A Risky Job ((OPEN!))

[Lyrielle]

"ACHOOO~!"

"Oi, wuddja keep it down, Tagg? Yore so LOUD!"

complained Tom Malvolio Goodfellow (aka Puck) as he crammed a grubby paw into his left ear, shooting the gray squirrel babe Tagg a dirty look. "He can't stop sneezin', Puck -- I fink it's lergees!" Turning his bright impish green eyes upon the speaker, Puck frowned at Tagg's twin brother Bumble, trying to understand just what the squirrel babe meant by 'lergees'.
"HUH?"

"I think 'e means allergies, Puck." Offered Boon, the resident dibbun translator, the friendly sea otter checking over the sneezing, lack-luster squirrel babe. Their fearless leader's response was nothing more than a shrug, as if allergies were meaningless things and he couldn't be bothered with them. "So go find somethin' ter blow yer nose on, whatcha sneezin' all over us for? Boon you go with 'im!" Even as Puck was issuing orders, little Tagg let out another horrendous sneeze, this time his eyes watering. "My froat hurts too! 'n my nose is stuffy but runnin' at der same time, 'n I'm hungry'n'tired!" This pitiful declaration was finished with a small miserable wail, Tagg wiping his nose on one thin little gray-furred arm. Boon, ever the compassionate one, was the first to give little Tagg a hug, Bumble, by the dominoe effect, was starting to tear up a little as well. Boon checked the babe's forehead.
"Hey I think 'e's burnin' up, Puck. He must be comin' down with a cold."

Puck frowned deeply. Great, just what he needed! A round of the sniffles to hit everybody! "Well we don't have anythin' to give him. Just send him to bed or something."

"What about that Redwall Abbey place? They have medicine, and healers," this little tidbit of advice came from Lir the melanistic squirrel, the dark youngster dropping down out of a brilliantly gold aspen with a few hazel nuts in paw. Puck scratched at the dirty fur between his ears. "Ehh, but we can't just walk right in through the front gates -- they'll capture us'n'force us to live there! FOREVER." He added emphasis on the last word in the hopes of scaring the other boys, not wanting them to think Redwall was a place they'd want to live instead of outside with Puck.
Lir shrugged.
"So what do you s'ppose we do, Puck? Just let poor Tagg suffer?"

The squirrel leader's bushy red tail twitched in irritation, a few seconds pause before he came up with a decent answer. "I got it! We'll sneak in, steal some medicine and food and be out before anybeast notices! Boon, you stay 'ere and watch Tagg, Bumble, Grisle and Mavin. Lir, you'n'me will do the stealin'. Everybeast ready? GOOD!"

Boon snorted a little. Puck always did that. He'd ask if everyone was ready, except he never waited for an answer. Still, they were accustomed to Puck's no nonsense method of leading them, and each did as they were told.
Lir and Puck however, disappeared into the treetops, a few golden and red leaves trickling down where they had been just seconds ago.

~*~

"So how do we get in Puck, just jump that wall there? Seems kinduva long way down, dontcha think?"

Gah, if there was one thing Puck didn't like about Lir, it was that Lir was always asking questions -- especially the kind Puck didn't always know the answer to. "Nahhh, that's too big a jump -- look, see? That otterbabe just left the side gate open! C'mon!" Sensing a rare opportunity had just been given to them, the agile young squirrels were down onto the ground, through the gate and into the Abbey grounds in a few shakes of their bushy little tails.
Koa Shorehound, humming another tuneless song he'd made up a second ago, turned around at what he suspected was somebeast approaching -- but was met with only empty space. Oh well. Grinning down at the large stick he was carrying, the otterbabe scampered off to find his big brother -- hoping Cross would help him turn it into a javelin or a spear just like Cross's.

Lir and Puck, on the other hand, were hiding behind a row of nearby bushes, holding their breath as they waited for the otterbabe to go on inside.
Whew.
Why oh WHY did Redwall always have to be crawling with Abbey Beasts? Didn't they have a curfew or somethin'!?

