Chapter 21

Promises Made in Hell


17 hours had passed since the ship crashed.

16 hours since they found the fox huddling underneath an overhang by himself.

7 hours since Vhynias' group got back together, and they were separated into groups.

4 hours since his group was attacked in the woods.

3 hours since they met back up with the fox and entered the temple.

30 minutes since Miena Dawnraft came back alone. She told everybeast what had happened at the castle and how Tornear Burke was dragged back to the ship and that Bolgash Wolters was missing.

25 minutes since Vhynias Sharptail and Gurnilal Speareye locked themselves inside a room upstairs.

And now, Ulfrad Shorepass was sitting in the temple's courtyard along with a noticeably quiet Miena. Yos Peonymaid and Rianne Wurtil were spread out, while Noruth Peltameo was comforting an unusually dour Crookedfang at the edge of the courtyard.

Nobeast wanted to speak, which annoyed Ulfrad to no end. Miena had been shot, Noruth and Crookedfang were attacked in the woods, and the fox just locked himself in a room. If Vhynias didn't even trust Crookedfang to be in the room with them, Ulfrad guessed they were doing something dangerous. The fact that nobeast brought any of this up was driving him crazy.

He needed to say something. He wouldn't just sit here. Standing up with a sigh, he looked around at all the other prisoners in the courtyard. "May I have a word with everybeast?"

Although they seemed reluctant, there wasn't much else to do so they all gathered around Ulfrad. The otter looked at all of their faces and noted how weary everybeast looked. Ulfrad's face stiffened. If Miena was the one talking, she'd probably give some sort of speech to raise their spirits, but that's not what he's like.

"Right now, we're in trouble. What are we going to do 'bout it?" He asked bluntly.

To that, nobeast had a response. Ulfrad grumbled and pinched the bridge of his snout. "Okay… need I remind y'all that we don't have food? At the very least, we should do something 'bout that. Aye? The fox is out of commission, so we need to lead ourselves."

Rianne glared at him but didn't say anything. Noruth shrugged and raised a paw. "We cud try t'lukk 'gain?"

Ulfrad nodded. "Noruth, ye do that."

"You really want us to split up? Again?" Rianne asked tiredly. "Because splitting up went so well last time."

"Do ye have any better ideas? Yer suggesting we just sit here and do nothing." Ulfrad glared at the hogmaid. "By the look o' things, we're gonna be here fer a few days and food would help us keep our energy up. Believe me when I say fleeing is more difficult on an empty stomach."

Crookedfang nodded in understanding. "Should I ask Vhyn if-"

"Nay." Ulfrad crossed his arms and bared his fangs. "I ain't trusting that fox. He locked himself in a room-"

"He might be mourning," Rianne pointed out.

Rianne's answer seemed to only make Ulfrad angrier. "Mourning my tail. From what Miena said, they're still alive."

"You can mourn for those who are alive," she argued.

"That's not the point," Ulfrad growled. "If they're mourning, why didn't they let Crookedfang in?"

Upon hearing his name, the rat rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I dunno. Vhyn's gotta good reason, I know its. He always does."

Ulfrad shook his head. "That fox is planning something, and I don't like it. We're going to get food. That's final."

Rianne rolled her eyes as she voiced another rebuttal. "There are only five of us here. Six if Crookedfang is allowed to come with us. I don't think splitting up is a good idea. I personally thought our group of four earlier was too small," she muttered.

"Five is fine," Ulfrad declared. "We're not gonna head too far. If anything, we're just going to head to where we dropped our food, earlier."

Still, none of the other prisoners seemed confident. Not even Miena. Ulfrad felt slightly hurt by that but steeled his face all the same. "C'mon. We're in a grave situation and ye all are fine just sitting and doing nothing? Sure, my idea may not be great, but that's why I want ye all to suggest other ideas. Ideas that aren't sitting 'round, at least." The otter looked around at the group. None of them responded. Ulfrad narrowed his eyes at one beast in particular. "What about ye? Do ye have any thoughts?"

Yos looked up, surprised at this sudden attention. "Me?"

"Aye, ye. Ye haven't said a thing so far. Cat got yer tongue?"

The vole fidgeted anxiously with her poncho." Um. Whatever is fine."

Ulfrad glared sternly at the vole, then at Crookedfang with a sigh. "Rat. Do ye know what yer fox friend's doing up there?"

