13.

Feathers and Far Off Friends

She was flying. Her wings were wide and graceful as she soared effortlessly on the thermals. Below, the woods and plains glided silently by her. The air currents took her towards a high mountain chain. Fluffy white clouds obscured the alpine summits as she dove into them. Instantly she was surrounded by the mist. The small droplets started soaking into her plumage. Beneath her, the water vapor tickled her talons. With a few swift beats of her mighty wings she started to soar back up towards the clear blue sky.

The cloud however, started following her. No sooner had she broken through its upper reaches, did it close back over her talons again. The tickling sensation was causing her to fly wildly and she was in danger of falling from the sky. No matter how she twisted and dove the cloud kept with her. In desperation she swiftly rolled completely around in mid-air.

THWACK!!!

Columbine's paw connected squarely with the side of Gonff's head. The plump thief dropped the feather he had been using to tickle his wife's footpaw and fell to the floor massaging his head. "Remind me no to go interruptin' your dreamin' again m'dear."

Columbine had come fully awake on accidentally smacking her husband. "Gonff! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it! Are you alright?"

"Just fine milady," he replied as he placed the feather back in his cap. "It was the eagle dream again, wasn't it?"

"How did you know that?"

"The way you were holding your paws out to your sides. It looked like you were flying. I must admit, dreamin' of flying like a big fluffy cloud was one of my favorite things to do when I was naught but a lad." He leaned back with a dreamy expression on his face.

Columbine groaned both at her husband and being woken from a nice dream. "You big Dibbun. If I recall it was your play acting on a speeding cloud that got you captured in Kotir once."

Gonff shrugged off the statement. "Tosh, oh she of the errant eagle. I only let them capture me so I could rescue me matey Martin." He had a very pleased grin on his face.

"Errant eagle! I'll show you errant eagle!" Columbine grabbed a spare pillow and threw it at her impudent husband. Unfortunately the pillow caught on the corner of the bedside table. The thin material split its seem covering the room in feathers. The small one-room cottage they had been given to stay in suddenly bore a striking resemblance to a mid-winter blizzard.

Gonff was rolling on the floor laughing. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, you should see your face right now, ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The pretty mousewife would have glared at her husband, but at that moment a feather floated by her nose. It made her sneeze before she too fell victim to the silliness of the scene. "Achoo! So my face is quite the sight to see is it? Take that!" She had grabbed a handful of feathers out of the air and balled them together. As best she could, she hurled them at Gonff.

He responded in kind at once. The two dissolved into bouts of uncontrollable laughter as they pelted each other with the highly ticklish feathers.

The noise was loud enough to cause Skipper to come running over. Not knowing what was happening inside he threw open the door. "Belay all the noise! What's goin' on in…? OY! Phupht!" Skipper had been treated to a double hit of feather balls. He staggered back outside covered in and spitting out feathers.

"Hurr hurr hurr. You'm 'baint no owly-burd loik miz Emlet zurr. Best you'm keepin' 'ee paws onna ground," chuckled a passing mole.

Far to the south the same moon and stars shone down on a solitary figure peering over Redwall's high battlements. Bella of Brockhall was so lost in thought she didn't hear Abbess Germaine approach her. "Up here again old friend?"

Bella gave a start and turned to the Abbess. The old mouse was long past her prime seasons. The long toils she had faced had weathered and grayed her fur. Her hearing was just starting to go bad and her movements were growing increasingly slower. Still her intellect was a sharp as ever and she ruled over the half-completed Abbey with kindness. "Germaine! What are you doing up here yourself? You should be in bed resting."

"I've been getting plenty of rest as of late Bella, but thank you for your concern. More so than usual to be honest. What with Gonff being gone we can't chase after him for stealing pies from the kitchens."

The old badger nodded to her lifelong friend. "Aye, it's been too quite here without Martin, Gonff, and the others. I can't help but wonder if we did the right thing by just letting them leave like we did. Martin didn't even say where he was going."

"Come with me Bella. There's something I think you should know." Germaine led the way back into the main Abbey building. Entering silently the pair made their way down to the cozy confines of Cavern Hole. A few torches were still sputtering with life. Bella poured two beakers of apple cider that had been left over from dinner. Germaine sat down in a big squashy armchair and pulled a scroll from her wide habit sleeve. "Bella, you know as well as I, that look Martin had in his eye. We both could tell that whatever it was, this quest was, and probably still is very important to him. I knew he was eager to set off at once. I saw no reason to delay him by asking for an explanation.

"Weren't you even curious to know why he only asked for Skipper and his otter crew? Or why he had packed his full suit of armor?" asked the graying badger.

"Of course," was the reply. "But I've never felt the need to intrude unduly on another. I was, and still am confident that if Martin wanted to explain his choice he would have done so."

Bella was still concerned. "How can you say that?"

"Because of this," and Germaine held up the scroll in her paw. "Martin left it by my door just before we saw him at the gatehouse. It carried instruction that it was not to be opened before mid-summers day, should our Warrior not have returned by then."

"Mid-summers day was two day ago. Why didn't you tell me of this sooner?"

Germaine gave a small smirk. "You didn't ask."

Bella wagged a paw at the Abbess. "You've been spending too much time with Foremole and Dinny. Well, what does it say then?"

Germaine unrolled the parchment. "Calm down. It takes the form of a poem.

