The dimly lit corridors of Redwall Abbey echoed with the frenetic clomping of Captain Santain's boots as he raced towards the infirmary. The cacophony of screams intensified with each stride, a haunting symphony of chaos that struck a chord of dread within the hare's heart. Images of past vermin ambushes and the aftermath of battles rushed through his mind, an unrelenting blur of memories fueled his urgency.
Santain abruptly turned a corner, the door to the infirmary now in sight. Another howl, ominous and sinister, reverberated through the corridor. The hare's instincts kicked in, and with a primal roar, he charged forward, shoulder down. Crooksnout, hurrying back to the infirmary had not noticed the enraged officer and was sent hurtling forward, a mountain of pastries cascading from his grasp. The weasel landed on his broken arm with a pained yelp as Captain Santain, fueled by a surge of adrenaline, charged over him. A small childlike cry from the injured vermin behind him reverberated down the hall as the door to the infirmary swung open. The sounds of the injured struck a chord in Santain's memory.
The flashback hit him like a tidal wave. The remains of a clan of mice scattered across the sand, a once vibrant camp reduced to ruins, and the sickening scent of death and destruction lingering in the air. The peaceful mice had been completely decimated, bodies of mice and vermin lay strewn across the sand in sandy red heaps. The camp, once a bustling refuge nestled between the woods and the grey sea, now lay in ruins, its tents torn and smoldering. Personal belongings, scattered like fallen leaves, lie amongst the bodies of the young and old. An unsettling quiet echoed through the devastation wrought by a recent, merciless attack, leaving behind an eerie stillness in the heart of the desolated site. But amidst the devastation, a small whimper could be heard. Quickly a small mouse was found, there was a gash the size of Santain's fist in her midsection and a nasty wound on the top of her head that had torn her ear off. The dibbun mouthed words but said nothing as the then Corporal Santain plucked her from a collapsed tent and carried her to the group's healer who shook his head at the sight. Instead, he carried her to the edge of the ocean and rocked her back and forth until her whimper turned to silence. They never could find the vermin who committed the atrocity. His failure to do so has haunted him ever since.
Enraged Captain Santain bolted to the door where the maddened laughing stemmed from. Pulling his rapier free just as Herrik crashed through the window plummeting to his death.
The Captain's eyes, wide with alarm, took in the grim tableau of chaos within. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning herbs and the coppery tang of spilled blood. Wounded beasts lie scattered across the room, groans and cries of pain blended into a dissonant chorus. Santain's eyes fell on the young Corporal Bushby who stood at the window shouting at beasts to stay away from the body of the vermin.
"Corporal!" Captain Santain boomed as the hare laboriously turned to the superior. The exhausted Corporal snapped to attention.
"Sah! Blighted vermin scum caught us by surprise. The injured one popped out o' his bed like a spring daisy and tore into Sister Beryl. But he won't be hurting any beast anymore, wot!"
"Good lad," Santain replied, his voice low and urgent. "Fetch Sister Lilac and Corporal Trilloway as quick as ye can! Rally the Long Patrol and tighten the ranks. Lay hold of those vermin scoundrels, and if they dare to resist, give 'em a taste of steel! This madness has stretched its paws for far too long, and it's high time we put an end to it!"
Dropping his salute, Corporal Bushby rushed from the room to carry out his orders.
As his eyes passed through the room, Captain Santain couldn't shake the weight of responsibility that settled upon his shoulders. He was supposed to protect the abbey and so far he had been failing. The unconscious frames of Brin and Mildred lie on one side of the room, where a small pool of blood formed around the older squirrel. The groaning ferret lay at the foot of the bed One of her footpaws had broken through the bedframe and she lay curled on her side cradling her injured paw. Rage coursed through the hare's body as he flew forward and landed a kick to her stomach. The ferret gasped for air as the hare lost his composure and flew into a frightening rage, beating the injured vermin until she was begging him to stop.
"It wasn't me I'm a healer! Herrk's mad, I tried to stop him!" She sobbed between blows.
"We warned ye what would happen if any beast was hurt!" The hare grabbed Sathe by her collar and yanked her upright, pinning the back of her neck against the heavy wooden bed frame. He leaned in within a whisker of her face as he pressed the edge of his blade against her throat. Captain Santain expected to see rage or malice, but the ferret's dark eyes were filled with a childlike fear—a fear he had seen before in the eyes of a small mouse many seasons ago.
