July
Jennifer had taken care of all the travel arrangements. Only a few days after their lunch meeting, the weasel emailed Dan with the full travel itinerary. Included in this was information on the required dress code. A creature couldn't attend a Salamandastron event, not dressed appropriately after all. Finding an appropriate morning coat to accompany the standard morning dress was fairly easy. Dan arranged to rent the attire from a tailor shop suggested to him by Dr. Lockben. For Beth, finding the right outfit proved a little trickier. Dan dared not go shopping with the teenager, instead sought the help of May. The otterwife was all too happy to help. The pair spent an entire day shopping, and by Beth's admission tried on nearly thirty dresses. Dan dreaded what it would be like when the time came to go shopping for her graduation dress, and dared not think about wedding dresses. At long last the outfit was selected. As it was a garden party the right hat had to be found as well.
"It all seems so silly Dad" Beth giggled as she took the garment bag out of the closet.
"That's the way beasts dress for formal events here. "Her father explained with a smile.
Outside there was the honk of the taxi. Dan carried their suitcase, allowing Beth to take the delicate garment bags. Mindful of the steep stairs, the squirrels made their way towards the door. Dan waved a friendly paw towards the mole taxi driver as he locked up their rental cottage. The cheerful looking creature waddled up and relieved Dan of his load.
"Gud day to ee zurr. Where youm be off to?" he asked in the quaint mole-speech.
"The airport please."
Waiting for his passengers to buckle up their seatbelts the mole nodded his sable head. "Roight zurr." He couldn't help but notice the garment bags and ventured to ask. "Hurr youm be off to ee wedding?"
Beth shook her head. "No, we're going to Salamandastron." The youth couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.
"Burr, oi do loves hurr sea soid." He smiled and drove off towards the main road.
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With Dan and Beth off to Salamandastron, and Dr. Lockben taking time off to spend time with his wife, Bulfie took it into his own paws to find replacements. By the time Wally pulled up to the site, he found the ferret pacing in drill sergeant fashion around four students. The four, a stoat, mouse, and pair of weasels, each clutched clipboards and various supplies their instructor had bestowed upon them.
"What's all this?" Wally ventured to ask, as he came up towards them.
Bulfie turned about, grinning broadly. "Best idea I've had all season." He spoke, ignoring the students alongside them. "I stole Dr. Wicky's research students."
The otter blinked, and then passed another look towards the four. "Do Wicky know that y'took 'em." Wally, never could be sure when Bulfie was joking or being serious.
The ferret nodded. "'Course 'e do. Sure, that old stoat told me t'take this lot off his paws. So now we have workers for a few days, best part is, we don't even have to pay them. "
At this the pair of young weasels grumbled.
Bulfie turned abruptly. "None o' that youse two. I knows yer mum, and so help me, if y'gives me any grief I'll get her permission to smack the two of ye into one."
The pair, who it seemed, were siblings grinned knowing the ferret was only joking.
Wally scratched his whiskers. They could use the extra paws, but he didn't fancy having so many young and inexperienced creatures working the site. "Well, alright. But you supervise them Bulfie. I want every single object accounted for. "
"You heard him. Now, get to work!"
Scrambling to the tasks the ferret had previously assigned to them, the students set to work.
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Ever the cautious one, Dan made sure they arrived at the airport with time to spare. Check in and security took far less time than he had calculated. This left the squirrels with over an hour to wait in the terminal. While the airport was massive, Dan was not overly fussy on exploring, nor did he fancy shopping in the highly expensive boutiques. To Beth's dismay they had to stay at the gate. Jennifer had booked their flight with West Shore Airlines which exclusively flew to Salamandastron. Typically tourists and business travelers used Mossflower Air which tended to be the cheaper option. Not even the gate attendant was there yet. Checking her watch Beth sighed. Only seven thirty. They hadn't even had breakfast yet, and of course the small café by the gate still hadn't opened.
"Oh this isn't so bad." Dan stated, trying to look on the bright side.
"Sure." Beth mumbled, taking out her cell phone she was soon consumed by the device, as many creatures her age were.
Having lost his daughter to the digital world, Dan took out a book from the carry-on bag. He read quietly, largely tuning out the world around them. Before either of them knew it, there was the sound of moving metal. The security curtain was being pulled away from the café, which was now preparing to open up. Placing the bookmark in his novel Dan quickly found his wallet.
"I'll get us a quick snack, watch the bags, I won't be too long."
Beth gave no response, not so much looking up from her phone.
"I'm just going to put this out there Flunkworthy, that you fail at life, wot." A jovial voice rang out though the empty terminal.
"Oh shove it up your crooked hooter Toby." Another voice, presumably that of this Flunkworthy beast, responded.
Beth glanced up from her phone and found that the gate had suddenly, and without warning, flooded with hares. Everywhere the young squirrel looked, she saw hares in uniform. Some donned blue berets tipped up to the left, others in uniforms of green or desert camouflage. There was also, among the group a pawful of hares in dashing red dress tunics. These figures seemed to be important, as the other uniformed creatures treated them with the upmost respect.
"I was merely pointing out Flunkworthy ole chum, that getting lost on the way to the airport is hardly proper of a Long Patrol hare of your caliber. " Joked the hare Toby once more.
Flunkworthy grew infuriated at the teasing. Puffing up in the face he rounded on the other. "I wasn't bally lost, you blither headed buffoon. T'wasn't me fault anyway. I'll not have you jesting that is was. You rotten scoff-swiping dribble nosed dither pawed-"
"That's quite enough chaps. Young ears and all that." Whispered a female hare sitting beside the pair. Frequently other beasts took Beth for being younger than she was. The two bucks paused, and passed quick glances towards Beth.
