"Stupid whisker twistin' stone!" Seabane cursed the red blocks of sandstone as he pulled his claw free from beneath a rock. Marrow watched him as he suppressed a snarl. The white rat had spent the whole morning breaking apart the stones the vermin had hauled from the quarry. Seabane was given the unfortunate task of carrying the broken stones to the Foremole who was rebuilding the cellar with several other moles
"Whadidya dew now pirate?" Crooksnout's voice snapped from behind the rat. Seabane frowned as he turned to face the weasel.
"Whaddaya want ye one-winged slug?" The rat didn't want to deal with his comrades' general ignorance.
Crooksnout spat into the snow. "I thought I'd bother ye a bit."
"Can't ye bother someone else?"
"Nope," Crooksnout responded with a troublemaking smile. "That library mouse let me leave. Gave me the day off."
Seabane rolled his eyes. "An' ye chose t' spend it botherin' me."
"I'm not botherin' yew, ye mad rat. I'm watchin' yew and yer work." Crooksnout held his paw up in feigned innocence. "An' makin' sure ye do yer job corsair."
Seabane's frown deepened as he turned and picked up a heavy stone. He grunted as he waddled past the weasel who continued to speak to him.
"I found Silvertongue as drunk as a sailor with several of those Redwallers. They'd been drinking all morning."
"Why do I care?"
"Because she might be runnin' her mouth about those squirrels."
Seabane spun with the stone cradled in his arms and let it fly toward the weasel. Crooksnout yelped and skipped out of the way.
"Whadd-" Seabane cuffed him over his head.
"Don't even whisper about those squirrels!" Seabane hissed. He didn't expect that he needed to remind the weasel, but he was more than willing to handle Crooksnout the same way he handled Sathe. Seabane looked around, there were several beasts crowded around the hole that had been dug to replace the stone cellar. A few beasts walked about the Abbey, but none were close enough to hear the vermin. "We've got enough to worry about without yer mouth leadin' us t' more trouble!"
Crooksnout slapped back at the rat who caught his wrist and twisted it. Crooksnout yelped in pain.
"Careful matey, ye've only got one good arm left."
The weasel wrenched his arm free as Seabane let go of him. Crooksnout rubbed his wrist and looked at Seabane coldly from over his shoulder.
"Yer the one who led these Redwallers to the cottage! How do I know ye aren't tryin' t' blamed us before ye sneak off while they come fer our 'eads!"
"You've always been an idiot Crooksnout," Seabane responded with a displeased sigh. "Why would they let me go? I'm the leader of this miserable little band."
The brown-furred weasel hacked a mean laugh. "Who said yew was our leader? Is it yer voices? Or those cursed dreams ye've been havin'!"
"Those premonitions saved yew and yarr miserable brood!" Seabane cracked back. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you. I don't know anybeast who's fond of a limp, maggot-bellied, stupid slob weasel like yerself!"
"Shuddup Seabane! Yer an empty ol' corsair. Why yer about as important as a soggy bit o' driftwood! When ye die you'll have nothin'! Nobeast t' be there t' bury ye or remember ye other than the carcass of a rat whose gold teeth they plundered!"
There was a gruff clearing of another beast's throat. Foremole Grumm stood with his arm crossed a tails length from the fighting vermin.
"Are the two of 'ee don' bickerin' loike sharpbeaked sparrers?"
"Mind yer business yew shriveled old mole." Crooksnout hissed as jutted his gnarled root muzzle into his face. The mole squinted as if he were looking through spectacles.
"Oi knew ee looked gurt funny when Oi first clapped eyes on ee. You might wurrnt Oi'l Mildred t' take a peek at ee nose while ee'm still 'ere, hurr aye!"
Crooksnout recoiled as if he were struck by a snake. Seabane laughed mockingly at the weasel.
"Yer not the only beast with a sailor's mouth." The rat said as he wrapped his arm around the weasel's shoulders. "Iv ye thinks that ye got it rough with that mouse then you're a damned fool. This mole 'll work ye t' the bone and then some!"
Grumm frowned at the rat's comments. "Oi were bein' serious loike. If ee'm worried 'bout ee muzzle, Oi'd let Ol' Mildred take a look at ee. She'm a gurt marvel worker in 'er 'firmary, burr aye!"
"Shuddup ye old windbag!" Crooksnout snapped. "Why I outtah crush yer face an see how yew like it!"
