Redwall MUCK Forum

SCENE:  Redwall Abbey Great Hall

CHARACTERS:  DoraRose, a female mouse.  Isa, a female kitten.

LOG:
Isa is as ever not where she's supposed to be. She's run off again and this time she's inside, by herself, playing with the sun by waving her paw through all the different colors made by the stain glass windows.   

DoraRose enters the Hall, looking over a checklist, scowling slightly, brow furrowed. She appears to not have noticed the tiny ball of cuteness playing with the light. Maybe they'll just pass each other by and no one will be the wiser?   

Isa might be busy playing but apparently she's still on the alert because she spots Dora fast and freezes. For a few seconds she's as still as a statue watching Dora go past but then she slowly starts to move and follow the mouse. She's very light of foot and quiet as she hurries a few paces to try and catch up, paw carefully stretching out towards the mouse's tail.
   
The little cat will have to reach kind of high since half of DoraRose's tail is missing. The Gatekeeper pauses on her journey, keeping her gaze on her paper. But secretly, she is very aware that she was being followed. She is a Warrior, and as such has trained herself to always actually be aware of what's going on around her.   

Isa is going to try all the same, maybe the missing half is what causes the fascination. She assumes she's being very sneaky still as she reaches out, going to swat the end of the tail with her paw and then try to quickly run away towards the chairs by the fire.
   
But not quickly enough! DoraRose rolls up her scroll, stuffs it in her pocket, then swoops around and, in a matter of a few steps, has overtaken the kitten! Reaching down, she goes to scoop the Dibbun up in her arms and twirl around a couple of times. "Haha, gotcha!"

Eeeeeeeeeeeee! This is the high pitched sound of a kitten who has been completely taken by surprise and suddenly caught and spun about. Isa's fur goes poof in surprise and she wriggles, trying to escape again.   

DoraRose smiles and comes to a stop, easily holding on to the wriggling kitten. Hey, she had to do this with a pair of twins of her own, long ago, as well as volunteering in with the Dibbuns even now. She can surely hold on to one little cat, right? "I recognize you," she softly says. "You're the little one who danced with my Lily at the feast. What are you doin' down here, honey? Wouldn't you prefer to play with the others?"   

Isa tries in vain to gain her freedom but finally gives up a few seconds after the spinning stops. She pouts and stares at Dora but there's a noticeable perk of her ears at the mention of Lily because that's really the only beast she knows here. She stays silent and frowny for a while but eventually there's a very very tiny "No"   

DoraRose actually hadn't been expecting a verbal response, thinking only her daughter had the magic to draw that out of the kitten. She covers it up with a smile, though. "No? Well, sometimes Dibbuns can be mean, especially to a beast who's a little different than they are." She goes to settle the cat more comfortably on her hip. "Were you looking for Lily? I'm not quite sure where she is, either."

Isa seems to have accepted she's stuck and curls up a little as she's moved, mostly so she can hold on to her tail as she frowns. She looks down, avoiding looking at Dora as she picks around a little bald patch on that bit of her tail, probably caused by picking at it many times before "No" is her only response again, this time to the question of if she's looking for Lily. She's not being very verbal still.   

Well, this is still progress from her prior silence! DoraRose's eyes narrow slightly as she thinks. "Well, then, why were you down here, instead of up there? Were you.....escaping? Looking for a snack? Fighting pirates? Searching for treasure?" The mouse says these things so fast that the kitten doesn't have time to answer in between the suggestions, so she'll have to give more than just a 1-word answer if she wants to.

Isa doesn't seem happy at the first suggestion but she slowly looks up as they take on a sillier turn. She tries to keep looking grumpy, she frowns extra hard but can't help but curiously question "Treasure?"   

DoraRose wiggles her eyebrows. "Oh, aye, treasure. Hasn't anybeast told you about the great Treasure of the Abbey Founders?" The corners of her eyes crinkle in a smile, even though her lips stay in a somewhat-serious line. "It lies hidden deep beneath the Abbey Cellars. Legend says that nobeast has ever found it," she ends in a whisper, bringing her nose close down to the cat's nose.   

Isa's ears perk up and she stares but this time it's not her usual judging stare, it's like she lights up instead. She clearly wants to find treasure. She goes to put a paw on Dora's nose, because this is apparently what you do when they're close by, but her eyes go to the kitchen door. Her tail swishes lightly.

