"A New Journey" (based on Watership Down)

Malte279 · **Reply #300 on:** March 31, 2011, 06:46:33 PM

Though Cinankhen had been with the mice he had overheard Rankin's word and looking at him surprisedly he asked: "Knowing him? What do you mean? Did you meat this weasel before? I didn't see..." A rolling thunder cut of Cinankhen and when again there was only the splashing sound of the rain drumming against the remaints of the old chappel he didn't pick it up again but just looked at Ranking inquiringly slanting his head.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #301 on:** April 01, 2011, 12:38:18 AM

Mayberry since stepping into the shelter provided by the mice, had not taken her eyes off the entrance in which their group had traveled through. Her eyes transfixed on that sole spot as her body continued to shake with pure almost uncontrollable rage. To know that a weasel had gotten past her and wounded another rabbit brought her hatred to a level she didn't know was possible. She continued to dig her paws into the ground scratching up the dirt underneath just waiting, hoping, praying to Frith for a reason to let her anger go and attack. Her fur bristled with each strike of thunder and lightning that streaked across the sky.

Campion1 · **Reply #302 on:** April 01, 2011, 07:04:57 PM

Rankin stood up, and replied to both Cinankhen and the mouse

"I have not met the weasel outside of that attack, but I have a bad feeling that he's tracking us. You mice shouldn't be worried... We'll be able to handle it."

Myrkin · **Reply #303 on:** April 01, 2011, 07:34:16 PM

"I certainly hope so," Dara said "But we will retire to our lairs now. Just in case."

"Oh, do we have to already, Dara? I was enjoying the conversation with our long-eared friends," Old Malvin groaned like a young mouse, who had had his fun interrupted.

"Yes, we have to. Now, go and stop moaning. A mouse your age should set an example to the young, not follow their example."

All the mice were slowly going to their hiding places, wishing rabbits goodnight.

Campion1 · **Reply #304 on:** April 27, 2011, 08:49:37 PM

After the mice had receded, Rankin hunched down a little, still alert.

"I'm feeling better now guys. What do we do now?"

Malte279 · **Reply #305 on:** April 28, 2011, 04:30:24 AM

Cinankhen took a look in the round. "Who wants to be the next to tell a story?"

Myrkin · **Reply #306 on:** April 28, 2011, 05:46:50 AM

Whitetaol decided to take a peek into the ruined chapel. He run silently towards the entrance, by which he stopped. He sniffed, he listened. The rabbits were there, he was sure about it. He could smell their sweet scent, which made his mouth water. He could hear their quiet voices. Weasel felt his stomach, which was reminding him that it was empty now.

Let's try to catch a rabbit again Whitetail thought to himself, entering the chapel. He used all his skill and the darkness and the sound of rain, to come as close to the rabbits as possible without alerting them. It wasn't easy, as there was one rabbit standing on guard and watching the entrance, but eventually weasel was able to do what he intended. When he was one leap from nearest rabbit, he halted once again, to choose his prey. He could see the one longear he had attacked earlier, but that one was in the centre of the group right now, so it wouldn't be wise to strike it. Whitetail observed other rabbits for a moment and he finally came to decision. He will attack the sentry. He prepared to leap and when the longear looked the other way, Whitetail jumped at him, trying to get his teeth on rabbit's throat.

Thyme was attacked.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #307 on:** April 28, 2011, 01:59:56 PM

Mayberry was still seething with anger from the last attack, and despite having her back to the opening she could feel something wasn't right. She held her ears high and kept her eyes open scanning their groups surroundings. Her fur bristled and stood on end as she saw a swift movement out of the corner of her eyes. She braced herself for an attack, but was shocked when the attacker, not only reveled himself, but attacked Thyme instead.

Mayberry charged forward and using her paws pulled Whitetail off of Thyme and faced the weasel. "You coward! I won't let you hurt any other rabbits! Now fight me if you want to feast!" She cried challengingly.

Myrkin · **Reply #308 on:** April 28, 2011, 06:17:08 PM

Whitetail had sunk his teeth into rabbit's throat and tried to strangle it, when he was pulled off of it by another longear. Once again, those rabbits proved that they had fighting spirit. Weasel was quite frustrated for being interrupted, when he was about to kill his prey, but then frustration turned to satisfaction. He saw how the longear, he had attacked, staggered weakly and fell to the ground. It was still alive, but hopefully blood flowing from that throat wound will do Whitetail's job for him.

Weasel slashed with his claw against female rabbit, aiming for its eyes, but he didn't put much strenght to it. He knew that there was not much point for him to fight with this other rabbit, but he couldn't resist the urge to punish it a bit for that insult.

Campion1 · **Reply #309 on:** April 28, 2011, 06:34:52 PM

Within seconds of the attack, Rankin had already been ready, snapping from his position and charging straightforward toward the weasel, claws scraping on the floor as he ran quickly, and jumping at the weasel, eager to rip apart as much flesh a he could, let all of them sink into it with violent force, and threw his mouth at it's body, hoping to bite it as well

Malte279 · **Reply #310 on:** April 28, 2011, 06:37:03 PM

Cinankhen uttered a yelp that could have been anything beetween a battlecry and a scream of terror, but he stood fixed at his spot gesturing frantically to the mice around apparently to tell them to go for cover.

