CHAPTER TWO, ESCAPE FROM THE VILLAGE
Abbess Leafswirl was sitting with her brother, Foremole. Leafswirl was the first ever mole abbot or abbess of Redwall Abbey. The huge, red-going-on- pink building reared in front of the two, who were idly sipping October Ale.
"Hurr hurr, this is ee loife, b'ain't et, bruvver?" chuckled Leafswirl as she took a large swig of her October Ale.
"Shore is, moi durr Sisser." Foremole stretched out on the grass, looking at the bell tower of Redwall.
"Lookit thurr. Ee Dibbuns are playin' in ee pond." Leafswirl pointed a blunt digging claw at the Abbey Pond. "Can ee burleev that we was Dibbuns when ee last gurt attack on ee Abbey came? Came from ee magicken! Does ee r'member ee maigicken's name?"
"Nay, Oi doon't. Wuzzent ole Abbot Jabilo aloive then? Hurr, that ole otter. Then ee passered et ont' ole Abbot Naresh, the ole shrew. Then ee shrew passered et ont' yew, dinnit ee?"
"Aye, ee did," Leafswirl nodded. She then looked up. "Hurr, bruvver, Oi feels et in moi diggen clawses. Summat is wrong out thurr, in ee big world. Oi kin feels et!"
"So do Oi, Abbess." Foremole looked at his digging claws. "So do Oi."
In a small village North of Redwall were many creatures, living in harmony. There were shrews, mice, hares, rabbits, otters, moles, hedgehogs, and even more.
"Da!" came a yell. An otter named Eyeshine Swordslash turned to see his youngest child, Songtamer, racing towards him.
"Da, Da!" she cried. Eyeshine swept Songtamer up into his arms.
"Songtamer! I thought I was going to be able to escape saying good-bye to you," joked Eyeshine.
"Da, you silly merchant," scolded Songtamer, "why didn't you come and see me? I was just swimming with my friends."
"I knew you would find me anyways before I went to trade with the hedgehogs," laughed Eyeshine, hugging his daughter. "But I must go. I'll see you when I get back."
"Promise?" asked the young ottermaid eagerly.
"I promise," Eyeshine promised. "Mayhaps I can get the family a gift?"
Eyeshine looked into Songtamer's soft, eager black eyes. "Don't worry, Song. I'll be back."
Song gave her dad another hug and then ran back home.
Honeyflower Swordslash opened a letter. She gasped. "Song, get Bowfire."
Song ran outside to get her elder brother, Bowfire. She brought him inside. Honeyflower read the letter aloud.
"'Dear Mrs. Swordslash,
Your husband, Eyeshine has been killed. He and his crew were duped by a crew of murderous vermin. The hedgehogs he was doing trade with have been captured.'" Honeyflower dropped the letter.
"Da can't be dead!" Songtamer yelled. "He promised he'd come back! He promised...he promised..." Songtamer broke apart, weeping. Bowfire did not weep, but got up, took the bow that he had earned his name from, and went to practice.
For weeks he and his sister practiced archery and sword fighting.
"Song," Bowfire announced one day, "you are good enough to help me with my revenge."
"R-revenge?" cried Songtamer. "I'm not getting revenge on no one!"
"Except for the murderous vermin who slew Da." Bowfire looked at Songtamer. "Song, are you coming?"
"No," replied Songtamer. Bowfire gritted his teeth.
"Coward," he spat. He pushed Songtamer aside and strode out the door.
A month later, Bowfire staggered into the house. He had a nasty gash on his head.
"Bowfire! My son! You are back!" cried Honeyflower. She noticed the cut and tried to nurse him back to health.
Bowfire died days later.
A season passed with no events happening. Faster than a speeding arrow came a plague that swept the village.
Honeyflower Swordslash packed all of the food except for two week's worth of it in a haversack which she shoved at Songtamer Swordslash. She filled all of their flasks with water.
"Quick, my dear otter," sobbed Honeyflower. "Run to the South! That is where Redwall Abbey is."
Songtamer's eyes widened. "The Abbey that Da talked about?"
"Yes! Hurry. If I am not joining Bowfire and Eyeshine in a week, then I will follow ye. Run, Song, run!" shouted Honeyflower. Songtamer nodded her head and began to run to the South. She met up with her playmate, a hedgehog named Hyas Stickspike.
"Hyas! I have to run to Redwall Abbey," panted Songtamer as she and Hyas ran away from their village.
