The hares that had departed Salamandastron with Sergeant Polwyn had been
marching though the entire night. Thankfully, the weather this night was
fair, and the Long Patrollers were able to travel much more efficiently
than they would have the night before. Merlin even ran ahead of the rest
of the hares to scope out the terrain. It was an exertion for him, but
nothing more than was expected of him as a hare of the Long Patrol.
Merlin had just returned from one of these scouting runs. The fourscore hares that were marching south along the coastline moved faster than most beasts, but they were still not as efficient as one runner. A Long Patrol runner was able to travel vast distances in less time than it would take a normal beast. Merlin was used to this; even though he was a newer recruit to the Long Patrol, he had been trained well. The muscles in the hare's legs were becoming sore, but it was a mere inconvenience to him.
"No sign of the vermin, yet?" asked Sergeant Polwyn, marching at the head of the column. He and the hares preceding him were moving at a brisk pace, keeping their weapons close at paw.
"'s all clear so far, sah," answered Merlin, jogging alongside the sergeant. "Y' said that y' don't expect them t' have traveled very far since when they ambushed you, so why are you sendin' me ahead to check?"
"Better safe than sorry, wot wot!" answered the Sergeant, speeding up slightly to keep pace with Merlin. Sergeant Polwyn had trained as a runner in his younger days, and was still able to keep pace with Merlin. If he wanted to, he tail the runner and give him advice as he scouted ahead. He was very tempted to, in fact, and would've if he didn't remember how he had felt about being coddled when he was new to the Patrol. "And those Stormrats are unpredictable. Y' never know what one of the dirty beast is goin' to pull on you."
"I understand," said Merlin. Polwyn had heard that response from plenty of new recruits before, but Merlin was one of the only ones who he believed actually understood the orders he gave. "I'll get back to scoutin' ahead, then?" At Polwyn's nod, Merlin sprang ahead, turning his lazy jog into a sprint. Very soon, the young runner had put Polwyn's hares a good distance behind him.
Merlin kept his mind focused on the terrain ahead of him, and kept a paw close to the dirk at his belt. Sergeant Polwyn's warning about the unpredictable nature of the Stormrats had given him extra motivation to stay on guard, though he would have kept alert even without the older hare's warning. Merlin had been on patrol before, and he had kept a weapon close at paw in case he ran into trouble. He hadn't before, but the few times he had patrolled had been before this vermin horde south of Salamandastron had landed. Back then, a Long Patrol hare rarely ran into trouble, and if the hare did, it usually came in the form of a ragtag group of vermin.
But now, a horde larger than the Long Patrol that was supposedly led by a Stormrat advanced north along the coast. If there had ever been a time for Long Patroller to be wary when they moved south, it was now. Merlin's danger was greater, since he was heading directly toward the horde, and was trying to find it. Even with the reflexes of a Long Patroller and the sense to run if he encountered trouble, Merlin was still seriously threatened by the presence of such a horde.
Merlin ran, and he recognized areas that he had scouted out on his previous run. The hare had no idea when to expect an encounter with the vermin, but he was fairly certain that areas he had already traversed were safe. But he still kept his guard up, and became even more cautious when he stopped recognizing landmarks.
The hare subconsciously slowed his run as he went further south. A sense of foreboding had arisen within him, and he became hesitant in his ventures south. He couldn't see far ahead of him in the night, but somehow he was able to sense that trouble was just a bit further south.
Only a few more minutes passed before the sound of chattering and footsteps reached Merlin's ears. When he strained his eyes, the hare could see light from a few torches and an outline of somebeasts marching a bit off. Merlin knew that his best option would be to sprint back to the rest of the Long Patrol, but a touch of youthful recklessness overcame his good sense and wariness of the horde. His legs shook a little as he considered what would happen to him if he was caught, but Merlin's strong will overcame those thoughts. I'm a Long Patrol hare, he thought. No flippin' vermin will lay its paws on me.
As the beasts ahead of him drew closer, Merlin could make out their accented voices and could sometimes pick out words from beast to beast conversation. He could also see the faces of a few vermin when they drew close enough. Torchlight illuminated their features, and the Long Patroller could faintly make out weasels, searats, and other vermin marching in front. But he didn't sight any of the legendary Stormrats, supposedly bigger than any other rat and with the fierceness of a badger. That doesn't mean there aren't any in this horde, Merlin thought, clutching at his dirk.
It was only when the vermin began to draw uncomfortably close to Merlin that he got the idea to run. The hare quickly slipped away from the torches, and scurried stealthily away so the vermin wouldn't see him. He doubted that they were paying enough attention to the coast ahead of them to notice one retreating hare, but it was better to move cautiously than to be caught. When Merlin judged himself far enough away from the vermin that he wouldn't be noticed if he moved rapidly, he started to sprint back in the direction he came.
Aside from the urgent desire to get back to the other hares and report what he had seen and a powerful excitement at having witnessed the vermin horde. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and in what seemed like no time at all he came to the rest of the Long Patrol hares. He slowed down before he arrived, but when he finally approached Sergeant Polwyn his legs were somewhat shaky and his body was ready to spring from his excitement.
