Part Three: The War
Chapter Thirty-five: Changing Camp
See me! I'm right here, so just see me. Find me, please!
Swike lay under a willow tree, partially hidden by hanging branches and tall grasses. She wore Rosethorn's garments, though they were nearly unrecognizable, tattered, muddied, bloodied, and worn. Raynat had helped her in cutting the back so that it looked as if she had been wearing the clothes when Jaoto slashed her. Then he had taken off her bandages, ripping them forcefully from her skin, leaving her a bloody mess. He left her to cut off part of her tunic and bind her own wound, since it would look suspicious if Rosethorn had had any assistance in taking care of her injuries. Swike had done a sloppy job and she lay in real pain, waiting for some goodbeast to find her.
She tried to think of the future, of somebeast finding her and taking her into Redwall. She tried to think of what she would do, what she would say, to convince them she was not a threat. But her mind kept reverting back. The last time she had seen Naysta, the vixen had been rummaging through some things in the back of the tent, mumbling to herself, half mad. From time to time, she would hiss loudly, causing Swike to jump with fright.
It had been a relief when her guards arrived to escort Swike out of the camp … until she got a look at their faces. Three among them were from the archer regimen. A tall rat, bow strung in his paws with an arrow placed expertly to the string, spared a second to look at the disguised rat before shooting his eyes at the sky, where they belonged. Swike had almost forgotten all about Riss, but now, with her stomach lagging behind her and him standing in front of her, she couldn't help but notice his presence. All of her memories of their time together came back. Shooting by his side, laughing next to the fireside, watching the captain tournament together.
What disguise was I wearing then? Too much had happened in their time apart, and her current injuries demanded too much attention. She couldn't remember. Struggling with her memories and her forgetfulness, she had simply stared at the back of Riss' head the entire way. On the edge of the camp, right before the trees of Mossflower, her guard had stopped. The captain with them spoke for the first time.
"Swike, we believe Skipper is near here. Our forces have pulled back from the trees. This is where we leave you."
"I understand," Swike had replied, getting back into practice with Rosethorn's voice.
Riss flinched, stealing another look at the beaten up mouse next to him. And then she knew. I was Tyn the stoat! And Tyn has the same voice as Rosethorn! I can't believe he recognized my voice after so long!
Hoping she had been the only beast to see the rat archer flinch, Swike strode boldly into the forest. She would have sworn that she felt eyes watching her as she searched for a suitable spot to lie.
And she had found a spot. Near enough to the place where she fell off the wall, yet far enough from the battlefield that she might not look suspicious. Raynat had helped her to formulate a story, and she rehearsed it yet again in her head.
When I fell off the wall, it was so congested that I could barely move. None of the vermin were paying much attention to the beasts around them. They were all looking at the top of the wall. We all looked about the same in the rain anyway. So I pushed my way through, trying to keep my head down. But when I came under the trees, somebeast must have noticed I was a mouse. A knife shot next to my head, taking my ear with it. My head was so cloudy with pain that I could barely fight back. I managed to kill the vermin, but not unscathed. My ear was easy enough to treat, but the cut on my back was harder to reach. A few times, I became unconscious, lying under the trees, losing more and more blood. I don't know how much time has passed nor how I survived so long. I guess I'm just lucky.
Swike hoped Raynat's plan would work out. This area had been lacking in activity during the battles so far, and what fighting had occurred had been in favor of the Redwallers, probably due to the branches obscuring them from view. So Koron had ordered his troops to retreat from the spot. He was willingly giving Skipper a way back into Redwall, through the eastern wall gate. If Skipper's scouts were any good, they would find Swike on their way inside. Then it would all be up to her.
A twig snapped near Swike's footpaw. Snake! she thought, turning her head quickly to look. A young otter stood above her, a rock held in her upraised paw. She sighed.
"You're a mouse!" The otter immediately crouched next to Swike's side. She looked into her face. "Rosethorn!? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Redwall?"
How does she know my name? Who is this girl?
"What have you found, Jennet?"
Jennet? The fourth girl who used to room with Lifil, Maren, and Gyis? The girl who went with Skipper when Lifil was not allowed to?
"I found Rosethorn. She came to Redwall shortly before we left. She was with the dibbuns when the serpent took Shelby. She's injured, Char!"
Another otter, only a season or two older than Jennet, appeared next to them.
"I remember Rosethorn," he said, gently lifting Swike from the ground. "I helped carry her into Redwall when she arrived." To Swike, he said, "I don't know how you got out here, but it seems like I'm starting a hobby of carrying girls around."
Jennet punched him playfully in the arm, both of them laughing as if at an inside joke. Don't they realize we're in the middle of a war?
