Neither Seek Nor Shun The Fight

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Thanks!

~*~*~*~*~*

   Skipper folded his arms across his chest, still glaring at the silent mass of shrews. He called out in a challenging voice that everybeast could hear clearly. "Now, I've met most o' ye before, an' I've had issues with some, but they're all resolved. Except one- last time we met, one of ye tipped my boat over. None o' ye are gettin' in until I deal out some words an' more'n a few hard knocks to him."
A tough-looking shrew stepped forward, returning Skipper's glare and resting a paw on his rapier hilt. "I didn't touch yore boat, lardbarrel- ye tipped it yoreself when ye tried to capsize mine."
    Skipper narrowed his eyes. "Are ye callin' me a liar, Tallo?"
    "O' course not- yore memory must be playin' tricks on ye, Corian. It happens when a beast starts gettin' old," the shrew retorted.
    Both beasts continued scowling at each other for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. Skipper pulled Tallo into an embrace, lifting him clear off the ground. "Haha! Log-a-Log Tallo, it's good t'see ye again, mate! How've ye been?"
Breathlessly, he replied, "Fine, but I won't be fer much longer if'n ye keep squeezin' me. Put me down, ye sentimental lump!"
    Skipper replaced the winded shrew chieftain on his paws and clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Welcome t'Redwall, mate."
    Log-a-Log Tallo waved the shrews in behind him, and they began to mingle with the gathered abbeydwellers. Old friends were found and new ones soon made, and the air was filled with the sounds of merry creatures greeting one another.
    Skipper and Tallo sauntered up to Ordlin, Clove, and Russet, and Tallo bowed politely. "Good day, Father Abbot. Thank ye fer yore 'ospitality..." his voice trailed off as he got a better look at the abbot. "Ordlin? Why, I haven't seen you since we went on that adventure to Southsward together. So, you're Abbot now, eh? I never would have thought it."
    Ordlin gave an embarrassed cough. "Yes, well, that was a long time ago. I'm quite respectable now, as you can see. It is wonderful to see you alive and well after all this time, Tallo. Clove, Russet, would you two excuse us please? The three of us have a lot of catching up to do."
    Russet nodded. "Of course, Father. Miz Clove and I will see you later. Meanwhile, we'll keep working on the riddle."
    Clove flashed a quick smile. "Let's see if we can solve it before supper- that would show them, eh? Come on- let's get the riddle and the Infirmary Keeper journal."
    Russet returned her smile, and the two hurried to the Infirmary, eager to continue working on the puzzle.

