My Story topic: (NO POSTING HERE PLEASE!)

[Tam and Martin]

Here is my story that I do not have a name for yet. PLEASE DO NOT POST IN THIS TOPIC! if you would like to comment on it, bring all your comments to my topic here: http://redwallabbey.com/forum/index.php?topic=5557.0. Thank you!

[Tam and Martin]

                                            Prologue
     
     Relldoe, the young squirrel was happy with his life. He was born to a family of five: He, his mother, father, and two sisters. He was naught but an infant when Zandu the Cruel arrived. Lightning flashed illuminating the scene below. Thunder boomed overhead as the army of the ferret, Zandu, marched towards their small village. Lit torches were covered over from the drenching rain as not to be put out until they were put to work. When the horde reached the village, the vermin numbering ten-score spread out over the perimeter of the village and set alight the houses. The vermin killed all who came out. Relldoe's family hurried to run out of it but a weasel, Zandu's second-in-command Winbat, ran at them with one of his three daggers drawn. He threw it like chain lightning. It struck his mother. She fell, dead on top of him. Relldoe started kicking wildly he yelled but no one would come. He could hear screams and wild battle cry's as he frantically tried to escape the weight pressing down on him. His struggles lessened and lessened as the air flow stopped. Eventually he passed out from privation of air. He laid there for a while and, at the end of the day, he was able to shift his mothers' body and he crawled away through the smoldering village to a cluster of trees where he laid down there and slept. When he awoke, he found food and water and ate it. He grew and grew until he was twenty seasons old and a wanderer, never settling down. He traveled around with his sword, bow and quiver always waiting for the day when he would have revenge on Zandu the Cruel.     

[Tam and Martin]

                                                          1

From his vantage point in an alder tree, a messenger saw something which pleased him. A family of Otters was frolicking in a pool at a ford and were enjoying themselves fondly. With a packed lunch, ropeswings, and a good sunny day they played and laughed together. What luck this would be to go back to his leader, Zandu, telling him that he had seen a family of otters! This was Scupp. The red fox, with white underbelly, ear tips, and tail tip and sleek, black legs, was a thin wiry fellow. He was also the only fox in Zandu's band. He dashed headlong through the woods and back to the swamp where his chief and ten-score of the best murderers he had ever seen were camped.  He couldn't wait to tell his master what he had seen. He could imagine all that he would say, speaking aloud to himself as he hoofed through the woodlands "So I say to Lord Zandu 'I was walking through the woodlands, minding my own business when I saw a family of otters! They were strong lookin' and know'in how much you love slaves, I ran back to tell yer'. And then Zandu says to me 'O Scupp my loyal and faithful companion how would you like to be promoted to the rank of officer? ' Then I says to him 'sure that'all be fine just fine." He crashed through underbrush and fern land until he came to the swamp. There it was. From far off it looked like a lush, fern-land. But if you knew it was there then that would be different. Inside it was dark and dank with a smell of rotting wood and murky water. "Halt! Who goes there! " Scupp found himself facing two angry weasels that stepped out from behind a willow tree. "Tis only me Scupp. Come on Lash, let me in." Lash the weasel and his brother Rashback unbarred their spears from his path. Rashback spoke out to Scupp" Hahahahahahoo Lord Zandu isn't gonna be 'appy knowing that you've come back when 'e told yer to go and scout the Abbey o' Redwall." Scupp replied with a sneer "Oh he won't be happy will he well he will be beyond happy especially when I tells him that we could be getting a slave." Scupp pushed away the spears from his path and trekked into the foliage of the trees to a long, narrow, wooden bridge running through the swamp. This was a wide swamp and it almost felt like it would go on forever but he did finally reach it. A big, circular island situated right at the center of the bog.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      On the island there was a huge, stone fortress with only one structure, a longhouse. Running around the perimeter of the wall was a stone battlement, with a ladder at all four corners. On the south wall, there was a main gate made out of solid Cyprus trees and on the west side there was smaller, wooden gate. As he walked to the west gate he was met by another two weasel guards but this time they let him through without question. He walked through the gate and into the courtyard. Scupp was almost always on the move so he never stayed at the fort long so he was always surprised when he saw the barbaric features of the fortress. Stretching along the north-west side was the vermin barracks and next to the barracks toward the middle of the north was a well, which did not have the cleanest water at all. The whole length of the east wall was a longhouse. An armory was at the north-east corner the south-east corner was Zandu's personal quarters and the rest was used for storage. The south-west corner was where the slave pens were. Most of the slaves were out working but a few weren't. The slaves were mostly otters but with a scattering of squirrels, mice, hedgehogs, voles and even four hares! In the center was a huge bonfire burning bright with fire. As he made his way past the fire he couldn't help but notice what was taking     place. Three stoats, all big and burly creatures, were holding up a cage over the fire by ropes. The cage contained an old mouse. The mouse's daughter, being held nearby by a ferret, was watching as her father's fur was licked in flames. The young female mouse screamed out to her father "Stop! Please stop! Please don't do this! Please!" But her screams were to no avail. As soon as the fire went around the cage, they put up metal plates around it. The daughter of the old mouse was dragged back to her cell, where she broke down and wept. Scupp continued on his way and finally came to the door of Zandu's personal quarters. There he was met by a female ferret named Wimpha, who was Zandu's personal guard. She already knew who he was but questioned him before he went in. She had an interesting accent about her "Whaer Aer ye goin' tou?" Scupp answered her readily "I've just come to tell Lord Zandu about a squirrel I've seen wandering." Without further ado she grabbed him by the arm and shoved him in where he faced a barbaric scene.

