I'm kind of disappointed this is over. I was enjoying it and could have quite happily kept reading for another sixty-six chapters. Still, though, it's not a bad ending. Nice work!
So, Ironspear did turn out to be a good guy. He always seemed rather polite and civil, but he was also very secretive and, even at the end, he still seemed to deal under the table quite a bit. I understand that he's got goals and such, but I do wonder if the power will corrupt him, if it hasn't already.
I wonder, did Martin ever get his power back? (He mentioned that he couldn't communicate as easily as he used to. He was much more hazy) If he did, how and what caused it to blur in the first place? That issue never really seemed resolved, even though I assume the great danger in Selena's vision was Bertvar and Baro. I don't really see how either of them could have been causing the troubles at Redwall, though, since there was no mention of them dealing in the spirit world. It makes me think that maybe it's Selena or Krik himself that's causing it. They're both rather powerful, but to what purpose are they blocking Redwall's Guardian spirit? Are they going to turn out bad after all when the sequel comes around?
Matters are wrapped up fairly definitively with the NorthTrekkers, but the other beasts' stories seem a little unresolved, on a long term basis.
Anyway, great story. I honestly enjoyed every chapter of it, despite your ruthless slaughter of numerous characters that I appreciated. (Poor Lancejack)
Thanks for sharing and God bless!

Awwww! That's an adorable ending to a rather horrific adventure in which poor Tragg lost half his face. How nice!
Oi! When characters are singing, you're supposed to include the lyrics to the song! You can't just skip that part!
Ah, Dunagan was his brother! I suspected they might be related in some way. (I mean, it was probably mentioned in The Raid, but it's been so long since I read that, so I really can't remember) Nice that they got a chance to see each other again after all those seasons.
Ah, so Tilda is going with Tragg and co. That was... entirely unexpected. *cough*Not really.*cough* Hopefully he doesn't dilly dally too long before he asks her to marry him. (It's fairly clear he wants to)
Poor Kirk. Even Seb has left him. Sitting at a table all on one's own when there's a feast happening is never a good sign. What about Bergen? He can't just wander off and leave the poor rat to fend for himself. His refusal of Ironspear's offer is interesting. Power, glory and riches are things few beasts would turn down unless they have a very good reason. It's not a simple question of what kind of cake you want for your birthday or anything. The choice is between comfort and honour or hunger and homelessness. Wandering about without a place to go or family, not even any company. It seems like a pretty terrible life to me.
That was a rather fast meeting, then everything just happened at once and now everybeast is leaving. Rather an abrupt ending, I think. I guess it had to wrap up eventually.
Well, this has been a great story. Tomorrow I will read the epilogue and it'll be over. 'Tis a sad and satisfying thought at the same time.

Oof, searching through a used battlefield for one's friends doesn't sound hugely pleasant. I'm glad Tragg and Sebias didn't find them.
Skipper DOES act like a bit of a father to Seb. Either that or an older brother, but I think more father than brother. Glad he survived the battle.
Redwall's reputation has spread even that far north, I see. (I have a feeling that Rones, Rosebud, Tragg and Flugg were heading for Redwall abbey anyway, but I can’t quite remember. Ah well, they'll most likely pop by for a visit soonish)
Ah, so they reunite with Rones and co at last! It was about time. Now they just need to find Broge and they'll be a happy family again, like last time but with one less eye and a tad more experience.
Brewster was a great friend, but burying him with the badger lords could be slightly overkill. He's good, yes, but he's not a badger, nor a lord. I don't think he'd want to be lifted up so high. Hares aren't the most serious of beasts, but they have a strong sense of honour and respect and I think Brewster wouldn't want to be made an equal with his lord. He was born to serve the badger lords, not rule alongside them and I think he'd like to die and be buried the same way.
Oh dear. Askarr Bonecrusher will certainly live on in our memories as a strong and courageous beast. He lived a loyal and honourable life and will not be forgotten. (Also, does this mean that Keva is now in charge of The Rogue Crew?)
Ah, funeral pyres. I approve of that kind of ceremony. Since there were only ten bowbeasts and they each used one arrow, does that mean only ten otters died? If so, that's a pretty good death toll. To the amount of vermin lost, they came out relatively unscathed, though a couple of the beasts lost were important characters, so it's not quite that simple.
Poor Krik. Losing a friend is always hard. For a warrior, he doesn't seem to be taking it particularly well. It makes me wonder if Tharko was more than a comrade in arms, mentally. (I'd really love to read their backstory, by the way)
Anyway, great chapter. Thanks for sharing and God bless!

