Maya and Kaden soundlessly follow Rue. Strider looks at Rue before shoving him deeper into cover as a dog approaches them. The dog sniffs the area before quickly going back to the wagons. Maya frowns and looks at Rue, now would be an opportunity to stop the Conquerors and reclaim a talisman. Kaden looks at Rue as if asking what to do in this situation.


Luka summons his spirit animal Flash, palomino mustang. He motions for Jay to climb on Flash's back and take the decoys with him. Luka grabs a few decoys and starts walking towards the Conquerors. Justin summons Orion and quickly grabs his equipment before walking parallel with Luka. He motions for Brandon to follow on Luka's other side. Ashia looks at Hazel before summoning Scarlet and whispering, "Stay next to me and wait for the others to start make their move and clear the way for us." She gives the others a thirty second head start before following. When Luka reaches the road he places a few decoys and waits for Jay and Flash to catch up.

Rue is barely breathing as he thinks the situation through. "I might be able to shoot people from afar and be a distraction and Maya and Strider might be able to attack from two different directions, pulling the defenses thin. If you, Kaden, feel like you're good at snatching things, you should grab the talisman. If I see it in any of the wagons after I climb a tree to shoot at things, Ill signal to you which one its in."
Then he slowly ducks his head and slightly wobbles his hand in a 'maybe' type motion as he quickly doubts his ability for ambush planning. "That is, if you think it's a good plan we should do it."

Jay follows Lukas instruction, climbing onto Flash back and taking the decoys he has grabbed with him. He places decoys if Flash stops and it seems a good time to do so. He keeps warily eyeing the direction of the wagons.
Brandon nods and dutifully marches (well, not really marches since marching can be loud) beside Luka. If he is nervous, hes doing a good job of hiding it.
Hazel nods at Ashias instruction and sticks next to her until she moves forward. Her hands hover over her weapons in anticipation, even though she hopes it wont come to a fight in which the Keepers, Jay, her brother, and herself are outnumbered.

Kaden nods once, "Alright Rue once you're in position signal us and we'll make our move."
Maya nods once in agreement before she starts to move with Strider towards the wagons. She spots Justin and Brandon signaling to the other Greencloaks.
Kaden notices Maya's signal and tells Rue, 'Keepers on the move. Any clue what their plan is?"


Flash stops periodically before the wagon gets too close. After the last decoy is placed Flash trots to where Luka instructed him to. Luka stands on the other side waiting for Jay to finish placing the decoys. Justin motions for Brandon to follow him as Luka gets into position. Luka starts shaking a few branches and throwing his voice to make it seem like it was coming from multiple places all at once and showing some of the positions of the decoys.

A couple of Conquerors look over at the decoys. Sofia looks over at the decoys with her lynx who growls a warning in Jay's direction. "Ambush!" Aurthor looks around and brings out his sword before charging into battle slashing at the decoys only to come in contact with a sword. Several other Conquerors unleash their spirit animals and enter the fray before either meeting with a decoy or a very really person.

Ashia motions for Hazel to follow her once the full fight has begun and sneaks towards the wagon. Quickly picking the lock while focusing on her bond with Scarlet to keep them invisible Ashia opens the wagon. The rumors about a talisman being transported by the Conquerors were true but what wasn't said was who was guarding the talisman.
"Well well, Wisekeeper I should have known. That was pretty slick what you did in Zhong, the ranks still haven't recovered from that trick."
"Ashton," Ashia responds, "Being that you're still alive they figured out it wasn't you."
"Funny, but I was here when you struck. Surrender or else."
"Or else what? I'm not afraid of you or Weasel."
Ashton frowns summoning his red fox spirit animal. He motions for the fox to attack which it does without hesitation. Ashia uses her bow as a club and pins Weasel to a wall of the wagon. "I thought you had more respect for my father's teachings then to turn your spirit animal into a tool."
"Traitor," Ashton roars as he charges Ashia who lets Weasel go and parries Ashton. Scarlet looks up at Hazel and focuses on her making sure she is still invisible as Ashia fights.

