Justice Is Best Served Cold || 1x1 w/ Mai-Ling

[ticked tabby]

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[JK341]

Nelly holds her paw up, signaling the others to stop behind her while she peeks around the corner and into the main cavern chamber to investigate just who could be up here with them, "Please be a friendly face..." Nelly thought as she prepares herself to take a look. She peers around the corner to see Rowan and Toby, hastily gathering their things, a slight tinge of worry on their faces. "Well now, I had a feeling that I may cross paths with you up here, just didn't expect it to be so soon." Nelly says, stepping out from the stalagmite that she had been hiding behind. "You know, it's still not too late, bud, how about handing over that map that you swiped from us and there won't be any trouble for you or your friend, here!"

Toby, being startled leaps to his feet and runs over to Rowan's side, his paws making a loud clanky racket against the cave floor. "W-who is that, Rowan? You two have met before?" He says with a shaky voice. Sunpaw couldn't help but notice the pile of dark fur and other remains over in the darkened corner of the cave that had originally belonged to Toby before Rowan's experiment, she instantly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Nelly, please be careful, I don't think that were dealing with just any thief, here!"

[ticked tabby]

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[JK341]

Nelly lets out a heavy grunt that trails off in a sigh. "I was hoping that we could have done this peacefully, but if that's how you want to play, then so be it!" she barked. "Courage, see about cracking that case open while I keep these two busy, Sunpaw, be ready with those healing spells lass!" Sunpaw was one step ahead of her and had already grabbed hold of her staff that she had on her back, ready to heal Nelly and Courage on a whim, should they need it. Nelly attempts to cast a couple of small blasts of light towards Rowan and Toby, with the intent to knock them off of their paws, while Courage made a run for the safe.

"Yikes!!" Toby yelped out, diving behind a large rock and just barely missing the shockwave from Nelly's spell. "Ack, what do we do now, Rowan!?" he calls out, a look of desperation on his face. He had never been in any type of situation like this, despite his long history of being a rouge. He had always been sneaky enough to avoid everyone's line of sight.

[ticked tabby]

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[JK341]

"Huh, m-me? But what could I possibly do?" Toby replies, his voice shaking and giving away his state of panic. Suddenly Toby feels something spring to life on his back. Glancing over his shoulder he sees a large crossbow protruding out of him. "What in the name of...?" he thought. His state of bewilderment was quickly interrupted when the crossbow suddenly turned to take aim at the paladins and began firing arrows rapidly towards them. "Woah, this is....so weird, but so awesome!" He said to himself, with a renewed sense of confidence he re-positions himself to attempt to help with Rowan's aiming.

"Gah, duck!" Nelly shouted, as the sounds of the arrows ricocheting off the walls filled the caverns. "Woah yikes!" Courage yelped, thinking fast, he cast a temporary bubble of light energy around him that bounced any arrows off that came at him, it lasted just long enough to get back behind Nelly. "Everyone behind me, quickly!" "But Nelly," courage began "your shield is much too small to cover all four--" "JUST TRUST ME!!" She snapped back. As the others got behind her she focused a spell into her shield that created a field of golden light around it that extended the shield's coverage to three times it's normal range of protection. "As much as I hate to say it, it looks like we're going to have to retreat, lads!" "But Nelly, we have them outnumbered, we could just--" Nelly interrupted Courage "Would you rather be turned to swiss cheese instead? Move it, that's an order!"

Nelly tried to hold onto the spell for just a while longer until she could see that the others had made it a good distance towards the mouth of the cave, she then lowered her shield and made a break for the exit as well "Hurry! YE-OUCH!!". One of the stray arrows had made contact with Nelly's tail!

"Keep shooting, Rowan!" Toby said, as he chased off after them. He maintained his pursuit of them until he could confirm that they had all been chased out of the cave. He then turned around and pranced back to the main chamber, quite pleased with his achievement. "Hah! That. Was. AMAZING!" He shouted when he got back to Rowan. "I've never felt such an awesome rush in all my life! I felt like a super hero--er...villain, uh....whatever! In fact I need a new name to go with my new powers, I think. Hmm... ah, I've got it, how does Ironpelt sound to you?"