Crookedfang opened his mouth and promptly closed it. "I ain't gonna tell youse. Vhyn didn't want me t'tell, so I ain't gonna… Also, I dunno what dey're doin'."

"Dear lord," Ulfrad sighed. "We can't just sit here and wait fer the fox to tell us what to do. He locked himself in a room. He doesn't care about us right now."

"Ho aye, ee duzz," Noruth chimed optimistically.

"Then tell me what he's doing that makes him want to hide away with the weasel but leave out Crookedfang? Hm?" Ulfrad let out a frustrated grunt. "If none of ye want to listen, I'm leaving." The otter turned towards the stairs and began walking.

"Hey," Miena called out. "Um, can we talk?"

Ulfrad looked back, his expression softening when he saw Miena clutching her arm. "Aye." The pair of otters headed up to the second floor, walking down the hallway to one of the empty rooms. Ulfrad narrowed his eyes as they walked past the room Vhynias locked himself in. He slowed to a halt and motioned for Miena to be quiet. Although his hearing wasn't the greatest, he pressed an ear against the door to see if he could listen in.

It was muffled and he couldn't make out much, but a few phrases stuck out to him. "I… but we can't… set this damn island on… promise?"

Ulfrad's lips curled into a snarl as he backed away from the door. At this point, he was certain they were up to no good. Miena tapped Ulfrad on the shoulder and pointed her thumb into one of the rooms at the end of the hall. Ulfrad frowned and followed her inside. "Hello, Miena. First, I've gotta ask. Are ye doin' okay?"

The other otter paced around the room before finally slumping against the wall. "Hey, Ulfrad? I'm not an awful Skipper, aye? I only became the Skipper because ma and pa died."

Ulfrad couldn't help but sigh. "Aye, that's how succession works. Not this again. Yer fine."

"Just fine?"

Ulfrad glanced up at Miena. "That's just how I talk. Yer doing great. Why?"

Miena rest her chin on her knees, staring down at the ground. "We didn't have to deal with a lot back home. Maybe the occasional group of bandits, but this is… something. And I'm just thinking, but what if we did go through something awful back home? I wouldn't be able to handle it at all…"

Ulfrad listened, not wanting to say anything until Miena was done talking. He sat patiently as he motioned for Miena to continue.

"… I guess the point is that I'm wondering if I was just less pathetic if Tornear and Bolgash'd still be here," Miena admitted.

A few moments after she was done talking, Ulfrad responded, "Miena, ye couldn't've done anything. They're reckless an' dangerous an' any great leader wouldn't be able to work wit-"

"That doesn't help, Ulfrad!" Miena snapped. Ulfrad blinked at her with surprise as she explained. "Any good leader can convince even unwilling beasts to work wit' them. I'm just thinking back to the stories I've heard. Sure, I know they aren't always accurate, but smaller beasts were able to do it, so why can't I? I couldn't do the same with Tornear and Bolgash so what am I doing?"

Ulfrad gazed up at Miena, mouth slightly agape. "Well, 'tis not yer fault if they aren't willing to help."

"Nay, but it is. 'Tis not like we're all against each other. We're all pitted against the same enemy and we can't even work together! What were we even talking 'bout down there? Why're we asking if we can trust 'em or not?"

Ulfrad narrowed his eyes. "It does matter when our lives are on the line. Miena, I admire yer optimism here, but that fox is definitely planning something stupid," he said sternly. "'Sides, there's a reason we never hear about good vermin."

"Crookedfang seems fine," Miena pointed out. "Gurnilal too, if she wasn't stuck at the fox's hip."

Ulfrad shook his head. "That's because the rat's as dumb as a plank and the weasel probably won't do anything on her own. Anyway, that fox is dangerous. He's gonna do something dumb."

"I know that," Miena answered. "O' course he's gonna do something stupid. His friends have been captured and I'm pretty sure something's up with them." Miena's mind flashed back to what Tornear told her at the lake. "If it wasn't for him, the four of us would be dead." The more Miena thought about it, the more something began to feel off to her. Tornear was acting strangely ever since they separated into groups and Vhynias and Gurnilal locked themselves in a room without Crookedfang. Crookedfang's strange devotion to beasts he'd just met seemed odd, too. "But if they are planning something stupid, 'tis part of our duty to convince them not to, aye? Teamwork is a two-way path. They helped us by bringing all these beasts together, we convince them not to do whatever they're thinking, aye?"

