First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long wait between updates. . .
never fear! I will see this fic through to the end! *strikes a heroic pose*
I've been working on two other fics, non-Redwall, I'm afraid, but still
good. I hope to post them pretty soon for all to read! ^^ Anyway, this
chapter was inspired by tracks 8, 12, 14 and 17 of 'Lord Of The Rings: Two
Towers' soundtrack CD. . . anyways, on with the fic!
While the dibbun had been borne through the trees by the wind, he had scrabbled wildly at the branches to stop himself. A branch had broken off, and Trey had grabbed it instinctively.
When Tammia had snatched the mousebabe from the air, the stick he'd been clutching had pierced her right side, dangerously close to one lung. Almost as soon as soon as she touched the ground, her senses swam, and she passed out.
Attracted by the screams of the dibbuns and the shouts of encouragement and alarm from Boorab and Roseabel, the breakfasting abbeydwellers had rushed up onto the ramparts.
As the two in the air reached the ground, there was a loud cheer from the abbey wall, but it petered out when they saw that the squirrelmaid did not rise. Many of them ran out of the gates to the pair, as abbess Mhera called for the two infirmary keepers, Egburt and Floburt.
Deyna and Fwirl, being the fleetest of paw, arrived at the scene first. The warrior gently lifted up the unconscious squirrelmaid, almost as easily as a young dibbun would pick a flower. Trey was underneath, crying quietly. He told the two tearfully, "I'm all wet!"
The mousebabe was not wet with water, but wet with the blood of his rescuer.
Soon the other Redwallers arrived. Fwirl handed Trey to Filorn, who promptly left to wash the dibbun in the pond. Deyna carried the still- senseless squirrelmaid into the infirmary with care.
Tammia's unconsciousness was not without dreams. The young squirrelmaid re- lived her travels in captivating reality, or so it seemed to her.
She went through both the bad times, and the good.
She saw her family's cheerful farewell, and felt the great feeling of independence that went with it.
But she also felt the enveloping heat she hadn't felt in weeks.
She felt the lack of water in her throat and the lack of food in her stomach.
But most of all, she remembered the old squirrel she had run into; Madd.
She saw Madd brandishing the paddle, laughing at her maniacally. The laughter-that-was-not-laughter filled her mind, and she longed for it to disappear forever, for it to be forgotten; lost in the deep bowels of her thoughts.
"Madd, Madd. . ." Tammia pleaded, hoping. . . wishing that the laughter would stop.
The last thing that she saw in the dream was Madd's face, still laughing. But that face changed, became younger. The laughter became light and tingly, full of joy.
Tammia slept on, her dream now just a faint memory upon her awakening mind.
There was a cool sensation on her brow. Her right side was intolerably sore, and the young squirrelmaid sought in her mind to remember what had befallen her.
She remembered in a jumble; breakfast, walking atop the ramparts, the dibbuns, gliding. . . and falling. Pain.
Tammia gave an involuntary moan. Where was she? The squirrelmaid opened her eyes, to a face hovering above hers.
It was Madd! She gave a small cry, shutting her eyes, and sank back into the sheets of her bed. The insane squirrel had left a lasting impression on Tammia; her half-recalled dreams fanned the flames of her fear.
"Easy, easy," a smooth voice said above her. Tammia opened one eye tentatively; the face above was not Madd's, it was Fwirl's, Roseabel's mother.
"Sorry," mumbled the squirrelmaid breathlessly; her side still hurt. "I thought you were-" her small voice gave out, her throat was bone-dry. The older squirrel gave her a glass of water.
When Tammia had finished drinking, the squirrelmaid asked, "Is the mousebabe all right?"
"He's fine," Fwirl said, fussing with the corners of her pillow. "You're a hero, you know, at least to the dibbuns." She commented. "Trey told them all about how you 'flew from a cloud' to save him." Fwirl smiled at Tammia's bewildered face.
"I don't feel like a hero. . . I just hurt." The squirrelmaid said, wincing at the pain in her side. Fwirl handed her a mug with a sweet-smelling warm liquid inside.
"It's one of Floburt's physicks. Tastes as good as honeydew and makes you feel twice as healthy as you ever where." The older squirrel told her with a matter-of-fact voice. "Drink up."
Tammia did so, and immediately the hurt in her side lessened to a dull ache. Dull aches she could deal with.
"Um, excuse me. . . Fwirl?" The young squirrelmaid said tentatively. "Do you know of a squirrel named Madd?" Tammia asked this because she had to know what her dream meant. Her mother had taught her, "Always listen to your dreams. They tell you what you don't know."
Tammia was as sure as she could be that there was a connection between Madd and Fwirl; she just had to figure it out.
