Camp Tussock lay burning on the sun-beating flatlands. The once happy home of hares and other creatures were now just a pile of blackened burning wood. Its gray smoke rose up high into the air, a sign of destruction and death.
Nearby more than five hundred vermin, stoats, weasels and ferrets, stood with their spears pointing the sky. They all looked well fed, strong, battle-scarred, and most of all, evil. Each carried a spear, and had a sword of some sort strapped on their belts. They carefully listened to what their leader was saying.
‘Now listen, my troops.’ The voice was calm and deceitful. ‘That hare Rawmeye didn’t surrender, he chose to fight us. The result for him was death. Now nobody in Camp Tussock is alive. I, Vagor have conquered the whole of the Northlands. What am I?’
The massive horde shouted like thunder.
‘The sign of death and destruction!’
‘What do I do?’
‘Kill and conquer!’
‘What happens to those who choose to fight against
me?’
‘They get themselves beheaded!’
‘What do I do to traitors?’
‘Tie them on a tree and beat them to death!’
The horde’s leader nodded in satisfaction. He wore a black robe, and had a metal mask on his face. He carried a sword at his waist and a halberd in his hand. He was a ferret or a stoat of some sort, very lean and tall. His name was feared by everyone who knew him.
Vagor!
He wasn’t even a proper adult yet. But his cunning and strength was known by all. Many had thought of his age as a weakness and had challenged him, but none lived to tell the tale. Where he came from, nobody knew. But where he was going to go, everybody knew. Vagor the Cunning was going to Redwall Abbey! He was going to conquer it and use it as his own fortress! The ruler of the Northlands was heading his army to Redwall!
Extract from the writings of Rimrose Swifteye, recorder squirrel of Redwall Abbey in Mossflower country.
It is the spring of the Growing Flowers! The seasons have been very kind to us lately, and to everyone’s delight the lateroses, daffodils and all sorts of flowers of many different colours have been growing more and more in our abbey gardens. As I write beneath this beech tree right now I can see the dibbuns chasing around the flowers, trying to catch the butterflies. Bless those dibbuns, they are the hopes and futures of this abbey, without them surely the abbey would not be so happy.
Our wise abbess, Abbess Songbreeze is planning for a flower garden making right now in Cavern Hall. Everyone thinks of the idea as a great one, as the flowers seem to be overgrowing a bit. If they carry on like that, I’m sure that the whole of Redwall Abbey would be covered in flowers. I still am confused on what to call Songbreeze, as she is my daughter as well as the abbess of Redwall. She has a good husband and a baby son now, I’m a grandmother! Our abbey has been very happy and peaceful so far, and I hope it will stay like that for the rest of my times. Redwall Abbey had faced lots of grave dangers, but whatever sort of danger it was, we got out of it. It is the spirit of the great long-dead warrior Martin who guides us whenever our abbey is in danger. He appears in dreams as I’ve heard and helps our warriors with wise words. The legendary warrior’s sword now is carried by our abbey champion Dannflor Reguba.
It is four days after the Great Spring Feast, but to me it seems as the feast was carried out yesterday! That day, the moles were taking bets on how much Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop could ‘scoff’. Florian is indeed a strange, funny and a jolly hare, not to mention greedy! He has grown old, but his appetite never changes. And would you know, he now has a baby son, named Trubbs! Anyway, our champion warrior of Redwall, Dannflor Reguba is teaching Dwopple the dormouse the ways of a warrior. Dwopple’s dream is to grow up and fight lots of vermin. He is brilliant at sling throwing, I have personally saw him shooting at a target. No doubt that one day Dwopple will be our champion warrior.