You missed the m in vermin near the beginning of the chapter, just so you know.
Brewster! That's tragic! How am I supposed to figure out the saddest death now? So many special friends, dead. Well, Colonel Brewster won't be forgotten either. He was a perilous beast and an excellent father. May he enjoy his reunion in Dark Forest with the friends he has lost.
Ah, Sebias amd Tragg finally meet. If they survive, they'll doubtless become good friends. Hopefully Flugg, Tilda and Kirk also get along. (Seb better not forget Kirk. He's just lost his best friend. He needs support!)
Nightwrath and Phillip have very little hesitation or bias against Ironspear, as a wildcat, which is nice and refreshing. I suppose a beast who just saved their lives doesn't have to be a certain species to be accepted as a friend. Not altogether surprising. (I'm just about convinced of Ironspear's trustworthiness by now too, but, considering his author more than his species, I wouldn't be altogether surprised if he turned out nasty and incredibly cunning)
At least that drama is over. I just hope poor Broge isn't going to have to deal with a fleet of angry pirates.
Great chapter! Thanks for sharing and God bless!

Tharko! No! *weeps alongside Kirk* He was a good beast and a faithful friend. He will not be forgotten.
Where was Sebias in all of this, I wonder? I'd guess he was either plotting with his author about how all the other characters are going to suffer or suffering himself, with a severely ouchy wound that he's currently bleeding to death from, since Kirk and Tharko got distracted trying to win the battle.
From the numbers of vermin compared to woodlanders, Ironspear's group are doing surprisingly well, though I have no dount they're losing a lot of beasts.
I wonder where Blue-Eyes is going? If I were him, I'd head for the ships and take off with what corsairs they have left. Bloodfur's force will be severely depleted as is, since a thousand warriors joined up with Baro and not a huge amount of them are left. (I figure there have been more pirate deaths than snow lander deaths, since Hookarm led that attack earlier on and doesn't seem to be as devious as Baro)
Good old Tragg. Improvisation is a great skill to have. He's not that skilled, but he seems to have the anger and drive to fight. Hookarm had that coming to him, though. He should have at least recognised the accent to come from the north and then guessed that he was from that camp they attacked. Common courtesy can save a beast a lot of trouble.
Oh. That was rather quick. Bye bye, Baro. Foolish beast. He was given the opportunity to surrender, but he didn't take it. (I'm honestly kind of glad he didn't die blubbering, though. He was a respectable bad guy. He had a right to die fighting)
I'm slightly disappointed I didn't get to see more of Blue-Eyes being snarky to Bertvar. That was extremely amusing and could have been quite enjoyable. Ah well. Still a fairly interesting chapter. Thanks for sharing amd God bless!

Finally! About time Ironspear's crew showed up! I was beginning to think he'd be too late and have to capture the mountain from the vermin. Hopefully Nightwrath will also join the party sharpish.
Five thousand vermin? Oof. I thought they numbered about three thousand, at most. That's a big crowd. More than a few of them have been killed by now, too, so there must have been a good five hundred more before the fighting started. (I'd guess a good hundred were killed in Hookarm's assault, plus they've basically been scuffling all day, so that would account for several hundred)
I wish the characters all strength and good fortune in this endeavor. (Ironspear doesn't seem to he such a bad sort after all) Thanks for sharing and God bless!

