A Very Long Day Part One: Clash of the Lost Dibbuns
Location: Redwall Abbey: Open Ground
Characters: Orph, Zen and Flicktail
Orph wanders out onto the open ground looking bored.
Zen is laying on his back, just staring up at the sky.
Orph walks over and lays down next to Zen, "Watching the clouds?"
Zen doesn't seem to move much, but he shrugs. "Yea... can' watches the fires, so, I lays in the colds and watches the sky."
"Yeah." Orph's ears droop a little, "Want me to find a blanket for you? Maybe I can get some food from the kitchen and we can have a picnic out here. Would you like that?" the rat asks looking over at his friend.
Zen smiles and shakes his head. "Hehe, na.. I's ok. I gots all I needs." He reaches into one of his sleeves, pulling out a wedge of cheddar.
Orph smiles at the little thief, "You sure you don't want a blanket? The ground's all wet and muddy out here. They'll make us take baths if we get all wet and muddy. ... I'm bored." Orph lays back down and closes his eyes.
Zen chuckles and grins. "Well... theys can /tries/ to gives me a bafs... but they won's..." He smiles and nibbles on the cheese wedge a little. "I's ok though... Oh, your... boreds?"
Zen sits up a bit.
"Mm hm," he admits with a slight roll of his shoulders sitting up and opening his eyes. "I like that Abbey, but there's not much to do. Everybeast seems to be awful busy lately. I could go exploring but I don't want to right now. Heh, I could go home too, but the ..." he quickly turns to Zen with an idea forming in his head, "You want to come see visit me at my tunnel? It has gardens and orchards like here and a well and a shop with all kinds of stuff in it and inside it has lots of beds and rooms and all of other stuff. There not much food in the larder cause I had to throw out all the food that was there cause it was bad and made me sick, but the orchard and garden have food. So you want to go and see where I live when I'm not at the Abbey? I've only had three beast visit so far ... please it'll be fun and we don't have to take baths and you can stay as long as you want to."
Zen turns and glances at Orph, shaking his head... "I... I'd perfers to stay heres... I's traveled around quite a bits and founds myselfs in... bad places... I gots prety hurts..." He goes silent..
Orph frowns a little, "But my tunnel's not bad. Corbyn, Dulce and Benar have all been to see my tunnel and nothing bad happened to them. I sleep there whenever I'm not sleeping at the Abbey and nothing bad's happened to me there either and I know the way their and back to the Abbey really good so we won't get lost." Orph sits there unhappy, "I'm there all by myself and I like it when beast come visit me, but I have to ask them first or they don't come to visit me." he tries to explain again, "I travel a lot and I've got hurt traveling before, but that's different. You won't get hurt at my tunnel."
Zen shakes his head and grunts a little angrily. "I gots hurts when I traveled places so no..." He thinks a bit, he is curious. He's just never had luck with life.. hint, his middle name.
"I told you you won't get hurt. Fine, if you don't want to go then don't!" Orph growls. After having spent a little over a full season on his own before coming to the Abbey the ratling tends to be more self-centered then others his age.
Flicktail walks in and has a seat and begins to whittle
Zen grumbles a little, "That's what I saids I's gonna do! I's not gonna goes!" He sticks his tongue out and goes, "NYAA!!", maturely and crosses his arms. He doesn’t notice Flicktail yet, he's too angry.
Flicktail sits quietly not drawing attention to himself.
The rat stiffens a bit and closes his eyes, he's the 'older' one as far as he knows and he's supposed to keep his temper. Though he probably /could/ rip that little mouse to bits. He growls to himself, "Stupid mouse."
Zen grumbles and clenches his paws into tight fists. "Don't... calls me stupid... I's smarter than you, I bets.... " He gets to his feet and grumbles. He's not going berserk, but he's not happy, That's for sure.
Flicktail softly whittles, the sound of his knife drawing across the wood
Orph is on his feet soon facing the mouse, "I don't think so, and even /if/ you were which you're /not/ I'm bigger than you." The orphan clenches his fists trying to will himself not to doing anything he'll regret later, but his tongue so far hasn't listened.
