Disclaimer: Redwall is not mine, but these characters are! The poem in this is what took so long. Never was too clever with poems. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews!
The scene the hares arrived upon was bustling and full of otters. The outside appeared only as a rise in the ground. But following the small path alongside the River Moss, they entered into a vast cavern, hewn by many paws. They had to follow the wall for a short distance – the main of the front of the cavern was shallow water, a part of the river. But the cavern in back was dry and warm with a floor of soft sand.
"Eclipse, matey, you made it! And look, you managed to bring all the guests this time!" came Rush's voice. He came forward, wearing a powdery apron, dusting his hands off on it. "Welcome, mates, dinner'll be ready shortly, though you'll have to fight your way through many a hungry otter to get to the soup first. But there's plenty o'other stuff as well, fresh spring salad, newly cured cheese, loaves of bread straight from the oven, and plenty of stuff to wash it down."
The hares were greeted heartily by the otters that were presently there, a good number of them. A personal tour was given to each, showing the new arrivals the expanse of the caverns. Eclipse managed to slip away from the group and took up a spot near the kitchens. By the time the guests were properly introduced and shown around, the sound of a triangle rang out, announcing dinner. Eclipse, conveniently close to the tables already, was first in line. Silver, who wasn't to be left out of a meal at any costs, was right behind her, followed by a crowd of otters and the rest of the Long Patrol.
"Say, what exactly is hotroot soup?" Silver asked, filling a plate with the various things that the otters offered. His plate was soon heaped high with salad, bread, cheese, and fruit. A bowl of the famous otter soup topped it off.
"It's a concoction of hotroot spice, shrimp, and a few other things that I never could remember. It's hot, to say the least," was Eclipse's nonchalant reply. Like any hare, Eclipse highly valued her food, but was not as zealous as some of the others. She took a seat at the large table that had been set out for the inhabitants and didn't appear perturbed in the least as Silver sat besides her. The food was eaten in an atmosphere of laughter, toasts, many, many conversations, and good company; dinner lasted quite awhile. Even Eclipse seemed to loose some of her dour attitude. She was obviously relaxed in the company of the otters – and the food – and even answered a few of Silver's questions concerning the Holt.
After dinner was finished, the tables were cleared and moved and a great fire was started. Many otters gathered around, chatted, and enjoyed company. Two otter maids stood up, amid cheers, and bowed to each other before beginning in song, each taking a verse.
Down to the river went I,
To watch the summer pass by,
Run river, run, through the woods,
Hum day lee lo day lee li.
The day was colored sky blue,
A deep magnificent hue,
Fly day, fly, give way to night,
Hum day lee lo day lee lue.
Fireflies dance as they may,
To and fro they go in play,
Dance fireflies, dance, till dawn,
Hum day lee lo day lee lay.
Flowers of many gloss do bloom,
In meadows, with sweet perfume,
Open flowers, open, please,
Hum day le lo day lee loom.
Come sit with me upon the grass,
Moving with a graceful chasse,
Sing grass, sing, better than gold,
Hum day le lo day lee lass.
We'll spend the summer this way,
Never to mourn the past day,
Happy, be happy, my love,
Hum day le lo day lee lay!
More songs were sung and after a time, the majority departed, to sleep before the next day. Those that were left, a few otters, Eclipse, and the Long Patrol, relaxed in the dying fire, enjoying the silence.
After a moment, Eclipse got up, bent to give the elderly otter she sat by a light kiss on the head and started off, "I'll be outside if you need me, Marm." With that, Eclipse exited the cavern and disappeared around the bend.
"Odd one, that gel," Thistle mused, watching her leave.
"She's got right enough reason t'be, sir," the elderly otter piped up. "Pore Eclipse hasn't had the easiest of lives, not by a long shot, I reckon."
"How so, Piper?" questioned Brady, attention centered upon the otterwife.
"Well, it's a bit of a tale and shouldn't be told otherwise. I'll keep it as short as possible though," Piper said, settling back against the wall, crossing her paws over her chest, staring into the fire.
"Long ago, there was a camp o'sorts upriver, the Beechbroad Home, as I remember, it was called. Two hares, Captain Laurel Beechbroad and his wife Delilah set I up. Laurel was once a member of the Long Patrol, as I recall. T'wasn't a bit place, really, just a few homes set up with a wall to protect the inhabitants from unwanted visitors. A few other hares, a few squirrels, and I think a family of moles lived there with Laurel and his family. They had leverets, four of them, lived quite happily. We'd visit on occasion, Marm Delilah could make some of the best fritters I've e'er had."
"Well, one season, fall as I remember, we were at the Home and a Long Patrol runner came in. He said something about a band of foxes, lead by Blackfang the Vicious, in the area and to be careful. But the Patrol was on their trail and the path they were following wasn't heading anywhere near the river. The hare took off, to warn others, I suppose, and we didn't think much of it, save to keep an eye on the surrounding woodlands. The protection of the Long Patrol was something to be reckoned with, after all. I'm not sure on the details, and Eclipse has only told us what she remembers once. I shan't repeat them," Piper paused, closing her eyes and sighing.
"We came back for a visit three days later and found the Home in ruins. It was burnt to the ground, almost completely, and the bodies…" Piper choked but waved off assistance. "We buried those that we could find. The horde of Blackfang had found the Home and destroyed it. We found Eclipse when we were about to leave, huddled in the crook of a tree nearby, shivering. She was wounded something terrible, but alive, if barely so. We took her with us and cared for her, but it looked bleak. The winter wasn't harsh, if it had been, well, I don't think she'd be here today."
"She survived the horrific wounds and grew…but it was many long seasons before she talked. We called her Eclipse, because of the markings on her face, since we didn't know her real name. When she finally did talk, she told us what had happened. The name her parents gave her was Moonlight Larkspur Beechbroad, but she preferred Eclipse. Poor darlin'…ever since then, she's been out, hunting down vermin. She's very good at it, alas…" Piper ended, sighing again, lifting a paw to wipe a tear away.
"She's been my daughter, ever since we found her, and she's been the only one I have, ever since my mate was killed a few seasons ago. She should have lived a normal life, but things don't work out for all of us like they should. I'm off to bed, mates, make yourselves at home, you know where to go when you're ready to sleep," Piper said, standing up with the help of Rush near her. "If you're off to Redwall," she said, pausing, "The lands between here and there have grown treacherous of late…Eclipse an' Rush here can lead you through, if you're willing to accept their help."
"Thank ye, Marm, the help would be most appreciated," Brady replied graciously.
As Piper walked off, Rush shook his head, "Eclipse isn't going to like this much, but I suppose it'll be good for her to get out of here for a bit. Think a bit of the legendary Redwall fare an' fun would do her good, right mates?" Rush clapped his paws together and rubbed them. "So, who's up to a bit of confrontation? Don't want to be out there, giving 'er this news alone." He looked towards Silver, grinning, "You look like you could use some fresh air, mate, come on out." With that, Rush strode out, following the same path that Eclipse had.
Silver looked to Brady, who nodded. With look that plainly said 'why me', he got up and followed Rush out.