The Jade Abbess of Redwall

 
  By: Lance Petersen and Priscilla Schnieder
                   1/18/2005 (Initially started in 1998)
(Redwall, Mossflower, Sampetra, Salamandastron and the Rapscallions are from the imagination of Author Brian Jacques and are used in books by him)


                                                BOOK I: The Runaways
                                                CHAPTER I


         Just before the warm sun started its long journey to the middle of the sky the sound of the ocean rapping the white sandy beaches of Sampetra Island woke young Princess Ella from her deep sad slumber. Just a season had passed since her parents King and Queen Nicholas and Suzie were kidnapped from the beautiful palace of Roseguard. The loneliness never left the very young squirrel.
    Ella rubbed her eyes for a second sat up in her elegantly decorated bed and stretched, sprawling her arms and yawning again. Suddenly the door opened and a golden brown head peaked in. “Ella, are you awake already? Well come on then no points moping around  Up an at em’ little one we got to get ready because there is going to be a meeting in the Grand Hall tonight and we want you to look your best ” Said Ella’s maid, and caretaker Cilla who was a prairie dog. Cilla and Cinder, her husbands were the only two of their kind to be found on Sampetra, Mossflower or surrounding areas. They seemed to appear out of nowhere. They were young adults and were a big help around Roseguard because since the kidnapping of King Nicholas and Queen Suzie the island of Sampetra was in disarray. Marauding bands of vermin whose ancestors were stranded here were constantly trying to regain control of Roseguard and destroy the small villages around the island.
        That morning in Redwall Abbey, a long ways away from the small island of Sampetra, the adventurous smell of spring enveloped little Cameo. It was so irresistible to the little squirrel, the blowing soft wind called his attention away from Badgermother Rosa’s storytelling time. Something beyond Redwall’s great red walls was stealing him from his spot under the sun on the green grass of the courtyard. The dibbun had to give into his temptations. He raised his little brown paw high so the Badgermum could see it and he yelped to her. “Badermum  Badermum ” Looking up from the old mottled history manuscripts of the abbey Badgermother Rosa answered Cameo’s cries. “Yes little one what is it?”
      “Badermum I gotta’ goo to la’ bafroom’ ” Said Cameo doing his best at acting. It seemed to work. “Go ahead Cameo, but hurry back  And find your little friend Peekoo and tell him to come out here now ” Said the badger to the dibbun squirrel and then she kept on reading to the rest of the crowd of little ones. Cameo ran to the door of the abbey and strained to open the heavy oaken doors, and then he quickly entered.
      Once inside Cameo thought about what his next move. Once he decided he ran to the kitchens as fast as he could. When he came to the doors of the kitchen he cautiously peeked his head through into the warm dimly lit kitchen. Seeing it abandoned he sneaked in, walking over to some cupboards at the other side of the kitchen close to the ovens. He opened one close to the ground and out of it he pulled a brown haversack. In the cupboard next to it he pulled out the longest, sharpest knife he could find and put it on the ground next to the haversack. Then the intelligent little squirrel climbed up on a stool that was close to some shelves and grabbed a bag full of candied chestnuts. Cameo put all of the things he had gathered into the haversack. Then he put the haversack around him like a vest and tied the drawstrings together. He made sure that the contents inside were hidden at his back. Then the intelligent little dibbun he headed for the door and banged right into Friar Whipple a dormouse that was carrying a tray of unbaked dough in his hands. “UMMPHH! Wha? Hey ya liddle mischief-maker what er you up too?” Taken by surprise Cameo quickly answered: “UMM, I waz lookin fo’ la’ bafroom’ ” “The bathroom? This ain’t a bathroom child this is the kitchen! The bathroom is upstairs by your dormitories you should know that! You dibbuns always lose yer way around.” The Friar laughed as he put the tray into the hot oven.
    Cameo smiled sheepishly and then ran out of the room; happy that the Friar was too preoccupied to worry about the haversack was tied about him. When he got to the bathroom he went inside closed the door and locked it. Then he went to the window and looked out to see how far down it was to the grass from the second floor. It was two stories off the grass lawn that faced the east wall gate, a weak but very well hidden door to the wondrous Mossflower Wood. “Hmm to high fo’ me ta’ jump, not even fader squiggle be’s able ta’ jump down der’. Hmmm… Ahhh  I needs wope  I go get it fwom da’ cwoset ” Cameo problem solved how to get down. He ran to the closet still on the second floor but across from the dormitories. He opened the door to it where all of the supplies that Redwall wasn’t using at the time were stored. Cameo rummaged through the junk looking for rope to climb down from. ”Where’s da’ wope, where’s da’ wope.” He kept looking through old dusty boxes and crates but when he looked on the wall hanging on a rack hung a long coil of rope. He quickly grabbed it and ran out the room again to the bathroom.
