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Mossyra of the II
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Date Posted: 23:58:37 09/14/07 Fri
Mossyra stared blankly at the dead bodies lying sprawled in the dust. So many dead and even more missing. She felt like there could be a hope if only the Tapestry was brought back. But for now she was content to sit and wonder how many had died for freedom.
A few hours later Mossyra's best friend, Swordling, and her brother, Jakken, came up with packs and staves.
"Come on, Mossyra," Swordling said, "It's time to hunt some vermin." Mossyra looked up and blinked. "You're going to find them?" Jakken grinned. "Nope. /We/ are going to get them. Come on!" Mossyra leapt up and sprinted toward the Abbey, calling over her shoulder, "Hang on, I have to get something." Swordling and Jakken exchanged puzzled glances, then shrugged almost in unison. "We'll find out soon enough," Swordling muttered, shifting her pack to a more comfortable position.
Mossyra snatched her healer's pouch and staff from a small corner and hurriedly filled a pack. On her way back out, she passed Tangle and called, "Tangle, we're going after the vermin!" Tangle stared after the retreating squirrelmaid and muttered, "Why would you go after the vermin? They already killed enough in my opinion."
Soon, three figures were vanishing into Mossflower on the trail of a remnant vermin horde. They knew other Redwallers were scattered through the forest and they were ready to collect as many as possible to destroy the vermin forever.
Raiden stumbled and dropped a small bit of cloth on the ground before regaining his feet and quickly catching up with Samkin.
"It's planted," he murmured. "Tell me when I should put the next part of the trail down." Samkin nodded absently, his eyes half closed in concentration. "Maybe we should try to gather a few weapons," Samkin muttered. I only have a few daggers on me. Swords last, I should think, along with bows and arrows. Those are hardest to hide." Raiden's face fell. "Then how am I supposed to kill vermin," the mouse demanded. "I can't do more than three without some kind of weapon and I don't know where I could hide daggers. Certainly not on my person." Samkin shrugged. "If something comes up where you can carry a sword and not be noticed, I'll personally steal your sword for you." Raiden sighed, missing the comfortable weight of his sword by his side, and mentally promised himself that he would fight until every last vermin in the encampment was dead.
Mossyra and Swordling stayed stock-still in the undergrowth as Jakken silently slipped ahead. Somebeast was crashing through the trees and they needed to know if it was friend or foe. Mossyra noted that the wind had died completely. Birds were silent and insects made no sound. The forest was deathly still and totally silent except for the cracking of twigs and the snapping of branches. Without warning a wordless shout came from ahead, followed by a large crack and total silence. Swordling and Mossyra jumped forward with no hesitation, moving effortlessly through the forest where the sound had last come from, eyes alert for any movement.
Lissi muttered under her breath as she nearly fell and pulled at the ropes binding her paws. They made it hard to stay in balance; Samkin, Raiden and the rest appeared to have no trouble, even if Raiden did stumble from time to time. She let her rudder crack a branch and smiled inwardly. The vermin were careful enough not to leave a trail now, but she was leaving less noticeable signs that beasts had passed this way. Added to the pawprints and scraped mud that were occasionally missed by the pair of ferrets covering up the backtrail, a multitude of broken sticks, bruised leaves, trampled plants, and scraped trees showed anyone with half an eye that a great horde had passed through. She chuckled quietly to herself as a stoat blundered straight into a low branch. Soon they would escape or be rescued, and when that time came the vermin would be sorry they had ever heard of Redwall.
Swordling and Mossyra burst into a small clearing and were confronted with an odd scene. Three weasels, obviously just killed, were scattered across the empty space while a badger and Jakken watched one another suspiciously, each waiting for the other to move first. When the squirrel and mousemaid arrived, the hare and badger turned to face them. Swordling instantly recognized the badger.
