Situation 4: July 15th to 31st

[vela]

When out in Mossflower, your character stumbles upon a badly burned and disfigured beast, that appears to have once been a squirrel, sitting in the charred remains of a hut. It appears unconcerned about it's condition, and invited you in for tea.

What does you char do? Dun dun dun DUUUUUUUUUN!

[Lisolette]

(ooc: Yay! ;D


Leofrick was whistling happily as he walked through Mossflower Woods. Suddenly, he stopped whistling and sniffed the air, A fire's been here, Leo me old boy! The hare told himself, and continued to walk through the woods. His whistling had ceased, and he kept a close eye on any smoke.

Leo stepped into a clearing. A burnt hut layed in ruins, all of it black and charred. Leofrick the Bell-Hare padded up to the hut and curiously searched the ruins. He found a pile of rubble that had once been part of the roof in the corner of the hut. Leofrick padded over to the rubble, and stepped onto what he thought was a carpet.

Then it wiggled out from beneath them.

Leo screamed and nearly fell backward, taking several paces back. What he thought was a charred carpet was actually a squirrel, almost all of his skin and fur burnt off, and every bit of him was black. The squirrels lips twisted into a crazed smile, and Leo realized that this squirrel had gone mad. It could've been the fire that made him mad, or something else. It could've been his madness that started the fire, or something else. The squirrel giggled, "Eeheehee!! Would ye like some tea!?" The squirrel said, swaying left to right.

Leofrick hesitated and began to pad over to him. He reached out to grab him by the shoulders to calm the squirrel and stop him from swaying, but the hare stopped himself, to not harm any burns, "Chap, ye are desperatly in need of the Infirmary Keeper back at Redwall Abbey. Now, c'mon, start rackin' your brain. I'm afraid I don't know how to transport a charred beast. Er..."

The squirrel seemed to calm down, and his eyes grew wide, "...Evilbeasts tortured me when I was just a little'un...They made me go bonkers, see? They turned me into a madbeast...I can hear them shouting at me and cursing me and callin' bad names...Sometimes I can feel their brutal whip upon me back...But now...Now, I don' 'ear'em...And I died with a gentlebeasts watchin' over me..." The squirrel shook, "Thank ye, so much sir...I burnt meself to get away from the evilbeasts, so I can be happy...But now...Jus' dyin' wit a hare like ye has made me the happiest beast on Earth." The squirrel rocked forward and back, before stopping, and falling onto his side.

Leofrick crouched next to the squirrel, "Now, now, old lad! C'mon, the Infirmary Keeper can ye get back on yer paws...Just don't..." He blinked back a tear, "Just don't leave me!!"

Leo put a finger to the squirrels throat. No pulse. Leofrick buried the dead squirrel underneath a large oak, and with a tear running down his cheek padded back to Redwall Abbey.

[Malum]

-whistles- creepy. post mine on tues... cause i sl...sl..sl..sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..Eh>.< Wha'? Oh, I'm sleeeeeepy.....

[iolana]

It was right at that time between spring and summer, when the boom of new life striving only to live has ended and everything is readying to resign itself to the seemingly endless summer months of long, hot days and short, hot nights. Mossflower wood was loud with the noises of a forest filled with creatures, but there was a stillness to the air as well. An expectancy.

On this day, Cadwen trudged through the forest, ears back, fur fluffed out, eyes alert. Being from the land of ice and snow, the arctic hare was more white and grey at this point in the season than brown and black, as a hare from the Mossflower region ought to be, and she stood out; on top of that, her fur was too thick for the heat, even after removing her cloak and tunic; and the grand icing on this irritating little cake was that pickings were slim, and she was hungry. Cadwen despised this place immensely.

Eventually, she came upon a small stream, and after drinking, sat down amid some brambles and watched the water. The stream was too shallow for fish, and once she deduced this, Cadwen stood and began walking again, in high bad temper. It was then she came upon a truly lucky thing.

