Chapter 1

Mossflower lay as a land of plenty, and of peace. The birds sang, and the wind blew in complete harmony. Inside Redwall, however, everybeast was tied up with chores. It was the first day of Summer, and that meant a beginning-of-the-season feast, which meant work had to be done. However, no beast had come up with a proper name for the Summer. Frair Hugo's voice could be heard, almost everywhere in the kitchen at once.

"Sall, don't let the cake be sitting in the oven too long now. The last thing we need for this feast is a burned cake."

"Oye! Get away from there you awful creatures!" Frair Hugo said out in distress. The dibbuns had found the jar of candied chestnuts. They quickly ran away with the jar, held between two molebabes, once they heard the Frair. It was all a game to them.

As the hustle and bustle of the kitchens continued, and everybeast was preoccupied, none had gone to awake Matthias from his slumber in the gatehouse. He lay amid heaps of dusty parchment, sleeping peacefully. Only one even knew that he was there: Cornflower. The mousemaid stole quickly out of the kitchens, and out into the orchard. She silently opened the door to the gatehouse and crept in. She bent down over to his ear, as if to whisper something.

"WAKE UP, SLEEPY!"

"Ahhhh!" Matthias yelled out.

Cornflower lay on the floor, laughing uncontollably.

"Ha ha ha! I will never get tired of that for the rest of my life!"

"Cornflower, why did you have to wake me up?"

"Chores! It's only fair that you bear some of the work burden around here. Now get up and lend a hand at the kitchens."

"Hmmm... Is that the real reason you came here: to tell me to do my chores?"

Cornflower cheeks blushed, like crimson blood.

"Of course, why else?"

The two mice stared at eachother for a while, Cornflower still blushing, and Matthias hypnotized by her dark eyes. Had it not been for the knock on the Abbey gates, they would have been staring at eachother until they turned to stone.

Matthias left the gatehouse and went up the ramparts to the battlements. He looked down to see who the visitor was, but no beast was there. As he looked closer, a voice called from behind, scaring him well out of his wits.

"Looking for someone?" The voice asked.

Matthias whirled around to see a squirrel, about his age and hieght, with a broad scimitar buckled to his hip, staring back at him.

"How did you get in here?" Matthias asked.

The squirrel looked to his left. There, a large oak tree stood, outside the Abbey, with its top most branches reaching over into the battlements.

"I ran up the old oak over there onto these battlements," The squirrrel stated.

"That fast?" Matthias asked. The squirrel nodded.

"Aye, wasn't too difficult. Great place, this Abbey. Is it yours?"

"No. Redwall belongs to anybeast. As long as you're not vermin, and aren't here looking for trouble, you can stay."

"Alright, I think I'll stay in that case." The squirrel said, turning around. He faced the Abbey.

"My name is Matthias. May I have the pleasure of knowing who I am addressing?"

The squirrel laughed.

"You sound as if you're talking to your elder, though I am not that much older than yourself."

Matthias smiled. He liked this creature.

"Well, what's your name then?

"That's better. I prefer to be addresed in that manner. My name's Castell, but everybeast I know calls me Cast for short.

"Alright Cast, we better take to the Abbot. He will want to know all the guests that arrive here."