The ancient library stood silent and imposing, its shelves stretching high towards a ceiling untouched by the passage of time. Samuel entered cautiously, the creaking door echoing through the vast, dimly lit space. He took a moment to survey the room. The library had borne witness to the passage of seasons and the ebb and flow of countless generations. Tall shelves, made from the sturdy oaks of Mossflower Wood, reached toward a high-vaulted ceiling, where the warm light of stained-glass windows filtered through, casting a soft collage of colors upon the polished wooden floors. The shelves were laden with tomes of various sizes and shapes, their spines bearing the imprints of countless paws that had sought the solace of knowledge within their pages. In a quiet corner, a stone hearth crackled softly, providing warmth to those who sought refuge amidst the shelves in one of several plush reading chairs. The air was heavy with the scent of old paper, twine bindings, and various herbs, the result of diligent efforts to preserve the vast collection of knowledge. The mouse moved about carefully, respectfully, as if he were surrounded by the tombs of ancient kings.
On the opposite side of the great room past shelves and shelves of books, untouched by the passage of countless scholars and researchers, rested a colossal book on a weathered and worn desk. Its cover, frayed and as old as the library itself, bore the weight of centuries as if it held untold secrets within its pages. Samuel approached the massive tome, bending over and blowing the dust off its cover. The tiny white specks swirled and spiraled about like bits of snow that filled the warm room. From the darkness, a weasel quietly slunk toward the mouse.
"It has been such a long time since these books have been sorted. I'm happy I finally have help." Samuel turned as Crooksnout waltzed into the swirling dust. The weasel scrunched his nose in discomfort as he struggled in vain not to sneeze.
"Don' yew spends all day in here?" The weasel snapped rubbing at his nose. "Why is this place so dusty?"
"Sometimes I do. But I waft in and out as needed." Samuel responded. "There's so many books and not enough time in the day to read them all." Samuel looked up at the highest shelves in the library thinking about all the untapped knowledge and stories waiting to be rediscovered.
Unimpressed, Crooksnout followed the mouse's gaze to the ceiling. "Whattar ya lookin' at mousie?"
"Oh, nothing," Samuel responded, returning from his imaginative high. "There's much to do and I was just thinking how I've never read or reached the top shelf of the library. I was always told those books were just appendices or ancient recordings about the doings of Redwall in the abbey's first few seasons. Wouldn't it be incredible to find the journal of some beast from the time of Martin the Warrior?"
"Aye that must be wonderful for ye. But why do I need to be here?" Crooksnout responded rolling his eyes.
"Well, I need somebeast to help me sort and reorganize the library. I probably should've done it earlier in the season but there are so many books and it's hard to re-organize everything and teach the dibbuns." Samuel said, focusing back on their task.
The weasel's expressions soured.
"So, I gotta do all tha work to move these books around on one arm?" Crooksnout spat. "I thought tha badger told ya not tah have me slave away fer ye?"
"You don't need both arms to move books around." Samuel sighed; the weasel incessantly aired his grievances about nearly everything ever since the mouse had retrieved him. Abbot Micah had told Samuel that Crooksnout was well enough to work in the library. Reordering books was something the whining weasel could do in his sleep.
"Well, Miss whatever-her-squirrel-face said I couldn't use me arm, and since yew wants me tah lift all these heavy books I guess I'll tell her that yew want tah keep me injured."
"Her name is Mildred and she'd tell ya that this isn't anything that'll hurt ye," Samuel responded dryly. "But if yer arm begins tah bother you then you can stop and I'll move the books while you're doing something else."
Crooksnout scowled and looked at the towering shelves. Samuel could read his thoughts.
"The sooner you help me get this done the sooner you'll be done for the day."
"Yer a mad beast if ye think yer gonna move every book in this library before sunset! We'll still be sorting through everything by next fortnight!"
"I don't. But we have all winter to make everything perfect. So, whether you like it or not we're gonna get to know each other a bit better."
