Chapter 2
Swiftwing of the Falcons
A young hedgehog by the name of Jube was self-consciously walking in the morning light while thinking. His black eyes were glazed over as he sank deeper into his thoughts of heroic rescues and frantic wars. Jube didn't know how he had managed to get back to the edge of the lake so quickly without him knowing. After brushing off his tracks and making sure that he was not being followed the hedgehog dove into the lake, pulled himself through the underwater tunnel and hauled his body onto dry ground before setting off back to Silver's hut.
The sky was blue. Silver, Jube and Fwirl were looking at the sky. If a stranger was to look at them they might have thought something along the lines of 'Is it my imagination or are three young woodlanders waiting for it to rain cats and dogs?'. In actual fact they were inspecting the sky because Jube had said that he had a funny feeling to look at the sky, sort of like a craving to look at the sky. Silver and Fwirl did not laugh because Jube's funny feelings were never wrong. It was like the time when they were throwing apples at unlucky traveller passing by the road. Jube had said that they would not like the next traveller because he had started to get a funny feeling so he sat behind a tree while Silver threw apples at the next traveller. Unfortunately for Silver the next traveller was an experienced soldier and caught the apple before throwing it at a somewhat surprised otter. Silver spent the next two minutes rubbing his injured nose and gaping while his two companions laughed their heads off. "What d'ya think yer doin' starin' at the sky?" "Diggum!" yelled Fwirl in surprise. Diggum was another one of their friends who helps them in their schemes when he could. His father usually made him work in the tunnels. Not that Diggum minded; he was happy digging holes and tunnels with the other moles. Besides Diggum was an excellent digger. Taking his concentration off the sky Silver turned and looked at Diggum, the Foremole's son. "Jube's got a funny feeling that something's going to happen in the sky, mate. You know what that means." Diggum did know. If Jube thought that something was going to happen in the sky then he would stare at it until something did happen. Diggum looked at the sky, just then an enormous shape blotted out the sun. The ground where the friends were standing was blanketed by a dark shadow of a bird. The great bird suddenly jerked off course and plummeted down several trees away from them. Fwirl and Diggum stared at the grove of trees blankly. Silver and Jube were already running to the grove propelled by their unsatisfiable curiosity. In the grove of trees a magnificent bird lay, eyes closed but still alive. Jube cautiously advanced towards the bird. It seemed like a very small eagle or an enormous falcon. Jube glanced at Silver and agreeing with a nod they began to haul the bird, they were soon helped by Fwirl and Diggum.
Jube grinned when they showed up at Mrs. Watercress' hut with a falcon. When asked later Jube would describe her face as 'A piece of petrified white marble with a very large gaping hole right in the middle of it.'. Soon word was getting around the little community that the mischievous rascals had found a large, injured falcon. Sister May, who was an expert at healing arts, had said that the falcon was injured; it had a broken wing and a big concussion. During the days that followed the young woodlanders of the community had heard many different versions of the capture of the falcon. Somehow none of the stories by Silver, Jube, Fwirl or Diggum matched. Silver said that he had saved Jube who was in the talons of the falcon by breaking a large branch off a tree and hitting the falcon on the head and giving it a large concussion. Jube said that the falcon had dived and was going to pierce Fwirl, Diggum and Silver but he had got out a bow, used a stick for an arrow and shot the great bird on the head in mid air. The falcon then fell down into a grove of trees and broke it's wing. Fwirl had claimed that a squad of vicious toads was attacking the bird and that she saved it by killing the toads with her inhuman strength. Diggums however, said that the falcon was stuck in the middle of four boulders and that it was unconscious so that he had to dig a huge tunnel and then pull the falcon through it and out into the sun all by himself. The young woodlanders were still trying to figure out whose version was true when the falcon woke up in bed three days later.
