Thinking and Exploring

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

At exactly midday, Gorjo Tallshrew, the new Log-a-Log of the Guosim decided to take a leisurely walk in his beloved Mossflower Woods to explore and think about his new position.

He always wanted to be Log-a-Log, and dreamed of the day he would lead the Guosim.

Gorjo sat down on a smooth rock at the great River Moss's bank. Pulling the stopper out of the flask of cold strawberry cordial he had brought along, Log-a-Log took a swig and wiped his mouth with the side of his paw. Sighing he rolled of the rock onto the lush green grass under the shade of an old oak. Tomorrow the Guosim would have a much earned break; first playing and swimming in a stream and then traveling to the wonderful Redwall Abbey where most of his relatives lived.

As Gorjo lay thinking on the grass he began dozing, thankful to be alive.

[Jack Of Blades]

The red cloaked fox fished nearby the Log-a-log. He used an unusual method of fishing, using his blades to grab the fish and using the flat of the blades. He was The Jack Of Blades of course, not many others fished this way. Once the basket was full the fox packed up and started down on the river-side. Jack barely noticed Gorjo and nearly stepped on him as he passed, narrowly missing he looked down at the shrew. His eyes were just barely seen which were slightly confused as the rest of his face "Sorry..." he said pulling his hood even further over his hallow pupils and turning to leave the area back to his band of rogues.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

Log-a-Log was peacefully dreaming about Redwall Abbey and its legendary feasts. He was in the middle of serving himself a slice of warm apple pie and drinking a beaker of cold dandelion-and-burdock cordial when he heard the fox apologize for nearly stepping on him.

The surprised shrew instinctively drew his sword and jumped up. Seeing that the fox did him no harm Gorjo cautiously greeted him.

"Hello, friend. Lovely day, eh?" Gorjo offered the fox his flask of strawberry cordial.

[Jack Of Blades]

Jack watched the shrew jump up, he just watched without flinching. He looked over the shrew with his hollowed pupils "Hmm..." was the only thing he said in his mind half the time. Jack could only offer a sad smile and a greeting back "Hail, ye might say that. Great fishing." The fox said quietly. He shook his head, rejecting the flask "Thank ye for the offer." he said again in the same quiet voice. He stood there, tail waving and swishing about in a catlike manor and he tossed quiet thoughts through his mind. The day was a bright one, nice for a walk and chores among things that were nice for this type of day.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

Log-a-Log Gorjo withdrew the flask as the fox rejected it. He pulled out the stopper and took a long sip. As he put the stopper back in an arrow zipped out of the forest and buried itself beside the rock Gorjo had sat upon, missing horribly.

Gorjo yelled, "Get down!" as he threw himself flat. Another arrow was fired as Gorjo crawled behind a think green bush. The shrew peeked over the bush and saw a rat notching another arrow to his bow.

[Jack Of Blades]

Jack saw the arrow and his blades were instantly in his hands. He stood, already assuming the area that the archer was. Another arrow zipped at him, he easily knocked it away. Several others missed him, then the fox did a side-long roll and ducked behind a bush in wait. A peaceful day? Heh. Earlier he was challenged by 2 rogues but threw them off quick enough. Jack fiddled with his blades in his hands, ready to go into a fight as soon as possible.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

As the fox ducked behind the bush, Gorjo unslung his bow and drew an arrow from his quiver. He notched it and, drawing the string back to his jaw, he aimed with his only eye. The rat was confused, he didn't know where Log-a-Log and the fox were. The rat notched an arrow and fired at a bush he though the shrew and fox were hiding behind. They weren't.

Twang!

Log-a-Log fired his arrow. He peeked over the top of the bush and saw his arrow has taken the rat in the neck. Another rat shot an arrow right at Log-a-Log's head at the shrew's right side. It grazed his cheek but luckily caused no real harm.

