Here's another little Shandar story! Who woulda figured?!

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Wed, 05/29/2013 - 06:13

I’m finding myself with lots of free time interspersed throughout my day, so I've taken to writing obnoxious amounts of random stories. Here is my latest one about Shandar! XD Enjoy. Sorry it's a bit long! :P (Just goes to show I need other hobbies.) And sorry it gets a little crazy in the middle! *dies from all the characters fitted in there* *Note: This takes place directly after the log Leon's been kidnapped! What's with people and kidnapping Leon?! Oh my cow!! Seriously..., where DoraRose gives Shandar the ‘job’ of defending the Abbey against falcons while Leon and Cera wait to be rescued. (Shan comes in about a page down and is only there for a few poses.) That RP took place on Thursday the 16th. Which was ages ago. But who cares! X)

The Great Hall doors slam open, letting a flash of pink run through, giggling happily. The few beasts milling about the doors scatter, and one Abbey Brother shakes his head, calling out severely, “Shandar, there is no running in the Abbey! You’re going to knock someone down!”

Shandar skids to a halt, turns, salutes, and cries over her shoulder as she starts to run again at a minutely slower pace. “What ho, good Brother! Aye aye Sir! No running, wot! Got it.” She disappears around the corner up the stairs.

Dodging other beasts also using the stairs, she gradually makes her way to the infirmary. She slams the door open wide, drawing a great breath to call out. A furry paw clamps over her mouth and Sister Odira hisses in her ear from behind.

“One loud noise from you in my infirmary and I’ll send you to the Abbot.”

Shandar gulps and nods. Odira, not taking her paw away from Shandar’s mouth, takes the mouse’s wrist and guides her into the hall again, letting the infirmary door close softly behind them. The old squirrel crouches in front of the dibbun, withdrawing her paws.

“There is to be no shouting, door slamming, or disturbing in any way of the patients in the Infirmary. Just because Brother Leon is not here does not mean you can break the rules. You know this, and if you do it again I will not hesitate to assign you duties in there for a season. And no, you will not be having Ahndia helping. She has her own tasks to do.”

Shandar sighs. “Yes Sister. Sorry Sister.” Odira stands and puts a paw in Shandar’s shoulder, smiling softly. “I know you are. Now what’s all the commotion about?”

Excitement bubbles inside Shandar once more as the story spills out. “IsawDoraRosetodayandshesaidLeonwasmissingandCerawastooand-” Odira clamps her paw over Shandar’s mouth again. “Slow it down, Shan. What did DoraRose say?”

Shandar takes a breath, grinning, and begins again. “I saw DoraRose today, and she said Leon and Cera were missing. But she wouldn’t let me go and help rescue them, even though I was begging her. But then she said that it was my job to guard the Abbey from evil birds while she was away!” Shandar jumps up and down, clapping her paws together. “So now I need to go and tell Casper! I got promoted! Isn’t it simply exciting!”

Odira smiles again to herself. Ah, she does like dibbuns. When they aren’t in the infirmary, that is. They’re just too cute and innocent. She sighs, thinking about her own daughter, now growing up, but snaps back to the present when Shandar tugs her long habit sleeve.

“Odira, do you know where he is? I didn’t see him when I was in Great Hall, and I didn’t see Ahndia in the infirmary. Where are they?”

Odira scratches her bushy tail thoughtfully. “I haven’t seen Casper in a while, but I know Lahki is probably with her mother, Marley, and Ahndia in the kitchens. Ahndi’s there often nowadays. Perhaps Casper is there as well. I’ll see you at dinner, Shandar. Try not to get too dirty before then.” Odira slips back into the infirmary to continue her work, and Shandar turns back to the stairs.

Trying to take them two at a time, as she’s seen Casper do, she falls heavily. Muttering a stream of curses (which gets some head-shaking and tut-tutting from the creatures around), she rubs her knee and stands. “Blasted steps are too big.” Thinking again, she rephrases her statement. “Blasted legs are too short.” Giggling, she heads off again, thinking of her ‘promotion.’

The kitchens are bustling! Lunchtime cleanup is still progressing, and there are creatures everywhere- cleaning dishes, washing floors, wiping counters. As more cleanup tasks are finished, the workers gradually transition to dinner preparations. Shandar slips in, unnoticed. Standing still against the wall, she inhales deeply. The rich scents waft around her, making her nose quiver in delight.

