THE END IS NIGH - Halyard/LP 2/27/21

Ol'random · 2021-03-01 08:04:56 PM

Pvt. Donica,
Ens. Elbio,
Sgt. Terrence,
with Lenore as the rat

From the direction of the town comes a doddering elderly rat. His fur is grey from age, and his eyes are watery, and cloudy with cataracts. Those who live in Halyard know him as the expert rope manufacturer. The ropes he and his sons make are exceptional without compare, and since ropes are so important, he is treated with respect and deference wherever he goes. Once he reaches the docks, he looks around blearily. Some ferrets spot him and gently lead him to a crate where he can sit. The ferrets, who are known to be rough and tumble pirates, carefully place a sack around his shoulders and only leave when they're sure he's comfortable. After they leave, the rat peers around, looking for hares as he holds up his sign. It's broken plank, and it says THE END IS NIGH.

Donica looks over at the sign and raises an eyebrow as she moves on back to where the hares have their base in the Harbor Master building. She had made sure some medical supplies to some beasts, and got a couple for the Long Patrol they were low on.

"If anothah storm hits," Terrence dryly observes as Donica passes him, "The rat'll be correct - least fo'h this most... Well, village."
The sergeant was once again standing on top the half-repaired docks some ways down from where the rat sat and village beasts were gathered. He'd done his best to organize pickets to keep any non-worker creature out and so far he'd received no complaints (except for hares of course. No one wants to sit half the night in the cold to keep an eye out).

Once there's a little crowd around him, the rat (who is literally the most harmless creature in all of Halyard) starts shouting is his faint, wavery voice. "Storms! Invasions by foebeasts! This is just the beginning of the end! Next will be plagues, famines, invading armies, earthquakes! The hares are just signs, signs, signs of our upcoming doom! We are all doomed!!" Most of the beasts shake their heads, seeming to think that this is just the ramblings of an old creature who isn't right in the head. But some beasts seem to be taking him seriously...

Donica folds her arms over her chest and shakes her head, "Well, this beast is interesting so far." She decides to not worry about the old rat, sides the hares are here to help protect against any possible foes, if they even show up...its been fairly quiet. Just the normal Halyard stuff and thats calmed down a little since the storm.

Tipping a barrel and rolling it closer to sit on facing the rat, Terrence gestures for the healer to follow. "If you're not doing anything important at the moment would you mind keeping an eye on that rat? If he has a heart attack and dies in front of ou'h position it would be bad fo'h the Patrol's image, eh? Don't get too close of course, just be at paw in case he hurts himself."

The elderly rat points a trembling paw in the general direction of the hares. "They bring doom, doom, DOOM. They are signs of coming trouble!" "Whot should we do, old one?" A voice from the crowd asks. The old rat pauses, apparently not expecting anyone to take him seriously. "Er....sacrifice! We can not sacrifice the hares, but we must make a sacrifice to appease the fates!" "What do we sacrifice to?" another voice asks. The old rope maker turns his pointing finger to the ocean. "Throw the sacrifice into the deeps!" There are murmurs in the crowd as they try to figure out what (or who) to sacrifice.

Donica nods and then she hears the vermin getting a bit more tense and lays a paw on her dirk." We might have some trouble to deal with but hopefully not."

"Ah, hell." The curse is mildly uncharacteristic of the sergeant, but this isn't the first time Terrence has heard of creatures trying to commit sacrifice. "At least they aren't toads..." Leaping upright he shouts down to the sand, "Greenhill, Adderbark, you two go support the sentry by the north road- Donica, if you'd kindly follow me." He's already moving down the docks towards the crowd, shaking his head and muttering, "Why are rabble-raisers always the well." He lets the implication hang in the air.

Elbio picks now of all times to be returning from a chat with the harbor master and he has a couple hares with him that was helping repair some roofs in the town. He frowns at the crowd. "Great… now wot?"

