Hope you like how the stories goin' so far! Considering none of you guys want to review it...(waah!)

Book Two
The Badger and the Squirrel

"Hey, Chief I can see a badger and a hare coming towards us from that mountain we attacked earlier today."

"Good job Keeneye, you shall be paid rewardingly from the amount of treasure in the abbey of Redwall." At the sound of the word Redwall the weasel whimpered loudly. Versago looked at the weasel with emotionless eyes. "You aren't scared of a bunch of gentle creatures are you Keeneye?"

"N-No s-sir, not at all." Keeneye did fear the abbey of Redwall. The abbey dwellers fought fierce, but the fiercest were the warriors who wielded the blade, its point like an icicle and, when used in battle, it looked like a midwinter storm flashing through the air. Cluny the Scourge, Gabool the Wild, Gulo the Savage…. they all fell under the blade of Redwall, so vermin also avoid the sound of twin bells ringing through the woodlands.

"Brokeclaw come here, I need you to do a task for me. Get five others and stall the badger and hare at all costs, and if you fail to and come back I shall slay you myself! Is that clear enough for you?"

"Aye, chief I got it." Brokeclaw answered nervously with a smart salute.

As Swordpaw and Mattello doubled marched across the sand Mattello's keen eye caught the searat's trap. He then quickly told Swordpaw what trap was laid. "Swordpaw, sir, those nasty vermin have set a net trap on the ground. When I say now jump over the net and when you touch the ground start kicking sand then run as fast as you can."

"I get what your saying Mattello."

"Swordpaw, sir, get ready to jump right about…NOW!"

Swordpaw and Mattello, in the nick of time, leaped through the air and as quickly as they hit land they blinded the rats with burning sand.

"Aaah, it stings!"

"I can't see at all, my eyes burn!"

"Ouch, watch it!" Brokeclaw yelled at a rat who stepped on his footpaw. After hearing that Swordpaw sped of like a scared dibbun with Mattello hard on his heels. They soon rested when they were out of danger's eye and camped close to the green woodland fringe. Supper was not appealing, but the searchers enjoyed it.

"Here, sir, have some oatcakes dipped in honey, and after that wash it down with some fresh water."

"Thank you Mattello."

They laughed and smiled and with the fire dying low they drifted of to sleep, but they were unaware of how close their enemies were.

Racing across the lawn Mordaltus and Brilly arrived at a hole with a lantern to light there way since Brilly woke the abbot close to twilight. A box lay at the bottom of the hole Mordaltus was looking at. The abbot then bent down and lifted the antique off the brown soil.

"Brilly, what's this?"

"'Is 'ere box oi foun' while diggum, but it won' opon."Brilly answered. Mordaltus looked at the box for a while, racking his brain to think of how to open the box. He then replied, "Brilly, go get our champion."

"Yes Habbot…look'm she 'e cumin, over 'ere Terr'."

The squirrel champion Terri came over in the slowly fading light in what seemed like a jog. She carried the sword of Martin the Warrior slung across her shoulders. Terri then answered the mole's call with her own, "Hello Brilly, Father Abbot, I was sent to bring you in. What seems to be the problem here?"

"I'll explain it to you in Cavern Hole; right now I'm hungry for supper." The three friends headed for Cavern Hole, ate their fill, and then sat down to think after Terri was informed.

"Terri I might know a way to open the box, but I need your help. Please place the sword of Martin the Warrior right here." Mordaltus indicated a spot on the old rowan wood box. It was engraved like the tip of the sword and it was in the middle of a circle. Terri then unsheathed the sword and stuck it gently in the engraved spot. The abbot was close to the brink of smiling, but kept a stern and serious face and continued with his plan. "Now turn the sword in a full circle by the handle." As Terri turned the sword she spoke her mind to the abbot.

"Father Abbot, I'm not so sure a-." Terri was then interrupted by a loud click which was heard by every abbeybeast in Cavern Hole. Everybeast then ran out to see what was happening after they heard the loud click. As suddenly as everything stopped the box opened, revealing a worn out parchment hidden inside it.

Waking up with the golden dawn light touching his face, Swordpaw sat up and stretched lazily. Leaning over to his right he shook Mattello back into reality without wasting any strength.

"Mattello, wake up you sleepyhead scoffer!"

"Mmm, huh what, can't a beast get any s-?" He was then silenced by Swordpaw when he placed a paw on Mattello's mouth.

