Afternoon In THe Orchards..With A History Lesson?-Redwall Log
Redwall Log:
With:
Oz-Papa Oz and dibbun caretaker of Redwall Abbey
Lillymoore-Abbey resident and Bell Ringer
Zarok-Abbey Novice
RW Abbey: First Orchard
You stand in a sort of verdant sanctuary where the sun is filtered through leaves and thus comes out to be a much softer light, one that's a little more manageable. At least, more manageable than the comparatively harsh light of the more open entryway and a pond area almost completely devoid of large, shade-giving plants that this orchard has in careless abundance. A soft covering of moss and grass finds itself beneath the trees, only serving to add to the quiet comfort of the whole scene.
Flowers, leaves, fruit- you name it, it blossoms on the now-alive branches. Plum, pear, apple, peach, apricot. All these and more find their homes in the serene orchard. Any trace of the snow and death of winter is completely wiped away by the bright colors of blooming flours, developing fruit, unfurling leaves. However, the trees aren't the only thing in the orchard, for all that they dominate it with their colors and growth. The little flowers of the ground-covering plants that run rampant throughout the peaceful orchard bloom in abundance, as if the orchard were dusted with them.
Exits: [F]ire [P]it, [S]econd [O]rchard, [D]umble's [L]og, [A]bbey [P]ond
Contents:
3 Skeps
The afternoon is settling down and it’s just slightly hot but the orchards provide lovely shade and the pond is nearby. Today the badger father has taken the day off and left Sister Ginny and a couple helpful 2nd rank novices in charge of the dibbuns. He relaxes under a tree with a sleeping fox cub besides him, Juliana, who seems to not of wanted to be away from him.
LilyMoore comes into the orchard, a basket of autumn flowers under her arm. "Oh, hi, Papa Oz. How are you today?" She seems happy, at least.
Oz nods "Greetings Lilymoore, I hope you are well today I have decided to take a day off and am relaxing unless the abbot needs me for something important." He rather relax but if he is needed to deal with certain...welll guests, then he will.
LilyMoore sits down beside the badger, on the side without the Dibbun. "I'm doing great! I've been helping Nana in the Infirmary. I've heard we have some guests, but I haven't met them yet. Apple? I found it on the ground, but its okay now that I cut the grub out..." Eeeew, grubs.....”
Oz shakes his head at the apple "And just one guest, but I am unsure you would want to meet them as from what I have heard they are not very nice and tried to hurt Thorn, and I know your brother took a day off from novice duties as he was shoved by the guest, some shrew named..hmms forgot the name now " He frowns.
Zarok emerges from the trees, blending quite well with his green-brown hide and all, plus his habit. Overhearing the conversation, he moves over to Lily, Oz, and the Dibbun. "I could bite 'em," He offers jokingly. "Then they'd learn sssssome rezzpect."
LilyMoore perks up immediately. "They hurt my brother?! Boy, lemme catch them outside of the Abbey....I'll show 'em to not mess with my family," She grumbles angrily. Peeking up at the lizard, she hesitates, then slumps and mumbles, "I can't take you up on your offer 'cause you're a Novice...curses." And the joke just flew right over her head.
Oz frowns "No biting and you would not be outside the abbey for any reason, unless you are with one of your parents or maybe your uncle, and if anything the shrew will be asked to leave and not reenter the abbey. And it seems he attacked Thorn for being a vermin species"
"C'mon, Ozzzzz...Wasss joking," Zarok says mock-dejectedly. "Wonder what the sssshrew would think of me," He laughs raspily. "If they don't like vermin...sssss..."
LilyMoore scowls and crosses her arms. "Well, he shouldn't've hurt my brother or my friend....hey, that's a thought! I say, we should find out; lizards aren't considered vermin, right?" Her eagerness may be mostly vindictiveness because she has a mean streak.
Oz says, "I would be careful, the abbot plans to have a chat with this shrew when he gets a chance, my suggestion is to not go near the shrew for now till we learn more about him, in the meantime enjoy the sunny weather."
"Ehh...not afraid of shrews," Zarok growls contently, leaning back against a tree as the sun shines down on his scales, warming him to the core.
LilyMoore frowns, then sighs. "Apple half?" she offers to the lizard. It no longer has bugs in it; she made sure of it. "Okay, I'll leave the shrew alone. By, they sure do seem to be grumpy creatures, huh? In the histories of Mossflower they're always talking about how irritable the Guosim and other shrews are."