[Jack Of Blades]

Jack observed the shrew, then saw the rat fall grasping at its neck. Another rat made himself obvious from where he fired, instantly the fox darted knocking aside most of the arrows that were going to hit. Narrowly he caught one at his neck and another notched his ear. By the time he got the rat it had a short sword out. The rat made a clumsy wide sweep with the blade and Jack drove the rat's arm out wide. Making the blades dance and the rat fell quick enough. He glanced around and back to the shrew. Jack wasn't sure if that was the last of them.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

A majestic female stoat walked out from the shady cover of some dense trees as Jack slew the last rat. She has gold rings, some studded with rubies and emeralds and an evil-looking cutlass. The stoat wore a long green cape with a deep purple border.

Gorjo notched arrow to his bow and watched her.

"I see you have slain my two rat comrades." She sheathed her cutlass and looked at Log-a-Log and Jack. "Hmmm...a fox and a shrew working together. Strange." The stoat turned away without another word.

Log-a-Log called out, "Wait, who are you?"

[Jack Of Blades]

The fox cleaned his blades on his already crimson cloak. He looked up and watched the female, HE listened with little care for it. But her voice was so smooth, he just listened and looked. A pirate? Thief? Rogue? He didn't know nor could he tell. Jack looked over the cutlass, fine crafting it was and seemed balanced enough. The fox walked over to the shrew and wondered who that was as Gorjo called it out. But, as long as no more trouble befell them he was relatively happy.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

After Log-a-Log Gorjo Tallshrew called out, the strange stoat suddenly whirled around and slashed at Gorjo with her cutlass. Gorjo was wounded in his left arm from the slash but he clumsily fired his arrow, dropped his bow, and drew out his sword. He lunged and caught the stoat on her shoulder. She faked a blow to Gorjo's head but and tried to cut up from under his blade, but he was ready and blocked it, then stabbed her in the paw, making her drop her cutlass.

[Jack Of Blades]

The fox waited then when he saw the chance after she had been disarmed. He instantly came up behind her, both blades touching her neck. She struggled some, throwing his hood up enough to see his eyes. Jacks eyes were a golden-rod color with no pupils but a black line where the pupil would have been. She stayed still after a moment. He wouldn't say anything but this "I recommend you leave." He simply said in a near whisper that sounded intimidating enough. The stoat considered it but held strong.

[Jinn Poleblade]

A crashing sound from the woodlands beyond the riverbank gave away the aproach of a hefty otter taking little care to disguise his footfalls. His sleekly muscled form moved into the clear space of the bank. He wasn't wearing his vest today, so the heavy bardiche strapped across his back was the only barrier between the sunlight and his many scars and decorative tattoos. The seabird on his brow flexed its wings as he peered at the strange scene. Some stringy woman-stoat was trapped between Jack's sabres while a wounded shrew looked on. The wings flexed upward as his eyes opened in surprize.

"Jack! Wot's goin' on 'ere? Yew've bin gone ages!" He seemed to pause a moment, then reached his arm back to grasp the polearm as he scowled. "These beasts both'rin' yew?" He would stand nobeast interrupting with his lunch! ... Or his partners.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

As the otter greeted the fox, Jack, Gorjo made a dockleaf poultice with herbs for his wound.

"Nice try, stoat." Gorjo picked up her cutlass and inspected it. He whistled approvingly. "Nice blade y'got there. Pity it's mine now, eh? Well, y'shouldn't 'ave tried to kill us, you an' yer rats. Ya still didn't answer me. Who are you and who were those rats, eh?"

The stoat angrily replied, "I am Hilea. Those were my comrades you slew."

"Hilea, eh?" Log-a-Log turned to the otter. "Hello, mate. This fox 'ere is your friends, eh? My name's Log-a-Log Gorjo Tallshrew, but you can call me Log-a-Log or Gorjo, that's what me mates call me, both. And you are?" Gorjo sheathed his sword and stuck his right paw out to shake.

