"Gudd, that keep ee soilent, hurr hurr!"
Elmjak the squirrel was old and wise. He sat at table with Tirry, Lully, and Bruff, and all four took a breakfast of mint tea and wild oat scones spread with honey. They ate in silence, watching the badger. Sunflash lay on his pallet of rushes and fragrant dried gra.s.s, and Skarlath hovered over him. The kestrel had not moved from his friend"s side for two days and nights.
Dearie crept softly in and tugged Skarlath"s back plumage gently. "Come an" eat now, sir "awk, or we"ll end up nursin" you too."
Skarlath followed her reluctantly and they joined the others.
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Sunflash moaned softly and tried to turn over. Elmjak hurried to his side and calmed him, bathing the badger"s fevered brow with dampened dock leaves. He checked the poultices which he had applied to his patient"s wounds, saying, "This one will live, mayhap. Never did I see a beast of such strength; no creature known to me could live through even one adder bite. Look at him now, friends, sleeping like a babe!"
Tirry poured a beaker of the fragrant mint tea for Elmjak. "More power t"yore good poultices, sir, they seem t"work right well indeed. You must tell us "ow t"make them."
The recipe for the poultices had been in Elmjak"s family for long generations, and now he recited it for his new friends: " "If beast be bit by fang of snake, And lying near Dark Forest gate, This ancient poultice you must make, To thwart the paws of fate. Find berries from the rowan tree, Add one small green pine cone, With young leaf of raspberry, Pounded flat beneath a stone. Heat o"er a flame "til colored dark, Stir fast to make a paste of it, Bind hot and tight with aspen bark, Unto the limb the serpent bit. Change oft from dawn until nightfall, Make sure the beast lies still, Mayhap he"ll live to thank us all, If he be strong of will!"
Bruff Dubbo wagged a sizeable digging claw in the big badger"s direction. "Burrhoo! n.o.beast be stronger than ee gurt zurr Sunflash!"
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Dearie Lingl agreed wholeheartedly with him. "Great seasons! Who ever heard of a beast so mighty that he slayed two poisonteeth after bein" struck twice by "em?"
It had been hard and wearisome getting Sunflash from the pond back to the cave and caring night and day for him, and sleep had only been s.n.a.t.c.hed in fits and starts. Now, with the badger resting peacefully, there was some long-overdue slumber time. Midmoming was calm and warm, and the friends relaxed on the gra.s.s outside. Tiring of their games, the little ones sprawled beside their elders. It was not long before gentle summer cast its spelt and, amid distant birdsong and the lazy hum of bees, they were soon dozing off.
However, Gurmil and Tirg did not take kindly to sleeping all day. Shortly before noon they were wide awake. Whispering and chuckling to each other, they tip-pawed past the slumbering elders and made their way into the cave. But they had not gone unnoticed: their sisters, Bitty and Giller, followed by the molemaids Nilly and Podd, came hurrying after them.
They threw their little ap.r.o.ns over their faces in imitation of their mothers.
"Gurt seasons, you"m villyuns, wot be ee a doin" in yurr?"
"Come away now, you"m wake Sunflash!"
But Gurmil and Tirg were determined to visit their hero. "Garr, we b"ain"t wakin" "im, on"y come"d to sing the song nice an" quiet. Sunflash likes the song."
They gathered round the huge form of the sleeping badger. Nilly twitched her b.u.t.ton nose cautiously, saying, "Us"n"s best be singen quiet, lest ee "awkburd "ears an" eaten us"n"s all oop wi" ee gurt beak!"
Tiny paws stroked the great golden-striped muzzle as the babes sang soft and low.
Dark Forest and its dread gates had receded from Sunflash"s (beams; now he wandered lonely through sunlit vales and 68.
flower-strewn hillsides. Lying down in the cool shade of a great oak, he looked up at the sky. A shadow pa.s.sed over him and a face appeared; Sunflash found himself staring into the most beautiful face he had ever seen. It was a badger, wise beyond dreams and calm as a still lake in the dawn. He knew instinctively it was Bella, his mother. In that moment he felt sadness and joy, yearning and fulfillment. Comfort and serenity shone through her smile as she stroked his golden stripe and began singing: 69.
