Chapter 2

"Belgara, we have to do something for him. He's got to stop brooding. Redwall needs to see him in the foreground, not the back," Ash stormed at her ottermaid friend, who calmly and patiently sat while she vented her frustration at her. The mousemaid had spent her morning trying to convince Gareth to beseech Abbess Clarine and beg to pursue his dream.

Apparently frightened of the prospect, he held out against her arguments and, for the most part, sat staring sadly and quietly at the water before him. She finally abandoned him to search out her friend Belgara to possibly shake some sense into Gareth, but before she could find her she was due back in the kitchens for afternoon tea. Now, once the tea and lunch had both been done with in one, swift stroke, Ash dragged Belgara to her room where they were guaranteed privacy.

"We should take it to the Abbess and force him to go. He obviously wants it, and he's old enough that there shouldn't be a dispute over whether he's ready to take a journey or not. I think he has to," the mousemaid muttered more to herself than her friend.

Belgara spoke next, "Hmmm…it's 'ard for me to tell ya what ya need to do, Ash. Ah 'aven't talked with Gareth meself. Although, from what ye've said, I'm willin' to bet 'e's as stubborn as you." Unlike Ash the otter was a strange combination of thoughtfulness and carefree. Usually up to flipping and playing in the pond like the other otters she still had the habit of thinking things through before plunging in, whereas Ash was the opposite.

"I assure you, Belgara, that he needs to be shoved out or he will never leave," Ash explained, her frustration plain on her face as she paced her room back and forth. But there was also a measure of worry as she continued, "I fear for his sanity if he tries to repress what he dreams of every night. It's not healthy."

"Ah definitely agree wit ya there, but what do ye suppose we can do? 'e's not likely ta leave without a fight," Belgara offered, though she seemed more determined to help Gareth get out than just let him bide his time.

"We need to ask the Abbess. She's good with many ways of thinking, and she can further help us get him out," Ash said, her voice a little more lightened compared to what it was a few minutes earlier. Now, an underlying excitement flashed beneath her concern for Gareth. So the mouse began for the door, but the otter halted her for a moment.

"Wait, Ash! Didn' ye tell me he began feelin' this distance after them jesters left? After their story?" With her paw on the door handle the light brown mousemaid furrowed her brow and threw her a questioning expression.

"Yes…why?"

"What did 'e say 'is ambition was? Ye never told me that," Belgara ventured forward, obviously something nagging at her that Ash couldn't catch.

"He said he wanted 'to fly.' I'm not entirely sure what he means by that, so I assumed he just wanted to get out of the Abbey. Why?" To her, the words were still a mystery, and since she hadn't been able to attend the story she didn't figure there was an explanation beyond metaphorical.

Belgara told her otherwise, "Ahhh….ah know what 'e wants. It's not just ta journey, but somethin' else. Ya see, ah was there at the story."

Ash's senses heightened with curiosity when she heard this and said, "Oh? What did he mean by it then? What else could he possibly mean?"

The ottermaid laughed mightily in her alto voice. "Hohohoho! Och, don' be more 'n' a daft frog than ye 'ave ta be, Ash. 'e meant it literally," Belgara interpreted with a wide and smug smile.

"What?! He wants to flap his arms and soar through the sky? He can't mean it literally unless—" Ash's eyes suddenly widened in realization as she thought on it.

Belgara finished her sentence, "Unless 'e 'ad a willing bird ta ride. The story featured a mouse ridin' a bird."

The shock on Ash's face would've caused anyone else to break out into gales of laughter, but Belgara merely smiled and turned to the window so she could examine the cloudless sky. The mouse was looking in the same direction with a dreamy expression equivalent to that of Gareth's. Now she understood why sleeping would be difficult. She finally shook herself and said, "Well, Belgara, we better get to the Abbess pronto then. Now, I can understand him a little more. He need not torture himself with idle fantasies anymore. Let's go!"

"I can see your concern for him, Ash, and your puzzlement as to why he seems afraid of me. I know why," Clarine said to the young mouse after Ash had rehashed hers and Belgara's revelations as well as tell her of Gareth's whereabouts. The pair of them had come dashing from the Great Hall and onto the grounds so fast that several creatures accused them of being sprightly dibbuns.

After practically dragging the Abbess back to her study from the ramparts Ash began feeling uneasy as the older squirrel stared at her with a stern, but fairly kind expression. Somehow she felt that Clarine wouldn't be so enthusiastic to boot Gareth out as they would. Putting aside her trepidation the mouse replied, "Really? I figured you would."

Clarine nodded, and then said, "We are in a time of peace. If you remember in your Abbey History class you will notice that when it comes to times of warfare the Abbey warriors generally take over in the ruling of this Abbey. Outside of that, though, everybeast focuses on being as peaceful as we can. Gareth realizes this, and figured rightly that going out to tame a bird to ride and eventually bring it back is in a way preparing for war when there might not be one. That is against our way of life."

Ash paled, seeing it all come into focus, and now understanding why Gareth had not wanted to come to the Abbess for a leave because of attrition. Shifting uncomfortably she asked, "Will you let up on it this once? He can't just continue living his life like this."

