Redwall Abbey (Role-play Thread, PRIVATE)

Frosten had barely taken the time to close the kitchen door before she saw Viitar from the corner of her eye. “Eavesdropping?” She said, turning slightly toward him. He does realize I can see just as well in the dark, doesn’t he? Then again, he’s smashing himself against the wall as if that’ll make him less visible.

Ben paused at that, studying Viv’s expression carefully before his gaze shifted to the burrow where Everly and the two wolf pups had gone. “Whose pups are those?”

Vivienne’s claws curled in and she walked over to the burrow so that she stood in front of it rather than beside it. “They’re Kip’s.” She said. “You aren’t going near them. Do yourself a favor and walk away before I turn this into a fight.”

“Again?” Frosten was about to ask him what he meant by that, but in the next moment the door to the kitchen flung open. She had to sidestep to get out of Aura’s way.

Aura’s quills were puffed out. She’d heard him all right. Of course he wants to see the fire again! “What do you think you’re doing, Viitar?” It took every ounce of her self control not to scream at him. “Wandering the Abbey by yourself? Trying to get another glimpse of the fire?”

“Kip’s?!” Ben took a sharp breath and felt his shoulders tighten. “What are you doing with his pups? What are you doing here at all?” Talk to me, Viv.

“I said to walk away and I meant it.” Vivienne slammed her forepaws against the ground and bared her teeth. “If you say one more word about Kip or ask one more time about Lowfrost I’ll make you wish you didn’t run into Everly in the first place.”

Aura stamped her hind paw on the floor and fixed her eyes on Viitar. “Scartooth!” She turned to Frosten for a moment, unable to veil the anger flaring up inside. “Good luck to you.”

Frosten glanced from Viitar to Aura, then departed down the hallway after nodding to the hedgehog.

Talisa’s ear flicked up and she groaned. She didn’t have to strain her ear to hear Aura shout Scartooth’s name. What’s got her mad at him?

Ben turned to walk away, but he stopped mid-step. As much as he wanted to be mad at her, he couldn’t be, and despite the icy glare she continued to give him, he could see something else behind it. She’s scared.”Vivienne,” he said, “give me a chance.”

Vivienne flinched, becoming aware then that her eyes were stinging. Pain pierced her heart and she tore her gaze from Ben to look at his blood on her claws. “We left him.” She clamped her eyes shut.

“You aren’t to go anywhere in this Abbey without Scartooth, do you understand?” Aura snapped, looking at Scartooth once he got himself over to them. “Viitar here wanted to see the fireplace again but couldn’t because Frosten and I were talking in there.”

Ben wanted to reach out, to go and sit by her while she told him what had her so upset, but he knew he couldn’t without infuriating her further. He swallowed a hard lump forming in his throat. Finally making himself move, he turned his back to her. “I never wanted to hurt you—to hurt us.”

“Go.” Vivienne didn’t look at Ben. “Now.” You broke us.

“And in case you weren’t aware, you aren’t allowed to wander the Abbey by yourself. If you want to go someplace by yourself, go back into Mossflower.” Aura said. “Otherwise, you are to stay with Scartooth at all times.”

Vivienne listened for Ben’s paw steps leaving and looked up in time to see him disappear into the undergrowth. Her heart sank a little and she let out a breath she felt she’d been holding for hours. Turning around, she reached out her forepaw and knocked on the door to the burrow. “You can come back out now.”

Meriska shook her head and glared at Everly. Being back in one of her many burrows she’d made over the course of her life filled her with anxiety, and seeing her kits sleeping through the argument going on outside only worsened the feeling. “Who was that?”

“Vivienne’s former mate, Ben.” Everly replied, looking at Meriska and their kits with a pang. He couldn’t keep dragging them along, and Meriska made sure to remind him of it. After a moment’s silence, he headed back out of the burrow and left Darcy and Acu inside. He winced when he stepped outside. Viv looked like she was one word away from falling to pieces.

“You will be sorry if you do it again.” Aura’s quills flattened out and she turned to go back into the kitchen, but not before glancing sideways at Scartooth. Keep an eye on Viitar or so help me I will lose it on him.

“I’ll stay here with them.” Vivienne looked at Everly as he walked over to her side and she closed her eyes for a couple moments. “If you run into trouble, don’t be afraid to scream.”

Everly nodded his head once, deciding then and there not to ask how the conversation had gone with Ben. “We can always go back to Salamandastron and talk to the badger lord about other options if things don’t work out here.” With that, he went into the burrow to grab his dagger before going into Mossflower.

Aura huffed and lowered her head slightly, nodding once to Scartooth before stepping back into the kitchen. She closed the door and walked back over to her chair, picking up the blanket before sinking into the seat.

Frosten ruffled her fur, taking in the faint sunlight and stifling a growl when she looked up at the gates. She unlatched them, then pushed them open just enough for her to slip out and be able to close them behind her.

The rays of sun beginning to stretch down to the forest floor tempted her to lie down and sleep. Pain from her wounds had kept her up most of the night, but the bleeding had stopped. This forest just keeps going and going and going. Maybe I’m just getting slower. Maybe I’m dead and I actually did bleed out yesterday.

Frosten took one look over her shoulder at the gates before taking off into the woods. She stopped by the makeshift den she’d used yesterday for Marcy and Clarice and took out a few things she’d brought with her from Salamandastron.

Her nose twitched and her eyes widened. The scent was muddled in blood. Her forepaw reached over to hold her scarred left wrist, and for a moment she hesitated. Every ounce of curiosity and mischief drained out of her, but she attempted to hold on to it as if it was a lifeline as she went ahead to follow the scent. I’m probably not smelling what I think I’m smelling anyway. It still feels like my head is drifting through the clouds, and not in a good way, either.

Frosten picked up the pace once Redwall was swallowed from view by the trees. I have to find Cringe before Brute decides he wants the locket back first.

Twirling her seaglass necklace in one forepaw, she stumbled a few more steps before straightening up. She walked on unsteady paws for a little while longer, finding the scent easier to distinguish as she got closer and soon realizing that there were two scents rather than one. Her heart hammered in her chest and she froze, taking one last step forward. A small clearing overshadowed by the canopy of trees above gave way to a slope, and at the bottom she looked at the creature just as he looked back at her. Her tail curled around her hind paws and for a moment, she thought perhaps it wasn't the same fox--until he said her name.

"Vi." Rowe's fur fluffed up and he worked his claws into the dirt, unwilling to take his eyes off of her for a second. Blood covered the little rat's body from a few fresh wounds. He quickly shifted his bad leg behind him and bared his teeth slightly.