Chapter 6

Skarliff Krigg watched the battle from behind the ranks of his horde, shouting commands and ordering that the intruders be taken dead or alive. Durg, as the Warlord's head captain, was urging the hordebeasts ahead with the flat of his sword. "Wotsamattah, yew lilylivered treescrapin's, afeared o' a few peace-lovin' woodlanders? Git in there an' fight, afore I really give y'some'n t'be afeared of, they can't 'old out much longer!" Berated and belayed by the stoat captain's sword, the horde drove forward towards the valiant four for a final assault.

"Haharr, we got 'em, mate!" Skarliff's captain commented to the Warlord with an evil grin.

Suddenly, to the astonishment of Warlord and captain alike, the horde was repulsed backwards. Skarliff Krigg had to take a step back to avoid the retreated vermin. Grabbing a nearby rat, the ferret leader snarled in his face, "What is it? What are you treescum running from? My horde never runs from a pawful of woodlanders. Well? Speak!"

The quivelling rat spoke quickly to his Warlord, doubly scared of both threats he was facing. "We almost 'ad 'em, y-your mightiness, we was 'bout t'finish 'em off, see, an' then we was attacked, jus' like that! We was set upon by an 'ole score o' otters, an' a giant badger, an' a bunch o' other animals, all fightin' like Badger Lords!"

"What? How can you not take care of just a few woodlanders?" The unfortunate rat received a sharp clout between the ears from the enraged ferret, laying him senseless. But then the Warlord paused and thought about his situation, scratching his scarred ear contemplatively. So the scales were tipping in the woodlanders' direction? It should only prove to be in his favor; after all, he still had his own plans, which as of yet had not been disclosed. In due time he would get what he wanted-- they all would see soon enough!

The Redwallers had arrived at the scene in the knick of time. The onslaught of the fearless otter crew had driven the horde back for a moment. Dazed and bewildered, the horde lulled its attack for a split second. "Harr, mateys, looks like we got 'ere just in time fer the real fun, eh?" Skipper said to the four fighters as the horde resumed its attack all the harder. Brilla had vermin all around her, swiping and clubbing at them ferociously with a huge tree limb, as the large hedgehog Dangur Furgin stoically fought his way toward her. The vermin also found that the otter crew, joined now by the vixen Shadowfeather, was not to be messed with, fighting as though they had been waiting for a good fight for several seasons. Poisonleaf Wolfbane, Temmlock Trapella, and Skipper of Otters were back to back, slashing and jabbing out at anybeast fool enough to get near them.

Within just a few minutes of the Redwallers' sudden arrival a retreat was called from the leader of the horde. Panting from the short combat, the woodlanders and Redwallers watched the horde take a hasty retreat, fleeing westward from the woods. The last to leave was a large ferret, obviously their leader, who stood on a treestump and addressed the twenty-odd fighters from Mossflower Wood and Redwall Abbey as the last of his troops were leaving. "This isn't over, fools, I will come back, and when I do your heads will hang from the very trees of this forest!"

Wolfbane stepped forward from the rest of the group, issuing his challenge. "It'll take a lot more'n what you got there, aye, just a bunch of cowards in the likes of real warriors!"

"What's your name, fox?" the ferret snarled at his dark-furred foe.

"I am called Wolfbane, if it is any of your concern."

"I will live to see the day you die, fox. That is my word; Skarliff Krigg has spoken!"

The answer came back without hesitation. "That is where you are wrong, ferret. Dark Forest awaits the day you return!" Wolfbane, in one quick movement, hurled his spear towards his enemy, taking out a nearby weasel and wounding the shoulder of the Warlord Skarliff Krigg as a farewell gift. "And so do I!"

With the horde of Skarliff Krigg gone, the Redwall scouting party and the foxes and hedgehogs of Mossflower Wood quickly saw to their wounded so they could leave the area as soon as possible, in light of a possible retaliation from the left vermin. Wolfbane, leaning on his cutlass, called out to the leader of the otters. "What are our losses, friend?"

"Not a one, I'm serprised, although there are some purty ugly lookin' wounds. What'd yew say yer name was, foxmate?"

"Wolfbane. Poisonleaf Wolfbane of the Skulk of the Silvercoats. And yours?"

"I'm the Skipper o' the Redwall otters."

"Oh, so you lot are from Redwall Abbey? I'd like t'thank you for saving our fur there. We'd have been done for if you hadn't shown up."

