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Searching for a Mystery; Amid the falling snow
Topic Started: Jun 6 2006, 06:26 AM (2,320 Views)
Inlé-rah
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Messenger of Frith in-training
[ *  *  * ]
When Inlé-rah hopped out of the warren one morning, she sensed a change. The air was cold, with a sharper chill than usual, and ominous clouds were looming in the distance. "O Frith, must winter come so soon?" There was only silence, and complete calm, which belied the hardships that would likely fall upon the warren in the coming season. The Chief sighed, with a heavy feeling in her soul that she could not explain. Her visions of late had been cryptic, hiding from her their true origins. Even Ivy, no longer under the stress of days past, said her mind seemed clouded. All of this was troubling, yet Inlé-rah knew she had to focus on what was happening presently; the threat of a coming winter storm.
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Konijn
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Running forever.
[ *  * ]
(Oc: So this is winter. That would mean that a month or two passed? I'll have to post the latest character bio.. Can Cro be put on Owsla? /Oc)

Ben yawned widely first thing when he woke up. The scents in the air were dry, cool and crisp; winter was upon them. He stretched to get the tiny kinks out of his frame before taking another check on the smells around him. Cro's scent wasn't as strong in the burrow so the buck must have left before Ben had woken up to help with the final preparations for winter.

The two had unspokenly been sharing the burrow since the first night. Originally the two had tried sleeping in separate locations but when Ben had woken up in the burrow during the night he had been disorientated and panicked. Cro had to calm the blind one down with help from Psybola. Poor Konijn had wanted to help but her unfamiliar scent had done nothing to ease the tharn one's fears. It had taken a bit of time before either slept with ease.

Still, Ben would switch between burrows, sometimes he'd spend the night with Psybola and Konijn others he would spend with Cro, the latter being the most frequent.

Ben washed his face; running his paws against the fabric of the bandage and along his ears to keep things clean before he exited the burrow. The crisp coldness caused a slight ache in his eyes but Ben paid them no heed. Ben scented Inlé-rah was up and casually sauntered over to her. "You are upset. What's going on?" he asked in his usual manor; gruff yet without malice.
Freedom, hope, redemption... these are the things all beings deserve equally... [The Guardian's Vow]
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Arvens
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Dry humor galore.
[ *  *  * ]
ooc: Yeah, sure...I've no problem...so long as Cro can manage to get along with Thorn who's also working alongside Arvens with winter prep. ;) That's been discussed before.

ic:


Arvens looked around for Thorn. The air just kept getting colder day by day, and yet there was much less stored away then he had hoped for. Not long after Psycho willingly surrendered, Arvens decided to elect some rabbits to a small Owsla, should he somehow manage to return to his old way. Cro and Thorn were now working with him. He stamped angrily, looking around for the former General. It was vital they got more foodstuffs in storage now before they all wither and die with the changing season.

"Where could she be...we need more of everything!" he shrieked. He passed Ash on his way to one of the burrow entrances. Ash was certainly different from the character he replaced, thanks largely to Inle-rah's raising. He was still skittish and playful, sometimes rude, and still had that crazy accent that no matter how often the others tried to get him to pronounce and speak proper, colloquial, Lapine, he either never got it or refused to do so. Either way, it was a great improvement. "Ash, have you seen Thorn around? Today we need to gather much since I can feel it in my ears that snow will fall soon."

Ash shook his head quickly. "I ain't seen her. Ain't youse supposed to keep track of her bein' captain and all?"

"It's in title only; never implied you had to listen to me."

"Dats weird. Youse say you're in charge, but youse ain't in charge if nobody listens to ya." Ash started clawing at his fur removing bits of dirt and all. "Maybe I could help ya. What do youse need out dere?"

"Anything and everything," mumbled Arvens, recalling the phrase from when it seemed you could never have too much food.

"How's dat gonna fit in here?"

Arvens couldn't help but laugh to himslef; oh yes, did he love this gray rabbit. "We'll make it fit. Why not come with me, and if I don't find Thorn, you can help me gather some stuff. If we find Ben, we probably find Cro....I'll need him too."

They both exited the warren and immediately Ash perked up. "I smell dat one...Ben. He's over yonder washin' his face." They couldn't see them, but Arvens could rely on Ash to find anything, being partially psychic. He was actually quite useful once they gave him a course in behavioral and anger management.

They approached Ben and Cro cautiously. "Cro, today we have to gather a lot of greenstuff; the snows are coming, probably in days," called Arvens. "We'll need your assistance."

"Dat's right!" added Ash. "Stop yappin' with your pal and help us."
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Konijn
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Running forever.
[ *  * ]
Cro had just come over to bid Ben good morning when his captain called him to duty. With a dip of his head Cro responded to Arven's orders, "I've been searching around the forest and there's many types of grasses to be found that'll store well for winter."

