Mission:
With finally a break in the terrible storm that has been attacking Sampetra I have been ordered to take a small crew with me as I try to find supplies for Sampetran armies. Deciding that Mossflower is always a good place to take advantage of our superior size and strength I set off on the speediest course I could confirm to be safe and out of the storms path. Knowing that even though the course I am taking appears to be safe there is no guarantee that it is so I have decided that when we get to Mossflower we will take any food we find and as much of it as we can carry.

Sailing to Mossflower seemed quite easy. The storm had left many strong winds that propelled my ship quickly across the sea. We reached Mossflower in only several days' travel and began immediately to look for food. However, no food was to be found. We searched the entire day and through the first night without so much as an edible mushroom. We set up a base camp and decided that the best way for us to locate food in a large area would be for us to go out in small groups each in different directions and meet back in four days at our camp.

We all went our separate ways. All in groups, except myself, who went alone. I traveled the entire first day without even finding a stream. Close to the end of the second day when I was about ready to turn back in hopes that someone else had found food, when I saw it. It was an entire GOUSIM city. I had never, in all of my days serving his majesty, seen such a massive place built by such small creatures. I quickly circled the camp at a distance to see how big the city was and what defenses it had. Not seeing any wall or guard towers I decided to move in closer. I snuck into the city and was able to make it all the way to the town center without being caught. Inside, a meeting was being held and I was able to overhear the shrews saying that not only they had had a great harvest that fall but that they would all be leaving for the next two weeks to celebrate at Redwall Abbey.

It was too good to be true. I quickly ran back to our base camp making the 2-day trip in only a day. I began to construct, with the other vermin that had been left to guard the camp, several large carts that we would be able to carry the supplies back with. When the other vermin that had been searching returned, the guards and I had already constructed 6 carts. They weren't too pretty but they were what we needed to carry back the food.

I told the other beasts what I had found and they were all very excited because they all had not found a thing. I gave the order for everyone to get a good rest so that we would be able to move quickly the next day.

We set off at a brisk pace that got us there in about a day and a half's journey. When we got there the camp was completely deserted. We found the storage house in no time at all and began to fill up the carts we made with the food we found. We had no sooner filled up the carts when all of the sudden we heard a faint running sound coming from the woods. We turned only to realize that our worst fears had come true. We were surrounded and outnumbered 3 to 1. We all dropped the carts and picked up our weapons.

Not sure weather or not the shrews had any archers I gave the order to charge. I knew that our only advantage was size and so we needed to pick off as many as we could as quickly as we could. The battle was gruesome. We were able to get the odds to 2 to 1 when the entire army of shrews reached the battlefield. We began to lose troops fast. I knew that our only hope for survival was to find some way to eliminate a vast number of shrews very quickly.

That is when I noticed that all of the shrews were not really thinking for themselves in the battle. They were all obeying the direct commands of one shrew that was standing on a hilltop. I began to break off to the edge of the field and then sneak up behind the commanding shrew. It worked. I was up behind the shrew with my knife to his throat and I ordered him to call off the shrew attack. In fear of his life he gave the order without any delay and immediately all the shrews stopped fighting. I had them all drop their weapons and the remaining vermin and I locked them all up in some of the remaining builds.

When I felt that it would take quite a large amount of time for them to get out, I gave the order to drag the carts that were full of supplies back to our ship as soon as possible. Knowing that there was little time to get back, we made the trip in only a day. We worked the entire night loading up the ship and were able to set sail at first light.

We were able to sail the first week without any problems but it was taking a lot of time because of the very little wind we had in our sails. However, we did not have any problems with the wind until the second day of the second week. On that day, out of nowhere, a massive storm formed and nearly capsized the ship several times. Knowing that throwing the precious cargo of food overboard was not an option, I decided the only thing to do was to try to ride the storm out. The storm tossed and turned our ship for more then three days. We set up 12-hour ships because of the lack of crew. It was horrible. Many beasts were ready to jump overboard gladly welcoming the relief of death. Knowing that I would need their help later I tied these beasts up in the belly of the ship until they regained their moral.

On the fifth day after the storm first formed, it finally gave up. I was able to locate our position that night with the several stars we could see in open patched of sky. I calculated that we were only a days travel from Sampetra with the wonderful wind we had been now getting. I had the sails set and we made our way back to Sampetra to fill the bellies of the nearly starved vermin that were remaining there.

Mission complete!