AUTHOR'S NOTE: After taking forever, I've *finally* got the next chapter
up. I've gone back to having it in first person point-of-view. Many thanks
to all my reviewers.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them, but I'm working on it. *grin*
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Five: When Everything Falls
~
*Mokkan's POV. . .*
Ziral is dead. Impossible as it seems, I knew this would happen, that sooner or later there would be a fight and one of us wouldn't survive. Truth be told, I was most worried about Gelltor when we confronted the Redwallers, but now I am feeling more concern for myself. I'm the first one back at our camp, but my siblings should be arriving soon. They'll probably blame me for this, but then again, I suppose such an action is justified. The plan to exchange one of the Abbey's captured young ones was mine as is the over all outcome, but that doesn't make my situation any easier.
Climbing into the forked branches of a horse chestnut tree, I sit and wait. After a while, Ascrod and Vannan come with a tapestry they filched from the Abbey. It truly is a marvelous thing of beauty. The colors and patterns entwine in a remarkable masterpiece of cloth. A twinge of jealousy runs through me that *I* could not have accomplished what my brother and sister did.
As the morning drags on, the rest of my siblings slowly return (excluding Ziral, of course), and sit around the main campfire. I do not move from camouflaged hiding place as their conversation inevitably turns toward my botched plan and me.
"How did the attack go?" Ascrd directs his mocking voice at Gelltor. "Not too well, by the look of you lot."
Attempting valiantly to ignore Ascrod, my lover calls out to one of his soldiers, "Allag, what's the head count?"
"A hundred an' seventy-three, sire," the water rat yells back. "I'm just numberin' the wounded."
Gelltor grimaces at the reply as he seats himself before the central campfire. "That's nearly a score of rats lost. Then there was Ziral too!"
"What?" Vanaan gasps in shock and bolts upright. "You mean our sister Ziral was slain?"
"Oh, she was slain sure enough," Gelltor replies bitterly. "I saw her head lyin' on the ground. The one who did it was a big squirrel, looked as if he was half asleep. Janglur, they called him. I'll remember that one's name!"
"A Marlfox slain," Ascrod says pensively. "High Queen Silth won't be well pleased to here that. What about our glorious leader Mokkan and his grand plan?"
"Mokkan! Don't talk t'me about him," Gelltor declares. To most creatures, my brother probably appears angry, but I can see the barely perceptible worry in his yellow eyes. It sends an unexpected wash of guilt through me for eavesdropping while he is fretting over my well-being.
"Yes," Predak says looking up, "where *is* our brother anyway?"
One of the water rats shift nervously. "We dun' know, m'Lady. 'E 'asn't returned yet."
"Well, *I'm* not surprised," Ascrod sneers. "If I was him, I wouldn't show my face around here either. Bungler!"
And that would be my cue. Slipping from my perch in the large tree, I make sure that I'm sufficiently disheveled before limping into the camp. Hoping that Gelltor doesn't do anything *rash*, I raise my paw to forestall the verbal interrogation that my various siblings have no doubt been preparing.
"Alright, alright 'twas all my fault. I messed it up, by taking those Redwallers for fools, which they weren't. But hear me! You all fought a gallant fight. I couldn't ask for braver beasts in my command, particularly you, brother Gelltor, and you, sister Predak. . ." For a moment, I stop to dramatically shake my head in sorrow before continuing. "And our dear sister Ziral, so treacherously slain after I had called retreat. How can I go back to our mother Queen Silth and tell her that poor Ziral is with us no more? You were all right in telling me that we should be careful. I should have listened to you."
For a moment, nothing can be detected other than stunned silence. . .not that I'm particularly surprised. They must all think me terribly arrogant under normal circumstances to be reacting to my little speech of humility like this. Even Gelltor's jaw is hanging slightly open.
It is Vannan who finally breaks the stillness. With the handle of her ax, she directs my attention to the elaborate tapestry, which has been meticulously spread across a bush. "It wasn't a total loss. Look what we took from the Abbey."
Despite the fact that I've been staring at the damned thing for over an hour, I plaster an expression of reverence on my face as I hobble over as though I wished to get a better look. "You stole this?" I gasp. "Wondrous, beautiful, it must be beyond price! Well, congratulations to you. Our mother will be overjoyed to see such a splendid and magnificent prize. At least poor Ziral didn't give her life in vain. Have the troops rest for now and tend their wounds, and then we shall decide on a further choice of plan since I, apparently, am not fit to lead alone."
I depart gingerly, a myriad of more shocked gazes in my wake.
~~~
It is late afternoon when Gelltor finally finds me in the clearing we've been sleeping in for the last fortnight. I'm sitting at the base of an old tree when my brother strides over and leans against the tall oak.
