Redclaw

The ferret sat in front of a fire, his tunic undone as it was every night as he stroked a scar on his stomach, which was mirrored by an identical one on his back. His eyes were distant as he stared at the flames, remembering the life he threw away.

He saw boots out of the corner of his eye and his second in command came over, "Erin."

The fox plopped down next to him and nodded, handing him a roasted apple, "Red."

The ferret took the apple and bit. After chewing he said, "The new recruit holding up?"

Erin nodded as he bit his own apple, "That mouse, Barley? Marley…"

Red rolled his eyes, "You mean Farley."

Erin nodded, "That's him. He seems to have a problem with Lefty."

Red snorted and a small, rare smile slid onto his muzzle, "Yeah. But everybody's got a problem with Lefty."

Lefty was the rat sergeant in charge of every green recruit. And he got on everybody's bad side. Even Red's. But he knew what he was doing. He was the only survivor from his father's old hoard, and had saved Red's life when he was young.

Red looked down at his paws. Though it was difficult to see in the firelight, they were deep red, they had been for many seasons, and the left had six claws, instead of five. They were what gave him his name, Redclaw. The rumor among the others was that he killed his enemies by ripping their throats out, and that he enjoyed it so much he would soak his hands in their blood. In truth Red never killed anybody in cold blood. Only a few enemies here or there when he had no choice or who didn't know when they were outclassed. Except, of course for the one that had caused his life to go downhill.

Leaning forward he sighed and rubbed his temples, Why did he poison him? He could have just put ink in his tea instead of wolfs bane. He felt a paw on his shoulder. Jerking upright Red slapped the appendage away.

"Don't touch me!"

Then he saw the concerned look in his comrade's eyes and his shoulder's slumped, "I'm sorry. Just bad memories."

The fox nodded, "I understand."

He stood up and again rested his paw on his shoulder, "Listen, Veil…"

The ferret turned and snapped at the other, "No! Only one beast has the right to call me by that name."

The fox raised his paws in surrender, "Fine, fine, but listen Red. We've known each other for a long time. We share the same ideals, and a desire to change how people see our kinds. I'd like to consider us friends. If you ever want to talk about your past. I'll be here."

The fox settled back down against the log and closed his eyes, arms folded over his chest. Redclaw walked over to his pack and unrolled his sleeping mat. Laying down on the cowhide he looked up at the twinkling stars and sighed. The image of a lovely mouse maid appearing to him. As he drifted off to sleep he dreamt of the life he'd thrown away with his own foolishness, and of the mouse he'd grown up knowing, softly whispering…

"Bryony…"

Redclaw woke to the rising sun, like clockwork. The ferret sat up and stretched his back. After closing his tunic he grabbed his pack and pulled it onto his shoulders. Then his picked up his weapon. It was an iron rod, about as long as he was tall, with a small ball shaped into one end. At the other was a paw shaped mass, with razor sharp hooks where the claws should have been, giving the weapon it's name, the Iron Claw. Resting the ball on the ground he walked over to Erin and nudged his boot, "Wake up."

The fox jumped slightly, his paw darting down to the dagger he always slept with. After realizing he wasn't in danger he sighed and snapped, "Cripes Red! Why is it I always have to wake up in the middle of the good dreams?"

Red snorted, "Don't know", he looked over at the seven other stirring forms around the clearing, "How are we doing on food?"

The fox's smile faded, "Not good. We'll be out by tomorrow, the day after if we ration ourselves.

Red nodded, "Right", taking a deep breath he set his face, "Then let's get moving!"

The ferret marched over to the waking males of his clan. Each of them was either a fox or ferret, except for Lefty, the sergeant and old hoard beast, and Farley, the newest member.

Red stood over the mouse now. The young mouse rolled over, his oversized tunic covering his entire body. His snore rattled the teeth in Red's mouth.

"Oi! Wake your tale up!"

The mouse rolled back onto his side and pulled his hood over his face, "Gooway. M'tired."

