Chapter 2: Jue the Warrior
Jase began to hurry along the stone trodden paths of Redwall's inner halls, the young squirrel was hurrying along, still putting on his shirt and nearly tripping himself as he put on his sandals. I'm late! I'm late! He told himself, half panicked as he turned corners across the beautiful hewn stone of the abbey. He had run all the way from the dormitories and nearly ran headfirst into a door, rushing into Cavern Hole. Jase rushed into the room, nearly falling into a large gaping hole and was only caught from falling by Bollo who grabbed him by his belt and yanked him onto the floor.
"Ohoi, Thurr yung Jase!" Bollo, the older mole, pulled the young squirrel as the other Moles had stopped their work to look at the potential accident, and once satisfied they knew as much as they needed, they had gotten back to work. Formole Bollo and his crew were busy, making repairs and installing a new brick floor into Cavern Hole, and making general renovations. It was busy work, and long work at that, but Bollo was confident in his upgrades. His young apprentice smiled as he looked about, admiring the work.
"Yung, Jase. Get yer hammur an' we cun begin cuttun this er' slab." Bollo snapped. Jase grabbed a hammer from the tool kit, as he and Bollo began to help cut open a slab of rock from the main floor, to be replaced with a sturdier brick.
"I'm surprised yur down here, Jase. I be thinkun yu'd be up in the grut hull wid thum others."
Jase shrugged as they smacked open a slab on the floor. "I've heard the story a hundred times, Bollo. I'd honestly just be down here, you know, with you and the other moles. I just. . .kind of get sad when I hear it."
Bollo patted the squirrel's back. "It ukay lad. Help me cullect the shards." Bollo was happy to see Jase distracted, but as soon as he was turned away, the mole could only give a short jolt of regret. The son of Jue the Warrior, Warrior of Redwall, would prefer to work in the caverns of the moles then listen to the tales of his father. It saddened him, and he cursed Jue to this very day for it.
_
In the great cavern, the dibbums of Redwall rushed around, as the large badger mother Stenna rushed around to gather them all. The little ones were like rascals, all awaiting the big show. Some were glued to looking at Martin the Warrior's tapestry which hung from the central room, with the other young redwallers gathering all in one place. Today was a special day, the famed Hesam Whiteflower was coming over to the abbey today, a favorite of many. Hesam was the greatest musician in all of Mossflower, bar none, and also one of forest's most accomplished story tellers. What many were perhaps more interested in was not just his ability to sing and play his music, but for the fact he was a companion to Jue the Warrior. Stenna grabbed onto a gaggle of running Dibbums, sitting them down only for them to run off again when the time was ripe.
Hesam nearly burst through the door, the small and pipsqueak mouse in a flat cap with a small green painted feather in it, swaggering about with his flute and singing a joyous tune. The dibbums and children in the great hall cheered, celebrating his arrival as Stenna called out.
"It's about time, Hesam. The children had awaited you all day, now I need to find J-"
Hesam spoke out "I don't have a lot of time, badger mum. I have another great adventure ahead of me you see, and I do not want to be too late." He gave a mocking smile. Stenna sighed and relented. He swam through the sea of children till he planted himself in front of Redwall's altar, and stopped his song.
"Beasts of Redwall, I see you have awaited me in kind, so to you I ask, what shall I sing onto you, a tale of sorrow, a tale of woe, or a tale of adventure!"
The audience chose neither, much to Hesam's disappointment "Jue! Jue! Jue!" They cried out. Hesam quickly regained his composure and sat "Then I shall tell you the tale of Jue the Warrior. Jue, the Bravest squirrel Redwall shall ever know, and Jue who defeated Kasg the Craven and his black-clad horde!"
The children in the hall became silent, listening closely to Hesam as he began his story, giving some musical accompaniment as he did.
