Hello again. I've been bad by forgetting to put a disclaimer at the start of some of my chapters. I don't own Bryony or Veil, Swartt or Zigu, Sunflash or any of the hares Redwall or Salamandastron. You know what I mean. But I made up Oakfree and Oaklen. Don't sue me.

Votucu.

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Chapter 6: Heading for Treelake

(AN: The following is an extract from Outcast of Redwall, I didn't write it, Brian Jacques did. I just simplified most of the bits that were too long. If you own Outcast of Redwall, just read half of chapter 31, and then skip to my bit.)

The absolute size and majesty of Salamandastron staggered Swartt Sixclaw when he first saw the mountain. From behind a rocky groyne, the Warlord sat in counsel with his Captains, whilst the horde spread across the sands, eating, relaxing and readying their weapons. Zigu could not resist sneering at Swartt's strategy, which was to take the mountain from behind in a pincer movement. The Corsair ferret lolled indolently against the rocks, making parries and thrusts in mid-air, practicing with his long, basket-hilted rapier.

"Zounds! Listen to him – attack the mountain from behind. Methinks I've heard some pretty halfwitted schemes in me time, but strewth, this'n takes the biscuit!"

Swartt faced the sardonic Corsair, holding his temper level. "Well, you were clever enough t'lose your ship on the rocks, let's 'ear yore plan if'n you don't like mine, Cap'n Zigu."

Stung by the barb about the loss of his ship, Zigu sketched a swift plan on the sand with his rapier point.

"Right you are, Warlord, here's my scheme. The sea at our back is our natural ally; wait until the last of ebb tide, then form the whole horde up in ranks below the tideline. Obviously the defenders of yon mountain have nothing like the numbers we possess, and mayhap Salamandastron will fall by a mere show of power. When they see the might of our horde advancing up the beach, perhaps their nerve will fail."

A murmur of approval rose from the Captains, but Swartt drew a line through Zigu's plan with the tip of his curved sword. "What was wrong with my plan, why's yores any better?" he said.

"The fault with your strategy, my good Warlord, is that we leave our backs unguarded. Who can tell what lies in the hills behind the mountain – we could be attacked by those who are friendly neighbours to the Badger Lord. However, if you take my way it is a two-edged blade: first, we have nothing to lose by a show of strength; secondly, it will put fear into the hearts of our enemy."

The horde Captains nodded vigorously; they liked Zigu's idea. Swartt gestured at the mountain with his chainmailed paw. "Fair enough, but what if they ain't scared of us, what do we do then, march up'n'down on the shore lookin' fierce? That ain't goin' to conquer no mountain. Yore plan ain't bad, Zigu, but it needs a bit of work doin' on it."

The Corsair sheathed his rapier and performed a flourishing bow in Swartt's direction. "Be my guest, Sirrah, by all means. Plan away!"

Playing at his own game, Swartt bowed back. "Righto! If'n they don't come flockin' out terrified and surrenderin' like you say they should, then 'ere's wot we do. Split up and attack, usin' the pincer movement I was goin' to use from the back, this time at the front, but wid a difference. This time we mount a charge, straightforward at the front entrance, same time as the pincers hit both sides. Now, it'll need a clever an' fearless beast to lead the frontal charge. Captains, who d'you say it should be?"

The captains replied en masse without hesitation, "Zigu!"

The Corsair smiled and saluted them with his rapier, inwardly seething that he had allowed himself to be outwitted by Swartt.

***

(AN: This is my bit) It took a while for all of the travellers to awaken from their sleep, but the cave was soon alive with all the preparations for the coming quest. Oaklen preferred to think of him as "help not needed for the moment" than a hindrance – which Oakfree had been close to calling him to his face – so he "helped" quietly in the background while the experienced travellers sorted out what they needed. Dawn was an half an hour old when the comrades set off, with Veil and Bryony in the front and Oakfree helping Oaklen over big logs and rocks. For a woodlander, he'd had surprisingly little experience with wood travel; he'd stayed in the caves where he lived and only wandered in the very near-by areas. It was tiring for them all; Oakfree had chosen her home in a very thick part of the woods, which might explain why she received very little amounts of visitors – good or not so. Bryony couldn't help but admire the huge badgermother as she clambered over the huge obstacles with Oaklen in her arms or strapped over her back, depending on how big that particular obstacle was.

Bryony felt like a bit of a song to help them along, so she racked her brain until one came to mind.

"Forever marching, forever moving,

but I'll be back some day,

to see you smiling, my love,

I won't go far away.

I knew a traveller once,

who travelled with such care,

but little did he know that…

as a pillow, he'd chosen a bear!

Forever marching, forever moving,

but I'll be back some day,

to see you smiling, my love,

I won't go far away.

My third cousin, or so I'm told,

wasn't quite that bright

he met a rat, and that was that,

he lost the one-creature fight!

Forever marching, forever moving,

but I'll be back some day,

to see you smiling, my love,

I won't go far away.

I'll take more care than my friend,

I'll be good to any bear,

and as for rats, well what to say,

I'll make sure the fight is fair!"

