Chapter 6: The Missing Patrol
Shadows were stretching across the tops of the snow-capped mountains when, contrary to what he thought was possible, Orfeo the Contraptionist's luck turned even worse. The Western Cloud Bowl was in sight, still too far away for Orfeo's liking, but there, probably a ten-minute hike uphill. Mist could be seen almost foaming over the snowy ridge as if it were boiling in a giant caldron. Orfeo had been directing Carmen to the supposed whereabouts of his secret workshop, but had actually been bringing Carmen as close to the lair of the Sazaar as he could in an effort to escape and make a break for it, hoping that the Sazaar would pick Carmen off for him. It was a risky plan that had worked perfectly thus far. Though one could say that was the easy part.
Orfeo was leading the way about fifteen paces in front of the Lance Corporal, so very close to the cloud bowl and his goal when Carmen gave a pull so hard on Orfeo's bonds that he fell flat onto his back. "Ow! Well what'd ya go doin' that..." He trailed off, fearing that his shouts would alert the Sazaar to his whereabouts. Suddenly Orfeo felt himself being pulled towards Carmen, like a fish getting reeled in on a hook, until he was at her feet. She glared at him furiously.
"Your workshop is around here, correct?"
Orfeo did not dare budge a muscle. He lay exactly where he was and returned Carmen's glare with a glassy look of confusion. "Yes."
Carmen gestered towards something at her left. "Then what 're those?" She said. Orfeo looked in the direction Carmen's paw was pointing. He saw a long, snowy mountainside on a steep gradient, moving undisturbed down the slope until it encountered the tree line some two or three hundred yards away. Not much could be seen beyond that with the sun shining in his eyes. Orfeo looked back at Carmen and she gave another sharp tug on the rope. "C'mon, get up!" She said gruffly.
The rat had not the slightest clue as to what was happening. As he stumbled down the snowy slope after his captor, he went over everything in his head to make sure that he did nothing that might tip her off. Orfeo was a creature who tended to mumble, but he was certain that he had said nothing which might have tipped Carmen off to his plot. Nor had Orfeo acted in a such a fashion that might appear suspicious. He had been walking in front of Carmen since before noon and had rarely looked back, so it was doubtful she could have seen him smile at the thought of freedom. Just in case, Orfeo ran through everything again a second time, the whole afternoon in his head in a matter of seconds. Finally, he asked, "Erm, Lance Corporal? What's goin' on 'ere? Th' workshop is thataway, up the slope. I c'n see et from 'ere, well, er, almost from 'ere..." He trailed off and started mumbling again. Carmen said nothing in reply. After waiting half a minute, he asked again, "Erm, Lance Corp"–
Carmen gave a very strong jerk on the rope, especially for one so lanky, Orfeo fell off of his feet and landed just beside her. Grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, Carmen picked the rat up onto his knees and kept him there. They were at the mountain's very distinct tree line. Carmen gestured in front of her, "What is that? Or rather, what are almost all of these?"
The outlaw was at a loss for words and he shook his head. "Ah... I dunno what I'm s'posed to be lookin' at."
Carmen pointed directly at a short tree in front of her. "That!"
"Erm, looks like a tree t' me, Lance Corporal. I dunno what else t' tell ya." With this reply, Orfeo could feel his captor's grip tighten over him, pinching him a bit in the process and pulling a few hairs out.
"Oh, is that so now, wot." said Carmen, "What kind of tree is it? Eh? Speak up, now!"
Now the outlaw was scared. "A-a-ah it looks like a narrowleaf cottonwood."
"What's special about it?" The reply came immediately and Carmen tightened her grip further.
Orfeo looked the tree up and down and gave a guess, gesturing with his paws. "Et's a... very pretty tree? Yowch! Why ye hittin' me o'er th' head again?! I ain't done nothin' wrong!"
Carmen thumped the rat again between the ears and shook him by the scruff, "Oh, it's a pretty tree, eh, wot? You told me jus' today that ye only use cottonwood in yer builds an' that they only grow in one part of th' mountain which you can't get where you live. Mind explaining why I can see at least five-score o' those blighters all lined up here on the slope by yer workshop?" Carmen did not wait for a reply; she knew something was afoot. "There's somethin' you should know, rat: I am not to be made a fool of. I am a Lance Corporal of the Long Patrol!" She said, her back straightening at the mention of her proper title.
That was it, Orfeo knew the game was up. Lying at this point would only get himself into a deeper hole and Carmen's grip would only get tighter around his neck. If Orfeo wanted to escape, he needed to make his move now. He had noticed the handle of a small scouting knife poking out of Carmen's boot. If he could just...