"Oi didn't mean no offense." The mole responded as Seabane burst into howls of laughter. "Oi thought ee might be innerested"
Seabane didn't notice Crooksnout grab the mole's collar and pull him so that they were looking eye to eye.
"Listen 'ere, dirt-digger, yer think yer tunnels'll save ya? I'll pull yer out by that stubby snout o' yers and make sure yer regret crossin' me! Now be smart-like and shut yer trap, or I'll make a molehill outta yer hide!"
"Steady on there, old lad! No need t'get yer whiskers in a twist, wot!" A kind and serious-sounding hare said as he approached the trio of beasts. "Bullying a mole? Hardly sporting, don't y'think? Why don't you take a deep breath, eh? Or would you prefer I help you settle down—with me paws, of course. Just say the word, sah."
Crooksnout snarled and let go of Foremole Grumm before giving him a childish shove towards the large hare.
"Yer abbot said we could snap back at beasts who thought it'd be good t' insult us. I was just remindin' the old fool ov that."
"Well you can, but Grumm wasn't trying to' be mean. He just wanted t' help ye." The brown hare with snowflake-like speckles responded with a reassuring paw on the mole's shoulder.
"Trilloway's roight! Oi wurrnt t' see why Seabane 'ad stopped wurkin'!" The Foremole responded. There was a rustic sincerity to his claim. Oi didn't mean t' offend ee, Foremole's honor, burr aye!"
Crooksnout's frown deepened. Seabane knew the weasel wasn't the wisest beast he'd ever met. Seabane thought the weasel was somewhat more intelligent than a baby gull, but even baby gulls could learn to fly. Seabane laughed thinking that Crooksnout was about to challenge the hare to a fight. Instead, the weasel spat and kicked some of the frozen snow.
"Then whaddaya want mole? Can't yew tell the rat an me were discussin' how t' best run back to our horde?" Crooksnout said with a heavy layer of sarcasm.
Bloody idiot. Seabane thought.
"Ee can gabble on 'bout that all ee wurrnt when ee hears th' dinner bell, hurr aye. Us've got a 'ole as big as a mountain in ee Abbey wot needs fixin'!"
"Fine yew kin have the old fool!" Crooksnout snapped. "He's a lying mad cur anyway. He kin be your problem not mine!"
"So, I've heard." The hare responded as he stepped forward. His voice had hardened. "I've heard he's said quite some nasty things."
Seabane scoffed as knelt to pick up the stone that he had been moving. "Ye I have. Wot are ye gonna do about it?"
The hare stepped forward again. "I can't teach ye a lesson if you don't know what you did."
Seabane put the stone down and got up from his crouch and put his paws on his hips. "Yer gonna teach me a lesson? Didn't ye just tell Crooksnout not t' say anything mean t' the mole? Yee hares are as stupid as ye are annoying!"
The hare took another step to close the gap between him and Seabane. His helpful half-smile had disappeared. The rat had seen more intimidating dibbuns than this hare.
"Did ye attack Sathe?"
Seabanes eyes narrowed. "What did she tell yew rabbit?"
Seabane felt his head explode in pain before he realized he was on the ground. When he finally regained his senses, the hare had straddled his chest and was raining thundering fists down onto his face.
"Don't you ever lay a claw on her you vile scum!" Trilloway shouted as he continued to hammer the rat. Seabane squeaked and wheezed as a thudding fist crashed into him. He thrashed about but couldn't move his arms. He shouted for help, but his shout was cut short by the hare's vengeful wrath. His teeth rattled and popped out as blood poured from his nose. Seabane thought it was the end as the edge of his vision began to turn black. He looked at a small crowd that formed a safe distance from the brawl. He thought he spotted a lean cloaked figure carrying a bundle of swaddling. She was smiling beneath the lip of her habit.
After an eternity the crushing force on his chest vanished and the fists stopped falling onto his face. With great effort, Seabane propped himself onto an elbow and looked around at the dizzying world that spun about him. Marrow was in the process of wrestling the hare. To Seabane's surprise, it was an even match with each side grabbing a hold of his opponent's ear. Seabane's ears were ringing so he couldn't hear what the mole was yelling at the two beasts, but he held his mallet over his head as if he were to bring it down between their ears. A short distance from the Foremole Crooksnout howled with laughter as tears rolled down his face. Without warning Seabane closed his eyes and lied back down.
