Standing out in the Winter Wind

[Prankster101]

Renaud Wildroar brought his cloak tighter around his chest. He trudged toward the mighty oaken gate of Redwall. The Abbey stood out in the winter landscape like a holly-berry on a silken cloth. Renny could hear the muted sounds of the twin bells, through the snow, calling the beasts of the Abbey together. Looking up at the sky, Renny guessed it was tea time.

He stopped his travelings in front of the awesome gate and he looked around. The sun tried desperately to shine through the light gray sky. The snow fell gently around him, not to hard, but heavy enough that you could watch the individual flakes fall. The snow crunched under his paw. It came to about his ankles, but he could feel the storm would soon pick up it's pace and he wanted to get inside before he became and icicle.

Renny, having been in Redwall before in his travels called calmly up to the ramparts.

"Ahoy ta da walls! Tis dere anybeast willin' ta let a frozen mate inside?"

Renny let down his hood, and watched as his breath came out of his mouth like smoke, He couldn't wait to get inside the Cavern hole to sit in front of the fire and have a warm bowl of Shrimp-an-Hot-Root Soup, safely in the company of he Redwall friends.......

[Glavon]

Once again, Griffin Slatetail was in the grounds.

This may have not been unusual-he was the Groundskeeper, after all-but nobeast with the brightest mind usually walked through the grounds with no shoes on and only a habit protecting them from the winter weather. However, the mouse was used to it. Long seasons of living alone brought their hardships, and the mouse had adapted. He hardly felt the cold anymore; a huge plus with his occupation.

Ahoy ta da walls! Tis dere anybeast willin' ta let a frozen mate inside?

Griffin would have ignored this after he'd made sure there was a beast on the wall. As no creature was stationed there, he let out a dark sigh that culmulated in a smoke-like puff of air from his mouth before he slowly made his way through the snow covered grounds and to the main gate, where he agiley scaled the ramparts to look down upon the new arrival.

The mouse blinked, faintly remembering the otter from a previous visit to Redwall Abbey; either way, he shrugged and spoke.

"Aye, matey. Jus' let me open this gate."

[Prankster101]

Renny watched as a mouse with cream fur and hazel eyes peer over the ramparts with only a habit on. The mouse looked him over and replied.

"Aye, matey. Jus' let me open this gate."

Renny cupped his paws over his mouth and called back.

"T'ank ye mate. Da be a very nice o' ye!"

Renny thought to himself, What sort of beast only wears a habit in weather like this? He himself had grown up in the hards winds of the North and his fur kept him relatively warm. The wind nipped abit at his nose and ears, but he wasn't that cold. This mouse didn't seem to mind any of that. Renny shrugged the thought off and waited for the gate to open.

While waiting Renny watched a curious snowflake dance along his shoulder, but never land. He blew on it slightly and it spun away in an elegant dance. He chuckled quietly to himself. Snow. No matter where he was, it always reminded him of home. The warm cave fire, the rowdy laugher of the family, the giggles of the little pups.....He sighed, although he loved to travel, sometimes he had to admit he did miss home. He shuffled his feet around in the snow and waited patiently for the gate.

[Glavon]

T'ank ye mate. Da be a very nice o' ye!

Griffin didn't reply; there was really nothing to say as he got down from the ramparts and made his way to the locked gate. After working with it for about ten seconds, it unlatched and the mouse pushed it capably open with the air of one who had done such for a long while. His hazel eyes scanned the woodlands for any trace of vermin; he was smart enough to know that when beasts arrived like this, vermin followed without the beast knowing to try to gain access into Redwall. It hadn't worked well yet, but there was always a first time.

He couldn't really see anything, so he turned his eyes to Renny and motioned to him. "Well, come on, mate," he chuckled. "This snow isn't goin' ta wait till we're inside to fall."

Griffin really wasn't cold, even though ice was starting to form on his fur. He'd lived outside too long to bother about the weather-the biggest problem he'd had was with vermin and cold nights when living on his own.

He blinked suddenly and spoke. "Oh yeah. M' name's Griffin Slatetail. Yours?"

[Prankster101]

The mouse moved and was lost from sight. Renny listened as he heard the mouse walk down the steps and unlatch the door. As he waited, he looked toward the North. His hunch had been right. He could just now see the clouds forming in the distance. There was going to be a big snowfall, and soon! Renny guessed that the storm would hit about midnight tonight, judging by the wind speed whipping the snowflakes around his head.

The great gate open with a swoosh of snow. The mouse stood tall and proud in the doorway, watching for any other "guests". Probably assessing the path to be safe the mouse motioned for Renny to come forward.

"Well, come on, mate," he chuckled. "This snow isn't goin' ta wait till we're inside to fall."

"Aye Mate!" Renny replied as he walked under the arch of the big doors. " Yer trueer ta dat den ye knaw!" He motioned North his his paw. "Dere be a monster o' a storm a commin' furm da Nort'. Me guess be dat it i'll 'it about midnigt'."

"Oh yeah. M' name's Griffin Slatetail. Yours?"

Renny nodded to Griffin."An' ah be Renaud Wildroar, nice ta be a meatin' ye Griffin Slatetail!" Renny turned toward the gate. " We s'auld be a closin' dis 'ere gate afore anyot'er beasts be a commin' in dat aint invited."

[Glavon]

Aye mate! Yer trueer ta dat den ye knaw! Dere be a monster o' a storm a commin' furm da Nort'. Me guess be dat it i'll 'it about midnigt'.