Just like that, the outlaw was running away, through the trees and down the slope. His now former captor tumbled after him, eyes ablaze with anger and bleeding from the leg. In any normal situation, Carmen would have caught Orfeo within seconds, who was stumbling headlong through the trees and trying to gather up the rope which was trailing behind him. However, a clean stab at the leg had changed all of that and now the Lance Corporal was struggling just to keep even with the outlaw's pace down the slope.
The two stumbled down the mountainside through snow that almost came up to the mid shin, each gaining and losing ground on one another constantly. In one span of a few seconds, Orfeo made a sudden break to the right around the trunk of a cottonwood tree, hoping to reverse the direction of the chase and head back up the slope towards the cloud bowl. Meanwhile, Carmen passed him, unable to stop her momentum from carrying forward. She put both footpaws in front of herself and fell down, sliding on her back further down the slope. By the time Carmen was able to recover, Orfeo was some twenty paces ahead of her and moving up the hill fast. Carmen took off up the mountain after him like an arrow fired from a bow. Both beasts felt as if their legs were on fire and, if it were possible, would have given anything to catch a quick break before continuing onward.
Orfeo knew that he would not be able to beat his pursuer in a headlong sprint uphill, even if she was wounded. The outlaw's advantage was in his ability to make sharper turns than Carmen. So he took his opportunity at every chance he got. His path traced a zig-zag in the snow through the sparse trees. Stumbling was a common occurrence for both beasts. Carmen pressed herself onward, running hard but with a very distinct limp in her stride. All that the hare focused on was keeping up. Orfeo would make a mistake sooner or later - it was all a game of who could outlast who.
Orfeo was not a big creature and he could feel the weight of the rope holding him back, but he did not have the time to stop and try untying himself from his bonds. He pressed on, carrying a tangled mess in both of his paws that was so big, he had to peek around it on either the left or right side in order to see where he was going. Cold air stung the outlaw's cheeks and made his eyes water. Being so high up, it was bound to be uncomfortably winter-like no matter the season. He tried to only breathe through his mouth because it stung to try sucking in air through his frost-bitten nose. The steps of Orfeo's furious pursuer were still audible in his ears, but were fading away. Yet that could have been for one of two reasons: he was gaining ground, or the outlaw's body was starting to shut down. Chancing a glance backward, Orfeo saw that Carmen was losing ground.
It was becoming too much for the mountain hare. Carmen's leg wound was beginning to slow her down too much. Despite the intense cold of the mountains, a hot sweat was thick on the young hare's brow. Boots slipping deeper into the thickening snow powder, Carmen put her head down and pressed onward up the mountain. Lungs sucking in and pushing it out like a bellows, air drying Carmen's mouth until she tasted a faint trace of blood in the back of her throat, head suddenly becoming weightless after a sleepless night and using up so much energy in a single stretch, it was only a matter of seconds until the hare collapsed from exhaustion.
Then, as Lance Corporal Bobo turned her head up to look at her fleeting target, she saw something peculiar: mere paces away from the edge of the cloud bowl, Orfeo had turned and he was running back toward her at full speed. Behind him, a group of creatures with a rather unsettling masked appearance gave chase. It did not hit Carmen until Orfeo was much closer and she could see the look of pure horror on his face. It was the Sazaar! Why it had taken her so long to catch on, Carmen did not know. But she was smart enough to know that she too should begin running in the opposite direction if ten Sazaar were chasing her.
Odd was the sight of a battered hare and a ragdoll rat stumbling down a mountain slope as ten masked creatures with the looks of scarecrows gave chase behind them. The rope that Orfeo was holding onto steadily escaped from his grasp and began dragging more and more behind him. With caution thrown to the wind, the pair did not slow down just because they fell and stumbled the whole way. As long as it got them far away from their newly encountered followers, it was enough. The sun was beginning to sink slightly and it cast a bright light directly into the travelers' eyes, effectively blinding both of them. Once again, Carmen began to lag behind the outlaw. Still not willing to give him up, she focused on following the rope that dragged behind Orfeo. The blinding glare of the sun allowed her to see nothing else. All the way past the tree line once more, through the cottonwood trees and powdered snow, the rat and the hare did not stop their efforts to escape the barbaric monsters hard on their heels. Every minute or so, either one would take a glance back. Slowly, the Sazaar lost ground, but for only what appeared to be lack of trying. It was obvious that even if they were out of sight, the mountain hares would still be following close behind.