The old rat fumbles with his sign, obviously thrilled that people are FINALLY taking him seriously. "We.....I'm sure....we need to act fast! Before the next storm comes!" The crowd has started debating about some of the worst characters in town, who cause trouble and danger for everyone, vermin and woodlander alike. Would they make a good sacrifice? I mean, their wicked behaviour is obviously what brought the hares back, right? A few of the vermin eye the approaching hares as maybe they should try to sacrifice the Patrollers....

The sergeant arrives at the guard post were a nervous private is trying to hide from the vermin eyeing him. "Private, go get the patrol, I'll keep an eye out here fo'h now." The young hare nods and darts off, happy to be out of there. "Ah, sah!" Terrence salutes as he spots Elbio, his voice dropping low as the ensign gets closer. "Just an old rat spouting stuff about how we hares are the harbingers of doom and whatnot. I am worried they might toss one of thei'h - o'h worse one of ours - into the blooming sea."

Elbio quickly gets over to Terrence and frowns. "So a crazy old vermin, what fun."

The citizens of Halyard have made a decision! They have unanimously chosen one of the worst trouble makers of the village to be made into a sacrifice, saying it's their fault all this trouble has come upon them. What fun! The crowd goes tearing off, waving weapons and various gardening and farming implements, grabbing torches on the way. The old rat sits on his crate with his sign, looking around feebly, trying to see where everyone went.

"What fun indeed!” Terrence leans against the makeshift barricade that had been put up to separate the construction work. "Though I have an idea -be just a moment, sah." Hoping the fence only for the crowd to disperse the sergeant just stands there for a moment, sheepishly. "Well alright then!" He looks back to the small crowd of hares that had gathered behind him and the ensign, "I suppose we should be ready to fish the poo'h chap they get thei'h paws on out, wot!"

The rat slowly stands and makes his unsteady way over to the Sergeant. "Once the dock is done, begone!" he commands in a waivery voice, pointing at the hare. "You bring nothing but death in your wake! Many creatures who haven't deserved it have met their fates at Long Patrol swords! Go! Begone! Shoo!" He makes a shooing motion with his free paw, threatening to overbalance himself in the process.

Terrence looks down at the rat, unfazed. "As you say, sah." It's a formal cordialness that perhaps the sergeant doesn't feel in his heart, nor does he think they will leave when the docks are fixed. It's not just that part of Halyard that needs fixing. "I would offah you tea but I suppose you want nothing to do with us hares, eh?"

Before the rat can answer, the villagers return, brandishing all their torches and things and dragging a wicked-looking weasel with them. He's tied up and shouting curses at them. They walk over to an open space and chuck him in the ocean! The old rat hoarsely cheers along with them as the weasel sinks, unable to swim.

Alarmed Terrence ignores the old rat, instead hoping back over the barricade to watch the proceedings cautiously. He curses under his breath. "We can't just fetch the poor blighter out, now can we? Doing that'll just rile the mob up furthah..." He follows the crowd though from the opposite dock, pacing impatiently. Perhaps in the growing dark they might not see him... "Ah, blast it." Mind made up the sergeant strips off his military coat, tunic, and sword belt and dives in the water were the weasel disappeared like a rock.

The crowd thinks their sacrifice is accepted since he sunk right away, and they charge off, taking the old rat with them as they go to party up their intervening in fate at the taverns, thus missing the hare's heroics. The weasel doesn't fight the hare saving him, but when they get up to the surface and he's untied, the weasel spits at Terrence. "You shoulda let me die, bunny. I'll get back to you later." And off he trudges into the dark, ignoring all other offerings of help. The docks are now deserted of all save the hares.

"Well, I can toss you right back in if you'd bally-well like, vermin." Wet, cold, and exhausted, Terrence wipes the spittle from his face and is in no mood for pleasantries. He marches back past the small crowd of hares who'd gathered to watch the spectacle, the look on his face that of murder as he picks up his things. "I'm going to pull rank and ordah one of you lot to get me some hot tea - I'll be in my bloody tent."

Last edited by Ol'random (2021-03-01 08:06:03 PM)

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#1 2021-03-01 08:04:56 PM

THE END IS NIGH - Halyard/LP 2/27/21

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