Chapter Seven
'The Shore'
Head Scout Alfar Miggory was weaving through the dunes with a few other scouts. The lanky, light brown hare was always alert for anything. That was what his grandfather always said, "Be prepared!" His grandfather wanted him to be another boxing hare, but the lanky Alfar was better suited for scouting. He enjoyed his job, and he was also talented with the Katana, which was his most prized possession. It was given to him by a strange trader from a far land, a bulky rabbit with dark-brown fur and short legs.
As he thought of this he fingered the hilt of his prized weapon. He became lost in thought when another scout, named Kally, came up to him. "Ergo wants to tell us something, but he wants you to be there, wot wot!"
Alfar shook his head, wagging his ears. "Hmmm.. Oh! Ergo, yes! Well on we go, wot!"
Ergo was an old mole hermit that lived between the border of the swamplands and the shore. His hut was made of wood and the hares entered through a small door. Inside was Ergo's huge, fake snake that he used to scare the toads away, a bookshelf, Ergo himself, a table, a small kitchen, and Ergo's pet dippler, Skyflyer, which only spoke, as Ergo said, when there was only Ergo listening. The four hares crowded the place, but the hermit didn't seem to mind.
"Hurr, 'ullo long huh'trol 'ares. 'Ow 'oes it?"
"Very nice, wot wot!" replied Alfar impatiently. "Well, good chap, my friend 'ere said ye wanted to show us something, wot!"
Ergo slowly nodded. "Burr aye, so oi did. Skoifloier told me that ther 'ee boats sailin' 'own the shream. Ratters an' vermints, lots!"
"Oh really? Hmm... Could you give us some more info?"
Ergo slowly shook his head. "No, Skoifloier say no more 'bout vermints."
"Could it be that empire, the one from the south? I mean, they conquered Southsward and everything south of the place, it was only a matter of time before they came here, wot!" said Kally.
The hares went over a silence. "If that's true, then we'll have some big fish to fry," said a young scout called Trav.
The others nodded, but Ergo smiled. "Hurr, oi need'n moi space. Cum back anuh'er day," said the mole, shooing them from his hut.
Mossflower
Mervo was crying himself silly when he felt the ropes go loose.
He felt Nightrip's paw on his shoulder and heard the rat's voice. "Stay quiet. I'm trying to save you."
Mervo silenced himself. He followed Nightrip away from the camp.
"I never wanted to hurt you. I swear," said the rat. "I was a good tracker so I got into Bloodpatch's crew. And I was smart, so Vafír liked me. But I was forced to do every bad thing. I always felt different. Like I was more mouse than rat. This is my chance to redeem myself."
Mervo nodded and wiped away tears. "Thank you," he said quietly.
Nightrip nodded. They began to walk away from the camp, silently.
"Listen, the other vermin are asleep. But the one who caught you, Fyron, his patrol is circling the abbey. Now- he's coming. Hide!"
Mervo quickly hid behind a tree.
"Sorry captain!" said the rat. "The fox slipped away so General Darkblood sent me–"
Fyron sneered. "Shoo, runt. We have more important matters."
Nightrip scurried away. Mervo followed him from behind the trees. He stepped out and began again to follow Nightrip when a weasel called Scumtoes, who was getting rid of Fyron's tracks, came up to them.
He noticed Mervo.
He grabbed at the fox. "The prisoner–"
Nightrip pulled a knife out and stabbed the weasel in the back. Scumtoes keeled over in death, but let out a cry. "Escape!" Nightrip and Mervo began to hear the patter of Fyron's platoon's paws.
"Run!" shouted the rat. When Mervo proved to slow, always reading and never exercising, he picked up the fox. They ran, Nightrip faltered for a second, allowing the vermin to catch up to them.
The fastest, a stoat, caught up to them, by the river. Just before he speared the two, an otter burst from the water. He was bleeding from his shoulder, but he quickly grabbed Nightrip's knife and stabbed the stoat.
"GO!" shouted the otter.
Nightrip ran with Mervo until they were deep in the forest and the rat faltered and tripped, an arrow protruding from his back.
The fox squirmed from under Nightrip. Hearing the battlecries of the otter battling the vermin, he realized why Nightrip had stopped.
"I'm going, young un," said the rat. Tears poured from both their eyes. "I'm going to the dark forest. At least... at least I'll die brave."
"No, if we get back to the abbey, my mother can save you. She's good with herbs and-"
"Listen. I won't make it back to the abbey. But I'll die well, at least," Nightrip's eyes had a faraway look. "Once I tracked down a family of shrews for galley slaves. All died, even the young ones. And it was my fault. I wanted a chance of redemption since them. This was my chance."
"No, no!" cried Mervo, but the rat was already gone. Into the place for heroes in the dark forest.
oooooooooooo
"Tench! And he has young Mervo with him!" called Abbess Fern. The worried fox parents, Zeela and Erzvin, were having tea with the Abbess, Posy and Skipper to calm their nerves.
The gates were opened and Tench the otter hurried up the walls, carrying young Mervo. The otter was bleeding from his shoulder, shin, and cheek, and his left ear was missing. But he was alive. They both had tears on their face.
Mervo ran to his parents and hugged them. "The vermin caught me. The others were mean to me so I went to the forest- but a rat, one that kicked us from the farm, saved me. But-" Mervo stammered, then erupted in tears.
Tench looked at them. "The rat that saved him died, an arrow through the back. I don't know why he did it, but your son owes his lives him. He might want some sleep."
The parents nodded, and Zeela asked, "Why are you not with the platoon?"
Tench shook his head sadly. "The vermin attacked. I was the only one to survive."
Skipper looked up. "What about-"
Tench shook his head sadly. Skipper slowly stared blankly, then fainted, his chair falling back and his tea spilling everywhere.
After a silence where Zeela and Erzvin picked the otter up and carry him to the infirmary, followed by Mervo, Posy glared at Abbess Fern. "You! If you hadn't ordered the otters to go, if you had just listened to Martin the Warrior, we wouldn't have lost those lives. This is your fault."
The old hedgehog stood up and stalked off. Fern put her head in her hands and began to cry.
