Lady Consellariel of Salamandastron viewed the thousand hares under her command. Battle trained and ready for anything, they reeled of the chant of the long patrol.

The following poem was composed and written by Brian Jacques, I take no credit for it

'O vermin if you dare, come visit us someday,
bring all your friends and weapons with you too.
You'll find a good warm welcome, let nobeast living say,
that cold steel was never good enough for you.

You won't find poor helpless beast all undefended,
like the old ones, mothers and babes you've slain,
and you'll find when your pleasant visit's ended,
you'll never leave our shores again.

All you cowards of the land and flotsam of the sea,
who murder, pillage and loot whene'er you please,
the long patrol awaits you, we'll greet you cheerfully,
you'll hear us cry 'Eulalia' on the breeze.

Tis a welcome to bullies who slay without a care,
all the good and peaceful creatures who can't fight,
but the perilous and dangerous beast they call the hare,
who stands for nought but honour and the right.

Eulalia, Eulalia, come bring your vermin horde,
the long patrol awaits you, led by a badger lord.'

*****

The sun was high and the sweet song of the birds flittered through the shady trees that surrounded the Major's patrol. They finally stopped, collapsing onto the soft mossy woodland floor, gasping for breath. The major sat on a rotten log while commenting,

'Hmm... We made it quite far into Mossflower during the jolly old night, we marched quickly enough wot. Galedeep, Vale, run forward and look for the blinkin vermin tracks further up north. When they return, Lieutenant, Sergeant, trek west. Then the Corporal and meself, we'll trek eastwards. In the meantime, the rest of us take a old breather and rest these flippin footpaws!'

The sole remaining water rat sat with the Lieutenant, who kept a constant vigil over him. Hands bound behind his back, he now sat with a stone dead look on his face. Without warning, he leaped up and ran, hands still bound, helter-skelter into the deep forest. The major and her patrol leapt into action.

'Chaps! Keep up to the scum! If her gets to the flippin great main group the abbey is doomed, not to mention us wot!'

The rat ran with crazed speed, only fear giving him the will power to keep going. He always kept a pawstep away from Daleria's flickering sabre, which followed him from behind. Suddenly Daleria stopped abruptly for no apparent reason and called out.

'Stop, stop everybeast! This is the flippin swamp area! You don't want to know the countless amount of times innocent lives were taken here. But the bally thing has taken quite a few vermin to the Dark Forest too! But from here it's only a full day march to Redwall...'

The patrol watched grimly as the struggling rat sunk slowing into the murky depths of the swamp.

One more victim to the swamp...

*****

Vaxial and his horde surged further into Mossflower...

*****

Lady Consellariel strode ahead with Colonel Galde, at the front of her thousand hare army. They marched in silence, thinking of the confrontation to be...

*****
Some of the guests had started to arrive from all around Mossflower. The abbess greeted each and every one.


'Annabell! Wonderful to see you again! How have you been?'

'Abbess Jemerian! Is this the little quite babe that once sat on my lap? It is good to see you again!'

'Yes, yes. I dearly hoped that you would that you would take the place of Mother Badger...'

'Hoho! Of course, of course. How could I refuse? How are the Dibbuns?'

*****

Major Clandestine's patrol marched down the northern path as Redwall Abbey came into view. They had been marching for a full day, but the grandness of the abbey banished all thoughts of weariness from their minds.

It was a massive red sandstone building, with a tall belltower and a large interior. It's wooden gate looked worn with the age of many a season, yet sturdy and strong all the same. The twin Matthias and Methuselah bells pealed out loud.

Swishing the air with her sabre, Daleria commented,

'There's good old Redwall Abbey, wot!'

'Sheath the old sabre, Dale. Peaceful creatures wot.'

'Oh, right, marm.'

Sheathing her sabre, Daleria pranced forward to the warm rose coloured stone walls of the abbey.

'Major! Come here!'

As the rest of the patrol hurried over to the north wicker gate of the abbey, the major inquired.

'What is it?'

All she got for an answer were loud shouts.

'In, in, in! Vermin coming from yonder path! In! Get in!'

Ushering the patrol in, Daleria swung her haversack over her shoulder and ripped out some thin metal wire, a short length of rope, a few pins and one of her short throwing daggers.

She worked the gate handle close and jammed in the wire through a hole in the handle, twisting it into a short and loose loop. Through the keyhole she threaded the short rope, then tied it onto the wire. Twisting it into a complex knot, she reinforced it by poking in a few pins around it. Looping the remaining bit of rope through the key hole and back through the wire, she knotted it again once more before jamming in the dagger carefully through the loop, then fastening the loop onto the hilt, after which she rammed the tip into the keyhole.
All the time she was muttering about the lack of the key and the carelessly open gate. Finishing, she yelled,

'Major, get the rest into the abbey and don't let anybeast but the abbess know. I'll get everybeast outside in. Go! I'll meet you outside the infirmary.'

