Trust and Betrayal Part 1: Medical Attention

[Kyo]

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((The events that proceeded this thread are briefly summarized below. for a more detailed explanation of the events, visit this link cometolora.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=p&action=display&thread=2072&page=1 you can also view my characters profile which is located in a link in my sig))

Tetra Aylane, Pirate and captain of the “Winds wake”, and her crew had dropped anchor at a small port town on the eastern Sea, far north of Mossflower, to gather food and supplies. As they were doing so, They were approached by a sea rat who identified himself as a high ranking officer and recruiter for a large vermin army. While exchanging words, the pirates were offered a large sum of money to aid the vermin army in overthrowing and occupying a strong woodlander fortress town known as Fort Kyo. the fort was erected on the ruins of a once mighty vermin fort known as Fort Marshank. The fort was home to around a thousand soldiers. a portion of which were an elite fighting force. The vermin needed all the help they could get.
The group of pirates accepted the offer due to the large amount of money involved, and held a meeting with the vermin warlord over a strategy to over throw this fort. The pirates advise advise, they were able to covertly sneak a few agents over the fortifies walls, slay the gate keeps. And open the gates under the cover of night. The plan worked, but at a heavy price. Over 3/4ths of the warlords army died while trying to take the fort. After raising the vermin horde’s flag over fort Kyo, Tetra and her crew went to receive payment for their help.
Instead of paying them like agreed, the vermin warlord betrayed them and ordered their execution. Majority of Tetra’s crew were slaughtered on the spot, but the well trained fighters were able to fend off the attackers and escape.
The six that were able to stay alive tried to make it back to shore and sail away on the Winds Wake, but they found it up in flames on the shore line. Thinking fast they boarded one of the other vermin ships, slew the crew, and sailed off to the southeast. Unfortunately the main mast was damaged during the battle, and the Vermin were perusing them.
They had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, out manned and out armed. And the vermin ships were quickly catching up to them. They realized quickly that escape was not an option. In a group decision, they decided to drop sail and face their fates head on. As the first ship drifted next to them, and the vermin started to board, The six pirates drew their swords, Preparing to fight the last battle of their lives….

[shadow=black,left,300]Trust and Betrayal Part 1: Medical Atention[/shadow]

It was a strange feeling, very....surreal. nothing like Tetra had ever felt before. To know that you are about to die, yet holding up your sword to the enemy that will eventually kill you. Her head was high, her blade was sharp...as was her skill in using it. For the first time in her life though, her mind wasnt calculated. She looked on at the large enemy ship grappling into theirs and the many assorted Vermin who were boarding, swords drawn, and fangs barred. It was like she was viewing it all in third person....as if she would wake up in her cabin any second.

...Tetra shook her head vigorously to snap out of it. she was captain of the five skilled beasts that stood before her at the bow of the ship. They were all that was left of her loyal crew. Dallon sharpclaw, Max Staford, Dax Torrin, Thorn Rodgers and Deger Ryken. each of them were with her now because they were skilled with a sword, quick on thier feet, and sharp in the head.
Tetra suddenly felt a large paw grasp reassuringly at her shoulder. She turned her head to see Dax Torrin, A huge beast of a polecat and a good friend give a slight smile. she adopted a smug expression. "Get your dirty paw off me and get a grip on that bloody toy you call a "warhammer!." Dax quickly released his grip on her shoulder and said with a laugh "aye Capn!" the other four held a small chuckle of thier own.

at this time, the Front pirate, Deger Ryken quickly raised his sword horizontally. a loud clank sounded the start of the battle as a sea rats short sword collided with the Otters saber. The rat reeled back and Deger's boot collided hard with the rat’s stomach. The rat stumbled backward, regained his balance and with a snarl, lunged forward. Deger side stepped and brought the saber diagonally down on the sea rat’s shoulder, cutting deep into its torso.
As the rat collapsed hard on the deck, two other rats wielding shortswords swung at Deger. The skilled Otter jumped backwards, dodging one of the rats, and pined the other rat’s sword on the deck with his own. He then gave a hard punch to the rats nose, breaking it, and separating the rats grip on the sword. Raising his saber, he blocked another swing by the other rat. One of the other pirates stabbed into the rat’s stomach. Gurgling horribly, the rat fell backwards.
Then all hell broke loose.
The majority of the boarding vermin now rushed the group of six as another vermin vessel grappled onto the ship. Thorn was the first to get hit. A large weasel wielding a mace made contact with Thorn's right thigh. Collapsing on his left knee, he drove his Saber into the weasels gut. He saw the weasel stumble backwards, but was not able to block the hard vertical swipe another vermin dealt on his head. Thorn was dead long before he hit the ground.
Using his brute strength, Dax swung the warhammer hard, colliding with the vermin that had just slain his friend....and hollowing out a portion of its skull. Another small rat, wielding a war axe to big for its size, swung at Dax's mid section. the big polecat stepped back and brought the warhammer down on the axe. The rat stumbled awkwardly toward Dax, but was un able to keep his balance, and fell to the floor. Before he could get up, Dax brought his foot down hard on the rats face, again and again and again until he stopped moving.
Tetra was facing her own battle with three stoats. One, obviously being untrained, tried to charge her wildly swinging. Tetra moved forward and tripped the stoat. On its way down, she grabbed the stoats arm, and kneed it out of socket with a loud CRACK the stoat screamed out. Before tetra sliced its neck. While doing so she commented. "You scream like a little pansy furred girl... do me a favor and tell that pig of a mother that she rose a goodfornuthin low life squealer when you see her in the afterlife."
After the stoat hit the deck, the other two tried to gang her. However, she slew them without much problem. After slicing through the last stoats arm, she noticed a shadow at her back. Tetra ducked quickly as a longsword hissed through the air inches above her head. the Weasel then kicked her in the chest, knocking her to the ground. he was about to bring the longsword down on her when max dealt a hard fist to the ferrets jaw. The ferret stepped back a few feet, but didn’t loose focus in the fight. Max jabbed forward with his saber, but was blocked. Again, and blocked. a third time and blocked. Max then side stepped and cut diagonally upward. But the Ferret parried the attack and drove its longsword into Max's chest. The Pirate weasel fell lifelessly to the ground.
By this time tetra was up on her feet, the ferret turned toward her and started licking its blade with a grin. "Now then, where were we" the ferret then ducked as Dax's warhammer flew over his head. He turned to face the new foe, but as he was doing so, Dax kicked hard at his knee, breaking it. Before he could fall to the ground, Dax grabbed him, and buried his fangs into its throat. After ripping his jaw out the ferets neck, he tossed him over the railing and into the sea.
Tetra looked at Dax and was about to make a snarky comment such as "how did that taste?" but a stoat wielding a club made a half swing at her head, making contact. Tetras vision blurred and she stumbled back, and hit the railing. The stoat then reeled back, and made a full hard swing at tetras mid section. It collided with a meaty crack. Tetra collapsed to her hands and knees, coughing up a steady stream of blood. Her vision was blurred, and she couldn’t breathe at all. She tried to downplay the searing pain in her chest, but it was too unbearable and she collapsed again, still trying to breathe.
She saw the shadow of the stoat reeling backwards with the club to make contact with her head. Just as it was about to swing downward, a large object collide with its head. Blood spattered on her face as the stoat collapsed. She tried to look up, but blacked out. Tetra felt herself slip under the railing and go overboard. her vision returned slightly, but everything was in a haze, and she seemed to be falling in slow motion. she hit the water headfirst and instantly started to sink. she tried to move but was met with a horrible pain in her chest. Water enveloped her whole body and everything became quite....deathly quiet. She looked up one last time and saw a dim shadow leap over the rail of the ship.....and Tetra blacked out....