Sergeant Polwyn was able to gather much of what had happened from the expression on Merlin's face. "You saw them?" he asked grimly. Merlin nodded, and Polwyn turned around and signaled the rest of the Long Patrol. "Stop now. We'll wait in ambush here for the Stormrats, and harass 'em as best we can when they arrive. The sun is already risin', so we can't expect to be able to wait for the vermin out in the open. We're goin' to have to draw away from the sea and go further east so we won't be seen."
By the time the Long Patrol hares had gone east and concealed themselves in the meager camouflage the land offered, but sun was beginning to cast its rays across the land and begin a new day. A few hares were positioned further south, so they could inform the others when the vermin horde began to draw near. Merlin had volunteered for the job, but Polwyn had replied that Merlin would be needed to run back to Salamandastron if things went awry and couldn't be put into a potentially dangerous position. Merlin had reluctantly accepted the sergeant's words, though he suspected that Polwyn didn't want to rely on a hare that had never seen actual battle to keep watch for his hares.
Only about an hour passed before Alden, the hare Sergeant Polwyn had assigned to keep a watch to the south for the Stormrats, came sprinting toward the boulder that Polwyn had concealed himself behind. "They're comin' north right now," said the hare, gripping his saber and crouching down beside Sergeant Polwyn.
The vermin horde soon came into the vision of Merlin. Now that the sun shone in the sky, it was even more impressive than when he had seen the front of the horde at night. "We're goin' to attack that thing?" he said incredulously to nobeast in particular. His fellow hares seemed to grasp the nature of his question, and didn't bother responding to Merlin's statement. They were too concentrated on the vermin horde, and waiting for Sergeant Polwyn's order to attack.
His order came when the vermin horde had almost marched past the majority of the Long Patrol hares. "Now!" he said in a loud enough voice to be heard by all his hares and attract a few glances from the vermin. Whatever the few that looked in the direction of the Long Patrollers expected to see, it was not the sight of twoscore hares springing up from behind rocks and pieces of driftwood. Their mouths were left hanging open as hares sprung up seemingly out of nowhere, bearing dirks, sabers, throwing knives, longbows, and other weapons. Before they could open their mouths to raise the alarms, the longbow-bearing hares unleashed a hail of arrows. Some of the archers did not hit the targets they had been aiming for, and a few did not come close to the appropriate distance. But those arrows that did hit struck down their targets.
It did not take long for the vermin horde to respond. Those beasts with blades and other paw-to-paw weapons charged toward the hares, while the vermin with weapons that could attack from a distance loaded their weapons and moved only close enough to shoot. The hares got another chance to release a volley of arrows at the approaching vermin, and several more fell to their archery.
Merlin drew his dirk and stepped to the side of an older Long Patroller. The hare beside Merlin managed to impale a searat on his pike before they drew close. He threw his pike handle aside and drew out his rapier when other vermin began to approach.
But before the vermin could draw close, Sergeant Polwyn's voice rose above the clamor of battle. "Retreat! Draw back, and fight another day!" Merlin was happy to follow orders, abandoning the ferret he was currently fighting and stepping quickly away from the scene of battle. Other hares did the same, and as they drew back, Merlin was pleased to see that the carcasses of many vermin littered the ground. None of the Long Patrollers were dead, though, and Merlin thanked whatever spirits were watching over the hares for that. There was no time to think those thoughts now, though. Merlin turned and fled with the rest of the Long Patrollers.
The vermin archers had been motionless for the duration of this short skirmish. Now, however, they unleashed barbed arrows at the retreating Long Patrollers. Their weapons did not have the range of the Long Patrol longbows, but the vermin archers had managed to draw in close and released a flurry of arrows at the hares from a decent distance. Four of Merlin's comrades fell, but he managed to escape with more Patrollers. It took him almost half a minute to notice the arrow sticking out of one of his fellow soldiers, who suddenly stopped in his tracks and fell to the ground. He would have stopped and looked closely at the arrow that had struck the Patroller down, but he was afraid that if he diverted his attention from the task of running forward he would be slain.
"Spread out! They won't be able t' hit us with their arrows as well if we aren't in a flippin' group!" yelled one of the hares. The others were quick to take her advice, and split into groups of twos and threes, with some hares proceeding on their own. The arrows of the archers would have been far less accurate if they continued to shoot, but none of them had bothered to join in the pursuit of the fleeing hares. The beasts that did not have bows or other far-ranged weapons faltered, and then stopped their pursuit. They turned back reluctantly, but none of the hares stopped running.
When the remaining Long Patrollers finally managed to gather, Sergeant Polwyn was making encouraging gestures to his hares. "We lost some good hares, but we got a couple of their vermin, too. We need to keep up this sort o' harassment and keep 'em away from Salamandastron."
Merlin was about to lend his words of comfort and reassurance to the Patrollers as Sergeant Polwyn was when a hare let out a gasp. Merlin turned to gaze at what the hare had seen, and was struck dumb with awe.
So that's what a Stormrat looks like, he thought, gazing at the beast that had come from the front of the vermin horde. A rat, twice as big as a normal searat and as muscled as Lord Rocketh, stood gazing at the Long Patrol hares. Light from the sun made its skin appear almost golden, and even from this distance there was something unsettling about the Stormrat's eyes. The vermin grinned, and fangs big enough to puncture the skin of a beast were exposed to the morning light. Merlin took an involuntary step back, and glanced at Sergeant Polwyn.