"Tinsy," she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" Tinsy Stormsight blinked in surprise and replied, "I'm searching out the remaining vermin and helping any lost survivors. What are you doing here?" Swordling shrugged. "Nothin' much. Just searching out several hundred vermin to single-handedly kill every one and rescue a few captives. Want to join us." Tinsy nodded thoughtfully. "I guess you could use some help. I mean, at least seven are needed to take down that many and every little bit helps." For a moment the four companions stared at each other. Then they burst out laughing.
Lettuceleaf's ear twitched slightly as they picked up the sound of hearty laughter. Ready to fight, he slipped as silently as a shadow toward the sound despite a slight limp. Fiddling with his blowpipe, he readied a thorn and peaked around a tree. And blinked in surprise.
A squirrel, a mouse, a hare, and a badger stood laughing in a small clearing, obviously very amused. They didn't notice him at first, but soon he saw the squirrel glancing in his direction. A moment longer and he recognized them.
"Hello," he said cheerfully, steeping out from behind the oak. "You seem very amused about something. May I ask what?" Mossyra and Jakken merely nodded at him, but Swordling and Tinsy were truly taken aback. The mousemaid had her sword out before she even saw him and Tinsy tensed as if to jump the moment she heard his voice. Then she realized who it was and grinned sheepishly. "Hello, Lettuceleaf," Mossyra began, and finally noticed his injuries. "You're hurt," she cried, reaching for her healer's bag. "It's nothing," he muttered, "Just a bit of bad luck." The look she gave him could have cracked stone. "If you continue much longer you'll pass out or die," she growled, "Now hold still so I can bind them enough to travel with. Especially that cut on your head." Swordling chuckled. "You'd best listen to my Mossy. She's got her warrior spirit aroused."
Raiden smiled as he carefully wrapped a piece of cloth around his waist. He had finally thought of a place to keep his sword and Samkin had kept his word; a few minutes past midnight he handed the fieldmouse his wooden weapon and told him to hide it. Now he was ready to march and happier than before.
He quickly dropped a piece of cloth on the ground before moving forward, just as he and Samkin had planned it; one every morning, one every night, and five other times in between. It was quite effective as the vermin didn't seem to notice, but everybeast was starting to get impatient. They wanted to escape and they wanted to do it now. But Lissi cautioned them to wait, saying they had a better chance deeper in the forest. Raiden feared soon one of the captives would escape on their own and put the rest in mortal danger. Of course, they were too smart for that, but you could never tell. And even Lissi was tempted to start killing vermin right then and there, though none would admit it openly. Everything was failing. Just as well it was all according to Samkin's complex plan, else they might have been lost long ago. He had his doubts about one of the prisoners, a young stoat that claimed to be good. He had been captured long before the horde came to Redwall, and Raiden suspected he was too frightened to try and escape. He might betray them, given the chance, but they were having trouble hiding what they were doing from him. Sooner or later, he would suspect, and when that day came it might be only a matter of time before the vermin learned of their plan. Could they trust the young stoat or was he a traitor, ready to do anything to please his captors? It was a matter of friend or foe, and they couldn't afford to have a foe.
Mossyra poured measured amounts of herbs into the cup, then stirred it with a twig and passed it to Lettuceleaf. "Here," she said calmly, "Drink this. It's gentian root and motherwort cordial. It will help ease the pain." After he had downed the drink, she added, "And it'll make you sleep." The hare choked on the last mouthful and stared at her disbelievingly. "What!? You tricked me!" Mossyra smiled. "Yes, I did. We all need some rest, you most of all." Without warning she turned to her smiling companions. "Come on, get some of those physics into you! We need to be ready to march and that cordial will help." As they drank, Swordling asked, "Mossy, what's in it?" She took another sip. "Why, gentian root and motherwort, of course. What else?" They all spluttered on their drinks and Mossyra grinned. "I'll take first watch until you wake up, if no one objects. Good night."
Raiden frowned at the body before padding back to the others. The stoat had been traitor after all, but they were escaping now. He hadn't been much of a fighter, either.
