Lost and Found - A Cavalry RP

[Aethelu]

Dicun, regretting some decisions

Now that has stomach had been filled, Dicun was trying to decide what to do next. Others had arrived at the camp now, most were getting food or having their wounds tended to. He looked down at his soaking wet self, he really needed to do something about that. Heading over to one of the wigends, he enquired on where he could find a towel and some dry clothes. It didn't take long for a heap of clothes, and even some dry boots, were dumped into his arms, along with directions to the river where there was soap and towels.

While the dip in the river earlier had done some good to clean the worst of the dirt and grime of his adventure off, the idea of a proper wash with soap sounded like heaven. When he found the pile of towels and soap by the river, he gladly added it to his teetering pile before taking himself a little way away from the camp. The last thing he wanted to do was start washing himself in full view of everyone enjoying dinner. Making sure he was definitely alone at this point, he stripped off and dashed into the river with his bar of soap. The water was cool, but it certainly didn't feel as cold as when he'd fallen in. Perhaps the good meal was warming him from the inside out. With soap in hand, he began to scrub himself clean. Hands, arms, torso, legs, feet, neck, hair, all of it was covered in soapy suds. It took a good few goings over with the bar of soap before he finally felt clean.

The sun was shining, he was clean, and he was full. Dicun enjoyed the peace as he floated around in the river. He knew he should get out soon, but it was so lovely to just enjoy the water. He had to make sure not to get out of his depth though. Though perhaps this was the ideal time to practice swimming close to shore and help if needed. But no one knew he'd gone into the river so that help might be a little further away that he would need. He would just be contented to float a little.

BADGER! BADGER! BADGER ATTACK!

Dicun heard the shout and quickly dropped his feet to the riverbed. The camp was instantly in uproar, everyone was grabbing weapons and the eoreds were assembling. He had picked the wrong time to go for a wash he cursed, hurrying to the shore. He tried to dry himself the best he could before pulling on the dry breeches.

"Meduseld Eored! Rally to me!" Gwai was calling out, he could see her running towards one corner of the camp where the badgers were approaching. Dicun groaned, there was no time, he needed to help.

He ran into the camp, barefoot and bare-chested, wet hair clinging to his forehead. There was a pile of weapons sitting on the ground, old swords and spears. He thought for a moment to go and grab the makeshift bow he'd left somewhere, but exactly what use was that going to be without any arrows. He picked up a sword, he'd done better with those in practice than a spear, and hurried to Gwai's side.

"Marshal Gwai!" he shouted as he reached her. "What do you need me to do?" It felt like a foolish question, but this was his first real battle, and he had no desire to make a mistake with all these claws around.

[Elarith]

Elarith. Badgers, man.

Elarith chuckled when Éomund said this exercise hadn't been what he'd expected. "No, it's been a bit... different, certainly. I'm Elarith, of the Westmark. I'm not sure if I really worthy of a 'ma'am' but I'll take it," she told him. She'd been called far worse over the years. She drank the last drops of her mead, enjoying the satisfaction of a full stomach.

Another lad who introduced himself as Éo had joined them by the fire with stew. "With Allacan?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow. "You were in good hands there then. I came in on a boat with Dicun over here," she waved across to her companion. Speaking of boats, she should really head back to the river for a proper wash. The splashing she'd taken earlier had only served to dilute the muck that was still there and Elarith could feel it crusting on her skin unpleasantly as she dried by the fire. But her limbs were heavy. She'd just have five minutes sit before she went to get cleaned up.

From the river came a loud crash, and some hideous noises, quickly followed by Allacan appearing shouting "Badger! Badger! Badger! Badger!" repeatedly. Elarith groaned and put the heel of her hand to her forehead. "Oh come on! Badgers, really?" She knew they were a bit light on pæthfindians but had no one scouted the campsite?

Hauling herself to her feet, Elarith unsheathed the sword at her side. Shivased shouted for the Westmark to take the south-east corner, and she hurried in that direction, trying to ignore the aching in her legs as she ran. Even so, she was not as quick as she once was. Éolath was ahead of her, and Taeth and an æthelwigend she didn't know (Grimm). There were already three dead badgers at their feet. Catching her breath, she looked at one of the badgers again. "You killed it...with a towel?" she gasped. She was impressed, but there was no time to say anything further.

A bush to her right rustled, and a grizzled badger, saliva dripping from its jaws as it chewed on something, ambled out. It looked quite porky - this was a badger that had lived well - but when it saw the soldiers a tiny spark of aggression came into its beady badger eyes. It moved surprisingly quickly, lumbering across the ground, heading for Elarith's ankles. With a yelp, she swung her sword down two-handed to chop at its neck before its sharp teeth could fasten upon her. Her blow missed the neck - the badger was travelling at speed - but dealt it a good gash down its ribs. The badger twisted round, teeth bared, claws raised. Elarith gave a quick stab down through the throat. The badger made a horrible gurgling noise as the last of its breath left its stripy, angry little body, then lay still. She pulled the sword back out and gave it a quick wipe on its flanks to get the worst of the blood off. "Fregedars," she panted. "This one the last, d'you think?" She prodded it with her foot.

[Fairy Nuff]

Aelflaed, wishing she had washed quicker

Aelflaed had been so relieved to reach camp, but as one of the least dirty/injured/worn out she had patiently waited her turn for the food and drink, and had therefore gone for a wash a little later than most. Then she had rather relished the water washing off the badger blood, and the lather of the soap in her hair had felt rather good after being tightly bound in its braid for several days, so perhaps she had spent a little longer than planned washing in the river. She was just finishing getting dressed and running the towel over her hair again when she heard cries from the direction of camp.

"That can't be good!" she muttered and tied her damp hair into a knot, grabbed her belt and the towel and ran in the direction of camp. She slowed as she approached, hearing yells and snarls, and tucked herself into a thicket, trying to get a look at what was happening. A badger ran past her, close by, and she bit back a yelp. "Not more badgers...I just washed!" she sighed, then looked with growing panic at the limited items she was holding. "Great, a towel and a belt, and no weapon and no shield. This is worse than the journey here! Ok, well, lets see what we can do with this." She hefted the shield in her left hand, twirling it experimentally. Then she grabbed the belt by the buckle, fitting the oval into the palm of her hand and tested it as a whip. It wasn't really long enough but....