Luckily, most of the old ones are still with us. Old Gubbio Mole has retired being the Foremole, and now Dwopple’s friend Wugger is the new Foremole (and he is doing a good job of it, too). It is a long time since I saw Blinny the Mole, as he is gone travelling with Tragglo Spearback the Hedgehog. There is a new cellarhog in place of Tragglo Spearback, and that is Tragglo’s very son Reart Spearback. My husband Janglur Swifteye leads a happy life as a Brother of Redwall, and he has taken a new interest to harvesting. I could still remember the days when Janglur was an adult. I never saw a more fearsome warrior than him. Sadly, Janglur’s old friend Rusvul Reguba has gone to the gates of the Dark Forest two seasons ago. His son Dannflor keeps on saying that Rusvul left us too early, which is very true. That is one squirrel that we’re all going to miss. Skipper of Otters is quite aged now, but he is still strong as ever. Skipper has a fine young son called Grunfold who also has a tiny baby daughter named Sage. There once used to be Skipper’s younger son, but he had run off travelling and I don’t think he’ll ever come back. Abbess Song’s best friends, Log a Log Dippler and Burble the Vole Chief often comes for the hospitality of Redwall. Log a Log the Shrew has a big band of argumentative shrews with him, who are always ready for a debate. Burble also has a band of bankvoles, and all they seem to do is design boats! Old Friar Butty is the ex-recorder of Redwall, it was he who taught me the ways of an abbey recorder. He is very old now, and he never seems to get his hands away from his walking stick. He is a kind old squirrel, who loves to talk of the old days. Badgermum Cregga was a kind badger mother of Redwall, but she has gone her well-earned rest some time ago. There still is a badger in Redwall, a gigantic male badger called Korror. He might be warlike and tough, but he gets on very well with the dibbuns. Whenever the dibbuns are looking for someone, I can bet that they are looking for Korror. Korror has his own son, a baby badger with a name of Roddsnouts.
I can just see Brother Rossm walking at me now, I’ll have to finish my writing later. It is indeed a wonderful spring afternoon, and I think I’m going to go to the kitchens for some Dandelion Cordial.
Brother Rossm was a jolly looking mouse, because his smiles never left his face. He trundled up to Rimrose.
‘Hello, Rimrose. It’s a brilliant afternoon, isn’t it? I can’t see a patch of cloud in the sky anywhere.’
Rimrose nodded as she stood up, adjusting her records.
‘Yes, you’re right. It is indeed a good day. Now, what can I do for you, young brother?’
‘Well, I was hoping by any chance you know where Friar Fildle’s best cooking pot is? It disappeared just after lunch and nobody seems know where it went.’
Rimrose chuckled, nearly dropping her quill and pen.
She looked at the dibbuns playing by the flowers, and said, ‘Hahaha, I can bet you an acorn to a watermelon that the dibbuns’ has it! Look over there, I can see Sage with a cooking pot on her head. Heeheehee! Now that’s a sight. An otterbabe with a war helmet on!’
Before she could say more, Brother Rossm was off like a rocket, shouting at the dibbuns who had started to run away.
‘Hey, come back, you cheeky mischief’s! That’s if you don’t want to be spanked until your bottoms turn red!’
Brother Rossm jumped over some daffodils, and neatly tripped over a net that the dibbuns were using to catch butterflies. This caused more laughter on Rimrose. She laughed for about a minute, and still laughing, walked off muttering. ‘Oh dear, oh dear. Now that was a funny sight! Better go and have a drink before I laugh to death. Hahahaha! Oh, god, heeheehee....’
Meanwhile the dibbuns were running away, thinking that it all was a good game.
‘Haha! B’other Roffm not catcha uss!’
They ran giggling, straight into the massive Redwall badger Korror. He made a fearsome sight, in his dark fur and bright glinting eyes. He wore a velvet robe. The dibbuns jumped into Korror’s huge paws, shouting.
‘Mista Korror, ee Roffm moushe said he catcha uss an’ shpank us zery hard!’
‘Yes, mista Korror, tis true!’
Korror hid a smile and looked at their ringleader, Sage. She was a small otter, who had large eyes. She had a cooking pot on her head. As soon as Brother Rossm arrived, panting, he took the cooking pot from her head and chided the baby.
‘You rogue, if you come and pinch Friar Fildle’s cooking pot ever again, I’ll tell the Friar to tie you upside down by the ceiling!’
With this, he snorted and walked off. Brother Rossm was short-tempered and stubborn, although he was very jolly. Sage wailed loudly at the loss of her ‘helmet’.
‘Wahaaaaah, Roffm moushe taka Sage’s war ‘elmet. Wahaaaa!’
‘Don’t worry little one, tell you what,’ said Korror, stroking Sage’s head gently. He had a deep kind voice. ‘I’ll let you all go to the cellars and tell Mister Spearback to give you lots and lots of strawberry fizz. Now how about that!’