[Spook]

As though one of the two creatures trekking through Mossflower was attempting to mimic the turbulent skies above, it stomped through the foliage, creating an uneasy air about him. The other carefully lead the way in front, making sure not to get in the bigger creature's way. This one, the one leading, was an otter in his early adult life. He was following a simple trail left by the two creatures' quarry. The other, larger creature was something foreign to Mossflower, but would fit right into most beasts' nightmares. He was a wolverine. A great one, too. And he was angry. A dark look hovered over his face, letting all who looked upon it know that he was not to be trifled with. The two creatures were following a trail left behind by a motley pack of thieves. The thieves had unwittingly decided that a wolverine's belongings would make a very good prize. Unfortunately for them, this wolverine had some valuable things in the cart that they stole form him. He also had an otter that was a decent tracker. Even a novice could follow the trail that the thieves left.

Eventually, the pair of avengers made it out of Mossflower, far to the east, and continued following the bandits across the eastern flatlands. Over the course of several days, the two of them finally came within sight of the thieves. The bandits had apparently not been able to move quickly with the weight of the cart. A grim smile passed over the wolverine's face, making his countenance seem even more dangerous to look upon. He turned to the otter and spoke, "Well, Daniel, we seem to have caught up with our thieves. Good work tracking them." In turn, the otter looked up at the wolverine and said, "No trouble at all, Taross. These vermin couldn't have fooled a blind frog. They weren't hard at all to track."

The two of them decided that they would rest for a day and as soon as the vermin started moving again, they would continue pursuing them. The keen eyes of Daniel the Galloglaich noticed something in the distance. It looked like a ship far away in the sea beyond the coast, but he couldn't be certain. He simply shrugged and sat down beside Taross the Warlord. The two then began munching on lunch.

Taross was the first to notice the happening in the sea. He confirmed Daniel's suspicion that there was indeed a vessel inbound from the ocean, but he also noticed that there was another two the seemed to be following very closely. If he was at the shore, he would have been able to see plainly that the ship closest to him was being boarded, but he was far from the beachhead. He nudged Daniel and said, "Let's get going. I think our vermin are on the move. Looks like they're in a hurry." Daniel nodded and added, "Yeah... they sure are. I wonder what's going on with those ships. You think the thieves are going to try to board them?" Suddenly, Taross' face grew violently grim. His brow creased and his teeth bared. He rose smoothly and said between clenched teeth to Daniel, "We have to go... now! If you're right, we'll lose them for good. I won't let that happen. They're close enough to catch. Let's go!" The two of them sprang off towards the fleeing thieves, closing the distance between them quickly.

[Kyo]

Tetra was alone in her thoughts. Darkness surrounded her, a deep and cold blackness. "Am I dead?" she thought to herself silently.... Everything was so quite, quiet as the grave. She seemed to be drifting into empty space. There were fleeting moments when she thought she could smell the slight odor of sea water, and hear the lulling and familiar sound of the sea slapping at a ship’s hull. Then they disappeared in an eerie and heavy silence. Tetra reasoned that she was alive because she was still able to think clearly. Again, she thought she heard the sound of the sea. Her memory of the past events started to return to her. She could remember everything up until the point that she was hit in the head. Everything past that point was blanketed by shadow. Tetra tried to concentrate harder on remembering what had happened next, but her mind quickly gave out and she drifted into a state of total unconsciousness...

The sound of the sea filled her ears again, though she had no idea how much time had passed since she last heard it. It was different this time, it sounded much more loud and grand. She could hear waves crashing down on a coastline. She also noticed that the darkness that surrounded her wasn’t as thick or constricting as before.... She could feel her body now. Her head ached, and there was a hard pressure on her chest almost as if a small badger were standing on top of her. Her lungs also felt like they had taken in water. In fact, her whole upper body seemed to be throbbing. The heavy darkness soon totally tapered away, and she regained control of her senses.

Tetra slowly opened her eyes. She was laying on her back staring up at a palm tree swaying lazily in a slight wind. The palm was blocking the sun, and she lay in its shadow... Blinking, she tilted her head to the left, and saw the vast eastern sea lapping at the golden sandy coastline. Tetra again tried to remember how she had arrived at the coast. But everything was obscured after she took the blow to the head. It was Mid-day now, so she had to have been out for a couple of hours.
Groaning, she put her hand to her head and rubbed her temples. It felt like she was hit with a sledgehammer.
"You’re awake..." came a low, monotone and familiar voice from somewhere behind her.
She watched as a large shadow approached from behind and into her field of view. The big Polecat set down some tree branches he had been carrying and arranged them into circular pyramid shape, then set some dry grass down on top of it.
"Dax?"
The pole cat simply looked her in the eye, then turned his attention to the two sticks he planned to start the fire with.
Tetra looked back at the sea, trying to spot the ship. or any other members of her crew. She saw no one.
"How did I......we get here"
The polecat kept his attention on the fire.
"you took a hard hit to the head and chest. After which you passed out and fell overboard. I threw one of those empty ale barrels into the water as a flotation aid and jumped in after you.

