A fan fiction by
Whitemuzzle
Preface
Ravenstar, leader of StormClan, looked curiously at the sparkling opening that was deep inside the cave where he and the remainder of his clan had sought shelter. "Is this a sign from StarClan?" he thought. He could discern all of the colors of a rainbow in this misty curtain. Something seemed to be beckoning him to pass through it. He turned around and looked at the tired faces of his clan. How long had they been journeying? Three moons? Four? He couldn't remember. But he did remember why they were forced from their woodland home. A severe drought had taken its toll across the land. They were the last of the four clans to leave their homeland.
A tear formed in Ravenstar's eye as he looked at his clan huddled together there in that cave. StormClan used to be a strong clan, the strongest of the four clans who used to call the woodlands their home. Now the members who were still alive were mere shadows of who they once were. To his right sat his deputy, Beesting, an orange tabby whose fur was now dull and ratty. Next to Beesting stood Whiteheart and his mate Sunfur. They both wanted to have kits but they decided to put it off until this crisis passed. Ravenstar hoped that one day that StarClan would bless them with kits. To his left sat StormClan's medicine cat, Fogcloud. If any cat had faith in StarClan it was him. It was Fogcloud's optimism that kept Ravenstar going. Fogcloud was giving the last of his supply of strengthening herbs to Bluejay and her two kits Rainkit and Dewkit. Bluejay had kitted at the onset of this terrible drought and named her kits Rain and Dew to give her clan some sort of hope. Ravenstar knew that if his clan didn't find some relief soon they would be the next to join StarClan. Behind Bluejay were the remainder of StormClan. Eagletail, a wise senior warrior, Winddancer, brave and loyal, and Stonypath, battle scared and fierce, along with StormClan's only apprentices, Mousepaw and Harepaw.
"Only twelve of us left, thirteen including myself," Ravenstar thought sadly. "Fogcloud, when you're finished I need to talk to you," he meowed.
Fogcloud looked up and nodded to his leader. "I'll be right there." He finished giving the herbs to the two kits then came over to Ravenstar. "It's about that sparkling curtain isn't it?" he asked.
"Yes," Ravenstar answered. "Do you think it's something from StarClan?"
"I really can't tell," the medicine cat replied. "But it doesn't seem harmful. I feel that it's drawing us to it."
"Put your paw in it," Ravenstar mewed.
Fogcloud did as asked and his paw vanished. Gasping he pulled it back out only to find that his paw was still attached to his leg.
"The same thing happened to me when I tried it," Ravenstar said.
As Fogcloud looked into the mist again a figure of some sort appeared. He couldn't tell what manner of beast it was through the curtain but he sensed a goodness coming from it. "Come," the creature spoke. "We need you."
"Why do you need us?" Ravenstar asked thinking for sure now that this was indeed StarClan.
"Come," the voice spoke again.
"Anything is better than waiting around in this cave to die of hunger and thirst," Beesting meowed as he padded over to Ravenstar and Fogcloud. "I say that we go."
Ravenstar studied his deputy. He always gave him sound opinions in the past.
"Beesting's right," Fogcloud agreed. "Let's go."
Ravenstar looked at the rest of his clan, all their eyes riveted on him. He nodded his head slowly. "We'll go," he spoke solemnly. "Beesting, lead the way. I'll wait here to go through last."
The deputy dipped his head then turning, he leaped though the misty curtain. Sparkly lights swirled where the orange tabby once was. Next Fogcloud entered followed by the rest of StormClan. To Ravenstar's relief, none of the cats seemed afraid of the mist. Lastly, Ravenstar looked around the cave to make sure all had gone through. When he was satisfied that all had entered the curtain, he followed his clan into the mist.
Chapter 1
It was a bright and cheerful spring morning as the twin bells rang out welcoming a new day. Chad and Charity, the twin harvest mice, were the Abbey bell ringers. As Chad pulled down on his rope, Charity rose into the air as she grasped her rope. And likewise when she pulled down on her rope, Chad flew up his foot paws rising well over Charity's head. This became a game to them to see who could go the highest. This went on each morning until Brother Jason, the Abby's recorder and gatekeeper, would put a stop to their game. "Hello up there!" he called from the bottom of the bell tower. "I think everybeast's up in the Abbey and all of Mossflower too."
Chad and Charity pulled on the ropes one more time then raced each other down the stairs of the tower. "Whoa! Hold on there!" Jason exclaimed as they almost ran him over in their haste to get to Cavern Hole for breakfast.
"Sorry, Brother Jason," Charity called back over her shoulder as she kept running. "I can't let Chad get to the Abbey before me."
Jason shook his head in exasperation as he watched the two disappear into the Abbey. "I wish my old bones could still do that," he said to himself as he walked to the main doors of the Abbey.
Marty Swiftstream, skipper of the otters, was crossing Great Hall as Brother Jason entered the Abbey. "Good morning to ya, mate!" Marty greeted the ancient mouse.
"Good morning to you, Skipper Marty. You didn't happen to see two whirlwinds blow in did you?" Jason asked wryly.
"No I didn't see 'em but I sure heard them," Marty responded. "By my rudder, those twins are going to have to slow down someday. Come on. Let's get a bit of breakfast." Marty motioned for Brother Jason to go ahead of him down the stairs to Cavern Hole.
Friar Hubert was serving porridge and honeyed scones to Chad and Charity as Skipper Marty and Brother Jason entered the room. "Sit yourselves down and I'll bring your breakfasts right out," Friar Hubert said cheerfully. The friar was a hedgehog in his middle seasons. He was known all over Mossflower for being an excellent cook.
"Good morning," Abbot Matthew greeted them as they sat near his chair. An empty bowl sat in front of the Abbot. He held a half eaten honeyed scone in his left paw. "Friar Hubert out did himself this morning. Everything's delicious." He took another small bite of his scone.
"Good morning to you too, Abbot," Brother Jason said.
"It sure smells good," Marty commented as he watched the twins racing through their food.
"Slow down!" Jason admonished them. "You'd think that a famine's coming tomorrow by the way you two are shoveling it in."
"Sorry Brother Jason," Chad answered. Charity gave them her winning smile and dabbed her lips with her kerchief.
Two steaming bowls of porridge were placed before Marty and Jason. "Here's a plate of scones for you two to share," Friar Hubert said as he set it down between them.
Jason sniffed his bowl of porridge. "Is that a little touch of cinnamon I smell?" he asked.
The Friar smiled warmly. "I put it in especially for you this morning. I know how much you like your porridge that way."
"Why, thank you so much. You're so very thoughtful," Brother Jason said happily.
"I don't see any hot beetroot in mine," Marty said teasingly.
