Chapter 4
May the sun shine brightly
May the good always win
May we all live happily
As long as I have my muffin
Denya laughed and ran after the small hedgehogs that wobbled ahead of him. Winter was coming upon them quick but still it was not quite cold enough to make the dibbuns stay inside. Rutti, the smallest of the hogs, shrieked as Denya suddenly picked him up and put him on his broad shoulders.
"Look what I've got, a naughty hog that stole treats from the kitchen." Rutti was torn between laughter and wheezing as Denya tickled him.
'Nu I din't! I din't!" If was Dulli!"
"Ha ha! No you can't fool me now, Rutti. I know it was you" Denya blew into the little dibbun's ear to make him shriek more.
"I swear!" wheezed Rutti " It was... It was Dulli!" The little hog could barely breathe between fits of laughter. Denya grinned and went on tickling Rutti when he heard a faint footstep behind him. Thinking it was Dulli, Rutti's older sister, he shot out a hand to grab the hog and began tickling. It would have been effective too except his hand didn't touch the spiky fur of a hedgehog's underbelly but the slick fur of an otter's .
"Now really Denya, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not ticklish"Denya twisted around in surprise to face Chese. He snatched back his hand and gently droped Rutti, as a scarlet cloud crossed his cheeks in embarrassment.
"I thought you were…I wouldn't have…. Oh what do you want?" Chese grinned at Denya.
"Well my stuttering little pup, Now that you asked I have one small errand for you. It won't take long but first.Chese bent down to level with the small hog the clutched tightly to Denya's leg.
"Why hello, your Rutti, correct?" Rutti did nothing but hide his face into Denya's fur.
"He won't talk to you." Denya told Chese." He's very shy to strangers plus I heard you frighten little ones."
Denya slyly grinned. Chese looked up and scoffed.
" Who ever told you that was much of a liar! As you should know kids love me. They adore me. They just can't get enough of me."
Denya laughed.
"Oh you mean just like this one?"
Chese looked back down at Rutti then speaking a little louder he said,
"Well I heard from a reliable source that you like muffins! Would you like one of mine?"
Chese took out a muffin from under a pink handkerchief that covered a twine weaved basket he was holding at his side. The aroma itself was enough for Rutti to peak around Denya's leg at the muffin.
"Ah you see, no beast can resist the muffin. Here you may have it." Rutti quickly snatched up the muffin from Chese's large paw and wobbled away.
Chese stood back up as he watched the small hog struggle with the unusually large muffin.
"Well now that that's settled, this belongs to you." Chese took the basket and shoved it into Denya's arms.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do with this basket?" Denya questioned as he fingered the handkerchief distastefully.
"Well that's the small errand I want you to do for me. You're going to welcome Atren with this basket of scrumptious blueberry and walnut muffins."
What?"
Chese walked around Denya in a thoughtful manner.
"You see when I invited Arten I forgot that "he" had never been here before and so to ensure that "he" gets here today with out getting lost. You must go to where the dirt road divides and meet "him" with this charming basket full of "his' favorite kind of muffins. That's all you have to do."
"Really? Now would it matter at all to you if I said I didn't want to do it?"
Chese shook his head and patted Danya on the back.
"Not at all, my friend, not at all."