Tetra kept her eyes on the sea. "And you swam all the way here?... even with a flotation aid, that would not have been easy, considering how far out we were."
Dax started to draw a thin line of smoke out of the sticks
"I managed"
Tetra then turned her gaze back to the polecat. "Did anyone else make it."
"No we are all thats left now. The rest perished with the ship, it was burned after we escaped."
The two held a long silence after this was said.

The dry grass quickly ignited into an orange flame, and Dax put some small twigs on it. He then skewered some fresh fish he had caught and set them up over the fire. "We are going to have to stay here for the rest of the day and night. You need rest."

Tetra looked him hard in the eye. "I don’t need you to tell me what I need. These lands are littered with vermin gangs that would happily kill us for sport. We need to move farther inland today.
"I wouldn’t advise that captain"
"And I wouldn’t advise you disobeying an order, Lieutenant!"
Tetra then started to sit up right.
"Besides, I’m feeling fine. It wouldn’t be a proble.... she stopped mid sentence as a harsh pressure surged through her body. Then a Searing pain washed over her.
"GYYYAAAHHHG" she screamed and fell on her back, clutching her chest.
"Captain! You shouldn’t be moving!"....I’m no doctor, but I know for a fact that you have more than a few broken ribs....weather you want to or not, we can’t be on the move right now."
Tetra exhaled as the pain subsided.
“Yeah You’re probably right”
She then looked down at her chest. It was wrapped in crude, but stiff brace made from a few strong leaves. She then noticed that her shirt and coat were draped over the barrel that they used to float there

"Dax... you know, I have known quite a few Brave and stupid men in my life..."

Dax bit into the fish that was now a simmering brown with a slight smile, ready to receive one of the very few crude compliments that Tetra Gave out.

".....But never in my life have i met someone brave or STUPID enough to undress me while being unconscious!"

Dax spewed out the Fish in his mouth, and started coughing harshly, trying to clear out the fish that he had inhaled.

" *Sputter...cough* Ma'am! It was NOTHING like that! I swear on my Life!

"Shut it!"

Dax returned to His fire in silence, His ears turning a pinkish hue.

"Dax"
"....Ma'am?
"heh heh, I appreciate it...really"

Dax grabbed the other steaming fish of the fire and handed it to her

Tetra, Grabbed the fish and bit into it.
"Fine, ill rest up for the next day, and then we move out."
"Aye Capn"
The two then finished their meal in relative silence.

For the next few hours following the meal, they discussed what options they had as far as seeking help for Tetras Injuries. They did not even notice the large group of vermin heading their way on the path a little further up the beach front until the Large cart they were towing was within earshot.
The group of vermin numbered about 20, maybe one or two more.
One of the vermin spotted the two at the beach, and yelled at the group to stop. He then pointed at Tetra and Dax, Chatting to his friends, or subordinates...whichever.

Tetra tilted her head towards the vermin and commented to herself

“Well...crap...i thought we were in the clear for now...this is why I wanted to get out of this area."

Dax didn’t say anything, he was concentrating on the vermin’s every move.
Leaving the cart behind, with the exception of one rat to keep watch, they approached the two.
"Well Well...look at the beautiful Lass we caught ourselves boys."
Dax Growled at them harshly.
"Touch my captain and ill beat every one of your friends to death with your skull."

"Oh please, you don’t even have a weapon on you. You might be big, but how are you supposed to take on twenty of us eh?"

Dax's voice changed from mid baritone to a guttural bass. Signaling that he was pissed
"With by bare hands if you get any closer"

The rat laughed loudly, but stepped back.
"Ok, fine"
He drew his sword, and the others followed his example.
"Have it your way then, we'll kill you and take that merchandise there at your feet with us".

Dax put his hand inside his coat and felt the hilt of the dagger hidden in one of the pockets. He wasn’t ready for another fight, and there was no chance that he would be able to defeat them all... he needed to think of something...fast.

[Spook]

The sand flew from Taross' heavy footsteps as though his feet were stones from a catapult, tearing through the loose earth. The sand didn't slow him one bit. The wolverine kept running, now seeing that his thieves had surrounded something near a cluster of palm trees. Daniel was right beside him, keeping up with ease. The lithe otter could have put on a burst of speed and gained on his giant companion, but there was no need. Suddenly, Taross slowed down to a creeping walk, making no noise whatsoever as he approached the cart. "Fools... None of these vermin have ever been in war, I can see," the Warlord thought. There was only one rat on watch, and Taross could plainly see that the rest of the vermin were paying no attention to the cart. He figured that the bandits thought they lost him and his otter friend. That was obviously not the case.

Daniel, being the strong, young, and combat-ready otter that he was, balanced his staff like a spear. He took aim at the side of rat look-out's face and prepared to let loose his staff. The look-out was heavily involved in what was going on by the palm tree, and completely missed the two silent warriors about to seal his doom. While Daniel prepared his shot, Taross hefted his warhammer and stuck it into the sand, point-up, and began stalking up to the cart. Daniel let his staff fly. It hit the unfortunate rat right in the temple and knocked him out cold on impact. The two warriors were hidden behind the cart now.

Taross took a small peep inside his cart to make sure everything was there and then turned to face the rest of the thieves. Then he heard something that made him freeze. "Well, well...look at the beautiful Lass we caught ourselves boys." This was followed by another creature's rightful warning against the vermin thief. Then, the thief answered him, "Have it your way then, we'll kill you and take that merchandise there at your feet with us". Taross was enraged. "Merchandise?! I'll show them merchandise..." he thought. His face was twisted with rage. Even Daniel felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw Taross' countenance. He heard the same thing Taross did, and it made him almost as angry. The two warriors were about to crack some skulls. Literally.

