The Fallen Star

A Tale of Redwall

{3}

Guldar sat comfortably on his mighty throne, enjoying the comforts of his mighty ship. Surrounded by beautiful things on all sides, he enjoyed the comforts of his mighty cabin, putting his feet up on cotton cushions of only the finest quality. Guldar was the very image of a spoiled tyrant, feasting on a roast sea-bird freshly shot down from the skies above.

Guldar's cabin was huge. Taking up the middle deck between his officer's deck below and his map room and armory above, the cabin had enough space to house probably fifty individuals or more and still have room for all the beautiful objects inside. That being said, only Guldar was allowed in his room, and anyone else inside were only allowed either by invitation or by rank, save for those who were forever quarantined inside his mighty cabin.

With no windows save for an extra room in the back, the cabin only took up a part of the space in the huge center deck. Everywhere else was a room meant either for archers, patrols, or other things of the like. To make up for the lack of light, a large chandelier rested at the ceiling, its design ensuring that, if it were to ever fall off, the flames would die out immediately afterwards. Guldar wasn't going to allow all of his pretty things, especially his new rug, go up in flames because of a broken chandelier.

His throne sat in the center of the room. Behind it was his mighty feather bed, enough to hold ten people comfortably, with purple and velvet red curtains as well as a goose down feather mattress, only the best of luxuries for the mighty Pine Marten captain. Sheets made of cloth and blankets made of velvet wool, each folded carefully and selectively thanks to the slaves on board the ship, perfected the ensemble that was his honor to sleep in every night as he pleased. Couches and desks, every one of them stolen from far off lands, adorned the room in a splendor unlike any other. Every last one of the treasures had been bolted down to ensure that they didn't get tossed about during a storm or by the relentless rocking of waves.

Finally, there was the latest addition to the ensemble; a skin rug, large enough to almost act as a sailcloth for any smaller ship. Its fur was soft, and the hide was tough, ensuring that the rug would be able to survive wear and tear if some beast were to continuously walk upon it with their dirty feet. The rug could have only had one origin; that of a grizzly bear.

After finishing the majority of the seabird, Guldar tossed the remains to the slave girls he had chained up in a corner of the room. The seven slave girls, chained in place on the walls, scrabbled for the meat, though one glare from Guldar's eyes and they immediately calmed down, steadily taking small bites off of the meal and passing it on to the others. The Pine Marten smiled. He originally had about twelve of the little beauties, two each of six different breeds, each one more pretty than the last. It was too bad that they never had a chance to get along. One died by being choked by her own chains, two more died at his own hand, and the other two he gave to the crew, and had never seen them again. The seven left were wary of Guldar and his temper, and did their best to keep themselves alive as long as possible.

Guldar leisurely stroked his foot across the bearskin rug, enjoying the soft touch of fur on his feet. He picked a tooth with a single extendable claw, spat out a chunk of meat, and leaned back in obvious comfort and prepared himself for a comfortable doze for the rest of the day.

His doze was interrupted by the sound of scratching and a squeal from the back room of the cabin.

The slave girls cringed as Guldar got up from his throne, his eyes shining angrily. He kicked the remains of seabird aside as he made his way to the door behind his bed. Entering the small room beyond, he glared at the frightened occupant inside of the strong metal cage next to the wall, growling menacingly as he did.

"What's the matter, child?" Guldar hissed, his face in a mock smile, "Are you scared? Do you miss your mommy? Are you afraid of what your new master is going to do to you?!"

The bear cub inside the cage cowered in the farthest corner, hiding itself from its monstrous Pine Marten captor. Guldar bared his fangs menacingly as he gazed over at the bear cub. Though by all means the cub was bigger than he was, at least half the size of a fully grown badger, Guldar knew for a fact that he could make a menacing appearance.

Guldar shook his head as if in mock disappointment. "Where are my manners?" he said, "I should have gotten you some vittles. I bet you're hungry, little cub, aren't ya?"

Guldar pulled out a seabird drumstick he had swiped from the carcass he had kicked aside earlier. The smell of the fresh animal wafted around the room, attracting the attention of the bear cub. The young bear lifted its snout, letting its nose sniff away as it sought the delicacy to the senses.

"That's right," Guldar said as the bear got closer, waving the drumstick close to the bars with every word, "Nobody's going to hurt you. Guldar's your friend, mate. This old Pine Marten wouldn't hurt a fly, see?"