Or rip each other's throats out. Samuel thought. Let's hope the Abbot was right about the both of us.
"Yarr kin yew stop yapping! I wanna get back tah me kits and I don't trust the lot of ye after ya threw my daughter down tha stairs!"
Finally. Samuel thought to himself.
"That's what I want to hear!" Samuel exclaimed as he clapped his paws together. "Now I need ye tah take all the books along the bottom three shelves and stack them on the floor. Be sure to be careful with 'em. Plenty are older than all the beasts in the abbey combined!"
"An what'll yew be doin' mousie?" The weasel scrunched his face in a mean snarl.
"If you can get the bottom three shelves cleared off then I can do the top ones. You don't wanna hurt your arm, so I'll have to use the ladder."
"Fine." The weasel snapped and turned to the closest shelf. The shelves wrapped around the large room like a snake only being broken occasionally for a window, door, or fireplace. There were several standalone shelves scattered about mixed between three plush chairs that Samuel had spent many hours lounging in with a hot cup of tea.
Samuel watched Crooksnout for a bit as he pulled out book after book, dropping them to the floor with a whump. Samuel did his best to ignore the thumping of his precious library as he retrieved the ladder from the storage closet. After the five or so minutes of Croosknout tossing everything onto the ground, he was spurred to action.
"Don't throw those!" Samuel cried rushing over and gingerly cradling the old books like they were hurt dibbuns. Crooksnout tossed another one of Samuel's favorites haphazardly and busted the spine.
"Why not? Yew said tah take 'em off the shelf. I'm just makin' it easier on me arm that's all." Crooksnout responded along with pulling another heavy ancient book titled, The Urthblood Saga off the shelf and sending it raining down on Samuel's head.
"Put'em down gently!" Samuel snapped storming upright to be within a whisker's length of the weasel's face. "Don't throw'em! They are important to the history of the Redwall and all Mossflower!"
Crooksnout snorted. "I'm not in 'em so why should I care?"
"Because you stupid brute!" Samuel said grabbing a book Crooksnout was about to tarnish. "You might not care but we do! This is our history!"
"I don't care about yer history. Yew broke me arm and hurt me daughter." Crooksnout snapped, tossing another book to the floor. "An I don't wanna be here anyway. I'm still hurt an I wanna spend time with me mate!"
"I didn't hurt you or your daughter an I don't care if ye wanna be here or not, you are here!" Samuel responded, grabbing Crooksnout's wrist. "Now quit complaining and do it right!"
"Gerrof me yew pathetic runt!" Crooksnout snapped ripping his arm from the mouse's grasp. "Iv I had me otha' arm I'd snap yer scrawny neck!"
Samuel reeled back in horror. Crooksnout's face slowly turned from rage to stark realization and terror at what he had done. The weasel's eyes darted around as he looked for other beasts in the library before returning to the mouse. A look that begged for forgiveness passed between the two.
"If ye treat the books nicely I won't tell Eli," Samuel said after a few moments of extended silence.
Crooksnout didn't respond but pulled another book from the shelf and gently put it on the top of the pile Samuel had made.
"Thank you." Samuel sighed as he turned back to the ladder, the fur on his face still burning with rage.
Samuel and Crooksnout worked in silence. The weasel slowly worked his way through the shelves with his one good arm while Samuel made the trek up and down the ladder collecting scrolls, tomes, and parchments that hadn't been touched in seasons.
