The others

[Dartpaw]

The others part 1


Tubby the dibbun, and his older brother Gauw were both squirrels living happily in Redwall.
Gauw was coming of age to become a possible candidate for the new abbot.
He was sixteen seasons and was very mature. He would never hurt another living being despite being called shovy when he was a dibbun always pushing others and stomping on their feet.
(He would never tell that to Tubby)
He was sitting on a bench in the orchard thinking to himself.
He did that a lot just sit and think about everything going on. The fact there was a war happening and woodlanders were disappearing from all over the woods.
‘It’s the Sable Quean fiasco all over again’ he muttered to himself. ‘Except its adults this time, maybe they’re running away? Could the enemy be that powerful that woodlanders are so afraid of a vermin army that they are just packing up and moving?’
He stood up and walked over to where a young female squirrel was sitting in the flowers.
‘Celeste, remember when I said I’d do anything to become Abbot?’
His girlfriend smiled at him. ‘You wanted to be abbot your whole life even when you were a dibbun; you wanted to be one just to send the adults to bed early, then you learned responsibility and maturity but you never lost that want of authority. You’ll make a great Abbot’
‘I was a brat!’
‘All Redwallers are mischievous when they’re little, take skipper Tooka’
‘Skipper Tooka!? He has no emotions… tough as steel! And you’ve seen his tattoos he’s a guy that breaths no nonsense.’
Celeste giggled. ‘Don’t tell him I told you but his dibbun name was droopy because he would cry over every little thing. And when he wasn’t upset about something he would run around kissing all the other dibbuns until none of them wanted to play anymore which made him cry even more.’
Gauw grinned. ‘I guess he ran out of emotions’
The twin bells chimed a ring of sorrow. The Abbot had died.
Redwallers wept, but sister Nooky sister of Tooka wanted to take Gauw to see the abbot resting eternally.
‘I don’t want to see him like that.’
‘Not just the abbot, I have something I want to share with you'
She took him into his room.
‘The abbot said that Martin came into his dreams a few nights ago and told him to write down the name of the new abbot.’
She held a piece of paper. ‘The Abbot said not to read it until he passes and guess who’s name is on it?’
‘Mine?’
She crumpled up the paper, tossed it behind her and whacked it with her tail into the garbage.
‘Obvious enough, he said he had dreamt of really frightening creatures he never set eyes on before… they were strange, one looked kind of like a half badger half squirrel… I don’t know what he saw.’
A voice spoke through Gauw all of a sudden.
‘What did it smell like?... Why did I just say that?’
‘The smell? He never said, maybe they’re stinky animals I don’t know but we’ll never know. He also said DO NOT go up on the ramparts before noon or you’ll be in big trouble. We do not want to lose our new abbot so soon.’
‘I will not if the abbot dreamt that moral.’
Gauw sat back on the bench as he was given his new abbot ranked habit.
No-one knew he was abbot yet and they were going to officially tell everybeast this during lunch.
Celeste was sitting on the ramparts cheering.
‘Gauw!! Look at this!!! All these vermin at the gates are running away, they lost!!! We WON!!!’
‘Celestial Redbranch!!! Get down from there you’ll get struck by an arrow!!!’
‘No, and why should I? They’re gone…’
‘I am responsible for you now!! If you fell and got hurt! Or got attacked!!!’
Tubby ran up and watched with her.
Gauw went back to thinking, he had a high IQ though he didn’t brag he just acted like a regular abbey dweller.
Suddenly he heard a shriek.
He looked up and a rat was on the ramparts with a knife to Celeste’s throat.
‘Like my little diversion missy? I heard you cheering for you little abbey, which will be bigger. My rats will take over, expand it making it larger, taller, and fill it with deathtraps for any attacking woodlanders wanting it back, or just to throw captives in.’
Gauw ran up out of impulse and punched the rat in the face.
He dropped the knife and stumbled, falling backwards over the wall.
The ladder he climbed up while the others were running off as a diversion had ten rats climbing up it. But Gauw pushed it over feeling proud of himself for single-handedly killing the evil vermin leader ‘Take that!! From the New Abbot himself!!!’ then realizing: He murdered somebeast… many of them.
He wept but realized he was on the ramparts, he ran down but a lanky rat had thrown a rope catching the end of the rampart climbing up quickly and immediately dropped some leaves which gave off a stink.
‘Our leader is dead… we have no morale left but we can still make a fortune with you.’
The two fell unconscious and Tubby had run down to tell the others what happened.
The rat climbed down the rope carrying the two.
Within a day they were on a boat to who knows where…