DoraRose crosses her eyes slightly as she follows the paw up to her nose, then gives a tiny shake and refocuses on the kitten's face. "Oh, aye. And the more we study, the closer we get to finding out how to get to it. Maybe if you study, and help us Warriors, /you'll/ be the one to find the secret tunnel that leads to the treasure. And then you'll go down in history as the one to find it! Wouldn't that be exciting??"
   
Isa's eyes narrow and she looks suspicious as there seems to be several mentions of the word study in this plan. She's escaped enough classes to know what that is. She crosses her arms and looks displeased with a scowl for this attempt to trick her in to learning things "No" she says again but more firmly and louder this time "I find et meself"   

DoraRose isn't really surprised. She's just testing the kitten, and -- bonus! -- getting her to talk more. "Well, then, suit yourself. I guess you'll just keep escaping, keep getting into trouble, and never become a Master Treasure Hunter, much less the best Warrior or Healer or Abbess or Cook you could be." The mouse shakes her head and sighs. "And more's the pity. We need more smart Warriors in the world who understand there's more to fighting than just banging beasts with a sword.....and we need more smart Treasure who hunters who don't get themselves squashed under rockslides." Yeah, because adventure is DANGEROUS.   

Isa starts to look angry instead and her fur goes extra puffy again "I don't wanna be a warria or healah or abbeybess! I wanna go HOME!" she actually yells before striking out with hew claws, swiping them towards Dora's nose with a little hiss.   

DoraRose is inwardly delighted. Ha! She's tricking the little cat into talking! Mwahahaha! Outwardly, though, she just goes to grab the swiping paw. "Okay, so where is home, little one?"

Isa struggles to pull her paw back and is so frustrated she starts crying "I don't know!" she yells before speaking in more of a whimper "Hazy left an' mom hasn't come" she suddenly starts violently struggling again, angry and very upset she's twisting round and clawing at anything she can trying to get dropped "An' y'won't let me out! Let me go! Let me go!"   

DoraRose purses her lips and decides she's pushed the kitten far enough. "Okay, okay. Fair enough. If you'll stop wiggling, I promise I'll set you down," says the mouse as she herself struggles to NOT drop the cat. "I don't want to drop you on this hard floor. You could die." Bleeding from several places now, the Warrior eyes the floor and the cat, trying to figure out how to not let the Dibbun get hurt while formulating a plan to set her down, no matter what happens.

Isa doesn't stop, she doesn't want to. She hits with all her tiny might and twists and turns. The moment she gets to the floor she'll be off like a shot though and if she has it her way she'll stay missing for some time.

Well, DoraRose is a Warrior, and she knows when it's idiotic to stay in a fight. So, despite her wriggling, the mouse manages to get the cat on the floor without any harm done to the feline. As the kitten bolts off, the Gatekeeper looks at all the scratches she's sustained and sighs. Her grandmother may be in charge of the Infirmary, but that doesn't mean DoraRose actually /likes/ having to visit. As she trudges up to the Infirm, she thinks about what all she gathered from the conversation. Oh, yeah, and now she has to break the news to the Dibbun Caretakers. Oh, THAT'LL be fun.....

~*END*~

Thanks for reading~

Ladies and gentlebeasts, we have a cosplay competition being presented by the people making the Redwall video game!

https://mailchi.mp/somagames/the-hallow … 2cb844bef5

Good luck to anyone who enters!

SCENE:  Redwall Abbey, Cavern Hole

CHARACTERS: Emyuil the male mouse.  Xander the male badger.  LilyMoore and Angela, female mice.

LOG:
It's the middle of the afternoon, and Emyuil is bored out of his mind. Wandering down to Cavern Hole, he picks a suitably isolated corner by the empty fireplace in which to lurk, casting an idle glance over the room.   
Although the Half-Rat's expression is foreboding, he doesn't have anything in particular on his mind...which is probably what's bothering him.   

Xander walks into the room, slowly and..well..one paw is bandaged, but bleeding right now threw the bandages, and in the other he seems be carring something sort of small as he goes to sit in a chair and snorts.   

