Whoohoo! We must be setting a record or something -- three chapters in three days? Unheard of! Especially for the master procrastinators... --grin--

yeah... prolly... umm.. enjoy?

"What happened?"

Sky posed the obvious question which neither of them could answer. They stood for another moment, unable to tear their eyes from the carnage until Glaybo's voice rang out, hollow in the stillness.

"Why?" he asked. "Why them? Why weren't we here?"

Skyborne put a massive paw on his stricken friend's shoulder.

"Let's look for survivors, Glaybo," he said, clearing his throat a little in hopes that the knot would go away.

"Right," Glaybo said gruffly. "Good."

They went about their gruesome task, checking each body for a pulse before moving mechanically on to the next.

They only hesitated when they saw the corpses of the dibbuns thrown in a grotesque pile. For some reason, the killers had separated the kits from their parents. They went through the pile, forced to look on the petrified faces of the innocent children as they desperately hoped even one still lived.

Glaybo turned one over and saw Cockle, his lifeless face contorted in pain and anger. His body seemed more mangled than the rest, and Glaybo realized he had probably been punished while trying to defend his friends, of course.

The blood was everywhere, and it now stained the fur and clothing of the two searching, but they hardly noticed. They were numb to most senses, just wanting to check pulse and move on to someone who could be alive.

It took several hours, but they had finally gone through the whole camp. No one had survived. However, neither had they seen Skipper or Oshena.

"Maybe they escaped," Glaybo whispered, as if scared he would burst this fragile hope with a louder voice.

"Maybe," Skyborne agreed. "Let's check the perimeter of the camp for any more."

Glaybo nodded and they walked together along the outer boundary, looking for any otters. They hadn't gotten far before they saw one. And that one was moving.

They ran up to him, not slowing until they were kneeling beside the otter.

"Glaybo, Skyborne," he said weakly, lifting his head and turning it to them.

"Skip," Glaybo said in horror.

The Skipper's face had been badly scratched; it was swollen and oozing along the deep lacerations.

"What happened?" Skyborne asked.

"Chillaxe Otterbane. A wolf with a mighty 'orde," he replied.

"He's just a rumo–" Glaybo started to protest.

"No!"

His voice got louder but it cracked and he fell limp breathing shallowly. They could see in the bright midafternoon sun that his wrists had been sliced deeply and he'd lost a lot of blood; it stained the friendly brown dirt around him a cruel shade of red. He didn't have much longer to live.

"Glaybo, find Oshena. She ran at the first sight o' Chillaxe, toward the beach aroun' the long way. And don't go after 'im. Go, with all speed, to Redwall! May the spirit o' Martin 'ave pity on the otters!"

With that final cry, Skipper Jamin took his last breath and closed his eyes, joining his clan at the gates of Dark Forest.

"Oshena," Glaybo said, and took off in the direction of the beach.

It seemed to him that it took longer than usual, though he was running as fast as he could. Eventually he did come to the path and slowed, breathing heavily and looking around to see if she was hiding in the tall grasses.

He rounded a bend and saw her crumpled form on the path, lying in a patch of crimson sand.

Then everything that had happened suddenly became very real. All those otters weren't dolls, the blood covering him with sticky poignancy was the blood of his clan, and this body in front of him was Oshena.

Oshena.

"No," he said, but he knew it was.

All of it was.

Skyborne ran up behind him, immediately seeing Oshena.

"I'm... sorry," he said, somewhat awkwardly.

Glaybo fell into a sitting position next to her, carefully rolling her over and partially into his lap. Her eyes stared up and to the left – she had been looking at her attacker as he killed her.

Glaybo closed her eyes, tears of his own starting to fall on her smooth fur. Skyborne sat next to him and they cried for all they had lost.

Skyborne and Glaybo decided to chase Chillaxe, despite Jamin's warning. They followed his tracks, not too hard to miss, and traveled, grim faced and determined.
Alright, hang on to your seats for the next chapter, 'cause if you chase us down, we'll run too fast for you to catch us anyway.

--puts on sunglasses and a trenchcoat and walks into a crowded area-- I'm not here... I'm not here... umm.. review??

And HaloEver -- Chillaxe didn't kill Oshena, Sweeptail did. Keep the reviews coming! --chuckle-- Yay for loopholes...