North of Redwall, spring eventide filtered soft light through the leafy canopy of Mossflower Wood. Amid aisles of oak, beech, elm, sycamore, and other forest giants, slender rowan, birch and willow stood like young attendants, waiting on their stately lords. Blue smoke drifted lazily upward through the foliage which fringed a shallow stream. Somewhere nearby, a pair of nightingales warbled harmoniously.

The tremulous beauty was lost upon a small vermin band who had camped on the streambank to fish. A fat brutish weasel called Burrad was their leader. Beneath his ragged cloak he carried a cutlass, its bone handle notched with the lives he had taken. Burrad's sly eyes watched his band closely. They were spitting four shiny scaled roach on green willow withes to grill over the fire.

Drawing the cutlass, Burrad pointed it at the biggest fish. "Dat'n der is mine!"

A stoat called Flinky let out a pitifully indignant whine. "Arr 'ey, chief, I caught dis one meself, 'tis me own fish!"

Despite his bulk, Burrad was quick. Bulling the stoat over, he whipped Flinky mercilessly with the flat of his blade.

Covering his head, the victim screeched for mercy. "Yargh, stop 'im mates, afore he kills me pore ould body! Yeegh, spare me, yer mightiness, spare me. Agh!"

Cruel by nature, Burrad thrashed Flinky even harder. Throwing himself upon the hapless stoat, he pressed the blade against Flinky's scrawny neck, snarling viciously. "Wot d'yer want, the fish or yore 'ead? 'Urry up an' speak."

The cutlass blade pressed savagely down. Flinky wailed. "Yee, take de fish, I've only got one 'ead. Take de fish!"

Burrad rose, grinning wolfishly as he kicked Flinky's bottom. He turned to a small fox named Little Redd. "Cook dat fish good fer me, or I'll give you a damn good beating. Just like you get at home with your parents. Crispy outside an' soft inside, dat's de way I likes fish."

Crouched low in the reeds on the far bank, two Pegasus ponies viewed the scene. "I tell ya, Scootaloo, that's one sorry gang of vermin," the older Pegasus, whose name was Rainbow Dash, said. "Looks as if they got rocks in their skulls instead of brains."

Her companion, Scootaloo, chuckled. "Yeah, campin' there without a single sentry posted, an' a fire smokin' away like a beacon. It's a wonder their parents let 'em out alone. Wanna have some fun with them?"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "See ole lardbelly over there, the big weasel? Leave him t'me, I enjoy takin' bullies down a peg. You go in the front, an' I'll make my way around back."

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Seeking about for firewood, Redd glanced sideways. He saw a strange creature wading across the stream. She looked like a horse, but she had wings. Redd called to Burrad. "Aye, aye, chief, looks like we got company!"

Burrad cast a contemptuous glance at the creature. "Wot in de name o' blood is dat?"

Scootaloo sloshed ashore, calling, "Hello, tramps!"

"Where'd you blow from?" inquired Burrad.

Scootaloo came slowly toward the fire. "I saw your fire," she said, "and I thought I'd stop. I'm a tramp too, you know."

"Oh," sighed Flinky. "She's a tramp, she is. An' does she think gents like us has any time for tramps? An' where might you be trampin', missy, without your ma?"

"Well, I smelled the fish you were cooking," Scootaloo said, "and I thought I'd stop and ask for a bite."

A weasel named Rogg snapped his teeth together. "A bite? We'll give you a bite, if that's what you want. You come 'ere an' I'll bite you anytime!" He and his brother Floggo began laughing.

Burrad frowned. "Beat it, kid!" he commanded. "We ain't runnin' no day nursery. These you see here is all the real thing. Maybe we ask fer a handout now and then; but that ain't our reg'lar lay. You ain't swift enough to travel with this bunch, kid, so you'd better duck. Why we gents, here, if we were added up is wanted in about twenty-seven cities fer about everything from rollin' a souse to crackin' a box and croakin' a bull. You gotta do something before you can train wid gents like us, see?" He projected a stubbled jaw, scowled horridly and swept a flattened palm downward and backward at a right angle to a hairy arm in eloquent gesture of finality.

Scootaloo stood with her eyebrows puckered into a studious frown, drinking in every word. "I guess I made a mistake," she said, apologetically. "You ain't tramps at all. You're thieves and murderers and things like that."

Crinktail, Flinky's wife, gave a gasp of mock indignation. "Ooh, did you 'ear that, mates? She called us thieves and murderers!"

Roaring with rage, Burrad rushed at Scootaloo. Whirling his cutlass, the weasel aimed a mighy swipe that should have left the little Pegasus headless. However, Scootaloo dodged the blow, ducked under Burrad's arm and stuck her tongue out at him.

Purple with spleen, Burrad yelled, "I'll chop ye into ten pieces!"

