Sorry for the long wait! I haven't had any ideas in a while…

Here's chapter 5 I guess… I am going to try to focus more on Alek in this chapter… I hope I do ok.

Claimer: I own all the characters in this story, excluding Martin. I also own Juskubel, and the little town.

Disclaimer: I do not own Redwall, Juska, or Mossflower.

Chapter 5

Alek observed his surroundings as he trekked through Mossflower wood. He had never been this far away from his village before. Towering oaks blocked out most of the sunlight, and what light did reach the forest floor was greenish, making the entire area seem dreary. Soon, even though it was midsummer, Alek began to shiver. It was cold under the shade of the trees. He was starting to get tired, but didn't want to camp in the wood he was in, so he picked up his pace to find a better spot. After a while, he came to a wide path where he could look one way and see the River Moss or the other way to see the path lead straight out of his line of vision. This place looked much better to camp, so he crossed the path and found a concealed pace between two trees, with thorn bushes covering the other two sides. There was a small opening in one corner, so he squirmed inside and lay curled up, hugging his knees. He had no bedding or covers, but luckily the area did not have too much shade, so it was not too cold. He was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately.

Alek awoke to birdsong. It was midday, and he reprimanded himself for sleeping in so late. When he managed to wriggle out of the little area, he began to think about how long it might take him to get to Redwall. If he remembered correctly, the path he was on led straight to Redwall. Okay, so I guess all I have to do is head down this path, He thought. Walking down the path, he began to wonder how he would have enough food for his journey. The answer soon presented itself, when he saw a blackberry bush beside the path. He had a satchel around his waist, so he filled it with blackberries, making sure to leave a little extra room in case he found anything else useful. After walking for a few more hours, he heard voices coming up the path. He quickly dove off the path and hid, not wanting to be seen.

Alek watched from his hidden spot as an otter and a mouse walked leisurely up the path. They both wore habits and immediately Alek recognized them as Redwallers. He ran out onto the path.

"Oh!? Who are you?" The otter asked Alek

"My name is Alek" Alek replied "I need to get to Redwall."

"Oh, then you should follow us. I'm Rachel, and this otter is Ballanaw, but you can call him Skipper." The mouse said. "Follow us; Redwall is not far from here.

Alek nodded and walked beside the two.

"So, why do you need to get to Redwall?" Skipper asked.

"It's a long story, so I'll summarize it. My home village is under attack by a clan of Juska vermin, and I need help." Alek replied.

"Oh… Then we should probably hurry! Abbot Fredek will want to know about this!" Rachel exclaimed. She sounded a bit worried.

They picked up their pace and hurried down the path. Five minutes later, Alek could see the battlements of Redwall Abbey rising above the trees. When they reached the Abbey, the sun was about to set. The group stopped in front of the front gate.

"Hello, up there, Is there anyone here to let two poor abbeybeasts and their guest in?" Skipper called out.

A latch could be heard being drawn on the other side of the door. An old mouse opened the door, and smiled at the three on the other side.

"Come in here, young-uns, It's just time for dinner, and you've been out all day!" The old mouse smiled as they walked past, and then shut the door behind them.

The old mouse joined them in walking towards the main building and introduced himself to Alek.

"My name is Joben, and who do I have the honor of addressing?" He asked.

"I'm Alek." Alek responded. He had just realized how tired he was and his paws were starting to drag as he walked.

Skipper seemed to notice this and said "You must be tired after your journey here. Let's take you to the dormitories. We can talk over your predicament in the morning."

Alek nodded gratefully at the otter. "Thank you."

The rest of the night passed in a blur, and Alek vaguely remembered being led into a room with many beds in it.

…..

Alek opened his eyes to bright light streaming in through a window by his bed. For A half second he wondered where he was. Then he remembered the events of the day before. He decided to get up and look around, but before he could do so, a loud cry came up the hall. A mouse he didn't recognize was leading a small squirrel into the room. The squirrel seemed to have scraped his paw while playing, and the mouse was doing the best she could to calm him down. She ended up giving him a candied chestnut to eat while she bandaged the small scratch on his paw. Afterwards she patted him on the back and gently pushed him out the door.

She turned to Alek. "I see that you're finally up!" she said cheerfully. "You must've been exhausted, you've been asleep since you arrived two days ago!"