Sunflash executed a great whirl, circling crazily until he fell on his back with an earthshaking thud. Caught up in the wild excitement of the moment, hogbabes and molemaids yelled aloud with their badger friend.
"Salamandastrooooooon!""
"Arm not alas sand, "way south in the west, So star land a mat, there"s where I love best, Sand not as alarm, lone seabirds do wing, And alas most ran, list" to me whilst I sing. I"ll walk alongside you, my lost little one, We"ll find the mountain ..."
"Salamandastron!" bellowed Sunflash, finishing the song.
Wakefulness. .h.i.t the creatures sleeping outside like a lightning flash and a thunderbolt all in one. They leapt upright, fur and spikes bristling at the sound of the booming roar from within the dwelling cave. Skarlath shrieked with shock and took off into the air like an arrow, and the babes came tumbling and howling into the open as the mighty shout reverberated once more: "Eeulaliaaaa! Salamandastron!"
Limping slightly and supporting himself on his hornbeam mace, the badger appeared in the bright sunlight. Tears flowed openly from his great dark eyes, yet he was smiling. Casting the mace aside, he scooped the petrified babes up in both paws.
"Salamandastrooooooon!"
The fire burned bright and late in the dwelling cave that night as the homely celebration went on. A great cauldron of wood-landers" stew steamed thickly, its wondrous aroma tickling the noses of all who fancied a second helping, or even a third, or in Sunflash"s case, a fourth and fifth. Elmjak and old Uncle Blunn had ranged far and wide for the ingredients. Potatoes, leeks, turnips, and mushrooms had come from the farm patch, but the special touches like watershrimp, wild onion, fennel, and a delicious addition they had never seen before mat Elmjak called southbeans, had taken some finding. The babes greatly enjoyed a summercream pudding that Skarlath and Lully had concocted between them; there was nut bread and even some early strawberry cordial.
Sunflash had told the story of his dream over and over again. Tiny smiled indulgently as his friend recounted the tale once more. Sunflash ladled himself another bowl of stew, saying, "You"re laughing at me, Tiny Lingl."
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The good hedgehog smiled even wider. "Nay, not laughin" at you, big feller, I"m laughin" for you. Yore parents an" grandsires, you know their names, you"ve seen "em, you know who you are now, aye, an" even where yore bound. Hoho! Salamandastron, eh, who"d "ave thought it?"
The badger"s huge paw rapped the tabletop as he repeated, "That"s what I"ve been telling you, the words of the song all became clear when my mother sang mem. "Arm not alas sand. So star land a mat. Sand not as alarm, And alas most ran." They are all jumbled-up forms of the word Salamandastron!"
Gurmil climbed onto the table and impudently began helping himself to Sunflash"s portion of summercream pudding. "Hahah! But yore mum wouldn"t "ave knowed the song if we "adn"t started singin" it!"
The badger stroked the soft spikes of his small friend"s bead. "That"s right enough, mate. I might not have recovered if it hadn"t been for you young "uns!"
Podd licked her spoon absently. "Burr aye, zurr, best day"s wurk ee surrpints ever did, bitin* ee!"
The badger sat looking slightly puzzled, but the others fell about, laughing at the molemaid"s innocent remark.
Auntie Ummer waddled to her corner of the cave and sought out her gurdelstick. Old Uncle Blunn banged his beaker on the tabletop in time to the jangle, rattle, and b.u.mp of the instrument, calling, "doom on, moi ole duckyburd, give us"n"s a tune, hurr hurr!"
Nilly smiled endearingly at Blunn. "Do ee sing a song, Nunc, sing Wurpldown Dumm."
The old mole chuckled as he patted her velvety head. "You"m gotten oi twisted round yore liddle diggen claw, mis-sie. Roight ho, hurr oi go!"
Old Uncle Blunn soon had them laughing at his song.
