We got quite a treat here!

And it all starts off with Wildfall in trouble, as you'll see. . .

 
Abridged diction-arrgh-y Definition: Hickicus Southernous Maximus. A type of winged mammal which likes to travel in packs, ya'all. Originates from the Blasted Tarnation section of the Faraway lands. A'yup. Their homeland is widely recognized as "can't stop in" territory. Similar to the lovechild of a flittermouse and country girls (shake it for me now), they live on an exclusive diet of human blood and fried foods. Also booze.

For some reason, Wildfall couldn't focus on anything other than the definition as he saw the skies darken as hordes and hordes of bats swooped down. Not just bats..

A swarm of country bats.

Wildfall turned around, ready to run, only to see more country bats, ya'all. Bats everywhere! Wildfall whipped out his solid oak shillelagh and swing it wildly even as he felt the bats scratching at his back.

As good as he was with the weapon, if the bats kept up, he knew he didn't stand a chance. He started mentally reviewing the terrain, trying to determine a spot he'd have an edge at, but the bats were fearless. Even the ones he dropped refused to stay down.

So much for scaring them off, Wildfall thought to himself. I better get me some help or come up with some advantage, or this is gonna turn into a real country whoopin.

Despite himself, Wildfall smiled at his bad pun, even as he kept fighting, trying to ignore the bats scratching at his back and arms.

Not far away, Mary, Naomi and Omar heard a commotion up ahead and cautiously approached to find Wildfall surrounded by swarms of country bats. “Looks like Wildfall is in a bit of trouble and needs some rescuing. Let’s see if we can help him by evening the odds a bit,” Mary told Omar and Naomi.

Naomi and Omar looked at each other and then nodded to Mary and at the same time they both said, ”You got it, Mary, let’s go clean out some bats.”

Mary saw that Wildfall could be seriously hurt and needed help right away. Not thinking of the consequences, she rushed to his aid, covering the long distance and leaving Naomi and Omar in the dust. As she started taking out the bats, Mary could only think of one thing: Saving Wildfall. “How long had he been there fighting and did I get here in time to save him?” she thought to herself as she threw another knife at yet another bat. However long he'd been fighting, he didn't seem aware of their presence at all yet.

The screeching continued to get louder, ever louder with each passing breath. And those breaths were coming faster and faster under the terrifying flurry of the bats, a horrible combination of claws, wings and aggression which seemed wholly foreign to the nature of any bat Mary Kate or Jarlsboris Wildfall had ever studied or encountered.

Mary rushed headlong into the mass of bats and started swinging at anything that moved trying desperately to reach Wildfall to see how badly he was hurt. “Jarlsy, can you hear me? I am coming, please hang in there,” yelled Mary, not sure she could be heard over the noise of the bats. Suddenly Mary found herself surrounded by bats and unable to get to Wildfall. The bats attacked Mary as fiercely as they had attacked Wildfall. Unsure where to go, Mary fought back when suddenly, a hole opened up in the onslaught as Wildfall forced his way through, rushing to her side, twirling his shillelagh around. Now that he'd found his rhythm, he was taking the bats out quite effectively. Mary could see his face was rather scratched up - but the sting hadn't taken the charm of the Ireacan.

"So," Wildfall joked with Mary, standing back to back with her. "Come here often?"

“I only come here when I have to save your sorry looking butt,” Mary quipped back, feeling ready to take on the world if needed. Her fists flew like never before; Wildfall turned his mastery of his shillelagh into deadly art. Even so, Mary frowned. “Jarlsy, I don’t know if you know it or not but we are in a tad bit of trouble at the moment.”

They kept fighting desperately but things were starting to look bad. "I'd say something reassuring but I can barely hear.." Wildfall's head suddenly jerked to the side. "You? Get down!" he yelled as loud as he could, pulling her down. "COVER YOUR EARS!"

The chord was brash and loud, loud enough to hurt a normal human ear, but to the bats? The bats fell back, disoriented or stunned as a certain vulpin bard strode forward, the eye of the sonic storm. He smiled at his friends, his voice somehow carrying over his own din.

"Can't leave you two alone for five minutes." Todd chuckled, his next words directed to his companion. "Sic 'em, kitty."

Fahari gave him a look that, had he not been busy, might have made Todd think twice about calling her a 'kitty', but Fahari leapt to the attack, her ebon form swirling into the clouds of disoriented bats, downing many.

Wildfall, meanwhile, ushered Mary Kate outside of the swarm of bats where they could hopefully fight more effectively.

Mary clung to Wildfall tightly as he led her out of the swarm and she finally got a chance to look at his injuries. “Jarlsy, you have to let me tend those cuts before they get infected or get bat guam in them. Then we would be in a lot more trouble.”

"Girl," Wildfall said between gasps of breath, fighting the bats off. "We're already in a lot more trouble if we don't break this attack up."

"Babe wants to take care of ya and all you can think about is fightin?" Todd smirked. "Let her do her stuff, Fahari and I…" He had to break off to swat a couple of bats away from him with his axe, then played it even harder.

"I'm fine," Wildfall almost growled as he swung his weapon, still obviously in a fighting mood. "We'll get to post-battle treatment post battle, kay?"

