Disclaimer: Don't own Redwall
Author Note: I'm still not back to normal with the writing but I have completed chapter 19 and will try to be moving onto the other chapters. I figured you'd all like another chapter to come up since you've been so patient with me. Thanks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two As One Chapter 16
A heavy snow had fallen over the Abbey in the last hours of the evening into dawn. The pond was riddled with snowflakes and ice, causing a sheen mirror to form on it's slick surface. The birds were silent and the sun remained hidden behind the clouds. A harsh winter breeze filtered amongst the trees, their boughs swaying to and fro while reaching towards the heavens. The morning seemed calm and quiet but the rattling of chains and the growling of a mink shattered that peacefulness.
Kenyo stood quietly in front of Stelumos, his paws chained at his sides with the mink pacing back and forth with a whip in tow. The warrior mouse had specifically been chosen to get the first "lashing down" in front of the abbey beasts to show them what they were in for if they didn't cooperate with the mink. Needless to say, Kenyo wasn't the least bit pleased about it but it was better then having some other innocent beast tortured for no apparent reason.
All the abbey creatures were standing out in the courtyard, lined up from youngest to oldest and strongest to weakest. Their eyes constantly meandered through their slave lines, hoping to find a loved one that they could no longer be with. The vermin hadn't been kind about separating them. Dibbuns were ripped from their mothers' arms while fathers were restrained from their wives who were being dragged further back in the lines where the weakest were standing. Skipper, Jenkins, Renla and SilverStreak were towards the front, all four held tightly by the vermin slavers. They would be next after Kenyo. If the strongest of warriors were brought down, then the weakest would lose hope that they stood any real chance against the malicious vermin.
Kenyo glanced over at his friends with a despairing frown. They had been taken so easily, it made him wonder why the abbey hadn't been successfully fortified even after years of constant attacks. But right now wasn't the time for him to worry about such trivialities; he had other things on his mind. The warrior shifted the weight on his chained paws and glanced up at the mink as he began to growl at the other bound creatures around him.
"Ya will work from dawn till dusk fortifying this abbey. You'll make the walls firmer, the gates stronger and remake the Abbey to fit the likings of our horde. Iff`n any o ya don't comply, this is wot happens."
Without warning, the hiss of the hide whip sang through the air and struck Kenyo on the back. The mouse winced visibly, not use to the painful lash but he remained standing, his paws clenching in defiance. He wouldn't give the mink the satisfaction that the strike had hurt him. He had to stay strong, if not for himself, then for the creatures around him. They looked into his face and eyes, searching for any hope that might be left to save their pitiful souls. It surprised the mouse how quickly they had seemed to submit their lives to this deranged creature. It was as if they had already been struck with the whip like he had. But that wasn't the reason why they were distant.
Kenyo turned his head slightly to glance over at Deathfang. The weasel had a firm grip on Abbot Welkum's shoulders. The otter didn't make a move, he merely stood with his eyes locked upon the warrior's own. With the Abbot under a "special" guard, the other creatures had lost hope in fighting back. If they displayed any sort of a rebellious nature, Welkum would surely receive the punishment for it. Kenyo sighed. It was just like a vermin to hide behind another creature so that they weren't threatened with death from the hordes of beasts that overwhelmed them.
"You'll start working today. The weaker maidens and dibbuns will serve us in our castle. The rest of ya will learn how to be proper slaves and-"
"I won't have my wife working like a servant to you mink! She's a free beast! We all are!"
A hush fell over Stelumos' speech as he eyed the male squirrel who had spoken. Every eye turned his way, fear written in the crevices of their frowning faces. The squirrel was in for it now. No slave questioned a master's order without some kind of punishment as a consequence. The mink folded his paws behind his back, the whip swinging slowly back and forth as he eyed the Abbey beast.
"What's yer name squirrel?"
"I don't have to tell you any-argg!' As he spoke, a male fox struck him in the small of his back with the butt of a spear. The squirrel fell to one knee as Stelumos took a step close. His night blue cape fluttered around his footpaws in a menacing way. The edge of the whip came down slowly and lifted the squirrel's chin so Stelumos could see the pain and fear in his captive's eyes.
"Ya will tell me yer name slave iff`n ya know what's good fer ya. Other wise, I kin just torture those pretty squirrel maids over there and find out yer name from the screams of yer wife."
The squirrel coughed from the pain that lanced through his back but he slowly got back to his footpaws. He rubbed a paw cross his wound and growled under his breath.
"Ashwood."
"Well Ashwood, wot makes ya think that yellin at me is gonna have any effect on my decision?" He stepped closer to the squirrel who instantly began to back away, his eyes straying to the whip. Stelumos smiled slowly, his teeth sparkling dangerously as he grabbed Ashwood's tunic collar sharply. "Actually…you have changed my decision. Not all of the strong beasts will be working. Some o them will be burring your corpse!"
He snatched the sword from his belt and raised it in the air to strike the squirrel down when all of the sudden, one of the maidens leapt out and cried to the mink.
"Please no! He'll do what you say sir just please, I beg of you don't hurt him!"
Stelumos looked over at the maid and with a triumphant smile dropped Ashwood to the ground. Taking a step forward, he snapped two claws and watched a ferret grab the squirrel maiden by the shoulders. She struggled faintly but a dagger pressed near her throat halted any further movements. As the mink came closer, he placed a claw beneath her chin and leered at Ashwood.
"Pretty little thing isn't she?" The female squirrel's eyes watered as she looked over at her husband. Stelumos seemed to enjoy the terror that flowed through her veins, and decided to make it worse for both she and the male. Slowly, he dug his claw into the maiden's tender skin and began to drag it to her cheek, causing a shallow wound to form on her face. Once the blood began to flow, he squeezed her chin and forced her terrified eyes to look in the direction that Ashwood was standing in. "Would be a shame if something should happen to her doncha think?."
Ashwood's face paled visibly as he saw the fear glitter in his wife's eyes. He watched the blood dribble down her red fur and stain the green habit she was wearing. Stelumos prodded his claw even deeper into her soft skin as he got closer to her eyes. The further he went, the deeper his claws seemed to go and it was apparent what he planned to do once he got close enough to her eyes. Ashwood gasped and tried to run forward but a weasel restrained him with a jerk of his chains.
"Please…please don't harm her…I'll do what you say just don't hurt her."
Stelumos glanced over his shoulder at the squirrel and stopped his claw about an inch from the maiden's eye. She trembled beneath his paw, her cries held back by biting her tongue. The mink kept his eyes on the male before slowly drawing his claw away and shaking it free of crimson blood.
"Bring the weak ones inside, the rest o ya, get the stronger ones to work." The vermin moved at his command, their whips free from their belts. The elders, maidens and dibbuns were shoved inside the abbey while the others were dragged towards the walls to work. Stelumos walked over to Ashwood and with a deft flick of his fist, sent the squirrel sprawling backwards to the ground with a bleeding nose.
"Let that be a lesson to ya slave. Next time you challenge me power, yer wife will lose not only her eye but her life as well!" He sneered and kicked snow into the squirrel's eyes before heading indoors. Kenyo waited a few moments while the vermin passed before he gently reached down and helped the squirrel to his paws. The warrior's face drew back in a frown as he saw the blood leaking from Ashwood's face.
"It'd be best if you didn't test him friend. We don't know what he's fully capable of."
"I won't have my wife serve an die under him Kenyo…I've lost family to vermin like that before, I won't have it happen again." The warrior mouse released a deep sigh as he steered Ashwood toward the other slaves. He knew how he felt but for now, all they could do was serve under the vermin and hope to survive.
"Hellgates to them all! When I get out of this I swear I'm gonna-"
"Jenkins, take it easy mate. Getting all worked up ain't gonna help us at the moment." Skipper gently clamped a paw on the otter's shoulder as Jenkins punched his fist against the stone wall. The otter growled deeply and when he felt the touch on his shoulder, he quickly pulled away.
"I will not take it easy! My daughter's out there being tracked by these damn vermin, my friends are chained like slaves, my sister has been injured because of me stupidity and I can't do a blasted thing about it!"
"Except be silent and just work for now until we can formulate a plan to get free." Renla replied near by. The badger hefted one of the stones that the vermin had collected to restore the abbey walls to full strength. Grunting in exertion, she dropped the massive weight near the foot of the wall and dusted her paws. "We'll find a way to freedom my friend, don't worry."
"What makes you so sure Renla?" Jenkins growled. Skipper gave him a light whack on the back of his leg with his rudder, warning him to be calm. Renla shook her white striped head slowly at the two as she began to feel along the wall.
