Disclaimer: Like I said before, I don't own Redwall
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two As One Chapter: 2
Within the Abbey, peace reigned supreme. The party made for Crim continued through out the day and into the long, snowy night. The Abbey beasts went about their business, some going wandering around the Mossflower grounds, while others had snow ball fights in the snow that blanketed the Abbey in white. Though the Abbey was at peace, Mossflower woods was not.
The sun had just set below the horizon and already the temperature was beginning to drop. The heavy laden clouds moved slowly across the sky, ready to release their furry with a merciless snow storm. This night found a single creature walking through the trees, a creature that no other wanted to get in the way of.
The moldy dark furred mink strolled through the woods, appearing to have not a care in the word. His hard, tattooed face glanced left and right, listening to the creatures that were following him. Nothing had changed of the warlord. He was the same dreaded sight that he had been years ago, only now he seemed even more confident of himself. His maroon eyes peered through the land, as if in search of something that no other beast could see. He scanned the area then saw what he was looking for. In a clearing, not far from him, was a camp that had tents rigged up in a circle. Obviously, creatures were preparing themselves for the snow storm that was to come. Stelumos couldn't see any thing real well from where he stood but he knew one beast that could. After a moment, he held of a paw and hissed quietly.
"Bemal, get over here," the old silver vixen floated towards him, her footpaws making no sound as they moved through the snow. Her bright blue flecked eyes looked over to her chieftain as she came to his side.
"I am here my lord," she replied with a voice that sounded like a breeze for her words flowed gently together. Stelumos looked up at her and growled, his paw toying across his great sword 'Doomsfate'.
"Where is she? She was supposed to be here by now," he growled darkly to his seer. Bemal shook her luxurious head and kneeled down upon the snow, throwing bits and pieces of bones and shells to the ground. She looked at how the objects landed and after a few minutes of silence she replied to him.
"My lord, she shall be here in time, be patient," Stelumos whirled on the vixen and held his blade a hairs breath from her throat.
"Don'tcha tell me to be patient vixen," his eyes glowed an evil light as Bemal backed away from him, her tail swaying from side to side. She looked at him for a moment then replied.
"She will be here, you must put more faith in Ebonia." Stelumos grumbled bad temperedly then stood up, looking out over the camp. A movement caught his eye and he watched as a larger male shrew walked towards one tent and collected some wood. He moved to the center of the camp and set them in a circle, using tinder and flint to light the wood and start a warm, glowing fire. Stelumos chuckled as he held his sword. He looked up at Bemal.
"Yea yea, go back to the horde and tell them to wait until we get word from `er." The vixen bowed before him then disappeared into the shadows all in one fluent motion.
"As you wish my lord," Stelumos stayed still as he watched the goings on in the shrew camp. Only years ago, this shrew clearing had been home to a village, a village that he destroyed and gained his prized warrior. Confident that this camp too would soon turn to ashes, he leaned back and began to sharpen his sword, his eye on the look out for Ebonia.
On the other side of the camp, away from the mink, there stood a grove of trees. In one tree, two strange aqua striped eyes stared down at the camp. A creature sat there, her eyes gazing at the shrews as if they were nothing put pawns in her masters plans. She sniffed contemptuously as the male shrew called within a tent and a female shrew carrying a babe walked out and sat near the fire to warm her paws.
To simple the creature thought to herself as she stood up in the tree. Pathetic, loving creatures, twill be their downfall.
She moved through the tree, scarcely swaying a branch. Leaping quickly, she landed in a tree that was closer to the camp, the fire light flashing on her fur. The creature in question was a young, black squirrel. Her fur was such a dark ebony color that it blended in with the shadows, making it impossible for the other creatures to see her. Her white paws, now covered with black gloves, moved towards two daggers that she had strapped across her blood red tunic. Plucking them free of their sheaths, she moved like a whisper through the trees then landed behind one of the tents, seeking out her prey.
