Broken Smiles

[Scarlet]

Stella smiled as she watched the new squirrel she had just met walk off. " Okay, I will. Bye." She said. He seems interesting, I'll have to talk with him sometime again. She thought, as she gathered her belongs and headed off to the west.

Wasn't long before she smelled the vermin she was hunting. Ugh, nasty creatures these ones are. Well, most vermin are nasty anyway, I supposed these guys are just nastier than usual. What is that, rotten egg? She held a paw to her nose, trying not to gag as she came closer to the vermin's camping spot. Gam's approximation had been correct. Swiftly, Stella counted two dozen vermin, mostly rat's, with an occasional weasel or two.

They were, at the moment, just milling about the camp, which consisted of a few tents here and there, and maybe three fire pits, though she couldn't be sure. They seemed a very dirty unorganized rabble, their weapons old, but recently used. That was when Stella noticed the pair of hedgehogs and squirrel that were shackled and chained to a tree. Two weasels lazily guarded them, mostly just poking them with their spear buts and talking idly.

This really set Stella off. Those filthy miscreants, tying up some poor creatures and torturing them for fun! Ooh, they'll get a piece of me, for sure! I'll kill the buggers!! She thought angrily, though she tried to keep her cool. Think Stella, think... She assessed the situation; Three vermin were guarding the camp, about a dozen were around a large campfire, roasting some sort of bird over the glowing embers. Six were in a group separated from the larger group, while one was practicing throwing daggers at a tree. The other two were the weasels that were guarding the prisoners.

One of the camp guards was only a few trees over from where Stella was now hidden in the brush. Thinking quickly, she picked up a pebble from the dirt at her footpaws. With little effort, she chucked that pebble a bit out into the woods in front of the guard. " Huh?" The guard, which was a fat gray rat, unsheathed his curved dagger and walked toward the noise, right past Stella's hiding place. Easy as anything, Stella silently fell in behind the stupid creature, and, drawing her dagger, slit his throat. She lowered his heavy body down to the forest floor quietly.


{And now, I must take a coughing-fit break, TBC }

[Gam]

OOC: Is it all right if I post a while? If not, I'll delete the post. And also, you said both of the guards were weasles, then you said the one guard was a rat... I just wanted to point that out to you.

BIC:

*Gam silently watched from a tree on the edge of the camp, he smiled, surprised and delighted that Stella was actually going to kill the vermin. He had travelled a distance away from Stella, being careful not to make any noises. Taking his bow off his back, Gam slid down the tree. Propping the bow up against the tree with three arrows next to it, Gam circled around the camp and thrust his skinning knife into a tree. Making his way towards the prisoners, Gam picked up a pebble. When he was three trees away from the prisoners, Gam chucked the pebble towards Stella. And slowly started pulling his longsword out. He thankfully thought of how he thought of putting leather inside the sheath as the sword pulled out without a noise.*

[Scarlet]

The pebble hit Stella on the shoulder. Thinking it was a vermin, she spun around quickly, ready to attack anything. Then she noticed Gam, who was drawing his longsword. What is he doing here? Ah, well, I suppose I should be grateful; There was only a slight chance I'd succeed in my last plan. Now, I'll have to improvise, which will be good. She thought, as she gave Gam a small, crooked smile.

Quickly, she wiped her bloody dagger against the grass at her feet, then sheathed it. Time for sneaky weapons was over. Now, she pulled the javelin from where it was attached to a leather strap on her back. It's head was smooth and razor sharp, the wood solid and smooth beneath her paws. It was an ideal weapon for jabbing and fending off attacks. She watched Gam; He had drawn his longsword first, therefore, she'd wait on his signal. It felt odd, since she was the first to draw blood from the enemy, that she would wait on him, but her own rules about allies in a battle she always upheld.