That night Gauw came to with a large headache in a locked cabin chained to the walls with Celeste chained to the wall on his left.
‘WHERE AM I!!!’ he screamed.
‘No use…’ Celeste said tiredly. ‘I was screaming for the last hour, but we’re on a ship who knows if there are even any other creatures on it.’
Around exactly midnight the door opened and a cloaked figure came in.
‘Little prince, how do you fare?’
‘I’m not a prince, I’m an Abbot even though I didn’t get my ceremony yet.’
‘Did I want your life story’ he said coldly. ‘I would rather eat your remains but for now we are taking you to unknown island.’
‘Where is that? I never read any records.’
The figure laughed. ‘You never get anywhere with reading, killing is the way of life. And unknown island is unknown to most in the world. If any woodlanders were to search for you they’d never find you and this island is very large in the most remote place in the ocean. Not even fish go near the evil and it’s where my species comes from.’
‘Y…your species?’
The figure pulled off his cloak. He was grey with large pointed ears, black markings on his face resembling a mask and a large tail with ring markings.
‘Never seen one like me before have you little one?’
‘No. What are you?’
‘Our race is called by others as the “Night Thieves” but the regular term is Raccoon.’
‘Rac…coon?’ repeated Celeste groggily.
‘Good you can talk, but even more good you will die. We don’t need you miss. I will personally eat you when we get to the island. But don’t get me wrong I am not a monster I have honor.’
Gauw was literally shrieking at him. ‘YOU HAVE NO HONOR!!!! EVEN AMONG THIEVES!!!! YOU ARE A PSYCHOTIC CANNIBAL!!!!’
The raccoon held a claw under Gauw’s chin. ‘You’d better hold your tongue unless you’d rather me do it after I RIP IT OUT OF YOUR MISERABLE LITTLE EXCUSE FOR A MOUTH!!!’ and with a sinister grin he left.
Celeste was scared.
‘I…. I…. n….never saw anything like him before.’
Gauw tried to stay calm. ‘I heard about monitor lizards on an island far away never being in mossflower before a certain point so it makes sense there would be more mysterious races all over. But I wonder… this raccoon is he the only unique race on that island or are there more?’
The raccoon’s voice could be heard from the other side of the door saying.
‘I would shut up if I were you unless you want to wake up dead.’
Celeste shuddered and cried.
Gauw said nothing, he could do nothing being chained there. But what awaited him on this island or why they were even taking him there was a mystery.
He gritted his teeth angrily muttering to himself though he didn’t even realize what he was saying as if in a daze. ‘I will kill you ringtail, if not for the two of us then just Celeste. I have warrior blood, in the name of my Reguba origins you will die and I will make sure Redwall is safe from everything!’
He was confused of what he said. (Wait… I’m a Reguba? Did I say that? That family was extinct for dozens of generations.)
But he wasn’t going back on his vow whether he was saying it or not. Maybe he could be a warrior. Couldn’t hurt since he had no choice.

[Dartpaw]

