This chapter probably answers some of your numerous questions, I think. I had a lot of fun writing this one. In fact, I almost wrote it all in one go but then my mom interrupted my train of thought and made me go to bed. :(

Anyways, this chapter reveals a lot of character depth and stuff like that so I'll leave it up to you guys to figure out what it all means.

P.S. From here on out, I'm changing Rosco and Jolin's roles to be the nephew and niece of the Skipper instead of his kids. They're still siblings though. Also, keep in mind that Tarka's about 12 right now. He's not a teenager, unlike Melo and Sarrow.

Special thanks to all who reviewed: Awsomewriter123, FoxStar24, SilverZeo, Zinachu, CinnamonPool, MangaHottie740, JarrTail, and DPBCLover. You guys are the best!

AT THE END OF THE AUTHOR NOTES, I HAVE WARRIORS INFO FROM ERIN HUNTER'S BOOK SIGNING (yes, I went)

The Outcome that Fate has Yielded

The hare hurried down the path as fast as she could. She couldn't afford to waste time with such important news. She wistfully recalled her younger seasons when she was a messanger of the Long Patrol. This speed would be nothing to her back then. She snapped out of her thoughts instantly when she saw a beast just ahead of her.

"Who's there?" she shouted. The figure instantly halted, panting.

"Abbess Linette?"

Recognizing the voice, the hare breathed a sigh of relief before she reminded herself that there were urgent matters at hand.

"Wade, thank goodness you're here. I need to talk to Skipper! It's important!"

"But I need to talk to you!" the otter insisted, "There are vermin running loose in Mossflower and somebeast's injured at the holt! I need to alert the abbey that we're coming. They have to be ready to recieve him. When we've got the wound bandaged up, we have to get him to Redwall as soon as possible!"

"So they've already found out..." Linette thought to herself before she addressed Wade, "Listen to me, run there as fast as you can and tell Meles that I'm on my way to the holt. Hurry now!" Wasting no time, the two ran in different directions, desperate to get to their destination.

Linette came to an abrupt halt near the holt's entrance. In front of her, two otters armed with spears barred her way.

"Halt! Friend or foe?" they voiced the standard greeting.

"It's me, you dunderheads!" Linette practically shouted. She was glad that the otters had taken extra precautions, but they obviously should've been able to recognize her from mere rats, foxes, weasels, and the like.

"Sorry marm," one of them said as he stepped aside, "Couldn't see you in the dark." Rolling her eyes, the hare dashed past them and into the holt's clearing. The holt wasn't anything different from a normal every-day village. It had small wooden huts, a big fire pit, and a small community of otters. But at the moment, there was almost no beast in sight.

Instead, the place was devoid of all its usual carefree life, the windows and doors were shut, the area was bathed in light, and otter guards were standing stock-still, ringing the area. Then she spied a lone otter pacing worriedly in front of one of the huts.

"Jolin!" she waved, catching her attention.

"Abbess Linette!" she said in a small voice, wiping her tears with he sleeve, "Oh, it was awful, awful!"

"What? What happened?" the hare panted.

"Uncle Raller and some o' the crew left to go fishing near River Moss. But then they came home early and there was an injured beast with them! He was all bloody and Uncle Raller said vermin did it and that they're here and-"

"Now, now," she said reassuringly, "We're going ta take care of everything, so don't worry your pretty little head over these matters. I just need to talk to the Skipper."

"He's in there," the ottermaid sniffled as she pointed to the hut. Nodding her thanks, the abbess knocked on the door softly, not wanting to break the heavy silence. There were several shuffling sounds inside and a gruff voice answered the door.

"What is it?"

"It's me, Abbess Linette. I need to talk to Skipper." It was quiet for several seconds until the door shuddered open and a weary-looking otter greeted her.

"I'm sorry, Skip can't leave right now. Please come inside." Linette entered, noticing how cluttered and dimly lit the interior was. The walls were lined with assortments of fishhooks and netting and on the opposite wall there were some herbs among some berries and fruits, left on the shelf to dry for the many seasons to come. And then, in the middle of the room, there were four otters, clustered together and staring down at something, muttering in hushed voices.

"Skipper, I think you're aware of the emergency here," she panted. The otters looked up from whatever they were doing, revealing a body lying on a cot. Linette took a tentative step, unsure if she truly wanted to see the figure.

"I know. We found him on the road," Skipper nodded at the body in indication, "And I could say that we taught those vermin a good lesson too! What was he thinking?! Taking on an an entire group by himself!"

