A Late Visitor, You know who

[Bayleef A. Loam]

Dingus was gazing off at the sunset as it dawned down on the clear blue sky, creating magnificent and beautiful hues. He had finally arrived. The place where he had been hurt, and been victorious. Noticing the distant fighting, the sensation came in, disgust. He had traveled all this way for naught, through snow and forests and treacherous mountains, just to sit around and watch. Placing his worn paws over his face, silent tears came out, first simple drops, but then turning into loud moans and sobs. He was late! He had missed it! A whole year of waiting and traveling had been wasted! Licking his salty tears of devastation, the mustelid hurried into the tavern before him.

The cavern was vastly the same as last year, as though not a soul had set foot in it after the tournament. Sighing, he took a seat at the bar, nodding at the white, gruff looking haremaid he vaguely remembered. Laying his head down on the heavily splintered wood on the bar, he waited as the haremaid filled a mug of cordial for him. He was amazed she still remembered his favorite drink. Nodding his head in thanks as the hare maiden placed the cup in his dirty paws. As he sipped the cordial he relaxed. Mulling over his options, he discussed them in his head. He could stay, relax, and have some fun. The tournament this year must have attracted more participants. Or he could leave; go back with his mate, Arian, and his brother Shotput. Quickly deciding to stay and watch, he slid his mug over to the bartending hare, with a feeling of relaxation filling him.

“Me, I’ll take a cask a’ rum. I’m feelin’ lucky tonight missy.”

Nodding back at the dirty creature, the hare walked over to the mustelid and handed it a dusty cask of rum.Caskling madly, he uncorked it and began drinking to his hearts content. Yes, he though in his head. Staying would be a very good idea.


((Yep, I'm back. Some of you might remember me from last year, Dingus and Shotput. I made it to the fourth round before falling to that fox dude that wasn't affilliated with any site. Could you please give me creative cruituique about my RP?Sorry this ones so crummy, I'm dead tired))

[Stonewall]

The mouse waiter whistled happily as he bussed his table, placing the empty glasses on a round plastic tray. Business was very good this evening, and he had recieved many a good tip, so it was no real surprise he was in a jocular mood. The tune he was whistling was one he made up as he went along, no real song coming to mind. Still, it didn't really seem to matter that much, as he lifted the second last glass from the wooden table. Just one more left...

His mood took a lightning fast swing as his head turned towards the remaining mug, only to find an all to familiar iron hook resting on the table. Slowly he craned his eyes upwards, following the hooked arm as it went back into the long gray coat, continued it's way to the shoulder, out of which emerged a scraggly furred neck, which hosted the scarred, half furred, hideous face of Morton von Bloodbath. The mouse was completely stunned, terrified, remembering his previous encounter with the vicious rat. Seemingly taking great pleasure out of the waiters obvious worries, Morton mustered as menacing a smile as he could. "Why, hello there, mate. Fancy meeting you here again, eh?"

The mouse stuttered out a reply. "Y-y-yes, Mr, uh, oh heck, er, Bloodbath!" There was a long silence, the two rodents eyes meeting,one pair filled with terror, the other with malicious delight. "C-c-can I get you something?"

The rat noded. "Aye, that you can. The same thing as last time."

The mouse blinked. "Er, the same, sir?"

"That's right, half pint the same," the pirate nodded, until a dawning notion came upon his mind. "You... do remember, don't you?"

The waiter looked to the cieling as if it held the answers, his memory searching for the answer. "Well, uh, you see, we have so many customers lately..."

Morton leaned back in his chair, placed his paw on his stomach, examined his hook intently. "Come now, my good lad, think carefully, I'm sure it'll come back to you in, oh, three seconds..."

"Now, now wait, Mister Bloodbath..."

His pleas fell upon deaf ears. "One."

"Oh crackers, I know this one..."

"Two..."

"WAIT!" the mouse shouted, loud enough to attract the attention of everyone in the bar. "Beer! A mug... a mug of beer, right?"

The lidless left eye swivled to the would be victim, the shoulders sagged a tad. Morton was disapointed; He had hoped for some fun. "Very good," he muttered, placing the hook once again to rest on the table. "Why don't you hop to that, then?"

The mouse bowed his head several times, then scurried as quickly as his legs could carry him, as the rat leaned back in his chair, resting his weary bones, allowing the typical sounds of the tavern seranade him.

