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| Details |
| Author: | Mishell |
| Summary: | In late spring of Year 28, Rhenardt's group of evacuees (almost) fully reunites for the first time in seven years. They are all now afflicted with the worgen curse but determined to help their homeland and fellow Gilneans deal with a new crisis despite prejudices and adjustment difficulties. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Arc: Gravehowl Pack
A hulking, grizzled brown worgen stalks toward the group gathered in the street. He sweeps an orange-gold gaze over them.
Ozzy stands immediately straighter, ears upright, as though the prince himself has arrived. But it's Rhenardt.
Zeke's nose twitches as he looks at Rhenardt. He ducks his head and flattens his ears, adopting a slightly submissive posture.
Gabriella dips her head, "Lukas-…Lord Graves. You're a welcome sight."
"Lord Graves…!" Ozzy sounds a little breathless with surprise. Her ears go flat.
"Where are the rest?" Rhenardt growls.
"I'unno," Ozzy says.
"Thaniel is about, apparently,” says Gabriella. We are gathering as we find each other."
Rhenardt eyes Gabriella. He nods gruffly to her.
Thaniel is about. He is looking through a gap in the fence at the feral worgen as the antidote is administered to them, waiting for those he recognizes.
Zeke eyes Rhenardt in clothing and opts not to comment, though he does tug at his shirt a little.
Rhenardt eyes Zeke right back in a way that suggests withholding comment is wise.
"I fink Faniel is watchin' for the others," Oslynn says. 'E was there when I woke up."
Rhenardt swings his head around toward the holding pen, his lip curling in distaste. He nods when he spots Thaniel — and someone else. "Rivere."
Zeke turns to look.
Gellarn ducks his head, his eyes on the ground. "Sir." It takes him a moment to straighten up, best he can, standing at some general sense of attention.
Rhenardt nods at him. "We're collecting, it seems. Have you found others?"
Apricity is freed from the pillory after being given the remedy. He looks around. He looks at his hands. He snarls softly. Old habits die hard.
Thaniel peeks around the No Entry sign outside of the fence that encloses the stocks.
Gellarn glances over at the current collection, and then sweeps a general survey of the rest of the area.
"Mr. Rivere," says Gabby. "It's good to see you up and about."
Ozzy sniffs the air and then turns toward the area where ferals are held in the stocks. "I fink some new ones is wakin' up? Maybe some of ours?" She lopes off.
Gellarn nods towards the stocks. "There's Apricity. Has to be."
"Aye." Rhenardt follows Ozzy at a more dignified stalk.
Zeke sniffs the air too, then follows Rhenardt.
Gabby sighs. "Ah…Hearthleigh."
Ozzy rests her chin on Thaniel's shoulder from behind, looking in.
Gellarn tries to clear his throat, nodding curtly at Gabriella, making no eye contact with anyone.
"That's Mr. Hearthleigh," Thaniel says, pointing.
Ambrose staggers out of the fenced in pens looking a bit dazed - eyes darting several times as fast as footsteps. He longingly eyes some woods in the distance as if he would bolt if he didn't expect to be chased.
"Cor, they put clothes on all of 'em," Ozzy says.
Zeke's ears twitch at the sight and scent of Godfrey. He growls a little. "Aye, they don't letcher out if you won't wear clothes."
Lloyd stalks towards the pack, drawn by familiar scents. He is holding his gun, examining the bite marks on it.
"Here," says Rhenardt sharply to Ambrose, and then eyes Hearthleigh's approach.
Ambrose goes through a few odd quirks of his muzzle to hear a command rather than a grunt or a bark. He grumbles a bit as if unready to reply in kind, simply falling in as is custom.
Apricity approaches the exit of the little closed off area. Spotting the group, he stands up straight, clearing his throat. "Well, isn't that a charming welcoming committee?"
Ozzy spots Merelda, and instantly stands straight, backing up a few steps.
Merelda seems a little dazed. She stumbles towards the others, looking down at her own hands in confusion.
Ozzy grabs Merelda's hand. "Hey. It's me."
"Lady Veyne. We are here." Rhenardt tells her.
Merelda sniffs the air, and looks over at Ozzy, then Rhenardt. "I… recognize you."
Gabriella nods. "Lady Veyne. Welcome back."
"Thank you," Merelda says, tilting her wolfish head towards Gabriella.
"Faniel's been callin' us the Gravehowl Pack," Ozzy says cheerfully. "Ain't it grand? Also it's Year 28. So I'm 22 now and grown." She really emphasizes this last point to poor bewildered Merelda.
Apricity clears his throat again. Well, the welcoming committee may not have been for him. "If you'll excuse me, then…"
Merelda says, "Twenty-two… you're… how old am I? Year 28?"
Ozzy nods. "Year 28. Faniel said so."
Apricity tries to walk past the group, then stops at the year. "Year 28..?"
Zeke nods, too.
Gabby nods solemnly. "It's been seven years since the attack."
Gellarn adds his own agreement. "Year 28. Just past the Spring Equinox, few months back."
Merelda clings to Ozzy's hand. "…years."
Zeke relaxes a little. "Cor, did they catch the lot of us?"
"The pack is gathering." Rhenardt's lip curls in a canine smile. "There is still safety for us in numbers. It would seem." He eyes the cage-cart and then Lord Godfrey's back.
"Mr. Lowynn," Thaniel says happily. "Lady Veyne. Mr. Falston?"
"I've lost… 7 years of my life to that curse?" Apricity asks.
"'Ere now, it weren't so bad…."
Ozzy says "Yep!" cheerfully to Apricity.
"So have many of us. I am given the impression that the last uncursed years have not been… pleasant, either," Rhenardt tells Hearthleigh.
Gellarn tries to straighten further. "No. Wasn't pleasant. But we've held the line." He shifts his head around. "Or…they have, now, I suppose."
Gabby nods to Rhenardt. "It's been a difficult time."
"Also there keeps bein' earfquakes. Dunno what that's about." Ozzy lets Merelda hold onto her hand.
"The land is angry," Thaniel says like this should be an obvious explanation for earthquakes.
Rhenardt growls low in his throat. He swings his head to survey the village again.
"I know how it feels," Merelda growls.
Ambrose gives Lloyd and Gellarn a few sniffs, because the nose is more trustworthy than the ears and you're definitely all talking funny.
Lloyd flattens to the ground as an earthquake rolls by.
Zeke looks at Lloyd with sympathy. As much as a lupine face can show sympathy. "Yer get used to 'em."
Apricity growls, softly. An odd behavior given how human and dignified he's trying to look.
"So… it's over now?" Merelda looks around the group. "Gilneas is safe?"
"There are still feral ones roaming," Rhenardt tells Merelda. "And we are not necessarily safe from all of… them." He glares at Godfrey again.
"What now? Are we supposed to live in hiding? Are there some of the… the uncursed going after us?" Apricity asks.
Lloyd bares his teeth at Godfrey, following Rhenardt's sentiments.
Zeke's ears flatten and his lips pull back off his fangs as he follows Rhenardt's gaze.
"There are people I need to find," Merelda murmurs, and then she looks down at her own hands. "Or maybe not."
"We do not live in hiding. But we stay together." Rhenardt eyes Apricity sternly.
"Yseulde!" Thaniel calls. "Over here!"
Ozzy spots Yseulde and gives a happy little whine of greeting.
Rhenardt lifts his head to watch Yseulde approach. He nods gruffly. Gruffly is about the only way he can nod, now. It's mostly the way he nodded before, too, though.
"Thaniel?" Yseulde startles at the sound of her own voice. She looks at her hands…or what her hands have become. She looks up at Rhenardt, at at everyone else.