_
"Long ago, Jue was but a simple beast and younger, much like all of you are now, in the abbey of Redwall. He was an orphan, a vagabond lad who had received strange dreams from afar of a great evil coming to defile the forests of Mossflower! This shadow, this beast, was Kasg. Kasg the Craven! A great Black Rat as tall as Cluny, as sly as Slagar, and as evil as Badrang! He came down from the north with a great many vermin, a tide of ever flowing blackness with obsidian banners and iron weapons! He came for a treasure, a treasure hidden in the lands of Mossflower, chasing after the very sword of Martin the Warrior himself! He sent black clad rats to steal it from the abbey, they did, and stole it from under the nose of the very abbot, and made away with their ill gotten loot. Jue, oh, Jue, the brave warrior he was, swore vengeance and took up a single tree branch and ran after them, to reclaim the sword for Redwall once more!
Yet all was not well in Kasg's horde, for you see, he held his soldiers in fear and terror, and his evil brought many to heel, but also many enemies to bear to stand against his might. He collapsed an entire tunnel upon a mole colony, the wretch made an enemy of the mighty Borbon Rocklore. The mole fought tooth and claw against Kasg, denying him at every turn. Yet, the wretch and evil Gandal Blackfur, the evil captain of the black clad horde, tricked the mole into a trap, capturing him! On the day of his execution, the Mole made friends with a captive otter, named Lorgar Watertrot, and together they escaped death. They fled to Salamanderstron, warning the badger lord of Kasg's coming.
Jue made his way north, his friends following close by, but Redwall abbey did not wait idly by. Marthomis, your dear abbot and his dearest friend of Jue. He had taught him well to look for the signs of Martin's spirit, and granted him a gift of riddles to guide him on his way. In the forests. Aided by the mole Bollo and the hedgehog Kalma, the young warrior was able to track down the rats who stole the sword of Martin the Warrior, and scare them away with trickery! Yet the sword was still stolen, alas, finding only a scabbard in place of a sword! The vermin had sold off the sword to another, a pirate who wanted a fresh new blade! Jue followed on closely, hurrying as he could, for time was short!
The badger lord, Galgor Ironpaw, led a great host of Hares against Kasg and his minion, his armies of hares and allies of Mossflower led charge after charge against the hordes of darkness which loomed overhead. The great badger crashed down his might upon the craven's armies! Yet, so much were the vermin reinforcements, for it was all for not, and the forces of Mossflower retreated once again into the forests. They tricked and ambushed the black clad armies piece by piece, the tyrant of twilight never revealed himself! He sat at the back of his host, commanding his armies with vigor and fury! Kasg's victory was near, and he knew it!
Jue found the pirate, who stole the sword, but yet the mystery had thickened. For he was dead, and the sword taken once again! This time not by no vermin, but by a snake! The evil spawn of hell itself, the great serpent Kanazzar, brought the sword to a great and endless mountain cavern of bats and death, but Jue and his companions still followed, close to finding the sword. Yet, they were not alone, an evil weasel assassin named Yautan tracked them, seeking to claim the sword for his master! Jue followed the snake, nearly crushing it with rocks in a humble trap which humbled and destroyed the serpent for good. Yautan striked at him, capturing them all in one fell swoop!
Galgor the mighty, Galgor the king smote down the enemy of Mossflower one by one! His sword cleaved into crowds of vermin, but Kasg still did not reveal himself! So in a final and desperate act, the Badger Lord divided his forces and took the heroes of Mossflower with him, leaving the brave and honorable Cato Vosh Veegnuff behind along with 50 hares, to defend the beaches of Salamanderstron from the enemy's advance! Cato fought bravely, but did not last the night, his sacrifice is still honored to this day in the halls of our hearts, and in the forests beyond this mortal coil.