"It was huge and frightening. Jube was standing there useless and shaking in terror." Silver was yet again telling a bunch of young woodlanders the tale of the falcon in his deadliest voice. " Then with a great amount of courage I, Silver the Courageous, leapt in and bellowed in my most deadliest voice. EEEEK!" Silver jumped and at the same time turned and saw Jube who, trying to keep a straight face, said "By then I had taken out my bow and using a fallen sturdy stick as an arrow shot the great bird." Jube stopped at that point because he had apparently lost the battle against laughing. A huge grin broke out on Jube's face as he split his side laughing his head off. Silver, being the sportsman that he was, replied to Jube's outburst with a look off pain. "Really, must you scare me like that?" "No, actually I came to tell you that the falcon is awake. I would suppose that you would want to see him?" "Of course, I've been waiting for the falcon to wake and prove that my version of his capture is correct." "Yeah whatever." Jube concluded the conversation by turning and bellowing, "Come on Silver!" while sprinting to the hospital wing of the main hall of Greenvale.
"Hurr, can oi see t' 'alcon pleez?" Diggum said to Sister May politely. "Come right through here." The old mouse stated. Diggum peered into the ward. There was the falcon. It seemed bigger than before. "I suppose you were the ones who carried me here?" inquired the golden falcon. His voice was as clear as the sun's rays and as sweet as honey covered chestnuts. The company of visitors jumped at the sound of the falcon talking. "What, you didn't think that I could talk? Me Swiftwing of the falcons?" Fwirl, being very polite began "Uh yeah we carried you here, this is Silver, Jube, Diggum and I'm Fwirl. Uh yeah, er, we were just wondering where uh." she trailed off. Luckily, she was saved by Diggum who finished her sentence for her "'ere ye came from?" "Sorry, I don't quite understand mole talk." Swiftwing informed them. "Oh he said where do you come from?" Silver quickly repeated. "Well I come from the north. A long way past the abbey in the mountains beyond it." "The abbey?" inquired Jube. "Oh, you know, Redwall Abbey." "I'm sorry we haven't heard of Redwall Abbey before here in Greenvale." "Redwall Abbey is a community of woodlanders much like your community, except much bigger. The abbey was built by Martin the Warrior who later became the abbey's first warrior. The abbey's first abbess was Abbess Germaine. Those woodlanders are peaceful but if threatened they can be quite aggressive, they are really nice woodlanders and will help any lost travellers and will shelter any hurt animals." "Jube?" asked Silver "Yeah what?" replied Jube snapping out of his trance. "You just looked a little strange."
Swiftwing of the Falcons
A young hedgehog by the name of Jube was self-consciously walking in the morning light while thinking. His black eyes were glazed over as he sank deeper into his thoughts of heroic rescues and frantic wars. Jube didn't know how he had managed to get back to the edge of the lake so quickly without him knowing. After brushing off his tracks and making sure that he was not being followed the hedgehog dove into the lake, pulled himself through the underwater tunnel and hauled his body onto dry ground before setting off back to Silver's hut.
The sky was blue. Silver, Jube and Fwirl were looking at the sky. If a stranger was to look at them they might have thought something along the lines of 'Is it my imagination or are three young woodlanders waiting for it to rain cats and dogs?'. In actual fact they were inspecting the sky because Jube had said that he had a funny feeling to look at the sky, sort of like a craving to look at the sky. Silver and Fwirl did not laugh because Jube's funny feelings were never wrong. It was like the time when they were throwing apples at unlucky traveller passing by the road. Jube had said that they would not like the next traveller because he had started to get a funny feeling so he sat behind a tree while Silver threw apples at the next traveller. Unfortunately for Silver the next traveller was an experienced soldier and caught the apple before throwing it at a somewhat surprised otter. Silver spent the next two minutes rubbing his injured nose and gaping while his two companions laughed their heads off. "What d'ya think yer doin' starin' at the sky?" "Diggum!" yelled Fwirl in surprise. Diggum was another one of their friends who helps them in their schemes when he could. His father usually made him work in the tunnels. Not that Diggum minded; he was happy digging holes and tunnels with the other moles. Besides Diggum was an excellent digger. Taking his concentration off the sky Silver turned and looked at Diggum, the Foremole's son. "Jube's got a funny feeling that something's going to happen in the sky, mate. You know what that means." Diggum did know. If Jube thought that something was going to happen in the sky then he would stare at it until something did happen. Diggum looked at the sky, just then an enormous shape blotted out the sun. The ground where the friends were standing was blanketed by a dark shadow of a bird. The great bird suddenly jerked off course and plummeted down several trees away from them. Fwirl and Diggum stared at the grove of trees blankly. Silver and Jube were already running to the grove propelled by their unsatisfiable curiosity. In the grove of trees a magnificent bird lay, eyes closed but still alive. Jube cautiously advanced towards the bird. It seemed like a very small eagle or an enormous falcon. Jube glanced at Silver and agreeing with a nod they began to haul the bird, they were soon helped by Fwirl and Diggum.