Running out from the thicket towards the camp she was coming at the badgers from behind. She let out a battle cry and held her belt high. "Yaaaaaah!" she cracked the belt as a badger leaped towards her, twirling her towel into its face to deflect the attack. The belt-whip was a fair deterrent but hadn't really done much damage. The towel did little more than get the badger tangled up in it. She pushed forward anyway, forcing the badger to back step as she cracked the belt-whip again.

As she rounded the thicket she saw Éolath and Marshal Taethowen fighting their own battles, with Elarith joining them, and yelled across the distance "Westu Westmark hal" and kicked the badger who had made another run at her.

[Éolath]

Wordlessly relieved as the badger finally stilled, Éolath tentatively tried to remove his spear from the dead badger. Once it was free, he glanced around to find a small group gathered around. Elarith, the lady he’d been sitting near, and the Marshal of the Westmark, a broken spear near her feet, and a man he didn’t know had all joined him and were standing over dead badgers. He took a moment to catch his breath, then tensed as another joined them with a yell. He stared at the woman (Aelflaed) who joined them with a yell, kicking a badger tangled up in…a towel?

Éo stepped up to her side, offered her the hilt of his sword. After all, his spear worked fine and she needed a weapon. His tone was wry as he answered Elarith with a slightly sarcastic “I don’t think so, sir.” He pointed the spear at the tangled up badger, uncertain if it would survive the strength of another badger and knowing that if he tried to stab it through the towel, he’d probably just end up snapping it.

“I’ll distract it,” he called to Aelflaed, “ get it focused on me and the spear if you want to kill it from behind.”

[Gwai]

Gwai, Battlin' Badgers

The badger stared at her through beady eyes, as Gwai stared right back. If only her sword was sharp, it would make this so much easier! But at least she had a sword, albeit it an old one that had not been sharpened in years. She had seen poor Shiva with just a spear, and like the First Marshal, it was a weapon she did not care for. She tried to keep track of the badgers in the middle as the larger, scarred badger recovered and looked about to attack.

Fortunately, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dicun running up. Shirtless, bootless, soaking wet, but armed with a sword nonetheless. Gwai couldn’t help but smile despite the circumstances. A true cavalry member indeed. She was lucky he was with them.

“Glad you’re here, Dicun!” Gwai called as he hurried up. “There’s plenty of badgers to go around! Take those two in the middle,” she gestured with her sword, keeping her eye on the large badger who was eyeing her with malice. “Ama’s assistants are excellent healers but probably need some help with them! I’m going to take care of this big one, hopefully there isn’t another wave behind these!” Assuming this may be his first badger fight she added, “Their bites are bad, but look out for their claws as well,” she advised. “They can be sneaky!”

The scarred badger seemed to have caught it’s breath, and Gwai turned attention back to it. It snarled at her, it’s dark eyes meeting hers, both promising each other certain death. Gwai circled toward the right, tired from the long several days, but not willing to show it to her enemy. The badger snarled once more, and sprung at her, crossing the ground quickly.

He dodged around her as he got close, trying to get behind her, but Gwai had seen that tactic before, and turned with him. She struck with her sword toward his right leg, but he was quick and her sword was dull. It knocked him off his course, however, and he tripped, giving her the advantage.

He only stumbled for a second, but Gwai took advantage of the lapse and lunged, the sword tip aimed directly at its chest. The sword was dull, but her momentum drove him back, tripping him completely, and he landed on his side. She drew closer while he was incapacitated, and, holding the hilt in a strong grip, used it to hit his head as hard as she could. The badger’s eyes rolled backward, and his head fell onto the ground.

Gwai looked around for more badgers and to check if Dicun and Ama needed any help. She’d also need to borrow one of their swords to fatally stab the badger before it regained consciousness, as she did not relish the idea of clubbing it to death. She would if needed, but preferred a more civilized method.

[Allacan ob Burzum]

Allacan, Dryhtguma of the Eastmark, being rescued by two recruits

While still facing down the angry no-longer-choking badger, Allacan caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. A smaller, more hesitant badger was coming around of the other side of the hælend tent to flank her, unnoticed by her other comrades as Shivased rode on another sweep deftly disposing of one with the short-spear, Grimm rushed away to offer aid to the Westmarkers and Thali was engaged against a particularly nasty looking female badger-veteran. Someone somewhere was shouting something about snakes, but in the precarious position of being stuck between two badgers she didn't have a moment to spare to figure out who. In desperation, she kicked the now slobber-covered sock in the general direction of the littler mustelid and was in the process of turning back to face the larger one when she spotted Walpurga standing just inside the hælend's tent, throwing her a hefty sledge-hammer. She held out a hand to catch it, unwittingly baring her open side to the older badger closing that was circling close by.

Her momentary distraction was all that the other badger needed to spot the opening and rush forward in an attack that was sure to be perilously damaging to the cavalry woman, maybe even fatal, and the sledge-hammer was still being carried through the air by Walpurga in an odd slow-motion manner that seemed reminiscent of someone Allacan could not quite put her finger on in the heat of the moment. The weapon would not reach her in time for her to defend herself with it, but she was determined that if the badger took her down, she would go down with a flourish and take it with her. However, despite her acceptance of a grisly fate and sureness of the futility of her plight, the Eastmark Dryhtguma was not standing alone.

Éomund rushed in and valiantly spitted the badger with his sword mere moments before it slashed its teeth across Allacan's exposed torso. Oblivious to the fact that the threat had already been dealt with by one of the cavalry's new recruits. Allacan caught the sledge-hammer at last (and time seemed oddly to return to normal the moment Walpurga's attention was turned elsewhere) and carried its momentum in a wide swing round and down so that after a skilled flourish, she brought the hammer-head down hard onto the already defeated badger's skull, caving it in.