"But what other measures did you take against this danger?" she pressed softly as she craned her neck to see the victim.

"You must've bumped into Wade on the way here. We've got guards scattered throughout the area, I've issued scouts, nobeast is allowed to go anywhere alone, and once we're sure he can make the journey, we're getting this one straight to the abbey's infirmary," the otter replied wearily. Linette looked at the figure, and she had to admit, he was in terrible condition.

He was a young sea otter, far too young to even consider fighting a full-grown vermin, let alone an entire group of them. He was frail-looking and it was apparent that he had lost a lot of blood. A clean bandage was wrapped around his waist, yet she could still see some traces of blood seeping through. And at the moment, the otters were hard at work removing the arrow lodged in his shoulder.

Then her eyes traveled down to his left arm, where a manacle gleamed in the soft candle light. She frowned slightly at the thought of the poor beast's pain.

"Was he a slave trying to escape from his captors? What kinds of suffering did he have to endure in his short life?"

"So you've noticed that too then?" Skipper sighed. Linette nodded in response, feeling that there was nothing more she had to say.

"We were just going to the river for some fishin', but then we heard somebeast shouting somewhere and when we showed up, he was like that," the otter's eyes hardened, "And then there were these vermin... and bodies... three of them were vermin and the other two were rabbits! Oh, I can't remember their names, but they were a nice couple and they never deserved that sort'a end.

"They were all chopped up and were brutally slaughtered. No doubt that this brave fool tried to jump in and stop them. I'd say that he did quite well, though one got away. And when I get my hands on that-"

"It's no use," another otter said, interrupting the otter from his vow of vengeance, "We have to cut the arrow in half and get him to the abbey immediately. It's his only chance."

"Thank you, Brook," Skipper said, calming down.

"There's one more thing..." the hare began, but then it seemed as if the otter suddenly remembered something.

"They were tracks of a fox," he said abruptly, "He was heading for the abbey. And I'd say, telling from the tracks, he has a leg injury, but I wouldn't consider him harmless."

"We found him near Redwall," Linette answered, "He's being taken care of in the infirmary right as we speak." The otter's eyes flashed and he looked like he was going to say more, perhaps advise her to get rid of the danger permentantly before Brook's voice broke in.

"Skipper, we need you to help carry the stretcher."

"Alright, we need to get to Redwall, as fast as we can," he said as he took his position at the corner, "For his sake."

All he could remember was somebeast approaching him. And then, darkness.

Keetch slowly opened his eyes, awakened by the sound of somebeast talking. The sight that greeted him was comforting, but confusing at the same time. Somehow, he was lying in a soft, comfortable bed and light was shining through an open window. From his perspective, he could see that the room was empty, though, there must be somebeast on the other side of the door, since he could hear muffled voices.

Slowly, he propped himself up on his elbows before a dull pain shot up from his leg. He gasped in shock and collapsed back into his bed. Right at that moment, the door swung open and a mousemaid appeared at the door.

"Oh, you're up," she said awkwardly as she placed a tray of food on his bedstand, careful to watch his every movement. To her surprise, the fox didn't start spewing obscenities or try to attack her. Instead, he simply put his paw over his eyes and tried to sit up.

"Don't move," she said quickly. Against her better judgment, she delicately pushed his shoulders down, easing him back to a comfortable position. She recoiled shortly after, realizing how close she was to danger. She considered herself lucky that the fox was just too confused to attack her.

"Where am I?" he groaned.

"You're at Redwall Abbey," she said as she stirred some broth slowly, "We're here to help you. Now please, stay in your bed and don't move." The fox seemed happy to oblige but he continued asking questions.

"Who are you? What's goin' on? How did I get here?" he asked.

"You can call me Sister Wayrin," the mouse began, but just then, the door swung open and an otter stomped into the room, accompanied by another otter, a young mouse, an elderly hare, and a badger. The fox normally would've gawked at the sheer size of the badger but the otter was the one that caught his attention. His face was dark and there was a cold look in his eyes that forced Keetch to shrink back as if doing so could cloak his presence.

"Skipper, I thought we discussed that-" Wayrin began, but was cut off by that serious look on the otter's face. Her courage leaving her, she stepped back and focused on mixing the warm broth.

His only defense powerless, Keetch stared back at the otter. It was awkward, for nobeast said a word for a few seconds and it felt as if the towering otter was looking straight through him- right into his very soul.

"So," the otter said slowly, his voice hard, "What do you know about the vermin?"

