define('WP_CACHE', true); Afrin – Crossed Paths – Logs https://crossed-paths.com/logs The Story Thus Far... Mon, 03 Feb 2014 01:03:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.6 Chapter 88: Escaping Afrin https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/397 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/397#respond Fri, 04 Jul 2014 11:00:16 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=397

Continue reading]]> Chapter 88: Escaping Afrin

In Which Our Heroes Get the Show on the Road.

———————————————————————————————

Chris: Holst trots back into the building they came from, tossing the key ring into the yard on the way. “I’ll take us past the infirmary first.” After threading down a few halls, across a courtyard, into another building, Holst opens a door bearing a red cross.

Arrin: The otter’s eyes sweep the room briefly before they fall on the only figure in the room, a small figure curled into a fetal position on one of the beds. Slowly, the otter approaches. Soquan freezes as he hears a babe’s cry, and with a questioning look towards Holst, he moves again.

Chris: Holst stays at the door with the foxmaid. He merely shrugs at Soq.

Arrin: Soquan arrives at the female’s side, placing a gentle paw on her shoulder. Her head snaps up wobbly, and after a hushed, serious sounding conversation he stoops slightly to retrieve a swaddled bundle from close to the female.

He looks sadly at the female for a moment, giving her face a comforting stroke before his paw goes to the kitchen blade at his belt. All it takes is one quick movement and the female is gone, her head lolling to one side. His face grim, Soquan leaves the blade at the bedside and strides past Holst and towards the door, his voice full of emotion as he speaks. “Let’s go.”

Chris: Luckily, Holst had anticipated something gruesome could have happened in that room and had kept the foxmaid in the hall. He was surprised at his own feelings however.  Truthfully, not what kind of feelings, but the fact that he had begun to have them.

He nodded, closing the door behind them.  After countless doors and passageways the two arrived to the yard and began heading to the guard house.

~

Catamount: Azrun and Jozra had met up with Zander soon after leaving the compound. Not that he was hard to find with his huge entourage of freed prisoners.

The woodrat had managed to get the people organized and they were gathering together supplies for the upcoming trek to Kodan. The group of children are quickly able to incorporate into the larger group, many meeting up with estranged parents and other adults taking others under their wings.

Mission completed, the three Scorpions quickly have a short conference and then Azrun and Jozra head off to the guard house.

~

Arrin:  Soquan fusses slightly over the small bundle in his arms. “He’s so tiny… how could anybeast hate someone this small and helpless?”

Chris: Holst merely shrugs. “Sometimes it’s not hate. Sometimes it’s just a lack of remorse coupled with orders. Since those giving the orders are distanced from what they’ve created, terrible things can happen.” He squeezes the foxmaid’s paw unconsciously as he leads Soq out of the yard and eventually to the guard house.

~

Catamount: Azrun and Jozra arrived at the guardhouse before Soq and Holst. Had the otter and red fox approached a little quieter, they might’ve caught the ferret and kit fox acting almost like kids let loose in a toy shop.

Kids with the intent to take the toy shop with them.

Azrun opens the door as the others approach, quickly looks them over and beckons them inside. “Good, we’re going to need some help carrying all of this to the mob.” He gestures to the weapons bundled up and strapped together, ready to move.

Arrin: Soquan motions briefly to the babe nestled in one arm. “I’m afraid I can’t be too much help, but I’ll carry what I can.”

Chris: Holst releases the foxmaid’s paw and walks into the structure with the intent to help. His eyes, however, catch a glint from something hanging on the wall. He walks over and almost ceremoniously dons his black duster, placing his chain across his shoulders before turning the collar down over it.

With a final touch he removes his gloves from the breast pocket, donning them as well. A thin smile spread across his face as he turned back to his companions. He paused almost as if to wait for compliments. “Aw come on…” His fangs showed in a crooked grin. “You know you missed me.”

Catamount: The ferret chuckles, knowing the feeling. Almost of their own accord her fingertips brush the top of the hilts of both, both! her knives. Azrun is already wearing his bow and quiver like they’re a part of him.

“Here’s your pack,” Jozra hands the bag to Holst and then eyes the foxmaid. “Do you think you can carry some things for us?”

Chris: Holst slings it over his shoulder and stoops to pick up a few things. He is delighted to note the foxmaid nods and stoops to pick up more than he had initially.

Catamount: Jozra smiles encouragingly at the foxmaid and then hefts some more items to carry herself. “We only need to get this to Zander’s group. If we run into any… trouble, we’ll need as many beasts with weapons as we can.”

Arrin: Soquan picks up a few bundles of weapons, carrying them neatly under his arm. “Good idea, Joz.”

Chris: Holst walks outside with the foxmaid in tow. A rather diverse collective of beasts throng about randomly. He wades through the sea of beasts and comes upon a group of stout beasts dragging sledges. He sets his weapons down, grateful to strain his muscles on his own accord.

Arrin: The otter relinquishes his load as well, careful not to jostle the sleeping babe. He pauses a moment to adjust his cloak into a sling-like state before heading back for another load.

Catamount: Jozra and Azrun deposit their loads and as the kit fox heads back with the otter, Jozra approaches Zander. “Are we about ready? I think we need to be on our way as fast as possible.”

Chris: Zander ticks a few digits as he collects his thoughts, ending the process in a nod and a bit of a grin. “We’re ready to move as soon as the sledges are full, which should be …” He watches as the kit fox and a few others return with bundles. “Now.”

Catamount: Jozra chuckles. “Lets get this show on the road, then.”

Arrin:  Having been following the conversation between the small group, Soquan hops onto a boulder nearby that gives the otter enough leverage to look over the swarm of beasts. “Alright you lot, can I just say a few things here?”

The otter doesn’t shout, but he manages the make his voice carry over the rabble of beasts. The chaos stops and eyes turn towards him. “We’re about to get moving here, and we’re going to be moving HARD and FAST. I know you’re all tired, hungry and overworked, but those hares will be riding our asses the whole time and we can’t afford much lagging. Now, you don’t have to come with us, although it’d be best if we all stick together.”

He pauses to look over everyone again. “We’re heading north, to a city called Kodan. Now, this probably won’t be a permanent home for most of you, but at least it’s away from here. Now, are we all ready to go?”

Chris: A hush settles over the crowd. Then, waves of confused and discontent conversations roll across the beasts. Holst notes this and hops up onto the rock, placing a paw on Soqs shoulder.

“Friends, I too slaved away at the paws of these hares. This brave otter, however, I am proud to call a friend. He speaks for us. He is with us. Without him our escape would not have been possible. Trust his judgment as you would trust mine.”

Arrin: Soquan turns slightly to grin at the fox before turning back at the group. “I don’t presume to be a leader, I really am just trying to help. All I know is that Kodan is the closest city that I know is safe.”

Chris: The crowd’s spike of conversation and discontent returns to a hush as the collective ruminates on what was said. Though it is obvious Holst’s words have turned their suspicion of Soq.

Catamount: Standing near Zander, Jozra has a good view over the heads of the mob and what she sees towards the city proper, she does not like. To Zander she says, “We need to leave.”

To the crowd, “Look, if you’re going to stay, stay. If you’re going to go, we need to go NOW.”

And with that, she hops off the rock and starts walking towards the city gate.

Arrin: With one last look at the group the otter hops off as well, falling in beside the ferret. “Quick and straight to the point, I like it.”

Chris: Holst hops off the rock as well, trotting up to the duo. “I hope we can keep this up, we need all the help we can get.”

Catamount: Jozra nods. “I saw tall ears massing in the city. We need to get away before they can start a fight.”

Arrin: Soquan hefts his pack. “I wonder how long they’ll chase us for.”

Chris: Holst reflects a moment on Soq’s comment. “Not too long, order in the city is paramount. We’re scum to them, not worth too much a chase.”

Catamount: Zander nods in agreement. “They’re not organized enough to do both at once.” His words are punctuated by a sudden flare shooting up over the crowds and back towards the city.

Jozra and the woodrat freeze for a moment, the image bringing back unpleasant memories. And just like her nightmares, there’s Azrun, nocking another flaming arrow.

Arrin: Soquan follows the arch of the arrow as it lands on the tinder-dry rooftop, causing it to go up into flames. “I suppose that means we need to move.”

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/397/feed 0 Chapter 87: Freeing The Children https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/395 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/395#respond Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:00:38 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=395

Continue reading]]> Chapter 87: Freeing The Children

In Which Freedom is a Very Good Thing.

———————————————————————————————

Chris: Holst takes the lead, figuring he knows the facility best of the three. He pads up to his cell block and down the corridor, stepping over the hulk of the hare he had fought earlier and opening the door at the end of the hall. “This way!”

Catamount: The ferret follows quickly behind the fox, hands idly checking the now dual hilts at her hips.

Arrin: The otter is right behind the ferret peering around the encampment as they move swiftly.

Chris: Holst winds them through more corridors, the destruction less and less evident as they move away from the cell blocks. They were now in the administrative section of the compound. He leads them down a hallway to a door, a small rectangular window letting light flood in. “It’s right through here.” He opens the door and walks through.

Outside, the massive sides of what could be called a cage shone dully in the morning sunlight. Inside, were ramshackle structures that appeared as if they would crumble in a strong breeze.