~*~*~*~*~*

     The sun was hanging low in the sky when Mudnose and Twinj dragged an unconscious squirrel into camp and took it into Rizuel's cabin to make their report. Soon the hapless pair came scrambling out on deck, still hauling the squirrel between them, and spurred on by the captain's irate shouts. "Idiots! You're good for naught but fishbait, you flabby-pawed, thickheaded nincompoops! Get out! Out!"
     Rhys grinned and winked at Twinj as he helped Mudnose chain their captive to the mast. "So, how did it go?" she asked cheekily. "You wonderful trackers got quite a catch, eh?"
     Now that the trackers were closer, Chuff and Rhys could see that they both had various injuries, and Mudnose's spear was broken. Trembling with rage at the vixen's comment, Twinj drew back his paw to strike her. The rat was stopped by Mudnose, however, who glanced nervously at the cabin door. "Careful, mate. You knows the cap'n don't want anybeast touchin' this'n. Remember ol' Spottie?"
     Slowly, Twinj nodded, but could not resist a parting shot as he climbed down the ship's side. "G'night, ya wort'less piece of 'ide. I don't t'ink dat squiggle'll be 'appy when 'e wakes up- if'n 'e tries ter kill yer, vixen, jest scream fer me, eh? Oh, I wuddent wanna be in yore paws."
     Despite herself, Rhys cast an uneasy glance at the squirrel, who was already beginning to stir. Chuff noticed and clasped her paw. "It'll be fine. 'E's just tryin' t'scare ye. I thought ye knew better'n to listen t'scum like that."
     Just then, the squirrel woke and shot to his paws, only to be brought up short by the thick chain around his waist. The breath rushed out of him and he sat down hard, shaking his head to clear it. As he did so, he noticed Rhys and glared at the vixen. Recovering his breath, he said, "What d'you want, fox? Come to gloat over your prize? Well, I won't be chained for long, and when I get free, I'll-"
     Rhys interrupted irritably. "Excuse me, but if you're done jumping to conclusions and making threats, perhaps you'll permit my friend and me to introduce ourselves."
     Chuff took advantage of the squirrel's surprised silence to gesture to the chains that secured all three beasts firmly to the mast. "We're both slaves, mate. An' now ye've got yerself hired on as well. I'm Chuff."
     He held out a large paw to the squirrel, who shook it firmly. "I'm Marnus." Turning his attention back to Rhys, he offered his paw. "Er, sorry about that. Lately, I've just had a few bad run-ins with-" the word 'vermin' died on his lips and he grinned apologetically.
     The slim young vixen accepted his paw and shook it with a surprising amount of strength. "Apology accepted, Marnus. My name is Rhys."
     Marnus winked roguishly. "Pleased to meet you, Rhys. 'Tis a shame our relationship almost got off to a nasty start- especially as it looks like we're going to be spendin' a lot of time together. Ah, well at least I'm chained to a beauty such as yourself, me darlin'."
     Rhys pulled a face, but it was lost on the unusual squirrel, who had leaned back against the mast and closed his eyes, apparently going to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*

[Maudie]

Marvelous! I think this is your best fanfic yet! I sure hope you'll finish it.

Yanno, when Ordlin and Tallow are talking Ordlin sounds like Bilbo at the beginning of the Hobbit. "Yes, well, I'm quite respectable now." 

Anyway, I think this story is awesome so far!

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Thank you. I'm certainly planning on finishing it.

[KitrallStreamrippler]

I've finally gotten some more written. Hooray!