His face seemed surprised, and it seemed that he was only keeping calm though an iron grip on his emotions. "I don't remember 'im being this big," he whispered, almost inaudibly.
The he regained control of himself. "Merlin, go to Salamandastron and tell Lord Rocketh of what happened here. I'll stay here and try to keep these vermin busy. And I swear that I won't lose any more lives than I have to. I was stupid to let the vermin draw so close anyway." Polwyn stopped scolding himself only when he noticed that Merlin was standing there, watching him. "What are you waiting for? Go! Lord Rocketh needs to know what happened."
Merlin went.
~~~
Danni watched the Stormrat as he stood out glaring at the Long Patrollers. Meist was a fierce beast, even for a Stormrat, and his figure was probably enough to make the most courageous hare nervous. The vixen imagined that woodlanders with less backbone with them would quiver in fear when they beheld Meist's hulking figure. The soldiers say that he's as strong as a badger, she thought. And looking at Meist's glorious figure, she didn't doubt it. That one isn't much for cleverness, though, she thought. Well, I guess that's why there are smarter beasts than he leading this horde.
A snigger came from beside Danni. The vixen turned her gaze upon a searat named Christopher, who was watching Meist with a kind of vicious glee. "Look at the way them hares 're backin' away from 'im. That Meist is quite a monster. Makes ye wonder if the Stormbringer di'n't get 'im from Dark Forest. He-haw!" Danni suppressed a shudder. Christopher's hideous laugh was one of the many things that made him so repulsive to her.
"Run away now, little hares!" boomed Meist. His voice carried all the way out to the gathered hares, apparently, and it didn't lose any of its magnificence. One of the hares cringed when it heard the voice of the Stormrat, and the one who was apparently the leader seemed to be trying very hard to hide his awe. Danni almost laughed, but she was more disciplined than that.
Several hares looked like they did want to run, but the one in charge raised a paw to halt them. Though Danni could not hear what he said from this distance, it seemed to bring the hares back in line. The Long Patrol leader then turned, raised his fist to Meist, and shook his head vehemently.
Meist gave a low growl, but didn't move forward. Instead, he turned around and stalked back through the vermin. Searat, stoat, weasel, and other vermin parted so he could pass unhindered. Meist was doubtlessly going to Jenny, the searat that he had taken as his mate. Jenny was the only beast that could offer Meist any sort of consolation, and was one of the two beasts who could control him. The other one of course, was the Stormbringer, the true mind behind the horde.
Danni was about to turn her gaze away from the Long Patrol hares, but something in the distance caught her eye. It was faint, and soon after she saw it, her eyes lost sight of it. But she knew the reputation hares had for camouflage, and guessed that it was one of the Long Patrol's infamous running hares. So whatever demon rules Salamandastron will know we're here, she thought. But whoever that is won't be the only demon on the battlefield. We've got Meist.
"They ain't gonna be the only beasts who 'ave a terror roamin' the battlefield in this war," said Christopher. "He-haw! They might 'ave their Badger Lord, but we 'ave Meist. An' I don' think that the Stormbringer is goin' to stop until all o' Mossflower is his. He- haw! He-haw!"
This time Danni could not stop from shuddering at Christopher's laugh. The searat noticed, and stuck his face in front of hers. "Ye laughin' at me, ye vixen? I'm not one t' put up with that kind o' abuse. What's t' stop me from slittin' yer gizzard right now?'
"If you were to kill the Stormbringer's mate, I don't think you'd live to see another day," said Danni calmly, glaring at the searat.
"So ye're hidin' behind the Stormbringer?" asked Christopher, throwing his head back and giving another hideous laugh. "He-haw! He-haw! Ye're a coward. All of ye foxes are cowards without any backbone. Ye have to let other, better beasts do yer fightin' fer ye. I got no respect fer beasts like you."
Christopher was about to laugh again, but Danni's paw swung upward to his neck. His eyes widened when he felt the blade of her dagger press against his throat. "Say that you're sorry," said Danni, her voice dangerously low.
"I'm sorry, Danni!" the searat exclaimed. "Please jes' lemme go, an' I won't do anythin' like this again, I promise ye!"
"Apology accepted, Christopher," said Danni. She drew the dagger away and left the searat blubbering on the ground. "Disgusting," she muttered, turning away and walking though the horde.
It only took her a few minutes of searching to find Laskit. He was one of the few beasts that were given the duty of advising the Stormbringer. Danni, too, was one of the Stormbringer's advisors. He had found her in the far south three seasons ago, when he was gathering an army from regions far away from Mossflower. She had proved to be a valuable asset to him, and he eventually gave her a position close to him. She had gotten even closer to him when he fell in love with her, and she found herself feeling emotions that she hadn't ever before.
Danni shook these thoughts from her head and turned her attention to Laskit. The searat had been with the Stormbringer since he had set out on this quest to gather an army. He was an excellent tactician, better than the Stormrats had ever had. There were other beasts whom the Stormbringer trusted as well. There was Mark, a ferret assassin, Ryslia, an eagle with a shattered wing, and Mokkin, a weasel and one of the horde's best runners. Out of all the beasts that had flocked to the Stormbringer when he gathered his horde, they were the ones he trusted the most.
