"So Muvva Mells don't b'leeve us, eh?" asks Tangle quietly.
"Nonononono, she dusn twantoo lis entoo awur dwees aymarm!" squeaks a little mouse.
Tangle stares at him. "Pardon?"
I sigh. "'E says 'No'."
Tangle draws herself up to her full height. "Won't b'leeve us? WON'T B'LEEVE US?" She calms herself down. When she speaks again she has to keep taking deep breaths. "You're tellin me...that there...are a rat in de Abbey...and Muvva Mells don't b'leeve us?"
"Burr, that be surrpintly troo, Badermarm woint berleeve us'ns, Ta'gler."
Tangle paces up and down. "How can this BE? Does Abbot b'leeve?"
"Hav nas ktim yetan glmar m'butsun like'eehew ill."
"Haven' askt 'im yet" I translate.
"RITE! We isn't gonna sit here while varmints take over owr Abbey are we? ARE WE?!"
"NO!!!!!"
"WE'LL DRIVE THEM OUT!"
"YEAH!!!"
"Ow? Oww eego nadoodat?"
"What did you say, Topo?"
"He said 'How'." I get a bit sick of this job.
"Thank you, Helix. How? Hmm…"
"Doncha know?"
"Yeah, you're owa leeda."
"Has anyone got any ideas?"
Miggle wiggles his hand in the air. "Ooh ooh, pick me I know!"
Tangle doesn't even look around. "That DON'T involve knocking out all the brothers, sisters and Favva Abbot?"
Miggle's hand stays in the air, and he juts out his chin determinedly.
"Or Badgermum?"
Slowly, the hand goes down.
"Owa boutwee orlfleesdeahb beean dweegeh tsdeot tasan dashoos?"
I gingerly lift my hand in the air.
"Translation, Helix?"
"No, marm, me own idea."
"Translate it first, please."
"We all run away and get Skipper's croo and the…" I always have difficulties pronouncing it, "…the…the…Gowsim."
"De what? Oh, GUOSIM. No, Topo, ANYTHING could happen while we're gone."
"Marm? My idea?"
"Yes?"
"Can I whisper it?"
Tangle gives me her ear as answer.
There are several silent minutes as I go hiss hiss whiss-per whiss-per hiss.
Tangle lifts up her head. "You know what, Helix? I fink that's de bestest plan a dibbun eva thought up!"
I blush to the ends of my spikes.
"Listen, all dibbuns! We have a plan!"
* * *
"Bagamum?"
"Badgermarm?"
"Muvva Mells?"
Mother Mellus turns around. "Yes, my dibbuns?"
"Wee vadagrey tydeeya! Weewah naha vafees tehfau-"
Sick of translating, I don't let him finish. I say it in my own words, carefully lisping.
"Mutha Melluth? We thought of having a featht for Torbin Molefriend the hare! A thpethial, Thalamandathron featht!"
Mother Mellus takes a few steps backwards, wiping the spray off her face. "A thp- special Salamandastron feast, eh?"
"Yeth, yethhhh!!! PLEATHHHE?!"
The badger looks as if she wishes she had an umbrella.
"But I thought you dibbuns hated him? Only the other day, you came to me with a tall tale about him being a rat. She looks at us sternly.
"Er, er, er…" I look around helplessly.
Willowood the squirrel comes to my rescue. "Oh, dat? Phwww!" She sweeps her paw dismissively. "Dat were just a game we played-id."
"Yeth, yeth, thatth right!"
Mother Mellus still looks doubtful, but no true Redwaller can dismiss the idea of a feast (in peaceful times). "Hmmm…All right…
TreeXwirel, one of the oldest of all of the dibbuns, steps forward. "Mother? Can Torbin - and us dibbuns - assist with the preparations in the kitchens? We need to know the traditional dishes."
This is good! Mother Mellus has a soft spot for TreeXwirel. "Yes, you can, TreeXwirel, but I don't know about the others, they need a bath fir- hallo? Hallo? Dibbuns?"
We're halfway to the kitchens. It's amazing how fast even the laziest dibbun can run upon hearing the words "bath", "scrub" or "wash".
* * *
"A feast?" The Friar wrings his hands. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear… Why wasn't I warned in advance?"
"Dunno. But don't worry, Muvva Mellus said we could cook it all."
The Friar stares at us.
"She did, honest!" insists Tangle, showing both her hands. "No crossed fingas!"
