Author:
Geminya and Kaylar of AA
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Date Posted: 01:29:50 09/18/07 Tue
As Oiltongue moved south, more communities fell under his paw, including the famed Abbey of Redwall. All who resisted him were slain and he ruled all of Mossflower Woods and Salamandastron.
Redwall had fallen as the otters and the champions had been called by the GOUSIM shrews for aid and where away when their home was captured. Salamandastron had fallen as there was no badger to rule at the present, only a group of hares. The creatures under his paw moaned as more slaves where added to his collection. Those who he wanted to keep an eye on where placed in the abbey, where he ruled from, leaving his general in charge of Salamandastron and other high ranking officers in charge of the other outposts.
Slackpaw was in charge of the former Hemlock Dray. Though the blood had long been washed away, the squirrels serving there could tell where the blood of their queen and her family had been spilled. Roseapple, a descendent of the queen worked dutifully under the eye of Slackpaw. Under her cover of maid, her anger smoldered and burned as it showed in her eyes. The other slaves were mostly too timid to think about rebelling, but Roseapple and a few friends met in the shadows each night and planned the day of their liberation. Roseapple was in one of the perfect spots for spying, Slackpaw’s maid. She could listen in on his conversations and relay information to the other two. Then Spearstream, an otter from Camp Willow, placed there because he was a low threat would try and mess up the armory, where he worked to make it harder than the normal difficulty to earn a new territory. Elmtree, a squirrel who grew up with her in the former dray of the Hemlocks was positioned in communications and could mess a few up if need be. The three were meeting in a shadowy corner of the slave dorm one night after the vermin had been particularly brutal.
“If there’s a way to escape, it’s here.” Roseapple pointed a paw towards a weakned branch in the floor of the room. “If we can tear these apart subtly, and patch these up so they’re unnoticeable, we can escape!” Elmtree raised a paw in caution. “Not so loud, you’ll alert the guards, or worse, wake the spies among us.” The last words were spoken in a ringing whisper and the escapees fell silent, working quietly and carefully at the escape hole.
Three nights later the hole was ready. Roseapple, Spearstream and Elmtree slipped quietly out of the hole wearing black traveling cloaks that Spearstream had pilfered from the armory and each had some sort of weapon. Spearstream had a sling and pebbles, Elmtree had a bow and arrows plus a dagger and Roseapple had the same equipment as her friend. As they traveled through Mossflower woods, the stopped by a massive oak to camp for a while and check their strategy. Sitting down in the hollow created by the roots, the trio was surprised to hear a voice call out, “Who’s there, are you friend or foe?” The voice was thin, but stronger than anyone they knew. “We’re two squirrel’s here, traveling with an otter to escape the paw of Oiltongue the Warlord. What about you, are you with him or against him?” Roseapple countered.
“I’m Caterina Swordsight, formerly of Redwall Abbey. I was the Abbey Warrior, at least until we fell under the paw of that scum. He locked me in the ruins of Brockhall to die alone. Have you come to give me aid?”
Roseapple stood up and looked at where she had previously been sitting and noticed something new, a small door set into the earth at the trees roots. Stepping up to it she worked at prizing the lock open. When she finally got it open, a thin mouse stepped forward. “Come in friends. It’s almost dawn and patrols will be sent out. I see you have a haversack of food apiece. We can breakfast and talk as the day carries on.”
Caterina showed them to the old kitchens, deep under the roots of Brockhall. Walking past the abandoned rooms, Roseapple was aware of the fact that this would be an ideal headquarters for the rebels. Sitting at the table eating a scanty breakfast of bead and cheese the foursome discussed their plans.
“We can use this place as headquarters, gather the rebels from all of the outposts and march upon Oiltongue and his horde.”
“How, we’d need to make sure that nobody could come to his aid and then storm Redwall.”
“We chase them out of Camp Willow, the Helmlock dray, and anywhere else in Mossflower. Then we lay siege so they can’t send messengers to Salamandastron. When we have Redwall we march on Salamandastron.”
“It won’t work, we don’t have enough forces…”
“Not know but later…”
“Stoppit! I have a plan. Can I talk without you bickering about something?” All of the fugitives turned to look at Roseapple, who began outlining her plan. “Now… Here’s what we must do….” All heads nodded in agreement with the young squirrelmaid’s audacious plan.
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