AN: I don't own Salamandastron or Redwall or Mossflower country, but I do happen to own all of the characters in the story (except maybe a mention of martin here and there...) Please don't steal them...
___Prologue___
"Just run! Run!"
Another arrow embedded itself in the sand next to the male hare's footpaw. He glanced another fearful look at the band of vermin behind him. He pulled his mate from where she had fallen. The leveret in her arms wailed piteously.
"Furshine," he muttered, seeing the vermin band draw closer every moment, "Just run. I'll hold them off. You must get to the mountain stronghold. Find Starstripe." She looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. He shoved her, making her run. "Just run!" When he pushed her, the hare's lithe legs took over, running, bounding, leaping in the darkness. The sand of the shoreline shifted constantly beneath her footpaws, causing her to stumble. But Furshine knew that if she tripped or lost her footing, all would be lost. So she ran. The sound of clanging weapons told her that the vermin had caught up with her husband. Blinded by tears, the young mother hare sped on, willing her aching paws to carry her like the wind. She could see the mountain looming ahead of her in the darkness. The babe cried in her arms. The sick sound of a beast dying signaled the departing of her life mate. With a strangling cry, as loud as the female hare could muster, she let fly the battle cry of Salamandastron hares and badgers.
"Eulaaaaaaaaliaaaaa!!" she cried. Within only a second, mostly to catch her breath, Furshine called louder, her voice echoing off the approaching mountain. "EULAAAALIAAAA!!" She was silenced forever as a buzzing arrow cut her life as it entered the back of her neck and exited through her throat. She fell on the sand with a thud, the leveret still grasped close to her chest. Five vermin, three rats, a weasel and a stoat, came upon her fallen body. The stoat had in his paws a longbow. He spat on her body and laughed hoarsely.
"Das wot ya git when ya mess wit Blueye, right, boss?" He looked at the weasel that stood next to him. He was considerably larger than the stoat, and he harrumphed. Even in the dark, the rats could see that the weasel had one brown eye, while the other was a bright, deadly blue.
"Aye," Blueye muttered, "no beast wot wakes me ire lives long. Halfang," he said to one of the rats, "Make sure th' hare's gone t' Hellgates afore we set off."
"Aye, Blueye!" Halfang saluted comically and raised his cutlass, meaning to sever the poor hare's head from her body. The rat was surprised to find that a moment later, he was missing his cutlass, along with the paw that had been gripping it. He cried out, nursing his stump, just as a haunting cry met the ears of all the vermin present.
"Eulaaaaliaaa!" it came. Only a second was left in the life of Halfang, as a long blade sliced through the air and took his life. Blueye and what was left of his small entourage scrambled away as the looming form of a badger lord emerged from the murky darkness. His shining blade was coated with the blood from Halfang's body. On the black stripe on the badger's head, there were flecks of white, dotting the black stripe like stars. Lord Starstripe had heard the call, and he was come. Blueye was the first to run back to the main body of his vermin band. Behind Starstripe lay two score Long Patrol hares, all armed to the teeth at the call to arms. The badger lord raised his sword, and all of the hares shot forward, all yelling their war cry. Starstripe knelt down in the sand next to the fallen hare maiden. Sadly, he tweaked one of her ear.
"Furshine," he muttered, "What did you do to deserve this?" The sound of battle reached Starstripe's ears, and he lifted himself from the ground. One of his Captains came bounding up the beach to meet him.
"No need t' go into battle now, sah. The forces are drivin' back the bally vermin as we speak. They'll be gone afore y' 'ave t' raise your blinkin' blade."
"That's good, Captain Orpheus. I do hate slaughtering, be it vermin or pike. If the vermin retreat, call the ranks back. Let them go."
"Right-o, sah!" Orpheus said, drawing his rapier and heading back into the fray. Starstripe sheathed his long sword and moved to pick Furshine's body from the sand, only to find that she held something close to her still body. Carefully, with his massive paw, Starstripe reached for the tiny bundle. It took some work to relinquish the delicate package from the dead hare's arms, but when he did, he was astonished. A tiny hare babe, wrapped in a sailcloth, was staring intently up at the badger, its large, shining eyes amazed at the sight of such a large creature. He unwrapped the constricting sailcloth from around the babe and cradled her in his warm arms. The badger lord could hear Orpheus's cry from across the shoreline.
"Starstripe's orders, let the blighters retreat! I say, stand back, there, wot!" The troops drew near, the battle won. The leveret's minute paw reached out and grabbed Starstripe's snout. He smiled.
