The raven miraculously awoke the next day, but Tallulah mad sure she wasn't there to see it. Instead, she took a late breakfast out to the orchard. She was halfway through it when a nervous giggle and whispering came from a bush a few yards away. She looked up to see a small paw drag a small squirrel tail into the bush. From deep inside the shrubbery she caught the gleam of three pairs of eyes.
"Hello, little ones," she called, voice calm and warm.

More rustling and whispers.
Tallulah sighed- she knew the Dibbuns both feared and were fascinated with her. They'd never seen anybeast like her, of course, but they'd seen pictures of foxes, and she looked enough like one... They'd heard enough stories to know to fear her- and it didn't help that their sitters kept them far away from Tallulah at all times.
She called out again, voice as kind and soft as she could make it. "There's no reason to be afraid."

More whispers, but no Dibbuns.
They'd probably gotten away from the rest of their group- their sitter would be worried. She would have to take them back. But she'd never be able to do that if they were too scared to come near her. She glanced down at her plate, an idea growing. They couldn't be afraid of something that made them laugh.
She took a winter apple off the plate, cupping it in her palm. She called out one last time, louder than before.
"Little ones! Don't be afraid- come have a snack with me." She held up the apple. "It's really good!"

Sure that she had their undivided attention, Tallulah sank her fangs deep into the apple. Juice ran into her mouth- she sucked it dry, then tried to pry her teeth out of the fruit. Just as she'd hoped, both her lower and upper teeth were firmly stuck in the apple's flesh.
She made a big show of trying- and failing- to pull it off her teeth. "It'sh shtuck!" she announced, causing a flurry of giggles from the bushes. She played her card. "Will 'ou come ou' an' 'elp me?"

A flurry and whispers, then a rustle of leaves and a little otter stepped out. He bravely padded up to Tallulah, fearlessly placing himself in her lap. "You big sillybeast- you gotcher mouf stuckered."

Tallulah did her best to smile around the apple. "Wha' you' name?"

He jerked a thumb at his chest. "I bees Barid."

She looked over to the bush. "Will you' frien's come ou'?"

He cupped his little paws around his muzzle and called to the bush. "Arma, Tol, you can come out now! The foxy's nice!"

A little red-furred squirrelmaid popped out of the bush, then bent in half to peer back in. "Come on, Tolus!"

A tiny voice squeaked inside the bush. "No. I scared."
Barid added, "She won't hurtcha- I won't let 'er!"
The little maid was having none of it. She reached in an arm and dragged a tiny mouse out by his tail. Tallulah's heart went out to the little mouse- he was so much smaller than his friends, he looked almost stunted. But besides his size was his fear. His whole body trembled with it, his eyes wide and paws clutching eachother, ears flat back and quivering. Tallulah wanted to pick him up, gather him into a warm embrace and calm him down. But the knowledge that she was what he was scared of hurt, and she didn't want to scare him any further.

The little squirrelmaid was more sympathetic than the otter had been, commenting as she clambered up to perch on Tallulah's shoulders and tug on her ears.
"Poor foxy. How you's bee eaten now?"

Tallulah cringed at being called a fox, but knew it would be too difficult to explain her species with an apple in her mouth. She just dipped her head and tried to say, "Wha' you' namesh?"

Barid tugged the mouse closer. "He's Tolus. He don't talk a lot."

The squirrelmaid tugged on Tallulah's big ears. "I be Arm- Ama- Amri-" She made an exasperated noise. Barid giggled and Tolus supplied the proper name in a whisper. "Armarie."

Armarie nodded. "But ev'beast call me Armie. What you's name?"

Tallulah had a similar struggle, trying to pronounce her name around the apple. "'Awuwah. Will 'ou help me?"

Armarie poked the apple, announcing, "It stuckered good."

Barid shrugged. "We not know how to get it unstuckered. Not never gonna eat no more."

Tolus squeaked out a suggestion. "Maybes a Friar knows how?"

Tallulah nodded, mumbling around the apple, "Yessh. We'll go 'oo shee kitchensh."
She stood, and on her shoulders Armarie gripped her large ears. Barid and Tolus took her paws, and off they went.

The Friar laughed at the strange foursome that entered his kitchens. "W-what have we here?" he asked, one paw on his jiggling belly.

Armarie didn't find anything too funny about Tallulah's predicament. "She got her teefs stuckered inna apple."

Tallulah smiled apologetically at the Friar. He laughed all the harder, calling into the crowded kitchen, "Hahaha! L-Ly-Lyxa! Come help th-hihihis poor maid! I'm lau-ahahaha- laughing to hahaha-hard!"

Lyxa came through the kitchens, creatures moving out of her path. She wiped her paws on her large apron, almost laughing herself as she examined Tallulah and her followers. Pushing the merriment aside, she beckoned Tallulah to sit on a nearby stool. After helping the eager Dibbun trio onto the counter where they could watch, Lyxa found a small, dull knife. She steadied her paw and began carving the apple away bit by bit, pausing to warn the Dibbuns, "Don't you ever try doing this yourselves."

They nodded, leaning forward to watch the procedure. Lyxa went back to carving.
Halfway through the apple, Kramer walked in. "Hey, Lyxa, Kraai the raven wants to know- are you cutting Tallulah's tongue out?!"

The badgermaid jumped at the sudden intrusion and jerked back. She took a breath, then mock-scowled at Kramer. "I almost did, you startled me so bad."

Kramer flicked his tail. "What are you doing?"

"She got her fangs stuck in this apple," Lyxa explained, resuming her carving. "What were you saying?"

The Singer squirrel took a seat beside Tallulah. "Oh, that. Kraai the raven wants to look at the food storage."

Lyxa cast him a questioning look. "Why would the bird want to know that?"

Kramer shrugged. "I dunno. He's already looked over the gardens and the pond, and I've had to help give him a tour of the Abbey- even the attics."

Lyxa had finally carved enough away that Tallulah could remove the apple. She worked her over-stretched jaw. "I thought he was injured?"

"Not really- his wing's sore from fallin' on it."

Lyxa put the knife to the side, away from the Dibbuns. "So why did he fall?"

Kramer shrugged again, repeating, "I dunno."

Tallulah gave one final yawn, noticing how Armarie and Barid seemed interested with her long fangs, and how Tolus seemed scared, but still curious in spite of his fear. She glanced from Lyxa to Kramer. "You guys, I of all beasts know not to judge by apperance, but this raven... I've been getting a bad feeling whenever I'm near him."

Lyxa seemed seriously concerned, taking her friend's input seriously. "What kind of bad?"

Tallulah shrugged. "Just... the air around him just feels wrong, somehow."

Lyxa ran her paw over her stripes, narrowing dark brown eyes. "We'll keep an eye on him."