Quick Note: I haven't read Taggerung yet…it's there on my shelves, but I've got three other books I have to finish before, so…Tagg just came to mind…think it was on one of the MUSHes I play on that I saw it. No connect whatsoever to Taggerung. :) But I've changed the name, to save any confusion (it is also changed in the first chapter now) to Waterrush.
Disclaimer: Redwall's not mine, yada yada yada, characters are mine, etc etc etc.
"Lord, the scouting party has been gone a long time," whined Drawsnout, a prostate fox, who cringed before Blackfang. "We're running out of food and lost in these woods."
Blackfang leapt to his paws, wielding a cutlass. He lashed at Drawsnout and beat him with the flat of the blade, "Fool, I'll let you know when we are lost. Blackfang the Vicious is never lost! The scouting party has probably lost themselves and is slain, like the idiots I knew them to be. Never, never, presume that I do not know what is going on!" Drawsnout's cries were lost upon his ears as he continued to hit the hapless fox before sending him off with a kick.
Blackfang the Vicious was a large fox with a bright red coat, silky and well kept. His face was painted with savage markings in black and green and his teeth were dyed black. Large golden hoops hung from both ears, but they did not detract from his appearance. If anything, they made him appear more wild and barbarous. A long flowing cape made him appear majestic while clawed gauntlets added power to his own attacks. Lord of the Raiders, he had made a name for himself among all vermin as one of the most terrifying and cruel creatures alive. His horde consisted of many vermin, but his special guard and officers were composed completely of foxes.
It was getting time to move on, the lands he had held for long in the north were beginning to no longer be as rich as they used to be. The horde was becoming unsettled and already there were a few deserters; but he dealt with these deserters in a fashion that assured many would think twice before leaving. Still…an unsatisfied horde was never a good thing.
"Snaptooth," he called. "Start the drums, start the march. We're moving on. Head south, where it will be warmer and food will be more abundant. Blackfang has spoken!"
* * *
A wild yell was heard, followed immediately by some sort of uproar, or so it seemed to Thistle, who was standing upon a knoll at the foot of the mountains. Brady's patrol had safely made it across the mountains and was in the process of setting up camp. But a call from Thistle brought the Captain and crew up immediately.
"Over there somewhere about," Thistle said, pointing in the general direction of the noise. "Sounds like fightin', if you ask me, Captain. A big fight too, if my ears don't fail me."
Brady nodding in agreement, hooded eyes sweeping across the landscape. "Attention in the ranks! In formation, smart like, and follow me, quietly chaps!" The curt command was given with the ease of a born leader and Brady lead the way at a swift run, paws falling silently. The distance was covered efficiently by the patrol.
They swept in on a scene of pure chaos. Several painted foxes lay slain on the ground, yet several more were still up, and all seemed to be attacking in the same area. A war cry of sorts came from that area and several foxes fell back in terror. Suddenly something black rose out of the crowd, slashing and laying many low. A black hare, fighting for her life, heedless of the numerous wounds that streamed with blood, eyes having a reddish hue, upholding the reputation of a hare as a perilous beast with might valor.
"Stay away from 'er, she's got the bloodwrath!" Brady shouted as he lead the troop into the fray, yelling the age-old battle cry of the hares of Salamandastron.
"Eulaliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The hares joined the battle without hesitation, acting with fervor. Metal clashed, blows were exchanged, and in the end, the prowess, determination, and discipline of the fighting hares won out. The viciousness and desperation of the vermin left their mark, however. The gang of foxes, once numbering a score, was reduced to merely one. And the unfortunate one was in the clutches of the seeming berserked black hare. She held him up with one paw, the other clutching a dagger to his chest. The bloodwrath had begun to fade from her eyes, but her chest still heaved, her jaw stayed clenched, and she had no intention of letting him go.
"Easy, m'gel, mercy, remember," Brady said gently, edging forward as he realized what was going on. She was beyond furious, beyond reason, it seemed, and while he would rather the vermin get what was coming to him, he was not the type to kill a hapless creature. Eclipse glanced back briefly, but his words were not heeded. With a gurgle, the fox was slain with her dagger and dropped lifeless to the ground. The Patrol stared in shock at the murder and Brady shook his head sadly.
Eclipse didn't bother to turn and face those behind her, still recovering from the bloodwrath. But she knew well enough what would be thought and had a reply. "He showed no mercy to those he left behind." Not another sound came from her as she turned and picked a few things from the fallen foxes, trinkets. Clutching the few baubles, she began a quick lope in the direction she had come.
Silver could only stare, not sure what to make of this strange sight. But after a moment, he recovered and glanced between Brady and Eclipse, "What…she…" he started, still in disbelief that anyone could be so heartless; he expected it of vermin…but his own kind? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, "Should we go after her, sir?"
Brady watched thoughtfully, before nodding. "Follow her, Silver, and we'll catch up, after we've taken care of this area. Be careful, lad, don't trust her, and keep y'wits about you."