"Hot beetroot?! It's a wonder you otters still have stomachs after eating that spice all the time," Friar Hubert laughed, his head quills shaking.
Abbot Matthew nodded in agreement. "That's so true," he said.
"You aren't still sore at me from that soup I made last winter now, are you?" Marty asked.
Brother Jason nearly choked on a spoon full of porridge. "How dare you call that pot of acid you made soup?!" he spluttered indignantly.
"I'm still trying to get the feeling back in my tongue," the Friar said. He stuck his tongue out as if to inspect it.
"Well, you all complained that you were cold, didn't you?" Marty asked with a frown.
"Now, now," Abbot Matthew jumped in. "We're not going to rehash that again." His paw strayed over his own stomach as he spoke.
Marty huffed and mumbled something under his breath. "Yes, Father Abbot," he said. He then began to eat his breakfast. "They don't know what's good," he mumbled.
"Can we be excused?" Chad piped up as he wiped his mouth.
"I don't know. Can you?" the Abbot responded.
"May we be excused?" Charity said emphasizing the word 'may'.
Abbot Matthew smiled, his mouse whiskers twitching with amusement. "Yes you may," he said. "You two are helping Sister Honeydew in the dormitory today, aren't you?"
"Yes, Father Abbot," Chad sighed.
"You don't need to be so excited about it," Abbot Matthew remarked.
"Oh, we were just hoping we could go on a picnic in Mossflower today," Charity spoke up. "Chad's afraid that we can't if we have to clean the dormitory."
"Well, I'll tell you what. If you get all your work done, and done right mind you, you may go," the Abbot told them. "I always enjoyed a picnic this time of season too when I was your age."
"Thank you Father Abbot!" the twins spoke in unison. They got up and raced up the stairs to Great Hall and then up to the dormitory.
Brother Jason set down his scone he was munching on. "I don't think I had half their energy when I was their age," he commented.
"I seem to remember a little mouse dibbun quite sometime ago who ran lickety split out of the dormitory and straight into Mossflower," Abbot Matthew said as he chuckled. "Now why he was running so fast?"
Brother Jason squirmed in his seat obviously embarrassed. Marty looked up. He was interested in hearing this story about his friend.
"Oh fiddle-dee-faddle," Jason said uncomfortably. "You don't need to go telling that misadventure."
Marty was all ears now. "Please Abbot Matthew, do tell what happened."
"Well, this young dibbun was out playing by an anthill when he got the brilliant idea to trap some ants in a jar and then hide them inside the Abbey," the Abbot said with a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "We happened to be passing by the Abbess's room when we heard somebeast coming. So we dove inside to hide. Unfortunately Jason tripped over a rug and the pot of ants flew out of his paws and burst open on her bed." Abbot Matthew paused here as he remembered what happened next. "Ants were crawling all over her bed as she came in the room. Jason flew out the door but I wasn't as fortunate. She grabbed me around my shoulders and made me catch all of the ants."
Jason laughed loudly. "Ha! Ha! That's right. You got stuck with catching them all." He held his paws over his jiggling stomach.
"But you got yours when they finally caught up with you. You had to scrub pots for a week in the kitchen," the Abbot reminded him.
"You mean to say that this straight laced abbey recorder was a terror as a dibbun?" Marty asked incredulously. "What's the world coming to?"
Chapter 2
As Ravenstar exited the misty curtain all traces of it vanished. Bright sunshine and warm air greeted the StormClan leader as he padded to the cave entrance. What he saw was hard for him to believe. Just in front of him was a large rocky depression. It looked like a place where twolegs had dug the red sandstone from the earth. Ravenstar was pretty sure that it had been a long time ago since twolegs were here. Small trees and bushes were growing between the red rocks. A small stream from a spring trickled down the side of the quarry forming a small pool at the bottom. But what really caught his attention was a lush green forest that lay just beyond the quarry. It seemed to extend on and on. In the distance he could see a shinning blue river winding its way through the woodlands. The rest of StormClan was in awe of the sight as he was. Finally Winddancer spoke up. "Are we in StarClan's hunting grounds?" she asked in a low whisper.
Ravenstar kept his eyes on the landscape as he answered. "I don't think so," was all he said.
Fogcloud stepped beside Ravenstar. "I'm pretty sure that this place isn't in StarClan," he meowed. "I've walked with them many times and none of this is familiar." Ravenstar nodded in agreement.
Beesting padded up, his fur completely wet. "There's a small stream over there," he pointed with his tail. "This place is so beautiful. And I bet it's rich with prey too."
At the mention of water, Ravenstar realized that he was terribly thirsty. He went over to the stream that Beesting had mentioned and drank his fill. This was the first time in weeks that he was able to do so. The rest of the clan came to the stream to drink as well.
"What are we going to do now?" Whiteheart asked.
"We need to find fresh kill and establish a camp," Ravenstar meowed. "This stream looks too small for any fish to live in it but that river over there should have plenty of them."
Rainkit and Dewkit splashed about in the stream. "Have you ever seen so much water before, mother?" Dewkit asked.
"Yes," Bluejay answered. "There was a much bigger river by our old camp before it dried up."
"Really? Bigger than this?" Rainkit asked.
"Much bigger," Bluejay replied.
Ravenstar smiled as he watched the kits playing. Then he realized that for the first time in a long while his spirits were lifted. "These caves would make a nice camp," he meowed. "Beesting, form a hunting patrol and go down to that river. The rest of you will stay here and find suitable caves for our camp."
Beesting dipped his head to his leader. The prospect of a hunt excited him. "Stonypath, Harepaw, Mousepaw, and Winddancer," he called out. "Come with me. The rest of you can help Ravenstar with making a camp."
This seemed to galvanize the rest of the clan. Everyone was excited at the prospect of finally being full-fed again. Beesting led the way and Stonypath brought up the rear.
Mousepaw and Harepaw followed Winddancer. "I can't wait to fish again," Mousepaw mewed to Harepaw. "I hope I remember how."
Sunfur helped Bluejay keep an eye on her kits. They were both very curious and often tried to stray from the rest of the clan. "Don't go exploring any of those cave alone," Bluejay cautioned. "We don't know if some other animal is living in them."
Rainkit rolled his eyes. "Okay mom," Dewkit mewed. "Can we play in the stream?"
"Alright but stay right here where we can see you," Bluejay meowed.
"I'm going to go look for herbs," Fogcloud told Ravenstar. "I hope this new place has herbs that I'm familiar with."
Ravenstar nodded to his medicine cat. "See if you can find some moss too while you're looking."
Fogcloud flicked his tail as a sign that he heard Ravenstar as he bounded up the side of the quarry.
After awhile, Winddancer moved closer to Beesting so they could talk. "Have you noticed anything strange about these woods?" she asked the deputy.
