Roleplay - 12th of June

Sparkle nodded. "He, well, he wasn't moving. I'm pretty sure he's dead. I feel really guilty i didn't stay with him, but it was either try to get him out of there or have Grethen, Storm, and myself all get killed, as well as him if he was still alive. I want to go back for him though, after we know the coyote is gone."

Megan shook her head sadly. "We have to bring him home, if we can. The coyote had summoned his pack. Since we're gone, most likely the coyotes are off hunting. It's almost dawn... Let's wait until daylight, then circle back. Sparkle, you're too badly injured. I don't want you fighting or not being able to run. We can't afford to loose you. "

She looked over the ferrets in the pack, thoughtfully. "I need volunteers. We need 5 fast ferrets. The idea is not to fight. We scout and rescue our injured if possible. We avoid fighting if at all possible. Who wants the mission?"

Loki and Limmerick both immediately volunteer. "I can help!" "Me too!"

Megan smiled kindly at the kits, "No, little ones. You're very brave but you're not warriors yet. Starlight, you're not going either. Your babies need you. They take priority."

"I'll go." Storm volunteered. "Me to." Gretchen added to Storms volunteer.

Skittles sighed. She wasn't a warrior yet and she could go out to help either. "Too bad." she sighed quietly.

Megan heard the sigh and looked at Skittles. "You have something to say, Skittles?" Her voice was firm but not scolding. She knew Skittles wanted to go and was testing her to see how she would respond.

"Ugh, No." Skittles replied at once. She didn't want to show her dissapointment to Megan, she needed to learn she can't always go where the action was.

"What?!" Sparkle said. "i am not to badly injured!" He tried to stand up but was sent back to the ground by his broken leg. He licked at his cuts a scratches, trying to stop the blood flow. "Ok fine, I'm badly injuried. But I'm not going to sit in the burrow while my pack risks their lives."

Megan looked sternly at Sparkle. "Yes, you will stay here and heal. You're too badly injured. You would place yourself in danger and also risk the other ferrets in the group. Sometimes being a warrior is knowing your limits."

Megan looked at Skittles. "So, Warrior in training, I understand you were hunting at night when the coyote came? Why wasn't an adult ferret told you were going out? It is ok to be hungry...but, the rule is "someone knows where you are," correct? When in trouble, you sought to draw away the risk from the burrow. Then, you went to get help when you knew your pack was in trouble. Both of those actions demonstrate an understanding of the Code of the Warrior. Well, what do you have to say?"
Megan sounded very strict and stern.

The kits looked at Skittles and Megan. Was she in trouble? Was she going to get kicked out or something?

(food is yummy- do you want to play Megan during the rescue, since your character is staying back? I have an idea for the rescue. I can do the non-player characters)

(yes, thank you!)

Sparkle frowned. "Fine." He turned and went off to the side of the burrow and layed down, obviously sulking.

Skittles said nothing. She just stared surprisingly at Megan. She backed further into the burrow. She didn't want to be seen by any ferret now. She had gotton three no, maybe four ferrets killed because of what she did. It was all her fault and she couldn't take it back. She had gone to far now, and she probably needed to be punished. She backed away until she was in the darkness where no ferret could spot her.

Gretchen sighed as Skittles backed away. Yes Skittles caused trouble, but she was just a kit and she still needed to know better.

Storm sat next to Gretchen, He was sad for Skittles but mostly for his packmates. He hoped Fergie, Jake, Dawn and Thunder would make great friends up in Heaven.

Megan sighed. She was concerned about Skittles and her pack. She looked around the burrow. "That coyote was right in front of our entrance to the old burrow. Why didn't a patrol pick up the coyote was using the area to hunt? We have to be more careful. From now on, report anything suspicious. Any predator skat. We paid a high price for not paying enough attention, myself included."

Megan followed Skittles into her corner. "Skittles, you made a mistake. But, so did a lot of us. That coyote should not have been that close to the burrow without us knowing he was hunting that area. You also tried to save the others by leading the coyote away and you got help. Ferrets died trying to save each other. Yes, you have a piece of that responsibility. So do I. So does every ferret here that missed the signs the coyote was in the area. And, the ferrets chose to risk themselves to save another. That is honorable. Remember the honor of the sacrifice. Now... tell me. What do you think should happen to you now?"

Megan was trying to be gentle with Skittles, yet tough enough to help the kit to understand her role without hating herself or blaming herself.

The two kits went over to Sparkle and groomed his injuries to help clean them. Loki's stomach growled but he didn't think it was the right time to mention being hungry- again.

SParkle started to snarl when ferrets approched him but he realized that it was just the little kits and relaxed. "Thank you." He said. "Did you two get here alright? And Starlight and her kits, they made it fine too?" He asked.

Skittles kept her gaze on her feet not looking up at her leader but responded. "I should have been one of the ferrets to die." she said misrably(sp?). "Good ferrets died because of me Megan, All I ever do is cause trouble here! I heard you and Sparkle talking one time, You said you have to break your necks just to try and keep me safe! All I ever do is cause trouble! I will never fit in anywhere!" she shouted loud enough to make an echo through out the burrow. She got to the ground and put her paws over her eyes and started to sob.

