User blog:IllusionOfOblivion/A Twisted Reality

To the Readers-
This is my first FanFic based off of Redwall, and is a total "in progress" project right now. So, the odd style of mine may take a little getting used to. It may be confusing right now, but hopefully, the destinies of the character's will be intertwined properly as action rises. Prophecies, Ballads, and other literary work will be introduced later on. Secondly, the main antagonist does not appear until a little while later. All credits of the characters, land, culture, and overall idea go to the fantastic author, Brian Jacques.

Try to figure out why its called "A Twisted Reality..."

Please feel free to leave helpful advise or comments!

Meet the Characters
Riah- A young squirrelmaid slave, the main character of this story. She is known for her beauty, skill with archery, and unforgettable personality. All of her life, she has just wanted to be free... Captured as a baby, she can hardly remember anything but slavery at the life of sea. She is in general a quiet maid, but can certainly hold her own.

Zevquain Woodsorrel- A young leveret of Salmandastron's Long Patrol, in training. He left Salmanastron to get a break from his fussy parents, and was captured by corsairs in the attempt. He is Riah's rowing partner.

Illusion- A cunning, sleek black weasel-like creature with glistening fur like a night sea. She is only partially evil, and is a force to be reckoned with.

Magra- The cruel slave driver, taskmaster, and holder of the whip to command oarslaves. He is a rat, ugly, vile, and a coward, who will beg for mercy at his own sake, but give no mercy. Known for his outrageous accent.

Abbess Dewtra- Sibling to Sister Sorrel, and the current leader of all Abbey creatures. She is a mouse with wisdom beyond her age, and is a decendant of Laterose.

Roanto Firslash- Currently Unrecorded

Mother Lisa- The Badger Mother of Redwall, sister to Lady Lilly.

Lady Lilly- The Current bader Lady of Salmandastron, rules alongside Lord Brawnstripe, mother to one son.

Cota- A young otter of Redwall, later will become skilled with a javelin in times of danger.

Juni- A Dibbun, a hogbabe who has a knack for falling into things. Founder of the DSS.

Sister Sorrel- The current infirmary mouse, she is known to be everything a good Redwall citizen should be, kind, responsible, and peaceful.

Friar Burr- The skilled cook of Redwall Abbey, he is a mole, and friends with the Abbess.

Captain Firestreak- Currently Unrecorded

Captain Swiftblade-

What is the DSS? The DSS stands for Dibbuns Secret Society, similar to DAB. It was founded by a hogbabe by the name of Juni Tip, and is a group of rebellious Dibbuns seeking to find ways of causing mayhem. Current members other than Juni are unknown.