Ulfrad looked towards the door. There was a pit of uncertainty in his stomach. He felt that talking to the fox right now would only make things worse.

Miena seemed to pick up on his nervousness and suggested, "what if we bring Noruth and Crookedfang wit' us?"

Ulfrad raised an eyebrow. "Eh? What would they do?"

Miena tilted her head. "Do ye want it to just be us two and them in there?"

"... Fair point."

A few minutes later, Miena, Ulfrad, Noruth, and Crookedfang were standing in front of the room. Miena could hear muffled talking coming from inside. "What're we doin'?" Crookedfang asked out of the blue. The talking immediately ceased.

Miena took a deep breath. She didn't know how they would react, but she guessed it wouldn't be peaceful. Crookedfang went up to the door and drummed his fist down the wood. "Oy! Kin I come in, Vhyn?"

For a moment, there was no response. Vhynias eventually answered with, "are y'alone, Crooked?"

"Uhhh…" Crookedfang glanced at Miena for help. Miena stared at him with bewilderment and motioned for him to say yes.

Crookedfang stared blankly at Miena before answering, "Mebbe?"

Miena buried her face in her paws.

Vhynias could be heard growling on the other end. "Crooked, I toldja that yarr not allowed in. Especially not with other beasts."

"Why? The rat asked.

"Ya can't keep secrets."

Crookedfang let out a laugh. "Aye, y'got dat right!"

Ulfrad glared at Miena, motioning as if to say, "he's keeping a secret!"

"Who's with ya, Crooked? Vhynias asked sternly.

"Oh! Noruff an' d'two riverdogs," he replied enthusiastically.

Miena and Ulfrad sighed with disappointment while Nourth simply greeted, "gudd evenin'!"

Vhynias went dead silent. The group of four stood in front of the door, unsure whether Vhynias would speak or not. Eventually, Miena cleared her throat and spoke up, "hey, Vhynias? Are ye doing alright?"

"What do ya want, otter?" Vhynias snapped from the other end.

"Uh… can we talk to ye?" She asked tentatively.

"… Huh?" Vhynias asked, his anger replaced by confusion for a moment.

"Look," Miena began, "we're still working together, aye? Just wanted to make sure-"

"What? That I'm not gonna… burn you, or something? Or do something else terrible?"

Miena sighed and closed her eyes. "Well, more like, uh…" She hesitated, unsure how to respond because Vhynias was right. "So, yer still leading this group. What're we doing now? What's the plan?"

"Everybeast's going to the ship," Vhynias ordered bluntly. "Tornear's there. Bolgash's lost somewhere. We're searching for them. Bring yer weapons and supplies because we ain't leaving 'till we find 'em."

"Are ye joking?" Ulfrad yelled, pushing past Miena and knocking on the door. "That ship is crawling with guards and ye want us to go there? Do ye have a death wish? We're gonna die if we do this."

"Now you care?" Vhynias retorted. "Because it really looked like ya didn't want us 'round. Earlier, I mean. Look. Y'all are following me fer some reason, so we're going to the ship. That's it."

Ulfrad bared his teeth and continued knocking. "Of course I care! We're gonna die!"

Miena chuckled nervously and pleaded, "hey, look. How 'bout ye just rest fer a bit. Think of a better plan tomorrow? We're all tired and not thinking straight. None of us have slept since the ship crashed, and we're in a stressful-"

"Shut yer mouths," Vhynias snarled. "We just want to check out the ship. Make sure Tornear is alright, aye?"

Miena was at a loss. She had no idea what to do. She tentatively glanced down at Crookedfang but she was surprised to see that the rat seemed the most nervous out of all of them. "Vhyn? Are ye okay?" The rat asked.

"Crookedfang?" Vhynias said softly, "ya trust me, aye?"

"Aye?" Crookedfang murmured.

"Good. We just want to see if Tornear is okay. Ya don't want Tornear to be hurt, aye?"

"Not at all!"

"We're just checking out the ship. That's all. Tornear will be fine if we do this."

Crookedfang nodded slowly, worry still clear on the rat's face. "Whattabout Gurn?"

"She's fine with this. Crooked? Get the others out o' the way and open the door."

