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Martina Songflower Reguba-Swiftflight
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Date Posted: 18:08:11 10/11/02 Fri
In reply to:
Martina Songflower Reguba-Swiftflight
's message, "*hyper squirrel actully calms down for once and lugs a big book over to the fireside and sits down.*" on 18:02:56 10/11/02 Fri
Chapter Two
“Y-yew tells ‘err. Yore a cap’n, its yore j-j-job to report to Q-q-queen Katanga an’ Milady Y-Yetaria. It ain’t m-m-my job, I’m o-o-only a c-common foot s-s-soldier.” The scared rat was trembling furiously.
A female ermine next to him growled irritably and replied in a peculiar accented voice. “Fleashail, you idiot. It ain’t like we ‘ave much choice ‘ere. Queen Katanga lets ‘err daughter choose the creature to tell ‘err the news. Okay wif you?” The ermine grinned unpleasantly. Long gone battles, fights and scuffles had left her face and body scarred; when she smiled unpleasantly, it was more like a grimace.
Fleatail the rat shivered – Lady Yetaria was more evil than her mother. “Y-y-yes sir, C-cap’n Brachia, o-o-okay wiv t-this rat ‘ere.”
“Mama?” A young male ermine tugged at Brachia’s tunic. “Mama, can I play inna woods with Bracken the stoat? I’ll be good and I’ll keep away from’s the river. I know otters live there, an’ they might hurt me.”
Brachia’s craggy face broke into a gentle smile. “Of course Midnight, and you must be careful.” Midnight the little ermine danced away happily, singing.
“We’ll be careful, we’ll be quick,
If trouble appears we’ll be gone in a tick!”
A hissing voice came from within the tent in front of them. “Come in, both of you. Tell me your newsss.”
Inside the tent it was dark, with just enough light to see a long, lean wildcat stretched out on a heap of soft cushions. The ermine Brachia stood up straight. “Oh mighty Queen Katanga, we bring tidings of woe to thy graceful ears. I am sorry to report that when we were asked to discover information about the squirl we failed.” Fleatail shook violently, his throat bobbing up and down as he gulped. He knew Katanga would not do anything to Brachia, she a son to look after. But him…
“What isss her name? You must have found that out at leassst.”
“We found that out. We heard it. The squirl’s name is Martina.”
The wildcat contemplated the sentence in her head. “Leave. I have sssent my daughter to do a better job of finding information.” When they had left Katanga murmured to herself. “Martina…Martina…where have I heard that name before…Martina…” She sat bolt upright. “Martin the moussse warrior!”
As the wildcat sat, staring at the side of the tent, a short, crooked pine marten slid through the tent door. Katanga looked up and saw her. “Ah, Pine, my trusssted ssservent. Tell me, do you know anything about a moussse warrior named Martin?” As she spoke the wildcat flexed her claws menacingly.
“Yes, o mighty Queen Katanga, I do. He lived a long long time ago, shortly after the time of your great great great great great great grandfather Ungatt Trunn.
His niece, Tsarmina, was queen of Mossflower. The goodbeasts fought against her, and won. A warrior mouse, Martin, killed her. Drove her into a lake after a terrible battle.
After that the goodbeasts built the Abbey of Redwall and Martin put down his sword. But carved into a secret place on the outside of the Abbeys outer walls, is a rhyme.
In distant future,
One day in time,
Goodbeasts will hark,
Their ears to my rhyme.
The creature to follow me,
Is nobeast’s son,
No mouse like myself,
Up trees they run.
Believe me this
When the time is near,
Beware of the daughters
Run in fear!”
The pine marten stood, awaiting her mistress’s reaction. Katanga frowned. “If it’sss nobeassst’s ssson, well, it’sss sssomebeastsss daughter. ‘Up treesss they run’, what doesss that mean?”
“My queen.” Pine cocked her head to one side. “It could be a squirrel. They can run up trees as if they were flat ground.”
The wildcat smiled. “Very good, Pine. Leave now, and take your ressst.” When the pine marten had taken her leave, Katanga smiled evilly. “That sssquirrelmaid won’t get in my way. My daughter will take care of that!”
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Chapter Two