    The squirrel tied an end of the rope to a table leg that was sitting by the window and threw it out the open window. He peeked his head out the window again and seeing the rope stopping about half way up the abbey building Cameo became frustrated. “Grr  It to showt  I gotta go all way back to cwoset fo more ” He headed for the door and before heading back to the closet he looked out the door to see if any Abbey creature was in the hallway. Good the coast was clear. When Cameo saw that no one was there, he dashed out of the bathroom and across the hall into the storage room closet. He quickly found some more rope lying next to some fuzzy blue blankets. “Oh I take banket too It make nice tent.” Said Cameo happy again now that he had gotten new things. He walked back out of the storage room and was almost to the bathroom before he ran smack dab into Peekoo his best mate. They both fell to the ground and the blanket fell right on top of them both. “Whooo  Wha’ happen’? Oh hey Camo  Wha’ you doin’ wid a banket n’ wope? Where you goin?” Asked Peekoo recovering from the fall, after Cameo had snatched up the blanket. Cameo stuttered “I ah umm I wav goin to la’ bafroom. Hey Peekoo badermum tellin stowy in orcherd it a good un’ ” said Cameo trying to get his friend to forget about what he just saw. “A Stowy? Yeah  You comin’ Camo’?” Asked Peekoo in the universal baby language. “Yeah yeah after I go bafwoom you go’ head I comin’ ” Peekoo skipped off down the Abbey steps to go hear Badgermum’s story and Cameo ran to the bathroom and quickly opened his haversack again and stuffed the blanket in it. Then he pulled up the rope he had put over the side and tied the second rope on tight. Then he threw it over the side of the reddish windowsill and this time it hit the ground with more rope to spare. Cameo giggled excitedly and pulled on the rope to make sure it was secure, then without another thought about it the daring little squirrel dropped out of the window. He held tight to the rope and walked down the wall backward with ease because of the rough texture of the wall and also him being a squirrel.  Soon Cameo touched ground. He stepped off the wall and tugged on the rope.
    “Oh wats Da’ wope is still tied to la’ table weg  What I do now?” Said Cameo whose mood quickly changed when faced with this problem. He pulled on the rope one more time, thinking on what he would do when suddenly the rope came loose in his hands. He looked up at the window puzzled. A little head popped out from the sill. It was Peekoo and he was laughing hysterically at Cameo’s puzzled expression. “Peekoo wat u’ doing up der? I tought you be listening to badermum’s stowy ” “I waz but I come back ta’ see whatcha’ up to  You wunnin away Camo’?”  “Yea Peekoo an’ I gots ta’ go now afore’ some one finds me bu bye Peekoo ” Said Cameo quickly trying to leave before his mouse friend could offer to come with. “Camo’ u not leavin’ widout Peekoo, I’m comin too! Stay der I be back soon.” Cameo sighed angrily at his mouse friend who had just wrecked his plans for a solo escape. He decided he’d wait for Peekoo anyways.
    Peekoo scurried down the abbey steps to the first floor and to the door of the kitchens. He peeked his head in and he saw Friar Whipple snoring loudly by the sacks of flour by the warm ovens. The dormouse cook snored loudly breathing in and out. Peekoo went to the same cupboard as Cameo went to and pulled out a haversack like Cameo. He grabbed a knife, and a box of candied chestnuts. He found a flagon filled with Raspberry cordial and threw it into his haversack too. Peekoo climbed onto a counter that had more cupboards on top. He opened the one where the cups were kept and he grabbed two. As he tried to ease his way down from the counter, he accidentally knocked over another cup. Peekoo cringed as the cup shattered on the floor of the kitchen and Whipple shot up from the flour sacks like a bolt of lightning. “Wha? What in heaven’s name is going on?” Asked the Friar trying to regain his composure from the rude awakening.
         “Um I ahh I um tryin ta’ find de’ bafroom ” Said Peekoo blurting out the first excuse that came to his head. “You Dibbuns r always losin’ your way  It’s upstairs by your dormitory  Oh and don’t you tell no one I was snoozin’ by the fire now, Abbott Pippin would have a conniption fit ” Said the frustrated dormouse Friar. Peekoo scurried out of the kitchen with the haversack when Whipple’s head was turned. He hurried out the door of the abbey doors quickly glancing to see if anyone was around. But everyone was off doing some chore and the dibbun mouse slipped by unnoticed. After Peekoo met up with Cameo, they made their way over to the east wallgate, which was very weak and old. It was a small wicker door in the side of the colossal red structure, but it was hidden very well in the deep green forest of Mossflower.
         
