CHAPTER FIVE, THE NAMEDAY FEAST
"Milady Varsha!" came a worried voice as Varsha slept in her room. She was on a stone bed that jutted out of the walls of Salamandastron. The badgermaid's eyes flickered open.
"Varsha, lady, come quick, chappess, wot!"
Varsha rolled out of bed and opened up her door. She saw Korufylo, Egua, and another hare named Lilyblossom standing in front of her door anxiously.
"Hares, it's the middle of the night. What is it?" grumbled Varsha.
"Lady, Lily here rooms with Jill and I here room with Mateo – "
"Koru, I know that! Just get to the point!"
"Well, it IS the middle of the night, marm, and they haven't come back, wot!" explained Egua.
"Oh no," moaned Varsha softly. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no OH NO!"
"Marm?"
"Lily, go rouse the hares. I believe that those vermin have captured Mateo and Quidjill Dearhare!"
Song sat with Odell. The sun was setting in the east, making the sun reflect from their eyes and from the great Abbey Pond.
"Tomorrow's we're havin' a Nameday Feast," commented Odell. "Maybe you wanna come?"
Before Songtamer Swordslash could shake her head, Odell added softly, "I'd like it if you came and played for once. Maybe had some fun?"
Songtamer looked down at the youngster, whose wide, innocent eyes were hopeful.
"I'll – I'll think of it, Odell," Songtamer mumbled at last. "I'll think of it."
When Songtamer woke the next morning, she gasped in surprise and pleasure. The whole Abbey grounds had been transformed into a carnival! There were games like Scale-the-Greasy-Pole and archery tests, footpaw races and swimming races. There was also a race that went around the perimeter of the Abbey grounds. There was a race that was on the ground and one that went on the Abbey wall. Songtamer grinned happily as she gazed all around.
"See, see?" Odell called joyously to her. "I tole youse that it would be worth it!"
All of the elders glanced at Songtamer, who they had recently dubbed "Waterfish".
"Hi Odell," Songtamer murmured to her friend.
"Hi Waterfish – um, Songtamer."
"Waterfish? Why am I now 'Waterfish'?" asked Songtamer, slightly amused.
"That's wot ev'ry'un calls ye now, Waterfish. Only you'n'me know that yer real name is Songtamer, right?" Odell asked.
"Right," confirmed Songtamer. She closed her eyes and slowly deleted her old names from her memory: Song, Songy, Songo, Song-Song, Singasong, Singy, Songtamer, Tamer of Song, and Tamey were all lost from her memory. She locked them secretly in a hidden space in her mind and would not open it until necessary. She opened her eyes.
"Odell...call me Waterfish, okay?"
"Okay..." Odell paused. "Why?"
Waterfish crouched beside Odell.
"Lissen, mate. If they want me to be Waterfish, then I will be Waterfish. If they want me to be Ottermaid, then I will be Ottermaid. If they want me to be Songtamer, then I will be Songtamer. I just want to fit in. Report to me wot they say about me so that I can act that way."
"Okay." Odell glanced around. "Furrlun is waitin' for me. I gotta go!"
Odell ran off to join Furrlun the mousebabe at the Scale-the-Greasy-Pole game.
Waterfish watched as the Dibbuns tried to scale the greasy pole. Odell, Furrlun, a squirrelbabe, a molemaid, a volemaid, a shrewbabe, and a hoglet were all standing on top of each other's heads, trying to reach the giant bag of candied chestnuts. Waterfish hadn't had candied chestnuts since before Eyeshine had left. She watched the Dibbuns, Odell on the bottom, then the volemaid, the shrewbabe, the squirrelbabe, Furrlun, the molemaid, and the hoglet on the top, teeter. The hoglet grappled the pole, squeaking in dismay as they toppled over. The hoglet held on for a few moments, scrabbling to the top, and then he fell.
Nuria smiled at the Dibbuns. "You did well, my little Dibbuns. Next in line. Skip, you're going to try – and fail – again?" scoffed the Badgermum.
"Not failin' this time, ole badger," Skipper assured her as he spat on his paws, rubbed them together, and gripped the pole.
All of the rest in line, who were mainly Dibbuns, gaped in awe as the big and brawny otter scaled the pole with ease. He was just a few feet away when the grease got the better of him and he began to slip. Skipper tried to grab the bag of candied chestnuts and hang onto the pole at the same time, but instead he slid down, covered in grease.