[Raiden]

Typical searat... Why not pick on somebeast who's armed, instead of a waiter?

**Raiden watched from the stairs to the rented rooms above, a frown of distaste on his lips.**

You don't have to take that from him you know...

**Raiden's last words were aimed at the waiter who Morton had bullied mere moments before. Taking a mug of ale from the bar, he went over to Dingus.**

Hi... Never seen you around before... Can I sit here please?

[Bayleef A. Loam]

*Watching the creature named Morton bully that mouse waiter made the fur on his neck go up. He wanted to kill him, cream him, smash him, but he knew quite well he wouldn't dare to pick a fight with him.Nodding at the mouse before him; he patted a chair next to him at the bar. He was a strong looking mouse, one that looked quite confident and battle worn. Nice sword, too. Very, very nice sword. Wish that was mine, Dingus thought. Taking a might swig of rum, he kept his eyes glued on the mouse. Guessing by his attire, he was from Mossflower, a goodbeast. Most likely from the Gaurdians of Mossflower. Typical goodbeast, he thought. He said please when he spoke to me. Please!The word made him laugh, as he hadn't used it in years upon years. His dirty teeth revealed, he smiled at the mouse.*

“How are ye’ laddy! Yes ye’ may sit here! Want some of me’ rum?”

[Raiden]

No thanks... I got a mug of ale from the bar on my way over...

**Raiden looked Dingus up and down briefly as he himself was given the once over, before sitting down.**

The name's Raiden. Raiden Silversword VII, once of the borderlands, late of Mossflower.

[Bayleef A. Loam]

*Letting a mad cackle loose, Dingus gave the young mouse the stink eye. Who was he, declaring himself so fancily!This wasn't the hall of perfection, not the Abbey! This was a vermin bar for Pete's sake!Placing a ragged hand on the mouses soft fur, he grimaced.*

"Boi', this is a bar, not the Abbey wheres you was probably born! Loosen up a bit laddy!"

[Raiden]

If you listened carefully, I am currently of Mossflower. I was born up in the borderland... But I'm no Redwaller... Not anymore. Though it was my home for most of my life... It can never be anymore...

**Shaking his arm losse from Dingus's touch, he gave a half smile.**

I am loose... If you want to see me tense, just make my angry... It'll be a sight you'd take very shortly to the grave.

[Kalissa Silvertail]

[Was asked to post here, so here I am. xP Modified from other Tavern post. Btw, Stonewall, your post was deliciously entertaining. ^^]

Kalissa Silvertail had been sitting in the Tavern for at least a half hour, but she was still in the same frame of mine as when she had entered the establishment. She was about to give up on entering these tournaments -- they never became half of what they'd been advertised to be. She usually ended up sitting in her assigned room, alone, or at the tavern, and not out in the sparring arena, where she was supposed to be. The judges of every tourney she'd entered always seemed to vanish after a bit and never return, or take forever to decide the next round. It was beginning to get under the ferretmaid's skin.

She had ordered a mug of ale when she had first entered the tavern. The mug sat before her now, basically untouched, as the ferretmaid hadn't found its taste at all to her liking. She was quite used to the taste of Tatterack's rockshore ale, and this tavern's ale tasted as though something terrible had happened to it while it was being made. Kalissa leaned forward slightly and sniffed at the amber liquid inside the mug, then made a slight face and pushed it a few inches away from her. She had chosen a seat at the bar, though she wasn't sure why now. Not many beasts were seated there, true, but she had to contend with the ones who kept coming up to the bar as they entered, asking for drinks and such. The majority of those ignored the ferretmaid, as she didn't give off any friendly vibes, but a few males had looked in her direction and seemed about to say something. One good view of Kalissa's face usually sent them back to their tables, however. She was in no mood to be messed at the moment.

"Are yew goin' drink that, missie?"

Kalissa's eyes snapped to the front, focusing upon a stoat who stood behind the bar, his rather large belly held back by a greasy apron tied over it. He was the barkeeper, and now was eyeing the almost full mug that was sitting before the ferretmaid. He didn't look happy about seeing one of his beverages untouched by a customer.

"No," Kalissa said. "I've never tasted anything so foul in my life."

