Redwall! ((Private... ish.))

[The Evil Overlordess]

Sister Fennel, the squirrel healer, clucked her tongue.

"Don't know what the Woodland's are going to, these days. Now, gently--"

They followed the otters and the healer inside. Britta frowned, picking at her claws.

"Wonder where he's from," she muttered.

[Skiv]

Hearing Britta, the hare put an arm around her shoulders and lead her towards the Abbey.
"No worries Britta, we'll ask him all the questions he can stand when he wakes up. Maybe he'll not have any memory of being a bad beast, and be a good fox, like you!" She beamed over at Britta, obviously more worried about her new friend's happiness then the little spat from earlier.

Once the fox was settled on a bed, Sister Fennel began checking him over. After decided that he was well enough, she let the otters tie him to the bed with ropes that had rags wrapped around them, so as to not chafe his skin.

"Now he should sleep 'til morning, so I want everybeast out, and quitely!" She started shooing them out the door and into the dark corridor. "Chicory, please show the guests to some empty dormatories, and make sure they're settled, then to bed with you! And shame to Mr. Spinney for letting you be awake at such an hour!" She shut the door behind them, clicking her tongue.

[The Evil Overlordess]

Britta smiled down at Sylvia as Chicory lead them to an empty room.

"Maybe. Or we could keep pushing him out of trees until he is." She whistled, looking at the ceiling. "I'm not a fighter, but this place scares me-- these goodbeasts don't even know how to pretend to keep things like that away."

[Skiv]

"I guess they never thought bad one's 'd come along. Silly if you ask me." She replied, stiffling a yawn. "Thank you little mousey-child for the room, now scat!" She swatted lightly at Chicory until she was out the door. "I don't know about you chap, but I'm blinkin' shot."

Sylvia took off all her jewelry and put it in a pouch on her belt, took off her belt, and set it by one of the beds. She crawled her way onto the bed and piled her pillows, sheets and blankets into a small dome, before sitting in the center, and curling up, now housed in a nestlike structer. A small paw was poked out of the top of the nest and waved about before disapearing back inside.

"G'night Britta! I'm glad we traveled together my friend."

[The Evil Overlordess]

Britta set down her bag and drapped her cloak and sword belt over a chair. She took off the earrings on her right ear-- she always slept on that side-- and stacked them into a brass column, thinking on the black fox's diamond earrings.

"Good night, Sylvia. I'm glad we met." She stood at the window for a moment, staring into the night, and then flopped down on her bed.

[Lecky]

// Wow.. That ruined my plans. //
// He fell from pretty high up. You wouldn’t be able to stand and pull out the flail. //

*

As Srel awoke, he didn’t open his eyes. He just listened. There was someone in the room with him, and he was tied to a bed by about five different ropes across his body. He cursed inwardly. How did this happen? They had obviously identified his motive at the Abby, or they wouldn’t have tied him down. He had to get out of this. He couldn't stand the thought of the soft little mice interrogating him.

He felt a paw on his wrist.

He opened his eyes and barred his teeth. The tiny squirrel that was checking his pulse screamed and jumped backwards, tripping over the bed opposite him. She fell hard, and the thud of her head against the stone floor was audible. He craned his neck but he couldn’t see because of a rope around his forehead. He had to get out of there fast. Most of the Abby would have heard the scream and someone would be here soon.

The ropes that held him down were pathetically thin but appeared to be very strong. He couldn’t reach any with his teeth, and his hands were tied behind his back.

But he had a plan.

The bed had an iron frame and was a bit small for him because of his size. His ankles had been propped up on top of the bar at the foot of the bed. He moved his heels up and down until he finally got them behind the bar. He pushed himself up. The Chord around his forehead fell into his mouth. He bit it savagely three times. He pushed himself farther up and the rope around his chest slipped down around his stomach. He propped himself up on his hands. He reached farther behind himself and grabbed the headboard. He jerked himself hard. The ropes around him went limp and he slipped out of them. He hopped off the bed and looked around for something to untie his hands with. He heard someone shout outside. He spied a knife on the table. He ran to it and grabbed it behind his back. He pulled two of the beds together and propped the knife between them. It was sharp and it took only two cuts to sever the ropes. He yanked the knife out from between the two beds and looked around wildly for somewhere to hide. He heard footsteps outside. He knelt next to the unconscious squirrel on the ground. He found what he was looking for in her left apron pocket. A key. He ran to the door and rammed the key into the hole. He turned it just as he felt someone on the other side turn the knob.

“It’s locked,” he hissed

[Skiv]

After waking up, Sylvia decided to go to the Infirmary and check on the fox from last night. After a bit of walking, getting lost, asking how to get where she needed to go, and finally finding the right corridor, she arrived at the Infirmary door.

Sylvia looked down at the knob, puzzled, "Now that's odd... The Sister must have locked it... Strange." She knocked lightly on the door, "Sister Fennel? Can I come in?" She paused for an answer, but heard none.

"Hmm... Sister!" She tried the knob again and knocked louder, but still got no answer.

[The Evil Overlordess]

Britta cracked an eye open. Hushed, squeaky voices were speaking above her. The blue-brown blur resolved itself into Chicory and her ever-present blanket, the other brown one into a little mole.