"What's you're name, little one?" Starstripe knew well that a hare this small could not yet speak. Yet for some reason, both of them seemed to know what her name was. Her paw reached for the badger's cheek, and she tugged on her fur there. "Cheek, huh? No? Cheek... Ah! Cheekah? Is that it, little one?" The leveret smiled and a laugh exited her miniscule mouth. He lifted her up in the air, inspecting the babe, and in the darkness, he noticed that her tiny bob of a tail was splattered bright red, although her body fur was a rich, creamy color. "That's quite a tail you have there, Cheekah..." His dark eyes glanced up at the stars, and it seemed even they knew of this destined meeting. A comet blazed fiery in the night sky. Orpheus approached, leading in the ranks of Long Patrol hares.
"Wot's this here, m'Lord? Y' go and spontaneously bloody reproduce?" he asked. Starstripe shook his head.
"No, Orpheus... the babe was being protected by her mother, even in death."
"Does she 'ave a name, or are we to call 'er Leveret all 'er life, wot wot?"
"It's Cheekah..." Starstripe mused, "Cheekah Comettail."
The little leveret smiled. She liked the name. With sudden ingenuity, the badger lord looped the sailcloth over his shoulder and tied it there, creating a sling for the baby to rest in, leaving his arms free.
"Tell me, Orpheus, how did we fare?"
"Not a blinkin' casualty, sah. Seems the blackguards were too cowardly t' take on a flippin' hoard of hares, eh wot?" Starstripe laughed at Orpheus' comical impression of a cowardly vermin.
"What gallant hares they are," Starstripe commented.
"Ah, but a hare doesn't get 'is gallantness from just anything, sah. Wot do y' say to a spot of tuck before we turn in?"
"You go ahead, Captain. I think I'll take this babe to Snowscut. She's been wanting a leveret of her own hasn't she?"
"Oh yes, sah. Whinin' and carryin' on about all the bally day. T'would do 'er good, I think, sah. Her an' every other sane hare in th' mountain."
"You hear that, Cheekah?" Starstripe said to his newfound friend. But it was in vain. The small package that the badger lord carried was fast asleep against his warm and inviting body. A smile spread over his muzzle generously. Orpheus noticed this.
"Y' sure y' want t' give the blinkin' babe up, sah?"
"Of course," Starstripe said, straightening up suddenly. "A badger lord can't be distracted by a baby hare, now can he?"
"No, sah! Of course not, sah!" Orpheus saluted, leaping off toward Salamandastron. No doubt headed for the larders, Starstripe thought with a laugh. It was a shame though, that Cheekah would never know her real parents, how brave they had been, and the vermin that had slain them...
All for the best, Starstripe mused.
___Prologue___
"Just run! Run!"
Another arrow embedded itself in the sand next to the male hare's footpaw. He glanced another fearful look at the band of vermin behind him. He pulled his mate from where she had fallen. The leveret in her arms wailed piteously.
"Furshine," he muttered, seeing the vermin band draw closer every moment, "Just run. I'll hold them off. You must get to the mountain stronghold. Find Starstripe." She looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. He shoved her, making her run. "Just run!" When he pushed her, the hare's lithe legs took over, running, bounding, leaping in the darkness. The sand of the shoreline shifted constantly beneath her footpaws, causing her to stumble. But Furshine knew that if she tripped or lost her footing, all would be lost. So she ran. The sound of clanging weapons told her that the vermin had caught up with her husband. Blinded by tears, the young mother hare sped on, willing her aching paws to carry her like the wind. She could see the mountain looming ahead of her in the darkness. The babe cried in her arms. The sick sound of a beast dying signaled the departing of her life mate. With a strangling cry, as loud as the female hare could muster, she let fly the battle cry of Salamandastron hares and badgers.
"Eulaaaaaaaaliaaaaa!!" she cried. Within only a second, mostly to catch her breath, Furshine called louder, her voice echoing off the approaching mountain. "EULAAAALIAAAA!!" She was silenced forever as a buzzing arrow cut her life as it entered the back of her neck and exited through her throat. She fell on the sand with a thud, the leveret still grasped close to her chest. Five vermin, three rats, a weasel and a stoat, came upon her fallen body. The stoat had in his paws a longbow. He spat on her body and laughed hoarsely.
"Das wot ya git when ya mess wit Blueye, right, boss?" He looked at the weasel that stood next to him. He was considerably larger than the stoat, and he harrumphed. Even in the dark, the rats could see that the weasel had one brown eye, while the other was a bright, deadly blue.
"Aye," Blueye muttered, "no beast wot wakes me ire lives long. Halfang," he said to one of the rats, "Make sure th' hare's gone t' Hellgates afore we set off."
"Aye, Blueye!" Halfang saluted comically and raised his cutlass, meaning to sever the poor hare's head from her body. The rat was surprised to find that a moment later, he was missing his cutlass, along with the paw that had been gripping it. He cried out, nursing his stump, just as a haunting cry met the ears of all the vermin present.