The bear cub shuffled close enough that its snout was already up to the bars, its mouth drooling at the thought of feasting on the cooked meat. With a flash of lightning, Guldar had grabbed the bear cub's snout and pulled it straight through the bars, pinching tightly and allowing his claws to sink through the bear's flesh.

"Listen carefully, you little wretch," Guldar hissed as the bear squealed in pain, "On my ship, I only allow the toughest, meanest, most bloodthirsty vermin to board and become a part of my crew. If you want to earn your keep, you have to be tough, and learn to follow orders as well as learn to be a bloodthirsty savage! I'm keeping this roast leg, and any other vittles that dares come close to this door. If I hear another peep out of your mouth, there'll be no rations for a week! Am I clear?!?"

Though the cub couldn't understand the language of the bully, it understood the tone of voice. Its whimpering stopped, though tears flowed freely from its closed eyes as blood began to drip across its snout. Guldar sneered and extended his hand. With a flick of his muscle, his free paw's claws extended like razor blades. He snapped his forefinger across the bear's left eye, cutting a severe gash along the eyelid.

"Let this scar be a reminder that childish fears are not welcome aboard my ship," he hissed, letting go of the bear's snout and backing back from the cage. The bear slipped its snout back from the bars of the cage. The cub huddled into the corner once more; its forepaws covering its face as it lay there, sobbing quietly. Guldar grunted as he wiped his three-inch claws on a handkerchief; the claws being one of his many deadly assets. He retracted them into his fingers once more, and picked up the seabird leg he had dropped to the floor while disciplining the bear cub.

"Darling," said a sultry voice, "you should know better than to tease young ones like that. It's better to deal with them altogether."

Guldar turned at the sound of the voice at the door, his claws menacingly drumming the air.

"You know very well that there would be a reason why I haven't killed this little wretch yet," he growled, allowing one of his claws to extend enough for him to pick at his tooth and toss out a chunk of meat stuck inside, "I should remember to have my whip available to me, lest you forget your place, Vixen!"

The individual he was speaking to, Vixen, was a rare beauty among beauties. Some described her as a weasel with a rare case of severe beauty. Others claimed that she was a silky ferret, a sweet stoat, or even a skinny fox. Nevertheless, no one save a few could point out the origins of Vixen's race; only that she was beautiful enough to attract the attention of good creatures and vermin alike. Guldar was not fooled by her appearance; he knew that she was, in fact, a Minx; creatures notorious for their savagery and trickery, as well as their capabilities in hiding it all behind a mask of beauty and flattery.

Vixen was not a slave girl. The dark-blue minx had wooed and persuaded Guldar for years; long enough to receive a reprieve from that title long ago. Guldar believed that she was trying to woo him into a sense of insecurity, where she could get close enough and gain enough power that his role as her master would eventually have lost its advantages. Guldar, however, was no fool. Though he enjoyed beauty, and immersed himself in its entire splendor, he could tell the difference between a beauty…and a rat.

"Dearest," Vixen said, lightly pushing Guldar's claw aside with her finger, "I have no idea why you would need such a beast as this one. Young creatures have no interest to someone like you. I dearly hoped that you would make it a fur coat for your lovely maiden; bear cub fur is so very soft…not like the course hair of the mother creatu—gaah!"

A very long and lethal finger-claw, followed by its four brothers on Guldar's left hand, poked beneath the minx's neck. Vixen wisely kept very still, knowing full well what would happen if she tried to move away. Guldar stared angrily at Vixen, fixing his deadly gaze upon her yellow eyes, allowing his pointer finger to swerve dangerously around her fur-covered neck. She held still for what seemed to be a long time, with nothing but the sound of the waves outside and her own beating heart to break the silence.

Guldar's mouth changed from a scowl to a smile, his eyes losing their burning sensation. He let his claws retract themselves back where they belonged, and lowered his paw back down to his waist.

"No," Guldar said, shaking his head, "This beast is not to be killed. He may look like a little wretch, but even the mightiest of poisonteeth adders start out as tiny worms from the egg."

Vixen was about to question Guldar's words, when the seabird leg came tossing past her face. The minx nimbly ran off into her quarters, knowing full well to stay away from the captain in one of his rages.

"Stay back from this room!" Guldar shouted, "Who says that you can come and go as you please like a free beast, eh?! Don't forget, minx! You may not be a slave girl, but I still own you! Come anywhere near this bear cub again, and I'll rip off your hide and use it as a coat of my own! Ha hahahahaha!!!"

The bear cub let a tiny whimper escape its mouth as the door slammed shut. It did its best to lick its snout wounds, cleaning it off by licking its paw and rubbing it across the wounded surface. However, the little bear could do nothing about its eye. Though it could still see out of it, the eyelid had grown swollen due to the cut, and it did not dare open its eye lest the blood travel in and cause more pain.