LilyMoore comes skipping into Cavern Hole from the kitchens, having just finished helping make cookies for tea later this afternoon. "Hi, Xander! Hi, Unle Emmy!" exclaims the little mousey ray of sunshine. From the direction of Great Hall come the sounds of another mouse. "Whaddaya mean 'is paw's bleedin'? Did y'see it? *Pause* Well, where is 'e?" Sounds like Angela might be joining the crowd of grumps.   

Despite his mood, Emyuil can't help but crack a quick grin at Lily, like a beam of sunlight between storm clouds. "Hey there." Hearing Angela, he sits up a little straighter on reflex, glancing over to Xander and raising an eyebrow at the bandaged paw.   

Xander looks up and just lays the injuired paw, his fault, into his lap and stays quiet, his other paw is fine he is just holding something that was given to him maybe half an hour or so ago.He frowns at the mouse,"Just...don't worry, got worse things to be concern on than...my paw." Least the wall is fine, poor wall.   

LilyMoore skips over to her uncle to give him a hug. "What've you been up to today? Oh, Xander, are you okay?" She notices the badger's paw and a look of concern crosses her face. Angela just in that moment storms into the Hole, scowling feircely. "Xander, there y'are! I 'eard yer paw's bleedin'. Why didn't ye come up t' the Infirm?" She hobbles over to him, leaning on her staff, and goes to grab his paw and take a look at it.   

Emyuil hugs his niece in return, offering a pat on the head. "Not much of anything, really. A bit of training with Nevermore, but that's about it. Too hot out to do much else."

Xander normally would jerk a paw away and sighs, "I ...I punched the wall....ok, happy?" He is grumpy and then he frowns."I punched it..yesterday too...ok"His voice is a little less loud now as he looks at the other paw and sticks something in his pocket and is just quiet.

Angela scowls darkly. "No, 'tis not okay. Why are y'goin' around punchin' walls? Now I gotta get some bandages and 'erbs...." Muttering to herself and giving the badger the order to stay right where he is, the elderly mouse hobbles out of the room to get the healing supplies she's going to need to replace his bandage. LilyMoore lets her uncle pat her on the head. "Yeah, it's too hot to do anything much outside." Giving him another little squeeze, she lets him go and walks over to the badger, a concerned look adorning her face. "Are you okay? Did something happen that you need to talk about? I find that helps me sometimes when I'm upset."   

Emyuil watches Lily go, abruptly struck by how much like her mother she's become--and even more so like her namesake. Out of habit, he moves a little closer to his niece and the badger, in case anything happens.

Xander sighs "Beasts need to not...die and...I helped someone on the road and..." He frowns and looks at his paw, ok it does hurt as he frowns.He lets a tear fall and clears his throat " And...Krisha's...she is..like upset and..."

LilyMoore frowns. "I'm sorry. I hate it when friends....die. It's the hardest thing." She drags an ottoman over and sits on it, looking up at the badger's face. "But why would Krisha be upset? She knows your's a Warrior. Is she sad because of who died?" Angela has yet to return, probably to the relief of everyone.

Emyuil moves closer still so he's sitting next to Lily, silently offering guidance and support if she needs it. For now, though, he listens to see how she handles this rather than speaking up.

Xander frowns, he looks away and grows quiet "I...sort of..lied to her and ..didn't tell her some...things and...so now she..." He frowns and sighs, he pulls something out of his pocket, it's a ring... "She gave me this...back and something 'bout ...not wanting to talk right now and then walked away" Then he was moody, he did yell and yeah he did lie on couple things, didn't bother to tell her he was off to, yes find a fight after he said he didn't go looking for one.  His paw is dripping a little blood as he frowns, he just had to punch the wall after she walked away, like that would make things better.

LilyMoore's eyes widen as she sees the ring. Oh, snap. For a few moments she doesn't do anything or say anything, then she quietly stands and pulls a small Healer's kit out of her pocket. "Here, I'll fix that. I always keep this kit with me just in case any birds come to me needing help." She goes to gently take his injured paw to start unwrapping and replacing the soiled bandage. She has herbs and everything she needs, and her paws are gentle and experienced. She's obviously not as good as her great-grandmother, but she can do a pretty good job, nonetheless. "Why did you lie to Krisha? That doesn't sound like the Xander I know."

