At Salamandastron, the two badgers Mooneye and Icebright were at the mess
hall, eating. A hare was preforming a dance, and not very successfully
either.
A vetren hare, Krelgar, eyed the hare with distaste. "Hmph! His pater probably was a bally toad and his mater a scalded worm. Yes, sah!"
The dancing hare bounced over to the area where Krelgar sat. "Hello, chap, you old dust noggin, wot!"
Krelgar swiped at the hare. "Young snipfur! Haifal, you are an insolent scutwagger. Go or I'll tell Lady Icebright if you want trouble!"
Haifal's ears drooped. "Sorry, sah, I'll behave." Then he muttered, "If frogs begin to skip on his bally head, wot!"
At the other end of the table, Lady Icebright herself and her twin sister Mooneye were chewing on some honeyed scones. Icebright stared at the dab of honey on her paw, then slammed it down.
Craccckk! The length of plank spilt, causing a deep fracture in the tough oaken table.
"Twelve hares lost! To sea scum!" The Badger Lady snarled. She raised her paw again to strike the table.
A gentle paw stopped her slate blue paw. "Icebright, those hares died defending us. Surely they are at a better place, with sunny hills and breezy summers." Lady Mooneye clasped her angry sister's paw. "Please."
Icebright drew her lip back in anger, but no longer hit the table. She stood up. "I'm going to the armory. Nobeast follow, or you will be sorry!"
*** Abbess Mhera was up in the dormitories, serving oatmeal with dried cherries, strawberries and pear with honey. The Dibbuns, never having breakfast served in the dorms, were excited and wriggled with happieness.
"Sit still, Gulbur! Abbess, may you?" asked a female squirrel called Fwirl. "These rouges are as wild as leaves in a gale."
Deyna, spooning oatmeal in a molebabe's bowl a few truckle beds away, winked. "Don't fuss yore bushy tail, marm." He raised his voice to a high pitched shriek. "Eeeeyaaaaaaaa!"
The room silence was deafing, except for the drip of oatmeal on clean sheets. Denya bowed at the Abbess. "The floor's yores, Abbess."
The Abbess unplugged her ears. "Er, what?"
A little mousebabe, Diggler, poked her with his slightly sticky spoon. "Ta foors yors, Habbess."
Every adult present laughed, except Sister Sicily. She pursed her lips and frowned. Broggle the Friar poked her with a cleaner spoon than what Diggler had. "Cheer up, Sicily. Er, Boorab and Nimbalo, sing 'er a ditty."
The beastly pair struck up an offkey but cheery and light tune.
"Oh, ho, I'll plug your mug or wait a while
To see that liddle smile!
I knows somebeasts who frown all day
Or sneer at laugh and play
But they saw on someone something funny
On the beast licking honey
It was a jolly old smile,
Worth the wait and bally while
So slap that frown
Off it's face
And with a smile
You'll replace!"
Boorab and Nimbalo bowed. Everybeast clapped, and Sicily managed to hide shaky smile. But the Dibbuns were far from happy.
"Where's me oatmeal?"
"Bah, I's gonna stick wiv a fown, dey be easier to do!"
The Abbess quickly dumped uneven portions of oatmeal into bowls, some of it slopping over the edges, but the babes, being the Dibbuns they are, thought it was all great hilarity.
"Fasta, Muvva Habbess, fasta!"
"Hurr, io be get'n it in moi gurt noser, hurr hurr!"
"Hehe, I bees licking it, yum yum!"
Nimbalo swiped a spoonful of oatmeal from a squirrel attemping to lick her oatmeal-encrusted tail clean. "Is there more scoff like this for breakfast?"
Deyna chuckled at his harvest mouse friend's antics. "Matey, if there were, you'd have to beat Boorab at it!"
Boorab, with Nimbalo at his scut, sped out of the dormitories to the Great Hall, where breakfast was being served to the other members of Redwall Abbey. "I say, chap, no need to eat all the fodder! First to the scoff call gets it. Yahhh!"