Suddenly there was a fury of activity coming toward Mary and Wildfall as Omar and Naomi ran up to the slaughter. “Did you have to run off and leave us so far behind, Mary? We wanted some of the fun of fighting too.” Omar panted for breath.

“Yea, Mary, we are supposed to be guarding you and you take off and run right in the middle of everything. Captain would kill us if you got hurt,” declared Naomi.

"Welcome to the party," Todd laughed. "Might want to jump right in before Fahari has all the fun."

Wildfall moved forward to help but collapsed, dropping to his knees. "Ahh.. I think I'm gonna sit this one out."

Mary, Omar and Naomi took over the fighting alongside Todd and Fahari. Mary yelled, “COME ON YOU WORTHLESS PIECES OF BAT GUAM! Pick on somebody who can fight back!” And with that she started swinging at the nearest bat.

"Wait," Wildfall complained. "I thought you were going to treat me. Ya know, nevermind. I'll just sleep it off."

"Missed your chance, mate." Todd smirked before noticing that Fahari was pressing her way through the cloud. His eyes then wandered up and he glimpsed something that made him growl. The bats retreated to the distance, where he saw a handful of rats - and they weren't regular rats. In fact, they looked almost as much human as rat. The furry-type known as the Muri-dan, one of the more despised and despicable furries from the Catalina region. Except the head rat, who looked more like a giant walking rat than a furry. Dressed to the nines in a fancy sports overcoat, with his trademark monocle, he held himself in an unmistakable way.

"Baron Von Ratsworth. Shoulda known…"

Mary looked at Naomi and Omar and decided that, with Todd and Fahari there, they really did not need her as much as Wildfall did and she went to his side to examine the extent of his wounds. “You sure look a mess and I can’t tell how bad the wounds are till I get you cleaned up,” she said to Wildfall in a soothing voice.

"Feels pretty bad," Wildfall said, fidgeting as she tried to tend to him.

"Get him patched up pronto, darlin.'" Todd did his best to hide concern. "We got incomin'!" He then spoke up a bit, urging Fahari not to go off half cocked, like he knew most Felines did at the sight of one of their greatest foes.

Mary helped Wildfall to his feet. “I need to get you back away from the fighting so I can get you cleaned up and see what your wounds look like.”

Reluctantly allowing Mary to move him to a safer place, Wildfall moaned, "Can't believe I'm missing my own ambush. I feel like such a putz, runnin' away like this."

“You are not running away, you are in not shape to be fighting right now. Let me do my work and get you patched up, then we can discuss your condition for battle,” Mary told Wildfall as she helped him to sit down against a tree, in a protected area away from the fighting. “Now sit still while I get this blood cleaned off so I can take care of your wounds.”

Wildfall fidgeted, running his hand over his face, suddenly aware of all the blood. "Noo... it's too late for me, Mary! Go help the others.. it's my.. final wish.. can't.. survive.. must.. talk in.. ellipses.."

“Stop moving around!! I am not going anywhere until I take care of you and you are not going to die! If you die, I will kill you myself. Now STOP THIS and let me do my job so I can get this bleeding under control!!” Mary yelled over the din of the fighting.

"But.. I.." Wildfall paused, trying to stay still despite himself. "How're ya gonna get this much bleeding under control? I already look half dead! AHHH.. sorry, staying calm. Eye in the storm."

Mary reached into her haversack and pulled out her supplies, taking a few moments to tidy up his injuries. “Now I have your wounds washed and can see a lot of the bleeding has stopped. You have to stay still or it will start again. Most of the wounds are not that bad but you have some deep ones that I am worried about. YOU are not going anyway except to the Tavern to rest and recover. My dad would order you to the back lines and that is what I am doing so don’t even argue. I...”

Wildfall stopped her, putting a hand on her forearm. "Fine, no arguing with your colonel.. wait, is that the high rank or private? Anyway, we agree; patch me up so we can get back into this fight."

"Wildfall you need to hush and think about when we were kids and got hurt……..“

"Um..." Wildfall shot her a puzzled look. "Why exactly do we need to think about that, again?"

“When we were kids and got banged up or hurt, you were always the one with the cool head and now I need that from you again. You are in no shape to fight now so let us do it for you.”

Wildfall flopped back. "Fine."

“Thank you, that makes me feel better,” Mary answered as she returned her attention to patching him up.

Dramatic scene, huh? It took the award from the voter for best use of the bat faction. Ultimately, Wildfall's just a sneaky little rogue with a shillelagh and a bit of Irish luck on his side. He's a crafty fighter, but that wouldn't help him against an outright swarm of bats (although I still tried to show off his clever side). It's hard to outwit something that doesn't think and just attacks, and that's what he was up against.

I love the mix of humor and action in this one and the voter had all kinds of kind things to say about it. He liked my silly little definition opening (which drew from KOL and other sources). He also praised the spot-on humor, the character interaction, the set up for the Baron, the lasting damage on Wildfall, *and* the use of the bats' unique features as a threat here.

We'll get back to this group after a short but impactful debut from Koumori! Next!