"Is it dead?" Éomund asked, clearly a little in shock as the badger body ceased its twitching due to the obviously decimated state of the badger's head. Allacan gave him a hearty smile and responded "Well if it wasn’t already, it definitely is now! Thanks for having my back comrade, that would have gone very badly for me if you and Walpurga hadn't been looking out for me."

Suddenly she remembered the other threat behind her, she whirled about hefting the sledge-hammer and tried to spot the little badger, but was surprised to find that it was not visibly on the field of battle. All that remained were the shredded remains of her sock, and no sign of the mischief mushroom that had been stored within. Unbeknownst to her, the little creature - a baby born that only that spring - had leapt to catch the bundled sock much like a puppy might and, after a few moments of padding it back and forth and even rolling on its back to toss the thing into the air a few times like a kitten, had set to the saliva-soaked sock with its claws and teeth, attempting to 'kill' its catch. In doing so, sharp little badger teeth had at last cut into the sock and discovered there the last remaining mischief mushroom, which had promptly been devoured.

Eyes crossed, little feet stumbling as though drunk and tamed with blissful wooziness, it had crabbed sideways into the healand's tent and was presently enjoying having its belly rubbed by Walpurga.

Meanwhile, bereft of immediate targets and ignorant to the fate of the young mustelid, Allacan scanned the field, searching for any remaining badgers or any cavalry riders who might be in dire need of assistance.[color]

OOC @Dimcairien Luiniel (There we go, time-line restored and now Walpurga and Éomund are the real heroes of the day!)

[Shivased]

FINAL UPDATE

Thanks to the skill of the Cavalry, the badgers have been defeated! Not for the first time, nor probably the last, the Cavalry finds itself standing on a battlefield littered with dead badgers. The newest recruits have learned what it is to fight the angry creatures; the veterans have refreshed their skills and remembered exactly why everyone hates badgers unless they are roasted and seasoned between two slabs of bread.

Now is time to finally relax, tend to wounds, get cleaned up and get some sleep. Once sure the battle is over Shivased rides to the middle of the clearing. We will spend the night here. Wigends, dispose of the badgers, but prepare one or two for roasting to celebrate! The rest of you, relax and see to yourselves. We'll sleep here and return home in the morning.

---

This is it guys! I hope it was fun, I know it was for me! You are all amazing RPers! Feel free to RP winding down after the battle and relaxing. I'll leave the thread open until people get bored of it, so have fun!

Trainees (@Frostbite and @Dimcairien Luiniel) can report to the Dragon Room any time and state their chosen eored, as well as taking the Oath of the Cavalry. [/color]

Edited for requests to keep the thread open for a bit longer.

[Amadhrill]

She passed the small tent where she had noticed that fresh, clean clothes were handed out in a full sprint. Barely noticing that it now lay abanded as every cavalry member not ordered to remain in the hælends' tent were running to their marshal. It was utter chaos, though she knew very well it was order in the chaos as everyone set about their tasks. She passed the command tent and the pile of useless stuff, for a brief moment she scanned the pile for anything of use. Ama had nearly passed the pile when Gwais orders rang out and she immidately focused her attention towards the left, the two sperewigends armed with their swords making up the middle of the attack. «AYE, MARSHAL!» she yelled over the sounds of people cursing, Allacan's repetitions, animals hissing and uttering their death sounds.

In her peripheral vision, Ama saw a badger flying, as she quickly assessed the badgers and thanked her luck for haven't been equiped with a sharps sword (even if it had led to Éomund cutting his hand) and that she had spent much of the last few days carrying it. The sword, though not her own and not perfectly suited for her, was still sharp and familiar in her hands. There was no time to test it any more as a badger sprang towards her, though what had possessed the badger to do so was a mystery to the hælend. Perhaps the badger had not seen the sword in her hand, but her first hit was a cheap one. She thrust the sword forward and slightly up, and the badger in its jump stood no chance as it speared itself on the sword. Ama was quick to lower the sword, and with a blood thirsty look she used her foot to force the dead animal off her sword.

«I WANT THE CASTOR SACS!» The hælend's voice rang out over the badger field, uhm, battle field. A dryht Dicun she had only seen, but never spoken to (at least that she could remember) came running, no shirt and no boots, and the hælend-part in her made a note to have a word with him about the importance of boots on a battle field, uhm, badger field. Eyeing the dryht she noticed the odd use of a sword that seemed to be Gwais tactic, not understanding what could be the reason as Dicun was directed to join in with the two assistants/sperewigends making up the middle and another badger had set the eyes on Ama.

There was blood thirst and battle lust in the usually so peaceful green eyes of the hælend, but then again, to become a hælend one must first move up the ranks of sperewigend and dryhtguma. If she had ever considered never lifting a sword again, that did no longer seem the case as she readied herself for another attack. This time, she would attack, for a short time they seemed to circle each other, the hælend and the badger. Then Ama made her attack, swift and leathal, as she sprang towards the badger and swung her sword. The badger sprang up at the same time, and instead of cutting off the ugly head as planned she instead cut the badger clean in half across its belly. As the blood splattered around the dead badger, coloring her already blood-stained and dirty clothes even more, it dawned on her. The marshal's sword was dull!

Only Dicun and the two assistants were still fighting it out with the last two badgers, and Ama closed in on them even as Gwai approached from the other side. Taking up the knife she had stuck in her belt upon exciting from the hælends' tent she tossed the sheeted knife to the marshal and yelled «CATCH!» She watched as the last two badgers were disposed of, standing ready to help if needed.

[Aethelu]

Dicun, late, wet, but ready to kick butt

Dicun nodded to Gwai as she ordered him to take the two in the middle. The two assistants looked to be trying their best, but this didn't exactly seem like their ideal role to be playing in a battle. He placed himself in between the two assistants and grinned at them. "Good day, I am Dicun, I am going to need your help."

Of the two badgers before him, one was already snarling at him. The other seemed far less interested, almost it seemed just biding its time. Watching. Waiting. "Can you two keep that quiet one busy for now? Just give him a few jabs if he gets close, but scream if you need me."

