Here I am again! Woo! Four reviews on my first two days! (My Fullmetal fanfic only got two reviews so far (two and a half weeks already!) and one of them is by my friend Jo… :'( ) Thanks to the people who reviewed! Read on, my faithful readers, and hello to the new ones!

My Rose of Old Redwall

Chapter 3: Escape

The rat holding Furmingbia captive died without realizing his life was in danger. At midnight, after gently pricking him with the tip of her poisoned dirk, Furmingbia pushed the carcass of the rat off her and dove into the bushes surrounding camp, weaving her way expertly towards the other prisoners. After killing them with graceful strokes of her dirk, she led them silently towards the sentries guarding the other shrews. It was pretty easy since the heavy-eyed guards were full of grog and plundered shrew beer. After slaying them Furmingbia freed Log-a-Log and the other warriors.

Shushing them with a gesture, she went to the gently whimpering babes and elders, freeing the elders first.

Taking a small twig on fire from the campfire she threw a pawful of herbs on it and held it to the noses of the babes. The smoke quickly made them drift into a deep slumber, and the able warriors carried them to a safe spot.

"Let's get rid of the slimy blighters while they're still asleep and dreaming of their mamas!" A shrew whispered.

Lo-a-Log was about to agree when Furmingbia gently placed a small paw to restrain him. "Look," she murmured, with an icy glare that raked the shrew that suggested the idea, "we 'ave babes and old 'uns here, and they can't defend themselves. We are only a small amount of warriors and what if the vermin sleeping on the outskirts of camp run off in panic and crash into the babes? It's dark and they can't get very far away. It's best we retreat, I have an idea."

Log-a-Log nodded his approval, and the remaining shrews went off as silent as smoke.

At a hidden grove where Furmingbia used to stay, she explained softly. "Okay, here is the plan, I know we shouldn't put the abbey in danger, but our best chance is to fight the vermin from inside there. I will accompany the two fastest runners to the abbey, two days ahead of the main body, and warn them of vermin. But meanwhile, I'll give you a crude map to help you travel to the next few hidden stops, travel at night and double march. Make at least two false trails and erase any signs you have ever been there. I took a closer look at the vermin and found they painted their faces red, they must be Rapscallions! Then there will be hundreds more of the blighters and we need to be careful, understood?"

There was a chorus of ayes and Furmingbia gave Log-a-Log a map and took a small bag of food along with the best runners, Sattipetra© and Spiketail.

"GET UP!" Patchfur yelled, kicking every beast awake. "Get up! Every single mother's lily-livered son of yew!"

The vermin were kicked and flailed into wakefulness as Patchfur the ferret stomped over to the place where the prisoners had been, not caring a single thing about his dead soldiers. "Escape! It's an escape!"

He turned around and glared at the sleepy-eyes vermin. "GET AFTER THEM! I want every single slack-jawed worthless fool of ye out there and searching for them shrews!"

A strong rat scowled. "We ain't listening to yew, fancy-face! I thought only Great rats can rule." The ferret whirled around and slew the rat with a single stroke of his razor-sharp claws. "I know that, fool, anyone here wants to challenge me?"

The ferret glared at the vermin ranks as he wiped his claws on the dead rat's head. No beast dared look at him. Sneering, the ferret snarled. "Get them shrews before I make an example of youse!" The vermin ranks were quick to departure, not wanting to be the next victim.

So that's that. Oh and Sattipetra was copyrighted because the name was taken from one of my manga.