Since joining Owsla Cro had proven to be very handy, often going out of his way to assure the warren's winter would run smoothly. Surprisingly enough, Ben too had been helpful, assisting Cro and the others or doing things on his own. It was as if the blind buck was one of the Owsla despite his insistance that he wasn't.

"Be sure to check the off paths in the forest, there are several types of fruit that can be stored, not to mention varying nuts that I've smelled." Ben voiced to Cro.

"Do you remember exactly where?" Cro asked. "Smell the breeze. It isn't too far from the mint, another thing that stores well." Ben said flippantly before turning his back to the Owsla, ending his part in the conversation. "Thank you Ben, Meadow never had need to store up for winter." Cro said in gratitude; Ben just snorted.

"Has anyone seen Thorn about?" Cro asked Arvens, "She and I could gather the mint if it's easily findable and then look into those fruit Ben mentioned."
Freedom, hope, redemption... these are the things all beings deserve equally... [The Guardian's Vow]
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Inlé-rah
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Messenger of Frith in-training
[ *  *  * ]
Inlé-rah sighed once again. "Snow, Ben. It's coming, and there isn't a thing I can do about it. It may not come today, or tomorrow, but it will be here soon."

Beside the Great Tree, Myst sniffed the air. Yes, the Chief was right, a storm was coming. "I hope we'll be able to survive it", Myst murmured to herself, although she knew that there must be something else on Inlé-rah's mind; she had seemed downcast in recent days. However, she wouldn't tell Myst what was bothering her...
The white rabbit startled as Zornith appeared beside her. "Oh, it's just you", Myst muttered.

"Who else?" Zornith cackled. "It seems Captain Arvens is looking for Thorn. I'll go and get her for him." The dark rabbit laughed, her red eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Zornith! Don't..." Myst began, but her words came too late, as Thorn burst out from the main warren entrance, cursing loudly, followed promptly by Dogbane.

The dark rabbit was laughing gleefully. "All I have to do is stare into their burrow, and boom!"

"Damn you, Zornith!" Thorn snarled. The General had been particularly irritable as of late, due to the adding of Cro to the Owsla. There was no sign of Thorn regaining her title in this warren, and her impatience was obvious. By contrast, Dogbane seemed in high spirits, impervious to the changes in her life and about the warren.

"Curse you, Arvens. Forcing me to gather food like some lowly doe", Thorn continued, muttering to herself. She never did say anything like this to Arvens' face, as she knew full well what results that would bring.
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Konijn
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Running forever.
[ *  * ]
Ben lightly nodded at Inlé-rah's words before sharing what he thought could be valuable information. "Back where I came from the Winters could be very bitter and a storm could ravage an unprepared warren. Psybola's warren had it worse than us; much higher up. We'll need to find insulation to help keep out the cold."

