Homeward We Go Part Four

Characters: Will, Kentar, Aikuen and Fira

Location: Broadstream, North Path

Broadstream: North Bank

The group's walking again, following the river west. Will didn't make good on his threat to eat the stoat dinner last night after all and the biscuit had still been sitting there when they'd all woken up the next day.

Kentar kept quiet again today, not having the will to really talk. He didn't bother to eat dinner last night, or breakfast this morning. He waddles quietly at the back of the group, looking down at his footpaws as he goes.

Will is in a good mood today and he sings softly to himself as he walks, "In days of old a warrior bold, all pawsore tired and lame, came marching through the winter's cold and Martin was his name. Martin, Martin, the warrior of Redwall, with courage and his trusty sword he came to save us all. Now in those hight and far-off days the country was oppressed by vermin cruel who's tyrant ways would let no creature rest. But truth and bravery won the day, for though all Mossflower wide good honest creatures made their way to stand by Martin's side... and they cried: Martin, Martin the warrior of Redwall, with courage and his trusty sword he came to save us all. The evil ones he put to fight and justice he restored. His heart was strong, his cause was right and mighty was his sword. He helped to build our Abbey here, the land rings with his fame. Now piece lives here, we know no fear, for Martin was his name. Martin, Martin the warrior of Redwall, with courage and his trusty sword he came to save us all!"

Will stops sings to answer, "At th Abbey. In was in a book an I ask one th Sisters about it an she sung it for me cause I was sing it wrong th first few times."

Kentar ahs and nods slowly. "Ah...interesting song" the stoat says before falling quiet once more.

Will nods, "Yeah but it leaves out a lot of the story. It doesn't say anything about the cat prince or whatever he was the helped th woodlanders that lived under his wicked sister who was the queen."

Kentar nods slowly. "Songs do that sometimes" he says quietly giving a bit of a yawn, looking to the sky quietly.

Will says, "I suppose. Some of th songs in those books aren't very nice either."

Kentar nods. "Probably not" he says quietly again, looking down at Will with a bit of a smile.

Will asks, "Anything wrong?"

Kentar thinks and shrugs. "Not...really. I guess. I don't know" he shrugs a bit more. "Just thinking is all" he nods.

Will ahs, "Ok. ... You alright, you didn't eat you dinner last night .... you sure nothing's wrong?"

Kentar huhs and ohs, shrugging yet again. "I don't know" he says once more. "Just...I feel...different. Ever since the talk with Aikuen bout...er...never mind..." he nods once."

Will says,"Ya still should eat though." The rat doesn't know what the stoat had talk to Aikuen about and isn't going to ask.

Kentar thinks for a few. "I just don't feel like eating much anymore"

Will cocks his head at the stoat confused, "Ya got t eat or something like it or you'll die. I said I won't make ya come along but I never said I'd let ya starve yurself."

Kentar hrms and shrugs a bit. "I can't help it, if I just simply don't feel like eating" he says quietly. "It will come back soon enough, don't worry."

Will thinks this over, "So this has happened before? ..... hmmmm .... I think I know what you're talking about."

Kentar shrugs. "First time it happened but really, it can't be that bad" he says.

The rat is confused again. After a pause he asks, "You know why it happened or have a idea to why it happened?"

Kentar places a paw on the back of his neck. "Probably Aikuen's fault" he shrugs. "Heh."

Will says, "Some beasts don't eat if they're real upset or sad about something ..... could be other reasons too I suppose. What'd Pa do that ya'd think would make ya not eat?"

Kentar shrugs. "He did a lot of things...lets see...he almost ruined me paw...He knocked me over the head a few dozen times" he shrugs.

Will frowns a little, "Those hares an that rabbit with th shovel hit you too and I don't think Aikuen was thinkin to clearly when he put a sword through yur paw. He do anything else or say something or" the rat shrugs, "anything?"

Kentar sighs. "We talked about something I don't really think is a good idea to say to you...don't want to depress you again" he nods slowly.

Will asks, "You think maybe that's why you aren't eating?"