The cub sniffed as it sobbed, halfheartedly poking the bars of the cage with a claw. It thought quietly about its mother, which led to even more sobs. It wisely kept quiet out of fear that his captor would return and hurt him some more. The thought of its mother's death still haunted his mind. Why were the spirits unkind to it?

It wished that its father was here…

The bear cub sobbed and whimpered softly, staring at the rolling ocean and the falling sun outside the window before crying itself to sleep.

When supper had finished, Adrian helped the other Redwallers clean up the mess. There was virtually nothing left of the Hazelnut Creamcake, which was a big hit with the young 'uns. The dibbuns had to be washed down like crazy before bedtime; they were so messy from the tasty food. Danfur was one of the unlucky ones on dibbun duty; a chore that required a lot of messy action as well as a love of water. Dibbuns never enjoyed baths, so when one was assigned to help washing, they were sure to get as wet as the dibbuns would.

"I'll see ya' later, mate," Danfur told Adrian as he followed the line of dibbuns following Morwen upstairs. Quick as a flash, he grabbed Barm and Twill by their tails, holding them both up in the air by their legs before they could escape. "Alright, you two villains! Where do ya think you're goin' eh?"

Barm struggled to try and get his legs free, while Twill attempted to curl up into a ball and rock back and forth, trying to spike Danfur's sides to get loose.

"We's goin' inna kitchens!" Barm squealed, "We's wants mo' cweamcakes!"

"Gonna ets 'em alla up!" Twill said, giving up on his useless attempt at getting free, "Gonna ets 'em all, an leaves none for yous! Teeheehee!"

Both Barm and Twill squealed aloud as Morwen scooped them both up in her paws.

"You wicked little rascals!" she growled, "You aren't getting any more of Friar Jon's Creamcakes tonight, nor any other night if I have my way. You get up and get washed up for bed or I'll hang you by your tails in the bell tower! Am I understood?"

Barm was cowering like a little babe; he sincerely loved his tail, as all otters did.

"Oh pwease, marm," he whimpered, "Usn's ment no harm. We's only foolin', right Twill?"

"O, go boil you head, Barm!" Twill said eagerly, "I wanna hangs up inna bell tower. 'Sides, I on'y gots a likkle tail. Can' even see it, won' be missin' it!"

Adrian, Danfur, and Daniel laughed their heads off at the little hedgehog's logic. Adrian and Daniel listened as Morwen kept scolding the little rascally dibbuns, with Danfur's laughter following all along the hall. Adrian and Daniel couldn't help but laugh some more at the comical sight the two dibbuns made every single day. The two of them were on the floor at the height of their hysterical laughter, their sounds of merriment echoing through Great Hall.

When they finally stopped laughing, Daniel hugged his sides in an attempt to speak normal past the aching laughter. "Ooh, boy," he said, "I remember when we used to be like that. Redwall was never safe when we were dibbuns, heeheeha!"

"Hahaha!" Adrian laughed, wiping a tear from his eye, "Little Barm and Twill look like angels compared to how we used to be. It's nice though that somebody's fulfilling our legacy for us. Hohoho, hahaha!"

They both stopped suddenly at the sound of a "hmph," a little ways away. Turning around, they saw three abbey girls their age, one of them being Rosaline. The oldest in that group, Marigold, was a very pretty, and rather proper, squirrelmaid, a fact that she seemed to love reminding all in her midst. Another was an otter maiden, Jarda, Danfur's second cousin.

"You would think that for one who just came of age you would be more mature, Adrian," Marigold said, twitching her tail gracefully from side to side.

"Having a good laugh at the past isn't immaturity," Adrian said, standing up in defense, "It shows that you can enjoy life. It's just…fun."

"Not like sticking your nose in the air at everything you see," Daniel said cheekily with a giggle, "Keep looking at the ceiling and you might run into something, like the walls!"

Adrian got a laugh out of that one. Even Jarda and Rosaline giggled at the comment, though Jarda was quickly silenced at the glare that Marigold gave her. She hmphed once more before walking up the stairs to the dormitories, followed closely by Jarda.

Rosaline gave Adrian a quick smile. Adrian winked at her before she sped off, following Marigold and Jarda.

"Those two boys are the same as they were as dibbuns," Marigold said, "annoying!"

"You know, they can be funny sometimes," Rosaline said in Adrian's defense.