"Aye, we're 'specially beholden to ye for that. Twould've broken me heart to have t'tell m'family th't the old 'og wasn't comin' back." At the sound of this voice, which belonged to Stikle Furgin, Wolfbane turned his head, ignoring his several wounds, to look at first the young hedgehog and then the vixen next to him. Fairgrass felt his pale penetrating eyes burning through her and her neck began to feel warm.

Not even breaking his fixed stare on the young Silvercoat, Wolfbane nearly emotionlessly said, "I thought I told you to get the young 'un away from here." Fairgrass's neck felt very hot; what could she say? She had taken Stikle away from the battle just as she was told, but there was no way she nor Leslie could stop him from following the Redwallers and rejoining the battle, where he had been virtually unnoticeable until now.

After a moment's silence Stikle Furgin decided to speak on the vixen' behalf. "It was all my fault, really," he began, "she took me away from the fightin' jus' like y'told her, but I came back on my own."

"Aye, I guess there's a bit o' truth in sayin' y'can't keep a Furgin away from a good scrap," Stikle's father Dangur put in quickly, but Wolfbane still remained silent.

Finally it was the ever-jubilant Gatekeeper Rufus who saved the awkward situation. "Well, we're all in one piece, might as well put a bit o' ground between us an' that 'orde, eh? I say there, 'Leaf mate, is that an ugly gash on yer ear I see, or were they tryin' to pierce 'em fer yeh?" he joked with a nervous laugh.

Wolfbane noticed his wound for the first time since it had happened, turning his head from young Fairgrass to the Redwall Gatekeeper. "Aye, that I guess. I hadn't noticed it," he said absently, touching the wounded ear with his paw.

"Hadn't noticed it, mate, why if'n that there scratch were any worse yer fur'd be a shade darker!"

Fairgrass was at the moment wrapping up the spear wound on Shadowfeather's leg; the older vixen had stayed virtually silent during both the treatment of her leg and the conversation that had gone on with Wolfbane. "Fairgrass, you're the healer, you'd better have a look at that ear when you're done here," she said, turning to the younger vixen.

"No thank you, I'm fine just the same," said Wolfbane as he turned his back on the other two foxes.

"Now hold on, Poisonleaf Wolfbane, so she disobeyed you, let the young hedgehog come back and fight like he had when he was caught in the first place." Shadowfeather stood up on her wounded leg, causing Fairgrass to continue working in midair; she knew better than to get in the middle of any time those two foxes began arguing. "So it was she who gave us away, can you hold it against her?"

"Aye, we hedgehogs have been known for our quills, quite sharp they are," Stikle said with a chuckle, but he fell silent at a warning glance from his father.

"I told you before, sister, I don't need anything. My ear is fine."

"Fine my wounded leg! Nobeast is too much a warrior to have their own wounds taken care of, or else they wouldn't live to see another day, let alone another battle. Fairgrass, that bandage feels tight'n'snug enough, now see to my brother's ear." Fairgrass got up and walked over to bandage Wolfbane's ear, shrugging to Leslie the mousemaid as she passed her new friend. Leslie found herself feeling sorry for the vixen, living with two warriorfoxes in the same home.

"Well, are we just going to sit here arguin' all day, or are you going to come with us and enjoy the hospitality of a real Redwall feast?" Mother Brilla had just returned with the younger Redwallers on a short foraging party for healing herbs by request of Fairgrass.

"Feast, what feast?" Stikle Furgin couldn't keep from asking.

"Abbess Avelle's Fall Jubilee Feast. You will be coming, won't you?" Nobeast knew what to say at Leslie's question.

"I s'pose it's all up to ol' Wolfbane, he's been cap'n o' this ship up t'now. 'Tis all up t'him," said the older hedgehog Dangur. All eyes were on the dark foxwarrior, whose ear Fairgrass had just finished bandaging.

"C'mon, Bane, you're all welcome. There's always an empty seat at Redwall Abbey." After working the proposition over a few times in his mind, Poisonleaf Wolfbane smiled for the first time since the battle.

"I don't know about you, Temm, but I feel as if I might could eat enough t'keep those Abbeycooks busy for two days. Anybeast care to join me?"

This was met by a loud cheer from the entire group there.

A feast!

