Finally, I have time to continue this story!
Pike and Martin managed to finish the fruits before the bugs did. Licking sticky juice off of their paws and muzzles, they followed the tracks that the slave band carelessly left behind. About noon, Martin collapsed on the riverbank.
"I can't go any farther without some rest," he panted. Sweat shone on his forehead. Pike furrowed his eyebrows.
"Really? We've only been walking for a few hours, you shouldn't be tired yet, even with your splint." Pike suddenly had a horrible thought. To confirm it, he held a paw up to Martin's head. Martin brushed the paw off.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He said rather irately. Pike's frown deepened. Martin wasn't the type to snap.
"You have a temperature-a fever more like."
"Yeah, so?"
Yeah so?! Does he even know how much fevers affect you? "Yeah so? Yeah so? Do you even know how much they affe-do you even know how ridiculous you sound?!" Pike was suddenly filled with fear. Martin could die, that would be bad in many ways. Martin would also slow him down, that was also very bad. Pike tried not to make a scene. "This just keeps on getting better and better," he muttered.
The hope for a rescue grew fainter as the day became longer. Barkstripe was tiredly carrying a sleeping Pop when Grimmur accidentally stepped on Fatty's foot. Fatty didn't take it kindly.
"Ow! Yew lowlife! Ye did that on purpose! I'll gut ye!" He hollered, unsheathing his dagger. Before he could, Grimmur jumped on him and began to royally kick Fatty's ass. It took five of Fatty's cronies to pull an almost rabid Grimmur off and push him to his knees. Fatty got up, spitting out a broken tooth. He was beside himself with rage. "Ye dare cross me! Ye'll pay wid yer life!" Before Brotio could stop him, he plunged his knife into a helpless Grimmur, four times. Brotio stopped his fifth stab with a well-aimed punch. He pointed to Fatty.
"Get his carcass up and moving, I want to speak to him privately. As for him-" he pointed to Grimmur, "unchain him and leave him here. He's almost gone." He spoke calmly, but his eyes burned with a dark fury. Barkstripe was shocked. One moment, Grimmur was alive, and walking, and sour-faced as usual. The next, he just, died. It reminded her of a faint memory, but awful nonetheless.
"Pike? Pike? Why aren't Mommy and Daddy here? Where they go?" A much younger version of Barkstripe tugged at Younger Pike's tunic. Younger Pike seemed at a loss for words. Then, he said:
"Daddy told me he would be going. He didn't tell me where though."
"But why? Why didn't he take us? Did he forget?"
Pike winced slightly and touched an eye-patch that Skogar had given to him earlier. More to hide the gruesomely scarred skin tissue than as a gift. "No, you aren't old enough to go yet. You can go when you're older. They'll wait for you."
Barkstripe frowned. "What if I get a booboo when I'm alone? Will you take care of us?"
Pike looked down at the little kit, who was wiser than she was supposed to be. "Yes, yes I will. And I won't let anybeast hurt you."
I won't let anybeast hurt you...
I won't let anybeast hurt you...
Mommy and Daddy will wait for you...
Everybeast, including even the most hardened slavers, stood in shock. Had it really been only moments since the unstoppable hedgehog stopped? He died so quickly...
Thankfully, Pop had been asleep during the entire ordeal. He had been awakened quite rudely by tears falling on his small form.
Yes, Grimmur just died like that. I know he doesn't really have character, other than that he's an a**hole, but don't worry, his earlier life,along with the other Redwallers will be told in the next chapter. Notice I said told, not shown, because I'm a really bad shower. I'll probably make a second edition of this story when this one is finished, and I begin to cringe at my poor writing skills.