We try hard not to giggle, looking at Tangle's spikes slowly twining themselves together.
"Go and ask her!"
"I will!" The friar storms out of the kitchen, outraged that somebeast could even suggest he wasn't to be in charge of his kitchen.
"We have to see this!" whisper the assistant chefs to each other, and one by one they steal out of the kitchen, tittering.
We run inside and lock the doors. "Dab!" yells Tangle.
"DAB!!!!!" we yell back, triumphantly. Nobeast is near enough to the kitchens to hear us - probably just as well, because Miggle suddenly remembers -
"We forgot Torbin!"
I volunteer to go out and get him.
* * *
"A Sala-la… - a feast in my honour, y'say?"
He can't even remember how to pronounce Salamandastron! I stifle my giggles. "Yessir."
"Jolly good, wot wot!"
"What?"
"What?"
"What 'what what'?"
"Wh- Pardon?"
"Why d'ja say 'what what'? What what?"
The rat-hare looks flustered. "I-it's just something us hares say, old bean. Very illiterate, hares are, wo- er, doncha know."
"Oh."
There are a few minutes of puzzled silence. Then -
"I isn't a bean. And I isn't old. Favva Abbot says I is very yooff-ful"
"Y'what? Oh, that's something else we hares say."
"I met a hare once."
"Oh, yes?" The rat tries very hard not to look interested, and fails.
"Oh, yes. And he was always saying stuff, only not like the stuff you say. He'd say fings like "Wotcha, me old trifle-head" and "Pardon pardon" not "what what".
"Rea-lly?"
"Oh, yes. Very diggy-fied talk."
"Diggy-fied??"
"That's what proper hares talk like…"
* * *
By the time we get back to the kitchens, the other dibbuns have arranged what they want to have at the feast, and let the cooks back in "as long as they do evvything we say!"
"A strawberry-jam and potato trifle? Are you sure?" The Friar sighs as Miggle's head bobs enthusiastically.
Torbin strides into the kitchen. "Wotcha, me old trifle-heads! Jolly young wasps, pardon pardon, and all that."
Slowly, everyone twists their heads to stare at him. Tangle gives me the thumbs-up. The hare-rat glares at everyone and, one by one, they go back to what they where doing, with a few mutters of 'totally eccentric'.
The cooks work non-stop, doing our bidding, while a few of us 'ask' Torbin what Salamandastron feasts are like.
"Well…er…"
"Don't they have OATCAKES and HONEY?" asks a small hedgehog, raising his voice so that the other dibbuns will hear and instruct the chefs.
"I think…so."
"Don't they have a special cake for the best hare?"
"Er, er…"
"Mizzder Molefriend? If you're 'ee ony hare here, den you're'm de best hare, bain't you?" The tiny mole beams at him.
"Mmmmm…Yes, now I come to think of it there is a cake for the best hare-"
"-and the leverets get to make it!"
"Yes, tha-what?"
"Only there aren't any leverets." Tangle looks quite sad. Even I'm almost fooled. Then she brightens, as if suddenly having an idea. "Oh! Mr. Molefriend, I don't suppose de dibbuns could make the cake. Could we?"
The hare flusters. Tangle's lip wobbles.
"Oh, all right."
"YAY! Come on dibbuns, let's make a cake!"
We shuffle off to a small, unused corner of the kitchen. "Have you got it, TreeXwirel?" Tangle whispers.
"Right here!"
"Shhh, shhh! OK, pour it in, slowly…"
The dibbuns giggle excitedly. "No more rat!"
***
The day of the feast!
Topo jabbers to everyone within hearing distance (and outside it) about what a good plan this is, good food and no more rat, yay! Luckily, I'm the only one that understands a word he's saying.
"Mr. Molefriend shut up, Topo Mr. Molefriend, here's your cake, sir. Traditionally, you have to eat it all. Can you?"
The rat eyes gleam behind the hare costume. "I'm sure I'll manage… somehow."
Tangle jumps up on the table. "We dibbuns have a new game! It's fun, look."
"A game!" The rat brightens even more. "Spitting good chesty cough, me middle-aged turnip. I speak, pardon pardon!" he calls.
Before anyone can remark on the strangeness of this, Tangle starts the game. "Willowood, stand over there and turn away." She runs along the length of the table, bopping each ear with her paw.
"OUT!!" yells Willowood, making several beasts jump.