"Because I've been here longer then the two of you and I've seen this abbey survive many things. We'll be alright. Now let's just get this work over with. I don't want to place a threat on the creatures within the abbey." Skipper nodded his head in agreement and glanced over towards the Abbey as Ashwood, with the aid of Kenyo came to their sides. The otter chieftain wiped a small bit of blood that was leaking from the squirrel's nose with his tunic as he addressed him.
"You alright there mate?"
"Been better-ouch take it easy there." Ashwood winced as the otter touched a tender spot on his face. Skipper patted the squirrel's shoulder lightly and peered over at Kenyo.
"Any ideas on how to get out of here fearless warrior?" Kenyo shook his head with a sigh.
"Not as of yet. We'll figure something out…the only thing I guess we can hope for is that Ebonia survived and is getting help for us an-"
"Ebonia? Ha…she probably ran off to join another group o vermin! Treacherous squirrel." Jenkins snarled viciously. Kenyo glared at the otter for a moment before shoving another stone next to the wall.
"Have a little faith in her, she-"
"Kenyo…how can we have faith mate when she tried to kill my niece…his daughter." SilverStreak asked softly. The warrior mouse looked up at the sky as it began to darken with heavily laden clouds. From the depths of the clouds, snow began to fall and drift towards the ground with the grace of white feathers.
"You just have to have it SilverStreak…we all do. Faith, hope…that's the only thing that'll hold us together." The other beasts grew quiet as they watched the warrior. His words were so profound. Jenkins looked down at the snow and released a white plume of breath.
"Faith…guess that's all we have going for us mate…come on, let's get this over with. We'll figure out a way to escape during the night." Giving a nodded agreement to each other, the six beasts began to work in silence. Their only hopes now rested with a black squirrel maiden whom they didn't even know was alive or dead.
By the time afternoon had come around, the sun was high over Mossflower while Malya, Crim, Sprypaw and Ebonia quietly made their way through the woods. After much hesitation, arguing and a bit of whining even, the four creatures had succeeded and been allowed by the elder beasts to search for a new place for them to stay. The cave that they had been residing in was too open and if Wraith had found Ebonia that easily, they certainly couldn't stay there. Though the other seasoned warriors wanted to go, the four that had left were the ones that really knew the lay out of the land.
Sprypaw had taken the lead, declaring that he knew the most about the woodlands. However, after leading the group in circles three times, they finally demoted him to watch their tails if something happened. Ebonia and Crim instead began to follow the trees, looking for a hidden cave or some form of underground cavern. After some time though, both grew disheartened and they all set up a small camp to eat and recollect their steps.
"This is ridiculous, you'd think that living here or around here all this time would give us all some clue on where to look." Ebonia sighed with a kick at the snow. She had done plenty exploring of the woodlands but at that time she hadn't been looking for caves or places to hide so she wasn't killed. The squirrel paced slowly back and forth while Malya prepared a small meal for them. Though she didn't look it, the otter maiden was a very good cook, one who made one of the best honey glazed chestnut scones in all of Mossflower. Unfortunately, they didn't have any scones as rations so she was limited to pasties and vegetables that the hares had brought with them from Salamandastron. She was heating a couple of the pasties over a small fire they had built while Sprypaw tested the sling Fleetpaw had given him for a weapon. Even as he practiced, he sang a song quietly to himself, his ears bobbing up and down comically to the beat.
"Well, I be a jolly young hare
As you can bally see
I wander through Mossflower
Enjoyin my life free.
I pick up me paws
And I'll kick up a rut
I love to fight
And sing Wot! Wot!
What chap be so bold
As to challenge me?
A jolly good thwacking
I'd bally give thee
And when I'm jolly good and done
Here's wot, wot, I'll do
I'll find me a feast
And eat the whole night through"
Ebonia glanced over at the hare as he slung another stone at the tree. Leaning over to Crim, she whispered quietly in his ear.
"You weren't kidding when you said he could send the birds flying from the trees. By the claw." Crim laughed softly and glanced at Malya who had pulled out a small parchment from a bag that was wound around her waist. She rolled it out onto her lap and began to trace the figures that were drawn and written upon the scroll. Ebonia turned her attention to the otter maiden as well but didn't ask about what she was looking at. Instead she stoked the small fire with a stick.
"I wonder if the others have had any luck finding help." She muttered beneath her breath to Crim. While they were looking for a place to hide, the others were searching for any beasts in Mossflower who might be able to help them take back Redwall, as well as warn them of the danger afoot. Crim shook out a clump of snow from his tail as he glanced up at the sky.
