[Redwall 08] - Outcast of Redwall by Brian Jacques

Author:Brian Jacques [Jacques, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2010-10-09T19:18:30.415000+00:00

“Squirrels ’n’ otters, that’s all they was, a bunch o’ mis’r-able squirrels ’n’ otters, an’ you beauties ran from ’em.

Tell ’em, Nightshade—you saw them, didn’t yer? Squirrels’n’ot-ters, dial’s all they were!”

A surly voice called out from the horde, “I never seen squirrels shootin’ arrers as big as that’n wot wiped out pore

Grinflit!”

Swartt’s head was aching; he was too tired to reprimand the culprit. Instead he beckoned his Captains, and they

gathered round as he lay back, covering his eyes with his mailed paw. “Well, what’ve you lot got t’say fer yerselves,

eh?” he growled.

The replies were what he expected.

“No point in gettin’ slain for trespassin’ on some other-beast’s road, Chief.”

“Keep travellin’ west, that’s what we were doin’ in the first place.”

“Aye, you can’t slay an invisible army. We lost a good number today, an’ didn’t even see who did the killin’!”

Swartt stood up, shaking his head sorrowfully but secretly glad that his Captains had provided him with an excuse

not to turn back and seek retribution on the foebeast. “Huh, the backbone’s gone from you lot, yer a load o’ jellyfish.

Ah well, I s’pose we’ll keep goin’ west through this forest if yer all too scared to go back an’ avenge yer dead mates.”

Redfarl perched in the low branches of an elm nearby, listening to what was going on. Her tail shot upright, a

signal to the waiting squirrel archers stationed in the trees not far from the horde. They fired a line of shafts into the

ground, not a pawsbreadth from where the vermin sat. Slightly farther back in the woodland cover, Jodd lay flat on the

earth, his head inside a great hollow log. The hare’s voice echoed and boomed as he called slowly in a loud sepulchral

voice, “Begone from our land while you still live! Worms feast upon any who try to stand against us; their bones rot

upon the territory of the phantom slayers! Go noooooooowww!”

All the squirrels in the trees, plus a few otters who were with Jodd, echoed the mournful howl: “Go

noooooowwww!”

Nightshade could be heard shouting as the horde took to their heels and charged westward into Mossflower, the

speed of panic urging them on.

“Carry Lord Swartt, he is injured! See the line of arrows, it is a warning, the phantom slayers have spoken. Let us

go!”

The vixen found she was talking to herself; the horde had gone. Without a backward glance, she dashed off after

them.

Some of the squirrels nearly fell from the trees, laughing. Jodd was still lying with his head in the hollow log,

calling mournfully, “I’m starving. Wonder what’s for bally supper, us phantoms have t’jolly well eeeeeeaaaaattttt!”

Sumin gripped Redfarl’s paw gratefully. “We did it, thanks to you an’ Skipperjo. Redwall Abbey is deep in your

debt. We will hold a feast for you all!”

The squirrelhare’s voice boomed out from below. “That’s the ticket, a great feast! Sooooooooper!”

Skipperjo met them back at the path, and there was much paw-shaking, tail-wagging, and back-slapping.

“Never lost a one of my otters, we tricked ’em good, mates!”

“Aye, all my archers are accounted for, not a scratch on any of ’em.

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