"Shush, I can smell vermin very close by," Swordpaw whispered. Hearing that, Mattello crept quietly with Swordpaw to the close woodland fringe and peered over the bushes into the enemy camp. They saw vermin of every kind, but the most despicable vermin was the gold and silver fox sitting in the canvas tent. Mattello scanned the area looking for Tara when he spotted her chained and battered badly.

"Hey Swordpaw, old pal, let's get to the abbey of Redwall. We can stop them there because that's where they're most likely headed."

"I'm with you Mattello." Swordpaw whispered. They quietly crept back to the camp, packed their belongings, and headed towards Redwall.

"Father Abbot there's a parchment with the seal of Abbess Tansy on it!" Terri opened it carefully, "There's a riddle or a poem inside, I can't tell, but I'll read it,

Alas, Redwall shall be in danger

Two warriors bold to lead,

Shall guide an army and defeat the foe

Of gold and silver and his strangers,

On the day of the pine seeds.

A badger and a hare

From the mountain far away

Will come in a pair

And soon save the day.

Abbess Tansy of Redwall

"Wha' do 'at muen?" Brilly piped up after a moment of silence.

"I don't know, but let's all get some sleep. It is my duty as Father Abbot to get every Redwaller in their beds." Two days passed on without any answer from the Redwallers. Then a knock on the abbey's main gates told there was somebeast outside.

"Hello anybody in there, wot?" Peering over the ramparts Terri saw a badger and a hare, which meant no vermin. She signaled Brilly that it was okay to open the main gates for they were good creatures.

"It's okay Brilly, their just good creatures like us." As the gate creaked open Mattello jumped through the open space.

"I'm Mattello and this here chap is Lord Swordpaw of Salamandstron. Is it lunchtime already, I'm famished, wot!" Friar Goyle then had a dreaded vision of the hare stuffing his face.

"Dreadful, just dreadful for the kitchens if that hare ate in the abbey!" The friar exclaimed.

"What brings you to Redwall?" Terri asked adjusting her habit.

Swordpaw answered the question, "My daughter, Tara, has been taken by Versago Swiftclaw. He is now on his way to this abbey." By the mention of Versago, Brilly suddenly got the answer to the riddle.

"War, the answor is war! Tha'm the rikkle answor! 'E leav'm when 'e pin con drop. Terr' 'ill lead us!"

"If that's the answer then I'll take it! First we've got to rescue Tara. Here's the plan…"

"Hey chief we are approaching the abbey. About a day's march and we'll be there."

"Good job again Keeneye! Wartear, go and tie up the young stripedog." All Wartear did was give a nervous nod and then trotted off. If Versago's plan kept going on perfectly and he would soon be in complete control of Redwall from how his luck was faring, or so he thought.

Climbing and jumping swiftly long after the sun had gone down, Terri and five other squirrels executed the rescue mission. Spotting the young badgermaid fully awake they landed quietly on the ground beside her.

"Where did you c-!"

"Shush," Terri whispered, "We've come to get you out." With two files they broke through the chains in a matter of minutes. Terri, Tara, and the five squirrels ran off into the night leaving no trace behind. Returning from the woodlands and seeing her father was the happiest moment in Tara's life. She ran forward and hugged Swordpaw with all her might.

"Tara, I missed you, I'm so happy your back." Everybeast was happy at Redwall, but they were all unaware of what would happen the next day.

Waking up at dawn the next day, Terri walked over the light green abbey lawn towards the battlements. As she watched the woodlands she noticed from the corner of her eye brown rocks, but when she looked again they were actually pine cones! Then she looked beyond the ditch and saw a fairly sized dust cloud. Running back to the dormitories she woke everybeast up with her message. "Wake up, the day has come, all well able bodied beast report to me immediately!" was heard all around the abbey. Soon a large group was gathered and Swordpaw and Terri led the group out the gates only to be bumped into Log-a-Log Mearo and his Guosim shrews.

"Oh, I'm sorry Log-a-log Mearo."

"It's okay Terri; I was on my way to Redwall when this happens! What are you armed beast going to do?" Terri explained everything to Log-a-log and soon even he agreed to battle with them. The woodlanders stood on top of the ditch ready to teach vermin the lesson of their lives. The enemies' faces could be seen as clear as rain. As the woodlanders waited for the command, the vermin had no idea what was about to happen.

Eh, the poem sucks, but alas, I shall revise it if you guys please leave some reviews for this demo. Please!! I've got to know how good it is!