Turning his attention back to the rather more angry badger, Dicun rolled his shoulders and squared himself up. The badger was angry, Dicun took a step towards it. In response, the badger lashed out with one of its fierce looking claws. Carefully, he danced away from it. Why hadn't he put boots on? What kind of idiot didn't put boots on? With a screech, the badger launched towards him. Still on his toes, Dicun darted to the side, bringing the sword down as the badge shot past. Alas, it was not a killing blow, he'd only managed to catch one of its back legs. He'd caught it good though, the animal was limping. It only enraged the creature further though, it managed to get itself turned around and was ready to take a second go at him.

With its back leg injured, it was less of a lunge at Dicun and more a speedy stumble. This time when his sword came down, it hit true and the badger lay dead. His first victory in the cavalry hadn't been quite what he'd expected, but it was something at least.

"DICUN!"

He had no time to revel in his small victory though, one of the assistants was yelling. He looked up just in time to see the other badger was no longer so docile. It was somehow even more enraged than the other one. Perhaps its mate? It was snarling and growling, pawing angrily at the ground. It's eyes were fixed on him though, the assistants had fallen by the wayside.

"Got it," he shouted back, setting himself up ready for when the attack came. What he hadn't been expecting was for the badger to leap at him. He didn't even know badgers could leap. In an instant the fact he was holding a sword seemed to have escaped him and instead he thrust out his leg, kicking the badger square in the chest.

In normal circumstances that probably would have been a stupid idea, but barefoot and damp, it was an exceedingly stupid idea. While the badger did indeed go flying backwards, so did Dicun, slipping spectacularly to land on his back. There was no time to lie there like an idiot though, the badger was unlikely to be dead. Rolling over, he managed to get to his knees to see the badger was still lying stunned on the ground nearby. That was something at least. He didn't even need to get to his feet, managing to shuffle over on his knees before driving the sword into the creature as it lay on the ground.

With that done, he slumped and sat on the ground. Thankfully Gwai and Ama had handled their own badgers, even as Marshal Shivased called out that the attack was over. Dicun looked down at himself and sighed. Thanks to his dip in the river and lack of clothes, he was now covered in mud. He was going to need yet another bath.

"Well," he said to no one in particular. "That was fun."

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Éomund jumped slightly when Allacan brought a mallet down on the badger he had just stabbed with the stave. Allacan turned to him and said with a grin, "Well if it wasn’t already, it definitely is now! Thanks for having my back comrade, that would have gone very badly for me if you and Walpurga hadn't been looking out for me."

"Y-your welcome?" Éomund stammered, not really knowing what the appropriate response was in this situation. He was shaking as the adrenaline left his body, but he. had. killed. a. badger! Perhaps this was proof he was cut out for the Cavalry after all.

He watched curiously as a rather loopy little badger walked dizzly into the hæland tent where it was quickly picked up by Walpurga. Whatever she had planned for it didn't look like certain death.

A few moments later, there came an announcement that all the badgers had been slain. Éomund breathed a sigh of relief and sank down into the grass. What a day! He wiped sweat from his brow with his uninjured hand. "Is this a normal thing?" he asked, not knowing if anyone would hear is query.

As he once again stumbled to his feet and headed back towards the centre of camp, the First Marshal approached him. With a smile she said, "Well done, you managed to kill your first badger. When we're back in Edoras, and have had a bit of a rest, please report to the Dragon Room to receive your badge and take the Oath."

He nodded, still trying to process everything that had happened in the last few minutes. He had killed a badger and now was apparently a member of the Cavalry aside from the badge and the oath. He certainly would have some stories for his uncle after they all got back to Edoras. Looking up at the sky, he wondered if his father would be proud of him for joining the Cavalry and being accepted into it. But for now, he was grateful that the adventure was … hopefully … over. Some food and sleep were much needed.

(mild godmodding done with @Shivased's permission)

[Gwai]

Gwai
Needs a Badger Burger

Sword in hand, for what it was worth (not much), Gwai turned to see Amadhrill standing over two recently dispatched badgers. Ama had clearly seen her predicament of having being equipped solely with an old sword, and tossed Gwai a knife.

Gwai caught the knife neatly, calling, “Thank you!” She turned grimly to the unconscious badger, and with a swift motion, cut it’s neck. He would make a poor meal as he was old and likely tough, but at least he no longer posed a threat. She quickly examined her arms, covered in badger blood, but she seemed to have escaped relatively unscathed.

The last badger dispatched, Gwai looked around carefully, but saw no more lurking, and the First Marshal called that all was clear. She walked the few feet over toward where Dicun had taken a seat on the ground, covered in mud, but uninjured, and victorious over two large badgers. She clapped him on the back and offered him a hand up. “You’re going to fit in with Meduseld just fine, Dicun,” she told him with a smile, evaluating his bare feet and muddy status. “Thank you for helping out those wigends!” she continued. “Badgers are not easy creatures to kill!”

“Ama,” she called, “I’ll clean your knife and get it back to you!” she offered. “You had perfect timing with that, though! I only had an old sword I found on the riverbank, clearly it has seen better days,” she said with a laugh.

Looking from Ama to Dicun, she said, “I think we deserve some lunch! Badger burgers are on the menu now, and first round of ale is on me when we get back to Edoras!”

[Amadhrill]

The battle was over, she heard the first marshal Shivased declare. Ama looked around, making sure herself that there were no more alive badgers around, then lowered the sword. She wiped the worst grime off with her clothes, they were already covered in human and badger blood and gore, so it really didn't make much of a difference for her clothes. «Well, that was fun» she turned towards Dicun, shook her head slightly at his words, and took a good look at the dryhtguma sitting sprawled on the ground. Her breath was gradually returning to normal again and she was pleased to be able to speak with a normal voice. She took a few steps towards him as Gwai approached the dryhtguma speaking his praise.

«Not my favorite pasttime, but at least I still remember a trick or two.» She answered and gave a shrug and a half-smile. «Well fought, Dicun is it? I am Amadhrill, hælend, call me Ama, as you can here most people do. I do not think we have met properly before, but I might be mistaken, these last few months have suddenly been filled with so many new and old faces I fear I have names and faces confused. I would say you should never approach battle without boots, but it looks like you did alright anyways...»