[Gam]

*Gam signaled Stella to go in, then, pointing to himself then the captives, he headed off into the trees. He jumped into the tree that the captives were tied to and scurried gently down. He stood still, like a post behind it, waiting for the right moment. He counted to ten, then spinning out from behind it, hit the first weasel at the neck, decapitating it. The other one fumbled with his spear, trying to pull it out of the dirt. Not wanting to wait to long, Gam hit the weasel on the side of its head using the flat of the blade. Making a backwards slash, Gam severed the rope that held the captives.* Go! Go! *He watched as the vermin charged in towards him.*

[Scarlet]

Stella leapt out of her hiding place just as Gam had taken out the two weasels guarding the captives. She watched with happiness as he severed the rope that held the captives to the tree, but her smile quickly faded as she saw that the hedghogs weren't intending on leaving. One picked up a large rock, while the other started tying knots in a long length of the rope.

With an exasperated sigh, Stella created somewhat of a distraction, seeing as how no one had noticed her and they were all rushing toward Gam and the hedghogs. " 'Ey you! 'Ey! Your motha's a load of dishwaddle!" She shouted, although what dishwaddle was, she had no idea. It was the first thing that had popped into her head. The vermin, however, were obviously dumb enough to think this was an actual insult to their mothers, although none of them really cared about their mothers anyway. As said, the poor vermin were positively stupid.

Around half of the vermin turned to look at the strange and somewhat comical sight of a mousemaid, waving her arms hysterically in the air to get the vermins attention. She knew if she didn't, even if Gam tried his hardest to protect them, one of the hedghogs was bound to get hurt. " That's right, turn your fat behind around, you birdbrained fools!" She managed to shout out one last insult, before holding her javelin at the ready. 0.5 seconds later, she managed to duck a mace that was swung for her head, jabbing the wielder, a burly looking ferret, with her javelin.

[Gam]

*Gam laughed a little as Stella tried to get there attention.* You, get out of here! Or, go help her! Try to stay out of trouble, I'll be back!
*Gam vanished into the foliage and started for his bow. He had forty Four dozen arrows, 48 shots. He swung down and grabbed a hold of his bow and vanished once more. He swung down into the middle of the camp and charged forward, Arrows flying into the vermin. One arrow flew straight and true. it went straight through a rats throat and into a weasels that was standing behind it. he was at ten yards now, a group of them rushing towards him. Dropping the bow, He drew his longsword and swung. A javelin came up and blocked the swing. Gams skinning knife came out, but a moment to slow. A spear thrust came in from the side. Bending forward, it went through the skin on his back. His skinning knife flew into the vermin in front of him, his sword decapitating it. He grabbed a hold of the javelin, his knife still in his paw. He stabbed the javelin into the weasel with the spear, and quickly turned, his sword spilling the guts of two ferrets.* TTTTRRRRRUUUUUUEEEEEEEFFFFFLLLLLIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHHTTTTTTTTT!
Stella! I'm coming!!!!!!!!

[Scarlet]

Stella quickly realized that the majority of the vermin were headed to her. She dodged a rat that was trying to stab her with a knife, knocking it from his paw with a quick whack from the side of her javelin. He must have noticed the fierce glare in her eyes and the way her javelin was pointing straight at him, ready to run him through, so he took off speadily for the woods surrounding the camp. Stella let him go; One vermin she didn't have to kill.

Stella was happy when she heard Gam's fierce warcry pierce the air. She knew if he wasn't there, she would probably be overun with vermin and slaughtered, so she thought to herself that she would need to thank him after they were done.

[Gam]

*Gam watched as the population slowly dropped. He was busy with about eight rats. They made a circle around him. Thrusting and slashing. Gam moved steadily, parrying the blows. Left, right! Upper cut! Thrust! One of the rats squealed as the blade hit its mark. Gams back was turned on three others for no more than three seconds, but that three seconds was enough. Two blades seared through his back. One through the side of his throat. Nothing serious but it burnt like hellsteeth. The other was protruding from Gams left lower side. The blade glistening red. Gam stood staring down at it for what felt like an eternity. The automatically, his sword flashed once, twice, thrice! The rat was severed in three. Blood colored the grass an unearthly red. Anger gripped Gam. There was a clang of metal on metal as he turned on the other six. His brilliant green eyes flashed and Gam grinned wildly. His grip tightened on his sword. It was like the six vermin were frozen for five seconds, then they crumpled to the ground. a red streak across their chests.

