The cool night air whipped through my fur and long ears as I looked out into the dark night. I was on watch. My weary eyes roved back and forth. I occasionally saw a rustle in the bushes, only to find out it was the wind. I heard someone approaching from behind. From the direction of the camp. �Greetings Bronx, wot! I�d know that bally footstep from anywhere!� I said without turning around.
�Well I have no need to sneak around do I, Tarkers? After all I�m a warrior, not a scout,� Bronx replied. �True enough. So,� I said, still keeping a vigil eye on the dark landscape, �have you come to jolly well relieve my watch?� Bronx walked up beside me. �I certainly have old friend. Go get some rest,� Bronx told me.
�Capital idea ole chap! See you in the morning.� And with that I turned from the badger and marched back towards camp. The camp was almost lifeless. Just the occasional beast here and there. I saw Snaggletooth hunched over his pot boiling something up. �Hiya Snag, wot,� I called as I passed. Soon I was in my tent, then in my bed. I hadn�t realized I was so sleepy because I hardly remember putting my head down on my pillow before I was fast asleep.
Next thing I remember is floating in a black nothingness, wondering were in Mossflower I bally was. Then a figure wearing a black cloak appeared in the darkness in front of me. His face was hidden in a hood and he carried a bright sword. Then he spoke: �Tarkers Twinblade, the Sentinels are in grave danger. This very night a foe approaches. And if nothing is done the Sentinels will be no more by morning.�
�Pish an� tush,� I replied. �There are at least a score of bally vigilant beasts keeping watch tonight. What could get past without notice and wipe out all of the Sentinels?� The figure laughed.
�You do not believe me Tarkers? See for yourself then.� And with that the figure disappeared and I was left alone in the darkness. But not for long. With a sickening jerk that felt like somebeast ripped my head off I found myself lying on the ground in the middle of the day. I couldn�t see the camp anywhere. How had I gotten here, was my first thought. I lifted myself up and an arrow immediately imbedded itself in my shoulder. I let out a shocked and painful cry before being hit over the head with a heavy object and dropping once more to the ground.
Next thing I knew I was laying in a cave. I had a bandage around my arrow wound and my head felt like a tree had fallen on it. I wasn�t far off. About five creatures were standing around me. One in particular stood out. A huge badger. He was leaning on a huge tree limb. I later found out that it was the tree limb that had knocked me out. There were also two squirrels (one holding a bow), an otter, and a hare. �Who are you?� growled the badger. �And what do you want here?� the hare added.
�My name is Tarkers Twinblade, son of Pradmere Twinblade. I am a bally warrior of the Sentinels of Mossflower. I don�t know how I bally well got here and I�d appreciate it if you�d let me go,� I said defiantly. The badger lifted the tree limb above his head and yelled, �Liar! I knew Tarkers personally, and I know for a fact that he was killed in the Ambush.� The other beasts angrily agreed. �And as for being a warrior of the Sentinels, I severely doubt it, as the Sentinels have not existed for close to 20 seasons!� The badger continued. The tree limb was still menacingly raised.
I couldn�t speak for quite a while but finally managed to croak out �Who are you? How can the Sentinels not existed for 20 seasons? I was just in the camp last night. I was keeping watch. I was relieved by Bronx. I walked through the camp. This cannot be.�
Suddenly the badger dropped the tree limb onto the floor. He walked right up to me. �If your who you say to be, what was the last thing you said to Bronx?� the badger asked gruffly. I thought for a moment and then remembered. �I said �Capital idea ole chap. See you in the morning.� He�d just told me to get some rest.� The badger just stood there for a second then lunged for me. Before I knew what was happening I was in a tight embrace with the badger saying, �It�s me, Tarkers ole matey. Bronx! I saw your body. How can you be alive?�
After Bronx let me down I explained everything that had happened after I left to go to bed. Everybeast listened intently. The others turned out to be: Cringepaw, Nictor Treeflung, Bluelad and Mattia. They all looked quite different to what I remembered them as. It had been 20 seasons Mattia pointed out when I mentioned this. After I had explained my story they told me what had happened over the last 20 seasons.