Thaniel grabs Yseulde's hand and herds her over to the group. "It's me."
"It wasn't a dream," Yseulde says.
Ambrose picks at his suspiciously worgen-fitted robe uncomfortably. He drops and rolls in the grass a bit, maybe that will rub it off.
Zeke's tongue lolls as he watches Ambrose. "See? Clothes feel weird."
Gellarn crosses his arms over his chest, regarding the assembled with the look of a man fighting off a sense of déjà vu.
"Oh, Light, at least we're clothed," Merelda murmurs, looking down at her own garments.
"Safety in numbers," Apricity repeats, baring his teeth in what seems to be… a smile. He tries to delicately bring one of his clawed hands up to his forehead as if to calm a headache, but instead… misses his head. The forehead isn't where it used to be.
"We are missing the pup. Malcolm," says Rhenardt.
Ozzy's ears droop at the mention of missing Malcolm.
One of the guards nearby says, "Young McPheerson? Uh.. he… we're still trying, with him."
Rhenardt flattens his ears at the guard. "Try harder."
"Yes sir," says the guard to Rhenardt.
"It wasn't a dream," Thaniel confirms. "It felt like one."
Yseulde stands next to Thaniel and looks at all the Worgen around her. They look nothing like her memory, but…"Merelda. Lloyd. Ozzy - is she here?" As soon as she says it, she spots the worgen next to Merelda. "There you are."
Merelda holds up her hand that is still in Ozzy's. "Yes. We're both here."
Lloyd's ears perk up at the sound of his name.
Ozzy waves warmly at Yseulde. "Hey." Ozzy grins at Yseulde, showing fangs.
Ambrose rises, still clothed, but now covered in damp grass stains. A mitigated victory.
[Yseulde]: "What do we do?" Yseulde asks. "Look at us. What do we do now?"
Lloyd sniffs at the spot Ambrose had been rolling. Something good there?
Unable to help himself, Zeke tugs at the collar of his shirt uncomfortably.
"We will come back for young Malcolm. The alchemist asked to see us again." Rhenardt surveys the group. "We will all go to him."
"Yessir," Ozzy says meekly.
Rhenardt speaks and Yseulde follows.
Gabriella steps aside for a moment and, her lips no longer well-suited to whistle, she barks. A few moments later Cheddar, her mastiff companion, trots up looking much older and a bit chonkier than many would remember him.
Merelda releases Ozzy's hand and nods to her, an echo of a mannerism from another time. Then she follows Rhenardt.
Thaniel follows after Rhenardt. Time to cram a bunch of people into a tiny house.
Apricity, slightly reluctantly, follows. Where's he going to go anyway?
Rhenardt surveys Mayor Armstead and nods to her. He stalks past her to Krennan Aranas.
"Well hello there!" Krennan Aranas looks over the group, pride obvious on his face, but then he frowns solemnly.
"You asked to see us, Aranas?" Rhenardt growls. And then remembers to add, "Rhenardt, Lord Graves."
Gellarn follows the rest of the pack reluctantly, and holds back at the edge of it, standing by the door with his arms crossed, watching from under heavy brows.
Lloyd piles into the room with the others. He is used to puppy piles now, at least instinctually.
"Mixed news, my friends," Aranas says. "The effects of the curse cannot ever be fully cured, as far as we know. With treatment, however, your mind will remain yours… and not that of a wild animal."
Zeke scratches behind an ear again.
"Then we're going to stay like this," Merelda says, twitching one ear.
Aranas allows himself a small smile. "We are fortunate that the treatment worked on your pack. Normally, I can only treat recent infections. But we’ll need to continue your medication to keep the feral state at bay."
"I am thankful to only look and smell like a beast rather than act like one," Apricity says, smiling. Again, more like… baring his teeth.
Rhenardt growls. Maybe it's a polite growl. Maybe not. "Mine will be careful. And mannerly." He looks over his shoulder. "Medication. Do you hear?"
Thaniel nods.
Zeke growls, "Yes, sor."
Merelda nods. "We'll need to keep each other on track with it."
Gabby nods firmly. "We'll see to it that everyone continues their treatments."
"Wrap it in meat?" Lloyd suggests.
Rhenardt cannot reach Lloyd or he might cuff him. "Mannerly," he growls.
Lloyd flattens his ears and shrinks a little.
Ambrose pants with his mouth open, further improving the aroma of the sudden passage of a compacted bolus of damp worgen through the front door. He must have said something to get them to release him, but since then has not spoken a word.
"I will need mandrake essence," Aranas says, "to brew another batch of my serum for you. You will find a crate stashed beneath a shed southwest of town."
Rhenardt nods — you guessed it, gruffly — at Aranas.
"Mandrake essence, to the south. Follow the scent." Rhenardt lifts his head and looks southward.
Gellarn watches the pack less like he's part of it, and more like he's observing it from the outside, watching to see who will break off in a sudden feral impulse.
Ozzy lopes along behind Rhenardt, seeming happy to be following him again.
Merelda looks around Duskhaven, seeming to take comfort in the familiarity of the place.
"I'm certain most of us will remember to take the medication, but should we take turns ensuring the kids do, too?" Apricity looks at those who were kids 7 years ago.
Lloyd stays in the center of the pack. That's his place.
Ambrose drops down to the grass again, creeping along while snuffling the dirt in search of the scent. He's clearly comprehending speech at least.
"We will all watch each other," Rhenardt tells Hearthleigh.
"I don't think any of us are children anymore," Merelda says, shaking her head to dislodge some raindrops.
"I ain't for sure." Ozzy says emphatically.
Merelda moves awkwardly on two feet, as if she wants to drop to four. She doesn't.
Apricity refrains from sniffing around. His instinct tells him to but he doesn't. He's a HUMAN person. A normal human person.
Zeke shakes his head to dislodge the rain, sending it around him in a fine spray.
"I smell — there." Rhenardt peers through the rain.
The crate has been smashed and the vials inside of it appear to have been broken.
Thaniel drops into a crouch to examine the vials.
Lloyd sniffs the air. "Corpse?"
Gabby frowns and kneels by the slain watchman.
"More trouble?" Merelda growls.
Rhenardt stoops over the watchman's corpse, sniffing warily. He flattens his ears again and lifts his head to look around.
Gellarn still moves more like a human than a worgen, which makes him seem more hulking, awkward, as he skirts around the edge of the group to look at the body.
"…Oh," Thaniel says, very delayed. "I'm a healer. Let me see."
Yseulde tries to see from behind people. "Not claws. not teeth."
"I didn't do it," says Zeke.
"No one said you did, dear," Merelda answers Zeke absently.
Ambrose creeps up on the body, craning out his neck toward one of the boots. Maybe if he's slow enough no one will notice. Maybe he'll get the foot too if he's lucky.
Gellarn's eyes go to Ambrose, watching the worgen with a cold glare.
Thaniel cups his palms together and Light glimmers in them. It flickers as he holds it above the watchman, and finally goes out.
"He's already left," Thaniel says.
Gabriella murmurs to herself, "By the angle of the knife, the attacker was roughly the same height."
Rhenardt's survey of the land around them is arrested by a distant sight. He raises his head higher and steps toward the fence at the edge of the ridge, peering southward. He growls low in his chest.
Yseulde looks to where Rhenardt's looking.
Lloyd tries to chase the crows.
"Ships," Rhenardt says. "Who are they? Those aren't Gilnean vessels."
A pair of ships with tattered purple sails sits just offshore. A third can be seen in the distance. This is unprecedented - The reefs off the shore should prevent any such vessel from coming near.
Zeke tips his nose into the air to sniff southward.
"What now?" Apricity says, looking at the ship. "Who might these sailors be?"
