Chapter 10

Sam, Elmtail, and Harlan awoke and were faced with a platter of stale bread and a substance that look a lot like porridge. The bread was as hard as a sandstone and the porridge was watery and tasteless. It was food none the less. To make the porridge taste not a bland and to soften the bread up. The three warriors dipped their crusts of bread in their bowls of porridge and licked up the content on the pieces. The salt from the bread made the porridge taste more tolerable. Sam noticed their captors bringing in more of the Mossflower Patrol creatures, they were lined up and tied up to one another, they were fed the same gruel Sam, Elmtail, and Harlan had. The three noticed Xaviel and Feraug eating their rations. This greatly upsetted the Mossflower Patrol.

"When I am free from these binds, all the canes in the forest won't stop me."

Sam said to himself. Harlan looked over to the spiteful squirrel.

"Patience, ya know, we'll get out of this soon enough, yeah."

"Harlan's right, when the time comes, we'll be out of here and to Salamandastron."

Elmtail said as he choked down the watery substance. Sam nodded in agreement, he then threw his crust of bread at a nearby tree and laid down to go to sleep. Little did anybeast know, a tiny shrew was watching them from afar.

More towards inland, but close to Sam and his band of captives was the Guosim. Flugg, still the tribe's Log-a-Log was getting old and grey. Still, he was a formidable fighter, and took his duty as Guosim Chieftain very seriously. Flugg and his band of shrews were camped, they dimmed their campfires so that no foebeast would see them and so that they wouldn't burn down their beautiful home. As they slumbered, the young shrew raced back and started screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I've found 'em, I've found 'em!"

He cried out. Flugg sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Found who?"

He questioned. The shrew excitedly jumped up and down, and spoke extremely fast.

"Themossflowerpatrolisnearbywegottasaveem!"

"Slow it down, alright?"

Flugg said as he placed a paw on the shrew's shoulder to calm him down. The shrew cleared his throat and began speaking more diligently.

"Ahem, sorry, I said, the Mossflower Patrol are nearby, and they've been captured, we've gotta rescue them."

Flugg scratched his nose, and thought who the Mossflower Patrol were. He paced around thinking about the name, "Mossflower Patrol." He kept pondering the name, eventually he drew a blank.

"Who is in the Mossflower Patrol?"

He asked his young associate. The young shrew puffed out his chest and spoke.

"I saw Sam Squirrel there."

"Sam Squirrel of Redwall, son of Jess?"

"Yes sir."

"Come on, you lot. We've got a group of woodlanders to save."

The Log-a-Log shouted. Everybeast present got up from their slumber and geared themselves up.

Back at Redwall, Cheek Stag Otter sat by the Abbey pond with his wife, Sandra, daughter of Winifred. Sandra rested her head on her loving husband's shoulders. The adult otter thought about his friends in the Mossflower Patrol, hopefully they weren't in danger. Basil, snacking on an oatcake decided to take a midnight stroll, he walked out of Cavern Hole and to the courtyard. He saw the otter couple snuggle near the pond.

"Ahh, you chaps look lovely this night, wot."

Sandra and Cheek jumped up and looked back at Basil.

"Oh Basil, you scared us."

"Sorry, old bean, I'm quite good at sneakin' 'round, wot."

Cheek chuckled, Sandra chuckled with her husband.

"Hahaha, we best be headed off to bed."

Sandra said, she reached out a helpful paw to her Cheek and he gladly accepted it. Basil waved goodbye to the two and swallowed the last bite of vittles he was eating.

"I best be headed off to sleep too."

He said to himself.

Flugg and his Guosim eventually made it to the campsite. Xaviel and Feraug were sound asleep along with their fighters. The only creatures awake were a small group of river rats and they weren't very active at all. Flugg nocked an arrow to his bow.

"Listen, this is a standard rescue procedure, we take out the skeleton crew, and free our comrades. Make sure none of the vermin see you and make sure they don't see your arrows. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

They all whispered. Flugg smiled and fired the first shot at the rats, the other shrews fired their shafts at the horderats. A rat saw this and was about to wake Xaviel but a speedy arrow snuffed his life out. Log-a-Log Flugg slung his bow around his torso and drew a small dagger, he gently woke Sam up. He hushed the startled squirrel.

"Shh, awake your companions, well free the others."

Sam nodded and shook Elmtail awake, who awoke Harlan. They started a chain and eventually everybeast of the Mossflower Patrol awoke. The Guosim drew their tiny daggers and freed their Redwall comrades.

"Follow us, we'll lead you to safety."

"Lead the way, Log-a-Log."

Flugg chuckled underneath his breath.

"Once, these bumbling idiots find their captives far away, they'll flip."

"Enough chinwagging, let's move."

Flugg nodded and they lead their affiliate away from Xaviel's slumbering horde. Flugg and Sam were at a good distance from their antagonizers. Sam shook paws with Flugg.

"Thank you, Log-a-Log, we are forever in your debt."

"Oh no need to thank us, just doing out duty as Guosim shrews. Is there anything else we can do?"

Sam fiddled with his tail and paced around the stout shrew.

"Well, were on our way to Salamandastron to see if Orlando the Axe can help us defeat those vermin that captured us, I was wondering if you would be able to accompany us on our journey?"

"Ohohoho, of course, young treehopper. The Guosim will always be siding with any Redwaller on their journey."

Flugg chuckled.

"Before we head West, let's rest up a bit."

"Agreed, Log-a-Log Flugg."

Sam said to his old friend.