Strider quickly returned to Redwall so Skipper could get the proper medical treatment before he lost anymore blood. When they all returned, they saw Abbot Walter, Catspaw, Nathanial, Tobias, Billy and Milly, Sister Cecilia, and Spring all standing there waiting for him to return. Sister Cecilia had brought a sling to carry Skipper in so he can rest more easily as he was brought up to the infirmary.
"Is he still alive?" asked Abbot Walter when Strider returned.
"Yes, but you must hurry up and save him, he has lost too much blood already and I don't want to loose him," said Strider.
Sister Cecilia walked over and placed the sling at Striders feet. "Set Skipper down right here," she said.
"You're going....to have to...put me down...on my stomach...because of the arrow in my...back," said Skipper weakly.
"Don't worry, I was already planning that," said Strider who carefully set Skipper down on the sling. Sister Cecilia and Spring then ran as quickly as they could to the infirmary.
Strider watched worriedly as they disappeared behind the doors. He was so worried that he did not even flinch when Abbot Walter touched his shoulder.
"I think you should go to the infirmary too, you look like a mess. We don't want you to be that way when we start the celebration on your behalf tonight," said Walter.
Lucky's ears perked up when he heard celebration. "Celebration, you mean as in food?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes all the food you can eat," said Walter.
"Does that mean Hickory will be making his famous double decker ale?" asked Lucky.
Walter just nodded while Lucky let out a loud and happy yell and then started dancing.
"Oh great another night of bad rhymes and dancing on the table," said Strider.
"Oh hush up you silly stripedog, you did that too last season when we had that bally hullabaloo for the otters," said Lucky.
"Only because you made me, now if you will excuse me, I'm going to the infirmary to get cleaned up," said Strider.
"And I will bally well go with you," said Lucky.
"And why will you do that?" asked Strider.
"Because I'm bloody bored when you're not around," said Lucky.
Strider just sighed. It was true, Lucky was always with him. If Strider had to deal with something for a while, Lucky would go crazy and start running around the abbey trying to find something to do. To Strider, Lucky was like a burr that clung to his tunic and was hard to get off. Yet he still enjoyed Lucky's company and that was all that really mattered.
Hunter decided to go on up too since he had to check on Lily and he needed to be cleaned up as well
Strider, Hunter, and Lucky soon arrived at the infirmary where they saw both Sister Cecilia and Spring closing the arrow wound on Skipper's back. Skipper barely flinched as they helped him and he did not bother to look up when Strider came into the room. Lily however was quite happy to see her father and gave him a big hug.
"I see you're going to be fine," said Hunter.
"Yeah, I'll be okay, but what about Uncle Skipper?" asked Lily.
"I don't know," said Hunter.
Strider decided it was best to find out. "Is he going to make it?" he asked
"Only time will tell, it was a hard fight for him since he was outnumbered fifteen to one," said Sister Cecilia.
"Don't worry about me.....Strider. I'm getting old....you still have your whole...life ahead of you," said Skipper.
"I know, but you're my mentor and I still feel that I have much to learn from you," said Strider as he took off his armor so Spring could tend to his wounds.
"Hey if anything happens I can be your mentor, wot wot," said Lucky.
"Or I can," said Hunter
"You two are not the same. Lucky would probably make too many jokes when giving me a lecture, and Hunter would just not be as good as Skipper," said Strider.
"But I feel that you.....have learned much. But I still do have one more thing.....to say to you that is important," said Skipper.
"And what is that...ouch," said Strider while Spring was stitching him up and accidentally poked him too deep with a needle.
"Sorry Strider, if you would have hold still, that probably would not have happened," said Spring.
Strider held still as Skipper began to talk. "I will not tell you until I am on my death bed," he said.
Strider was silent as he watched Skipper being tended to. Every second he watched the otter, he could see his life fading away. He felt terrible that he did not go on that jog with him that morning.
The silence in the room quickly faded when Lucky's sensitive nose caught the smell of raspberry scones from the kitchens.
"Well I'll be a bat in the belfry they are cooking up food for you Strider, let's go down and get the best seat," said Lucky.
Strider hesitated; he did not want to leave Skipper while he had fun.
"Go on Strider....have fun....I will still be here when you get back," said Skipper.
"That means let's go and get some tucker, I'm bally starving," said Lucky who began to pull Strider out the door.
"I guess I have no choice," said Strider and soon disappeared down the hallways. Hunter and Lily decided to go on down with them.
Once Strider reached the main hall where everyone would be eating, everyone stared at him in awe, no one even moved.
"What's the bally problem, it looks as if you have never seen a badger before. Now why don't you all congratulate him for his success earlier today," said Lucky.
