Chapter Twenty-Three: Planning for the Feast
"Nameday Feast is coming soon! Yeah!" exclaimed all the dibbuns at dinner a few days before the Nameday Feast.
"Hush, young uns. We still have a few days of hard planning ahead of us, and it'll only be then if you naughty dibbuns stay out of our way, got that?" Father Abbot asked, shaking a paw at the noisy bunch of dibbuns.
"Yes, Fadder Abbit. We'un's unnerstan. We bes goods, right, Blink?" the smallest little hedgehog dibbun, named Snogg, asked Blink, the mouse babe. Blink, who still sucked his paw, nodded his head, sending slobber all over.
One of the older dibbuns, a very small mole, acknowledged the hedgehog, "Burr aye, you'm gotten da word o a vurry gudd hedgpig. And da word ov a vurry gudd moler, by 'okey, you du!" he said with a comical salute. The elders stifled their giggles, as Foremole, the little moles father, turned bright pink.
"Well, fill in me 'ole! Dat likkle 'un shur 'as da moler nowladge 'as is 'ol dad do!" Foremole exclaimed.
After all the laughter had ceased, Lilac the badgermum stood up from her chair. "Listen! Elders report to my study after dinner! We must discuss the Nameday Feast. Brothers and sisters, take the dibbuns off to their beds, and then report to my chambers. It is very late, and past their bedtime. Dismissed!" With a loud hustle and bustle of paws, the Great Hall emptied. The dibbuns where dragged off to their beds, the elders to report to Lilac's study. Soon only Abbot Mitchell and Lilac where left.
"Well, I better be getting off to my study. Don't want everybeast in the abbey crammed in there waiting for me," Lilac said with a sigh. She rose from her chair, leaving Father Abbot sitting there. He got up, and rushed after Lilac. He was the youngest abbot in the abbey ever.
"Might as well go, if that's where everyone else will be," he said.
They went off to Lilac's study in silence. When they opened the door, all fell quiet.
"I have a simple plan for this season's Nameday Feast. All the sisters who do not work in the kitchens or Infirmary will create decorations. Such as banners, streamer, picnic blankets, etcetera. All the brothers who do not work in the kitchens or Infirmary will go fishing in the pond. The younger abbeydwellers will collect berries, pick the rest of the apples, and help out in whatever they can. The ones that work in the Infirmary will make sure that they have enough herbs for tummy aches, and if not, they will send out the younger abbeydwellers to find some. Those who work in the kitchen will work day and night to get the food ready. The older beasts in the day, the younger at night."
~ * * * * * * * * ~
After a hearty breakfast, Zema looked over her newly conquered troops. She had them lined up in triple file, it being a slightly small horde of about five hundred. Yet they were all well trained, thanks to Dingea, who was now a mere shadow of his former self after the death of Kotaro.
Dingea sat at the back of the ranks, murmuring to himself, "You will pay greatly, Zema Silvertail." He knew that Zema's time would come, as did Kotaro's. He stood with his javelin erect, and shield out in front. Zema walked by.
"My time may come, but not while you're still alive," she whispered tauntingly in his ear. She backed away with s snigger on her face. She went back out to the front of the vermin. "Silence!" she yelled, "Now that I, Zema Silvertail, is in command, you will all be dyed red. Red to represent evil, death, and blood." She called her captains to her side, Chiiro, a stoat, Dampear, a rat, Sluno, a ferret, Whipscale, the only lizard in the horde, and Gruud, a fox. They were all armed with long swords and bows. "Chiiro, you take the first hundred, Dampear, the next hundred, Sluno, the next hundred, Whipscale, the next hundred, Gruud the next hundred, and I'll take the last hundred," she instructed. The captains went around gathering their troops. "We'll dye them, then meet me at my tent to discuss the plan."
A few hours later, the horde was dyed a bright red, even the captains and Zema.
Zema smiled to herself, "Now that I have my army, Kotaro, I will rule the great red stone house." She gave an evil cackle, and went of to her tent where the captains were waiting.
