The creatures in the Abbey were busy shoring up the eastern wall after the incident that happened the night before. Mattimeo was helping out where he could. He asked his father, "Dad, wasn't Shadow the first to die on Cluny's side during the his first siege on the Abbey?"
"Yes," he said holding up a heavy wooden beam, "The last thing he told me, was 'Too late mouse, Martin is with Cluny now.' The next thing I know, he died."
"I heard the same thing from Constance last night." Said Deathfang. "I think that the reason Shadow and all of Cluny's old crew's back, is because the Marlfox that I scared last night on the wall had another sister, Starpaw the Conjurer, I believe that she is the exact reason for the return of Cluny's band excludin' that big idiot."
"How do you know all of this?" Matthias questioned.
"Because, I heard about it when a female rat named Nightfur, who knew Cluny quite well, came to my tribe in the North Mountains. She said that if Cluny wasn't killed by a sword or any hand held weapon, he would come back from the dead on the night of a full moon after any creature that had betrayed him died. She told my father, Knifetooth this and he told her that as long as he was alive he would not let Cluny live." He sighed and said, "Then, after my father had become dangerously ill with Dryditch Fever, Cluny attacked the clan and my father was slain. I swore that one day I would avenge him and the rest of my clan. And now it looks as though I'll finally get my chance."
"How do you know about the foxes?" Mattimeo asked.
"Let's just say that my clan has had a long blood feud with the Marlfox clan." Deathfang replied.
"Oh," Said Sam who was coming over to have a little chat with his friend Mattimeo, "that explains why you have that bad looking scar on your face."
Matthias looked questioningly at the young squirrel. "What scar?" He asked.
"I know the one that he's talking about," He said putting a paw on the side of his face, "and, he has a point. I did get this scar from the exact same fox that we ambushed with Shadow the rat last night on the wall. Of course that happened when I was younger.
Deathfang looked up and gazed at the cloudless sky above. "But that was when I was younger and more foolish." He said. "Right after my father was slain by Cluny's deadly war spike, I was forced to leave the mountains in order to save my life. Then one night I came across a campsite where a family of foxes was sittin' 'round a fire in the middle of it. I waited until they started to snore when I set all kinds of traps around the perimeter of the camp. I filched half of what vittles they had and stole off into the night like a common thief."
"What did you do to the foxes?" Mattimeo asked.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes, please tell me."
"Well, I chained their paws to the ground. Then, I carefully planted a hornet's nest under one of the wheels of their cart. Next, I put a snare trap on the road. After that, I dug a hole in front of the cart. And finally, I tied the back of the cart to a big rock."
"Wow."
"Really?"
"Impressive."
"So how did they set it off?"
"Well, when Ashclaw woke up, he found himself chained to the ground. He had to wake up his siblin's whose chains I had hidden in the bushes behind them. When they woke up, they ran to their brother and tripped."
The conversation carried on for an hour and the friends all had a barrel of laughs.
---
The new vermin in Cluny's horde were shown no mercy at the warlord's hands. They were worked to the point that they could barely even move a muscle. But they went on by threat of death. Cluny's two supervisors, Killconey and Darkclaw were shouting at them t keep them moving. "Put your backs into it you worthless fleabags." Darkclaw scolded.
"Get moving now or else the Chief will have you executed." Killconey shouted.
"Get that gate torn down you idiots."
"Move it you lazy freeloaders"
"You idiotic ferrets, stop tunneling under the parade ground."
"Pick your feet up you lily livered slime."
Cluny came out of his tent surprisingly well rested but he didn't forget what the insolence the night before. He calmly asked Killconey about the progress that his motivated horde rats were making. "The rats are doing a little bit better by the hour, Chief." Killconey said.
"Good," Cluny said with a glare, "I want you to make sure that they work until tonight with one-quarter of their normal rations for lunch. You can go eat breakfast now, Redtooth, Fangburn; you take over and give these useless fools no mercy. Understood?"
"Understood, Chief." Said Redtooth and Fangburn who chuckled evilly.
"Threeclaws, Bageye, Fleaback, Skinpaw, Halftail come here," The sea rat, shouted, "I have a job for you."
"Oh thank you sir." Said Threeclaws gratefully, "We promise not to fail you sir."
"I want you to go over to the Abbey and do a little spying for me. Killconey, I'm leaving you in charge of this little venture."
"At your service, Chief."
Cheesethief came striding up along side of Skragg the weasel who informing him about a good spot for the battering ram to be constructed. Cheesethief chuckled and said, "Good I'll tell the Chief and we split the credit fifty-fifty and we'll call it even."
"Agreed matey," Skragg said, "and I'm sorry about pushing you off of that tree limb."
"Don't worry, me old shipmate, it's all water under the bridge now."
When Cheesethief told Cluny about the spot that Skragg had found he was thrilled and eager to find it. "Skragg come over here and take me to the spot that you have found." Cluny shouted at the weasel.