At noon, the trees were starting to clear and they were all extremely hungry because of the hard travelling and no time to stop for snacks. They chose a group of large, moss covered rocks to be their seats while each unpacked his/her pack and chose something to eat.

"Yummo! Scones spread thick with honey and a flask of st'awberry corji, er, cordgee, um…"

"Oaklen, say after me: cor-di-al"

"Coorrr… diii… aaaal. Cordial! Mummy I got it!"

"Well done. Now drink it up"

Bryony turned to face Veil, a soft smile playing over her face. The smile dropped suddenly when she saw Veil's hard, concentrating expression as he stared into the trees around them. Then she noticed the swishing grass behind her and she froze.

Martin suddenly appeared, standing on the rock in front of her as he barked out "Flower! Save yourself and your friends!"

She snapped. Jumping up, she tore the sword from the sheath on Veil's back and span, screaming out the battle-cry of her beloved home "Redwaaaaaalll!"

She leapt into the bush which had suddenly stopped swaying. She swung the sword and slammed down with the flat of the blade. The creatures speed saved it from a huge lump on the head, but it received a harsh sting on the tail.

"Ho urr, 'old hard, missy, et been me, Togget! Doan't slay oi!"

Bryony dropped the sword as if it had stung her. Then she threw herself onto her old mole friend, hugging him and trying not to let tears flow down her cheeks.

"Iffen you stop squishing me, miss, oi moight be able to 'elp you with yourn quest" he said, tearing himself from Bryony's grasp.

"And who might this felon be, sneaking around and frightening poor Oaklen like that?" Oakfree asked, coming up behind Bryony.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Oakfree, Oaklen, this is Togget, my best friend from the Abbey, Togget, this is Oakfree and her son Oaklen who are helping us reach Treelake –"

Togget cut her off "Whur Marthen ee Wurrior tolden both you and oi to go to, iffen oi'm not mistakern" he said in his deep molevoice.

Bryony was startled by this, but her friends didn't notice.

"Hello Togget, it's me Veil, you said that Martin told you to meet us here"
"Indeed he did, master Veil, in moi dreems last noight"

"It's very interesting, we don't know much about this Martin creature, just what Bryony was able to tell us. Appearing in creatures dreams, eh? It's all to confusing for me"

"Never ee moind, Marm, you'm weren't able to go to Abbeyschool"

"Abbeeeey… skoolll… Wha's'at, Mummy?"

Bryony had woken up enough to have heard the last question and slipped in an answer for Oaklen "It's where all the young animals at my old home go to lean about the Abbey's history. Martin was one of the creators of our Abbey" she said. Then she turned to her friend "What are you doing here, Togget? We're so far from home!"
"Oi wanted to bee following you, but oi got losted, so Marthen 'elped me foind you"

"Do you know why we had to come here in particular?"

"Oi 'spect it's to foind moi Guosim friends to taken usn's to ee shore"

"Guosim? What kind of creatures are they?" Oakfree asked.

"Liddle shrews with fast log boats" Togget said.

"Logalogalogalooooog!" Veil called out.

"Logalogalogalooooog!!!" There was a mass cry from an area fairly far away.

"Yup, they're waiting for us at the river, we'd better get walking quickly" Veil said, packing the remainder of his lunch into his bag. The others followed his example.

"Togget, how did you know where we were? There's tons of forest between where we were and where the river is"

"Whoi, I recon'nised yore song, missy"

"Forever Marching? I didn't know that you knew that one"
"O' course oi knewed that 'un. Yore mama sanged it to you when you were in yore cradle"

Not long after that conversation ended, they reached the river, where hundreds of shrews were all talking at once (most of them arguing, as shrews are prone to do) and some of the logboats were rocking as the creatures paw-wrestled and moved around, some even waving rapiers as their argument got out of hand.

"Log-a-Log! How are you going, you old streamrat?" Veil cheered, running for the lead boat where a shrew, noticeably larger than the others, was standing proudly.

"Streamrat yoreself, you wretch. I've got a good mind to have my wife tan yore hide for wot you did to poor Myrtle!" he growled, his hand straying dangerously close to the rapier at his side. Veil gulped.

"Oh, yes, we've been to Redwall, and have been searching for Miss Bryony as well to take her home, Abbess Meriam has made herself ill, worrying about her"

"It was an accident! I didn't mean anything to happen to that stupid hedgehog! It's her fault for drinking Bunny's drink, not mine! So don't yell at me!" Veil yelled at the shrew.

"I have Skipper's permission to do what I see fit, but I can't just slay you, it's too easy for the likes o' a poisoner"

"You couldn't kill me if you tried, not without your stupid Guosim behind you, anyway!" The challenge hung in the air as both creatures eyed each other, looking for faults and an easy way to be rid of the other.

"That's it, ferret, no more games. Arm yoreself!" Log-a-Log leapt down from his boat and strode towards the bank where the travellers stood.

Veil drew Martin the Warrior's sword and took up the en guarde position. Both adversaries circled. Then Veil sprung forward.

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Will Veil die, or will Log-a-Log?? Either way, it's a bummer for the story because the traveller's need the Guosim's help. Well, you're just going to have to wait and see, aren't you?

C'ya, Votucu.