The Lutra - Jacques, Brian - Redwall 09 - The Pearls Of Lutra

"I told you I'd chop those paws off if you put them near my cream," she snapped.

Clecky appealed to the onlookers. "I say, what a vile accusation! Did anybeast see me put a paw near that bally cream bowl? No! So, miss fussyapron, what proof have you that I've been anywhere near your blinkin' cream, eh?''

Tansy pursued him round the table with a ladle. "What proof? It's all over your whiskers, you fuzzy-faced fraud!"

Friar Higgle stepped in and restored order, then he helped them to drape the marchpane over their cake and trim it neatly. Teasel took a flat palette knife and spread the meadowcream expertly over the marchpane, then she wrapped the seven balls of marchpane in pink rose petals preserved in honey. There were gasps of admiration from the kitchen helpers at the finished confection. The cake was an absolute beauty, standing on a large tray surrounded by pale flaked almonds, candied angelica leaves and preserved damsons. Teasel had whirled the meadowcream artfully in waving patterns around the cake, leaving it flat and smooth on top. Everybeast watched breathlessly whilst Tansy gingerly placed the seven pink petal-wrapped marchpane balls around the top of Abbot Durral's cake.

"There, one for each of Father Abbot's seven seasons," she said. "Now, let's hide it over in the gatehouse until this evening."

Carrying the tray between them, Tansy and Higgle walked carefully out of the kitchens towards the Abbey door. Clecky and Gerul hovered about them, shouting needless orders.

"Steady there, chaps, hold your side level, missie!"

"Hey, you there, keep out of the way. Somebeast open the door!"

When they were outside on the Abbey lawns, Tansy finally lost her temper with Clecky and Genii's harassments.

"Look, go away, begone, the pair of you. We'll be bound to drop this cake if you keep hovering round and getting in the way!''

As they turned to go, Friar Higgle noticed the hare was eating something. His suspicions were confirmed as he took a swift count of the rose-petal-covered marchpane balls.

"I knew it, there's only six here! That rogue has stolen one an' scoffed it!" the Friar announced.

Tansy nearly dropped her end of the tray as she wailed aloud, "Oh, the beastly glutton, my surprise cake is ruined!"

"Well, at least we've got rid of those two now," the good Friar comforted her. "Don't worry, missie, there's enough marchpane an' petals left to make another. I'll do it as soon as we get back to the kitchens, don't fret."

Martin and Teasel remonstrated with the hare as he loped chuckling into the Abbey followed by Gerul.

"We saw you from the doorway, Clecky, that was a pretty swift trick!"

The hare swallowed the remains of his plunder guiltily. "Who, me? There's nothing in my mouth, take a look, old chap."

"Yore a villain an' a glutton, mister Clecky, an' I don't know which is the worse o' the two!" So saying, Teasel shook a pudding spoon angrily under the hare's nose, but before she could say more there was a shrill screaming, squawking and shouting from down by the gatehouse.

Martin leapt into action. "What'n the name of fur's going on out there?" he shouted, and dashed out, followed by Clecky and Gerul.

Tansy and Friar Higgle were only a short distance from the gatehouse when the attack took place. Four big black-backed gulls dropped out of the sky onto them, knocking the cake to the grass. Two gulls flew at Higgle and Tansy, beating with wings, webbed talons and huge beaks, while the other two pounced on the cake and began snatching the rose-colored orbs from it, their harsh cries of triumph ringing out.

"Kaareeeaaah! Kreeeghaaa!"

Suddenly Gerul was amongst them like a thunderbolt. At the sight of the hulking young barn owl the two gulls immediately left off despoiling the Abbot's cake and took wing. Gerul hurled himself upon the gull that had Tansy upon the ground, and locked talon and beak with the invader as it tried to fly off. Martin came speeding to the rescue of Higgle, closely followed by Clecky. Grabbing the elmboard cake tray, the Warriormouse broke it in half over the gull's back; Clecky swiftly gathered Tansy and Higgle to him and threw them down, shielding them with his body. Martin managed to get one more crack at his gull with half the cake tray before it hopped off and flopped awkwardly into the air.

The bird Gerul had taken on was not so lucky; the owl's powerful talons and savage hooked beak did their work with blurring speed, and the gull lay slain by the gatehouse door.

Redwallers poured out of the Abbey and across the lawns. Headed by Auma the badger Mother and Abbot Durral, a crowd arrived at the scene in front of the gatehouse. Everybeast was shouting at once.

"Oh woe, what's happened here?"

“ Was it eagles or hawks, did anybeast see?''

"Go 'way, silly, can't y' see that's a dead seagull!"

"Hurr, seagully burd, ee'm a gurt big 'un, boi ecky ee is!"

Between them, Auma, the Abbot and Foremole restored order.

"Stand back there, please, keep those Dibbuns away from that bird!"

"Yurr, coom out o' ee way. Froir 'iggle, missie, be you'm 'urted?"

Auma inspected Friar and hogmaid. "Yes, they're both a bit battered and scratched one way or another. Dormal, Wullger, you others, carry them both up to Sister Cicely on the sick bay. Martin, what is that creature?"

The Warriormouse was inspecting the bird's body. He shook his head and scanned the sky. "It's a gull, but I've never seen any this big come as far inland as Redwall. There were four of them altogetherno sign of the other three now, they got out of here fast. Friend Gerul put paid to this one, he's a fearsome fighter all right!"

The owl blinked several times. "Ah well, d'ye see, sir, as me ould mother used t'say, there's not a bit of use shakin' claws with the other feller. If yer goin' t'fight, then best get it done with proper so's yer foe don't come back fer more."

Clecky was eyeing the cake on the grass, inching towards it. "Well said, old pillowfeatures, your ma must've been quite a bird in her time, wot!"

Teasel nudged Clecky hard in his midriff. "Aye, an' you'll find me a bit of a pawful if y' don't keep away from yon cake, sir. There ain't too much damage done; I can dust it down an' fix it up good as new. Though we'll need a new tray, Martin."

Echoing around the woodlands into an unusually warm spring evening, the Abbey bells tolled supper. Redwallers gathered in Cavern Hole, which was smaller and less stately than Great Hall. The meal was a serve-yourself affair: cress and watershrimp soup, celery and leek turnovers, strong old chestnut cheese, bar-leybread, greengage flan, latticed redcurrant tart and October ale or maple cordial to drink. The Abbey creatures sat in Wall niches, sprawled on rush mats or just sat down wherever they pleased to chat and eat.

Abbot Durral sat with Martin and the elders on a dry, fern-strewn rock ledge which ran along one wall. When the Father Abbot stood up to speak there was complete silence; everybeast was curious as to what he was going to say.

"Friends, there is little use my reporting to you what happened today, as you already know. Why four gulls should attack two perfectly harmless creatures is a mystery, both to me and to your elders. However, our good friend from Mossflower, the Skipper of Otters, has volunteered to set up a patrol around the top of the outer wall. His otters will be armed with slings and stones, in the event of another unwarranted attack.

"But for the next few days 1 would ask you to stay indoors as much as possible; make sure that if you do go out of doors it is for a necessary chore and not just to stroll or play. Oh, and keep a keen eye on our Dibbunslittle ones do not know the danger, and it is our duty to protect them. One last thing: thanks to our friends Clecky and Gerul for their quick and brave action today, helping Martin out."