A/N: Previously on Fret and Momchillo's return journey the two encountered some difficulty dealing with each other... that might be an understatement. Regardless the pair are still alive and well. Just so you don't get confused regarding these two I'm going to try and alternate between who's point of view we're reading from with the line thing. So the previous chapter (Chapter Thirty I believe) was Fret's. This one will be mostly Momchillo at first, Fret in the middle and finally Momchillo. Just so you're clear.

Momchillo did not realize he was dreaming until he felt a warm paw on his shoulder. The mouse shot to his feetpaws, his jaw dropping as his eyes found the figure before him.

For a very long time he was unable to do anything beyond stand and gawp at Martin the Warrior.

He was dreaming, he realized suddenly. But that did not make this experience any less real. He had heard of course that the fabled warrior would come and guide the creatures of Redwall in times of trouble. But he was leagues away from Redwall and had been in trouble for weeks! Still any misgivings he could have had vanished as excitement set in.

It was almost tradition that every generation of dibbuns dreamed of doing what their ancestors did. Fight for justice and freedom. Solve the nefarious riddles left behind by some old, wise beast seasons prior. Find a great treasure. Feast (of course, for bodies needed nourishment) and meet Martin the Warrior.

Of those activities, the latter had always appealed to Momchillo the most. Matiya wanted to fight. Grollo wanted to feast. But he had always wanted to meet his idol. And here he was! His tail wagged rapidly behind him and he opened his mouth to say something, anything. The warrior smiled and he was unable to say anything. Remembering that the legendary Martin must have come for some purpose he found the larger mouse's paw pointed forwards diagonally across the icy lake.

"I should go that way?" He asked suddenly, his vision swallowed by the vast frozen lake lying before him. The warrior did the smallest of nods and Momchillo gave an undignified squeal of delight.

Martin's smile seemed to widen slightly, and gently he patted the top of Momchillo's head. "You have been very brave so far, but you must be braver still. The path to Redwall Abbey is long and perilous and I can promise you now that it won't be easy. Just remember to be brave, and stay brave. And every turn from this point forwards must be to the left."

"Thank you! Left, right? I mean, just left."

"Exactly."

Overwhelmed with excitement and joy, the young mouse shot forwards, his tail continuously wagging behind him. He was going for a hug, but was met instead with a face-full of snow.

"Fret!" He snarled, pulling himself back to his feetpaws. Wait? He had jumped? So Fret hadn't hurled a bucket of snow at him?

"What?" Squeaked the ferret, shrinking in on himself.

A small bubble of guilt swelled up inside him. "Er-nothing, I was sleeping."

Now Fret looked annoyed. "So what were you pulling my tail for?"

Momchillo grimaced. "I- look it doesn't matter! The point is I know the way back!"

"Yeah. So do I."

Both pointed forwards... only in opposite directions. "That way!"

Fret was scowling darkly. "No, it's right across Blue Lake, which is this way!"

"Yes, but it's Spring and ice melts in springtime. If we go that way the ice will break beneath us." He had no way of knowing of course, the snow seemed to be doing no melting. But still he had to convince Fret to come with him. Splitting up was not an option! Even if they could split up." I had a dream Fret. And you'll never guess who I saw! Martin the Warrior!" This would have delighted Matiya, made Grollo squeal and Hawthorn faint.

Fret merely donned his most sardonic smile and crossed his paws across his chest. "Really? Martin the Warrior? Sure! Sure! Let's go where he says we should go- oh but wait! He told you to go that way, but he didn't say anything to me! Maybe... perhaps... it's because... oh yeah! He's dead. He's dead and he's not here. And if he is here now, where was he when we got kidnapped? Where was he when I-" He stopped suddenly, as if he'd almost said something indecent.

"Fret. You know just as well as I do that in times of trouble Abbeybeasts everywhere have seen him and received guidance from-"

"I know, I know." The ferret snapped crossly. "Martin the bloody Warrior! Slayer of vermin and bringer of justice. Oh wait, I am vermin. Maybe I shouldn't listen to somebeast who goes around-"

"Fret! You're being ridiculous! Why would Martin want to kill you?" The mouse did not give him time to think of anything. "Look, if we don't find anything, we can turn back around. We're far enough from Redwall for it not to make a difference. We have all the time in the world."

"You mean all the time in the world until we starve or freeze to death." The ferret muttered under his breath.

The mouse cradled his head in his paws just to stop himself from loosing his temper. "Please! Just for a bit and then we can turn back and go your way. Okay?"

Fret froze on the verge of speech. Then the ferret deflated. "Fine."

Internally the mouse breathed a sigh of relief. There was only so much arguing he could do... He spun on his heel to begin the trek, when a familiar tug on his tail reminded him of the ferret.

