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The town of Highforest was a typical Human town in Mossflower. Its population was largely Human, with very few other species daring to enter. It was surrounded by an old stone walls from its days of a fortress, about two stories high and dotted with watchtowers. This was, much to her chagrin, Irwin's home for the next several months. The young Hare's journey had been largely uneventful, thanks to the apparent over-efficiency of 4th Company. She had not spotted a single vermin bandit on her way there, much less a single vermin. It made for a rather dull walk.
She was met by a rather portly Hare at the main gate. Despite his friendly outward appearances, Irwin could see a bit of resent in his eyes. Whether it was directed at her, the town, or himself, she could not tell.
"S'cuse me ma'am." He droned flatly. "May I ask what you're here for?"
"I'm Private Irwin Pennoyer." Irwin replied, snapping to attention. "I'm being transferred to the local garrison to replace a recent casualty."
"Ah, the Major's daughter. If they sent you out here, they must have too many cooks back on the mountain." the older hare sneered. "I trust you have everything in order."
"Yes…"
Typical bucks. Irwin rolled her eyes as she reached for her satchel to pull out her dossier. It honestly didn't surprise her anymore that males made comments like that. Normally, the offspring of important officers were kept close to Salamandastron to preserve family bloodlines. The males were groomed to inherit their fathers' rank, while females were taught to become housewives. That didn't stop her from becoming a soldier.
"I hope you aren't expecting a warm welcome here." huffed the older hare. He knocked gently on the gate "Most people here aren't going to take kindly to fresh mountain blood."
"It can't be that horrible here, could it?" Irwin placed a gloved paw on her left hip as she shifted her weight right.
"Not with the young 'uns. They know their place. Now, the adults? That's another story…"
The old oak doors creaked open slowly; the wind picking up almost ominously. Yet it carried a bit of warmth with it. The first scent she caught as the gate opened was a whiff of was something yeasty. Was it...bread? She could have sworn she read that humans were carnivorous. She shrugged it off, assuming it was just a woodlander unfortunate enough to live here.
With a soft thud, the gates fully opened to reveal two more hares and what Irwin assumed was a human standing in a short, dimly lit hallway in front of her. The hares, a few seasons older than her, were oddly disheveled for Long Patrol soldiers. Their uniforms had tears along their sleeves and had visible gray and green stains, and their fur was unkempt and showing brown bits of dirt. They looked tired, or, at the very least, bored. The human didn't look much better, from what Irwin could tell. A majority of their face was hidden behind an iron full helm, laced with corrosion,scores, and dents from all the abuse it had taken over the years. They wore a combination of tattered chain mail and low-quality leather armor, covered with a light gray sash made from hemp.
"Ach! Another one?" the human groaned playfully. By its voice, it was probably a male midway through his adolescence. "Don't you hares ever stop producing?"
"Shaddap, Klaus!" snapped the fat hare. "You'll give Private Pennoyer the proper amount of respect, or you'll be at half rations for the rest of the month."
"Is that really necessary, mein herr?"
"Pennoyer, respect. Hast du verstanden?"
"Yes, yes. You don't have to treat me like a damn infant."
The fat hare rolled his eyes and firmly placed Irwin's dossier back into her paws. It was clear that the human annoyed him greatly, and he in turn annoyed the human. A mutual war of annoyance, to put it lightly. The concept made her chuckle to herself, although a bit of that may have carried over into the real world. The older hare seemed more flustered now, his cheeks reddening a tad bit under his fur.
"Just get her to the keep!" the sergeant hissed to the human.
The gate banged shut as Irwin stepped inside with her human escort. The other two hares simply shrugged her off without even greeting her, while Klaus extended his calloused and slightly dirty hand for a greeting. While repulsed by his unsanitary appearance, Irwin did appreciate the warmer welcome by the human. She shook his hand politely giving a warm smile.
"Welcome to Fort Highforest." Klaus said, placing his hands on his hips. "You'll have to forgive the Sergeant. He gets grumpy when he hasn't had his evening meal."
"I understand completely." Irwin sighed. "So, we are we heading off to the keep?"
"Ja. This way, Frau."
The human gestured to the hare to follow, turning around and walking down the cobblestone path further into town. Irwin walked behind him, taking note of the town's homes and other buildings. The main road of the village was lined with several wattle and daub buildings. Despite their simple construction, the oak frames were beautifully carved. Images of vines, trees, and other greenery were embedded into the wood to such detail that, if painted, one would assume to be the real thing. If there was one thing Irwin was willing to admit, it was that these Humans were quite creative.
