Chapter 8: Tragedy
As the next year flew by, and the Mice lived in fear of sudden destruction, Reepicheep rapidly approached the worst tragedy of his life. Being eighteen years old and a master swordsman at single combat made him feel more certain of himself, but deep down he questioned almost every aspect of his life. Thanks to their small size, Reepicheep knew the Mice were virtually defenseless against the Telmarines. That fact nearly drove him mad with sorrow and anger. His stubbornness would surface then, and he would become obsessed with what he thought of as perfection. With all these emotions raging around in his mind, there was only a small part of Reepicheep that still whispered to him in the quiet hours of the night, "It doesn't matter what they think of you."
Reepicheep's heart also ached because he felt like no one really understood him. He got along very well with Lady Geeniveek and Peepiceek, but they even did not know what Reepicheep was going through. The deepness in him reached desperate fingers out into the unknown in search of answers. Maybe that was why the unknown void appealed so greatly to him.
"Alright, it's time for scout patrol," Rhevercheek ordered one afternoon. "We necessitate knowing the status of the Telmarines. Reepicheep, this mission is for you."
"To hear is to obey," said Reepicheep with a bow.
Soon he was walking through the Shuddering Woods. Everything was green with spring and the sunlight filtered through the lofty branches, dappling the forest floor. Squirrels chattered from their drays and brightly colored birds weaved their way through the treetops. Reepicheep walked far.
Suddenly the Mouse scout stopped, shocked. He had come to the place where the failed raid had happened. The construction site had gone on, undaunted by the fear of the wild animals just outside its boundary. The Telmarines had succeeded in building a large town, twice as big as some of the tiny eastern villages. Worse still, there were men cutting a path into the forest! They all had axes, wagons, weapons—and there were a lot of them. They were probably searching for some good trees to chop down, and they could reach the Burrow in only a few hours!
Reepicheep's brow creased with stress. He clenched his teeth grimly and charged back to the Burrow. Soon the bad news had spread like fire around the Mouse hole. Families were panicking, and fears that had sunk into shadows over the year were suddenly tossed into the light.
That afternoon Rhevercheek called all the warriors together. There were about fifteen in this tribe, and today they all looked smaller and more frightened than usual. The meeting room was full of uneasy murmuring and negativity when Rhevercheek spoke up.
"This is a challenging situation," he announced gruffly. "The Telmarines are far taller and stronger than we are, and they have some impressive weapons. The commotion caused by their machines and carts could cave in the Burrow. If they start cutting down the surrounding trees, a tunnel collapse is inevitable. We have not made plans for an escape route. To be honest, I am not sure how we can survive this."
The Mice all looked shocked. They rushed forward and demanded answers to various questions about their families' safety, where to go, or what to do. Rhevercheek did not seem to know how to handle the panic. Everyone seemed so lost and leaderless.
Without warning, Reepicheep jumped on top of a table and shouted, "Attention here, my friends! The Mice of Narnia do not behave this way in time of crisis! The Mice of Narnia take action! We take out swords, our honor, and our hearts; and we face the challenge. Tell me what greedy, heartless Human can stand against our free spirits?"
All of the warriors quieted down and began to listen. Reepicheep's words comforted them and snapped their minds back into order. Rhevercheek, however, did not seem pleased. "This is disrespectful behavior," he said. "What do you mean y it?"
"Forgive me if I have insulted you," Reepicheep replied hurriedly, "but something had to be done. These Mice do not need someone telling them the odds are against them; they need a leader! Someone they trust and depend on, who will look the situation in the eye and not flinch."
"Are you suggesting," began Rhevercheek angrily, "that you are such a leader?"
Reepicheep nodded confidently. "I am, sir."
The storm of anger and fear on the older Mouse's face vanished. "Very well then, Reepicheep. You shall lead the Mice on an emergency raid on my behalf. Your mission is to do anything to halt the progress of the Telmarines. I place my warriors entirely under your command. Are you suited for the challenge?"
"Well suited, my commander." Reepicheep bowed low, overcome with excitement. His old daydreams of heroic charges were coming true, but they were not as glorious as they were stressful and dire.
Reepicheep got on the job immediately. It was the general opinion that the Mice should wait until dark and then steal and destroy all the supplies of the men. They would also set traps and leave warnings to discourage the Telmarines. However, Reepicheep preferred immediate action. "If you have a sword, you can use it in daylight!"
By mid afternoon the Mice were on their way to face the Telmarines. Everyone was nervous, but Reepicheep carefully hid any signs of his feelings. He encouraged everyone as they scampered through the underbrush. It did not take them long to find the Humans, who had made their own path. The path led right in the direction of the Burrow, where the best lumber trees were. Reepicheep and the Mice hid in the bushes and waited fro the right moment to strike.
"Look at them!" Peepiceek whispered to Reepicheep. "There are at least ten, and look at those carts and axes. I though Telmarines were afraid of woods!"
"They may have brave spirits," Reepicheep responded, "but I will put their filthy bodies to a permanent rest."