Galgor and his general Biggum Bigtail the third, charged straight through the lines of vermin, cutting their way into the heart of darkness itself, the warlord's very camp at the border of Mossflower! Loe, and behold, Jue and his companions were also there, but as prisoners! Jue was not alone, for a bold move by the assassin Yautan captured the general Biggum Bigtail, and imprisoned him with Jue! Together, the made their escape, cutting through vermin, and even rescuing our dear badger mother here from a life of toil and slavery! This gaggle of heroes reclaimed the sword of Martin from Kasg, and dueled him in his own throne room! Alone and outnumbered, Kasg threw himself at our heroes, slashing and cutting, but unable to make a dent in them. Jue injured the evil rat, but it was Biggum who made the final blow! Kasg was dead, the slaves of his evil horde freed, and all of Mossflower was safe!
Yet that is not the end of our tale, far from it, for you see, me and my friends, the one you know. The brave and honorable hare Vogar Bakepaw and the son of Galgor, Maglor Ironpaw, joined forces with our dear Jue to hunt down the evil daughter of Kanazzar, the Lady of the Wood herself, Sigzazzar. Long has those days gone by, many details lost, many details forgotten, but le-"
Hesam was interrupted by a voice from the front, a mouse dibbum who spoke up "Exquose me mister Helamb, whut happen to Jue?"
Hesam sighed and sung a low tune on his flute "Alas no one knows, for you see, when we ventured out to find Sigzazzar long ago, we found no trace of him. Many adventures we went on, and we still do in his honor. Fighting an evil black bird who terrorizes the people of Mossflower, but the warrior still looms out there, still fighting the good fight I like to imagine. One day he will return, I am sure of it."
_
Jase shook off dirt as he exited Cavern Hole, he had spent hours helping the moles, although perhaps not in the best of ways. He was still young, clumsily spilling a bucket of nails and nearly smashing in a poor mole's thumb, but his help was appreciated. Bollo took his tools back and told him to start washing up before going outside to do his other duties, such as watering the planets in the abbey's garden. On his way, however, two other children were rolling dice on the ground on the stairs leading in the Great Hall, an all too familiar sight of an older mouse and otter. Jase hoped to slip past them, but they noticed him first.
"Well, look who it is, Jase the Coward." Nuck sneered. Nuck is a mouse whom Jase did not want to mess with, an older mouse and a bully. His friend, the otter Darper stood next to him, folding his paws as Jase came into view. The two bullies liked to be away from others, playing with their dice when the badger mother wasn't looking, and avoiding their duties whenever possible.
"I missed you at Hesam's story today, Jase. Still sweeping dirt with your tail?" Darper mocked. Jase shot back, but in a fairly meek voice "N-no. I was just helping the moles is all. Not today, Nuck, please."
Nuck only grew more angry at that, coming over and knocking him down, trying to get some kind of reaction out of Jase. Nuck had always grown up with tales of Jase's legendary father, but Jase himself was the greatest disappointment to him. How could such a great warrior give the world a pathetic son. It angered him deeply, especially when Jase became teary eyed and sat on the floor. He didn't even get up, shouted back, or did anything of what the stories of Jue would tell.
"Come on Nuck, let's get out of here. There isn't anything worth our time here." Darper cruelly jested. The two walked out, talking a more friendly conversation, leaving Jase to his sorrow.
Why father. Why did you leave. Why did you never come back?
_
Jase walked back home, into the small abbey house, looking down at the ground in a broken state. Today was supposed to be easy, he would help the Moles, and just return home. He had once in his youth looked forward to Hesam's visits, telling him of his father's bravery and great feats. Now, all he wanted to do was escape it. His father had not been there much in his life, and the memories he did have was him leaving on another adventure with Hesam and his friends. Jase asked the mouse many times for details of where his father would have gone, but each detail was more muddied then the last. He wondered what adventure his father had fallen to, where he was, what he was doing. It was early summer, and on this day in particular was an anniversary of sorts. The last day Jue the Warrior left Redwall abbey, and never returned.
Jase walked through the door, and saw his mother preparing the table for dinner. Kana came over and looked at her dirty son and nearly screamed in horror. "Jase! Where have you been! You should have been home hours ago, where you will be with Bollo again!"
