abstract
| - Lord Stonepaw was the earliest Badger Lord who appeared as an actual character (and not just a mention) in the Redwall canon. He was the father of Lord Brocktree, grandfather of Lord Boar the Fighter, great-grandfather of Bella of Brockhall, and the great-great-grandfather of Lord Sunflash the Mace. He was also a descendant of Lady Sable Brock, great-grandfather-in-law to Barkstripe, and the distant ancestor of Rawnblade Widestripe. Stonepaw ruled Salamandastron during a time of extensive peace, when the youngest hares of his command left the mountain to seek adventure elsewhere. Towards the end of his reign, the unprotected mountain was besieged by the hordes of the wildcat Ungatt Trunn. Stonepaw and his remaining hares, all rather elderly, hid in the underground passages and catacombs beneath Salamandastron. However, Trunn's Horde, led by Groddil, managed to track them down. Stonepaw immediately helped his hares into a secret passage, but stood behind to hold the vermin off while the hares got a head start. Stonepaw slew many vermin in his rage, but it soon became evident that he could never escape with the rest, for within a short time the vermin wounded him badly and trapped him in a net. To their surprise, Stonepaw managed to gather his strength and stand, dragging the net and several entangled vermin with him. He grabbed up as many vermin he could in his paws, and with a final effort leaped into the bottomless pool in the middle of the catacombs, drowning himself and the vermin he dragged with him. Lord Brocktree and his band later dropped a flagon of red wine in the pool, to symbolize and honor Stonepaw's death. He would later mourn the fact that Stonepaw's remains could not be interred with those of the other Badger Lords.
|