--Two--

Within the great sandstone walls of Redwall, Conlan was now receiving the basic tour from his self-appointed guide, Jaggfur. Walking slowly through the main grounds, past the bustling orchard and gardens, they saw crowds of abbeybeasts going about there business. It was a small wonder that so many could fit in one place.

"There's the orchard and gardens, the gatehouse is up there and you already know the great hall, o' course." Jaggfur explained quickly as they walked up a series of steps to the top of western ramparts beside the gatehouse, moving to the edge so that they could gaze out at the beautiful forestland that comprised Mossflower Wood.

"Wow…" Conlan whispered softly as he stared at the massive expanse of trees, a few of the nearby guards chuckling at the otter's response.

"Big, ain't it, mate?" Jaggfur smiled as he sat down on the edge of the wall, staring out at the forest as well as the guards went about their rounds behind them.

"It's huge!" Conlan exclaimed loudly, gasping audibly as he turned to find the older otter staring blankly at the horizon.

"Never would know it from the ground though." He muttered as he stared at a flock of birds moving along the horizon, drifting along lazily in the noontide breeze. "S'why I like ta come up 'ere an' take in the grandeur."

"Aye…" Conlan replied, not really listening anymore as he glanced down to the main path, spotting something moving along it in the distance.

"Them birds have the best seats fer the show though." Jaggfur said as his gazed lowered to look at his companion, following the younger otter's gaze he let out a small sigh.

"Who's that coming up the path, Jaggfur?" Conlan asked, squinting as he tried to make out what sort of beasts were coming towards them.

"That would be Skipper an' his band." One of the sentries answered for the otter, the squirrel hopping up onto the wall.

"Looks to be his whole band as well." Jaggfur continued as the sentries made a mad dash for the gate, many of the Redwallers below following suite as the pair of otters stayed put.

"Who's Skipper?" Conlan asked anxiously, drumming his fingers on the wall nervously.

"He'd be the peace keeper 'round these parts. Territory stretches from here to the borders of Salamandastron, then the badger lord takes over." Jaggfur explained as a strange look appeared on his face, one that could hardly be mistaken for anything, but loathing.

"You don't like him very much, do you?" The younger otter asked as he returned his gaze to the approaching band.

"Jus' 'ave ta question that'uns methods…he's a cold-blooded killer if you ask me…" Jaggfur trailed off before leading his charge down the stairs and into the crowd below just as the main gates sung ajar.

"Hello, Skipper. What brings you to our humble, little abbey?" A mouse by the name of Dafden asked, greeting the Skipper with a warm smile that covered the feeling of dread that permeated the mind of everybeast present. The otter however remained silent for a moment as he surveyed the crowd before turning to speak to the mouse.

"I bring news of grave importance, Abbot. A warning to the creatures of your abbey." The otter spoke, addressing the crowd by now, the abbeybeasts falling silent as he surveyed them with a pair of deep, blue eyes that seemed somehow hollow.

As Conlan pushed his way to the front of the crowd, the young otter found himself perplexed by the strange appearance of the Skipper and his crew. For one, they all looked nearly identical, their fur having been dyed a black as deep as the darkest night. The only differences seemed to be in their height and armaments, but those differences were slight at best, they gave the semblance of being an endless line of statues; immovable and impassable.

"What news have you for us?" The mouse pressed, worry causing his voice to tremble slightly as he stared up at the skipper, the fur on the nape of his neck rising in an obvious sign of fear.

"There is an evil in Mossflower, one the likes of which have not been seen in many a season," the otter began, sending shockwaves of fear through the crowd before him, pausing a moment to let his words sink in before continuing, "I know not what form this evil shall take, what sort of vermin shall come. I only know the true names of this evil. Be wary of them."

"What names shall they go by, good sir?" The abbot asked, interrupting the otter mid-speech. Realizing his mistake however the mouse quickly clasped a paw over his muzzle, the chieftain simply glaring at the mouse as he answered.

"There are many names that they could go by, but there are two if met could cause untold harm to you and all peaceable beasts throughout Mossflower." The otter spoke in a loud, booming voice now, making sure that everybeast in the crowd heard him clearly and understood exactly what was happening. "The ones called Morpheus and Neo are of a most dangerous breed and are not to be trifled with. They will be vermin in appearance, but their intentions may not be obvious to your senses. Do not attempt to deal with these beasts yourself, we shall be near should you require our services. Until then, I suggest that you go about your business with some manner of vigilance." With that the otter turned and seemingly disappeared into his army, which promptly marched out the gates and vanished down the path, leaving a great ruckus in their wake.

