Tehlan, though injured was still faster than Rune who was, sporadically
shooting off arrows at the growing mob.
"They're gaining on us!" he yelled at his protectees. He looked ahead. The
hares were nowhere to be seen.
Hoping to lead the throng off, he veered off to right and doubled his pace.
He reached a shallow brook. Darab exploded from the trees behind with a warcry halfway through his throat. He landed battle ready. "Where are the hares?"
Nevin tried to maintain his mother on one shoulder and hold the cumbersome pike on the other. "Come on, mom. My footpaw hurts as much as yours." They came upon a cold stream. "Come on!" They waded into the stream. "Duck!" A flurry of arrows landed wetly in the opposite bank.
"You mean you lost them?" Darab whispered "Yes, yes!" "We'll find them. Meet back at the wagon. Go!" Energetically they bolted in different directions.
Nevin's head broke the surface. His mother was already on the bank. As she reached for his paw, an arrow flew into her shoulder. She grabbed the arrow and wrenched it out. Nevin assisted her as she rose.
Rune tripped in the mud searching for the hares. He got up and began running again. He had left the bow and quiver in the mud.
One of the mob had broken away from the rest as they'd crossed the river. He was a now pace behind Tehlan. Rapidly she broke away from Nevin's grip and turned with her footpaw angled high in the air. The rat took it full in the face and hit the ground senseless.
"Run, son!!" She grabbed a fallen rat's saber and slashed forcefully at another. Nevin spiked a fox with the pike and poled him over his head.
"I'm staying!" He used the middle of the pike handle to hit a rat archer in the teeth and taking him down. A pommel came at him and the day fight went dark. He awoke in and patch of mud. He saw his mother kneeling in front of him pushed to the edge with exhaustion. She dropped the pike in her paw. Then the rat archer one hundred yards behind her, his mouth bleeding, stood and drew and single arrow. He drew back the string as far as it would go and released. "Mom!" The wail seemed to last forever as the arrow flew. Nevin struggled to get up in the dirt. The shaft ran into Tehlan's chest and regret panged across her face as she fell on her side. As Nevin shifted to take action he felt a string. Unthinkingly he reached into the mud and pulled out Darab's bow and quiver. As the rat turned his head, arrow nocked, and the last thing he saw was the tip of an arrow as it plunged into his skull. Nevin dropped the weapon and rushed to his mother's side. "Mum! Are you okay? Please Mum, could you get up? We have to get to Redwall." She took his paw. "Sorry son, you're the messenger now."
Nevin heard the squall advancing quickly and picked up his mother and placed her in the flora. Subsequently he ran as rapidly as he could away from the peril at his back. He turned his head to glimpse his pursuers and inadvertently collided with Rune who was running in a perpendicular direction. "Sorry!" He picked up his pike and dashed to where Rune lay several yards ahead and helped him up. In a brief time they came upon the wagon situated in a small clearing. Nevin tossed his pike in and with Rune gave the rear of the cart a mighty shove. Both leapt in as the cart inched forward and stopped.
" Great, we're going up a hill. Suddenly the wagon lurched forward. Darab was at the reins straining the wood. A ferret materialized from the trees.
He was on his back with an arrow in his ribs before he could set paw in the clearing. "What are you waiting for?! Let's go!" "Oh, well that's a good idea isn't it?" Darab grunted sarcastically. Rune and Nevin leapt off to assist by pushing. Slowly but surely the wagon picked up speed. Without warning Darab halted. "What is it?" "We're surrounded," He said, dreading. " No, we're n- ahh, jeez." The army expertly stepped into view. Nevin dived into the cover of the wagon. The archers raised their bows before he could make another move. A rat with a torch was ready beside them to light the oil-soaked rags onto their arrows. "Well," said a refined voice. "What'll you do now?" Rune turned to face Vortigern, an arrow strung and string pulled back as far as it could go. "If there's one last thing I'll do before I die..." Through one eye he glanced at Darab and read his lips. "Hit the torch rat." Horderats stood restlessly waiting for an order to charge. Ripping the foliage, a dagger whirled across the clearing burying itself in the side of a ferret's head. He fell. The archers immediately turned to face the threat. In the split second opening Rune turned and faced the torcher. Flit! The torch fell between the legs of the nearest archer; he jumped and sent his arrow airborne straight up. Before the archers could recover, Rune and Darab leapt into the cover of the cart. Arrows randomly ripped through the cloth cover. Darab kicked the lever that released the brake.