Redwall's library was probably the largest in all of Mossflower. The only one Samuel believed could compare was that of Salamandastron, whose library was built into the mountain along with the city within. Samuel had heard that Noonvale and Southsward's were equally as impressive, but Redwall's was the crown jewel. Salamandastron has maps and drawings of just about every waterway and geographic feature of Mossflower and its surrounding islands. The mountain fortress also held first-hand accounts of battles and written recordings of strategy which had aided the Long Patrol in countless skirmishes. Noonvale holds a wealth of uncommon medical and herbal books and knowledge. Samuel thought this was quite interesting as no beast seemed to know how to save Rose after being injured at Marshank. Southswards collection held much of the history of the southern lands as well as that of the ancient abbey Loamhedge. But Redwall's library held everything the others had and more. The library was home to historical manuscripts, maps of Mossflower and other lands, Diplomatic letters and messages, one-of-a-kind medicinal and astrological charts, manuscripts for plays, and lyrics for songs that had been sung throughout the ages. There was an entire section devoted to the accounts of beasts who had witnessed and taken part in events and battles that shaped Mossflower. Moments in history such as Cluny's siege of Redwall, Feldoh's Duel with Badrang, the recapture of Salamandastron from Ungatt Trunn's Blue Horde, and the aftermath of the battle at the Ridge of a Thousand. There was also a section of more whimsical stories written by Redwall's own creative and imaginative minds. Stories that Samuel thought of as fun to read such as Juskanock, Their True Names, Good Fences, Beth Redpaw, Vengeance Quest, and Exile: A Tale of Redwall. Some beasts thought these stories were crass and not worth the time and space, but Samuel thought they were fun takes on the world around him, so they remained. Unfortunately, many of those books Crooksnout had just tossed on the floor.
Samuel couldn't feel but a bit of guilt regarding the injured weasel. Abbot Micah had expected the mouse to be a loving extension of Redwall, but the vermin had been more of a pain than he expected. Samuel had tried to learn the vermin's names, but the ferret healer had been irate that the mouse dared ask her. Thankfully Corporal Trilloway had been there to prevent her from ripping his head off and calmed the beast (or diverted her anger towards himself). Sathe had then given her name after such goading. Samuel had also gotten the names of Crooksnout's kits and mate, although he was sure he would mix them all up. He supposed that he might try and mend bridges with the weasel.
"So Crooksnout," Samuel started as he carried several scrolls underneath his arm towards the table in the center of the room. "How's yer mate feelin' after some rest?"
"She still can't walk on her paw and got a cough." Crooksnout snapped after a moment of silence.
"Well, what about your kits? I heard they're going to play with the other dibbuns today." Samuel hoped that mentioning his kits would lighten the mood. "That'll be fun for them!"
"Yarr they wouldn't shuddup about it thanks tah yew." Crooksnout sent a warning glare towards the mouse.
"But I bet they're having a wonderful time now! Sister Lilac is a kind beast, and I can think of several dibuns that would love to play with them."
Crooksnout grumbled something underneath his breath that the mouse couldn't quite make out. Samuel frowned and thought he might try another way to connect with the weasel.
"I've noticed you've taken a liking to Friar Willard's cooking. D'ye have a favorite dish? Maybe I can talk to him and see if he can make up a special batch for you and yer family. My treat!"
"All his vittles are good." The weasel responded with far less enthusiasm than Samuel hoped for.
"Well, there's certainly something that's your favorite. Why, he's probably the best chef in all of Mossflower!"
"Naw his cookin's alright. I've had better in the horde, I'm just hungry that's all."
"Well, your kits seem to love it. And your mate, uh… Silvertail… she stuffs herself on the friar's cornbread with th' hazelnuts and apple baked into it."
"Her name's Silvertongue." An annoyed look spread across his crooked features. Samuel couldn't help but feel he was making things worse. He thought he'd take one final swing at it.
"Crooksnout," Samuel started. "I'm sorry about grabbin' ye earlier. I'm not tryin' to be mean, but I can't have ye be disrespecting what we have here. Countless generations have put their blood, sweat, and tears into growing and maintaining this collection. Beasts should have respect for somethin' that continues to teach us about Mossflower and our history."
Crooksnout turned to the mouse as he slammed a book onto the table.
"Why are you doing this? I don't like yew and yer abbey, especially after yer guards threatened me family! So stop tryin' tah act so… kind. That mad old squirrel did, and she got brained so yous better stop unless ye want somethin' just as bad tah happen t'yew!"
