Redwall

The Council of Elders questions Matthias and Constance about the horde of rats they saw. When Matthias describes their leader, the abbot declares that this is Cluny the Scourge. Everyone else believes that Cluny is a myth until old Brother Methuselah is summoned. He keeps the order’s records and proves that Cluny is indeed real and as vicious as is rumored. The entire council falls into consternation until Matthias rallies them and says they must be ready when this monster appears.

That night, Cluny is disturbed by a nightmare:

At first it seemed a small thing, a mouse in fact, dressed in a long hooded robe. Cluny did not relish meeting with it—he could not tell why—but the mouse kept getting closer to him. For the first time in his life, he turned and ran! (39).

Shaking off his terror, Cluny awakens and reviews a hundred new recruits. Most are rats, but some stoats, ferrets, and weasels have also joined his band of cutthroats.

At Redwall, the abbot and Constance wander the grounds, remembering the peace and prosperity that they have enjoyed within the abbey for decades. Inside, Matthias eats breakfast and considers how best to defend the place. Brother Methuselah enters and tells Matthias how much the young mouse reminds him of Martin the Warrior.

Shortly afterward, the abbey learns of an army of rats camping inside the Church of St. Ninian’s. Creatures have begun to leave their homes to seek shelter at Redwall: “Carrying what simple belongings they needed, woodlanders and their families hurried from far and near to gain the safety of the Abbey before the storm of Cluny broke upon them.” (47). The abbot and his advisors decide to send a hedgehog named Spike to warn the surrounding inhabitants of the impending danger.

At noon, Cluny and his army arrive outside Redwall’s gates. He and his second-in-command, Redtooth, agree to enter the abbey unarmed to discuss terms. As Cluny surveys the interior of Cavern Hole, he decides that he will make this his castle. He also notes that Matthias doesn’t seem intimidated by him. When the abbot asks what Cluny wants, he says “everything” and instructs Redtooth to read the articles of surrender.

Indignantly, the abbot says, “How dare you come here with your robber band to read articles of death and slavery to me? I tell you that neither you nor your army will ever set paw or claw inside Redwall” (54). Matthias tears up the articles, and the mice send the rats packing. On the way out, Cluny notices a tapestry of Martin the Warrior. This looks like the mouse from his nightmare.

Later that evening, one of the sentries reports that the hedgehog, Spike, is lying wounded outside the gates. Fearing a trap, the mice send a party of moles to tunnel underneath and bring Spike to safety. Although injured, he is still able to report that Cluny’s band captured a family of voles.

Matthias wants to form a rescue party, but his elders tell him to stay put. That night, the young mouse sits before Martin’s tapestry and asks the hero what he should do. An answer arrives in the form of Cornflower. She says, “There is none like you, Matthias. You have the sign of greatness upon you. One day Redwall and all the land will be indebted to you. Matthias, you are a true Warrior” (61). She unties her yellow headband and fastens it around Matthias’s arm to signify that he is her chosen champion.