Another male shrew moved from one tent to another, checking on each of its inhabitants. He was a shrew that looked of importance. A bright yellow bandana was tied firmly around his brow and his paw continually tapped the rapier that was at his side. He moved towards the tent that the squirrel was hiding behind and spoke to a young male shrew who rested with in. The squirrel crouched down to the ground and held her ear to the tent to listen.
"Now come on me laddo. Don't ya want to warm yer paws by the fire?" The male shrew asked. The young one looked up at him and shook his head, clutching a small homemade dagger to his chest.
"No paps, I want to stay in here. I feel like something is watching us from out there," the elder smiled at his son and sat next to him, his paw ruffling over his head fur.
"Now come on Lezlo, yer ol dad Log a Log ain't gonna let anything happen to ya." Log a Log said comfortingly. Lezlo looked up at his father and shook his head again, his eyes scanning about nervously.
"Naw, I want to stay in here. If I get cold I'll come out, alright ol timer?" Log a Log chuckled and tweaked his sons ear.
"Ya little snip, watch who ye be callin ol timer" he leaned close and winked mischievously, "Yer moma be older then I am but don't tell her I said that," Lezlo giggled and nodded.
"Yea, alright. I'll come out later I guess," Log a Log nodded at his son then stood up.
"Alright me bucko, see you later on then," With that, the leader of the Guosim walked out of the tent and went towards next one. Lezlo watched his father go then leaned back in the tent and closed his eyes.
The squirrel watched as the elder shrew left and chuckled silently to herself. All to easy. She thought then moved slowly behind Lezlo's tent. Making sure she wasn't seen, the squirrel took her dagger and began to slit the stitching in the back of the tent, moving her dagger slowly so as not to alert the young shrew within. She glanced around herself time and time again when finally she felt the opening was big enough. Sticking the dagger within her mouth, she moved the tent fabric up a bit and began to crawl in.
The tent was dark inside, making it easier for the squirrel to move. The snores of the now sleeping shrew drowned out the sounds that the squirrel made as she moved towards her victim. She crouched and remained still for a moment, listening to where all the other shrews where moving. After sensing that none were near the tent, she made her move.
The young shrew didn't notice the intruder until it was too late. One minute he was sleeping soundly and the next, a hard paw was clamped over his mouth and a dagger was at his throat.
"Don't move unless you want to be slain," the gruff voice of the squirrel hissed in his ear. Lezlo shook in fear as he felt the dagger pressed harder against his throat. The squirrel looked out of the tent and before the shrew could call for help, she pulled the dagger from his neck and struck him hard across the head with the hilt, knocking him out instantly. She quickly took out some rope from her belt then bound and gagged the shrew. Looking out the back of the tent to make sure the coast was clear, she took off at a dash, the shrew held in her arms, and jumped into a tree.
Stelumos was growing restless. He paced back and forth, looking to the trees then across the clearing, his cold eyes watching for his spy. Grumbling and growling he kicked at the snow bad temperedly and looked up to the sky as snowflakes began to fall. He was about to turn and walk towards his horde to warm his paws when a bound shrew suddenly dropped from the trees and landed right in front of him. Stelumos stopped in his tracks then looked up to see the black squirrel watching him with her strange eyes.
"Bout time ya got here Ebonia. What do ya have here?" He asked prodding the shrew with is sword hilt. Ebonia walked along the limb of a tree and sat down, her tail swishing behind her and her eyes glaring out over the camp sight.
"I was scanning over the camp like ya told me to. This here is the Log a Log's son. Twill make it easier to capture the camp." Stelumos looked from the captured shrew to the staring squirrel and shook his head in mirth.
"Ya never cease to amaze me squirrel. Good work." The mink leaned down and plucked the shrew from the ground. Throwing the young creature over his shoulder he headed towards his horde to give instructions. Ebonia looked at the mink as he walked then rolled her eyes. She knew that he was off to tell his horde to do the same thing to this camp as they had done to all the others, though they usually failed. She stood up and raced after the mink, her paws barely making a sound in the branches. Just as Stelumos reached the horde, she jumped down in front of him and rattled off quickly, an annoyed tone in her voice.
