Brian Jacques - Redwall #15 - The Taggerung

On the opposite bank, Eefera could hear Vallug's every word on the still night air. Licking fish scales from his paws, he murmured to himself, "Oh, will ye now? We'll see about that, Bowbeast."

Gruven lay where Vallug had felled him, wiping blood from his nose and planning how he was going to kill the Bowbeast. Vallug sat with his back to him, wolfing fish. The ferret spat a bone into the fire and spoke, as if he was reading the other's thoughts.

"You ain't got the guts t'kill me, Gruven. Put one paw near that sword an' I'll stuff it down yer neck!"

Gruven made no reply, just lay there alone with his thoughts of murder. As did Vallug, who liked the idea of being a Chieftain. Eefera sat on the other side of the stream, watching them both. His plans involved a double killing. He had learned a lot and his teacher had been one of the best. Sawney Rath.

Chapter 13

Cregga sat exhausted in her big armchair. Her bedroom was teeming with Redwallers, plus the tiny mole Dibbun called Durby. He had installed himself on the Badgermum's lap and was amusing himself by repeating everything she said. Every other beast was searching, for it stood to reason that if the monocle in the ash tree focused on the room, then there should be something of interest within. Boorab opened the corner cupboard, as numerous others had done that day. The hare poked his head inside, to find Floburt rummaging about busily.

"Jolly hungry work, missie, wot? Found anything, have you?"

The hogmaid brushed dust from her apron and sneezed. "Kerchoo! Only a lot of dust an' cobwebs. It'd be nice to know what we're searching for."

Boorab whispered secretively to her. "Some ancient map to a secret hoard of crystallized scoff. Probly all sorts of super chuck preserved in lashings of honey!"

Sister Alkanet pushed past them both. "Tch tch. Just the sort of a senseless idea that only a hare could think up. Let me take a look in there!"

"This is the sixth time you've searched my room today," Cregga pleaded wearily, with Durby acting as echo. "Will you please go away and leave me in peace? There's nothing here!"

"Hurr, thissa sixy time you'm be's a surchin' moi room. Go eeway an' leaven oi en pieces. Thurr bain't nuthen yurr!"

Boorab tripped over Drogg, Alkanet got locked in the cupboard, and an argument broke out between two mice who were stuck beneath the bed. Mhera decided that enough was enough. "Stop!" she called sternly. "Stop what you are doing, be quiet and stand still. Now!"

She was pleasantly surprised when they did, even the Counsel elders. Mhera changed to a reasonable tone. "Friends, please, have some respect for your Badgermum's feelings. This room has been searched thoroughly several times without success. Leave Cregga in peace now, I beg you. Go about your tasks or leisure time elsewhere. The only creatures who really need to stay are the original searchers."

Cregga smiled as she listened to them filing out in sheepish silence. She waited until the door closed. "Thank you, Mhera, that was beautifully done. You were quite firm and you used a considerable amount of tact."

"Hurr, thankee, Murrer, ee were bootiful undunned. Mmmmf!"

Mhera placed a paw gently over Durby's mouth. "What will we do about this little terror?"

Broggle put on a gruff voice. "Chop off his tail and stick it in his mouth to keep him quiet. I'll take him to Friar Bobb's kitchen and we'll make molesoup of him!"

Durby scuttled down from the badger's lap. Hurling himself on her bed, he began to make snoring noises. Then he opened one eye. "Whurroo, you'm wuddent chop ee tail off'n ee sleepin' choild! Nay, zurr, you'm a gurt koind beast, an' oi be a-sleepen."

Cregga chuckled. "Thank goodness for that!"

Mhera began tidying things back into place. Fwirl lent a paw, and together they got the room back to normal. Fwirl sat down beside Broggle on a paw hassock, looking glum. "Phew, Redwallers don't mess about when they search a room! Your friends certainly scoured this place from top to bottom. For a while there it was enjoyable, because I've never been inside a building before. But I feel unhappy now that we didn't find anything."

Mhera stared at the pretty squirrelmaid in astonishment. "You've never been inside a building before? How is that, Fwirl?"

They listened sympathetically as she told her story.

"I don't remember much of my early seasons. I must have been only a babe, for I can hardly recall my parents' faces. I can remember cries in the night; I think we were attacked by foxes. I was thrust into a hollow log, and I could hear fighting, then screams, followed by foxes laughing. I must have stayed inside that log almost all night and half a day. When I crawled out my mother was lying quite still, with a deep wound on her head and blood everywhere. My father was gone, the foxes too. I sat with my mother for a long time, but she didn't move. I was hungry and couldn't stop weeping. Next morning I wandered off into the woodlands to search for food. Being only an infant, I got lost. That was as far back as I can recall. There's not much more to tell. I've lived in the woodlands, fending for myself ever since, always keeping on the move. Then one day I came upon your Abbey. At first I was afraid, not knowing who lived here. I used to climb the high trees so I could see inside. I watched you all; you seemed so happy and peaceful. I stayed close to the walls, and that was when I met my friend Broggle. He brought food which he had prepared for me, told me all about his Redwall friends. It must be like a dream living here."

Mhera was smiling, though her eyes were bright with unshed tears at the squirrelmaid's tale. She spoke to Fwirl, knowing the others would welcome her decision. "Then dream on, friend. Redwall Abbey is your home from now on!"

Fwirl clapped a paw to her mouth. "But I. . . you mean I can . .. live here forever?"

Broggle took the liberty of giving her paw a squeeze. "Haha. Nobeast lives forever, but you can stay here until you grow older than Cregga Badgermum!"

"You impudent young rip!" Cregga growled jovially. "Fwirl, my dear, let me be the first to welcome you to your new home. You are now a Redwaller!"

Durby poked his head from beneath a pillow. "An' oi be ee secund to wellcum ee, missus. Ee be gurtly wellcumed to moi h'Abbey, ho aye!"

The Badgermum nodded toward the bed. "And as your first official chore you can take that little rip down to Cavern Hole. His mother will be looking for him. Go with Fwirl and show her the way, Mhera."

They had to play Durby's game. Holding a paw apiece, Fwirl and Mhera bounced the molebabe's footpaws on each stair as they descended, the ottermaid reciting an old Abbey rhyme.

"Where's the naughty Dibbun, tell me where?

Is that him upon the stair?

Hear the little pawsteps, one two three,

And the Dibbun shouting, 'Can't catch me!'

What's for dinner, dumplin' an' pie,

Nice an' hot for you an' I,

If you don't come down those stairs,

Guess who'll eat it, two fat hares!"

Durby's mum wagged a paw at her babe. "Whurr you'm been, rascull? Oi'm out'n moi moind lukken furr ee."

The molebabe crinkled his button nose at her cheekily. "Yurr, doan't ee take on so, moi ole mum. Whurr be's moi vikkles?"

The two friends had to stifle their laughter as the molemum seized her son and hauled him off to the tub. "You'm bain't gettin' vikkles until oi barth ee, Durby Furrel!"

"Woaw!" Durby wailed aloud, trying to reason with his mother. "Keep oi out'n ee warter or oi'll be a-shrunkened. Woaw!"

Durby's mum appealed to Fwirl and Mhera. "Missus, will ee tellen this choild ee warter woan't shrink 'im?"

They helped the molemum to bathe Durby as they assured him, "No, no, water doesn't shrink you. Look at me and Mhera, we both get lots of baths, and we haven't shrunk, have we?"