Every Day (open)

[mirima]

Every day began the same way: he woke before even the rising sun and immediately reached out to see if Rachael was still in bed. He only ever remembered what had happened to her after his paw met nothing but air. Then, rolling over and burying his face in the covers, Hart Lorrin, one hundred and fifty-six seasons old, cried silently and desperately for as long as he had tears to cry with. Then, when there was no point crying any longer, or when the sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, he stood up and tried to decide what kind of day it would be. If it was to be a good day, he would dress, run downstairs, and maybe ask the friar to get him something to eat. If it was to be a bad day, he would lie back in bed or walk out on the ramparts to watch the sun rise.

Today was a bad day, Hart could feel it in his bones. Even the sunrise took forever, as if it wanted to torment him by making time slow for him even more than it had already. Dully, the mouse watched as one of his paws traced his wife's name on the ramparts, then used the other to rub it away. Today was miserable enough. Every day was miserable enough without his writing her name everywhere.

Dropping his chin onto his chest, staring down at the ground by the Abbey gates, he tried to cheer himself up a little, even though he had no desire to be happy today. He tried to hum but he had never had a very good singing voice. He tried to slouch, to at least look as depressed as he felt, but he found that his back remained ramrod straight as it always did, that his mouth still retained its customary wry, drawn expression, and that his tunic remained as neat as always.

Hart considered leaving Redwall and going back to the place where Rachael - where Rachael --

He couldn't bring himself to think it, and, besides, he heart pawsteps approaching where he stood on the ramparts. Not wanting to talk to anyone, regardless of whether it was the abbot himself or a badger lord or a lone Dibbun, he turned his back to the intruders, trying to ignore their approach and to look more interested in the sunrise than he was.

[Sorrl]

Sorrl had been having a good early morning. Not only had he managed to steal an inordinate amount of scones and a pot of jam from the kitchens, he'd managed to sneak out of the abbey with it all as well. Snickering quietly to himself, he snuck across the abbey lawns towards the wall stairs.

The wall top was one of Sorrl's favorite hiding spots. It was so obvious, no one bothered looking there. It also helped that he had built a reputation as a brilliant hider when he was younger. Whenever he needed to hide now, he chose the most obvious spot, knowing that all of the elder abbeydwellers would be busy searching in bizarre and unexpected places for him. Climbing the wall stairs while carefully balancing his load of scones and jam, he failed to notice the mouse staring into the sunrise until it was too late.

"Whoops!" Sorrl shouted, trying to simultaneously avoid running into the mouse and hide his spoils. Unfortunately, in his haste, he accidentally sent both the scones and the jam flying towards the poor abbeydweller.

[Asterfall]

Asterfall ducked between the Abbey doors and bounced up the wall steps two at a time, her arms also full of scones. She was balancing a bowl of fresh meadow cream amongst her stolen goods and looking quite exuberant and awake for so early in the morning. She walked with purpose, looking pleased with herself, across the north wall and turned onto the east wall to watch the sunrise while she ate her breakfast. Though she was a spirited young squirrel, she did enjoy simple things like nice weather and watching the sunrise. She liked the way it rose above a particular tall pine, threading its glow through the branches to set Mossflower on fire with light.

She was inadvertently heading toward Hart Lorrin on the opposite side Sorrl was. Strolling along beside the ramparts, she suddenly noticed her brother coming up the other wall stairs, the middle aged mouse between then. She stopped short, her mouth open, staring at the scones her brother had. She looked at her own, then back at Sorrl's, slightly bewildered. Finally she said,
"Well, between the two of us the rest of the Abbey probably won't have anything to eat for breakfast, but oh well."
She grinned and plopped down on the stone wall top, dipping her scone into the meadow cream and munching down on it right in front of the Abbey brother, Hart, quite at ease with her wrong doing.

Sorrl had noticed the mouse a second later than Asterfall did, pulling a clumsy movement of trying to hide his scones and jam and half-tripping instead, his goods flying out of his paws. Asterfall winced and muttered, "Well, that was clever, Graceful."

