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Gruntan Kurdly is the secondary antagonist of Eulalia!, the nineteenth book in the Redwall novel series. He is the lazy yet ruthless, egotistical, insane, and intimidating warlord leader of the Brownrat horde who had killed many creatures and used their skulls as ornaments and has even killed members of his own horde from time to time should they anger him enough with his victims getting the Kurdlys being an indicator of him intending on killing them. In spite of his intimidating reputation, he is mostly lazy and usually has himself be carried around on a litter by his horde as he directs them to where to go. He can even be capable of being easily tricked from time to time, though he still manages to remain an effective threat by brute force and the size of the horde he commands.

Biography[]

As the warlord of the Brownrats who is the biggest of all his horde both in height and girth, Gruntan Kurdly would develop a fearsome reputation for both himself and them by regularly killing creatures while roaming the woods for a few seasons and having his Brownrats smear themselves with dyes and ochres, mainly yellow and blue, adorning themselves with the bones of their enemies, giving the horde a savage appearance. However, none could outdo Gruntan in color or barbarity with him being a virtual rainbow of daubs, stripes, and botches of all hues. Around his huge waist, he sported a wide belt hung with skulls, ranging from birds to reptiles with a few vermin craniums to serve as a reminder to his horde to show them who was warlord. He would be known for his mind teetering on the brink of madness, though no Brownrat or any other vermin dared to mention this to the warlord's face as the rare few who had were long dead or as Gruntan usually prefers to put it, had suffered a dose of the Kurdlys. He would often sit on his litter with a dozen litter bearers, several of whom were big females, hovering about rendering him every attention. Since he was inordinately fond of hard-boiled eggs, he would have his horde ravage nests to collect eggs for him to eat with three of his daughters shelling the eggs.

One time, while sitting on his litter atop a high rock watching preparations down below for a proposed ambush for whichever creatures come through the stream. While three of his daughters were busy shelling eggs for him as usual, Gruntan questioned two scouts that had returned from spying on creatures that were sailing on the stream which were a group of Guosim shrews, unaware that they've been by said shrews. Being informed of them by the scout, Noggo, being in loads of numbers, Gruntan, after spitting out a bit of shell and cuffing the ear of the daughter responsible, asks if they have little boats with them as he needs some of the boats, being satisfied when Biklo, the other scout, affirms this. Suddenly, he grabbed Noggo by the throat and whispered hoarsely a question to him if they were spotted by the Guosim to which the scout nervously declared that they didn't. Releasing Noggo and popping another egg into his mouth, Gruntan reminds them that an ambush only works if it's unexpected and wouldn't work if they've been seen before repeating his question with both scouts stating that they haven't. Spearing another egg on the claw, Gruntan asks if they know what will happen to them if they were with Noggo stating a dose of the Kurdlys which Gruntan affirms. He then beckons to Stringle, a tall, thin rat who was his first officer and orders him to get down there and see that the crews are well stowed out of sight on both banks and to keep his eyes peeled on him as he'll give him the signal when they are coming with him obeying his order. Laying back on the litter and chewing happily on another egg, Gruntan instructs Noggo to tell him when he's seen the shrew boats hoving into sight. Right when he was about to rest, Noggo alerted him of their arrival much to his satisfaction.