Holst plucks a key ring from the wall of the building they just exited, walking to a gate on the cage and unlocking a massive padlock. “They kept them away from the rest of us…” The rusty gate shrieks open, the sound reverberating in the heavy air. “…so that we couldn’t give them hope.”

Catamount: A shout goes up as the gate creaks open quickly followed by a muffled sound of scurrying. The ferret looks through just as the stragglers hide inside the shacks or stand in small groups, looking entirely too innocent. A moment later and the children realize that these were not the wardens they thought the three were.

Arrin: The otter peers around in the gloom, his heart wrenching painfully and his gut churning as he takes in the conditions these poor children were kept in. A soft, unrestrained sentiment escapes his lips. “Oh the poor dears…”

Chris: Holst takes a step inside and walks toward one of the scattered groups, they back away fearfully. His eyes soften slightly. “You’re all free… Although, I know some of you don’t know what that means, trust me, it’s a very good thing.”

He pauses to settle the quiver that had begun in his voice. “We would just like to know if there’s an Azrun present.”

Catamount: Jozra steps through after Holst, looking at the small groups of children watching the three distrustfully. Another moment and a movement catches her eye.  A small, wide-eyed sand colored fox with overlarge ears and loosely fitting clothes moves a little away from his group. He squints at the ferret and looks taken aback. And then in a voice not at all like a child’s he says, “Jozra?!”

Catamount: The ferret grins a little. “Figured we’d find you here, Azrun.”

The grin fades though as she looks around the enclosure again. “We need to get out of here, fast. Zander’s getting everyone organized outside.”

She hesitates. “We know of a safe place…” She sort of gestures at the groups of children.

Arrin:  Soquan takes this as a cue of sorts and turns a soft smile towards the children. “Alright kiddoes, you lot want to head off with us then? Once we’re safe we can track down your mums and da’s. That sounds like a good idea?”

Chris: A lot of the children look to each other. A few of the children cheer and begin to come forth. Most of them just look confused.

Holst places a paw on Soq’s shoulder. “For those of you who don’t have them… there’s warm beds and lots of good food.”

By now the children were gathered around the three, expectant faces pointed upward.

Catamount: Azrun chuckles and shifts his posture a little, the childlike appearance melting away save for his own smallness and the oversized ears. “They’re smart kids, they know what’s good for them. “

He winks at a couple and they grin back. “Lets go, shorties. Auntie Joz says we need to move fast.” Jozra just gives Azrun a dirty look at the last bit.

Arrin:  The otter gives a short laugh at the ‘Auntie Joz’ comment before turning to the pair. “Why don’t you take the kiddies to Zander, Holst and I will do another sweep of the area to be on the safe side.”

Chris: Holst fights the uneasiness of parting from his companions and nods, looking to Joz for confirmation.

Catamount: Jozra pauses a moment, unsure, and then slowly nods. “We’ll meet up at the guard house. They have our stuff there.”

Arrin: Soquan sends an affectionate smile towards the ferret. “Stay safe.”

Chris: A child tugs on Holst’s shirt.  He bends down to listen as the child whispers in his ear and points to one of the huts in the cage.  Holst’s expression turns to bewilderment.  He nods and addresses Joz. “You remember the way back?”

Catamount: The ferret nods. She’s long since gotten back into the habit of crafting accurate mental maps. “Yeah. And the guard house, it’s hard to miss. It’s the first place they took us.”

Arrin: The otter nods. “We’ll see you there.”

He turns to Holst. “Where to first?”

Chris: Holst gives him a bit of a grin. “Give me a moment.”

He trots over to the hut the child pointed at and opens the makeshift door. Inside, huddled on a scattering of straw, was a foxmaid.  He pauses as her deep eyes set on him, the fear behind them all too evident. A pang hit his heart, his tattoo feeling as if it were tingling.

“I know you’re scared of us… I know this all you’ve known.  All I can tell you is that it’s better, much, much better, outside of these walls.” He reaches out a paw for her to take.  Painfully slowly, she grasps it. He leads her to Soq. “Just had a straggler.”

Arrin: Soquan offers the female and a friendly smile. “Hello there.”

Chris: She waves timidly, still clutching Holst’s paw. Holst addresses Soq. “We should probably get going.”

Arrin: He gives a wave of his paw. “Lead on then.”

~

Catamount: Azrun looks back out at the children, most of them looking at him expectantly and with more trust. “Alright shorties, lets go.”

He turns briefly to Jozra and under his breath, quiet so only she can hear, “Strike hard?” “Strike fast,” is her answer.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/395/feed 0 Chapter 86: Breakout https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/393 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/393#respond Mon, 30 Jun 2014 11:00:39 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=393

Continue reading]]> Chapter 86: Breakout

In Which Gates are Opened.

———————————————————————————————

Catamount: The ferret hurries down into the street and takes her pack from Soquan. “Hurry, we need to break the camps open.”

She looks at Zander. “These people need a leader,” and then stares at him pointedly. Zander grins somewhat sheepishly. “We’ll meet you all at the gates.”

Arrin: He grins slightly at Jozra’s comment and gently grasps her arm before she darts off again. He takes out her dagger from within his cloak and offers it to her. “I believe this is yours.”

~

Chris: Holst’s eyes harden as he slips the proper key into the lock and swings his cell door free. He steps to the middle of the hall facing a large-framed hare.

Holst speaks. “You sure you don’t want to call some of your buddies to save you this time?”

The hare merely growls.

~

Catamount: The ferret takes the small knife back with the slightest of smiles and in another motion has concealed it somewhere on her person. “Thanks. Hurry, they won’t stay distracted long.” She leads the way against the press of people towards the camps.

~

Chris: The hare lunges, a meaty fist tracking Holst’s jaw. Holst ducks and rushes in, landing a heavy punch to the hare’s gut. The hare stumbles and Holst takes advantage of the hare’s loss of balance to grab his arm and slam him viciously into the wall headfirst.

While the hare is still stunned, Holst lands a savage blow to the hare’s own jaw line.  Holst takes a step back and waits for the hare to rise. The hare glares as he unsteadily gets up on his foot paws. Holst can’t help but smirk.

~

Arrin:  Soquan grasps her arm again. “Wait I…” He pauses and pulls out the folded piece of parchment he had been working on earlier. “I want you to read this when things have calmed down and we’re safe.”

Catamount: The ferret looks at the otter quizzically, and then nods. She takes the piece of parchment and tucks it into her pack. “Ready?”

Arrin: He gives her a smile and nods, hefting his staff. “Let’s go get our friend back, and kick some tail end while doing it!”

~

Chris: Holst rushes this time. Too early, he winces as the hare’s meaty fist digs deep into his side. His body crashes against a cell door, the hares other fist finding Holst’s temple.  Through the starbursts, Holst sees his opportunity.

He ducks through the hare’s arms and out of his reach. As the hare turns to face him, Holst manages to land a kick square to the hare’s jaw. The hare falls back reeling from the blow.

Holst waits a moment as he lets a part of his soul go. “Forgive me…” He lands a powerful strike to the hare’s throat, collapsing the cartilage and sealing off his airway.  T

The hare chokes and gurgles as his eyes betray astonishment, confusion, but above all: fear.  Holst turns his back, walking out into the flood of sunshine in the yard.

~

Catamount: The ferret leads the way through the quickly filling streets, Zander’s shouts to organize the people receding behind her. Along the way she shouts to the confused populace. “Take only what you need! Food! Water! We’re all leaving and we’re leaving NOW.”

Arrin: Weaving through the streets of absolute chaos with the ferret at his side, he turns to speak to her while dodging around a burly looking squirrel. “Hey, you’ve been scouring around this place more than I have, where’s out first stop?”

Catamount: Jozra points up ahead, narrowly avoiding poking a nervous young otter that happens to be rushing by in the eye. “We’re getting our friends out of that place.”

Just clearing the remaining roofs in the slums are the first of the walls and fences surrounding the ‘work camp’ compound.

Arrin:  Rushing towards the gate of the compound, he can spot the massive swarm of beasts inside. Inspecting the chained and padlocked doors, he calls back to his companion as he wedges his staff into the loop of the padlock. “I’ll need your help getting this open Joz!”

~

Chris: Holst looks out over the sea of beasts, their gradient increasing towards the gate.  Hares were left behind bloodied and bruised, some were dead. The stronger ones were still holding their ground …somehow.

~

Catamount: The ferret nods at Soquan, looking back towards the gate and away from the fence. The entire structure did seem practically impassible, with the gate as the only portal in or out. “What do you need me to do, Soq?”

She has to shout this, as the noise from the crowd behind them and the noise from the crowd in front of them was nearly deafening.

Arrin: Soquan grasps the end of his staff tightly and shouts back at her. “Grab on and on three, we’re gonna push, okay?”

He braces himself. “One, two, three!”

~

Chris: Holst trots down into the crowd, former adversaries merely giving him a glance as they focus on the gate. Holst stops at the body of a dead hare, stooping to pluck something from the front of his uniform.

~

Catamount: The ferret grabs and pushes on Soquan’s count. For a fraction of a second, nothing happens, but as the two put more pressure on the lock it suddenly snaps open.

Arrin: Soquan untangles his staff from the mess of lock and chain quickly, before unweaving the chain from the door and swinging it open for the prisoners.

