Chapter 4:

Authors note: I've finished reading Rakkety Tam at around 5:00 yesterday, and it was great. For those of you who haven't bought the book yet, Brian Jacques still has the same thrill to his books as his first tale. I'd recommend buying this book, and not just getting it from the library, or something.

A mole and mousemaid made their way through the untouched darkness, holding their paws out, feeling for solid objects that they may hit.

"Yowch!" The mole stopped and rubbed his nose.

"Grumm? What happened?" Rose glanced around curiously.

"Hurr, ee' gurt poler... H'et hit moi nose!"

Rose sighed.

"Martin! Pallum! Why didn't we bring a lantern?! Grumm has hit his nose on a pole!"

"Oof! Watch out, Rose!" Pallum scrambled into Rose, shaking his paws wildly.

"Ouch! Pallum! Get your spikey bottom off me!"

Martin laughed, still walking forward.

"I guess we shouldv'e brought a lante- MMPH!

"Aaaa!"

THUD!

"Martin, you insolent mouse, get off my back!" Rose shouted, grinning in the darkness and shoving Martin off her. After removing spikes from Rose's footpaw, she carried on with the lead. Martin grabed the rat by the neck and pushed him forward.

"Come on, let's move lively now!"

The rat's paws were bound, and he was gagged to keep from cryiong out.

"My father's house is this way, I'll bet he'll be very excited to see you again!" Rose called back to Martin.

The mouse felt his stomach churn with guilt. He doubted if Urran Voh would even like to share the same room with him. When he was still alive, Rose had been warned to stay away from him. Rose disagreed, and Martin took Rose into the Battle of Marshank, where she was slain by Badrang the Tyrant. Martin was so sorrowed that he never returned to Noonvale, but traveled south, to which point he reached Mossflower woods, and was jailed by the evil wildcat queen, Tsarmina. He escaped, and liberated Mossflower woods, and founded the Abbey of Redwall.

Rose reached about, groping for a handle.

"Aha! Got it!" There was a sound of a handle turning, and a door opening. Martin peered inside. Rose beckoned them in, whispering.

"Come on, be quiet now. Grumm, wipe your footpaws. Martin, Make sure that rat doesn't run. Okay, let's go."

Martin followed Rose through the kitchen, across a room that looked suprisingly similar to the one in Rose's house, and up to a door, which Rose held the handle to.

Urran Voh snorted slightly as the creaking of the door disturbed his sleep.

"Father?"

"Eh?" He said, groping around for a lantern. "Oh, hello Rose. What's for breakfast? Tea? Hey! It's the middle of the night! What are you doing here?!"

Urran Voh jumped up from the bed.

"Father, we have to rouse the village! Something terrible is goin to happen!"

Urran Vohlit the lantern and held it high.

"What is this terrible thing?"

Rose took a deep breath.

"Vermin... Father, they're out! Vermin are swarming the dark forest, and we are to be attacked at dawn! Father, rouse the village!"

"Hold it, hold it!" Urran Voh tried to calm Rose down.

"Now, let's take this slowly. How do you know all this?"

"Martin told me."

Urran Voh's face became that of horror.

"Martin... the Warrior?"

"Yes! He found a vermin camp closeby! They have a camp and everything! Their leader goes by the name of Stelch the Fireslinger, and he nearly killed Martin!"

"How does one kill another, as they are both already dead?" Urran Voh asked, puzzling.

Rose opened her mouth to speak, but paused, and turned around.

"Err, how exactly do you die?"

Urran Voh cringed as the wounded face of Martin appeared from the doorway. Martin gave a nervous chuckle.

"Hello!" He said, trying hard to sound cheery. Urran Voh scowled at him.

"Well, well. The betraying warrior mouse! You lying, thieving, murdering scum!" He barked at him. Rose was taken aback.

"Father! Why would you say such a thing?!"

"I speak the truth, Rose! Stay out of this!" Urran Voh rebuked his daughter. A shuffling in the bed, and the head of a mousemaid popped up from the bed.

"Hmm? What's going on? Who's that mouse?! Martin the Warrior?!" Urran Voh calmed his wife.

"Don't worry about it, Aryah. I will take care of this!" He turned back to Martin.

"You deny such things?" He asked, in an almost amused tone, "Then why, may I ask, do you come to our peaceful home, take our daughter to a war, in which she dies, and then leave as if nothing happened?! Tell me why you would do such things, Martin the Warrior!"

Martin was breathing heavily.

"I did not plan on having your daughter slain! She threw herself upon the enemy, and battered his face with a sling. She was thrown hard against a slave paliside wall. I could do nothing to stop it! If I could, I would have. Blaming it on me won't get you anywhere! Badrang the Tyrant is to be blamed!"

"You lie! Scum!" Urran Voh kicked the wall in fury, "You have no idea of the sorrow you brought upon my life! You have no idea what you took from me! You have no idea what it's like, to lose a loved one- Uuurk!"

Martin, out of anger, pushed Urran Voh roughly against the wall his voice ringing out like an army of hares, roaring a battle cry.

"You do not know what sorrow is! I lived a life of sorrow like yourself! My Mother was cruelly slain by searats! My father gave his life to avenge her! When I met Rose, there was hope, far away, like a light at the end of my tunnel, but it was blocked, when Rose lost her life to the vermin I swore to slay!"

Urran Voh gawped at him, though he secretly gripped his lantern in anger, ready to strike.

Martin turned, stll angry that Urran Voh had so cruelly insulted him. He had known nothing about Martin's past, yet spoke freely about him.

"Roooaaarrrghh!" Martin twisted and and flattened himself against the wall, as the warrior mouse behind him swung out his lantern. He quickly turned and elbowed him hard in the back of the neck.

"We don't have time! Urran Voh! Here is my proof that vermin scramble in these lands. Pallum! Grumm! Bring him in!"

Pallum emerged, nudging the rat sharply with a broomstick.

"Stand tall and ready now, speak when you're told!"

Urran Voh stared in shock at the rat. He mouthed wordlessly, dragging himself to his feet. The rat did his best to hide his face, putting his teeth on the gag and pulling it upwards. Grumm removed the gag from his neck. Urran Voh regained composure and glared at the rat.

"Speak! What is your name, rat?!"

The rat gulped and answered.

"Me name? Me name's Mudtail, of Stelch the Fireslingers horde... please don't hurt me!"

Urran Voh nodded.

"We have no intention on hurting you, rat, but we need to know when we are to be attacked! We need to prepare. Tell us!"

The rat gulped.

"Dawn..."

Urran Voh sighed heavily. He shuffled on his footpaws for a moment before answering.

"Aryah! Come! We must rouse the village, be prepared to fight. Martin, you go to the babes room to sleep. You can't fight in this condition."

Martin nodded, being careful not to disagree with the mouse's decision, though he secretly, slipped the dagger up into his tunic, to be ready for battle when the time came. Urran Voh coughed and continued.

"Grumm, barricade yourselves in here with Rose. Pallum and I will fight this battle. Martin watched as Rose slipped a long strip of clothup her sleeve. She winked at him, and Martin pointed to the lump in his tunic, where the dagger was. Urran Voh did not notice any of their gestures. Instead, he ended the conversation.

"Right, Let's go!"

Authors note: I wrote the end to this chapter at 11:00 P.M., so don't laugh if you see any typo's or mistakes. Sneak peek, Holt Harken's second in command is the brainless, but powerful, Bruno the Otter! He is Denjer's loyal sidekick! Hope you like the rest of the story! R&R please! Thanks!