PART 2

The cannibalistic Raccoon lounged in the captain’s cabin with his feet on a grog table.
A ferret was lounging with him this ferret was his best friend.
They both hated the Captain.
‘I tell yeah Mate when we get back to the island I am having a special dinner with me wife want to join me?’ asked the Ferret.
The raccoon laughed evilly.
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘Your wife is ugly and I’ve tried her food before it’s garbage’
The ferret frowned. ‘You always insult me you know that?’
The raccoon whose named was Darkring Furburn clapped him on the back.
‘I’m just teasing, even though I prefer raw meat. You are in the let’s say… lower class of vermin.’
‘What?’ The ferret whose name was Sternhide glared at him. ‘Are you calling me inferior?’
‘I mean… being a real vermin you need to get rid of this thing called love. All that matters is killing. I could kill you, I think about it every day. You are too lenient with the slaves, you don’t be nice you have to let them suffer… feel true pain beyond anything. So they’re hungry? So what? If they die we eat so it’s better for us’
Sternhide was getting scared. ‘But I’m not a cannibal, I don’t eat our own kind.’
Darkring stared at the ceiling.
‘Do you know of any vegetables or fruit growing on the island?’
‘Ye…yes… there are lots.’
‘That’s because outsiders planted them, before you rats and ferrets, weasels and foxes came it was just eat each-other to survive. It started with the old… but we got greedy and it’s been in our blood ever since. I can’t adjust to fruit or vegetables I need fresh meat.’
Sternhide ran out of the cabin and bumped into the captain.
‘Captain! Sorry I was just.’
The weasel captain Bloodsaw glared at him. ‘Were you conversing with the raccoon again Sternhide?’
‘Yes, he’s my friend’
‘You are the only one he actually talks to. I can’t get a word out of him I think he fancies you as a snack.’
‘I saved his life back at the canyon two months ago.’
The captain lowered his head. ‘All he cares about is eating, most of them are like that. Why do you think the island is so corrupt? Most regular vermin are terrified of living there with the horrible bad luck that raccoons are only awake when most of us are asleep but the queen forbids anyone from deserting her.’
Sternhide shuddered. ‘I…don’t want to live there anymore… all those weird creatures the raccoons, skunks, minks, and others are psychotic!!!’
‘Did you call me psychotic?’ said a low voice from behind him.
Sternhide turned around shivering.
‘I didn’t mean you!’
‘You are a traitor and to think you were my friend… oh well.' The raccoon ran the ferret through and smiled to the captain.
He picked up the slain rat heading to his own cabin.
‘Wake me when we get back to the island, and he was right.'
Gauw heard that having happened right outside the cabin door.
He was afraid to even breathe.
Celeste was crying but he couldn’t comfort her, if he said anything the raccoon would be back in and possibly kill them.
‘I’ve… hic… never been so scared in my life!!’
He gave her an “Everything will be okay” smile. But it didn’t seem to do the trick.
‘Gauw, I don’t want him to eat me he’d be the last creature if I had a choice.’
He summoned up his courage and soothed her. ‘We’ll be fine, just a few minutes ago I got a message from Martin saying somebeast is on the ship that may help us. Just calm down and relax.’
He had gotten no such message but that’s all he could do to comfort her. False hope.
They both soon fell asleep and he had a dream.
A voice was saying.

‘Young ruler who rests tied in chains,
Bound to live the path that’s lain,
He doesn’t know what happens soon,
A boat, a sea, a golden moon,
A savage living on the ship,
A hard and cold and dangerous trip,
A hero will come on the way,
Just do what you can do that’s all I can say.’