As he passed Lissi, she nodded at him, indicating that the way was clear. It would swift and decisive, then. Twilight darkened the woods and vermin already snored by their fires. Any minute now.
Lissi nodded at the fieldmouse as he passed her, then watched the trees for Samkin's approach. His coming would signify that the sentries were asleep forever. After all, no one could alert the others that their prisoners were escaping. Any minute now.
Mossyra and her rather angry, if well rested, friends snuck up on the vermin camp at about the same time Raiden was disposing of the stoat spy. Unfortunately, Tinsy, with her badger bulk, snapped a twig. Just a twig, but it alerted the entire camp of their presence.
Samkin silently slipped his dagger free of the ferrets heart and listened intently. A twig snapped. He gasped and turned to scramble up the nearby tree, but it was too late. A heavy paw grabbed him and jerked him backwards. His head connected with a low branch and darkness came.
Tinsy stared guiltily at the limp squirrel in her paw. "Oops. Sorry, Mossyra. I didn't realize I was that strong." Mossyra grinned as she bound the minor wound on Samkin's head. "That's okay. It's more of a bump anyway, so he'll be fine. Well, he might have headache, but that doesn't count for much." Lettuceleaf appeared from the darkness carrying a small dart. "I found this over there aways, wot. Seems to be a dead weasel over there too, but he's so swelled I can't be certain." Mossyra took the dart by its plumage and studied it carefully. Without warning, she laughed. "Why, it's one of the poison darts Samkin makes. I don't know where he got the idea, but he puts snake venom in it. Very effective. By the way, did you taste it or anything like that? 'Cause if you did, you're dead." The hare shook his head. "No, but I heard a sharp cry from over thataway," he gestured toward where he had come from, "and found a dead stoat. I'm taking a wild guess and saying Raiden got him. Bet you twelve CCs they're escaping tonight." Mossyra grimaced. "I hope not. Otherwise, we're in trouble."
Meanwhile, a vermin scout hurried back to camp to deliver his news, unaware of the eyes following him as he vanished into the darkness. A dark form slithered out of the tall grass after him, making no sound at all as it hunted.
"Deathssssss shall come thissssss night!"
The scout never made it back to camp. He had almost reached it when he felt a light jab in his footpaw. Surprise lasted only a moment, then the venom did its work. He fell heavily, but made no sound as he crashed to the leafy ground. His sword, however, flung forward as he toppled and slashed through a tent. The occupants woke up and hurried outside in time to see three dark figures on the opposite side of the camp springing away. Unaware of their dead companion behind them, they ran after the escapers, yelling and shouting as they charged blindly through the camp.
Raiden grunted in surprise when the slingstone hit him and fell hard, stunned. Lettuceleaf, trailing just behind the mouse, saw him fall and rushed over.
"Come on, Raiden, just a bit farther," he growled as he dragged his friend behind him, attempting to hurry. The frontrunners of the vermin had come close by then, though, and he dropped the semi-conscious mouse, grabbing Raiden's sword as he fell and ducking into the undergrowth.
The first vermin to arrive, a weasel, felt a light sting as the poisoned dart embedded itself into his neck, no more. Lettuceleaf stepped out of hiding just in time to meet the next three vermin, a fox and two rats. Realizing it was too late to use his blowpipe, the crafty hare swung Raiden's sword clumsily, trying to hit the fox in the stomach.
But the fox was experienced in the art of swordplay and easily dodged the awkward blow. Seeing an opening, he stepped forward and swung his sword hilt, almost lazily.
Thunk!
Crack!
A deadly dart caught him in the shoulder, instantly killing him, but his attack landed and Lettuceleaf was knocked unconscious, The blowpipe falling from his lips as he tumbled to the ground.
The two rats, undecided on what to do, leapt into action as a ferret came running up and ordered, "Take these two back to camp while we look to the rest! Hurry!"
Unblinking eyes watched from the shifting shadows of the forest, waiting for a chance to get at the dead vermin.
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