Meist was not one of the beasts that the Stormbringer trusted. Despite the fact that he was the most dangerous beast in the horde, possibly excepting the Stormbringer himself, the warlord did not place his trust on the shoulders of the fearsome beast. His reasoning was sensible, though Meist fretted at not being allowed to know what the Stormbringer was planning. The beast's complaints made some of the Stormbringer's advisors nervous, but the warlord assured them that Meist was no threat to any of them.
He probably wasn't. As the Stormbringer had pointed out numerous times when his advisors raised their complaints, Meist, although he was a Stormrat, was too stupid to be of any real threat to them. His strength could carry him far, but the Stormbringer claimed that he could best Meist in single combat if he ever needed to. Most of the beasts in the Stormbringer's horde would consider that an idle boast, since they witnessed Meist's muscle every day they marched. But back when the Stormbringer had started to gather supporters, Danni had seen him fight. He had given his great broadsword the same title that he had given himself - the Stormbringer. He was said to have forged it from metals claimed deep beneath the ground, and the way he fought with it was almost like a fierce storm.
"Ye should've killed that rat," said Laskit, frowning at Danni. "He'll be comin' back fer ye before this war's done, I kin guarantee it. Ye better be ready fer 'im, 'cause I don't think that sort o' beast'll fergit an insult like ye gave 'im."
"If he comes for me, I'll kill him," said Danni, waving her dagger in Laskit's face. The searat did not flinch, but his eyes followed the vixen's dagger until she slipped it back into her belt. "I don't think the Stormbringer would be too pleased if I killed off one of his beasts, no matter how incompetent it was, unless it was actually physically threatening me."
"I don't think he'd hold ye to those orders, Danni," said Laskit, giving the vixen a toothy grin. "Jes' as long as ye didn't deprive 'im of a horde. Ye're his mate after all, though I don't know what he sees in ye."
Danni ignored what other beasts would've thought an insult. Between her and Laskit, it was a friendly battle of wit. But she wasn't in the mood for that sort of conversation right now. "The Stormbringer said that he'd like to see us if we came across any hares. Do you know where he is?"
"That I do, Danni," said Laskit. He gestured toward the front of the horde, which had begun to march again. "'is bodyguards'll keep our talks private, even if we're on the move. 'is other advisors are up there already, an' he's waitin' fer us to start the talk. Shall we go?"
Danni nodded and followed Laskit to the front of the horde. Mark and Mokkin walked side by side, conversing in low voices that even the Stormbringer's bodyguards couldn't hear. Ryslia marched awkwardly on her weak legs, her left wing hanging limply from her side. And the Stormbringer himself marched in front, covered by a black cloak with its hood up. He his gaze on the lands in front of him and his right paw rested at his left side next to his sword, Stormbringer.
When Danni and Laskit drew close to him, he rose his left paw and waved his other advisors over. Mark and Mokkin reluctantly made their way over to the Stormbringer, and Ryslia hobbled over on her legs to where the other beasts were standing.
After glancing at his bodyguards to ensure that they were keeping other beasts that might overhear away, the Stormbringer began to speak. His voice was smooth, and Danni had to resist the urge to sigh when she heard it. Of course, it did not have that effect on the other beasts in his horde, but to her ears, the Stormbringer's voice was heavenly.
"So, we have hares," he said, gesturing to where the Long Patrollers had been. They had managed to disappear while Danni's attention had been diverted from them, but she had no doubt that they were still watching the horde. "We were woefully unprepared for that attack," the Stormbringer continued. Danni flinched. When the Stormbringer spoke in that tone of voice, it usually meant injury or death for somebeast.
But not this time. "We need to keep more alert watches. Mark, go appoint beasts to keep watch. Tell whoever you assign to keep an eye out in the distance to remember that the Long Patrol are experts at hiding themselves. Ferrets and foxes would be good lookouts. Sly and clever, and more likely to see through deception than any other beasts in this horde. And make sure you don't assign one of the less intelligent ferrets or foxes to the task of keeping watch. We don't want them to catch us by surprise."
The ferret nodded and turned to go set some efficient watchers. The Stormbringer continued his conversation with his other advisors even after Mark had left. "Now we've seen the strength of the Long Patrol. We'll be fighting many more hares than this when we reach Salamandastron, so we'll need to be ready. Is there anything that we could do that we aren't already doing?"
Laskit spoke out in response. "I still say we should head east, into Mossflower. Th' woodlanders won't be expectin' us. I bet that Salamandastron hasn't even bothered t' inform the woodlanders of our arrival. We could take Mossflower Country by surprise, an' be on our way t' Redwall afore th' Long Patrol could catch us."
The Stormbringer shook his head. "No. It would be an excellent plan if we could be sure that the Long Patrol wouldn't follow us, but we can't. Would you have us caught between two armies? That is how the Stormrat War was lost. I won't lose this one like that."
"I understand, sir," said Lasket.
"Anything else?" asked the Stormbringer, looking at his advisors. "No? Alright then, get on with the march."