He was in a fog in some sort of swamp in his dream and could see somebeast standing in the mist.
‘Martin? Where are you?’
He followed the figure through the fog but couldn’t keep up.
‘Martin? I know it’s you! Why aren’t you saying anything?’
Gauw froze. He was in a vermin cemetary. A sign said. ‘Darkmarsh Gravesite.’
He walked through and saw tombstones of warlords like Cluny the Scourge, Gabool the Wild, Slagar the Cruel as well as every warlord he could remember reading about in the abbey records.
He saw a tombstone with no writing on it.
‘Whose is this?’
Martin who was standing beside him said nothing.
Words appeared on it. ‘Yet to be filled, yet to be slain, one who causes so much pain, the one who rules all of the hate, a hero is yet to seal h__ fate.’
Guaw asked Martin nervously. ‘Is this the tombstone for the raccoon?’
He shook his head.
‘If it’s not his then… wait this is a warlord cemetery. He’s not a ruler just a minion. Who is the ruler?’
Martin stared at the grave not saying anything.
‘Come on you’re Martin you’re supposed to help me!’
Martin patted him on the shoulder and a wave of pure bliss entered him.
The mouse was smiling upon him and said once again.
‘Just do what you can do that’s all I can say.’
He woke up realizing that the grave was for a she, the vermin had mentioned a Queen earlier. That must be who the grave would be for.
Celeste was awake.
‘Hey Gauw it’s morning. Meet Tuck.’
A teenage otter was chained to the wall pulling furiously.
He was spitting with rage.
‘Those sick disgusting creatures!!!! I’ll kill them!! I’ll kill all of them!!!’
‘What happened?’ Guaw asked.
‘I was on my boat with my pa and grandpa. We was fishing like always off of our personal island we was. It was a beautiful island. Bounds of fruit, fresh water, the tastiest crabs you could imagine even lobster!
(Neither of them had heard of lobster)
But that Raccoon and his Wolf buddy overtook our boat and tied me up. They said I was to be taken as a slave for some queen while they… *gulp* eat my family.’
Celeste asked immediately. ‘Wolf?’
‘Yeah, big tall muscular brute. Looks like the most monstrous creature I’ve ever seen in my life. I swear on my Momma’s grave. He had sharp long fangs, piercing yellow eyes, and pointed ears. You’ll probably see him later but I hope you don’t because that means I’ll have to.’
Celeste whimpered now knowing what to expect.
‘Were there any other… things? With him that we should know about?’ Guaw asked.
‘Just him, a raccoon who was bordering insanity and several rats they introduced themselves by species only saying. “That’s all you need to know of us” they captured me at night the raccoon saying to the wolf he was nocturnal. Which means he’s asleep right now and will be all day so we don’t have to worry about him scaring us but for the wolf I don’t know.’
At this point the wolf whose name was Derno Longclaw strolled his cabin in his own thoughts when somebeast knocked on the door.
‘Come in.’ He said politely.
A young weasel and an older rat came carrying the older otters tied up.
‘Your choice of what to do with them sir’
Derno looked them over. ‘Hmm… they seem fit but too old to work as slaves. The kid’s father might be strong enough but I don’t know.’
Tuck's father yelled hoarsely ‘So yer goin’ to kill me ain’t ya!? I knew it! I’ll fight you to the death. If I’m going to die I should die in style!’
The wolf brushed him away with his paw. ‘No, it’s suicide. You may die honorably but also pointlessly. I tend to keep my prisoners as… how can I put it? Not die until their time and the stars tell me it is not your time.’
The more elderly otter blinked. ‘You can read the stars?’
The wolf stared out a window into the sea, an eel swam by.
‘By feeling the stars I can feel the future and yours is not ready to end yet. That’s all I know. Darkring the raccoon brute you know already sees killing and eating his victims as an enjoyable hobby. I do no such thing. My species has lived on our island as long as they but though we were cannibals we only ate what we needed. The old and sick nothing more. Since the beginning we were the civilized ones while they were savages who always murdered and ate each-other at the drop of a tail. At first they had no language but we trained them. To work, talk, write. They still didn’t get it and most of them are still illiterate. You can’t take the savage out of them, we are a more dignified respectable form of cannibal.'
Tuck's father wanted to say there is no such thing as a respectable cannibal but he just whimpered. ‘What are you going to do with us?’
‘I will make you three fisher-otters for our island. You have the skills. I mean if you’re a slave you might as well do what you have been doing your whole life. And you enjoy doing it so at least it won’t be that bad.’
Tuck’s grandfather smiled at him in an odd way. ‘You don’t seem to be that bad a creature.’
The wolf sighed. ‘I am only doing what my queen tells me to do. Nothing more.’
He dismissed them.
The two otters were thrown in with the kids.
‘In a few days we will arrive at our island.’ Said a rat through the door. ‘Just so you know.’
Gauw shuddered.
They all did.

[Core]

Interesting... The raccoons must be from REAL far away, as they're not native to the British isles. It'll be interesting to see what happens next!