"You're only saying that because you fancy him," Marigold said cheekily.

Rosaline didn't retort back. She quickly sped off to the dormitories without the two of them, muttering that she was going to help Morwen with the dibbuns.

"You know, they were actually kind of funny," Jarda spoke up. One look from Marigold silenced her. The two of them made their way up to the girls' dormitories, where the promise of make-up and other girly activities awaited them.

Adrian watched as Rosaline went up the stairs out of Great Hall. He sighed as he watched her go, and turned around, only to see Daniel looking at him cheekily.

"See anything pretty, Adrian?" Daniel asked in a sing-song voice.

Adrian scoffed, walking back towards Cavern Hole to help clean up after supper, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Daniel said, "You looked like a hawk the way you were eyeing Rosaline up there. Let's face it; you like her, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you are…I'm…" Adrian found that he was at a loss for words. It was true; he had suspected that he did fancy Rosaline, but they were just friends. It wasn't impossible for him to like someone like her, but why now, when he was much older, when it could have or should have happened already? They had known each other a while. Why all of a sudden would he start to stare at Rosaline whenever she walked by?

Adrian sighed, rubbing a paw across his head in confusion. He was about to reply to Daniel's words when, all of a sudden, Ruff the mole came running out of the kitchens, stumbling into the two mouse friends. The three of them crashed into a heap, piled on top of another and groaning as if hit by a fallen tree each.

"Oop!" Ruff said, "Zorry, 'der Adren, zurr. Oim inna bit of a 'urry. 'Ere, let me 'elp ya' up, naow."

Adrian thanked the sturdy young mole as he helped him up. Daniel looked up from the floor in mock anger.

"Oh, sure," he said, "help the big come-of-age mouse up; nobody in their right mind would bother a little 'ole mouse like me, who's all tangled up in a mess on the floor."

Adrian smiled as Ruff helped Daniel up off of the floor. Daniel dusted himself off, which was followed by a couple of quick sneezes from both him and Ruff.

"What's the hurry, Ruff?" Adrian asked politely, "Is there a fire or something?"

"No, zurrs," Ruff said, "but iffen 'dere wer a foire, I wuddent 'ave 'elpen youse up; oid be too busy pattin' der flames offen me back."

Daniel shook his head in mock amazement. "Mole logic," he said, "one of the most sensible things on earth. Instead of honoring a mouse-of-age by helping him up first, you'd be patting the flames off of his and your back while I'd burn to death. Lovely."

"Well, oim zorry, zur Daneel," Ruff said politely, "Oid be juz noice to Adren. Oi meant no arffense."

"He's kidding, Ruff," Adrian said, "Seriously though, what's going on?"

"Moi dear ol' pap says dat zurr Grenwick Vole foinded a new star tonoight," Ruff said, "Zurr Grenwick sayin' dat all young 'uns licken aorzelves can all cummit ober to der gatehowse to sees it, burr hurr!"

"Boy that sounds like fun, alright, "Daniel said," Anything to get out of cleaning duties. Lead the way, Mr. Mole!"

"Burr, hurr," Ruff said, "Don't callen me Mr. Mole. Mr. Mole bees moi pap, burr aye!"

"You two go on without me," Adrian said, "I'll come along. Rosaline would want to see something like this!"

Adrian sped upstairs. Daniel couldn't help but whisper a joke about it into Ruff's ear, leading to a giggling fit from the two novices.

Kerian: Looks like our friends at the Long Patrol weren't the only ones who spotted the mighty star. And what's this about Adrian fancying Rosaline? I suppose we would have found out sooner or later, but the big question is; does she fancy him back? And what about our bear cub imprisoned by the monstrous Deadeyes?

It took a lot longer for me to finish chapter 4 than I thought (If I hadn't, you wouldn't be reading chapter 3. Now that's mole logic without the crazy speech!). Anyway, I plan on there being a few scenes involving the Redwaller trio (Danfur, Adrian, and Daniel) to continue from here. However, I did manage to notice that, save for his mischief streak, we don't know much about Adrian's personality. I wonder what kind of hero he's going to turn out to be...hmm. Until I reveal it in future chapters, your guess is as good as mine. I'm not going to spoil it. Tee-hee-hee!

Well, that was a more or less successful chapter. Until the next one comes along, me out!

-Kerian

P.S. I think that this scene between Barm and Twill is pure gold! It's been well known that otters were fond of their tails, but what about hedgehogs? Sure enough, their tails are so small that they can't even see them! Hohohoho! Well, I'd better get going. Chapters don't write themselves, you know...