An hour later, after discovering worthless attempted to scale or attack resulted in death or being maimed, the crew of wounded, injured and discouraged sea pirates fled to the woods, leaving their slain shipmates behind.

Dilear stared out at the body of Cuttail, and the hole in his head. "That wolf is no fool-- she can slay anybeast, I takes me oath on it!"

Halfsnout attempted to snort, but his sliced muzzle proved it physically impossible. "And yew didn't even fire a bow or sling, yew worthless lump of barnacle!"

Rukkug twanged his bowstring defiently. "Yew try to fire anything up there, chopnose! See them battlements? Yew try to get anything that 'igh, cutsnout!"

Suru stamped into view, his paw bandged and wrapped in dockleaves and mud. Nimbalo's arrow had scored a hit on his right paw-- it would be useless for a while. Angry, he whisked out his whip and lashed Rukkug, shouting.

"Whose place it is to scorn other beasts? Whose!?"

Rukkug cried out in pain. "Ahh! Er, er, yores, yores, Cap'n! Arrrggghhhhh!" Suru flung his whip end at the unfouruante rat's back. "Not yores! Let this be a lesson, dumb 'ead!" He whirled around, whip in his left paw. Facing the group of vermin, he shouted. "Anybeast else wanna try?"

The group dumbly shook their heads.
In Redwall, the infirmary, anxious beasts awaited the Dibbun Gulbur's fate.

Sister Cilily shooed creatures from the bedside. "Silly beasts! Move, I need to wake this Dibbun!"

Foremole shook her head. "Poor beastie, hurr, 'e awas hit in yurr noggin, hurr. Oi 'opes 'e lives, burr aye!"

Sister Rosabel stamped her paw. "He will live, and don't doubt it!"

Fwirl nodded her head, agreeing. "Yes, he will. Moles have thick skulls for burrowing, so a little rock won't harm him!"

The infirmary nurse glared at the patients, speaking in a low voice so the Dibbuns on the other side of the bed would not hear. "That was no little rock. The sharp end hit Gulbur on the neck stem- any harder, and we would be minus a Dibbun!"

Sister Rosabel glanced at the Dibbuns, who were inspecting the infirmary medicines with obvious distaste. "Sister, it may be true, but don't go around shouting it to the Dibbuns. They are very sensitive to such things- to lose a friend would hurt them dearly!"

Gulbur, in his tiny bed, shuffled a bit and murmured. "Urr, wot 'it me?"

Sister Cilily hurried over and dosed the muttering mole with a spoon of physick. "Drink it all!"

The mole coughed. "Urr! Doan't make me, marm!"

She tipped the spoon at a 180-degree angle, so it dripped into the mole's mouth while he was speaking. He glared, but it was no match for the infamous stare of the infirmary nurse. She tilted the spoon, nodded, and gave him a drink of October Ale, to cure the ache.

A patter of paws sounded outside the door. The Abbess, lying in a bed with a poultice and bandage wrapped around her head, called weakly. "Some beast let the creature in!"

Gulbur looked at the beasts at the door. "'Ello, marm Shaderswong, Nimbero, an Durna."

ShadowSong stepped over to his sickbay divan. "Hello. Is Gulbur alright, Sister?"

The Sister turned and curtised, smiling. "Oh, hello, ShadowSong. He will live. How is the fight on the walltop doing?"

Nimbalo answered. "Fine, marm, but we need more beasts. Perhaps--"

Boorab piped in. "I say, jolly mate, the best thing for a battle is a Long Patrol hare! Why don't we Eualia up the old badger bonce, wot wot?"

Deyna glared a stern glare at the hare. "Sir, please--"

A loud bang emitted from the battlement, echoing with a yell and joyful shout. "We got it, Cap'n!"

The fighting beasts ran outside to the battlements. ShadowSong gasped in horror.

A large gap had been blown into the side. She steaded herself against the walltop, but a smoking chunk on sandstone whirled up from the outside smacked her tail. She barked angrily, and pulled out her sling, the other beasts doing the same. Whipping a slingstone in the cord, she whirled and loosed.

The stone flewat amazing speeds and smashed home in Rukkug's heart. He groaned, leaned over, and slumped. Suru looked at the parapet, and snarled. The wolf was slinging again!

"Halfsnout, Dilear, grab his carcass and sling it out there in the shrubs for the bugs to pick out! The rest of youse, fire yore bows and sling!"

Due largly to the fear of the wolf and angry defenders, the slings and bows went poorly. The main amount of stones and arrows punctured the ground in front of the Abbey, but some landed on the main walltops, at the defender's footpaws.

Deyna laughed. "Lookit them! Proper searats they are, but archers and slingers they aren't!"

Foremole nodded solmenly. "Burr aye zurr. Ooan arrer nearly got above 'e bakklments, hurr aye!"

The Abbess was crouched behind a pile of rubble, refusing to stay in the Abbey, but remaining in battle action view. She called out to the defenders. "What are they doing? Are they leaving?"

Nimbalo loosed an arrow, then nodded. "Marm, they're scrambling like beetles afore a bird!"

Another bomb of fire and steel flew up. A shrew on the battlements was scored deeply in the paw, burnt and scarred deeply. He stooped to a crouch, cursing. "Lousy searat steel couldn't scratch a Guisom!"

The Abbess condescended behind a walltop, to smoothly and gracefuly that the searats didn't even figure out that the leader of Redwall was in arrow or sling range.

Deyna looked down at his crouching sister. "Some kind of steel-sling weapon. It might be best to--"

Steel-sling ammunition flew over the battlements and shattered, firey shards flinging across the ruby-colored stone walltops. Nimbalo stooped, then leapt up clutching his tail, which was burnt by a large shaving of hot metal. Crying out, he clamored loudly, "Everybeast inside, mates!"

An arrow skimmed his headfur narrowly, some fur flying off. Deyna grabbed his sling and bow and quickly shepherded the Abbeybeasts indoors. Deyna was slamming the door when a steel-sling punctured the door, leaving a pocket mark in oaken door.

Lady Icebright the Feared, or so was her proper name called throughout the mountain, had marched her hares over lands to the east towards Mossflower. She hefted her two mace and chain weapons with ease, watching the new recruits that the generals had seen promise in. They marched correctly, for all except one.

Bargale, a young fresh recruit who was excellent at his spear fighting, didn't know much about marching. He often stepped on the nearest recruit's footpaws, but always had the same remark back at the complaining officer. "Just doing me marching duty, wot wot!"

Lady Icebright had no tollerance for fools or setback. A line immediately parted for her to stamp through. Bargale was chatting with a stone-faced officer when the Badger Lady strode up to him and bellowed in his ear.

"Sir Bargale, you are going to march next to me!" She glared at the staring hares, veterans and new warriors alike. "Keep moving!"

Bargale looked pleadingly at the officer, but the official shook his head. Young Bargale had set himself up for the punishment.