2

Dawn broke over Redwall Abbey, turning the red sandstone walls a rosy, cream-colored hue. Over it all, the abbey stood countless seasons old, symbolizing protection and comfort to all that dwelt within it. Over it all, a young mouse looked over it. Lucar was young, but he had wisdom beyond his years. He was also very quiet, which caused concern among the elders. Light brown fur and deep blue eyes marked his face and body, which was strong. The light green habit clothing him, the traditional clothing of every Redwaller, hung about his skinny body like vines. Lucar twitched his whiskers irritably. He was an adventurous mouse, as his father had been. Being trapped in the Abbey awoke a restlessness inside him, and lately he had been having odd dreams of the sea, a dark figure, and two squirrels, one male, the other female, standing before him. The dreams also pitched, as though he were on a boat. As Lucar walked down to breakfast, he stopped to look inside Great Hall, where the famous tapestry of Martin the Warrior hung along with his sword, suspended by brackets above it. Lucar often dreamed of holding the sword, the leather-bound hilt in his grip, the blade flashing in the chaos of battle, cutting through hordes of vermin like a reaper through corn. He sat down near some of the elders, close enough to hear their conversation.

The Abbot, an old mouse named Napole, was speaking. "Lucar should be considered. He's often staring at the sword, and Martin's tapestry."

One sister spoke up. "We haven't had a Warrior for a long time, Father. But even so, are you sure that Lucar is a good choice?"

Napole looked at the sister that had spoken up. "Martin and fate work in strange ways. Lucar may be a good choice. Martin will show us if Lucar is right, but he needs to prove himself before we think about considering him for our Warrior."

Lucar's mouth opened in shock. The elders, considering him for Redwall's Abbey Warrior? Even though he was often caught staring at the sword and the tapestry, he had never picked up a weapon in his life. Except for an ax, and even then he had not been defending himself. He had been helping to chop down an old tree that had died in the abbey's orchard. Lucar narrowed his eyes. If they wanted him to prove himself, then he would. He started working on a plan that instant, and worked on it through the whole day.

That night, Lucar snuck out of his dormitory and down to the kitchens, a haversack swung over his shoulder. After pilfering a few weeks' worth of food from them, he ran out, shutting the doors as quietly as he was able to. He then snuck into the Great Hall and climbed a ladder propped on a pillar. He then gently took Martin's sword from the brackets, hanging it from his habit cord. After climbing down, he snuck down the hallways to the main door, sneaking out and shutting the door quietly behind him. The young mouse set off across the grounds, the sword glinting in the moonlight. As he carefully opened the northern wall gate, he looked back at the abbey. Tears began forming in his eyes, and his heart was in his mouth. Before he changed his mind, he shut the gate and set off west, cutting through the woods. Lucar had been on berry-picking trips and outings with Dibbuns and other, older Redwallers, but had never been out on his own before. He kept going west, stopping when the sun broke over the trees to eat. After eating a leisurely meal of scones, cheese, and pear cordial, he laid down on a large rock, using a pile of leaves as a pillow. He woke up to darkness and a star-strewn sky. Lucar swung his legs over the rock's edge, hitched his knapsack over his shoulder, and set off west once more. He came to a small stream, and had just sat down on the bank when a song broke out through the woods.

Yo ho, yo ho, all around the river we go,

Through oceans deep or rivers cold

Through the spring and through the snow,

All around the river we go.

Lucar watched as three long canoes, with shrews paddling them rounded the bend of the river. Lucar called out to them.

"Ahoy there! Could you take a passenger?"

One of the shrews looked up, and then leaned over the shoulder of the one ahead of him. Lucar saw him whispering to his companion, and then the other shrew looked up and saw Lucar. He shouted out orders to the other boats. They pulled in, beaching themselves on the riverbank. The shrew that had seen Lucar second leapt out of the boat and walked up to him, craning his neck to look up at the young mouse.

He twitched his snout. "And who might you be young'un?"

Lucar knelt. "My name's Lucar, sir. I was wondering, could you take me to the coast?"

The shrew was silent for a moment, and then looked up at him again. "My name's Log-a-log, and yes, we could take you. There's a settlement near the coast where you could stay for a while." He gestured over to the boats. "Hop in, but you'll have to paddle your own weight."

Lucar nodded. "All right. I can do that."

The young mouse hopped into Log-a-log's canoe, taking up an extra paddle. The shrews pushed the boats back into the river, and the three boats began moving back downstream. Lucar paddled with the pace of the shrews, gazing around at the abundance of plants that decorated both sides of the river. By dawn, the greenery was fading away gradually, periodically replaced by sandy dunes. Log-a-log made a few motions with his paws, and the three boats pulled into a small cove. Log-a-log stood up in the bow of his canoe, and began to speak to the crews.

"We'll stop here for a few hours to sleep and eat." He turned to another shrew. "Magon, post eight sentries. Rotate them every hour. The rest of you, get some sleep."

Lucar woke a few hours later, and had not been woken, as the party had numbered almost a hundred. Five hours had gone by, and it was close to noon as they got back in the boats and began to paddle towards the beach. It was a short way, and the current was swift. The three canoes fairly flew along the river as the crews paddled, helped along by the strong current.

Log-a-log called back to the crews. "Get ready! We're heading to the rapids!"

Lucar looked aghast at him. "Rapids?"

Log-a-log nodded. "Aye. There are rapids at the exit to the coastline. If you want to get to the coast, we'll have to go through them."

Lucar looked at Log-a-log for a moment, and then looked at the river before them. It was beginning to run swifter, the water becoming choppy and foamy. Suddenly, the boats began to rock frenziedly.

Log-a-log called out above the noise. "Brace yourselves! Hard to port then hard to starboard!"

The boats turned left, then right, avoiding two large rocks hidden underwater.

Log-a-log called out again. "Brake hard to starboard! Use your paddles to push off the rocks!"

The three boats turned hard right, through a maze of rocks. With a great rush, the trio of craft flew out of the rapids, landing with a great cloud of spray on the salty seawater. Lucar shook the water out of his fur, and then gazed out at the sea. He had imagined the sea as big, but this… This was enormous. It was an endless expansion of blue as far as the eye could see. Seabirds wheeled over his head, crying their raucous cries as they flew about looking for food. As the three canoes put down on the riverbank, Lucar got out, breathing in the salty air. He turned back to Log-a-log.

"Thank you very much for helping me get here. If you hadn't come along, it probably would have taken much longer."

Log-a-log waved a paw airily. "It was no problem. We were coming down here anyway to fish for shrimp. And if you ever need us, give this cry." He threw back his head. "Logalogalogaloooooooooooog!"

Lucar nodded. "I will. Thank you again."

As the shrews got back into their boats and resumed paddling downstream, Lucar spotted a small village with a dock only a short walk away. He turned and began walking towards it, slipping occasionally in the soft sand. He stopped and breathed in the air again. He had made it. He also regarded with a small bit of guilt that he had left without telling anybeast. This guilt vanished as he remembered leaving a note on his bed. He resumed walking, and reached the village at dusk.

Ah, the Will Turner expy. Don't worry, he adjusts. You'll come into the Elizabeth analogue in the next chapter, but she's a squirrel so you can guess who she's going to end up with. R and R!