CHAPTER TWENTY, LOVED ONES DON'T LIVE FOREVER
"Mateo?" called Quidjill's voice. Mateo was eating luncheon in the dining hall.
"What?" snapped Mateo angrily.
"I was wondering where you were. I lost my temper before, Mateo. You had right to feel angry at the vermin..."
Mateo looked into his sister's face. "So do you, Jill. You don't know who they are, do you?"
"Yes, I do. They're Harrairdus the rat, Woinada the stoat, Sadru the weasel, and Grudain the ferret."
Mateo stood up. "But you don't know what they did to us."
"They captured us, Mateo. They held us in a cage."
Mateo took Quidjill's paw and led her out of the room, into his room. Mateo sat Quidjill down on his bed.
The hare began pacing the room. "Seasons ago, when Mum was pregnant with you, Dad met a weasel. The weasel was Grudain. Grudain and his mates pretended to be weary travelers who needed food. Dad let them have food. That night, they killed 'im. Mum and I ran. We ran away from our home. Mum tole me that we was going to Salamandastron. On the way there, she gave birth to you. It took us arf a bally season to get to Salamandastron. When we arrived there, we saw Grudain and his mates. They killed Mum and tried to kill us. I ran inside of the mountain, carrying you."
Mateo grabbed Quidjill's left footpaw. He pointed to the long scar that went from her footpaw to her calf.
"Harrairdus gave that to you!" Mateo dropped Quidjill's footpaw and pointed to a hidden scar that went along his right cheek, from the tip of his temple to the corner of his mouth. "And Sadru gave this to me. It was Woinada who slew Mum and Grudain who slew Dad. That's why I got so angry about you saying that we shouldn't kill them. THEY KILLED MUM AND DAD!"
Mateo crumpled on the floor, weeping. "Murderers. Bally murderers."
Quidjill clenched her paws into fists. "I'll challenge Harrairdus to combat. You challenge Sadru. Then we can kill Woinada and Grudain together."
Quidjill and Mateo exited the room to go to the weaponry room.
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There was a pounding on the gates of Redwall. The gatekeeper, Hakan Furlgate, looked up at Kella, who was looking down at who was before the gates.
"Who are you?" called down Kella.
"I'm called Galea Tailflick," called up a mouse. She was a scrawny mouse in tattered rags. "Hurry, please open the gates! There's a fox and his horde on my tail!"
Kella waved to Hakan. The old squirrel scampered to the gates and unlatched them. He swung open the gates as the yelling horde came into sight. The mouse, Galea Tailflick, ran through the gates.
"Thankee, otter, squirrel," she panted.
"M'name's Hakan."
"I'm Kella." Kella shook Galea's paw. "Who was the fox?"
"I believe that they called him Cravvu. He seemed to be the head of the horde."
Hakan rubbed his chin. "This means that Kabble and Deyinvo aren't here."
"Yes...but where could they be?" muttered Kella. She smiled at Galea. "Come and meet our Abbess, Galea."
The otter and mouse, who was really a rat in disguise, headed towards the Abbey.
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"KOORRRRRUUUUUUFYYYYYYYYLOOOOOOOOOO!!" screamed Varsha, racing towards the toad leader. "KORUFYLO SPEECHYAAAAAAAARRRRD! NOOOOOO!"
Varsha pushed toads out of her way and descended upon the toad leader. She began hacking and slicing, punching and kicking, screaming and weeping as she battled the toad leader. Everybeast was watching the badger and toad fight, rodent and amphibian. Trident and sword met, clashing and clanging in the Death Music.
Varsha pushed the toad to the ground. The trident flew from his webbed paw.
"Craaawwwk! Mercymercymercymercymercy!" the toad leader croaked out.
"MERCY? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT, COWARD! YOU SHOWED NO MERCY TO KORU, DID YOU!" screamed Varsha, blinded by tears.
Varsha swung down Flamebird. The toad died with a last croak.
The toads scampered away. Tiponya and Riley, who had been untied from their nets and freed, raced after the toads.
Varsha dropped Flamebird and ran over to Koru. There was a long, bleeding gash stretched across his chest.
The big, fierce, badger warrior, who had killed, seen death, been wounded, was now cradling the hare in her arms like a doll and weeping like a Dibbun who had lost her parents.
"Is...Korufylo..." Egua swallowed the lump in her throat, trying vainly to fight back tears.
All Varsha could do was sob and nod. Egua went over to Varsha to try to comfort her.
Lilyblossom looked into the Screamhole. "Hey, anybeast down there?"
"Yes," called up a trembling, male voice. "I'm Fshio Zeespike. There's Odell Kiggum, and then there's Waterfish Ottermaid."
"Don't forget ussss."
"Oh, yes. There's Firespark and Lightningflash, two eels. They're vegetarians."
Lilyblossom and Majjit tossed down nets to help the five beasts up. Waterfish was still unconscious.
"Is she...dead?" asked Lilyblossom in a whispered.
"Nay," replied Odell. "She's alive, but barely."
Majjit turned to Egua and Varsha. "Come on, Milady. Loved ones don't live forever."
Varsha stood up, holding the limp figure of Korufylo Speechyard.
"Yes, they do, Majjit. Thy do. The body may be dead, but you will always hold loved ones in your heart." Varsha wiped tears from her eyes. "Koru will never leave us. He is always in our hearts."
() Whoa. I killed Koru. I DIDN'T MEAN TOOOOOOO! ME SWEARS IT! It was spur of the moment, I mean, someone has to die in a battle. Why not Korufylo? Oh, but he was my second favorite hare. (Lilyblossom's my favorite.) Korufylo was funny. Tell me if it was a good decision to kill Korufylo. I want your input! ()
"Mateo?" called Quidjill's voice. Mateo was eating luncheon in the dining hall.
