The three maids whirled around, and were face to face with a beaming rabbit. "Unless you're full. Or maybe you're trying to kill me." The rabbit said this in a matter-of-fact voice, not at all like he was worried of being assassinated.

"Just 'oo are you, sir? And why're you wandering 'round in the middle o' the night?" asked SlipLock.

"Yes, please do state your name, and why you're here!" chimed in Thistle.

Not to be outdone, Dappledew said, "Who be you, mista?"

The rabbit stared at them for a minute. "You're not vermin, you're too polite. I suppose I could tell you." SlipLock and Thistle exchanged a glance. "I'm Omory Darengton. As for why I'm here, why can't I enjoy the late night stars?" The leaves on the trees covered the sky. Thistle and SlipLock gave each other another glance, this one along the lines of, "Why in the world isn't he asking us why we're here?"

"My name is Thistle Longfaith, daughter of Periwinkle and Rhubarb, granddaugh--" The ottermaid covered Thistle's mouth with an apologizing smile at Omory.

"I'm SlipLock."

"An' mee's Dappledew Greysky-Woo'wind!"

SlipLock removed her paw from the mousemaid's mouth and patted her on the head. "We are, t' answer yer question, quite 'ungry!"

"Faintishly famished, radiantly ravished, simply starving!"

Omory grinned at them, then took each older maid suddenly by the paw. At the last second SlipLock hoisted Dappledew on her shoulder with one arm. "To my house, to meet my lovely wife who'll be waking up just now! That is, if no one has poisoned her and set fire to the house." Somehow it unnerved Thistle that this rabbit could talk about disasters with perfect ease, like he didn't expect them to happen.

They whisked through the woods at Omory's pace. Omory's pace, however, was not slow. All that Thistle, SlipLock, and Dappledew could see was blurry green surrounding them. The rabbit then stopped short when they reached a flower-covered mound. Thistle and SlipLock both crashed into him.

"An object won't stop moving unless acted upon by an outside force!"

"Fissle!" The three of them tried to get themselves disentangled from each other, eventually succeeding.

"Now, ladies, come inside. As I said, Ditia will be about shortly, to see if I'm back yet." Omory stepped up and delicately rapped on the round, yellow door. A face appeared at the window and moments later a youngish rabbitwife opened the door.

"Nothing set fire to then, I take it, nor knocked down or anything else," she grinned, wrapping her fluffy blue robe tighter around herself when she saw visitors behind Omory. "Now, you young ladies come inside, you've passed Omory's inspection is all I can say, so you must be fairly decent."

They were ushered in to the tiny house. Squashy stuffed furniture was all over the place, even around the rough wood table. Ditia always gave the maids the most benevolent smiles possible, even when Thistle suddenly went into a talkathon about maple trees. The food was wonderful, though not fancy. SlipLock was overjoyed to have actual food to eat.

In the middle of the meal, Omory looked up at them. "We have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?" SlipLock asked.

Ditia bit her lip and stirred her soup absentmindedly. "Our daughtershe's lost. Could you, perhaps, perhaps only, mind youlook for her for us?"