Chapter 13

Ferrdann and his posse of trackers were gaining closer and closer to the woodlanders. They were even able to spot their heads.

"There you are, my little beauties."

He said as he pulled his dagger from the sheath.

"You two, circle around them. Take a few of my beasts with you, the rest of you will come with me."

The greasy looking rat stated. He watched the woodlanders scurry to grab their belongings.

"This is all too easy."

He snickered. Ferrdann skillfully twirled the dagger in his paw. He chuckled and snickered to himself. Ferrdann and the rest stormed the camp. Elmtail and a few of the Guosim were in the lead when out of nowhere, a javelin was thrown from the trackers and killed one of the shrews. It impaled through the little creature's chest. Elmtail shouted.

"Ambush!"

Before dropping to the ground and kissing the dirt. Everybeast of the Mossflower Patrol and the Guosim dropped everything they were carrying and dropped to the ground. They clasped their paws over their heads. Ferrdann laughed out loud at the site of the cowering woodlanders. He drew his scimitar and casually waltzed towards his fallen foes. He wielded both paws with his dagger and scimitar. The greasy furred fiend spat more brown liquid as he talked. He stood over and spat on Sam

"Hmhmhmhm, you stupid beasts! I should've know you'd cower before me!"

He shouted out. Ferrdann looked to his scimitar then back to Sam. His smile was disgusting, his teeth were plastered in the brown goo.

"You've been givin' Captain Xaviel a hard time. I'm gonna do him a favor and bring your head on a pike."

He taunted, Ferrdann then raised his sword and just as he was about to swing it, he heard a yell for help from one of his tracker rats. Not paying any attention to Sam, Sam grabbed a javelin on the side and skewered the filthy one's left footpaw. He shouted and danced in pain.

"Get them, get them!"

He cried out as he hopped around in agony. This was Sam's que, he ordered the others to run as fast as they could, each and everybeast sprang up to his footpaws and dashed away from the trackers! The black, oily rat had a "healer" with him, though he wasn't classified as a healer. Was a skinny and somewhat short ferret, he doused the bandages in an herbal concoction and wrapped the fresh wound around the dirty one's paw. The medicine stung Ferrdann's greasy paw, he winced in pain as the badages wrapped around it.

"By the seasons, that hurts greatly!"

"Sorry, sir. I've got to put it on, so yer wound won't end up infected."

The black rat stood up and shouted, the disgusting brown goo was spat out even more.

"There getting away, after them!"

He screamed. The vermin trackers yelled and chased after their targets. Still clutching the javelin, Sam jumped forward, turned himself around, and thrusted the long weapon through the air. It pierced through the heart of a weasel. Ferrdann and his "healer" were shortly behind. The tall oily rat ran with a limp.

"After them!"

He repeated. The vermin ran faster and were gaining up on the patrollers. Sam then drew his sword and was ready to fight off the enemies. Harlan and Elmtail stopped running and they drew their weapons, and readied themselves. Sam and his group of comrades saw their enemies drawing closer. Soon enough, they were within sword's range. Sam took the first swing from his steel sword and it had cut a rat right in two. He continued to hack and slash his way through the mob of vermin.

"REDWAAAALLLL!"

"LOGALOGALOGALOGALOG!"

Everybeast shouted. Flugg had sling throwers at his side, some from the Patrol, but mainly from the Guosim. They swung their slings and lobbed the heavy stones overhead. A stone flew right into the forehead of a rat and killed him. Ferrdann did a mad hopskip dance.

"Imbeciles! You wretched imbeciles!"

Sam, Elmtail, and Harlan continued hacking and slashing through the bodies of many vermin.

"How many are there!?"

Elmtail questioned, he became sweaty and almost worn out."

"We've got to keep pressing onwards!"

Sam shouted as he kept slashing away.

"Sam's right, we've got to do what he's sayin'! Let's finish this, for Redwall!"

Harlan shouted while slashing away at the cannon fodder. Ferrdann saw his beasts were getting slain left, right, and center. The only ones that were left were him, his healer, and a few others. Ferrdann had two choices, run away with his tail betwixt his legs, or stsy and fight. Most vermin would have chosen the first option, but Ferrdann was so enraged and full of vengeance he decided to stay and fight. Ignoring his injury, the black rat sprinted towards Sam with both scimitar and dagger raised. Scimitar and broadsword clashed with each other, a small scuffle occurred as the filthy vermin fought the woodlander. Sam jumped back a bit and attempted to downward slash his foe, this however was proven worthless, Ferrdann saw what his adversary was going to do. Ferrdann then kicked Sam in the chest. Spit flew from Sam's mouth as he painfully fell to the ground. Ferrdann sharpened his scimitar with his dagger. He sheathed the smaller weapon and smiled his disgusting smile at his fallen enemy.

"Time to die!"

He happily taunted. The rat raised his sword over his head, and just as he was about to deliver the final blow. A sabre was thrusted behind him and impaled through the back of his head. The blade protruded from the wretched one's mouth. Blood and the brown goo that was Ferrdann's spit coated the blade. A squelch sounded when the sabre was pulled from the dead enemy, the one wielding the blade was a squirrelmaiden, she was clad in a jerkin, with tan trousers, and a leather belt. She wiped her sword on the dead Ferrdann and helped Sam up. She spoke in an elegant and posh like demeanor.

"Hello, young squirrel, I am looking for a beast named Harlan, have you seen him?"

"Here I am!"

Shouted the squirrel of the Northlands. Sam was puzzled on who she was and how did she know Harlan? It was simple, she was his spouse.