* * *
They were the Long Patrol, by the looks of it, and Eclipse had no intention of staying to be remonstrated by them. She had other things to tend to. Unaware of Silver following behind, she kept a steady pace, following the beaten track back to the smoldering hut. Tagg was no where to be seen, but she wasn't worried. Placing the trinkets stolen by the foxes into the hut, she reached into the pouch on her belt. A small fire was started by the hut with flint and tinder and Eclipse stepped back to let it burn, a funeral pyre for those lost.
Meanwhile Silver watched from the cover of the forest, having kept easy pace with the haremaid. She was unlike anything he had ever seen – completely black, save for the silver tipped ears and the silver marking under one eye, that looked something like a crescent moon. She didn't talk with the usual accent of a hare, didn't act like one, from what he could see. A burial service, of sorts, she seemed to be doing for whatever poor creatures had once lived in the hut.
Thinking herself well alone for the moment, Eclipse set about clearing the debris. She sighed heavily, unwanted memories surfacing with the scene. A snap from the forest brought her quickly back to reality. Eclipse looked up, attention centered upon the very area where Silver was. He stepped awkwardly from the forest, the broken twig dangling for a brief instant from a footpaw. "Uh…'ello," he greeted lamely.
Eclipse's ears dropped, eyes narrowing slightly. While she was angry for being followed, she was angrier for not paying enough attention to know so. The realization stifled a spiteful remark directed at the other hare. Instead, she quickly sized him up and glanced to the foliage behind to see if anyone else had followed. He was gray in color, possessing a sheen to his fur that made it look almost silvery. Though he was outfitted with a sling and a short, slender sword, he was particularly lanky, even for a hare, and hardly looked the part of what she expected one of the militaristic Long Patrol hares to look like.
"What do you want?" she asked, voice taking the tone of no-nonsense. But before Silver could answer, the rest of the patrol appeared behind at a quick march. She sighed and shook her head.
"Save y'report, Silver. Marm," said the lead hare, a stocky, gruff creature with short, brown fur and a neatly cropped moustache, facing Eclipse, "Explain y'self. That was uncalled for, slaughtering the fox, nasty as the vermin was, but defenseless!"
Brady stepped forward and placed a paw on the indignant hare's shoulder, "Wensell, calm down. Give her a chance to explain." Wensell grumbled, blowing irritatedly through is moustache, but did as told. Brady merely turned to Eclipse, watching her closely; he had seen her before, he could feel it, but he couldn't place the odd haremaid's appearance. He glanced around quickly, assessing the situation with an expert eye.
Eclipse shrugged indifferently, "There is nothing to explain." No more care from her as she moved to the streambank where Waterrush had disappeared earlier. She thumped twice with a footpaw and stepped back. A few seconds later, the otter appeared, drenched.
"Nothing to find upshore or downshore, though I hea…" His phrase died as he caught sight of the hares behind Eclipse. "Friends o'yores, matey? Oh, wait, I forgot, the Mighty Eclipse has no friends, only foes." He jumped out of the water before Eclipse could glare at him, grabbed her by the arm, and trundled over to the hares, extending his own wet paw. "Allo, mates, name's Waterrush, Rush f'short, this here be Eclipse, and I welcome you on part of the Moss Otters to this part of Mossflower."
Though the sight of the otter was completely unexpected, Brady recovered quickly and shook the offered paw heartily, "Captain Bradock Hillfield Marshal of the Long Patrol, sah, at your service. This is my Patrol, consisting of Lieutenant Wensell, Ortho, Thistle, Sunbar, Lithil, our healer Trefoil, and our runner, Silver. We came upon your friend Eclipse in battle against rather unfavorable odds and followed to make sure she was alright," he said, skirting the issue of the slain fox.
Rush chuckled, "Eclipse is alright…if she was thanking you, then there'd be cause for worry." He glanced to his companion to note her reaction and shrugged, "Eclipse is Eclipse…most dangerous beast I've seen around, matey, she doesn't need help, far as things go. But she does need to be patched up," he added, noting the beginning stain on Eclipse's tunic. Rush shook his head and threw his arms in the air in mock exasperation before turning to Brady once more. "On behalf t'Moss Otters, again, I'm inviting you lot to come and stay the night with us. Looks like you could do with a good rest and some good ol' hot shrimp soup."
"Thank you, Waterrush," Brady responded, smiling. The soup of the otters was legendary among hares, and for good reason. He turned to his Patrol and nodded once, "Pick up your things, we're not making camp tonight."
The acceptance more than enough for Rush, he turned to Eclipse, who had remained quiet the entire time. "I'll go on ahead to get things ready, we'll need a lot more shrimp if we're to feed a patrol of hares. Lead them home, matey, or else I'll tell Willow that you left a group of starving hares alone in the forest." Laughing, Rush took a running leap into the stream and was out of sight.
Eclipse sighed, more at her friend than at the prospect of having to lead the others home. "Move lightly, keep up, or else you'll miss dinner, and follow me." It wasn't much to say, but then again, she didn't like to mince words. Eclipse picked up her staff and started off, following the river.