed her and she'd been sitting on the rocky outcrop which he'd been approached. Well, what did that say about him? One, he'd always been a miserable scout, and two, things had been awful quiet of late. Who had any need to be so on guard? Flicking his sea-green gaze to Brigadier Sanmira, he quirked a half-smile and threw an automatic salute. If Jamie had his faults, being disrespectful to authority was not among them. The charismatic soldier knew who to butter up and what toes to avoid treading on to get ahead in the Long Patrol

He and she did not run in the same circle, for a number of very obvious reasons. One: the age and rank disparity. Jamie Sersea was young for an officer and his peers were usually privates, rarely higher. Still, that was his group and it was far more likely to see the young lieutenant powwowing with his old friends than his fellow officers. Also, even if there wasn't such a difference between their ages and ranks, Jamie was far too rambunctious and outgoing for sure. Quiet beasts made him nervous. He was good at reading others and enjoyed knowing what others were thinking; not only because he was such a good read of character, but others just tended to open up to him. But the Brigadier... doubtful. ...Was that a smile?

He returned his attention then to Aidan and also threw the Captain a salute... another hare who outranked him. Studying the newly returned officer, he smiled. "Go to Mossflower, sah?" he queried, seeming genuinely interested. While he'd hated his days as a scout, he loved the opportunities he'd been given to explore Mossflower. Redwall, of course, being a favorite stop along his journeys. He'd not been able to go to the abbey since he'd been promoted.

Jamie turned to walk with the others, wanting not only a chance to hear what the Captain had to say, but also not wanting to seem disrespectful. He glanced momentarily at the Brigadier and saw the brief smile again, and the little pep to her gait. Jamie grinned and shook his head a little, but hid his thoughts by looking out over the sea rather than at the others.

[Grath]

Rora's brow crinkled slightly, however, as Aidan saluted to her. She saluted to him, her words were terse and to the point, "Captain." The brigadier nodded. "Good t'have ye back, sirrah."

“Good t’be back, marm.” Aidan said, relaxing. The little group moved towards the mountain. He looked to his companions, it seemed he’d acquired a small unofficial escort. Aidan took a deep breath of the sea air and relaxed, they were almost to the mountain and he was among friends, though he must admit he did not know the lieutenant well. Sure to rise in the ranks, however, he was sure. Not one to be stubborn and refuse promotion like himself, he liked his position just fine, thank you.

It was good to be home.

"Go to Mossflower, sah?"

“Lord Ashstripe wished me to escort t’healer Tirael and his friends to Redwall.” Aidan replied, returning the salute. “Y’ask me, Grath Swiftfletch an’ Enon are enough t’get anybeast where they’re goin’, but y’don’t argue wi’ Ashstripe.” He tugged at an ear again. “Truth to tell lad, I was glad to get away for a while, wot! The past seasons o’ war…”

Abruptly deciding that was quite enough of that, he looked over at Jamie. “Ye recall Enon, m’lad? Yore of an age.”

[Elicia]

Rora stared at the ground absently, watching as her footpaws dug little trenches in the sand. It was nice, she supposed, to be back with Aidan. It'd been a while since she had been that close to anyone willingly, and it made her almost want to smile. Almost-but not quite. Her face remained impassive, although there was an amused glitter in her eyes as Aidan kept talking. She agreed with the other hare: there had been a purpose to the Long Patrol's formation, and that had been proven too many times in past seasons. Rora looked at Aidan, though when he brought up Enon-interesting topic to chose, in her opinion.

"Ye'd remember her, Lieutenant. She was... 'ard t'forget." Rora didn't really consider those conversational sentences; rather, they went under her category of 'Necessary'. A little bored, Rora noted that she hadn't said a single conversational word all day. However, it didn't make much of an impact on her. One day she would say nothing; the next she would be as talkative as the recruits were. It was her nature, and Rora didn't have much intention of changing it- even if it did lose her favor with some of the other hares.

[Tracy]

Jamie, normally social and talkative in most settings, fell more quiet and contemplative in the company of his superiors. It wasn't a self-conscious issue and it wasn't even a matter of respect; the young lieutenant was just truly of the mindset that one could learn far more just by listening to other, more experienced soldiers. Also, the captain had just arrived from a trip and definitely had the floor at the moment.

He was a little surprised, then, when Aidan spoke to him directly. Whenever he was spoken to in such a manner, he felt he was being tested. He was relieved when the question was of a recent matter, not some event in history. At the mention of Enon, the image of the black squirrel was conjured in his mind. Jamie was exceedingly good with names and faces, whether he met them or not. Besides, it was hard not to notice a squirrel living among the mountain's throng of hares. He knew enough of the squirrel's business at Salamandastron in recent times, but he'd never met her.

Jamie nodded a bit, though he looked disappointed. "During that battle with the pirates, I was still a scout and was actually away. Missed the whole flippin' thing." Not to say Jamie hadn't seen any action. He was stuck in Mossflower at the time because of a small invasion by cannibalistic lizards not too far from Redwall Abbey. Most in they abbey never heard about the threat. Jamie's swift actions in conjunction with the Guosim shrews directly led to his promotion upon returning to the mountain stronghold. In the wake of what Jamie would later learn was a fairly bloody battle, his promotion to an officer was cast in a rather dark shadow.

He didn't mention any of this. What did it matter anyway? In fact, despite Jamie's affinity for praising himself and making his accomplishments widely known, he spoke exceptionally little, if at all, about those events in Mossflower.

Coming back to himself a little awkwardly, having confused himself in his own thoughts for a moment, he summarized, "I didn't get t'know her in any case. Just stories."

[Grath]

"Ye'd remember her, Lieutenant. She was... 'ard t'forget."

“Hard t’forget.” Aidan snorted. “A little snippet o’ a squirrel, showin’ up and demanding to become part’n parcel o’ the bloody Long Patrol… aye, ‘hard to forget’ about covers it.”

"During that battle with the pirates, I was still a scout and was actually away. Missed the whole flippin' thing." […] "I didn't get t'know her in any case. Just stories."

“Ah, those cannibalistic lizards, right?” Aidan patted Jamie on the back companionably. “Now that was an adventure! Those pirates were just standard fare, if a little bloody-minded, wot!”

A sentry called down and Aidan answered, they waited as the heavy gates were opened.

“Ahhh, home.” A far-away look was in Aidan’s eyes as he said it. They walked in the gates, which closed with a heavy boom behind them. Immediately the day felt cooler, in the deep shade of the mountain.