Mokkan clasped his brother’s paw with feigned fervor. “Ah, ever the wise warrior, Gelltor. But you must hurry and set up your siege while they are unaware of your brilliant plan!”

Within a short time the army was ready to march again, each of the Marlfoxes commanding twoscore water rats apiece, while Mokkan stayed behind to recover and protect the tapestry with a guard comprising the thirteen remaining rats. Mokkan lay back as if he had fainted away, listening keenly to Vannan murmuring instructions to the water rat Beelu. “I leave you here to guard our prize with your life. If Mokkan recovers and tries anything odd, you must hide the tapestry and make your way to Redwall, where you will report to me only!” As the army marched out of camp, Mokkan turned on his side, chuckling under his breath. “Never trust a vixen.”

*

It was close to noontide when Song called a halt at a shady glade in the Mossflower depths. “This looks like a good spot for our lunch. There’s some fat juicy berries on those blackberry brambles round the dead oak.”

Dippler unshouldered the pack he had loaded from the kitchens. “Lunch? What ’appened to brekkfist, miss? An’ jus’ one other thing, when d’we sleep? Last time I closed me lids was when I was knocked unconscious. We missed a full night’s shut-eye, y’know!”

Song threw her haversack down and began picking blackberries. “Oh, give your little face a rest, Dipp, stop moaning!”

Dann took off his sword and foodpack and sat down gratefully. “Dipp’s not moanin’, Song, he’s arguing. Guosim shrews aren’t happy unless they’ve got something to argue about, right, Dipp?”

The young shrew opened his haversack, fishing out three of Brother Melilot’s newbaked scones and a slab of cheese, which he cut into three pieces with his rapier. “I’m not arguin’ or moanin’. It’s called debatin’. That’s ’ow us Guosim get t’be so wise, by debatin’.”

Song aimed a berry at him, but Dippler ducked it. “You greedy little hog, I notice you’ve given yourself the biggest slice o’ cheese an’ the largest scone!”

Dippler grinned, popping the blackberry Song had thrown into his mouth. “But I need extra vittles, so I can grow big’n’strong’n’stronger, like you two. If I gave you the big bits then you’d both grow bigger’n’stronger an’ I’d be liddle’n’thin!”

Song prodded his small round stomach as she passed. “Thin, huh? You’re about as thin as a hedgehog who’s been locked in a larder for two seasons!”

Dann opened a flask of pennycloud cordial. “Will you two pack in debatin’ an’ let me have lunch in peace?”

Song watched Dippler split open his scone. He packed the inside with blackberries, closed it and bit into the whole thing so enthusiastically that juice squirted out from either side.