Morning in Brockhall (Mossguard)

[Onyxwing]

Rewhane watched the troops mill around in the Mess yard before him. It was just before dawn when most of the patrols replaced their nightime counterparts. The badger would send out patrols and head one himself. Rewhane began to put on his large ghillie suit and paint dark green patterns across his face. He looked up at the rising sun and swung the heavy camouflage netting across his face. It was time to resume their role as the Ghosts of the Woods.

[Wildrun]

Swingshard K. McVoolren refused to get out of bed.

He would not move.

Not ever.

NO.

...At least, not until the matron ripped the sheets out from under him and dropped his breakfast platter on the floor with a crash. "Fine!" griped the shrew. "See what I care, bringing you a nice sharp hunk of cheddar in the morning--"

And like magic, Swing was on his feet, cheese in hand, crushing the matron in a formidable hug and slinging his officer's sash over his shoulder. "Ach, there's no need ta yell. It's bright an' early, wot? Time for a 'onorable h'officer of the guard to do his duty, wot!"

The hare wasted no time in heading to the yard--breakfast would have to wait. He could escape being late, thanks to the matron, and besides...sinister whispers had floated around the mess hall the night before. Something was brewing out there, the guard members muttered. Maybe something to prepare for. Swing shook his head, making his ears flop about in a way unbecoming of an officer; rumors were rumors. Right now, he was needed in the yard or Field Marshal Rommel would have his tail.

[Onyxwing]

Rewhane started off the day patrols by reading from the long roster of choke points and strategic look out points to be occupied by the guard. He himself would lead a roaming patrol to check on light fortifications, hides, and tree stands throughout the woods. He gestured to the hare, Captain McVoolren.

"Your with us. I'm taking the younger recruits out to fix fortifications and I don't know if i could stand that rabble alone!"

The badger smiled warmly at the Captain and finished his equipment with his massive Zweihander, blow pipe (that stood as tall as a hares pike), and Lochaber ax. Looking up at the sky again he caught the first glimpse of storm clouds.Better hurry up the badger thought. "Morale drops quickly in troops when exposed to rain, sleet, or snow" The qoute from the book of his forefathers rang clear through his head. Grinning broadly he yelled

"MOVE OUT!"

[Wildrun]

Swing saluted smartly, and his ears quivered as he stood to attention. "Sah, yessah!" Seeing the badger with his impressive weaponry, Swing's paw instinctivley went to his waist, grasping the hilt of his epee and making sure the sabre and rapier were firmly attached to his belt. They were, of course, and the hare fought to swallow a grin. Going for a romp with the younger recruits was always amusing, if only to see how Rommel dealt with the stupider ones.

The warriors scrambled to assemble at their leader's call, and Swing loped genially to the front of the formation. "We're goin' for a hike, wot! Heads high now, rain's only a bother if it goes up yer nose!"

An otter to his left looked quizzical. "But, sir, if we keep our heads up, won't it be easier to get rain in our noses?"

"Er...nevermind, then, be miserable, and let's go!" Without waiting to hear a response to his sarcasm, the hare moved out with such suddeness that the newbies nearly tripped over their tails. "You heard the badger, let's go!"

[Onyxwing]

Rewhane walked down the path just a bit ahead of the patrol. They were already entering the over grown woodland that the Mossguard could use their camouflage in. Looking up at the gray sky he remarked to Captain McVoolren;

"Fine day for a little morning patrol eh?"

He walked farther along and with expert eyes spotted a sniper's hide.

"Tally ho on the hide up there!"

He yelled back to the recruits. Upon walking up to it he saw that it hadn't been used in a long while. He checked the massive map (that looked more like a war table) of Mossflower that marked all but the most secret of areas and found it hadn't been used in a season! And this was one of the important routes! Rewhane shook his striped head at the error and called to the Captain and recruits;

"Lets get to work!"

He began showing them camouflage techniques and scolding two particular troublesome otters. The repairs were soon underway on the hidden woodland structure.

