Setting off on the Umbra Island Quest!

Saturday May 21, 2011 just after 11:00 EST

RW Abbey: Great Hall

Gupthie was freaking out a little bit. The bell had struck 11 several minutes ago, and he just couldn't shove that last book into his travel pack. He ran out into the great hall, pack over his shoulder, shouting, "Sorry I'm late!" He looked around, and let out a deep breath, seeing he's the first one into the hall.

Silver sits at the table with a bowl of soup, he is still half asleep....

"You're late!!? OH my gosh!" Holly is quick to bounce down the stairs after Gupthie, a little backpack strung over her shoulder with.. probably bugs or something in it. Who really knows what Holly finds important to bring on a trip. But she's certainly hyper enough for a young mousemaid this early in the morning.

Wydran walks down the stairs into the Great Hall, a pack with his belongings slung over his shoulder. "Hello Gupthie," he says, "I thought I was going to be late, but looks like I'm not." He smiles.

( A slender mousemaid comes into the hall, rubbing sleep from her eyes and yawning, and stops short at the sight of Gupthie and Silver. "What could you be doing?" )

Byronn enters the hall, stuffing some papers into a rucksack. "Hullo!" he says when he sees the others

Silver blinks and looks at the mousemaid."Oh...hello..."He blinks a few more times trying to wake himself up...

Gupthie notices the others waking up/coming in. He waves at Wydran. "Seems like we're all off to a slow start this morning."

Byronn chuckles as he takes a seat. "Quinton was being really hyper this morning"

The mousemaid looks around at the gathering. "Oh, are you starting off to look for treasure?" She looks /very/ excited. Glancing around the hall, she comes closer to the others and lowers her voice. "I would love to come... but the cook...

We all remember that cook. He /was/ reather nasty to the mouse...

Silver laughs."I dont think zoomy needs you all that much, why dont you come, we are going to need a cook!"

Biff walks down the stairs and looks around."Hello everyone..."

Wydran says, "Speaking of food, did anyone get the food sacks from the kitchen yet? Friar Zoomy told me would have some ready for us."

The mousemaid can't stop herself: she lets out a loud squeal! "Oh, I'm so excited! I've never been on a quest before! What can I do? Where are we going to go?" She talks rapidly...

"Yes, and we're going to slay dragons, too!" Somehow, Holly has fit a little wooden sword into her pack, and she drags it out to strike a rather dashing pose as she twirls it around and then points it at Silver. "Yah!"

Gupthie says, "I'll get the food sacks." He heads into the kitchens.

Byronn smiles and waves to Biff. "Hi!"

Silver smiles."We are going to an island!"Than he looks at holly."Well I think you are going to need something bigger than that holly, maybe i could show you how to use a sword when we are on the ship..."

The mousemaid looks around excitedly. "I think I should get things to bring?" At Holly's sword display, she jumps with startlement. "Oh, could I learn too?"

Biff smiles."Hello wydran, Is everything set for us to go?"

Silver laughs."If you want!"

Wydran looks around. "Should be! That is, if everybeast is ready to go!" He grins.

Byronn says, "It would be good if I had a refresher course in sword fighting...I'm a tad out of season""

The mousemaid hurries off into a side passage, eyes shining with excitement. However, she comes back in a much different state: pursued by the angry squirrel cook.

"You! Rapscallions! How dare you lure my young, innocent helper off onto your silly adventure! I /need/ her here!"

The cook looks positively enraged!

Silver looks at the cook."Well sir we need a cook on the ship, with out her we cant go!"

The mousemaid shrinks away from the cook towards the others. "Oh, please keep him from keeping me here!"

Byronn looks at the cook kindly. "Y'know, Quinton would love to help you in the kitchen"

Biff nods."Well than we should be good to go as soon as everyone is ready!"

Gupthie returns from the kitchens bearing large sacks of food. "Well, I've got the food sacks!"

The cook's face is a picture, both grumpy and mad. "Oh no you won't, not with my nice helper Tanya sneaking off with you!" He brandishes his ladle.

He suddenly notices the sacks. "Hey, you! Why are you stealing the food sacks?

Byronn says, "but think off all the new cooking experience she'd have"

Gupthie rolls his eyes. "Zoomy made them up for us. They're not yours."

Silver sighs and says to the cook."There is a abbey FULL of other beasts why dont you have one of them help you!"