Waterfish chuckled as Skipper got up. Skipper shrugged, "Well, I failed that. But I've bet Kella that I'd beat her in the swimming race. Oh, look, there she is!" Skipper raced off to the pond's edge to join an otter of his crew.
Waterfish, who had been leaning against the wall in shadows to observe everybeast and everything, pushed herself off of the wall and sauntered over to the Scale-the-Greasy-Pole game. Some of the older Redwallers gave her strange looks as she stood behind Odell, who had rejoined the line after he and his friends had failed.
Waterfish crouched beside Odell.
"Hi there. You tole me to have some fun, so I'm going to win this and share the prize with you. I haven't eaten candied chestnuts since my da went away and n-never ret-t-turned..." Waterfish stopped. Odell nodded understandably and turned back to watch the next Redwaller, Cellarhog Louveenia Spike. She winked at the crowd.
"This's how you get to the top o' the pole," she boasted. Louveenia was a very pompous hedgehog, but made the best October Ale since the days of Ambrose Spike, who only Louveenia remembered, because she was a distant relative.
Louveenia gripped the pole with her paws and held it tight. She put her footpaws near the base of the pole and then put one paw in front of the other paw until she lifted from the ground. She then latched her footpaws onto the pole and used those to ascend neatly.
"Haha! See, I told ye that I could do it!" she yelled triumphantly. She saw the prize up ahead and grinned. She reached out a paw to grab it, but she was too far away. She began to climb farther up, and she reached out a paw. Louveenia felt the bag beneath her fingers and gave a yell of triumph. A second later, she gave a yell of despair as she swiftly slid back to the ground, covered in grease and empty-pawed.
"Louveenia, I think that you should go wash up in the Pond and then go back to tending October Ale instead of climbing greasy poles," laughed Nuria as the Cellarhog, her ego hurt, sauntered back to the Abbey.
"Who is next?" called out Badgermum Nuria. Waterfish came forward. Everyone in line gasped; even Nuria gave a sign of surprise. She raised her eyebrows, but then shrugged.
"Okay, Waterfish, see if you can climb this pole," challenged Nuria.
Waterfish gave her a look that read: I can, and I will!
"Go do it, then." Nuria crossed her arms across her chest.
Waterfish grabbed the pole and began to ascend without a word. The crowd was silent, not even giving cheers of encouragement or yells of discouragement. But Waterfish didn't care. She just looked at the prize up ahead.
As Waterfish got to the top and could've grabbed the prize in her teeth, she began to slip.
"See? I knew she couldn't do it," someone chuckled loudly so that Waterfish could hear.
Just to prove them wrong, Waterfish grabbed the bag of candied chestnuts in her mouth and turned around on the pole. She grinned as Odell and his Dibbun friends cheered.
"Yay Waterfish!!!" cheered Odell happily.
Waterfish landed on the ground and held the bag tightly in her hand. She hurried to the Abbey Pond, washed the grease off of her, and then went to join her Dibbun friends and Odell.
"I knew I'd get them for you. I just didn't proclaim it loudly to let you guys down," explained Waterfish.
"You talk," exclaimed all of the Dibbuns except Odell.
"Yes I do," laughed Waterfish. She set the bag down and crouched beside her friends. The contents spilled out of the bag and the Dibbuns dived on them greedily. Waterfish grabbed a pawful of the nuts and picked one out of her paw.
"How long ago did your da die?" asked Odell. "How long has it been since you've eaten a candied chestnut?"
"My da went away about...eight seasons ago."
"Eight seasons! Tha's more'n my age!" exclaimed Furrlun.
"Burr, thawt's more'n Oi kin count on moi claws!" The molemaid counted on her claws. "Oops, ne'er moind, I KIN count t'et on moi claws."
All eight burst out laughing.
"I don't like how those Dibbuns are playing with Waterfish," sniffed one of the Redwall elders, a shrew named Dusan. "Look at them! Waterfish is probably filling their heads with nonsense, telling them what to do – "
"Dusan!" barked Nuria sharply. "Redwallers never insult other Redwallers, even if the Redwaller is a bit – well, maybe a lot – slightly – "
"Strange?" volunteered Log-a-Log. "Look, Nuria, I agree that we shouldn't insult each other, but look at Waterfish! Her only friends are Dibbuns, she never speaks, we know nothing of her past – "
Nuria put up a paw to stop Log-a-Log to continue going on. "I suppose you're right," sighed Nuria, sitting down on the ground.
