(Salamandastron)
The sun shined bright on the Salamandastron hares as they marched in Mossflower. It had been hard days for the army. They had been lost in marshes for days and finally were out of the swampy area. They had finally made it to the sunny lit woods in early afternoon. Scarum and Lord Saxtus were conversing in the front of the ranks. Scarum was getting excited.
"How long do you think it'll take to get there, sah?"
"Oh not long, but I think those vermin are getting closer too."
"I guess we better speed up eh?"
"'zactly, general. Give the signal."
The general hopped up on a nearby rock and took out a white piece of cloth. He waved it back and forth madly. Like a tide the marching hares turned up the speed into a rapid pace. The Badger Lord nodded in approval.
"Good. By night fall we'll make it to the Abbey. Then we will have nice beds and really good food and soft truckle beds to lie down on. But not for long. I can sense danger."
Scarum snapped at a couple berries for a blueberry branch and chewed on them thoughtfully.
"Don't worry sah, will make it to Redwall soon enough at the pace were going. Hmm, these are good blueberries. I should have bally gotten some more. Oh well, lets keep on marchin. Hoi, c'mon now step up m'laddows, wot wot."
(Brockhall)
Supper was served in Brockhall. All the workers sat down to celebration meal for the groups arrival. The food was excellent. There was food everywhere including apple turnovers and cheese flans. Hot blueberry scones fresh from the oven with raspberry pie, woodland trifle, almond pastries, deeper'n'tater'n'beetroot pie (a specialty with the moles) and cheeses of all kind. Twelve kinds of bread had been laid out for the occasion. Candied chestnuts on top of a enormous cake that was the center piece of the table. There were huge steaming cauldrons of woodland stew which was also along side gigantic pans of otter an hotroot soup (a favorite with all otters everywhere).
The drinks favor in all different ways. There was mint tea, greensap milk, strawberry fizz for the young ones, Redwall's famous October ale for the elders, and the lighter drinks like dandelion cordial, and parsnip wine (which isn't as light a drink). They were all filled in small firkins, for the smaller pawed ones, and then there were jugs for the ones with not so small pawed ones.
All around the hall there was happiness. Macron was dipping strawberries in a huge bowl of meadowcream. He nudged his mole fiend.
"Here, Rackle. Have some of these, they're great!"
Rackle was already stuffing himself with a flan. He was a stout young mole with powerful digging claws. He had dark brown eyes with a velvety snout. He replied when he finished swallowing a oversized bite.
"No thankee Macon, arsk Bangle."
Macron tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Bangle do you want any of thi( Bangle, what's wrong?"
Bangle's face was in deep thought. He turned around, being a little startled having his daze broken.
"What... oh, nothing Macron, I was just thinking about that poem we saw behind the tapestry, cant we go searching now?"
Macron was trying to find the biggest strawberry in the meadowcream bowl. He took one out which he thought was suitable and dunked the red fruit in the bowl. He thickly coated the morsel with tasty meadowcream. Having done that he stuffed it down his mouth with great relish. After swallowing he replied.
"Sure, as long as Rackle is ready too."
"Hurr io be moor ready thon ever zurr Macon."
"Okay, lets go then."
They all turned to the Badgermum who had eavesdropped on them.
"I too am interested. Oh, right back to business. The poem said to find another tapestry of Boar the Fighter. First, I think ask the beasts who had restored this wonderful place. Lets start with Brother Collard. I think he is the one who put up the decorations for Brockhall."
They walked back to the oak table and soon found the brother entertaining the Dibbuns. He was a great favorite of the little ones. He was at the moment pretending to be just like them, squealing and jumping. The four creatures soon pulled the Brother away from the reluctant Dibbuns. Bragoon and Saro clung to the bottom of the tall mouse's robes, getting dragged along and laughing uproariously. After a while the small party stopped giving a ride to the duo, so they hopped off and went somewhere else, wrecking havoc in the kitchens nearby. Constance started questioning the jolly brother.
"How many tapestries of Boar did you put up?"
"Er, I think about three of those, one where you came in, one in the study, and one... I dont really remember. Oh well. If you excuse me, I'm going back to the feast, good bye!"
The mouse scampered away to the food and fun that awaited him.
The four beasts raced off towards the study. It was not far from where they stood. They soon entered the room in a short time. The room had a huge armchair was by a crackling fire. The was a desk with a wooden chair next to it. And there on the wall was Boar the Fighter.
(Valcure Matterang)
It had been a long treck in the great seas for Valcure Matterang. They had gone through cold weather, shark attacks, and even a hurricane that had killed about five score rats. Valcure cursed at his ill fortune, but he got something better in return. He had finally made it to Mossflower. When he had reached the shores he of ordered his rats to hide the twenty ships in a huge hidden cove. And by that time night had fallen. They had set camp in a clearing where water was nearby.