    Then Cameo and Peekoo put their shoulders into the small wooden plank that locked the wicker gate. They heaved and hoed putting all their strength into it and finally the plank gave way and fell to the green grass under their feet. Cameo squealed with excitement and they opened the gate and looked out into the dark sheltered woodland of Mossflower. Then without a second thought the two dibbuns walked out heading away from the safe shelter of Redwall and into the untamed wildness of Mossflower Wood....

                                                           CHAPTER II
      It was a beautiful night on the Tropical isle of Sampetra with the moon shining directly on the palace of Roseguard. Inside Ella was stalling from getting ready. “Why’s me gotsta go to la’ meetin’ in da’ Grand hall Cilla?” Asked Princess Ella who was very unhappy to have to put on her best and most expensive dress. It was silky velvet and had gold ribbons woven into the puffy shoulders of the dress and also woven around the waist of the dress and there was a golden frill on the bottom of the dress going from the front all the way to the long train in the back of it. Once Ella was dressed totally from the little silver crown on the little red squirrel’s head, to the glass slippers that she was forced to wear, Cilla the Prairie dog ushered the dibbun princess out of her room and down the Victorian spiral staircase to the dining area, which they called Grand Hall. Ella could hear the raucous from the time she left her room, it seemed the whole of Sampetra was waiting in the Grand Hall.
      Cilla led the young princess into the elaborately decorated Hall with extremely high vaulted ceilings and the whole room elegantly decorated in gold and silk curtains. Grand Hall was magnificent indeed and it was filled with creatures from all over the island of Sampetra. They were all dressed in their best attire like this was some grand occasion. As Ella took her first step onto the red carpet that led to the platform at the front of Grand Hall the whole crowd became silent and all in attendance bowed down low as she walked past them on the red carpet. Ella didn’t like it one bit. “Git up  Git up  No Bow down to me you bow to mommy n’ daddy! Not Me! ” The crowd paid her no heed and Cilla still led her rather forcefully to the golden throne on the platform that they were heading towards. She tried to explain to the dibbun but she knew it wouldn’t help. “I’m sorry Ella but Roseguard has gone long enough without a leader, you are the only successor. I know this hard for to understand but it must be done.” Ella wasn’t listening to reason as Cilla had hoped.
     
    “Yarrg Capn’ Raid sir da scouts ‘ave come back from searchin da woods an I tink you bedder lissen to em good.” Said Raid’s adviser Bittail, a tall scraggly rat with a big chunk of his tail missing from a fight he was lucky to walk away from. He wore a tattered general’s jacket that he stole off a dead vermin he found and he wore a sinister rusty scimitar on his side. Raid a vicious Searat on the other hand was dressed in a deep blue silk robe and by his side where he sat under the shade of an old oak laid a wicked double hilted battle-axe that was sure to deal death to all his enemies.
         “Good job Bittail for telling me right away. I’ll be down there straight away.” Bittail flinched a little as the raccoon rose and pushed past him without seeming to acknowledge his existence, sending him sprawling to the ground without any effort.
    Raid sat down in the camp of the scouts, a ferret and a weasel as they related what they saw.

