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Alone figure stumbled along in the forest, each time glancing backwards when she heard a crack. She pulled the ragged cloak tighter around her scarred shoulders. Sapphira Whiplash continued onward until she collapsed in a clearing. She used up the last of her energy to unwrap the whip from her waist and take the rapiers from their sheaths. She set up a clever camp, a small decoy in the clearing, but the real camp deeper in the woods. This was how she made sure that the slave master, Feli Gristow, wasn't right behind her. She had escaped from the slave master only a few days ago and had wandered into Mossflower. She crawled into the lean-to made of her cloak and instantly fell asleep.

Sapphira, unaware of the squirrel, slept on. She, even in her dreams, was plagued with hunger and thirst. She dreamed of vague memories. Sandy walls surrounded her, two otters looked down on her with content happiness. Suddenly, the dream turned to a nightmare. She was just a little one when she was snatched up during the night by a shadowy figure and later was hoisted high by Feli, the black wildcat slave master. Sapphira squirmed a little as she saw him throw a javalin back at the female otter, sticking into her shoulder. Then the rest turned back in a dreamless night.

Deep in her dreams, Sapphira could only see the inky darkness of unconcousness. Only even the slightest bit of light penetrated her eyelids. She suddenly awoke, thirst and hunger driving her awake, she saw only the red of the sun's light behind her eyes. She refused to come fully awake, but ended up opening her eyes to a curious sight. A white squirrel was nearby. She managed a weak noise between a groan and a wheeze, her toungue seemed too swollen to make out the words, who are you. Sapphira knew that if she didn't drink or eat soon, she would waste away and die. She accepted the white squirrel and sinked back into unconciousness.

She felt the liquid flow down her throat and felt herself coming back to conciousness. She opened her blue eyes to see the white squirrel bending over her, watching closely. Sapphira blinked and uttered a groan. She knew she had gone too far with pressing herself. She had gone beyond her limits and had nearly died. The squirrel, as curious as he was, had saved her. She acknowledged him and spoke slowly. "Who are you and why do you help me?"

Sapphira was confused, but relieved that he had helped her. She was soon lost in her thoughts of the past.

The black ottermaid was running. She could hear the shouts of the fighting slaves and the screams of the little children as they bit deep into the ankles of the slave drivers. They were winning. Yet their advantage of surprise was short lived. Sapphira glanced over her shoulder to witness Ruby, her trusted ginger companion, turn to face her father. Feli slashed out at her with wicked claws extended. Rubiline took the blow and countered with an arrow from her bow, which stuck into Feli's shoulder. Just as the arrow entered him, the image flashed to the far past. The arrow became a javalin, and Feli transformed into a female otter, the same who looked down at her when she was in the red stone building. The image returned to the battle, new tears were in Sapphira's eyes. As she ran, she grabbed two rapiers and a stranded whip. The battle raged on, but she kept running. The slaves were giving her a chance to escape. She held the rapiers in both paws and fought anybeast who dared to oppose her. She had taken fencing and swordplay lessons secretly with Ruby and her weapons master, who was her. Sapphira forgot all things and concentrated on getting far away. She ran with tears streaming from her eyes. She then vowed under her breath, "I'll kill you, Feli, and I'll return with an army to defeat yours. I'll free the lands of you." Unknowing to her, she had made almost the same vow her own father, Skipper Hungem, had taken on about fourteen seasons ago, when both his wife and daughter were taken from him. His words were, "I'll kill you, Gristow! You hear me? I'll throttle you with my own bare paws and burn your worthless hide! I'll get my daughter back! I'll kill you!" She ran harder, even that thought of Feli catching her was driving her onward. Sapphira Whiplash ran long and hard.

She was ripped from her reflections as the squirrel talked. She blinked in reply. "Fine, just fine." She studied the albino squirrel. "What is your name?"

"I am Sapphira Whiplash, former slave of the warlord cat, Feli Gristow, and possibly originally from a place called 'Redwall' but I do not know for sure."