[mirima]

He spun around as he heard the other beast trip, reluctantly, but quickly nonetheless. Immediately after Hart saw the scones and jam come racing towards him time seemed to slow to a halt.

He had lived in Mossflower Woods. He had lived in Mossflower Woods alone. He had traveled in vermin-infested lands and he had fought against the worst of the crews. Rachael, his beloved Rachael, he had led her out into the wilderness, and he had protected her as best he could. Obviously not well enough, or she would still be living, but there was no point thinking about that now. The point was that he, Hart Lorrin, had gained reflexes fast enough to save him in many a situation - and he hadn't been at Redwall long enough yet to lose those.

One paw flew out and allowed the jam pot to settle firmly in its palm. The other stabilized it and drew it in close to his body, inadvertently taking with it one of the stray scones and pressing the pastry against the rough fabric of his tunic. It took Hart a moment to realize what he was holding, however, as soon as he did, he looked guilty and held it out to the other Abbey dweller.

"Well, that was clever, Graceful."

Hart jumped slightly: he hadn't noticed the other beast behind him. Turning so his shoulders were angled equally towards each of the the intruders, he let his head fall a little to one side while resuming his typical inquisitive but gloomy expression.

"Is there... something... I can do for you?" he asked haltingly, holding out the jam and scone for one of the two to take. It was hard to get up the strength to talk this morning but Hart was not about to stand in silence.

[Sorrl]

Madly grabbing at scones scattered all over the ramparts, Sorrl sent an angry retort at his sister,
"Yah, go an' boil your head! 'sno less graceful than the time you tripped in the race 'round the pond!" Finally grabbing the last scone, the trouble-making squirrel plucked the pot of jam from the mouse's paw. Realizing that the mouse had asked a question, Sorrl answered hopefully, "Um... Well... You could forget that we're up here eatin' scones?" As he asked the question he tilted his head slightly to the left and tried his best to have a lovable and innocent expression on his face. It didn't work out too well.

[Asterfall]

Asterfall watched, mildly impressed, as the mouse caught the jar of jam and even saved one of the scones from biting the dust. She thought it was pretty admirable; she could turn cartwheels and pull dangerous stunts in the rafters, but none of it was useful.
"Where'd you learn that?" She demanded instantly, mouth half-full of scone. Half a second after she spoke, she slightly regretted it. She normally tried not to be rude. Being a nuisance and being rude are two different things.
Right?
"Erm... I mean... sorry. D'you..." She hesitated, trying to remedy her lack of manners. "...D'you want a scone?" She held one out to him, but immediately felt foolish, for he was already holding one. Sorrl's biting reply saved her from slight embarrassment.

"Yah, go an' boil your head! 'sno less graceful than the time you tripped in the race 'round the pond!"
"Which race was that'un? The time I finished first? Or the time I won?" She asked innocently.

"Is there... something... I can do for you?" Hart asked. Asterfall watched as Sorrl strangely morphed his face in reply.
"Um... Well... You could forget that we're up here eatin' scones?"
Asterfall made a face at her twin brother that clearly said, What an actor you turned out to be. Shoving him aside and popping into the mouse's vision, she said,
"Aw, don't listen to that dopey-faced carp. You can have break'est with us!"

[mirima]

"Where'd you learn that?"

Hart's gloom sank a little deeper and he looked down at his hands. The idea had been that, at Redwall Abbey, he could forget the sight of those paws wrapped tightly around dagger hilts, around the throat of stoats, around the body of his Rachael. Redwall was supposed to be a peaceful place, after all -- no, it was a peaceful place, for the most part. But it seemed that, no matter what the mouse did, there were reminders everywhere, in young siblings that hid up on the rooftops in the mornings and in the old ones, who could recognize a fighting beast upon first glance. His body reacted of its own free will and he could not escape it no matter how much he wanted to.

"Erm... I mean... sorry. D'you..." ... "...D'you want a scone?"

Opening his mouth to answer, albeit reluctantly, one of the young beasts -- the sister -- interrupted him. Hart frowned and shook his head, continuing with what he was going to say before. "Experience, mostly." The words were slow but at least he was talking. "Yes, experience."

