The Heart of Noonvale
Chapter 1
Bluebell was a hare with slightly bluish fur, and the captain of the
Long Patrol. At the moment she was carrying a small green sack, with
the handle of a sword sticking out of the top and an important message
inside, as she walked along the dirt road leading to Redwall Abbey.
Her large feet thwacked along.
Bluebell was very hungry, though it had been not two hours
since her last meal. But she was a hare, after all.
"Oh, well, la-de-da!" she exclaimed upon discovering some wild
berries. "This is nice! Some fruit t'tide me over! Well, I'm glad
nobeast is here to witness this lovely hare scoff some well-earned
vittles!"
As she reached out to pluck the berries off the bush, she
heard a scream: "YAAAAAAAGH!!! INTRUDER!!!!!!!"
Bluebell was yanked into the bush and ordered to surrender by
a group of angry shrews.
"Why, you're nothing but a band o' bally shrews!" she cried in
exasperation. "What would I have to do with you chaps?"
"Beasts like you are stealing our food!" yelled a small shrew.
"Nobody steals from the Guosim!"
"The Guwot?" said Bluebell, fiddling with her ears.
"Guosim! Oh, has nobeast heard of us nowadays? The Guerilla
Union of Shrews in Mossflower!!!"
"Oh, well, you don't have to yell," said Bluebell. "I'm off to
Redwall Abbey. T'see the h'Abbot, if ya must know."
"Redwall Abbey!"
"She must be some good!"
"What fools we were!"
"Oh, don't worry," said Bluebell with a chuckle. "I've been a
fool m'self sometimes. Just let me pass and take some berries, would
you?"
They did.
Meanwhile, at the Abbey, a small hedgehog (not a Dibbun--he was small
but older than you imagine) named Grunn Softspikes sat down and
started writing. He didn't know what he was writing, but he did
anyway.
When he had finished, he stopped and stared at what he had
recorded.
Take the one whose aim and heart are true
Help a lord, he will be kind to you.
Find a hare with coloured fur
And the mouse whose running makes him a blur.
And the good-hearted enemy will see I
And will lead you to the cat that cries.
A knock on the door interupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
A young squirrel with a food platter stumbled in backwards,
assisted by two mice.
"Steady there, Ferrie..."
"...y'don't want to trip!"
Ferrie giggled. "Mister Abbot Grunn, sah, got some grub for
yah. These two rascals kindly assisted me."
The hedgehog Abbot smiled. "Thank you, Ferrie and Sam and
Daniard." The two mice saluted smartly and ran off, Sam struggling
to match Daniard's quick pace. Ferrie was about to walk away when the
Abbot added, "Ferrie, stay here, please."
"Sure thing, Mister Abbot, sah. Wotcha want?"
"Come look at this."
Ferrie sauntered over and looked over the piece of parchment
once, then twice.
"My, my," she muttered. "This beats all! With all due respect,
Abbot, sah, how'd y'ever dream this up and wot does it mean?"
"I have no idea, and I was wondering if you knew."
"Not really. Mebbe Miz Runa knows. She's been around for quite
a long time, eh!"
"Well then, go fetch Runa, please, and tell her I sent you."
"Sure thing, Mister Abbot sah," said Ferrie, and she ran off.
Grunn shook his head as he ate. He was a bit worried about
that Ferrie. A squirrel who spoke like a hare! Now that, thought Grunn
to himself, beats all.
Kira walked slowly along the path, adjusting his hood and making sure
it hid his ears.
Kira was a fox, but he wanted to reform. So he was travelling
to Mossflower Woods, wearing a long robe that disguised his seemingly
sinister form.
Behind him he heard a hare's voice as it walked by, singing
happily. He also heard the feet whacking along in time.
"O lackaday, wot I wouldn't do,
For a bowl o' my dear ole auntie's stew!
When it's scoffed wit' carrots'n pudden'n pie,
Tis marvellous! But alas, I'll die
'Coz I'm stranded here, a pretty hare
But I won't die wit'out a caaare!"
Kira resisted the urge to use his stolen shrew-rapier on this
unsuspecting hare, and silently wept instead. This would've been a
prime position for any vermin wanting to take a slave.
He heard the hare cry, "Oi, a suspicious beast!" The footsteps
behind him quickened.
"Oho!" cried the hare, catching up to Kira. He saw it was
female. "And wot's your business, sah?"
The fox gritted his teeth. "I'm heading for Redwall Abbey!" he
said in a bright, fake voice.
"Oi! That's where I'm 'eaded too, to give the h'Abbot a
message. Small world, wot?"
"No kidding," said Kira. "Would you like to travel with me?
I'm sure we'd make a great pair!"
"Hmmm." The hare sat down to think. "Why are you goin'? Ya
wagin' war or somethin'?"