Myrkin · **Reply #311 on:** April 28, 2011, 07:00:12 PM

Weasel hissed in pain, as he felt claws and teeth sinking in his body. What a fool he was! He should had run away immediately after he had lost the element of surprise, instead of allowing himself to be provoked and defending his injured pride. He tried to throw rabbit off of him and after a few seconds of struggle he was able to do so. He didn't have much time to recover though, as another longear headbutted him with great force. It was Arvens, who at the moment was at the moment taken over by anger. Whitetail could see a wild determination in Arven's eyes. The determination to fight and to kill.

Whitetail was tough, but even he felt like a prey facing three angry rabbits simultaneously. His actions now were driven by simple instinct of survival. He turned around and he run towards the exit from the chapel. He run and run, leaving the ruins and rabbits far behind him.

OCC: I don't think there are any mice there at the moment, Malte. They are all in their nests, I think.

Campion1 · **Reply #312 on:** April 28, 2011, 07:18:33 PM

"Oh no you don't!" Rankin called out. He wanted desperately to kill the weasel this time, and pursued it with all his energy outside of the ruins. If he didn't catch up with him now, he would turn back

Myrkin · **Reply #313 on:** April 28, 2011, 07:40:06 PM

Weasel clearly didn't expect to be pursued, but he knew what to do. He reached the tree line and simply climbed up the nearest trunk as quickly as possible. He didn't want to fight any time soon. After he climbed on one of tree's branches, he looked down at rabbit, who had been chasing him. Whitetail doubted that longear will be able to climb after him and even if it try, it will be vulnerable to attack while doing so.

Campion1 · **Reply #314 on:** April 28, 2011, 08:29:39 PM

Rankin ran up and put a paw on the tree, looking up at the weasel...

"Come near us again and we'll kill you!" Rankin roared, not being mindful of the environment around him. He really wanted more blood from the weasel, but he would have to settle with what he had, and turned back and trekked back to the ruined place

Myrkin · **Reply #315 on:** April 29, 2011, 07:29:27 AM

"Kill me? Well... Good luck with that, longear!" Whitetail shouted after rabbit mockingly. Then he started cleaning all wounds he had got from fight.

---

After weasel had escaped, Arvens' rage was replaced by concern for Thyme. The gray rabbit was lying down on the ground, with blood flowing from his throat. He was still breathing, but one could see he was doing it with great pain. Arvens started walking towards him, to help injured buck as much as he could, but somebody else beat him to it.

"Thyme! Are you alright? Speak to me," Neltita spoke to her friend. She licked his throat, trying to stop the bleeding. It was hard to tell in the darkness how much successful she was in doing so.

Thyme looked up at Neltita and said with evident difficulty, "I'm... sorry. I should had seen that weasel... I... am a bad... guard."

Malte279 · **Reply #316 on:** April 29, 2011, 07:50:42 AM

Cinankhen stepped closer ignoring the others his attention was entirely focused on Thyme. Although, hlessi that he was, he had not spend as much time with as many of his own kind as everyone else he had seen rabbits die before and he had no doubt at all that the black rabbit of Inleh was already circling Thyme and would not leave without him.
With the blood pulsing from his throat Cinankhen was certain that Thyme would probably not speak again. "Thyme", he said. "The black rabbit is comming and you may find him to be not as scary as some of our tales make him out to be. But is there anything that if you could you would still say in this world or want the world to remember though you alone know? If this is so blink once with your eyes Thyme."

Myrkin · **Reply #317 on:** April 29, 2011, 08:26:37 AM

Thyme looked at Cinankhen. Like him, he knew what was going to happen and that there is nothing anyone could do to stop it. He smiled weakly at Cinankhen's words, but he said nothing to him. Instead he turned his eyes to Neltita and used all of his remaining energy to spoke to her, despite all the pain throat-wound caused him:

"Take care... of your... self... Nel..." he said and sighed heavily, closing his eyes and breathing for the last time. It was over. The Black Rabbit took him to the land of dead.

"Thyme? Thyme?" Neltita whispered almost inaudibly "No. Wake up, Thyme. Wake up, please," she said nudging him gently. She knew it was no use, but she just couldn't accept that her friend was truly gone. She couldn't.

Arvens gazed at Thyme's dead body. The former captain of Owsla had seen the passing of many rabbits in his life, so he knew the right words and he said them with all his spirit:

"My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today."

Neltita stopped her efforts and just burried her nose in her friends fur, bitter tears running down her mouth.

Malte279 · **Reply #318 on:** April 29, 2011, 08:34:00 AM

Cinankhen carefully approached Thyme and touched him with a paw. A very slight shiver seemed to run down his spine but after that he just shook his head slightly and turned away, retiring into one corner of the ruin.

Myrkin · **Reply #319 on:** May 05, 2011, 04:47:46 PM

Arvens looked at returning Rankin. It had been reckless to run alone after this weasel like that, but he didn't have a heart to reprimand the other rabbit. Not at the moment like this. Arvens turned his gaze to THyme's dead body and he knew one thing: they couldn't stay in this ruined place. The scent of blood will sooner or later attract weasel again or some other predator. They had to move immediately.

"Can you march again, Rankin?" he asked firmly and with the tone, that demanded quick answer. He hated to act in this brutal and cold way, but he couldn't let them fall into despair or go tharn. Otherwise, they all might be lost.