"Calm, all of you!" The abbot yelled above the clamor of the abbeybeasts, the murmurs fading to whispers as the mouse began to speak for all to hear. "We shall do as the Skipper has told us, but we shall not give up the principals upon which this abbey was founded. We will simply be more vigilant and careful in our actions. For the time being however, the wall guard will be doubled." He finished to a roar of approval and slowly the crowd dispersed and the gate closed, only a few staying behind to discuss what had happened.

"What do you think it could be?" Conlan asked Jaggfur as they stood near the gate, the crowds rushing past them on their way to continue their daily routines.

"Has ta be somethin' dangerous if it has that one scared out of 'is fur." He replied, jerking a thumb in the direction of the main path.

"Think we should worry then?" Conlan asked as the pair wandered back towards the main building of the abbey.

"I suppose we ought to, but I figure we may as well go on as normal." Jaggfur replied as he sat down on the steps leading up to the great hall, Conlan following suit.

"So…" Conlan began, picking at his arm fur nervously, "how long can I stay here, anyways?"

"Come now, matey. Ye ought ta know the answer to that one already," the older otter replied with a sly grin, giving Conlan a friendly punch in the shoulder, "As long as ye need a place ta stay, Redwall shall be yer home. Hell, you can bunk in my room. Always wanted a little brother, but me mum stopped after me."

"I suppose you were a right terror, eh?" Conlan jabbed, grinning as Jaggfur let out a sarcastic chuckle, silently thanking the world that finally something felt right.

---

Moving slowly, Neo plunged after Morpheus through the underbrush, leaves whipping at them as tiny thorns tore at their clothes and their fur. The pair was heading towards a puff of smoke that they had spotted through the trees, hoping to find some sort of civilization. Quite suddenly, however, Morpheus stopped abruptly, Neo nearly barreling into him.

"Damn…" Morpheus whispered quietly to himself, digging through his cloak, a look of frustration appearing on the weasel's face.

"What? Did you lose something?" Neo asked, confused by his mentor's actions.

"Phones…technology…none of that exists in this world." Morpheus stated quite simply as he gave up searching through the cloak.

"Shit…how are we supposed to communicate with the Nebuchadnezzar…"

"And for that matter, how are we supposed to get back to the real world?" Morpheus asked as his disciple searched through his own cloak in vain.

"No humanity and no exit…we don't even have any weapons. The machines certainly thought on this one, didn't they?" Neo muttered to himself as he found nothing, not even a knife, in his cloak.

"I suppose we can only hope that Cubit will figure this out…" Morpheus stated calmly, before an idea came to him. "Perhaps if we can find the Oracle in this world…perhaps she can help."

"Perhaps we should continue our reconnaissance for now. Maybe we can find out where the Oracle is located." The ferret suggested, jerking his head in the direction of the smoke. "Or at the very least we could find something to arm ourselves with." Morpheus nodded his assent and the pair continued until they reached the edge of the path, stopping just short as they heard the sound of approaching pawsteps.

"Back into the shadows!" The weasel hissed, pushing the ferret back into the bushes where they waited for whatever it was to pass.

"Step up the patrols of the forestland, I want them found before they find anything useful." A strangely familiar voice boomed over the sounds of marching as column of black furred otters, each wielding some sort of medieval weapon, streamed by. Motioning for Neo to follow, Morpheus began moving parallel to the otters, staying out of sight as they traveled in the opposite direction of the crew. Soon enough the sounds of marching faded at the pair moved to the edge of the path just in time to see them disappear into the distance.

"Guardians?" Neo muttered with a note of disgust.

"I would assume." Morpheus stated before turning to find a great sandstone abbey looming just a few hundred yards down the road.

"What do you suppose that is?" Neo asked in a soft voice, barely above a whisper, as he squinted to see guards patrolling the walls, most seeming to be armed with at least a bow.

"Looks like a remnant of civilization at least…perhaps we can find some direction there. We need to plan first." Morpheus replied, walking towards the abbey slowly, making sure to stay out of the guard's line of sight.

"Should we approach them?" Neo wondered aloud, staring at the great construct through the tree branches.

"Yes. We have to figure out what is going on. The rules of this new game." Morpheus stated simply, kneeling down as a guard surveyed the forest. They needed a plan and some luck if they were to stay below the machines radar long enough to figure out this new matrix.