Full Circle

[Ulrick Hammerpaw]

The sun shone palely through the clouds that were just starting to break apart. Waves lapped gently against the hulls of the longboats drawn up on the beach. The beach itself was a bustle of activity, crewbeasts from the rescue ship anchored offshore hurried about loading what supplies could be scavenged for the trip home, watched from the clifftops by a handful of the island rats.

"I must say again, Captain Cinzento, that your timing has been most fortuitous," Dr Lowri's mood had brightened considerably since the rescue of his daughter, and the arrival of a ship home. "I don't know how much longer we would have lasted on this accursed island if not for the actions of your bold crew... err..." He tailed off, glancing at the crewbeasts scurrying across the beach. "I can't help but notice, Captain, but your crew does seem to contain rather more woodlanders than would be considered normal for an Imperial ship."

The Captain scowled. "We got caught in a storm, the ship was damaged an' many of the crew were lost. We had no choice but t' free the oarslaves if'n we were t' survive, an' they knew that. In th' end we struck a deal, though I don't expect th' authorities back home t' look too favourably on it."

Dr Lowri pushed his glasses up his nose, his eyes widening. "Is that so? Once again, I am eternally in your debt, Captain."

It wasn't long before the longboats were laden with supplies of food and water, as well as wood and canvas scavenged from the remains of the wreck. Dr Lowri helped his daughter into the first boat, then climbed in after her. The rowers dug in, and the longboat began to head away from the shore. Back on the beach, Ulrick, Brooga and Cricket seemed almost lost amongst the Imperial crew.

"So, this is it then, bo hurr," Brooga ran a claw along the side of the boat. "Oi can't say Oi'm sorry t'be leaving."

Ulrick spat onto the sand, scowling deeply. "Good riddance to the place."

Two of the crewbeasts helped Brooga into the boat, Ulrick swatted away their offers of assistance and dragged himself aboard. Soon only Cricket was left standing on the beach, staring at the fully laden longboat bobbing on the waves. Several of the island rats had climbed down from the clifftops and were standing reverently nearby.

"Mizz Cricket, are ye coming?" Brooga called. Ulrick growled something unintelligible.

"I thought the Queen of the Rats was going to stay with her loving subjects?"

Cricket fidgeted for a moment. "Nah, I fought about it, but I wanna go 'ome fer a bit. An' then I'll come back and be Queen. Even if I 'ave to get on the boat wiv smelly ol' Meanystripe."

Brooga chuckled, Ulrick just rolled his eyes.

One of the island rats stepped forward. "Queen can leave if is Queen's choice. We will wait for Queen come back to us."

"Well get your hide aboard then, Your Majesty," Ulrick barked. "But if you try and sabotage us again I'll rip your tail off and tie it round your filthy neck like a scarf!"

The longboats gradually pulled away from the shore. It wasn't long before the rescue ship, anchored safely away from the beach came into view. The storm damage was still visible, and some rather obviously hasty repairs could be seen from a mile off. The longboats slowly came alongside the larger ship, crewbeasts from the main deck threw down ropes and ladders for the rowers and their passengers to get aboard, before hauling up the longboats and securing them on deck.

No sooner was Jonas aboard when the door to the cabins was thrown open and a marteness burst through it, a kit in a hurriedly wrapped blanket in her arms. "Jonas! You're alive!"

Dr Lowri's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of his wife and infant son. "Lourna? Hugo? What...? How...?"

Lourna rushed across the deck, gathering Jonas and Dyera into an embrace. "When they said there was going to be a rescue mission to go after you, they couldn't keep me away. And believe me, they tried! I'm just so happy to see you both alive!"

Ulrick suddenly cleared his throat loudly, distracting the gathered crowd from the touching family reunion.

"If I may be so bold, but the faster we get this tub moving the better!"

"Indeed yes, Mr Hammerpaw," Dr Lowri sighed. "I am aware of your desire to leave this place with all possible haste. Captain, set a course for home!"

The rescue crew cheered loudly and rushed to their stations to get the ship underway, but Ulrick didn't move. Instead, he clapped a broad paw on Dyera's shoulder and glared at Lowri and the Captain.

"I have no intention whatsoever of visiting your Empire, Doctor," the badger practically spat the words out. "I had an arrangement with Delmore, and I expect it to be fulfilled. This ship is going to Mossflower first. Once you have let me off, then you may go wherever you please."

The Captain looked ready to object, but Ulrick tightened his grip on Dyera's shoulder, causing the marteness to wince in pain. "We go to Mossflower," he insisted. "And I want a cabin as far away from that kit as possible. I wish to be able to sleep at night."

"Mr Hammerpaw, you realise that any ship like ours that approaches Salamandastron will be attacked on sight by your kind?" Jonas reasoned, giving the terrified Dyera's paw a reassuring squeeze.

"Who said anything about Salamandastron?" Ulrick snorted. "I have even less intention of going there than I do visiting your Empire."

Jonas nodded. "Very well Badger, we shall take you to the coast of Mossflower. Now, if you would be so good as to remove your paw from my daughter?"

For a moment, Ulrick's eyes looked like he was going to make some other objection, but after a tense moment he relaxed his paw. Without another word, the badger turned, and stormed away below deck.

~


To the relief of the crew, for most of the several days voyage Ulrick never even bothered to leave his cabin. Occasionally Brooga would bring meals and attempt to strike up a conversation, but the badger seemed disinclined to talk at all. Only after the coastline of Mossflower was spotted by the lookout did he venture above deck.