Apparently, not long after I left an unidentifiable beast attacked Bronx. It took him by surprise and he was knocked out cold. Any smaller beast would have been killed by the onslaught� that is what happened in many cases. Lilac Blacktip was then assassinated in her sleep, followed by the rest of the officers save Mattia who was out walking. Many more Sentinels died in their sleep before anyone found out we were being attacked. But with no officers save Mattia, most beasts were confused and were cut down like grass by a silent army of unidentifiable beasts. Few escaped. And fewer survived the huntings of the next year. Bronx had been found lying on the ground by a party of fleeing beasts that had included everybeast seated around me. There had been 20 of them all those years ago. There could be other groups of ex-Sentinels, but as far as Bronx, Cringepaw, Nictor, Bluelad and Mattia knew, they were the only survivors of that fateful attack. I was shocked. So shocked I couldn�t talk or stand. The Sentinels were no more.
�If only we had known that they were coming and what they were beforehand,� Bluelad sighed. �You mean you know what the bally vermin are now?� I asked, finally finding my voice. �Yes,� Cringepaw said, �They were stoats lead by an assassin fox.�
�We caught one of them about a year after the Ambush,� Nictor explained. �I�m sure we could have beaten them if we had warning,� Mattia said. �So why am I here?� I asked. �What can I do now that I am here? What good am��
Suddenly it felt like my head had been ripped off again and I found myself in my bed. In my tent. Was it all a dream, I thought. But it had been too vivid. I leapt from my bed and raced out into the night, broadsword in hand. �I wish I had two sabers,� I muttered to myself. �But I guess that�ll have to wait until I�m an Arthurian Knight.�
I crept over to Lilac Blacktip's tent and had a quick look inside. A dark figure was edging toward a sleeping Lilac, a dagger raised. I acted without thinking. I leapt forward yelling �TWIINBLAAAADE!� My sword was raised for the kill. The figure swung around, ducked and kicked me in the stomach. I dropped the sword and tried to suck in air. I was winded. A cold sharp pain penetrated my chest. It was the dagger. I fell to the floor and watched as the figure prepared to slit my throat. The figure suddenly grunted and fell to the floor alongside me. It was dead.
Lilac was standing above me, a bloodied sword in her hand. Mattia then came rushing into the tent, asking what the yelling was all about. I blurted out what I knew. That an army of stealthy stoats was about to ambush the camp and that they were lead by an assassin fox. I told them that the beasts on watch could already be wounded or dead. My two superiors didn�t ask me where I�d got my information, they just acted. Mattia ran off to alert everybeast while Lilac stayed back. She looked at the figure beside me and pulled off its mask. �Well, here�s the fox,� she said. Then she looked down at me. I was weakening rapidly. �I think that dagger had some poison on it. I�ll take you to the infirmary,� she said. Then everything went black. I awoke in a bed, tightly tucked in. I realized I was in the infirmary.
�He�s awake,� somebeast said. It was Bronx. He was in the bed next to me, a bandage around his head. Lilac, Mattia and Strongpaw came into my view. �Well done Tarkers,� Stongpaw said, �With your forewarning we defeated those vermin.� �With a loss of quite a few lives however,� Mattia mentioned.
�Yes, well we�re having a burial for them tomorrow morning,� Lilac said. �I don�t know how you knew those things Tarkers, I hope you�ll explain in due time, but thank you,� Mattia said. �Just one more thing, Tarkers, Bronx said you didn�t have a bandage on your shoulder when he last saw you. And I know I didn�t put it on�so where did it come from?� asked Lilac.
I smiled and said �I�ll explain jolly well everything when I�ve had a bit of scoff, wot wot�Oh, and Cringepaw, Nictor Treeflung, Bluelad, Bronx and Mattia will all find what I have to say very bally well interesting. So if you could round up the blighters in that list that aren�t here already I�ll explain.�
After my wishes were granted I explained all that I knew. Everybeast present came to the conclusion that the mysterious figure that had warned me was Martin. The warrior mouse that protects Redwall Abbey. I licked clean the bowl that had contained a capital trifle then promptly held it out. �Could somebeast get me some jolly seconds, eh, wot?