Guys, I wanna hear from you! At the very least, someone tell me I'm not boring you to sleep. I'm getting serious now, so let's hope for no more writer's remorse.

Part Two

Felix the Vermin

7

They had only traveled for three days before they had made it to the camp. On the path that led there right before they entered, however, Old fox had stopped him to say something.

"I'm only gonna say it once to ya." He warned, "Ya don't come from Redwall, ye ain't never heard o' the place, and you do not associate with Fluffies. If'n ye give 'm reason to suspect otherwise, I'll make sure you're out of my sight before you cause me any grief, n' ye'll be lucky if that means gettin' chased out. Do we understand each other?"

Felix said nothing, though he wanted to bite back a sarcastic comment about how he'd never be seen with "Fluffies". Somehow he couldn't bring himself to say something like that; something felt wrong about it. He nodded, aware that Old fox was still waiting on an answer.

"At least you can follow orders, pup." Old fox sneered, "Follow me and don't say nothin'."

Though the congregation here was nowhere as large as the creatures that lived back at Redwall, Felix was quite sure this place was just about as lively. Small fires dotted the camp, and from each one wafted the smells of cooking food and the pleasant sounds of conversation. (Somewhere, also, though Felix couldn't tell where, he thought he could hear singing.) A pair of foxes reclined in the midday sun, snoozing peacefully. Dibbuns (Were they called Dibbuns here, or something else?) were playing a game, laughing and running around unabated by the elders.

He looked to a group of foxes his own age- at least now he knew they existed- and his gaze stopped when it fell upon a particular, a lady beast. The young male had nothing to base it on, since he hadn't seen other vixens his age, but she was beautiful. Even from here, her fur looked soft, like she had just washed it. She was speaking, and even from here, the young male could hear her even, almost melodious tones. And when she walked… when she walked…

Felix stumbled. The motion caught the vixen's attention, and when she turned to look his way, that was when their eyes finally met. Those eyes! Felix's heart leapt in his chest. Those piercing chestnut eyes which seemed to smile even though her face was impassive; it was enough to make a beast want to swoon. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion as they passed. For a fraction of a second, they were close, so close Felix could smell…

"Keep dem eyes in yer head!" Old fox growled in warning. Felix felt his face grow hot as he snapped his face forward. Just out of the corner of his eye, he could se the vixen one last time, a slight dimple of a smile breaking her calm facade. Thoroughly abashed, he wasn't even aware until he had almost crashed that Old fox had stopped moving. "Look over there, pup." The older beast said, pointing up to a tree bough. "Do ya see it?"

"See what?" Felix looked where Old fox pointed. A fox babe was up in the tree, snoring peacefully. "What?" Startled, Felix made as if to move towards it, but Old fox put a paw out to intercept him. "What-what is he doing up there?" he asked Old fox.

Old fox laughed, a twisted smile just starting to worm its way on his face, "Being tested." He said simply.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Felix took his gaze from the newborn to see the two foxes standing below the tree, one male, one female.

"It's tradition here. We want nothing to do with sissies in this clan, so we test all the newborns, by putting them in the tree." Before Felix could ask, the babe had awakened, his loud cries audible even from this distance, "Attend, pup, that 'un failed."

Felix cast a desperate look to Old fox, "What happens to them when they fail?"

The couple had retrieved the bawling fox babe from the bough and walked off. Any embarrassment Felix felt from his recent encounter was quickly replaced by pure horror, as the Male at the tree unwittingly answered his question by drawing a long dagger. "We don't want nothin' to do with no sissies." Old fox repeated morosely, though his face still had that wicked grin on it. "Drop that look, you lil' baby, you went through the same thing. I recall you cried even louder when you were put up there."

The younger fox felt his heart stop; the crying had abruptly halted. When he finally registered what Old fox said, realization was close to making him burst into tears, "I couldn't have." He finally choked out, "If I did that, I'd be…"

"Ya catch on quick. You, by all accounts, should'a died just like that babe. Lucky fer you, ya were born ta the only bleedin' heart mum inna whole camp."

"They dropped me there so I wouldn't be killed? They cared for me that much?" he reasoned.

"They defied the rules, then ran ta avoid their punishment." Old fox spat, "They didn't give a damn 'bout you, they just wanted an excuse."

Felix could feel a hint of anger at that last remark, though he didn't know why he was getting worked up over people he never met. "Where are they now? Do you know?"

Old fox's sneer widened, "We took 'em off the gallows seasons 'go; they were startin' ta smell."

"You…sick bastard!" Felix had his paw up and flying for the old beast's head before either of them new what was happening. He didn't withdraw this time, but rather he was stopped by a third beast's paw. The third fox pulled Felix away, twisting his arm in the process and holding it.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, twisting further, until Felix was nearly on his knees.

"Hey! Leave 'im be, HalfTail." Old fox admonished, "I was expectin' him to do summin' like that ages ago."

Felix tried to suppress a cry of pain as his arm was coaxed into an even more uncomfortable angle. He wanted to lash out, but his arm was at an angle where he couldn't possibly get anything solid on the beast. Like it would do any good; compared to him, Felix seemed very small indeed.

Much to his surprise, though, the beast called HalfTail smiled, releasing Felix's arm and turning to Old fox, "You still teasin' the young'ns Codger?"

"Codger?" Felix had to ask, resisting the urge to rub his sore arm.

"Don't be givin' me that look, pup." Codger- the fox actually has a name, it seems- said again, as though Felix was stupid just for asking, "That ain't what my mum wanted ta name me, its wha' they all call me here."

"Codger?" Felix asked again, about ready to crack up, "As in, old codger, Codger?"

HalfTail moved in front of the young fox, up to his full height, "You got a problem with Codger, whelp?"

Again, Felix felt quite small and sickly staring at this hulking mass, but he didn't allow himself to cower, "What if I do? S'not like it's any o'yer business whether I find a name funny, now is it?"

HalfTail's paw went up, and Felix almost flinched, almost sure that he was about to be hit for his remark, but then the larger beast's paw landed on the smaller's shoulder, "I like ya kid, just don't overstep it, eh?" HalfTail rumbled, "Maybe we'll have a use fer ya, maybe get a lil' mass on that puny frame o' yers." With that, he walked off to one of the cook fires.

Felix turned to Codger, but it turns out in the brief spat of conversation, he had walked off somewhere. So he was alone for now. Felix rubbed his hands together, deciding that the first thing he should do is find that vixen he had seen earlier. I wonder what her name is, he thought.

(Not a stone's throw away…)

Ariell watched the young male, hidden, though she knew he wasn't looking this way. That little front he put up with HalfTail was actually quite amusing; who was he trying to convince?

Something about the male caught her attention when they saw each other. She knew full well she had an effect on him. What was it? Besides, of course, the klutzy, awkward way he had behaved upon seeing her. And the peculiar way he was dressed… and the fact he was so gangly looking… and that…

She winced, sharp pains racing along her back. She shook her head, reminding herself she had no time to be worrying about a pup… no, not a pup. She wasn't much older… No time! She had to get going, or Slinkbat was liable to get angry again. He figured out about the knife, and he wasn't in a very amiable mood about it. Who knows what he'd do if he saw her "Slacking off"?...