Hi! *waves* This is my first fic, so don't be too harsh on me. I know that you won't recognize anything except the basic idea of vermin being bad and woodlanders being good. It's written in the "Redwall style" and that is a style that I don't own, Brian Jacques does. However, I do own Xyron, Ketom, Magen, and all of the other characters in this story. On with the fiction of the fans. Man, that was lame. R&R *hugs*

I am now old and withered, but I still have one clear memory left. That day, that wonderful and horrible day. That was the day when I lost my parents.

(Flashback)

"KETOM! WAKE UP! WE HAVE A SPECIAL DAY PLANNED OUT FOR YOU!"

Ketom's parents shouted for Ketom Longstaff, always a lazy late sleeper of a mouse to get out of bed.

"I'M COMING"

Ketom gets out of bed and smooths down his fur quickly with his paws. Walking through the hall of the house, he can smell all of his favorite foods and drinks. Trifle, pastie, pie, cake, cider, cordial, and october ale. The meal was delicious. All of the food made to perfection. After breakfast, Ketom was blindfolded and taken right out of the house into the clearing in which the family lived. After a few minutes, Ketom's father returns with a big bundle an places it in Ketoms outstretched paws. Taking off the blindfold, he sees one of the symbols of his family, the long leaf bladed spear. Little did he know, that he would change that in his life.

"Mom, Dad, thank you so much!"

Of course, hugs and kisses ensue and the all important father-son spear training session, which also covers some staff techniques.

Ketom does a spinning move meant to take out the footpaws, and for the first time of the day, successfully beats his father in a spar.

"Yes! I finally beat you, Dad!"

"Beginners luck."

"Dad, we've been at this for three hours."

"Oh... wait, what was that?"

Both mice hear a rustling in the bushes by the clearing.

"Son, I think it's time to put your fighting skills to the test."

A huge weasle charges out of the bush, straight at Ketom.

"I AM XYRON FIREPAW! PREPARE TO DIE!"

And true to his word, Xyron is carrying a torch in each paw. Ketom's father deflects the attack that would have killed Ketom otherwise and engages Xyron in one-on-one combat.

"Take care of the others, Ketom. LONGSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF!"

Two more weasles, a stoat, and an archer fox step out of the bushes and take fighting positons. Each one of the weasles pulls out a cutlass and charges Ketom from a different side. Not being the brightest flames in the bonfire, (please excuse my bad metaphor, I could't think of anything else) the three of them combined are about an equal match for Ketom, who more than made up for his lack of training with his great intellegence and courage.

He slashed one across the face in a wild attempt at his first kill. Unluckily, it wasn't fatal... at least, not fatal to everything but the weasle's nose, which dropped onto the ground. Ducking under a head slash, Ketom stabs the noseless weasle in the gut and it falls to the ground, creating a gruesome sight. Next, he turns he attention to the bigger of the thwo weasles he was fighting. He took a cut to the knee on his right footpaw, but nothing seriou. Although, it would leave him with a slight limp for the rest of his life. Slicing the big weasle's head off, Ketom turns his attention to the stoat, who has obviously had more experience than the two weasles he just fought.

"Har har, you bees jus' a kid. I'll make short work o' you. Har har, short, yer a kid.

The fox that came with the weasles and the stoat was nowhere to be seen at the moment. At this point, he was in a very leafy tree, using the lush summer foilage to give him cover. Deciding to bide his time and wait for the right moment, the fox sits and watches the older mouse fighting Xyron, it. It was a pretty even match, though the older mouse was slightly better.

He won't be much better when he's dead.

That was the end of the life of Magen Longstaff. The fox pulled the string back and released the arrow, saving his leader's life in the process.

Meanwhile, Ketom was looking at where his father was fighting Xyron, only to see an arrow sprout out of his chest. His eyes became bloodshot and something beserk in nature took over his brain. Letting loose his family's warcry, the now mad Ketom charges at the stoat, putting wood and steel through his black heat.

"LONGSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFF!"

Taking his father's spear, Ketom flings it at the fox archer right as he was pulling back a shot at Ketom. Luckily, the spear got there first and nocked the aim sideways, the bow sliding from the dead fox's paws, landing with the arrow.

Looking at Xyron, he is surprised to see the weasle clapping slowly and sitting on a log.

"Well done young mouse, Ketom, is it? I have a proposition for you. How would you like to join me and be my right paw? I plan to assassinate the leader of a large horde and the take control myself. (idea property of Brian Jacques) You are quite a good fighter for one so young, you could be a skilled warrior. Though, if you choose the wrong answer, I'll have to kill you."

Xyron grins evilly and lets his paw stray to a torch. Still in half bloodwrath, Ketom throws caution to the wind and charges Xyron with his spear pointed at the weasle like a lance.

"LONGSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFF!"

This wasn't the response Xyron expected and he didn't have time to understand it further because of the spear protruding through his back. Ketom's eyes go back to normal and he falls unconcious for three days.

Three days later

Ketom woke up to the sound of crying and realized it was him. Getting up and dusting himself off, he wonders how long he had been unconcious and why his mother wasn't tending to his every need like she normally would if he recieved an injury.

Mom!? Where are you? He looks into the house and sees that some candles are still burning. His teary eyes prevent him from seeing a hole in the window on the side of the house. When Ketom opens trhe door, he is greeted to a sight of his mother lying on the floor with an arrow through her head. For fear of getting half bloodwrath again, Ketom grabs his valuables and some food from the house, puts it in a fairly big traveler's pack and walks out of the house with a lantern in his hand.

"Good bye Mom and Dad, I love you."

And with that, Ketom chucks the lantern through the door and sets the house on fire. Leaving his parents on their bed. Not having the resources for proper burial, Ketom thought that fire would be the next best thing as opposed to leaving them for scavengers. Not looking back, Ketom starts out on the first of his many journeys, though none of them as important as the best and worst day of his life.

With tears in his eyes, the old mouse finishes his tale and falls asleep for a nap, silently wishing that his parents were proud of him, wherever they are.

In Ketom's dream

Two mice about fourty seasons old each walk up to Ketom in a clearing with a 20x20 foot square of burnt grass, never to grow.

"We are proud of you, Ketom.

There, my first fic, I hope you enjoyed it. Me out. Wow, still lame. Oh and by the way, the review button is right here.