Chapter 9: The Unusual Encounter
He couldn't bear to look at the squirrelmaid as he strode down the stairs, with the posture of a leader and a fighter. He thought he hit his head rather hard on that bell for him to have such a sudden change in emotion. He also seemed rather uncomfortably around her when he was alone with her for some reason.
Great Hall seemed packed with Redwallers, and so he kept himself at the edge of the crowd, lest someone was angry enough to attack him.
He quickly decided that the best thing to do was to take some food from the kitchen and eat in his quarters. As he reached the door of the kitchen, he heard shouting from inside, and smoke was pouring out. As he ducked in he saw a rather fat mouse unsuccessfully trying to stop a fire in the kitchen with only a dockleaf in his tail.
He immediately grabbed the nearest source of water, which happened to be a bowl of October Ale, and threw it on the flames, which went down considerably.
He then grabbed a cup of what appeared to be dirty water and threw it so as to finish off the flames.
The fat mouse watched, as, astonishingly, a rat with an eye patch and a purple tunic took out the fire in his kitchen in mere seconds. The rat then turned to him and asked "Ya got any food I can take to my quarters?"
The mouse nodded, too shocked to speak, and grabbed a bowl, filled it with Shrimp n' Hotroot Soup, and asked "What would you like to drink?"
"Anything you deem appropriate." Was all the rat replied with.
The mouse then decided it was best if he gave the rat Strawberry Cordial, to help with the spiciness of the soup.
As the mouse gave the rat his foot on a tray, the rat asked "What's yer name?"
"Friar Hugo." The mouse cook said. And as the rat headed for the door he asked "And may I so bravely ask what your name is?"
The rat paused at the door. "Cluny." And he then headed for his quarters.
Friar Hugo was shocked. The very person that tried to kill him only a few nights ago saved his kitchen? Remarkable! He even used my tea to take out the fire! And as he started to slump against the wall of the kitchen, his assistant Queen Warbeak yelled across the kitchen "You might want to cook something before we run out of food, ya know!"