"And how are we supposed to walk with our tails tied together? 'Martin' didn't give a solution to that, did he?" Momchillo was thoroughly tempted to smack him. With difficulty he restrained himself, though his reply was still tempered with anger.

"You could walk backwards then."

"Not gonna happen." The ferret's paws crossed over his chest once more, as the mustelid straightened up obstinately.

"You could try and carry me then!" Momchillo snapped.

"Never in a hundred seasons." Fret snapped back.

"I could carry you!"

"Nah-ah."

"Fret you are difficult! If only we had a sled! Then I could drag- hey that's it! I'll drag you!"

"No thank you!"

"Then you can drag me!"

"Nope!"

"Do you want to go back to Redwall or not!?"

"No! I mean yes!" The ferret growled slightly. "This is ridiculous!"

A tense silence entered the scene. Both held the other's gaze for as long as they could. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Fret gave in.

"Fine! I'll walk." He spat the last word out as viciously as he could, but Momchillo tolerated him. He could not, and would not loose this opportunity! He couldn't wait to see Matiya and Grollo's reactions when he told them of what had transpired in his dream. The hedgehog's jaw would drop to the floor, and Matiya would ask for every little detail. The exact colour of his fur. Length of the tail. Size of the sword hanging from his belt.

He was wrenched free from his thoughts when he found himself slipping backwards on the ice. He and Fret came crashing down onto the frozen water. The pair got up without a word and continued. A few feet after and both came crashing down again. They rose to their feetpaws, Fret grumbling in anger. The third time the pair fell their head's bashed against each other's, making both mouse and mustelid dizzy.

"This isn't going to work." Said Fret, clutching the sides of his head, his vision spinning around him.

"You're right. Plan B."

The ferret was dizzy enough to ask. "What's Plan B?"

'Plan B' was getting dragged. To say that Fret did not like it would be an understatement. He hated it! But what did it matter to the mouse? Momchillo had never really taken Fret's preferences into account. If not for him the ferret would be curled up in an armchair, reading a book or snoring, with Clogg pacing the cabin they shared. He would not be shivering and worrying about his next meal- No!

He was being stupid. Clogg was a pirate. A cruel, sadistic vermin if ever there was one! His crew was the same and Bork was worse. Fret did not belong in such company. Just like he had not belonged with the Honest Bunch and how he had never belonged at Redwall. Perhaps he belonged nowhere...

Still it was a little late for misgivings. He and Momchillo were stuck together. Fate was cruel like that. There was almost nothing he could do now. The mouse would drag him back to Redwall and his doom. Momchillo knew about the stupid book, knew not to trust him and knew what he had done. If they ever got back to Redwall he would be faced with his Nuncle's murder, the other disappearances and a list of further crimes so long that not even Constance could wriggle him out of trouble... Not that she'd want to...

But what could he do? Momchillo was stronger than him, cleverer than him, braver than him... There was no way he could trick the mouse and combat was out of the question. So he let himself get dragged without much complaint.

Even if he could escape, where would he go? Bork would gut him at best and Clogg was not beyond flaying a paw.

The ferret gave a particularly violent shiver at the memory. The blood dripping down Silvertongue's gory hand was as present in his mind as thoughts of terrible things to come. If Sharpfur ever found out about that... The ferret gulped audibly. The little weasel would give him no quarter...

In short his chances of survival were slim to none. He desperately tried to stop his mind from wandering, but that was hard when even the dirty ice reminded him of Clogg's one working eye. And Blue Lake... he'd heard a lot of Blue Lake from the rat.

"I've been under it." He remembered being told. It had been a dark and stormy night and Clogg had found Fret curled up on an armchair, staring at a map of the Northlands, and leaning over the young ferret's head had proceeded to point out all the myths and legends that surrounded the vast lake. "Some say a whale got stuck when it froze over, and the blue's just it's skin shinin' through the ice. Others say that it's where Vulpuz keeps the souls of Hellgates." He gave a nonchalant shrug. "I never saw any souls down there. I've heard lots of beasts say it's precious gems what make it so blue. Heh, those ones all end up dead. Ye want ter know what's really under there?" He leaned further forwards, so that he was staring into Fret's eyes upside down.

The ferret gave the tiniest of nods and Clogg's face split into a grin. "Snakes! Snakes an' tunnels. It's a labyrinth lil' Whimper, carved inter the ice centuries ago by beasts tryin' ter escape winter. Those beasts were very clever and brave, an' good diggers too. They wintered in their caverns of ice, and left when the Spring returned. Seasons went by, an' whole generations of young an' oldbeasts had lived and perished under the ice. Then came the snakes. Slowly at first. One by one. But then they all came, and the caves were full of the slitherin' things. There was no escape. Those clever diggin' beasts were trapped in their own beautiful creation. Some say they're still trapped down there, unable to leave for fear of gettin' eaten. And those that try and escape never see the light of day again. Some get lost in their pretty caverns. But most find the snakes."

