Holy crap it's been like 14 weeks since my last update. I'll try to be more consistent in the future. I said this would be done by Thanksgiving break, and I was truthful, but my frikkin computer deleted the ENTIRE document. So yeah, I had to retype it all from memory. This chapter starts with what is going on with Aranta and stuff, and the second part is about what's going on back in Noonvale. And Deskat is pretty much the same size as an average mouse/mole/ect.
Violet Appeared quite shaken. She stood over the corpse of the weasel she had just killed, and she was shaking uncontrollably.
"I-I've just killed a beast." She said, barely above a whisper. Se appeared on the verge of tears.
Aranta slowly and painfully picked himself up.
"Violet! You saved my life! I don't know how I can ever repay you!"
"I- guess it's alright then. He deserved it, the scum!"
Aranta was almost startled by her sudden change of mood. She wiped her dagger on the grass and said "I guess we should go tend to Rurark now, Aranta."
Before they walked back to where Rurark was laying unconscious, Aranta noticed that his wound had started bleeding again. He cursed and followed Violet back to where Rurark was laying.
Aranta was just about to go to the old mouse's well to get a bucket of water to toss on Rurark's head when he noticed something was amiss.
"Violet, where's Chibbo?"
Just then, he heard a gasp. Violet was standing over the broken body of Chibbo. He had cuts and slashes all over him, and by the large pool of blood on the ground, it was obvious that he had bled to death.
Aranta heard a rustle in the leaves farther into the forest. Without even thinking, Aranta rushed off, as fast as he could go, with his sword at the ready. Violet was following close behind. There, ahead of him running for his life, was a fifth weasel. He was obviously the leader of the gang, as he was clothed slightly better and had a rusty short sword instead of a club. The chase lasted a good five minutes, but Aranta caught up with him.
The weasel was backed up against a tree, pleading for his life.
"Please! Don't kill me! I was just trying to avenge the death of my mate's, you've got to understand!"
But Aranta didn't even hear his desperate cries, he was so intent upon killing. Violet gasped in shock as Aranta plunged his sword into the heart of the weasel, killing him instantaneously. But he wasn't done there. Some terrible instinct told him to keep hacking, slashing! Before it was over, the mangled form of the weasel was barely even recognizable as a once living thing.
"Aranta!" Violet said in horror.
Aranta turned on her so quickly Violet for a moment feared for her life. Something strange shone in Aranta's eyes, a look of insane bloodlust, a look of extreme hatred and rage. Then it was gone, and Aranta dropped his sword and fell to the ground, tears streaming down the sides of his newly blood splattered cheeks.
(How's that for a dark character?
I know Chibbo's death was sudden, but I thought about him long and hard, and really, why the heck would there be a guinea pig in Redwall? I mean, an Iguana is one thing, but a guinea pig? I couldn't just make a break in the plot and "Discontinue" him, so he pretty much just had to die. And also it gave me an opportunity to show Aranta's darker side, and foreshadow "something" later in the story. (If you can't guess what the look in Aranta's eyes it than you haven't read enough Redwall books.)And yes, they will revive Rurark in the next chapter, which will most likely be written over Christmas break.
If you haven't noticed yet, I've sort of made a joke out of Aranta's shoulder wound. You know, it just heals, and then it starts bleeding again. I also meant t to be kinda symbolic of how stubborn Aranta is.) And now to Noonvale.)
Deskat had been moving through the forest as quietly as he could, and it took him hours to reach the palisade gate around the main portion of Noonvale, and by that time, it was dawn. Many of the houses left unprotected by the palisade were heavily damaged by the Lizards' first attack. The Iguana walked slowly up to the main gate, trying to appear non-threatening. The sentries, who were standing on the narrow catwalk at the top of the palisade had their bows on him immediately, and let loose two arrows. Luckily for Deskat, their aim was less than perfect, and one of the arrows went sailing over his head, but the other one hit him in the leg, causing him to fall over.
"You foolss! Can you not sssee that I am unarmed? I came here with no harmful intent!"
The two sentries, still very cautious, called for Chief Plurba. He was there shortly, and immediately ordered the two sentries to open the Palisade gate, instructing one of them to keep his bow ready, and the other to help him with the wounded iguana.
Plurba and the sentry carried him over to a building which was serving as a makeshift infirmary. It was filled with the wounded of the lizard's earlier attack. Some of the creatures had been wounded quite badly let out occasional moans.
"Is thisss really necessssecary?"
said Deskat as Plurba lay him down on one of the cots, with a half pained, half irritated tone.
"After you are properly tended to, you and I have a little talking to."
Plurba said the word "talking" in a lower tone, as if warning the lizard not to try anything stupid.
Deskat let out an irritated sigh.
"That is the reason I came here, o creature of vast intelligence. Unlessss, of course, I am a spy or assassssin, in which case you might want to sssecond guess you're decision to keep me here."
He smiled mischeviously.
"But lucky for you I'm a friend, and would never do such a thing. You or your village won't come to any harm, from me that is."
As Plurba left the infirmary, Deskat could be heard in the background yelling at a nurse to fix up his whip lashings before she tried to yank out the arrow from his leg.
This chapter was a little bit short I know, but I reeeaaaly wanted to put it up as soon as possible. I'll update again over Christmas break.