“Dead bones never harmed anybeast. Now get marching.”

Suddenly a series of ear-splitting screams pierced the stillness and the trees about them began shaking as if moved by a mighty wind. Several shrews fell, cut down by sharp wooden lances. Matthias dodged to one side as a lance buried itself in the ground by him.

“Help! Heeeeelp!” Cheek gave a strangled cry and began rising swiftly into the trees, hauled up on a thin braided noose looped expertly around his body.

Log-a-Log acted swiftly. He fitted a stone to his sling. Whirling it, he loosed it among the lower branches. A small thin creature painted all over with green and black vegetable dyes fell senseless to the earth. The trees were alive with hundreds of other creatures, chattering and screaming, swinging nooses and jabbing downward with sharp wooden lances. Basil plucked up a fallen spear and hurled it back.

Matthias crouched, drawing his sword, as Jess Squirrel bounded up. “Jess, they’re some kind of treeclimbers. Can’t you do anything?”

“The little savages, they don’t seem to have any language, just screaming and growling. There’s hundreds of ’em, Matthias, and they mean to kill us.”

The warrior mouse swung his blade at one of the painted ones who had ventured too low.

“Worst thing we could do is to make a run for it. Besides, they’ve got Cheek. The shrews are holding them off with slingstones, but that won’t last.”

Orlando thundered past them, roaring. He struck trees left and right with his axe, jarring the savage beasts out of the branches. Shrew daggers made short work of them, but for every painted one that fell it seemed there were ten to take its place. The air rang with the snapping of branches and the screams of the painted horde. Above it all, Cheek could be heard sobbing loudly, “Help! Save me, Basil. Don’t leave me. Heeeelp!”

The old hare was leaping and kicking out with his long dangerous limbs. Anybeast that got too close was knocked out instantly.

“Chin up, Cheek old lad, I’m doin’ me best!” he called encouragingly.

Amid the rain of javelins that hissed down and the stones that whizzed up into the pines, Jess Squirrel’s teeth began to chatter madly. Her eyes grew red with battle light and she was far bigger than any of the strange attackers.

“Savages! Cannibals, tree freaks!” she shouted. “Here, Matthias, there’s only one way to settle this. I think I’ve spotted their leader, that little brute over there. Look at him screaming and dancing away like a mad thing. He’s sending another lot in against us. I’m sure, that’s the chief. Lend me your sword; there’s only one thing this crazy tribe will understand.”