The advisors went their separate ways. Danni turned and walked back into the horde, giving the Stormbringer one final glance. His eyes met hers, and for a moment he smiled. "See you soon," he mouthed to her. Then Danni backed into the horde, heading toward the end of the marching line to march in solitude.
Merlin had just returned from one of these scouting runs. The fourscore hares that were marching south along the coastline moved faster than most beasts, but they were still not as efficient as one runner. A Long Patrol runner was able to travel vast distances in less time than it would take a normal beast. Merlin was used to this; even though he was a newer recruit to the Long Patrol, he had been trained well. The muscles in the hare's legs were becoming sore, but it was a mere inconvenience to him.
"No sign of the vermin, yet?" asked Sergeant Polwyn, marching at the head of the column. He and the hares preceding him were moving at a brisk pace, keeping their weapons close at paw.
"'s all clear so far, sah," answered Merlin, jogging alongside the sergeant. "Y' said that y' don't expect them t' have traveled very far since when they ambushed you, so why are you sendin' me ahead to check?"
"Better safe than sorry, wot wot!" answered the Sergeant, speeding up slightly to keep pace with Merlin. Sergeant Polwyn had trained as a runner in his younger days, and was still able to keep pace with Merlin. If he wanted to, he tail the runner and give him advice as he scouted ahead. He was very tempted to, in fact, and would've if he didn't remember how he had felt about being coddled when he was new to the Patrol. "And those Stormrats are unpredictable. Y' never know what one of the dirty beast is goin' to pull on you."
"I understand," said Merlin. Polwyn had heard that response from plenty of new recruits before, but Merlin was one of the only ones who he believed actually understood the orders he gave. "I'll get back to scoutin' ahead, then?" At Polwyn's nod, Merlin sprang ahead, turning his lazy jog into a sprint. Very soon, the young runner had put Polwyn's hares a good distance behind him.
Merlin kept his mind focused on the terrain ahead of him, and kept a paw close to the dirk at his belt. Sergeant Polwyn's warning about the unpredictable nature of the Stormrats had given him extra motivation to stay on guard, though he would have kept alert even without the older hare's warning. Merlin had been on patrol before, and he had kept a weapon close at paw in case he ran into trouble. He hadn't before, but the few times he had patrolled had been before this vermin horde south of Salamandastron had landed. Back then, a Long Patrol hare rarely ran into trouble, and if the hare did, it usually came in the form of a ragtag group of vermin.
But now, a horde larger than the Long Patrol that was supposedly led by a Stormrat advanced north along the coast. If there had ever been a time for Long Patroller to be wary when they moved south, it was now. Merlin's danger was greater, since he was heading directly toward the horde, and was trying to find it. Even with the reflexes of a Long Patroller and the sense to run if he encountered trouble, Merlin was still seriously threatened by the presence of such a horde.
Merlin ran, and he recognized areas that he had scouted out on his previous run. The hare had no idea when to expect an encounter with the vermin, but he was fairly certain that areas he had already traversed were safe. But he still kept his guard up, and became even more cautious when he stopped recognizing landmarks.
The hare subconsciously slowed his run as he went further south. A sense of foreboding had arisen within him, and he became hesitant in his ventures south. He couldn't see far ahead of him in the night, but somehow he was able to sense that trouble was just a bit further south.
Only a few more minutes passed before the sound of chattering and footsteps reached Merlin's ears. When he strained his eyes, the hare could see light from a few torches and an outline of somebeasts marching a bit off. Merlin knew that his best option would be to sprint back to the rest of the Long Patrol, but a touch of youthful recklessness overcame his good sense and wariness of the horde. His legs shook a little as he considered what would happen to him if he was caught, but Merlin's strong will overcame those thoughts. I'm a Long Patrol hare, he thought. No flippin' vermin will lay its paws on me.
As the beasts ahead of him drew closer, Merlin could make out their accented voices and could sometimes pick out words from beast to beast conversation. He could also see the faces of a few vermin when they drew close enough. Torchlight illuminated their features, and the Long Patroller could faintly make out weasels, searats, and other vermin marching in front. But he didn't sight any of the legendary Stormrats, supposedly bigger than any other rat and with the fierceness of a badger. That doesn't mean there aren't any in this horde, Merlin thought, clutching at his dirk.
It was only when the vermin began to draw uncomfortably close to Merlin that he got the idea to run. The hare quickly slipped away from the torches, and scurried stealthily away so the vermin wouldn't see him. He doubted that they were paying enough attention to the coast ahead of them to notice one retreating hare, but it was better to move cautiously than to be caught. When Merlin judged himself far enough away from the vermin that he wouldn't be noticed if he moved rapidly, he started to sprint back in the direction he came.
Aside from the urgent desire to get back to the other hares and report what he had seen and a powerful excitement at having witnessed the vermin horde. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and in what seemed like no time at all he came to the rest of the Long Patrol hares. He slowed down before he arrived, but when he finally approached Sergeant Polwyn his legs were somewhat shaky and his body was ready to spring from his excitement.
Sergeant Polwyn was able to gather much of what had happened from the expression on Merlin's face. "You saw them?" he asked grimly. Merlin nodded, and Polwyn turned around and signaled the rest of the Long Patrol. "Stop now. We'll wait in ambush here for the Stormrats, and harass 'em as best we can when they arrive. The sun is already risin', so we can't expect to be able to wait for the vermin out in the open. We're goin' to have to draw away from the sea and go further east so we won't be seen."