"Madd?" The older squirrel said thoughtfully. "No, can't say I have. Roseabel knows of her, though. You know the abbey warrior, Deyna?"
The younger squirrel nodded, confused by the change of subject. "He was captured and raised by vermin when he was very young. He eventually made it back to the abbey, after fifteen seasons had passed. My daughter wrote down his story. . . I believe that there was a mention of Madd. Perhaps you could ask him yourself?"
Tammia nodded again, although she immediately dismissed the idea in her mind; she didn't really want to talk with the burly otter. . . he had better things to do than speak to a shy newcomer.
"Now then," continued Fwirl. "You're supposed to get lots of rest. Floburt and Egburt will be around in a while, and you're to get your second physick from them. I have to admit, you where quite lucky with that branch. . . a few paws over, and, well. . ."
Fwirl patted her comfortingly on her left shoulder. "I hope you get well soon." The older squirrel was nearly at the door when Tammia called after her. "Why are you taking care of me? Would that be one of the infirmary keeper's jobs?"
Fwirl gave her a stunningly beautiful smile. "Mother Abbess told me to come here. She said you needed a 'motherly presence' right now. I hope she didn't mean that I'm getting old!" With a quick wink, Fwirl was gone, and Tammia was alone in the infirmary.
The squirrelmaid sighed and curled up into a ball on her bed, the movement made difficult by the swath of bandages on her right side, and slept.
~A while later~
When Tammia next awoke, it was nighttime, and a robust hedgehog just under Fwirl's age was bustling about the infirmary. When the hedgehog noticed that the squirrelmaid was awake, she immediately handed the squirrel another physick and introduced herself.
"I'm Sister Floburt, one of the infirmary keepers 'ere at Redwall." The sister said cheerfully as Tammia drank the wonderful-tasting physick.
"Fwirl tol' me that you were askin' 'bout Madd the squirrel, earlier. I could send in Deyna, if'n you want me to."
Before the squirrelmaid could protest, the good-natured sister was already out the infirmary door. Tammia ran a paw slowly over her eyes, and slumped back onto her pillows with a groan.
She didn't want to speak with the big, bold warrior. She was too shy to. . . she would always be too shy.
~Ok, that was a tad depressing. . . *shrugs* Still, it was a bit longer than usual. I hope you enjoyed it! ^^ Oh, and could somebody please tell me how to get italics and bold lettering? Thanks. I may not be able to put up another chapter for a while, because *Insert Random Excuse*. Also, I'm working on a few other fics; so if you're bored, go read some of my other ones. ^^ Oh, and please, please r&r. . .~
While the dibbun had been borne through the trees by the wind, he had scrabbled wildly at the branches to stop himself. A branch had broken off, and Trey had grabbed it instinctively.
When Tammia had snatched the mousebabe from the air, the stick he'd been clutching had pierced her right side, dangerously close to one lung. Almost as soon as soon as she touched the ground, her senses swam, and she passed out.
Attracted by the screams of the dibbuns and the shouts of encouragement and alarm from Boorab and Roseabel, the breakfasting abbeydwellers had rushed up onto the ramparts.
As the two in the air reached the ground, there was a loud cheer from the abbey wall, but it petered out when they saw that the squirrelmaid did not rise. Many of them ran out of the gates to the pair, as abbess Mhera called for the two infirmary keepers, Egburt and Floburt.
Deyna and Fwirl, being the fleetest of paw, arrived at the scene first. The warrior gently lifted up the unconscious squirrelmaid, almost as easily as a young dibbun would pick a flower. Trey was underneath, crying quietly. He told the two tearfully, "I'm all wet!"
The mousebabe was not wet with water, but wet with the blood of his rescuer.
Soon the other Redwallers arrived. Fwirl handed Trey to Filorn, who promptly left to wash the dibbun in the pond. Deyna carried the still- senseless squirrelmaid into the infirmary with care.
Tammia's unconsciousness was not without dreams. The young squirrelmaid re- lived her travels in captivating reality, or so it seemed to her.
She went through both the bad times, and the good.
She saw her family's cheerful farewell, and felt the great feeling of independence that went with it.
But she also felt the enveloping heat she hadn't felt in weeks.
She felt the lack of water in her throat and the lack of food in her stomach.
But most of all, she remembered the old squirrel she had run into; Madd.
She saw Madd brandishing the paddle, laughing at her maniacally. The laughter-that-was-not-laughter filled her mind, and she longed for it to disappear forever, for it to be forgotten; lost in the deep bowels of her thoughts.
"Madd, Madd. . ." Tammia pleaded, hoping. . . wishing that the laughter would stop.
The last thing that she saw in the dream was Madd's face, still laughing. But that face changed, became younger. The laughter became light and tingly, full of joy.
