Chapter 4

Snow had just left her room after a productive time of painting. She was very surprised to look out a window and see that it was about to turn dark. As she went downstairs she could hear laughing and chatting coming from Cavern Hole. She entered to find the Redwallers conversing and joking with a quintet of hares. She quickly recognized them. It was Sergeant Fleming of the Long Patrol and his troop. They'd stop by the Abbey every two or three seasons, with their numbers getting smaller each visit. The Sergeant insisted that he'd merely relieved hares to go back to Salamandastron, but Snow had her doubts. Sammen approached her.

"There ya are," he said with a smile. "I wuz jes' comin' ta get ya. It's time for supper n' as ya kin see, we got guests."

The hares cheered as the they saw Snow join them.

"Snowflake, me gel!" Sergeant Fleming said as he and the other hares saluted. "Always a pleasure!"

"Hello, Sergeant," she told him warmly.

"It's corporal now," he told her.

"Is that good or bad?" she asked, trying to remember her Long Patrol rankings.

"Think nothing of it, dearie," he told her jovially as the hares exchanged glances. "Just wanted you ta know what to call me. Come, sit with us."

With him were Baggs, Harriet, Ichabod, and Sommers. She greeted them.

"Always a pleasure, me dear," Harriet told her. "It's so annoying that creatures keep mistaking us for rabbits, but if all rabbits were as pretty as you we'd take it as compliment!"

Snow's face flushed under her fur. "You're just saying that."

"Not so," Ichabod told her. "You truly are a lovely creature."

"Especially your eyes," Sommers told her. He carefully put a paw on her face. "Most white furred creatures have pink eyes. But yours are a light blue. Like gemstones."

"Feeling better, dear?" Harriet asked. "We heard you had a spot of trouble earlier. We were worried you were in a corner somewhere crying your eyes out."

She smiled at their concern and shook her head. "I'm feeling a lot better. Thank you."

"That's good to know," Sommers remarked. "Though we were going to sing to cheer you up. Bally good tune, always makes some smiles at the mess hall, wot."

"I'd still like to hear it," Snow told him, intrigued.

"I'm not so sure," Baggs told her, rubbing his chin. "A good picker upper song might not sound so goof if you don't need a good pick me up."

"It'd be a bally waste," Ichabod said with a nod of agreement.

"I'd say it'd be a bally waste not ta sing it," Fleming told them. "After racking our brains to think of something to cheer up, wot? And it's one of the all time classic epic ballads."

"Please," Snow asked them wide-eyed. "I'm sure I'd like it. I love Salamandastron songs. They're either so lively or so pretty!"

"Here, here!" said a mouse at a nearby table. Other creatures within earshot requested it as well.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Baggs said as the hares exchanged a smile and he picked up a guitar.

"Now then," Fleming told Snow and those listening. "First you need to know this song is about an ancient Badger Lord, Sunstripe, whose head stripe was gold. But before he was Ruler of Salamandastron, he roamed the land with a kestrel named Skalrath dealing with vermin under the name Sunflash the Mace. This ballad is about one of his greatest exploits."

Baggs starts strumming the guitar as the others started to sing.

I met with six weasels one warm summer night/ And I feared for my life I'd be beaten and slain

But their faces were fearful, all ashen with fright/ they jibbered and whimpered like they were insane

"O save us, preserve us, O hide us from him!/ The one with the mark of the sun on his face

In one paw he carries a great hornbeam limb/ He's the warrior lord they call Sunflash the Mace!"

Of a sudden the earth seemed to tremble and shake/ and the verminous weasels passed out in a swoon/

As he came like the wind with a hawk in his wake/ there he stood strong and tall in the moon

I'll never forget what he told me that night/ looked at the weasels stretched out where they fell

The music stopped as Harriet sung solo, her voice high and reedy to imitate a child's voice

"You're a very brave beast to down six in one fight/ For a small baby dormouse—you've done very weelll-eelll-eeellll!"

When the song was finished there was an applause from the beasts nearby who'd been listening. Snow was smiling from ear to long ear and shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself as she started to laugh loud and hard, almost falling out of her chair.

"Ha!" Sommers said with a clap. "Always a crowd pleasure, wot?!"

Actually, while she'd enjoyed the song, Snow was laughing because she'd just finished painting Sunflash (and Skalrath) on her picture and to hear a song about himsung to her not half an hour later was just too funny.

Snow thanked them and tried to calm herself down as supper was served. Which was very hard to do as the hares devoured every scrap of food that appeared before them, chatting and joking as they did.