"So do I! Let's run together," suggested Hyas.
"Good idea!" Songtamer agreed. Her friend smiled as they raced on.
Hyas slowed down. The hedgehog dropped to the ground.
"Songy..." he moaned. "I don't feel so well..."
Hyas retched all over the ground. Song shuddered as she saw what Hyas had eaten and drank yesterday.
"Hyas, come on, we'll be okay." Songtamer felt tears in her eyes. "Hyas, you gotta live." Tears fell down Songtamer's soft brown fur. "Please. Live." Songtamer let the tears fall down her front, splashing onto her smock and the ground.
"Songy, please...go without me," Hyas pleaded. "I don't think I can survive..."
Songtamer wept openly. "I can't, Hyas, I can't..."
"Then we'll both die," whispered Hyas. "I'm gonna go to the gates of the Dark Forest soon. Go."
Songtamer shed more tears and then raced away from her dying friend, Hyas.
"Song? Song, my little ottermaid!"
Songtamer looked around to see Honeyflower.
"Momma!" she cried happily. She embraced her mother warmly. They shared a late lunch and then continued to Redwall.
Honeyflower raised a weak paw and pounded on the doors of Redwall Abbey. "Hello?" she called out hoarsely. "Please, help us."
Four heads poked over the North wall. The heads were of Foremole, Skipper of Otters, Log-a-Log Quiodia, and Badgermum Nuria Firemouth.
"Who are you?" called down old Quiodia, who had bad eyes in her old age.
"Harrharr, can't you see,'s otterfolk like me! Open up the gates, Hakan Furlgate!" shouted Skipper down to the Gatekeeper, Hakan Furlgate. The old squirrel shuffled towards the gate and opened it. Honeyflower dragged herself in and deposited her unconscious daughter on the ground.
"Marm, are you okay?" asked Skipper anxiously.
"Please...help Songtamer..." gasped Honeyflower, and fainted.
"Nuria, lend a hand, mate!" Skipper yelled at the Badgermum. Nuria Firemouth trundled down the steps and scooped up the two otters easily. She hurried into Redwall Abbey and up to the Infirmary.
Okay I'm stopping there. Enjoooooooooooooooooooooooy!
Abbess Leafswirl was sitting with her brother, Foremole. Leafswirl was the first ever mole abbot or abbess of Redwall Abbey. The huge, red-going-on- pink building reared in front of the two, who were idly sipping October Ale.
"Hurr hurr, this is ee loife, b'ain't et, bruvver?" chuckled Leafswirl as she took a large swig of her October Ale.
"Shore is, moi durr Sisser." Foremole stretched out on the grass, looking at the bell tower of Redwall.
"Lookit thurr. Ee Dibbuns are playin' in ee pond." Leafswirl pointed a blunt digging claw at the Abbey Pond. "Can ee burleev that we was Dibbuns when ee last gurt attack on ee Abbey came? Came from ee magicken! Does ee r'member ee maigicken's name?"
"Nay, Oi doon't. Wuzzent ole Abbot Jabilo aloive then? Hurr, that ole otter. Then ee passered et ont' ole Abbot Naresh, the ole shrew. Then ee shrew passered et ont' yew, dinnit ee?"
"Aye, ee did," Leafswirl nodded. She then looked up. "Hurr, bruvver, Oi feels et in moi diggen clawses. Summat is wrong out thurr, in ee big world. Oi kin feels et!"
"So do Oi, Abbess." Foremole looked at his digging claws. "So do Oi."
In a small village North of Redwall were many creatures, living in harmony. There were shrews, mice, hares, rabbits, otters, moles, hedgehogs, and even more.
"Da!" came a yell. An otter named Eyeshine Swordslash turned to see his youngest child, Songtamer, racing towards him.
"Da, Da!" she cried. Eyeshine swept Songtamer up into his arms.
"Songtamer! I thought I was going to be able to escape saying good-bye to you," joked Eyeshine.
"Da, you silly merchant," scolded Songtamer, "why didn't you come and see me? I was just swimming with my friends."
"I knew you would find me anyways before I went to trade with the hedgehogs," laughed Eyeshine, hugging his daughter. "But I must go. I'll see you when I get back."
"Promise?" asked the young ottermaid eagerly.
"I promise," Eyeshine promised. "Mayhaps I can get the family a gift?"