Rue nods, picks a sturdy branch on a tree, and vaults onto it. He settles securely on the branch as he scans the current field and the change in the situation. A soft, almost inaudible click immediately preceeds the release of his crossbow from its secured spot. He mutely unties the knot on his quiver with one hand, gently knocks the cover off, and counts his ammunition as he analyzes what is happening.
"Well, whatever the Keeper's plan is, it's causing confusion. Which we can use to our advantage. The Keepers have set up teams there and there," he gives short gestures to each of the places, offering places for Maya to join or avoid as she wishes depending on whether or not she wants to interact with Keepers today. "Ashia's fighting someone who must have been personally guarding the talisman. Right there. He also has a fox, because the visible fox is not Scarlet." He points it out to Kaden. "That said, I don't see Scarlet. Or a couple of the Keepers I noted yesterday. So I'd be wary while approaching."
"At the same time, I suggest using their distractions to our advantage. I think we can go grab the talisman."
He then carefully selects and nocks a bolt, deciding he can help wherever his help is needed most, prioritizing his companions' well-being over the Keeper's of course.


Brandon sticks near Justin and otherwise doing his part in keeping escape paths clear in case they need to go. He visibly starts when "Ambush!" is called and some of the Conquerors start hacking at the decoys. He's just glad he isn't a decoy or meeting the same end the decoys are. Isn't meeting the same end yet, he reminds himself, since it's probably only a matter of time. He kind of hunkers down, preparing for a fight, and Matamba looks ready smack anything that gets to close to her or her person.

Jay does a good job setting up the decoys, at least he thinks he does a good job. It sends someone charging towards him so he supposes he's doing something correct. He flinches at the damage done to his decoys, murmuring something about all the work being ruined in less time than it took to make them. He shrugs, grabs the nearest object with which to defend himself, and, holding the solid branch like a baseball bat, uses it to protect himself.

Hazel silently thanks Scarlet as she breathes evenly. She looks inside the wagon for any sign of the talisman.
(Is Ashia's and Ashton's fight inside the wagon? If Ashia and Ashton are fighting inside the wagon, Hazel is going to wait for them to leave before entering and exploring for the talisman.
If Ashia and Ashton aren't fighting inside the wagon, Hazel is testing it for a weight-triggered trap by laying a rock or something inside it. Then if it's not triggered, she is entering and looking for the talisman.)

Maya avoids the Keepers while approaching the wagon where just outside the wagon Aston and Ashia are fighting. She looks around as she sneaks towards the wagon and notices a very faint outline of a fox and a girl entering the wagon. Instead of interfering with the Keeper's progress Maya retreats and helps the Keepers fight. She curses quietly that the Keepers might get another talisman, but it was better than the Conquerors having it.

Kaden creeps towards Brandon and Justin's positions and carefully alerts them to his presence before blocking a blow from a Conqueror's sword aimed at Brandon. Kaden uses his sword to slash at the Conqueror and try to fight them off but it's fairly obvious that Kaden is outmatched. Justin quickly steps in and using the hilt of his sword renders the Conqueror unconscious. He motions for Brandon and Kaden to help him fight as they battle against the Conquerors. While there didn't seem to be more then ten Conquerors Justin knew that the longer the fight went on the higher the chance of reinforcements arriving. Kaden notices this too and tries to keep the fights he enters as swift and quiet as possible.

Flash nudges Jay and motions for Jay to follow him. Flash walks off a few paces before kicking through the bush and sending a Conqueror flying back about ten feet. Luka places a few more distractions while striking and fighting from a covered position. Between the original distraction, Justin and Brandon fighting, and the unexpected reinforcements the Conquerors' numbers were dwindling quickly. Out of the ten on the wagon only four were still standing. The biggest threat right now would be getting out of Trunswick in one piece and the Keepers' secret routes were one of the few hopes of escape. Luka notices the Greencloaks and wonders how exactly they managed to find out about the talisman in the first place before focusing on the fight again.