Darkwind marveled at how large the outside world truly was. The vast openness of the sky above was almost overwhelming. All around him were plants he couldn't even begin to name. For so many seasons he dreamed of travelling outside of Bat Mountpit and now he was wondering why he hadn't done so much sooner. He wondered how far and how long he'd have to travel to get the glorious Redwall place from his dream. How many nights would it take? What we do during the day? Would the creatures there greet him with open arms or be fearful of him? Perhaps the mouse from his dream would be there to tell him what was happening.

His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion from down below. He looked down to see a creature that looked like a small hare, probably a child, being chased plump, wart covered creatures with short front limbs and long back ones. Toads, he believed they were called.

"Leave me alone!" the small hare called back pleading as he ran. "I've done you no wrong!"

"Kroik! You trespass on Toadlands!" the lead toad croaked. "And rabbit much tasty! Graak!"

Nightwind swooped at the toads with an eerie bat screech. The fat amphibians scattered, croaking in fear.

"Those who would hurt the weak must answer to the dark wind, the dark wind!" he wailed at them.

One the toads threw a three pronged weapon at him. He dodged it. More were thrown and he flitted and dived about for them to miss. He laughed.

"And they say we bats are blind, blind!"

Soon the toads were unarmed. He swooped down at them again with another screech to scratch them with his claws or hit them with his wings.

"Rrebb! Retreat!" The lead toad called out as Darkwind snapped his fangs at him.

Croaking and shouting, the toads hopped away. Darkwind flew to a nearby tree to hang upside down in its branches to rest and catch his breath.

"Thank you," a voice said.

Darkwind looked down to see the small hare.

"You are welcome little hare, little hare," he told him with a fanged smile.

"I'm not a little hare," the creature told him. "I'm grown rabbit. My name's Hazel."

"Oh. My mistake. I've never seen a rabbit before, before."

"No harm done," Hazel told him.

"Tell me," Darkwind asked. "Do you know of a great red house known as Redwall, Redwall?"

"Every beast around here knows of it. It's to the east in Mossflower woods. You'll probably get there before long if you fly fast enough. That way," he pointed. He took of the pouch he carried. "Here, have something to eat. You'll need your strength if you're going to make it."

Darkwind let go of the branch to land in front of the rabbit and eat the strange but tasty food given to him. He was curious about what it was, but there was no time to sit and chat.

"Thank you, thank you," Darkwind told his new friend when he finished. "Best of luck to you, Hazel, Hazel."

He leapt up and started to fly.

"What's your name?" the rabbit called to him.

"It is the great Darkwind, Darkwind!" the bat called to him as he flew to the east as fast as he could.

Alice the owl flew through the air with her new friend, a larger horned owl named Gerard. He'd arrived in the night middle of the night and Alice had flown him around some Mossflower country. It was almost dawn when they returned to her tree.

"Thank you," he told her. "This has been a most informative evening. I've often wondered: does everybeast in Mossflower live in Redwall Abbey."

The smaller owl shook her head. "Not all of them. There are homes scattered all over in houses, huts, caves, tents, holes and the like. Mossflower country is also filled with nomads. Though most creatures end up living at Redwall sooner or later. I myself have thought of setting up a roost there, but it's a tad too domestic for me. Come to think of it has been a while since my last visit."

"Tell me all about it. I've long heard stories about Redwall and would like to hear about it from one first wing."

Alice yawned. "Maybe later. Right now I feel like going to sleep."

"Yes," Gerard remarked. "You should sleep."

He suddenly leapt out of the tree, then flew at Alice to slam into her rending her in the side and back with his talons. Even as she tried to shout his talons gripped her throat.

"I do apologize," he told her. "But no beast must know I'm here and live. At least not one's that don't serve my purpose. Farewell."

With that he snuffed out her life with a move of his talon. He let it fall to the ground, then rolled it under some bushes. He's found a tree to roost in. He'd just closed his eyes to sleep when he heard whistling. He looked to see a male dormouse.

"Hello," he called from his tree.

"Good eve-anin to ya, honor," the dormouse said jovially. "Er good mornin'."

"And what are you doing out so late?"

"More like what am I doin' out so early. We're early risers, me family. Only this time I woke even earlier than usual and decided ta take a walk. Mossflower is very different this time than in da day. I was jus' headin' home ta start cooking brekkist fer me family. Care ta join us?"

"I am a rather peckish," Gerard said, licking his beak. "And breakfast sounds good. I do believe I'll take your offer."

With that he swooped down at dormouse, who barely had time to react before the talons crushed and sank into him.