"I'm trying to be nice! I don't want to hurt you or your family." Samuel put his paws in the air. "I want to help you!"
"I don't want yer help!" Crooksnout hissed stepping within a whisker's length of the mouse. "An my family don't want yer help either mousie! We just wanna rest up and get out of this cursed place."
"But!"
"But what mouse!"
Samuel felt that knawing pit of guilt widen and threaten to send him tumbling to his death. The weasel had every right to be angry and it was all Samuel's fault.
"I'm sorry that we've treated you so poorly, you have every right to be mad at us. But I swear on Martin's name all I want to do is help you and your family! You must be able to talk to me if you want me to do that."
"I don't wanna talk to you mouse, an I don't want yer help! Now leave me alone." Croosknout had a tired look in his eyes as he returned to the shelf.
Samuel's gut churned as he blankly stared at the rows and rows of books around him in silence. The empty guilt that he felt when he first laid eyes on the vermin in the infirmary had shown its ugly head. The abbey's library might have all the answers to the problems the woodlanders faced but it was almost completely useless to the vermin.
The creaky opening of a door pulled Samuel from the doldrums.
"Samuel?" A familiar voice called.
"Eli. What can I help you with?" Samuel responded, trying to pull the hollowness from his voice.
"I hope we didn't pull you from your work." Abbot Micah chimed as the two mice strode into view.
"No Abbot- my goodness Eli! What did you do to your face?" Samuel reeled back.
Eli had moss stuffed up one of his nostrils, and a bit of dried blood was still stuck to his face after what looked like a halfhearted attempt to clean himself. There was a lump growing on his cheek underneath his eye from where he must have been struck. Crooksnout turned and gave the guests a passing glance before recognizing Eli and Abbot Micah and hurrying back to his work. Samuel could see the fur on the back of his neck rise in fear.
"Don't worry brother it was just another day of sparring." Eli's half-smile did little to appease the worries of his older sibling.
"Well tell those hares to be careful, this isn't a battle just training," Samuel said as he rushed to pour his two guests cups of water from a jug that was sitting on a nightstand in the corner of the room.
"Yeah… training," Eli said absentmindedly.
"Thank you, Samuel, but I wanted to ensure your brother could find you." Abbot Micah said as Samuel handed him a cup.
"What might be the occasion? I hardly ever get two guests of such high importance in my library at this time of day." Samuel responded as Eli took the cup that was offered to him with a slight shake in his paw. Eli also accepted a rag and began to wipe away some of the grime that remained on his face.
"Eli just needs to spend some time away from swordplay today. He took a nasty hit and could use the rest."
"Who couldn't control himself now? I swear those hares have no restraint sometimes, it's training how intense must you go?"
"It was just a lucky blow from Conrad," Eli responded. "Lucky for him but not for me. There's no need to worry."
Samuel's shoulders dropped. No need to worry? You look like a puzzle with its pieces missing!
"Well sit down then. Crooksnout and I are going to be reorganizing the library." The weasel jumped at the sound of his name.
"Oh? And how has Crooksnout taken to this chore?" There was a concerning edge in Eli's voice and a dash of fury in the abbot's glare towards the warrior mouse.
"He's been wonderful. Work's been slower because of his arm but I'm grateful for his help." Samuel looked at the weasel hoping he noticed the compliment.
"Crooksnout would you like some water?"
The weasel once again flinched at hearing his name but turned to meet the mice's gaze.
"Err… sure jus' put it on tha table. I'll take it when I need it."
"Of course!" Samuel responded cheerily. "Eli you can rest then help us whenever you feel up to the task. Just like Mildred says, 'The bigger the feast, the merrier the company!'"
"Well, I wanted to see that Eli made it here in one piece." The abbot said dusting off his robe.
"Now I can see that you three have plenty of work to do. So, I'll be off." Abbot Micah said smiling at Samuel but shooting Eli a stern glare.