She tried to wipe the worst blood and dirt from her hands, only mildly successful at it, then offered her hand and a firm handshake to him, straightening up to talk answer Gwai. «You know I will take you on your word for the ale, Marshal Gwai!» She grinned. «I was lucky, this morning I would've called it unlucky. Éomund one of the trainees cut himself on the sword this very morning. But it turned out to be useful after all. I'll head over to the hælends' tent first, marshal, just to make sure none needs my assistance...»

Walking over to the hælends' tent it seemed as if none needed her assistance, people were starting to gather around the food and the clean clothes, rather than seeking the hælends attention. Entering the hælends' tent she looked at the three already there, Walpurga with her bandaged hands, Osbert and the last assistant. Her eyes rested for a little longer at Walpurge, Ama's green eyes set on Walpurgas eyes, holding them for a little longer then the rest. Then she looked at the trainees hands and spoke in a rather stern voice. «You stayed within the tent, trainee?»

She longed for a proper bath, some food, and rest, and there was a weary look on her face, dark circles visible under the blood-stained face. She was tired, and so her patience wasn't too good, and it would not do well if it, say, found a small badger in the tent.

[Shivased]

Shivased looked around again after announcing they would spend the night there, and felt herself deflate slightly upon seeing people beginning to relax again. She felt her shoulders slump and patted the paint stallion's neck. You did good, she whispered to him, thanking Bema that he appeared to be well trained, even as young as she suspected he was. She hadn't even thought before charging into battle on him, the battle rush that surged through her system causing a spur of the moment decision with little thought attached to it. Luckily it had gone in her favour. Spotting Eomund nearby she moved over to where the young man was, studying him to assure herself he was ok. He had chosen to fight with the Eastmark, which pleased her, and she made a point to let him know to report to the Dragon Room when they got back to Edoras. He and the other trainees had definitely proven their skill and were, in her mind, capable enough to choose their eoreds and become fully-fledged memebrs of the Cavalry.

Nudging the horse away, towards the fire nearest the haelend tent that was being re-built after somehow being put out and scattered during the fight she dropped her home-made spear near it and made to dismount. Sharp stabs of pain up her right leg and a dull twinge in her side made her stop with a hiss. Right, she'd been hurt earlier, she remembered. She looked down at the bandages on her ankle and calf. They were both spattered with blood, though the calf she wasn't sure if it was hers or the badger she'd killed. Could be either one.

She sighed and flopped forward to lay on the horse's neck. I'll just stay here, it's fine. I'm a Rohir. I can sleep on a horse's back, I was born to be up here. she said to nobody in particular, closing her eyes. Really it was quite comfortable, the horse sturdy and well-built with a wider back that made a perfect bed. And neither her or the horse minded much. It was certainly better than getting down. A helpful wigend approached and asked if she needed help, but she waved him away. Bring a bucket of water for the horse, and a couple apples if we have any. I'm sure he's thirsty and could use a treat.

As the wigend did as asked and the horse lowered it's head to drink the water, then crunch on the apples, she turned her head on her horsey pillow and regarded the camp, watching as people went about their business of relaxing and seeing to themselves. Across camp the badger were skinned and dressed, and already beginning to roast over the fire. Her mouth watered at the thought of juicy roasted badger in a couple of hours.

Spotting Alla nearby scanning the field, she called out to the woman and waved her over, then heaved herself to a sitting position to at least look somewhat official. There was something she needed to do. That was impressive work with the sock and the badger, she said with a grin. Also without you, we would have been taken by surprise with the badgers. You took stock of camp, scouted around, and were able to alert us of the attack in time for us to defeat the badgers. For that, I am giving you a field promotion to Paethfindian. You can come to the Dragon Room after this is over to get your insignia.

[Dungeon Delver]

Walpurga, eored-less

The battle with the badgers was over. For all that Walpurga could see, it had been brief, bloody, and frenetic. She had missed everything except to throw Allacan a hammer as she ran by and rescue a very strangely behavior baby badger that had wondered into the fray. Still though, she had remained in the tent. She heard orders being given outside but within the heavy cloth of the tent she could not make out exactly who was giving them or what was being said. The hæland tent was busy and hectic enough though. The discovery that it had been pitched over a den of snakes had sent it into a minor uproar. Walpurga had managed to warn some of the apprentices and patients and killed a few of the serpents herself with a stool before she had been distracted by the battle waging outside.

When Amadhrill came back and inspected the tent, Walpurga felt the weight of her gaze on her. Still cradling the tiny badger in her arms she nodded. “Yes, I said in the tent. Just like you ordered.” She tried to look into the hæland’s eyes but found them too distracted and her gaze began to shift to different objects behind the woman.

She did notice, however, the look that she gave the badger in Walpurga’s arms. Walpurga sighed heavily. The look was not unwarranted, as harmless and derpy as this little creature was, its kith and kin and just rampaged through the camp and caused a great deal of damage and injury. “He just wandered in the tent when I was standing beside the opening. I think there’s something wrong with him, he’s not aggressive at all, he’s just a baby but… if you think I should hand him over to be disposed of, I will.” It hurt to say, she’d grown oddly attached to the odd creature in the few minutes that she’d had him. He liked the belly rubs and ear scritches but in reality she had no idea how to take care of a badger.

Her shoulders drooped and she went to sit down on the stool by the dead snakes. Almost as an afterthought she added in a quiet, toneless voice. “Whoever put the hæland tent up did it over a pit of snakes. You might want to tell them to be more careful next time.”

[Allacan ob Burzum]

Allacan, Dryhtguma of the Eastmark, commending her colleagues and making a subtle exit from the camp

She spotted across the clearing Amadhrill and Gwai efficiently dispatch the last of the mustelids, and at last the camp-turned-battleground (or perhaps badger-ground would be more appropriate) was clear of foes. She was still breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush of the brief combat, her eyes swiftly scanning for anyone who might be injured so as to call for the aid of a hæland, momentarily catching sight of where Walpurga cradled a young badger in her arms and raising her eyebrows, before turning her gaze swiftly away again, deciding that she would pretend not to have noticed and let the commanders deal with *that* particular puzzle.