Ashia and Aston strike, parry, and feint as they fight. Both know that giving their opponent space meant certain death so they tried to make sure their opponent is close. Both have a fire in their eyes like no other. Weasel tries to bite Ashia only to be knocked away as Ashia blocks Weasel and Ashton's attack. Ashton notices that Scarlet is not in sight so he glances around as much as he can while fighting Ashia. Scarlet gently pulls on Hazel's pant leg before jumping into the wagon. She starts to tremble from exhaustion as maintains the illusion of invisibility. Surprisingly there doesn't seem to be any traps in the wagon but at the same time there don't seem to be any boxes or crates either.

(Oh snap. Did I just give Rue knowledge he doesn't have? About the talisman? I did not mean for that to happen. I'm sorry.)

Hazel curses quietly as she quickly looks for secret compartments. After doing a quick attempt at thoroughly sweep of the wagon, she'll hope back out if she can't find anything. She doesn't want to exhaust Scarlet to the point of fainting or something.
They might have to kidnap the next wagon? Unless- Hazel looks at Ashton's fox and wonders if something- or rather someone- has been made invisible or if that wasn't Weasel's specialty.

Rue hits one or two of the Conquerors really well, with shots that should hinder their ability to use their weapon never to outright kill. He flinches when he notices Flash's powerful kick, all the while very grateful that he isn't the recipient of the damage, and his shot goes wide. The bolt buries itself in the ground beside the wagon up to its fletching. He shakes his head and refocuses his effort on disarming the remaining Conquerors before they could hurt his allies or friends. There were just four left. They could do this. Even as he reassures himself, he makes sure he is secure in his spot in case anything came to shake things up.

Jay takes his branch and makes sure the kicked Conqueror is out cold before resuming his boundary maintenance. He doesn't want any of the Conquerors to get past him so he's ready to run and tackle anyone who tries. His branch is also at the ready to keep everyone the branch's distance away, which will decrease dramatically if someone chops it. Then he can attempt kicking, biting, scratching, hitting, and anything else to prevent an enemy from escaping.

Brandon breathes a thanks to Kaden. He keeps out of the way of others fights, unless he can sneak a blow in from the side without hindering his teammates. Otherwise, he's focused on making sure the exits are still clear and that none of the Conquerors are using them. He's willing to fight tooth and nail as long as it ensures a better odd of survival. Matamba yowls as she smacks aside anyone in her way, her claws- inspiration to Brandon's own weapons- tearing at anything that doesn't get out of the way in time.

(I missed it myself don't worry about it.)(Sorry about not responding for a few days it's finally starting to calm down here.)

Scarlet paws a small board partially hidden by the panel separating the cart from the driver's seat. She glances up at Hazel using all of her strength to keep the illusion of invisibility up. Pawing at the board again Scarlet looks up at Hazel impatiently. Weasel stops attacking Ashia and jumps back into the cart charging at Scarlet. Weasel knocks Scarlet into the wall breaking the illusion of invisibility as Scarlet staggers to her feet. Weasel refuses to let up on the attack as he goes for Scarlet's throat. Ashia noticing the illusion has been broken calls Scarlet back into passive state allowing Ashton to get a lucky hit. Ashia just barely manages to parry the blow feeling her arms go numb. She knows that the longer the fight lasts the more likely someone will notice the fight and send for reinforcements. Weasel noticing her pray has disappeared turns to Hazel and attacks.

Kaden nods his head slightly in Brandon direction and attacks the Conquerors again. He notices Maya and Strider on the battlefield as well and this time not holding back. Strider rushes towards the cart and within seconds is inside. He takes up a fourth of the room in the tiny cart. The red wolf growls and debates between attacking Hazel and Weasel. He quickly decides as Weasel goes to attack Hazel. Moving quickly Strider catches Weasel midjump and bites down hard on the fox's neck. After less then a minute Strider throws the limp fox out of the cart and turns his attention to Hazel.

