Chapter Two: Into the Abbey
Setting: Dawn; Redwall Abbey
Abbot Song was a hedgehog. A good one, mind you, but a hedgehog nonetheless. He was well-spoken, even in his old age, and didn't have the usual gruffness that came with his race. On this particular morning, he was sitting on top of the wall, watching the sunrise with the Skipper of Otters. They had let the night guard in early and promised to watch it themselves. Wrapping himself deeply into his habit, for it was pretty far into Autumn, the Abbot took a sip of hot tea and sighed.
"Even to creatures of our age, the sunrise never ceases to amaze, does it Skip?"
"No it don't, Father Abbot."
The hedgehog rolled his eyes; the Skipper always used his title like that. He had, on multiple occasions, asked the otter to stop, but Skip took it as a joke and kept finding new ways to use it.
"You know I don't like it when you call me that, you scallywag."
"Aye, but ye' know I like callin' yeh it. 'Tis fun."
Suddenly, the two heard a call from down on the path. The voice sounded like an otter, and their suspicions were confirmed when the Abbot looked over the side of the wall. Skipper followed his gaze and shouted down to the two otters below them. He noticed that one was holding a bundle of blankets, and something seemed to be inside.
"'ey mates! What're ye doing back so early? I thought ye were on patrol!"
The first one, the one without the bundle, waved and shouted back.
"We were, and we found a couple o' foxes out there. They attacked us and fell, but we saved their kit. Can we bring it inside?"
The Abbot gripped the side of the wall and strained to see the bundle.
"A baby? Of course! Bring it inside quickly, before it catches a cold!"
He rushed along the wall to the stairs, walked as quickly as he could down them, and approached the gatehouse. The hedgehog raised his fist and pounded on the door a couple of times, then waited in silence. After a moment, a sleepy looking mouse opened the door. He was wearing his habit and rubbed his eyes.
"Hello, father Abbot. What can I do for you this early in the mornin'?"
"You can open the door, Vrit. We have visitors."
After a moment, the door had been opened and the otters walked inside. The Abbot approached the second otter, noting the scar on his eye, and took the bundle from him. An uncomfortable squeak came from inside the blankets, and the old hedgehog smiled.
"Oh, we shall have to take care of him. I will not allow him to be abandoned. He is not of the age yet to where his parents will have influenced how he will be in the future. But, as is traditional, we must have a meeting on this matter. Skip, if you could get everybody who needs to be there into Cavern Hole, it would be nice."
"Aye, father abbot. They'll be there."
He ran off then, and the Abbot turned his eyes back toward the kit, walking toward the Abbey.
"Yes, we'll get you out of the cold and into a nice bed. We'll have to decide on a name for you later, won't we?"