"

[Cooper]

Cooper didn't spend too much time around the headquarters. Wandering came naturally to him and those in charge usually saw fit to just play to a soldier's strengths. Also, the hare had arrived at their doorstep, as it were, with an inexplicable skill at scouting. He'd mumble something about picking up the skill here or there, but the truth of course was he was professionally trained by the Long Patrol, a fact he'd somehow still managed to hide from his comrades. But he was the rare hare in Mossflower Wood, and he couldn't quite drop that Salamandastron accent, so whenever some creature sent him a curious look - any sign that they were figuring him out - Cooper made himself scarce.

So Cooper was frequently out combing through Mossflower, gone for days or more at a time from Brockhall, but to always return with as descriptive report as he could muster, which was always thorough and often intuitive. Of late, things seemed to be stirring in Mossflower and aside from making the woodlanders nervous, it was making the Guard more cautious and more vigilant. About a fortnight ago, his thoughts had turned to Redwall, a frequent target for vermin attacks. The abbey was far; almost as far as Salamandastron was from it, but considerably easier to get to.

Respectfully and in that quiet tone of his, he'd requested to scout north and west a fair distance, his intent to get a good look around Redwall. It probably had something to do with the Long Patroller in him; the Salamandastron regiment was forever keeping their eye on the redstone abbey. Permission was granted, and Cooper scooted off quickly before the badger thought to send a partner with him.

Now the hare was returning, light in step despite the cold weather and looming storm clouds. He wasn't in camouflage, and truth be told, he wasn't very often. Being a scout who was usually traveling, Cooper could hardly be bothered to worry about keeping a stash of paints and dyes on his person. He only worried about having his weapons; he usually didn't even bother packing traveling rations. Also, camouflaging himself -which he could do with materials about the woods if he truly saw fit - seemed more detrimental to his cause than not. Part of being a scout sometimes meant speaking to the woodlanders, and being covered in camouflage would make him look suspicious and intimidating.

The long, sensitive ears caught the sounds of the creatures nearby before he saw them. Knowing they must be some of his own comrades, he detoured a bit to drop by and see what they were up to. About to call out a friendly greeting, the hare lost all his momentum as he caught sight of the hulking badger that was calling out orders. He hadn't counted on such an abrupt meeting with the MossGuard's leader. Composing himself, he quickly threw Rewhane a salute.

"Mornin' s-sir," he stuttered, not out of fear, but having quickly swallowed back his Salamandastron accent defensively. He hadn't quite mastered it yet. His surprise at having encountered the badger unintentionally didn't show on his face. His expression was fairly impassive, thoughtful at best.

However, those blue eyes strayed a little to Swing; the other odd hare toting about Mossflower. Swing made him nervous. Although he had no memory of the other hare, he'd probably never even met him before, he'd known the other hare had spent at least some time at Salamandastron. From what little information he'd managed to glean, it seemed Swing had only been at Salamandastron for a short bit, and well after Cooper had left. Still, Cooper had a big family back at the mountain, and he was concerned Swing may have heard of him. In any case, nothing had happened yet, and Cooper did his best to avoid too much time around the other hare.

[Ocutrum the Scourge]

Ocutrum had been wandering from beyond the edge of the woods.

For Days.

Alone.

His clever disguise had allowed him to slip through the woods, an occasional helpful creature helping him, all he ever did was smile after he left, for he had slipped a bit of poison in their storage water. His left leg was covered in a large, stiff white bandage, his missing eye was covered by one as well, fake bloodstains on it, contaning real blood. He also bore a fake badage on the tip of his tail, which had actually been severed slightly some seasons ago. In his right paw he bore a walking stick, leaning on it constantly, and image of pure pain on his face.

As he grunted forwardm he reached a small edge of trees, meeting a unique seen. A Large Badger..... A Badger...., he thought, I might be able to take them all down.... Sooner or later I should journey back after this place.... And Redwall..... To get my Horde..... Grunting into the clearing, he rolled his eye back into his head, an odd thing he had learned as of late, and collasped, just loud enough for the neraby hares, and hopefully so and not, the Badger himself.

[Wildrun]

Swing's ears twitched at the sound of Cooper's voice. The hare glanced up briefly, not turning his head away from the work he was doing on the sniper's hide. Occasionally he wondered about Cooper--until he had joined the guard, he had been under the impression that he was the dazzling loner hare in Mossflower. The question always hovered right behind his teeth--where did you come from?--but considering the distance the other hare kept between them, he never asked.

