Chapter Five: Secrets Told
After a few days, Neema had fully recovered from the accident. She had also learned how to use her new powers well. She used them for many games that the young squirrels played around the village. While playing with Kenji one afternoon, something dawned on her.
"Kenji, what happened to that bracelet I found?" Kenji could only stare into space while he was thinking. A light breeze blew through the window. It blew Kenji's tunic sleeve up from his paw. Something shiny caught Neema's eyes. "What's on your wrist?"
"Oh yeah!" Kenji removed the odd looking bracelet from his wrist. "I don't know how I could have forgotten about it for the past few days!" Neema snatched the bracelet from his paw.
"Kenji! You got it dirty!" she shouted as she wiped dirt from the ancient bracelet.
"How do you know that's not dirt from the hole it was in for the past thousand season?!"
"Because it was perfectly shiny when I dug it up!" The argument of the century had begun.
In the end, Kenji finally confessed that he knew he had it the whole time, and that he did get it dirty.
"So," Kenji said quizzically, "What's it for?"
"Haven't you ever read any of the old runes at the Remants?" The Remants was an old sight from where the old village was many long seasons ago.
"It's not like I waste my time learning how to read that stuff. Or reading it!"
"Anyway, there's a very, very old story on there from about four hundred seasons ago."
"What did it say?" Kenji asked eagerly.
"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted," she gave her friend an evil glare, "It told of a young squirrelmaid, about my age, and another creature, it never told what, who traveled from a far place known as the Redwall Abbey. They came to seek peace from the vermin ruled country of Mossflower Wood. They said at that time, the area around Redwall and Mossflower, including a huge mountain of hares known as Salamandastron, were in bad times. Where every vermin known came together to over rule the kind creatures of the Abbey. It never said if they succeeded or not. We may never know."
"And where does the bracelet come in?"
"If you stopped interrupting me, maybe you would find out!
"The squirrelmaid and her companion took this bracelet from the Abbess. She told them it would bring them luck and that they would live happily and peacefully for the rest of their seasons. The two traveled far, and eventually came upon this island. Whatever that other creature was, it was either a squirrel, or it never succeeded to survive here. If it wasn't a squirrel, then it may also have left, not liking it here. But the young squirrel stayed, and was joined by other squirrels from the Abbey. They started a village. The village was unfortunately burned down by searats who found this town. Those who survived the burning village fought against the searats, and won. Not another sole has known about it. And we live in peace.
"The bracelet was a sacred emblem to all squirrels of the old days. Many have searched for it. Many have forgotten about it because no one ever found it 'til now. It will be loved by every squirrel." Kenji stared in amazement at the bracelet that he held in his paw.
After a few days, Neema had fully recovered from the accident. She had also learned how to use her new powers well. She used them for many games that the young squirrels played around the village. While playing with Kenji one afternoon, something dawned on her.
"Kenji, what happened to that bracelet I found?" Kenji could only stare into space while he was thinking. A light breeze blew through the window. It blew Kenji's tunic sleeve up from his paw. Something shiny caught Neema's eyes. "What's on your wrist?"
"Oh yeah!" Kenji removed the odd looking bracelet from his wrist. "I don't know how I could have forgotten about it for the past few days!" Neema snatched the bracelet from his paw.
"Kenji! You got it dirty!" she shouted as she wiped dirt from the ancient bracelet.
"How do you know that's not dirt from the hole it was in for the past thousand season?!"
"Because it was perfectly shiny when I dug it up!" The argument of the century had begun.
In the end, Kenji finally confessed that he knew he had it the whole time, and that he did get it dirty.
"So," Kenji said quizzically, "What's it for?"
"Haven't you ever read any of the old runes at the Remants?" The Remants was an old sight from where the old village was many long seasons ago.
"It's not like I waste my time learning how to read that stuff. Or reading it!"
"Anyway, there's a very, very old story on there from about four hundred seasons ago."
"What did it say?" Kenji asked eagerly.
"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted," she gave her friend an evil glare, "It told of a young squirrelmaid, about my age, and another creature, it never told what, who traveled from a far place known as the Redwall Abbey. They came to seek peace from the vermin ruled country of Mossflower Wood. They said at that time, the area around Redwall and Mossflower, including a huge mountain of hares known as Salamandastron, were in bad times. Where every vermin known came together to over rule the kind creatures of the Abbey. It never said if they succeeded or not. We may never know."
"And where does the bracelet come in?"
"If you stopped interrupting me, maybe you would find out!
"The squirrelmaid and her companion took this bracelet from the Abbess. She told them it would bring them luck and that they would live happily and peacefully for the rest of their seasons. The two traveled far, and eventually came upon this island. Whatever that other creature was, it was either a squirrel, or it never succeeded to survive here. If it wasn't a squirrel, then it may also have left, not liking it here. But the young squirrel stayed, and was joined by other squirrels from the Abbey. They started a village. The village was unfortunately burned down by searats who found this town. Those who survived the burning village fought against the searats, and won. Not another sole has known about it. And we live in peace.
"The bracelet was a sacred emblem to all squirrels of the old days. Many have searched for it. Many have forgotten about it because no one ever found it 'til now. It will be loved by every squirrel." Kenji stared in amazement at the bracelet that he held in his paw.