Ben paused for a bit to smell the air before continuing, "Many grasses are already dried this time of year; they were always useful, make good insulate and provide food all at once. We may end up having to hunker down together to keep warm and wait the storm out."

~~~~~~~~~~

Cro overheard Ben but changed his attention towards the two doe, Thorn and Dogbane who had just arrived. "Good morning Thorn. Good morning Dogbane." Cro bowed gentily. "Ben mentioned a place in the forest that has good flay. If we went together we could bring back a whole variety of food for winter."

"Don't forget to gather tall grass as well, whelp. We'll be needing it!" Ben called out to Cro from his spot by Inlé-rah. Cro flattened his ears against his head for a moment before they perked back up again. "It's good that tall grass isn't a hard to find commodity; it grows everywhere." the young buck said brightly.

"I've found several kinds growing along the paths when I went out earlier that I'm sure will work well for what Ben suggested and it might be on the way towards the mint Ben found."
Freedom, hope, redemption... these are the things all beings deserve equally... [The Guardian's Vow]
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Inlé-rah
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Messenger of Frith in-training
[ *  *  * ]
"Er...good morning, Cro", Thorn replied a bit hesitantly. There wasn't anything bad that she could see in this young buck, it was what he represented that bothered her: another hindrance to her dream of once more gaining the title of General. It was something she missed dearly, even if she had used that power to conquer other warrens. Now that she had little power, her father reappeared in her dreams, seeming to laugh at her. Thorn sighed, and her ears drooped. At least wandering through the woods could take her mind off her inner struggles for a time.
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Arvens
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Dry humor galore.
[ *  *  * ]
Arvens watched as other rabbits joined the group. "Excellent, we all have gatherers now. Ok, the grasses for beds will help so we don't have to bundle together all winter, and the tall ones for eating are nice. Any wild specialties would be a nice addition too, so maybe there's some to be had. Maybe a couple of you saw something on your way here. Ok, me and Ash will go and gather tall grasses, Cro, you and Thorn go and collect the stuff that will help with the bedding, Inle, you and Ben if he wishes, can seek out any of those specialty things that are a treat from the ordinary."

"Dats right!" shouted Ash. "Youse go and find dem." Arvens slapped a paw over the gray rabbit's mouth to shut him up, but he only bit it and Arvens quickly jerked it away, rubbing it. "Youse need a bath," mumbled Ash, nibbling a bit of the grass nearby to get rid of the taste.

"Ok, you all know your assignments then. I'd say about midday or so just make sure you're back here and we'll go down and put this stuff away. I'll double check the burrow we have set aside for storing food and stuff and see if ought to be any bigger. Off you go then...shoo, disperse, run off, whatever," said Arvens making all sorts of strange motions with his forepaws.

"Come Ash, there's a good crop of tall grasses bordering trees and the paths." Ash followed obediently but it didn't stop him from talking along the way.

"Dat was weird...youse tell em to run off but youse making it seem youse don't want dem around. Ain't youse supposed to say 'dissmissed' or something like dat?" Arvens just sighed. The sooner they got to the tall grasses the sooner he'd shove a bundle into Ash's mouth so he wouldn't have to hear him criticize his every move. Halting at a patch, he started nibbling at the bottom of the stalks; Ash copied his technique and did the same, only having an easier go since he could float head down, whereas Arvens had to push more stalks aside.

"Stop for a moment," said Arvens once they both had sizable piles. "Open your mouth," he ordered. Ash opened as wide as he could, and Arvens stuffed it full of the grass shoots. It sure didn't look too comfortable but the more they could manage in one trip the less trips they had to take.

Unfortunately, Ash's chatting didn't stop--he simply turned to his telepathic abilities. "Dis hurts. Youse gave me too much. What are youse going to carry? Youse left nothing for yourself."

Arvens sighed. "Just go back and put it in that storage room and come back. I'll have more cut by then." Ash waddled awkwardly, not being able to see he really was going, and gave up and floated back.

"Dis sucks," he thought to himself.
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Syrix-rah
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Established Warren Member
[ *  * ]
OOC: HI GUYS! i am SO sorry for being so like, not here, but as ive been explaining to adam, schoolwork has taken adrastic toll on my e-life. but im back ofr a good while at least. lovin the changes, especially ash. sorry for not replying to you inle, on page nine of chap. 6, but i couldnt think what to say, lets just say sy has been sleepin for a good while eh?

BIC: Darkness. silence. feels like, floating... BANG! noise! bright light! smack on the ground!

oh god, i have got to stop dreaming like that! syrix thought, stretching out. mmm.... that was a good sleep. wonder how close it is to ni-frith?

Syrix jumped up, and out of the warren, to climp up and out into the brilliant sunshine. he looked around, tryin to spy one of his friends he had made since being here. myst was no wher to be seen, but Ash was floating around, with a mouth full of grass.

Hmm, i wonder what ash is doing? if i didnt know better, you'd think it was a dance...?
Why must we spend time with him? never have i met such a large CHILD. oh be quite! ash is kind and gentle, a little child-like maybe, but where is the harm?


Syrix hopped over to ash, nibbling grass along the way. he turned to the childish rabbit, smiling when he say the sparkle in his eyes.

"hey little A, whatcha doin?"
My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today.

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Arvens
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Dry humor galore.
[ *  *  * ]
Ash glanced at Syrix as he passed to deposit the grasses underground. "I'll be back," he said telepathically. Spitting out the stuff in the unused burrow, he thought that Arvens would have to make it bigger. This was much too small for storage. He'd never get every blade of grass back in his mouth, so he tried something different: instead of making himself float, he turned the levitation to the grass. He managed to get it to work momentarily, but they soon fell. Dissappointed, he tried harder. Rocks and dirt shifted from the walls in the process making it a dusty mess. Backing away and hurrying down the run as quickly as he could before he dropped the grass and dirt again, he quickly shoved the mess into the first burrow he came to.

