Chapter Seven: The Search and the Hole
Smidgum ran as fast as he could, deep into Mossflower, away from his leader.
"Darknose! Get in here, quickly!" Sunfluke was sitting in his tent, very angry that his scout had not come back. A light colored chipmunk with a black nose walked in. He saluted Sunfluke. "At ease, Darknose." The chipmunk slumped out of salute. "You are to take troops out looking for Smidgum. You remember him, right? The smart one?" Darknose nodded. "Good. He has not come back from his mission yet. I think he will not return, either. Choose your troops carefully. Don't want any traitors walking about with my best captain." He nodded, and Darknose left.
Riddum was awaken by frantic shaking. Emiley was standing aside his bed waking him. She had an urgent tone to her voice.
"Riddum! Get up! You must see this!" Riddum stumbled out of bed. He grabbed his tunic, and left the room to go change. The hare stood there, surprised that Riddum just got up without even saying a word. He came back a few moments later, like he had been awake for hours.
"So? What's so urgent?" Emiley looked really surprised at how he had changed in just a few minutes.
"Uh. Oh, yeah! There's a weird hole out there. And nobeast will go down it. It's really weird, 'cause no one heard a thing last night."
It suddenly came back to the young otter. He was in that hole last night! "I was there last night! A chipmunk named Smidgum said that he was carrying out orders for Sunfluke, Master of the Chipmunks. There was something on the wall, but I was too tired to realize what it was." A look of surprise came across Emiley's face.
"Come on, Riddum, you can go down there and get whatever it is on the wall!" The young hare pulled Riddum out of the little pond-side cottage.
All the creatures of the Abbey were all gathered around a hole. Emiley pulled Riddum to the front of the crowd.
"Hey everybody! Listen up! Riddum has some information about the hole!" Emiley's yells silenced the group pf woodlanders. "Take it away, Riddum." All eyes were on Riddum, but the only ones he noticed were those of Quince, his sister. He stood there for a long time, staring into the deadly eyes of his sister. "Riddum? Are you OK?" Emiley started poking him.
"Huh? Oh yah. Well, anyway, I was awoken last night by this weird sound." Riddum told his story of how he met Smidgum in the little chamber, and of how he would volunteer to go down there.
Darknose and his troop of chipmunks trekked through Mossflower Country. They traveled for the longest time. They encountered many obstacles, but none as complicated as the one they would encounter next.
Smidgum ran as fast as he could, deep into Mossflower, away from his leader.
"Darknose! Get in here, quickly!" Sunfluke was sitting in his tent, very angry that his scout had not come back. A light colored chipmunk with a black nose walked in. He saluted Sunfluke. "At ease, Darknose." The chipmunk slumped out of salute. "You are to take troops out looking for Smidgum. You remember him, right? The smart one?" Darknose nodded. "Good. He has not come back from his mission yet. I think he will not return, either. Choose your troops carefully. Don't want any traitors walking about with my best captain." He nodded, and Darknose left.
Riddum was awaken by frantic shaking. Emiley was standing aside his bed waking him. She had an urgent tone to her voice.
"Riddum! Get up! You must see this!" Riddum stumbled out of bed. He grabbed his tunic, and left the room to go change. The hare stood there, surprised that Riddum just got up without even saying a word. He came back a few moments later, like he had been awake for hours.
"So? What's so urgent?" Emiley looked really surprised at how he had changed in just a few minutes.
"Uh. Oh, yeah! There's a weird hole out there. And nobeast will go down it. It's really weird, 'cause no one heard a thing last night."
It suddenly came back to the young otter. He was in that hole last night! "I was there last night! A chipmunk named Smidgum said that he was carrying out orders for Sunfluke, Master of the Chipmunks. There was something on the wall, but I was too tired to realize what it was." A look of surprise came across Emiley's face.
"Come on, Riddum, you can go down there and get whatever it is on the wall!" The young hare pulled Riddum out of the little pond-side cottage.
All the creatures of the Abbey were all gathered around a hole. Emiley pulled Riddum to the front of the crowd.
"Hey everybody! Listen up! Riddum has some information about the hole!" Emiley's yells silenced the group pf woodlanders. "Take it away, Riddum." All eyes were on Riddum, but the only ones he noticed were those of Quince, his sister. He stood there for a long time, staring into the deadly eyes of his sister. "Riddum? Are you OK?" Emiley started poking him.
"Huh? Oh yah. Well, anyway, I was awoken last night by this weird sound." Riddum told his story of how he met Smidgum in the little chamber, and of how he would volunteer to go down there.
Darknose and his troop of chipmunks trekked through Mossflower Country. They traveled for the longest time. They encountered many obstacles, but none as complicated as the one they would encounter next.