Early morning sunlight filtered through the window of Cregga's room. The old blind badger was dozing in her armchair. Specks of dust illuminated by sunlight swirled around the dozing badger's face. A fly buzzed by and landed on Cregga's snout. Half asleep, she shooed it away.
The blind badger mother sat up in her armchair as the door creaked open. Small paws padded across the room. Cregga smiled. "Filorn, what are you doing up so early?"
The small ottermaid climbed up into Cregga's lap. "Muvver Cregga, you said you would tell me a storee!"
Cregga ruffled the little ottermaid's ears. "Did I now?"
"You did! You did!"
Cregga leaned back in her armchair. "What story do you want to hear?"
Baby Filorn thought for a moment. "The one wi' the Marmfloxes."
Cregga shook her head. "I've told you that one before."
Filorn sucked her paw, "What 'bout the storee with H'Abbess Tansee an' the Ra'scall'ons?"
Cregga shook her head again, "Everyone's heard that story." A smile spread across the blind badger's face. "I know a story that you don't know."
Filorn bounced up and down excitedly, "Tell me Muvver Cregga! Tell me!"
Cregga placed a paw on Filorn's paw. "It's a very long story though. We'll have to take a break for breakfast an' dinner an' probably supper too. But I'll tell you if you really want to hear it."
"I do! I do!"
Cregga smiled again, "Well here it goes. A long time ago, in the time of Abbess Tansy…"
---
Massive waves crashed against the hull of Darkplague as she drifted silently through the night storm. Rain pounded on deck. The only corsair out on deck was the stoat Duller, bosun to Cap'n Kinord. He sat dozing in the rain, his head resting on his chest. An empty flagon of grog rolled from his grasp as another large wave hit the boat. Duller grunted in his sleep and shifted his position.
As Duller slept on deck, Cap'n Kinord, the biggest ferret to ever sail the eastern seas, snored away in his hammock. In similar cabins, the rest of Kinord's crew were either sleeping or swigging grog.
But below deck in the slave galley, the thin, pitiful slaves slept fitfully under the watch of Greenwhip and Firth, the slave masters. Chains clanked softly together as the slaves curled into a more comfortable condition. Sleeping was hard when you were chained to two others.
A young black squirrel shifted position for the umpteenth time. Her oar partners, a mouse and an otter, shifted also. The mouse leaned against the hull and sighed, "How are we s'posed to sleep chained together like this?"
The otter shook her head, "I dunno, but their not 'bout ter unchain us so yew might as well get used ter it, Jenner."
The black squirrel leaned back against her otter friend. "Do yer mind if I use yew as a pillow, Alkali?"
The otter Alkali shrugged and leaned against Jenner. "Naw, I don't mind, Skorm. I might as well use Jenner as a pillow too."
The mouse Jenner pushed Alkali off of him. "I ain't yore pillow, Kali. Besides yore crushin' me."
Alkali chuckled and leaned against Jenner again, "How kin I be crushin' yew, mate? I'm just skin 'n' bones!"
Skorm hushed the otter as the ever watchful rat Firth walked by.
"That was close."
Jenner nodded at Skorm's words. "That was close. Well goodnight."
Jenner leaned against the ship's hull. He groaned as Alkali leaned against him. More pressure was added as Skorm leaned against Alkali. He shut his eyes and tried to sleep.
"Do yew think we'll ever 'scape, Skorm?" Alkali whispered into the black squirrel's ear.
"I dunno, Kali. I dunno. Some day I hope we will. Then yew an' me an' Jenner will go an' find someplace nice to live."
Alkali whispered to Skorm again, "Before Firth and Greenwhip killed her, me mum used ter tell me 'bout this place called Redwall Abbey. She told me that there was all kinds o' good vittles there. Maybe when we 'scape, the three of us kin go there."
Greenwhip's whip hissed through the air and lashed out painfully at Skorm's head. "Oi, quiet o'ver there, or I'll quiet yew meself!"
"Skorm are yew okay?"
Skorm raised a paw up to her head. She felt something that she knew to be blood. The black squirrel answered Alkali. "The whip scratched me, but I'm alright."
"Good. One of these days when I'll get me paws around the necks o' those two bullies, an' they'll wish that they ne'er killed me mum."
Skorm patted her friend's paw. "Someday we'll both get our revenge. An' so will Jenner!"
The bouncing of the ship lulled the two slaves to sleep as it drifted off into the night.