"Laying it on a little thick back there, weren't you?" he says with a grim smile in reference to my speech on the failed attack.
I sit up and prepare to stand, but I needn't bother as Gelltor makes a point of tackling me onto my back.
"*What* were you *thinking*?! And don't try to explain because I'd bet my life you were in camp all along listening to us debate the outcome of this latest attack," he rants. "Do you have *any* idea how scared I was?!"
The only reply I can offer my brother is the same ogling look he gave me when I had first spoken after my return this morning. In the past, I know I might've said a lot of. . .*unpleasant* things about Gelltor, but I have *always* seen him as brave.
Seemingly able to read my mind, he hugs me tighter and whispers, "Of *course*, I was scared. When you didn't return immediately, I thought I was going to go crazy. And once you *finally* staggered into the camp, it took me an unbelievably long, nerve-wracking minute to realize you were faking."
I exhale softly, and my breath tickles against my younger brother's neck. But abruptly I tense as an awful thought enters mind. "Do the others suspect. . .?"
"No," he tells me reassuringly. "They think you're seriously injured. In fact, when I said I was going to look for you, Predak and Ascrod suggested I simply finish you off."
Beside me, Gelltor gives a thoughtful sigh. "We won't be able to go back to the life we used to lead. You know that, Mokkan, and so do I. Sooner or later, someone will discover the truth about us, and then this fragile existence will be over."
I wrap my arms tighter around his waist before pointing out an even less pleasant scenario. "Our relationship may not have *time* to cause us trouble. When our mother finds out about Ziral's death, she will hold *me* responsible. True, we have only failed once in the past, but she has never been the forgiving sort." My brother closes his eyes briefly in remembrance while I, myself, shudder at the memory.
Gelltor turns in the circle of my embrace and kisses my cheek in a surprisingly tender gesture of empathy. "Then that leaves us with only one choice."
~To be continued. . .~
~*~*~*~*~*~
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please R&R, and to make up for my tardiness, I bring ficart! The links are in my author bio. Nothing graphic, but kinda fluffy. *grin*
Lantur: *laughing her head off at Mokkan*
VampCat aka SU: For my next fanfic endeavor, I think I'll take one of my reviewer's suggestions and do a Lantur/Wilce/Silth triangle.
Lantur: WHAT?!
Mokkan: *laughing his head off at Lantur*
Lantur: *smacks him with axe-handle* Asshole.
VampCat aka SU: If anyone has a particular Marlfox pairing they want to see, drop me a line, and I'll see what I can do.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them, but I'm working on it. *grin*
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Five: When Everything Falls
~
*Mokkan's POV. . .*
Ziral is dead. Impossible as it seems, I knew this would happen, that sooner or later there would be a fight and one of us wouldn't survive. Truth be told, I was most worried about Gelltor when we confronted the Redwallers, but now I am feeling more concern for myself. I'm the first one back at our camp, but my siblings should be arriving soon. They'll probably blame me for this, but then again, I suppose such an action is justified. The plan to exchange one of the Abbey's captured young ones was mine as is the over all outcome, but that doesn't make my situation any easier.
Climbing into the forked branches of a horse chestnut tree, I sit and wait. After a while, Ascrod and Vannan come with a tapestry they filched from the Abbey. It truly is a marvelous thing of beauty. The colors and patterns entwine in a remarkable masterpiece of cloth. A twinge of jealousy runs through me that *I* could not have accomplished what my brother and sister did.
As the morning drags on, the rest of my siblings slowly return (excluding Ziral, of course), and sit around the main campfire. I do not move from camouflaged hiding place as their conversation inevitably turns toward my botched plan and me.
"How did the attack go?" Ascrd directs his mocking voice at Gelltor. "Not too well, by the look of you lot."
Attempting valiantly to ignore Ascrod, my lover calls out to one of his soldiers, "Allag, what's the head count?"
"A hundred an' seventy-three, sire," the water rat yells back. "I'm just numberin' the wounded."
Gelltor grimaces at the reply as he seats himself before the central campfire. "That's nearly a score of rats lost. Then there was Ziral too!"
"What?" Vanaan gasps in shock and bolts upright. "You mean our sister Ziral was slain?"
"Oh, she was slain sure enough," Gelltor replies bitterly. "I saw her head lyin' on the ground. The one who did it was a big squirrel, looked as if he was half asleep. Janglur, they called him. I'll remember that one's name!"
"A Marlfox slain," Ascrod says pensively. "High Queen Silth won't be well pleased to here that. What about our glorious leader Mokkan and his grand plan?"
"Mokkan! Don't talk t'me about him," Gelltor declares. To most creatures, my brother probably appears angry, but I can see the barely perceptible worry in his yellow eyes. It sends an unexpected wash of guilt through me for eavesdropping while he is fretting over my well-being.
