Chapter 20
Chained Together by Fate
I think the worst part about being stuck like this is that I can't help her with anything. I'm dead weight, to put it bluntly. I guess that is to be expected. None of us knew what was in store. Even then, I'm holding her back way more than I should be.
9 seasons before the ship's crash
Thwack!
Farshawn let out a frustrated growl as she loaded her sling and launched another rock at the target.
Thwack!
Once again, her shot went wide, hitting the red sandstone wall behind the target. The squirrelmaid muttered with irritation and decided to take a short break. One of the classes all young beasts are required to take at Redwall Abbey is a basic self-defence course. Luckily for Farshawn, her friend, Kallius, barely passed the sling portion. Unluckily, Farshawn didn't. After a short assessment, she and one other beast who failed had to stay behind to practise.
It felt degrading, and she didn't want to stay, but Kallius used her little free time to make sure she passed, but she didn't. It was either staying behind or having Kallius help you some other time, so this is better. I take up enough of her time as is.
Thwack!
… Even though she decided to take a short break, she was already up and launching rocks. Again. She wasn't doing any better, but as always, it felt better than doing nothing. Besides, they were staying behind specifically to practice, so it wasn't as if she was overworking herself or anything.
She continued slinging stones in silence. The air was beginning to grow awkward. Normally, Farshawn would strike up a conversation with whoever else was nearby, but by this point, it was abundantly clear that unless your name was Durkfor, Borsen wouldn't be in the mood for conversation. Farshawn was surprised. Of all her classmates, she expected Thaddeus or Rianne to fail at something like this, not Borsen. It was so unexpected that she assumed Borsen was doing this on purpose, but as the sea otter launched a rock, eyes narrowed in frustration(?), she realised he was genuinely bad. His rocks flew fast and hard, but they rarely hit their target. She would've laughed at Borsen if she wasn't weary of him. Farshawn could already hear Thaddeus say, "you have no right to laugh at him, you suck too," but what did he know? Moron.
Farshawn let out a sigh and let her sling hang by her side. "This is boring, right?" She asked. She wasn't expecting Borsen to respond, but saying anything was better than silence.
Borsen seemed to ignore her, loading his sling and launching a stone. Farshawn flinched at the crack the stone made as it hit its target. If she got in the way of that, she was sure she'd be in a lot of pain.
"You know, I'm wondering why we even have to do this. I don't see Redwall Abbey getting attacked anytime soon," Farshawn complained. "I mean, I get it. Everybeast needs to be able to help in the unlikely event we are attacked, but you're strong and I'm… well… I can help out with other stuff."
Once again, Borsen ignored her, slinging another stone at the target, although missing this time.
Farshawn eyed the sea otter curiously. "Why are you here? That's not me trying to be rude, but I don't think you want to be here and 'tis not like anybeast can stop you. You look like you can wrestle a badger. Well, probably not. That's just an expression… Oh, did Durkfor make you stay here?"
Borsen's eyes twitched toward Farshawn at the mention of Durkfor, but they returned to that glassy, blank stare again. Farshawn couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, Borsen was weird, but she liked Durkfor and thought their friendship was kind of cute. "I see. I'm not judging you, I think 'tis nice. I would've skipped too, but Kallius would insist on helping me until I passed, and I don't want to put her through that."
For some reason, talking about this made her feel sentimental. She gave a short laugh and looked up at Borsen. If he doesn't speak, she could say anything to him and not worry about him telling anybeast. Not to mention that she was sure that he didn't care about her. It felt odd knowing that Borsen was the beast she could trust the most with secrets, but it made staying behind to sling rocks more bearable. "Kallius is nice. I like her a lot. Don't tell her I said this, but she means a lot to me. I'd take an arrow for her."
But that was also just an expression. Farshawn was sure most beasts had somebeast they would "take an arrow for", but a part of her was filled with morbid curiosity wondering if she would actually do it.
"I mean, at the very least, I think if this abbey were attacked, I'd be worried for her the most." She frowned and shook her head as she thought about these what-ifs, but then she got curious. "What about you? Do you think you'd take an arrow for Durkfor?"
