[Mkguild] Patrol X

[Jack Moore]

AN: Had a great weekend at the TSA bash.

Woods: Midnight
When you're exhausted you don't realize what you're doing anymore. You
don't think about your actions, you just act. Your thoughts are fractured
and bounce between which of your body parts hurts the most.
Now it was my knees because I was having to climb over yet another blasted
branch. I think Bos, Shema and Marnie were struggling also, not sure. I
know Nemo and that damn fox were just fine.
'Wanna go home wanna go home wanna go room.' Yes even that damn room in
Metamor with my slab like bed. I would have loved it so badly right now. 'A
dry, warm room. Even a dry cold room, I'd take it so long as it was dry.' I
say this as a reptile who needs the damp to survive.
We seemed to be slowing to a stop. I let out a deep sigh of relief, only
for Misha to point us another direction. Then we were off and walking again.
"When do we-" Misha held up a paw, which I barely made out in the dim
light. "What? I just-"
"Be quiet!" He snapped.
"But I want to go home!" Our party slowed to a stop. Even though I could
only see outlines, I could almost see Misha gritting his teeth. "This is so
boring, and the woods are too cold. We've been out all evening."
"We will rest soon but not yet." Misha said. "Now please keep moving."
"You're not letting us rest because you are mad at me personally aren't
you!?" I can't prove that was true but there was a good chance of that.
Misha just sighed.
"We can rest now." Misha said. "But I want you to be quiet. In fact, I need
you to not talk from now until..." He trailed off.
"Until what?" I asked.
"Until one of us dies." Asshole. I opened my mouth to reply when an arrow
whizzed by my head.
'Oh gods please not this again.' Everything went slow now. Our torch
bearers swung around, to see seven forms in the tree line. They looked at
us, we at them and no one moved.
We froze for only a second, but that second lasted forever. I can remember
what everyone else did. Misha and Nemo both raised their weapons. Bos
stepped back and began to raise his. Shema grabbed me and pulled me back. I
guess she figured I was the least ready for this.
And she was right.
I stumbled back and fell flat on my tail. The shock dulled the pain of my
fall. I couldn't think, or speak or do anything.
I want to interrupt my narration for a minute to talk about panic and how
it affects us. Anyone who has ever read a Romance thinks they know what
they can do when under assault. You read about the shining white knight
fighting the black, and you know how you'd handle that black knight.
Let me tell you something. You don't know anything. When you are really
under attack, you are going to do two things: freeze and panic. Sometimes
if you're really lucky, you'll lose control of your bowls.
'Idontwanttodieidontwanttodieidontwanttodieidontwanttodie.'
Bos jerked back from being struck in the shoulder. The arrow fell
harmlessly to the ground; it's round tip banging against a rock. Bos rubbed
his bruised shoulder, then started firing his very lethal arrows.
I didn't see this at the time. I saw someone I had been talking to get hit
by an arrow. I scooted away from Bos, until I bumped against a tree.
"James!" Nemo yelled out. "James get behind me!" I shook my head. I don't
think he could see me. In fact I know he couldn't. He just assumed I was in
trouble.
'I don't want to be here.' Nemo yelled out again and this time I screamed.
'No no no.' I blocked my ears and closed my eyes. Only a second later an
arrow flew past my head. 'I have to get out of here.'
If I had been calm, I would have realized Misha was combat hardened and
ready for something like this. He remained calm and was already directing
those in our group who had bows on where to fire. Nemo meanwhile had
managed to engage one of the hunters directly and already had him on his
back.
We were actually winning the day despite being caught off guard. Except for
Misha, none of us had been on patrol before, but all of us had been in
combat.
All that is, except me. The closest I had come to combat was the
assassination attempts that come with being nobility.
As such my reaction till now had been to panic. But my fear was now welling
up in me. So I did the only thing I could do.
I ran. I stumbled to my feet and ran deeper into the forest. Nemo yelled at
me but I didn't care anymore.
I just had to get out of there.

