Library17

Mission number #36. Orlando the axe
I suppose it started at the brigadier’s office. All I was there to do was organize a gathering party fro a little extra healing herbs but I was conveniently there when the news of the storm broke. “You will be given all the workers you need” The brigadier said sternly. “Go and prepare the mountain for this gale!” I gave the reply Long Patrol stile. I came smartly to attention and yelled, “ Sir, yes Sir!” Then I turned and marched swiftly out of the door. I sent out repair crews to batten down all the windows and openings in the mountain, I took the long patrollers out to gather food and freash water; I even set leverets to caching fish though they had to have elderly hares there to make them work. Finally everything was ready. I put the bar across the main door and went up to the very top of the mountain to watch for this bad storm with the badger lord and the head Long Patrollers. I noticed that the air was very heavy and still. Also no bird sounded up and down the beach. Cursing exploded across from where I sat. I turned round causally and to my horror, saw my own second in command hurrying over toward me. “What is it?” I asked quickly. “We forgot the herbs!!” He yelled. “The beasts in the sick bay will die if we don’t get them now!” “With the storm nearly upon us!? What idiot is going to go out in the storm!?! ” Then to my everlasting horror, the Badger Lord strolled over and asked me what was going on! I gave him the problem and he looked at me. “You’re a big badger, “He said thoughtfully “Why don’t you go and get it? You’re big enough to stand the storm and if you remember the badger lore you should be able to find the herbs a lot better than a hare could.” I just looked at him in horror. Then I sagged. “Yes sir.” I said defeated. I took up the basket dumped into my arms and wondered out into the ever-so-slightly drizzling haze. I did remember my Badger lore but my ancestors were mostly Plains Lords. I was nearly lost in the woods but had no trouble finding the herbs all right. While looking for willow bark the storm started proper. It was a monster! The waves crashed against were I had intended to get in leaving me with only one option. I had to climb the mountain, in a storm, with a basket between my teeth, with all the entrances blocked up. “Piece of cake!” I said confidently. I found a paw hold and hosted myself up. Hour after hour I pulled myself up. Pity I was so heavy. The wind shredded my back and tunic, threatening to pull me off my wobbly hold on the wall. Fining a ledge, I huddled against the wall of bedrock like a dibbun with the horrors. I was terrified, but a particularly big gust nearly knocked me off the wall, so I had to go on. It took me two days to reach halfway up the mountain. About 1.00 clock on the morning of the third day I came across a window. It was the first one I had seen, so I hammered on it with all of my now pitiful strength. The latch was turned. Bars scrapped aside and suddenly I was looking down the shaft of a mean looking Longbow. This was more than I could stand. I reached inside, took the arrow and smashed it in my paw. The bow withdrew, and suddenly I was looking at the badger lord himself! I plied in the window, not standing on ceremony. I simply went to the sick bay and collapsed into bed. I was told later I slept for three days. My back was sliced and my paws were cut. My dress tunic was in ribbons and I had nearly died from exhaustion. But the herbs that we needed so badly were safe. I had saved the lives of the sickbay residences and also myself. Ironic that I was the first one to benefit from the herbs. Oh well. The storm lasted another week but thanks to the work crews I had set, everyone was well fed and warm. Life has now retuned to normal on the Mountain of the fire lizards, Salamandastron!
Mission #65: Ferocious Flames
By: Lacroon the Gallant
Dashing into the clearing came the Long Patrol, having seen smoke from a way off. Instantly Sergeant Lacroon took in the situation. "Albatore, back to the mountain, chap! Bring back hares, shovels, sacks, and some water buckets--hurry! Dann an' Briggandy, get yourselves around the area fast, bring any creature in danger t' Redwall Abbey f' the time being! Urthblade, you scout out south of here, bring back any creatures y' can find that's fit to fight the flames! "This clearin' will be base 'o' operations, wot, with that stream runnin' through just north." The hare pointed to three young warriors, saying, "Alright, you hares get a move on, circle the fire, find how large it is. Go now! The rest of you, help me clear brush away. We've got t' make a fire break! Move y'selves, sirs!"
