A young wildcat leaned her back against a rowan tree. It had been a long, hard day. She closed her eyes, although they were abruptly opened by a small furball slamming against her chest. "Mistah Wildcat!" said the furball.
"All right," she said. " Lets get things straight. One. I am a female wildcat. My name is Kyota. Two. Who are you?"
The mouselet said "Simeon."
"Three. Where are you from, and why aren't you there?" Kyota asked.
Simeon replied "I'm from Redwall, an' I'm campin' out, although I would like to go home… See that big rock over there?"
Kyota squinted her eyes. "Yes, I see it." she said.
"If you go north from there, you reach Redwall Abbey!" Simeon said.
"What do you mean by that?" Kyota asked.
"I was hoping that you would ask that! I want you to come with me to Redwall!" Simeon said.
It was total pandemonium in the Redwall kitchens. "Fetch me some meadowcream! I need some for the cake!" Friar Sal demanded.
"There is none!" cried Sister Ebony.
"Than make some more!" Friar Sal roared.
A deep baritone voice that could only belong to a mole drifted up to Sal's ears. "Zurr, Sal, thur be a wildcatter at the door wi' our young Simeon, burr aye!"
Cries of "Wildcat!" and "Oh, poor Simeon!" drifted around the kitchen. Sal drew attention to himself by rapping a ladle against a stovetop. "If everyone would just be quiet we could discuss what to do!"
There was a murmur around the kitchen help. Sal was normally quiet and unlike this. "I know there is a wildcat on the premises, but not all wildcats are evil! I say we let the wildcat in and give it a chance!" Sal exclaimed.
Everyone was silent as Sal turned around to greet the wildcat and Simeon.
Kyota was the first to see Sal. She nudged Simeon gently to wake him up. "Simeon! Is that one of your friends from the Abbey?" she asked the sleeping mouselet. Simeon opened his eyes. "Yes! That's Friar Sal! Sal! It's me, Simeon!" cried Simeon.
"Welcome back to Redwall Abbey, Simeon! Who's your new friend?" asked Sal.
"Her name is Kyota, an' she's a good wildcat!" replied Simeon.
"Well come on in!" Sal shouted back.
Kyota gasped. She had never seen anything so beautiful, so awesome, so… BIG! Sal laughed to himself. "You like our Great Hall?" Sal asked Kyota.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life!" Kyota said.
"You should see our dining room when there's a feast in it! Oh, yes, it slipped my mind! We're having a Great Feast tonight! Sal said.
"Just what is a 'Great Feast', anyways?" asked Kyota.
Simeon told her the answer. "A Great Feast is where everybeast comes to eat, an' drink, an' talk, and sing, an' dance sometimes, too!"
"Well spoken, youngling!" said a voice belonging to the badger mother, Wiona.
"Eeeee, I don't wanna baff! I don't wanna baff!" Simeon shrieked.
"Who said you were going to have a bath?" asked Wiona. "Although that isn't such a bad idea…"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee! Nononononononononono!!!!!! Don't' wanna baff!!!!!" Simeon cried.
Kyota rubbed a paw in her ear. "Simeon has a shrill little voice, doesn't he? I think if you throw him in the bath, he'll deafen the whole Abbey!" Kyota exclaimed.
Everyone laughed, including Simeon. "I 'ate to interrupt your jolly gigglefest, chums, but we need help in the kitchen, 'cause a cake won't bake itself, y'know!"
Kyota looked around. "Who said that?" she asked.
A lanky hare stepped out from behind the curtains. "I did, and m' name's Lepus Pleaides, at your service, marm!"
"It's very nice to meet you, Lepus! I would be honored if you let me help in the kitchen, although I have no idea how good I am in the kitchen, because I was never allowed in the kitchen when I was small…" said Kyota.
"Hmmmmm, we need all the help we can get, so I guess you can help. It might cause a bit of a problem, with you being a wildcat, y'know." Lepus said.
"Let's give it a try, though it might work out better if you told the kitchen helpers first." Kyota suggested
"Alrighty then, off to the kitchens we go!" said Lepus.
As it turned out, when Lepus told the kitchen workers beforehand that Kyota was good, and was going to help with the cake, she was excellent in the kitchen. Kyota even made the first layer of the cake herself!
At the Great Feast, there were so many cheeses, cordials, salads, ales, pasties, and everything else, that it took three tables to hold all the food and drink! The otters had made a huge pot of watershrimp and hotroot soup, and, of course, were the only ones who had more than one bowl of it. Kyota tried some watershrimp and hotroot soup, just to be polite, and ended up draining her goblet of strawberry cordial to cool her burning mouth.
After a good night's sleep, Kyota was ready to move on. As she was leaving, Simeon and Sal shouted their farewells. "A-bye!" Simeon shouted.
"Come back to the Abbey someday!" Sal shouted.
