This story's getting longer by the minute!
At the very moment Feren was leaning against the door of the Redwall dormitory, the object of his tears was being marched across the flatlands by an army of ferrets.
Slipweed was a young, lithe female otter, with sweet brown eyes and a smart personality. She could catch eels faster than anyone else in the troop, swim upstream for hours and paddle a boat as well as any shrew. Her ears were small and pert, but something about the set of her mouth spoke of fierce determination and an angry desire to succeed.
But now her mouth was closed tightly, and her sharp eyes were pointed at the ground, focused on a tussock of grass. All around her, otters from the holt were doing likewise. One of the youngsters, Temmi, had her paws over her ears and was crying.
The ferret officer pulled his spear from the corpse of the dead otter and grunted in approval.
'Right. We're moving out. If anyone else thinks of escaping...'
His eyes flicked to the dead otter and back. He didn't need to finish the sentence.
Slipweed took Temmi by the paw and pulled her away. As each otter passed their fallen friend, they averted their eyes and nodded quietly. Many of them had pulled flowers from the trees and threw them over the body, whispering the traditional words.
'To dark forest gates silent spirit gone free
And there in the darkness you're waiting for me.'
Slipweed whispered them too, and there were tears in her eyes. Temmi sobbed gently, and Slipweed gave her a gentle shake.
You're dad's gone, Temm,' she whispered. 'You have to be strong for him.' Temmi nodded, and her eyes overflowed, dropping water to the ground. Slipweed rubbed her ears, pulling her close.
'Thank the seasons my Feren isn't here,' she whispered.
Feren was asleep at last, or at least half asleep. Jeni stood beside him, her paw gentle on his forehead. She sighed lightly, and slipped down the stairs towards Cavern Hole.
Skipper and Bella were snoozing in the chairs, both snoring gently. The flagon of October ale said it all, and Jeni stifled a smile. Then her eyes were drawn to the papers on the table.
They were strange ones, covered in old riddles and rhymes. It was obvious that Bella had been digging around the gatehouse for scrolls, though why Jeni couldn't guess. She perched by the table, turning them over quickly, confused by the whorls of spirally writing.
One interested her more than all the others. There were pictures on it, drawn carefully in dark ink. She brushed away the dust and looked at the writing. The script at the top said 'Noonvale'.
Something about that name sent a shiver down her spine, not the cold, unpleasant shiver of a drop of water, but the warm shiver you get when you know you're going home. She studied the scroll, reading the strange writing, but it was so hard to decipher. All about wardens and hills and three topped oaks.
Bella suddenly grunted and stirred. Jeni leapt in fright and, pocketing the scroll, ran from Cavern Hole, her light feet making little noise on the stone floor. She ran back up the stairs towards the dormitory where Feren was sleeping, all the time very aware of the paper fluttering in her pocket.
Feren turned lightly in his sleep, his mind filled with dreams of his mother. He whimpered like a little pup as he mind created pictures of the vermin taking her away and inside her longed for her to come back and get him, tell him all of it had been a dream.
Suddenly the picture changed. There was a strange calm around him, and everything smelt nice, like cherry blossom and water. He couldn't see the stream but he could hear it. He turned around, searching every where for the trees, but there was no greenery: just darkness. Then he turned back, and there was a mouse in front of him.
A tall, strong mouse, carrying armour and a shining sword. Something about him made Feren feel safe, as though the world was suddenly better for him being there. The mouse spread his arms around him, and suddenly everything was thrown into stark light. There were streams and bushes and wood smoke, and the fragrant cherry trees he had smelt before. Staring round in wonder, he barely heard the warrior mouse come up behind him, until a voice whispered in his ear.
'Noonvale.'
He swung round, and the mouse was smiling, a soft, sad smile. Feren shook his head.
'I don't know what you mean.'
The mouse laughed quietly, and Feren hung his head, ashamed. The mouse laid a paw on his head.
'Noonvale.'
The dream was dissolving, slipping away from the young otter. He tried desperately to hold on, tried to shout after the mouse. But there was no sound coming out, and the mouse wouldn't turn back, not however much he called. The cherry trees were falling into the river, and the water was spinning around him in a great muddled maelstrom...
Feren came awake gasping just as Jeni came bursting into the room.
'I found this script...'
'I had this dream...'
'...it's all in old writing...'
'...with this mouse and this river...' '...I don't know why I took it...'
'...I don't know who it was...'
'...look at the title, it says Noonvale...'
'...he told me I was in...'
There was a sudden silence as both registered what the other had said. They stared at each other across the dormitory, then Jeni sat down sharply. She whispered the word into the air.
'Martin the Warrior.'
Feren passed a paw across his eyes, as though he was unsure of himself.
'Noonvale,' he breathed.
The silence returned. Then Jeni pushed herself upright, shaking slightly. Her voice quivered as she spoke.
'I think,' she said. 'I think Martin the Warrior knows how to find your Mum.'
