Yes, it's back! Far too many months later, DoF returns, ableit I'll admit not in a spectacular fashion. This is more of a bridge chapter, just so I don't have an excuse to keep you wonderful folks waiting another...year, eight months, whatever it was. Anywho, enjoy! I SWEAR the next updates will be much sooner than this one was, and will provide what I hope to be a suitable finale to this story.

R&R!

Days came and went, each more routine than the last. Despite his gruff manner and hard-charging reputation, Weatherby proved to be an invaluable asset to the troops stationed at Redwall and the surrounding regions. Never one to overreact or make decisions without first considering all the options, the combat-hardened otter took the time necessary to make sure every beast under his command understood a mission's goals, potential hazards, and the reasoning behind the move. And while some creatures complained of his exacting standards in behavior, attire, and proper military etiquette, none dared speak out against him. Not out of fear, but respect. For in the span of two weeks, Colonel Weatherby had turned Redwall from a loose collection of Skyjumper, infantry, and mechanized units into a cohesive regiment under his command. As the war raged around them, the Colonel began to rebuild the shattered remains of Mossflower.

Keeping the new-found peace, however, meant spending hundreds of hours patrolling the forests, villages, and fields surrounding the Abbey. No matter the weather, time of day, or number of hung-over Skyjumpers who had only gone to bed hours before after a weekend's pass.

Samuel groaned as reveille was sounded over the loudspeakers, trying to muffle the incessant clanging that roused them from sleep. But after a few moments, as he did every morning, Samuel rolled off the mattress and slipped on his uniform, boots, and web gear. All around him, beasts were climbing out of their bunks and doing the same. Except for Joseph, of course. The otter had spent the evening exercising his right to exceed the now defunct two-drink maximum that had been in place under Rockeye's command, and was paying for it dearly as Samuel tapped him with a boot.

"Come on, mate. The longer you stay in there, the harder it'll be to get up." The squirrel said, trying to resist the urge to gloat. He hadn't gone to bed completely sober himself, but not to the extent that Joseph had. The minor headache he had was nothing compared to what his friend was experiencing.

Joseph's reply was to growl and toss the nearest object in his direction, which turned out to be his helmet. Samuel dodged the swing and shrugged. "Have it your way, then." And without another word, he planted his foot against the cot's flimsy frame and pushed, sending Joseph sprawling to the floor, trailing curses the whole way.

"Quit your belly-aching, you know the drill. Everybeast reports to the morning briefing, no matter how drunk they were last night. Even if it was a combination of lager and tequila."

Joseph glared at him with red-rimmed eyes and began to dress in his rumpled fatigues. "That's what that swill was? Those lyin' shrews told me it was just brandy. I'll have to pay 'em a visit 'afore we leave and remind 'em why ye don't try and cheat in a drinkin' contest."

Ignoring his companion's whining, Samuel made his way down to the Great Hall where most of the Sky-jumpers were starting to gather in preparation for their daily briefing. They were given status reports on enemy activity, results of their previous mission, and news from home. The snippets from newspapers and radio broadcasts always gave Samuel a pang of homesickness, thinking of the fields of grain and barley that were soon to be cut and the coming baseball season. He could still remember huddled close to the radio with his father, listening with baited breath as their hometown heroes, the Oakville Eagles. He would cheer and yell along with the announcer at the distinctive crack of a good hit, grinning as the ball soared out into the stands.

"Alright, ya horrible lot, gather 'round." Weatherby's executive officer, a stoutly-built mouse with a crooked nose and scarred face, summoned the crowd of about fifty beasts over to a large table, where he waited for them to settle down. "Sergeant pepper", as the mouse was known on account of the many scars that had turned patches of his fur gray, began with his customary roll call before glancing down at the typed notes in his paw. "First off, I'm sure ya'll are too hung over to really pay attention, but I'd appreciate it if you'd try not an' puke all over the floors." This brought a chuckle from the beasts not clutching their aching heads or bellies. "Alright, there ain't much news from home this week, mostly jus' somethin' about a new plan to get more war bonds. But here's what ya'll need to listen up fer: We're goin' back into Valoar today, goin' to do some more work with the civillians."