As one, the remaining few hares hurried to pull away dry sticks, fallen leaves, and anything in the area which might become fuel for the flames. After there was a cleared space around the trees, Lacroon and the rest of
the patrol began digging up piles of soil with their weapons and placing rocks in the cleared space. The wall was just beginning to take shape when the young scouts came panting back. "Sah!" the first reported, "The flames stretch in a circle, about a mile across, I'd say."The second runner continued, "Also, there's a stream flowing on the southeastern border of the fire, cutting it off. T'is no wind anywhere abouts, thank the seasons, else we'd really be in a fix, sah.""Good work, chaps, 'ave a breather."
The fire break was worked upon, stretching across the northern face of the blaze. Into the night the creatures worked, until a crew of twenty-five fresh hares from Salamandastron came galloping up with the needed implements, along with a large supply of provisions. Lacroon and the original patrol took a much-needed break as the others continued cutting off the fire's path to the east and northwest. Lacroon was worried about the
southwestern trajectory, where the fire could blaze unchecked.About midday, all hares looked up from there work to see a grand sight."Eulaaaaliaaaaaaa!" roared Urthblade, cresting a short hill in the distance, at his back were hundreds of shrew warriors. Instead of their traditional rapiers, each shrew was equipped instead with a shovel or bucket each, to aid in firefighting. Lacroon delightedly told the new workers about the needed help on the
southwest, sending off many to combat it. The rest stayed behind to put out the remnants in the clearing area.
Working in shifts, the last bits of flame were destroyed within the week, but no creature ever found how the blaze was originally begun. It would take many seasons to return this section of Mossflower Wood to its original
splendor, but it would have been much worse without Lacroon, the shrews, and the grand old Long Patrol.
Mission 57
Done by Axepaw
I carried out your orders and took ten of the hares which I judjed to be best in a stealth mission. Skipper reccomended that we take a duck and weave path through the dunes to wear the ship is moored. I asked skipper to swim up behind the boat and make observations while we watche closely from the shore. After an hour he returned looking extremeley grave. He told me that they have about two score rats on board, all dressed in black chainmail armour. He overheard one of the rats saying that they would be departing to gather vittles from the shore, leaving three vermin on board. It was getting dark when a huge rat took the vermin off the boat and they started marching towards the dunes. I took the full force I had with me and waded through the shore to the boat. It is named "Stormdeath". We mounted the boat silently and went into the cabin. Three rats were lying down eating seagulls roasting on a spit. The dived for weapons as we entered but I slew the nearest of the foul creatures with my axe. Skipper loosed a slingstone at the one on the far side of the room, knocking him down. I seized the remaining rat, a skinny fellow who must have been starved and brought him out for the stench was terrible. I asked him several questions but he mos I could get out of him was that he serves Fangslayer Trunn and is scouting the shores for plunder and slaves. I tried many threats but none worked. He just said that we would be sorry and leaped onto my blade, slaying himself instantly. I obeyed your orders and came straight back with all the information I could.
Mission 75: completed by Torgorch: First I anounced to Lord Tammo of the sighting of these ships. He addressed the whole mountain by giving a extremely arousing war speech. This was followed by many hardy "Eulaliaaaaaaaaaa s'death on the wind" and a couple "give em blood and vinegar chaps". After everything had calmed done Tammo let me have the podium. I asked for volunteers for a foraging party. We only got ten hares but they were all fast beasts and could cover much ground. I told every beast to be sharpening their weapons and that I would organize the mountain's defenses later that night. When the foraging party returned they had gotten many vittles, we have several wells that turn seawater into fresh water so drinking was not a problem. When I got back up to the podium I called all the pikes together. I split them up into two groups, one to be on the mountains top garrison incase the Vermin tried to go up that way, and one as a reserve incase the vermin broke down our doors. I then told the archers to board up all the windows leaving long slots in the wood so they could fire out of them. i had a speacial task for the slingers, they would hide behind the great sand dunes, Fire two rounds then they would run to a different spot confusing the wave vermin. The javelins were strictly reserve incase any unit could not do the job and needed reinforcements and the swordsbeasts and the ax beasts would be needed only if the vermin actually got inside the mountain. Using these tactics we soundly defeated the scum-Torgorch