'Are we there yet.' Fish groaned from a few feet behind Blaggut. Being a
searat and being confined to a ship, she wasn't used to walking such long
distances.
'Jus' a liddle farther.' Blaggut called to her over his shoulder.
The sun was beginning to set and orange light beamed through the trees, covering everything in an orange hue. Blaggut had said they would get there by dinner so it couldn't be that long now. Moodily, Fish scuffed her boots in the dirt as she forced to drag her footpaws along, step by step.
~
Night had fallen on the cove. To passing seabirds, the fires on the beaches looked like burning matches threatening to be blown out by a single blast of wind. The crew of the BlackDeath sat around the fires, roasting gulls and fish and drinking seaweed grog.
A female rat named Belladonna sat roasting her gull. She was tall and slim, pretty enough for a searat wore many bracelets, jewels, necklaces and rings and had a tattoo of a rose on her left arm. She jumped as she felt warm breathe on her neck as Scurge sat down next to her. He gave her a roguish wink and received a punch on the arm,
'Away wid yer!' She growled but smiled all the same.
'Did yer hear tha' good news, Bell?' Scurge asked, grinning as he took a huge mouthful of grog.
'What?' She asked turning her seabird around in the fire.
'Me sister's come back from tha' dead.' Scurge laughed, spraying seaweed grog everywhere, 'Got nine lives, that sister o' mine!'
'What do yer mean back from the dead?' Belladonna asked, wide-eyed.
'Mange saw 'er. Standin' right in this very beach.' Scurge told her, guzzling down the rest of his grog.
'Ya saw he weren't jus' seeing things, he had a lot ter drink las' night.' She said, shaking her head and taking a bite of her gull.
'Nah 'e swore twas Rogue. Mebbe 'e saw 'er ghost.' Scurge joked, 'Mayhap she's com' ter 'aunt us from tha' grave. Oooooo!'
'Ow could yer talk that way?! She was yore sister! An' me best mate!' Belladonna glared at him. Scurge threw his arm around her,
'Oh, Bell. Tis all in good fun. I miss Rogue. She's me blood after all.'
'Wot about yore father?' Belladonna said quietly. Scurge turned away suddenly, shaking his head and frowning,
'That's 'arsh, Bell. Real 'arsh.' He murmured.
~
Fish gaped at the huge and beautiful redstone fortress before her. Blaggut threw an arm around her, smiling,
'Well, Fish, me good pal. Welcome ter Redwall Abbey!'
Fish was at a loss for words, she could only stare with wide-eyes.
'Blaggy!' She finally managed to get out in a whisper.
'Halt! Who goes there?!' A voice rang out from above them. Fish could make out the shadow of the creature on the battlements.
'Heeelllloooo! Up there! Tis yore ole pal, Blaggut! Open up! I brought a friend ter see ya!' Blaggut called, waving his arms about wildly.
A moment later the gate swung open and Fish had barely time move out of the way as two small furry streaks came flying out and tackling Blaggut to the ground.
'Mister Blackguts!' Two tiny voices shrieked in delight. Blaggut's laughed as the mouse and mole babes hugged Blaggut around his wide girth.
'Harrharr me liddle mateys!' Blaggut patted them fondly on their heads.
'All right, you two. That's enough.' Fish was too busy staring at the two babes and Blaggut to see that several older mice and a hare had joined them. The two babes got off Blaggut so he could get up. One of the mice nodded to the hare,
'I think its past two Dibbuns bedtime.' The hare grinned,
'Oh righto! Okay chaps, too much excitement ya won't be able to sleep tonight, wot!' He ushered the babes back through the gates, 'Off to bed you go, march one, two, three, four! March, one, two, three, four..!'
'Tis so nice ter see my liddle mates again.' Blaggut looked so happy he was about to cry, rubbing his eyes, 'I ain't seen 'em in such a long time. Look 'ow big they've grown!'
'There, there, don' go blubberin' now, Blaggut, mate.' Fish said, patting him sympathetically on the back. It was only then, did the mice seem to notice she was there. They seemed a bit shocked to see her, not that Fish blamed them. She was a searat after all.
'Well, Blaggut, is this the friend you were speaking of?' The mouse that had spoke before and who to Fish seemed to be the leader, asked Blaggut.