The thieves' half-circle was broken suddenly as something extremely strange happened. Three of the twenty-or-so vermin were knocked down as the look-out guard flew into them. The lead of the bandits exclaimed, "WHAT?!" as he saw this weird spectacle. Then he turned around to see something that made his heart stop. What he beheld was the most frightening thing he could've ever dreamed up. A giant wolverine, wielding a warhammer as tall as a badger, panting with fury glaring at him with seemingly blood-red eyes. If he weren't the experienced murderer he was, his sword would've dropped from his grasp. He hardly even noticed Daniel twirling his staff expertly, looking at all the vermin with hot anger. Taross growled savagely, sounding more like a monster from a nightmare than a living creature. "Stealing my things wasn't enough? You're about to wish it was."

Taross hefted his warhammer and prepared for battle. Daniel began stalking towards the vermin with confident rage. The battle was about to begin.

[Kyo]

Dax was waiting for the leader of the band of thieves to make the first move. His hand rested on the hilt of the dagger stored in his coat. He wasn’t sure what to do, but one thing was certain, escape was not an option. He could probably outrun them, but that would mean leaving tetra in their custody. That was simply out of the question. The only other option he had was to fight them.
Dax looked around at the 20 Vermin in front of him, all armed with a weapon of some sort. Even if he was at full strength, taking on 20 enemies at once would be impossible. The battle on the eastern sea, and the following swim to land with Tetras unconscious body had sapped most of his strength. On top of that, He didnt even have a quality weapon, only the measly dagger....This was bad.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a body flew across his field of vision and collided with the vermin to his left, knocking three of them flat on their backs.
Dax stared at the downed vermin for a few seconds with a slight look of confusion on his face, his right brow raised slightly.

"WHAT THE...?!" exclaimed the leader of the band as he pivoted towards the group. He noticed that the one who had been thrown was the rat he had ordered to watch over the cart. He then quickly glanced up at the path

Dax was staring at the three vermin who had been knocked down stagger to their feet when he realized that the disposition of their leader had changed drastically. Averting his gaze to the rat, Dax noticed that he was facing the path, and his eyes were as wide as the gaping open mouth that now dominated its face. The rat had broken into a cold sweat as well.

"Holy.....What in the bloody death is THAT?!" he heard tetra comment at his back.

When Dax looked at what the commotion was about on the ridge, he felt his hot blood ice over in the blink of an eye. He had never seen or even heard of a wolverine before. This Monster that stood before them was like something straight of a nightmare. Its face was twisted with boiling anger, and the giant pole hammer it wielded made the war hammer he was using back on the ship seem like a twig in comparison.

The beast growled harshly at the group of vermin.
"Stealing my things wasn't enough? You're about to wish it was!"
Dax had no idea if this huge beast was on his side or not, he prayed that it was. If it wasn’t, it might have been easier to defeat the 20 untrained vermin.

The vermin leader stepped backward in Dax's direction, completely forgetting that he even existed.

"N..now wait a second...I...uh..we were going to return your cart back to you, I swear! We j-just needed to borrow it for a little while to transport some food to our...uh, wives and kids... isn’t that right boys?"

There was only a slight response, as majority of the group stood staring at the wolverine wide eyed.

The wolverine and its companion ignored the rat and started walking toward their group, weapons in hand.

The rat took a few more steps back and attempted to play a pathetic bluff.

"Hold on a sec, all of these soldiers are well trained individuals, each one is capable of defeating a full grown badger on their own.... I’m warning you. Its 20 against 3... You won’t have a chance..."

The two continued to march forward, the Wolverine snorting as it got closer

The rat took another step back.

"T-t-this is your last warning, my soldiers will have you for breakfast. You don’t have a chance of surviv.....MMMMMMF!"

Dax had stepped forward and grabbed the rats neck in one hand, squeezing its windpipe shut.

"you talk too much rat..." Dax said loudly for all the vermin to hear. The rat flailed its arms around as it tried to breathe, dropping its sword at Dax's feet.

"Do you know what I love to see more than anything in combat?"

The polecat's long claws started digging into the rats neck, and blood ran down its chest.

"A demoralized group of enemies...and seeing as how that...thing over there has already demoralized you pathetic lot, it shouldn’t take too much more to completely..."

Dax paused for effect, and then squeezed as hard as he could; his claws punctured all the way into the vermin’s neck. There was a loud cracking noise.

"...Snap their will to fight"

Dax then yanked hard, ripping a portion of the rat's throat out, then tossed its lifeless body into the group of now leaderless and scared vermin.
The wolverine and otter were approaching from behind.
Dax picked up the long sword off the sandy ground and started walking towards the group from the front.

[Spook]

Daniel could literally hear the rat's neck snap from Dax clenching it with all his might. If he weren't in battle, he might have shuddered. It was a terrible sound to hear. Still, the otter kept walking on. These vermin were in the worst spot any creature could hope to be in. One of them, a grim-looking stoat, whirled around and swung hard at Daniel's neck with a cutlass. Daniel saw it coming and ducked. He then brought his staff up with all the force he could while rising into the stoat's chin. The stoat went out like light covered by a blanket. His limp body crashed down on the sand. Then the battle truly began.

Taross rushed the pack of unlucky vermin, bringing his warhammer down on the first creature that stood in his way, turning him into a red, bloody mess. He kicked another that was close to him, knocking the breath out of it. As it fell, Taross swung his hammer horizontally into it, causing it to fly into the air into the vermin that had just recovered form being crashed into by the lookout rat. Four vermin were down and out now, making the rest more desperate. Daniel was being challenged by three of the remaining thieves, handling them quite well. Taross began charging five of them who had bundled together, hoping to make his onslaught more difficult. His warhammer made this attempt a failure. There was now only thirteen vermin that could fight. The battle was going terribly for the bandits.

[Kyo]

Dax stood for a moment watching the two fight. The Otter was quick on his feet, and he had never seen someone wield a staff with such deadly precision.
And this other....Creature, whatever it was, a badger in blood wrath would have to be cautious if it were to fight it. The beast wielded a Pole hammer that it carried with ease. The weapon its self was taller than Dax.

The remaining vermin were attempting to gang up on the two warriors, although the ones that got too close were smashed to bits.