Emyuil watches coolly as the bandage is removed, not flinching at the sight of the injury; rather, he's quietly impressed with Lily's skill. He gives a gentle nod of approval.   

Xander frowns as he speaks "Just...being too nosy and keep asking if I was in a fight, was I in a fight...and what was wrong with me...so I yelled and I don't have to tell everyone where I GO...where I go. I needed to take a walk...and then I saw Bandit and these lizards wanted to eat him, some reason so I fought the lizards and the owl did too...and ok I sliced one lizards head off and sort of threw it at the other lizards...it distracted them" He frowns.

LilyMoore keeps her gaze on her work, listening calmly as she makes sure the bandage is just right. "You're right, you don't need to tell everyone where you go and what you do. But Krisha's your mate. She has the right to know those things because...well, my mom said that the lives of beasts who are married are tied together somehow, and what one does affects the other, even when they don't tell each other what they do. She and Dad would tell each other when they were leaving, when to expect each other back, and when they got back, if something bad happened. Because they knew what happened would affect the other, even if it was just a secret." She finishes bandaging up his paw, but continues to hold it. "And Krisha cares about you, and if you had been in danger, she'd like to know. I'd like my future husband to be like that."

Emyuil stares briefly, surprised by Lily's sudden display of wisdom and maturity. He breaks into a proud smile and reaches out a paw to ruffle her headfur if allowed.   

Xander frowns "I was in no danger" He looks at the bandage and sighs, "And..i don't think she is..is my mate anymore" He frowns "And it's my fault...I keep failing at things...not there when someone dies and should of been, and not getting to Hawkeye in time and..."He frowns "And had to watch him....and...I'm a failure ok."

LilyMoore doesn't expect the ruffle from her uncle, and she's slightly irritated. This is her grown-up moment! But she keeps her irritation to herself. She can talk to him about it later. If it's bugging her then. For now, she just tries to make the badger look at her, and she shakes her head. "You are not a failure, Xander," she says firmly. "Just because we make mistakes doesn't mean we're failures! When I was bad and a member of the Dibbuns Against Bedtime, I helped ruin the kitchen and almost made somebeast die, and I'm saying that neither one of us is a failure!" She softens and adds quietly, "It's not your fault when beasts die or you're not there for them. We can't be everywhere at once, and everybeast is destined to die, some sooner than others. What did that one song say? 'All the flowers and leaves born to wane.' That's just life." She crosses her arms, finally letting him go. "We can't live in the past, and we can't punish ourselves for mistakes. Abbot Lorimis taught me that, as did my bird friends. But we can fix the future, and while we need to not try to be in control, there are things we can do. Like apologize for our mistakes, and with things like lying and yelling for no reason, never do them again."

Xander frowns, is he listening? Its hard to say but he is...crying, silent tears fall as she speaks and he looks at the floor and sighs, his paw is bandaged and still hurts a little but he just sort of stares at the floor, the floor has his attention it seems then he speaks softly "Fix the future....how..she won't talk to me, she hates me now."   

Emyuil stands up, recognizing that Lily can handle things here. "I'm going to go get some water," he says somewhat awkwardly. Heading off to the kitchens, he makes excuses to stick around there to give Lily and Xander the space they need.

LilyMoore thinks for a few moments, rocking from her heels to the balls of her feet and back again. She then gathers up her little kit. "Well, I would start by figuring out why I treated her that way, then going to her an apologizing and telling her why I acted that way. I would ask for another chance, and then do my best to never, ever, /ever/ do those things again." She puts her kit back into her pocket and goes to give him a hug. "I can't promise that she'll forgive you, and she may walk away from you and not come back. That's the hard thing about this stuff, is that we can't control how others will react. But we can control our actions, and we can choose to do what's right, even when it's hard and we don't know what'll happen. I guess that's maybe what Warriors do, is their best to do what's right."

Xander sighs as he frowns "I ...I don't...know, think it's cause I said I would never keep anything from her again and I hadn't...'til recently, and..she didn't need to know I fought lizards, they were not monitors...and I didn't die or even really get hurt...the lizards got hurt and the owl was there to help and...I helped the fox, Bandit...and he is here, well somewhere anyways and two ferrets...was I to let them die and just go on...I couldn't do that and I am...was already stressed and having a bad day, it started out a walk and i planned to be back...and I was..." Yeah the next day at lunch.

