User blog:Number15BurgerKingfootlettuce/Black as Night and Red as Blood

I’m doing this one chapter at a time so it may take a while because I get a LOT of homework on top of after school activities. There are some battle scenes and bit of gore so just a heads up. Warning probably the worst gory part planned for the coming chapters will be what happens to Cedar later on.

Prologue: An icy wind blew between the crumbled ruins of Terramort and ruffled the silvery blonde headfur of a grey vixen standing on the remains of an old tower. She stared over the heaving gray waters towards the direction of the Mossflower shore, hatred burning in her eyes. “I’ll make this place feared by woodlanders again” she growled. “And when it is, Redwall and Salamandastron will fall.” A crack of thunder accompanied her words and rain began to fall like a silver pelt over the island. “Mark my words woodlanders. Your precious strongholds will fall and then corsairs will rule the rightful land, stolen by Martin and the Badger Lords in the days of old.” The storm increased its fury but the vixen remained standing, ignoring the rain that soaked her dusty pink dress. “The power of the Ruby will rule!” A blood red flash of light burst from the red stone on her necklace, shining upward like a beacon. She peered out over the tempestuous waters at the ship lurching in the storm. “And you, bold corsairs, will be the first of many to feel its power!” The vixen whipped her sopping hair out of her blazing blue eyes with an insane smile. “Soon, my name shall be feared among those who dare stand against me!”

Chapter 1. Captain Josiah Cuttlefish of the Seaspike was not in the best of tempers. First his idiotic steersrat had turned the ship right into a massive wave that crashed over the deck, soaking everybeast. To make matters worse, the sails had not been tied up and now hung limply dripping from the mast. “Ye senseless fools” he bellowed at his hapless crew: “Somebeast go tie up dem sails and take over from ole seaweedhead on the tiller there!” “But cap’n, the sails are soaked; it’ll be impossible to tie em up” a ferret called. Captain Josiah bellowed back at him. “Get the sails up or I’ll slit yer gullet and send ye to Hellgates!” The frustrated weasel turned around with a long suffering sigh and spotted a gleam of red light. “Ahoy Fatly” he yelled at the steersrat. “See that beacon there?” “Yeah cap’n I see it” he replied. “Well steer towards it, ye ole blubbergut!” Josiah stomped off towards his cabin without another word to his bumbling crew.