Griffin looked off into the distance with a nod. "I'd say 'bout hour ta midnight when it 'its, but ye probably know better then me. I was never good when it came ta weather, ye know." He said before trailing off into silence. The wind sped across his ears, filling his brain with the eerie sound of howling.

An' ah be Renaud Wildroar, nice ta be a meatin' ye Griffin Slatetail! We s'auld be a closin' dis 'ere gate afore anyot'er beasts be a commin' in dat aint invited.

"Aye," Griffin replied, annoyed by the fact that vermin inviteably had to cause trouble wherever they walked. He made sure Renny wouldn't get hit by the closing gates and pushed them shut as hard as he could before bolting it closed. The doors made a forbidding wooden clunk as they slammed into one another. Griffin looked down at the serrated kitchen knife contained in his belt and began to walk to the Redwall building.

"Tis a rare occasion that I come inta the Great 'all when meals aren't goin' on. Ye' better come in wid me so they don't think a great vermin 'orde's standin' at the gates, mate."

[Prankster101]

"I'd say 'bout hour ta midnight when it 'its, but ye probably know better then me. I was never good when it came ta weather, ye know."

Renny felt a swift breeze pick up then die down again. It rippled through his fur as he closed his eyes and turned his head in the direction of the strong Northern breeze. He opened his eyes again and replied.

"Well, w'en ye be out an' about like ah da, ye gets ta be in all sorts o' weat'er and ye be a gettin' real good at a tellin' w'en de'll be a storm a commin'"

"Aye," Griffin replied and went to work shutting the door. Renny went as to offer to help, but the mouse continued with his work until he latched the bolts with a satisfied thunk.

After the door was shut, Renny felt a wave of comfort come over him. Some how, Redwall felt safe, like home....Although there were time in which it would get scary or frustrating, it still had that safe feeling of home. Renny shook himself back into reality as Griffin began to speak again.

"Tis a rare occasion that I come inta the Great 'all when meals aren't goin' on. Ye' better come in wid me so they don't think a great vermin 'orde's standin' at the gates, mate."

"Aye matey, dat be a soundin' gad about naw. Ye t'ink dey'll 'ave dat S'rimp-and-'Otroot soup out durin' tea time?"

Renny replied as he walked steadily toward the Main Abbey building, snow crunching beneath his wrapped paws. He could smell the greensap milk biscuits from out on the lawn as he sniffed the air, but something Griffin made him think.

"Ye really be a t'inkin' dat yer mates 'ere will t'ink dere be a vermin 'orde at da gate? Did ye 'ave a roug' season o' late?"

Renny asked Griffin with a peaked curiosity. Last he had heard, Redwall hadn't had many bad times. Oh, there was the occasional band of "unwelcomed visitors", but Griffin seemed unsettled by their mentioning. Was Redwall having a bad season or was it just the way Griffin felt?...

[Glavon]

Well, w'en ye be out an' about like ah da, ye gets ta be in all sorts o' weat'er and ye be a gettin' real good at a tellin' w'en de'll be a storm a commin'.

"I'd assume," Griffin replied with the faintest hint of a smile in his voice. "I may 'ave been a corsair for a large part o' my life, but I still can't seem ta tell the weather real well..." He let the thought trail off into oblivion, as he had done before.

Aye matey, dat be a soundin' gad about naw. Ye t'ink dey'll 'ave dat S'rimp-and-'Otroot soup out durin' tea time?

Griffin tapped a paw against his knife blade. "Well...I'm sure ye' can persuade Friar Brightly tae make ye' something. I don't think they normally 'ave spicy soup fer tea, but maybe that's just me."

Ye really be a t'inkin' dat yer mates 'ere will t'ink dere be a vermin 'orde at da gate? Did ye 'ave a roug' season o' late?

Griffin shook his head. "No. Ye' may 'ave misunderstood. I'm the Groundskeeper. An' I never seem to go inside. I'm sure tae beasts o' tae Abbey find it weird."

(Crappy post.)

[Prankster101]

"I'd assume. I may 'ave been a corsair for a large part o' my life, but I still can't seem ta tell the weather real well..."

Renny watched as Griffin tailed off the last bit. There was obviously something behind that, but now was not the time to bring it up. So Renny tried to bring up a chipper side of the thought.

"Ah, sa ye were a seafairin' beast! Ah be a livin' way up Nort' on da cost. Ye be a gettin' da strangest weat'er up dere! Once, a'ter a mig'ty storm, da wind 'ad swept all da litle s'rimps on land. An all da little un's t'oug't it was a rainin' fishies!" Renny said with a chuckle in his voice.

"Well...I'm sure ye' can persuade Friar Brightly tae make ye' something. I don't think they normally 'ave spicy soup fer tea, but maybe that's just me."

"Aye, most beast dan't, but ah can be a findin' meself ta be a eatin' pots full o' da stuff" Renny replied licking his lips. "Not'ing can be a better t'en da fresh bowl o' 'Otroot!"

"No. Ye' may 'ave misunderstood. I'm the Groundskeeper. An' I never seem to go inside. I'm sure tae beasts o' tae Abbey find it weird."

"Ahhh...Dat be a makin' more sence. Just wantin' ya be sure not'in' 'ad 'apened w'ile ah was a gone. Visited dis 'ere place many o' time! An' ah'd 'ate ta see dis 'arpy place ta see 'orrible t'ings vermin can bring...It be a too 'arpy place fur dat!"

Renny inwardly sighed. Maybe everything was ok....It made him feel better to know that the other beast in Redwall were still happy and peaceful. It just wouldn't be Redwall if they weren't....