The stoat's eyes flamed for a moment, angry at her remark against the ale, but instead of replying, he simply turned away and moved down the bar, smacking unneccessarily hard at the wood with a cloth, muttering under his breath. A small smile sneaked onto Kalissa's face as the stoat went off. He no doubt had been threatened too many times to reply to the remark, but at least he wasn't going to let her get away without hearing what he thought, even if it was under his breath.

Her mood lightened somewhat by the stoat's actions, Kalissa turned slightly on the stool she sat upon, so she could better see the tavern about her. Many of the tables were filled, and talk and often laughter filled the dusky air. This was a place where many beasts felt safe to relax and let the stress of the day roll off them. Kalissa wasn't one of those beasts, but at least she could enjoy herself a little.

[Cuiasodo Sharpedge]

He didn't know why exactly he had chosen to descend the stairs from his lodging down into the crowded bar. He didn't know why he had declined the solitary for the social, especially when today had been such a letdown and especially when he had only previously been down in the bar talking to two of his other friends. He didn't know why he chose to plunge himself back into the crowded tavern when he didn't drink anymore, chiefly as a result of what had happened the last time which, incidentally, was one of his first times. He didn't know, but it was an impulse and what Cuiasodo did know is that he thrived off of impulse.

His whole body vibrated as he crossed down the stairs, taking every step deliberately, putting on a show that nobeast was watching. The coyote made the last step and slid a paw through his hair as if it would help him find a place to sit. Was this really worth all the trouble? Hadn't this bar been near empty a second ago?

Cuiasodo shrugged. Hey, what was a few more people? The only real question here was why so many beasts were here when only a fraction of them were in the actual tournament.

He looked across the way like a salor surveys the shore, scouring the edges of the tables and the beaches of the little room untill he came upon a landmark in the form of one of his new buddies. Raiden/ Raid happened to be chatting it up with another beast. Wasting no time, he headed over and put his ship into port.

"Hey, Raid, how's it goin'?" the jovial coyote asked, standing next to the hyrbrid. He didn't take a seat. Instead he relaxed himself by leaning upon the bar and stretching himself out. "Who's, er..." he extended his paw to the beast that Raiden was talking to. "Didn't mean to be rude, there. Name's Cuiasodo Sharpedge. Pleased to meet you."

[Raiden]

Nice to see you too Cuia. No idea... He hasn't even told me his name yet.

**Taking a quick gulp from his mug, Raiden gave his coyote friend a quick smile before focusing his attention back towards Dingus.**

[Audrey H. Goldbrush]

"Vinepaw, Vinepaw!" The voice trilled sweetly forth, sharp and commanding, but filled with bubbling excitement; the owner of the set of vocals was to be seen a moment later, as a young squirrelmaiden burst into the tavern, her thick pelt illuminated a soft gold as she leaned against the tavern door, forcing it open with her weight. She halted as she set foot in the tavern, emerald orbs blinking away the poor candlelight, before whirling around, a playful smile brightening her equisite features.

"I'm coming, sis!" The second voice was slightly flustered, but it rang with good cheer, and a thread of warmth was carefully entwined within his words. There was a pause, before the maid reached forward, seized his gentle paws, and pulled, a merry laugh rolling unexpectedly off her tongue.

"Hurry up!" Audrey Goldbrush's grip was as strong as death's, and her twin brother had no hope of resisting. The squirrel stumbled into the tavern, his fur bristling as he tried to steady himself, before he rested his weight against a table; as a rough-looking rat with a bandanna knotted over his right eye glared at him through slitted orbs from the other side of the table, Vinepaw Goldbrush hastily stood, giving a disarming grin and a polite bow to the corsair. The squirrel's eyes scanned the various other faces that held mugs to their lips, and breathed in the strong, undisguised scent of beer, before glancing about for Audrey; she and her flamboyant grandeur did not belong in a place like this... Nor did he, for that matter. He found her seated at the bar, charming it's keeper and delicately sipping a sweet concoction; feeling out of place, Vinepaw stroked his cheek, running his pads over the tuft of fur that had lengthened under his chin. Sidling into a quiet corner, he glanced awkardly at the discrepant floorboards, before having his soft curiosity perked by a certain figure. Scratching his snout, the creature conspicuously made his way to where a tall mouse stood, his green eyes sparkling merrily, one friendly eye absorbing the figure of Cuiasoso, uanble to suppress an inquisitive look - he had never seen a manner of beast like the coyote before.

