Alright, well this prologue happened to be what I sent in for the Redwall Survivor contest, Redscape, and it didn't make it in, or even close. So, with a few adjustments, I've made it into part of a story.
I really hope it turns out better than Victims of Our Grief and Denial, because I don't think I did very well at all on it. So, enjoy this first installment, and thanks to Jade TeaLeaf for introducing me to Redscape in the first place.
http://z3(dot)invisionfree(dot)com/Redscape/index(dot)php
Replace the (dot)s with a period.
~Persarr~
Prologue
"Six," snarled the merchant, "I'll take six o' yer gold coins, an' no less than that!" The irritated stoat held out his paw and motioned to a rat he was trying to bargain with.
In turn, the rat shook his head violently, "I ain't payin' that outrageous price, especially just fer a sail! The coins in my pouch're solid gold! Taken from an exotic ship! Who do y'think you are, anyway, askin' fer such a high price?"
"I'm a shopkeeper who needs money t'feed 'is family with, that's who!" the stoat retorted immediately, his face set in a scowl.
Sluggishly, the rat turned around and made to stride away, projecting over his shoulder, "Well, uh, I guess I'll find another vendor that I can pay some of these... rare coins to... " He jingled the pouch of money on his belt meaningfully.
The rat slowly prepared to go away, but upon a shout of, "'Ey! Come back 'ere!" coming from the direction of the stand, he turned and hurried towards the stoat with a clearly visible smirk.
"Yes?" inquired the rat with a mocking look, leaning his elbow on the counter.
Exhaling a sigh, the trader growled, "I know what yer doin'. But I... I desperately need some money, and business 'as been 'orrible lately. How much'll y'pay for me best sail?"
Appearing to think hard, the rat finally bargained, "Two gold coins, and a copper coin or two. How's that sound for you? Believe me, gold is worth far more here than y'think. Two o' those beauties is worth a fortune in this place, and I know that, I been a captain fer a long time."
The stoat groaned to himself, but still reluctantly muttered, "Awright. I'll be right back with yer sail, but if you rip it or somethin', there'll be no refunds," With that, the merchant retreated into a hut behind the counter.
A moment later, far faster than the rat had expected, the shopkeeper emerged with a large, folded cloth. Intricate designs were stitched into the fabric, depicting waves and other various seafaring symbols.
"Good," stated the rat, eying the sail and picking six coins from his pouch, tossing them into the ferret's paw.
"Say," began the vendor before the rat was out of hearing, "You mind comin' inside fer a drink? I haven't 'ad a customer for a long time, so yer greatly appreciated. Plus, the weather ain't lookin' so good," He looked up at the steadily darkling sky and clouds with worry, "And, hey, what's yer name?"
Grinning politely, the rat stated, "It's Reimus, but I'm called Reim. Captain Reim. And nah, I... gave up alcohol long ago. It's a long story."
The stoat shrugged, "Eh, suit yerself. Yer business is valued anyway, though."
Reim nodded and began to head towards the inn that he and his shipmates had stayed in for the previous few nights they had been at the port.
As the captain strode through the various hubbub of the wharf's traders, he heard a faint shout of, "Cap'n!" coming from the crowd. However, since many barges with captains docked at the port, he paid no heed to the cry.
But then Reim heard it again, this time a bit louder, "Cap'n! Captain Reim!" At his name, the searat stood on the tips of his footpaws and searched for the owner of the voice.
All of a sudden, a young fox appeared in front of the captain, an eager grin spread across his face.
"Cap'n Reim," the fox repeated exhaustedly, "I finally found you. Yer needed at the Rusty Dagger Inn; something... bad happened."
With a quizzical look on his face, Captain Reim led his youngest crew member towards the nearby tavern in a swift march, the fox struggling to keep up behind him.
"What exactly 'appened, Koert?" inquired the searat, keeping his brisk pace.
The fox hesitated then said unhelpfully, "Err... sorry, cap'n, but it'd be best if you found out for yerself. It's, uh... not pleasant."
Reim rolled his eyes and snapped, "I noticed. Just tell me now, mate, the cap'n needs to know what's 'appened to his crew."
Koert avoided his boss's stare and gulped, trying hard to ignore Reim.
Clenching his paws, the captain prayed for patience, and when he finally stepped into the bar, he didn't like what he saw.
Tables and chairs were skewed across the inn's floor, splintered and broken. Moaning vermin sat in every corner, each clenching a wound that was either seeping blood or bruised beyond recognition. The searat identified some of the corsairs as his crewmates, and many of their injuries looked fatal.
Ream's eyes widened, and he managed to stutter, "Wh-what the hell happened here?! Who did this t'my crew?"
When nobeast replied, because they were either in too much pain or afraid to answer, Koert stepped in and responded, "This... well, I was told this nasty ferret and 'is band of cutthroats or somethin' came... I was goin' outside t'shop when it happened, but I came back... and... everything was just like this," The fox swallowed and stepped back, and, coincidentally, it was a lucky thing he did, too.
The captain had angrily snatched a dagger from his belt and hurled it against the wall, barely missing the young fox in the process. It was buried to the hilt in the boards of the inn's wooden wall.
Through clenched teeth, Reim stalked over to the dagger and removed it from the wall, snarling, "Those bastards! Did anything else 'appen, besides our crew being 'alf dead?!"
"Well... uh," choked Koert nervously, "Yer brother, Velaire... he, uh, he... he was..." The fox was unable to finish his sentence, so he just awkwardly stood in place, appearing to be extremely interested in his footpaws.
Koert suddenly found himself being dragged towards his captain by the neck of his shirt.
"What... happened... to... Velaire?!" growled Captain Reim.
His frightened shipmate stuttered, "H-he... was m-murdered by one of th-the bandits... I was t-told that he was killed by a-a dagger,"
The searat let the fox go and stared emptily into space, his eyes mysteriously clouded.
There was a deafening silence, and just when Koert was about to remark, a growl began to rip from the the captain's throat.
Reim grabbed at a nearby broken chair that had happened to be in his way, and furiously flung it across the room. It landed in a strangled heap, almost hitting one of his damaged crewmates, who flinched, then cried out in agony as his wound caused him even more pain.
Suddenly, the captain collapsed to the floor and dug his head into his paws. All anger had quickly evaporated and was replaced by a strong wave of grief.
"Velaire..." Reim whispered quietly.
All was lost. His brother... the only one whom he could trust on a ship full of corsairs. All the memories they had shared together... gone; evaporated. And, even though Velaire was the captain's elder brother, he had still been too young... too young to die.
And, as the winds of sorrow breezed inside Reim's head, some less-figurative winds began to frenzy, howl, and scream outside in the port of Meddn. Vermin scattered, fleeing and seeking cover in buildings and anywhere else they could find. The clouds that had been darkling before were now spewing rain, and powerful waves came crashing savagely onto the docks.
The storm had begun.