The code of the warrior to me calls,
Travel north from these red stone halls.
Do not worry, oh please don't despair,
I shall return come autumn fair.

Courage, justice, valor, truth,
All my hallmarks since my youth.
Yet, one deep secret I've always kept,
The reason why my heart has wept.

Of one who gave all she could give,
To ensure that others would live.
I the captive she set free,
Yet her chains still keepeth me.

Now her home in danger lies,
From evil vermin in cruel disguise.
Unable to stand against this might,
They have called to me, a creature of right.

By my sword I will defend,
Until this evil meets its end,
And purge the land upon which grows,
The memory forever, of a faded rose."

Bella sat in silence as the poem ended. She was stunned that stoic Martin could write something so hauntingly beautiful. She looked up at Germaine and was unsurprised to see the old mouse wiping tears from her eyes. "What does it all mean?" asked the badger.

Germaine had recomposed herself. "I have given these words much thought since I first read them. But much still remains a mystery to me. I believe that there is quite a bit more to Martin's past than he has ever told us. I feel that he must have had several adventures before he found his way here to Mossflower."

"After hearing that poem, it would make sense," said Bella. "Do you remember when we first met him in Brockhall? I knew then he came from the tribes of northlands warrior mice. Before I met you, or even Barkstripe for that matter, my travels took me north of Mossflower. I never reached the far northlands, but I did hear tell of them.

"The creatures I spoke to told of a small band of mice that had settled on the western coast. I'm sure that is where Martin originally came from."

The Abbess looked over the scroll again. "If your right, what confuses me is this; talk of Martin in chains, a maid who saved him only to recapture him, the land she came from needing a champion, and this last bit about a faded rose. Everything I've ever read said that the northlands were bleak and barren. Martin even told Gonff the same thing. Roses need good soil and climate to flourish, maybe that's what he meant by a faded rose."

Bella closed her eyes as she walked the dim paths of her memory. "Yes that's true. But the beasts I spoke to in my younger days said that was only the case near the coast. As one went further inland, it was supposed to be quite habitable."

Germaine tucked the scroll back in her habit sleeve. "Surely you don't mean Noonvale?"

Bella's eyes came open. "I do actually. I had only heard rumors of the place during my travels. Apparently it is supposed to be a hidden valley of great beauty and peace. One vole I talked to said that if a creature entered Noonvale they would never want to leave. How do you know of it?"

"Before we left Loamhedge, may the seasons always smile on its memory, our order had compiled one of the greatest libraries ever seen. Noonvale was mentioned several times in those old tomes. But like you said, Noonvale was only heard of by rumor."

The old badger had finished her cider and cleared away the beakers. "You know I think it's entirely possible our Martin may have lost some creature dear to him when he was younger, and I don't mean his mother and father. Martin did tell us that his mother was killed in a searat raid, and he never saw his father return from his voyage to avenge her death."

"Why couldn't it be his parents? They were from the north and Martin clearly told us that is where he went."

Bella shook her head. "It's the line that says something about a secret. We all knew about Martin's parents, it never was a secret. No I think Martin may have met and lost a maiden at one point in his life. She may have even been from Noonvale."

Germaine was somewhat confused. "What makes you think she was from Noonvale?"

"According to the rumors, Noonvale is one of the few places of peace in the northlands. Where else would she be from?" answered the badger.

Germaine had another question. "Then why didn't he stay there? Why did he make his way here to Mossflower?"

"I don't know for certain Germaine, but I just had an idea. You know Martin as well as I. The last thing he would ever do is abandon his friends. But what if he had lost someone like that? You yourself were forced to flee your home once. Why not Martin as well? Could the loss of his love drive him to run away?"

The Abbess shook her head furiously. "No! Our Martin would never do such a thing. Even if his friends fell around him, he would go on to live in honor of them."

Bella wasn't to sure. "Our Martin wouldn't, you're right. But think back to your own days of youth. Did you always make the wise decisions you make now with so many seasons of experience? Would Martin be any different?"

Abbess and Abbey Mother sat in silence thinking about the cryptic message they had been given. Sleep gradually overcame the pair before they could arrive at an answer.

The pale moonlight also shone down on the trees surrounding Noonvale. The soft glow of the silver beams was lost to those hiding amongst the treetops. A black feathered figure hopped next to another and in a whisper said, "Kraaaaa! They are here. Two new Flurem Woo-es he seeks.

The second figure answered also in a whisper. "Krachaaa! Very good! We will watch and wait. Tonight is a good night to claim the Flurem Woo-es."

A/N; Ha Ha! And now for something completely different! I'll bet you were all expecting another highly romantic Martin and Rose scene. Well I've had several comments that Germaine just let Martin go with no explanation. Others have said they like the way I've been portraying Gonff. That and it was time for a quick break from Martin and Rose. So there you go. I hope it explains a few more things and causes a few laughs all the while adding new questions too. I love being the sneaky what's-going-to-happen-next-writer. (devilish laugh) It took me forever to write that poem too by the way. The last two lines were especially tough. I hope it lives up to the standard Martin explanatory/mystery poetry he is famous for in the books. Of course this time it's not much a mystery to us the reader, but to the characters it probably is. Have fun trying to guess what's coming next. I can tell you this much, it came to me in a stroke of brilliance if I do say so myself.