Chapter 1- Lost in the Mind
Churning waters and waves crashed down upon the ship's sides like a dying animal. The sky was thick with massive dark clouds that loomed overhead, the deep rumbling of thunder tore from the veiled horizen, and below, several slaves jumped. As lightning arched in a bolt across the sky, it illuminated the desperate faces of the rowing slaves. They were gaunt, tired, and fearful; all of them were worn from the hard life, and for some of them, it was all they knew. The crack and sting of the lash across their fur and the heavy manacles that chained their paws, the bobbing of the great ship on the waves, and the cries of many a desperate beast; for some this had been their whole life. Yet, there were some with spirit. Simple creatures, who had determination in their eyes. One of these such animals was Riah, a young squirrel-maid, who had lived most of her life on the cursed ship. She clenched her teeth, digging her footpaws into the ship's floor and heaving on the oar in count to the beat the drummer had set. Her breath was ragged and dry, arms tired, but she still carried on. Thankfully for her, she had a strong rowing partner. He was a hare, a previous leveret of Salamandastron's Long Patrol. That was, until he made the decision of leaving the mountain for a season or two to escape his fussy parents, as he had told her anyway. Unluckily for him, the ship at been cruising the shoorline at the time, and he had been captured. Soon after he was chained next to Riah. It didn't take her long to realize hares were truly perilous beasts. He was called Zevquain, or Zev for short. Lanky yet strong, with a small bit of fur that always curled up on his head. Of course, being a galley slave like her he was known as "slave" or "rabbit" by his captors. At these titles he often adopted a look of mutinously indignant protest, but rarely said anything to it. He had learned from hard lessons of pain it never was a good idea. Being a proud hare, he hated being called a different species, just as Riah hated being called a "treerat." Yet, it happened to be she was a bit more tolerant. Lost in her thoughts for a moment, she had forgotten to keep stroke with the rowers, not even noticing when Zevquain elbowed her roughly to get her attention. "Riah, get rowing, danger about and all that," He warned rapidly, comical voice at a whisper. As a flash of lightning illuminated the area around her, she couldn't stop herself from freezing. The notorious slavedriver, Magra had made his way toward her, swaggering confidently in a ragged outfit of searat's clothing, with a smirk on his malicious face, the hooplike earring in one of his ears swayed with the rocking of the ship as his paw holding a sharkskin whip was raised slowly. He always had a strong and uncivilized accent, and always spoke with strong contempt. "Why, it somethin' tiring you tree-rat? Hungry per'aps?" He teased, still holding his tormenting weapon. She forced herself to row, clenching her teeth to stop her from shouting a retort. Riah would not rise to his bait. The searat slavermaster continued. "Of course' I know I would be if'n was a coward like you, stuck on barley meal n' water.Why' if I were you, I wouldn't accept such slop, a slave o'course deserves such vittles," The rat's voice was quieter now, hissing like poison honey. Magra sneered at her, letting the whip's tip flicker around her blistered paws. Riah couldn't take it. "I am not a coward, mangefur!" She retorted loudly. There was a moments silence, and a unheard gasp from the slave line. Zevquain looked shocked. His jaw dropped slightly, even the howling wind seemed to half soften to a whisper. The air hung with tension, like electricity from the lightning. Magra took full advantage of her outburst. He struck out hard, landing a strong blow on her shoulder, the hit stung like white hot metal, but she only raised her head higher in the heat of the moment. Up and down the weapon flew, a flurry of lashes in pure rage. Her fur burned, and her throat hurt from dryness. Even the squirrelmaid's eyes glowed with the fire she felt. She was left on all floors, head looking down to the ground, chains keeping her stuck, bench helping her stay up. Magra was panting heavily, holding on one paw the broken whip. With a glint of anger in her eyes Riah dared to look up, her pretty face the picture of boiling rage. Red droplets of blood beaded her pelt. The cruel rat was smiling slightly, thinking he had broken her spirit, but his smile faded to anger as she met his gaze evenly with a glare. He signaled with a paw quickly to a couple more of the below deck crew. "Unchain 'er," he ordered sharply. The two rats steppes forward swiftly, not wanting to disobey the cruel Taskmaster's orders. Riah fell onto the hard floor, blistered paws stinging and entire body aching as she hit the ground. She rubbed at her paws quickly in a rueful manner, inspecting the fur that had been rubbed away. Magra was smiling now, he signaled once more, and Riah was dragged off across the creaking ground. "Come on darlin' We're goin' to visit dear ole Captin Firestreak, el'll he appy to see you!" He chortled mocklingly. The rat addressed another crew rat, "And bring the rabbit, e's no good by imself." The last that was seen of Riah by some of the slaves was the pretty maiden's frightened face, even though a glint of steely determination still shone in her eyes like a guiding star. -

