Twilight turned around at the voice and she saw five foxes. When she saw them, she swore quietly to herself. "Why should we give our stuff to you, ya mangy fox?" she spat at what she thought was the leader.

"Cuz you're trespassin' in our territory," replied the fox that looked like the leader. The reason that Twilight thought he was the leader was that he was the biggest and perhaps the stupidest of the bunch.

"Well, you are not getting our food," Twilight said to them, then whispered to her friends, "Get goin' now and stick to the plan and no arguin' from anypony. Now go!" At this she took her sack off and threw it behind her. In the background she heard Cadence and Fahari flying away.

"They're gettin' away!" one of the foxes yelled.

"You'll have to get through me first! EQUESTRIAAA!" Twilight said as she rushed in and started fighting like mad, so her friends could get to safety at Redwall. Rushing in was her first mistake, you see they rounded her on all sides. Which made fighting a whole lot harder and it made her an easy target to get at, so she was getting wounds left and right.

Cadence and Fahari flew over the Abbey wall as fast as they could. They saw three otters and a badger near the orchard. They flew down to them, gasping for air.

"Friend… help… path… foxes," Cadance said to them. The male otter seemed to understand what she was saying.

"Which way, north or south?" he asked her. Cadance pointed north with her hoof. When they saw her point north, the badger dashed for the north wallgate, while the male otter ran into the main Abbey building to round up other otters.

Cadence and Fahari were left alone with the two female otters. "They'll help your friend," the younger otter said. She stopped, then said, "Sorry, I didn't get your names. I am Meera and this is my mother Filorn and the one that just ran to get help is my brother Deyna. The badger's name is Cregga."

"My name is Cadence and this is my daughter Fahari. My sister-in-law, Twilight Sparkle, was guarding our backs so we could get away. I hope she's okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Twilight had killed one fox and wounded another, but the other three were still pressing her hard. Just when she was losing hope, she heard a yell of "Eulalia!" In a flash, Cregga was by her side helping her to fight. Twilight tried to keep fighting but she was blacking out and what happened next was a mystery to her.

By the time Cregga had killed the rest of the vermin, Deyna had come out with the Skipper and a bunch of other otters, including Deyna's father Rillflag.

"You sure did a number on those foxes," Deyna said to Cregga.

"I may be blind, but I'm always ready to defend the Abbey," Cregga said.

Rillflag bent down and inspected Twilight. "She's seriously wounded. Looks like she isn't going to stay awake long."

"We better get a stretcher so we can carry her back to Redwall," said Skipper. All of his otters gave their slings and two gave their javelins. They put Twilight on it and quickly got her back to Redwall.

When they got back to Redwall, Fahari and Cadence saw her. "She's all bloody and unconscious!" Fahari cried.

"We'll take her up to the infirmary and hope Sister Floburt and Brother Egburt can help her," Deyna said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the Juska camp, the clan vermin gathered around Moon and Felch, staring at the alicorn in awe and admiration. Shoving Felch ahead of her, Moon strode through the crowd, like a pike through a minnow shoal. Grissoul stood smiling in front of Sawney's tent. She bowed fawningly. "Thou did well! Nightmare Moon Juskarath Taggerung!"

Sawney came out of the tent and embraced Moon. "Ya did it! I knew ya would, I said you'd retoin at high noon wit' both Felch and my blade, and here ya are!"

Moon threw a hoof about Sawney's shoulder. "Dat's da duty of a Taggerung, not to disappoint her chief. Any food around? I'm famished!"

Sawney gave Grissoul a shove. "Go an' get some hay an' oats for Moon. Shift yourself, vixen, she's hungry!"

A rat named Dagrab who was missing her tail had Felch down on the ground, binding his paws with thongs. She pulled the fox upright. "One runaway, Chief, bound an' delivered!"

Suddenly, Gruven Zann the stoat came storming back into camp, thorn-stung and muddied. He had been looking for Felch too. He dashed past his mother Antigra without even acknowledging her, and pointed at Moon, yelling, "A false trail! You sent me off on a false trail!"

Moon smiled sweetly at him. "Dunno what you're talkin' about, Bo. I don't waste time hangin' around layin' false trails for people. If you couldn't find Felch before me, it was your own fault, my foolish friend."

Gruven always carried a sword. Now he drew it in the blink of an eye. "Who's the fool now?" He moved at her like lightning.

But Moon was faster. She grabbed Gruven's arm and twisted it behind his back with one forehoof, while kicking him in the butt with the other. Gruven fell to the ground, dropping the sword. Sawney picked it up. "Take it an' kill 'im, Moon. He just tried to kill you!"

Moon shook her head. "Dere ain't no sport in killin' a tinhorn like him. Besides, I'm hungry. Where's dat dandy feed ya promised me?"

The two of them walked into Sawney's tent.

Vallug Bowbeast pointed at Gruven and laughed. "Hahahahaha! You got your butt whooped by a pink pony!"

"Oh, shut up," Gruven snarled, getting to his feet. "I can still lick you or any other beast here. Go on, try me!"

"Okay, I will," Vallug said, and he punched Gruven in the balls. Gruven fell down again.

"That didn't count," he said. "I wasn't ready!"

"Well, I'll be more considerate next time I attack ya," Vallug cackled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Moon and Sawney were eating lunch. Moon had her bowl of hay and oats and Sawney had a roasted woodpigeon.

"I've never known a beast like you," Sawney said to Moon. "When are ya gonna do as I say, huh?"

"I did do as you said," Moon told him. "I brought 'im back, didn't I?"

"I wanted you ta bring back his head!" Sawney hurled the roast woodpigeon leg at Felch, who was lying tied up in the corner of the tent. "Why didn't you?"

Moon shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't wanna carry da head in my supply bag because it would get blood everywhere."

"Ya coulda throwed a towel over it," Sawney said.

"Well, I woulda, if I'd t'ought of bringin' a towel wit' me. Besides, it would been too heavy for me."

"Don't go to any trouble on my account," Felch said. "Wouldn't want you to lug my big heavy head around, just to please Sawney."

"Quiet, you!" Sawney snapped.

"Do ya really gotta croak 'im?" Moon asked. "Couldn't ya just cut his ear off, like ya said you was gonna do?"

"Dat was when he had just lost my knife," Sawney said. "But now he's tried ta run off wit' it. I can't let my followers t'ink it's okay to steal from me."

"I got it back for ya, didn't I?" she said. "Maybe you could just set him on fire for a few seconds an' den put da fire out. Dat won't hoit 'im too much, it'll just t'row a good scare inta him an' da other clanbeasts. Den nobeast'll ever dare steal from you again!"

"Stop giving him ideas!" Felch groaned.

Sawney stared at Moon oddly. "What's da matter wit' you? You never wanna kill anybeast. What're ya gonna do if da clan has ta go inta battle? Ya know, we're not da only Juska clan out dere. Dere's plenty o' bigger ones dat'd love ta conquer us, like da Juskabor, led by Ruggan Bor."

"If another clan attacks us, I'll fight, I promise," Moon said.

"But how are ya gonna be able ta kill ta protect da tribe if ya've never taken a life before?" Sawney demanded. "Ya t'ink I coulda become a chieftain if I was afraid to kill?"

"No," Moon mumbled.

"Ya gotta start sometime." He pointed at her. "I'm not gonna be da one ta kill Felch! You are!"