At the mention of the delicious drink strawberry fizz, the dibbuns cheered wildly, and ran ahead of Korror, jumping about and often falling, only to jump back up again.
To go to the cellars, they had to pass the kitchens. It was bustling with moles, otters, mice, voles, hedgehogs, squirrels, and a few rabbits and few hares.
Friar Fildle was in the mist of it all. The fat rabbit was the first ever rabbit to be the friar of Redwall, since it wasn’t long ago when rabbits settled in the peaceful abbey. He constantly ran about, checking that the afternoon tea for more than two hundred animals were going well.
‘No, no, Brother Bert, you mix that pie mixture by stirring it about, not mashing it! Here, let me show you.’
‘How’re you doing, Longtail? Yep, that’s it!’
‘A bit more honey needed in that Woodland Trifle there!’
‘Ummfgh! Hey, who threw that pie, own up!’
Sage giggled as she licked the pie that was all over her clothes. Korror hid her and her friends behind his broad back. ‘Whoever it was, it wasn’t us, friar!’
Friar Fildle was about to turn away when he heard the giggles behind Korror’s back. The rabbit friar ran indignantly behind Korror, and lifted the giggling Sage up by the scruff of her neck.
‘You’re complete mischief, a legendary of legendary rogue, a complete terror! Next time I catch you taking my cooking pots and throwing pies at me, you’ll have mud porridge for dinner!’ Friar Fildle was about to say more when Korror pointed at an oven. ‘Look friar, there’s a cake burning in that oven!’
‘Where?’
As soon as Friar Fildle turned around, Korror and the dibbuns ran off into the direction of the cellars, laughing. Meanwhile, Friar Fildle had checked the oven that Korror had pointed at, and turned around muttering, ‘Hmph! Oven burning indeed! Korror you silly.....’
Korror and the dibbuns were nowhere to be seen, and instead the Abbess of Redwall was standing there! Abbess Song was now at her middle ages, and she looked wise and beautiful with her creamy green habit. Her long bushy squirrel tail curved up to reach her back, while her diamond-studded necklace bearing her initials SS hung by her neck. She was a wise abbess, a good friend and a brave fighter.
‘Morning, friar. How’s the afternoon tea preparation going?’ Asked Abbess Song. The fat friar mumbled and muttered at the sudden appearance of the Mother Abbess.
‘Er, er, let’s see.... er, well it’s going all right, mother. With the exception of the annoying rogue Sage of course.’
Abbess Song hid a smile, and asked plainly. ‘And what did Sage do?’
‘That otter! She took my bestest best cooking pot and used it as a helmet, anyway, that’s what I heard from brother Rossm. She also threw my King Cupcake Pie at me! Look at my clothes, all ruined!’ Songbreeze smiled and put her paw to Friar Fildle’s shoulder. ‘Oh Fildle. Don’t be so mad at Sage. She’s only a baby. Do you remember one month ago? Sage couldn’t speak anything. It’s a wondrous thing, growth. Every young creature deserves to grow in a happy way, doing natural thing that dibbuns do. Don’t worry friar. Three seasons later she’ll either be a kind sister of Redwall or a young warrior!’
Korror and the dibbuns entered the cellars to find Rimrose Swifteye drinking dandelion cordial with Reart Spearback. Reart was a small hedgehog, but his appetite was massive. The cellarhog waved to Korror and the dibbuns. ‘Hello, Korror. What’ve ye been up to today? Ye looks very ‘appy imdeed!’ Korror sat down on the mat next to Reart and Rimrose. ‘Doing some dibbun acts with these terrors. Sage threw a pie at Friar Fildle, got him right in the chest!’ Korror paused to take a sip at the dandelion cordial that Reart had passed to him. ‘Although she is very young, I can see that Sage is going to be a warrior when she grows up. I can see it in her eyes.’ Sage clenched her little fists and growled in a dibbun way. ‘I goona g’ow up real shtrong and fight lotsa vermint, be aa warrier!’
Rimrose Swifteye chuckled as she gave Sage and the dibbuns a cup of strawberry fizz each. The old squirrel touched Sage’s paw gently. ‘You can only be a warrior if you eat up well, behave properly and respect your elders. Who knows, you might be our next champion warrior of Redwall!’
