May 9, 2011 - Monitors. That's What We'll Be Up Against.

Gupthie, Wydran, and Silver find out more on Umbra Island.

Characters Involved: Gupthie, Wydran, Silver

Gupthie is doing what he tends to do a lot of when he has free time: reading in the library.

Wydran looks into the Library from the entrance, and seeing Gupthie, enters the room. "Hi, Gup!" he says with a smile as he walks over.

Gupthie looks over, and smiles. "Hey, Wydran! How's it going?"

Wydran says, "Good, thanks. Found anything more on the note and map yet?"

Gupthie shakes his head. "Not yet. Although, I've yet to check in the bookbinding room. Kind of afraid to. There's a lot of damaged books in there, and I'm afraid if I look in them I could damage them more."

Wydran nods. "What are you reading now?" he asks.

Gupthie says, "More of that Captain's journal. Probably nothing helpful, but it's at least an interesting read. Apparently the treasure was liberated from a city of vermin on another island, who claimed to have gotten it from a group of strange woodlanders on an undiscovered land far, far to the west, beyond the setting sun. If that's true, this treasure likely contains very interesting and exotic artifacts."

Wydran is silent for a moment, then asks, "So are we... really going to look for this?"

Gupthie is silent as well, thinking. His voice is quiet when he speaks. "I- I don't know. I suppose so, at least, that's the way things seem to be going."

Wydran says, "If we do, it's not going to be easy. Biff and Silver seemed serious enough about it though..." He looks down at the floor, thinking things over.

Gupthie blinks. "Wydran, I'm- I'm a little scared at this prospect now. In all the stories, yeah, it's a grand adventure. But there's always at least one beast who never comes home..."

Wydran frowns. "I don't know. We'll just have to do our best to stay safe, but..." He pauses. "Well, we shouldn't worry too much. No one has said we're officially going yet."

Gupthie nods. "Yes, of course. And who knows if I'd even be allowed to go, being a Novice and all."

Wydran says, "I don't know." He walks over to one of the shelves. "The best way we can help now is finding out as much as we can."

Gupthie nods. "Yeah." He goes back to reading, but, after a minute, looks up, and says, "But all the same, it would also be exciting and fun, I think."

Wydran smiles. "Yes, it would be. I've never been out to sea before," he says.

Gupthie blinks. "A great big otter like you never been out to sea? I thought all otters went down to the sea in the summer, have a big party, call it the hubble bubble or something?"

Wydran shakes his head. "No, I've never been to such an event." He moves his paw across the shelf and brings up some dust, causing him to sneeze.

Gupthie says, "Really? That otter dibbun, Astro, wouldn't stop going on about it to me this morning. Said all otters went. Hubba something... Hulba... Hullaballoo, that's what it was."

Wydran frowns. "I guess I just never went with my family then." He looks over the various books on the shelf.

Gupthie shrugs. "Then again, Astro isn't the most reliable source on that, I'd imagine. I caught him trying to steal a pie earlier today."

Wydran chuckles. "I thought we already told him to not steal food?"

Gupthie shakes his head. "I think he's doing it less for the food and more because he gets some thrill out of it. I'm sure he understands that if he genuinely wants food, all he has to do is ask."

Wydran says, "He'll probably grow out of it eventually." He pulls a book randomly from the shelf and carefully flips through it.

Gupthie nods. "Probably." He continues looking through his book, and suddenly says, "Huh."

Wydran turns to Gup. "Found something?" he asks.

Gupthie nods. "Maybe. I wonder what this means." He shows Wydran the book. There's nothing remarkable on the page at all.

Wydran frowns. "What specifically do you mean?"

Gupthie frowns as well. "Look, don't you see it? The picture of Martin the Warrior, I mean." He points at the page. There is obviously no picture of Martin the Warrior there.

Wydran asks, "Are you showing me the right page?"

Gupthie nods. "Yeah, it right- funny, I could swear it was there a minute ago..."

Wydran shakes his head. "Maybe you've been staring at that book too long. Want to go to the kitchens and get something to eat?"