Redclaw growled and grabbed the child by the back of his tunic and shook him roughly, "I said get up! We're movin' out."

The mouse whined, "But why do we hafta gettup so early?"

Red sat the mouse down roughly, "Because we do. Remember, you wanted to come along with us. You wanted to see the country, have an adventure. Well this is part of it. And we're only one day out, and still in Mossflower! What do you think will happen when the seasons change and we leave for more hostile territory?"

The mouse's eyes widened, "Hostle teritry?"

Redclaw's face was impassive, but inside he was smiling, this was exactly what he'd wanted, "Of course. We're drifters. That means we do whatever work we can find wherever we find it. We might make some enemies doing this."

Farley's eyes dropped and his young mind raced. He didn't want to do anything dangerous, just go have some fun. When he looked back up he whimpered and mumbled, "Mr. Red? Can you take me home?"

The ferret did let a small smile slip over his face momentarily as he said, "If that's what you want."

Then he turned and shouted, "About face! We're going back!"

That night as they neared Farley's den. The young mouse walked alongside Lefty, his head hung dejectedly. The rat, seeing his plight, signaled for Erin. The fox trotted to catch up with them. Once he came alongside the mouse he smiled, "Hey my young friend. What's the matter? I thought you wanted to go home?"

The mouse shrugged, "I'm pathetic. I couldn't even be brave enough to make it outside the forest."

Erin shook his orange head, "Nah you did fine. You just aren't cut out to be an adventurer yet", glancing up at his boss he said, "Tell you what", he looked back down, "When we come back to this area in a few seasons we'll swing by, and you can try again then."

That perked the young mouse right up, "Thanks Mister Erin!"

Then there was a shout from up ahead and Farley's smile disappeared, "Dad?"

The small grass and log hovel had smoke drifting up from it's stonework chimney. Inside the small structure were two beds, several cupboards, a hearth oven which provided heat. And occupying this small but cozy home was a middle aged mouse and his teenaged daughter.

The female carried a small loaf of oat bread from the oven over to the table to cool as her father tossed a green salad. She smiled at him and said, "Are you using that rosemary dressing I like so much?"

The older male nodded, "Yep", he glanced outside and saw torches approaching. Smiling he said, "Looks like your brother came to his senses earlier than we thought he would. It's hardly even dark yet."

A few minutes later they heard a knock at the door, "I'll get it", the daughter said.

She opened the door with a smile on her face, which disappeared as she heard, "My my, aren't you pretty."

Redclaw turned to Lefty and said, "Keep the boy here", then he dropped his pack and clasped his Iron Claw in his paws. Farley tried to follow him and the others as they ran off, but the grizzled yet strong paws of Lefty picked him up and held him tight. The ferret and his eight comrades ran towards the noise. Erin appeared next to his boss, daggers in paw. The fox looked at the ferret and nodded before he and the other three foxes took off, taking a significant lead as their longer legs came into play. They didn't hear another shout, but as the ferrets drew nearer they could hear sobbing coming from the hut. Redclaw burst thru the undercover to see Erin sitting on the ground outside the hut, with the door standing ajar, holding onto the father who was sobbing.

Redclaw looked inside, the place had been trashed, looted. Turning to the father he said, "What happened Samuel?"

The mouse pointed to the east, "Rats, a lot of them. They robbed us, took all our food. And my wife's old jewelry. And Mr. Redclaw, they took Elizabeth."

Redclaw cringed. Then he squared his shoulders, "Don't worry Sam. We'll get her back."

Erin nodded and pointed off into the trees, "I've already sent the other foxes after them."

Just then Lefty came cautiously walking into the small clearing, with Farley in tow. The young mouse broke away and ran to his father. The older mouse winced as his son dove into his arms, and that's when Redclaw noticed that he'd been beaten pretty badly. One thing was for sure, they didn't take his daughter without a fight.