Suddenly everyone began to cheer and a few ran over to congratulate him.
"I can't believe you have grown from a tiny dibbun to a tough warrior," said Catspaw happily.
"Burr aye, you did wunnerful, fighting them thur beasts," said a mole named Hoagie.
"My goodness look at those wounds, I bet no one else can survive those," said a mouse named Seyna.
"Alright everyone calm down and let Strider get some air, you're all suffocating him with your comments," said Abbot Walter.
"Yeah sooner or later I might have to charge you all to see him for a delicious raspberry cream pie," said Lucky.
Everyone then began walking away from Strider and sat down where they were originally seated. Strider decided to go find a seat himself and was lucky enough to find one that only had Billy and Milly sitting in it.
"We saw that fight today," said Billy.
"Yeah, we could not believe how well you fought them," said Milly.
"But that was only a small band, imagine me fighting hundreds," said Strider.
"And I will be helping you if that ever bally happens," said Lucky.
"Us too," said Billy and Milly together.
Strider chuckled at how those two were alike in so many ways, even though they were no longer dibbuns they still acted like ones. Sometimes they would get into trouble by stealing something from the kitchens or they would tease Catspaw one too many times.
Strider looked over at the doorway and saw Hunter and Lily coming into the room. They immediately saw Strider and ran over to him.
"Can we sit here?" asked Lily.
"Of course you can," said Strider who smiled happily at Lily.
"We want to sit here too," yelled the voices of ten dibbuns who came running over to see Strider. Strider slapped himself in the face, when dibbuns come to see him, they never want to leave. This time it was going to be hard to get rid of them since they were so fascinated by the way Strider had fought fifteen vermin all by himself.
"Look at all the bandages on him, it looks like he fell into a briar patch," said a mouse named Lokie.
"Burr aye, 'e must o fought a bajillion vermin," said a little mole named Werk.
"When I gwow up me want to be like you Swider," said a cute little female mouse named Daisy.
"Haha, maybe you will someday, but only time will tell, ouch Brownnose I have a sore shoulder up there," said Strider while a little vole named Brownnose decided it was fun to climb on Striders back.
Before Strider could even try to get Brownnose off, all the other dibbuns decided to climb on him as well. Poor Strider was soon consumed in a wave of dibbuns crawling all over him. He would try to get them off but they would keep coming back.
"What are you dibbuns doing to poor Strider?" asked Catspaw in a no nonsense tone.
"We were playing with him," said a hedgehog named Tustle.
"Well Strider has had a long hard day, leave him a lone and go play somewhere else before you are sent to bed without any supper," said Catspaw.
"The little dibbuns were not happy to hear that and quickly ran off to find some one else to bother. Catspaw just laughed at them.
'Thanks Catspaw," said Strider.
"You are very welcome, now if you will excuse me, I'm going to sit with Abbot Walter," said Catspaw.
Strider nodded and watched her go. He then pondered for a moment about Skipper and whether or not he would survive the night.
His worriedness was quickly forgotten when Lucky let out a loud yell of merriment. "The jolly salad is here time for me to stuff my stomach," he said happily.
"I also have the double decker ale for you," said the cellarhog Hickory.
"Wooooooooo hooooooooo," yelled Lucky who then poured the ale in the biggest beaker he could find and started to quaff it down.
"Lucky why don't you eat your salad before you get all drunk and merry," said Strider.
"Because I was bally thirsty you silly stripedog," said Lucky who then let out a hiccup. Lucky then proceeded to eating up his big bowl of salad while everyone at the table stared at him. Lucky noticed this and looked at them angrily.
"Wot, it's like you have never seen a bally hare eat before," he said before he took another large gulp of double decker ale then poured more into his beaker.
"Is he always like that during celebrations?" asked Lily to Strider.
"Sadly yes, and once he has had his fourth glass do not mention the words singing or dancing," said Strider silently.
Lily just nodded and started to eat some soup that the cooks had laid out for them. Lucky of course did the same but he finished it before her and ate two more bowls of the soup until some cheese and bread was laid out which he proceeded to eat as well.
Once all the food was finished at the table. Lucky sat there looking quite drowsy and drunk yet he continued to drink his ale. When he tried to pour more in, he found that the bottle was empty.
"Hey...hic...hic...Hickory. We're out of...hic....ale....hic...I want more...hic," Said Lucky.
Hickory looked over at him angrily. "You finished the ale already?! Well I'm not giving you more or you'll start dancing on the tables," he said.
"Did you...hic...say dance...hic," said Lucky who began to smile.
