Chapter 2

Rascals and Rabbits

The morning after Marley returned, they went to the infirmary for a quick checkup. It was partially because the abbey healer had told them so, but mostly because Marley needed something important. Regardless of the reason, Marley sat on a sturdy little cot after sunrise while a rabbit, the healer in training, ate a cookie nearby.

The rabbit, an animated beast named Elynnis (though she preferred to be called El), leaned forward and gazed straight into Marley's copper eyes before drawing back with a dramatic hum. "Well, wellll," she clicked her tongue a few times for effect before clasping her free paw behind her back. "Looks like you're mostly fine. Just a bit of malnutrition and dehydration, I think." El glanced behind her to where the actual abbey healer, a squirrel named Heyier, was sitting. She gave El a nod and let her continue. "Don't just gorge yourself immediately though. Start small and basically just don't eat like a million cookies in a minute or something. You'll blow up like a bubble, or, more realistically, your heart will just give out."

El turned back to Marley and took a bite of her cookie. "I'm supposed to ask you something now, just give me a moment while I remember… Ah, right. So what's like, how are you feeling? Do you have any like, pain or anything or something that you're concerned about?" El looked back at the healer, who gave another nod.

Marley shook their head. "Nothing comes to mind."

"Really? No like, cuts or bruises or anything? Damn, I really-"

"Elynnis. Language," Sister Heyier chided.

El rolled her eyes. "Oh dearie me. Anyway, you really don't have anything you want me to look at?"

"Did you expect me to have any?" Marley muttered.

"Oh, God no-"

"Elynnis."

"- I mean- okay, let me explain." El set her cookie on the nearby table so she could gesture while she spoke. "So when I first heard that you were going to be banished from the abbey, I was like, 'no, really?' But then I thought back to when we were kids and every time I saw you, I was like, 'anybeast that'd try to mess with them is going straight to He- I mean they're screwed.' Like, I dunno, whenever I'd speak to you, you always gave me like, serial killer vibes, so I started to think you'd be fine. You seem like the type o' beast to take on anything."

Marley stared at El, unsure how to react especially since the two of them had barely ever spoken with each other. Sure, they were the same age, but they hung around different beasts. "Do I sound like a serial killer?"

"I'm just talking, don't mind me." El chuckled and folded her arms over her bulky yellow sweater (which was actually a habit cut short). "How are you though, like seriously?"

"I'm doing alright, I think. Thanks for asking."

"That's like, so interesting, because if I had to go out there for 70 days, I think I'd like, kill myself."

Marley simply shrugged and said, "You get used to it, I think. It was hard at first, but I learned."

El tilted her head curiously. "Nothing ever rattles you, huh?"

"I think they- I'm not, well, maybe? I don't know?" Marley peered over El's shoulder just as the door opened a crack. Marley rubbed the back of their neck, then looked back at El. "So, how's learning how to be a healer treating you? Have you been doing alright?"

El scoffed. "It's soo much work. There's like a buncha things I have to know, like how to treat infections and a million different symptoms and how to deal with them. Mixing poultices can get kinda gross too. I couldn't tell you how many times I have to wash my paws, like out of everything, I think I suck at that the most."

"You're doing good overall," Sister Heyier commented.

El turned to hide her smile, but it shone brightly on her face. "It's nothing. Wait 'till I get some sucker who's been stabbed. Then we'll see how I do."

"You seem to be doing alright," Marley said plainly. "I'm sure you'll be amazing at this given some time."

"Ha. Hopefully."

The door opened, and Winslow's little brother, Trey, entered. Marley raised a brow. According to what they planned last night, Winslow was supposed to be the one coming in, but they assumed Winslow had changed the plan last minute… Martin help them.

The young otter casually pointed behind him and said, "Hey, Winslow's bleeding. Somebeast oughta check on 'im."

El snorted with amusement. The abbey healer looked up urgently and asked, "How badly?"

"Kinda bad," Trey shrugged. "We tried to stop it, but it kept going."

The healer nodded. Turning to El, she commanded, "Follow me and bring the basket. Trey, where is Winslow?"

"Down by the pond."

"Can you lead the way?"

"Do I gotta? I want a candied chestnut." Trey walked up to the candy jar with minimal concern and reached his paw inside.

