Chapter 1

It was a bright, clear morning in the woods. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was on a backpacking trip with my family. You'd think that I would be enjoying myself, but strangely, I wasn't. I didn't feel like myself.

You see, I was an athletic, just barely 13-year-old, and I played football, basketball, or soccer every recess (the trip was for my birthday; I also loved hiking). I couldn't stand being inside, standing, or sitting still for too long, and I was always on the move. Today, though, I was feeling tired and sluggish, and had to keep stopping to rest.

I was in the back of the line, and I called out, "I'm gonna stop a minute."

There were the replies of "OK" and "Should we wait?"

"No," I said, "I know this trail well enough. I'll catch up."

I found a big rock in the shade, and sat down. All of a sudden, everything was silent.

"What the.." I made to get up, but it was like a strange force was pulling me down. I glanced at my watch out of habit, and I sat down. "Whoa." I felt really dizzy. The world was swirling around me, all different colors, and then.. I blacked out.



When I came to, I looked at my watch again. It had only been a few minutes. I started getting up, and putting my pack back on, when I realized something: I was in a different spot of the trail than when I blacked out.

Okay, I thought, this is really scary!!

But I wasn't about to freak out. That just wasn't me. I made sure I had everything, got a little snack out of my backpack, and pressed on.

It had already started getting dark when I got up, and it was twilight now. I decided to set up a little camp; before it got so dark I couldn't see. As it was a backpacking trip, I had every thing I would need: sleeping bag, food to last several days, flashlight and batteries, matches, a pocketknife, a jacket, a couple sets of clothes, etc.

I laid down my pack, spread out my sleeping bag and got some food out of the pack. After I ate, I laid out my flashlight and knife, and started a little fire.

I was far from falling to sleep, so I took out a book to read for a while. I couldn't go anywhere without a book. Sometimes, I even got in trouble for reading so much! The book was one of my favorites, called Mossflower. I had gotten it for my twelfth birthday from one of my best friends, Laura. It made my backpack heavier, but I had several of books of the same series, The Novels of Redwall by Brian Jacques. Redwall, Salamandastron, The Legend of Luke, Martin the Warrior, and The Bellmaker were just a couple titles.

I found where I had left off the last time I had read, and started reading:



Gonff was returning from another successful visit to Kotir. The wine flasks bumped and banged against his broad belt as he skipped nimbly through the flowering woodlands, singing aloud with the heady intoxication of springtime.

I yawned. Suddenly I was very sleepy. I laid my book down, and put the fire out. I snuggled in my sleeping bag, under a starry sky, and wondered where my family was, and how I was going to find them in the morning.



I dreamt I was flying on a cloud. "Whoooaaa, look out, zoom, bump, whoof! Out of the way you big clouds!"

When I felt a pair of feet trip over me, I realized I wasn't dreaming, and it was someone else making those noises.

I sat up slowly and the voice spoke again, "Hey there, matey. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Uhhhh." I murmured, rubbing my eyes. I opened them and found myself looking into a big, furry face. Whoever it was, he was smiling, but. I looked at him closer and it hit me: he was a mouse as big as me!!

"Ahhhhhh!!!" I yelled. I scrambled to my feet and started running the opposite direction.

"Wait!" he yelled, "I didn't mean to startle you!" He ran, and caught up with me. It was pretty easy for him, because I was still half asleep. He grabbed my arm, and pulled me to him.

"Sorry," he said.

I was breathing hard. "Who, what, are you?"

He grinned. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Ok. Um, will you just pinch me? I think I'm still dreaming."

"Um.Ok then." he did. It hurt.

"Ouch!" I said, "That hurt!"

"Are you convinced that you're not dreaming?"

"Yeah." Then I realized something else. Again, I was not in the same place where I had camped the night before. All my stuff was in the exact same position that I left it in, but there was a stream running close by, and I knew that it wasn't there last night. "Um, where are we?"

"Mossflower Woods. We'd better get away from here, though. Kotir's right up there," he pointed southwest, "And the cat has been sending her vermin on patrol to catch innocent beasts."

I gasped, "Wait a sec. Rewind a bit. Do you mean to tell me that we're in Mossflower Woods, and Kotir is that way?"

"Yup," the big mouse nodded, "You got it!"

I plopped down on the ground, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh." I swallowed. Ok, Sarah. Get a grip.

"Oh, yeah." The mouse said, "We haven't been properly introduced yet. Gonff the Mousetheif at your service." He stuck out his hand-no wait-his paw to shake. I gave him mine.