His Brownrats secreted behind rocks on both sides of the crookstream watched eagerly as the little flotilla of logboats drew closer and awaited Gruntan Kurdly's signal as they gripped clubs and spears with their plan being simply a straight charge into the shallow since running water would catch the unsuspecting Guosim shrews by surprise. Gruntan had left his litter and lay flat on the top of the high rocks, overlooking the scene whilst keeping up a constant, muttered conversation with himself as he kept track of the logboats and declaring that once they get level with the rock, he'll have his mob give them blood and thunder, misplacing the phrase it as "thud and blunder." When his two scouts try to correct him on this, Gruntan grabbed both their ears and banged their heads together before continuing waiting. In the meantime, the shrew chieftain, Luglug, who had scanned both banks keenly sees the Brownrats crouching in the rocks both sides of them and sets up a plan to outwit them. As the shrews sail through with a hare Maudie egging them on, the Brownrats get slingstones launched at them by the shrews. Gruntan Kurdly sprang upright on his high perch, bawling furiously at them to charge. When Stringle attempts to emphasize the order, he gets his jaw cracked by a well-aimed slingstone. When the Brownrats came out of hiding without some beast to lead them, Gruntan, in a raging manner, still ordered them to charge as one of them gets brought down by an arrow loosed by Maudie as the Brownrats began wading through the shallows towards them. After the shrews still continued to hurl slingstones at the forward flank of vermin and Maudie still continued to shoot arrows at them, they dropped their bows and started paddling energetically and working hard enough for six craft to carry on upstream as the coracle had rounded another bend and could not be seen in spite of the logboats being hard in its wake.

Angered by this, Gruntan Kurdly hopped and danced on top of the big rock, ranting and raving as he continuously ordered the Brownrats to get after them and run along the banks instead, unaware that some of the rats could not hear him clearly amid the stream noise. Due to this, they continued wading through the water while Gruntan hopped and jumped wildly on top of the high rock, bellowing dreadful oaths and curses. Then, he jumped a fraction too far and fell over the edge. At first, Noggo and Biklo assume that he's dead before Gruntan yelled at them to help him as it is revealed that he was saved by a thorny branch that he hung in and is causing him to wail in pain. Due to this, vermin were called away from chasing the logboats to assist their leader out of his predicament. The task was eventually achieved with lots of ropes and harnesses that hauled him up to the top of the rock with him screaming and yowling every pawlength of the way and being shown to have been pierced by long, shar gorse thorns, from tailtip to ears. Whilst a team of helpers worked gingerly to remove them, he glared murderously at his two scouts, threatening to peel the hides off them both and sling them into the bush though he declares that he chooses to give them another chance and orders them to get after the logboats and see where they're bound, Noggo and Biklo wordlessly dashing off to obey the order. The Guosim shrews wind up encountering a tribe of otters that were their friends led by an otter named Barbowla who accompanies the shrews on their way to Redwall Abbey in their logboats after exiting their holt. As Gruntan Kurdly moaned and winced in pain as his body made contact with the damp stones upon his carrying stretcher being lowered gingerly onto the rocks at the head of the waterfall, Stringle attempts to give the report he got from Noggo and Biklo telling him that they've seen the shrews and some otters sailing off below though Gruntan mishears his words due to the noise of the waterfall and orders him to go and see what they are up to before ordering the stretcher to be moved. After the bearers move it onto drier ground, Laggle, his healer, approaches to remove the spikes left in his tailparts. As she does so, Gruntan squealed in pain and threatened to have her gutted and roasted before she continues getting them out to clean the wounds up with rock salt and boiling water.

After following the shrews and otters in the logboats for a bit with the help of some other Brownrats, Stringle reports to Gruntan Kurdly, propped up on his carrying litter, that they have been spotted paddling along the stream up yonder with the otters as well. However. Gruntan was not acknowledging Stringle's report as he was applying himself to the food and drink his Brownrats stole from the otters' holt that they wrecked. Enjoying the taste, Gruntan tells Stringle to keep one of the otters alive and slay the rest so that he can know how they make the food. Asking if they've caught them with Stringle saying they only spotted them, Gruntan ordered him to go and catch them. Stringle obeys this, saluting and dashing off without further ado. Shifting position and wincing again at another thorn which Laggle had not yet discovered embedded in his read end, Gruntan hears a laugh from the ranks behind him and turns around to ask who laughed. As the horde rats remained silent, Gruntan fixed one rat with a stare and asked him who it was that laughed with the rat denying him being the one who laughed. Cooking a grimy claw at him, Gruntan orders him to come over as the rat desperately pleads that it wasn't him who laughed. Bending his head close to the rat, Gruntan tells him to laugh then. The rat gives a feeble attempt at a laugh before Gruntan, without warning, seized the cauldron of cold dip and upended it over his victim's head, leaving him wearing it. Dusting his paws off, Gruntan states to see if he'll laugh that off before laughing with the rest of the Brownrats laughing dutifully along with their boss until he turned on them bellowing for laughing. Then, he orders them to get moving as officers roared out orders as the ranks marched off at a rapid pace while Gruntan Kurdly was jounced up and down on his litter, pierced deeper by hidden thorns as he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, concentrating on a prize of six logboats.