Far away, other creature's fates were much better off. At Redwall Abbey, it was a night of Celebration. The Autumn of Plentiful Harvest had arrived, and a feast was in session in the Great Hall. The Abbess had already said grace, and many of the creatures had practically thrown themselves upon the heaps of food, scoffing it without a care except the prospect of getting too full to swallow. Some how ever, had much more to think about. Lisa, the current Badger Mother of the Abbey had heard news from her twin sister, Lady Lily that a leveret of Salamandastron had gone missing. The Badger Mother also had little things to worry about, but she truly enjoyed the little things, and didn't know where to be without them. Currently, a small Dibbun hogbabe was making a terrible mess, he had fallen into a cask of newly brewed Strawberry wine, just trying to stick his snout in and see what it looked like. This had caused some annoyance from the Cellarhog, who had just finished brewing the wine, and now considered it possibly ruined. The little hedgehog, called Juni, was splashing happily, making small gurgling noises. Just before he had seemingly tasted the wine, Mother Lisa rushed forward and hauled the little one out. Her face was stern, but most older beasts knew that her scolding was only to stop the Dibbuns. Sometimes it seemed she only was happy when she had the Dibbuns to worry about. Sister Sorrel, the current Abbey nurse had exited the Great Hall and quickly grabbed a clean Towel from the sickbay. She handed the towel to the badger, who promptly wrapped Juni in it. The small Dibbun protested, making small snuffling and grumbling noises as his soft spikes were flattened at odd angles in his soft prison of cloth. The gentle Sister Sorrel couldn't stop a little smile. Alongside Lisa the two creatures politely headed away, doubtless heading toward the bathrooms to clean Juni up before his bedtime. Even though the clouded sky outside covered the fertile land, and rain pounded against the fine glass windows, the Abbey folk inside chatted happily over a full table of many excellent foods. The Abbess, at the head of the table, was speaking calmly to Friar Burr, talking about the skill of which the main course had been cookes. It was a large fish, perfectly cooked in a baking pit the mole team had dug only that morning. The Friar had added simple herbs, and sided it with a sauce. The Cellarmaster had complimented every food with a drink skillfully, and variety was simply underdescribing the amount of food. There were trifles, puddings, scones, rolls, salads, counlet drinks, cheeses, flans, and so much more. Everyone was considerably happy, and amount friends in the peaceful place, and there was not a single tear that night in their home. The tapestry hanging on the wall overlooking the table's figure seemed to smile. Martin the Warrior was watching. The red stones that had stood so many seasons, had stood one more. -

Chapter 2- In the Dark
Riah closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the flash of lightning, the red scars that laced her pelt, the evil grin of searats, and the worried looks of slaves. She let the crew rats drag her, not caring right now about the splinters she was receiving from being hauled across the deck floor. It didn't seem that the rats were having trouble moving her, she hardly weighed enough anyway. She desperately regretted her thoughts now, how they had carried her away to stop moving. Magra had always loved to pick on slaves for the littlest thing, especially weak ones, or ones a who were pretty. He liked to ruin everything a slave had, and make their life worse than it already was. Rain dripped down her back, plastering her fur and making her look even more frail. At least it washed the staining blood away. Then, she was no longer moving, and collapsed to the floor with a crash. They had dropped her. She made and effort to move, lifting her head ever so slightly. A tall door stretched up before her. The Captain's cabin door. The squirrelmaid heard the clanking of manacles against chain behind her and turned to look. For a moment, her heart soared with half joy, it was Zevquain! She almost called out, but stopped herself by biting her lip. She had to be cautious. Magra prodded her none to gently with his cutlass, and spoke to her harshly. "Up on yer' paws, this is no time to laze aroun'!" Riah was forced to stand, limping slightly under the slavemaster's orders as the door swung creakily open. If possible, and even crueler rat sat in the cabin chair, a thin smile spread on his face as he saw Magra and the unfortunate slave. He was dressed from head to whiplike tail in seafaring clothing, and had a belt studded with the teeth of his enimies. Riah noticed that his cabin was layered with the pelts of many animals, and the belt looped around his waist held an assortment of skinning daggers, each one wickedly sharp. There was no doubt on what he used them for, and she hated to think about it. The lesser rat, Magra, slauted quickly and made his report. "Found this one slackin' in the gallies Cap'n," the rat spoke, his voice was not confident nor sneering now. The foreboding figure nodded, staring unblinkingly at the slave in thought. He stroked his chin slowly, making his decision before speaking. As he spoke, his voice was lazy and dangerous, matching the danger of the raging storm. "Hmm... I see, those slobs have been getting lazy lately... String them up and punish them how you'd like, it doesn't matter to me, just make sure they can still work, flog them maybe. Then test their strength when dawn rolls round. They need to know that slackers cause trouble for all, and it's survival of the fittest out on the sea! Oh, and keep this one in the prison cabin with no food or water, that should soften her spirit a bit, eh! Leave the rabbit with her, one slave's no good without another!" At the phrase of being called rabbit, behind her Zevquain gritted his teeth and scowled. "We'll dispose of the weakest as soon as we find more slaves, I can deal with any troublemakers personally for my sword practice..." At the end of his words, Riah shuddered. What had she done? The squirrel-maid's heart hammered in her chest as she was dragged off, Zevquain being towed behind her with an utterly reluctant look on his face. Electricity hung in the air, and her fur was one end in static, the very breath of nature seemed to crackle with heat, tense and ready to strike. Soon, she breathed a last breath of the fresh air, before all around her was swallowed in darkness as if she had just entered the mouth of a great beast. The room they had just entered was stuffy and cold, she could hear the roaring storm outside, and felt the thrashing waves pound against the ship's sides, even the creaking floorboards beneath her paws quivered. To her utter suprise, there was the clink and clatter of chains,  well as keys, then she could feel her manacles being tugged roughly off of her paws. The countless blisters worn into her fiery fur burned with new feeling, she instinctively tried to soothe them with her paws. There was a small light of hope in her eyes, as she could see no beast in the darkness, but then that light faded as a metal collar connected to heavy chain rope was set around her next. Riah breathed a quiet sigh of regret, and groped at her surroundings. The young maid slumped against the hard wood wall, her worn body resting on the floorboard of planks. She closed her eyes, not needing them in the pitch black, and let her head lean back against the wall. The rain had slowed now, and sounded calming, along with the soft whisper of wind washing across her. The air smelled salty, but somehow fresh from one direction. She guessed there was a breeze, maybe even from a window that carried across the clammy room. Her heartbeat was echoing the rain's actions now, slower and slower, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub. The squirrelmaid breathed in deeply with a small shiver, letting the fatigue at last overcome her. There was only the soft sound of raindrops hitting the ship's deck up above as she sunk into peaceful oblivion. -