By the time the Long Patrol hares had gone east and concealed themselves in the meager camouflage the land offered, but sun was beginning to cast its rays across the land and begin a new day. A few hares were positioned further south, so they could inform the others when the vermin horde began to draw near. Merlin had volunteered for the job, but Polwyn had replied that Merlin would be needed to run back to Salamandastron if things went awry and couldn't be put into a potentially dangerous position. Merlin had reluctantly accepted the sergeant's words, though he suspected that Polwyn didn't want to rely on a hare that had never seen actual battle to keep watch for his hares.
Only about an hour passed before Alden, the hare Sergeant Polwyn had assigned to keep a watch to the south for the Stormrats, came sprinting toward the boulder that Polwyn had concealed himself behind. "They're comin' north right now," said the hare, gripping his saber and crouching down beside Sergeant Polwyn.
The vermin horde soon came into the vision of Merlin. Now that the sun shone in the sky, it was even more impressive than when he had seen the front of the horde at night. "We're goin' to attack that thing?" he said incredulously to nobeast in particular. His fellow hares seemed to grasp the nature of his question, and didn't bother responding to Merlin's statement. They were too concentrated on the vermin horde, and waiting for Sergeant Polwyn's order to attack.
His order came when the vermin horde had almost marched past the majority of the Long Patrol hares. "Now!" he said in a loud enough voice to be heard by all his hares and attract a few glances from the vermin. Whatever the few that looked in the direction of the Long Patrollers expected to see, it was not the sight of twoscore hares springing up from behind rocks and pieces of driftwood. Their mouths were left hanging open as hares sprung up seemingly out of nowhere, bearing dirks, sabers, throwing knives, longbows, and other weapons. Before they could open their mouths to raise the alarms, the longbow-bearing hares unleashed a hail of arrows. Some of the archers did not hit the targets they had been aiming for, and a few did not come close to the appropriate distance. But those arrows that did hit struck down their targets.
It did not take long for the vermin horde to respond. Those beasts with blades and other paw-to-paw weapons charged toward the hares, while the vermin with weapons that could attack from a distance loaded their weapons and moved only close enough to shoot. The hares got another chance to release a volley of arrows at the approaching vermin, and several more fell to their archery.
Merlin drew his dirk and stepped to the side of an older Long Patroller. The hare beside Merlin managed to impale a searat on his pike before they drew close. He threw his pike handle aside and drew out his rapier when other vermin began to approach.
But before the vermin could draw close, Sergeant Polwyn's voice rose above the clamor of battle. "Retreat! Draw back, and fight another day!" Merlin was happy to follow orders, abandoning the ferret he was currently fighting and stepping quickly away from the scene of battle. Other hares did the same, and as they drew back, Merlin was pleased to see that the carcasses of many vermin littered the ground. None of the Long Patrollers were dead, though, and Merlin thanked whatever spirits were watching over the hares for that. There was no time to think those thoughts now, though. Merlin turned and fled with the rest of the Long Patrollers.
The vermin archers had been motionless for the duration of this short skirmish. Now, however, they unleashed barbed arrows at the retreating Long Patrollers. Their weapons did not have the range of the Long Patrol longbows, but the vermin archers had managed to draw in close and released a flurry of arrows at the hares from a decent distance. Four of Merlin's comrades fell, but he managed to escape with more Patrollers. It took him almost half a minute to notice the arrow sticking out of one of his fellow soldiers, who suddenly stopped in his tracks and fell to the ground. He would have stopped and looked closely at the arrow that had struck the Patroller down, but he was afraid that if he diverted his attention from the task of running forward he would be slain.
"Spread out! They won't be able t' hit us with their arrows as well if we aren't in a flippin' group!" yelled one of the hares. The others were quick to take her advice, and split into groups of twos and threes, with some hares proceeding on their own. The arrows of the archers would have been far less accurate if they continued to shoot, but none of them had bothered to join in the pursuit of the fleeing hares. The beasts that did not have bows or other far-ranged weapons faltered, and then stopped their pursuit. They turned back reluctantly, but none of the hares stopped running.
When the remaining Long Patrollers finally managed to gather, Sergeant Polwyn was making encouraging gestures to his hares. "We lost some good hares, but we got a couple of their vermin, too. We need to keep up this sort o' harassment and keep 'em away from Salamandastron."
Merlin was about to lend his words of comfort and reassurance to the Patrollers as Sergeant Polwyn was when a hare let out a gasp. Merlin turned to gaze at what the hare had seen, and was struck dumb with awe.
So that's what a Stormrat looks like, he thought, gazing at the beast that had come from the front of the vermin horde. A rat, twice as big as a normal searat and as muscled as Lord Rocketh, stood gazing at the Long Patrol hares. Light from the sun made its skin appear almost golden, and even from this distance there was something unsettling about the Stormrat's eyes. The vermin grinned, and fangs big enough to puncture the skin of a beast were exposed to the morning light. Merlin took an involuntary step back, and glanced at Sergeant Polwyn.