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came flying down into the clearing. She knocked the cutlass from Burrad's paw. Her voice was stern and commanding. "Everybeast stand still, right where you are! There's two score more of us up in the trees, just waitin' on my word! Make one wrong move and they'll pounce on you!"

Little Redd picked up a spear and tried to charge Rainbow Dash. But Rainbow saw him coming and flew straight up into the air. Redd couldn't stop in time. He kept running and accidentally stabbed Burrad instead of Rainbow Dash!

Burrad stood gaping at the spear protruding from his stomach. He raised his clouding eyes to the open-mouthed fox, faltering. "Ye've killed me, yer blather brained fool! I'll give you another damn good beating!" But he couldn't give Redd another beating because the next moment he crashed over backward, slain by his own gang member.

Flinky looked up at Rainbow Dash in astonishment. "I've heard of ye. You're Rainbow Dash, a mighty warrior!"

Rainbow nodded. "That's me. Listen carefully. Scootaloo and I are goin' now, but our friends'll stay hidden, watchin' you. Sit still here until it's properly dark, then get out of here. We'll be passin' this way again tomorrow to make sure you're not still here. Is that clear?"

Flinky's head bobbed up and down like a yo-yo. "Ah, sure, 'tis certain clear, yer mightiness. We've all got the message, an' a fine important one it is, sir!"

"I'm actually a girl, but never mind," said Rainbow Dash. "Come on, Scootaloo."

Rainbow and Scootaloo backed out of the camp. A moment later they were lost in the surrounding trees. The vermin stood wordlessly staring at one another until a ferret named Plumnose broke the silence. "Wodd duh we do now?"

Crinktail was in no doubt. "Like they said, we wait 'til it's dark, then we get out of here. I don't know about youse, but I'm goin'."

A weasel named Slipback reached for the cutlass that had belonged to Burrad. He was surprised when Redd ran at him and dealt him a swift kick to the balls. Slipback fell over as Redd grabbed the cutlass.

"Keep yer paws off dat blade, 'tis mine now," Redd said. "I slew Burrad. That makes me the new chief round 'ere, according to vermin law!"

"You only killed him by accident," said Slipback. "Dat don't count!"

Redd turned to face the rest of the gang, wielding his new weapon. "Accident or not, Burrad's dead. Does anybeast want to challenge me? Come on!"

The other vermin were shocked. They had never seen Redd act like this before. For as long as they could recall, they had ignored him, bullied him, or pushed him about.

But then Flinky stepped forward, holding his paws out to Redd. "Ah now, don't go upsettin' yoreself, Little Redd. We all think ye'll make a grand chief. Isn't that right, mates?"

Crinktail and some of the others looked as if they were about to object, but Flinky turned and winked at them. They decided to go along with this.

"C'mon now, raise yer paws an' salute the great new chief!" Flinky irished.

A newfound confidence flooded through Redd as he watched the remaining eight vermin acknowledge his leadership with raised paws. He smiled grimly. "Right, we're goin' to track those two flying horses down now!"

Juppa, Slipback's wife, exclaimed, "Didn't ye hear the one called Rainbow Dash? She said we was to sit 'ere 'til it was dark."

A rat called Halfchop nodded. "She said there was twoscore fighters layin' nearby, an' that we'd be dead meat if'n we didn't do like we were told."

Redd shook his head in disbelief. "An' ye believed her? That's the oldest trick in the book. Watch, I'll show ye twoscore o' fighters!"

Furiously grabbing anything that came to paw- firewood, pebbles, and soil- the small fox flung them at the surrounding trees, yelling out defiantly. "Now then, ye mighty fighters, come out an' show yerselves! I'll fight ye all at once, or one by one if'n ye ain't frightened o' me! Get out 'ere, ye mangy frogbait!"

Only silence greeted the challenge. It seemed Rainbow Dash had been bluffing. Redd spat contemptuously, glaring at the vermin gang. "Wot a bunch of addlebrains you all are! Get movin', ye bunch o' ditherin' oafs. Let's get after those two ponies! Oh, and one more thing. My name ain't Little Redd no more. From now on, ye'll all call me Big Redd!"

"Like the soda?" Crinktail said.

Redd glared at her. "Okay, forget what I just said. Instead, my name will be Badredd!"

Flinky threw him an elaborate salute. "Badredd it is, yer honor, sure an' a fine ould name it is!"

They set off through the woodlands, trailing after the two ponies. Flinky and Crinktail walked at the very back. Crinktail whispered to Flinky, "Badredd, huh! Wot'n the name o' blood made ye support that little fool?"

Flinky winked at her again. "Trust me, mate, better a little fool than a big bully like Burrad. Badredd'll do like I suggest, ye'll see. Leave the thinkin' t'me, we'll live the good life from now on."