Chapter Three
Investigation
Matthias and Ambrose Spike arrived back at the Abbey ten minutes after Constance came bounding through the brush with Sam Squirrel hanging unconscious across her shoulder. It was a gloomy dark night, overcast skies, and a bit cold. "Are you two ok? Anyone hurt?" Asked Mrs. Bankvole as she quickly ran to escort the two warriors inside the Abbey. "We are fine, I have a small scratch on my shoulder, and Ambrose has a gash on his paw, nothing serious. How's Sam?" asked Matthias back. "Mother. No. Must. keep. Runn..ing." said Sam weakly, as he came around. His eyes widening as he realized he was back at the Abbey. "Mother no!" he screamed as Cornflower and Sister May struggled to hold him still. "Be still young one! You are seriously hurt!" ordered Constance sternly. Sam calmed down a little, and allowed himself to be laid back down. "What happened Sam?" asked Constance. "There was too many of them.. Lost stick. Mother said to run. Mother stayed back." said Sam as his eyes started to close. "It's the herbal potion I gave him. He will be out like a light in a few more minutes. You best get what you can out of him now. Before long he will be asleep until this time tomorrow." Sister May told Constance. The badger nodded. "Sam? Sam can you hear me? Listen to me, I need you to answer some questions for me." Said Constance to the pitiful figure lying before her. "Mother. alone. Must help. This is for. you. Moth..er." Sam fell asleep. "Oh hell." Said Constance in disappointment. "Ok, I will question him tomorrow. Find me the moment he wakes up." "Yes ma'am." Said sister May as cornflower spread a blanket across Sam. Constance left the infirmary. "Poor little one, whoever would do such a thing?" Said cornflower as she rubbed a paw softly across the young squirrel's head. "Vermin my dear, Vermin."
The next day proved to be just as sunny and warm as the last. Yet sadness hung over the Abbey like a dark cloud. Ambrose Spike and Matthias were sitting in the coolness of the Abbey cellar sipping October Ale and discussing the events of the previous night. "Any idea where those vermin came from, Matthias?" Asked Ambrose, as he poured himself another glass of the drink. "They looked like Southland rats, but I am really not sure," explained Matthias, "But I am really not sure." "Well, whoever it was, they better not show their faces around here if they know what's good for them." Said Ambrose, with an angry tone of his voice.
Constance entered the cellar to discuss the attack with them. "Matthias, who could these rats be with?" she asked him. "I don't know, I haven't heard anything of another band of rats in the area. Logalog didn't report anything, nor did Warbeak. They took us all by surprise." He explained. "I saw some of them, they all had green paint. Kinda like a tattoo on their backs." Said Ambrose. "Who are these vermin, what do they want?" Constance asked herself as she looked out the cellar window.
It was after tea before young Sam came around, and when he did he was in an uproar. "Vermin Scum! Mother! I'll kill them! Redwall!" Sam yelled as Sister May and Cornflower ran to calm him down. He struggled free of them and leapt up off the bed. He dashed out the door. Straight into Matthias and Constance as they were walking in, alarmed at the noise. Constance grabbed him quickly and held him tight as she walked back towards his bed. "Get off of me! I have to help her! Mother!" He yelled as Constance put him back in bed, unknown to everyone where he found the strength to do such a thing in his condition. "Sam! Listen to me! You are back at Redwall!" said Constance, as she looked him straight in the eye. He seemed to calm down at the sight of the badgers stern eyes. "If I don't go, they'll kill her!" he said. He started struggling to get free again. Matthias said to him, "They have already son. Be still! You will only hurt yourself further!" "No! It isn't true!" squealed Sam as sister May grabbed a few herbs and put them together in a flask full of water. "Here, drink this Sam." She ordered. Sam who was very thirsty took it and downed the flask entirely. He immediately started to calm down. "Sam, your mother is missing. We do not know whether she is alive or dead. We haven't heard from her since last night. But if you want to help her, you must calm down and tell us what happened last night. How did you get attacked? Were you ambushed?" asked Matthias. "There were about a score of them. Maybe more. Mom and I were walking through the forest. She said she saw something weird so we went to see what it was. Then they sprang out of nowhere." Sam explained, "They didn't say anything to us, just started to attack us. Mother told me to run, said she would be all right, just for me to run back to Redwall. I ran. But I heard her scream so I turned around to help her, but I couldn't see her. Then. I don't know. I don't remember anything else. I blacked out after that. Then I woke up here now. That's all I remember." "Hmm, so the rats didn't talk to you or your mother?" asked Constance. "No" answered Sam, "They didn't even give us a chance to say anything to them. They just. Ambushed." The realization of what had happened hit Sam like a ton of bricks. The rats meant to massacre him. Kill him, and his mother.
"We have to go back to the battle scene to investigate. Maybe we can find some clues there. We left in such a hurry last night we didn't get to look around." Said Matthias to Constance as they walked out of the infirmary and down the steps to the Cavern Hole, where Abbot was holding a meeting with the members of the war council. "Come, sit Matthias and Constance, what have you found out from young Sam?" asked the Abbot. "Not much, they were ambushed he said. Completely out of the blue. It was murder." Said Constance, with a shiver of rage on her last word. "We need to find Jess, dead or alive. I say Constance, Ambrose, Basil, and I head out to where it happened to search for clues. Maybe we can find out who these rats are, maybe there are survivors that we missed." Suggested Matthias. There was an ominous mumble of agreement from the rest of the council. The Abbot nodded his approval. "Then it's decided, Basil, Ambrose, Matthias. Get geared up. We are leaving as soon as possible." Ordered Constance.