Pale green sails of the Bilgespray billowed in the gentle winds, and morning mist rose slowly, shining golden in the new dawn's sunlight. Yet, the ship had an aura of foreboding, and its creatures looked like those from a nightmare. Hearty laughter lined with maliciousness and crude humor rose steadily into the quiet morning, stretching across the water. The Captain was in a good mood today, a very good mood indeed. He was Captain Swiftblade, fatally skilled with daggers, swords, rapiers, or almost any type of weapon that had a blade, as his name portrayed. He was a weasel, large, lithe and muscular, with an outrageous clothing choice to goodbeasts. Surprisingly, he wasn't like many of his type, whose look portrayed only that of evil. In fact, he looked cunning, evil yes, but not an ugly evil. In fact, some sailors would even go as far as to consider him charming or handsome. He was tall, standing taller than most weasels, a rich cedar-like brown with creamy markings. Still, there was something odd about him, and his impassive cruelty could drain the blood out of water. And, he just so happened to be only one of the weasels on the ship, as the rest were ferrets, stoats, and rats. That was, other than Illusion, or Lus as some called her. No beast knew why she was called this, but she had a strong reputation in her name. She was definitely different than almost all other weasels, if she even was a weasel, a small type, lithe and slender, with silky fur the color of a midnight sky. Glistening black like the seawater at night. An odd color for any corsair. She often had a daring expression on her face, and there was always a light in her eyes no one could soften. She was quite a beautiful thing, so very much different than most vermin, and in her dark heart she was different as well. As no one could see, she had a light inside her, not like any on the ship, in the black sky of her heart, there was one radiant star of justice. Only one. Of course, Captain Swiftblade did not know this, but he often teased her for her nature, or odd coloring, or even her unweasel-like appearance. Today, things had been a little different. The Captain had strolled through the ship's deck as usual, shouting orders and picking on all beasts under him, when he had accidently ran into Illusion, who had been about to scale the mast and unfurl the sails as insructed. At this, the Captain had, expectedly, chosen it as an opportunity to pick on the small cosair. Stating a list of tedious tasks she was to do. Ever since then, he had been in a cheerful mood, swigging down seaweed grog with a flourish of his sword. Illusion, however was feeling utterly mutinous. She scrubbed the ship's deck, muttering quietly under her breath in a whispering voice. Her sleek fur glittered with sweat of fatigue. Of course the Captain would be happy, he took every chance he got to mock the lesser of the crew. With a resentful sigh, she shrugged of the emotion and slumped with her back against the fore-mast pole. For a moment, the corsair closed her eyes. And then, that moment was over. There was a rumbled crash, and a rough scraping noise, as another ship's keel grated along the side of the Bilgespray. All of the crew members not on deck instantly had gotten up, jumping out with confused excitement. A high pitched, creaking sound sounded, and it nearly deafened some creatures. The foremast was rent and torn, the side of the ship battered. Lus, having been in the moment of danger only a moment before had been pushed to the ship's edge by the sudden jolt. She kept her balance with her tail, wobbling precariously on the edge, then leapt lightly on deck. Captain Swiftblade's good mood had quickly vanidshed, and now the astmosphere held a tone of tense hostility. This would not be a shopping trip. She sprung up, a thin bladed cutlass held firmly in her paw. As the deck swarmed with other crewbeasts, she heard the voice of a commanding rat shout out into the gloom. "Attttaaaaaack!" After those words, both ships were alive with creatures. At first, it seemed the battle was in favor of the opposing ship, but in all reality this was quickly beginning to change.

