Note: I own nothing in this fic but Star and her clan, the rest is from the great mind of Brian Jacques! Please don't sue me

The Northern Star

She left no creature alive on the ship, she watched it on the horizon as she drifted away towards a far off shore. The wound on her side was still bleeding and she didn't have enough energy left to continue the pressure, slowly her vision became more blurred and she drifted from consciousness. Strange creatures visited her in her hazy dream they spoke to her. Told her things, scary things, they showed her things then she saw a face she knew and the dream froze.

How long she had been out she didn't know, but a voice woke her.

"M'Lord. We don't know if this creature is friend or foe!"

"Sergeant, this maid needs medical attention before we can decide anything. Get her to the infirmary!" Barked Russano.

He sighed as he watched his hares carry the unknown maid to Salamandastron. He regretted snapping at Ashby he was thinking of the safety of the mountain. But Russano felt he recognised the maid from a dream or vision. He made his way to the infirmary, his hares were dressing the nasty wound on the maid's side, spear thrust from behind he thought.

The maid had a panicked look on her face but she remained quiet and still the whole time the hares dealt with her wounds. Once the hares had finished one began dapping a damp cloth on her forehead.

"Rest child rest you are safe here." Lord Russano smiled at her. She pulled herself upright.

"Where am I Sir?"

"Ah our catch of the day speaks." He smiled again.

"You are in the mountain of Salamandastron my dear."

"Salamandastron? I made it this far south?" She shook her head in wonder.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lord Russano ruler of this mountain." The maid bowed her head in respect.

"I am Star, ruler of nothing." She smiled.

"I am a Thylacine, since you were wondering." "Where are you from Star?" Star looked at the floor and sniffed.

"Beyond the Northern Mountains Sir." A few of the hares gasped, Russano silenced them with a glance.

"I can see in your eyes you have a story to tell young Star." Star looked at the eager hares filling the infirmary and the doorway and shook her head at them. Russano caught on and shooed the hares from the room, he then sat himself on the bed next to Star's.

"You may begin my child." Star fidgeted and shifted around until she could sit without her side irritating her.

"Well I guess this tale begins fourteen and a half seasons ago, me, my brother Solar and my sister Luna had just taken our first look at life out of the pouch, met our father and mother properly and the rest of the tribe.

Ah my father, Orion, I miss him so. As the fates would have it on that very day I saw the world for the first time it was taken from me. Our tribe was celebrating my siblings and me first emerging from the pouch when we were ambushed. An arrow took my father through the heart.

We lost many of our tribe that befated eve. When we stood defeated we had lost half our number. As we were forced to lie face down the leader of our captors decided to show his face.

Bloodfang the Blackhearted, a wolf. It was he who murdered my father and he who holds my mother and his personal slave and my brother and sister as blackmail. He kept us separated from my mother, oh we were treated well enough he needed us alive but prison is prison no matter the guise.

The rest of our tribe mans the oars on his private fleet or mine his land for precious stones and whatnot, with scores of other wretched creatures from my native land.

His army is a huge one at the least he controls ten score. I cannot begin to tell you how many whip scars I have from attempting to escape, my mother always said I had my father's rebellious streak.

Finally I managed it but not in the way I planned. Bloodfang had me chained in the belly of one of his fleet as an oar slave to teach me a lesson. Thing is he decided that I alone would man the oars on his smallest vessel The Fang and Claw.

The crew didn't keep me on the oars as instructed as their captain said it wasn't worth it and I became the ship slave. Cooking, cleaning, repairing the sails you name it they made me do it. One night after the crew had pillaged some poor settlement, they drank themselves stupid, and every single one of them was out cold so I took the chance I slew them all, paid them back for every whip mark and kick.

As I went to the galley to set the ship alight the bosun had been in the Crow's Nest and I'd missed him. He snuck up behind me and thrust his spear into my side as I fell I threw the torch I had in my paw. His death was slow and painful as he leapt over the side to extinguish the flames he kept going down. I then managed to release the ship's jolly boat and climb into it. Then I ended up on your beach Sire."

Star wiped away her tears. Lord Russano placed his huge paw lightly on hers.

"Star I promise I shall free your family and I aim to keep that promise no matter what." Star smiled.

"But first I must journey to Redwall Abbey to see my nurse to her final resting place. Maybe just maybe we may recruit some the Redwall warriors and their allies." Star nodded.

"When will we leave Sir?"

"As soon as I assemble the troops. You don't need to call me Sir or Sire Star Russano will do." Star blushed.

"Now you rest and leave everything to me." Star settled down to sleep. Russano crept from the infirmary and pulled the door too.

He strode into the mess hall and called his officers to him and told them the situation. They saluted him and hurried to for fill his requests. Russano went up to the forge room and retrieved his trusty weapon a small hardwood stick that had belonged to his name-sake and rescuer Russa Nodrey.

Note: Many people don't understand what I mean when I say about Star first emerging from the pouch. The Thylacine is a marsupial, which means they are born then finish forming in the pouch and so thought I would have my tribe instead of celebrating a birthday they celebrate emerging from the pouch. Sorry to have caused any confusion it seemed logical in my head (But thats not saying much!)

For further information on the Thylacine go to - wwwdotnaturalworldsdotorgslashthylacineslashindex

And if you are the owner of the site and object to this link being here let me know and I will remove it.

Thank you to those who reviewed the first draft of this and I hope this version is easier on the eyes.