It Can't Be That Easy
Characters: Clenal, Amethyst
Location: Redwall Abbey
Garden of the Late Rose
Clenal walks in to the garden looking quite horrified. The dibbun is dirty as if he's walked a long ways, his eyes filled with tears as he looks around the area.
Amethyst is taking a break from the infirmary. She's been doing that a lot lately. The blind rat sits in the rose garden and picks at her lute. If anybeast asks she's allowed to be here. Besides she needs to keep up her practicing healer or not.
Clenal hears the lute and looks towards where the sound is, his eyes widening as he actually sees somebeast. More, it's an adult! Not exactly caring that she's a rat, the dibbun immediately runs to her, almost jumping on to her but not quite, crying as he tries to hide under one of her arms.
The music stops and the rat freezes when something small and fuzzy runs into her and under her arm. "Playing hide 'n' seek?" she asks the ball of fluff. She's used to the dibbuns running around out here. It was only a matter of time really before one of the Abbey dibbuns found her, as she assumes the squirrel to be from Redwall. "Who are you hiding from?" she asks very quietly in case the other dibbuns are around.
Clenal cries lightly as he huddles against the rat. "M'mum gone," he says gently, still crying. Wait, did he say his mom? "Stoat said, momma would come back but he laugh and she didn't come back."
Amethyst pats the squirrel awkwardly, "And burrowing under me is helping you how?" she asks. The rat tries to shift the squirrel onto her lap while keeping her arm over him if he wants her too. It doesn't bother her, she can't see him anyway. "How'd you get here?" she asks laying her lute down at her side.
Clenal doesn't seem to mind. Actually, he remains huddled up in her arms, resting his small head against the rat as his crying slowly comes to a stop. "I slept, then ran, then found this road, then went up this road, then saw this big wall, then came in and you were here." The squirrel sniffs and adds, "I don't think momma's coming back!"
Amethyst frowns. The little squirrel could be a causality from the recent takeover or a random act of violence. It's hard to tell. "She's not coming back," she agrees. "But this big place is safe and has lots of yummy food in it. Are you hungry?" she says petting his head with her free paw.
Clenal sniffs again when she tells him he's right, but he doesn't cry out too hard, as it's something he's already assumed. The squirrel closes his eyes and calms down as Amethyst lightly pets his headfur, and then says, "Tired. M'not hungry but tired. I run, long time."
Amethyst slowly moves her arm off of him, "Want me t play something for you so ya can sleep?" she asks reaching for her lute.
Clenal looks up to her, his eyes big as his tail twitches, but he nods as he curls up on the rat, his head still resting against her when he nods so she knows he stated yes, and once more closes his eyes. "Won't go away right?" he asks.
Amethyst can't see his nod but takes his question as a yes. She picks up her lute and picks at the strings with a swan feather. "No I wont go away while you're sleeping. I'll need t take you up t th infirm t make sure you aren't hurt or anythin' when you wake up." She says before she settles on a song to play. "Do you have a name?" she asks strumming a sleepy tune.
Clenal looks sleepy now, more than before she started playing the lute. "Clenal," he says, the squirrel dibbun now leaning against the rat, snuggled up next to her, seemingly trusting her completely to not only not harm him, but protect him. The little squirrel yawns before closing his eyes. "May I sleep now? You stay with me ok?"
Clenal's eyes stare up at the rat's eyes, not commenting on them if he notices they aren't looking at him. "Stoat gonna take you away too?" he asks, his voice scared.
Amethyst smiles, "No. And if he tries we'll take him away." She pets his head again, "But sometimes I like to be just by myself and there are many little ones like you here for you to play with when you're not with me. Understand?"
Clenal's eyes open at that statement, and doesn't seem to miss anything. "Nono," he says, "stay with me, always, please!"
"When I can," she says causally, "But I'm not all that ancient so you don't need to worry too much."
Clenal nods and doesn't look as concerned as before, and that's reflected in his voice. "You come back always, right?" he asks carefully.
"I'll stay as long as I can," the rat repeats. "And I will be here when you wake up," she adds to placate him.
Clenal frowns, not exactly liking the 'can' again, but doesn't seem as bothered, Once more, his eyes close, listening to the gentle music as he whispers, "Your my momma now ok?"
Amethyst smirks, "If you say so. Just tell the nice white fox that when you see him later, ok. He'll like that."
Clenal giggles at the idea of making somebeast happy, then curiously, with his eyes still closed, asks, "Aren't foxes bad momma?"
Amethyst tickles him with the swan feather, "Many are but the ones in our family are not. We have a very big and strange family, Clenal. They'll like you."
Clenal giggles lightly at the feather tickling before he smiles once more, hugging the rat as best he can, which is very gently. "Thanks momma," he says, once more snuggling up next to you. "I sleepy now, ok?"
"One of these day they'll be back. They'll come right through that door, yes they will. ...." she sing songs plucking at her lute a little more before letting him sleep in peace.
Clenal sighs slowly as his eyes remain closed, and in a moment, the dibbun is asleep.
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