"You mean the absence of prey scent?" he asked back. "Yes, I've noticed it but I didn't want to cause any alarm by mentioning it."
Winddancer nodded. "There are birds around but they're staying in the tops of the trees. Hopefully when we get to the river there'll be some fish there."
"Let's hope to StarClan there is," Beesting meowed.
"The river! We're almost there!" Harepaw meowed excitedly. As the patrol topped a rise they looked down at the gently flowing river.
"We're here," Beesting meowed. "Let's get to fishing." He bounded down the small slope to the river with the rest of the patrol following him. He padded out onto a fallen tree that stretched out into the river. Almost immediately a fish swam nearby. He shot his paw into the water and hooked a pike just behind it's gills. Beesting tossed it onto the bank and quickly killed it.
"Wow!" Mousepaw exclaimed as she saw the fish. "That's big enough to feed three cats!" She hurried to the river to see if she could catch one too.
Harepaw followed his mentor Stonypath to the river. He was excited too at the prospect of catching a large fish.
Winddancer looked into the river. "Just look at that!" she mewed as she saw two fish swim by. "We won't be going hungry in this land."
As tired as they were, the cats were energized at the thought of finally getting something to eat.
Chapter 3
Chad and Charity ran up the stairs to the dormitory to find Sister Honeydew. Sister Olive, the infirmary keeper, was talking to Honeydew about one of the dibbuns. "Willy was complaining about a stomach ache last night. That's why he's..."
"Sister Honeydew! Sister Honeydew!" the twins called out as they burst in upon their conversation. "Tell us what you want us to do," Chad said as they came to a stop.
"Well, the first thing I want you to do is to slow down and keep quiet. Can't you see that Willy's still sleeping?" the sister spoke sternly to them.
"I nota sleep no more," Willy said as he sat up.
"Now look at what you two have done!" Sister Honeydew scolded. Chad and Charity looked down at their foot paws. Chad shuffled about uneasily. "Were sorry," Charity said softly.
Sister Olive cut off whatever Honeydew was about to say. "There's no harm done, really," she spoke kindly. "It was about time that he got up."
Charity shot the infirmary keeper a quick glance of gratitude.
"You two have got to learn not to go rushing about so," Honeydew said less sternly.
"I 'ungry!" the dibbun mouse said. "I wanna beckfist."
"Well that's a good sign," Sister Olive responded. "How do you feel this morning? Is your stomach ache gone?"
"I alla better now," Willy patted his small belly. "I jus' 'ungry."
Sister Olive took Willy by his paw and started out the door. "Let's go and get something to eat then," she said. "I've heard that Friar Hubert made a scrumptious meal this morning."
"You can help me strip all the beds," Sister Honeydew told Charity. "And Chad, you can start sweeping the floors." Chad went to the closet where the broom and dust pan were kept and Charity started to strip the bed that Willy had slept in. "Don't worry," Charity said softly to her brother. "Well get done in time for our picnic."
By mid afternoon the twins had the dormitory all set in order. Despite her sternness, Sister Honeydew had to admit that they had done a good job. "You both are wonderful workers," she remarked. "Go on now and tend to your picnic."
"Thank you, Sister," Chad and Charity said in unison. They made sure that they walked from the room but when they got into the hallway they took off running. "No running!"
Honeydew called after them but they were already heading down the stairs. The sister shook her head. "When are they ever going to learn?"
Charity was the first to get to Cavern Hole but Chad was right behind her. "What's all the rushing around for?" the Friar asked.
"Our picnic!" Chad answered a bit out of breath.
Friar Hubert smiled. "I have it all ready for you and here it comes." Out of the kitchen came the three Abbey dibbuns with Willy in the lead. Each were carrying a basket. "Wez goin' wiff you," Willy announced.
"Yes, Faver Abbit said we could," little Kriss the squirrel maid added. Her red bushy tail seemed to float behind her as she walked.
"I love picnics," said Sarah. She was a little orphaned shrewmaid.
"Oh no!" Chad moaned. "This was supposed to be just for us."
"I don't think it will be so bad," Charity said as she took the basket Kriss was carrying. "It'll be kind of fun."
"Not to mention that this is a sign that Abbot Matthew thinks you growing up," Friar Hubert said. "He wouldn't trust just anybeast with watching the dibbuns."
Chad perked up at that. "You're right. What are we waiting for then?" he asked. He picked up little Sarah, the shrewmaid, and put her on his shoulders. Sarah clung on tightly to Chad's tunic collar in one paw and her basket in the other. "We goa picnic!" she squealed with delight.
Charity took Kriss's paw in hers and followed her brother out into the Abbey yard. Willy lagged behind carrying his basket. "Wait up!" he called to the others. When he caught up, Chad took the basket from the mouse dibbun and sent him on in front of him.
"Brother Jason," Charity called to the old recorder mouse, "Will you let us out the gate please? We're headed out on our picnic."
"A picnic you say?" Jason asked. "How exciting! I'd come with you if it weren't for these aching old bones of mine." He unbolted the main gate and swung open just far enough to let the picnickers to pass though. "Have a good time now," he called after them, waving an ink-stained paw.
"We will, Bruver Jaysin," Willy called back to the old mouse.
"Let's head east toward the River Moss," Chad suggested.
"Isn't that kind of far to go for a picnic?" Charity asked. She was tired from the work she did that morning and didn't want to walk all the way there.
"We don't have to go to the river. There's a nice clearing about half way there," Chad said.
"Oh yes, I remember that place," Charity replied. "Sister Olive took us there one time when we were helping her gather herbs."
"Can we goa ribber?" Kriss asked. "I wanna play ina water."
"Goa ribber! Goa ribber!" the other two dibbuns chimed in.
"No, not this time," Chad said firmly. “Tell you what. How about a game of tag in the clearing after we eat?”
“Okay,” Kriss said resignedly.
“It’ll be fun, you’ll see,” Charity said as she tried to cheer the dibbuns up.
They continued walking until they came to the clearing. “Finally,” Charity said. “I’m starving.”
Willy, Sarah, and Kriss ran into the clearing. It was filled with every color of wildflower that anybeast could imagine. “I picka flower for Sisa Ahwiv,” Sarah said. Kriss and Willy contented themselves by playing on a small tree.
Charity set down the basket she was carrying and pulled out a brightly colored blanket. She carefully spread it out on the ground. “This place is so peaceful,” she commented.
“I agree,” Chad said as he watched the dibbuns playing. He arranged the food that Friar Hubert prepared on the blanket. “Everything looks so good,” he remarked.