This brought a collective groan from everybeast present. After taking the city, many of the Sky-jumpers had volunteered to help secure and start to rebuild the city. However, this was taken by their commanders as a sign that they all wanted to do the same. So not long after Samuel had recovered, he was back in the city where he had nearly been killed, helping clear rubble and search the wreckage for bodies. The civillians, many of them rats, stoats, or the like, tried to help as much as possible, but they were still trying to recover from the fierce fighting that had so nearly destroyed their city.

"Hold yer britches, boys. This one's different. We're takin' some of the Abbey's medical staff and nurses with us this time, command says they're gettin' reports of injured beasts needin' help. So you're on protection detail today. Keep the medics safe and watch out fer trouble. We've gotten reports of some light enemy recon on the city's northern side, but the tanks scared 'em off pretty quick. Just be on the lookout, hooah?"

"Hooah!" Samuel tried to match the enthusiasm of his friends, but he didn't like the idea of going into a town just so recently fought for. The Rats were well known for giving up a position, and then counter-attacking shortly thereafter, catching the still-advancing troops off guard. It was a tactic that could inflict massive damage, and Samuel knew that the enemy would be tempted by such an approach after losing such a key location.

The briefing was over a few minutes later, and Samuel headed upstairs to begin preparing his gear. As he passed the infirmary, however, something caught his attention. The nurses, dressed in their distinctive white hats and shirts, were preparing their supplies for the coming mission. A few Army medics were there as well, offering advice and borrowing whatever the Abbey's infirmary could spare for their own kits. But Samuel stopped dead in his tracks just outside the door, watching as Penny helped a mouse secure the web gear across his shoulders before turning back to her own bag.

Samuel waited until she had seen him standing outside before walking in, weaving between nurses. "Hey, Samuel!" She grinned and wrapped him in a hug, which he returned with a weak smile. "I can't wait to go out today, it's our chance to finally do some real good."

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Penny, do you...are you sure you want to come? We need medical staff at the Abbey, after all, and..."

She cut him off with a sharp look. "What are you saying, Samuel? That I won't be able to handle myself?"

He held his paws up. "No, not at all. I'm just...I don't think it's safe out there quite yet. We've gotten reports of enemy scouts in the area, and I don't want you to be there if something happens. I'd never be able to live with myself if you were hurt."

Her expression softened, and she smiled gently, kissing him on the cheek. "Don't worry, Samuel, everything will be fine. Besides, I've got my guardian angel right here," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him again, deeply this time, much to his surprise and enjoyment. "You won't let anything happen, I'm sure of that."

He chuckled and wrapped her in his arms one last time before turning for the door. "I promise, I won't."

Joseph, after presumably having a very impolite conversation with the shrews he had been drinking with the previous night, was back in the dormitory when Samuel walked in. The otter was spit-cleaning the Browning rifle he had taken to carrying, whistling as he slid the bolt carrier back into place. "So, I'm takin' it that Penny's comin' along, eh?"

"As much as I don't want her to, yes." Samuel picked up his rifle and began to fill his web gear with ammunition, grenades, and other assorted gear. "I don't know if it's safe yet, especially with those enemy recon troops about."

"Bah, we'll just kick 'em on their tails if they get too close. Teach the bastards not t' get in our way."

Samuel smirked as he slid a pistol into the holster at his belt. Most Sky-jumpers, especially enlisted types, didn't carry a sidearm, but he always had the nagging feeling at the back of his head that one day, he would need it dearly. So he accepted the extra two pounds of gun and ammunition for the little peace of mind it offered. "Just try not to pass out on the march there, alright? I don't need your hangover antics making the rest of us look bad."

The troops designated for the mission, about eighty all-told along with the thirty or so medical staff, gathered outside on the Abbey's main lawn while the officers made final checks. Penny saw Samuel and waved, a smile lighting up her face. He returned the gesture, unaware of the small grin spreading across his features. Joseph, however, took immediate notice and tried to hold in his guffaws. "Bloody hellgates, mate, but by the looks of it ye've just seen the second comin'."