Tangle tugs the ear she's about to bop. "Dis ear is out. When d'uvver ear's out too, you're out." She starts to run again. "Good game, see?"
Torbin Molefriend looks decidedly nervous. He slinks away from the table, and lets himself out of the east wallgate. I giggle as I try to pretend I'm not seeing him go. The ear was the loosest part of the rat's costume - if Tangle had pulled it, everyone would have known he was a rat.
"OUT!!" I jump as Tangle tugs my ear. "One more ear, and you out!"
"He's gone," I whisper, and she nods and starts to run again.
* * *
It's nearly bedtime before anybeast really worries about Torbin.
"Where is he?" India wonders aloud. She shakes her feathers nervously. "Should we organise a search party?"
"NO NEED!" yells a hedgehog from the walltops. He runs down the stairs, spikes going clatter-clatter-clatter. Panting slightly, he turns to Father Abbot. "Torbin's…out…there, sir. He…he's all…hunched…up like…he's hurt, or… summat."
The gates are opened hurriedly and, sure enough, there Torbin sits, clutching his stomach, head drooped forward. The Nurse examines the red juice from the trifle, still around his lips. "Poison berries. Must have been locked out and got hungry, poor chap. Give me a hand lifting him to the infirmary, somebeast."
Willing volunteers crowd around while DAB give each other pats on the back - or tummies, if they're hedgehogs.
* * *
"I think we all have our Abbey Nurse to thank for discovering that we had vermin in our Abbey."
It's three weeks later; we're sulking because no one believes us. Weeellll…we're pretending to sulk, because no dibbun can really sulk through a feast - especially one as big as this! What a feast!
When the nurse examined Torbin, she discovered he was a rat, so everyone thinks she was the first to know. The Abbot called GUOSIM and the otters, and they're going to make sure that Yellersnout (Torbin) never sets paw in Mossflower ever again, but…
"Wish they'd b'leeve us." I say to Topo. Then I'm hit with an idea so big and wonderful, it nearly knocks me out. I hit my spoon on my bowl and stand up on the table.
"WE TOLD BAGAMUM HE WERE A RAT!!!!" I yell.
Mother Mellus looks surprised. "Actually…come to think of it…they did!"
"WE POISONED THE TRIFLE!!!!!"
Severe faces on the Abbey Elders' faces.
"Only a bit."
The severe faces disappear. They were joking! "HOORAY!!! HOORRAYY FOR THE DIBBUNS!!!!!"
Tangle jumps on the table. "DAB!"
Even the Abbey Elders yell it back. "DABBBBBB!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I was in my dorm when somebody came back who was in the group spying on the "hare". She came in panting, "That hare is no hare, he's a rat! One of the other dibbuns in the group tripped and woke the rat up! Then we went running to Mother Mellus to tell her about our discovery but she didn't believe us." Everybody was talking to their friends about what they would've done or what should be done about the rat. "Why doesn't somebody volunteer to see what this rat is up to?" asked a badgermaid. "I'll go!" I said. "And I'll stop him, whatever it takes!" "okay", said a squirrel, "good luck to you!"
I sneaked out of the dormitory and was headed for the rat's bedroom. I took caution, looking down so I wouldn't trip like the other dibbun. Suddenly the door of his bedroom swung open! I was cornered with nowhere to hide! I used my special weapon, bambi eyes, and said
"hello sir hare. Why are you going out of your bed in the middle of the night?"
"Um, er" said the rat, "I'm not sir hare wot, wot! I'm Razo Bucket. And I'm going down to the bally kitchens to get a snack cuz I jolly well couldn't sleep. And why are you up in the bally middle of the night wot, wot!"
I thought about this for a minute before answering.
"Cuz I couldn't sweep needer."
I said in my cutest voice with my biggest eyes and smile.
"Well, okay, I'll be heading down to the jolly old kitchens then." said the rat.
"I'll come down with you," I said, still wearing that big smile. "So you don't get lost." I added.
"Well fine then, wot, wot!" said the rat and we went off to the kitchens.
The rat and I looked all around the kitchens for his favorite dish and then I said "I don't think we have strawberry cream pie." "Awh! The bally old kitchens don't have my favorite dish! Now I migh' as well go back to the jolly ol' bedroom wot, wot!" I let him go, then I started to follow.