LilyMoore sighs and sits back down on the ottoman. "Why do you think she didn't need to know? And even if she didn't, maybe she wanted to know. Because she cares, and is worried about you." She shakes her head. "This isn't about whether or not the fighting was wrong. You did the right thing helping Bandit. But why didn't you tell Krisha about it?" She's sensing that he's just justifying his actions now, and if he continues, she'll just let him be and let the consequences teach him a lesson.

Xander frowns as he feels tears again "I ...I didn't...she worries and didn't need anything else to worry on, she has enough stress and didn't want to make it worse and then I go and make it worse...I mean..." He frowns, he knows if the owl wasn't there, maybe he could of died, maybe he would've missed the lizard and not moved far enough out of reach, the lizards may of been poor fighters, what if they were not...he knows he avoided slipping into bloodwrath at least but it doesn't make him feel any better as he sniffs and and rubs his eyes.  "I care about her...I love her and...and I don't want her to not love me and she is upset and clearly said she didn't want to talk to me...so how am I supposed ta...ta...talk"

LilyMoore thinks for a few moments, her knee bouncing a little to help her focus. "Maybe write her a letter! You could write it to her and leave it on her pillow or have someone give it to her, then the next day go up to her and ask if she read it, and what she thinks." She frowns. "My parents taught me that love is a verb. You have to act it out. Love is patient and kind. It never boasts or gets angry for no reason or is jealous. Love never lies and only keeps secrets if the other person would get hurt knowing. The one who loves forgives, even themselves. Love isn't a feeling, it's a verb you have to DO. So you have to prove it to her through actions. Because actions speak louder than words."   

Xander is listening and nods "I...so a letter, I can maybe do a letter...I think"  He is not the best with on how to write a letter but he will surely try.

LilyMoore smiles, relaxing slightly on the inside. "Yeah. I think that'd be a good start." She takes a deep breath, then slowly lets it out again. "I can't promise that everything will be okay, because I don't know the future. But I do know that if you continue to try to do what's right and don't give up, you'll become a better beast through it."

Xander nods and frowns "But...."  He sighs "Wot if things just get...worse?"

LilyMoore looks at the floor for a moment to think, then back up at his face.  "That's a risk all brave beasts must take.  If you do everything right, and it still goes wrong, then that's the risk you have to take.  And then keep trying to do what's right.  Anything else is just cowardice.  And I know that neither one of us is a coward."

Xander smiles "Your..you're good at advice...and"He looks at the paw "Good at...healing stuff..." He looks around where did Angela go, oh well...he sighs "I was once told...well a lot, no one is perfect and I told others that same advise...guess I should also remember that...I...I am not perfect...and I don't want Krisha to stay mad and I think she does well with...with what has happened and suddenly having more responsibility thrown at her basically"

LilyMoore blushes slightly. "I try," she murmurs. "Maybe you should also tell Krisha that in your letter, too. And don't feel too bad. I've found that I tend to know the right thing to do, and can tell others to do it, but then I forget to." Just then, Angela comes back into the room, grumbling furiously about Novices making messes and having no idea what to do to fix it. The Bellringer smiles. "I fixed it, Nana, just like you showed me!" The old Healer pauses, then hobbles over and goes to look at the bandaged paw.

Xander lets Angela look and nods to Lily "Again, thanks and I will...try and get a letter together  and...not sure whom can give it to her"

Angela grunts, then says quietly, "Good job, Lily.  You're improvin' every day."  As LilyMoore beams, the old Healer shakes a finger at the badger.  "Don't go punchin' any more walls, an' make sure t'come t'th'Infirm'ry every day so I can check it."  She then hobbles away, muttering something about needing to make sure the Novices weren't messing up the Infirmary worse than they already had.  The Bellringer turns back to the badger.  "I'd be okay giving it to her, or seeing if one of my bird friends would be okay with it.  Why don't we go get paper and pen and ink and you write it now, and then I'll go get it to her?"  She stands up, eager to help.

Xander nods as he finds a quill pen and ink, paper and does write it down, he wads it up a couple times and finally gets his words down and reads it over, handing it to the mousemaid and nods to Angela "I..yeah I know."  He frowns, well least it was his left paw, still hurts though "My paw hurts....may need something fer that too"

~*~

Angela would make sure he got some painkillers, and Lily would make sure that Krisha got the letter.  But will things get better in the badgers' marriage?  Stay tuned!