She relaxed only when it appeared that no-one was seriously wounded; Amadhrill and Thalionwen were quick to return to their duties, and although there were still some to tend (or at least keep an eye on), Allacan was sure it was only a matter of time before the two hælands took their rest and spotted her offensively old, grimy boots; evidence of her neglecting her word to both of them (what with her recent hunt for the black-hand agents, so unceremoniously interrupted by her kidnapping for this adventure, Allacan had until today completely forgotten about that unfinished business). More so, she was suddenly consciously aware of the fact that all three Marshals - as distracted as they had been by the horses earlier and thereafter the badgers - would soon calm down and regroup and it would not take long before they remembered the significant unfinished business they had with Allacan and her failure to attend the recent cavalry summons.

She was just trying to subtly sidle back out of camp again when Shiva spotted her and waved her over. She turned the direction of her paces in a wheel back towards the cavalry's high commander, plastering a querulous but friendly smile on her face and trying not to look guilty. Her expression a moment later became one of surprise; it seemed the First Marshal wished to formally acknowledge that Allacan's early warning repetitive cries of "Badger Badger Badger" - however absurd they might have been - had given to the cavalry a chance to formulate a defence and thereby not be caught flat-footed and empty-handed. Her expression changed to a happy smile as the honour of the rank of pæthfindian was bestowed upon her, perhaps in Shivased's eyes her actions today had made up for her being a no-show at the Dragon Room previously.

She had significant doubts that the rank would remain in place when the cavalry crowd had dispersed and the three Marshals had spoken together. It seemed that Gwai and Taethowen had yet to fill Shivased in on the full details of the night of the Edoras fires; no doubt they were still figuring out the events of that night between them (and considering what exactly to tell the First Marshal about it all) when the King had abducted them for this hair-brained, ill-timed and poorly-run exercise. Shivased likely expected to have the opportunity to discuss it with all three of them around the fire-side later that night, but Allacan intended to use her new promotion as ample excuse to avoid that. She resisted the temptation to glance across at the Second and Third Marshals and instead took the promotion as an opportunity to guide the conversation in a slightly different route.

"Why thank you, First Marshal, this is indeed an honour! I will endeavour to do you proud!" she said, saluting the commander before going on before Shivased could respond, loud enough that she might be overheard. "But if I might make so bold, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly give thanks to three riders who have been of infinite help recently." she said, glancing around to make sure that Éolath, Éomund and Walpurga were all in hearing range. "I must confess that if I had not been so well supported and guarded by Éolath, who I have already mentioned showed a lot of potential on out journey here, they I could not possibly have arrived here today fresh and alert enough to have avoided being caught in the woods alone by the badgers, and that may have made me entirely incapable of giving any warning at all. Additionally, in the midst of combat having disarmed myself to arm others, it was only thanks to Walpurga's creative thinking that I was provided with a weapon - however improvised it may be - with which to defend myself, and I do believe I also overheard her and her fellows in the hæland tent stamping out a nest of snakes that could have thrown the battle with the badgers into disarray if they had not been neutralised so quickly. Furthermore, it was only thanks to Éomund's quick and heroic actions in disposing of a badger seconds before it would have badly maimed me that I am able to stand here and accept this honour. Please; if you have any honoured words to give; I would ask that you bestow it upon these three brave cavalry soldiers." She said, taking back her now-bloodied throwing spear before stepping back and gesturing towards the three new recruits, effectively distracting the First Marshal for a moment.

She took full advantage of the moment to move away to the horses near where Eldrith was still guarding them; it appeared that she had done an excellent job of doing so. She put herself on the other side of the horses to the woman and started tacking up her palomino horse with the saddle that had been brought by one of the other cavalry groups; it seemed to fit like it was intended for the mare. She spoke to Eldrith as she did so; "If the Marshals ask where I have gone, I am seeing to my pæthfindian duties immediately, given I am currently the only person here who now holds that rank. I believe I found the maggot-infested crate dumped nearby that had coaxed the badgers in, and if the cavalry wishes to pass this night without further molestation by mustelids then I intend to clear it away. From the looks of things, too many people have encountered hostiles on their journey here, and thereafter I intend to take my job title *literally* and find a safe path home for everyone to take come morning." satisfied that the girth-strap was sufficiently tightened, she untied the lead-rope turned make-shift reins and leapt up into the saddle without bothering to find a mounting block; the only obvious sign of her haste to be gone. She tucked the wooden sledge-hammer into a loop at the saddle, hefted her make-shift throwing spear, and without a word held her hand out to Eldrith to recover her knife with the other.

As soon as the knife was back in her hand and tucked safely into her belt, she spurred her horse away without another word; leaving Eldrith in the somewhat difficult position of having to explain to the Marshals where their newly promoted pæthfindian had gone, for she had absolutely no intention of reporting back again that night or the next morning. She rode by the supply wagon as she exited the camp into the surrounding fields, and pulled up as she spotted in the bottom of the wagon-bed a number of stakes, a coil of rope and a length of brightly coloured pennants, of all things! She dismounted long enough to load these up onto her horse, taking full advantage of the busy sounds of people regaling their combat encounters and discussing the best way to cook badger meat as cover for her swift exit. She hoped that no-one would think her absence suspicious until she was already long gone.

Engaged in her new Pæthfindian duties/going AWOL again

She first returned to the maggot-infested chest dumped only the next clearing over, where she had been ambushed by the lead badger. From her now elevated position on horse-back giving little regard to keeping quiet, it was much easier to scout out the area. After a couple of sweeps of the area it seemed clear to her that the local badgers' numbers had been sufficiently defeated by their ill-advised attack on the cavalry, but either way she did not wish to take any chances. On satisfying herself that the coast was clear, she returned to the maggot-infested crate and dragged it bodily to the river-bank, downstream of the camp. There, she set to with her sledge-hammer to decimate the rotten remains of the wooden box and kick it, along with the maggot-infested remains of its contents, into the water-flow. Once the river had washed away all signs of the badly stored grain-box, she retraced her steps to where it had been unceremoniously dumped by the nim-wits that had established the target-camp and removed any remaining traces that might still coax in omnivores and carnivores. It took a while before she was able to clean off her hands in the river, re-assured that the poorly-stored grain would not work to bait in further aggressive creatures. Her first task achieved, she re-mounted and set off on the next of her objectives.