[Rook]

Trace Galahad tossed a pebble into the air and caught it deftly with one paw. His twin sister Cyle paced before the tree he leaned against, her paws clasped behind her slender frame. Her latest scheme had yet to come to fruition, and Trace could tell she was getting frustrated. She stopped pacing, wrapping one arm about her middle and resting her other elbow against it, chewing on a claw in thought.

Trace noticed her halting and leaned forward expectantly, paws dangling between his knees. "Got somethin', sis?" he asked hopefully, bored of watching her pace back and forth. Cyle's eyes flicked down to his, and she gave a slow, hesitant nod.

"Indeed I do, brother," she replied. "Koa left the gate open." The twins both looked up to where the little otter babe was just reentering the abbey, carrying a large stick. Cyle's grin spread wide across her pixie-like features. Flicking her long, bushy tail in satisfaction, she beckoned to Trace, who stood up and dashed off towards the gate ahead of her. He knew exactly what to do.

Cyle followed at a distance, keeping an eye out for anybeast who might ruin their fun. It wasn't quite evening, yet, but the late afternoon sun would more or less be good enough ambience. They should really save this for nighttime, but nobeast would let the twins near the gate, let alone open them. Especially after dark.

Trace retrieved an old bag they'd stowed behind some bushes inside the abbey wall and made to dart out the gate, but he stopped. He noticed two sets of eyes watching him and a pair of bushy tails. His own copper eyes widened in surprise. Cyle came up, then, her frustration growing with every moment her brother was not outside the gate.

"Would you hurry up?" she snapped. "I'd like to get this going, whenever it's convenient for you." Trace flinched as she swatted him on the arm.

"Ow, hey!" he protested. "I thought I saw somethin'. Them eyes inna bushes, there. Can't ya see 'em?" Cyle looked where he was pointing and saw them. Her own oddly-colored eyes narrowed, irate at this delay in her plans.

"The hide-and-seek tournament ended two hours ago," she snapped at the hidden beasts. "I believe you've won, already." Spinning haughtily on one heel away from the bushes, she beckoned to her brother again. "Now hurry up, Trace. You're wasting our time." Trace made a face at his sister's back, still more interested in the eyes in the bushes.

[Lyrielle]

Darn it! They'd been just about to move when a pair of squirrel twins similar in age to Puck and Lir could be seen sneaking out across the Abbey lawns – obviously headed for the still open gate. Holding their breath, their hearts nearly froze in their chests when Trace, the male out of the pair (of what Puck suspected were twins) seemed to notice their eyes glinting from within the bushes. Son of a nutcracker, they'd been spotted! Before either of them could groan in dismay, however, a slim window of opportunity presented itself in the form of the female squirrel's words – a hide-and-seek game she said?

They could work with this.

Sharing a look with Lir, Puck made a 'thumbs up' sign, both rogue squirrels intending to act out the part of 'newbie' Redwallers who were unused to the rules of the beautiful red-stoned Abbey. They both seemed to be aware of the same plan, however, until Puck sank his teeth into Lir's paw so hard the black squirrel screeched, kicking him so hard in the stomach, Puck flew out of the bushes.
”What'dya do that for idiot?!”
Snapped Lir, climbing out of the bushes after him.

”I thought you were the enemy – how wuz I s'pposed to know it was yew?!”

”Because, dummy, how many black squirrels do you know 'ere at Redwall?”

”Uh...”

Lir scowled at Puck grumpily, and the red squirrel was pretty convinced that had less to do with Lir's ability to act and more to do with the black squirrel actually being upset with him. Rubbing his bleeding paw, Lir fixed his golden eyes upon Trace and Cyle.
”Wot're you two doing out 'ere anyway? Ain't it time fer curfew or somethin'?”

Puck stole a glance at Lir – how were they doing so far? Even if they had very little knowledge of life inside of Redwall Abbey, they hadn't been too suspicious had they? Better cut to the chase while they still had time.
”Which way to the infirmary?” Blurted Puck, looking again at his injured friend. Lir glared daggers back at him.