~

As afternoon shadows began to lengthen at Redwall Abbey, activity was at a crescendo in the kitchens, where final preparations for the feast were being made. The Redwall scouting party had arrived back earlier with vague news of a skirmish which had occurred with the horde, but none else except to expect some guests to be arriving for the feast. His young assistant Benno unable to help because he was being bandaged up in the Infirmary, Friar Gringle's troubles were doublefold. Kitchen helpers were rushing about all over the place, putting finishing touches to puddings, covering all different kinds of flans with cloths, preparing salads, and pulling pies out of the ovens. When Leslie entered the kitchens Gringle was quite the nervous wreck. "What is it, Friar Gringle, what's wrong?"

Fanning himself with his dockleaf the plump Friar replied, "It's those moles. They're goin' t'make my 'tire kitchen a mess. Look at 'em!"

Foremole's mole crew, joined by Siltburr and the other young moles from the scouting party, had begun work on their tater'n'turnip'n'beetroot deeper'n'ever pie after finishing the roasting pit for Friar Gringle. Half of the moles were covered in flour, while the other half were sifting through the ingredients around them. The hedgehog Friar hurried over to the messy group, asking the Foremole, "Really, Foremole, should y'be done soon? You're makin' a right mess o' me kitchens, y'are."

The mole leader smiled almost patronizingly at the Friar. "Yurr, Froir, daon't ee worry ee liddle spoiky 'ead o'er nerthtin'. We'm be 'bowt ready t'put ee taters'n'turnips in ee poi, soon as ee crust be ready. Be ee crust farnished, Siltburr?"

The young mole crinkled his flour-crusted nose into a grin, clapping his two digging claws together and sending up a small cloud of flour. "Hurr, ee poi's rardy for'n taters'n'turnips zurr, ho aye. Where'm be ee beetroots, tho'?"

"Don't know 'bout no beetroots, mateys, but 'ave any o' you seen a bag o' 'otroot 'ereabouts?" Skipper of Otters appeared the otter Fallam. "We was 'bout t'make a batch o' watershrimp an' 'otroot soup, 'ceptin' we can't find where we put th' 'otroots."

At that moment Cindy Vole came bustling up to Friar Gringle with a worried look on her face. "Friar, I regret to inform you that under the current circumstances, we cannot make the arrowroot sauce which you requested. I'm afraid the arrowroot that we had prepared has gone amiss."

Unbeknownst to anybeast in the kitchens, three tiny voices let out a gleeful giggle. Or so they thought they were. Leslie the mousemaid, who had heard the small noise, winked slyly at those standing near her, saying, "That's not the only thing here that's gone amiss." Carefully and silently a small crowd of moles, otters, a vole, and a hedgehog crept over, following the young mousemaid, to an old cupboard. Small voices, although somewhat quiet in the small cupboard, could be easily heard.

"Wot be's d'goin' on naow? Et be's too quiet."

"I don't know. Dey's talkin', then alla sudden dey 'top talkin'."

"Well, maybe's they lefted?"

"Prob'ly. Whurr be's dat arraroot?"

"Uh, oh. I don't sees dem now. Dey gonded. Wait, here's day come--!"

Leslie opened up the two cupboard doors to reveal the Dibbuns Dribber, Hinkle, and Tera Vole, all also covered in flour, with bits of beetroot, hotroot, and arrowroot piled in between them. "Why, you thievin' liddle rogues, so that's where all those 'ngredients went off ta'!"

The molebabe Dribber, covering his work with one paw, scowled down at the Friar. "Shh. Go 'way. We'm be makin' ee gurt rooty poi."

"Oho, rooty pie, is it mate? Well let me take a looksee 'ere," Skipper said as he poked his head into the cupboard opening. "I say there, matey, that's quite a bit o' 'otroot y'got there! Y'll burn th'mouths off anybeast wants ter eat this pie."

"So wot you'm say oi should do?"

" 'Ow 'bout yew and yer mates givin' me some o' that 'otroot there, eh? Y'see, I need some o' it meself, we was goin' t'make a nice bowl o' watershrimp an' 'otroot soup. D'yew like 'otroot soup?"

Dribber sighed as if the answer was obvious. "Uccourse oi loiks ee 'otroot zoop, that'n be's whoi we'm be usen et innee poi, zurr!"

Just then Grubo and some other animals came by on their way to help the cellarhog Gardil carry some casks up to the kitchens from the cellar. Grubo stopped at the group gathered around the cupboard, seeing his younger brother sitting up in it among the messy pie ingredients. Raising a digging claw up at Dribber, and overlooking completely the messy mole crew, Grubo said, "Burr, do ee cumm daown naow an' get cleaned oop, afore ee Bardgermum sees ee!"