He received a solid punch to the shoulder for that, which ended with a laughing otter and Samuel wringing his throbbing paw.

A sharp whistle brought their attentions to the center of the crowd, where the officer in charge, none other than Colonel Weatherby himself, signaled with a sharp wave. "Everybeast, move out!"

Tommy, shouting above the din, gathered his own soldiers. "My squad, on me! Hurry it up, all of you!"

They formed a ragged column, with the medical staff and other civilians in the center as to offer them more protection. Samuel saw Penny and waved again, which she returned with a smile and a blown kiss. The mid-morning air was cool, still lingering with the dawn's chill. They set out at a slower pace than their usual march, on account of the extra beasts and gear in the company. Their boots and paws thumped against the hard-packed earth of the Abbey's path which lead down into Mossflower, and eventually all the way to Valoar.

They marched for an hour or so and ignored the far-off, intermittent bursts of machine gun fire. All of the Sky-jumpers knew that there were always small skirmishes going on throughout the region, mostly just a patrol running into a small pocket of resistance or a soldier on sentry duty deterring some enemy scouts from coming any further. The Redwallers, however, were unused to the random bouts of distant gunfire and would always flinch and dive for cover whenever the distinct pops reached their ears from miles away.

"Come on out, it's nothing to worry about." Samuel helped a shaking vole out of the nearby ditch where he had crouched. "It can't trouble us."

"Are ye sure?" The vole asked, eyes shifting nervously.

Pangil, who had insisted on tagging along, suddenly appeared over Samuel's shoulder. "Absolutely, chap! Why, these bloody rats could be dropping mortars in the next field over and I wouldn't be troubled. Bloody poor shots they are, eh wot?"

The vole looked even more terrified than before, but eventually came out of hiding and rejoined the column. Samuel gave the hare a sidelong glance as they moved on. "Poor shots, huh? Then what the hell happened in the city that night?"

Pangil visibly winced, remembering the sudden barrage of disturbingly accurate artillery fire that had nearly cost Samuel his life. "Ah, yes, there was that, I s'pose. Let's chalk it up to dumb luck, wot wot! I don't suppose the blighters could do it a second time if they bloody well tried."

Samuel crossed himself, despite the denomination on his dog-tag. "For God's sake, don't jinx us like that! The next thing you know we'll be taking shell fire from battleships."

But the rest of the march was uneventful, and they arrived on the outskirts of the city by early afternoon. A pallor of smoke still hung over the ruined city, and even from a distance the horrendous damage was obvious. Buildings had been caved in, streets littered with debris and potholes where shells had exploded, and the ever-present scent of smoke, cordite, and gunpowder was still sharp in the air. Samuel's mind went back to that fight, remembering the ear-shattering clamor of mortars detonating nearby and always, the chatter of gunfire that was the soundtrack to a hellish night.

Their arrival was greeted as usual; most beasts just stared at them, with the same expressions of indifference and suffering as before. Valoar had once been primarily inhabited by woodlanders, but after the vermin took over that balance quickly shifted and now hundreds of rat, stoat, fox, and weasel eyes watched the column make their way through the ruined streets. There were a few that grinned and cheered, running up to the Sky-jumpers to shake their paws and offer words of thanks. Samuel hadn't realized it at first, but it soon became clear that these creatures had been treated horribly by the enemy during their time as occupiers, stripping them of their freedom, even going so far as to ration each family's allowance of food. They had been under the iron boot of an oppressor, and now they were finally freed.

And yet, there were always the few that could say nothing, do nothing, but whose hatred for Samuel and his comrades was obvious. They spat whenever the Sky-jumpers passed by, muttering curses under their breath and staring at them with the same eyes Samuel had seen in so many of his enemies.

Penny had come to walk beside Samuel as they made their way into the city and now gazed with shock at what had been done to the place. "I never knew it looked this bad," She said quietly, looking around at the shattered structures and piles of smoking debris. "How did anyone survive this?"

He shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine."

The army had set up a medical treatment area, food hand-out truck, and other necessities in the town square, which was bustling with activity. Many of the town's residents had been injured in the massive firefight, and hadn't or couldn't venture out of their homes to seek help. But now, after things had begun to quiet down and the news of help reached them, they flocked to the large plaza. It was a scene of barely-organized chaos: Beasts running to and fro between trucks, jostling for place among the rapidly growing lines while soldiers did their best to keep the situation under control.

Tommy assembled his squad of twelve near a small fountain that had been partially demolished in the battle, leaving chunks of stone strewn about the area. The mouse made sure everybeast was listening before raising his voice above the dull roar. "Listen up, all of you! We're heading out into the housing developments to look for any that might need help. Most of the buildings are still standing, but make sure you're not walking into something that's about to fall onto your heads. I'm not losing anyone on a cakewalk like this, understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

Tommy nodded once. "Good. One last thing: There's been rumors of Rats hiding in some of the houses, stragglers that didn't catch up with the main retreat. If you run into one, try and capture him. But if the bastard has a weapon, I want you to splatter his goddamned brains against the wall. Right, let's move out!"

Penny, who had volunteered along with four other nurses to tag along with their squad on the off-chance they discovered any injured beasts, looked at Tommy with a concerned expression as the mouse organized his squad. "He wasn't like that before, was he?"

Samuel shook his head sadly. "No, I never saw him act like this. Not until after the battle." He sighed, hefting his rifle and letting Penny walk beside him. "I guess losing that many guys just...well, it's not something I'd want to have to deal with. I don't think he'll ever really be the same."

They wandered the ruined streets, navigating between shell-holes and piles of debris from collapsed buildings. Most of the buildings were deserted, though once in a while Samuel would spot a beast digging through the wreckage, searching for anything that might be useful. Most of them were vermin, though few did more than scowl or spit onto the dusty ground. Some would come forward, begging for food or water, but Tommy would just shove them away with a disgruntled look and tell them to go the plaza and wait in line like everybeast else.

As they marched east on the wrecked streets towards the river, the houses became less and less damaged. Most of the fighting here had been late in the battle, when ammunition was running low and most of the combat was short, bitter firefights between buildings. Tommy selected out six beasts, Samuel and Penny among them. "Sammy, I want you to sweep the left side of the street, I'll take the right. Knock on the doors, see if anybeast is home."

Samuel gave him a thumbs-up and waved a paw to the half-dozen beasts in his group. "You heard him, let's get this done. Move in groups of two, call out if you see anything suspicious."

The first house he approached was mostly undamaged, save for a few stray bullet-holes through the windows. Samuel pounded on the door with one paw, listening closely for anybeast that might be inside. When nothing but silence met his ears, he moved off of the porch and went on, Penny right beside him.

He cleared four more homes, only coming across an aging ferret who insisted that he wasn't in need of help and waved genially as Samuel bid his farewell. By the time he reached the end of the street, he was convinced that there wasn't anything amiss in this part of the town. He approached the door, slinging the rifle over his shoulders in order to free both paws. The dry wood thumped as he knocked on the door, expecting to hear the usual empty silence. Instead, his ears perked up as a hushed voice break the empty air.

"They're 'ere! Come on, we gotta go! Run fer it!"

Samuel was unsure of what to do. Something was telling him to kick down the flimsy wooden door and rush inside, but he forced himself to stay calm. Rifle still slung, he raised a paw to knock again. "Allied Skyjumpers, is anybeast-"

The quiet morning was shattered with a flurry of shots, at least three heavy rifle bullets boring through the door to shower Samuel with a spray of wood splinters. Two of those bullets would have killed him, except that he was now flat on his back, falling instinctively to the ground to avoid the first that had nearly clipped his helmet. He landed with a thud, ears ringing with a distant clangor.