Kyota shouldered her provision sack. Now she had allies, if need be, but she mostly had friends for life.
"All right," she said. " Lets get things straight. One. I am a female wildcat. My name is Kyota. Two. Who are you?"
The mouselet said "Simeon."
"Three. Where are you from, and why aren't you there?" Kyota asked.
Simeon replied "I'm from Redwall, an' I'm campin' out, although I would like to go home… See that big rock over there?"
Kyota squinted her eyes. "Yes, I see it." she said.
"If you go north from there, you reach Redwall Abbey!" Simeon said.
"What do you mean by that?" Kyota asked.
"I was hoping that you would ask that! I want you to come with me to Redwall!" Simeon said.
It was total pandemonium in the Redwall kitchens. "Fetch me some meadowcream! I need some for the cake!" Friar Sal demanded.
"There is none!" cried Sister Ebony.
"Than make some more!" Friar Sal roared.
A deep baritone voice that could only belong to a mole drifted up to Sal's ears. "Zurr, Sal, thur be a wildcatter at the door wi' our young Simeon, burr aye!"
Cries of "Wildcat!" and "Oh, poor Simeon!" drifted around the kitchen. Sal drew attention to himself by rapping a ladle against a stovetop. "If everyone would just be quiet we could discuss what to do!"
There was a murmur around the kitchen help. Sal was normally quiet and unlike this. "I know there is a wildcat on the premises, but not all wildcats are evil! I say we let the wildcat in and give it a chance!" Sal exclaimed.
Everyone was silent as Sal turned around to greet the wildcat and Simeon.
Kyota was the first to see Sal. She nudged Simeon gently to wake him up. "Simeon! Is that one of your friends from the Abbey?" she asked the sleeping mouselet. Simeon opened his eyes. "Yes! That's Friar Sal! Sal! It's me, Simeon!" cried Simeon.
"Welcome back to Redwall Abbey, Simeon! Who's your new friend?" asked Sal.
"Her name is Kyota, an' she's a good wildcat!" replied Simeon.
"Well come on in!" Sal shouted back.
Kyota gasped. She had never seen anything so beautiful, so awesome, so… BIG! Sal laughed to himself. "You like our Great Hall?" Sal asked Kyota.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life!" Kyota said.
"You should see our dining room when there's a feast in it! Oh, yes, it slipped my mind! We're having a Great Feast tonight! Sal said.
"Just what is a 'Great Feast', anyways?" asked Kyota.
Simeon told her the answer. "A Great Feast is where everybeast comes to eat, an' drink, an' talk, and sing, an' dance sometimes, too!"
"Well spoken, youngling!" said a voice belonging to the badger mother, Wiona.
"Eeeee, I don't wanna baff! I don't wanna baff!" Simeon shrieked.
"Who said you were going to have a bath?" asked Wiona. "Although that isn't such a bad idea…"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee! Nononononononononono!!!!!! Don't' wanna baff!!!!!" Simeon cried.
Kyota rubbed a paw in her ear. "Simeon has a shrill little voice, doesn't he? I think if you throw him in the bath, he'll deafen the whole Abbey!" Kyota exclaimed.
Everyone laughed, including Simeon. "I 'ate to interrupt your jolly gigglefest, chums, but we need help in the kitchen, 'cause a cake won't bake itself, y'know!"
Kyota looked around. "Who said that?" she asked.
A lanky hare stepped out from behind the curtains. "I did, and m' name's Lepus Pleaides, at your service, marm!"
"It's very nice to meet you, Lepus! I would be honored if you let me help in the kitchen, although I have no idea how good I am in the kitchen, because I was never allowed in the kitchen when I was small…" said Kyota.
"Hmmmmm, we need all the help we can get, so I guess you can help. It might cause a bit of a problem, with you being a wildcat, y'know." Lepus said.
"Let's give it a try, though it might work out better if you told the kitchen helpers first." Kyota suggested
"Alrighty then, off to the kitchens we go!" said Lepus.
As it turned out, when Lepus told the kitchen workers beforehand that Kyota was good, and was going to help with the cake, she was excellent in the kitchen. Kyota even made the first layer of the cake herself!
At the Great Feast, there were so many cheeses, cordials, salads, ales, pasties, and everything else, that it took three tables to hold all the food and drink! The otters had made a huge pot of watershrimp and hotroot soup, and, of course, were the only ones who had more than one bowl of it. Kyota tried some watershrimp and hotroot soup, just to be polite, and ended up draining her goblet of strawberry cordial to cool her burning mouth.
After a good night's sleep, Kyota was ready to move on. As she was leaving, Simeon and Sal shouted their farewells. "A-bye!" Simeon shouted.
"Come back to the Abbey someday!" Sal shouted.
Kyota shouldered her provision sack. Now she had allies, if need be, but she mostly had friends for life.