Unbeknownst to the Brownrats, the shrews have set up yet another trick to hide themselves through bridging the sidestream with the trunk then scoot away in the logboats to fool them into thinking they've carried on along the mainstream. After they've done this, a dispute arises between Stringle and Noggo who both decide to wait until Gruntan Kurdly arrives. When he does, Stringle explains that he thinks they've lost them, enraging Gruntan as he asks how they could've been lost to which Stringle explains that neither him nor Noggo could see them and they decided to wait for his orders. When Noggo suggests that, as he said to Stringle, they might have gone up the sidestream, Gruntan Kurdly looked at the tree trunk that bridged the sidestream and looked across at Noggo, asking what gave him that idea with the scout simply stating that they had to go somewhere and that was where he assumed they went, leading to Gruntan ordering him to swim over to the bank instantly. After he does, Gruntan asks him how they could have carried six logboats over such a tree trunk, Noggo had his answer ready and stated that they must have carried them. Wincing as he pulls a gorse thorn from his tail area, Gruntan tells him that they'll wait here while Noggo goes to take a look and shout if he spots them. Knowing he had no choice, Noggo set off along the less well-defined and more muddy sidestream bank. The shrews and otters try to keep themselves hidden only for their position to be given away by a baby otter squealing in pain from being stun on her nosetip by one of the wasps which had been buzzing around. As such, the Guosim crews shot their boats through the tree canopy and out onto the other side, paddles digging furiously with the Brownrats squelching their way along the muddy bank in hot pursuit.

Gruntan Kurdly was in the rear of the pursuit, bumping about as a score of Brownrats stumbled along bearing his litter. He was alternately urging his horde along, whilst cursing the litter carriers roundly and then asking where the rest of them are. Laggle, who was trotting alongside the litter, gestured backward to the mainstream, explaining that half of his army is still on the other side of that mainstream, sarcastically commenting on how they're probably waiting for a drought so as it'll dry up and they can walk across. Scowling sourly at her, he says to go and tell them if they're not over there in two shakes of a tail, there will be a few attacks of the Kurdlys running through the ranks. He signalled to two vermin who were not engaged in carrying him to go and see if they're gaining on them and to bring some food when they report back to him, also ordering them to crouch as he nearly got his eye put out by one of the tree branches overhead. Meanwhile, the shrews would encounter a squirrel named Rangval the Rogue, who assists them by setting up traps for the Brownrats. One was causing the rats dashing along the squelching banks of the sidestream to fall straight into a deep, natural pit with a hole filled with water, which he had disguised with ferns and rotten branches. The others veered sharply away from the bank only to run into a grove of osier and purple willow, long, whippy branches and boughs that were released and caused their jaws to be shattered, teeth broken, paws damaged, and stomachs had the wind driven from them as rats were felled or cannoned into each other. After Gruntan Kurdly berated and threatened them and Stringle encouraged them to charge ahead, Rangval launches wasps and hornets at them, causing them to be stung severely, the torture being heightened when several vermin tripped against the rotten wych elm trunk, releasing a veritable storm of maddened hornets. Gruntan leaned his weight sideways, upsetting the litter, as he launched himself into the streamwater while many of the rats died, most of the horde fled into the woodlands, and others tried submerging themselves for long periods and pressing on upstream, allowing the shrews and otters to get away quicker.