Jube grinned when they showed up at Mrs. Watercress' hut with a falcon. When asked later Jube would describe her face as 'A piece of petrified white marble with a very large gaping hole right in the middle of it.'. Soon word was getting around the little community that the mischievous rascals had found a large, injured falcon. Sister May, who was an expert at healing arts, had said that the falcon was injured; it had a broken wing and a big concussion. During the days that followed the young woodlanders of the community had heard many different versions of the capture of the falcon. Somehow none of the stories by Silver, Jube, Fwirl or Diggum matched. Silver said that he had saved Jube who was in the talons of the falcon by breaking a large branch off a tree and hitting the falcon on the head and giving it a large concussion. Jube said that the falcon had dived and was going to pierce Fwirl, Diggum and Silver but he had got out a bow, used a stick for an arrow and shot the great bird on the head in mid air. The falcon then fell down into a grove of trees and broke it's wing. Fwirl had claimed that a squad of vicious toads was attacking the bird and that she saved it by killing the toads with her inhuman strength. Diggums however, said that the falcon was stuck in the middle of four boulders and that it was unconscious so that he had to dig a huge tunnel and then pull the falcon through it and out into the sun all by himself. The young woodlanders were still trying to figure out whose version was true when the falcon woke up in bed three days later.
"It was huge and frightening. Jube was standing there useless and shaking in terror." Silver was yet again telling a bunch of young woodlanders the tale of the falcon in his deadliest voice. " Then with a great amount of courage I, Silver the Courageous, leapt in and bellowed in my most deadliest voice. EEEEK!" Silver jumped and at the same time turned and saw Jube who, trying to keep a straight face, said "By then I had taken out my bow and using a fallen sturdy stick as an arrow shot the great bird." Jube stopped at that point because he had apparently lost the battle against laughing. A huge grin broke out on Jube's face as he split his side laughing his head off. Silver, being the sportsman that he was, replied to Jube's outburst with a look off pain. "Really, must you scare me like that?" "No, actually I came to tell you that the falcon is awake. I would suppose that you would want to see him?" "Of course, I've been waiting for the falcon to wake and prove that my version of his capture is correct." "Yeah whatever." Jube concluded the conversation by turning and bellowing, "Come on Silver!" while sprinting to the hospital wing of the main hall of Greenvale.
"Hurr, can oi see t' 'alcon pleez?" Diggum said to Sister May politely. "Come right through here." The old mouse stated. Diggum peered into the ward. There was the falcon. It seemed bigger than before. "I suppose you were the ones who carried me here?" inquired the golden falcon. His voice was as clear as the sun's rays and as sweet as honey covered chestnuts. The company of visitors jumped at the sound of the falcon talking. "What, you didn't think that I could talk? Me Swiftwing of the falcons?" Fwirl, being very polite began "Uh yeah we carried you here, this is Silver, Jube, Diggum and I'm Fwirl. Uh yeah, er, we were just wondering where uh." she trailed off. Luckily, she was saved by Diggum who finished her sentence for her "'ere ye came from?" "Sorry, I don't quite understand mole talk." Swiftwing informed them. "Oh he said where do you come from?" Silver quickly repeated. "Well I come from the north. A long way past the abbey in the mountains beyond it." "The abbey?" inquired Jube. "Oh, you know, Redwall Abbey." "I'm sorry we haven't heard of Redwall Abbey before here in Greenvale." "Redwall Abbey is a community of woodlanders much like your community, except much bigger. The abbey was built by Martin the Warrior who later became the abbey's first warrior. The abbey's first abbess was Abbess Germaine. Those woodlanders are peaceful but if threatened they can be quite aggressive, they are really nice woodlanders and will help any lost travellers and will shelter any hurt animals." "Jube?" asked Silver "Yeah what?" replied Jube snapping out of his trance. "You just looked a little strange."