Friar Hubert had packed an assortment of goodies for the picnic goers. For the main course he packed his special vegetable pasties made with fresh peas, radishes, and wild onions; a favorite among the Redwallers. Next was a fresh garden salad topped with bright red cherry tomatoes. A wedge of cheese studded with chestnuts was also added.
“Oh look!” Charity exclaimed. “Meadow cream pudding! My favorite! Friar Hubert sure knows how to pack for a picnic.”
"He sure does," Chad agreed.
Charity decided to leave the pudding in the basket so that the dibbuns wouldn’t try to eat it before the rest of the meal. Lastly she pulled out a large flask of strawberry fizz and placed it next to the pasties.
"Picnic's ready!" Chad called to the dibbuns.
Willy jumped out of the tree. "Race ya there!" he called to Kriss.
Kriss was right behind the spunky mouse dibbun. She too, jumped from the tree and landed on the ground running. Her red bushy tail flowed out behind her as she ran.
"Wait fer me!" Sarah called to them. She ran as fast as she could leaving a trail of picked wildflowers in her wake. When she reached the blanket she realized that she lost half of what she picked. "I losted my flowers," she whimpered.
"Don't worry," Charity said to the disappointed shrewmaid. "You can pick more when you're finished eating."
The five Redwallers all sat down on the blanket that was spread with some of the finest food that Redwall could offer and enjoyed their picnic dinner.
"What could be better than this?" Chad asked Charity. "A fine summer day, good food, and a nice, peaceful place to enjoy it all."
What the happy little group didn't realize was at that very moment they were being watched by four pairs of hungry eyes.
Chapter 4
When the hunting patrol returned back to the quarry, the rest of StormClan was amazed at the amount and size of the fish they brought back.
"Lookit that fish, mom," Rainkit meowed. "It's bigger than me!"
Dewkit bounded over to her brother to check out the catch. "I've never seen so much food before," she mewed in awe.
"Good work, Beesting," Ravenstar meowed as he padded over to his deputy. He too was impressed at the hunting patrol's catch.
Beesting dipped his head in acknowledgement of Ravenstar's praise. By now the rest of the clan's cats were gathering around the newly formed fresh kill pile. Bluejay pulled out the fish her kits were looking at and drug it under a small, shady tree. Dewkit and Rainkit followed her eagerly.
Ravenstar chose a fish and invited Beesting to share it with him. "What have you learned about this new land in which we're living?" he asked the deputy.
Beesting sat down next to the leader and took a bite from the fish before speaking. "We neither saw nor scented any other cats," he began. "And the river is teeming with fish."
Ravenstar chewed his food thoughtfully. "I think we can rule out that we are in StarClan's hunting grounds then. If we were, I'm sure we would have smelled other cats and would have seen our ancestors by now."
"There's one thing that really puzzles me about this place though," Beesting meowed.
"What's that?" Ravenstar asked.
"On our entire trip I didn't pick up any prey scent at all," the orange tabby meowed. "We saw some birds though, but they stayed in the high treetops safe from us."
"So that explains why your entire catch was fish," Ravenstar said. "But that’s puzzling you didn't see any other kind of prey. Did you cross the river?" he asked.
"No, but I'm planning on taking another patrol tomorrow to explore the land on the other side," Beesting said. "Maybe we'll find something then." He looked around at the sides of the quarry. "Did you find a suitable place for camp while we were gone?" He asked the jet black leader.
Ravenstar smiled. "You're sitting in it."
As Beesting looked around himself, Ravenstar went on. "See those three caves directly in front of you?" The deputy nodded. "The one on the left is the medicine den, the one in the middle, is the nursery, and the cave on the right will be the elders den." Looking farther to the right, Ravenstar continued. "That one will be the apprentices den and the cave below it is the warriors den. Mine is over there," he pointed with his tail to a cave above the medicine den.
Fogcloud walked out of the medicine den. He had been stocking it with herbs. Two fish remained on the fresh kill pile. "I thought I smelled fish," he commented as he went over to get something to eat. He chose the smaller of the two and brought it over to where Ravenstar and Beesting were sitting.
“I found some herbs just past this rim,” the medicine cat mewed as he sat down. “But I need to find more. There are some plants I think might be herbs. I never saw them in our old territory though.”
“Let me know what you need and I’ll keep a look out for them while I’m out hunting tomorrow,” Beesting offered.
“Thank you,” Fogcloud meowed. “I really would like to have some marigold, watermint, and catnip if you can find them. If you come across any others bring them back too.”
Beesting stood up and stretched by arching his back. “I’m going to try out the new warriors den,” he said as he yawned. “Stonypath, Whiteheart and Sunfur,” he called out, “I want you to come with me on the dawn hunting patrol. We’re going to be out for awhile so be sure to get your rest tonight.” He then padded off to the warriors den.
Dawn came quickly it seemed to Beesting. He was excited about the prospect of doing some more exploring. After nudging the three warriors he chose to come with him, he padded out of the den. Dew drops clung to the grass and the leaves and sparkled like stars in the early morning light. Beesting yawned then turned to see Whiteheart emerge from the den. "I think I'm going to like it here," he meowed to his deputy.
"I already do," Beesting replied. "We might have this place all to ourselves."
"That would be nice," another voice sounded out behind them. A bright, golden furred tabby she padded up.
"Good morning, Sunfur," Whiteheart greeted his mate. "Are you looking forward to our hunt?"
"I sure am," she answered. She stretched by reaching out her front legs as far as they would go and then rocking forward, she stretched each hind leg in turn.
"What are you all doing just standing around talking?" a gray tom meowed as he walked up.
"We were waiting for you to get up, Stonypath," Beesting retorted. "Now that you're all here, here's what I want to do. First we'll go to the river and fish for the clan. Then after that we'll cross the river and see what's on the other side." After the deputy was finished speaking he signaled with his tail for the others to follow him.
Like the previous day, the fishing was great. The patrol brought back several fish and some water shrimp that Sunfur found in the shallows. After allowing the patrol to eat, Beesting took them back out to explore beyond the river.
"This looks like a good place to cross," Whiteheart meowed. "It doesn't seem as wide here and the water isn't moving too fast."
"I was hoping we'd find a tree that had fallen across but this place is as good as any I suppose," the deputy said.
Sunfur was the first into the water. She waded a third of the way out before she had to swim. Soon her paws felt the ground again before she came to the other side. "Come on," she called back. "It's easy."
Stonypath and Whiteheart entered the river together as Beesting followed them. Soon all four cats were on the other side. The woodland was denser on this side so their going was a little slower. After awhile Stonypath came to a stop. He was leading the others through some thick undergrowth when they came to a clearing. On the other side of this clearing there looked to be like an old, abandoned twoleg nest. That's what caused Stonypath to stop. Beesting came up to the front. "I don't think twolegs are still living there," he meowed. "Let's investigate it. Often there are herbs growing around twoleg nests that are helpful to cats."
