Chapter 1[]
Abbess Chesney looked in the strawberry pach for what must have been the hundreth time."Where has that rascal Mit gotten to?" The Abbess muttered to herself."Any luck Durrmy?" She called "Burr, nay, naught ee soighn o' ee youn' rarscley dibbun" Durrmy was the Abbess' mole friend. "A har! gocha!"
Exclaimed avoice which was identified as blonging to Meggsy the otter. The closest companion of Meggsy who was a squirrel maid named Snowbrush dashed into the strawberry pach calling "Abbes marm they've been found!" The trio ran off to the gatehouse where Mit had been taken.Mit was a dibbun squirrel, the wost out of all the dibbuns! A real troble maker.as the Abbess arived, she struggled to compose herself quickly after her unabbesslike charge to the gatehouse and confronted the offender.
"Mit, please tell us, the counsel members and myself, what exactly it is that you have done."
Mit looked for even a single sympathetic eye in the group of counsel elders. He failed to find one."We was jus' 'avin' fun." whimpered Mit pitiously.
"Rigg, will you tell us?"
Rigg was Mit's otter counter part.Opening his mouth to protest, Knowing that the Abbess already knew what they had done,Rigg's eye met that of his mother. Her look frightened him into a hasty conffesion.
"Me'n Mit t'icked frier Al outta da kittchin an' locked 'im out s'we could die evvybeasts spare robes in beetroot juice!" Cried Rigg franticly. Then throwing himself on the ground, he clamped his paws down on his head and shutt his eyes tightly.
The elders were shocked and astonished.
Mitt and Rigg had done some pretty naughty stuff, putting honey on brother Jons sandals, putting a pie in sister Hollys bed, wirting on the walls in great hall, putting pepper in the triffles, but none so naughty as this!
"If I might add mother Abbess, we found the rascels hideing in the wall where they had removed a brick and disguised the hole with some red cloth. They must have escaped through the window in the kitchen. Only breason we spotted 'em is 'cause the breeze moved the cloth when I was looking in thier direction." explained Meggsy.
"Knowed we shoulda used sumpin else." Mitt muttered again.
The Abbess now announced their punishment "Dibbun Mitt! You and Rigg must scrubb the beet juice off the habits you spoilt and do the rest of the Abbys washing!" Mitt and Rigg gasped in shock and horror.No dibbun, two dibbuns, or even ten dibbuns had ever done all the Abbys washing!
As the two dibbuns were led of by skipper in a state of shock, the abbess frowned worridly.
"do you think I was to hard on them? You know beet root juice is near immpossible to wash off."
it was snowbrush who answered this question."Not at all marm, not at all."
"I do hope not" Said Chesney with a sigh.
Later that day, After they had competed their tasks, and eaten supper even though they could barely hold their spoons for numb paws as the abbess noticed with tears in her eyes, Mitt and Rigg stumbled off to bed, they passed through great hall, Mitt noticed the tapestry of Martin the Warrior for the first time in his life. Gazeing at it in awe, he stumbled back a pace.
"Who bees dat?!"
Mitt only ever been in great hall durring feasts and to play in the colored light that came through the stain glass windows in Great hall.
"Ja ' mean t'say ya' don' know Martin da warrior!?!" Exclaimed Rigg in astonishment. Mitt just shook his head.
Mitt was supposed to attend Abby school, but of course him and Rigg normally just ran off. The few times they had been forced to attend, Mitt didn't pay any attention, unlike Rigg who readilly listend to storys of the great warrior Martin.
for the next half hour, Rigg told Mitt evrything he knew about Martin.
The next day, Mitt pelted Abbess Cesney with questions about Martin.
"Was Mart'n ferry, ferry naughty Muva?"
"No he was not."
"Was 'e eva naughty Muva?Jus' a likkle?"
"No, I don't beleve so.He was allways very good."
"Oh,"
Mitt stoped following Chesney and propped his paw on his chin thinking.
- Hi'm norra ferry good dibbun, h'am I?"
Mother Abbess looked sideways at him in puzzlement.
"I don't suppose so."she said.
At this, Mitt ran off hollering at the top of His lungs saying," Rigg! Rigg! Hi'm norra ferry good dibbun!"
Chesney shook her head with a little chukkle."That little rascle." She said fondly.
Friar Al was prepareing lunch and instructing his kitchen workers. "No,no, not like that, like this brother Frin. Ah, Billum, be a good maid and take that sauce off the heat.Oh no! Here comes troble!"
Al ran arond franticly putting evrey thing out of Mitt's reach as that very dibbun came into the kitchen.
"F'ia Al, kin me 'elp you wid anyt'ink?"
This statement starteled Al very much.
"What?"
"Mebby sweepa floor, washa pot'n'pan, wipa counta?"
Al just blinked at him, so Mitt helped Himself to a wash rag and started washing pots.
Al was dumbfounded.
here was Mitt, the last mouse he expected to see volunteering to wash pots, the one who caused troble, actually
asking to wash the pots!
The poor friar was further astonished when mitt continued to sweep the floors, wipe the counters, fech ingreedients, andgenrally make himself usefull.
Finally, Al stoped mitt.
"Mitt, I think you've done quite enough, here, take this and run along now Mitt."
he said as he handed Mitt a bag of candied chesnutts.
Whooping hapily, Mitt ran off to share his loot with Rigg.
At lunch, Chesney noticed something amiss,
finally, she saw Mitt, so that was it!
she wached him in puzzlement.
He was chatting happily with foremole Urthen. not jumping up and down on his chair, talking with his mouthful,
or throwing food about. just chatting politely!
after the meal, the abbess called mit over.
"are you fealing o.k Mitt?"
