Rapscallion’s Return

Even though all of the Rapscallions were said to die, Lousewort and Sneezewort lived and have started their own Rapscallion groupe. They are now in Mossflower, demanding to take over Redwall. Find a way to get a message to Redwallers, and fight off the Rapscallions. 

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       Riala Goldentail swung through the emerald-green trees of Mossflower wood, keeping a sharp eye on the ground below.  The squirrel had just become a Wanderer, and was determined to work her way up in rank.  This mission would be a good start.
        Movement on the forest floor caused Riala to stop suddenly and keep motionless.  She watched as a clumsy weasel crashed through Mossflower. The squirrel almost laughed.  Unless the weasel, who was obviously NOT woodwise, was lost, he'd lead her directly to the Rapscallion camp. That was, if he even was a Rapscallion.
        Soon the weasel plopped down on a stump and sighed.
        "I cain't even find th' Rapscallion guards!  Arr, 'tis a 'ard life fer a scout!" he moaned.  Riala bared her teeth in disappointment, then dropped down silently behind the weasel.  Drawing her dagger, she pricked him between the shoulderblades.  The weasel stiffened in suprise.
        "Don't move, don't make a sound," Riala warned him. "I just want a few questions answered.  And don't even think about going for that dirk!" The weasel pulled his paw away from where it had been inching toward his weapon.
        "Er, I weren't goin' fer nothin', squirrel!" he stammered.
        "Never mind, just tell me where the Rapscallion camp is!"
        "I... I dunno!  I'm lost!" he gulped.  Riala sighed exasperatedly.
        "I know that!  What I meant was, is it in a clearing?  By a river, a stream, by a path... give me a landmark!"
        "Oh, that's what yer meant.  They're by a big rock statue thingy, looks like two waterdogs, near an ol' path."  The otter and his wife!
        "Thanks, weasel.  How many?"
        "Er, I'd say four score."
        Hm.  Four score.
        "Good, now..."
        Suddenly the weasel broke and ran before Riala had time to react.  She pulled her roce out and threw.  It hit him squarely on the skull.  The weasel fell, dead.
        "Sorry I had to do that, weasel!" she said. "But you can't go telling the Rapscallions that I'm after them!"
        The squirrel started toward the otter and his wife, and as she went, she thought of ways to get the message of the Rapscallions to Redwall and the Wanderer headquarters.  There weren't many options...
        Just then Riala spotted six hares on the ground.  She stopped and looked closer.
        "Well, well, well, if it isn't Sargeant Sarrock!"
        The hares looked up.  The golden tailed squirrel had met them on her travels, before she became a Wanderer, at Salamandastron.  Sarrock grinned in recognition when Riala sprang down from the young oak that she had paused at.
        "Good egg!  It's th' squirrely maid!" Lera, a female hare, exclaimed.  Riala made a face.  Only Lera or the Sargeant could get away with that.
        "What're you six doing down here?" the squirrel asked.
        "Ol' Bladeleaf asked if anybeast would go 'elp out wi' th' Rapwotsits an' so, knowin' you were down 'ere, I volunteered t'go.  Super wheeze, wot?" Sarrock answered.  Riala stifled a laugh at the irrepressible hare.
        "Thanks, Sargeant!" she said. "Now, we've got to get a message to the Redwallers and Tamlin about the whereabouts of the Rapscallions- they're up by the otter and his wife.  Would one of you go?"
        A young hare- but a fast Runner, Riala remembered- named Sandfur started down the north path at breakneck speed.
        "I'll get yore bally message there, don't worry!" he called over his shoulder.  Tion shook his head fondly.
        "Spiffin' lad, quick Runner too," he commented.
        "Well chaps and chappesses, lets get down to th' jolly ol' statue an' put th' vermin out of their mis'ry, wot?  I'll tell you m'plan once we get there," Sarrock said, loping off at a comfortable pace.  Riala climbed a tree and swung after him through Mossflower, since it was quicker and easier for her than running, and Lera, TIon, Nuron, and Recar went after the Sargeant.

        They met just outside the vermin camp.  Lera paused and then ran off. Sarrock shrugged.
        "Must've 'eard somethin'.  Lera's got th' keenest pair o' lugs in Salamandastron," he told them.  Seconds later the female hare returned with a mole.  She was grinning from ear to ear.
        "Lookit wot I found, chaps!  A spiffin' mole feller!"  The mole tugged his snout bashfully.
        "Ello, zurrs an' mizz.  Oi'm Soilfurr.  Mayhap oi c'n be of 'elp," he introduced himself in his rustic voice.  Sarrock waggled his ears.
        "Y'sure can!  Now 'eres wot I need you t'do..."

        Fifteen minutes later they were in position, each hare on seperate sides of the camp, with the exception of Sarrock, who was with Riala, just outside the tunnel Soilfur was making.  The mole came out of the tunnel and brushed dirt off his digging claws.
        "Yurr, she'm be ready, just a thin lay'r of durt."  Sarrock nodded.
        "Thanks ol' thing!  Now best get y'self out of 'ere, lest y'want t'get hurt!"  Soilfurr waved a dgging claw and trundled off.  Sarrock gave an owl hoot, and the four guards died, javelins protruding from their carcasses.  Four sleeping vermin died, then four more, and so on. Nobeast was awake, and nobeast knew a thing, as each vermin died silently.  When they ran out of javelins the four hares crept forward and retrieved some of the weapons from the dead Rapscallions.
        A misplaced shot from the young Recar hit a stoat called Lumpnose in the footpaw.  He screeched with pain and sprang up.  Sargeant Sarrock sighed.
        "Very well, plan B with the remaining score."
        Riala was suprised.  Three score killed?  But she had no time to stall, and they dove into the tunnel.
        Meanwhile Lera, Tion, Nuron, and Recar stood in plain veiw of the Rapscallions who charged.  The four hares loped slowly away, taking care to leap over the hidden ditches, tripwires, and snares!
        Half of the vermin were killed- some fell into the ditches and were impaled on the sharpened stakes, some tripped on the tripwires and were killed by the point- upward javelins, and some were hauled into midair by the snares.  The remaining ten fled back to the camp.  The four hares
crept behind them and hid in the brush.
        Now it was Sarrock's and Riala's turn.  The two sprang up through the dirt, right into the middle of the suprised camp.
        "Eulaliaaaaa!"
        "Riiilllaaarrrr!"
        Sarrock unsheathed his rapier and leapt away from the squirrel so she could do her spin attack.  Lera, Tion, Nuron, and Recar closed in on the outside. The battle was over before they knew it.
        "Good job everybeast!" Sarrock congradulated them.  Riala grinned.
        "Lets tell the Redwallers that the Rapscallions are dead... for good!"
        The group set off down the north path, back to Redwall.