The cook splutters indignantly. "That Zoomy is a irritating upstart." He steps towards the mousemaid, who has been staying as close to the others as possible, and grabs her arm. "Come along Tanya, don't think I'll let these scoundrels carry you off!"

Holly grins and jumps around Silver a little bit with her sword still in paw. "Yeah! I'm gonna be an expert swordmouse!" She's way too hyper. And she just moves to bounce around the whole hall, swinging her sword at whatever random beast pops in her way. It happens to be the cook this time, as she brandishes her sword at his ladle. "Back off! The mouse comes with us! Or else!" Tanya has a champion!

The cook suddenly goes from indignant to scared. "Er, er, if you say so..." He scuttles off into the corridor, shamefaced.

Byronn puts a hand on the cook's shoulder "Wait a minute, Just let her choose, she's not your servanr who answers your calls"

Biff hmms."Wot was that all about?"

Gupthie laughs lightly. "So, how many sacks do we have here?" He counts them. "Looks like just enough for everybody to carry one. Good old Zoomy."

Wydran smiles and says, "Yes, and he promised us a feast when we get back!"

Tanya shifts around excitedly. "Oh, just let me get my things..." She scuttles off down the same corridor.

Silver looks at biff."Oh it was nothing..."His ears stand up as wydran says something about a feast."Wot was that wydran?"

Byronn looks at Biff. "How're you doing?"

It's been some time, and she hasn't come back. I have a feeling that that squirrel might /just/ be behind this...

Holly giggles with excitement as the cook takes off and makes an exaggerated bow toward Tanya as she heads off. "Thank you! Thank you! The great Holly will scare off any beast! Right, Silver??" Now she's bouncing back toward Silver again. Some little girl is going to sleep well tonight!

Biff smiles."I am doing good, it's going to be nice to get out of the abbey!"

Wydran laughs. "Zoomy's promised to prepare a feast when we come back, so we better get back to the Abbey soon!" he says to Silver.

But no, the mousemaid scurries back, carrying a largish knapsack. "Oo, a feast! When is it? Where is it? Why is it?"

Gupthie laughs. "All questors need a feast upon their return from a great journey!"

The mousemaid looks excitedly. "Ooh, nice!"

Silver laughs."Well I dont think we could get there without you holly!"

Byronn yawns slightly and looks around happily

Biff laughs."Well maybe someone should wake zoomy up and have him get the food!"

( A couple of Dibbun mice come into the hall, yawning and talking among themselves. One of them makes a cheeky grin at the questors. "What are you doing up so early?" He turns to his companions and whispers. They look somewhat crestfallen. )

Byronn waves to tye dibbuns. "hi there"

Silver looks at the dibbusn adn smiles."Well we are leaveing to go on a quest!"

Gupthie nods. "Alright, everyone, come get a sack. It'll be far better if everyone carries their own."

The dibbuns titter among themselves, point at the sacks, and sneak off, eyes alight with mischief.

Tanya looks at the sacks. "Why, there's none for me!"

Biff grabs one of the sacks and sets it down by her chair...

"Yeah, a quest!" Holly's head pokes out from behind the sacks as she tries to pick which one she'll carry. They're all quite large and she's quite a small mousemaid. But she finally grabs one, tossing it over her shoulder and tottering with the weight of it. "Ready! Are we going yet?"

Wydran walks over and lifts up one of the food sacks. "So when are we leaving the Abbey?"

Gupthie looks around and counts again. "Actually I think there is one for you, Tanya. It seems Zoomy made an extra. Of course, it's no longer extra."

Byronn stows a food sack in his rucksack and checks to make sure he's got everything

Tanya grabs the smallest sack, which is still a bit heavy for her, and tries to sling it over her shoulder. But the knapsack is in the way! She takes off the knapsack muttering, slings the food sack over her shoulder with one paw, carries the knapsack with the other, and realizes that she now has no free paws. "Oh... uh oh."

Gupthie frowns. "I think we need to get you a bigger knapsack, one with room for the food."

Silver laughs."Well i think we are going to leave as soon as we eat!"

Holly lets out a groan at Silver's words, and slumps down to sit right in the middle of the pile of food sacks. "But I'm too excited to eat!"

Tanya peers over her shoulder at the food sack. "Oh, that would be a /big/ one!" The food sack is somewhat heavy; she can just manage to carry it. At Silver's comment she looks slightly dismayed, putting the sacks down and sitting in a chair.

