Silver's Tale: Prologue

By: biacebaolck

A young ottermaid, in her mid-seasons was by the pond, leaning her back against the old ash tree that stood there, her eyes closed. From out of nowhere, an arrow went her way. She caught it easily and opened her eyes, turning to face the one who had shot it.

"Still testing my awareness, Skip?" Skipper Banjon smiled guiltily. Suddenly, a group of Dibbuns rushed out of the abbey doors and practically bulldozed her.

"Snowdrop, Thyme, Rhia, Rose, Parsley! Get off of me or else I'll be a flat otter in no time! That goes for you too, Sage!" The Dibbuns only giggled.

"Tell usa stowy, Silver!" said Thyme, a stocky little squirrel.

"What kind of story?" Silver asked. "I don't know any stories!"

"Sure ye do!" Skipper Banjon said, walking up to them. Hearing this, the Dibbuns were hysterical.

"Tell usa stowy! A stowy!" They said, practically yelling. The rest of the Dibbuns had just come on of the abbey doors and heard the yell. They ran all the way to the pond and plunked themselves in front of the ottermaid.

"Stowy! Stowy! Stowy!" All of them chanted. Silver chuckled.

"Alright," she agreed. "I'll tell you a story. My story." At this, Banjon plunked himself on the ground, with the Dibbuns.

"Tell us a story, then, marm!" He roared, and the Dibbuns cheered, glad that somebeast was on their side.

"Since when have you called me 'marm', Skip?" Silver asked with mock-horror pasted on her face.

"Since ye didn't start tellin' yore story, that's when!" Banjon said. "Now get to it!" Silver smiled.

"Alright, alright." She made herself comfortable and began to tell her story. "I was born, of course that's pretty boring since we've all been born… My mother was Tiria, the High Rhulain; she was a Redwaller like everybeast here is and daughter of Skipper… I was happy, with a mother, a father and an uncle; my Uncle Grayson. I took them for granted though…. Pretty soon, I was stripped of happiness and only my father was alive. It happened…I think about….more than 15 seasons ago…"

Silver began telling of her life, and pretty soon, other Redwallers came and sat down to listen. Even Mother Lycian and Molemum Burbee sat down to listen as well. The abbey recorder, Girry, sat down as well, a huge stack of parchment, plenty of bottles of ink and sharpened quills at his side.

He began writing her tale, writing perfectly and accurately, because this was an opportunity not to be missed, because as Silver grew older, more and more of her memories became forgotten and the ottermaid would be able to replenish her memory and add to the story of her life as she got older.