When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by darkness. Seabane sat up confused. The ringing in his ears was gone and he was alone. There seemed to be no end to the darkness which was as close as his whiskers and as far away as the ocean. He called out but couldn't hear his voice.
Suddenly there was booming mocking laughter that filled the darkness. Seabane covered his ears in vain.
"Death stalks you rat! You and your kinsmen!"
A white badger's skull loomed menacingly overhead. In the empty black of its eyes red pin pricks like coals churned and grew in intensity. The skull howled another deafening laugh.
"You're all to burn! All to pieces! All to ash! Scatter! Scatter! Flee to the ends of the winds and fate will still find you!"
The skull boomed its horrible laugh, its mouth opening wider and wider like a giant pike! A fiery red flower bloomed in its throat. It churned and grew with increasing heat and brightness. As it grew the skull's laughter turned into a bloodcurdling scream. Seabane shielded its eyes and tried to scramble from the horrible sight, but he could not escape.
"Vermin!" A different voice called out.
"No! No! No! Please!" Seabane cried praying this nightmare would end. His eyes were clenched shut yet the light shone through like he was staring into a fire. Seabane opened his eyes.
The dark room was no more. Instead, a raging fire surrounded him yet didn't harm him. From the source of the fire, an armored mouse stared into his soul.
"Ashes scattered, a fire burned low,
Its name forgot, or so you know.
A nameless fear begins to swell.
In halls, in dens, in beasts unwell.
Your strength is called, your heart must guide,
For light is needed where shadows bide."
Seabane didn't understand what was said, not that it was his first priority. The mouse's face transformed, and its fire burned brighter and brighter as an intense heat beat against the rat. Seabane scrambled away as the fire leapt to his feet, then crawled up his legs and scorched midsection and arms before engulfing his head.
Seabane woke with a shout, not that anybeast could hear him. The scorching fire from his premonition was replaced by the flooding pain that surged through his head. He groaned as he rolled onto his side, spitting the blood that had pooled into his mouth onto the snow. The ringing in his ears had lessened so he could hear several angry voices. Looking up he could see Redwall's champion shouting at the hare Trilloway.
"You bloody fool! If Captain Santain were here, he'd cut yer ears off!"
"No, sah. He'd give me a medal!" The hare responded with a respectful seriousness. "In fact, I bet you'd give me a medal if the Abbot weren't here, wot wot!"
Seabane saw the old Abbot and Foremole Grumm trying their hardest to calm Marrow who had a murderous look in his eyes. The mole grabbed the white rat's ear and hurriedly spoke into them. The old Abbot did his best to block the rat's view of the hare. Seabane could see there was only the desire to kill the hare in the giant white beast's head. The only thing preventing him was the score or so otters surrounding the beast with javelins at the ready.
"N-No!" Eli stammered. "You're supposed to be in the infirmary you came here to pick a fight. Why?"
The hare crossed his arms over his chest and set his jaw. "You wouldn't like my answer, nor would you agree with it. Seabane knows why I did it, if you feel the need to get an answer ask him, wot!"
Eli looked at the rat who was curled into an infantile ball. "I thought you were smarter than the others Corporal." Eli shook his head. "Take him to the dungeon. I'll discuss this with you later."
Two guards took the hare and headed towards the Abbey's great hall. Trilloway didn't resist, instead, he looked towards the crowd until he disappeared behind a pair of legs that stomped to a stop in front of Seabane's face.
"Why are ye punishin' him? Clearly, the lad had some noble venture."
"We can't have fighting in these walls," Eli responded as he watched the hare go. "You know that, Skipper."
"Ha! We're also not to have vermin within these walls either!" Skipper responded as he slammed the tip of his javelin into the snow a whiskers length from Seabane's nose. "If I knew this was happening, I would've come sooner."
"They're our guests." Abbot Micah snapped. "I want you and your otters to treat them as such."
"Guests?" The otter spat as he rounded toward the old mouse. "Our holt's t' live in fear of these beasts as we forage for whatever vittles we can find. While you take them in and treat them like royalty while they stuff themselves!"
"Dane, enough," Eli responded with a tired huff. "You're tired and hungry. Friar Williard has made a special meal for your arrival. You can complain about our vermin after we eat."
A shorter chapter but a fun one to write and the first of the new year! I hope you are having a great year so far!
As always please let me know what you think and what can be improved upon. Any and all feedback is appreciated!