"Have a great rest of your day Abbot!" Samuel cheered as the abbot left the library with a wave.
Eli lounged in a pillow-covered chair nursing his head like a cheated beast as he watched Crooksnout like a hawk. The two beasts hadn't said a word as Samuel prattled about the books and scrolls that he had forgotten existed but were returning to his memory as he pulled them from whatever dusty corner, they hid in. Samuel hoped that something would break the contentious silence between the two, he was trying to do so without incurring the wrath of either of them.
Samuel held on to the top of the ladder as he cleared off the final few books and papers from the shelf. Before climbing down, he noticed a thin tan book lying at the extent of his reach as if it were put there on purpose. Grunting Samuel reached back and snagged the book cover with his claw. He wondered why some beast would've purposely placed it behind all the others since there was no way it could have fallen there. Samuel blew the dust off it and laughed.
"Hey, Crooksnout, you might like this."
The weasel stopped what he was doing with an annoyed grunt and sauntered over to the mouse.
Samuel smiled and handed the book to the weasel. "It's a book yer kits might like. The Welkin Weasels. I don't know why it was all the way back there. My sister and I read it when I was younger but that was seasons ago."
Eli perked his ears at the mention of Esther and slowly got up to see what had piqued Samuel's interest.
"Wuz it about a mouse cuttin' down scores o' me kin? Or better yet a badger crushing me kits bones fer broth."
Samuel was horrified for a moment at the thought of a kindly Lord Bromwell slaughtering kits. "Uh… no it's quite the opposite actually. It's a story about a family of weasels that fight to protect their home from a wicked king. They also stop a dam from flooding their land if I remember correctly. I think your kits would love to read it!"
"Yarr I can't read and neither kin dey. We're hordebeasts, not abbey whelps!"
"I'm sorry I thought you could read. The last weasel I met could." Samuel backtracked.
"Well, yew met a dirty liar! Hordebeasts don't read we've got no reason too, me kits 'ave got more important things tah learn like fightin' and survivin'."
"But I think your kits would love this story. It's full of adventure and fighting! There are no pirates in it from what I recall, but they would still love it. You could read it aloud to help them fall asleep."
Crooksnout curled his lip in disgust. "No, they won't have anything to do with this! They need to learn how to fight, not read."
"Well, you could learn."
"I need my arm tah heal. So, I kin learn how to farm again."
"Well, what are you gonna do while your arm heals? If you learn to read, you can learn how to best grow crops."
The weasel sneered at the mouse, "How am I gonna do that? I can't use my arm so I'm not gonna be tendin' tha fields anytime soon, especially in this weather. An most ov yer friends don't like me and my family remember?"
"You could read our almanac," Samuel said, pulling a few scrolls from the table to his side. "It'll tell you the best food to grow in what soil, when to plant and when to harvest, and all sorts of essential knowledge needed for farming."
Crooksnout looked over the mouse's shoulder as Samuel unrolled the scroll to show the vermin. The scroll was covered in drawings of different vegetables with writing closing the gaps between the drawings explaining how different weather affected each plant. The crimson-furred weasel nudged the mouse to the side as he leaned over the table to closely examine the scroll. Crooksnout squinted and twisted his face as he tried to understand what was written.
"Bah! It's too hard fer me anyways." Crooksnout responded pushing the scroll away with a tired shove as he anxiously started away from the mouse.
"Who said you couldn't learn?" Samuel quickly responded as Crooksnout returned to the shelf and continued to pull books down and arrange them into crooked piles.
"Reading is easy and yer smart enough tah pick it up. Once you learn you'll never forget."
"Nah… it's not one of my… skills."
"Of course, it's not now," Samuel said walking after the weasel with the almanac and Welkin Weasels in his arms. "But I teach the dibbuns how to read and I'd love to teach you."
Crooksnout paused and Samuel could see that he was considering his offer.
"Trust me when I say that this will only help you. If you learn to read you can learn the abbey's secrets to farming, cooking, shelter and so much more. You'll never have to worry about sticking with a horde since you'll know how to feed yourself and your family."