~

Chris: Holst watches as the crowd begins to flow forward revealing bodies of guards, and here or there a prisoner that had had it coming to them. He pushed along with all of the other beasts, anxious to be on the other side of the gate.

~

Catamount: Jozra tries to start forward but realizes that will be impossible with the amount of beasts trying to get out. Instead she stands aside and tries to get a glimpse of two very different foxes.

Arrin: He tries to gaze above the crowd for Holst for a few moments and turns up about as much as his companion. Finally he cups his paws and does his best to shout over the din. “Holstadt!”

Chris: Holst perks his ears for a moment, but dismisses it. He had already told himself that they would not be waiting for him.

Suddenly he glimpses a ferret looking out of place. He swivels his head and sees Soq. His heart jumps as he yells out their names. “Soq, Joz!”

Catamount: The ferret’s ears perk up as she hears her name through the din. She scans in that general direction for a moment and then spots an only vaguely familiar fox. …is that Holst?

Arrin: Soquan’s ears perk up and he scans over the crowd again. Spotting the fox, he grins broadly and waves an arm over his head. “Holst!”

Chris: Holst trots over, stopping a pace away from the two. Without thinking, he reaches out both arms and hugs Joz.

Catamount: The ferret, relieved to see their traveling companion again, hugs back, though she almost instantly realizes how weird that is. Before the three parted ways in the prison cell she never would have expected a hug from Holst.

Arrin: Soquan takes a few steps over towards the two and reaches out, clapping the fox heartily on the back. “Good to see you around, Holst.”

Chris: Holst pulls out of the hug and reaches out a paw to offer a handshake to the otter, his bare forearm displaying a winged-cross tattoo.

Arrin: The otter notes the tattoo before grasping the fox’s paw and giving it a shake. “Nice tattoo.”

Catamount: The ferret eyes the tattoo a moment but returns her attention to trying to find another fox. Again she scans the crowd.

Chris: Holst’s eyes dart to Joz and Soq. He instinctively hides his forearm against his stomach though he couldn’t hide his nervousness. He merely nods.

Arrin: Soquan scans the area as well. “How are we gonna do this from here?”

Catamount: Jozra notices Holst’s nervousness and is puzzled. It’s almost like he thinks she should know something about the tattoo. But she has more pressing concerns. “I’m not sure…”

Chris: Holst, still keeping his forearm to his belly, tries to see what they’re looking at. “Who are we looking for?”

Catamount: Jozra bites her lip. “We met an old friend of mine outside, he said another was in here. His name is Azrun. He…” How much to tell? “…he’s a short fox. He might’ve looked like a child to you if you saw him.”

Chris: Holst thinks a moment, shrugging with finality. “No clue, children were kept separate from… us.”

Catamount: Jozra’s brow furrows. This might present a problem, or it could make finding the archer fox easier. “Do you know where?”

Chris: Holst nods. “Northeast corner.”

Arrin: Soquan looks in that direction,  squaring his shoulders a bit. “I’ll go.”

Catamount: Jozra eyes Soquan, a little puzzled. Even if the otter knows Azrun’s name, Azrun doesn’t know Soquan. Scanning the seething mob once again and hearing Zander’s voice off in the distance, Jozra turns back to their reunited group. “I think we should all go. If we get separated again it might be hard to find each other.”

Chris: Holst grins. “After all that time in there I’m not letting you two out of my sight.”

Arrin: The otter nods. “Alright then.” He pauses as he looks at the other buildings in the compound. “We should do a good sweep of the place, make sure there’s no beasts stuck inside.”

Catamount: The ferret nods. “Azrun first, though. He’ll help us.”

Arrin: He nods yet again. “Let’s go then, this chaos won’t last forever, we need to be quick.”

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/393/feed 0 Chapter 85: Bells https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/391 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/391#respond Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:00:31 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=391

Continue reading]]> Chapter 85: Bells

In Which the Alarm Is Sounded.

———————————————————————————————

Back at the Hovel, Soquan begins to stir. The previous night flashes though his minds eye, and the otter’s eyes snap open as he looks over to check on Jozra.

Noticing the ferret’s absence, and the presence of the necklace-wrapped dagger, he rises from his bed. After taking the objects into his hand, he moves to shake Zander awake. Once the woodrat is conscious, he presents the dagger to him. “Something tells me you know something about this.”

~

Jozra chooses to leave the way she came in and returns to the broom closet. As she opens the door, however, light from the main room’s narrow windows penetrates the small closet and reveals a map with a detail that shouldn’t be there.

The map shows a large part of the continent including the desert, most of which is marked with the words “Unexplored” except for a prominent river, the Ravine, and a small valley.

Jozra freezes. Then quickly fetches a candle, lights it, and ducks back into the secret office to investigate further.

~

Zander makes a show of blinking his eyes blearily and gazing at the dagger with incomprehension. Then he catches the look in Soquan’s eyes and drops the act.

He sighs. “I don’t think I have the answers to all of the questions you’re asking.” He glances out the window, noticing the daylight.

“Hurry. We need to pack everything we’re taking with us. I’m not sure when we’re leaving but we need to be ready for it.”

~

With the day advancing swiftly, Jozra knows she only has a short time to find out why this hare had a map that included Oparanth. And it’s soon apparent why the room was secret. Classified dispatches from a ‘Lord Brind’, detailed maps, reports, preliminary plans.

There’s too much to take but it’s too important to just leave behind. Praying she has enough time, Jozra begins breathing deeply, finding a sort of a trance state. Another useful tool all Scorpions learned was memorizing precisely detailed information.

Too precisely in some cases, with unnecessary borders and embellishments thrown in. Information memorized in such a way isn’t readily accessible, locked away as it is. To have more than one chance to relate all of it, exactly as seen, is incredibly rare.

Jozra begins the memorization process.

~

Soquan gives Zander a hard stare for a few moments, then a nod. “Alright.”

He shakes his head while moving across the room.“That ferret and I need to have a nice, long talk when this is all done with.”

Blankets, food, and other useful things in the Hovel that can be taken are scooped into packs and deposited by the door.

On edge, the otter watches Zander as he keeps watch while idly fiddling with Jozra’s dagger. Suddenly, he makes a small, frustrated noise and takes a piece of parchment from the packs, and writes.

Zander watches Soquan curiously for a moment, and then goes over his small apartment once more, making sure everything necessary is taken, hoping that Jozra shows up to carry the third pack.

No, just that she shows up.

The woodrat finally settles himself on the window ledge, watching.

~

A knock on the main doors starts to break Jozra’s concentration. She’s read through and memorized most of what is in the secret office, much of which is vital information though she can’t make that distinction in such a state.

She begins the deliberate process of locking the memories of what she’s looked at into her head as a guard finally opens the main door and calls to the other room. She’ll need a key.

Usually it’s a mental key, but with this much information in this short amount of time, she’ll need a physical one. The document with orders involving Oparanth and bearing the seal of Lord Brind will do very well indeed.

By the time the hares have discovered the murder and are calling the alarm, Jozra has finished her memorization trance and has lit various piles of paper, and particularly the large map, on fire.

Document safely tucked behind a sheath against her leg, Jozra vaults out the ventilation hole. The hall is a mess; the news has spread fast. Servants and guards rush about urgently but without purpose.

Someone has the presence of mind to ring the bell at the top of the building and, surprisingly, other bells take up the call. She hadn’t thought to look for a city wide alarm system.

~

Holst’s stay in the prison camps has not been good to his physique. As his stay lengthened things had gone from bad to worse and, along with his body, his will began to deteriorate as well.

Until he heard the bells.

Normally, their wake up calls were sharp raps on their cage like cells. Bells meant something had gone wrong. He was up from the dusty ditch he called a bed in an instant.

He peered out through his cell bars and noticed the camp in utter chaos. The night crew hadn’t been locked down when the bells began and were giving the guards some trouble.  Any guards not in the fray were frantic.

Now was his chance.

~

Zander jerked upright as he heard the bells. Out the window he saw a detail of hares race up the road, towards the city proper. He turns to Soquan. “Now. We need to alert everyone.”

~

In the palace, Jozra is pursued. In the confusion she’s able to often lose her pursuers, but the ferret in the black cloak is a dead give away, anyone stupid or brave enough gives chase.

The open window is a convenient escape.

~

Soquan glances up at the woodrat and nods, scribbling something quickly on the parchment before tucking it away with the dagger. He picks up two of the packs and double packs them.

“That leg of yours up for some running?”

~

Holst leans his frail weight against the bars of his cell to no avail. If he were in the yard perhaps he would have a more tangible chance.

Suddenly, the door at the end of his cell block bursts open. The hare feebly attempting to hold back a mob is trampled and beaten savagely. As Holst pleas to the passing beasts he merely receives dirty looks and curses.

They knew what he had done.

Soon the hall is empty except for the hare in his death throes. Too far for Holst to reach the keys.

He sinks to the ground, head in paws, how much longer would he have to pay for it?

~

Jozra isn’t surprised when the two hares pursuing her hesitate to jump out the window onto the roof as well. They seem very secure in their ground dwelling ways. She’s able to get ahead and, with a few tugs on strings, the ‘robe’ is now free to use as a decoy.