"Raiden - Raiden Silversword?" He ventured light-heartedly, certain it was the same mouse he had known from dibbunhood; one of his paws brushed against Raiden's shoulders, and the squirrel beamed heartily. He displayed his shining smile to the other two - Cuiasodo and Dingus - before the chubby fellow scratched his afce coyly. "Do you remember me - Vinepaw, the Twiggle?"

"Of course he remembers!" The arrogant, merry voice of his sister sounded as Audrey abruptly appeared around his shoulder; she was wonderful at suddenly appearing places. She waved her little paws dissmissively, not bothering to apologise for any unintended interruption. "You can't forget a face like mine - not in a life time! Heehee!"

Once again, Audrey had succeeded in making his greeting all about her; but Vinepaw did not mind. Softly, the apprentice blacksmith said, "But what about me?"

Audrey blew air from her cheeks. "I guess he remembered you too - ergh, why don't you just ask him that yourself? Hopefully, I jotted his memory of me.. er, us." The vain squirrel glanced at Cuiasodo, and although she said nothing, there was a hint of awe in her eyes; her gaze rested on Dingus, and having not met him, she felt he did not need for her to depart any words upon him. Vinepaw, twiddling his fingers nervously, could do nothing more than beam.

[Mattak]

*An enormous, burly figure entered through the creaking wood doors of the tavern, unfamiliar to all beasts present, save one... Kalissa. Robed in his black and maroon cloak, donning the proud symbol of Fort Tatterack, Mattak the Dark Claw scanned the tavern, listening to the bustling and chit chat of the tournament beasts. As he took another step into the tavern, he felt as if he was being watched... in an awkward sort of way. Turning, he noticed one of the bartenders, a small ferret, stood off in the distance, frozen, staring at the massive wolverine. What was it? Perhaps he was eyeing his massive battle axe latched to his belt... or perhaps he'd just never seen a wolverine before. Stupid oaf. Mattak shot the bartender a menacing glare, whereupon the beast immediately removed his eyes and hastily resumed his work, all the while staring right down at the dusty tavern floor. The wolverine snorted and proceeded into the tavern.

The mood of the tavern as a whole seemed relatively light. Perhaps it was just Mattak though. Of course, he wasn't used to being around so many other goodbeasts... bloody things could be so small... nevertheless, the wolverine shrugged it off and walked over towards the bar, sneaking up on a certain somebeast. Kalissa seemed to be entertaining herself quite well, watching the rest of the tavern activity. The wolverine knew all too well that Kalissa's senses were far from dull, and that by now she should have noticed his presence, especially since he was standing right next to her. With that, he reached into his cloak, and set down before the ferret a bottle of Tatterackian Rockshore ale... a favorite of many residents of their proud fort. "Thought you might need some cheerin' up." The wolverine pulled another bottle out of his side pocket in his cloak. "I came 'ere a while back durin' the first round when everyone was fightin'. The drinks 'ere are terrible... but I think you found that out for yerself." Mattak glanced to his right just in time to catch a condescending look from one of the bartenders. The wolverine ignored him and popped his bottle open, then planting himself in the seat next to the ferret. He took a sip of the ale... a bit warm, but still good enough for any sensible beast. The wolverine sighed slightly, tapping the hilt of his battle axe with one of his finger-claws.

"I'm almost glad I didn't sign up for this tourney. Things seem slow 'ere." The wolverine set his ale down for a moment and stretched his arms. "You should see the fort nowadays. Don't know if anybeast 'as sent you word recently, but it's doing quite well." Mattak's mind trailed off for a moment... many thoughts of the current rebellion at FT swarmed for control of his mind. He didn't know what to think of it... he was sure Kalissa was aware of it, but this wasn't the setting to talk of such things. He shrugged it off and took another sip of his drink, observing the other beasts in the tavern, as they probably were doing the same to him as well.*[/SIZE]

[Raiden]

My goodness! Audrey and Viney! How long has it been? Why, I haven't seen you pair since... No, never mind... I can't bear that memory...

**The bad memory that stopped Raiden from talking was of five years before when he had left Redwall with Zidane and Sunfire, his little brother and sister. It had been five years since they departed this world, and still the memories hurt him.**

Can I er... Get either of you anything to drink?