Kana is the mother of Jase, and wife to Jue. Jue had married her after he returned to Redwall with the sword of Martin, having met her and her family on his road to defeat Kasg. Kana's mind fared worse for wear since Jue's disappearance, a skittish creature who rarely left her house, let alone the abbey. Every night, she made a 'safe meal' of hot porridge, the only meal Jase knew awaited him. His mother hugged him close, practically dragging him to a tub.
"It wasn't much, ma. I was just helping the moles with the cavern hole! It wasn't dangero-"
"Of course it's dangerous, what did I tell you about the moles and their digging!" Kana set her son in a tub and began brushing off his clothes and fur, but then noticed the small bruises on his chest. She nearly burst a blood vessel. Jase tried to explain "It was Nuck and Darper!"
"No more lies, young Jase! You aren't even going outside tomorrow till you are healed! Now get to bed at once, you can forget about dinner tonight. . ." Kana caught herself, and cringed. "On second thought, you need to eat healthy or you may catch a cold! You will eat enough and then go to bed!" Jase rolled his eyes, having nearly escaped the dread of eating his mother's porridge.
"Ma, please. I was supposed to help in the kitchens tomorrow."
"You mean helping in cavern hole some more, young mister! You ain't going, and that's final. I have to have this talk with Mr. Bollo again! You will sleep today and into tomorrow, young sir! Now get into the fresher clothes, but not before you eat and freshen up!"
Jase wondered. Would his father have taken to remaining in this personal hell of his? Probably not, but Jase simply sighed and obeyed.
_
Kana angrily stomped her way into Cavern Hole, but seeing as the moles were done for the night, she aimlessly looked around for the formole. Kana was angry, mostly at Bollo. Ever since Jue had left, he had practically help raise her son much to her discomfort. Bollo was a hard worker and a laborer, and laboring often caused accidents. Accidents meant injuries. Injuries meant death. Kana didn't try to think about it, as she wandered into the kitchens, seeing her husband's friend and old companion, Kalma. Kalma was in a rare state, not being hard at work finding ingredients, complaining about the lack of ingredients, or clumsily knocking over her own dishes in frustration. Kana knew her well, as Jue had always considered her a good friend. She used to tell stories of her adventure with her husband, as she sat on a stool, enjoying a fizzy drink with her friend, the mole Bollo.
"Bollo! There you are!" Kana seethed. Bollo looked at her with fright, nearly being knocked from his stool. He half suspected Kana to start throwing knives and other kitchen appliances at him.
"Nu huld oop thurr mus Kana!" The mole shouted. Kalma tried to calm everyone down, but no avail. "Please, Kana. Have a drink with us. We are all friends here."
"Were friends." Kana shot back "Bollo, as I told you before, you cannot bring my son on these dangerous labor projects!"
"It bee nut thut simple! He prufer to be wit us moles! Nuw please, sut dun an' huv a drink!"
Kana relented. Despite her anger, Bollo and her were still all bound by the same love of Jue they all shared. Kana relented and sat at a stool with Kalma giving her a drink.
"If you see Jase, you must turn him back to gardening, its what I want."
"Un whut aboot whut he wants?"
Kana's face reddened. She was a brown squirrel, sure, but her face was red with fury. "It doesn't matter what Jase wants, its what will keep him safe!"
"Exutly, mus Kana! He dun want safe, he wun to be distructed, an' workin in dem tunnels an' in making maintenance tu da abbey be thum only way tu do thut."
"What do you mean?'
Bollo sighed and frowned "Ya know exutly what I mean."
Kana wasn't surprised, although she felt she should be. Its been seasons, and while she long ago came to terms with Jue's disappearance, Bollo never forgave him. She remembered that week, when Jase locked himself in his room, asking loudly for his father to return and Bollo having to come in and comfort him, and not her. Bollo never came to Hesam's story telling or even made eye contact with him in the abbey during his visits, for this reason.
"It was seasons ago, Bollo." Kalma said sadly "He was always adventurous."
