Across the Universe Chapter 5

Across the Universe; A Tale of Redwall
Book 1; The Abbey
Chapter 5

Edward found it easy to get used to life at Redwall. He was given clean clothing- the tunic he was originally wearing, but also additional tunics, a few vests and jerkins, shorts, and a light blue cloak for the approaching winter. Also, unseen to anyone else, Matthias presented Ed with an ash wood staff, adjusted to fit his size, and a dagger which had a fine leather grip and straight, very sharp blade. These he hid under a loose floorboard under his newly assembled bed in the gatehouse.
Though Redwallers were typically peaceful creatures, they practiced combat regularly to defend themselves from possible invasion. Edward, because of his physically young age, was forbidden to join in training with the older Abbey dwellers, but that didn't stop him from taking private lessons from Matthias every so often. They had to practice at night or in the gatehouse so as not to get caught by the others. If they did, they would simply say it was a game and continue.
The one thing that was hard to cope with was being treated like a child, or 'Dibbun' as they were called. Every morning, the youngsters would be woken up, bathed and dressed before going to breakfast. Throughout the day, they were kept under heavy supervision by the adults and teenagers, whether they were playing in the Abbey pond or romping through the hallways. Most of the time, Edward stuck with Matthias and his family, who were the only creatures in the Abbey who knew of Edward's human life and true age, but on rare occasions they were either teaching combat classes or helping in the kitchens, leaving Edward under the stern watch of Constance the Badger. Maybe it was Edward's imagination, but he had the feeling that Constance kept an eye on Edward at all times, as though she didn't trust him or something. Edward greatly disliked days when Matthias' family was busy, especially when Constance was on bathing duty. Her paws were like sanders, washing Edward's fur roughly and rapidly; not like when Cornflower did it, taking care not to scrub too hard, as Edward had become sensitive with his new body.
"When do you think you'll see May again?" Cornflower asked one day as she dried Edward off with a woolen towel after a morning bath. Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Not too long, I hope. If Martin and that Brocktree character said that she WAS at Salamandastron, that means they left and are probably headed here. How long does it take to travel from there to here?" Edward browsed through his clean clothing and picked out a beige jerkin from the pile, putting it on as Cornflower responded. "I'm not sure. That's the kind of question you should ask Constance. She might know a lot about the Badger Lord Mountain." She handed Edward his cloak, saying, "It started snowing last night, and it's getting cold out." Edward sighed as he adjusted the cloak. "Perfect. I have to ask the sketchy babysitter," Edward muttered to himself. "I hope May doesn't have to put up with anything this difficult."

As the snow began to pile over the course of the week, May's convoy made good progress through Mossflower. It was lucky that their traveling didn't require stealth, because Shadow needed noise to navigate through the woodlands. The conversations the hares, the bat, and the young mousemaid had throughout the trek allowed Shadow to avoid bumping into foliage and rocks on the path. Now and then they would set up camp, light a fire, and enjoy a hearty meal of nut bread, fruit, and different types of beverages.
May strayed to the edge of the camp with Shadow, foraging for ingredients for a soup she volunteered to make. Most of the materials were already packed before leaving Salamandastron; May was off looking for some mushrooms to add to the mixture. Shadow could be heard whistling some ways away, searching for dry wood for the fire. Suddenly, May heard a thump in the snow and Shadow grunting. May went in the direction of the sound and saw Shadow sprawled on the ground near the still forms of two squirrel twins, a male and female, who were May's current physical age. Their mahogany colored fur was slightly covered in snow, and they each had a peculiar mark on their left shoulders. They were tan shapes, slightly shaped like a maple leaf. May paused. This sounded familiar. Twins, maple leaf markings... May gasped. There were twins in her neighborhood that had maple leaf birthmarks on their shoulders. There was a possibility these were the same twins
"Leonard! Alison! Is that you? Wake up!" May nudged the squirrels until they began to stir. Opening their eyes, the twins looked around. Looking at May puzzled, they gasped when they saw the yin yang necklace around her neck. The male, Leonard, spoke in a surprised and joyful tone. "May?! I can't believe it! You're here too!" Alison was helping Shadow to his feet as she began speaking. "We wanted to make sure things went alright with you and Edward after we got the necklace, the three of us. We hid in the cave and were going to get help when you and Edward got...shot." She hesitated with the last word. May put a paw on the twin's shoulders and consoled them. "Don't worry. Edward is safe. We're headed to some place called Redwall to meet with him. I insist you join us." The twins didn't need to think about the option twice.
The group sat down to their meal some time later, and May had a conversation with the twins about waking up in this strange world and the things they saw. The twins had woken up under a large maple tree and, following the advice of a migrating sparrow, headed East, toward Redwall. Now, however, they felt safer with a traveling group than they did with just each other. Much safer.