Dax came in from behind, and started hacking and slashing with the long sword he retrieved from their dead leader. He took down three of the vermin without a fight, as most were concentrating on the wolverine. The fourth turned and blocked Dax's attack, but the power behind it sent the unfortunate stoat staggering backwards. While attempting to regain its balance, Dax kicked hard at its knee, breaking it. When the Stoat opened its mouth to scream in pain, Dax shoved the sword into its throat, silencing it forever.
As the stoat slid off the sword and onto the sand, two more rats tried to make a stab at Dax. The first rat was armed with only a small dagger. As the rat tried to make a jab for his stomach, Dax knocked the rats arm out of the way and elbowed it in the face. The rat clutched its nose, unable to see Dax rearing back with the sword.
Everything above the rat’s lower jaw was cleaved off, and it fell hard to the ground.
The other rat then barreled into Dax, knocking the polecat over. It then tried to force its broadsword downward into Dax's Chest, but he managed to get his legs under the rat and kick upward. The rat flew into the air and hit the ground with a thud. As it tried to get up, Dax planted his right foot on the rats upper back and grabbed both its arms.

"Scream for me rat..." Dax said coldly, almost as if he was slightly enjoying himself

Dax pushed down on the rat’s back, and pulled up on its arms, dislocating both of its shoulders. Dax didn’t finish off the rat though. Instead he left it crying in pain as he rushed the remaining vermin

There were only 5 left at this point.

[Spook]

The battle was over quicker than it felt for Daniel. Taross finally calmed down... after the remaining vermin were turned into chunky, red puddles, products of Taross' giant warhammer. Daniel had seen plenty of gore before... it wasn't a big deal to him. he was just glad to see that his wolverine companion had calmed down. He slung his staff behind his back and confronted his friend. "Taross..." he said under his breath so the pirates wouldn't hear him, "what about these creatures? They don't look harmful. I say we just say farewell and grab your stuff." Taross answered him, "I agree. They're at least not going to try anything after we helped them out. Anyway, let's make this quick."

The two friends turned to their previous battle comrades and nodded at them both. Taross was the one to speak, "That was a good fight. You fought well. We're just here to take back our things from those vermin. Now, with your leave, we'll be going." The two of them turned to the cart, being wary of the shady looking pair behind them.

Daniel then spun around and looked hard at Tetra. The lust of battle and violence had finally dripped out of his eyes and he noticed the true situation. He suddenly looked very concerned. He slowly approached the two pirates and spoke softly to Dax, "I see your friend is hurt... Is there something the two of us can do?"

[Kyo]

after watching the last vermin fall by the wolverine and its giant war hammer, Dax raised his sword uneasily to the pair. A warm breeze brushed its way past his dark fur. He would have liked to relax and enjoy it after that battle, but with this giant creature in bloodwrath and its companion only a few yards away from him, he simply couldn't let his guard down. He still wasn't sure if they were on his side or not. If they weren't, he was in serious trouble.

He studied the two's every move, his sword pointing in their direction. he didn't blink as the otter spoke to his friend in a soft voice, glancing at Dax as he did so.

"Put your sword down you idiot! Thats just going to provoke them" Tetra commented at his. Dax reluctantly obeyed.

The Wolverine then turned and spoke in a slightly friendly tone of voice

"That was a good fight. You fought well. We're just here to take back our things from those vermin. Now, with your leave, we'll be going."

Dax watched as the two simply turned and started walking away.
After walking a a few yards, the otter made a long glance at tetra, then turned around and started walking toward him.
The pole cat curled his top lip and buried the blade he was holding into the sand by tetra.

The otter smiled and held up a hand, signaling he was not a threat.

"I see your friend is hurt... Is there something the two of us can do?"

after this statement Dax was finally able to relax. He now knew that they meant no harm to them....atleast this otter didn't.
Dax closed his eyes and sighed in relief, then made a quick glance at Tetra. She gave a slight nod. Dax then looked back at the otter.

"Well, yes you can actually. My captain here needs Medical attention from a trained Doctor. Her wounds are serious, i know that for a fact. You could atleast point us in the right direction.

Dax then paused, and stared hard at the wolverine, which was now walking toward the group.
Tetra then spoke for Dax

"Thanks for helping us woodlander, but you can also tell us what this creature you have been traveling with is. Some kind of mutant Badger?"

Dax nodded in agreement

"Aye that too"

[Spook]

Taross stopped dead in his tracks. "... Mutant Badger...?" he said. An uneasy silence filled the air around the four creatures. Daniel barely caught the wink from Taross, and had he not he would have been very worried. Taross' face began to darken. He stared at Tetra and Dax murderously, looking as though he were intent on going on a rampage. Daniel played along. He put on a face of serious concern and fear. He then began to back away from Taross slowly.

Taross started walking deliberately towards Tetra and Dax now. He hefted his huge warhammer in both paws. The two looked petrified, and yet ready for a fight. As soon as the wolverine saw Dax brandish the blade, he stopped. Thunder boomed from the edge of the woodlands, not too far away. Taross couldn't take it any longer. His face started to crack up. He started chuckling and when he saw the two pirates' faces, the huge creature busted out laughing. Daniel fell on the sand kicking his legs in mirth.


Taross and Daniel had gained control over themselves and both held their hands up in peace. "Sorry about that..." Daniel said. "It's been a while since we've had a laugh, you see." The wolverine spoke up, "Yes, I must admit that was in bad taste... Forgive us, please." He gestured to the cart laying close by. "If you can't walk, Captain, then you can ride in that cart if you please."

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

(I might just be able to fill the position of healer.)

Suddenly, a lone rat emerged from the trees by the beach. Apparently he was one of the vermin band that had been scouting ahead and had just returned to report. His mouth fell open when he saw the rest of his band lying dead. He started to say something, but he never finished. Like a white blur another beast jumped out of the trees and did a spinning jump kick to the back of the rat's head. The unfortunate beast was dead before he hit the ground.

"Take that lunkhead!" the weasel yelled, for the white beast was a weasel indeed. A few steps behind him came an old vole with a black walking cane. Though he carried a cane and his fur was grey the vole walked as straight as any young beast. "The cart will not be necessary," the vole said, "I am a healer and would be happy to assist you, vermin though you may be. My name is Haaken Carnesir." Haaken gave a polite bow from the waist, the gold trim on his tunic shimmering in the noon sun.