Oz nods "I do not believe he is of the Guosim or least I do not believe he is, and no one knows where they are right now, somewhere in the woods by the river most likely as they do stay in contact with the abbey but mostly keep to themselves"
"Sssure," Zarok says, still relaxed and content. After sniffing the apple briefly, he munches it with a nice satisfying CRUNCH. "sssgood," He mumbles.
LilyMoore eats the other half of the apple. "It used to have a grub in it, but I got rid of it." She tells the lizard. To the badger she says, "Why do all shrews seem so grumpy?"
Oz chuckles "I do not know, I do think the shrews of that group are a bit more...well orderly, they are supposed to take turns speaking with some stone of sorts, some were around a few seasons ago I think, but they don’t show up very often"
"Wonder why nobeasssst makes contact with 'em," Zarok wonders. "Maybe they're hermitssss." To Lily, He says, "'ssss okay, I've eaten worsssse," Nonchalantly.
OZ say "Maybe they like to stay by the river and hermits generally....stay alone and rarely leave their huts even for needed supplies, or they get some trusted beast to get them supplies"
"Maybe I should be a hermit......nah, I'd miss my family and friends too much." Lily is the queen of random sometimes. "But I do wonder why they don't visit more often....."
Oz frowns "You would not like being a hermit, it may feel right at the time but makes matters worse in the long run. Before I came to the abbey I was a hermit for almost 6 seasons"
Their reptilian companion lets out a low whistle. "I couldn't sssstand being alone so long." Zarok is incredibly grateful for everything he has now--from the sun shining above down to the warm earth beneath him, and everything and every beast in between. He considers writing this down, but shrugs mentally. He'll remember this without recording it.
LilyMoore whistles, too, in tandem with the lizard on accident. "Why? .....you don't have to answer that if you don't want to...." She's been too sheltered to really, truly be thankful for everything that she has, although she does try.
Oz seems ok to tell why" I wanted to be alone, I had just lost my mate and child and....guess at the time I thought being alone would make things better. It was me and ....well there was Maxtor a dibbun mouse I adopted, I was very over protective of him..very. An Uncle died and I had found out from another Uncle...Zee in fact, and he "He chuckles “Has a way of making sure one follows him when he says follow now. Zork at first was angry with me, even slapped me hard across the face for disappearing for 6 seasons, course he forgave me later on and I was a little less hermit like for about a season....then came down here, that was cause Maxtor ran away, but I decided to stay and have ever since, Zork knew I was ...well south anyways and found me a few seasons later, as we lived in the Snowy Northlands"
Zarok listens politely, hissing an acknowledgement. "Sssss," He hisses, suddenly amused. "I came in the oppossssite direction, from the wastelands of the Zouth."
LilyMoore just stays quiet. She was born and raised here in the Abbey, and she feels kind of silly mentioning that, as far as she can remember, she really hasn't traveled much. So she just murmers, "I'm sorry, Oz. That must've been hard." Turning to the lizard, she adds, "The South? Wow.....I've heard that it's hot down there...." That's the best she can do right now.
Oz nods "It was, but I found that once I got friends, and the dibbuns here as well, helped cheer me up and friends and family help one through many hardships in life. I only have my Uncle Zee now and Zinnia, where ever she is now off traveling the world...."He grows quiet "And somewhere out there a nephew I believe to still be alive”
After waiting for Oz to finish, Zarok answers LilyMoore. "It'ssss incredibly warm. 'sss why I don't have fur...and why I lived in a cave. Zand and more sssand everywhere."
LilyMoore stares wide-eyed between the 2 creatures as the badger looks sad and the lizard describes a place she really hasn't ever heard about before. Offering the badger a hug, she says, "The Southlands sound.....harsh. Ish."
Oz hugs the mouse maid "The northlands was a bit harsh too, then suppose the south can be in a different way and who knows maybe far far west and east are as well"
"Dependsss on how you adapt," Zarok says. "'sss all about learning fasst, moving faster, an' surviving. If you were born there, you'd be able to sssurvive. But it wouldn't be fun," he adds. "Iss why nobody settled."
LilyMoore listens, wide-eyed. ".....I think I'll just.....live here forever...." Yeah, that's probably a good idea. She then looks at the sun, leaps up and says, "Oh my goodness, I was on my way to the infirmary with the flowers! I gotta go, bye!" And she's off
Zarok decides now is a good time for a basking nap, and lays down for a while, his eyes filming over, and soon he's snoring quietly and amusingly.
Oz decides a nap is good as well so he yawns and sleeps in the orchards, least till the dinner bell wakes him and he heads to dinner.