Silver smiles."Well you are going to wish you had ate iafter walking for a few hours!"

Tanya looks for food. "You think we should get some food out of the kitchens now?"

Gupthie puts his own foodsack in his travel bag. "Well, then, we'll think of something." He looks to the others. "I'll get food."

Biff smiles."Food sound good!"

Byronn has't realized how hungry he is....

Wydran sets the food sack he was holding down, and sits at a table. "I wouldn't mind a snack before we set off," he says with a smile.

Gupthie returns after a moment with a very large deeper'n'ever turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot pie. "I figured this should be enough to feed us."

Byronn looks at the pie and grins. "Looks great!"

Tanya squeaks at the sight of the pie. It's cold, seeing that it is early.

Wydran blinks as Gupthie brings in the pie, then gets up and goes off to the kitchen, returning with a scone to eat instead.

Silver smiles."Oh pie!"

( One of the food sacks shifts slightly. On it's own. )

( One of the larger foodsacks jiggles noticeably and bulges. )

Biff blinks."Wots going on with that foodsack?"

Gupthie cuts into the pie, and then sees a foodsack move. "Hey, where did that group of dibbuns go from earlier?"

Two other foodsacks suddenly start jerking and jiggling as well.

Byronn says, "i had no idea pies could look this good...."

Tanya siezes a slice of pie with veracity!

Wydran frowns, and expecting the worst, walks over to the foodsacks and opens one...

Silver laughs and takes a pice of the pie...

The sack is somewhat dissaranged, and Wydran sees a... could that be a bit of /fur/?

Tanya is digging enthusiastically into the pie-slice.

Byronn takes a small slice of pie and looks at the foodsacks curiously

Biff walks over to wydran and asks."Wots in there?"

The open foodsack suddenly shakes and the fur dissappears from view.

Wydran rummages through the foodsack, just to confirm what he saw...

Silver hmms and looks over at the sacks...

Gupthie takes a piece of the pie and begins eating it.

Wydran's hand touches warm fur. Suddenly one of the Dibbun mice from earlier explodes out of the foodsack with a sqeak of startlement, scattering bagels and scones and jars of honey everywhere!

( One of the jars of honey lands smack in the deeper 'n ever pie. Squelch! )

Biff blinks and looks in the other sacks to see if there are anyother dibbuns hideing...

Byronn sighs and looks at the dibbun. " Just what were you doing in there?!"

Gupthie groans at the mess that's now all over, and does a facepalm. Facepaw. Whatever. "Oh, hellgates." He picks the jar of honey up out of the pie.

Two other sacks have similiar Dibbuns, and similiar results. There are bagels and scones and berries and apples and other pieces of food are EVERYWHERE!

The dibbuns look scared and guilty... "We were, uh, um, er, uh..."

Wydran frowns at the dibbuns. "They were trying to sneak onto the ship, I think," he says to the others.

Biff frowns and starts to pick up the food...

The Dibbuns suddenly try to run off.

Tanya has been excited by the commotion, she picks the jar of honey out of the pie and puts it on the table.

Silver hmms."Well that was odd..."

( The dibbuns scatter, and nobeast seems capable of grabbing them... )

Gupthie, shaking his head, stands up and begins picking up food. Again, all he can manage to say is, "Hellgates." He yells at the escaping dibbuns, "Don't you try to run away! You'd better help pick up your mess!"

Biff has picked up most of the food and starts puting it back in the sacks...

With a squeal of excitement the dibbuns vanish into corridors and through doors.

Silver laughs."A bit slow there gup!"

Tanya starts grabbing food and tossing it into the sacks.

Byronn begins to collect the scattered food

Several jars of honey have smashed on the hard floor of the Hall, turning into piles of glass and puddles of sweet stuff.

Tanya dutifully starts cleaning them up.

Gupthie says as he puts the food back in the sacks, "I think we should just leave after we clean up, before anything else has a chance to happen."

Wydran sighs and helps out the others with gathering food and cleaning. He looks up at Gupthie. "I agree," he says with a nod.

Tanya looks doubtful. "Are you sure? What about them?" She gestures at the hares. "I don't think they have ate their fill yet..."

Biff laughs."We can eat on the way!"

Tanya finally finishes cleaning most of the honey off of the floor.

Byronn chuckles and reseals a food sack. "I'm sure the cook'll be none to happy with them"

Silver laughs and finshes yet another pice of pie."Well lets go than!"