Alek's eyes widened at this. "Two days? I've been asleep for two days?!"

The mouse nodded solemnly. "We were starting to get a little worried. Rachel will be glad to hear that you're up. I think that's her coming right now!" she said as footsteps came up the hall.

Rachel poked her head in the room, which Alek had just recognized as an infirmary, and, realizing he was awake, stepped in. "Was that Forrest who just ran by me down the hall? He almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Yes, it was. He tried climbing the wall again and of course he fell off."

Rachel laughed. "We really need to get him to stop doing that! He's going to seriously injure himself some day!"

"I don't know if there is a way! He is a squirrel after all."

"Well, I guess you're right, Sister Clementine." Rachel said. "You should probably go relax, I know looking after a dibbun like Forrest is tiring! I'll attend any more injuries; I need to talk with Alek anyways."

"Thank you! It's almost lunch, so I think I'll go see if I can help in the kitchens." Sister Clementine left the room, leaving Alek alone with Rachel.

Rachel shifted her attention to Alek. "Are you feeling better?" She asked "When you arrived you immediately collapsed onto the bed and we've been worried."

"I feel much better now, thank you." Alek replied.

"Oh! That's good!" Rachel exclaimed. "Would you like to go on a walk? I can show you around the abbey. I'm sure that being asleep for two days would leave you with a lot of energy."

Alek nodded. "That sounds good."

He stood up, and Rachel joined him. They walked out the doorway of the infirmary and into the hall. As they walked, Rachel pointed out certain things in the abbey, and Alek was content just to listen silently. After a while, the two bells in the bell tower began to ring, and Rachel led Alek to the orchards. Set up in the orchards were many tables with chairs on either side. Abbeybeasts were seating themselves and chattering to their friends. Alek followed Rachel to a place near the head of the table where she showed him where to sit. An older mouse (who Alek later learned was abbot Fredek) sat down at the head, and Ballanaw also sat nearby. Over the course of the meal, Alek unfolded the story of what happened at his village. He left out the part about Amber, simply saying that he managed to escape the vermin instead.

At the end of his story, the abbot said "We will help if we can, by all means."

Alek looked relieved and relaxed in his seat. Then he remembered that Amber had said to wait for her. He looked up and replied "Thank you, but before we do anything, there's someone I have to wait for.

Amber gazed out across the group of terrified goodbeasts, feeling disgusted that she had taken part in capturing them. Her emotions were unknown to anyone else as she watched. Marduk was giving some sort of speech, but she couldn't hear him. She was more focused on the looks of hatred from some of the villagers. Marduk seemed to have finished his speech off, giving orders to the horde to take the villagers away. Marduk left the area, and Amber followed. It was late afternoon by now, the invasion having taken most of the day, and Marduk's orders were to patrol for an hour then sleep.

After her patrol, Amber sneaked over to where the villagers were being held, effectively knocking the guards unconscious, she crept around the area, being watched intently by the goodbeasts. She found Joben and his family, so she went to talk to him. Everyone around them scooted backwards.

Amber crouched down and whispered "Are any of you hurt?" Joben shook his head. "Good. I am leaving tonight. I cannot take you all with me, but if there is anyone you think should be clear of this place before tomorrow, then I will take them with me. You have no reason to trust me, and I understand if you would rather all stay here, but I decided to ask just in case."

Joben whispered back "I do not think that anyone else here trusts you, but I will. I need to talk to my family about this."

Amber nodded and walked a short distance away, watching them talk. Joben beckoned her back a few minutes later.

"Will you take my daughter with you? Her name is Mallory and she is too young to come into contact with these vermin. If Alek is at Redwall, then that is also the best place for her." Joben said.

Amber nodded, surprised. She really hadn't expected anyone there to trust her, but she held out her paw to the young mouse as she walked silently out of the area.

Mallory hesitantly took Amber's paw, and with a whispered "'bye" to her parents, they made their way to Amber's tent.

When they reached it, Mallory looked up at Amber inquisitively. "Why do the bad rats want to hurt us? I asked Daddy but he said he didn't know."

Amber thought for a second. "I don't really know either."

After she finished packing, she held out her paw to Mallory, who once again took it. Then they set off into the dark night.

There's that… Again, sorry for the long wait.