"I don't know Ebonia…they've probably found several creatures in the woods somewhere." He began to draw figures in the snow with a claw. "Let's see, there's Weave, Fleetfoot, PeriNickel, SkyBreeze, Ballard, Valena of course, Log a Log, Lezlo and then the squirrel. That's 9, 13 with us."
"I don't think we should make the squirrel fight. He was a slave and he seems skittish enough with us around. He's seen me before so he's going to be afraid that I'll attack or something." Ebonia added with a sigh. Crim raised an eyebrow and quietly asked her the question that had been bothering him since she joined their group.
"Have you ever beaten any of the slaves or killed them?"
Ebonia's ears shot back as she glared up at her brother. How could he ask her such a thing? She was on his side already, why did he need to know about her past? But then again…she knew she had to give an explanation about her history. Maybe once he knew… Ebonia took a deep breath and dropped the daggers she was wearing into the snow so that the fire light could gleam against their surfaces.
"I have never beaten a slave before. I've knocked them out to keep them from getting hurt but that was about it. I have killed, but I've never killed any of the slaves. Our horde would get into fights with other slavers at times and we'd have to battle. Many vermin fell to these blades…but I've never murdered a woodlander in cold blood." She stared down at the weapons then suddenly snatched them from the ground with a quiet growl. "I take that back, I was responsible for Bemal's death…so I did kill her."
The squirrel got to her footpaws and headed off towards the trees to take a be alone. Crim watched the young maiden with a frown, immediately regretting having asked her about her past. He was about to call to her when Malya let loose a surprised bark. Crim snapped his head in her direction and raised an eyebrow.
"What is it Malya?"
"I…I think I know where we can stay mate! Ohhh, this is so exciting I thought all these copies were gone!" The otter maiden leapt to her paws and waved the parchment in the air as she made her way over to Crim. The sun squirrel scooted over as she sat down. Ebonia too looked quite curious and despite the mood she was now in, she came up behind them to hear what Malya had to say. The otter placed the writing on Crim's lap and grinned widely.
"I always like goin through Redwall's history and writin about it so I know about the Abbey and Mossflower. I was looking up some of the information durin Martin the Warrior's time right before we were taken from the abbey and this newer parchment had been shoved into one o the books. I decided to take it with me and read it but I never did till now. Look. You see the trees and the path through here? This is Mossflower of course. It looks different because things have changed over the years like that tree right there-" She pointed to one of the markings then lifted her paw to a stump in the middle of the woods. "It's no longer there so it was written awhile ago…"
"What does that have to do with where we should hide?" Ebonia asked impatiently. The otter maiden rubbed a paw across the back of her neck and traced her claw from Redwall all the way to a certain tree not far from them.
"You remember the stories of Martin the Warrior…how they all hid in some under ground place that had a tree as the entrance?" Crim nodded quickly, realization suddenly hitting him in the face.
"Brockhall?! You know where Brockhall is?!"
"Shhh!! Yes I know. I don't know how long it was mate but like many years ago, the abbey beasts retraced the steps to Brockhall. This was AFTER Martin's time. I thought that all the scrolls of where it was hidden had been lost or destroyed but that's not true. It's all here in black and white mate! We can hide in Brockhall!"
Crim sat back slowly, completely surprised at the news. Brockhall. The place where Martin the warrior had met with so many simple woodlanders to beat the evil Tsarmina. Now they would be going there to make plans to beat Stelumos. The squirrel couldn't believe it. In the space of a few weeks and all because of a simple poem, his life, as well as the lives of those around him had completely changed. He rubbed a paw over the sword that hung at his waist and smiled. They were one step closer to defeating Stelumos.
"Let's find the others and head over that way then."
"Crim wait…maybe we should check it out first. If we bring them all to Brockhall and find out that it's broken down or something's wrong, we'll put them all in danger of being out in the open. Why don't we just go?" The sun squirrel looked in the direction of his sister, contemplating her words. She was right. If there were beasts waiting for them or if Brockhall was in shambles, what would be the point in dragging all the defenders through the woods.
"You're right. The four of us will go then and see how bad of shape Brockhall is in. No need to put everybody else at risk." Crim pushed himself to his paws just as something breezed right past his shoulder and struck the tree in front of him. The squirrel whirled and glared at Sprypaw who stood with the sling dangling over his paw. His ears drooped comically to the side of his head with his face was drawn up in an innocent grin.
