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Beyond this, much is lost in mist,
But here and there I see
The treachery of muddy gray,
Tis no place for the free.
O feathered brethren of the air,
Fly straight and do not fall,
Onward cross the wet gold flat,
Where seabirds wheel and call.
So fly and sing, the wildgoose is King.
The skies are growing darker, see
Our beacon shining bright.
Go high across the single fang
That burns into the night.
We leave you now as we wing on,
Our journey then must be
Where sky and water meet in line,
And suns drown in the sea.
So fly and sing, the wildgoose is King.
Gonff came across and stared at the scroll. Well, old wotsisname Skyfurrow was nearly as good a bard
as me. Bet he wasn t half as clever a thief, though, matey.
Martin shook his head. It s certainly a strange route to follow, given in goose song, written in ancient
badger, and translated into common woodland. Do you think we ve missed anything, Bella?
The badger looked indignant. Certainly not. It s all there, word for word. I ll have you know that
female badgers are great scholars, though I must say it all looks very cryptic to me.
Young Dinny clambered out of the armchair and squinted at Martin s neat writing.
Urr, triptick, wot be that? Stan on moi tunnel, it be wurse n maken oles in watter, ho urr.
Gonff stifled a giggle. You certainly have a way with words, Din. Ah well, let s get our thinking caps
on and imagine we re all Skyfurrows.
Martin clicked his paws together. Right! That s exactly what we have to do. Imagine the ground from
up above as if we were birds.
Tsarmina stood watching the dawn break over Mossflower from her chamber window. Mist rose in wisps
from the treetops as the sun climbed higher in a pale blue cloudless sky. The wildcat Queen was highly
pleased with her latest plan; the woodlanders must have realized the two baby hedgehogs were missing,
and they would send out search parties. Tsarmina detailed Cludd and another weasel named Scratch,
acting as his deputy, to patrol the woods, along with a picked group of twenty or so. They would travel
light, unhampered by the usual Kotir armor. They could act as a guerilla force, lying in wait to capture any
woodlanders they came across and sabotaging resistance wherever they encountered it.
She watched them slip out of the perimeter gate, armed with their own choice of weapons and
equipped with rations. The wildcat Queen curled her lip in satisfaction. There was no need to try
interrogating her two prisoners further at the moment; let them stay in their cells until they were starving.
It was always easier to interview creatures who had not eaten for a few days. Two small hedgehogs trying
to pit their wits against the Queen of the Thousand Eyes what chance did they have?
Scratch was a fairly observant weasel. He jabbed skyward with his dagger.
See that robin, Cludd?
Cludd noted that Scratch had omitted to call him Captain. He looked up, but Chibb had flown from
view.
What robin? Where?
Scratch sheathed his dagger. You ve missed him now. I could have sworn it was the same bird I ve
noticed hanging about outside the barracks a few times. Always ends up somewhere near the ground,
hidden.
Cludd was reluctant to believe that Scratch was more alert than he.
Hmm, it might be summat or nothing. Woodlanders don t usually have much to do with birds. Still,
we d best be on the safe side. Hoi, Thicktail, make your way back to Kotir and tell Milady about that robin.
Don t breathe a word to anyone else, though. I don t want Ashleg or that fox stealing any of my credit.
Thicktail saluted, and jogged off in the direction of Kotir.
Scratch looked at the thickly wooded area they were in. Perhaps we d better lie low here awhile. That
way we can have a rest while we keep our eyes and ears open, eh, Cludd?
Cludd knew the idea was a sensible one, but Scratch was beginning to annoy him with his
insubordinate manner.
Aye, I was just thinking the same thing myself. Right, lads, pick good hiding places and keep your
eyes and ears open. But just let me catch anyone snoozing and I ll have his tail for a bootlace. That goes
double for you, Scratch.
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