"I know you are just going to use the rush in tactic but that won't work with these creatures. Split the horde in four sections. Have one group circle around behind the camp, one group go to the left of the camp, one group go to the right and the other go with you to the front. Walk up there with Bemal and five of your horde with the shrew. Bargain the Log a Log with his son for the camp. The shrew will want to give the camp, the other shrews will protest. That's when the other three groups come into sight and surround the camp. They can't get away then and it ensures victory" Ebonia stood there, her eyes looking half asleep as she told him her plan. Stelumos stared at the squirrel and looked up. The whole horde of vermin were watching the chieftain and the squirrel, curious to see if their leader would strike down the squirrel for telling him, the leader, what to do. Bemal moved out to the side, away from the flames of fire and watched the mink, her eyes time and again looking at the young squirrel. Stelumos took in a deep breath and raised his paw as if to strike the maiden but merely patted her shoulder, none to gently and nodded.
"Good idea my spy, as always. We will do that. Now, what I want you to do is scout through the woods, see if you can find any others to take captive" Ebonia looked the mink up and down and replied simply.
"Why?" A hush ran through the vermin at Ebonia's question. The squirrel turned her head and looked at them then stared at Stelumos again, her eyes blazing. The mink growled beneath his breath, took a dagger from his frog skin belt and held it beneath the squirrel's chin.
"That's called insubordination to not do what yer chieftain says," he growled dangerously. Ebonia looked down at the dagger and pushed it aside as she took a step back.
"I am just curious as to why you want more creatures captured. I never said I wasn't going to do it Chief" she said in such a relaxed voice that it only made the mink angrier. He stepped forward suddenly and shoved the squirrel to the ground, holding his sword at her chest. His eyes glowed as he growled at her between gritted teeth.
"You ask to many questions squirrel. You should learn to keep your thoughts to yourself. I'll tell ya when I'm ready," he took a step back and roared at his troops.
"Alright form up into four groups now before I slay you all!" The vermin were quick to act, not wanting to get in the way of their leader. Ebonia went to stand but Stelumos kicked her hard, forcing her to lie down again. "Yer lucky that you are so valuable to me other wise I would cut you down right now," the black squirrel turned around and stared at him, hate radiating in her eyes. She breathed deeply and growled right back at him.
"I will do your bidding chief," she replied, knowing quite well how the mink could react if she didn't comply. Stelumos stood there for a moment then pulled the sword away and walked towards the head of his horde, the shrew still in paw.
Bemal moved towards the squirrel and held out a paw to her as she tried to stand up. Ebonia looked up to the vixen, the vixen that had been like a mother to her for as long as she could remember. She took the seers paw and stood up, brushing the snow from her fur. As soon as Ebonia was standing, the vixen was looking over the squirrel for injuries and berating her.
"You shouldn't be testing his anger like that. He would kill you in a flash you know that" Ebonia snorted as she let the vixen look her over.
"That bag of hot air doesn't scare me. He'd be dead three seasons back had I not told him how to defeat that hare army, he's not fit to lead." Bemal shook her aged head and stood in front of the young squirrel, her paws crossed.
"Aye but you wouldn't be here right now had we not taken you in after your family left you," Ebonia looked up at the vixen for a moment. Her strange eyes gleamed darkly as she sighed and turned away.
"I wish you would not bring that up Bemal," she said softly, the anger in her voice for the mink gone. Bemal stared at the young squirrel then walked forward and put a comforting paw on her shoulder.
"Ebonia, you are like the daughter I never had and I don't want to see you get hurt. Please don't anger Stelumos" Ebonia shrugged the paw off her shoulder and leapt into a tree, the cold wind of the coming snow storm ruffling her fur.
"For your sake Bemal I will not anger him" She said quietly then looked at the vixen. "I had better be going before Stelumos uses me as a sharpening post for that sword of his" The squirrel looked over at Stelumos then back down at Bemal curiously. "Bemal, you're a seer, do you know where he is going to lead us?" The aged vixen nodded slowly and whispered to her.