“Be careful Scarlett!” Several seasons later, far from from the tossing Northwest Seas, a female stoat was watching her companion bounding up to the crows nest. “Don’t be such a worrier, Hemlock” the red vixen called back. “Remember I’m da best on the whole Hydra Island!” Hemlock and Scarlett were both from one of the many corsair islands in the Far East. Hydra Island had been named from the giant boa constrictors that had lived on the island long ago before corsairs settled there. “An if ya breaks ya head, don’t come whining to me” Hemlock snapped back. “Meh, if I broke me head, I’d be going to a healer so don’t flatter yaself, Hemlock” Scarlett retorted. The two friends exchanged banter back and forth for a while before finally quitting when Scarlett came down the mast again. “Yew know somethin’ Hemlock?” Scarlett questioned. “And what’s dat” Hemlock replied. “Dere hasn’t been any action for weeks and I’m so bored” Scarlett grumped. “Corsairs is supposed to raid an’ fight an’ an’ an’ all the other stuff we don’t get ta do! Like right now we having a peace treaty meeting planned with the Southswardains to stop attacking us every stinking time we go by ‘der coast!” “It’s best we don’t go on da raids, Scarlett” Hemlock admitted. “Remember what happened to the Seaspike?” “Yeah, she never was seen again so on and so forth” grumbled Scarlett. “I actually kinda wonder what happened?” “Mayhaps it was a sea monster!” Hemlock invented wildly. “Or maybe” a harsher voice broke in, “it was a storm in the Northwest seas. Now stop gabbing and go swab da deck iffen yas so bored!” The maids sighed. “Yes, Cap’n Oleander” they chorused. Meanwhile in the far Northwest, a massive fleet of ships were gathered in the various inlets of Terramort Island. The grey furred vixen stood in the half finished tower of the fort, surveying her kingdom. Woodland slaves toiled over the building, moving heavy stones into place and bringing mortar to cement them together. An officious looking ferret marched into the room. “Queen Midnight, your Captains request your presence!” “Tell them I’ll be there in a minute, Scragfur” Midnight answered. The ferret nodded and left. Queen Midnight of Terramort let out a sastified sigh. “To quote Malkariss, felled by my greatest enemies, ahhh my kingdom!” “Deck duty is the absolute worst!” Both Hemlock and Scarlett were on their paws and knees scrubbing away at a particularly stubborn stain. “An serves yer right for complaining” snubbed a young weaselmaid. “Go take a long walk offen a short pier, Cedar!” Hemlock retorted indignantly. “Nobeast talks to me like dat” snapped Cedar, drawing her cutlass. In an instant, Scarlett’s twin daggers were in her paws. “One move towards either o’ us an’ ye’ll be fish bait!” Cedar sheathed her cutlass with bad grace and stomped off. Scarlett’s dagger throwing skills were renowned on Hydra Island. Both maids glared after her retreating figure. “I’d like to give dat un a good tailkickin’ someday!” Hemlock growled. “Ain’t dat the truth!” Scarlett agreed. Queen Midnight swept down the stairs leading toward the throne room where the captains were gathered. She paused to check herself in a full length mirror to make sure that the rough seafaring lot would be impressed. The vixen had refashioned her simple, dusty pink, gown into a sweeping dress complete with a silver chainmail corset. As always her ruby necklace was clasped tightly about her throat. “Those fools have unknowingly made themselves part of history” she purred to herself. “For when I send them out to destroy and plunder for me; they are preparing my final attack.” Midnight continued down until she stepped into the throne room. The clamoring voices of multiple corsairs immediately stopped. A tall handsome stoat captain stepped forward. “Milady.” He dipped his head and stepped back as another took his place. One by one, each captain payed respects to their queen until every one had spoken. The vixen looked out on the waiting group. “You may be wondering why I have summoned you.” Her voice broke the silence like a whipcrack. “As you already may know, the beasts of Redwall and Salamandastron have stood against corsairs and vermin for thousands of seasons. They killed my parents for no reason other than pure spite. But they have the greatest mistake of their lifetime. The woodlanders, weak spineless cowards that they are, left me because I was a babe. I would have died if it had not been for a little known group. If any of you know them, it will be by the name that has been used to frighten children into behaving. Does the name, Blood Ruby, mean anything to you?” There was a mass shaking of heads. “Ah yes, I am forgetting that would have only been used to frighten the woodlanders. Anyway that name is the translation of the original. But we members refer to it as Blutrubin. The group took me in, cared for me, and taught me the arts of their culture. And at 16 seasons, when I came of age, I was gifted with a blood ruby of my own. You may ask but what is the threat of a simple ruby? This ruby holds the darkest magic of our kind. But for those of you who crave the power and would murder to get it, beware. Each ruby comes with a dark spirit who will protect the user but kill any but the user who lays paws on it. I have heard your speculations on what the red beacon was that drew you here. That was power of this; the innocent ruby on my necklace. You, by plundering and destroying small towns along the coasts, are burning the mark of the Ruby into the ground when you leave. If enough villages are destroyed, then the Blutrubin will come and assist us in taking down the woodland strongholds of Redwall and Salamandastron.” There was silence in the room following Midnight’s speech. Finally the tall stoat stepped forward again. “You mean to say that we are helping to raise the members of one of the most evil groups in this land’s history?” “You know them then I presume?” Queen Midnight responded calmly. “I’m beginning to remember some of the tales I was told,” he muttered. “What is your name?” Midnight asked. “It’s Jonder ma’m.” “Well Jonder, the answer to your earlier question is yes. Don’t you want to stop being attacked by woodlanders?” “Well yes but...” “Well then. The Blutrubin will put a stop to all attacks.” The vixen nimbly sprang down from the makeshift platform she’d been standing. “The Blutrubin will wipe out all woodland strongholds and their little kingdoms will fall. Corsairs will rule the land and seas once more. Are you with me?” “Aye!” A great roar came back to her. “Excellent,” the queen commented briskly. “Right. Continue to pillage north, south, and west but leave the east coast of Mossflower alone. I want the woodlanders to know of and fear our strength before we even get there. You are dismissed.” The captains quickly left the throne room. Most were clamoring excitedly but several, one being the stoat captain, Jonder, were not best pleased. “Well my lady,” Jonder growled to himself “Salamandastron is a place of warriors. Even the greatest warlords have failed to keep hold of it. And as for Redwall.....” “This is a suicide mission,” Josiah agreed with him. “If the woodlanders don’t kill us then the Blutrubin will. I’ve heard of that group. They will stop at nothing to have power. Nothing!” Meanwhile back at the half-finished palace, Midnight was delivering instructions to a delivery gull. “Go to Hydra Island or find the closest ship that belongs to the island and deliver this message to them.” As the gull flapped off, a very nasty smile crossed Midnight’s face. “They’d do very well not to decline my offer to join us.”