Jarrtail: I've decided to deviate from Brian's Canon a bit... you'll be able to tell soon. Mind you, I'll have the explanation for your 'smoke bomb' later on. It's the first hint at the story's future setting. It's not so 'futuristic' as it is just different. When I'm done, it'll be for you to decide if I did a good job on that.

Anonymus: You've never read a fanfiction portraying the story of MtS? Well, HEY ME EITHER! So that makes two of us, eh? My first story is still posted on the site, and since then I've read about 100 iterations of the same idea, some winning some failing, which is partially why I quit writing it in the first place. Ever since I read Pearls of Lutra (second to last book of the series read), I thought: Hey, if I'm ever going to write another fan-fiction, then MtS is going to be the main character... so yeah, he's the protagonist!

Poncho D: Thanks for the review, and hey, you did a good job on 'The Other Secret' and, funny story, I had read that story when it was first advocated and written by you a while back, but by then I had sort of quit writing reviews totally, but I've kept to reading fanfiction... so meh. Thanks for the Brian comment as well, it's awesome to be compared in anyway to Brian, despite the fact that I know I'm not up to his level...yet.

Scyphi: This sentence states that I appreciate your review, and look forward to you looking forward to reading more and reviewing more. This sentence states nothing.

So, without futher ado, let's get on with the story. Introducing the line of death:

Icarus the flying squirrel studied his reflection in the Abbey Pond under the shade of a magnificent old oak. A leaf fell like a feather from the oak which overlooked the pond. Twirling and gliding slowly, it landed on Icarus's reflection, distorting it with a slight ripple of water. Some days, when his chores were done and when he had nothing to do, he'd come out to the pond to look into his reflection, trying to piece together what his parents looked like, or just simply ponder life's issues.

They told him that his mom came to Redwall in mid-winter, starving and nearly frostbitten by the cold. He was bundled in her arms, neck deep in warm blankets, asleep, and only a single season old. They told him that never before had a flying squirrel lived at Redwall. His mother had only lived for two seasons at Redwall before she passed away; not nearly long enough for him to gain that natural curiosity of one's roots that comes with age. Thus, he didn't know a father, except his adoptive one that took him in after his mother died.

He gazed deep into his lazy, half closed blue eyes as the last ripple of water departed, and his reflection had become undistorted. Perhaps, one day, his identity would be like this: clear. A gentle breeze slid through his fur, instilling in him a felicitous feeling. He stood up, consoled, and brushed the dark morass off his habit.

A voice in the distance hailed him, "Icarus!" It was his guardian mother, Tess.

Icarus smiled one last time at his reflection in the pond before leaving the shade of the old oak and looked over to Tess. She was garbed in the usual green habit, save there was no hood, and her fur was naturally gray, and had yet to gain any white streaks. As they approached each other, Tess's countenance filled with a hearty smile.

The two hugged when they met. "Your father decided to go help the otters and squirrels cut a few trees in preparation for winter. I told him that he needed to rest after fishing for two days with Matthias, but you know your father. Thinks he still has the vigor of his youth, and I did remind him how he's getting on in the seasons, but he just won't listen.

Icarus chuckled. "I know mum, he's as stubborn as an otter."

Tess frowned at her son. "Now you know that that comment isn't appreciated Icarus."

Icarus bit his lip. "I'm sorry, but it is true. Once they have their mind set on something, it's hard to take it off."

"Especially Cheek." Tess widened her eyes in surprise and cupped her paws to her mouth.

Icarus crossed his arms and expressed a devious side grin, eyebrow arched, and head cocked downward. "See, you think so too."

Tess cleared her throat. "Make you a deal, you go help your father cut down trees tomorrow, and I promise to have a great feast for the both of you when you get home tonight, but remember, don't tell your father about it. Now, meet him outside the Abbey gates and ask him what he's doing. After he tells you, offer to help him. Is that clear?"

Icarus put on a serious face and saluted Tess. "Yes Mam!"

Tess laughed, and hugged Icarus once more before departing.

The sun's bright fiery orb peaked it's head over the horizon, casting threads of light through the lower foliage. Shadows lowered their heads as the sunlight towered over them. A new day had begun at Redwall, though, it began just like any other. Everybeast found themselves down in the kitchens eating breakfast, except a small troop who had already gotten their fill and were outside the Abbey walls, ready to execute a full day's work.

Mattimeo was canvassing various trees to see what would make passable firewood. "This shouldn't be hard, it just should take some time," he said to the otters. " Finding the trees will be the easy part, but bringing them home, piece by piece, will probably take all day."

Cheek, the Skipper of Otters, nodded in agreement. "Aye it should. But you leave the tree skimmin' to me mate. I'll have you all trees of grand caliber in no time."

