Ironspike spun around and sliced at the grounded Fragorg, but he parried with his mace. The fox jumped to his feet and snarled as he brought down his mace at the hedgehog, who rolled to the right and attempted to sever Fragorg's achilles tendon. He aimed too high and instead sliced the fox's calf. Fragorg groaned in pain, but kept fighting strong, by turning around in full swing, catching the hog off guard. Ironspike was knocked back into a barrel of ale. Licking his ale-drenched paw, he ran at the fox at swung towards the vermin's chest. Fragorg blocked it and tripped Ironspike with his bleeding leg. Ironspike was splattered with blood and quickly intercepted his fall. Then he saw some of Fragorg's archers fired at him. The general-hog dashed behind a crate, and took out a sling.

"I better be lucky," He quickly muttered to himself as he pulled out his sling, hoping a few days of sling training would allow him to fight back. He started swinging it and leaped from behind his cover letting loose his sling at the encroaching archers. The distraction of his slinging was enough for an attack. Ironspike charged in with a war-yell frightening and cutting down the dumbstruck rat archers. Still charged with adrenaline he let loose a hacking blow to Fragorg's arm, cutting to bone. The fox clutched at his good arm and dropped his mace, weeping and whimpering in pain. Ironspike showed no mercy when he spoke, "You should have known not to mess with me. I'm not a fat, drunk Redwall hog; I'm a northern hog, and I am going to end your conquest." Ironspike stabbed Fragorg through his rib and twisted his sword, breaking the surrounding ribs. It was done.

Ironspike went back to the battle with Fragorg's entire body, holding it up for all his army to see, "Your hunters, and your leader is dead. Slain by my sword, surrender and I will make your death a short one!" The momentary distraction was a strategy Ironspike was itching to employ. While he talked, archers pulled back their string, and soldiers drew their slings, and when he finished the projectiles were let loose, and the enemies were quickly defeated. The arrows and stones were followed by a charge, surrounding and killing the vermin.

The camp was searched, and Ironspike found a note which said:

Fragorg, I'm going to go to Mossflower, yes I'm abandoning you

But don't worry, I gave you these prisoners, you silly fox

From,

Larynat

Ironspike looked around and saw a cage, and in it was two hedgehogs, a hare, and a rat, none of which he recognized. All of them were so scrawny, so he freed all of them, including the rat.

It was late noon when Ironspike found Gibbet, Prickle, Prin, and Verm. Ironspike was surprised that they were looking for him. He was told about what happened while he was gone in the Northernlands.

"I have won the war, but I'm still not satisfied. I need to find Larynat, and put an end to her."

Prickle had a different idea, "I think I should cook some desert noodles, and then we feast! Then we chase the weasel."

Prin had about the same idea, "While you're doing that I'll start rummaging through Fragorg's food!"

Verm also liked the idea, "I want scoff so jolly bad I'd eat some bloomin' wood, wot!"

So the feast was prepared. Prickle cooked some noodles with the dry, tan desert grass in his pockets, the drier the better, he would say. Prin helped some other hedgehogs make raspberry jelly rock cakes. Verm looked for some drink, and found two caskets of blackcurrant wine, because foxes like wine. The mice had a few season old barrels of nutbrown beer.

It was a great feast, everybeast was jolly to be free of Fragorg. They danced and ate five courses. Prickle found a whole crate filled with desert grass, two seasons old, extra crispy. He made the best desert noodles, even better than Miss Noodles herself. Verm showed Ironspike and his army a dance and song. The dance had Verm tapping his heel and his foot, and moving his arms as if he was marching.

Uncle Verm will eat the scoff

Bum, bum, biddledee bum

Uncle Verm will eat the scoff

Bum, bum, biddledee bum

Uncle Verm will eat the scoff

Toodle dee, bumblebee

Yum, yum, yum

Ironspike had the biggest reaction, as he fell on the floor laughing, exclaiming how idiotic Verm was. Everybody laughed.

Verm however did not, "If you don't bally like I'll leave, sniff, sniff, achoooo! Boohoohoo" He started bawling like a hare scorned.

Ironspike quickly changed his tone, "I hate that silly rabbit!"

After the feast there were games, most of which involved destroying something that once belonged to Fragorg. Then there were hog-wrestles, Prickle and Ironspike beat everybody they went up against, and now it was time for them to face each other.

Ironspike grinned and said, "you got guts to go up against me, I just killed that fox, ya know,"

Prickle snorted and retorted, "Then c'mon shorty, show me what yer made of!"

Ironspike charged but Prickle held his ground. Prickle tried to flip the shorter hedgehog sideways but Ironspike head-butted Prickle. Then he took three steps back and pushed Ironspike to the ground, face first. Then Prickle pinned the Iron-hog, and therefore won the match. The victor then stood up and flexed his muscles.

Verm and Prin never realized how strong Prickle became since his chubby dibbun days.

Gibbet was getting impatient, "Let's go to Mossflower Woods, and kill that witch of a weasel. I know where it is, and with an army we could destroy her!"

Ironspike had something to say about this, being the army's general, "This isn't an army," He indicated the bulk of the rebels, "they are northern beasts, they will stay here and rebuild the homes Fragorg destroyed. My Iron-hogs, however, live to fight! We will go to Larynat with them!"

This brought about a roar of approval, from the rebel beasts and Iron-hogs, both happy to get what they want, war and peace.

They traveled south until they found the edge of the Northernlands, being connected to the mainland by only a small strip of land on the west side of the continent. They used three crude boats to travel the short distance, and the ships where left by the other shore.

They hiked through Mossflower uneventfully, until the pond. Actually, it was more of a pond strewn out about a large distance, and not even paw deep. But it was eerie, and still, save a constant knocking sound.

"Quiet, there might be a bird watching us or something else dangerous," Ironspike ordered his elites. Everyone else followed the command as well, because they knew Iron-hog knows best.

All of a sudden, a redheaded, brown bodied woodpecker jumped out from a tree. It landed with a thump and started pecking at the water, upsetting its unnatural silence. Verm, Gibbet, and the other beasts of the group, all hedgehogs, put paws on weapons, and readied for attack.

"Ratatahk! Grub-newt, surrender! Tatahk!" The woodpecker snapped in the midst of pecking at its prey.

The prey was, in fact, a newt, with a bow. He ran backwards with uncanny precision while chugging out arrows at a quick pace. All the while he was speaking very loudly, in an odd dialect, "He-eeyoo, ratatatahk and arl that! Just basking in the shade, and mer perday comees to me! Oohooheehoo-eeyoo!"

The wood pecker fell with five precision shots to the spot where the head meets the neck. The newt scurried to the fallen bird on all fours, then drew back his string armed with five arrows. He let fly to the head of the large, feathered beast, puncturing the brain and killing it instantly. The newt turned to the group, "He-eeyoo!"

Verm waved briskly and in a friendly manner, and inquired, "Might you know where a weasel with many vermin is going, wot? By the way, what's your name?"

The newt answered, quickly and triumphantly, like most of his talking was, "Lareesel be goin' to Reedwarl, nice place, Biggeree pondee! I be snek there at derk! Whater's pray bein a name?!"

Prickle knew this answer, "A name is what your called, and thanks for the other answers."

"Commee arn! I show tee-oo! Be caller me Bow-newtener-eeyoo!"

And then the group followed Bow-newt to Redwall, where their adventures would continue.