Soon, the tense situation diffused itself, but the two did not stop running. Just because the Sazaar were no longer nearby did not mean that Carmen had forgotten her stab wound. Then, no longer had Orfeo decided to put on another burst of speed did his luck take a turn for the worst: the very ground he was running over opened up and he was swallowed whole. Lance Corporal Bobo saw the rope she was following jerk forward at an incredible speed and pass her entirely. Unwilling to let her prisoner go, she dove after it and caught the fleeing rope in both of her strong paws. Carmen was dragged through the snow and ice like a fisher's boat that had just tangled its net on a shark. With a struggle, she lifted her head up and spat the white powder out of her face just in time to see the sudden crevasse growing nearer with every second she allowed herself to be pulled by the outlaw in freefall. The brave hare dug her footpaws into the ice with one half of her remaining strength, held tight onto the rope with the other half, then mustered up the last of her reserves to pay homage to her home of Salamandastron by roaring its time-honored battlecry at the top of her lungs. "Eulalia! Eulalia! Eulaliaaaaaaa!"
In Salamandastron's history, one that stretched back to the very beginnings of Mossflower country and then some, tales of incredible valiance, determination and outstanding achievement decorated the mountain fortress' name like medals on a parade uniform. Examples included greats like Runner Waly Gowd, who covered the distance between Redwall and Salamandastron in a mere three days by running nonstop to deliver an urgent request for assistance from the Long Patrol. Another was the outstanding bluffer, Colonel William Pear, who was responsible for defending a village of thirty field mice against a wildcat and more than five-hundred followers. Rather than being overrun in battle, Pear ordered his troops to hide and greeted the enemy atop the village's open gate, playing a fiddle. Certain that no beast would willingly give up a village, Pear's act convinced the wildcat that there was a trap laid out and a full retreat was ordered. Gordon Yellowsnout, captain of the Fiftieth Scout Patrol, earned his place in Salamandastron's history when he and his patrol came across a hidden slaver route. Rather than liberating the slaves as they were ushered along a hidden backroad of Mossflower, Yellowsnout ordered his patrol to follow the slave drivers for a week. This lead to the discovery of an entire encampment where many innocent woodlanders were being forced to build a castle for an unnamed rising warlord. Working slowly and methodically, Yellowsnout miraculously assembled a stockpile of makeshift arms, freed the slaves and lead a revolt against the warlord, liberating a hundred woodlanders and preventing a would-be warlord from fortifying a base of operations in Mossflower. Perhaps the newest additions to the list of legends at Salamandastron were two creatures by the name of Captain Dassiter De Fformello Tussock and Captain Leonardo Velox Williams, who had spearheaded a successful hunt against a line of corsairs on the high seas known as 'the menaces', as well as battled and killed a great sailfish known as the Saberfin. Captain Leonardo then went on to save Redwall Abbey from a gang of vermin raiders by feigning himself as a traitor to the Redwallers (which nearly got him killed in the process), and Captain Dassiter became one of a small pawful of beasts to battle the Sazaar and live.
Lance Corporal Carmen O'Foster Bobo, arguably the clumsiest hare at the mountain, was soon to become the stuff of Salamandastron's great history herself by a feat in that twenty-four hour stretch in the treacherous Western Mountain range. For just then, and from not too far off, Carmen heard a reply to her battle cry, and it was another Eulalia! Digging her footpaws deeper into the snow and ice, Carmen slowed herself from sliding over the edge of the crevasse. Then, hanging by only her boots and strong will, Carmen gazed down, past the terrified Orfeo the Contraptionist, who was hanging helplessly at the other end of the rope, at a trio of emaciated hares in faded parade uniforms, huddled together on a snowy bridge some fifty feet deep into the crevasse and shouting 'Eulalia' back at her. Many contents from Carmen's haversack spilled out and fell into the void. One particular item, the sketch of Captain Taney Sirgenal, was caught by a hare farther down. He gave a laugh and held it up next to his face. Even at a distance, Carmen could see that it was a perfect match.
~oOo~
Lance Corporal Bobo acted quickly for she knew that her boots, still stuck in the ice, were the only things keeping everybeast there alive, and they would not hold out forever. "I see you, chaps. Jus' let me get this 'ere maggot pulled up an' then I'll send the jolly rope down to you, wot!" The hares' replies came much quieter than the eulalias they had just shouted, but they could wait. She then turned to the helpless outlaw, who was screaming and pleading for his life.
"Yipe! Gemme outta here! I promise I won't do no more bad, cross me 'eart I won't, boss! I'd swear on me ole mum's grave jus' gemme out o' this stinkin' trap!"