He crept all over the Abbey, looking like he was searching for something. Suddenly he turned around . . . I had no place to hide . . . I was trapped so I ran like the wind. Then something strange happened I heard a clattering noise and some fast footsteps coming from behind but I dared not look back. I ran to the cellars and quickly hid in an empty barrel. I poked a hole in the barrel with my claw and saw that the footsteps were not only of "Razo Bucket" but of a whole gang of rats! They came into the cellar and closed the door, I knew they were planning to search every barrel. I took out a slingshot and some pebbles and started to throw through the hole I had made.
Cock (like when you click your tongue)! I hit one in the head. Phw! Ooh! I hit another . . . And another . . . And another! Then suddenly there was only one left . . . "Razo Bucket".
"By the way," said the rat, "My name's Rato Lucket. 'Cuz I'm a rat and they say I'm lucky." "Well," I said, twirling my loaded sling "You're not too lucky now Rato LUCKet." "Hahahahawhooohoooo boy, I'm supposed to be afraid of you eh? Well, let me tell you, I've dealed with manya-war-anda-battle in my day." He boasted. "So, bring it on!" I charged in immediately punching him in the nose. He wiped his nose and grabbed a knife out of his pocket and charged. I went under his legs and quickly backed up and shot slingstones at his back until he turned around. Enraged, he charged me again and leaped in the air. I shot a slingstone at his eye . . . He fell . . . I immediately grabbed his knife and stabbed him in the back . . . he was dead.
THE END
By Keem Quickpaw.
Fearsome Fiends.
Keem Quickpaw bounded lightly up the steps. Leaves danced around his footpaws in the autumn wind. Panting hard, he collapsed on the west walltop above the gatehouse. Keem closed his eyes, and was soon asleep.
He awoke some hours later, to the sound of knocking. Standing on tip-paw, he peered over the battlements, and saw a group of nine heavily tattooed ferrets, each carrying a fire-blackened scimitar.
�My name is Darkblade!� shouted the lead ferret, �We�re �ungry an� lost! Will yer let us in?�
�No! Go �way!� Keem yelled back, �No armed beasts are allowded! Ma Mell�s said so!�
Darkblade dropped his scimitar, and signaled to the others to do likewise.
�Now will yer let us in?� he snarled viciously.
�Ma Mell�s wash you mouth out wiv soap an� water if you talk in �dat tone of voice!� was Keem�s reply!
Suddenly, Keem noticed Darkblade�s paw straying towards his belt, and he caught a glimpse of a small throwing knife! Thinking quickly, he whipped out his sling, and loosed of a pebble at Darkblade�s footpaw.
�Eeeeeyyyyyaaaarrrggghh!!!� Darkblade hopped about, clutching his injured paw. Keem fired another pebble at Darkblade�s other footpaw, causing him to fall over from trying to hold both footpaws at the same time!
The commotion roused Skipper, who dashed up the stairs, along the ramparts, and over to the threshold. He took one look and yelled,
�Stir yore stumps otter crew! Vermin at the main gates! Chaaaaaarrrrrrge!!�
Skipper and his crew gave the ferrets a good thrashing, whilst Keem dashed to the D.A.B. meeting place to tell Tangle about his adventure!
The End.
Some guests had just come from the woods, which called of course for a classic Redwall feast. I was having fun, eating, drinking, talking and laughing with my friends. But there comes a time for all dibbuns (usually near the end of a meal) when they long for that one heavenly thing: dessert. There was a large glass bowl of pudding, creamy, delicious, luscious, and tempting, lying in that bowl, almost smug. It seemed to be saying, "common, eat me! You know you want to, come on, just a bite? I'm so creamy!� I would have immediately reached for the bowl and gobbled, no, I should say swallowed, it all in approximately two seconds. However, one slight problem kept me from doing so. It was on the other side of the table. I looked around me. I was surrounded by six of my friends, three on each side. Everyone else was too absorbed in their own conversations to notice me. I was thinking, wondering of how I could get that pudding. I realized that the only way was to crawl under the table over to the other side. On the other side of the table, there were two of my friends. I would crawl over to them, inform them of my problem, and they would let me sit between them, and no one would notice. It was a perfect plan! A bit risky, but it just might work! I set myself to the task of getting under the table. I slowly oozed down, and it was going quite well until one of my friends asked me what I was doing. Her name was Mindy, a badger, like me. I told her, and she began craving dessert, so she said she would come with me. Then, another one of my friends heard, and he decided to come with me, also. His name was Onyxai, (pronounced ON-ics-eye) and he was a squirrel. This lead to all of my friends wanting to know what was happening, so it took a while for Mindy and Onyxai to tell everyone what was happening. After that, no one else joined. Finally, we all got under the table. It