DISCLAIMER
The names: Rilt, Mattyn, Mangabey, Larp, and Foremole Dertclaw are mine and YOU CAN'T USE THEM.
Pretty much everything else, besides the plot, is NOT mine, but Brian Jacques's by all means.
---------------|---------------
The young mouse, Mortimer, though he was called Timer, was excited. Today was Nameday! Today, Abbot Cedric would announce her chosen name for the season. Timer and a few of his friends, like Alf and Rufus and George, had placed small bets on the name. Timer was sure it was going to be Spring of the Wind, as there were very few days without a breeze that spring. On the other paw, Alf had his mind set on Spring of the Apple Tree, for he himself had helped plant an apple orchard into the Abbey. There were other scattered bets, but only Father Abbot knew the real one.
Friar Larp was working overtime with his three helpers. A few Dibbuns insisted to help, but it had the opposite effect, making the Friar so impatient that he threw them out. Ever since Redwall had lost its last Mother Badger, the Dibbuns had been out of control. Even the Abbey had been without an insured leader, until two seasons ago, when Gatekeeper Methuselah had proclaimed the young mouse Cedric Abbot. He shook the thoughts from his mind and continued instructing young Rufe and George in the art of making berry flans.
"Roll that dough out, no! George, roll, not pound! Now, split it into two square halves… Rufus, that's a triangle, square it out. Now, see that wooden bowl by the ovens? It's full of cranberries. Rufus, go get that. George, go see Brother Ralse, ask him for some blueberries."
He sighed, and turned back to his meadowcream cake. Muttering to himself, he slowly spread a layer of meadowcream over the fresh, steaming bread. He only had time to add the mashed strawberry jelly when Rufus tapped his shoulder.
"What next, Friar Larp?"
The old mouse turned to further instruct Rufus and George, when a young mouse came bounding down the Cavern Hole stairs into the kitchen. "Friar! Friar! There are newbeasts in the Abbey!"
"Oh really, Hugo? Who is it?"
"'Tis the Squirrel family, and the Spikes, and some more!" Hugo yelled, then dashed back up the steps to the Cavern Hole. Rufus and George completely abandoned their task, and joined Hugo. Larp rolled his eyes and completed the two mice's berry flans, put them in the oven, and went upstairs to see the visitors.
They were in the Cavern Hole, surrounded by Redwallers. Larp peered over the shoulders and saw the Squirrel family, with their pretty daughter, and the Spikes, with their strong son, Ambrose, and the Churchmouse family, with young John. He saw Timer, Hugo, and Alf run to greet John. Rufus and Joseph pulled Ambrose away to play, and Clemence started gossiping with the Squirrels' daughter, Jess. Hugo sighed. Their Abbey seemed to be filled to the brim with young ones like Rufus and George.
Just then, the door burst open. The moles, covered in dirt, had arrived for the feast! There seemed to be no shortage of young 'uns for them, either. Foremole Dertclaw greeted Abbot Cedric and Friar Larp.
"'Eloo, Abbot Cedrik an' Frar La'p! How's ee's been a-doin'?"
Brother Methuselah, the Gatekeeper, came over and interpreted the quaint mole speech for the Abbot and the Friar. Methuselah had the gift of tongues, and could speak with any creature.
"Foremole says 'Hello, Abbot Cedric and Friar Larp! How have you been doing?'" Methuelah told them.
"Oh, good, Foremole, I assume the same with you?"
"Mm, you'm be roight, by 'okey!" Foremole answered, and broke into a big grin. They shook paws and Foremole waddled off to greet someone else.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the Dibbuns broke into ragged cheers. The otters were here! The Dibbuns' favorite would have to be young Winifred, they ran right up to her and climbed on her shoulders. Winifred dashed around the room with the Dibbuns on her back.
The new badgermum, Constance, rolled her eyes and whispered to Larp, "Those otters are such troublemakers. Don't know which are worse - them or the Dibbuns!" They both laughed.
Redwall was at its peaceful times.
------------------|------------------
Rilt peered over the army below from a cliff. He heard the war cries, "We are the Mangabeys! Find, fight, conquer!" He stood up, and scampered off in the other direction, south. As soon as he reached the trees, he scampered up one, and peered back out to the vermin, seeing if anybeasts were following him. Not a one.