"Um... Well... You could forget that we're up here eatin' scones?" ... "Aw, don't listen to that dopey-faced carp. You can have break'est with us!"

For the second time, the mouse began to say something in response to the young boy and was interrupted by the girl. Resisting the urge to sigh and ignore them, Hart said, "Literal, literal... be literal. I couldn't forget... even if I wanted to." He glanced over his shoulder at the sunrise before continuing. "I am... a bit of a stickler for rules... and you both are breaking them." That said, he slumped into a sitting position on the ground and looked at the siblings. "But I'm... not... in the mood to tell. So, yes, breakfast would be...wonderful."

[Sorrl]

Sorrl held his breath as the mouse informed them how much of a stickler for rules he was. Another day, another punishment. Hopefully it wouldn't be anything terrible. After all, it was only scones... Then again, he had taken quite a few. Maybe he should quit trouble making... Try and be a good little squirrel...

Nah, too boring. Sorrl was steeling himself for the repercussions when the mouse collapsed, and accepted his sister's offer to breakfast. Sighing happily, Sorrl stole one of his sister's scones, and offered it to the mouse.

"Jam? It's strawberry. Last summer's, if I'm not mistaken."

[Asterfall]

"But I'm... not... in the mood to tell. So, yes, breakfast would be... wonderful."
Asterfall beamed and plopped down on the red stones again, leaning against the battlements. "Oh, good. We have a lot of scones here, so we need to share with somebody," She said cheerily, taking the scone from Sorrl before Brother Hart even had a chance to decide if he wanted one. "Thanks, dear brother." Asterfall piled jam and fresh meadow cream onto the scone and passed it to the mouse, commenting, "Nothing like a lot of sweetness to get you going in the morning!"

"Experience, huh?" Asterfall chattered on, randomly going off what the brother had said earlier. "That's pretty neat. I have experience doing things like jumping from rafter to rafter and falling out of trees without dying when Sorrl pushes me, but nothing, you know, useful." Asterfall took two scones from her brother's pile and took a bite out of each one. She was a natural morning squirrel - no one had to work hard to get her up in the morning. She lapsed into momentary silence as she looked over the Abbey grounds. It looked serene and pleasant in the morning glow, the breeze stirring the trees and Abbeybeasts alike as it breathed through open windows, waking brothers and sisters.

[mirima]

"Jam? It's strawberry. Last summer's, if I'm not mistaken." ... "Oh, good. We have a lot of scones here, so we need to share with somebody," .... "Thanks, dear brother." ... "Nothing like a lot of sweetness to get you going in the morning!"

Hart shook his head a little bit. Jam was always Rachael's; he ate his plain, especially if sharing. However, as the meadowcream and jam-laden scone -- he didn't think he'd ever seen so much of either on pastries, let alone on one pastry -- was passed to him, he realized it would be rude to refuse. And he was hungry. Still, the mouse paused a little as he was referred to as 'Brother', and he even almost smiled.

"I am no Abbey brother, miss," he said in his usual murmur. "I used to..." Frowning, Hart bit the end off the scone, swallowed, and continued: "I used to wander... wander the woods. I came back less than a... a season ago, I think."

"Experience, huh?" Asterfall chattered on... "That's pretty neat. I have experience doing things like jumping from rafter to rafter and falling out of trees without dying when Sorrl pushes me, but nothing, you know, useful."

"That's...better," Hart said. "Better than mine. Redwallers... shouldn't need to know how to fight, little miss." He could almost feel himself cheering up; the energy of these two was both amusing and impossible to resist. He began talking a little faster. "In Mossflower, where I lived, it's lonely, very...lonely." Glancing out over the abbey grounds, the wry smile brightened a very little bit. "But there's always someone, you know? They come for you, and everything's lovely, and lovelier, and lovelier, and--"

Stopping abruptly, Hart leaned his head back against the walls a little more heavily. It felt weighted, as if he had sacks tied about his neck. "But then everything can... can change... and Redwallers... don't need that kind of experience." The wry smile was back on his face and he bit into the scone, wondering why he thought it tasted so good.