Kentar nods slowly. "Thats probably it" he says quietly. "Was fine up until we talked" he nods slowly and sighs.

Will nods, "I know it's hard to do it but if you think about other stuff it could help."

Kentar shrugs. "What do you think I've been doing the past little while?" he asks.

Will says, "Thinking and being very quiet. I didn't say you weren't doing it ...."

Kentar nods slowly and then tilts his head. "How quiet was I?" he asks.

Will smiles, "Quiet enough for /me/ to ask what's wrong."

Kentar Frowns some and nods a bit. "Oh...Sorry, I guess" he nods, scratching his ears. "So. Um...yeah...So...I have...er...a question for you."

The rat is curious, "Ok. What is it?"

Kentar grins ever so slightly. "who is this beast with blue eyes you were talking about the other day?"

Will grins, "I said I'm not telling."

Kentar awws and gives a bit of a nudge. "Come on...please? I won't tell anyone."

Will laughs, "No. If I tell you then when we get back to th Abbey you'll bother her like you did with Fira and tell her stuff I don't want you to."

Kentar smiles and places his paw over his heart. "I promise upon the life of me first born, I won't tell anyone, nor bother her, I promise."

Will chuckles, "You don't have a first born and even if you did I still wouldn't tell you."

Kentar chuckles. "Er...well. I had...one" he nods slowly before shaking it off. "Come on, please?"

"Sorry." Will murmurers, "I'm still not telling though."

Kentar sighs. "Don't be sorry. Its not your fault" he says. "But alright, if you don't want to tell, you don't have to."

Will says, "I don't mind if you met her or anything I just don't want you to bother her. Why don't we talk about something else?"

Kentar nods slowly. "Alright then" he nods before thinking. "Well...We could talk about...erm"

Will chew his lip some thinking as well, "I guess we could sing some more if we can't think of anything to talk about. You think of anything?"

Kentar nods a bit and smiles something. "We could sing, yeah, I guess. Nothing comes to mind for talking..." he says.

Will nods. "I remember a funny song, it's kinda long though, wanta hear it?"

Kentar nods and smiles some more. "Sure"

Will grins, "I can't sing that good but I'll give it a try. 'Ho doodlum roodlum wurdilum day, All on 'ee broight zummer mornin'! Bold Doogul mole where gurtly brave, As oi wurr told boi moi muther, Furr maidens boi the score 'eed save, Loik chesknutts wun arfter anuther, Each morn ee rowd owt frum 'is abode, A-mounted ona milky-whoit toad, Serchin' ee danjeruss forest road, A-lukken for ee maidens."

"Ho doodlum roodlum wurdilum day, All on 'ee broight zummer mornin'! Ee spoied a gurt fat molewoife thurr, An' doffed 'is 'at to 'er proudly, Which froikkened ee molewoife out'n 'er wits, She'm started to wail roight loudly, Ee shuvved 'er up onna back of 'is toad, An' troid t' ride off down ee road, But two fat moles was an 'evvy load, An' ee toad wurr crushed loik a beekle."

"'Ho doodlum roodlum wurdilum day, All on 'ee broight zummer mornin'! Then oop cumm ee gudd an' stoutly mole, Ee croid, "Woe thurr, bless moi loif, Thurr be two villyuns tryin' to steal, Moi dear ole fatty gurt woif!" So pullin' owt a knotty ash club, Bowth toad an' Doogul ee did drub, Ee gave 'em black'n'bloo lumps t' rub, An' 'is woif gave 'im cabbage furr supper.'" The rat pauses at the end of the song, "What ya think of it?"

Kentar smiles a bit and listens, having a hard time understanding the song but not letting on. When the song is done, he smiles some more. "It was good," he smiles. "I liked my silly song from yesterday though," he chuckles.

Will smiles, "That's alroight. It's still funny though. Doogul got whacked on th head by th husband of th maid he thought he was rescuin'. And when they both sat on th toad it got squashed flat," the rat chuckles.

Kentar chuckles and nods, smiling some. "Sounds funny" the stoat laughs, yawning a bit afterwards.