  "Oh Firstblade we seen a camp o' badgers about two hour march o' here. They was all old cept a liddle babe."

  "Hmmmm very interesting, they had no warriors, no weapons what so ever?" Asked the Firstblade curiously

  Nones ta' speak of O Firstblade, they old n defenseless, just waitin for ye' ta send em ta a long deep sleep sire! An just think Firstblade, a baby badger ta train in our ways, when that un grows up he'll be a one badger army!" Answered the ferret scout enthusiastically to the raccoon leader.

  "Yes, Yes a badger plus that wolverine babe we found back on the island of ice, we'll be unstoppable then!" Raid liked the idea more and more. He stood up and yelled to the whole crew that numbered around 300 vermin.

  "Rest Hastily! We leave at midnight to raid a small badger camp!" A loud gasp went up from the whole crew at the thought of attacking badgers. "Don't you worry yourselves Rapscallions! These are but old relics of clay to us! We leave at midnight, that is my decree and what I the Firstblade of Rapscallions says goes!"

    Meanwhile about two hours march from the Rapscallion camp deeper into the woods of Mossflower the small group of elderly badgers was bedding down for the night. The little one was already asleep in his grandmother's arms.
    "How much longer to Salamandastron Bender?" Asked the little ones grandsire.

    "Well I’d say another couple o' days on this here trail, were makin good time fer old relics like us!" Answered his good friend Bender.
   
    "Relics! Speak for yerself oldtimer! Im still spry and youthfull! Well that may be because I've got the babe keepin me that way!" The badgers were headed to Salamandastron, the great mountain fortress to live out their days among the infamous Long Patrol hares and bring the son of Lord Goldenpaw the Just to him. The little one was to grow to be a great leader of Salamandastron and Goldenpaw's parents were bringing him to him to be trained.
    It was a couple hours past midnight, the camp was asleep, all except Bender who stood as lookout a position he highly esteemed. He was alert and watchful despite his advanced seasons. The fires were burned down to embers and smoke, all was quiet. Suddenly something caught Bender's attention, an erie feeling that he hadn't felt in a long while. But it was too late to respond. Ther was a loud shout from the trees.
   
    "AAATTTAAACCKKK!!!!!!" Screamed Raid, and his troops poured into the unsuspecting camp, waking the badgers from their slumber. The Rapscallions rushed at the old badgers, who were defenseless.
    "Everyone fight back! Let's show the scum how badgers stand up ta bullies! Give em Blood an Vineger!! Eullliiiiaaaaaaaa!!!!!!" Screamed Bender and he ran straight at the onslaught of vermin. All of a sudden the bloodwrath that takes over a badger in the heat of battle took over the ancient ones and they threw themselves at the enemy, with no weapons and no armor. It was a hopeless battle with the small band of badgers numbering only 12. But nothing can stop a badger in bloodwrath, except death.
      The fighting raged on with many badgers being cut down, but despite all odds they took a great number of Rapscallions with them. The little one had been crying uncontrollably after being disturbed by the commotion outside his tent. His grandmother and grandsire broke off their attack and ran to the tent in the back of the camp.

    "Marta, whatever happens we must reach Salamandastron and tell Goldenpaw of what is happening here! I'll carry the child, you run, run as fast as you can, we'll be right behind you!" The two grabbed the babe, who had stopped crying when he saw his grandparents and exited the tent, heading toward Salamandastron in the opposite direction of the massacre in the camp.
   
