Red Leaves ((open))

[Django]

Fall had come at last. The Autumn Feast was just around the corner, and every beast was preparing his or her contribution to the festival. Alné Nikta had spent hours the previous day perfecting a recipe for the feast. And besides the constant interruptions from the Otter crew and/or other kitchen workers, she'd made good progress. The black squirrel felt confident in her abilities, so today, she had taken the afternoon off from the kitchens to spend some time with her little brother.

Unfortunately, a light fall drizzle had started up, but it didn't seem to bother Fenn. He laughed as he dove into piles of dried leaves. Alné chuckled at her brother's antics. She had untied her apron from around her waist and held it over her head as some protection from the rain, but it wasn't really working. Where was a good parasol when you needed it?

"Come an' play, sissy!" Fenn called, red and orange leaves stuck to his wet fur. Deciding there was no way she would be able to stay dry and clean in these conditions, Alné tossed her apron aside and dove into the leaf pile next to Fenn, laughing all the way. He squealed in delight, throwing an armful of leaves into the air. They didn't go far, rain-soaked and muddied as they were.

Alné laughed, sitting up beside her brother and taking a stray leaf out from behind a tall, tufted ear. "Ach, Fenn, Ah'm sae sorry Ah haen't ben playin' with ye," she apologized, setting the young squirrel babe in her lap. He hugged her, muddying up her dress and giggling.

"S'alright, sissy," he replied. "I misst ya, though. Play wif me more offen?" His big blue eyes pleaded with hers, and Alné smiled wider, nodding. She kissed the top of his head and then proceeded to tickle him until he was red in the face. His peals of laughter rang out across the grounds, mixing with those of his sister. They played for what felt like an hour (but in reality was only about twenty minutes), before the rain began to let up.

Covered in leaves and caked with mud, the two squirrels giggled as they raced each other to the pond. "I'mma beatcha, sissy!" "Ach, ye wee rascal! Ah'm faster than ye!" "Are not!" Fenn made it first, but Alné was right behind him. They came up splashing and laughing, leaves and mud sliding off their dark fur. Hoisting Fenn onto the bank, Alné protected her eyes as the babe shook himself like a dog, his fur poofing out with the sudden dryness.

"Again?" Fenn begged. Alné tilted her head, giving a bemused smile. Her brother never ran out of energy, did he? She was about to answer him when she heard the approach of another beast.

((I discovered the tilde shortcut on my iPad. Muahahaha . . .))

[cheeseyneth]

Having been shooed from the kitchen, due to upsetting a large triffle all over the floor, Loralye had decided to take a stroll around the grounds. Initially she sulked as she wandered along the large red brick walls surrounding the Abbey. She'd just wanted to help out, to do her piece for the Autumn Feast, and had ended up ruining everything.

The mood didn't last long, though. The fresh air and the light rain on her fur brightened her mood, and she breathed in deeply, enjoying her surroundings. With such beautiful grounds how could anyone stay upset for too long? Laughing happily, Loralye flung up her arms, dancing happily on the grass, kicking the puddles and a few stray leaves up as she did so.

Soon enough, her feet and shins were thoroughly muddied, and she had danced her way almost around the whole of the Abbey. The only thing preventing her completing the round was that the pond was in the way. That didn't bother her though. With complete disriguard for her robe, she dived in, swimming around playfully, teasing all the fish, her head breaking the surface every so often to allow an intake of breath.

After about ten minuets of swinmming, she broke the surface once more, and the sound of giggling came to her ears from the opposite side of the pond. Swimming to the side slightly, she peered curiously to see who it was, and saw the two young squirrels who had turned up at the Abbey, roughly at the same time that Loralye's parents had left it. Fenn, the younger of the two was no more than a dibbun, but his sister, Alne, was roughly the same age as Loralye.