She drops it on an unsuspecting hare as he races around the building. The other hares, since they don’t look up, catch glimpses of their quarry through the crowd, and are disappointed when it turns out to be one of their own.

Jozra skulks away, moving through back alleys as fast as she can without revealing herself for further chase.

~

The woodrat raises an eyebrow as he shoulders his own pack. He grasps his cane tightly. “It’d better be.”

He leads the way down the stairs and out into the street where already slum-dwellers are beginning to mill in confusion.

Soquan gazes around the area and shouts just enough to be heard to those close by. “The hares are in a panic, if you all know what’s good for you, you better get out of here now.”

He sets down the road and motions for Zander to follow. “C’mon let’s go get Holst and whoever else wants to be busted out.”

~

Holst pulls himself together, his mind clicking with its familiar logic. His puts his emotion an arm’s distance away. There had to be a way to get out, there always was.

He scans the floor for anything that might help. He grabs for something. His paw grasps it.  He frowns, a twig can’t do much.

~

Zander shouts over the commotion that breaks out after Soquan’s statement. “Take only what you need! Stay together! There’s strength in numbers!”

He thinks a little. “And we could use some help, breaking our imprisoned friends out!”

~

Jozra’s made it back to the roof tops. By now nearly everyone in the entire city has spilled out in confusion on to the streets. She can move faster that way, though she’s more exposed.

An arrow whistles by and punctuates that point, fortunately into a chimney and not into herself. She’s able to out distance the archers quickly, though, and is soon back in the slums. The ferret casts about, looking for her companions.

On the ground, Soquan manages to spot movement on a nearby roof. He squints a moment then gives a shout, waving a paw. “Joz!”

~

As Holst is grasping for something to help him out of his cell, a shadow blocks the light flooding into the hallway. The figure steps over the dead hare, looting the keys and tossing them within Holst’s reach.

 

“Let’s finish this, killer.”

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/391/feed 0 Chapter 84: Shadows and Blood https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/389 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/389#respond Wed, 25 Jun 2014 11:00:22 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=389

Continue reading]]> Chapter 84: Shadows and Blood

In Which The End Begins.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: Four hours before dawn Jozra wakes. It was definitely now or never. Before even moving out of her bed she double checks her remaining throwing knives. She slips out from under her cloak-blanket and silently starts towards the window when she pauses a moment, catching Soquan’s sleeping form in what little starlight comes through the window.

After a moment, she removes a single knife and the necklace he gave her in what seems like ages ago. Careful to keep them from jingling, she wraps the necklace around the little black knife and leaves it in a conspicuous spot on her bed.  …just in case.

A moment later and she’s nearly out the window, she pauses on the ledge checking the street below and then looking back to make sure she hasn’t disturbed the other two in the room.  Zander opens his eyes a moment, almost trying to communicate through a look, and then deliberately closes them again.

She knows. He’s officially asleep, never saw anything.  She swiftly climbs up to the rooftop.

Tucked into a corner of the rooftop, weighted by a loose stone scrounged from the street, is the ‘robe’ she fashioned from the cloth Zander had found for her and the scabbard she had been carrying around in the bottom of her pack since the winter.

The scabbard is promptly strapped to her left thigh, where it belonged until the thing it held was lost. The ‘robe’ with its dark coloration and uncertain edges blends her in with the night and shadows. And without letting herself gather her thoughts, she’d be there all night otherwise, she’s off, over the rooftops towards the compound that seems to serve as the hare’s headquarters, at least in this district of the city.

Zander was right. The hares never looked up.  And in the darkest hours of the nearly moonless night most of them were drowsy, if not asleep. Fortune was with Jozra. The building that houses confiscated items is guarded by an elderly and rather portly hare that was likely due for retirement. An easy post, to guard something that’s heavily guarded by proximity to other buildings.

She drops softly to the ground and eases open the door. The efficiency of the hares works to her favor, not a peep from the hinges. Low torchlight glints of rows and rows of weapons, picture frames and nick-knacks. She hesitates near a hook hung with a chain before moving on. These other weapons could be ‘liberated’ when their owners were.

Due to her previous scouting, Jozra is able to easily find the rack with her knife on it. And behind it, is another. Perfectly identical though perhaps slightly blackened.  Zander was right again.

She takes both and the sheath that they had confiscated when they took her knife. Nearby are the small throwing knives they took as well. She makes quick work of the burglary and is soon back on the roof, concealing daggers and de-modifying the other sheath so that it can be strapped to her thigh as well instead of attached to her hip like it had been for so long.

One two. No… Though she trained in switching the two knives up, the now blackened one simply belonged in her right paw.

One two. The knives now at home in their scabbards, she is ready.

She should have started sooner, it’s nearly an hour later than she planned when she finally reaches the palace in the center of the city. The journey isn’t long, but treading silently takes time and she needed that sleep.

In the main city, rooftops aren’t as closely spaces as in the slums so she often takes to the ground. Infiltration of the palace comes from scaling a fence to a nearby roof and then jumping — the thump is audible though muffled, but the hares don’t respond to a sound they can’t place in context — to the palace’s first floor roof. Balconies and architectural embellishments make the ascent to the fourth floor too easy.

The palace is equipped with actual glass windows unlike most of the rest of the city, especially the slums. The mayor’s bedroom is even adorned with intricate stained glass windows. The hallway ones are simple, though, and open upwards smoothly.

Once inside she flattens against the corners and walls. Here and there hares are guarding or patrolling, but they’ve become bored with their posting. Nothing ever happens.  The front door to the mayor’s rooms are too heavily guarded, though.  She’ll have to find another way in.

Ferrets, or at least ones trained as Scorpions, DO look up. And Jozra discovers that the architect of the building was against grates.  The ventilation system is wide open. And though tapestries are hard to climb, it’s doable.

Jozra wiggles through the opening and looks before she leaps. She’s puzzled for a moment, the layout doesn’t make obvious sense to her. It’s like a broom closet arranged as an office.

She climbs down and peeks out the door into something like a living room. There are three doors besides the one she’s looking out of. The first across the way gives her pause, she’s sure it’s a room for children but after a moment she realizes it’s neatly made up and empty. A room for visiting children. The next is the office. All heavy wood furniture and officiousness. The third is her prize.

The sky beyond the colorfully tinted window is growing lighter and she’s able to make out portraits on the walls. One of the hares in the portraits matches the one in the bed in the center of the room. In one he’s standing with a stern looking squirrel. Another looks to be a family portrait, with grandchildren. That explains the other room.

For a moment, sympathy creeps in but Jozra steels herself. This man’s policies have destroyed far more families than his death will. In a few smooth movements, Jozra draws her blade, crosses the room and catches the hare under the jaw as he starts to wake and rise reflexively.

He gurgles, eyes flashing in surprise and anger. The hare starts to reach for the ferret but she sidesteps away, drawing her knife with her, leaving a gaping wound in its wake.  Froth bubbles around the hare’s lips as he dies, bleeding far too quickly for any medicine to save. Jozra cleans her blade on the bed sheets and slips back out the door.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/389/feed 0 Chapter 83: Reconnaissance https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/387 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/387#respond Mon, 23 Jun 2014 11:00:57 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=387

Continue reading]]> Chapter 83: Reconnaissance

In Which Jozra Begins To Make Up For Lost Time.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: The rest of the day passes slowly. Soon after breakfast, Zander leaves the hovel to begin the daily search for food while Jozra and Soquan begin their bid to keep from going stir-crazy. Finally the day drags to a close and the three finish eating their meager dinner in near full darkness. Jozra stretches and helps clean up a little before voicing her proposal. “I think I’ll go for a walk.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan’s head snaps towards the ferret. “They’ll see you! What if you’re captured?”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head. “I’ll be careful, Soq. It’s dark and late. I’ll hear them coming long before they know I’m there.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter frets a moment. “You stay safe then. Nothing stupid.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods in a serious manner. “I promise, Soq. Besides, maybe I’ll find something for breakfast tomorrow.”

Zander wants to insert some reassuring words to the conversation but hesitates. Saying something might make him have to explain how he knows that Jozra is very good at sneaking around in the dark.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan manages a grin though his worry. “See you later tonight then.”

Yazeth: The ferret bobs her head again. “Don’t wait up.” Without any light, the three tended to go to sleep as soon as it became too difficult to see to do things. She suspects Soquan will wait up until she does come in, though.

Yazeth: Jozra’s outing is successful, for several reasons. The first being that she finally has a chance at some fresh air.
After leaving through the door she’s able to find another route to the roofs of the slums and from there she skulks over to the city proper. Here and there she finds better food than what they had been scavenging for the past week in the slums, mostly thrown out by the more affluent beasts.

And for the first time she’s able to get close to the mayor’s house. The ease with which she’s able to approach it without detection helps to reassure her that she isn’t as inept as she feared she might be. And in a way it confirms to her what she already decided after she suffered a beating at the paws of the guard hares.

She returns to the hovel long after midnight and begins to make her nightly ‘walks’ a habit.

Soquan keeps most of his concerns to himself after she returns from that first night but he continues to worry, often waiting up for the ferret. As predicted, the commander never knocks on the door to the hovel and soon even the otter is taking a few short strolls outside at dusk just to keep the cabin fever away.