She herself had begun this cavalry exercise close to the city of Edoras, and thanks to the assistance of Aethelwigend Grimthain and her own navigational skills, she had been able to track a route to the cavalry camp with minimal interruption from some of the plains' more aggressive wanderers of this region of Rohan, but for the unlucky trio of bandits that Éolath had so efficiently neutralised. Others had not been so lucky; she had heard talk of wolves, orcs and other aggressors. If she were able to efficiently 'dispose' of the three bandits she and her travel partner had encountered and alleviated of their horses, she was confident that the return route back along the tracks they had taken to get here would likely be the cavalry's swiftest and safest route back to Edoras, and she intended to mark it out for them so that no-one else would be lost on the return journey.

Armed with her knife and her throwing-spear, a collection of tools to leave marker posts, and her wits, she rode away from camp and out into the night. She rested not that night or much of the next day, but instead rode ahead of the cavalry return, deviating from the path she marked only long enough to resolve some 'unfinished business', and even then she took extra care that she did so far from the route marked out from the cavalry and in such a manner that the remnants of her actions would only be found by carrion.

Allacan would be notably absent all night, but when the sun rose in the morning there would be a pennant-adorned stake hammered into the crest of a nearby hill like a flag. The marker was the beginning of a pennant-flag trail laid out by Allacan that, should they seek some additional guidance from Éolath in recounting their prior route, would lead them all safely and swiftly back to Edoras. By the time of their arrival back in the capital, however, Allacan was nowhere to be seen; the fine palomino mare stabled in the cavalry stables confirmation that it had been she who marked the path for the elite troops to follow, but no other word awaiting the Marshals as to where she had gone after that.

(OOC: I hope @Shivased and @Eldrith will forgive the mild god-modding, completed purely with the intent of getting Allacan back within her current time-line of being AWOL and on the hunt for the Black Hand Agent who stabbed Pele in the Riddermarket).

[Gwai]

Gwai
Needs a Bath
And a Nap
Still Hates Badgers

Gwai was concerned when Ama told her of Éomund injuring himself earlier with the sword the hælends had been using. “Poor Éomund,” she said sympathetically, although she was quite glad Ama had been equipped with the sword. Many wigends would be envious of the hælend’s skills with the blade. “I’ll go with you to the tent,” Gwai offered, as Ama excused herself to see to any injuries. “Dicun, do you care to visit the tent with us? Or would you prefer to go find your boots?” she asked, offering him the choice.

She was a couple steps behind as she followed Ama into the hælends’ tent, wanting to evaluate how many cavalrymembers have been injured during the attack. She was herself dirty, with badger blood on her, and so tired, but mercifully uninjured. It had been a stressful several days, between the midnight kidnapping, dumped in the Forest with practically no supplies, a restless night trying to keep watch on the bank of the river, and now a badger attack on top of it. A quick bath in the river would not be a terrible idea before too long due to the amount of blood and dust on her, and a long night’s sleep sounded better than even dinner. She was not particular about where at this point. Even the ground was looking comfortable.

She took a few deep breaths to wake herself up a bit more. She was just outside the tent as she overheard Ama speaking sternly to a trainee, and she stifled a smile. She would never dream of going against a hælend, and apparently the trainee had not made that mistake.

She walked around the inside of the tent, happily noting there were relatively few injured inside. She soon joined Ama, just in time to hear a young woman she didn’t know commenting the hælend tent had been erected on a snake nest.

Gwai shook her head, noting the dead snakes on the ground. “It sounds as if that didn’t stop you in the slightest,” she commented, smiling at the young woman, (Walpurga), unsure her rank as they had all been dropped in the wilderness stripped of their insignias. She nodded at the bundle of fluff the dark haired woman was holding. “You’d best find a better hiding place for that fellow, though,” she commented with a wink, knowing a baby would cause little harm. The adults, however...but she was splattered with their blood to prove her feelings. “Badgers are quite the persona non grata right now,” she clarified. While she hated badgers with a passion, it was difficult to feel malevolent toward the small ball of fluff.

“My name is Gwai Feorsteorra, Meduseld Éored,” she introduced herself to the young woman with the ice blue eyes, holding her hand out, before realizing it was covered in badger blood. She withdrew it and smiled an apology. “I’m a mess,” she laughed, “But I think we all are at this point!” She started to turn to leave to assess the camp’s defenses before she gave in to sleep, but turned back as she belatedly thought of one more comment. “I’ll have a word with whoever picked the tent placement. I think I know who it was,” she added a bit darkly, already planning the words she was going to have with the now-fired quartermaster when she returned. “But your actions here,” she gestured to the numerous bodies of deceased snakes, “Are worthy of commendation, and I will be sure to see that it is remembered,” she said with an easy smile. She couldn’t hesitate adding, “Although I cannot necessarily vouch for that counterbalancing your...” she hesitated a moment, searching for the right word. “Indiscretion,” she settled on, gently smiling to show she was more concerned about the snakes than the baby badger nestled in the young woman’s arms. However, defending to her fellow Marshals a cavalry member adopting a baby of one of their sworn enemies would take quite a bit of convincing, and unless something else of significance happened, she was uncertain how successful she would be.

[Elarith]

Elarith, really really needs a bath

There was more yelling coming from the river, and Elarith turned with her sword tensed as the noise came closer. "No, didn't think we could be done just yet," she replied to Éo. Another Westmarker (Æfled) rounded the bushes - she was the source of the yelling, so it seemed. And she'd already managed to encumber a badger with another towel - were towels the weapons of choice today? - as she punted it away from herself. Éolath was quick off the mark to offer the newcomer a sword, and soon the last badger was dispatched to Badgerhalla, or wherever it is their nasty little spirits go.