Get up, something was yelling at him; maybe it was a someone? Samuel couldn't tell, only that he had to do whatever this voice was telling him to do. He pushed himself off the ground with one paw, reaching for the pistol at his belt with the other. To him, everything was oddly calm. Even as he heard what sounded like another shot from inside the house, his mind was systematically examining the situation and deciding what needed to be done. The fear was still there, tucked away in a secluded corner of his mind, but at the moment there was only one thing to be done. He was dimly aware that Penny was screaming and dashing for the nearest hard cover, but his brain simply checked it off as another necessity that he no longer had to concern himself with. Instead, he could focus on the task at hand.

The weak pine door buckled under a swift kick, falling from its hinges into a filthy, dusty living area. The only light came from the half-shuttered windows, where swirls of dust danced in the stagnant air. Trash and debris covered the floor, including three brass shells, still smoking gently. There were also obvious paw-prints in the filthy carpet, leading to a doorway on the left side of the wall facing Samuel. He could hear what sounded like shouts and the clatter of something heavy on a wooden floor, and that was all the excuse he needed. Advancing with his weapon gripped tightly in both paws, he stepped calmly and quickly into the next room.

During his many weeks of training as a sky-jumper, Samuel had learned about the dangers of urban fighting. One of these perils was known as the "fatal funnel", or the frame of a doorway that served to highlight a target entering the room. Instructors had ranted and yelled for hours, telling them that the only way to survive in a close-quarters fight was to get out of the funnel, as quickly as possible. Now, Samuel's training was taking over. He cleared the doorway in a flash, bringing up his handgun as something shifted in the corner of the room. It was somebeast trying in vain to climb out of a small window, getting caught on some of the boards that had presumably been used to barricade it. The beast yelled something out the window, suddenly turning to face Samuel who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and was now training a pistol on the enemy.

The vermin made a very poor decision. Half-in, half-out of the window, the ferret reached inside his coat pocket, fumbling for something hidden inside. Samuel didn't hesitate; he pulled the trigger once, twice, three times. The forty-five caliber slugs slammed into the beast's torso, making him jerk with each impact. Blood flecked onto the nearby cabinets as he collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath before growing still. Samuel advanced slowly, fighting the tunnel vision that was threatening to take over as adrenaline coursed through his veins like battery acid. He tapped the ferret with a boot, getting no response. He took a moment to check the window, where the dirty paw-prints made it obvious that at least one other vermin had escaped into a nearby alley. After taking a few moments to make sure the closets and one other room in the home was empty, he walked out the front door to meet a trembling Penny. She hugged him tightly, unaware of his own half-hearted embrace. "Samuel, are you alright? Please tell me you aren't hurt!"

He was holstering his pistol as a squad of Sky-jumpers rounded the corner at a dead sprint, Tommy being among them. "I'm fine," he said shortly. Penny was startled not only at the dull tone of his voice, but the utter lack of emotion in his normally cheery eyes, now turned the color of sea ice at midnight. He ignored her as Tommy approached, motioning for three of his squad to secure the house. "You hurt?"

"Negative, sergeant. I took fire at the doorway, then went inside and cleared it out. We've got one Rat down in the kitchen, and at least one more that escaped out the back. I didn't spot any tripwires or pressure plates inside, so we should be alright to lock it down."

Tommy nodded once. "Good job. We'll be finished clearing out the housing sector pretty soon, you can head back to the plaza. Penny, are you alright?"

She managed a few shaky nods. "Yes, I'm...I'm fine, just a little shaken. I was so..."

Tommy whistled sharply as his squad-members left the house. "Pack it up, we're done here! Rally back at the plaza, we're done for today."

Penny walked with Samuel as the squad moved back to the still-bustling plaza. She kept glancing at him repeatedly, aware that whatever had driven Samuel with such calmness before was starting to wear off. Both of his paws were shaking slightly, and he was flinching at every loud noise. When she touched his arm, he jerked away suddenly before realizing who it was. "Samuel, are you sure you're alright?" She asked quietly.

He sighed and nodded. "I think so, I just need a second."

