After a while, Ryon, Birchleaf, and Lucar were left alone. Ryon sent Lucar away with a simple order. "Tell Sharpear to set a course for the river that runs out of Mossflower. From what I can feel, there's a fine wind and the sea's calm."

As the young mouse ran to relay the orders, Birchleaf looked down at him. "You're not going to go against sense and try to leave your bed, are you?"

Ryon rolled his eyes. "Seasons forbid. I can't even walk with the amount of bandages that you lot put on my leg."

She laughed; a merry, tinkling sound that Ryon did not think that she was capable of making. Then she gently kissed his forehead. To the squirrel captain, it felt nice. "Blame the healer. He overreacted slightly to your injuries."

He looked over at her. "I told you to stay with me, didn't I?"

She nodded. "Yes, you did."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Then why didn't you?"

She chuckled. "I guess I was too excited."

Ryon chuckled as well, and closed his eyes. "Could you stay for a while? Until I fall asleep?"

She kissed his forehead again, murmuring softly in his ear. "Yes."

Ryon relaxed, and smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

Weeks passed. The Javelin cut the waves smoothly, and when Ryon came out of his cabin one day, supported by Sharpear on one side and Blackreed on the other, the crew cheered to the echo at the sight of him. Ryon smiled briefly, then held his paw up for silence. "Faithful crewbeasts of the Javelin. I thank you for standing beside me in the face of conflict and through the danger of your own lives. But we must remember the brave beasts that died so that this day would come. My father, Danin Oakleaf. Silver the mouse. Birchleaf's father, Oakvine. As well as the countless other lives that were taken in this war. They will live in our hearts and in legends for many seasons to come. This victory did not come from any one creature. It came from everybeast. Every creature, regardless of species, did this. Together."

The lookout's cry rang out over the cheering of the captain's speech. "Land hoooooo!"

Ryon's eyebrows perked up. Snatching a spear from a crewbeast, he used it point-down as a crutch to hobble up to the bow, where he stood watching as Mossflower coast appeared. Lucar and Birchleaf joined him. The former had tears in his eyes. "We're almost home," he said. "We're almost to Redwall."

Birchleaf looked at Ryon. "We'll have to pole it up the river, though."

Ryon looked at her, a mischievous glint in his green eyes. "Who said anything about poling, miss? We'll be swimming there!"

They both looked shocked for a moment, then Birchleaf whacked him on the shoulder. "You great bushtailed liar!"

Ryon grinned, then shouted to Sharpear, who had taken the wheel again. "Can you see the river yet?"

The mouse shaded his eyes with a paw, and nodded. "Aye, captain! There's a glimmer on the beach!"

"Sail towards the glimmer. Prepare to heave to!"

The Javelin sailed up to the river, and when it reached the shallows, Ryon stopped it. "Reef sail and drop anchor. Heave to and launch the boats!"

As the ship slowed, she turned, presenting her starboard side to the river. Longboats were lowered, and the crew piled into them, Ryon, Birchleaf, Lucar, and the officers in the lead boat. As the boats passed the bow, Ryon was jostled as the keel scraped the shallows. He landed on his injured leg, but felt no pain. He thumped it against the side. Nothing! He let out a great whoop, and tore off the splint that had been keeping his leg still. "Wahoo! My leg's fixed!" He then licked a paw and held it up. "We've got a good wind heading landward. Set up sails and paddle, lads! Paddle as if your lives depended on it! And if we don't get to Redwall in two days, you'll wish you had!"

The crew set up sails in the longboats, and the breeze caught them, and, coupled with the oars, the boats moved quickly up the river. Ryon, who knew any river as well as a Gousim shrew, directed them expertly.

Night was beginning to fall when the Vale Islanders heard singing from a bottleneck somewhere up ahead. Ryon held a paw to his lips, and drew his saber. He was about to move around a patch of bushes that the boats were hidden behind when a voice shouted out. "Logalogalogaloooog!"

The squirrel shot around, glaring at Lucar. "You idiotic young rip! That could be a vermin camp for all we know and you just let everybeast within a mile hear ye!"

The bushes rustled and a shrew flew out of the bushes, knocking Ryon into the river. They thrashed in the water for a while before Lucar and Birchleaf were able to tug them off. Lucar struggled to hold onto the shrew, shouting at him all the while. "Log-a-log, stop! He's a friend!"

The shrew stopped struggling, then, wriggling free of Lucar, he sized the young mouse up. "Lucar! Good t' see yeh!"

The young mouse smiled. "It's good to see you too, Log-a-log. It's been a while."

The shrew nodded and gestured to the trees. "Aye. Almost autumn, now, as ye can see there." He looked around Lucar at the boats full of Javelin crew members. "Who's this lot?"

"The crew of the Javelin."

Ryon stood up, his saber in paw as water dripped of the blade. "Aye. And the squirrel that you tackled is their captain."

Log-a-log drew his rapier cautiously. "Easy, mate. Thought you were vermin, till Lucar shouted. By the time I could stop myself, it was too late."

Ryon was silent for a moment, then sheathed his saber. "Fair enough." He held out his paw. "Ryon Oakleaf."

Log-a-log took the paw and shook. "Judgin' by the size o' yer crew you've got a pretty big ship, Ryon."

"Aye. And they 'aven't eaten dinner yet."

Log-a-log gave a gruff laugh. "Ha! Bet they 'aven't! Well, the cooks are still makin' dinner, so we can still make some more o' everythin'. You're free to join us."

Over the crew's cheers, Ryon held out a paw. "Not so fast, mates. Cooks, you help the Gousim. We'll make this a shared meal."

Log-a-log nodded. "Aye. The more cooks the better!"

Okay, for any of you that have read my Pokemon series, good news! I finished the final story! *confetti, balloons, noisemakers* Yay! Anyway, a bit more fine-tuning and me getting done posting this story is all that stands between my private computer and this site. R and R!