The woodlanders were caught completely unawares in the early morning.

Led by Bane and Tsarmina, the joint forces hit swiftly. Luckily the little ones were still abed at Brockhall and the Loamhedge mice were preparing breakfasts. The only creatures at the diggings were moles, otters and a few squirrels.

Bane’s mercenaries dashed in, hacking madly, backed by Tsarmina’s spears. Urthclaw, Billum and Soilflyer were deep underground. The rest were caught in the open.

It was chaos!

Skipper took an arrow in his side. Lady Amber lost an ear to a fox’s sword. The woodlands were alive with yelling, slashing animals. There was only one thing to do: retreat with all speed. Disregarding his wound, Skipper stood fast with a small band of otters, hurling stones as he roared aloud, “Get away, quickly!”

Amber and her squirrels managed to escape through the treetops, leaving two slain on the ground. Skipper and his otters saw to it that the few moles were safely carried off across the river, before vanishing into the water themselves.

Tsarmina gave out howls of victory across the now silent woods.

Bane leaned on his curved sword breathing heavily. “See, I told you they’re no match for us. Phew! But they can put up a tidy fight, even when they’re outnumbered.”

Brogg swaggered up and saluted.

“Two squirrels, three otters and a mole slain, Milady,” he reported.

He was about to turn away when Bane tugged on his cloak.

“How many of ours lost?” he asked tersely.

“Three ferrets, a stoat and a weasel, four rats and a fox.”

Bane shook his head in amazement. “Good job, we outnumbered them. No prisoners?”

“No, sir, not a one.”

“Hmm, pity.”

Ratflank limped up, nursing a cracked paw.

“We’ve found three big holes over there by the river,” he said.

The commanders strode across to the spot. Bane bent down and sniffed the earth around each hole, while Tsarmina stood watching.

“What d’you suppose they were up to?” she wondered.

Bane spat into one of the holes. “Your guess is as good as mine. We didn’t get time to chop the trees or fire the woodland. Maybe there’s some of ’em still down these holes.”

“Then we can fill them in.” Tsarmina grinned wickedly. “Brogg, get some big rocks, fetch that timber lying about there, use the spears, fill them in well and press the earth down hard. They’ll be imprisoned down there until the air runs out.”

Bane wiped his sword and sheathed it.

“Well, that’s that. There’s not much my band can do around here. We’ll head back to Kotir and try another dawn raid tomorrow.”

Tsarmina was right beside the fox leader. She was not about to stop out in the woods with her soldiers, leaving Bane to take over Kotir in her absence.

“Right, Bane. I’ll leave Brogg with some of the others to get on with the job. The rest of us will go back to Kotir with you.”

As they marched off through the morning brightness of Mossflower, one of Bane’s foxes sniggered as he trod on the back of Ratflank’s cloak.

“Yah, I think your pussycat Queen’s frightened of us locking the fortress door on her.”

Ratflank tugged his cloak free, sneering. “Oh yes? Well, you just try calling her pussycat to her face, hero!”

*  *  *

The first Bella knew of the attack was when the Corim leaders regathered their crews at Brockhall. Abbess Germaine and Columbine organized bandages and herbs, Loamhedge mice bustled about ministering to the wounded. Skipper refused to stand still, and Goody Stickle chased about after him, dabbing at his injury, trying to get a bandage around it.

There were tears of rage in the otter’s eyes. “Six lost, by the fur. Where did they come from? Who was that fox with all those scruffy murderers? Tsarmina could never have done this on her own.”

Lady Amber adjusted the bandage around her head so she could see properly.

“I heard someone call him Bane,” she told him. “Get Chibb. Tell him to go to Kotir. He’ll have to be very careful, but we’ve got to find out all we can about this other lot.”

Foremole tapped a digging claw upon the table.

“Us’ll avter do summat ’bout Urthclaw, Soilflyer ’n’ Billum. They’m stucken down ’oles. Oo be a-tellen wot they villyuns do to ’ee.”

“Yes,” Bella agreed, “it’s most important that we rescue the moles from the tunnels. Next on the list is to make sure that the area around Brockhall is completely hidden. If they don’t know where we are, they can’t attack us. Furthermore, we will need to find a second hideout, somewhere deeper into the east of Mossflower. If ever Brockhall is discovered, another refuge will be very necessary.”

Messengers were sent out to find Chibb, and the woodlanders set about erasing the tracks around Brockhall, while Germaine and her mice tended the wounded with dedicated care.

The memory of the murderous ambush still lingered.

Lady Amber was not one to forget.

Neither was Skipper.

*  *  *

Before noon, Chibb had reported back to the Corim, but the news was not good.

“Er, ahem. Very serious, very serious. It seems that this fox Bane is an expert, a mercenary with a band of about sixty. Harrumph. ’Scuse me. Evidently they are planning another ambush, as deep as they can get into Mossflower in one early morning march. Tomorrow, they plan to set out at dawn in a skirmish line, killing or capturing all before them.”

Columbine held up her paw. “Then we must not give them any targets. Everyone should stay here, completely out of sight, in case Brockhall is discovered.”

Bella nodded approvingly. “I second that. Good thinking, Columbine. Are we all agreed?”

There was a low murmur of assent. Nobody noticed the look that passed between Amber and Skipper.

In the early afternoon, Bella left command of Brockhall to the Abbess and Columbine. Alone, the badger set out eastward into the woodland depths to find a second place of refuge.