Borsen closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose before opening his eyes and continuing as if she didn't ask him a question. However, Farshawn could swear that the sea otter nodded ever so slightly. The squirrelmaid couldn't help but smile.
Thus, although they hated it, Farshawn and Borsen continued practising, motivated to do so by Kallius and Durkfor.
16:40, Day 1
Everything felt cold. For the first time in around 13 hours, Farshawn Iriswind opened her eyes. Her entire body felt sore, she had a headache, there was a dull pain in her left shoulder, her neck felt sore from sleeping with the collar, everything was bright, and there were many more problems that she could complain about.
For a moment, Farshawn turned her head, expecting to see the walls of Redwall Abbey. Instead, she was lying on a sofa in an armoury. She expected a sense of dread to fill her once she realised, but to her surprise, she felt calm. Whether that was because of the blood loss or the cold, she didn't know, but it didn't make her feel any more relieved.
Farshawn tried to call out for Kallius Placent, but all she could manage was a raspy groan. Sighing, Farshawn tried to sit up but immediately felt lightheaded, so she lay back down. One might expect her to feel concerned, but all she felt was guilt and annoyance. What am I supposed to do? Am I here just to bleed out? I should be doing something to help but somebeast just had to shoot me… I don't want to be dead weight. I don't want to go out like this.
Once again, Farshawn tried to sit up but was met with more light-headedness. I should've been paying attention in abbey school. They taught basic first-aid, I didn't care. They taught basic self-defence, I didn't care about that either. Sure, I learned how to paint and make music, but what good does that do here? Am I supposed to write a eulogy for myself? That's useful.
The squirrelmaid sighed resignedly. Back home, she was always doing something, but there was nothing she could do here except listen. Not that listening would be more useful; it was silent. Hm? Silent? Shouldn't Thaddeus be back by now? Wait, what time is it? How long was I asleep? It feels like days have passed.
Farshawn lay there, unable to do anything except think and wait.
And wait…
And wait-
"Go away!"
Farshawn's head jerked towards the staircase as she heard a scream. It was Kallius! Fueled by desperation, Farshawn managed to push herself off of the sofa and stand up. Her vision immediately darkened. The squirrelmaid staggered and she was forced to lean on the stone table for support. Her paws brushed against something metal. When she looked down, she could make out a rusty cleaver on the table. It took a few moments for her to process it, but she grabbed the weapon and tucked it into her habit cord.
Farshawn could hear thumping from downstairs along with more screaming. Farshawn grit her teeth and inched her way down the steps. She stumbled multiple times and nearly tumbled down the stairs, but she had to go down. She had to make sure Kallius was alright.
She finally reached the kitchen. There was still another floor to go down to reach Kallius. But as she scanned the room, she noticed a window right above the counter. Farshawn put two and two together and concluded that somebeast was breaking in. Not that she felt any concern about it, though. Her mind was still in a daze.
Farshawn leaned against the wall and was about to move towards the window when Kallius walked up the stairs. The hogmaid looked both shocked and glad that Farshawn was awake, but that was quickly dashed as the sound of crashing resumed from below. Kallius ran over to Farshawn and grabbed her, helping to keep the squirrelmaid upright.
"What are you doing?" Kallius asked concernedly.
"Helping," Farshawn rasped.
Kallius glanced towards the kitchen window and then back at Farshawn with a terrified stare. "We need to leave."
Farshawn gazed at Kallius, confused. "How?"
Kallius looked around frantically, murmuring nervously to herself. Although the hogmaid's back was turned to the window, Farshawn's wasn't. She saw a black shape slink into the kitchen through the window. "Kallius?" She muttered hesitantly, "something's here."
Kallius turned. Her eyes went wide as she let out a scream. Standing on the opposite side of the room was none other than Tiviko Polonuk, flexing his paws after he climbed through the window. Grinning wryly, he greeted, "good evening."
Kallius whimpered and tried to lead Farshawn upstairs, but given the squirrelmaid's injury, they weren't going very fast. Tiviko darted forward, pushing Kallius to the ground and pulling Farshawn's chains in one quick movement. Farshawn gazed up at Tiviko with vacant eyes until she recognised the wildcat. This was the same one that dragged her to the ship! Fear rushed through her spine, and she instinctively swung the cleaver towards the wildcat's side.
Whether it was because of the blood loss or Tiviko simply being faster, she missed. He pushed Farshawn before the cleaver could cut him and the squirrelmaid fell, spraying a small amount of blood from her shoulder. Tiviko could only chuckle as he placed his paws on his sides. "Bold, but you have got to do better if you want to kill me… Wow. What in hellgates did you do to your shoulder?" He asked with amusement.
Although she was on the floor and very much dazed, Farshawn waved the cleaver, hoping to catch the wildcat in the legs. Tiviko stepped backwards and kicked the blade out of her paws. He rolled his eyes and pulled Farshawn up by her collar, noticing that Kallius was just huddled in the corner, too afraid to help. Tiviko let out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. "Stop. While I appreciate the effort, we've got some business to do here."
Tiviko turned towards the window and called out to his crew, who were still trying to break in. "Stay outside, I'll deal with this." He looked back towards Farshawn and clicked his tongue. "Wow. You two had no idea what you were doing, were you? This is the saddest attempt at cleaning up and bandaging a wound I have ever seen."
Farshawn could only stare at the wildcat in confusion. I thought he was going to kill us. Why is he taunting us like this?
Meanwhile, Kallius was still huddling in the corner and let out a small, "what are you going to do with us?"
Tiviko laughed humourlessly. "Nothing."
"What?" Farshawn groaned in disbelief.
The wildcat cursed quietly and pulled Farshawn up the stairs, making sure that she didn't fall. Kallius was too afraid to follow and stayed behind.
Farshawn looked at Tiviko with suspicion. While she was glad that she was still alive, something was off. "Why are you not hurting us?"
Tiviko growled with annoyance and snapped, "what do you think? I thought abbeybeasts were supposed to be smart."
They reached the top of the stairs and entered the armoury. Tiviko took a brief look around and snickered once he saw the bloodstained sofa. "Oh my- you can't seriously be this bad at treating wounds."
What were we supposed to do? We have no supplies, Farshawn thought to herself. Tiviko pulled her towards the sofa and pushed her down. The wildcat's face was one of disdain as he stared down at Farshawn.
"Believe me, if it were up to me, you and your friend down there would already be dead. Unfortunately, there is a certain otter that wants you and everybeast from Redwall, alive. I'll give you three guesses as to who it is," he added sarcastically.
Farshawn let out an anxious growl. "Is Borsen going to kill us?" She asked, although she already knew the answer.
Tiviko nodded. "I have no idea what you did to him, but he wants to kill all of you. Personally." The wildcat chuckled as he pulled his bag over his head and rummaged through it. "Let's just say he's a very enthusiastic monster. You're not going to like what happens to you..."
As Tiviko talked about Borsen, Farshawn eyed the dagger tucked into his belt. Glancing up at Tiviko to make sure he wasn't looking, she slowly reached for the dagger.
"... Unfortunately, if he wants you alive, I have to fix your shoddy excuse for treatment. I'm lucky that I found you before you bled to death or died from infection. Malpractice is dangerous, don't you know? Since you're going to die anyway, I'm just going to stitch your shoulder enough so you don't die of blood loss and- I can see you trying to steal my dagger. Stop." Tiviko punched Farshawn's arm, causing her to recoil from the pain. "I am trying to heal you. Stop trying to kill the beast that is keeping you alive," he growled coldly.
Farshawn stared up at Tiviko fearfully, yet defiantly and replied, "I won't let you kill us."
Tiviko threw his paws up in exasperation. "Good for you. You're going to succeed because I am not the one that's going to kill you." Even still, Farshawn tried to fight back and kicked Tiviko in the arm. The wildcat growled with frustration and pulled out a set of herbs from his bag and set it on the table. "I can put you to sleep if I want to, so just stop."
"I don't want to die," Farshawn replied honestly.
Tiviko glared down at Farshawn. He was tired of this. Letting anger and exhaustion get the better of him, he taunted, "too bad. Do you know what's going to happen to you? The same thing that happened to that mouse. Flaying, cutting, stabbing, beating, tearing, disembowelling, he did all of those to that mouse and he told me that the mouse was conscious during that. You're going to die, and you're going to die horribly and painfully, so how about you stop fighting back because there's nothing you can do!"
It took a few moments for Farshawn to process what he said but when she realised, her eyes went wide. "That mouse? Is Thaddeus-"
"Yes. If you're talking about the brown mouse from your abbey, he's dead," Tiviko answered bluntly.
Farshawn wasn't sure how to feel about that. Sure, she and Thaddeus didn't get along, but they've known each other for their entire lives, and he didn't deserve to die like that. But right now, what little energy she had was focused on her and Kallius' survival. As much as she wanted to kill the wildcat, he was making sure they stayed alive until Borsen arrived. Speaking of which… "Where is Borsen?"
Tiviko scoffed. "I'm not telling."
Farshawn narrowed her eyes. Regardless, if Borsen wanted them alive, that would give them time and a chance to escape the tower. It was a small light of hope in the dark situation they were placed in, but she'd take it. While Farshawn thought to herself about possible ways of escape, Tiviko pulled out a thread and needle from his bag along with some bandages. Much to both of their ire, Tiviko removed Farshawn's old bandages and began to clean, stitch, and dress the wound. "I swear," Tiviko began, "you two had no idea what you were doing."
Farshawn found it almost comical how Tiviko was so annoyed about how bad they did at dressing her wound, but she stayed silent save for pained groaning when Tiviko was stitching her shoulder. "There," Tiviko sighed as he pulled away from the squirrelmaid. "Now you won't bleed to death. Stay there and rest, and I'll go check if your friend has done anything." Tiviko slung his bag over his shoulder and walked down the steps, leaving Farshawn alone. Farshawn gazed at the set of herbs the wildcat left on the table. There were flashes in the back of her mind as she stared at it, almost as if she'd seen it before.
From where she lay, Farshawn could hear Tiviko taunting Kallius downstairs. "Oh, well would you look at that. You haven't moved. Your friend gets dragged upstairs and you do nothing at all to help her. You just sat there. How have you managed to do anything by yourself? I'm surprised you didn't collapse from fear just from barricading the door downstairs."
A flash of anger rushed through Farshawn. Don't taunt her, what are you doing? What did Kallius do to you or Borsen for that matter? You're awful, Borsen. Kallius treated you with nothing but kindness and this is how you repay her? You make me sick.
Farshawn gazed at the trapdoor leading up to the top of the tower. If the worst comes to worst, she could climb out. She is a squirrel, after all. But she wouldn't leave without Kallius. Did Kallius really barricade the door? Oh no, that means it will be hard to sneak out of here without the wildcat noticing.
Farshawn closed her eyes. She was shaking with fear. The idea of never seeing home again filled her with dread, but regrettably, she knew her odds of survival weren't great. But Kallius had a better chance. After everything the hogmaid had done for her, this would be her way of returning the favour.
I'll make sure of it, Kallius. You'll go home, no matter what!
Meanwhile, Tiviko had climbed out of the kitchen window and met with his crew by the tower's entrance. They had agreed that Tiviko would stay at the tower to keep watch on the two maids while the rest of them would continue searching the island for prisoners. Tiviko thought it was a good idea given that somebeast needed to stay behind to make sure they didn't leave, and, well, Tiviko wanted to rest. The last time he slept was on the ship and that was interrupted when the ship crashed. Even before that, he hadn't slept a lick in a while and it was starting to get to him.
Tiviko rubbed his temple after he climbed back up the tower. He didn't want to let his exhaustion show, especially since he was sure that squirrelmaid would stab him if given the chance. Then again, he could always just secure their chains around a table leg. He let out a yawn and got on the remaining cot (the other three were used to barricade the door). I'm just going to lie down. Nothing more, nothing less.
He pulled out his dagger and held it to his chest. Already, he could feel his consciousness start to wane. I need to tie them up before I collapse. With a groan, Tiviko stood up and headed upstairs to do just that. Under his watch, neither Kallius nor Farshawn would leave this tower until Borsen got here. Now if only I could trust my crew not to be stupid while I'm resting…
"Go t'sleep."