I apologize for the lack of editing.  I basically just copy-pasted from the radio.  I hope you enjoy it, anyway

~*~

Invar has been sat out in the orchard for the last few hours, sat with his back against a tree in the shade. He's got a plate of finished lunch beside him that the ants are happily scavenging from as he pays attention to a book on his lap and his little sketchbook on his knee. He seems to be roughly coping one of the pictures from the book of a fighting badger.    May 25, 2019 at 5:24 p.m.

LilyMoore comes into the orchard, a basket over her arm, a sparrow hopping beside her, a straw hat upon her head, and a sweet hum coming from her throat. The hum dies away as she spot the badger, and she makes sure she's walking quietly so as not to disturb him. She may just walk right on past if he doesn't address her...   

Invar doesn't spot she's there at all until she's walking past and he just catches the movement in the corner of his eye. He looks up, quickly snapping the sketch book closed "Hey..." there's a second as he tilts his head at the sparrow.   

LilyMoore smiles. "Oh, hi! Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." The sparrow nods and chirps a little. "Butterclaw SparraWarrior sorrysad if botherbug badgerworm." The mousemaid narrows her eyes slightly. "You look familiar....but I don't think we've been introduced. I'm LilyMoore, but you can call me Lily." She holds out a paw, her smile brightening once again.   

Invar doesn't get up so he's not towering above "Ah, that's alright, I was distracted and got surprised" he smiles for the bird "A great sparra warrior like y'can bug me any day" he goes to envelope Lily's paw in his larger one and very gently shake it "Invar. I grew up 'ere but left f'a while. Been visitin'. I was at the last feast, might have see y'then"   

LilyMoore thinks. "Yeah, probably. That would explain why you look familiar." She sits in the grass in front of him, Butterclaw settling down beside her as he smiles. "Butterclaw sayspeak hihi every daytime sees badgerworm, then." The mouse points to the badger's sketchbook. "Do you draw? I love to draw. I was gonna go find the beehive and try to sketch the bees, see if any would not fly around too much."   

Invar chuckles at the sparrow "I think I'd like that" he looks back to the mouse then his sketchbook "Heh. Yeah. When I was young one of the novices thought I needed a peaceful, quiet hobby...yah know, one where I couldn't accidentally break anythin'" he flicks through the sketchbook quickly to find a good one and settles on a picture of the coast with a couple of seagulls in the air, he shows it off so the sparrow can see too "I draw as I travel" he glances up again before pointing to a little flowery bush near the wall "I wouldn't go too near the hives but the bees seem t'like the flowers over there, they've been buzzin' back and forth to it a lot"   

LilyMoore 'oohs' over the drawing. "You're good! That's really cool." As Butterclaw makes appreciative chirps about the drawing, the mousemaid lookes over at the bush. "I've found that as long as I move slowly, they don't get scared or mad and I'm okay. But maybe drawing them on a bush would be better. Then I can practice landscape stuff, too." She obviously doesn't know all the technical terms for art things, and she is equally obviously okay with this. "I certainly don't want to get stung. My great-grandmother's in charge of the Infirmary, and I try to not visit her while she's in there unless I absolutey have to."    May 25, 2019 at 6:07 p.m.

Ewan walks along the path of the pond looking around with a slight frown and then heads to the orchards to find a tree to sit under when he sees the gathered beasts and walks over "Hallo..."   

Invar is already sat under a tree and smiles, flicking through the sketch book a little more just looking at pictures himself. There's a few he's spent more time on but a lot is a quick sketch. It's not his first book and this one is mostly ships, otters, snow and a bit of woods and Redwall towards the end "Y'could try gettin' them to come to you. Tempt them with somethin' sweet?" he looks amused at the mention of her great-grandmother "I think I met her. Fierce old mouse with a stick?" he looks up again as there's another voice and looks to Ewan "Oh, hey, a patrol hare"   

LilyMoore frowns. "I am not gonna tempt bees over to me. That sounds like you're asking for a sting." Waving to the hare from her seat in the grass in front of the badger, the mousemaid tips her straw hat back as Butterclaw starts rummaging around in her basket. "Hi, Ewan. Oh, yeah, that would be her. Nana is kinda scary," she answers Invar's question.   

