Chapter 5

Kagget was still stuck in the hole, and was beginning to starve. All he had was a meager half an apple which lasted him about five hours, with the weasel eating as slow as possible. He had tried to dig, but he ran into several rocks, and it took him more than a day to make it a meter up the hole. Kagget's broken leg made it even harder to survive, as the pain was starting to increase to a maximum. His digging had made it start to open up and bleed, and he had about zero chance of it not becoming infected. The troubled weasel slept.

The young mole was still digging to Redwall, and had made it nearly halfway there before bursting into a sinkhole which contained one of his former captors, who had a broken and bleeding leg. The mole cared enough to bind up the wound, but he could not do anything about the broken limb. The mole carried on to Redwall.

At around midday, the young mole (who was named Gruler) reached his destination. The Abbey creatures were surprised to have a guest, as it was a nice spring, neither hot nor cold. Gruler explained why he was there in his quaint molespeech.

"There be um gurt tent nowt long aways, with vermin carmped in et. More than twenty score! Oh, an' thurr weasel in thurr deep hole with um broken leg."

"What weasel, and what hole?" inquired Friar Durbee.

"Thurr weasel in um hole, ee an' another weasel chained moi to um tree, but oi escaped, then thurr was um adder, an' et killed wun weasel, an' oi found ee other wun in um hole, zurr."

"Oh dear, then we'd better help him, even though he's a vermin," said Abbess Bluebell. "Could you show us where this weasel is?"

"Yurr, miz Bluebell," replied Gruler.

In about an hour, a party containing Abbess Bluebell, Durbee, Gruler, and Furrel, who was annoying but a very good warrior, had found the sinkhole containing Kagget. The weasel was awake, and upon seeing the young mole Gruler he stared at him suspiciously.

"Wot are yew doin' here, you young maggot? You're supposed to be dead!" said the weasel to his former captive. Seeing Furrel for the first time, he immediately scrambled into his meter-long tunnel.

"Don't kill me, I'm only a helpless vermin!" Kagget cried.

Furrel scoffed at the weasel.

"I won't kill you, you have a broken leg an' a bleeding wound. I'm not heartless, y'know!"

The weasel began speaking.

"Need... water... in... hole... for... long... ti-"

Kagget fell unconscious with thirst.

The party had taken Kagget back to the Abbey without any difficulties. The weasel was immediately taken up to the Infirmary for his broken and bleeding leg. As Brother Ellor was putting it in a splint, Kagget woke up.

"Where am I? Wot happened? Who are ye?"

Ellor was surprised by the weasel's remarkable powers of recovery. An ordinary creature would have been unconscious for a longer time, but this weasel was different.

"You are in Redwall Abbey in the infirmary, and I am Brother Ellor, the infirmary keeper," he said. "I do not know what happened, though."

The weasel suddenly lashed out in pain and accidentally kicked the Brother in the nose.

"Owch! Why did you do that?"

"Pain... lots of pain..."

"Oh. I see. Hold still n- Yowch!"

"Sorry, the pain is too great! Wot the- yaaah!"
The bed had collapsed with Kagget on top of it, and he fell off the bed, landing on Ellor's footpaw, which caused him to leap up, straight into the ceiling.

"Get off! Get off, I said!"

The weasel was clinging to Ellor's leg, causing him to trip and fall onto the collapsed bed.

"Oof! Get off!"

"What is happening, may I ask?"

Nomak had been in the Abbey grounds sleeping when he heard yelling and a thud coming from the Infirmary. He had come to investigate and found the Abbess and Furrel watching, dumbfounded. A minute later it seemed the entire Abbey was trying to squeeze through the crowd to see the aftermath of what was documented as the 'Infirmary incident'. The Abbess was trying to clear out the packed hallway when another thud sounded. The ceiling now had a crack in it, and was beginning to open. Dust went everywhere, and before it cleared out Brother Ellor and Kagget came running out of the room, shouting,

"The ceiling is collapsing, it's falling apart!"

It was true, as there was an ominous crack and the room collapsed completely. The onlookers had covered their eyes, and now they ran off before two young squirrels began trying to race each other.

"Get out of the way!" yelled the two squirrels, Ellor and Kagget (who was still clutching the Brother's leg) as they went flying down the hallway. Until Kagget's grip finally failed and he went tumbling down the stairs. First the front row of onlookers tripped on the weasel, then the second and third, and it was not long before at least two hundred creatures were in a pile-up on the stairs to Great Hall. Wisely, Abbess Bluebell had stayed behind and was not caught in the pile-up. Instead, she looked at the ruins of what had once been a room in the Infirmary. There had been several healing items inside, and all of them were crushed in the collapse.

The Abbess walked to the pile-up (which had cleared up) and found Kagget, who had been crushed beneath the mass of creatures, unconscious and barely alive. Immediately she rushed the weasel to another Infirmary room and began tending to his injuries, which now numbered a broken and bleeding leg, three crushed paws, a broken arm and a loss of blood from his leg. A mouse in armor swam into his dream. It radiated kindness, which Kagget was unused to, and began speaking.

"Weasel, weasel, listen to what I say:

The moles will dig, a small and large grave;

If you do not leave, it will be for you,

So find the parchment, what it says is true.

In Abbey, see ache, under the table,

Find it now, while you are able.

After the full moon, two weeks, begone,

Or your small vermin life will be gone."

At Rukkar's camp, the fox Sarrak had teamed up with a rat called Yuvil to begin turning away more of Rukkar's horde to the Gorvim, which now numbered almost three hundred. Yuvil was like the old Arril, loyal and a bit stupid. He was quite young, and only loyal to Sarrak, his idol. The rat did take orders from Rukkar, but also spied for Sarrak. At the moment, he was spying on Rukkar, who was in his tent. Rukkar was scoffing roasted fish and slopping damson wine all over. Greyfang and Yuvil watched in disgust.

"Well then, fox, what do your visions say?" he said to his Seer.

"They are still blocked by the strange mouse in armor, Sire," said Greyfang.

Suddenly the Greatrat turned dangerous.

"Get out, you puddleheaded oaf! Begone, you fatbellied beaverbrained excuse for a beetle, afore I take my sword an' kill you!"

The fox ran out, not noticing Yuvil, who was still hidden in a grass cloak, camouflaged in the long grass. The rat creeped over to where Sarrak was sitting by the fire, shedding his cloak and coming close, also sitting down by the fire.

"What information, Yuvil?" asked Sarrak to his companion.

"Nothin', except fer that the fox's dreams an' visions are still clouded," replied the rat.

"Good. Go back, and stay until there's good information, or else ye'll feel my blade in your ribs," said Sarrak.

The rat creeped back off silently.