El pulled on Sister Heyier's sleeve. "I think we should just like, go. C'mon."

The healer agreed and left, if only because pressing Trey into coming would take more time than was worth, especially with a bleeding otter by the pond. Speaking of otters, once the two left, Marley turned to Trey. "What's going on? Why isn't Winslow here?"

Trey gave up trying to grab a chestnut and grabbed the whole jar off the counter instead. After a bit of deliberation, he also grabbed El's discarded cookie. "Winslow told me what's happenin' and asked me to cut him wit' your sword to get the healers' attention. But I thought that was borin' so I said we should knife fight instead. I dunno what happened or if I hit somethin', but he started bleedin' fast. Hey, are ye leavin' the abbey? Can I come?"

Marley sighed and stood up. "When I said to cause a distraction, I didn't mean for you two to stab each other."

"We didn't both get stabbed, only Winslow. So can I come?"

The mouse folded their arms and tried their best to look stern. Unfortunately, facial expressions came as easily to them as a snowstorm in the desert. Trey scowled at the mouse and growled. "Don't look at me like that. I'll knock ye flat in a second."

"Don't threaten me like that. I'll let you come with when you're older. Right now, I don't-"

"If ye don't let me come, I'll tell the abbot yer leavin'." Trey smirked. "I'll also tell him yer plan to ditch the abbey."

Marley gave up and turned towards the shelves. "Fine. Just stay close to me. If you get hurt under my watch, Winslow will hurt me."

Trey bared his fangs in a cocky grin. "Aye, but ye don't gotta worry. If a rat comes fer us, I'll beat 'im up."

"I don't think you want to do that," Marley muttered as they grabbed stitches, some herbs, and a roll of bandages. They peered out the hallway to make sure nobeast was watching before stuffing the supplies in a bag they prepared last night. Since the dormitories were close, Marley took a detour to grab their practice sword while Trey grabbed his club. The two snuck down the steps onto the lawn (on the opposite side where Winslow was currently being treated) and trotted up to the south gate.

Trey folded his arms and gazed up at the walltops. "Is this it? We're just leavin'? No sneakin' 'round or nothin'?"

"We don't need to sneak around. Look over there. Everyone on the walltops is occupied with your brother."

Trey whistled. "See? Toldja it was a good idea."

"You didn't tell me anything. Also, it wasn't. Go now. He's turned away."

On Marley's signal, they pushed up the bolt securing the wallgate and opened it, running out before the hedgehog could spot them leaving. As they ran across the field towards the woods, Marley couldn't help but note how surprisingly fast Trey was for his age. No doubt that it was because of how much time Winslow and Trey spent time playing or exercising instead of helping around the abbey. Well, at least it paid off here.

Once the two were obscured by the trees, Marley held up a paw. "From this point on, you'll do everything I say. Got it? I don't want you to get hurt."

Trey immediately pointed his club at Marley threateningly. "Ey, I don't need ye tellin' me what to do. I'd be just fine even without ye."

"Trey, if you do anything reckless, I will send you to bed early."

The otter lowered his club. His expression faded from anger to bewilderment. "Send me to bed? How old do ye think I am, again?"

Marley scratched their neck fur. "Uh… eight?"

"I'm 12!"

"What? Already?" Marley's eyes widened ever so slightly. "It feels like not too long ago you were six… Wow. That was fast."

"Shut up. Yer old."

"That means I can send you to bed early."

"No ye can't."

"I'll send you to the kitchens."

"Ha! I'm already doin' that, and ye don't see me sufferin' in there, do ye?"

Marley stared up at the sky. "You and your brother are a lot to deal with."

"No we're not, yer just lame."

"Whatever. Let's just go. There's somewhere I have to be." Marley walked off without further explanation (after making sure Trey followed, of course), hoping to dissuade Trey from asking any more questions or giving them cheek. Marley couldn't help but note that despite Trey's cocky bravado, he was bouncing all over the place with excitement, even though they told him to stick close.

"Hey, Marley. Can I ask somethin'?"

"Go ahead."

"What was bein' banished like? Did ye almost die? Did ye have to fight anybeast? What did ye eat? Did ye kill anyone-"

"Alright, stop." Something was prickling in the back of Marley's head, but for the life of them, they couldn't figure out what. "I'm just going to say this before we get there. We are meeting up with somebeast who doesn't like abbeydwellers. Don't say anything rude to them."

