This is the part where you all run away! No don't really! I just watched Shrek and I have what he says stuck in my head. Anyway… "People of Redwall, I give you…"

Chapter 7

Arathorn opened his eyes to see the kind face of the mousemaid again. At once he stood up and stretched. He looked at his surroundings, trees – lots of trees. All with golden leaves and the sky was so blue! Arathorn never dreamed of a place so wonderful in his whole life! The air was fresh and the birds sang with more cheer than Arathorn could remember. Everything was beautiful and joyful. Arathorn realized that he was standing on a dirt path that disappeared over a green hill. Suddenly, Martin strolled up and took Arathorn's paw in his.

"Come quickly my friend, there are things you must see. Rose will explain things on the way. I have matters to attend to first."

With that, he left them alone. At first there was this awkward silence, until Rose suddenly birst out, "Arathorn, you must not know where you are."

"Of corse not! I've never even dreamed of a place like this!" The otter looked keenly at the mousemaid, "Wait a second. Isn't Martin the Warrior dead? Ro, Ro-se, Rose. ROSE? You are Rose? Martin's sweetheart? But but but, you both are dead, that means that means, THE DARK FOREST?" (Even the birds stopped singing) "AM I IN THE DARK FOREST?"

He shouted so loud Rose cringed. "Yes…"

"AM I DEAD? I CAN'T BE DEAD! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

Arathorn sat down and took a little time to pause and catch his breath, but before he could continue, Rose explained, "No, you are not dead, but you are in the Dark Forest, though I cant think of a reason why it is called dark. Anyway, come with me as I explain to you the ways of Time."

Arathorn slowly got up as if in a daze and took Rose's offered paw. Together they strolled down the path, paw in paw.

"Martin took you here to show you what is happening down at the Evil One's camp. The white light you saw is the teleporting of the body from the Dark Forest to Earth. It cant be from Earth to Dark Forest, but Martin intercepted for you and you were allowed to enter. You see, the Guardian Badgers of the forest have their ways of magic no one even here can understand. They guard the Gates of the Dark Forest."

"Is Lord Brocktree here?" Arathorn asked eagerly.

"Yes silly! Anyone who has passed away can be found here. Just go to the Table of Beast and there is a creature from every race there to find out for you where a creature can be found. For example, when I went there, I asked Mousefinder to find my parents. He looked through his log and found the precise location of them. Tree 17892."

Rose pointed up as they walked past what Arathorn thought to be the millionth big tree. He saw a tree house with a mole waving down at them. Aragorn waved back as they passed.

"Who was he?"

"I have no clue."

"Then why did he wave?"

"You must understand, Arathorn; every creature in the Dark Forest is happy and kind. They have no wants. Everything is grown in every tree village. Even moles are not afraid of being on a ship or in a tree. Squirrels don't care whether they walk on the ground or swing through the trees. Oh, here we are."

Rose walked up a ramp that led to a house in another tree. From the tree house, Arathorn could see about five more houses in trees linked together by bridges connecting trees in a circle. On the ground in the middle there was an orchard of every kind of tree; from apples to plums, bananas to oranges, pineapples to coconuts, and tangerines to avocados.

"What on earth is that?" Arathorn questioned once he saw the bananas, oranges, pineapples, coconuts, tangerines, avocados and other fruits never seen by creature in Redwall or beyond.

"Those are fruits that only grow in the Dark Forest." Rose explained, "If any creature from earth came here, they would surly never leave. If they did leave, they would probably kill themselves to taste them once more."

Rose looked out the window of the dwelling and glanced around. Quickly she shut the window and bolted the door. "I'll tell you a big secrete. Only one bite from a fruit off the tree in the middle of the forest, where the Ruler lives, will make anybeast, living here or on earth, live forever!"

Shocking, I know, but us authors can make anything happen.