Disclaimer: Redwall isn't my property. While I have created most of this
story, it is based on a downloadable game from Slagar the Cruel Productions
called (SURPRISE!) Vermin Invaders. It's an excellent game, and I felt the
story needed a little expanding on. So this is the result. I hope you
enjoy it!
Chapter 1: A Horde Invades
Lord Thunderclaw whirled around irritably. "What do you lazy lot think you're doin', huh?" he demanded, adjusting his crown slightly on his head. "While my stupid little brother stays in the Northlands to rule a kingdom of three squirrels, two hedgehogs, a couple eagles, and an acorn, I'm goin' to do something! Double time now! We're almost there! I can see the Abbey walls ahead!"
The Hordemaster, as he was known, was on a conquest. He had heard about the peaceful Abbey of Redwall in Mossflower country, and thought it the perfect place to start his kingdom over again. There were a few reasons for his relocation, but one stood out above all the rest.
If not for his little brother Kevar, Thunderclaw would never have left the Northlands. Kevar had grown up to be every bit as strong as Thunderclaw, and a better archer. Kevar's fanatical followers, his "Royal Guard," had become the most feared fighters in the land. Kevar had the upper hand in the Northlands.
So Thunderclaw had to go elsewhere. He knew at once where he wanted to go. Redwall Abbey was legendary, and Thunderclaw fancied himself a legendary conqueror. No one had ever taken over those peaceful country bumpkins, in their red-stoned Abbey. Thunderclaw was sure he was going to be the first.
He wasn't without backup. His army commanders were among the fiercest beasts in all the Northlands. He already knew who he was going to give command of the preliminary assault to. A rat, just like Thunderclaw himself, the Conjurer was a rare beast. He had magical powers, something that Thunderclaw greatly admired. The Conjurer could summon other rats at will. He could bring them in to back himself up. The Conjurer was a fearsome warrior!
The Abbey, he knew, would have great heroes of its own. They had to fall. Thunderclaw knew that if the Abbeybeasts saw their heroes fall, they, too, would fall to his might. His Weasel Assassins would see to that. There weren't two faster beasts in the entire Northlands; he'd even set them on his brother once, though by a stroke of luck he was able to fight them off.
And then there was Yelloweye the Sling, Thunderclaw's second-in- command. The great wildcat was immune to all but his own slingstones. He could have defeated Thunderclaw himself, but he knew that he wasn't a ruler at heart. He would rather let Thunderclaw do the ruling and stand on the sidelines, enforcing his Lord's will and crushing any resistance to the rat's authority.
Thunderclaw was confident. He didn't think the Abbey could stop him.
Standing atop the wall, a group of mice saw the approaching rat and his horde. These mice were at Redwall for the annual archery contest; they were the best archers in Mossflower.
"Hey, you wanna shout any louder?" one of them demanded of Thunderclaw as the rat advanced to within earshot. "I think a few at Castle Floret didn't hear you attacking!"
"I have no need for surprise, mouse," Thunderclaw shot back. "I have a crew of seasoned fighters from the Northlands. Your Abbeydwellers will be no match for us. I will come in to work out the terms of your surrender."
"If by terms of surrender you mean terms of get the flip away from our Abbey or we'll shoot you, then yes," another mouse replied.
"I am not here to banter with your crew of mice," Thunderclaw spat disdainfully. "If all you have are insults than all you'll get is a slaughter here, and nothing paid for it!"
"We'll get a slaughter by gum," replied another of the mice. "A slaughter of you!"
"How can you make such outrageous claims, mouse?" Thunderclaw said. "There are only five of you, and there are over twenty-score of us. Surely five beasts cannot defend a whole Abbey!"
"Against scum like you we can," another archer responded. "You're worthless. Everyone knows vermin can only take one hit."
"I have no more to say to you, mice. Prepare to die. Retreat!" Thunderclaw yelled, and his horde obeyed, backing away from the Abbey.
"You think he plans to attack?" Tell, one of the archers, asked Robin, another.
"I think he plans to attack. There were four of them that concerned me; besides the rat himself of course...there was another huge rat with big red eyes. Did you see him, Greenleaf?"
"Aye, I saw 'im," responded Greenleaf. He was called Greenleaf because he'd lived in Mossflower all his life, and he'd spent most of his time in Mossflower climbing trees and sitting in the leaves. Some called him a squirrel, but his friends knew that he just loved trees. "Dangerous beast he was, aye, wouldn't want to meet him."