[Dartpaw]

The others part 3

A hour had passed and Tuck was literally screaming.
‘I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you vermin scum!!’
Celeste and his father tried to calm him down.
‘It’s okay Son, we won’t be eaten we will be given jobs as fisher otters, we’ll just be fishing until somebeast rescues us.’
‘WHAT’S THE POINT OF FISHING IF WE AREN’T FREE?’
His grandfather snorted. ‘Being able to live?’
Tuck leaned against the wall sobbing shaking his chains violently.
Gauw noticed something. ‘You have a tattoo on your right arm.’
Tuck glanced at it. ‘Yeah, our family had been sailors for generations. We all have the same tattoo’
His father and grandfather showed their arms and a tattoo of a fish was branded on them.
‘This is to prove which clan we’re from. We used to live on the mainland but a storm washed us on the island we lived on. We were happy there we had everything we needed. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO TAKE US!? UGH… I’m getting seasick.’
The captain came in hearing Tuck yelling.
‘Glere’ He said to a rat next to him. ‘Drug them.’
‘What?’
Derno looked stern. ‘Use Nasha leaves, keep them unconscious for the next few days until we get to the island. We don’t need to listen to this din for the next few days. Wailing and screaming? Undignified.’
The rat ran and got some Nasha leaves burning them in a pot in the middle of the cabin.
‘Okay, youse this’ll put yer to nap time until it burns out. We’ll keep adding leaves to it every day until we gets to our island.’
Gauw agreed. ‘I guess if we’re asleep we don’t have to worry about the raccoon scaring us.’
‘Or eatin’ you’ The rat laughed. ‘You’ll probably be eatin’ tonight and not knows it.’
They all soon fell into a deep sleep.
When Gauw woke up they could hear hundreds of pawsteps all over the deck.
‘ASHORE!!! UNKNOWN ISLAND AHEAD!!!’
The five captives were taken and bound completely within a hour.
Gauw and Celeste saw the wolf again talking to Glere.
‘Glere my friend what did the guards say?’
‘Well me captain, I went ashore as soon as we hit the dock and Nuno said the Queen will speak with only the abbey dwellers. She liked yer idea of the otters as fisherbeasts. But we need ter take the sqiggles to her now.’
‘It’s pronounced Squirrels’ The captain corrected him.
‘I know yer be smart captain but…’
‘I am.’ Derno replied. ‘We are the most civilized beasts on the island, why a mink rules us I don’t know, wolves used to rule the entire place. It’s sickening that her of unpure blood is a ruler.’
‘She slayed yer father but raised you shouldn’t you ‘ave more respect for her?’
Derno slayed him on the spot. ‘I will never respect her and don’t talk back to me.’
The five captives were taken down the docks. Houses were all over as were taverns, shops, even a bakery.
‘They seem to be civilized enough.’ Said Gauw. ‘Why do they need a bakery I thought they were cannibals?’
Darkring the raccoon smacked him on the head. ‘We ain’t all cannibals. Only the ones that want to be. The ones that crave meat… crave murder… the better of us.’ He grinned.
For half a hour they trekked through a complex cave system near the village and ended up meeting two skunk guards who glared at the captives menacingly.
‘What are they?’ The one skunk asked.
Her partner chuckled. ‘Slaves I bet, all the others are dead so why not?’
