Ruggan Bor hacked at the undergrowth, arms staggering. He had been cutting at this blasted foliage for the past four hours, waiting for Redclaw to come back. His clan had been muttering about the worthlessness of this mission, but he pressed ahead, wanting to find shelter as soon as possible.

Finally, the ferret returned. He had brought news of a forest of tight pine trees, and a few rock caves up the road a bit further. "And Chief, I noticed a big red building up ahead on the path. Perhaps--"

Ruggan grabbed the ferret and dragged him close by the neck, whispering harsh words. "Don't mention that Abbey, you fool. That's the Abbey of Redwall, and don't you forget it!" The golden fox shoved Redclaw out of his way, heading towards Ermrath.

Redclaw, who had not been with the Juskabor at the time when they were banished, was not likely to forget anything. His neck was painfully as crimison as his claw. The ferret hobbled off, clutching his sore and painful throat.

Evening was settling in Mossflower woods. Icebright, noticing it was near the end of dusk and beginning to form night, sent three trackers to find any kind of cover. The three hares returned about five minutes after being sent off. One of the hares, Lurana, panted out an explanation.

"We were scouting ahead, when we noticed a group of pawtracks, weasel, foxes, vermin. Going ahead further, we glimpsed a vermin horde. There was paint and verminy junk on their mugs. I would say the Juskabor!"

Icebright froze. Her eyes flashed a deep scarlet, and she roared.

Lurana and the two other trackers scattered, ducking thrown rocks and branches.

"Eeuuaaaillliaaaaaaa!" The badger hurled a good-sized boulder at a rotting oak trunk. The trunk exploded, showering the hares with dead wood and insects.

Bargale was not allowed to move from Icebright, mentally and physically. A long chain from one of her mace and chain was wrapped around his footpaws. Bargale was staring at his leader when a slingstone shot out from behind a chunk of boulder. A javelin hurled through the dense woodlands, thudding next to his head. A fox head poked up through the shrubbery, tattoos drawn on his thin face. Voices sounded out from behind the rock. Bargale jumped a fair distance over the rock, swinging his spear and bellowing, "Blood and vinegar, chaps!"

The hares became alert, throwing what came to paw and swinging swords, sabers, rapiers, any weapon. Bargale was struck with an arrow on the footpaw when a huge paw crashed down on his left, knocking the fox out. Lady Icebright slammed one of her mace and chain on the vermin. His head cracked at a crazy angle, and he slumped. She snapped the chains from Bargale with a sharp tug. Bargale stared at the unbroken chains. The badger roared battle cries with her soldiers. The battle continued.

The battle ended swiftly. No hares were dead; few were injured. A count of the vermin was up to six dead, two prisioners. The prisoners, a rat and a fox, were tied up with vines and guarded by tough veteran hares. Lady Icebright interrogated them mencingly.

"Listen, I don't like vermin. Answer truly and you live for another question to be answered. Where is your clan?"

The rat spat, but missed her. She cuffed him and growled.

The fox was a true coward. He whined pitifully. "By the road, there's a bunch of caves. Oh, please don't slay us!"

She snarled, and he fell silent. She turned to her three trackers. "How far up the road?"

Lurana stiffly pointed up north with a tan paw. "Straight up a few leagues, marm."

The rat kicked out at the fox. "What dew yew think yer doin?"

The fox miserably took the lash of the rat's footpaw. "Ruggan ain't gonna spare us fer getting caughten. Iffen we escape, Chief's gonna slay us fer shore!"

Sergant Jeget cuffed the rat and fox with his lance. "That fox is right, rat. Any more words, and you might be slung up on my lance!"

Hares and a badger tramped towards the Juskabor. And to Redwall Abbey.

Ruggan Bor and his tribe had found the caves Redclaw had mentioned. He sat huddled in the biggest with a few chosen members and his seer. Ermrath tossed seeds of flowers and feathers in a fire. She read the signs. "The messages that are coming are shrouded, My Lord. Perhaps Vulpez is sending a sign for who knows what goes on behind the—"

Ruggan cut her off with a swift paw movement. "What of the badger?"