        When the bells rang for the evening meal, Clove and Russet looked up from the parchment in front of them. "I think that's it, Miz Clove. Are you ready to impress the abbot with our riddle-solving prowess?"
        The haremaid nodded once, a smile flitting across her whiskers. "All right, as long as get to impress our stomachs with Friar Hollyspike's culinary prowess as well."
        Russet gave a short laugh. "In that case, we'd best hurry before all that delicious cooking is gone."
        With that, the two creatures hurried off to Cavern Hole, taking their parchment with them. Cavern Hole was, as usual, packed with friendly beasts and enticing smells. It was, in fact, more full than most days, as the shrews were visiting. Clove and Russet could not find the abbot at first, as he was not sitting in his customary seat at the head of the main table. Instead, he was at one of the extra tables which had been set up to help accommodate the shrews. Skipper and Log-a-Log Tallo were with him, recalling their past adventures together. Tallo grinned at Abbot Ordlin. "Remember when that stoat an' 'is gang tried t'rough us up?"
        Ordlin merely smiled, his eyes twinkling, and a young shrewmaid looked up expectantly. "What 'appened, uncle?"
        "Haha- I knowed y'would ask, Janby. Well, it went like this: Ordlin an' I was settin' up camp one afternoon when a stoat walks up, bold as y'like. 'E wanted our food an' supplies, o' course, an' o' course we refused. So 'e whistles, an' about ten more vermin come outta hidin'. Ordlin wanted t'take 'em all then an' there, but I says, 'Careful, mate.' The stoat was about t'charge when Corian drops outta the trees an' hits 'im a good'n with 'is book. T'others ran like scared rabbits! Hahaha! I'll never ferget their faces, th'poor cowards!"
        The shrew cheiftain collapsed into hearty laughter, unable to speak. Russet chuckled as well as he stepped up to Skipper and Abbot Ordlin, who were shaking with mirth. "Skip- you knocked him out with a book? Where did you find it?"
        Skipper coughed, his face reddening slightly. "Er, actually, I allus had it with me. I used t'be quite a scholar, ye know. A bit sheltered too, I s'pose. Ordlin was really the adventurous one. Ahem. Any'ow, what is it? Did ye finish the riddle already?"
        Clove winked at Russet. "I'll say we did, Skipper. Would you like a hint to the answer?"
        Down the table, Tallo's young niece blurted, "Why not jus' give the answer?"
        Clove looked taken aback, but a mole pounded the shrewmaid on the back, grinning widely. "You'm bees roight thurr, miz Janby! Noice'n'sensible loike. Hurrhurr!"
        Russet hid a smile. "Actually, she is right, miz Clove. Don't you think we should just tell them the answer?"
        Clove paused as if in thought, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Hmm. I don't know. Interrupting her elders like that- not respectful at all, you know. Perhaps once she apologizes, we can reveal our findings. Until then we'd better get something to eat."
        Janby thought for a moment, her pride struggling with her curiosity. "All righ'. I'm sorry fer inneruptin'. Could ye please let uz all know wot ye're talkin' about?"
        The haremaid nodded once, grinning. Her and Russet exchanged winks before chorusing, "It's the pommelstone of Martin's sword!"
        Skipper and Ordlin applauded the two creatures. "Very well done, you two! How in the name of seasons did you figure it out?"
        Russet gestured to Clove. "It was mostly Clove- she deciphered almost all of the anagrams. When we finished, we discovered that the riddle was talking about the ruby on Martin's sword."
        Tallo, who was under control by this time, looked puzzled. "The stone from 'is sword is missin'?"
     Ordlin nodded excitedly. "Yes. It's been gone for many seasons, and until now, there had been no clue as to its whereabouts."
     Skipper's face lit up with a triumphant grin. "An' these two've solved it! That stone's as good as found! Come on, you two- celebrate yer victory. It ain't a feast t'night, but th'food's good enough."
     The two young creatures suddenly noticed how hungry they were, and fell to with a will. The meal lasted longer than usual; it was quite late when the last weary beasts dragged themselves off to bed. Soon, a warm silence fell over the abbey, and the breeze sighed peacefully in the calm spring night.

~*~*~*~*~*

     As the sun began to set, Hazel gently prodded Starbreeze. "Wake up, Star. It's time to make the count."
     Stretching and yawning, the young hare got up and brushed sand off of himself. "Mm, time for a bit of the jolly old covert operations, wot?"
     Hazel rolled her eyes at his chosen phrase, but nodded. They left their supply packs in a neat pile, where they could be easily grabbed in case of a hasty retreat. Then, with many quiet curses on Hazel's part, the two hares crossed the river. Once on the north bank, Hazel rolled around, covering herself in sand, and made Star do the same.
     When he protested, Hazel merely dumped a pawful of sand over his head. "It's for flippin' camouflage, laddie buck. If you're going to jolly well stand out, do it over there." She pointed to a distant sandhill some ways up the beach. "Now be quiet," she whispered as they made their way to the top of the dune.
     Peering cautiously over the top, they both made a swift count, then ducked down to compare notes. Star grinned cheerfully. "I only saw about twoscore of the blighters," he murmured.
     Hazel shook her head. "Y'need to count slower, Star. There's at least another ten. Besides, what about those we might not be able to see? There could be sixty inside that blasted ship- I'd add a score to our count."
     The smile faded from Star's face, but he still looked hopeful. "That's not many- nowhere near a proper flamin' horde, wot!"
     Hazel snorted. "Even one vermin could wreak plenty of havoc inside the abbey. Or even outside of it."
     The young hare's ears drooped. "Hm. Do we have time t'make a quick report to Lord Redsand before goin' all the way to Redwall? Those vermin don't look like they'll be going anywhere too flippin' soon."
     Hazel grinned wickedly. "Not gettin' homesick already? Trust me, once we get to the abbey, you might never want to go back to Salamandastron."
     Suddenly, Starbreeze froze, his ears twitching slightly. "What's that noise?"