Tanera Tealera, otherwise known as Tanny, finds Shandar against the wall with her eyes closed, still enjoying the kitchen atmosphere.

“Oh, Shandar!” She cries, taking the startled dibbun’s paw. “You simply must come and see this!”

Shandar’s eyebrows draw together as she watches Tanera wipe her eyes with a handkerchief. “What? What’s going on? Wha-Woah!” Tanny pulls Shandar along suddenly, dragging her towards the door leading outside to the garden. “You’ll see, you’ll see!” Shandar sighs, silently wishing Tanny would just tell her. Sometimes the elder mouse’s penchant for drama and mystery were rather irritating. Shandar, jogging to keep up with the pace, glares enviously at Tanny’s long, slim legs. She opens her mouth to ask to slow down, when she sees what Tanny wanted her for.

Having gone through the small kitchen gardens, they arrive near the middle of the Open Ground. It isn’t so open now though- it’s packed with all of the Tealera family, and other Abbey dwellers who came to see what was going on. There are, oddly, quite a few creatures crying (though most of them are sentimental older beasts,or members of the Tealera family). Tanny drops Shandar’s wrist as she shoves past creatures.

“‘Scuse me, coming through. Pardon me.”

Still standing awkwardly on the outside, wondering what on earth is going on, Shandar hears Tanera shout.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you! But look! It’s Shandar! Shandar, say something!”

Shandar takes a pace forward. “Um, hello? What’s going on?”

The group disperses, standing back so Shandar can see who is in the middle of the glop of creatures. There’s Lahki, sitting on a small stool, crying her heart out but smiling. Ahndia is holding Lahki’s paw, and Marley, Lahki’s mother, is behind her, grinning broadly with her paw on her daughter’s shoulder. A blushing Casper is there as well, with Lahki’s dad behind him. Casper winces as Pop clasps him on the back.

“I wouldn’t have chosen any other mouse! You’ve got full permission to marry me daughter!” He turns his beaming smile, framed by chubby cheeks, to Shandar. “Hello Shandar!” He booms. “Welcome to the party! Tanny, you told her the news, right?”

Tanny happens to be crying too hard to say much. She sobs into her handkerchief, with her brother Rees and her cousin Benj patting her back awkwardly. “I, I didn’t. I th-th-thought she should see-ee-ee for her-herself.” She gasps for breath as she continues her dramatic wailing. “Oh, it’s just so, so beautiful!” She buries her face in the lacy white cloth again, leaning on Rees’ shoulder. He grimaces- his shoulder is starting to get really wet. Benj smirks at his friend and cousin, silently teasing him.

Marley leans over and clips Tanny’s ear, hissing loudly. “Tanera Telera, we’re guests in this place, an’ we can’t ‘ave ya wakin’ up the countryside! Shut the waterworks off!”

Tanny glares as her full first name is used, but she keeps her mouth shut. After a moment of silence, she sniffs regally and wipes her nose once more.

Shandar, now, has been backing away slowly from all these crazy beasts that are crying for no apparent reason. Something suddenly clicks in her mind, and her eyes bulge. The pink flash bulls into Casper, sending him staggering back several steps and driving the air out of him and making him wince. He gets his footing once more, wrapping his arms around his little sister, making a mental note to remind her to be careful when she charges creatures before hugging them. His ribs still hurt from the last charge-hug she gave him.

“Caaaaassspppeerrr! You’regettingmarriedandyoudidn’ttellmeandnowI’mrealtedtoLahkibutEWthatmeansI’mrealtedto-TannytooandI’mnotfriendswithTannybutcanIcometoyourweddingandeatcakeandstuffandIforgottosaythatIgotpromoted!”

Tanny looks as indignant as anyone really could be with Benj and Rees cracking up behind them. Turning to scold the Tealera dibbuns (Sam, Lavi, and Tala) for laughing, she’s pushed over the limit when she sees her mom laughing too. She stomps her paw hard on the ground, then spins around and, nose in the air, storms inside.

Ahndia, after taking a minute to digest what Shandar spouted out all at once, wrinkles her nose. “You got promoted? I wasn’t aware you had a job to begin with.”

Now it’s Shandar’s turn to look indignant. She releases Casper, who leans back on his heels and rubs his ribs, sighing. The little dibbun draws herself up to her full, and short, height.

“I’ve always had a job! I help Flicky protect the Abbey. And I got promoted by DoraRose.”