"Burr, 'Ory, oi dint think 'ee wurr tellin' oi the trooth."

"See, I toljer there were a foxer. Sissa Fenn got the other foxer h'up in 'er hinfirmerarity, an' the silly rabbit ain't here..."

Britta opened her eyes and glared at the two abbeybabes, who backed away.

"And how'd you two villains get in here?"

Chicory gave her a very offened look before turning around and tugging her mole friend out by the back of the smock

"The rabbit lefted the door open. She wen to see the foxer."

Britta rolled her eyes. Of course, the hare would be an early riser. She got dressed and padded out into the hallway. After a bit of wandering, she found the hare banging on the door to the infirmary.

"What's happening?" she asked quietly from behind. "Is the sister out?"

[Skiv]

"She's either out, ignoring me, or something bad has happened." She said. "I've not heard that she was out, I doubt she'd ignore me, honestly, so I'm guessing something bad has happened." She stepped back from the door and pointed firmly at it. "It's. Locked."

[Lecky]

Sister Fennel had a horrible headache when she awoke. The back of her head ached, and she had been lying on her back on a cold stone floor. She blinked and tried to focus, but her eyes weren’t cooperating. She heard someone yelling outside the door. It hurt to move her tail. It must have taken most of the impact. She rose to her knees and shifted it into a more comfortable position. The handle to the door shook slightly and she could hear someone talking.

“Sister? You alright in there?”

She slowly stood up and wobbled her way to the door. The key was in the doorknob. Someone had locked it.

The Fox! She turned her head sharply to the bed the fox had occupied. The ropes were missing as well as the sheet. That could only mean that he had escaped. But if the door was locked from the inside and there were no apparent hiding places for someone of his size, he must have gone out the window... Of course. He must have used the ropes to climb out of the window down to the ground, or a safe dropping point. She turned and looked at the large window. The screen had been ripped and there was a rope tied around one of the beds and leading out the window. There was strain on the rope. He must still be climbing down!

“Sister, unlock the blinkin’ door!”

Forgetting the door, she dashed to the window. The black form was halfway down a makeshift rope with a knife in his teeth. He placed his feet against the wall and looked up. His eyes met hers. He spit out the knife and yelled a question, “What’s the vixen’s name?” Sister Fennel wondered why he would want that. “Britta Mo...” She stopped. Why in the world was she telling him? She tightened her lips and glared at him fiercely.

He grinned and winked at her, “Hope your head feels better.” He dropped to the ground, retrieved the knife, and ran. There was no one out of the Abbey this early so no one could have caught him. She turned and walked to the door. “I’m here.” Her hand moved to the key and there was a click as she turned it in the lock.

[The Evil Overlordess]

((Dude, you ownzor at the drama. I usually do lighter things than this, so it's a bit rough going for me, but you're awesome. Great job.))

The hare and the fox from the previous night stood in front of the infirmary door. Both had drawn faces, and the hare was poised, pointing at the door. The vixen, Britta, who was still squinting with sleep, exhaled as Sister Fennel opened the door like she had been holding her breath.

Britta peered past the squirrel into the infirmary. The bed the 'O T T E R IS CENSORED.' troop tied the fox to stripped of the cords and sheet. She glanced down at Sylvia, but her expression was unreadable. Britta's eyes travelled across the room.

Though the morning was chilly, and rainclouds were gathering in the west, one of the windows was open. The screen was torn, something dangled from it.

Britta closed her eyes.

"How did this come about?" she asked.

[Lecky]

// Wow, thanks. I really appreciate that. //

*

Sister Fennel shook her head.

“Well, you see, I’m not altogether sure. I was checking his pulse, when he woke up and scared me. I jumped backwards and must have bumped my head.” She paused and rubbed the back of her skull for emphasis, “He must have found some way out of the ropes, untied and retied them, including the sheet, dropped it out the window, and climbed out.”

“All while you were asleep?”

“Well, I woke up as he was climbing out, but there was no way of catching him and nothing I could do. Though, he did ask me a question before he ran."

“And what question was that?”

She looked up at the red fox standing just outside the door, “Well, it seems he wanted to know your name..”

[Skiv]

Sylvia stared at Britta for a moment before bursting into hysterical laughter.
"Well well Britta, looks like you've got yourself a friend!" She collapsed helplessly into a bed, still wrecked with laughter.

"I mean I'm sure it's horrible that he escaped an' all that rot, but it's still blinkin' hilarious!" She sank back down in another fit of mirth.

[The Evil Overlordess]

"It is not hilarious." Britta hissed, glaring down at the hare. "Stop laughing. Get up. There are more important things to do."

She strode angrily across the room and dug her claws into the rope made out of sheets.

"Somebeast-- go find out if the gates were closed. He might still be here."

A snide voice at the back of her head inquired exactly she planned to do if the fox was still inside the abbey.

"Well?" Britta raised her shoulders and marched out of the infirmary. "I'll go find somebeast myself. Don't worry."

[Skiv]

Sylvia looked up from the bed, to find that the others had left the room. "Hey now! Britta! Get back here chap!! I was only playin'!" She rushed off after the fox and caught up with her a ways down the hall.

"So, once we find out if he's in here, then what? If he's escaped, I say we go after 'im!" She said brightly, eyes shining with the prospect of an adventure.