my dad just got the internet to work today, April 1. So i'm happy to post Chapter 10 finally. I'll be done wid chapter 11 soon.
Chapter 10
As Arathorn, Zanzibar, Nightwing, and the former slaves walked through the peaceful forest, they came upon a small clearing with a large moss-covered stone in the center. Even though Arathorn and his two friends have first met here, they did not recognize the place. Ten seasons changed the lay out of it. There were more trees, shrubs and grass.
Arathorn was walking beside Zanzibar with Nitram on the horses back, when she suddenly cried, "Arathorn, yore sword's glowin'!"
The male otter drew his sword and watched as the yellow glow became brighter as they neared the center of the clearing.
"So it it, Nitram. I wonder why."
Sudden realization dawned on Zanzibar and he spoke, "Now I remember, Arathorn. When we first came here, your sword was shining the same color. This must be the same place where we first met you! Strange how it only glows here, but not anywhere else."
Arathorn's gaze swept the large rock as he walked by it. He was astonished as he walked away, the glow got dimmer and dimmer. Calling a halt, he went back to investigate.
As he suspected, the closer he got, the more the sword shined, and the farther away, the dimmer. Carefully, the otter scraped away the moss as curious beast gathered around.
Before he'd gotten very far, Zanzibar suddenly raised his head to the wind. Nostrils flaring and eyes wide, he turned back to Arathorn. "I smell rats!"
The black, white, and gray house cat captain, Flayven, was not all bad. He simply carried out orders and had others do the dirty work. When a commander commands a five thousand count hoard, and divides it between five, naturally each commander would make captains for their thousand. Flayven's captains were: three rats, two pine martins, a stoat, a weasel and two foxes. For this mission, he chose his most reliable captains to come along with him. One was a rat, Lardneck; his neck was so large, he could swallow a fish whole. Another was a orange fox with black paws and tail; he was an excellent tracker. The other two were the pine martins because the Evil One wanted them to go along: they where Urans and Lockjaw.
The five watched from the cover of bushes as the catapult train stopped.
"Why cont we attack naow?" Urans asked in a whisper.
"You know the plan! We wait for nightfall when they fall asleep, then we sneak up and take their weapons and capture them again." Flayven answered back.
"But wot 'bout da bird an' 'orse?"
"We throw those nets over them. Uh o, the horse smells us! See how he raised his head to the wind? Have everyone draw back silently."
Slowly the captains and Flayven crawled back to where the troops where waiting.
"From now on, there will be no fires, no talking and no noise! They know we're here!" He informed them.
Silently, the vermin nodded and began to pack up. Suddenly, the rat next to Flayven sat down. Turning, the cat saw a dark object dart behind a nearby tree.
"Get up you dope and…" he stared at the rat in horror. A black feathered arrow stuck out of his chest!
Instantly the camp was in an uproar. Hundreds of black shafts flew from the trees; one after another. In the state of panick, vermin hurtled themselves for cover; only to be shot in mid-air. Thinking fast, Flayven covered himself with the carcass of the rat and hurried after the catapult train. Any arrows shot at him buried themselves in the rat's limp form. Four hundred and three captains died before the Flayven's army fled in the direction of the Evil One's camp. But they were not aloud to retreat, or so the hidden attackers had in mind. More and more arrows wized down until every last vermin was dead. As quickly as the ambush had begun, it stopped. Only Flayven survived. As he slunk off, he saw black shapes of squirrels in the trees. He quickly ducked under the carcass as one looked his way. Another arrow pierced the body.
Flayven heard a voice say, "Pay no heed, Livejohn, the rat has already gone through Hellgates."
A different voice said, "Then why a cat's tail?"
A pause, then, "I see nothing unusual. Let us leave this awful place with the rest of the band."
"But I could have sworn I saw a cat behind it." The second voice said.
"Come now, back to the Shadow Opps."
"Just let me go down there and check it out. I won't be long."
"Let me catch you down there and you won't have any hide left by the time I'm done with you."
Flayven heard the faint swish of branches as the two squirrels disappeared. Abandoning the rat's body, he ran away after the catapults.
Just as Zanzibar spoke, the smell went away. Still he was alert; as was Arathorn. He left off studding the rock and urged everyone on faster; promising himself he'd come back one day to investigate further. He hoped to make it to Redwall before sunset. His ear caught a sound he hadn't heard in a while: battle. It came from back behind them.
"Zanzibar! Nightwing!" He called his friends to him. "I'll be right back. I heard something back thata ways and I'm goin' to see what it was. Take charge and if I'm not caught up with you by the time you reach Redwall, don't worry."
"Whatever you say, master."
"I von't vorry. Ve know you can take care of yourzelf."
Taking up his bow, arrows, sword, shield, and a length of rope, Arathorn turned around and headed into the thick foliage. Keeping his eyes, ears, and mind alert helped him to see, hear, and know a lone cat was following them. He dodged behind a tree and waited. Arathorn watched the housecat keep in the shadows and glance up at the treetops often. Strange, he thought to himself. The cat passed Arathorn without even glancing at the tree. Silently Arathorn picked up a fallen branch and swung it at the unsuspecting cat's head.
BONK!
The cat fell in a heap. Arathorn dropped the branch and used the rope to tie the cat to a nearby spruce tree. Then he ran back to Zanzibar and Nightwing.
"I caught a cat following us. He looked up at the trees quite a bit. I need some help to get him back here. Would you help, Zanzibar?"
"Me? Carry a cat? Preposterous!"
"I'll help, Arathorn." Nitram slid from Zanzibar's back and steadied herself on Arathorn's paw.
"Thank you much! Follow me quickly. I've heard cats can get themselves out of any binding in a short length of time."
Together they jogged off into the forest.
Nightwing said to Zanzibar, "I can feel in my bonez Nitram iz afraid of da cat. I'd bet my tail featherz zhe vent only to be vith Arathorn."
"I'd bet my mane."
Arathorn and Nitram together succeeded in bringing the senseless cat to where their party was. They lifted him onto one of the carts and tied him to the strong structure of the catapult on it.
"This cat's name is Flayven. He's a cap'n in the Evil One's army. It's a good thing we caught 'im. But I wonder where the rest of his troops are. He was suppose to come and guard us with five hundred vermin as we went through the forest." Nitram told Arathorn as they tied the last knots.
"I don't know. But the sooner we get back to Redwall the better." He said.
The rest of the trip went without interference.
So sorry this chapter hasn't been here sooner. My internetwas in sad state of being (don't ask why: I don't know).