In the aftermath, Gruntan Kurdly and his Brownrats had crouched around ten fires while coughing, spitting, sneezing, and constantly mopping at their eyes and being heavily coated in greeny-black marsh mud to heal the sting wounds. As Laggle staggered about dispensing advice. Gruntan, who had missed most of the body stings by staying submerged in the stream albeit still having a swollen and lumpy head where the wasps and hornets attacked him, moved his head in the direction of Stringle, who was covered in mud with holes for his eyes, nostrils, and mouth, to try to communicate with him only to be unable to due to his tongue having been stung many times as well as Laggle discovers after getting him to open his mouth. Getting him to say what he wanted to say to Stringle, she manages to figure out that he said he told him to pick up the shrews' tracks in the morning. Stringle nods to obey this while murmuring miserably to Laggle that it will be if he's still alive at dawn. Gruntan stirred the fire with a spear, causing fresh billows of stinking smoke to set every beast hacking and coughing painfully. He crouched low, rubbing both eyes, and muttering darkly on how he'll make the shrews scream for mercy and make them sorry, this not being understood by Noggo and Biklo. He stars off his plot for revenge by having four Brownrats scout ahead to spy on the shrews and otters, though they get slain by Luglug and Barbowla. One of the shrews, an toddler named Yik, winds up coming across a half dozen of Gruntan Kurdly's Brownrats who had been searching for shrews and logboats along the bankside and decided to attack them with his stick and strike one of them in the eye, getting captured by them after being knocked into a stream. The rats discuss whether to give him to Kurdly or eat him themselves before one of them gets slain by Luglug while Maudie rescues Yik as the two dash away from the scene, having also getting the rest of the shrews to go to Redwall Abbey with the otters.

As they ran, one of the Brownrats took out a carved bone whistle and began blowing the alarm, leading to a group of the Brownrats entering the area and pursuing the shrews and hare with Gruntan himself joining the hue and cry and running his litter bearers ragged now that his voice was back to normal. Yelling, he asks Noggo if he can see them with Noggo bellowing back that he can't see them but knows they're somewhere around as he can hear a little one squeaking. Maudie, Luglug, and Yik then find a place to hide as the Brownrats lost sight of them and began searching for them. Two Brownrats came wandering up the middle of the streambed carrying spears that they used to search the dead leaves with by jabbing the points wherever they fancied, leading to Gruntan Kurdly gesturing irately to his liter bearers as they carried him close to the dry bed and ordering them to put it down to avoid tipping him into the ditch as the weary bearers placed the litter down gently. Kurdly glares at the pair of Brownrats when they searched in the streambed and bellowed at them for continuing to do so even though they were not there, unaware that they were indeed nearby that spot, and to get out and find him some eggs to boil, causing them to scramble to obey him. Soon, they hear the three when Maudie started arguing with Yik and four Brownrats go over to inspect the area before Maudie, who had knocked out a snake just seconds before they arrived, charges at them whirling the snake around to knock aside two of the rats while Luglug held Yik tight to his body running crouched behind her. She then charges straight through the centre of the Brownrat camp, still flailing the big reptile. Gruntan Kurdly almost choked on the hard-boiled egg he had just popped whole into his mouth frightened by the appearance of Maudie as she bounded out of the night into the firelight.

