Picture by cybercatmania
It was cold. But not as cold as the smile on the face of Ferahgo the Assassin.
"Oh, they're fierce fighters, sure enough, but they lack cunning and suffer from silly little things, like honor and conscience."
"Let's see if this vermin can die like a warrior!"
"I never done nothin', smartstoat, it was you!"
"Oh, stow the gab. It was both of us then. Does that make yer feel better?"
"No."
"You're an absolute bounder, Stinkee. D'you hear me? If I could get out of this confounded shrimp net I'd raise a blister on your noggin that wouldn't go down in a season!"
"But while there's life there's hope, eh. At least we'll be given food for awhile." "And then jolly well served up at a party." Pikkle gulped. "What a nice suprise. Makes a chap feel wanted, wot, wot?"
"Now you git t' sleep an' stop gabbin'."
"I go t' sleep now. G'night Mista Thugg."
"Good Night!"
"See you inna mornin'."
"Aye, now be quiet!"
"I quiet now. Dumble quiet."
"Well, I should 'ope you are!"
"Oh I are."
"Be quiet, d'you 'ear me. Be quiet!"
"Dumble quiet. You de one makin' alla noise, Mista Thugg."
Dumble's eyes widened, then he turned them ahead again, this time singing in a low urgent voice: "O Mista Thugg, don't turn around, /And don't you cause a fuss. /There's four ol' foxes wiv big sticks- /I fink they're followin' us!"
The foxes exchanged knowing smiles. One stepped forward. "Top o' the summer to ye, yer 'onner. What's in the 'avvysack?" Thrugg grinned cheerfully at the raggedy fox. "Four unconscious foxes with their tails chopped off who tried stealin' our vittles. Why do you ask?" "Hee hee, we've got a funny un 'ere, mates!" One of the foxes sniggered. Another fox drew his sword, testing the edge with his paw. "Yeh, wonder if 'e's tough as 'e's funny?" Thrugg twirled his sling ominously. "Why don't you come an' find out, mudface?" The first fox saw that the big otter was no easy proposition, so he adopted a whining tone. "Now be reasonable, friend. We're not lookin' fer trouble. You wouldn't begrudge four starvin' creatures a bite, would yer?" Thrugg took a step toward him. "Begrudge a starvin' creature a bite? Not me, matey. You come 'ere an' I'll bite you anytime."
"Ye've got a lot to learn, laddie. There's no magic in any weapon. That sword may be used for good or evil; it all depends on the creature who wields it."
"A paddle's me son an' a boat's me wife, /An' the open water is me life."
Forgrin pawed the blade of his sword, grinning at the rat. "I've sent many a beast to sleep wi' this liddle beauty. None of them ever woke up."
"Now what happens, do you kill a weasel, or do I kill a fox?" Terror had robbed Forgrin of his power of speech. A gurgling noise escaped his throat as he turned and ran along the beach. Ferahgo could throw a knife better than any creature. The long skinning knife took Forgrin between the shoulder blades before he had got thirty paces. His eyes were glazing over for the last time as the Assassin retrieved the knife. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," Ferahgo whispered close to his ear, "this game ends with the weasel killing the fox. Sweet dreams, Forgrin."
"You'm a mad ol' feller, but you'm moi best matey."
"So you don't want to be slain by murderers, eh?" Urthstripe roared with laughter as he went after the Assassin.
The sounds of yelling, chanting vermin stamping about inside the mountain was growing louder. Big Oxeye threw a paw around Lingfur's trembling shoulders and chuckled. "Noisy old lot, aren't they?"
"Goo on, Sanken, urr hurr. Make Redwall proud of 'ee!"
"We'm not behoind 'ee, young un. Us'ns are with 'ee!" Oxeye stifled a laugh as he shook paws with the molemaid. "Well, thank goodness for that. I'd hate to face a warrior like you, young molemaid." Arula wrinkled her nose. "Thankee koindly, zurr."
Flourishing the hat elegantly, Thrugg kissed his sister's paws affectionately, declaring aloud, tongue in cheek, to the whole of Redwall: "You was never out o' my thoughts, sister dear, an' all the time I was freezin' in the mountains, battlin' crows an' livin' lower than a lame toad, there was one question that I made me way back here to ask yer." Thruggan sniffed slightly, and asked in an apologetically tender voice, "What was that, brother o' mine?"
"What's fer tea? Me an' me mates is fair famished!" The four falcons joined the crowd of Redwallers who had flooded out to greet them, laughing uproariously as they watched Thrugg fleeing across the abbey grounds with Thruggan hard on his heels, swinging a twig broom. "You bottlenosed rogue, I'll give yer tea. You'll get a taste of this when I catch up with ye!"
"Heroes, Samkin-we were never short of them: Thrugg, little Dumble, Arula and yourself, brave creatures all! What more could an old one like me desire than to rest here with Redwallers enjoying themselves in good health, peace and happiness..."