Will looks the stoat over, "You didn't understand any of that song did you?"

Kentar grins and laughs a few times. "Not really, no" He smiles.

Will grins, "It's ok. Lot of times I couldn't understand what they were saying either."

Kentar nods and smiles. "Ah...figured" he chuckles, grinning.

Will raises a brow doubting the stoat knows what he's talking about, "Ok. Anyway it's been a long while so it's harder t understand em now then it used to be."

Kentar nods as he walks still, the stoat looking around some. "Yeah" he nods before thinking. "So...Are we going back to the abbey next or somewhere else?"

Will shakes his head a little, but at least the stoat is trying to be nice about it. "Probably, it'll take a while to get back and it'd be good t get back home before summer's over."

Kentar nods. "Yeah" he smiles. "This was an eventful trip, thats for sure" he chuckles.

Will nods frowning, "All our trips are eventful. We walk across the damn grasslands with him cause Zen wanted somethin' for his old home and when we get there it's been took over by drunk tree-rats! Pa an Zen an me fought em off an all that. Pa an Zen had got inside the house and th tree-rats had blocked the way so I was way at th other end there but I made it though, killed about five of em fore I got in th house. Was a close one cause Pa was just about t go out an look for me when I came in. But seems all the trips Aikuen and I take end up being eventful in some way."

Kentar nods slowly and chuckles. "I hope I get to go on one of you guys's trips again" he smiles. "Getting hurt or not, this was still a fun adventure" he nods before yawning. "I'm gonna hang back a bit and think some more..." he says before drifting to the back of the party.

Kentar had drifted toward the back of the group where the otters were talking, about each other the rat assumed, as they finally made it to the edge of the path leading south through the Mossflower Woods.

Aikuen just passed but Kentar. The stoat not wanting to talk with them. The older otter shrugs, and continues to walk and talk with Fira. After a good period, Fira decided that she would go see what the Stoat was up too. Aik, not being to sure about this, told her not too. Fira, smiled and kissed him, and when he came too, she was gone. Aikuen smiles weakly as he speeds up, soon catching up to Will. He looks around and says, "Which way now mate?"

The rat had been a ways a head of the group since the stoat had gone back to walk with the otters and Will had been singing again, though a one of the not so nice songs he'd learned at the Abbey. "Oh we chased em off the highway, They fled off to the west, We sent em every whichway, Our warriors are the best. Theyll never see ole Redwall, Cos they were forced to flee, Sent on their way be shaft n stone From every greenwood tree. Bad luck attend the vermin beast Who came out of the north and east, Well give em bloodnsteelnstone, Until they leave our land alone!" he sang bitterly not caring for the song but unable to get it out of his head and anyway the others were far enough behind him that they weren't too likely to hear him. Or so he though til he heard Aikuen. "Er. Hi Pa," the rat says sheepishly.

Aikuen only heard the last bit of the song, and just tilts his head, "Singing bloodthirsty songs again? He seems not to care much about it, though he is a little concerned.

Will's ears droops a bit, "I learned it at th Abbey and it got stuck in my head. What'd ya want, sorry, I didn't catch it th first time?"

Aikuen nods toward the southern path, "Which way now matey?". If it was from the abbey, must be... somewhat okay..."

Will says, "South down the path there, it'll take us to th Moss River and home ... and th Abbey too. Which is only full of nice things," he shakes his head smiling and wondering if the otter would like a encore.

Aikuen sits down and scratches his head, Will has been acting strange lately... and what he last said was also weird. He smiles and says, "Er... Right... Best wait up for the others..." He stretches and pops his back, "Excited about going back?" The otter thinks this might be a good reply, for what Will just said.

Will chews his lip a bit, "Some, I want to be home again and to see everyone and be able to go over to th Abbey whenever I like and all the stuff we did before we left. Why?"

Aikuen places his paws in front of him, crossing his claws, "Oh nothing... Just you said that the abbey is full of only nice things... Thought you didn't like the abbey much..."