"Shut it, rat!" snapped Carmen. "Listen t' what I've got t' say because I'll only say it once, wot. Flip yerself around so that your feet are against the side of the crevasse. There's a good lad, now I'm gonna pull you up, an' you are gonna walk yer feet up the side nice an' gentle to help keep things steady an' moving. Got it?"
Orfeo bobbed his head uncontrollably and did as he was told. After a few minutes, and a great deal of effort broken only by small increments in order to allow for Carmen to rest a while, Orfeo was back up onto the ridge. Unwilling to give the rat another chance to escape, hardly had Orfeo collapsed onto the side of the ridge than did Carmen dig through her pack for the frying pan, pull it out and give a solid thwack to lay the outlaw out cold. With the ringing still loud in her ears, Carmen too fell back and rested for another moment. "There," she said to herself through deep breaths, "that'll keep 'im busy fer a while, eh, wot?"
Getting the hares out of the crevasse was by no means a simple task, and time was not on their side. While there was still light at the moment, if the process took too long it could wind up costing the group dearly. Carmen dug an anchor to keep the rope steady and positioned herself with one footpaw on each side of the line. She then tested it for strength with a hard tug and threw it down to the hares at the bottom of the rift. This presented the group's first major obstacle: the rope was about five long paces too short – enough for it to be far enough out of reach.
Very few words were passed between Carmen and the patrol in the crevasse unless it was necessary to move the extraction along. At first, Carmen considered propelling down into the crevasse herself in order to help retrieve them, but quickly threw that idea away given the possibility that she too could get herself stuck and out of reach of the rope. When she came across the idea of tying her bed mat to the end of the rope, solving the issue of reaching them, another thought crossed her mind. She called down to the hares at the bottom, "How long 'ave you been down there, chaps?"
"Fourteen nights." Came the feeble reply, so quiet to Carmen's ears that she had wondered for a second if they had answered at all. This presented the second problem: It was safe to assume that, if the patrol had been stuck at the bottom of an active crevasse, then they would not have the strength to hold onto a rope and hoist themselves up. Several minutes passed in which Carmen weighed her options. Occasionally, she poked her head over the edge. Not to reassure herself that the missing patrol was still there, but to reassure them that she was still there.
Finally, she called down to them, "I've got an idea. Stay ready, chaps. Rope 'll be down in a moment, wot!" Shortly thereafter, Carmen passed the rope back into the crevasse. This time, she had cut holes in the end of her bed mat, cut the strap of her haversack in two and tied each end to the end of the mat, effectively creating a swing for the emaciated hares to sit on while they were pulled to safety. This seemed to do the trick and the whole process lasted about an hour.
After the first hare, whom introduced himself to Lance Corporal Bobo as First Scout Rene Ackerman (the same Rene who authored the journal entries previously used to describe the storm in the mountains), had been pulled up, Carmen asked the question that was on her mind since she first spotted them: the number of hares that were originally in the patrol.
First Scout Rene collapsed back in the snow and stared back at Lance Corporal Bobo with a pair of eyes that were sunken in and surrounded by dark circles. A corpse would have been easier to make eye contact with, as at least then he would not have been able to see Carmen look away as soon as their gazes met. It was not intentional, but looking at this wretched creature gave Carmen the same guilty feeling as when she was young and her mother scolded her for staring at a veteran hare's deformed features. "Ten of us." He said. The lips around his mouth were drawn tight and did not move a muscle when he spoke. "Th' other seven 're deeper in the glacier."
"Are they...?"
"All goners. Th' lot of 'em died in the fall or din't make it through the first night. Please, do you have any food at all?"
Carmen was already pulling the next hare up to the top. "Hold on there, sah. No food t' be had until I can get you all t' safety, wot. But ye may find a few pawful o' nuts lying 'round. Had a bit of a tussle with th' lad whose laid out o'er yonder. Give me a shout if he starts moving again, wot." Rene did not respond.
The second hare, Corporal Reginald Ironheart, was in considerably better shape than First Scout Ackerman, though by no means well off. He appeared to have more meat on his bones, which made Carmen infer that he may have been plump to begin with. He was able to stand on his feet upon reaching the top. Whilst Carmen took a quick rest, he tended to First Scout Ackerman, grabbing the lad a few pawfuls of nuts and dried berries he was able to find lying about. He never once mentioned the unconscious rat lying in the snow face-down. As soon as Carmen was ready again, Reginald was at her side assisting with the rope.
"Not needed, Corporal, sah. My orders come straight from Lord Barbourn to get this patrol back to the mountain safely. Can't have you straining yerself now."
