CHAPTER SIX, THE LOSS OF THE SWORD OF MARTIN THE WARRIOR
Badgerlady Varsha and a score of her hairs crept through the night.
"Remember," whispered Varsha, "we mustn't be seen." Varsha glared at Koru, who had just opened his mouth to reply, "Of course, me ole Lady, wot wot wot wot wot!" when Varsha added, "Or heard!"
Koru closed his mouth and bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from retorting.
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Harrairdus heard a muffled grunt next to him. The rat sat up, whispering, "Sadru? Sadru, weasel mate, wot's goin' on?"
Suddenly a huge paw was clamped over his mouth. Harrairdus tried to scream and looked into the frightened eyes of Sadru the weasel. Harrairdus saw two hares keeping Sadru subdued, one hare keeping Woinada the stoat in check, three fighting to keep Grudain the ferret under control, and so that meant...
"You will do as we say," whispered the voice of Varsha. "You will lead us to Mateo and Quidjill Dearhare. If you do not, we will find them anyways. But first, we shall kill you so that you cannot raise the alarm. Is that understood, rat?"
Harrairdus gave a whimper and nodded his head, too frightened to disagree.
"Good, good," Varsha dragged Harrairdus over to where Korufylo, Lilyblossom, Egua, and several other hares were. Varsha was glad that the vermin were not getting her impatient and that she was not yelling. Varsha smiled at the hares and they smiled back. They each tore off a strip of their tunics and tied them into gags. Stuffing the gags into the vermin's mouths, they tied up their arms behind their backs.
"Lead on," hissed Varsha, drawing Flamebird, "or you'll feel my wrath."
Woinada took the first step towards where the captive hares were.
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"Hello? Kaikura? Hello?" called out Waterfish, looking for the young squirrel. "Kaikura! Come out here!"
'What if he was captured by vermin?' she wondered worriedly. 'Oh dear!'
Suddenly, there was a scream far off into the Woods. Waterfish, almost sure that her worst fear was true, ran to where the scream was coming from. Waterfish suddenly heard a male voice yelling, "Reeeedddwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall!"
Waterfish saw Skipper crashing through the brush, holding the sword of Martin the Warrior aloft. Waterfish sped after Skipper. Log-a-Log followed Skipper, screaming the Guosim war cry as he drew his shrew rapier, "Logalogalogalogalogalogalogalog!"
Waterfish had no war cry to yell, no words to shout, as she leapt towards where Skipper and Log-a-Log were.
An adder was taunting Kaikura, sizing him up, seeing what a good meal he would make. The little squirrelbabe was too frightened to move.
Suddenly, a brown streak was in there like a flash. The otter bit the adder's neck and the adder wriggled away, trying to be free of its burden.
Skipper and Log-a-Log jumped into the fight. Log-a-Log scooped up Kaikura and pushed the Abbeybabe away from the snake.
"Hurry, Skip, let's kill this thing!" cried Log-a-Log. He and Skipper used their blades to slice at the adders, ducking and weaving out of its way. Waterfish, on the other paw, was a mad demon as she tore at the adder's flesh.
The adder went limp and did not move. Skipper staggered against a tree, falling to the ground.
"Skipper," exclaimed Log-a-Log in alarm, kneeling beside his friend. "Oh, Skip..." Log-a-Log checked the Otter Chieftain's wounds. "Err, I'll go back to Redwall with Kaikura and get Brother Marrev!"
"No, mate, no," rasped Skipper, but Log-a-Log had already dashed away.
Waterfish rushed to the side of Skipper.
"Whozzat?" he gasped. "Ah, Waterfish."
"Skip?" murmured the ottermaid. "Skip, are you gonna be okay?"
Skipper closed his eyes and shook his head. "Nay, Wa'erfish, I won't be. Arr, I've lived a long life. 'Twas a nice life. I was Skipper of Otters. And I lived to hear the nameless ottermaid speak, eh?" Skipper opened his eyes. They were clouding over, but he could still see. "No, Waterfish, don't weep..."
Waterfish looked away, trying to cover up her tears. Then she noticed that Skipper's paws were devoid of any weapon.
"Where's the sword?" she asked. "The sword of Martin?"
Waterfish looked at the dead adder. Another adder, smaller and obviously the dead adder's mate, came slithering out the underbrush. Waterfish leapt up and grabbed a stick to fight the adder with, but the adder had grabbed Martin the Warrior's sword and had slithered away...
"No!" cried Waterfish. She looked back at Skipper, but he was already gone to the Gates of Dark Forest. Waterfish wasted no time in shedding tears over him, for he would not have wanted that. Skipper would have wanted for Waterfish to have run after that adder.
Waterfish cleared a patch of dirt free of leaves and used a stick to scribble in: "SKIPPER OF OTTERS: TRUEST WARRIOR".
Waterfish then stood up and relieved Skipper of his sling and stone pouch, along with a small otter javelin. Waterfish stood up and then followed the tracks of the adder.
