Chapter Three

The following day Vanessa was allowed to leave the Infirmary, although Sister Marisol kept the sling on just to be cautious. Abbot Arlyn formally excused Vanessa from all regular chores for one week, partly due to her injury and partly as a reward for her heroism and selfless valor in coming to the Sparra chick's aid. He said it was the greatest demonstration of all the ideals Redwall stood for that he had seen in many a season, and she was to be highly praised for her courage.

Little did Vanessa know, her true reward was still to come, for the Abbot and the Friar began making preparations for a feast several days hence, to be held in the mousemaid's honor. All in secret, of course. Surprise feasts were the very best kind.

It wasn't at all difficult to keep Vanessa in the dark about the celebration, for her thoughts and attention were all on her adopted sparrow. The day after its rescue, she was constantly making trips up to the Infirmary to spend time with the convalescing baby bird, to the point where Sister Marisol had to order her to stop climbing the stairs so much. Vanessa wanted to move the chick down to Cavern Hole with everybeast else, where it would be easier to keep the young creature warm and she could attend him at all times, but Marisol did not think he should be moved just yet.

By the second day, Sister Marisol was given no choice on where to keep the Sparra; when Vanessa went to leave the Infirmary after her first visit of the morning, the sparrow hopped up onto his talons and waddled after her, his splinted wing causing him to bob from side to side as he walked. Vanessa and Marisol both tried to make the chick stay put, but their efforts were in vain. Every time they thought they had him settled back down onto his nest of blankets to stay, up he would spring again the moment Vanessa headed for the door. It was quite clear that the baby bird had no intention of becoming separated from his savior and new friend.

"Oh, dear," Vanessa fretted, "what now?"

"Well, you wanted to take him down to Cavern Hole with you ... looks like that's going to happen now whether we want it to or not. At least that sprained leg seems to be all better now. Goodness, I've never seen a creature so hopped-up and full of energy!"

Vanessa brightened. "Oh, can he really come with me?"

"His appetite's been hearty this past day and a half, and that's an important indicator of health in any young creature. For awhile, I thought he was going to scoff down all the bread Friar Hugh could bake! But that wing still worries me a bit. We don't want him to be too active just yet, and that splint might make it hard for him to negotiate the stairs. Maybe if you and I help him, we can get him down to Great Hall all right."

Sister Marisol had removed Vanessa's sling the night before, so the mousemaid had both paws free. Working together, the two mice got the eager chick out through the Infirmary doorway and then trippingly down the stairway to Great Hall, one bouncing and lopsided step at a time. The baby bird seemed to think it was all great fun, and was still most enthusiastic by the time they reached the bottom step. From there, it was just another seven straight and wide steps to get down into Cavern Hole from Great Hall; tackling that short flight was like a picnic after the long spiral steps down from the Infirmary floor. The sparrow seemed almost disappointed by the lack of challenge.

Nor was he thrown off by the sheer number of animals congregated down in Cavern Hole. Nearly all the Guosim shrews were there, along with a great many of the Redwallers, sitting or lying about singing songs, telling jokes and stories, or just enjoying each other's company. Perhaps the Sparra identified these as his rescuers, since shrews and squirrels and otters had all been among the group summoned by Alexander to help Vanessa. In any event, he seemed quite at ease as he was led amongst them.

The only moment of difficulty came at the blazing hearth. Shrews and moles cleared a space for Vanessa and the bird to sit by the fire. But fire was a thing in which the winged folk had no skill or lore, and the chick at first showed distress at approaching the blaze this closely.

"Oh, dear," Sister Marisol declared, "the poor thing's probably never seen fire before!"

Vanessa lowered herself down onto the smooth warm flagstones, and patted the empty spot beside her invitingly. "Come on, it's all right," she cooed to the Sparra. "Nothing's going to hurt you. Don't be a silly bird. Plop yourself down here where it's nice and warm. Come, come, it's perfectly safe."

Lulled and soothed by Vanessa's tone, the chick stepped hesitantly over to her. He gave the dancing flames one more suspicious glance, then settled onto his tailfeathers at Vanessa's side, chirping questioningly. The mousemaid put a paw around his neck to comfort him. The bird gave another chirp, this one full of contentment.

"See, isn't this much better than that drafty old Infirmary?"

Sister Marisol shook her head in admiration. "My, my, you do have a way with that bird. If your bedside manner is this successful with everybeast, you'll make a fine Infirmary keeper someday."

Vanessa blushed slightly at this praise from her mentor.

The leader of the Guosim shrews, who was called Log-a-Log, said to Vanessa, "That's one well-behaved little birdie y'got there, missie. Too bad 'bout its sorry wing. Looks like it'll never be quite right again. If'n it heals permanent that way, that slung wing'll always be a bit higher'n the other. By th' by, what's 'is name?"

Vanessa stared at the shrew blankly. "His name?"

"Well, sure. A beast's gotta have a name, even a little featherscamp like this'n. An' he won't be gettin' one from 'is own kind, judgin' by what they did to him, so I guess it's up to us to give 'im one."

"By seasons, he's right," said Marisol. "And since you're the one he seems to have taken the most shine to, Vanessa, I would say the honor should be yours. You are his rescuer, after all. It's either that, or wait until he's old enough to choose a name for himself ... and I hardly think we want to address him as 'Hey, bird' until he can talk!"

Vanessa was flabbergasted. She knew she'd saved this young creature's life, and taken on a great deal of responsibility on his behalf, but the idea of naming the chick drove home to her just how much of an obligation she'd accepted for herself. It really was as if she'd adopted the Sparra as her own child!

"Um ... " she stammered, "uh, isn't that the kind of thing we should leave to the Father Abbot?"

"Oh, I know good old Arlyn as well as anybeast does," Sister Marisol said. "And I have the feeling he'll tell you the exact same thing. The naming of this creature will fall to you, Vanessa."

"So, any ideas?" Log-a-Log asked her.

"Um ... "

"Let's not rush things, Log-a-Log," said Marisol. "This will be a big responsibility for Vanessa, and I'm sure she'll want to give this a lot of thought. Whatever name she picks will be the one this Sparra will carry for the rest of his seasons. At least we know it's a male baby bird, so we can rule out any female names."

"A name, huh?" Vanessa pondered, and gazed down at the sparrow chick splayed out on the warm hearthstones beside her. He returned her stare with his usual bright black bird's eyes. "So, what am I going to name you?" she asked him softly.

"Cheep," was all he said.