"I think I'm bally well getting the hang of this wot..uh..heh." Ebonia rolled her eyes and snatched the sling from his paw as she stood up beside him.
"Watch where you're aiming long ears, you're trying to aim for the foe not our friends." She grumbled and dropped the weapon back into his paw. As the squirrel walked away, Sprypaw grabbed a stone and threatened to swing it at the back of her head.
"Yeah I'll watch where I'm slinging it ya little-"
"Spry! Knock it off." Crim grabbed the hare's paw and pulled him forward with a frustrated sigh. Sprypaw slipped the leather strip into his habit cord with a foreboding look shining in his eyes. "Spry, don't you ever call her that word…she's not a vermin whether you want to believe it or not. Now listen, we're heading over to Brockhall in case you haven't heard. Let's pack up and get moving, alright. And no more fighting."
Sprypaw huffed quietly as the squirrel released his arm. He couldn't help that he still didn't trust the squirrel. She had betrayed them, and allowed the abbey to be taken. As far as he was concerned it was all her fault and he wasn't going to turn his back on her for a second. Malya doused the fire with the snow on her rudder, her eyes glancing over at the two beasts. We can't start fighting with each other, she thought to herself, it'll only lead to disaster.
"Come on Malya, you're going to have to show us the way." The otter maiden buried the camp fire beneath the snow as she hurried to take the lead.
Malya looked through her map then up at a tree then down at the map again as she sighed deeply. The four creatures had been wandering for about an hour and they still hadn't found the famous Brockhall. Ebonia sat high in a tree sharpening her daggers as she watched out for trouble. Crim was searching the trees near Malya but just like her, he was having no luck what so ever. The squirrel sighed in exasperation as he called to Malya.
"Are you sure it's here?"
"Yeah I'm pretty sure mate. All the pictures and writing point to it."
Ebonia peered down at the two creatures as they looked over the map. She got to her paws and leapt to the lowest branch so she could see over the otter maiden's shoulder. The parchment was simple. It had writing that explained where everything was and a small map at the bottom of the page. Ebonia tapped her claws against the tree branch and sighed.
"Well we aren't getting anywhere with this."
"Think you could jolly well do any better tree hopper?" Ebonia snapped her head over towards Sprypaw and released a growl. Stubborn hare, she was trusted by the rest of them why wouldn't he just be the same? She knew what she had done was wrong but she had helped save his life as well, what more did he want from her? The squirrel turned and leaned against the trunk. She wasn't in the mood to start a fight especially if it was against an ally. Sprypaw however seemed to have different ideas. "Not so uppity now our we wot. If you jolly well think you can do any better, then why don't you dashed well go off and look for yourself? Maybe one of your fellow vermin will find ya."
That had done it. Ebonia leapt down from the trees and took one step forward before Crim grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind him. Malya stumbled backward and looked over at Sprypaw with a shake of her head.
"Spry…come on mate stop fighting with her. We're all in on this together."
"We don't need her dashed help Malya. For all we know she could turn around and stab us in the back, wot! Ver-"
"You seem to have such a low opinion of me Sprypaw. I must be evil if I tried to help your friends from getting killed. I must be evil for taking you away from the Abbey before Stelumos separated your head from your body. I must be evil if I fought the mink and almost got killed. I must be evil that I'm trying to help you in freeing that blasted abbey! What more do you want from me?! I know I can't be forgiven for what I did but at least I'm trying to set things right. Just give me a chance!" Ebonia's voice echoed hollowly through the trees as she settled back on her paws and sighed. She didn't want to yell at this hare, she didn't want to yell at any of them, but he needed to understand.
Sprypaw stared at the ground during her whole speech, his ears folded back in a frustrated way. To him, she was still the enemy whether they wanted to believe it or not. She had entered Redwall, betrayed them all and they wanted him to trust her? It wouldn't happen, not now anyway. The hare shifted on his paws and looked up at her with a faint growl bubbling in his throat.
"You can bally well try to redeem yourself all you want, but I won't believe it wot. I don't want my friends killed because of you." That said, he turned his back to her and walked away. Ebonia stared at him furiously but didn't try to follow. If that's how he felt, fine, she'd just have to deal with it for now. The squirrel shook her arm away from Crim and stared at the two creatures before her.
