Lucar and Birchleaf had their swords drawn, ready to enter the murky place that signified the entrance to the swamp that the squirrelmaid had mentioned earlier in the day. Lucar looked sideways at his companion. Her face was set. Lucar moved forward.

"Let's go."

The pair moved into the swamp, picking their way across dry patches of land, jumped between them, and wading through shallow pools of water. They were halfway through the swamp when a reed spear flew through the air, grazing Lucar's habit and tearing a piece out of it. Lizards and toads, at least a score of them, hopped out of the fog. One of them croaked, jabbing his reed spear at the foodpacks, then their weapons.

Birchleaf translated. "He wants us to hand over our food and weapons."

Lucar looked at her. He then drew Martin's sword. Birchleaf drew her rapier. Now that they saw that the travelers were not going to give in, the reptiles charged. Birchleaf and Lucar hurled themselves in among them, slicing and stabbing with their swords. As Birchleaf parried a blow from a primitive stone axe on a branch, Lucar sliced a toad across the throat, then turned and cleaved the skull of another open. Birchleaf threw the axe off of her blade and ran her opponent through. As she looked over at Lucar, the mouse looked different. His eyes were alight with the redness of battle, and he was breathing heavily. Birchleaf suspected that Lucar had no control over his actions. The reptiles charged again, throwing their reed spears at the travelers before charging them with stone weapons. Lucar and Birchleaf ducked, and then met the reptiles halfway. Birchleaf sliced a lizard across the gut, and Lucar stabbed another before throwing the corpse off the blade and turning, beheading a toad. As the combatants passed each other again, the reptiles looked at the bodies of six of their own, looking unsure of their choice to attack the travelers that they had thought helpless. Birchleaf and Lucar had their bloodstained swords in their paws, raised to meet another onslaught. The reptiles charged one last time. This time, instead of trying to slay the two in passing, the reptiles encircled them, coming at them two at a time. Birchleaf ducked a blow from a stone axe and skipped sideways to keep a reed lance from laming her, and Lucar sliced the top off of a reed lance and then the head of its owner. The toad's fellow swung his axe at the young mouse's back, but Lucar twirled right, his blade thudding into the reptile's back as he bellowed "Redwaaaaaaaall!"

Birchleaf sidestepped another axe blow, whirling her rapier left, then right, slaying both of her opponents. Two others came in, one for either of them. Lucar ducked his lizard, which had lunged at him, its reed lance extended to impale him. He stabbed it as it went over him, and it thudded, dying, onto its back on the muddy ground. Birchleaf parried another axe blow, then lamed its owner with a downward stab, then brought the rapier up, straight into the throat of her opponent. Seeing the now twelve of their fellows lying dead in the mud, the reptiles began to back off. Two adventurous reptiles charged the two travelers, intent on slaying them. Both travelers in unison parried their blows, and then swept their blades across their chests. The reptiles dropped into the mud, dead. The remaining six then began to run backwards. Moments later, they had disappeared into the mist. Both young travelers were breathing heavily. Then Lucar kneeled down in the mud, shaking and muttering to himself. "W-w-we killed them! Fourteen of them! They're dead!"

Birchleaf looked around, counting their handiwork. The young mouse spoke truly. Fourteen dead lizards and toads littered the ground around them. She kneeled and patted Lucar's shoulder. "You did well, Lucar. If we hadn't have fought them, they probably would have killed us for sport."

Lucar stood up. He nodded, and then the two travelers continued on their way.

The sun was beginning to set as the two young travelers finally got out of the swamp. They had been attacked by swarms of midges, and had left a trail of dead bodies out of groups of reptiles that had repeatedly tried to molest them. Lucar was limping, the result of a reed lance stab to the footpaw. Birchleaf had tended to it as best as she could, but the wound still hurt when Lucar put his weight on it. The bandaging around the paw repeatedly had to be changed, as the filth of the swamp would get to it quickly. Birchleaf had sustained a large wound on her arm, when a stone axe had caught her unawares. As Lucar sat on a rock waiting for Birchleaf to finish changing his bandage for the umpteenth time, a trio of burly otters stepped from the trees, their javelins lowered. Lucar reached for his sword, but Birchleaf stopped him. "Wait. They're from my uncle."

The otter's leader, a strong fellow that had a jovial face, gave a barking laugh as he recognized Birchleaf. "Well, well, well. Birchleaf Ivyvine, isn't it?"

Birchleaf smiled and embraced him. "Rockpaw. It's good to see you again."

The otter smiled. "Out here on a trip again? By the looks o' things you and your friend there had yourselves a bit of a run-in with the reptiles."

Birchleaf nodded. "Yes. They harassed us all the way through. In the end I think we killed about threescore of them." She looked around. "Is my uncle nearby?"

Rockpaw shrugged. "He's back at the manor, if ye want to see 'im."

