The chilling whistle of autumn wind swirled around Redwall Abbey in the
fading dusk, searching out cracks and crevices in the old redstone of the
building. Nobeast stirred outside, only the leaves felt the wind. Inside
the Abbey, oblivous to the early breath of an approaching winter, a Nameday
Feast was being held. The fires and lights glowed cheerfully as tables were
set with the most delicous foods that stunned many a beast. Breads,
cheeses, flans, turnovers, trifles, pasties, pies, cakes, soups and
beverages of all varities lay tempting the creatures as The Father Abbot
said the prayer of thanks.
Once the prayer had come to a close, the silence was broken by many happy shouts as mice, squirrels, moles, hedgehogs, otters, hares, shrews, and the odd badger or so set to the food with a will. If one was to enter the Great Hall at first, he would not have been able to distingush any beast from any other. But as beasts shuffled around, occiasonly changing a seat here or there, he would have noticed one particular group of friends that shared a table.
There was a bright-eyed hedgehog maid drinking raspberry cordial who was said to be Redwall's champion riddle-solver, Brinny. Also sharing the table were two slightly lanky young hares with old coloring, one black (Poppy) and one white (Trollers). And finally Rufflebrush the squirrel, the queit one.
"I say, old chap, you aren't going to eat that pastie? Mayhap I can rescue it, wot wot?" said Trollers through a mouthful of bread and cheese. "What? Oh, you can have it." Murmured Rufflebrush half-heartedly, who had left his pastie virtually untouched and was playing with his watershrimp and hotroot soup, tipping the spoon so that the soup slowly dripped back into it's own bowl. He didn't even bat an eyelash when the pastie mysterious dissapeared and reappeared and Trollers' mouth. Brinny looked up. She'd been having a laugh with Poppy when she was distracted by her friend squirrel's gloomy behaivor. "Rufflebrush, anything the matter?" "No, nothing." Came the moody reply. Brinny deceided she'd talk to Rufflebrush later. "Okay, but liven up a bit, it's a feast day Ruffy!" she said, calling him by his dibbun nickname. "Really, Ruffy, letting that glutton Trollers steal your pastie!" mock- chided Poppy. Trollers gave an offended sniff. "I haven't eaten half as much as you, you'll eat till you bally well explode!"
The night dwindled on in a blur of food and merriment, and beasts left in ones and twos. Brinny clunked down her goblet one last time, to find that she and her friends were practically alone. "Maybe it's time we went to bed?" she suggested, getting up. The friends looked up and followed her lead. "Top hole, absoultely capitol idea." Trollers said, agreeing. "I do need my beauty rest." Chimed in Poppy. "Beauty rest?" Trollers laughed, stopping at the stairs because he was shaking with mirth. "Oh, spiffin' wheeze! Whoohoohoohoo!" He said, laughing. Poppy gave him a playful shove. "Oh stow it and go to bed. Don't wake everyone up with your snores you rip, whoohoohoohoo!" Brinny grinned watching her hare friends retreat out of sight.
Rufflebrush roused as Brinny shook him gently he had been gently snoozing, a cheek agianst his plate. "I can see you need to get to bed, dozytail." Rufflebrush rubbed him eyes and yawned as the hedgehog maid took him by the paw and lead him slowly to the dormitories. "C'mon Ruffy. What's the matter? You were the slightest bit gloomy today and don't think I didn't notice it-"
"A ferry."
"A what?" Brinny pulled him over into her room. The white silk curtains billowed with the night wind and the room was filled with a bluish glow. She sat on her bed unceramionsly, and stared at Ruffy. "A what?" she repeated.
"A ferry. Wouldn't it be so grand, to have a little ferry boat, painted light green? I'd spend my days on it, cooking acorn pancakes with maple syrup, and singing shanties. all by my lonesome, except of course when I was needed as a ferrier. Yes, that's what I want to be. A ferry-squirrell."
Brinny stared even harder, if that was possible. "A. ferry? You can't be serious. But you're a squirell. squirells are famous for being tree- lovers." "Oh, I knew you'd say that. Everyone always does. What's wrong with being a ferry-squirell?" he moaned. "No matter. I'm going to leave tomorrow night and prove everyone wrong."
Brinny was stunned. This was ridiculous. But as the seconds ticked by and her friend said nothing more, she realized Rufflebrush was dead serious. She stared at the the fluttering curtians. "So you are serious?.Really?.. You really wanna be a ferry-squirrel?"
Rufflebrush blinked slowly. "Yes. You know I wouldn't. play about this. I'm always serious about my dreams."
Brinny looked into his eyes. "But. that would take you away from the Abbey. I thought you loved Redwall."
Rufflebrush sat by her. Brinny looked away. "I do. But Martin told me."