'Yeah Father h'Abbot, tis me matey, Fish. She needs yer 'elp yer see.' Blaggut said, clapping a paw on Fish's shoulder. 'Tell the Father h'Abbot, Fish.' Fish felt all eyes on her,
'Well, er, yer see...' She stammered, not liking being the center of attention.
'How can we be of service, my dear. We'll try and help as best we can.' The Abbot told her kindly and smiling. Fish instantly liked him but she still felt wary about all the otherbeasts staring at her. She took a deep breath,
'Yer see, I took a nasty blow on tha' 'ead. An' now can't seem ter 'member anything. I mean I kin 'member some stuff but I can' 'member me own name. I jus' wan' ter 'member who I was. Blaggy tol' me yew could 'elp me. Please, I'll do anything!' Fish blurted out very quickly then she gave the Abbot a pleading look. 'Please 'elp me, Father h'Abbot.'
The Abbot exchanged glances with the other mice before turning back to Fish.
'The creatures of Redwall will agree to help you, Fish. I can see that you are a good, decent creature and any friend of Blaggut is a friend of ours. But tonight you must rest, I'm sure you are tired from your journey. We will sort things out in the morning, I will go consult, our herbalist, Simeon about it. We have done this certain thing before with the aide of one of Simeon's potions. Welcome to Redwall Abbey, Fish.'
Fish grasped the Abbot's paw.
'Thank ye Father h'Abbot.'
~
Captain Hades Sharpfang was larger, bigger and stronger than most searats. With gleaming amber eyes, his giant black body covered in scars from battles and vampiric fangs, he cut a fearsome appearance. He was deadly cunning and dangerously intelligent, cruel and cold, he was feared throughout the high seas. No name had been spoken with such terror since Gabool the Wild, King of all Searats!
Hades sat on the bed in the small wooden cabin his crew had found scouring the cove for firewood and vittles. He held a bottle of grog in one paw and a spear in the other, mounted on it the rotting head from the corpse of rat hanging from the bow of the BlackDeath. It was his trademark, the symbol of his greatest victory. He began to mutter to himself or rather the beast that had lay on that very bed just this morning,
'So that imbecile, Mange was right. I can smell you. You are alive. Not for long though, my poor darling. I'll find you sooner or later and finish what I have started. I was never one to leave... loose ends.' He laughed insanely, his psychotic eyes glowing in the darkness.
'Jus' a liddle farther.' Blaggut called to her over his shoulder.
The sun was beginning to set and orange light beamed through the trees, covering everything in an orange hue. Blaggut had said they would get there by dinner so it couldn't be that long now. Moodily, Fish scuffed her boots in the dirt as she forced to drag her footpaws along, step by step.
~
Night had fallen on the cove. To passing seabirds, the fires on the beaches looked like burning matches threatening to be blown out by a single blast of wind. The crew of the BlackDeath sat around the fires, roasting gulls and fish and drinking seaweed grog.
A female rat named Belladonna sat roasting her gull. She was tall and slim, pretty enough for a searat wore many bracelets, jewels, necklaces and rings and had a tattoo of a rose on her left arm. She jumped as she felt warm breathe on her neck as Scurge sat down next to her. He gave her a roguish wink and received a punch on the arm,
'Away wid yer!' She growled but smiled all the same.
'Did yer hear tha' good news, Bell?' Scurge asked, grinning as he took a huge mouthful of grog.
'What?' She asked turning her seabird around in the fire.
'Me sister's come back from tha' dead.' Scurge laughed, spraying seaweed grog everywhere, 'Got nine lives, that sister o' mine!'
'What do yer mean back from the dead?' Belladonna asked, wide-eyed.
'Mange saw 'er. Standin' right in this very beach.' Scurge told her, guzzling down the rest of his grog.
'Ya saw he weren't jus' seeing things, he had a lot ter drink las' night.' She said, shaking her head and taking a bite of her gull.
'Nah 'e swore twas Rogue. Mebbe 'e saw 'er ghost.' Scurge joked, 'Mayhap she's com' ter 'aunt us from tha' grave. Oooooo!'
'Ow could yer talk that way?! She was yore sister! An' me best mate!' Belladonna glared at him. Scurge threw his arm around her,
'Oh, Bell. Tis all in good fun. I miss Rogue. She's me blood after all.'
'Wot about yore father?' Belladonna said quietly. Scurge turned away suddenly, shaking his head and frowning,
'That's 'arsh, Bell. Real 'arsh.' He murmured.