So they did.
Investigation
Matthias and Ambrose Spike arrived back at the Abbey ten minutes after Constance came bounding through the brush with Sam Squirrel hanging unconscious across her shoulder. It was a gloomy dark night, overcast skies, and a bit cold. "Are you two ok? Anyone hurt?" Asked Mrs. Bankvole as she quickly ran to escort the two warriors inside the Abbey. "We are fine, I have a small scratch on my shoulder, and Ambrose has a gash on his paw, nothing serious. How's Sam?" asked Matthias back. "Mother. No. Must. keep. Runn..ing." said Sam weakly, as he came around. His eyes widening as he realized he was back at the Abbey. "Mother no!" he screamed as Cornflower and Sister May struggled to hold him still. "Be still young one! You are seriously hurt!" ordered Constance sternly. Sam calmed down a little, and allowed himself to be laid back down. "What happened Sam?" asked Constance. "There was too many of them.. Lost stick. Mother said to run. Mother stayed back." said Sam as his eyes started to close. "It's the herbal potion I gave him. He will be out like a light in a few more minutes. You best get what you can out of him now. Before long he will be asleep until this time tomorrow." Sister May told Constance. The badger nodded. "Sam? Sam can you hear me? Listen to me, I need you to answer some questions for me." Said Constance to the pitiful figure lying before her. "Mother. alone. Must help. This is for. you. Moth..er." Sam fell asleep. "Oh hell." Said Constance in disappointment. "Ok, I will question him tomorrow. Find me the moment he wakes up." "Yes ma'am." Said sister May as cornflower spread a blanket across Sam. Constance left the infirmary. "Poor little one, whoever would do such a thing?" Said cornflower as she rubbed a paw softly across the young squirrel's head. "Vermin my dear, Vermin."
The next day proved to be just as sunny and warm as the last. Yet sadness hung over the Abbey like a dark cloud. Ambrose Spike and Matthias were sitting in the coolness of the Abbey cellar sipping October Ale and discussing the events of the previous night. "Any idea where those vermin came from, Matthias?" Asked Ambrose, as he poured himself another glass of the drink. "They looked like Southland rats, but I am really not sure," explained Matthias, "But I am really not sure." "Well, whoever it was, they better not show their faces around here if they know what's good for them." Said Ambrose, with an angry tone of his voice.
Constance entered the cellar to discuss the attack with them. "Matthias, who could these rats be with?" she asked him. "I don't know, I haven't heard anything of another band of rats in the area. Logalog didn't report anything, nor did Warbeak. They took us all by surprise." He explained. "I saw some of them, they all had green paint. Kinda like a tattoo on their backs." Said Ambrose. "Who are these vermin, what do they want?" Constance asked herself as she looked out the cellar window.
It was after tea before young Sam came around, and when he did he was in an uproar. "Vermin Scum! Mother! I'll kill them! Redwall!" Sam yelled as Sister May and Cornflower ran to calm him down. He struggled free of them and leapt up off the bed. He dashed out the door. Straight into Matthias and Constance as they were walking in, alarmed at the noise. Constance grabbed him quickly and held him tight as she walked back towards his bed. "Get off of me! I have to help her! Mother!" He yelled as Constance put him back in bed, unknown to everyone where he found the strength to do such a thing in his condition. "Sam! Listen to me! You are back at Redwall!" said Constance, as she looked him straight in the eye. He seemed to calm down at the sight of the badgers stern eyes. "If I don't go, they'll kill her!" he said. He started struggling to get free again. Matthias said to him, "They have already son. Be still! You will only hurt yourself further!" "No! It isn't true!" squealed Sam as sister May grabbed a few herbs and put them together in a flask full of water. "Here, drink this Sam." She ordered. Sam who was very thirsty took it and downed the flask entirely. He immediately started to calm down. "Sam, your mother is missing. We do not know whether she is alive or dead. We haven't heard from her since last night. But if you want to help her, you must calm down and tell us what happened last night. How did you get attacked? Were you ambushed?" asked Matthias. "There were about a score of them. Maybe more. Mom and I were walking through the forest. She said she saw something weird so we went to see what it was. Then they sprang out of nowhere." Sam explained, "They didn't say anything to us, just started to attack us. Mother told me to run, said she would be all right, just for me to run back to Redwall. I ran. But I heard her scream so I turned around to help her, but I couldn't see her. Then. I don't know. I don't remember anything else. I blacked out after that. Then I woke up here now. That's all I remember." "Hmm, so the rats didn't talk to you or your mother?" asked Constance. "No" answered Sam, "They didn't even give us a chance to say anything to them. They just. Ambushed." The realization of what had happened hit Sam like a ton of bricks. The rats meant to massacre him. Kill him, and his mother.
"We have to go back to the battle scene to investigate. Maybe we can find some clues there. We left in such a hurry last night we didn't get to look around." Said Matthias to Constance as they walked out of the infirmary and down the steps to the Cavern Hole, where Abbot was holding a meeting with the members of the war council. "Come, sit Matthias and Constance, what have you found out from young Sam?" asked the Abbot. "Not much, they were ambushed he said. Completely out of the blue. It was murder." Said Constance, with a shiver of rage on her last word. "We need to find Jess, dead or alive. I say Constance, Ambrose, Basil, and I head out to where it happened to search for clues. Maybe we can find out who these rats are, maybe there are survivors that we missed." Suggested Matthias. There was an ominous mumble of agreement from the rest of the council. The Abbot nodded his approval. "Then it's decided, Basil, Ambrose, Matthias. Get geared up. We are leaving as soon as possible." Ordered Constance.
So they did.