"Aye, Mother. Ah don' believe ye should cage him like this. Ah don' think 'tis meant to be," Belgara said quietly, backing up Ash's statements.

Abbess Clarine turned from the mousemaid to the otter and she blinked in puzzlement. "What do you mean by that, Belgara?"

The ottermaid shifted on her paws, continuing to make eye contact with the squirrel as she searched for an answer. Finally, with a shake of her head she answered, "Ah can't, Mother. It's jus'…'ntuition. Ah 'ave a feelin' Gareth needs ta go out into the world. Ah got nothin' ta 'old that up, though."

"I see," Clarine trailed off sounding deflated, but her eyes still had the objectivity hanging around it. After several moments of silence which found Ash and Belgara nearly sliding to the floor from their chairs, while the squirrel Abbess stared at the space between the otter and mouse, she finally said, "Well, I have come to my decision regarding the case of Gareth and his…wanderlust."

Ash forced herself to sit up straight and tall in her chair before she gave her verdict, deciding that remaining quiet was better than speaking out of turn. She and Belgara waited with bated breath.

Clarine turned to the friar, "Ash, go to the kitchen and start preparing a 'going away' feast. There is no need for a restless young one not to expend his energy with a journey. Will you do that?'

"Yes, Mother, I will," Ash cried out with excitement. Then she jumped from her chair and saluted stiffly before darting out the door in the same run as she had going after the Abbess. Belgara grinned widely as she turned in time to see Ash's light brown tail disappear with a quick swish.

"Thank ye, Mother. Ah'm sure Gareth 'twill be thanking ye as well once we tell 'im what he's going to do," Belgara said, taking the liberty to deliver Ash's gratuitous expressions. "Somethin' tells me, though, that she'll start missin' him when 'e don' show after a few months. Ah doubt 'e'll be back for seasons."

"Yes, Belgara, I imagine so if Gareth is as restless as Ash says he is," the squirrel replied with a wistful smile crossing her face.

Out on the grounds a more hostile atmosphere clung to everybeast as creatures gathered around watched Gareth, with a lathe, circle the out-lined area with fiery eyes gazing into his opponent: the best squirrel his age, Perrad. The red squirrel's bushy tail twitched spasmodically as he, too, followed Gareth with mostly his eyes, stepping subconsciously with the mouse—his lathe hung limp at his side.

Then with lightning quickness Perrad launched at the mouse and delivered a quick barrage of slashes and thrusts, which Gareth met and countered skillfully. While the squirrel had an excited and joyful gleam in his eye, the glint in the mouse's was one of a primal longing. The longing for a fight.

"Don't be so stiff, Gareth, you should be light," Perrad teased as he, obviously much quicker, darted in for a blow to the knee with a dagger lathe. He'd been forced to swallow his own words as Gareth brought the sword around to swat the wrist, nearly causing him to drop it.

"Nay, Perrad. This is how someone with a heavier weapon usually fights." Then with a wicked grin he said, "Learn carefully, friend, and I'll give you your own lesson." And so Gareth began swinging his sword with crisscrossing arcs, faster and faster. Perrad's green eyes widened in panic as the mouse pushed him back without truly presenting a target. But then Gareth stopped pushing and engaged him on the spot.

They moved with awesome speed, and creatures looked on with awe painted over their faces, while the weapons moved as mere blurs to the untrained eye. But both warriors could see each other's weapons clearly. The impressive display of skill and agility lasted another few minutes before Perrad's numbed fingers dropped his dagger lathe, and he had to drop to get it. But before he could get it back up Gareth had stepped up and stood on the wooden blade with all of his weight.

Uncomfortable the squirrel defiantly, if a little fearfully, brought his head up to look into his friends eyes; at first the bloodlust was there, or so he thought, but it was gone so fast he wasn't sure if he ever saw it. It was replaced with a smile. "Wow, Perrad, I had no idea you were amazing with a dagger. Thank you for the fight," the mouse said and then proffered a paw to help Perrad up.

The squirrel grinned, "I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but I guess it wasn't enough to beat you. You are the greatest swordsbeast I've ever seen." What he did not add was that he wondered if Gareth could contest Martin himself in that area. But it was a far off boast, and Gareth was not one for such senseless flaunting. He wasn't known for even acknowledging his skill.

Helping Perrad up, the mouse smiled gratefully but the squirrel was sure that if he did not have fur on a deep blush would be creeping up his cheeks. Not wanting to make him uncomfortable Perrad switched the subject, "Well, after all that fighting I think food is in store. Dinner should be soon! Ah, there are the dinner bells now." He cocked his head with an ear directed upward, and in the quiet both of them and the crowd could hear the Matthias and Methuselah bells ringing in the regular chime to announce dinner. "Come on!"

With his paw around his shoulder Perrad walked Gareth to the entrance of the Great Hall as both reviewed the fight, and teased each other about their mistakes. Chatting amiable, neither of them, nor the audience, were aware a surprise was in store for Gareth.