Tanya has a look of pity on her face. "I sure hope that squirrel cook doesn't get his paws on them."

Gupthie nods, reshouldering his travel pack. "Yes, let's get going."

Byronn stands up and slings his rucksack on his shoulder. " Yes, I've been itching to go since last night!"

Tanya picks up her knapsack and the small bag of food. "Ooh, are we really starting now?"

Biff smiles and picks up her stuff."Well this should be great fun!"

Wydran once again lifts up one of the foodsacks. "Let's go, then."

Tanya looks at Biff curiously. "Isn't there going to be danger too? Isn't there always something dangerous on quests?" She looks a little bit less excited now...

Biff nods."Most of the time!"

Gupthie starts making for the door, slowly.

Byronn makes sure his sword is still in the scabbard and grins "I'm all set...." he looks around at all the beasts

Silver nods and stands up and walks to the door...

Tanya follows them.

Byronn proceeds with the rest outside

Wydran follows the others.

RW Abbey: Entry

Tanya scurries in. "Oh, oh! You must come see, someone shot a arrow into the table!"

Silver blinks."Somebeast did wot?"

Gupthie also blinks. "What now?"

Tanya still looks excited. "Somebeast shot a arrow right into the table, I think they put a message onto it!"

Biff asks."Did you grab it?"

"Oh, I did." Tanya is carrying a arrow; there's a bark wrapped around it just below the head.

Silver asks."Can i see it?"

Gupthie says, "What's it say?"

Tanya takes the note off the arrow and peers at it. "Uh oh..." She hands it to Silver.

Byronn looks at the arrow-message curiously..."What?"

( The note says: 'Stop seeking the Island's treasure, or you will pay a frightening price!' )

There is no signature.

Byronn says, "thay only makes it more exciting"

Biff laughs."Well it looks like someone does not want us to go!"

Tanya looks excited again. "It's a anonymous warning!"

Wydran frowns as he looks at the note. "How could anybeast know about this? Maybe it's one of the dibbuns again."

There is a rustle. Something red slips between two trees, and is gone.

Silver shrugs."Well as long as he is not shooting us with arrowns i am not going to worry!'

Byronn says, "so....shall we head off?"

Tanya says, "Oh, yes, let's start!" She heads out of the Abbey.

Gupthie nods. "Yes."

Dirt Road: Before The Bridge

After several hours of walking (because time is fluid like that), Gupthie's the first one to find himself standing before the old stone bridge.

Byronn catches up to Gupthie and sighs, looking out at the bridge. "Where is the ship docked at anyways?"

Gupthie says, "I think it's out at sea. You'd have to ask Biff, though. And anyhow," he says, looking at the setting sun, "I think we'd do well to stop here for the night and set up camp."

Wydran is following close behind. "I agree. Maybe we should have a bite to eat too!" he says with a smile.

Byronn nods "Sounds like a good idea"

Gupthie sets down his pack. "Alright, so, who brought the tents?"

Byronn says, "I've got one here and reaches in hs rucksack"

Tanya sighs, letting her food pack and her knapsack drop to the ground. "Oh, my footpaws are tired from all that walking!"

Byronn produces a small, patched tent from his rucksack and a few pegs

Silver laughs and sets his pack down."Well that was not to bad!"

Tanya is excited. "Ooh, I've never slept in a tent! What's it like?"

Wydran walks over to Byronn. "Let me help you with that," he says with a smile, and begins to fold out the tent.

Silver blinks."You have never slept in a tent?"

Byronn smiles "thanks" and proceeds to set up the little tent

Tanya looks at Silver, puzzled. "No, I never have." It's evening, and becoming cool. "Shall I go gather wood for a fire?"

Gupthie says, "Sounds good to me. I think, when it gets dark, we should also set up someone to keep watch. This is a well-travelled road."

Byronn says, "good idea"

Tanya sets off into the woods, looking for branches.

Wydran continues to set up the tent with Byronn and suddenly sneezes.

Silver says."I can keep watch."

Byronn blinks "Oh dear...bless you!"

Tanya returns with a armful of branches and dumps them on the ground. "Who has fire starting material?"

Biff pulls a pice of flint out of her backpack."I do!"

Wydran looks at Byronn. "Er, thanks." He puts one of the pegs in place.

Tanya takes the flint and strikes a spark onto the wood. "Oh... I need tinder." She hurries off again, returning soon with a handful of shredded bark.