"Of course, Chief." Skragg replied.
---
By early afternoon, the repairs on the eastern wall were complete and the Redwallers were all resting. Everybeast except Deathfang, Matthias, Mattimeo, Log-a-Log and the Guosim, Jess and Sam Squirrel, Auma and Orlando the Axe, Tim and Tess Churchmouse, Burntpaws the ferret, Basil Stag Hare, and Cheek Stag Otter, who were all out in the orchard ready to continue young Mattimeo's warrior training.
"Alright then," Said Log-a-Log, "now it's time to teach Mattimeo here how to hold his own when the odds are impossible and the stakes are high. I'll need ten of my best novice level berserker shrews for this demonstration."
Ten big burly shrews stepped forward. Mattimeo noticed that out of the bunch he could make out the sinewy figure of the shrew he had fought on the first day of his warrior training. "Now then," Said Log-a-Log as he cleared his throat, "You shrews must remember that our student Mattimeo is still younger than you. Now Mattimeo, you already know one of these berserkers right?"
"Oh I do Log-a-Log," Mattimeo said, "he's standing a paws width to the left from the middle of the group."
"Well then, let the fight begin!" Shouted Basil. The ruckus began immediately after his paw dropped to start it, the shrews charged at Mattimeo at the same time as he started a charge at the shrews. When the two sides met, Mattimeo jumped over the shrew on the right end, grabbed both of his arms and flipped the shrew over him. He ran across the line and slid tripping the shrew into the shrew next to him. He ran at the seven remaining shrews beating them in the stomachs until he came to the shrew he had knocked out a few days before. The shrew stamped his paws on the ground in a failed attempt to stop Mattimeo, who ran past him and straight up a tree jumped off near the first branch and landed his shoulder onto the back of the shrews neck. At that point, the fight was over. Basil went to Mattimeo's side and said, "I give you the winner and still champion Mattimeo!"
Cheers rang put as the young warrior in training, smiled and bowed to his audience. "Bravo Matti," Said Tess Churchmouse as she hugged Mattimeo tightly, "I knew you could do it."
"Thank you, Tess," Said Mattimeo who was grunting because his ribs were being crushed under the force that the young mousemaid was putting on him, "but could you please let go, you're crushing me."
Tess immediately let go and blushed. "Sorry, Matti, I just wanted to congratulate you is all."
"Everybeast report to the Great Hall for inspection." Called Matthias.
"I say old thing, whatever for?" Basil asked.
"Abbot Mordalfus says that it will become mandatory that we do inspection after Cluny tries an attack on us. Why, I do not know, but those are his orders."
---
All of the creatures were dressed in uniform and lined up in a straight line from right to left in the Great Hall, Mattimeo was next to Cheek and Deathfang who had their weapons tied to their backs and were in stout military position. They all waited as Abbot Mordalfus, Matthias, and Basil walked down the line and inspected every last detail about them. When inspections were over, Abbot Mordalfus said, "All of you have passed inspections with flying colors, congratulations. You can all go back to your former tasks."
When Mattimeo turned around to head back to the orchard, he heard a voice and suddenly realized that it was Martin the Warrior again. "Mattimeo," It said, "son of Am that is let me talk to the Abbot."
Mattimeo's eyes clouded over and he became entranced. He walked up to the Abbot and said,
"Look to the East and seek thee out the fox that betrayed you and whom you threw out. She will be the one youshall see the vixen healer killed by Cluny."
Mattimeo's eyes snapped back into reality. He put a paw to his forehead. The Abbot asked him, "Mattimeo, are you alright?"
Mattimeo regained control, "Yes, but I think that Martin wants you to speak to the ghost of Sela the Vixen."
"How do you know that?"
"Because Martin told me in normal tongue before I became myself again."
"When did he say we should seek her out?"
"Dawn tomorrow, on the east wall."
"I hope that she apologizes for fatally wounding old Methuselah when I was younger." Matthias said.
"Martin said he'd make sure that she does tonight."
"Where will he do this?"
"The Gates of Dark Forest."
"How do you know that he will?"
"He swore it on oath that he would."
"We have no doubt that he won't, now let's go and eat supper."
The meal was a complete site of gossip for the rest of the day and all was peaceful until bed.
---
Redtooth and Fangburn were busy barking orders to the vermin who were out on the parade ground running laps which had been going since earlier that day when Cluny had put the two rat captains in control of the training.
"Faster you idiotic filth." Shouted Redtooth cracking a whip and laughed cruelly.
"Yeah," Shouted Fangburn, "you'd better not even think about taking a break until the Chief gets back."
"They'll stop now, and come with me," Shouted Cluny.
The vermin followed Cluny to the sight Skragg had told him about, their started building multiple siege towers and a huge battering ram and all of Mossflower grew dark as Cluny and his horde headed back to camp for well deserved rest.