Gam charged forward, taking down all in his path. The numbers dropping quickly. And Gam doing the same. He started drooping with all the wounds. His breathe was ragged and blood oozed steadily from him.*
Kill... them.

[Scarlet]

Stella had three rats on one side and two weasels on the other. She wasn't worried, because she had dealt with many more at one time than this. She licked the corner of her mouth and glared ferally at the creatures about her. Three of them were armed with short swords and the other two with daggers. She thought it would be easier to finish off the two that held daggers; One rat and one weasel. She dove for the weasel, who slashed at her with it's armed paw. The dagger grazed her stomach, and the long this slice began to bleed, but Stella hardly felt it. She drove her javelin straight into the weasel's heart, flecks of his blood landing on her face and arm.

She turned on the other rat as he was trying to attack her from the back, a savage grin on her face as she knocked his dagger paw away and stabbed him through the gut, a shocked expression stamped on his face has he fell, convulsing, to the ground.

This had all happened in but a few seconds, and in those few seconds the remaining three rats and weasel had surrounded her, short swords held ready to attack. She laughed a cruel laugh and with a sharp and fast movement, slit a rat's jugular with the tip of her bloody javelin. The weasel hacked down ward from behind her onto her shoulder, and as she tried to dodge it, it sliced into her arm, leaving a deep gash.

Barely even registering the pain, she spun herself about and jabbed. Her javelin missed it's target because the weasel had already taken the initiative to move, knowing that she would try to kill him next. He had jumped over to the left, and Stella quickly re-targeted; The rat to her right was about to strike, trying an upward swing at her. She ducked her head, and the sword clipped her shoulder, leaving a small, but deep wound.

The rat wasn't fast enough to block Stella's javelin as it stabbed through his chest. She drew it out with yet another laugh and turned to kill the weasel. The weasel was looking quite frightened now; For who wouldn't be frightened of a creature who laughed as they killed creatures? Who grinned ferally and seemed not to notice the pain of their own injuries?

He stumbled backward, and then ran into the woods as fast as he could. Stella looked around, and her vision began to return; What exactly had happened? Stella didn't know anything, except for that she had succeeded in killing off the remainder of the vermin, with Gam's help.

[Gam]

*Gam held a paw to his bleeding side, blood seeping through his fingers. He started towards Stella.* Are you alright? *As he was talking, he heard metal craping on wood. He froze, waiting. His ear cocked. He fingered his sword. There was a creak of a bow being drawn back and then the whistle of the wind passing through the arrow feathers. Gam spun, bringing his sword up in an arc while sidestepping. The arrow was immediately severed in two. At a glance over his shoulder, Gam caught sight of a ferret. Bow in hand, and an arrow on the bow, ready to fire again. This time, the bow was pointed towards Stella.* Stellllaaaaa! DUCK! *Gam charged forwards, jumping in front of Stella and taking the shaft in his side. With a THUMP! Gam hit the ground, the shaft protruding out. Gams hand shot out and latched around the shaft with a jerk, he ripped it free while also lifting up his cloak.*

*A leather pouch hung from his side, a small hole in it. Gam laughed as he moved the pouch aside, revealing a scratch. The arrow must have hit my pouch full of tips... He thought. getting on his feet, he looked deep into the forest for the ferret. He was it, no more than a speck in the distance, charging through the brush.*

*Gam quickly went running into the woods towards his arrows. When he got there, he started tearing through the pouch. He found what he needed, a cotton pad. He slapped it onto his side and grabbed his bow.* I'll be back. Travel south, southeast. First clearing you come to, stop, I will meet you there.