Vengeance Quest: Epilogue

Seasons passed. Riala healed enough to walk, and the delighted Malaya announced that she and Malcan could then wed, since Riala could now attend the ceremony. She'd grown so much, Aya had… in spirit, in mind, in bearing.

And so had Malcan. No longer the spoiled little princeling, the death of his mother and the terror of battle and the fight for Malaya's life had tempered him, forged him anew into a fine young squirrel one might conceivably pictured as an appropriate replacement for Audric.

Audric doted on Malaya, a brilliant joy to chase away the grief of the loss of his wife and of Sandor. Aya began singing again, and learned new dances, lighting up the halls with her intense love of life, her vibrancy.

And Pilaris? He was just happy to have a new "songsinger". The otters spoiled him rotten, feeding the fieldfare all the candied chestnuts he could handle, laughing at his antics. Pilar'd be too fat to fly, soon!

Riala tried to relax, tried to enjoy castle life and adapt to living without the incessant tug of her vengeance quest. But more and more she found herself stalking the ramparts, staring northward, or racing the wind through the trees.

She felt so… empty… directionless… purposeless. The quest for vengeance had consumed her life, and now it was gone, and Riala had… nothing.

Malaya found her on the ramparts one sunset, staring to the northern horizon, roce and dagger at her side. They stood in silence as the sun sank down.

"You're gonna leave, aren't ya…" More of a statement than a question, soft and sad.

"…aye."

A sigh. "We knew it'd happen… You're not happy here. Ya've always gotta be movin'… fightin'…"

Riala nodded slightly. "It would seem so."

"…and find a purpose other'n hate?"

A long silence from the squirrel. "Aye…"

Malaya engulfed her in a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss ya…!"

Riala smiled, sad and longing. One scarred paw stroked the squirrelmaid's ears. "I'll visit."

"Ya'd better!" Aya said fiercely, face buried in Riala's shoulder. "Or I'll send Pilar after ya to annoy ya to death!"

"Oh no, not that!" Mock horror coursed over the scarred face. "Anything but that!"

Malaya giggled, but it soon faded to solemnity. "Take care of yourself, 'kay?"

"…I'll try."

As the sun's dying rays whispered over the cloud-strewn sky, a squirrelmaid watched the silent form of a warrior squirrel walk into the forests of Southsward. As Riala reached the treeline, she paused and turned for a last long look, a final wave.

Malaya's paw raised in return, slow at first, but waving more and more furiously until the warrior squirrel was gone from sight.

"Farewell, Riala Goldentail…" Malaya whispered. "Good luck…"

In another land, far from the sunny shores of Southsward, past the green forests of Mossflower, beyond the peaceful sandstone walls of Redwall Abbey, the earth dove into sunset-red canyons carved by a whole network of rivers. Precarious trails beckoned those brave enough to venture to the canyon floors; caves riddled the rock walls. Waterfalls cascaded down, carving strange new shapes in the stone. A place of mystery, of grand isolation, of water and wind and shadow and sun.

Kiern stood at the edge of the precipice, staring across and down. The Nighthunt camped behind him, black tents dotting the pitted landscape like points of living shadow pierced only by the dying light of the setting sun and the pinpoints of campfires. A black-cloaked Nightclaw stood behind him, seemingly relaxed, but his gaze probed every shadow for a threat to his chief.

Pawsteps sounded behind him, soft and sure but slightly off rhythm, limping. Out of the corner of his eye, Kiern saw the Nightclaw straighten and salute. "Captain Astarte," he said, and turned to face her.

She saluted, though somehow it didn't carry the subordinance of a lower beast to her superior—somehow it carried the aspect of familiarity. "Aren't ya going to come inside, chief? It's getting late… and you're not in the safest spot in the camp, right now."

He looked at her for a long moment. Was it a bad idea to promote her to captain of the Nightclaws? Although… nobeast could fault her on zealousness or loyalty. A silent laugh. Who knew? Me as leader of the Nighthunt, and Astarte as my guardcaptain… utterly insane…

"Have the recruiters returned yet?"

A pause. She shook her head. "Not yet. They should be back any time now."

Kiern drew a deep breath. The Nighthunt's numbers had been cut severely by that ill-fated battle at Southsward. He'd scrambled to find replacements, traveling the entire length of the coast, almost all the way to the cold Northlands—and then cutting west, through Mossflower and surrounding lands, until he'd come here. To this impasse… this land of canyons and valleys. But at least he'd managed to find new captains, good ones. And the horde had accepted him as leader without much fuss—had almost forced him into the position, despite his feeble protests. It's as if I allowed the Longclaws to die so that I could take power…

"Kiern." Astarte's voice, gentle and firm at the same time, and she placed a paw on his shoulder.

He tensed, and then sighed. "You're right… we should retire for the night."

A nod. "Let's go then…"

Kiern watched her limp off towards his tent. And she's changed since the battle too. She'd won the fight with the otter captain, but not by much… it had left her with a permanent limp that she'd had to learn to fight with. Seduction became more difficult, which was a blow to her pride—but otherwise didn't matter much. Now that she'd "won" Kiern, she'd lost interest in otherbeasts. Captain of the guard and mate to the chief, it seemed, was power enough for Astarte.

The chief of the Nighthunt took a long last look at the sunset over the canyon. Well… that's a challenge to be surmounted tomorrow… A slow intake of crisp air. Kiern straightened his shoulders, turned about, and followed Astarte into his tent.

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Want more of Riala Goldentail and the others? Visit Chains of Hate, a site all about Riala. Since , for some reason, will not let me include a URL , you'll have to go to my user page here at , click on the "my homepage" link, then click on the "my sites" link, and then on "chains of hate". Tedious and idiotic, I know, but that's for you...