Ulfrad's face twisted with anger as he blocked Crookedfang from getting close to the door. "Nay. I ain't letting ye leave, fox. Why do ye need everybeast to go? I don't believe that. Say exactly what 'tis yer gonna do, because quite frankly, I think yer gonna get us killed."

"Oh, do ya really think that?" Vhynias asked dryly.

"Look, how about we all try to calm down," Miena said anxiously, "at the very least, maybe rethink all of us going? This isn't so severe that all of us need-"

The door suddenly opened, much to everybeasts surprise. Gurnilal was standing behind Vhynias with a downcast expression while the fox stood in the doorway, holding Gurnilal's cutlass. Ulfrad motioned for Miena to stand behind him and she did. "Get outta the way," Vhynias spat. "Else I'll cut ya down."

Miena tapped Ulfrad on the shoulder and covertly handed him her dagger. She put on a shaky smile and held her paws up. "Look, maybe ye should think about what yer doing? Heading to the ship isn't a great idea, and… y'know. We're gonna die."

"I don't care," Vhynias responded bluntly. "Tornear's in there."

Ulfrad let out a grunt. "Ye've got to be kidding me. He's fine. Ye heard what Miena said. The weasel is needed alive. They aren't gonna kill him."

"I know what she said," Vhynias spat. "But I also know that I don't trust that wildcat. If there's even the slightest chance that he's hurt, we're going after him. Step aside. Now."

Miena looked between Vhynias and Ulfrad worriedly. The tension was so thick that she could hardly breathe. Sure, she could let the pair go, but she felt that they would die. Something was off and she didn't like it. They needed all the paws they could get to escape, but more importantly, these two were beasts like any other. She didn't want them to die.

"Do ye even care about us?" Ulfrad asked. Miena gazed quizzically at Ulfrad.

Really, Ulfrad? 'Tis not like ye to use these types of arguments. Besides, ye don't care about them, either, Miena thought.

"I knew from the start that we couldn't trust ye. Ye'd throw all of us aside fer two beasts? We'll all die, even ye, because ye won't think about the group. Are ye mad?"

Vhynias' glare radiated hatred as he stared at Ulfrad. The fox's body shook with a rage unlike any of the other prisoners had seen. For a moment, everybeast thought he was going to attack Ulfrad. The fox let out a whine as he raised the cutlass in his paws, and although it was only for a brief moment, the fox's gaze was vacant, blocking out everything that was around him.


Vhynias felt like he was floating. Memories and emotions flashed through his eyes as fast as they left, leaving sharp stabs of fear and anger.

Being an unwitting cub on his old ship and his mother raising him alone through all of it. He remembered the vague feelings of unease and worry he felt when he watched the crew walking around.

While he couldn't remember the warmth of his mother's touch, he could remember the ice that flowed in his veins when he was told she had died. The sorry excuse of a captain, Vulcan, had ordered the away group with such little regard for their lives. Now she was dead. Vhynias remembered how nobeast came to comfort him or offer any condolences. Nobeast except for Gurnilal.

Vhynias could remember Gurnilal crying alone on some days, mourning the passing of a friend who had died after Vulcan's reckless orders. He remembered how the two of them talked about leaving the ship, but how there was never a good opportunity to do so without punishment, so they waited. But all waiting did was make Vhynias hate Vulcan more.

He remembered befriending a weasel who lost his home, a rat who had nobeast, and a stoat who was betrayed by those closest to her. On a ship where Vulcan instilled terror and suspicion, Vhynias found comfort in those four.

Vhynias remembered how Gurnilal wanted to hide so she wouldn't have to go on a mission Vulcan was planning against Redwall, one that she was sure would lead to certain death. Vhynias and his friends joined Gurnilal in hiding. They were caught.

Vhynias remembered how Vulcan threw the five of them overboard. He remembered how if it wasn't for a very lucky encounter with a sea lion, they would've drowned. But even after they were saved, Vhynias looked at his friends and saw four beasts that wanted to give up. Then and there, he made a promise that he'd keep them safe. No matter what. Never again would they have to face a beast like Vulcan or be placed in those kinds of situations. Never again. They wouldn't be harmed, never again…


"Do you want me to be blunt, otter?" Vhynias hissed, aiming the cutlass towards Ulfrad's throat. "You're right. I don't care about any of ya. Y'all could die for all I care. I will burn this entire goddamn island to ash to keep them alive! They're my family! I love them more than anything else in the world! If ya wanna stop me, I'll fight tooth and claw to slay ya! Because I don't care. I wouldn't regret a thing. I would walk through hellgates and back for them. Ya get what I'm saying, aye? Y'all are coming with me to that ship to get him and Bolgash back and there's nothing any of you can do about it. Do. You. Understand?"