[ticked tabby]

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[JK341]

Nelly stopped after she was sure that they weren't being followed anymore so that she can remove that arrow from her tail. "Ok, 3...2...1..." she counted down, then gave the arrow a quick yank. "Arghh!!!" her yell echoed loudly off of the nearby cliff side. "Whew, got it. Those blasted weasels, they'll get what's coming to them, you wait and see!" she said.

"Here, let me get that for you." Sunpaw offered, reaching for Nelly's tail. "Wow, that one went in pretty deep." she said as she inspected Nelly's tail before casting her healing spell onto it causing the wound to vanish. "Ahh, thank you, friend, I really appreciate it. Well it looks like were going to have to find somewhere else to take shelter then, we certainly can't try going back in there just to have a repeat of all of that!" And so the four of them trudged on through the snowdrifts, the biting cold wind whipping all around them.

In a nearby grove of evergreen trees, Vallerie was scavenging some materials for the cabin when a loud distant yell suddenly rang in her ears. Being her usual suspicious self, she decides to climb into one of the taller trees just in case whoever it was happened to be a bit less than friendly. She peered into the distance to see the silhouette of four dogs traveling through the snow and ice and heading in her direction. She pulls her bow and arrow out and gets it ready to use. "Much better to be safe, than sorry, or dead." She said to herself.

"There! Let's shelter under those trees for a while to get at least a small a break from that nasty wind!" Courage suggested, pointing towards a small grove of trees up ahead. "You don't have to ask me twice, lead the way, friend!" Nelly replied, "I'm starting to lose the feeling in my snooter!" When they arrived underneath the grove, she covered her nose with her paws and tried to warm it up and get the feeling back by blowing her warm breath onto it.

Toby settles down nearby the diminishing flames in hopes to maybe get at least somewhat comfortable enough to get some sleep. Just as he started nodding off, another voice reached his ears, jolting him back awake again. "Hey, um...Rowan, might not want to get too comfy just yet, I can hear someone in here again. Doesn't sound like the paladins, though, and there's only one voice this time."

[ticked tabby]

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[JK341]

"The name's Toby, but please, call me Ironpelt!" He said with pride. Although he couldn't stop several thoughts from running through his mind after Jade referred to Rowan as a thief: "Wait, I thought we were the good guys, here? That makes 4 others, including those paladins that Rowan recognizes from some time earlier, what exactly happened, I wonder?" Figuring that those thoughts were better left unsaid, he sat back down beside of the campfire and listened to the others conversation.

"Yes, I agree..." Nelly replied to Miriam, "this definitely isn't the best place to be hunkering down for a blizzard, but really we have no choice right now until-" "Um...Nelly, I hate to interrupt, but...um....we have company." Sunpaw said in a rather nervous tone of voice. Nelly looks over to see Sunpaw in a tensed up pose, with an arrow pointed right at her snout, at the other end was Vallerie holding the bow steady, but ready to fire the arrow at any time. "Hey, you, leave her alone or..." "Stop right there!" Vallerie ordered. "One more step and she gets it!" They all freeze in their tracks upon hearing the threat, daring not to cross the stranger and causing such misfortune to befall Sunpaw. "Now then, who are you and what are you all doing here?" Vallerie said, still holding the arrow right at Sunpaw's face.

"Please, lower your weapon, we mean you no harm, we were just looking for a place to take shelter from this storm. I am Commander Nelly, and with me are Sergeant Courage, Miram, and the one that you have your arrow shoved in her face is Corporal Sunpaw. We're on a special quest up here on behalf of Queen Ellyn to return some of her valuable keepsakes that have long been lost up here in these mountains, you have my word as a paladin that all of this is the truth, now please, put that thing away!"

Vallerie silently stared at the group for a few moments more, then finally put her bow and arrows away. "Very well, I suppose I have heard enough." She said, to the great relief of the group. "My name is Vallerie. If you are interested, I and my sister, Avalon live in a couple of cabins over on the next mountain peak. There should be plenty of room for you all to stay for the night." "Oh you have no idea what that would mean to us, thank you!" Courage said. "Alright then, follow me." Vallerie replied. The group then leaves the grove of trees, braving the harsh storm once more with a renewed sense of spirit, keeping the hope in mind of the warm shelter that waits for them on the other mountain top.