| Subject: Chapter 5 -- never been posted, but one of my favorite chapters! |
Author:
Dusklight
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 16:14:14 11/08/02 Fri
In reply to:
Dusklight
's message, "A Tear for Winter's Fury" on 18:35:17 11/06/02 Wed
Chapter 5
The hot afternoon sun beat down upon the travelers. Winter's Fury and Riffle Sleekback marched side by side down the woodland trail. Little Bit, walking in front, stopped periodically to pick stray flowers blossoming alongside the path.
Winter's Fury's mind was made up. All morning, he had questioned the otter about the abbey called Redwall. It seemed the perfect place. He was taking Little Bit there to live in peace and comfort. Of course, the fox had no intention of deserting the little hare; he would live there as her guardian. Winter's Fury allowed a rare smile to spread across his face. At last, his journey would come to an end.
"Hey matey, the heat o' day is almost 'ere. We better stop for lunch an' a rest." The otter let his haversack drop from his shoulder and sat down in a patch of shade. Winter's Fury joined him.
"Little Bit! Lunch!" The tiny hare sped over and leaped into the fox's arms.
"I's 'ungry, Winna, I's wanna scone."
"You may have a scone after you eat your salad." Winter's Fury set a vegetable salad before the little hare and started to eat his own.
The little hare found a stick and stood poking her salad from a safe distance.
The fox and the otter both finished their lunches quickly. "You stay 'ere, mate. I wanna scout ahead." The otter rose, picked up his new javelin, and started down the path.
Winter's Fury watched Little Bit prod her salad through half-lidded eyes. The warmth of the afternoon and the food in his stomach made his drowsy. He settled with his back against a tree and struggled to stay awake.
The sleeping fox was awakened by the point of a sabre pressed against his neck. "Nasty vermin, wot! Hey there, wake up you. Tell me where the rest of your gang's gone to."
The fox's evil-looking eyes snapped open. Surrounding him were six full grown and fully armed hares, their weapons drawn. Little Bit was nowhere in sight. The fox knew that he was in a dangerous situation.
"Not going to talk, eh? Jolly bad form. Bosbee, tie up this vermin scum, quick as ya like."
"Wot? But Colonel Campion, sah, I'll get this blighter talking so fast he won't know what he's saying."
"At ease, Juno. Well get him talking later. Right now we need t'get moving, other vermin chaps may be about, dontcha know."
A high pitch shriek filled the air, startling the hares. "WINNNNNNAAAAA FUUUUUUUUURY!" Little Bit sped into the camp right up to the nearest hare and whipped his leg hard with her stick.
"OWOWOWOW! What in the name of blood n' fur was that?" cried the poor hare hopping about on one leg. Little Bit quickly turned her attention to the hare tying up the fox. He was bent over tightening the knot binding Winter Fury's paws.
"YAAAAAAAAH!" The little hare charged and whacked the hare's rear hard with her stick.
"OW!" Bosbee stood straight up, rubbing his injured rump. "Blood n' fur n' vinegar!"
"Hey there. Look, Colonel, a leveret! Golly, she's really doing us in," commented another hare, watching the proceedings in amusement.
The Colonel gritted his teeth to keep from crying out from the pain of Little Bit's stick across his foot. "I can see that, missie. Perhaps you should jolly well try t'catch her."
As Little Bit swung her stick down on Colonel Campion's footpaw a second time, the female hare reached down and grabbed Little Bit tightly between both paws. Little Bit struggled and screamed, dropping her stick. "WIIIIINNNNNAAAA FUUUUUUURY!" She twisted her head around and bit hard into the hare's paw.
The hare dropped Little Bit with a cry of pain. "Jolly well lost her, sah!" she reported, nursing her injured paw.
Colonel Campion continued to pin Winter's Fury to the tree with the tip of his sabre. "Somebeast catch that leveret, wot!"
Little Bit, now weaponless, leaped and attached herself to the Colonel's leg. "You letta Winna go or I's gonna bite ya." With that, Little Bit dung her claws and teeth deep into the hare's leg.
"OWOWOW! Get her off me!" Juno pried Little Bit off the Colonel and held her by the back of her smock an arms length away. Little Bit hung there, struggling and growling.
"Gotcha!"
"You hurt her, hare, and I will hunt you down and kill you." All eyes turned on the captive fox with evil-looking eyes.
At that moment, Riffle Sleekback charged into camp. "MOSSFLOOOOOOOWWEEEEER!" The otter quickly dropped his javelin as he skidded to a halt before Bosbee. "It alright, they're hares."
"Well of course we're hares. What do we flippin well look like? Mice at a picnic?" mumbled Bosbee.
Riffle noted the situation in a glance. "You got the wrong fox. Winter's Fury 'ere be a decent sort o' fellow. Ain't bother'n nobeast, just raisin' his little hare."
Colonel Campion eyed the fox with distrust as he lowered his sabre and allowed the otter to release Winter's Fury from his bonds. "Er, sorry 'bout that, you look like a vermin chappy with those peepers n' all."
Winter's Fury looked at the Colonel without a word, and walked past him to the hare holding Little Bit. He took the harebabe in his arms and checked her for injuries.
The otter and the Colonel made the introductions.
"I'm Riffle Sleekback, n' this 'eres Winter's Fury n' his child Little Bit."
"I am Colonel Campion of the Long Patrol, wot. That's Lieutenant Bigbuck Slatepaw," the hare motioned to the biggest hare of the group, "and those rascals are Bosbee and Juno, recruits dontcha know. That fine beauty is Bluebell, call her Belle, wot, and that fellow over there is Duneskipp."
"Been a while since I've seen the Long Patrol this far into Mossflower. Whattaya up to, mate?"
The Colonel watched the fox handle the harebabe with unease. "Track'n a vermin army. 'Bout three hundred beasts headed up the path a couple of days ago. Don't know where they flippin well came from, but if they stay on the path they'll jolly well bump into Redwall Abbey. Yesterday, I sent out a runner to warn the abbeybeasts. We were just head'n to meet up with him when we bumped into this fox chap. Thought he was a deserter, wot."
"Seeing as we're heading to Redwall ourselves we best travel with youse."
"Righto, best stick together in these situations, wot." Responded the Colonel. "Get your things together. We'll meet Speedwell after sunset three miles from the Abbey. Keep your eyes peeled for any vermin along the way. Forward march! Left right, left right. Bosbee, that is your right paw, sah, not your left, try again. Left right, left right."
Eight creatures marched, and one skipped, down the forest trail toward Redwall Abbey, ignoring the heat of the late afternoon sun.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 