Fret swallowed. The tale was scaring him, but curiosity forced him to inquire further. "What kind of snakes?"

"Huge ones Whimper. So large they could swaller ye whole an' kickin'. They say they look ye right in the eye, and they hold yer gaze. They watch yer fear and their eyes change colour till ye see the eyes of yer loved ones. Only when ye think yer safe and happy, do they strike!" He lurched suddenly, so that Fret jumped slightly, then the rat straightened up, laughing uproariously. He ruffled the fur between his ears with familiar fondness. "But don't ye worry lil' Whimper. Just stay away from Blue Lake like a good lil' varmint and if ye do have any problems with snakes ye know ye can tell them ter Captain Clogg! He'll sort 'em out for ye. Sure as Hellgates he will!" Then the rat had patted the top of his head and went back to pacing.

Fret sighed. If Clogg ever went down in history it would be as another cursed pirate, dead at the paws of some hero. No mention would be made of his kindness... After all Fret was sure he was the only beast to ever see it.

And yet if he caught the ferret in present company he'd flay Momchillo alive and kicking. And then Fret would have no choice but to stay and be a pirate. A villainous, verminous... Vermin. But wasn't he vermin? His denial had always been 'I am a ferret. Not vermin.' But although not all vermin were ferrets, all ferrets were vermin. There could be no separating the two. And it would be easier, wouldn't it? To drag himself back to Clogg's cabin and let destiny blow him as far away from Redwall as possible...

Nobeast would know for sure what became of him. Nobeast but Momchillo. Who would tell everyone. A small growl errupted from him. He would be damned if he gave anybeast the satisfaction of telling his momma they were right all along. That no good would come of him. That he'd only break her heart.

Were they really wrong though? He had done very little good in his short life. Most of what he'd done didn't count as bad either but ranting about how unfair everybeast was -a favourite pastime- didn't qualify as 'noble', 'heroic', 'kind' or 'good', no no, it was 'selfish' and 'mean' and 'petty'... What did it matter that it was 'honest'?

As for breaking her heart... Well he hadn't really done that. Whoever had told her he'd done a bunk had broken her heart. Whoever had told her that they had been right all along, had broken her heart. His Nuncle... If he was alive, would have broken her heart a hundred times over. He could picture it all so vividly it had to be real. Connington's tail swishing behind him as he approached Constance. The tiny squeaks and excuses his Nuncle would emit... Constance's face shifting slowly from a stunned glare to a look of disbelief... And finally... "Fret did it."

That would break her heart, if nothing else did.

Momchillo was satisfied by what he had achieved this morning. Despite all the misgivings he had about Fret, being tied to Fret, Fret lying to him, Fret hiding something from him, all the ferret had done before, being in the Northlands to begin with! Yet Martin the Warrior had visited him, that was enough to make his day! And as a bonus the legendary warrior had shown him the path home.

The journey was not exactly smooth. Fret was undoubtedly unhappy (though for once he actually had a reason to be so), and the longing sighs and small growls the ferret gave out every once in a while were certainly ominous signs. But Momchillo was not naturally a worrier, and distracted himself with the familiar delight of exploration.

The ice beneath his feetpaws was dirty, like frozen mud glazed in snow, but further out on the lake it was a wonderful shade of blue. Dark, yet luminescent, nothing at all like the dull sky above them both. If Grollo or Matiya were here they would no doubt follow him in his joy of exploration. They would slide along, laughing and singing, without a care in the world. They would have dared each other to approach the eerie skull of a snake that stared right through the mouse with eyes long-frozen. Matiya would do it. And without a second thought too. The mouse doubted he'd run from a living snake either. The squirrel was brave like that... brave but stupid. Bitterly he was reminded that this was really all his fault. 'Let's go rescue Fret', he had said. 'It'll be fun.' He had said.

Dragging a short-tempered little gutter-rat home was anything but fun!

The mouse could not resist the small kick he gave. A minute shard of ice bounced away and came to a halt at the foot of a small hill. Instantly, and inexplicably, he knew he'd found what he was looking for.

"Ta-da!" He shouted, spreading his arms wide to show off his find. Their was a pause, in which Fret blinked away from his thoughts and into reality. "Er-You can get up now."

The ferret climbed to his feet and turned round. His jaw dropped slightly and Momchillo's face split into a grin.

The hill was not too big, yet still towered over them both. Yet it looked minute compared to the mountains they had left behind. Peppered-in were caves small and large, so that it resembled a large, snow-crusted honeycomb.

"This Fret is why we went my way."

Footnote: Feels like a short chapter since my last publication was so big... Though this is honestly my preferred length...

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed.