Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were keeping watch while everyone else slept. They conversed in low tones so as not to wake anybeast.

"That really sucks about Damug Warfang and his Rapscallions being in Mossflower right now, right when the corrupted Gems are on the loose," Amethyst whispered. "One would be bad enough, but we've got to deal with two threats at once."

Pearl nodded. "What happens if they both end up attacking Redwall at the same time?"

"Maybe they'll cancel one another out," Garnet said. "The Flower Monsters are just as likely to attack Rapscallions as they are to attack Redwallers."

Pearl looked down at the sleeping Tammo. "I hope Tammo will be all right. I'd just die if anything happened to him!"

Garnet nodded grimly. "This war will force him to grow up a lot quicker than we'd've liked."

"I think he'll be okay," said Amethyst. "Ha, you should've seen him facing down those Rapscallions earlier today!"

Just then, a stone fell down from the treetops and hit Amethyst in the head! "Ouch!" she complained.

Garnet and Pearl sprang to their feet. "Wake up, everybeast!" Garnet shouted. "We're under attack!"

Tammo's eyes snapped open. "What's going on?"

"Somebody's throwing stones at us!" Pearl said.

Next instant, a veritable volley of small stones cascaded upon the camp. Sniggering laughs issued from the trees.

The hares of the Long Patrol were not slow to react. They jumped up and started shooting back with their own slingshots, returning the very stones that had been thrown at them. Tammo didn't have a sling, so he just stood there, unsure what to do. He looked up at the trees and saw a bunch of rats up there. They were covered with luminescent black and green paint and they were tossing stones down at the hares and Gems below.

Tammo wanted to do his part, so he bent down, picked up a stone, and simply threw it with his paw. He hit a rat and knocked him right out of the tree.

Then another rat jumped down and landed right on top of Tammo, pinning him to the ground. He couldn't move. He was terrified. The rat pressed a knife to Tammo's throat. "I'm gonna cut ya up and eat ya!"

Garnet's big fist came out of nowhere and hit the rat in the face. He fell down. Garnet helped Tammo back to his feet. "You okay, Tamm?"

Tammo nodded. "Right as rain, marm!"

Now the clearing was filled with rats, and the hares and Gems had to fight with them paw to paw. Tammo saw Pearl running a rat through with her sword, Amethyst striking at rats with her whip, and Rockjaw Grang picking up a huge boulder and hurling it at a rat's head. He himself had no weapon, but he threw himself into the fray enthusiastically, hitting any rat that came near him with his bare paws.

Sergeant Torgoch was fighting two rats at once. They both had knives, but he did too, and he was able to parry all their thrusts. But then Tammo noticed a third rat sneaking up behind the sergeant. He shouted a warning, but Torgoch couldn't hear him over all the other noise. So Tammo sprang forward and hit the rat on the head with his flashlight, laying him out cold.

Eventually, they were able to drive the rats off. The evil rodents vanished back into the trees as quickly as they'd appeared. The Long Patrol hares gave a resounding cheer.

Sergeant Torgoch clapped Tammo on the back. "You saved my life," he said. "Yer as brave as yer parents were."

"Think nothin' of it, old chap," Tammo replied modestly.

"You know what?" said Torgoch. "I think you need a better weapon than an old flashlight. 'Ere." He handed Tammo one of the knives that hung at his belt. He had quite an array of them.

Tammo beamed with pride. "Thank you, sah!"

But the sight he saw when he turned around wiped the smile right off his face. Pasque Valerian was lying lifeless on the ground, a vermin knife through her heart! Tammo gave a wail.

Everybeast heard his shout, and they all gathered around the body. Major Perigord bent over Pasque and felt her pulse. He put his ear to her chest and listened for a heartbeat. There was none. "I think she's dead," he said.

Tammo couldn't believe it! This pretty haremaid, who he'd been chatting and eating so pleasantly with just a few hours ago, couldn't be dead! But then he remembered something. The other Gems had told him that his mother Rose had healing tears. Whenever one of her friends was injured, Rose would just cry on them, and they would instantly get better! Tammo didn't have healing tears himself, but he did have healing spit. Once, Amethyst's gemstone had gotten cracked, but Tammo had spat on it and the crack disappeared. Maybe he could do that again now…

He leapt forward so he was right next to Pasque, accidently knocking the Major over in his haste. Before anybeast could ask him what the Hellgates he was doing, he leaned down and spat on her body, right where the wound was.

Major Perigord stood up. "You pervert!" he cried. "Are you crazy?" He punched Tammo in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

Amethyst spoke up. "No, he's not crazy! I know what he's doing! He's trying to bring her back to life! His spit has the power to heal people!"

"It's true," said Pearl. "His mother had the same ability, only with her, it was tears. Once, in Equestria, I saw Rose cry on a pony that had just died and she sprang back to life!"

On the ground, Pasque was stirring. All of a sudden, she sat up. "What just happened?" she asked. She saw the knife in her chest, pulled it out, and tossed it away. The blood had already disappeared.

"Pasque!" cheered Tare, one of the twin hares. "You're okay!"

"You were dead!" his brother Turry said. "But Tamm here brought you back to life by spitting on you!"

Pasque looked at Tammo. "Is that true?"

Tammo nodded bashfully. "I couldn't just stand by and let you perish, wot."

Pasque stood up, and it was then that everybeast noticed her fur had changed color! "By 'ecky thump!" Rockjaw Grang exclaimed in a strong Yorkshire accent. "Sithee, the lass's 'air 'as turned pink!"

"The same thing happened to the pony in Equestria," Pearl said. "I wish I could remember her name."

Pasque looked down at herself and laughed. "Well, I don't mind being a pale pink hare, as long as I'm alive. Thanks, Tamm. I owe you one." She gave Tammo a hug.

"That's two of us that owe young Tamm our lives now," Torgoch observed.

"Indeed," said Major Perigord. "And it seems an apology is in order. I'm sorry, Tammo. I shouldn't have hit you like that. Now I know you were only trying to help. You'd be a great asset to our Patrol, should you ever wish to join."

"Who were those rat chaps that attacked us?" Tammo asked. "Were they part of Damug Warfang's horde?'

The Major snorted. "No, they were just a ragtag tribe o' little tree rats called the Painted Ones."

"Indeed," said Joshy Stag Hare. "I've had a run-in with them once before."

Garnet put a hand on Tammo's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Tamm."

"Me too," said Pearl.

Tammo grinned. Praise from his fellow Gems was the best of all. He was glad Garnet and Pearl weren't mad at him anymore.

"Best lie back down and try to get a few more hours sleep, chaps," Perigord said. "We've got a long trek ahead of us tomorrow."