Clarisse the starling tucked her wings into her sides and started a steep dive towards the town square. 'The rest of the Squeaky Blinders have to have returned by now?' she thought to herself, feeling the satisfying weight of her coinpurse under her wing. She scouted the sky around her again, good, no sign of that raptor, and pulled up to land gently on the opposite side of the square to 'The Garrison', the gangs headquarters and a warming drink would sooth her nerves. She looked about her again for any followers, then slid across the cobbles to the door of the main bar. She pushed it open, it was subdued inside, with only a few candles lighting the place and the fire nearly dieing in the grate.
"This will never do boys, do none of you know how to look after yourselves?" she uttered,, walking over and poking the fire, adding a few dry logs and soon the flames licked upwards up the chimney. She turned to look at the downcast faces of the rest of the gang. "Seriously? Why the glum faces?" she asked, "What did you lot do?"
"They was waiting for us Clarrise!" Arthur the stoat sat back in a booth, glass of something strong in his paw. "You was lucky to get away on that delivery!"
Johnny Dogs the hedgehog, standing by the bar with a beer, nodded at her, "Don't know who they were, Watch, Royalists, Freebeasts, but they were armed and armoured to the teeth and definitely stronger than us!"
"Yeah," Finn the mouse added, "Led by a hare, never a good sign!"
Tommy, the gang stoat leader, looked up from his papers, "I mean, I know the territory of the Clappersgate Crew is free to grab, but that was a little too hard to hold this time!"
"It is a lovely mosaic though," Jerimaiah Cheeses added.
"And they are right, the blood does was right off it!" Bill the Oddy laughed.
"Yeah, especially yours!" Arthur grinned wickedly.
"Yeah," Clarrise added, "With that sparrowhawk on patrol near the church, I though delivering that consignment to our benifactor was a good plan!"
"'Bout the only thing that went well..." Tommy nodded.
Itching his scars, Finn the mouse looked out at the gang, "For a bunch of new guys, their spotting skills were amazing," the gang member added. "As soon as I moved, I got skewered by a crossbow bolt from that Weasel! I 'ad more spines than Johnny Dogs at one point!"
"Glad that spoil 'eap from where they uncovered the mosaic was gettin' in their way, "Arthur downed his glass and poured another, "it really slowed 'em down as they moved around towards us and allowed me to 'ave a go at them!"
"I jumped the fence, trying to find cover by the 'ouse, when that bloomin's sparrahawk landed right on top of me!" Finn moaned.
"But even with a crossbow bolt through my back, I was able to parry him!" The mouse grinned.
Scratching his head, Johnny Dogs looked grim, "Problem was, three of them 'ad crossbows on that fence line," the hedgehog mused, "it was like a firing squad. I 'ad to move up to stand a chance of gettin' a shot off at 'em."
"Oh, I waassss there too," John the adder winked one red eye. 
"Yeah, four of us were," Tommy added a number to a ledger, "their shield maiden was right in on me quickly."
Tommy smashed his fist into the table, sending books jumping. "Shortly joined by that hare, who was frothing at the mouth, I mean, who lets a hare berserker run their gang?"
"I got him a few times though, the poison wasssss cccccertainly ssssslowing him down," the adder winked again.
The black rat priest steepled his long fingers, in a prayer pose that was all too natural to him, "That their mole, he was NASTY!" Jerimiah Cheeses strong island accent cut through his adopted home cities twang, "We was trading blows for an age."
"Yeah, perfect shot after perfect shot at them, and still couldn't put enough damage in to stop 'em, they were all armoured and yet fast," Arthur moaned.
Tommy looked at his brother "Why was you wearing a cloak, not your usual hat and waistcoat?"
"It was cold, right!"
"I tried to get in to 'elp yous boss, but that hare was just too tough!" Johnny Dogs looked worried, as if his boss might strike out at him.
"Johnny, you've always 'ad my back, which is why you are a valued member of this gang so don't worry that that hare took me down, we'll all fight again another day." Tommy strode over, and (carefully) patted the downcast hedgehog on the back.
Bill the Oddy looked glum too, "I tried to 'elp you Finn lad, but that weasel caught me with a crossbow bolt too, then that sparrowhawk knocked me for six, I swear I saw tweatybirds round my 'ead!"
"Nah, you were just seein' double, I was nowhere near youse!" Clarrise grinned.
"De weasel even came over to join da fun wid us" Jerimiah shook his head.
"We was definitely out numbered!" Johnny Dogs agreed.
"At leasssst the hare was really feeling it, he wassss ssstaggering all over the placcce," John the adder grinned.
Finn took a deep slug from his pint, flicked the mollusc across the room, and necked the rest of his drink, "The sparrowhawk just could not land another blow on me thankfully," 
Jerimiah also took a deep drink, and snagged a nut to eat, "Unfortunately, the mouse archer charged in and caught me out before I could drink me potion. Took me right out." 
"With that, we dragged you all and got out of there," Johnny Dogs.
"Not a great day," Tommy shook his head.
Jerimiah "At least after the Horned God was on our side, no one was seriously injured due to prayers of
some friendly priests I know."
"Get them on a retainer!" Tommy laughed.
"Plus we got a load of experience and skills," Clarrise put in.
Snarling, Arthur dragged his nails across the table, "I went back to the chapel, I'm still fuming."
John the Adder dropped a bag on the table, "Will thirty-three pennies from the gambling den help?"
Johnny Dogs grinned, "I helped a quartermaster out, got us twenty-one off some kit, plus some mortal poison!"
Clarrise and Finn slapped Arthur on their back on the way to the bar, he shot them a filthy look, "We also spent a few hours building an archery range, makes sure we can keep on getting our shooting better. Plus, Jerimiah, we hear your adopted son has joined us."
"Oh yeah, Isiah will be a welcome addition to our efforts," Tommy grinned.
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