"Now you've got to help me carry her," Char said to his companion.
Swike allowed them to lift her up and carry her away. The two otters continued to chat, thought quietly, as they went along.
"It's your lucky day," Char directed to Swike. "Skipper and Log-a-Log think we'll be able to beat our way into Redwall tonight. Then I'm sure my pal Ronn can fix you up in the infirmary."
"We all know he's going to be the next Infirmary Keeper," put in Jennet.
"And I'll be the next Carrier around here."
"Oh Char, stop it! I think you'll be the next Skipper."
"Really?" Char grinned. "Then are you going to become the next Carrier?"
"Oooo! You!! Can't you ever be serious, Char? There's no such thing as a Carrier! And it was completely an accident when I tripped the other day, and I didn't need to be carried at all."
"We're here," announced Char. A short beast wearing a yellow headband approached the group. "Good evening, Log-a-Log."
"Who is this?" asked the shrew.
"This is Rosethorn," said Jennet. "She's from Redwall. We found her near the edge of Mossflower."
"Are you sure she can be trusted?" Swike flinched as a short rapier prodded her in the side.
"Oh, don't hurt her, Log-a-Log! She's already injured!" Jennet checked to make sure Swike hadn't been cut as she and Char lay her down next to some packs.
An even shorter shrew scampered up to peer down at the new creature. She scrunched up her face in disgust. "She smells of blood," the young shrew complained. "I don't like her. Why is she here? Father said we should let nobeast into our camp. I thought the squirrels were keeping an eye on things," she shot an annoyed glance at the tree branches overhead.
"Come now, Gammy," said Char. "Have a heart. She's one of our mates. We knew her in Redwall. And we are here to help Redwall, right?"
Gammy made her paws into fists and stuck out her lip at the otter. "I do too have a heart!" she squeaked. Before she could lob herself at Char, Log-a-Log broke in between them.
"No fighting in my camp!" he shouted. He turned to face Gammy, holding her paws in his own. "Gammy, hun, you should know better than this. Go over and sit with your brothers."
For a second, it looked like the shrew was about to protest, but she let her shoulders slump, in the face of Log-a-Log. "Yes, Father," she mumbled, leaving the group.
Log-a-Log turned back toward the problem at paw. "Char, find Skipper. I want to hear from him that this mouse is safe. If she isn't-" the shrew leveled his rapier at Swike's throat. Forcing herself not to gulp, Swike pressed her eyes closed, barely comforted by Jennet's paw resting on her brow.
It felt like forever for Skipper to arrive, but Swike knew it hadn't been long at all. The seasoned otter coughed politely before stepping between Log-a-Log and Swike, gently pushing the short rapier to the side. Swike's eyes opened instantly, delighted to see the Skipper.
"I recognize her," said Skipper shortly. "She spent a lot of time with my Lifil. She will join us in Redwall tonight."
Without another word, the otter left and disappeared. Looking around at her surroundings for the first time since entering the camp, Swike found that Log-a-Log had disappeared as well. I bet they're both very busy right now.
"I wish I could do something for your wounds," said Jennet sadly, "but I'm no good with that sort of thing. And the shrew healers have been overworked lately, with the injured piling up every day. Luckily, very few have died, but it's been impossible to avoid injuries. There are just so many vermin!"
Swike nodded slightly, still scanning the woods. I wasn't much of a camp, really. No tents were pitched and no visible barriers could be seen around the area. For all Swike could tell, the goodbeasts had simply laid out sleeping mats and packs upon the ground. Their swords and rapiers were leaned against the trunks of trees and bows and quivers of arrows hung from the branches overhead. Yet she noticed many of the goodbeasts, mostly shrews, milling around the trees and occasionally bending down to check something close to the ground.
Swike squinted to see what it was they were looking at. As one shrew reached out to the thing he was examining and picked it up, Swike understood. Trip wires. Very thin strands of rope had been lain out around the area. Swike didn't have any idea for how far. If anything outside the camp moved against one of those ropes, the vibration would come back to the goodbeasts, and somebeast could be sent to inspect the source.
A tree branch overhead shook. A streak of red-brown could be seen for a moment between the green leaves. With trip wires below and squirrels above, and with knowledge of the land, no wonder these beasts can lie down on the ground in the middle of the woods and sleep.
"Rosethorn! Rosethorn, can you hear me?" a paw waved in front of Swike's face.
The rat blinked and looked up at Jennet. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "My mind just keeps wandering off."
Jennet frowned. "I think you've lost too much blood. But don't worry. You'll be back inside that wonderful redstone building before long. And I'll be by your side until then, I promise."