~
Fish gaped at the huge and beautiful redstone fortress before her. Blaggut threw an arm around her, smiling,
'Well, Fish, me good pal. Welcome ter Redwall Abbey!'
Fish was at a loss for words, she could only stare with wide-eyes.
'Blaggy!' She finally managed to get out in a whisper.
'Halt! Who goes there?!' A voice rang out from above them. Fish could make out the shadow of the creature on the battlements.
'Heeelllloooo! Up there! Tis yore ole pal, Blaggut! Open up! I brought a friend ter see ya!' Blaggut called, waving his arms about wildly.
A moment later the gate swung open and Fish had barely time move out of the way as two small furry streaks came flying out and tackling Blaggut to the ground.
'Mister Blackguts!' Two tiny voices shrieked in delight. Blaggut's laughed as the mouse and mole babes hugged Blaggut around his wide girth.
'Harrharr me liddle mateys!' Blaggut patted them fondly on their heads.
'All right, you two. That's enough.' Fish was too busy staring at the two babes and Blaggut to see that several older mice and a hare had joined them. The two babes got off Blaggut so he could get up. One of the mice nodded to the hare,
'I think its past two Dibbuns bedtime.' The hare grinned,
'Oh righto! Okay chaps, too much excitement ya won't be able to sleep tonight, wot!' He ushered the babes back through the gates, 'Off to bed you go, march one, two, three, four! March, one, two, three, four..!'
'Tis so nice ter see my liddle mates again.' Blaggut looked so happy he was about to cry, rubbing his eyes, 'I ain't seen 'em in such a long time. Look 'ow big they've grown!'
'There, there, don' go blubberin' now, Blaggut, mate.' Fish said, patting him sympathetically on the back. It was only then, did the mice seem to notice she was there. They seemed a bit shocked to see her, not that Fish blamed them. She was a searat after all.
'Well, Blaggut, is this the friend you were speaking of?' The mouse that had spoke before and who to Fish seemed to be the leader, asked Blaggut.
'Yeah Father h'Abbot, tis me matey, Fish. She needs yer 'elp yer see.' Blaggut said, clapping a paw on Fish's shoulder. 'Tell the Father h'Abbot, Fish.' Fish felt all eyes on her,
'Well, er, yer see...' She stammered, not liking being the center of attention.
'How can we be of service, my dear. We'll try and help as best we can.' The Abbot told her kindly and smiling. Fish instantly liked him but she still felt wary about all the otherbeasts staring at her. She took a deep breath,
'Yer see, I took a nasty blow on tha' 'ead. An' now can't seem ter 'member anything. I mean I kin 'member some stuff but I can' 'member me own name. I jus' wan' ter 'member who I was. Blaggy tol' me yew could 'elp me. Please, I'll do anything!' Fish blurted out very quickly then she gave the Abbot a pleading look. 'Please 'elp me, Father h'Abbot.'
The Abbot exchanged glances with the other mice before turning back to Fish.
'The creatures of Redwall will agree to help you, Fish. I can see that you are a good, decent creature and any friend of Blaggut is a friend of ours. But tonight you must rest, I'm sure you are tired from your journey. We will sort things out in the morning, I will go consult, our herbalist, Simeon about it. We have done this certain thing before with the aide of one of Simeon's potions. Welcome to Redwall Abbey, Fish.'
Fish grasped the Abbot's paw.
'Thank ye Father h'Abbot.'
~
Captain Hades Sharpfang was larger, bigger and stronger than most searats. With gleaming amber eyes, his giant black body covered in scars from battles and vampiric fangs, he cut a fearsome appearance. He was deadly cunning and dangerously intelligent, cruel and cold, he was feared throughout the high seas. No name had been spoken with such terror since Gabool the Wild, King of all Searats!
Hades sat on the bed in the small wooden cabin his crew had found scouring the cove for firewood and vittles. He held a bottle of grog in one paw and a spear in the other, mounted on it the rotting head from the corpse of rat hanging from the bow of the BlackDeath. It was his trademark, the symbol of his greatest victory. He began to mutter to himself or rather the beast that had lay on that very bed just this morning,
'So that imbecile, Mange was right. I can smell you. You are alive. Not for long though, my poor darling. I'll find you sooner or later and finish what I have started. I was never one to leave... loose ends.' He laughed insanely, his psychotic eyes glowing in the darkness.