Zema entered the tent, the five saluted. "Lady Zema, Ruler of the Redbeasts, Queen of Redwall Abbey!" they yelled loudly.
"I'm not deaf, pinheads! I can hear you just fine!" she snarled, "Now, as for the plan. My dear friend Chiiro thought this up for us," she smiled sweetly at Chiiro. "You, fox, use your hundred to make a battering ram, gottit?" Gruud nodded intensely, causing his helmet to fall over his eyes. When he lifted it back up, Zema's smiling face met his eyes. "You must need a smaller helmet, mate, that one'll never do. Here, take this one." She took Kotaro's old helmet from a small shelf, and tossed it to the fox. He dropped the old one on the floor, and placed the new one lightly on his head.
"I never thought I'd ever be a cap'n, nor did I ever guess that I'd wear Kotaro's helmet," he said dreamily.
"Aye, but it ain't Kotaro's no more, is it, Gruud. No, it's yours now." She smiled wickedly. "Now, you two," she pointed to Dampear and Sluno, "Take your troops and stay in the ditch on the other side of the road that Finry has told me about."
Questions came from the captains, "Finry? Who's that?"
"Oh, so you haven't met Finry yet, have ye?" Zema asked before letting out a shrill whistle. The five captains had to cover their ears. There was a swooshing noise, and a light thud outside the tent. "Finry! Come to me!" Zema called without turned her back to the tent flap. The others hid behind objects as a shadow came through the tent. I huge falcon walked in. "Finry! Ah, you've arrived. Just in time for a snack. Which captain do you want today?" she asked playfully as she stroked the bird's wings. He looked at her and blinked. The five captains disappeared from view as the huge falcon walked over. He pecked at Whipscale. The lizard shrieked, and ran for better cover. Zema just laughed. "Haha! Did you think I was really going to send my precious bird on you? Waste of time. Come out, he won't hurt you." The five captains came out cautiously. "See?"
A/N- FINALLY! Chapter 23. And it's LONG! Over 1000 words! That's a record for me!
Nim
"Nameday Feast is coming soon! Yeah!" exclaimed all the dibbuns at dinner a few days before the Nameday Feast.
"Hush, young uns. We still have a few days of hard planning ahead of us, and it'll only be then if you naughty dibbuns stay out of our way, got that?" Father Abbot asked, shaking a paw at the noisy bunch of dibbuns.
"Yes, Fadder Abbit. We'un's unnerstan. We bes goods, right, Blink?" the smallest little hedgehog dibbun, named Snogg, asked Blink, the mouse babe. Blink, who still sucked his paw, nodded his head, sending slobber all over.
One of the older dibbuns, a very small mole, acknowledged the hedgehog, "Burr aye, you'm gotten da word o a vurry gudd hedgpig. And da word ov a vurry gudd moler, by 'okey, you du!" he said with a comical salute. The elders stifled their giggles, as Foremole, the little moles father, turned bright pink.
"Well, fill in me 'ole! Dat likkle 'un shur 'as da moler nowladge 'as is 'ol dad do!" Foremole exclaimed.
After all the laughter had ceased, Lilac the badgermum stood up from her chair. "Listen! Elders report to my study after dinner! We must discuss the Nameday Feast. Brothers and sisters, take the dibbuns off to their beds, and then report to my chambers. It is very late, and past their bedtime. Dismissed!" With a loud hustle and bustle of paws, the Great Hall emptied. The dibbuns where dragged off to their beds, the elders to report to Lilac's study. Soon only Abbot Mitchell and Lilac where left.
"Well, I better be getting off to my study. Don't want everybeast in the abbey crammed in there waiting for me," Lilac said with a sigh. She rose from her chair, leaving Father Abbot sitting there. He got up, and rushed after Lilac. He was the youngest abbot in the abbey ever.
"Might as well go, if that's where everyone else will be," he said.
They went off to Lilac's study in silence. When they opened the door, all fell quiet.
