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

He continued his elongated recitation.

"There in the field the two creatures met,

Each beast with salad ladeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

A terrible sight not fit for the eyes,

Of any tender young maideeeeeeeeeeeen!

An' the lettuce an' the carrots an' the onions they all flew like lightniiiiiiiiiin'!

An' they fought'n'they ate, an' they ate'n'they fought,

The scene was pretty frightniiiiiiiin'!"

Clecky twitched his nose as a melon seed bounced off it. He narrowed his eyes and pointed vehemently at the two shrews. "Right, that's it! Soon as I'm finished this heartrendin' ditty you two are infor it!"

He finished the song at top speed as if it were a fast jig:

"But now my friends I've reached the end of my most sad renditiiion,

At the end of the epic battle royal this was the sad positiiiion,

Neither the fox nor the hare had won, they were both in bad conditiiiiiiion,

Sufferin' from fierce indigestion because they'd ate all the ammunitiiiiiiiion!''

With a bound he was away after the two shrews, who shot off like sardines with a shark on their tails. The audience fell about laughing helplessly.

Dorumee held her tubby sides, shaking with mirth. "Oho-hohohooohooh! That'll teach 'em t'spit melon pips at 'im!"

Viola and Winniegold were chuckling so hard that tears coursed down their cheeks as they confessed. "Heeehee, it wasn't heehee Plogg or hahaha Welko spittin' those pips ... Hoohoohooh! It was us. Heehahaheehohoho!"

Wallyum Rudderwake and his otters were excellent hosts to the first land visitors they had ever received. Entertainment, singing, eating, drinking and dancing went on far into the night, only stopping because everybeast was totally exhausted. Interspersed with the weary logboat crew, otters slept where they fell, everywhere about the cave. Babes, youngsters and parents lay draped over rocks or curled on rush mats in a tangle of paws and tails.

Wallyum sat in the light of the oven fire. He and Martin were the only two left awake. The otter patriarch stared piercingly at the Warriormouse until eventually Martin felt he had to speak and break the silence.

"'Tell me, Wallyum, how did you come to know the seal-folk?"

The otter shifted his gaze to the fire and shrugged. "We have always known them. My father and his father before him treated the sealsbulls, wives and pupsfor injuries and ailments. So it has fallen to my lot now. I am their Healer. Hawm and his followers have great respect for the Holt of Rudderwake; they would do anything for us. Lucky 'twas that you had an otter in youe crew, or they might never have brought you to my island."

That seemed as much information as Wallyum was willing to impart. Silence fell on the two creatures as they sat together in the soft tropic night, staring into the ash-shrouded embers burning low beneath the oven.

Martin felt slightly uneasy in the presence of Wallyum. From the corner of his eye he noted the otter had transferred his gaze from the fire. Hairs on the back of the Warriormouse's neck began to prickle. He turned suddenly and locked eyes with Wallyum's piercing stare. "Friend, is there something you are hiding from me?"

Rising slowly, Wallyum beckoned Martin to follow him. “Let us walk together in the moonlight," he said.

In the limited view of sky surrounded by the high mountainous crater, a summer moon hung like a pale gold coin, shedding its light on the two figures strolling through lush grasses toward the streambank. Wallyum Rudderwake spoke when they were out of hearing from the cave.

“ Hearken to me, Martin of Redwall, I have things to tell you, things that I could tell to no otherbeast, lest they think I am growing feeble in the brain. Would it surprise you to know that I already knew your face, that I had seen you long before you came to this island?"

The Warriormouse sat down on the streambank. "It would surprise me greatly. Tell me more, Wallyum."

Leaning on Martin's shoulder, the old otter lowered himself to sit upon the bank. He tossed a twig into the stream and watched the water bear it away to the seas.

"Three moons ago I had a dream. That was when you appeared in my mindbut was it you, or one who looked just like you? It was a mouse, a warrior like yourself. When you arrived at my island today, I knew then, it was you! You were not wearing armor like the mouse in my dream, but your face was the same as his and the sword you carried was the same wonderful blade. I knew this for certain when I picked up that sword to carry it for you. I could feel it in the hilt and the blade."

Martin nodded, understanding beginning to dawn on him. Wallyum had been visited in his dream by the first Martin of long ago. "Did the mouse speak words to you, friend? Was there a message?''

In the darkness, the otter's eyes opened wide with surprise. "Yes, he did! I felt a great calm come over me. His voice sounded like a distant bell, echoing, warm. These are the very words he spoke. My name is Martin of Redwall. You are a goodbeast, Wallyum Rudderwakehelp my friends to defeat evil and bring happiness back to our Abbey. Do this thing for me and the name of Holt Rudderwake will be remembered on the stones of Great Hall."

The old otter grasped Martin's paw firmly. "Tell me what to do, Martin of Redwall, and I will help you!"

Chapter 43

Auma the badger Mother sat at supper flanked by Skipper and Foremole, the three of them highly amused as Arven and the Dibbuns served the meal. Further up the table Sister Cicely sniffed, "Those babes should have been abed hours back!"

Skipper glanced down the table. "Trim me sails, wot's the matter with the Sister? She looks as if she's swallered some of 'er own nettle soup."

Auma directed the otter's attention to Diggum and Gurrbowl trundling a laden trolley towards them. "Pay no heed to Cicely. She's got a knot in her tail because her patients have deserted the infirmary and she's got nobeast to boss around. Will you look at these babes, how nice of them to serve us supper!"

Diggum clambered up onto the table, her tiny face creased in a serious frown as she set about tying table napkins around the necks of Auma, Skipper and Foremole.

"Yurr, you'm keep'n these on, et'll save ee splashin' zoop all over ee. Doan't ee take em off, or boi 'okey oi'll send ee all oop t'bed wi'out no zupper. Hurr!"

Gurrbowl ladled out hotroot soup for all three, which Auma attempted to refuse, saying, "No thank you, sir, it looks a bit too spicy for me. I'll just have salad and a little nutbread, please."

The molebabe glared at the big badger Mother. "Yoo'll 'ave wot oi gives ee, marm, an' sup et all, 'tis gudd for ee. Cummon, finish et oop an' ee'll grow gurt'n'strong loik oi, bain't that roight, Skip?"

The Skipper of Otters nodded vigorously. "Oh, 'tis right enough, matey. I'll see she eats it all, you go'n'attend to the others. Sister Cicely looks famished, serve 'er."

The Dibbuns ambled off, pushing their serving trolley.

Arven was trying to feed a mousebabe, arguing furiously with him. "Likkle maggit, eatta up all dese scones or grayshuss me I tell badgermum to baff you inna baff wiv lotsa soap uppa nose, ho yes!"

The rebellious mousebabe flung a scone at Arven. "No! I h'ain't got 'nuff teeths to eat 'em, um like rocks, you maked d'scones, you eat 'em!"

It was at that point that the door slammed wide as Craklyn and Tansy rushed into Great Hall, shouting, "The tapestry! The tapestry! The secret's in the tapestry!"

Immediately the diners deserted their seats to crowd round the Abbeymaids.

Foremole held up a huge digging claw, calling over the ensuing din, "Yurr, missie, wot be in ee tarpesty?"

Rollo came panting in and fought his way to the front of the huddle. "The fifth pearl, of course," he said, "at least that's what the clues say."