"Not by my council, Reepicheep," whispered Rhevercheek, who was here to give guidance. "We should go back to the Burrow and tell everyone to evacuate. It is our only chance."
Reepicheep shook his head in disagreement. "We do not have an escape route. Everyone would run in separate directions and have nowhere to go. Out in the open, we are more vulnerable than ever! There is a very small chance of escape by evacuation, but there is also a chance that they can stop these Humans before they reach the Burrow. Both are high risk."
Now more than never, He was thinking about the words of Thumtikk the Dwarf; his survival-of-the-fittest philosophy. Reepicheep could not allow himself to be a small, helpless victim. He had to be a hero. And what hero ever let on that he was doubtful, or that he was ashamed of his size or even his species?
"We will hold them off!" Reepicheep decided. "No one is to return to the Burrow unless I give the order. We attack now!"
The well-meaning Mouse charged at the Humans, whose backs were turned to the attackers. Reluctantly, the other Mice followed. At firs the Telmarines did not know what to think when they saw the Mice, and one man ran away screaming, "Sprites! Wood devils! Run!"
The other man hesitated, and it cost some of them their lives. Reepicheep, Peepiceek, and Rhevercheek each jumped onto a man, drew their swords, and attacked his face. The first three men met their doom that way. They toppled over backwards, which sent the rodents who rode on them flying through the air.
Reepicheep's soar through the air was cut short as his body slammed against a tree. The other Mice were having similar difficulties, stunned from falls. Some of them had lost their swords and were helpless as the Telmarines fought back. The men were suing knives, clubs, and axes. Reepicheep knew the battle was going poorly, but he was now only half-conscious after hitting the tree.
The fog over his vision cleared just in time for Reepicheep to see one Mouse killed by an axe and two more knocked out like lights by Telmarines clubs. In a frantic effort to regroup, the Mice were losing horribly. Reepicheep shouted for them to scatter, unaware that a Telmarines was coming up behind him. He suddenly turned and saw an ax-head sweeping right toward him.
Just then somebody knocked Reepicheep out of danger. The rescuer quickly climbed onto the Telmarine with the ax and killed him. The rescuer was Peepiceek.
"We need to go back to the burrow!" he shouted breathlessly. "A few of the Telmarines went that way from another angle, and we missed them! They're going to start cutting the trees down now. We have to warn the others!"
"You saved my life," Reepicheep panted. "I shall do whatever you say. Retreat, everyone!"
Reepicheep and Peepiceek started to run away as fast as they could. At first Reepicheep wondered why no one else had answered the call to retreat, but the terrible truth came into his mind as he ran. He didn't need to look back to know that all the other warriors were dead. Now there was only one option, only one purpose on which the willpower of Reepicheep and Peepiceek was entirely bent: the Burrow. But all around, the forest already seemed to be falling. The Telmarines were cutting down the trees around the Burrow, and Reepicheep knew it would cause a cave-in.
The second they saw the Burrow, Reepicheep and Peepiceek jumped inside. They could not ask the other Mice to run outside, or they would be seen and killed by the Telmarines. The one option remaining was the deepest, safest room in the Burrow.
"Everyone, to the cellar!" Reepicheep shouted to the top of his lungs. "He then started running through all the rooms and trying to warn everyone. Already the earth-and-rock roof was crumbling. Giant cracks of falling trees split the air.
Reepicheep ran to the kitchen. "Father! Get into the cellar!" he yelled. For just one second he saw his father in the act of washing dishes, with the same old gentle expression on his face—and then the doorway was blocked by collapsing roof.
Reepicheep stood looking at the blocked doorway for a few seconds. His heart seemed to stop beating and his blood ran cold. Taking a deep breath, Reepicheep forced himself away from the kitchen just as more rubble fell where he had been standing. He ran through the halls again, rounding up all the Mice he saw and taking them to the cellar. He got ready to run back for more, but Peepiceek grabbed him.
"Get inside!" Peepiceek squeaked urgently. "The roof is coming down!"
"There are more Mice out there!" Reepicheep argued.
"Come on, get in!" Peepiceek insisted. He forced Reepicheep into the cellar, and just in time. A huge section of the roof caved in and blocked any way in or out of the cellar.
There was a few seconds of complete quiet in the complete darkness. Then Reepicheep lit a candle and went around trying to calm everyone down. The silence was broken as all the surviving Mice began panicking and crying. Some sobbed hysterically and others tried desperately to dig their way out of the cellar. Reepicheep helped every family, pleading with them to stay calm and cooperate.
Above, the noise of falling trees and other unidentifiable sounds went on. Until all that stopped, nobody was allowed to try digging out. Reepicheep found some food and drink, which he passed around. He made sure everyone got their fair share. When all the Mice had calmed significantly, Reepicheep sat down.
And waited.
And waited.
Long into the night, he waited. He did not shed a tear. He did not sleep. He just waited for a sign, a sound, anything to let him know that the world had not ended.