More rats went down beneath the windmilling snake's body before she flung it right at Kurdly. While not a totally accurate throw, most of the reptile hit the Brownrat leader while its tail landed in the fire, causing it to latch furiously onto the Brownrat's body constricting as its tail shot out of the flames and beat a frenzied tattoo on Gruntan's head. Spluttering hard-boiled egg widespread, he whooped aloud in terror for the snake to be removed off him. Infuriated, Gruntan ordered his Brownrats to kill them, skin them alive, and bring their heads to him. The Brownrats pursue the trio, shooting arrows at them and managing to strike Luglug, who winds up dying from the shot as Maudie, after killing the few rats, takes Yik and runs off all the way to Redwall Abbey where the shrews and otters had arrived prior. During this, an otter named Skipper, a hedgehog named Benjo, along with Barbowla and several stoud young otters of the Boulderdog family came hurtling out through the wallgate, running toward her and shot right past her, halted, then flung a salvo of otter javelins, slaying seven vermin with the weapons and causing the Brownrats to stumble over their bodies, halting the horde only for an instant as Maudie and Yik were hauled through the gateway before it got shot as soon as the otters were safe inside. The battle continued as creatures on top of the ramparts launched pelted slingstones like rain from the walltops, driving back those they did not slay or injure. Throughout, Osbil, the son of Luglug, learns about his father's death and chants a chorus known as the Bladechant with his Guosim as a challenge to the Brownrats that, with its uncanny sight and sound, caused both the Redwallers on the rampart and the Brownrats below on the common land to cease fighting and stand silently watching as the tribe declared vengeance against them for the murder of their previous leader and attempted to charge out into battle against them before being stopped by the Redwallers through Maudie knocking Osbil unconscious and making it look like he fainted. The battle continued with the impetus of furious Guosim stone slingers added to the Redwall defenders working like a charm. Gruntan Kurdly had not yet arrived on the scene and as a result of the ferocious retaliation from the south battlements, the few Brownrats with any authority were thoroughly cowed and wound up ordering a retreat into the relative safety of the woodland trees to sit waiting the arrival of their leader.

Soon, Gruntan Kurdly had finally arrived at the south woodland fringe as his weary bearers set the stretcher down as he cast a scathing eye over his horde. Beckoning Biklo to his side, he asks where all the shrews went and learns that they are in the abbey. Trying not to look impressed at seeing Redwall Abbey this close up, he asks if the six boats are in there too. When Biklo shrugs and states that he doesn't know, Gruntan felled him with a kick and orders him to find out before turning on Stringle and berating him for letting the shrews get away and asking him if he tried to get them out or just sat on their tails all night waiting for him to do it for them. Stringle, while nipping smartly out of kicking range, explains that they killed their chief before running and hiding in Redwall and that it was too hard to get them out as when they charged, they beat them back due to there not just being shrews in there, but loads of otters, hedgehogs, and mice that slew six of theirs and injured ten more. Eyeing the south ramparts sourly, Gruntan asks if he reckons they've got the place well guarded with Stringle stating that no beast could take Redwall, leading to Gruntan laughing this off and declaring that there's more ways of killing a mouse than telling it jokes until it dies laughing. When Stringle expresses confusion over this, Gruntan ordered him to go and stay with the horde, tell the cooks to get his breakfast ready, and send out some scouts to take a look around the abbey to discover a way in. As he continued to stare up at the abbey walls, Gruntan began making plans to conquer the place for himself to be a real boss of to sit in a big comfortable chair by a nice, warm fire on rainy days, just giving orders and eating food. Soon, a few of the Brownrats discover the presence of Vizka Longtooth and his crew, a group of pirates that also had the goals of conquering the abbey in mind and after antagonizing them, they are initially pursued by them before turning the tables on them by getting the whole horde to chase after them, managing to kill many of the members in the process as they ran for their lives.