"Oh, oi knowed a mole called Wurpldown Dumm, Ee wurr a rascal, a villyun boi gumm, 72 An" ee "ad the plumpest an" fattest ole tumm, As ever was see"d in yon wuddland.
For brekkist ee eated a duzzing gurt pies, They say that "is tumm wurr as big as "is eyes, Ee kept "is mouth opened so ee cudd catch flies, Ee ett everythink in yon wuddland.
One day as ole Wurpldown Dumm lied asleep, Ee Lord o" Dark Forest came wi" a gurt leap An" carried "im off furrever to keep, Ole Wurpldown in ee dark wuddland.
An" all ee dead vurmints cried, "Coom an" see mates, O boggle us seasons, an" lackaday fates, Yon fat mole ee"s eatin" gurt Dark Forest gates, O get "im back up to ee wuddlands."
Ee said, "Oi"ve eated b.u.t.terflies, oi"ve eated bees, Oi"ve drinked lots o" soups an" cordials an" teas, But gates o" Dark Forest tastes just loike gudd cheese, One day oi"ll go back to those wuddlands!" "
The merriment continued with more songs and dancing until the babes fell to snoring and had to be carried off to their beds. When all was quiet, Tirry struck a more sober note, saying, "Well, Sunflash, I suppose you"ll be leavin" us soon?"
The badger nodded his great golden-striped head slowly. "Aye, Tirry, I"ll be setting off an hour before dawn."
Dearie patted his paw. "You"ve got to go, friend, you always knew that. We"ll think kindly of you an" all you did for our families."
Skarlath hopped down from the ledge he always liked to perch on. "Tomorrow "twill be the start of autumn days. I will
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stay here awhile with you and make cheeses. Though I will divide my time between sometimes flying off to watch for Swartt Sixclaw and other times keeping an eye on you, Sun-flash. So, badger, you may go with a light heart, knowing these families have a protector."
Sunflash stretched out his heavy paw, running it lightly down Skarlath"s plumed back. "What creature ever deserved such a friend as you, my hawk!" he said, his voice trembling audibly.
Lully threw her ap.r.o.n up over her face to hide her distress. "Oi"ll make ee oop a gurt pack o" vittles, zurr, ee woan"t be "ungered on ee journey, an1 may"ap "twill remoind ee of us"n"s."
She and Dearie were overcome with tears, and they hurried off. Sunflash stretched out both paws to Tiny and Bruff, and they shook firmly, blinking and nodding a lot. "Go to your beds now," said Sunflash. "I told you I wouldn"t leave without saying farewell. So good-bye, Tiny Lingl, and good-bye to you, Bruff Dubbo, my very good friends."
The mole and the hedgehog wiped their eyes and went to their beds.
In the hour before dawn, the dwelling cave was still and warm, and its occupants, all save one, were asleep. Without a backward glance, Sunflash picked up his mace and the sack of provisions; moving softly, he was off on his quest. Outside in the dim light, he started at a sound. Elmjak crept up, a paw upon his lips. The badger nodded, and together they cut into die woodlands, going south and west. Neither beast spoke as they carefully picked their way through bush and undergrowth i until they reached the brow of a small knoll. Amber and lilac i- washed a pale swathe through the eastern skies; woodpigeon, " thrush, and blackbird could be heard as they rose to herald the dawn; the earth felt tranquil, green and dew-laden.
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Suddenly the old squirrel halted and, grasping his companion"s mighty paw, he shook it firmly. "Thy path and mine part here. I walked this far with you so that you would not be leaving the dwelling of friends alone."
Sunflash was careful not to squeeze Elmjak"s paw too hard. "Thank you, my friend. I would be dead were it not for you. But where do you go now, what path will you travel?"
Looking back the way they had come, the squirrel smiled. "My wandering days are done. I will return to the dwelling cave and live happily in peace and plenty with those two families of innocents. Methinks they will have need of my special skills. So worry not, Sunflash-like your kestrel, I will watch over our friends gladly."
The badger touched his golden stripe as a mark of respect. "You are a goodbeast. My heart is lighter knowing you are protecting the families of Tirry and Bruff. We will meet again someday, I feel it. Send a message by Skarlath should you ever need me. Good-bye, Elmjak."
