Book Three, Chapter 1 / Chapter 21
Inside the box were the records of Camp Tussock. Many were slightly burnt.
"How will these help me?"
"Only you could have found them, at exactly the spot your mother dropped them. Only that faint memory could have lead you to that spot."
Suddently Tyra remembered.
It seemed as if it had only been yesterday. She was being carried out of a burning, charred fire by her mother. Her mother was crying. Why? She didn't know. Something a mottled gray confronted her mother.
"Come on, old hare," It said, the same voice that had confronted her and her friends earlier. "Try to get past me. Only there is freedom!"
Suddently her mother shouted.
"EULILIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She pinned something on Tyra's tunic front and sat her down behind her.
"Get out of my way, fox," she said.
"No, I've been wishing for a good fight-"
"I don't forgive and I don't forget!"
"You will forget soon, hare, and be forgotton-"
That was all she could remember.
It took Tyra a few minutes before she realized she was crying.
************************************************************
It had been a day since Akhal set out, and still raining. The guards were misreble, cold, and unhappy.
"Why do we have to do this? It's stupid!"
"Because Predak told us to. What were you going to do, refuse?"
"I almost did, Choptail."
Choptail snorted.
"Yah, and pain of death kept you from going on, Lardface!"
"Like I would have refused!" Lardface said.
"Let's just all get along?" The other weasel said (who happened to be Terry), but all to late, because the other guards were rolling around fighting (in the very rain they hated to) and were heading for a huge tree. Terry snuck over to the prisoners.
"Hello," he said, "If you trust me, I can help you. All in the service of the Mossflower Branch of the VRAE."
************************************************************
A few days had passed, and it was early morning, the threat of rain still hanging on. Tyra and Katze sat on a nearby haybale.
"I should go see if I can rescue my friends soon-" Tyra said.
"Tyra, there is something I must tell you..."
"What is it?" Tyra said, confused.
"There's a patrol looking for you, and, well, they know where you are-"
"How?"
"I-I-well, I told them."
Tyra was enraged.
"Now who can I trust?!"
"Me, for one last time. Run, as fast as you can. Take the lower exit. The woods will be burned down. If you can, make it to your ship and leave. That's all you can do."
"No that's not! I can't leave my friends!" Tyra climed down the ladder into the lower part of the barn and dashed out.
Katze stared out the window as she left, then, knowing his collection of weapons would be taken by the patrol, hid the one sword that was the best, and most polished, under a pile of hay where only one creature would ever find it.
Tyra.
He pulled open the doors and began to act like he was sweeping, forming the lies in his head to tell the patrol.
Chapter 22
It had started raining again. Tyra had run for two hours non-stop away from the barn, and had covered a distance about as much as that between Redwall Abbey and the ruins of Camp Tussock. Now she collapsed, panting. She knew no vermin would be able to cover that distance in the time she had.
She was safe.
************************************************************
It was only then that Akhal and his patrol entered the barn. All they found was Katze sweeping some excess hay out the doors. He looked at them as they arrived.
"What do you want here?" he asked.
"We've come for the hare, just as you said."
"What hare?" Katze replied, figuring to play it dumb.
Akhal was not very happy at that. He drew his sword and pawed the edge.
"It would be better if you didn't play it dumb, my friend. Better for both of us, I would say."
Katze's eyes flashed.
"I am no friend of yours!"
"Now, we have to change that. You aren't any friend of ours, if I remember, but you are of Predak, let's see how you look in her eyes when we take you back with us."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Now, if you cooperate it makes it a lot easier an everyone, and even your two friends." Akhal said, a glint in his eyes.
"I don't think that would be a good idea. They're too young to be envolved in any of this."
Akhal was not doing to good with this job.
"We have your granddaughter, cat. Are you going to come quietly or do we have to use a little persuasion?"
Katze blanched white.
"I'll come..." he said weakly, "Just don't do anything to Katzey..."
Chapter 23
The two VRAE members with Predak called a secret meeting that night.
"I'm feeling that something's going to happen to either the prisoners, or to the two young hares still out there," Terry said.
"I thought there was only one hare out there, the one named Tyra!" Sragg said. Sragg happens to be Akhal's brother.
"I wish we had the rest of the VRAE here, it would make it soo much easier."
"I just want to get this over with, so I can go back and see Magnolia." Sragg said. Magnolia was his wife.
"I know she's pining for you," Terry said, "But we have to get this over with, if you ever want to see her again."
************************************************************
The only one awake now, Katzey watched as the two weasels talked over their fire, then put it out for the night. All she could think about was the night they spent at the otter and his wife after they had gotten off of the SeaQueen. Now she wondered if they would ever see Tyra again.
************************************************************
In the reaches of northern Mossflower, Tyra lit a small fire out of dry brush. All she did was sit there, thinking of how nice it would be to have Katzey or Tulia or someone here, instead of just her, running away from Predak and the weasels. But it was just then a voice came out of the tree cover, and Tyra lept up, startled.