**Slowly, as his sadness left, Raiden's paw left his sword hilt, the desire to turn it upon himself gone... But still, deep down, he knew that he's never be able to use it on himself... It was against all of his codes of honour.

[Kalissa Silvertail]

OOC: Sorry for the post... eh. My muse has vanished again...

"'Eere now, dew yew think this be fair? 'Cause I don't."

Kalissa's attention had been drawn to a table near the back of the tavern, which was filled with a score of dirty rats, who looked as if they hadn't seen a pool of water in their lives. They were playing what appeared to be a game of dice, and arguing over each other's throws. The ferretmaid's lips twitched in amusement as one rat started cuffing the rat in the chair next to him, angry at his companion's winning toss. She thanked the stars that they didn't have scum like that at Tatterack.

A creaking sound alerted Kalissa to the tavern door opening. She didn't turn her head, but instead, watched the entrance from the corner of her eye, pretending to still be watching the table full of rats, who were now all sitting sulkily in their seats, staring at one another. A large, dark figure entered Kalissa's side vision and the ferretmaid turned her head, blinking as she recognized the creature now closing the door and moving further into the tavern. Her eyebrows twitched slightly, showing her surrprise at this creature's appearance.

She knew Mattak had missed the sign up of the tourney, and hadn't thought that she would see him here. It seemed as though more than one beast was showing up in the tavern, who wasn't registered in the tourney. She had heard tell of two beasts so far doing such a thing, besides Mattak. Someone named Sandegar and Bayleaf. She supposed they had nothing better to do than to travel to the remote location picked for the tourney and hang out with their friends.

After having gotten over her intial surprise at seeing Mattak, Kalissa had turned her gaze back to the table of rats, not wanting to be caught staring. The rats had abandoned their ill-fated dice game and were now watching one of their company deal out cards from a stack which had seen some wear. Kalissa sensed Mattak approaching, but didn't move her eyes, even when the wolverine stopped next to her. Then the sound of something being set on the bar caught the ferretmaid's attention and she allowed her eyes to drift back to Mattak. The rats had grown boring anyway.

"Thought you might need some cheerin' up."

The wolverine had produced a bottle from under his black and maroon cloak. Its contents had swished as he had placed it before her and Kalissa thought she caught a familiar scent coming from it. The ferretmaid reached for the bottle, uncorked it and sniffed its contents. The heady scent of Tatterack's famous rockshore ale rose to greet her nose. Kalissa sniffed it again, just to make sure there were no other smells hiding within the ale's, then took a small swig, ignoring glares from the bartender, who was offended that she was not drinking his beverages.

"I came 'ere a while back durin' the first round when everyone was fightin'. The drinks 'ere are terrible... but I think you found that out for yerself."

Kalissa made a noise of agreement at Mattak's pointing out how bad the drinks were and set the bottle of ale down on the bar, satisfied for the moment. She hadn't seen the wolverine until now, but he said he'd come here during the first round. She wondered where he had been hiding himself until now. Mattak seated himself beside her, and Kalissa turned slightly back towards the bar, glancing one last time at the table of rats. They were involved in their card game now, and no arguing issued from the table. Dull creatures.

"I'm almost glad I didn't sign up for this tourney. Things seem slow 'ere."

"The judges seem to have vanished again," Kalissa replied, her first words to Mattak since he had entered the tavern. "We haven't heard the results from the second round yet, and it's already been two weeks."

She took another drink from the bottle, limiting how much liquid came from its mouth. Though it was nice to have something familiar with her to drink, the ferretmaid was wary of drinking too much.

"You should see the fort nowadays. Don't know if anybeast 'as sent you word recently, but it's doing quite well."

"I heard," Kalissa said. "I suppose that means the barracks are overruning with new recruits? Luna must be going out of her mind."

She smiled in faint amusement at the thought of the vixen having to deal with the attitudes that new recruits always brought with them. She wouldn't be surprised to hear the news that half of them were dead already. Luna wasn't known for her patience. The ferretmaid took another small drink from the bottle, then set it on the bar a few inches away from her. As she waited for the wolverine to reply, Kalissa's eyes wandered back to the table of rats, who still weren't doing anything interesting.

[Cuiasodo Sharpedge]

"Nice to see you too Cuia. No idea... He hasn't even told me his name yet."