"Do you two feel the same way?" Malya and Crim exchanged quiet looks before shaking their heads in unison.
"No Ebonia, we don't feel the same way. Sprypaw's just hard to convince. Just give him time, he'll come around." Ebonia remained very silent, her eyes watching Sprypaw as he leaned back against one of the trees. She was tired of trying to convince him that she wasn't evil but something nagged at her to keep with it. Maybe she'd be able to-
"Whoa!!" The squirrel maiden's head shot up just in time to see Sprypaw go tumbling backwards then disappear from sight. Her eyes widened in shock as she took off running towards the tree. Crim heard the cry as well and followed close behind, his paw resting on Martin's sword.
"Spry! Spry you alright?!" The two squirrels skidded to a halt as they heard a cough and groaning coming from…within the tree? With a nervous glance to one another, Crim stepped closer and peered through the darkness before him. The little rays of light from outside filtered through the shadows and illuminated a narrow stair well that led into the depths of the tree. The squirrel glanced around for a moment then took a couple tender steps forward. "Spry, come on speak to me would you?" But there was only silence.
Sprypaw slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding and his back aching from the painful tumble he had taken. He rubbed a paw over his face, clearing the dust and grime away from his muzzle. One moment he had been leaning against a tree, the next he was flying backwards into oblivion. For a moment he just stayed on the ground, his eyes taking in the darkness around him while white stars seemed to circle his mind.
"Can you see him?"
"No, I don't know where he went. Spry, come on don't do this mate!"
Voices? The hare shook his head, causing the stars to burst again then slowly fade away into the darkness. The voices sounded again only they were fainter as if they had moved away from him, or was it that he was slipping deeper and deeper into a conscious stupor? The hare groaned inwardly. What had he hit his head on? Surely just striking the ground wouldn't be causing so much pain to course through his mind. He took several deep breaths before everything faded and all he saw was a dark ceiling above him.
Along with two red globs. Two globs that blinked.
"AHHHHH!"
"SCREEE!"
Crim fairly jumped out of his fur as he heard the shouts echo in the room below him. The sun squirrel grabbed onto the wall to keep from falling as he called back to Malya.
"Malya, light a torch or something! I can't see anything!" The otter maiden didn't need a second bidding. She dashed to the nearest tree and snapped a low hanging branch from the side of the trunk. She looked at it to make sure it would suffice then took out her utensils to light the fire. Ebonia glanced at the otter as she struck the flint to the wood. She only stood for a moment before gently pushing Crim aside and descending into the darkness.
"You wait for the torch, I'm going to see what's happening."
"Ebonia wait you can't see a thin-" Crim's words came to a halt as his sister disappeared into the darkness, her ebony fur fading into her surroundings. Ebonia used the wall to keep herself erect. She was a creature of the darkness, or at least that's how she thought of herself. Her fur was dark as night, her body was trained with strong reflexes and her ears were open to the sounds around her. The squirrel maiden growled softly as she heard movement in front of her, something like a scuffle. She slowly pulled the bow and arrow Valena had given off of her back.
The squirrel didn't say a word, it was her own way of tracking. Even if she was looking for a friend she wouldn't betray her position to the possible enemy. An arrow came to the bow and the string pulled back as she prepared to fire. As she moved, her footpaws time and again stumbled over dirt clots, thick roots and other things that she couldn't see. She looked up towards the ceiling but it was so dark that she make out anything.
But she could hear the frantic breaths and frightened gasps of air as she made her way towards Sprypaw. She stepped over another root and lifted the bow, pointing it in the direction of where she felt the other creature was. Her paws tingled as she let her eyes settle in on the darkness, trying to make out the hare's attacker. She was about to release the shaft when her paw caught on something, causing her to stumble. The noise had been enough to attract the creatures attention. One moment Ebonia was staring into darkness, the next two eyes of fire came into view along with the fierce smile fangs. The squirrel released a cry of surprise then grunted as something struck her across the head and sent her reeling backwards.
She got to her knees swiftly, her paws scrabbling for the bow that had fallen to the ground. She snatched up the weapon just as the creature knocked her to dirt again. This time however, it stayed on the squirrel, it's soft yet fierce footpaws standing on her arms while something hovered over her face. She struggled on the ground and was about to call out to her brother when the glowing light of the torch struck the wall. She looked up at the beast before her as it was bathed in the fire light and gasped in surprise at the creature that stood before her.