Redwall Isn't Safe Anymore! (Is Redwall as Safe as they Say it is? Part Two)

[LT Sandpaw]

"He is no friend of mine," Bracklew stated darkly. "He's the mouse on he tapestry that hangs in the Great Hall. You might have seen it last night. This is his sword." He tapped the blade looking almost condescendingly down at it. "He is supposed to protect the abbey, and guide her creatures when it comes under threat. Sometimes he tell somebeast to take up this sword, and defend Redwall. And I hate him for it." The squirrel picked up the blade slipping it into it's sheath.

"I was chosen, or so Grant says, to protect this Abbey from creatures like you. And I'm afraid that when it comes time for me to do so, I wont be able. But what do you care? That would be a boon for you."

[Ashleg]

"So, he's dead, is that what you're sayin'? And y' listen t' this dead mouse who supposedly tells y' how t' live yer life." Rapshade chuckled almost demeaningly.
"This, Sir, is why us vermin think Redwall would be a perfect target. He's dead, so he can't tell you what t' do. You don't want to be Abbey Warrior, you don't do it."

[Groddil]

Marble, who had crept into the Infirmary by mistake, coughed politely.
"Err, it looks like I've taken a wrong turn. Err, I'll mind my own business..."
The Vigil mouse darted from the Infirmary, hobbling swiftly to Grant's room. He knocked on the door softly.
"Excuse me? Abbot Grant? Are you in there?"

*****

Deep beneath the humongous oak tree, Mortembell sat in a massive, dilapidated chair. The vixen held both torches for Dregped, who was digging madly at the hard earth beneath their footpaws. The vixen cast her eyes upon the small scroll she had promised Dregped as a reward. A smirk briefly crossed the vixen's bored, featureless face. The fool! He actually believed that the map was of any use? A wild goose chase, right into the middle of the dense woodland. If he didn't get lost, Muddle would find him, and that would be the end of that white-furred, and bad-tempered, little problem. The harsh, grating noise echoed through the tunnels once more. Mortembell shivered.
"Hurry it up, Dregped. Those noises are creeping the living daylights out of me. Hellgates, this place feels...wrong. I just can't put a finger on it..."

[LT Sandpaw]

"Yeah, except somebeast has to protect this Abbey from vermin." Bracklew stated coldly, "And your beasts killed Brandon. If I leave, Redwall will be vulnerable. Its not my choice, and Martin is easy to blame, being dead and all."

At Marble's voice Bracklew jerked to the right glaring at the mouse until he disappeared out the door. "Bloody Vigil," He muttered.

[Ashleg]

Rapshade rolled his eyes. "You say that like Duncan and Skipper and that badger couldn't defend this place if they had to. And Mortembell's merciless. Just hand over the job to somebeast who wants it..."
When Marble quickly ducked in and out, the ferret's eyes flashed and narrowed.

"...And that's another thing we can agree on...if it wasn't for the bloody Vigil, I'd be elsewhere and you wouldn't be stuck here chatting."

[Groddil]

Marble shrugged.
"Guess he isn't here then..."
The mouse stepped back from the door, glancing idly out of a window. Spotting Grant on the battlements, Marble quickly limped back towards the stairs.

*****

Dregped had found something. The ermine circled around one rough patch of flooring. He snatched a knife from his belt and whittled it into the ground. Dregped reached into the small crack and levered out a small boulder. The ermine stood in the hole left by the boulder proudly.
"Found it!"
Mortembell crouched next to Dregped, pearing into the hole.
"Bit small, but I should be able t'squeeze through it. The moles can enlarge the tunnels afterwards anyway..."
"What are ye mutterin' 'bout? Where's me map?"
Mortembell thrust the parchment into Dregped's paws. The ermine chuckled and clambered out of the hole.
"Thankee kindly, marm. Pleasure doin' business wid ya!"
Dregped snatched a torch, scurrying away through the tunnels.
Mortembell lowered herself into the hole as a scream echoed through Brockhall. The vixen looked down the dark hallway that Dregped had turned down. A large, dark shape was making its way towards her. Accompanying the shadow was a rough, grating noise. The vixen reached a paw out of the tunnel and snatched the remaining torch. She threw the flaming stick at it, and gasped at what the illumination showed her. The thing gripped the torch midair and continued making its way towards her.
"Mortembell. What a pleasant surprise."
"You..."
The figure grinned as it stopped moving, directly over the hole. It was a huge badger, with a long scar across his chest. The badger held the cause of the noises, a massive, double-sided battleaxe that had scraped along the floor. The vixen stared at him in hatred.
"I never forget a face, you scum."
"I'M THE SCUM?! LISTEN TO YOURSELF, VIXEN! ALL VERMIN DESERVE TO BE SENT BACK TO HELLGATES FROM WHENCE THEY CAME!!! I failed to do it to your brat all those years ago, I would have got you if not for your husband, but now...Nothing to stop me. Just you, me, and the Ancestral Home of Badgers. This place has fallen into disrepair, but your blood will cleanse it!"
The badger lifted the battleaxe and swung it. Mortembell narrowly avoided the blade, diving into the tunnel.
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME, VIXEN! I'VE HUNTED YOUR KIND SINCE THE DAY I WAS BORN!!!"
Mortembell chuckled, shuffling away down the dark tunnel.
"I just did...WOAH!"
The badger, enraged due to his failure to kill Mortembell, began to attack the ground with his axe. The tunnel the vixen was using to escape began to shudder and the roof collapsed. Mortembell dragged herself through it as fast as she possibly could, the tunnel caving-in behind her.
"Damn it! I ain't as young as I used to be, ya know? Give me a break!"
Sighting the end of the tunnel, she dived through the gap.