Hours later, all of the games except for the wallrace and groundrace were over.
"C'mon, Waterfish, go race," urged the volemaid, Cora.
"Yeah!" agreed the hoglet, Akio.
"Cummon, it'll be fuh-un." Kaikura the squirrelbabe spoke in a singsong voice.
"Oi wud loike ee t' come. Wurr gonna run on ee grund!" molemaid Fawn explained.
"'n' yew kin run on the wall!" Vanig, the shrewbabe, exclaimed excitedly.
"Please?" asked Odell softly.
Furrlun put on what he expected was a pleading look. Waterfish gave a chortle and patted her Dibbun friends heads.
"'Course I'll come and play wi' ye." Waterfish picked up Furrlun, the smallest, and held Cora's paw as they walked over to where the rest of the Abbeydwellers were lining up to race.
"Wait!" squeaked out Vanig. "We're gonna race!"
"So is Waterfish! On the wall!" Akio yelled.
Waterfish froze as every Abbeydweller glared at her. She reddened and lowered her head.
"You will – r-race?" asked Log-a-Log, the judge.
Waterfish gave one sharp nod.
"Well then!" Log-a-Log clapped his paws together. "The wall or ground?"
Waterfish sauntered over to the stairs up to the wall top. She took a place next to Kaikura, who was running on the wall, too. Kaikura winked at her.
"See, this'll be lotsa fun," he whispered. "You'll see!"
Waterfish shrugged. She had never been very fast, only in water, for she was an otter, of course.
"On yer mark!" barked Log-a-Log. "Get set!!" He held his arm right above his head, a red kerchief in his paw. He dropped his arm, let go of the handkerchief, and yelled, "Gooooo!" all at the same time. Those on the wall and the ground were off. On the ground, some of the Dibbuns had gone the wrong way. Vanig, Fawn, Furrlun, and Cora all sat down and Fawn used her digging claws to dig for something that they had buried.
"What're you lookin' for, Fawn?" asked Cora the volemaid.
"Burr, Oi'm lukken furr ee woormeys. They'm orful delishush!" Fawn explained.
"But my mum tole me that eatin' wormeys was bad for you," pointed out Vanig.
"I wanna try a wormey! I've neva 'ad a wormey b'fore," Furrlun exclaimed.
"Hey, lookit those racers!" Cora laughed, and pointed to a vole and a shrew that were having a heated argument.
"Well, aren't you supposed to look where you're going!?" yelled the vole.
"I yelled, 'Look out, Meyyundo!' But did you lissen? Noooooooo!" yelled back the shrew.
"I demand that Argentina is put out of the race!" screamed Meyyundo the vole. "I demand it! She was running and banged right into me!"
"Well, if Meyyundo wasn't DEAF IN BOTH EARS!" Argentina the shrew had screamed the last words in Meyyundo's ear, making the vole leap back, covering his ears with both paws.
"Oops! I guess he's not!" Argentina cackled. She continued running, even though she was in dead last.
"I'm – not – done with – YOU! You – little shrew!" yelled Meyyundo, still shaking from having his ears screamed in. He raced after Argentina.
Up on the wall top it was a different story. No one was going the wrong way or banging into each other, but people were getting into arguments.
"Hey! Look! Kaikura is holding onto Waterfish! That's cheating!" pouted a mouse, Fryungle, who had always wanted to win but spent too much of his time eating in the kitchens. He was in 2nd place and would be in 1st if Waterfish wasn't ahead of him, running with ease.
"It's on'y cheatin' if Waterfish doesn't want me to be wi' her!" yelled Kaikura the squirrel.
Waterfish turned a sharp corner and Kaikura wobbled and fell.
"I'm going to win," taunted Fryungle. "You just wait! You'll be sobbing in last!"
Waterfish turned her head and bared he teeth, but that was all she did. She seemed completely unperturbed by the insults.
"You'll lose!" Fryungle yelled. "You'll lose!"
Waterfish picked up speed as she turned to last corner. She could see the Finish Line right ahead.