Mattimeo crossed his arms. "Don't rush into anything Skipper. Remember, quality and quantity. And we can't cut anything near the path. It needs to be in the woodlands with no homes around or anything."

Cheek had ignored half of what was said and was already nearing the woodlands. "Enough with your gabberin', let's go mates! Life's a wastin', that's what my pater Basil used to say."

"Is it possible for an otter to run that fast?" asked an otter in the group.

Mattimeo chortled. "Aye, it's nothing for ol' Cheek. The seasons yet have to catch up with him. Though, if he doesn't slow down soon, I fear that one day he'll find himself plodding through quicksand."

"Father!"

Mattimeo looked up at the walls to see Icarus waving to him. "Hmm? What do you need son?"

"Where are you headed?"

"We're off to go hunting for some firewood to store during the winter, why?"

"Can I come help?"

Mattimeo couldn't help but blink twice after the strange offer. "Son, don't you have chores to do?"

"No, today is the last day of the week, I don't have a thing to do. And I don't really want to sit around all day. Plus I don't like to pass up any chance I get to go into Mossflower."

Mattimeo hesitated. "You sure you don't have anything else to do? I mean, we'll be out here all day, and I don't have an extra lunch packed, and we might not be home in time for supper."

"I can live a day without food, 'sides, there are berries to eat!"

Martin looked up at Icarus and sighed. "Fine, if you're that determined to go."

Without another word, Icarus darted down the side steps and through the gatehouse doors to meet Mattimeo, but instead of stopping, he turned toward the woodlands, still running hard. "Hurry, let's catch up to Skipper!"

Mattimeo shook his head at his son's slight rashness. As he began a brisk walk toward the woodlands, troop in tow, he muttered, "And he'll be the one to follow Cheek into the quicksand."

The sun's head was high in the sky now, and only obscure shadows remained as they cowered low in the foliage. A cool breeze was sweeping Mossflower wood, passing through the shadows, through and around the crags. And finally, it came to gently press it's cool body against a passerby, an otter, who was closely inspecting every tree around him. To a bird he would have appeared to be in a bald spot of the woods, which just contained grass and very little flora.

"This 'ere is good quality timber, wonder if it's cuttable." Cheek rubbed his paw against a massive elm, but then looked around, realizing it was much too close to the path nearby.

Icarus had finally caught up. Panting and puffing, he hailed Cheek. "Hey, don't cut that, it might roll down hill and into the road!"

Cheek held out his paws innocently. "I 'ave no axe. Plus, this spot is too scarce of the trees themselves. The land should be nurtured, not neglected. Otherwise, how'd we survive?" Cheek paused, patting the tree, then looked at Icarus. "Say, what are you doin' 'ere?"

Icarus grinned. "Came to help, mum said I could." Icarus picked into the pocket of his habit and showed Cheek an ax. "You can use it, you'd make better use of it."

Cheek gratefully took the axe while ruffling Icarus's headfur. "Thanks mate. Ah shouldn't of rushed into the task without the proper equip first, eh wot?"

Icarus stifled a chuckle. Cheek's accent fluctuated between an otter and a hare quite often, and sometimes in the same sentence, which made for a pretty odd combinations at times.

"Okay then, chin up, chest out, alert, always looking for that tree. That's the ticket!" Cheek put up the ax in a salute, but noticed Icarus wasn't even paying attention. He seemed to be staring through him.

"Travelers." Icarus muttered as he pointed over Cheek's shoulder, far off into the distance toward a rising cloud of dust. "A lot of 'em too. That's not normal at this time of year."

Cheek turned around and studied the cloud, his eyes promptly widening in surprise. "Dust welt up that big either means a caravan... or an army."

Icarus tugged on Cheek's shirt. "C'mon then, let's go check it out!" He began to sprint toward the cloud.

Cheek reached out his arm to catch Icarus, but missed. "Wait, they'll see us!" He dashed toward him, gaining on him, but Icarus already had a good head start and was already in sight of the caravan. Both Cheek and Icarus crouched into some low lying bushes that were laced with tendrils. They peered through the foliage, observing what appeared to be simple travelers.

Icarus was the first to comment. "Wow, they're all stoats. Not a rat or fox in sight."

"Aye," Cheek pointed toward the group. "And look at what they're tuggin' behind 'em."

Cheek had pointed to a brown furred stoat who carried a lengthy rope. At it's end was a lone prisoner, tied and gagged.

Both hesitated at the sight, and once again Icarus was the first to act. "I'll take a closer look, you stay here." Without another word, he sprinted up a tree and ran along it's bough. He squinted to see any new details the climb had entailed. It presented none, and he still couldn't tell who the prisoner was.

Cheek was called up to him in a hushed voice, though twined with worry. "Icarus, get down here before they see you!" Cheek was calling up to him in a hushed voice,

Icarus shook his head. "Nah, I've got to get even closer if I'm to see anything!"