[Jack Of Blades]

Jack's ears flexed toward the sounds in the forest. He instantly knew it was either Brish or Jinn. He looked and waited for one of them to wander out of the forest, he was right though it wasn't Brish it was Jinn "Only one of em Jinn, The shrew over ere is a friend." he explained in the quiet voice he normally spoke in anyway. Jack twisted his blades on the flats, he didn't want to kill the stoat just make her leave. Shortly after she said her reasons of being here, Jack hit a pressure point with the hilt of one of his blades and she was now unconscious.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

Log-a-Log watched Hilea on the ground, now unconscious, as he wiped his blade on the grass. He was pondering over what to do with her.

"What should we do with Hilea, mateys? I was thinkin' we could jus' leave 'er, or wake 'er up and make 'er get out of 'ere, you know tell 'er to run or we are gonna shoot 'er. Usually works quite well." Gorjo shrugged and awaited the fox and otter's answer.

[Jinn Poleblade]

Jinn scowled, his eye on the shrew, making no move to shake his hand. His gaze turned to Jack and he nodded acceptingly, taking his paw off his weapon. "If'n yew says so, Jack..."

He stood at a more relaxed pose now, watching as the she-stoat slumped to the ground. His barrel chest rumbled as he chuckled lowly at the sight. "Oi'd say yew won't 'ave to worry baot 'er no more anyways. If'n yew takes out their buddies, they don't fight no more." His tattooed face wrinkled in a toothy grin.

"So, uh... Why are we consortin' wiff shrews now eh, Jack? I don't think I much like shrews..." His muzzle wrinkled in a more thoughtful gaze. He thought that they were supposed to kill beasts like the shrews. It was what he signed on for after all. Murdering-thieving-hypocritical lot that goodbeasts were. He didn't trust them at all, even if this one seemed to have helped Jack. Or perhaps Jack helped the shrew... He didn't know, and thinking about it made his head hurt. He just knew he wasn't sure this was a good idea.

[Jack Of Blades]

Jack just eyed the stoat "Leave her ere, nothing to gain from killing the lass. Unless ye wish to rob er of items be my guest." Jack replied, he was a more merciful vermin than most so he only killed if provoked. The swords vanished back into their sheaths and Jack bent down on one knee to see what she had. Rubies and gems along with other precious treasures were found. "Looks to me as if'n she'd thought that she'd be undefeated." He pointed out, standing up with a handful of gems. He considered it "I was gettin' our fish ere' and nearly crushed this one under me boot. So I said sorry, ye know I tend ta do that." Jack explained holding out the basket of fish.

[Ltc. Hubert Greenburrow II]

Log-a-Log snorted, then laughed. "Crush me, eh?" Log-a-Log turned to Jinn. "And you, shrews like myself are trusted comrades with most otterfolk so watch your tongue. You two can either come with me and my shrews and be given food an' drink or not, your choice." After he had spoken Gorjo turned and walked away, after giving a haversack of enough provisions for the defeated stoat to travel far away with, calling as he went, "Run, stoat, ya don't want those two to catch up with you!"

[Jinn Poleblade]

Jinn's grin widened at the notion of Jack stepping on the overlarge shrew. He gave a gruff chuckle before he spoke. "That would've been a messy soight, eh? Yew'd neva get the gore out from 'neath your claws!" His chuckles were still reverberating in his chest as he reached out and grabbed the basket of fish from the fox, easily hoisting it one-pawed and resting it on his shoulder. "Yew've got to quit appologizing to such as them, mate."

The scowl returned to the otter's previously placid face at being threatened by the shrew. What a rediculous notion, this little bugger telling him he ought to watch his tongue! He pawed his bardiche angrily with his free paw.

"Oi really don't think oi loikes this 'un, Jack... 'E threatened me!" While it may be true that most otterfolk got along quite peacably with the shrewfolk, Jinn was not most otterfolk. His scowl stayed firmly planted as he watched the shrew walk away. He was not as appologetic as his comrade, nor as friendly as his kin.