Ulfrad glared at Vhynias, his paws shaking as he clutched the dagger. The fox motioned with his cutlass for Ulfrad to move. The otter looked between Miena, Noruth, and toward the stairs to where the other prisoners were sitting. Vhynias was only one beast (and a weak one at that). He couldn't feasibly force all of them to head to the ship. But he was armed and unstable. This fox was a threat. He needed to be put down. Just kill him, Ulfrad. He has a sword, but ye need to try. Miena can't go to that ship. She can't.

But no matter how much he tried to psyche himself up, Ulfrad couldn't bring himself to attack. He gazed into the fox's sharp eyes. Under all of that rage, he saw a desperate, almost pleading look, similar to a cornered animal. Ulfrad hesitantly sheathed the dagger in his belt and raised his paws. Miena tapped his shoulder in confusion. Ulfrad gave her a reassuring nod. The ottermaid gazed back and forth between Ulfrad and Vhynias with an anxious look on her face. "Look, Vhynias, I get where yer coming from. Making one of us go? Sure. Two of us? Alright. All of us, though? That's gonna kill all of us. We all can't feasibly go. We'll be spotted immediately," Miena reasoned, pointing to the collars on their necks.

But the fox didn't budge. "And?"

Miena's face stiffened. She needed a new strategy. She turned to Crookedfang. The rat's eyes were wide, and his ears were splayed back. Perfect. "Crookedfang," Miena began, "why're ye scared?"

"Huh?" The rat looked up. Vhynias glanced towards Crookedfang. Getting better, she thought.

"Why're ye scared of Vhynias?" She asked. Vhynias' face flashed with anger, but he waited for Crookedfang to speak. Miena smirked with satisfaction.

"I'm not," Crookedfang said uncertainly, looking to Vhynias for clarification. "Um… but… I mean, if Vhyn wants us to, I'll go," he answered. Vhynias winced.

Miena then turned to Gurnilal. "What about ye? Gurnilal, was it? Do ye want to go?"

The weasel opened her mouth and then closed it. She looked at Vhynias before answering. "Vhyn's always right. We'll go."

"Gurn…" Vhynias muttered. Although Miena wasn't entirely sure why this was working, she continued with this line of questioning.

"Noruth?" Miena asked.

"Hm?"

"Are ye okay wit' Vhynias forcing ye to go?"

Noruth blinked in confusion. "Um… oi be a bit scared."

"Why?" Miena pressed further.

"Oi don't wanna die," the mole answered.

Vhynias growled and closed his eyes. Miena grinned. Gotcha. "Yer not just forcing pawns to do yer bidding, Vhynias. We don't wanna go. We wanna stay safe. Got it?"

The fox let out a low whine as he finally lowered the cutlass. Ulfrad sighed with relief and looked towards Miena with a slight smile. Miena smiled in return, but what Vhynias said afterwards immediately wiped it away. "Fine. Gurn, Crooked, I'm so sorry. Ya don't have to go if ya don't want to." The fox pulled his coat across his body and stared towards the balcony. "I'll go alone."

"What?" Crookedfang yelped.

"Ya can't go alone," Gurnilal plead, "ya'll die!"

"I'll be fine," Vhynias assured them. "We've sneaked into places 'fore, I can do it again."

"What about yer collar?" Gurnilal asked.

Vhynias pondered for a moment before picking up the chains attached to his neck and wrapping them around his waist. After adjusting his coat, the chains were mostly obscured. The collar around his neck, however, wasn't. "Gurn, ya told me on the walk over that the guards are wearing cloaks, aye? If I steal one of theirs, I can blend in and cover the collar."

"I don't want ya to go," Gurnilal whimpered.

"I said, I'll be fine," the fox growled in a dangerous tone. His expression was replaced by guilt when he saw Gurnilal's reaction, but he steeled himself. "Look, I won't be in there for that long. I'll only be in there for a short time to get him out, aye? We might even find Bolgash on the walk back. I promise, I'll come back."