"Su what! I suttled down, an' so dud ya! Jue. . ." He paused, his throat grasping at hidden tears. "Jue, that bug eyed fool! He abundend us! He abundend us to go uff wit his 'new frunds' an' the like! He made his bud, but I will not let his son continue to dwull on his dusuppearunce!"
The mole took a drink, the room becoming silent. Kana angrily closed her eyes, and set her untouched mug down. "I'm. . sorry you feel that way Bollo. I'm sorry, but he is my husband."
"Wuz." The mole shot back "Dun' let Jase suffur fer Jue's sins. Let'um make his uwn choices."
"You won't be seeing him again, I promise you that." Kana said, tears streaming down her eyes as she left. Kalma angrily shot a glance at Bollo. "Ya should have held your tongue, old friend. That was cruel and unnecessary."
Bollo turned to his friend, a sadness coming over him "I muss him, Kalma. I muss him every day. I just wush he knew it before he luft his son." Kalma patted her old friend on the back, understanding his frustration. "I do too, old friend."
Jase may have been awake, but he sat at the window of his home, looking longingly outside into the distance, sighing as he did. Jase hated being grounded, it was boring, the house smelled of cleaning water, and he spent every waking hour counting bugs. His mother was off, tending to some flowers and speaking with the abbot likely, leaving Jase to be 'safe' in the hut. A tap of a stone on the window awoke him from his daze.
Jase looked down to the grounds below him, seeing a friendly face, looking at a young and devilish mouse chucking rocks at the window. The mouse had a yellowish fur, a young creature much like himself. It was Gaisen, wearing an old habit which was a size too big. Jase waved to the mouse and rushed down stairs, as he unlocked the door for his friend. The mouse bursted in nearly, closing the door quickly behind him.
"I miss you in the garden today, Jase! What Happened!"
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Gaisen was nearly already sitting on the table, looking out a window into Redwall's courtyard. Another mouse with a large furry mustache of whiskers and using his spear as a walking stick was stomping around the grounds. It was Garfan, Gaisen's less than watchful legal guardian.
"Ol' Garfan has been dulling me up day an' night you know! Be marchin here, cleanin spears there! Its unbearable! I miss playin with the dibbums, even miss planting roses. He sayin to me 'You better start behavin, or you will be marchin along the abbey's walls day an night till you leak out whatever making you this way'."
Jase giggled at this "I bet. You did steal his drink one time, I don't think he'll ever forgive you."
"Him and half the abbey. Say, Jase. Wanna go on an adventure?"
"Too where? We already explored the old nests in the attic. Failed to find the abbot's secret stash of cherry rum. You'd think there not be much left?"
"I be thinkin, I heard a weasel or some ferret used to live in redwall ages ago, maybe his burrow is still around!"
Jase smiled, he liked exploring the abbey a bit more, and it certainly beat being inside all day. It was a risk he was willing to take to not die of boredom today, and he and Gaisen were off.
_
"It gotta be around here somewhere, right?" Jase said, a bit exhausted. They were pretending to be doing the flowers, but in secret, they were randomly digging holes all over. Gaisen and Jase had their heads buried in one such hole, examining what they had thought was a burrow, but was instead just a small mound of insects and covered dirt. Behind them however came a gruff and elderly voice, getting their attention with a dry cough. A shiver of panic went down Jase's spine, as he recognized it almost immediately.
"Ah. Jase and Gaisen, the trouble makers of Redwall." The voice said. Jase and Gaisen turned, staring into the face of Marthomis, a Dormouse and abbot of the abbey. Marthomis looked down with old eyes at the two, who were casually trying to hide their mess.
"Now Jase, Gaisen, what did I tell you two a season ago about this nonsense?"
"That you thought we were bright and clever beasts with a long and colorful history of creativity and boundless imagination?" Gaisen smiled. Gaisen was only half correct, for when the pair had gotten into major trouble the first time, this cursed phrase was uttered by the abbot. Marthomis dreaded each time Gaisen spoke it, mostly because it was his usual excuse.