Joseph came to meet them at the square, a concerned look on his face, but Penny stopped him as Samuel continued on. "He's not hurt, Joseph. There was...something happened at one of the houses. Just let him be for a few minutes."

The otter stared at his friend for a short while before shaking his head. "I hope yore right, miss. It ain't in the nature of a beast like Sammy t' be killin' like he is."

Penny tried to keep her voice level. "No, it's not. That's why I'm worried."

Sergeant Pangil, as usual, was irritated that he had missed out on that day's only fighting. "Bloody sky-jumpers get all the bloody luck, with their bloody patrols and leavin' poor bloody me to sit around on my bloody arse and do absolutely bloody nothin'!"

But even he recognized that Samuel needed his space, if only for a few minutes on the march back to the abbey. It was one matter to kill a beast with a rifle, at distances where the enemy wasn't much more than a dull silhouette or patch of color among the trees. It was entirely another to be in close combat, where the difference between life and death was half a second and four pounds of pressure on a trigger. To see your enemy die no more than a few paces away was a matter in which Pangil was well-versed, and he understood what a beast like Samuel would be going through.

"He'll be a bally mess for a few days." The hare was eating with Joseph, Tommy, and some of the Salamandastron soldiers the next day. He slurped down an entire bowl of soup, using half a loaf of bread to wipe up the remains. "And I wouldn't talk about it for a few weeks or so. He'll be replayin' it in his head like some sort o' news reel, wonderin' if he could've done something different. Ye might see him acting a bit down in the dumps, probably for a few weeks at least, but he'll come around, wot wot!"

Joseph took a worried glance over at his friend, who was staring into a plate of salad as if it were a television set. "Are ye sure? I mean, Samuel ain't exactly the killin' type. I know he's done it 'afore, but that was different. He had the drop on that vermin, bastard never had a chance."

Pangil spoke in a nonchalant, matter-of-fact tone. "Killing is killing, if you don't mind me puttin' it so, laddie buck. By jove, the first time I shot a Rat, I was six hundred meters out and dropped the cad when he was taking a piss in the woods! I was a bloody wreck, I can tell you that. At least for a month or so. But believe me, he'll get better. Eventually he'll realize that there wasn't a bloody thing wrong with that shot, that anybeast in his position would've done the same thing."

Tommy lit a cigarette, ignoring the disapproving looks some of the Redwallers gave him. Many of the windows were still broken or missing entirely, so they had no excuse not to. "Sure, but try and tell that to him. Samuel's a stalwart guy, and I swear he's made of pure luck and chutzpa, but he's still taking it harder than most beasts I've seen. Keep an eye on him, would you Joseph?"

The otter tipped his helmet slightly. "Will do, sarge. I'll make sure he don't do anythin' too stupid."

The distinctive parade-ground voice of a Long Patrol sergeant rolled across the hall. "Officah on deck, atten-shun!"

Over a hundred sets of boots thundered on the hard stone floor as a single beast appeared in the doorway. Colonel Weatherby was dressed in the same faded and crumpled fatigues as his soldiers, and from the red rings around his eyes, it was clear that the otter had been up for many an hour. But his voice was sharp and clear as he addressed the gathered sky-jumpers. "At ease, all of you. Well, I suppose it's time for me to be up-front with you: I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

An anonymous voice from the crowd answered. "Bad news, sir! Makes the good that much better."

There were a few chuckles, even as Weatherby produced a manila folder and flipped it open, scanning some of the papers enclosed within. "I've got a request from the Allied commanders, which makes it an order, to deploy a battalion of Sky-jumpers to the Kurda Mountain pass by the end of the month. Apparently we've been doing our jobs well enough; the Rats are retreating north, pulling out all through Mossflower."

A rousing cheer seemed to shake the walls. Weatherby couldn't stop a small grin from sweeping across his face as he looked back down at the paper in paw. "And here's the better news; We're slotted for three months up there, and then it'll be mandatory leave for everybeast here. I hope your bags are packed, boys. You're goin' home soon."