Zen grumbles, "Don' matters.. I could still beats you up, you, you stupid vermin!!" He normaly didn't use that term, but he was in no mood to think about what he was saying. His red eyes glared at Orph, fists getting tighter and tighter.
Flicktail says, "if ye please...it urt me ears ye twos"
Orph isn't affected by the term. He's heard it too often for it have much meaning anymore. None the less he continues to stand there staring down at the small mouse.
Zen grumbles, more and more, then he looses his temper! He brings his balled up fist up to stance and swings his fist at Orph! "STUPID!!"
Orph is caught off guard for a minute by the blow to the stomach. He'd known this could happen, but he hadn’t really thought the little mouse would really hit him. Glaring at Zen he dives at the mouse aiming to pen him to the ground.
Zen squeaks a bit when he's tackled and pinned, but he continues to fight anyways, turning his head to try and bite at Orph's arm and paw. He also tries to kick his feet in some hope if he got one foot free, he could push the much larger rat off of him.
Orph shoves the mouse's head away, teeth barred, "I'm /not/ stupid. You are. You're a stupid little paw sucking baby!" he strikes at the mouse with each word.
Zen squeeks and tears up at the hits, then he screams, managing to free on paw! After kicking himself upwards a bit, he quickly reaches out and snags one of Orph's ears!!! He tugs hard on it, trying to put up the best fight he can, though by size, he's in a bit of trouble. "GET OFF ME!! OUCH!!! GET.. OFF!!!"
Flicktail moves over and grabs each dibbun by the scruff...stronger then he looks he tries to pull them apart and hold each at arms length easily
Orph squeaks out loudly and jerks back, "Let go, you stupid mouse! Let go!" He strikes out at Zen with long clawed paws and kicks at him with both feet.
Realizing he is being held by a fox Orph tenses up and stops struggling long enough to look up to see which fox it is.
Zen keeps a tight grip of Orph's ear, but then can't hang on much longer once Flicktail pulls them apart by the scruff, thankfully in time to avoid a kick. Now being held, he pants softly, his face rather battered up.
Seeing is captor is only Flicktail Orph allows himself to go limp in the fox's grasp as he glares over at Zen.
Flicktail asks, "wot e about is all now?' he ask calmly holdingthem appart 'we dont want to urt no beast"
"He started it," Orph points at Zen, "He was being a stupid baby."
Zen sniffles and rubs his nose with a paw. "He.... he's a stupid vermin!! He... wanted.. t....ta takes me to some place he.. he calleds home and kills me!!" He rubs his watery eyes and shouts back. "An' I's not a BABYS!!!!"
Flicktail puts each down on one knees and gets out a wet cloth an begins to clean up Zen "now ye oh not bebabyies.. that be whoy oi be disappointed.. ye be bigger beasts don't ye?
"I wasn't gonna ... I asked you to be nice and come see my tunnel cause there nothing to do here and you were being a baby saying you'd get hurt if you went and I told you you won't get hurt! And you were being a stupid ungrateful little baby!" Orph snarled, his ears down partly from anger and partly to keep them out of range of Zen's paws.
Flicktail says, "now now" Flicky says sternly "we don't solve nuttin by names callin or fightin...now ye kin ghet punished wi extra chores.. or this kin be our secret.. if ye will listens ta me"
Zen glares at Orph, "I HOPES YOU DIES!!!" He starts to sob a bit, "I-I don' ever wanna sees you agains!!" He reaches into his habit, pulling something out and tossing it down. He then tries to squirm off Flicktail's lap to run off.
Zen drops Wax figure of Zen.
Flicktail holds zen and hugs him to his side "shhh.. Lad....I'll let ye goesf ya wnts.. but oi'd likes ta elp...
Orph cocks his head a bit at Flicky, which looks stranger with his ears folded back, "I already been in trouble for fight and got stuck here a whole week. I don't want to get stuck here again. But I don't want to get thrown out of here either." he tucks his knees up and hugs them to his chest. Hearing Zen's word sends him over the edge and he shoves his face against his knees and squishes his ears down crying.
