... Vitch was awakened with some screams, it was a feeling that there was a real battle.
The rat barely opened his eyelids. The sunlight was hitting in his eyes. Vitch turned, looking around. He was lying inside of a wooden room, which walls were round, most likely it was a hollow tree. Young hedgehogs were running around and screaming loudly.
"Give me! This is my food!"
"Give me!"
"I am hungry!"
Vitch stood up on his elbow.
"Enough! Go out! All of you! An stout adult hedgehog began to drive away with big ladle her daughters, they rolled head over heels out of the round of the opening door. It was much quieter.
The hedgehog turned to Vitch.
"Oh, you're awake!" She exclaimed.
Vitch sat down and put his paw to his head, because of loud cries it began to hurt.
Rosyqueen - and that was she - came to the rat, and with worried frown pinched his side.
"Ouch!"
"You're awfully thin," the hedgehog issued a verdict. "Come on, get up, I'll give you something to eat."
Vitch sat at a long table, located in the center of a hollow tree and ate vegetable soup, taking a large piece of bread. Rosyqueen sat across from him.
"Everybeast were worried when you wake up, but I said - you just were sleeping. Oh, I know, ten daughters and a son, I do something understand in such things," she chatted. "But you look very haggard... This damn fox!" She angrily glared."He has brought so much grief in our land... I have seen the same exhausted beasts in your party... Former slaves. And my son Jube, he was quite different when he returned," the hedgehog dabbed her eyes with a apron. "He became thin and sad. He was the ringleader before - he laughed, fought, pricked everybeast with thorns... And now he is quiet. My poor little Jubelation..."
The rat almost choked. The piece did not climb into his throat - he saw with his own eyes, how much grief he with Slagar caused to the hedgehog, who was so kind to him.
No, he was not free, as Auma had said. Everybeast has to pay the bills. He still has to pay for everything, it can't be helped…
"Why you do not eat?" Rosyqueen roused. "Come on I'll put you more."
"I..." Vitch wanted to confess, but he could not. He could not say, "I with fox the slaver drove your Jube..."
His gloomily expression of muzzle the hedgehog interpreted in her own way.
"Do not be sad,"she poured more soup into a cup. "All our family decided to settle in Redwall too. They say there is a hedgehog, Ambrose Spike, the keeper of cellars. Redwall will heal our wounds. And my Jubilation will become thick and cheerful again. And you too…
"I..." The young rat put off a spoon and bread, lifted his head. Looking into Rosyqueen's eyes, he blurted out:
"I was in Slagar's gang. The gang of slavers. I was his spy. I do not remember exactly what I have done, but it does not matter. I was with them until the end, until the kingdom of Malkariss. I helped to catch slaves."
He stopped, unable to continue, and stood up. He badly wanted to escape, but he forced himself to stand in front of a mother, whose son was taken away into slavery. But to look into her eyes he could not, and looked down.
The hedgehog at first confused, but then she came to the rat, who looked at the floor. His paws were trembling, and Rosyqueen put her paws on his shoulders.
"Look, do not take on too much," she said simply. "You got in touch with a bad company, but you're just a dibbun. What could you do? Just what you'd been taught by those who were close to you. And they were evil and cruel creatures."
Vitch looked up.
"It is not quite true. I happily ran errands. I'm not as good beast as you think."
"But nobeast tried to get you out of there. Of course, you did everything with joy. This was your chance to survive."
Because of her kind words he almost cried.
"But I had the chance. I was in Redwall... and still... Had chosen Slagar."
"You again is too demanding to yourself. Even adults do not always make the right choice, especially in difficult circumstances. Who knows how it would be safer? Dibbuns just have to eat, to sleep and wash in time, to study and to play. But, unfortunately, it does not always happen so. Come on, eat up the soup, and don't talk about this anymore."
Dibbuns ran in the tree house. "Oh, you're awake!" They yelled.
Vitch suddenly looked seriously at Jube.
"You've got great mom, Jubelation," he said quietly.