~*~*~*~*~

    Rhys was woken by something tickling her face. She opened her eyes to find Marnus standing in front of her, brushing the tip of his tail across her snout. Rhys was about to lecture the grinning squirrel on the merits of sleep when she realized something- the chain that had bound him to the mast was gone. Confused, she glanced over at the still sleeping Chuff, who was also free, then down at the chain that used to encircle her waist. "What? Marnus, how-?"
     Marnus' smile grew at the vixen's bewilderment. He held a paw to his lips, then revealed a small beltpouch that was hidden in his bushy tail. In it was a lockpicking kit. A smile spread across Rhys' face as Marnus carefully replaced the kit. Standing, she grasped the squirrel's paw warmly, speechless with joy. He winked and shook her paw, then turned to wake Chuff. The big hedgehog blinked owlishly, then his eyes widened as he saw the hated chains lying uselessly on the deck.
     Jumping up, he pulled Rhys and Marnus into a quick embrace. "Come on, mates- let's go!"
     The three creatures climbed quietly down the ship's side, then began carefully picking their way through the Bloodsail's slumbering crew. Chuff had to stifle a chuckle as they passed the snoring Mudnose. Rhys held a paw to her lips for silence- they couldn't afford to wake anybeast. Once they were across the river, on the southern side, they would be free. The north bank was just past those sand dunes; they were almost there!
     Then a ferret rolled over in his sleep- directly into Chuff's path. Chuff went sprawling, waking the ferret, who quickly realized what was happening. "Wot the- escape! The slaves are escapin'!"
     Further shouts were cut off by a hefty spar of driftwood swung by Marnus, but it was too late. The camp was waking up, and some of the crew were already hurrying towards the escapees. Marnus and Rhys helped Chuff to his paws and ran, knowing there was little chance now that they would make it to safety.
     Suddenly, a slingstone struck Marnus, and he fell. Chuff picked him up, waving Rhys on. "Go on, mate! I've got 'im- we'll find ye later!"
     Tears filled in the vixen's eyes and blurred her vision as she struggled onward, knowing that both Chuff and Marnus would be recaptured.

~*~*~*~*~*

     Shouts were coming from the direction of the vermin camp. Hazel and Starbreeze poked their heads over the rise, and were surprised to see a crowd of vermin rushing towards them. Hazel loaded her sling and twirled it expertly before loosing it at one of the frontrunners. It connected solidly and downed the creature. Another stayed to help the beast who had been hit, waving the others on.
     Hazel dropped her sling, knowing it would soon be useless, and pulled Starbreeze below the rise. "C'mon, old chap- burrow down in the sand. Hopefully, they won't bloomin' see us!"
     Just as the two had covered themselves with sand, a black vixen came stumbling over the rise. She tripped, rolling down the sandhill. Just as a small party of vermin, puffing and blowing, reached the top of the dune, the vixen ducked behind a large rock at the river's edge. The vermin peered into the darkness until finally one of them remarked nervously, "Er, I don't see 'er anywheres. Wot are we gonna tell the cap'n?"
     Another creature gave a sigh of disgust. "She'll be well 'idden or far away by now. All we c'n do is get back t'camp. We'll tell the cap'n the truth- we lost 'er."
     There were a few murmurs of glum agreement as the vermin turned away, but one said under his breath, "Aye, an' who's going t'do that, eh? Not me, an' that's fer sure."
     Hazel let out a sigh of relief as the voices faded away- her and Star were safe. They had gotten up and just started to brush sand off of themselves when a movement by the river caught Hazel's eye. "I say, marm, what is- mmpf!"
     Hazel clapped a paw over Star's mouth and pointed silently at the vixen, who had come out from behind the rock, and was now glancing furtively at the hillside. She froze, and Hazel cursed- they'd been seen!
     But instead of raising an alarm, the small figure fairly threw herself into the river, striking out for the opposite bank. Star and Hazel pursued her, and by the time they reached the southern bank, the vixen was off and running again, obviously weary. The vixen had no chance of outrunning Hazel, who promptly showed her why she was the Regimental Boxing Champion of Salamandastron.