[Rook]

Cyle and Trace shared a look as the two new squirrels leaped out of hiding and proceeded to argue. Quite loudly, in fact. Cyle resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Delays, delays, nothing but delays . . . She sent an icy glare to the red squirrel, trying to place his face in her memory. She didn't know him. And, unless he and his oddly-colored friend were just new to the abbey (as in, just arrived this very instant), it was likely they did not live here.

”Wot're you two doing out 'ere anyway? Ain't it time fer curfew or somethin'?”

The twins looked at each other again, both raising an eyebrow. Trace looked up at the position of the sun, tilting his head in confusion. Cyle let out a short sigh of frustration. "Really? You're new here? I couldn't tell," she said cynically. Don't get your hopes up, Blacky, you aren't the only one here.

"We ain't got curfew this early," Trace added, hoisting the dusty bag onto his shoulder. He effectively avoided answering the red squirrel's first question and turned it onto him and his black friend, "Wot were ye two doin' inna bushes?"

"Who are you two?" Cyle demanded. "As much as I have things to do, I can't help but ask. It'd be nice to put a name to a face the next time I have to look for a living definition of ineptitude." She smiled unpleasantly. She hoped these two didn't know the meaning of that word. All the more mature she would sound.

”Which way to the infirmary?” Blurted Puck, looking again at his injured friend. Lir glared daggers back at him.

"Answer our questions first, an' we might help ye," Trace teased, his expression one of smug satisfaction.

[Lyrielle]

Alright, Puck didn't like this uppity squirrelmaid and her smug-faced brother -- Lir probably didn't either, but Lir was much better at keeping a straight face than Puck was. The red squirrel, on the other hand, snorted when Cyle threw out the word 'ineptitude' in their faces like she was some kind of walking dictionary. Puck had no idea what that word meant and definitely didn't care.
"How about I promise not to punch yer face in, smug-chops, and yew tell me which way to the infirmary?"
Being the king of obnoxiousness himself, Puck wasn't too partial to anybeast trying to steal his thunder -- and he just flat out didn't like Cyle. She was the exact reason why he didn't like maidens; buncha bossy, cynical little...

Lir, on the underhand, gave Puck a hard nudge in the ribs. "I'm Blackfur, and this rude bit'o'red fur and bad attitude is Pender, my brother." Trying to summon what little manners he actually had, the black squirrel extended his uninjured paw to Trace and Cyle, a peace offering of sorts. Puck, on the other hand, pressed his ears to his skull flatly, but held his tongue.
Bahh. Who needed directions? He'd fine the way there by himself!

[Rook]

"How about I promise not to punch yer face in, smug-chops, and yew tell me which way to the infirmary?"

"I would love to see you try, strawberries," Cyle shot back, making a point to tease his red fur. Her own tawny fur was a source of pride for her. Besides, she knew she would be, at the very least, faster than this obnoxious boy. He was just jealous of her knowledge.

"Punch 'er inna face an' I'll introduce ya t'the ground, dirt-face," Trace snapped. "Though it looks like ya've met before." Though the male twin liked getting down and dirty, himself, the red squirrel's appearance could beat any kind of dirtiness Trace could get in one day, that was for sure.

"I'm Blackfur, and this rude bit'o'red fur and bad attitude is Pender, my brother."

Cyle put on the charm, taking Blackfur's proffered paw and smiling sweetly, but there was still a hint of malice, as per usual. "A pleasure," she replied. Her odd-eyes flicked over to Pender. "Sort of." Releasing Blackfur's paw, she stepped back. "And we'd love to give you directions to the infirmary, but we've got business to take care of."

"Hey, sis, d'ya think they could help us?" Trace asked suddenly. "We could allas have more'n one ghost for the--" He was cut off by the venom in his sister's gaze. His tufted ears rotated back. "I were jus' suggestin' it. We got 'nuff cobwebs to--"

"Oh, will you shut up?" Cyle demanded. She whirled on Blackfur and Pender. "That way." She pointed to the main abbey building. "Somebeast will show you the infirmary if you just ask nicely." She then sent another glare to her brother. He averted his gaze. There, the distractions were out of the way.

((No, I'm not trying to make them separate. Cyle's just impatient, is all.))