"No. That if you two continue on this path of destruction, I will be forced to take more drastic steps."
"Y-you won't tell ma, will you abbot?" pleaded Jase. The abbot shaked his head "No, not yet at least. I'd ask why half the lawn is full of small holes, tufts of dirt and grass strewn about, and why there are exposed tree roots, but frankly I no longer even wish to know. This little bout of madness stops, and I think you two need a good lesson. Again. Hopefully it will last this time."
Gaisen and Jase frowned.
_
Jase did not like working in the garden. It was dirty and pitiful work which he generally didn't like. He preferred working with tools of the moles, working with them then the 'woman's' job of gardening, at least how his mother described it. Gaisen worked next to him, with the abbot talking to Stenna behind them.
"Make sure this time, Stenna, that they get to their respective parents AFTER they are done with the gardening, filling up the holes, and helping poor ol' Garfan finish up his armory stock."
Stenna gave a nod to Marthomis. She turned to her new captive youngsters, busily in the garden, and once the abbot was away spoke to them in her fairly usual disappointed mood. For a badger mother, Stenna was not used to dealing with youngsters, but she came to enjoy them all her own, and seeing them being self destructive made her sad.
"Whatever will I do with the two of you. Three seasons of trying to prevent this, and look how you end up. If I sent one of you all the way to Salamanderstron, you'd two might still be in a chain gang together in some way."
Gaisen cheerful replied "Ya know Stenna, maybe if we looked a bit at the eastern wall."
"Nuh huh huh. Focus on your work young Gaisen. Garfan will pick the both of you up once you are done here.
The two worked much into the day, and as the two got done trimming leaves, planting seeds, and examining or cutting the flowers of the abbey, both were soon hard at work filling in holes. Gaisen wasn't fully exhausted yet, but Jase was, always looking over his shoulder expecting to see a screaming banshee wearing his mother's face coming out from behind a corner to end him right then and there. Luckily, it was just his imagination, but it wouldn't surprise him if his mother turned into a raging beast and dragged him back into their household with sound and fury. As they were finishing up however, they were soon joined by other gardeners, the most particular of the group was Nafpha, a mouse who Gaisen often worked with.
"You two are in trouble again, aren't you." it was less of a question and more of a statement, as much as Gaisen dreaded to answer her.
"Look, don't worry about it." Gaisen tried to play it cool, but Nafpha's friend came around and folded her arms at them, the otter Norma. The two women beasts looked serious and disappointed for a moment, before Norma began to give a barely contained chuckle.
"You two, I swear. I have to guess, were you looking for buried treasure."
"Kind of!" Jase blurted out "Although, I guess it wasn't meant to be."
"You two will eventually lose the patience of the entire abbey." Nafpha warned, looking primarily at Gaisen. "And more importan-" She was cut off by a stone being thrown from her direction, as Nuck and Darper came over. Norma was happy to see Darper, both being of the same age. The otter was fairly strong and quick on his feet, which made Norma fairly quick to fall over heels for him, and he had returned affection. The stone had hit Gaisen in the head, and he clutched his new found bruise rather quickly.
"Ah, the abbey's favorite brave and honorable beasts arrive at the scene of a good conversation." Gaisen mocked the two. Nuck came over and choke held Gaisen, a youngster to him, and ruffled his head roughly. Jase simply stood there, doing nothing. Fighting Nuck and Darper both was one hell of a difficult thing to do.
"Hey! Stop!" Gaisen shouted. "What are you going to do, bandit? Have your coward friend save you?"
Gaisen looked at Jase, and then was able to pull away from Nuck, although it was more accurate to say the older mouse let him go. It had been Nuck's personal mission for over a season now to break Gaisen's opinion of Jase with these little stunts, but Gaisen never truly fell for it. He knew Jase was afraid of his bullies, sheltered even by his mother, but the two weren't easily separated. If not even the abbot could separate the two, Nuck and Darper held no chance.