"C'mon, ye already know my mouth is clean."

Marley stared blankly at Trey before shaking their head and continuing without a word.

The rest of the walk was tense for Marley. They weren't even sure if the stoat from yesterday would still be there. For all they knew, she could've been killed last night and they wouldn't know until they found her. They shook the thought out of their mind.

Marley guided Trey through the woods, snaking along an oddly specific path past undergrowth and trees. As the two got closer to where Marley found the stoat, the mouse felt a prickle rising in the back of their neck. Unconsciously, they gripped their sword tighter.

Eventually, they reached the spot where Marley found the stoat. They helped Trey over a small incline and looked around. Marley looked around for the stoat, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. They motioned for Trey to ready his weapon before calling out, "Excuse me, stoat? Are you still here?"

For a moment, there wasn't any response. "It's me, the mouse from yesterday. I brought some stuff for your leg."

There was rustling in the bushes behind them. Marley and Trey turned towards the sound, raising their weapons instinctively. Trey padded forward, raising his club just as a panicked voice exclaimed, "Woah woah woah I was sleepin', don't whack me ya god damned maniac!"

"Trey, put down the club," Marley snapped. The young otter backed away as the stoat emerged from the bushes. She wiped a few leaves off her shirt and scowled at the pair.

"What a rude awakenin'. Here I thought I was bein' mugged but it was just ya. Who even is this riverdog anyway?"

"Hey! Don't call me that or I'll crack yer skull in-"

"Just ignore him, I'm sorry ma'am. He's just a kid," Marley intervened, stepping between the two.

"A kid? I'm not a kid!" Trey said with a scowl.

The stoat rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of the bushes. "I don' remember the last time somebeast called me 'ma'am'. Anyway, what didja bring fer me?"

Marley nodded and reached into their bag, pulling out the supplies they took from the infirmary. The stoat's expression stiffened as she stared at the objects laid out in front of her. "Wow… Ya didn't have to do all that. I don't even know ya."

Marley shook their head. "It's fine." They grabbed a small bottle of vinegar and paused. "Were you sleeping in that bush last night?"

"Aye? Where else would I go? Ya told me to stay here. Why are ya askin'?"

Marley stared blankly at the stoat for a moment before sighing. "Alright. I was going to clean it out anyway."

The stoat frowned. The entire time while Marley was treating her leg, it looked as if she wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut. Marley couldn't read expressions well, but even they noticed how she seemed to relax as the treatment continued (as relaxed as one can be while being stitched up, anyway). The stoat rubbed the back of her neck and asked, "So what is it yer after? Nobeast goes all the way to treat somebeast they don't know fer free. If ya want money, yer gonna be very disappointed."

"I said it's fine. I'm doing this because I want to."

The stoat narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh. And why do ya want to?"

The question gave Marley pause. Something in the back of their mind was pulling them to do this, but just like many other things, they couldn't tell exactly what. "I don't know. It just feels right, I guess."

"Huh." The stoat tilted her head, staring directly at Marley's blank face. "Ya know I tried to steal from yer abbey, right?"

"Yup."

"So why?"

"I answered this yesterday. What happened between you and them is none of my business… Done." Marley pulled away from the stoat as they finished wrapping the cut with a fresh set of bandages. The stoat frowned and looked down at her treated leg.

"Yer a moron, ya know that?" She muttered. "Helpin' somebeast who tried to steal from ya." The stoat scanned Marley's face once again for any sign of malicious intent, greed, or anything hinting at them doing this for some kind of gain, but the mouse's face was an iron mask. The stoat sighed. "Look, I hate feelin' like I'm in yer debt, so how 'bout this?"

The stoat motioned to Marley's wooden practice sword. "I can get ya a sword. A real good one, too. I don't know what use an abbeybeast like ya will have wit' it since yer cooped up inside those walls, but who wouldn't want a sword, eh? I know I would've wanted one as a kit. Wouldn't be that hard fer me, either."

Marley blinked with surprise and looked at their practice sword. "Huh. I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"It wouldn't hurt," Trey said mockingly. "Everybeast knows ye like swords."

"Swords are… cool," Marley agreed.