"Bah!" Corporal Ironheart's reply came so sharp that it made Carmen jump and stiffen her grip on the rope. "I thank ye kindly, Lance Corporal, fer followin' yer orders, but I'll be damned if I let Cap'n Taney Sirgenal rot in that crevasse a second longer. Nary a single beast on earth who's bolder 'n that one. Save maybe Lord Barbourn hisself! Pass me th' rope an' let me help, Lance Corporal. That's an' order!" Carmen did as Corporal Ironheart told and, working together, Captain Sirgenal was retrieved in a matter of minutes.
Captain Taney Sirgenal of the Long Patrol was hard as a rock and tougher than most corsair. His most popular features included a scowl that sat permanently on his face, dark eyes that almost always appeared half closed in a piercing glare, and a considerably short stature. Among young cadets, such features made him the most favorite officer to impersonate when he was not present, and the least favorite when he was placed in charge of drilling said cadets. Regardless of this, everybeast, whether a new cadet or brigadier general, knew Captain Sirgenal was a perilous beast no matter the danger, and his very presence often brought about a respectful awe. Even after being fished out of a giant mountain crevasse, thin as a corpse and fur more mangled as a wolverine's pelt, Sirgenal was still in fact every inch that which his reputation said he was. Now that all three were safe (or at least safer than lying inside an active glacier), Carmen wordlessly wiped away the snow from her uniform and brought herself to a quick salute in Captain Sirgenal's direction.
"Captain Taney Sirgenal of the 15th Scout Patrol, m' name's Lance Corporal Carmen O'Foster Bobo. My mission, direct orders from Badger Lord Barbourn, states that I am to locate you and your patrol, and escort you all back Salamandastron quick haste. With your permission, Captain, sah. I would like to start the march home immediately, sah, and put as much distance as possible between us and this here spot."
Captain Sirgenal returned Carmen's salute with a shaky paw. He could hardly raise it! "At ease, Lance Corporal. I thank commend you for completing this first part of your mission, but must ask to postpone our departure to once more pay respects to the brave beasts whose bodies are never to leave that damn fissure."
Sirgenal did not take long. He simply stood near the edge and looked down one last time into the void alongside Corporal Ironheart and First Scout Ackerman, who was supported between the two. The three pulled off every medal from their tattered parade uniforms, each brightly polished and a representation of every accomplishment the trio had between them in the Long Patrol. Together and one at a time, the trio threw the medals into the icy crevasse. For Sirgenal, the process took minutes. "I'd give my everything and more if I could just lead you lads and lasses back home safe. Forgive me for living, I implore you..."
Carmen waited patiently for several minutes and did not dare make a move to collect her things, lest she ruin the moment. When all three of them were finished, everything that had not fallen into the rift was packed together once again, somebeast finally inquired about the unconscious rat that Carmen began tying up and shouldered. "Looks like you've made a catch while you were looking for us, wot. May I ask why it is you have that nasty looking vermin captured?"
Carmen winced under the rat's added weight on her wounded leg, which now sported a makeshift bandage. "No, Corporal Ironheart. I stumbled across this 'ere rat in a storm whilst 'e was followin' me." Her chest swelled a bit with pride and she added, "This 'ere is Orfeo th' Contraptionist."
First Scout Ackerman's eyes nearly popped right out at the mention of the outlaw's name and he sat bolt upright with the most strength he had shown yet that day. "Ye don't mean the Orfeo the Contraptionist, wot? You've caught 'im all by yerself, marm?"
"Well, er, yes, I did! Wasn't hard, really, wot. Just pinged 'im with me frying pan an' tied 'im up nice an' good, eh! He lead me straight to ye, though I don't think 'e meant to, wot!"
Captain Sirgenal picked up First Scout Ackerman and carried him over his shoulder. "I know we would all like to hear your tale, Lance Corporal, but the environment is no less harsh now that we've escaped the fissure. We must keep moving, talk along the way if you have the strength."
Reginald Ironheart almost interrupted Taney upon seeing him set out, his feeble legs staggering under the light weight of the scout he carried. "Captain, sah. Very respectfully, sah, allow me to carry young Rene. I am in the best health of the three of us"—
Taney Sirgenal's reply came suprisingly sharp and heavy, "Corporal Ironheart remember your place under my command. It is my responsibility to keep this patrol safe and I have lost seven so far. I would rather die under the weight of this brave hare than share the burden with anybeast else. Let me be the one to carry him the entire way home to Salamandastron. Come along, we have much ground to cover and not much light left to lead us."