"I'm sorry!" The ferret gingerly placed her paws on the edge of the blade and tried to push it away, but the hare didn't move the blade a whisker.
Captain Santain's expression hardened as Sathe begged for mercy. Dark beads of blood formed on the cool silver of the blade as sobs wracked her body. Captain Santain averted his eyes, embarrassed for the beast. Vermin hardly had any dignity. His eyes landed on Sister Beryl who lay on her back, massive paws wrapped around her throat attempting to stem the flow of blood trickling through her claws.
The hare felt his stomach flip, Sister Beryl needed help now. Mildred was unconscious and he hadn't got a clue where Sister Lilac could be. Abbot Micah had mentioned the ferret was a healer, but the hare had doubts. He despised the vermin but for the time being he had very little choice. Everything he had learned as a member of the Long Patrol warned him against it.
"Yer a healer, wot?"
"Yes! Yes! I'm a healer I didn't hurt any beast!" Sathe cried snot dribbling from her nose.
"Good!" Captain Santain pulled his blade from her throat as he hauled Sathe to her footpaws and dragged her toward the badger. There was some resistance from the ferret but the hare easily pulled her forward.
"Help her or I'll run ye through!" Captain Santain threw Sathe next to the badger with some exertion. There was a pained gasp as she landed hard on her knees.
"Quick now, scoundrel! If she breathes her last, so shall you!"
Sathe stared at the injured beast as her whole body trembled. Captain Santain stood behind her his rapier held firmly in his grasp. He stared at the quivering vermin, his eyes were narrow slits and bloodstained rapier showing no mercy or remorse. After a prolonged pause, the ferret gingerly reached into her cloak and pulled out a bit of moss. With a shaking paw, she reached and touched the badger's throat. Sister Beryl's dark eyes snapped to her. They were filled with anger and fear as she looked to Captain Santain for help.
"It's alright mum, she's gonna help ye, wot."
"J-just let me see the scratch." Sathe pressed slowly inching closer to the badger.
Sister Beryl's gaze flicked between the ferret and the hare. She must have known it was a mistake to trust her, and Captain Santain felt the same.
"You're in good paws, lass. I'll make sure of it." Captain Sanatin hoped his threat wasn't lost on either the badger or the ferret. After a prolonged pause, Sister Beryl removed her blood-soaked paws.
Captain Santain grit his jaw as Sathe quickly set about her task. There were several long and deep gashes in the badger's throat. Each one bled terribly, but a long smile-like tear starting under the badger's chin leading to the side of her throat was most worrisome. Sathe immediately set about stopping the bleeding of that one first, jamming moss into the wound and pressing down with excessive force. As she pressed down with one paw her other jutted back into her cloak as she pulled another clump of mosses free and pressed them into another one of the cuts. Frantically she shook her head about, looking for something before snapping at the hare.
"Stitches! I need a needle and a thread rabbit!"
"Watch you're mouth vermin!"
"Do you want her tah live?" She snapped back, and a wild intensity shone in her eyes. "If ya do then shaddup and give me what I want!"
Biting his tongue Captain Santain scanned the room for some supplies. Thankfully the table beside the bed had a various assortment of medical supplies, more importantly, it remained relatively undamaged. The hare hurried to the table and quickly grabbed a needle and a roll of thread, regretfully stepping over Brin and Mildred. The hare Captain realized he should've had Corporal Bushby tend to the two squirrels before going on a wild hunt for Sister Lilac. Before he returned to Sister Beryl he applied a bit of moss to the back of Mildred's head. Stopping the bleeding from the old squirrel hoping that it would help. He strode across the room jutting the needle and twine in the ferret's face.
"I hope ye know what yer doing."
"I do! Jus' shuddup an gerrouta the way!" Sathe barked at the hare.
With steady hands, she threaded a needle with coarse twine, her fingers moving with practiced precision. The room was heavy with the scent of blood the only relief being the cool winter air from the broken window that let in the occasional gust of wind.
"Gettoutah the way hare, yer blocking the light!"
With a silent grunt of displeasure, Captain Santain moved to stand in front of the doorway. He could hear the sounds of shouting and paw steps from a distance.