"No."
"Marls. Yer injured an' I don't wantcha gettin' up. Go t'sleep."
Marlus scoffed. "You can't tell me what to do, Kaj."
Kajiir buried their face in their paws in annoyance. "Look. Marls. Ya got shot in d'back. At least stay here 'till mornin'."
"What? No? That's too long!" Marlus complained. "Besides, I wouldn't even be here if you didn't let the mole steal your crossbow."
Kajiir didn't have a response to that because it was true. Instead, they fell back into silence. Kajiir never really knew what to say in situations like this. They looked around at the ship's infirmary and pondered to themselves. The room wasn't big. There was barely enough room for two beds and a shelf, so it was a good thing Marlus was the only one using a bed. Kajiir gazed at the door where both of their cloaks were hanging and sighed. What were they even doing here?
"Hey," Marlus began, "did you tell the others that you brought me to the ship?"
Kajiir stopped. Huh. Oh yeah, they did just leave eight beasts out in the forests by themselves… Oh well. Neither of them cared. "Dey'll live."
"Will they?" Marlus asked flatly. Before Kajiir could answer, the pine marten let out a frustrated snarl and tugged at his red tunic. "Ugh! Why'd you have to mess up, Kaj? I don't wanna be stuck here like some diseased rabbit."
"Yer not gonna be here forever," the ferret pointed out. "I just wanted t'make sure ya ain't in danger. Dere's a lotta stuff in yer back dat could cause problems if an' arrow-"
"And I'm fine. Alright?" Marlus snapped impatiently. "I could be out there with a dead rat, hunting prisoners, but no, I got shot. You make me want to stab something, Kaj. I'm sick of looking atcha."
Kajiir threw their paws up. "Okay. Want me t'leave?"
"... No," Marlus muttered.
The ferret folded their arms and sat on Marlus' cot. Neither of them spoke for a bit. Kajiir gazed back at the cloaks hanging on the door and asked, "Ya really want t'get outta 'ere dat quickly?"
Marlus scoffed and turned his body towards Kajiir. "Tiv wants this done, an' I want to help him get this done… an' also get revenge."
Kajiir's face tightened as they gazed at Marlus. Sure, the revenge made sense. From the seasons they've known each other, Marlus has always been a spiteful beast. But Kajiir was always a bit unsure about Marlus' undying loyalty to Tiviko. No, not just him…
The infirmary doors opened suddenly. Both of them looked over to see another ferret stride in with two pieces of hardtack in each paw.
"Oh. Hi Ayers," Kajiir greeted. "What're ya doin' here?"
Ayers grinned and handed two pieces each to the pair. "Checkin' up on my two favourite runaways. How did leavin' early go fer youse? I'm guessing poorly if yer back already."
Marlus stared at Ayers, unamused. "Shut up. Have you even done anythin' since we left? I still can't believe Tiv put you in charge of the ship, out of all beasts."
Ayers snickered and shrugged. "I dunno. What do ye think I've done?"
"Nothin'," Marlus growled. "C'mon, aren't you supposed to help fix the ship?"
"Nah. Tiv just asked me t'be the 'acting captain'. That means I ain't gotta do anythin'. I just make everyone else do it!" Ayers walked over to the second cot and sat down.
Marlus glared at Ayers. "Tiv is countin' on us, and you're just sitting on your tail?"
Kajiir sighed. If they weren't still worried about Marlus, they would've left. "Marls, she can rest. 'Tis fine."
"Take a re- she hasn't done anythin'!" Marlus replied indignantly. In response, Ayers stuck out her tongue. "C'mon, Kaj, don't you want to be doin' somethin' instead of bein' lazy like her?"
"Lazy? That's a bit harsh," Ayers chuckled.
Kajiir buried their head in their paws. Normally, they would've told them to stop arguing, but the three of them have been friends long enough for Kajiir to know that they wouldn't stop arguing. Lord knows why we even still stick wit' each other. Guess dis is how dose two get along, I guess.
