Here Is Chapter 9 of Understanding Loyalties. I know I havn't updated this story in a while but I was having some difficulties with it. I was thinking of doing a chapter per episode but this chapter would've been too long. so I finally decided to split it into 2 chapters. I also couldn't think of how to start this chapter. I am working on the next Chapter now so hopefully i get it done soon and don't have too much trouble with it. On with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Redwall in anyway, shape or form. this is purly for entertainment.

Chapter 9: (Search for the Sword Begins)

It had been a day since Shadow had been brought to Redwall abbey. He had been confined to the infirmary to properly heal from his injuries. Despite not having been here for long he was already hearing a lot of commotion going on. It seems the abbey was looking for something. A sword. The weapon needed to beat Cluny.

It was night time now. Shadow was laying down trying to sleep through the pain in his leg. He wondered if the small group out on the wall had found what they were looking for. They had taken the shield of their abbey hero with them to a spot that would reveal the sword. They didn't tell Shadow. He listened to what was going on around him and figured that out.

The next day shadow awoke to less pain in his leg but there was still lots of pain. With a great effort, since he had ditched the stick he was using when his group had arrived here, he walked to the window.

"That young mouse is just standing there," Shadow mused out loud to himself.

Matthias, the mouse in question was standing outside in front of the infirmary window Shadow was glancing out of. As the rat watched the mouse he bent down and gathered some dirt in his paws and covered them in said dirt before walking forward. Matthias grabbed onto the water spout on the smaller building he was staring at but before he could get anywhere the piece of metal that kept the spout in place, the piece the mouse had grabbed broke off.

"What are you doing mouse?" Shadow questioned as he continued watching.

Matthias got to his feet and with all his strength started climbing up the spout. Shadow glanced around the area but saw no one but a lone bird. Did the abbey not realize what the young mouse was doing? Shadow didn't think so as no one was around.

"It is clear he is not a good climber. If I was not wounded I would go up for whatever reason the mouse is climbing for."

Shadow paused at his own words. Why would he volunteer to do anything for anyone again after he had been abandoned for his loyalty already? Maybe it was because they were helping him recover?

A shout from outside brought Shadows attention back to the window. The female mouse the male rabbit and a female squirrel had gathered outside. Matthias had gotten into a bit of trouble. The water spout was detaching from the building. Shadow also noted the bird was gone. It had flown away at some point. The water spout came away from the building and started bending toward the ground.

"Fool thought he could climb but he was mistaken," Shadow muttered as he watched the squirrel help Matthias from the spout before climbing up to the roof herself.

Suddenly the bird Shadow had noticed earlier returned before flying off through a window into the loft of the building several other birds rushed from the loft and surrounded the squirrel as she got to the weather vane. The squirrel quickly checked out the weather vane before fleeing from the angry birds. As she was climbing down some of the birds surrounded her again.

Shadow noticed for the first time that Shara was among the group. She was throwing stones at the birds as Matthias and the rabbit, Basil, started firing arrows with the tips broken off at them. One of the birds was hit with an arrow as the squirrel got to safety.

"I will have to remember to ask Shara why she assisted a creature she was unfamiliar with," Shadow mused as he struggled to his bed to rest.

There you go Chapter 9. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Shadow has a question for the female stoat. Why did Shara help the redwallers? Find out in the next chapter. the snake will be making another appearence soon too.

Black-Phinoex!