Disclaimer: I don't own the Redwall series (I own basically nothing, nothing is mine)
(Author's Note: I know it's weird to put it in the beginning but ...., this is my first fic and I know I'm not that good. Sorry for the misuse/non-use of animal accents and my poor grammar. Please read and review so I know whether I should write the second part of the story. Thanks)
Part I
The black stallion, carrying a squirrel couple and their dibbun, galloped towards the northwest, tired and weary. He knew if he slows the family of squirrels on his back would be murdered by the following vermin.
Ivella the squirrel glanced back anxiously and murmured to her husband, "Lirad, there's no way the horse can outdistance them! The horse maybe the best in the land but it has been carrying us for three days and we've come a long way..."
Lirad glanced behind and saw shadows of the coming foe. "Ivella," he whispered, holding tight to the rein of the horse, " You know what they'll do to us if we surrender and give them the treasure map! Death means nothing to us but think Martiska! She's just a Dibbun, she deserves more than death!"
Ivella looked at her frightened child, "You are right, but the horse will need to rest if it is to carry us any further. There's been nothing but the sea and the sand for miles!"
Lirad knew what he had to do. "Will you promise me one thing then?"
"What?"
"Never give them the map! It is the treasure of our ancestors and not ours to lose! "
" I promise you."
" Good. One last thing." The sand blinded Lirad's eyes, for a moment.
"Anything you say."
Lirad gazed at his wife and daughter lovingly and turned away.
"Take good care of our daughter and yourself!" With that he jumped off the horse
Sillig, the black squirrel halted his pony abruptly. The vermin horde following him reined in their ponies likewise. Relleh the weasel, their leader, shouted impatiently, "Why have ye halted?"
Sillig pointed ahead. There was Lirad standing on the top of a sand dune. Relleh and Rolab led the vermin ahead and surrounded the lone squirrel.
"If I give you the map, will you let me leave?"
Relleh passed a sly wink to Rotab, "Course we'll. All we want is yore liddle map! We're nought but a roving band and we only want thy ole parchment!"
Lirad walked forward holding a piece of parchment. Rotab ran forward but fell as they were hit by Lirad's throwing knives. Lirad immediately grabbed Rotab's corpse as a shield against the rain of arrows. Taking the long whip from his belt, he started lashing about. The vermin, unused to this kind of fierce resistance, were instantly on their guard. "Eulaliaa!" But the numbers were too great. Lirad was soon horrendously injured. As he received what he knew to be his death wound, he cried, "your weapons will not make me fall, scums of the earth! None of you are worthy to send me to the dark forest!" With that, he struck himself in the chest, giving his last war cry: "Eulalia".
The vermin horde quickly took a head count. "There's about a third of our numbers dead. Of those who survived, only half are fit to travel on, sire! Also, half of our ponies are injured"
Relleh dismissed the ferret and spat at thesand, "Did you find the map?"
" No sire, we searched every inch of the dead squirrel and found only some vittles."
Sillig quickly took hold of the situation, "Relleh, why don't we leave the injured here? Then we can get three ferrets to ride wiv us on the remaining fresh ponies after that squirrel's wife and child. By me reckoning, if the map ain't wiv 'im, then it's got ta be wiv the other two."
" Yore right, matey," exclaimed Relleh, "Let's take the dead squirrel wid us. I betcha his wife would surrender the map just for a proper burial for 'im! Hoharrharr, those stupid creatures!"
Sillig nodded gravely and his eyes turned red as he thought of Ivella. Images of the past flitted through his mind. He was one of the many who courted Ivella in the past. She was the prettiest squirrelmaid in the tribe and her father, the Chief had treated him with fatherly love ever since the death of his father and mother. Ivella had always played with him when they were Dibbuns and when they were old enough to wield a sword, the Chief trained them both as warriors. Everyone assumed that Sillig would become the chief and Ivella would marry him. That was until Lirad the wanderer and his equines came and settled there. He was an expert warrior and wise in the handling of horses and ponies. The Chief became very fond of him and appointed him as his successor. Sillig gritted his teeth as he recalled what happened after. Lirad and Ivella soon fell in love and as they were about to say their vows, Sillig charged in and challenged Lirad to a duel. Sillig lost. The Chief had tried to comfort him but he ran away. He met Relleh and his motley gang of vermin's and soon became Relleh's right paw. When he learnt of the old Chief' s death, he felt it was time to exact his revenge. He told Relleh of the treasure map that was passed down to every new Chief of his village and Relleh decided to attack the village. Many had died on that night but Sillig only felt rage because Lirad and his family had managed to escape. But now all was done, Sillig thought grimly. He did not care for the treasure map, for he had had his revenge.
"Righty then, " the weasel's voice jolted him back to reality, "Bor, Werlig, Osimoc, get yoreself and the dead squirrel fresh ponies and follow us!"
Ivella heard her husband's death cry and shook with grief. Why should I live if he is dead! She thought to herself angrily.
"Mama, where'd Pa go?"
Ivella look at the precious little one on her lap," Pa's gone to a better place. Now, Martiska, keep a tight hold of the rein. When the horse stops, hide! Don't let the vermin get you!" She tucked the map and her emerald necklace in the pouch on Martiska's belt. Ivella kissed her child and jumped off the horse.
Once again Sillig halted. Before him stood Ivella, exactly as she'd looked like seasons ago.
"Ivella." He murmured and a wave of pity surged through him, Lirad had just died and she was a lonely figure, standing on the expanse of the beach.
" Sillig," Ivella replied. "Lirad's dead. Will you bury him for me?"
Sillig nodded and yelled at Bor and Werlig, "Bury the squirrel!"
"What about the map!" Hissed Relleh.
" Later, not now, she has no weapon, we can get it from her sooner or later."
Ivella grinned at Sillig roguishly. Sillig blushed and whispered to her with a faint trace of hope, "Ivella, I have been thinking about you every day..."
"Really? " Ivella smiled prettily, "You always lie."
That smile reminded Sillig of the old times. " Come with me Ivella, we can live together, never mind the treasure or anything."
"You have always been kind to me Sillig," Ivella whispered and embraced him.
Relleh the weasel spat in distaste. All he wanted was the treasure and he detested this kind of stuff yet he knew it would not do to hasten his adviser Sillig.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Relleh quickly ran towards the pair. They were lying in a pool of blood. Ivella had struck a dagger in Sillig'' chest and then killed herself. Her dagger was hidden in the sleeve of her robe.
Damn it, Relleh thought darkly now his strong right paw was dead too!
"Search her!" He ordered Bor.
A few minutes later, Bor reported "A few pieces of silver and nought else."
Suddenly something struck Relleh's mind. The Dibbun! The child that the squirrels couple was carrying! She must be still on the horse!
"After the horse then," he quickly ordered.
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The riders pressed on. The next dawn they saw a piece of grassland ahead and decided to pause once they reach it. But when they reached it, they found out there was a whole expanse of small huts on the grassland. Relleh ordered his riders to stop. "Hmmm, this looks like a colony of squirrels and such. Bor come with me and be silent." The weasel hissed. "we'll go into the village to get water and vittles. Look as if you are sick, they usually have pity on the sick and old. Now remember, leave the talking to me. I know how to handle this."