Brian Jacques - Mossflower

Bella pushed food toward Columbine. "Here, little one, ; have some lunch. Go

on, Mask, tell us the plan." >••' The otter had his back to them, he was

selecting disguises. i_"I say, let her come, see what she wants, but don't let

her |know who I am. Pretend that I'm a newcomer." *;;.' When he turned to

face the Corim, Mask was indeed a ^newcomer. He was transformed into the most

evil slim gray s:ipid fox they had ever seen.

The Mask slid into Bella's study to complete his disguise. |**Find the right

tail, rub a little brown dust into my coat and

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see to the finer bits. Ha, she won't be able to tell me from her own grandpa

when I 'm finished.''

"Right. We've got you. Don't try anything funny or we'll skewer this mole!"

Martin opened his eyes. The ferret and the stoat were standing over Dinny,

their spearpoints at his throat. The warrior mouse was about to jump

instinctively for them, but Gonff discouraged him.

"Do as he says, matey. TheyVe taken us by surprise."

All three lay quite still. Blacknose smirked with satisfaction.

"I'll keep the mole pinned down, Splittie. Look through that pack over there,

and see if you can find some cord."

Splitnose scuttled off and rummaged in the pack.

"Even better, mate. Look, a rope," he called.

*'Give it here and keep your spear on the mole, stick him if he moves."

Blacktooth wound the rope round the travellers. Binding them together, he

tugged the end to make sure it was tightly secured.

Picking up his spear, he strutted around them. "Ha, you're our prisoners now.

You'll pay for breaking the laws of Kotir and leading us on a wild-goose

chase. Be still!"

Splitnose was emptying the supply packs out. "Heehee. Look, apples, bread,

cheese, mmfff. Pie!"

Blacktooth threw extra fuel on the fire and crammed food wolfishly into his

mouth, while menacing them with his spear.

"Hey, this is more like it, Splittie," he enthused. "Come and get warm by the

fire.''

Gonff winked at Martin and whispered, "Leave it to me, matey. I'll settle

these two idiots."

Blacktooth yanked sharply on the rope's end. "No talking there. One more peep

out of you and you'll be sorry, d'you hear me?"

Gonff shrugged as best as he could. "Don't worry, Captain. You've got us, all

right. But please don't eat all our supplies, we'll have nothing left to keep

alive on."

Splitnose threw an apple core at Gonff and bit into a cheese. "Ah, stop

moaning, mouse. Look at us, weVe lived on one skinny crust and grass for the

last few days. Mmmm, this is

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good cheese. Hey, a fruitcake! By the claw, that'll do for me."

"Come on greedyguts, half for me." Blacktooth prodded Splitnose with his

spear.

"Get your own, fatbelly," Splitnose retorted.

"Why, you gluttonous worm!"

"Ouch! You keep that spearpoint away from me, rotten-gums." -

"That's the stuff, matey," Gonff called out encouragingly. "You show him that

stoats are the bosses."

Blacktooth was about to stab Gonff with his spear when Splitnose jabbed him in

the bottom with his spearpoint.

Martin took Blacktooth's side. "Don't let him do that to you, ierret. Get

him."

Dinny supported Splitnose. " 'Ee be nowt but a gurt bully. Jump on furret's

tunnel, skoat."

Blacktooth cracked Splitnose across the head with his spearshaft. Splitnose

retaliated by stabbing Blacktooth in the paw.

The three friends egged them on with loud shouts.

"YouVe got him now. Stab!"

"That's it. Keep him pinned down!"

"Get his throat with your teeth!"

"Shove him in the fire, quick!"

Filled with blind rage, the stoat and ferret battled all over the camp site,

rolling through the fire, splashing in the shallows, stumbling against the

captives, oblivious of all except the desire to win.

"Grr, take that, stoatswine!"

"Aarghh, you won't push me around any more, ferret-face. Get this!"

Blacktooth fell, pierced by his opponent's spear. Splitnose backed off,

dropping his spear, and stumbling further into the shallows. Blacktooth pulled

himself upright and staggered toward his foe, spear held outright. Splitnose

blundered into deeper water, unarmed, holding his paws out pleadingly.

"Blackie, no. I didn't mean it!"

The ferret tottered unsteadily into the water, lifted the spear to throw and

fell dead into the shallows.

Splitnose kept backing off as if in a daze. "I didn't mean to, Blackie.

Honest. You can have half the c—"

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Suddenly he was gone! All that remained was Blacktooth the ferret, face down

in the shallows of the swirling stream.

The three friends had fallen over. They lay, bound, gazing at the water where

Splitnose had been a moment before.

"Pitholes, matey, full of bottom mud," Gonff explained. "We'll have to

remember that when we cross."

Dinny wriggled. "Us'H 'ave to set about thinken *ow to free usselfs."

Martin wrenched round to face Gonff. "Any ideas?"

The mousethief smiled in the darkness. "Stay still. I can reach my dagger.

Didn't I ever tell you, matey, I'm a prince of escapers."

Martin felt the blade sawing at their bonds. "Aye, I seem to remember you

saying something of the sort in the cells at Kotir, matey."

The ropes fell away under Gonff's keen blade. He stood upright.

"I was right that time too, if you remember," Gonff pointed out.

Dinny straightened up. "Hurr, tho' you'm 'ate to boast about et."

They took stock of the damage. Martin threw a trampled cheese to one side.

"Huh, they've ruined our supplies," he said with disgust. "Most of the food

rolled into the water with them. Look, even the fish fell in the fire." He

held up a smoking relic.

Gonff pushed Blacktooth's carcass into the fast-flowing water. "It couldVe

been worse, matey. At least we're alive."

Dinny blew on the embers, adding dry reeds and wood. "Ho aye, Marthen. Us'll

make out awright, 'ee'll see."

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Fortunata followed a trail that led to a dead end. Some creature had

skillfully covered most traces, but the vixen knew that there had been

woodlanders here. The camouflagers had not been entirely successful in

covering everything; there was still scent and the odd broken twig. She

scratched about in the undergrowth, trying to reveal further clues.

"Lost something?"

The vixen was startled by the voice. She whirled around, attempting to

discover its owner. All she saw was the silent woodland. Quite suddenly there

was another fox standing alongside her.

"I said, have you lost something?" he repeated.

Fortunata weighed up the newcomer carefully. He was an old fox, patched gray

and dusty brown, slim built and slightly stooped. But it was the eyes that

caused her to shudder-weird, flat, shifting eyes. This was the most

evil-looking of her species that the vixen had ever encountered.

"No, it's not something IVe lost," she said, trying to sound unconcerned.

"Actually, I was merely passing through here."

"Aye, me too. Maybe we can help each other," the old fox suggested.

"Yes, maybe we can. My name is Besomtail, the wandering healer, what are you

called?" Fortunata asked.

"I'm Patchcoat. I come from far away to the east," he replied.

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Fortunata nodded. He certainly looked like a patched coat. "Well, I come from

the ... er, southwest. Maybe that's why we've never met. I'm really hungry,

though, Patchcoat. I expect you've seen tracks around here. Maybe there's a

camp of woodlanders nearby. They usually give me food in return for my healing