Gretchen and Storm heard Skittles. They sighed sadly.

Sparkle looked over in the direction Skittles' voice had come from. "It's ok Skittles. Fighting and losing ferrets in what part of being in a pack is about. I don't know about the others, but whenever I'm out there fighting, I'm scared out of my mind. And not that I'll lose my own life, but that you or Loki or Limmerick or Megan or any ferret in this pack will lose their's. I was fighting to get everyone else out of there safe. To make sure the coyote didn't get to Starlight's kits." He said, meaning it.

The kits nodded. "We all got here safely," Limmerick squeaked.
"Starlight's worried about JD. She's really nice. I hope JD's ok," Loki squeaked.

Megan sighed sadly. "You are part of our pack. You belong here, even if you do cause trouble," Megan's voice was gentle. "The coyote could have found our burrow, Skittles. You were hunting right in front of it. If the coyote had dug us out, everyone, including the kits could have been seriously hurt or died. It wasn't your fault the ferrets died. We all share a piece of the responsibility." Megan shook her head. "I was angry when I said that to Sparkle. You do bring trouble- but so do most kits. It's been hard for you to adjust to this pack. But, you are pack." Her voice lightened to almost teasing, "You do have to work on following rules and orders, though." Megan fell silent and curled up next to Skittles as she cried.

Sparkle looked sadly at Starlight.

Skittles looked up at Megan. She wiped away her tears and sniffled. "Well I guess I don't always cause trouble." she squeaked. "But, I'm sorry for getting you all involved in that fight, If I would have eaten before bed time, Sparkle wouldn't be so badly injured and Jake, Dawn and Thunder wouldn't have been dead." She seen Gretchen and Storm flich at the sound of their dead packmates.

Megan nodded. "If only... All of us could have done things differently." Megan thought a moment, then narrowed her eyes, studying Skittles.

"So, Warrior in training. Can you follow orders? I have it in mind to send you on this mission to help with the scouting and whatever else comes up. I don't want you fighting at all. Your orders are to run if it comes to combat, unless there is no way to escape. You will be under orders of every warrior in the party. Understood?"

Megan sensed that Skittles needed to do this.

Skittles stared at Megan for a few moments. "Understood." she squeaked at last.

Megan stood up, nodded gravely, and walked to the entrance of the burrow. She peered out and noticed the pre-dawn light creeping into the east. "It's time. Let's go," she said, "Sparkle, keep everyone here safe."

(food-is-yummy, Megan's yours)

Sparkle nodded, but you could tell he was upset he wasn't going.

Megan turned to face the rest of the ferrets coming with her. "Everyone ready?" She asked.

(alrighty.)

Skittles got up and walked towards her stepping out from the darkness.

Gretchen and Storm walked towards her. "Were ready." they squeaked.

The kits ran up to Skittles. "Be careful!" "I wish we could go too!"

----------------

When the group arrives, it is quiet. THere's no sign of activity or of the coyotes. A few lights are burning in the house. Perhaps the farmer is up early to start his day. Some chickens are pecking at the dry ground in their coop. A rooster crows loudly.

As they search the area for JD, Skittles hears a strange sound from under the trees.

(isn't that a powerplay? you playing Skittles?)

(Sorry, wasn't intended that way... I wasn't trying to push in on Skittles. Let me try to rephrase that sentence).

There is a strange sound in the bushes next to where Skittles is standing.

(Should work.... she is there, after all)

(alright.)

Megan was searching around. Her ears twitched towards the sound. "Skittles, did you hear that?" She asked.

(if it's JD, maybe we should wait for Kusuma or something. She might've had a plot with him or something.)

Skittles froze at the sound. She turned her head towards it. "Yes." she whispered. She wanted to creep towards it to see what it was but she remembered what Megan had told her before they left the burrow. She sniffed it, but she didn't reconize any scent at all.

Megan padded over to it.

Suddenly the bushes exploded outward! Two animals tumbled out of the bushes and rolled over the top of Skittles and Megan!

One let loose with a yip and the two rolled apart. Then they froze, staring at the ferrets. Without warning, the closer of the two padded over and stuck its (his/her?) nose on Skittles and sniffed deeply. The other stared but was growling softly.

"What is it, Toby?" the second asked.

"I don't know but it sure smells funny."

(In regards to me saying Skittles heard the sound first, I rolled a d13 for each player. The one with the highest roll heard the sound. I was using D&D gaming practice for the game leader. I wasn't trying to barge in on the character. Any one of the characters could have heard it.)

(It's okay ferretrunner, I do that sometimes to lol)

Skittles jumped back squeaking in fear. "What the heck is it?!" she gasped. She at them and frowned. "Were ferrets! Do you not reconize? And we do not smell funny! Just of the forest!" she was tired of being scared of things. She frowned at whatever it was, and waited for Megan to tell her to attack it or to leave it.