As Gruntan Kurdly was not built for speed, he stayed back in his position at the woodland fringe, facing the south Abbey wall with a dozen litter bearers and the two scouts, Noggo and Biklo, with him. The rest of the horde, led by Stringle, had gone off to chase the Sea Raiders under his orders. Gruntan lounged on the mossy sward, relishing a substantial clutch of partridge eggs, which the scouts had found in some long grass, not far from the ditchside. He swigged nettle beer from a small pail, wolfing down the hard-boiled eggs as fast as his lackeys could peel them. Wiping a grimy paw across his mouth, he expresses satisfaction over the taste of the egg, asking Laggle if she shares his opinion, her commenting caustically that she'll tell him if she ever gets the chance to taste one and jokingly sometimes thinks that he's going to grow feathers as he eats so many eggs. Slinging a pawful of crushed eggshells at Laggle, Gruntan tells her to mind herself and go do something useful like fetching him more beer and orders Noggo to tell him more about the Sea Raiders. The scout had already told him all he knew several times, but he was obliged to recount it all again and say what he had already surmised the first time about them digging their way into the abbey. Becoming highly indignant again, Gruntan declared that it's the Brownrats' abbey, not theirs and while taking a deep swig from the beer pail, coughing and spluttering, as his resentment against Vizka Longtooth's crew heightened, expresses a desire to skin them alive and feed them their hides if Stringle collars a few of them alive before berating his minions for not peeling the shell off the patteridge's egg correctly, showing it to Laggle as well by tossing it to her as she immediately ate it whole and shook her head in agreement. Moving back onto his litter and commenting sourly on how nothing can get done right these days, Gruntan hears a noise within the abbey that is emanating from the Redwallers having a feast. Finding his interest aroused at the mention of a feast, he states his wonder at what they're having to eat and asks Noggo if he hears what they're saying. When Noggo lists variable dishes, Gruntan had him by the nose, refusing to believe that any beast has food as good as the ones he mentioned, though Laggle confirmed what he had reported. Releasing the scout's nose and turning to the old healer, Gruntan declares she must be soft in the head if she believes all that and asks if they said they are having hard-boiled eggs, spitting out an eggshell fragment contemptuously when Noggo affirms they didn't before ordering for some nice, soft moss to plus his ears with so he can take his nap.

Later, while the Brownrats had captured one of the Sea Raiders, Magger, and abused him, a badger named Gorath, while in Bloodwrath mode, attacks the horde, slaying some of the Brownrats as the others retreat in horror and fear. Back at his camp, Gruntan Kurdly ate fish provided for him by Laggle with reluctance and contempt as he hated fish due to the bones they had in them, their skin, and their eyes that can be interpreted as staring at him when he's eating them and took his anger out on the nearest Brownrat by abusing them and explaining why he likes eggs better, which is because of them lacking bones and skin and slimy bits. Turning his attention on Stringle and the rest who were lolling about still huffing and puffing from their retreat, he asks them how many chased them. Stringle explained that they had pursued and slain many of them and they won't bother him any more, lying about having captured their leader as well. He then explains the appearance of the badger and him having slain many of the Brownrats while attacking them with a large trident and crying out a battle cry, "Eulalia!" Gruntan takes particular offense at learning the badger was a giant and bigger than him as he couldn't stand the thought of any beast being bigger than him due to the large vanity he had about his size. Due to this, Stringle tried to assure him that no beast is bigger than him, Gruntan replying that the badger must not be so big then. As Stringle shook his head miserably, knowing he had fallen into the trap, Gruntan berates them for running away from him and orders him to take them back out again, find the badger and bring back his trident and skull or skin and bones with Stringle marching out at the head of his dispirited troop back to the ditchbed on command. Having dismissed them, Gruntan turned his attention to what he viewed as more important matters and yelled at Laggle about where the eggs he wanted were.

