Oh dear! This has been the coldest winter since the time of Martin the Warrior! As I write, the dibbuns are out playing in the snow. Mara sure has her paws full. Did you know that an entire crowd of the little scamps brought in a huge mound of snow inside the Great Hall and had a snowball fight? Poor Thrugg had to mop the floor all night! I wish that I could enjoy the snow like that, but alas, I've grown old, and my joints can't stand the cold. Actually, most of the older beast have had problems with the cold. I guess that's part of life. But if there's anything to be said about this cold is that we at Redwall abbey have seen hardly any outsiders. It must be that the cold is making it hard to travel. But now I have to leave. It is almost time for us to plan for the Winter Nameday"
-Vale, Abbess of Redwall
The old mouse sighed as she rose from her desk. Vale had gotten older since Ferahgo's attack on Salamandastron. It was hard to believe it was only five seasons ago. As the Abbess walked out of her room, she was greeted by the sight of a grinning young dormouse. "Ah, Dumble, you look cheerful today" said Vale. "Of course! It's almost time for Nameday!" replied Dumble. "Oh, Dumble, you haven't changed a bit. I promise you that Nameday will come soon. I just need to choose the best date. Now why don't you run along? I've heard that Mister Thrugg needs some help loading up on fire wood." "Yes, Ma'am!". And at that, the young dormouse sped off. Abbess Vale hummed contentedly. It was going to be a long, cold winter, but the Abbey was safe and full of happy creatures
"Oy, Sap ol' lad, what's this I've heard of pirates 'round the coast?" It was lunchtime at Salamandastron and Big Oxeye was with his friend Sergeant Sapwood. "H'i'm 'fraid it's true, o'l chap. Saw the blighters 'round the west coast. Weird lookin' ship too. I reckoned it was covered in some kind o' tar." th Sergeant was saying. "Huh, I bet Lord Urthwyte's gonna send some kind of patrol, wot?" replied Oxeye. As if right on cue, the white badger lord strolled into the cafeteria. "My good hares, I have an announcement..." he said. "Bingo" said Oxeye. "...Pirates have been spotted near Salamandastron. I will be arranging patrols to keep track of these pirates until we know of their intentions. Private Ffolger!" "Yes, Sah!" It was Pikkle. He had recently become a private of the Long Patrol. "I need you to deliver a warning of pirates to Redwall. If this gets out of hand, Redwall needs to be prepared. I'm choosing you because you know the to Redwall best..." At this the badger lord winked. "...and because of your connection to a certain inhabitant" "Oh, top-notch sah! I haven't seen ol' Mara in forever! 'Tis 'bout blinkin' time I saw the ol' gel!" blurted out Pikkle. Oxeye noticed Sapwood sigh and put his face in his paw at the young private's hijinks. Urthwyte simply smiled "Ah, I love it when a hare is willing to carry out his duties. Now, you'll need to stock up on food and warm clothes. Oh, and weapons. There might not be many vermin out, but you can never be too prepared." he said. "Now, all of you, the first patrol will be Corporal Ivyvine, Sergeant Whitescut, Windfur and Oak, if you see any strange occurences, report back immediately". As the four hares arranged their patrol, Urthwyte stepped out of the dining hall.
Maelstrom leaned against the deck railing, the cold wind blowing through his with and grey fur. He loved the feeling of cold sea air. Just as he was starting to relax, his burly first mate, Varka the albino wolverine walked up to him. "What is it, Varka?" inquired Maelstrom monotonously. "Capitan, Slickback reports see'n a patrol of some, uh, rabbit things 'long duh coast." stuttered the wolverine. The ermine captain rose into a straight position. "Ah, yes. So, someone really does live in that mountain. Do you know what that means?" The wolverine stared vacantly at his captain. "...no." Maelstrom sighed as he replied "It means we're going to visit them. Or is even that too complex for your mind to wrap around?" "Yes" was the reply. "We're going to kill them all. I swear Varka, if I wasn't around you would have died from not knowing how to breathe a long time ago. *Sigh*, tell Skulldash and Dirty to do some surveillance. We need to find the best way to kill those rabbits. Right, Varka?" said Maelstrom. "Duh, yeah, yeah" giggled the wolverine. Maelstrom smirked at the moving figures in the distance. Tonight was going to be a slaughter.
Yo, Maelstrom51210 here. I'm going to try to update this thing every week. This is not a promise, so if I don't, please don't kill me. Also, It would be nice if someone reviewed. If you see any problems, just scream at me and I'll try to fix them. But, please be aware that this if my first story on Fanfiction, so please keep the criticism constructive. Thanks! (: