Naught but a simple gift...

Location: North Wall

Characters involved: Auri, Jake, Silver

Jake is up here on the wall top, hooded cloak on and his longbow at his side, quiver of arrows over his back, guard duty time as he watches the woodlands and road quietly from where he stands on the wall top, the breeze is light and only slightly cold tonight as its been warming up.

--- The walls of Redwall are tall and strong; they'd stood fast against the very worst of all things, resolute in the defence of the honest good within. But for all the storms, for all the sieges, the ancient red stone just isn't a match for a solitary squirrel who is good at that sort of thing. As Jake stares out over the quiet Mossflower in the dusk's light, a face appears right before his eyes; red furred and wide-eyed and looking badly startled by the hare standing right where she had been climbing up.

Jake moves back a little and stares at the squirrel,he rasies an eyebrow and peeks over the edge to see just how she got up the wall,he looks back to her before he speaks "Who may I ask are you?" He then waits for an answer.

--- The squirrel makes a nervous whining little sound and slowly lowers back down behind the parapet. There is the whisper-soft scrabbling of clawtips and for a moment the hurried flurry of a squirrel's brushtail as the odd little creature moved away. A moment later, she is atop the crenelations a few paces away, crouching atop t and peering suspiciously at the guard hare, her patchy tail fluttering, betraying her nerves. There was no rope over the wall, no ladder or even a tree, just bare stone; she must have scrabbled up it with bare paw. Looking at her though, you can see that it wouldn't be so difficult - she is achingly lean and light, her red fur dull and patchy, her body shivering a little from moment to moment. "You scared Auri! She complains, in a voice bright and shiny as a tiny brass bell.

Jake watches her, he is not about to admit she started him sligtly, he nods and ajusts his quiver, "Well, that be an intresting little trick ya can do lass." He stays where he is as he speaks to her, he nods "Sorry on the scareing part."

Auri's eyes stay narrowed, head bobbing side to side in a way reminiscent of birds. The apology seems to settle her down a big, and the squirreling settles a bit, though still looking wary. "Lonely hare upon the wall, scaring Auri, near make her fall!" the little maid rhymes, rocking back and forth a little. "You should give Auri a gift; better apology!" sh says, now brightening and bobbing up and down.

Jake errs, "Do be carefull, pretty far down and, don't have anything I could give ya...right now anyways." He looks over the wall and back to her "And not really lonely, just..like to do guard duty at night and stay by myself sometimes"

Auri looks absolutely despondent that there is no gift forthcoming. "No present for Auri...?" she asks, sniffling, her bottom lip starting to quiver. Then, like a switch has been flicked, the ragged little squirrel brightens up, stands up and starts whirling about on the crenellations like a mad thing, grabbing at her belt of knotted canvas and the little pouches on it. The sight is enough to make any beast's heart leap into their throat, knowing just how far it is to fall, but she somehow keeps her balance and is crouching again, holding both hands closed before her, her pretty eyes wide and bright, a smile on her face, "But I can give gift to you!" She lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "It is very special, though, so you must keep it a secret!"

Jake watches her closely as she dances around on the walltop,he frowns more than once when he believes her to be near falling, he is glad when she finally holds still "Got alot of energy don't ya kid"

Auri clicks her teeth together and hops a little closer, still holding out her closed paws. "You haveta promise! You must keep the secret, or I can't give you the present!" she says, the squirrelmaid giggling and, her tail flickering. She looks ill and badly fed, but strangely cheerful... likely mad but in a harmless sort of way, one hopes.

Jake watches her closely, "Maybe you can come inside and eat something" He raises an eyebrow again at the mention of a gift"Would deped on wot was."

Auri looks shifty all of a sudden at the mention of going anywhere. The idea does not seem to have been met with approval by the half-starved little beast, even at the idea of being fed. "Noo... Auri doesn't want to go." she says, pouting a bit. She leans back, holding the item close and opening her fingers just enough to peek insides. She eyes the hare warily for a long while, swaying a little and shivering. "I can only show you, but I can't tell the secret unless you promise not to tell." She says, in a very serious tone of voice. With a very ceremonial movement, she unfolds her slender fingers and holds her palms outwards to reveal... a stone. It's a somewhat flat, roundish quartz stone; common as anything. Her fingers close over it again and she levels a pouting glare at you, "Now promise three times never to tell."

Jake keeps an eye on her and sighs "Alright, maybe you can...have something brought to you" He looks at the stone "You keep ya stone, looks important to you." He grins slightly and leans on the wall.

Silver walks down the ramparts, he came outside to get some fresh air...

Auri's arms start to tremble, then the little squirrel starts to shiver all over. Tears start to well up in her eyes and she draws away, hugging her closed hands to herself. "You don't w-want Auri's present?" she quavers, starting to sniffle.

Jake tenses up some, the urge to just get her to a better place on the wall, like not the edge, is getting to him, he doesnt notice

Silver at all as he speaks "How about ya get off the edge there, that be good, hmm?" His ears move slightly catching footpaws, he doesnt turn towards Silver though.

Silver looks at the squirrel than jake."Why in the world would you make a cute little squirrel maid like that cry jake?"

Auri nimbly hops an extra bit of space away from the two, settling on the newest stone block and huddling up in a little red-furred ball of misery. "He-he-he doesn't want my present!" she cries, and promptly starts to sob into her tail, a picture of absolute sadness.

Jake frowns as he looks at the squirrel, he sighs, this is nice, he didnt plan on going on the wall and upseting anyone,he looks at her and sighs "Just..it loooks to be important ta you, you should keep it maybe," He states,he now looks at Silver "Hallo there."

Silver walks over to the squirrrel and smiles."Its ok little squirrle...no need to cry!"

Auri sobs all the louder, "B-but I wanna give it to you!" when Silver gets closer though, al of a sudden the little thing is all energy, practically leaping off the stone crenelation and landing three further down the battlements on all four paws, her tail flickering and twitching mightily, her whole shape shivering and shaking, ready to bolt - this is a squirrel who doesn't like other beasts to get too close... "That hare is mean!" she says now, wiping at her eyes with the back of a paw, "Has no gift to give and takes none!" she complains,.

Silver smiles."Well if its a gift you want."He digs in his backpack and pulls out some fresh oat cakes."Here we just made these...i was going to give them to biff but you can have them as a gift!"

Jake watches her and narrows his eye "I am NOT mean" he says as he folds his arms over his chest and walks to another area of the wall as he speaks "I am on duty so..talk to each other k"

Auri gives Jake a glare that he probably doesn't deserve, then sidles a little bit to the side so that Silver is between her and him. She cranes her neck to peer at the oat cakes suspiciously, then slow and carefully, like a beast trying to snatch onto a branch on the opposite side of a stream, she reaches out and manages ot snatch one of the treat quick as a blink, and is already an extra three paces away and peering at it up close. She turns it round and round, peering at it from all sides, sniffing at it daintily then gently knocking it against the stone. Those bright guileless eyes turn to SIlver, "What's inside it?" she asks, in an excited whisper.

Silver smiles."We put some fresh fruit in them, and trust me we made them ten minute ago they are fresh!"

Jake doest pay them attention as he watches the woods and road down below, his serious mood kicks in again as he stands here watching for signs of trouble.

Auri looks confused by the idea of fruit and freshness in the oatcake. She looks down at it like another beast like a stick, then up to Jake. "That's all...?" she says, timurously. She gives it a little shake, as if expecting it to make a noise. "Mmnn... it is a gift though, so Auri thanks you." With all the care another beast might give to a crystal globe, she carefully tucks the oatcake into one of her handy litlte pouches. Then she turns to look at Silver, peering at him for a long while as though weighing him in the balance. She takes a step forward. "Auri will give you the present instead! But you have to promise three time never to tell any beast the secret!"

Jake ears move slightly as he is alert as always to going ons at the wall. He stays guarding and in serious mode.

Silver nods."OK... i promise i promise i promise, how was that?"

Auri grins hugely, and Auri's smile could light up the world. The miserable little heap of sobbing squirrel that jake had caused seems now transformed utterly. She giggles and dances in place, trembling all over with excitement. "Good! Heee!" She whirls around a few times, all nerves and excitement. She edges closer now, glancing around, incase any other beast sees what she is holding. Two tiny paws are lifted towards the hare, fingers locked. "It is very special." says Auri, and unfolds her paws to reveal... a small, somewhat round and flat white stone. It's obvious that it is just a quartz stone, maybe from the river; utterly normal and common as anything. Auri seems practically mesmerized by it. "This," she whispers reverentially, "is a stone that is dreaming it is the moon..."

Silver smiles and takes to stone."Thank you, but why do you want to give it to me?"

Auri giggles brightly, all her previous crying forgotten. The squirreling climbs nimbly up onto the crenelations, peering out overtop f it fearlessly, her tail twitching. "Because it is special! Auri has many treasures, and some are even better!" Her bright little voice is a joy to hear, especially when she is happy. She ferrets at her belt and draws out a small clamshell, the inside of it all beautiful iridescence. "This," she says, holding it up for Silver to see, "is a piece of the sky that fell into the river!"

Silver smiles and look at what the squirrel is holding up."Well how do you find something like that?"He asks.

Auri grins, all sly. She twirls lightly one one footpaw, holding the piece of shell above her head and watching the colours dance. "You have to know how to listen... Auri can hear all the special, secret things." She giggles and crouching down again, carefully hiding away the shell. "Auri can hear the dreams of stones, the tinkling of the sky as it falls every night." Her she stands tall and spreads her arms wide her voice dropping an octave to a falso basso, "She can hear the old, slow whispers in the trees," then back to normal, though now a whisper, "And the gossip of the grass!" She looks smug, now, "Auri knows how to listen. No other beasts do..."

Silver smiles as he listens to the maid, he nods."So how did you learn listen that well?"

Auri peers up at Silver with sparkling eyes, her grin growing just that little bit broader and smugger. "She stands up to her full height, which is barely anything at all and holds up her two paws, index finger extended on each. "It is very, very hard... no other beast can hear. It is a secret, one Auri knows, but no other." She giggles now, hopping lightly from one footpaw to the other, "Auri can teach! But it is hard... and to teach, hare must be able to teach Auri something!"

Silver hmms."Well i dont know wot i could teach you...all i know wot to do is how to throw my knives and how to be a healer!"He thinks for a few seconds."I guess i know how to make cheery fried scones...but that is all."

Auri hmms and rubs her small paws together, thinking. Then she hakes her head, "Nuh uh. Those are simple," she says, as though years of experience at triage and healing was nothing more than how to skip stones across water. She spreads out her paws and whirls about, "Auri wants to learn how to fly!"

Silver smiles."I am sorry but i dont think i can teach you how to fly..."He hmms."You should ask a sparrow about that!"

Auri shakes her head, sadly, "Sparrows no wanna teach Auri... all too busy." she sighs, then perks up again, "But maybe you can find out how! Auri will tell you how to Listen if you can find out!" she grins, mischievously, bobbing her head, "Then you will know!" she titters and, happy as you can imagine, hops up onto the battlements and drops over the opposite side. "Just call for Auri when you know!" she calls, her tiny claws scratching softly on the stone as she descends. "Auuuuriiiiiiii... Aaaauuuuuriiiiiii," she calls, her voice rising and falling, singing her name, a sound as pretty as a silver bell.

Silver smiles."You will be the first besat i tell when i learn to fly auri!"