Soon there was darkness.
The would be assassins, draggle and tarmac hid behind a bush where the lord was sleeping, which was outside the camp.
"Lets git goin mate, before he wakes up" Tarmac whispered. Draggle replied in a soft but confident voice. "Right, you get the right, I get the left. Huh, he'll be in a deep sleep when were done with him."
They went on opposite side, but still unnoticed by the sleeping form.
When they were a couple feet behind him, Draggle made the signal to attack. They dove on the creature, thrusting their blades into the form. Draggle sat up and had a worried look on his face. Why didn't his victim even yell? He turned the blanket over, and to his horror, he had been stabbing at a rolled up canvas. Suddenly he heared a weird, odd pitched, whistle from the bushes. All around the pair, the ships captains sprain out of the bushes, weapons raised. The emperor ferret came out towards them holding in one hand a saber, and in the other a bone whistle made out of a eagle's bone. He spoke with a cold and hard voice.
"Fools, do you honestly think you could outsmart, out think, or out do me, Valcure Matterang? Blithering idiots! Tomorrow I'll will tell you what you earned."
He called for a particularly big rat captain from the circle saying, "take them to a huge tree and tie them around it with cord. They will learn what happens when beasts try to kill me!"
(Later that day)
The next day, the entire army was gathered as the big rat captain brought out the to prisoners in front of the hoard. Lord Valcure jumped on a sphere shaped rock. His voice lashed out onto the ranks. "Look at these pathetic fools, trying to assassinate their master. You will all see what happens to traitors and backstabbers." He got off of the rock and went to four archers who he had talked to earlier. They came out, about twenty paces in front of Draggle and Tarmac. One of the archers was also carrying a bucket of oil and when they came to a halt another archer lit a small fire.
"Archers ready!" Valcure yelled. They dipped there bows into the bucket than into the fire until the tips of the arrows were burning brightly. They took aim and pulled back their strings taut.
"Fire!"
Off the arrows went, speed straight and true to there targets. The pair of rats screamed as there footpaws caught on fire. The flames licked all over the bodies. In a couple minutes they were dead, black, charred from the experience.
The massed rats stood in horror. Valcure climbed on the same rock. A smile was on his face. He shouted to the entire hoard. "Tomorrow we will continue our march towards this Redwall Abbey. If anyone thinks of mutiny, I will personally give you a much worse punishment."
And every single rat in the army knew, he spoke the truth!
The sun shined bright on the Salamandastron hares as they marched in Mossflower. It had been hard days for the army. They had been lost in marshes for days and finally were out of the swampy area. They had finally made it to the sunny lit woods in early afternoon. Scarum and Lord Saxtus were conversing in the front of the ranks. Scarum was getting excited.
"How long do you think it'll take to get there, sah?"
"Oh not long, but I think those vermin are getting closer too."
"I guess we better speed up eh?"
"'zactly, general. Give the signal."
The general hopped up on a nearby rock and took out a white piece of cloth. He waved it back and forth madly. Like a tide the marching hares turned up the speed into a rapid pace. The Badger Lord nodded in approval.
"Good. By night fall we'll make it to the Abbey. Then we will have nice beds and really good food and soft truckle beds to lie down on. But not for long. I can sense danger."
Scarum snapped at a couple berries for a blueberry branch and chewed on them thoughtfully.
"Don't worry sah, will make it to Redwall soon enough at the pace were going. Hmm, these are good blueberries. I should have bally gotten some more. Oh well, lets keep on marchin. Hoi, c'mon now step up m'laddows, wot wot."
(Brockhall)
Supper was served in Brockhall. All the workers sat down to celebration meal for the groups arrival. The food was excellent. There was food everywhere including apple turnovers and cheese flans. Hot blueberry scones fresh from the oven with raspberry pie, woodland trifle, almond pastries, deeper'n'tater'n'beetroot pie (a specialty with the moles) and cheeses of all kind. Twelve kinds of bread had been laid out for the occasion. Candied chestnuts on top of a enormous cake that was the center piece of the table. There were huge steaming cauldrons of woodland stew which was also along side gigantic pans of otter an hotroot soup (a favorite with all otters everywhere).
The drinks favor in all different ways. There was mint tea, greensap milk, strawberry fizz for the young ones, Redwall's famous October ale for the elders, and the lighter drinks like dandelion cordial, and parsnip wine (which isn't as light a drink). They were all filled in small firkins, for the smaller pawed ones, and then there were jugs for the ones with not so small pawed ones.
All around the hall there was happiness. Macron was dipping strawberries in a huge bowl of meadowcream. He nudged his mole fiend.
"Here, Rackle. Have some of these, they're great!"
Rackle was already stuffing himself with a flan. He was a stout young mole with powerful digging claws. He had dark brown eyes with a velvety snout. He replied when he finished swallowing a oversized bite.