Will blinks, "You said that cause the song I was sing was from th Abbey it must be a good song and it's not. It's not as bad as some but it's not very nice at all. It's a warning to beasts like me. Saying stay away from Redwall cause they don't want your kind there." he grins, "It was a joke. You an me both know th Abbey's filled with a lot more than just nice things ... well I know it anyway."

Aikuen snorts, "What you think are nice, and what I think are nice, are totally different! Well anyways, the abbey is okay in small doses..." He absentmindedly draws a picture in the ground, "But I cant wait to sleep in a bed again."

Will nods, "Yeah it'll be good t get home and t sleep in my little room again." He chew on his lower lip thinking a while just standing there thinking. "....... Do you think Fira will like it at Moledeep?" he asks at last.

Aikuen looks to Will, with a brow raised. Then he realizes that he never though of that, and scratches his chin fur, "You know matey... Never thought about too much... I guess so, I mean she lives alone at a Holt... Says she doesn't like too many beasts around, so it all may work out after al...Er..." He just realized he may have said too much, and begins to whistle lightly.

The rat just smiles and heads on the path leading south.

North Path

Aikuen looks to Will, then to the path that they were on, still not seeing the other two. He yells, "Er wait up!" He takes out his sword and draws on the dirt, and arrow pointing to the south path, and the only letters that he knows of his name, Aik, in very sloppy letters. He quickly follows behind the rattling.

Will hadn't gone too far when he'd heard Aikuen shouting and naturally he stops. "What? I wasn't gonna leave all of you behind."

Aikuen nods and laughs, "Yah, I know... I just wanted to leave a note saying that we went this way. It was dark when we came up, and they might get lost..."

Will ohs, "Sorry, I just .... never mind. We probably should set up camp soon ...."

Aikuen is surprised and looks to the sky. True, it is getting dark, but its still not that late. But he doesn't mind, "Alright, Ill set up the tent, and you know your job matey!" He goes to one side of the path and drops his pack, pulling out the weathered tarp.

Will nods and starts on the fire pit as usual. Yes it is a bit early for setting up camp but then they'll be able to walk farther tomorrow and more importantly setting up camp gives him something to do other than talking.

Aikuen has finish setting up the lean too, and stretches out the three bedrolls, leaving Will and his bedroll to their own devices. Taking a few logs and some leaves, he lights a small fire in the freshly dug pit. Since their food was beginning to run low, the otter pulls out a pawful of watercress, and bakes them by the fire. The whole time he was doing this, he hums a light tune and smiles a big ole smile

Will tests the ground around the camp for a good spot to bed down later. Much of the ground near the river is muddy and soft, not fit for a camp site or burrowing in yet.

Aikuen eats one of the watercress, and it crunches loudly, "Not bad i guess..." he tosses the the rest behind him. Not a big fan of it apparently. He sighs and looks to Will, "So matey... how you been lately... been all to yourself mostly" He finally asks.

Will looks up from the spot where he'd been crouching and ready to start digging himself a one rat burrow, "Hmm, What ya mean? Kentar's been with me some of the time." He doesn't know what the otter's talking about.

Aikuen nods, "Well I guess so..." He scratches his head some, trying to rephrase the question without being too obvious. He hmms a little bit, before saying, "Yesterday you and Kentar... were doing something... and you didn't want me there..." He is not that clue less at what may be happening.

"Oh, that" the rat says not looking at the otter. The weight of the clay tablet in his pack seems much heavier than normal. Why didn't he erase it first? "I had to talk to him about some stuff .... but he wasn't much help after all," he says shifting his pack/ /Why is it so heavy all the sudden?/ he thinks to himself annoyed with with himself and none to pleased with where this topic may be heading.

Aikuen tilts his head as Will awkwardly moves his pack around. He chuckles and says, "Well maybe I can help... Though I don't know if I can be, if Kentar couldn't." He acts like he doesn't know... or does he?

Will sets his pack down in the shallow burrow he'd just started on, "It's nothing. I'm fine," the rat all but growls forgetting how much larger the other three are then he is and while he has grown since the start of the trip it still wouldn't be hard for any of the others to lift him off the ground.

