Disclaimer: All the characters are mine. The Redwall world is not mine. Neither is the small reference to "Outcast Of Redwall" in this chapter. I wish that was mine, because it's a really cool story, but BJ thought of it first.
Kasivar woke to a world that was cramped, dark, and nearly airless. Instinctively, she began to panic, and she tried quickly to sit up, only to hit her head painfully on the curved wooden ceiling. It became obvious to the Corsair that somehow she had been trapped under the upturned jollyboat. Gritting her teeth and angling her body toward one side of the vessel, she shoved hard. The boat flipped onto its side, freeing her and crashing down onto the shore. Panting slightly, the weasel Captain sat up and surveyed her new surroundings.
A few feet away, down a gentle slope, the ocean lapped quietly at the pebbled beach. Turning to face inland, she saw a few island trees, but mostly scrubland, punctuated in spots by immense rocky outcrops. There were no fresh water or food sources in sight. Not exactly paradise.
With a sigh, Kasivar stood, checked her waist sash to reassure herself that she was not weaponless, and padded off across the sand.
The spy could feel his headfur beginning to singe from his close proximity to the fire, but he dared not rise from his prostrate stance or raise his eyes to meet those of his master's. He remained in the kneeling position, face pressed against the dust, awaiting his turn to speak. The grating voice was harsh upon his ears.
"What news? How goes my plan?"
The tawny weasel raised his head just enough to speak, keeping his eyes on the ground. "Lord, I followed him every step of the way. There was a minor incident with the battalion I sent to escort him, but he reached the stripedog mountain without incident."
The warlord growled pleasurably. "Yarr, good. If this t'ing really exists, he will have infiltrated it by now. And what of my deserter?"
"Lord, I know nothing of any deserter. I have been away for three full seasons, carrying out your orders." He closed his eyes in fear, hoping against hope the master would know he spoke the truth. He had served horde leaders before, and they were a paranoid lot, always watching for any hint of rebellion.
"Yes, you are right," the warlord said finally. "The weak fool ran off two seasons ago. When you have rested, you are to find him and bring him to me. He will learn the price of cowardice!"
The weasel was half-dead with exhaustion and fear, but he stood and bowed deeply. "As ye wish, Lord." With that, he turned away and exited the tent, shuddering as he felt the burning stare at his back.
Kan had been blindly charging through the mountain in desperate search of the dining hall, when his progress came to an abrupt halt. His footpaws pedaled frantically in midair; the strength of the other beast's restraining paw had actually lifted him slightly off the floor. With a sinking heart, he stopped struggling and looked up at his captor. It was the hare sergeant, and he seemed none too pleased.
Sergeant Merrond lowered the stoat to the floor, still keeping a firm grip on his shoulder. His gruff roar made the younger animal cringe, ears and tail lowered submissively.
"How in blazes did you get loose? That blasted coyote and his rabble couldn't keep an eye on you after all, eh? Just what I expected. 'Is Lordship was barking mad forming that Shadowthing in the first place, I always knew it. Letting 'good' vermin fight for our mountain... huh! There ain't no such thing as a well-meanin' vermin." The sergeant grunted in disgust, then returned to the topic at hand.
"What are ye doin' here anyway, stoat, racing about like a madbeast? Tryin' to escape, I'll bet. Come on, laddie buck, out with it!" he bellowed, when Kan did not immediately respond.
"No, sir," Darikan said boldly, looking the furious hare straight in the eyes. "I'm starvin', and I don't have a damn clue where the food is in this place." Much to his surprise, the sergeant laughed and released his shoulder. "Less of the language if ye please, laddie, but I 'ears ye just the same. Just like all me new recruits, you are- no concern but yore stomach. I'll h'escort you t' the mess."
As they walked, something from the hare's tirade had been puzzling Kan. " 'Scuse me, sir..." he began.
Sergeant Merrond stopped and turned in the stoat's direction. "Wot is it?" he grunted.
"Sir, you said that His Lordship invented this Shadowtide thing? Who was that?"
"That was th' Badger Ruler back in those seasons, Tyr Ravenfrost, but 'e liked everybeast t' call him Lord Raven. Said his parents were 'opeless romantics and they should've known better on the namin' front, wot."
Kan chuckled. "Did you know 'im, sir?"
The hare sighed. "Nay, laddie, he was gone a few seasons afore I was born, but from all accounts he was a strange one. It would seem that one year, a huge vermin army attacked Salamandastron. Nothin' new there, wot, but this was a fearsome one. Plus, most of the experienced Long Patrol was out on scoutin' missions, since we'd had nought but peace for a long time.
Anyhow, no matter what the Badger Lord tried, the hares he had left were literally bein' massacred. They wre either too young or too old to handle themselves in a battle, and soon the horde was knockin' at the doors. He went out raging, in full Bloodwrath, but he only did for about a fifth of 'em before he was nearly overpowered and killed. Then, as I heard it, a miracle happened. Fivescore Long Patrol came chargin' back, along with an army of woodlanders- otters, shrews, squirrels. Lord Raven broke free, and together they killed the leader and drove the horde away.
But that battle changed him, it seems. He never came under the Bloodwrath's spell again, and instead of brute force he began to consider tactics to defeat his enemies. One of the hares who came back to the rescue had visited Redwall Abbey while scouting, and during her stay they'd told her a strange tale: of a ferret that had been raised there and then exiled for commiting a crime, but in the end he saved one of the young Abbeydwellers from death.
