Holy crap, it's the new chapter! Heheh, I suppose I'll be hanging around in this fandom for awhile, then go hop to another... okay, back to the topic at hand!

So, we learn our marten's name, and her companion... eh, enemy, whatever he is at first. I'm horrible at accents, so if something sounds a little wonky, please, let me know.

Thankies to ferretWARLORD for their review! Yes, first person is a little hard to get used to, but it's what I'm best at.

-O-

I have no clue as to how long I lay there like that, my leg askew, and sprawled out on the broken ground like a shattered doll. But, what I do know, is that I woke up, and, a broken leg and a concussion were not fun to wake up to.

I groaned heavily, and tried to sit up, only to whack my head on a brick. Heh, just the thing for a concussion. Again, I let out a long moan. I cracked open my eyes. I'm in a cave, well, a brick cave. Just my luck that the huge blocks of sandstone just so happened to create a tiny shelter. One might expect it to be dark inside, but, there is a small crack on the 'ceiling' of my cave, letting in sunlight. Good, it's still daytime.

"Help!" I croak, my voice rough and gravelly.

I get not an answer.

"Help!" I say again, this time stronger.

Nothing.

Yep, that there is another fine example of my luck. Just great, isn't it?

I cough, and spit on the ground, a little blood. At first, I am horrified, but, then, I realize it is bright, the blood of a split lip, not of the lungs. Good, I have a while longer until I expire. Cluny the Scourge strike me where I lay. Please?

As I lay there, wishing I would just die, I slowly began to wonder why I couldn't see out my left eye. Then it dawned on me. I lifted a paw- which was miraculously not broken- to my face. I touched the area, and found my eye crusted shut with blood. I felt higher, and found no cut. It was right about then that it started to throb. Add that to my list of injuries; broken- erm, eheh, shattered leg, concussion, half blind. Great, three more things to worry about.

Speaking of worrying, I needed to get out of here, fast. It was going to get cold, despite the warm summer day. But, come night time, it was going to be freezing. I shifted, and gave a muted scream of agony when my leg bumped against my other leg. When the white-purple spots went away, I moved again, and repeated the pain and colors. I did this up until I worked myself onto my elbows. This was good, I could take better stalk of my state.

Well, one thing's for sure; I'm one tough son of a squirrel licker. Erm, daughter, actually. Something about the way my leg was twisted, and the bone poking through, told me I was in rough shape. My blue fur was brown with blood and dust, only a few streaks of my real color showing here and there.

It was right about then when I realized how light headed I was. Was it because I was bleeding? No, all of it was dry. I shook my head, and flicked my black tipped ears, then, tilted my muzzle to the crack. I breathed, and instantly felt better. There was my answer; there wasn't enough air in my cave, I was starting to suffocate. Okay, I had to get out, really fast.

"Help! Somebeast have mercy!" I yelled through the tiny space, "Please! Someone, help me!"

I listened, and, when I heard nothing, I let my head flop back down onto my shoulder for a moment. Then, very faintly, a sound came to me...

"Anybeast out there? 'ello?" it came, very weak and small.

I grinned, "Help! I'm over here!" I yelled.

"I'd come 'elp you, but it appears I'm in a bit of a tizzy, wot!" a hare? Are you kidding me?

"I swear, on great uncle Cluny's maiden name..." I growled to myself. Cluny the Scourge wasn't really my great uncle, no, I just called him that because I felt like it, just saying 'I swear on Cluny's maiden name...' rings a bit hollow, no? I stopped grumbling to myself when I heard the sound of somebeast struggling, moving.

"Ouch, gah, ah-ha! Gottit! Take that, you stinky blighting piece of masonry, eh, wot!" I heard the hare exclaim, "Hold fast, young'un, I'm coming! Just, give a shout here and there!" he said in the distance.

"I'm over here, somewhere near the bell tower!... or what was the bell tower..." I say the last part to myself.

So, after several minutes of marco polo, the hare finally finds my little cave.