Darper stepped in "I heard you were digging holes. Come on Jase, show us how you dig holes."
"I ain't doing that Darper."
"Start digging till you reach rock bottom, or else I am going to pound you into the dirt, Jase the Meek."
Norma stood between Darper and Jase before things got out of hand "Please, you two are acting like children. Come one Darper, let's head off." Darper had changed his mood, but Nuck wasn't having any part of it. The older mouse tried to come over to shove Jase to the ground, but Gaisen had gotten in his way. "If you are going to pick on Jase, Nuck, you will have to go through me!"
"At least you have guts, Gaisen." Nuck commented, before kicking him to the ground. Nafpha came over and helped the young mouse back onto his feet, spitting at Nuck "Don't you have better thing to do then being a bully, Nuck."
"You stay out of this Nafpha."
"No Nuck. You stay out of it." A deep and annoyed voice caught all their attention. Darper and Norma quickly backed away as a mouse in chainmail and an iron helm came forward, his large mustache of whiskers tickled as he leaned on his large iron tipped spear. He looked down, with dark and spiteful eyes at Gaisen who could only look away in an equal mood. Nuck slowly backed away from Garfan, Redwall's old and simple guardsman.
"You four." He pointed at all those except Jase and Gaisen. "Go back to your duties. Nuck. Darper. If I see you two again today, there will be beatings, and Stenna will allow me to do it too." Darper, Nuck, and Norma went off together, although Norma looked behind her at Gaisen and Jase, giving them a pitied look. Nafpha tried to reason with Garfan. "Sir, they started this whole issue! Th-"
"Enough out of you. Jase. Gaisen. With me."
The two followed Garfan closely as the two were practically dragged by the shoulders to Garfan's home in the gatehouse. The older mouse said nothing, but the hellfire which Gaisen and Jase could sense was enough to make them gulp with worry.
"You are going to clean the dust and dirt and grime off of every single blade, spear point, arrow, and axe in this armory." Garfan began, his two 'soldiers' at attention. Gaisen and Jase were put into a 'trainee' garb, a heavy and tight habit which was punishing to wear, with a small iron cap and oversized boots. Jase felt extinguished, awkward but extinguished. Gaisen looked miserable, having worn this getup before. Garfan paced between the two as he began to ramble.
"You two lack discipline, and worse, Gaisen, I have told you countless times that when breakfast is ready, you need to be front and center to get to it! I spent a lot of good time and effort on this kind of thing you know, and I will not simply have you going about and foolishly getting yourself in trouble when you should have already been doing what the abbot was telling you to do. If my commander were still alive and well, he'd have you strung upside down and had you two lashed! You two are a disappointment, not only to me, but to the entire abbey! Once you are done with cleaning every weapon, you are going to join me on the night watch tonight! You understand me!"
Gaisen mumbled "Yes, sir."
Jase looked mortified and yelped "The night?! Ma is going to kill me!"
Garfan looked down at Jase and sighed "You are correct by that account, your dear mum and the abbot had a talk not too long ago, and we decided this is a proper punishment, and more so, to get you two straightened out. You will both be under my command. . .but I was informed you were not to even look at the weapons let alone touch them. I don't believe in that nonsense. You will both clean and scrub till I hear wails for death! Now get to it, before I start flogging you!"
The two went straight to work as Garfan smiled, Gaisen didn't speak a word till he was gone, having gone out to look over the walls of Redwall itself. "Bah, what a tyrant."
"Will he really flog us?"
"If he did, I wouldn't be alive. He does have a cudgel though, and he isn't afraid to use it."
Jase hurried his cleaning of a sword, as the two continued to work until it was night.