The remaining Conquerors look around worriedly. They know they are outnumbered but protecting the cart was their priority. One or two glance at each other and try to make a break for it. Flash noticing the Conquerors making a break for it charges at them and tramples the one while driving the other one towards Jay.

Hazel looked up to Scarlett the first time the fox scratched at the board. The second time, she headed over to Scarlett and examined the board for a weak point.
As Weasel jumped into the wagon, Hazel found the edges to the panel and began to pry the boards loose as the animals fought. She jumped in surprise as a wolf entered the small wagon and scratched her fingers on the edge of the board with her motion. However, she kept her attention focused as the animals fought each other, even though she's dreading the moment the winner would turn on her. She rocked backward as the board came loose and quickly swung forward again to snatch the talisman before someone else could or before the wolf could toss her around like a rag doll. The final board she pulled loose now rests in one hand, the talisman in the other.
"I don't work for the Conquerors like that fox did. Unless you were planning on attacking Scarlett. Either way, please don't toss me like you did the fox. Much obliged." She offered a closed lip smile and wondered for a second if she could squeeze herself through the opening she had made if she needed to. Probably. Maybe. Barely, she settled on.

Rue's nerves were on edge as the fight prolonged. He really didn't want Conqueror reinforcements to arrive. His bolts weren't infinite and he was absolutely determined his melee fighting was rubbish. He clenched and unclenched his jaw as he shot the Conqueror Jay was having a difficult time with and the others that were trying to leave without asking. Well, even if the Conquerors did ask, he's not letting them go. He tried to prevent them from escaping rather than kill them, but if it couldn't be prevented he supposed he liked having his own life.

Jay tackled the remaining Conqueror and perched heavily on the soldier's chest. "Dude. You're running away from your comrades? Abandoning your post? That's- well I'm fairly certain that's bad form. What if your friends die because you're not there to help them? What if your objective fails just because you decided to turn around when things looked rough? It's unfair, buddy. Bad form!"
He really didn't want to harm someone with his weapon branch, even when holding the Conqueror down proved difficult. "Don't think about escaping."
He flinched as Rue's bolt made the Conqueror one less problem. Jay clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth in disgust but turned his attention to the next problem he might literally have to tackle.

Strider growls at Hazel herding her back towards the board Scarlet hinted at. Strider looks at Hazel before looking at the board then looking at Hazel again and showing his teeth. Even in the dim lighting there was no mistaking Strider's yellowing and red stained, sharp, large teeth. He steps towards her trying to block her escape as he looks at the talisman. With the Conquerors defeated in this battle Maya approaches the wagon.
"Give me Strider talisman or he will rip you apart," Maya tells Hazel, "We'll let you and the other Keepers go after you give it to us."

Kaden hearing what Maya says glances at the other Keepers. The first thing Kaden notices is Maya's back is turned to Ashia who is struggling to stand. To him it seems like every Keeper aside from Brandon has their spirit animals in passive state. (Tell me if I'm wrong about this please.) Glancing over at Rue Kaden mentions for the younger Greencloak to back off. Getting into another fight with the Keepers might not only ruin their relationship but possibly get them killed and give Conquerors time to get reinforcements to reclaim the talisman. Fighting with the Keepers was the last thing the Greencloaks need right now especially considering how venerable all of them currently were. He had seen Justin fight from before and knew that it wasn't a wise idea to get within melee range. Luka was a different story as Kaden had hardly seen Luka do much fighting even during the battle. Even Brandon and Jay were not to be underestimated. Wait, Kaden thought, Hazel's in the wagon with Strider!
"Maya don't force the Keeper's hand," Kaden cautions, "We need their help! We don't have time to fight right now."

Justin and Luka move slightly both reaching for weapons but not standing in a threatening position. They watch Kaden and Rue while waiting for a signal. Ashia frowns, "We don't have time for this. You want to negotiate, negotiate with the leader not a lacky. Hazel doesn't have the authority to do anything with a talisman especially not Kovo's."
"This isn't a debate," Maya growls.
"Do you want more Conquerors to show up? Rue you are normally the voice of reason for the Greencloaks say something."