    "Remember run! Run as fast as you can no matter what happens Marta!" Said Farran as he moved on holding the infant. Marta was ahead and she turned and nodded to Farran in understanding, her eyes filled with disbelief at what was happening back at camp.
      She ran on knowing that she had to reach the mountain, she moved considerably fast considering her age. She had gone a good distance before she had to slow up a bit and when she did she took a look behind her to see where Farran and the babe were. They weren't behind her! She gasped and took off back the way she had come, trying to find where Farran was. She ran a little ways more searching up and down when she heard running feet and loud voices.

      "So we got da liddle one like Firstblade wanted and took the ol' un but I saw anudder one run dis way. Les kill er an get back ta see what things we kin find in da camp!" Said one of the vermin. Marta's anger was burning hot, she could feel the bloodwrath building in her, she wanted so badly to run back kill the vermin, but he knew she had to keep on moving and make it to Salamandastron alive. she pushed everything out of her mind and kept on running towards the distant mountain fortress.
      Lost in the vastness of Mossflower Wood, the two young dibbuns had made a small camp, the best they could and put up a makeshift sheet tent. They had been sleeping soundly throughout the night, until Cameo was rudely awoken by Peekoo hugging him closely and crying fearfully.

      "Wha was dat? Camo you hear dat?"

      "No I not hear noffink you scaredymouse! Now go back ta sleep!" Answered Cameo in a very crabby tone. The loud hoot of an owl somewhere out in the dark forest night could be heard through the little makeshift tent. This set Peekoo off again.

    "You heard dat Camo? You heard it? Is it a monster?" Asked Peekoo worriedly.

    "Das norra monster Peekoo, jusa owl. Go ta sleep! Cameo turned away from Peekoo to go back to sleep, but then the danger of their situation set in after a second, then he too was hugging Peekoo and they both became worried, thinking about getting eaten by owls.

  "Da owl gonna eat us! We too young to be eated!!!" Cried Cameo. The two young ones hugged eachother and cried until they were exhausted, and then finally fell asleep, late in the night.
  The morning sun shone on the shores of Sampetra, illuminating the green vegatation that had taken so long to grow back after an evil war lord had ruined the island, long long ago. The morning found the newly oppointed Queen Ella sitting moodilly by the coy fish pond, in the royal garden of Roseguard dangling her feet in the pond and staring longingly at the water. The lush garden was near the edge of the cliff that led to the rest of the island, where the villagers of Sampetra lived. Palace Roseguard lay behind and to the side of the garden, and the shores below the plateau in which the palace was built were on the other side a few hundred yards away.
    As Ella sat staring into the murky depths, watching the beautiful orange and gold coy fish make their way along the pond scavenging for any food, she thought about her mother and father. She wished they were there with her at that moment, watching the fish swim along with her. She imagined the king throwing bread crumbs into the pond, and little Ella and her mother laughing at the fish scrambling for it; Their circular mouths opening wide to grab ahold of the bread.
  In mid thought Ella became aware of a rustling and shifting of sand below on the cliff facing the rest of the island, but she couldnt see what was happening. Suddenly a brown furry head popped up from the cliff and then a young otter emerged onto the grass of the plateau and came running towards her, jumping over the small picket fence guarding the garden and knocking over some plants in the process. Ella screamed in fright, not knowing wht was happening.

  "YEEEEKKKK!!!!!! Don' 'urt me!" shrieked Ella.

  "I won't 'urt ya liddle 'un, but the filthy vermin scum behind me will! Hurry we must get to the palace for safety!" Answered the otter. As he grabbed her paw to lead her to safety, Ella could see two more heads coming up from the cliff, they were vermin.
  Stripeback and Brownnose, a weasel and searat had been chasing after the otter whom they had enslaved, but had recently escaped. Now they were trying to recapture him before their leader found out.

  "Get O'er 'ere ye' slimy liddle waterdog!" Yelled Stripeback as the two climbed onto the plateau.

  "Eh, Stripeback lookey dere! We found one 'o da' royals wit our liddle friend. Lets get em both n cap'n will promote us!" Said Brownnose excitedly. They chased after the two young creatures, leaping over the picket fence and pursuing them through the Roseguard grounds, towards the palace.