Jozra’s supplements to their ‘groceries’ gives Zander time to look for other things too, and one morning during their stretches, the woodrat shows Jozra where he’s hidden what might be mistaken as a thin sheet. The length of cloth is thin and mended, sometimes pieced together and above all dyed in dark colors.

It’s very similar to an object all Scorpions in the desert use for a multitude of purposes.

After fitting, stitching and modifying the ‘sheet,’ Jozra takes it on a test run a few nights later. The dark colors and lack of a defined shape let her get closer to the palace than before, allowing her to check out guard positions and once to even check a duty roster.

One evening is spent specifically checking out the building where the hares keep everything they confiscate. Just by looking through the window — by hanging upside down from the ledge of the roof — Jozra’s able to spot stacks of paintings, shelves of fine crockery and racks full of weapons, including a hook that holds Holstadt’s chain.

By the time Jozra finally feels prepared to do what she has to do, it has been just over a month since she, Soquan and Holst arrived in Afrin. Every night she sees what this horrible city has done to innocent beasts and curses herself for delaying in the first place. And yet she delays some more.

Somewhere there must be a stream as she’s noticed several nights with ground fog and soon the moon will be little more than a sliver. She’s chosen her date, but now her fears and self-doubt rise up again.

The evening of the night she’s chosen finds her sitting quietly apart from Zander and Soquan, thinking through things and trying to quash her doubts.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan looks up from an old and tattered book he had ‘liberated’ from the trash a while back. He spots the ferret sitting off to the side and after a quick glance out the window at the increasing darkness he closes the book. “No walk tonight Joz?”

Yazeth: The otter’s voice rouses Jozra from her mood. She smiles a little and shakes her head. “We have food for nearly three days now. And I was back late last night.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “You’ve been looking awful all day. Get enough sleep last night?”

Yazeth: Jozra tries to think up some excuse to make it seem like she’s alright but she can’t bring herself to lie even more to the otter. Zander shoots her a brief, knowing look as he starts preparing the room for sleeping in.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her at he rises to aid Zander. “Just have a nice lie-in tomorrow if you can, catch up on some sleep.”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles at Soquan, trying to keep the bitterness out of it. It’s not that this was her first ‘job’. It was more memories of Ostoria hanging over her head and the lack of clear orders. And Soquan.

Arrin Woodgreen:  He grins right back at her and takes down the sleep-mats, tossing one towards Jozra while settles down his own.

Yazeth: Jozra folds her own mattress out of Zander’s hanging wall and sets it in her usual place.

Arrin Woodgreen: The three move through the setup quickly, and soon, Soquan yawns slightly as he prepares to bed down for the night.

Yazeth: Jozra settles back in her own bed and tries to get some sleep, knowing she’ll need to be rested. She’s too tense, though, and the moment she dozes off she jerks awake again.

Arrin Woodgreen: While Jozra has trouble sleeping, it’s apparent that the other two beasts don’t and slow, even breathing can be heard from two corners of the room.

Yazeth: Jozra’s sleep, when she does get to sleep, is fitful. Edges of nightmares haze in her mind but never come through fully to torment her.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan happens to be awake during one of these nightmarish dreams and notices the ferret’s tossing. Quietly, as to not disturb the woodrat, Soquan rises from his bed and pads over to her. He crouches beside her and places a paw on her shoulder, shaking her gently. “Joz…”

Yazeth: Jozra stirs and awakens fully, ready to leave but the night is still too early. “Hrm?”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter looks concerned. “You were tossing around. Everything alright?”

Yazeth: Jozra looks into Soquan’s eyes for a moment and then looks away. “Just having trouble sleeping.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He rubs her shoulder gently. “Do you want me to stay here? Or will you be okay?”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles, though hesitantly. “I’ll be okay in a moment.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and shifts slightly to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “You sure? I don’t mind, really.”

Yazeth: Jozra rests for a moment with Soquan’s arm around her and after a bit she does feel better. She nods. “I’ll be fine. Thank you, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods at her statement. “Alright then.” He motions towards his pallet. “You know where I am if you need me.” He pecks her cheek lightly and rises, making his way back to bed. “Sweet dreams Joz.”

Yazeth: She smiles a little and settles back down to sleep. Somehow Soquan’s ministrations allow her to get several hours of restful sleep.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/387/feed 0 Chapter 82: House Arrest https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/385 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/385#respond Fri, 20 Jun 2014 11:00:06 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=385

Continue reading]]> Chapter 82: House Arrest

In Which Soquan Is Just Evil.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: ‘Sore’ was a mild way of putting it. The next morning Jozra feels incredibly stiff and sore to the point where most movement is painful. Provisions are suddenly an issue with only Zander on the lookout for food. Soquan is not to be seen outside the hovel and Jozra’s many heavy bruises keep her from skulking about at night.

Only a day’s worth of lying low is plenty for the ferret and otter, however. The next few days find Soquan nearly obsessively tidying the place just to have something to do and Jozra stretching and massaging what muscles she can reach to try to work the stiffness and soreness out.

Zander isn’t seen much as he spends most of the day searching for food to feed the three of them. And every day the three expect a knock – or a kick – on the door alerting them to the presence of the commander but it never comes. By the end of the fourth day, the three are almost convinced that it never will.

Arrin Woodgreen: The dawn of the fifth day, finds the otter pacing restlessly in the small house, grumbling irritably to himself while moving this way and that in preparation of their small morning meal.

Yazeth: Jozra joins Zander on the roof once again, finally feeling fit enough to perform the entire series of morning stretches unlike the abbreviated and easier version she had been doing for the past two days.

The few days before that she was too beat up to even make it out the window. She’s pleased with her recovery time, though, compared with the last time she was incapacitated.

Arrin Woodgreen: It’s not long until Soquan does as usual and pokes his head out the window, calling the two down for breakfast before setting their small table.

Yazeth: The woodrat and ferret hold their handstands a moment longer and then roll out, Zander leading the way back down to the window. Not once since their previous conversation has Zander brought up the topic of assassination but he doesn’t really need to.

The sad stories he brings home at night of other creatures living in the slums are more than enough. And Jozra has the words of the hare guards to add to it. She didn’t let it show at the time but the behavior of the jeering guards was nearly all of the convincing the ferret needed. Particularly their sly hint of what went on in the camps.

Arrin Woodgreen:  While the ferret and woodrat both make their way into the hovel, Soquan brings in the last of their breakfast dishes, placing them on the table along side the crude cutlery. On his way to his plate, the otter’s vision decides to go haywire. The suddenness and severity of the blurring and unfocusing is enough to unbalance the otter and he stumbles a bit.

Yazeth: Jozra notices Soquan’s stumble as she enters through the window and it’s enough for her to be concerned. The otter is usually quite steady on his feet, likely due to a necessary confidence in where he steps due to his experience with blindness, and the sudden stumble seems wildly out of place. She rushes to his side to help steady him. “Are you alright, Soq?”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter stiffens slightly. He hadn’t told Jozra of his lapses in sight, not wanting to place more worry with the ferret on top of living in this hellhole. He phrases his response carefully, knowing either way, Jozra would be upset with him. “I’m fine, my vision just blurred for a second there …again.”

Yazeth: The ferret’s brow wrinkles in concern as Zander frowns to himself in worry. “…again?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods hesitantly. “It’s been happening for a while…” He pauses. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

Yazeth: Jozra can barely think of a response to this. Finally she does the only thing that seems to be right to her and she hugs the otter tightly.

Arrin Woodgreen: The ferret’s sudden motion of affection startles the otter, and it takes a moment for him to respond, wrapping his arms around her to return the hug. “It’s okay Joz, I’ll be okay.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods and then sighs, almost inaudibly. It’s difficult having your friend lose something again that means so much.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter rests his head on top of the ferret’s with a sigh. What he says next is quiet, and almost frightened. “I don’t want to be blind again.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods slightly. She can’t even think of what to say except… “I’m here for you, Soquan.”

Arrin Woodgreen: “Thanks.” Soquan releases the ferret and after a gentile squeeze and quickly wipes his eyes with a free paw, he ties to grin slightly. “I suppose we should eat before breakfast gets cold eh?”

Yazeth: Jozra grins sadly. “Yeah, I suppose we should.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter finishes the few steps to his seat and eases himself to the ground. He looks up at the somber faces of the woodrat and ferret and grins a bit brighter than before. “C’mon, you two look like I’m gonna die or something. Dig in already!”

Yazeth: Zander chuckles a little and Jozra blushes slightly as she takes her seat. The woodrat throws Soquan a cocky salute. “Yessir!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan merely rolls his eyes at the woodrat and settles into the meal happily, the somber mood forgotten.

Yazeth: Presently the three finish their meal and push their plates away. Zander looks towards the door and then shrugs. “I’m starting to wonder if that hare even told his superior what he told you.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter gives a short, humorless laugh. “I’m starting to doubt it, probably just wanted to scare us.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “I wouldn’t be surprised. And if he did, I bet the commander thought it wasn’t anything worth dealing with.” She shrugs a little. “He seemed to be very busy.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan snorts, “Probably capturing more ‘vermin.’”