"Eulaaaaliaaa!" it came. Only a second was left in the life of Halfang, as a long blade sliced through the air and took his life. Blueye and what was left of his small entourage scrambled away as the looming form of a badger lord emerged from the murky darkness. His shining blade was coated with the blood from Halfang's body. On the black stripe on the badger's head, there were flecks of white, dotting the black stripe like stars. Lord Starstripe had heard the call, and he was come. Blueye was the first to run back to the main body of his vermin band. Behind Starstripe lay two score Long Patrol hares, all armed to the teeth at the call to arms. The badger lord raised his sword, and all of the hares shot forward, all yelling their war cry. Starstripe knelt down in the sand next to the fallen hare maiden. Sadly, he tweaked one of her ear.
"Furshine," he muttered, "What did you do to deserve this?" The sound of battle reached Starstripe's ears, and he lifted himself from the ground. One of his Captains came bounding up the beach to meet him.
"No need t' go into battle now, sah. The forces are drivin' back the bally vermin as we speak. They'll be gone afore y' 'ave t' raise your blinkin' blade."
"That's good, Captain Orpheus. I do hate slaughtering, be it vermin or pike. If the vermin retreat, call the ranks back. Let them go."
"Right-o, sah!" Orpheus said, drawing his rapier and heading back into the fray. Starstripe sheathed his long sword and moved to pick Furshine's body from the sand, only to find that she held something close to her still body. Carefully, with his massive paw, Starstripe reached for the tiny bundle. It took some work to relinquish the delicate package from the dead hare's arms, but when he did, he was astonished. A tiny hare babe, wrapped in a sailcloth, was staring intently up at the badger, its large, shining eyes amazed at the sight of such a large creature. He unwrapped the constricting sailcloth from around the babe and cradled her in his warm arms. The badger lord could hear Orpheus's cry from across the shoreline.
"Starstripe's orders, let the blighters retreat! I say, stand back, there, wot!" The troops drew near, the battle won. The leveret's minute paw reached out and grabbed Starstripe's snout. He smiled.
"What's you're name, little one?" Starstripe knew well that a hare this small could not yet speak. Yet for some reason, both of them seemed to know what her name was. Her paw reached for the badger's cheek, and she tugged on her fur there. "Cheek, huh? No? Cheek... Ah! Cheekah? Is that it, little one?" The leveret smiled and a laugh exited her miniscule mouth. He lifted her up in the air, inspecting the babe, and in the darkness, he noticed that her tiny bob of a tail was splattered bright red, although her body fur was a rich, creamy color. "That's quite a tail you have there, Cheekah..." His dark eyes glanced up at the stars, and it seemed even they knew of this destined meeting. A comet blazed fiery in the night sky. Orpheus approached, leading in the ranks of Long Patrol hares.
"Wot's this here, m'Lord? Y' go and spontaneously bloody reproduce?" he asked. Starstripe shook his head.
"No, Orpheus... the babe was being protected by her mother, even in death."
"Does she 'ave a name, or are we to call 'er Leveret all 'er life, wot wot?"
"It's Cheekah..." Starstripe mused, "Cheekah Comettail."
The little leveret smiled. She liked the name. With sudden ingenuity, the badger lord looped the sailcloth over his shoulder and tied it there, creating a sling for the baby to rest in, leaving his arms free.
"Tell me, Orpheus, how did we fare?"
"Not a blinkin' casualty, sah. Seems the blackguards were too cowardly t' take on a flippin' hoard of hares, eh wot?" Starstripe laughed at Orpheus' comical impression of a cowardly vermin.
"What gallant hares they are," Starstripe commented.
"Ah, but a hare doesn't get 'is gallantness from just anything, sah. Wot do y' say to a spot of tuck before we turn in?"
"You go ahead, Captain. I think I'll take this babe to Snowscut. She's been wanting a leveret of her own hasn't she?"
"Oh yes, sah. Whinin' and carryin' on about all the bally day. T'would do 'er good, I think, sah. Her an' every other sane hare in th' mountain."
"You hear that, Cheekah?" Starstripe said to his newfound friend. But it was in vain. The small package that the badger lord carried was fast asleep against his warm and inviting body. A smile spread over his muzzle generously. Orpheus noticed this.
"Y' sure y' want t' give the blinkin' babe up, sah?"
"Of course," Starstripe said, straightening up suddenly. "A badger lord can't be distracted by a baby hare, now can he?"
"No, sah! Of course not, sah!" Orpheus saluted, leaping off toward Salamandastron. No doubt headed for the larders, Starstripe thought with a laugh. It was a shame though, that Cheekah would never know her real parents, how brave they had been, and the vermin that had slain them...
All for the best, Starstripe mused.