I finished chapter two yaaaaay! I hope I did okay, But meh… Tell me what I could do better in the reviews please!
Disclaimer: I do not own Redwall or Juska. Some of the characters mentioned do not belong to me.
Claimer: I own all of the characters except Martin and Ruggan Bor (Who isn't in this story except for when he was mentioned in chapter 1).
Chapter 2
Amber glanced up at the sun. It glared down at her relentlessly just as it had every other day. Today was different, though. Today she had a plan. On every one of the countless days she had been tied to the stake in the middle of camp, Marduk himself came to ask her if she was ready to pledge her loyalty. Every day she declined. Today is different she told herself. An hour later, Marduk approached her with his second-in-command, Akan, right behind him.
"Are you done playing around yet?" His voice echoed in her ears. "This is a waste, you know. You could join me, and I'll forget this ever happened. You could have a good position in my horde, a better ranking. I admire your resistance, but it has gone too far to be any use. I could even promote you to second-in-command"
Amber gave a start at this, as did Akan. Marduk had bribed her with food, servants, and some positions, but they had never been nearly as high as second-in-command. He already had Akan, who was perfect, being smart enough to obey orders flawlessly, but not enough to rebel.
Marduk continued, as if his second-in-command wasn't standing right behind him. "Oh, yes, Akan has his advantages, but he's not very smart. I'd be happy to give you the position if you can kill him."
Akan became more astonished with every word, and when Marduk finished his announcement, he began to object. "But she's a girl! First mates can't be girls!"
"Who says?" Marduk inquired. "I don't remember making a rule like that. I'm the Cheiftain here right? I make the rules. So, Amber, What's your answer?"
Amber gave a stiff nod and replied "Only if you arm me."
Marduk smiled and pulled a knife from beneath his cloak. He placed it behind Amber's paws. She grabbed the knife and cut through the ropes tying her to the stake. She got into a fighting stance and looked expectantly at Marduk.
"Begin!" Amber barely heard his voice over the adrenaline coursing through her.
The adversaries circled each other, and Akan made the first move, his dagger seeking Amber's throat. Amber deflected the blow, sending the weasel off balance. She darted behind him as he regained his footing and tripped him. She stood over him, but he slashed her leg and rolled out of the way. Amber winced, but kept fighting. Another thrust to the throat. She deflected it. Akan lost his balance once again, but this time, he scooped up a handful of dust from the ground and tossed it into Amber's eyes. Her hands went to her face, rubbing the dust out. When her vision cleared, Amber looked around for her opponent. He was nowhere to be seen. Amber felt something move behind her, so she swung her footpaw out behind her, tripping the weasel. Akan grunted in surprise. Before he could even begin to get up, Amber's knife was coming down at his unprotected back. He yelped and fell back to the ground, unmoving.
Amber took a few steps back, this creature who had been alive moments before was now dead thanks to her. She had never killed anyone before. Maybe I'm not so different from them after all… she thought. No, I mustn't think like that, but I must act like it. Forcing herself to smile, she glanced at Marduk, who nodded stiffly. He obviously hadn't expected her to come out victorious.
Amber sat in her new tent (Akan's old one) being treated for the wound on her leg. The healer, Rei's adopted sister Ebeen, wrapped bandages tightly around the cut. When she finished, she exited without a word, leaving Amber alone with her thoughts. It was late afternoon when she decided to leave the tent. As she patrolled around the camp, stretching her legs, she received looks of confusion from the horde. They all knew that she had been tied in the middle of the camp for days, but hadn't heard about the meeting and fight.
One of the more stupid vermin, a fat rat called Bluddnose approached her and snarled "Wot're yew doin' out 'ere? I thought Chief 'ad Akan tie yous in the middle of the camp!"
"I wouldn't talk to the chieftain's second-in-command like that, rat." A voice could be heard from behind Bluddnose. "It could be called insulting a major officer, a crime worthy of punishment."
Bluddnose paled and whirled around, coming face to face with Marduk. "Second-in-command? Where'd Akan go?"
"Normally I'd kill ye on the spot for questioning my word, but as none of you imbeciles know what happened today, I'll explain. I gave Amber a choice this morning. Either she could stay where she was until she rotted, or she could join me as my second-in-command by killing Akan in a duel. She, of course, chose the wiser route by joining me and she and Akan had their little duel. Obviously, as you see, Amber won." After he finished his little speech he left the area saying "Oh and Amber, meet me in my tent."
The vermin stared at Amber with whole new expressions. Akan had never been a beast to pick a fight with, and they all knew it. Amber could feel their eyes on her back as she made her way to the Chief's tent.
When she reached the tent, she ducked inside and glanced around. Rei was on the rug in the middle of the tent, with Marduk standing in the corner looking at her expectantly.
"Sit down." When Amber did so, he continued. "Since you are now my second-in-command, you have need of different tattoos. You have the customary blue dots down the front, with a red lightning bolt on both cheeks. Captains have purple dots, with lightning bolts that match the color of their eyes. Do you see the problem?"
Amber nodded. She knew these rules, as they were basic to Juska law, but she hadn't thought about the tattoos. That explains why Rei is here, she's the only one who knows how to do the tattoos.
"Good, now that that's settled, we can begin. Rei?"
The vixen nodded and opened the satchel that sat beside her on the rug.
A half hour later, Amber strode out of Marduk's tent and headed towards her own.
That night, Amber slept surprisingly well considering the day's events. She awoke to the sound of Marduk's far off voice yelling at the horde to assemble. Amber scrambled out of the bed and found where the noise was coming from. The Vermin stood in ranks behind where Marduk was pacing, as he did every time they went on a raid. Amber marched over and stood where Akan used to stand at times like this.
Marduk saw that everyone was accounted for and began to speak. "We have settled here for too long. We leave today. Our course will be set for the village by the river moss, a good three day's march from here. If you would like to object, please do so now." No one spoke. "Good. Break camp. I expect you all back here by noon, ready to go. You are dismissed."
The Juskabeasts left the area. At a nod from Marduk, Amber followed suit. Returning to her tent, she began packing. Anything that was useful went into her satchel. A cloak, some food, and the knife she had killed Akan with were among these. Three hours later she reported back to the clearing and waited for instructions. When the horde was assembled again, Marduk signaled to Amber.
She called out in her best commanding voice. "March!"
There it is, Chapter 2. I suck at writing what happens at Redwall… Believe me, I tried, but it sucked. I'm just going to have to focus on Amber until she gets there. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