There was another momentary pause. Samuel continued to press him.
"Not to mention that yer kits will love the stories that you could read to them," Samuel added with a smile as he thrust the book into his arm. "If you agree to treat the books in the library with respect and promise to have a good attitude as we reorganize this library for the winter, I'll give you private lessons."
Crooksnout looked down at the book with a blank expression. The weasel mouthed something that Samuel couldn't quite make out before muttering, "Ye sound just like Silvertongue mousie."
"I might have mentioned this to her over several days." Samuel sheepishly smiled. "So do we have a deal?"
Crooksnout stared at Samuel with a resigned look in his eyes. "Fine, mouse. You teach me tah read and show me the books-er whatever will help me become a farmer once we leave this place, I won't harm yer library."
"Deal!" Samuel said wrapping the weasel in an awkward hug. Crooksnout was too surprised to snap at the mouse.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Samuel bounced on his toes. "I can get everything we need to start tomorrow. In the meantime, for every book you grab or manuscript you find, if it has a title try memorizing the shapes of the letters. I want you to be able to tell me tomorrow how many unique ones there are in the alphabet."
"Samuels got you workin' overtime weasel." Eli snickered from behind the two beasts as Crooksnout shook his head attempting to hide his embarrassment.
The trio continued taking the books from the shelves for the next hour. Samuel had tried to spark a conversation between the three of them but neither Eli nor Crooksnout wanted to speak so he fell silent. Redwall's librarian could feel his arms beginning to tire when the clanging of great bells echoed through the vast room. The three beasts looked at each other in confusion. Crooksnout was the first to speak.
"Is that for lunch?"
"Aye, I suppose so," Samuel said as he slid down the ladder. "Feel free to get some lunch and stop by your mate, but don't be too long. I don't wanna have Eli hunt ye down."
Crooksnout didn't laugh but quickly said his goodbyes and rushed from the library. Samuel readjusted the books so that he could move about without knocking them over.
"What're you doing offering the weasel reading lesions?" Eli asked with backhanded arrogance.
"What's the harm in that?" Samuel was taken aback by his brother's lack of enthusiasm. "I'm gonna show him how to read so he can learn to farm and fend for himself and his family."
"I don't know." Eli shrugged. "Just seems like something they don't need. I know I wouldn't after the way he snapped at you."
"You heard that?"
"The both of us did. I wanted to storm in and smack some sense into him, but Micah would have none of it."
"I'm glad he was being wise." Samuel started. "I enjoy teaching others, you know that. Besides, I want the best for Crooksnout and his kin. We are the reason they're here, remember."
"I know," Eli responded as if he could care less. "But I still don't like it. It doesn't sit right with me to teach vermin how to be 'good'. Much less how to read."
"We each have skills to share Eli, and this is mine. It doesn't matter who we teach as long as they have good intentions and a willingness to learn. I know you have your talents that you're eager to share. That's why you're the abbey's champion. You're an excellent warrior and more importantly, you can teach those who can't defend themselves how to."
Eli's halfhearted smile faded and was replaced with a distant frown.
"I'm gonna get some lunch. Are you coming?"
"No…" Eli trailed off as he seated himself in a plush chair. "I don't think I feel very hungry."
"You need to get that lump on yer head checked out. You're acting different and it worries me." Samuel said with no malice in his voice.
"I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit and straighten my thoughts." Samuel noticed the warrior mouse's eyes were foggy and distant.
"Alright then. I'll bring you up a plate of vittles if you feel like eating."
"Thank you, brother," Eli responded as he rested his head in his paws and attempted to hide the turmoil that raged deep inside him.
School is ramping up so I'll probably be getting chapters out a bit slower than I have for the start of the year. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as a nice change of pace compared to the last few. Special thanks to earoist for this chapter's feedback.
As always please let me know what you think and what I can improve on. Any and all feedback is appreciated!