Ch.48
Airborne Captive
Happy Valentines Day and welcome to the next chapter of this fic! Please R&R!
Ignatius had little time to draw his rapier before Sarika struck with her ring-shaped weapon. The hare's quick reflexes saved him that time, but there was plenty more where that came from. With an array of dancer-like moves, the ferret continued to lash out at her 'toy'. Taking a step back, Ignatius, attempted a few thrusts at Sarika. The female simply spun gracefully out of harm's way while slicing at her foe. The Corporal had no choice but to stay on the defensive.
"You're too slow rabbit!" spat the darker Sarika as she slashed at the hare's midsection, slicing a portion of Ignatius's red jacket. "And slow bores me! And when if you bore me, you deserve to die!"
"First of all, I'm a hare! Not a bunny or a rabbit, but a hare!" noted Ignatius as he jabbed his rapier at the ferret's legs. Sarika countered with a neat sidestep before cutting at the Corporal with a dancer-like spin. "And secondly, I have more speed than you think I have, wot!" The female swiped her weapon at the hare's face, but Ignatius's rapier was there to block it. Before the ferret could make another move, the Corporal's right leg lashed out, catching Sarika behind her kneecap. She fell to her knees as Ignatius prepared for the final stab. He stabbed downward between the female's shoulder blades, but the ferret's nimbleness allowed her to roll away with only a cut to the arm.
An enraged growl erupted from the mouth of Sarika, bringing a smile to Ignatius's lips. "Is that fast enough for you?"
"Stupid rabbit!" barked the ferret. "I'm still alive! You'll have to do better than that!"
Meanwhile, outside of the battle, Isaac and his friends, along with several residents of Mephia, stood watching the battle. However, their attention continued to shift from the battle to the captive Kalad above.
"Isn't there anything we can do to free him?" asked Edith. "Or maybe make the bird let go of him?"
"Mayhaps Keith could use some of that musk of theirs on the raven," suggested Jules.
His suggestion immediately received a veto from Keith. "He's too high up to be hit. Even if I could hit him, Kalad would get sprayed too."
"Ye could try takin' thae feathered fiend down wi' one o' yer daggers," Isaac thought aloud. "Ah know yer a guid shot."
"I don't doubt Keith's aim either," said Hardy. "But I still think it's too risky. And miscalculation could endanger Kalad."
Wyatt took a moment to observe the raven. "The blighter's pretty focused on the battle. Do you think he's even paying attention to us?"
"Ah doubt et," replied the Highland hedgehog as he scratched absentmindedly at his grey-tipped quills. " 'Ow aboot we scare 'im? Mayhaps he'll get so spooked that 'e'll drop thae lad."
"And just have him fall to the ground?" snapped Edith, he paw prepared to slug Isaac. "He could seriously injure himself!"
"Then we'll need a beast who's quick on their paws," answered Isaac.
Cyan paced back and forth, her eyes switching from the battle to the captive squirrel. "But how are we gonna scare him? The bird doesn't seem like he'd get scared very easily, but no one is fearless. Well, some beasts claim to be fearless, but still, you gotta be scared of something! Like me, I'm scared of pikes. Nasty things if you ask me, not to mention deadly." As usual, Cyan wasn't aware that no beast was listening to her. They were too occupied with thinking of a way to free the captive squirrel.
"Go Ignatius go!" exclaimed Kalad as he attempted to squirm out of the raven's tight talons. "Duck! Go to the right! No, my right! Um…don't worry, it's just a scratch, walk it off! Yeah, that's it! Go!"
"Would you be quiet?" spat the squirrel's avian captor.
Kalad stuck his tongue out at the bird. "I will if you stick your beak up your feathery butt!" Devades clenched his talon tighter, squishing the life from the young squirrel. The former slave sank his teeth into the raven's talon, but quickly pulled a face of disgust. "Yuck! It's called soap and water. Try using it sometime!"
"Oh, you're one to talk," muttered Devades as he rolled his eyes.
Wyatt pointed at the bird as Devades and Kalad continued to argue. "He's looking pretty distracted. We must strike now!"
"Yeah, but does anybeast have a plan?" asked Edith as she scanned the group.
Isaac pointed to a nearby tree. " 'E does." Although Edith thought she was looking at a large pinecone, a closer glimpse revealed the pudgy kilted form of Munroe cautiously climbing onto one of the branches of the tree.
"You negligent bastard!" spat Edith as she fought the urge to smack the hedgehog over the head. "He could get hurt!"
"Ah don't think 'e really cares," noted Isaac with a cheeky grin. "Why else would 'e be riskin' 'imself?"
Munroe continued to shimmy himself across the branch, close enough to the tree for support, but far out enough to be in range of Devades. "Yer me mate Kalad. Ah can't jus' let ye be taken away again. Ah haven't even gotten a chance tae do thae bend-over-tae-pick-somethin-up-and-show-wot's-under-yer-kilt trick yet!" Pulling out a small reed blowpipe from his belt and plucking a quill from his head, the young hedgehog took aim. "Let's jus' 'ope somebeast catches 'im. Ah prefer me friends tae be in one piece." Munroe took a quick breath before exhaling into the blowpipe.
The quill met its mark, embedding itself in the raven's side. He gave a startled squawk, not realizing that his grip on his captive had loosened. Kalad began to plummet to the ground below, the young squirrel clawing feebly at the air. However, his landing was softer than he thought it would have been. Rubbing his head, he looked down at Wyatt below him. "That was fun! Can I do it again?"
"You're welcome," muttered the Lieutenant as he placed his paw on his throbbing lower back.
Devades swore aloud upon noticing the loss of his captive, along with seeing the quill in his side. "Sarika, it's time to go!"
The ferret turned from her panting opponent to her caretaker, glaring scathingly. "I'm not done playing yet! He's not broken!"
"You'll just have to break him later!" replied the raven. "I'll let you ride on my back!"
Sarika's evil glare seemed to melt away as he more cheerful side emerged. "Yaaaaay! You never let me ride on your back!" She turned quickly in place, delivering a powerful kick to Ignatius's groin. The male immediately crumbled to the ground, unable to do anything as the bird swooped down. Sarika hopped neatly onto the raven's back as the crowd hurried to the Corporal's aid.
"Dammit," muttered Ignatius as he attempted to get up. "She got away again." A feminine cry rang out from above, catching everybeasts' attention. The scream didn't come from Sarika, but from a certain talkative shrew.
"Not again!" wailed Cyan as she was carried off into the distance. "I don't wanna be a slave! Being on that boat was bad enough, but I'm sure this'll be just as bad, or worse! Maybe it'll be better, but still, I'm a slave and that's bad!" Although she was out of earshot, Isaac and his friends were sure she was still talking.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please R&R!