The Brownrats soon find Gorath, who is with a female badger named Salixa that would become his lover, and begin attacking him, engaging in a battle against him that they struggled with as he managed to slay and fight them off, not just with his trident but also with boulders he tossed at them with Salixa herself providing some assistance. Their loss at the battle would increase when Gorath gets help from a group of other creatures like Maudie, Rangval, and the Guosim shrews. Throughout his pursuit of Gorath, Stringle had been constantly sending runners back to report the horde's progress, keeping Gruntan Kurdly up-to-date on the hunt with the Brownrat chief taking the messages one of two ways, either with bored disinterest or bad-tempered criticism. As per usual, he was more concerned with his desire for food, specifically eggs as he considered himself to be a connoisseur and an expert on the subject. One time, a messenger named Skruttle was forced to stand and wait before submitting her report as at that moment Gruntan had an audience of young rats and was holding forth to them on his favourite topic about eggs as no beast talked whilst he was speaking. Though he could see Skruttle waiting, he ignored her in favour of a young Brownrat who piped up and asked if he always boils his eggs with Gruntan, while chuckling, affirming this while declaring that the only way it can be spoiled is by a lousy peeler who can't take the shell off a hard-boiled egg properly, scowling darkly at the older Brownrats, his servants, for this. Turning his attention to Skruttle, he ordered her to make her report with her explaining that they have the badger surrounded on top of a stone hill albeit there being two badgers now with a small one at his side. Cutting in on the messenger, Gruntan asked where the stone hill is at with Skruttle gesturing up north in the woodlands and stating that it's about a quarter day's march and Stringle is waiting on his orders.

Irritated, Gruntan asks if Stringle is waiting on him to do the job for him. Skruttle nodded dumbly with Gruntan climbing laboriously onto his litter seat, calling orders to his bearers to get up and break camp for them to move north, instructing them to stay out of the ditch, cut off around the abbey, and go that way. Speaking to the young ones, he asks if they want a job. They stood to attention eagerly, so Gruntan called Laggle and told her to keep an eye on them and stay ahead of his litter to see if they can scout out any fresh eggs as there's none left in the neighborhood, emphasizing that he only wants good, big eggs and no wren or robin eggs before further ordering them to go on as he'll be following as they keep going north, unaware that by the time the report had been made the tables had been turned on Stringle as he and his Brownrats are attacked by the Guosim shrew tribe led by Osbil, their new leader. In no hurry to join Stringle under the impression there was only one badger in the Mossflower region, whilst passing around the back of Redwall ABbey on a northerly course , Gruntan sat back in his litter, gazing covetously at the east wall, wondering if the time would ever arrive when he would be on the other side of that wall, master of all he surveyed. That was when he saw a badger, this one being the elderly father of Gorath's lover, Salixa, as he was being shown around Redwall, briefly looking into his eyes. Then, the rat was lost to view, being borne off midst the greenery. Gruntan Kurdly furrowed his brutish brow, assessing the situation. Assuming that Stringle had been telling him a pack of lies, the warlord dozed off, reflecting on how he would punish Stringle before being soon awakened by the cries of the young Brownrats coming out of the woodlands. Waving a grubby paw at the closest rat, Gruntan orders for him to be given something to drink and slopped grog down, casting a jaundiced eye over the young ones and demanding to know what the situation was about. A Brownrat maid came forward holding out a nest for his inspection to reveal they found eggs for him.

Poking about in the structure of woven vegetation, Gruntan pawed the two fawn-hued, brown-blotched eggs, recognizing them as moorhens and asking where they got them. Laggle pointed off east and explained they found a watermeadow over yonder, immediately perking Gruntan Kurdly up as watermeadows were a prime source of eggs. Hiding his pleasure through curling a lip at Laggle and the young rats, he berates them for just getting two eggs that he assumes are rotten and orders them to steer a course for the water meadows so they can camp there and he can take a look for himself. When Noggo, who was one of the bearers, piped up about the badger, Gruntan grabbed him and broke both the eggs over his head, giving a gape-toothed smile of vindication as he states that they are rotten and not to worry about Stringle as he plans on dealing with him under the false assumption he lied to him. Laggle asks how he knows with Gruntan declaring he saw the badger on top of Redwall. When Laggle explains that it could have been a third badger, Gruntan refuses to believe this and tells her not to talk stupid while threatening her and ordering to be taken to the watermeadow. Once they arrive in the place, which was a beautiful sight, Gruntan expresses satisfaction over this and has camp be set up and orders the young ones to see if they can hunt up some decent nests with lots of eggs in them, permitting them to keep any birds they kill to roast and eat while threatening to boil them if they take the eggs or come back empty-handed. After the young Brownrats stole silently off to their duties, Gruntan amused himself for a bit before snoozing again. A bit later, he would be gently shaken into wakefulness by Laggle who informs him that they found a swan's nest. Sitting bolt upright grubbing at his eyes, Gruntan, having desired to taste a swan's egg as he never tasted it before and forgetting about Stringle and the situation with the badgers, asks which of the young ones found the swan's nest. When a young male rat named Duggerlo reveals it's him, Gruntan gazed at him fondly and patted him on the head, praising him for his cleverness and asking him to take him to the nest while telling the other Brownrats to stay there, keep the fire going, and the cauldron bubbling until they return.