Aikuen look to his pack, then to Will, then back to the fire. After a bit of humming he finally states, "Does it have something to do with me... and Fira." He shakes his head, "I'm not that oblivious..."

Will doesn't think before he speaks. "Kentar said that you /love/ her. I'd figured you'd probably marry her some day even before he said that. After you marry her you and her'll have a lot of little otter dibbun and teach em how t swim and be stupid or whatever it is otters do. Though with Fira for a Ma they'll be smarter than most otters anyway. And I know that beast treat their own dibbuns better than they would orphaned vermin, I've seen it happen enough times to know what's going on. I'm glad you love her but I don't know if I'd like her the same if she tried t be my Ma not that'd matter after a while anyway .... Kentar said you aren't like that and I know you aren't now but that doesn't mean you won't be later on," it all comes out in a rush like a dam breaking and the dibbun slumps down blink away the tears that are now falling. That wasn't how he'd wanted to say it but it's said now and he can't take it back.

Aikuen eyes open wide. Not the answer he was expecting, and he swore that Will insulted him several times. He becomes saddened, when he sees the tears, so he walks over to Will, and plops down putting an arm around him, "Mate...I do love her... But getting married is far in the distance for us... And if we do have..." He gulps, "Little 'uns of our own... you'll be an older brother to them... You'll be old enough anyway, to be finding a mate of your own, and move away or something" He lightly nudges the rat, "Why didn't you say something before?"

Will stiffens at the otters touch at first before allowing himself to be hugged. He sniffles a little as his crying stop to be replaced by hiccups much to his annoyance. He waits a little longer before trying to answer Aikuen. "I don't want to be brother to any otters it wouldn't be good for them. And Moledeep is mine, I found it and I'm not leaving it to go somewhere else though I don't mind if Fira ends up living there with us and Kentar now and Racky ..... Does Fira know about Racky yet? He never agreed to join our family but he lives there sorta so he kinda is my little brother in a way. As for the last part ... I'd say it'd more likely t snow tomorrow then for that t happen. ........ I didn't say anything before because, well if it was gonna happen anyway what good would it do? And you're almost always off being mushy with Fira anymore ..." The rat glances up behind the otter at the path just able to hear the other two coming.

Aikuen shrugs, "Yes Moledeep is yours, but when you find someone who might not want to live there..." He clears his throat, "you'll understand when it happens" He grunts, "Also, I haven't even asked her to live with us yet or if im even going to, I don't know if she would want to or not..." He sighs, "No matter how 'mushy' me and Fira get, you always come first. Besides just wait till you get older..." He winks at the rat, "You'll love the 'mushy' stuff!" He smiles, not turning away, sense he cant tell that the others are coming.

The rat nods to pacify the otter and wipes his face off with his sleeve. He really doubts the chances of him meting a ratmaid are very good, less for a non-vermin one. "I guess so," he says look up and grinning as he sees Fira trying to sneak up on Aikuen. The rat quickly moves over to the side to avoid any sort of collision that may occur very soon.

Aikuen can hear movement behind him, and he can see Will smiling then moving away. Putting it together he waits patiently, not moving at all. He waits till he hears the familiar, 'Boo' of Fira. Quickly reaching for her, over his shoulder, he gives her a kiss. After he says, chuckling "Oh, I thought that you were a river rat or something!" He laughs as Fira shoves him in the back, giving a smirk as she sits down next to him and places her head on his shoulder. Kentar is bearing Fish toward the site, and places them near the fire, he sighs and sits down, not saying anything, but humming the song from yesterday.

Will gets up and wander of to the fire to look over the fish, leaving the otters alone for a while. After a few words with the stoat which can't be heard from where the otters are but what it is the stoat was in looks like the stoat was in the right as the ratling digs the tablet out of his pack and washes the writing on it off with water from the river before sitting down again next to the stoat. The every now and then the rat shakes his head smiling about something laughing when the stoat shoves him for some reason.