Haaken's companion, an albino weasel, showed no such respect. He stood in a lazy pose, his paws on his hips. "What did your parents feed you?" he asked Taross rather rudely, "tree trunks?" Despite his small size, Haaken reached up and gave the weasel a hardy strike on the ear. "Ow," the weasel moaned, holding his injured facial feature.

"I must apologize for my companion," Haaken said, "he is a reckless fellow. His name is Vikenti Whitedeath, though he calls himself Merce. How we came to be traveling together is a long story, one which I am afraid we don't have time for. Your friend needs medical attention as soon as possible."

"Oh come on," Vikenti muttered, "a few broken bones never killed anybeast, we don't have to help them." This time he anticipated Haaken's blow and ducked.

"Actually," Haaken growled, "beasts have died from broken bones, or at least the infections that will come with them. So shut your blathering mouth!"

[Kyo]

((sorry for a bit of a wait))

Tetra immediately regretted her choice of words, as the great wolverine started to advance on the two. Taross' act completely fooled the two. Tetra, being the headstrong and ice viened pirate captain that she was, is normally impossible to intimidate. Yet she almost lost controll of her bladder as the giant Wolverine hefted the giant pole hammer, a red glint in his eyes.

Dax however, Picked up The longsword off the ground, and stepped between Taross and Tetra. He then pointed the blade tip at the Wolverine.

He knew that he stood no chance against the wolverine now. After the fight on the ship, the long swim to shore, and the following fight on the shore that just took place, he was just about ready to collapse. His legs and arms felt like jelly, and he had to force his eyes to stay open. Even still, he kept the blade point centered on Taross

The Wolverine Stopped suddenly, and stared at them.
Then the beast Bursted out laughing, a booming baritone that sounded like it could have carried for miles.

Dax simply stared at the Wolverine for a moment...at first he thought the creature was mentally ill, but when he noticed the River otter laughing as well, it didn't take him long to understand what had happened.
With a long sigh, he dropped the blade back into the sand, and sat down shaking his head.

Tetra however absolutely hated being taken for a fool, but she also knew that whining about the cruel joke would just dig her into a deeper hole of ridicule... and it wasnt like she could physically do anything about it. so she just lay there, staring at the two in a Hot, embarrased anger.

"Sorry about that...It's been a while since we've had a laugh, you see." The Otter, still chuckling, commented from behind the wolverine.

"Yes, I must admit that was in bad taste... Forgive us, please."
Taross said. He then gestured to the cart. "If you can't walk, Captain, then you can ride in that cart if you please."

Tetra thought it was strange to hear someone not in her crew to be calling her captain. she was about to open her mouth and say something when movement caught her eyes on the ridge.

A lone rat had emerged from the trees further inland, and was stairing in horror at the bodies of dead vermin that littered the shore line.

"looks like we have a guest" Dax Muttered as he stared at the rat.

Suddenly another creature bolted out from the woods, and landed a hard kick on the vermin's head with a meaty thud. The vermin collapsed.

"Take that lunkhead!" The white weasel Yelled.
then another creature, an old, friendly looking vole with a long beard came walking over the ridge.

"The cart will not be necessary," the vole said, "I am a healer and would be happy to assist you, vermin though you may be. My name is Haaken Carnesir."

The weasel then glanced at Taross and adopted a smug expression
"What did your parents feed you?" he asked Taross rather rudely, "tree trunks?"

Tetra staired at the Beast and commented to herself.
"what the f... is this beast insane?"

The old vole then reached up and gave the Weasel a twist on the ear.

"I must apologize for my companion," Haaken said, "he is a reckless fellow. His name is Vikenti Whitedeath, though he calls himself Merce. How we came to be traveling together is a long story, one which I am afraid we don't have time for. Your friend needs medical attention as soon as possible."

Dax Took a glance at Tetra. "Well ma'am?"

Tetra Shrugged
"I dont see why not".
her voice then lowered
"Just keep a close eye on them... if they try anything funny, run them through. Got it?

Dax Glanced back at the two "aye, got it"

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

(By the way Kyo, are you a Wind Waker fan?)

Haaken walked over to where Tetra was laying and knelt down next to her. He eyes darted over the split that Dax had made as he took a diagnostic look at her. "The blow hit your lower body," Haaken said, "to low for your lungs or your heart to be damaged, so I think all I will have to do is reset of few of your lower ribs." He stood and turned to Dax. "Doing so will unfortunately cause some pain to her if we do not administer a medicine to numb her," Haaken reached into his pouch and removed a list of ingredients for such a thing, "I could send Vikenti to get them, but I wouldn't trust him with your captain's life. I'll go gather them and return soon."

The old vole started to walk up the beach to the trees but he couldn't resist a few last words. "Try not to move to much," he called to Tetra, "and keep an eye on Vikenti for me!" He then disappeared into the foliage.

"Keep and eye on me?" Vikenti growled as he walked into the shallows of the sea, his back to the other beasts, "what does he think I am? A kid?" He looked over his shoulder at them. They were a rag tag bunch. Two pirates, an otter, and a wolverine. "Why did I have to be stuck with them?" he asked himself, "I don't even know were I am!"

[Spook]

"Why did I have to be stuck with them?" Merce asked himself, "I don't even know were I am!"

Taross raised an eyebrow and glanced at Daniel, who in turn shrugged. Daniel looked at Tetra and Dax with a look on his face that he would have given a friend after seeing a child do something embarrassing. This weasel seemed to be rather sour. Daniel spoke up to hopefully stave off the awkward distance between the weasel and the others, "Well, you're on the eastern shoreline of Mossflower country... And allow me to introduce you to these creatures and myself. The giant creature who eats tree trunks is Taross the Warlord. And those two tough beasts over there are Captain Tetra and her friend, Dax. I'm Daniel the Galloglaich..."

While Daniel finished up the introductions, Taross spoke in turn, "Well, little one, if you must know, my parents fed me nothing. In the lands where I come from, beasts hunt and fight for food. My favorite food from that region must have been white weasels... Of course, the ones up there were very hard to catch and sometimes even tried to fight back. I wonder how difficult they'd be to hunt in Mossflower...?"