[Sorrl]

{Uh-oh. Get out the buckets--I sense some water works coming.}

Sorrl found himself understanding the lonely mouse better than he would have imagined. Something about the mouse, as he talked, struck a chord, deep within the squirrel's heart. Unbidden, memories flooded to the surface--Memories of idyllic days in Mossflower, followed quickly by the memories of the fateful family reunion... Memories of his father, wasting away...

"I-I... know what y-you mean," Sorrl stammered, choking as his throat tightened. Sorrl was surprised at his own sudden turn of emotions. He was supposed to be the strong one. Asterfall should be the one tearing up, crying about lost ones and the loneliness of the forest, not him!

[Tulian Solum]

A certain rat didn't have any scones that seemed to be in great supply in the abbey. But at the time he was running toward the abbey he didn't mind much. He was just happy to be alive and it seemed so far at least that he hadn't been followed. Resting against a tree he let himself have a minute to get his breath back. Looking back he stopped and just tried to listen.

It really did seem that he had either lost the horde runners or they had just stopped chasing him. Finally able to breath normally again he sat against the tree to take stock of his new surroundings. Now his mind was focused on more then just running away he remembered where he was. He was near the fabled abbey...But it would be better then staying in a forest full of a horde of beasts trying to kill him.

Sniffing the air he mmm'ed a little as he stood. Whatever it was that smelt really good. After a few minutes of walking the rat found himself looking up at the tall red walls. Gulping a little he cleared his throat and smoothed his somewhat corsair shirt a bit before taking a deep breath and pressing his luck.

"Uhhh....Hello?" He spoke loudly up at the walls, seeing a tiny wallgate near him he moved toward it a little. He assumed it was locked, but may as well try it.

(If Octrum comes back I may have to delete my posts but he seems to be gone for now.)

[Asterfall]

"I am no Abbey brother, miss," The mouse said. "I used to wander... wander the woods. I came back less than a... a season ago, I think." Asterfall turned back from looking across the Abbey grounds to the company, skipping the scone and just scooping up a pawful of meadowcream.
"Nah, that's not true. Sister Verise says that everyone at the Abbey's a brother or sister, 'cuz that's what we're about," Asterfall said matter-of-factly. A lot of the creatures in the Abbey had come from different places, right? Not everyone had been born in the Abbey, and Asterfall thought that was pretty neat. It means there were lots of great stories to hear!
"But there's always someone, you know?" Brother Hart said, a thin smile actually crossing his face.
"Yup, 'course I know!" Asterfall said, but cut herself off from elaborating her point by leaning in and looking at Brother Hart's face. "Hey! You have a nice smile!"

Beside her, Sorrl seemed to have taken a deep understanding of the mouse, where as Asterfall just felt like a silver jumping carp in a cool stream, enjoying every moment of the morning but not really taking any of it in.
"I-I... know what y-you mean," He choked out.
Asterfall licked the last of the meadowcream off her paw, looking over at Sorrl, realizing he seemed to be choking, oblivious to the real reason his voice was unstable. She pounded him on the back, grinning.
"Choking, eh? You shouldn't scoff your scones so fast!"

"Uhhh....Hello?"
Asterfall leapt up, abandoning her brother, looking around wildly for the voice before realizing it had come from outside the wall. She leaned precariously over the battlements, waving.
"Morning! You hungry?" She called out before even noticing it wasn't an ordinary woodland creature. Her eyes widened a little as she took in the appearance of the rat, more out of excitement than anything else. She ducked behind the ramparts again, crouching out of view and plastering herself against the sandstone battlements.
"It's a rat!" She said, her eyes sparkling from the very idea. Wasn't the Mossguard supposed to take care of those? Hey, great, we can instead! Unless it wasn't a foe? But weren't all rats?
"Okay, lissen up," Asterfall said, acting like it was a battle conference, sitting on her knees and leaning in secretively. "I say we pelt 'im with scones."

[Promatera]

Today was a particularly good day for Leander because today he would be busy all day. In the morning, he had helped prepare breakfast and set all the tables in the great hall. He then helped the cellarhog check on the storage of October Ale to be ready for the coming season. After a quick snack from the kitchens, he was now on his way to help the abbey recorder organize several accounts of Redwall's history in the gatehouse.

