Shellhound

[321tumbler]

(This is my entry for the Leatho Shellhound fanfic contest.)

Shellhound
The Journey of the Last

Chapter 1:
In Redwall Abbey Abbess Lycian and her good friend the molemum, Burbee were taking their tea on the west ramparts and planning the visit from the Queen High Rhulain and many of her subjects. "Hi wundder ifn thurt lit'le Tiria is gonna remumber her ole' friens or ifn she'll be too queenly to remumber." Burbee said while pouring some sugar in her tea. "Oh I'm sure she will. Or else she wouldn't even be coming." the kind Abbess replied. Irgle ran up to Abbess Lycian and said, "Mr. Brantalis has come!" The Abbes thanked Irgle and ran down to where the big barnacle goose had landed. "My good friend Brantalis, I am sure you have news of our visitors." she said, very anxious to hear the news. "They are coming and I am thinking they will be here before supper." Brantalis said. Tribsy (who was the Friar's Helper) moaned, "Now wur gonner huve tur make lotsa food." Abbes Lycian chuckled, "I think we'll manage."

The four-score of Green Isle otters were walking in Mossflower towards the abbey. In the front were there leader, Queen High Rhulain (better known as Queen Tiria) and her friends and companions, Banya Streamdog, Deedero Galadeep, Kolun Galadeep, and Leatho Shellhound. All the babes on the trip were jumping with excitement; it was there first adventure away from the Green Isle. When the group of otters got to a hill Queen Tiria showed the babes the roof top of the abbey, which could be seen clearly over the tops of the trees. "Alright everyone!" Kolun yelled, "Let's sing a little song to show the abbey dwellers we're comin'." "YEAH!!!!" the otters yelled. They started singing an old song.

Ohhhhhhh,
We're coming down the old dirt path,
To see our friends or foe.
An' if we see a vermin's paw
We'll roast their meat for sup.

And if you are a friendly beast
We'll give you our best grog.
Then lead us to your humble home
And give us some 'otroot soup.

When they finished singing this and a few more songs, they got to the Abbey gates, which were wide open. "Skipper!" the Queen ran and hugged her father. "Ah Tiria. You've grown so much." he exclaimed. After all the meet and greets everyone went to the orchard for a feast. There were cordials, teas, and October Ale of different flavors. Breads made with different flours and cheese with nuts to put on top of the bread. Pies and pastries filled with berries, fruits, and vegetables. The main attraction was a huge pot of good old hotroot soup. Skipper Banjon bellowed," Anyone who wants to face me in a hotroot soup competition line up. You know how it works, but if you don't just ask me." Everyone who lived in the abbey knew that Skipper was the best at gulping down the hottest hotroot soup so they didn't dare join. However Kolun Galadeep was the champ on the Green Isle so his otters cheered for him to do it. "So I have a challenger." Skipper said, "Five pawfuls of hotroot shall be the start." He threw in five pawfuls of hotroot into his pot. (In these competitions each contestant had to drink a pot of soup without taking a drink of water and before they started they would throw in handfuls of crushed hotroot to add suspense.) Each of them kept on putting more hotroot in there pot and didn't notice the Tiria had joined with her own pot. "Ho, ho, ho!" Leatho laughed, "You two gotta work together so a your own daughter won't beat you." The two otters saw Tiria and smirked, "You don't really think you'll beat us Tiria?" Kolun said. Tiria smiled, "There's a first time for anything." The on looking women cheered for the young Queen. After they put pounds of hotroot in their soup they got ready to start. "Alright everyone, we will now begin!" Abbess Lycian said loud and clear. Tiria, Kolun, and Skipper Banjon started gulping down the spiciest hotroot soup anyone had ever heard of. They all drank the soup while with their own people cheering them on. Everyone saw as there face turned red and they stared taking more breaths; finally Skipper and Kolun had to drink, it was to much for them. Tiria finished her soup and took an elegant bow, then took a beaker of cold strawberry cordial to cool her burning throat. All women were cheering for the first one to ever beat Skipper and Kolun. The two defeated otters were making excuses for being defeated. "I've gotten older than I was last time I did this." Skipper said. "Don't be such a bad sport." Brink the old Cellarhog said to his good friend, "It was time for you to retire that position anyway."
"I guess." Skipper said with a sigh.