[Tam and Martin]

                                                 2
   

Another spring morning dawned as Father Abbot Semmel stretched and made his way out of the dormitory bed he slept in upstairs. Semmel wasn't an old mouse but he had been asked by the council of elders to take the place of old Abbess Marien, who retired to Abbey Recorder a few seasons back. Semmel agreed to the proposal as long as he could still do one of his hobbies: Being in the kitchen. It was one of the things Semmel loved best. Each morning he would get up early, go down to the kitchen, and help Friar Foldern make breakfast for that morning. That was where he was going now.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        He walked past the others sleepers, the infirmary, and down the spiral staircase to Great Hall, where most feasts or banquets were held. He kept walking until he came to the Tapestry of Martin the Warrior, the founder and champion of Redwall. The tapestry depicted Martin, standing on a hill with vermin like rats, stoats, ferrets, weasels, and foxes running away from him in all directions. Above the tapestry the sword of Martin the Warrior stood hanging from two wall brackets. This was a real warrior's weapon. With a double-edged blade, keen as mid-winter ice, that met at the tip down to the red pommel stone hilt with black crosstrees. It was forged at Salamandastron (the great mountain that protected the west coast) from a star that fell from the sky.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  He moved on down the steps that led to Cavern Hole, a cozier, less decorated dining room.  He ambled into the kitchen, where Friar Foldern and a few of his helpers were busy making scones. Foldern was a tubby mouse with an apron and chef's hat on. Semmel hailed him as he strolled in,                                                                                                                 "Good morning Friar how is the food coming along?"                                                                                                          "Fine Father glad you came down to help I need some help making some oatmeal".                                                                                                       "Certainly friend".                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The Abbot busied himself by pouring some cream into the oatmeal then set to work chatting to the friar as he worked,                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "Will we have enough food for the summer feast"?                                                                                                           
"Of course we will father and if we don't the vole family that I mentioned to you are willing to supply anything from their garden that we need".                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Semmel smiled at his friend the friar who always knew what he was doing. He was about to mention something when a wild yell emitted from outside "'Ere I go. Yahoooooooooo". Semmel and Foldern started running toward the spot. When they had gotten there they saw an otter, maybe sixteen seasons old, dangling from a rope which was tied around his waist. The end of the rope was tied to a tree limb, which was not stable. Skipper Scremm Ironchest the leader of the stream otter clan was watching him while the abbot gave him a stern lecture. The otter was still hanging from the tree as the abbot explained to him,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        "Now Chadwick you know that you weren't supposed to do that. That is your second time jumping from that tree and into the pond with a rope tied around your waist! Badgermum Lovisa also told you not t- Crack-the branch that Chadwick was hanging from snapped and came crashing down on him! Semmel and Foldern started yelling his name, for they could not see him, but Skipper jumped in the pond and started searching around. "Phew I thought I was a goner then. That was fun though". Chadwick came zipping out of the pond and on to the shore dripping from ear to paws. The noise created a crowd which had gathered around the pond. The crowd included Badgermum Lovisa who spoke out with a gruff voice "Chadwick, go to your bed now. We will be up to talk with you shortly". She turned around, picked up the limb, climbed up the battlement stairs, and threw the limb over the parapet. The limb went down with a crashing sensation. She ambled back to the abbot "Father, call the council together please including Brother Welsh, Sister Safiriam, Friar Foldern and Recorder Marien. Oh and if you see Skipper around call him too. I need to ask him something important here is my suggestion to help young Chad...