Cynthia yelled at them. ‘We are not slaves! We are abbeydwellers and whatever you are Mr. Badgersquirrel are going to die at the paws of hundreds of Redwallers coming to rescue us!’
The male skunk prodded his spear at her throat. ‘Shut up missy. We don’t need you disturbing the queen.’
‘Is she asleep?’ The main guard escorting the captives asked.
‘No. She just hates the sound of youth and beauty which this female has much of.’
They entered a large room, the walls were made of pure silver and on a red and silver throne was the queen.
‘Hello. What are you?’ The queen asked. She was a mink middle aged and had many piercings along her ears.
‘We are squirrels.’ Said Gauw.
‘I see.’ The queen mused. ‘My name is Empress Alexa I rule this island it’s a very big location. You will like it here.’
‘I beg to differ!’ Celeste screamed at her.
The queen scowled. ‘YOU WILL like it here, because you’ll be living here for the rest of your lives. I forbade Darkring from eating you so you can thank me for that but I am a respectable monarch and can be reasonable. Why are you here?’
Nobeast had a response.
‘That’s what we’d like to know!’ Guaw groaned.
The queen stood up and patted him on the head. ‘They told me you come from a place called Redwall. What is that?’
To avoid a possible attack from these creatures he refused to talk.
‘I see young squirrel, you are protective of your home. You think I’m going to take it over? Why would I? I already live in the lap of luxury ruling an army and an entire large island, your whatever it is is of no interest to me.’
‘Good because you’re not getting it!’ Celeste yelled at her.
Gauw boldly commanded her. ‘I am the Abbot of Redwall and I demand with my authority that you let us go. If you have no reason to keep us here then can we go back home?’
She looked him over. ‘A little young to be a leader aren’t you? Well, I was only fifteen seasons when I slayed the wolf leader and conquered this island. They never saw it coming. But one thing. ‘THIS IS MY ISLAND YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY HERE!!! YOU BELONG TO ME!!! I COMMAND YOU!!!!’
She waved her paw. ‘I want to spend a few hours with this leader to talk things out. Take the female with the other slaves and take the other creatures you mentioned earlier to the fishing docks where they will live under surveillance.’
Celeste would at least meet others in the same predicament and laughed. ‘I won’t worry Guaw, you’ll free me and the other slaves I’m sure of it!’
The Queen laughed harshly. ‘Other slaves freed? Honey… they died seasons ago. There’s nothing but skeletons in there. Enjoy.’
Celeste Shrieked in shock and was screaming as they started taking her away.
But Guaw immediately intervened. ‘I won’t say a word to you until you give her a private non gruesome cell! Or at least one with a living creature in it!’
She waved her paw. ‘You have no command over me but I’ll allow it we need to do some cleaning. Gratt, Loogo empty out the cells.’
The two rats obeyed and went to get rid of the dead slaves.
Queen Alexa took Gauw to her royal chambers.
Celeste was taken to a now empty cell in the dark dungeon under the island.
She was given a mattress and blanket and a piece of bread with some water.
‘ ‘ere missy. Eat up, the queen will think of a job fer you to do while yer ‘ere.’
Celeste shuddered. She could still smell the stench of death in her cell.