A long knife with a skull ornament on its hilt sticks out of the militiaman’s ribs. Between this and the savage-looking warships on the shore, it is clear that Gilneas is being invaded.
"Skulls," Merelda says. "Scourge? Is it still the Scourge?"
"Invaders. They've somehow broken through. We have to stop this, before they pick up the curse, and spread it out there," Gellarn says, stepping forward.
Zeke laughs, a rough and low chuffing growl. "Idiots," he scoffs, "invadin' a land of worgen."
Rhenardt snarls and turns back to the others savagely. "Foreign ships and a dead watchman, and the alchemist's ingredients smashed. Duskhaven should be warned."
Ambrose closes his teeth on the toes of the dead man's boot and gingerly tugs a bit, but it's still laced. He drops it when Rhenardt sounds emphatic.
"Are those pirates?" Yseulde asks.
"We can't let them leave here if any of them are cursed," Gellarn insists, his words getting slightly mangled in an unfamiliar jaw.
"And we can't let them invade here with Gilneans at risk," Rhenardt snarls at Gellarn, and indicates the watchman's corpse.
Merelda nods. "Whoever they are, we'll need to report to others."
"The mayor needs to be informed," says Gabby.
"Yeah," says Ozzy. "The mayor. We should tell 'er."
Zeke heaves a sigh and lowers the hand that had been reaching for his sword. "More talkin'."
Apricity cracks his neck. "They picked on the wrong people regardless…" He snarls. This guy still really likes to fight.
"Should I bring the body back, sir?" Thaniel asks.
Before Rhenardt can answer, undead assassins leap from seemingly nowhere, surrounding the pack. One of them cries in a raspy voice, "Gilneas will soon belong to the Forsaken!"
"WHAT ARE THEY????" cries Yseulde as a fight breaks out.
Gellarn snarls viciously at the Forsaken. "Damn it. The undead."
The assassins underestimated their targets. Though some are too stunned to act, most of the pack leaps into action, and soon all of the Forsaken assassins lie still and lifeless, torn by teeth and claws and weapons.
"WOT'S FORSAKEN???" Ozzy screams, still in fight-or-flight mode.
Merelda shakes her head. "I've not the faintest."
"UNDEAD. To Armstead, now!" barks Rhenardt.
"Monsters. Dead Monsters!" Yseulde says.
Apricity roars. "There's no fun in fighting a target that is all bones and old flesh!"
Thaniel does not bring the watchman's body after all, he just bolts after Rhenardt.
"The plague has taken the world!" Lloyd howls.
"Are we all that's left?" Merelda asks, a little frantic. "And us cursed?"
Rhenardt bursts through the door wild-eyed enough that two civilians nearby cringe back. He pauses politely (and abruptly) before Gwen.
Gwen looks up as they enter.
"Monsters!" Yseulde cries."The dead walk! We saw them!"
"There are invading ships off the coast," says Rhenardt, "and we were attacked by a party of the undead. They called themselves… 'Forsaken'?"
Gellarn follows, once more standing at the door, watching the others.
"‘Forsaken’?" Gwen repeats. "That must be what the undead are calling themselves these days. They have ships now?"
"The pirates are dead?" Yseulde is horrified.
Gwen frowns. "But the reefs have always protected us from a coastal attack. Hm, the earthquakes must’ve opened a passage."
Zeke growls, "Let's go fight 'em."
"I saw at least three moored," Rhenardt says. "Purple sails."
"Quick, friends," says Gwen. "Slow down the attackers while I get the rest of the militia ready. I think I hear the Prince and some of our men engaging these ‘Forsaken’ even as we speak. Talk to Prince Liam and see how you can help."
Rhenardt nods sharply at Gwen.
Gellarn tilts his head, trying to catch those same sounds of the men engaging with the Forsaken.
"Mr. Aranas," Thaniel interjects. "The crate and its contents were smashed."
Aranas frowns. "Dammit…"
"Let's go. The Prince," Rhenardt barks.
Zeke edges toward the door.
"Wait," Gwen calls out. "One more thing… make sure His Highness doesn’t get himself killed. I’m afraid he might be a little reckless in his current state."
Rhenardt turns to nod briefly at Gwen before loping off.
"His current…state?"
"I'm a healer," Thaniel says, and hurries after Rhenardt. He has no trouble keeping up.
"Has the Scourge always spoken? Always sailed ships?" Apricity scratches his neck like a dog trying to remove fleas, before catching himself and standing up straight again. "Or perhaps have they been cured as well? How heartwarming!"
Liam Greymane stands shirtless amidst undead attackers, fighting. His eyes have a manic gleam and sleepless shadows under them. When he spots the group he cries out. "Lord Graves!!! They DID cure you! And your friends?"
Rhenardt eyes the shirtless prince. How come HE doesn't have to wear clothes?
Lloyd looks a little skittish in the face of so many moving corpses. His ears flatten to his head.
Thaniel calls up a shield of Light to protect the Prince.
"The pack is here," Rhenardt confirms during a break in the fighting. "Save one."
Gabriella bows. "How can we help, Your Highness?"
Liam looks on the verge of tears. "For a moment I thought I was having dreams about the old days… I failed to defend my people in Gilneas City. It seems the fates have given me a second chance. I will not fail again!"
Zeke's fur along his neck is standing on end. His back too but no one can see that because stupid shirt.
"We stand with you, Prince Liam," Merelda says primly.
Apricity bows to the prince. "We shall be the claws which will shred your enemies."
"Gwen Armstead sent us to aid you against these… Forsaken invaders. Where would you have us?" Rhenardt asks.
"I’m sorry? What?" Liam gives his head a quick shake. "Look, I don’t know if you’re alive or dead, human or worgen… I’m not even sure I’m awake. But THIS I am sure of… We’re going to kill a great many of these motherless undead."
Liam wipes his brow. "The big fat ones don’t go down easy," he says, "so don’t take them on hand to hand. I have an idea so crazy it might just work. Or it might get you killed if we’re not careful, I suppose."
Rhenardt growls with soft satisfaction. "Not us. Tell us how and we will bring them all down."
Lloyd grins wolfishly at Rhenardt's confidence.
Liam points quickly. "There are barrels of gunpowder beneath the sheds and by the windmills. Grab them and toss them right on the fat ones’ heads. I’ll take care of the rest with this trusty old blunderbuss."
Zeke chuckles at the plan, happy and satisfied.
Thaniel listens to the Prince's orders but he looks at Yseulde, and then Rhenardt, for confirmation.
"Let's go," Yseulde says.
Rhenardt is already loping downhill.
Thaniel goes.
Merelda does not hesitate. The long years have left her much less of a civilian than once she was.
It’s an easy matter for a freakishly strong worgen to toss a barrel of gunpowder onto an abomination’s head.
"GAH!!!! I CAN'T SEE IN HERE!!!!" the hideous thing cries.
Liam's aim is true indeed. Ozzy cheers the first time a gunpowder barrel explodes.
Apricity rushes at the undead, savagely throwing himself at them and ripping them with his claws.
Thaniel struggles to keep everyone healed and shielded as best as he can. There are a lot of them. He counts five watchmen holding the line with the Prince.
Merelda tosses a barrel of gunpowder at one of the abominations.
"I gots bad feeling…" it says in a deep but childish voice.
Merelda nods when Liam explodes it. She moves back to hold the line with the Prince.
Gellarn might know how to move correctly as a human, but as a worgen, he's inexperienced. He misjudges his own size and strength repeatedly, stumbling into enemies, or closing too much to wield his sword effectively.
"This not be good…" says another abomination just before Liam’s remarkable aim detonates the gunpowder on its head.
Gabriella returns to hold the line near Prince Liam, Cheddar by her side.