Flicktail says, "Now now.. Oi ye both listen ol flicky willl makes it better"
Zen sniffles and covers his eyes with his paws. He doesn't try to leave, instead he decides maybe just to remain where he's at. He doesn't glance at Orph, mainly because he was scared, not angry.
Orph continues to cry softly into his knees with his ears squished down.
Flicktail hugs them both and rocks them.. humming till they recover some and calm down.
Zen sniffles softly, wiping his nose again. He uncovers his eyes and stairs down at his feet. He only glances towards Orph for a second.
Flicktail offers a cloth to each "will ye ear wot i as ta say?' he strokes their fur warmly.
Orph takes the cloth and rubs at his face raising his head up, he avoids looking a Zen opting to look over at the still soggy grass.
Zen takes the cloth in his paws and rubs his eyes and nose with it. He nods a little slowly at Flicktail, his glance starting to focus on the wax figure of himself.
Flicktail says, "now Orph...Zen ad a very scary time.... e gets scared and so woudl oi" and he loos at Zen "and Zen...Orph don't all understand e wonted ta gives ya somein e thought ye moight likes....so we both made mistakes aye?"
Orph nods a little not quite getting it. He'd been scared before too and he'd hardly ever got fussed over for it. Mostly he'd been yelled at for it and so he’d learned to deal with it.
Zen sniffles and nods his head just slightly. "D-d.... did he.. has to calls... calls me names? I..." He sniffles a little more, closing his eyes.
Orph says, "I'm sorry I called you names, Zen. I guess I - they always did to me. I didn't like it either, but ... nothings ..." he hits he knees with his fists, "They shouldn't a gone!"
Zen sniffles a little and nods, "I... I was... calleds lots of names.. whe....when I was a slaves for a short whiles... I..." He trails off, then looks at Orph, "I... I's sorry...."
Orph nods grimly, "I never was a slave to no beast for real, but to some of them I might as well of been."
Zen nods his head a little... then he sighs. "Did... they... cuts you too?" He doesn't seem to be tearing up or crying, but he looks rather scared. "One.. cut me bads.. He... puts a message.. on me back.."
Orph half closes his eyes as he rubs his sore ear, "Some did, but they got stopped and I'd get sent to another family to live with. Most didn't want me anyhow so they'd leave me somewhere and maybe throw food nearby when they wanted to. They usually didn't want to. I got called vermin all the time. I don't mind it know unless I want to. They - the slave keeper beast wrote cuts on you? That's bad ... No beast did /that/ to me, they said they would but they never did ... guess they didn't think I was worth the trouble, heh. I only member one family that liked us before Ma found me and even then it was only her and Denny that liked me much then. Still say they shouldn't a gone. They could have ... never mind."
Flicktail says, "well first off.. arn't never gonna not want you orpha..we will never sens ya away or leaves ya...we doesn't do at ye be our family"
Flicktail looks to zen"and no one shoud calls names...Oi be proud ye apologized.. takes a big beasta does that.. now oi will look at ye bumps so ye feels better" he picks up teh wax figure "Oi thinks ye dropped is"
Orph smirks, "Not like I can go up to some beasts an say 'You want be my Dad an Mama? I've been through eight families if not more and six of the eight didn't even want me." he spits at the ground bitterly.
Zen nods his head and sighs at Orph. "I.... don.. don't remebers anythings of my pasts.... Jus no what happens after I wokes up outsides the abbey... Then I hears someone...." He falls silent, staring at the wax Zen..
Flicktail says, "oi takes cares o beasts..so yes oi will be yer Da if ye ave me"
Orph tenses balling his fists, "You're just sayin' that. They did too at first, but sooner or later most often sooner they'd be thinkin' other wise. Only good thing is they never lied about it. They were always good about tell me they didn't want me after all."
Zen glances at Orph, then tries to get up again with out taking the wax figure.
Flicktail says, "no oi not be just sain at..oi means it."
Flicktail looks at Zen "Are ye o.k.s Zen?
Orph lays his ears flat and growls, "I don't care to be lied to, but I'm /supposed to/ keep my temper. I already lost it once today. If you really aren't lyin’ you best be able to prove it."