In a small clearing not far from the stream was a small hut -- or what had once been a hut. It was mostly burned to the ground, except for one wall still standing and part of what must have been the roof. These created a kind of lean-to, and sitting in the doorway of that tentlike dwelling was a creature Cadwen had never before seen.

She did not approach at first; the wind was blowing south, away from her, which was probably why she hadn't scented the smoldering home earlier. A further moment of observation yielded that the creature who, apparently, lived there was a squirrel. Her fur had completely been burned off, and she looked rather like a horrifically burned rat. Cadwen's depthless dark eyes shifted, making sure there was no otherbeast present.

They were alone. Good.

She stepped out of the forest, smiling a strange little smile, and sauntered over to the disfigured squirrelmaid, who started slightly when she noticed her visitor.

"Greetings," Cadwen said, stopping in front of her audience. "Had a bad turn of luck, have ye?"

The squirrelmaid appeared to be quite young, and rather plump, now Cadwen was close enough to examine properly. She might also have been quite pretty, except for her wounds and utter lack of fur. She lifted her gaze to the hare for a second, then got painfully to her paws.

"Afternoon, friend," she said. Her voice was nasal and choked. Cadwen wondered how she was still alive, rather. "I've been having wonderful luck, 'onest. My name's Riverleaf; this is my home. I had a mate, but he's been gone for nigh on a season now, so it's just me here. Are you traveling alone?"

"I am."

"I see. Well. You look funny and 'ungry enough; aren't all hares? You are a hare, aren't you? Why don't you join me in a spot of tea? I've just put the kettle on not long ago."

"I would like that. I am quite hungry." Cadwen's smile was like an icy wind over the mountains of the north; she followed Riverleaf into the remains of her home.

A small robin chirped and swooped by overhead as the squirrelmaid and the haremaid disappeared from view. It was joined by two others, and they set up a cheerful cacophony in the clearing before starting a game of chase and flying off. The air was heavy with something, maybe rain. Somewhere in the stream was a splash -- perhaps some creature making use of the clear, fresh water, or maybe a frog playing at the surface for an insect snack. The light breeze that had been blowing south shifted, and began again in a more nor'westerly direction.

Cadwen was not long in the squirrel's home; after all, it held nothing for her. She removed herself from the dwelling and tugged at some burning embers, poking and encouraging them into another proper fire. It was over this fire that she thoroughly cooked Riverleaf's carcase and feasted on it, eating quickly in the manner of hares. She made a short trip to the stream for a drink, then left the area, traveling south as she had been for many, many seasons.

This time she strode on in good humor, leaving the remains of the hut burning hot, licking hungrily at the still, still air.



[[Cadwen the cannibal vermin hare strikes again! *evil cackle* ]]

[Dartpaw]

Wow... and I thought Lurana from Prince of the Waves was evil.

[iolana]

[[ I'll take that as a compliment! xD You're such a fast reader, Dartpaw...! :3 And if you guys can have "nice" vermin, then I can have "evil" woodlanders, so there! >3 My post wasn't too..... I dunno... graphic, was it? =/ ]]

[Dartpaw]

It's all cool with me

I think it's okay as long as you didn't actually go into detail with the "Feast"
Unlike a certain author.... when a wildcat got his face ripped off

[vela]

Ah, 'Lana, 'tis nastily awesome.

[iolana]

*bows dramatically* Than I shall worry not! x3 Thankee, thankee both.

[Malum]

Malum walked along through the woods grumbling.

"Stupid Otter. Oh, I'm the protector of Holt Rudder, Vermin! Leave, and do not harm anybeast or I'll keep talking in this ridiculously heroic voive! BLAH BLAH BLAH!" Malum said, moving her paws as if it was talking.

Suddenly, she screamed out, backing away.

"EEEEKKK!!!" She said, grabbing her sword as the thoroughly charred remains of a squirrel stood up and spoke.

"Hey! Watch where you're walking!" The squirrel spoke, yawning.

Malum gulped.

"Sorry....I'll watch where I'm going next time." Malum said, trying to walk away.

"Hey, where you going? I need a favor!" The squirrel yelled.

Malum didn't turn to look, but she just kept running.