Liam startles. "AAACK! Oh, it’s you, sorry." He clutches his chest. His bare chest. The prince DOES have pants. For the record.
Apricity comes back to the prince, but only after sneakily trying to get pieces of Forsaken out of his teeth with his claws.
Yseulde returns with a stolen shotgun and every bag of ammo she looted.
Rhenardt, bloodied and grinning, comes up the hill toward the rest. He sniffs and looks around, then nods at Liam.
"I’m going to have to work hard at not shooting you," Liam admits in a half-whisper, "but Krennan did explain." He shakes his head to clear it. "Check in with mayor Armstead, now. See what you can do to engage the undead at the landing site."
"You heard him," Rhenardt barks. "To Armstead!"
"Yessir!" says Ozzy eagerly.
Zeke looks reluctant to leave the fight, but follows Rhenardt.
Rhenardt nods again to Gwen. "The Prince is well. He sent us back to aid you."
Gwen smiles fiercely. "Great news, friends. I’ve sent the remaining militia to the shore to meet the undead force head on. Lord Godfrey is leading the attack near the landing area. Do you know where the Allen Farmstead is?
Merelda thinks back to a time long ago. "I believe so, yes."
Gwen nods. "Godfrey’s commandeered a storm cellar there. See what you can do to help him keep the undead back."
Rhenardt looks over his shoulder. He nods at Merelda. "We will."
"Cellars are nice," Lloyd says. "Old stuff inside, maybe?"
Ozzy snorts softly at Lloyd.
Apricity follows people to the Allen Farmstead.
Thaniel seems to know the way to the farmstead as well.
Merelda helps lead the way if anyone needs it.
Rhenardt eyes the sheep speculatively as they cross the muddy field.
The ships are firing cannonballs, but for now they are landing far off.
"Oh," Thaniel says as he steps through a hole in the fence. "The sheep might get loose."
"This the place?" Ozzy sniffs the air as they approach. "I smell that bastard Godfrey."
Lloyd jumps at the scarecrow. "What's that?" He bristles.
Zeke snickers at Lloyd. "Scarecrow. Not scarewolf."
"I've always had a good head for maps, city layouts," Merelda says quietly to Rhenardt. "I think I still do."
"Good," Rhenardt tells Merelda. He eyes the watchman by the cellar door.
Gellarn looks up as they approach. "Cannonballs! From the ships!"
Merelda flinches and growls instinctively as a cannonball strikes nearby.
"Look alive! We're under bombardment!"
Thaniel rushes to get into the cellar.
Ozzy also rushes.
Apricity lowers to the ground as if it was helping to avoid the bombs.
"INTO THE CELLAR!" Rhenardt roars. "We'll organize there!"
"Everyone to cover!" says Gabriella.
Lord Godfrey stands in the corner of the cellar near a woman in her thirties with a tearstained face. "Your hysteria is not helping matters, Mrs. Hammond," he says curtly. "Take a breath, and muster some dignity."
"This cellar won't be safe for long," says Yseulde. "We have to do something."
Gellarn shuts the cellars doors behind them, bracing against them.
Lloyd tries to crawl under a table. He is too big.
"Lloyd!" barks Rhenardt.
Gellarn steps away cautiously from the cellar doors, eyeing the wood, before descending down the stairs to the others.
Lloyd scrambles away from the table, taking a more useful position nearby. He's here. He has a gun. It's fine.
Godfrey glares at the entering worgen, his hand tightening on his rapier hilt.
"Come on, now, Lord Godfrey. Don't you recognize us?" Apricity asks the lord. "We're harmless. Don't let the fangs and claws deceive you."
Godfrey narrows his eyes at Hearthleigh and says nothing.
The woman next to him continues sobbing, albeit more quietly.
Thaniel winces each time he hears a cannonball thud into somewhere above ground. This is quite frequent.
Zeke's lips peel back from his teeth as Godfrey holds his rapier tighter.
"We were sent by Mayor Armstead. To assist against the Forsaken attack. We helped the Prince hold them off at the village," Rhenardt tells Godfrey coldly.
"Forsaken, is it?" Godfrey strokes his beard. "I wasn’t aware the undead were capable of calling themselves anything at all. A new breed, it seems. Whatever they are, they are here in full strength. We barely have enough men to hold them back."
Rhenardt bares his teeth and looks around at his pack. He looks back at Godfrey significantly.
"I’ll be honest," Godfrey says, "I am not pleased to be working with your kind. Who knows how long until Krennan’s concoction wears off and you try to chomp my head off. Until that time I suppose we can make ample use of your ferocity."
"Let's get to the point, shall we?" says Gabriella.
Godfrey hmphs softly. "Fine. I want you to go out into the battlefield and kill as many of those Forsaken as you can, in as brutal a way as you can. Put the fear of the worgen into them."
"WOT?" Ozzy glares.
"Do undead things fear?" Lloyd asks.
Zeke chooses to watch Rhenardt's back instead of Godfrey's stupid fat face.
Gellarn's lips curl back.
"I am more than happy to," Apricity snarls. He loves to do an murder now.
Rhenardt lifts his head, his orange eyes narrowing. "We are capable of more than mindless slaughter. You would be best served by taking advantage of that."
Godfrey eyes your group coldly. "Now now, keep those fangs in your mouth. No hard feelings, hm? You might be feral killing machines, but killing machines are just what we need right now. Especially if you’re capable of basic strategy."
"You flatter us, Lord Godfrey." Apricity bows his head.
Merelda does not look flattered. She looks deeply offended.
"As it happens," says Godfrey, "I’ve a plan to kill two birds with one stone. You’re the stone in this plan. Take out the machinists manning the catapults, then use the catapults to launch yourself aboard these ‘Forsaken’ ships."
Zeke perks up at that. "Catapult myself? Excellent."
"Seek out their captains," Godfrey says with a mirthless grin, "and… do what you do best."
"Sell things?" Lloyd asks. "To the corpse?"
Ambrose shivers in a corner as the earth rocks from cannonfire and miscellaneous quakes, like a feral killing machine that needs a thunder shirt.
Merelda steps over and puts one paw on Ambrose's shoulder.
Gellarn is grinding his teeth together, which is not doing much to prove that he's not a ferocious beast capable of, perhaps, basic strategy.
Rhenardt barks a derisive laugh and turns away from Godfrey. His gaze passes over the teary-eyed woman next to him.
Melinda Hammond waves frantically. "Wait! Before you go…"
"Mrs. Hammond…" Godfrey says in a warning tone.
Melinda Hammond ignores Godfrey. "My children are still out there, and the military won’t let me leave the cellar! Please… Their names are Cynthia, Ashley, and James. You must find them before the zombies do, and bring them here!"
"You are quite literally sending wolves after lost sheep, you realize," says Godfrey.
"My children are not sheep!" Melinda snaps. "And these… men and women… are not wolves." She turns back to the group. "Please. I’ll be forever in your debt."
Rhenardt stares at Mrs. Hammond. He nods graciously to her. "We will find the children."
He looks back at Godfrey and shows his teeth.
"We are not wolves," Merelda agrees, despite all visual evidence to the contrary.
Yseulde inspects her liberated shotgun. She wrinkles her nose and glances sharply at Lord Godfrey.
Lloyd nods. Pack leader has spoken.
"We will find them," says Gabby.
Rhenardt raises his voice. "The children first! They need to be brought to safety. Spread out, find their scents. Then we can be feral killing machines."
Thaniel whimpers as they go back outside.
Gellarn heads out, using his eyes and ears rather than sniffing around.
Apricity also uses eyes and ears. Ears that turn around to listen around. Oh no. Not very human-like of him.
"I don't like him," Yseulde says, once they're back outside.