"YOU'RE MOTHER PROBABLY DIED BECAUSE SHE HATED YOU! YOU PROBABLY POISONED HER!" Fryungle screamed, completely losing his head, as Waterfish crossed the line. Waterfish turned 'round and grabbed Fryungle by his neck. She held him tight.
"No, no, I didn't mean it!" choked out Fryungle. The mouse was surprised to see tears in the ottermaid's eyes. Waterfish rasped out hoarsely, as though she was going to cry, "If I wasn't on Redwall grounds and you weren't a stupid mouse I will kill you for that remark."
She dropped Fryungle and stepped over the Finish Line again. Fryungle crawled over the Finish Line in second, and then Louveenia and Skipper of Otters in third.
"The, uh, the winner iiiiiiiiiiiis – Wa-waterfiiiiiiiiiish!" cried Log-a- Log.
"Burr, ee Authum of Ruzzy Dun is off to ee gurt start," Abbess Leafswirl proclaimed. The Redwallers applauded. The sun was setting on the first day of the Autumn of the Rosy Dawn.
"Noaw izzunt a toime t'mak ee speeches. Oi bet that ull o' ye arr as 'ungry as Oi em!" shouted Leafswirl, and there was a grand cheer. The Redwallers dug in, even though half of them didn't understand a word of molespeech.
"Pass that cordial."
"Here you go. Hey, Louveenia, pass me the turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot deeper'n'ever pie!"
"Here. Have you tried a bit of my October Ale? I think that's it's the finest batch ever."
"Cellarhog! I think that it's a bit too watery."
"How dare you, Fryungle...!"
Suddenly, there was a loud shout from Brother Marrev. "Come quickly!" he yelled. "Oh, hurry!"
Waterfish, along with Skipper and his crew, Log-a-Log and his crew (the Guosim, also known of Guerilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower), Foremole and his moles, and other Redwallers.
"What is it, Brother?" asked Fryungle the mouse.
"Kaikura has been missing since the race. I saw a bit of his smock over the edge of the Abbey walls. I swear it, he's lost in Mossflower Woods!" Marrev cried.
"Impossible! When? Where? How?" shouted the jumble of voices. Waterfish ignored all of Marrev's details and ran out of the Abbey doors and into Mossflower Woods, searching for Kaikura the squirrelbabe.
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See REDWALL and MATTIMEO
"Milady Varsha!" came a worried voice as Varsha slept in her room. She was on a stone bed that jutted out of the walls of Salamandastron. The badgermaid's eyes flickered open.
"Varsha, lady, come quick, chappess, wot!"
Varsha rolled out of bed and opened up her door. She saw Korufylo, Egua, and another hare named Lilyblossom standing in front of her door anxiously.
"Hares, it's the middle of the night. What is it?" grumbled Varsha.
"Lady, Lily here rooms with Jill and I here room with Mateo – "
"Koru, I know that! Just get to the point!"
"Well, it IS the middle of the night, marm, and they haven't come back, wot!" explained Egua.
"Oh no," moaned Varsha softly. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no OH NO!"
"Marm?"
"Lily, go rouse the hares. I believe that those vermin have captured Mateo and Quidjill Dearhare!"
Song sat with Odell. The sun was setting in the east, making the sun reflect from their eyes and from the great Abbey Pond.
"Tomorrow's we're havin' a Nameday Feast," commented Odell. "Maybe you wanna come?"
Before Songtamer Swordslash could shake her head, Odell added softly, "I'd like it if you came and played for once. Maybe had some fun?"
Songtamer looked down at the youngster, whose wide, innocent eyes were hopeful.
"I'll – I'll think of it, Odell," Songtamer mumbled at last. "I'll think of it."
When Songtamer woke the next morning, she gasped in surprise and pleasure. The whole Abbey grounds had been transformed into a carnival! There were games like Scale-the-Greasy-Pole and archery tests, footpaw races and swimming races. There was also a race that went around the perimeter of the Abbey grounds. There was a race that was on the ground and one that went on the Abbey wall. Songtamer grinned happily as she gazed all around.
"See, see?" Odell called joyously to her. "I tole youse that it would be worth it!"
All of the elders glanced at Songtamer, who they had recently dubbed "Waterfish".
"Hi Odell," Songtamer murmured to her friend.
"Hi Waterfish – um, Songtamer."
"Waterfish? Why am I now 'Waterfish'?" asked Songtamer, slightly amused.