Yazeth: Zander rolls his eyes, “Or tormenting anyone that even looks at a member of the guard the wrong way.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He growls impatiently and thumps a fist against the table. “Gods damn him, forget about getting out of this hell hole, I just want out of this damn hovel.” He sighs, “I’m starting to get an idea of how you felt back in Kodan, Joz.”

Yazeth: Jozra smirks a little. “I’d make fun of you but I’m stuck here with you.”

Zander looks back and forth between the ferret and the otter. “So you never did tell me what happened in this Kodan place.” He grins slyly, “Or is that classified information?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins a bit and motions towards Jozra, “Little miss Southie over there decided she’d throw herself into the Steamspring river.”

Yazeth: Zander cocks an incredulous eyebrow at Jozra, shaken for a second but his fears turn to curiosity as she makes a face at Soquan and shakes her head. “I slipped. It was muddy and I was trying to bushwhack back to the road.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter raises an eyebrow at Jozra then turns to Zander, motioning back to the ferret. “See what I deal with?” His attention returns to the ferret. “Don’t forget who hauled you out of there.”

Yazeth: The ferret laughs and pats Soquan’s arm. “Well you, of course. But I thought that went without saying, water-dog.”

Zander chuckles at the exchange.

Arrin Woodgreen: He leans back slightly, arms crossed. “True.” He cocks his head to one side. “Do you remember much about what happened after I doubled back for the supplies?”

Yazeth: The ferret furrows her brows a moment, trying to think back to that rainy day. After a moment she shakes her head. “No, not much at all.”

Arrin Woodgreen: A slow, mischievous grin spreads across the otter’s face, which he turns towards the ferret. “So you don’t recall how you made it though the night?”

Yazeth: Jozra looks puzzled, and a little suspicious of Soquan’s grin. “…no?”

Arrin Woodgreen:  Soquan looks down to inspect his claws. “Tell me then, m’dear. Without proper medical treatment, what’s the best way to help treat hypothermia?”

Yazeth: The ferret looks perturbed, and even more so when Zander throws his head back and laughs heartily.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan claps the woodrat heartily on the shoulder. “You’re familiar with the technique then? Wonderful.” He turns back to the ferret. “Let me tell you how it’s done then. First step is you need to get all wet articles of clothing off, second step is to make up someplace that will be warm. Third…” His previous grin returns, “Share body heat.”

Yazeth: Jozra puts her face in her hands and shakes her head. “You’re just evil, Soquan.”  Zander chuckles, “Oh sounds like you had it coming if you weren’t watching where you were going.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head, “That’s not the last of it, I had to haul her back to the town, which was a day’s walk away.” He motions to Jozra. “Sleeping Beauty there was too lazy to wake up.”

Yazeth: The ferret merely grunts and rolls her eyes in response.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter rises, only to plunk back down beside the ferret, draping an arm around her shoulders. “Aw c’mon Joz, you know you love me.”

Yazeth: Jozra looks at the otter and then back over at the woodrat, jerking a thumb in Soquan’s direction. “You see what I have to put up with?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan merely rolls his eyes and gives her shoulders a slight squeeze before rising and picking up the plates.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/385/feed 0 Chapter 81: The Beating https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/383 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/383#respond Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:00:07 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=383

Continue reading]]> Chapter 81: The Beating

In Which You Can’t Stay In, But You Can’t Go Out.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: Slum life is difficult and often boring once immediate needs, such as where the next meal is coming from, are met.

The curfew is strict and easily enforced since there are few candles and torches to light the way of any beast living in the slums if they wished to venture out after dark. The tall buildings block most of the moon and sunlight, leaving the slums a dull gray most of the time.

Jozra is no closer to determining if she can, or will, do what needs to be done but the rift between herself and Zander has largely mended. In the meantime, Soquan and Jozra try to fill the days waiting for Zander to ‘find an assassin’ by taking evening strolls and trying to engage others living in the slums in conversation.

Arrin Woodgreen: Four days after Soquan and Jozra’s little ‘moment’ the two find themselves strolling the streets as the afternoon wore on. The two chat quietly to each other as they weave through the buildings. In a quiet moment, Soquan stops to inspect some edible looking herbs growing by an old, rundown building, unaware the ferret hadn’t noticed his pause.

Yazeth: The ferret enters an intersection of streets, more alleyways really, lost in thought before she realizes Soquan has fallen behind. She frowns at herself for ‘losing’ him though she knows he’s quite capable of taking care of himself. She turns to look back for him when she notices a patrol of hares marching down one of the side streets.

Arrin Woodgreen: The hares spot her and they advance at her quickly with weapons drawn, shouting obscenities all the while.

Yazeth: Jozra freezes for a moment; her instinct is to make an escape or at least fight back but it occurs to her before she decides on either that both would probably ruin the chances of getting her friends out of Afrin. She looks back towards Soquan and decides surrender might be best for her friends, through perhaps not for her ribs.

Arrin Woodgreen: It takes Soquan a good ten seconds or so from the moment the scuffle starts for him to notice Jozra missing. He hazards a quick peek around the corner, and does not like what he sees. Quickly, he pulls up his blindfold, picks up his staff and rushes to aid his friend, quickly jumping into the fray.

Yazeth: The hares don’t seem inclined to give Jozra a break for good behavior. If anything, her submissiveness elicits more jeers from the guards and she’s soon knocked to the ground, suffering from heavy kicks delivered by the hares’ long legs. She’s able to curl up in a manner that protects important things — internal organs for example — from the worst of it. With a worried sense of relief she catches a glimpse of Soquan jumping into battle.

Arrin Woodgreen: Staff whirling and striking, Soquan stands protectively over his companion as he uses his staff to create some space between the hares and themselves. “Back off y’gods-damned speciests!”

Yazeth: Unprepared for the otter, several of the hares receive heavy blows before they back off a little to regroup. They look about ready to jump back in and take on both the otter and the ferret but one of the hares stops them.

“Wots this now? A blindfolded otter with a filthy ferret, eh? I think the commander said sommat about these two.” The speaking hare has stripes on his shoulder that Jozra recognizes as a sergeant from their previous run in with hares. “Said sommat about th otter being evaluated and the filth here helpin him out cuz he’s blind. Eh? That right?”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter bares his teeth and growls at the hare in reply, his staff still aimed towards one of the guards.

Yazeth: A few of the hares glance back and forth between the otter and the sergeant, unsure of what to do next. Jozra takes note of this. Apparently the guards aren’t encouraged or taught to think independently. The sergeant settles back and eyes the otter and ferret. “Guess ‘e must be blind, eh boys? Though mebbe ‘e’s been convinced it’s night like ‘e’s been convinced to associate with that scum, eh?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues growling softly, perching lightly on the balls of his feet. “Convinced? Nah, Ah’ve done so willingly all mah life. ‘Least Ah’m not some, dull-witted, narrow-minded, inbred, speciest.”

Yazeth: Jozra hisses just loud enough for the otter to hear and surreptitiously pokes his foot with a claw. No need to get them in any more trouble. The hare merely laughs.

“Aah, no wonder ‘e’s in ‘ere.” The sergeant folds his arms and casts a critical eye at the pair. “’s far as… assessment… goes I think you fail. Th’ commander will hear about this, certainly. Until ‘e decides what to do with you, you’d better stay in whatever hole you’re staying in.”

He makes a nasty face at the ferret. “Course, if I had my way, that scum ‘d be in the labor camp digging… ditches.” A few of the other hares snigger nastily at this comment and Jozra gets a sudden sense of what actually happens in the camps.

One of the other hares pipes up. “If I had my way that filth would just be killed on sight!” His comrades shush him up, though it seems like a sentiment many agree with.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter’s teeth expose themselves again as he snarls slightly. “You better watch what you say about her in front of me.”

Yazeth: The grin quickly fades from the sergeant’s face. “And you’d better go back to wherever your staying and don’t come out until th’ commander pays a visit. We won’t be so nice if we see you ’round before then again.”

He sneers. “You can keep y’r pet for now, though. Just make sure sh’ don’t let out of line again. …I sugg’st a lead.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter’s hackles rise as he bites back a retort, and he manages to stay silent, other than the low rumble in his throat. From his slightly crouched position, he easily picks the ferret up off the ground. He turns to leave, Jozra still in his arms, but pauses, as if remembering something. If he could, he would glare at the sergeant, instead, he spits at his feet before disappearing around the corner.

Yazeth: The sergeant smirks and the guards watch the pair leave. Jozra probably could walk on her own, run even if need be, but she’s in enough pain that she’d rather not. She excuses her concession to weakness by telling herself that they’ve got to keep up appearances for the guards.

Arrin Woodgreen: Once out of sight he still doesn’t put her down, instead, he heads towards the place they’ve been calling home for the last week and a half. “Let’s get you back to the ‘hole’ and fix you up, alright?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “That… sounds like a really good idea.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He climbs up the steps of their building as smoothly as he can, careful not to jostle the ferret around too much. “They get you pretty bad anywhere?”

Yazeth: The ferret shrugs a little, unsure as she hasn’t quite had the time to assess the damage. Her ribs feel sore and she tastes blood but she soon tracks that to a cut on her lip.  Zander must have seen them coming from the window because by the time Soquan reaches the hovel the door is wide open and the woodrat is setting up a bed to lay the ferret on.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan sidesteps through the doorway with the ferret and into the small room. Carefully, he lays Jozra down on the bed Zander had just made up. Once he has her settled, he steps back slightly, eyeing her. “Alright then. Where does it hurt?”