Inside the box were the records of Camp Tussock. Many were slightly burnt.
"How will these help me?"
"Only you could have found them, at exactly the spot your mother dropped them. Only that faint memory could have lead you to that spot."
Suddently Tyra remembered.
It seemed as if it had only been yesterday. She was being carried out of a burning, charred fire by her mother. Her mother was crying. Why? She didn't know. Something a mottled gray confronted her mother.
"Come on, old hare," It said, the same voice that had confronted her and her friends earlier. "Try to get past me. Only there is freedom!"
Suddently her mother shouted.
"EULILIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She pinned something on Tyra's tunic front and sat her down behind her.
"Get out of my way, fox," she said.
"No, I've been wishing for a good fight-"
"I don't forgive and I don't forget!"
"You will forget soon, hare, and be forgotton-"
That was all she could remember.
It took Tyra a few minutes before she realized she was crying.
************************************************************
It had been a day since Akhal set out, and still raining. The guards were misreble, cold, and unhappy.
"Why do we have to do this? It's stupid!"
"Because Predak told us to. What were you going to do, refuse?"
"I almost did, Choptail."
Choptail snorted.
"Yah, and pain of death kept you from going on, Lardface!"
"Like I would have refused!" Lardface said.
"Let's just all get along?" The other weasel said (who happened to be Terry), but all to late, because the other guards were rolling around fighting (in the very rain they hated to) and were heading for a huge tree. Terry snuck over to the prisoners.
"Hello," he said, "If you trust me, I can help you. All in the service of the Mossflower Branch of the VRAE."
************************************************************
A few days had passed, and it was early morning, the threat of rain still hanging on. Tyra and Katze sat on a nearby haybale.
"I should go see if I can rescue my friends soon-" Tyra said.
"Tyra, there is something I must tell you..."
"What is it?" Tyra said, confused.
"There's a patrol looking for you, and, well, they know where you are-"
"How?"
"I-I-well, I told them."
Tyra was enraged.
"Now who can I trust?!"
"Me, for one last time. Run, as fast as you can. Take the lower exit. The woods will be burned down. If you can, make it to your ship and leave. That's all you can do."
"No that's not! I can't leave my friends!" Tyra climed down the ladder into the lower part of the barn and dashed out.
Katze stared out the window as she left, then, knowing his collection of weapons would be taken by the patrol, hid the one sword that was the best, and most polished, under a pile of hay where only one creature would ever find it.
Tyra.
He pulled open the doors and began to act like he was sweeping, forming the lies in his head to tell the patrol.
Chapter 22
It had started raining again. Tyra had run for two hours non-stop away from the barn, and had covered a distance about as much as that between Redwall Abbey and the ruins of Camp Tussock. Now she collapsed, panting. She knew no vermin would be able to cover that distance in the time she had.
She was safe.
************************************************************
It was only then that Akhal and his patrol entered the barn. All they found was Katze sweeping some excess hay out the doors. He looked at them as they arrived.
"What do you want here?" he asked.
"We've come for the hare, just as you said."
"What hare?" Katze replied, figuring to play it dumb.
Akhal was not very happy at that. He drew his sword and pawed the edge.
"It would be better if you didn't play it dumb, my friend. Better for both of us, I would say."
Katze's eyes flashed.
"I am no friend of yours!"
"Now, we have to change that. You aren't any friend of ours, if I remember, but you are of Predak, let's see how you look in her eyes when we take you back with us."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Now, if you cooperate it makes it a lot easier an everyone, and even your two friends." Akhal said, a glint in his eyes.
"I don't think that would be a good idea. They're too young to be envolved in any of this."
Akhal was not doing to good with this job.
"We have your granddaughter, cat. Are you going to come quietly or do we have to use a little persuasion?"
Katze blanched white.
"I'll come..." he said weakly, "Just don't do anything to Katzey..."
Chapter 23
The two VRAE members with Predak called a secret meeting that night.
"I'm feeling that something's going to happen to either the prisoners, or to the two young hares still out there," Terry said.
"I thought there was only one hare out there, the one named Tyra!" Sragg said. Sragg happens to be Akhal's brother.
"I wish we had the rest of the VRAE here, it would make it soo much easier."
"I just want to get this over with, so I can go back and see Magnolia." Sragg said. Magnolia was his wife.
"I know she's pining for you," Terry said, "But we have to get this over with, if you ever want to see her again."
************************************************************
The only one awake now, Katzey watched as the two weasels talked over their fire, then put it out for the night. All she could think about was the night they spent at the otter and his wife after they had gotten off of the SeaQueen. Now she wondered if they would ever see Tyra again.
************************************************************
In the reaches of northern Mossflower, Tyra lit a small fire out of dry brush. All she did was sit there, thinking of how nice it would be to have Katzey or Tulia or someone here, instead of just her, running away from Predak and the weasels. But it was just then a voice came out of the tree cover, and Tyra lept up, startled.