Oh, so we're on even ground, then.

It hadn't left him with anything else to say. After all, he couldn't very well adress a beast who had not given his name. Of course, he still hadn't taken his offered paw. Not very polite to refuse an handshake.

But something as simple as a handshake couldn't be performed within the dust devil of destraction that was in full swing within the next few minutes. A prim, self-satisfied looking squirrel bounced into the tavern, towing what was probably her sibling.

The male squirrel made his way over via the pulling sister and adressed Raiden directly, though he felt more than saw Vinepaw (that was who the squirrel had introduced himself as) glance over at him. The coyote tried his best not to let his pride take over, but couldn't resist as the smallest twitch of a smile flashed on his face and then vanished. The other one, Audrey (he thought he had heard somebeast call her that) repeated the action, though no twitch of mouth muscle from the coyote followed.

Adding to the strangness, a behemoth of a beast stomped through the door. One small snatch of a look and Cuiasodo knew that it had to be a wolverine. He had only seen one about two times in the past, both events not exactly filled with joy; wolverines weren't renound for their courtesy or intelectual prowess (see: big, mean and dumb). But it wasn't wise to generalize. Making a note to himself to keep part of his attention on the new arrival for awhile, he kept looking between Raiden and the unknown beast and Audrey and Vinepaw, scarecly saying a word. He couldn't get one in edgewise...

[Mattak]

OOC: Heh, yes Cuiasodo. Not wise at all to generalize. It's funny... you'd be surprised how many people say they've encountered wolverine's before "one or two times"... and they all seem to be bad experiences. Buwahaha... The reputation of the ferocious wolverine stands firm... yet sadly... I've never met another person who RP's one.

BIC: *Mattak sighed and scratched behind his ear, nodding to what Kalissa said about the tourney and judges. Two weeks... must seem like such a long time to the competitors... anxiously awaiting the fight results. The wolverine absent-mindedly played with the hilt of his battle-axe, as he followed Kalissa's eyes. She was apparently watching a group of rats, gambling and arguing... just causing a general rucus. Hmph... stupid beasts.

"I heard. I suppose that means the barracks are overruning with new recruits? Luna must be going out of her mind."

Like Kalissa, Mattak couldn't help but let a little grin creep across his face as he envisioned the relentless vixen letting loose all of hell on a helpless trainee. Quite a comical scene, really. "Aye... we 'ave received quite a few new recruits in the past couple o' weeks. Most of 'em think they're the Cat's Meow of Tatterack, but I'm sure Luna'll put 'em in place pretty quick." The wolverine let out a little chuckle, drowning it out as he took another sip of his ale. He set the bottle gently down on the bar.

Mattak leaned back slightly in the uncomfortable bar chair, shifting his weight from side to side, his back cracking pleasantly with each twist. As the wolverine stretched his arms, he caught the wandering eyes of one of beasts in the tavern by random chance. It was a coyote... his name? The wolverine's sharp ears managed to pick up "Cuia"... strange name, the wolverine pondered to himself, wondering what area of the world a name like that could have originated. The wolverine kept his hazel eyes, deep and menacing, fixed on the coyote for a short while, just to make sure he knew he was aware of him.

Mattak then turned back to face Kalissa again. He held his head down low, and spoke in a near whisper. "Somethin's been on my mind lately Kali, as well as many other beasts I've talked to... 'ave you any idea where Khardus is these days? And 'ave you noticed Jad's been acting kinda strange as of late..." The wolverine rubbed the side of his snout thoughtfully, clearing his throat and letting out a little sigh. "The leadership of Tatterack is falterin'... and with the rate of expansion at the Fort, I'm afraid that the leaders aren't pullin' their weight in managin' it. I ain't sure 'bout you... but I'm ready for change." The wolverine's attention quickly shifted to one of his finger-claws. In his excitement, he'd dug it deep into the wood of the bar. He swiftly pulled it out, checking the tip... good. Still sharp, just as he liked it. A dark grin crept onto his face as he turned back to Kalissa. He played with his finger claws, waiting for his comrade to reply.*

[Nadia]

*Nadia had finally gotten all the mud out of her fur from the spar with Marie. Now it was time for some food. The cat was starving. She hadn't eaten anything since she returned, having been to preoccupied with the problem of her matted fur. Now it was soft and fluffy, giving her a rather kittenish appearance. Definatley not how you want to look with all these vermin around. Be that as it may, her hunger was too great.