was quieter down there, the sounds of the outside, the laughter, the talking, the clinking of dishes, they were all muffled. All you could see of everybeast outside was their legs. Every now and then, we would all get a furtive glance from one of our friends back at the puddingless side of the table, just to check on us. We began crawling on all fours towards my two friends, who's legs I had pointed out to my friends. Once we began crawling, we were suddenly able to see a little mouse, munching on little scraps of food. When we came up to him, he seemed quite startled. "Oh! You've found me! Oh no! Please don't take me out!" he said anxiously. "Ssh! We won't take you out of anything! Who are you, and why are you down here?" I asked him. "I�m Windsor, and I live here. I have lived here for a long time, and I don�t want to be taken away." he replied. We were all surprised when he said that he lived there. We learned that he ate table scraps, and food secretly given to him from his friends. His social life was a secret club that he ran at night, that only a few choice dibbuns were members of, those dibbuns that he could trust with his secret. He didn't have to follow any rules, which was the part that we thought would be the most heavenly part of living under the table. Sadly, he was an orphan, and he pointed out that only an orphan could do what he was doing, because someone with parents would be thought dead, or lost, and would eventually have to come out sometime. Right before we left him, he gave us all instructions to the secret clubhouse (you weren't thinking that I would give away the instructions, did you?) and told we that we were all members if we wanted to be. He also told us how to escape at night through a secret passageway that only members were told of. We thanked him extravagantly before they went on. Once we finally began crawling towards the other side of the table, we had all three almost forgotten what their original task was. However, right when we remembered, their mouths watered, and they began crawling faster. Mindy remarked as we crawled, "It's so exciting!� I said "It's amazing." and Onyxai finished with, "I can't wait till nightfall!". We finally got to the other side. We told my friends at the pudding side about our problem, and we slowly, discreetly, rose up and sat there as if we had always been sitting there. We all three dipped a large bowl of that creamy pudding, and slowly ate it, savoring it, and as our thoughts flew to Windsor, under the table, we barely heard a mole beside us say, "oi 'avent noticed ye'!".
THE END
Mission 8
�Good night Brighteyes, sweet dreams.� said Mother Mellus as she tucked in an otter dibbun. The small best yawned and nodded her head, �Nighty nighty Muver Melwus.� her voice was slurred with exhaustion. The badger mum smiled and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. When Brighteyes was sure Mother Mellus had left, she popped out of bed and ran straight for a small dibbun-high cabinet at the wall.
�Hehee, I gonna sneak outtttt.� she sang softly to herself. Opening the door to the cabinet she pulled out a small haversack, it was full of food that had been stolen from the kitchen. The young otter grinned, and ran to a peg by the door where her cloak was hanging. She quickly snapped it on, then reached for a stick leaning against the wall. She was ready.
Brighteyes peered over the windowsill, and let down a rope she had tied to her bedpost. It was a long way down to the ground, maybe six yards. She pulled her head back in, took a deep breath, and, with her eyes still tightly closed, lifted one leg over the sill and out into the night air. Much to her surprise she heard a small voice below her.
�Whatcha doin?� it asked. The otter pulled her leg back inside and leaned out. It was her little mouse friend, Karienia, Kari for short. �Hewwo Kari! I bes sneakin out, I�m gonna meet a tree squrill named Whiteleaf in Mossfwoer, shhhh!� she brought a finger to her mouth. Kari looked back and forth, �Can I go wif you?� she asked, glancing up at her friend once more. Brighteyes thought for a minute, then said, �You can come if you pwomise to be quiet.� she looked sternly down at Kari, �Pwomise?� she asked. Kari brought her right paw over her nose and held up her left paw, the dibbun sign for sincerity, �I pwomise on my candied chestnuts I will be quiet.� Brighteyes excepted this, promising on candied chestnuts was the second highest swear for a dibbun, next to swearing that you would take a bath if you didn�t fall through with your promise.
The otter , bolder now with a friend below her, swung both legs out over the window sill, and wrapped her paws around the rope. She quickly climbed her way down, closing her eyes tightly. When she reached the ground she opened them, �Did anybody see me?� she whispered. Kari shook her head, �Not a beast. Which way do you plan to get out? Skipper is on guard by the main gate.� Brighteyes motioned towards the east door, �We go out dat way. If I stand on your back ,I can unlatch the gate.� Kari nodded and the two stole quietly across the yard.