When Grubo and the other cellarhelpers had left, there was a temporary silence as the other moles looked themselves over, a mess of floury dough and other ingredients. In less than a moment the entire group was laughing and snorting, holding their sides or a counter to keep their balance. Leslie imitated the quaint molespeech as best she could, giving a mock lecture to the mole crew and shaking her paw at them.

"Ee 'urry naow an' finish ee poi, then get ee all cleaned oop, afore ee gurt Badger Muther cumms an' gives ee all a barth!"

Foremole hugged his sides, his small nose bobbing up and down. "Hurr hurr, do ee stop et, moi soides be a-hurtin'!"

Temmlock Trapella and Lingen Reguba were sitting on the steps of Rufus's gatehouse with Brother Lucas, relating to the Abbey Recorder what had happened that afternoon. The two red squirrels sat on either side of the middle-aged mouse, who wrote on a parchment as they spoke.

Temmlock had been like a father to young Lingen when the orphaned squirrel was brought to the Abbey; Temmlock himself had been orphaned as a young squirrel. Two seasons ago Temmlock had gone to roving, and Lingen decided to settle himself in the woodlands at the beginning of the following summer. Now Temmlock's wandering had brought him back to Redwall Abbey once again.

They were almost finished with their story when a call rang out from the main western ramparts. "Somebeasts on the path!" Redwallers rushed to the west wall from all directions, some crowding around the main gate and others going up the wallsteps to the ramparts to look down at the path. Winking at his two companions, Temmlock made his way down the wallsteps to the courtyard.

"Halt there, stand fast mateys, be ye friend er foebeast?" Rufus called down from the ramparts to the approaching hedgehogs with a straight face.

"We're naught but harmless woodlanders, might'n we be able t'come in from this autumn weather?" the eldest hedgehog in the lead called back.

"Occourse, mate, this 'ere Abbey's always open t'gennelbeasts like y'self. Be that all o' ye?"

"Aye, 'ceptin' our friends with us here." As the hedgehog spoke four foxes, two with full black coats and two with dark silver fur, emerged from the woods on the northern part of the path. Redwallers on the battlements and at the gates gasped as one. Before anybeast could close the Abbey gates the squirrel Temmlock shot out through the gateway, much to the surprise of everybeast that had not left the Abbey that afternoon, and began to wrestle with the largest of the foxes.

"Bane, you ol' fox, I see it didn't take you long t'get to the feasting!"

"Ha, take a look at yourself, Temm, I'd be surprised if there was any food left at Redwall when you're done tucking in!"

Up on the battlements, Brother Lucas turned to the young squirrel Lingen. "If those woodlanders are as hungry as I think they are, he may be right!"

As the woodlanders entered the Abbey gates introductions were being made between the guests and Redwallers. "Abbess Avelle, I would like you to meet Poisonleaf Wolfbane, the darkest coat and the fiercest warrior in Mossflower Wood."

"Aye, an' I'd like for you t'meet the biggest bragger and best liar in the whole o' Mossflower, but he's the one doing the introducing!"

"That's ol' Bane for you, always kiddin'! I say there, you're quite the strong strappin' hedgehog, what's your name again?"

"M'name's Dangur Furgin, second-best slinger in this part o' the woods. This here's m'wife Nelliequill, daintiest set o' spikes y'ever did see."

"How d'ya do? Bobbelo Temmlock Trapella, Jr., at y'service ma'am! I say, how did you ever come across such a catch, you ol' spikehog?"

Meanwhile, the Abbess was meeting the Skulk of the Silvercoats for the first time. "Meet my sister Shadowfeather, Abbess Avelle. And these two Silvercoats are Ferrence and his granddaughter Fairgrass."

"I'm pleased to meet you, all of you, and welcome to our Abbey."

The Dibbuns Dribber and Tera Vole had noticed that one of the hedgehogs from the large family was about their age, and decided to make friends with her. "Burr, wot be's you name?"

"M'name be's Ragga Furgin. Wot be'm you two?"

"I'm Tera, an' he's Dribbah."

"C'mon, Raggy, let's go foind Hinkle an' see if'n th'Froir be'd done wid' moi poi!" The three Dibbuns trundled off in search of mischief, leaving the grown-ups chatting away in the courtyard.