An' that story got 'Is Lordship to wondering- what if there were more of these 'good' vermin? They could be brought to Salamandastron, trained as fighters, and slip into attacking hordes. You see, after the war he'd nearly died in, he wished to protect his hares at all costs. Seeing creatures you care about slaughtered can do that to a creature. Still, strangest ol' badger ever to lead the mountain in my opinion, wot."
They continued down the passage and up a flight of stairs. Kan was left feeling even more confused, as he tried to comphrend this new story. Whatever he was now a part of, it had a long and confusing history.
Kan's first sight of the 'mess' caused him to decide it was aptly named. It was a huge chamber, cut into sections by many long rock tables that ran almost from one end of the room to the other, with space near the door for creatures to move around. A large opening on one side of the room had also been left clear; hares in kitchen uniforms were rushing in and out of it nonstop, carrying trays, trolleys, and cauldrons out to the starving diners. Aromatic steam curled promisingly from some of their burdens, others were full of delicious-looking breads and salads. The entire place was also packed to the ceiling with yelling, laughing, fighting hares.
The combined action was beginning to make the young stoat's head spin, and it was with some difficulty that he managed to focus on a familiar figure waving him over from a table by the windows, grinning cheerfully. Without waiting for the sergeant's permission, Darikan went bounding over to his friend.
No sooner had Kan settled into his seat near Rinqan and Sakhyo than the mink leapt up and roared, "Hoi, mates, food's here!" A small stack of stone bowls clattered onto the table, quickly followed by large bowls of stew, trays heaped with small loaves of fresh bread, and a huge platter of salad. Another hare came racing by and dropped off tankards full of mountain ale, before hurrying away once more.
Filling his bowl to the brim with the rich vegetable stew and seizing three of the crispy little loaves, Kan dug into the food like a starving wolf. The mountain fare was delicious but quite filling, and the stoat found he could not completely finish his second helping, hungry as he'd been. Sakhyo saw him relax and look up from his meal, and took the opportunity to ask, "Hey, Kan ole mate, where were ya? Everybeast's supposed t' report fer dinner right after sunset, no matter when the food gets 'ere."
Darikan yawned. "I got lost, for one thing, and then I ran into that officer hare, Merrind or wotever 'e's called. 'E told me some things about this Tide army I'm s'posed to be a part of now."
Arif's eyes narrowed. "What did d'longears tell ye, stoat?"
"Why is it any of your business?" Sakhyo muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.
"Just how it was invented an' all," Kan replied, confused. "Somethin' about a great war, an' a stripedog called Lord Raven. Huh, that's odd enough, I thought stripedogs were always out to kill creatures like us."
"I have heard of Lord Tyr Ravenfrost," Rinqan interrupted quietly. "A unique badger, by all means, but still a fearsome warrior in his own right."
Arif grunted and turned his back, evidently finished with the conversation.
Kan yawned again, wider this time, causing the coyote to smile. "Here be something not so unique- a creature in need of sleep. Come, we should all be getting to bed."
Sakhyo took her friend by the paw, pulling him upright. "Cummon, lazybones, I ain't doin' yer walkin' for ya. Yer sleepin' in the 'Tide barracks, along wid everyone else."
The small group walked for a while in relative silence, crossing hallways and going down several flights of stairs before they reached a large wooden door. Producing a key from the pocket of his coat, Rinqan unlocked it and they filed inside.
Inside, it was much smaller than the hidden chamber or the mess hall, but still relatively spacious and lit by many lanterns burning in wall sconces. Three of the walls were honeycombed with large niches hewn into the bare stone.
Stepping closer to one of the holes, Kan saw that it was easily big enough to comfortably hold a creature stretched out full length, even one of the coyote's size. A mattress-like pad lay in the bottom, surmounted by a pillow and woven blanket; through a rip in the pad's lining the young stoat could see a mixture of dried moss and down poking out. A paw on his shoulder made him start and whirl around, although it was only the vixen Tokala. "Jumpy little stoat, ain't ya?" she laughed.
"Sorry..." Kan muttered, slightly incensed at her. "Did I take yer bed?"
She grinned and shook her head. "Nah, ye can have that bunk. Mine's over there, nex' ter old Arif." Putting a paw to one side of her muzzle and leaning in conspiratorially, she whispered, "He's a terrible snorer, too. Rin must still be mad at me for scarin' ye with the door this afternoon t' punish me like that, eh?" She laughed and walked off across the room as the stoat grinned to himself, deciding that Tokala was not quite so annoying as he'd thought.
A few ladders of varying sizes were scattered across the barracks; having no climbing skills whatsoever, Kan selected one and climbed up into his bunk. The mattress was quite soft, and the woven quilt was warm and comfortable. Almost before he knew it, the young stoat was sound asleep, worn out by his long and enigmatic day. There would be time to puzzle over things in the morning.
A/N: Whew, pretty long chapter! By the way, did you know "Sakhyo" is "mink" in a Native American language? Thank you, Internet! Speaking of names, consider my note in chapter 1. Anyway, please continue to review since I really enjoy feedback. Thanks everyone for your support!