Oakleaf

"I can't believe this," the fox growled. "What did I do deserve this?"

"Do you want me to answer that for you?" Oak growled back.

The rope around the squirrel's neck was pulled harshly.

The pull forced him to trip into the muddy ground. The wet dirt was as moist and dirty, spreading into Oak's dark red fur. It was one thing to play with the mud as Oak had done as a child, and it's another when being pulled into one by a mongrel who made Oak's life unbearable this entire week they've been traveling the Mossflower woods.

"Shut it, slave," the fox had said. The squirrel grounded his teeth.

Slave.

One unlucky branch and this is how it turned out. Slave! That vicious vulpine vermin had another thing coming to him once Oak gets out of his binds.

"Get up from the dirt," the vermin ordered. "We don't have all day."

Oak had to force himself off the mud, which was no easy feat seeing as his hands are tied together.

Once he got the mud out of his eyes, swiping it with his paws, Oak's eyes narrowed at the sight of his capture.

The fox was a strange-looking creature. For one, Oak never heard of foxes having such long ears. The fox was a straight postured goon with sharp teeth. But his long ears looked almost mouse-like but narrower, but not like bunnies either. Another thing was his silvery yellow fur, while unkept due to nature conditioning (not like Oak is in any better shape), but some parts of his body was cleaned and maintained, such as his head.

He seems well-dressed too. The fox has armor while Oak was left with his trousers.

"Come along now, slave. We're almost there," Oak's captor spoken.

Where even are they going? That's been in his mind for a while now.

"And don't try to escape like last time," the fox then proceed to pat his rapier - unusual for a vermin to have one - to get his meaning across. "I'd hate to have to cut off my merchandise any time soon."

The long-eared fox pulled on the rope that connected Oak once more, and they continued to travel this muddy path into wherever.

What a week this has been, so thought Oak. Most of his life had been pleasant. He was raised in Treefort, lived with friends, did his chores like everyone else in the community.

Oak glared at the fox's backside.

Then bloody vermins attacked like they usually do.

No one saw it coming. Oak certainly didn't. It was their way to fight against vermin hordes and fought they did. There was fighting, and there was death. Oak had his bow at hand and took the position as many other squirrels had at some sturdy branch in the trees. Oak never killed anybeast before, and he never had the chance either. The branch Oak stood on wasn't solid like all the others, and... and that was the last thing Oak remembered.

He fell off a tree.

What kind of a squirrel falls off a tree!? It's embarrassing beyond belief.

What little else Oak remembers is being carried or dragged by the fox he's glaring at, and that the forest was on fire. And fire usually didn't do well when most homes in Treefort were actual trees.

In any case, when there's going to be the first sign of escape, of course, the squirrel would try to run away.

When the fox was going for out for a tinkle, Oak chewed on the rope and made headway out. Only it was too late, the fox came out and threw one extremely sharp rock which hit the back of Oak's head.

Now, the ropes were tighter than before, and the squirrel's ribs were aching.

In all honesty, the most annoying thing was not knowing what happened at the Treefort. Is everyone alright? Did his fellow woodlander's beat back the vermin horde that attacked his home? Oak tried to get the fox to talk to him, to tell him anything.

Only the fox replied with, "Shut it, slave. I didn't give you any right to speak."

The fox had said that warning so casually Oak felt his temper might get the better of him.

And when Oak tried to continue speaking, he kept getting pulled with the tight rope around his neck or got a quick punch to the stomach. Never before has Oak felt such dislike towards a single beast, but the fox is truly letting making his feelings known for him.

Oak fought back, he wouldn't be a proud woodlander if he didn't, but the fox proved to be a better fighter than him.

If only he had a bow and a couple of arrows, Oak would wipe that smug look on that sober foxes face.

The squirrel sighs.

This is the absolute worst.

"Ah, we're finally out of here."

Oak heard the fox speak, and for once, it wasn't a command of some kind.

The prisoner's eye's widened.

The lack of tree's in the land in front of the squirrel seemed foreign to him. There was nothing there. First, there's some bushes and grass, but when you look farther, there's sand. Nothing at all other than sand. Miles and miles strands of sand along with the desolate lifeless ground.

"Is this the Wastes? There's nothing out there," Oak said, unsure of what the fox had planned.

He was expecting the fox to tell him to shut up again, but instead, the captor said, "There's more to the world than just these woods."

The fox left it at that and moved to the wastes.

"There's nothing out there!" Oak shouted, kept moving regardless. "Nothing but sand. There's nothing but death here."

"Is that what you truly believe?" the fox asked.

"Yes?" Oak replied, now uncertain. He's heard stories that there's nothing out in the east of Mossflower, only sand, and death. What else would be out there? Then again, what does Oak know about the east?

The vermin's face cracked a sharp grin. "It's good to see a woodlander such as yourself being ignorant to the world. Must mean others think alike."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Oak asked, clearly with an angered tone. First the abuse, now this presumably vague insult. It was a matter of time before Oak wanted to speak out again.

The fox pulled the rope once more, and the squirrel nearly tripped once more.

"Don't take that tone with me, slave," the fox chided, further angering the squirrel. Hard not to.

"Or maybe I wi-"

Oak didn't finish that sentence since the fox quickly whipped his rapier. Which founded itself dangerously close to the woodlander's muddy torso. The fox stoically said, "Say another word slave, or you'll be finding your stomach in the outside where it doesn't belong."

What choice did he have? Oakleaf wisely chooses to be silent.

The long-eared fox moved the rapier away, putting it back to its sheath. "Last warning. Now, let's walk."

Two beasts walk out of the Mossflower.

And into the Eastern Wastes.

A/N: And this strange adventure begins! :D

I wanted to make something for the New Year, and I always wanted to make a Redwall fic. Please give me any constructive criticism. In any case, I kinda wanted to get out of the Mossflower scene. Always some vermin horde around and some goodie-too-shoes woodlanders. I felt like I needed a new setting, away from the Mossflower where it seems wrong to mess with, and I want to try my hands in some good old fashion world-building. Man, this is going to be a challenge.

Let's hope 2020 will be the year for me.