Birchleaf nodded, and motioned to Lucar. As he got up, he collapsed. One of Rockpaw's otters picked him up and carried him along as if he were nothing. The group headed east, Lucar bouncing in his otter's arms. Within a short while, the five were in front of a large wooden gate, guarded by more otters. As Rockpaw knocked, Lucar looked around. In addition to the gate, there was also a large wall, to keep out any attacks from vermin. Otters were placed every few feet, their eyes sharp and watchful. The gate opened. The otter holding the young mouse set him down gently, and Lucar limped to Birchleaf's side. The squirrelmaid's face was like the sun coming out. The gate opened fully, and a fully grown squirrel filled the gap. Granted, he was old, his fur silver with age, but he was slim, with a strong frame. He spoke in a deep voice that was mingled with laughter as he saw Birchleaf.

"Well, well, missy. Finally had enough of the stingy duffer, eh?"

Birchleaf nodded. She gestured her paw to Lucar. "I have, Uncle. This is Lucar, a Redwall mouse that I met up with."

Birchleaf's uncle smiled, taking Lucar's paw and shaking it warmly. "Lucar, eh? You look like a strong mouse."
The mouse nodded. The older squirrel chuckled again. "I'm Birchleaf's uncle, Ashtwig. Official title is 'Lord Ashtwig of the Western Glades', but it's too much of a mouthful for me to say very often."

Lucar could not help it. He laughed. Ashtwig laughed as well. He gestured them all inside, and the gates shut behind them. Ashtwig's manor was a small group of wooden buildings built into a large shelf of a rock wall. Walkways, both inside and out, connected the various rooms to one another. Ashtwig turned to his two young guests. "You'll both be sleeping in Birchleaf's quarters. The guest rooms, just off the waterfall. There are two beds in that room. You may feel at home." Lucar nodded his thanks. Ashtwig noted the two young one's injuries. "I'd tend to those immediately, but it can wait until you get settled."

Within minutes, Birchleaf and Lucar were walking into a large room. Soft beds were positioned along one wall, and a fire roared in the hearth on the opposite wall. Books lined another wall, and finally, a large map of Mossflower, the north and border lands, and the southern country known as Southsward. The sea took up a large portion of the map, including a small cluster of islands labeled as "The Five". The islands were not labeled. Lucar looked questioningly at Birchleaf.

She shrugged. "Uncle never found out their names."

Lucar looked upward. In the northern sea, there were several islands. Two islands called The Twin Islands, a series of large rocks called Tall Rocks, and a few other unnamed islands. Lucar browsed through the books.

There came a knock at the door. Upon opening it, a pair of healers entered. They split up, each tending to a separate patient.

When they were done and gone Lucar got up, looking at a bookshelf and browsing through the books again. There was a book of well-drawn pictures of various creatures in the sort of finery only a ship captain could afford. They were named. Lucar flipped through it. For each page there was a picture, a name, and a small paragraph about the captain. Lucar stopped when he came to a section labeled, "Captains of the Five." Lucar turned through it. There was an arrogant-looking male hare named Captain Mossfoot, and three others, all with very distinct dress. A mouse captain wore a suit of layered armor and had a strange sword with a circular crossguard by the name of Captain Swordpaw, a shrew captain that was dressed in long, flowing robes named Captain Jroca, and a slim otter that wore merely a tunic, pants, and vest named Captain Riptide. Captain Mossfoot wore a blue longcoat with a matching tricorn hat. As Lucar flipped to the last page, he started. A squirrel, leaning up against the edge of the page as if bored, yet with a small smile on his face, had captured his attention. His name was Ryon Oakleaf. He dressed in a white tunic and brown vest, with a hat like Mossfoot's only it was brown. He wore a saber at his belt. Lucar read the paragraph about him.

Ryon Oakleaf is the Chieftain of Vale Island, although he prefers to call himself "Head Captain". He is very particular on his rank, and will automatically correct anybeast except his closest friends that calls him anything other than Captain Ryon Oakleaf. He does not dress in the gaudy finery of wealthy captains, nor does he dress in grubby old clothing, stained and torn by life at sea. He is an able captain, capable of navigating his ship through even the roughest storm. He was also one of the most headstrong, yet intelligent, kind beasts that I have ever met. And the most accomplished swordmaster.

Lucar flipped through the rest of the book, taking note of famous sea captains of both Eastern and Western Seas. They were all goodbeasts. There was also a note at the last page. It was labeled mysteriously, "The Call". Lucar read the note on it.

The Call is a song by which the goodbeasts of both seas communicate with each other. All crew members entering a goodbeast ship's crew are taught it. The Call is only used in the most extreme emergencies, as it will summon an armada of goodbeast craft down to the place where the singer wishes to meet. I have not been told the song title, or the words, but if a captain wishes to administer it, he must sing loud enough for the whole crew to hear it. The crew will then join in, and, for reasons I have never known, it will spread across the whole sea, somehow only picked up by goodbeast ears.

Lucar put the book back on the shelf, right when Ashtwig called the two young woodlanders to dinner. As the two took their seats in a small dining room, Ashtwig noticed Lucar's face.

"What's wrong, Lucar? You look like you've seen a ghost."

The young mouse shook his head, sighed, and responded. "It's nothing, sir. Just something I read."

Here's another. The main characters will all be meeting up soon. I'll probably post a lot more over spring break, so expect more soon! R and R!