"What vermin?" the fox asked. And then a wave of memories hit him- the two rabbits, the rat, the gash in Brink's side... leaving him to die... In his confusion, he had forgotten everything that happened until now. In fact, if anybeast mentioned the name "Brink" before this moment, Keetch's mind would've drawn a blank. The fox opened his mouth to speak until the otter grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, hoisting him up to eye-level.

"Don't lie to me," he growled menacingly, "Tell- me- what- you- know," he demanded, shaking him violently between words. Keetch was speechless and terrified. Here he was, an injured beast who had nothing to do with the vermin he hated, yet he was being shaken around like some rag doll.

"Skipper! Skipper! Please calm down!" A much younger otter appeared in Keetch's view, prying the burly otter's grip from he fox. Then a myriad of voices filled the room, each one different and panicked.

"No fighting in the abbey!"

"Control yourself!"

"Raller! Let him go!"

"Put him down now!"

"By the fang! You're gonna kill him, you will!"

And then the world was finally still as Keetch dropped from the hold and plopped back on his bed, panting. His vision was reeliing as he surveyed the chaotic scene about him. The furious, yelling otter was being restrained by the badger and the hare, the young otter and mouse were standing side by side, their expressions the picture of shock. And then there was that mouse, Sister Wayrin, standing on the other side of the bed, her back pressed against the wall with her two tiny paws clasped over her mouth in a frozen gasp.

"Let go! Let me at him! I'll rip his throat out for what he did!" the otter screamed as he struggled violently with the badger, who was making an effort not to harm her friend.

"Get a hold of yourself!" the hare commanded, followed by a resounding slap. There was a moment's silence as all the beasts held their breath. The hare was panting, her right paw lowering to her side while the otter, pressed against the wall by the badger, had his head lowered, facing slightly to his left. Then he shuddered slightly and the badger released her hold on him. He seemed to slump a bit as he leaned against the wall.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," he said as he pressed his palm to his forehead, shaking it as he stared at the ground.

"It's alright, we know how you feel, Skip," the hare said as she clapped a reassuring paw on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me," he muttered as he walked out of the room briskly. Keetch immediately felt the others heave a long sigh. Then the elderly hare cleared her throat, calling the fox's attention to her.

"As you are now aware, there have been vermin sightings near Mossflower. In return for our fair treatment, we expect information, is that clear?"

"Yes," Keetch answered meekly, his answer sounding very plain compared to the hare's fancy wording.

"Very good," she said slowly as she took a step forward, "But let me warn you, try to escape or attack, and we'll be forced to take extreme measures, understood?"

Keetch nodded vigorously, noting the snarl the badger had on her face.

"Good, then tell me, what do you know of the vermin?" the hare leaned forward so that her face was just inches away from his own. There was no sympathy in her eyes, only a serious, brown color that was void of any emotion.

"I'm... I'm... I'm not one of them," he stammered, leaning backwards, away from the terrible gaze. Her stare did not falter, however, and she decided to ask more questions.

"Oh? If that's the case, then, tell me, what were you doing in the woods? Why were you wounded?" Keetch knew this quesion would surface, it was inevitable. And right now, he wasn't quite sure if they would believe him.

"I was traveling with somebeast," he said softly, lowering his eyes, "And then we saw two rabbits being attacked by a group of vermin. My friend, an otter-"

"An otter?" the badger interrupted.

"Yes," Keetch nodded hesitantly, "he was my friend and he risked his life trying to save them. In the end, I was... also pulled into the battle and was wounded," he pointed at his leg, indicating the proof, "Two vermin ran off to chase one rabbit while we fought the others off. We won, but Brink was badly injured on his side. And... and... and I didn't think he would make it..."

"And then?" the hare pressed forward.

"And then..." Keetch nearly told the truth, but paused, reminding himself that the truth wouldn't sound appealing to them, "And then he told me to run and get help... and I ran... but I don't remember anything after that... Only darkness," he finished, the lie tasting bitter in his mouth. Then room was silent once more until the badger decided to continue the interrogation.

"You called him Brink?"

"Yes."

"And you were his friend," the badger stated.

"Yes."

"Liar! I don't believe you!" she growled as she clamped a huge paw on the bed frame.

"But I was," Keetch quailed.

"Meles, please calm down," Wayrin suggested in a soothing voice. Considering the mouse's request, she took a step backwards, her heavy breathing still audible.