Beesting took the lead now and Stonypath brought up the rear. The four cats approached the nest very cautiously. Beesting was constantly testing the air for and kind of scent but only the earthy scent of the woodlands was all he could detect.
As they neared the nest, Sunfur meowed excitedly, "Catnip! I smell catnip!"
"And look over here," Whiteheart said, "There's some marigold."
"Fogcloud will pleased to hear about this," Beesting meowed. "There's probably other kinds of herbs around here too."
Stonypath was looking back toward the woods when suddenly he became as still as a statue. Beesting padded over to the gray warrior. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"I can't smell it now, but when the breeze changed just a minute ago, I caught the smell of mice," he answered.
Beesting was excited. Whiteheart and Sunfur came over. "Are you sure? From what direction was it?" the deputy fired off his questions.
"Over there," Stonypath pointed with his nose. "On the opposite side of this meadow." The breeze was blowing away from them now. "It was faint but I'm sure of it."
"Come on," Beesting meowed. "Let's find where these mice are at." He led the way across the meadow, the other three cats were silently following. Now was not the time for talking. They were stalking mice. Once they entered the woods on the other side, Beesting caught a faint scent of their prey. There was little undergrowth if any in these woods, so their progress was faster. The patrol continued on in silence until Beesting signaled with his tail for them to stop. The woods gave way to another clearing, smaller than the one with the old nest in it. The four cats stood just inside the woods and looked out into the clearing. Puzzled expressions were on each of their faces. For what they saw made no sense to them. Out in the clearing were five creatures; two large mice, a small squirrel, a small mouse, and an even smaller shrew. But that wasn't the puzzling part. These creatures walked about on their hind legs and wore pelts similar to what twolegs would wear.
Whiteheart was the first to break the silence. "What is going on here?" he whispered. "Are these animals or twolegs?"
"They're definitely not twolegs," Stonypath answered. "They have the scent of prey." His mouth began to water. "Look at the size of the two larger ones. They're bigger than any mouse I've ever seen."
"Keep your voice down!" Beesting hissed softly. "We don't want to scare them away."
"Let's move in closer," Sunfur suggested. "Then maybe we can tell for sure what they are."
Beesting nodded. All four cats got into the hunters crouch and crept silently toward their prey. When they covered half the distance, Beesting stopped. Yes, these creatures were defiantly prey, but why did they walk upright like twolegs and wear twoleg-like pelts? These questions troubled Beesting. Without warning Stonypath leaped out of hiding. The gray warrior couldn't take the tension any longer.
"Get back here!" Beesting hissed but it was too late.
Chapter 5
Daniel, the warrior champion of Redwall, walked the wall top with Marty Swiftstream, Skipper of the otters. The two friends were conversing as they walked when Marty noticed something in the sky that seemed to be approaching the Abbey. "What do you make of that?" he asked Daniel.
"I'm not sure but it seems to be alone," the mouse warrior said as he drew the famous sword of Martin the Warrior from its sheath. Marty, too, readied his sword as well. Soon the pair were able to discern a large red bird nearing the Abbey.
The bird landed on a parapet just above the two Abbey warriors. "I am Swiftflight," the large red bird spoke after she had landed. "I am descendant of Stryke Redkite. My family are sworn allies of Redstone place."
"I am Daniel, warrior of Redwall and this is my friend, Skipper Marty," the warrior mouse spoke. "How may we help you?" he asked.
"It's not you to help me but me to help you," the redkite said as she preened some flight feathers. "I come warn Redstone place beasts that wildcat army from the north is coming. They heard of Redstone place and want it for themselves."
"This is indeed bad news," Marty said. " Do you know how soon they will be here?"
Swiftflight dipped her head. "Three days march for earth walkers, I would say."
"We need to inform our Father Abbot about this right away," Daniel said. "Won't you come in and rest from your journey, Swiftflight?"
"I will rest for a little while," the redkite said as she accepted his offer. "I will go to the pond and drink." She spread her large wings and glided gracefully down to the Abbey pond.
"Do you trust that bird?" Marty asked as he watched Swiftflight land at the pond.
"Yes," Daniel replied. "She said she's a descendant of Stryke. That was a redkite that some Redwallers saved years ago during the invasion of General Ironbeak, a war-like raven from the north."
"Sounds like you remembered your recorder school lessons well, Daniel," Brother Jason said from the top of the stairs. "You were always an attentive student."
"You needn't climb the stairs, brother," Marty said. "We were just on our way down."
"Well so I see," Jason replied. "I only came up to see the great bird but now I see she's flown down to the pond." The mouse recorder sighed. "Tis always the way anymore for me."
"You can come with us," Daniel said as he put a paw on Jason's shoulder. "We're going to see Abbot Matthew. We have something important to tell him."
"A message from the redkite no doubt," brother Jason said. "Yes, I will accompany you."
The trio made their way down the stairs but didn't have to look far for the Abbot. He had been looking out a window when he saw the redkite land at the Abbey pond. He was already crossing the Abbey yard on his way to the pond to find out the reason for the great bird's visit.
"Go on ahead," Jason told the two warriors. "I'll catch up."
Daniel and Marty joined the Abbot and they walked the rest of the way to the pond with him. Daniel told Abbot Matthew the news that Swiftflight had given them.
"This is indeed terrible news," the Abbot said shaking his head. "We haven't had an invasion in seasons. I was just a dibbun when the last vermin band attacked."
By now they were down at the pond. Swiftflight was now resting in the grass at the edge of the water. She stood up as they approached. "I am Swiftflight. I come from the north," she said.
Abbot Matthew bowed slightly toward the redkite. "We are honored by your visit, Swiftflight," he said. "I've already been told the reason of your visit. We here at Redwall are grateful of you warning us. Won't you stay and eat a meal with us?" he asked.
"Thank you for your offer," the redkite said. "I have already taken two fish from your pond."
"You are welcome to have more if you like," the Abbot offered. "There are plenty in there."
Swiftflight nodded her thanks.
"We need to come up with a plan of defense," Daniel said.
"What we need are more warriors," Skipper Marty spoke up. "I can leave right away and gather the otter tribes together."
"Do you think you can contact the squirrels and the shrews while you're out?" Daniel asked Marty.
"I'll do my best to find them," Marty replied.
"Maybe we can convince our friend here," Jason nodded toward Swiftflight, "to fly to Salmandastron."
Swiftflight cocked her head to one side. "Where's that?" she asked.
"It's the mountain home of badger lords and fighting hares," Abbot Mathew answered. "They have always been allies to those living in Redwall. The badger lord who lives there now is called, Lord Oakstripe."