Daniel's face turned from friendly to surprised, and had a touch of concern. He glanced at Taross, who was smiling sincerely. Daniel wondered if he was telling the truth, or merely up to one of his jokes...

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

Vikenti turned back to the others as Daniel introduced all of them. Vikenti decided they might not be as bad as he thought. Then, Taross starting talking about eating white weasels. "I bit my sister a few times and I didn't think she tasted very good," Vikenti mused, "I guess white weasels are an acquired taste." He spoke as if he were not a white weasel himself, though he was quite aware of the fact.

Haaken came back from the trees, clutching a pawfull of herbs. "Luckily," the old vole said as he crossed the beach to where Tetra was laying, "the herbs weren't growing to far from the dunes! Now I just need to mix them." Sitting down, he drew a mini bowl and mixing stick from his pouch, pounding the herbs together and stirring them. "Now, all this will do is numb you," Haaken told Tetra, "but, just to show you it's safe, I'll use it on Vikenti." He whispered the last part so Vikenti wouldn't hear. "Hey Vikenti," Haaken yelled to the white weasel, "come over here!"

Vikenti, ending his conversation with Taross, ran over to Haaken. "What do you want?" he asked the vole. He stopped next to Tetra and knelt down so he would be on a level with Haaken.

"Here," Haaken said, "take a little of this mixture and eat it." Vikenti reached into the bowl and took a large pinch of the herbs. Sniffing it carefully, he ate them.

"They aren't bad," Vikenti grinned, "but they kind of lack flavor." Haaken stifled a laugh as Vikenti stood up, knowing the herbs would soon take effect. "Wath?" Vikenti said puzzled, "I thanth feel my legths!" He windmilled his arms, trying to keep his balance, but he fell over face first, just inches from were Terta lie. Haaken winced, expecting him to fall on the injured beast.

"Be careful Vikenti," Haaken said, "you almost fell on her!" Vikenti managed to roll over to glare at Haaken.

"You did thith to me," Vikenti growled, his speech still slurred by the herbs, "thtupid vole!"

Haaken picked up his cane and gave Vikenti a nasty whack on the arm. Vikenti didn't even seem to feel it, just giving a confused look and trying to shake his arm. "As you can see," Haaken told Tetra, "unless you are standing, which you are not, you will be fine, and free from pain! So, if you don't mind..." He handed Tetra the herbs, waiting for her to eat them to reset her ribs, and take a closer medical check. Haaken had a feeling, with a blow like she took, there might be something deeper than broken bones. Something the vole couldn't heal by himself.

[Kyo]

((Yes, i am ;D. Wind Waker was my favorite childhood game. when i wanted to create a pirate character, a wave of nostalgia hit me, Hence "Tetra". However her personality, along with everything ells, is original))

Tetra eyed Haaken closely as he emerged from the woodland. She was surprised at how fast the vole had identified, and gathered the herbs that were needed. Clearly this beast was well versed in the art of medicine. That was good, she wouldn't have let anyone touch her who wasn't. Even still, she hawk eyed the vole as he approached.

"Luckily, the herbs weren't growing to far from the dunes! Now I just need to mix them."
The two watched in silence as the vole produced a small mortar and pestle and proceeded to mix the herbs.
Dax was still feeling uneasy about this, and was about say something when Haaken answered the question that had not yet left his lips
"Now, all this will do is numb you," Haaken told Tetra, "but, just to show you it's safe, I'll use it on Vikenti."
The pair were both relieved, and a bit surprised by this. Dax glanced over his shoulder at Vikenti. The weasel was still bickering with the wolverine
"Hey Vikenti, come over here!" Yelled Haaken

The weasel broke his conversation with Tarros and jogged over to the three.
"What do you want?" he asked, in a slightly annoyed tone of voice

"Here," Haaken said, "take a little of this mixture and eat it."
Vikenti reached into the bowl and took a large pinch of the herbs, eyed them, then popped it into his mouth. He must have trusted the vole quite well.
"They aren't bad," Vikenti grinned, "but they kind of lack flavor."

Dax was able to catch a fleeting smirk on the voles face. Suddenly Vikenti started to stumble, and his speech became slurred
Wath?" Vikenti said puzzled, "I thanth feel my legths!"

It was quite a comical sight to see the weasel try to regain his composure, but to no avail.
Tetra started to chuckle, but pain quickly forced her to stop. Dax on the other hand was letting loose a heavy baritone laugh. It felt like ages since he had last done so.

Suddenly Vikenti windmilled his arms, and started to fall face first toward tetra. Dax's toothy grin Instantly dissolved. Leaping forward, he shoved the weasel in the opposite direction, landing with a thud.

"Be careful Vikenti," Haaken said, "you almost fell on her!"
Vikenti snorted back at him, his speech still slurred by the herbs.
"You did thith to me," "thtupid vole!"
Tetra couldnt help but laugh again, but this time a more serious wave of pain rushed over her. She yelled loudly.

Haaken quickly gave her the herbs. She clinched her teeth as the pain subsided, then emptied the bowl. Almost immediately the pain subsided, but she could still feel the hard pressure nagging at her bones where she was struck. She looked back up at the friendly vole, and gave him a nod. she was ready for him to proceed.

[Spook]

Daniel whispered to the giant wolverine, "Uh... You don't really eat weasel's, do you?" Taross heaved a weary sigh and spoke up above everyone else, "I was only joking. I'm not a cannibal. But I am rather hungry. I've got supplies in the cart. Daniel and I can cook some food up for everyone." He ended his speech by looking at Daniel and raising an eyebrow. The river otter grinned and winked at him. "Shrimp an' Hotroot soup comin' right up, mateys!" The two sprang into action, throwing things out of the way from the cart. A few random weapons dropped out of it: a large spike-studded mace, and claymore, and a battle-axe.

Taross grunted as he found some ingredients. "Here you go, Daniel. Smoked shrimp. Found the hotroot yet?" The otter replied, "Not yet, mate. I think it's under that huge sack there."
"Ah, yes. Here you go."
"Thanks, mate. Hey, I found the jug of water!"
"Good. Now, here are your spices. Goodness! They're pretty strong."
"Yep. Those are my special ones. I guess since we guests, we can use them."