"That's wot ev'ry'un calls ye now, Waterfish. Only you'n'me know that yer real name is Songtamer, right?" Odell asked.
"Right," confirmed Songtamer. She closed her eyes and slowly deleted her old names from her memory: Song, Songy, Songo, Song-Song, Singasong, Singy, Songtamer, Tamer of Song, and Tamey were all lost from her memory. She locked them secretly in a hidden space in her mind and would not open it until necessary. She opened her eyes.
"Odell...call me Waterfish, okay?"
"Okay..." Odell paused. "Why?"
Waterfish crouched beside Odell.
"Lissen, mate. If they want me to be Waterfish, then I will be Waterfish. If they want me to be Ottermaid, then I will be Ottermaid. If they want me to be Songtamer, then I will be Songtamer. I just want to fit in. Report to me wot they say about me so that I can act that way."
"Okay." Odell glanced around. "Furrlun is waitin' for me. I gotta go!"
Odell ran off to join Furrlun the mousebabe at the Scale-the-Greasy-Pole game.
Waterfish watched as the Dibbuns tried to scale the greasy pole. Odell, Furrlun, a squirrelbabe, a molemaid, a volemaid, a shrewbabe, and a hoglet were all standing on top of each other's heads, trying to reach the giant bag of candied chestnuts. Waterfish hadn't had candied chestnuts since before Eyeshine had left. She watched the Dibbuns, Odell on the bottom, then the volemaid, the shrewbabe, the squirrelbabe, Furrlun, the molemaid, and the hoglet on the top, teeter. The hoglet grappled the pole, squeaking in dismay as they toppled over. The hoglet held on for a few moments, scrabbling to the top, and then he fell.
Nuria smiled at the Dibbuns. "You did well, my little Dibbuns. Next in line. Skip, you're going to try – and fail – again?" scoffed the Badgermum.
"Not failin' this time, ole badger," Skipper assured her as he spat on his paws, rubbed them together, and gripped the pole.
All of the rest in line, who were mainly Dibbuns, gaped in awe as the big and brawny otter scaled the pole with ease. He was just a few feet away when the grease got the better of him and he began to slip. Skipper tried to grab the bag of candied chestnuts and hang onto the pole at the same time, but instead he slid down, covered in grease.
Waterfish chuckled as Skipper got up. Skipper shrugged, "Well, I failed that. But I've bet Kella that I'd beat her in the swimming race. Oh, look, there she is!" Skipper raced off to the pond's edge to join an otter of his crew.
Waterfish, who had been leaning against the wall in shadows to observe everybeast and everything, pushed herself off of the wall and sauntered over to the Scale-the-Greasy-Pole game. Some of the older Redwallers gave her strange looks as she stood behind Odell, who had rejoined the line after he and his friends had failed.
Waterfish crouched beside Odell.
"Hi there. You tole me to have some fun, so I'm going to win this and share the prize with you. I haven't eaten candied chestnuts since my da went away and n-never ret-t-turned..." Waterfish stopped. Odell nodded understandably and turned back to watch the next Redwaller, Cellarhog Louveenia Spike. She winked at the crowd.
"This's how you get to the top o' the pole," she boasted. Louveenia was a very pompous hedgehog, but made the best October Ale since the days of Ambrose Spike, who only Louveenia remembered, because she was a distant relative.
Louveenia gripped the pole with her paws and held it tight. She put her footpaws near the base of the pole and then put one paw in front of the other paw until she lifted from the ground. She then latched her footpaws onto the pole and used those to ascend neatly.
"Haha! See, I told ye that I could do it!" she yelled triumphantly. She saw the prize up ahead and grinned. She reached out a paw to grab it, but she was too far away. She began to climb farther up, and she reached out a paw. Louveenia felt the bag beneath her fingers and gave a yell of triumph. A second later, she gave a yell of despair as she swiftly slid back to the ground, covered in grease and empty-pawed.
"Louveenia, I think that you should go wash up in the Pond and then go back to tending October Ale instead of climbing greasy poles," laughed Nuria as the Cellarhog, her ego hurt, sauntered back to the Abbey.
"Who is next?" called out Badgermum Nuria. Waterfish came forward. Everyone in line gasped; even Nuria gave a sign of surprise. She raised her eyebrows, but then shrugged.
"Okay, Waterfish, see if you can climb this pole," challenged Nuria.
