Sherwood Grove: A Redwall Legend
Deep in Redwall abbey, Abbot Mordalfus
silenced the crowd of Abbeybeasts waiting
for the reason they had been called together.
Matthias and Cornflower sat next to the newly
married Mattimeo and Tess, and friends Basil,
Fore mole and Constance.
Mordalfus: "My friends, we have a guest at the abbey tonight. His name is Pyle, and he has a tale from the East. Let us listen, for it may turn to be very exciting."
The crowd silenced, as a cloaked squirrel sat before them in the Abbot's chair.
Pyle: "The tale I bring is one of an evil king, a fearless hero, and quest to free a kingdom.
So listen closely, as I tell you the tale…. Of Robin Hood!
Chapter 1: The Outlaw
In the days of the hare King Rickar, their lived a squirrel named Robin. When Robin was a few seasons from a dibbun, he heard of a shooting contest proclaimed by the King's brother, Prince Joras. The prize was a barrel of October Ale, and no one had as good a shot as Robin.
The day of the contest, Robin was walking through Sherwood Forest, when he came upon some of the Prince's foresters. One of them, a large ferret, called out to him.
"You there, young' in, where are you heading with those arrows?
Robin turned and smiled. "I go to Nottingham to win the shooting match."
When the foresters heard this, they burst out laughing. This made the squirrel very cross, so he made a bet with the ferret and his pals, that he could bring down the largest of the woodsparrows in a group of them, a group more then sixty yards away. They took his bet, and he pulled out his bow. Taking aim, he shot his arrow, and it sped like an eagle in the air, killing the woodsparrow dead on.
"What do you say to that shot my fellows?"
The group were very angry, for not only had the squirrel won, but he had killed one of the Prince's woodsparrows that they were to watch.
When the foresters didn't anwser, Robin walked away angrily. All would have been well, but the ferret forester, angry at losing, stood up and fitted an arrow to his bow. He shot the arrow at Robin, missing his ear. Robin turned around quickly, fitting his bow.
"You said I was no archer, but what would you say now!" He cried loudly, firing his arrow and killing the ferret dead on. Before the others could move, Robin was gone.
As Robin ran, his heart sank. He had killed another beast in cold blood. By doing this, he had made himself an outlaw. He turned around and saw the foresters running off to tell the Sheriff of Nottingham. He stopped running. He knew he couldn't run anymore, so he decided to stay in the forest. For three seasons, he hid in Sherwood, gathering other outlaws that had killed woodsparrows to eat, or had been taxed from their homes by the greedy Sheriff and Prince Joras.
By the end of the third season, he had two score outlaws with him, and they chose young Robin as their leader. Each of the other outlaws, whether hedgehog, mole, mouse, shrew or otter, were fitted with suit of Forest green, and taught how to use bows and swords. They made it their goal to take from the wealthy and give to the poor woodlanders. The band became known as the Merry ones, and Robin became Robin Hood..
A young dibbun, who had sat quietly while Pyle had spoke, stood up.
Ruve: That mista Robun bad. He shotten ferret fur no reasun.
Pyle smiled at the dibbun.
Pyle: Yes he did little one, but he chose to make up for it by helping poor woodlanders.
Remember that, and let me continue my tale.