Chapter 3: Redwall's New Guests

"Now that is a big place." Naruto commented as they looked at the large walls and building of Redwall from the limb of a birch tree. From inside, the sounds of kids playing and elders pleasantly talking wafted up to the pair as they sat on the thick oak limbs. "So, what should we do? Just walk in?"

Sakura sighed at the fox's stupidity, but she couldn't help but agree. This place seemed too peaceful to be any threat, but sometimes things are not always as they seem. Still, both of them could hear their stomachs growling as the smells of a cooking supper and they still needed a clue about where the hell they were. "It looks like it. I think it's better if we show our presence rather than sneak in like thieves. First impressions last longer. Let's go." The two dropped straight down off the tree, Sakura landing on her feet, or paws now she reminded herself, while Naruto, in his usual fashion, landed in a patch of leaves head first and climbed out dazed. "Idiot." Naruto quickly recovered and brushed off the leaves on his orange jacket and walked to a small door on the side of the wall with Sakura following. The two looked to each other for an idea, but in the end Naruto just knocked on the faded wood.

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"Dangle!!! Get back here right now!" The small door mouse stuck his tongue at Sister Delany, the old hare nursemaid, and continued along the pond in his makeshift raft, a small table overturned that held him, a small terrified mole and a little hare maid who paddled along with him. "Don't make me get Skipper! I mean it, you ruffians!" The Dibbuns were now making faces, except for the young mole who clung to a leg of the table, his wrinkly black face paler in color.

"Hurr, Oi don't'n loik dah water, Dangle! Can 'ee let oi off!?"

Dangle stood proudly in the middle of his 'ship' and prodded the scared mole with a grimy paw. "Pirate's aren't scared of nuvin'! Up on yer feets, scab-vys and get dat swail up!"

The mole trembled as they started to wrap a large slightly damp tablecloth around the two 'front masts' and the wind caught it and sent them slowly sailing back to the shore. "Ah! I got those ruffians now!!!" Sister Delany pulled her flowered skirt up and ran along the edge before a large paw stopped her. The big tattooed otter behind her smiled down and said in his infamous sailor accent, "Steady there lass. I'll get ta' Dibbuns for ya."

"Go right ahead, Skipper. I'm practically tuckered out from those blinkin' savages and I'll take any help I can bloody get." Showing off his pearly white teeth, the otter chieftain set his pole staff down and dived in without a single splash. The Dibbuns waved to the approaching otter and the little hairmaid knelt down as the otter's head surfaced in front of her. "Hi'ya Skip! Can ya pull us around the pond, please?"

Skipper shook his head but relented after all three started to beg and threaten to whack him with their paddles. Grabbing the sail, he made a makeshift rope that was tied to the table and soon the younglings were screaming and hollering as the powerful otter rounded the pond, spooking the numerous fish inhabiting the water and giving Delany another excuse to yell at the top of her lungs. But just like the otter promised, the three were carried ashore after two laps and were given into the arms of the hare nurse who stuck all three under her long arms and stormed toward the Abbey doors, giving them all the paragraphs, subscriptions, translations, and every single punctuation mark of the Riot Act.

The badger Memnon walked along the ramparts, his good friend Father Porthos walking beside him, as they made their usual rounds of the Abbey. The elder mouse hummed a small ditty as the badger looked over the tree tops, his large paw running along the warm rock with the wind ruffling the fur on his wise face. Both clad in the green robes of the Order, they were quite the unique pair, especially with the orange stripes on the young badger and gold fur with silver hairs on the wise face of the Abbey's Father. Memnon sighed as he looked down onto the lawn."A beautiful afternoon, my old friend. Except for the slight trouble by the Dibbuns, eh?"

Porthos smiled up to his friend. "Ever the present threat is the young ones, but who can blame their adventurous and creative minds to cause such mischief. You should have been around when my old friends and I were little terrors of our own."

Memnon's eye lit up as images ran though his head and memories of his past endeavors. "I can only imagine what things you could do, old one. I doubt they were as bad as mine were."

"Oh really? Should I start listing them off to you and compare?"

"Try me."

"After supper. For now, let's enjoy this afternoon." The two smiled, hoping such days would never end. The two passed by the western gate when a knock on the old door turned both their heads. The badger stepped up to the door and removed the lock, but didn't open. "Who is it?"

A calm female voice answered through the door. "Um, Hello there. Me and my friend are lost and need a place to stay and any information on where we are."

Memnon nodded and opened the door. "Welcome, travelers, to Redwall..." The badger stopped in mid-sentence as he saw the two, a young female hare and an orange fox with way too many tails. Staring at the fox queerly, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the door as something bugged him in the back of his mind, making deep marks in the wood. The fox, seeing this, started to inch his hand toward a pack at the back of his belt, but the girl gave him a severe look and turned to the larger badger. "Hello there. May we please come in, kind sir?"

The badger didn't answer, but Porthos leaned around his friend and sizing up the two, he smiled. "Welcome children. Memnon, let them through please." The red striped animal snapped back and nodded, opening the door wider and stepping aside to let the two inside. As the fox passed, his eyes and Memnon's met for a moment, then he broke the contact as the hare lady did a polite bow to the Father.

"Thank you. My name is Sakura Haruno and this is my good friend Naruto Uzumaki. We were lost and found your home here through the forest." Sakura was glad the mouse was there to stop any hostilities made by the big striped beast toward Naruto. She didn't want to make any bad impressions, but it looks as if her friend had made not a good impression with the badger.

Porthos returned the bow and motioned for the two to follow him, Memnon following behind the group. "Welcome to Redwall Abbey, Sakura and Naruto. I am Father Porthos, the head of the Abbey, and this is the current badger caretaker Memnon. You are extremely fortunate, it's almost time for the evening meal. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to the Main Hall." They walked passed a large group of moles cleaning and expanding a large roasting pit, who stopped to wave their dirty paws at the group.

Naruto's ears perked up. "Supper? Hey! That's a great idea. Lead on, old one. Ow! Hey! What's that for?"

Memnon lifted his paw again, a mischievous smile on his face. "Show respect to your elders and betters."

Naruto pouted and rubbed the bump between his ears. "You didn't need to hit that hard though! You could have just poked me or something."

Sakura shook her head and pushed her ear out of her face. "Stop whining and come on, you dweeb." She pushed him into the pond as they passed it, but the Fox jumped back on the surface, shaking his fur off. Porthos stared at the nine tailed fox with wonder while Memnon's jaw dropped. "How...what...how can you not fall in the water but walk on top it like solid ground?"

Naruto smiled wide as he hopped back ashore and rubbed the back of his head. "It's easy for me and Sakura to do a lot of stuff, Stripes. Walking on water is pretty easy, if you know how to concentrate chakra like we do." Memnon looked to Sakura in confusion, but she shrugged as if to say 'It'll take a little while to explain.' "Anyway," Naruto pointed to the large center building, "Weren't you going to show us to the food. We're pretty hungry."