The First Five Stages of the Journey

High Rhulain
Brian Jacques

   This is one of my favourite books of all time. The main character's name is Tiria Wildlough, and her call to adventure comes in a dream. Martin the Warrior (the spirit who watches over Redwall abbey) comes to her  and introduces her to the warrior queen with him. She tells Tiria:

"Like the sun, High Rhulain will rise anew,
to set the downtrodden free.
A warriormaid with Wildlough blood
must cross the Western Sea.
She who looks ever through windows
at the signs which feathers make,
seek the Green Isle through her knowledge,
for all thy kinbeasts' sake." (Brian Jacques, High Rhulain 45)

   Obviosly, this is somewhat of a riddle. Tiria doesn't refuse her call to adventure, but she is delayed. It takes her and her friends a while to solve the riddle so she can find out where Green Isle is. One of the people who is most helpful is "she who looks ever through windows at the signs which feathers make," or Sister Snowdrop, one of the historians at Redwall Abbey. Snowdrop gives Tiria most of the knowledge she needs. You could say she was one of her mentors.

   But other people help Tiria on her journey too. Her father, Banjon, is very supportive of her quest and has been training her all her life. Log a Log Urfa and his tribe of Guosim help Tiria get a boat to sail across the Western Sea, and Cap'n Cuthbert Frunk W. Bloodpaw, Terror of the High Seas, actually sails her to Green isle. Once she gets there, Leatho Shellhound helps her lead her resistance and keep her head as she suddenly becomes High Queen Rhulain of Green isle. See what I mean? A lot of people are mentors to Tiria.

   As for crossing the threshold, I'd say that comes when Tiria finally embarks on her voyage across the Western Sea. During her journey through Mossflower Wood her father is with her all the way, but for her to truly enter the special world she must leave him and all her other friends behind.