Sorry it's been so long since I last updated! I just haven't had much time. I promise the next chapter won't take as long. Please RR!
Chapter 12
The early morning sun did not keep the travelers at bay. Azalea and Donovan were already awake, eating quietly and staring at the riddle before them. Martin was still fast asleep, and the two friends decided against waking him. The dark squirrel took a long drink from his canteen of water and wiped his mouth with the back of his paw. "Well, we left off at this point, 'Defeat the cruel at the entrance of a group of plants that touch the sky.' Can you make any sense out of that lot?"
Azalea shook her head and sighed. "By the looks of it, Martin has to go into battle with some vermin or another at the entrance of Mossflower, yes it does. That part worries me, though. I was hoping we wouldn't run into any vermin on this here trip."
"It's inevitable, Azalea. We have to follow this riddle, especially if Polleekin gave it to us. That is, if Martin is ever going to have peace of mind again in his life," Donovan stood up and stretched. "We'd better get going if we want to get to the tribe in three days."
The chipmunk nodded. "I'll pack the stuff and put something together for Martin. I never knew a warrior that wasn't famished in the morning!"
Donovan knelt down beside the sleeping form and gently shook it. Martin grunted and opened his eyes reluctantly. "Rise and shine, buddy. We've got a long day ahead of us."
The warrior usually complained in the morning about how his friends should have woken him earlier and how he hated oversleeping. However, he was unusually silent, and his eyes were looked cold and empty.
"You all right there, Martin?" Azalea asked cautiously as she handed the mouse some water. "You don't look well, no you don't."
"I'm fine," he replied, shouldering one of the haversacks, "just a little tired, that's all."
Donovan chuckled. "A warrior, tired? We better start marching before dozy-chops here falls asleep again," he said jokingly. He quickly stopped laughing when he received a hard stare from Martin's red-rimmed eyes.
Azalea hastily changed the subject. "Is everyone ready to go?" Two heads bobbed in reply. "Let's head out then."
The day was cool, with a slight chill in the air. The three creatures hugged their haversacks closely to their bodies every time the wind whipped past them. Azalea cursed under her breath about not having brought a cloak with her. "Only two and a half more days till we're there, right Donovan?" she asked the burly squirrel.
"Hopefully. By the way the weather's looking though, it might be a full three days. The air's getting cooler earlier in the evening now. That means less traveling time for us." Donovan glanced over his shoulder at the shivering Martin. "At least we're getting closer to solving your problem." Martin shrugged and went back to staring at the ground passing beneath them. Donovan let out a small laugh. "Martin, you got a face on you like a flattened frog. What's the matter with you today?"
"Nothing's the matter with me," the mouse replied fiercely, his cold eyes staring right into the dark eyes of Donovan.
"Hey, no need to get offended, I was just asking a question."
"Then don't ask stupid questions."
Azalea could sense the danger level in the ear. "Hey guys, why don't you say we take a little break, eh? My paws are killing me, yes they are."
"Are you calling me stupid?" Donovan stopped walking and had turned around to face Martin.
"No, I was calling your question stupid. But, it did come out of your mouth, so…"
"What is your problem Martin? Before today, you were all gun-ho and buddy-buddy and everything, and today it seems like you're looking to pick a fight with someone."
"I'm not looking to pick a fight with someone. I wouldn't be arguing with you if you would just keep your damn mouth shut."
Donovan clenched his fists. "I can't believe you, Martin! I'm doing all I can to help you with your stupid riddle and find the cure to some 'illness' you have, when its probably all in your head. If you could just keep a hold of your short temper you wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Oh, it's all in my head? So I'm making all this up? Would you like to have the urge to kill your friends twice a day? Would you like to feel like you're swimming in blood for the rest of your life?"
Donovan's voice got a little quieter. "Listen, mate, I know how you feel…"
"You know how I feel, do you!" Martin exploded. "You know how it feels to lose your mother, all your friends, your grandmother and the love of your life? Do you know what it feels like to watch your father sail away when you're only a few season old and never see him again?"
Azalea tried calming the yelling mouse down, but to no avail. "Martin, come on, he gets it already."