Reaching into his herb bag, the old squirrel drew forth a turquoise stone. It was flat, intricately carved into the shape of a sycamore leaf and strung on a thin cord. He looped it around Sunflash"s paw, saying, "This amulet may be of use to you sometime. Show it to any squirrel or otter you may encounter. Tell them it comes from the oakdens of Firjak and was given to you by his son Elmjak. It will make your path easier by bringing you help. Fare you well, Sunflash the Mace. Find your mountain, defeat your enemies, and grow great in the land!"
Then with enviable agility in one so old, the squirrel went bounding off through the trees.
Morning sun evaporated the damp and dew, clothing the woodlands in a brief gauze of mist. Sunflash trudged steadily onward as the trees and foliage became more luxurious and dense. Digging his footclaws into the loamy ground, the badger descended a steep wooded hillside, noting a warm decaying odor and the earth growing squelchy as he progressed downward. Upon reaching the bottom, Sunflash was forced to balance between a rock and a rotting beech stump. Seating himself, he unpacked oat scones and a flask of dandelion-and-burdock cordial. He ate and drank slowly as he evaluated the land, the great swamp he would be forced to cross. In front of him, and as far as he could see from left to right, dark treacherous ooze showed between the tall foxgloves, fungus-like growths clung parasitically to half-sunken logs, and clouds of midges swarmed about the mosses and liverwort that abounded everywhere.
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From the shelter of clumped elderbushes, the badger was being watched. Many reptilian eyes stared unblinkingly from their hiding places. Sunflash was stoppering his drink flask when a strange sound reached his ears; looking around swiftly he identified the source of the odd noise. It was a reed flute, played by a small skinny newt. The creature had painted itself orange and bright blue with plant dyes. It hopped and frisked about with scant regard for the treacherous surface of the mora.s.s, skipping from plant to twig, from rush to flower, tootling and twiddling tunelessly. It popped up alongside Sunflash, virtually pushing his footpaw off the rotten log as it made room for itself.
The badger greeted the newcomer. "Good day to you, little sir...."
Further conversation was interrupted as the newt scrabbled to get inside Sunflash"s provision sack. The badger nipped the invader neatly by its baggy neckskin and held it aloft. Indignantly, it kicked in mid-air, snarling nastily in a high-pitched nasal squeal, " "Ey yew, *ey yew, gerroffofme an" giz me vikkles, "urryup!"
Sunflash gave the impudent reptile a warning shake to silence it. "Hold hard there, cheekyface, who d"you think you"re talking to?"
It tried to strike at the badger with its reed flute. "Stripey-dog thicky"ead badjerpadjer daftdog ... !"
Sunflash had put up with enough. He stunned the newt with a tiny flick of his free paw beneath its chin. Unknown to him the myriad of reptile eyes still watched from the cover of the elderbushes. Sunflash laid the newt carefully out on the stump and waited for it to recover, and when it stirred and opened one eye, he trapped it gently with a footpaw and lectured it.
"Now don"t say a single word or I"ll squash you like a gnat! Right, listen to me. Didn"t your parents ever teach you any manners? You come here, diving into my bag, demanding food, and then you start insulting me. Have you got no respect for others? Keep a civil tongue in your head, I warn you!"
The little reptile swallowed, its throat rising in a gulp. "A wiz "ungry, yew got vikkles, giz Smerc sum ... pleez."
"That"s better!" said the badger, opening his sack. "My name is Sunflash the Mace. You want food-good, tell you what I"ll do. Obviously you know your way about this swamp, and if you agree to lead me through it I"ll feed you. Is it a bargain?"
The newt wriggled out from beneath the badger"s footpaw. "Barrgin, barrgin! Giz Smerc vikkles, I show yadda way!"
Sunflash broke an oatcake in half, twirled a leaf into a cone, and filled it with cordial, and gave them both to Smerc. The skinny little creature ate as if it had lived through a seven-season famine, sucking the drink noisily and chomping at the oatcake until crumbs flew. To the badger"s amazement it demolished the food and finished the drink.