His face seemed surprised, and it seemed that he was only keeping calm though an iron grip on his emotions. "I don't remember 'im being this big," he whispered, almost inaudibly.
The he regained control of himself. "Merlin, go to Salamandastron and tell Lord Rocketh of what happened here. I'll stay here and try to keep these vermin busy. And I swear that I won't lose any more lives than I have to. I was stupid to let the vermin draw so close anyway." Polwyn stopped scolding himself only when he noticed that Merlin was standing there, watching him. "What are you waiting for? Go! Lord Rocketh needs to know what happened."
Merlin went.
~~~
Danni watched the Stormrat as he stood out glaring at the Long Patrollers. Meist was a fierce beast, even for a Stormrat, and his figure was probably enough to make the most courageous hare nervous. The vixen imagined that woodlanders with less backbone with them would quiver in fear when they beheld Meist's hulking figure. The soldiers say that he's as strong as a badger, she thought. And looking at Meist's glorious figure, she didn't doubt it. That one isn't much for cleverness, though, she thought. Well, I guess that's why there are smarter beasts than he leading this horde.
A snigger came from beside Danni. The vixen turned her gaze upon a searat named Christopher, who was watching Meist with a kind of vicious glee. "Look at the way them hares 're backin' away from 'im. That Meist is quite a monster. Makes ye wonder if the Stormbringer di'n't get 'im from Dark Forest. He-haw!" Danni suppressed a shudder. Christopher's hideous laugh was one of the many things that made him so repulsive to her.
"Run away now, little hares!" boomed Meist. His voice carried all the way out to the gathered hares, apparently, and it didn't lose any of its magnificence. One of the hares cringed when it heard the voice of the Stormrat, and the one who was apparently the leader seemed to be trying very hard to hide his awe. Danni almost laughed, but she was more disciplined than that.
Several hares looked like they did want to run, but the one in charge raised a paw to halt them. Though Danni could not hear what he said from this distance, it seemed to bring the hares back in line. The Long Patrol leader then turned, raised his fist to Meist, and shook his head vehemently.
Meist gave a low growl, but didn't move forward. Instead, he turned around and stalked back through the vermin. Searat, stoat, weasel, and other vermin parted so he could pass unhindered. Meist was doubtlessly going to Jenny, the searat that he had taken as his mate. Jenny was the only beast that could offer Meist any sort of consolation, and was one of the two beasts who could control him. The other one of course, was the Stormbringer, the true mind behind the horde.
Danni was about to turn her gaze away from the Long Patrol hares, but something in the distance caught her eye. It was faint, and soon after she saw it, her eyes lost sight of it. But she knew the reputation hares had for camouflage, and guessed that it was one of the Long Patrol's infamous running hares. So whatever demon rules Salamandastron will know we're here, she thought. But whoever that is won't be the only demon on the battlefield. We've got Meist.
"They ain't gonna be the only beasts who 'ave a terror roamin' the battlefield in this war," said Christopher. "He-haw! They might 'ave their Badger Lord, but we 'ave Meist. An' I don' think that the Stormbringer is goin' to stop until all o' Mossflower is his. He- haw! He-haw!"
This time Danni could not stop from shuddering at Christopher's laugh. The searat noticed, and stuck his face in front of hers. "Ye laughin' at me, ye vixen? I'm not one t' put up with that kind o' abuse. What's t' stop me from slittin' yer gizzard right now?'
"If you were to kill the Stormbringer's mate, I don't think you'd live to see another day," said Danni calmly, glaring at the searat.
"So ye're hidin' behind the Stormbringer?" asked Christopher, throwing his head back and giving another hideous laugh. "He-haw! He-haw! Ye're a coward. All of ye foxes are cowards without any backbone. Ye have to let other, better beasts do yer fightin' fer ye. I got no respect fer beasts like you."
Christopher was about to laugh again, but Danni's paw swung upward to his neck. His eyes widened when he felt the blade of her dagger press against his throat. "Say that you're sorry," said Danni, her voice dangerously low.
"I'm sorry, Danni!" the searat exclaimed. "Please jes' lemme go, an' I won't do anythin' like this again, I promise ye!"
"Apology accepted, Christopher," said Danni. She drew the dagger away and left the searat blubbering on the ground. "Disgusting," she muttered, turning away and walking though the horde.
It only took her a few minutes of searching to find Laskit. He was one of the few beasts that were given the duty of advising the Stormbringer. Danni, too, was one of the Stormbringer's advisors. He had found her in the far south three seasons ago, when he was gathering an army from regions far away from Mossflower. She had proved to be a valuable asset to him, and he eventually gave her a position close to him. She had gotten even closer to him when he fell in love with her, and she found herself feeling emotions that she hadn't ever before.
Danni shook these thoughts from her head and turned her attention to Laskit. The searat had been with the Stormbringer since he had set out on this quest to gather an army. He was an excellent tactician, better than the Stormrats had ever had. There were other beasts whom the Stormbringer trusted as well. There was Mark, a ferret assassin, Ryslia, an eagle with a shattered wing, and Mokkin, a weasel and one of the horde's best runners. Out of all the beasts that had flocked to the Stormbringer when he gathered his horde, they were the ones he trusted the most.