At the moment of silence Beth peered up from the phone, she looked about expecting to see a child seated nearby. Realizing the hares had been speaking about her, she flushed up behind her already red fur.
Toby chuckled muttering loud enough for Beth to hear. "Yes mummy can't have the little 'uns picking up the bad language. Shame on you Flunkworthy."
"Will you drop it?" Flunkworthy hissed, still quite cross. Although why, Beth could only guess.
Unable to contain herself Beth started to laugh. She felt as if she was in the midst of a comedy sketch. After all, prior to her visit she had only heard this particular hare dialect in comedy programs.
"Oh sorry." She caught herself.
"No trouble at all missie. I say, are you a bit lost. Squirrel gel like you waiting out at this end of the hanger?" Toby asked, curiously taking mental note of Beth.
She shook her head, happy to explain. "No. My dad and I are going to Salamandastron for the garden party thing. Dad got invited, I'm the plus one."
The hare nodded. "Ah, I say, is it that time of season already?" he paused and appeared to be calculating the dates in his head. "Hmm, well there a thing, I suppose it is. " Ever the curious hare, he couldn't help but pick up the way Beth had pronounced his mountain home, a classic way of determining where a beast originated from. "You some sort of American squirrel then?"
Beside him Flunkworthy rolled his eyes. "Wot is this twenty blinking questions?"
Beth giggled and shook her head. "I don't mind sir. I'm Canadian actually."
"Y'don't say. I did a bit of training that-a-ways. 'bout two or three seasons back now. Jolly nice place. We were up… where was it mum?" Toby looked towards the female hare. She put aside her news paper, and passed him an exasperated look.
"Northwest Territories."
"Ah yes, that spot. The creatures were most friendly, I dear say. Freeze your blinking scutt off mind you, but the creatures bar none the nicest."
"Oh your just saying that, 'cause you got on with one of those snowshoe hare gels." Flunkworthy dug his elbow into Toby's ribs smirking.
"Will you two mind your words? Great seasons." Hissed the female.
"Don't mind mummy, she's always like that wot. I suppose introductions are in order. The name Toby Jarkins, that blighter is Gerard Flunkworthy and the pretty miss is mum."
Raising a paw the female interrupted. "Actually it is Beatrice deMayne but Toby does love his nicknames."
Not skipping a beat Toby continued." We're from the Salamandastron 47th Combat Engineers, Sappers if you will. Although that likely means fur all to you wot."
Taking the offered paws and shaking them warmly the young squirrel smiled. "I'm Beth."
Dan returned carrying a paper bag containing breakfast. As expected, once all the hares arrived the café line grew exponentially. He passed a smile to the three sitting across from his daughter and passed Beth her bottle of apple juice.
"I got you a hot breakfast scone with cheese and a fruit cup, which ought to tide you over till we get there."
The trio of hares was soon joined by another. A taller male who balanced a cardboard tray of hot beverages in one paw, and a far larger paper bag in the other.
"Just a light snack for the ole tum wot." He didn't even have a chance to set the bag down before his friends dived into it.
"Jolly spiffing of you Thurdale." Toby announced between bites of a blueberry scone.
The tall hare removed the pack he had slung over one shoulder and made himself comfortable. "Least I can do. 'sides that scoff might keep you quiet for a few blissful moments. "
At this Beth couldn't help but laugh. She had grown to like these hares quite a bit. Her father shot her a warning glance, not wanting her to be rude. However he quickly realized no harm was in it. Beth introduced her father to the hares; paws were shook between bites of breakfast. Dan quickly explained why he and his daughter had come to Mossflower, leaving out the part about traveling to smooth things over with the Badger Lord. As he had anticipated, the hares were most interested in the dig site.
"Golly, that must be very interesting. Find any weapons?" Toby asked excitedly.
Dan shrugged. "Yes and no, we've come across some bits and pieces that may have come from slings. Although I got a text in the line for breakfast that a blade has been found. "
"Any idea what type o'blade? I bet the chap put paid to a few foebeast with it before falling wot." Toby continued getting more and more excited.
"As I said, I just got the message, no word on it yet."
The female folded up her news paper, tucking it into her pack. "Well I think they should be left well enough alone."
"Beatrice, come now." Coaxed Thurdale, not entirely comfortable with her statement.
"No I mean it. Those hares were put to rest. It is hardly fair that we dig the poor whallah's up now. I would have a thing or three to say if somebeast went an' dug up my grandpa in France. "
Dan said nothing further on the subject. It was the very thing he had expected to encounter at Salamandastron. The hares were very proud of this history, and they had every right to be, as far as he was concerned. As a historian and an archaeologist, he had to be diplomatic, and respectful. Particularly when working with remains of other creatures. There was a wealthy of knowledge to be gained from the site, but it could be easy to forget sometimes that these were somebeast's ancestors. Descendants of these hares still lived, and served at Salamandastron. While he did want an academic group heading up the project, he could understand the Mountains desire to be kept informed.
His phone buzzed, rising he excused himself to go and take the call. After a few moments Beth too stepped away to use the washroom. Once the two squirrels had gone Thurdale nudged the female.
"Wot was that about eh?"
"I was simply stating my opinion Thurdale. Don't tell me you're entirely comfortable with our ancient warriors ending up on display."
"Perhaps not ole gel." He admitted. "But I wouldn't have stated it in such a way."