Ewan tilts his head "Who is scary? I know no one here that is" Then he hasn't really been in the infirm except maybe one time and he tends to listen to a healer, he does speak again "Thar is a couple hares at the mountain that can get scary though...but then I live here, not thar so....yeah not worried."   

"Ah nah, sacrifice a bit of sweet cake, don't try and touch 'em and stay slow and still and the bees will probably be more than happy just t'bumble around eatin'" he lets Lily field Ewan's question about her scary ancestor but chuckles "They can get strict 'ere. I got told off so many times as a dibbun"   

"Hmm...I'll think about that, Invar. Butterclaw, stop eating all the scones!" Lily moves her bird friend away from the basket, and he starts twittering in Sparra, to which she says, "You ate your share already, you greedy little feather butt! Why couldn't you wait??" The sparrow hops off a little ways, looking hurt and sad. This has actually made the mousemaid miss the hare's question about her great-grandmother and badger's subsequent reply. The friends seem to be having an argument.   

Invar ears perk and he watches the sparrow get told off. If anything he looks a little amused, it reminds him of the many times he was told off "So how is it a sparrow is hopin' down with us? I thought they all lived in the roof"   

LilyMoore sighs. "I'm sorry, Butterclaw, I shouldn't've been so harsh with you." The Sparra chirps a few things, and the 2 of them hug. Glancing at the badger, the mousemaid smiles. "He's kind of clumsy, and some of the other Sparra would make fun of him. But one day when he came down here looking for seeds, we met and I discovered that I can understand birds." "Lilymouse friendworm nicekind, so Butterclaw SparraWarrior stayed down on theum ground. Mouseworms nicer than Sparra. Butterclaw happyhave friendworm Lilymouse."   

Invar does have to listen a little closer to catch the fast sparra words but he gets the gist of it "Ah, I never knew birds had stuff like tha' too...yer lucky t'find a good friend. Best family y'can get sometimes is the beasts y'get to pick"   

LilyMoore pulls a muffin out of the basket and sets it on a plate for the bird to eat. "Yeah....I think bullying is probably a universal hardship that everybeast must face. Plus, with his clumsiness, it makes it hard for him to live in normal bird society. He tends to crash-land, so even when he's with caring birds, he struggles. Being on the ground is safer for him." Butterclaw looks up from the muffin he's demolishing. "Sparrafamily goodkind. Visit downhere sometimes. Notfamily SparraWarriors who notkind."

Invar smiles a little sadly "Hm, I can see the problem...Well, y'could do worse than hoppin' around down here in the abbey" he flashes a proper smile at the sparrow "After all, all the scones are down 'ere"   

LilyMoore giggles, and Butterclaw twitters in what sounds like a bird laugh (which is honestly less creepy than a bird actually laughing the way land dwellers do -- have you ever heard a raven laugh? You don't want to, either). "Butterclaw eatumup alla scones!" "Oh, no, you don't!" But the mousemaid is still giggling as she covers her basket with her hat.   

Invar laughs too "Maybe I'm speakin' too soon, pretty soon all the scones aren't goin' t'be down here, they're goin' t'be in there" he says as he moves to gently poke a big claw at Butterclaw" he shoots a grin at Lily "Unless one of us can get t'em first"   

LilyMoore smiles as Butterclaw pretends to be offended. "Butterclaw SparraWarrior bravenoble! Notno sneaktheif! Go ask Friarworm for scones." The mousemaid laughs. "Oh, yeah, like Lacota would give us any. These are ones I made with Momma and Nana." The sparrow flaps up into the air. "Butterclaw gofly, ask!" "Oh, no you don't!" The mousemaid grabs her stuff and starts running after her friend. "You'll swipe 'em all!" Laughing, the friends race to the kitchens, Lily peeking behind her a couple of times to see if the badger followed. So much for sitting quietly and sketching....maybe that'll happen later in the day.

Invar laughs and after a moment gets up to follow "Well while y'er all distractin' him with yer arguin' I can get m'self a snack" and return his plate from earlier. Maybe pilfer a little cake to draw bees with later.

~*~

Thanks for reading!