As the Guosim begin pulling their boats into the river, Flugg was heard by the group to be saying:
"I wish things stayed the same. Steady and true - like the river."
And while his friends were about to agree with him, Alex looked at Flugg and shook his head.
"That is not what rivers are like at all."
And taking off his shoes and socks he began wading into the river to get to where the longboats rocked on the mirrored surface. While the shrews started rowing Alex and his friends across the water, Alex began to sing a song:
"The one thing I know about the river is
you can't step in the same river twice
The water is always changing always flowing
But creatures I guess can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe we lose our chance at ever knowing
What's around the river bend?
Waiting just around the river bend?
I look once more just around the river bend
Somewhere pass the trees
Don't know what for
Why do all my dreams go just beyond the river bend?
Waiting just beyond the river bend?
Am I really meant for this?
Why do I fear what is next?
Is this real or just a dream?
As Alex looked down into the water's surface he saw - not his own reflection - but that of Martin the warrior who winked kindly at him.
What do you have in store for me great warrior?
Waiting just around the river bend?
Once again, the shrews enjoyed the song very much - while Flugg and his cronies were not pleased. But the song also helped the shrews make good time rowing, and by the end of the day they were closer than ever to the legendary abbey.
That night around a campfire, Vincent asked Log-a-Log Gale something that had been bothering him for quite a while.
"Gale, why do you put up with Flugg? What exactly is his problem?"
"Flugg is not a coward Vincent, he is not afraid to fight or even die, but he is afraid of change." Gale spoke quietly.
As Gale launches into a song Alex can hear the music to the lyrics in his mind, as well as Martin doing the choruses, and Ales pictured Flugg singing the opposite verses. (Which he is!)
Gale sings:
This world in which we wander is wonderful and strange
The only truth we truly know, is that everything must change
Martin in Alex's mind:
Like the rain that fills the ocean
Or the storm that shakes the pine
Gale and Martin:
We are all a part of the grand design
Flugg sings to his supporters around their fire:
The Guosim are a mighty group
Why should we help outsiders?
We ride these streams and rivers
And we fill the night with songs
We must fight all opposition if we don't we'll surely die
We are the masters of our own design
Gale sings to her friends:
We are one with all around us
Brothers to all see
Martin sings:
The one thing we'll surely learn as we walk the path of time...
No one can ever rise above
Flugg sings:
We are Guosim the masters of...
Martin and Gale:
We are all a part of.. the grand design
After the song almost every beast was asleep, but Alex was awake for a good while, wondering if he really fit into the Redwall world. He had enjoyed taking off his shoes and socks earlier, feeling the cool river water flowing over his toes, and now he felt the soft grass beneath his feet. Sudden concern crossed his face and he quickly looked into his bag to see that his book was okay. Alone with his thoughts, Alex was still wondering if and how he could make a difference. With that unsure thought, he finally fell asleep
Author notes from faithcorry634: Thanks to everyone for being so patient I have been busy. But I will try to update more often. 'Just around the River bend' was adapted from Pocahontas and 'Grand Design' is from Balto 2 Wolf Quest