Yazeth: Jozra props herself up and wiggles her toes and then tests the cut on her lip with her tongue. “…If I said ‘all over’ would you worry too much?” She grins a little and proceeds to sit up all the way.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter quirks an eyebrow at the ferret. “Need I remind you when the last time was that you ‘hurt all over’ was?”

Yazeth: The ferret grimaces at the memory slightly as Zander looks on curiously.  “Yeeeeaaah.  I think… I’m alright. Just bruised and I’ll probably be sore for a while.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins toothily, “Feel free to relax until dinner then. We got enough food today.”

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/383/feed 0 Chapter 80: Ghetto Life https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/381 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/381#respond Mon, 16 Jun 2014 11:00:14 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=381

Continue reading]]> Chapter 80: Ghetto Life

In Which Things Don’t Always Happen Immediately.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: As the week grows older, Soquan and Jozra learn their way around the slums. Zander’s unvoiced concern that three mouths would be too hard to feed proves to be unfounded, as three eyes searching turn up more than he had before.

…and there’s the added bonus that Jozra soon decides not to play by the rules of the city and under the cover of darkness she begins leaving the confines of the slums to forage in the more prosperous parts of the city.

She always has an excuse for what she’s found, she isn’t about to let Soquan know that she has the skills to do what she does. She avoids the center of the city for the first part of the week, but eventually curiosity wins and she begins scoping out the palace and the movement of the city guards. She’s only able to catch glimpses inside the camps, guarded as they are, but what she sees she does not like.

The three settle into a routine, though Jozra avoids Zander as much as possible under the circumstances. Soquan notices the distance, but doesn’t push the ferret for an explanation. On their eighth morning there, Jozra can’t take the strain between herself and the woodrat any longer. As Soquan cooks breakfast, she climbs up to the roof to join Zander as she hadn’t done since the first morning there.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter takes note of the ferret’s disappearance and says nothing, returning to his cooking. He pauses for a moment as his vision fuzzes and unfocuses a bit, shaking his head sadly while he reaches a free paw to rub irritably at his eyes. His vision had been coming and going this way since their second day in the city. He hadn’t told either of his companions of his problems, whatever was going on between the two was enough; he didn’t want to add to it by worrying them. Besides,  serves him right for getting his hopes up, it had been too good to be true.

Yazeth: Zander twitches his ears as Jozra approaches but he doesn’t spare her a glance until he rolls out of his handstand. The ferret doesn’t want to talk right away, though, and she joins in the series of stretches where Zander left off. After a moment, he continues.   Several minutes later, the series of stretches is over and Zander sits quietly for a moment as Jozra gazes over the landscape. “I’m sorry, Joz. I seem to have offended you but it’s true. You’re the only one I know and trust enough to do this.”

Yazeth: The ferret puts her face in her paws for a long moment. Sighing, she finally answers the woodrat. “Zander, I don’t know if I can. Ostoria… it did something to me.”

She looks away for a long while but Zander waits patiently. Finally she resumes. “When we were attacked by the hares I hesitated. I don’t know if it would have made a difference then but for this…” She shakes her head in shame and frustration.

Zander shifts awkwardly, wanting to put a hand on the ferret’s shoulder as a friend but feeling unsure now that he’s fairly certain that the ferret and otter are an ‘item’, even if Jozra won’t admit it. “I think Ostoria changed all of us.”

It could have been a snide comment about his leg, but Zander said it gently. “I had nightmares about it. And then I came here where it’s a nightmare just to try to live. It needs to be done, Jozra. We’re here to back you up.”

He tries to catch her eye but fails as she keeps her gaze focused on the surface of the roof. “All you need to do is get in and get out. Once everything’s in disarray, Soquan and I can organize everyone. There’s still your other friend you told me about, and Azrun, on the inside. They can help us once they’re free.”

The ferret shakes her head and gets to her feet. Zander frowns and casts an almost pleading look in her direction. “At least think about it. There are families here with children that are wasting away from the lack of food. They can’t hold out much longer.”

She glares at the woodrat, frowning on his tactics of trying to guilt-trip her into the ‘job’.  He raises his paws in an apologetic manner. “Sorry.” He watches her head towards the edge of the roof, check the street below and begin climbing down back to the window.  “Jozra…”

She pauses a second with her head just above the roof ledge. “…did you find where they keep everything they’ve confiscated?”

She looks away for a moment and then looks back. She may not be happy with Zander at the moment, but she’s more unhappy with her entire situation than with any one beast. No point in lying to him. She nods her head definitively and then continues the rest of the way down before he can say anything else.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan looks up from his preparations as the ferret hops into the room. He pauses as he catches the look on her face and quietly asks her. “Are you okay Joz?”

Yazeth: The ferret pauses just inside the window. She wants to tell him that everything is fine, but he’d know it was a lie and she’d told him too many of those already. She shakes her head and then smiles wanly. “I’ll be a lot better once we’re out of this stink-hole.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and finishes setting out the plates and pats the spot beside him gently. “C’mere.”

Yazeth: She nods and approaches, sitting in the spot the otter indicated.

Arrin Woodgreen:  Once seated, Soquan carefully wraps an arm around the ferret’s shoulders, hugging her gently. “Things’ll be alright soon enough.” The otter doesn’t say anything more, but his arm remains around her.

Yazeth: The corners of Jozra’s mouth turn down a little but she rests her head on Soquan’s shoulders, wanting to believe his words. From what she’s seen so far, just ‘getting in’ as Zander put it could be a huge problem. If she fails…  Jozra squeezes her eyes shut for a second and wonders when she became so pessimistic.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan keeps his silence for the moment, allowing the ferret to have her thoughts while he remains as he is, more than happy to provide some form of comfort for Jozra, however long she may need it.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/381/feed 0 Chapter 79: Conspiracy https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/379 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/379#respond Fri, 13 Jun 2014 11:00:33 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=379

Continue reading]]> Chapter 79: Conspiracy

In Which Plans Are Make To Break Out Of Afrin.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: Night comes early to the slums and with a cowed and poor population, the night is dark and quiet with no lights or festive beasts to make it otherwise. Jozra sleeps uneasily, concerned about Holstadt and Azrun but fortunately it’s a dreamless sleep.  Morning comes, washed out and gray, the sunlight absorbed by the more prosperous part of the city.

Arrin Woodgreen: Having woken up much earlier, Soquan’s bed is empty. Upon further inspection, he can be seen perched in the open window, balanced neatly on the wide ledge as he looks out over the slums.

Yazeth: Jozra rolls off her mat at about the same time Zander rubs his face, yawns and props himself up on his elbows. Jozra blinks at the otter. “G’morning, Soquan.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan glances over his shoulder briefly at the ferret and gives her a small smile before turning back to the city. “Morning.”

Yazeth: She stretches a little as Zander begins clambering out of his box-bed. “so, what was that about breakfast?” Jozra ruefully puts a paw over her grumbling belly.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan answers absently from the window as he climbs down. “I could probably whip something up.”

Yazeth: Zander nods. “That sounds like a good idea. If you need me for anything… I’ll be up on the roof.” With that he glances somewhat meaningfully at Jozra and then makes for the window.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter gives a smile to the ferret as he passes her on the way to the kitchen. “Go ahead, go catch up with your friend.”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles back at Soquan. “Okay.” She heads towards the window where the woodrat exited and looks about, puzzled for a moment, before finding the handholds in the side of the building. With a twist and a little shimmy Jozra pulls herself out the window and onto the handholds, after checking up and down the street to see if anyone was watching, of course. At the top, she finds Zander beginning the Scorpion’s version of the sunrise stretches. After a moment, she joins in.

Arrin Woodgreen: While Jozra and Zander busy themselves with stretches, Soquan moves around downstairs, using what supplies they have to make a small breakfast.

Yazeth: Zander and Jozra finally roll out the last of the stretches and sit quietly for a moment, looking easterly. Here on the rooftops, sunlight is easier to get to. After a moment, Zander speaks. “I had something for you… You left it behind but they took it from me.”

He smiles briefly and sadly. Jozra merely gazes seriously at him for a moment. “We all thought you were dead.”

Zander sighs a little and then chuckles. “I thought I was too.  I don’t know when I came to, but when I did the rest of you were long gone, and I couldn’t make any sense of your tracks. So I started to head back towards the original mission.”

Jozra looks at the woodrat in concern. “You weren’t… sick at all, were you? We scattered to the wilderness for two weeks, to make sure we hadn’t caught the sickness.”

Zander’s gaze hardens a little. “…I’m not entirely that’s what it was anymore.” He stares Jozra in the eyes.

She’s incredulous, for a moment, and then thinks about it. “I have my doubts too.  Especially…” No, she doesn’t want to even mention that, even while she’s sitting in warm sunlight. “We have to deal with this first, though.”

Zander nods. “I’ve been scouting and there’s some key things you should know. First, they keep everything they confiscated in one building in the compound. It’s impossible to get to from the front, too heavily guarded. But…” the woodrat’s eyes twinkle, “…they never look UP! Because, after all, the only things that climb are squirrels right?”