"No, I'll go wit'cha," Crookedfang answered immediately. Miena narrowed her eyes. For once, the rat's tone didn't seem that animated. He held a paw over his right arm as if he were protecting it.

Vhynias must've noticed too and sighed, "Crooked, stay with Noruth and Rianne. Yer arm's hurt enough, already… However, if any of ya let Crooked get hurt, I'll burn ya to death. Gurn? What about ya?"

"... No objections here," she said monotonously. "Please be okay."

"I'll be fine," Vhynias responded reassuringly. "Crooked, if things do get bad… y'know what to do."

Ulfrad raised an eyebrow at that statement but otherwise didn't react as Vhynias pulled in his friends for a hug before walking down the steps. After catching the beasts in the courtyard up to speed, he left the temple and walked down the beach. Crookedfang watched as he left, knowing that Vhynias would come back. Even if that sentiment was misguided, there was no way he could accept the other outcome.

Miena and Ulfrad retired into one of the empty rooms, taking a rest after the day they had. All of a sudden, neither of them were sure how working with Vhynias would go. But right now, that didn't matter. With Vhynias gone for a bit, someone else had to take the reins. Miena Dawnraft gazed at her arm. First, she needed to ask Rianne to clean up her wound, but they needed to do something. After all, even if Crookedfang would adamantly say otherwise, there wasn't any guarantee Vhynias would come back alive.


He could hear arguing in the distance, which wasn't all that unusual for him. It was only when he remembered that he wasn't back home that Toran Firepool found it strange. The tiny otter looked up at Ahlrath Palaechia and tugged on his coat. "Hear that?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Ahlrath's ears twitched towards the noises before nodding. "Aye. Who's that?"

Durkfor Ventultro, who was trailing behind the pair, noted that, "one of them voices sound familiar."

"Agreed," Ahlrath nodded.

Toran cocked his head. He could swear that he'd heard one of the voices before, but the other one escaped him. Luckily for him, he figured it out their identities quickly. Unluckily, he didn't like them. Before Ahlrath could stop him, Toran picked up his chains and jogged towards the voices.

"Ay! Where're ye goin'? Ahlrath asked. Toran ignored him. If he was right, they didn't have anything to worry about anyway. As he moved closer, the argument got clearer.

"You're a moron. You have no idea where we are, either."

"Oh, squirrel, if you're so smart, why don't you climb a tree and look around, round, round? It was smart of you to ask the bat with a broken wing where we are, are, are. What do you want me to do? Fly, fly, fly?"

"Why are you like this? If we weren't stuck here, I'd punch you in the face."

"You've made that threat so many times that it's lost all of its meaning, meaning, meaning. C'mon, I've seen you do worse, come up with something new, new, new."

"Fine. I will murder your family."

"Oh, come on, that's hardly a bad thing, thing, thing."

"I don't give a damn. I need to figure out where we-"

"No, come up with something better, right now, now, now. We were stuck in a cave for hours, you should have had plenty of time to come up with insults, insults-"

"Midwyng, shut up. Do you hear that?"

As Toran crashed through the bushes with Ahlrath and Durkfor behind him, they saw Art Swiftpaw and Midwyng Coeptigo sitting by the entrance of a cave. The pair looked at Toran with surprise and for a bit, nobeast spoke.

"So, squirrel," Midwyng began casually, "are you going to kill these ones, too, too, too?"

Art growled and smacked Midwyng in the head. "Don't start with that! What's wrong with you? Thanks for making me look awful, bastard."

Midwyng snickered. "Oh, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry. Did you not want me telling them how you tortured and murdered a-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up. There's a kid there- you damn hypocrite, you don't have a right to tell me off for doing that, you tore open somebeast's throat," Art snapped.

"Language," Midwyng chided. The bat looked directly at Toran and nodded. "Oh, that's right, right, right. I'm sorry, kid, but you should watch out for this squirrel, squirrel, squirrel. He's gonna cut your throat while yelling swears at you… hey, I know you, you, you!"

Art growled and let go of Midwyng, letting them fall to the ground with a yelp. He glanced up at Durkfor and waved awkwardly. "Hello, Brother Durkfor… Um, who are these two with you?"


