Chapter 1
A lone figure trekked through Mossflower Wood. The squirrel was in no great hurry, she was far more interested in enjoying the beautiful spring morning than getting to her destination quickly. Raindrops from the former night's downpour had settled on leafy boughs like drops of crystal, trembling slightly each time a gentle breeze cared to pass their way. High above, birds of all kinds trilled and whistled their joy for this new, warm spring day.
Condensation had formed on the squirrel's silvery white fur. The squirrel didn't mind at all, but she wiped the water carefully off the strange weapon she carried. It was like a spear on one end, with a large metal hook on the shaft just below the spearhead. On the other end was a double-edged sword blade, long and sharp. In the middle of the shaft, for grip, decoration, and also signification of rank was a wide silver band with the squirrel's name inlaid with ebony: Maikolar.
Maiko knew her swordspear's metal was good and didn't rust easily, but she took no chances. If she let it get even a single speck of rust she would never be elevated to blademark, the highest rank of swordspear. Maiko was on the second season of her eight-season blademark quest. At the moment she was traveling to Redwall Abbey, a legendary place she had heard stories of since she could barely speak. Though her tribe were warriors, she would welcome some peace and friendship after the hardships of her journey.
Maiko closed her eyes, savoring everything; the damp loam underpaw, the sharp, spicy scents of the towering majestic trees around her, the sweet birdsong that was so rarely heard in her homeland, the very taste of the slightly humid forest air. She sighed and opened her eyes. She still had almost seven seasons left, but she must not spend it all enjoying the forest. After a few days at Redwall, she planned to journey west to the mountain Salamandastron, and from there go up the coast and find or make herself a boat to sail to an island and record the customs and traditions of its inhabitance for the Great Library of the Eastern Hills that her tribe had made. However, blademark quests rarely went as planned, and sometimes the one questing never returned.
Shoving these dark thoughts from her mind, Maiko continued to make her way south-west, to Redwall.
A lone figure trekked through Mossflower Wood. The squirrel was in no great hurry, she was far more interested in enjoying the beautiful spring morning than getting to her destination quickly. Raindrops from the former night's downpour had settled on leafy boughs like drops of crystal, trembling slightly each time a gentle breeze cared to pass their way. High above, birds of all kinds trilled and whistled their joy for this new, warm spring day.
Condensation had formed on the squirrel's silvery white fur. The squirrel didn't mind at all, but she wiped the water carefully off the strange weapon she carried. It was like a spear on one end, with a large metal hook on the shaft just below the spearhead. On the other end was a double-edged sword blade, long and sharp. In the middle of the shaft, for grip, decoration, and also signification of rank was a wide silver band with the squirrel's name inlaid with ebony: Maikolar.
Maiko knew her swordspear's metal was good and didn't rust easily, but she took no chances. If she let it get even a single speck of rust she would never be elevated to blademark, the highest rank of swordspear. Maiko was on the second season of her eight-season blademark quest. At the moment she was traveling to Redwall Abbey, a legendary place she had heard stories of since she could barely speak. Though her tribe were warriors, she would welcome some peace and friendship after the hardships of her journey.
Maiko closed her eyes, savoring everything; the damp loam underpaw, the sharp, spicy scents of the towering majestic trees around her, the sweet birdsong that was so rarely heard in her homeland, the very taste of the slightly humid forest air. She sighed and opened her eyes. She still had almost seven seasons left, but she must not spend it all enjoying the forest. After a few days at Redwall, she planned to journey west to the mountain Salamandastron, and from there go up the coast and find or make herself a boat to sail to an island and record the customs and traditions of its inhabitance for the Great Library of the Eastern Hills that her tribe had made. However, blademark quests rarely went as planned, and sometimes the one questing never returned.
Shoving these dark thoughts from her mind, Maiko continued to make her way south-west, to Redwall.