"Stay still yew, this'll hurt but it might save ye." Sathe ordered to Sister Beryl who watched her with terrified and unsure eyes. Captain Santain loomed in the doorframe, watching and waiting for any mistake Sathe might make.
Sister Beryl winced as the needle pierced her skin but Sathe's touch was firm and assured. Stitch by stitch, she carefully closed the wound, the twine drawing the torn edges together. The room echoed with the rhythmic sounds of Sathe's work, a blend of focused concentration and the occasional grunt of reassurance. As fast as the last stitch was secured Sathe quickly turned her focus to another gaping hole in the badger's neck.
"Oi, hare! Get over 'ere, and slap a bit of moss on that bleedin' wound, ya scraggly furball!"
Captain Santain sheathed his rapier and quickly knelt at the ferret's side obediently following her orders.
"Not that hard idjit! Y'ain't aimin' to pop the stitches, y'see?"
"Ho, you ain't the same cowardly weasel no more," sneered Captain Santain as he deftly applied moss to the badger's throat. "Must've learned a thing or two from yer rabble, eh?"
"Shuddup, all 'cause of you monstrous varmints!" Sathe spat out, deftly sewing up another wound and tending to a wicked scrape. "Yew harebrained horrors barely left any beast breathin' for me to salvage."
"Thankee for the compliment." Captain Santain chortled. "I'll make sure the rest o' the Long Patrol knows we're doin' a bang-up job, wot."
Sathe spat and glared at the grinning hare before tying off a stitch and pressing more moss to the various other wounds.
"Any bowlegged-lilly-livered mongrel kin skin a beast or slay like yew do rabbit! It's so easy even-"
"A whiny jelly-kneed ferret could do it, wot?"
"Why'd I bother with you wormbrained whelp's. Yew cower in yer mountain clinging to yer badgermum every time some vermin knocks. If yew were half as fearsome as ye think no beast would dare stand against ye."
"There be more mad vermin than sensible woodlanders, ye mangy ferret. Yer pal just proved it, wot?."
"He's mad but even he's done damage to your badger. It wouldn't be hard for me to do the same tah you."
"Is that a threat? I've cut down more of yer kind than you've saved." Captain Santain snapped as he rested his paw on his rapier. Figures the moment he put away his weapon she started acting tough.
"Naw, pick a fight wid Seabane er Marrow if ye wanna show how great ye are. I'm trying tah help!" Sathe snapped back ignoring the threat. "Now help me lift her to the bed."
"I might just do that." Captain Santain murmured to himself as he grabbed one side of Sister Beryl. Sathe did the same and with a great effort, the two lifted the badger to her footpaws.
"Care to lose a few stones ya fat brute." Sathe gasped.
Sister Beryl opened her mouth to respond but broke into a thick but ragged cough. Bloody spittle flew from her mouth as her knees buckled and she slumped forward.
"Hurry put her on tha bed!"
Quickly Captain Santain guided the badger to the bed where Sathe attempted to toss her onto it.
"Be careful ye stupid vermin! Remember yer heads on the line!"
"Quiet, hare! It ain't my fault I'm the lone creature in this miserable abbey with the knack for mendin' wounds!"
Sathe rudely bumped into the Captain as she rushed to the other side of the bed. She reached for a roll of bandages and a small bowl with a light green mixture the consistency of wet sand. After dipping her claw into it she licked the odd substance, swirling it about in her mouth before spitting it onto the floor.
"This'll do," Sathe said as she removed the moss that covered the badger's wounds. She quickly coated the badger's neck with the green substance before reapplying the moss and wrapping it with bandages.
"Captain what in blazes is going on!"
Forgetting he sent Bushby to alert everybeast he could, Captain Santain was surprised to hear Eli's voice from behind him. Turning Eli was at the front of several hares and a small contingent of Redwallers.
"I need more wrappings!" Sathe snapped at the mouse. It seems that her impatience and imprudence know no bounds. "Bandages and arnica. Make yourself useful and bring them to me!"
"Shut your mouth ferret!"
"Just get her what she wants!" The hare Captain snapped at Eli.
"And somebeast take these two to the ward! Where's Sister Lilac?" He continued pointing at Mildred and Brin.
