FeathersShiningInMoonlight Thanks so much for your comments on my last chapter and for your input on character ideas! This chapter ended up running longer than I expected, and I didn't even get into the shadow ceremony yet, but Peanut was briefly mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, and he will be brought back and his character further developed later as the story goes on. Thanks for your continued support!
So, another chapter that took a while to get out there. Man though, has life been busy! I'll keep doing my best to get chapters out in a timely manner, so keep checking back and don't give up on me just yet! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Mulberry had been listening intently to his mother's stories for some time when another young mouse about his age approached him with a squirmy caterpillar in his paws. It was clear the tan pelted mouse was struggling with the grub, but his bright eyes and friendly smile seemed genuine.
"Would you like a caterpillar?" he asked, holding it out to them between his two front paws. Mulberry caught a smile on Flick's face, and he hoped his brother wouldn't say something rash and accidentally hurt the strangers' feelings.
An older mouse with rugged dark brown hair and a tail broken at the end approached with perhaps two or three squirming caterpillars in his jaw. He spat them out onto the ground and placed a heavy paw on them to stop their futile escape. "What'd I tell you Peanut?" The older mouse shook his head, "hold um' in your mouth."
Mulberry could see now that this young mouse was a shadow. He looked at the grub in his paws with a rather unsightly expression, then looked straight at Mulberry with sad eyes. "I'd like it, thanks." He said, stepping forward and grabbing the caterpillar awkwardly with his paws. He wasn't sure why this shadow didn't want to stick the thing in his mouth, but he felt grabbing it from him with his own mouth might make the situation worse.
Peanut looked at him with gratitude, but only for a moment as another grub was tossed at his paws by the older mouse. "Pick it up," he said gruffly. Peanut sighed and met Mulberry's glance one last time before picking the caterpillar up carefully in his mouth and scampering on to the next grouping of mice. Mulberry could see his walk was tense as he walked away.
"Ha!" Flick laughed once the shadow was out of sight, "what on earth are you doing Mulberry?"
Mulberry looked back to his brother, a bit confused. His brother gestured to his paws, and Mulberry realized he was still standing on his hind paws holding the caterpillar in his paws. "Oh," he said, "I didn't want to make that shadow feel bad." He dropped the grub and fell back on all fours, biting the squirmy thing behind the eyes to stop its squirming. The sweet nutty flavor made him realize he was hungry. "Here," he said, "do you want to share?"
Flick and mother both took bites from the caterpillar, and Mulberry nibbled on the last bit when they had both had their share. As the three sat grooming their faces and whiskers clean, Mulberry asked, "Mother, why was that shadow carrying caterpillars?"
"It's a job they have," she said simply, "you will see – there are many jobs you both will have once you become shadows." Mulberry thought for a moment on this, but his thoughts were interrupted by his brother chuckling.
"What was with that shadow anyways?" Flick asked, clear amusement in his voice, "why didn't he want to carry the caterpillars normal?'
Mother shook her head, "I don't know," she said, "it isn't the mouse way to carry it about awkwardly like he did." She frowned, and Mulberry imagined she was hoping neither of her nestlings would do something so silly and embarrass her like that. But Mulberry felt a bit bad for the mouse, he imagined being a new shadow must be hard enough without people making fun of you too.
A silence suddenly blanketed over the mice in the Great Burrow. Mulberry stood up on his back legs to look around. "Why-" Flick began but was quieted by a flick to the back of his head from mothers tail. But mulberry was able to finish his brothers though in his head, why did it get so quiet?
All heads seemed to be turned in one direction. Mulberry strained his eyes to see what they were all looking at. Far away, on the far side of the mass of mice, three elders made their way slowly up the base of a root that seemed to be the only one not chewed or dug out of this place. They gathered on it and sat down, each one a short distance from the other. After a few long silent moments, one of them spoke.
"We have gathered here today to stand witness to the growing of our colony, and to the coming of age of several young mice who have come here today for their shadow ceremony." The old mouse's voice sounded stronger and louder than Mulberry had expected. He felt very much so in awe of this older mouse, as old as he looked, to sound so strong and hold the respect of all these mice.
"First," he continued after a moment, "we will welcome the new members of our colony." He met eyes with a mouse down in the crowd, close to the front, and gestured with his tail.
Mulberry could see now a young female come to the front of the group and stand just below the root. She held a small and nearly bald creature delicately by the scruff. What looked like four shadows sat next to her, each also holding a pale nestling.
"We have been blessed, Moss, congratulations on five healthy nestlings. Raise them well to serve the colony." Mulberry saw the female, Moss, nod. "And now," the elder continued, "we will name them." His strong voice fell quieter, as he whispered with the other two elders on the root. After a moment, a different elder stepped forward than the first, this one a pale cream female. Though she was old, she still held a delicate beauty in her face and vast wisdom in her eyes. She looked much softer than the first elder, and Mulberry thought she seemed very trustworthy.