Badgerlady Varsha and a score of her hairs crept through the night.
"Remember," whispered Varsha, "we mustn't be seen." Varsha glared at Koru, who had just opened his mouth to reply, "Of course, me ole Lady, wot wot wot wot wot!" when Varsha added, "Or heard!"
Koru closed his mouth and bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from retorting.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Harrairdus heard a muffled grunt next to him. The rat sat up, whispering, "Sadru? Sadru, weasel mate, wot's goin' on?"
Suddenly a huge paw was clamped over his mouth. Harrairdus tried to scream and looked into the frightened eyes of Sadru the weasel. Harrairdus saw two hares keeping Sadru subdued, one hare keeping Woinada the stoat in check, three fighting to keep Grudain the ferret under control, and so that meant...
"You will do as we say," whispered the voice of Varsha. "You will lead us to Mateo and Quidjill Dearhare. If you do not, we will find them anyways. But first, we shall kill you so that you cannot raise the alarm. Is that understood, rat?"
Harrairdus gave a whimper and nodded his head, too frightened to disagree.
"Good, good," Varsha dragged Harrairdus over to where Korufylo, Lilyblossom, Egua, and several other hares were. Varsha was glad that the vermin were not getting her impatient and that she was not yelling. Varsha smiled at the hares and they smiled back. They each tore off a strip of their tunics and tied them into gags. Stuffing the gags into the vermin's mouths, they tied up their arms behind their backs.
"Lead on," hissed Varsha, drawing Flamebird, "or you'll feel my wrath."
Woinada took the first step towards where the captive hares were.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
"Hello? Kaikura? Hello?" called out Waterfish, looking for the young squirrel. "Kaikura! Come out here!"
'What if he was captured by vermin?' she wondered worriedly. 'Oh dear!'
Suddenly, there was a scream far off into the Woods. Waterfish, almost sure that her worst fear was true, ran to where the scream was coming from. Waterfish suddenly heard a male voice yelling, "Reeeedddwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall!"
Waterfish saw Skipper crashing through the brush, holding the sword of Martin the Warrior aloft. Waterfish sped after Skipper. Log-a-Log followed Skipper, screaming the Guosim war cry as he drew his shrew rapier, "Logalogalogalogalogalogalogalog!"
Waterfish had no war cry to yell, no words to shout, as she leapt towards where Skipper and Log-a-Log were.
An adder was taunting Kaikura, sizing him up, seeing what a good meal he would make. The little squirrelbabe was too frightened to move.
Suddenly, a brown streak was in there like a flash. The otter bit the adder's neck and the adder wriggled away, trying to be free of its burden.
Skipper and Log-a-Log jumped into the fight. Log-a-Log scooped up Kaikura and pushed the Abbeybabe away from the snake.
"Hurry, Skip, let's kill this thing!" cried Log-a-Log. He and Skipper used their blades to slice at the adders, ducking and weaving out of its way. Waterfish, on the other paw, was a mad demon as she tore at the adder's flesh.
The adder went limp and did not move. Skipper staggered against a tree, falling to the ground.
"Skipper," exclaimed Log-a-Log in alarm, kneeling beside his friend. "Oh, Skip..." Log-a-Log checked the Otter Chieftain's wounds. "Err, I'll go back to Redwall with Kaikura and get Brother Marrev!"
"No, mate, no," rasped Skipper, but Log-a-Log had already dashed away.
Waterfish rushed to the side of Skipper.
"Whozzat?" he gasped. "Ah, Waterfish."
"Skip?" murmured the ottermaid. "Skip, are you gonna be okay?"
Skipper closed his eyes and shook his head. "Nay, Wa'erfish, I won't be. Arr, I've lived a long life. 'Twas a nice life. I was Skipper of Otters. And I lived to hear the nameless ottermaid speak, eh?" Skipper opened his eyes. They were clouding over, but he could still see. "No, Waterfish, don't weep..."
Waterfish looked away, trying to cover up her tears. Then she noticed that Skipper's paws were devoid of any weapon.
"Where's the sword?" she asked. "The sword of Martin?"
Waterfish looked at the dead adder. Another adder, smaller and obviously the dead adder's mate, came slithering out the underbrush. Waterfish leapt up and grabbed a stick to fight the adder with, but the adder had grabbed Martin the Warrior's sword and had slithered away...
"No!" cried Waterfish. She looked back at Skipper, but he was already gone to the Gates of Dark Forest. Waterfish wasted no time in shedding tears over him, for he would not have wanted that. Skipper would have wanted for Waterfish to have run after that adder.
Waterfish cleared a patch of dirt free of leaves and used a stick to scribble in: "SKIPPER OF OTTERS: TRUEST WARRIOR".
Waterfish then stood up and relieved Skipper of his sling and stone pouch, along with a small otter javelin. Waterfish stood up and then followed the tracks of the adder.