Oh dear. Things aren't looking so good for Salamandastron. Nightwrath and Ironspear and certainly taking their time about it. Brewster wounded, maybe badly, Rockfur down altogether, this is very bad indeed.
Tragg, Flugg and Tilda aren't doing too badly, I guess, though Tragg seems a bit out of shape. I guess he's not used to fighting with only one eye. Hopefully Broge arrives soon to help him.
Keva is a nice beast. Things seem to be going fairly smoothly down her end, which is a relief. The gate breaking under this onslaught is the last thing the Long Patrol needs.
Anyway, great chapter! Thanks for sharing and God bless!

Oooh, now for the big fight! Nightwrath, Broge and Ironspear seem to be a little late to the party. They'll probably turn up just when the Long Patrol are beginning to lose hope and the vermin are getting cocky. Then it'll be BAM, reinforcements on three sides, surrounding the baddies.
That storm sounded bad, but I'm slightly confused. You said it came from the west and went for about four days, but they're now only one or two days away from the west coast? That doesn't quite line up.
Also, yeah, vermin like to eat nice food, but I wouldn't think there's too much of anything available. They didn't have time to restock to galley before they left and I don’t see why the pirates would have done it, since nobeast was allowed to leave Terramort for the next however long. The larders could be fairly lacking, especially in fresh ingredients. There're probably a few barrels of dry crackers and hardtack, but there won't be much else. (Though I guess the captain probably has a private supply of fancy foods that she takes from woodlanders, since I can't imagine pirates going for a picnic to collect strawberries and then making them into jam)
I feel like Elmblade should have gone to report to Nightwrath too, since he is, effectively, scouting for the horde, the leader of which is Nightwrath. He's not just a tag-along who enjoys running ahead. Just because he's not one of Nightwrath's subjects doesn't mean he isn't under his leadership.
Rones and Rosebud seem a little distanced from the command group, interestingly enough. They're not really participating in the decision making so much, they're just following along like regular hordebeasts. Very interesting indeed.
Goodnight. God bless! Sleep well! (One of us might as well and, with that cliffhanger, I doubt it'll be me)

Oooh, fascinating! It was about time we got to know more about Tilda. Her story is very sad, but it also has its moments of happiness and maybe a bit of adorableness, too. The ferret was, in a way, filling in the role of a father for her when she needed it most. It's nice to think that vermin can do that for woodlanders. I mean, sure they don't all have to be evil, but they have a very different culture to the average shrew family, so such a thing would be unusual.
Oh man, Blue-Eyes amd Bertvar look like they're going to be worse than Baro and Hookarm. The weasel's comments are so perfectly sarcastic and wonderful, I love it. Such snarkiness is hilarious in a beast, especially when they're usually quite well-mannered. Bertvar took it well, though. I feel like it'll take a lot before he snaps, though I have no doubt that their relationship will come to eruption eventually.
Amber and Brewster are both hurting and need a beast to comfort them. I'm glad they both see that and are there for each other. Maybe they can team up to get Charlie and Lagworth back.
Anyway, I need sleep. Great chapter, so thanks for sharing. God bless!

They DO have a big old cloud of bad luck hanging over them! It's in the form of a cruel and heartless author by the name of Sebias of Redwall. *glares at author accusingly*
Grunner and Furgly are interesting characters. They seem all very bloodthirsty, but they're not altogether very tough or hardy. Some might even call them downright soft. They also don't have any courage or honour. At the same time, they do provide a touch of comedic relief to supplement the horrors that the rest of the characters are going through while they're arguing mindlessly.
I wonder how Baro and Bertvar will get along. I don't think the wolf will have much, if any, memory of his past, before things got nasty, but it could be interesting to see them interact, Baro knowing full well what he did to this beast's fellow species, even if he doesn't figure out they're kin. Things could get a tad uncomfortable, maybe even more than it's already been with Hookarm.
Anyway, fascinating chapter! Thanks for sharing and God bless!