Foremole Grumde shook his velvety head. "Burr aye, those rarscals ur gonna eat all e vittles we 'ave." He dripped some food into a once brown oak bowl, now snowy white from food crusting on it.
The Abbess stood up, a difficult task due to all the oats and dried fruit sticking to her ears and liberally smeared across her muzzle. "I'm am going to eat. All the Dibbuns are fed, but we need a few beasts up here to watch them. Any volunteers?"
Foremole Grumde raised a great digging claw. "Oi will, marm."
Deyna nodded. "Good. Sister Cilily, what are you."
The Sister, who was staring at the window, suddenly leapt up. "There's a beast at the gate!"
* * * ShadowSong had eventually come to the path across the plains. She stared in wonder at the giant red Abbey. She went up to the front of the gate, then heard a loud clunking noise. The gate swung open to reveal otters, mice, hedgehogs and even a hare. The hare, carrying window pole, nodded to her. "Hmph! Looks like a vermin!"
Deyna took a step forward. He was armed with the sword of Martin. He spoke to her. "What do you want here? Speak!"
ShadowSong, unsure of the beast, bowed and held up her paws in sign of peace. "I'm ShadowSong of the MoonSky wolf pack, sir."
The once Taggerung glanced at Sister Rosabel the recorder, who was gripping a heavy knife from the kitchens. She stared at the wolf.
"You seem a traveler, but where is your pack? We outnumber you, and no lies!"
ShadowSong unhitched her weapons. The otter tensed up, but he had no need to. She tossed her weapons in a pile on the dusty road. "My pack was slain by the Juska clan called Juskabor. I traveled for many I came upon your home in search of news, if you knew where the Juskabor has passed by. But, since I am faced armed and myself unarmed." She turned away, but the stopped because of Rosabel crying out.
"Wait! You're looking for the Juskabor? They've passed here recently. Let me get the records!" With that, she bounded away.
ShadowSong swerved back around. "I shall stay out here then."
Deyna took a step closer. "Marm, you're coming in. You can't stay out there alone."
A vetren hare, Krelgar, eyed the hare with distaste. "Hmph! His pater probably was a bally toad and his mater a scalded worm. Yes, sah!"
The dancing hare bounced over to the area where Krelgar sat. "Hello, chap, you old dust noggin, wot!"
Krelgar swiped at the hare. "Young snipfur! Haifal, you are an insolent scutwagger. Go or I'll tell Lady Icebright if you want trouble!"
Haifal's ears drooped. "Sorry, sah, I'll behave." Then he muttered, "If frogs begin to skip on his bally head, wot!"
At the other end of the table, Lady Icebright herself and her twin sister Mooneye were chewing on some honeyed scones. Icebright stared at the dab of honey on her paw, then slammed it down.
Craccckk! The length of plank spilt, causing a deep fracture in the tough oaken table.
"Twelve hares lost! To sea scum!" The Badger Lady snarled. She raised her paw again to strike the table.
A gentle paw stopped her slate blue paw. "Icebright, those hares died defending us. Surely they are at a better place, with sunny hills and breezy summers." Lady Mooneye clasped her angry sister's paw. "Please."
Icebright drew her lip back in anger, but no longer hit the table. She stood up. "I'm going to the armory. Nobeast follow, or you will be sorry!"
*** Abbess Mhera was up in the dormitories, serving oatmeal with dried cherries, strawberries and pear with honey. The Dibbuns, never having breakfast served in the dorms, were excited and wriggled with happieness.
"Sit still, Gulbur! Abbess, may you?" asked a female squirrel called Fwirl. "These rouges are as wild as leaves in a gale."
Deyna, spooning oatmeal in a molebabe's bowl a few truckle beds away, winked. "Don't fuss yore bushy tail, marm." He raised his voice to a high pitched shriek. "Eeeeyaaaaaaaa!"
The room silence was deafing, except for the drip of oatmeal on clean sheets. Denya bowed at the Abbess. "The floor's yores, Abbess."