  "Cum 'ere yew two! Yer gonna get us nice permotions from da' cap'n HARHARHAR!" Scoffed Stripeback. As they neared the palace the vermin gained on them, coming within feet when suddenly the side door to the palace was swung open and Ella and the otter were ushered in by Cilla, who then turned her attention on the vermin with a huge frying pan.
  Brandishing it like a mace she swung high above her head and brought it down onto Stripeback's muzzle sending him flat on his face in the grass. This proceeded to trip Brownnose, the clumsier of the two and he fell at Cilla the prairie dog's feet. She quickly knocked him out with a smack from the pan.
  Once she had the children inside safely, she barred the palace door with a big oaken beam between the door slots and she rested against the oak door, watching Ella and the young otter.

  "Whas ur name eh? I'm Princess Ella, dis is Wosegard, welcome!" Said Ella after recovering from the startiling ordeal out in the garden. She purposefully left out the part about her being the Queen.
  The otter was kindly, he was a well built adolecent otter and he looked like his paws and body had seen much hard work, and torture.

  "Well noice ta' meet ya Ella meh lassie, I'm called Nimmo!
                                           




      CHAPTER III
  Ella looked Nimmo up and down, realizing how filthy he was. His clothes were worn and tattered, and his body was beaten, even though he was young. Cilla was the first to speak up.

  "Where did you come from young one? Why were those vile things after you, and more importantly why come here?" Asked Cilla after she had brought them into the Grand Hall and sat the two young creatures down. Nimmo sat and caught his breath before he told his story to Queen Ella and Cilla.
 
  "Well tis a long story marm, so you might wanna take a seat. I come from The Forge Holt, at the other side of Sampetra. Holts are what we otters call our homes. Alas those wretched creatures took Holt Forge captive some months ago and enslaved us otters. I'm the only lad whose escaped, at least aloive anyway. I slipped away from this bumblin lad who was surposed ta be watchin me and came running ere' as fast as I could. I figured that Roseguard was da safest place for a poor creature such as meself ta find safety. And besides I was hoping you would help Holt Forge to get freed from the grasp of the vermin." Cilla looked astonished.

  "I had no idea the vermin had organized themselves into some crime ring. They've gone and started pillaging the villages! Oh if only the King and Queen were here, they'd have known of this and already liberated your poor family. I will have to bring this to General Tress, the leader of our guardians. Come ill let you clean up and get a change of clothes while I talk to the good General." Cilla motioned for Nimmo to follow her. Ella followed closely behind Nimmo, she seemed very curious about the adolescent otter. Ella liked to talk to strangers and he was very interesting to her.
  Nimmo was excited to clean up in a nice hot bath and feel the clean light linen garments that Cilla brought for him. He hadn't showered, nor been in clean clothes for many long months. As he bathed, Cilla with the little queen found General Tress, an irrepressable hare out on the battlements commanding his guards on duty watching the ocean for any sign of attack.

  "Always keep your eyes sharp! Sharps the word, quicks the action cads, wot wot! Hey you there, keep your attention on the sea laddie buck or I'll ave yer tail fer brekkers on the morrow!" Said the General trying to be as commanding as possible. He stood tall and faced forward towards the sea, watching the young guard trainees as they stood watch on the horizon at midday. Cilla walked up behind Tress and tapped his shoulder lightly. Tress whipped around, his dagger in hand and faced the prairie dog and the young squirrel in a fighting stance. Ella yelped in fright and hid behind Cilla because of his sudden reaction. When he saw who it was he eased up and put the dagger away, and then scolded the queen's attendant.

  "Miss Cilla how many times do I have to say not ta sneak up on an army chap in that fashion! Humpf! The nerve, sneakin up on a bloak when he's doin 'is civic duty! A real shame miss, wot wot!" Cilla smiled at the serious general. She joked with the hare.

  "A real shame indeed! The shame is you supposing to be a respectable gentle beast, scaring the young Queen and brandishing weapons at poor helpless maid's!" The good general smiled a bit, his tough features lightened up. He wasn't an old hare, but very seasoned a true warrior. He laughed at the prarie dog maid.