After more festivities, everyone slumped into bed, tired from the feast. The otters all went in the guest rooms and the little ones in the Dibbun's dormitory. Leatho Shellhound slept in a room next to the armory witch was scarcely used. During the night he got up and walked into the Great Hall. He wasn't really awake but he wasn't sleepwalking. Stopping in front of the tapestry of Martin the Warrior, one of the founders of Redwall Abbey. He saw Martin come out of the tapestry and walk towards him; next to him was a beautiful young ottermaid who looked a lot like Leatho. Martin said clearly:

The last of his clan will go to find
The secrets of his past.
With a score of those he's always known
And ten of those you are new.

Through the wicker gate you must go
To find the vermin of good.
Who knows the way to the place of evil
And he will show you the way.

Afterwards Martin walked back into the tapestry and the ottermaid started singing an old otter lullaby.

Good night, my baby
Don't be afraid.
Mama's right here,
To put you to bed.

The ottermaid faded away and Leatho slipped in to a dream. It was more of a nightmare because he saw the face of a cruel stoat with a scar running from the left of his forehead to the right side of his chin. Then he saw flashes of otters being killed by a gang of vermin. The last part of his nightmare was of three otters, two young ones and an old otter. They were hiding in a hollow log in the forest. Leatho heard someone yelling his name. He slowly woke up to see his good friend Kolun standing over him. "Huh!?!? Where am I !?!?" Leatho said when he sat up and saw himself on the Great Hall floor. Kolun helped him up to his feet and asked, "What in the blazes were you lying on the floor?!?!" Leatho had forgotten about the dreaam so he said, "I don't know? I think I came to look at Martin the Warrior." It was early in the morning and no other beasts had seen them so they went out to the orchard. When they went out they saw the Abbess and Burbee having there early morning tea so they want to join them. "Mr. Shellhound," the Abbess started," I haven't seen any other Shellhound otters. Why is that?" Kolun softly answered for Leatho, "He is the last of his clan." Suddenly Leatho remembered his dream. "Oh my goodness!", he exclaimed, "The dream, the dream!" The three onlookers  gaped as he muttered something under his breath.

[Leatho Shellhound]

That was Great!!!!! More more more!

[321tumbler]

 Chapter 2:
Kolun grabbed his friends shoulders and shook him hard, he yelled, "Snap Out Of It!!!!!!!" Leatho snapped to attention, "Huh! Oh wow. I'm sorry. Now I remember that I had a dream from Martin the Warrior and an ottermaid. Martins said:

The last of his clan will go to find
The secrets of his past.
With a score of those he's always known
And ten of those you are new.

Through the wicker gate you must go
To find the vermin of good.
Who knows the way to the place of evil
And he will show you the way.

Then the ottermaid sang an old lullaby that I vaguely remember from my first seasons. Then it was a horrible nightmare; it was a gang of vermin and an ugly stoat massacring otters and then I saw two otterbabes and an old otter hiding in the woods." Abbess Lycian didn't know what to say," Well... I think Martin wants to tell us something and the nightmare might be part of you're past." The old bard Zillo had come when he heard Kolun yelling, "I know what the nightmare is about." He sighed before he continued," Almost forty seasons ago a gang of searats came to the Green Isle (this was during the reign of Riggu Felis). They were bloodthirsty and just wanted to plunder and kill. Their leader met with Felis and he told them that the Shellhounds had been rebelling and so that if they wanted to, they could massacre them and take the plunder. You, your older sister Lerna, and your grandfather Rambray had been foraging in the woods when the vermin came and they left before you were back. You don't remember those details but you do remember what happened to Lerna and Rambray." Leatho looked sad, "Aye, I do. For those who don' know, ole Rambray took care of us after are parents died and one day us three tried to escape. Rambray fell and Lerna told me to go on, which I did. Felis's gaurds caught them and killed them; I watched from the bushes and from then till Tiria killed Riggu Felis I was the feared outlaw for the wildcats. Some of the women and babes started crying while others sat down in silence. Abbess Lycian took Leatho paw and solemnly said, "We all feel you're sadness, but no one feels it as much as you." Leatho nodded and said, "Let's not mope around. Let's figure out what the Martin's words meant." Everyone agreed and Leatho, Kolun, Tiria, Deedero, Banya, Skipper Banjon, Brink Cellarhog, Tribsy, Girry, Abbess Lycian, Sister Snowdrop, and a few other close friends went into the gatehouse. They had his message written on a piece of paper. "It doesn't look as if it'll take long. Not like the Geminya Tome." Sister Snowdrop said laughing happily as she remembered that book. "The last of his clan will go to find the secrets of his past." Kolun said as he looked at the first two lines, "They're obviously talking about you Leatho." It only took a few seconds for Sister Snowdrop to figure out the next two lines quickly, "I think that the next two lines are telling Leatho to pick twenty Green Isle otters and ten Abbeybeasts." Everyone nodded in agreement and Leatho said, "About the twenty otters, I will pick five otters of each clan, Wildlough, Galadeep, Wavedog, Streambattle. And about the ten new friends I will take some willing ablebeasts." All the dream-solvers decided to take a break and pick who will be traveling. The bells were rung and everybeast went outside; the Green Isle otters were taken to one side of the orchard and abbeybeasts to the other. Leatho was with the otters and he bellowed, "Alright you beasts! I need you all to line up according to clan." All the otters lined up in rows according to clans. From the Wildlough clan Whulky, Tirry, Driat, Cratcher, and of course The High Queen Rhulain were picked. Out of the Wavedog clan Hersha, Shirnah, Kraemar, Leafra, and Shernon were picked. From the Streambattles Ranlo, Banya, Frillo, Lanshar, and Hemrock were picked. Out of the Galadeeps Kolun, Deedero, and three of their children, Rendero, Keelin, and Tingher were picked. After they were picked Leatho went to the other side of the orchard where Abbess Lycian had picked two-score beasts who would be able to go on a long journey. He knew he had to pick Skipper Banjon, Brink, Tribsy, and Girry or else Tiria would object and he also picked, Irgle and Ralg who had become quite big and strong. Finally he finished by picking Brother Toralis, Oreal (Irgle & Ralg's father), Brother Perant, and Sister Raindrop. Then, he decided to take two strong moles named Splagg and Tribb. He couldn't really explain and took it as the leading of Martin.