"Yes," Predak says looking up, "where *is* our brother anyway?"
One of the water rats shift nervously. "We dun' know, m'Lady. 'E 'asn't returned yet."
"Well, *I'm* not surprised," Ascrod sneers. "If I was him, I wouldn't show my face around here either. Bungler!"
And that would be my cue. Slipping from my perch in the large tree, I make sure that I'm sufficiently disheveled before limping into the camp. Hoping that Gelltor doesn't do anything *rash*, I raise my paw to forestall the verbal interrogation that my various siblings have no doubt been preparing.
"Alright, alright 'twas all my fault. I messed it up, by taking those Redwallers for fools, which they weren't. But hear me! You all fought a gallant fight. I couldn't ask for braver beasts in my command, particularly you, brother Gelltor, and you, sister Predak. . ." For a moment, I stop to dramatically shake my head in sorrow before continuing. "And our dear sister Ziral, so treacherously slain after I had called retreat. How can I go back to our mother Queen Silth and tell her that poor Ziral is with us no more? You were all right in telling me that we should be careful. I should have listened to you."
For a moment, nothing can be detected other than stunned silence. . .not that I'm particularly surprised. They must all think me terribly arrogant under normal circumstances to be reacting to my little speech of humility like this. Even Gelltor's jaw is hanging slightly open.
It is Vannan who finally breaks the stillness. With the handle of her ax, she directs my attention to the elaborate tapestry, which has been meticulously spread across a bush. "It wasn't a total loss. Look what we took from the Abbey."
Despite the fact that I've been staring at the damned thing for over an hour, I plaster an expression of reverence on my face as I hobble over as though I wished to get a better look. "You stole this?" I gasp. "Wondrous, beautiful, it must be beyond price! Well, congratulations to you. Our mother will be overjoyed to see such a splendid and magnificent prize. At least poor Ziral didn't give her life in vain. Have the troops rest for now and tend their wounds, and then we shall decide on a further choice of plan since I, apparently, am not fit to lead alone."
I depart gingerly, a myriad of more shocked gazes in my wake.
~~~
It is late afternoon when Gelltor finally finds me in the clearing we've been sleeping in for the last fortnight. I'm sitting at the base of an old tree when my brother strides over and leans against the tall oak.
"Laying it on a little thick back there, weren't you?" he says with a grim smile in reference to my speech on the failed attack.
I sit up and prepare to stand, but I needn't bother as Gelltor makes a point of tackling me onto my back.
"*What* were you *thinking*?! And don't try to explain because I'd bet my life you were in camp all along listening to us debate the outcome of this latest attack," he rants. "Do you have *any* idea how scared I was?!"
The only reply I can offer my brother is the same ogling look he gave me when I had first spoken after my return this morning. In the past, I know I might've said a lot of. . .*unpleasant* things about Gelltor, but I have *always* seen him as brave.
Seemingly able to read my mind, he hugs me tighter and whispers, "Of *course*, I was scared. When you didn't return immediately, I thought I was going to go crazy. And once you *finally* staggered into the camp, it took me an unbelievably long, nerve-wracking minute to realize you were faking."
I exhale softly, and my breath tickles against my younger brother's neck. But abruptly I tense as an awful thought enters mind. "Do the others suspect. . .?"
"No," he tells me reassuringly. "They think you're seriously injured. In fact, when I said I was going to look for you, Predak and Ascrod suggested I simply finish you off."
Beside me, Gelltor gives a thoughtful sigh. "We won't be able to go back to the life we used to lead. You know that, Mokkan, and so do I. Sooner or later, someone will discover the truth about us, and then this fragile existence will be over."
I wrap my arms tighter around his waist before pointing out an even less pleasant scenario. "Our relationship may not have *time* to cause us trouble. When our mother finds out about Ziral's death, she will hold *me* responsible. True, we have only failed once in the past, but she has never been the forgiving sort." My brother closes his eyes briefly in remembrance while I, myself, shudder at the memory.
Gelltor turns in the circle of my embrace and kisses my cheek in a surprisingly tender gesture of empathy. "Then that leaves us with only one choice."
~To be continued. . .~
~*~*~*~*~*~
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please R&R, and to make up for my tardiness, I bring ficart! The links are in my author bio. Nothing graphic, but kinda fluffy. *grin*
Lantur: *laughing her head off at Mokkan*
VampCat aka SU: For my next fanfic endeavor, I think I'll take one of my reviewer's suggestions and do a Lantur/Wilce/Silth triangle.
Lantur: WHAT?!
Mokkan: *laughing his head off at Lantur*
Lantur: *smacks him with axe-handle* Asshole.
VampCat aka SU: If anyone has a particular Marlfox pairing they want to see, drop me a line, and I'll see what I can do.