There was a pause as the woodlanders looked amongst themselves in disbelief. Captain Santain's paws were matted in blood as was most of Sathe's upper body. The room itself was in disarray with the unconscious squirrels, broken bits of glass and wood, splatterings of blood, and tufts of fur all about. In all his excitement he didn't even consider the mess that was his surroundings.
"This is hardly the worst thing you'll ever see, now hop to it and get the beast what she needs!"
At their Captain's orders, the hares of the Long Patrol were the first to react, carefully lifting and carrying Brin and Mildred out of the room. The Redwallers followed closely behind them attempting to be helpful, but were more than likely getting in the way. A few beasts scrambled into the infirmary waiting room looking for the bandages and the herb Sathe demanded. Eli sauntered over to the hare captain as Sathe finished tying off all the remaining bandages in her possession.
"Joseph's whiskers, what happened!" Eli said as he watched the Ferret lightly press on Sister Beryl's chest. Sister Beryl heaved upright thrashing about at the light touch. Sathe lept back as Captain Santain and Eli rushed to the badger's side.
"She's broken her ribs," Sathe responded, raising her paws in an attempt to advert the furious glare she received from the two warriors. "I'll make a remedy to dull her pain but she shouldn't move at all until it subsides."
"Broken ribs are fatal ferret." Eli snapped.
"They're only fatal if they puncture a lung or other organ. Even if they did I don't have any way of helping her aside from making her comfortable." Sathe swallowed. The confidence she had shown in her tone earlier disappeared under Eli's vengeful glare.
"She better survive or that weasel won't be the last vermin thrown from the window!"
"I didn't attack her! Herrik did and he didn't know the rules!"
"That doesn't matter!"
"Yes, it does! I tried to stop 'im and ended up hurtin' me footpaw. He despises badgers, but I didn't reckon he'd live long enough to wake up and be within a whisker's length of one."
"He hated badgers to the point he'd murder one!" Captain Santain snapped in anger. "And almost killed the abbey's healer along with two other innocent beasts. Why weren't any of just told he was mad?"
"I didn't think he'd survive!" Sathe's voice cracked, fear beginning once more to take hold. "You tried tah do the same! Ye were gonna lop me 'ead off, an' I'm the only beast who can save this bloomin' badger!"
"This wouldn't have happened if you weren't here!" Eli boomed.
"Eli," A weak voice croaked. Sister Beryl's dark eyes trained on the mouse as she struggled to form the words to speak. "She's done nothing wrong."
Eli shook his head. "She shouldn't be here."
"Eli…" The badger trailed off.
"Don't speak you're only wasting your breath." Sathe snapped at her as she snatched a new roll of bandages from a mouse who stood at arm's length.
"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Captain Santain asked before Eli could snap back at her.
Before Eli or Sathe could respond Captain Santain hauled the mouse just outside the room. He nodded at Sergeant Nettlewhisk to keep an eye on the ferret as they spoke. They could still watch her as she continued to clean and wrap various cuts from outside the room.
"Eli I know this looks terrible." Captain Santain started in a low voice.
"Terrible? It's an absolute mess! The vermin almost killed a beast when he fell from the window and scared the daylights out of Sister Lilac and her dibbuns! Abbot Micah is trying to stop the abbey from tearing them apart! D'ye think they'll listen when they find out Sister Beryl's throat has been clawed out and Mildred's been brained! They'll probably tear the Abbot to pieces along with the vermin!"
"Sister Beryl's not dead and neither are Mildred and Brin!" The hare snapped, ignoring the concerned looks he was getting from the other Redwallers.
"I don't know what happened or why, but the beast that caused it all is no longer a threat."
"We don't know if the ferret wasn't a part of this!"
"We don't," Captain Santain's shoulders dropped. "But Sister Beryl said she was innocent. Her word should count for something until we get to the bottom of this."
The mouse remained silent, turning to watch the badger lie in her bed. Sathe was explaining to her the proper way to breathe with broken ribs, as she mixed several herbs in a small bowl. Sister Beryl's dark eyes watched her with a desperate intensity.
"As much as it befuddles the senses, old chum, she's a competent healer, which is exactly what we need in the here and now."
"I don't like this. They're hiding something from us."
"I don't doubt it, but now lives are hanging in the balance and she needs to stay here. Have you tried interrogating that rat … Seabane's his name I think."
"Samuel's supposed to be shepherding him about the abbey, but I haven't seen hide or tail of the two of them since last night."