"Oh no," said Strider who slapped himself in the face. "Thanks a lot Hickory."
Hickory realized his mistake and ran back into the kitchens before Strider gave him what for. Strider then felt the table move a little and then he saw Lucky standing there smiling.
"Everyone....hic...I would like to sing a song for you....hic...all. If anybody...hic...throws one bally tomato at me....hic....then I will sick Strider on you," he said while everyone just stared at him, knowing the horrors that were about to happen next.
Lucky then started to dance like the riverdance actors and soon broke into a song.
"When I was but a little dibbun,
I danced and played all day.
My bally mother would try to stop me,
But I would easily run away.
Oh me oh my,
Wot a grand life I have lived.
Oh me, oh my,
In the great and beautiful Redwall Abbey.
When I was but a dibbun,
I made friends with the badger Strider.
He would lead me on jolly grand adventures,
And we would get lost for hours,
Until our parents found us.
Oh me, oh my
Wot a grand life I have lived.
Oh me, oh my
In the great and beautiful Redwall Abbey.
Now we are feasting to praise my friend,
Who slayed fifteen with just one swipe.
Now those bally rats have learned their lesson,
While slaving up at hellgates for eternity.
Oh me, oh my
Wot a grand life I have lived.
Oh me, oh my.
In the great and beautiful Redwall Abbey."
Lucky finished his song and then let out a loud burp. It was so loud and strong that it caused Strider's fur to sway. Lucky then bowed and when he stood up, Strider hit him in the face with a tomato.
"You really need to learn to rhyme," he said.
"Oh I most certainly...hic...bally did rhyme wot, like me...hic...and my for example," said Lucky.
"Me and my do not rhyme together, now get down and drink something that is not as strong, say this beaker of water," said Strider.
Lucky gave him an angry drunk look and then proceeded to drink the water. Strider was then distracted by Spring who came running over him.
"What's wrong?" asked Strider.
"Skipper wants to see you," said Spring.
Strider gave her a worried look and then ran up the stairs to the infirmary.
"Where is that stripedog bally going? I want....hic...to tell him that joke about....hic...Martin," said Lucky.
"You already told it to him many times before, now drink more water before you get into another song," said Spring.
"Another song...hic...., you want another song, well I ain't....hic....bally giving you a jolly song because now...hic...I have a headache," said Lucky who then hit his head on the table and started to fall asleep. Everyone just laughed.
Strider soon reached the infirmary where he saw Skipper lying in bed while Sister Cecilia watched him. He noticed how Skipper was barely breathing and when he saw Strider he slowly smiled and took a deep breath.
"You made it. I was getting worried," said Skipper.
"What do you mean?" asked Strider.
"Those vermin got me good. I should have never fought them like that, now my life is at an end," said Skipper.
Strider was now bursting into tears; he did not like what he had just heard.
"But you can't go, how will the dibbuns fair without your playfulness and loving smile?" asked Strider.
"Just tell them I have to go somewhere far, but I will see them all again one day," said Skipper.
"I will tell them that," said Strider sadly.
"Now I have something to tell you, that I have been wanting to tell you if my time was up," said Skipper.
"What is that?" asked Strider who then held the otters paw to show that he was there for him and ready to hear what he had to say
Skipper let out a huge raspy sigh before he continued. "I lost my mother when I was just a pup like you, but she died giving birth to me. My father was never around for me, he was too busy helping other Holts or fighting off foes to really care for me. One day an old otter named Rivertail came and told me my father had been killed by vermin and that he would take care of me. He taught me much, like I have taught you and on the day he died he said this to me which I want you to tell your children if you ever have any. It goes like this. Protect those that need your help, kill only when necessary. Love those who love you, even if you don't really like them. If you have a dream, go for it. If you have an ambition, go for it. And most importantly keep the friends you have, you may never know that they can save your life or keep you company, because that is what friends do and friends are always wonderful to have."
Strider cried as he watched Skipper slowly fade away. His eyes slowly began to close and his breathing slowed.
"Skipper you were the greatest friend anyone could have," said Strider.
Skipper gave a weak smile before his paw slipped out of Striders grasp and hung limply by his side. Thus ended the life of Skipper, leader of the otters in Mossflower, and mentor to Strider the Warrior.
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A/N: Sad ending huh. This is also my longest chapter so far with seventeen pages. I hope you enjoyed it and are ready for the next chapter which will come next week and will focus once again on Tanner and an interesting adventure he has during the summer season. So far I'm thinking that this will turn out to be a long story, possibly around twenty chapters more or less. Any way that is all I have to say for now so please review and have fun writing your stories. :)