"I'm Sarah. I'm a . a human."

"A human. well, I've never seen any one like you, but, hey! You're never too old to learn something."

I was actually in Mossflower! And I was actually talking to Gonff! I immediately knew that I liked him. He was a little bit taller than me, as he would probably be a few years older than me, had we been counting age by our time. He was a plump fellow, with a merry twinkle in his eyes.

What confused me, though, was how I could have got here. It wasn't a bad thing, I mean, I had always dreamed about meeting all of the creatures in Mossflower, Redwall, Salamandastron, and all that, and now that I had the chance, I wasn't going to let it pass by.

"Well. Are we just going to stand here all day?" I said.

"No, of course not! Let's go to Brockhall! You can meet all of the other creatures there."

I nodded, "Awesome. I'll just get all my stuff packed together, and off we'll go!"

I cleaned up, and put all my stuff in my pack, "Let's go!"

"You're not going anywhere!" A strange voice called out of the shrubbery. Just then, two weasels stepped out of a bush. They started circling us. "What kind of creature are you?" the bigger of the two said. "Where's your fur?" the second said sticking his spear point at my throat. I stepped backwards. The first one jerked his thumb towards Gonff. "I think we know who's been stealing from our larder, eh?"

Gonff made a face of mock innocence, "Me? Steal? I beg your pardon, didn't you know that your chief cook has given me permission to borrow from your larder?"

"Our chief cook has vowed to skin you alive, mouse. Up you get, we're goin' t' Kotir."

And with that, they marched us off between two spears.



After the weasels dragged us all the way to Kotir, they threw us in a cell, Gonff and I struggling the whole way.

"Get those two liddle devils in 'ere, quick! It'll be easier t' feed three at once. Ouch! My shin!" Weasel 1 yelled to Weasel 2, as I kicked him as hard as I could, "Ow! Leggo my ear you fiend! Hurry up with opening that door before he bites my lug off!"

"Ouch. Ow! He nipped me. Keep 'em still while I find my key!" Weasel 2 flipped through a key chain. He found the key, and the pair of them threw us into the cell (Me managing to give them both another big kick first).

I felt myself topple into another creature, and Gonff fell on top of both of us. I tried to move, but he was too heavy.

"Ouch. Get off me, Gonff. You're gonna squish me with that big belly o' yours." I said turning my head to look at him.

He giggled. "Okedoke." And with that, he jumped up.

I moved gingerly off the other mouse-for I could see it was a mouse-and sat back, sighing. "What now, O Prince?"

Gonff winked, played a short jig on his reed flute, and started singing,

I knew a mouse in prison here, More than a hundred years. His whiskers grew along the ground, And right back to his ears. His eyes grew dim, his teeth fell out, His fur went silver-gray. "If my granddad were here," he said, "I wonder what he'd say."

As he was singing, I studied the other mouse. He was strongly built, with fiery eyes, and probably wasn't all that much older than Gonff. Around his neck, he wore the broken hilt of a sword on a bit of rope. I gasped. It was Martin the Warrior! I just knew it! It had to be him.

He leaned against the cell wall, smiling. "Silly, how could the grandfather of a hundred-year-old mouse say anything? Sorry, my name's Martin the Warrior, what's yours?"

Told ya. Who's da bomb?

Gonff spoke, "Martin the warrior, eh. By gum, Martin, you're a fine, strong looking fellow; you could use some fattening up, though. I'm Gonff the Thief, or Prince of Mousethieves to you, matey. This here's Sarah the Human."

I chuckled softly at the title he gave me, and heard Martin gasp in the background, for it was his turn to recognize me. He scrambled over to me, and grabbed my hand.

"Sarah? Is it really you?" he said grinning.

My brow furrowed, "H-how do. do you. know me?"

Martin looked puzzled. "How couldn't I know you? We spent so much time together!"

"What do you mean?" I said, shaking my head.

"Back at Marshank, and-" he cut off, taking a sideways glance at Gonff, "and Noonvale."

I shook my head again, "But. I've never been there."

There was silence. Then Gonff said, "Ok. Let's get something straight." He turned to me and said, "You never really had time to tell me where you came from." Then he turned to Martin, "And how, exactly, do you know her?"

"Ok," I said, "I'll go first. This is gonna sound crazy, but. hey. If you don't wanna believe, then that's your problem. Here we go. Once upon a time I was on a backpacking trip with my family." I related the whole story to them.