As for their hospitality, she wasn't sure of how friendly they were to her. Klaus seemed to at least respect her and at least viewed her as an acquaintance. Others, mostly the elderly, had simply glared and scoffed at her presence. They were probably survivors of the war, still reeling from the humiliation they suffered after losing. The youngest swarmed her with curiosity and warm smiles. She almost tripped over them just trying to keep up with Klaus.
"The little ones seem to like me."
"They like just about anyone that comes through town, so long as they're kind to us." Klaus grunted. "The Flussvolk in particular."
"Excuse me? Flues volk?" Erwyn cocked her head to the side. "River people?"
"You know. The otters?"
"Your people have a special name for otters? What about hares?"
"Schiesse."
"That's rather rude."
"And warranted," the human teased. He was tempting her to swing at him, but Irwin held back. Perhaps it was a test? She clenched her fist, fighting the urge to lash out.
"Unclench your fist, hare," a voice growled off to the side. "And Klaus, stop being such an ass to the fresh meat."
A squirrel emerged from the blacksmith just behind Irwen and Klaus. He was a beautiful specimen: powerfully built with silky red fur and sparkling blue eyes that were stolen from the sky itself. He wore a green brigandine over a sack cloth shirt and linen pants, and carried with him Ratdeath, the sword of the legendary Matthias of Redwall.
Irwen held her breath. She had heard tale and story of those granted such a blade. They were mighty warriors who defended Redwall Abbey in dire times, slaughtering hundreds if necessary. She watched in silent awe as he approached the pair, receiving only a passing glance from the young rodent. The warrior's gaze was focused so let on the human, however, and transfixed in a disappointed glare.
"Fuck's sake, Alane. Can't let me enjoy antagonizing the hare before she starts yapping orders at me?" crassly complained Klaus, breaking her train of thought.
"I'm saving your sorry hide from a night in the keep dungeon," returned the squirrel. "I heard Ieuan has a few things planned the next time you get sent down to him."
"Piss off, you hypocrite. I know you're getting cozy with the Edda," snarked Klaus. "Or is it her little brother, Leopold?"
Irwen recoiled in disgust at the crude jokes the two warriors made with each other. It wasn't so much the content of the jokes, which were commonplace amongst younger males, but the context of the jokes. Interspecies relations with species not considered to be woodlanders was taboo within decent society, but with humans? That was outright illegal in all of Salamandastron's territories.
"Don't worry, Leopold is of age." assured Alane. "Last beast who tried for someone under the age of consent had their tail lit on fire and run out of town."
The longer she lingered here, the more confused Irwen became. Despite all of he training, her education, she was not prepared for this. The people in this town had basically thrown out all the rules regarding interspecies relations, the humans seemed to be better off than the Long Patrol's own troops, and the guard here seemed to be entirely incompetent. When she got the first chance to write home, she was going to request a thorough review of the town's Garrison.
The two males stared at Irwen, confused. While they were poking fun at each other, the hare had apparently tined the two of them out. She stared off into the distance with a gaze with the intensity and determination that could collapse the mightiest of towers. This only elicited concern from nearby observers, especially those closest to her.
"Ah… You should poke her nose." suggested Klaus.
"Nah, you should." the squirrel egged.
"She'd lob off my hand if I did."
"At least we know you wouldn't be tempted to use it for sinful purposes anymore."
"My word, you are unbearable sometimes."
"That's fair. But it's only because I care."
"Stop caring."
"Touch her nose, then."
"Nein. You do it."
"D'aw… is the poah widdle hooman afwaid of a widdle wabbit?"
"I should honestly punch you out."
"I'll sock the both of you if you don't stop babbling," hissed the Irwen, finally snapping out of her trance. "Which way is the keep?"
"Tired of me already?" Klaus scoffed, feigning offense.
"No...Yes. Maybe. I just need to see the garrison commander."
"That can vait… he is in audience with the town's chieftain."
"Best hurry then!" Irwen replied. "I wouldn't want to catch him in a bad mood."
Klaus looked at Alane. The squirrel shrugged, giving his friend an unsure look. The human sighed and shook his head. "It's not the garrison commander you should be worried about upsetting."
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A little bit of world building and initial character introduction. Not too bad, if I do say so myself. If this wasn't made clear, this is a Redwall au where humans do exist. Also in this AU, Salamandastron has effectively become the central governmental power on the mainland.