Chapter 2
The sky had long since turned a mixture of black and prusian blue, clouds covering the moon entirely, stars peaking through as their faint light barely illuminating the area to a point a beast could see his paws infront of his face. Despite the looming darkness, it was a rather nice night, warm, calm and refreshing breeze...
It was nigh on midnight, though the middle-aged Abbot was just returning. Father Uba, attired in flowing green habit. His hood was down as he basked in the tranquility surrounding him. He was bold, yet slightly foolish, to go out alone unarmed. A light flickered above the great wooden doors, a lantern, brightening the magnificient face of the young Infirmary keeper, and recent mother, Azuka. She was looking straight out, not casting an eye downwards, knowing Father Abbot would be returning soon. She must have recently relieved her husband, a hero amidst the Abbey: the Abbey Champion Kaipo. Their son, Rashid, however, was not doing too well, kept under constant care. The cheery mouse sipped from a steaming mug as she watched the Abbot's process.
Uba frowned slightly. Looked like the Dibbuns had thrown more clothing off of the battlements again. Before the gates was a dark bundle, which the Abbot calmly stepped towards. The lantern was left as Azuka left to open the gate. A moment later, she opened the heavy wooden doors to see Uba holding an otter, chestfur soaked in blood.
He looked barely over a season.
"Glad you're awake, Sister," he said urgently, rushing towards the Infirmary with the blue-eyed ball of brown fur in his arms.
Up in the dimly-lit room hardly a beast stirred, mostly due to the lack of beasts.
Save for one tiny, mischievious ottermaid.
Brin had been scampering under beds, over beds, through beds, behind beds, around beds, and then some, pretending to be searching for a magnificent treasure, accompanied by a delicious feast comprising of all the things she'd never tasted, but planned to sometime in the future when the old friar and his young, grumpy assistant weren't watching. She was having quite a merry time in her adventures, and had finished her fourth consecutive inspection of the entire room when she heard paws upon stairs. Her head shot around the room for a hiding place, and she quickly shot up under the covers of the nearest bed, appearing as a small, cozy lump.
Had Brin been one bed over, the otter would've most likely been plopped right on top of her. The wooden door swung open on its hinges, Uba rushing in to lay the wounded otter on the nearest bed. Already, his habit's chest was stained crimson from the wound.
As a whimper emitted from the young patient, the Infirmary Keeper began getting to work, first checking his pulse and breathing.
"F-Father, he's not breathing!" she voiced. Uba had found cleansing alcohol and bandages, quickly returning to the bedside.
"CPR, Sister!" he urged. If they didn't get him breathing, and quickly...
A pair of
curious blue orbs peeked over the hems of the sheets Brin was
residing under, and were soon followed by the rest of her. "Supwise!"
her voice rang out, and she gave a little bounce on the mattress. She
soon stopped however, as her eyes settled on the Abbot and the other
teensey figure, an otterbabe like herself, and the crimson coating on
both.
"Wh...wh..." her high voice quivered; she didn't
understand any of this! She knew that the red liquid was bad, but
what was it doing? Still terribly confused, and growing more ferful
by the second, she silently watched in a mix of horror and awe.
Uba whipped fully around, quickly setting aside the two items.
"Brin, sweetie-!" He scooped her up in his arms, rushing towards the door. He grabbed it, swinging it fully open, and set the young ottermaid down.
"Brin, you should be in bed!" he said, trying to keep cheer in his voice. Behind him, Azuka was pumping the bloodied chest of the otter delicately with practiced ease. "Run off now, alright?" he said, flashing a smile. "If your mother's woken up, she's probably wor-" He was cut off as a piercing shriek reverbrated from behind him. He turned around quickly to see the babe thrashing tiny limbs. Father Uba ruffled her ears, smiling reassuringly, before he dashed off to one of the cupboards, opening and beginning his digging.
Finding the herb he was searching for, he rushed to the otter and instantly began helping the Sister, using the herb to dull the pain best he could for the babe.