Morning had arrived at Redwall, and its sweet dew glittered on foliage in the orchard, the golden sun sent rays down that hung in the air, glowing warmly. The aroma of hot oat scones with raspberry jam or butter filled the air, and dandelion cordial graced the table. The creatures of Redwall seated themselves, then dished up bowls of warm honeyed oatmeal, and helped serve the Dibbuns before havoc developed. Abbess Dewtra, quite young, with wisdom beyond her age helped with the tasks, humble to do so. She was a mouse, ordinary but practical, kind and peaceful. Her nimble hands helped dish out bowls of warm oatmeal, until the last Abbeybeast was served. At last, with a soft sigh, she sat down, eagerly eating her food and surveying the rowdy crowd of younger creatures nearby. She did not envy Mother Lisa or her job, but still, the Dibbuns always managed to warm her heart and mind, even though chilly breezes were starting to drift from the Far North as Winter neared. Redwall had not known a time of such bountiful harvest since the time. Then, the Great Hall's doors swung open, creaking on ancient hinges, a gust of cold air swept across the hall. A burly otter called Cota bounded paw over paw across the ground, balancing gracefully on his tail before dipping his head respectfully to the Abbess. "Bader Lady of Salmandastron outside the gates mam', thought you'd want to know 'bout it." He reported efficiently, throwing her a lazy solute. The young Abbess smiled a little, hiding a little bit of the grim foreboding with the expression. She rose quietly from the table, nodding in thanks to Cota before sweeping across the hall and out the doors. Abbess Dewtra glanced over the wall before pulling as hard as she could on the door handles. They swung open, casting huge shadows across the lawn. She ushered Lady Lilly inside, expression worried. "What brings you all the way to Redwall friend?" The young Abess asked. The Badger ruler's voice was at a whisper when she spoke. "I had to come quickly, Lord Brawnstripe doesn't know I'm here... But I had to come, it a leveret of Salmandastron, gone missing. It's very urgent you see because this particular leveret was the son of Major Aquain Woodsorrel, and we haven't seen trouble in seasons. Something's about to go wrong soon, it feels just like the calm before a storm, and I don't my son to get caught in the midst of this..." She explained, voice very anxious and fast. The young Abess placed a comforting paw in the badger's arm, speaking in a sensible voice. "I know it can't be good, but come inside, we can hold a Council of War and sort it out, I get your feelings, I know the world can't stay peaceful forever, but we'll sort it out," she explained helpfully. After they entered the Great Hall, the Abess put on a false smile to comfort the little ones, them spoke in whispered tones to the older creatures. After breakfast, she gathered all growen beasts around her and started speaking, inspiration lighting in her eyes. She was so imersed in helping her friend, that she did not notice a tiny snout peeking through a cracked door, nor the headspikes poking through the curtain. The DSS was on the move. Far away from the peaceful country, pale green sails were rent and torn over a rippling sea of cool gray water The peace would not hold forever.

