(A/N- I know I'm starting off sort of shaky because I have basically no
ideas right now, I have some idea that this and 'An Old Mistake' take
place. Oh yeah and you'll notice this is very different from the beginning
of the story, BTW in case you don't know Hale is actually pretty young in
this story, I'll write a back story to explain it all someday, but for now
. . .)
Far from the abbey of Redwall, in a small clearing near the badger mountain of Salamandastron smoke flowed from a small fire. Any vermin who would see the scene would probably laugh at the fierce looking weasel as he held his sister lovingly, feeding her scraps of food. The weasel had his sister in one paw, a dagger in the other, his eyes were always moving about his meager camp.
"Who goes there?" He demanded standing up suddenly at a noise, shielding his baby sister with his body as he held the dagger out threateningly.
"Just me mate." Out stepped a ferret, a very familiar ferret walked out.
"Hale!" The weasel yelled excitedly smiling at his old friend brightly. "I thought you got killed back there. Where is . . ." He cut himself off at the look in Hale's eyes.
"Yeah, she's gone now." Hale's eyes watered a bit, but no tears fell, he wouldn't let any of the tears flow. It was too late for tears. Looking up he smiled back at his friend as he walked towards the weasel that had lowered his dagger in favor of his sister. "Is that yore little sis'?"
"Yeah." He said awkwardly, not sure if he should be looking like the nursemaid.
"She's beautiful." Hale murmured as he tickled the babe lightly drawing out a young giggle from her.
"Ain't she though?" Hallan smiled brightly as he rocked his little charge, sitting down on a log, cradling her in his arms.
"Yeah. So how have ye been?" Hale asked sitting down next to his friend.
"Pretty good so far, food's plentiful about. Not sure where I'm goin' though." The weasel shrugged lightly and began cooing to his sister as her eye lids fluttered and closed.
"How 'bouts Redwall?" Hale whispered, not wishing to wake the babe.
"Redwall?" Hallan asked confusedly.
"Its an abbey, I met somebeast ho told me about it." Hale explained in soft voice as the babe snored quietly.
"Figured you'd say Loamhedge." Hallan shrugged again as he laid his sister down softly on hi pack that now served as her bed.
"Its gone mate, Loamhedge disappeared a long time ago." Hallan looked a bit shocked by the news.
"Who told you this?" Hallan demanded quietly as he stroked his sister's head fur lightly as she cooed in her sleep, eyes flicking beneath their lids.
"Er . . .a hare." Hale said nervously.
"A hare." Hallan stated dumbly.
"Yeah." Hale replied still nervous for the response.
"One of those Salamandastron hares." Shock was written all over Hallan's features as well as rage.
"It was a healer." Hale tried to explain.
"That's a surprise, they have healers." Hallan chuckled darkly.
"She saved me, she wasn't like the rest. Hell, I even asked her to kill when she first found me." Hale said in a debating tone.
"It was a hare though, the beast's that killed . . .everyone!" Hallan threw up his arms as his voice rose.
"She didn't though, she was just a healer. Calm down." Hale still hadn't started yelling and jerked his thumb in the direction of the slumbering babe. Hallan glanced at his sister as he took a moment to calm himself before continuing. "We attacked them remember?"
"Why are you defending them?" He asked quietly a paw on his little sister, gently massaging the babes tiny foot paws. "You didn't know did you? You didn't see it?" Hallan sat shaking images from his head.
"See what?" Hale asked confused.
"You didn't see what they did on the ship." Hallan shuddered visibly.
"What did they do?" Still confused Hale sat down next to his friend, looking into the weasel's darkened eyes.
"They slaughtered everyone." Hallan stated darkly jamming his dagger deep into the ground as he said those words, each one carrying a dark memory.
"No!" Hale stood up shock written on his features.
"Yes, there was one hare who was repeating an old saying. 'A dead enemy is a good enemy' something like that. I barely got us out before they swept the ship. I didn't see anyone else escape." Hallan explained, his eyes cold as the scenes cut through his mind.
"I can't believe it. They did that?" Hale thought of all the young beasts and the elders that had been left on board, even the oars slaves came to mind. Hale felt a little sick as faces flowed through his mind.
"They sure did, then they shoved 'er out to sea and sunk 'er with their bodies on it. So tell me now why you'd defend them." Hallan asked objectively, his eyes cold as he looked at the shocked ferret.
"She's not like that . . ." Hale muttered softly feeling betrayed by himself as well as the hare maid who had saved him from death.
"Who?" Hallan snorted a bit, disgusted by the ferret.
"The healer. She didn't like that stuff, she . . ." Hale began only to be interrupted.
"She is one of them." Hallan hissed.
"She's not, she's a healer. She loves like not war." Hale finished giving the weasel a dark look.
"You know what mate? Maybe yore right, but I wouldn't trust her. In a battle whose side do you think she'd choose?" Hallan observed the fallen look on Hale's face; he put a paw around the ferrets back with care . "Sorry mate, but it's the truth."
"Maybe." Hale shrugged slightly and quickly banished the conversation from his mind. "So how have you been?" Hallan was startled by the amazing speed at which the conversation had changed from an argument to a casual conversation between old friends again, but he was thankful for it.
"Fine mate, would you like something to eat?" He motioned to the fire that had a haversack of food in it, slowly the sun floated down into the horizon. The pair ate around the fire, talking of the better times, far in the past even though they didn't really know one another. All throughout the conversation a pair of eyes watched from the brushes around the camp. They were forest green eyes, full of tears and sorrow by the words that pierced her heart.