"Then it's settled," the stoat said with a slight grin. "I'll getcha a sword. I think I can get one yer lil' mouse body can handle. I… Well, y'know I prolly can't return to yer abbey, so ya'll have to come back here. Sound fair?"

"Yup."

"Great. See ya in a few days, then."

Marley nodded politely. "I'll see you later. Oh, actually, I have one request, if you see or hear anything in these woods, can you call for me? If you explain that you're there for me, I don't think they'll turn you away."

"A bit risky, but alright… Wait, is there somethin' goin' on? What am I supposed to be lookin' fer?"

"Just, anything really," Marley answered. Trey raised a brow at Marley not giving any context, but this wasn't his problem.

The stoat pushed themselves up using a nearby tree for support and set their footpaw down. She winced and sat back down with a sigh. "I guess I'll stay here fer a bit longer. Hey, mouse, what's yer name by the way?"

"Marley. And you are?"

"Kanor," she responded. She turned to Trey, presumably about to ask his name too, before deciding it wasn't worth asking the rude child. "The two o' youse can be off on yer way, now."

Marley nodded. They waved goodbye before turning and heading back to Redwall Abbey. Trey followed right behind, keeping an eye on the stoat until she was out of sight. Trey walked up to Marley's side and asked, "Marley? Who was that?"

The mouse shrugged. "I don't know. Somebeast I met while I was coming home yesterday."

Trey pondered for a moment before asking, "Why'd ye ask me to bring my club? We didn't see anybeast the whole time?"

"Better to be safe than sorry," Marley grumbled, not elaborating further. The rest of the walk back to the abbey was uneventful, though Trey was unusually quiet. When they reached the south wallgate, Marley tried the door only to notice it was bolted shut. Grumbling, Marley slid their practice sword through the slit between the door and the wall and pushed the bolt up. Marley opened the door and let Trey enter first. The young otter walked in, but paused as soon as he passed by.

"Uh, Marley? We're in trouble."

Marley sat cross-legged in front of the abbot's armchair, paws clasped in front of them as they sat between Trey and Winslow, who now had a bandage wrapped around his hip. When they first arrived at the pond, Marley simply stared at the stab wound and asked, "Why did you two decide to stab each other as a distraction?"

Winslow shrugged it off, saying, "It worked, didn't it?"

Because of that stunt (and leaving the abbey, which, in hindsight, they should've expected), the three of them were now sitting in front of Abbot Athelstan, an elderly mouse. El and the abbey healer were gone, so it was just these three. Again.

The abbot leaned forward, eyes trained between the three beasts with a stern look on his face. "So, do you mind telling me what happened?"

Trey and Winslow kept their mouths shut, so Marley took that as a sign that they should speak up. "Before you say anything else, Athelstan, this was entirely my fault. I told Winslow to create a distraction. If you want to punish anybeast for this, leave those two out of it."

Abbot Athelstan's face softened at Marley's answer. "Trey, anything to add here?"

Trey scoffed. "No. I didn't do anythin' wrong."

"What about you, Winslow?"

The older otter rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at his brother. "Don't do anythin' to Trey, abbot. Aye, it was…" He then glanced at Marley, who shook their head. "Um, aye, Marley told me to create a distraction."

"So, yes, this was entirely my fault," Marley reiterated.

The old mouse turned to Marley. Less than a day had passed since they had returned, and they were already in trouble. He sighed and gestured with his paw. "Winslow, Trey, may I have a word with Marley alone for a bit? I'll talk to you two afterwards."

Trey immediately stood up and left, while Winslow was more hesitant. "Sorry, Marley," he muttered before following Trey. Once the two were gone, Abbot Athelstan turned to Marley, who stared blankly at the larger mouse. A few seconds of silence passed before Abbot Athelstan leaned back in his chair. "I wasn't there when you returned, so let me start by saying, welcome back, Marley. We're glad that you're here."

Marley nodded politely. "It's a pleasure to be back, Athelstan."

The older mouse smiled, "I wanted to ask you a serious question, but first, how are you feeling? I imagine it must be an adjustment coming back after exile."

Marley glanced around. "I don't know," they answered plainly. "Good, I think?"

Abbot Athelstan nodded with understanding, and then his expression grew more serious. Shutting his eyes, he first clarified, "I don't mean to offend you, I mean this in the most genuine way possible when I ask, why do you go to such lengths to protect Finn and Winslow from trouble?"