"Well then find them. Make sure all beasts are accounted for." Captain Santain leaned in close not to be heard by the others. "Then squeeze every drop of information from the villainous vagrant!"
Eli nodded. "Thank ye Captain I suppose you can command the infirmary. I'll see what I can find."
"Righty oh, chap!" Captain Santain responded as Eli turned to leave. "Just let the Abbot know that everything's under control. Redwall will not crumble to a single mad vermin, wot."
Eli nodded his understanding with concern sketched across his face as he spun on his heel to leave the infirmary. Captain Santain leaned against the smooth misshapen stones of the infirmary as he watched him go. Beasts ran to and fro trying to be helpful but were more of a nuisance than anything else. He shooed several of them away telling them that the infirmary would be manned by the Long Patrol and that more beasts would hinder instead of help. A mouse named Maslow refused to leave stating that he was the beast that had almost been stuck by the falling vermin. Sighing, Captain Santain told him to grab a few beasts and guard the remaining rooms that led to the other vermin, with orders that no beasts were to enter or exit.
"Cap'n." A smartly dressed hare snapped to attention pulling Captain Santain from his thoughts. His paws were matted with blood. Captain Santain quickly returned the salute.
"Corporal Trilloway. Looks like ye were in the thick of it, wot."
"Aye, sah! Brin Brushtail and Miss Mildred are in the ward. I've mended their bumps and bruises as best as a hare with a healer's paw can manage, and now they're taking a well-earned rest, sah."
Quintebec Iskandar de Montague Trilloway was a large barrel-chested hare with arms as strong as iron chains. Where Captain Santain could be described as lean and deadly like an adder next to the Corporal, Quintebec was best described as more of a precariously leaning boulder. His fur was the color of a dry dirt path with specks of white splattered here and there and like his contemporaries, he had an appetite that terrified even the most hardened cook. Although his appearance was quite brutish, he was a gentile giant with a heart and a mind for the healing arts. In battle, he was a round ball of fury and death. As soon as fighting had concluded he would leap into action trying his hardest to mend broken bones and stitch up cuts and tears. He'd even aid the vermin that the Long Patrol had recently beaten and would weep when they inevitably succumbed to their wounds. It was an odd trait that didn't make him the most popular amongst the hares including Captain Santain, but they did their best not to quash his interests. Especially since within Captain Santain's troop, he was the de facto healer as well as their assistant quartermaster.
"Good work, lad. I want ye tah join Sergeant Nettlewhisk and observe the vermin. If ye think she's put poison in any of her poultices or is purposely trying to kill Sister Beryl, ye have my permission to toss her out the window."
"Aye, sah." Corporal Trilloway saluted, before spinning on his heel towards the ferret.
"Ahh- Captain this might not be the best time for this." The rotund hare sputtered spinning back toward his commander.
"What is it, Corporal." Captain Santain sighed.
"Colonel Iskar is expecting a report from Redwall before the end of the season. With a break in the weather, Sergeant Danburr thinks we should send a runner to Salamandraston tomorrow morning. Hopefully, he'll be able to out-leg the storm."
Amid all the chaos of the past few days, Captain Santain completely forgot about his report to the Long Patrol commander. Troops of hares stationed about Mossflower were required to do so each moon. Frankly, Captain Santain had wished not to be reminded of it. So much had happened in a very short time and all of it would be alarming to his superiors. Looking back at the broken body of Sister Beryl, the hare realized that the mountain fortress might panic at the news of vermin. He expected Lord Bromwell to immediately be informed. It would be impossible to keep the attack on Sister Beryl and the infirmary a secret and Lord Bromwell wouldn't be one to stand idly by. Captain Santain smiled.
"Thanks for reminding me, lad. I'll get a thorough report written for the Colonel and we'll set about getting Thimblebrand prepared for the journey home."
"Don't you think Colonel Iskar will be just a bit furious that vermin are living in the abbey, wot?"
"If he is, then he or Lord Bromwell can come and set it right themselves."
"That'll be a bloody mess won't it?" The young hare's round face was struck with concern.
"Aye, Corporal. 'Twould be quite a calamity."
Another chapter is out, continuing to work with hare and vermin speech.
As always please let me know what you think and what I can improve on. Any and all feedback is appreciated!