"Find anythin' interesting?" he inquired of the scout, still not looking up. The green recruit assisting him had managed to get himself tangled. "No great whoppin' evils lurking around, I hope."

The recruit laughed, but froze as Swing's ears shot up and the captain turned on his heel, paw reflexivley on his epee as he stared at the bushes.

What was that?

[Rorgus]

Tanyn strode alongside of the big badger, trying hard to keep up with his long strides. He glanced up trying to look casual. as he kept pace with the badger. He knew if the badger knew he couldn't keep up he would slow down.

They arrived at a little clearing where Rewhane stopped and looked around. He apparently saw something the Tanyn could not. Then he pulled out his big map and looked at it.
They set to work restoring one of the out posts that hadn't been used in a long time. They had to camouflage it as well. Tanyn was good at camouflage, he could hide quite well. He glanced over at two of his otters that were getting scolded by Rewhane. He chuckled,
"That should teach them a lesson or two." He said to himself. They found new branches and leaves to put on the outpost which wasn't very big. They cleaned out the inside as well, and Rewhane was showing them the finer points of camouflage.
Tanyn cast about for a piece of bark. He found several quite large ones. They standing up to a tree he put the bark around him so he would blend in. He waited wondering how long it would take for Rewhane to notice he wasn't there. He grinned to himself as he waited.

[Onyxwing]

(((Just posting for a valid IC reason for an OOC reason fro being a little inactive )))

Rewhane got up from work as a runner rushed into the clearing.

"Sir your needed for a traning session for new recruits!"

Rewhane nodded and called to Captain McVoolren,
"Your in charge, fix this hide and take the group on a patrol. As for you, Cooper, take a leave back to Brockhall, you've earned it."

with that the badger started off to Brockhall. Time to impress some new recruits.

[Wildrun]

((Sorry for the wait))

Staring intently in the direction of the miniscule sound, Swing's ears twitched, pointing this way and that, straining to pick up any iota of foreign noise. He waved a paw impatiently to hush the young otter behind him, who's question died on his lips.

The shrubbery seemed frozen, as if caught in some act. Behind the group of Guards, birds chirped as usual in Mossflower, but in the direction of that noise there was nothing. Slowly pulling his epee free and stalking forward, Swing motioned to Cooper to move with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the otter Tanyn hiding by a tree and made a mental note of his position.

Instinct made the hare's back tingle as he approached Ocutrum's hiding place.

[Onyxwing]

(Rewhane won't return for a couple more posts but here's posting order)

1.)Onyxwing

2.)Wildrun

3.)Cooper (Tracy)

4.)Ocutrum

5.)Rorgus

[Ocutrum the Scourge]

His body slightly numbed from the fall, he kept up the act, iching forward as if in pain, his limbs clawing him slightly forward. "Help...... Me........" He said in a thin, tired, and dry voice. Each of which, was true to the nature. His bandages pulled against the ground, and he groaned in pain, pretending to black-out.

[Eckolet]

Hearing a commotion in the forest she was traveling through, Eckolet swung through the trees, intent on finding someone in this blasted woodlands. At least on the coast a squirrel could see further than a few meters in all directions. She bounded from one branch to the next, careful not to slip on the wet surface in the trees. It would be a sorry sight to see, a squirrel falling through the branches because her grip had been lost.

Eckolet came across the area where the noise was coming from and saw the scene at a glance. An otter and two hares, with a vermin nearby in the bushes. She could see it all from her vantage point in the trees. Carefully pulling her bow free, she strung it while the hares got closer to the rat. Eckolet pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched in on her bow, pushing hard on the branch she was on to signal the hare where she was. The last thing Eckolet wanted was to get caught in the crossfire.

[Rorgus]

Tanyn watched carefully as Swing approached the bushes. He carefully drew his katana trying not to make any noise. He just wanted to be sure that there wasn't going to be any trouble. And if there was he wanted to be ready for it, he moved away from the tree and a little closer to swing, wondering when he would attack. Tanyn stared very intently at the bushes, he could just catch a glimpse of some color.