Marley blinked with surprise. "Hm? They're my friends, why wouldn't I?"

"I understand that, but… Marley, taking the blame for everything they do wrong won't help things for anybody." The abbot gave Marley a knowing look. The young mouse glanced away.

"Maybe so, but I really did tell Winslow to cause a distraction."

"Did you tell Trey to stab his brother?"

"... No."

The Abbot nodded. "Alright." He let the answer sink in for a moment before standing up. "Marley, 'tis an Abbot's job to get to know every single beast staying here and try to help, so when I say I'm worried for you, I do mean that."

Marley's expression remained unchanged. "Why?"

Abbot Athelstan continued, "You don't seem to be taking care of yourself as much as you do for your friends. Last winter, you worked endlessly to help Finn recover when she was sick, even though you were sick yourself. I'm just worried that you're ignoring your own needs, that's all."

"I've known Finn since I was young, of course I would help her."

"Are you taking care of yourself, though?"

"I just got back, I don't know how to answer this."

Abbot Athelstan hummed with concern. Marley guessed that any answer other than 'yes' was probably wrong. "Why did you leave the abbey, then? You know that you temporarily aren't allowed to leave because 'tis dangerous, right?"

Marley shook their head. "I didn't know. Again, I just got back yesterday."

"If you didn't know, why did you need Winslow to cause a distraction?"

Marley's mind drew a blank. An uncomfortable amount of time passed before the mouse answered, "I thought it was funny?"

The abbot let out a snicker. "No offence, Marley, but I have only ever heard you laugh once or twice. Besides, I know you would never ask Winslow or Trey to hurt themselves just for a reason like that."

"Well… I mean, yes, that's true." I didn't ask them to stab each other. How did they even come to that conclusion by me saying 'create a distraction'? Why did Winslow bring Trey into this?

"Marley, please tell me the truth. If there is something I can do to help, I want to know."

Marley's face twitched. In their mind, they weighed the pros and cons of what they were about to say. Slowly, they spoke. "If the abbey has all of these resources, why did we close the gates? Even if there's danger, don't we have a responsibility to help out?"

The abbot's expression faded. "Did you go outside to help somebeast?"

"Answer the question." Despite their forceful tone, their face remained neutral. It wasn't anything new, yet it still put Abbot Athelstan slightly on edge. "Why did we close the gates because of one beast while many others still need help?

"One beast? Who told you that?"

"Winslow… and… Finn."

The abbot shook his head grimly. "Yes, it was partially because of the weasel, but that isn't the full story. To be brief, there were many reasons to shut the gates. I could give you the full list later, but just know that 'tis getting more dangerous outside, we can't spare the resources to help every beast in need, and as of late, the free movement in and out of the abbey has caused… fatal problems. You know, don't you?" the abbot replied, flashing a knowing look at the other mouse.

Marley nodded stiffly. "I know. At the same time, I think you're going against what Redwall Abbey and Martin the Warrior stands for."

Abbot Athelstan grimaced. "I understand the problems you have with this. Quite frankly, this wasn't a decision we reached easily, but my first priority is to protect the abbey and the beasts inside of it. There are other places in Mossflower if somebeast urgently need asylum."

Marley didn't know what was stirring inside them, but they were glad they didn't have their practice sword. "Look, Marley, I know you're probably mad at me, and that's fine. We're just trying to keep everybeast safe, alright? Just don't leave the abbey again. Not without permission, at least. I don't want you hurting yourself."

Marley was sceptical that they'd get permission if they tried again, but the sentiment was… there. "I understand. It's just that I made a promise to somebeast when I was outside, and I wanted to keep that." Marley then stood up, but paused. Ever since they got exiled, there was something they wanted to tell the abbot. After all, none of this would've even happened if it weren't for them. "If you really want to help everybeast, I should let you know that Finn doesn't feel safe in her own home, nobeast even attempts to understand Winslow, and Trey needs better guidance than just Finn, Winslow and me because I am not a good role model. If you want to ignore everyone outside the abbey and focus inside, those are good places to start. I'm trying to help them, but I can only do so much. They need other beasts to help them, not just me."

Still stone-faced, Marley took a bow and said, "Good afternoon, Athelstan. I'll see you at dinner." They turned and left, not looking back at the abbot.