Everybeast went by the pond for a brunch and the dream solvers continued to solve the next stanza. "The Wicker Gate is oftenly used as a name for the East Gate," Skipper said, "but about the good vermin, I've never heard such a thing." Abbess Lycian had her own ideas, "There have been two vermin in Redwall history, one was the Gingevere a wildcat, the brother of Tsarmina Wildeyes. She was the one that Martin the Warrior defeated. The other one was named Graylunk a pine marten who had escaped from his evil brother Ublaz." Tiria figured the rest out, "I think that this vermin used to work for the leader of a vermin gang, but turned good so ran away. He would know the way to the place this vermin warlord lived." Everyone agreed and made plans to start out the next day. The Friar and his helpers prepared a lot of good travel food and packed them in bags. The next day, all the travelers set out through the east wicker gate with a crowd of everybeast staying waving goodbye.

[Leatho Shellhound]

Awesome! Good job!!

[winifred]

WOW it's amazing! Can't wait for the rest!

[Tam and Martin]

You did really well! I love all of the fan fics!

[321tumbler]

Sorry it's been a while.
Chapter 3:
The travelers walked in the woods until high noon when they took a break for lunch. "Everyone, I don't know when we'll find this... good vermin, and so I think that we should forage for food. Even though Redwall food is great, we might run out if this journey takes long." Leatho told to the eating beasts. Everyone nodded in agreement and a few otters went to find some fresh vegetables. The otters came back with loads of watercress, shrimp, and other goodies. Deedero and some other women in the group cooked up some hotroot soup which even mice and moles loved. "You should give that recipe to the Friar." Banjon told Deedero as he settled down for a quick nap. "No napping!" Deedero snapped at Banjon, holding up her spoon threateningly. Banjon groaned, but got up anyway.

After they finished their meal, they continued walking until it turned dark. After a quick supper they were all gathered around the fire talking quietly when Leatho got up onto a boulder and said, "Tomorrow morning I want a group of you to go scouting." Girry stood up, "I'll lead because, as a squirrel, I can go unseen." A few otters decided to go along, including Banya and Tiria. Everyone went to sleep except for a few who kept watch.

Early in the morning the scouting party went out. After about half an hour they got to a deep valley. "Wow! I've never seen this before." Girry exclaimed. Everybeast marveled at the beautiful green valley. "Wait." Girry suddenly said, "I hear somebeast singing!" Everyone strained to hear the singing, but none except Girry and Brother Perant (both squirrels) could hear it. They walked in the direction that Girry said the singing was coming form until everyone heard it. The person was singing a very happy ditty.

Dum-didery-dum-dum,
Rum-ridety-rum-rum,
That's what I want to drink,
Rum-ridety-rum-rum.