"What?" snapped Mateo angrily.
"I was wondering where you were. I lost my temper before, Mateo. You had right to feel angry at the vermin..."
Mateo looked into his sister's face. "So do you, Jill. You don't know who they are, do you?"
"Yes, I do. They're Harrairdus the rat, Woinada the stoat, Sadru the weasel, and Grudain the ferret."
Mateo stood up. "But you don't know what they did to us."
"They captured us, Mateo. They held us in a cage."
Mateo took Quidjill's paw and led her out of the room, into his room. Mateo sat Quidjill down on his bed.
The hare began pacing the room. "Seasons ago, when Mum was pregnant with you, Dad met a weasel. The weasel was Grudain. Grudain and his mates pretended to be weary travelers who needed food. Dad let them have food. That night, they killed 'im. Mum and I ran. We ran away from our home. Mum tole me that we was going to Salamandastron. On the way there, she gave birth to you. It took us arf a bally season to get to Salamandastron. When we arrived there, we saw Grudain and his mates. They killed Mum and tried to kill us. I ran inside of the mountain, carrying you."
Mateo grabbed Quidjill's left footpaw. He pointed to the long scar that went from her footpaw to her calf.
"Harrairdus gave that to you!" Mateo dropped Quidjill's footpaw and pointed to a hidden scar that went along his right cheek, from the tip of his temple to the corner of his mouth. "And Sadru gave this to me. It was Woinada who slew Mum and Grudain who slew Dad. That's why I got so angry about you saying that we shouldn't kill them. THEY KILLED MUM AND DAD!"
Mateo crumpled on the floor, weeping. "Murderers. Bally murderers."
Quidjill clenched her paws into fists. "I'll challenge Harrairdus to combat. You challenge Sadru. Then we can kill Woinada and Grudain together."
Quidjill and Mateo exited the room to go to the weaponry room.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
There was a pounding on the gates of Redwall. The gatekeeper, Hakan Furlgate, looked up at Kella, who was looking down at who was before the gates.
"Who are you?" called down Kella.
"I'm called Galea Tailflick," called up a mouse. She was a scrawny mouse in tattered rags. "Hurry, please open the gates! There's a fox and his horde on my tail!"
Kella waved to Hakan. The old squirrel scampered to the gates and unlatched them. He swung open the gates as the yelling horde came into sight. The mouse, Galea Tailflick, ran through the gates.
"Thankee, otter, squirrel," she panted.
"M'name's Hakan."
"I'm Kella." Kella shook Galea's paw. "Who was the fox?"
"I believe that they called him Cravvu. He seemed to be the head of the horde."
Hakan rubbed his chin. "This means that Kabble and Deyinvo aren't here."
"Yes...but where could they be?" muttered Kella. She smiled at Galea. "Come and meet our Abbess, Galea."
The otter and mouse, who was really a rat in disguise, headed towards the Abbey.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
"KOORRRRRUUUUUUFYYYYYYYYLOOOOOOOOOO!!" screamed Varsha, racing towards the toad leader. "KORUFYLO SPEECHYAAAAAAAARRRRD! NOOOOOO!"
Varsha pushed toads out of her way and descended upon the toad leader. She began hacking and slicing, punching and kicking, screaming and weeping as she battled the toad leader. Everybeast was watching the badger and toad fight, rodent and amphibian. Trident and sword met, clashing and clanging in the Death Music.
Varsha pushed the toad to the ground. The trident flew from his webbed paw.
"Craaawwwk! Mercymercymercymercymercy!" the toad leader croaked out.
"MERCY? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT, COWARD! YOU SHOWED NO MERCY TO KORU, DID YOU!" screamed Varsha, blinded by tears.
Varsha swung down Flamebird. The toad died with a last croak.
The toads scampered away. Tiponya and Riley, who had been untied from their nets and freed, raced after the toads.
Varsha dropped Flamebird and ran over to Koru. There was a long, bleeding gash stretched across his chest.
The big, fierce, badger warrior, who had killed, seen death, been wounded, was now cradling the hare in her arms like a doll and weeping like a Dibbun who had lost her parents.
"Is...Korufylo..." Egua swallowed the lump in her throat, trying vainly to fight back tears.
All Varsha could do was sob and nod. Egua went over to Varsha to try to comfort her.
Lilyblossom looked into the Screamhole. "Hey, anybeast down there?"
"Yes," called up a trembling, male voice. "I'm Fshio Zeespike. There's Odell Kiggum, and then there's Waterfish Ottermaid."
"Don't forget ussss."
"Oh, yes. There's Firespark and Lightningflash, two eels. They're vegetarians."
Lilyblossom and Majjit tossed down nets to help the five beasts up. Waterfish was still unconscious.
"Is she...dead?" asked Lilyblossom in a whispered.
"Nay," replied Odell. "She's alive, but barely."
Majjit turned to Egua and Varsha. "Come on, Milady. Loved ones don't live forever."
Varsha stood up, holding the limp figure of Korufylo Speechyard.
"Yes, they do, Majjit. Thy do. The body may be dead, but you will always hold loved ones in your heart." Varsha wiped tears from her eyes. "Koru will never leave us. He is always in our hearts."
() Whoa. I killed Koru. I DIDN'T MEAN TOOOOOOO! ME SWEARS IT! It was spur of the moment, I mean, someone has to die in a battle. Why not Korufylo? Oh, but he was my second favorite hare. (Lilyblossom's my favorite.) Korufylo was funny. Tell me if it was a good decision to kill Korufylo. I want your input! ()