"Aye, we will be heading towards Redwall abbey, my dear." Ebonia jerked back a bit and tilted her head. She had heard of vermin hordes, many of them trying to take control of the so called Redwall. The sand stoned abbey was a legend to all vermin and over the years, none had tried to take it over.
"But why are we going there?" Bemal was about to reply when a voice called her.
"Bemal, git yer tail over here now!" The vixen let out a snort of breath then turned and walked towards the mink, her paws clenching and unclenching. Ebonia watched the vixen for a moment then lifted her head and stared into the maroon eyes of the mink, her own eyes blistering with a hate that she didn't understand. For some reason, every time she looked at the minks face or into his eyes, she wanted to rip him to pieces, why, she did not know. Both mink and squirrel stared at one another for an extended period of time, neither turning their gaze away. After only merely seconds which felt like hours the two finally turned their eyes away and went to do their own business, Stelumos leaving to wreck havoc on a camp of shrews and Ebonia off to find another captive. As the two groups left each other, the snow storm released its fury across the once peaceful woods.
In another part of Mossflower, a young mouse huddled a green habit to his body as the wind swept across him so fiercely that it almost forced him to the ground. He shook from ear to tail, the snow burning his half closed eyes. After awhile in the storm he finally collapsed to the ground, shaking. He had been one of the mice from Redwall that went exploring in Mossflower woods, enjoying the beautiful winter day. But that beauty soon turned to ugliness as the snow storm broke out across the land. As soon as the storm had started up, the young mouse had lost his way.
Tellio laid half frozen in the snow, his whiskers twitching as he shook. The storm ripped across the mouse's body and he felt as if he had no hope. That was until he heard the quiet thump in the snow next to him. Weakly, the mouse opened snow frozen eyelids and looked up to find his tired eyes locking with that of a black squirrel. He reached out a trembling paw to the squirrel then completely fell unconscious from the storm.
Ebonia stood over the mouse, her face completely expressionless at the creatures demise. Her own shoulders shook in the snow and she had to keep her tail pressed to the ground as she rocked from the storm. When the mouse fell unconscious she merely snorted with annoyance. She breathed through her snout quietly, the warm air turning white as it mixed with the winter storm. After a few moments, she leaned down and plucked the mouse from the ground and fled into the trees.
Tellio hung limp in her paws as she dashed within the branches of the trees. Several times she was forced to stop as the wind blew profoundly across her figure. She peered into the woods and looked for the camp of the shrews, knowing that if she didn't find shelter she was going to freeze herself. After awhile, it became apparent that the camp wasn't going to come in site any time soon. Sighing with a deep frustration, the squirrel leapt down to the ground, dragging the mouse by the collar of the tunic, and made her way towards a grove of trees that had formed a makeshift shelter.
Tossing the mouse to the ground like a spare piece of cloth, she climbed high into the trees, swaying from the screaming wind. She pulled some rope out of her belt and began binding the branches together to shield them from the storm. It took her awhile to do so as she was whipped around several times but she finally succeeded and leapt down to the ground. When she landed, she looked around but saw no sign of the mouse. The squirrel stood dumbfounded for a moment until she heard the chatter of teeth rising above the storm. She turned around and found the mouse huddled up against one of the trees, his habit wet from the snow. Ebonia stared at him for a moment then threw down several pieces of still dry wood. She kept her eyes on the mouse as she knelt down beside the wood and dug within a pack that was strapped across her back. Rummaging through the sack, she found what she was looking for, flint and tinder.
Ebonia looked up at Tellio again and he stared at the wood, his paws shaking. The squirrel rolled her eyes then struck flint to tinder, causing a bright red flame to burst over the wood. As quickly as possible, she threw herself to the side of the fire, blocking the storm from blowing it out. She held her gloved paws to the fire, rubbing them to keep them warm. Yet again she looked over at Tellio who still sat frozen in place. The squirrel's ears folded back and she yelled over the storm to him.
