Marlfox

"Go ye now, an' fortune sail with you, my dearies!"

"Aye, an' make them scones last well, 'twill be a long time till you taste any so nice!"

"Should you return safe from yore venture, be so kind as to call an' visit ole Soil again some sunny day!"

"You must all come an' see me too, but stay a bit longer next time. Be careful now, go safe an' take our best wishes with ye!"

The Swallow cut her way out to midstream, with the four friends calling their goodbyes to the two good creatures waving from the bank.

"Thanks for everything, both of you. We'll come back, never fear!"

"Aye, a Guosim nose can scent scones bakin' anywhere, marm!"

"Yiss yiss, tell me friend Croikle to 'ave more jokes ready when we call back this way, sir!"

"Farewell, Soil, farewell, Goody! We'll never forget you, or the kindness you've shown us. Farewell!"

Watching the sleek craft slide downstream until it was lost in the nightfall, hedgehog and otter stood silent, tears dripping down their faces. Goody Brimm passed Soil her kerchief. "They got a long an' dangerous way t'go, but they're young an' brave of heart. They'll make it."

The giant hedgehog dabbed gently at his eyes. "Wish they could've stayed safe with me'n'Croikle!"

Chapter 22

Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop struck his most noble pose. Balancing high on the midwest battlements he leaned forward, shading his eyes with a paw, back leg stuck out straight behind, and his expression one of keen and courageous intelligence as he peered searchingly in all directions. The fearless commander, master of all he surveyed. "H'all cleeeeyaaahhh?" he called to the sentries in his most authoritative voice. "The enemy hath fled from our gates! Nary a sign of one lousebound rat or malicious Marlfox t'be seen in all this fair country, wot!" Deesum clasped her paws together fervently. "Oh, thanks be to fortune, is the fighting over now?"

Florian blew out his narrow chest, placing a paw upon his heart. "The winds of war blow no more, madam, the foebeast is vanquished, routed by our valorous efforts, retreating in disarray, wot wot!"

The fiendish mousebabe Dwopple narrowly missed the hare's tail with a stone from his sling. He scowled ferociously. "Worra 'im talkin' 'bout?"

Florian cast a jaundiced eye at his one remaining foe. "If you'd washed your pesky ears out you'd have heard first time, O small and horrible one. Victory is ours! Toll the bells! Strew rose petals round me paws and prepare a great feast!"

Brother Melilot rolled his eyes skyward in despair. "I had a feelin' he was goin' to mention food!"

The rest of the Redwallers sitting on the gatehouse steps looked to Cregga. Sister Sloey touched the badger's paw. "What d'you think, Badgermum? Is the fighting really over?"

Cregga deliberated before giving her answer. "It could well be, friend. Another Marlfox slain, and a good number of water rats. Perhaps they've had enough. They've not shown up today so far, and that must be a good sign."

Gurrbowl Cellarmole jumped up and down with joy. She hated the notion, as most other Redwallers did, of continued strife. "Oh, do saya ee vurmints be'd gone, marm. Ee foightin' do be's over, bain't it, do ee say 'tis."

Cregga smiled. She could feel the hopefulness virtually radiating from the Abbeydwellers gathered around her. "Oh, all right, if you wish, I think the war's over."

Joyous pandemonium rang out over the grounds into the sunkissed morning.

"Victory for Redwaaaaaalllll!"

"Sound the bells! Sound the bells good'n'loud!"

"A feast! Let's prepare a great feast in the orchard!"

Florian strutted triumphantly down the wallsteps, bowing to all around in the most outrageous manner. "Jolly well told you chaps, didn't I? Fightin's over, wot!"

Janglur sat on the northwest wallcorner with his friends, Rusvul and Skipper. They watched the cheering creatures pouring over toward the Abbey, eager to begin the preparations for the celebratory feast. Janglur's hooded eyes swept Mossflower woodlands north of the ramparts. "Let 'em enjoy theirselves. I think I'll just linger round 'ere for a few days yet. No point in takin' chances, mates."

Skipper tested a longbow that he had been restringing. "Good idea. We're with you!" Vannan's was the strongest personality of the three remaining Marlfoxes. She had ordered a retreat into the depths of south Mossflower. The vixen sat watching the water rats tend their injuries and cook food over an open fire, remarking noncommittally, as Ascrod came to sit beside her, "We're fortunate there's no shortage of vittles hereabouts. Let 'em rest awhile. We need to use brains more than weapons now."

Ascrod snorted scornfully. He snatched a roasted thrush from a passing water rat and sank his teeth into it. "We need reinforcements more than anythin', sister. We've barely got a hundred an' twenty countin' me, you an' Predak."

Vannan stood up, brushing her cloak off. "Then we'll just have to use the ferrets, won't we?"

Ascrod spat a bone into the fire, wrinkling his face in disgust. "What? You mean that scurvy bunch we rousted out of here last night? Raventail and his ragged crowd? They looked as though they'd seen enough fighting to last them many a long day. Anyway, ferrets have never served those of Marlfox blood. Surely you cannot be serious?"

Vannan adjusted the ax in her belt so it was ready to paw. "I'm perfectly serious, brother. We can't be too choosy in times like these, and we need more soldiers. Those ferrets will join us, aye, they'll fight and die for us too, when I've put a bit of discipline into their backbones. You can come with me. Bring an escort of twoscore, well armedAllag's patrol will do."

Ascrod tossed the roast bird aside, wiping paws upon his cloak. "But we chased them off. They'll be long gone by now."

Vannan pointed to the telltale wisps rising above the treetops to the south. "They're still hanging about over that way. I've been marking the smoke of their campfire since early morning. Are you coming?"

Ascrod signaled Allag's patrol and hurried to join his sister. "But there was no more than a score of them. What use is twenty ferrets to us?"

Vannan strode confidently onward. "A score is all we counted, but I'll wager they can raise three times that number. Sixty extra soldiers is not something to be sneezed at. Let's go and talk to this Chieftain Raventail!"

When they reached the ferret camp, Vannan ordered Ascrod to stay concealed nearby in the woods with Allag and his patrol. Using all the considerable wiles of a Marlfox, she made her way through the ferrets unheeded. Drawing as close to Raventail's fire as she could while remaining undetected, the vixen tossed a pawful of special ingredients from her belt pouch into the flames. Raventail shot up in alarm when the fire burst into a green sheet of flame, followed by a thick column of smoke. He was even more astounded by the appearance of Vannan, who materialized out of the haze. The ferret staggered backward, drawing his scimitar.

"Kye arr! Where comma you from, foxbeast?"

Vannan made a fearful sight, paws akimbo, revealing the ax she carried beneath her cloak, from under which the smoke still wreathed and curled. Her strange pale eyes narrowed as she glared at the ferret, calling out in a sepulchral voice, "Be still and know that I am the Marlfox! The power of great magic is within me!"

Raventail wavered, not sure what to do next. He looked to an old toothless ferret, reputed to be wise, and the old vermin nodded his head vigorously. He too was impressed by Vannan's appearance.

"Yehyeh, meknow 'boutder Marlfoxes. Rakkarakka! Muchmuch magic!"

As if to confirm his statement, Ascrod stepped out from a tree behind Vanna, causing widespread consternation among the ferrets.

"Kye arr! See twobeast now! Shallakaaaah! Marlfox-'n'Marlfox!"

Vannan's lips scarcely moved as she whispered to Ascrod, "Well done, brother. We've got these ignorant savages' attention."

She raised a paw imperiously, pointing beyond to the woodland. "Behold the warrior servants of the Marlfoxes!"