    Alone in his dormitory bed, Chadwick sat thinking of what he had done. He wished he could have a life of adventure but, ever since his parent's death, Father Abbot Semmel had kept special care of him. He wanted to do something else like use his strength to do something outside Redwall. Chadwick had once told the Abbot that and he replied "There's enough at Redwall for you to use your strength for". But Chadwick still wasn't happy. The dormitory door creaked open and Arvanna, a pretty young squirrelmaid, walked in. She was a good friend of Chadwick even though she was three seasons older than he. She spoke calmly to him                                                                                                               

"Come on Chad this is the second time you've jumped. Why do you   do it?"                                                                                                                "I told you before Arva. I want adventure. I'm not happy here I wish I could be out in Mossflower doing other things".                                                                                                          "What would you do out there alone"?                                                                                                          "I don't know exactly what. I'll maybe just wander around do other things like swimming, climbing, running and such".                                                                                                            "But you could do all of that here".                                                                                                            "Well, our abbey pond isn't like a running stream and the trees at Redwall are small except for that huge old one I just jumped off of, and not good for climbing. As for running I just...just...I don't know".                                                                                                          Arvanna didn't respond to this but just stood there then; finally, she mumbled to him,                                                                                                              "Well maybe the council will decide something good". .

   

Morning came and the regular hubbub of life continued. Breakfast was served in the gatehouse beside Redwall Abbey for the meeting council. It was simple with Friar Foldern and his helpers doing well with honeyed oatmeal and greensap milk. Abbot Semmel was grouped around the council of elders. He silenced them and began speaking to them slowly, "Silence, please friends. Do any of you have any ideas?" Brother Welsh, a short bankvole had a suggestion. "What if we give him some extra chores to do so we can satisfy his mind?" Semmel already had an answer to this. "No we've already tried that. Any other suggestions?" Recorder and Old Abbess Marien, an old mouse with tiny rock crystal spectacles, gave out her proposition. "What if we let him train for something?" The Father Abbot shook his head. "No I'm sorry that just won't work out. Any other proposals?" This time, there were a few mumbled no's and a few shook their heads but Semmel still had more to say. "Badgermum Lovisa had an idea let her share it with us." Lovisa nodded to the abbot, showing her appreciation then she began.                                                                                                           "Thank you Father. Your Abbot has asked me today about Chadwick and his adventurous spirit and I gave him an answer. All of these wouldn't stop Chad from wanting it more but I want to know, is Skipper here?"                                                                                                            A tattooed paw was held up with a gruff voice proceeding it, "Aye marm I'm 'ere. What do you need?"                                                                                                           Lovisa ensued with her subject, "Skipper, you know Mossflower Wood like the back of your paw I was thinking if you could take Chadwick with you to the West Coast and teach him about the woods on the way then he won't have a great yearning to be out there. There are also those Sea Otters on the coast that have a hullabaloo* every early summer. If you are willing friend you could take him there so he could do what he desires." Skippers reply was, "Yes. I'd be 'appy to". The assembly cheered loudly so much that it radiated from the gatehouse and was followed by Abbot Semmel yelling over the din,                                                                                                                          "It is decided. Skipper will take Chadwick and go into Mossflower. I will go tell Chadwick now!"

When Abbot Semmel walked into the dormitory room, Arvanna was still speaking to Chadwick.                                                                                                      Ashamed of himself, Chadwick looked down at the floor but Semmel was beaming with happiness. He could not suppress his joy,                                                                                                               "Chad, we have decided to let you do it"                                                                                                           Chadwick looked up surprised, not knowing what he was getting,                                                                                                          "Do what Father?"                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "Go into Mossflower with Skipper to a hullabaloo"                                                                                                      "Yahoooooooooooo"                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chadwick charged out of the room at a rapid pace yelling and shouting his joy. The Abbot folded his paws into his wide habit sleeve "Hopefully Chad and Skipper will be safe out there in the woods."                                                     Arvanna nodded to Semmel but asked him, "Will anyone else be going with them" Semmel, knowing her intent for asking, played along with her "Well I don't think so but if there was a certain young squirrelmaid that wanted to go I'm sure we could fit her in" Arvanna looked at the Abbot, hugged him, and ran off shouting "Chad I'll be coming with you!"