Tammia slept on, her dream now just a faint memory upon her awakening mind.
There was a cool sensation on her brow. Her right side was intolerably sore, and the young squirrelmaid sought in her mind to remember what had befallen her.
She remembered in a jumble; breakfast, walking atop the ramparts, the dibbuns, gliding. . . and falling. Pain.
Tammia gave an involuntary moan. Where was she? The squirrelmaid opened her eyes, to a face hovering above hers.
It was Madd! She gave a small cry, shutting her eyes, and sank back into the sheets of her bed. The insane squirrel had left a lasting impression on Tammia; her half-recalled dreams fanned the flames of her fear.
"Easy, easy," a smooth voice said above her. Tammia opened one eye tentatively; the face above was not Madd's, it was Fwirl's, Roseabel's mother.
"Sorry," mumbled the squirrelmaid breathlessly; her side still hurt. "I thought you were-" her small voice gave out, her throat was bone-dry. The older squirrel gave her a glass of water.
When Tammia had finished drinking, the squirrelmaid asked, "Is the mousebabe all right?"
"He's fine," Fwirl said, fussing with the corners of her pillow. "You're a hero, you know, at least to the dibbuns." She commented. "Trey told them all about how you 'flew from a cloud' to save him." Fwirl smiled at Tammia's bewildered face.
"I don't feel like a hero. . . I just hurt." The squirrelmaid said, wincing at the pain in her side. Fwirl handed her a mug with a sweet-smelling warm liquid inside.
"It's one of Floburt's physicks. Tastes as good as honeydew and makes you feel twice as healthy as you ever where." The older squirrel told her with a matter-of-fact voice. "Drink up."
Tammia did so, and immediately the hurt in her side lessened to a dull ache. Dull aches she could deal with.
"Um, excuse me. . . Fwirl?" The young squirrelmaid said tentatively. "Do you know of a squirrel named Madd?" Tammia asked this because she had to know what her dream meant. Her mother had taught her, "Always listen to your dreams. They tell you what you don't know."
Tammia was as sure as she could be that there was a connection between Madd and Fwirl; she just had to figure it out.
"Madd?" The older squirrel said thoughtfully. "No, can't say I have. Roseabel knows of her, though. You know the abbey warrior, Deyna?"
The younger squirrel nodded, confused by the change of subject. "He was captured and raised by vermin when he was very young. He eventually made it back to the abbey, after fifteen seasons had passed. My daughter wrote down his story. . . I believe that there was a mention of Madd. Perhaps you could ask him yourself?"
Tammia nodded again, although she immediately dismissed the idea in her mind; she didn't really want to talk with the burly otter. . . he had better things to do than speak to a shy newcomer.
"Now then," continued Fwirl. "You're supposed to get lots of rest. Floburt and Egburt will be around in a while, and you're to get your second physick from them. I have to admit, you where quite lucky with that branch. . . a few paws over, and, well. . ."
Fwirl patted her comfortingly on her left shoulder. "I hope you get well soon." The older squirrel was nearly at the door when Tammia called after her. "Why are you taking care of me? Would that be one of the infirmary keeper's jobs?"
Fwirl gave her a stunningly beautiful smile. "Mother Abbess told me to come here. She said you needed a 'motherly presence' right now. I hope she didn't mean that I'm getting old!" With a quick wink, Fwirl was gone, and Tammia was alone in the infirmary.
The squirrelmaid sighed and curled up into a ball on her bed, the movement made difficult by the swath of bandages on her right side, and slept.
~A while later~
When Tammia next awoke, it was nighttime, and a robust hedgehog just under Fwirl's age was bustling about the infirmary. When the hedgehog noticed that the squirrelmaid was awake, she immediately handed the squirrel another physick and introduced herself.
"I'm Sister Floburt, one of the infirmary keepers 'ere at Redwall." The sister said cheerfully as Tammia drank the wonderful-tasting physick.
"Fwirl tol' me that you were askin' 'bout Madd the squirrel, earlier. I could send in Deyna, if'n you want me to."
Before the squirrelmaid could protest, the good-natured sister was already out the infirmary door. Tammia ran a paw slowly over her eyes, and slumped back onto her pillows with a groan.
She didn't want to speak with the big, bold warrior. She was too shy to. . . she would always be too shy.
~Ok, that was a tad depressing. . . *shrugs* Still, it was a bit longer than usual. I hope you enjoyed it! ^^ Oh, and could somebody please tell me how to get italics and bold lettering? Thanks. I may not be able to put up another chapter for a while, because *Insert Random Excuse*. Also, I'm working on a few other fics; so if you're bored, go read some of my other ones. ^^ Oh, and please, please r&r. . .~