Eyeshine looked into Songtamer's soft, eager black eyes. "Don't worry, Song. I'll be back."
Song gave her dad another hug and then ran back home.
Honeyflower Swordslash opened a letter. She gasped. "Song, get Bowfire."
Song ran outside to get her elder brother, Bowfire. She brought him inside. Honeyflower read the letter aloud.
"'Dear Mrs. Swordslash,
Your husband, Eyeshine has been killed. He and his crew were duped by a crew of murderous vermin. The hedgehogs he was doing trade with have been captured.'" Honeyflower dropped the letter.
"Da can't be dead!" Songtamer yelled. "He promised he'd come back! He promised...he promised..." Songtamer broke apart, weeping. Bowfire did not weep, but got up, took the bow that he had earned his name from, and went to practice.
For weeks he and his sister practiced archery and sword fighting.
"Song," Bowfire announced one day, "you are good enough to help me with my revenge."
"R-revenge?" cried Songtamer. "I'm not getting revenge on no one!"
"Except for the murderous vermin who slew Da." Bowfire looked at Songtamer. "Song, are you coming?"
"No," replied Songtamer. Bowfire gritted his teeth.
"Coward," he spat. He pushed Songtamer aside and strode out the door.
A month later, Bowfire staggered into the house. He had a nasty gash on his head.
"Bowfire! My son! You are back!" cried Honeyflower. She noticed the cut and tried to nurse him back to health.
Bowfire died days later.
A season passed with no events happening. Faster than a speeding arrow came a plague that swept the village.
Honeyflower Swordslash packed all of the food except for two week's worth of it in a haversack which she shoved at Songtamer Swordslash. She filled all of their flasks with water.
"Quick, my dear otter," sobbed Honeyflower. "Run to the South! That is where Redwall Abbey is."
Songtamer's eyes widened. "The Abbey that Da talked about?"
"Yes! Hurry. If I am not joining Bowfire and Eyeshine in a week, then I will follow ye. Run, Song, run!" shouted Honeyflower. Songtamer nodded her head and began to run to the South. She met up with her playmate, a hedgehog named Hyas Stickspike.
"Hyas! I have to run to Redwall Abbey," panted Songtamer as she and Hyas ran away from their village.
"So do I! Let's run together," suggested Hyas.
"Good idea!" Songtamer agreed. Her friend smiled as they raced on.
Hyas slowed down. The hedgehog dropped to the ground.
"Songy..." he moaned. "I don't feel so well..."
Hyas retched all over the ground. Song shuddered as she saw what Hyas had eaten and drank yesterday.
"Hyas, come on, we'll be okay." Songtamer felt tears in her eyes. "Hyas, you gotta live." Tears fell down Songtamer's soft brown fur. "Please. Live." Songtamer let the tears fall down her front, splashing onto her smock and the ground.
"Songy, please...go without me," Hyas pleaded. "I don't think I can survive..."
Songtamer wept openly. "I can't, Hyas, I can't..."
"Then we'll both die," whispered Hyas. "I'm gonna go to the gates of the Dark Forest soon. Go."
Songtamer shed more tears and then raced away from her dying friend, Hyas.
"Song? Song, my little ottermaid!"
Songtamer looked around to see Honeyflower.
"Momma!" she cried happily. She embraced her mother warmly. They shared a late lunch and then continued to Redwall.
Honeyflower raised a weak paw and pounded on the doors of Redwall Abbey. "Hello?" she called out hoarsely. "Please, help us."
Four heads poked over the North wall. The heads were of Foremole, Skipper of Otters, Log-a-Log Quiodia, and Badgermum Nuria Firemouth.
"Who are you?" called down old Quiodia, who had bad eyes in her old age.
"Harrharr, can't you see,'s otterfolk like me! Open up the gates, Hakan Furlgate!" shouted Skipper down to the Gatekeeper, Hakan Furlgate. The old squirrel shuffled towards the gate and opened it. Honeyflower dragged herself in and deposited her unconscious daughter on the ground.
"Marm, are you okay?" asked Skipper anxiously.
"Please...help Songtamer..." gasped Honeyflower, and fainted.
"Nuria, lend a hand, mate!" Skipper yelled at the Badgermum. Nuria Firemouth trundled down the steps and scooped up the two otters easily. She hurried into Redwall Abbey and up to the Infirmary.
Okay I'm stopping there. Enjoooooooooooooooooooooooy!