"No, but I think the ones we'll have to worry about are those two weasels," Apollo, another of the mice, put in. "They had the look of assassins, and that rat king doesn't seem like he'd be afraid to use them. Vermin'll do anything to win a fight."
"Aye, that they will," Yi, the youngest of the archer mice, responded.
"We'd best warn the Abbot," Robin said. "He's a wise ol' beast. He'll know what to do."
Descending down into the courtyard, the mice soon found themselves alone with the Abbot in his private study.
"Father, a vermin horde has just come up the path, let by an archer- king. There is no question in my mind that they intend to conquer Redwall and enslave us all," Tell said.
"Then you know what you must do," the Abbot replied. "Surely they will lay siege to our Abbey and starve us out. The spirit of Martin the Warrior told me that you would be needed here, my friends, that is why I called for the archery contest early this year. You must charge out and meet them. They will never expect an attack now. Go my friends...the fate of Redwall Abbey is on your bows!"
The mice were shocked. They had expected the Abbot to try and find a non-violent solution. There was nothing for it now.
"Pack your provisions," Apollo said. "This should be over quickly, so travel light. There are a lot of them, but vermin can only take one hit. It's those weasels and that red-eyed rat besides the archer-king 'imself."
"Apollo, you forgot the one I think is the most fearsome beast of them all," Tell said. "That great yellow-eyed wildcat. I'm surprised he hasn't slayed that rat and taken control of the horde for himself."
"Ah yes, the wildcat," Robin said coldly. "I know of him. Yelloweye the Sling, I recognized him immediately. Let's just say we've had a run in before."
"You have?" Apollo questioned. "When? How?"
"I am from the Northlands as you may know. Long has that place been thick with wildcats. And how cruel they are to goodbeasts! When I was just a dibbun with my mother, a young cat with great yellow eyes raided our house. He called himself Yelloweye the Sling. I'll never forget those eyes as long as I live."
The hate in Robin's voice was audible, and all the other mice backed away, except for Tell, who threw a paw around his fellow mouse's shoulder.
"Come now, Robin," Tell said comfortingly. "I'm sure you'll get the chance for your revenge. But let's go, before any more time elapses."
Opening the gate, the five friends stepped out into Mossflower.
Chapter 1: A Horde Invades
Lord Thunderclaw whirled around irritably. "What do you lazy lot think you're doin', huh?" he demanded, adjusting his crown slightly on his head. "While my stupid little brother stays in the Northlands to rule a kingdom of three squirrels, two hedgehogs, a couple eagles, and an acorn, I'm goin' to do something! Double time now! We're almost there! I can see the Abbey walls ahead!"
The Hordemaster, as he was known, was on a conquest. He had heard about the peaceful Abbey of Redwall in Mossflower country, and thought it the perfect place to start his kingdom over again. There were a few reasons for his relocation, but one stood out above all the rest.
If not for his little brother Kevar, Thunderclaw would never have left the Northlands. Kevar had grown up to be every bit as strong as Thunderclaw, and a better archer. Kevar's fanatical followers, his "Royal Guard," had become the most feared fighters in the land. Kevar had the upper hand in the Northlands.
So Thunderclaw had to go elsewhere. He knew at once where he wanted to go. Redwall Abbey was legendary, and Thunderclaw fancied himself a legendary conqueror. No one had ever taken over those peaceful country bumpkins, in their red-stoned Abbey. Thunderclaw was sure he was going to be the first.
He wasn't without backup. His army commanders were among the fiercest beasts in all the Northlands. He already knew who he was going to give command of the preliminary assault to. A rat, just like Thunderclaw himself, the Conjurer was a rare beast. He had magical powers, something that Thunderclaw greatly admired. The Conjurer could summon other rats at will. He could bring them in to back himself up. The Conjurer was a fearsome warrior!
The Abbey, he knew, would have great heroes of its own. They had to fall. Thunderclaw knew that if the Abbeybeasts saw their heroes fall, they, too, would fall to his might. His Weasel Assassins would see to that. There weren't two faster beasts in the entire Northlands; he'd even set them on his brother once, though by a stroke of luck he was able to fight them off.