She moseyed through the streets of the small town, the sun up and drying out the puddles from the storm. Her nose twitched as she took in a deep breath of the clean air, then wrinkled it as she approacked the tavern. The smell of many different species hung around the door. She swung the door open to the tavern, glancing around. It was busy, to put it mildly. She had been in earlier, right after her spar for a small drink of mulled wine to lift her spirits before she started working on her muddy fur. Then, there had only been her, Raiden and Cuiasodo. Now there was a crowd. Her eyes scanned the noisy room, looking for a quiet table. There didn't seem to be too many.

The feline recognized a few creatures, but the majority of the customers seemed to be made up of unfamilier faces. Most of these faces appeared to be talking to contestants. Wish I had someone who would travel up here to see me. She weaved her way through the crush, towards the back where she thought she spied a small, empty table.

Passing the bar, her nose twitched at the unusual smell. She focused her attention on the beasts at the bar. One was a ferret that she knew was in the tourney, Kalissa. The other one...What is that? Nadia had never seen such a beast, larger than a badger in both size and claw length. Shaggier fur, too. Her mind started running through the list of species and their descriptions. No doubt about it, he was a fearsome looking beast.

Nadia would have minded her own business, and her hungry tummy, had she not heard the mutterings of the two. The word "Tatterack" made her perk up her ears. Ah-ha! The pieces fell into place. She had once met a creature from Fort Tatterack and that creature had metioned something about a wolverine. Although the face didn't invite conversation, Nadia slid onto the stool, feeling very small next to the furred bulk, mentally kicking herself for how stupid she was probably about to be. Asking a question of such a beast never boded well. But, she was curious.*

You're from Fort Tatterack? I'd heard that an acquaintance of mine was going to try and enlist there. Have you seen her? She's a rather stuck-up ermine named Adriel.

[Kalissa Silvertail]

[Finally answering this. xP I have too many RPs going on at one time.
Oh where, oh where has my little muse gone...]

Kalissa's smile at the thought of Luna dealing with new recruits was echoed on the wolverine's face as he said,

"Aye... we 'ave received quite a few new recruits in the past couple o' weeks. Most of 'em think they're the Cat's Meow of Tatterack, but I'm sure Luna'll put 'em in place pretty quick."

Recruits always did think highly of themselves at first -- or at least they thought that the veterans of the Fort should give them leniency since they were new. However, that was not to be found at Tatterack. A new recruit would find it wise to just keep low until he or she had learned the ropes enough to be given some slack. But Kalissa had never known a new recruit to do that. They tended to just march into the Grey Crab Tavern and expect every beast inside to give them a clap on the back and a mug of ale, or some such nonsense. She agreed with Mattak on being sure that Luna would put the new beasts where they belonged -- the vixen had no patience for recruits who thought they were better than beasts who had been serving at Tatterack for years. At least most of the recruits learned that. That was a blessing to them.

As Kalissa reached for the bottle and took another drink of the rockshore ale inside, Mattak leaned back in his chair and twisted his huge frame, cracking his back with pleasure. The ferretmaid kept from wincing at the sharp sounds, and instead, took a sip more than she had intended to. As she set the bottle back down on the bar, she saw that Mattak's attention had wandered from her, and towards a creature some feet away, who was looking at the wolverine. Kalissa had never seen such a beast, but she thought that it was called a coyote. Well, whatever creature it was, it had better not spend too much time staring at Mattak -- the wolverine didn't seem to tolerate such stares, though he must receive them quite often, given his size.

Kalissa's eyes moved on from the coyote, and back to the table of rats she had been watching before Mattak had entered the tavern. They were still engrossed in their card game, and now and again were pausing to argue over some hand that was dealt, but for the most part, they were getting along. Kalissa's attention was caught by a dark shape that approached in her side vision and she realized it was Mattak, leaning towards her. Her ears flicked back toward the wolverine, catching his words as he spoke close to a whisper.

"Somethin's been on my mind lately Kali, as well as many other beasts I've talked to... 'ave you any idea where Khardus is these days? And 'ave you noticed Jad's been acting kinda strange as of late..."