Shandar deflates and looks injured as Ahndia glares skeptically, making Lahki laugh so hard she falls off the stool. Still chuckling, she’s hauled up unceremoniously by Marley, which saves her from having Lavi, Sam, and Tala jump on her.

Wiping her paws free of invisible dust, the aging mousewife shoos the Tealera dibbuns away. “Begone ya lil’ cretins! Go make yaselfs useful, ‘r join th’ other behaved children in that school they teach ‘ere. Rees, go an’ check on ya sister. Can’t ‘ave Tanny mopin’ ‘bout all day. Benj, go an’ tell yer mum what’s ‘appened. She should be in th’ infirm with Grandpop. Oh, ‘elp Granma up there, will ya? She’s been complaining’ ‘bout her joints agin. There’s a good lad.”

Standing back to survey the now relatively empty Open Ground, Marley puts her paws on her hips and sighs. “Takes a lot out o’ a beast, takin’ charge o’ a family that size.” She turns again, allowing her husband to put his paw about her waist, and she points in the general direction of the Abbey, staring at Shandar.

“What’re ya still doin’ here? Go on! Join th’ other dibbuns!”

Shandar’s eyes grow wide; Marley’s an imposing figure, and freaks Shandar out a bit. The dibbun grabs Casper’s paw to comfort herself, hiding behind his arm. She’s got no issue standing up for herself or others against vermin, but tall, irritated mousewives are really different from vermin! Marley throws her paws into the air when Casper just raises an eyebrow at her. Her husband squeezes her arm gently and pulls her away.

“Come dear, let’s go for a walk in the orchards. Nice there in the spring, yes? We’ll see you at dinner, Casper! Have a good day, Lahki!”

As they walk off, talking softly, Lahki turns to Casper and Shandar (still hiding behind her brothe)r. After a moment of silence, she bursts into laughter, still wiping tears from her eyes.

“Oh, I never expected such a reaction from anybeast about anything!” She chuckles. “And so many creatures I don’t even know! Everyone here is just always so happy!”

Casper untangles Shandar from his arm, and, picking her up, tosses her into the air. Her light dibbun laughter rings out, making Casper smile.

“Aye, I was a little nervous tellin’ Marley we were engaged. If she didn’t like me as much as she does, I think she’d have killed me!” Setting Shandar back on the ground, he flops down, lying in the grass so he can stare at the sky. “I’m glad they were happy though.”

Shandar sits next to him. “So you really are gonna marry each other?” Casper nods in reply, quirking a grin. “I know I was pretty serious about the request.” Lahki beams. “And I was pretty serious about my reply. So I guess we’re getting married!” She stands up from the stool and lays down next to Casper in the grass.

“EEEEWWW.” Shandar shouts as she jumps up, away from the two. Startled, Casper looks at her.

“What?!”

“She’s lying next to you, and now I bet you’re gonna start t’ kiss her an’ stuff!”

“Ah, so a pre-emptive ‘ew.’ Let me make it worth your while! Wouldn’t want you to waste a good ‘ew.’” With that, Casper leans over and gives Lahki a great smacking kiss. Shandar groans, covering her eyes with her paws and turning away, muttering under her breath.

Casper pulls her tail gently. “Oh cummon, it can’t be that bad!”

“But it is!” Shandar cries dramatically, sounding like a depressed Tanera. Lahki giggles.

“You’re a silly one, Shan. Oh, ya never told us what your promotion was!”

Shandar’s eyes light up. How could she have forgotten? “DoraRose said that I was too important to go on the rescue mission to get Leon and Cera and stuff, because my job is to protect the Abbey from evil falcons and stuff!”

“And stuff?” Casper mutters, raising an eyebrow at Lahki. She swats his arm. “Don’t make fun- it’s an important job! Doing all that stuff.” She winks.

Shandar huffs. No one seems to understand how grave this job is! It’s a HUGE task! Thinking about it, her eyes pop.

“I should be on the battlements helping! Otherwise I’ll never know if there’s a falcon! If you see Flicky, tell him I’ll need his help!”

Casper snorts with laughter as she runs off towards the stairs heading up to the wall tops. He stands, brushes himself off, and gives Lahki a gracious paw to help her up as well. As they start to walk inside to see if they can help with any kind of spring cleaning, Casper pulls out his flute and dances ahead, going backwards so he can make faces at Lahki as he plays. She starts to chase him, and he gives up walking backwards in favor of running for the Great Hall doors as fast as he can go. They disappear into Great Hall, Casper still playing a jaunty tune for all to hear.

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