Flicktail getly lifts Orph's muzzle and looks into his eyes "Oi not lie...if y wont's me Oi be yer Da.. you kin loves wi me and oi takes cares of ye, Oi have other ophan ibbuns too but sometimes they look for other family, but ye and me.. be fambly
Zen walks a little forwards, then sits down on the ground. He seems to be ignoring everything, when he then smiles. He knows where he wants to go. Getting back to his feet, he looks around for the quickest way to get to the Great Hall. He smiles and squeaks softly to himself, "It's.. kinna colds... I needs to warms up.."
Flicktail asks, "ye wont me to keeps is wax for ye?' he lets Zen down"
Zen looks around, padding about as if looking for the best place to go, but he stops in his tracks, seeming to give up.
Flicktail asks, "Wot be up Zen?"
Zen glances back to Flicktail, then he sighs. "I's.... I's don' know... Maybe's... I'll runs aways for a while... n'... n' then comes back.."
Flicktail says, "can't solveno problems runnin way..and yer mum woudl be rel sad.. she love you"
Zen sighs a little more. "I... I knows... but.. I... I's..." He sniffles a little. "Why doe... does somethn's always happn to me? I jus'.. jus... neverminds..."
Flicktail says, "well at be up ta ye..but things appen ta all of us"
Orph sits there a while thinking the fox's words over, chewing on his lower lip. "I've had eight families not counting whatever one I was born to. Most of 'em weren’t too happy to have me. You seen how my temper can get sometimes ... I am working on it. I'm trying not to loose it like that. /If/ I said 'yes' I’d probably be stuck here and not allow to go no where. I'm used t' being able to go off explorin' when I like and I got a real nice tunnel I'd rather not give up so quick either. I don't know. I know you're a good beast an all, not like those sneaks I seen. I may need to think on it some." he waits for a response. Since he has a choice for once he'd like to have a fair say in who his ninth family is if he's to have a ninth family at all.
Flicktail says, "you thinks all ye wont's but Oi not liv ere, Oi livbes in Camp willa.. and I tell ya, a friend ye can come or go.. but family be family ferever...f yer ere ta learn that’s just so no bad appen to ya, so long as ye let a beast know where ye be, Oi thik ye be beast enough to go many places and explores"
Zen lays down on the grass again, staring up at the sky. He falls silent, dead silent, as he watches clouds pass by as he mentally makes a picture of what the clouds resemble.
Afew tears quivered and silently slide down Orph's whiskers. Aside from that field mouse family he could only just remember and only ones that had ever cared where Ma, Denny and Denny's sister Bella. Had a full season really passed since they'd been attacked and likely killed? He curled up not really wanting to think about them right now.
Seeing that the dibbun were getting along again Flicktail had gone off to let Orph think over his offer without having to feel pressured to answer before he was ready to.
Zen doesn't seem to pay attention to much anything, he just stares up at the clouds..
A loud sob shook the little rat. He moaned pressing his face back down against his knees.
Zen still seems to be to himself as he stares at the sky. He smiles a little...
Orph cries for a long while with his face against his knees.
Zen gets up finaly and smiles, heading over to Orph. "Hehe, and you called me the baby?" He sits down beside him and smiles still. "Don' cries... You's too bigs to cry."
Orph rubs his face hard with both paws and sniffles, "I miss my mama and cousins."
Zen nods his head slowly, then gives a gentle hug. "I know.... I... I don't even knows whos I's suposed to misses..."
Orph nods numbly and pats Zen's head a bit, "You member that fox's name? ... I think I'm gonna go inside for a while."
Zen nods his head. "Oh, he's Flicky... very nice foxy..."
Orph nods, "Flicky. Hm. You want to go inside or stay out here? I'm going in either way."
Orph stands up and brushes some grass off his robe, "You don't have too. Just that I'm going in and then you'd be out here all by yourself." He heads for the path that runs along side of the infirmary.
Zen gets up and quickly fallows. "Ok.. oh, wait... almost for got.." He runs back and picks up the wax figure, then runs back.
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