By this point, Kajiir tuned out of their argument and began staring at the floor. They were mainly thinking to themselves about the deal Marlus made. They were supposed to head back to that temple at noon tomorrow and hopefully, there'd be some prisoners there. The ferret let out a growl. They didn't want to head back into the forest to find the group they had abandoned, but this was a job, and they were getting it done.
… Just a job, huh? Kajiir mused. Me bein' here was just supposed to be a job, but gettin' two friends outta dis doesn't hurt.
Kajiir looked up from the floor to Marlus and Ayers. Their argument was slowly getting more heated, but Kajiir didn't care. Whenever this happened, the two of them would occasionally ask Kajiir for their input and then go back to arguing. No matter how heated it'd get, they'd still be friends by the next day, anyway.
"Okay, an' if I gave you a piece o' bread, you'd pay me back, aye?" Marlus asked Ayers. Kajiir raised an eyebrow. How long were they zoned out for? How long did it take for Marlus to get this far this time?
Ayers shook her head and snickered. "Marls. Have ye ever paid anybeast back?"
"Yes!"
"Besides Tiv?"
"... Not important. Answer the question."
Ayers rolled her eyes. "Aye. I would."
"HA!" Marlus tried to stand up but a jolt of pain in his back sent him back down. Ayers' face flashed with concern for a moment but it faded quickly. "So if somebeast saved your tail, you'd help them with whatever they wanted, aye?" The pine marten's face looked smug, but Kajiir felt a twinge of discomfort creep up their spine. Why does Marls have to bring this up in every other argument?
Seeking to annoy Marlus, Ayers answered with, "nope. I'm lazy."
The pine marten glared daggers at Ayers and yelled, "okay! You know I'm right!"
Kajiir grumbled and placed a paw on Marlus' head. "Calm down."
Marlus let out an annoyed trill and crossed his arms. "C'mon, Kaj. You agree, aye?"
Marls. We've been sailin' fer a while. Just let Ayers be lazy an' do nothin'... Lord knows everyone else'll work as hard as dey can, anyway. As Kajiir stroked Marlus' headfur, they couldn't help but feel uneasy. Marlus was deeply loyal to Tiviko and so was Ayers, even if she didn't act like it. It made the ferret feel out of place. This is just work t'me. That's all. Tiviko didn't help me. Not like he did wit' Marls, Ayers, an' d'others, at least.
In fact, part of Kajiir didn't want to go back outside. This was probably the most reckless thing Marlus had ever done and for whatever reason, the pine marten only seemed to grow bolder and bolder. They didn't want to wait and see if Marlus did anything stupider.
But still, Kajiir knew they'd have to go back to the temple eventually. They looked down at Marlus and avoided his question by asking, "Ayers. Do ye still have d'deck o' cards in d'storage?"
Marlus groaned. "You want to play cards instead of helping out Tiv?" His tone didn't have as much wrath as before. It was mainly mild disappointment and confusion.
"Once again, I'm not lettin' ye leave 'till tomorrow mornin'," Kajiir replied sternly. Marlus grumbled resignedly but didn't seem bothered, all things considered.
Ayers stood up with a nod. "I'll be back."
As Ayers exited the room, Marlus and Kajiir were left in silence. Marlus groaned out of boredom and stared at the ceiling. Meanwhile, Kajiir was worried. Treat this just as another job, that's what they've always told themselves. But as they sat there, it slowly dawned on them that they may have gotten a bit too close with Ayers and Marlus. They were worrying about the pine marten more than they had expected. After the ship crashed, they went with Marlus' group instead of staying with Tiviko just to make sure Marlus was safe. Instead of bringing Marlus back to the ship after he was shot, they could've taken the axe he had dropped and slayed the mole and the rat, but nope. They wanted to be certain Marlus was alright.
Kajiir sighed. Normally, they didn't care about morals. But after befriending Ayers and Marlus, they grew a bit disgusted by Tiviko. He doesn't care for any o' 'em at all. I'm certain.
But once again, even with all these reservations and worries, this was still their job. In around 19 hours, they'd be back at the temple with Marlus. Hopefully, they'd find the group they left in the woods and the number of prisoners at the temple would be bearable.
After all, it's not as if any of them had a choice. None of them would be leaving the island until the prisoners were dealt with.