"Well are ya just gonna sit there and freeze yer tail off or are you going to come by the fire?" The mouse stared at her for a moment then crawled over by the flames, holding his paws near the warmth of the fire.
"Th…th…thank you" he said through chattering teeth. Ebonia looked at him with disgust and shook her head thinking to herself. If Stelumos hadn't made me go and bring back a captive alive I'd put this one out of his misery right now. The mouse looked over at Ebonia curiously, his whiskers now defrosting in the warm glow. Slowly, he held out a paw and smiled.
"My name's Tellio. What's yours?" Ebonia looked at the paw and the smiling face of the mouse. She raised an eye to him then decided to play along and took his paw.
"My name's Nightbreeze," she replied simply, a common name she used to trick others with. Tellio smiled kindly and nodded.
"Where do you hail from Miss Nightbreeze?" Ebonia leaned back a little, her eyes looking over the mouse.
"I hail from up north. What about you?" She asked thinking to herself. Hmm, maybe this mouse can be of some use to me. Tellio rubbed his ears to restore the circulation that had long past stopped. He winced as he worked but replied with a voice full of pride.
"I hail from Redwall Abbey, have you heard of it?" Ebonia could have laughed as he told her. Not only had she found a captive but she had found one from the very place that Stelumos was going to go to. The squirrel leaned back smugly then remembered that she wasn't with the other vermin and quickly regained the pleasant look to her face as she poked the fire with a stick.
"Ah yes, I've heard of Redwall abbey before. Isn't it suppose to be a place of peace?" Tellio nodded instantly, a grin of delight crossing his features.
"Oh yes Redwall is a wonderful place, the best in fact. There is so much there and so many creatures that you can get along with, I love it there and so do my friends" He raised his paw and started to name them off, happiness once again making his face shine. "Let's see there's Lavender, Jela, Kenyo, who's our warrior, Malya, and a good friend of mine Crim." He frowned slightly. "Oh nuts, I forgot they were having a party for him and I'm missing it stuck out here in this infernal storm." He suddenly looked up as Ebonia raised an eye. "Er, not that I'm ungrateful that you saved my life and, and.." Ebonia couldn't help but laugh and shook her head with glee.
"Eh, don't worry about it," She said and was about to speak again when she looked up to the sky. In the short time that they had sat there, the storm had cleared up quite a bit. She grinned to herself then looked at the mouse. "Well Tellio, you've told me of your friends, would you like to meet some of mine?" The mouse leapt up with anticipation and nodded happily.
"Sure, I'd like to meet friends of the one that saved me," he said instantly. Ebonia nodded at him as she stood and yet, she had a twinge of sadness fill her heart. She stopped for a moment and looked at the mouse who stared back at her with expectant and eager eyes. Her shoulders shuddered slightly as she began to walk back towards the shrew camp but she passed it off as the chills from the storm.
Ebonia and Tellio had just made it to the camp when Log a Log was shoved to the ground in front of Stelumos and the bound Lezlo. The mink stepped hard on the shrew chieftains back as the rest of the vermin rounded up the remnants of the shrews.
"You pitiful lot. Yer carin nature is gonna be yer downfall," Stelumos sneered as he kicked Log a Log hard in the side. The shrew growled and bit into the mink's footpaw, ripping out fur and flesh.
"And yer cruel nature is gonna be yer down fall vermin! Now let me son go! Ya made a deal to release him!" Stelumos cursed in pain as the shrew bit him but merely laughed.
"Ya really thought that I would keep me promise. Ya shrews are even more foolish then I thought, ha!" He turned on his heel and nodded to his horde. "Chain `em up and bring them to the rest o the slaves, now!" the vermin quickly did as they were bade and Bemal walked up next to the mink.
"Will you allow me to look at your footpaw oh great one?" She asked, bowing slightly. The mink looked at the vixen and sneered.
"Yeah, get on wit it" he growled and sat on a rock as the vixen tended to his wounds.
Tellio stared in fear as he saw the cruel treatment to the shrews. Having lived a sheltered life in Redwall, he had no idea that this kind of evil existed. He turned to Ebonia and clutched her paw.