"I have a simple plan for this season's Nameday Feast. All the sisters who do not work in the kitchens or Infirmary will create decorations. Such as banners, streamer, picnic blankets, etcetera. All the brothers who do not work in the kitchens or Infirmary will go fishing in the pond. The younger abbeydwellers will collect berries, pick the rest of the apples, and help out in whatever they can. The ones that work in the Infirmary will make sure that they have enough herbs for tummy aches, and if not, they will send out the younger abbeydwellers to find some. Those who work in the kitchen will work day and night to get the food ready. The older beasts in the day, the younger at night."
~ * * * * * * * * ~
After a hearty breakfast, Zema looked over her newly conquered troops. She had them lined up in triple file, it being a slightly small horde of about five hundred. Yet they were all well trained, thanks to Dingea, who was now a mere shadow of his former self after the death of Kotaro.
Dingea sat at the back of the ranks, murmuring to himself, "You will pay greatly, Zema Silvertail." He knew that Zema's time would come, as did Kotaro's. He stood with his javelin erect, and shield out in front. Zema walked by.
"My time may come, but not while you're still alive," she whispered tauntingly in his ear. She backed away with s snigger on her face. She went back out to the front of the vermin. "Silence!" she yelled, "Now that I, Zema Silvertail, is in command, you will all be dyed red. Red to represent evil, death, and blood." She called her captains to her side, Chiiro, a stoat, Dampear, a rat, Sluno, a ferret, Whipscale, the only lizard in the horde, and Gruud, a fox. They were all armed with long swords and bows. "Chiiro, you take the first hundred, Dampear, the next hundred, Sluno, the next hundred, Whipscale, the next hundred, Gruud the next hundred, and I'll take the last hundred," she instructed. The captains went around gathering their troops. "We'll dye them, then meet me at my tent to discuss the plan."
A few hours later, the horde was dyed a bright red, even the captains and Zema.
Zema smiled to herself, "Now that I have my army, Kotaro, I will rule the great red stone house." She gave an evil cackle, and went of to her tent where the captains were waiting.
Zema entered the tent, the five saluted. "Lady Zema, Ruler of the Redbeasts, Queen of Redwall Abbey!" they yelled loudly.
"I'm not deaf, pinheads! I can hear you just fine!" she snarled, "Now, as for the plan. My dear friend Chiiro thought this up for us," she smiled sweetly at Chiiro. "You, fox, use your hundred to make a battering ram, gottit?" Gruud nodded intensely, causing his helmet to fall over his eyes. When he lifted it back up, Zema's smiling face met his eyes. "You must need a smaller helmet, mate, that one'll never do. Here, take this one." She took Kotaro's old helmet from a small shelf, and tossed it to the fox. He dropped the old one on the floor, and placed the new one lightly on his head.
"I never thought I'd ever be a cap'n, nor did I ever guess that I'd wear Kotaro's helmet," he said dreamily.
"Aye, but it ain't Kotaro's no more, is it, Gruud. No, it's yours now." She smiled wickedly. "Now, you two," she pointed to Dampear and Sluno, "Take your troops and stay in the ditch on the other side of the road that Finry has told me about."
Questions came from the captains, "Finry? Who's that?"
"Oh, so you haven't met Finry yet, have ye?" Zema asked before letting out a shrill whistle. The five captains had to cover their ears. There was a swooshing noise, and a light thud outside the tent. "Finry! Come to me!" Zema called without turned her back to the tent flap. The others hid behind objects as a shadow came through the tent. I huge falcon walked in. "Finry! Ah, you've arrived. Just in time for a snack. Which captain do you want today?" she asked playfully as she stroked the bird's wings. He looked at her and blinked. The five captains disappeared from view as the huge falcon walked over. He pecked at Whipscale. The lizard shrieked, and ran for better cover. Zema just laughed. "Haha! Did you think I was really going to send my precious bird on you? Waste of time. Come out, he won't hurt you." The five captains came out cautiously. "See?"
A/N- FINALLY! Chapter 23. And it's LONG! Over 1000 words! That's a record for me!
Nim