He ran down the tree and, still looking back, ran smack into somebeast. Startled, he peered up. It was a male mouse, holding a babe.
Rilt spoke. "I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't mean to, you see, there's a -"
The mouse cut him off. "Shh! I know, if you're speaking of the vermin horde, the Mangabeys. Come with me, young 'un!" The mouse hurried off south. Rask swiftly caught up.
"What's your name, sir?" Rask asked. This was the first beast he had ever remembered talking to! Before this, he had only talked to himself. "I used to live by myself, and I never knew anyone, and -"
"My name is Mattyn. Now hush your mouth! By the fur, you talk a lot."
"Who's the liddle feller you're carryin'?"
"His name is Matthias, barely a half a season old," Mattyn said.
Rilt patted Matthias's head, and continued talking to Mattyn. "Traveling with anyone else?" he asked.
Mattyn sighed. "No..."
Rilt pondered this for a moment, and said, "Were you traveling with somebody?"
Mattyn looked down to the ground. The light bounced off his eyes, showing a tear.
Rilt gasped. "I'm so sorry!"
"No, no, it's not your fault," he said. Suddenly, his face turned vicious as he looked back down upon the camping horde. "It's them!" he snarled.
"What did they do?" Rilt asked, before he could stop it.
"They killed Matthias's mother, and my wife! They left me for dead, and they didn't know that Matthias was there. It was a weasel, by the name of Casorn. Ooo, I'll get that weasel, and that's when he'll remember Mattyn the Warrior!" Mattyn fingered a healing cut across his head. "They did this to me, and whacked me a few times with their swords. They took all we had, our meager supplies and few family heirlooms. I'll make them pay, you just wait!"
Rilt looked at his new friend, Mattyn. His eyes were burning with a flame that Rilt had never seen, yet, somehow, there was sorrow and grief with all the anger. Poor Mattyn.
The two friends and little Matthias journeyed southwards, away from the sorrow and grief that was brought on by the Mangabeys.
The names: Rilt, Mattyn, Mangabey, Larp, and Foremole Dertclaw are mine and YOU CAN'T USE THEM.
Pretty much everything else, besides the plot, is NOT mine, but Brian Jacques's by all means.
---------------|---------------
The young mouse, Mortimer, though he was called Timer, was excited. Today was Nameday! Today, Abbot Cedric would announce her chosen name for the season. Timer and a few of his friends, like Alf and Rufus and George, had placed small bets on the name. Timer was sure it was going to be Spring of the Wind, as there were very few days without a breeze that spring. On the other paw, Alf had his mind set on Spring of the Apple Tree, for he himself had helped plant an apple orchard into the Abbey. There were other scattered bets, but only Father Abbot knew the real one.
Friar Larp was working overtime with his three helpers. A few Dibbuns insisted to help, but it had the opposite effect, making the Friar so impatient that he threw them out. Ever since Redwall had lost its last Mother Badger, the Dibbuns had been out of control. Even the Abbey had been without an insured leader, until two seasons ago, when Gatekeeper Methuselah had proclaimed the young mouse Cedric Abbot. He shook the thoughts from his mind and continued instructing young Rufe and George in the art of making berry flans.
"Roll that dough out, no! George, roll, not pound! Now, split it into two square halves… Rufus, that's a triangle, square it out. Now, see that wooden bowl by the ovens? It's full of cranberries. Rufus, go get that. George, go see Brother Ralse, ask him for some blueberries."
He sighed, and turned back to his meadowcream cake. Muttering to himself, he slowly spread a layer of meadowcream over the fresh, steaming bread. He only had time to add the mashed strawberry jelly when Rufus tapped his shoulder.
"What next, Friar Larp?"
The old mouse turned to further instruct Rufus and George, when a young mouse came bounding down the Cavern Hole stairs into the kitchen. "Friar! Friar! There are newbeasts in the Abbey!"
"Oh really, Hugo? Who is it?"