Ozzy sniffsniffsniffs
"Watch the skies," says Gellarn.
"I smell kid," says Zeke. "Think 'e messed 'imself."
"I wouldn't blame a child, in this situation," Merelda says.
"No," says Rhenardt. "Find him."
"James! Cynthia! Ashley!" Thaniel calls.
"What if they're in that field there?" says Yseulde.
Merelda finds a small boy.
"Hello, little one! Are you James?" Merelda asks, trying to smile with her wolf muzzle.
James just cowers.
Merelda says, "Your mother's in the basement next door. Get to her now!"
James says, "Don't hurt me! I was just looking for my sisters! I think Ashley's inside that house!" He bolts toward the cellar.
Lloyd sniffs curiously at a closed cellar.
Zeke runs for the sound of sobbing.
Thaniel rushes into the house.
Ozzy goes in as well and starts sniffing around.
Gabby goes upstairs and finds Ashley hiding there. "Here she is…" She kneels down to make herself as small as possible.
Ashley says: Are you one of the good worgen, ma'am? Did you see Cynthia hiding in the sheds outside?
"It's alright, dear," says Gabby. "Go to the basement next door. Hurry now."
The pack heads toward the sheds Ashley spoke of. Cynthia is there, trembling and terrified.
Zeke says, "It's not safe here. Go to the Allen's basement."
Cynthia says, "You are scary! I just want my mommy!"
Zeke tries to fluff up his fur. Maybe that'll look less scary.
"Hey! I'm not scary!…. Am I?"
"I think we're all a little bit scary now, Ozzy," Merelda says.
"Worgen have been terrorizing Gilneas for almost a decade, of course we're scary. We're the monsters they warn them about," Gellarn snaps.
"Now, may we handle the Scourge killing?" Apricity asks, licking his fangs.
"The children are safe," says Rhenardt. "Now to the undead, aye."
"This should be interesting," says Gabriella.
Ozzy dashes off gleefully to catapult herself at a ship.
Merelda follows, less gleefully.
Thaniel does not catapult himself because he is not comfortable using a mysterious siege machine with a face on it. And teeth. Why does it have teeth?
Apricity runs on all fours through the field, taking out the Forsaken he finds.
Gellarn keeps to the front of the force, readily launching himself onto the ship — where he scrambles and slips across the deck, unsure of his balance.
Thaniel waits anxiously for the others to return.
Zeke forgets to catapult himself, being too caught up in killing foes on the field.
Rhenardt leads the way, loping belowdecks with teeth bared. He makes short work of the undead in a captain's hat.
Ozzy works with him as though used to hunting in a pack with him… which she is.
Lloyd shoots things eagerly, to impress the pack leader. Look, he's helping!
Back on shore, Rhenardt surveys the corpses littering the fields. "To the cellar!" he barks.
"Cellar!" Lloyd echoes.
Ambrose had splashed on the opposite side of the Forsaken vessels, by crawling up on the basket of a catapult and gnawing on it until it manually released without particular aim. He makes his way back sopping and panting, none the worse for wear.
"My children are safe!" Melinda sobs when they arrive. "You’ve done a wonderful thing, my friends. I don’t know how to thank you!"
Thaniel sighs when he sees the children safe and sound in the cellar.
Rhenardt bows, a little awkwardly. It's weird to bow as a wolf.
"There is no need for thanks, madam. We're all Gilnean."
"Can we focus on the invasion, please?" interrupts Lord Godfrey. "How did it go?"
"Your fields are being fed corpses, and the ships' captains are dead," Rhenardt growls at Godfrey.
"Not bad, not bad…" Godfrey chuckles. "You might be bloody beasts, but you're our beasts."
"My, Lord Godfrey, you know how to talk to a wolfman, don't you?" Apricity growls seductively.
"We don't belong to you," Yseulde mutters.
Merelda looks a bit sad.
Lloyd gives Godfrey a very flat look.
Rhenardt growls again. Not anything in particular this time. Just growls.
Godfrey stiffens. "At any rate," he says, "while you were gone I’ve received some intelligence. Do you know of the elf Sylvanas Windrunner, who was once the Ranger-General of Silvermoon?"
Yseulde looks up. The best shot of the Quel'dorei? Of course she does.
"I've heard the name," Gabby says.
"No," Thaniel says mildly.
Merelda shakes her head. She does not know any elves.
Zeke's look says he does not know of Sylvanas Windrunner, but he's not willing to speak up about it.
"'Was once?'" Rhenardt lowers his head to peer at Godfrey.
Godfrey doesn’t seem to care about the answer. "It seems she is now undead and leading these Forsaken, a particularly clever lot. One of her hand-picked ‘dark rangers’ is overseeing the battlefront from the Walden house near the shore." Godfrey nods at Rhenardt, and then holds something out to him. "Take this whistle," Godfrey says, "and use it when you’re close. It will signal our attack mastiffs to take her down. Do not try to take her without the beasts’ assistance; we do not know what these ‘dark rangers’ may be capable of."
Yseulde looks sick to learn that Sylvanas is one of those things. Is leading them. Ordered her monsters to attack Gilneas.
Rhenardt eyes the whistle incredulously. He looks around at his pack. He turns back and accepts the whistle with an indulgent air. Sure, buddy. We'll get your doggos.
Cheddar woofs.
Thaniel crouches down in front of Melinda Hammond's children. "Here," he says to Ashley, offering her a little palm-sized stone with a charm carved into it. "To keep you and your siblings safe."
Ashley takes it. "You're the good worgen," she decides, smiling bravely at the pack.
Gellarn looks for a moment like he might argue that point with the kid, and then doesn't, staring off at the ceiling of the cellar, listening for more bombardment.
Ambrose whines and tilts his head with a big canine grin. Praise is nearly as good as a dead guy's boot! Good worgen. He also drips on the floor.
Rhenardt watches Ambrose for a time.
Yseulde waits for Thaniel. "You are the good worgen. That was kind."
Apricity smiles at Thaniel. "Perhaps it is thanks to you and your charms that we are as we are today, Thaniel. That the medication worked on all of us. Beasts with the mind of men." He doesn't elaborate on if it was a compliment or not.
Thaniel nods. "I need to make more."
Gellarn snarls. "Make more what?"
Lloyd's ears flatten at the outburst.
"Charms," Yseulde says, a little surprised at the aggro.
Thaniel blinks innocently at Gellarn. "More protective charms. The moon hasn't been right yet."
Gellarn eyes Thaniel suspiciously, and then nods. As long as it's more charms and not making more 'good worgen.'
Apricity blinks at Gellarn. "Oh my," He puts a hand on his arm. "You seem on edge, dear."
"Go now!" Godfrey barks.
Zeke does not go now, he watches Rhenardt.
Rhenardt raises a clawed hand at Godfrey — patience, victory — and sets out.
Yseulde's hand twitches upward, the rude gesture half formed before she stops herself.
Gellarn shakes Apricity off.
"We don't have a problem unless you make the choices that cause the problem," Yseulde says.
Rhenardt ignores arguments as he lopes across the rainy fields again. "There!" he snarls, and heads for the undead elven woman on her charger.
Near the Walden house at the shore, the macabre elflike undead sits astride a ghastly steed, seeming to oversee the battle going on in the fields.
Thaniel tries valiantly to try and whistle through his teeth.
Apricity roars before charging.
Thaniel follows, calling up a shield bubble for Rhenardt.
Zeke leaps after Rhenardt into the fight.
The mastiffs charge as well at the sound of the whistle, and the ranger is quickly overwhelmed.
Cheddar does his best to keep up with the younger dogs.
The worgen and mastiffs do their job so well, Merelda doesn't need to do anything.