[Hickory]

Asher nodded, briefing Gukom on what they were supposed to do. "We need t'go to the Abbey and inform the Abbot of what's going on in the woodlands. He didn't listen before, but I'm sure he'll listen now. Do you have a weapon? I'm sure that we shouldn't run into anybeast on th'way there, but y'never know."

[Groddil]

Gukom shook his head.
"Me? Weapons? Of course not, that isn't my style at all. I'm sure you're more than capable of defending us both. Come, we really need to hurry if we are to get to the Abbey in time."
The hamster took his basket from the desk and strode outside the tent.

[Hickory]

The black squirrel snorted in amusement. Just a momen before, he had been stuttering, and now the hamster was off, bossing him around like he was One-Ear. Well, he had that sort of status. Asher was about to consider asking Gukom just how important he thought he was before thinking better of it. "What's in th'basket?

[Groddil]

Gukom raised an eyebrow when Asher snorted.
"N-nothing of any importance to you. Maps, records, that sort of thing. V-v-very helpful to keep track of those v-v-v-v-vermin. Please, hurry. We have no idea how f-f-f-far behind they are. I don't feel like g-g-g-getting ambushed."

[Hickory]

"They're not going to ambush us, they just did last night. Besides, we'd be ready. Alright, so I usually use th'stars to navigate at night since I can't see much, but when it's daylight it's pretty easy to find yoreself by th'surroundings. The Abbey's just past that pine copse over there. C'mon."

OOC: Sand, do you think that you could have a sort of mini-attack by some of Grah's crows from the pines?

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Certainly, just don't let Asher go ham on all of them, I'll need them for later. I'd say be around 3:00 Chicago time, that's when Grodds is usually on so it can be somewhat fluid.

IC:

"Well I guess we can blame them then." Bracklew said rubbing his paw through his fur and ruffling his ears. "Now where is breakfast I'm liable to starve to death." As if on cue the infirmary door swung open to reveal Petu who was sporting a large tray. Carrying the meal over to the bed he set down three bowls of porridge and four loaves of sweet bread.

"Hey Brack, Aver thought you might be hungry. This other stuff is for the ferret and mouse. Hey where is the mouse?"

"Dunno," Bracklew said sourly claiming his own bowl and bread. "He popped in a moment ago, but left."

"Ah well, I'll eat it then . Waste not want not, that's what Duncan would say." Petu stated flicking out a bed tray and setting it up for Rapshade. "Eat," He commanded plopping down the bowl and a loaf of bread before stepping away and shoveling in what should have been Marble's porridge.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Squawking in a disorderly array three of Grah's Krah had flown a short distance from the horde's campsite. They were young, and feeling confident after the stunning and easy victory. They sat in the higher branches of a pine tree reenacting and retelling their noble feats from the night before for the other's benefit.

"Creeaaah, grab earthwalker little-rat and broke spine. One peck. Creeeaah." Crowed one demonstrating his dive and mighty beak.

"No, kill earthwalker water-dogs, creeaah. Grab muzzle and tore off." The second held up his talons to show their razor sharpness, before tearing at the branch sending small pieces of wood into the air. "This way creeaah."

"Kill many earthwalkers, wings kill in one flap, like this." Stated the largest flapping his rather dangerous wings. All three bobbed their heads and continued, their stories growing more and more fantastic as they talked.

"Creeaah silence." Croaked the largest suddenly his sharp eyes having caught movement on the forest floor. All three stared out at the approaching hamster and squirrel clucking in anticipation. "I say, Krah Attack. Creeaah?" He order quietly. The others nodded their eyes fixed on the two earthwalkers as they drew closer.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
I love how the Krah talk for some reason.
IC-
Rapshade looked down at the food, suddenly not feeling hungry.
Why did this always happen?
He was unhealthily skinny, and yet food always turned him off.
The ferret took a rather pathetic piece off the bread and plopped it in his mouth.
"Happy?"

[Groddil]

Marble crossed the lawn to where Grant stood, limping along as fast as the cane would carry him. The mouse called out to Grant as he approached.
"Father Abbot. I need to speak with you."

*****

Deep underground, Mortembell coughed roughly, hacking up dust. The vixen struck her flint again, lighting her spare torch, and gazed around in wonder. She was in a massive cavern, some sort of underground fortress. This had to be it. Mortembell peered at some sort of cracked plaque set into the ground, inset with a crude drawing of a mole. She had found it: The lost home of moles; Moledeep!

[Ashleg]

Grant nearly jumped.
"You need to speak with me? Why, what's wrong?" He asked, turning and meeting Marble halfway.