"No thankee Macon, arsk Bangle."
Macron tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Bangle do you want any of thi( Bangle, what's wrong?"
Bangle's face was in deep thought. He turned around, being a little startled having his daze broken.
"What... oh, nothing Macron, I was just thinking about that poem we saw behind the tapestry, cant we go searching now?"
Macron was trying to find the biggest strawberry in the meadowcream bowl. He took one out which he thought was suitable and dunked the red fruit in the bowl. He thickly coated the morsel with tasty meadowcream. Having done that he stuffed it down his mouth with great relish. After swallowing he replied.
"Sure, as long as Rackle is ready too."
"Hurr io be moor ready thon ever zurr Macon."
"Okay, lets go then."
They all turned to the Badgermum who had eavesdropped on them.
"I too am interested. Oh, right back to business. The poem said to find another tapestry of Boar the Fighter. First, I think ask the beasts who had restored this wonderful place. Lets start with Brother Collard. I think he is the one who put up the decorations for Brockhall."
They walked back to the oak table and soon found the brother entertaining the Dibbuns. He was a great favorite of the little ones. He was at the moment pretending to be just like them, squealing and jumping. The four creatures soon pulled the Brother away from the reluctant Dibbuns. Bragoon and Saro clung to the bottom of the tall mouse's robes, getting dragged along and laughing uproariously. After a while the small party stopped giving a ride to the duo, so they hopped off and went somewhere else, wrecking havoc in the kitchens nearby. Constance started questioning the jolly brother.
"How many tapestries of Boar did you put up?"
"Er, I think about three of those, one where you came in, one in the study, and one... I dont really remember. Oh well. If you excuse me, I'm going back to the feast, good bye!"
The mouse scampered away to the food and fun that awaited him.
The four beasts raced off towards the study. It was not far from where they stood. They soon entered the room in a short time. The room had a huge armchair was by a crackling fire. The was a desk with a wooden chair next to it. And there on the wall was Boar the Fighter.
(Valcure Matterang)
It had been a long treck in the great seas for Valcure Matterang. They had gone through cold weather, shark attacks, and even a hurricane that had killed about five score rats. Valcure cursed at his ill fortune, but he got something better in return. He had finally made it to Mossflower. When he had reached the shores he of ordered his rats to hide the twenty ships in a huge hidden cove. And by that time night had fallen. They had set camp in a clearing where water was nearby.
Soon there was darkness.
The would be assassins, draggle and tarmac hid behind a bush where the lord was sleeping, which was outside the camp.
"Lets git goin mate, before he wakes up" Tarmac whispered. Draggle replied in a soft but confident voice. "Right, you get the right, I get the left. Huh, he'll be in a deep sleep when were done with him."
They went on opposite side, but still unnoticed by the sleeping form.
When they were a couple feet behind him, Draggle made the signal to attack. They dove on the creature, thrusting their blades into the form. Draggle sat up and had a worried look on his face. Why didn't his victim even yell? He turned the blanket over, and to his horror, he had been stabbing at a rolled up canvas. Suddenly he heared a weird, odd pitched, whistle from the bushes. All around the pair, the ships captains sprain out of the bushes, weapons raised. The emperor ferret came out towards them holding in one hand a saber, and in the other a bone whistle made out of a eagle's bone. He spoke with a cold and hard voice.
"Fools, do you honestly think you could outsmart, out think, or out do me, Valcure Matterang? Blithering idiots! Tomorrow I'll will tell you what you earned."
He called for a particularly big rat captain from the circle saying, "take them to a huge tree and tie them around it with cord. They will learn what happens when beasts try to kill me!"
(Later that day)
The next day, the entire army was gathered as the big rat captain brought out the to prisoners in front of the hoard. Lord Valcure jumped on a sphere shaped rock. His voice lashed out onto the ranks. "Look at these pathetic fools, trying to assassinate their master. You will all see what happens to traitors and backstabbers." He got off of the rock and went to four archers who he had talked to earlier. They came out, about twenty paces in front of Draggle and Tarmac. One of the archers was also carrying a bucket of oil and when they came to a halt another archer lit a small fire.
"Archers ready!" Valcure yelled. They dipped there bows into the bucket than into the fire until the tips of the arrows were burning brightly. They took aim and pulled back their strings taut.
"Fire!"
Off the arrows went, speed straight and true to there targets. The pair of rats screamed as there footpaws caught on fire. The flames licked all over the bodies. In a couple minutes they were dead, black, charred from the experience.
The massed rats stood in horror. Valcure climbed on the same rock. A smile was on his face. He shouted to the entire hoard. "Tomorrow we will continue our march towards this Redwall Abbey. If anyone thinks of mutiny, I will personally give you a much worse punishment."
And every single rat in the army knew, he spoke the truth!