Here's chapter one! (Btw, some of these names may sound familiar, as they have been used in some Redwall books. No copyright intended.)
Up north, on the east coast, there stood a magnificent castle, facing the ocean. It was called Marshank. How or why it was built is unknown, but legend says that the ancestors of the current residents were traveling out of Mossflower, where war had crippled them and their families. They came upon a wrecked fort, with a mad old stoat named Tramun Clogg living inside. He died soon after the fort had been refurbished. No beast knew where he came from, or why he was living alone in his state of mind.
Over the seasons, Fort Marshank became Castle Marshank, because its residents were expanding, so they elected someone to control trades, tariffs, and wrongdoers. To the beasts of Marshank, "King" was just a fancy title for somebeast who had a lot of stress on his shoulders. Kings, or sometimes Queens were elected by the creatures of Marshank, or the responsibility was passed down to one of the King's or Queen's children, with the approval of the Council, which consists of 9 of the smartest and oldest living beasts in Marshank.
The current King was a golden rat named Skogar. Skogar was a tough beast who never minced his words, nor cared for the creatures who weren't smart enough to earn a good living. He had two sons, named Gerry and Martin. He had not given Martin his name by coincidence, as he was visited in his dreams by Martin the Warrior himself, telling Skogar that his younger son was destined for greatness, greater than any King or Queen that lived before him. Skogar, who was wholly convinced he was speaking to a legend, asked Martin if he could name his son after the age-old warrior, because "you are an awesome figure, even though you are long dead. I want my kin to have that kind of legacy." and Martin conceded.
(Several seasons later)
"Martin, your father would like to see you in his quarters in an hour." said a servant after knocking on Martin's door.
"Okay!" Martin called to the door, not quite finished dressing. He heard footsteps walk quickly away in the direction of Skogar's room. He had almost finished when his albino brother, Gerry, popped in through his window.
"Pa wants to see me in less than an hour, so hurry." Martin said, not looking up from buttoning his shirt. Gerry, having climbed in using the walls, remorselessly walked toward his brother, dirtying the floor.
"Pa wants to see you? What did you do this time? Be honest." Gerry said, washing his paws in a bowl of rosewater than Martin was about to clean his face in.
"I didn't do anything, he just wants to see me about something." he retorted. "Besides, you didn't tell me why you were pretending to be a spider outside."
"I was just snooping around, catching bits of this and that to gossip about." Gerry was a big gossiper, he only kept his mouth shut if it was really important. Storm grey eyes met reddish-pink ones.
"There isn't anything to tell, I have no idea what Pa wants." Martin said, clearly indicating that Gerry was not welcome in his private quarters. Gerry pretended not to notice.
"I don't know, I'm pretty sure I saw Pike in Pa's room. And I'm pretty sure he saw me."
Martin snorted. "It's not like you'd be the best at camouflage, with your white coat."
"I can still be unseen if I want to," Gerry said, pretending to be offended.
"Yeah, unseen by blind beasts!"
The two continued their brotherly bickering until it was time for Martin to go to his appointment with the King. As Martin opened the door to leave, Gerry grabbed his shoulder, "If Pa kills you for whatever reason, I'll only go to your funeral if there's cake."
Martin grinned. "I can arrange that."
"Enter" King Skogar said gruffly. He was sitting at a table with The Big Pike, looking at some charts. Martin entered and sat himself down, completely aware that it was rude to sit in the presence of a king. Martin got right to the point.
"What did you want to see me about?" he asked. Skogar stayed silent, letting Pike explain.
"In that awful fire last season, we lost almost all of our maps. The only ones we salvaged were of the West Coast, East Coast, the North, and Southsward. All the maps for Mossflower were burnt to a crisp." Martin blinked, seemingly lost.
"And?"
"And we need the maps of Mossflower, if we're expected to keep a good trade with the Brownrats in the watermeadows down south." Skogar spoke for the first time. "It would be killing two birds with one stone."
"Why?" Martin interrupted. Skogar merely grunted.
"Because you're old enough to go on a mission, and a first-class experience would be great for you." Martin looked shocked.
"Really?!" His voice was several octaves higher for some reason. Once he got his excitement under control, he said, "Me? Map all of Mossflower? Alone?"
"No, not alone." Pike said. "You'll be going with me, and my nephew and niece. The experience would be good for them too." Skogar nodded.
"Son, this won't be just walking in the woods, drawing pictures. Evil lurks in Mossflower. You must do everything that Pike says, and nothing else. Or you might find yourself with your chestnuts in the fire. Also, you don't have to map all of Mossflower, if you can buy a map from somebeast." Pike nodded.
"Come, Barkstripe, Bear, and I have already packed. Go get your weapon of choice and come down to the kitchen to get your provisions." Martin ran off, excited for his very first mission. Skogar looked Pike in the eye.
"I trust you to take care of them."
"Yes I will, with my life if I must," Pike said.
"Good, I expect you to be back in four seasons. If not, then I'll assume you're dead."