Ambrose chatters some garbled chuffs and whines in the vague cadence of speech - and remarkably, lobs a fistful of fire over the heads of the fighters to fall over the dark ranger in a hungry cascade. He's still got it and it still looks hazardous.
Powerful as she seemed, the ranger was no match for the combined onslaught of teeth, claws, and fire, and she falls.
Thaniel follows the others back into the cellar.
Rhenardt shows Godfrey his teeth. "It is done."
Lloyd copies Rhenardt's teeth showing.
"We're back, dear Lord Godfrey. Mission accomplished," Apricity smiles. Bares his teeth. Whatever.
Lord Godfrey smirks. "Once again, you manage to–"
A massive quake rumbles through the ground, sending the training dummies toppling with a crash. A sturdy barrel thuds to the floor from atop its stack, barely stopped by a watchman from rolling away entirely.
Lord Godfrey yells, "Hold your positions, men!"
Melinda Hammond says, "What's happening?!"
Thaniel falls onto all fours, where he balances for a moment.
Ozzy splats right into a wall.
Lloyd flattens to the ground again, losing all earlier confidence.
Gabby's eyes go wiiide.
Rhenardt staggers back and drops to all fours, digging claws against the cellar floor.
Ambrose ducks under a fallen scarecrow.
Merelda stumbles against the wall and clings to it to hold herself upright.
Apricity difficulty stays up, stumbling with the earthquake. But he has dignity he has to stay up.
Zeke snarls at the shaking. He is not intimidated.
Gellarn drops to the ground, catching his balance awkwardly under his hands with claws that skitter over the floor.
Yseulde yelps and takes a step to steady herself. and another, and winds up doing a strange jig to stay on her feet.
Godfrey staggers. "What in the world was that? Those were not cannons or catapults, that is for certain. Go outside and see what is going on."
"The land is angry," Thaniel tells Lord Godfrey like that should be obvious.
Gellarn scrambles back up to his feet, rushing up the stairs.
Rhenardt dashes for the stairs. At the top, he stops short and snarls.
The good news is that the Forsaken ships have sunk. The bad news is that it’s because the land has been torn completely asunder. Half the field they just fought in is now ocean.
Merelda gapes at their surroundings.
Zeke stares. "Wot the #*&!?"
"… Good thing we got these kids in the cellar," Apricity says, blankly.
"The water is coming to get us!" Lloyd howls.
Rhenardt is close enough to cuff Lloyd's ear this time.
Lloyd whines and holds his head.
"We're going to need new maps," Merelda says quietly.
Prince Liam Greymane stands at the shore looking lost. He still hasn't put a shirt on.
"There's more of the dead in the water!" Gellarn shouts, slightly garbled still.
Thaniel stares at what's left of what was once farmland. Then he looks to his left. "The sheep are safe," he says. "And the horses."
Ozzy points at the prince, gawping.
"Do you see that?" Yseulde says. "In the water. Is that a person?"
"The ocean…" Prince Liam says hoarsely. "It swallowed everything. The land… the Forsaken… our men!"
Rhenardt nods curtly.
Liam rubs his eyes. "I was on my way when it happened. No time to waste. A good half of the town watch was in the area that collapsed. Get in there and save as many as you can. Get them to shore and I’ll make certain they get any aid they need."
Gabriella nods, "Yes, Highness."
Ozzy dives in. She's not a skilled swimmer, but she's strong.
Gellarn braces himself before he jumps into the water, moving like someone who expects he's about to drown himself.
Merelda dives into the water with no hesitation. She's a pretty strong swimmer.
"Oh!" Thaniel turns his attention to the water. He waits for others to bring back the injured, Light glowing in his hands.
Rhenardt dives in like a guy who was used to swimming in frigid waters daily for Health when he was still a human.
Ambrose whines and scurries to and fro on the shore for a moment before leaping spread eagle into the surface of the encroaching ocean to clamp his teeth around a floating figure's boot. It's for a good cause this time, maybe.
Lloyd dives into the water, driven mostly by the idea of finding something old in the ruins.
Ozzy awkwardly tries to swim with an unconscious watchman over one shoulder. It's not pretty.
"The land gave way from under our feet…" he says as he comes to. "I thought I was dead. I owe you one."
Gellarn coughs up water when he arrives on the shore, almost as drowned as the man he sets down on safe land.
" I… I thought I was a goner," the man gasps to Gellarn. "Thanks."
Gabriella drags a man back to shore, quietly marveling at her own strength and youthful vigor.
Zeke swims like a furry fish, diving immediately after a guardsman.
Merelda expertly snags one of the survivors in the water and drags him back to shore. She knows her water safety.
As his packmates return to shore with living watchmen, Thaniel heals anyone who seems to have been injured by debris.
Apricity dives, coming back up with someone in his arms.
"Thank you…" the man in Apricity’s arms wheezes. "I owe you my life."
Apricity kisses the man's hand. "The pleasure of saving you is all mine." The worgen seems okay with the swimming thing.
Liam Greymane manages a smile as the group returns, a flicker of his old self in his eyes. "Thank you! We’ve escaped death through dumb luck, friends. But luck is running out."
Rhenardt nods again, casting a sharp-eyed look across his pack, counting heads.
"The coast is flooding even as we speak," Liam notes, "and from the look of it, the landmass hasn’t settled yet. I hate to say this, but we have to leave."
Zeke looks nervous and seeks out Rhenardt. "Leave together, right?"
"The children are in the cellar," Thaniel says.
Liam clenches his fists. "Curses! I cannot lose my homeland twice in one lifetime! Yet these earthquakes are not an enemy we can defeat. Tell Gwen Armstead to start the evacuation."
"Aye, Highness," growls Rhenardt. Politely.
"Very well, your highness," Apricity says, bowing.
"Ugh… I 'ate evacuations…" Ozzy grumbles.
"Seems like we're well-practiced at them now," Merelda says.
Ozzy grumbles more.
Thaniel lets out a quiet whine.
"Mayor!" barks Rhenardt as he sights Gwen on her horse in the street.
"Madam Mayor. The prince has ordered an evacuation."
Gwen sighs. "Prince Liam is right. We must get everyone to higher ground. You must help me spread the word while I manage the logistics of the evacuation. There are three people I need you to find."
Rhenardt nods intently.
"Sebastian Hayward will be at the fishery to the south," Gwen says, ticking off one finger. "The Hayward brothers don’t make it to town often, so you’ll need to let them know we’re evacuating."
Merelda nods, listening intently.
Gwen ticks off a second finger. "Grandma Wahl is at Wahl cottage. It won’t be easy to get her to come with you. Do not lose your patience with her; her mind is not entirely lucid. Do whatever you can to convince her."
"Grab the gramma an' run, got it," Zeke growls.
Gwen ticks the third finger. "And of course you remember Lord Darius Crowley’s daughter, Lorna? She never quite recovered after losing her father, and she’s become something of a hermit. See if you can find her at the Crowley Orchard."
Gwen still has two fingers left over, lucky girl, but doesn't tick them off. Just the three people.
Rhenardt looks around as if deciding who in his pack has the most patience — but then his ear twitches and he looks back to Gwen. "Lorna Crowley? We go to her first."
"Yes!" Ozzy agrees excitedly.
Ozzy would be wagging her tail if she had one.
(Thaniel is high up in the most patience running.)
Gellarn is in the middle of the patience pack, but among the most willing to throw someone over a shoulder and run with them to safety with or without their full agreement.
"Thanks, Gravehowls," says Gwen with a wink at Thaniel.
Gabriella sighs quietly.
Thaniel gives the mayor a little bow.
"To the Crowley —" Rhenardt pauses, looks from Gwen to Thaniel, then continues. "To the Crowley orchards."