Soon one of the longboats was ready to take Ulrick ashore. The badger emerged from below decks, turning a dangerous looking metal warhammer over in his paws.

"I found this in your armoury," he said bluntly, with a cursory glance at the Captain. "Could come in useful."

Captain Cinzento ground her teeth, desperately holding her tongue in front of the now armed badger. "We've put vittles 'n' other supplies for th' two o' ye in th' boat. I trust this be t'yer likin'?"

Ulrick looked puzzled. "The two of us?"

"Oi said Oi'd be a-goin with ye Zurr Ulrick," Brooga's voice was soft, but determined.

Ulrick opened his mouth to object, but decided against it. "Well, let's not waste any more time then. Doctor, Captain."

"I'll find you someday, Meanystripe, I'll do you in, you'll see if I don't!" Cricket called from safely behind a line of crewbeasts.

Ulrick clenched a paw round the handle of the warhammer. "Cricket, if I ever have the misfortune of meeting you again, it will be several decades too soon."

The young rat simply stuck out her tongue at the badger, made a rude gesture and danced away across the deck. Ulrick growled softly, and started climbing down the rope ladder to the waiting longboat.

Brooga gave a cheerful wave as she went to follow the muttering badger. "Hurr, well goodboi Dr Lowri, Mizz Dyera, Mizz Cricket. Oi 'ope ee all 'ave a safe journey 'ome."

It didn't take the rowers long to get to the shore and unload the provisions. Soon Ulrick and Brooga were alone on the shoreline, watching the ship disappear into the distance. The mole prepared two packs, dividing the provisions between them.

"Zo, Zurr Ulrick, does ee 'ave an oidea o' where we'd be a-headin'?"

"None. And I didn't ask you to come with me. I'll just keep going until somewhere takes my fancy," replied the badger, fastening his pack around his broad shoulders. Brooga smiled to herself as she watched her reluctant companion start off along the beach before setting off after him.

The pair trekked across Mossflower Country for several weeks, every now and then they would encounter a friendly village where they could spend the night in relative comfort and restock their supplies. Ulrick would often say very little, leaving Brooga to talk with the woodlanders.

The weather was starting to turn colder, with storm clouds brewing overhead when the two beasts emerged from the forest into a clearing. Before them stood a great fortified building of red stone. Ulrick stood rooted to the spot as Brooga clapped her claws together in delight.

"Bo hurr! Oi knew we'd foind it!"

"Redwall? You have to be joking! There is no way I'm going in there again."

The badger turned and made to storm away into the forest, but Brooga caught him by the arm before he could go.

"Hurr, Zurr Ulrick, Oi know ee don't want to go in. But this is where Oi'd loike t'go, and Oi'd loike ee t'stay nearboi... Old curmudgeon  ee may be, but ee be moi friend, and Oi'd hope not t'part ways loike this."

Ulrick paused, unsure of what to say in response. "Go in and talk to them then," he said quietly. "I will wait out here. They won't want to see me anyway, not after..."

Brooga nodded, and patted the badger on the arm. "Oi'll be back soon, Zurr Ulrick."

With a smile, the mole strode off towards the gates. From the edge of the forest, Ulrick could hear snatches of the conversation with the gatekeeper, before the gate was opened and Brooga vanished inside. It was several hours and the sun was beginning to set before she reappeared at the gate and hurried back to where Ulrick was sheltering.

"Oi met the Abbot, zo Oi did!" she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "They zay Oi can stay fur as long as Oi desoire... and the Abbot said 'e'd loike t'meet ee."

Ulrick snorted. "The Abbot can go jump in a lake." He paused, seeing the expression on Brooga's face. Angry as he was, there was just something about the mole that made it hard to vent his anger on her. The badger sighed.

"Look, if it's that important to you, there's an old place down the road, St. Ninian's they called it. Ruin. I'll set up camp there for a while, until you find your footpaws. Then I'm moving on. Deal?"

Brooga smiled broadly. "Hurr, deal. Oi shall come and visit ee tomorrow morn, OI'll bring ee some more provisions too. Thurr be a feast coming up, and you'm wouldn't want t'miss out on that!"

"You really don't have to do that," Ulrick grunted. "Well, goodbye for now I suppose. If you must come tomorrow, have one of the Abbybeasts show you where St. Ninian's is. Goodnight Brooga." He turned to go, hefting his pack onto his shoulder. "And... thanks for coming with me," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"G'noight Zurr Ulrick!" Brooga called after the badger as he started away down the darkening road. "Oi'll see ee soon!"

~

"'Ere, Skratchit, wot yer do wiv the grog?"

The band of searats had been wandering for months, for the last few weeks they had been sheltering from the worsening weather in an abandoned ruin.

"Bloodnose, ye great fool! It's over by the door!"

The brigands scurried over the ruin, causing even more havoc in search of the unopened grog kegs. There was so much commotion that none of the rats noticed the arrival or the large figure, wielding a ferocious hammer, until one of them ran straight into it.

"Oi! 'Oo are you?" the rat squeaked in alarm.

The figure stepped forward into the firelight.

"My name is Ulrick Hammerpaw," he snarled, raising his hammer. "And you vermin... get out of my house!"

The firelight from St. Ninian's flickered in the darkness, as a handful of whimpering survivors fled for their lives.