At the far side of the water meadow, Gruntan and Duggerlo stood waist-deep in the water, the willows were some distance away. Realizing it was not going to be as easy as he first thought, Gruntan questioned the youngster as to how he made it across with Duggerlo explaining that he waded most of the way and swam a bit and that the nest is right in the steam mouth between the willows when asked if he is certain the nest is there. After a few moments' thought, Gruntan told him to stay there and keep quiet while he goes over there by himself and that if he needs him, he'll shout. Then, he begins wading over to the nest and reaches it, climbing it and causing it to come toppling sideways on him. This leads to two gangling cygnets and a fully grown female swan to fall upon Gruntan. As the young swans scrabbled back onto the half-capsized nest, their mother set about punishing the unwelcome trespasser. It began ruthlessly attacking Gruntan, thrashing him with both its webbed limbs, beating him with its wings, pounding away at his head with its beak which was backed by a hard, black protrusion at the base, all of which wound up slaying the Brownrat and causing him to sink limply beneath the waters, with a fractured spine and a cracked skull. Duggerlo goes back to camp to reveal what happened to the others as they mourned his death before moving on to do whatever they want and boil eggs for themselves, even breaking Kurdly's litter up to make a nice little shelter out of it. Meanwhile, Stringle and the Brownrats wind up being slain as the badgers and their friends get saved by armies arriving from Redwall Abbey to assist in fighting the vermin off.

Navigation[]

           Redwall Villains

Rats
Blodge | Captain Warpclaw | Catseyes | Cluny the Scourge | Damug Warfang | Doomeye | Gabool the Wild | Greypatch | Groffgut | Gruntan Kurdly | Raga Bol | Ripfang | Saltar | Slipp | Strapp | Ullig | Vitch | Wilce

Weasels/Ferrets/Stoats/Pine Martens
Antigra | Badrang the Tyrant | Bullflay | Cap'n Tramun Clogg | Eefera | Emperor Ublaz Mad Eyes | Ferahgo the Assassin | Gruven Zann | King Agarnu | King Sarengo | Klitch | Malkariss | Prince Bladd | Princess Kurda | Raventail | Sawney Rath | Spurge and Agric | Swartt Sixclaw | Threeclaws | Vallug Bowbeast | Veil Sixclaw | Vilu Daskar

Foxes
Ascrod | Badredd | Balefur | Codj | Farran the Poisoner | Gelltor | Karangool | Lantur | Mokkan | Plugg Firetail | Predak | Ruggan Bor | Silth | Silvamord | Slagar the Cruel | Urgan Nagru | Vannan | Vizka Longtooth | Vulpuz | Ziral

Cats
Lady Kaltag | Pitru | Riggu Felis | Tsarmina Greeneyes | Ungatt Trunn | Verdauga Greeneyes

Serpents
Asmodeus Poisonteeth | Zassaliss, Harssacss, and Sesstra

Birds
General Ironbeak | Korvus Skurr | Mangiz

Other "Vermin" Species
Frilled Lizard Leader | Gulo the Savage | Kharanjul | Lask Frildur | Razzid Wearat

Non "Vermin" Species
Druwp | Fenno | Gawtrybe | King Glagweb | Wakka

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