Chapter 3- The Sound of Silence
Riah's long eyelashes fluttered open suddenly to pale half-light. Across the room, she could see Zevquain chained to the wall, but only by his fore-paws. With a groan, he shifted, swallowing dryly and mumbling through sleepiness. "Nice woodland salad with warm oat farls, absoballaloutelly delicious...!" He shook his head from side to side, blinking his eyes open. His long ears sagged with disappointment, and his gaze met Riah's sympathetic one. She felt a hollow pang of guilt, it was her fault that he was here. "Sorry Zev, I got us in this mess..." She appoligized guilty, the hare dismissed the words with a gleam of inspiration in his eyes. "Never mind that now! Sharp's the word and quick's the action y'know. Maybe we're in this mess now, but talking about how we got in it won't do any good, we've got to get out of it. Wot, wot?" The pretty squirrelmaid attempted a weak smile. "Well, I suppose so..." Even with her words, the feeling inside did not go away. She hated how much of a failure she felt at times, but that was not a thought to dwell on right now. Zevquain seemed to sense she was upset, and grinned encouragingly. "Come on m'gel, we could be worse or, wot?" He asked cheerfully, swinging in his mancled paws slightly. But she knew from the thin scarlet lines it hurt to do so, and his hidden pain pushed her to action more than any words. Her expression was puzzled. "So... The best place to start is by thinking of it logically," she suggested. Zevquain nodded enthusiastically, "That's the spirit! So... How did we get in here?" The squirrelmaid looked puzzled, but spoke the obvious answer anyway. "Well... The guards got us in here, through the door..." "Therefore, we'll get out that way too. Through the door disguised as guards!" He exclaimed, quieting as Riah held a paw to her muzzle, signaling for silence. Thankfully for the creatures, the noise above had covered theirs. Still, her amber eyes lit up. "Zev you're brilliant!" She responded, as grateful as possible at a whisper. The hare struck a noble pose through his bondage, smiling. "Now we've got to get a couple of them down here..." He mulled, eyes concentrated. He closed his eyes for a moment, and called out in a loud voice in a replica of a searat's voice. "Elp! Help! Some beast please help us! Me n' Woodplank is stuck down 'ere!" It was amazing how life-like his impersonation was. Still, she couldn't help from almost choking with helpless laughter at his name choice, and his stern glare silenced her. She fell silent, expresion apoligetic and now serious. After a few moments, a few low ranked searats scrambled down the stairs, but not out of their order, it was out of fear. They crashed on the ground in a senseless heap next to Riah. She looked a little disgusted, but searched their paws and pockets for what she was seeking. In the next minute, her paw shot up so quickly she nearly punched herself, and in it she was holding a small, silver key. The leveret smiled, then had a look of grim concentration on his face. When he spoke, it was in whispered tones. "Okay, now just unlock the bally lock and we can dress as those wretched creatures," Riah did not argue, and carefully twisted the key in the lock holes of the manacles keeping her imprisoned. The manacle around her neck fell loose, falling onto the floorboards with a loud clatter. For a moment after this she paused, not wanting to be caught. Her hare friend encouraged her, so the squirrelmaid unlocked the other clasps enveloping her paws. They too, dropped like stones in water onto the filthy floor. As she used the shadows to edge across the room, a black paw curled around the doorframe, then its owner stepped inside the room. Who was that dark creature, dazzling like the nighttime sea's black surface? She had never seen that weasel before, if she even was a weasel. And the bloodied cutlass in the corsair's paw made her fur stand on end. Riah wasn't even quite sure how the creature had done it, but in one heartbeat there had been a black shadow across the room,and in the other, it was standing next to her. The bloodied cutlass point was pricking her neck, and she could see a thick scarlet fluid nearly stain her fur with its closeness. The squirrelmaid stayed silent, now daring to breath, her heart was hammering in her chest like a pounding drum, like the oarslave's rythym drum. If this was her last heartbeat, she would make it brave.

To be continued...

Please comment your opinions if you want. Current question- Who's point of view should occur next? (This can be any characters or a different character not yet written.)