_
Garfan looked out over the country of Mossflower, his home and country. He breathed in the midnight air, listened to the rustling of trees, and looked out to see the vastness of the winding route out into the world. He missed the days when he was still but a farmer in Mossflower's north west half, tilling his fields in peace. Kasg took that life from him one way or another. He fought in the brutal and horrifying war with Kasg, and remembered a moment which changed his life. A black clad rat, with sabre in hand, cutting down a mother and father mouse before his very eyes, trying to flee. Their young mouse next to be slaughtered, and only he, rushing to their aid and saving the youngster in time. It was the bravest thing he had ever done, although he came to deeply regret that decision. Not many knew this little secret, and certainly not Gaisen. All he knew was that he was an orphan, and that Garfan mostly just made sure he was fed, clothed, and kept moderately safe. Gaisen and Jase joined Garfan on the ramparts as they began making their rounds.
Jase was tired. Very tired, which surprised him that Gaisen just seemed bored. The mouse hated going around the ramparts, looking for signs of trouble, cause there was usually none. Redwall had been at peace since the days of Kasg the Craven, and Gaisen wished nothing more for something to happen. Jase nearly fell in his 'armor', as the rest of the abbey slept, already exhausted by deep cleaning every weapon Redwall had in it's collection. While the abbey was by nature peaceful, Garfan always made sure the gatehouse had a decent supply of arrows, bows, swords, and other weapons to use in case of emergencies.
"Hop to it! We need to circle Redwall several times a night, and I better hear your marching feet with each step."
Gaisen mumbled something, but Garfan heard. He turned and slapped the mouse with the blunt end of his spear "None of that out of you, Gaisen. You better be up and ready to start practice tomorrow. You as well, Jase."
"Tomorrow as well?" Jase groaned
"Yes, you will be with me the entire week! The abbot wants you two to be good beasts, and by the seasons, you will be, or I will beat it into you both!"
Gaisen blurted out "Can't we just say we're really sorry and just go back to bed?"
"No. Not this time, runt. The abbot has had enough of you, and so have I. You won't be kicked out yet, but even our dear abbot can lose patience."
It was a watershed moment for the both of them. Had they really gone to far digging up some holes? "Kick us. . .out?"
"Aye. Kind of. The abbot thinks you two would be better off working in the fields southward, where you two might be more useful helping the farmers."
"All over some holes?" Gaisen asked, which he came to immediately regret when the mouse turned and glared at him "It was more than just the holes, Gaisen. That prank with the water bucket that ruined Curlor's favorite book? The little adventure where we had to spend a winter cleaning up your 'fort' in the attic because you two decided to drill holes in it to warm it up? The 'Noonvale Surprise' you cooked up in the kitchen? The abbot, if he had more sense then mercy, would have you both washing dishes Forever."
"I didn't think the Noonvale Surprise was that terrible of a stew." Gaisen thought loudly. "It made half the abbey sick. The abbot had to keep that little issue a secret, and you two were lucky then to not get punished for it then. If anything, this is a season of issues being finally judged and punished."
Jase was only half listening as Garfan continued to ramble. His attention was drawn however to a distant cloud in the distance. Garfan was quick to notice and follow the young squirrel's sight to the rising smoke in the far off distance. He looked outward, and gripped his spear. He looked out, seeing the fire in the distance, and then hearing the distant chuckle of dry throated laughter. The distant noise was unique to Jase and Gaisen, but Garfan stood stoic as he listened.
"Is that. Vermin?" Jase whispered to Garfan. The mouse only gave a low nod, keeping his ears open to the noises. "Weasels I think, probably the Butkan family."
"You know them?" Gaisen was surprised.
"Kind of. Local cretans mostly. Thieves mostly, harmless then most I've known."
Jase listened, hearing almost a drunken shanty on the wind. Garfan looked down with contempt from afar. Vermin, the very name shook fear into the hearts of all good beasts of Mossflower. It mortified most, as their cruelty, malice, and viciousness were felt across the whole of the forest. Jase wondered what it was like, facing them in battle. He heard many things about them. Cowards, layabouts, slavers, murderers. All were used to describe them. Jase looked up at Garfan, asking a simple question.
"Sir. Are. . .are they evil?"
Garfan gave the only answer he knew, the face of those slain blurred across his mind.
"Yes."