"Let's stop here for the night" Adrier suggested, Gesturing to a clearing at the beginning of a huge area of swampland.
"Good idea. I tired out from all that walking!" Blyth opened her haversack of vittles and took out an oatbran scone and poured herself a cup of Dandelion Cordial. "According to this map of Mossflower and surrounding country we should reach Salamandastron by tomorrow night, we've made very good progress today"
"I'm properly tuckered out, I can tell you miss" Adrier agreed.
"Please call me Blyth, Adrier. I'm going to sleep now, but I think we'll need somebeast to guard camp, apparently they have sighted a ferret ruler, Maulcore the Deathbringer, near these swamps, and there's always the threat of lizards coming out to greet us"
"Right, I'll go first. I'll wake you up when I get tired" Adrier swung the Gullwhacker (a lenght of thick rope knotted at the end which had been Mariel's main weapon in her days) over his head, a present from Mariel when she heard he would be travelling with Blyth.
Blyth snuggled down in a patch of grass under a tree to sleep. Very soon they were both snoring loudly.
~ "Come on Grimeye my old pal! Pull! Harder, you c'n do it messmate!" Grimeye and Slasharm were two ferret's from Maulcore's horde who had been lost in the swamps a while back as their group marched through. Grimeye had stepped into a bog by mistake, and his old matey Slasharm had stayed to get him out. Or rather, that was what he said. Slasheye knew that Grimeye was a strong, tough ferret. If anybeast would challenge and could beat Maulcore, it was him. Slasharm, despite his fearsome name, was a puny ferret, and hung around Grimeye for protection. If he thought they were mates, so be it.
Eventually Grimeye was pulled out of the bog. "Right then matey, let's catch up with his 'ighness Maulcore and the boys eh?" Slasharm led them through the swamp. A hissing sound made Slasharm stop in his tracks. In front of them was a line of fearsome looking swamp toads.
"Ogga blogty hurhgik!" croaked the largest.
"Blooga ogga blogty hurhgik junfyogga!" the others chanted, as they began circling the two ferret's.
The toads were blocking their path. There was no way the ferret's were going to get back to the horde without a fight. However large and tough, Grimeye was not planning to risk his life to get back to the slave driver Maulcore. They turned tail and fled back the way they had come.
~ Adrier was woken by a crackling in the bushes near the swamp. He lay still, pretending he was still asleep, and watched. His keen squirrels eyes noting every move. Two ferret's stepped cautiously onto the path.
"Here, lookit this matey! A treejumper and a mousey maiden! Cor! Lookit their vittles! They won't mind if we just borrow a few! Heh heh!" Before he knew what was happening Gullwhacker had lashed out and caught Slasharm squarely in the stomach. He dropped to the floor, senceless. Grimeye growled at Adrier.
"Knock out me best pal would yer, treejumper?" Quick as a flash he grabbed Gullwahcker out of the squirrels paws and swung it around. With lightning speed Blyth swung Martin's sword and hit Grimeye on the side of his jaw with the flat of the sword. He crumpled up next to his mate.
"Thanks Blyth. Phew, he was about to knock my block off!" Adrier gasped.
"Think nothing of it. Now come on, it must be near dawn, let's get some vittles down us and get moving. Salamandastron waits for no beast you know!"
~ Lord Rawnblade of Salamandastron was studying the ancient writings on the walls of the fire mountain. He saw a mouse maid, obviously a warrior, you could tell from the sword she was carrying. It was the sword of Martin the Warrior, the sword that his anciestors had made. With her was a squirrel, a brave soul with a daring twinkle in his eye and swinging the Gullwhacker, the weapon of Lord Rawnblade's old friend Mariel. They were walking into Salamandastron.
Rawnblade called for Sergant Swiftkick, the leader of the Long Patrol. "Swiftkick, I want you to send out a search party. You are looking for a mouse maid and a red squirrel. When you find them bring them here. They are brave warriors, prehaps they have been sent here to help in the war against Maulcore, who by the way is still prowling arouns with his army outside. Either that or they were sent by Martin the Warrior in a dream. If the latter, they are very special guests. It has been written they will come. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal bally clear, Rawnblade old lad. I'll send the troops of immediately, wot?"
~ When he returned with the Long Patrol that evening they had with them Blyth and Adrier. The prophesy had been right in that they would come to save Salamandastron, but if it was correct, the future would be bleak for the two warriors.