Edward lay out in the Abbey orchard under an empty apple tree, dozing peacefully despite the raucous the Dibbuns running around him were causing. He was dreaming a very strange dream that confused him in places. It began with his mother dying from brain cancer when he was nine. From that point on, his dad had trouble coping with the loss more than Edward had. They grew distant after her death. The next part of the dream went to the night at the caves. May's face going from anger to shock as a bullet was fired into her stomach by Jones before the cave collapsed.
The next part didn't make much sense to Edward. First, a group of hares approached the abbey with four smaller creatures following. The next second, he saw several vermin soldiers attacking Redwall. After that, Edward found himself falling out of a high tower, plummeting toward the ground, May wrapped in his arms. Just as he landed, Edward woke with a start. Constance was sitting down nearby and turned to look at the mouse suddenly. "Everything alright?" The badger approached Edward and knelt down beside him. "Bad dream," he replied. He turned to face Constance. "Constance, how far away is Salamandastron from here?" Constance thought about the question for a moment and then answered. "Well, it would take a few weeks march if there weren't any complications. Why?" Edward sighed with joy and relief. "No reason. Just wondering."

That night, Edward decided to turn in early. He was just getting settled into his bed when there was a knock on the gatehouse door. Matthias could be heard answering the door, and he exclaimed in a joyous tone, "Basil! Long time, no see old friend!" Edward descended the stairs and saw that the hare that was with Matthias at the battle against the serpent was in the gatehouse, along with three or four other hares. Following them were two twin squirrel children, a bat with a blindfold, and…
Edward stopped dead in his tracks. He felt a wonderful sensation flow through him as he looked at the face of the young mousemaid who entered the room and compared her face to the one on his necklace. She did the same. They both looked at each other.
"May?"
"Edward?"
The two mice smiled and rushed each other, laughing with joy as they embraced one another, talking over one another with excitement.
"Edward! You're alive! Basil told me you were bitten!"
"It'll take more than that to kill me, May! Who are your three friends?"
May ushered the squirrels and bat toward them and made introductions. "This bat goes by the name of Shadow. Take a look at these squirrel's birthmarks and tell me for yourself who they are."
"Leonard?! Alison?! What? But- how did- when- huh?!"
The squirrels chuckled and said, in unison with May, "It's a long story."
The young comrades didn't notice the chuckling coming from the hares and Matthias' family.
Some time later, three more beds were set up for May and the twins. Shadow hung by his feet on one of the support beams of the roof. Edward and May faced each other as they drifted off to sleep, both glad of three things; 1) They were both alive, 2)They were both together again, and 3)They didn't have any problems at all.


Many miles away, in a mighty fortress, a group of weasel scouts carried a stretcher covered with a large sheet of fabric into a large throne room before a mighty female wildcat chieftain. She looked to the stretcher and asked, "Is that Fishbane, our favorite pacifist?" The weasel on the left pulled the sheet away, revealing mangled remains of what used to be the peaceful rat as he said, "Only the parts the snake didn't like. We found that dead about a quarter of a mile away, near the pathway. It was run through from the roof of the mouth, and died some time later." The wildcat hissed with disgust. The weasel on the right stepped forward and spoke. "There is some good news, though, your Majesty. We found a…replacement not far away. Come on in, young'un. He was found with this knife driven into the chest of a great eagle." He pulled the blade from his cloak, stained red with blood. Just then, a young rat, muscular and determined faced, strode into the chamber. The wildcat was given a slip of paper that was found on the rat, some identification of some sort. She looked at the rat and said, "Greetings, friend. Welcome to my fortress. I am Tsarmina the Second, ruler of the horde that has claimed you. Welcome master… Johannes?" The rat knelt and spoke back to the wildcat. "An honor and a privilege, madam. But I must correct you on something."

"My name is Jones."


END OF BOOK ONE