Running up to the threshold, she spotted the abbess looking the other way, away from the open path, which had vermin swarming around like flies. Flicking her head by as an arrow shot past, she spied another vermin archer aiming for Jemerian. She put on a reckless burst of speed, yelling out.

'Jeemmeeeerrrriiiiaaaannnnnnnnn'

******

Lady Consellariel and her army had reached the fringes of Mossflower. They rested while Captain Rapieratce was out scouting with the Colonel Galde.

Musing absently to herself, which was quite odd, Consellariel drew squiggles in the sand with her axe pike,

'I hope that rouge is all right, if Vaxial...'

She was awakened from her day dreams by the Colonel and the Captain saluting her.

'Found direct tracks leading in the Northern direction, marm. By the look, at least a few flippin days old.'

'The major...?'

'There was a campsite further southwest not too far from here... There were...'

Immediately the large badger lady sprang up.

'There was what? Tell me!'

'Traces of bloodshed, it looked like it was hastily done. Carcasses of about 10 creatures littered about, unable to be identified. Looks like an ambush marm!'

Immediately, the badger lady leapt up.

'Rapieratce, Galde, ready the troops. I go alone. Don't even try to stop me.'

With that, the big badger lady set a scorching pace forward, fear pounding through her veins.

*****

Daleria put on a further burst of speed and recklessly flung herself at the stunned Abbess. While she flew at Jemerian, the arrow, as if in slow motion, flew straight at her, taking her in the shoulder. Biting her lip and wincing in pain, she knocked the Abbess down, and not a minute too soon.
A volley of arrows and stones rained overhead.
Ripping the arrow out of her shoulder, Daleria used her own body to cover the Abbess, and together they dragged their way down.

They finally made it to the halls of the infirmary when Daleria couldn't stand any more. The major ran up to them her face a picture of anxiety.

'Daleria! Are you all right? Who did this? The flippin vermin, wasn't it? Don't worry, young un, they'll fix you up. Shh ... Rest.'

But Daleria was struggling to get up.

'Vaxial! Vaxiiialllllll!'

Jumping onto the young hare, the major tried to talk sense into her.

'Remember what Lady Consellariel said, young one. She will have my head if I let you go. You cannot do anything! Stay still!'

But all the young hare could answer was an anguished yell before she passed out.

'Vaxiaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllll!!!'

*****

When young Daleria woke up, she was in the infirmary of Redwall Abbey, with sweet smelling snow-white sheets covering her. Around her neck was a sling that held an herbal pad to her shoulder, which seemed numbed and painless. It all seemed like a fuzzy, warm dream that would never end. As she was about to sit up, a fussy mouse, the infirmary sister named Reema, pushed her back into her mountain of pillows.

'Oh no you don't, missie, you're not going anywhere. That arrow went in deep, and you need rest. Drink up this nettle broth.'

'But, but! I feel fine, not the least bit weak, and I hate nettle broth!!!'

'No nonsense from you, missie.'

'Major!!!'

But Sister Reema grabbed Daleria and forced her to swallow the bowl of nettle broth.

'Cough... Marm! Please, spare me! Couldn't I just go back! Stop! Cease and desist!'

*****

Lady Consellariel stared at the mess before her. Looking at the bodies, she noticed that sabre slashes caused most of the death on the vermin's side. No hares, thankfully, she thought.


Satisfied with that, she marched off into Mossflower, straight towards Redwall Abbey.

*****

After the archery attack, Vaxial had wisely kept his army hidden in the fringes of the woodlands, so as to make sure that none could get a clear shot at his vermin troops from the wall tops. He sat planning in his tent, a sly smile pasted on his shadowed face.

*****

Lady Consellariel's patrol had caught up with her. Rapieratce stood to attention as he made the report.

'At least 2 full days march into Mossflower before reaching the abbey marm. The northern path is about a half days march from here marm. Nothing else to report marm!'

Smiling at the militaristic captain, she badger replied,

'Yes yes, very good. Stand easy. And ditch the "marm" a bit.'

'Sorry marm, can't.'

The Lady sighed.

'Hopeless! You hares just can't! I remember a certain hare, which refused to stop calling me marm! Argh! Are all of you always like this?'

'It was the way we were brought up marm.'

'Hopeless! Utterly hopeless! STOP MARMING ME!!!!!'