Waterfish gave her a look that read: I can, and I will!
"Go do it, then." Nuria crossed her arms across her chest.
Waterfish grabbed the pole and began to ascend without a word. The crowd was silent, not even giving cheers of encouragement or yells of discouragement. But Waterfish didn't care. She just looked at the prize up ahead.
As Waterfish got to the top and could've grabbed the prize in her teeth, she began to slip.
"See? I knew she couldn't do it," someone chuckled loudly so that Waterfish could hear.
Just to prove them wrong, Waterfish grabbed the bag of candied chestnuts in her mouth and turned around on the pole. She grinned as Odell and his Dibbun friends cheered.
"Yay Waterfish!!!" cheered Odell happily.
Waterfish landed on the ground and held the bag tightly in her hand. She hurried to the Abbey Pond, washed the grease off of her, and then went to join her Dibbun friends and Odell.
"I knew I'd get them for you. I just didn't proclaim it loudly to let you guys down," explained Waterfish.
"You talk," exclaimed all of the Dibbuns except Odell.
"Yes I do," laughed Waterfish. She set the bag down and crouched beside her friends. The contents spilled out of the bag and the Dibbuns dived on them greedily. Waterfish grabbed a pawful of the nuts and picked one out of her paw.
"How long ago did your da die?" asked Odell. "How long has it been since you've eaten a candied chestnut?"
"My da went away about...eight seasons ago."
"Eight seasons! Tha's more'n my age!" exclaimed Furrlun.
"Burr, thawt's more'n Oi kin count on moi claws!" The molemaid counted on her claws. "Oops, ne'er moind, I KIN count t'et on moi claws."
All eight burst out laughing.
"I don't like how those Dibbuns are playing with Waterfish," sniffed one of the Redwall elders, a shrew named Dusan. "Look at them! Waterfish is probably filling their heads with nonsense, telling them what to do – "
"Dusan!" barked Nuria sharply. "Redwallers never insult other Redwallers, even if the Redwaller is a bit – well, maybe a lot – slightly – "
"Strange?" volunteered Log-a-Log. "Look, Nuria, I agree that we shouldn't insult each other, but look at Waterfish! Her only friends are Dibbuns, she never speaks, we know nothing of her past – "
Nuria put up a paw to stop Log-a-Log to continue going on. "I suppose you're right," sighed Nuria, sitting down on the ground.
Hours later, all of the games except for the wallrace and groundrace were over.
"C'mon, Waterfish, go race," urged the volemaid, Cora.
"Yeah!" agreed the hoglet, Akio.
"Cummon, it'll be fuh-un." Kaikura the squirrelbabe spoke in a singsong voice.
"Oi wud loike ee t' come. Wurr gonna run on ee grund!" molemaid Fawn explained.
"'n' yew kin run on the wall!" Vanig, the shrewbabe, exclaimed excitedly.
"Please?" asked Odell softly.
Furrlun put on what he expected was a pleading look. Waterfish gave a chortle and patted her Dibbun friends heads.
"'Course I'll come and play wi' ye." Waterfish picked up Furrlun, the smallest, and held Cora's paw as they walked over to where the rest of the Abbeydwellers were lining up to race.
"Wait!" squeaked out Vanig. "We're gonna race!"
"So is Waterfish! On the wall!" Akio yelled.
Waterfish froze as every Abbeydweller glared at her. She reddened and lowered her head.
"You will – r-race?" asked Log-a-Log, the judge.
Waterfish gave one sharp nod.
"Well then!" Log-a-Log clapped his paws together. "The wall or ground?"
Waterfish sauntered over to the stairs up to the wall top. She took a place next to Kaikura, who was running on the wall, too. Kaikura winked at her.
"See, this'll be lotsa fun," he whispered. "You'll see!"
Waterfish shrugged. She had never been very fast, only in water, for she was an otter, of course.
"On yer mark!" barked Log-a-Log. "Get set!!" He held his arm right above his head, a red kerchief in his paw. He dropped his arm, let go of the handkerchief, and yelled, "Gooooo!" all at the same time. Those on the wall and the ground were off. On the ground, some of the Dibbuns had gone the wrong way. Vanig, Fawn, Furrlun, and Cora all sat down and Fawn used her digging claws to dig for something that they had buried.
"What're you lookin' for, Fawn?" asked Cora the volemaid.