Tanyn drew his bow out, stringing it he notched an arrow to it and pointed it at the bushes.
" Come out of there." He said in a deep voice,
" and don't try any tricks or I'll put an arrow through you." He hoped he had frightened the creature enough to not try anything, he really didn't want to have to kill it.

[Onyxwing]

Rewhane walked back to the clearing to check on the patrol. Upon entering the clearing, the badger drew his Zweihander at the noise in the bushes.
"Come out or we're coming in!" the badger bellowed as he prepared to give the charge order.

[Wildrun]

Holding his epee lightly in one paw, Swing inched forward. His ears twitched at the vermin's croaks, and using the tip of thw sword he cautiously pushed a sprig of foliage back to reveal the wounded beast. The hare stiffened, unsure of hw to react. His ears quivered with instinct to defend himself, but from what? An injured creature was an injured creautre, even though he be vermin.

Lowering his sword point infinitesimally, Swing took another step forward. Behind him, his commander and comrades had made demands. Eyes narrowed, Swing asked in a low voice, "Cen ye stand, mate? Cen ye speak? State yer name an' business an wot 'appened to ye."

Momentarily lowering his guard, the sword point fell just another inch.

[Cooper]

Find anythin' interesting?"

Cooper shifted his gaze hesitantly to Rewhane to see if he had any questions for the hare scout first, but the commanding badger instead gave Cooper his leave before lumbering off himself. Cooper slid his gaze back to Swing. Although the hare was younger than him, Swing still outranked him, so he shrugged out a reply to his question. "Not really." He kept his reply brief, as he always did around the other hare.

At times, Cooper wondered if Swing found him rude or insincere. Or perhaps the other hare thought he held some kind of ill-will towards him, especially since Cooper seemed fairly friendly and warm with his other comrades. The thought crossed his mind again just now, and he opened his mouth to give Swing a little more information, but lost his nerve all over again. "No, jus' a whole lot o' nothin' really, mate," he added before turning away.

Cooper decided to take Rewhane's suggestion to heart now. The hare was tired and welcomed a rest at Brockhall. As if a secondary thought, he tipped his head in a casual farewell to Swing and the others in the clearing before tramping off, his footfalls all of a sudden feeling too heavy and slow in his fatigue. He passed Rewhane returning to the clearing and lifted a paw a bit in a passing greeting. He continued on his way, imagining a warm nap before cooking himself up a nice filling meal. Just as he was piecing together the parts of his meal in his mind, he heard the badger's rough voice back in the clearing.

"Come out or we're coming in!"

Cooper paused and briefly considered his options. After only a few seconds he had to quirk a smile at himself. How was this even a choice for him? When did his situation in life turn to where he could keep walking at this point? Shaking his head at himself, he pivoted on his heel and returned to the clearing, drawing his dirk as he did so

What he came upon in the clearing surprised him, in a terribly underwhelming way. His comrades were gathering around a wounded creature who didn't even seem to have the energy to stand. Although given the creature was rat gave him pause, he hardly saw the reason for all the concern. Cooper even considered turning back again and slipping from the clearing before anyone could notice he'd returned.

But recalling Rewhane's sharp command from earlier and eying the various drawn weapons (he'd already sheathed his own) he decided to stick around. He could at least make sure things remained calm, which when push came to shove, Cooper was the best for.

[Ocutrum the Scourge]

Ocutrum hazily, and slowly, opene dhis one eye. His dry throat, which felt hoarse, croaked out slowly. "Help....... Me.... Please....." He then closed his eye, pretending to be unconcious, and rendered his body limp. The Dock leaves on his body made him feel trapped in his disguise but he knew better than that.

He twitched his body some for effect, and stopped. His tail was completely still, his breathing at a low. His heart pumped slowly, though he knew not why. All he did was wait. Wait for their reactions.......

[Onyxwing]

Rewhane sheathed his Zweihander. This beast was wounded, and even though it was a rat he could hold his temper. Eyeing the rat carefully he ordered
"Sheath your weapons!" Still watching the rat he ordered two of the recruits to help the rat up.