(You're correct. None of my characters (other than Brandon) have their spirit animal active. I think Luka still has Flash out and about?)

After seeing the wolf jump into the wagon, Brandon had dropped all fighting and started skulking around, looking for leverage to use against the Greencloaks just in case they hurt his sister. He had left Matamba in his place. Seeing as Matamba was normally no farther than five feet from Brandon, he assumed that people who saw Matamba would assume he was nearby.
He couldn't get Kaden, he decided. Kaden was too good at fighting and too close to other people. Using him would be noticeable and risky. He couldn't get to Maya. She was the one bonded to Strider and was in the middle of the thick of the wagon company. Very noticeable, he probably wouldn't even be able to get to her. He eyed the company focused on the talisman and slid out of sight to hunt down his prey.

Jay bristles at the threat to Hazel and looks to the other Keepers in a short bout of fear. "Just give up the talisman, Hazel. Its not worth your life. He mutters under his breath as he turns his attention to his surroundings and keeping an eye out for Conqueror reinforcements.

Rue looked at the scene in front of him and felt suddenly very small and too far away to do anything. He chews on his lip but he secures his equipment when Kaden motions for him to back off. He then swings his leg over the branch and falls the few feet it takes to touch the ground. He winces as he lands awkwardly, but brushes himself off quickly enough. He looks back to the Keepers and wagon, mouth open to dissuade Maya as Kaden is when sharp metal presses against his wrist.
"Don't look at me. Don't draw attention to me." The voice, quiet and strained from disuse, hisses from just beyond Rues field of vision.

Hazel gripped the board tightly in her hand, clutching the talisman close to her chest as if it were a lifeline. The board shook in her grip as she kept her eyes on the wolf and her back to where the board belonged.
"You're outnumbered, arent you, Greencloak?" Her voice is clear and steady even though her hands are shaking. "Even if I give this talisman to your beloved wolf, who would say you'd make it all the way out of this clearing alive?"

Rue shifts his weight to his other foot as he listens to Mayas demand and Hazels rebuttal. The metal claws tapping against his wrist brings his hearing back into focus to the small voice behind him. "That's my sister in there. You make sure she gets out alive." There's a small pause. "With Kovo. Do this, you keep your hand. You need," Brandons voice cracks but he keeps going in an urgent way, "your hand, don't you. For your archery."
"I'm calling your bluff. You won't hurt me." Rue murmurs quietly even as everyone's attention turns to him at Ashia calling to him for reason. Brandons weapon presses into Rues wrist. Rues jaw snaps closed at the pricking pain.
His voice is a growl. "She's everything. Dissuade your friend."
Rue holds out his not captive hand in a cut it out motion. "Maya, well all die if we don't head out now. Let them have the talisman. Let us keep our heads. Its better the Keepers have it than the Conquerors. I mean, yes, it would be ideal if we could have it, but were not on enemy terms with Keepers- at least not that I'm aware of." Claws dig into his wrist and he yelps, "But I digress! Conquerors are on our tail and I suggest we leave, Maya. Without the talisman."

Hazel wedges her shoulders back into the space she had made once more, nodding to herself as she slowly repositions to get herself back through and out. She couldn't trust anyone to get her out of the situation. Nobody she worked with tended to help when her life or freedom was on the line. They might try to save her later, but at the moment She was fine saving herself, even if it made her irritated. As her nerves and irritation rises, she cant help it. She bares her teeth back at Strider and Maya as she makes her move, clutching the talisman in her hand and wiggling her hand and talisman first, then head, shoulders, etc. in a desperate attempt to tumble to the other side. (You can decide if she makes it out successfully or not; she technically could squeeze through the gap she made, but whether or not shes fast enough or if something on the outside of the wagon stops her is up to you.)