"They will come help Redstone place?" the redkite asked.
"I know they will if only we can get word to them. Will you go for us?" he asked.
Swiftflight looked sad. "I know not the way," she replied as she hung her head down.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Brother Jason said. "There are many maps stowed away in the gatehouse. I can show you how to get there."
Upon hearing that, Swiftflight perked up. "Really? I go then for you."
"We would be in your debt. Thank you," the Abbot said as he made a slight bow toward the great bird.
"We be friends," Swiftflight spoke softly. "Friends do not hold friends in debt. I go out of friendship."
Abbot Matthew smiled. "You are a good friend," he told the redkite.
She returned his smile. "Come, Jason mouse. Show me maps," she said as she stood up.
As Brother Jason led Swiftflight to the gatehouse, Daniel turned and spoke to the Abbot and Marty. "We need to plan quickly. We can't rely right away on help from Salamandastron. From what I remember, the badger mountain is a several day march from here. The wildcat army will be at our gates long before help from there can even reach us. We need to have Chad and Charity ring the bells to warn those living in Mossflower Wood to come to the Abbey. Where are those two anyway?" Daniel looked across the Abbey lawn to see if he could see them.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Abbot Matthew said. "They're out on a picnic with the dibbuns. We'll have to get some other beast to ring the bells."
"I'll look for them first and when I find them I'll send them back to the Abbey," Marty said. "I'll get some provisions from Friar Hubert and then I'll be on my way." The Skipper of otters strode off toward the kitchen.
Chapter 6
Beesting, Whiteheart, and Sunfur followed Stonypath as he charged. The twins had no idea that there was any danger at all, especially so close. Their backs had been toward the cats the whole time. Willy was playing that he was Martin the Warrior, the great hero of Redwall. With his stick sword in paw, he was thwacking away at vermin flowers. When Stonypath charged he was facing Chad and Charity and he called out a warning. "Wildcats are comin'! Wildcats are comin'!" The mouse babe raced past the twins and toward the charging cat with his stick raised high.
"Oh dear! Save us Martin from the..." Charity's words were cut off when she turned and actually saw the wildcats coming. Chad froze. He had never faced a situation like this before. It was as if his limbs were stuck in place. But Willy didn't seem to have any fear. Whether it was courage or just ignorance of the real danger, it was unknown. Nevertheless the mouse babe met Stonypath's charge head on. When the cat was close enough, he brought down his stick sword hard on the cat's tender nose.
"Ray -owww!" Stonypath hollered in pain. He stopped in his tracks and fell to the ground with his paws on his throbbing nose. The pain made his eyes water.
Beesting stopped short of where Stonypath lay. Never before in his life did he ever see a mouse attack a cat, let alone drop a warrior with a single blow. He was almost as
stunned as the cat laying on the ground.
"You go away!" Willy squeaked as he brandished his stick menacingly. "I kill you, too!"
"What's happening?" Sunfur meowed confused. "Did that mouse actually kill Stonypath and....and...speak to us too?"
Whiteheart padded up to the fallen warrior. "He's alive," he reassured his mate. He too was shocked as to what had just occurred.
"Willy! Get back here!" Charity cried. "Get back here right now!" Sarah and Kriss were hiding behind Charity, holding onto her flower print tunic.
"Tell them to go away," Sarah whimpered.
"I wanna go home," Kriss cried.
By now Chad had found his voice and the function of his arms and legs. "Please leave us in peace. We are simple Abbey dwellers from Redwall. We mean you no harm," he said.
Beesting motioned with his tail for the others to stay back. He came closer toward the five woodland creatures. Willy jumped forward and tried to strike the deputy on the nose like he had done to Stonypath. Beesting was ready for him and blocked the blow with an upraised forepaw. Willy's stick went flying into the tall grasses.
"My sored!" the mouse dibbun cried. He jumped up and grabbed Beesting by his whiskers and pulled. This hurt the deputy but he wasn't going to let them know.
"Will you kindly remove this mouse from me, please," he asked Chad.
Chad quickly came forward and took a hold of Willy. "Let go," he commanded, his voice much calmer than he felt. Reluctantly, Willy released his grip on Beesting's whiskers.
"Thank you," Beesting meowed as he sat down. He licked his paw and rubbed it on his muzzle. "Pardon me for asking," he began, "but how is it that you can talk to us?"
"As far as I know, cats and mice and other beasts for that matter have always been able to talk with each other," Chad answered. He was beginning to feel a little calmer now that the cats didn't seem to be as aggressive. Willy squirmed in Chad's grip.
"Please forgive our ignorance," Beesting meowed, "but the land where we come from cats and mice can't speak with each other. This experience is entirely new to us."
"Prey never spoke to us before," Stonypath snarled. He was sitting now. His nose was red and swollen almost twice its normal size.
"Nor brought down a warrior with a single blow either," Sunfur mewed with amusement in her voice.
Stonypath let out a low hiss and bared his fangs at the she-cat.
"Enough!" Beesting snapped at his patrol.
"Um, excuse me," Charity spoke up. "What did he mean by the word 'prey'?"
"He means that they hunt us down and eat us," Chad interjected.
Willy broke loose from Chad's grip. "They not eat us!" he said defiantly. He shook his little fist in Beesting's face.
The deputy smiled. "We honor courage and strength even in one so small."
Charity pulled Willy back protectively.
"It is true what the tom mouse said," Beesting meowed almost apologetically. He realized that these creatures were very different from the ones he knew in his home world. "But please understand," he continued, "the prey we hunted in our own land were not at all like you are."
"A mouse is a mouse and a squirrel is a squirrel," Chad replied not quite understanding the orange tabby.
A thought crossed Beesting's mind. "Do you eat fish?" he asked.
"Yes," Charity answered. "Usually only at a special feast though."
"Okay," Beesting meowed. "The mice, squirrels, voles, and such are like fish in our homeland. They don't have a higher intelligence as I see that you have. Like fish, they too are our food."
"So what I want to know is this," Chad spoke bravely. "Are you planning on eating us? For if you are you'll have a fight on your hands."
Charity held on to Sarah and Kriss closely.
Willy stood in front of Chad and shook his right fist in the air. "I whap you!" he warned threateningly.
"I don't doubt that you would," Beesting meowed as he cast a glance a Stonypath.
The gray warrior rose to his feet. "Talking mice or not," he hissed menacingly, "I bet they still taste the same."
Whiteheart moved in front of Stonypath blocking his way. Like Beesting, the gray tabby warrior realized that these animals were something different.
"Stand down!" Beesting ordered Stonypath. "These creatures are not to be eaten!"