The orchards look gloomy as usual.
Rhenardt approaches Lorna cautiously.
Lorna Crowley brandishes her weapon, eyes fierce. "Stay back! Don’t make me–" She lowers it, eyes wide. "Is it you? By the Light! It’s you, Rhenardt!"
Lloyd crowds close to the pack.
"How did she know?" Yseulde asks the air.
Rhenardt dips his head. "Aye. The Prince has ordered an evacuation, Miss Crowley."
Lorna shakes her head. "Listen, friends. We’re not going to make it very far without transportation, are we? The Forsaken will catch up to us in no time on foot."
"What do you suggest?" asks Gabby.
Lorna taps her chin with a fingertip. "Rounding up some horses from the stable southeast of here would normally be a breeze, but the last quake spooked Koroth down from the mountains. If we don’t round up the horses soon, I fear that he will."
Ambrose sees a squirrel and that now consumes his attention for the most part.
"Koroth?" Rhenardt cocks his head.
"Koroth is the grandaddy of all ettins," Lorna says direly. "DO NOT ENGAGE HIM. Just get the horses."
"Aww," Zeke mumbles, disappointed.
"May I say, you haven't aged a day, Lorna," Apricity calmly offers his hand to kiss hers, regardless of her previous threats.
Lorna just stares at him blankly, hands remaining at her sides.
Gabby growls softly, "Hearthleigh…."
Apricity grins at Gabriella.
Rhenardt lifts a clawed hand as if to cuff Hearthleigh's ear next.
"Are horses going to be frightened of us now?" Merelda muses.
Lorna shakes her head. "They've gotten used to some of the worgen townsfolk."
Gellarn nods. "If they won't startle from what we are, I can handle a horse or two."
"Erm… not much of a rider," Ozzy says. "I'll just… wait 'ere."
"I can ride," Yseulde says.
Lorna nods gratefully at Yseulde. "Just get as many as you can. I've got rope for lassos."
"Riders, with me," says Rhenardt. "The rest, keep the orchard — and Miss Crowley — safe from Forsaken."
Merelda nods. "That's good, then. I'm not sure how graceful I'll be now, with this…. this body…" Merelda looks down at herself again and falls silent.
"I rode a horse once, to the cathedral that time. Throwin' torches," says Zeke.
"Horses like me," Thaniel says, and follows Rhenardt.
Ozzy sticks by Lorna.
Apricity can ride a horse, but he stays with Lorna.
Gabby approaches a horse. "Easy now…shhh…"
Zeke looks for the ettin with muffled hope in his eyes.
Thaniel approaches a horse slowly and calmly from the side. "Hello. We need to go now."
Ambrose sends a horse bolting in the direction of Lorna's house by chasing it. It keeps bolting without stopping, but at least it's keeping him occupied.
Merelda approaches a horse cautiously, but it doesn't startle. She rides back a little awkwardly, not entirely certain of her center of balance in this activity anymore.
Gellarn approaches a horse cautiously but without hesitation, shrinking down his size, curling his fingers inward to protect the horse from his claws. He doesn't try to speak to the horse, just plays out the body language of a regular rider.
Rhenardt does not seem to care about the horses' feelings, just approaches and mounts up as confidently and brusquely as he would have before. The horse looks displeased but does not argue.
"Don't see no Ettin…" says Zeke.
The pack rounds up as many horses as they can, some riding one and lassoing others.
Thaniel returns with a single horse. He has not gone horse-lassoing.
Back at the orchard, Rhenardt dismounts and stands by to watch others return with their own rescued horses. He counts heads again, then looks to Lorna.
Lorna nods crisply at the returning riders and sees to the horses. "Thank you. Have you spoken to the Hayward brothers yet? Surely they don’t know what’s happening."
"We're on our way to them," says Gabby.
"We'll see each other again, Sweet Lorna," Apricity says before leaving her side.
Ozzy spots the ettin in the distance. "Cor…."
"Oth," Lloyd finishes for Ozzy.
"Aye," says Rhenardt. "Stay low."
"Yeah, that's an 'orse-eater if I ever saw one…" Ozzy shudders.
The ettin is very large. Maybe eight to ten noblewomen tall.
Yseulde says, "We could take him."
"My, he's a tall one," Apricity says about the Ettin.
The fishery is under assault, of course.
"The Forsaken!" snarls Rhenardt.
"Stupid undead pirates!" says Yseulde.
As they approach and fight, Sebastian Hayward wipes his brow, panting. "You here to give us a hand?"
"We're here to evacuate you."
"Aye," says Rhenardt. "You and your brothers need to evacuate immediately."
Sebastian nods. "We had the same idea all on our own after these undead showed up. My brothers and I can reach northern Gilneas by boat in a matter of days. As soon as we finish the repairs, that is. I need wood, tar, and my tools. Can you help fight off some of these undead and get what we need to repair the boats?"
Merelda looks over the boat with an appraising eye.
Thaniel nods. "Where do you keep your tools?"
Sebastian points to the house.
Merelda helps fight off the undead while others collect supplies.
Apricity also stays fighting the Forsaken. Fighting is fun.
Ambrose immediately sprints in the direction of pointing, since that must be where something exciting is.
Rhenardt watches Ambrose wearily, and then lopes after him. In case.
Thaniel heads into the house. He finds a bag and starts packing up what seem to be the fishermen's personal effects. There's a really cute rubber duck in there. The fishing rods won't fit in the pack, but he collects those too.
Gellarn remains on the newly formed beach, holding off the undead with an unyielding shield wall.
Ozzy doesn't know much about boat repair, but just drags some heavy boards over because she enjoys being strong now.
Yseulde shoots undead pirates. She mutters under her breath.
Thaniel takes down and hastily folds some clothing that was drying on a line above the bed. Nobody likes evacuating without their clothes.
Lloyd scavenges for other neat things. Specifically old things. They're leaving anyway.
Merelda falls back next to Sebastian, and says, "You should keep in mind I'm not sure how the coast has changed. There was an earthquake that did something to the reef. Just, be careful sailing right now."
Sebastian grunts. "Oh believe me, we noticed."
Zeke hops aboard and begins helping with repairs as supplies come in.
Ambrose returns with a splintered piece of shed doorframe in his jaws. Wood.
Thaniel returns to the fishermen looking fairly laden down with stuff, which he sets down in the boat. "Here. I don't know whose things are whose so I tried to get as much of it as I could."
"Thanks," Sebastian says gruffly to Thaniel.
Thaniel nods.
Ambrose helps himself to a Forsaken invader's boot. Lots of perfectly good boots lying around, and properly stinky, too.
"This is great!" Sebastian says, looking at the gathered supplies. "I should be able to finish these repairs in no time. You might want to check in on Grandma Wahl before you head back."
Rhenardt surveys the heaped supplies, the heaped corpses, his reassembling pack.
"Lady Veyne, Thaniel!" he barks.
Thaniel's ears perk up. "Yessir?"
Merelda turns to him sharply. "What is it?"
"Mayor Armstead said to exercise patience with the Wahl woman. I am putting you in charge of her evacuation. I am going back to the village to see that the pup comes with us, treated or not."
Ozzy abruptly scowls, for some reason. Sulky puppy.
"They had better have him ready to move when everyone else does," Rhenardt says.
Thaniel nods. "Okay."
Merelda nods. "We'll see to it that she makes it to safety."
"Good." Rhenardt nods curtly, and turns to lope up the hill toward the village.
Thaniel seems to know where he's going.
Ozzy follows Thaniel. Sulkily.
"'E never puts me in charge of nuffing," she confides miserably to Thaniel.
"Maybe he will tomorrow?" Thaniel says hopefully.