Derno the wolf was sitting in his reserved seat in the exclusive area of the tavern. Away from the rabble. It was on the second floor with a window overlooking the sea. Sometimes he would drink on the balcony but he preferred to stay inside this time.
A weasel came giving him a cup of his favourite tea.
‘Thank you madam.’ He said giving her a gold coin.
He sipped it slowly listening to the vermin singing sea shanty downstairs.
‘Disgusting filth… how many curse words can they have in that song?’
He never drank the taverns ale. He only drank tea and water thinking it more dignified.
The weasel waitress came back up with an orange tart.
‘Thank you again, may I have come cream for my tea?’
She went back downstairs muttering, she would come up every five minutes to see if he needed anything else which annoyed him. They were always out of cream so it would take her a while. Just enough time for him to think.
‘That squirrel… he is so young but ruled an empire they say. I was only five seasons when my father was slain. Now he could command respect, control the riffraff of this island… he almost completely converted the savages until that mink came with even more savages. Nineteen seasons later and psychotic monsters like Darkring are running around. Before they only killed mindlessly but now they have brains to go with their murdering satisfaction. A deadly combination.’
The weasel came back up. ‘Master, we are out of cream.’
‘Good, leave me be and tell them to keep the singing low.’
He fell asleep.

Gauw was in the quarters of the Queen. ‘Sit in that chair!’ She ordered.
He did.
‘Mr. Squirrel, you are a ruler I am a ruler. My family were conquerors for generations.’
Gauw interrupted. ‘I am no conqueror I rule what I gained honorably. I never take or kill.’
The queen smiled. ‘I know. You have this thing called honor. Disgusting stuff, I want to talk ruler to ruler.’
Gauw groaned but hopefully he could convince her to free his friends.
‘If you let me go the abbey can help your people with whatever they need. An alliance, as long as you don’t harm us.’
‘No. I don’t want your cutesy woodlander help. And I am not allying with otters and squirrels and such.’
‘What do you want then?’
‘You to do one thing.’
‘What?’
‘Vow your undying loyalty to me.’
‘That’s it?’
‘Yes.’
‘And we can go free?’
The queen ordered a rat to get them some wine.
‘Drink this. It’s made from pineapple and Mango the best on the island.’
Gauw refused.
She was trying to be nice. But bending the squirrel to her will as her puppet would be hard. Once she had complete control and authority over him taking over his land and any other lands she could see would be simple.
‘Young squirrel I didn’t get your name.’
‘Guaw.’
‘Okay Gauw. What do you enjoy doing?’
‘Reading, sitting on the abbey lawn looking at the sky and being with Celeste.’
She grimaced but thought fast.
‘The only ones who have books on the island are the wolves. The most intellectual of the creatures here but they don’t usually allow anybeast near their area.’
‘And?’ Gauw asked.
‘Only one wolf is under my command the wolves don’t know who you are. Go and make a peace offering for me and I may consider giving you, the other squirrel and your otter friends a private room in my palace.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. A peace negotiation since I am not allowed on their premises nor is my wolf Derno who is considered a traitor. Go and tell them I mean peace and you get the best of luxury and you might even go home.’
Gauw didn’t believe her. ‘You’re a lying maniac.’
‘What? You think I’ll betray and kill you if you do the job right? You’re too important for that. Just go and do it and I promise. Do I need to write it in blood?’
Gauw accepted his mission. If it meant being in better living conditions until they could find a way to get back home.
Celeste sat in her cell and though it was empty she saw a young otter and mole standing in front of her.
‘Who are you?’ She asked.
‘Refugees’ The otter smiled. ‘Creatures who escaped prison life and are safe.’
Celeste was excited. ‘Take me with you!’
The mole shook his head. ‘Burr… we carn’t do’um that.’
‘Why not?’
The otter explained. ‘Once you escape you can’t return.’
‘Why would I want to?’
The otter sighed shaking his head. ‘It was a hard life but you don’t understand. My friend can explain it better.’
The looked at the mole but he said nothing. Behind him was a mouse whom the otter was referring to.
He was wearing armour. ‘Celeste. They are friends, here to help you. But are from a different time as am I.’
‘You mean… you’re…?’ She yelped a bit. She didn’t notice but the two creatures were almost transparent.
‘Spirits. Yes.’ Said the otter. ‘My name is Fisher-roam I was captured twenty seasons ago. Perished in this very cell nine seasons ago. This is my best friend Durt-Mire. We have been wandering these cells every night for who knows how long. It’s good to see a new friend.’
Celeste was scared but also calm at the same time.
‘I think I’m going crazy but I think you keeping me company will save my sanity. Does that work?’
The otter shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
Martin had vanished at this point.
Fisher-roam explained to her. ‘The two of us were captured by a vile creature a raccoon. He ordered our tribes to be slain and kept us captive. I believe once he is dead we can finally rest that was what Martin here said.’
‘I know of Martin.’ Celeste explained back. ‘He helped found Redwall Abbey where I came from. We have a tapestry detailing his heroics.’
The two ghosts sat across from her. ‘Your abbey tell us about it please.’
She explained everything she knew about it.
Fisher-roam sighed. ‘Sounds nice, maybe in Dark Forest once we get there which we will unless the raccoon lives forever, it will have a Redwall too?’
‘I don’t know what Dark Forest is like. It’s a mystery.’ She sighed back.
She fell asleep soon afterwards and Durt-Mire covered her with her blanket.
‘Tragic burr aye… so young… she shouldn’t end up a deadun.’
Fisher-roam was determined. ‘I’ll make sure somehow she gets back to her home. She doesn’t deserve this and neither did we. Martin is a guardian spirit and I think he passed that on to us for her.’
‘We’re er guurrdin spoirits?’
‘I believe so Durt. She’s our responsibility to protect.’
Celeste slept on peacefully.