At the very moment Feren was leaning against the door of the Redwall dormitory, the object of his tears was being marched across the flatlands by an army of ferrets.
Slipweed was a young, lithe female otter, with sweet brown eyes and a smart personality. She could catch eels faster than anyone else in the troop, swim upstream for hours and paddle a boat as well as any shrew. Her ears were small and pert, but something about the set of her mouth spoke of fierce determination and an angry desire to succeed.
But now her mouth was closed tightly, and her sharp eyes were pointed at the ground, focused on a tussock of grass. All around her, otters from the holt were doing likewise. One of the youngsters, Temmi, had her paws over her ears and was crying.
The ferret officer pulled his spear from the corpse of the dead otter and grunted in approval.
'Right. We're moving out. If anyone else thinks of escaping...'
His eyes flicked to the dead otter and back. He didn't need to finish the sentence.
Slipweed took Temmi by the paw and pulled her away. As each otter passed their fallen friend, they averted their eyes and nodded quietly. Many of them had pulled flowers from the trees and threw them over the body, whispering the traditional words.
'To dark forest gates silent spirit gone free
And there in the darkness you're waiting for me.'
Slipweed whispered them too, and there were tears in her eyes. Temmi sobbed gently, and Slipweed gave her a gentle shake.
You're dad's gone, Temm,' she whispered. 'You have to be strong for him.' Temmi nodded, and her eyes overflowed, dropping water to the ground. Slipweed rubbed her ears, pulling her close.
'Thank the seasons my Feren isn't here,' she whispered.
Feren was asleep at last, or at least half asleep. Jeni stood beside him, her paw gentle on his forehead. She sighed lightly, and slipped down the stairs towards Cavern Hole.
Skipper and Bella were snoozing in the chairs, both snoring gently. The flagon of October ale said it all, and Jeni stifled a smile. Then her eyes were drawn to the papers on the table.
They were strange ones, covered in old riddles and rhymes. It was obvious that Bella had been digging around the gatehouse for scrolls, though why Jeni couldn't guess. She perched by the table, turning them over quickly, confused by the whorls of spirally writing.
One interested her more than all the others. There were pictures on it, drawn carefully in dark ink. She brushed away the dust and looked at the writing. The script at the top said 'Noonvale'.
Something about that name sent a shiver down her spine, not the cold, unpleasant shiver of a drop of water, but the warm shiver you get when you know you're going home. She studied the scroll, reading the strange writing, but it was so hard to decipher. All about wardens and hills and three topped oaks.
Bella suddenly grunted and stirred. Jeni leapt in fright and, pocketing the scroll, ran from Cavern Hole, her light feet making little noise on the stone floor. She ran back up the stairs towards the dormitory where Feren was sleeping, all the time very aware of the paper fluttering in her pocket.
Feren turned lightly in his sleep, his mind filled with dreams of his mother. He whimpered like a little pup as he mind created pictures of the vermin taking her away and inside her longed for her to come back and get him, tell him all of it had been a dream.
Suddenly the picture changed. There was a strange calm around him, and everything smelt nice, like cherry blossom and water. He couldn't see the stream but he could hear it. He turned around, searching every where for the trees, but there was no greenery: just darkness. Then he turned back, and there was a mouse in front of him.
A tall, strong mouse, carrying armour and a shining sword. Something about him made Feren feel safe, as though the world was suddenly better for him being there. The mouse spread his arms around him, and suddenly everything was thrown into stark light. There were streams and bushes and wood smoke, and the fragrant cherry trees he had smelt before. Staring round in wonder, he barely heard the warrior mouse come up behind him, until a voice whispered in his ear.
'Noonvale.'
He swung round, and the mouse was smiling, a soft, sad smile. Feren shook his head.
'I don't know what you mean.'
The mouse laughed quietly, and Feren hung his head, ashamed. The mouse laid a paw on his head.
'Noonvale.'
The dream was dissolving, slipping away from the young otter. He tried desperately to hold on, tried to shout after the mouse. But there was no sound coming out, and the mouse wouldn't turn back, not however much he called. The cherry trees were falling into the river, and the water was spinning around him in a great muddled maelstrom...
Feren came awake gasping just as Jeni came bursting into the room.
'I found this script...'
'I had this dream...'
'...it's all in old writing...'
'...with this mouse and this river...' '...I don't know why I took it...'
'...I don't know who it was...'
'...look at the title, it says Noonvale...'
'...he told me I was in...'
There was a sudden silence as both registered what the other had said. They stared at each other across the dormitory, then Jeni sat down sharply. She whispered the word into the air.
'Martin the Warrior.'
Feren passed a paw across his eyes, as though he was unsure of himself.
'Noonvale,' he breathed.
The silence returned. Then Jeni pushed herself upright, shaking slightly. Her voice quivered as she spoke.
'I think,' she said. 'I think Martin the Warrior knows how to find your Mum.'