After Art and Midwyng's "introduction", the five prisoners decided to take a short break to catch up with each other. Although they all already knew, Art had told them how Thaddeus told them to go to the tower (much to Ahlrath's discomfort, did they not know what happened to him?). But as they ate some of the food that Durkfor had foraged on the walk over, the mountain hare grew weary of their two new comrades. Midwyng was spoken for, but Art never acknowledged what Midwyng said he did. Sure, Ahlrath didn't honestly care about the act itself. In fact, he could see himself doing the same. But there was a certain dissonance about the squirrel's attitude that felt odd to Ahlrath.

"So," Art began, "that's pretty much all that we know. We were heading towards the tower because Kallius and Farshawn are there, and that's everything we know. Oh, that, and the guards don't seem to want to budge in any way. Doesn't look like we can plead our way out of this one… Not that I was thinking about it, but y'know. Basically, if we want to get out of here by force, we'll have to try really hard because they aren't backing down."

"Huh." Durkfor's ears drooped, clearly bothered by something Art said.

The squirrel took notice and rubbed his neck. "What?"

"Er, didja get into any trouble on your way over?" Durkfor asked hesitantly.

Art narrowed his eyes, seemingly off-put by the hare. "Yeah. At a barn, and a bridge. Luckily, I found a sickle, so we're fine. What about you three?"

Ahlrath and Toran glanced at each other, expecting the other to answer. Ahlrath cleared his throat and spoke. "Aye. We're fine, too."

Midwyng let out a groan and rolled on their back. "Boring. Can we get a move on towards that tower, tower, tower? I don't want to hear what two rabbits and a baby have to say about their day, day, day."

"Right, except don't call them names." Art crossed his arms.

"You called me a bastard, bastard, bastard," Midwyng deadpanned.

Art scoffed. "I did, but you deserve it."

"What did I do, do, do?"

"You tried biting my throat."

"As a joke, joke, joke."

Ahlrath pinched the bridge of his muzzle and growled. "The more ah hear about ye two, the more ah think that… y'know what? Ferget it. Let's get goin'."

Durkfor nodded. "Yup. We ain't gettin' anywhere just sittin' here!" he said, trying to inject a tiny bit of cheerfulness in his voice. Not that anybeast paid any mind. Shortly thereafter, Art scampered up the tallest tree he could find and pinpointed where the tower was.

After climbing back down, he waved his tail to the east. "We're actually pretty close," he said with a smile. "It's over there. I think it's about an hour's walk, probably less if I didn't have to carry a bat all the way there."

Midwyng stuck out their tongue from where they lay. "Maybe you should get stronger so you would stop complaining about how heavy I weigh, weigh, weigh."

Ahlrath sighed loudly and picked up Midwyng with ease. "Ah'll carry it. Just stop arguin'."

"It, it, it?"

"Dear Martin, finally," Art sighed, resting his paws behind his neck and stretching. "I swear, if I had to lug that bat around any longer, I would've killed myself."

"Hey, watch your mouth, squirrel, squirrel, squirrel. If you want to die, I can make that happen-"

"Enough, both o' ye," Ahlrath snapped. "Ah don' care if yer jokin', just stop. Ah'm no' gonna listen t'ye two argue."

Midwyng and Art glanced at each other. "We're not arguing, arguing, arguing. You're just being a-"

"Stop." Ahlrath glared at the pair sternly. "Just stay quiet. Aye?"

Art nodded obediently while Midwyng simply rolled their eyes. Nevertheless, they took off. Art held his sickle defensively in front of him while Ahlrath scanned the forest around him with a sharp eye. It was quiet. Even Midwyng decided to stop speaking (mainly because they were harshly shushed every time they tried to speak). That is until Durkfor spoke up.

"So, um, Art? Is what the bat said true? Ya really did that to somebeast?" The hare asked hesitantly.

Art glanced back, a cautious look on his face. "Yes?"

Durkfor buried his paws in his pockets, gazing down at the ground. "Um, why?"

"I was trying to get information out of them. It didn't work and they were making too much noise."

"No, I mean, why?" Durkfor asked again. "Um, why didja think to do that? Why'd ya have to do that?"

Art held back the urge to scoff. "I just thought it was necessary?"

"There could've been another way that didn't involve that," Durkfor chastised.