Kira reached inside his cloak and pulled out a large bag of
sugared berries. "I have to give these to the Redwallers--but oh dear,
what if they don't like it? After all, it must pale in comparison to
the great Abbey feasts...and I have such a small appetite, I couldn't
finish them off all by m'self..."
The hare jumped up. "Say no more, sah! Name's Bluebell. Wot's
yours?"
Kira paused. His band of renegade foxes had been notorious
around the Salamandastron area, and he had been captain. He didn't
want Bluebell to warn everyone in the area and have him killed.
"My name," he said, "is Dennon."
"Jolly well pleased t'meetcha, Dennon! Now, how about those
berries?"
Kira/Dennon laughed. "Patience, patience, Bluebell. We have to
see if the Abbot likes them first!"
"I hope 'e does, considerin' you're such a nice fellow, but I
hope 'e doesn't, too, so I could polish 'em off for ya!" Bluebell
grinned.
"We'll see, we'll see."
Ferrie clambered up onto the wall of Redwall Abbey facing a
dirt path leading into Mossflower Woods. Her keen eyes scanned the
area as her paws prepared to load her bow. She thought she saw two
figures on the horizon...
"Hoi, Miz Furrie, wotcha doin' up thurr?" said a voice from
beneath her.
"Yah, and wit' a full quiver o' arrows, too!" added another
voice.
"Jes' lookin', mister Foremole and mister Skipper, sahs," said
Ferrie, jumping off the wall. "And wot're you doin'?"
"Moiself an Hurroo an miz Runa 'ave been a-bakin' sum deeper
'n ever poi! Largest one in th'records!" said the Foremole.
"Mmmm, sounds positively delicious, mister Foremole sah! And
wot have you been up to, Skipper? No good as usual?"
"Hah! I've been 'elpin Nunn Sof'spike and th'Dibbuns in th'
cellar. Made a mess o' 'im, those Dibbuns did!"
Ferrie giggled. "Oh dear, wot's the h'Abbot gonna say?"
"Hurr, 'e'll larf at 'is brother for sure!" said the Foremole.
"An' then we'll feed 'im some good ole hotroot soup and 'e'll
stop laughin'!" added Skipper, winking at the squirrel.
"I'll taste it for you first, sah!" said Ferrie.
"Come with us then!" said Skipper, and he took Ferrie's paw.
Together they walked into the Abbey, the Foremole close behind.
Ferrie smiled at the end result of her talk with the Skipper,
but wondered about those two in the distance. She felt a chill in her
spine. It made her feel colder than usual. Oh well, she thought, the
hotroot soup'll clear that up!
Chapter 1
Bluebell was a hare with slightly bluish fur, and the captain of the
Long Patrol. At the moment she was carrying a small green sack, with
the handle of a sword sticking out of the top and an important message
inside, as she walked along the dirt road leading to Redwall Abbey.
Her large feet thwacked along.
Bluebell was very hungry, though it had been not two hours
since her last meal. But she was a hare, after all.
"Oh, well, la-de-da!" she exclaimed upon discovering some wild
berries. "This is nice! Some fruit t'tide me over! Well, I'm glad
nobeast is here to witness this lovely hare scoff some well-earned
vittles!"
As she reached out to pluck the berries off the bush, she
heard a scream: "YAAAAAAAGH!!! INTRUDER!!!!!!!"
Bluebell was yanked into the bush and ordered to surrender by
a group of angry shrews.
"Why, you're nothing but a band o' bally shrews!" she cried in
exasperation. "What would I have to do with you chaps?"
"Beasts like you are stealing our food!" yelled a small shrew.
"Nobody steals from the Guosim!"
"The Guwot?" said Bluebell, fiddling with her ears.
"Guosim! Oh, has nobeast heard of us nowadays? The Guerilla
Union of Shrews in Mossflower!!!"
"Oh, well, you don't have to yell," said Bluebell. "I'm off to
Redwall Abbey. T'see the h'Abbot, if ya must know."
"Redwall Abbey!"
"She must be some good!"
"What fools we were!"
"Oh, don't worry," said Bluebell with a chuckle. "I've been a
fool m'self sometimes. Just let me pass and take some berries, would
you?"
They did.
Meanwhile, at the Abbey, a small hedgehog (not a Dibbun--he was small
but older than you imagine) named Grunn Softspikes sat down and
started writing. He didn't know what he was writing, but he did
anyway.
When he had finished, he stopped and stared at what he had
recorded.
Take the one whose aim and heart are true
Help a lord, he will be kind to you.
Find a hare with coloured fur
And the mouse whose running makes him a blur.
And the good-hearted enemy will see I
And will lead you to the cat that cries.
A knock on the door interupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
A young squirrel with a food platter stumbled in backwards,
assisted by two mice.
"Steady there, Ferrie..."
"...y'don't want to trip!"
Ferrie giggled. "Mister Abbot Grunn, sah, got some grub for
yah. These two rascals kindly assisted me."