The two creatures were totally occupied with the preparations. Daniel began pouring spices and shrimp into the jug of water, while Taross began building a sizable fire. "Hmmm...." he thought. "We'll need a bigger pot than that. Let's see... We've got six beasts to feed... And I'm sure you know how much I eat."

"Yes I do. Your stomach is an abyss. How about that one?" The otter was pointing at the giant pot in the middle of the cart. "That will do. Hmm, I don't even remember putting that there. I'm certainly glad we've got it now, though." The pot was large enough that a mouse could duck into it and not be seen from the outside. Taross hopped onto the cart and prepared to lift it. He gripped the pot from the opposite sides and heaved. His strength wasn't even strained in the slightest by the big iron pot. He jumped off the cart and flipped the cauldron into the air, turning it over. He caught it neatly and set it down lightly onto the sand.

Daniel and Taross dug a little pit around the pot and set it so that it wouldn't tip. They then scattered the flames around the pot into the pit surrounding it. Daniel then brought up another issue, "Do we have enough water?" Taross answered him, "Yes. We've got five jugs apart from the one you stirred your ingredients into. I never let my supply get lower than two." The otter said, "Heh, you're quite the traveler."

A delicious smell swirled up from the pot as the ingredients began to mix and simmer. Daniel dipped his ladle into the soup and sampled some of it. "Wheew! I've outdone myself. This stuff's good!" Taross attempted to dip his claw into the pot and try some, but Daniel flicked it aside with his ladle. "You'll have to wait, mate. Only the cook tries it till it's done, unless a taster is requested. I want this to be a surprise."

[greenfang]

(This is Merce, I'm just to lazy to switch accounts.)

Haaken went about his work quickly and effectively. By applying pressure in the right areas, he was able to set Terta's fractured ribs back into place. But as he did so, he felt that something else wasn't right. After he had finished, he stood up and turned to Dax, having to tilt his head quite a way back to see the polecat's face.

"I'm afraid the broken ribs are not all that is wrong with your captain," Haaken said regretfully, "I think some of her organs may have been damaged by the blow as well. This is an area of medicine I am not equipped to deal with at the moment. We need to take her somewhere where there are experienced healers."

Vikenti had had not eaten much of the herbs, so he was already beginning to feel mostly normal. He wandered away from were Haaken was preforming his work, not finding it very interesting himself. "That stuff smells pretty good," he said to Daniel as he approached the pot, "I do hope there arent any white weasels in it, I simply can not stand their taste!"

[Kyo]

((again sorry it took me almost a week to post, Ive been swamped with homework, and other things. add work on top of that, and I just havnt had the time i would like. ill try to post sooner next time))

Dax watched closely as Haaken proceeded to set Tetra's ribs back in place. The sickening pops that emitted from Tetra's torso might have Deterred other beasts from looking at the operation, But Dax Stood emotionless. He actually thought it was kind of nice for reseting bones to be a quiet process. He had seen the Surgeon aboard their vessel work with broken and dislocated bones before, but the only thing they could offer to ease the pain was a sip of rum....needless to say, the patients tended to be quite loud during the operations.

Dax checked Tetra's facial expression to see if she was in any pain, but Tetra didn't seem to be in any discomfort. In fact, she didn't even seem to be paying the slightest attention to Haaken...or anything for that matter. She was simply laying there, straight faced, staring up at the sky.

Dax then noticed that Tetra's Pupils were Fully dilated. She had Taken a MUCH larger dose of the herbs than Vikenti had.
Dax gave a slight laugh
It must have been effecting her in more ways than temporary numbness.

His Smile vanished when he saw the grave expression on Haaken's face as he stood up.
"I'm afraid the broken ribs are not all that is wrong with your captain," Haaken said regretfully, "I think some of her organs may have been damaged by the blow as well. This is an area of medicine I am not equipped to deal with at the moment. We need to take her somewhere where there are experienced healers."

Dax looked at him hard
"Your absolutely sure?"
Haaken Nodded.

Dax cursed under his breath, then looked back at Tetra. She met his eyes and giggled childishly, then gazed back up at the sky.
Dax stared at tetra for a few moments, then looked back at Haaken awkwardly.

"...I see... Do you know of a place we can take her? I have heard of a place called Redwall Abbey somewhere way south of here, but to my knowledge, most woodlanders tend to discriminate against "Vermin" species."

Dax sighed. "that is also, to my knowledge, our only option."

He watched sagely as Vakenti, bored with the conversation, walk over to the otter and wolverine. The two seemed to be cooking a meal.

Dax Looked back at haaken, "what do you think?"

[Spook]

Daniel smirked at the weasel. Winking at him, he bantered, "Heh... Don't worry mate. The only weasel that's going in here is the one who get's too close to the pot before I'm done with the stuff."

His keen hearing picked up the grim tones of the both the vole and the polecat. He perked up his hearing to find out what they were talking about. He caught that Tetra was still in severe condition. He also heard Dax mention Redwall as their only option and that they may not be welcome there. He stopped cooking for a moment and walked over to the big polecat. The otter looked him in the eye and told him flatly, "Trust me, mate, they'll help your captain out. I've been there and they know me. I'll put in a word for you and Miss Tetra. The creatures at Redwall are gentlebeasts, and they won't turn away an injured beast... so long as they don't feel threatened. Honestly, I'm more worried about Taross over there. You see, Redwall's only experience with his kind was a terrible one, so I'm sure they'll feel uneasy around him..." An uneasy silence crept up upon the scene. It was broken with Daniel's next words, "But... Taross is a gentlebeast himself. He won't do anything to make the Redwallers turn us away." He then turned to the giant wolverine, "Right, mate?" The big creature had head all of it. "Right, my friends. I'll wait in the woodlands if I have to."

Hoping that Dax was reassured, Daniel smiled at him, "Well, mate... I'm sure you an' your captain are famished. The soup's ready. I'll pass out some bowls and we can get started." Taross then stood up to his full height and addressed Dax officiously, "I know you and your captain are tired. I've lead enough battles to know when a beast is ready to collapse from fatigue. So, I'm going to lend you space on my cart to put your captain and yourself. Redwall is a fair distance away, and neither one of you could walk all that way. But in the meantime... Let's eat!!!!!" The giant creature tossed bowls around to everybeast and began ladling the scrumptious soup into his own.