A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Okay, enough of that. On with the show!


"The tracks end here," Ballaw the hare said, pointing at the almost-washed-out tracks as he kneeled down on the shore, just out of range of the foamy waves.

Martin stood by, grim-faced and solid, his eyes cold and hard, his chin set and his mouth a small line.

Brome stood next to him, eyes still somewhat wide under his furrowed brow; the young mouse was still in shock over his sister's abduction.

Grumm the mole and Pallum the hedgehog were on Martin's other side, their own features a combination of the other two's: partially shocked and scared, but partially grim and hard.

Rowanoak looked up and down the shore, as though there might be a sign to show where the two beasts had gone, even though it was hopeless. "He wouldn't have wanted anybeast to follow him," the big badger rumbled. "So he obviously decided to escape in a place where his tracks would be washed away. There's no telling where he would've taken her after he'd gotten far away enough."

"But he could've drowned. . . .!" Brome couldn't finish his sentence.

Martin blinked and Grumm and Pallum flinched, but Rowanoak spoke again.

"I doubt he would have done anything to her. He knew that we'd still look for him nonetheless, so I'm guessing he'll most likely keep her alive to keep us at bay!"

Martin gave a mirthless snort. "Still out making slaves out of innocent beasts, that old stoat is," the young mouse murmured, his wintry gray eyes scanning the ocean, the very ocean that he and Rose had nearly drowned in barely a season ago. . . .

"It's all my fault," Brome said, his borwn eyes water, his chin quivering. "If I hadn't gone a-wandering she'd still be-!"

"Come now, none of that talk," Rowanoak interrupted, placing a big heavy paw on the young mouse's shoulder. "It's nobeast's fault . . . nobeast except Badrang," she added, saying the stoat's name as though she were uttering a curse.

"Hurr, wellum, we'm be doin' nawthen to 'elp Miz Roser boi stan'in' around loike this," spoke up Grumm, displaying his good mole sense.

Martin turned to the mole, nodding and smiling for the first time that day, though his face had lost none of its grimness. "You are right, Grumm. We can't just stand around like this and I'm not going to do it anymore. I'm going to find Rose and save her from Badrang." He turned and looked back out at the sea with its calm waves that still seemed to mock him. "Even if it means giving up my own life!"

"But Martin," objected Pallum. "We don't know where Badrang is, which way he went. It could probably be seasons be we'd hear news of him, let alone find him."

Martin stood still as a rock for a while, then he turned and looked north, a strange light in his gray eyes.

"There's only one beast who can help me right now."


Far away to the north, in her quaint little tree-house, Polleekin the Mole Seer felt a great shudder pass through her body. . . .


A/N: I would like to take a pause and thank all of you who have read this fic and given me such great help in writing this.

So thank you all very much, I couldn't've done it without you all and your wonderful reviews!

In the next chapter, we might get to see more of Badrang and Rose (if that's the kind of stuff you people want), and we'll see the reappearance of a certain character who I think is totally cute!

Martin: Now who could that be?

Rose: Gee, I don't know, hmmm. . . .

Badrang: Let's think very hard about this, class, and maybe we'll figure it out.

Kelaiah: You're mocking me, aren't you?

Martin/Rose/Badrang: YES!

Kelaiah: Whatever. Now then, people, reviews and helpful critique are much appreciated (and needed) so please don't be shy!