Khardus Moridin had never really been around the Fort that Kalissa knew of, and she had been there for several years now. The supposed Emperor of the place hardly ever appeared among his soldiers and the vast majority of the time, nobeast knew where he was. Kalissa just thought that he wasn't up to being the sole leader of such a large Fort. Or perhaps there was something else wrong with the fox. All of his duties had fallen to his second-in-command, Jadak the Fang, but these same duties had seemed too much for the wolf as well, and he had begun to act like Khardus not long after, vanishing for long periods of time and then returning with no explanation. It was a wonder the Fort was still standing and gaining new recruits. Kalissa couldn't recall any strange behavior by Jadak -- unless you counted his disappearing acts -- but Mattak had been around the Fort a little more than she had lately.

"The leadership of Tatterack is falterin'... and with the rate of expansion at the Fort, I'm afraid that the leaders aren't pullin' their weight in managin' it. I ain't sure 'bout you... but I'm ready for change."

Kalissa moved her head in a noncommital nod. Her focus right now wasn't what was occuring at the Fort, but rather the tourney she was currently at. She couldn't let anything else get inside her head and bother her, or she would lose her fights one right after the other. But at the rate the tourney was going right now, Kalissa doubted she would even finish anywhere in the top brackets. The judges were delighting themselves in assigning her with beasts who never showed up, and winning by forfeit didn't help her standing much.

Kalissa noted the dark grin that had crept over Mattak's face as he turned back to face her, but she ignored it, and the claw that he pulled free from the bar where it had sunk easily into the hard wood. The wolverine was acting slightly strange to her, but before she could dwell more upon his behavior, the tavern door opened yet again and a cat entered. Kalissa's eyes ran quickly up and down the newcomer, then she turned her attention back to the bottle of rockshore ale, dismissing the cat as uninteresting. However, a moment later, the cat had approached the bar and sat down next to Mattak. Kalissa's eyebrows twitched, wondering at the female's nerve.

"You're from Fort Tatterack? I'd heard that an acquaintance of mine was going to try and enlist there. Have you seen her? She's a rather stuck-up ermine named Adriel."

Kalissa couldn't really accuse the cat of eavesdropping on their conversation, though she wanted to. Mattak's voice carried, even when he spoke in a whisper, and with the sharp ears the cat probably possesed, it wouldn't have been hard to catch the words "Fort Tatterack" even from across the tavern. So, the ferretmaid merely sipped her ale before answering the cat's question.

"Aye, I've heard of her."

The ermine, Adriel, had arrived just before she had left for the tourney, and the ferretmaid had heard the new recruit's name, thanks to some chatty gate guards. But since Kalissa had been setting out on her journey, she hadn't had the chance to meet the ermine. She knew Luna would have though, and wondered what might have occured back at the Fort. She glanced at Mattak and a small smirk crept across her lips as she sipped her ale again.

[snowflower]

The red-furred fieldmouse entered the bar, looking rather lethargic in temper, as if he had entered for no reason other than that he had nothing better to do. Korren Greeneyes didn't hide his emotions much; it was plain to see that nothing interested him, not even the mug of his favorite ale set before him. After the excitement of the first round had died out, the Tournament had become rather commonplace and boring, especially since there were no familiar friends of his from the Horde. Possibly, Erksta Riverrider could be excluded from that, but the otter, being one of the judges, was rarely seen even when he was not busy with judging.

However, Korren brightened considerably when, in a brief glance up, he noticed a mustelid who was familiar to him, though he had not seen him in quite a while. Dingus was a welcome sight, though it seemed strange to see him without his twin. Dingus and Shotput were the dynamic duo of mischievous martens who had livened many a day in the Horde; it was almost impossible to mention one without the other. Perhaps they sobered a bit as they grew older, however unlikely it seems, the mouse thought to himself. I know I have.

But, whatever the change, Korren was anxious to talk all about it. Standing up from his chair, he made his way to the pine marten, and addressed him with a growing enthusiasm.

"Dingus?" he said, scarcely caring if he interrupted or not. Suddenly, many questions came to his mind, and threatened to start pouring out in no coherent order; it took a considerable amount of willpower to prevent them from doing so.

"You might or might not remember me. Korren Greeneyes? I was just another naive recruit when a last saw you." The mouse stood there, rather awkwardly; he had not made much of an acquaintance with any others in the group. "How's it been?" he asked lamely.