The Abbess unplugged her ears. "Er, what?"
A little mousebabe, Diggler, poked her with his slightly sticky spoon. "Ta foors yors, Habbess."
Every adult present laughed, except Sister Sicily. She pursed her lips and frowned. Broggle the Friar poked her with a cleaner spoon than what Diggler had. "Cheer up, Sicily. Er, Boorab and Nimbalo, sing 'er a ditty."
The beastly pair struck up an offkey but cheery and light tune.
"Oh, ho, I'll plug your mug or wait a while
To see that liddle smile!
I knows somebeasts who frown all day
Or sneer at laugh and play
But they saw on someone something funny
On the beast licking honey
It was a jolly old smile,
Worth the wait and bally while
So slap that frown
Off it's face
And with a smile
You'll replace!"
Boorab and Nimbalo bowed. Everybeast clapped, and Sicily managed to hide shaky smile. But the Dibbuns were far from happy.
"Where's me oatmeal?"
"Bah, I's gonna stick wiv a fown, dey be easier to do!"
The Abbess quickly dumped uneven portions of oatmeal into bowls, some of it slopping over the edges, but the babes, being the Dibbuns they are, thought it was all great hilarity.
"Fasta, Muvva Habbess, fasta!"
"Hurr, io be get'n it in moi gurt noser, hurr hurr!"
"Hehe, I bees licking it, yum yum!"
Nimbalo swiped a spoonful of oatmeal from a squirrel attemping to lick her oatmeal-encrusted tail clean. "Is there more scoff like this for breakfast?"
Deyna chuckled at his harvest mouse friend's antics. "Matey, if there were, you'd have to beat Boorab at it!"
Boorab, with Nimbalo at his scut, sped out of the dormitories to the Great Hall, where breakfast was being served to the other members of Redwall Abbey. "I say, chap, no need to eat all the fodder! First to the scoff call gets it. Yahhh!"
Foremole Grumde shook his velvety head. "Burr aye, those rarscals ur gonna eat all e vittles we 'ave." He dripped some food into a once brown oak bowl, now snowy white from food crusting on it.
The Abbess stood up, a difficult task due to all the oats and dried fruit sticking to her ears and liberally smeared across her muzzle. "I'm am going to eat. All the Dibbuns are fed, but we need a few beasts up here to watch them. Any volunteers?"
Foremole Grumde raised a great digging claw. "Oi will, marm."
Deyna nodded. "Good. Sister Cilily, what are you."
The Sister, who was staring at the window, suddenly leapt up. "There's a beast at the gate!"
* * * ShadowSong had eventually come to the path across the plains. She stared in wonder at the giant red Abbey. She went up to the front of the gate, then heard a loud clunking noise. The gate swung open to reveal otters, mice, hedgehogs and even a hare. The hare, carrying window pole, nodded to her. "Hmph! Looks like a vermin!"
Deyna took a step forward. He was armed with the sword of Martin. He spoke to her. "What do you want here? Speak!"
ShadowSong, unsure of the beast, bowed and held up her paws in sign of peace. "I'm ShadowSong of the MoonSky wolf pack, sir."
The once Taggerung glanced at Sister Rosabel the recorder, who was gripping a heavy knife from the kitchens. She stared at the wolf.
"You seem a traveler, but where is your pack? We outnumber you, and no lies!"
ShadowSong unhitched her weapons. The otter tensed up, but he had no need to. She tossed her weapons in a pile on the dusty road. "My pack was slain by the Juska clan called Juskabor. I traveled for many I came upon your home in search of news, if you knew where the Juskabor has passed by. But, since I am faced armed and myself unarmed." She turned away, but the stopped because of Rosabel crying out.
"Wait! You're looking for the Juskabor? They've passed here recently. Let me get the records!" With that, she bounded away.
ShadowSong swerved back around. "I shall stay out here then."
Deyna took a step closer. "Marm, you're coming in. You can't stay out there alone."