Ozzy perks up a little.
"I would be delighted to help with Grandma Wahl," Apricity exclaims. "I am particularly liked by older women. Don't you agree, Detective?"
Thaniel knocks on the cottage door.
"This is the place," Merelda says. "Now let's all be patient."
Zeke sulks and growls a little. Stupid patience.
"It's open!" calls a voice.
Grandma Wahl smiles as the group enters, her eyes disappearing into wrinkles. "Visitors! Are you staying for tea, sweethearts?"
Gellarn watches the pack, monitoring who is doing what.
Merelda knocks at the doorpost and moves into the house. "Grandma Wahl, we're here to bring you to safety. There's an evacuation going on."
Grandma blinks owlishly. "Leave? Now? But I’ve lost my favorite book! I can’t leave without it."
Lloyd sniffs at the paintings, measuring their age.
"That's all right," Thaniel says. "We'll help you pack your things."
Merelda nods at Thaniel. "Which book is it you're looking for?"
"I only have the one," Grandma says. "I think I was reading in the garden…"
"It's kind of urgent, mum," says Ozzy.
Zeke growls again, muttering, "I still say we just grab 'er an' run."
Grandma shakes her head condescendingly. "Talking isn’t going to get that book found, dearies."
Ambrose wanders off into the garden to bury some Forsaken for later.
"The garden," says Gabby. "Alright then."
Merelda frowns. "A book in the garden. And once you have this book, you'll come with us."
Grandma neither confirms nor denies what Merelda said.
"Spread out and look for that bloody book!" calls Gabby.
Merelda heads out to the really rather nice rose garden.
"Is this the garden?" calls Ozzy. "I'unno what books smell like…" Ozzy sniffs around.
"Books," Yseulde says, wonderingly, to herself. "She wants a book."
"May I put things in here, ma'am?" Thaniel asks, holding up a bag he found.
"Of course dearie," says Grandma. "Just don’t peek at my book when you put it in."
"This garden must take a lot of work to maintain," Merelda says, looking around at the neat rows of red roses.
"Where possibly could she have been reading in that garden of hers? There's nowhere to sit," Apricity says.
"Book in the rain?" Lloyd asks. "Is it still a book after the water got it?"
Gabriella sniffs about. She does know what books smell like.
Zeke kills rats in the garden.
"Oh, is this it here? Was she sitting in the dirt?" Oh the scandal.
Gellarn crosses his arms over his chest. It looks less awkward now than it did before, like he's settled more into his size and shape.
Gabriella sighs at the state of it. "Let's hope so."
Ozzy scoffs and heads back into the house.
Thaniel admires a quilt as he folds it up and puts it in the bag. "This is beautiful, ma'am. Did you make it yourself?"
Merelda carries the book gingerly back to the house.
Grandma beams at Thaniel, then spots the returned book
Merelda nods her thanks to Thaniel as she comes back inside, and offers him the waterlogged book.
"Why thank you!" Grandma beams. "I hope you didn’t peek! But I can’t leave dressed like this. My good clothes are on the clothesline outside."
"Like this?" says Yseulde. "What's wrong with—"
"It's rainin', they're wet!" Zeke says, objecting to all this fuss.
"It's kind of a 'mergency, mum," Ozzy growls.
Grandma frowns. "Were you young people raised by ogres? No manners at all. Now go get my clothes!"
"You really look rather stylish, ma'am," Merelda says with a kind of wolfish smile.
"Just…get the clothes," says Gabby.
"All right," Thaniel says agreeably.
"Of course," Merelda says, and heads out to the rainy clothesline.
Apricity goes outside, there's probably no fighting that old woman anyway.
"FOINE, where's the bloody clothesline," Ozzy grumbles
Thaniel folds clothes over his arm. He can fold them properly later.
Ozzy lets Thaniel handle it.
"What next, pick up her bed, take it with us?" Gellarn mutters, shaking his head.
"Should we?" Lloyd asks, eyeing the bed as they return.
"No," Gellarn says, a snarl in place of what might have otherwise been a scowl on a human face.
"Don't give 'er any idears," says Zeke.
"Everything's still wet, ma'am," says Thaniel, "but we can hang it up to dry when we get somewhere safe."
"Come on, Gellarn," Apricity smiles at him. "You're more than capable of carrying that bed. Look at those big, strong arms…"
"Oh, thank you," says Grandma. "Now shoo while I get dressed, and go find my cat, Chance. He’s an adorable orange tabby; you can’t miss him. He’s probably playing by that broken down cart northeast of here."
"Your CAT??" says Ozzy.
Gabby sighs.
"Oh, a cat!" says Yseulde. "That's understandable."
Ozzy bristles. Literally.
"Sniff out the cat," says Gabby. "Let's go."
Thaniel stays behind to fold the clothes that Grandma Wahl isn't wearing, keeping his back turned. He tries to squeeze moisture out of whatever he can.
Merelda sniffs the air.
"We're on cat duty, now," Apricity says.
Zeke sniffs around. "Wet cat."
Gellarn is still looking with his eyes, not his nose, and his attention catches on a fox, closing in on it before he realizes his mistake.
"I'm not touching that beast," Apricity does not like cats.
Merelda creeps up to the cat slowly. "Chance, don't be afraid. I'm a friend…"
Merelda pounces, grabbing up the cat.
She is intercepted by a Forsaken man who cackles cruelly. "I'll be taking this cat. It seems to work as the perfect bait. Prepare to die now, fools!"
Gellarn charges forward when the Forsaken comes out for Merelda.
Merelda recoils, holding the cat, as the others handle the surprise undead creature.
Suddenly a grizzled worgen woman wearing Grandma Wahl’s dress comes loping over to the group. "You do not mess with my kitty, you son of a mongrel!" she yells, and launches herself, teeth and claws, at the attacker.
When the Forsaken falls, she lopes back toward her house.
Everyone stands for a moment in surprise… then makes their way back without comment.
Merelda carries the orange cat into the house, trying to avoid bites and scratches. "Here's Chance, ma'am. Are you ready to evacuate now?"
Apricity comes back in the old woman's house. "My, Ms. Wahl, you look different. Have you done something to your hair?"
Grandma smiles serenely. "You young people aren’t so bad after all! Thank you so much for finding Grandma’s special boy. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble. My… what manner of dirt found its way under my fingernails…"
Zeke sniffs Grandma more. Huh.
Grandma sighs. "I suppose now is as good a time to leave as any. Tell that pretty young mayor that I’ll be on my way!"
"I'll help carry your things back to Mayor Armstead," Thaniel offers politely.
Gellarn shakes his head, watching Grandma Wahl suspiciously on their way out.
"Thank you, ma'am," Merelda says, bobbing her worgen head. "We'll let her know."
Thaniel heads back with the group, carrying Grandma Wahl's bags.
Gwen Armstead spots the bags and smiles brightly at the group. "You did the impossible - you convinced Grandma Wahl to leave her home!"
"Yes…" says Gabby. "That woman is full of surprises."
Merelda smiles. "We were very patient."
Thaniel nods. "She'll be on her way soon," he says, and sets the bags down under the lip of a roof to try and keep them out of the rain.
"All right," Gwen says. "It’s time for everyone to head to safety, and that includes you. Go inside, dry off, make any preparations you need. I need to make sure everyone makes it out of here in one piece," says Gwen. "Yes, even the few ferals we have in the pens. Once everyone is ready, we’ll ride to Greymane Manor and speak to Queen Greymane about the gravity of the situation."
Zeke's ears perk. Whoa, the queen.
"You heard her, everyone," Merelda nods. "Get ready. Once Lord Graves has seen to Malcom's recovery, we should be ready to move."