"Burr, Oi'm lukken furr ee woormeys. They'm orful delishush!" Fawn explained.
"But my mum tole me that eatin' wormeys was bad for you," pointed out Vanig.
"I wanna try a wormey! I've neva 'ad a wormey b'fore," Furrlun exclaimed.
"Hey, lookit those racers!" Cora laughed, and pointed to a vole and a shrew that were having a heated argument.
"Well, aren't you supposed to look where you're going!?" yelled the vole.
"I yelled, 'Look out, Meyyundo!' But did you lissen? Noooooooo!" yelled back the shrew.
"I demand that Argentina is put out of the race!" screamed Meyyundo the vole. "I demand it! She was running and banged right into me!"
"Well, if Meyyundo wasn't DEAF IN BOTH EARS!" Argentina the shrew had screamed the last words in Meyyundo's ear, making the vole leap back, covering his ears with both paws.
"Oops! I guess he's not!" Argentina cackled. She continued running, even though she was in dead last.
"I'm – not – done with – YOU! You – little shrew!" yelled Meyyundo, still shaking from having his ears screamed in. He raced after Argentina.
Up on the wall top it was a different story. No one was going the wrong way or banging into each other, but people were getting into arguments.
"Hey! Look! Kaikura is holding onto Waterfish! That's cheating!" pouted a mouse, Fryungle, who had always wanted to win but spent too much of his time eating in the kitchens. He was in 2nd place and would be in 1st if Waterfish wasn't ahead of him, running with ease.
"It's on'y cheatin' if Waterfish doesn't want me to be wi' her!" yelled Kaikura the squirrel.
Waterfish turned a sharp corner and Kaikura wobbled and fell.
"I'm going to win," taunted Fryungle. "You just wait! You'll be sobbing in last!"
Waterfish turned her head and bared he teeth, but that was all she did. She seemed completely unperturbed by the insults.
"You'll lose!" Fryungle yelled. "You'll lose!"
Waterfish picked up speed as she turned to last corner. She could see the Finish Line right ahead.
"YOU'RE MOTHER PROBABLY DIED BECAUSE SHE HATED YOU! YOU PROBABLY POISONED HER!" Fryungle screamed, completely losing his head, as Waterfish crossed the line. Waterfish turned 'round and grabbed Fryungle by his neck. She held him tight.
"No, no, I didn't mean it!" choked out Fryungle. The mouse was surprised to see tears in the ottermaid's eyes. Waterfish rasped out hoarsely, as though she was going to cry, "If I wasn't on Redwall grounds and you weren't a stupid mouse I will kill you for that remark."
She dropped Fryungle and stepped over the Finish Line again. Fryungle crawled over the Finish Line in second, and then Louveenia and Skipper of Otters in third.
"The, uh, the winner iiiiiiiiiiiis – Wa-waterfiiiiiiiiiish!" cried Log-a- Log.
"Burr, ee Authum of Ruzzy Dun is off to ee gurt start," Abbess Leafswirl proclaimed. The Redwallers applauded. The sun was setting on the first day of the Autumn of the Rosy Dawn.
"Noaw izzunt a toime t'mak ee speeches. Oi bet that ull o' ye arr as 'ungry as Oi em!" shouted Leafswirl, and there was a grand cheer. The Redwallers dug in, even though half of them didn't understand a word of molespeech.
"Pass that cordial."
"Here you go. Hey, Louveenia, pass me the turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot deeper'n'ever pie!"
"Here. Have you tried a bit of my October Ale? I think that's it's the finest batch ever."
"Cellarhog! I think that it's a bit too watery."
"How dare you, Fryungle...!"
Suddenly, there was a loud shout from Brother Marrev. "Come quickly!" he yelled. "Oh, hurry!"
Waterfish, along with Skipper and his crew, Log-a-Log and his crew (the Guosim, also known of Guerilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower), Foremole and his moles, and other Redwallers.
"What is it, Brother?" asked Fryungle the mouse.
"Kaikura has been missing since the race. I saw a bit of his smock over the edge of the Abbey walls. I swear it, he's lost in Mossflower Woods!" Marrev cried.
"Impossible! When? Where? How?" shouted the jumble of voices. Waterfish ignored all of Marrev's details and ran out of the Abbey doors and into Mossflower Woods, searching for Kaikura the squirrelbabe.
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