A/N: This pretty much goes without saying, but I don't write like Brian Jacques and my story address some things he wouldn't even consider putting in a book. Don't complain about that mm'kay? This story is a STRONG "T", border lining M, please keep that in mind.
The Scourging
Part 1: The Journey
Part 2: The Gathering
Part 3: A Prophesy Fulfilled
~*~Prologue~*~
Scrumchin the hedgehog, perhaps the oldest thing in Redwall, scratched away on an old piece of parchment. He occasionally dipped his quill into the jar of ink while writing. His eyeglasses were extremely thick and his eyes were clouded with age. He continued to write, ignoring his arthritic hand. He long monastery robes were as dusty as the scrolls stacked around him. The number of people at Redwall had been dwindling for seasons, and why not? What allure did an old abbey have next to the nearby town? In times long gone, Redwall was the center of Mossflower wood (what was left of it), now it was merely a relic, tended to by some of the oldest animals in the whole area.
A fly casually landed on the old creature's nose. He waved it off with his stiff hand, only to have it land again. After three more tries it finally drifted off onto a shelf. It was hard to accept what this place had become. Its heyday was gone. They say that the place had so many residents that houses were built on the outside of the walls to accommodate them. That's how it started. More and more people congregated around the abbey, seeking its protective walls against vermin. Eventually, Redwall became like a castle with a town around it. After several seasons however, the town ran away from the abbey. Now the town (nearing being a city) wasn't centered on the ancient abbey, but on the courthouse lying in the middle of the flatlands to the west. There was even a road to the coast now, where this ever-growing settlement could trade with others. It was fast becoming a bustling place.
The old hedgehog laid down his pen and smiled. He leaned back and closed his eyes, envisioning this place in the olden times. Great feasts would be held in the Great Hall, packed with animals from all over the land. The walls of the Abbey had stood many sieges and the red stones still stood, although they had cracked in many places. There used to be a full staff here. The Abbot would attend to several, sometimes dozens of patients, even more if there was a battle. The Abbot now was an old mouse, almost older than Scrumchin himself. The cellar was once completely stocked with all ales and forms of drink, it even had a cellar master. Of course, it was completely empty now. The kitchen was once the busiest place in the Abbey, completely full of cooks and with the head chef leading the madness. Now, only one of the few remaining mouse maidens cooked there for a few minutes a day. There weren't many to cook for. It was the way of the world however. Some things are born, some things die. Perhaps this place's time had come. Scrumchin opened his eyes; he stared at the walls, still red as the day they were first chiseled into place.
"Oh, if these stones could talk." He muttered to himself. "The history they would tell." The door to the library opened. "Speaking of which..." A young mouse, barely out of being a babe, scampered into the room and ran up to the elder hedgehog. The recorder gazed down at the child and smiled. "Always making a ruckus Cogly." He stated the young mouse. The small child had piece of his ear missing, an "old war wound." His fur was slightly lighter in color than the original inhabitants of Mossflower. People of the town outside had begun to mix with animals from other regions, particular the towns up north (where lighter fur was prevalent). This was mostly due to the free trade and friendly rapport they had with one another.
"I got bored gramps." Cogly stated. "Tell me a story." The hedgehog smiled and, with some great effort, managed to stand. His arthritis was beginning to take its toll on his entire body. He shuffled to a shelf of scrolls, staring across the old parchments.
"What story shall I tell today?" Scrumchin asked. He didn't mind the little troublemaker. The area of town around Redwall was the oldest. The buildings had begun to decay and poorer, less fortunate people had taken up residence. The young dibbuns, to use an old Redwall vernacular, often got themselves into trouble in such bad conditions. Scrumchin was more than happy to keep the little child occupied. "How about the story of Matthias the first who saved Redwall from Cluny?"
"Boooooring!" Cogly shouted. "'Heard it a million times before, something newer!" Scrumchin fingered his way through the scrolls.
"Mattimeo the first?"
"Heard it."
"Hmmm, Longfletch and the Tears of all Oceans?"
"Didn't like it."
"How about the old tale of Lord Brocktree?"
"C'mon gramp Scrummy, surely there's something I haven't read before!" The old hedgehog smiled.
"Alright, I'll reach waaaay back here." The old animal grunted and reached into the shelf as far as he could. When he grasped he caught on something unusual. "That's odd..." It was a string. Despite the fact that he was fighting off clouds of dust, he pulled the string. He heard a loud clunk off to his right. He jerked his head to discover that a piece of the wall had popped open, revealing a hidden, hinged door.
"Cool!!!" Cogly shouted, running over to it. "Is it a secret passage." Scrumching shuffled over, a shocked expression on his face.
"I couldn't have..." He muttered. "After countless seasons of searching...I couldn't have found it so easily."
"What is it gramps!?" Cogly demanded.
"It's a hidden cache of scrolls." Scrumchin explained. "It contains lost scrolls from Redwall's history, some...inappropriate things..."
"Like what?" Cogly asked. The hedgehog reached into the new, open space.
"Never you mind." He replied. There had been rumors that Redwall housed some scrolls of less than holy nature. That, quite a long time ago, someone recorded stories of a sexual and perverted nature. When an Abbot discovered them, he was both disgusted and amazed. They were written incredibly well. It seemed wrong to destroy them, so he hid them away. Scrumchin had just discovered this cache. When he removed one of the scrolls he unrolled it and read the text. The ghastly offensive words, describing secret places of bodies even made the old recorder blush. These were the scrolls. He quickly stuffed them under his arm, planning to show them to his Abbot, not out of shock, but to reveal that it was all true. When he reached in for the last time, he removed a clutch of four scrolls together. He was about to stuff them in with the others, when he noticed that there was a seal on them. He paused and squinted at it. It was the official seal...used by the Emperors of the north. He could not stop his jaw from dropping.
"It can't be!" He nearly shouted.
"What!? What!?!?!" Shouted Cogly, the suspense was killing him. Scrumchin marched over to his desk and dumped the perverse stories onto his desk. He then sat down and undid the binding on the scrolls. He readjusted his glasses and confirmed his suspicion.
"This is the tale of the Scourging." Scrumchin explained to the anxious child. "It is one of the most important tales in all of Redwall...and the scroll detailing it has been lost for some time. We could only tell the story as it was handed down...but to have an actual eye-witness testimony..." The elderly animal ran his hands over the old parchment. "A piece of history, in my hands..."
"Can you read it to me gramps?" Cogly asked. The old Hedgehog turned and faced the child, the scroll spread out in front of him.
"It would be my honor."