And then there was Yelloweye the Sling, Thunderclaw's second-in- command. The great wildcat was immune to all but his own slingstones. He could have defeated Thunderclaw himself, but he knew that he wasn't a ruler at heart. He would rather let Thunderclaw do the ruling and stand on the sidelines, enforcing his Lord's will and crushing any resistance to the rat's authority.
Thunderclaw was confident. He didn't think the Abbey could stop him.
Standing atop the wall, a group of mice saw the approaching rat and his horde. These mice were at Redwall for the annual archery contest; they were the best archers in Mossflower.
"Hey, you wanna shout any louder?" one of them demanded of Thunderclaw as the rat advanced to within earshot. "I think a few at Castle Floret didn't hear you attacking!"
"I have no need for surprise, mouse," Thunderclaw shot back. "I have a crew of seasoned fighters from the Northlands. Your Abbeydwellers will be no match for us. I will come in to work out the terms of your surrender."
"If by terms of surrender you mean terms of get the flip away from our Abbey or we'll shoot you, then yes," another mouse replied.
"I am not here to banter with your crew of mice," Thunderclaw spat disdainfully. "If all you have are insults than all you'll get is a slaughter here, and nothing paid for it!"
"We'll get a slaughter by gum," replied another of the mice. "A slaughter of you!"
"How can you make such outrageous claims, mouse?" Thunderclaw said. "There are only five of you, and there are over twenty-score of us. Surely five beasts cannot defend a whole Abbey!"
"Against scum like you we can," another archer responded. "You're worthless. Everyone knows vermin can only take one hit."
"I have no more to say to you, mice. Prepare to die. Retreat!" Thunderclaw yelled, and his horde obeyed, backing away from the Abbey.
"You think he plans to attack?" Tell, one of the archers, asked Robin, another.
"I think he plans to attack. There were four of them that concerned me; besides the rat himself of course...there was another huge rat with big red eyes. Did you see him, Greenleaf?"
"Aye, I saw 'im," responded Greenleaf. He was called Greenleaf because he'd lived in Mossflower all his life, and he'd spent most of his time in Mossflower climbing trees and sitting in the leaves. Some called him a squirrel, but his friends knew that he just loved trees. "Dangerous beast he was, aye, wouldn't want to meet him."
"No, but I think the ones we'll have to worry about are those two weasels," Apollo, another of the mice, put in. "They had the look of assassins, and that rat king doesn't seem like he'd be afraid to use them. Vermin'll do anything to win a fight."
"Aye, that they will," Yi, the youngest of the archer mice, responded.
"We'd best warn the Abbot," Robin said. "He's a wise ol' beast. He'll know what to do."
Descending down into the courtyard, the mice soon found themselves alone with the Abbot in his private study.
"Father, a vermin horde has just come up the path, let by an archer- king. There is no question in my mind that they intend to conquer Redwall and enslave us all," Tell said.
"Then you know what you must do," the Abbot replied. "Surely they will lay siege to our Abbey and starve us out. The spirit of Martin the Warrior told me that you would be needed here, my friends, that is why I called for the archery contest early this year. You must charge out and meet them. They will never expect an attack now. Go my friends...the fate of Redwall Abbey is on your bows!"
The mice were shocked. They had expected the Abbot to try and find a non-violent solution. There was nothing for it now.
"Pack your provisions," Apollo said. "This should be over quickly, so travel light. There are a lot of them, but vermin can only take one hit. It's those weasels and that red-eyed rat besides the archer-king 'imself."
"Apollo, you forgot the one I think is the most fearsome beast of them all," Tell said. "That great yellow-eyed wildcat. I'm surprised he hasn't slayed that rat and taken control of the horde for himself."
"Ah yes, the wildcat," Robin said coldly. "I know of him. Yelloweye the Sling, I recognized him immediately. Let's just say we've had a run in before."
"You have?" Apollo questioned. "When? How?"
"I am from the Northlands as you may know. Long has that place been thick with wildcats. And how cruel they are to goodbeasts! When I was just a dibbun with my mother, a young cat with great yellow eyes raided our house. He called himself Yelloweye the Sling. I'll never forget those eyes as long as I live."
The hate in Robin's voice was audible, and all the other mice backed away, except for Tell, who threw a paw around his fellow mouse's shoulder.
"Come now, Robin," Tell said comfortingly. "I'm sure you'll get the chance for your revenge. But let's go, before any more time elapses."
Opening the gate, the five friends stepped out into Mossflower.