Brighteyes grunted and struggled as she strained for the latch, �Ugg, can you stand on your tip toes?� she whispered hoarsely. They had been trying to unlatch the gate for almost an hour now, Kari shook her head, �My shoulders are getting sore Bwighteyes, cant we just play around out here?� the otter shook her head, �No, I pwomised I would be der. Now just go up on your toes for a few seconds.� Kari did as she was asked. Brighteyes managed to reach the latch, she quickly flipped it up and the door swung open.
Kari, very sore at this point, flung Brighteyes off her. �Owww,� she moaned and rubbed her shoulder. Brighteyes stood up and brushed herself off, �Stop complainin. You can carry dis.� she tossed her the haversack. �Fowwow me!� the otter commanded, and left out the gate into Mossflower.
�She swould be here any minute now.� Brighteyes glanced up at the stars. �Its �bout mid-night I�d say. She said she meet us at mid-night-ten.� Skipper had taught the young otter to read time by the stars. �Something all sea- beasts learn matey.� he had said. Kari stirred impatiently, �Well she�d better get here sooooonnn.� she yawned. �I�m getting tired.�
At that moment a squirrel dropped out of the branches of a tree above them. �Hello!� she said smartly, �Did yer bring me some vittles?� The young otter nodded solemnly, �I did, but first let me introcuse my fweind, Kari.� The squirrel shook her tail in greeting, �Hello Kari. My names Whiteleaf, I live �ere in des woods. Your friend Brighteyes says she needs some help avoiding that badger mum at the abbey. Dats why you�re here. � The squirrel talked quickly.
Brighteyes pulled out the food from the bag, �A feast!� she shouted. The group stayed up all night eating and talking about new ways to escape Mother Mellus. Around four A.M, Kari and Brighteyes left. Whiteleaf kept the extra vittles.
Once they were back at the abbey the two dibbuns crawled back in bed and fell asleep instantly. No one ever knew of their little adventure, and dibbuns could now easily escape the badger mum with the help Whiteleaf had given them.
By: Missie Claw of the Irresistable Imps
Young Missie Claw rubbed her eyes and opened them. Trees loomed all around her. Their branches stretched into sheer darkness. Everything was grey, even herself. Missie had almost forgotten what it was that she was there for. Then she heard a soft clang of metal. The young vixen ran with strength and speed she�d never known. She heard a soft, weakened voice of Martin the Warrior. It was calling for every beast who still had hope to believe that good would win.
Missie ran faster now. Her heart started pumping faster. At least it did, until she came to a small clearing in the trees, where it nearly stopped altogether. There she watched as the two warriors fought. The two swords were clashing together in lightning fury. The rat seemed to be getting stronger with each swing, rather than weaker. Martin was attacking less, his defense was slowing, and an odd blackish blood was flowing steady from numerous wounds.
Then it dawned on Missie. Martin was weakening as Redwaller�s were losing hope. Missie wasn�t about to let that happen. �Good will win! Martin will defeat that rat!� she shouted over and over in her mind, and in her heart, Missie knew that these words had to be true. Then, summoning all the courage that dibbuns could possibly have, Missie charged up behind the rat.
�REDWAALLLLLLLL!� Missie shouted, jumping onto the rat�s unprotected back and sinking her teeth deep into his neck.
The rat screamed in pain and surprise, reached back with a ragged paw, and slashed Missie�s flesh in a desperate attempt to remove her. Martin wasted no time. Grabbing his legendary sword in both paws, he drove it hard into the rat�s chest. The light of good erupted around the blade, and a white, almost invisible, blood ran from the rat.
The rat looked wide eyed as Martin shouted at him, �Go back to Hell�s Gates, where you belong!� With a great heave, Martin pulled the blade from the rat, who lingered for a second, and then disappeared in a flash of light.
Abbot Mordalfius was walking down the Great Hall when he noticed at a distance that the tapestry had fallen off the wall. �That�s odd,� he thought, picking up the tapestry. He startled slightly at the sight of the sleeping foxbabe under the tapestry. Then, hanging the great portrait of Martin up, he saw that it was back to its original state.
Father Abbot picked up the sleeping babe who muttered sleepily, �Marthin �as banithied the rat. Redwall ith safe again.� Five beads of black blood ran from the gashes on Missie�s back and landed on the stone floor.
