The stallion galloped out of the clenching entanglement of the woods, stopping along a worn path. The black stood, panting from exertion, listening and watching for really nothing in particular. After a minute or so, the horse recovered and looked around at the area. In the distance on his left was the wretched cart he'd been forced to pull for so many seasons. The driver was nowhere around; he'd jumped down to the black after he feigned an injury to the leg. The stallion had run off, dragging the driverless cart behind until he turned a corner sharply and it smashed against a tree, breaking the old leather harness and releasing the stallion from its life of work and misery.
His name was Siudek, and he feared no creature.
Raising the proud head higher to see farther, the stallion caught a glimpse of Redwall Abbey. The name of the building flashed in his mind and rang a bell. He'd heard of it before. A certain Matthias the warrior seemed to live there. Some high and mighty mouse that woodlanders respected. A sneer curled Siudek's lip as he spat in the ground.
His name was Siudek, and he feared no creature.
His mind wandered back to the time of Cluny the Scourge and his horde of rats. They'd flooded the town with disease and caused such havoc upon both man and beast alike. Everyone was grateful when they moved on. Siudek remembered. He carried them when he was younger, not nearly old enough to know. All he'd known was that the awful stench of rats filled his nostrils and he couldn't get away until he broke the cart and returned to the human slave driver. Hatred for the vermin filled his chocolate eyes as he stared at a beetle crawling in the grass. Lifting a sinisterly sharp hoof, the black poised it above the bug and slammed down on the ground with little force. He felt the beetle crumble beneath his weight. The stallion stepped off to find a thoroughly dead bug.
His name was Siudek, and he feared no creature.
He remembered the otter at the river. The woodlander had merely stared and stared, confused and baffled. The creature had probably thought the horse hadn't noticed it. Siudek had known. He'd known all the time she was there. He'd played dumb and then whisked off after he'd had his fill of the water. Then the stallion remembered it said that it was from Redwall. The Abbey had a reputation as being a sanctuary of some sort. They nursed the sick and injured, fed the hungry, and housed the homeless.
His name was Siudek, and he feared no creature.
The black wasn't for the woodlanders. He wasn't against them. He didn't like the vermin that often rose against them. His heart was half light and half dark. Roaming about in some middle ground, Siudek had remained neutral all his life. He didn't know if he'd ever totally go for one side or the other. He didn't really care. He was the biggest thing in this forest. To him, he was king!
His name was Siudek, and he feared no creature!