"I'm right. Flipping. Here. You. Stupid. Moron!" my patience is very thin.

"I know that, you cheeky little bounder," he grumbled.

I started back when a brown eye covered up my air crack, and stared at me.

"Ha! I shoulda known it was you, Taral, from all the comments about me being a rabbit," he grumped.

"Yes, Gabs, it's me, now," I gave a small grunt as my leg shifted, "get me outta here!" I can safely assume that you all know that I do not have a vermin accent. At least, I hope I can.

Gabs, or Garret Adrian Bellenaire Staltmire, scowled at me, then bounded away. Before I could call him a filthy son of a mutated bullfrog, he returned with a long beam of wood.

"What's that for?" I grumble as Gabs positions the end of the thick plank near my breathing crack.

"Lever and fulcrum, this here is the lever, and the edge of your cave is the fulcrum. Very simple concept, though I can see you never learned," he scoffs as he wedges the beam farther, then leans down on it.

"Oi! I did too, I just didn't apply that knowledge learned to this moment," I grumped.

"Sure y'did, jus' keep on thinkin' that, ole chap, jus' keep on thinkin' that," Gabs said in a near snigger, then, gave a small yelp as the block gave way, and tumbled to the ground. Sunlight filters in, blinding me... er, half blinding me.

There was silence. No sound of movement. Had he been crushed?

"Gabs, you alright?" I call.

"Filthy, rotten chunk of masonry, try to blinkin' snuff me, ha, I showed it..." I can hear him mutter to himself.

There is a scuffling sound, and Gabs' narrow hare face appears over me. He grimaces when he sees my condition.

"Great googly moogly..." he gasped, "Well, can't leave you in there any longer, eh? Let's see if I can pull you out,"

"Just be gentle," I growl.

I pull myself up a little, cringing and grinding my sharp teeth, and then, Gabs reached down to help. He muttered something about '...hugging vermin... gonna give me fleas...' but he continued with the task, and hauled me up onto the wall of my cave by my shoulders.

I hissed when my leg bumped against the ground.

"Sorry," Gabs mumbled.

"Can't you do this without dragging me?" I say in a near whine.

"Hah, vermin, always looking for the easy way out..."

"Gabs, if I was looking for the easy way out, I woulda gone and let myself die," I groused.

"Wouldn't have been a great loss," Gabs states.

I want to retort, and say something a little too over the edge, but, I just shrug, "You're right, it wouldn't 'ave been, but, here I am,"

Gabs looks me over, his sharp brown eyes calculating me, then, he sighs in defeat, and with a great pull, slings me over his shoulder.

"Ow, watchit wouldja?" I growl as my leg bumps something.

"You wanted the fastest way, didn't you?"

-O-

After a few moments looking for a space to sit down, Gabs finally dumped me beneath a pear tree in what used to be the abbey orchards. Now it is a field of bricks. But, a few trees managed to escape.

I leaned against the trunk of the slim tree, and stared out at the hazy sky. I think it must have rained, because there was a huge fire when the abbey fell. And I could smell it. Under the cloying scent of blood, death, and smoke, I can make out the smell of fresh rain. It's a nice light scent.

I blink my only working eye at a cloud, the look over to Gabs.

He is hunched over, elbows on knees, head on wrists. He is looking over what used to be the most magnificent building in all of Mossflower wood. And it was toppled by dust.

"Wellllll," I say, stretching the word considerably, "we're gonna need to start a grid search,"

"What for?" it takes him a little longer than it should to respond.

"Survivors, food, clothing, weapons. All that stuff," I say.

"We? You're in no condition to be traipsing about," Gabs says, shooting a sideways glance.

"Yes, 'we'. I lived here too, for most of my young life, I want to see if I can find anyone of great worth to me. Alive or otherwise," I blink again, trying to see if my other eye will open.

Gabs and I have a brief staring war, trying to get the other to back off. Eventually, he huffs unhappily, and agrees.

"Al'ight, fine, you'll come. You're going to need help, though,"

"I'm fine with that,"