(A/N- can anyone think of a better title for me, please?)
Far from the abbey of Redwall, in a small clearing near the badger mountain of Salamandastron smoke flowed from a small fire. Any vermin who would see the scene would probably laugh at the fierce looking weasel as he held his sister lovingly, feeding her scraps of food. The weasel had his sister in one paw, a dagger in the other, his eyes were always moving about his meager camp.
"Who goes there?" He demanded standing up suddenly at a noise, shielding his baby sister with his body as he held the dagger out threateningly.
"Just me mate." Out stepped a ferret, a very familiar ferret walked out.
"Hale!" The weasel yelled excitedly smiling at his old friend brightly. "I thought you got killed back there. Where is . . ." He cut himself off at the look in Hale's eyes.
"Yeah, she's gone now." Hale's eyes watered a bit, but no tears fell, he wouldn't let any of the tears flow. It was too late for tears. Looking up he smiled back at his friend as he walked towards the weasel that had lowered his dagger in favor of his sister. "Is that yore little sis'?"
"Yeah." He said awkwardly, not sure if he should be looking like the nursemaid.
"She's beautiful." Hale murmured as he tickled the babe lightly drawing out a young giggle from her.
"Ain't she though?" Hallan smiled brightly as he rocked his little charge, sitting down on a log, cradling her in his arms.
"Yeah. So how have ye been?" Hale asked sitting down next to his friend.
"Pretty good so far, food's plentiful about. Not sure where I'm goin' though." The weasel shrugged lightly and began cooing to his sister as her eye lids fluttered and closed.
"How 'bouts Redwall?" Hale whispered, not wishing to wake the babe.
"Redwall?" Hallan asked confusedly.
"Its an abbey, I met somebeast ho told me about it." Hale explained in soft voice as the babe snored quietly.
"Figured you'd say Loamhedge." Hallan shrugged again as he laid his sister down softly on hi pack that now served as her bed.
"Its gone mate, Loamhedge disappeared a long time ago." Hallan looked a bit shocked by the news.
"Who told you this?" Hallan demanded quietly as he stroked his sister's head fur lightly as she cooed in her sleep, eyes flicking beneath their lids.
"Er . . .a hare." Hale said nervously.
"A hare." Hallan stated dumbly.
"Yeah." Hale replied still nervous for the response.
"One of those Salamandastron hares." Shock was written all over Hallan's features as well as rage.
"It was a healer." Hale tried to explain.
"That's a surprise, they have healers." Hallan chuckled darkly.
"She saved me, she wasn't like the rest. Hell, I even asked her to kill when she first found me." Hale said in a debating tone.
"It was a hare though, the beast's that killed . . .everyone!" Hallan threw up his arms as his voice rose.
"She didn't though, she was just a healer. Calm down." Hale still hadn't started yelling and jerked his thumb in the direction of the slumbering babe. Hallan glanced at his sister as he took a moment to calm himself before continuing. "We attacked them remember?"
"Why are you defending them?" He asked quietly a paw on his little sister, gently massaging the babes tiny foot paws. "You didn't know did you? You didn't see it?" Hallan sat shaking images from his head.
"See what?" Hale asked confused.
"You didn't see what they did on the ship." Hallan shuddered visibly.
"What did they do?" Still confused Hale sat down next to his friend, looking into the weasel's darkened eyes.
"They slaughtered everyone." Hallan stated darkly jamming his dagger deep into the ground as he said those words, each one carrying a dark memory.
"No!" Hale stood up shock written on his features.
"Yes, there was one hare who was repeating an old saying. 'A dead enemy is a good enemy' something like that. I barely got us out before they swept the ship. I didn't see anyone else escape." Hallan explained, his eyes cold as the scenes cut through his mind.
"I can't believe it. They did that?" Hale thought of all the young beasts and the elders that had been left on board, even the oars slaves came to mind. Hale felt a little sick as faces flowed through his mind.
"They sure did, then they shoved 'er out to sea and sunk 'er with their bodies on it. So tell me now why you'd defend them." Hallan asked objectively, his eyes cold as he looked at the shocked ferret.
"She's not like that . . ." Hale muttered softly feeling betrayed by himself as well as the hare maid who had saved him from death.
"Who?" Hallan snorted a bit, disgusted by the ferret.
"The healer. She didn't like that stuff, she . . ." Hale began only to be interrupted.
"She is one of them." Hallan hissed.
"She's not, she's a healer. She loves like not war." Hale finished giving the weasel a dark look.
"You know what mate? Maybe yore right, but I wouldn't trust her. In a battle whose side do you think she'd choose?" Hallan observed the fallen look on Hale's face; he put a paw around the ferrets back with care . "Sorry mate, but it's the truth."
"Maybe." Hale shrugged slightly and quickly banished the conversation from his mind. "So how have you been?" Hallan was startled by the amazing speed at which the conversation had changed from an argument to a casual conversation between old friends again, but he was thankful for it.
"Fine mate, would you like something to eat?" He motioned to the fire that had a haversack of food in it, slowly the sun floated down into the horizon. The pair ate around the fire, talking of the better times, far in the past even though they didn't really know one another. All throughout the conversation a pair of eyes watched from the brushes around the camp. They were forest green eyes, full of tears and sorrow by the words that pierced her heart.
(A/N- can anyone think of a better title for me, please?)