"'Tis the Squirrel family, and the Spikes, and some more!" Hugo yelled, then dashed back up the steps to the Cavern Hole. Rufus and George completely abandoned their task, and joined Hugo. Larp rolled his eyes and completed the two mice's berry flans, put them in the oven, and went upstairs to see the visitors.
They were in the Cavern Hole, surrounded by Redwallers. Larp peered over the shoulders and saw the Squirrel family, with their pretty daughter, and the Spikes, with their strong son, Ambrose, and the Churchmouse family, with young John. He saw Timer, Hugo, and Alf run to greet John. Rufus and Joseph pulled Ambrose away to play, and Clemence started gossiping with the Squirrels' daughter, Jess. Hugo sighed. Their Abbey seemed to be filled to the brim with young ones like Rufus and George.
Just then, the door burst open. The moles, covered in dirt, had arrived for the feast! There seemed to be no shortage of young 'uns for them, either. Foremole Dertclaw greeted Abbot Cedric and Friar Larp.
"'Eloo, Abbot Cedrik an' Frar La'p! How's ee's been a-doin'?"
Brother Methuselah, the Gatekeeper, came over and interpreted the quaint mole speech for the Abbot and the Friar. Methuselah had the gift of tongues, and could speak with any creature.
"Foremole says 'Hello, Abbot Cedric and Friar Larp! How have you been doing?'" Methuelah told them.
"Oh, good, Foremole, I assume the same with you?"
"Mm, you'm be roight, by 'okey!" Foremole answered, and broke into a big grin. They shook paws and Foremole waddled off to greet someone else.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the Dibbuns broke into ragged cheers. The otters were here! The Dibbuns' favorite would have to be young Winifred, they ran right up to her and climbed on her shoulders. Winifred dashed around the room with the Dibbuns on her back.
The new badgermum, Constance, rolled her eyes and whispered to Larp, "Those otters are such troublemakers. Don't know which are worse - them or the Dibbuns!" They both laughed.
Redwall was at its peaceful times.
------------------|------------------
Rilt peered over the army below from a cliff. He heard the war cries, "We are the Mangabeys! Find, fight, conquer!" He stood up, and scampered off in the other direction, south. As soon as he reached the trees, he scampered up one, and peered back out to the vermin, seeing if anybeasts were following him. Not a one.
He ran down the tree and, still looking back, ran smack into somebeast. Startled, he peered up. It was a male mouse, holding a babe.
Rilt spoke. "I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't mean to, you see, there's a -"
The mouse cut him off. "Shh! I know, if you're speaking of the vermin horde, the Mangabeys. Come with me, young 'un!" The mouse hurried off south. Rask swiftly caught up.
"What's your name, sir?" Rask asked. This was the first beast he had ever remembered talking to! Before this, he had only talked to himself. "I used to live by myself, and I never knew anyone, and -"
"My name is Mattyn. Now hush your mouth! By the fur, you talk a lot."
"Who's the liddle feller you're carryin'?"
"His name is Matthias, barely a half a season old," Mattyn said.
Rilt patted Matthias's head, and continued talking to Mattyn. "Traveling with anyone else?" he asked.
Mattyn sighed. "No..."
Rilt pondered this for a moment, and said, "Were you traveling with somebody?"
Mattyn looked down to the ground. The light bounced off his eyes, showing a tear.
Rilt gasped. "I'm so sorry!"
"No, no, it's not your fault," he said. Suddenly, his face turned vicious as he looked back down upon the camping horde. "It's them!" he snarled.
"What did they do?" Rilt asked, before he could stop it.
"They killed Matthias's mother, and my wife! They left me for dead, and they didn't know that Matthias was there. It was a weasel, by the name of Casorn. Ooo, I'll get that weasel, and that's when he'll remember Mattyn the Warrior!" Mattyn fingered a healing cut across his head. "They did this to me, and whacked me a few times with their swords. They took all we had, our meager supplies and few family heirlooms. I'll make them pay, you just wait!"
Rilt looked at his new friend, Mattyn. His eyes were burning with a flame that Rilt had never seen, yet, somehow, there was sorrow and grief with all the anger. Poor Mattyn.
The two friends and little Matthias journeyed southwards, away from the sorrow and grief that was brought on by the Mangabeys.