"ho' yuss muver!"
"are you sure?"
"Yup!"
"O.K, run along now."
Mitt ran off to the orcard where the other dibbuns were playing "cacha' first" where one dibbun trew a ball into the air,and the others tryed to catch it. who ever caught it got to throw it next.
Mother Abbess Chesney watched them play fondly,and addmitedly, somewhat worriedly at Mitt's strange behaveyore.
Five days later, as all the Abbybeasts were busy, (spring cleaning doncha' know.) nobody in particular was watching the dibbuns and all of them were down by the pond in the exact place they wern't suppost to be.
In those five days Mitt pretty much earned the entire Abbys trust by making himself generally usefull and not getting in trouble once in five days. a new Abby record.
Mitt had just fineshed helping in the kitchens and had been washing the dishes. Unknown to friar Al, Mitt left the kitchens carrying the biggest kitchen knife he could handle wraped in a dish cloth thrust down the back of his tunic.
He headed to the orcard with his burden and ensuring that there was nobeast in sight, He drew forth the knife and proceeded to move the knife back and forth up and down as if parrying and dodgeing and ducking and weaveing. in fact, any bystander would have imagend that he was actually fencing a bout with somebeast!
Mitt's "sword" flew into the air. he had been disarmed! Retriveing his "sword". Mitt stood and spoke to some beast.
"Now Mitt,hold the wepon like this, when your opponant moves like so, diengage eihter to six position, or four position and dodge thus."
Apparantly, Mitt saw and lisened to something though there was nobeast in sight.
The apparant sword lesson continued for the next half hour. after that time was completed, Mitt sheathed his "sword" and left the orchard on his way to take a quick dip in the pond before returning the knife to the kitchens. earlyer he had obtained permission from Mother Abbess to take a dip that afternoon so long as the other dibbuns did not see him and try to follow. She now trusted him that he would keep to the shallows.
As Mitt came to the pond he espied the other dibbuns paddleing about in the pond without a grown beast to watch them. Turning around,He was about to go fetch Mother Abbess when he saw the hedgehog babe, Fikkle, who had decided to fill Mitt's recently vacated role as chief troble maker,and living up to his role by striking out to to middle of the pond floting on a log. Mitt Knew that there were dagerous grayling out in the deep parts of the pond. confirming his fears, Mitt saw the huge,ugly purple fin rise above the water, the fin was headed straight towards Fikkle!
Mitt thought quickly, if he went for help, Fikkle would be eaten. He did the only thing he could. drawing the knife on his back, he dashed towards the pond and dove into it with an almighty shout in his squeeky little dibbuns voice. WEEEEEDWAAAAALL!!!! Rigg looked up,he had been sitting on the grass debating wether or not he should go in the pond or not. Seeing Mitt dive into the pond, he took in the situation at a glance and following suit, he made a haphazard dive after Mitt.
Mitt saw Rigg on his right out of the corner of his eye, and was glad that Rigg was beside him. He had no other time for thought as they could see the fish only a foot ahed of them. The Grayling opened it huge mouth as it neared Fikkle,looking behind him, Fikkle could see the huge mouth behind him and wailed in terror. Fikkle was about to become lunch for the grayling when Mitt drove the knife into it's side with all his might. Unfortunatlly, Mitt's might wasn't much to speak of and the knife penetrated barely two inches. In mad fury the fish tuned on Mitt.Rigg, on the other side of the fish, wacked it with all his tiny might useing his rudder like tail as a paddle to whack the grayling. As it turned on Rigg,the latter, anticipateing his move doged out of the way.
Meanwhile, the other dibbuns sat watching in unanimous stupification.
in a rage,the fish swam full circle in order to catch both young ones on one side of him and dove furiously at Mitt, who slashed at it's face maddening it even more.
Snowbrush the squirrel was strolling through the orchard examining the fruits and their respective trees when she espied Mitt and Rigg, in the water,with a grayling.
Chapter Two[]
Shadenar Radnez was moving north with his hord of vermin, they had been marching for two seasons, each member of the band were highly trained wesels, Ferrets, foxes. the hord had been slowly formed over many seasons,Shadenar was patiant. He scoffed at the huge hords with mastermind leaders, so called! They were made only of oafish miscreatants, betrayers, incopetent, bums, his hoard were only 100 stong, but privately trained by their leader untill they were top of their game, obeidiant, loyal, strong,Ruthless. Shadenar called a halt,"Moonflank!locate a stream for freash water, take five others with you, I care not who! bring water for us. Zander, you know the drill, ten fires, scout the area, set up camp! you Know your dutys.Oh,and send Shana to my tent after it has been set up. I will be up that oak, inform me when all has been done." "yes master!All shall be done as usual." "Ranzar,Hald, Ven,Kar, Fangear,see to the fires, you! slave! set up your masters tent, quickly now!" Zandar left to do the scouting personally. The tall male Ferret ws an espesial expert at what he did, and he completed his task thouroughly within minutes. He liked what he saw.The area was warm, birds and fruits abundant,the shade of the woods was perfect for camoflage and there were pleaty of streams. Pehaps this area would finally saticfy his ermine master?Who knew! On retuning to the new camp,Zandar stood outside his masters tent a respeactfull distance from the entrance so as not to be accused of eavesdropping.
Shadenar sat lounging on a rough colapseable chair carved out of ashwood and having barkcloth streached accross its back and seat,not luxurious, but practical; though Shadenar sat on it like it were a throne.He was speaking to a young female Erime, Shana."listen carefully my daughter, this is the area, we have talked of this before, you know what you are to do. After you have rested and eaten, pack your rations and go quickly.Do as you know you are to do.now go!" Shana bowed and glided away gracfully.