"Come on Nightbreeze, let's get out of here and back to Redwall before those vermin attack us too. We'll send out help to find your friends" Ebonia pulled her paw away and snickered.
"Ah but you are mistaken mouse, these are my friends" Before Tellio knew what was happening, Ebonia grabbed him by the tunic and hurled him to the snow near Stelumos. The mink looked down startled as the mouse began to sputter in the snow. Grinning evilly Stelumos leaned over and took the mouse by the scruff of his neck and lifted him high in the air.
"Well, well, well, what ave we here?" Tellio panted fearfully as the rancid breath of the stoat met his nostrils.
"Pl..pl..please wha..what do you w…want from me?" The mouse stuttered nervously. Ebonia walked out from the trees and stood alongside the mink, a sly grin on her face.
"Why don't ya tell him bout yer little home o Redwall" She replied, going back to the vermin speech she was use to. Both Tellio and Stelumos looked at the squirrel and the mouse whimpered fearfully and angrily.
"I'd never tell anything of Redwall to a traitor like you squirrel and a murderer like you mink." Ebonia stood impassively at the insult but Stelumos was a different story. He hurled the mouse to the ground and drew his sword.
"I'll show ya to speak back to me mouse!" He hollered and swung his sword down at Tellio's back. It was within a flash of a moment that Ebonia moved and suddenly knocked the mouse out of the way, taking the blow of the sword across her right arm. She let out a cry of pain and stood defensively in front of the mouse, yelling in anger at the mink.
"What is wrong with you?! Ya can't just go an kill `im without reason! He could be valuable to us when it comes time to go to Redwall!" Stelumos stood stock still, shock written over his face at the squirrel who dared to challenge him. He moved swiftly and had her pressed against the tree with the sword to her throat before she could even let out a cry. He growled at her dangerously and pressed the blade deeply into her neck, blood starting to gleam on her jet, black fur.
"If ya ever question me authority again squirrel, I will make sure ya wished ya had never been born by that worthless squirrel you called mother." Ebonia stared back at him with equal hate.
"I already wished I hadn't been born. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have had to deal with a fool like you!" Stelumos' face turned beet red and he raised his sword to strike her but instead raked her across the face with his claws and knocked her to the ground alongside the mouse. He pressed the blade to the back of her neck.
"Remember this squirrel, you are mine! You do as I say and I won't kill you. Now get that mouse bound and put him with the others, we don't need any information about the abbey, we just need him to see how soft these abbey beasts are. Now move!" He pulled the sword back and walked towards his horde. Ebonia stared after him and slowly raised herself on her footpaws, wiping away the blood that lined her cheek bone. Tellio stared at her fearfully yet not as angrily as before. Ebonia walked and grabbed some loose rope, then began to bind the mouse's paws behind his back. Tellio laid still but turned his head to look at her face.
"Why did you save me?" He asked quietly as he was hauled to his footpaws. Ebonia placed a paw on his shoulder and steered him towards the other slaves, her face cold with anger.
"I just did, I have my reasons, that should be enough fer you," she replied tightly. Tellio glanced at her and sighed.
"Even though you tricked me, I need to thank you again for saving my life." Ebonia stopped walking, forcing the mouse to stop also. She looked down at him for a moment then continued walking. "Can I at least know your real name" the mouse asked quietly. The squirrel let off a irritated sigh but replied.
"My name's Ebonia. Now please stop asking me questions" she replied, not that she didn't want to answer the mouse's questions but because the blow to her face made it even more painful to talk. Tellio nodded once as he was led to the back of the slave line and tied next to Lezlo. The young shrew looked at the squirrel fearfully and cried as he clutched his mother who was bound next to him. Ebonia stared at them for a moment, an odd feeling going through her body. She just stood there when suddenly a paw gripped her and pulled her away. She whirled around to protest when she saw that it was just Bemal. The vixen led the young squirrel to a chair from the camp and sat her down, taking out ointments of all sorts.