Holding out the conical leaf cup, Smerc shook it in Sun-flash"s face. "Yehhhh! A like it, goodgood, giz me sum-more!"
The badger eyed it coldly until he heard the word.
"Pleez!"
Refilling the leaf cone, Sunflash gave it to Smerc with the other half of the oatcake. The newt"s table manners were totally appalling. When it had finished eating, it grabbed at the amulet that Sunflash had hung around his neck, hissing, "Luvly meggle giz me it, for showyer across swampy!"
Sunflash understood Smerc completely. He had spent a lot of his young life in a vermin camp where creatures behaved like that as a matter of routine. The only thing such creatures respected was brute force, and now he decided to show the newt a bit. Picking Smerc up, Sunflash set him on a low laburnum branch.
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"So then, your name is Smerc. Watch and I"ll show you why I"m called Sunflash the Mace!"
Sunflash seized the great hornbeam mace and swung it.
"Eeulaliaaaaa!"
One sweeping sideways blow at the rotten beech stump caused it to disintegrate, exploding into a shower of damp wood, powdery dust, slugs, and wood lice. When the debris settled there was no sign of the stump. Smerc stood open-mouthed, quivering all over with fear. Sunflash shouldered his mace, saying, "I"ve fed you, that"s my half of the bargain. Now you will guide me through this swamp. Move, Smerc!"
Slow worms, eels, and newts in a silent slithering procession followed as Sunflash negotiated a pa.s.sage through the wide mora.s.s. He followed Smerc, sometimes waist deep as the newt skipped carelessly over lily pads, other times gripping the moss-covered limbs of long-submerged tree trunks. It was tough going. At the center of the swamp a jutting oak branch stuck up at an angle. As he moved toward it, the badger felt the shifting ooze gripping and sucking at his body. He floundered, tasting the foul mud in his mouth, unable to wipe it from his eyes as it flopped and splodged with his wild efforts.
Smerc"s voice rang out from somewhere nearby. "Grab "old o" d"branch, stripeydog, or yer sink!"
Summoning his strength, Sunflash made a mighty surge forward, grabbing blindly at where he knew the tree limb to be. There was a moment"s cold panic, then he felt his paw grip wood. Looping the cord of his mace handle over a gnarled burr, he pulled himself from the sticky mora.s.s. After what seemed an age, his limbs came clear of the swirling, sucking mud.
Sunflash clung to the wobbly limb, shaking with exhaustion; it had been a formidable task pulling his huge bulk from the swamp. Feeling around slowly he was surprised to find his provision sack still hanging from the old cord that served him as a belt. He dug his paw into the sack and pulled out the flask of dandelion-and-burdock cordial; then, biting out the stopper, the badger tilted his head back and poured the fragrant liquid into his mud-blinded eyes until they were free of swamp dirt. Gratefully he cleared his throat by drinking what was left in the flask, then he looked up to see Smerc and the band of reptiles who had been following him. The wicked newt was perched on the head of a big eel, obviously the leader, Sunflash tried ignoring them as he reasoned with Smerc. "Come on, be fair, you haven"t completed our bargain. Get me out of this swamp. Which way do I go now?"
The eels, slow worms, and newts remained silent, fixing the badger with a concentrated basilisk glare. Smerc, however, was delighted that he had lured the badger into a trap. He pointed at Sunflash and giggled insanely. "Yeeheehee! Which way ya go now, stripeydog? Yeeheeheehee! This"s yer deepest part o" th"swamp, on"y one way t"go, badjerpadjer. Yeeheeheehee! Down!"
Hot rage engulfed Sunflash the Mace, and he hurled the empty flask at the sn.i.g.g.e.ring newt. Had his aim been tempered by calmness the missile would have slain Smerc, but as it was, die flask struck a glancing blow to both the newt and the big eel on whose head he was perched. Smerc flopped senseless on the eel"s head, which was now sporting a livid bruise and a rapidly rising b.u.mp.