"Yeah, I do get it," Donovan yelled back. "You think you should get all the sympathy because you've had such a tough life. Well guess what? I lost my son. He didn't die in battle like some hero friend of yours, he had an accident. But that doesn't-"
Martin interrupted him by snorting. "He had an accident? I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
That did it. Donovan snapped. He lunged at the mouse, digging his claws into Martin's shoulders. Martin howled, and sank his teeth into the squirrel's wrist, causing Donovan to let go of his hold on him. Taking advantage of the distraction, Martin shoved his opponent down to the ground and socked him in the nose. Donovan's eyes began to water and a small trickle of blood ran down to his mouth. Martin, his eyes aglow with the Bloodwrath, pulled the squirrel up to his knees and walked around him. He took Donovan's paws and held them behind his back. Donovan wasn't ready to give up however. He head butted Martin in the jaw, and an audible crack could be heard as one of Martin's teeth was knocked out.
Azalea could stand no more of it. "Stop it!" she yelled, "Stop it right now!" She grabbed Donovan by the small bush of hair on the very top of his head and Martin by the ear (none too gently either). With the strength of a full grown chipmunk warrior, she bashed the tow creatures heads together. "You impudent little idjits, cut that out right now, ya hear me?"
Martin spit out his broken tooth onto the ground, and the red mist started to fade from his eyes. A sizable lump was forming on his forehead where Azalea knocked it and a bit of blood showed on his ear from her claws. He glanced at the dizzy squirrel in front of him with hateful eyes. Donovan was wiping the blood from his nose and breathing heavily.
"Now," the chipmunk said forcefully and through clenched teeth, "will you two hot-headed warriors quit it? Arguing and fighting like two sea rats over a herring will get us no where, no it won't. You should be ashamed of yourselves, yup yup. Fist fighting other woodlanders., who would've thought? Now, you two apologize," she dug her claws deeper into the skin of the mouse and the squirrel for emphasis, "and mean it. Or else."
Martin stared into the vengeful eyes of the squirrel. "I'm sorry I provoked you. And sorry for being a jerk."
"Ditto," Donovan replied, holding out his paw. "Truce?"
"Truce." They shook on it.
"There ya go," Azalea said, finally letting go of the two males. "We better get a move on or we'll never make it to the tribe grounds, no we won't."
The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. By sunset, the trio had cleared a lot of ground. They were almost out of the forest, as the trees weren't packed as tightly. They found a nice cave where they could light a small fire.
"Don't leave the fire on too long, Azalea," Donovan recommended. "There might be some unwanted vermin around that would be attracted by the light."
Azalea nodded. "I'd hate to be ambushed by a bunch of tree rats in the middle of the night."
One by one, each of the friends fell asleep. Martin was last, and he lay awake for quite awhile. He kept thinking about the strange dream he had the night before. It was wrong for him to pick a fight with Donovan all because of that dream. It was just a stupid nightmare that meant nothing. The mouse glanced over at the dozing squirrel. He was smiling and clutching his sword, having dreams of his own. Donovan was a true warrior, something Martin had wanted to be ever since he was a babe. He know had his father's sword back, but yet something felt missing. He felt he needed something else to be a warrior like his father was. He just couldn't place a finger on what it was, however. Martin sighed and closed his eyes. He thought he heard a soft hissing sound, and instinctively reached for his blade. There was nothing to be seen. Must be the wind, he thought. He noticed the fire was still blazing, and put it out with some canteen water. Laying back down, the mouse put his sword close to paw and rolled over. He fell fast asleep, dreaming of fire and possessed squirrels.
Several hours later, six pairs of eyes stared into the open mouth of the cave. Five of those pairs sat waiting for their leader to tell them what to do. One pair whispered aloud. "Hissssss, ven are ve going to attack dem, Sssire?"
The leader, a large grass snake, whacked the impatient one upside the head with his tail. "Ssshut up, you insssolent fool. Ve attack ven I sssay. Is de rabbit ssstill tied?"
Several heads bobbed up and down, and one snake pointed with his tail in the direction of a very large oak tree.Beneath the tree sat a hare, bound and gagged, and tied securely to the trunk of the tree. He was completely unconscious.
"It looks like de creaturess are asssleep, no?" The first grass snake piped up again.
"Yesss," the leader replied, his patience also ebbing away. "Everyone, remember vat I ssay. Do not disssobey the ordersss I gave you earlier. Go quiet like."
The group spilt up in sections, each taking a different path. The sleeping friends in the cave were oblivious to their surroundings.