Chapter V
After Imaldu had left, the shrews had begun to be very edgy. Keeping away from the badgers as much as they could. Mealtimes were the only exception due to the fact that they would be showing disrespect to the badger tribe and they did not want to lose such a good alliance.
Log a Log conversed with Makonn in hushed tones.
"Your large badger has upset my Goufs, Makonn. What do you plan to do about it?" Log a Log sat, pensively chewing on a slice of onion and carrot pastie.
"There is not much we can do. He has already sailed off with your shrew steersbeast," Makonn pointed out.
"Don't remind me. If that Krewdy gets back 'ere I'll... Well, I'll think of something good enough!"
"Shh, not so loud. Anyway, Imaldu must learn these lessons on his own. If we bring him back and try to force our rules down his throat, he might be inclined to kill."
"Not that he already hasn't tried," Log a Log mumbled under his breath.
"Bring more firewood. My seer must have a good blaze going." Zrunduul ordered. Rats and weasels hurried to do his bidding. The black fox had always figured that rats and weasels were not the smartest vermin, so they were left to do the hardest tasks, with the exception of his seer, a rat. Ferrets and stoats were among the fox's higher ranking officers, while he was the only fox.
Smirking, the black fox reveled in his position. It had not taken him long to go from travelling across the land to survive, to finding a lost horde and claiming them for his own. It was almost too pitiful to believe that a whole horde had lost three leaders in four seasons, after trying constant times to destroy either Redwall Abbey or Salmandastron. Without their old seer, the horde would have never wandered into the fox's newly claimed territory; a small pine grove.
Rudely interupted from his thoughts, Zrunduul slowly turned his head and gazed calmly at a rat who was muttering near a fire. Tossing shells, pebbles and twigs into the air, Frul grunted quietly as she noted the positions the objects fell.
"What do the omens say, Frul?"
"The blackened shell represents you, and the two small pebbles behind show the two thousand hordebeasts you command. This upright cockle shell represents the badger mountain, and this piece of hardened red clay symbolizes-"
"Redwall Abbey," the fox finished.
"Yes my liege, but who is the seer?"
"I am sorry that I have upset you Frul. Please accept a wood pigeon egg for your troubles."
Zrunduul only treated the rat in the kindly manner due to the fact that she was the only seer he had out of the horde. Being one to take omens seriously, the black fox did not want to kill or to offend the seer, as finding another on short notice was unwise.
"As I was saying," Frul continued,"the sticks that have fallen from the black shell, you, to the hardened clay, Redwall Abbey, is the path that you must take."
"The zig-zagging path will lead me to gain extra hordebeasts. Am I right Frul?"
The ancient seer could see Zrunduul stroking the large mace handle tucked into his belt, so she decided quickly to tell him what he wanted to hear.
"Yes, sire. Though the land could be treacherous, as my visions have told me, that is where future hordebeasts lie."
"Visions? What visions? You have told me nothing of this until now. If you do not give me the proper answer to such a violation of my authority, you will be severly punished. Do I make myself clear?"
"Certainly, sire Zrunduul. I had only had the vision late at night, but all that I told you was what I saw," Frul whimpered.
"Lying makes me very, very angry Frul. Do not lie to me further or you could find yourself left behind," Zrunduul growled softly.
Knowing that Zrunduul could do no such thing if he wanted advise, she quickly pointed this out. "But you know you cannot kill me, for who will give you advise such as I have?"
Seemingly about to turn away from his seer, Zrunduul suddenly whipped back around and struck Frul across the face. Clapping a paw to her right cheek, the seer scrambled back a few paces from her unpredictable captain.
"Insubordination will not help you in the long run, seer! Be glad I spared your life." Zrunduul slipped away from the wounded seer, cursing the day he had found such an incompetant horde.
Sure enough, Krewdy's eyesight proved correct. A large vessel was rapidly overtaking them.
"What should we do, Krewdy? You're the shrew," Imaldu turned his gaze over to the shrew.
"I'm ain't too certain what to do. Maybe we could pull away from the ship, but they might follow us anyways, so our best bet would probably be to wait for 'em to get close enough, you know, see what's goin' on."
"That sounds as good an idea as any. I'm all for it if you are," Imaldu shrugged.
"Jus' let it be noted that whatever happens, you had an equal share in the outcome," Krewdy replied.
"Fair enough."
Imaldu could only say that waiting for that vessel to come at them with whatever occupants it contained was almost too much to bare. Not being able to do a single thing about their possible fate. The ship could contain searats or corsairs, blood-thirsty and ready for prisoners. These dreadful thoughts could not be shaken from his mind.
Krewdy, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem at all. Although he did not look back in the direction of the ship, the shrew just kept busy tending to the sails; searching for possible tears in the fabric.
As the great vessel bumped against the side of their craft, the badger instictively looked up. Searching along the deck railing, he quickly spotted a pair of green eyes watching him. Ducking behind the rail, the creature disappeared.
"Hey you! Get back here and show your face if you aren't afraid to!" Imaldu called above the ocean waters.
"You yourself, sah! T'ain't good manners to yell like that to your elders 'n betters!" the creature, obviously a hare by their speech, replied indignantly.
"What makes you think you have the right to say such things to me, when you were spying on us not a minute ago?"
The hare reappeared over the railing, about to give the badger a stern lecture. But upon seeing Imaldu, he soon changed facial expressions completely; to one of embarrassment. "So sorry. My 'pologies to you."
"What's goin' on out there, Varc?" a second voice called.
Another figure, most likely a mouse peered down at the badger from the other boat. "You'll have to excuse Varc. But we'll mind that later. Would you not like to come aboard, 'stead of gettin' seaspray whipped at you?"
Peering over at Krewdy, Imaldu waited for a reply.
"Why not? We could use some comp'ny!" the shrew called back.
Tying an extra piece of rope from the deck onto the mast, Krewdy threw the rest up to the hare, who easily tied a large, thick knot onto a large section of railing. Easily hauling himself up by the rope, Imaldu's friend looked down at him expectantly. Shrugging unhappily, Imaldu indicated that he could not climb such a thin piece of rope. Rolling his eyes, the mouse standing by the one named Varc, tossed a rope ladder down to the badger. With a considerable amount of effort, Imaldu struggled to keep his balance on the side of the swaying ship.
Finally aboard, Imaldu spoke. "Thank you for the help. I am not one too fond of water."
"Well, neither were we when we started. Varc was one of the worst, weren't ya Varc?"
"Speak for yeself, sah. I was merely one who did not appreciate getting one's paws wet," Varc replied huffily.
"Sure you were. Anyway, all of us aboard know the real truth, so stop tryin' to gain admiration from our badger friend."
Looking for an easy way out, the hare soon changed the subject. "As you've already heard from Tyreck, I am Varc."
"He already said my name, so I won't repeat it. What d'you call yourselves?" Tyreck asked.
"I'm Krewdy, an' that striped mountain over there is Imaldu," Krewdy explained.
"You'll probably want to hear our story of how we got here, but that can best be told over a good steamin' meal. Follow me an' flopears here."
The duo strolled behind the hare and mouse and chuckled when they sawVarc scowl darkly at Tyreck when he wasn't watching.
To be continued...
Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been busy writing another story, which I might post later on. Thanks for your help with my story, and I hope this chapter will make up for my lack of updating.
Thanks for reviewing!