Gupthie blinks. "Maybe. Yeah, let's get something to eat."

---

Wydran walks into the kitchen. Looking around a bit, he finds a plate of freshly baked scones. "Want some scones, Gup?" he asks.

Gupthie follows. "Ooh, scones sound nice!"

Wydran hands Gup a scone and takes one for himself. His face breaks into a smile and he takes a bite of the delicious scone.

Gupthie smiles, taking the one _Wydran_ hands him, and takes a bite. "Ooh, nice and warm."

Wydran grins. "I'd always heard that Redwall had some of the best food anybeast could find, and it sure lives up to its expectations."

Gupthie nods. "Definitely."

Gupthie says, "You know, I still could swear that page had a picture of Martin the Warrior on it."

Wydran shakes his head. "Why would a picture of Martin be in a captain's log anyway?"

Gupthie shrugs. "But then, it went away when I tried to show you. In the stories, a lot of the times before a great quest Martin would appear to beasts in dreams and such. Maybe he's trying to tell us something. I'll need to go back and read over the page again."

Wydran hmms, "Seems rather strange." He continues to eat the warm scone.

Gupthie finishes his scone. "Yeah."

Silver walks into the kitchen to find a snack...

Gupthie turns to Silver. "Hello, Siver!"

Wydran turns to the hare and waves hello with a smile.

Silver smiles."Hello you two, wot are you doing?"

Gupthie says, "Eatin' some scones. Also, we've been discussing the quest."

Silver smiles."Oh have you found something new?"

Gupthie says, "Not particularly. Although we might when we go back to the library. I was reading, and I could swear I saw a picture of Martin in the book. But when I tried to show Wydran, it wasn't there."

Wydran allows Gupthie to explain and takes another bite of his scone.

Silver laughs."Well I dont think martin would have anything to do with this, It has nothing to do with the abbey so why would he care?"

Gupthie says, "That's my thinking. I'm wondering if, when I go back, the page I thought he was on might have something interesting on it."

Silver nods."Well it would not hurt!"

Wydran takes a scone off the plate and offers it to Silver. "Would you like a scone?"

Gupthie shrugs at Silver's comment.

Silver nods."Yes I would!"

Wydran hands the still warm scone to Silver. "So should we return to the library then?" he asks.

Gupthie nods. "Yes, I think we should."

Silver nods."WHy not!"

Gupthie says, "Let's go!"

---

Gupthie walks back into the library, and immediately picks up the open book on the table. He begins scanning through it. "Aha! There's something there alright."

Wydran follows Gupthie and looks over his shoulder at the book. "What is it?"

Silver says."Yes tell us!"

Gupthie says, "Right here. It says 'I curse my luck that fateful day on Umbra Island. That treasure I lost. I planned to bring it to the Abbey of Redwall, and this they could use to help out any beast that had hit hard times. Now, though, all it's caused is no treasure for the Abbey and plenty of rumors about treasure for vermin to hear.'"

Silver hmms."So there is treasure in the island..."

Gupthie continues reading. "Mhm. And it would appear to rightfully belong to the abbey. Which would explain why Martin appeared."

Silver nods."Yes...it would!"

Wydran says, "Well, technically it doesn't belong to the Abbey yet. Not until it gets back here."

Gupthie says, "And listen to this. 'Since I went to that despicable land of death and despair, I've discovered what those awful perversions of nature were that attacked us. They are called, apparently, monitors.'" May 9, 2011 at 7 p.m.

Silver hmms."I have fought a monitor once...not fun..."

Wydran frowns. "They don't sound very pleasant at all."

Gupthie says, "So that's what we'll be up against."

Silver frowns."I just hope there are not to meny...last one i seen almost cut of my arm!"

Wydran yawns. "Well, I'm off for tonight. We can continue looking tomorrow. Goodnight!" he says. He smiles and leaves the Library.

Gupthie says, "I think it's time for me to go to bed as well." He takes the book, and leaves.

Silver goes out the door into Great Hall.