Stonypath glared hatefully at his deputy. Beesting understood the hidden threat in the gray warrior's stare. "We'll settle this later," he hissed, his orange tail whipping from side to side. Calming himself he turned back to Chad. "No, we will not eat you," he meowed. "But the final decision will be up to our leader, Ravenstar. But I wouldn't worry. He's a wise and honorable cat."
Relief flooded over Chad. Charity broke down in tears as the tension broke.
"Whatsa matta?" Sarah asked Charity. "They not eat us."
"Yes, I know," Charity answered between gasps. "I'm just relieved."
"We don't know each other's names," Chad said with a slight quaver in his voice. "I'm Chad and this weepy maid is my twin sister, Charity."
Beesting dipped his head. "My name is Beesting and these are Whiteheart, Sunfur, and Stonypath."
"I'm Willy an' I'll still whap you if you try ta eat us," he squeaked.
Beesting broke the remaining tension with his laughter. Whiteheart and Sunfur joined in but Stonypath stood behind the others quietly. He hated these mice, especially the little one called Willy. If he ever saw that one in the woods alone...
Willy sensed the animosity flowing off of Stonypath and did what any dibbun his age would do. He stuck his thumbs in his ears, wiggled his paws, and stuck out his tongue. Then four things happened almost simultaneously. Stonypath leaped toward the mischievous dibbun, Charity grabbed Willy by his arm and pulled, Sunfur dove into the enraged gray warrior and a spear quivered in the ground where Stonypath would have landed. Every eye was on the spear as a single shout rang out across the clearing. "REDWAALLLLL!" A large otter with a sling spinning in his left paw came charging toward the small group. Chad recognized Marty Swiftstream immediately.
"Marty stop!" he called out urgently as he stood in his path. "These cats don't mean us any harm."
"By my mother's rudder they don't!" he shouted back as he kept on coming. "That one there tried to get Willy," he indicated Stonypath who was still pinned down by Sunfur.
Beesting stepped forward. "It's true," he meowed. "We do not intend in harming anybeast here." Looking at Stonypath he added, "This one needs a lesson in manners." The deputy stared meaningfully at the gray warrior.
Marty retrieved his spear that was sticking in the ground and wiped the iron tip off in the grass. Turning to Chad, he said, "We just got word of a wildcat army coming to attack Redwall. These must be their advance scouts." He indicated Beesting's patrol with a wave of his spear. "You can just go back and tell your vermin loving masters that Redwall isn't going to down without a fight. In fact we're not goin' to go down at all! You're goin' to go back to your northland home with your tails between your legs. Leastwise, those of you who are still alive after it's all over."
Beesting looked puzzled. "Um, first of all were not an army. There are only thirteen of us. We don't love vermin and as far as I can tell, we came from the south."
Marty noticed for the first time that these cats were indeed different from any creature he had seen before. They wore no clothes of any sort, carried no weapons and they went about on all four feet. "Why are you here then?" he demanded.
"StarClan brought us here," Beesting meowed simply. "Our home was experiencing a terrible drought and members of our clan were dying."
"Who pray tell is StarClan?" the otter Skipper asked.
"StarClan is made up with our ancestors. They watch over us and guide us," the deputy answered.
"That sounds a lot like our own Martin the Warrior," Chad interjected. "He watches over our Abbey in times of trouble." Turning to Marty he said, "I don't think these cats are with the ones who are threatening our Abbey."
Marty wasn't still too sure if he should believe them. "How do I know what you say is true?"
"You can come back to our camp with us," Beesting suggested. "You can speak with our leader Ravenstar."
"And just where is this camp of yours?" Marty asked.
"In a red stone pit on the other side of the river," Beesting answered.
"It's true," Whiteheart spoke up. "We're not lying to you."
"They must be living in the quarry that was formed seasons ago when Redwall was first built," Chad said thoughtfully.
"Yes," Marty replied. "But I don't have time to go there just now. I have to gather my otters together and bring them to Redwall. We need to be ready for when the wildcat army shows up."
"I go," Willy volunteered. "I whap 'em on their noses if they're lyin'."
Chad rubbed Willy between his ears. "I'll be willing to go," he offered.
Marty flat out refused. "I don't want you going off with any wildcats. What would the Abbot say if I let you go. My answer is no."
Chad was disappointed but he wasn't going to give up. An idea was forming in his mind. "Very well," he conceded. "You're probably right."
"Now you're talking sense," Marty said. "You five get back to the Abbey right away."
Charity began to gather up their picnic supplies with Kriss and Sarah helping.
"I wanna go to the wildcat camp," Willy pouted.
"Help my sister clean up from the picnic," Chad told Willy. To Marty he said, "We'll be on our way as soon as we clean up here. Go on and find your otters. We'll be fine."
"Alright," Marty said. "But be sure to go straight to the Abbey. And don't stop anywhere."
"We will," Chad assured him.
At that Marty went off toward the river. There was an otter holt not too far from where they were.
"We're better get going ourselves," Beesting meowed. "Ravenstar will be looking for us soon."
"Can you wait just a moment, please?" Chad asked Beesting. "Charity, I'm going with them."
"No! You can't! Marty said you couldn't," she protested.
"Don't worry. I've got a plan," her brother said. "I'm going to ask their leader to help us in our fight. Just think what it could mean if we had cats that fight with us."
"But going with them," she whispered, "it's too dangerous."
"I'll be alright," Chad insisted. "Don't worry."
"I will make sure that nothing happens to him," Beesting promised. He had his own reason why he wanted Chad to come with them. He wasn't too sure that Ravenstar and the other cats would believe this fantastic story. Talking mice that acted like twolegs. He wasn't too sure of it himself.
"I go wiff you," Willy announced.
Chad pulled Willy aside and whispered in his ear, " I have a special mission for you. I want you to protect the girls as you go back to the Abbey. Will you do that for me?"
Willy felt pleased that he was asked to do this special task and readily agreed.
"I can send one of my warriors along with you to your Abbey as a goodwill gesture," Beesting offered. He also knew that will give them added protection as they journeyed back to their home.
Charity wasn't too pleased with the offer at first but she accepted. She didn't trust the cats as much as her brother did.
"Sunfur," Beesting meowed. "Will you accompany them back to their Abbey?"
She dipped her head to her deputy. "Yes, Beesting."
Whiteheart gave his mate a parting nuzzle on her neck. "Take care," he whispered in her ear. "I'll see you soon."
"I'll miss you," she replied as she returned a caress to his neck fur.
"Everything's been gathered. Let's go," Charity said. Kriss and Sarah each carried a basket and followed after Charity. Sunfur padded over to the mousemaid with Willy following after.
"I'm ready," Chad announced. "Let's go too."