The hedgehog Abbot smiled. "Thank you, Ferrie and Sam and
Daniard." The two mice saluted smartly and ran off, Sam struggling
to match Daniard's quick pace. Ferrie was about to walk away when the
Abbot added, "Ferrie, stay here, please."
"Sure thing, Mister Abbot, sah. Wotcha want?"
"Come look at this."
Ferrie sauntered over and looked over the piece of parchment
once, then twice.
"My, my," she muttered. "This beats all! With all due respect,
Abbot, sah, how'd y'ever dream this up and wot does it mean?"
"I have no idea, and I was wondering if you knew."
"Not really. Mebbe Miz Runa knows. She's been around for quite
a long time, eh!"
"Well then, go fetch Runa, please, and tell her I sent you."
"Sure thing, Mister Abbot sah," said Ferrie, and she ran off.
Grunn shook his head as he ate. He was a bit worried about
that Ferrie. A squirrel who spoke like a hare! Now that, thought Grunn
to himself, beats all.
Kira walked slowly along the path, adjusting his hood and making sure
it hid his ears.
Kira was a fox, but he wanted to reform. So he was travelling
to Mossflower Woods, wearing a long robe that disguised his seemingly
sinister form.
Behind him he heard a hare's voice as it walked by, singing
happily. He also heard the feet whacking along in time.
"O lackaday, wot I wouldn't do,
For a bowl o' my dear ole auntie's stew!
When it's scoffed wit' carrots'n pudden'n pie,
Tis marvellous! But alas, I'll die
'Coz I'm stranded here, a pretty hare
But I won't die wit'out a caaare!"
Kira resisted the urge to use his stolen shrew-rapier on this
unsuspecting hare, and silently wept instead. This would've been a
prime position for any vermin wanting to take a slave.
He heard the hare cry, "Oi, a suspicious beast!" The footsteps
behind him quickened.
"Oho!" cried the hare, catching up to Kira. He saw it was
female. "And wot's your business, sah?"
The fox gritted his teeth. "I'm heading for Redwall Abbey!" he
said in a bright, fake voice.
"Oi! That's where I'm 'eaded too, to give the h'Abbot a
message. Small world, wot?"
"No kidding," said Kira. "Would you like to travel with me?
I'm sure we'd make a great pair!"
"Hmmm." The hare sat down to think. "Why are you goin'? Ya
wagin' war or somethin'?"
Kira reached inside his cloak and pulled out a large bag of
sugared berries. "I have to give these to the Redwallers--but oh dear,
what if they don't like it? After all, it must pale in comparison to
the great Abbey feasts...and I have such a small appetite, I couldn't
finish them off all by m'self..."
The hare jumped up. "Say no more, sah! Name's Bluebell. Wot's
yours?"
Kira paused. His band of renegade foxes had been notorious
around the Salamandastron area, and he had been captain. He didn't
want Bluebell to warn everyone in the area and have him killed.
"My name," he said, "is Dennon."
"Jolly well pleased t'meetcha, Dennon! Now, how about those
berries?"
Kira/Dennon laughed. "Patience, patience, Bluebell. We have to
see if the Abbot likes them first!"
"I hope 'e does, considerin' you're such a nice fellow, but I
hope 'e doesn't, too, so I could polish 'em off for ya!" Bluebell
grinned.
"We'll see, we'll see."
Ferrie clambered up onto the wall of Redwall Abbey facing a
dirt path leading into Mossflower Woods. Her keen eyes scanned the
area as her paws prepared to load her bow. She thought she saw two
figures on the horizon...
"Hoi, Miz Furrie, wotcha doin' up thurr?" said a voice from
beneath her.
"Yah, and wit' a full quiver o' arrows, too!" added another
voice.
"Jes' lookin', mister Foremole and mister Skipper, sahs," said
Ferrie, jumping off the wall. "And wot're you doin'?"
"Moiself an Hurroo an miz Runa 'ave been a-bakin' sum deeper
'n ever poi! Largest one in th'records!" said the Foremole.
"Mmmm, sounds positively delicious, mister Foremole sah! And
wot have you been up to, Skipper? No good as usual?"
"Hah! I've been 'elpin Nunn Sof'spike and th'Dibbuns in th'
cellar. Made a mess o' 'im, those Dibbuns did!"
Ferrie giggled. "Oh dear, wot's the h'Abbot gonna say?"
"Hurr, 'e'll larf at 'is brother for sure!" said the Foremole.
"An' then we'll feed 'im some good ole hotroot soup and 'e'll
stop laughin'!" added Skipper, winking at the squirrel.
"I'll taste it for you first, sah!" said Ferrie.
"Come with us then!" said Skipper, and he took Ferrie's paw.
Together they walked into the Abbey, the Foremole close behind.
Ferrie smiled at the end result of her talk with the Skipper,
but wondered about those two in the distance. She felt a chill in her
spine. It made her feel colder than usual. Oh well, she thought, the
hotroot soup'll clear that up!