"Berl we need to go." Saphir was yelling. Berlitz was holding his net. Real
arrows flew past his head. The Keepers were using real weapons, all Berl's
company could hope for was to get away now.
They had taken up positions on the edge of the hill. Everyone was armed
with arrows that wouldn't kill and wooden swords. The only lethal weapons
they had were knives, which were basically useless right now. It was vital
not to kill, that was what Berl had been told. Just engage them.
Now he wished they could kill.
"Throw the net!" Saphir's voice was quaking and Berl knew he had an arrow
in him. It was sticking in his arm. Berl's eyes focused on that, not the
people he needed to throw his net on.
It all happened in slow motion. Saphir yelled and Berl could see him
despite the darkness. They needed a distraction, Berl was going to wrap
them in a net. That was a distraction, it would give them time to escape...
'I...I don't...I can't...' He turned his head in time to see a meerkat man
aiming his bow at him. Berl turned to run, inadvertedly getting his feet
tangled in the underbrush. Saphir yelled at him as he slipped and rolled
down the edge of the hill.
"Berlitz!" That was the last he heard. The net tangled Berl up as he
rolled, binding his arms together. He smacked his head as he rolled over a
rock.
Somehow Berl made it to his feet and began running. His fingers pulled at
the net around him and his eyes looked for any break in the trees. He
didn't know where he was going, just somewhere far from here.
'I'm sorry ma, I'm so sorry.' Berl finally managed to rip the net off of
him as he stumbled to a stop. I can't do this, I can't. He wiped his eyes.
Berl wanted to apologize to the Keepers for being part of this Hunting
Party, but he knew they'd kill him if he did. He wanted to go home even
more.
But he couldn't do that. Berl had been a coward, he couldn't go home. All
he could do now was walk.


"James! James goddamn it!" Nemo yelled out. "Fuck he's gone."
"So are the others." Misha said, walking up beside Nemo, "Except this one."
They looked down at the man in black leather holding a crossbow. He was
trying not to look at the blade of Qual quivering inches away from his
face. "Your friends all took off. You're all alone."
"I accept this." The man said. "If I had to be captured, better to be by
prey I so admire." Misha and Nemo looked at each other.
"Iss dis tha guy who fukin shot me?" Bos asked, stumbling over. "Mah arm
fukin hurss you-
"Be quiet." Misha ordered. Bos' jaw snapped shut. The fox returned his
attention to the hunter. "Why were you shooting at us?" The man didn't
respond. Nemo could hear Misha's teeth grit.
"I wasn't giving you an option, I want an answer. Now!" The hunter spit at
Misha. Nemo's eyes drifted to the fox's hands and then to Whisper.
'I bet he wants to use that right now.'
"You shot at us." Misha said. "You could have killed one of them. If you
had, I would have killed you right now."
"We could have killed you." The hunter snarled.
"No. You couldn't." The hunter swallowed. He then raised his right hand,
holding an arrow in it.
"Does this look lethal to you?" Misha snatched up the arrow and held it up.
The other four crowded around it.
"It has a rubber head." Nemo said.
"I told you!"
"Be quiet." Nemo smacked him with the flat side of his blade. "You still
shot arrows ah-at us." A dizzy spell washed over Nemo. He closed his eyes
until the world stopped moving.
"You okay?"
"I will be." Nemo shook his head, trying to shake the dizzy out.
"Uh...James. We need to find James."
"We need to get this," Misha gestured at the prisoner, "Back to Metamor
Keep. We need to not run off half cocked into the forest dragging a
prisoner and people who have been shot by arrows."
"Non-lethal!" Nemo knew the fox was right though. He sighed. "First chance
we get, we come back for him."
"We will." Misha said.

AN: This is Jack's last main story before the big one with him and Janelle.
As such everything I'm doing with him is going to make things worse.
They've not hit rock bottom.
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