The two were playing at the edge, washing dirt and leaves off from on them, before Alne dragged her brother back out again. Taking in another deep breath, Loralye dived back under and swam towards the two, eager for some form of socialization after her long walk alone. She broke the surface a couple of meters from the bank, and dragged herself out, wringing out her clothes and greeting the two squirrels as she did so.

"Hallo! What are you two doing out here? Get kicked out of the kitchen too?" she added jokingly at the end.

[Django]

"Hallo! What are you two doing out here? Get kicked out of the kitchen too?" she added jokingly at the end.

Alné turned to find an otter blacker than herself just surfacing. The squirrel offered a warm smile, perching upon the bank and wringing out her large, wet and bushy tail. "Ach, Ah work in yon kitchens, ye ken?" she replied. "Lorayle, aye?" She'd seen this otter around, for sure. However, since Alné preferred to keep cooped up in the kitchens, she tended to lose track of names and such.

Fenn began flailing one arm in an overly-cheerful wave. "Hiiiiii!" he greeted. "I know yew!" He'd played with the sweet-natured Lorayle often, as had many of the other Dibbuns. Alné chuckled, flicking water off her tall ears.

"As tae wot we're dooin', Fenn an' Ah were enjoyin' the auld fall weather," she responded to the ottermaid's question. "'Tis a right bonny day tae be ootside." Her little brother nodded agreement, hugging his sister around her middle.

"My sissy an' I wuz playin' t'gether," he added. "I haven't played wif my sissy in ages!" Alné hugged him back and returned her blue eyes to the black otter.

"An' wot, prae tell, got ye kicked oot a' the kitchens?" she joked with a wink.

[cheeseyneth]

"Yes, Loralye," she grinned, laughing lightly as young Fenn's arm went all over the place, and went over to him to ruffle the already messy fur on his head, nodding to both of Alné's questions as she did so, "Alné, right? I've seen you heading to the kitchen before, and Fenn talks about you a bit."

Loralye breathed in the air deeply again at the mention of wetaher, and giggled as the dibbun hugged his sister tightly, blushing slightly as Alné asked about the kitchen, although you couldn't really see under her fur.

"Well, uh, not much really... I kinda got in the way and a little triffle took the brunt of the resulting disaster. A shame really. It tasted nice from the pieces I scavenged from the floor afterwards..." she trailed off at the end, not wanting to get into the details of it all, or embaras herself in front of someone who knew their way around a kitchen, "Either way, I have been banned from helping out in the kitchen while they prepare for the feast, so I'll need to find some other way to contribute."

She sat down on the grass, not caring that it was wet and muddy. Afterall, she was soaked herself. She looked up at the clouds in the sky breifly, before turning back to the two squirrels, "How about you? Do you have anything prepared for the feast?"

[Django]

"Well, uh, not much really... I kinda got in the way and a little triffle took the brunt of the resulting disaster. A shame really. It tasted nice from the pieces I scavenged from the floor afterwards...". . ."Either way, I have been banned from helping out in the kitchen while they prepare for the feast, so I'll need to find some other way to contribute."

Fenn giggled, and Alné smiled. The older black squirrel was actually glad she hadn't worked in the kitchen this morning. Chuckling, she asked in her highlander accent, "Wheel, naow, wot d'ye liek tae do? Ah'd start wi' that."

"How about you? Do you have anything prepared for the feast?"

Alné nodded. "Aye, Ah'm makin' an auld family recipe," she replied. "Me dear mum taught et tae me when Ah were a wee one. Special cake she used tae make, ye ken?" Fenn nodded emphatically in agreement with his sister.

"Yeah, my sissy makes tha best cakes ever," he said. "Her cake's gonna be so yummy an' good. I can't wait for it!" Alné chuckled again at her brother.

"Ach, ye wee glutton," she teased. "Hae ye nae patience? Ah been givin' ye th' ones wot dinnae coom oot right." Fenn giggled boyishly.

"Yeah, but them's not good as tha one you're gonna make fur tha feast," he said. "I wanna have tha good one." Alné's eyes sparkled, and she winked at Lorayle again.