Eager to get to work, Leander took a shortcut on the ramparts, but was surprised to find several beasts, an older mouse and two younger squirrels, lunching along the battlements. One of the younger squirrels was leaning in close as if trying to keep something secret and immediately he grew suspicious. After being on the receiving end of many pranks, Leander had grown very cautious and learned to keep himself alert. He slowed his pace to try and catch a piece of conversation. He felt as though he had seen the squirrels before, but could not recall any names. Though he was terrible with names and he never worked to improve on it as he usually kept to himself.

"I say we pelt 'im with scones."

That was what Leander was waiting to hear, he was sure this was a sign of a prank and despite his usual reclusive tendencies he was going to put a stop to it before it could backfire on him.

"Er...e-excuse me!" he pipped up suddenly turning towards the trio. "Did I just hear something about...s-s-scones?" he stammered suddenly realizing he had little to back up his accusation with.

[Tulian Solum]

(Is it my turn or are we waiting for Sorrl?)

[Sorrl]

Yours or Miri's.

[mirima]

((Sorry -- been away at camp~))

"Hey! You have a nice smile!" / "I-I... know what y-you mean." / "Choking, eh? You shouldn't scoff your scones so fast!" [/i]

It was as almost as if he didn't hear Asterfall because Sorrl's sadness came almost immediately afterwards. Hart looked at the young squirrel, startled completely out of his bad mood. "Whatever did I say?" he asked, panicked, leaning over towards the young beast. It was one thing for he himself to be miserable -- he wouldn't say that he enjoyed it, but at the moment it was a part of who he was -- but for someone else to get so upset over what he said? That, in his mind, was unacceptable. He put out a paw to touch the young squirrel's shoulder, but drew it back again almost immediately, not wanting to invite more tears. Instead, he turned stiffly to Asterfall. "Enough, miss." His tone wasn't angry, just annoyed that she had missed something so obvious as sadness.

"It's a rat!" / "I say we pelt 'im with scones."[/i]

Hart's attention snapped to the rat way below them. "Hardly the best approach," he muttered, completely serious. He wished he still carried around his knives; vermin made his blood curdle. They had killed Rachael, and when they decided from time to time to show up at Redwall, Hart was quietly furious with them. In all actuality, he was tempted to toss scones and jam at the rat -- but that was childish, and he wouldn't do that. Instead, he called over the wall, "What is your business here at Redwall?"

"Did I just hear something about...s-s-scones?"[/i]

He sighed a little: another beast. Leaning just far enough over the ramparts to see the rat but not be seen, he focused his attention there, inviting Asterfall and Sorrl -- the ones with all the bubbly energy -- to deal with the newcomer.

[Tulian Solum]

(Sorry for the wait )

Just having reached the gate when a voice called down to him Tul looking up, opening his mouth to reply as the ears then disappeared. Frowning a little he shrugged and tried to little gates latch. Sure enough it was locked. Taking a few steps back he set a paw on his chin and taped it. Humming to himself about what to do now.

At least he knew the abbey was occupied, and whatever was there seemed to be willing to help if they called down to him about food. But then why did they run? Looking down at his somewhat dirty corsair clothing he nodded, that was probably why. But he didn't have his weapon anymore, just a empty sheath for his knife, a few rolls of scroll and some charcoal sticks. He didn't think he looked threatening, but then again these beasts had a lot of bad experiences with vermin. Such tales got passed around a lot on the seas.

Looking up again as another beast called down to him he attempted a friendly wave and a smile before clearing his throat. "Uhh....." He really wished he had taken time to properly get a greeting in order before calling up, but too late now. Looking back into the forest to be sure he still had time he looked back up at the Redwaller and tried again.

"I wish to find sancuatary if I'm honest, the horde insn't very kind to those who flee, yes?"

[Tulian Solum]

(Are we going to continue without Miri or end the thread now?)

[Promatera]

((OOC: Can we continue? I don't know if most of the others still get on))