Suddenly the mouse coughed and blood ran from his lip, and he leaned over, groaning. Red's eyes bugged when he saw the broken dagger blade jutting from his back. Farley squeaked and cried, "Papa? Papa!"

Red pulled the boy away, giving him back to Lefty and saying, "Wait here", then he moved over to the injured mouse, who had slid down Erin's chest to lay on the ground. He was wheezing now, having trouble breathing, "Sam?"

The mouse turned his weary eyes onto Red and mumbled, "Don't let them keep her."

Red nodded, "I won't", he looked up at Erin and then over at Lefty and Farley. After a moment of thought he said, "Take them to Redwall."

The fox's eyes widened, "Are you sure?"

Red nodded and pointed in the direction the other foxes had gone. As the other ferrets in the group took off he said, "Yes I'm sure. We'll get the girl and meet you there", turning back to his friend he said, "I'm sure you know the way."

Then he ran off with the others. Erin scooped up Samuel carefully, cradling him against his larger chest. Then he ran to the south, hoping to see a large sandstone bell tower before too long.

Lefty pulled on Farley's paw, tugging him in the same direction, "C'mon."

Farley stumbled along crying, "My papa's d-dyin'!"

His sniffling carried on for nearly an hour as the two trudged along, Lefty's age and Farley's youth slowing them down. Finally, as the second hour of crying drew near and the full moon rose high in the sky Lefty barked, "That's it! I can't stand this blubberin'", wheeling on the boy he picked him up by the back of his tunic and shook him roughly, "Shut yer yap or I'll give you something' ta cry about."

The boy's tear filled eyes were wide with fear as he stared at the big rat. Lefty's eyes softened at his expression and he set him down gently, "Ach. I'm sorry boy. But ye can't keep bellyaching' like this. It only slows us down."

Farley sniffed and wiped his nose, "But he's my p-papa."

Lefty grimaced as the boy began to cry again. He patted his shoulder and muttered, "I know. I know. And if ya don't want him to die yer gonna hafta suck it up and get movin'."

As the sun came above the horizon Erin heard a bell tolling nearby and ran towards it. The mouse in his arms was barely breathing, and the insides of his ears were pale. The mouse's eyes cracked open for a moment and he whispered, "Where are we?"

The fox didn't answer, he simply drew a deep breath and shouted, "REDWALL ABBEEEEY!"

There was a moment's pause, then an otter stuck his head out over the wall, "Who goes there?"

Erin looked up and shouted, "I have an injured mouse here. He needs a healer immediately!"

The otter saw the blood all over the mouse and fox and shouted, "Open the gates! Quickly! Get a healer!"

The large gates opened and several otters armed with javelins came out, along with two mice in green robes. They wordlessly took Sam and moved him past the doors, heading straight for the largest building. The otters stayed behind, each eyeing Erin dubiously, some with outright hostility. Then another mouse came out. This one was female. Middle aged, she could be considered beautiful for her species.

"Hello. I am Abbess Byrony. Won't you come in?"

Redclaw and his ferrets ran full out thru the trees, trying to catch their vulpine comrades. Suddenly he stopped dead and held up his six-clawed paw clenched in a fist, the signal for a stop. Then he looked up into the branches of a nearby tall pine, "How many?"

One of his foxes dropped down, silent in the night, "Around three dozen. They've set up a bunch of tents. I've got no idea where they're keeping the girl."

Redclaw narrowed his eyes as he looked over the enemy camp, "Alright. Thanks Dewclaw. Everybody spread out, try and find the girl. Don't engage unless you have to. When I whistle, meet back at Redwall. Erin will be waiting for us there with the father."

There was a round of quiet Ayes before the other ferrets and foxes slunk off into the night once again. Redclaw slipped nearer to the camp, moving towards a particularly large tent. Going off the opening in the roof he could guess that there was a fire inside, which prevented him from seeing the entire interior. He was about to move on when he heard the whimpers.