He reached a shallow brook. Darab exploded from the trees behind with a warcry halfway through his throat. He landed battle ready. "Where are the hares?"
Nevin tried to maintain his mother on one shoulder and hold the cumbersome pike on the other. "Come on, mom. My footpaw hurts as much as yours." They came upon a cold stream. "Come on!" They waded into the stream. "Duck!" A flurry of arrows landed wetly in the opposite bank.
"You mean you lost them?" Darab whispered "Yes, yes!" "We'll find them. Meet back at the wagon. Go!" Energetically they bolted in different directions.
Nevin's head broke the surface. His mother was already on the bank. As she reached for his paw, an arrow flew into her shoulder. She grabbed the arrow and wrenched it out. Nevin assisted her as she rose.
Rune tripped in the mud searching for the hares. He got up and began running again. He had left the bow and quiver in the mud.
One of the mob had broken away from the rest as they'd crossed the river. He was a now pace behind Tehlan. Rapidly she broke away from Nevin's grip and turned with her footpaw angled high in the air. The rat took it full in the face and hit the ground senseless.
"Run, son!!" She grabbed a fallen rat's saber and slashed forcefully at another. Nevin spiked a fox with the pike and poled him over his head.
"I'm staying!" He used the middle of the pike handle to hit a rat archer in the teeth and taking him down. A pommel came at him and the day fight went dark. He awoke in and patch of mud. He saw his mother kneeling in front of him pushed to the edge with exhaustion. She dropped the pike in her paw. Then the rat archer one hundred yards behind her, his mouth bleeding, stood and drew and single arrow. He drew back the string as far as it would go and released. "Mom!" The wail seemed to last forever as the arrow flew. Nevin struggled to get up in the dirt. The shaft ran into Tehlan's chest and regret panged across her face as she fell on her side. As Nevin shifted to take action he felt a string. Unthinkingly he reached into the mud and pulled out Darab's bow and quiver. As the rat turned his head, arrow nocked, and the last thing he saw was the tip of an arrow as it plunged into his skull. Nevin dropped the weapon and rushed to his mother's side. "Mum! Are you okay? Please Mum, could you get up? We have to get to Redwall." She took his paw. "Sorry son, you're the messenger now."
Nevin heard the squall advancing quickly and picked up his mother and placed her in the flora. Subsequently he ran as rapidly as he could away from the peril at his back. He turned his head to glimpse his pursuers and inadvertently collided with Rune who was running in a perpendicular direction. "Sorry!" He picked up his pike and dashed to where Rune lay several yards ahead and helped him up. In a brief time they came upon the wagon situated in a small clearing. Nevin tossed his pike in and with Rune gave the rear of the cart a mighty shove. Both leapt in as the cart inched forward and stopped.
" Great, we're going up a hill. Suddenly the wagon lurched forward. Darab was at the reins straining the wood. A ferret materialized from the trees.
He was on his back with an arrow in his ribs before he could set paw in the clearing. "What are you waiting for?! Let's go!" "Oh, well that's a good idea isn't it?" Darab grunted sarcastically. Rune and Nevin leapt off to assist by pushing. Slowly but surely the wagon picked up speed. Without warning Darab halted. "What is it?" "We're surrounded," He said, dreading. " No, we're n- ahh, jeez." The army expertly stepped into view. Nevin dived into the cover of the wagon. The archers raised their bows before he could make another move. A rat with a torch was ready beside them to light the oil-soaked rags onto their arrows. "Well," said a refined voice. "What'll you do now?" Rune turned to face Vortigern, an arrow strung and string pulled back as far as it could go. "If there's one last thing I'll do before I die..." Through one eye he glanced at Darab and read his lips. "Hit the torch rat." Horderats stood restlessly waiting for an order to charge. Ripping the foliage, a dagger whirled across the clearing burying itself in the side of a ferret's head. He fell. The archers immediately turned to face the threat. In the split second opening Rune turned and faced the torcher. Flit! The torch fell between the legs of the nearest archer; he jumped and sent his arrow airborne straight up. Before the archers could recover, Rune and Darab leapt into the cover of the cart. Arrows randomly ripped through the cloth cover. Darab kicked the lever that released the brake.