Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, but I felt like I was forcing it to be longer than it should be, so rather than exhausting a scene, I let it be as short as it needed to be. Okay, so, anywho, here is the next chappie! :-)
V
Abbess Annabelle restored order to the inhabitants of Cavern Hole. Arguing and shouting could be heard ringing throughout the entire Abbey as the Redwallers debated on the actions they must take. Roken sat at a chair listening to everybeast he had met through the evening, and then some, sharing their opinion on the matter. He had listened as everybeast tried to decipher the meanings of the vermin attack. Was it a warning attack? Were there possibly more on the way? Or was it just a stray bunch of vermin who wanted a thrill? Many theories were exchanged heatedly. Roken had decided to keep his mouth closed for the moment; he had never thought of himself as a warrior, nor a scholar, and thought his opinions would not be helpful. He watched as the Otter rose from his seat at the great table and voiced his opinion.
"Perhaps we should send out a warning to our allies about impending danger." Several "Ayes" were heard following the otter's statement. A crackling old voice was heard shouting his disapproval.
"But who do we possess to send? Will none stay to shield our Abbey? You, a Redwall warrior, and your head full of such nonsense! Think before you unlock your outsized mouth, oaf! None among us are strong enough, save for you, to protect our Abbey, however none are strong enough to survive a trip of such daring through vermin infested woods, even if there is a need to do such a thing at all! I say, we do nothing but have ourselves better prepared than this Otter keeps us." The otter sat back down in silence at the bitter words. No one said anything for a while. The creature who spoke, Fargo, who was an old grizzled shrew, was once happy in his earlier seasons. But now he was old and crippled with pains in his knees, and had become a sour old one, tarnished by none other than time's cruel deed of aging. He had become reluctant to acknowledge any wisdom spoken by those younger than him, and even if it went against his beliefs, he would say anything to prove somebeast younger than him wrong. None more so than Faulk the Otter, who happened to be Abbey Warrior. It was common knowledge throughout the Abbey that he had wanted his son, Gwart, to be the Abbey's Warrior. He may have been a bit stronger and bigger than Faulk, which is highly uncommon for a shrew, but he lacked the quality of wits that goes along with any high ranking Abbey dweller. Abbess Annabelle tried hard to keep the peace.
"Fargo, you know well enough that whether or not our Abbey Warrior is the strongest beast in all of Mossflower, and the smartest, there is no way to fully protect the Abbey at all hours of the day, every day of the season. I believe, and so do many other Redwallers, that Faulk is doing a superb job. So please, before criticizing other ideas, try suggesting a few of your own for once." She said all of this with a piercing and stern glare. Roken's eyes turned to Andrew who stood up from his seat as the Abbess sat down.
"Well spoken, Mother Abbess. I think that it would be a very good idea to send our Redwallers out to warn others of vermin. But, instead of sending all of our warriors out on a quest to rid the land of scum, perhaps we can send a small amount, say, four or five of us, out to deliver the message instead of a large group, so that we can move about in secrecy. That way, Faulk and a few others can stay behind and protect the Abbey! How does that sound?" Another chorus of "Ayes" could be heard in Cavern Hole. Not to be outdone, Fargo stood up again from his seat as Andrew sat down.
"If there are such horrors in these woods, the small band would be cut up within a day!" Andrew did not wait for Fargo to sit down. He had fire in his eyes, yet he spoke with January's frost.
"I think that the cause for such a deed is worthy of sacrifice! Perhaps some will be lost, but perhaps not. Part of our job here at the Abbey is to provide a safe haven for those with no home. Can we really stand by that code and not help those in need around us at the same time? I say, no! Besides, something we can do would be to first go to, say, the Guosim, and warn them. Second, we can warn the Skipper of otters! And then he can send some of his otters to Redwall and protect us, and also send out some more to Salamandastron perhaps, and warn the Badger Lord there! If the entire Long Patrol is out looking for these vermin, I highly doubt that such attacks will be so abundant any longer! Agreed?" The Abbess sat up.
"I do. Andrew, this is a good plan. What say you?" Everybeast, save Fargo, shouted "Aye!" Annabelle continued. "The ayes have it. Andrew, within the next day, you will organize a party of five able Redwallers of your choice, and you shall go with them to either the Skipper of Otters, or the Guosim. The morning after that, you will go to them." Andrew sounded resolute in his reply.
"Consider it done, Mother. That is the plan, and it will be carried out with speed and precision." The Abbess had one more thing to say.
"Andrew, if you do this, and do it correctly, you shall be rewarded with the title of Strategic Warfare Planner." Andrew looked very pleased.
"Thank you, Mother Abbess. You will not be disappointed. Now then... to bed?" Andrew then sat down as everybeast nodded in agreement, even Fargo.
* * *
Roken discussed the next few days with Andrew as he followed him out of Cavern Hole and into the dormitories.
"So, do you have anybeast in mind to take with you yet?" Andrew had half expected this question to come up some time or other.
"Well, not really, yet. If you want to come along, you can, I suppose."
"Okay, I think I will, then. ... Umm, do you think that this will be really dangerous?"
"Well, it could be. But that is a risk that we've got to take, like I said in Cavern Hole." Roken's eyes widened.
"Oh... well, what do we do first?" Andrew glanced over his shoulder at Roken as he continued through the Abbey, making his way to the stairs.
"What do we do first? First, we get a good night's sleep. Secondly, we decide who to take with us. Thirdly, we set out! Sounds like fun, eh?"
"Yeah, sure."