  "Beggin yer pardon ma'am, and you too me lady. So what brings you two to the battlements now eh?" Asked Tress.

  "Well to tell you the truth it is not good news General, it seems that the stranded vermin have come together into some kind of militia group, and are now  terrorizing the villagers. They've taken a place called Holt Forge, the home of the otters hostage. They've enslaved the otters of the holt." Said Cilla briefing the hare on the new news that she had heard from Nimmo.

  "How did you come upon this information my lady, if I may ask." Answered Tress.

  "From a young otter who has escaped from the holt. He was chased by two vermin earlier this morning, him and Ella. I gave them a taste o' my frying pan, but you may want to check over by the front gate and the gardens to make sure they have actually gone away." Tress's face looked indignant.

  "I should very much like to meet this otter then, wot wot!" Said Tress. Cilla agreed to take him to Nimmo and after he had put one of his more experienced guardians in charge he went into the palace with the prarie dog and the dibbun squirrel.

  Cameo and Peekoo had awoken drowsily the next morning, awaken by their empty growling bellies. They came out of their makeshift tent and met the beautiful and lush Mossflower Wood. The birds chirped merrily up above in the treetops that covered the ground below, letting the warm morning sun shine through only in spots. The pathway they had traveled on seemed to go on forever into the endless dark depths of the forest going both ways. The River moss that the pathway followed rushed on by with gurgiling swishing sounds adding to the song of the wilderness that the two dibbun creatures heard as they had awoken.
  The two of them searched in their haversacks for some things to eat and both chose the most predictable thing, candied chestnuts. They sat near the tree where they had set up the tent and munched happily on the chestnuts. Cameo thought of their next move. The intelligent little squirrel figured that if they kept following the river they wouldn't get lost and they maybe would find some fun adventures to do along the way. He hurried up to finish eating, he was excited to get moving again.
  Back at Redwall things were less enthusiastic. The creatures were searching everywhere for the two lost Dibbuns. no nook or crany was left unchecked. Badgermother Rosa searched the grounds frantically along with Ringo the warrior, Cameo's father and Raqs the father of Peekoo. Redwall was in a state of panic.
 
  "Your sure that they were here with you at story time miss Rosa?" Asked Ringo.

  "Well Cameo was, I figured Peekoo was with his mother since he was not with me. Cameo did go to the bathroom during the story, but alas I cannot say if he returned. I take full responsibility my friend, I'm so sorry!" Apologized Rosa. Her heart was deeply hurt at losing the dibbuns and it shown on her aging black striped face. Raqs tried to consoul her.

  "Marm it twas not your fault! Dibbuns are always gettin inta mischief, especially Cameo and Peekoo. We'll probably find them curled in a corner sleeping like the liddle babes they are!" Raqs said this wishing it were true. Things took a turn for the bad when Abbott Pippin came running over to the three of them with a worried look on his face.

  "Ringo, Raqs, Rosa, I think you all better come have a look at this." They followed the fat little mouse, while their minds raced as to what they would see, to the east wallgate, that was left ajar from the dibbun's escape. Abbott Pippin pointed to the gate.

  "I'm afraid our little ones have strayed into the woods. Who knows what dangers are out there! We must form a search party at once friends and bring your dibbuns back to Redwall in a hurry!" Said the wise old Abbott.
         Soon after Raqs and Ringo led a search party of concerned Redwallers through Mossflower Woods; fervently looking for the little ones. They hoped the dibbuns hadn’t traveled far. Meanwhile deeper into Mossflower, Cameo and Peekoo followed along the River Moss aimlessly searching for a purpose. It was now midday on their second day of exploration and for both of them the game was starting to get old. Cameo kept up his front of being the leader, but he was worried inside. He wished he was sleeping in his nice comfy dibbun bed again, eating the great food at Redwall.
         “UUGGHH, Camo you know where you goin? We lost isn’t us?” Questioned Peekoo. Cameo didn’t answer him.
         “Camo, Camo! You Lissenin ta me…” Cameo cut him short.
         “Shush Peekoo I heard sometin.” Peekoo quickly grew silent…..more to come.