The sound stopped the ferret cold. Slinking over to the tent he drew a small knife and cut a small hole in the side, near the ground. Sliding a claw into the hole he pried it open slightly and looked inside. He could see a large rat sitting at a table, eating some kind of fish. The rodent was dressed in tattered silks and had a large rapier stuffed into his belt.

"Corsairs? What are they doing so far inland?"

The ferret turned his vision, scanning the rest of the structure. And his eyes widened when he saw her. Elizabeth looked as though she'd fought the entire time, she was battered and bruised, dried blood in her fur and her left eye was swollen shut. Her dress was in tatters, and she was missing one of her woven reed sandals. Not that it mattered, it looked like that footpaw had been broken. Despite these injuries she still had her good eye locked on her captor.

The rat's eyes never left her either. Of course his eyes held a more hungry look, one that no amount of food would satisfy. Suddenly there was the sound of boots approaching quickly, "Oi! You!"

Redclaw looked up to see a pair of rats coming towards him quickly. The ferret growled and slipped away from the tent, but the rats pursued him, "Oi! Get back her ya lily livered scum nose!"

Redclaw smirked and ducked behind a tree, just past the camp's border. He drew the Iron Claw and clutched it tightly. As the first rat ran past his tree he swung, knocking him out with a solid blow to the head from the rounded ball. Swinging the weapon back around the razor sharp claws caught the other rat right between his legs. The rodent dropped the curved dagger he held and his paws shot to his groin as he drew a deep breath. Before he had a chance to scream Redclaw spun the weapon back around and cracked him over the head with the iron ball, knocking him out cold. As the bleeding rat dropped to the ground Redclaw looked back towards the camp.

Reaching down Red snatched a dagger from the belt of the wounded rat. Leaving the Iron Claw leaning against a tree he slunk back towards the leader's tent. Picking up his small knife from where he dropped it and again peeked thru the hole. He saw that the corsair was laying on a small cot. On the ground next to the cot were most of his clothes, and Red rolled his eyes. Then he cut the hole wider, sliding the knife down to the ground, leaving a tear nearly half his height in length. Slipping thru he quickly moved over to Elizabeth's side. He covered her mouth to keep her from shouting and put a claw to his lips, "Shhh."

The mousette nodded and he released her, then cut her bindings. He jerked his head towards the hole and helped her along. Elizabeth carefully crawled out the hole and turned to help Red thru when she felt rough paws grab her by the scruff of the neck and lift her up. The small mouse shrieked in pain. Red winced as he heard the corsair behind him jump from his bed. Red dove thru the hole , tackling the rat that held Elizabeth to the ground. A swift punch to the jaw laid him flat as Elizabeth scrambled towards the tree line.

The other rat tried to chase her, but Redclaw threw his legs out and tripped him up. The rat fell flat on his face. Red scrambled onto his back and punched him right at the base of the skull, knocking him out as well. Immediately Red placed two claws in his mouth and whistled loudly. He then turned and ran , scooping up the limping Elizabeth as he ran. He completely forgot The Iron Claw in his haste to leave.

The young girl in his arms just cried happily and clung tightly to his chest, "Thank you Mister Red."

The ferret didn't respond, focusing his entire mind on running, especially once he heard the uproar behind him. They had just broken the tree line when there was a thump and Red stumbled, but kept his feet and continued running, knowing that only a fox could outrun him, even with the extra weight of Elizabeth.

As day broke he saw the sandstone bell-tower thru the trees. And slowed to a walk, cradling the small field mouse in his arms, sleeping off her trauma. Red winced, his back had started aching halfway thru their run. As he staggered up onto the dirt road he was actually thanking the stars for all the scars he'd accumulated thru the seasons. That and the fact that he was wearing gloves, specially made for his six clawed paw.

He was maybe thirty paces from the front gates when his vision suddenly blurred, and his back gave a sudden surge of agony. Red grunted and kept walking as his eyesight began to fade, finally collapsing in a heap only ten paces from the door. The last thing he heard before he faded into darkness was Elizabeth shouting, "Mister Redclaw! Help! HELP!"