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Today, instead of a history about a thing, let's have a history about a certain event. Specifically Eric Rattison, and his duel with the Hawk of Hoofouys.
In 842, Eric Rattison was a rat-at-arms for a lord of the Anglo-Saxbuns, and it so came to be that in a failed diplomatic envoy, his lord was slain in a skirmish with a lord from Prance. Upon hearing this, Rattison was said to have donned his cloak, shield, and long sword, and set upon to the Prench camp.
Slipping past the deer sentries, and then again by the stoat guards, Rattison came upon the lord (Jean Hoofouys) and slew him as he slept with his sword through the neck. The kill was not discovered until the morning, but even with this head start, Rattison had not covered the open field to the safety of underground rodent homes. As the morning came, and the murder was discovered, sentries were set off, and Hoofouys prized hunting hawk was released. A hawk, mind you, who had been well trained to hunt not just lizards, but also rodent fugitives of the crown.
Rattison battled the hawk, it was said, over two days in the field, moving under cover and hiding from the watchful gaze, moving at night when he could, but it was at the edge oft the forest where the hawk set upon him. In full view of safety, Rattison was said to have turned and faced his nemesis, and took its talons on shield and maile, before smiting it in one of its great eyes, slaying it at the mere cost of broken bones.
To this day, the exploit and heroic combat of Eric Rattison are a favorite subject for rodent historians and artists, harkening back to a truly impressive feat of rodent martial skill.