"Birch," she spoke. The first shadow in line stepped forward, "the nestling you carry will go by the name of Petal. Shall she grow to be healthy and strong, and bare many nestlings of her own." Birch stepped back in line, and the female elder addressed the next shadow in line, who took his turn to step forward with the second nestling. "The nestling you carry will go by the name of Dusk, may he grow to be a loyal forager for the colony."
Each in order, the nestlings were given their names – Bramble, Tulip, and Scratch. Then, the first elder again stepped forward and dismissed Moss with her new nestlings and the shadows who carried them. Another job for a shadow, mulberry wondered.
The elder mouse again gestured for a mouse to come forward. This female did not shine with pride as the last had, this one approached with tail dragging and ears down, she walked slowly and kept her eyes on the ground until she stood before the root. When she finally looked up, Mulberry wondered where the shadows were that were carrying her other nestlings. He looked around, but no other mice stepped forward to join her. She looked very alone, and many eyes gawked on her.
"Dapple," the elder spoke at last, "is this the only nestling you have?"
The female, Dapple, nodded her head just once.
"What has happened to the others?"
Dapple dropped her one small nestling at her paws and nuzzled it into her belly fur. "They died before the first sun rose after their birth." She said in a voice so weak and small Mulberry could barely hear her words.
An expression flashed across the elder's face that looked almost angry, Mulberry wondered why. He felt only empathy for the sad young female. He then looked to his mother, who was looking down at the ground with an unreadable expression. Him and Flick were only two, had they had siblings that died as well? He felt an emptiness creep into him, and looked back to the root to see what would happen.
The tension in the air was almost unbearable. It seemed like many sunrises must have passed before the elder spoke again. This time he looked up and addressed the entire colony. "For the colony to grow strong, we must have strong mice, and plentiful numbers. We all know this. And, as it is and must be," he paused for a moment, "we must do what is in the best interest of the colony." He looked back down to Dapple, the young female was quivering. "Dapple," the elder spoke in a stern voice, "this is your second litter to be lost –"
"But it isn't!" the female spoke up sharply, then shrunk down again as gasps came up from the audience of mice around her. It was very rude to speak out against an elder and even worse to interrupt a ceremony. Her nerves were clear by her quivering spine, but she spoke still, this time though much quieter. "My nestling survived."
The elder had a cross look on his face, any slight sign of empathy from before now gone. "A nestling survived." The elder spat, emphasizing the A. "Your first litter you bore four nestlings, and none survived through the night. And again this time you lose them. One survived, yes, but one is not enough." He flicked his tail angrily, then regained his composure and continued the ceremony where he had been interrupted. "You shall now take on the role of a nurse mouse. You may no longer bare nestlings of your own, but shall help in the care of other nestlings. After you are finished nursing this nestling and raising it up, you will be assigned to another female with new nestlings to help nurse and raise." He bore his eyes down on her a moment longer, clearly still flustered by her earlier outbreak, "it shall now be named."
Again the female elder stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "The nestling you carry will go by the name of Cricket, may he grow to be a loyal forager for the colony." She nodded to Dapple, and then returned to sit and let the first elder take her place at the front of the root. He nodded to Dapple, and dismissed her with the flick of his tail.
Mulberry felt sick to his stomach, he had been excited before about the shadow ceremony, but now his mind was racing with thoughts of his mother. Would she have to leave her nest now and become a nurse mouse too? Would he never be able to go home to her again? He looked to his brother, who seemed unfazed by all this. Mulberry hoped silently that their mother wouldn't have to leave her nest to become a nurse mouse, that her two nestlings were enough to satisfy the elder.
"And now," The elder spoke up again, "It is time to celebrate our new shadows." Mulberry felt a nudge on his back and looked to see his mother had nudged him to stand.
"Go," she said quietly. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and Mulberry wanted nothing more to curl up against her belly fur and never leave, but he knew he couldn't stay. He felt all the world tugging against him as he stood and, alongside his brother, walked towards the root. He looked over his shoulder once more to see his mother stand and walk away the other direction through the crowd, his heart raced. He wanted to call out to her, to chase after her. Where was she going? Why wasn't she staying to watch? Panic flashed through him as he wondered if he would ever see her again. He must, right? Even if she did become a nurse mouse, he could still visit her, couldn't he?
A sting to his haunch brought him back to the present, he looked forward to Flick, who had snapped his tail against him. He looked at him with a confused expression, and Mulberry realized he had stopped walking forward. He took a deep breath and nodded, continuing forward beside his brother. His heart ached, raced. And his stomach churned. Every step forward was a step towards something new, and a step away from the life he was leaving behind him. Becoming a shadow would change everything, this he knew, but growing up suddenly had become much scarier than he had ever anticipated.