"I warned you Ebonia, I warned you not to test his anger." Ebonia tried to shove the vixen away but Bemal merely held an herb to the squirrel's nose and made her relax. "Why did you save that mouse Ebonia?" the elder vixen asked as she rubbed ointments on the squirrels arm.
"I don't know Bemal. I knew something wasn't right about the mink just killing the mouse without cause. Just, something snapped so I leapt in and helped." Bemal raised her eye as she dabbed at the squirrel's cheek, making her wince.
"Hmm, that's not like you Ebonia. Normally you wouldn't have given a second thought to those that were killed." The squirrel suddenly sat rigid and looked at the vixen.
"Actually, that's not true, I have felt something when creatures were killed,, I just never showed it." This made Bemal stop for a minute and look over the squirrel. I wonder if her past is making her feel this way she thought quietly then continued her work. Ebonia looked at her curiously. "Is there something wrong with me if I feel that way?" She asked.
Bemal chose her words carefully. "No, there is nothing wrong for a creature to feel that way but that could mean that that creature was destined for something else besides the life that was bestowed on them." Ebonia thought for a moment then looked back to the vixen.
"Does that mean that perhaps I'm not supposed to be here, that maybe I'm supposed to be some beast else or act different?" Bemal finished on the bandages then folded her paws as she stared into the squirrels eyes.
"Ebonia, there is something I must tell you. I have seen the fortunes and what I think is-"
"Bemal get yer hide over here now!" Stelumos suddenly bellowed. The vixen sighed in exasperation and stood up.
"Well I had better go and see his lordship." She said quietly and gently put her paw beneath Ebonia's chin like a parent. "Just stay out of trouble and be careful, alright?" Ebonia was about to speak when Stelumos yelled again. The young squirrel felt the fur raise on the nape of her neck but she nodded and remained on the chair. Bemal watched her for a moment then smiled lightly and walked over to Stelumos who grabbed her arm roughly and shoved her towards the slaves.
Ebonia was left alone, sitting quietly on the chair. She turned and leapt into a tree and sat within the comfort of it's branches, her mind completely bewildered. What had Bemal meant when she said that perhaps this wasn't her life? What did she mean she had seen the fortunes? And what had she wanted to say to her before that mink had dragged her away? Questions raced through the squirrels head, questions that would go unanswered for now.
Through out the night, as Ebonia rested quietly in the tree, Stelumos went over with his horde, his devious plan of conquering the great Redwall. He strolled in front of his horde, his plan unraveling before them.
"Here's what we do. We need a beast to get into the abbey. The only beast that could set paw within 50 feet o that place would be Ebonia. We need her to get in their, learn their weaknesses, then report to us. It be a simple plan. Look how caring these foolish Redwall beasts are anyways. That stupid mouse even thanked the squirrel even though she had gotten him into this mess. She needs to go in and do this for us." The horde muttered amongst themselves then a rat stood up.
"But wot if the squirrel don't wanna do it?" He asked. Stelumos grinned wickedly.
"Then we'll tell her that we'll do away with the mouse," he growled. A couple more vermin muttered then looked at the mink.
"But wot if she don't feel bound to the mouse's life?" A female stoat asked. Stelumos grinned again as Bemal walked pass. He turned to his horde and whispered.
"Then we'll tell her we'll get rid o the vixen. Them two have a relationship and the squirrel won't risk the vixen's life." The vermin sniggered at the brilliance of their chief and they agreed to the plan right away. Soon the vermin broke up to go their own ways through the night. Stelumos walked to where he could see Ebonia sleeping peacefully within the tree. He grinned evilly, his breath going white as it mixed with the air.
"Sleep well squirrel, cause it may be yer last good sleep." He laughed as he turned and walked back to his horde. Ebonia opened an eye and watched him go, her paw touching her cheek where his claws had raked.
"Sleep well mink, because you might never see the day again if you try to harm me or Bemal again." Though she had heard nothing of what he said to his horde, she could feel that it had something to do with her and the vixen. She watched him leave then curled up in the tree and went to sleep again, unknowing that the next day would change her life.