Honestly, though, that's adorable. I'm not pleased about you offing Urthstripe, make no doubt about that, but having Brewster comfort the badger lord is quite gorgeous.
Ah, now Tragg amd co arrive. Interesting that they didn't come with Bonecrusher and his force, since they didn't appear to be too far behind. With a touch of speed they probably could have caught up to the rest of the reinforcements. Ah well, I guess this makes for a more interesting story.
Now how did that treacherous snake Bertvar find their trail again? They ran nilly willy into the swamp and should have been at least a day's march from it, then they took some time to send out scouts and such, so they shouldn't have been that close.
I wonder what the plan is next. There're probably more otter tribes coming to aid Salamandastron, so it would make sense to have large parties facing outwards to stop the help from arriving. Then again, splitting your forces isn't always a very good idea, so maybe not, amd the hares might decide to attack outwards while the enemy's back is turned. On the whole, things seem to be looking up for the good guys.
Anyway, great chapter. Thanks for sharing and God bless!

Bit late to the party! But great chapter all around, loved the banter between the shrews and two cousins. Though I'm sure something bad will happen, if Hookarm's anything to go by.

I loved Hookarm as well, he's like your classic villainous corsair, very Captain Hookish. Your descriptions were great as well, from the weather to the characterisation. Can't wait to read more!

Ooooh, it worked! (About time you let your characters' plans go right. Is this the first time?)
I... don't really know what to do for this review. There wasn't a huge amount of character building or introduction, just heaps of action, which is great to read, but not easy to talk about, aside from commenting on how enjoyable it was to read and how you did an excellent job writing it, y'know?
*sighs and taps footpaw* Hmmmm... Otters are rather useful beasts, hey? They should come in handy on the voyage. The news that a third of the other corsairs also left is slightly worrying. Pirates aren't above attacking each other and they might have some difficulty getting back to the mainland.
A lot of innocent lives were destroyed that night. I mean, sure corsairs are bad, but they would have had women and children in that village too. Vermin still have families and some of them lead peaceful lives that don't involve such ruthless action. Goodbeasts don't seem to realise that.
Anyway, this was a very interesting chapter! You wrote the action very well. Thanks for sharing and God bless!

Poor, poor Urthstripe. He was so young, he didn't deserve to die yet. Foolish little lad. Ah well, he inflicted some wounds on Baro too, so hopefully he'll be easier to defeat next time. Anyway, let us have a moment's silence for the departed badger. *waits several seconds*
Right, moving on, that was perfect timing on the part of the Rogue Crew. Top marks to those fellers. One-Ear seems to be following orders well enough, which is good. The reunion with Amber should be interesting. (Honestly, I was hoping the otters would come up behind the vermin camp and storm them, rescuing Charlie and Lagworth on the way passed. Ah well, maybe that's Ironspear's job. Let him play the hero, AGAIN)
Speaking of which, they seem about due to arrive. I imagine Tragg and co are with the Rogue Crew and Lord Nightwrath and his moles aren't far behind. Beasts seem to be coming together, except for Abe and Broge, who still have yet to escape.
Anyway, great chapter, as usual. Thank for sharing and God bless!

Ooooh, I wonder what's going to happen? I think Lord Rockfur should have passed the duel over to Urthstripe. Yes, he's probably a competent enough fighter, but I feel like, in order to win this battle, a beast will need to be light on his footpaws and fairly agile. Younger beasts tend to find that side of things easier.
The argument of it being Rockfur's duty, not Urthstripe's, is slightly weak, and I think both badgers know it. Yes, Rockfur is the leader of the mountain fortress, but a good leader knows when to delegate and Urthstripe is going to need to start taking on responsibility soon, methinks. Besides, he has a personal grudge against the wolverine, where as Rockfur is just being honourable.
Blue-eyes is still being an awesome bad guy. His views on drinking are amusing and a tad indulgent. He's going to get a bit of a belly if he keeps going like that. Ah well, Bloodfur shouldn't matter too much and I expect the hares and such won't either.
This is a great chapter! Thanks for sharing and God bless!