He deftly jumped from bough to bough, all while keeping quiet by falling through his landing, as he was taught by squirrel climbers at Redwall.

The caravan was quite literally only about a stone's throw from him now. From the cool of the shade, he glanced down at the caravan. When he spotted the prisoner, his face went white.

He was a mouse!

This realization shook him; they must be slavers! Upon closer inspection, he saw that the rope holding the prisoner was tied around his neck, in addition to a blindfold. Behind him, two stoats were prodding him with spears.

Icarus's ears perked up when he heard a deep voice echo in the direction of the group. "Remember, Redwallers are peaceful folk, so you tie this prisoner up out of sight when we arrive, and I'll do the talkin'. We can't let 'em know we 'ave 'em, or they'll attack us.

Another stoat, likely his comrade, piped up. "But sir, they're peaceful, like you said. They won't attack us. I say, we get in there and take their Abbey for our own."

"No, no. It would be a foolish move. Haven't heard of Cluny, or Slagar? Plus, I do not want to kill anybeast that I don't have to. It just causes unwanted trouble."

"You're soft, and always will be unless you decide to take action mate. The problem those two had were the fact that they didn't gain the Redwaller's trust."

"Slagar did that, and regretted it later. We're just here to deliver, then leave."

As the voices grew nearer, Icarus grew tighter to the tree, hiding himself while listening intently to their conversation.

Suddenly, the limb started to make a cracking noise, which caused Icarus to turn. It was then he saw that the limb was beginning to lean down at an angle. His eyes widened in horror as the limb made a more prominent cracking sound. He was practically glued to the tree now, eyes closed, bushy tail flat across his back, and ears cocked back, trying his hardest not to disturb it any longer.

A sound from below echoed. "Stop!" Icarus began to sweat, they had heard the tree limb breaking. Suddenly, everything went quiet.

Everybeast seemed to pause until one brutish and dull sounding stoat spoke up. "Why we stoppin' boss?

Another moment's hesitation played out before the answer came. "Didn't you hear that sound? It was like the snapping of wood; cracking."

"Oi, but I didn't hear a thing!"

"And that's why you're called Deafear, now shut your trap will yer? Let Orion think."

Yet another hesitation.

A friendly voice emanated from below. "If you're out there, come forward and let us speak. We're just a group of peaceful beasts making their way to the southern lands."

Despite the fact that Icarus hadn't messed with stoats before, he wasn't about to be taken a fool. He knew the true nature of the group. A few beads of sweat escaped the compounds of his fur and ran down the limb, then fell, descending to the ground. Icarus gulped.

"Aye, sit rainin' boss?"

Many voices suddenly piped up in argument.

"No, you idiot, there's but two clouds in the sky."

"But sir, I felt a drop hit me head!"

"You're just imagining things, there's a tree above you, blocking any rain that would come down."

"Hold on boss, that tree looks queer. Look at it, the branch is broken, it's leaning at an angle!"

"Aye, that must 'ave been the crackin' sound!"

"But how? There's nothin' to make it crack."

"Could be the wind."

"Tis but a breeze, that doesn't make a limb break!"

The lead stoat, Orion, interrupted the debate with his booming voice. "Shut up! Arguing about it will get us nowhere. Now look closer at that tree, what do you see?"

"Nothin' sir."

Orion laughed. "Look even closer then, there's the tail of a squirrel!"

Icarus grimaced, they had seen him. He poked his head from the limb, and for the first time, saw them up close. "Hi." He stated with fake enthusiasm, gesturing a weak wave of the paw.

Orion slapped a friendly grin on his face. "Well hey! It's so good to see another beast 'sides these impudent ones!" He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Why don't you come down, we won't hurt you."

"Oh, you won't? Well I would, if I wasn't patrolling up here for... birds."

Orion gave Icarus a quizzical face. "Why kind of silly job is that?"

"Well, sir, it's to make sure these trees remain safe by telling the birds to leave if they start building nests. It's an all-day job some days, and this day would be one of those days. This area of the forest is protected... so yeah."

"Strange, I've been looking for birds myself all day and I've yet to come by one. If you come down, we'll treat you to some nice tea, freshly brewed."

"I'm afraid I can't sir, I need... to... go." Icarus began to back up, trying his hardest not to disturb the branch. His efforts ended were vain however, because the moment he set paw back, the branch broke fully and he came tumbling to the ground, still holding onto the branch.

When the branch collided with the ground, Icarus deftly jumped off and began to run. He didn't get far before a blockade of stoats iterated in his path. He stopped, scanning over the stoat's faces, all of who sported malicious countenances. He fell to his knees, admitting silent defeat.

Orion approached him, still sporting his grin. "Tie him up and throw him next to the prisoner. I'll have a talk with him later tonight. So for now, begin setting camp. We head for Redwall in the morning."

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