The tranquil night sky, illuminated by a golden moon, hovered over the vast fields of snow, untrodden upon by stray footpaws. Trees seemed to reach out, grasping at the raw night air as the ice formed thick and strong on the Abbey pond. All were silent in their slumber inside the Abbey. Perhaps it was the cold, the fact that it had come so fast, and abbey goers bustled about trying to ready themselves for winter. Perhaps it had made them weary, running up and down the Abbey stairs. Now the stairs were empty. All was quiet. Even Friar Bondo, whose breathy snores could be usually heard throughout the abbey, had gone strangely silent.

By God, he wasn't going to destroy that. That was for sure.

Turning away from the abbey walls, the lonely figure turned and trod away, off through the snow, out into the woods, until he vanished from sight.

Parri saw. No one else did. Just me and Parri. But Parri wasn't talking. And I wasn't either.

***

"Quiet down, all you young 'uns" said Bryar. "Quiet down now, or I'll roast yer tails and have em for supper,"

The large crowd of dibbuns quieted down. The large hare, shocked at their obedience, fought for words.

"Erm, I guess ..." said Bryar, scratching his tall ears. "I guess we can go outside and play."

The large crowd cheered. Dibbuns love nothing more than fresh snow. No cares, no worries. That is the way of the dibbun, all play and no responsibility. I could see why Pari hated them. He had told me so, before the accident. How he would sit and watch the dibbuns play on the steps, and hoped that they would fall. 'Chip a tooth. Give them worries.' he had said 'Give them something to think about other than stuffing their faces and playing.' I never knew if his feelings had changed since than. Mine hadn't not one bit.

"Ah, there you are. Come here Deltar, I have a chore for you."

Play stupid. "Me, Sir?" I said innocently to Bryar. "Are you calling me or Pari?"

"Both of you can do this" he said, pointing toward the dibbuns. "Make sure that they stay out of trouble. Keep them off the pond."

"Yes sir." I said, faking a smile. That idiot hare always had me and Pari doing little errands for him. Fetch him this, fetch him that, like his own little slaves.

"Chip a tooth." I whispered to Pari. He nodded. Poor Pari. He wasn't the same since the accident.

We plodded through the snow, knee high on us, but over waist deep to the dibbuns.They frolicked and played, all smiles of baby teeth and gums. No brains, not one grain of one out of the lot of them.

You two. Over here. I have something for you.

I grasped my own hand and ignored it. Whatever it was, it wasn't talking to me. I had my back to the fence, anyway. An outsider couldn't get in. If there was one thing good about this damned abbey, it was security.

You. Mouse in the green robe.

Something tapped me on my back.

Don't be afraid. I have a question.

I could have run. But I didn't. We were outsiders, like him. Outcasts of the abbey. I turned around. Good. I have a preposition.