Rum in a big mug,
Rum in a drum,
Cause rum in a small jug,
Ain't really fun at all.

Swish-shwosh,
Dish-dosh,
I like the sound it makes
Swish-shwosh,
Dish-dosh,
It has the best of taste.

The High Queen Rhulain and Skipper scouted ahead and saw a stoat gathering berries. "What in the blue-blazes is that!!!" Skipper yelled whispering. Tiria shrugged, but then she decided to see if this was the "vermin of good" by shaking the bushes to see the vermin's reaction. The stoat drew a sword when she heard the rustle, "If you're those scummy vermin I left I'll chop you to pieces." Skipper started laughing and Tiria stepped out of bushes and smiled, "We're not vermin we are peaceful beasts and we wanted to talk to you." The stoat put the sword back in it's sheath and said," Talk! To me! I ain't been talked to for ten seasons!" Skipper was aghast, " WHAT!!! Not talked to for TEN SEASONS! That would be impossible for me." They all laughed until their stomachs hurt and Tiria said, "Skipper, shouldn't you go back to get the others? They'll be getting worried about us." Skipper nodded and went of. "You have more people to see me! Oh! By the way, my name is Browntail." the stoat said. 

Skipper Banjon got to where the search party was waiting when Banya exclaimed, "There they are!" Skipper came forward, "It's only me. But we found the vermin that is good!" Girry jumped up from where he was sitting, "I'll go get Leatho!" Then he clambered up the side of a tree and hopped from tree to tree.

Back where the High Queen and Browntail where, the stoat was telling Tiria the story of how she became a peaceful beast, "It was ten seasons ago when I was part of the Ravagers; a group of corsairs who would sail around to plunder and find slaves for Blackpaw Greeneyes, his distant relatives used to rule Mossflower. I   turned from evil once I saw the error of my ways and I ran away." They talked far an hour until the whole party came. "You've brought an army here to see me!" Browntail exclaimed. "Of course not. This is just a group of abbey dwellers and the otters that live on my island, the Green Isle."

Once the group stopped Leatho Shellhound and a few others (including Skipper) came forward. Leatho looked at Browntail for a moment and then yelled, "YOU WERE IN IT!!! YOU WERE IN IT!!!! YOU WERE IN MY DREAM!!!"

[Leatho Shellhound]

You are doing a great job, there is only one think I might ask you to change....that is you some times use the word woman.

Leatho laughed, "You two gotta work together so a woman won't beat you."

Deedero and some other women in the group cooked up some hotroot soup which even mice and moles loved.

You might want to change that to female or some thing b/c 'woman' is talking about a human.   Other than that it is GREAT!

[321tumbler]

What should put instead?

[Leatho Shellhound]

Female or some thing that fits.....like she otters. But if it dosn't sound good, or it takes away from your great story than you don't have to change it.

[321tumbler]

Chapter 4:
Browntail looked confused, "What Dream?" Tiria told her all about Leatho's dream and why they were supposed to find her. "The Green Isle? Oh... I remember. I regret it too. The ship I was on traveled to that island because we knew that there were wildcats ruling the island and our captain had made "friends" with him. So we killed all of your clan except for a young couple who we took to be slaves." Leatho gained hope. Maybe his parents aren't dead! "Are they still alive?" he asked. "That was ten seasons ago, but they could still be alive." Leatho sat down on a log and asked, "How can we free them or any others in there. Do you know where it is? What is this place? "
"Aye. That I do. It is a cave  "
"Where!"
"I'd say two or three miles from here, but they never come this way, just out to sea."
Skipper Banjon interrupted, "Then why haven't they attacked our abbey? They'd have to go past it?"
"Aye, but Greeneyes is smart. He knows it's impossible to beat Redwall so his crew always go around the Abbey."
Leatho Shellhound was thinking and started mumbling to himself, "I wonder if there is more than one way to get in..." Kolun Galadeep heard him and said, "What's that you said mate?"
"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking that if there was more than one entrance, we couldn't be cornered. How many entrances are there Browntail?"
"Why would'a want to go there? I only 'member one and the slaves cells were underground."
"Underground! We have a chance then! Listen up, here's the plan."
After explaining to the thirty beasts around him, they set of farther east every step taking them farther from there homes. No one knowing if they will come back alive.

This is going to be one of those stories where you don't know the big plan and have to read it while it happens.

[Leatho Shellhound]

Great! I can't wait for more!