Posts by Remuslupin

Gretchen's appearance caught Asher off guard, and Hail's scent on her moreso. Was that water dripping from her fur? Was she wounded? The stoat tensed.

"Attack her," he whispered under his breath, glancing at Mirabella.

Asher moved forward, passing Gretchen up.

"I could hardly care about that," he drawled. "Surely you don't take me for toomuch of an idiot, especially when your plans are as painfully clear as they are. Mirabella can talk to you if she wants. I'm going after Hail."

Asher wasn't sure what made him stop, but his shoulder suddenly stung and felt warm, and when he lifted a paw to touch it...sticky, and with an arrow in it. Great.

"She's not alone!" he yelped, putting extra effort on the wheels to go faster. "She's got an archer!"

"Y-Yes, I--" clutching the dagger in his paw, Asher barely had a moment to look up before he saw the second arrow, hurtling straight for his face. Gnashing his teeth, the stoat ducked, and it whizzed over his head.

"Idiots!" he shouted.

I would have killed her right off! Asher thought, taking no chances and continuing as quickly as he could after what was probably Hail's scent.

He kept his eyes flicking around the landscape, on alert for any more arrows. The dagger felt odd in his paw.

"Hail?" Asher called, slowing down a bit. No answer but eerie birdsong and leaves rustling, as well as the voices of Mirabella and Gretchen and somebody else from behind him. The stoat flinched. Perhaps he should go back.

Asher unhappily wheeled himself around and started back towards Mirabella. Now that the urgency was gone, his shoulder stung, and the stoat gritted his teeth.

"Wherever he is, it would be foolish of me to continue on alone." he muttered, eyeing Mirabella, and Gretchen, and the rat with the bow. His claws tightened around the handle of the dagger.

Of course.

"Where is 'with us?'" Asher glared at Knotch and got ready to duck again.

Asher grimaced and foolishly threw up his paws, gasping when the arrow met with his forearm. He ripped it free and tossed it behind him, blood streaming down his arm.

"Mirabella!"

"What are you doing? You have the chance!" Asher waved the dagger at her. "Kill him!" he seethed.

"Tell us how to get to Hail, and we'll forget this whole thing ever happened." Asher rebuted, a lopsided grin decorating his face as he saw just how powerful Mirabella actually was. Where did she learn to use a bow?

Asher bared his teeth.

"Try me!"

Approaching Gretchen, the stoat waved the dagger dangerously close to her nose. "I have killed more creatures than you can imagine, Mouse. If Mirabella says that I can, I will happilycarve your throat out while he watches." Or if she does nothing whatsoever either way. He brought the dagger to himself and admired the blade. Oh, how he itched to use it.

Mirabella's next comment caused Asher's previously insulted expression to form back into one of amusement.

"And if you don't pick, well, better for us because then you both die. I," he elaborated, grinning down at Gretchen, "Happen to have slain a wolf while confined to this chair, among numerous others."

Yes, most happened to be in situations of backstabbing or where the victim was already wounded, but the mouse didn't have to know that. Would Mirabella be disgusted at him for bragging about it? He didn't care.

Asher laughed bitterly, pressing the blade near Gretchen's neck, the aforementioned bloodlust lighting up his eyes.

"You are unaware of who you're dealing with." the stoat hissed. "I know each and every trick in the book, Gretchen." He turned around suddenly, but did not remove the dagger. "Rat, make your choice, I am getting impatient!"

Asher watched Mirabella and huffed in resignation before trying to mimic that move with his dagger, and on Gretchen.

Asher didn't move.

"Let me kill her. Or him. They will not even be aware of it."

Asher shook his head. No. I must. "Leaving them alive will come back to haunt us. I promise, the blood will not be on your paws, Mirabella." I will not leave without using my dagger on somebeast at least once.

"Yes, but what I do here can still impact my standing in Redwall. You mustn't leave me." Asher wrestled with himself a bit, then leaned over and attempted to cut the bottom of one of Gretchen's hind paws--so they will have trouble chasing us, he thought.

He tucked the dagger into his cloak and glanced at Mirabella.

"Lead on."

"Is he near?" Asher was glad Mirabella had kept the bow, and her words were oddly reassuring. He pulled up beside her and tasted the air.

"I...can't tell."

Asher cringed.

"What are you implying?"