Doomwyte

Taking his knife, Samolus cut strips from his tunic, passing them to Gullub, Dwink and Umfry. “Gather stones an’ pebbles, there’s lots of ’em about, this cloth should do to make slings. Skip, stay here an’ rest yoreself, we can’t leave Bosie an’ Aluco to face those villains alone. Come on!”

Skipper attempted to rise, but his leg flopped uselessly under him. He thrashed his rudder in frustration. “Garrr! That dart they stuck me in the footpaw with has deadened my blinkin’ leg!” Hauling himself upright on a stalagmite, he pointed. “Ahoy mates, here they come, gimme a sling, will ye!”

Bosie and Aluco reached the narrow rim with the vermin hard on their paws. The owl directed his companion, “Take the left ledge, I’ll go right. Watch out for any darts they shoot at you, they’re dangerous!”

The hare was a short way along the ledge, pushing his back hard against the rocky wall, as he tried to not think of the bottomless void yawning in front of him. A Painted One ventured out onto the ledge, loading a dart into a hollow blowpipe. He leered wickedly at Bosie.

“Yikahee, getcher now, rabbet, Gadik never misses!” A chunk of limestone struck him on the neck. He gave a choking gurgle, and plunged headlong into the pit.

Samolus’s voice called out cheerily, “I never miss, either, scum. Step up, who’s next?” This was followed by a salvo of slingstones, as the defenders called encouragement to Bosie and Aluco. “You’m goo easy naow, zurrs, us’ll give ’em billyoh ’til ee bees safe!”

The vermin gathered on the rim’s edge, with their Chieftain egging them on. “Shoot, shoot! Stoppem! Yikikik!”

Skipper grabbed up a lantern and shook it. “Give me space, mateys, this ’as still got oil in it!” Holding himself upright on the stalagmite fence, he swung the lantern back and forth with his powerful rudder. The still air whooshed as he hurled the lit lantern. Up it went, streaking across the dark pit like a comet. The vermin were too tightly packed on the far rim to avoid it. The missile came down with a crash amongst them, its rock crystal prisms shattering, spraying blazing vegetable oil over the heads of the foebeasts. The screams were deafening; three fell, blazing, into the black abyss. A second lantern followed, thrown by Foremole Gullub’s mighty digging claws. Dwink was about to hurl a third lantern, but he was stopped by Umfry.

“Don’t throw that un, h’it’s the h’only light we got left!”

Bosie and Aluco scrambled into the safety of the cul-de-sac. The hare put up his sword. “Mah thanks tae ye, friends, Ah reckon that’s given the blaggards somethin’ tae think aboot!”

The far rim was in chaos, more vermin were falling into the pit, as the mob scrambled to get away from the flames. The Chieftain was screeching unmercifully, lying flat on his back as he tried to extinguish a smouldering bottom and tail.

A green-and-black-painted female garbed in vines and withered vegetation took charge. She charged about with a long blowpipe, issuing orders. “Back, back, alla ye! Take Chigid with ye!”

Aluco pointed a talon. “That’s Chigid, their leader. He took me captive and pulled my pinions to stop me ever flying. What a pity the flames never slew him, the evil little rat!”

Dwink watched the enemy retreat from the rim. “Is that what Painted Ones are, rats?”

The owl nodded. “Aye, small, wild tree rats. They don’t like anybeast to know what they really are, so they paint themselves all green and black, and wear many kinds of vines and plants to disguise themselves. But there’s lots of them, they’re cruel and vicious!”

Tears popped unbidden to Umfry’s eyes. “H’and they’ve got pore Bisky, our mate!”

Skipper placed both paws against his brow in despair. “Aye, ’twas my fault, I couldn’t stop ’em!”

Bosie patted the otter’s stout back comfortingly. “Ach, ye canna blame yerself, Skip, Ah’ll wager ye did all ye could tae save the young un. But dinna fret, Ah’ll rescue Bisky frae yon vermin rogues. Aye, an’ Ah’ll make ’em weep bitter tears for their wrongdoin’s, ye have McScutta’s word on it!”

Aluco gave the hare a withering sideways glance. “Bravely said, sir, and when, pray, is all this going to happen, eh?”

Umfry interrupted, spikes a-bristle with righteous wrath, “H’as soon h’as possible, h’in fact right now!”

The tawny owl’s huge eyes widened. “Excuse me saying, but do you think that’s wise?”

Dwink sprang up, fitting a rock to his sling. “Wise? There’s no time t’worry about bein’ wise, we’ve got to save our pal Bisky from those fiends!”

Foremole Gullub shook his head at the young squirrel. “Ee owlyburd b’aint no fool, you’m lissen to ’im, zurrs!”

Knowing that mole logic could not be disputed, Samolus agreed with Gullub. He bowed to Aluco. “Carry on, friend.”