User blog:Sham De Fflorian Braybuck/The Siege of Redwall Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Halfclaw rode a lizard at te front of his group of nomads. Slippy and Burgy Rode beside him weeping unashamedly at the sight behind them. A great cloud of smoke rose up into the sky, Krika Longblade had ended Loamtown forever

At the still smoldering ruins of Loamtown, Krika Longblade was fuming with anger.

"I should’ve know that they would run! Arrgh why did I have to give them full days head start."

A rat behind him spoke in a low gravely voice "Don’t worry my lord, we’ll catch up to them. I looked at the tracks from there mounts, there only walking, if we get are lizards moving fast we’d be able to catch up to them."

"Aye Umrag, yore probably right. Mount up!"

Krika Longblade was on the hunt.

The nomads from Loamtown had made camp by a large chasm that split the great plateau almost in two. Many seasons before when the first group had come from the north a rope bridge had been built for travelers to use. Now after many seasons the new generation was going to cross the bridge that had been built by there ancestors.

At one of the tents a group of creatures just out of Dibbun-hood were discussing what was going to become of them and there families.

"But Rozma," a young otter named Grog said, "what’ll happen to all the oldn’s, they aren’t in much of a condition to go across the desert!

Rozma, who was Slippy’s young one, sighed " I don’t know but my dad said it was up to us to take care of them. What do you think Fren?"

Frenzita was a young ferret like Rozma, but slightly older than her companions, in answer to Rozma’s question, she shook her head, "There’s no way any of us will make it out of this mess alive. As soon as Longblade sees our town abandoned he’ll be after us, what he wants is to slay our leader, Halfclaw. I’m sure he’d follow us to the ends of the earth until he got his revenge."

The other young ones stared blankly back at her.

"Well thank you little miss positive," said Rozma, "now there’s not a happy thought in anybeasts head." Fren shrugged and walked off.

The next day dawned, but nobeast woke, that is except Halfclaw. He hadn’t slept at all. In the distance he saw a cloud of dust, and it was getting closer.

"Quickly! Everyone wake!, we’ve got to move!"

Creatures young and old woke with a start and, realizing their danger, hurriedly started packing up belongings. The approaching group was actually visible now, and some of the front-runners could actually be made out.

"Across the bridge everyone!" Halfclaw shouted.

"Sir," Slippy said, "the bridge is old. It might not be wise to have everybeast cross at once."

"We’ll have to Slippy, or risk being slain."

Krika Longblade was filled with glee, he knew that he’d catch up to the pitiful creatures ahead of him and he urged his lizard to move faster. Halfway across the bridge, Halfclaw looked behind him, and to his horror, saw Longblade mounting the end of the bridge.

"Faster!"

Halfclaw reached the end of the bridge and kept going, with all of his creatures following him.

"Slippy quick my bow!"

Slippy handed Halfclaw a short bow and three arrows. Drawing back the bowstring, Halfclaw aimed his bow directly at Krika Longblade. Directly before he could fire, his lizard jumped forward. Losing his balance Halfclaw loosed the arrow and it flew over Longblade’s head and into a fox near the back of the group.

Halfclaw cursed to himself and kept moving, it was now a nonstop journey for the past inhabitants of Loamtown