As the Father carried her off, Brin had already begun a wail of her own, which quickly subsided when she was released. She never really did cry without a tactical reason for it, and it had failed her this time. Still, though, no open door was going to stop her, and the added cries of the babe inside gave her more desire to persist.
As soon as she strode back in, however, she could just barely see the poor thing, high up on the bed, and she took a moment's pause, a sincere cry on its way. A moment later, though, she gathered her courage and suppressed it, instead waddling over to the bedside, standing on her toes and peeking at the babe with tear-glazed eyes.
As the pain-dulling effects began, the crying quieted, continuing on a dropping path until it was nought but a whisper. He turned his head to look at her, a new appearance. Her eyes were shining with tears...
"Stay quiet, son," urged the full-grown male otter, covering the babe with a cloak. His blue eyes resonated confusion as he was hidden, mainly as to why his father's own eyes were filled with tears... His father took up a sword, rushing outside and closing the door...
The babe abruptly turned from the ottermaid, looking to the Infirmary Keeper Azuka. She craned his head up, putting a beaker to his lips and tilting it. He closed his eyes as the refreshing liquid began to flow down his throat, setting back when he was done. She set the beaker aside, glass ringing as it clinked against metal.
Loud clashing sounds reached the confused babe's ears. It almost sounded like his father was hitting his sword against something else metal; he had heard the sound before. In a moment, however, the noises stopped.
Brin stretched
further, to get a better look at the babe, but teetered back, bumping
into a chair behind her. She clambered up on top of the seat and
watched from her perch, her neck craning as she watched the infant be
fed.
"'S he gonna be able to pway soon?" she asked
quietly to the sister, tugging on her sleeve.
Azuka turned and smiled. "He should be," she said warmly, watching the Abbot out of the corner of her eye. He had taken up a needle, cleansing the wound with the alcohol. A few cries accompanied the action, the Abbot followed this by taking the cleansed needle, threading it. He began weaving it delicately through the flesh surrounding the wound. With each stitch, the wound closed by a fraction, and soon the entire wound had been stitched, and Uba began bandaging the wound.
The wound, having the rather uncommon shape of an "X", called need for the Abbot to wrap the bandaged over his shoulders, down his back, and around his stomach. Wrapping it around a few times, he tied it tight, repeating the process over his left shoulder.
"Looks like the kind of bandage you'd find on a seasoned warrior, not a Dibbun," the Abbot said, circling around to stand beside Brin. He picked the young ottermaid up, starting towards the exit.
"Br-" Already she had set up a wail. He quickly set her down, kneeling to her level. "Hmm," he mused, thinking of a way to get the ottermaid to leave the scene. "Brin, you should get to bed. You can visit him any time you want." He lifted her up, going to stand by the bed, holding the ottermaid up.
"But first, he needs a name..."
Brin fell into a thoughtful lapse of silence, and finally answered, with a sense of certainty, "Ahri."
"That's a fine name for him!" the Abbot praised, smiling. Ahri averted his gaze from the kindly Infirmary Keeper to the mouse and ottermaid. Blue optics blinked in confusion as he tried to repeat his name, "A'ri..." The Infirmary Keeper smiled up at Brin.
"Now, why don't you two head off for bed? It's pretty late, and I can take care of him on my own," she said. The Abbot hefted her up easily into a more comfortable position.
"So, Brin," he asked, "how about we leave and come back tomorrow to visit Ahri?"
The young ottermaid let out a tiny squeak as she
yawned, and stretched slightly before curling up in the Abbot's arms.
"Uh-huh..." she murmured tiredly.
The next day
arrived rather gradually, as the clouds that had netted the sky
before now blanketed it in a murky, stagnated sea of gray. That
didn't stop the dwellers in the Abbey from getting up and tending to
their usual business, and the conversations held were littered with
rumors of some turmoil the night before.
