Two Explorers
Characters: Theophilus, William
Location: Moledeep
Moledeep: Dibbuns Garden
Theophilus yawns. He walks down to the pond. He takes out his knife and lays it on the edge of the pond. He then unties his belt and lays it along with his habit beside his knife. Quietly he slips into the cool water. After splashing his face, he turns over onto his back and starts paddling around.
William is up and outside earlier than usual today. Due to the chill in the autumn air at this early hour he is wearing his black cloak again. It's nice and warm and even has slits in the front for his arms so he can /theoretically/ work without taking it off. He approaches the pond and the otter within slowly. The hood of his clock is down so as not to hinder his limited vision.
Theophilus hits the water with his rudder. He gives a content smile, clearly enjoying the refreshing water. Unaware of the rat behind him, he starts to talk to himself, "I sure 'ope ma and gran an granpa er okay. Redwall is the safest place of anywhere after all. Wonder what they're doin' now." He sighs, sinking into the water. Bubbles rise to the surface above him. A swift kick sends him back above the water. He shakes water droplets from his headfur, seeing the rat in the corner of his eye as he does. "Er, hello there?" he says, turning to face the other beast.
William is armed as he always is when outside the tunnel and he plops down beside the pond as the otter resurfaces, eying the nearby knife a little. "Hello," he answers the otter, standing back up again. "I saw you in th sleeping hall last night, but didn't get a chance to actually meet you then. I'm William. The owner of Moledeep. Anybeast have you read th rules when you came in last night?" he asks, eye narrowed a little at the otter.
Theophilus swims into the shallows, closer to Will, and stands up. "Aye, but I didn't want to be caught unarmed by any unwelcome beast. Nice to meet you, my name's Theophilus."
William nods, "Understandable. The woods aren't that safe but you shouldn't leave it laying around. It won't do you much good that way."
"I guess you're right," Theo says, "Seeing 'ow you snuck up on me I'm lucky it wasn't anyone else." He climbs out of the pond and, after shaking off the excess water puts his habit on. He ties his belt around his waist and picks up his knife, flipping it around and quickly inserting it between his habit and belt.
William asks, "What brings you around here anyway? I know Moledeep's still on lot of maps but up til last winter it had been abandoned for ages and not many beasts know we're here now."
Theophilus shrugs, "Just exploring. After I left Redwall I set up a home, so I'm just getting to know the area. When I came upon the entrance tunnel I decided to go in and look around."
William is a hypocrite and was thinking some less then nice things about the new otter til something he'd said dawns on him, "... You were exploring? ... Where all have you been?" he asks in a much nicer tone than before.
Theophilus says, "Around Mossflower a little bit, but mainly up and down the dirt road."
"Not too far then," Will guesses. "I've been through most of th woods by now and t both sea shores. How far down th dirt road have you gone or is this th farthest you've gotten?" Will asks curiously. None of his friends are much for exploring so his adventures are few and far between anymore.
"Only about as far as here down south, and not much farther north. I've only been exploring for a few days as you may've guessed," says Theo.
William nods, "Yeah, can't get too far in only one day. How long do you think you'll be around here?"
"Oh, I'll probably make my way back home sooner or later," Theo says, "but I have a feeling I'll be coming around here a few more times."
William hmms, "Yeah you said you had a place in th /grasslands/," from his tone it's clear the rat isn't fond of that place, "And you said you had family staying at th Abbey." The rat nods some to himself before looking back at the otter, "Sun's getting higher, we should head in for lunch. That is if you're staying for lunch. ... Suppose you can keep your knife when you're outside so long as you keep track of it." With these parting words the rat heads back toward the tunnel entrance.
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