Rushing back out, he bumped into Syrix again. "Oh hi....youse musta been really tired sleeping so much like that. Arvens is gatherin' and I'm his assistant. I carry dose grasses from him to here. I ain't able to talk but I can speak to youse through my mind. Here, you come with me...Arvens wants all da help he can find."
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Syrix-rah
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[ *  * ]
"ok ash, lets go to arvens then."

Over the past month, syrix had gotten to know ash pretty well. he didnt exactly understand how ash had come to be, but he did find him to be very welcoming, and allways fun to have around. He liked feeling like a brother to ash, and very much enjoyed his company. maybe because ash reminded of a good friend of his, back in melbourne. how much things had changed since then, but for the better, or so it appeared in syrix's mind.
My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today.

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Find out <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/lilsailorx/">Which
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Arvens
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Dry humor galore.
[ *  *  * ]
With Syrix in tow, Ash quickly started talking to Arvens once again. "Look who I brought to help us."

Arvens nodded at the sight of Syrix. The sooner all this grass made it back the sooner they could go back and rest. "You put all this grass in that storage burrow, right Ash?"

Ash sidestepped the question by performing his levitation trick to put grass in his mouth so he couldn't speak. All that came out then was murmered gibberish. No point in informing the captain that he had found a better place for the stuff yet. He wanted to surprise him and show how he had made a good decision to choose something bigger that would be able to hold all the stuff they brought back. Ash wished he could be part of the Owsla someday and the only way he figured he could get in was to show he was smart. Thorn got in because she was large and strong; Cro was wise; Ash felt he could be the crafty one and use telepathy to assist them or things like that.

"Youse come here and I'll shove a bunch of grass in your mouth too," he telepathically told Syrix. Arvens watched as Ash performed his crafty tricks. The same power that made him what he used to be.

"Why do you do that?" Arvens asked Ash. "Why not just let Syrix put the grass in his own mouth? All that floating stuff can get you in trouble."

"Youse are jealous because youse ain't able to do it."

"And you're up for disciplining if you talk back to me. You don't badmouth the Owsla. Those special abilities of yours are only to be used in emergencies...they're no good for anything else. Trust me, I know."

"Youse are jealous," repeated Ash, ignoring Arvens, and held up a pile of grass for Syrix to take ahold of. "Dis is much easier than trying to grab some in your teeth. It ain't like I is gonna hurt youse or anything."

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Classic Ranger Rick
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Syrix-rah
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[ *  * ]
"sounds good ash. but you should listen to arvens. the owsla deserve a certain level of respect. after all, if you were part of them, wouldn't you want to be respected by others?"

he grabbed the grass, giving a nod of thanks to ash.
My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today.

<img src="http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/lilsailorx/WatershipDBlackberry.jpg">
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<p>You are Blackberry! <br>
Find out <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/lilsailorx/">Which
Watership Down Character you are. </a>
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Psybola
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[ *  * ]
ooc:I am back for a spell until I get another full-time job, hahaha . . .ha . . . . . . . . .heh . . . . :(

bic:

Psybola sat alone under a tree, staring with glazed, bloodshot eyes over the busy warren. His nose barely twitched, his whiskers hung limp, his ears likewise inert. His eyes were mere slits and small drip of clear liquid trickled from his motionless mouth.

Slowly, over the months beforehand, he had become more and more anti-social and at times even irritably aggressive, lashing out at anyone that approached him; besides Koni, Ben, and Cro, whom he merely tolerated. He had also become gradually less active, content to sit alone under this very tree, staring at nothing all day long; eyes full of a great sadness and confusion. His fur around his eyes was moist with tears, he blinked his eyes and felt a rush of heat as more tears welled up in his eyes. His fur was unkempt and soiled.

He slowly shuffled his forepaws, looking around his surroundings with a neutral expression. He ground his teeth with pain, a loud crunching sound filled the still early winter air as his molars ground together. He halted to bite at an insect crawling on his back with an angry nasal honk and looked up at the pale grey sky with a pained expression. He hunkered back to the ground and started to shiver, somewhat because of the cold, but mostly from an unbearable feeling down to his bones of some horrible finality of his existence in the near future. The stream of liquid from his mouth quivered with his shivers, he grunted and the stream slowly oozed a reddish hue.

Slowly his pupils dilated, he wheezed, and slowly his body started to gyrate; body swaying to what seemed to be a dark melody, emanating from the deepest crevices of the lifeless void of the unknown. He wailed, his body shaking uncontrollably with his sobs.

ooc: You want me to follow the parameters of WD, then I shall. Death isn't pretty and this isn't Disney.
Denn du bist was du isst.
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Inlé-rah
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Messenger of Frith in-training
[ *  *  * ]
Myst had wandered to the base of the down, busily sniffing and rustling about. "If Captain Arvens is putting everyone else to work, I may as well help, too", the white rabbit told herself. She continued hopping gradually further from the down, not quite sure of what she was looking for, but if she did find anything of value, she would be certain to take it back to the warren.

"Well, Cro, I suppose we'd better get started. Arvens won't leave us alone until we do", said Thorn. Dogbane chuckled lightly, and said cheerfully, "Eh, Thorn, might I come along as well?" The General(as she still thought herself so)nodded slowly.
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