At this, Art grumbled irately. "You're friends with Borsen and I don't hear you condemning him, so why me? I'm not the one who tore us from home and trapped us here."

Durkfor's face grew red. "I'm not condemnin' ya, I'm just wondering why ya did that."

Toran, who'd been quiet up until now, watched the conversation closely. He had a bad feeling about Art and Midwyng ever since he saw them but given that it seemed like Art and Durkfor were about to get into a fight, now was a good time to intervene. "What's your name?" he asked loudly. Art looked down at Toran with confusion. The small otter kneaded his paws together and murmured, "my name's Toran, what's yours?"

"Oh, right," Art looked up at Ahlrath. "I don't think we ever gave our names. I'm Art, that's Midwyng."

Ahlrath nodded. "Nice t'meet ye. Ah'm Ahlrath."

As soon as the mountain hare introduced himself, Art narrowed his eyes. The squirrel turned away and gazed at the ground. Ahlrath tilted his head in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Art didn't answer. He continued staring as if he were thinking hard about something. "Ahlrath Palaechia?" He asked hesitantly.

The mountain hare raised a brow. "Aye? How did ye know mah name?"

Art looked back up, his expression now indiscernible. "Um. You wouldn't happen to know a mouse named Lavaris? right?"

Ahlrath's eyes flashed with recognition. "Lavaris, eh? Ah do know 'em. Do ye?"

Art nodded. "Yup. We uh, he taught me a lot of stuff. He spoke about you a few times."

Durkfor raised a brow in confusion and turned towards Art. "Lavaris? Who's that?"

"Oh. Um, Ravi. You know, the… yeah. That was just his name before he moved to Mossflower," Art explained, gazing down at the grass.

"Really? What'd he say 'bout me?" Ahlrath asked, slightly amused.

"A few things. Both of you were part of this hired arms group, you and he helped stop a horde from taking over a town or something like that, and a few other stuff, but…" Art threw his paws up in the air. "Yeah."

Ahlrath nodded; a hint of a smile showed on the mountain hare's face. "Huh. How's he doin'?"

Art's expression went blank. In the silence that followed, Ahlrath realised what Art was implying and was about to apologise when Midwyng decided to say something. "Dead, dead, dead. Can we get moving, you slowpokes? If I was born correctly, I could fly to the tower and back three times over, over, over."

Ahlrath cleared his throat and glanced towards Art apologetically. "Ah, aye. Sorry. Let's get movin'." Art nodded silently and headed towards the tower. Ahlrath and the others followed suit. Most of the trek was silent except for Midwyng badgering everybeast with Art eventually retaliating once his mood was back. Ahlrath ignored Art and Midwyng's banter for the most part, lost in thought. He's dead? Ah guess ah shouldnae be surprised, but wow. That's a shame… Looks like 'tis just me now, huh, Lavaris…? Ah wonder if that has somethin' tae do wit' me bein' here…

After Art's revelation, Ahlrath couldn't help but look at the squirrel differently. Never thought ye'd start teachin' beasts… Outta all the beasts in Redwall, this squirrel was the one ye chose? Huh. He's strange, but probably alright, then. But there was something else. The way Art was lost in thought before Midwyng brought his spirits back gave him a sense of envy for some reason. Why're ye feeling envious? C'mon, Ahlrath, the kid's mournin'.

Ahlrath glanced down at Toran. The young otter was still fidgeting with his tie. The mountain hare couldn't help but smile sadly. Even though Durkfor was here and they were near the tower, he still didn't think their odds were great, but right now, things were nice, and he wanted it to stay that way.

As the group of five got closer to their destination, the woods started to thin out. As Ahlrath looked up, he saw a dark silhouette high above the trees. Instead of relief as they finally found the tower, he felt a sense of trepidation upon seeing it. The moon cast upon the structure in a silver light. That combined with the overgrown nature of the surrounding area made Ahlrath think of a graveyard. He shook his head. His worries were probably baseless, but it wouldn't hurt to stay cautious.

In contrast, Durkfor began to smile. "So, we're here, eh? Knew we'd reach this bloody place eventually. Let's go, Kallius an' Farshawn are waiting fer us."

Ahlrath nodded. He cautiously scanned the open field surrounding the structure with a sigh. Keeping close to Toran to protect him from any potential attackers, Ahlrath led the group into the field, unaware that the one who captured all of them was hidden inside the tower.