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Not my best work, but I finally got past that blasted wall of writer's block. Hopefully more will follow relatively soon. It's good to be writing again.

~*~          ~*~          ~*~

Numb blackness slowly receded, to be replaced by a painful awareness. Rhys was lying on her side in the darkness, bound paw and foot. Suddenly, her ears perked up. There were low voices speaking close by.
   "I say we should bally well toss her in the blinkin' river and be done with it, wot!"
   There was a sigh, and a resigned voice answered. "I know, Star. But, vermin or not, she is currently a defenseless creature."
   "We can change that, marm."
   "Trust me Star, I wish we could. I think I've come up with a better solution, though. Wait here."
then the sounds of somebeast getting up and dusting themselves off, followed by soft, sand-muted pawsteps. A moment later, a bucket of water was dumped on her. She gasped- the water was cold! "Wake up, vixen."
   Rhys tried to get up, only to trip on bound paws with a muffled curse. She had forgotten about that. At least now she was in a position to see her captor- a pair of hares. The hare brought out a knife and cut the ropes on Rhys' footpaws. "No running off again, vixen, or I'll let Starbreeze use his mace t'stop you. Understand?"
   Rhys nodded, somewhat nervously.
   "Good. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you have two choices. One, answer truthfully, and go free. Or two, play me false, and stay here. Permanently."
   Rhys couldn't meet the hare's cold glare. "I'll tell the truth, marm."
   Though the vixen's reasonable attitude and polite speech surprised Hazel, she didn't let it show. "Then to business, vixen. Is the captain of that ship still alive?"
   There was a short pause, then Rhys quietly replied. "Aye."
   "Pity. I'd hoped he'd flamin' well drowned, wot. How many crew are alive and fightin' fit?"
   "I'm not sure. About fifty, maybe threescore."
   Hazel gave Rhys a calculating look as she asked her next question. "Hm. Enough t'cause plenty of trouble for an abbey full of peaceful woodlanders, eh?"
   Rhys looked up, confusion in her eyes. "Marm?"
   Hazel snorted. "Don't tell me y'don't have any idea what your captain's plans are. Foxes were ever slybeasts. They're always the first t'know what's goin' on."
   Rhys frowned. "I'm afraid not, marm. But my guess is that he'd follow the river. We can't put out t'sea, as you know. Not much point stayin' put, either. He can't lose face by turnin' tail and goin' back north, and if we went south we'd walk straight into that badger and his fighting-"she broke off midsentence, suddenly going very still.
   "Marm, are you both from the mountain?"
   "Well, where else would we jolly well be from, I'd like to know."
   Hazel was puzzled when Rhys closed her eyes, shrinking from the hare. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the vixen was trembling. "What is the blinkin' matter?"
   Rhys shook her head, responding in a quiet, tense voice. "Marm, please- when you- well, when you said that you'd let me go... was that true? Are you- will you just kill me anyway?"
   Hazel blinked in surprise. Where had that come from?
   "What?"
   Rhys took a deep breath, tears welling up in her still-closed eyes. "Please don't pretend that you won't. And do it quickly- please."
   Hazel didn't like being confused, and she hated when beasts didn't speak sense. Frowning, she raised her voice. "Quit talking rubbish an' explain y'self, vixen! D'you think I've got time to unravel your flippin' riddles all night? Come on now, speak up!"
   A few spear-lengths away, Starbreeze smiled. That was Captain Hazel, all right. The vermin must not be giving straight answers.
   Rhys, now shaking violently, made a quick reply. "The captain always told everybeast that if the badger or his hares caught us, they'd kill us without a second thought. He said the only way they'd let us go was if we were dead."
   Ah. That explained the vixen's trepidation. Hazel shook her head. "That's typical. He didn't want the crew to jolly well desert, so he made us the worse option." She took a breath, and ignored the part of her that told her not to make promises to vermin. "I'm not going t'kill you. Not now, at least," she amended.
   Rhys' trembling subsided, and she opened her eyes. "You aren't? But-"
   "Your captain is a liar, vixen. Most vermin are. And be sure, I will find out if you are."
   The vixen nodded, mouth set into a grim line. She hoped that Hazel didn't think she was a liar. On the hare's part, a niggling doubt had wormed its way into her mind. This vermin seemed to regard the beasts of Salamandastron as murderers. Perhaps her own views of vermin were not entirely accurate? Pushing the thought aside- she could deal with that later- she went back to a relevant topic.
   "Where were we before all this killing business came up?"
   "Um, you'd asked me about the captain's plans, marm. Like I said, I don't know them but I'd guess he'll follow the river."
   "Right. How long would it take to get the whole crew moving?"
   Rhys shrugged. "A day or so maybe to get all the supplies together. But if Rizuel really wanted to, he could get the crew on the move by dawn."
   Hazel cursed and pulled the vixen to her paws. "Blasted vermin! Come on, vixen."
   She pulled Rhys over to Starbreeze, who lost his amused smile when Hazel snapped, "On your paws, laddybuck. We're off."
   "Now? But marm-"
   Captain Hazel Witherton was a formidable creature when angered. 'Perilous', some of the hares called her. One glare from her and Star was scurrying around collecting their packs. Hazel's stern gaze landed on Rhys. "All right, vixen. You can either start south now, or you can come with us as a prisoner."
   Rhys seemed almost as surprised by her answer as Hazel was. "I'm coming with you, marm."
   Hazel hefted a pack onto her shoulders. "Fine. Let's get moving."
   So, before Rhys could have second thoughts about her decision, the trio marched off into the night, east towards Redwall Abbey.