Byronn hammers the peg in with a stone untill it is firmly in the ground.

Silver laughs."Well after we get the fire started how about we make some food!"

Tanya arranges the tinder under a teepee of sticks and strikes a spark onto it. She blows until it bursts into flames. Soon there is a merry crackling fire burning in front of the tent.

Later...

Holly shakes her head with big eyes. "No. Am I allowed to use sharp things like that?" Wait, since when does she /ask/? This is Holly, after all. Maybe Redwall's growing on her.

Silver laughs."Well as long as you are not inside the abbey you can!"

Holly grins, and finishes off the rest of her soup. "Cool!"

Silver laughs."Well would you like me to show you how?"

"Sure!" Holly sets her bowl down and bounces to her feet. "This is SO cool!"

Silver smiles and pulls out one of his daggers."Well it is rather fun...it also has saved my life meny times!"He spins the daggers around a bit than throws it at a tree, the dagger sticks in the tree with a thud...

Ooo. Shiny. And sharp, too! Holly blinks as the dagger thuds into the tree and then she laughs with excitement. "That's so neat, Silver!! Can I try?" It doesn't look THAT hard, after all.

Silver smiles and hands her a dagger."Give it a try!"

Holly grabs onto the dagger, maybe a little more carefully than she needs to. And the girl bites her lower lip as she turns around, looking at the tree. And then with a steady thunk, she throws the dagger....!!! ... only to have it land on the ground a ways from the tree after bouncing off the wood. Her excitement quickly turns to a frown. "That one doesn't work as good."

Silver smiles and gives her another one."Well try it again, the first time i tryed it i kinda hit one of my friends in the footpaw!"

Holly takes the other one, trying to throw it a little harder this time. The little mouse chucks the dagger at the tree as hard as she can! And then.. once again, it sort of bounces off and lands on the ground. "Gosh darnit!"

Silver hands her the next dagger."Well try it again!"

Holly is already getting a little bored with this. But then again, she is only four seasons old. Though the girl takes the next dagger with a determined look on her face, and hurls it toward the tree. This time, the dagger staaaaarts to stick into the tree. It hangs there for a half a second, Holly's eyes lighting up... before it falls to the ground again. "SHOOT!" she shouts, stomping her big booted foot on the ground.

Silver smiles."Its not as easy as it looks, wot!"He pulls out another dagger."Do you want to try again?"

"What am I doing wrong, Silver??" Holly asks, as she grabs for the next dagger. Of course she wants to try again. Now that she got that close.

Silver hmms."I dont know...just keep trying i guess!"

"I don't think I'm any good at it," Holly pouts, as she throws the next one and it goes right into the tree. Her eyes then become the size of saucers.

Silver laughs."That was great!"He hands her another dagger."Think you can do it again?"

Holly breaks into a huge grin, as she takes the next dagger from Silver. "Yeah! I can!" Though this next dagger does much what the first one did and kind of bounces off the one still in the tree to fall to the ground. She doesn't care, though. She got one of them!

Silver laughs and picks up the daggers."Very good, here."He hands her one."You can keep that one!"

He might as well have given her the moon for as excited as she is. Holly takes the dagger with an almost reverent stare before looking up with a beaming, "Oh thank you!!"

Silver laughs."Well you are not going to get good with out a dagger of your own!"

Wydran steps out of the tent from where he had been watching. "Good job, Holly!" he says with a smile.

Holly almost hugs the dagger as she holds it tightly with both paws. And she glances back to the otter with that still-big grin. "Thanks! I'm gonna catch all the vermin we find now! All the bad ones, at least!"

Silver smiles."Well dont get hurt...I think i am going to take a nap..."And with that he climbs into a tent...

"Keep practicing and you'll eventually get really good at using them," Wydran says, looking at Holly and her dagger.

Holly kind of twirls the dagger a little in her paws. "I sure hope so. Gosh, this is /so/ cool." That seems to be her phrase of the day. "Now I can stay up and keep guard!"

Wydran nods. "You may have to use that dagger, especially if we encounter monitors on the island, like the ones that were mentioned in the Captain's journal," he says seriously.

Holly giggles, striking a pose with the dagger held before her. "I'll slay them all!" she says, not showing the slightest hint of seriousness or fear.

Wydran looks down at the grass at his feet. "I hope we don't have to slay anybeast," he says.