Jozra snickers. It’s a relatively true assumption until you get to Scorpion training on the sheer cliff walls overlooking the Ravine River. That could make an expert climber out of a mole.

Zander chuckles as well. “The other main thing is that this… this machine runs quickly and efficiently, but only on what orders they have. Anything out of the norm they have to go back up to the top to find out what to do. Meaning,” Zander gives Jozra a very pointed look, “…meaning it’ll all fall apart without the guy at the top.”

Jozra narrows her eyes but nods in understanding.  Zander hesitates a moment before continuing. “…another thing that I don’t want to think about but have to add. They say that the camps started in mid-winter, that the catalyst was a band of vermin destroying a colony of ‘good beasts’ up North.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Having cleaned up the small home and set up a makeshift breakfast table, Soquan pokes his head out of the window and calls up to the roof. “Breakfast’s on when you two lovebirds are ready.” He pulls his head in quick before any retaliation can be made, and seats himself at the table.

Yazeth: Jozra’s quiet contemplation of what Zander has told her is broken by Soquan’s call, and she shakes herself out of her unpleasant mood. She tries to smile and gets it right on the second time. “Let’s go. You haven’t tasted it yet for yourself but Soquan’s cooking is excellent.”

Zander smiles a little as well. “I’ll just have to see about that.” He leads the way back down and through the window.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan gives a wave as he spots them entering. “I hope you like oatmeal.”

Yazeth: The woodrat glances at Jozra with an eyebrow raised. “Oatmeal? I thought you said he was a phenomenal cook.”

Jozra laughs. “You haven’t even tried it yet!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan pouts at the woodrat. “Hey! I only had so much to work with!”

Yazeth: Zander mock-rolls his eyes and sits at the table. “Alright, alright… I’ll give it a try.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter swallows a mouthful and grins at Zander from across the table. “That’s the spirit!”

Yazeth: The woodrat looks at Soquan somewhat dubiously and then tries a taste. He rolls it around in his mouth for a moment and then looks back at the otter. “…that’s actually really good. I’m sorry I doubted your cooking prowess, Soquan.” He digs in.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan pokes at his meal a bit. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me. It does look kinda dodgy, doesn’t it?” He takes a spoonful and swallows. “I guess one thing about not being able to see, is that you don’t know what your meal ends up looking like.” He turns a grin towards Jozra, “Remember when I first tried to feed this to you?”

Yazeth: The ferret chuckles a little sheepishly. “Yeah. That was before I learned to trust your cooking, though.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan laughs, “I swear, you were going to throw it at me.”

Yazeth: Zander snickers. “Really now… You should know better than to throw food at a cook, Joz.”

The ferret rolls her eyes. “Well I know NOW.”

Yazeth: Zander snickers and winks at Soquan. Breakfast is soon finished and the three set to cleaning up the small hovel. Dishes are cleaned and the ‘walls’ are re-hung and when all that is done, the three stand around for a moment, looking at each other, wondering what to do. The moment doesn’t last long, however. The facts of living in the slums soon assert themselves and Zander gives Soquan and Jozra a crash course in living there. Food is hard to come by as the only store in the area is badly stocked and yet more expensive than most beasts living in the slum can afford. Bread lines are infrequent and they run out quickly. The small community garden is often trampled when the hares do their frequent patrols through the slums.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan sits quietly through Zander’s ‘lesson’ and afterwards his brow furrows in thought, however the scowl that had found it’s way onto his face during the discussion remains. “There’s no marketplace or trade house?”

Yazeth: The woodrat shakes his head. “Not as such. I’ve told you already that most of the beasts here are highly distrustful. Some of them are here because they are ‘vermin sympathizers’, others are only here because somebody didn’t like them and simply accused them of being sympathizers. There is some trading, but it’s largely underground. And often for items not quite as mundane as food, such as medicine.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives a nod. “So either of you have any idea how we’re going to bust out of here?”

Yazeth: Zander eyes Jozra for a moment and then looks back to Soquan. “Ah, right to the point. Good.” He smiles a little. “I cannot in good conscience just escape and leave all these creatures who have it as bad… or worse…. here without some plan to get them out too. I think the best way would actually be a mass breakout. We’d need a fairly hefty distraction to begin it, though. Something that would focus the attention of the guards elsewhere while we free everybody. I have a few ideas for that distraction but I don’t know where we could go that would shelter so many beasts.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan goes back into ‘thinker mode’. “Good question.” He remains silent for a good minute or so, before turning to Jozra with an odd mix of expressions on his features. Hope, unease, worry and just a dash of smugness. “A place for those who need help and have nowhere else to go.”

Yazeth: Jozra looks at Soquan, her brow wrinkled in thought. “But where?  …ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” She scratches absentmindedly behind her ear. “I don’t think the safehouse could manage that many people, though. Unless… unless you mean the whole town.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan beams at her. “Of course I mean the town, but the safehouse can help a lot probably. Sound like a good idea?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “I’m not sure if they’ll necessarily be happy about it, especially Kirrian, but I think they’ll offer whatever help they can for a few days. At least it’s a destination.” She thinks a moment longer. “And… if they’ve fixed the bridge, it would be pretty easy to get there quickly and then defend until the hares find another way across.”

Arrin Woodgreen: His brow furrows. “Unless we mix ’em up. There’s that big log remember. We can split everyone up, the hares won’t know which way to go.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods thoughtfully as Zander looks on. “I think the bridge is the more direct route, and the log is treacherous but if we took enough beasts that would be able to cross the log… they would probably be fit enough to double time to the log and back. It would at least make whoever ends up trailing us hesitate, at best they’d split their forces up.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods as well. “Once we’re in Kodan, we’re home free.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods somewhat hesitantly and Zander catches her eye for a second. “It’s only a temporary solution, though. Kodan can’t take care of that many people forever. The city’s going to have to grow quickly or they’ll have to find a better solution. But for getting people out of here, it works.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan gives a sigh and leans back. “Alright, now on to the hard part, how are we going to distract all the guards enough to free everyone?”

Yazeth: Zander shuts his eyes, leans back and rubs his face as he sighs, trying not to give Jozra a pointed look. “I’ve given this a lot of thought and so far I have no best solution, just a lot of ideas. We need something that will confuse the guards and direct them away from the slums and the camps. I’ve seen them in turmoil when one of their Corporals was killed but as soon as there was a promotion and somebody giving orders again, they were back to being the machine you know.”

He rubs the corners of his eyes near the bridge of his nose. “They wouldn’t care about anything happening here in the slums. There was a riot a few weeks ago but they stopped it rather efficiently because they don’t care about the people in here. A fire in the main city perhaps. A large enough one that all of the guards would be needed to attend to. Or a manhunt. I observed them as being disorganized when they tried combing the city for an escapee. I think the most sure-fire way, though, is to take out a high ranking officer. …or even better. The beast in charge of the city. They take all of their orders from him.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan scratches absently at his chin. “That last one sounds like the best way to go, but it seem to be the hardest as well.”

Yazeth: Zander chuckles a little, though more in surprise than in humor as Jozra avoids his eyes. “I must confess I expected a little more of a… moral objection to that idea, though I suppose with what you’ve seen of this place…” He trails off and gestures around a little.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shakes his head a bit. “I don’t have too much of an objection to getting rid of the beast that thinks its okay to treat beasts like this.” He gestures around as well.

Yazeth: Zander nods firmly. They understand each other. “The problem, as you said, is that it is difficult. I don’t know very much about the city proper. I do know that this ruler… He calls himself ‘Mayor’ though I’m more inclined to call him a warlord…. Mayor Astor lives in a small mansion in the center of the city. I don’t know how well it’s guarded.” A moment’s thought and Zander quirks an eyebrow. Soquan isn’t ‘in’ on the Scorpions. He wouldn’t know… “And, of course, we’ll have to find someone to do the deed.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan turns towards the window. “Know anyone, or have any beast in mind? If not, I guess we need to keep our ears open on the streets.”

Yazeth: Zander smiles grimly as Jozra glares at the woodrat from the corner of her eye, her back to the otter so he can’t see their interaction. “Indeed. I know of a couple of possibilities but that’s all they are. Possibilities.” He stretches and then stiffly gets to his feet. “I propose for now we keep this between us and try to find something to eat for dinner.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods and stands slowly, picking up his staff from the wall he’d been leaning against. “I’ll go have a poke around the area for anything being distributed tonight; it’ll let me get to know the area better.”

Yazeth: The woodrat nods. “It’s probably best if we all split up, actually. There’s a lot of ground to cover and not too much danger, despite the squalor. Though Jozra might not want to be seen wandering the streets alone.” He frowns. “A ‘vermin’ roaming free would be rather suspicious to any patrols.”

Jozra interjects before either Zander or Soquan can say something else. “I get it, I’ll lay low.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins at both of them before exiting the small home and making his way onto the street. “Stay safe, both of you.”

Yazeth: As soon as the otter is out of earshot, Zander turns towards Jozra. “Actually, you’re my only possibility. I can move fast in a pinch but with this leg, I think my days of stealth are over.”

Before the ferret can object, he snatches up his cane and hobbles out of the house and down the stairs. Fuming, Jozra glares where the woodrat had been and then, after checking out the window again, she makes her way up to the roof.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/379/feed 0