Ermrath shrugged. "The badger, who knows? But surely one of the blood of the great Vulpez, who has wolf blood, can defeat--"

The fire whirled up in a spiral and roared. Two faces appeared on the howling flames- a mouse and a badger. The mouse was clasping a sword and holding it in a warrior's salute. The badger hefted an immense battlepike, ruby eyes flashing. Both countenences wore determined looks. The mouse and badger shouted a single word, but it meant so much. The cry echoed off the walls, causing heads to swivel the cave's way. "Redwaaaaallll!"

One thousand hares heard the cry. So did Lady Icebright the Feared.

She hurled herself in the direction of the cry, wielding the immense pair of mace and chain. Crashing through the bushes and trees, she bellowed her battle cry. "Eulaliiiaaaaaaaaaa!"

The hares rushed in after her, yelling their battle cries, waving weapons and pounding the earth flat.

"Blood and vinegar!"

"Death before dinner!"

"Eulaliaaaaaaaa!"

The wave of hares smashed into the ranks of stunned vermin horde. Sabers flashed, cutlasses sliced, swords slew, and about it all, the pounding of mace and chains rent the air.

Ermrath and Ruggan saw the way the battle was turning. Quietly, the guards and the pair sneaked past the fighting, ducking and weaving. Finding the smallest cave, they slipped in. Hiding in a tiny hole in the wall, barely being seen, the seer and Juska leader held a whispered conversation.

"What was that? A mouse and a badger appeared in the fire? Explain!"

"My Lord, the spirits are angry. The battle is nearly fought over-- hear the heartless battle cries of the Juskabor?"

"Yes, but I don't care about those doddering fools of a clan. Did you hear what the beasts in the fire said?"

"Everybeast did- 'Redwall'. They said 'Redwall'!"

"Then we must travel there. Why else would the signs point that way?"

Ermrath, the six guards and Ruggan Bor stole through a hidden tunnel to the outside, running towards Redwall.

Lady Icebright wiped her blade on a dead rat's tunic. Lurana took a count of dead hares.

"All of the vermin are dead!" said the hare triumphantly. Lady Icebright looked her way.

"How many of ours are lost?"

Lurana wiped a tear away with an ear. "Three, marm- two were veterans, one a new recruit. May the Dark Forest preserve their memories!"

Icebright kneeled by the slain hares. She dug a small scrape and buried all three. Sadly, she patted the earth. Bright-eyed, she arose. "Where is their leader- slain?"

A new recruit was trading his weapon for a better one off the dead beasts when she asked. He stood up, and pointed at a killed ferret. "That one, marm?"

She took a closer look. It was Redclaw. After a through inspection of all the dead bodies, she shook her head. "We didn't kill Ruggan Bor!"

A kindly old hare stopped her from rushing off again. "Marm, eat, drink and rest. We can track him down tomarrow."

She sighed, and accpeted a wedge of cheese, a flask of elderberry cordial and some crusty bread.

Some of the hares were stripping the slain corpses of armor, weapons, and other things.

"Where did this vermin get a ruby hilted saber, wot?"

"Suppose he nicked it, old chap. Er, that sword, it mine!"

Lady Icebright ordered some hares the solemn job of burying the carcasses. However, the hares pushed the cadavers in the cave and packed them tight with soil and undergrowth. The job was soon finished.

After an hour of lazing around, napping and eating, the Badger Lady commanded the troops to move out. She was in the lead, heading towards the ledgendary Abbey of Redwall.

Suru discovered a problem in his steel-sling plan. Often, shards of burning metal would fall upon the offensive, creating wounds and death. But he pressed on, feeling he would conquer the stone Abbey that day.

Spoteye was the best at the steel-sling, for it was him that blew the hole in the wall. He laughed to Suru. "Aye, mate, looks like them Abbeybeasts run off all scared-like!"

Suru nodded. "Keep it up. I will see to it that you will have a rich reward."

Dilear, slinging normal stones, muttered to a rat on his right. "Huh, and what about us?"

The rat, aptly named Halfleg, bobbed his head. "Aye, mate. This ain't the life fer us. Where is the ripe pickings, fresh meat, and plunder?"

Dilear whispered to Halfleg, "Why don't we desert, mate? Get a few of the crew and run?"

Halfleg grinned, showing yellow and brown fangs. "I likes that!"

Dilear nodded. "Good! Get some trustworthy crew and let's leave afore we're slain!"

In a few minutes, the desertion band had left, leaving only fifty out of the five score searat gang left.