Several bits of the
gossip caught Deet's attention as he first entered the grounds. He
was dressed in his usual attire, a pair of worn slacks and a
buttoned-up shirt that he tugged on uncomfortably. At his side he
carried a cane with a mottled, dark-brown surface, which supported
him as he hobbled his way to the pond for a morning wash. He was
interrupted, though, by an all-too-familiar voice, and it caused him
to cringe.
"Unca' Dee'!"
He turned to see Brin
scrambling for him, and she latched onto his big, scarred tail.
"Hiya!" she cheered, her eyes looking expectantly up at
him.
Now, it wasn't that he didn't like her, he just never had
experience with dibbuns before, or at least not with any that wanted
to follow him around persistantly. It also bothered him that her
parents were November and Laike, neither of which he'd been on good
terms with in the last few seasons. Regardless, however, he scooped
her up in one arm and cradled her.
"'Lo, Brin," he
forced a smile, "Where's yer parents?"
She let out a
giggle and pulled on one of his bushy whiskers, "Dunno! I jus'
came out t'pway with the odder!"
His brow rasied. "Odder?
Ye mean me? I was gonna go get a quick swim, though-"
"Not
you, Unca'!"
"Er...Daddy?"
"No!"
"Mommy?"
"Nuh-uh!"
Defeated, he let
out a weary sigh. "Who then, sweety?"
Brin set about
squirming out of his arm, scaling down his shirt and pointing at the
Abbey building.
"In the 'Firgary! Le's go!" she
ordered, tugging impatiently on his pantleg.
"All righ', all
righ'! I'm comin'!"
Curled up in a comfortable ball under the green sheets, the otter in particular was still asleep. Azuka had fallen asleep in the bedside chair, book dangling from her paw. Not long ago, she had woken up, checked on the patients, then proceeded to her normal daily routine. As it was not winter, there was no outbreak of influenza, and there were not many other illnesses going throughout the Abbey. The Infirmary was probably the most private place a beast could go at this time.
The mousemaid jumped slightly as the door suddenly swung open, Brin, tugging Deet in after her, rushed in. She curtsied courteously. "Good morrow, mister Deet, Brin," she said. At the moment the two had barged in, Ahri had awoken, straightening from his shape. Catching sight of his tail, he took an instant interest in it, standing on the bed unsteadily and trying to catch it.
Over the bandages, he now wore a light gown, and once grabbing his tail, he fell backwards and shifted blue optics to Brin and the other otter.
Brin, of course,
laughed gleefully at his antics, and was soon up on the bed with him,
while Deet's brow had become furrowed with worry. "Whose babe is
that, marm?" he asked the Keeper uncertainly. "I don'
recall anyone celebratin' lately, an' 'e looks rather young..."
His paw brought Brin away from the infant, as she had suddenly
begun taking an interest in his tail, also.
The babe giggled as Brin too began toying with his tail. He blinked as she was pulled away from him by the elder. He frowned, wondering why they were being seperated. He leaned forward and crawled, plopping himself down next to Brin.
Azuka shook her head. "The Abbot found him outside the gates..." She continued in hushed tones, so Brin wouldn't hear her talking of the near-fatal wound on the babe's chest, explaining what had happened last night.
Once again, Brin
was attached to Ahri's tail, somehow astounded by it, and hardly
realized Deet's grip on her had vanished. The elder had taken root on
another bed to continue the conversation, and his tone kept its low,
suspicious growl.
"Who'd do such a thing to a dibbun?"
he huffed, "Did they see who did it? And how'd Brin know he was
here anyway?!"
The mousemaid took a seat next to him, shaking her head. "No, sir. He was alone when the Abbot found him. He must've been hurt and left while it was still dark and while the Abbot was out," she answered. "And as for Brin knowing he was here..." she looked over at the two, Ahri's giggling having returned as both Brin and himself latched onto his tail. "She was here last night, when we were healing him, Father Uba tried getting her to leave..." At Deet's reaction, Azuka hurried on. "But you know children, right? Very inquisitive and persistent..."
"Yes, but this one is just a little too inquisitive, it may just land her into trouble that she can't get out of." he responded.