"I don't believe you," she said as her hulking figure walked towards the door, "But when he wakes up, he'll tell us the truth. And then I'll rip you apart." Keetch shuddered in response before the realization hit him.

"When he wakes up?" he asked, pondering the possibilities.

"He was found in the woods barely alive," the hare explained.

"He's alive... he's alive..." the fox repeated to himself before his gaze snapped up to meet the hare's, desparation in his eyes.

"I must see him! I have to! Please!"

"No!" she snapped coldly, "Under no circumstances are you to leave this room. The otter needs all the rest he can get and he doesn't need you to make things worse." At that, she walked out of the room, leaving the remaining occupants wide-eyed. Usually the abbess was full of jokes and humor, but now she seemed like somebeast completely different.

"She's just stressed, Tarka," the young mouse muttered to the worried young otter next to him.

"Everybeast get out," Meles's voice rang, "This fox is a prisoner and shall be treated as such." The abbeydwellers quickly obeyed, evacuating the room quickly and soundlessly.

"Here's your lunch. Supper will be given later," the mouse said hastily before she too, left the room, closing the wooden door behind her.

Click!

He recognized the sound of a lock turning. The fox sighed, isolated and left to his misery.

Wow, Keetch sure is taking a lot of crap lately. According to some, he deserves it. The last two chapters showed several things about his personality. It's obvious that he cares about Brink, seeing how he actually got into the fight to save him and he was heavily conflicted with the choice he was facing. It also showed how he was brave to an extent, but his cowardice/will to survive overpowered that loyalty. The last chapter focused on how the guilt has been plaguing him. Now, when you feel like you really want to punch him, please remember that he had a conscience about it and he's paying dearly for it now.

Well, according to one review by FoxStar24, I think that I am sorta making Redwall look bad. Sure, it's still nice, but not as hospitable as the books describe it. I think it's partly the cynic in me and the fact that I wanted to show how panicked all of Redwall is by this attack. That's why Skipper and Linette are so... mean. I know it was a little harsh, but I think that's how any normal people would react to such violent crimes in a once-peaceful place.

And also notice how the chapters are darker. This is going to be a darker story than the real Redwall stuff, just to warn you. I don't know, I think I like dark stories compared to happier ones.

I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I embedded some clues about Tarka's personality in there. I don't think it's too subtle, though. Start wondering what he's looking for.

Special thanks to Fallen into Oblivion for the idea of woodlanders finding Brink. At first, I was planning on Brink surviving to barely escape and bump into Skipper but then I realized that this was way better.

Alright, you know the drill. Please review, since they keep me writing and I would really appreciate any comments, thoughts, constructive criticism, questions, suggestions, ideas, corrections, etc. from you. So please, review. If you don't feel like reviewing, that's OK. Thanks for reading anyway. :D

Jade TeaLeaf

The Warriors Series Stuff (spoilerish)

As I said, I went to Erin Hunter's book signing today and it was packed. I was like, the only teenager there and the rest of the people were either parents or 10-12 year olds. I was a little embarraced, since I'm almost 17. Here are some things she said:

Cinderpelt was her favorite character because she struggled so hard to find her place in the clan, and that she could identify with Cinderpelt's knowledge of her death. You see, Vicky Holmes was very sick once and almost died, and she could relate to Cinderpelt's feelings of death and stuff like that.

One kid asked if Firestar dies, and she said he will, but she isn't going to say how or when.

Here's the big thing I NEVER knew: Firestar and Scourge were half-brothers. That's right. In Rise of the Scourge, there's a part where Tiny's (Scourge) mom tells him about his father and that he was a ginger tom with a fiery pelt and always liked to stare out at the wilderness. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if she meant Tiny's dad or Firestar's dad. It's sad to know that the only cat Firestar killed was his own half-brother, and none of them ever knew they were fighting their own kin :(

Scourge never believed in Starclan, so he never went to the Place of No Stars.

I asked her what was the best advice she had for an aspiring writer and she said "Read, Read, Read, because that's where all your ideas, imagination, and inspiration will come from."

That's just about it. There's really nothing else to say except that I was #150 in the signing list and that it was a LONG wait. But she signed two of my books (well, 3, but I gave that one to my cousin because he came so I wouldn't come alone). She signed Eclipse, Forest of Secrets, and my own personal favorite The Darkest Hour (call it my intuition, but she said that that one was her favorite book). :)

And that's basically it. I hope there was some info there that interested you.

Please Review! Thank you all so much for reading.

Jade TeaLeaf