Stonypath glared at Chad and Beesting. "You lead the way back to the river," the deputy meowed to Stonypath. The gray warrior simply waved his tail and was off. When he was out of ear shot Beesting motioned for Whiteheart to come over next to him. "Help me keep an eye on him," he meowed softy indicating Stonypath with a nod of his head. "I don't trust him around Chad." Whiteheart just nodded that he heard him and padded off to watch the gray warrior.
Chapter 7
Charity walked alongside Sunfur on the trip back to Redwall. "Isn't it difficult to go around on all fours?" the mousemaid asked.
"Not at all," Sunfur replied. "It's all I know how to do. In fact the only creatures I know of that don't walk on all four feet are twolegs, well except for just meeting you and your friends today."
"Twolegs?" Charity asked. "I've never heard of such creatures. What do they look like?"
"They're kind of hard to describe," Sunfur meowed. "They're completely furless except for the tops of their heads and they wear pelts similar to what you're wearing to hide their furless bodies. I haven't seen too many but you never see them without their pelts on."
"That indeed is strange," Charity remarked.
"But that's not all," Sunfur continued. "They do strange things too like ride around inside monsters on thunderpaths."
"Monsters? Thunderpaths?" Charity asked.
"Monsters are these sort of things........well they have these shinny hides....." Sunfur was having difficulty in describing these terrors to cats. "Thunderpaths are these really long narrow paths that are hard as a rock. The monsters growl constantly as they run up and down these paths. They make such a noise." She shook her head as recalled these hated things. "That's why they're called thunderpaths."
"Oh," Charity said thoughtfully, not quite understanding all that the she-cat told her. "I hope those things never come here."
"Me too," Sunfur meowed.
"Doan worry," Willy chimed in, "I'll whap 'em on dare noses if dey come here." He swung a new stick he found and decapitated a poor wildflower.
"Is that all he does, go around hitting beasts on their noses?" Sunfur asked.
"Actually, I think that's something new he learned today," Charity answered. "If he tried that back at the Abbey I'm sure he'd be punished for it."
Willy didn't hear her remark as he went to check on Kriss and Sarah. "How'er two doin'?" he asked. He was trying his best to be the little groups protector as Chad had asked him.
"I'm tired," Sarah complained.
"My feet are sore," Kriss said.
"Can we stop an' rest?" Sarah asked.
Charity heard what they were saying. "No, I'm sorry. We've got to get back to the Abbey. Remember what Skipper Marty said not stopping?"
"Pleeeease?" all three dibbuns asked in unison.
"They can ride on my back," Sunfur offered. "I wouldn't think that they're too heavy."
Before Charity could answer the dibbuns were clamoring to ride the cat. "Please? Please can we?" they were asking while tugging on Charity's tunic.
Looking at Sunfur, the mousemaid asked, "Are you sure it would alright with you? It wouldn't be a bother?"
"Of course not," Sunfur purred as she crouched down for the little ones to get on. This is the first time I got into the hunters crouch for prey to ride on my back, she thought with a chuckle. What would the cats back home think about this?
Charity took the empty baskets so that the dibbuns could hold on with both paws. Willy was the last one to climb upon Sunfur's back. She stood up slowly so that she wouldn't knock them off.
"Whee! Dis is fun!" little Sarah the shrewmaid squealed with delight.
"Trade places with me," Willy complained to Kriss. "Your tail's in my face." Kriss's big bushy red tail almost completely covered the mouse dibbun.
"Here, I'll help," Charity said as she lifted Kriss up and placed her behind Willy. "Everybeast set?"
"Ready!" the dibbuns chorused together.
Sunfur started to walk again.
"So tell me more about where you come from," Charity said as she strode beside the warrior she-cat.
"I can't really think of much more to tell," Sunfur meowed.
"Your leader said something about tribes of cats," the mousemaid prompted.
"Beesting's our deputy and we live in clans," the cat corrected her. "There were four clans of cats before we all left to look for food. We would sometimes fight with each other over territory."
"That sounds like a hard life," Charity commented. Off in the distance bells began to ring. "They must be ringing the bells to warn those who live outside the Abbey to come in for safety. That job usually belongs to Chad and me. We're the Abbey bell ringers."
"I wanna ring bells!" Sarah said.
"Maybe I'll take you with me sometime when I ring them," Charity said.
Just then a great red bird flew over. "I never saw a bird like that before. It looked like it came from the direction of the Abbey. Oh, I hope everybeast is safe," the mousemaid fretted. She of course knew nothing about the redkite visiting the Abbey to warn them of the impending wildcat invasion. Marty Swiftstream had left out that part when he told them of the danger that Redwall was in. Swiftflight had just left the Abbey and was on her way to Salamandastron to enlist their help for Redwall. After studying the maps in the gatehouse, she was fairly sure that she could find her way to the mountain home of Lord Oakstripe and his fighting hares.
It wasn't long after they saw the redkite fly over that the red stoned Abbey came to view. "Well there it is," Charity announced. "Redwall Abbey."
Sunfur stopped walking. "You live in a twoleg nest?" she asked. All her life she stayed away from those things unless they were abandoned.
"There are no twolegs here," Charity answered.
"I'm sorry," Sunfur meowed. "I'm so used to things the way I know them at home."
"Well, I can assure you that no creatures that you described to me live at the Abbey," Charity said. "I don't think that anyone there would put up with their growling monsters."
The dibbuns were excited to see their home again. "I 'ungry! Let's goa kichen," Willy said.
"Are you sure you aren't part hare?" Charity teased the mouse babe. She examined his ears as he still rode on Sunfur's back. "I think they're getting longer," she said seriously.
"Really?" Willy squeaked.
"Charry's jus' teasin'," Kriss said.
"You there! On the path! Proceed no further!" a voice boomed from the top of the wall. Several squirrel archers had their arrows trained on the little group.
Chapter 8
Chad walked beside Beesting on their journey back to the cat's camp. Stonypath was in the lead followed by Whiteheart who was keeping an eye on the gray warrior. They came to the place in the river where they had crossed earlier in the day.
"After we cross we should do some fishing for the clan," Beesting meowed. "We shouldn't come back empty pawed."
"We're not," Stonypath muttered as he cast a glance at Chad.
"What was that?" the deputy questioned him with a menacing tone in his voice.
"Nothing," Stonypath responded as he entered the river and started to swim across.
"Um, Beesting," Chad said hesitantly. "I can't swim."
"How did you think we got across when we told you we crossed the river this morning?" he asked.
"Uh, boats," the young mouse replied.
Beesting stared at him for a moment. "You mean twoleg water monsters? You'd never find a cat in one of those." He remembered how in Greenleaf the twolegs would speed up and down the river in their roaring water monsters. His clan would have to do their fishing in the smaller streams during that season.
Chad wanted to question him about that but he would