The prickles on Brinny's back rose. "Martin? The Warrior of Redwall talked to you?" her voice squeked. "Why didn't you just tell me that?! What happened?"
There was a long pause. Silence greeted her. She turned her face back around to the outrageous squirrel. Rufflebrush was gently snoozing on her bed, fast asleep.
Once the prayer had come to a close, the silence was broken by many happy shouts as mice, squirrels, moles, hedgehogs, otters, hares, shrews, and the odd badger or so set to the food with a will. If one was to enter the Great Hall at first, he would not have been able to distingush any beast from any other. But as beasts shuffled around, occiasonly changing a seat here or there, he would have noticed one particular group of friends that shared a table.
There was a bright-eyed hedgehog maid drinking raspberry cordial who was said to be Redwall's champion riddle-solver, Brinny. Also sharing the table were two slightly lanky young hares with old coloring, one black (Poppy) and one white (Trollers). And finally Rufflebrush the squirrel, the queit one.
"I say, old chap, you aren't going to eat that pastie? Mayhap I can rescue it, wot wot?" said Trollers through a mouthful of bread and cheese. "What? Oh, you can have it." Murmured Rufflebrush half-heartedly, who had left his pastie virtually untouched and was playing with his watershrimp and hotroot soup, tipping the spoon so that the soup slowly dripped back into it's own bowl. He didn't even bat an eyelash when the pastie mysterious dissapeared and reappeared and Trollers' mouth. Brinny looked up. She'd been having a laugh with Poppy when she was distracted by her friend squirrel's gloomy behaivor. "Rufflebrush, anything the matter?" "No, nothing." Came the moody reply. Brinny deceided she'd talk to Rufflebrush later. "Okay, but liven up a bit, it's a feast day Ruffy!" she said, calling him by his dibbun nickname. "Really, Ruffy, letting that glutton Trollers steal your pastie!" mock- chided Poppy. Trollers gave an offended sniff. "I haven't eaten half as much as you, you'll eat till you bally well explode!"
The night dwindled on in a blur of food and merriment, and beasts left in ones and twos. Brinny clunked down her goblet one last time, to find that she and her friends were practically alone. "Maybe it's time we went to bed?" she suggested, getting up. The friends looked up and followed her lead. "Top hole, absoultely capitol idea." Trollers said, agreeing. "I do need my beauty rest." Chimed in Poppy. "Beauty rest?" Trollers laughed, stopping at the stairs because he was shaking with mirth. "Oh, spiffin' wheeze! Whoohoohoohoo!" He said, laughing. Poppy gave him a playful shove. "Oh stow it and go to bed. Don't wake everyone up with your snores you rip, whoohoohoohoo!" Brinny grinned watching her hare friends retreat out of sight.
Rufflebrush roused as Brinny shook him gently he had been gently snoozing, a cheek agianst his plate. "I can see you need to get to bed, dozytail." Rufflebrush rubbed him eyes and yawned as the hedgehog maid took him by the paw and lead him slowly to the dormitories. "C'mon Ruffy. What's the matter? You were the slightest bit gloomy today and don't think I didn't notice it-"
"A ferry."
"A what?" Brinny pulled him over into her room. The white silk curtains billowed with the night wind and the room was filled with a bluish glow. She sat on her bed unceramionsly, and stared at Ruffy. "A what?" she repeated.
"A ferry. Wouldn't it be so grand, to have a little ferry boat, painted light green? I'd spend my days on it, cooking acorn pancakes with maple syrup, and singing shanties. all by my lonesome, except of course when I was needed as a ferrier. Yes, that's what I want to be. A ferry-squirrell."
Brinny stared even harder, if that was possible. "A. ferry? You can't be serious. But you're a squirell. squirells are famous for being tree- lovers." "Oh, I knew you'd say that. Everyone always does. What's wrong with being a ferry-squirell?" he moaned. "No matter. I'm going to leave tomorrow night and prove everyone wrong."
Brinny was stunned. This was ridiculous. But as the seconds ticked by and her friend said nothing more, she realized Rufflebrush was dead serious. She stared at the the fluttering curtians. "So you are serious?.Really?.. You really wanna be a ferry-squirrel?"
Rufflebrush blinked slowly. "Yes. You know I wouldn't. play about this. I'm always serious about my dreams."
Brinny looked into his eyes. "But. that would take you away from the Abbey. I thought you loved Redwall."
Rufflebrush sat by her. Brinny looked away. "I do. But Martin told me."
The prickles on Brinny's back rose. "Martin? The Warrior of Redwall talked to you?" her voice squeked. "Why didn't you just tell me that?! What happened?"
There was a long pause. Silence greeted her. She turned her face back around to the outrageous squirrel. Rufflebrush was gently snoozing on her bed, fast asleep.