"Nice work," Elarith said to the group at large, wiping her brow with her sleeve. She prodded the chubbier badger with the toe of her boot. "I'll take the less-mangled ones for Slitan Bur. There's always call for good burgers. But that's a job for tomorrow." She would have a word with some of the sperewigends who hadn't been on the exercise, get them to save the best ones for her in exchange for a few steaks or similar.

Now the fight was over, the tiredness had swept back over her. She needed a good bath and a good sleep to get over all of whatever this had been. Elarith started to amble back towards the tents, in search of towels - if any were to be found after the fighting.

[Dungeon Delver]

Walpurga

She was lost in thought. As she sat down on the stool a whirlwind of emotions began to bombard her and, for a brief moment, everything else around her melted away. She was worried, a hundred different things had happened to her since she arrived in Edoras, some of them good, many of them embarrassing, a few of them bad. This training mission had been, for lack of a better word, a disaster. She had been paired with a Marshal and while she thought she had displayed quick thinking and decisive action, apparently it had been seen as overkill and reckless. She had sassed the Marshal on the way into to camp! She reddened involuntarily remembering that, wishing to the galloping stars she could go back and stop herself from doing that. She’d paid for that by being confined to the hæland tent for the duration of the fight. There hadn’t been a planned battle of course, and perhaps her exile would have stung less but wyrd had another plans for her. She had killed the snakes though, and protected the others in the tent and managed to warn them. Her shoulders rose a little, she ought to be proud of that right? “Killing snakes? Anyone could do that. That’s not something to be commended over. That’s just your job.” The words of her mother sounded in her head like a gong. She winced.

“It sounds as if that didn’t stop you in the slightest.”

The sound of that voice brought Walpurga back into the moment. It was… it was Marshal Gwai! She was talking to her, directly to her! Walpurga had to stop herself from turning bright red, dumping the baby badger on the floor, or tripping over herself (or better yet all three). Until this moment, she was not sure the Marshal knew she had existed at all. She had been a part of Éomund’s ent-wife hunt but as he had presented the… evidence and she had relegated herself to the shadows it stood to reason that Walpurga’s name or appearance had not made any sort of impression (and considering it could have easily been her that kicked her the night of the After-Party maybe it wasn’t all bad). But here she was now, talking to Walpurga! All of Walpurga’s inner monologue turned to gibberish and she was left looking at the Marshal (wow her hair was really blonde) for a second without being able to say anything. Finally, though she managed to get a few words out in a jumble. “I… well… I… I just did what anyone would do. If it hadn’t been me… well I’m sure anyone in here could have do the same… well, maybe. I just… I…” She stopped talking all the sudden, clamping her jaw tight, willing her face not to redden.

“I’m Walpurga,” she said after a moment. She straightened and instinctively hugged the little baby badger closer to her. It had fallen asleep, or at least it had stopped trying try to lick her shirt, but suddenly it burst to life and made a “mmmleww” sound that startled her. She coughed to cover her reaction and straightened her shoulders. She felt a weight suddenly lifted off her, she took a deep breath and smiled at the Marshal. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’ve been meaning to introduce myself but the circumstances never seemed to work themselves out.”

She blushed at Marshal Gwai’s complimentary words. They had been in direct opposition to the words that rang in her own head just a moment before. It felt, it felt good to hear from someone that she had done something good, that she had done the right thing. The last six years with her mother had had not yielded such a statement. When the marshal mentioned the indiscretion, Walpurga’s gaze dropped to her hands and to the badger in her arms. The gashes and punctures from the fight with the wolves seemed to roar to life and began itching like mad underneath the several layers of bandages. The badger, she hadn’t quite gotten so far as to name it yet, stirred and pawed at her arm, a line of drool connecting its mouth to her shirt. She smiled apologetically at the Marshal and the hæland beside her. “I’m not really sure how he… or she came over here. I think there might be something, ah, different about this badger. All it seems to want to do is lick my shirt, drool, and sleep.”

She nodded though. Marshal Gwai was right. Despite this being a baby and… odd beside, the entire camp had just been attacked by its family and from the look of the Marshal, the battle had been bloody and violent. While she did not understand the animosity the two groups seemed to have for one another, she knew better than to wade into the middle of it holding a baby aloft like some heroine out of the old stories. She needed to find the sack of apples she had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere with, that would hold this little one and hide them fairly well.

[Taethowen]

Second Marshal Taethowen

Taeth winced as blood and gore splattered through the air as Æthelwigend Grimm dispatched a badger with his club. She wiped a spot of blood off her cheek as Grimm returned to her side with a nod. "Your lead, of course, Second Marshal."

Before she could respond to Grimm, though, Elarith arrived, and gasped "you killed it... with a towel?" before taking out yet another badger.

"More like... incapacitated it with a towel," Taeth smiled weakly, and held up the dagger Grimm had lent her. "This struck the killing blow."

Taeth twisted around as she heard a "yaaaaaaaah!" and then saw a woman she didn't know (Aelflad/Fairy) kicking at a badger that was tangled in a towel. Éolath came to her aid, though, and after that it seemed the badgers were finally defeated. Taeth breathed a sigh of relief as the camp seemed to sink into a brief moment of silence again, and she heard no more badgers scuffling in the brush.

"Nice work," Elarith spoke, then mentioned wanting the less-mangled badgers for Slitan Bur, as Taeth knelt down and wiped the borrowed dagger clean on one of the corpses, and then set off toward the tents again.

She stood and faced the Æthelwigend, noting his Eastmark insignia. "Thank you for your help," she said, flipping the dagger with a toss and offering it back to the man by the grip. "I don't believe I've caught your name yet?"

"Éolath," Taeth turned to the others. "Good work. But I've yet to meet you either, dryhtguma (Aelflad)."

@Thalionwen Hunigfolm @Fairy Nuff - just tagging you two since I'm very late responding and didn't want you to miss it.