~*~          ~*~         ~*~

   The sun peeked over the horizon, turning the sky pink and bringing the soft colors of dawn to the land. Gulls began to gather for a day's fishing, shrieking at each other and fighting over the best catch. The waves hissed softly up the shore, sparkling with early morning light. All of this was lost on one fox.
Rizuel Deathclaw was in a towering rage. The pine marten who had been "volunteered" to tell the captain about his captive's escape lay on the floor, dead. "Tagrin! Get your scruffy hide in here!"
   Moments later, a rat appeared in the cabin's doorway. "Aye, Cap'n?" Rizuel's first mate carefully avoided looking at the pine marten's carcass.
   "I don't want explanations or excuses. Take Mudnose, Twinj, and Halfmask, and go. Do not return without the vixen, and do not fail me, unless you want to replace her."
   Tagrin shuddered. "I won't fail yer, Cap'n."
   The rat jumped when Rizuel swept his sword at him. "Then what are you waiting for, fool? Go!"
   As his first mate made an exit with all possible haste, the fox howled his fury. Swinging his sword in a mighty arc, Rizuel heaved it at the rat's fleeing tail. Fortunately for Tagrin, the door had swung shut after him. The sword embedded itself in the door, its point protruding from the other side. Suddenly, a thought crossed Rizuel's mind- the other slaves. The ones that had been recaptured. They needed to be made an example. Not to slaves, because no others were still alive. But to the crew. There must be no deserters. A thin smile settled itself on his face. His crew had been getting discontented lately. It was time that they remembered who was in charge. "Halfmask!"
   A ferret with mask markings only on the left side of her face entered the cabin, skirting the cutlass that was still stuck in the door. "Captain?"
   "Where are the slaves?"
   "Tied t'the mast again, sir. D'you want 'em?"
   Rizuel bared his teeth. "No. I want you and your useless mate to get the crew together."
   Halfmask saluted. "Aye, captain. What should I tell 'em?"
   "If they ask questions, ask them if they need a reason to obey their captain's orders."
   "Aye, sir."

~*~          ~*~          ~*~