Meist was not one of the beasts that the Stormbringer trusted. Despite the fact that he was the most dangerous beast in the horde, possibly excepting the Stormbringer himself, the warlord did not place his trust on the shoulders of the fearsome beast. His reasoning was sensible, though Meist fretted at not being allowed to know what the Stormbringer was planning. The beast's complaints made some of the Stormbringer's advisors nervous, but the warlord assured them that Meist was no threat to any of them.
He probably wasn't. As the Stormbringer had pointed out numerous times when his advisors raised their complaints, Meist, although he was a Stormrat, was too stupid to be of any real threat to them. His strength could carry him far, but the Stormbringer claimed that he could best Meist in single combat if he ever needed to. Most of the beasts in the Stormbringer's horde would consider that an idle boast, since they witnessed Meist's muscle every day they marched. But back when the Stormbringer had started to gather supporters, Danni had seen him fight. He had given his great broadsword the same title that he had given himself - the Stormbringer. He was said to have forged it from metals claimed deep beneath the ground, and the way he fought with it was almost like a fierce storm.
"Ye should've killed that rat," said Laskit, frowning at Danni. "He'll be comin' back fer ye before this war's done, I kin guarantee it. Ye better be ready fer 'im, 'cause I don't think that sort o' beast'll fergit an insult like ye gave 'im."
"If he comes for me, I'll kill him," said Danni, waving her dagger in Laskit's face. The searat did not flinch, but his eyes followed the vixen's dagger until she slipped it back into her belt. "I don't think the Stormbringer would be too pleased if I killed off one of his beasts, no matter how incompetent it was, unless it was actually physically threatening me."
"I don't think he'd hold ye to those orders, Danni," said Laskit, giving the vixen a toothy grin. "Jes' as long as ye didn't deprive 'im of a horde. Ye're his mate after all, though I don't know what he sees in ye."
Danni ignored what other beasts would've thought an insult. Between her and Laskit, it was a friendly battle of wit. But she wasn't in the mood for that sort of conversation right now. "The Stormbringer said that he'd like to see us if we came across any hares. Do you know where he is?"
"That I do, Danni," said Laskit. He gestured toward the front of the horde, which had begun to march again. "'is bodyguards'll keep our talks private, even if we're on the move. 'is other advisors are up there already, an' he's waitin' fer us to start the talk. Shall we go?"
Danni nodded and followed Laskit to the front of the horde. Mark and Mokkin walked side by side, conversing in low voices that even the Stormbringer's bodyguards couldn't hear. Ryslia marched awkwardly on her weak legs, her left wing hanging limply from her side. And the Stormbringer himself marched in front, covered by a black cloak with its hood up. He his gaze on the lands in front of him and his right paw rested at his left side next to his sword, Stormbringer.
When Danni and Laskit drew close to him, he rose his left paw and waved his other advisors over. Mark and Mokkin reluctantly made their way over to the Stormbringer, and Ryslia hobbled over on her legs to where the other beasts were standing.
After glancing at his bodyguards to ensure that they were keeping other beasts that might overhear away, the Stormbringer began to speak. His voice was smooth, and Danni had to resist the urge to sigh when she heard it. Of course, it did not have that effect on the other beasts in his horde, but to her ears, the Stormbringer's voice was heavenly.
"So, we have hares," he said, gesturing to where the Long Patrollers had been. They had managed to disappear while Danni's attention had been diverted from them, but she had no doubt that they were still watching the horde. "We were woefully unprepared for that attack," the Stormbringer continued. Danni flinched. When the Stormbringer spoke in that tone of voice, it usually meant injury or death for somebeast.
But not this time. "We need to keep more alert watches. Mark, go appoint beasts to keep watch. Tell whoever you assign to keep an eye out in the distance to remember that the Long Patrol are experts at hiding themselves. Ferrets and foxes would be good lookouts. Sly and clever, and more likely to see through deception than any other beasts in this horde. And make sure you don't assign one of the less intelligent ferrets or foxes to the task of keeping watch. We don't want them to catch us by surprise."
The ferret nodded and turned to go set some efficient watchers. The Stormbringer continued his conversation with his other advisors even after Mark had left. "Now we've seen the strength of the Long Patrol. We'll be fighting many more hares than this when we reach Salamandastron, so we'll need to be ready. Is there anything that we could do that we aren't already doing?"
Laskit spoke out in response. "I still say we should head east, into Mossflower. Th' woodlanders won't be expectin' us. I bet that Salamandastron hasn't even bothered t' inform the woodlanders of our arrival. We could take Mossflower Country by surprise, an' be on our way t' Redwall afore th' Long Patrol could catch us."
The Stormbringer shook his head. "No. It would be an excellent plan if we could be sure that the Long Patrol wouldn't follow us, but we can't. Would you have us caught between two armies? That is how the Stormrat War was lost. I won't lose this one like that."
"I understand, sir," said Lasket.
"Anything else?" asked the Stormbringer, looking at his advisors. "No? Alright then, get on with the march."
The advisors went their separate ways. Danni turned and walked back into the horde, giving the Stormbringer one final glance. His eyes met hers, and for a moment he smiled. "See you soon," he mouthed to her. Then Danni backed into the horde, heading toward the end of the marching line to march in solitude.