Everything was kind of a painful, shocking blurr for Southpaw Varilde. His ears were ringing, but he was faintly aware of somebeasts talking to him, the throb in his shoulder intensifying as he felt the blood soaking his entire left side.
"You okay, you still with us?" she asked, glancing at his face.Managing a pale, twitchy smile at Ripley, Southpaw raised his right paw in a weak thumbs-up sign.
"Right as rain, Princess. You can scurry on down the ladder now -- it was you we came up 'ere to rescue, not me." Despite the firmness of his words, the pretty haremaid seemed to be doing everything in her power to ignore them -- first by treating his wounds, which hurt like bloody hell, and second by not leaving until they were both close enough to the edge that there was no way to go but down. Southpaw glanced anxiously over his shoulder, the deafening screeches of the eagle mingled with his brother's roaring made the fur along the back of his neck prickle. He couldn't just leave Eastpaw there!
"South, you have t'jump down there. I d'no that there's much else for it. We can help y'down the ladder after that.""What?" Blinking stupidly, the woozy buck glanced from Ripley's violet eyes to the distance between Saxifrage and the ledge they were currently on.
"You go on ahead, Rip. I can't leave without East!""Damn it, Varilde. Get doun yon ladder -- ah'll take care of yer brother!"The brisk sound of Captain Nightfur managed to reach them above the rucus from Eastpaw and the eagle, and they could see the jet-black hare darting forward, shouting Eulalia and grabbing a hold of Southpaw's twin. However, Eastpaw was in the throes of Bloodwrath the likes of which worthy of a badger lord, and it was only by wrapping his arms around Eastpaw's neck in a sleeper hold that Captain Nightfur was able to pull him away, half-conscious.
"MOVE."Rake shot him a meaningful look, and Southpaw, not stopping to prepare himself, jumped. Feeling the wind rush through his fur was both frightening and wonderful -- and fortunately Saxifrage was there to catch him, otherwise he might've been feeling the wind for a good while...
Southpaw looked up to see Cordin coming down after him, Ripley doing her best to help him down the ladder.
Where was Eastpaw?
"To the side!"Barked the Badger Lord, his teeth biting into the dark wooden handle of his battle axe as he climbed around the rescue party. The last to leave was Rake trying to haul Eastpaw away and fend off that eagle at the same time. The dark hare looked relieved at Braythe's timely arrival.
"Good job, all of ye, now everyone get out of the way -- you too Sax."Now it was just badger vs eagle.
The latter had been through total hell; with slash marks upon his legs, a dagger dug into it's eye and a sword in it's shoulder -- a net atop it's head. Had Braythe been sympathetic type, he probably would've felt sorry for it. But it was hard to feel sorry for a creature who had decided to roost on
his mountain, and endanger all of the lives he was responsible for. Snarling, Braythe raised the war ax, the bird trying it's absolute best to poke and claw his face off -- even with only one good eye left and a broken talon. Still, the winged warrior put up a good fight.
Braythe swung the badger-forged weapon with all of his strength, a screech, followed by a sickening 'thud' as the blade met with the rock-face indicated their hard fought battle was finally over.
Their Badger Lord had not come out entirely unharmed; he was bleeding from both arms, and his cheek had a nasty wound in it where the eagle's beak had finally found him (he had been lucky it missed his eye completely), but the eagle had faired the worst. The dead creature's glassy eye stared up at him from where the feathered head had rolled, and Braythe's upper lip curled. Eagles. Who needs 'em?
Pulling something out of his pocket, Braythe rubbed his wounded cheek onto his shoulder, staining his blue tunic with blood as he clumsily struck flint from the tinder box, repeating the motions until he finally saw sparks. Setting the bird's nest on fire seemed excessive, but he didn't want any more eagles roosting in the same nest, and he didn't like the idea of this creature's body just rotting up here for weeks.
The fifth time did the trick, and Braythe soon had a large fire going in the corner of the nest, the badger watching it spread quickly. When he could feel the heat on his footpaws, the mountain lord retreated, climbing warily down the ladder with the battle ax strapped to his back with the remains of the net they'd used on the eagle. Braythe was relieved to see the rescue party and the wounded were back on the ground; some, like Sola, Southpaw and Eastpaw, hadn't faired so well, but no one had died. That was the important thing. It was a job well done by all, from their newest little rabbitmaid, Heartsease, to Saxifrage, who had been there every step of the way. Some credit was even due to Azryel Black and his medical team, who had been waiting patiently at the bottom of the ladder to receive the injured. The most credit, of course, went to the rescue party. The five brave hares who had quite literally done something he hadn't thought possible of the Long Patrol. They'd climbed a mountain and fought an eagle, all in the same day.
Braythe chuckled as he continued his descent.
Someone had better be writing all of this down...
((Sorry if all of that seemed rushed. ^^; and the eagle's death anticlimactic. If I wanted to make it all fancy and dramatic, this post would be two pages long. xD I apologize if I power-played anyone's character, I was just trying to make this go a little smoother.
Other than that, cheers to finally finishing a plot!))
Other than that, cheers to finally finishing a plot!))