Sage stared at Rimrose. ‘Watsa chamyon warrier a Redwaller?’
‘Don’t worry Sage. You’ll know when you grow up. Now you and your friends go outside and play. Mister Korror needs some rest after all that playing with you.’
The dibbuns, led by the otter Sage ran out of the cellars giggling and laughing. Rimrose stared fondly at the door, which the dibbuns went out through. ‘It seems only months ago when my daughter Song was that little. Who’d have thought that she would grow up to be the Abbess of Redwall.’
Reart took a big gulp at his large cup of cordial and asked Korror. ‘What about ye baby son Roddsnouts? Haven’t seen him for a while.’
‘He’s probably in bed sleeping or being looked after Sister Sicilie. Anyway, I know that he’s safe and happy.’
Korror, Reart and Rimrose conversed for a while and left the cellars for the afternoon tea.
The afternoon tea was being served in the Great Hall, a big hall where the tapestry of the long dead Martin the Warrior hung at a wall. Often Redwallers passing by would gaze at the beautiful tapestry in wonder. It showed the legendary warrior mouse Martin standing with his great sword, and all around him foxes, wildcats and other vermin were fleeing in terror. Martin’s sword was still in the abbey of Redwall, and it was kept by the squirrel warrior Dannflor Reguba. Dannflor entered Great Hall, licking his lips hungrily. He was a strong warrior squirrel, and was one of the best fighters the abbey ever had. ‘Cor, is that meadowcream pudding I smell? One of my favourites, it is.’
Abbess Song laughed as she sat by her seat. Abbess Song and Dannflor were best friends.
‘You’re late, Dannflor. And looking hungry too.’
Commented the squirrel abbess. The ones at the big table waited for others to take their seat. Friar Fildle and his cooks came through the hall door bearing trays full of wondrous food that Redwall was famed for. There were pies, oafs, big cakes, muffins, delicious looking breads, soups, drinks, sauces and lots more that you could name. The few hares at the table held their spoons, knives and forks tightly with anticipation. The hares were known for their big appetites, which could be up to eight times bigger than normal animals.
After the foods were laid down and every Redwaller had taken seat, all began eating. It was just an afternoon tea, so no grace needed to be said. Different animals sat next to each other, conversing and eating.
‘Wish there’d be more of the jolly ol’ food to be et in the afternoon tea, wot!’ Said Florian. Florian was an old hare, but his voice and appetite had not changed. On his lap sat a baby hare named Trubbs. He was the very son of Florian, although Trubb’s mother had gone away to a distant mountain. Florian would pile food high as he could on his plate, then eat them all in a flash. Nobody in the abbey could eat more than Florian.
‘Umph, mmm… These scones taste jolly nice in honey, absolutely top whole indeed!’ Florian took a massive gulp at Redwall’s famous October Ale and spoke at a handsome squirrel next to him through mouthfuls of food. ‘Come on, Flufftail ol’ chum! Try some of these Abbot Cedric’s Mossflower Honeyscones, and wash them down with some October Ale, delicious stuff, wot!’
‘No thank you Brother Florian. I’ve had enough tea now.’
‘Enough already? Oh Flufftail, your bones w’ll show through your fur if you don’t eat up. Your dear wife wouldn’t be too pleased if that happened, would she?’ ‘Florian, that wouldn’t happen. Now eat your own food!’
Florian glanced at Abbess Song. ‘Abbess, marm! Will you kindly make your husband learn some manners. He has been very jolly rude lately. Bad form, wot?’ Abbess Song had seen the whole thing, she knew that it was all a joke, but she put a stern face and chided her husband. ‘Flufftail, you’ve been rude to Florian, haven’t you? Well I’ll give you a punishment. It’ll be to tell this lot to go out and get ready for a evening spring entertainment for Redwall having a such a lovely season!’
At the Abbess’s words, most Redwallers ran out cheering and laughing in excitement, especially the dibbuns. Evening entertainments were series of acts, concerts, trick performing, operas, and comedies. The abbey bellringer rang the Matthias and Methuselah bells happily, in the excitement of Abbess Song’s sudden announcement.
It was going to be a happy day, they thought.